Handling: hand and hoist-line implements – Utilizing fluid pressure – Frames
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-08
2003-11-25
Kramer, Dean J. (Department: 3652)
Handling: hand and hoist-line implements
Utilizing fluid pressure
Frames
C294S087100, C294S907000, C414S737000, C414S797000, C901S040000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06652014
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vacuum grip system for gripping at least one object. The vacuum grip system has a base unit to which are affixed at least two suction units, each having at least one suction gripper. The suction units are disposed at right angles to one another, whereby at least one of the suction units grasps the object or objects to be gripped from above, and at least one of the suction units grasps the object or objects to be gripped from a lateral side.
The invention further relates to a handling apparatus for handling at least one object using a vacuum grip system, whereby the vacuum grip system is affixed to one arm of a handling robot or an overhead robot. Such handling apparatuses are used in various applications. “Handling” is primarily understood to mean picking up or suctioning, lifting or turning, moving or fixing, or palletizing or depalletizing.
For the vacuum grip system of the aforementioned type, the suction grippers or suction units are, for example, constructed as flat suction grippers, accordion-pleated suction grippers, or specialized suction grippers. Flat suction grippers are particularly suited for accepting horizontal forces. The seal between the flat suction gripper and the object to be gripped can be constructed as a single sealing lip (for objects with a smooth surface such as sheet metal, cardboard boxes, glass sheets, or lumber), as a sealing edge (for objects with a rough, textured surface such as wood, stone, textured glass, or corrugated sheet metal), or as a double sealing lip (for flexible objects such as oxidized sheet metal). Accordion-pleated suction grippers are particularly adaptable to objects having uneven surfaces. Applying suction to the object to be gripped also produces a lifting effect. Accordion-pleated suction grippers are especially suited for gripping large-surface, flexible objects. Specialized suction grippers are adaptable in material, shape, and support surface for special applications such as high temperatures, chemical applications, and handling of CDs, film, or paper.
The suction units of the vacuum grip system of the aforementioned type are disposed at right angles to one another, whereby at least one of the suction units grasps the object or objects to be gripped from above, and at least one of the suction units grasps the held object or objects from a lateral side. Such grippers are also known as angled grippers. Angled grippers having two suction units are advantageous in that they securely grip the object to be gripped from the top and from the side, as well as grip the object from only one side, thus allowing flexible palletizing of the object to be gripped (so-called “pick to pallets”) to be easily performed. In order to enable flexible palletizing of the object, the object to be gripped must be capable of contacting other objects already laid on a pallet on either the left or right side of the object. This is not possible if the gripped object is grasped not only by the suction unit on the front sides, but also by additional suction units on the left and/or right side, or gripped on the top side and on at least two lateral sides. In known angled grippers of current art, the suction grippers are disposed at a fixed distance from one another.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to develop and further elaborate upon a vacuum grip system of the aforementioned type, such that objects of differing dimensions can be easily gripped using the vacuum grip system, and that the vacuum grip system can at the same time hold a gripped object securely and reliably.
This object is achieved by the present invention, proceeding from the vacuum grip system of the aforementioned type, by affixing suction units to a base unit such that, in order to grip at least one object, the distance between the suction unit or units on the top side of the object or objects, and the suction unit or units on the lateral side of the object or objects, may be varied.
For the vacuum grip system according to the present invention, the distance between the suction units may be adjusted in such a manner, for example, that the suction unit or units on the top side of the object is displaceably constructed parallel to the top side, and/or the suction unit or units on the lateral side of the object is displaceably constructed parallel to the lateral side. Moving the suction units away from one another increases the distance, and moving the suction units toward one another decreases the distance.
For the vacuum grip system, one or several suction units may be affixed on the top side as well as on one lateral side. Each of the suction units has at least one suction gripper, generally known from the current art. The vacuum grip system can grip one or several objects. Such an object may be a single rectangular carton or an essentially rectangular carton pallet, for example, upon which goods are arranged and bonded to the carton pallet by means of a plastic film. However, such an object may also be an essentially rectangular sack or an essentially rectangular bag.
The vacuum grip system according to the present invention has the advantage that the distance between the suction unit or units on the top side of the object or objects, and the suction unit or units on the lateral side of the object or objects can be increased, provided that the dimensions of the object or objects to be gripped permit this. The object is thereby gripped with a large lifting arm between the suction units on the top side of the object and the suction units on the lateral side of the object, thus enabling significantly more secure lifting and holding. Depending on the height of an object to be gripped, an optimal distance between the suction units on the top side of the object and the suction units on the lateral side of the object may be set.
Depending on the orientation of the object to be gripped, the suction units of the inventive vacuum grip system grip the object on a longitudinal side or on a transverse side. “Transverse side” is understood to mean the shorter side of the object. In order to allow the suction unit to grip the object independent of the side at which the vacuum grip system grasps the object, it is assumed that the gripped side is the transverse side of the object. If the gripped side is in fact a transverse side of the object, the suction units grip the object at the center of that side. However, if the gripped side is a longitudinal side of the object, the suction units grip the object slightly off-center on that side.
According to an advantageous development of the present invention, it is proposed that the vacuum grip system have two suction units, each having at least one suction gripper, for gripping an object, whereby one of the suction units grasps the object from above, and one of the suction units grasps the object from the side. According to this development, the inventive vacuum grip system is thus limited to the gripping of an object. The surfaces of the suction units should be dimensioned so that, on the one hand, they are large enough to hold even large objects securely and reliably, and on the other, they are small enough not to project over the sides of small objects.
Gripping of individual objects having greatly varying dimensions is particularly important, especially in goods distribution centers for supermarkets. There, all the assortments of supermarket goods are sorted by type of good and arranged on pallets. For individual supermarkets, pallets must be prepared with various goods from the goods distribution centers. For this purpose a handling apparatus, for example, may be used having a handling robot or overhead robot, on whose arm is attached a vacuum grip system according to the present invention. Large goods themselves constitute an object that can be gripped by the vacuum grip system. For smaller goods, several goods are packed into one unit of goods, which then constitutes an object.
The vacuum grip system grasps the objects on the pallet fr
Eisele Thomas
Graf Thomas
Schick Jens
Schmalz Kurt
Tassakos Charalambos
Birch & Stewart Kolasch & Birch, LLP
Chin Paul T.
J. Schmalz GmbH
Kramer Dean J.
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