IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
|
국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
|
출원번호 |
US-0034046
(2005-01-12)
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등록번호 |
US-7309089
(2007-12-18)
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발명자
/ 주소 |
- Perlman,Maurice
- Attee,Keith S
|
출원인 / 주소 |
- Delaware Capital Formation, Inc.
|
대리인 / 주소 |
Van Dyke, Gardner, Linn & Burkhart LLP
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인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
4 인용 특허 :
23 |
초록
▼
A vacuum cup for a material handling system includes a body portion and a perimeter seal that functions to substantially seal against an object. The vacuum cup may transport the object when a partial vacuum is applied to the vacuum cup to retain the cup to the object. The vacuum cup includes a relie
A vacuum cup for a material handling system includes a body portion and a perimeter seal that functions to substantially seal against an object. The vacuum cup may transport the object when a partial vacuum is applied to the vacuum cup to retain the cup to the object. The vacuum cup includes a relief port and sealing member that function to at least partially relieve the vacuum from the vacuum cup to allow the vacuum cup to be detached from the object with a reduced force, even while the vacuum is applied. The sealing member may engage a surface of the object to close the relief port. When the vacuum cup is initially pulled or moved away from the object, the sealing member is at least partially separated from the object and allows the cavity to be vented to at least partially relieve the vacuum within the cavity.
대표청구항
▼
The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property is claimed are defined as follows: 1. A vacuum cup for a material handling system, said vacuum cup being adapted for engaging and picking up an object, said vacuum cup comprising: a body portion having a generally central axis; a flexi
The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property is claimed are defined as follows: 1. A vacuum cup for a material handling system, said vacuum cup being adapted for engaging and picking up an object, said vacuum cup comprising: a body portion having a generally central axis; a flexible perimeter seal extending from said body portion and circumferentially around said generally central axis, said perimeter seal defining a first engaging plane at a first level when said vacuum cup is not engaged with an object, said perimeter seal engaging an object and substantially sealing to the object when said vacuum cup is engaged with the object, said vacuum cup being substantially retained against the object via a partial vacuum within a cavity defined between said body portion, said perimeter seal and the object; a relief port defined through one of said body portion and said flexible perimeter seal of said vacuum cup, said relief port being radially offset from said generally central axis of said body portion, said relief port having a sealing member, said sealing member defining a second engaging plane at a second level when said vacuum cup is not engaged with an object, said second level being above said first level and between said first level and said body portion; said vacuum cup being configured so that said sealing member at least substantially closes said relief port to limit airflow therethrough when said sealing member engages the object; and said sealing member at least partially disengaging from the object and at least partially opening said relief port when said vacuum cup is moved relative to the object and moved a sufficient amount in a direction generally away from the object and while said perimeter seal remains engaged with the object, said relief port at least partially relieving the partial vacuum in said cavity when said relief port is at least partially opened and while said perimeter seal is engaged with the object. 2. The vacuum cup of claim 1, wherein said vacuum cup is adapted to connect to a vacuum source that is operable to create the partial vacuum between said vacuum cup and the object when said perimeter seal is engaged with the object. 3. The vacuum cup of claim 2, wherein said vacuum cup includes a vacuum port formed through said body portion of said vacuum cup and through which the vacuum source draws air out of said cavity. 4. The vacuum cup of claim 3, wherein said vacuum port has a first diameter and said relief port has a second diameter, said first diameter being greater than said second diameter. 5. The vacuum cup of claim 1, wherein said perimeter seal comprises a radially outwardly flared lip, an outer perimeter edge of said outwardly flared lip engaging the object when said vacuum cup is engaged with the object. 6. The vacuum cup of claim 5, wherein said sealing member comprises a radially inwardly flared lip that curves inwardly toward a longitudinal axis of said relief port. 7. The vacuum cup of claim 1, wherein said perimeter seal is integrally molded with said body portion. 8. The vacuum cup of claim 1, wherein said body portion is molded around an insert portion. 9. The vacuum cup of claim 8, wherein said insert portion includes at least one of a vacuum source and an object sensor. 10. The vacuum cup of claim 1, wherein said relief port and said sealing member comprise one of (a) a relief port and sealing member integrally molded with said body portion, (b) a relief port body and sealing member insert molded within said body portion, (c) a relief port body and sealing member attached to said body portion, and (d) a relief port at least partially through said body portion and a movable sealing member movable to open and close the relief port. 11. The vacuum cup of claim 1, wherein said sealing member is integrally molded with said body portion. 12. The vacuum cup of claim 1, wherein said relief port is defined through a relief port body, said relief port body and said sealing member being insert molded within said body portion. 13. The vacuum cup of claim 1, wherein said body portion includes a plurality of pads extending therefrom, said pads being circumferentially arranged around said generally central axis and radially spaced therefrom, said pads limiting further compression of said vacuum cup against the object when said vacuum cup is fully engaged with the object. 14. The vacuum cup of claim 13, wherein said relief port is established generally at or near at least one of said pads. 15. The vacuum cup of claim 1, wherein said vacuum port has a vacuum opening at said cavity and said relief port has a relief opening at said cavity, said vacuum opening having a diameter that is greater than a diameter of said relief opening. 