Abrasive article mounting system and method

Abstract

A robotic system for modifying a surface is presented. The system includes a motorized robotic arm with an arm movement mechanism. The system also includes a tool coupled to the arm movement mechanism. The tool is configured to removably couple to an article configured to contact the surface. The system also includes a first actuator for moving the tool to a pick-up position relative to the article. The system also includes a second actuator for inducing a shear motion between the article and the tool in an article attachment step. The coupling between the article and the tool includes a hook and loop system.

Description

[Background technology]

[0001] Surface repair and other abrasive operations are areas of abrasive operations that are yet to be automated. Historically, human operated abrasive equipment has provided more consistent control. Human operation is time consuming, inconsistent and labor intensive. Robotic systems are known, but techniques for better control of automated abrasive processes are desired. Summary of the Invention

[0002] A robotic system for modifying a surface is presented. The system includes a powered robotic arm having an arm movement mechanism. The system also includes a tool coupled to the arm movement mechanism. The tool is configured to removably couple to an article configured to contact the surface. The system also includes a first actuator for moving the tool to a pick-up position relative to the article. The system also includes a second actuator for inducing a shear motion between the article and the tool in an article attachment step. The coupling between the article and the tool includes a hook and loop system.

[0003] The systems and methods described herein solve a key problem in automating industrial polishing operations. A problem for robotic systems is reliable loading and unloading of articles. The systems and methods described herein improve the ability to unload an abrasive article without significantly impeding the polishing system's ability to pick up the article when it needs replacing. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0004] The drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale and in which like numbers may depict like components in different perspectives, are intended to generally illustrate various embodiments discussed in the present document and are not meant to be limiting.

[0005] [Figure 1] 1 illustrates a robotic repair system that may be useful with embodiments described herein.

[0006] [Diagram 2] 1 illustrates components of a robotic polishing system according to embodiments described herein.

[0007] [Figure 3A] 1 illustrates a storage silo for goods that may be used in embodiments described herein. [Figure 3B] 1 illustrates a storage silo for goods that may be used in embodiments described herein.

[0008] [Figure 4] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a laminated abrasive article.

[0009] [Figure 5A] 1 shows an abrasive article that is incompletely bonded to a robotic tool. [Figure 5B] 1 shows an abrasive article that is incompletely bonded to a robotic tool.

[0010] [Figure 6A] 1 shows a schematic diagram of an abrasive article being removed from a silo according to embodiments described herein. [Figure 6B] 1 shows a schematic diagram of an abrasive article being removed from a silo according to embodiments described herein.

[0011] [Figure 7] 1 illustrates a method of replacing an abrasive article for a robotic tool according to embodiments described herein.

[0012] [Figure 8] 1 illustrates a robotic polishing system according to embodiments described herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Recent advances in imaging technology and computing systems have made the process of automating industrial polishing operations at production rates feasible.

[0014] Robotic systems follow instructions precisely, whereas human operators introduce variability into the process. Especially in the abrasive industry, human operators with years of experience have the ability to optimize and improve the abrasive or polishing process. Robotic systems, on the other hand, need to be programmed to mimic advanced human behavior and are constrained by sensor systems. For example, a human operator can make adjustments when attaching an abrasive article to the tool and see if the abrasive article falls off before contacting the substrate. A robot, on the other hand, does not have that sensing ability or the disc may fall off after the sensing step.

[0015] Although the example of repairing a vehicle defect is described herein, it is expressly contemplated that the systems and methods described herein have broad application to any abrasive application in which an abrasive article requires replacement due to wear, load, deterioration, or other reasons.

[0016] The term "abrasive article" is used broadly herein and is intended to broadly cover any article that may be picked up by a robotic tool to contact a substrate during a polishing operation. Abrasive articles may include conventional abrasive discs or belts, nonwoven pads containing abrasive particles, or grinding stones. However, abrasive articles also include articles used in polishing operations such as wipes, polishing pads, etc., which utilize the same mounting systems as conventional abrasive articles and often face the same problems with reliable initial mounting.

