Apparatus, system and method for clamping a component

Abstract

An apparatus, system, and method for providing a clamping system for parts associated with a tray. The apparatus, system, and method can include two opposing jaws on a tray, each jaw including a clamp for clamping a part and a jaw base. The jaw base can include a transmission that synchronizes actuation of the opposing jaws and a roller distal from the clamp. The part clamp can also include a centering spring that compresses to exert pressure on the other of the opposing jaws and a cam separate from the tray that includes a cam shaft that drives a cam face into the roller to actuate both clamps.

Description

[0001] Cross-reference of related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 043895, filed June 25, 2020, entitled “Apparatus, System and Method for Clamping Components,” the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference as if their entire contents were set forth herein. Background Technology Technical Field

[0004] The present invention relates to clamping components, and more particularly to an apparatus, system and method for providing a self-clamping chuck.

[0005] Background Information

[0006] The use of robotics is widely recognized as a means of facilitating manufacturing, particularly in applications where manual handling is inefficient and / or ineffective, such as in the process of handling small parts on pallets along a conveyor system. Furthermore, tasks such as assembling, securing, or inspecting the temporary clamping and precise registration of small parts along production lines are common operations. For example, in the aforementioned case of pallets moving along a high-speed conveyor, it is understood that the workpiece must be held in position, and therefore the positioning must be known at all times to allow the part to be processed at each of the various online machining stations.

[0007] However, typical high-speed pallet conveyors do not provide air or electrical support for the pallet or its tools. Therefore, adding electrical sensors or pneumatic cylinders to the pallet to provide automatic assistance, such as the necessary positional information for the aforementioned components, would require adding batteries or air tanks to the pallet.

[0008] A typical solution provides a product pocket with a spring-loaded clamping button on one side. This solution operates by releasing the part when the button is pressed, and this release constitutes pulling the part out of its pocket. More specifically, even after the button is pressed, the part is held by friction and thus slightly "pressed" laterally until the bottom of the part is reached. Of course, this is not an ideal proposition for repeatable positioning.

[0009] Furthermore, due to the typical single-sided clamping solution, various other drawbacks exist in known systems. For example, if the pallet is inverted during some process, heavier parts can easily fall out of the part recess. Additionally, if the conveyor rotates at high speed, the frictional force of the recess provided by the clamp squeezing from the other side can be overcome by the force of the conveyor's acceleration, thus parts may be extruded during processing.

[0010] Therefore, an improved method for clamping small parts on pallets in a conveying system is needed. Summary of the Invention

[0011] Some embodiments are and include an apparatus, system, and method for providing a clamping system for parts associated with a pallet. The apparatus, system, and method may include: two opposing jaws on the pallet, each jaw including a clamping device for clamping the part and a jaw base. The jaw base may include: a transmission mechanism for synchronizing actuation of the opposing jaws; and a roller disposed away from the clamping device. The part clamping device may further include: a centering spring that compresses to apply pressure to the other of the opposing jaws; and a cam detached from the pallet, the cam including a camshaft that drives a cam surface into the roller to actuate the two clamps.

[0012] Therefore, the present invention provides at least one improved apparatus, system and method for an improved clamping method for small parts on a pallet in a conveying system. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Exemplary compositions, systems, and methods will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are given by way of non-limiting example only, wherein:

[0014] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a self-clamping chuck;

[0015] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of various aspects of the self-clamping chuck;

[0016] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of various aspects of the self-clamping chuck;

[0017] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of various aspects of the self-clamping chuck;

[0018] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the self-clamping chuck;

[0019] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the gripper jaws of a self-clamping chuck;

[0020] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of a self-clamping multi-jaw assembly; and

[0021] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of a pallet on a conveyor system. Detailed Implementation

[0022] The accompanying drawings and descriptions provided herein may have been simplified to illustrate aspects relevant to a clear understanding of the apparatuses, systems, and methods described herein, while other aspects that may be found in typical similar apparatuses, systems, and methods have been excluded for clarity. Therefore, those skilled in the art will recognize that other elements and / or operations may be desirable and / or necessary for implementing the apparatuses, systems, and methods described herein. However, since such elements and operations are known in the art and because they do not necessarily facilitate a better understanding of the invention, a discussion of such elements and operations may not be provided herein for the sake of brevity. Nevertheless, the scope of this invention is still considered to include all such elements, variations, and modifications to the described aspects known to those skilled in the art.

