Robot and its mechanical gripper

Abstract

The present application provides a robot and a mechanical gripper thereof. The mechanical gripper includes a drive assembly, including a drive rod; a movable assembly, coupled to the drive rod, and driven by the drive rod to move along the axis of the drive rod; and a gripper assembly, connected to the movable assembly, and including a plurality of fingers, wherein the movable assembly drives the plurality of fingers to move closer to or away from each other during movement along the axis. The mechanical gripper of the present application has good sealing ability, eccentric load capacity and power-off self-locking ability; in addition, it also realizes the control of the real-time opening and closing amount and opening and closing speed of the mechanical gripper, and has the advantages of large clamping force, small size, light weight, low cost, and simple operation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of robot end gripping, and in particular, to a robot and a mechanical gripper thereof. Background Art

[0002] With the development of artificial intelligence, the puzzle of robots moving from industrial scenarios to commercial scenarios is becoming more and more complete, which makes the market's requirements for robots and their mechanical grippers higher and higher.

[0003] Currently, home and service scenarios have become the preferred deployment scenarios for civilian robots. However, the complexity of real-world scenarios presents significant challenges to the application of robots. The robot's gripper, as the primary component for interacting with objects in the environment, faces the most significant risks and challenges.

[0004] For example, in a kitchen setting, robots and their grippers face the following challenges: First, they need to be able to bear large central loads or even eccentric loads. Because common kitchen utensils, such as woks and frying baskets, come into contact with heat sources and are generally equipped with long handles for heat dissipation, the gripper must withstand a force of 8 to 9 N when grasping. · m or even greater torque. The ability of existing link-type grippers to resist eccentric torques usually does not exceed 6N · m, which is far from meeting actual needs. Second, complex working conditions such as high temperature, water vapor, contact with liquids, and food hygiene and safety all place requirements on the sealing of the mechanical gripper, but the existing technology has not made special designs for such sealing of the mechanical gripper. Third, the diversity of kitchen items, objects of different shapes and weights, on the one hand, place requirements on the gripper's clamping force, and on the other hand, it also challenges the gripper's generalization ability to grasp objects. Fourth, if the robot suddenly loses power during the grasping process, it is necessary to ensure that the mechanical gripper is locked immediately to avoid the danger of the grasped object falling.

[0005] Current linkage-type grippers and adaptive grippers are unable to meet the requirements of sealing, clamping force, generalized clamping, eccentric load, and power-off self-locking, and are often unable to perform tasks in human life scenarios; dexterous robotic hands are difficult to truly commercialize due to their high cost and complex control.

[0006] It should be understood that the description of the background technology content is only used to help understand the technical solution disclosed in this application, and the content does not necessarily belong to the prior art of this application. Summary of the Invention

[0007] On the one hand, the present application provides a mechanical gripper, comprising: a drive assembly, including a drive rod; a movable assembly, coupled to the drive rod, and moving along the axial direction of the drive rod under the drive of the drive rod; and a gripper assembly, connected to the movable assembly and including a plurality of fingers, wherein the movable assembly drives the plurality of fingers to move closer to or away from each other during the movement along the axial direction.

[0008] In one embodiment, the mechanical gripper further includes: a shell covering the outside of the drive assembly and the movable assembly; and a first seal located on a side of the shell away from the drive assembly and in contact with the gripper assembly to form a seal.

[0009] In one embodiment, the gripper assembly further includes: a first support member, which passes through the shell and includes a first support member first part and a first support member second part, the radial dimension of the first support member first part is greater than the radial dimension of the first support member second part, and the first support member second part is located on the side of the shell away from the drive assembly, and the first seal is sleeved on the first support member.

[0010] In one embodiment, the gripper assembly further includes: a first connecting member, one end of which is connected to the second part of the first support member, and the other end is connected to the finger, for driving the movement of the finger; and a transverse connecting member, one end of which is connected to the movable component, and the other end is connected to the first part of the first support member, for driving the rotation of the first support member, wherein the first support member drives the end of the first connecting member to rotate together, and the end of the first connecting member is in contact with the first sealing member.

[0011] In one embodiment, the gripper assembly further includes: a second support member, which passes through the shell and includes a first part of the second support member and a second part of the second support member, wherein the second part of the second support member is located on the side of the shell away from the drive assembly, and the first seal is sleeved on the second support member; a second connecting member, one end of which is connected to the second part of the second support member and the other end is connected to the finger, wherein, in the process of the multiple fingers approaching or moving away from each other, the first connecting member and the second connecting member remain parallel to each other so that the angle of the multiple fingers relative to the axis remains unchanged, and the end of the second connecting member is in contact with the first seal.

[0012] In one embodiment, the mechanical gripper further includes: a signal acquisition unit for recording the rotation information of the drive rod; and a control unit for performing motion planning based on the rotation information of the drive rod to control the real-time opening and closing amount of the multiple fingers.

[0013] In one embodiment, the mechanical gripper further includes: a sensor for feeding back to the control unit a signal indicating that the movable component moves to a zero position and a target position, so as to control the maximum opening and closing amount of the plurality of fingers, wherein the target position corresponds to the maximum opening and closing amount of the plurality of fingers.

