Vacuum cup apparatus

Abstract: A vacuum cup apparatus comprises a flexible, frusto-conical member (16) with a front side (22) engagable with a workpiece and a back side (24) connectable to a manipulator via a rigid coupling member (18). A passageway (62) is provided between the front side (22) and the back side (24) of the flexible member (16) and is communicable with a vacuum source via apertures (64, 68) in the coupling member (18) to provide vacuum to the front side (22) of the flexible member (16). A recessed pocket (48) formed in the centre of the front side (22) of the flexible member (16) provides a lip (50) which defines an opening into the recessed pocket (48). The lip (50) is engagable with the workpiece for maintaining atmospheric pressure within the recessed pocket (48) when the vacuum cup apparatus is engaged with the workpiece. The establishment of atmospheric pressure within the recessed pocket (48) reduces or eliminates any tin cupping of the workpiece.

Description: The present invention relates to a vacuum cup apparatus utilised to lift and manipulate a workpiece, and in particular, a vacuum cup apparatus which utilises vacuum to retain and handle flat workpieces such as sheet metal pieces and the like. Various designs of vacuum cups have been utilised to retain and secure a workpiece by applying negative air pressure or vacuum between the vacuum cup and the workpiece. Typically, the vacuum cup is secured to a manipulator or transfer boom which moves the vacuum cup thereby imparting motion to a vacuum cup engaged workpiece. The use of the vacuum cup allows the workpiece to be picked up and transferred while avoiding the use of any type of mechanical components directly contacting the workpiece. Such mechanical components can impose harmful forces on the workpiece thereby resulting in flawing or damaging the workpiece and surfaces thereof. In one known design described in French patent application No. FR-A-2 547 289 to Atlas Copco AB, the vacuum cup has a flexible member with an outer perimeter portion for forming a seal on a workpiece and a central circular flat surface for supporting the load. The flat surface is provided with a plurality of grooves and slots. A further known design is described in Japanese patent application No. JP 08 197470 to Toyota Auto Body Co Ltd. The vacuum cup described therein is specifically adapted for picking up a workpiece with an axial through hole and comprises a flexible member with an outer conical cup portion opened towards the workpiece and an inner elastic cup portion within the outer cup portion. When the vacuum cup engages a workpiece, the outer and inner cup portions sealingly engage a surface of the workpiece to form a space in which a negative pressure can be applied. The inner cup portion is arranged to seal around the through hole. When the workpiece consists of thin sheet metal, certain vacuum cup designs may impart too much vacuum on the sheet metal workpiece thereby causing a phenomenon called "tin cupping". Tin cupping occurs when a portion of the sheet metal workpiece deforms or "bubbles up" from the force of the vacuum created by the vacuum cup Such tin cupping may create flaws or deformations in the surface of the sheet metal which are undesirable. In addition, such sheet metal workpieces may collect oils and residues on the surface of the sheet metal which are typical of the machining and industrial environments in which they are created. Such oils and residues can create a hydroplaning effect between the vacuum cup and the workpiece thereby affecting the retention of the workpiece by the vacuum cup. Thus, it is desirable to produce a vacuum cup apparatus that avoids the tin cupping phenomena associated with most sheet metal workpieces. In addition, it is also desirable to create a vacuum cup apparatus that displaces any oils or residues which may be found on the sheet metal workpiece and that may affect the retention of the sheet metal workpiece by the vacuum cup apparatus. The present invention provides a vacuum cup apparatus comprising: a flexible member having a front side engageable with a workpiece and a back side connectable to a manipulator; a passageway extending from the front side to the back side of the flexible member and communicable with a vacuum source to provide vacuum to the front side of the flexible member; and a pocket formed in the front side of the flexible member and having a lip defining an opening into the pocket, the lip being engageable with the workpiece for maintaining atmospheric pressure within the pocket when engaged with the workpiece; characterised in that the front side of the flexible member further comprises a substantially flat surface extending over a majority of said front side, said flat surface having a plurality of grooves and slots formed therein, and in that said pocket is recessed into said front surface of said flexible member with an annular recess between the recessed pocket and the flat surface. Preferably, the front side of the flexible member comprises an