Suction Cup With Rounded Pocket And Mesh For Flexible Items
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing robotic suction devices are limited in their ability to grasp items with diverse sizes, shapes, and materials, particularly struggling with flexible items like polybags that can collapse and wrinkle, and larger items that may swing or detach during picking operations.
Innovation Solution
The development of a suction apparatus with a housing portion and a rounded interior pocket, featuring a mesh portion with apertures to distribute low pressure and a convexed lip portion, allowing for a secure grasp of flexible items, and a nested configuration with a linear extension member for initial grasp and subsequent stronger hold.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a suction device is designed for a narrow range of items with similar features, then the suction device can achieve a good seal and reliable grasp, but the adaptability to grasp diverse items is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The suction device incorporates a compliant lip portion that can deform to match various item shapes and sizes, enabling a single device to achieve reliable seals with diverse items including boxes, bags, and irregular objects, thereby providing universal grasping capability across different item types
Solution Approach 2:
The lip portion is made of compliant material specifically at the sealing interface, while the rest of the suction cup maintains structural integrity. This localized compliance allows the device to adapt to different item geometries at the critical sealing area without compromising the overall suction cup strength
2Strength
If the suction device uses a rigid structure, then the device maintains structural integrity, but it cannot adapt to flexible items like polybags that collapse and wrinkle
Solution Approach 1:
The suction cup features a rigid body for structural integrity and a separate compliant lip portion for adapting to flexible items. The compliant material at the lip allows deformation to conform to wrinkled or collapsed bag surfaces while maintaining the overall suction cup structure
Solution Approach 2:
The lip portion is constructed from a compliant material that acts as a flexible sealing element, allowing it to deform and conform to the surface of flexible items like polybags, ensuring a reliable seal even when the item surface is irregular or collapsed
3Reliability
If multiple large suction cups are used for large items, then the suction device can prevent swinging and detachment, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The suction device is divided into a rigid body portion and a separate compliant lip portion that can independently deform. This segmentation allows the rigid structure to maintain stability while the compliant lip adapts to the item, reducing the need for multiple suction cups on large items
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 solution enables robust and flexible grasping of various items, including polybags, by distributing pressure evenly and maintaining a self-reinforcing seal, preventing damage and ensuring effective item retrieval in warehouse environments.
Implementation Method 1
a suction device having a housing portion, wherein the housing portion is shaped to define an opening through which a suction force can be applied to enable the first suction device to grasp an item
Implementation Method 2
a mesh portion within the rounded interior pocket, wherein the mesh portion includes a plurality of apertures to distribute a low pressure force in the rounded interior pocket
Data Source
AI summary
Suction cup devices and apparatus for performing a picking operation. The suction cup apparatus includes a first suction device including a housing portion, wherein the housing portion is shaped to define an opening through which a suction force can be applied to enable the first suction device to grasp an item, and a rounded interior pocket adjacent to the opening of the housing portion, wherein the rounded interior pocket is shaped to contact at least a portion of the item during the picking operation.