[0014] In one embodiment, the drive assembly includes a driver, and the housing includes a limit block, wherein the limit block is located on a side of the driver close to the movable assembly, and is used to limit the movement of the transverse connecting member along the axial direction, wherein the driver drives the drive rod to rotate when power is turned on to drive the movable assembly to move along the axial direction, and locks the rotation of the drive rod when power is turned off to limit the movement of the movable assembly.

[0015] In one embodiment, the first connecting member includes: a first connecting rod located on one side of the shell; a second connecting rod arranged opposite to the first connecting rod and located on the other side of the shell; and a rib plate, one end of which is connected to the first connecting rod and the other end is connected to the second connecting rod.

[0016] In one embodiment, the drive rod comprises a threaded rod, the movable assembly comprises a threaded sleeve, and the coupling comprises a threaded fit formed between the threaded rod and the threaded sleeve.

[0017] In one embodiment, the fingers include grooves, and a plurality of the grooves form a clamping space when the plurality of fingers approach each other, wherein the grooves extend along an axial direction parallel to the first support member.

[0018] In one embodiment, the mechanical gripper further includes: a sealed bearing mounted on the housing and sleeved on the surface of the first portion of the first support member, wherein the first surface of the sealed bearing is in contact with the first sealing member.

[0019] In one embodiment, the mechanical gripper further includes: a second sealing member located on a side of the sealed bearing away from the first sealing member and in contact with the second surface of the sealed bearing and the first support member respectively.

[0020] In one embodiment, the housing has a first space and a second space, the driver and the control unit are located in the first space, the movable assembly, the first support member first portion and the transverse connection member are located in the second space, and the second space is filled with filler.

[0021] In one embodiment, the material of the shell includes at least one of metal aluminum, aluminum alloy, stainless steel, metal titanium and carbon fiber, the material of the first seal includes at least one of graphite, carbon fiber, polytetrafluoroethylene, polyoxymethylene thermoplastic polymer and semi-metallic material, and the material of the first connecting rod includes at least one of stainless steel and metal titanium.

[0022] On the other hand, the present application provides a robot, comprising: a robotic gripper as described in any of the above embodiments; a robotic arm; and a controller, communicatively connected to the robotic arm and the robotic gripper, for sending instructions to control the movement of the robotic arm and the opening and closing of multiple fingers, wherein the robotic arm drives the movement of the robotic gripper.

[0023] The features and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention will be described in the following description, and in part will become apparent from the description or be learned through practice of the present invention. The objectives and other advantages of the embodiments of the present invention can be achieved and obtained through the structures and / or functions particularly pointed out in the description, claims, and drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] Other features, purposes and advantages of the present application will become more apparent through the following detailed description of non-limiting embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings:

[0025] Figure 1 3 is a schematic structural diagram of the fingers of a mechanical gripper in a closed state according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application.

[0026] Figure 2 3 is a schematic structural diagram of the fingers of a mechanical gripper in an open state according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application.

[0027] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of a mechanical gripper according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application.

[0028] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the exploded structure of a mechanical gripper according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application.

[0029] Figure 5 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a first supporting member of a mechanical gripper according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application.

[0030] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the partial structure of a mechanical gripper according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application.

[0031] Figure 7 is based on Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the local structure after removing the transverse connector.

[0032] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of the partial structure of a mechanical gripper according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application.

[0033] Figure 9 and Figure 10 All of them are schematic diagrams of the partial structure of the mechanical gripper according to the exemplary embodiments of the present application.

[0034] Figure 11 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a second supporting member of a mechanical gripper according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application.

[0035] Figure 12 It is a schematic diagram of the partial structure of a mechanical gripper according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application.

[0036] Figure 13 is a bottom view of a robotic gripper according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application.

[0037] Figure 14 is another structural schematic diagram of a mechanical gripper according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application.

[0038] Figure 15 is a schematic structural diagram of a robot according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application.

[0039] Among them, 100, mechanical gripper; 110, movable component; 111, drive rod; 112, driver; 113, alignment bearing; 120, drive rod; 120, gripper assembly; 121, finger; 121a, groove; 1211, flexible member; 122, first connecting member; 1221, first connecting rod; 1222, second connecting rod; 1223, rib plate; 123, second connecting member; 124, transverse connecting member; 125, first support member; 1251, first part of the first support member; 1252, second part of the first support member Two parts; 126, second support member; 1261, first part of second support member; 1262, second part of second support member; 130, movable assembly; 131, movable sleeve; 132, hinged rod; 140, shell; 140A, first space; 140B, second space; 141, front shell; 142, rear shell; 143, upper shell; 150, first seal; 160, sealed bearing; 170, second seal; 180, sensor; 190, adapter; 200, robotic arm; 900, robot. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] For a better understanding of the present application, various aspects of the present application will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that these detailed descriptions are merely descriptions of exemplary embodiments of the present application and are not intended to limit the scope of the present application in any way. Throughout the specification, the same reference numerals refer to the same elements. The expression "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0041] It should be noted that in this specification, the terms "first," "second," and the like are used solely to distinguish one feature from another and do not limit the features, and in particular do not indicate any order of precedence. Therefore, without departing from the teachings of this application, the first support member discussed in this application may also be referred to as the second support member, and vice versa.

