Electric adaptive stone gripper driving mechanism for stone machinery arm

Abstract

This invention discloses an electric adaptive stone gripper drive mechanism for a stone processing robotic arm, relating to the field of robotic arm technology. The invention includes a left gripper and a right gripper mounted on the robotic arm. A follower inner liner is fitted at the hinge of the left and right grippers, and a protective cover is installed on the outside of the follower inner liner. The protective cover is composed of several modular protective covers. This invention features a fully modular design, with both the follower inner liner and the modular protective cover being independent, replaceable units. After a period of use, only the connecting bolts of the modular protective cover need to be removed to remove the old follower inner liner and modular protective cover as a whole, without disassembling the left and right grippers or requiring specialized tools and skills. Compared to traditional maintenance methods that require disassembling the entire gripper, this significantly reduces downtime losses and maintenance costs. Through follower volume compensation, the volume of the sealed cavity remains constant, completely eliminating the breathing effect generated when the grippers open and close.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of robotic arm technology, and more specifically to an electric adaptive stone clamping drive mechanism for a stone robotic arm. Background Technology

[0002] With the continuous improvement of automation in the stone processing industry, robotic arm grippers have been widely used for automated handling, loading and unloading, and processing positioning of natural stone, artificial quartz stone, marble slabs, and irregularly shaped stone workpieces. As the core component of the gripper's movement, the hinge joint directly affects the gripping accuracy and service life of the gripper. However, stone processing sites are characterized by high-concentration, high-hardness, and highly corrosive dust environments, and the widespread use of water cooling leads to alternating wet and dry conditions, placing extremely high demands on the protection of the gripper hinge joint.

[0003] The following are the main dustproof solutions used in the existing technology for the gripper hinge:

[0004] Firstly, a corrugated pipe protective cover is used to cover the outside of the hinge, which expands and contracts with the joint movement. However, stone powder and mud easily accumulate in the folds of the corrugated pipe, which is difficult to clean. Moreover, frequent expansion and contraction movements can easily lead to fatigue cracking of the corrugated pipe, and its service life is usually only 1-3 months, which cannot meet the requirements of long-term continuous operation.

[0005] Secondly, the method of splicing multiple arc-shaped protective covers, overlapping with the joint movement, results in a dynamic gap at the joints. This gap cannot prevent the intrusion of fine dust particles smaller than 10μm, and the sealing strips wear down rapidly after frequent friction, drastically reducing the sealing effect. More critically, the volume of the enclosed cavity inside the protective cover changes periodically when the grippers open and close, creating a strong breathing effect: when it opens, a negative pressure is created inside, forcibly drawing in high-concentration dust from the outside; when it closes, the internal pressure increases, only expelling some dust, leaving a large amount of dust residue that gradually accumulates. Over a long period, the internal dust concentration will far exceed that of the external environment, accelerating the wear of precision components such as the hinge shaft and bearings. At the same time, the alternating wet and dry environment causes dust to combine with water to form a weakly alkaline slurry, which hardens into a hard stone after drying, clogging the movement gaps, scratching the surface of the seals, and creating a vicious cycle of seal failure. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to solve the above problems by providing an electric adaptive stone clamping device drive mechanism for a stone processing robotic arm.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention specifically adopts the following technical solution:

[0008] An electric adaptive stone clamping device drive mechanism for a stone processing robotic arm includes a left gripper and a right gripper mounted on the robotic arm. A follower inner liner is sleeved at the hinge of the left gripper and the right gripper. A protective cover is installed on the outside of the follower inner liner. The protective cover is composed of several modular protective covers spliced ​​together.

[0009] The module protective cover includes two fixed parts and one elastic telescopic part. The two fixed parts are located at both ends of the elastic telescopic part. Both the fixed parts and the elastic telescopic part are semi-frame shaped. The fixed parts are provided with connectors, and the connectors are provided with threaded holes.

[0010] The following inner liner includes two adhesive rubber springs. The inner surface of the adhesive rubber springs is a weak adhesive surface, and the outer surface is a strong adhesive surface. The ends of the adhesive rubber springs are provided with sealing rubber frames. The splicing gaps of the module protective cover are distributed vertically, and the two adhesive rubber springs are also distributed vertically.

[0011] Furthermore, a hydraulic drive hose is provided between the two fixing parts on the module protective cover, and the hydraulic drive hose is connected to an external hydraulic system.

