Abstract
A suction-cup vacuum gripping tool comprising one mounting flange, six suction cups, one vacuum pump, one isolation valve, one manifold and one vent valve. When the suction cups reach the workpiece, the suction cups are evacuated by the vacuum pump. After the workpiece has reached the set-down position, the vacuum circuit is vented by the vent valve. The arrangement is a proposed configuration composed from a typed library of mechanism blocks derived from published patents; it has not been constructed.
1. Purpose and arrangement
[0001]This disclosure describes a suction-cup vacuum gripping tool: six suction cups carried on a mounting flange, fed by a vacuum pump. It is arranged for cutting part of the circuit while the rest holds vacuum and controlling the moment of release. One concrete embodiment is described; every connection is stated with the medium it carries, and the operating sequence is given as conditions on named operations.
2. Components, construction and connections
[0002]One mounting flange. The mounting flange carries the whole assembly and presents the bolt pattern that meets the robot.
[0003]Six suction cups. Each suction cup presents a sealing lip to the workpiece and is evacuated through its own connection. The count of six follows from the arrangement: one gripping element per manifold outlet. The suction cups are of the flat form.
[0004]One vacuum pump. The pump draws the circuit down mechanically and adds its own mass to the moving assembly.
[0005]One isolation valve. The isolation valve sits in the line it controls; closing it cuts that line without disturbing the rest of the circuit. Isolation is common.
[0006]One manifold. The manifold receives the vacuum at one inlet and distributes it to its outlets. The manifold has six outlets.
[0007]One vent valve. The vent valve opens the circuit it is connected to towards atmosphere, which ends the grip. The circuit is vented after set-down.
[0008]The suction cups are carried on the tool side of the mounting flange.
[0009]The manifold is fixed to the tool side of the mounting flange.
[0010]The vacuum pump is fixed to the tool side of the mounting flange.
[0011]The isolation valve is placed in the line from the vacuum pump, so that closing the valve cuts the whole circuit from the supply.
[0012]The manifold inlet is connected to the isolation valve outlet, which supplies every outlet of the manifold.
[0013]Each manifold outlet feeds one suction cup by its own vacuum line, so that the six outlets feed six suction cups.
[0014]The vent valve is connected to the circuit at the line downstream of the isolation valve and opens that circuit to atmosphere when it is actuated.
[0015]The robot side of the mounting flange is bolted to the robot flange.
[0016]The pump motor is supplied from the electrical supply of the cell.
[0017]The isolation valve and the vent valve are switched by the cell controller.
3. Operating sequence and conditions
[0018]
- When the suction cups reach the workpiece, the suction cups are evacuated by the vacuum pump.
[0019]
- After the suction cups have reached the workpiece, the isolation valve is closed by the cell controller.
[0020]
- While the isolation valve is in the closed state, the vacuum downstream of the valve is maintained by the sealed gripping face.
[0021]
- After the workpiece has reached the set-down position, the vacuum circuit is vented by the vent valve.
[0022]
- The workpiece is held until the vent valve has opened the circuit.
[0023]The cell controller commands the isolation valve, the vent valve; no sensor drives an actuator directly.
4. Parameters and operating assumptions
[0024]Parameter values of this embodiment: form of the suction cups: flat (sets the shape of the contact area and the behaviour of the lip on a curved workpiece); material of the suction cups: polyurethane (sets the friction at the lip and the tolerance of the lip to oil and heat); drive medium of the vacuum pump: electric (sets the supply the pump motor needs from the cell); control of the isolation valve: common (sets which part of the circuit the valve cuts: one branch line on its own or the whole circuit); material of the isolation valve: steel; outlets of the manifold: six (sets how many lines can be fed from one inlet); timing of the vent valve: after set-down (sets whether the workpiece is released before or after it is supported by the set-down surface).
5. Provenance and status
[0025]This document is an original combination composed from a typed library of mechanism blocks. Each block was derived from a published patent and carries typed connection points, the parameters its source states, and its own construction and operating description. The combination described here is proposed and has not been constructed. The published documents behind the blocks used in this arrangement are US-10163334-B1, US-10549431-B2, US-11427405-B1, US-2016214812-A1, US-8006968-B2, WO-2008134339-A4; their text is not reproduced, and the description above is generated from the structure of the combination.
6. Correction notice
[0026]This publication supersedes OT-2026-000005942, whose text described this arrangement with defects recorded in the quality register at https://opentechnical.org/qa/. The earlier publication is unchanged and remains public. Changes made to reach a consistent configuration: suction_cup material 'rubber' is not offered by the library; the source-stated value 'polyurethane' is used.