Manipulator device having a triangular architecture and installation for manufacturing tires using such a manipulator device for placing strips

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12036757-B2
Application number	US-201917293386-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 15, 2019
Priority date	Nov 16, 2018
Publication date	Jul 16, 2024
Grant date	Jul 16, 2024

Abstract

The manipulator device includes a pedestal and a carrying mechanism which carries a platform and which forms an articulated triangle comprising: a first arm borne by a first carriage with a first pivot link whose axis forms a first vertex of the triangle, a second arm borne by a second carriage with a second pivot link whose axis forms a second vertex of the triangle, a seat situated at the intersection of the first arm and of the second arm, which forms a third pivot link whose axis is parallel to the first pivot axis and the second pivot axis and forms a third vertex of the triangle. A module is provided for servocontrolling the translational movements of the first carriage and the second carriage with respect to the pedestal. A yaw orientation interface comprises a fourth pivot link, by which the platform is articulated on the seat, both relative to the first arm and relative to the second arm, about a fourth pivot axis which is coaxial to the third pivot axis.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A manipulator device comprising a pedestal and a carrying mechanism which is supported by said pedestal and which carries a platform intended to receive an object to be manipulated, such as a tool, said manipulator device being wherein the carrying mechanism forms an articulated triangle which comprises:
a first arm which is borne by a first carriage guided in translation on the pedestal, and which is articulated with said first carriage on a first pivot link about a first pivot axis which forms a first vertex of articulated triangle,
a second arm which is borne by a second carriage, distinct from the first carriage and guided in translation on the pedestal, and which is articulated with said second carriage on a second pivot link about a second pivot axis, which is parallel to the first pivot axis and forms a second vertex of the articulated triangle,
a seat, which offers a support to the platform and which corresponds to an intersection of the first arm and of the second arm, an intersection at which said first and second arms are articulated with respect to one another on a third pivot link, about a third pivot axis which is parallel to the first pivot axis and to the second pivot axis and which forms a third vertex of the articulated triangle,
a servocontrol module which controls, on the one hand, a first motor, specific to the first carriage, and, on the other hand, a second motor, specific to the second carriage and distinct from the first motor, so as to be able to distinctly servocontrol the respective translational movements of the first carriage and the second carriage with respect to the pedestal, in order to be able to modify the position of the seat with respect to the pedestal,
a yaw-orientation interface which comprises a fourth pivot link, called “yaw differential pivot”, by which the platform is articulated on the seat, both relative to the first arm and relative to the second arm, by a yaw rotational movement called “yaw differential movement”, about a fourth pivot axis called “yaw differential axis” which is coaxial to the third pivot axis.

2. The manipulator device according to claim 1 , wherein the yaw orientation interface comprises a compensating system which is arranged to cooperate with the yaw differential pivot so as, on the one hand, to confer on the platform, in a reference frame attached to the pedestal, called “absolute reference frame”, a determined yaw angular orientation about the yaw differential axis coaxial to the third pivot axis, called “absolute yaw reference orientation”, and, on the other hand, to be able to automatically keep the platform in this absolute yaw reference orientation with respect to the pedestal, in said absolute reference frame attached to the pedestal, during displacements of the first carriage and/or of the second carriage which modify the distance, called “base center distance”, which separates the first pivot axis from the second pivot axis.

3. The manipulator device according to claim 2 , wherein the servocontrol module takes for reference, to define an origin from which said servocontrol module controls the yaw orientation motor and quantifies the yaw differential movements generated by the activation of said yaw orientation motor, the configuration that said yaw orientation motor has when the platform is oriented in accordance with the absolute yaw reference orientation.

4. The manipulator device according to claim 1 , wherein the yaw orientation interface comprises a yaw orientation motor, which is controlled by the servocontrol module and which is arranged so as to, when said yaw orientation motor is activated, drive the platform by the yaw differential movement, about the yaw differential axis, with respect to the first and second arms.

5. The manipulator device according to claim 1 , wherein the yaw orientation interface comprises, on the one hand, a toothed, circular crown ring portion, which is centered on the third pivot axis and which links the first arm to the second arm by being fixed in an invariant position on the first arm and slidingly guided on the second arm at a fixed radial distance from the third pivot axis, so as to be able to accommodate the angular separation or angular convergence displacement of the first and second arms induced by the displacements of the first carriage and/or of the second carriage, and, on the other hand, a pinion, which meshes on said toothed crown ring portion, and which is coupled to a yaw orientation motor, which is itself embedded on the platform, such that it is possible to selectively control the yaw orientation interface by choosing from among a plurality of distinct operating regimes comprising:
a first operating regime, called “simple compensation regime”, in which the yaw orientation motor is activated to an extent that is just necessary and sufficient for the rolling meshing of the pinion on the toothed crown ring portion to ensure that the absolute yaw orientation of said platform with respect to the pedestal is maintained, by thus producing a compensation of the movements of the first and second arms which are induced by the displacement of one and/or the other of the first and second carriages;
a second operating regime, called “active reorientation regime”, in which the yaw orientation motor is activated so as to drive the pinion to an extent such that the rolling meshing of the pinion on the toothed crown ring portion provokes an active modification of the absolute yaw orientation of the platform with respect to the pedestal.

6. The manipulator device according to claim 1 , wherein the servocontrol module contains at least one control law which is designed to control an acceleration of the seat, said acceleration being considered in a reference plane which is normal to the first, second and third pivot axes, and at a point called “seat center” which corresponds to the intersection of the third pivot axis with said reference plane, and in that said control law allows said acceleration of the seat to be defined from an expression of degree N with respect to time, with N being an integer equal to or greater than 1, and preferably at least of the second degree with respect to time, even of the third degree with respect to time or of a degree greater than three.

7. The manipulator device according to claim 1 , wherein the first carriage is guided in rectilinear translation with respect to the pedestal on a first guiding axis which is at right angles to the first pivot axis, and in that the second carriage is guided in rectilinear translation with respect to the pedestal on a second guiding axis which is parallel to the first guiding axis, and preferentially which is coaxial to said first guiding axis.

8. The manipulator device according to claim 1 , wherein the first carriage and the second carriage respectively form a first coil pack of a first linear motor and a second coil pack of a second linear motor, distinct from the first linear motor, and in that the first and second coil packs of said first and second linear motors are engaged on one and the same common magnetic bar, which is fixed onto the pedestal and which embodies a guiding axis shared by the first carriage and the second carriage.

9. The manipulator device according to claim 1 , wherein the distance which separates the first pivot axis from the third pivot axis, called “first centre distance” (d 1 ), and the distance which separates the second pivot axis from this same third pivot axis, called “second center distance”, are invariant, and preferably are equal such that the articulated triangle is an isosceles triangle.

Assignees

• Michelin & Cie

Inventors

• Pialot Frederic
• Bessac Christophe
• Sevaille Alain

Classifications

• B29D30/3042

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• B29D30/28

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• B26D3/003

  specially adapted for cutting rubber · CPC title

• B26D1/285

  for thin material, e.g. for sheets, strips or the like · CPC title

• B26D1/265

  for thin material, e.g. for sheets, strips or the like · CPC title