# US 12,441,002 B2 · Robotic gripper with seal detection > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,441,002 B2 - Document ID: US12441002B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/989,337 - Filed: 2022-11-17 - Published: 2023-06-15 - Granted: 2025-10-14 - Earliest claimed: 2021-12-10 - Assignees: Boston Dynamics, Inc. - Applicants: Boston Dynamics, Inc. - Inventors: Joshua Timothy Geating; Christopher Everett Thorne - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12441002B2 ## CPC - B25J 13/082: {Grasping-force detectors (in general G01L5/16, G01L5/22)} - B25J 15/0625: {provided with a valve} - B25J 5/007: {mounted on wheels} - B25J 9/1612: {characterised by the hand, wrist, grip control} - B25J 9/163: {learning, adaptive, model based, rule based expert control} - B25J 9/1638: {compensation for arm bending/inertia, pay load weight/inertia} - B25J 15/0052: {multiple gripper units or multiple end effectors} - B25J 15/065: {provided with separating means for releasing the gripped object after suction} - G05B 2219/37399: Pressure - G05B 2219/39558: Vacuum hand has selective gripper area - B25J: MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES ({manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery A61B34/70; manipulators used in cleaning hollow articles B08B9/04}; manipulators associated with rolling mills B21B39/20; manipulators associated with forging machines B21J13/10; {manipulators associated with picking-up and placing mechanisms B23P19/007}; means for holding wheels or parts thereof B60B30/00; {vehicles with ground-engaging propulsion means, e.g. walking members B62D57/02, B62D57/032; devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials between conveyors B65G47/90, B65G47/91; manipulators with gripping or holding means for transferring packages B65H67/065}; cranes B66C; {manipulators used in the protection or supervision of pipe-line installations F17D5/00; walking equipment adapted for nuclear steam-generators F22B37/006}; manipulators specially adapted for, or associated with, nuclear reactors G21C; {apparatus used for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor H10P72/50}) - G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G) ## Abstract Some robotic arms may include vacuum-based grippers. Detecting the seal quality between each vacuum assembly of the gripper and a grasped object may enable reactivation of some vacuum assemblies, thereby improving the grasp. One embodiment of a method may include activating each of a plurality of vacuum assemblies of a robotic gripper by supplying a vacuum to each vacuum assembly, determining, for each of the activated vacuum assemblies, a first respective seal quality of the vacuum assembly with a first grasped object, deactivating one or more of the activated vacuum assemblies based, at least in part, on the first respective seal qualities, and reactivating each of the deactivated vacuum assemblies within a reactivation interval. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising: activating each of a plurality of vacuum assemblies of a robotic gripper by supplying a vacuum to each vacuum assembly; determining, for each of the activated vacuum assemblies, a first respective seal quality of the vacuum assembly with a deformable surface of a first grasped object; deactivating one or more of the activated vacuum assemblies based, at least in part, on the first respective seal qualities; observing a dwell time for the activated vacuum assemblies to deform the deformable surface of the first grasped object; and after observing the dwell time, reactivating one or more of the deactivated vacuum assemblies to attempt to seal with the deformed surface of the first grasped object. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining, for the one or more of the reactivated vacuum assemblies, a second respective seal quality of the vacuum assembly; and deactivating one or more of the reactivated vacuum assemblies based, at least in part, on the second respective seal qualities. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein determining, for each of the activated vacuum assemblies, a first respective seal quality of the vacuum assembly comprises sensing, for each one or more of the activated vacuum assemblies, a first respective pressure level of the vacuum assembly. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein deactivating one or more of the activated vacuum assemblies based, at least in part, on the first respective seal qualities comprises deactivating one or more of the activated vacuum assemblies when the first sensed pressure levels are below a threshold level. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising repeatedly performing the determining, the deactivating, and the reactivating until a stop criterion is satisfied. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the stop criterion comprises one or more of: a number of deactivated cups being below a threshold number of cups, reaching a threshold number of deactivation/reactivation cycles, or exceeding a threshold time limit. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the stop criterion is based, at least in part, on an output of a model associated with an interaction between the robotic gripper and the first grasped object. