Transport apparatus with pulley with a non-circular profile
AssigneePersimmon Technologies Corporation
InventorsMartin Hosek, Leonard T. Lilliston, Jacob Lipcon
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus having a drive unit having a first drive axis rotatable about a first axis of rotation and a second drive axis rotatable about a second axis of rotation, the second drive axis being coaxial with and partially within the first drive axis and axially rotatable within the first drive axis. A robot arm has an upper arm connected to the drive unit at the first drive axis, a forearm coupled to the upper arm, the forearm being coupled to the upper arm at a first rotary joint and rotatable about the first rotary joint, the first rotary joint being actuatable by a first band arrangement coupled to the second drive axis, and an end effector coupled to the forearm.
Claims19
A transport apparatus, comprising:
- a drive unit having a first drive axis rotatable about a first axis of rotation and a second drive axis rotatable about a second axis of rotation, the second drive axis being coaxial with and partially within the first drive axis and axially rotatable within the first drive axis;
- a robot arm comprising:
- an upper arm connected to the drive unit at the first drive axis,
- a forearm coupled to the upper arm, the forearm being coupled to the upper arm at a first rotary joint and rotatable about the first rotary joint, the first rotary joint being actuatable by a first band arrangement coupled to the second drive axis, and
- an end effector coupled to the forearm, the end effector being coupled to the forearm at a second rotary joint and rotatable about the second rotary joint, the second rotary joint being actuatable by a second band arrangement which comprises at least one pulley with a non-circular profile and is coupled to the first rotary joint, wherein the second band arrangement is configured to provide a variable transmission ratio,
- where the variable transmission ratio is selected so that the orientation of the end-effector is configured to change in a predefined manner as a function of position of the forearm relative to the upper arm, and where the variable transmission ratio is selected in a manner that allow a reference point on the end effector to follow a predetermined path with a predetermined and changed orientation of the end effector when the upper arm and the forearm are actuated accordingly.
A transport apparatus, comprising:
- a drive unit having a first drive axis rotatable about a first axis of rotation, a second drive axis rotatable about a second axis of rotation, and a third drive axis rotatable about a third axis of rotation, the second drive axis being coaxial with and partially within the first drive axis and axially rotatable within the first drive axis, and the third drive axis being coaxial with and partially within the second drive axis and axially rotatable within the second drive axis;
- a first robot arm comprising:
- a first upper arm connected to the drive unit at the first drive axis,
- a first forearm coupled to the first upper arm, the first forearm being coupled to the first upper arm at a first rotary joint, the first rotary joint being actuatable by the second drive axis using a first band arrangement, and
- a first and effector coupled to the first forearm, the first end effector being coupled to the first forearm at a third rotary joint, the third rotary joint being actuatable by the first rotary joint using a third band arrangement;
- and
- a second robot arm comprising:
- a second upper arm connected to the drive unit at the third drive axis,
- a second forearm coupled to the second upper arm, the second forearm being coupled to the second upper arm at a second rotary joint, the second rotary joint being actuatable by the second drive axis using a second band arrangement, and
- a second end effector coupled to the second forearm, second end effector being coupled to the second forearm at a fourth rotary joint, the fourth rotary joint being actuatable by the second rotary joint using a fourth band arrangement,
- wherein at least one of the first band arrangement, the second band arrangement, the third band arrangement, and the fourth band arrangement comprises at least one pulley with a non-circular profile and has a variable transmission ratio.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.