A robot gripper connecting mechanism capable of flexible floating

Abstract

The application discloses a flexible floating robot gripper connecting mechanism, characterized in that the connecting mechanism comprises a mechanical arm connecting plate, two opposite corners of the mechanical arm connecting plate are provided with positioning pin holes, the bottom end faces of the other two opposite corners are provided with upper limit blocks, and the two ends of the mechanical arm connecting plate are each provided with a locking cylinder, the working end of the locking cylinder is connected with the end of a center frame, a cross-shaped connecting piece is rotationally connected in the center frame, two X shafts on the cross-shaped connecting piece are simultaneously rotationally connected with the inner wall of the center frame, and two Y shafts on the cross-shaped connecting piece are further rotationally connected with a connecting sleeve, the connecting sleeve is part of a first floating frame, four floating connecting blocks are further arranged on the first floating frame, and the two side faces of the floating connecting blocks are arc faces.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of automated production and assembly, and in particular to a robot gripper connection mechanism that enables flexible floating. Background Technology

[0002] To improve production efficiency, almost all stages on automobile production lines now use robotic arms (or similar mechanisms) to transport workpieces. Theoretically, when a robotic arm picks up a workpiece, the workpiece needs to move to a standard picking position for the robotic arm to accurately pick it up. However, in actual operation, due to various factors such as installation errors and dimensional deviations, the position where the workpiece stops often deviates from the standard picking position. This can cause the robotic arm to scrape the workpiece during the picking process, affecting the quality of the workpiece. In severe cases, it may even prevent the robotic arm from picking up the workpiece at all, or the workpiece may be picked up and transported to the next station in a non-standard state, which may lead to damage to the workpiece or the processing equipment at the next station.

[0003] Therefore, a method or device is needed to resolve the appeal issue. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present invention addresses the aforementioned shortcomings of existing technologies by proposing a robot gripper connection mechanism that is simple in structure, ingenious in design, rational in layout, and has multiple degrees of freedom in multiple directions, enabling flexible floating.

[0005] The technical solution of this invention is: a robot gripper connection mechanism capable of flexible floating, characterized in that: the connection mechanism includes a robotic arm connection plate 1, with positioning pin holes 2 at two opposite corners and upper limit blocks 3 at the bottom surfaces of the other two opposite corners; a locking cylinder 4 is also provided at each end of the robotic arm connection plate 1, the working end of the locking cylinder 4 being connected to the end of a central frame 5; a cross-shaped connector 6 is rotatably connected inside the central frame 5, with two X-axis 7 on the cross-shaped connector 6 rotatably connected to the inner wall of the central frame 5, and two Y-axis 8 on the cross-shaped connector 6 also rotatably connected to a connecting sleeve 9; the connecting sleeve 9 is part of a first floating frame 10, and four floating connecting blocks 11 are also provided on the first floating frame 10, with both sides of the floating connecting blocks 11 being arc surfaces. The connecting mechanism also includes a second floating frame 12, with four support platforms 13 at its four corners. Two of the support platforms 13 located diagonally are equipped with positioning pins 14, which match the positioning pin holes 2 on the robotic arm connecting plate 1. The other two diagonally located support platforms 13 are equipped with lower limit blocks 15 that match the upper limit blocks 3. A gripper connecting plate 16 is located at the bottom of the second floating frame 12. The four floating connecting blocks 11 on the first floating frame 10 are movably connected to the four support platforms 13. A pair of floating limit blocks 17 are provided inside the support platform 13. The inner side of the floating limit block 17 is also an arc surface, and the arc surface on the floating limit block 17 matches the arc surface on the side of the floating connecting block 11. At the same time, the distance between the arc surfaces on the inner sides of the two floating limit blocks 17 is greater than the outer contour of the floating connecting block 11. Two symmetrically distributed limiting posts 18 are also provided on the bottom end surface of the robotic arm connecting plate 1. The bottom end of the limiting post 18 is provided with a limiting plate 19. The limiting post 18 is movably connected to the through holes opened on the central frame 5, the first floating frame 10, the second floating frame 12 and the gripper connecting plate 16. The limiting plate 19 is located below the gripper connecting plate 16, and when the mechanism is in the locked state, there is a gap between the limiting plate 19 and the gripper connecting plate 16.

[0006] Of the two positioning pins 14, one is a round pin and the other is a diamond pin.

