Electro-hydraulical actuator for a robot arm

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9545078-B1
Application number	US-201213491042-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jun 7, 2012
Priority date	Jun 7, 2012
Publication date	Jan 17, 2017
Grant date	Jan 17, 2017

Abstract

A robotic apparatus for treatment of at least one body part of an animal including a device that treats the body part, a device that detects the body part, a robot arm including a plurality of robot arm parts and a plurality of hydraulic actuators for mutually displacing and positioning of the robot arm parts, at least two of the plurality of hydraulic actuators being independently controlled electro-hydraulic actuators, and a controller configured to control the hydraulic actuators to assist the robot arm in bringing the robot arm part having a treatment device to the body part in response to feedback from the detection device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A robotic apparatus for treatment of at least one body part of an animal,
comprising:
a treatment device that treats the body part,
a detection device that detects the body part,
a robot arm including a plurality of robot arm parts and a plurality of hydraulic actuators for mutually displacing and positioning of the robot atm parts, at least two of the plurality of hydraulic actuators being independently controlled electro-hydraulic actuators, and
a controller configured to control the hydraulic actuators to assist the robot arm in bringing the robot arm part having the treatment device to the body part in response to feedback from the detection device,
wherein the electro-hydraulic actuators each further comprise:
a hydraulic circuit with fluid and a fluid volume compensation device,
a fluid pump with a pump housing that pumps the fluid through the circuit, and
a cylinder with a cylinder housing and a piston that is movable in the cylinder housing, is connected to a piston rod and divides the cylinder housing in a first cylinder chamber and a second cylinder chamber, and

wherein the pump housing further comprises a first pump side with a first fluid opening and a second pump side with a second fluid opening, further comprising a rigid and unitary hydraulic connection between the first fluid opening and the first cylinder chamber as well as a rigid and unitary fluid connection between the second fluid opening and the second cylinder chamber.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the pump housing and the cylinder housing are integrated into a single housing, internally provided with the hydraulic circuit having no outside connection, and wherein all internal passages of the hydraulic circuit, including the fluid connections, are formed by bores in the single housing.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising at least one stand in which the animal is to be treated, wherein the robot aim is provided operatively moveable with respect to the animal in the stand.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the stand is a stationary box provided with an actuator that moves the robot arm as a whole with respect to the box, wherein the robot arm is moveable into the box, and wherein each of the actuators that move the robot arm parts and that move the robot arm as a whole is an independently controlled electro-hydraulic actuator.

5. The apparatus according to claim 3 , provided with a plurality of boxes on a rotatable platform, wherein the robot aim is moveable into each of the boxes upon rotation of the platform, and wherein each of the actuators that move the robot aim parts is an independently controlled electro-hydraulic actuator.

6. The apparatus according to claim 4 , further provided with at least one controllable gate in front of the box, to control access of the animal to the box, and provided with at least one independently controlled electro-hydraulic actuator.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the animal is a milking animal, and the body part is a teat.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein each hydraulic actuator includes a relief valve, and a relief pressure of at least one of the plurality of relief valves can be individually set.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the electrohydraulic actuators comprises a cylinder with a piston provided movable along a first line therein, the piston being connected to a piston rod that extends through the cylinder along said line and projects from the cylinder at two opposite sides of the cylinder.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the electrohydraulic actuators comprises an integrated closed-cell sponge as an accumulator.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the robot arm includes means for load balancing.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the cylinder of at least one electrohydraulic actuator includes means for locking the piston in place to neutralize displacement of hydraulical fluid.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the
piston rod is a double ended piston rod.

Assignees

• Yadin Gideon
• Tavori Alon
• Lely Patent Nv

Inventors

• Yadin Gideon
• Tavori Alon

Classifications

• A01J5/017 Primary

  Automatic attaching or detaching of clusters · CPC title

• A01J5/0175 Primary

  Attaching of clusters · CPC title

• A01K1/12

  Milking stations · CPC title

• A01K1/126

  Carousels · CPC title