Pick-and-place head with mixed vacuum supply
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pick-and-place robots with multiple vacuum nozzles require complex configurations and additional hardware to handle varying numbers of work-pieces, leading to increased mass and cost, as well as complexity in reconfiguring the head to change the number of nozzles, which is undesirable for high-throughput manufacturing.
Innovation Solution
A pick-and-place head with a combination of individual and shared vacuum supplies for nozzles, where at least one nozzle has an independent vacuum supply and multiple nozzles share a vacuum supply, allowing for simpler reconfiguration and efficient handling of work-pieces without affecting other nozzles in case of vacuum failure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If each nozzle has an individual vacuum supply and sensor to ensure reliable component pickup, then the reliability of component handling is improved, but the device complexity and mass increase
Solution Approach 1:
The pick-and-place head is divided into multiple independent nozzle units, each with its own vacuum supply and sensor. This segmentation allows each nozzle to operate independently, ensuring that vacuum failure at one nozzle does not affect others, while maintaining modular complexity that can be scaled according to needs.
Solution Approach 2:
Each nozzle is equipped with locally optimized vacuum supply and sensing capabilities tailored to its specific positioning and component pickup requirements. This local quality ensures that each nozzle can reliably handle components at its specific location without requiring uniform complex configurations across the entire head.
2Productivity
If multiple vacuum supplies and sensors are added to increase the number of grippers for high throughput, then the productivity is improved, but the mass of the pick-and-place head increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pick-and-place head is designed with dynamic scalability, allowing the number of active nozzles and their corresponding vacuum supplies to be adjusted based on productivity requirements. This enables optimization of the mass-throughput tradeoff by activating only the necessary number of nozzle assemblies for each manufacturing task.
Solution Approach 2:
Each nozzle assembly is designed as a universal module that can be activated or deactivated based on productivity needs. The same modular unit serves both component pickup and placement functions across different positions, reducing the need for additional specialized hardware that would increase mass.
3Productivity
If the number of nozzles is increased to handle more components in parallel, then the productivity is improved, but the reconfiguration complexity increases when upgrading existing heads
Solution Approach 1:
The nozzle system is segmented into independent modular units that can be added or removed without affecting other nozzles. This segmentation simplifies reconfiguration during upgrades, as each nozzle module can be independently installed or replaced without requiring complex modifications to the entire head structure or vacuum supply system.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple nozzle modules share common mounting structures and control systems, allowing them to be combined into a unified pick-and-place head. This merging approach enables scalable upgrades where additional nozzles can be integrated into existing frameworks without requiring complete redesign of the head architecture.
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
This configuration simplifies the reconfiguration of the pick-and-place head to change the number of nozzles handled, ensures efficient and reliable handling of all work-pieces, and reduces the complexity and cost associated with additional hardware, while maintaining high throughput.
Implementation Method 1
a pick-and-place head for picking work-pieces from one location and placing them at a different location, as well as to a corresponding method. More specifically the present invention relates to a pick-and-place head and corresponding method wherein the picking of work-pieces is by action of a vacuum
Data Source
AI summary
A pick-and-place head for picking a plurality of work-pieces from at least one first location and for placing the plurality of work-pieces at least one second location is disclosed. The pick-and-place head exhibits a plurality of nozzles, wherein each nozzle is configured to engage one of the work-pieces by action of a vacuum. At least one nozzle has an individual vacuum supply and at least two further nozzles have a shared vacuum supply. A corresponding method is also disclosed, the method including the steps of approaching at least one of the plurality of work-pieces with a respective nozzle and then starting generation of a vacuum at each respective nozzle. The generation of vacuum in at least one nozzle is achieved by an individual vacuum supply, and generation of vacuum in at least two further nozzles is achieved by a shared vacuum supply of the at least two further nozzles.