Sheet material flexible gripper

Abstract

This utility model discloses a flexible sheet gripper, comprising a connecting part made of elastic material, the connecting part including a driving chamber, an upper connecting plate disposed on the upper part of the connecting part, the upper connecting plate having a communication port communicating with the driving chamber, the driving chamber including a bottom wall and a side wall, two flexible fingers connected to the lower part of the bottom wall, the area between the two flexible fingers forming a gripping area, when the upper connecting plate is in a horizontal state and the observer is facing the gripping area, the side facing the observer is defined as the front, the part of the bottom wall corresponding to the gripping area is a deformable part, the thickness of the deformable part is less than the thickness of the side wall or the elastic modulus of the deformable part is less than the elastic modulus of the side wall, and an outer reinforcing part is disposed between the outer side of the base of each flexible finger and the bottom wall. This flexible sheet gripper has a greater gripping force.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of flexible gripper technology, and in particular to a flexible gripper for sheet materials. Background Technology

[0002] In the field of industrial automation, the grasping action of robotic arms is mainly accomplished by rigid robotic grippers or vacuum suction cups. Flexible grippers, however, are widely used because they utilize air pressure to control the deformation of flexible materials to achieve flexible clamping. The applicant previously applied for a utility model patent with authorization announcement number CN222405739U, entitled "A Slit Flexible Gripper." This flexible gripper includes a slit flexible gripper with a connecting part made of elastic material. The connecting part includes a drive chamber, and an upper connecting plate is provided on the upper part of the connecting part. The upper connecting plate has a communication port communicating with the drive chamber. The drive chamber includes a bottom wall and side walls. The thickness of the bottom wall of the drive chamber is less than the thickness of the side walls, or the elastic modulus of the bottom wall is less than the elastic modulus of the side walls. Two flexible fingers are connected below the connecting part, and the bases of the flexible fingers are connected to the bottom wall of the chamber. This flexible gripper is suitable for clamping objects in confined spaces or plate-shaped objects.

[0003] However, this flexible chuck still has some problems: 1. The clamping force of this flexible chuck is relatively small. During the clamping process, because the middle of the flexible fingers is clamped by the object, the flexible fingers will flare outward into a V-shape. As a result, the pulling force generated when the bottom wall of the cavity deforms upward cannot be well transmitted to the flexible fingers, thus the clamping force is relatively small; 2. The width of the flexible fingers of this flexible chuck is equal to the width of the entire flexible chuck. Therefore, when clamping small objects, in order to ensure sufficient clamping force, it is necessary to ensure that the drive chamber is of a sufficient size. Therefore, the size of the flexible chuck cannot be made smaller, making it difficult to clamp some thin and narrow places; 3. Because the flexible fingers are connected to the bottom wall of the cavity, and the thickness of the bottom wall of the cavity is relatively thin, the flexible fingers are prone to shaking, which is especially obvious when the drive chamber switches between negative pressure and normal pressure; 4. When the current flexible chuck clamps objects, the side wall of the cavity at the beveled part may also have a certain degree of indentation. Utility Model Content

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by this utility model is to provide a flexible sheet gripper with greater clamping force.

[0005] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the technical solution of this utility model is: a sheet flexible gripper, comprising a connecting part made of elastic material, the connecting part including a driving chamber, an upper connecting plate provided on the upper part of the connecting part, a communication port provided on the upper connecting plate communicating with the driving chamber, the driving chamber including a bottom wall and a side wall, two flexible fingers connected below the bottom wall, the area between the two flexible fingers forming a clamping area, when the upper connecting plate is in a horizontal state and the observer is facing the clamping area, the side facing the observer is defined as the front, the part of the bottom wall corresponding to the clamping area is a deformable part, the thickness of the deformable part is less than the thickness of the side wall or the elastic modulus of the deformable part is less than the elastic modulus of the side wall, and an outer reinforcing part is provided between the outer side of the base of each flexible finger and the bottom wall.

[0006] As a preferred embodiment, the flexible finger portion includes a finger root portion and a clamping finger portion, wherein the front-to-back width of the finger root portion is greater than the front-to-back width of the clamping finger portion, and the outer reinforcing portion extends upward from the connection point between the finger root portion and the clamping finger portion to the bottom wall of the cavity and connects with the outer surface of the side wall of the cavity.

[0007] As a preferred embodiment, the flexible finger portion is a face-symmetrical shape, and the finger root portion and the clamping finger portion are symmetrical about each other with respect to the face-symmetry of the flexible finger portion.

[0008] As a preferred embodiment, the connection points between the bottom wall of the cavity and the left and right side walls of the cavity are provided with easily deformable areas.

[0009] As a preferred embodiment, the thickness of the connection between the bottom wall of the cavity and the left side wall of the cavity is less than the thickness of the left side wall of the cavity, thus forming a deformable region; the thickness of the connection between the bottom wall of the cavity and the right side wall of the cavity is less than the thickness of the right side wall of the cavity, thus forming a deformable region.