[0017] The term "shear motion" is used herein to broadly describe the movement of a tool (or a back-up pad attached to the tool) relative to an abrasive article. Shear motion refers to the relative motion between the back-up pad and the article coupled to the back-up pad. As used herein, relative motion refers to the movement of either the tool or the article while the other is substantially stationary or moving in a different direction. The motion may include linear, rotational, random orbital, arc, or combinations thereof or other suitable motion. The motion may include the motion of the tool, the motion of a part of the robot coupled to the tool, the motion of the abrasive article, the motion of a storage component that contains the abrasive article, or the motion of the object (e.g., table) to which the robot or storage component is attached. The motion may be actuated by any suitable mechanical motion mechanism, such as a servo motor associated with a robot arm, an end effector, a spindle, or an article storage housing.

[0018] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a robotic paint repair system in which embodiments of the present invention are useful. The system 100 generally includes two units, a vision inspection system 110 and a defect repair system 120. Both systems are controlled by motion controllers 112, 122, respectively, which may receive instructions from one or more application controllers 150. The application controllers may receive inputs or provide outputs to a user interface 160. The repair unit 120 includes a force control unit 124 that may be aligned with an end effector 126. As shown in FIG. 1, the end effector 126 includes two tools 128; however, other arrangements are expressly contemplated. Although a vision inspection system 110 is shown in FIG. 1, it is expressly contemplated that the systems and methods described herein do not require a vision system.

[0019] Current vehicle paint repair techniques involve manually sanding / polishing defects while maintaining the desired finish using fine sanding and / or polishing systems, with or without the aid of power tools. A skilled human operator performing such repairs leverages many hours of training while simultaneously using their senses to monitor progress and make changes accordingly. Such advanced behaviors are difficult to achieve with a robotic solution with limited sensing capabilities.

[0020] FIG. 2 illustrates components of a robotic polishing system according to embodiments described herein. The robotic polishing unit may be fixed in some embodiments and mobile in other embodiments. The robotic polishing unit may have one or more joints with one or more degrees of freedom. For example, while a single robotic arm component 210 is shown in FIG. 2, it is expressly contemplated that the robotic arm may in fact be comprised of multiple subcomponents, each connected by joints with one or more degrees of freedom. Additionally, while the discussion herein is limited to the range and capabilities of motion of the arm component 210, it is expressly contemplated that the robotic unit may have multiple movable arm components extending from a base (not shown in FIG. 2) to a force control unit. The base may also have multiple degrees of freedom for movement, and each joint component may also have multiple degrees of freedom. The base may also include a movement mechanism, such as motorized wheels, that allows the robotic arm 210 to move toward or away from the workpiece 250.

[0021] The end effector 220 may be coupled to the robot arm 210, for example, directly or via a force control unit. The end effector 220 may control the movement of the abrasive article 240 in a rotational or random orbital pattern. The end effector 220 exerts a pressing force through the back-up pad 230 to bring the abrasive article 240 into contact with the work piece 250. As shown in FIG. 2, the position of the back-up pad 230 relative to the work piece 250 is adjustable. Additionally, the back-up pad 230 may be rotated relative to the work piece 250, for example, by rotating the tool spindle or by using the end effector 220. The abrasive article 240 may be selected from any suitable abrasive article, such as a bonded abrasive article, a nonwoven abrasive article, or a coated abrasive article. The examples described herein illustrate coated abrasive discs and polishing pads. However, it is expressly contemplated that other abrasive articles may be used with the systems and methods herein.

[0022] The robotic system may include one or more sensors 270. The sensors 270 may be capable of detecting information related to the real-time status of the robotic arm 210, the abrasive article 240, or the substrate 250, among other parameters. For example, the sensors 270 may be optical sensors and are used to verify that the abrasive article 240 is in contact with the back-up pad 230 after the pick-up operation. However, as described herein, in many robotic systems, the sensors 270 verify the presence of the abrasive article 240 after the pick-up operation, but do not verify again before the robotic arm 210 moves the abrasive article 240 to a position to contact the substrate 250. If the abrasive article becomes dislodged from the back-up pad 230 during its movement from the pick-up position to the substrate 250, there is no way to detect this and the back-up pad 230 may directly contact the substrate 250, potentially damaging the substrate 250 and not polishing defects. While a human operator may visually, tactilely, or audibly verify that the abrasive article is gone when contacting the substrate 250, the robotic system of FIG. 2 relies on sensor information.

