Vacuum Hose Routing Couplings for Robotic Arm Flexibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Robotic pick-and-place systems with large diameter hoses face challenges in flexibility, space usage, and weight due to increased friction and stress from high air flow requirements, leading to hose failure from cyclic bending and torsional stresses, which limits mobility and freedom of movement in large workspaces.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of pass-through couplings and rotational couplings that allow the vacuum hose to move freely and pivot, reducing bending and torsional stress, and dynamically determining optimal routes to minimize hose stress and extend hose life by avoiding restricted areas that cause excessive bending and binding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If larger diameter hoses are used to reduce friction and accommodate high air flow, then air flow capability is improved, but flexibility and mobility deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The hose is divided into multiple sections with different diameters. The larger diameter section is positioned where high air flow is needed (away from the robot), while the smaller diameter section is positioned where flexibility is needed (near the robot end-effector). This segmentation allows the system to accommodate high air flow requirements without compromising the flexibility needed for robot mobility.
2Loss of energy
If larger diameter hoses are used to reduce friction, then energy loss is reduced, but weight and space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The hose system is segmented into different diameter sections. The larger diameter portion is used only where necessary to minimize friction losses in the stationary or less mobile sections, while the smaller diameter sections are used near the robot to minimize weight. This allows the system to reduce energy loss without proportionally increasing the weight of the moving components.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the hose is routed to follow robot contours, then adaptability is improved, but cyclic bending stress increases
Solution Approach 1:
The hose is segmented into sections that can independently accommodate robot motion. The larger diameter section provides structural stability and can handle the bulk of the motion without excessive bending, while the smaller diameter section near the end-effector provides the necessary flexibility. This segmentation reduces cyclic bending stress on any single section while maintaining adaptability to robot contours.
Solution Approach 2:
The hose routing system is designed to dynamically adapt to robot motion through its segmented structure. The different diameter sections allow the hose to flex and move with the robot in a controlled manner, distributing the mechanical stress across multiple sections rather than concentrating it in one location, thereby improving reliability during cyclic operation.
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 solution minimizes hose stress and extends its lifespan by allowing flexible movement and reducing potential energy storage, thereby maintaining system performance and mobility within large workspaces.
Implementation Method 1
Many common vacuum systems generate a vacuum at the end effector using a Venturi pump, which involves providing high pressure (typically 80 psi) air blown over an aperture to generate a vacuum at the aperture
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 2C~2D
AI summary
A programmable motion robotic system is disclosed that includes a plurality of arm sections that are joined one to another at a plurality of joints to form an articulated arm, and a hose coupling an end effector of the programmable motion robotic system to a vacuum source. The hose is attached to at least one arm section of the articulated arm by a pass-through coupling that permits the hose to pass freely through the coupling as the plurality of arm sections are moved about the plurality of joints.