Elastic corrugated pipe single-acting cylinder-driven mechanical gripper with series-connection plate spring framework

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9724832-B2
Application number	US-201515117207-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 12, 2015
Priority date	May 12, 2015
Publication date	Aug 8, 2017
Grant date	Aug 8, 2017

Abstract

The invention relates to an elastic corrugated pipe single-acting cylinder-driven mechanical gripper with a series-connection plate spring framework. The mechanical gripper consists of a palm and two flexible fingers or a palm and three flexible fingers. The flexible fingers are identical in structure. Each flexible finger consists of an elastic corrugated pipe single-acting cylinder and a series-connection plate spring. Dimensions of all plate springs connected in series are optimally designed according to grasping objects. The mechanical gripper is driven by the elastic corrugated pipe single-acting cylinder to generate a grasping force. The mechanical gripper applies to the grasping of fragile, brittle objects or the grasping of objects varying with shapes and dimensions. When connected with a robot body, the mechanical gripper particularly applies to the production and logistic fields for grasping, sorting and packing of foods, agriculture products and light industrial products.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An elastic corrugated pipe single-acting cylinder-driven mechanical gripper with a series-connection plate spring framework, wherein a first flexible finger and a second flexible finger that is identical to the first flexible finger are symmetrically installed in guide slots of a palm plate on the left and right, with a center distance defined by a center hole on the palm plate,
wherein each of the first and second flexible fingers consists of a finger root, a bendable plate, a thick-plate spring, a thread plate, pressure blocks, a thin-plate spring, a pressure plate, a hinge base, two-force bars, and an elastic corrugated pipe single-acting cylinder; the finger root works as a guide in the guide slots of the palm plate; a first screw passes through a first capsule-shaped groove on the finger root to fix the finger root on the palm plate; the first capsule-shaped groove on the finger root can regulate the center distance of the flexible finger; through a second screw, the thick-plate spring is clamped between the bendable plate and the finger root; two pressure blocks respectively press the thick-plate spring and the thin-plate spring on the thread plate; the thick-plate spring and the thin-plate spring have second capsule-shaped grooves at the parts where they are pressed by the screw plate in order to facilitate regulation on the actual working length of the thick-plate spring and the thin-plate spring; the pressure plate has four threaded holes which are inserted by four third screws; the four third screws penetrate the hinge base to tighten the thin-plate spring on the pressure plate; the thin-plate spring has no hole, facilitating the installation position of the hinge base on the thin-plate spring; and the two ends of the two-force bars are hinges, respectively forming a hinge connection with the hinge base and a hinge support on the elastic corrugated pipe single-acting cylinder;
wherein each of the first and second capsule-shaped grooves has two opposite round ends and two straight sides parallel to each other.

2. The elastic corrugated pipe single-acting cylinder-driven mechanical gripper with a series-connection plate spring framework according to claim 1 , wherein the elastic corrugated pipe single-acting cylinder consists of a bottom cover, a rubber pad, a cylinder base, a hoop, a rubber elastic corrugated pipe, a guide sleeve, a linear bearing, a threaded cover, a guide rod, a guide rod base, a hinge support, a compression spring, a nylon regulating plate, a spring cover, an internal hexagonal screw, a sealing ring, a plug-in coupling, annular weft yarns and warp yarns,
wherein the bottom cover, the rubber pad and the cylinder base are fixed together through screws; a flange at the upper end of the guide sleeve is pressed by the cylinder base on the rubber pad; a column below the flange of the guide sleeve is in clearance fit with a minimum hole of the cylinder base, ensuring the coaxiality of the guide sleeve and the cylinder base; the rubber elastic corrugated pipe is fixed on the cylinder base and the guide rod base by using the hoop; the linear bearing guiding the guide rod is installed in the guide sleeve; the threaded cover caps the guide sleeve in a screw manner to axially fix the linear bearing; the guide rod is installed on the guide rod base; the compression spring is disposed inside the guide sleeve; the internal hexagonal screw fixes the nylon regulating plate and the spring cover on the guide rod; the spring cover presses the compression spring; through replacing the nylon regulating plate with other nylon regulating plates with different thicknesses, the pre-tension of the compression spring, and the journey of the elastic corrugated pipe single-acting cylinder can be regulated; the hinge support is installed at the symmetric center of the guide rod base; adjusting the phase angle of the elastic corrugated pipe on the guide rod base ensures that the hinge support remains on the same plane together with the hinge base and the two-force bars; the plug-in coupling is equipped on the cylinder base in a threaded way; the sealing ring is disposed between screw threads of the plug-in coupling and the cylinder base; and the rubber elastic corrugated pipe is internally provided with annular weft yarns for reinforcement, and warp yarns which are distributed along the axial direction of the elastic corrugated pipe and are winded with the annular weft yarns.

