Self-adaptive gripper

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of grippers, and discloses a self-adaptive gripper which comprises a gripper base. Two sets of claw finger mechanisms are installed on the inner top, close to the motor transmission assembly, of the gripper base, a pressure sensor is installed on the inner wall of a claw core, and a visual camera is installed in the center of the inner top of the gripper base. Through the cooperation of the soft rubber claw sleeve and the visual camera, the gripper can adapt to products in different shapes, the frequency of replacing the gripper is greatly reduced, the production efficiency is improved, through intelligent regulation and control of a pressure sensor and an AI chip in an external control system, the gripper can guarantee enough gripping force, meanwhile, product damage caused by too large gripping force is avoided, and the production efficiency is improved. According to the self-adaptive grabbing device, the product quality and safety are improved, so that self-adaptive grabbing of the grabbing hand on products in different shapes is achieved, it is guaranteed that enough grabbing force can be provided in the grabbing process, product damage caused by too large grabbing force can be prevented, and then the production efficiency and safety are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of grippers, and in particular to an adaptive gripper. Background Art

[0002] Lithium batteries are batteries that use lithium metal or lithium alloy as positive and negative electrode materials and non-aqueous electrolyte solutions. With the rapid development of the lithium battery industry, the requirements for lithium battery production, testing and recycling are becoming increasingly higher. Traditional manual operation methods can no longer meet the needs of efficient, accurate and reliable production. Therefore, more and more companies are beginning to use automated equipment, lithium battery grippers, to improve production efficiency and quality.

[0003] Most existing grippers are designed with only one fixed-shape claw, which is suitable for a single type of workpiece and cannot adapt to products of different types and shapes. This limitation requires frequent replacement of different grippers when facing workpieces of various shapes, increasing the maintenance cost and downtime of the production line. In addition, for heavy and fragile products such as lithium batteries, existing grippers find it difficult to ensure grip while avoiding damage to the product, which not only affects production efficiency but may also cause safety hazards.

[0004] To this end, the present invention provides an adaptive gripper. Summary of the invention

[0005] In order to make up for the deficiencies of the prior art, at least one technical problem raised in the background technology is solved.

[0006] The present invention provides an adaptive gripper, comprising a gripper base; a motor transmission assembly is installed inside the gripper base, and two groups of claw finger mechanisms are installed on the inner top of the gripper base near the motor transmission assembly. In order to clamp the lithium battery, the claw finger mechanism comprises a claw core and a claw sleeve. Three groups of claw cores are installed on both sides of the bottom of the gripper base, and claw sleeves are installed on the outer side of the claw cores. A group of motor transmission assemblies are connected between every two groups of the three groups of claw cores. A pressure sensor is installed on the inner wall of the claw core. In order to monitor the force conditions of the claw finger mechanism in the process of grasping the lithium battery, a visual camera is installed at the central position of the inner top of the gripper base. In order to monitor the clamping end of the gripper, the gripper can adapt to products of different shapes through the cooperation of the soft rubber claw sleeve and the visual camera. Through the pressure sensor and the external control system, the claw finger mechanism can ensure sufficient gripping force while avoiding damage to the product due to excessive gripping force.

[0007] Preferably, in order to better adapt to the clamping of product lithium batteries of different shapes, the outer surface of the claw sleeve close to the two groups of claw cores is provided with a serration portion, and the clamping surface of the claw sleeve is provided with a protrusion.

[0008] Preferably, in order to cool the clamped lithium battery and process the clamping surface, a processing mechanism is installed on the inner top of the gripper base.

[0009] Preferably, the processing mechanism includes a fan assembly, a guide pipe and an air guide plate, the fan assembly is installed on the inner top of the gripper base, the guide pipe is installed on the output end of the fan assembly, and air guide plates are installed on both ends of the guide pipe near the inner top of the gripper base.

[0010] Preferably, in order to improve the cooling effect and area of ​​the device on the lithium battery, a cooling pipe is installed on the outside of the lead pipe.

[0011] Preferably, an air diffuser plate is installed at the bottom of the fan assembly, and the air diffuser plate is connected to the air outlet end of the fan assembly.

[0012] Preferably, in order to realize the auxiliary monitoring function when the claw finger mechanism clamps the lithium battery, a through tube is installed inside the claw core, and air bags are installed on both sides of the through tube.

[0013] Preferably, a connecting pipe is installed on the top of the through pipe, a valve is installed on the outside of the connecting pipe, and the other end of the connecting pipe is connected to the air induced plate.

