US4697246A — Method and apparatus for detecting the engagement…

Claim 1

Independent Claim 347 words

A gripper arm for selectively engaging and retrieving articles from a station proximate the gripper arm, said gripper arm comprising: a gripper arm housing having a first end and a second end, said gripper arm housing having two parallel panels which define a space therebetween; means at the second end of said housing for securing said gripper arm to oscillating drive means; a first jaw member proximate said first end of said gripper arm housing; a second jaw member proximate said first end of said gripper arm housing, said second jaw member being selectively movable with respect to said first jaw member for the engagement of articles therebetween; actuation means for selectively moving said second jaw member with respect to said first jaw member whereby articles are selectively engaged between said jaw members; and, means for detecting whether a proper number of articles are engaged between said first jaw member and said second jaw member of said gripper arm, said detecting means comprising: means for creating a magnetic field, said magnetic field-creating means being mounted on one of saw jaw members; Hall Effect sensor means for sensing the flux density of said magnetic field and for generating an output signal proportional thereto, said sensor means being mounted with respect to the other of said jaw members; and, biasing means for biasing said magnetic field-creating means relative to said sensor means whereby a first plane including an essentially planar surface of said magnetic field-creating means remains in a predetermined relationship with respect to a second plane including an essentially planar surface of said sensor means in a manner whereby slidable displacement occurs between said field-creating means and said sensor means as said second jaw member is moved with respect to said first jaw mcmber, said field-creating means and said sensor means being positioned in said space defined by said gripper arm housing panels and mounted relative to said jaw members in a manner whereby said output signal of said sensor means is related to the distance separating said first and second jaw members as said slidable displacement occurs.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 347 words

A gripper arm for selectively engaging and retrieving articles from a station proximate the gripper arm, said gripper arm comprising: a gripper arm housing having a first end and a second end, said gripper arm housing having two parallel panels which define a space therebetween; means at the second end of said housing for securing said gripper arm to oscillating drive means; a first jaw member proximate said first end of said gripper arm housing; a second jaw member proximate said first end of said gripper arm housing, said second jaw member being selectively movable with respect to said first jaw member for the engagement of articles therebetween; actuation means for selectively moving said second jaw member with respect to said first jaw member whereby articles are selectively engaged between said jaw members; and, means for detecting whether a proper number of articles are engaged between said first jaw member and said second jaw member of said gripper arm, said detecting means comprising: means for creating a magnetic field, said magnetic field-creating means being mounted on one of saw jaw members; Hall Effect sensor means for sensing the flux density of said magnetic field and for generating an output signal proportional thereto, said sensor means being mounted with respect to the other of said jaw members; and, biasing means for biasing said magnetic field-creating means relative to said sensor means whereby a first plane including an essentially planar surface of said magnetic field-creating means remains in a predetermined relationship with respect to a second plane including an essentially planar surface of said sensor means in a manner whereby slidable displacement occurs between said field-creating means and said sensor means as said second jaw member is moved with respect to said first jaw mcmber, said field-creating means and said sensor means being positioned in said space defined by said gripper arm housing panels and mounted relative to said jaw members in a manner whereby said output signal of said sensor means is related to the distance separating said first and second jaw members as said slidable displacement occurs.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 65 words

The gripper arm of claim 1, wherein said magnetic field-creating means is mounted on said second jaw member, and wherein said second jaw member is adapted to be selectively movable with respect to said first jaw member whereby said essentially planar surface of said magnetic field-creating means travels essentially in the plane in which it is included when said second jaw member is in motion.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 32 words

The gripper arm of claim 1, wherein said magnetic field-creating means comprises an exposed North pole and an exposed South pole, both of said exposed poles being oriented toward said sensor means.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 89 words

The gripper arm of claim 1 wherein said second jaw member pivots about a pivot point in relation to said first jaw member, and wherein the distance x separating said jaw members at their point of potential contact expressed by the relationship x=f[(A/B)y] wherein: y is the magnitude of the voltage generated by said sensor means; A is the distance from said pivot point to the center of said field; and, B is the distance from said pivot point to said point of potential contact of said jaw members.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 101 words

The gripper arm of claim 1, wherein said means for using the magnitude of said sensor-generated signal as an indication further comprises: means for generating and storing a calibrated reference voltage; means for generating a first voltage signal having a magnitude proportional to said sensor-generated signal; means for generating a second voltage signal having a magnitude a fixed percentage greater than the magnitude of said first voltage signal; and, comparison means for determining if the magnitude of said calibrated reference voltage exceeds the magnitude of said second voltage signal thereby indicating that too few articles are engaged between said jaw members.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 58 words

The gripper arm of claim 5 wherein said means for generating and storing a calibrated reference voltage sample and hold means which uses the magnitude of said first voltage signal when a proper number of articles are known to be engaged between said jaw members and produces an analog voltage thereto for use as said calibrated reference voltage.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 103 words