16. A material handling system for engaging and picking up objects and transporting the objects, said material handling system comprising: a vacuum source; and a vacuum cup for sealing to an object to pick up the object, said vacuum cup and the object defining a cavity therebetween when said vacuum cup is engaged with the object, said vacuum cup comprising: a body portion, said body portion being connected to said vacuum source, said body portion having a generally central axis; a flexible perimeter seal extending from said body portion and generally circumferentially around said generally central axis, said perimeter seal engaging the object and flexing and substantially sealing to the object when said vacuum cup is engaged with the object, said body portion and said perimeter seal defining said cavity at the object when said vacuum cup is engaged with the object; a vacuum port in fluid communication between said cavity and said vacuum source, said vacuum port being at or near said generally central axis; and a relief port defined through one of said body portion and said flexible seal, said relief port being radially offset from said generally central axis of said body portion, said relief port having a sealing member, said sealing member being at a level above said flexible perimeter seal when said vacuum cup is not engaged with an object so that said sealing member is disengagable from the object while said flexible perimeter seal is engaged with the object; said sealing member engaging the object and at least substantially closing said relief port to limit airflow therethrough when said vacuum cup is sufficiently engaged with the object, said vacuum source being operable to draw air through said vacuum port and out of said cavity to create a partial vacuum in said cavity when said perimeter seal and said sealing member are engaged with the object, said sealing member disengaging from the object and at least partially opening said relief port when said vacuum cup is moved a sufficient amount in a direction generally away from the object and while said perimeter seal is engaged with the object, said relief port at least partially relieving said vacuum in said cavity when said relief port is at least partially opened and while said perimeter seal is engaged with the object. 17. The material handling system of claim 16, wherein said vacuum cup is removable from the object while said vacuum source is on, said vacuum cup being removed after said sealing member is at least partially disengaged from the object. 18. The material handling system of claim 16, wherein said vacuum source draws air out of said cavity through said vacuum port formed through said body portion of said vacuum cup. 19. The material handling system of claim 18, wherein said vacuum port has a first diameter and said relief port has a second diameter, said first diameter being greater than said second diameter. 20. The material handling system of claim 16, wherein said sealing member flexes radially inward toward a longitudinal axis of said relief port when said sealing member engages the object. 21. The material handling system of claim 20, wherein said perimeter seal comprises a radially outwardly flared cup with an outer perimeter edge of said cup engaging the object. 22. The material handling system of claim 16, wherein said relief port and said sealing member comprise one of (a) a relief port and sealing member integrally molded with said body portion, (b) a relief port body and sealing member insert molded within said body portion, (c) a relief port body and sealing member attached to said body portion, and (d) a relief port at least partially through said body portion and a movable sealing member movable to open and close the relief port. 23. The material handling system of claim 16, wherein said sealing member is integrally molded with said body portion. 24. The material handling system of claim 16, wherein said relief port is defined through a relief port body, said relief port body and said sealing member being insert molded within said body portion. 25. The material handling system of claim 16, wherein said body portion includes a plurality of pads extending therefrom, said pads being circumferentially arranged around said generally central axis and radially spaced therefrom, said pads limiting further compression of said vacuum cup against the object when said vacuum cup is fully engaged with the object. 26. The material handling system of claim 25, wherein said relief port is established generally at or near at least one of said pads. 27. The material handling system of claim 16, wherein said vacuum port has a vacuum opening at said cavity and said relief port has a relief opening at said cavity, said vacuum opening having a diameter that is greater than a diameter of said relief opening. 28. A vacuum cup for a material handling system, said vacuum cup being adapted for engaging and picking up an object, said vacuum cup comprising: a body portion, said body portion having a generally central axis; a flexible perimeter seal extending from said body portion and defining a first engaging plane at a first level when said vacuum cup is not engaged with an object, said perimeter seal engaging an object and substantially sealing to the object when said vacuum cup is engaged with the object, said vacuum cup being substantially retained against the object via a partial vacuum within a cavity defined between said body portion, said perimeter seal and the object; said body portion having a plurality of pads extending from said body portion generally toward the object when said vacuum cup is engaged with the object, said pads being radially spaced from said generally central axis and spaced circumferentially around said generally central axis; a vacuum port formed through said body portion of said vacuum cup and through which a vacuum source draws air Out of said cavity; a relief port established through said body portion of said vacuum cup and between two of said pads, said relief port having a sealing member, said sealing member defining a second engaging plane at a second level when said vacuum cup is not engaged with an object, said second level being above said first level and between said first level and said body portion; wherein said pads engage the object to limit compression of said vacuum cup against the object when said vacuum cup is fully engaged with the object, said vacuum cup being configured so that said sealing member at least substantially closes said relief port to limit airflow therethrough when said sealing member engages the object and when said pads engage the object; and wherein said sealing member at least partially disengages from the object and at least partially opens said relief port when said vacuum cup is moved relative to the object and moved a sufficient amount in a direction generally away from the object and while said perimeter seal remains engaged with the object, said relief port at least partially relieving the partial vacuum in said cavity when said relief port is at least partially opened and while said perimeter seal is engaged with the object. 29. The vacuum cup of claim 28, wherein said vacuum port is spaced radially from said pads and said relief port. 30. The vacuum cup of claim 29, wherein said vacuum cup is at said generally central axis. 31. The vacuum cup of claim 28, wherein said vacuum port has a vacuum opening at said cavity and said relief port has a relief opening at said cavity, said vacuum opening having a diameter that is greater than a diameter of said relief opening.
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