DE9104179U1 - Transport and/or storage containers, in particular boxes - Google Patents

Description

PATENT ATTORNEYS HEMMERICH ■ MÜLLER-· GROSSE · POLLMEIER · MEY ■ VALENTIN - 1 -

+.sr 76 067

£3 3. /if?,. 1u3 &iacgr;

Fritz Schäfer Limited Liability Company, Fritz-Schäfer-Straße 20, 5908 Neunkirchen

Transport and/or storage containers, in particular boxes

The invention relates to a transport and/or storage container, in particular a box, for fully automatic grasping and transporting by means of grippers or the like, which can be engaged via coupling pawls in lifting pockets on the edge of the container or box, whereby the gripper or the like and its coupling pawls can be positioned - automatically - relative to the center of the container or box by means of a position sensor and reflector or detection point.

The essence of the innovation is that at least two pairs of reflectors or detection points are located on the edge of the container or box in an arrangement in which the intersection point of the connecting lines between the associated pairs of reflectors or detection points lies exactly on the geometric center of the container or box, and that each individual reflector or detection point can be scanned with the or a position sensor of the gripper or the like.

The advantage of this design is that from the scanning of all reflectors or detection points of both pairs of reflectors or detection points, an adjustment movement for the gripper or the like can be derived, which is precisely tailored to the respective container.

PATENT ATTORNEYS HtM^ERI-CH ^; MuLL-ER ¹ ■ GROSSE · POLLMEIER ■ MEY · VALENTIN - 2 -

or box center, even if the dimensions of the container or box at its edge interacting with the gripper or similar differ within certain tolerance forces. Deformations of the container or box walls under the influence of the stored goods are also taken into account in this case.

According to the innovation, it has proven particularly useful if a reflector or detection point is arranged halfway along the length of each container or box longitudinal wall and transverse wall on the container or box edge.

According to the innovation, recesses can be formed in the container or box edge above each container or box longitudinal and transverse wall, which have a hole in the middle, and each reflector or detection point can sit on an adapter which can be fixed in the recess by means of a spreading closure which can be inserted into the hole.

It has proven useful if the adapter has a reflector or detection point film, which is preferably attached by adhesive.

The drawing shows the subject of the innovation in an embodiment. It shows

Figure 1 shows a side view of a transport and/or storage container with a gripper or the like positioned above it,

Figure 2 is a plan view of the transport and/or storage container alone and

PATENT ATTORNEYS H-EMMtRICH " IVf ¹ JLL-E'R"' - GROSSE · POLLMEIER · MEY · VALENTIN - 3 -

Figure 3 shows a spatial view and a larger scale of a reflector or detection point adapter, which can be brought into operative connection with a transport and/or storage container according to Figures 1 and 2.

Figures 1 and 2 of the drawing show a transport and/or storage container 1 which, in the usual way, has a base 2, two longitudinal walls 3 and 4 and two transverse walls 5 and 6. The longitudinal walls 3 and 4 and the transverse walls 5 and 6 limit the container or box edge 7 at the top.

Lifting pockets 8 that are open at the top are incorporated into the box edge 7, which can be seen in Figure 2 and are located in the area of the transverse walls 5 and 6 in the container or box edge 7. Two lifting pockets are assigned to each transverse wall 5 or 6, in the vicinity of the box corners.

The lifting pockets 8 can be used to engage and disengage coupling pawls 9, which are located on a gripper 10 or the like, which can be used to transport individual transport and/or storage containers 1.

For the perfect cooperation between the gripper 10 or its coupling pawls 9 and the transport and/or storage container 1, it is important that the gripper 10 with its coupling pawls 9 always reaches a position relative to the transport and/or storage container 1 in which the grippers 9 can easily come into active connection with the lifting pockets 8. To make this possible, at least two

PATENT ATTORNEYS HEMMERICH ■ MÜLLER- ÖROSSE · POLLMEIER · MEY · VALENTIN - 4 -

Pairs of reflectors or detection points 11a/11b and 12a/12b are arranged. The arrangement of these is such that the intersection point 13 of the connecting lines lic and 12c between the associated pairs lla/llb and 12a/12b lies exactly on the geometric center of the container or box. This is independent of the actual distance between the opposite longitudinal walls 3 and 4 or transverse walls 5 and 6.

