US 12,377,546 B2
System and method for automatically sorting and combining board pieces
Richard Audet, Sainte-Marie (CA); and Simon Kirouac, Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures (CA)
Assigned to MEKANIKA INC., Sainte-Marie (CA); and PRO-AUTOMATION INC., Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures (CA)
Filed by MEKANIKA INC., Sainte-Marie (CA); and PRO-AUTOMATION INC., Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures (CA)
Filed on Nov. 24, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/456,543.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/117,805, filed on Nov. 24, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0161436 A1, May 26, 2022
Int. Cl. B25J 9/16 (2006.01); B07C 5/14 (2006.01); B25J 5/02 (2006.01); B25J 9/00 (2006.01); B25J 15/00 (2006.01); B65G 1/04 (2006.01); B65G 1/137 (2006.01); B65G 47/08 (2006.01); B65G 15/02 (2006.01); B65G 15/10 (2006.01); B65G 15/58 (2006.01); B65G 61/00 (2006.01)
CPC B25J 9/1687 (2013.01) [B07C 5/14 (2013.01); B25J 5/02 (2013.01); B25J 9/0084 (2013.01); B25J 9/0093 (2013.01); B65G 1/0464 (2013.01); B65G 1/1371 (2013.01); B65G 47/082 (2013.01); B07C 2501/0063 (2013.01); B25J 15/00 (2013.01); B65G 2201/0217 (2013.01); B65G 2201/0282 (2013.01); B65G 2203/0208 (2013.01)] 29 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for sorting and combining board pieces, the system comprising:
a conveying system for moving the board pieces;
a board pieces length measuring system;
a row building system comprising a plurality of row accumulating assemblies configured to receive the board pieces and move the received board pieces to the conveying system; and
a robotic arm downstream of the board pieces length measuring system, the robotic arm being configured to:
pick one or more of the board pieces on the conveying system;
move the one or more picked board pieces to any position on one of the row accumulating assemblies of the row building system, the position on the row accumulating assembly being based on the length of the picked board pieces measured by the measuring system;
wherein the board pieces present on one of the row accumulating assemblies combining are moved to the conveying system when a total length of the board pieces present on the row accumulating assembly corresponds or within a predetermined range to a predetermined length.