Patents by Inventor Norbert Cottone
Norbert Cottone has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 8550765Abstract: An apparatus for transferring and accepting glass substrate plates includes a double fork gripper having two superimposed, individual fork grippers that are movable relative to one another perpendicular to their extension planes. The fork grippers may be inserted simultaneously therewith into a receiving station having at least two depositing planes so that relative movement of the individual fork grippers perpendicular to their extension planes transfers a glass substrate plate to the receiving station and receives another plate from the receiving station.Type: GrantFiled: June 5, 2007Date of Patent: October 8, 2013Assignee: KUKA Roboter GmbHInventors: Norbert Cottone, Martin Peghini
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Patent number: 8538579Abstract: In a method and system for depalletizing tires using a robot, wherein the tires are randomly located on a carrier, the position and orientation of outer tires on the carrier are detected using a sensor, and a processor, using a signal from the sensor, determines a tire that can be gripped by a gripping tool of an industrial robot, and calculates a movement path for the gripping tool for that tire. If the calculated path is not collision-free, another tire from among the outer tires is selected, and a movement path for depalletizing that tire is determined. The procedure is repeated until a collision-free movement path for a tire from among the outer tires is established. The gripping tool is then guided according to this collision-free movement path to depalletize the tire having the collision-free path associated therewith.Type: GrantFiled: June 10, 2008Date of Patent: September 17, 2013Assignee: Kuka Roboter GmbHInventors: Norbert Cottone, Thorsten Eberhardt, Sven Heissmeyer, Alexander Hollinger, Martin Peghini
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Patent number: 8419342Abstract: A transfer device for transferring product stacks has a connecting element for connecting the transfer device to a transport device, and the transfer device has a number of receiver regions therein, that each receive a product stack. Each receiver region has guide elements with spring-loaded closure elements, and a plate that is movable in a spring-loaded manner toward the closing elements along the direction of the guide elements. When the transfer device with the product stacks therein reaches its transfer destination, the product stacks are pushed from the transfer device by the plates by spring force.Type: GrantFiled: June 19, 2008Date of Patent: April 16, 2013Assignee: Kuka Roboter GmbHInventors: Norbert Cottone, Martin Peghini
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Patent number: 8244400Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and a device for automatically stacking tires (4) on a support (1). According to the method, geometrical data of the tires (4) and/or a digital model of the tires (4) is provided, based on the geometrical data and/or the tire model and a predefinable size of the support (1), an algorithm calculates a stacking pattern for the tires (4) on the support (1) by taking into account a predefined size of the support, said stacking pattern making it possible to store the largest possible number of tires (4) in a stable manner on the support (1). Positional data of the tires (4) are adopted from the stacking pattern and associated trajectories of a handling device for stacking the tires (4) are generated and stored according to the stacking pattern.Type: GrantFiled: November 7, 2006Date of Patent: August 14, 2012Assignee: KUKA Roboter GmbHInventors: Norbert Cottone, Daniel Kotzor, Torsten Albrecht, Martin Peghini
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Publication number: 20100272547Abstract: In a method and system for depalletizing tires using a robot, wherein the tires are randomly located on a carrier, the position and orientation of outer tires on the carrier are detected using a sensor, and a processor, using a signal from the sensor, determines a tire that can be gripped by a gripping tool of an industrial robot, and calculates a movement path for the gripping tool for that tire. If the calculated path is not collision-free, another tire from among the outer tires is selected, and a movement path for depalletizing that tire is determined. The procedure is repeated until a collision-free movement path for a tire from among the outer tires is established. The gripping tool is then guided according to this collision-free movement path to depalletize the tire having the collision-free path associated therewith.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 10, 2008Publication date: October 28, 2010Inventors: Norbert Cottone, Thorsten Eberhardt, Sven Heissmeyer, Alexander Hollinger, Martin Peghini
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Publication number: 20100189537Abstract: A transfer device for transferring product stacks has a connecting element for connecting the transfer device to a transport device, and the transfer device has a number of receiver regions therein, that each receive a product stack. Each receiver region has guide elements with spring-loaded closure elements, and a plate that is movable in a spring-loaded manner toward the closing elements along the direction of the guide elements. When the transfer device with the product stacks therein reaches its transfer destination, the product stacks are pushed from the transfer device by the plates by spring force.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 19, 2008Publication date: July 29, 2010Inventors: Norbert Cottone, Martin Peghini