[0007] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages: This type of flexible floating robot gripper connection mechanism features a simple structure, ingenious design, and reasonable layout. Addressing the problems of traditional robot part-grabbing, it employs a special flexible floating structure connected between the robotic arm and the gripper. This allows the gripper to adaptively adjust relative to the robotic arm in multiple directions, achieving flexible gripping. It possesses multiple degrees of freedom, including planar adjustment, rotation around the X-axis, and rotation around the Y-axis, enabling complex spatial adjustments suitable for most workpiece gripping situations. After gripping the workpiece, it locks the gripper to the robotic arm, establishing a rigid connection with a defined relative position, ensuring the robotic arm can accurately place the workpiece at the standard position in the next workstation. In summary, this connection mechanism offers numerous advantages, making it particularly suitable for widespread application in this field, with a very promising market prospect. Attached Figure Description

[0008] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of an embodiment of the present invention.

[0009] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of an embodiment of the present invention (the robotic arm connecting plate is hidden).

[0010] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of an embodiment of the present invention (the upper plate of the central frame is hidden).

[0011] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of an embodiment of the present invention (viewed from below).

[0012] Figure 5 This is a partial cross-sectional view of the rhomboid locating pin portion in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] Figure 6 This is a partial cross-sectional view of the floating connecting block portion in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the cross-shaped connector in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the robotic arm connecting plate in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the second floating frame part in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 10 This is a cross-sectional view (top view) of an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0018] Specific embodiments of the present invention will now be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Figures 1 to 10 The diagram illustrates a flexible floating robot gripper connection mechanism, comprising a robotic arm connecting plate 1. Positioning pin holes 2 are located at two opposite corners of the connecting plate 1, and upper limit blocks 3 are located on the bottom surface at the other two opposite corners. A locking cylinder 4 is located at each end of the connecting plate 1, with the working end of the cylinder 4 connected to the end of a central frame 5. A cross-shaped connector 6 is rotatably connected within the central frame 5. Two X-axis 7 on the cross-shaped connector 6 are rotatably connected to the inner wall of the central frame 5, and two Y-axis 8 on the cross-shaped connector 6 are rotatably connected to a connecting sleeve 9. The connecting sleeve 9 is part of a first floating frame 10, which also has four floating connecting blocks 11, each with curved sides. The connecting mechanism also includes a second floating frame 12, with four support platforms 13 at its four corners. Two of the support platforms 13 located diagonally are equipped with positioning pins 14, which match the positioning pin holes 2 on the robotic arm connecting plate 1. The other two diagonally located support platforms 13 are equipped with lower limit blocks 15 that match the upper limit blocks 3. A gripper connecting plate 16 is located at the bottom of the second floating frame 12. The four floating connecting blocks 11 on the first floating frame 10 are movably connected to the four support platforms 13. A pair of floating limit blocks 17 are provided inside the support platform 13. The inner side of the floating limit block 17 is also an arc surface, and the arc surface on the floating limit block 17 matches the arc surface on the side of the floating connecting block 11. At the same time, the distance between the arc surfaces on the inner sides of the two floating limit blocks 17 is greater than the outer contour of the floating connecting block 11. Two symmetrically distributed limiting posts 18 are also provided on the bottom end surface of the robotic arm connecting plate 1. The bottom end of the limiting post 18 is provided with a limiting plate 19. The limiting post 18 is movably connected to the through holes opened on the central frame 5, the first floating frame 10, the second floating frame 12 and the gripper connecting plate 16. The limiting plate 19 is located below the gripper connecting plate 16, and when the mechanism is in the locked state, there is a gap between the limiting plate 19 and the gripper connecting plate 16.

[0019] Of the two positioning pins 14, one is a round pin and the other is a diamond pin.

