US 12,291,412 B2
System and method for emptying a box
Roberto Catelli, Parma (IT); Alessio Lazzari, Viadana (IT); and Gianluca Scaramuzza, Noceto (IT)
Assigned to CFT S.P.A., Parma (IT)
Appl. No. 17/923,173
Filed by CFT S.P.A., Parma (IT)
PCT Filed May 13, 2021, PCT No. PCT/IB2021/054094
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Nov. 3, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/229489, PCT Pub. Date Nov. 18, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 102020000011065 (IT), filed on May 14, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0159285 A1, May 25, 2023
Int. Cl. B65G 65/23 (2006.01); B25J 9/16 (2006.01); B25J 15/00 (2006.01); B25J 15/02 (2006.01); B65B 69/00 (2006.01); B65G 59/02 (2006.01)
CPC B65G 65/23 (2013.01) [B25J 9/1697 (2013.01); B25J 15/0014 (2013.01); B25J 15/0293 (2013.01); B65B 69/00 (2013.01); B65G 59/02 (2013.01)] 6 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of emptying boxes of food products comprising the steps of:
picking up by gripping means (20) at least one first box (91) being part of said boxes;
said gripping means (20) being part of a robot (2);
emptying the first box (91) overturning at least partially the first box (91) and overturning the food products contained therein;
wherein the method comprises a step of identifying a position of at least one part of said first box (91) that in turn comprises the steps of:
i) acquiring at least one image of at least one part of the first box (91) by acquisition means (3) for acquiring at least one image;
ii) determining information on a position of at least one part of the first box (91) in function of data coming from said at least one image; in said step of picking up the first box (91) by the gripping means (20), said robot (2) being guided by said information;
wherein the step of picking up by the gripping means (20) the first box (91) comprises the step of introducing a first fork (21) in a zone (911) of the first box (91) placed below a bottom of the first box (91); said bottom bounding below a compartment containing the products; said first zone (911) being identified by the acquisition means (3) for acquiring at least one image.