A high-precision flexible clamping servo overturning gripper device and a working method thereof

Abstract

This invention discloses a high-precision flexible clamping servo flipping gripper device and its working method. The gripper device includes a clamping mechanism and a flipping mechanism. The flipping mechanism includes a flipping power component, the power output end of which is connected to the clamping mechanism to drive the clamping mechanism to flip. The clamping mechanism includes a gripper module, an opening module, and a clamping module. The gripper module includes two opposing grippers. The opening module drives the two grippers to move in a direction away from each other to achieve opening. The clamping module includes two elastic elements, which are arranged one-to-one with the two grippers. When the opening module resets, the two elastic elements can drive the two grippers to move in a direction closer to each other to achieve flexible clamping. This solution can achieve flexible clamping of workpieces and can match different clamping forces for different workpieces, thereby greatly reducing the occurrence of crushing fragile workpieces.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of automation equipment technology, specifically to a high-precision flexible clamping servo flipping gripper device and its working method. Background Technology

[0002] In automated production lines, gripper flipping mechanisms are widely used to perform operations such as gripping, positioning, and angle flipping of workpieces to meet the process requirements of multi-faceted assembly, inspection, or posture adjustment.

[0003] Existing gripper flipping mechanisms mostly use rigid cylinders to directly drive the opening and closing of the grippers to achieve the clamping effect on the workpiece, while using an independent rotary drive unit to flip the workpiece.

[0004] However, such gripper flipping mechanisms often have the following problems when in use: Traditional gripper flipping mechanisms generally use rigid cylinders to directly output clamping force. Because the cylinder's output force is directly related to the air supply pressure and lacks a precise force feedback and control mechanism, the clamping force is difficult to adjust accurately. When gripping fragile or precision workpieces such as glass, ceramics, and plastic shells, excessive rigid clamping force can easily cause indentations, deformation, or even breakage on the workpiece surface, severely reducing product yield.

[0005] To achieve centering and clamping, existing grippers often use two cylinders to drive the left and right gripping arms separately. However, during long-term operation, this design is prone to problems such as asynchronous movement of the left and right gripping arms due to frictional resistance between the two cylinders, fluctuations in air supply pressure, and differences in seal wear. This can lead to gripping misalignment or failure.

[0006] Existing flipping drives mostly use ordinary AC motors with mechanical limiters, or directly use pneumatic rotary cylinders. Ordinary motor open-loop control is difficult to achieve precise angle positioning, while pneumatic rotary cylinders are affected by gas compressibility and load changes, resulting in poor repeatability of rotation angles. They cannot meet the process requirements of modern precision assembly for precise flipping of workpieces at arbitrary angles (such as 30°, 45°, 120° and other non-orthogonal angles).

[0007] Currently, most gripper flipping mechanisms cannot accurately know the real-time status and flipping position of the grippers. In high-speed automated operation, once a gripping failure, workpiece slippage, or cumulative rotational error occurs, the equipment cannot autonomously identify and correct the error, which can easily lead to subsequent positioning deviations, collision failures, or continuous production accidents, seriously affecting the operational stability and reliability of automated production lines. Summary of the Invention

[0008] In view of the above-mentioned shortcomings of the existing technology, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is: how to provide a high-precision flexible clamping servo flipping gripper device that can achieve flexible clamping of workpieces and match different clamping forces for different workpieces, thereby greatly reducing the occurrence of crushing fragile workpieces.

[0009] In addition, the present invention also provides a working method for a high-precision flexible clamping servo flipping gripper device.

[0010] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention adopts the following solution: A high-precision flexible clamping servo flipping gripper device includes a clamping mechanism and a flipping mechanism; The flipping mechanism includes a flipping power component, the power output end of which is connected to the clamping mechanism so as to drive the clamping mechanism to flip through the flipping power component; The clamping mechanism includes a gripper module, an opening module, and a clamping module. The gripper module includes two grippers arranged opposite each other. The opening module is used to drive the two grippers to move in a direction away from each other to achieve opening. The clamping module includes two elastic elements, which are arranged one-to-one with the two grippers. When the opening module is reset, the two elastic elements can drive the two grippers to move in a direction closer to each other to achieve flexible clamping.

[0011] In operation, the gripper device of this invention first rotates the gripping mechanism to the desired position for clamping the workpiece, driven by the rotating power component of the rotating mechanism. Then, the opening module moves the two grippers away from each other to open them. At this time, the two elastic elements corresponding to the grippers are compressed. After the grippers open, the workpiece is placed between them. Then, the opening module resets, separating from the gripper module. The two compressed elastic elements then push the two grippers closer together until they come into contact with and clamp the workpiece. Since the clamping force is achieved by the elastic force of the elastic elements, which is flexible, the grippers provide flexible clamping. Furthermore, when clamping different workpieces, elastic elements with different elastic coefficients can be selected to provide clamping force, thus achieving the effect of matching different clamping forces to different workpieces.

[0012] In summary, the gripper device of this solution can achieve flexible clamping of workpieces, and can match different clamping forces for different workpieces, thereby greatly reducing the occurrence of crushing fragile workpieces.

