A flexible gripper with a single motor for grasping, pulling back and rigid positioning

Abstract

In order to solve the problem that flexible grippers in the field of robot end effectors require multiple motors to complete grasping and rigid positioning, the present invention discloses a flexible gripper that can achieve grasping, pulling back and rigid positioning with a single motor, including a bracket, a first sliding block, a second sliding block, a power piece and two elastic fingers, wherein the bracket is provided with a rigid positioning frame; the first sliding block is provided with at least two first connecting rods, one end of the first connecting rod is fixedly connected to the first sliding block, and the other end is connected to a side of the corresponding elastic finger close to the contact surface; the second sliding block is slidably connected to the bracket, and the second sliding block is provided with at least two second connecting rods, one end of the second connecting rod is hingedly connected to the second sliding block, and the other end is connected to a side of the corresponding elastic finger away from the contact surface; after the power piece drives the first sliding block to move until it abuts against the second sliding block, the power piece drives the second sliding block to move together, so that the grasped object abuts against the rigid positioning frame.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of robot end effectors, and in particular to a flexible gripper capable of grasping, pulling back and rigidly positioning with a single motor. Background Art

[0002] Flexible manipulators have significant advantages in grasping volatile soft objects, fragile objects, and objects with irregular shapes. Because of their soft materials, flexible manipulators have a certain degree of adaptability and can form an envelope around the grasped object when grasping it. This can increase the tolerance of the shape of the grasped object on the one hand, and on the other hand, it will not cause damage to the surface of the object, and can also achieve relatively safe interaction in unstructured environments.

[0003] However, since flexible manipulators are usually used as end effectors, there are certain limitations on the structural design and overall weight of the manipulator. One motor can usually only realize one grasping function, so the hand usually requires multiple motors to control, which greatly increases the weight of the overall structure.

[0004] And because the flexible manipulator itself is soft, it will produce large deformation during the grasping process. Therefore, the degree of deformation of the claw when grasping an object is difficult to determine, resulting in unclear positioning of the grasped object relative to the flexible manipulator and low position accuracy. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present invention provides a flexible gripper that can grasp, pull back and rigidly position with a single motor, aiming to solve at least one of the technical problems in the prior art.

[0006] The technical solution of the present invention is a flexible gripper that can grasp, pull back and rigidly position with a single motor, comprising: a bracket, a first sliding block, a second sliding block, a power piece and two elastic fingers, wherein the bracket is provided with a rigid positioning frame; the elastic fingers are provided with a contact surface for enveloping the grasped object; the first sliding block is provided with at least two first connecting rods, one end of the first connecting rod is fixedly connected to the first sliding block, and the other end is connected to the side of the corresponding elastic finger close to the contact surface; the second sliding block is slidably connected to the bracket, and the second sliding block is provided with at least two second connecting rods, one end of the second connecting rod is hinged to the second sliding block, and the other end is connected to the side of the corresponding elastic finger away from the contact surface; after the power piece drives the first sliding block to move until it abuts against the second sliding block, the power piece drives the second sliding block to move together, so that the grasped object abuts against the rigid positioning frame.

[0007] Furthermore, the elastic fingers are entirely made of the same flexible material.

[0008] Furthermore, the contact surface of the elastic finger is a curved surface structure.

[0009] Furthermore, the elastic finger includes two connected support plates and a plurality of cross beams, two ends of the cross beams are respectively connected to the two support plates, and the contact surface is on one of the support plates.

[0010] Furthermore, the crossbeam is thick in the middle and thin at both ends.

[0011] Furthermore, the contact surface is provided with friction stripes.

[0012] Furthermore, the invention also includes an elastic member, one end of which is connected to the second sliding block, and the other end of which is connected to the bracket.

[0013] Furthermore, the rigid positioning frame is provided with a groove structure adapted to the grasped object.

[0014] Furthermore, the power member is a screw or a cylinder.

[0015] Furthermore, one of the bracket and the second sliding block is provided with a sliding rod, and the other is provided with a sliding hole matched with the sliding rod.

[0016] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows.

