Parallel gripper with self-adapting clamping surface

By incorporating self-alignment and anti-rotation features in its gripper fingers and clamps, the problem of unstable gripping of short-edge items in existing technologies is solved, enabling reliable grasping and safe clamping of laboratory items.

CN114602570BActive Publication Date: 2026-06-26TECAN TRADING CO LTD
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Patent Information

Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Patents(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
TECAN TRADING CO LTD
Filing Date
2021-08-25
Publication Date
2026-06-26

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing automated grippers struggle to achieve reliable and safe gripping of laboratory items with short edges, especially items such as microplates and reagent carriers.

Method used

The clamp fingers and grippers, designed with self-alignment and anti-rotation features, ensure parallel alignment of the grippers in the default orientation through a biasing mechanism. They engage with the edges of the items using rubber contact pads or shaped grooves, and combine magnetic or elastic elements to provide preload and centering force, thus achieving self-alignment and anti-rotation functions.

Benefits of technology

It enables reliable and safe gripping of various laboratory items, especially those with short edges, compensating for positional deviations and ensuring a secure hold.

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Abstract

The invention relates to an arrangement of a clamp finger and a clamp jaw for use in an automatic parallel gripper, comprising a first clamp finger and a second clamp finger movable in a translational direction (y), the clamp jaw being connected with the clamp fingers at its lower side for rotation around a vertical rotation axis (135). The clamp jaw has a front face with a contact face for engagement with a lateral edge of an article to be gripped, and the clamp jaw has a default orientation in which the front face is parallel with a lateral direction (x) perpendicular to the translational direction (y) and the vertical rotation axis (135). The arrangement is additionally provided with a self-alignment feature comprising a first biasing mechanism and a second biasing mechanism. Each biasing mechanism has a first part (151, 152) connected with the finger and a second part (131, 132) connected with the clamp jaw (110, 210). When the clamp jaw is in the default orientation, each biasing mechanism is preloaded to exert an equal bending moment load on the clamp jaw in the translational direction (y).
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