Suction hand and industrial robot provided with the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11420340-B2
Application number	US-202016943340-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 30, 2020
Priority date	Jul 30, 2019
Publication date	Aug 23, 2022
Grant date	Aug 23, 2022

Abstract

A robot suction hand mountable on an industrial robot and configured to hold a workpiece by suction using a suction unit. The robot suction hand includes: a vacuum pump incorporated in the robot suction hand. The vacuum pump has a housing in which an intake port and an exhaust port are formed, and configured to intermittently take in air from the intake port and intermittently discharge air from the exhaust port. The robot suction hand includes a suction path that communicates with the suction unit and the intake port and a first member made of a porous material. The first member covers the exhaust port.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A suction hand mountable to an industrial robot and configured to hold a workpiece by suction using a suction unit of the industrial robot, the suction hand comprising:
a vacuum pump incorporated in the suction hand, the vacuum pump having a housing in which an intake port and an exhaust port are formed, and the vacuum pump being configured to take in air from the intake port and discharge air from the exhaust port;
a suction path that communicates with the suction unit and the intake port;
a first member made of a porous material, the first member covering the exhaust port; and
a second member made of a porous material, the second member covering the intake port.

2. The suction hand according to claim 1 , wherein the first member is made of a sintered material of a stainless steel, the sintered material being porous.

3. The suction hand according to claim 2 , wherein the exhaust port is formed in an inverted taper shape with a diameter expanding from an inside to an outside of the housing.

4. The suction hand according to claim 2 , wherein the housing has a predetermined surface through which the exhaust port is formed, the first member being attached to the predetermined surface such that the first member covers the exhaust port.

5. The suction hand according to claim 2 , wherein the suction path has a straight shape, and
the suction path, the intake port, and the exhaust port are arranged on a same straight line.

6. The suction hand according to claim 2 , wherein the vacuum pump is a Roots pump.

7. The suction hand according to claim 2 , wherein the first member has internal pores and the second member has internal pores, the internal pores of the first member being smaller in size than the internal pores of the second member.

8. The suction hand according to claim 1 , wherein the second member is made of a sintered material of a stainless steel, the sintered material of the second member being porous.

9. The suction hand according to claim 1 , wherein the exhaust port is formed in an inverted taper shape with a diameter expanding from an inside to an outside of the housing.

10. The suction hand according to claim 1 , wherein the housing has a predetermined surface through which the exhaust port is formed, the first member being attached to the predetermined surface such that the first member covers the exhaust port.

11. The suction hand according to claim 1 , wherein the suction path has a straight shape, and
the suction path, the intake port, and the exhaust port are arranged on a same straight line.

12. The suction hand according to claim 1 , wherein the vacuum pump is a Roots pump.

13. The suction hand according to claim 1 , wherein the first member has internal pores and the second member has internal pores, the internal pores of the first member being smaller in size than the internal pores of the second member.

14. An industrial robot comprising a suction hand, the suction hand including:
a suction unit configured to hold a workpiece by suction;
a housing in which an intake port and an exhaust port are formed; and
a vacuum pump incorporated in the housing and configured to take in air from the intake port and discharge air from the exhaust port,
wherein
the suction unit communicates with the intake port via a suction path,
the exhaust port is covered with a first member made of a porous material, and
the intake port is covered with a second member made of a porous material.

Assignees

• Denso Wave Inc

Inventors

• Yamanaka Masaki
• Saito Takayuki

Classifications

• F04C29/063

  Sound absorbing materials · CPC title

• F04C25/02

  for producing high vacuum (sealing arrangements F04C27/00; silencing F04C29/06) · CPC title

• F04C18/126

  with radially from the rotor body extending elements, not necessarily co-operating with corresponding recesses in the other rotor, e.g. lobes, Roots type · CPC title

• B25J15/0616 Primary

  with vacuum · CPC title

• B25J9/0009

  Constructional details, e.g. manipulator supports, bases · CPC title