[0013] Preferably, the gripper module further includes two gripper sliders, with the two grippers respectively mounted on the corresponding gripper sliders, and a top support boss provided on the gripper slider; The opening module includes two opening power components with opposite power output directions. The two opening power components are arranged one-to-one with the two gripper sliders. In the initial state, the power output end of the opening power component abuts against the top holding boss on the corresponding gripper slider. When the power output end of the opening power component outputs power, it can drive the gripper slider at the corresponding position to move synchronously through the top holding boss. During the reset process, it separates from the top holding boss at the corresponding position.

[0014] In this way, when the grippers open, the opening power component outputs power. At this time, the top holding boss that abuts against the power output end of the opening power component will move synchronously with the opening power component. The movement of the top holding boss further drives the gripper slider to move, and the movement of the gripper slider drives the gripper to move. Thus, the two grippers move in a direction away from each other to achieve the effect of opening the grippers.

[0015] Once the grippers are fully open, the workpiece is placed between the two grippers. The opening power component reverses and resets. Since there is no direct connection between the holding boss and the opening power component, the power output end of the opening power component is separated from the holding boss. The two compressed elastic elements will push the two grippers to move towards each other until the two grippers abut against the workpiece and flexibly clamp the workpiece.

[0016] Preferably, the gripper mechanism further includes a mounting base, and the gripper module, the opening module and the clamping module are all disposed on the mounting base; The mounting base is also provided with a linear guide rail, and two guide blocks are slidably connected on the linear guide rail. The two gripper sliders are respectively installed on the corresponding guide blocks. During the opening or clamping process of the two grippers, the gripper sliders drive the corresponding guide blocks to slide along the linear guide rail, so as to guide the opening or clamping process of the two grippers through the linear guide rail.

[0017] In this way, by setting a linear guide rail, a guide block is slidably connected on the linear guide rod, and then the jaw slider is connected to the guide block. This ensures that the linear guide rail can guide the movement of the two jaws whether the jaws are opening or clamping, thus guaranteeing the accuracy of the centering and clamping position and avoiding the problem of asynchronous movement of the left and right clamping arms that is easy to occur when using cylinder clamping in the prior art.

[0018] Preferably, each of the two gripper sliders has an elastic mounting hole on one side opposite to each other in the moving direction. A baffle is provided on the mounting base at a position corresponding to the elastic mounting hole of each gripper slider. One end of the elastic element is installed in the elastic mounting hole of the corresponding gripper slider, and the other end of the elastic element extends out of the elastic mounting hole and is connected to the baffle at the corresponding position.

[0019] In this way, one end of the elastic element is installed in the elastic mounting hole of the gripper slider, and the other end extends out of the elastic mounting hole and connects to the baffle. During the opening process, as the opening power component drives the gripper to open and move through the top holding boss, the gripper slider moves accordingly and compresses the elastic element. When the opening power component reverses and resets, separating from the top holding boss, the compressed elastic element releases its elastic potential energy, which drives the gripper slider to move the gripper closer to each other, thereby achieving the effect of flexible clamping of the workpiece.

[0020] Preferably, the mounting base is further provided with two gripper position detection sensors. The two gripper position detection sensors are respectively arranged in one-to-one correspondence with the two top support protrusions. Each top support protrusion is provided with a gripper position sensing plate. When the power output end of the opening power member drives the gripper to move to the set position through the top support protrusion, the gripper position sensing plate moves to the sensing position that triggers the corresponding gripper position detection sensor, so as to trigger the gripper position detection sensor to output a signal that the gripper has moved to the set position.

[0021] In this way, by setting up a gripper position detection sensor, when the power output end of the opening power component moves the gripper to the fully opened set position via the top support boss, the gripper position sensing plate just reaches the sensing position of the gripper position detection sensor. After detecting the gripper position sensing plate, the gripper position detection sensor outputs a signal that the gripper has moved to the fully opened set position, indicating that the gripper has opened to the correct position, and the opening power component no longer needs to output power. Therefore, by setting up the gripper position sensing plate and the gripper position detection sensor, the gripper can reach the fully opened position before each workpiece clamping, which can greatly reduce workpiece clamping failures and slippage, and improve the operational stability of the automated production line.

[0022] Preferably, the opening power component is a diaphragm cylinder; The mounting base includes a first mounting part and a second mounting part that are perpendicular to each other and integrally formed. The two diaphragm cylinders are respectively mounted on the opposite side end faces of the first mounting part. The linear guide rail is mounted on the first bearing surface of the second mounting part. The two baffles are mounted on the opposite side second bearing surfaces of the second mounting part.

[0023] In this way, by rationally arranging the positions of the diaphragm cylinder, linear guide, and baffle mounted on the mounting base, the structure of the entire gripper device can be made more compact.

[0024] Preferably, the flipping mechanism includes a servo motor, which is mounted on a motor mounting plate; A motor mounting hole is provided on the end face of the mounting base facing the motor mounting plate. The power output end of the servo motor passes through the motor mounting plate and extends into the motor mounting hole and is fixedly connected to the mounting base. The rotation of the servo motor drives the mounting base to rotate, and the rotation of the mounting base drives the clamping mechanism to rotate.

[0025] In this way, by using a servo motor as the flipping power component, when flipping is required, the power output of the servo motor directly drives the entire clamping mechanism to flip through the mounting base. Since the assembly process may require the workpiece to be flipped at different angles for different processing steps, the flipping angle of the clamping mechanism needs to be continuous and arbitrary. The servo motor can achieve absolute position control, thereby enabling the clamping mechanism to flip at any angle.

