Method and apparatus for robotic transfer of workpieces
First Claim
1. A compliant wrist for connecting a gripper tool to a robot, the gripper being carried on a positioning member, the wrist comprising:
- (a) means for magnetically supporting said positioning member which in turn supports said gripper tool;
(b) pneumatic means for selectively separating and floating said positioning member from said magnetic supporting means to permit lateral and rotational adjustment of the positioning member in response to ultrasmall forces received from the gripper tool as it carries out gripping; and
(c) means for locking the positioning member to the magnetic supporting means upon completion of the desired lateral adjustment.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A robotic apparatus for positioning a tool or work hand that incorporates a compliant wrist effective to adjust to delicate but misaligned portions of the workpiece, comprising (a) structure for magnetically supporting a positioning member carrying a gripper tool; (b) pneumatic structure for selectively separating and floating the positioning member from said supporting structure to permit lateral adjustment of the positioning member in response to small forces received from the gripper tool as it carries out gripping; and (c) structure for locking the positioning member to the supporting structure upon completion of the desired lateral adjustment. A method of using such compliant wrist concept, comprising (a) magnetically suspending a positioning plate from a magnet, the plate carrying the gripper tool; (b) injecting a film of air between the interface of the magnet and plate to provide floating separation therebetween enabling ease of lateral movement; (c) closing a gripper tool about the part to be gripped causing any offcenter gripping forces to be translated back to the plate resulting in lateral movement in response thereto for seeking a centering position; and (d) upon achieving the desired centering position, deactivating the air injection to permit the magnet to lock the plate in position relative to the magnet for further robotic movement.
23 Citations
21 Claims
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1. A compliant wrist for connecting a gripper tool to a robot, the gripper being carried on a positioning member, the wrist comprising:
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(a) means for magnetically supporting said positioning member which in turn supports said gripper tool; (b) pneumatic means for selectively separating and floating said positioning member from said magnetic supporting means to permit lateral and rotational adjustment of the positioning member in response to ultrasmall forces received from the gripper tool as it carries out gripping; and (c) means for locking the positioning member to the magnetic supporting means upon completion of the desired lateral adjustment. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method of using a compliant wrist connecting a gripper tool to a robot, comprising:
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(a) magnetically suspending a positioning plate from a magnet, the plate carrying the gripper tool; (b) injecting a film of air between the interface of the magnet and plate to provide floating separation therebetween enabling ease of lateral movement; (c) closing said gripper tool about the part to be gripped causing any offcenter gripping forces to be translated back to the plate resulting in lateral movement in response thereto for seeking a centering position; and (d) upon achieving the desired centering position, deactivating the air injection to permit the magnet to lock the plate in position relative to the magnet for further robotic movement. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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16. The method as in claim 16, in which said recentering means is mechanical and deploys actuatable detents to realign the plate, the detents having an actuatable axis either parallel or perpendicular to the float plane.
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21. A robotic apparatus for positioning an attached tool to perform an operation on a workpiece, comprising:
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(a) means to support said tool upon a linear translating arm, said support having transverse motion means to move in a first X-Y plane and vertical motion means to move in a direction perpendicular to said first plane; and (b) compliant float wrist for connecting the gripper tool to the support means to permit compliance between the workpiece having one portion thereof out of compliance within a range of plus or minus 0.125 inches in a translatory direction and plus or minus 10°
in a rotational direction from another portion of the workpiece which is prepositioned within a holding die, said compliant wrist having means for magnetically supporting a positioning member carrying the gripper tool, and pneumatic means for selectively separating and floating the positioning member from the supporting means to permit lateral adjustment of the positioning member in response to substantially small forces received from the gripper tool as it carries out gripping.
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Specification