End Effector with Suction Cups Having Internal Valves
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An end effector for a robot for retrieving work products and placing the retrieved work products at a delivery site, said end effector comprising:
- a vacuum plenum housing,an array of vacuum retrievers extending down from said vacuum plenum housing for engaging the work products,a valve positioned in each said vacuum retrievers that separates each said vacuum retrievers into an upper chamber in communication with said vacuum plenum housing and a lower chamber in communication with the atmosphere for engaging the work products,said valve defining an air passage between said upper chamber and said lower chamber for the movement of air from the lower chamber to the upper chamber and into said vacuum plenum, and a valve element movable in said upper chamber into and out of blocking relationship with said air passage.
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Abstract
An air retriever, such as a bellows (24) is used in an end effector (18) for lifting work products (22) in prearranged configurations, and delivery to a container (20) in a predetermined pattern. An air flow control valve (50) is positioned in each bellows (24) for individually controlling the flow of air through each bellows so that the bellows in a pick zone may draw air for picking up work products while air flow is not applied to the other bellows out of the pick zone.
22 Citations
19 Claims
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1. An end effector for a robot for retrieving work products and placing the retrieved work products at a delivery site, said end effector comprising:
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a vacuum plenum housing, an array of vacuum retrievers extending down from said vacuum plenum housing for engaging the work products, a valve positioned in each said vacuum retrievers that separates each said vacuum retrievers into an upper chamber in communication with said vacuum plenum housing and a lower chamber in communication with the atmosphere for engaging the work products, said valve defining an air passage between said upper chamber and said lower chamber for the movement of air from the lower chamber to the upper chamber and into said vacuum plenum, and a valve element movable in said upper chamber into and out of blocking relationship with said air passage. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. An end effector for a robot for retrieving work products and placing the retrieved work products at a delivery site, said end effector comprising:
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at least one vacuum bellows having one end configured for fluid communication with a vacuum source and another end configured for fluid communication with the atmosphere and for engaging the work products, a valve positioned in said vacuum bellows that separates said vacuum bellows into an upper bellows chamber in communication with the vacuum source and a lower bellows chamber in communication with the atmosphere for engaging the work products, said valve comprising a valve seat defining an air passage between said upper bellows chamber and said lower bellows chamber for the movement of air from the lower bellows chamber to the upper bellows chamber and into said vacuum source, and a valve element movable in said upper bellows chamber into and out of blocking relationship with said valve seat. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 18)
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13. An end effector for retrieving work products in a selected pattern from an accumulation of work products and for placing the retrieved work products in the selected pattern in a receptacle, the end effector comprising:
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a vacuum plenum housing for maintaining a sub-atmospheric pressure, an array of vacuum retrievers suspended from the vacuum plenum housing for engaging the work products, an air pressure control valve mounted in each vacuum retriever of said array of vacuum retrievers for applying the sub-atmospheric air pressure of the vacuum plenum housing to each of the vacuum retrievers in a selected zone of the vacuum retrievers that are to retrieve work products while avoiding an application of the sub-atmospheric air pressure of the vacuum plenum housing to the vacuum retrievers that are not in the selected zone of the vacuum retrievers. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17)
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19. A method for selectively retrieving and packaging work products in a desired configuration, comprising:
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moving an end effector with an array of vacuum retrievers to a supply of work products, applying a sub-atmospheric pressure to the upper portions of all of said vacuum retrievers of the array of vacuum retrievers, moving a first group of vacuum retrievers of the end effector into contact with an accumulation of work products; applying the sub-atmospheric air pressure in the upper portions of the vacuum retrievers through the lower portions of the vacuum retrievers in the first group of vacuum retrievers to the work products and retrieving the work products from the accumulation of work products with the vacuum retrievers in the first group of vacuum retrievers without applying sub atmospheric air pressure in the upper portions of the vacuum retrievers through the lower portions of the vacuum retrievers not in the first group of vacuum retrievers.
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Specification