[0017] 1. The elastic fingers have excellent deformation ability. The elastic fingers can completely fit the surface of the grasped object in the grasping state. The grasped object can be firmly fixed between the two elastic fingers, which can meet the grasping of large capacity differences;

[0018] 2. When the first sliding block abuts against the second sliding block, the first connecting rod and the second connecting rod move together, so that the grasped object abuts against the rigid positioning frame. The grasped object is installed on the rigid positioning frame, and the elastic fingers give the grasped object pressure toward the rigid positioning frame to complete the rigid positioning grasping, which can achieve high-precision rigid positioning. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a flexible gripper that realizes grasping, pulling back and rigid positioning with a single motor in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 2 is a schematic front view of a flexible gripper that can grasp, pull back and rigidly position with a single motor according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3 It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a flexible gripper that realizes grasping, pulling back and rigid positioning with a single motor in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 4 is an exploded schematic diagram of a flexible gripper that realizes grasping, pulling back and rigid positioning with a single motor in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the elastic finger according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure Number:

[0025] Bracket 100, rigid positioning frame 110;

[0026] Elastic fingers 200, support plate 210, cross beam 220, friction pattern 230;

[0027] A first sliding block 300 and a first connecting rod 310;

[0028] A second sliding block 400, a second connecting rod 410, an elastic member 420, and a sliding rod 430;

[0029] Power part 500;

[0030] The object being caught is 600. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The following content will describe several embodiments of the present invention, including embodiments corresponding to the drawings. It can be understood that the drawings are used to assist in understanding the technical features and technical solutions of the present invention, and should not be understood as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0032] The following will be combined with the embodiments and drawings to clearly and completely describe the concept, specific structure and technical effects of the present invention, so as to fully understand the purpose, scheme and effect of the present invention. It should be noted that the embodiments and features in the embodiments of this application can be combined with each other without conflict.

[0033] It should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly defined, when a feature is referred to as "fixed", "connected" or "installed" on another feature, it can be directly fixed or connected to another feature, or it can be indirectly fixed or connected to another feature. The words "fixed", "connected" or "installed" should be understood in a broad sense, and technicians in the relevant technical field can reasonably determine the specific meaning of the above words in the present invention in combination with the specific content of the technical solution.

[0034] It should be noted that the description of the orientation or position relationship indicated by up, down, left, right, top, bottom, front, back, inside, outside, etc. used in the present invention is based on the orientation or position relationship of the drawings or embodiments, and is only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and does not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0035] It should be noted that the term "and / or" used in the present invention includes any combination of one or more related listed items, "some" means one or more, "more" means more than two, "greater than", "less than", "exceed", etc. are understood to not include the number itself, and "above", "below", "within", etc. are understood to include the number itself.

[0036] It should be noted that, in the present invention, the description of first and second is only used for the purpose of distinguishing the technical features, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying the relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features or implicitly indicating the sequence of the indicated technical features.

[0037] It should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art. The terms used in this specification are only for describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0038] Reference Figures 1 to 5 The technical solution of the present invention is a flexible gripper that can grasp, pull back and rigidly position with a single motor, which includes: a bracket 100, a first sliding block 300, a second sliding block 400, a power piece 500 and two elastic fingers 200. The bracket 100 is provided with a rigid positioning frame 110; the elastic fingers 200 are provided with a contact surface for enveloping a grasped object 600; the first sliding block 300 is provided with at least two first connecting rods 310, one end of the first connecting rod 310 is fixedly connected to the first sliding block 300, and the other end is connected to the corresponding elastic The finger 200 is connected to the side close to the contact surface; the second sliding block 400 is slidably connected to the bracket 100, and the second sliding block 400 is provided with at least two second connecting rods 410, one end of the second connecting rod 410 is hinged to the second sliding block 400, and the other end is connected to the side of the corresponding elastic finger 200 away from the contact surface; the power piece 500 drives the first sliding block 300 to move until it abuts against the second sliding block 400, and the power piece 500 drives the second sliding block 400 to move together, so that the grasped object 600 abuts against the rigid positioning frame 110.

[0039] The two elastic fingers 200 are symmetrically arranged, and the grasped object 600 is located between the two elastic fingers 200. The contact surface is in contact with the grasped object 600. After the elastic fingers 200 come into contact with the grasped object 600, the contact surface will be deformed, and the contact surface is completely fitted with the grasped object 600; the elastic fingers 200, the first sliding block 300, and the second sliding block 400 are sequentially installed on the bracket 100, the first connecting rod 310 is fixedly connected to the first sliding block 300, the second connecting rod 400 is hinged to the second sliding block 400, the first connecting rod 310 is hinged to the inner side of the elastic fingers 200, and the second connecting rod 410 is hinged to the outer side of the elastic fingers 200. When the first sliding block 300 moves, the second sliding block 400 When the movable block 400 is stationary, the first connecting rod 310 moves, the second connecting rod 410 is fixed, the two elastic fingers 200 can rotate relative to each other, the elastic fingers 200 are deformed, and the contact surface of the elastic fingers 200 becomes a shape that completely matches the grasped object 600, so that the two elastic fingers 200 envelope the grasped object 600; when the first sliding block 300 abuts against the second sliding block 400, the first connecting rod 310 and the second connecting rod 410 move together, so that the grasped object 600 abuts against the rigid positioning frame 110, the grasped object 600 is fixed on the rigid positioning frame 110, and the elastic fingers 200 apply pressure to the grasped object 600 toward the rigid positioning frame 110, completing the rigid positioning grasping.

