Rios Intelligent Machines, Inc.

Kent A Evans

Laura L Sullivan

Nicholas L Choi

Leo Keselman

Christopher A Paulson

Clinton J Smith

James R Korte

Christopher Lalau Keraly

Laura Stelzner

Christipher A Paulson

Scott M Dellenbaugh

John J Thurston

Steve R Rosenblatt

Dustin D Ellis

Anthony P Foster

A robotic end-tool including a divider restraining mechanism that utilizes a movable foot structure to restrain divider inserts during the automated extraction of objects from a box using a robot mechanism. The end-tool includes a frame connected to the robotic mechanism and an object gripping device (e.g., a suction cup) connected to the frame. The foot structure is connected to one end of a guide rod that is restricted to move in an axial direction by a linear bearing that is attached to the frame. Before each automated extraction the robot mechanism manipulates the frame to position the object gripping device mechanism over a targeted object. During each extraction operation the foot structure applies and maintains a restraining force on the divider insert while object gripping device is manipulated by the robot mechanism to secure and then extract the selected object out of its associated storage compartment.

Robotic end-tool with divider restraining mechanism

A robotic work cell uses an object separating mechanism to disperse bulk objects into a 2D arrangement on a horizontal surface and uses a vision system to generate pick-up (positional) data and rotational orientation data for each sequentially selected target object of the 2D arrangement. A pick-and-place robot mechanism uses the positional data to pick-up each target object and uses the rotational orientation data to reorientate the target object during transfer to a designated hand-off location. A carousel-type robotic end-tool disposed on a 4-axis object-processing robot mechanism rotates a gripper mechanism around a vertical axis to move the target object from the hand-off location to a designated processing location, where an associated processing device performs a desired process (e.g., label application) on the target object. In one embodiment the gripper mechanism is selectively rotatable around a horizontal axis to facilitate processing on opposing surfaces of the target object.

Automated production work cell

An automated food production work cell includes a robotic system that utilizes a food-grade robotic gripper to transfer individual food items. The robotic gripper is constructed using food-grade materials and includes finger structures that are linearly movably connected by linear bearings to parallel guide rods and are independently driven by a non-contact actuating system to grasp targeted food items disposed on a first work surface, to hold the targeted food items while the robotic system moves the gripper to a second work surface, and to release the targeted food items onto the second work surface. Encoding and external sensing systems facilitate fully automated food transfer processes. Optional sensor arrays are disposed on tip portions of the finger structures to provide feedback data (e.g., grasping force/pressure). Two or more pairs of independently controlled finger structures are provided to facilitate the transfer of multiple food items during each transfer process.

Food-grade robotic gripper for automated production work cell

Growing community of inventors

Cupertino, CA, United States of America

Kent A Evans