[0042] In the specification, references to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," "example embodiment," "some embodiments," etc. indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, these phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in conjunction with an embodiment, it will be within the knowledge of those skilled in the relevant art to implement such feature, structure, or characteristic in conjunction with other embodiments, whether or not explicitly described.

[0043] In the accompanying drawings, the thickness, size, and shape of components have been slightly adjusted for ease of illustration. The drawings are for illustration purposes only and are not drawn strictly to scale. For example, the dimensions of the gripper assembly depicted in the drawings herein are not to scale as would be used in actual production. As used herein, the words "substantially," "approximately," and similar terms are intended to indicate approximations, not degrees, and are intended to account for the inherent variations in measurements or calculations that would be recognized by one of ordinary skill in the art.

[0044] It should be understood that expressions such as "comprises," "including," "having," "includes," and / or "comprising" are open rather than closed expressions in this specification, indicating the presence of the stated features, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof. In addition, when expressions such as "at least one of..." appear after a list of listed features, they modify the entire list of features rather than just the individual elements in the list. In addition, when describing embodiments of the present application, "may" is used to mean "one or more embodiments of the present application." And, the term "exemplary" is intended to refer to an example or illustration.

[0045] It should also be understood that the meanings of terms such as "on," "above," and "over" should be interpreted in the broadest manner, so that "on" means not only "directly on something," but also includes "on something" with intervening features or layers therebetween, and "above" or "over" means not only "above" or "over" something, but also includes "above" or "over" something with no intervening features or layers therebetween (i.e., directly on something).

[0046] Unless otherwise defined, all words used herein (including engineering terms and scientific and technological terms) have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which this application belongs. It should also be understood that, unless otherwise specified in this application, words defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having the same meaning as they do in the context of the relevant technology, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense.

[0047] It should be noted that, unless there is any conflict, the embodiments and features in the embodiments of this application can be combined with each other.

[0048] The features, principles and other aspects of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0049] The present application provides a mechanical gripper that can at least improve or solve the above problems. In the event of a sudden power outage, the mechanical gripper can lock itself, effectively preventing the load from sliding or falling; at the same time, a targeted sealing design is carried out to achieve good waterproof and oil-proof performance; a unique structural design is used to transfer most of the torque generated by the load to the shell, meeting the requirements for clamping force, eccentric load, volume and weight in complex scenarios; in addition, the real-time opening and closing amount and opening and closing speed of the mechanical gripper can be controlled; it has the advantages of small size, light weight, low cost, and simple operation.

[0050] Figure 1 3 is a schematic structural diagram of the fingers of a mechanical gripper in a closed state according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application. Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the structure of the fingers of the mechanical gripper in the open state according to the exemplary embodiment of the present application. Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, the mechanical gripper 100 includes a drive assembly 110, a gripper assembly 120, and a movable assembly 130. In some embodiments, the drive assembly 110 includes a drive rod 111 and a driver 112, and the driver 112 can drive the movement of the drive rod 111. The movable assembly 130 is coupled to the drive rod 111 and moves along the axial direction of the drive rod 111 (for example, the z direction or the opposite direction of z) under the drive rod 111. The gripper assembly 120 is connected to the movable assembly 130, and the gripper assembly 120 may include a plurality of fingers 121. The movable assembly 120 drives the plurality of fingers 121 to move closer to or away from each other during the movement along the z direction or the opposite direction of z to achieve opening and closing.

[0051] It can be understood that when the movable component 120 moves along the z direction, the distance between the multiple fingers 121 decreases, thereby achieving the limitation and grasping of the target object; when the movable component 120 moves in the opposite direction of z, the distance between the multiple fingers 121 increases, thereby achieving the release of the grasped object.

[0052] It should be noted that the number of fingers 121 shown as two in the drawings of this application is merely illustrative and does not limit this application. A person skilled in the art may set a different number of fingers without departing from this application. For example, the number of fingers 121 may be set to 3, 4, 5, 6, or even more.

[0053] In some embodiments, the finger 121 includes a groove 121a extending parallel to the y-direction. In the process of multiple fingers 121 approaching each other, multiple grooves 121a will form a clamping space. The inventors of the present application found that when the mechanical gripper 100 is grasping the target object, because the target object may have a long handle (such as a frying basket, a wok, etc.), it needs to bear a large eccentric load, which not only puts forward requirements for the overall structural strength of the mechanical gripper 100, but also poses a challenge to its clamping method. The target object is at risk of falling off if the clamping force of the finger 121 is too small and the friction between the finger 121 and the target handle is insufficient. The design of the groove 121a can provide support for the target handle in the z-direction, converting the key force from friction to support force, thereby effectively preventing the object from falling off during the clamping process.

[0054] Illustratively, the gripping portion of finger 121, i.e., the portion in contact with the target object, includes a flexible member 1211. The flexible member 1211 can increase friction when in contact with the target object and provide cushioning protection during gripping. The flexible member 1211 can be made, for example, of food-grade silicone.

