Metal working – Means to assemble or disassemble – Including means to provide a controlled environment
Reexamination Certificate
2002-04-17
2004-05-11
Bryant, David P. (Department: 3726)
Metal working
Means to assemble or disassemble
Including means to provide a controlled environment
C451S089000, C118S733000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06732424
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a working chamber system consisting of
A working chamber wall with at least one aperture,
A robot hand extending through the aperture into the working chamber, and
A sealing device by means of which a seal of the aperture may be established and removed by remote control with respect to the extending robot hand.
German Patent Applications Nos. 100 62 133.3 and 100 07 831.1 disclose generic working chamber systems in which a robot hand or other manipulator arm extends into a working chamber through a pass-through tube installed in an aperture. An inflatable bellows surrounds the robot hand and seals it with respect to the pass-through tube. Subsequently, the bellows again relaxes by release of the pressurizing gas so that the robot hand may be withdrawn from the pass-through tube and thus from the working chamber along with potential gripped work material.
Such working chamber systems have proven themselves. A particular advantage is the fact that a secure seal may be established and removed in the pass-through tube automatically, i.e., without installation activities or other manual contact. Thus, the robot hand may be moved during operation while maintaining the seal within the pass-through.
Individual workpieces may be inserted into the working chamber and the seal may be established automatically, e.g., by means of a procedure progression program, immediately before the work process begins within the chamber. Contact by operating personnel is not required. After the end of the work procedure within the chamber, the seal at the pass-through tube may again be removed by remote control, so that the robot hand is free to move, and may be removed from the chamber with the work material.
The working chambers enable movement of the robot hand lying in the sealed pass-through tube with several degrees of freedom.
It has been shown, however, that inflation of the sealing bellows and the subsequent release of air or pressurizing gas requires too much time in certain work processes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A principal object of the present invention is to further develop a working chamber system of the type described above to the point that the establishment and subsequent removal of a sealed connection between the robot hand and the working chamber may be effected as quickly possible.
This object, as well as further objects which will become apparent from the discussion that follows, are achieved, in accordance with the invention, by providing a sealing device which includes:
(a) a flexible sealing element through which an inner pass-through ring element is connected with the edge of the aperture;
(b) at least two coupling elements attached to at least one of the pass-through ring element and the robot hand; and
(c) at least one locking element connected to at least one of the robot hand and the pass-through element, which locking element may be brought into engagement with the coupling elements by means of positioning elements for the purpose of coupling the robot hand with the pass-through ring element.
In one embodiment, the two coupling elements are attached to the pass-through ring element and the locking element is connected to the robot hand. In a second embodiment, the two coupling elements are attached to the robot hand and the locking element is connected to the pass-through ring element.
End axes of industrial robots, and other manipulators into which a tool holder or processing tool may be attached, are defined herein as a “robot hand”.
The robot hand may be introduced without hindrance into the working chamber by means of the working chamber system based on the invention, and may be extracted again after completion of work. Thus, the work piece may be transported through the pass-through ring element as long as the circumference of the work piece is smaller than the inner diameter of the pass-through ring element. For this, the robot and its robot hand and any work-material gripper mounted on it moves in a traverse direction through the pass-through ring element into the working chamber. By means of positioning elements, preferably linear motors or pneumatic cylinders that are positioned either on the working chamber or the robot, the locking elements mounted on them are brought close to the coupling elements, and then in contact with the coupling elements, by means of which a fixed connection is established between the pass-through ring element in the working chamber and the robot hand. This coupling is released again by return traverse of the positioning elements. This effect is achieved regardless of whether the coupling elements are mounted on the pass-through ring element and the positioning elements and locking elements are mounted on the robot hand or vice versa.
It is further advantageous if at least one bracket, to hold the pass-through ring element in an initial position, is mounted on the working chamber wall. By means of this, the pass-through ring element is held in a defined initial position so that the robot may assume this position exactly by means of a path control, and may establish the coupling connection with the pass-through ring element.
Locking of the robot hand with the pass-through ring element may be achieved using tie bolts into which fork-shaped locking elements engage.
It may also be formed as a bayonet mount so that the coupling is enabled by rotation of that robot element carrying the locking elements. For this, the coupling elements are preferably formed as studs that include a cylinder area and a front head area that are connected via a radial slot. The positioning elements are formed by at least two locking recesses provided in a coupling receiver flange, each of which surrounds a stud pass-through recess and a locking stud recess connected to it.
Also, coupling using magnetic coupling elements is possible. The coupling elements in this case are electromagnets, and the coupling receiver flange includes ferro-magnetic magnetic coupling areas.
It is also advantageous for the robot hand to include a work piece holder with a screw-clamp-type, U-shaped bail that is provided on its one end with a displaceable clamping element, and on its other end with a supporting element. Such a gripper is preferably mounted on the robot so that the tensioning axis extending between the clamp and the support element extends approximately in the direction of the last robot axis. Thus, the robot hand, the gripper, and the work piece being clamped within it are all so positioned that their narrowest dimensions allow insertion into the interior of the working chamber through the limited width of the pass-through ring element.
A particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention provides:
That the coupling elements (by pushing) are formed of at least one collar edge element that is secured at least in sections about the circumference of the pass-through ring element and that includes a collar edge oriented toward the central point of the pass-through ring element; and
That each of the locking elements may be brought into contact with at least one collar edge element by means of positioning elements under the collar edge.
A fixed, friction connection is established between the pass-through ring element and the coupling receiver flange on the robot hand by the locking elements thus provided. This locking is possible at any angle of the coupling receiver flange with respect to the working chamber wall. Thus, it is no longer necessary to bring a 6-axis articulated-arm robot into a certain angled position by means of its fourth axis that is usually a rotation axis for the purposes of locking and sealing. Thus, the fifth axis, an articulated axis, may be inserted into the working chamber in any orientation. It is no longer necessary to provide exact return of the robot hand to a pre-determined locking position during the work process.
In this embodiment example, the locking elements may be formed as sliding locking elements that include an oblique guide that may be inserted at least partially under the chamfered
Bryant David P.
Milde & Hoffberg LLP
Schlick Roto-Jet Maschinenbau GmbH
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