[0026] Preferably, a first mounting plate is further provided on the end face of the motor mounting plate facing the clamping mechanism, and a motor position detection sensor is provided on the first mounting plate; The mounting base is also provided with a motor position sensor. When the servo motor drives the mounting base to rotate to the origin position of the servo motor, the motor position sensor moves to the sensing position that triggers the motor position detection sensor, so as to trigger the motor position detection sensor to output a signal that the servo motor has rotated to the origin position.

[0027] In this way, by setting up a motor position sensor and a motor position detection sensor, the servo motor can accurately rotate back to the origin position each time. Since the gripper device needs to operate repeatedly at high speed for extended periods, this can easily lead to the accumulation of deviations over multiple runs, potentially causing assembly failures. However, the design of the motor position sensor and motor position detection sensor in this solution ensures that the motor position sensor only moves to the trigger position of the motor position detection sensor when the servo motor accurately returns to the origin each time. Only then will the motor position detection sensor output a signal indicating that the servo motor has rotated back to the origin position. This guarantees that the servo motor can accurately return to the origin position each time, avoiding the accumulation of errors over multiple runs and ensuring a high success rate for each assembly.

[0028] In addition, the present invention also provides a working method of a high-precision flexible clamping servo flipping gripper device, which includes a flipping method and a gripping method. The gripper method is as follows: The opening module drives the two grippers to move in a direction that moves away from each other to open; The workpiece to be gripped is placed between the two grippers; The opening module is reset; The two elastic elements drive the two grippers to move in a direction that brings them closer to each other until both grippers come into contact with the workpiece. Under the elastic action of the elastic elements, the two grippers flexibly clamp the workpiece.

[0029] Preferably, the flipping method is as follows: The flipping power component drives the clamping mechanism to flip to a set position; The flipping power component stops outputting power, and the clamping mechanism remains in a set position to clamp the workpiece.

[0030] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages: 1. This invention fundamentally innovates the gripper's driving method, employing a separate power architecture where a diaphragm cylinder drives the opening and an elastic element drives the closing. Compared to the traditional method of directly driving the gripper with a rigid cylinder, the diaphragm cylinder of this invention actively overcomes the elastic force of the elastic element to push the gripper open only when the workpiece needs to be released. During the workpiece clamping state, the diaphragm cylinder and gripper module are completely disengaged. The clamping force on the workpiece is entirely determined by the elastic deformation of the elastic element, independent of external factors such as air pressure fluctuations and cylinder friction. This achieves truly passive and compliant clamping. Furthermore, the elastic force of the spring element can be changed according to the workpiece material, ensuring a uniform, constant, and impact-free clamping force throughout. Especially for fragile or precision workpieces such as glass, ceramics, and plastic shells, it can provide just the right gripping force, like a human hand, ensuring stable gripping and fundamentally eliminating the risk of workpiece indentation, deformation, or even breakage caused by sudden air pressure changes or over-inflation in traditional rigid cylinders, significantly improving production yield.

[0031] 2. This invention replaces the open-loop control mode of traditional ordinary motors or pneumatic rotary cylinders by using a servo motor to directly drive the clamping mechanism for rotation. The servo motor system has a built-in high-resolution encoder, which, together with the closed-loop control algorithm, can achieve precise positioning at any angle within the range of 0° to 360°, with a repeatability accuracy within ±0.02°. Simultaneously, the servo motor has S-shaped speed curve planning capability, and the start-stop process is smooth and without overshoot, further ensuring the stability and positional accuracy of the rotation action, meeting the stringent requirements of modern precision assembly for complex angles and postures.

[0032] 3. In this invention, the opening and closing motion of the grippers is guided by a precision linear guide rail. This linear guide rail features low friction, high rigidity, and high load-bearing capacity, ensuring that the two grippers move smoothly and without wobbling throughout the entire opening and closing process, exhibiting excellent concentricity. This allows the gripper device to stably adapt to workpieces of different outer diameters (simply by changing the grippers or adjusting the stroke), eliminating the need for frequent calibration and significantly improving the changeover efficiency and versatility of the production line.

[0033] 4. This invention uses a gripper position detection sensor and a motor position detection sensor to detect the gripper opening position and the servo motor returning to the origin position, respectively. It can provide real-time feedback on key states such as whether the gripper is fully open and whether the servo motor has returned to the origin position, thus forming a closed-loop logic: workpiece feeding is only allowed after receiving the gripper opening position signal, and a new cycle begins only after receiving the servo motor returning to the origin position signal. This completely avoids problems such as workpiece placement errors, workpiece slippage, or accumulated positioning deviations, greatly improving the self-correction capability and operational stability of automated production lines during long-term continuous operation, and effectively reducing downtime failure rate.