[0055] In some embodiments, the driver 112 drives the drive rod 111 to rotate when powered on, and self-locks when powered off, thereby limiting the movement of the drive rod 111. The drive rod 111 cooperates with the movable assembly 110 and drives the movable assembly 120 to move. When the driver 112 is powered off, the driver 112 self-locks, and the rotation of the drive rod 111 is "stuck", thereby ensuring that the movement of the movable assembly 110 stops immediately, thereby ensuring that the fingers 121 do not open after the power is turned off. This self-locking design can effectively prevent the gripper 100 or the system from slipping or falling off in the event of a sudden power outage.

[0056] Illustratively, the driving rod 111 includes a threaded rod, the movable assembly 120 includes a threaded sleeve, and the coupling between the driving rod 111 and the movable assembly 120 includes a threaded fit formed by the threaded rod and the threaded sleeve.

[0057] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the mechanical gripper according to the exemplary embodiment of the present application. Figure 3 As shown, the robotic gripper 100 also includes a housing 140. Housing 140 can be composed of a front housing 141, a rear housing 142, and an upper housing 143. The front housing 141, rear housing 142, and upper housing 143 can be connected by at least one of bolting, gluing, and welding. When bolting is used, a sealing gasket can be installed between the bolts and housing 140 to ensure the sealing of the overall structure.

[0058] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the structure explosion of the mechanical gripper according to the exemplary embodiment of the present application. Figure 1 and Figure 4 As shown, the gripper assembly 120 further includes a first connecting member 122 , a transverse connecting member 124 and a first supporting member 125 . Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the structure of the first support member of the mechanical gripper according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application. Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the first support member 125 includes a first support member first portion 1251 and a first support member second portion 1252. The radial dimension (z direction / opposite z direction) of the first support member first portion 1251 is greater than the radial dimension of the first support member second portion 1252. One end of the first connecting member 122 is connected to the first support member second portion 1252, and the other end is connected to the finger 121, for driving the movement of the finger 121. One end of the transverse connecting member 124 is connected to the movable assembly 130, and the other end is connected to the first support member first portion 1251, for driving the rotation of the first support member 125.

[0059] In some embodiments, the connection between the first support member 125 and one end of the transverse connector 124 comprises a keyed connection, while the connection between the other end of the transverse connector 124 and the movable assembly 130 comprises a hinged connection. When the transverse connector 124 rotates about its hinged end, the end connected to the first support member 125 drives the rotation of the first connector 122. The second portion 1252 of the first support member can be at least partially designed as a plane. The rotation of this plane drives the simultaneous rotation of the ends of the first connector 122, thereby driving the opening and closing of the fingers 121.

[0060] Exemplarily, the first support member 125 passes through the housing 140 . Furthermore, the first support member second portion 1252 is located on a side of the housing 140 away from the driving assembly 110 , that is, on the outside of the housing 140 .

[0061] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the partial structure of a mechanical gripper according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application. Figure 7 is based on Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the local structure after removing the transverse connecting piece. In order to facilitate the observation of the connection relationship of the internal structure of the mechanical gripper 100, Figure 6 The transverse connecting member 124 is removed to form Figure 7 Figure. Combined Figures 3 to 7 As shown, the robot gripper 100 further includes a first sealing member 150. The first sealing member 150 is located on a side of the housing 140 away from the driving assembly 110 (ie, outside the housing 140), and contacts the gripper assembly 120 to form a seal.

[0062] In some embodiments, the first sealing member 150 is sleeved on the first supporting member 125 and is pressed against the end of the first connecting member 122 .

[0063] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the partial structure of the mechanical gripper according to the exemplary embodiment of the present application. Figure 8 As shown, the robotic gripper 100 further includes a sealed bearing 160, which can be mounted on the housing 140 and sleeved onto the surface of the first portion 1251 of the first support member. A first surface of the sealed bearing 160 (e.g., the surface located on the side opposite to the y direction) contacts the first sealing member 150. The sealed bearing 160 provides support for the first support member 125. As the first support member 125 rotates, the inner ring of the sealed bearing 160 rotates synchronously.

[0064] For example, the outer ring surface of the sealed bearing 160 may be provided with an interference fit with the housing 140, and may be bonded or welded to a fixed position of the housing 140 to form a seal with the housing 140. The sealing method of the sealed bearing 160 includes at least one of a non-contact rubber seal with a frame on both sides and a contact rubber seal with a frame on both sides.

[0065] In some embodiments, the first seal 150 fits tightly against the sealing bearing 160 and generates relative friction, which places high demands on the material selection of the first seal 150. The first seal 150 must have both good wear resistance and low roughness, and must also have sufficient resistance to plastic deformation and even self-lubricating ability. Exemplarily, the material of the seal includes at least one of graphite, carbon fiber, polytetrafluoroethylene, polyoxymethylene thermoplastic polymer and semi-metallic material. The semi-metallic material can be a composite material formed by metal and non-metallic materials, such as a material formed by a mixture of flexible graphite and a metal matrix, or a steel plate as a matrix, sintered spherical bronze powder in the middle, and surface rolled polytetrafluoroethylene and a mixture.

