Electric gripper

Abstract

The present invention relates to the technical field of electric grippers, and more particularly, to an electric gripper. The electric gripper includes a gripper, a clamping drive mechanism, a slip ring and a housing; the clamping drive mechanism is used to drive the gripper to clamp or release a workpiece. The clamping drive mechanism includes a first motor, and the rear end cover of the first motor has an integrally formed cover portion and a connecting portion; the connecting portion is provided on the outer side of the cover portion, the connecting portion is coaxially arranged with the first motor, the outer diameter of the connecting portion is smaller than the outer diameter of the cover portion, the slip ring is sleeved on the connecting portion, the rotating portion of the slip ring is fixedly connected to the connecting portion, and the stationary portion of the slip ring is fixedly connected to the housing. The electric gripper provided by the present invention has a smaller thickness and can be applied to scenarios with higher requirements for the thickness of the electric gripper. In addition, the cost brought by the slip ring can be reduced, and thus, the cost of the electric gripper can be greatly reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of electric grippers, and more particularly, to an electric gripper. Background Art

[0002] An electric gripper generally has a rotary drive mechanism and a clamping drive mechanism. Among them, the rotary drive mechanism can drive the clamping drive mechanism to rotate, and the clamping drive mechanism can drive the gripper to loosen or clamp a workpiece and can drive the gripper to rotate synchronously. A slip ring is connected to the clamping drive mechanism to meet the communication requirements when the clamping drive mechanism is driven to rotate by using the slip ring.

[0003] However, the slip ring on the existing rotary gripper is generally directly sleeved on the motor housing of the clamping drive mechanism, resulting in a relatively large thickness of the electric gripper in the direction perpendicular to the motor axis. Therefore, it is not applicable to some scenarios with high requirements for the thickness of the electric gripper. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide an electric gripper to alleviate the technical problem that the existing electric gripper cannot be applied to scenarios with high requirements for the thickness of the electric gripper.

[0005] The electric gripper provided by the present invention includes a gripper, a clamping drive mechanism, a slip ring, and a housing.

[0006] The clamping drive mechanism is used to drive the gripper to clamp or loosen a workpiece. The clamping drive mechanism includes a first motor, and the rear end cover of the first motor has an integrally formed cover part and a connecting part; the connecting part is arranged outside the cover part, the connecting part is coaxially arranged with the first motor, the outer diameter of the connecting part is smaller than the outer diameter of the cover part, the slip ring is sleeved on the connecting part, the rotating part of the slip ring is fixedly connected to the connecting part, and the stationary part of the slip ring is fixedly connected to the housing.

[0007] Preferably, as an implementable manner, the cover part and the connecting part are provided with a centrally communicating central hole, the motor shaft of the first motor is matched with the central hole of the connecting part, and an encoding magnet is installed at the end of the motor shaft of the first motor.

[0008] Preferably, as an implementable manner, the connecting part is provided with a mounting groove, and a motor shaft bearing is installed in the mounting groove. The motor shaft bearing is matched with the motor shaft of the first motor for supporting and positioning the motor shaft of the first motor.

[0009] Preferably, as an implementable manner, a spring mechanism is sleeved on the motor shaft of the first motor, and both ends of the spring mechanism are respectively connected to the motor shaft bearing and the encoding magnet.

[0010] Preferably, as an implementable embodiment, the installation groove is formed at the end of the connecting portion, the motor shaft of the first motor extends from the central hole of the connecting portion into the central hole of the slip ring, and the spring mechanism and the coding magnet are located in the central hole of the slip ring.

[0011] Preferably, as an implementable embodiment, the electric gripper further includes a rotary drive mechanism and a speed reducer. The speed reducer is connected between the first motor and the gripper, and the housing of the speed reducer is fixedly connected to the housing of the first motor; the rotary drive mechanism is connected to the housing of the speed reducer and is used to drive the speed reducer to rotate.

[0012] Preferably, as an implementable embodiment, the rotary drive mechanism further includes a second motor and a gear set. The input end gear of the gear set is coaxially connected to the output end of the second motor, the output end gear of the gear set is integrally formed with the housing of the speed reducer, and the output end gear of the gear set is arranged coaxially with the first motor.

[0013] Preferably, as an implementable embodiment, the output end gear of the gear set surrounds the housing of the speed reducer.

[0014] Preferably, as an implementable embodiment, both ends of the housing of the speed reducer are fitted with the housing through bearings. Annular grooves are provided at the parts of the housing of the speed reducer on both sides of the output end gear, and the bearings are fitted with the annular grooves.