[0034] 5. Compared to the complex air circuits, dual valve groups, and synchronous linkage mechanisms required by traditional dual-cylinder synchronous drives, this invention employs a diaphragm cylinder with elastic element reset, significantly reducing the overall number of parts and making assembly more convenient. Simultaneously, the direct drive of the servo motor eliminates intermediate components such as reducers and transmission belts, resulting in a more compact structure. This modular and lightweight design not only reduces manufacturing costs but also facilitates rapid integration, disassembly, and maintenance in existing automated production lines, greatly shortening equipment modification cycles. Attached Figure Description

[0035] Appendix Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the high-precision flexible clamping servo flipping gripper device of the present invention. Appendix Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the gripper mechanism from one perspective in the high-precision flexible clamping servo flipping gripper device of the present invention; Appendix Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the gripper mechanism in the high-precision flexible clamping servo flipping gripper device of the present invention from another perspective; Appendix Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the mounting base in the high-precision flexible clamping servo flipping gripper device of the present invention; Appendix Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the gripper slider in the high-precision flexible clamping servo flipping gripper device of the present invention; Appendix Figure 6 This is a flowchart of the flipping method in the working method of the high-precision flexible clamping servo flipping gripper device of the present invention; Appendix Figure 7 This is a flowchart of the gripper method in the working method of the high-precision flexible gripping servo flipping gripper device of the present invention.

[0036] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached drawings: 1. Gripper; 2. Gripper slider; 3. Linear guide rail; 4. Guide block; 5. Mounting base; 5. First mounting part 501; 502. Opening power component; 6. Top support boss; 7. Gripper position sensing plate; 8. Gripper position detection sensor; 9. Baffle; 10. Elastic component; 11. Servo motor; 12. Motor mounting plate; 13. Motor position detection sensor; 14. Motor position sensing plate; 15. Motor mounting hole; 16. Detailed Implementation

[0037] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of the present invention. The components of the embodiments of the present invention described and shown in the accompanying drawings can generally be arranged and designed in various different configurations. Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed invention, but merely represents selected embodiments of the invention. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0038] It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," etc., in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this invention are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such data can be interchanged where appropriate so that embodiments of the invention described herein can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion; for example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that comprises a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to such processes, methods, products, or apparatus.

[0039] Furthermore, in describing representative embodiments, the specification may have presented methods and / or processes as a specific sequence of steps. However, the method or process should not be limited to the specific order of steps described herein, to the extent that it does not depend on such a specific order. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, other sequences of steps are also possible. Therefore, the specific order of steps set forth in the specification should not be construed as a limitation on the embodiments. Moreover, the method and / or process should not be limited to the steps performed in the written order; those skilled in the art will readily understand that these orders can be varied and still remain within the spirit and scope of the embodiments of this application.

[0040] First, this specific embodiment provides a high-precision flexible clamping servo flipping gripper device, as shown in the attached figure. Figure 1 To the attached Figure 3 As shown, it includes a clamping mechanism and a flipping mechanism; the clamping mechanism is used to clamp the workpiece, and the flipping mechanism is used to flip the clamping mechanism. The cooperation of the clamping mechanism and the flipping mechanism can achieve the purpose of flipping the workpiece to any angle for process processing.

[0041] In this specific embodiment, the clamping mechanism includes a mounting base 5, a gripper module, an opening module, and a clamping module. The gripper module, the opening module, and the clamping module are all mounted on the mounting base 5. The gripper module is used to clamp the workpiece, the opening module is used to open the gripper module to place the workpiece, and the clamping module is used to close the gripper module to clamp the workpiece.

[0042] Specifically, the gripper module includes two grippers 1 and two gripper sliders 2 arranged opposite to each other. The two grippers 1 are respectively mounted on the corresponding gripper sliders 2, as shown in the attached figure. Figure 5 As shown, a top support boss 7 is also provided on the gripper slider 2.

[0043] For example, see attached Figure 4 As shown, the mounting base 5 includes a first mounting part 501 and a second mounting part 502 that are perpendicularly arranged and integrally formed. A linear guide rail 3 is also provided on the first bearing surface of the second mounting part 502 of the mounting base 5. Two guide blocks 4 are slidably connected to the linear guide rail 3. Two gripper sliders 2 are respectively mounted on the corresponding guide blocks 4. During the opening or clamping process of the two grippers 1, the gripper sliders 2 drive the corresponding guide blocks 4 to slide along the linear guide rail 3, thereby guiding the opening or clamping process of the two grippers 1 through the linear guide rail 3. By setting the linear guide rail 3, slidably connecting the guide blocks 4 on the linear guide rod, and then connecting the gripper sliders 2 to the guide blocks 4, the linear guide rail 3 can guide the movement of the two grippers 1 during both opening and clamping processes, ensuring the accuracy of the centering and clamping position and avoiding the problem of asynchronous movement of the left and right gripping arms that is prone to occur when using cylinder clamping in the prior art.

[0044] Therefore, in this design, the opening and closing motion of the gripper 1 is guided by a precision linear guide rail 3. The linear guide rail 3 features low friction, high rigidity, and high load-bearing capacity, ensuring that the two grippers 1 move smoothly and without wobbling throughout the entire opening and closing process, with excellent concentricity. This allows the gripper device to stably adapt to workpieces with different outer diameters (simply by changing the gripper 1 or adjusting the stroke), eliminating the need for frequent calibration and significantly improving the changeover efficiency and versatility of the production line.

[0045] In this specific embodiment, the opening module is used to drive the two grippers 1 to move in a direction away from each other to achieve opening. Specifically, the opening module includes two opening power components 6 with opposite power output directions. In this specific embodiment, the opening power component 6 is a diaphragm cylinder. The two diaphragm cylinders are respectively installed on the opposite side end faces of the first mounting part 501, which can make the structure of the entire gripper device more compact.