[0066] The first seal 150 cooperates with the housing 140, the sealed bearing 160, the first connector 122, and the first support 125 to achieve a good sealing effect. When the mechanical gripper 100 comes into contact with liquid, because the first surface of the sealed bearing 160 and the first seal 150 both have a relatively low roughness, they fit tightly together during actual operation, and the outer surfaces of the sealed bearing 160 and the first support 125 can form, for example, an interference fit. As a result, the liquid, due to its own surface tension, is unable to penetrate the gap between the first seal 150 and the first surface of the sealed bearing 160, and the mating surfaces of the sealed bearing 160 and the first support 125, and enter the interior of the system. This structural design enables the mechanical gripper 100 to achieve IP55-level or even higher waterproof and oil-proof effects.

[0067] The inventors of this application have also discovered that, in complex working conditions, the gripper 100 may be exposed to liquid for extended periods (including partial or complete immersion in liquid, or even subjected to a certain depth of pressure), or may be continuously exposed to a steam environment. This places higher demands on the sealing performance of the gripper 100. To address the above technical issues, this application also provides a sealing solution as described below.

[0068] Continue to refer Figure 8 The robotic gripper 100 further includes a second seal 170. The second seal 170 may be located on a side of the sealing bearing 160 away from the first seal 150. The second seal 170 may be limited by the transverse connector 124 and the first sealing bearing 160 and contact the second surface of the sealing bearing 160 and the first support member 125, respectively, to form seals in the axial direction (along the y-direction) and the radial direction, respectively.

[0069] Figure 9 and Figure 10 are partial structural diagrams of the mechanical gripper according to the exemplary embodiment of the present application. Figure 3Part of the shell is removed to form Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown in the figure. Figure 3 、 Figure 9 and Figure 10 As can be seen, the space formed by the housing 140 includes a first space 140A and a second space 140B. The driver 112 may be located in the first space, and the movable assembly 130, the first support member first portion 1251 and the transverse connecting member 124 are located in the second space 140B.

[0070] In some embodiments, second space 140B is filled with a filler. The filler can be solid, semi-solid, or gel-like, and can partially fill second space 140B, such as the surfaces and / or gaps between the connection structures. Alternatively, second space 140B can be completely filled. The presence of the filler can lubricate the connection structures and contribute to overall sealing. For example, sealing grease or ordinary grease can be used as the filler.

[0071] For example, the second sealing member 170 may be made of a flexible material, such as sealing silicone, or may be made of the same material as the first sealing member 150. When the second sealing member 170 is made of at least one of graphite, carbon fiber, polytetrafluoroethylene, polyoxymethylene thermoplastic polymer, and a semi-metallic material, the second space 140B may be completely filled with the filler.

[0072] In some embodiments, the housing 140 further includes a stopper 145 that extends into the second space 140B, i.e., on the side of the driver 112 near the movable assembly 130, to limit the movement of the transverse connector 124 in the z-direction. When the transverse connector 124 moves in the z-direction, it contacts the stopper 145 at the extreme position, thereby preventing the movable assembly 130 from colliding with the top of the second space 140B due to exceeding the travel range of the movable assembly 130, and preventing excessive squeezing between the multiple fingers 121.

[0073] For example, the movable assembly 130 may include a movable sleeve 131 and a hinge rod 132. The movable sleeve 131 is sleeved on the drive rod 111 and can complete movement in the z-direction or the anti-z-direction when the drive rod 111 rotates. One end of the hinge rod 132 is hingedly connected or fixedly connected to the movable sleeve 131, and the other end is hingedly connected to the transverse connector 124.

[0074] It is understandable that if the limit block 145 is not provided, when the stroke of the movable assembly 130 exceeds the range, the hinged end of the hinged rod 132 and the transverse connector 124 will collide and rub against the top of the second space 140B, causing the multiple fingers 121 to be over-squeezed and affecting the structure of the gripper assembly 120, and even destroying the parallelogram structure maintained by the gripper assembly 120 during movement. In order to avoid the above-mentioned collision and friction, it is necessary to lengthen the stroke of the movable assembly 130, that is, to lengthen the length of the drive rod 111, and further to lengthen the length of the mechanical gripper 100 along the z direction. The present application introduces the design of the limit block 145, which can ensure that the above-mentioned collision and friction do not occur and there is no excessive squeezing between the multiple fingers 121 at the extreme position (the contact position between the limit block 145 and the transverse connector 124). The presence of the limit block 145 is conducive to reducing the length of the mechanical gripper 100 in the z direction, thereby reducing the length of the mechanical gripper 100.

[0075] Illustratively, the surface of the stopper 145 facing the transverse connector 124 is parallel to the surface of the transverse connector 124 facing the stopper 145, thereby effectively reducing the impact transmitted to the gripper assembly 120 and the movable assembly 130 while meeting the limiting requirements. The gripping force of the multiple fingers 121 when they reach the closed state can be adjusted by adjusting the length of the stopper 145 in the z-direction.