[0012] Furthermore, the hydraulic drive hose is divided into an inner rubber layer, a reinforcing layer and an outer rubber layer from the inside out. The reinforcing layer is a steel wire winding layer, with the steel wire spirally wound on the inner rubber layer.

[0013] Furthermore, the protective cover is composed of four sets of modular protective covers spliced ​​together, and the adhesive rubber spring is arranged in an X shape.

[0014] Furthermore, a connecting rope is fixedly connected to the corner of the inner side of the adhesive rubber spring, and a reel is provided between the four sets of connecting ropes. An insert shaft is provided on the side of the reel away from the adhesive rubber spring. An inner shaft is rotatably installed at the hinge of the left and right jaws. The inner shaft can rotate as the left and right jaws open and close. A transmission disc is provided at the top and bottom of the inner shaft. A rectangular insertion hole is opened inside the transmission disc, and the insert shaft can be inserted into the rectangular insertion hole.

[0015] Furthermore, a hinge shaft is fixedly installed on the left gripper, and the right gripper is hinged to the hinge shaft. A fixed gear is provided on the hinge shaft, and an inner shaft is rotatably installed inside the hinge shaft. A driven gear is fixedly installed on the inner shaft. A transmission shaft is rotatably installed inside the right gripper. A transmission gear one and a transmission gear two are respectively provided at both ends of the transmission shaft. The transmission gear one meshes with the fixed gear, and the transmission gear two meshes with the driven gear.

[0016] Furthermore, the radius of the transmission gear is smaller than the radius of the fixed gear.

[0017] Furthermore, the radius of the second transmission gear is greater than the radius of the driven gear.

[0018] Furthermore, the protective cover is composed of two sets of modular protective covers spliced ​​together, and the adhesive rubber spring is arranged in a V-shape.

[0019] Furthermore, the sealing rubber frame is semi-frame shaped, and the opening of the sealing rubber frame is located on the side after splicing.

[0020] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows:

[0021] 1. This invention adopts a double-layer dustproof architecture with external modular splicing protection and internal overall isolation and sealing. It abandons the traditional idea of ​​sealing gaps and instead constructs an independent continuous sealed cavity inside the protective cover. All splicing gaps are completely isolated outside the sealed cavity. Even if dust passes through the splicing gaps of the protective cover, it can only enter the interlayer between the protective cover and the inner liner and cannot come into contact with the core components such as the hinge shaft and bearing inside, so the protection effect is good.

[0022] 2. This invention features a fully modular design, with both the follow-up inner liner and the modular protective cover being independent, replaceable units. After a period of use, simply remove the connecting bolts of the modular protective cover to remove the old follow-up inner liner and the entire protective cover, without needing to disassemble the left and right grippers, nor requiring specialized tools or skills. Compared to traditional maintenance methods that require disassembling the entire gripper, this significantly reduces maintenance time, downtime losses, and maintenance costs.

[0023] 3. This invention uses dynamic volume compensation to keep the volume of the sealed cavity constant, completely eliminating the breathing effect generated when the grippers open and close, preventing external dust from being sucked into the interior, providing a high level of protection, adapting to the extreme and harsh environment of the stone processing site, and extending the service life of the sealing system.

[0024] 4. This invention embeds a hydraulic drive hose between two fixing parts of the module protective cover. Utilizing the inherent characteristic that the high-pressure hydraulic hose hardens significantly and tends to straighten after high-pressure oil is introduced, this is converted into a secondary clamping locking force. After clamping, high-pressure liquid is injected into the hose, causing it to harden and generate an axial straightening force. This force acts on the left and right grippers, producing an additional clamping torque, achieving passive secondary self-locking and ensuring high clamping safety. Attached Figure Description

[0025] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall X-shaped protective structure of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 2 This is an exploded view of the overall X-shaped protective structure of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the protective cover structure of the module of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the follow-up inner liner of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 5 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the left and right grippers of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the V-shaped protection of the present invention.

[0031] Reference numerals: 1. Left gripper; 11. Hinge shaft; 12. Fixed gear; 13. Inner shaft; 14. Transmission disc; 15. Rectangular insertion hole; 16. Driven gear; 2. Right gripper; 21. Transmission gear one; 22. Transmission gear two; 3. Module protective cover; 31. Fixing part; 32. Connecting part; 33. Elastic telescopic part; 34. Hydraulic drive hose; 4. Follower inner liner; 41. Adhesive rubber spring; 42. Sealing rubber frame; 43. Opening; 44. Connecting rope; 45. Winding wheel; 46. Insert shaft. Detailed Implementation

[0032] 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.

