Position sensor
AssigneePPG Industries, Inc.
InventorRaymond D. Moran
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A glass sheet is advanced into a sheet determining position with one side of the sheet intercepting two scan paths and the other adjacent side of the sheet intercepting one of the two scan paths. Light rays reflected from the portion of the scan paths occupied by the sheet are incident on selected photodetectors which generate a plurality of signals. The signals are acted on to determine orientation of the sheet relative to a reference plane. The information is forwarded to the program of an industrial robot to alter the path of the robot arm to position a pick up frame mounted on the arm over the sheet. Thereafter the frame engages the sheet to load same in a shipping container.
Claims13
A method of determining orientation of an article having first and second sides, the sides having a fixed relationship to one another, comprising the steps of:
- establishing at least two spaced energy fields having a fixed relationship with one another;
- providing at least two detectors each having coordinates;
- moving the energy fields and the article relative to one another to intersect one energy field by the first side and the other energy field by the first and second sides of the article;
- determining by way of the detectors intersection coordinates of the energy fields;
- and
- determining article orientation from the intersection coordinates and fixed relationship of the first and second sides of the article.
A method of handling a sheet using a sheet engaging frame moved along a given path in accordance to a controllable program, the sheet having first and second sides having a fixed relationship to one another, comprising the steps of:
- establishing at least two spaced energy fields having a predetermined relationship with one another;
- providing at least two detectors each having coordinates;
- moving the energy fields and the sheet relative to one another to intersect one energy field by the first side and the other energy fields by the first and second sides of the sheet;
- determining by way of the detectors intersection coordinates of the energy fields;
- determining sheet orientation from the intersection coordinates and fixed relationship of the first and second sides of the sheet;
- modifying the path of the frame in response to said determining step to position the frame over the sheet;
- and
- engaging the sheet by the frame.
An apparatus for determining orintation of an article having first and second sides, the sides having a fixed relationship to one another, comprising:
- means for establishing at least two spaced energy fields having a fixed relationship with one another;
- means for indicating coordinates associated with each of said at least two energy fields and responsive to respective energy field;
- means for moving said at least two energy fields and article relative to one another to intersect one energy field by the first side and the other energy field by the first and second sides of the article;
- means responsive to said indicating means for generating intersection coordinate signals;
- and
- means acting on the intersection coordinate signals for determining orientation of the article.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.