Description:FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates to an assembly to assist in loading and unloading components. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a robotic arm assembly for a robot to assist loading and unloading of one or more components safely.

BACKGROUND

The information in this section merely provides background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art(s) for the present disclosure.

Robotic arms are widely used in various industries, such as manufacturing, welding, assembly, and machining. The robotic arms can perform tasks that require precision, speed, and consistency, making them adept at handling heavy or hazardous components. The robotic arm may be utilized for loading and unloading an alloy wheel during a machining process. The alloy wheel machining process involves cutting, drilling, and polishing of metal alloy wheels for vehicles. The machining process requires a high level of accuracy and quality as well as a fast production rate. The existing process of manufacturing the alloy wheel utilizes the robotic arm with a pair of grippers to operate a computerized numerical control (CNC) machining centre that performs the machining tasks on the alloy wheels.
The existing robotic arm clamps the alloy wheel to perform certain machining operations and de-clamp the alloy wheel on a fixture of the CNC machining centre. The robotic arm can only align the wheel with respect to its own position and not with a position of the fixture which causes errors and inaccuracies in the placement and orientation of the alloy wheel. This further affects the quality and leads to concentricity variation between the mounted alloy wheel and the fixture.
To avoid the inaccuracy in placement and orientation of the alloy wheel, the existing robotic arm again clamps the alloy wheel to align it with respect to a centre of the fixture. The need for clamping and de-clamping the alloy wheel twice arises because the robotic arm aligns the wheel on the chuck based on a centre of the robotic arm rather than the centre of the fixture that holds the wheel. The existing robotic arm have to clamp and de-clamp the alloy wheel twice during the machining process which increases the loading and unloading time and the movement of the alloy wheel. Due to the limitation of the existing robotic arm, an efficiency and output of the robotic arm decreases which leads to a lower rate of production.
Therefore, there is a requirement for an improved robotic arm that addresses the above-mentioned challenges of the existing robotic arm.

The drawbacks/difficulties/disadvantages/limitations of the conventional techniques explained in the background section are just for exemplary purposes and the disclosure would never limit its scope only such limitations. A person skilled in the art would understand that this disclosure and below mentioned description may also solve other problems or overcome the other drawbacks/disadvantages of the conventional arts which are not explicitly captured above.

SUMMARY

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts, in a simplified format, that are further described in the detailed description of the invention. This summary is neither intended to identify key or essential inventive concepts of the invention and nor is it intended for determining the scope of the invention.

The present disclosure relates to a robotic arm assembly for maneuvering a workpiece. The robotic arm assembly includes a base, a first gripper, a second gripper, and an adjustable gripper. The base has a proximal end and a distal end. The first gripper extends orthogonally from the proximal end of the base and adapted to engage and hold the workpiece at a first periphery. The second gripper extends orthogonally from the distal end of the base and is adapted to engage and hold the workpiece at a second periphery. The adjustable gripper is from a mid-portion of the base. The adjustable gripper is adapted to hold the workpiece at a central point after disengagement of the first gripper and the second gripper to align the workpiece with respect to a workpiece mount.

The present disclosure further relates to a system for manufacturing a workpiece. The system includes an apparatus for machining the workpiece and a robotic arm assembly for maneuvering the workpiece. The apparatus has a chuck adapted to hold the workpiece. The robotic arm assembly includes a base, a first gripper, a second gripper, and an adjustable gripper. The base has a proximal end and a distal end. The first gripper extends orthogonally from the proximal end of the base and is adapted to engage and hold the workpiece at a first periphery. The second gripper extends orthogonally from the distal end of the base and is adapted to engage and hold the workpiece at a second periphery. The adjustable gripper is from a mid-portion of the base. The adjustable gripper is adapted to hold the workpiece at a central point after disengagement of the first gripper and the second gripper to align the workpiece with respect to the chuck.