[0076] Figure 11 Schematic diagram of the structure of the second support member of the mechanical gripper according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application. Figure 4 and Figure 11 As shown, the gripper assembly 120 further includes a second support member 126 and a second connecting member 123. The second support member 126 includes a second support member first portion 1261 and a second support member second portion 1262. The second support member second portion 1262 is located on a side of the housing 140 away from the drive assembly 110. A first sealing member 150 is sleeved on the second support member 126. Similar to the first support member 125, the end of the second connecting member 123, on the side closest to the housing 140, contacts the first sealing member 150.

[0077] In some embodiments, the second support member 126 may also be used in conjunction with the sealed bearing 160, and the second seal 170 may be located on the side of the sealed bearing 160 away from the first seal 150, and contact the second surface of the sealed bearing 160 and the second support member 126 respectively to form a seal.

[0078] In some embodiments, one end of the second connector 123 is connected to the second portion 1262 of the second support member, and the other end is connected to the finger 121. Exemplarily, when the multiple fingers 121 approach or move away from each other, the first connector 122 and the second connector 122 remain parallel to each other so that the angle of the multiple fingers 121 relative to the axis (z direction) remains unchanged. The lengths of the first connector 122 and the second connector 123 can be the same. In other words, the second connector 123 and the first connector 122 form two parallel sides of a parallelogram. This design facilitates the movement of the fingers 121 along the x-direction during the opening and closing process, allowing the multiple fingers 121 to grip objects in parallel with each other, thereby ensuring stability when grasping and releasing, for example, long objects. Especially for long objects with circular, elliptical, square and other regular or irregular polygonal cross-sections, if the finger 121 moves in a non-x direction to form a clamp (for example, when the finger 121 is closed, its lower end contacts first to form an inverted triangular clamping method), the grasping area between the finger 121 and the target object will be reduced, which may easily cause a loose grasp and shaking.

[0079] Figure 12 1 is a partial structural diagram of a mechanical gripper according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application. In order to facilitate observation of the internal structure, half of the housing 140 has been removed for display. Figure 12 As shown, the first connecting member 122 includes a first connecting rod 1221, a second connecting rod 1222, and a rib 1223. The first connecting rod 1221 is located on one side of the housing 140, and the second connecting rod 1222 is arranged opposite the first connecting rod 1221 and located on the other side of the housing 140. The rib 1223 is connected to the first connecting rod 1221 at one end and to the second connecting rod 1222 at the other end.

[0080] The inventors of this application also found that in a kitchen scenario, for example, since some kitchen utensils usually need to come into contact with a heat source, they are generally provided with longer handles for heat dissipation or to avoid burns. The center of gravity of such kitchen utensils will be concentrated on the main body, especially after being filled with things, thereby forming a large eccentric load. For example, the load formed by the wok on the human hand during cooking is an eccentric load. The human hand needs to overcome the gravity of the wok while also overcoming a large torque and bending moment. For the field of robotics, it also faces similar problems, which requires the mechanical gripper 100 to have the ability to bear a large central load and also be able to overcome a large eccentric load.

[0081] Continue to refer Figure 12When faced with a large eccentric load, the first connecting member 122 will bear the torque generated by the eccentric load as well as the weight of the load. The first connecting member 122 of the present application can transmit this torque to the sealed bearing 160 via the first support member 125. Since the sealed bearing 160 is fixed to the housing 140, the housing 140 ultimately bears the majority of the torque generated by the eccentric load. This design helps reduce the rigidity requirements for the first connecting member 122, reduces material usage while meeting the load weight, and forms a connection method for the first connecting rod 1221, the second connecting rod 1222, and the rib plate 1223, thereby further reducing the weight of the mechanical gripper 100.

[0082] Exemplarily, the material of the shell 140 includes at least one of metal aluminum, aluminum alloy, stainless steel, metal titanium and carbon fiber; the material of the first connecting rod 1221, the second connecting rod 1222 and the rib plate 1223 all include at least one of stainless steel and metal titanium.

[0083] In some embodiments, the various materials described above can further meet application requirements in kitchen scenarios.

[0084] Continue to refer Figure 2 As shown, the mechanical gripper may also include a sensor 180, a signal acquisition unit (not shown) and a control unit (not shown). The sensor 180 may be located in the second space 140B; the signal acquisition unit and the control unit are both located in the first space 140A. The signal acquisition unit is used to record the rotation information of the drive rod 111, and the control unit performs motion planning based on the rotation information to control the real-time opening and closing amount of the multiple fingers 121. The sensor 180 is used to feedback the signal that the active component 130 moves to the zero position and the target position to the control unit, and the control unit controls the maximum opening and closing amount of the multiple fingers 121 through motion planning. When the active component 130 moves to the target position, the fingers 121 reach the maximum opening and closing amount.

[0085] For example, there may be multiple sensors 180, some of which are used to record whether the movable assembly 130 has moved to the zero position, which can be used as a preset initial position; and some of which are used to record the target position, that is, the maximum travel position of the movable assembly 130. The control unit uses motion planning to stop the movable assembly 130 at the maximum travel position.