[0040] In some embodiments, the elastic finger 200 is made of the same flexible material. The material of the entire elastic finger 200 can be a thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer rubber material with a Shore hardness of 80A, which is made by a rubber overmolding process. The elastic finger 200 is made of the same material throughout, is easy to process, has overall elasticity, and can recover after deformation.

[0041] In some embodiments, the contact surface of the elastic finger 200 is a curved surface structure. Both elastic fingers 200 have a curved surface structure, and a contour line adapted to the product shape is formed between the two elastic fingers 200, so that an initial envelope can be formed for the grasped object when the object is just touched, so that the elastic fingers 200 can better envelope the grasped object 600, reduce the deformation of the elastic fingers 200, and prevent the deformation amount from being too large, resulting in the overall deformation of the elastic fingers 200.

[0042] In some embodiments, the elastic finger 200 includes two connected support plates 210 and a plurality of beams 220, the two ends of the beam 220 are respectively connected to the two support plates 210, and the contact surface is on one of the support plates 210. The two connected support plates 210 and the beam 220 are in an "A" shape as a whole, and the overall structure is hollow, so that the elastic finger 200 is easy to deform as a whole, and the beam 220 connects the two support plates 210 to improve the stability of the overall structure, and it is easy to recover after deformation.

[0043] Reference Figure 5In some embodiments, the contact surface is provided with friction stripes, and the friction stripes are perpendicular to the moving direction of the first sliding block 300. The friction between the contact surface and the grasped object 600 is increased, and the grasping reliability is improved.

[0044] Reference Figure 5 In some embodiments, the cross beam 220 is thick in the middle and thin at both ends. The cross beam 220 located inside the elastic finger 200 is thick in the middle and thin at both ends, which can ensure the support strength of the cross beam 220 and the flexibility of the connection between the two ends of the cross beam 220 when the elastic finger 200 is bent.

[0045] In some embodiments, an elastic member 420 is further included, one end of which is connected to the second sliding block 400, and the other end is connected to the bracket 100. The spring acts to keep the position of the second sliding block 400 unchanged before the first sliding block 300 contacts the second sliding block 400; after the elastic finger 200 can be completely deformed to the same outer contour as the grasped object 600, the first sliding block 300 contacts the second sliding block 400, so that the elastic finger 200 and the grasped object 600 move together until the grasped object 600 contacts the rigid positioning frame 110; after completing the grasping task, the elastic member 420 returns to its original position.

[0046] Specifically, the elastic member 420 is a spring or an elastic column made of elastic material.

[0047] In some embodiments, the rigid positioning frame 110 is provided with a groove structure adapted to the grasped object 600. The “groove structure adapted to the grasped object 600” can be understood as follows: the groove structure is equal to or slightly larger than the outer contour of the grasped object 600, so that the grasped object 600 can be embedded in the groove structure without hindrance, and the elastic fingers 200 give the grasped object 600 pressure toward the groove structure, so that the grasped object 600 is fixed on the groove structure, and the elastic fingers 200 fit the grasped object 600 to prevent the grasped object 600 from rotating around itself, which affects the positioning of the grasped object 600.

[0048] In some embodiments, one of the rigid positioning frame 110 and the grasped object 600 is provided with a positioning column, and the other is provided with a positioning hole. The positioning column and the positioning hole quickly cooperate to fix the grasped object 600 on the rigid positioning frame 110.

[0049] Specifically, the structure of the rigid positioning frame 110 is changed according to the specific product structure to adapt to the external structure of the grasped object 600. If the grasped object 600 itself has a hole or a protruding column, the rigid positioning frame 110 is correspondingly provided with a positioning hole or a positioning column, which effectively improves the installation stability.

[0050] In some embodiments, the power member 500 is a lead screw or a cylinder. When the power member 500 is a lead screw, the lead screw is threadedly connected to the first sliding block 300, the lead screw drives the first sliding block 300 to slide along the lead screw, the lead screw passes through the second sliding block 400, but there is no contact between the lead screw and the second sliding block 400, the lead screw cannot directly affect the movement of the second sliding block 400, the lead screw transmission has high precision, the movement is stable, and there is no creeping phenomenon; when the power member 500 is a cylinder, the output end of the cylinder is fixedly connected to the first sliding block 300, the connecting rod of the cylinder passes through the second sliding block 400, and when the first sliding block 300 abuts against the second sliding block 400, it drives the second sliding block 400 to move together.