outer perimeter portion extending outwardly from and integrally with the flat surface. Alternatively, the front side of the flexible member may comprise an outer peripheral portion extending downwardly from and integrally with the flat surface of the front side of the flexible member. In which case the outer perimeter portion may extend away from the back side of the flexible member. The slots may be recessed deeper in the flat surface of the flexible member than the grooves. Preferably, at least one structural rib is integrally formed on the back side of the flexible member. The vacuum cup apparatus may also have webbing extending between the recessed pocket and the flat surface of the front side of the flexible member, wherein the webbing has at least one space formed therein for defining the passageway. The webbing may comprise a plurality of segments extending radially outward between the recessed pocket and the flat surface, the segments being circumferentially spaced to create the passageway. Preferably, the recessed pocket has a longitudinal axis coaxially aligned with a longitudinal axis of the front side of the flexible member. The vacuum cup may further comprise a coupling member connected to the back side of the flexible member and connectable to the manipulator, the coupling member having a path in communication with the passageway and communicable with the vacuum source. Preferably, the coupling member is rigid and is sealably connected to the back side of the flexible member, the coupling member having a plurality of apertures in communication with a central aperture in the coupling member and in communication with the passageway, and the central aperture being connectable to the manipulator and communicable with the vacuum source. Preferably, the back side of the flexible member has a cylindrical recess with a stepped inner diameter and wherein the coupling member has an outer stepped diameter complementary to the inner stepped diameter of the cylindrical recess to form a sealed connection between the flexible member and the coupling member. The various other uses of the present invention will become more apparent by referring to the following detailed descriptions and drawings in which: Figure 1 is an exploded view showing the rigid coupling member and the back side of the flexible member of the present invention; Figure 2 is a front plan view of the flexible member of the present invention; Figure 3 is a front plan view of the rigid coupling member; Figure 4 is a cross section of the vacuum cup apparatus as viewed in the direction of arrows 4-4 in Figure 2; and Figure 5 is a front plan view showing the vacuum cup apparatus engaging a workpiece and connected to a manipulator. Figure 5 shows a vacuum cup apparatus 10 as defined by the present invention. Although the present invention may be utilised in conjunction with a variety of workpieces, the present invention is best suited with substantially flat workpieces 12, such as sheet metal. In addition, a variety of manipulators 14 may be utilised in conjunction with the vacuum cup apparatus 10, such as robotic arms and/or transfer booms. The vacuum cup apparatus 10 has a flexible member 16 that engages the workpiece 12. A rigid coupling member 18 is connected to the flexible member 16 of the vacuum cup apparatus 10 and the manipulator 14. A vacuum source (not shown) communicates vacuum through a path 20 in the manipulator 14 to the vacuum cup apparatus 10. To ensure that engagement of the workpiece 12 by the vacuum cup apparatus 10 does not damage the workpiece 12, the flexible member 16 of the vacuum cup apparatus 10 is fabricated from a flexible sealable material such as rubber. As seen in Figures 1-2 and 4, the flexible member 16 provides a front side 22 for engaging the workpiece 12 and a back side 24 for supporting the rigid coupling member 18. Overall, the flexible member 16 has a frusto-conical shape with the front side 22 being substantially and relatively flat while the back side 24 rises gradually from the outer periphery of the flexible member 16 toward the centre portion of the back side 24. A substantially cylindrical recess 26 is provided in the centre of the back side 24 of the flexible member 16. Six ribs 28 are integrally formed in the back side 24 of the flexible member 16 to provide additional structural support to the flexible member 16. The ribs 28 extend from the outer periphery of the back side 24 of the flexible member 16 toward the portion of the back side 24 that defines the circular recess 26. The substantially circular recess 26 on the back side 24 of the flexible member 16 is utilised to sealingly secure the rigid coupling member 18 to the flexible member 16. The circular recess 26 has a three stepped inner diameter wherein the deepest diameter 29 in the circular recess 26 is the largest diameter of the stepped inner diameter. The rigid coupling member 18 is cylindrical and fabricated from aluminum to reduce weight, but the rigid coupling member 18 may be fabricated from any rigid durable