[0015] Preferably, as an implementable embodiment, a sealing structure is provided between the second motor and the gear set. The sealing structure is hermetically fitted with the housing and is used to isolate the second motor and the gear set from each other.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0017] The electric gripper provided by the present invention has a first motor in the clamping drive mechanism, which can serve as a power source for driving the gripper to act and provide power for clamping or releasing the workpiece by the gripper. The rear end cover of the first motor is set to be composed of a cover body part and a connecting part, and the connecting part is arranged outside the cover body part, which is equivalent to extending the rear end cover of the first motor outward. In this way, the outer diameter of the connecting part can be set to be smaller than the outer diameter of the housing of the first motor. Among them, the cover body part and the connecting part are integrally formed, and a relatively high coaxiality can be obtained. On this basis, a slip ring is sleeved on the connecting part, and the rotating part of the slip ring is fixedly connected to the connecting part of the first motor, so as to use the connecting part as a structure for driving the rotating part of the slip ring to rotate. Since the outer diameter of the connecting part is small, a slip ring with a small outer diameter can be selected. Furthermore, the thickness of the electric gripper in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the first motor can be reduced to be applicable to scenarios with high requirements for the thickness of the electric gripper. In addition, by selecting a slip ring with a small outer diameter, the volume of the slip ring can also be reduced, and further, the cost brought by the slip ring can be reduced, and thus, the cost of the electric gripper can be greatly reduced. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only the embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained according to the provided drawings without creative efforts.

[0019] Figure 1 It is a schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of the electric gripper provided by the embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 It is a schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of the first motor in the electric gripper provided by the embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3 It is a partial structure schematic diagram of the electric gripper provided by the embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 4 It is a three-dimensional structure schematic diagram of the electric gripper provided by the embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] DESCRIPTION OF THE REFERENCE NUMERALS:

[0024] 100 - gripper; 110 - turntable;

[0025] 200 - first motor; 210 - rear end cover; 211 - cover body part; 212 - connecting part; 220 - motor shaft bearing; 230 - spring mechanism; 240 - coded magnet;

[0026] 300 - slip ring;

[0027] 400 - housing;

[0028] 500 - Reducer; 510 - Reducer bearing;

[0029] 600 - Second motor;

[0030] 700 - Gear set; 710 - Input - end gear; 720 - Output - end gear;

[0031] 800 - Sealing structure. Detailed implementation mode

[0032] The technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all of them. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0033] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "front", "rear", "vertical", "horizontal", etc. is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. It is only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, it should not be construed as a limitation to the present invention.

[0034] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that unless otherwise clearly defined and limited, the terms "installation" and "connection" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and it can be the communication inside two elements. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific situations.

[0035] The present invention will be further described in detail below through specific examples in combination with the accompanying drawings.

[0036] See Figures 1 - 4, this embodiment provides an electric gripper, which includes a gripper 100, a clamping drive mechanism, a slip ring 300 and a housing 900; the clamping drive mechanism is used to drive the gripper 100 to clamp or release a workpiece, and the clamping drive mechanism includes a first motor 200. The rear end cover 210 of the first motor 200 has an integrally formed cover part 211 and a connecting part 212; the connecting part 212 is arranged outside the cover part 211, the connecting part 212 is coaxially arranged with the first motor 200, and the outer diameter of the connecting part 212 is smaller than the outer diameter of the cover part. The slip ring 300 is sleeved on the connecting part 212, the rotating part of the slip ring 300 is fixedly connected to the connecting part, and the stationary part of the slip ring 300 is fixedly connected to the housing 900.

[0037] For the electric gripper provided in this embodiment, the first motor 200 in the clamping drive mechanism can be used as the power source for driving the gripper 100 to act, and provide power for the gripper 100 to clamp or release a workpiece; the rear end cover 210 of the first motor 200 is set into two parts, namely a cover part 211 and a connecting part 212, and the connecting part 212 is arranged outside the cover part 211, which is equivalent to extending the rear end cover 210 of the first motor 200 outwards. In this way, the outer diameter of the connecting part 212 can be set to be smaller than the outer diameter of the cover part; among them, the cover part 211 and the connecting part 212 are integrally formed, and a higher coaxiality can be obtained. On this basis, the slip ring 300 is sleeved on the connecting part 212, and the rotating part of the slip ring 300 is fixedly connected to the connecting part 212 of the first motor 200, so as to drive the rotating part of the slip ring 300 to rotate by the connecting part 212. Because the outer diameter of the connecting part 212 is smaller, a slip ring 300 with a smaller outer diameter can be selected. Furthermore, the thickness of the electric gripper in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the first motor 200 can be reduced to be applicable to scenarios with higher requirements for the thickness of the electric gripper; in addition, selecting a slip ring 300 with a smaller outer diameter can also reduce the volume of the slip ring 300, and further reduce the cost brought by the slip ring 300, and further greatly reduce the cost of the electric gripper.

