US 12,448,253 B2
System and method for handling semi-finished metal products
Akshay Bansal, Maizières-lès-Metz (FR); Benjamin Boissiere, Metz (FR); Gérard Griffay, Coincy (FR); and Pierre Georges, Laquenexy (FR)
Assigned to ArcelorMittal, Luxembourg (LU)
Appl. No. 17/764,307
Filed by ArcelorMittal, Luxembourg (LU)
PCT Filed Oct. 2, 2019, PCT No. PCT/IB2019/058387
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Mar. 28, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/064451, PCT Pub. Date Apr. 8, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0371859 A1, Nov. 24, 2022
Int. Cl. B66C 1/44 (2006.01); B66C 13/08 (2006.01)
CPC B66C 1/447 (2013.01) [B66C 13/08 (2013.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for handling semi-finished metal products comprising:
a gripper suitable to grasp at least one semi-finished product laid on a surface, an actuator configured to at least lift the gripper from a low position towards a high position, and tilting means configured to rotate the gripper in the high position around a rotation axis, wherein the tilting means includes at least a first tilting device including at least:
first and second vertical beams with respective first ends connected in rotation with the gripper,
a first connector extending from the first vertical beam to the second vertical beam and being connected in rotation with the said first and second vertical beams and being mounted on a first rotation point situated in a plane passing through the rotation axis;
a second connector extending from the first vertical beam to the second vertical beam and being connected in rotation with the first and second vertical beams and being mounted on a second rotation point situated in the plane passing through the rotation axis, the second rotation point being distinct from the first rotation point, the first and second vertical beams and the first and second connectors forming a deformable parallelogram; and
a further actuator configured to deform the parallelogram around the first and second rotation points thereby causing the gripper to tilt around the rotation axis, the first tilting device extending above the gripper.