material such as steel, various metals, and durable plastics. The coupling member 18 has a stepped outer diameter that is complementary to the stepped inner diameters of the substantially circular recess 26. The bottom of the stepped outer diameter of the rigid coupling member 18 has a tapered edge 30 for ease of entry of the coupling member 18 into the substantially circular recess 26. A cap or top portion 32 of the rigid coupling member 18 extends over the top edge 33 of the back side 24 that defines the circular recess 26. A snug fit is provided between the flexible member 16 and the rigid coupling member 18 to form a seal between the flexible member 16 and the rigid coupling member 18. To engage the workpiece 12, the front side 22 of the flexible member 16 provides a substantially flat circular surface 34 with a small outer peripheral surface 36 that extends downward at a small angle relative to the substantially flat surface 34. The flat surface 34 of the front side 22 extends radially outward at a slight downward angle from the centreline of longitudinal axis 38 of the apparatus 10 toward the outer peripheral surface 36 of the vacuum cup apparatus 10. The entire front side 22, as well as the flat surface 34, are coaxially aligned with the centreline or longitudinal axis 38 of the apparatus 10. The flat surface 34 of the front side 22 has a plurality of grooves 40 and slots 42 formed therein for directing oil and residue away from direct engagement between the flat surface 34 of the flexible member 16 and the workpiece 12. The grooves 40 comprise shallow troughs in the form of substantially concentric rings and radially extending rays. The slots 42 provide deeper indentations than the grooves 40 and extend radially outward in pairs. The pairs of slots 42 are circumferentially spaced about the flat surface 34 of the front side 22 of the flexible member 16. To prevent vacuum from being applied to the centre portion of the front side 22 of the flexible member 16, a cylindrical recessed pocket 48 is formed in the centre of the front side 22 of the flexible member 16 and is coaxially aligned with the centreline axis 38 of the apparatus 10. The cylindrical portion of material defining the recessed pocket 48 has a downwardly extending lip 50 which engages the workpiece 12 and seals off the recessed pocket 48 from vacuum. A bottom side 52 of the portion defining the recessed pocket 48 has grooves 54 formed therein, similar to those provided on the flat surface 34 of the front side 22 of the flexible member 16, to direct any residue or oil away from the portions of the workpiece 12 that are engaged by the flexible member 16. The recessed pocket 48 is suspended and supported within the centre of the vacuum cup apparatus 10 by an integral webbing 56. The webbing 56 provides radially extending, circumferentially spaced segments 58 that extend between the flat surface 34 of the flexible member 16 and the sides 10 of the portion defining the recessed pocket 48. The radially extending segments 58 of the webbing 56 are recessed relative to the flat surface 34 of the front side 22 of the flexible member 16 and the bottom side 52 of the portion defining the recessed pocket 48. To provide vacuum to the front side 22 of the flexible member 16, the spaces created between the radially extending segments 58 of the webbing 56 provide a passageway 62 extending from the front side 22 to the circular recess 26 in the back side 24 of the flexible member 16. As seen in Figures 1-4, the passageway 62 is placed in communication with four apertures 64 provided in the bottom surface 66 of the rigid coupling member 18 by aligning the apertures 64 with the spaces created between the segments 58 of the webbing 56. The four apertures 64 in the rigid coupling member 18 are in communication with a central aperture 68 that is coaxially aligned with the centreline axis of the apparatus 10. The four apertures 64 and central aperture 68 of the coupling member 18 provide a path between the passageway 62 and the vacuum source. The central aperture 68 is threaded to threadingly engage the manipulator 14 or transfer boom (not shown). The manipulator 14 communicates the vacuum source to the central aperture 68 which in turn communicates vacuum to the four apertures 64 in the rigid coupling member 18. In operation, the manipulator 14 positions the vacuum cup apparatus 10 over the substantially flat workpiece 12. The outer peripheral surface 36 of the front side 22 of the flexible member 16 first engages the workpiece 12, followed by the lip 50 of the recessed pocket 48, and then by the substantially flat surface 34 of the front side 22 of the flexible member 16. Vacuum is applied by the vacuum source through the apertures 64 provided in the rigid coupling member 18 and through the passageway 62 provided in the flexible member 16. Any oils or residues between the workpiece 12 and the flat surface 34 of the front side 22 of the flexible member 16 flow into the grooves 40 and the slots 42 provided in the front side 22 of the flexible