[0038] The electric gripper provided in this embodiment adopts the above structure, and can also make the slip ring 300 be placed correctly.

[0039] Central holes communicating with each other can be opened on the cover part 211 and the connecting part 212, and the motor shaft of the first motor 200 is matched with the central hole of the connecting part of the rear end cover 210, so as to facilitate the installation of the coding magnet 240 at the end of the motor shaft of the first motor 200.

[0040] An installation groove may be formed in the connecting portion 212, and a motor shaft bearing 220 may be installed in the installation groove. The motor shaft bearing 220 is engaged with the motor shaft of the first motor 200, so as to support and position the motor shaft of the first motor 200 by means of the motor shaft bearing 200. This can not only enable the motor shaft of the first motor 200 to rotate smoothly about its central axis, improving the operating stability of the first motor 200, but also prevent the motor shaft of the first motor 200 from getting stuck during rotation under the action of the motor shaft bearing 220. Specifically, the installation groove on the connecting portion 212 may be formed at the end of the connecting portion 212 to facilitate the installation of the motor shaft bearing 220. At this time, the central hole penetrates through the rear end cover 210 of the first motor 200 along the central axis of the first motor 200.

[0041] A spring mechanism 230 may also be sleeved on the motor shaft of the first motor 200, and both ends of the spring mechanism 230 are respectively connected to the motor shaft bearing 220 and the coding magnet 240, so as to correct the deviation of the motor shaft of the first motor 200 by means of the spring mechanism and suppress the lateral shaking of the motor shaft of the first motor 200, which can further improve the operating stability of the first motor 200.

[0042] Preferably, the above installation groove may be formed at the end of the connecting portion 212 to facilitate the assembly of the motor shaft bearing 220 into the installation groove. At the same time, the motor shaft of the first motor 200 extends from the central hole of the connecting portion 212 into the central hole of the slip ring 300, so as to facilitate the installation of the spring mechanism 230 and the coding magnet 240 at the end of the motor shaft of the first motor 200, and accommodate the spring mechanism 230 and the coding magnet 240 in the central hole of the slip ring 300, that is, the slip ring 300 is longer than the connecting portion 212. In this way, the space occupied by the slip ring 300 can be fully utilized, and the structure is more reliable. Wherein, the ratio range of the axial length of the connecting portion 212 to the axial length of the slip ring 300 may be set to 0.6-0.9.

[0043] In the specific structure of the electric gripper provided in this embodiment, a rotation drive mechanism and a speed reducer 500 are further provided. Among them, the speed reducer 500 is connected between the first motor 200 and the gripper 100, and the housing of the speed reducer 500 is fixedly connected to the housing of the first motor 200. When the first motor 200 operates, its motor shaft can drive the speed reducer 500 to operate, and the power is transmitted to the gripper 100 through the speed reducer 500 to achieve stable driving of the gripper 100, so that the gripper 100 can clamp or release the workpiece; on this basis, the rotation drive mechanism is connected to the housing of the speed reducer 500 to drive the entire speed reducer 500 to rotate by using the rotation drive mechanism. Since the housing of the speed reducer 500 is fixedly connected to the housing of the first motor 200, when the entire speed reducer 500 rotates driven by the rotation drive mechanism, it will drive the entire first motor 200 to rotate synchronously with it. Furthermore, the rotation drive of the first motor 200 and the gripper 100 can be achieved. In fact, the gripper 100 is installed on the turntable 110, and the turntable 110 is fixedly connected to the housing of the speed reducer 500. Thus, the speed reducer 500 can directly drive the turntable 110 to rotate, and further, the gripper 100 can be made more stable when rotating.

[0044] In the specific structure of the rotation drive mechanism, a second motor 600 and a gear set 700 can be provided. The input gear 710 of the gear set 700 is coaxially connected to the output end of the second motor 600 to drive the input gear 710 of the gear set 700 to rotate by using the second motor 600, so that the gear set 700 operates and transmits the power to the output gear 720; the output gear 720 of the gear set 700 and the housing of the speed reducer 500 are set as an integrally formed structure, and the output gear 720 of the gear set 700 and the first motor 200 are arranged coaxially. In this way, when the output gear 720 of the gear set 700 rotates, it will drive the speed reducer 500 to rotate synchronously with it. The rotation drive of the speed reducer 500 by the second motor 600 can be indirectly achieved through the gear set 700, so that the second motor 600 and the speed reducer 500 can be arranged side by side. It should be noted that setting the output gear 720 of the gear set 700 and the housing of the speed reducer 500 as an integrally formed structure can eliminate the assembly process of the housing of the speed reducer 500 and the output gear 720 of the gear set 700, which is convenient for improving the assembly efficiency and has higher structural reliability.

