Grasping device and industrial robot

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of industrial robots and discloses a gripping device comprising a three-jaw clamp assembly having three claw arms that can synchronously reciprocate in a radial direction, and three groups of abutment assemblies, each group of abutment assemblies comprising a connecting plate, a rubber roller, and a driving member. The upper portion of the connecting plate is detachably fixedly connected to the claw arm, the rubber roller is rotatably connected to the connecting plate, and the roller surface of the rubber roller protrudes toward the axis of the three-jaw clamp assembly. The driving member is disposed outside the connecting plate and is used to drive the rubber roller to rotate. The three-jaw clamp assembly and each of the driving members are connected to a controller and are controlled by the controller to perform synchronous movements. Compared to the prior art, the present invention does not require the same suction cup to adsorb the top surface of the object, and can complete the gripping of objects with uneven or hollow top surfaces, thus having a wider range of applicability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of industrial robots, and more particularly to a gripping device. The present invention also relates to an industrial robot. Background Art

[0002] During the processing, assembly or packaging of products, it is often necessary to grab and transfer related objects to other locations for the next step. With the development of technology, many industrial robots and special gripping devices are now used to complete the transfer of objects. For example, the Chinese patent document with the authorization announcement number CN220922438U, entitled A Clamping Fixture for Robots, discloses a clamping fixture using at least two sets of low-contact components and suction cup components. When in use, the driving member drives the low-contact component to clamp the object, and the telescopic cylinder drives the suction cup component to move down to adsorb the object. At this time, the object is fixed and then transferred using a manipulator or robot. The clamping fixture can normally clamp objects with regular sides and flat top surfaces, but the suction cup component can only adsorb objects with flat and relatively smooth top surfaces. If the top surface of the object is uneven or hollow, such as a tubular object, it cannot be adsorbed and fixed normally, and the scope of application of the gripping is small. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of the above-mentioned deficiencies in the prior art, an object of the present invention is to provide a gripping device that can be used to grip objects with uneven or hollow top surfaces and has a wide range of applicability.

[0004] The above technical objectives of the present invention are achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0005] The camming mechanism is a kind of frame-mounted device, and its top is equipped with a toothed structure, and the toothed structure is that cooperates with each other to form a circle, and the toothed structure is that interlocking and is convenient to use and can be used for the toothed structure of being easily movable.

[0006] Furthermore, the connecting plate includes an upper connecting plate and a lower connecting plate, the upper connecting plate can be detachably fixedly connected to the claw arm and can be adjusted in radial direction, and the lower connecting plate can be detachably fixedly connected to the upper connecting plate and can be adjusted in vertical direction.

[0007] Furthermore, the upper connecting plate and the claw arm are provided with a plurality of mutually cooperating grooves on the contact surfaces, as well as the upper connecting plate and the lower connecting plate are provided with a plurality of mutually cooperating grooves on the contact surfaces, and the upper connecting plate and the claw arm, as well as the upper connecting plate and the lower connecting plate are detachably fixedly connected by screws.

[0008] Furthermore, it also includes a buffer assembly provided on the three-claw clamp assembly, the bottom of the buffer assembly is located below the three claw arms, and is used to support the top surface of the object when the object is lifted up by the rubber roller and moved upward for a distance.

[0009] Furthermore, the buffer assembly includes a fixing ring, a base plate, a limit piece and elastic pieces with the same number as the limit pieces. The fixing ring is fixedly connected to the three-jaw clamp assembly, and the base plate is located below the three claw arms. The limit pieces have at least two groups and are evenly distributed around the three-jaw clamp assembly. The upper end of the limit piece passes through the fixing ring and can move up and down, and the lower end is fixedly connected to the base plate for limiting the up and down movement of the base plate within a certain distance. The two ends of the elastic piece respectively press against the fixing ring and the base plate.