[0046] Specifically, the two opening power components 6 are set one-to-one with the two gripper sliders 2. In the initial state (i.e., the tension power component has no power output at all), the power output end of the opening power component 6 abuts against the top holding boss 7 on the corresponding gripper slider 2. When the power output end of the opening power component 6 outputs power, it can drive the gripper slider 2 at the corresponding position to move synchronously through the top holding boss 7. In the reset process (i.e., the process of the opening power component 6 returning to the initial state after the power is removed), it separates from the top holding boss 7 at the corresponding position.

[0047] For example, two opening power members 6 are arranged between two top holding protrusions 7. When the two opening power members 6 output power, they drive the corresponding top holding protrusions 7 to move to both sides. This structural arrangement can make the structure of the entire device more compact.

[0048] In this way, when the gripper 1 is opened, the opening power member 6 outputs power. At this time, the top support boss 7, which is opposed to the power output end of the opening power member 6, will move synchronously with the opening power member 6. The movement of the top support boss 7 further drives the gripper slider 2 to move, and the movement of the gripper slider 2 drives the gripper 1 to move. Thus, the two grippers 1 move in a direction away from each other to achieve the effect of opening the gripper 1.

[0049] When the gripper 1 opens to the position, the workpiece is placed between the two grippers 1. The opening power component 6 is reset in the reverse direction. Since there is no direct connection between the top holding boss 7 and the opening power component 6, the power output end of the opening power component 6 is separated from the top holding boss 7. The two compressed elastic elements 11 will push the two grippers 1 to move towards each other until the two grippers 1 abut against the workpiece and flexibly clamp the workpiece.

[0050] In this specific embodiment, the clamping module includes two elastic elements 11, which are correspondingly arranged with two grippers 1. When the module is opened and reset, the two elastic elements 11 can drive the two grippers 1 to move in a direction that brings them closer together to achieve flexible clamping. The elastic elements 11 can be springs.

[0051] Specifically, each of the two gripper sliders 2 has an elastic mounting hole on one side opposite to each other in the direction of movement. A baffle 10 is provided on the mounting base 5 at a position corresponding to the elastic mounting hole of each gripper slider 2. The two baffles 10 are installed on the second bearing surfaces on both sides opposite to each other of the second mounting part 502. One end of the elastic element 11 is installed in the elastic mounting hole of the corresponding gripper slider 2, and the other end of the elastic element 11 extends out of the elastic mounting hole and is connected to the baffle 10 at the corresponding position.

[0052] In this way, one end of the elastic element 11 is installed in the elastic mounting hole of the gripper slider 2, and the other end extends out of the elastic mounting hole and connects to the baffle 10. During the process of the opening power element 6 driving the gripper 1 to open and move through the top support boss 7, the gripper slider 2 moves accordingly and compresses the elastic element 11. When the opening power element 6 reverses and resets and separates from the top support boss 7, the compressed elastic element 11 releases its elastic potential energy and drives the gripper 1 to move closer to each other through the gripper slider 2, thereby achieving the effect of flexible clamping of the workpiece.

[0053] For example, two gripper position detection sensors 9 are also provided on the mounting base 5. In this embodiment, the gripper position detection sensors 9 are U-shaped slot photoelectric sensors. The two gripper position detection sensors 9 are respectively arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with the two top support protrusions 7. Each top support protrusion 7 is provided with a gripper position sensing plate 8. When the power output end of the opening power member 6 drives the gripper 1 to move to the set position through the top support protrusion 7, the gripper position sensing plate 8 moves to the sensing position that triggers the corresponding gripper position detection sensor 9, so as to trigger the gripper position detection sensor 9 to output a signal that the gripper 1 has moved to the set position.

[0054] In this way, by setting the gripper position detection sensor 9, when the power output end of the opening power component 6 drives the gripper 1 to the fully opened set position through the top support boss 7, the gripper position sensing plate 8 just reaches the sensing position of the gripper position detection sensor 9. After detecting the gripper position sensing plate 8, the gripper position detection sensor 9 will output a signal that the gripper 1 has moved to the fully opened set position, indicating that the gripper 1 has been opened to the correct position, and the opening power component 6 no longer needs to output power. Thus, by setting the gripper position sensing plate 8 and the gripper position detection sensor 9, the gripper 1 can reach the fully opened position before each workpiece is clamped, which can greatly reduce the occurrence of workpiece clamping failure and slippage, and improve the operational stability of the automated production line.

[0055] The clamping mechanism of this invention fundamentally innovates the driving method of the gripper 1, adopting a separate power architecture with a diaphragm cylinder driving the opening and an elastic element 11 driving the closing. Compared with the traditional method of directly driving the gripper with a rigid cylinder, the diaphragm cylinder of this invention actively overcomes the elastic force of the elastic element 11 to push the gripper 1 open only when the workpiece needs to be released. In the working state of clamping the workpiece, the diaphragm cylinder and the gripper module are completely disengaged. The clamping force on the workpiece is entirely determined by the elastic deformation of the elastic element 11, and is independent of external factors such as air source pressure fluctuations and cylinder friction of the diaphragm cylinder. This achieves true passive and compliant clamping. At the same time, the elastic force of the spring can be changed according to the workpiece material, and the clamping force is uniform, constant and impact-free throughout the process. Especially for fragile or precision workpieces such as glass, ceramics, and plastic shells, it can provide just the right gripping force like a human hand, ensuring stable gripping and eliminating the risk of workpiece indentation, deformation, or even breakage caused by sudden changes in air pressure or overshoot in traditional rigid cylinders, thus greatly improving production yield.

