Patents by Inventor Garth Vincent Kummen

Garth Vincent Kummen has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Quick-change clamp arms for robot end effectors, systems including the same, and related methods
    Patent number: 10710245
    Abstract: Presently disclosed systems and methods provide for a quick-change clamp arm that may be coupled to and removed from a robot end effector via a quick-change feature coupled to the robot end effector. Systems may include a plurality of such quick-change clamp arms that each may be coupled to a given robot end effector such that when one is removed, a different respective quick-change clamp arm may be coupled to the robot end effector. The robot end effector may be configured to perform a task to one side of a workpiece, while the quick-change clamp arm applies a stabilizing normal force to the other side of the workpiece. Due to the interchangeable nature of presently disclosed quick-change clamp arms, systems may reduce the number of robot end effectors required for a given manufacturing process. Related methods of removing and coupling quick-change clamp arms to robot end effectors may be automated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Arnold John Lauder, David C. Boonstra, Antonio M. Ferreira, Alan Wright, Garth Vincent Kummen, Demsey Drew Kirkwood
  • QUICK-CHANGE CLAMP ARMS FOR ROBOT END EFFECTORS, SYSTEMS INCLUDING THE SAME, AND RELATED METHODS
    Publication number: 20180009113
    Abstract: Presently disclosed systems and methods provide for a quick-change clamp arm that may be coupled to and removed from a robot end effector via a quick-change feature coupled to the robot end effector. Systems may include a plurality of such quick-change clamp arms that each may be coupled to a given robot end effector such that when one is removed, a different respective quick-change clamp arm may be coupled to the robot end effector. The robot end effector may be configured to perform a task to one side of a workpiece, while the quick-change clamp arm applies a stabilizing normal force to the other side of the workpiece. Due to the interchangeable nature of presently disclosed quick-change clamp arms, systems may reduce the number of robot end effectors required for a given manufacturing process. Related methods of removing and coupling quick-change clamp arms to robot end effectors may be automated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 8, 2016
    Publication date: January 11, 2018
    Inventors: Arnold John Lauder, David C. Boonstra, Antonio M. Ferreira, Alan Wright, Garth Vincent Kummen, Demsey Drew Kirkwood