Suction pads for supporting loads

摘要

A suction pad for adhering a load to a surface and comprising a disc having an extensible annular seal on one face and a radial vacuum inducer mounted on the other. The inducer is capable of evacuating the interior region bounded by the seal to anchor the disc to the surface. There are gas thrusters disposed outside the seal for opposing the vacuum by extending the seal when it is required to reduce adhesion to allow lateral displacement of the suction pad without breaking the annular seal.