[0014] 1. The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: the adaptive gripper described in the present invention is used in conjunction with a claw core, a claw sleeve, a pressure sensor and a visual camera. Through the cooperation of the soft rubber claw sleeve and the visual camera, the gripper can adapt to products of different shapes, greatly reducing the frequency of replacing the gripper and improving production efficiency. Through the intelligent regulation of the pressure sensor and the AI ​​chip in the external control system, the gripper can ensure sufficient gripping force while avoiding damage to the product due to excessive gripping force, thereby improving product quality and safety, thereby realizing the adaptive gripping of products of different shapes by the gripper, ensuring that sufficient gripping force can be provided during the gripping process, while preventing damage to the product due to excessive gripping force, thereby improving production efficiency and safety.

[0015] 2. The adaptive gripper described in the present invention is used in conjunction with a serrated portion and a protrusion. The protrusion can increase the friction of the clamping surface of the claw sleeve to make the clamping more stable. The claw sleeve portion between every two claw cores is designed to be serrated, which can enhance the deformation ability of the claw finger mechanism and better adapt to the clamping of lithium batteries of products with different shapes. By increasing the number of claw cores and optimizing the design of the claw sleeve, the gripper can adapt to more complex workpiece shapes, expand the scope of application, enhance the deformation ability of the claw fingers, and better adapt to products of different shapes.

[0016] 3. The adaptive gripper described in the present invention is used in conjunction with a fan assembly, an air duct and an air duct plate. The fan assembly works to convey wind to the inside of the air duct. When the wind blows out from the inside of the air duct and the air duct plate, it can not only cool the lithium battery clamped inside the device, but also process the clamping surface of the lithium battery to prevent foreign matter from adhering to the outer surface of the lithium battery and affecting the clamping effect of the device on the lithium battery, thereby preventing the lithium battery from overheating and catching fire during the process of the gripper clamping the battery, which will not affect the gripper's clamping and carrying of the lithium battery.

[0017] 4. The adaptive gripper described in the present invention is used in conjunction with a cooling tube and an air expansion plate. The cooling tube can cool the wind, which facilitates the subsequent wind to better cool the lithium battery. The wind generated by the fan assembly will be transported to the inside of the air expansion plate. When the wind is sent out from the inside of the air expansion plate, the cooling area of ​​the device for the lithium battery can be increased, thereby improving the cooling effect of the device on the lithium battery.

[0018] 5. The adaptive gripper described in the present invention is used in combination with a through pipe, an air bag, a connecting pipe and a valve. By opening the valve, the wind in the inner part of the air induced plate will be transported to the inside of the air bag through the connecting pipe and the through pipe. At this time, the two groups of air bags will expand. When the claw finger mechanism clamps and grabs the lithium battery, one group of air bags will be squeezed and the other group of air bags will gradually expand. The worker can intuitively know the detection status of the pressure sensor by comparing whether the expansion sizes of several groups of air bags are synchronized. If they are synchronized, there is no fault. If they are not synchronized, there is a fault. This makes it easy for the worker to directly know which group of pressure sensors on the claw core has a fault and perform maintenance, which is convenient for the worker's operation. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 is a stereogram of an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a stereoscopic diagram of an embodiment of the present invention when viewed from above; Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the guide tube part of the present invention; Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the claw finger mechanism in the present invention; Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the claw core structure of the present invention; Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of gas flow of the blower assembly in the present invention.

[0020] Description of reference numerals: 1. Gripper base; 101. Motor transmission assembly; 2. Claw finger mechanism; 201. Claw core; 202. Claw sleeve; 2021. Sawtooth portion; 2022. Bump; 3. Pressure sensor; 4. Visual camera; 5. Processing mechanism; 501. Fan assembly; 502. Guide pipe; 5021. Cooling pipe; 503. Guide plate; 6. Air expansion plate; 7. Through pipe; 701. Valve; 702. Air bag; 703. Connecting pipe. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The subject matter described herein will now be discussed with reference to example embodiments. It should be understood that the discussion of these embodiments is only to enable those skilled in the art to better understand and implement the subject matter described herein, and the functions and arrangements of the elements discussed may be changed without departing from the scope of protection of the contents of this specification. Each example may omit, replace or add various processes or components as needed. In addition, the features described relative to some examples may also be combined in other examples.

[0022] Embodiment 1 The following is a further detailed description of the technical solution of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. Figures 1 to 6 , this application provides an adaptive gripper, please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 4 and Figure 5 , including a motor transmission component 101 installed inside the gripper base 1, the motor transmission component 101 is composed of a DC servo motor and a transmission mechanism, two groups of claw finger mechanisms 2 are installed on the inner top of the gripper base 1 near the motor transmission component 101, the claw finger mechanism 2 includes a claw core 201 and a claw sleeve 202, three groups of claw cores 201 are installed on both sides of the bottom of the gripper base 1, the outer side of the claw core 201 is wrapped with a claw sleeve 202, and a group of motor transmission components 101 is connected between every two groups of three claw cores 201, a pressure sensor 3 is installed on the inner wall of the claw core 201, the detection end of the pressure sensor 3 extends out of the claw core 201, the pressure sensor 3 is a thin film pressure sensor, and a visual camera 4 is installed at the central position of the inner top of the gripper base 1, and the visual camera 4 is a high-definition CMOS camera.

