Automated machines that include hose attachment manifolds for hose management
AssigneeToyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
InventorsJesse Howard Thompson, Devin Cole Harris
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A robotic arm includes a tool located at an end of the robotic arm that delivers a material to a surface. A hose attachment manifold is mounted to the robotic arm. The hose attachment manifold includes an array of openings that extend through a manifold body of the hose attachment manifold. Fittings are mounted to the manifold body and within the openings. A plurality of upstream hoses are mounted to the fittings at a side of the manifold body. A plurality of downstream hoses are mounted to the fittings at an opposite side of the manifold body. The plurality of downstream hoses are fluidly connected to the tool for delivering a fluid material received from the plurality of upstream hoses.
Claims6
A robotic arm comprising:
- a tool located at an end of the robotic arm that delivers a material to a surface;
- a hose attachment manifold that is mounted to an outer surface of the robotic arm, the hose attachment manifold comprising an array of openings that extend completely through a manifold body of the hose attachment manifold without intersecting each other;
- fittings mounted to the manifold body and within the array of openings, the fittings being exposed outside the outer surface of the robotic arm;
- a plurality of upstream hoses mounted to the fittings at a side of the manifold body outside an outer surface of an upstream facing side of the manifold body;
- and
- a plurality of downstream hoses mounted to the fittings at an opposite side of the manifold body outside an outer surface of a downstream facing side of the manifold body, the plurality of downstream hoses are fluidly connected to the tool for delivering a fluid material received from the plurality of upstream hoses.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.