Apparatus for processing small parts utilizing a robot and an array of tools mounted on the outer robot arm
First Claim
1. An apparatus for assembling and processing work-pieces retained on a rotatable pallet having a plurality of work-piece nests for retaining the work-pieces, the apparatus comprising:
- a. a robot having a head and capable of controlled X, Y, and Z movements, the robot further having a wrist joint capable of rotation in a horizontal plane;
b. a tooling plate for retaining a plurality of processing tools to perform a plurality of different operations on said work-pieces which are positioned by said robot relative to the plurality of processing tools;
c. means for mounting said tooling plate to said head of said robot such that said tooling plate is fixed;
d. means for mounting said plurality of processing tools to said tooling plate; and
e. an end effector attached to said wrist joint of said robot for temporarily gripping said rotatable pallet such that said rotatable pallet can rotate so that said work-pieces on said rotatable pallet are moved relative to said plurality of processing tools on said tooling plate.
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Abstract
The present invention is a method and apparatus for processing a plurality of small work-pieces which each weighs under five pounds using a robot gripping a rotatable pallet for holding an array of small parts. The robot has a removable tooling plate mounted on its head for mounting an array of processing tools operating on the rotatable pallet such as pick-and-place tools, work-piece ejection tools, vertical and horizontal video cameras, reflective photocell sensors, and laser distance ranging sensors. The tools operate under control of the robot and in conjunction with rotation and elevation of the rotatable pallet with respect to the tool array. The tools are mounted by an interchangeable, standard bracket to permit quick installation or removal of the tool mounting plate and addition or placement of individual devices and sensors appropriate to particular robotic tasks.
63 Citations
20 Claims
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1. An apparatus for assembling and processing work-pieces retained on a rotatable pallet having a plurality of work-piece nests for retaining the work-pieces, the apparatus comprising:
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a. a robot having a head and capable of controlled X, Y, and Z movements, the robot further having a wrist joint capable of rotation in a horizontal plane; b. a tooling plate for retaining a plurality of processing tools to perform a plurality of different operations on said work-pieces which are positioned by said robot relative to the plurality of processing tools; c. means for mounting said tooling plate to said head of said robot such that said tooling plate is fixed; d. means for mounting said plurality of processing tools to said tooling plate; and e. an end effector attached to said wrist joint of said robot for temporarily gripping said rotatable pallet such that said rotatable pallet can rotate so that said work-pieces on said rotatable pallet are moved relative to said plurality of processing tools on said tooling plate. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An apparatus for performing processing operations on at least one work-piece, comprising:
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a. a robot having a head and capable of controlled X, Y, and Z movements, the robot further having a wrist joint attached to an end effector capable of rotation in a horizontal plane; b. a tooling plate for retaining at least one processing tool to perform an operation on said at least one work-piece which is positioned by said robot relative to the at least one processing tool; c. means for mounting said tooling plate to said head of said robot such that said tooling plate is fixed; d. means for mounting said at least one processing tool to said tooling plate; and e. a gripper holder attached to said end effector of said wrist joint of said robot for temporarily gripping said at least one work-piece such that the gripper holder can rotate and move vertically so that said at least one work-piece is moved relative to said at least one processing tool on said tooling plate. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. An apparatus for assembling and processing work-pieces retained on a rotatable pallet for retaining the work-pieces and to be used in conjunction with a robot having a head capable of controlled X, Y, and Z movements, the robot further having a wrist joint attached to an end effector capable of rotation in a horizontal plane, the apparatus comprising:
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a. a tooling plate for retaining a plurality of processing tools to perform a plurality of different operations on said work-pieces which are positioned by said robot relative to the plurality of processing tools; b. means for mounting said tooling plate to said head of said robot such that said tooling plate is fixed; and c. means for mounting said plurality of processing tools to said tooling plate. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. An apparatus for performing processing operations on at least one work-piece retained on a rotatable pallet, comprising:
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a. a head having a wrist joint attached to an end effector, the head being capable of moving the end effector vertically and rotating the end effector in a horizontal plane; b. a tooling plate removably mounted to said head; c. at least one processing tool removably mounted to said tooling plate for performing an operation on said at least one work-piece which is positioned by said head relative to the at least one processing tool; and d. a gripper holder attached to said end effector of said wrist joint of said head for temporarily gripping said rotatable pallet containing said at least one work-piece such that said at least one work-piece is positioned relative to said at least one processing tool on said tooling plate.
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Specification