Abstract: Disclosed are male and female electrical contacts for transferring high electrical power between a master assembly and a tool assembly of a robotic tool changer. The male and female contacts have corresponding outwardly-projecting and inwardly recessed conical or frusto-conical contact surfaces which tend to cause contaminants to slide off the surface of the contacts. The contacts may instead have corresponding outwardly-projecting and inwardly recessed contact surfaces having spherical, frusto-spherical, ellipsoid, frusto-ellipsoid, ovoid, or frusto-ovoid shapes. Each of the contacts includes a contact base for attaching the contact to one of the assemblies of the robotic tool changer and a contact tip removably attached to the contact base, thereby allowing the contact tip to be replaced without detaching the contact base from the robotic tool changer. The contact tip of either or both of the electrical contacts is mounted in such a way as to have compliance in at least one direction.

Abstract: Disclosed is an overload protection device to be placed between a robot and a tool to be used by the robot to prevent damage when the tool encounters an obstacle. The overload protection device comprises a housing, a cam, and a piston. The housing includes an internal cavity and an external opening to the cavity. The cam includes a head portion retained within the cavity and a neck portion extending through the opening. The neck portion and the opening include matching conical surfaces adapted to mate with one another. The piston is disposed within the cavity and tends to urge the cam toward a home position. When the tool is displaced in the x, y, z, or rotational directions during an overload condition, the cam is displaced from the home position. The piston then urges the cam to return to the home position regardless of the direction of displacement. A single sensor is provided to detect an overload condition.