US 11,806,853 B2
System and method for autonomously removing fasteners embedded in wood products
Alexander Thiele, Oakland, CA (US); Eric Law, Lafayette, CA (US); Maxwell Micali, Oakland, CA (US); Andrew Gillies, Lafayette, CA (US); Tyler Compton, Oakland, CA (US); and Alexander Galitskiy, San Francisco, CA (US)
Assigned to Urban Machine, Inc., Oakland, CA (US)
Filed by Urban Machine, Inc., Oakland, CA (US)
Filed on Mar. 3, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/117,240.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/419,244, filed on Oct. 25, 2022.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/316,935, filed on Mar. 4, 2022.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/316,933, filed on Mar. 4, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2023/0278181 A1, Sep. 7, 2023
Int. Cl. B25C 11/00 (2006.01); B25J 9/00 (2006.01); B25J 11/00 (2006.01); B25J 9/16 (2006.01)
CPC B25C 11/00 (2013.01) [B25J 9/0093 (2013.01); B25J 9/1679 (2013.01); B25J 9/1697 (2013.01); B25J 11/005 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for extracting fasteners from a recycled wood workpiece comprising:
a chassis defining a work volume;
a conveyor:
configured to receive the recycled wood workpiece populated with metal fasteners; and
configured to constrain a section of the recycled wood workpiece within the work volume;
an optical sensor facing the work volume;
a non-threaded fastener extractor module comprising:
a stage supported by the chassis; and
a non-threaded fastener end effector:
supported and manipulated on the chassis via the stage; and
comprising:
a set of jaws configured to engage and retain metal fasteners from the section of the recycled wood workpiece; and
a jaw actuator configured to actuate the set of jaws; and
a controller configured to:
access an image of the work volume captured by the optical sensor;
based on a set of features detected in the image:
detect a first fastener in the section of the recycled wood workpiece occupying the work volume; and
derive a first position and a first orientation of the first fastener in the work volume;
define a first target engagement position of the non-threaded fastener end effector, to engage the first fastener, based on the first position and the first orientation of the first fastener within the work volume;
trigger the stage to drive the non-threaded fastener end effector to the first target engagement position;
trigger the jaw actuator to drive the set of jaws to engage the first fastener in the section of the recycled wood workpiece; and
trigger the stage to retract the non-threaded fastener end effector from the first target engagement position to extract the first fastener from the recycled wood workpiece.