[0023] Throughout this document, embodiments are provided to make the invention fully thorough and to fully convey the scope of the disclosed embodiments to those skilled in the art. Numerous specific details, such as examples of specific components, apparatus, and methods, are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that certain specific details disclosed are not necessary, and that embodiments may be embodied in different forms. Therefore, the disclosed embodiments should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. As noted above, in some embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known techniques may not be described in detail.

[0024] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. For example, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” as used herein may also be intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms “comprising,” “including,” “containing,” and “having” are inclusive and thus specify the presence of the stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof. Unless specifically determined as a preferred or desired order of execution, the steps, processes, and operations described herein should not be construed as requiring them to be performed in the particular order discussed or shown. It should also be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed in place of or in combination with the disclosed aspects.

[0025] When an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “above,” “connected to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer, unless otherwise explicitly stated, it may be directly on, above, connected to, or coupled to the other element or layer, or there may be intermediate elements or layers present. Conversely, when an element or layer is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly connected to,” or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there may be no intermediate elements or layers present. Other terms used to describe relationships between elements should be interpreted in a similar manner (e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.). Furthermore, as used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0026] Furthermore, although the terms first, second, third, etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers, and / or portions, these elements, components, regions, layers, and / or portions should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element, component, region, layer, or portion from another. Therefore, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms, when used herein, do not imply order or sequence. Thus, the first element, component, region, layer, or portion discussed below may be referred to as the second element, component, region, layer, or portion without departing from the teachings of the embodiments.

[0027] This invention discloses a clamping chuck or fixture. More specifically, a self-clamping chuck is provided to close, for example, around the base of a part by two or more synchronized centering jaws. The chuck may include a central cavity that can be molded, like a die, to fit the part.

[0028] More specifically, the gripping jaws can close around the outside of the part and can be closed (and opened) in a cam-like manner via a camshaft that engages with a chuck below the part. As the end effector drives the part into the jaws, the jaws can engage their respective mating surfaces and approach the part. For example, an external cam associated with a roller at the base of each jaw is used to open the jaws and can also be used to close the jaws when the part is inserted.

[0029] The grippers may also include integral gears on their respective inner surfaces. The gears force the grippers to open and close synchronously, that is, as the grippers rotate toward and away from each other about the spring point, the gears engage and disengage to maintain the synchronous positioning of each gripper.

[0030] Furthermore, to provide the open and closed states of the grippers, a pair of compression springs abutting against the center / synchronizing gear of the grippers can be used. These springs can be fixed facing each other in tapered recesses. Therefore, when the grippers open, the springs deflect "eccentrically" within their respective recesses. The gripper travel may be mechanically limited, so the springs remain in this state, thus keeping the grippers open (or closed). Therefore, the grippers can be opened manually or automatically by a cam and closed by a cam or spring-loaded mechanism.

[0031] To release the part, the actuator can be pressed, for example from below, to eject the part by oscillating the gripper tips. As mentioned, the grippers can be equipped with rollers so that a lower actuation cam can cause the gripper bases to move toward each other, thereby opening the grippers and thus ejecting the part. In each such case, the part is preferably ejected actively from the chuck.

[0032] Therefore, the self-clamping chuck of the present invention uses an external actuator to open and close (i.e., an external camshaft not mounted on the tray). Thus, the present invention solves the problem in the prior art of how to reliably and consistently hold parts (e.g., molded plastic or complex-shaped parts) onto a tray, thereby enabling more operations to be performed thereon and / or allowing more components to be assembled onto the tray. In other words, embodiments of the present invention can easily hold complex and / or bent parts for machining.

[0033] The unique feature of this invention is that the chuck can be used for many different tools requiring open and closed states, but preferably avoids the use of expensive and complex clamps or multiple retaining fixtures. The chuck and / or its jaws can be inexpensively composed of precise and durable 3D printed parts. The chuck holds molded parts with a precision similar to that of fully dedicated machining molds, without the expense of developing dedicated molds for each part.