The gripper arm of claim 1, wherein said means for using the magnitude of said sensor-generated signal as an indication further comprises: means for generating and storing a calibrated reference voltage; means for generating a first voltage signal having a magnitude proportional to said sensor-generated signal; means for generating a third voltage signal having a magnitude a fixed percentage less than the magnitude of said first voltage signal; and, comparison means for determining if the magnitude of said calibrated reference voltage is exceeded by the magnitude of said third voltage signal thereby indicating that too many articles are engaged between said jaw members.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 61 words

The gripper arm of claim 7 wherein said means for generating and storing a calibrated reference voltage comprises voltage sample and hold means which uses the magnitude of said first voltage signal when a proper number of articles are known to be engaged between said jaw members and produces an analog voltage related thereto for use as said calibrated reference voltage.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 71 words

The gripper arm of claim 1, further comprising: means for storing a reference signal proportional to the displacement of the gripper jaws when a proper number of documents are engaged by the gripper arm and for determining if an electrical signal generated by the sensor means is within predetermined limits of the stored reference signal so as to determine of the proper number of documents are engaged by the gripper arm.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 101 words

The detector of claim 9, further comprising: signal generating means connected to said sensor means, said signal generating means being adapted to generate first, second, and third voltage signals, said first voltage signal having a magnitude proportional to said sensor-generated signal, said second voltage signal having a magnitude a fixed percentage greater than the magnitude of said first voltage signal as a representation of a lower limit of acceptable jaw displacement, said third voltage signal having a magnitude a fixed percentage less than the magnitude of said first voltage signal as a representation of an upper limit of acceptable jaw displacement.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 17 words

The detector of claim 10, wherein said first voltage signal is applied to said reference storage means.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 98 words

The detector of claim 10, wherein said means for determining if the electrical signal generated by said sensor means is within predetermined limits of the stored reference signal includes comparison means, said comparison means comprising: first comparator means for determining if the magnitude of the stored reference signal exceeds the magnitude of said second voltage signal as an indication that too few documents are engaged; and, second comparator means for determining if the magnitude of the stored reference signal is exceeded by the magnitude of the third voltage signal as an indication that too many documents are engaged.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 56 words

The gripper arm of claim 1, wherein said sensor means is mounted on one of said gripper arm housing side panels, and wherein said field-creating means is mounted to be selectively movable with said second jaw member in a manner whereby said slidable displacement occurs in accordance with the selective movement of said second jaw member.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 39 words

The gripper arm of claim 13, wherein said field-creating means is carried on a resilient mounting bracket which is selectively movable with said second jaw member, and wherein said mounting bracket biases said field-creating means against said sensor means.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 38 words

The gripper arm of claim 1, wherein said field-creating means comprises a mounting bracket which carries an exposed magnetic North pole and an exposed magnetic South pole, said mounting bracket being selectively movable with said second jaw member.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 21 words

The gripper arm of claim 15, wherein said magnets are disc-shaped magnets having their circumferences in close proximity with one another.

Claim 18

Independent Claim 332 words

A method of operating a gripper arm of an insertion machine in a manner to determine whether a proper number of articles are engaged between first and secnd jaw members comprising said gripper arm, said method comprising the steps of: oscillating said gripper arm whereby said gripper arm approaches a hopper whereat an article is stored; creating a magnetic field by using field-creating means, said field-creating means being mounted with respect to one of said jaw members and positioned in a space defined between two parallel panels of said gripper arm housing; biasing said magnetic field-creating means with respect to Hall Effect sensor means, said Hall Effect sensor means also being positioned in said spaced defined by said gripper arm housing panels, said biasing occurring in a manner whereby a first plane included in an essentially planar surface of said magnetic field-creating means remains in a predetermined relationship with respect to a second plane including an essentially planar surface of said sensor means, said first and second planes being parallel to one another and whereby slidable displacement can occur between said field-creating means and said sensor; activating actuation means whereby said second jaw member moves toward said first jaw member in a manner whereby slidable displacement occurs between said field-creating means and said sensor and whereby said hopper-stored article is engaged between said first jaw member and said second jaw member; sensing the flux density of said magnetic field using said Hall Effect sensor means when an ariticle is engaged between said first jaw member and said second jaw member, said Hall Effect sensor means being mounted with respect to the other of said jaw members in a manner suitable for sensing any change in displacement of the jaw members relative to one another; generating an output signal proportional to said sensed field flux density; and, using the magnitude of said output signal as an indication of whether a proper number of articles are engaged between said first and second jaw members.