[0010] As a preferred embodiment, the connection points are formed by curved transitions between the bottom wall of the cavity and the left side wall of the cavity, and between the bottom wall of the cavity and the right side wall of the cavity.

[0011] As a preferred embodiment, the front and rear ends of the finger root are smoothly connected to the front and rear cavity sidewalls respectively via smooth connecting parts.

[0012] As a preferred embodiment, the inner surface of the gripping finger is provided with a rough structure to improve friction.

[0013] As a preferred embodiment, the clamping finger is provided with mounting holes.

[0014] As a preferred embodiment, the flexible finger is embedded with a reinforcing plate.

[0015] After adopting the above technical solution, the effect of this utility model is as follows: Since the part corresponding to the clamping area of ​​the cavity bottom wall is a deformable part, the thickness of the deformable part is less than the thickness of the cavity side wall or the elastic modulus of the deformable part is less than the elastic modulus of the cavity side wall, and an outer reinforcing part is provided between the outer side of the finger root of each flexible finger and the cavity bottom wall, the flexible gripper has at least the following advantages: 1. An outer reinforcing part is provided between the outer side of the finger root of the flexible finger and the cavity bottom wall. The outer reinforcing part increases the connection strength between the finger root and the cavity bottom wall. When deformed under negative pressure, the deformable part will move upward and contract as a whole. At this time, the deformable part will pull the finger root of the flexible finger, so that the flexible finger will come closer. Due to the presence of the outer reinforcing part, the deformation pulling force of the deformable part can be better transmitted to the flexible finger, so the overall clamping force is stronger. At the same time, due to the presence of the outer reinforcing part, the flexible finger will not be squeezed in the opposite direction when clamping, so the flexible finger will not deform into a figure-eight shape in the opposite direction, thus the clamping force is greater; 2. Due to the presence of the outer reinforcing part, the flexible finger is not easy to shake when clamping and releasing.

[0016] Furthermore, since the flexible finger includes a finger root and a clamping finger, and the front-to-back width of the finger root is greater than that of the clamping finger, and the outer reinforcing part extends upward from the connection point between the finger root and the clamping finger to the bottom wall of the cavity and connects with the outer side of the cavity sidewall, with the above structure, since the clamping finger is used to extend into the slit or clamp the sheet, the size of the clamping finger can be made smaller, while the front-to-back width of the finger root can be increased. In this way, the overall size of the connecting part can be larger, and the size of the driving chamber is also increased accordingly. This allows the size of the connecting part to be increased without increasing the size of the clamping finger, thereby adapting to higher negative pressure drive, and thus increasing the clamping force. This makes it suitable for clamping some small and heavier sheets, such as metal sheets, chips, memory modules, etc.

[0017] Furthermore, easily deformable areas are provided at the connections between the bottom wall of the cavity and the left and right side walls of the cavity, respectively. The thickness of the connection between the bottom wall of the cavity and the left side wall of the cavity is less than the thickness of the left side wall of the cavity, thus forming easily deformable areas; the thickness of the connection between the bottom wall of the cavity and the right side wall of the cavity is less than the thickness of the right side wall of the cavity, thus forming easily deformable areas. Therefore, these easily deformable areas facilitate better deformation of the bottom wall of the cavity and the left and right side walls of the cavity at the connection points. Under negative pressure, when the bottom wall of the cavity contracts upward, due to the presence of easily deformable areas, a crease-like state is formed in the easily deformable areas, making it easier for the bottom wall of the cavity to deform upward.

[0018] Furthermore, since the connection points between the bottom wall of the cavity and the left side wall of the cavity, and between the bottom wall of the cavity and the right side wall of the cavity, are formed by curved transitions, the deformation can be smoother, the stress can be better distributed, and stress concentration is less likely to occur.

[0019] Furthermore, since the front and rear ends of the finger root are smoothly connected to the front and rear cavity sidewalls respectively through smooth connecting parts, the overall appearance is more beautiful, and the smooth connection also facilitates demolding during molding.

[0020] Furthermore, the inner surface of the clamping finger is provided with a rough structure to increase friction, which can improve the clamping effect.

[0021] Furthermore, since the clamping fingers are provided with mounting holes, these mounting holes can be used to fix other contoured parts, thus making it more adaptable.

