Patent ID: 6507767
Filing Date: 2003-01-14
Classification: B21D,G05B,Y02P

Abstract:
In a computer having at least one processor and a memory, a device that selects a gripper that holds a workpiece to be utilized by a bending apparatus that bends unfinished workpieces formed of sheets of malleable material, the device comprising:a reader; a former; a chooser; a predictor; a determiner; and an adjuster; wherein said reader reads information describing geometry of a library of grippers to be chosen from, said former forms a set of available grippers excluding grippers that have certain undesired geometric features, said chooser chooses a gripper from the set of available grippers as a function of width of the gripper, length of the gripper, and knuckle height of the gripper, said predictor is adapted to predict, for each gripper within the set of available grippers, a repo number equal to an estimated number of times the bending apparatus will need to change the position at which the gripper holds the workpiece in order to perform a complete sequence of bending operations on the workpiece, said determiner is adapted to determine the smallest predicted repo number, and said adjuster is adapted to adjust the set of available grippers to include the available grippers having a repo number equal to the smallest predicted repo number, before choosing a gripper as a function of the width, length and knuckle height of the gripper.