[0045] Preferably, the output gear 720 of the gear set 700 can be arranged around the housing of the speed reducer 500. In this way, the utilization rate of the structural space can be improved and the volume of the electric gripper can be reduced.

[0046] Both ends of the housing of the speed reducer 500 can be fitted with the housing 400 of the electric gripper through the speed reducer bearings 510, which is beneficial to reducing the friction generated by the rotation of the speed reducer 500; on this basis, annular grooves can be provided at the positions on both sides of the output end gear 720 of the housing of the speed reducer 500, and the speed reducer bearings 510 can be fitted with the annular grooves to improve the assembly reliability of the speed reducer bearings 510 and the speed reducer 500.

[0047] Furthermore, a sealing structure 800 can be provided between the second motor 600 and the gear set 700 of the rotary drive mechanism, and the sealing structure 800 can be hermetically fitted with the housing 900 of the electric gripper, so as to isolate the second motor 600 and the gear set 700 from each other by using the sealing structure 800. In this way, when the gears in the gear set 700 cause grease to splash due to high-speed rotation, under the isolation of the sealing structure 800, the splashed grease is not easily introduced into the cavity where the second motor 600 is located, which can reduce the grease pollution area and facilitate maintenance.

[0048] In summary, the embodiments of the present invention disclose an electric gripper, which overcomes many technical defects of the traditional electric gripper. For example, it cannot be applied to scenarios with relatively high requirements for the thickness of the electric gripper. The electric gripper provided by the embodiments of the present invention has a smaller thickness and can be applied to scenarios with relatively high requirements for the thickness of the electric gripper. In addition, it can also reduce the cost brought by the slip ring, and further, can greatly reduce the cost of the electric gripper.

[0049] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit them; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or perform equivalent replacements on some or all of the technical features; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. An electric gripper, characterized in that, It includes a jaw, a clamping drive mechanism, a slip ring and a housing; The clamping drive mechanism is used to drive the jaw to clamp or release a workpiece. The clamping drive mechanism includes a first motor. The rear end cover of the first motor has an integrally formed cover part and a connecting part. The connecting part is arranged outside the cover part. The connecting part is coaxially arranged with the first motor. The outer diameter of the connecting part is smaller than the outer diameter of the cover part. The slip ring is sleeved on the connecting part. The rotating part of the slip ring is fixedly connected to the connecting part. The stationary part of the slip ring is fixedly connected to the housing; The cover part and the connecting part are provided with a mutually communicating central hole. An encoding magnet is installed at the end of the motor shaft of the first motor. The connecting part is provided with an installation groove. A motor shaft bearing is installed in the installation groove. The motor shaft bearing cooperates with the motor shaft of the first motor to support and position the motor shaft of the first motor. A spring mechanism is sleeved on the motor shaft of the first motor. The two ends of the spring mechanism are respectively connected to the motor shaft bearing and the encoding magnet. The installation groove is opened at the end of the connecting part. The motor shaft of the first motor extends from the central hole of the connecting part into the central hole of the slip ring. The spring mechanism and the encoding magnet are located in the central hole of the slip ring; The electric jaw further includes a reducer, and the reducer is connected between the first motor and the jaw.

2. The electric gripper according to claim 1, characterized in that, The motor shaft of the first motor cooperates with the central hole of the connecting part.

3. The electric gripper according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The electric jaw further includes a rotation drive mechanism. The housing of the reducer is fixedly connected to the housing of the first motor. The rotation drive mechanism is connected to the housing of the reducer to drive the reducer to rotate.

4. The electric gripper according to claim 3, characterized in that, The rotation drive mechanism further includes a second motor and a gear set. The input end gear of the gear set is coaxially connected to the output end of the second motor. The output end gear of the gear set is integrally formed with the housing of the reducer, and the output end gear of the gear set is coaxially arranged with the first motor.

5. The electric gripper according to claim 4, characterized in that, The output end gear of the gear set surrounds the housing of the reducer.

6. The electric gripper according to claim 5, characterized in that, Both ends of the housing of the reducer are fitted with the housing through reducer bearings. Annular grooves are provided at the parts of the housing of the reducer on both sides of the output end gear. The reducer bearings are fitted with the annular grooves.

7. The electric gripper according to claim 5, characterized in that, A sealing structure is provided between the second motor and the gear set. The sealing structure is hermetically fitted with the housing to isolate the second motor and the gear set from each other.

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