[0022] Furthermore, since the flexible finger is embedded with a reinforcing plate, the strength of the flexible finger can be further increased. Attached Figure Description

[0023] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0024] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural view of Embodiment 1 of this utility model;

[0025] Figure 2 This is a front view of Embodiment 1 of this utility model;

[0026] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 Sectional view at AA;

[0027] Figure 4 This is a left view of Embodiment 1 of this utility model;

[0028] Figure 5 yes Figure 4 Sectional view at BB;

[0029] Figure 6 This is a perspective view of Embodiment 2 of this utility model;

[0030] In the attached diagram: 1. Connecting part; 2. Upper connecting plate; 3. Communicating port; 4. Clamping finger part; 5. Finger root part; 6. Rough structure; 7. Smooth connection part; 8. Driving chamber; 81. Deformable area; 9. External reinforcement part; 10. Mounting hole; 11. Deformable part; 12. Front cavity sidewall; 13. Left cavity sidewall; 14. Right cavity sidewall. Detailed Implementation

[0031] The present invention will be further described in detail below through specific embodiments.

[0032] Example 1

[0033] like Figures 1 to 5 As shown, a sheet flexible gripper includes a connecting part 1 made of an elastic material, which is generally preferably made of silicone.

[0034] The connecting part 1 includes a driving chamber 8. An upper connecting plate 2 is provided on the upper part of the connecting part 1. The upper connecting plate 2 is provided with a communication port 3 communicating with the driving chamber 8. In this embodiment, the upper connecting plate 2 is provided with communication ports 3 on both the top and the side, which facilitates air path connection in different positions. When one of the communication ports 3 is selected, the other communication ports 3 can be blocked.

[0035] The driving chamber 8 includes a bottom wall and side walls. Two flexible fingers are connected to the lower part of the bottom wall, and the area between the two flexible fingers constitutes a clamping area. When the upper connecting plate 2 is in a horizontal state, the side facing the observer is defined as the front. Figure 2 The state shown is the state of the graphic as observed by the observer when facing the clamping area. Therefore, the left side of the drawing is left, the right side of the drawing is right, the direction perpendicular to the drawing inward is front, and the direction perpendicular to the drawing outward is back.

[0036] The portion of the cavity bottom wall corresponding to the clamping area is a deformable portion 11. The thickness of the deformable portion 11 is less than the thickness of the cavity side wall, or the elastic modulus of the deformable portion 11 is less than the elastic modulus of the cavity side wall. An outer reinforcing portion 9 is provided between the outer side of the base of each flexible finger and the cavity bottom wall.

[0037] Among them, such as Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the flexible finger includes a finger root portion 5 and a clamping finger portion 4. The front-to-back width of the finger root portion 5 is greater than that of the clamping finger portion 4, and the front and rear ends of the finger root portion 5 are smoothly connected to the front cavity sidewall 12 and the rear cavity sidewall, respectively, through smooth connecting portions 7. Due to the difference in front-to-back width between the finger root portion 5 and the clamping finger portion 4, the clamping finger portion 4 can contact the object when clamping in some narrow spaces or when clamping sheets, while the upper finger root portion 5 and the driving chamber 8 can be larger in size, thus ensuring sufficient negative pressure clamping force.

[0038] like Figure 5 As shown, the outer reinforcing part 9 extends upward from the connection between the finger root part 5 and the finger clamping part 4 to the bottom wall of the cavity and connects with the outer side of the cavity side wall, thus forming a structure that is thicker at the top and thinner at the bottom.

[0039] The flexible finger portion is a symmetrical shape, and the finger root portion 5 and the clamping finger portion 4 are symmetrical about the front and back of the symmetrical face of the flexible finger portion. Clearly, from... Figure 2 It can be seen that the entire flexible gripper is also a left-right symmetrical structure.

[0040] The connection points between the bottom wall of the cavity and the left cavity sidewall 13 and the right cavity sidewall 14 are provided with easily deformable regions 81. For example... Figure 5As shown, the thickness of the connection between the bottom wall of the cavity and the left side wall 13 is less than the thickness of the left side wall 13, forming a deformable region 81; the thickness of the connection between the bottom wall of the cavity and the right side wall 14 is less than the thickness of the right side wall 14, also forming a deformable region 81. By reducing the thickness of this connection, the deformable effect of this region can be achieved, and the deformation of the bottom wall of the cavity is also easier.

[0041] Of course, the connection between the bottom wall of the cavity and the front and rear side walls can also be thinner than the thickness of the front and rear side walls, so that less pressure can drive the opening and closing of the flexible fingers.

[0042] The cavity bottom wall and the left cavity side wall 13, and the cavity bottom wall and the right cavity side wall 14, are all curved transitions to form connection parts.

[0043] The inner side of the gripping finger 4 is provided with a rough structure 6 to improve friction. The rough structure 6 can be a rough surface or a number of strip grooves. The rough structure 6 can increase friction, improve the gripping effect, and minimize the risk of the item falling during gripping.

