Intermediate Workpiece Station for Accurate Re-Gripping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing automated handling systems for workpieces face challenges in reliably and flexibly handling unordered workpieces, particularly in accurately placing and retrieving them with defined positions and orientations, especially when workpieces are dropped with inaccuracies or varied orientations.
Innovation Solution
An intermediate station equipped with a receptacle and a compensating device that allows for workpieces to be placed and retrieved with greater accuracy, featuring a movable receptacle that accommodates workpieces with play, enabling precise positioning and orientation changes, and the use of grippers that can handle workpieces with different orientations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If workpieces are placed directly at the target location without an intermediate station, then the handling process is simpler and faster, but the positioning accuracy and orientation control are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The handling process is divided into two independent stages: rough placement at an intermediate station and precise pickup at the target location. This segmentation allows each gripper to be optimized for its specific function, with the first gripper handling varied orientations and the second gripper ensuring precise positioning, thereby resolving the contradiction between simplicity and precision.
Solution Approach 2:
An intermediate station is introduced as a mediator between the source and target locations. This intermediate receptacle serves as a buffer that accepts workpieces with various orientations and positions them for subsequent precise pickup, enabling high positioning accuracy without requiring the entire handling system to be complex.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a single gripper is used for both placement and pickup, then the device is simpler, but the ability to handle varied orientations and achieve high accuracy is limited
Solution Approach 1:
Different grippers are assigned different functional qualities based on their location in the process. The first gripper at the intermediate station is designed for versatility in handling various orientations, while the second gripper at the target location is optimized for precise pickup. This local differentiation of gripper capabilities resolves the contradiction between adaptability and device simplicity.
3Productivity
If workpieces are gripped with high accuracy directly from the source, then positioning precision is improved, but the system cannot handle randomly arranged or dropped workpieces
Solution Approach 1:
The intermediate station performs a preliminary action of accepting workpieces in various states before the final precise pickup. This preliminary reception step allows the system to handle randomly arranged or dropped workpieces reliably, while the subsequent precise pickup ensures high positioning accuracy, thus resolving the contradiction between productivity and reliability.
Data Source
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AI summary
The device has a gripper (34) for gripping a workpiece, and a controller for controlling the gripper and an intermediate station (35) for placing the workpiece. The device is designed such that the workpiece is placed on the intermediate station in a defined position and/or defined alignment and re-held with a changed alignment and/or high accuracy. The gripper is designed as a mechanical, pneumatic or magnetic gripper. The intermediate station comprises a retainer (31) in which the workpiece is placed down in the defined position and/or defined alignment. Independent claims are also included for the following: (1) a method for automated handling of workpieces (2) a computer program comprising instructions to execute a method for automated handling of workpieces.