HANDLING DEVICE AND METHOD FOR HANDLING PRODUCTS, IN PARTICULAR FOOD, BEING CONVEYED BY MEANS OF A TRANSPORT DEVICE

• Main Authors: WIPF, Alfred, WEHRLI, Markus, KATHAN, Philipp
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 05.04.2023
• Subjects: CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES; CONVEYING; HAND TOOLS; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGINGARTICLES OR MATERIALS; MANIPULATORS; PACKING; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS; STORING; TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING ORTIPPING; TRANSPORTING; UNPACKING

A handling device for a handling of products (14), in particular food products, which are conveyed by means of a transport device (12), has at least one handling unit (16) comprising a plurality of movably supported movement carriages (18), in particular movers, and a plurality of, in particular movably supported, handling elements (20), in particular vacuum grippers, wherein on each movement carriage (18) respectively at least one handling element (20) is arranged, and has at least one carrier structure (22), which in particular extends at least partially transversally over the transport device (12) and has at least one carrier element (24) on which the movement carriages (18) are supported in such a way that they are drivable, independently from each other in terms of speed and/or position, at least along a direction (28) running at least substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis (26) of the carrier element (24), the handling elements (20) being supported on the movement carriages (18) so as to be movable, in particular individually movable, the handling elements (20) in each case having a movement axis (30, 32) that extends transversally to the longitudinal axis (26) of the carrier element (24), and/or the carrier structure (22) comprising at least one bearing unit (34), in particular a rotary bearing unit and/or a linear bearing unit, by means of which the carrier element (24), in particular together with the movement carriages (18) arranged thereon, is supported so as to be vertically movable, wherein for a movement of the handling elements (20) relative to the movement carriages (18), the movement axes (30) of the handling elements (20) in each case run at least substantially parallel to a product support surface (60) of the transport device (12), wherein the handling device further comprises at least one electromagnetic drive unit (68) for an individual movement of the movement carriages (18) relative to the carrier element (24), the electromagnetic drive unit (68) being realized as a linear motor system, wherein the handling unit (16) comprises fluidic drives (42), in particular hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders, or electromagnetic drives, in particular electromagnetic drives assigned to a further linear motor system of the handling device, for a translational movement of the handling elements (20) along the respective movement axis (30) of the handling elements (20).