Gripper assembly for a robotic manipulator
AssigneeOcado Innovation Limited
InventorsJan Fras, Graham Deacon, Panagiotis Sotiropoulos
Life of this patent
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Abstract
This disclosure concerns ascertaining a force applied to a finger element of a gripper assembly of a robotic manipulator during the manipulation of an object. In one aspect, it discloses a gripper assembly including a finger element, an actuator, a linkage assembly including a plurality of arms connecting the finger element to the actuator, and a sensor assembly configured to output signals indicative of force components applied to the plurality of arms as a result of a force being applied to the finger element.
Claims5
A control system configured for a gripper assembly of a robotic manipulator, which gripper assembly includes a finger element;
- an actuator;
- a linkage assembly including a plurality of arms connecting the finger element to the actuator;
- and a sensor assembly configured to output signals indicative of force components applied to the plurality of arms, the control system comprising a controller configured to:
- determine, based on signals received from the sensor assembly, values indicative of force components applied to each of the plurality of arms as a result of a force being applied to the finger element;
- determine, based on the values indicative of the force components, a value indicative of a resultant force vector applied to each of the plurality of arms with respect to a reference coordinate frame;
- determine, within the reference coordinate frame, a line of action for each of the values indicative of the resultant force vectors;
- determine a point of intersection, within the reference coordinate frame, at which the lines of action intersect;
- determine, based on a sum of the values indicative of the resultant force vectors, a value indicative of an applied force vector indicative of a magnitude and a direction of the force applied to the finger element;
- modify the value indicative of the applied force vector such that an origin of the applied force vector has the same coordinates within the reference coordinate system as the point of intersection;
- determine, within the reference coordinate frame, a line of action for the value indicative of the applied force vector;
- and
- determine a point of intersection, within the reference coordinate frame, at which the line of action for the applied force vector and the finger element intersect.
A method of determining a force applied to a finger element of a gripper assembly of a robotic manipulator, the gripper assembly including:
- an actuator;
- a linkage assembly including a plurality of arms connecting the finger element to the actuator;
- and
- a sensor assembly configured to output signals indicative of force components applied to the plurality of arms;
- the method comprising:
- determining, based on signals outputted by the sensor assembly, force components applied to each of the plurality of arms as a result of a force being applied to the finger element;
- determining, based on the force components, a resultant force vector applied to each of the plurality of arms with respect to a reference coordinate frame;
- determine, within the reference coordinate frame, a line of action for each of the values indicative of the resultant force vectors;
- determine a point of intersection, within the reference coordinate frame, at which the lines of action intersect;
- determining, based on a sum of the resultant force vectors, an applied force vector indicative of a magnitude and a direction of the force applied to the finger element;
- transposing the applied force vector, within the reference coordinate frame, such that an origin of the applied force vector and the point of intersection coincide;
- determine, within the reference coordinate frame, a line of action for the value indicative of the applied force vector;
- and
- determine a point of intersection, within the reference coordinate frame, at which the line of action for the applied force vector and the finger element intersect.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.