member 16 to provide strong retention and adhesion of the workpiece 12 to the front side 22 of the flexible member 16. The lip 50 of the recessed pocket 48 seals against the workpiece 12 and provides an area of atmospheric pressure within the recessed pocket 48. Thus, the centre portion of the front side 22 of the flexible member 16 is without vacuum applied to the workpiece 12 thereby avoiding any tin cupping effect of the workpiece 12. The manipulator 14 lifts and moves the workpiece 12 to a designated area, as shown in Figure 5. The vacuum source is terminated, and atmospheric pressure is allowed to enter the front side 22 of the flexible member 16. Upon atmospheric pressure being reestablished to the front side 22 of the flexible member 16, the workpiece 12 disengages from the front side 22 of the flexible member 16 of the vacuum cup apparatus 10. While the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims: A vacuum cup apparatus (10) comprising: a flexible member (16) having a front side (22) engageable with a workpiece (12) and a back side (24) connectable to a manipulator (14); a passageway (62) extending from said front side to said back side of said flexible member and communicable with a vacuum source to provide vacuum to said front side of said flexible member; and a pocket (48) formed in said front side of said flexible member and having a lip (50) defining an opening into said pocket, said lip being engageable with said workpiece for maintaining atmospheric pressure within said pocket when engaged with said workpiece; characterised in that said front side of said flexible member further comprises a substantially flat surface (34) extending over a majority of said front side, said flat surface having a plurality of grooves (40) and slots (42) formed therein, and in that said pocket is recessed into said front surface of said flexible member with an annular recess between said recessed pocket and said flat surface. The vacuum cup apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said front side of said flexible member comprises an outer perimeter portion (36) extending outwardly from and integrally with said flat surface. The vacuum cup apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said front said of said flexible member comprises an outer peripheral portion (36) extending downwardly from and integrally with said flat surface of said front side of said flexible member. The vacuum cup according to claim 3 wherein the outer perimeter portion (36) extends away from said back side of said flexible member. The vacuum cup apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said slots (42) are recessed deeper in said flat surface of said flexible member than said grooves (40). The vacuum cup apparatus according to any previous claim wherein at least one structural rib (28) is integrally formed on said back side (24) of said flexible member. The vacuum cup apparatus according to any previous claim, further comprising a webbing (56) extending between said recessed pocket (48) and said flat surface (34) of said front side of said flexible member, wherein said webbing has at least one space formed therein for defining said passageway (62). The vacuum cup apparatus according to claim 7 wherein the webbing (56) comprises a plurality of segments (58) extending radially outward between said recessed pocket (48) and said flat surface (34), said segments being circumferentially spaced to create said passageway (62). The vacuum cup apparatus according to any previous claim wherein said recessed pocket (48) has a longitudinal axis (38) coaxially aligned with a longitudinal axis (38) of said front side (22) of said flexible member. The vacuum cup apparatus according to any previous claim further comprising a coupling member (18) connected to said back side (24) of said flexible member and connectable to said manipulator (14), said coupling member having a path (20) in communication with said passageway (62) and communicable with said vacuum source. The vacuum cup apparatus according to claim 10 wherein the coupling member (18) is rigid and is sealably connected to said back side (24) of said flexible member, said coupling member having a plurality of apertures (64) in communication with a central aperture (68) in said coupling member and in communication with said passageway (62), and said central aperture being connectable to said manipulator (14) and communicable with said vacuum source. A vacuum cup apparatus according to claim 11 wherein said back side (24) of said flexible member has a cylindrical recess (26) with a stepped inner diameter (29) and wherein said coupling member (18) has an outer stepped diameter complementary to said inner stepped diameter of said cylindrical recess to form a sealed connection between said flexible member and said coupling member.

Inventors: MORRONEY WAYNE D, MORRONEY, WAYNE D.
Applicants: NORGREN AUTOMOTIVE INC, NORGREN AUTOMOTIVE INC.
Application year: 2000
Main classification: B25J15
IPC codes: B66C1, B65G47, B25J15, B25B11