[0056] In this specific embodiment, the flipping mechanism includes a flipping power component, the power output end of which is connected to the clamping mechanism so as to drive the clamping mechanism to flip through the flipping power component; For example, the flipping mechanism includes a servo motor 12, which is mounted on a motor mounting plate 13; A motor mounting hole 16 is provided on the end face of the mounting base 5 facing the motor mounting plate 13. The power output end of the servo motor 12 passes through the motor mounting plate 13 and extends into the motor mounting hole 16 and is fixedly connected to the mounting base 5. The rotation of the servo motor 12 drives the mounting base 5 to rotate, and the rotation of the mounting base 5 drives the clamping mechanism to rotate.

[0057] In this way, by using the servo motor 12 as the flipping power component, when flipping is required, the power output of the servo motor 12 directly drives the entire clamping mechanism to flip through the mounting base 5. Since the assembly process may require the workpiece to be flipped at different angles for different processing steps, the flipping angle of the clamping mechanism needs to be continuous and arbitrary. The servo motor can achieve absolute position control, thus enabling the clamping mechanism to flip at any angle. Therefore, the method of directly driving the clamping mechanism to flip using the servo motor 12 replaces the open-loop control mode of traditional ordinary motors or pneumatic rotary cylinders. The servo motor 12 system has a built-in high-resolution encoder, combined with a closed-loop control algorithm, which can achieve precise positioning at any angle within the range of 0°~360°, with a repeatability accuracy within ±0.02°. Simultaneously, the servo motor 12 has S-shaped speed curve planning capability, and the start-stop process is smooth without overshoot, further ensuring the stability and positional accuracy of the flipping action, meeting the stringent requirements of modern precision assembly for complex angles and postures.

[0058] Furthermore, a first mounting plate is provided on the end face of the motor mounting plate 13 facing the clamping mechanism, and a motor position detection sensor 14 is provided on the first mounting plate; in this specific embodiment, the motor position detection sensor 14 is a U-shaped slot photoelectric sensor, and a motor position sensing plate 15 is also provided on the mounting base 5. When the servo motor 12 drives the mounting base 5 to rotate to the origin position of the servo motor 12, the motor position sensing plate 15 moves to the sensing position that triggers the motor position detection sensor 14, so as to trigger the motor position detection sensor 14 to output a signal that the servo motor 12 has rotated to the origin position.

[0059] In this way, by setting up the motor position sensing plate 15 and the motor position detection sensor 14, the servo motor 12 can accurately rotate back to the origin position each time. Since the gripper 1 device needs to operate repeatedly at high speed for a long time, this can easily lead to the accumulation of deviations during multiple runs, potentially causing assembly failures. However, the design of the motor position sensing plate 15 and the motor position detection sensor 14 in this solution ensures that the motor position sensing plate 15 only moves to the sensing position that triggers the motor position detection sensor 14 when the servo motor 12 accurately returns to the origin. Only then will the motor position detection sensor 14 output a signal that the servo motor 12 has rotated back to the origin position. This guarantees that the servo motor 12 can accurately return to the origin position each time, avoiding the accumulation of errors during multiple runs and ensuring a high success rate for each assembly.

[0060] The working process of the gripper 1 device of the present invention is as follows: During operation, the servo motor 12 first drives the clamping mechanism to rotate to the position where the workpiece needs to be clamped. Then, the opening power member 6 drives the two grippers 1 to move in a direction away from each other to achieve the effect of opening the two grippers 1. At this time, the two springs corresponding to the grippers 1 are in a compressed state. After the two grippers 1 are opened, the workpiece is placed between the two grippers 1. Then, the opening power member 6 resets. When the opening power member 6 resets, it will separate from the top support boss 7. At this time, the two compressed springs will push the two grippers 1 to move in a direction closer to each other until the two grippers 1 abut against the workpiece and clamp the workpiece. Since the clamping force of the grippers 1 on the workpiece is achieved by the elastic force of the elastic member 11, and the elastic force of the elastic member 11 is flexible, the grippers 1 achieve flexible clamping of the workpiece at this time. In addition, when clamping different workpieces, the clamping force can be provided to the workpiece by selecting elastic members 11 with different elastic coefficients, thereby achieving the effect of matching different clamping forces for different workpieces. Therefore, the gripper device of this solution can achieve flexible clamping of workpieces, and can match different clamping forces for different workpieces, thereby greatly reducing the occurrence of crushing fragile workpieces.

[0061] Meanwhile, throughout the entire operation, the gripper position detection sensor 9 and the motor position detection sensor 14 are used to detect the opening position of gripper 1 and the return of servo motor 12 to the origin position, respectively. The key states such as whether gripper 1 is fully open and whether servo motor 12 has returned to the origin position can be fed back in real time, thus forming a closed-loop logic: workpiece feeding is only allowed after receiving the signal that gripper 1 is fully open, and a new cycle begins only after receiving the signal that servo motor 12 has returned to the origin position. This completely avoids problems such as workpiece placement errors, workpiece slippage, or accumulated positioning deviations, greatly improves the self-correction capability and operational stability of the automated production line during long-term continuous operation, and effectively reduces the downtime failure rate.