[0020] The working process of the flexible floating robot gripper connection mechanism of this invention is as follows: the robotic arm connection plate 1 is fixedly connected to the robotic arm, and the gripper is connected to the gripper connection plate 16 of this mechanism, that is, the connection between the robotic arm and the gripper is realized by this mechanism. When it is necessary to use the gripper to grab the workpiece transported from the previous station, the robotic arm first moves the mechanism and the gripper to above the workpiece. Then, the control system connected to the mechanism issues a command to control the two locking cylinders 4 to extend synchronously, pushing the central frame 5 to move away from the robotic arm connecting plate 1. The movement of the central frame 5 will drive the first floating frame 10 and the second floating frame 12 to move. In this way, the positioning pin 14 on the second floating frame 12 will be pulled out from the positioning pin hole 2 on the robotic arm connecting plate 1. At this time, the second floating frame 12 separates from the robotic arm connecting plate 1, and the gripper connecting plate 16 located at the bottom of the second floating frame 12 regains its degree of freedom. Since the inner wall of the central frame 5 is rotatably connected to the cross-shaped connector 6 via two X-axis 7, the cross-shaped connector 6 and all the mechanisms connected to it can rotate about the X-axis relative to the central frame 5 (i.e., relative to the robotic arm connecting plate 1). The first floating frame 10 is rotatably connected to the cross-shaped connector 6 via the connecting sleeve 9 and the Y-axis 8, therefore the first floating frame 10 and all the mechanisms connected to it can rotate about the Y-axis relative to the cross-shaped connector 6. Meanwhile, since the second floating frame 12 is connected to the floating connecting block 11 by a pair of floating limiting blocks 17 in the support platform 13, and the opposite parts of the floating limiting blocks 17 and the floating connecting block 11 are both arc surfaces, it is equivalent to the second floating frame 12 being able to move freely in a certain range in the horizontal direction relative to the first floating frame 10. The superposition of the above three types of motion (rotation about the X-axis, rotation about the Y-axis, and free motion in the planar direction) allows the gripper connecting plate 16, which is directly connected to the gripper, to be adjusted in multiple directions relative to the robotic arm connecting plate 1, which is connected to the robotic arm. During the process of the gripper contacting and clamping the workpiece, the gripper will make adaptive posture adjustments to ensure the accuracy of clamping. After the workpiece is clamped, the locking cylinder 4 is simultaneously retracted, and the positioning pin 14 is re-inserted into the positioning pin hole 2, and the gripper and the robotic arm are re-fixed. At this time, the relative positional relationship between the clamped workpiece and the robotic arm is determined. Therefore, the robotic arm can drive the workpiece to the loading position of the next station and place the workpiece there, which can ensure that the workpiece placement position is accurate.

[0021] When the workpiece needs to be gripped again, the locking cylinder 4 extends again, and the gripper connecting plate 16 regains its freedom to ensure that the gripper can accurately grip the workpiece.

Claims

1. A robot gripper connection mechanism capable of flexible floating, characterized in that: The connecting mechanism includes a robotic arm connecting plate (1), with positioning pin holes (2) at two opposite corners and upper limit blocks (3) at the bottom surfaces of the other two opposite corners. A locking cylinder (4) is also provided at each end of the robotic arm connecting plate (1). The working end of the locking cylinder (4) is connected to the end of the central frame (5). A cross-shaped connector (6) is rotatably connected inside the central frame (5). Two X-axis (7) on the cross-shaped connector (6) are rotatably connected to the inner wall of the central frame (5), and two Y-axis (8) on the cross-shaped connector (6) are rotatably connected to the connecting sleeve (9). The connecting sleeve (9) is part of the first floating frame (10). Four floating connecting blocks (11) are also provided on the first floating frame (10). The two sides of the floating connecting blocks (11) are arc surfaces. The connecting mechanism also includes a second floating frame (12), which has four support platforms (13) at its four corners. Two of the support platforms (13) located diagonally are provided with positioning pins (14), and the positioning pins (14) match the positioning pin holes (2) on the robotic arm connecting plate (1). The other two support platforms (13) located diagonally are provided with lower limit blocks (15) that match the upper limit block (3). A gripper connecting plate (16) is provided at the bottom of the second floating frame (12). The four floating connecting blocks (11) on the first floating frame (10) are movably connected to the four support platforms (13). A pair of floating limit blocks (17) are provided inside the support platform (13). The inner side of the floating limit block (17) is also an arc surface, and the arc surface on the floating limit block (17) matches the arc surface on the side of the floating connecting block (11). At the same time, the distance between the arc surfaces on the inner sides of the two floating limit blocks (17) is greater than the outer contour of the floating connecting block (11). Two symmetrically distributed limiting posts (18) are also provided on the bottom surface of the robotic arm connecting plate (1). The bottom end of the limiting post (18) is provided with a limiting plate (19). The limiting post (18) is simultaneously movably connected in the through holes opened on the central frame (5), the first floating frame (10), the second floating frame (12) and the gripper connecting plate (16). The limiting plate (19) is located below the gripper connecting plate (16), and when the mechanism is in the locked state, there is a gap between the limiting plate (19) and the gripper connecting plate (16).

2. The robot gripper connection mechanism capable of flexible floating according to claim 1, characterized in that: Of the two positioning pins (14) mentioned above, one is a round pin and the other is a diamond pin.

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