[0034] The embodiments can be used to secure parts on a flat tray and can also provide assembly fixtures, such as by stacking the part fixtures of the present invention. For example, stacked fixture chucks can process optical components clamped between multiple molded frames, wherein the molded frames are held in their respective self-clamping chucks while UV adhesive is applied, and then the molded frames can be assembled together around the optical component by stacked chucks until UV curing occurs.

[0035] Figure 1A and Figure 1B A self-clamping chuck 10 according to an embodiment is shown. Figure 1A The gripper assemblies 12a and 12b are shown in the open position. Figure 1BThe gripper assemblies 12a and 12b are shown in the closed position. In the non-limiting example of FIG1, the gripped part 14 is received and held by the spring-loaded grippers 12a and 12b, and the gripped part 14 can be accommodated in the molded area 16 at the core of the gripper assemblies 12 and 12b.

[0036] In the illustration, the opposing jaws 12a and 12b each have a single gripping groove 22 located below the retaining lip 20. However, those skilled in the art will understand that the gripping configuration of the jaws can be customized for each part 14 to be gripped, and can differ from the opposing jaws to the extent that the contour of the part requires such a configuration. A part mold and / or part pad 30 capable of gently receiving the gripped part 14 is also shown. This mold / pad 30 can be formed, for example, of plastic or rubber, and is capable of at least frictionally helping to hold the gripped part 14 in position, while additionally protecting the part 14 from damage or drop.

[0037] An eccentric spring structure 40 is also shown (the spring can be above or below the center and can power the grippers to close or open). In short, each spring 40a, 40b (e.g., may include one or more compression springs) is located within its spring cavity 42, which may be a tapered notch to hold the spring "facing" the springs of the opposing grippers, and between a shared central gear 50 between the grippers 12a, 12b and a corresponding external limiter 52 on each gripper 12a, 12b. The grippers 12a, 12b rotate about the centrally located spring structure 40, which retracts the grippers 12a, 12b to close in the illustrated configuration.

[0038] Of course, it should be understood that alternative embodiments may omit springs 12a and 12b, or may use other elements besides springs 12a and 12b. As an example, without departing from the invention, magnets or pneumatic devices may be used to provide passive, non-powered fixation in place of springs 12a and 12b.

[0039] In Figure 1, the cam 60 can move the cam surface 62 toward the grippers 12a and 12b, causing the roller 70 at the base of each gripper 12a and 12b to move to the center 62 of the cam surface, thereby opening the grippers 12a and 12b; and moving the cam surface 62 away from the grippers 12a and 12b to close the grippers (when the base of each gripper moves away from the base of the other gripper), or allowing the final actuation of the spring 40 (by applying pressure between the grippers) to close the grippers 12a and 12b. That is, the closing of the grippers 12a and 12b can be either spring-released or cam-driven as shown in the figure.

[0040] Therefore, to provide the open and closed states of the gripper, a pair of compression springs abutting against the gripper center / synchronization gear mechanism can be cam-actuated. That is, when the gripper is open, the springs deflect "eccentrically" within their respective notches. The gripper stroke can be mechanically limited so that the springs remain in this state, thereby keeping the gripper open (or closed). Thus, the gripper can be cam-open and cam-loaded or spring-loaded closed, and can be manually or robotically actuated.

[0041] The gear mechanism 50 shown engages and disengages as the springs and / or cams cause the jaws to move toward and away from each other. This maintains synchronized positioning of each jaw 12a, 12b. The gear synchronization of jaws 12a, 12b ensures that neither jaw 12a, 12b over-closes or over-opens the other.

[0042] Figure 1C Provided Figure 1A and Figure 1B Another view of the cam-driven self-clamping chuck 10. Based on this direct side view of the cam 60, it should be understood that the cam surface 62 may have a specific shape that drives the jaw bases 70 (and / or their rollers) toward and away from each other when the cam shaft 80 drives the cam surface 62 toward and away from the jaw bases. It should also be understood that, in order to drive the jaws 12a, 12b synchronously, each half of the cam surface 62 should be directly mirrored with the other half, as discussed throughout.

[0043] Figure 2 Multiple gripping heads 10 are shown, each with a customized shape to match the jaw geometry (to the gripped part 14). Each jaw 12a, 12b has a gripping lip 20 that conforms to the geometry of the part to provide reliable retention of the part 14 when the jaws 12a, 12b are closed.