[0086] In some embodiments, the control unit controls the opening and closing speed of the mechanical gripper 100 through FOC (Field-Oriented Control). It can adopt at least one of the current control mode, the speed control mode and the position control mode. The signal acquisition unit is, for example, an encoder, which can record the rotation angle of the driver 112, and plan the stroke of the active component 130 through the control unit, and then plan the real-time opening and closing amount of the finger 121. Exemplarily, under the premise that the overall width (along the x-direction) of the mechanical gripper 100 does not exceed 160cm and the overall length does not exceed 180cm (along the z-direction), the maximum opening and closing amount of multiple fingers 121 is not less than 100mm. It can be understood that when faced with different actual needs, the mechanical gripper 100 and its various structural components that cooperate with each other can be proportionally reduced or enlarged so that the fingers 121 can achieve a smaller or larger maximum opening and closing amount.

[0087] In some embodiments, during the process of clamping the target object, the reaction force of the clamping force will be converted into the damping force of the driver 112. The control unit can adjust the size of the clamping force by the size of the damping force fed back by the driver 112, thereby ensuring that the target object can obtain appropriate clamping force.

[0088] Figure 13 : is a bottom view of a mechanical gripper according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application. Figure 13 As shown, the robotic gripper 100 also includes an alignment bearing 113, which is mounted on the bottom of the housing 140 and sealed by a sealing cover. The side of the drive rod 111, which is in the opposite z direction, is coupled to the inner ring of the alignment bearing 113. The alignment bearing 113 ensures the stability of the drive rod 111 during rotation, preventing it from shaking or eccentric rotation.

[0089] Figure 14 FIG. 1 is another structural diagram of a mechanical gripper according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application. Figure 14 As shown, the robotic gripper 100 may further include an adapter 190. In some embodiments, the adapter 190 may be located only on the upper housing 143 or only on the outside of the front housing 141. In other embodiments, there are multiple adapters 190, each located on the upper housing 143 and on the outside of the front housing 141.

[0090] In some embodiments, the interface portion of the housing 140 itself (including the seams formed by the front housing 141, rear housing 142, and upper housing 143 when they are fastened together) is provided with a flexible seal. For example, grooves can be provided along the entire inner edge of the front housing 141, rear housing 142, and upper housing 143, respectively. The grooves are filled with sealant and / or flexible rubber. When the front housing 141, rear housing 142, and upper housing 143 are aligned and fastened together, the sealant or flexible rubber is squeezed to form a good seal.

[0091] On the other hand, the present application also provides a robot. Figure 15 Schematic diagram of the structure of the robot according to the exemplary embodiment of the present application. Figure 15 As shown, robot 900 includes a robotic gripper 100, a robotic arm 200, and a controller (not shown). The controller can communicate with the robotic arm 200 and the robotic gripper 100 and control the movement of the robotic arm 200 and the opening and closing of the plurality of fingers 121 by sending commands. The distal end of the robotic arm 200 is connected to the robotic gripper 100, thereby driving the movement of the robotic gripper 100 during the movement of the robotic arm 200.

[0092] For example, the end of the robot arm 200 can be connected to the adapter 190 by bolts or screws. The adapter 190 can be arranged parallel to the z direction or perpendicular to the z direction, so that after being connected to the robot arm 200, the robot gripper 100 extends along the z direction or perpendicular to the z direction.

[0093] Robot 900 can be applied to many scenarios such as finance, medical care, home, retail, security, education, etc. For example, robot 900 can be used for cooking and preparing food in the kitchen to automatically prepare food.

[0094] In some embodiments, robot 900 can be used to grip kitchen utensils by controlling the movement and actions of robotic arm 200 and gripper 100 to achieve gripping of the target utensils. Robot 900 can handle central loads such as seasoning bottles and bowls, which are centered within the kitchenware itself, as well as eccentric loads such as frying baskets and woks with handles, which have their centers of gravity outside the robot itself. The unique structural design described above transfers the majority of the torque generated by the load to housing 140, providing the ability to withstand greater eccentric torques and bending moments, meeting the requirements for eccentric loads, clamping force, and achieving volume and lightweight in complex scenarios.

[0095] In some embodiments, when a sudden power outage occurs in the robot 900, the driver 112 interacts with other mechanical structures in the mechanical gripper 100, so that the multiple fingers 121 can maintain the state at the time of power outage after the power outage, achieve self-locking, ensure the clamping of the clamped object, and effectively prevent the load (such as the frying basket) from sliding and falling off due to sudden power outage during the working process.

[0096] It should also be noted that for parts that come into close contact with oil smoke, Robot 900 utilizes its structural and sealing design to achieve excellent waterproof and oil-proof performance. Furthermore, Robot 900 also enables real-time control of the opening and closing distance and speed of the mechanical gripper 100, offering advantages such as low cost and simple operation.

[0097] Since the contents and structures involved in the description of the mechanical gripper 100 above are fully or partially applicable to the robot 900 described herein, related or similar contents will not be described in detail.

