Patent ID: 6860534

Claim:
A workpiece loading apparatus with selectively targetable suction grip control for a suction grip array comprising: (a) a multiplicity of suction grips ( 4 ), providing a divisible suction grip array ( 17 , 18 ) subdivided into mutually intersecting, individually addressable columns ( 1 ) and rows ( 2 ); (b) an individually dedicated control piston ( 5 ) for each suction grip; (c) a lock latch ( 16 ) associated with each piston ( 5 ) allowing all pistons ( 5 ) to be reset into an idle position by the release of the lock latch ( 16 ) or locked in an operating position; (d) a piston guide ( 6 ) in which said piston ( 5 ) is slidable between the idle and operating positions; and (e) control means connected to said guides for effecting movement of said latch and of said piston, whereby (i) the control piston ( 5 ) assigned to a particular column ( 1 ) and row ( 2 ) intersection ( 3 ) can be selectively held in its idle position or locked in an operating position, (ii) the idle positions in the rows ( 2 ) can be consecutively unlocked while the operating positions of the control pistons ( 5 ) can be addressed in the columns ( 1 ), and (iii) the rows ( 2 ) can be locked again, and wherein, upon the setting of all rows ( 2 ) of the suction grip array ( 17 , 18 ) the suction grips ( 4 ) being coupled to a vacuum suction line ( 9 ) and thereby activated into a pick-up mode by the control pistons ( 5 ) that are in their operating positions and they can be deactivated by a blow-off function by the control pistons ( 5 ) that are in their idle positions, each suction grip ( 4 ) being associated with a control piston ( 5 ) moving within a guide ( 6 ), all of said guides ( 6 ) being connected to a reset line ( 8 ) acting on one end of the control piston ( 5 ), to said vacuum suction line ( 9 ), and to a blow-off line ( 10 ), each control piston ( 5 ) being configured and provided with an internal conduit ( 14 ) for selectable connection to the blow-off line ( 10 ) or to the vacuum suction line ( 9 ), whereby the latch ( 16 ) engages in recesses ( 15 a , 15 b ) on the control piston ( 5 ), and wherein a control line ( 12 ) controlling the individual columns ( 1 ) is connected to the other end of the control piston ( 5 ).