[0010] Furthermore, it also includes a displacement sensor connected to the controller, which is arranged on the three-jaw clamp assembly and located above the limit member, and is used to detect whether the movement distance of the limit member reaches the set displacement threshold. When the object is lifted by the rubber roller and the limit member is lifted up to reach the displacement threshold, the speed of the driving member is reduced to the minimum speed to drive the rubber roller to rotate forward.

[0011] Furthermore, the abutment assembly further includes a gear reduction mechanism, the output end of the driving member is fixedly connected to the input shaft of the gear reduction mechanism, and the output shaft of the gear reduction mechanism is fixedly connected to the rotating shaft of the rubber roller.

[0012] Furthermore, the abutment assembly also includes a rubber scraper, which is slidably connected to the inner bottom of the abutment assembly and can move back and forth in the radial direction, and the top surface of the scraper abuts against the lower roller surface of the rubber roller. When the rubber roller rotates forward, the scraper moves toward the axis of the three-jaw clamp assembly until the outer side surface is flush with the outer roller surface of the rubber roller in the vertical direction. When the rubber roller reverses, the scraper retracts into the inside of the abutment assembly.

[0013] An industrial robot comprises a robot body with an end capable of reciprocating between different workstations, wherein the end of the robot body is detachably and fixedly connected to a gripping device according to any one of the above technical solutions.

[0014] Furthermore, the robot body includes a base and a rotating arm assembly rotatably connected to the base, the grasping device is detachably fixedly connected to the end of the rotating arm assembly, the controller is fixedly connected to the base, and the three-jaw clamp assembly and each of the driving members are connected to the controller via a connecting line arranged along the rotating arm assembly.

[0015] In summary, the present invention offers the following beneficial effects: During use, the three gripper arms control synchronous radial movement, causing the rubber roller to contact the side of the object to be grasped. The rubber roller then rotates forward, moving the entire object upward a certain distance to grasp the workpiece. Once the object reaches the upper portion of the placement position, the rubber roller reverses, lowering the entire object to a flat surface where it rests, and the three gripper arms reverse to release the grip. Compared to existing technologies, the present invention eliminates the need for a suction cup to grip the top surface of the object, enabling it to grasp objects with uneven or hollow top surfaces, extending its applicability to a wider range of applications. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the interior of the low-connect assembly of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the industrial robot of the present invention.

[0019] Figure numerals: 1. three-jaw clamp assembly; 10. slot; 11. three claw arms; 12. three-jaw cylinder; 2. abutment assembly; 21. connecting plate; 22. rubber roller; 23. driving member; 21. connecting plate; 211. upper connecting plate; 212. lower connecting plate; 31. fixing ring; 32. bottom plate; 33. limit member; 34. elastic member; 4. displacement sensor; 5. controller; 6. robot body; 61. base; 62. rotating arm assembly. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] In order to make the technical problems, technical solutions and beneficial effects to be solved by the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0021] It should be noted that when a component is referred to as being “fixed to” or “disposed on” another component, it can be directly on the other component or indirectly on the other component. When a component is referred to as being “connected to” another component, it can be directly or indirectly connected to the other component.

[0022] It should be understood that the terms "length", "width", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", etc., indicating the orientation or position relationship, are based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operate in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0023] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of the technical features being referred to. Thus, a feature identified as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present invention, "plurality" means two or more, unless otherwise specifically defined.

[0024] Reference Figures 1 to 3 A gripping device is mainly used on industrial robots to grab objects and use the industrial robots to transfer objects to different workstations to facilitate the next process.

[0025] The gripping device consists of a three-jaw clamp assembly 1 and an abutment assembly 2. The three-jaw clamp assembly 1 includes a three-jaw cylinder 12 and three claw arms 11. These claw arms 11 are fixedly connected to the three claws of the three-jaw cylinder, enabling synchronous reciprocating radial movement to achieve clamping and release. There are three sets of abutment assemblies 2, each of which includes a connecting plate 21, a rubber roller 22, and a drive member 23.

