Gripper, conveyor system, and method for operating such a conveyor system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9422109-B2
Application number	US-201214112361-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 20, 2012
Priority date	Apr 21, 2011
Publication date	Aug 23, 2016
Grant date	Aug 23, 2016

Abstract

A gripper for grasping and conveying objects while retaining the objects, and to a corresponding conveyor system and an operating method. The gripper has a gripper body and first and second gripper jaws. The gripper jaws each include at least one respective clamping region, can assume an open state and a closed state relative to each other, and can exert a clamping force on each other or on the object to be grasped. At least one of the gripper jaws includes a jaw body that is elastically deformable and is supported on the gripper body such that the body assumes a defined spatial position (resting position) when force is not applied to a control element and deforms and is deflected from the resting position when force is applied to the control element.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A gripper for grasping and conveying spatially extended, symmetrical objects, said gripper having a gripper body, a first gripper jaw and a second gripper jaw, each of said first and second gripper jaws comprising at least one clamping region and being able to assume an open and a closed state in relation to one another and being able to exert a clamping force onto the object to be grasped, and said gripper having at least one control element that is adapted to interact with a control link so as to move said first and second gripper jaws between the open and closed states, said at least one control element being part of the gripper and being moved together with the gripper in a conveying direction whereas the control link is stationary and positioned so that the at least one control element is moved into engagement with the control link, and applies a force to the at least one control element, as the gripper and the at least one control element are moved in the conveying direction, wherein at least one of the gripper jaws includes a jaw body that is elastically deformable and is mounted on the gripper body such that, when the control element is out of engagement with the control link, the gripper jaws assume a defined spatial position and, when the control element is in engagement with the control link, the gripper jaws deform and are thereby deflected out of the defined spatial position.

2. The gripper as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the jaw body is mounted on the gripper body at at least three points, which do not lie along one common axis, or at at least two different axes.

3. The gripper as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the jaw body comprises portions which are loaded with torsion and flexion when force acts on the control element and/or when an object is held.

4. The gripper as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the jaw body consists at least in part of an elastically deformable material.

5. The gripper as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the jaw body is of one part or multiple parts.

6. The gripper as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the jaw body comprises at least two fastening portions that are spaced apart from one another, between which the clamping region is located and by way of which the jaw body is mounted in or on bearing regions of the gripping body, wherein the bearing regions and consequently the fastening portions are aligned in the gripper body along different axes.

7. The gripper as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the jaw body is a bow made of a wire-shaped or tubular material.

8. The gripper as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the bow forms a loop that lies substantially in one plane.

9. The gripper as claimed in claim 1 , wherein, in a lateral region, the jaw body comprises an actuating portion that functions directly as the control element or is coupled with a separate control element.

10. The gripper as claimed in claim 9 , wherein a fastening portion adjoins the actuating portion, by way of which the jaw body is mounted in the gripper body, and in that the actuating portion is bent in relation to the fastening portion.

11. The gripper as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the clamping region is formed such that, in the closed state together with the further gripper jaw, a receiving device with a defined minimum size is formed.

12. The gripper as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the clamping region is adaptable to different forms and sizes of the objects to be received by said clamping region by way of comprising elastically deformable clamping elements that have a degree of elasticity that is greater than a degree of elasticity of the jaw body and that, in use, surround the object.

13. The gripper as claimed in claim 12 , wherein, for adapting additionally to the objects to be received, the clamping elements are exchangeable.

14. The gripper as claimed in claim 1 , comprising two substantially identically constructed gripper jaws that are individually controllable.

15. The gripper as claimed in claim 1 , comprising two substantially identically constructed gripper jaws that are prestressed toward one another or outwards.

16. The gripper as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the gripper jaws comprise further actuating elements for realizing an automatic opening function or are coupled with such further actuating elements, wherein the gripper jaws are moved apart from one another when an object to be received presses against the further actuating elements.

17. The gripper as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the gripper comprises at least two first gripper jaws and at least two second gripper jaws, wherein each first gripper jaw is able to assume an open and a closed state in relation to at least one second gripper jaw and is able to exert a clamping force onto the object to be grasped and/or also in reverse each second gripper jaw is able to assume an open and a closed state in relation to at least one first gripper jaw and is able to exert a clamping force onto the object to be grasped.

18. The gripper as claimed in claim 17 , wherein each first gripper jaw is able to assume an open and a closed state in relation to one single second gripper jaw and is able to exert a clamping force onto the object to be grasped, and in that also each second gripper jaw is able to assume an open and a closed state in relation to one single first gripper jaw and is able to exert a clamping force onto the object to be grasped.

19. The gripper as claimed in claim 17 , wherein several first gripper jaws are deflected by one common control element and/or several second gripper jaws are deflected by one different, common control element, and wherein the gripper comprises a number of control elements that is greater than or equal to the number of the first gripper jaws and/or greater than or equal to the number of second gripper jaws.

20. The gripper as claimed in claim 17 , wherein, in the closed state, a first pair of gripper jaws is at an angle of between 40 and 140degrees, in particular of between 60 and 120 degrees and in particular of between 80 and 100 degrees with respect to a second pair of gripper jaws, wherein one pair of gripper jaws includes a first gripper jaw and a second gripper jaw that are able to exert a clamping force onto the object to be grasped.

21. A conveyor system having a drive member which is movable along a closed circular path and a plurality of grippers as claimed in claim 1 that are configured to be coupled to the drive member.

22. The conveyor system as claimed in claim 21 , said conveyor system including a transferring mechanism that is able to transfer a grasped object from a first gripper of the conveyor system into a second gripper of the conveyor system, wherein in particular the grasped object is transferred out of a first position with reference to the first gripper into a second position with reference to the second gripper and the first and the second position differ with reference to the respective gripper in contact points with the gripper, in the position of the object with reference to the gripper and/or in the orientation of the object with reference to the gripper.

23. The conveyor system as claimed in claim 21 , said conveyor system having a plurality of grippers that comprise one single controllable first gripper jaw and one substantially identically constructed second gripper jaw and first and second control elements that are associated therewith, and having first and second control links that interact with the first or second control elemen

Assignees

• Mader Carl Conrad
• Ferag Ag

Inventors

• Mader Carl Conrad

Classifications

• B29C49/42101

  Conveyors, e.g. flat conveyor or clamping between two bands · CPC title

• B29C49/42073

  Grippers · CPC title

• B65G17/20

  comprising load-carriers suspended from overhead traction chains · CPC title

• B65G47/908

  with inflatable picking-up means (inflatable gripping members on load engaging elements for cranes B66C1/46) · CPC title

• B65G2201/0235

  Containers · CPC title