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This is a record of a document published elsewhere, first published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, as US-5387068-A, on 7 February 1995. OpenTechnical did not first disclose it. The identifier, hashes and timestamps below record what this library served and when, not when the material became public. View the original.

OT-2026-000003319

Method and system for loading rigid sheet material into shipping containers at a work station and end effector for use therein

Published
Permanent URL
Classification
Robotics & Automation › Robot Architectures
Inventors
PEARSON THOMAS E
Assignee
FORD MOTOR CO
Original source
US-5387068-A, the United States Patent and Trademark Office, 7 February 1995
Document SHA-256
24971a14b71a5213c110efe9903df462b9680089189f09828ef2a518f566d651

A robotic end effector adapted to be mounted at the end of an arm of a program-controlled robot is capable of providing compliance within a vertical plane. A method and system utilizing the end effector pick-up flat or curved glass panels from glass racks and place the glass panels into irregularly-shaped wooden crates. Due to the compliance provided by the end effector, the system allows essentially perfect piece-to-piece vertical edge-of-glass alignment during the packaging process so as to eliminate glass etching/scratching. The end effector includes a base frame on which compliance devices in the form of linear bearing systems support a number of material handling devices in the form of suction devices. Selected ones of the compliance devices can be locked out under the control of a controller for the robot. Each suction device includes a spring-biased suction cup to also provide compliance in a direction substantially normal to the compliance provided in the vertical plane.

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Abstract

A robotic end effector adapted to be mounted at the end of an arm of a program-controlled robot is capable of providing compliance within a vertical plane. A method and system utilizing the end effector pick-up flat or curved glass panels from glass racks and place the glass panels into irregularly-shaped wooden crates. Due to the compliance provided by the end effector, the system allows essentially perfect piece-to-piece vertical edge-of-glass alignment during the packaging process so as to eliminate glass etching/scratching. The end effector includes a base frame on which compliance devices in the form of linear bearing systems support a number of material handling devices in the form of suction devices. Selected ones of the compliance devices can be locked out under the control of a controller for the robot. Each suction device includes a spring-biased suction cup to also provide compliance in a direction substantially normal to the compliance provided in the vertical plane.

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Publication information

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Citation

OpenTechnical Publication OT-2026-000003319, “Method and system for loading rigid sheet material into shipping containers at a work station and end effector for use therein,” published September 15, 2026 at 20:09:00 UTC, https://opentechnical.org/p/OT-2026-000003319.

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