公开(公告)号：US06492645B1

公开(公告)日：2002-12-10

申请号：US09456061

申请日：1999-12-07

申请人： John Thomas Allen ,  Gary K. Loda ,  Russell Parker ,  George M. Sullivan ,  Colin Brian Williams

发明人： John Thomas Allen ,  Gary K. Loda ,  Russell Parker ,  George M. Sullivan ,  Colin Brian Williams

IPC分类号： G21K510

CPC分类号： A61L2/087 ,  A23L3/263 ,  A61L2202/24 ,  G21K5/10

摘要： A first robotic assembly transfers articles from carriers on a transport mechanism at a loading area to a first load conveyor. The conveyor transfers the articles to a process conveyor which moves the articles through a target region at a substantially constant speed. The process conveyor then transfers the articles to a second load conveyor. A second robotic assembly then transfers the articles to article carriers on the transport mechanism at an unloading area. The load and process conveyors may be divided into two tracks. First and second radiation sources respectively disposed at first and second gaps in the process conveyor in the target region respectively irradiate the articles in both tracks in opposite directions from positions above and below the articles. Articles on the tracks may be (a) diverged on the first load conveyor to separate the articles from the dividers, (b) converged on the process conveyor to minimize the width of the radiation sources and (c) diverged on the second load conveyor. If one of the radiation sources is not operative, the other source may irradiate the opposite sides of the articles during article movements sequentially on the first tracks of the first load conveyor, the process conveyor and the second load conveyor and then sequentially on the second tracks of the first load conveyor, the process conveyor and the second load conveyor. The articles are inverted during their transfer from the first track of the second load conveyor to the second track of the first load conveyor.

摘要翻译： 第一机器人组件将载物上的物品从装载区域上的运送机构转移到第一负载输送机。 输送机将物品转移到以基本上恒定的速度移动物品穿过目标区域的处理输送机。 然后，处理输送机将物品转移到第二负载输送机。 然后，第二机器人组件在卸载区域将物品转运到运送机构上的物品承载件。 负载和过程输送机可以分成两个轨道。 分别设置在目标区域中的处理输送机中的第一和第二间隙处的第一和第二辐射源分别在物品上方和下方的相反方向照射两个轨道中的物品。 轨道上的物品可能是（a）在第一负载输送机上分开，以将物品与分隔器分离，（b）会聚在过程输送机上，以使辐射源的宽度最小化，（c）在第二负载输送机上分散。 如果其中一个辐射源不起作用，另一个源可以在物品移动期间顺序地照射在第一负载输送机，处理输送机和第二负载输送机的第一轨道上的物品的相对侧，然后依次在第二轨道 的第一负载输送机，过程输送机和第二负载输送机。 物品在从第二负载传送带的第一轨道传送到第一负载输送机的第二轨道期间被倒转。