Claim 19

Independent Claim 332 words

A method of operating a gripper arm of an insertion machine in a manner to determine whether a proper number of articles are engaged between first and secnd jaw members comprising said gripper arm, said method comprising the steps of: oscillating said gripper arm whereby said gripper arm approaches a hopper whereat an article is stored; creating a magnetic field by using field-creating means, said field-creating means being mounted with respect to one of said jaw members and positioned in a space defined between two parallel panels of said gripper arm housing; biasing said magnetic field-creating means with respect to Hall Effect sensor means, said Hall Effect sensor means also being positioned in said spaced defined by said gripper arm housing panels, said biasing occurring in a manner whereby a first plane included in an essentially planar surface of said magnetic field-creating means remains in a predetermined relationship with respect to a second plane including an essentially planar surface of said sensor means, said first and second planes being parallel to one another and whereby slidable displacement can occur between said field-creating means and said sensor; activating actuation means whereby said second jaw member moves toward said first jaw member in a manner whereby slidable displacement occurs between said field-creating means and said sensor and whereby said hopper-stored article is engaged between said first jaw member and said second jaw member; sensing the flux density of said magnetic field using said Hall Effect sensor means when an ariticle is engaged between said first jaw member and said second jaw member, said Hall Effect sensor means being mounted with respect to the other of said jaw members in a manner suitable for sensing any change in displacement of the jaw members relative to one another; generating an output signal proportional to said sensed field flux density; and, using the magnitude of said output signal as an indication of whether a proper number of articles are engaged between said first and second jaw members.

Claim 20

Dependent Claim 32 words

The method of claim 17, wherein said field-creating means comprises an exposed magnetic North pole and an exposed magnetic South pole, both of said exposed poles being oriented toward said sensor means.

Claim 21

Dependent Claim 94 words

The method of claim 17, wherein the step of using the magnitude of said generated output signal as an indication further comprises the steps of: generating and storing a calibrated reference voltage; generating a first voltage signal having a magnitude proportional to said sensor-generated signal; generating a second voltage signal havng a magnitude a fixed percentage greater than the magnitude of said first voltage signal; and, determining if the magnitude of said calibrated reference voltage exceeds the magnitude of said second voltage signal thereby indicating that too few articles are engaged between jaw members.

Claim 22

Dependent Claim 60 words

The method of claim 19, wherein the step of generating and storing a calibrated reference voltage comprises using sample and hold means which uses the magnitude of said first voltage signal when a proper number of articles are known to be engaged between said jaw members and produces an analog voltage related thereto for use as said calibrated reference voltage.

Claim 23

Dependent Claim 97 words

The method of claim 17, wherein the step of using the magnitude of said sensor-generated output signal as an indication further comprises the steps of: generating and storing a calibrated reference voltage; generating a first voltage signal having a magnitude proportional to said sensor-generated signal; generating a third voltage signal having a magnitude a fixed percentage less than the magnitude of said first voltage signal; and, determining if the magnitude of said calibrated reference voltage is exceeded by the magnitude of said third voltage signal thereby indicating that too many articles are engaged between said jaw member.

Claim 24

Dependent Claim 60 words

The method of claim 21, wherein the step of generating and storing a calibrated reference voltage comprises using sample and hold means which uses the magnitude of said first voltage signal when a proper number of articles are known to be engaged between said jaw member and produces an analog voltage related thereto for use as said calibrated reference voltage.

Claim 25

Dependent Claim 70 words

The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of: storing a reference signal proportional to the displacement of the gripper jaws when a proper number of documents are engaged by the gripper arm and determining if an electrical signal generated by the sensor means is within predetermined limits of the stored reference signal so as to determine if the proper number of documents are engaged by the gripper arm.

Claim 26

Dependent Claim 96 words

The method of claim 23, further comprising: using signal generating means connected to said sensor means for generating first, second, and third voltage signals, said first voltage signal having a magnitude proportional to said sensor-generated signal, said second voltage signal having a magnitude a fixed percentage greater than the magnitude of said first voltage signal as a representation of a lower limit of acceptable jaw displacement, said third voltage signal having a magnitude a fixed percentage less than the magnitude of said first voltage signal as a representation of an upper limit of acceptable jaw displacement.

Claim 27

Dependent Claim 16 words

The method of claim 24, wherein said first voltage signal is applied to reference storage means.

Claim 28

Dependent Claim 97 words

The method of claim 24, wherein said step for determining if the electrical signal generated by said sensor means is within predetermined limits of the stored reference signal includes the steps of: using first comparator means for determining if the magnitude of the stored reference signal exceeds the magnitude of said second voltage signal as an indication that too few documents are engaged; and, using second comparator means for determining if the magnitude of the stored reference signal is exceeded by the magnitude of the third voltage signal as an indication that too many documents are engaged.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1990-09-28	1991-03-30	1991-09-29	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1994-09-28	1995-03-30	1995-09-29	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	1998-09-28	1999-03-30	1999-09-29	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Method and apparatus for detecting the engagement of a proper number of articles

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