Systems and methods for feeding articles to and removing articles from an automatic washer

Abstract

Systems, methods, and devices for feeding articles to and removing articles from an automatic washer, for example, a tunnel-type automatic washer are provided. The systems and methods employ conveyors, for example, belt conveyors, gantry-type conveyors, and shuttle-type conveyors, for handling and conveying articles to or from a washer or an intermediate station. The conveyors utilize arm-end tooling adapted to grasp and manipulate at least one article, but may typically handle a plurality of articles. The arm-end tooling includes cylinder-based actuators that can be operated and controlled by an automated control system. The handling of the articles can be assisted by using a vision-based system. Aspects of the invention are suited for use in handling laboratory equipment, for example, utensils and containers, such as, laboratory animal cages, in particular, cage tops and cage bottoms.

1 . A handling system for introducing articles to a washer, the handling system comprising: 
 a loading station for introducing the articles to the handling system;    a first conveyor for transferring the articles from the loading station to a first position; and    a second conveyor for conveying the articles from the first position to the washer.    
   
   
       2 . The handling system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the first conveyor comprises a belt conveyor.  
   
   
       3 . The handling system as recited in clam  1 , wherein the second conveyor comprises one of a gantry conveyor and a shuttle conveyor.  
   
   
       4 . The handling system as recited in  claim 3 , wherein second conveyor comprises an arm-end tool adapted to convey a plurality of articles.  
   
   
       5 . The handling system as recited in  claim 4 , wherein the arm-end tool comprise an article gripper comprising at least one actuating cylinder and at least one gripping linkage.  
   
   
       6 . The handling system as recited in  claim 4 , wherein the arm-end tool comprises a stacked-article stripper.  
   
   
       7 . The handling system as recited in  claim 3 , wherein the stacked-article stripper comprises at least one actuating cylinder and at least one stripping linkage.  
   
   
       8 . The handling system as recited in clam  1 , wherein the handling system further comprises an article emptying station.  
   
   
       9 . The handling system as recited in clam  8 , wherein the article emptying station comprises one of a fluid emptying station and a solids emptying station.  
   
   
       10 . The handling system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the articles comprise animal cage bottoms.  
   
   
       11 . The handling system as recited in  claim 10 , wherein the animal cage bottoms comprise a plurality of stacked animal cage bottoms.  
   
   
       12 . The handling system as recited in  claim 11 , where the stacked animal cage bottoms comprise a plurality of nested and stacked animal cage bottoms.  
   
   
       13 . The handling system as recited in  claim 12 , wherein the plurality of stacked animal cage bottoms are mounted on a pallet, and wherein the first conveyor comprises a conveyor for conveying the pallet having the plurality of cage bottoms.  
   
   
       14 . A method of handling and feeding at least one article to a washer, the method comprising: 
 providing at least one article;    mounting the at least one article on a first conveyor in a first position;    conveying the at least one article from the first position to a second position;    grasping at least one article with a second conveyor; and    conveying the at least one article from the second position to the washer using the second conveyor.    
   
   
       15 . The method as recited in  claim 14 , wherein providing at least one article comprises providing a plurality of articles.  
   
   
       16 . The method as recited in  claim 15 , wherein providing a plurality of articles comprises providing a plurality of stacked and nested articles.  
   
   
       17 . The method as recited in  claim 14 , wherein the first conveyor comprise a belt conveyor and wherein conveying at least one article comprises at least one article with the belt conveyor.  
   
   
       18 . The method as recited in  claim 14 , wherein grasping at least one article with a second conveyor comprises a plurality of articles with the second conveyor.  
   
   
       19 . The method as recited in  claim 18 , wherein providing a plurality of articles comprises providing a plurality of stacked and nested articles, and wherein grasping a plurality of articles with the second conveyor comprises grasping a plurality of nested articles from the stack of articles and separating the nested articles from the remainder of the stack of articles.  
   
