Antonio Te Dasilva

US Patent:

6435582, Aug 20, 2002

Filed:

Jul 31, 2000

Appl. No.:

09/628969

Inventors:

Antonio Manuel DaSilva - Irvine CA
Eric Cotera Brooks - Long Beach CA

Assignee:

Motoman, Inc. - West Carrollton OH

International Classification:

B66C 142

US Classification:

294 94, 294 871

Abstract:

An object manipulation system is provided including a plurality of objects arranged in an object plane, an X-Y positioner, and an object manipulator. The X-Y positioner is arranged to move within an X-Y plane displaced from and parallel to the object plane. The object manipulator is coupled to the X-Y positioner so as to be movable with the X-Y positioner. The object manipulator comprises a rotary turret assembly and a plurality of gripper assemblies. The rotary turret assembly defines a plurality of gripper assembly stations and a gripper pick/place position. The rotary turret assembly is arranged to rotate the gripper assembly stations about a turret axis so as to position a selected one of the gripper assembly stations in the pick/place position. The gripper assemblies are arranged in respective ones of the gripper assembly stations. The rotary turret assembly includes a gripper actuator assembly arranged to cause a gripper assembly positioned in the pick/place position to execute an object pick/place operation on one of the objects in the object plane.