Patent abstracts

Industrial Robot

ISSN: 0143-991X

Article publication date: 19 October 2010

38

Citation

(2010), "Patent abstracts", Industrial Robot, Vol. 37 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/ir.2010.04937fad.003

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2010, Emerald Group Publishing Limited


Patent abstracts

Patent abstracts

Article Type: Patent abstracts From: Industrial Robot: An International Journal, Volume 37, Issue 6

Title: Robot gripper for food productsApplicant: VALKA EHF [IS]Patent number: US2009238670 (A1)Publication date: September 24, 2009

Abstract

The invention relates to a gripper for a robotic arm which is specially designed for fresh food products. The invention also relates to a method, a device and a system which arranges food products fully automatically onto a conveyor, e.g. in-feed conveyor to an IQF freezer, or into a tray or a box. The gripper unit comprises penetration mechanism for penetrating into the articles that are to be picked up, thereby providing an engagement between the gripper unit and the articles while rearranging the positions of the articles, whereby the position of the penetration mechanism into the articles is operated in such a way that one end of the articles becomes at least partially freely hanging.

Title: Shopping system and shopping support methodApplicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPPatent number: JP2009271815 (A)Publication date: November 19, 2009

Abstract

Problem to be solved: To provide a shopping system and a shopping support method, for providing highly convenient service in shopping.

Solution: This shopping system has: a food article sales device to/from which an IC card is attachable/detachable; a food article storage for storing a food article; a robot device capable of performing operation of collecting the food articles of the food article storage; a conveyor device; and a collection/conveyance controller for controlling the collection of the food articles by the robot device. The IC card stores menu foodstuff information MFD wherein a menu and the food articles that are foodstuffs of the menu are associated. When receiving designation of the menu from a shopper, the food article sales device specifies the food articles that are the foodstuffs of the menu in reference to the menu foodstuff information MFD of the IC card, and orders the collection/conveyance controller to make the robot device collect the specified food articles. The shopper can receive the food articles collected by the robot device from a commodity reception of the food article sales device.

Title: Food product’s, e.g. ham, slices setting equipment, has handling robot, vision system and pneumatic gripping assembly to grip slices of food product, direct slices and release slices into adjusted position for correctly repositioning slicesApplicant: SAINT ETIENNE AUTOMATION [FR]Patent number: FR2935957 (A1)Publication date: March 19, 2010

Abstract

The equipment has a detection device to detect positioning of slices of food product with respect to positioning of indentation. A handling robot, a vision system and a pneumatic gripping assembly grip the slices, direct the slices for adjusting the positioning of the slices in correspondence with geometry of the indentation and release the slices into an adjusted position for correctly repositioning the slices in the indentation. The vision system includes cameras placed above the indentation, where the slices are positioned in the vision system.

Title: Method and device for milking a dairy animalApplicant: LELY PATENT N V [NL]; SCHRADER JAN WILLEM [NL]; GERLOF DE GROOT PIETER [NL]Patent number: WO2010074559 (A1)Publication date: July 1, 2010

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for and method of milking dairy animals, in particular cows. The device and method have been improved in order to enhance the efficiency of use. In one embodiment, for the milking, teat cups are connected by means of a robot arm to respective teats of the dairy animal. This makes it possible to start the milking of the teats of the dairy animal. A milk flow from the respective teat can be measured. The milking can be ended by means of a control unit in dependence on a comparison value which is calculated on the basis of a milking parameter representative of a milk flow from the respective teat and in dependence on a deactivation threshold. According to the invention, the milking of the last teat is ended in dependence on a last-teat period to be calculated.

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