[0023] 3A-3B show silos of abrasive articles used in embodiments herein. A robotic polishing system may use a large number of consumable abrasive products during a work shift. FIG. 3A shows storage silos 310 in an arrangement 300, each containing a large number of abrasive articles 320. The abrasive articles 320 shown in FIG. 3A are polishing pads. Due to the high frequency of abrasive article replacement, a large number of abrasive article storage silos 310 may be placed together, such as in the arrangement 300 shown in FIG. 3A. FIG. 3B shows abrasive articles 360 in a different silo configuration 350. The abrasive articles 360 shown in FIG. 3B are coated abrasive discs. As shown in FIG. 3B, the silo 350 may include multiple features 352. Because it is desired that only a single abrasive article is removed at a time during the pick-up operation, the feature 352 provides sufficient resistance (similar to the plastic film of a KLEENEX® tissue box) to ensure that only one abrasive article is released at a time. 3B shows multiple brushes 352, other resistance mechanisms may also be used, including flaps, tabs, etc. that separate adjacent abrasive articles. It is also contemplated that in some embodiments, the silo 310 is a non-rigid, compressible or flexible material to prevent the rotation of the substrate from slamming the tool against a hard exterior wall. In embodiments where the tool uses a large counterbalance orbit, the motion may be orbital or random orbital.

[0024] 3A, the storage silo 310 has a diameter 312 that is sized to accommodate article diameter 322 of the abrasive article 320. Silo diameter 312 is sized to be approximately the same as article diameter 322 to provide resistance and allow accurate and repeatable placement of the abrasive article on the substrate. However, it is expressly contemplated that in some embodiments, diameter 312 may be larger than diameter 322, for example up to 20% larger. Additionally, in embodiments in which the silo is a compressible or pliable material, it is contemplated that diameter 312 may be up to 10% smaller than diameter 322.

[0025] 4 shows a schematic diagram of stacked abrasive articles. Abrasive articles 430 are stacked in a storage silo (not shown in FIG. 4). As shown in schematic diagram 400, a spindle 402 is coupled to a back-up pad (or other suitable tool) 410, which is in turn coupled to the abrasive article 430 using a hook-and-loop system. While FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram of the back-up pad 410 having multiple hooks 412 that engage with loops 432 on the abrasive article 430, it is expressly contemplated that in other embodiments, the tool 410 may have multiple loops and the abrasive article 430 may have multiple hooks.

[0026] As shown in schematic diagram 400, each abrasive article 430 has two sides: the abrasive side has a number of abrasive particles 436 configured to contact a substrate, and the attachment side has a number of attachment features 432 (e.g., the loops shown in FIG. 4).

[0027] When a human attaches an abrasive article to a tool using a hook-and-loop attachment system, the motion is not purely linear, and the human operator can visually and tactilely ascertain whether the abrasive article 430 is sufficiently connected to the tool 410. However, a robot cannot "see" or "feel" the abrasive article 430 without a sensor that provides such information. With reference to Figures 5A and 5B, simply forcing the tool 410 orthogonally against the stack of abrasive articles 430 may not be sufficient to ensure the attachment of the hook-and-loop system.

[0028] One potential solution to the bonding problem is to use a stronger attachment system, such as adding adhesive, adding interlocking features, using denser hooks and loops, or making the hooks and loops taller. However, it is also necessary to allow for easy removal of the abrasive article when it becomes significantly worn, loaded, or deteriorated. It is known that the strength of attachment to the back-up pad increases significantly when the abrasive article is subjected to friction, heat, and pressure from the abrading operation. Thus, the attachment mechanism needs to be strong enough to ensure that the abrasive article 430 is adequately attached to the tool 410, while still allowing for removal.

