Method and apparatus for singulating and dispensing beads
AssigneeAir Industrial Robotics, Inc.
InventorFrank Lema
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Devices and methods are disclosed for singulating and dispensing a bead. A bulk hopper holds and presents a plurality of beads to a singulation tube that defines a pathway from the bulk hopper to a rotating protection nest. The rotating protection nest has a pocket configured to retain a single bead. A vacuum source is configured to draw beads from the bulk hopper into the singulation tube when the pocket of the rotating protection nest is in a pickup position and aligned with the singulation tube until a single bead is seated within the pocket. The singulation tube may define one or more buffer zones and/or a separation threshold to control delivery of beads from the bulk hopper to the protection nest. The bulk hopper may have a tapered rotating disk to deliver beads to the singulation tube.
Claims16
A bead singulator and dispenser comprising:
- a bulk hopper configured to hold and present a plurality of beads;
- a rotating protection nest having a pocket configured to retain a single bead;
- a singulation tube defining a pathway from the bulk hopper to the rotating protection nest, the singulation tube comprising a buffer zone having an elevation relatively below the pocket of the rotating protection nest when the pocket is in the pickup position;
- and
- a vacuum source configured to draw beads from the bulk hopper into the singulation tube when the pocket of the rotating protection nest is in a pickup position and aligned with the singulation tube.
A method for singulating and dispensing one bead from a plurality of beads comprising:
- providing a bulk hopper configured to hold and present a plurality of beads;
- coupling the bulk hopper to a singulation tube that defines a pathway from the bulk hopper to a rotating protection nest, the rotating protection nest having a pocket configured to retain a single bead and the singulation tube comprising a buffer zone that has an elevation relatively below the pocket of the rotating protection nest when the pocket is in the pickup position;
- and
- employing a vacuum source to draw beads from the bulk hopper into the singulation tube when the pocket of the rotating protection nest is in a pickup position and aligned with the singulation tube until a single bead is seated within the pocket.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.