[0026] The connecting plate 21 includes an upper connecting plate 211 and a lower connecting plate 212. The upper connecting plate 211 is detachably fixedly connected to the claw arm 11 so that its position can be adjusted radially, and the lower connecting plate 212 is detachably fixedly connected to the upper connecting plate 211 so that its position can be adjusted up and down. The upper portion of the upper connecting plate 211 is detachably fixedly connected to the bottom surface of the claw arm 11. The upper connecting plate 211 and the claw arm 11 are both provided with a plurality of mutually cooperating slots 10 on their mutually contacting surfaces. The slots 10 can be used to cooperate at different positions to adjust the position of the abutment assembly 2 on the claw arm 11. The two are detachably locked by screws. Similarly, the upper connecting plate 211 and the lower connecting plate 212 are also used to cooperate with the slots 10 and be detachably locked by screws to adjust the position of the lower connecting plate 212 in the up and down directions. Position adjustment is achieved through the slots 10 to facilitate the clamping of objects of different sizes.

[0027] The rubber roller 22 is rotatably connected to the lower connecting plate 212, and its surface protrudes toward the axis of the three-jaw clamp assembly 1, ensuring that the surface of the rubber roller 22 contacts the side of the object when clamping. The driver 23 is located outside the lower connecting plate 212 and is used to drive the rubber roller 22. The three-jaw clamp assembly 1 and each driver 23 are connected to the controller 5 and are controlled by the controller 5 to synchronize their movements.

[0028] During grasping, the three gripper arms 11 synchronously move radially toward each other, forcing the rubber roller 22 to contact the side of the object. This causes the roller surface of the rubber roller 22 to deform slightly. The driver 23 then rotates the rubber roller 22 forward, moving the object upward for a certain distance. When the object approaches the upper portion of the storage location, the driver 23 drives the rubber roller 22 in reverse, moving the object downward until it rests against the surface of the storage location. The three gripper arms 11 synchronously move radially away from each other, releasing the rubber roller 22 from contact with the side of the object. Furthermore, after the object has moved upward for a certain distance and is suspended in the air, the rubber roller 22 continues to slowly rotate forward to compensate for any downward movement due to gravity.

[0029] The abutment assembly 2 further includes a gear reduction mechanism 25, such as Figure 2 As shown, the deceleration is achieved by the meshing of large and small gears. The output end of the driving member 23 is fixedly connected to the input shaft of the gear reduction mechanism 25, and the output shaft of the gear reduction mechanism 25 is fixedly connected to the rotating shaft of the rubber roller 22. The gear reduction mechanism 25 facilitates the driving member 23 to drive the rubber roller 22 to rotate slowly.

[0030] In one embodiment, if Figure 1 As shown, the gripping device also includes a buffer assembly, which includes a fixing ring 31, a base plate 32, a limit piece 33 and the same number of elastic pieces 34 as the limit pieces 33. The fixing ring 31 is fixedly connected to the three-claw clamp assembly 1, and the base plate 32 is located below the three claw arms 11. The limit pieces 33 have at least two groups, preferably three groups. These limit pieces 33 are evenly distributed around the three-claw clamp assembly 1. The upper end of the limit piece 33 passes through the fixing ring 31 and can move up and down, and the lower end is fixedly connected to the base plate 32, which is used to limit the up and down movement of the base plate 32 within a certain distance. The two ends of the elastic piece 34 respectively resist the fixing ring 31 and the base plate 32. The elastic piece 34 adopts a spring and is sleeved on the limit piece 33.

[0031] By setting up a buffer component, when the object is lifted up by the rubber roller 22 and moves upward for a distance, the bottom plate 32 presses against the top surface of the object to prevent the object from directly hitting the bottom surface of the claw arm 11. After the object hits the bottom surface of the bottom plate 32, the elastic member 34 is compressed and the elastic force increases, while the rubber roller 22 keeps rotating slowly forward, thereby reaching a certain balance with the elastic member 34. At this time, the rubber roller 22 and the object will continue to generate sliding friction to better prevent the object from sliding down.

