Patents by Inventor Stefan Rueckl

Stefan Rueckl 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).

  • Publication number: 20150298321
    Abstract: A system is disclosed. The system may include any suitable combination of a sensing gripper unit, a gripper unit with removable gripper fingers, an element or chute arrangement for separating gripper fingers from an object being gripped, and a detection system for detecting the level of objects in a container such as a waste container. The system may be used in a laboratory environment where objects such as specimen containers, caps, and tubes are manipulated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2013
    Publication date: October 22, 2015
    Inventors: Mark Gross, Edward A. Murashie, Santiago Allen, Allan Trochman, Stefan Rueckl, Stephan L. Otts, Martin Mueller, Sophia Lauterbach, Lukas Bearden, Andreas Donner-Rehm
  • Publication number: 20140100694
    Abstract: A camera-based auto-alignment process can include gripping a first calibration tool by a gripper unit of a robotic arm. Images of the first calibration tool can be captured by a camera coupled to the gripper unit. The gripper unit and camera unit can be aligned on two roughly parallel axes. The images can be analyzed to calibrate the axis of view of the camera with the gripper axis, providing an XY calibration of the robotic arm. The gripper unit can be calibrated on a Z-axis using optical calibration with landmarks provided on a second calibration tool, and/or by moving the gripper unit towards the work surface until it makes contact with the work surface and stops. Once calibrated, the camera can be used to identify one or more landmarks at known locations on the work surface to align the robotic arm with the work surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 4, 2013
    Publication date: April 10, 2014
    Applicant: Beckman Coulter, Inc.
    Inventors: Stefan Rueckl, Sebastian Streibl, Manuel Sickert