Abstract: The invention relates to a human-robot collaboration system including a robot having at least one manipulator, the at least one manipulator having an in particular terminal end portion, the HRC system includes a coupling device connected to the end portion of the at least one manipulator and at least one hand connection, it being possible to connect the at least one hand connection in a force-coupled manner to the end portion via the coupling device.

Abstract: The invention is a holding device for a suction gripper or for another interface member on a base of a vacuum handling apparatus, wherein the holding device is designed for detachable and preferably tool-free attachment of the suction gripper to the base and has a first direction and a second direction orthogonal thereto.

Abstract: The invention relates to a handling device for handling objects, including a base unit which extends overall in an elongate manner along a base axis from a first end to a second end, wherein a flange portion is arranged at the first end for fastening the handling device to a robot arm and wherein a pivot unit having a pivot portion is arranged at the second end, wherein the pivot portion is mounted so as to be pivotable about a pivot axis by means of a pivot joint, wherein the base unit has a pneumatic cylinder which is designed to pivot the pivot portion about the pivot axis, and including a couplable or coupled, pneumatically operated end effector for gripping an object, wherein the base unit includes an integrated negative-pressure generator and is constructed as a structural unit with its own module housing, wherein the module housing is designed to extend in an elongate manner along the base axis and in particular surrounds the pneumatic cylinder and the negative-pressure generator.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for gripping an object by a handling system, including a robot with at least one robot arm, a gripping device which is connected to the robot arm and has a pneumatically operated suction gripper having an elastically deformable contact portion for contact with an outer surface of the object to be gripped, an identification means for identifying the outer surface of the object to be gripped and a control means which interacts with the identification means and is designed to control the robot, wherein an outer surface of an object to be gripped is identified, wherein a distinction is made between planar portions of the outer surface on the one hand and convex elevations or outer edges on the other, and wherein the suction gripper is made to approach the outer surface of the object to be gripped in such a way that at least a part of the contact portion of the suction gripper clings to a convex elevation or outer edge of the outer surface.

Abstract: A vacuum gripper comprising a base body having a suction side and an upper side, the suction side having a plurality of suction points and in each case a fixed number of suction points being combined to form a suction point group, a number of suction chambers (SC) corresponding to the number of suction point groups, each SC being assigned a suction point group, a distributor chamber (DC), the DC having at least a number of DC openings corresponding to the number of SC and a DC opening being flow-connected to a respective SC opening of a SC assigned thereto, and a plurality of valves, a valve being assigned to each suction point group and each valve having a valve channel. The respective valve is designed as a valve module having its own valve housing and the valve housing can be arranged on the upper side of the base body.

Abstract: A support frame for a handling device comprising a base body and at least two structural elements extending away from the base body, at least two structural elements being constructed similarly to each other in that they have at east the following common characteristics: a radial beam which is elongated and has a first end and a second end, the second end having a connecting section for connection to a pneumatically actuatable gripping element, a lattice wing which is integrally connected with the radial beam and runs between the first end of the radial beam and the second end of the radial beam, the lattice wing extending flatly away from the radial beam, wherein for each of the at least two structural elements the first end of the radial beam is integrally connected with the base body in a manner that the radial beam extends away from the base body.

Abstract: A vacuum gripper comprising a base body having a suction side and an upper side, the suction side having a plurality of suction points and in each case a fixed number of suction points being combined to form a suction point group, a number of suction chambers (SC) corresponding to the number of suction point groups, each SC being assigned a suction point group, a distributor chamber (DC), the DC having at least a number of DC openings corresponding to the number of SC and a DC opening being flow-connected to a respective SC opening of a SC assigned thereto, and a plurality of valves, a valve being assigned to each suction point group and each valve having a valve channel. The respective valve is designed as a valve module having its own valve housing and the valve housing can be arranged on the upper side of the base body.

Abstract: The invention relates to an operating device for a tube lifter having a lifting tube that has a tube interior and can be shortened by applying a vacuum to the tube interior, and having a suction grip device arranged on one end of the tube lifter, which suction grip device can be supplied with a vacuum through the tube interior, the operating device having a suction port for fluid communication with the suction grip device, a lifting tube port for fluid communication with the tube interior of the lifting tube, and a valve for controlling the fluid communications.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for monitoring a functional state of a pressure-driven actuator which comprises an actuator compartment defined at least in portions by a flexibly deformable wall, the actuator being actuated by applying pressure to the actuator compartment by means of an operating pressure supply, a work process being carried out to actuate the actuator, which process is accompanied by the actuator transitioning from a starting configuration to an end configuration. The pressure the pressure applied to the actuator compartment is measured depending on time by means of a sensor apparatus during the transition from the starting configuration to the end configuration. The invention also relates to a pressure-driven actuator.

Abstract: A method for operating a vacuum handling apparatus, in particular for a human-machine-collaboration system, a vacuum gripper can be connected to a primary vacuum system to generate a vacuum, the method includes the following steps applying the vacuum gripper to a workpiece and building up a vacuum in the vacuum gripper by means of the primary vacuum system; holding the workpiece during its handling by means of the vacuum prevailing in the vacuum gripper, and monitoring at least one state variable during the handling; and generating an auxiliary vacuum in the vacuum gripper by a self-sufficient, secondary auxiliary vacuum system if the monitored state variable deviates from a target state.

