A handling apparatus has an arm having a joint; a holding portion attached to the arm and configured to hold an object; a sensor configured to detect a plurality of the objects; and a control apparatus configured to control the arm and the holding portion, wherein the control apparatus is configured to calculate an ease of holding the object by the holding portion as a score based on information acquired by the sensor with respect to each object and each holding method, select the object to hold and the holding method according to the score, and calculate a position for holding the selected object and an orientation of the arm.

Provided is a magnetically controlled smart sorting device for container lockpins, and a control method therefor. In the magnetically controlled smart sorting device for container lockpins, a bidirectional retractable component (1) is provided at an upper end of a guide cylinder (3), the bidirectional retractable component (1) is connected to a bidirectional retractable component linkage (2), the bidirectional retractable component linkage (2) is connected to a guide column (4), a universal joint (5) is fixedly mounted on the lower portion of the guide column (4), and the lower portion of the universal joint (5) is connected to a magnetically controlled gripper (6). At least one magnetically controlled head (7) is attached to the lower portion of the magnetically controlled gripper (6), and each magnetically controlled head (7) is configured to attract a selected lockpin when the magnetically controlled gripper (6) presses against the selected lockpin.

The diaphragm boss is fixed such that the shaft part and the enlarged-diameter part are exposed upwardly. The diaphragm member is held with an air suction force by a robot arm apparatus having an air suction part such that the small-diameter concave part and the large-diameter concave part are exposed downwardly. By controlling the robot arm apparatus, the diaphragm member is brought into contact with the diaphragm boss while tilting an axis of the diaphragm member with respect to an axis of the diaphragm boss. By controlling the robot arm apparatus, the small-diameter concave part and/or the large-diameter concave part of the diaphragm member are pressed against the diaphragm boss while rotating the diaphragm member around the axis of he diaphragm boss, so that the enlarged-diameter part is fitted into the large-diameter concave part and the shaft part is fitted into the small-diameter concave part.

A vacuum gripping system for grabbing and releasing an object has a base frame for operably engaging a robotic arm. The base frame includes a pneumatic source connector. The system also includes an extendable member configured to extend and retract relative to the base frame. The extendable member has a distal end and a proximal end. The extendable member also has an extended position and a retracted position defining a range of motion therebetween. The system further includes a vacuum cup coupled to the distal end of the extendable member. Still further, the system includes a pneumatic pathway extending from the vacuum cup to the pneumatic source connector. The pneumatic pathway passes through the extendable member such that the vacuum cup remains in pneumatic communication with the pneumatic source connector throughout the range of motion of the extendable member.

A vacuum-based end effector for engaging parcels includes a base plate, one or more vacuum cups of a first type, and one or more vacuum cups of a second type. Each vacuum cup of the vacuum-based end effector is configured to be placed in fluid communication with a vacuum source to provide the vacuum cup with a suction force which can be used to engage and grasp parcels. Each vacuum cup includes a bellows defining a pathway for a flow of air and a lip connected to the bellows. Each lip of the one or more vacuum cups of the first type comprises a foam lip, and each lip of the one or more vacuum cups of the second type comprises an elastomeric lip. The vacuum-based end effector can be combined with a robot to provide an improved system for engaging parcels.

The invention relates to a gripper device for a robot gripper, wherein the gripper device comprises a mechanical actuation with at least two contact elements guided linearly and in parallel in a direction of actuation, at least one mechanically activatable and/or deactivatable functional portion for objects to be gripped, and a transmission with at least two levers for converting a mechanical actuation power, and wherein the at least two contact elements on the one hand and the at least two levers on the other hand are each articulated to each other with a degree of freedom f=2. The invention also relates to a gripper device for a robot gripper with a mechanical actuation with at least two contact elements guided linearly and in parallel in a direction of actuation, at least one mechanically activatable and/or deactivatable functional portion for objects to be gripped, and a transmission for converting a mechanical actuation power, in which the transmission comprises a shaft for transferring a rotary motion and/or a torque, and to a method for operating gripper devices of this kind, wherein a gripper device is initially selected, then picked up from a predetermined position, then used and subsequently deposited at a predetermined position.

The invention relates to a gripper device for a robot gripper, wherein the gripper device comprises a mechanical actuation with at least two contact elements guided linearly and in parallel in a direction of actuation, at least one mechanically activatable and/or deactivatable functional portion for objects to be gripped, and a transmission with at least two levers for converting a mechanical actuation power, and wherein the at least two contact elements on the one hand and the at least two levers on the other hand are each articulated to each other with a degree of freedom f=2. The invention also relates to a gripper device for a robot gripper with a mechanical actuation with at least two contact elements guided linearly and in parallel in a direction of actuation, at least one mechanically activatable and/or deactivatable functional portion for objects to be gripped, and a transmission for converting a mechanical actuation power, in which the transmission comprises a shaft for transferring a rotary motion and/or a torque, and to a method for operating gripper devices of this kind, wherein a gripper device is initially selected, then picked up from a predetermined position, then used and subsequently deposited at a predetermined position.

A substrate conveying robot has a robot arm including an end effector having a substrate holding unit holding a substrate, arm drive unit for driving the robot arm, an elevating drive unit for elevatingly driving the end effector, a robot control unit controlling the arm drive unit, the elevating drive unit, and the substrate holding unit, and a substrate detection unit having a substrate detection unit which detects a vertical position of the substrate and elevates coordinately with an elevating operation of the end effector. By this configuration, a vertical position of a substrate to be conveyed is detected with high accuracy so that a robot operation can be controlled based on the detection result.

A slim and long multifunctional gripping mechanism has a bending- and torsion-resistant structure, on which several finger, suction, magnetic head and other mechanisms for a multitude of tasks are arranged. The gripper arm is composed in sandwich configuration of several cages placed on top of each other, like a multi-stage tower. The individual cages consist of two plates in parallel in lightweight construction, with their mutual distance being ensured by several rods, spokes, wires, ropes and strings. Most of the drives are contained within the first cage after the flange. From that position, all mechanisms participating in the action of the gripper are driven by rods, shafts, ropes, chains or belts traversing the cages. Further cages are used to attach and accommodate the components of finger mechanisms. Movable cages are used as drives for finger, suction or magnetic head mechanisms. Several finger mechanisms perform a different task each.

A handling device according to an embodiment has an arm, a holder, a storage, and a controller. The arm includes at least one joint. The holder is attached to the arm and is configured to hold an object. The storage stores a function map including at least one of information about holdable positions of the holder and information about possible postures of the holder. The detector is configured to detect information about the object. The controller is configured to generate holdable candidate points on the basis of the information detected by the detector, to search the function map for a position in an environment in which the object is present, the position being associated with the generated holdable candidate points, and to determine a holding posture of the holder on the basis of the searched position. The function map associates a manipulability with each position in the environment in which the object is present. The manipulability is a parameter calculated from at least one joint angle of the holder.