[0029] The abrasive articles 430 are stacked such that the abrasive side (the side with the grains 436) of the first article 430 contacts the attachment side (the side with the loops 432) of the adjacent article. Some bonding may occur due to the grains 436 (which often form a rough surface) contacting the loops 432 (which are designed to interact with and bond to the rough surface of the hooks 412). Inadvertent bonding may also occur between the disk ends and loops of adjacent articles. This creates resistance and may cause the tool 410 to grab multiple abrasive articles 430 in one pick-up operation. For this reason, the abrasive article silo may include features (e.g., feature 352 in one embodiment) that help separate adjacent abrasive articles from each other during the pick-up operation. However, both the resistance created by the contact between the abrasive articles 430 and any resistance features increase the bond strength of the hooks 412 and loops 432 required to adequately attach the abrasive articles 430 to the back-up pad. In other instances, the walls of the silo may fit snugly against the stored articles, providing more precise positioning. The friction caused by this may provide resistance similar to or alternative to the brushes shown.

[0030] In the embodiments described herein, a housing (such as a silo) for the abrasive article is shown, but it is not expressly contemplated that this is present for all abrasive articles. For example, abrasive discs may need to be changed 50 or more times during a shift, which necessitates a stack to hold the abrasive article in a known position. However, for other articles that are not changed frequently, such as buffing pads, other suitable formats can hold the article in a known position. For example, buffing pads are placed in a designated position by a human operator and secured by pins, clamps, vacuum, or other suitable mechanisms with sufficient friction to provide resistance to the abrasive article moving with the tool. For example, a rubber surface can help hold the abrasive article in a stationary position and reduce slippage so that shear motion can occur as described herein.

[0031] 5A-5B show an abrasive article that is poorly bonded to the robot tool. In some cases, the disk may not be attached at all or may fall off as soon as the robot starts to move. Often, due to the resistance described with respect to FIG. 4, the abrasive article does not fully bond to the abrasive tool or is not removed from the dispenser silo at all. As shown in FIG. 5, the bond 500 between the tool 510 and the abrasive article 520 is incomplete, with the abrasive article 520 only bonded to the tool 510 by a portion 522 of the hook-and-loop surface, and the majority 526 of the surface area is not bonded. Similarly, as shown in image 550, the abrasive article is barely bonded to the tool. If the article is poorly bonded, rapid movement of the robot further increases the chance of the article falling off. In some embodiments, a sensor can detect when the abrasive article is bonded to the tool (this is true in both FIGS. 5A and 5B). Then, once in contact with the substrate, the bond between the abrasive article 520 and the tool 510 improves due to increased friction, shear, and applied heat. However, if the abrasive article 520 becomes dislodged from the tool 510 between the sensor and the substrate, the tool 510 will come into direct contact with and abrade the substrate surface, which can damage both the tool 510 and the substrate, and the substrate may not be polished as expected.

[0032] FIG. 6 shows a schematic diagram of picking up an abrasive article from a silo according to an embodiment herein. As mentioned above, it is important that the abrasive article can be easily removed from the tool after its useful life is over. Therefore, the bond between the tool and the abrasive article must be stable enough to allow the abrasive article to reach the substrate for polishing, but not so strong that it cannot be removed after heat or shear forces are applied. Furthermore, it is important that the robot returns to the designated location to pick up the next abrasive article. Since some tools can cause damage when they contact the substrate, it is necessary that not only the tool bond well to the abrasive article, but also that the abrasive article bond in the correct relative position to cover the entire surface of the tool and be properly centered on the tool to avoid imbalance during high speed rotation. Therefore, the abrasive articles are stacked as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, and one abrasive article is removed from the silo at a time, and a resistance mechanism may be installed to keep the article centered in the correct position. However, as explained with respect to FIG. 4, stacking creates problems with entanglement between adjacent abrasive discs.

[0033] A stronger attachment system may make it difficult to quickly remove when the abrasive article is no longer in use, so a mechanical shear force is applied instead. This shear force creates a stronger bond between the hook-and-loop attachment system of the back-up pad and the abrasive article, and is applied while the abrasive article is in the silo. The applied shear force functions similarly to the shear stress the bond experiences when in contact with the substrate, but is applied during the pick-up operation, improving the initial bond. The key is to not increase the difficulty of removal when applying the shear stress during the pick-up operation.

