Needle gripper

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9758323-B2
Application number	US-201415026109-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 24, 2014
Priority date	Oct 1, 2013
Publication date	Sep 12, 2017
Grant date	Sep 12, 2017

Abstract

Needle gripper features a gripper unit with a gripping surface facing a workpiece to grip, and a needle carriage with a gripping needle. The needle carriage moves into an active position extending the gripping needle beyond the gripping surface by one needle stroke depth, and in a passive position retracting the gripping needle, and features a drive unit with a drive actuator driven forward/backward along a drive direction that couples to the needle carriage so it moves into the passive/active positions by driving the drive actuator forward/backward. A setting device for setting the needle stroke depth includes a guide carriage displaceable perpendicularly to the drive direction along a guide direction, and a stop for the guide carriage. The drive actuator couples via connection arm to the guide carriage so when the drive actuator moves backward, the guide carriage moves in the direction toward the stop, which prevents further backwards movement.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Needle gripper ( 10 ) for gripping a workpiece, comprising
a gripper unit ( 12 ) with a gripping surface ( 20 ) facing the workpiece to be gripped, and at least one needle carriage ( 32 ) with at least one gripping needle ( 22 ), wherein the at least one needle carriage ( 32 ) can be displaced into an active position in which the gripping needle ( 22 ) is extended beyond the gripping surface ( 20 ) by a needle stroke depth ( 24 ), and in a passive position in which the gripping needle ( 22 ) is retracted,
a drive unit ( 14 ) with a drive actuator ( 26 ) which can be driven forward and backward along a drive direction ( 40 ), wherein the drive actuator ( 26 ) is coupled to the movement of the at least one needle carriage ( 32 ) so that the at least one needle carriage ( 32 ) can be moved into the passive position and into the active position by driving the drive actuator ( 26 ) forward and backward, and
a setting device ( 34 ) for setting the needle stroke depth ( 24 ), characterized in that the setting device ( 34 ) comprises a guide carriage ( 38 ) which can be displaced perpendicularly to the drive direction ( 40 ) along a guide direction ( 36 ), and a stop ( 54 ) for the guide carriage ( 38 ), wherein the drive actuator ( 26 ) is coupled by means of a connection arm ( 42 ) to the movement of the guide carriage ( 38 ) so that, when the drive actuator ( 26 ) is driven backward, the guide carriage ( 38 ) is moved in the direction toward the stop ( 54 ), and further driving backward of the drive actuator ( 26 ) is prevented.

2. Needle gripper ( 10 ) according to claim 1 , characterized in that the connection arm ( 42 ) extends slantwise with respect to the drive direction ( 40 ) and to the guide direction ( 36 ).

3. Needle gripper ( 10 ) according to claim 2 , characterized in that the connection arm ( 42 ) is guided in a manner so that it can slide along its direction of extension on the guide carriage ( 38 ).

4. Needle gripper ( 10 ) according to claim 2 , characterized in that the guide carriage ( 38 ) has at least one sliding protrusion ( 52 ), wherein the at least one sliding protrusion ( 52 ) slides in a guide groove ( 39 ) of a housing wall ( 18 ) of the needle gripper ( 10 ).

5. Needle gripper ( 10 ) according to claim 2 , characterized in that an adjustment device ( 62 ) for setting the position of the stop ( 54 ) along the guide direction ( 36 ) is provided.

6. Needle gripper ( 10 ) according to claim 2 , characterized in that the position of the stop ( 54 ) along the guide direction ( 36 ) can be displayed using a display means ( 64 , 66 ).

7. Needle gripper ( 10 ) according to claim 2 , characterized in that at least one sensor ( 88 ) for detecting a position of the guide carriage ( 38 ) along the guide direction ( 36 ) is provided.

8. Needle gripper ( 10 ) according to claim 7 , characterized in that the sensor ( 88 ) is arranged on a sensor socket ( 92 ), whose position along the guide direction ( 36 ) can also be set by means of the adjustment device ( 62 ).

9. Needle gripper ( 10 ) according to claim 1 , characterized in that the connection arm ( 42 ) is guided in a manner so that it can slide along its direction of extension on the guide carriage ( 38 ).

10. Needle gripper ( 10 ) according to claim 1 , characterized in that the guide carriage ( 38 ) has at least one sliding protrusion ( 52 ), wherein the at least one sliding protrusion ( 52 ) slides in a guide groove ( 39 ) of a housing wall ( 18 ) of the needle gripper ( 10 ).

11. Needle gripper ( 10 ) according to claim 1 , characterized in that an adjustment device ( 62 ) for setting the position of the stop ( 54 ) along the guide direction ( 36 ) is provided.

12. Needle gripper ( 10 ) according to claim 1 , characterized in that the position of the stop ( 54 ) along the guide direction ( 36 ) can be displayed using a display means ( 64 , 66 ).

13. Needle gripper ( 10 ) according to claim 1 , characterized in that at least one sensor ( 88 ) for detecting a position of the guide carriage ( 38 ) along the guide direction ( 36 ) is provided.

14. Needle gripper ( 10 ) according to claim 13 , characterized in that the sensor ( 88 ) is arranged on a sensor socket ( 92 ), whose position along the guide direction ( 36 ) can also be set by means of the adjustment device ( 62 ).

15. Needle gripper ( 10 ) according to claim 1 , characterized in that the drive unit ( 14 ) comprises a drive piston ( 26 ) which can be driven forward and backward pneumatically.

16. Needle gripper ( 100 ) according to claim 1 , characterized in that the drive unit ( 14 ) has an electrically driven drive actuator ( 26 ).

17. Needle gripper ( 10 ) according to claim 1 , characterized in that the drive actuator ( 26 ) drives the one or more needle carriages ( 32 ) via a gear unit.

18. Needle gripper ( 10 ) according to claim 1 , characterized in that at least one housing inner wall ( 76 ) of the gripper unit ( 12 ) comprises a guide relief ( 78 ) with a groove section ( 80 ) and with an extraction indentation ( 82 ), wherein the at least one needle carriage ( 32 ) comprises a sliding section by means of which it slides in the groove section ( 80 ) between its active position and its passive position, and wherein the needle carriage ( 32 ) can be extracted from the gripper unit ( 12 ) by introducing the sliding section into the extraction indentation ( 82 ) of the guide relief ( 78 ).

19. Needle gripper ( 10 ) according to claim 18 , characterized in that the gripper unit ( 12 ) comprises a housing ( 16 ) with a maintenance opening ( 70 ) for extracting the at least one needle carriage ( 32 ), wherein a maintenance plate ( 72 ) for the purpose of closing the maintenance opening ( 70 ), which can be attached and removed, is provided so that, when the maintenance opening ( 70 ) is closed, the extraction indentation ( 82 ) is blocked by the maintenance plate ( 72 ).

20. Needle gripper ( 10 ) according to claim 19 , characterized in that the maintenance plate ( 72 ) has a snap-in protrusion ( 74 ) which, in the case in which the maintenance plate ( 72 ) is attached to the housing ( 16 ), engages with an associated snap-in recess or snap-in opening.

Assignees

• Schmalz J Gmbh

Inventors

• Werni Benjamin
• Stahl Tobias

Classifications

• B65H2220/04

  for distinguishing adjusting from controlling, i.e. manual adjustments · CPC title

• B65H2511/222

  Stroke · CPC title

• B25J15/0071

  with needles engaging into objects to be gripped · CPC title

• B65H2220/01

  indicating an entity as a function of which control, adjustment or change is performed, i.e. input · CPC title

• B65H2220/11

  indicating that the input or output entities exclusively relate to machine elements · CPC title