The present invention discloses the robotic arm assembly with the adjustable gripper. With the help of the adjustable gripper, repeated clamping, de-clamping, and unnecessary movement of a wheel may be avoided to mount the wheel with respect to a centre of the fixture thereby increasing efficiency and preventing production delays. Further, the quality of concentricity between the centre of the fixture and the wheel also increases by using the adjustable gripper. In other words, the alignment and symmetry of the wheel with respect to the centre of the fixture have also been enhanced thereby resulting in more precise and consistent machining. Furthermore, an operating time of the robot arm assembly has also reduced, and the productivity of the manufacturing process has increased.

To further clarify the advantages and features of the present disclosure, a more particular description of the invention will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof, which is illustrated in the appended drawings. It is appreciated that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope. The invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 illustrates a perspective view of a robotic arm assembly, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 2 illustrates a side view of the robotic arm assembly, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 3 illustrates a top view of the robotic arm assembly, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 4 illustrates a front view of the robotic arm assembly, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 5 illustrates a side view of an adjustable gripper of the robotic arm assembly, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and
Figure 6 illustrates a perspective view of the adjustable gripper of robotic arm assembly, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Further, skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the drawings are illustrated for simplicity and may not have necessarily been drawn to scale. Furthermore, in terms of the construction of the device, a plurality of components of the device may have been represented in the drawings by conventional symbols, and the drawings may show only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present disclosure so as not to obscure the drawings with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having benefit of the description herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

For the purpose of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended, such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated system, and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates. Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skilled in the art to which invention belongs. The system and examples provided herein are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting.

For example, the term “some” as used herein may be understood as “none” or “one” or “more than one” or “all.” Therefore, the terms “none,” “one,” “more than one,” “more than one, but not all” or “all” would fall under the definition of “some.” It should be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that the terminology and structure employed herein is for describing, teaching, and illuminating some embodiments and their specific features and elements and therefore, should not be construed to limit, restrict, or reduce the spirit and scope of the present disclosure in any way.

For example, any terms used herein such as, “includes,” “comprises,” “has,” “consists,” and similar grammatical variants do not specify an exact limitation or restriction, and certainly do not exclude the possible addition of a plurality of features or elements, unless otherwise stated. Further, such terms must not be taken to exclude the possible removal of the plurality of the listed features and elements, unless otherwise stated, for example, by using the limiting language including, but not limited to, “must comprise” or “needs to include.”

Whether or not a certain feature or element was limited to being used only once, it may still be referred to as “plurality of features” or “plurality of elements” or “at least one feature” or “at least one element.” Furthermore, the use of the terms “plurality of” or “at least one” feature or element do not preclude there being none of that feature or element, unless otherwise specified by limiting language including, but not limited to, “there needs to be plurality of...” or “plurality of elements is required.”

Unless otherwise defined, all terms and especially any technical and/or scientific terms, used herein may be taken to have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person ordinarily skilled in the art.

Reference is made herein to some “embodiments.” It should be understood that an embodiment is an example of a possible implementation of any features and/or elements of the present disclosure. Some embodiments have been described for the purpose of explaining plurality of the potential ways in which the specific features and/or elements of the proposed disclosure fulfil the requirements of uniqueness, utility, and non-obviousness.

Use of the phrases and/or terms including, but not limited to, “a first embodiment,” “a further embodiment,” “an alternate embodiment,” “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “multiple embodiments,” “some embodiments,” “other embodiments,” “further embodiment”, “furthermore embodiment”, “additional embodiment” or other variants thereof do not necessarily refer to the same embodiments. Unless otherwise specified, plurality of particular features and/or elements described in connection with plurality of embodiments may be found in one embodiment, or may be found in more than one embodiment, or may be found in all embodiments, or may be found in no embodiments. Although plurality of features and/or elements may be described herein in the context of only a single embodiment, or in the context of more than one embodiment, or in the context of all embodiments, the features and/or elements may instead be provided separately or in any appropriate combination or not at all. Conversely, any features and/or elements described in the context of separate embodiments may alternatively be realized as existing together in the context of a single embodiment.