[0032] In one embodiment, if Figure 1 As shown, it also includes a displacement sensor 4 connected to the controller 5. The displacement sensor 4 is provided on the three-jaw clamp assembly 1 and is located above the limit member 33. It is used to detect whether the moving distance of the limit member 33 reaches the set displacement threshold. When the object is lifted by the rubber roller 22 and the limit member 33 is lifted up to reach the displacement threshold, the speed of the driving member 23 is reduced to drive the rubber roller 22 to rotate forward at the minimum speed. At this time, a certain balance is reached with the elastic member 34.

[0033] In one embodiment, if Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the abutment assembly 2 also includes a rubber scraper 24, which is slidably connected to the inner bottom of the abutment assembly 2 for radial reciprocation. The top surface of the scraper 24 abuts the lower surface of the rubber roller 22. When the rubber roller 22 rotates forward, the scraper 24 moves toward the axis of the three-jaw clamp assembly 1 until its outer side is vertically flush with the outer surface of the rubber roller 22. When the rubber roller 22 rotates backward, the scraper 24 retracts into the interior of the abutment assembly 2. When clamping an object, the rubber roller 22 deforms under pressure, and the scraper 24 also deforms. When the rubber roller 22 rotates forward and lifts the object, the scraper 24 scrapes dust, oil, and other dirt from the sides of the object, ensuring sufficient friction between the rubber roller 22 and the object. Simultaneously, the top surface of the scraper 24 slides and scrapes against the lower surface of the rubber roller 22 to remove dust, oil, and other dirt adhering to the surface of the rubber roller 22, keeping the surface of the rubber roller 22 clean. There is also friction between the scraper 24 and the object simultaneously, can further prevent the object from sliding down. When placing the object, the rubber roller 22 reverses, and the scraper 24 is driven by the rubber roller 22 to retract, loosening the contact with the object so that the object can be smoothly moved down.

[0034] like Figure 3 The industrial robot shown includes a robot body 6 with a distal end configured to reciprocate between different workstations. The distal end of the robot body 6 is detachably and fixedly connected to the gripping device of the present invention. The robot body 6 includes a base 61 and a rotating arm assembly 62 rotatably connected to the base 61. The gripping device is detachably and fixedly connected to the distal end of the rotating arm assembly 62. The controller 5 is fixedly connected to the base 61. The three-jaw gripper assembly 1 and each of the drive members 23 are connected to the controller 5 via a connecting cable extending along the rotating arm assembly 62.

[0035] The above embodiments are merely explanations of the present invention and are not limitations of the present invention. After reading this specification, those skilled in the art may make non-creative modifications to the embodiments as needed. However, as long as they are within the scope of the claims of the present invention, they are protected by patent law.

