Vacuum gripping device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9676565-B2
Application number	US-201414900577-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 16, 2014
Priority date	Nov 4, 2013
Publication date	Jun 13, 2017
Grant date	Jun 13, 2017

Abstract

A vacuum gripping device comprising a plurality of suction bodies, each comprising a suction chamber for applying to a workpiece to be gripped, a suction valve is associated with each suction point, wherein each suction valve comprises a vacuum supply side for connection to a vacuum supply device and a suction side connected to the suction chamber of the assigned suction body, wherein the suction valve comprises a valve body, moveable between an open position and a closed position, wherein the valve body is arranged on a flexible control membrane which delimits a control chamber; in such a way that the valve body is moveable from the open position into the closed position using deformation of the control membrane, and wherein a membrane cloth extending across multiple or all suction points is arranged in the gripper housing.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vacuum gripping device comprising:
a plurality of suction bodies disposed adjacent to one another at suction points of a working surface of a gripper housing, each of which has a suction chamber that is to bear on a workpiece that is to be gripped,
a plurality of suction valves, wherein a suction valve is allocated to each suction body for each suction point, wherein each suction valve has a vacuum supply side that is connected to a vacuum supply device, and a suction side connected to the suction chamber of the suction body allocated thereto, wherein each of the plurality of the suction valves has a valve body that is movable between an open position and a closed position, wherein the valve body is disposed on a flexible control membrane of the respective suction valve and delimits a control chamber such that the valve body is movable from the open position to the closed position, depending on a vacuum occurring in the control chamber as a result of a deformation of the control membrane, and wherein a membrane sheet extending over most or all of the suction points is provided in the gripper housing, wherein the membrane sheet comprises a plurality of control sections, wherein each of the plurality of control membranes for most or all of the plurality of suction valves is formed by one control section, respectively, wherein the gripper housing includes a housing upper part, and a housing lower part having the working surface, wherein the membrane sheet is disposed between the housing upper part and the housing lower part.

2. The vacuum gripping device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the membrane sheet is clamped between the housing upper part and the housing lower part.

3. The vacuum gripping device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein a valve accommodating chamber is formed for each suction point, extending in the gripper housing away from the working surface along a valve longitudinal direction, wherein the membrane sheet spans the valve accommodating chamber with the respective control section, in particular extending parallel to the working surface, and is secured in the valve accommodating chamber along an edge encompassing the control section.

4. The vacuum gripping device as set forth in claim 3 , wherein the membrane sheet is attached at the edge, tensioned such that the valve body is pre-tensioned in the open position, against a movement into the closed position.

5. The vacuum gripping device as set forth in claim 3 , wherein the valve body is disposed, spaced apart from the encompassing edge, on the control section, in particular in the center.

6. The vacuum gripping device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the valve bodies of the suction valve are each designed as an integral part of the membrane sheet.

7. The vacuum gripping device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the membrane sheet has a different thickness or a different flexibility in at least two different suction points.

8. The vacuum gripping device as set forth in claim 3 , wherein at each suction point, the respective suction body is aligned with the respective valve body, which is accommodated in the respective accommodating chamber, on the side of the control membrane lying opposite the valve body.

9. The vacuum gripping device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the suction bodies of the respective suction points allocated thereto are connected to the control sections of the membrane sheet such that, when the valve body is moved from the open position to the closed position, the respective suction body is moved from an advanced suction position to a retracted passive position.

10. The vacuum gripping device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the valve body has a sealing section, which closes a suction passage when in the closed position, which connects the control chamber to the vacuum supply side, and opens the suction passage when in the open position, wherein the valve body has a suction side passage having a choke point for establishing a flow connection from the suction side to the control chamber.

11. The vacuum gripping device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the control chamber has a flow connection to vacuum supply side, and in that the valve body has a suction side passage having a choke point for establishing a flow connection of the control chamber to the suction side, and having a sealing section, which bears on a seal seat when in the closed position, wherein the sealing section and the seal seat are disposed such that the flow connection from the suction side through the suction side passage is closed in a sealed manner.

12. The vacuum gripping device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the membrane sheet has a different thickness and a different flexibility in at least two different suction points.

Assignees

• Schmalz J Gmbh

Inventors

• Eisele Thomas
• Höhn Rainer
• Dunkmann Walter

Classifications

• B65G47/918

  with at least two picking-up heads · CPC title

• B65G47/91 Primary

  incorporating pneumatic, e.g. suction, grippers · CPC title