Any particular and all details set forth herein are used in the context of some embodiments and therefore should not necessarily be taken as limiting factors to the proposed disclosure.

Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The present invention relates to a robotic arm assembly 100, as depicted in Figures 1 to 4. Specifically, Figure 1 illustrates a perspective view of the robotic arm assembly 100, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 illustrates a side view of the robotic arm assembly 100, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 3 illustrates a top view of the robotic arm assembly 100, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 4 illustrates a front view of the robotic arm assembly 100, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The robotic arm assembly 100 may be capable of loading and unloading a workpiece 102 efficiently and with precision. The robotic arm assembly 100 may have an additional gripper apart from a pair of grippers provided to hold the workpiece. The additional gripper may be capable of holding the workpiece 102 at a centre to align and position the workpiece 102 with respect to a fixture. The term “robotic arm assembly” may be used interchangeably with “robotic arm”, for the sake of brevity. The workpiece 102 may be, but not limited to, a wheel 102.

The robotic arm 100 may be a mechanical device that is designed to mimic the movements of a human arm. The robotic arm 100 may be connected to a body of a robot (not shown) by a base connector 114 of the robotic arm 100 by attaching means. The robot may have several segments connected by joints, allowing the robotic arm 100 to move in multiple directions. The robotic arm 100 may be used in manufacturing processes, including a production of metal alloy wheels.

In the manufacturing of the wheels 102, the robotic arm 100 may be used to perform various tasks, including, but not limited to, loading, and unloading of the wheel 102 from a conveyor belts or other machinery and positioning of the wheel 102 on a fixture (not shown) of a computerized numerical control (CNC) machining centre (not shown). The fixture may be a chuck of the CNC machining centre. After the machining process may complete, the robotic arm 100 may further remove the finished wheel 102 from the CNC machining centre and place it onto another conveyor belt or storage area for further processing or inspection. The term “fixture” may interchangeably be used as “chuck” or “workpiece mount” in the following description.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the robotic arm 100 may include a base 104, a first gripper 106, a second gripper 108, and an adjustable gripper 110. The base 104 may have a proximal end 104a and a distal end 104b. The first gripper 106 may extend orthogonally from the proximal end 104a of the base 104. The first gripper 106 may engage and hold the workpiece 102 at a first periphery 102a. The second gripper 108 may extend orthogonally from the distal end 104b of the base 104. The second gripper 108 may engage and hold the workpiece 102 at a second periphery 102b.

The first gripper 106 and the second gripper 108 may include at least one roller member 112. The at least one roller member 112 may be adapted to hold a portion of the workpiece 102 at the first periphery 102a and the second periphery 102b respectively. The at least one roller member 112 may provide a secure grip on the workpiece 102 thereby ensuring that the workpiece 102 may remain stable and in place. The at least one roller member 112 may be made of materials that provide both grip and protection to the workpiece surface and prevent the workpiece 102 from any damage or slippage. The at least one roller member 112 may be equipped for handling cylindrical or round workpiece 102 and may be adaptable to accommodate workpieces of different sizes.

The first gripper 106 and the second gripper 108 may be operated by an actuator (not shown). The actuator may be, but not limited to, hydraulic, pneumatic, or electric. Further, the first gripper 106 and the second gripper 108 may be equipped with a plurality of degrees of freedom, allowing the first gripper 106 and the second gripper 108 to adjust a position or orientation in accordance with different shapes or sizes of the workpieces 102. By gripping the workpiece 102 along the first periphery 102a and the second periphery 102b by the first gripper 106 and the second gripper 108 respectively may prevent the workpiece 102 from slipping, thereby providing the necessary stability and control for precise handling during the manufacturing process.

In an embodiment, the robotic arm assembly 100, may further include an adjustable gripper 110. The adjustable gripper 110 may extend orthogonally from a mid-portion of the base 104. More specifically, the adjustable gripper 110 may be placed between the first gripper 106 and the second gripper 108. The adjustable gripper 110 may be adapted to hold the workpiece 102 at a central point 102c after disengagement of the first gripper 106 and the second gripper 108 to align the workpiece 102 with respect to a workpiece mount (not shown).