Claims

1. A gripping device comprising a three-jaw clamp assembly having three claw arms that can synchronously reciprocate in a radial direction, characterized in that: The clamp further comprises three groups of abutment assemblies, each group of the abutment assemblies comprising a connecting plate, a rubber roller and a driving member, the upper portion of the connecting plate being detachably fixedly connected to the claw arm, the rubber roller being rotatably connected to the connecting plate and the roller surface of the rubber roller protruding toward the axis direction of the three-jaw clamp assembly, the driving member being arranged on the outer side of the connecting plate for driving the rubber roller to rotate, the three-jaw clamp assembly and each of the driving members being connected to a controller and being controlled by the controller to perform synchronous movements; The abutment assembly further includes a rubber scraper, which is slidably connected to the inner bottom of the abutment assembly and can reciprocate radially, and the top surface of the scraper abuts the lower roller surface of the rubber roller. When the rubber roller rotates forward, the scraper moves toward the axis of the three-jaw clamp assembly until the outer side surface is flush with the outer roller surface of the rubber roller in the vertical direction. When the rubber roller rotates backward, the scraper retracts into the interior of the abutment assembly. It also includes a buffer assembly with a limiter, which is used to press against the top surface of the object when the object is lifted up by the rubber roller and moved a certain distance, and a displacement sensor connected to the controller, which is used to detect whether the movement distance of the limiter on the buffer assembly reaches a set displacement threshold when the buffer assembly is lifted up by the object; And when grabbing an object, follow these steps: First, the three claw arms synchronously approach each other in the radial direction so that the rubber roller presses against the side of the object. The driving member drives the rubber roller to rotate forward, so that the object moves upward for a distance. At the same time, the rubber roller rotates forward and drives the scraper to move until the outer side surface is deformed and in contact with the side surface of the object. Secondly, when the movement distance of the limiter reaches the displacement threshold, the speed of the driving member is reduced to the minimum speed to drive the rubber roller to rotate forward; Finally, when the object approaches the upper portion of the waiting position, the driving member drives the rubber roller to reverse, so that the object moves downward until it is close to the surface of the waiting position. At the same time, the rubber roller drives the scraper to retract into the inside of the abutment assembly to break contact with the object. The three claw arms synchronously move away from each other in the radial direction, so that the rubber roller releases contact with the side of the object. When clamping an object, both the rubber roller and the scraper will deform. When the rubber roller rotates forward to lift the object, the scraper will scrape off the dust and oil on the side of the object, so that there is sufficient friction between the rubber roller and the object. At the same time, the top surface of the scraper will slide and scrape against the lower roller surface of the rubber roller to scrape off the dust and oil adhering to the surface of the rubber roller. In addition, there is also friction between the scraper and the object, which can further prevent the object from sliding.

2. A gripping device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The connecting plate comprises an upper connecting plate and a lower connecting plate. The upper connecting plate is detachably fixedly connected to the claw arm and can be adjusted in radial direction. The lower connecting plate is detachably fixedly connected to the upper connecting plate and can be adjusted in vertical direction.

3. A gripping device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The upper connecting plate and the claw arm are provided with a plurality of mutually matching grooves on the contact surfaces, as well as the upper connecting plate and the lower connecting plate are provided with a plurality of mutually matching grooves on the contact surfaces. The upper connecting plate and the claw arm, as well as the upper connecting plate and the lower connecting plate are detachably fixedly connected by screws.

4. The gripping device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The buffer assembly is arranged on the three-claw clamp assembly, and the bottom of the buffer assembly is located below the three claw arms.

5. A gripping device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The buffer assembly also includes a fixing ring, a base plate, and elastic members with the same number as the limiting members. The fixing ring is fixedly connected to the three-jaw clamp assembly, and the base plate is located below the three claw arms. The limiting members have at least two groups and are evenly distributed around the three-jaw clamp assembly. The upper end of the limiting member passes through the fixing ring and can move up and down, and the lower end is fixedly connected to the base plate, which is used to limit the up and down movement of the base plate within a certain distance. The two ends of the elastic member respectively resist the fixing ring and the base plate.

6. A gripping device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The displacement sensor is arranged on the three-jaw clamp assembly and is located above the limiting member.

7. The gripping device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The abutment assembly further includes a gear reduction mechanism, the output end of the driving member is fixedly connected to the input shaft of the gear reduction mechanism, and the output shaft of the gear reduction mechanism is fixedly connected to the rotating shaft of the rubber roller.

8. An industrial robot comprising a robot body with an end portion adapted to reciprocate between different workstations, characterized in that: The end of the robot body is detachably and fixedly connected to the grasping device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. The industrial robot according to claim 8, characterized in that: The robot body includes a base and a rotating arm assembly rotatably connected to the base, the grasping device is detachably fixedly connected to the end of the rotating arm assembly, the controller is fixedly connected to the base, and the three-jaw clamp assembly and each of the driving members are connected to the controller via a connecting line arranged along the rotating arm assembly.

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