Intelligent gripper with individual cup control
AssigneeBoston Dynamics, Inc.
InventorsJohn Aaron Saunders, Christopher Everett Thorne, Matthew Paul Meduna, Joshua Timothy Geating
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Systems and methods related to intelligent grippers with individual cup control are disclosed. One aspect of the disclosure provides a method of determining grip quality between a robotic gripper and an object. The method comprises applying a vacuum to two or more cup assemblies of the robotic gripper in contact with the object, moving the object with the robotic gripper after applying the vacuum to the two or more cup assemblies, and determining, using at least one pressure sensor associated with each of the two or more cup assemblies, a grip quality between the robotic gripper and the object.
Claims18
A method of selectively activating cup assemblies of a robotic gripper, the method comprising:
- applying a vacuum pulse to each of the cup assemblies;
- determining for each of the cup assemblies, while the vacuum pulse is applied to the cup assembly and using one or more pressure sensors, a pressure measurement for the cup assembly, wherein the pressure measurement comprises a rate of change of a pressure signal measured by the one or more pressure sensors and/or a peak pressure value of a pressure signal measured by the one or more pressure sensors;
- and
- selectively activating one or more of the cup assemblies based, at least in part, on the determined pressure measurements for the cup assemblies by sequentially activating cup assemblies until a target pressure drop is detected.
A robot, comprising:
- a robotic gripper including a plurality of individually controllable cup assemblies;
- and
- a controller configured to:
- apply a vacuum pulse to each of the cup assemblies;
- determine for each of the cup assemblies, while the vacuum pulse is applied to the cup assembly and using one or more pressure sensors, a pressure measurement for the cup assembly, wherein the pressure measurement comprises a rate of change of a pressure signal measured by the one or more pressure sensors and/or a peak pressure value of a pressure signal measured by the one or more pressure sensors;
- and
- selectively activate one or more of the cup assemblies based, at least in part, on the determined pressure measurements for the cup assemblies by sequentially activating cup assemblies until a target pressure drop is detected.
A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by at least one processor perform a method of selectively activating cup assemblies of a robotic gripper, the method comprising:
- applying a vacuum pulse to each of the cup assemblies;
- determining for each of the cup assemblies, while the vacuum pulse is applied to the cup assembly and using one or more pressure sensors, a pressure measurement for the cup assembly, wherein the pressure measurement comprises a rate of change of a pressure signal measured by the one or more pressure sensors and/or a peak pressure value of a pressure signal measured by the one or more pressure sensors;
- and
- selectively activating one or more of the cup assemblies based, at least in part, on the determined pressure measurements for the cup assemblies by sequentially activating cup assemblies until a target pressure drop is detected.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.