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Publication number: 20090306812Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and a device for automatically stacking tires (4) on a support (1). According to the method, geometrical data of the tires (4) and/or a digital model of the tires (4) is provided, based on the geometrical data and/or the tire model and a predefinable size of the support (1), an algorithm calculates a stacking pattern for the tires (4) on the support (1) by taking into account a predefined size of the support, said stacking pattern making it possible to store the largest possible number of tires (4) in a stable manner on the support (1). Positional data of the tires (4) are adopted from the stacking pattern and associated trajectories of a handling device for stacking the tires (4) are generated and stored according to the stacking pattern.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 7, 2006Publication date: December 10, 2009Inventors: Norbert Cottone, Daniel Kotzor, Torsten Albrecht, Martin Pechini
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Publication number: 20070289383Abstract: For optimizing the transfer and reception of glass substrate plates to and from a receiving station, such as a transfer mechanism for the glass substrate plates to a process station or a storage cassette unit, the invention provides an apparatus for transferring and accepting glass substrate plates with a double fork gripper having two superimposed, individual fork grippers, which is characterized in that the fork grippers are movable relative to one another perpendicular to their extension planes.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 5, 2007Publication date: December 20, 2007Inventors: Norbert Cottone, Martin Peghini
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Patent number: 7210280Abstract: A machining system and unit, especially a welding cell, is provided for use for the machining of workpieces (2), especially body parts of vehicles. The machining system has one or more machining stations (15, 16) with robots (18, 19, 20) and at least one rotation or turning station (5), which has at least two work stations (6, 7) for carrying out different operations simultaneously. The turning station (5) has at least two multiaxially movable turning units (8, 9) arranged next to one another with said gripping tools (11, 12, 13). The working areas (10) intersect each other at the work stations (6, 7).Type: GrantFiled: September 30, 2003Date of Patent: May 1, 2007Assignee: KUKA InnoTec GmbHInventors: Norbert Cottone, Florian Simons
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Publication number: 20070059152Abstract: The present invention proposes for the first time a completely automatable method for handling substantially rod-shaped objects, particularly poles of articles individually stacked in one another, such as plastic cups, for use e.g. in the dairy industry, during loading processes in conjunction with a loading aid, particularly a cardboard box or carton. The objects to be handled are made available in a first geometrical arrangement by a manufacturing or processing machine. The invention is characterized in that initially at least part of the objects is gripped, subsequently a relative arrangement of the objects is modified and the modified arrangement of the objects is deposited in the loading aid, the objects being arranged in upright standing manner. This makes it possible to achieve optimum packing densities for the objects in the loading aid. The invention also relates to a device suitable for performing said method.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 16, 2004Publication date: March 15, 2007Inventor: Norbert Cottone
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Publication number: 20060006047Abstract: A machining system and unit, especially a welding cell, is provided for use for the machining of workpieces (2), especially bode parts of vehicles. The machining system has one or more machining stations (15, 16) with robots (18, 19, 20) and at least one rotation or turning station (5), which has at least two work stations (6, 7) for carrying out different operations simultaneously. The turning station (5) has at least two multiaxially movable turning units (8, 9) arranged next to one another with said gripping tools (11, 12, 13). The working areas (10) intersect each other at the work stations (6, 7).Type: ApplicationFiled: September 30, 2003Publication date: January 12, 2006Applicant: KUKA InnoTec GmbHInventors: Norbert Cottone, Florian Simons
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Patent number: 6419029Abstract: A drilling tool magazine and a horizontal boring machine having a drilling tool magazine in which automatic and reliable handling and access to any of the drilling tools to be handled is ensured, the drilling tool magazine (10) which is particularly suitable for horizontal boring machines (5) is fitted with a plurality of tool bays (12) so as to receive tools (8) in an essentially horizontal position; these tool bays are each formed by at least one drive catch (14) movable along a conveyance path.Type: GrantFiled: March 26, 1999Date of Patent: July 16, 2002Assignees: FlowTex® Technologie GmbH & Co. KG, Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.Inventors: Hans-Joachim Bayer, Günther Dörfler, Alexander Steck, Michael Keller, Norbert Cottone, Uwe Bräuning