[0034] 6A-6B show schematic diagrams of a method for applying a shear force to an abrasive article 610 while the abrasive article is in the silo 600 with a tool (not shown). After the tool contacts the abrasive article, the tool moves relative to the abrasive article, inducing shear to couple more hooks into loops, resulting in an improved initial attachment between the tool and abrasive article 610. Importantly, the applied shear stress is similar to the shear stress experienced by the tool and abrasive article 610 during the polishing operation, so the improved initial attachment during pick-up does not significantly increase the difficulty of removal (by a robotic arm moving the abrasive article over the surface of a substrate, rotating the abrasive article while in contact with a substrate, or both).

[0035] FIG. 6A can be understood as a view from above where the tool is in contact with the abrasive article. FIG. 6B shows a side or cross-sectional view where the tool 660 is coupled to a back-up pad 662 and in contact with the abrasive article. The back-up pad 662 is coupled to the abrasive article stored in a storage silo 670. The tool moves along an axis 630, referred to herein as the Z-axis. Shear may occur in the XY plane. The Y-axis 650 is shown in both FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B. The X-axis 640 is shown in FIG. 6A and runs in and out of the page in FIG. 6B. In FIG. 6A, the Z-axis runs in and out of the page.

[0036] As shown in FIGS. 6A-6B, the shear force may be induced by either linear motion 614 or rotational motion 612 between the tool and the abrasive article 610.

[0037] It is also contemplated that the motion caused by the end effector is a random orbital motion, thus giving it an "arc" shape. In essence, any motion in the XY plane will enhance the bond. Oscillating the tool relative to the abrasive article 610 may also be sufficient.

[0038] The motion mechanism that actually causes the shear force may be due to a spindle rotating the tool relative to the abrasive article 610, an end effector (or robotic arm) moving the tool relative to the abrasive article 610, or the silo 600 (or a motion mechanism associated with the silo 600). As shown in FIG. 6, the tool may be rotated a quarter turn while the abrasive article remains stationary to improve bonding. However, depending on the type of abrasive article, more or less rotations may be required. FIG. 6 shows the rotational motion 612 in one direction. However, it is explicitly contemplated that after rotating a specified angular distance (e.g., a quarter turn clockwise), the tool may rotate the same specified angular distance in the opposite direction (e.g., a quarter turn counterclockwise) to return to its original position. This may be necessary for operations that require a specific tool orientation or to aid in centering the disk on the back-up pad.

[0039] Inducing shear forces can be accomplished quickly, e.g., taking only a portion of the time of the entire pick-up operation, without appreciably increasing cycle time. The shear forces improve the bond between the tool and the abrasive article without increasing the difficulty of removal and without requiring a different bonding mechanism.

[0040] 7 illustrates a method of replacing an abrasive article for a robotic tool according to embodiments described herein. Method 700 is used to replace a used abrasive article with a new abrasive article. The abrasive article may be any abrasive article suitable for the abrading task, such as a sanding disk, polishing pad, or bonded abrasive article, nonwoven abrasive article, abrasive belt, wipe article, or other consumable item.

[0041] At block 710, an article replacement operation is activated. Activation may be triggered by the controller sending an indication that the abrasive article has reached the end of its useful life, for example, based on detected wear, load, deterioration, or number of operations, or based on other suitable trigger events. For example, all abrasive articles may be replaced at the start or end of a shift.

[0042] At block 720, the used abrasive article is removed from the robotic polishing unit. As described herein, it is important that the abrasive article be easily removed after its useful life is over. Therefore, if the bond between the abrasive article and the robotic tool is too strong, the abrasive article may not be removed or may not be removed completely. It is undesirable to leave a significant portion of the used abrasive article behind, since the robot provides trajectories and application forces under the assumption that a single abrasive article is attached to the back-up pad or coupled to the tool. The presence of the old abrasive article may prevent the attachment of a new abrasive article, preventing the coupling mechanism of the back-up pad from coupling to the new abrasive article and altering the force profile when applying the new abrasive article to the substrate. In some embodiments, the act of removing the used abrasive article includes passing the back-up pad or tool in front of a sensor to verify that the used polishing tool has been removed.

