Gripping System
AssigneeGoogle Inc.
InventorsZack Tokarczyk, Nathanael Arling Worden, Ryan Schiller
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The technology is generally directed to a gripping system for receiving hard drives of varying thicknesses and located in any position or orientation. The gripping system may include two arms to grip a hard drive and at least one belt positioned along a length of each arm to move the hard drive towards or away from the system. The arms may be pivotally attached so that hard drives of varying widths can be received between the arms. The belts may provide improved control of the hard drive once received between the arms because a force exerted by the belts may secure the hard drive in place to prevent the hard drive from drooping or moving out of place.
Claims20
A gripping system comprising:
- two arms opposing each other, each arm having a length elongated in a longitudinal direction and defining a receiving space to receive a hard drive, each arm having a top end and a bottom end such that a top midpoint between the top ends of the arms and a bottom midpoint between the bottom ends of the arms define a gripping axis, wherein each arm comprises a front portion and a back portion opposing each other such that a front internal surface of the front portion faces a back internal surface of the back portion and creating a channel between the front internal surface and the back internal surface, each channel configured to receive the hard drive between the arms along the gripping axis, wherein the two arms are coupled to each other by the top end and are free at the bottom end;
- and
- at least one belt along a length of each arm and positioned between the front and back portions of each arm, each of the at least one belt between each front and back portion.
A method of gripping a hard drive comprising:
- detecting a position and orientation of a hard drive;
- moving, by one or more moving portions based on the position and orientation of the hard drive, two opposing arms along or about at least one moving axis until the arms are in a receiving position and orientation configured to receive the hard drive in a receiving space between the arms;
- and
- translate, by at least one belt along a length of each arm, the hard drive along a gripping axis in a receiving direction towards a top end of the arms, each of the at least one belt positioned traverse to two internal surfaces of each arm so as to define a channel on each arm for engaging the hard drive.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.