Patent Publication Number: US-2012039697-A1

Title: Robotic arm

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is related to co-pending U.S. patent applications (Attorney Docket No. US34531 and US 34532), entitled “ROBOTIC ARM”, by Jin et al. These application have the same assignee as the present application and have been concurrently filed herewith. The above-identified applications are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     This disclosure relates to robotic arms, particularly to robotic arms for robotic arm handling freshly molded items. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Molding machines typically use robotic arms to handle molded items. However, typical robotic arms have a complicated mechanism and are difficult to adjust. 
     Therefore, there is a room for improved in the art. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Many aspects of the embodiments can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the exemplary robotic arm. Moreover, in the drawings like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like elements of an embodiment. 
         FIG. 1  is an assembled view of an exemplary embodiment of a robotic arm. 
         FIG. 2  is another assembled view of the robotic arm shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded view of the robotic arm shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is another exploded view of the robotic arm shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-2 , an exemplary robotic arm  100  used in a molding machine (not shown) is disclosed. The robotic arm  100  can insert into the molding machine for holding and removing molded items (not shown) in the molding machine. 
     The robotic arm  100  includes a mount  10 , a lifting device  20 , a horizontal driving device  30 , a rotating assembly  50 , a connecting board  60  and a suction cup assembly  80 . The lifting device  20  is mounted between the mount  10  and the horizontal driving device  30 . The lifting device  20  is for the horizontal driving device  30  to raise and lower mechanically relative to the mount  10  in a first (e.g., vertical) direction A shown in  FIG. 1 . The horizontal driving device  30  is mounted between the mount  10  and the connecting board  60  to move the connecting board  60  relative to the mount  10  in a second (horizontal) direction B shown in  FIG. 1  perpendicular to the first direction A. The rotating assembly  50  is mounted to the horizontal driving device  30 , e.g., by the connecting board  60  so the rotating assembly  50  can move together with the connecting board  60  relative to the mount  10  in the second direction B. In other words, the rotating assembly  50  is mounted to the mount  10  by the horizontal driving device  30  and the connecting board  60 . The suction cup assembly  80  is mounted to the rotating assembly  50  so the suction cup assembly  80  can rotate relative to the mount  10  by the rotating assembly  50  in a third direction C. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , the lifting device  20  includes a set of guiding grooves  112  and a set of pins  312  movably engaging the guiding grooves  112 . In this exemplary embodiment, the guiding grooves  112  are defined in the mount  10  and the pins  312  are positioned on the horizontal driving device  30 . When the horizontal driving device  30  moves relative to the mount  10  in the first direction A, the pins  312  move in the guiding grooves  112 . It is understood that the guiding grooves  112  may be positioned on either the mount  10  or the horizontal driving device  30 , and the pins  312  may be positioned on the other one of the mount  10  and the horizontal driving device  30  opposite the guiding grooves  112 . 
     Also referring to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the horizontal driving device  30  includes a cylinder  31  and a mounting board  35  movably mounted in the cylinder  31  in the second direction B, by a number of pistons  33  that movably mounted in the cylinder  31 . The mounting board  35  retains the connecting board  60  to the horizontal driving device  30  so when the mounting board  35  moves relative to the cylinder  31 , the mounting board  35  drives the connecting board  60  to move relative to the mount  10  and the horizontal driving device  30  in the second direction B. In this exemplary embodiment, the connecting board  60  defines a retaining groove  61 , in which the mounting board  35  is retained so the connecting board  60  is retained to the mounting board  35 . 
     The rotating assembly  50  is coupled between the connecting board  60  and the suction cup assembly  80  to rotate the suction cup assembly  80  relative to the connecting board  60 , the horizontal driving device  30  and the mount  10 . In this exemplary embodiment, the rotating assembly  50  includes a retaining element  53 , a rotating element  51  rotatably engaging the retaining element  53 , and a shaft  55 . In this exemplary embodiment, the retaining element  53  is positioned on the connecting board  60  and the shaft  55  is mounted to the suction cup assembly  80 . The shaft  55  is affixed to the rotating element  51  and rotatably engages with the retaining element  53  so the rotating element  51  can rotate around the shaft  55  relative to the retaining element  53 . As the shaft  55  is mounted to the suction cup assembly  80 , the suction cup assembly  80  can rotate together with the shaft  55  relative to the retaining element  53 . In this exemplary embodiment, the shaft  55  is protruding from the rotating element  51  and extends into a shaft hole  533  defined in the retaining element  53 , and the shaft  55  is slightly smaller than the shaft hole  533  so the shaft  55  can rotate in the shaft hole  533 . 
     The suction cup assembly  80  includes a main body  81  and one or more suction cups  83  mounted to the main body  81 . The main body  81  is mounted to the rotating element  51  by a connecting rod  85  which is mounted to the shaft  55 . The suction cups  83  are for adhering or drawing the molded items to the robotic arm  100 . In this exemplary embodiment, one end of the connecting rod  85  is mounted the main body  81 , another end of the connecting rod  85  is mounted to the shaft  55 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , in use, the horizontal driving device  30  moves relative to the mount  10  by the lifting device  20 , to adjust the distance between the suction cup assembly  80  and the molding machine in the first direction A. To adjust the distance between the suction cup assembly  80  and the molding machine in the second direction B, the cylinder  31  is started to drive the mounting board  35  to move relative to the cylinder  31  until the suction cup assembly  80  moves to a predetermined position. Additionally, the rotating element  51  can rotate relative to the retaining element  53  to adjust the angle between the suction cup assembly  80  and the molded item thereby making the suction cup assembly  80  aligned with the molded items. 
     It is to be further understood that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the exemplary embodiments have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of structures and functions of various embodiments, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the exemplary invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.