Gripper for automated wiring

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12155184-B2
Application number	US-202017437070-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 17, 2020
Priority date	Mar 15, 2019
Publication date	Nov 26, 2024
Grant date	Nov 26, 2024

Abstract

A gripper for the automated wiring of electrical components of an electrical switchgear, the gripper having at least two gripper fingers, wherein the gripper fingers delimit between them a cable guide corridor, the passage cross-section of which is bounded at a distal end of the gripper fingers by opposing gripper jaws of the gripper fingers and, with respect to the distal end, is bounded further proximally by opposing cable drives of the gripper fingers, the two gripper fingers being adjustable with respect to one another in an adjustment direction which corresponds to a cross-sectional direction of the passage cross-section in order to vary the passage cross-section via a linear adjustment unit. A corresponding robot and a corresponding method are further described.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A gripper for the automated wiring of electrical components of an electrical switchgear, the gripper comprising: at least two gripper fingers, wherein the at least two gripper fingers delimit a cable guide corridor between the at least two grippers, a passage cross-section of which is delimited at a distal end of the gripper fingers by opposing gripper jaws of the gripper fingers and, with respect to the distal end, further proximally by opposing cable drives of the gripper fingers, wherein a linear adjusting unit in an adjustment direction which corresponds to a cross-sectional direction of the passage cross-section configured to adjust the passage cross-section of the at least two gripper fingers to relative to one another.

2. The gripper according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the cable drives of at least one of the gripper fingers has at least one rotary drive, wherein rotary drives of the two gripper fingers which are located opposite one another have a direction of rotation in opposite directions.

3. The gripper according to claim 2 , wherein at least one pair of opposing rotary drives comprises at least one wheel, roller or conveyor belt per rotary drive.

4. The gripper according to claim 1 , wherein the opposing cable drives are adjustable in the adjustment direction of the gripper fingers and are mechanically pretensioned, preferably spring-pretensioned.

5. The gripper according to claim 1 , further comprising a cable guide opening into the passage cross-section on a proximal cable outlet side of the opposing cable drives.

6. The gripper according to claim 1 , wherein the opposing gripper jaws are each adjustable about an axis extending in the direction of adjustment.

7. The gripper according to claim 6 , wherein the opposing gripper jaws configured to adjust in the same direction and between two positions about the axis with an adjustment in an adjustment range of 0°-180° relative to one another.

8. The gripper according to claim 7 , wherein the gripper jaws each have a gripping end at longitudinal ends of the gripper jaws opposite to each other with respect to the axis, wherein in positions displaced with respect to each other, one of the gripping ends faces the distal end of its gripper finger and the other gripping end faces the cable drives at an opposite side with respect to the axis.

9. The gripper according to claim 1 , wherein the linear actuator is attached the gripper fingers to selectively bring the gripper fingers into at least one of the following positions relative to each other:
a. a cable holding position in which the gripper jaws between them limit the passage cross-section to a cable cross-section, or the cross-section of a cable end treatment, or less;
b. a cable transport position in which the gripper jaws between them limit the passage cross-section to a cable cross-section or to a cross-section greater than the cable cross-section, but preferably less than a cross-section of a cable end treatment; and
c. a cable receiving position in which the gripper jaws between them extend the passage cross-section beyond a cable cross-section and possibly a cable end treatment.

Assignees

• Rittal Gmbh & Co Kg

Inventors

• Bach Michael
• Jung Kevin
• Bächler Andreas Michael

Classifications

• H02B1/202

  Cable lay-outs · CPC title

• B25J15/0253

  comprising parallel grippers · CPC title

• B25J15/0033

  with gripping surfaces having special shapes · CPC title

• B25J15/0004 Primary

  with provision for adjusting the gripped object in the hand · CPC title

• H01R43/28

  for wire processing before connecting to contact members, not provided for in groups H01R43/02 - H01R43/26 · CPC title