The reflectors or detection points 11a/11b and 12a/12b of each transport and/or storage container 1 can be scanned in their distance along the connecting lines 11c and 12c using at least one position sensor 14 provided on the gripper 10 or the like, the respective scanning result influencing the actuator for the gripper 10 in order to bring it into the current position relative to the transport and/or storage container, in which its coupling pawls 9 can then come into operative connection with the lifting pockets 8.

An arrangement of the reflectors or detection points lla/llb and 12a/12b as shown in Figure 2 of the drawing has proven particularly useful. There, one reflector or detection point 11a, 11b or 12a, 12b is arranged halfway along each of the container or box longitudinal walls 3 and 4 as well as the transverse walls 5 and 6 on the container or box edge 7.

To accommodate the reflectors or detection points 11a, 11b and 12a, 12b, recesses 15 are expediently formed in the container or box edge 7 above each container or box longitudinal wall 3, 4 and transverse wall 5, 6, which have a hole in the middle. Each reflector or detection point 11a, 11b and 12a, 12b is located on the top of an adapter 16, which is inserted into each of the

PATENT ATTORNEYS KEIUMERiCH ·■■ MÜLLER ■ GROSGE ■ POLLMEIER ■ MEY · VALENTIN - 5 -

Recesses 15 and which is equipped on its underside with a pin-like expansion closure 17, which can be brought into engagement in the holes of the recess 15 in order to fix the adapter 16 there. Preferably, a recess 18 is formed in the top of the adapter 16, which serves as a receptacle for the respective reflector or detection point 11a, 11b and 12a, 12b, which can be formed, for example, by a glued-in film.

PATENT ATTORNEYS KEMMERtCH ^; - MÜLLER ■ GROSSE · POLLMEIER ■ MEY · VALENTIN - 8 -

List of reference symbols

1 transport and/or storage container

2 Floor

3 Longitudinal wall

4 Longitudinal wall

5 Cross wall

6 Cross wall

7 Container or box edge

8 lifting pockets

9 clutch pawls

10 grippers

11a, 11b Reflector or detection point

12a, 12b Reflector or detection point

lic connecting line

12c connecting line

13 Intersection

14 Position sensors

15 Deepening

16 adapters

17 Spreader lock

18 Deepening

Claims (4)

PATENT ATTORNEYS HEMMERICH -"MÜLLER · GROSSt. · POLLMEIER ■ MEY · VALENTIN - 6 - +.sr 76 067 3. hi &igr;-.. "—· '■ Fritz Schäfer Limited Liability Company, Fritz-Schäfer-Straße 20, 5908 Neunkirchen sayings 1. Transport and/or storage containers, in particular boxes, for fully automatic gripping and transporting by means of grippers or the like, which can be engaged via coupling pawls in the lifting pockets on the container or box edge, whereby the gripper or the like and its coupling pawls can be positioned - automatically - relative to the container or box centre by means of a position sensor and reflector or detection point,
characterized,
that on the container or box edge (7) there are at least two pairs (lla/llb and 12a/12b) of reflectors or detection points (11a, 11b and 12a, 12b) with an arrangement in which the intersection point (13) of the connecting lines (lic and 12c) between the associated pairs (lla/llb and 12a/12b) lies exactly on the geometric center of the container or box, and that each individual reflector or detection point (lla, 11b, 12a, 12b) can be scanned with the or a position sensor (14) of the gripper (10) or the like. PATENT ATTORNEYS HEMMER ICH ■ MÜLLER -..GROSoE · POLLMEIER ■ MEY · VALENTIN - 7 - 2. Transport and/or storage container according to claim 1,
characterized, that a reflector or detection point (11a, 11b, 12a, 12b) is arranged halfway along each container or box longitudinal wall (3, 4) and transverse wall (5, 6) on the container or box edge (7). 3. Transport and/or storage container according to one of claims 1 and 2, characterized, that recesses (15) are formed in the container or box edge (7) above each container or box longitudinal wall (3, 4) and transverse wall (5, 6), which have a hole in the middle, and that each reflector or detection point (11a, 11b, 12a, 12b) sits on an adapter (16) which can be fixed in the recess (15) by means of a spreading closure (17) which can be inserted into the hole. 4. Transport and/or storage container according to claim 3,
characterized, that the adapter (16), preferably in a recess (18), carries a reflector or detection point foil.