[0023] Specifically, in order to clamp the lithium battery, the claw finger mechanism 2 is composed of three groups of claw cores 201 and claw sleeves 202. The claw core 201 and the claw sleeve 202 are driven to move by the motor transmission assembly 101, so that the claw core 201 and the claw sleeve 202 can clamp and grasp the lithium battery. If a larger clamping force is required or a product with a more complex shape is to be clamped, the flexibility and gripping force of the gripper can be improved by increasing the number of claw cores 201. At the same time, the force applied by the claw finger mechanism 2 during the process of grasping the lithium battery can be monitored by the pressure sensor 3. The gripper can be controlled by the pressure sensor 3 and the external system to ensure sufficient While ensuring sufficient grip, it avoids damage to the product due to excessive grip, thereby improving product quality and safety. The visual camera 4 can monitor the clamping end of the gripper to see whether the soft rubber claw sleeve 202 fits the outer surface of the lithium battery. Through the cooperation of the soft rubber claw sleeve 202 and the visual camera 4, the gripper can adapt to products of different shapes, greatly reducing the frequency of replacing the gripper and improving production efficiency. Through the pressure sensor 3 and the external control system, the claw finger mechanism 2 can ensure sufficient grip while avoiding damage to the product due to excessive grip, thereby improving product quality and safety.

[0024] Please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 4 The outer surface of the claw sleeve 202 close to the two groups of claw cores 201 is provided with a serration portion 2021, and the clamping surface of the claw sleeve 202 is provided with a protrusion 2022.

[0025] Specifically, in order to better adapt to the clamping of lithium batteries of products with different shapes, the friction force of the clamping surface of the claw sleeve 202 can be increased by the protrusion 2022, making the clamping more stable. By designing the claw sleeve 202 part between every two claw cores 201 as a serrated part 2021, the deformation ability of the claw finger mechanism 2 can be enhanced to better adapt to the clamping of lithium batteries of products with different shapes.

[0026] Please refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 A processing mechanism 5 is installed on the inner top of the gripper base 1, and the processing mechanism 5 includes a fan assembly 501, a guide pipe 502 and an air guide plate 503. A fan assembly 501 is installed on the inner top of the gripper base 1. The fan assembly 501 consists of a fan and a shell. The output end of the fan assembly 501 is installed with a guide pipe 502, and air guide plates 503 are installed on both ends of the inner top of the gripper base 1 near the guide pipe 502.

[0027] Specifically, in order to cool down the clamped lithium battery and treat the clamping surface, the fan assembly 501 is used to transport wind to the inside of the guide tube 502, and the air inlet at the bottom of the air inlet plate 503 is aligned with the clamping surface of the device. When the wind is blown out from the inside of the guide tube 502 and the air inlet plate 503, it can not only cool down the lithium battery clamped inside the device, but also treat the clamping surface of the lithium battery to prevent foreign matter from adhering to its outer surface and affecting the clamping effect of the device on the lithium battery.

[0028] Please refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 A cooling pipe 5021 is installed on the outside of the lead pipe 502. The outer surface of the cooling pipe 5021 is made of insulation material. There is coolant inside the cooling pipe 5021. Two sets of pipelines are connected to the outside of the cooling pipe 5021, so that the coolant inside the cooling pipe 5021 can be circulated and transported.

[0029] Please refer to Figure 2 An air diffuser plate 6 is installed at the bottom of the fan assembly 501, and the air diffuser plate 6 is connected to the air outlet end of the fan assembly 501. The air outlet end of the fan assembly 501 is connected to the two groups of guide pipes 502 and the air diffuser plate 6.

[0030] Specifically, in order to improve the cooling effect and area of ​​the device on the lithium battery, when the wind passes through the inside of the cooling pipe 5021, the wind can be cooled by the cooling pipe 5021, so that the subsequent wind can better cool the lithium battery. The wind generated by the fan assembly 501 will be transported to the inside of the air expansion plate 6. When the wind is sent out from the inside of the air expansion plate 6, the cooling area of ​​the device on the lithium battery can be increased, thereby improving the cooling effect of the device on the lithium battery.

[0031] Please refer to Figure 5 A through pipe 7 is installed inside the claw core 201 , and air bags 702 are installed on both sides of the through pipe 7 .

[0032] Please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 A connecting pipe 703 is installed on the top of the through pipe 7, a valve 701 is installed on the outside of the connecting pipe 703, and the other end of the connecting pipe 703 is connected to the air induced plate 503.

