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US 4,541,771 AGranted
Robot having magnetic proximity sensor and manufacturing method using same
AssigneeAT&T Bell Laboratories
InventorsGerardo Beni, Susan Hackwood, Lawrence A. Hornak
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Described is a robot having a proximity sensor which is based on the reentrant-loop magnetic effect. In one embodiment this sensor in a robot hand can detect the position and orientation of magnetized objects within about a 5 cm range, independently of the speed of approach.
Claims11
A robot comprising
- a robot hand having at least two moveable fingers for gripping a magnetized object,
- a reentrant-loop magnetic first sensor incorporated in one of said fingers and having a first magnetization direction so as to sense said object when it lies outside the region between said fingers, and
- a reentrant-loop magnetic second sensor incorporated in another of said fingers and having a second magnetization direction different from said first direction so as to sense said object when it lies within said region.
A manufacturing method, which includes a process of handling a magnetized object, said process comprising the steps of:
- causing a moveable hand of a robot, which hand includes fingers having at least two reentrant-loop magnetic sensors including a first sensor having a first magnetization direction so as to sense said object when it lies outside the region between said fingers and a second sensor having a second magnetization direction different from said first direction so as to sense said object when it lies within said region, to move to the vicinity of the object and thereby generate electrical signals from the sensors which correspond to the range or orientation of the object, and
- controlling the moveable hand in response to the signals so as to grip the object.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.