Suction End Effector for Precise Picking in Cluttered Crops
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing industrial robots struggle to accurately and precisely pick and place delicate objects in cluttered environments without causing damage, especially in agricultural settings where items are mixed, differently shaped, and tethered to surfaces, requiring improved suction gripping and maneuvering capabilities.
Innovation Solution
An end effector with a suction cup and vacuum system, combined with linear and rotational actuators, allows for precise grasping and separation of objects by creating suction, rotating the cup, and clearing obstructions, using resilient materials to prevent damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If very precise mechanical specifications and small tolerances are used to achieve high accuracy picking, then picking precision is improved, but robot weight and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical gripping systems with a suction-based gripping mechanism. The suction cup uses vacuum pressure to hold delicate objects, eliminating the need for complex mechanical fingers and actuators with tight tolerances. This substitution reduces robot weight while maintaining high picking precision for delicate items like fruits and vegetables.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a vacuum generator and suction cup system to grasp delicate objects. By using pneumatic principles to create negative pressure, the system achieves precise and gentle object handling without requiring heavy mechanical structures or complex positioning mechanisms, thereby reducing robot weight while maintaining picking accuracy.
2Force
If traditional mechanical grippers are used to pick delicate objects, then gripping force is sufficient, but objects are easily damaged during picking and moving
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical contact-based gripping with a suction-based approach. The suction cup creates a vacuum seal around the object, distributing holding force uniformly across the object surface rather than concentrating it at specific contact points. This eliminates mechanical stress concentrations that cause damage to delicate items during grasping and manipulation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of force application from positive mechanical contact force to negative vacuum pressure. This parameter change allows the gripper to hold delicate objects gently without applying compressive or shear forces that could cause damage, while still providing sufficient gripping force to prevent slippage during manipulation.
3Reliability
If robots are designed with high precision and small tolerances for delicate object manipulation, then picking success rate increases, but robot agility and mobility in field environments decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical gripping systems with a simpler suction-based mechanism. This reduction in mechanical complexity decreases robot weight and inertia, improving agility and mobility in field environments. The suction cup provides reliable object attachment without requiring the heavy, precision-mechanical structures that would compromise robot maneuverability.
Solution Approach 2:
By changing from mechanical contact forces to vacuum pressure, the system achieves reliable object holding with a simpler, lighter mechanism. This parameter change enables the robot to maintain high picking success rates while being more agile and adaptable to dynamic field conditions, as the lighter robot can move more quickly and respond faster to changing environments.
4Strength
If suction cups are made from rigid materials for structural strength, then torque transfer is efficient, but adaptation to irregular object shapes and surfaces is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a flexible suction cup made from elastomeric material that can deform and conform to irregular object surfaces. The flexible membrane maintains structural integrity through its elastic properties while adapting its shape to match the contours of delicate items like fruits and vegetables, ensuring effective vacuum sealing and secure attachment without damaging the object.
Solution Approach 2:
The suction cup employs elastomeric materials that combine flexibility with sufficient structural strength. The material properties are selected to provide both the adaptability needed to conform to irregular surfaces and the strength required to transfer torque and holding forces effectively, resolving the contradiction between rigidity and conformability.
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
Enables efficient picking of delicate items like apples from trees with minimal damage, even in cluttered conditions, by effectively transferring torque and linear force while adapting to irregular shapes and obstructions.
Implementation Method 1
a vacuum generator connected to the vacuum lumen at the proximal end of the shaft and configured to create suction therethrough
Data Source
AI summary
An end effector for a picking robot, and a method of use, the end effector comprising: a body; a shaft slidably coupled to the body and extending along a longitudinal axis between a proximal end and a distal end, the shaft having a vacuum lumen extending therethrough along the longitudinal axis; a suction cup coupled to the distal end of the shaft such that an interior volume of the suction cup is in fluid communication with the vacuum lumen; a vacuum generator connected to the vacuum lumen at the proximal end of the shaft and configured to create suction therethrough; and a linear actuator configured to slide the shaft along the longitudinal axis between an extended position in which the suction cup is relatively farther from the body and a retracted position in which the suction cup is relatively closer to the body.