Compliant Inner Lip Vacuum Gripper for Dual-Surface Handling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional vacuum grippers are limited in handling both soft flexible and hard rigid surfaces, requiring separate designs for each type, which leads to inefficiencies and increased wear in material handling environments where diverse packages need to be processed quickly.
Innovation Solution
A vacuum gripper with a compliant inner lip and a less compliant outer lip, allowing the gripper to adapt to both soft and rigid surfaces by using materials like silicone or engineering grade rubber, and being detachably attached to a robotic manipulator for versatile operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a vacuum gripper is designed for hard rigid surfaces, then it can effectively grasp rigid packages, but it cannot effectively grasp soft flexible packages
Solution Approach 1:
The vacuum gripper is divided into two distinct lip components: a rigid outer lip for grasping hard surfaces and a compliant inner lip for grasping soft flexible surfaces. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function while working together as a unified gripper system.
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the gripper have different material properties: the outer lip is made of rigid material suitable for hard surfaces, while the inner lip is made of compliant material suitable for soft surfaces. This local differentiation of material properties enables the gripper to adapt to different package types without compromising grasp stability.
2Reliability
If separate vacuum gripper designs are used for soft and hard packages, then each gripper can be optimized for its specific type, but the device complexity and frequency of manipulator changes increase
Solution Approach 1:
The rigid outer lip and compliant inner lip are combined into a single vacuum gripper assembly, merging the functions of two separate grippers into one unified device. This eliminates the need for multiple gripper types and reduces manipulator change frequency while maintaining optimized performance for both soft and hard packages.
Solution Approach 2:
The vacuum gripper is designed with multi-functionality to handle both soft flexible packages and hard rigid packages using a single device. The dual-lip configuration enables the gripper to universally accommodate different package types without requiring separate specialized grippers.
3Adaptability or versatility
If frequent robotic manipulator changes occur to handle different package types, then the system can adapt to various surfaces, but productivity and efficiency decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The vacuum gripper with its dual-lip design serves as a universal gripping device that can handle both soft and hard packages without requiring manipulator changes, thereby maintaining high productivity while providing adaptability to diverse package types.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables efficient handling of various package types with a single gripper, reducing the need for frequent robotic manipulator changes and minimizing wear, while maintaining grasp during medium to high-speed transport.
Implementation Method 1
vacuum gripper can grasp soft, flexible packages such as poly bags which can blossom using the inner lip
Data Source
AI summary
Various embodiments disclosed herein provide for a lip assembly for a vacuum gripper or suction device that is designed to work well with both soft flexible packages and articles with rigid surfaces. The lip assembly can have a compliant or flexible inner lip that soft packages can blossom over when suction is applied, while the outer lip of the lip assembly is also suited to working with hard, rigid packages. The vacuum gripper can be mounted on an end of arm tool of a robotic arm and can therefore be configured to work with a wide variety of packages and package types. The small footprint achieved by having a single vacuum gripper that is able to work with both types of packages enables a better opportunity to pick individual packages at one time and maintain a grasp on the package during medium to high-speed transport.