Soft robotic actuators for positioning, packaging, and assembling

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11286144-B2
Application number	US-202016795762-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 20, 2020
Priority date	Apr 7, 2016
Publication date	Mar 29, 2022
Grant date	Mar 29, 2022

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments relate to applications for soft robotic actuators in the manufacturing, packaging, and food preparation industries, among others. Methods and systems are disclosed for fixing target objects and/or receptacles using soft robotic actuators, for positioning target objects and/or receptacles, and/or for diverting or sorting objects. By using soft robotic actuators to perform the fixing, positioning, and/or diverting, objects of different sizes and configurations may be manipulated on the same processing line, without the need to reconfigure the line or install new hardware when a new object is received.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
sensing a target object at an input location with a sensor;
determining if the target object is of a first type or a second type; and
diverting the target object to a diversion location if the target object is of the second type, the diverting comprising:
providing the target object to a diversion location downstream of the sensor and accessible to a soft robotic actuator, the soft robotic actuator comprising an elastomeric body having a reservoir, and configured to be in a neutral state and to transition to an inflated state by supplying an inflation fluid to the reservoir, wherein the actuator curls in a circumferential direction during the transition and is positioned so that in the neutral state the soft robotic actuator is removed from a path of the target object at the diversion location and in the inflated state at least a distal tip of the soft robotic actuator curls into the path to divert the target object at the diversion location, and
transmitting a control signal to a controller associated with the soft robotic actuator, the control signal comprising a command to transition the soft robotic actuator from the neutral state to the inflated state; or

refraining from diverting the target object to the diversion location if the target object is of the first type.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first type is a normal type and second type is a defective type.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first type has a characteristic having a first value and second type has a characteristic having a second value different than the first value.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the diversion location is a receptacle.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the input location is a first conveyor belt, and the diversion location is a second conveyor belt.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the input location is a first conveyor belt, and refraining from diverting comprises allowing the target object to continue on the first conveyor belt.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the input location is a first conveyor belt, and refraining from diverting comprises allowing the target object to continue to a second conveyor belt.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein sensing the target object comprises scanning the target object with one or more of a visual spectrum camera, an x-ray imaging system, a hyper spectral camera, a 3D scanner, a spectrometer, or a barcode scanner.

9. An apparatus comprising:
a sensor configured to sense a target object at an input location; and
a hardware controller configured to:
determine if the target object is of a first type or a second type; and
divert the target object to a diversion location if the target object is of the second type, the diverting comprising:
providing the target object to a diversion location downstream of the sensor and accessible to a soft robotic actuator, the soft robotic actuator comprising an elastomeric body having a reservoir, and configured to be in a neutral state and to transition to an inflated state by supplying an inflation fluid to the reservoir, wherein the actuator curls in a circumferential direction during the transition and is positioned so that in the neutral state the soft robotic actuator is removed from a path of the target object at the diversion location and in the inflated state at least a distal tip of the soft robotic actuator curls into the path to divert the target object at the diversion location, and

transmitting a control signal to a controller associated with the soft robotic actuator, the control signal comprising a command to transition the soft robotic actuator from the neutral state to the inflated state; or
refrain from diverting the target object to the diversion location if the target object is of the first type.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the first type is a normal type and second type is a defective type.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the first type has a characteristic having a first value and second type has a characteristic having a second value different than the first value.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the diversion location is a receptacle.

13. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the input location is a first conveyor belt, and the diversion location is a second conveyor belt.

14. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the input location is a first conveyor belt, and refraining from diverting comprises allowing the target object to continue on the first conveyor belt.

15. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the input location is a first conveyor belt, and refraining from diverting comprises allowing the target object to continue to a second conveyor belt.

16. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein sensing the target object comprises scanning the target object with one or more of a visual spectrum camera, an x-ray imaging system, a hyper spectral camera, a 3D scanner, a spectrometer, or a barcode scanner.

Assignees

• Soft Robotics Inc

Inventors

• Lessing Joshua
• Harburg Daniel Vincent
• Singh Sarv Parteek
• Curhan Jeffrey

Classifications

• B25J9/0093 Primary

  co-operating with conveyor means · CPC title

• B25J9/142

  comprising inflatable bodies · CPC title

• B25J15/12

  with flexible finger members · CPC title

• B65C3/26

  Affixing labels to non-rigid containers, e.g. bottles made of polyethylene or boxes to be inflated by internal air pressure prior to labelling · CPC title

• B67C3/007 Primary

  Applications of control, warning or safety devices in filling machinery (flow-control B67C3/28) · CPC title