Compliant end effector for an industrial robot
US5765975A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 5, 1996 |
| Grant date | Jun 16, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 5, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T409/307672
- WIPO fieldHandling
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A compliant end effector particularly suited for use with a robotic arm for accurately cutting and trimming the edges of a hot molded sheet of flexible plastic. The compliant end effector includes a mount secured to the robotic arm, an adjustment assembly pivotally attached to the mount, a guide that engages the plastic sheet near the area to be cut and trimmed, a tool for cutting and trimming the flexible sheet, and a pneumatic cylinder that biases the guide into engagement with the flexible sheet and presses the sheet against a rigid surface. The pneumatic cylinder moves the guide and tool through a range of positions as the robotic arm moves along a single path of travel down the length of the flexible sheet. The guide remains in contact with the flexible sheet despite warping or other imperfections in the stabilizing surface. The tool is fixed a predetermined distance from the guide to ensure that the plastic sheet is cut and trimmed within specific tolerances. By rotating the end effector, tabs and recesses can be formed in the edge of the flexible sheet while the robot moves along its single path of travel.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.