Apparatus for assembling and processing small parts using a robot
OwnerNorman D. Bestinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for processing and assembling a plurality of small parts weighing under five pounds using a robot employing a rotatable pallet for holding an array of small parts. Said rotatable pallet being held in place on the robot wrist head, which moves the pallet through a plurality of stationary work-stations located within the operating envelope of the robot, and rotates the pallet at each work-station to index the pallet and to present it to the work-station for an operation on a specific part or parts. Said robot participates in the work-station tasks by moving the rotatable pallet in the X, Y, and Z directions as needed. Movable data pins are used to indicate conditions of individual parts in nests, and of the pallet taken as a whole.
Claims20
An apparatus for assembling and processing work-pieces comprising:
- a. a robot having a head and capable of controlled X, Y, and Z movements, the robot head further having a wrist joint capable of rotation in the horizontal plane;
- b. a rotatable pallet having a plurality of work-piece nests for retaining said work-pieces;
- c. means for attaching said pallet to said robot head;
- and
- d. a plurality of work-stations located within a work envelope of said robot for performing a plurality of different operations on said work-pieces which are transported by said robot, where said robot is adapted to grasp said rotatable pallet, to transport the grasped pallet to one of the plurality of work-stations, and to index each work-piece on said rotatable pallet to the one work-station through rotation of its wrist joint.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.