[0051] In some embodiments, one of the bracket 100 and the second sliding block 400 is provided with a sliding rod 430, and the other is provided with a sliding hole matched with the sliding rod 430. The second sliding block 400 moves along the sliding rod 430, and the moving direction of the second sliding block 400 is kept stable, and the moving direction of the elastic finger 200 is kept stable, so that the grasped object 600 falls accurately on the rigid positioning frame 110.

[0052] It should be noted that in this specification, terms such as "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "basic embodiment", "extended embodiment" etc. may be used to describe several embodiments of the present invention. The specific features, structures, materials or characteristics of the several embodiments may be combined in accordance with the principles and purposes of the present invention.

[0053] Although some embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described in this specification, the present invention should not be limited to the above-mentioned embodiments. As long as the technical effects of the present invention are achieved by the same or equivalent means, any changes, modifications, equivalent substitutions and equivalent variations to these embodiments that are within the spirit and principles of the present disclosure and do not depart from the principles and purpose of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present disclosure and should be deemed to be within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A flexible gripper that can grasp, pull back and rigidly position with a single motor. It is characterized in that include: A bracket (100), wherein the bracket (100) is provided with a rigid positioning frame (110); Two elastic fingers (200), each of the elastic fingers (200) being provided with a contact surface for enveloping a grasped object (600); A first sliding block (300), wherein the first sliding block (300) is provided with at least two first connecting rods (310), one end of the first connecting rod (310) is fixedly connected to the first sliding block (300), and the other end is connected to a side of the elastic finger (200) close to the contact surface; a second sliding block (400), the second sliding block (400) being slidably connected to the bracket (100), the second sliding block (400) being provided with at least two second connecting rods (410), one end of the second connecting rod (410) being hinged to the second sliding block (400), and the other end being connected to a side of the elastic finger (200) away from the contact surface; a power member (500), wherein the power member (500) drives the first sliding block (300) to move until it abuts against the second sliding block (400), and then the power member (500) drives the second sliding block (400) to move together, so that the grasped object (600) abuts against the rigid positioning frame (110); an elastic member (420), one end of the elastic member (420) being connected to the second sliding block (400), and the other end of the elastic member (420) being connected to the bracket (100); When the first sliding block (300) moves and the second sliding block (400) does not move, the first connecting rod (310) moves and the second connecting rod (410) is fixed, the two elastic fingers (200) can rotate relative to each other, the elastic fingers (200) are deformed, and the contact surfaces of the elastic fingers (200) become a shape that fully matches the grasped object (600), so that the two elastic fingers (200) envelope the grasped object (600); when the first sliding block (300) abuts against the second sliding block (400), the first connecting rod (310) and the second connecting rod (410) move together, so that the grasped object (600) abuts against the rigid positioning frame (110), the grasped object (600) is fixed on the rigid positioning frame (110), and the elastic fingers (200) exert pressure on the grasped object (600) toward the rigid positioning frame (110), thereby completing rigid positioning grasping.

2. The flexible gripper with a single motor for grasping, pulling back and rigid positioning according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The elastic fingers (200) are entirely made of the same flexible material.

3. The flexible gripper with a single motor for grasping, pulling back and rigid positioning according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The contact surface of the elastic finger (200) is a curved surface structure.

4. The flexible gripper with a single motor for grasping, pulling back and rigid positioning according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The elastic finger (200) comprises two connected support plates (210) and a plurality of crossbeams (220), wherein two ends of the crossbeam (220) are respectively connected to the two support plates (210), and the contact surface is on one of the support plates (210).

5. The flexible gripper for grabbing, pulling back and rigid positioning with a single motor according to claim 4, It is characterized in that The crossbeam (220) is thick in the middle and thin at both ends.

6. The flexible gripper with a single motor for grasping, pulling back and rigid positioning according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The contact surface is provided with friction stripes.

7. The flexible gripper for grabbing, pulling back and rigid positioning with a single motor according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The rigid positioning frame (110) is provided with a groove structure adapted to the grasped object (600).

8. The flexible gripper for grabbing, pulling back and rigid positioning with a single motor according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The power component (500) is a lead screw or a cylinder.

9. The flexible gripper for grabbing, pulling back and rigid positioning with a single motor according to claim 1, It is characterized in that One of the bracket (100) and the second sliding block (400) is provided with a sliding rod (430), and the other is provided with a sliding hole that matches the sliding rod (430).

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