Importance

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Abstract

An object discharge mechanism of an object picking device for discharging a bottommost object from a stack of objects includes a bottom platform on which the bottommost object of the stack of objects rests. The platform has a longitudinal slot running along an object discharge direction. The upper portion of a belt, stretched between two vertically mounted pulleys, runs through the longitudinal slot parallel to the upper surface of the bottom platform. Discharge projections are mounted periodically on an outer surface of the belt. The discharge projections push objects across the bottom platform in the object discharge direction when the belt is rotated. The object discharge mechanism also includes a lifting member for lifting all objects above the bottommost object in the stack of objects. The lifting member reduces the frictional force created by the weight of the stack of objects on the bottommost object during discharge of the bottommost object. A controller controls the speed at which the discharge projections travel during the discharge process. Specifically, the speed at which the discharge projections contact the objects to be discharged is dependent on the fragility of the object to be discharged such that the discharge projection moves slowly when contacting objects that are fragile and moves at a maximum speed when contacting objects that are not easy to break.

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First Claim