3. The elastic corrugated pipe single-acting cylinder-driven mechanical gripper with a series-connection plate spring framework according to claim 1 , wherein, the palm plate is provided with a left guide slot, a right-upper guide slot, a right-middle guide slot, and a right-lower slot; the left guide slot is symmetrical to the right-middle guide slot; the left guide slot and the right-upper guide slot and the right-lower guide slot are uniformly distributed at an interval of 120°; each of the left guide slot, the right-upper guide slot, the right-middle guide slot, and the right-lower slot has a threaded hole, and the threaded holes of the left guide slot, the right-upper guide slot, the right-middle guide slot, and the right-lower slot are identical in center distance.

4. The elastic corrugated pipe single-acting cylinder-driven mechanical gripper with a series-connection plate spring framework according to claim 1 , wherein, the thick-plate spring includes a first cuboid part, a trapezoid part and a second cuboid part in sequence from top to bottom the trapezoid part of the thick-plate spring has a variable width.

5. The elastic corrugated pipe single-acting cylinder-driven mechanical gripper with a series-connection plate spring framework according to claim 1 , wherein, the thin-plate spring includes a first cuboid part, a first trapezoid part, a second cuboid part and a second trapezoid part in sequence from too to bottom each of the first and second trapezoid parts has a variable width; and the lower end of the thin-plate spring is shaped as a curved face.

6. An elastic corrugated pipe single-acting cylinder-driven mechanical gripper with a series-connection plate spring framework, wherein a first flexible finger, a second flexible finger that is identical to the first flexible finger, and a third flexible finger that is identical to the first flexible finger, the first, second, and third flexible fingers are uniformly installed in guide slots of a palm plate at an interval of 120°, with center distances defined by a center hole on the palm plate;
wherein each of the first, second, and third flexible fingers consists of a finger root, a bendable plate, a thick-plate spring, a thread plate, pressure blocks, a thin-plate spring, a pressure plate, a hinge base, two-force bars, and an elastic corrugated pipe single-acting cylinder; the finger root works as a guide in the guide slots of the palm plate; a first screw passes through a first capsule-shaped groove on the finger root to fix the finger root on the palm plate; the first capsule-shaped groove on the finger root can regulate the center distance of the flexible finger; through a second screw, the thick-plate spring is clamped between the bendable plate and the finger root; two pressure blocks respectively press the thick-plate spring and the thin-plate spring on the thread plate; the thick-plate spring and the thin-plate spring have second capsule-shaped grooves at the parts where they are pressed by the screw plate in order to facilitate regulation on the actual working length of the thick-plate spring and the thin-plate spring; the pressure plate has four threaded holes which are inserted by four third screws; the four third screws penetrate the hinge base to tighten the thin-plate spring on the pressure plate; the thin-plate spring has no hole, facilitating the inst

Assignees

• Univ Jiangnan

Inventors

• Zhang Jun
• Zhang Qiuju
• Jiang Jianzhong
• Lv Bing

Classifications

• B25J15/103

  for gripping the object in three contact points · CPC title

• B25J15/12 Primary

  with flexible finger members · CPC title

• B25J15/022

  actuated by articulated links · CPC title

• F15B15/10

  the motor being of diaphragm type · CPC title

• F15B15/1471

  Guiding means other than in the end cap (F15B15/1466 takes precedence) · CPC title