[0062] Furthermore, compared to the complex air circuits, dual valve groups, and synchronous linkage mechanisms required for traditional dual-cylinder synchronous drives, this invention employs a diaphragm cylinder with a resetting elastic element 11, significantly reducing the overall number of parts and making assembly more convenient. Simultaneously, the direct drive of the servo motor 12 eliminates intermediate components such as reducers and transmission belts, resulting in a more compact structure. This modular and lightweight design not only reduces manufacturing costs but also facilitates rapid integration, disassembly, and maintenance within existing automated production lines, significantly shortening equipment modification cycles.

[0063] In addition, the present invention also provides a working method of a high-precision flexible clamping servo flipping gripper device, which includes a flipping method and a gripping method. Among them, as attached Figure 6 As shown, the specific steps of the flipping method are as follows: Step S1) The flipping power component is started, which drives the clamping mechanism to flip. The motor position detection sensor and the motor position sensing plate locate the origin position; that is, the servo motor is started, which drives the clamping mechanism to flip as a whole through the mounting base.

[0064] Specifically, the flipping power component uses a servo motor. The servo motor is fixedly mounted on a motor mounting plate, and its power output end passes through the mounting plate and extends into the motor mounting hole on the mounting base, where it is fixedly connected. When the servo motor starts, it drives the mounting base and the entire clamping mechanism (including the gripper module, opening module, and clamping module) fixed on the mounting base to flip together via its power output end. A first mounting plate is provided on the end face of the motor mounting plate facing the clamping mechanism, and a motor position detection sensor is fixed on the first mounting plate; a corresponding motor position sensing plate is provided on the mounting base. When the servo motor drives the mounting base to flip to the origin position set by the servo motor, the motor position sensing plate moves exactly to the sensing position that triggers the motor position detection sensor. The motor position detection sensor outputs an electrical signal, which the control system uses to confirm that the clamping mechanism has returned to its origin.

[0065] Step S2) The flipping power component drives the clamping mechanism to precisely stop at the set position; that is, the servo motor drives the clamping mechanism to flip to the set position. Specifically, the control system sends pulse commands to the servo motor according to the required machining or assembly angle. The servo motor drives the mounting base and clamping mechanism to rotate to a preset position (e.g., 180°, 90°, or other arbitrary angles) through closed-loop control. During the rotation process, the motor position detection sensor continuously monitors the position to ensure accurate rotation angle.

[0066] Step S3) The flipping power component stops the power output, and the clamping mechanism holds the workpiece in the set position.

[0067] Once the set position is reached, the servo motor stops running and maintains torque output, keeping the clamping mechanism stably stationary at that position, thereby clamping, assembling, or transferring the workpiece in the flipped posture.

[0068] As attached Figure 7 As shown, the gripper method is as follows: Step A1) The opening module drives the two grippers to move in opposite directions to open.

[0069] Specifically, the opening module includes two opening power components with opposite power output directions, such as diaphragm cylinders. The two diaphragm cylinders are respectively mounted on opposite end faces of the first mounting part of the mounting base. Initially, the power output end of each diaphragm cylinder abuts against the top-holding boss on the corresponding gripper slider. Both diaphragm cylinders extend simultaneously, their power output ends pushing the corresponding gripper sliders through the top-holding bosses, causing the two gripper sliders to slide away from each other along a linear guide. The two grippers are fixed to their respective gripper sliders, thus opening synchronously with the gripper sliders. During the gripper opening process, a gripper position sensing plate is fixed to each top-holding boss, and a corresponding gripper position detection sensor is provided on the mounting base. When the gripper is fully opened (i.e., reaches its maximum opening stroke), the gripper position sensing plate moves to the sensing area of ​​the gripper position detection sensor, triggering the sensor to output an electrical signal indicating that the opening is complete. Upon receiving this signal, the control system controls the diaphragm cylinders to stop extending further, preventing over-travel.

[0070] Step A2) Place the workpiece to be gripped between the two grippers.

[0071] The workpiece can be placed in the clamping space of the two grippers by an external robot or manually.

[0072] Step A3) Open the module and reset it.

[0073] When the two diaphragm cylinders are de-energized, their power output ends retract in the opposite direction under the action of internal return springs, returning to their initial position and thus disengaging from the top holding boss. At this time, the gripper slider is no longer subject to the thrust of the cylinders, but only to the action of the elastic element.

[0074] Step A4) The two elastic elements drive the two grippers to move in a direction that brings them closer to each other until both grippers are in contact with the workpiece. Under the elastic action of the elastic elements, the two grippers flexibly clamp the workpiece.

[0075] Two elastic elements (such as springs) are respectively installed between the elastic mounting holes of the gripper sliders and the baffles on the mounting base. When the diaphragm cylinder resets, the previously compressed elastic elements elastically return to their original position, pushing the two gripper sliders along the linear guide rails towards each other, thereby causing the two grippers to close inward. As the grippers gradually approach the workpiece, once both grippers are in contact with the workpiece surface, the elastic elements maintain a certain amount of compression, thus applying a continuous, stable, and flexible clamping force to the workpiece. Due to the self-adaptive characteristics of the elastic elements, even if there are minor tolerances in the workpiece dimensions, the grippers can reliably clamp without damaging the workpiece surface. During the clamping process, gripper position sensing plates and gripper position detection sensors can also be used to detect whether the grippers are fully closed or properly clamped, and the control system can read the corresponding signals as needed.

