Gripper and robot system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10226865-B2
Application number	US-201815901113-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 21, 2018
Priority date	Apr 12, 2017
Publication date	Mar 12, 2019
Grant date	Mar 12, 2019

Abstract

A gripper includes: a base attached to a wrist tip of a robot, a first-surface suction unit provided on the base and capable of sucking a first surface of a box-shaped package in a first suction direction, and a second-surface support unit configured to contact and support a second surface of the package orthogonal to the first surface. The gripper further includes a moving mechanism configured to move the second-surface support unit along a plane parallel to the second surface between a position where the second-surface support unit is retracted toward a base end side of relative to a leading end of the first-surface suction unit in the first suction direction and a position where the second-surface support unit is placed forward from the leading end of the first-surface suction unit while the first-surface suction unit is sucking the first surface.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A gripper comprising:
a base to be attached to a wrist tip of a robot;
a first-surface suction unit provided on the base and capable of sucking a first surface of a box-shaped package in a first suction direction;
a second-surface support unit configured to contact and support a second surface of the package orthogonal to the first surface; and
a moving mechanism configured to move the second-surface support unit along a plane parallel to the second surface between a position where the second-surface support unit is retracted toward a base end side relative to a leading end of the first-surface suction unit in the first suction direction and a position where the second-surface support unit is placed forward from the leading end of the first-surface suction unit while the first-surface suction unit is sucking the first surface,
wherein:
the box-shaped package is stored in a stack with only the first surface being exposed,
the second-surface support unit is a second-surface suction unit capable of sucking in a second suction direction orthogonal to the first suction direction,
the moving mechanism is configured to rotate the second-surface support unit about an axis orthogonal to the first suction direction, and
the second-surface suction unit is configured to rotate so as to face the second surface exposed from the stack to grip and transfer the box-shaped package after the first-surface suction unit sucks the first surface to pull the box-shaped package, and
the moving mechanism is configured to move the second-surface suction unit to the position where the second-surface support unit is placed forward from the leading end of the first-surface suction unit, and then to move the second-surface suction unit along the second suction direction closer to the second surface.

2. A robot system comprising:
the gripper according to claim 1 ; and
a robot, wherein the gripper is attached to a wrist tip of the robot through the base.

3. The robot system according to claim 2 , further comprising
a sensor configured to detect positions of the first surface and the second surface of the package before the robot positions the first-surface suction unit in a positioning state with respect to the first surface of the package.

4. The gripper according to claim 1 , wherein the second-surface suction unit comprises a plurality of suction pads.

Assignees

• Fanuc Corp

Inventors

• Nakayama Kazutaka

Classifications

• Y10S901/09

  Closed loop, sensor feedback controls arm movement · CPC title

• B25J9/1697

  Vision controlled systems · CPC title

• Y10S901/40

  Vacuum or mangetic · CPC title

• Y10S901/31

  Gripping jaw · CPC title

• B25J15/0028

  with movable, e.g. pivoting gripping jaw surfaces · CPC title