   
       20 . The method as recited in  claim 14 , wherein providing at least one article comprises providing at least one article having a solid or liquid, the method further comprising discharging at least some of the solid or liquid from the at least one article.  
   
   
       21 . A handling system for removing articles from a washer, the handling system comprising: 
 a first conveyor for conveying the articles from the washer to a first position; and    a second conveyor for conveying articles from the first position to a second position.    
   
   
       22 . The handling system as recited in  claim 21 , further comprising a third conveyor for transferring articles from the second position to a third position.  
   
   
       23 . The handling system as recited in  claim 22 , further comprising a fourth conveyor for transferring articles from the third position to a fourth unloading position.  
   
   
       24 . he handling system as recited in  claim 21 , wherein the first conveyor comprises a driven roller conveyor.  
   
   
       25 . The handling system as recited in  claim 21 , wherein the second conveyor comprises vision-based conveyor system.  
   
   
       26 . The handling system as recited in  claim 25 , wherein the vision-based conveyor system comprises as least one camera, a conveyor, and an automated controller for operating the conveyor from input from the at least one camera.  
   
   
       27 . The handling system as recited in  claim 26 , wherein the conveyor of the vision-based conveyor system comprises an arm-end tooling comprising a pair of gripper arms.  
   
   
       28 . The handling system as recited in  claim 22 , where the third conveyor assembles a plurality of articles in the second position.  
   
   
       29 . The handling system as recited in  claim 22 , wherein the third conveyor comprises arm-end tooling adapted to convey a plurality of articles from the second position to the third position.  
   
   
       30 . The handling system as recited in  claim 29 , wherein the third conveyor is adapted to stack a plurality of articles in the third position.  
   
   
       31 . A method for removing at least one articles from a washer having a discharge position, the method comprising: 
 conveying the at least one article from the discharge position to a first position;    conveying the at least one article from the first position to a second position.    
   
   
       32 . The method as recited in  claim 31 , wherein conveying the at least one article comprises conveying a plurality of articles.  
   
   
       33 . The method as recited in  claim 31 , wherein conveying the at least one article from the discharge position to a firth position comprises conveying the at least one article using a powered roller conveyor.  
   
   
       34 . The method as recited in  claim 31 , wherein conveying the at least one article from the first position to a second position comprises conveying the at least one article using one of a gantry conveyor and a shuttle conveyor.  
   
   
       35 . The method as recited in  claim 34 , wherein conveying the at least one article using a conveyor controlled by a vision system.  
   
   
       36 . The method as recited in  claim 34 , wherein conveying the at least one article from the first position to a second position comprises conveying the at least one article using a conveyor having a arm-end tool having a plurality of actuators.  
   
   
       37 . The method as recited in  claim 31 , wherein conveying the at least one article from the second position to the third position comprises conveying a plurality of articles using a conveyor.  
   
   
       38 . The method as recited in  claim 37 , wherein conveying a plurality of articles using the conveyor comprises using one of a gantry conveyor and a shuttle conveyor having an arm-end tool having at least one set of opposing gripper arms adapted to grasp a plurality of articles.  
   
   
       39 . The method as recited in  claim 31 , wherein the method further comprises conveying the at least one article from the third position to a discharge position.  
   
   
       40 . The method as recited in  claim 39 , wherein conveying the at least one article from the third position to a discharge position comprises conveying the at least one article using a belt conveyor.  
   
   
       41 . An arm-end tool for grasping at least one article, the arm-end tool comprising: 
 a frame mountable on a conveyor;    an open rectangular housing pivotably mounted to the frame; and 
 means for gripping the at least one article mounted to the open rectangular housing.  
   
   
   
       42 . The arm-end tool as recited in  claim 41 , wherein the means for gripping the at least one article comprises at least one gripping linkage.  
   
   
       43 . The arm-end tool as recited in  claim 42 , wherein the at least one gripping linkage comprises at least one elongated bar pivotally mounted to the open rectangular housing.  
   
   
       44 . The arm-end tool as recited in  claim 41 , further comprising at least one gripping assembly mounted to the frame.  
   