[0043] At block 730, the robot arm moves to a pick-up position. In some cases, the abrasive article needs to be precisely placed on the back-up pad to ensure complete coverage or the abrasive article needs to precisely contact the substrate for the polishing operation. Thus, as shown in Figures 3A-3B, in some embodiments, the new abrasive article storage container is sized to fit the abrasive article so that the article is positioned in approximately the same location for pick-up.

[0044] After the tool or back-up pad contacts the abrasive article, a movement in the XY plane is performed to increase the initial bond strength. In the case of a hook and loop attachment system, this increase in bond strength is similar to what already occurs when the abrasive article contacts the substrate for the sanding / polishing / wiping operation. Thus, removal is not significantly more difficult when the abrasive article reaches the end of its useful life in step 720.

[0045] The motion can be any suitable motion in the XY plane of the abrasive article or back-up pad. For example, in some embodiments, the abrasive article may remain stationary while the tool rotates 742 while in contact with the abrasive article. This rotation may be accomplished using an end effector or tool spindle. Furthermore, the term rotation refers broadly to both rotational motion and random orbital motion. The shear force may also be imparted by a linear motion 744 in which the tool moves while in contact with the abrasive article along the X or Y axis. However, any motion in the XY plane may suffice, including, for example, helical, parabolic motion, etc. Additionally, the motion may be an oscillation 746 of the back-up pad or abrasive tool. The shear motion may also be imparted in any other suitable manner 748.

[0046] In some embodiments, the exact orientation of the abrasive article for the abrading operation is important, so the applied motion may be reversed, causing the abrasive article to return to the starting position 734. In embodiments where the exact position is not important, the relative position of the tool may change from the initial contact position to a new position 732. The new position may be laterally away from the original position, may be rotated from the original position, or may move along a random trajectory, but may also result in a shear motion to another position 736.

[0047] Additionally, it is expressly contemplated that the motion mechanism is part of the abrasive article silo. For example, the abrasive article may move instead of the tool. For example, the table or other article to which the silo is attached may include the motion mechanism. The silo may be directly attached to the motion mechanism, such as a slide, rail, spindle, or other mechanism. The motion mechanism may be attached to a servo motor or other suitable component.

[0048] At block 750, an abrasive article is removed from the storage silo. The tool may pass in front of a sensor to ensure that the tool-abrasive article bond 754 is fully established. Additionally, as described herein, the abrasive article may pass through one or more resistance elements 752 to ensure that only one abrasive article is removed at a time.

[0049] FIG. 8 illustrates a robotic polishing system according to embodiments herein. FIG. 8 illustrates several components that may be part of or located within the operating range of one or more robotic units. For example, one or more sensors 802 may be positioned to detect whether an abrasive article has been successfully picked up or removed from a back-up pad or other tool.

[0050] The robotic polishing system 800 includes a powered robotic arm 810 with multiple joints providing a range of motion. The robotic arm 810 includes an arm motion mechanism 816 or multiple motion mechanisms 816 that respond to instructions from a controller 830 to move the robotic arm to one or more positions for a polishing operation.

[0051] The powered robotic arm 810 may have a force control unit 812 that adjusts the amount of force applied to the tool 842. The tool 842 may also include a back-up pad with an abrasive article attached. The tool 842 may include a rotating spindle (not shown). The end effector 840 may be present as well as other motion mechanisms to achieve movement on the substrate.

[0052] The robotic polishing system 800 also includes an abrasive article removal tool 850 that removes the used abrasive article from the tool 842. The abrasive article removal tool is a clamp or other mechanical tool that removes the abrasive article from 842. Other suitable abrasive article removal tools 850 are also possible. The abrasive article may be coupled to the tool 842 using an adhesive, an interlocking component, a hook and loop system, or other suitable mechanism.

[0053] New abrasive articles may be stored in an abrasive article silo 860 within range of the powered robotic arm. The abrasive article silo 860 may have one or more resistance mechanisms 860 that ensure only one abrasive article is removed from the storage component 860 at a time. Expressly contemplated in some embodiments are cases where the abrasive articles are not circular, such as rectangular sander pads for non-rotary abrasive operations, and the term "silo" is not intended to be construed as strictly cylindrical. Suitable shapes for accommodating consumables of any shape are contemplated herein.

