Soft robotic grippers for cluttered grasping environments, high acceleration movements, food manipulation, and automated storage and retrieval systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10179411-B2
Application number	US-201715411212-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 20, 2017
Priority date	Jan 20, 2016
Publication date	Jan 15, 2019
Grant date	Jan 15, 2019

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments relate to soft robotic gripper systems suited to grasping target objects in cluttered environments. Some embodiments provide extension rods, hinges, and/or rails that allow a soft robotic actuator to be extended towards or away from a robotic base and/or other actuators. Accordingly, a gripper including the actuator may be reconfigured into a size and/or shape that allows for improved access to the cluttered environment. Further embodiments relate to soft robotic gripper systems for supporting grasped objects during high acceleration movements using vacuum, gripper, and/or bellows devices. Still further embodiments relate to specialized grippers for manipulating food items.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A soft robotic system comprising:
an arm distal end;
a gripper comprising two or more soft robotic actuators, wherein each soft robotic actuator is inflatable with an inflation fluid and operative to exert a force in a radial direction along an inner circumferential edge of the actuator;
an extension rod comprising a gripper end affixed to the gripper and a second end affixed to the arm distal end, the extension rod having a width that is less than a width of the arm distal end;
a non-manual pneumatic, mechanical, or hydraulic adjustment device configured to adjust a distance between the gripper and the arm distal end by extending or retracting the extension rod; and
a controller programmed with logic stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium, the logic comprising instructions for:
approaching a container with gripper oriented at a first angle with respect to a bottom of the container, the container comprising one or more walls;
at least partially disposing the gripper within the walls of the container;
after the gripper is at least partially disposed within the walls of the container, reorienting the gripper to a second angle less steep as compared to the first angle; and

grasping a target object within the container with the gripper oriented at the second angle.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the arm distal end comprises an opening for receiving the extension rod and the adjustment device.

3. The soft robotic system of claim 1 , wherein the extension rod is a telescopic rod.

4. The soft robotic system of claim 1 , wherein each soft robotic actuator exerts the force when inflated with the inflation fluid.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the extension rod is configured to adjust a distance between the gripper and the arm distal end to a predetermined distance.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the extension rod is configured to adjust a distance between the gripper and the arm distal end to a variable distance.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system comprises a plurality of extension rods.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first angle is substantially 90 degrees.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein, given a geometry of the robotic system and the container, the gripper would collide with the one or more walls of the container if initially deployed at the second angle.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions further comprise instructions for extending the extension rod before reorienting the gripper to the second angle.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions further comprise instructions for extending the extension rod while reorienting the gripper to the second angle.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions further comprise instructions for extending the extension rod after reorienting the gripper to the second angle.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions are configured to cause the robotic system to grasp the target object for a particular side.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions are configured to cause the robotic system to grasp the target object at a particular angle.

15. The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions are configured to cause the robotic system to avoid collision with a neighboring object disposed proximal to the target object.

16. The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions are configured to cause the robotic system to grasp the target object at one or more target grasping points.

Assignees

• Soft Robotics Inc

Inventors

• Lessing Joshua Aaron
• Knopf Ryan
• Alcedo Kevin
• Harburg Daniel Vincent
• Singh Sarv Parteek

Classifications

• B25J15/12

  with flexible finger members · CPC title

• B25J15/0014

  having fork, comb or plate shaped means for engaging the lower surface on a object to be transported · CPC title

• Y10S901/37

  Fluid motor · CPC title

• B25J9/142

  comprising inflatable bodies · CPC title

• Y10S901/40

  Vacuum or mangetic · CPC title