Robotic tray gripper

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11731287-B2
Application number	US-202217712915-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 4, 2022
Priority date	Apr 16, 2021
Publication date	Aug 22, 2023
Grant date	Aug 22, 2023

Abstract

A robotic end effector is disclosed. The end effector is configured to grasp, move, and place one or more objects without assistance from another robot. The end effector includes a lateral member configured to be coupled to a robotic arm, a passive side member coupled substantially rigidly to the lateral member at a first distal end and configured to engage mechanically with a first recess on a first side of an object to be grasped, and an active side member coupled to the lateral member at a second distal end opposite the first distal end and configured to engage mechanically with a second recess on a second side of the object to be grasped, the second side being opposite the first side of the object to be grasped. The passive side member and the active side member each include a structure, and the structure on the passive side member and the active side member have different profiles.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An end effector, comprising:
a lateral member configured to be coupled to a robotic arm;
a passive side member coupled substantially rigidly to the lateral member at a first distal end and configured to engage mechanically with a first recess on a first side of an object to be grasped;
an active side member coupled to the lateral member at a second distal end opposite the first distal end and configured to engage mechanically with a second recess on a second side of the object to be grasped, the second side being opposite the first side of the object to be grasped;
wherein:
the passive side member comprises a passive-side structure that is configured to be inserted into the first recess on the first side of the object to be grasped;
the active side member comprises an active-side structure that is configured to be inserted into the second recess on the second side of the object to be grasped; and
a first profile of the passive-side structure is different from a second profile of the active-side structure, wherein the second profile of the active-side structure has a steeper curvature than the first profile of the passive-side structure; and

an optical sensor located at the second distal end of the lateral member that is opposite the first distal end, wherein the optical sensor is configured to signal whether the active side member is in an open position or a closed position.

2. The end effector of claim 1 , wherein the second profile of the active-side structure is longer than the first profile of the passive-side structure.

3. The end effector of claim 1 , wherein the second profile of the active-side structure is at least 30% longer than the first profile of the passive-side structure.

4. The end effector of claim 1 , wherein the active side member comprises one or more sensors that are used to detect whether the active-side structure is engaged with a hole, a recess, or a handle comprised in the object.

5. The end effector of claim 1 , wherein:
the passive side member is fixed relative to the lateral member;
the active side member is movable with respect to the lateral member;
the active side member is configured to move between the open position and the closed position via robotic control; and
the open position is between 30 and 50 degrees from a normal vector relative to the lateral member.

6. The end effector of claim 5 , wherein a processor in communication with the end effector is configured to operate the end effector in connection with an operation to pick one or more objects from a source stack, including by sending to the end effector a signal to place the active side member in the open position.

7. The end effector of claim 5 , wherein the end effector further comprises the optical sensor that is configured to obtain information pertaining to a position of the active side member.

8. The end effector of claim 7 , further comprising a mechanical limit switch that is configured to obtain information indicative of whether the active side member is in the open position or the closed position.

9. The end effector of claim 7 , wherein the optical sensor is a light sensor that is configured to obtain information indicative of whether the active side member is in the open position or the closed position.

10. The end effector of claim 9 , wherein the light sensor is further configured to obtain information indicative of an extent to which the active side member is open.

11. The end effector of claim 1 , wherein:
the passive-side structure comprises a first protrusion that is comprised in, or attached to, the passive side member; and
the active-side structure comprises a second protrusion that is comprised in, or attached to, the active side member.

12. The end effector of claim 11 , wherein the end effector is controlled to pick a tray at least in part by using position control based on image data to move at least the passive side member of the end effector into a position adjacent to a first structure and to use force control to insert into the first structure the first protrusion.

13. The end effector of claim 11 , wherein:
the first protrusion comprises a first thumb structure configured to be inserted into a first structure;
the second protrusion comprises a second thumb structure configured to be inserted into the first structure; and
a size and/or shape of the first thumb structure and the second thumb structure are different.

14. The end effector of claim 1 , wherein the active side member comprises:
a guide structure comprising a profile that guides a first object of one or more objects to be grasped to a position at which the active-side structure engages a hole, a recess, or a handle comprised in the first object.

15. The end effector of claim 1 , wherein:
the passive side member comprises a guide structure comprising a profile that guides a first object of the one or more objects to be grasped to a position at which the passive-side structure engages a hole, a recess, or a handle comprised in the first object; and
the guide structure further comprises one or more sensors configured to obtain information indicating a position of the passive side member relative to the first object.

16. The end effector of claim 15 , wherein the one or more sensors comprise:
a first sensor that obtains first information indicative of when the first object is in a position at which the end effector is controlled to engage the passive-side structure with the hole, the recess, or the handle comprised in the first object; and
a second sensor that obtains second information indicative of when the first object is in the position at which the passive-side structure is engaged with the hole, the recess, or the handle comprised in the first object.

17. The end effector of claim 1 , wherein:
the active side member is movable with respect to the lateral member;
the active side member is configured to move between the open position and the closed position via robotic control; and
the end effector comprises a stopper that prevents the active side member from moving past the closed position at which the active side member is positioned 90 degrees relative to the lateral member.

18. An autonomous tray handling robotic system comprising the end effector of claim 1 , wherein the system further comprises:
a memory configured to store data indicating a set of output stacks to be assembled, each output stack including an associated set of objects; and
a processor coupled to the memory and configured to control operation of one or more robots, each configured to grasp, move, and place one or more objects at a time, according to a plan, to iteratively pick objects from source stacks of objects and assemble the set of output stacks, including by building each output stack by successively placing on the output stack objects picked from one or more corresponding source stacks;
wherein:
each of the robots comprises the robotic arm and the end effector configured to grasp, move, and place one or more objects without assistance from another robot.

19. The end effector of claim 1 , wherein:
the passive-side structure is configured to be inserted into the first recess in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to a first surface of the first side of the object; and
the active-side structure is configured to be inserted into the second recess in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to a second surface of the second side of the object.

Assignees

• Dexterity Inc

Inventors

• Arvayo Alberto Leyva
• Nader Cyril
• Nayak Varun Uday
• Lovett Andrew
• Kumar Shitij

Classifications

• B25J15/0028 Primary

  with movable, e.g. pivoting gripping jaw surfaces · CPC title

• B25J15/024 Primary

  having fingers directly connected to actuator · CPC title

• B25J15/0033

  with gripping surfaces having special shapes · CPC title