Control system for a robotic gripper
First Claim
1. A control system for a robotic gripper, the control system includinga processing circuit for controlling movement of the gripper on a prearranged path to establish, at a position intermediate the ends of said path, contact between a contact sensor mounted on the gripper, or at a reference position, and an article located at a workstation, or carried by the gripper respectively,the sensor being arranged to generate an electrical signal in response to a said contact being established and said electrical signal being utilised by the processing circuit to evaluate the position of the article with respect to said reference position or the gripper, the sensor including a probe member displaceable with respect to a base portion of the sensor thereby to allow substantially continuous, uninhibited movement of the gripper on said path, beyond the intermediate position, and allowing said sensor and article to become disengaged.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
In a control system for a robotic gripper a processing circuit (10) controls movement of the gripper (20) on a prearranged path. An article (A) held by gripper (20) comes into contact with the probe member (32) of a "known-down" sensor (30). A support assembly (33), on which the probe member (32) is mounted, is displaced with respect to a base member (31) allowing a continuous, uninhibited movement of the gripper along the path, even after contact has been established. In an alternative arrangement the sensor is mounted on the gripper and establishes contact with an article located at a fixed work station.
9 Citations
5 Claims
-
1. A control system for a robotic gripper, the control system including
a processing circuit for controlling movement of the gripper on a prearranged path to establish, at a position intermediate the ends of said path, contact between a contact sensor mounted on the gripper, or at a reference position, and an article located at a workstation, or carried by the gripper respectively, the sensor being arranged to generate an electrical signal in response to a said contact being established and said electrical signal being utilised by the processing circuit to evaluate the position of the article with respect to said reference position or the gripper, the sensor including a probe member displaceable with respect to a base portion of the sensor thereby to allow substantially continuous, uninhibited movement of the gripper on said path, beyond the intermediate position, and allowing said sensor and article to become disengaged.
Specification