[0054] Although the shear inducing component 844 is shown as a separate component in FIG. 8, it is expressly contemplated that in some embodiments, the shear inducing component is one of the tool 842, the end effector 840, or the silo motion mechanism 860. However, the shear inducing component 844 may be a separate component. In this embodiment, the shear inducing component induces a shear motion between the tool 842 and the abrasive article during the abrasive article attachment step. The tool 842 contacts the abrasive article, and the shear motion allows the mechanical bonding mechanism to improve the initial bond. Importantly, the shear inducing component 844 does not significantly increase the force or movement required for the abrasive article removal tool 850 to remove the abrasive article at the end of the operation. The tool 842 may have a spindle that rotates the tool 842 relative to the abrasive article. The end effector 840 may rotate the tool 842, move the tool 842 in a random orbital motion, move the tool 842 linearly, or vibrate the tool. Additionally, the arm motion mechanism 816 can move the tool 842 in a linear, rotational, or random orbital motion, however, shear motion is also explicitly contemplated when induced by the silo motion mechanism 860 which imparts rotational, random orbital, linear, or oscillatory motion to the abrasive article.

[0055] What is explicitly considered is that while XY motion induces shear, the motion may not be limited to the XY direction. For example, the back-up pad may "rock" back and forth on the abrasive article to encourage better contact and bonding between the abrasive article and the back-up pad. Thus, the back-up pad may move in the Z direction as well as in the XY direction.

[0056] In some embodiments, the tool 842 is attached to the abrasive article using a hook and loop attachment system, with one hook and one loop placed on the tool 842 and the other on the abrasive article. The shear inducing component 844 causes more hooks to initially attach to the loops, improving the initial attachment.

[0057] In some embodiments, the powered robot arm is fixed in the industrial environment, however, it is expressly contemplated that it includes a motion mechanism 808 that moves the robot arm. Additionally, in some embodiments, the substrate is fixed, however, it is expressly contemplated that it has a motion mechanism 804 that moves the substrate relative to the robot unit.

[0058] The robotic polishing system 800 also includes a controller 830 that generates motion instructions to other components of the system 800, such as causing the abrasive article to move along a particular trajectory, at a particular speed, with a particular force profile, and at a particular angle.

[0059] It is expressly contemplated that the robotic polishing system 800 may include other components 804 than those shown in FIG.

[0060] As described herein, the work piece may be metal, wood, or other suitable material. Additionally, as described herein, the term abrasive article refers broadly to any abrasive consumable, including, but not limited to, sanding discs, polishing discs, polishing pads, wiping articles, buffing articles, and other suitable articles.

Claims

1. A robotic system for surface repair, A powered robot arm having an arm movement mechanism, A tool coupled to the arm operating mechanism, wherein the tool is configured to be detachably coupled to an article configured to contact the surface, A first actuator that operates the arm movement mechanism to move the tool to the pickup position relative to the article, A robotic system comprising a second actuator that causes shear motion between the article and the tool during an article mounting step, wherein the coupling between the article and the tool includes a hook-and-loop system.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the shear motion is the movement of the powered robot arm or a component of the powered robot arm.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the shear motion is the movement of the article storage component.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the actuator is separated from the powered robot arm.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the actuator is associated with an article storage component.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the movement includes arcs, partial rotations, and linear movements.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the movement includes vibrational motion, oscillating motion, or a combination of vibrational motion and oscillating motion.

8. A method for replacing abrasive articles, Remove the first item from the robot tool. The robot tool is brought into contact with a second article, and the robot tool is coupled to the second article using a hook-and-loop system, the contact including contact between a hook component and a loop component. A method for initially attaching the abrasive article to the robot tool, wherein the robot tool or the article is moved to strengthen the connection between the hook component and the loop component.

9. The movement includes motion within the XY plane. The method according to claim 8, wherein the movement includes any of the following: an arc, a partial rotation, a linear movement, a random orbital movement, or a combination thereof.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the motion includes vibration, oscillating motion, or a combination of vibration and oscillating motion.

Images