Rotating Gripper Pickup for Entanglement-Prone Elongated Members
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing robots struggle to efficiently pick up elongated members like noodles without entanglement, leading to potential drops during movement and contamination of the workspace.
Innovation Solution
A robot with an arm member featuring a grasping unit with rotatable support and movable grasping members, which executes a series of steps including grasping, lifting, and rotating the elongated member to prevent entanglement and secure it for movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the robot uses simple tongs to grasp the elongated member, then the device complexity is reduced, but the elongated member may become entangled and fall during movement
Solution Approach 1:
The grasping unit incorporates a support portion that can rotate about a rotation axis, allowing the grasping members to dynamically adjust their orientation. This rotational capability enables the system to adapt to the elongated member's shape and prevent entanglement while maintaining reliable grasping during movement.
2Speed
If the robot moves the grasping unit directly without rotation, then the operation speed is improved, but the elongated member may fall due to entanglement
Solution Approach 1:
The robot performs a rotation action on the grasping unit before placing the elongated member on the tray. This preliminary rotation adjusts the orientation of the grasping members to match the target position, ensuring accurate placement while maintaining operational efficiency.
3Device complexity
If the grasping members are kept stationary, then the device complexity is reduced, but the elongated member becomes entangled during lifting
Solution Approach 1:
The support portion's rotational capability allows the grasping members to dynamically adjust their orientation during lifting, preventing the elongated member from becoming entangled while maintaining a relatively simple overall device structure.
Data Source
AI summary
A robot according to the present invention is configured to grasp an elongate member, and the robot includes: a robot body; at least one arm member movable with respect to the robot body; and a control unit that controls a movement of the arm member, wherein the arm member includes: a grasping unit that grasps the elongate member; and an arm body that supports the grasping unit, the arm body having a plurality of joints, the grasping unit includes: a support portion disposed at a distal end of the arm body, the support portion being rotatable about a rotation axis; and a pair of grasping members attached to the support portion, the grasping members being movable closer to and away from each other with the rotation axis interposed therebetween, and the control unit causes the robot to execute: a grasping step for inserting the grasping members into a lamination of the elongate members that have been stored, and for grasping the elongate member; a lifting step for lifting the grasping unit in a state in which the elongated member is grasped by the grasping members; and a first rotation step for rotating the grasping unit by a prescribed angle in a first direction about the rotation axis either during or after the lifting step.