Manipulator apparatus, methods, and systems with at least one cable

• US 10,745,219 B2
• Filed: 07/12/2019
• Issued: 08/18/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Advanced Intelligent Systems Inc.
• Original Assignee: Advanced Intelligent Systems Inc.
• Inventors: Bidram, Farhang, Yavari, Mohammadreza, Mehrabi, Vahid, Ghasemi Toudeshki, Amirmasoud, Mirsadeghi, Seyed Mehdi, Havens, Thomas Julian
• Primary Examiner(s): McClain, Gerald
• Application Number:
  US16/510,795
• Publication Number:
  US 20200102164A1
• Time in Patent Office: 403 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 11/008 Manipulators for service tasks
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 13/085 Force or torque sensors B25J13/082, B25J13/084 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 13/086 Proximity sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 15/0038 Cylindrical gripping surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 5/007 mounted on wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/104 with cables, chains or ribbons
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1065 with parallelograms
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 1/483 using pivoted arms shifting the load-transporting element in a fore or aft direction
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 1/50 loading from in front of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 2201/0235 Containers
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/904 provided with rotary movements only
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 67/04 Loading land vehicles loading or unloading boats to or from land vehicles B60P3/10
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 67/24 Unloading land vehicles

Abstract

A manipulator apparatus for manipulating an article is disclosed. The apparatus includes an arm including a connecting end and a working end, an arm actuator coupled with the connecting end by an arm linkage, a lift actuator coupled with the connecting end, an end effector coupled with the working end by a rotatable connection, the end effector having an engagement orientation relative to the working end, and at least one cable coupled between the connecting end of the arm and the rotatable connection. The arm actuator is operable to cause the arm linkage to move the working end until the end effector engages an article in the engagement orientation; the lift actuator is operable to cause the connecting end to lift the working end, the end effector, and the article; and the cable is coupled to transmit movement of the connecting end to the rotatable connection to maintain the engagement orientation of the end effector.

Claims

1. A manipulator apparatus for manipulating an article comprising:

an arm comprising a connecting end and a working end;

an arm actuator coupled with the connecting end by an arm linkage;

a lift actuator coupled with the connecting end;

an end effector coupled with the working end by a rotatable connection, the end effector having an engagement orientation relative to the working end; and

at least one cable coupled between the connecting end of the arm and the rotatable connection;

wherein;

the arm actuator is operable to cause the arm linkage to move the working end until the end effector engages the article in the engagement orientation;

the lift actuator is operable to cause the connecting end to lift the working end, the end effector, and the article; and

the at least one cable is coupled to transmit movement of the connecting end to the rotatable connection to maintain the engagement orientation of the end effector while lifting such that an orientation of the article is maintained when being lifted.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a rearward anchor approximate to the connecting end; and

a forward anchor approximate to the working end,

wherein the at least one cable is engaged with the rearward and forward anchors so that a rotation of the rearward anchor causes an opposite rotation of the forward anchor.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein

the at least one cable is enclosed within a housing that guides the at least one cable between the forward and rearward anchors;

and

the at least one cable moves relative to the housing to transfer forces between the rearward and forward anchors.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the at least one cable comprises a rearward cable that rotates the rearward anchor and a forward cable that rotates the forward anchor.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the end effector comprises opposing end effector segments; and

the opposing end effector segments are operable to engage the article.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the opposing end effector segments are deflected apart from one another by the article when engaging the article in the engagement orientation.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the opposing end effector segments exert a resilient retaining force to the article after being deflected apart.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the arm linkage comprises a linear actuator operable to cause the working end to move relative to the connecting end.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the arm is a first arm;

the apparatus comprises;

a second arm including a second connecting end and a second working end; and

a second end effector coupled with the second working end by a second rotatable connection; and

the arm linkage maintains a parallel alignment of the working end with the second working end while moving the working to engage the article from.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein,

the articles comprises a plant container;

and

the end effector of the arm and the second end effector of the second arm are operably configured to engage the plant container from opposing sides.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the arm linkage comprises a parallelogram linkage that maintains the parallel alignment of the working end with the second working end.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the end effector is linearly movable relative to the working end in a direction towards the second working end.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the end effector comprises at least one motion operated sensor disposed to generate an engagement signal indicative of a state of engagement of the end effector.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 further comprising a controller operably configured to monitor the engagement signal and to produce an error signal when one of:

the engagement signal indicates that the end effector is in the state of engagement prior to engaging or lifting the article;

the engagement signal indicates that the end effector is not in the state of engagement while lifting the article;

or

the engagement signal changes state from indicating that the end effector is in the state of engagement to not being in the state of engagement while lifting the article.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the at least one motion operated sensor comprises one of a limit switch, a proximity detector, a force sensor, or a strain gauge.

16. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the engagement signal produced by the at least one motion operated sensor comprises one of:

a signal having a first state indicative of the end effector being in the state of engagement and a second state indicative of the end effector not being in the state of engagement;

or

a signal having a plurality of values indicative of a degree of engagement of the end effector.