[0098] The above description is merely an embodiment of the present application and an illustration of the technical principles employed. Those skilled in the art should understand that the scope of protection involved in this application is not limited to the technical solutions formed by a specific combination of the above-mentioned technical features, but should also cover other technical solutions formed by any combination of the above-mentioned technical features or their equivalents without departing from the technical concept. For example, a technical solution formed by replacing the above-mentioned features with (but not limited to) technical features with similar functions disclosed in this application.

Claims

1. A mechanical gripper, characterized in that: include: a drive assembly including a drive rod; A movable assembly is coupled to the driving rod and moves along the axis of the driving rod under the drive of the driving rod; as well as a gripper assembly connected to the movable assembly and comprising a plurality of fingers, wherein the movable assembly drives the plurality of fingers to move toward or away from each other during movement along the axis; a housing, covering the outer sides of the driving assembly and the movable assembly; as well as a first sealing member, located on a side of the housing away from the drive assembly and in contact with the gripper assembly to form a seal; The gripper assembly further comprises: The first support member passes through the shell and includes a first support member first part and a first support member second part. The radial dimension of the first support member first part is greater than the radial dimension of the first support member second part, and the first support member second part is located on the side of the shell away from the drive assembly. The first sealing member is sleeved on the first support member.

2. The mechanical gripper according to claim 1, characterized in that: The gripper assembly further comprises: a first connecting member, one end of which is connected to the second portion of the first supporting member, and the other end of which is connected to the finger, for driving the movement of the finger; and A transverse connecting member, one end of which is connected to the movable assembly and the other end of which is connected to the first portion of the first supporting member, for driving the rotation of the first supporting member. The first supporting member drives the end portion of the first connecting member to rotate together, and the end portion of the first connecting member contacts the first sealing member.

3. The mechanical gripper according to claim 2, characterized in that: The gripper assembly further comprises: a second support member, passing through the housing and comprising a second support member first portion and a second support member second portion, wherein the second support member second portion is located on a side of the housing away from the drive assembly, and the first sealing member is sleeved on the second support member; A second connecting member, one end of which is connected to the second portion of the second supporting member, and the other end of which is connected to the finger. In the process of the multiple fingers approaching or moving away from each other, the first connecting member and the second connecting member remain parallel to each other so that the angles of the multiple fingers relative to the axis remain unchanged, and the end of the second connecting member contacts the first sealing member.

4. The mechanical gripper according to claim 2, characterized in that: Also includes: a signal acquisition unit, configured to record the rotation information of the driving rod; as well as The control unit performs motion planning based on the rotation information of the driving rod to control the real-time opening and closing amounts of the plurality of fingers.

5. The mechanical gripper according to claim 4, characterized in that: Also includes: The sensor is used to feed back signals indicating that the movable component moves to a zero position and a target position to the control unit so as to control the maximum opening and closing amount of the plurality of fingers, wherein the target position corresponds to the maximum opening and closing amount of the plurality of fingers.

6. The mechanical gripper according to claim 5, characterized in that: The driving assembly includes a driver, and the housing includes a limit block, The limit block is located on a side of the driver close to the movable component and is used to limit the movement of the transverse connecting member along the axis direction. Wherein, the driver drives the driving rod to rotate when power is on to drive the movable assembly to move along the axis direction, and locks the rotation of the driving rod to limit the movement of the movable assembly when power is off.

7. The mechanical gripper according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first connecting member includes: a first connecting rod, located on one side of the housing; a second connecting rod, disposed opposite to the first connecting rod and located on the other side of the housing; and A rib plate has one end connected to the first connecting rod and the other end connected to the second connecting rod.

8. The mechanical gripper according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fingers include grooves, and when the fingers approach each other, the plurality of grooves form a clamping space, wherein the grooves extend along an axial direction parallel to the first support member.

9. The mechanical gripper according to claim 2, characterized in that: Also includes: A sealed bearing is mounted on the housing and sleeved on the surface of the first portion of the first support member, wherein the first surface of the sealed bearing contacts the first sealing member.

10. The mechanical gripper according to claim 9, characterized in that: Also includes: The second sealing member is located on a side of the sealed bearing away from the first sealing member and is in contact with the second surface of the sealed bearing and the first supporting member respectively.

11. The mechanical gripper according to claim 6, characterized in that: The housing has a first space and a second space, the driver and the control unit are located in the first space, the movable assembly, the first portion of the first support member and the transverse connection member are located in the second space, and the second space is filled with filler.

12. The mechanical gripper according to claim 7, characterized in that: The material of the shell includes at least one of metal aluminum, aluminum alloy, stainless steel, metal titanium and carbon fiber, the material of the first seal includes at least one of graphite, carbon fiber, polytetrafluoroethylene, polyoxymethylene thermoplastic polymer and semi-metallic material, and the material of the first connecting rod includes at least one of stainless steel and metal titanium.

13. A robot, characterized in that: include: The mechanical gripper according to any one of claims 1 to 12; robotic arm; as well as a controller, in communication with the robotic arm and the robotic gripper, for sending instructions to control the movement of the robotic arm and the opening and closing of the plurality of fingers; Wherein, the mechanical arm drives the mechanical gripper to move.

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