   
       45 . The arm-end tool as recited in  claim 41 , wherein the at least one gripping linkage comprises a cylinder-actuated gripping linkage.  
   
   
       46 . The arm-end tool as recited in  claim 41 , wherein the at least one article comprises a plurality of nested articles, and wherein the arm-end tool further comprises means for separating the nested articles, the means for separating nested mounted to the open rectangular housing.  
   
   
       47 . The arm-end tool as recited in  claim 46 , wherein the means for separating the nested articles comprises at least one stripping linkage.  
   
   
       48 . The arm-end tool as recited in  claim 47 , wherein the at least one stripping linkage comprises at least one bar linkage pivotally mounted to the open rectangular housing.  
   
   
       49 . The arm-end tool as recited in  claim 48 , wherein the at least one stripping linkage further comprises at least one elongated bar mounted to the at least one bar linkage.  
   
   
       50 . The arm-end tool as recited in  claim 46 , wherein the at least one stripping linkage comprises a cylinder-actuated stripping linkage.  
   
   
       51 . A method of transferring at least one article from a first location to a second location using an arm-end tool comprising: 
 a frame mountable on a conveyor;    an open rectangular housing pivotably mounted to the frame; and    means for gripping the at least one article mounted to the open rectangular housing, the method comprising:    positioning the at least one article in the first location;    locating the open rectangular housing around the at least one article;    gripping the at least one article with the means for gripping; and    conveying the gripped at least one article from the first position to the second position.    
   
   
       52 . The method as recited in  claim 51 , further comprising inverting the gripped at least one article by pivotally rotating the open rectangular housing in the frame.  
   
   
       53 . The method as recited in  claim 51  wherein the at least one article comprise at least one first article stacked in a at least one second article, the method further comprising separating the at least one first article from the at least one second article.  
   
   
       54 . The method as recited in  claim 53 , wherein the arm-end tool further comprises an article stripping mechanism, and wherein separating the at least one first article from the at least one second article comprises activating the stripping mechanism.  
   
   
       55 . The method as recited in  claim 51  wherein the means for gripping the at least one article comprises a gripping mechanism, and wherein the method further comprises activating the gripping mechanism.  
   
   
       56 . The method as recited in  claim 55  wherein the gripping mechanism comprises at least one gripper arm, and wherein activating the gripping mechanism comprises pivotally rotating the at least one gripper arm into engagement with the at least one article.  
   
   
       57 . The method of  claim 51 , wherein the at least one article comprises at least four articles.  
   
   
       58 . The method of  claim 51 , wherein the at least one article comprises at least one of an animal laboratory cage, an animal laboratory cage bottom, an animal laboratory cage top, and an animal laboratory cage bottle.  
   
   
       59 . An automated conveyor system for transferring articles from a first position to a second position, the system comprising: 
 a conveyor having at least one beam;    an arm-end tool mounted for translation along the at least one beam, the arm-end tool having at least one set of opposing gripping arms;    a vision-based locating device; and    an automated controller for controlling the operation of the conveyor and the operation of the arm-end tool in response to the vision-based locating device to locate the articles in the first position and transfer the articles from the first position to the second position.    
   
   
       60 . The automated conveyor as recited in  claim 51 , wherein the conveyor comprises one of a gantry conveyor and a shuttle conveyor.  
   
   
       61 . The automated conveyor as recited in  claim 51 , wherein the arm-end tool further comprises at least one of a rotational actuator and a linear actuator.  
   
   
       62 . The automated conveyor as recited in  claim 51 , wherein the vision-based locating device comprises at least one camera.  
   
   
       63 . The automated conveyor as recited in  claim 51 , wherein the conveyor comprises at least one stationary beam and at least one translating beam.  
   
   
       64 . The automated conveyor as recited in  claim 51 , wherein the articles comprise one of animal laboratory cages, animal laboratory cage bottoms, animal laboratory cage tops, and animal laboratory cage bottles.  
   
   
       65 - 68 . (canceled)