The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 02, 1999
Filed:
Jun. 25, 1998
Timonthy Charles Hays, Troy, MI (US);
Thomas Lewis Richter, Sterling Heights, MI (US);
Dale Peter Holod, Livonia, MI (US);
Jerome Frank Kamyszek, Warren, MI (US);
General Motors Corporation, Detroit, MI (US);
Abstract
An industrial robot has a mounting bracket and a servo motor secured to the mounting bracket for rotation relative thereto about a first axis offset from the vertical by 60.degree.. A sensor plate is mounted on one end of the motor, a position sensor is mounted on the bracket and interacts with the sensor plate to sense the rotational home and overtravel positions of the motor. A tool changer is coaxially mounted on the other end of the motor and has means for mounting a turret for coaxial rotation by the motor. A turret having a plurality of circumferentially-spaced tools is mounted on the tool changer for operation on a second axis offset 60.degree. from the first axis, such that each tool is rotatable about the first axis to a vertical working position. A video camera is mounted on the mounting bracket in a position to view the working position, and a controller, including a vision processor for interpreting the output of the video camera, controls the robot and the motor to position a preselected tool in a location to perform an operation on a workpiece. The tool changer releasably mounts the turret to enable quick mounting and release of a series of turrets each mounting different tools.