Automated system for feeding production and/or packing material from a store onto manufacturing lines
AssigneeG. D. Societa per Azioni
InventorArmando Neri
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system for feeding production and/or packing material onto manufacturing lines, which system has compartment for storing the material; guide tapes for mobile trucks traveling between a storage area and manufacturing lines. The guide tapes define routes selectively traveled along, in use, by the mobile trucks for transporting and feeding the material to the manufacturing lines. A computer controls the position and operation of the mobile trucks; and a number of mobile trucks having an independent electricity supply and designed to supply operating-arm units are connected at least temporarily to the mobile trucks.
Claims10
An automated system for supplying a plurality of types of different materials to at least one manufacturing line, said system comprising:
- means for storing a plurality of homogeneous units of said plurality of types of different materials in a storage area having a plurality of compartments;
- a central processing unit for controlling the operation of said automated system;
- at least one first electrically powered mobile truck having first means for supplying electricity;
- means for selectively retrieving at least one unit of said plurality of homogeneous units from said means for storing and for loading said at least one unit on said at least one first mobile truck, said means for selectively retrieving responsive to commands from said central processing unit;
- at least one second electrically powered mobile truck having second means for supplying electricity;
- means for unloading said at least one unit of said plurality of homogeneous units from said at least one first mobile truck to one of a plurality of pallets to form a provision area, said means for unloading having an operating-arm device for loading and unloading, said operating-arm device having means for electrically connecting with said first and second means for supplying electricity of said first and second mobile trucks to receive electricity for powering said operating-arm device;
- said means for unloading being operable to assemble a heterogeneous group of materials on each of said at least one second mobile truck from said plurality of pallets in rsponse to commands from said central processing unit;
- means for guiding said at least one first mobile truck between said storage area and said provision area;
- means for guiding and controlling said at least one second mobile truck between said provision area and said at least one manufacturing line;
- and
- means for offloading at least one predetermined unit of material from said heterogeneous group of materials from each of said at least one second mobile truck to said at least one manufacturing line, said means for offloading being operable in response to commands from said central processing unit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.