The adjustable gripper 110 ensures that the workpiece 102 may be positioned correctly with respect to the workpiece mount thereby enhancing a quality of concentricity between the centre of the workpiece 102 and the workpiece mount. The adjustable gripper 110 may have one or more degrees of freedom thereby allowing the adjustable gripper 110 to adjust a position or orientation for accommodating the workpiece 102 of different shape and size. An adaptability of the adjustable gripper 110 in accordance with the workpiece 102 further ensures that the robotic arm assembly 100 may handle a variety of workpieces effectively and efficiently.

Figure 5 illustrates a side view of the adjustable gripper 110 of the robotic arm assembly 100, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 6 illustrates a perspective view of the adjustable gripper 110, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

In an embodiment, the adjustable gripper 110 may include a base plate 502, a main body 504, a workpiece holder 506. The base plate 502 may have a rectangular profile. The base plate 502 may provide stability and support to the main body 504, and the workpiece holder 506. The base plate 502 may be detachably attached to the base 104. The base plate 502 may include a plurality of slots 608 along a length to detachably attach the base plate 502 to mid-portion of the base 104 and also provide an adjustable positioning for mounting the base plate 502.

The main body 504 may have a first end 504a and a second end 504b. The first end 504a may be attached orthogonally to the base plate 502. In other words, the main body 504 may extend away from the base plate 502 orthogonally. The main body 504 may include a plurality of holes 602. The plurality of holes 602 may be adapted to receive the workpiece holder 506 in accordance with the central point 102c of the workpiece 102. More specifically, the plurality of holes 602 may be used for adjusting the position or orientation of the workpiece holder 506 to ensure that the workpiece 102 aligns with the center of the workpiece mount.

In an embodiment, the workpiece holder 506 may be detachably connected to the second end 504b. The workpiece holder 506 may be easily removed and replaced when damaged. The workpiece holder 506 may be adapted to hold the workpiece 102. Further, a height of the workpiece holder 506 from the first end 504a of the main body 504 may be adjusted to align the center of the workpiece 102 with the workpiece mount. The workpiece holder 506 may include a head 604 having a square shaped profile and a stud 606 having a cylindrical shape. The head 604 may be adapted to hold the workpiece 102 at the central point 102c. The stud 606 may be adapted to be secured within at least one hole among the plurality of holes 602 of the main body 504. The stud 606 may have a threaded profile to lock with the main body 504 with attaching means like nuts, when inserted into the at least one hole 602. The threaded profile may further help in preventing the stud 606 from becoming loose during operation thereby ensuring that the workpiece holder 506 remains securely attached to the main body 504.

In an embodiment, the adjustable gripper 110 may include an L-shaped bracket 612 adapted to mount on a perpendicular joint 610 formed between the main body 504 and the base plate 502. An arm of the L-shaped bracket 612 may be attached to the base plate 502 and the other arm may be attached to the main body 504. In an exemplarily embodiment, the L-shaped bracket 612 is attached to base plate 502 and the main body by welding process. The L-shaped bracket 612 may provide additional support and stability to the adjustable gripper 110. The L-shaped bracket 612 may be a reinforcing member and distributes forces and stresses exerted on the adjustable gripper 110 during the operation of the robotic arm 100.

The present disclosure discloses the robotic arm assembly 100 with the adjustable gripper 110. The adjustable gripper 110 may handle different variants of alloy wheels in the manufacturing processes. The adjustable gripper 110 may be capable of adjusting a position and orientation according to a shape and size of the alloy wheel. The adjustable gripper 110 may be connected to the robot arm assembly 100 using the base plate 502 with nut and bolts (not shown) that allows the adjustable gripper 110 to be fixed at different heights and lengths from the body of the robot.

