Universal part holder with conformable membranes
First Claim
1. An object holder for positioning objects in a predetermined location, comprising:
- a support;
a pivotable pickup head movably mounted to said support and configured to grip an object at a first location, move said object to a second location and return said object to said first location;
wherein said pickup head comprises a frame that includes a bottom portion with legs extending therefrom and a biasing membrane configured in a concave resting position connected to said legs forming a first chamber, said first chamber including air pressure access from an air pressure source and separated from a second chamber by said biasing membrane, said second chamber having only a vacuum pressure access thereto with said second chamber being defined by said biasing membrane and a gripping membrane connected to said legs of said frame and configured in a convex resting position; and
wherein only said second chamber includes ribs on an inside surface thereof and granular material therein, said ribs being configured once vacuum pressure is applied to said second chamber to anchor said granular material, biasing and gripping membranes and said object to prevent shifting when said pickup head is moved.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus for holding three-dimensional parts for printing includes a frame with sides and a solid bottom and a part gripping membrane mounted across the face of the frame. A biasing membrane is mounted at the midpoint of the frame height to form an air chamber between the frame bottom and the biasing membrane and a vacuum chamber between the biasing membrane and the part gripping membrane positioned on the face of the frame. To grip a part, the gripping membrane is stretched over the part, positive pressure is applied to the air chamber to compress the granular material within the air chamber and further stretch the gripping membrane over the part, and then vacuum is applied to the vacuum chamber between the two membranes to maintain the granular material compression and grip on the part when air pressure is relieved from the air chamber.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. An object holder for positioning objects in a predetermined location, comprising:
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a support; a pivotable pickup head movably mounted to said support and configured to grip an object at a first location, move said object to a second location and return said object to said first location; wherein said pickup head comprises a frame that includes a bottom portion with legs extending therefrom and a biasing membrane configured in a concave resting position connected to said legs forming a first chamber, said first chamber including air pressure access from an air pressure source and separated from a second chamber by said biasing membrane, said second chamber having only a vacuum pressure access thereto with said second chamber being defined by said biasing membrane and a gripping membrane connected to said legs of said frame and configured in a convex resting position; and wherein only said second chamber includes ribs on an inside surface thereof and granular material therein, said ribs being configured once vacuum pressure is applied to said second chamber to anchor said granular material, biasing and gripping membranes and said object to prevent shifting when said pickup head is moved. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. An object holding apparatus, comprising:
a pickup head configured for rotary movement from a first position parallel to an object staging platen before gripping an object into a second position orthogonal to said first position after an object has been gripped, said pickup head including a pressure chamber adapted to receive pressurized air and a vacuum chamber with a vacuum source attached thereto, said pressure chamber being separated from said vacuum chamber by a biasing membrane having a concave shape in a non-contacting position, said vacuum chamber including a gripping membrane having a convex shape in a non-contacting position and including granular material and a plurality of protrusions extending out from only an inside surface thereof, and wherein vacuum pressure from said vacuum source causes said granular material to compact around said plurality of protrusions and thereby prevent said biasing membrane, said gripping membrane and said object from shifting once said pickup head is moved. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13)
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14. A part holding apparatus comprising:
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a frame with sides and a bottom enclosing one end of said frame; a biasing membrane mounted at a predetermined point within said frame to form an air cavity between said bottom of said frame and said biasing membrane; a part gripping membrane mounted across an opposite end of said sides; granular material positioned within a space between said biasing membrane and said gripping membrane; a series of ribs attached to said sides of said frame positioned only between said biasing membrane and said gripping membrane; and wherein said biasing membrane simultaneously conforms to the shape of said gripping membrane when said gripping membrane is pressed against an object. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification