Gripper arm assembly
AssigneeInscerco Mfg. Inc.
InventorsRobert R. Kruk, Robert R. Kruk, Jr., James Ortiz, James Raftery
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An arm assembly for gripping a sheet of material including jaws and a sensor assembly for detecting a change in the thickness of the material gripped between the jaws. A sensor is mounted to the side of the arm and a lever is operatively associated with the jaws for pivotal movement towards and away from the sensor in response to a change in the thickness of the material gripped between the jaws. In one embodiment, a magnet is mounted to the tip of the lever and the sensor is a Hall-effect sensor which is responsive to a change in the distance between the sensor and the magnet.
Claims16
An arm assembly for gripping a sheet of material from a station comprising:
- an arm including one end adapted for securement to a drive shaft and an opposite end including a first jaw and a second opposed jaw mounted to said arm for movement relative to said first jaw;
- a drive assembly operably associated with said second jaw for moving said second jaw between an open position and a closed position where the sheet of material is gripped between said first and second jaws;
- a sensor assembly for detecting a change in the thickness of the material gripped between said jaws including:
- a sensor mounted to the side of said arm;
- and
- an elongate lever including a proximal end operatively associated with said second jaw and a distal end operatively associated with said sensor for pivotal movement towards and away from said sensor in response to a change in the thickness of the material gripped by said jaws, said sensor being continuously responsive to change in the distance between said sensor and said distal end of said lever for detecting change in the thickness of the material between said jaws.
A gripper arm assembly for gripping and retrieving a sheet of material from a station comprising:
- an arm including opposed ends, one of the ends being adapted for securement to a drive shaft and the other end including first and second opposed jaws, said second jaw being mounted on a pivot pin for pivotable movement relative to said first jaw;
- a drive assembly operably associated with said second jaw for pivoting said second jaw between an open position and a closed position where the sheet of material is gripped between said first and second jaws;
- a sensor mounted on a generally L-shaped bracket including a first plate mounted to the side of said arm and a second unitary plate extending generally normally outwardly from the side of said arm, said sensor being mounted to the inside face of said second plate;
- a lever including one end secured to said pivot pin and an opposite end including a magnet, said lever and said magnet being positioned generally opposite said second plate of said bracket and said sensor, and being pivotable towards and away from said sensor in response to the movement of said second jaw, said sensor being responsive to change in the distance between said sensor and said magnet on said lever for detecting change in the thickness of the material between said first and second jaws.
A gripper arm assembly for gripping and retrieving a sheet of material from a station comprising:
- an elongate arm including a first end adapted for securement to a drive shaft and a second end including first and second opposed jaws, said second jaw being mounted to a pin for pivotable movement relative to said first jaw;
- a drive assembly for pivoting said second jaw between open and closed positions;
- a generally L-shaped bracket including a first plate mounted to the side of said arm and a second unitary plate extending generally normally outwardly from the side of said arm;
- a sensor mounted to the inside face of said second plate of said bracket;
- a lever positioned generally opposite and in spaced relation to said sensor, said lever including one end secured to said pin and being pivotable towards and away from said sensor in response to the movement of said second jaw, said lever further including a finger at the other end turned inwardly in the direction of said sensor, said finger including a magnet whereby said sensor is responsive to change in the distance between said sensor and said magnet on said finger for detecting change in the thickness of the material between said first and second jaws.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.