Abstract: The invention relates to an operating device for a tube lifter having a suction grip device arranged on one end of the lifting tube, the operating device having a suction port for fluid communication with the suction grip device, a lifting tube port for fluid communication with the tube interior of the lifting tube, and a valve means for controlling the fluid communications, the valve means comprising a blocking member, a ventilation valve and a control valve, the valve means being designed such that the control valve is adjustable independently of the position of the blocking member and the valve means being designed such that when the ventilation valve is shifted into the ventilation position the blocking member always closes off the flow path between the tube interior and the suction grip device. The invention also relates to a tube lifter comprising an operating device of this kind.

Abstract: Devices for separating two workpiece parts, e.g., metal sheets, from one another are described and include a workpiece mounting, a lifting device arranged on one side of the workpiece mounting, and a counter-holder arranged on the opposite side of the workpiece mounting. The counter-holder can be transferred into a fixing state and into a releasing state. One of the workpiece parts to be separated from one another is provided as a removal part, the other as a remaining part. For separating the two workpiece parts, the removal part, which is acted upon by the lifting device and supported by the counter-holder, can be moved by means of the lifting device perpendicular to the mounting in relation to the remaining part by a removal movement. At least in the releasing state, the counter-holder forms a rigid abutment in the lifting direction for the removal part. The rigid abutment has the effect that the removal part is aligned parallel to the mounting.

Abstract: The invention is a holding device for a suction gripper or for another interface member on a base of a vacuum handling apparatus, wherein the holding device is designed for detachable and preferably tool-free attachment of the suction gripper to the base and has a first direction and a second direction orthogonal thereto.

Abstract: A method for operating a vacuum handling apparatus, in particular for a human-machine-collaboration system, a vacuum gripper can be connected to a primary vacuum system to generate a vacuum, the method includes the following steps applying the vacuum gripper to a workpiece and building up a vacuum in the vacuum gripper by means of the primary vacuum system; holding the workpiece during its handling by means of the vacuum prevailing in the vacuum gripper, and monitoring at least one state variable during the handling; and generating an auxiliary vacuum in the vacuum gripper by a self-sufficient, secondary auxiliary vacuum system if the monitored state variable deviates from a target state.

Abstract: The invention relates to an operating device for a tube lifter having a suction grip device arranged on one end of the lifting tube, the operating device having a suction port for fluid communication with the suction grip device, a lifting tube port for fluid communication with the tube interior of the lifting tube, and a valve means for controlling the fluid communications, the valve means comprising a blocking member, a ventilation valve and a control valve, the valve means being designed such that the control valve is adjustable independently of the position of the blocking member and the valve means being designed such that when the ventilation valve is shifted into the ventilation position the blocking member always closes off the flow path between the tube interior and the suction grip device. The invention also relates to a tube lifter comprising an operating device of this kind.

Abstract: The invention relates to an operating device for a tube lifter having a lifting tube that has a tube interior and can be shortened by applying a vacuum to the tube interior, and having a suction grip device arranged on one end of the tube lifter, which suction grip device can be supplied with a vacuum through the tube interior, the operating device having a suction port for fluid communication with the suction grip device, a lifting tube port for fluid communication with the tube interior of the lifting tube, and valve means for controlling the fluid communications, the valve means including a control valve which is adjustable between a closed position and an open position, in the open position a flow path from the surroundings to the lifting tube port being open, and in the closed position said flow path being substantially closed, and a control mechanism comprising a manually actuable operating element being provided for adjusting the control valve.

Abstract: An operating device for a handling device, with a gripping section and a coupling for a gripping device, with at least a part of the coupling being at or in the gripping section, so that it is rotatable about an axis of rotation, with a reading device for reading out an information carrier with coded data being placed on the side of the griping section facing the coupling, where the reading device is designed to read out an information carrier of a gripping device coupled to the coupling regardless of the rotational position of the coupling.

Abstract: Battery gripper (12), for attracting by suction and handling starter batteries (26) of, in particular, motor vehicles, having a housing (56), in which a vacuum chamber which can be loaded with vacuum is provided and which has suction openings (84, 84) on the suction side thereof (54) which faces the starter battery to be attracted by suction, wherein the suction side is assigned a flexible lining (82) for contact with the starter battery, wherein the housing has a T-shaped cross section which runs parallel to the suction side, wherein the cross section has a bar section (64) and a web section (66) which extends transversely from the bar section, in such a way that the web section extends between the battery poles (68, 70) of the starter battery when the starter battery is attracted by suction to the battery gripper.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device (10) for the hand-guided movement of loads by means of a retaining or gripping element (11) as a lifting aid, which retaining or gripping element is attached to a load-bearing rope (2), comprising a load-bearing apparatus (1), which is provided with at least one vertical cantilever (3), over which the load-bearing rope (2) is guided from sides of a rope-winding apparatus (4) on the load-bearing apparatus (1) by means of an adjustable rope articulation point (5), wherein a sensor (6) for measuring a rope angle of the load-bearing rope (2) in relation to the vertical is provided and a controller coupled to the sensor (6) is provided, which controller is designed to simultaneously control an adjustment of the rope articulation point (5) and a rope length of the load-bearing rope (2) on the basis of a measured rope angle.

Abstract: A handling device for handling an object by means of manual control of the handling device by an operator, including a sensor apparatus and an evaluating apparatus, is designed and developed with a view to further simplify the handling of objects using a handling device such that the sensor apparatus comprises sensors for detecting the position of the handling device and movement data of the handling device in the form of measured values, such that the evaluating apparatus is designed to generate handling instructions and/or handling-related information for the operator by evaluating the detected measured values, and such that an output apparatus is provided for outputting the handling instructions and/or handling-related information to the operator.