Robotic furniture texturing

• US 6,330,492 B1
• Filed: 08/17/1998
• Issued: 12/11/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Century Furniture Industries, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Century Furniture Industries, Inc.
• Inventors: Jones, Roger, Wisniewski, Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Marc, McDieunel, Marc, McDieunel
• Application Number:
  US09/134,899
• Time in Patent Office: 1,212 Days
• Field of Search: 700/245, 144/134.1, 144/360, 144/135.2, 144/137, 144/144.1, 144/117.1, 144/2.1, 144/363, 144/144.41, 144/123, 144/136.1, 144/326, 144/323, 295/59, 269/21, 269/303, 428/151
• US Class Current: 700/245
• CPC Class Codes: B27M 1/003 Mechanical surface treatment
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49998 Work holding
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 409/307952 Linear adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24438 Artificial wood or leather grain surface

Abstract

A programmable furniture texturing robotic system includes a programmable multiaxis robot fixed to a support frame and a table fixed to a support frame such that they form an integrated unit and the programmable multiaxis robot has a furniture texturing tool unit attached to the end of the robot arm. The furniture texturing tool unit is attachable to and detachable from the arm of the robot and is either a furniture chattering tool unit or a furniture distressing multitool turret. The furniture chattering tool unit has a circular saw blade which produces surface chatter marks when it is dragged across the surface of a furniture part. The furniture distressing tool unit has a plurality of furniture distressing tools, each of which produce a plurality of furniture distress marks including simulated wood rot, worm holes, hatchet marks, rock marks, wood split marks, crooked vein lines, and cigarette burn marks.

Claims

1. A furniture distressing tool unit for a furniture texturing robot, comprising:

a multitool turret having a tool arm attachment region constructed and arranged such that said multitool turret is attachable to and detachable from a tool end of a tool arm of said furniture texturing robot, wherein said multitool turret has a plurality of furniture distressing tool attachment regions; and

a first furniture distressing tool attached to said multitool turret at a first furniture distressing tool attachment region of said plurality of furniture distressing tool attachment regions.

2. A furniture distressing tool unit for a furniture texturing robot according to claim 1, further comprising:

a compound furniture distressing tool attachment bracket attached to said multitool turret at a second furniture tool attachment region of said plurality of furniture distressing tool attachment regions,

wherein said compound furniture distressing tool bracket has a plurality of compound bracket furniture distressing tool attachment regions.

3. A furniture distressing tool unit for a furniture texturing robot according to claim 2, further comprising second, third, and fourth furniture distressing tools attached to first, second and third compound bracket furniture distressing tool attachment regions of said plurality of compound bracket furniture distressing tool attachment regions.

4. A furniture distressing tool unit for a furniture texturing robot according to claim 3, wherein

said first furniture distressing tool is a router distressing tool having a selectable router bit to selectively produce a first plurality of furniture distress marks,

said second furniture distressing tool is a descalar distressing tool including a descalar and having first and second descalar pins pivotally attached to said descalar to selectively produce a second plurality of furniture distress marks,

said third furniture distressing tool is a rock distressing tool having a distressing rock with a plurality of convex and concave surface regions and is attached to a first slidable member which is in contact with a first expansion component such that an impulse applied by said first expansion component to said first slidable member thrusts said distressing rock into a furniture part to selectively produce a third plurality of furniture distress marks, and

said fourth furniture distressing tool is a hatchet distressing tool having a distressing hatchet attached to a second slidable member which is in contact with a second expansion component such that an impulse applied by said second expansion component to said second slidable member thrusts said distressing hatchet into said furniture part to selectively produce a fourth plurality of furniture distress marks.

5. A furniture chattering tool unit for a furniture texturing robot, comprising:

a support frame having an attachment region which is attachable to and detachable from a tool end of an arm of said furniture texturing robot;

a motor attached to said support frame such that a drive shaft of said motor extends in a direction from an attachment end of said support frame to a furniture part end of said support frame such that a longitudinal axis of said drive shaft is substantially orthogonal to said attachment region of said support frame; and

a chattering saw blade fixed to said drive shaft substantially at a center point of said saw blade and substantially orthogonal to said longitudinal axis of said drive shaft, wherein said blade rotates as said drive shaft rotates.

6. A furniture chattering tool unit for a furniture texturing robot according to claim 5, wherein said support frame has an upper frame portion which includes said attachment region and a lower frame portion slidably attached to said upper frame portion.

7. A furniture chattering tool unit for a furniture texturing robot according to claim 6, further comprising:

a roller bearing unit fixed to said furniture part end of said support frame, said roller bearing unit extending substantially parallel to said drive shaft of said motor and having a roller bearing at a furniture part end of said roller bearing unit,

wherein a position of said roller bearing unit relative to said chattering saw blade is selectable to set a cutting depth of said chattering saw blade.

8. A furniture chattering tool unit for a furniture texturing robot according to claim 7, further comprising:

a plurality of compression springs disposed between and in contact with a top surface of said motor and an inside surface of said upper frame portion thereby providing a force on said motor and a reaction force on said lower support frame portion while said compression springs are in a nonrelaxed state;

a first gas shock disposed on a lateral side of said support frame having one end attached to said upper support frame and an opposing end attached to said lower support frame;

a second gas shock disposed on a lateral side of said support frame opposing said first gas shock having one end attached to said upper support frame and an opposing end attached to said lower support frame, said first and second gas shocks thereby damping rapid changes in and defining a maximum extent of a separation distance between said upper support frame relative to said lower support frame; and

an expansion spring with an end attached to said upper support frame and an opposing end attached to said lower support frame to provide a force opposing a force directed to decrease said separation distance between said upper support frame and said lower support frame.

9. A furniture distressing tool for a furniture texturing robot comprising:

an attachment region for attaching said furniture distressing tool to a multitool turret;

a multitool turret having a tool arm attachment region constructed and arranged such that said multitool turret is attachable to and detachable from a tool end of a tool arm of said furniture texturing robot, wherein said multitool turret has a plurality of furniture distressing tool attachment regions; and

a furniture distressing end which produces furniture distress marks on a furniture part.

10. A furniture distressing tool for a furniture texturing robot according to claim 9, wherein said furniture distressing tool is a router distressing tool.

11. A furniture distressing tool for a furniture texturing robot according to claim 9, wherein said furniture distressing tool is a rock distressing tool.

12. A furniture distressing tool for a furniture texturing robot according to claim 9, wherein said furniture distressing tool is a descalar distressing tool.

13. A furniture distressing tool for a furniture texturing robot according to claim 9, wherein said furniture distressing tool is a hatchet distressing tool.