Configurable Gripping Device for Automated Product Rearrangement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing devices for simultaneously gripping and moving products, such as containers, lack flexibility and efficiency in adapting to different configurations and production formats, leading to increased complexity, mass, and manual intervention errors, which results in reduced production rates and increased costs.
Innovation Solution
A device with configurable actuators allowing independent stroke control for gripping means, mounted on a frame that can move transversely and longitudinally, enabling precise and automated rearrangement of products between pick-up and deposit zones, reducing the need for manual adjustments and mechanical stresses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If removable stops are used to limit actuator travel, then device complexity is reduced, but manual intervention is required for repositioning during production changes, reducing productivity and increasing error risk
Solution Approach 1:
The actuator system performs self-adjustment through automated control. The programmable logic controller automatically repositions gripping means between different production configurations without requiring manual intervention, enabling the system to serve itself during production changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes operational parameters (position coordinates, travel distances) through programmable control. By storing multiple configuration sets in memory and switching between them electronically, the system adapts to different production formats without physical reconfiguration of mechanical components.
2Ease of operation
If actuators are moved against stops to limit travel, then positioning is simplified, but mechanical stress and noise increase, reducing reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical stop-based positioning system with an electronic control system. Position limits are defined through software coordinates rather than physical stops, eliminating impact forces and mechanical stress while maintaining precise positioning control through digital boundary enforcement.
Solution Approach 2:
A programmable logic controller acts as an intermediary between the actuator and the physical workspace. It mediates the positioning process by calculating optimal paths, enforcing virtual boundaries, and coordinating movement to avoid mechanical stress while achieving accurate positioning without physical stops.
3Strength
If the gripping head is made heavy to withstand mechanical stresses, then strength is improved, but the device becomes more complex and requires more energy, reducing ease of manufacture
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces heavy mechanical reinforcement with electronic control. Instead of designing the gripping head to withstand high impact forces from stop-based actuation, the system uses programmable control to eliminate impact forces entirely, allowing for lighter, more manufacturable structures while maintaining equivalent or superior performance.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a device (1) for the simultaneous gripping and movement of products, comprising a chassis (2) supporting a plurality of individual gripping means (4) arranged in a matrix in longitudinal columns and transverse rows, movable transversely and/or longitudinally with respect to said chassis (2), in approach or separation; a plurality of actuators of which a first actuator (70) controlling the longitudinal displacements of one or more rows, while a second actuator (71) controls the transverse displacements of one or more columns of the gripping means (4); each of said first actuators (70) includes a parameterizable stroke independent of the other first actuators (70); and each of said second actuators (71) includes a parameterizable stroke independent of the other second actuators (71).The invention also relates to a method for implementing such a gripping device (1).