[0033] Specifically, in order to realize the auxiliary monitoring function when the claw finger mechanism 2 clamps the lithium battery, by opening the valve 701, the wind in the inner part of the air induction plate 503 will be transported to the inside of the airbag 702 through the connecting pipe 703 and the through pipe 7. At this time, the two groups of airbags 702 will expand. When the claw finger mechanism 2 clamps and grabs the lithium battery, one group of airbags 702 will be squeezed, so that the gas inside the squeezed airbag 702 flows along the through pipe 7 to the inside of the other group of airbags 702. At this time, this group of airbags 702 will gradually expand, and then can play an auxiliary monitoring role for the pressure sensor 3. In order to avoid the failure of the pressure sensor 3 to feedback the signal in time, the worker can directly observe the expansion size of the airbag 702. The worker can intuitively know the detection situation of the pressure sensor 3 by comparing whether the expansion sizes of several groups of airbags 702 are synchronized. If they are synchronized, there is no fault. If they are not synchronized, there is a fault. At the same time, it is convenient for the worker to directly know which group of pressure sensors 3 on the claw core 201 has a fault and perform maintenance, so as to avoid the situation in which the worker cannot easily and intuitively know the location of the faulty pressure sensor 3 when multiple groups of grippers are used simultaneously to clamp the lithium battery in the automated production of lithium batteries.

[0034] Working principle: Before use, check the working status of the motor transmission component 101, the pressure sensor 3 and the visual camera 4 to ensure that all parameters are normal, then install the gripper base 1 on the robot arm or other positioning device, ensure that the center of the gripper is aligned with the center of the target product, start the external gripper control system, the motor transmission component 101 starts to drive the claw core 201 to retract inward to initially clamp the product, the visual camera 4 monitors the state of the claw fingers and the shape of the product in real time, and determines whether each claw core 201 is completely in contact with the product surface through the image processing algorithm. The claw core 201 that has been in contact stops shrinking, and the claw core 201 that has not been in contact continues to shrink until it is in contact. After all the claw cores 201 are in contact, the motor transmission component 101 continues to drive the claw core 201 to retract, and the gripping force is monitored in real time through the pressure sensor 3 to ensure that the gripping force is moderate. The AI ​​chip in the external control system calculates the optimal gripping force value based on the data of the pressure sensor 3 and the image of the visual camera 4, dynamically adjusts the working status of the motor transmission component 101, and finally stably clamps the product. Finally, the gripper is lifted by the robot arm to move the product to the designated position.

[0035] An example of the present specific implementation mode is described above, but the present embodiment is not limited to the above-mentioned specific implementation mode, which is merely illustrative and not restrictive. A person skilled in the art may make many forms inspired by the present embodiment, all of which are protected by the present embodiment.

Claims

1. An adaptive gripper, comprising a gripper base (1); characterized in that: A motor transmission component (101) is installed inside the gripper base (1); two groups of claw finger mechanisms (2) are installed near the inner top of the gripper base (1) near the motor transmission component (101); the claw finger mechanisms (2) include claw cores (201) and claw sleeves (202); three groups of claw cores (201) are installed on both sides of the bottom of the gripper base (1); claw sleeves (202) are installed on the outer sides of the claw cores (201); a group of motor transmission components (101) is connected between every two groups of the three groups of claw cores (201); pressure sensors (3) are installed on the inner walls of the claw cores (201); and a visual camera (4) is installed at the central position of the inner top of the gripper base (1).

2. An adaptive gripper according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer surface of the claw sleeve (202) close to the two groups of claw cores (201) is provided with a serration portion (2021), and the clamping surface of the claw sleeve (202) is provided with a protrusion (2022).

3. The adaptive gripper according to claim 1, characterized in that: A processing mechanism (5) is installed on the inner top of the gripper base (1).

4. The adaptive gripper according to claim 3, characterized in that: The processing mechanism (5) comprises a fan assembly (501), a guide pipe (502) and an air guide plate (503); the fan assembly (501) is installed at the inner top of the gripper base (1); the guide pipe (502) is installed at the output end of the fan assembly (501); and the air guide plates (503) are installed at both ends of the inner top of the gripper base (1) near the guide pipe (502).

5. The adaptive gripper according to claim 4, characterized in that: A cooling pipe (5021) is installed on the outer side of the guide pipe (502).

6. The adaptive gripper according to claim 4, characterized in that: An air diffusion plate (6) is installed at the bottom of the fan assembly (501), and the air diffusion plate (6) is connected to the air outlet end of the fan assembly (501).

7. The adaptive gripper according to claim 1, characterized in that: A through pipe (7) is installed inside the claw core (201), and air bags (702) are installed on both sides of the through pipe (7).

8. An adaptive gripper according to claim 7, characterized in that: A connecting pipe (703) is installed on the top of the through pipe (7), a valve (701) is installed on the outside of the connecting pipe (703), and the other end of the connecting pipe (703) is connected to the air induction plate (503).

Images