[0044] Example 2

[0045] The structure of this embodiment is basically the same as that of Embodiment 1, such as... Figure 6 As shown, in this embodiment, the clamping finger 4 is provided with a mounting hole 10. This mounting hole 10 allows for easy fixing of other functional components, such as extension rods or contour blocks. To further improve the secure fixing between the functional components and the clamping finger 4, a reinforcing plate is embedded within the flexible finger, extending from the clamping finger 4 to the finger root 5. This provides better rigidity to the clamping finger 4 when fixing the functional components. Furthermore, the reinforcing plate also increases the clamping force, preventing deformation of the clamping finger 4 during clamping.

[0046] Compared with existing flexible grippers, the flexible gripper of this embodiment has increased strength of the flexible fingers due to the addition of the outer reinforcing part 9. The flexible fingers will not deform outward when gripping objects, and the gripping force is greater. At the same time, the flexible fingers are not easy to wobble, especially since the gripping finger part 4 is relatively narrow and the finger root part 5 is relatively wide. This makes it less likely to wobble in either the front-back or left-right direction, and the accuracy is higher when using it.

[0047] The pneumatic system, servo motor, gear transmission mechanism, and lead screw and nut mechanism mentioned in this embodiment are all conventional technologies. The 5th edition of the "Mechanical Design Handbook," published in Beijing in April 2008 (5th edition, 28th printing), details the specific structure, principles, and other designs of cylinders, motors, and other transmission mechanisms, which are existing technologies with clear and straightforward structures. The 3rd edition of "Modern Practical Pneumatic Technology" (SMC Training Material), published by the Machinery Industry Press on August 1, 2008, also details vacuum components, gas circuits, and program control, indicating that the pneumatic structure in this embodiment is also existing technology and clear and straightforward. The book "Motor Drive and Speed ​​Regulation," published by the Chemical Industry Press on July 1, 2015, also details motor control and limit switches. Therefore, the circuit and pneumatic connections are clear. The above embodiments are merely descriptions of preferred embodiments of this utility model and are not intended to limit the scope of this utility model. Various modifications and alterations to the technical solution of this utility model without departing from its design spirit should fall within the protection scope defined by the claims of this utility model.

Claims

1. A sheet flexible gripper, comprising a connecting part (1) made of elastic material, the connecting part (1) including a driving chamber (8), an upper connecting plate (2) provided on the upper part of the connecting part (1), a communication port (3) communicating with the driving chamber (8) provided on the upper connecting plate (2), the driving chamber (8) including a bottom wall and a side wall, and two flexible fingers connected below the bottom wall, characterized in that: The area between the two flexible fingers constitutes the clamping area. When the upper connecting plate (2) is in a horizontal state, the side facing the observer is defined as the front. The part of the cavity bottom wall corresponding to the clamping area is the deformation part (11). The thickness of the deformation part (11) is less than the thickness of the cavity side wall or the elastic modulus of the deformation part (11) is less than the elastic modulus of the cavity side wall. An outer reinforcing part (9) is provided between the outer side of the finger root of each flexible finger and the cavity bottom wall.

2. The sheet flexible gripper as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The flexible finger includes a finger root (5) and a finger clamping part (4). The front-to-back width of the finger root (5) is greater than the front-to-back width of the finger clamping part (4). The outer reinforcing part (9) extends upward from the connection between the finger root (5) and the finger clamping part (4) to the bottom wall of the cavity and connects with the outer side of the cavity sidewall.

3. The sheet flexible gripper as described in claim 2, characterized in that: The flexible finger is a face-symmetrical shape, and the finger root (5) and the clamping finger (4) are symmetrical about the front and back of the flexible finger.

4. The sheet flexible gripper as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The connection between the bottom wall of the cavity and the left cavity side wall (13) and the right cavity side wall (14) is provided with a deformable area (81).

5. A sheet flexible gripper as described in claim 4, characterized in that: The thickness of the connection between the bottom wall of the cavity and the left side wall of the cavity (13) is less than the thickness of the left side wall of the cavity (13), thus forming a deformable region (81); the thickness of the connection between the bottom wall of the cavity and the right side wall of the cavity (14) is less than the thickness of the right side wall of the cavity (14), thus forming a deformable region (81).

6. The sheet flexible gripper as described in claim 5, characterized in that: The cavity bottom wall and the left cavity side wall (13) and the cavity bottom wall and the right cavity side wall (14) are both curved to form connection parts.

7. A flexible sheet gripper as described in claim 2, characterized in that: The front and rear ends of the finger root (5) are smoothly connected to the front cavity sidewall (12) and the rear cavity sidewall respectively through a smooth connection part (7).

8. A flexible sheet gripper as described in claim 2, characterized in that: The inner surface of the clamping finger (4) is provided with a rough structure (6) to improve friction.

9. A flexible sheet gripper as described in claim 2, characterized in that: The clamping finger (4) is provided with mounting holes (10).

10. A flexible sheet gripper as described in claim 2, characterized in that: The flexible finger is embedded with a reinforcing plate.

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