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US 10,864,641 B2Granted
End effector
AssigneeBastian Solutions, LLC
InventorHans Tokpa Leidenfrost
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A robotic system includes an end effector with one or more fin grippers that have one or more vacuum ports. The fin grippers are made of elastic material. The fin grippers each include contact and exterior flanges joined together with a series of crossbeams. The crossbeams each define a tube opening to form a tube guide channel between the contact and exterior flanges. In one form, the vacuum ports are located at fingertip ends of the fin grippers, and the vacuum ports include vacuum cups.
Claims26
A system, comprising:
- an end effector including
- one or more fin grippers having
- a contact flange configured to contact a gripped object,
- an exterior flange joined to the contact flange,
- a fingertip end where the contact flange and the exterior flange are joined together,
- a series of crossbeams connecting together the contact flange and the exterior flange, wherein the crossbeams are spaced apart from one another,
- wherein at least the contact flange and the crossbeams are made of an elastic material,
- wherein the contact flange and the exterior flange form an asymmetric shape to facilitate the contact flange bending around the gripped object when gripped, and
- one or more vacuum ports that include at least include a vacuum cup located at the fingertip end configured to secure difficult to grip objects via suction.
6 more elements
A system, comprising:
- a fin gripper including
- a contact flange that is straight,
- an exterior flange that is curved,
- a fingertip end where the contact flange and the exterior flange are joined together,
- a hub end located opposite the fingertip end,
- a series of crossbeams extending between the contact flange and the exterior flange to join the contact flange and the exterior flange together,
- wherein the crossbeams are formed of an elastic material to facilitate deformation of the fin gripper during gripping,
- at least one vacuum port located at the fingertip end, and
- wherein the exterior flange defines a vacuum duct that extends from the hub end to the vacuum port at the fingertip end.
6 more elements
A method of grasping objects, comprising:
- gripping a first object with fin grippers of an end effector, wherein the fin grippers are made of elastic material, wherein each the fin grippers each include a contact flange and an exterior flange that extend at an acute angle relative to one another, wherein each of the fin grippers include a series of crossbeams connected between the contact flange and the exterior flange, wherein the contact flange and the exterior flange are joined together at a fingertip end;
- wherein said gripping includes deforming the fin grippers to bend around the first object;
- and
- securing a second object with at least one vacuum port at the fingertip end on at least one of the fin grippers by applying suction to the vacuum port.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.