| CPC B65B 35/16 (2013.01) [A61F 13/5514 (2013.01); B65B 5/06 (2013.01); B65B 35/02 (2013.01); B25J 9/0093 (2013.01)] | 13 Claims |
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1. An apparatus for assembling kits of sanitary products, comprising:
a manipulator unit including a gripper as an end effector,
at least one storage unit for the sanitary products, the storage unit comprising an array of containers, each of the containers being a rack container comprising a rack of slot-like housings, each of said slot-like housings being configured to accommodate a sanitary product and being separated by a baffle, wherein each of the slot-like housings has an inlet opening, all of the inlet openings facing on one and the same side of the container, and further wherein said each baffle includes a first portion and a second portion arranged on opposite sides of a cutaway, the cutaway extending across the rack of slot-like housings and being arranged on an opposite side to the inlet openings,
an extractor unit comprising an extractor and an extractor drive facility configured to move the extractor across the array of containers of the storage unit and across the slot-like housings of each container, the extractor being operable to enter each container through the cutaway thereof to extract a batch of sanitary products from the respective slot-like housing, and
a conveying unit configured for carrying a plurality of packages for sanitary products,
wherein the gripper comprises:
a first gripping section,
at least one second gripping section,
the first gripping section comprising first and second gripping members defining a first gripping span therebetween,
each second gripping section comprising third and fourth gripping members defining a second gripping span therebetween,
wherein the first gripping member and the second gripping member are operable to vary a mutual distance thereof along a first direction, thereby varying the first gripping span therebetween,
wherein the third gripping member and the fourth gripping member of each second gripping section are operable to vary a mutual distance thereof along a second direction, thereby varying the second gripping span therebetween,
the first direction being transverse to the second direction,
wherein each of the first and second gripping sections is operable between a reception position and a gripping position, wherein in the reception position the respective gripping span is controlled to a value greater than the respective gripping span in the gripping position,
wherein the manipulator unit is configured to position the gripper at a rack container on an opposite side of the extractor unit to receive the batch of sanitary products from the rack container following extraction thereof by the extractor, each batch of sanitary products being received at one of said first gripping section and second gripping sections, and
wherein the manipulator unit is configured for positioning the gripper with batches of sanitary products in the first and second gripping sections at a package on said conveying unit to load the batches of sanitary products into the package.
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