[0076] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and not to limit the technical solutions. Those skilled in the art should understand that any modifications or equivalent substitutions to the technical solutions of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention should be covered within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A high-precision flexible clamping servo flipping gripper device, characterized in that, Includes a clamping mechanism and a tilting mechanism; The flipping mechanism includes a flipping power component, the power output end of which is connected to the clamping mechanism so as to drive the clamping mechanism to flip through the flipping power component; The clamping mechanism includes a gripper module, an opening module, and a clamping module. The gripper module includes two grippers arranged opposite each other. The opening module is used to drive the two grippers to move in a direction away from each other to achieve opening. The clamping module includes two elastic elements, which are arranged one-to-one with the two grippers. When the opening module is reset, the two elastic elements can drive the two grippers to move in a direction closer to each other to achieve flexible clamping.

2. The high-precision flexible clamping servo flipping gripper device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The gripper module also includes two gripper sliders, with the two grippers respectively mounted on the corresponding gripper sliders, and a top support boss provided on the gripper sliders; The opening module includes two opening power components with opposite power output directions. The two opening power components are arranged one-to-one with the two gripper sliders. In the initial state, the power output end of the opening power component abuts against the top holding boss on the corresponding gripper slider. When the power output end of the opening power component outputs power, it can drive the gripper slider at the corresponding position to move synchronously through the top holding boss. During the reset process, it separates from the top holding boss at the corresponding position.

3. The high-precision flexible clamping servo flipping gripper device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The gripper mechanism also includes a mounting base, and the gripper module, the opening module and the clamping module are all disposed on the mounting base; The mounting base is also provided with a linear guide rail, and two guide blocks are slidably connected on the linear guide rail. The two gripper sliders are respectively installed on the corresponding guide blocks. During the opening or clamping process of the two grippers, the gripper sliders drive the corresponding guide blocks to slide along the linear guide rail, so as to guide the opening or clamping process of the two grippers through the linear guide rail.

4. The high-precision flexible clamping servo flipping gripper device according to claim 3, characterized in that, Both of the gripper sliders have elastic mounting holes on opposite sides in the direction of movement. A baffle is provided on the mounting base at a position corresponding to the elastic mounting hole of each gripper slider. One end of the elastic element is installed in the elastic mounting hole of the corresponding gripper slider, and the other end of the elastic element extends out of the elastic mounting hole and is connected to the baffle at the corresponding position.

5. The high-precision flexible clamping servo flipping gripper device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The mounting base is also equipped with two gripper position detection sensors, which are respectively configured to correspond one-to-one with two top support protrusions. Each top support protrusion is equipped with a gripper position sensing plate. When the power output end of the opening power member drives the gripper to move to the set position through the top support protrusion, the gripper position sensing plate moves to the sensing position that triggers the corresponding gripper position detection sensor, thereby triggering the gripper position detection sensor to output a signal that the gripper has moved to the set position.

6. The high-precision flexible clamping servo flipping gripper device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The opening power component is a diaphragm cylinder; The mounting base includes a first mounting part and a second mounting part that are perpendicular to each other and integrally formed. The two diaphragm cylinders are respectively mounted on the opposite side end faces of the first mounting part. The linear guide rail is mounted on the first bearing surface of the second mounting part. The two baffles are mounted on the opposite side second bearing surfaces of the second mounting part.

7. The high-precision flexible clamping servo flipping gripper device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The flipping mechanism includes a servo motor, which is mounted on a motor mounting plate. A motor mounting hole is provided on the end face of the mounting base facing the motor mounting plate. The power output end of the servo motor passes through the motor mounting plate and extends into the motor mounting hole and is fixedly connected to the mounting base. The rotation of the servo motor drives the mounting base to rotate, and the rotation of the mounting base drives the clamping mechanism to rotate.

8. The high-precision flexible clamping servo flipping gripper device according to claim 7, characterized in that, A first mounting plate is also provided on the end face of the motor mounting plate facing the clamping mechanism, and a motor position detection sensor is provided on the first mounting plate; The mounting base is also provided with a motor position sensor. When the servo motor drives the mounting base to rotate to the origin position of the servo motor, the motor position sensor moves to the sensing position that triggers the motor position detection sensor, so as to trigger the motor position detection sensor to output a signal that the servo motor has rotated to the origin position.

9. A method for operating a high-precision flexible clamping servo flipping gripper device, characterized in that, The high-precision flexible clamping servo flipping gripper device as described in claim 1 includes a flipping method and a gripping method; The gripper method is as follows: The opening module drives the two grippers to move in a direction that moves away from each other to open; The workpiece to be gripped is placed between the two grippers; The opening module is reset; The two elastic elements drive the two grippers to move in a direction that brings them closer to each other until both grippers come into contact with the workpiece. Under the elastic action of the elastic elements, the two grippers flexibly clamp the workpiece.

10. The working method of the high-precision flexible clamping servo flipping gripper device according to claim 9, characterized in that, The flipping method is as follows: The flipping power component drives the clamping mechanism to flip to a set position; The flipping power component stops outputting power, and the clamping mechanism remains in a set position to clamp the workpiece.

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