Multi-chamber Suction Cup for Tactile Sensing and Seal Integrity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing suction grippers face challenges in planning contact locations for varied object geometries and maintaining suction during forceful robotic manipulation, as they rely on RGB or depth sensors that may not detect fine details like texture or porosity, and are prone to grasping failure due to inertial forces.
Innovation Solution
A multi-chamber suction cup with internal chambers connected to pressure transducers that estimate distributed flow rates, allowing for haptic exploration and localization of suction seal breaks, enabling estimation of surface properties and contact states through suction flow monitoring.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If RGB or depth sensors are used to plan contact locations, then a wide range of object geometries can be handled, but fine details like texture, rugosity, and porosity cannot be detected
Solution Approach 1:
The suction cup is divided into multiple independent chambers, each equipped with its own pressure sensor. This segmentation allows localized measurement of suction pressure in different regions, enabling detection of surface properties like texture and porosity that a single sensor cannot capture.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces optical sensing (RGB/depth cameras) with tactile sensing through pressure transducers in the suction cup chambers. This mechanical/tactile approach directly contacts the object surface, providing fine detail detection that optical sensors miss.
2Productivity
If high-speed robotic manipulation is used to improve productivity, then time efficiency increases, but inertial forces cause suction seal failure
Solution Approach 1:
Pressure sensors in each chamber provide real-time feedback on suction pressure distribution. During high-speed manipulation, this feedback allows the control system to detect pressure changes indicating seal compromise and adjust vacuum pressure or gripper position to maintain reliable grasping.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts vacuum pressure based on real-time pressure sensor data during manipulation. The multi-chamber design allows localized pressure adjustment, enabling adaptive response to inertial forces during high-speed operations.
3Ease of manufacture
If a single suction cup structure is used, then the device is simple to manufacture, but it cannot detect localized suction seal breaks or surface properties
Solution Approach 1:
The suction cup is segmented into multiple chambers with individual pressure sensors, enabling localized detection of seal breaks and surface properties while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure that can be manufactured as a single piece or assembled from simple components.
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
The multi-chamber suction cup effectively measures local contact states and surface textures, preventing suction seal failures during robotic manipulation by detecting leakage airflow and adapting vacuum pressure, enhancing the reliability of suction grasping on diverse objects.
Implementation Method 1
Each chamber connects with its own remote pressure transducer, which enables both absolute and differential pressure measures between chambers. The distribution of pressure represents the contact states whether the vacuum seal is evenly formed or any leakage airflow exists.
Implementation Method 2
Vacuum grippers are widely used to handle objects in industry. They perform astrictive grasping or, in other words, they apply attractive forces to object surfaces through suction pressure.
Data Source
AI summary
Multi-chamber suction cups, robotic gripper elements including the same and sensing methods are provided. A multi-chamber suction cup includes a single bellows suction cup structure, and at least one internal wall defining at least two internal chambers within the single bellows suction cup structure, each of the at least two internal chambers sharing a common port for connecting to a common vacuum source, and each of the at least two internal chambers including a port for connecting to separate pressure transducers. Using the novel suction cups, novel haptic exploration methods may be implemented that can estimate the surface texture of an object and the surface normal of a curved object using sliding and palpation motion, respectively. The suction cup can also be used to localize breaks in the suction seal when the suction cup is about to detach from an object.