With the help of the adjustable gripper 110, repeated clamping, de-clamping, and unnecessary movement of the wheel 102 may be avoided to mount the wheel 102 with respect to the centre of the fixture thereby increasing efficiency and preventing production delays. Further, the quality of concentricity between the centre of the fixture and the wheel 102 may also increase by using the adjustable gripper 110. In other words, an alignment and symmetry of the wheel 102 with respect to the centre of the fixture may be enhanced thereby resulting in more precise and consistent machining. Furthermore, the operating time of the robot arm assembly 100 may be reduced and the productivity of the manufacturing process may increase.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one ordinary skilled in the art to which this invention belongs. The system, methods, and examples provided herein are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting.

While specific language has been used to describe the present subject matter, any limitations arising on account thereto, are not intended. As would be apparent to a person in the art, various working modifications may be made to the method to implement the inventive concept as taught herein. The drawings and the forgoing description give examples of embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more of the described elements may well be combined into a single functional element. Alternatively, certain elements may be split into multiple functional elements. Elements from one embodiment may be added to another embodiment.
, Claims:1. A robotic arm assembly (100) for maneuvering a workpiece (102), the robotic arm assembly (100) comprising:
a base (104) having a proximal end (104a) and a distal end (104b);
a first gripper (106) extends orthogonally from the proximal end (104a) of the base (104), and adapted to engage and hold the workpiece (102) at a first periphery (102a);
a second gripper (108) extends orthogonally from the distal end (104b) of the base (104), and adapted to engage and hold the workpiece (102) at a second periphery (102b); and
an adjustable gripper (110) extends orthogonally from a mid-portion of the base (104), wherein the adjustable gripper (110) is adapted to hold the workpiece (102) at a central point (102c) after disengagement of the first gripper (106) and the second gripper (108) to align the workpiece (102) with respect to a workpiece mount.

2. The robotic arm assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the adjustable gripper (110) comprising:
a base plate (502);
a main body (504) having a first end (504a) and a second end (504b), wherein the first end (504a) is attached orthogonally to the base plate (502); and
a workpiece holder (506) detachably connected to the second end (504b), wherein the workpiece holder (506) is adapted to hold the workpiece (102) at the central point (102c).

3. The robotic arm assembly (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the main body (504) includes a plurality of holes (602) adapted to receive the workpiece holder (506) in accordance with the central point (102c) of the workpiece (102).

4. The robotic arm assembly (100) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the workpiece holder (506) comprises a head (604) adapted to hold the workpiece (102) and a stud (606) adapted to be secured within at least one hole among the plurality of holes (602).

5. The robotic arm assembly (100) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the base plate (502) is detachably attached to the base (104) through a plurality of slots (608) provided on the base plate (504) along a length.

6. The robotic arm assembly (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the adjustable gripper (110) comprises an L-shaped bracket (612) adapted to mount on a perpendicular joint (610) formed between the main body (504) and the base plate (502).

7. The robotic arm assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the first gripper (106) and the second gripper (108) comprise at least one roller member (112) adapted to hold a portion of the workpiece (102) at the first periphery (102a) and the second periphery (102b) respectively.

8. The robotic arm assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the workpiece (102) is a wheel, and the workpiece mount is a chuck.

9. A system for manufacturing a workpiece (102), the system comprising:
an apparatus for machining the workpiece (102), the apparatus having a chuck adapted to hold the workpiece (102); and
a robotic arm assembly (100) for maneuvering the workpiece (102) comprising:
a base (104) having a proximal end (104a) and a distal end (104b);
a first gripper (106) extends orthogonally from the proximal end (104a) of the base (104), and adapted to engage and hold the workpiece (102) at a first periphery (102a);
a second gripper (108) extends orthogonally from the distal end (104b) of the base (104), and adapted to engage and hold the workpiece (102) at a second periphery (102b); and
an adjustable gripper (110) extends orthogonally from a mid-portion of the base (104), wherein the adjustable gripper (110) is adapted to hold the workpiece (102) at a central point (102c) after disengagement of the first gripper (106) and the second gripper (108) to align the workpiece (102) with respect to the chuck.