[0044] In addition to aligning the jaws at the base of the part when the jaws are closed, the jaw core 202 can provide a form-fit geometry that matches the clamped portion of the held part 14 in a manner similar to a part mold. This form-fit geometry and the lip retention of the part match produce very tight part registration, on the order of + / - 25 micrometers, depending on the part shape and tolerances. Figure 3 This is an isometric view of part 14, which undergoes shape-fitting geometry 202a around an extension of part 14 when the grippers are closed.

[0045] Figure 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the self-clamping chuck 10 and the actuating cam 60. As shown, the cam 60 can be used as an actuator for the grippers 12a and 12b and as a gripper release device, as illustrated in the springless exemplary embodiment provided in Figure 4.

[0046] More specifically, Figure 4A The cross-sectional view shows the protruding cam 60, and thus the open grippers 12a, 12b. The inner support roller 70 of each gripper rolls along the cam surface 62, thereby closing the grippers 12a, 12b, and... Figure 4A In this case, the grippers 12a and 12b open as the roller 70 moves toward the center of the cam surface 62.

[0047] Figure 4B This is a cross-sectional view showing the cam 60 in the retracted position. It is worth noting that when the cam 60 retracts, the close contact between the roller 70 and the cam surface profile causes the roller 70 to move away from the center of the cam surface, thereby achieving the closure of the grippers 12a and 12b.

[0048] Figure 5A and Figure 5B The consistent clamp closure of a specific component is shown (and) Figure 5B (The opening in the middle). As shown, the jaw tip 20 of each jaw 12a, 12b fully engages with a specific part geometry. Furthermore, in the illustrated embodiment, once the jaws are closed, the jaw core 202 also includes aspects formed according to the part geometry.

[0049] The clamp closure is also shown, wherein each clamp rotates about a clamp pin 502 about a base 70 adjacent to each clamp 12a, 12b. As described above, the clamp base 70 may or may not include rollers, for example, in addition to the clamp rotation pin 502 shown in FIG. 5, to more easily allow the clamps 12a, 12b to engage and follow the contour of a cam surface (not shown in FIG. 5) as the cam (not shown in FIG. 5) moves toward and away from the clamp base.

[0050] Figure 5 also clearly shows the geometry 30 of the gripper within the profile. The outer surface of the part can engage with the mold-like cavity within the gripper, thereby providing high-precision alignment.

[0051] The part in Figure 5 is relatively simple in structure and shape, consisting of a lip gripper, an inner gripper profile, and a corresponding gripper pin. Therefore, the gripper can be readily formed by any known construction method, including 3D printing or injection molding, as a non-limiting example.

[0052] Figure 6 The grippers 12a and 12b of a self-clamping chuck according to an embodiment are shown. The grippers 12a and 12b shown are specific components of a specific component geometry 202 and include a retaining lip 20 consistent with that geometry.

[0053] The grippers 12a and 12b may include, for example, an actuation pad 504 in the core 202 of the gripper space. When pressure is applied to the actuation pad 504, the aforementioned compression spring can be released, thereby closing the grippers 12a and 12b onto the held component. Of course, in this embodiment, the geometry of the grippers 12a and 12b and the spring constant of the aforementioned spring can be designed to avoid damage to the held component.

[0054] Also shown is an integral meshing gear 50 with each jaw. These integral meshing gears 50 on both sides of the jaw closure keep the jaws synchronized and in the part ( Figure 6 (Not shown in the image) Centered on top to minimize lateral load.

[0055] The grippers 12a and 12b shown can clamp with a variable clamping strength, for example, depending on various design choices discussed throughout (i.e., spring-loaded or unspring-loaded; cam drive strength, etc.), and can be controlled, for example, by driving the cam 60 through a control system (discussed below). Furthermore, the clamping strength can vary based on the conditions experienced by the clamped part, such as, for example, whether the part will be held around a sharp bend, whether the part will be flipped up and down, and whether the tray is moving at a high speed.

[0056] Figure 7 A group 700 of grippers 12a, 12b dedicated to a single pallet is shown, for example, for holding multiple parts 14 per pallet. It is worth noting that the grippers 12a, 12b on the group of gripper heads 700 and the profile of each gripper head can be of the same type, or they can be different if each pallet is to hold multiple different parts 14.

