US 7,001,138 B2Granted

Split collar for mechanical arm connection

AssigneeJohnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc.

InventorScott F. Ansell

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A robot assembly and a method of installing a collar on a robot assembly. The robot assembly comprises a support shaft, an arm extending away from the shaft, a split connecting collar pivotally mounted on the support shaft and connected to the arm to connect the arm to the support shaft, and a tool connected to the arm for engaging the molded items and for removing the molded items from the molding machine. Two embodiments of the split collar are disclosed. The first is a multiple piece component, and the second is a single slotted body. Generally, both of these collars are designed such that installation or removal does not require that the shaft be pushed linearly through the diameter of the collar. Rather, the installation or removal of the collar is performed by moving the collar, or the collar components, away from the shaft, in a direction perpendicular to the shaft centerline instead of along and over the shaft diameter to the endpoint.

Claims10

Dependent claims

A robot assembly for removing molded items from a molding machine, the robot assembly comprising:

a support shaft;
an arm extending away from the shaft;
a connecting collar pivotally mounted on the support shaft and connected to the arm to connect the arm to the support shaft;
and
a tool connected to the arm for engaging the molded items and for removing the molded items from the molding machine;
wherein the collar includes:
i) first and second sections, the first section having an arcuate shape to seat against a first side of the shaft, the second section also having an arcuate shape to seat against a second side of the shaft, opposite the first section, and
ii) connecting means to connect together the first and second sections to form a substantially continuous ring extending around the shaft;
and wherein, the first collar section includes a pair of end portions defining a pair of end faces and a pair of sockets extending inward from the end faces the second collar section includes a pair of end portions defining a pair of end faces and a pair of sockets extending inward from the end faces of the second collar section;
when the collar sections are connected together, the end faces of the first collar section abut against the end faces of the second collar section, with sockets of the first collar section aligned with sockets of the second collar section;
and
the connecting means includes a pair of pins positioned in the sockets of the first and second collar sections to hold the collar sections together against axial and transverse movement.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/375,631Filed 27 Feb 2003 · us provisional application
Priority: 1 Mar 2002
Published: US 2004/0037688 A126 Feb 2004
Granted: 21 Feb 2006
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification5 codes

B25J 9/0009
Program-controlled manipulators: constructional details, e.g. manipulator supports, bases
Y10T 29/49698
Process for making bearing or component thereof: demounting
Y10T 74/20329
Robotic arm: joint between elements
B25J
Manipulators