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US 5,042,640 AGranted
Gripping and conveying apparatus
AssigneeIDAB Incorporated
InventorsMiguel C. Goizueta, Scott E. Ellis
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A gripping and conveying apparatus includes at least one gripper having jaws which are supported in an orientation where the jaws are attracted together by gravity. Magnets are mounted in the opposing surfaces of the jaws to hold the jaws together and grip the articles to be conveyed. The grippers are mounted on a breakaway arm mechanism. Cams and cam followers are used to separate the jaws at selected locations.
Claims10
An apparatus for selectively gripping and conveying articles comprising:
- first and second jaws having opposing surfaces for engaging an article, and means for hinging the second jaw relative to the first jaw;
- means for magnetically holding the jaws together to grip an article between the opposing surfaces;
- means for supporting and conveying the jaws and articles gripped between the opposing surfaces of the jaws, the first jaw being fixed to the supporting means and the second jaw oriented to be attracted in the direction of the first jaw by gravity, the opposing surfaces of the jaws generally defining a vertical gripping plane when the opposing surfaces are together and the hinging means having a horizontal axis of rotation from which the opposing surfaces depend downwardly;
- and
- means for selectively separating the jaws including cam follower means on the second jaw which diverges from the gripping plane and cam means the conveying means conveying the jaws generally vertically and relative to the cam means to separate the jaws by engaging the cam follower means with the cam means.
2 more elements
An apparatus for selectively gripping and conveying articles comprising;
- at least one gripper including jaws having opposing surfaces for engaging an article;
- means for selectively separating the jaws;
- means for mechanically holding the jaws together to grip an article between the opposing surfaces;
- and
- means for supporting and conveying the jaws and articles gripped between the opposing surfaces of the jaws, including breakaway arm means for permitting the jaws to be displaced from their usual location when the supporting means is encountered by a force greater than a preset value.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.