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein activating each of the plurality of vacuum assemblies of the robotic gripper comprises supplying a pulse of vacuum to each vacuum assembly, determining, for each of the activated vacuum assemblies, a first respective seal quality of the vacuum assembly with a first grasped object comprises determining an amplitude of a pressure signal inside a respective activated vacuum assembly in response to application of the pulse of vacuum, and deactivating one or more of the activated vacuum assemblies based, at least in part, on the first respective seal qualities comprises deactivating one or more of the activated vacuum assemblies when the respective amplitude of the pressure signal inside the respective activated vacuum assembly is below a threshold level. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein activating each of the plurality of vacuum assemblies of the robotic gripper comprises supplying a steady state vacuum to each vacuum assembly, determining, for each of the activated vacuum assemblies, a first respective seal quality of the vacuum assembly with a first grasped object comprises determining a steady state pressure signal inside a respective activated vacuum assembly after the steady state vacuum has been supplied to the respective activated vacuum assembly for a particular amount of time, and deactivating one or more of the activated vacuum assemblies based, at least in part, on the first respective seal qualities comprises deactivating a respective activated vacuum assembly when the respective steady state pressure inside the respective activated vacuum assembly is below a threshold level. ### Claim 10 A mobile robotic device, comprising: a robotic gripper comprising a plurality of vacuum assemblies and at least one pressure sensor associated with each vacuum assembly of the plurality of vacuum assemblies; and at least one computer processor programmed to: activate each of the plurality of vacuum assemblies by supplying a vacuum to each vacuum assembly; determine, for each of the activated vacuum assemblies, a first respective seal quality of the vacuum assembly with a deformable surface of a first grasped object; deactivate one or more of the activated vacuum assemblies based, at least in part, on the first respective seal qualities; observe a dwell time for the activated vacuum assemblies to deform the deformable surface of the first grasped object; and after observing the dwell time, reactivate one or more of the deactivated vacuum assemblies to attempt to seal with the deformed surface of the first grasped object. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The mobile robotic device of claim 10, wherein the at least one computer processor is programmed to determine, for each of the activated vacuum assemblies, a first respective seal quality of the vacuum assembly using a first respective pressure level of the vacuum assembly from a respective pressure sensor of the robotic gripper. ### Claim 12 A method of grasping an object, the method comprising: activating a plurality of vacuum assemblies of a robotic gripper; sealing at least one of the activated vacuum assemblies with a deformable surface of the object; deactivating one or more of the activated vacuum assemblies; observing a dwell time for the activated vacuum assemblies to deform the deformable surface of the object; after observing the dwell time, reactivating one or more of the deactivated vacuum assemblies to attempt to seal with the deformed surface of the object; and sealing at least one of the reactivated vacuum assemblies with the deformed surface of the object. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein deactivating one or more of the activated vacuum assemblies comprises deactivating one or more of the activated vacuum assemblies based, at least in part, on a determined seal quality of the activated vacuum assemblies. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the determined seal quality of the activated vacuum assemblies is based, at least in part on a pressure level of the vacuum assembly. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein sealing the at least one of the activated vacuum assemblies with the surface of the object deforms the surface. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein sealing the at least one of the activated vacuum assemblies with the surface of the object displaces the object. ### Claim 17 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, further comprising repositioning the robotic gripper relative to the object prior to reactivating the one or more of the deactivated vacuum assemblies. ### Claim 18 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, further comprising repeatedly performing the deactivating and the reactivating until a stop criterion is satisfied. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, wherein the stop criterion comprises one or more of: a number of deactivated cups being below a threshold number of cups, reaching a threshold number of deactivation/reactivation cycles, or exceeding a threshold time limit. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, wherein the stop criterion is based, at least in part, on an output of a model associated with an interaction between the robotic gripper and the grasped object.