Gripping device for manipulating device and method for operation thereof
AssigneeTRUMPF Maschinen Austria GmbH & Co. KG.
InventorsHagen Strasser, Gerhard Sperrer
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A gripping device for a manipulation system, particularly a robot, for receiving workpieces and feeding them from a readied stack of the workpieces to a manufacturing plant such as a metal sheet folding machine, punching press, welding plant, etc. The device has a gripper head fitted with gripping means such as suction cups, magnets, tongs, etc., and a detection system for detecting characteristics of the workpiece gripped by the gripping means. A pulse emitter excites vibrations in the workpiece and the vibration spectrum of the workpiece is compared to reference vibration data to determine characteristics of the gripped workpiece, such as whether two or more workpieces are stuck together, or whether the workpiece is the correct workpiece.
Claims11
A gripping device for a manipulation system comprising a robot for receiving parts and feeding a manufacturing plant with a workpiece from a readied stack of workpieces, the gripping device comprising a gripper head supporting gripping means, and a detection system for detecting a workpiece received by the gripping means, and comprising at least one pulse emitter acting upon the workpiece to excite vibrations in the workpiece, and at least one vibration sensor for sensing the vibrations of the workpiece, and a memory and/or analytical module structured and arranged to conduct a vibration analysis on a vibration signal from said vibration sensor, wherein the detection system and the memory and/or analytical module jointly form a component part detachably arranged on the gripper head and in communication with a controller of the manufacturing plant via a bus system comprising an ASi bus.
A method for feeding workpieces from a stack of workpieces to a metal sheet folding machine for reshaping the workpieces by folding with a manipulation system, comprising the steps of:
- gripping a workpiece at a top of the stack of workpieces using a gripping device;
- lifting the gripped workpiece up from the stack with the gripping device;
- exciting vibrations in the lifted workpiece using a pulse emitter arranged on the gripping device and acted upon by a controller;
- sensing the vibrations in the workpiece using a vibration sensor arranged on the gripping device;
- recording signals from the vibration sensor in a memory and/or analytical module;
- and
- comparing a vibration spectrum of the workpiece stored in said module with reference vibration data;
- wherein the vibration sensor is applied to a surface of the workpiece by a contact pressure-exerting device, whereupon a pulse is applied to the workpiece by the pulse emitter with a contact time of about 200 ms for exciting vibrations.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.