[0057] For a group of gripper assemblies, the grippers may or may not be driven by individual cams. Of course, those skilled in the art will understand that if the entire gripper assembly is driven by a single cam, the cam distributor 702 may be located within the base of the assembly head. Naturally, the cam distributor 702 may provide a different cam surface for each individual gripper, and thus present different cam surface profiles, for example, where the grippers differ due to the different portions retained, driven by a single cam that drives the cam distributor.

[0058] The group of gripper sets 700 may include two or more grippers, such as 4, 6, or 8 grippers in a set, depending on the application. In one exemplary application, multiple sets of clamping devices may be used, for example, to join parts to an adhesive joint during curing. In this case, the clamps will be positioned on top of each other in the same manner as the half-mold.

[0059] Figure 8A conveyor system 800 is shown, along which a parts pallet 802, discussed throughout, can travel. The conveyor system may include a series of straight lines and curves that can travel at varying speeds and have distinct starts and stops, as shown. Embodiments are used to hold parts on these pallets, process them along the conveyor shown, and discharge and hold these parts at precise appropriate times and locations.

[0060] Therefore, the disclosed self-clamping chuck can provide passive, i.e., highly registered clamping without external power. Embodiments can be used in the context of conveyors / pallets, and / or with respect to picking up and placing end effectors. In addition to the embodiments described above, the disclosed chuck can be used in hazardous environments, such as underwater.

[0061] The foregoing apparatus, systems, and methods may also include control over the various robot and CAM functionalities mentioned herein. As a non-limiting example, such control may include manual control using one or more user interfaces, such as controllers, keyboards, mice, touchscreens, etc., to allow the user to input instructions for execution by software code associated with the robot and the systems discussed herein. Additionally, as is well known to those skilled in the art, system control may also be fully automated, for example, where manual user interaction occurs only for functions referred to in “setting up” and programming; that is, the user may initially program or upload computational code to execute a predetermined sequence of movements and operations discussed herein. In manual or automatic embodiments, or any combination thereof, the controller may be programmed, for example, to associate known positions of the substrate, the robot, anchor points, and their relative positions.

[0062] It should be understood that the systems and methods described herein can operate and / or be controlled by any computing environment, and therefore the computing environment employed does not limit the implementation of the systems and methods described herein to computing environments with different components and configurations. In other words, the concepts described herein can be implemented in any computing environment across a variety of computing environments using any of the various components and configurations.

[0063] Furthermore, the description of the invention is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosed embodiments. Various modifications to the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, the content of this invention is not intended to be limited to the examples and designs described herein, but should be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A clamping system for pallet-related parts, comprising: Two opposing grippers on the tray, each gripper comprising: A clamp for holding the part; Part housing core; as well as base of the gripper; A cam interface, which is located at the base of each of the opposing grippers; A centering spring, which is compressed to apply pressure to the other of the opposing grippers; A cam separate from the tray, the cam including a camshaft that drives a cam surface into the cam interface to actuate the opposing grippers; A transmission mechanism associated with each of the opposing grippers, wherein the transmission mechanism synchronizes the actuation of the opposing grippers; as well as A spring pad is applied between the two opposing jaws, causing the spring to unwind and the opposing jaws to close. Each half of the cam surface is a mirror image of the other half, and the cam surface is inclined toward the center point of the cam surface.

2. The clamping system according to claim 1, wherein, The actuation includes the opening of the opposing grippers.

3. The clamping system according to claim 1, wherein, The actuation includes the closing of the opposing grippers.

4. The clamping system according to claim 1, wherein, The centering spring is eccentric.

5. The clamping system according to claim 1, wherein, The centering spring is a compression spring.

6. The clamping system of claim 1 further includes a tapered recess in each of the opposing grippers, the centering spring being located in the tapered recess.

7. The clamping system of claim 1, wherein the spring pad extends through the part receiving core.

8. The clamping system according to claim 1, wherein, The clamp follows the contour of the part being clamped.

9. The clamping system according to claim 8, wherein, The outline to be followed includes maintaining the lip line and groove.

10. The clamping system according to claim 1, wherein, The part receiving core provides a double-sided mold for the part being clamped between the two clamps.

11. The clamping system according to claim 10, wherein, The component housing core comprises either rubber or plastic.

12. The clamping system according to claim 1, wherein, The cam interface includes a roller.

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