[0033] Example 1, as Figures 1-6 As shown, an electric adaptive stone clamping device drive mechanism for a stone robotic arm includes a left gripper 1 and a right gripper 2 mounted on the robotic arm. A follower inner liner 4 is sleeved at the hinge of the left gripper 1 and the right gripper 2. A protective cover is installed on the outside of the follower inner liner 4. The protective cover is composed of several modular protective covers 3 spliced ​​together.

[0034] The module protective cover 3 includes two fixing parts 31 and one elastic telescopic part 33. The two fixing parts 31 are located at both ends of the elastic telescopic part 33. Both the fixing parts 31 and the elastic telescopic part 33 are semi-frame shaped. The fixing parts 31 are provided with connectors 32, and the connectors 32 are provided with connecting thread holes.

[0035] The follow-up inner liner 4 includes two adhesive rubber springs 41. The inner surface of the adhesive rubber spring 41 is a weak adhesive surface and the outer surface is a strong adhesive surface. The ends of the adhesive rubber springs 41 are provided with sealing rubber frames 42. The splicing gaps of the module protective cover 3 are distributed vertically, and the two adhesive rubber springs 41 are also distributed vertically.

[0036] The sealing rubber frame 42 is semi-frame shaped, and the opening 43 of the sealing rubber frame 42 is located on the side after splicing.

[0037] A hydraulic drive hose 34 is provided between the two fixing parts 31 on the module protective cover 3, and the hydraulic drive hose 34 is connected to the external hydraulic system. The hydraulic drive hose 34 is divided into an inner rubber layer, a reinforcing layer and an outer rubber layer from the inside to the outside. The reinforcing layer is a steel wire winding layer, and the steel wire is spirally wound on the inner rubber layer.

[0038] The protective cover is composed of four sets of modular protective covers 3 spliced ​​together, with adhesive rubber springs 41 set in an X shape and sealing rubber frames 42 set at the four corners.

[0039] This embodiment is mainly applicable to the protection of X-shaped hinge joints.

[0040] Installation steps: The robotic arm controls the left gripper 1 and right gripper 2 to be at a specified cross angle, matching the initial X-shaped adhesive rubber spring 41. Then, the two adhesive rubber springs 41 are respectively bonded to the upper and lower surfaces of the left gripper 1 and right gripper 2, and bonded through the weak adhesive surface. The weak adhesive provides initial positioning of the adhesive rubber springs 41. Next, the module protective cover 3 is spliced ​​at the intersection. The fixing part 31 clamps and holds the sealing rubber frame 42, pressing the upper and lower sealing rubber frames 42 tightly together. The fixing part 31 is clamped and fixed on the corresponding left gripper 1 or right gripper 2. The elastic telescopic part 33 is located at the intersection, and the adhesive rubber spring 41 is bonded to the module protective cover 3 through the strong adhesive surface of the adhesive rubber spring 41. The module protective cover 3 seals the sides, and the adhesive rubber spring 41 seals the splice of the module protective cover 3, completing the sealing and blocking of the hinge between the left gripper 1 and right gripper 2, preventing dust from entering the hinge and affecting the gripping accuracy and the service life of the robotic arm.

[0041] During the stone clamping process, the drive on the robotic arm drives the left gripper 1 and the right gripper 2 to close together and clamp the stone. At the same time, high-pressure liquid can be injected into the hydraulic drive hose 34 to increase the rigidity of the hydraulic drive hose 34. The bent hydraulic drive hose 34 will tend to straighten under high pressure, which can drive the left gripper 1 and the right gripper 2 to close together and form a secondary self-locking clamping, thus improving the clamping safety.

[0042] After a period of use, the module protective cover 3 and the follower inner liner 4 can be removed and replaced with a new follower inner liner 4. There is no need to remove the left gripper 1 and the right gripper 2, making inspection and maintenance convenient.

[0043] In the second embodiment, the protective cover is composed of two sets of modular protective covers 3 spliced ​​together, with the adhesive rubber spring sheet 41 set in a V-shape and the sealing rubber frame 42 set at both ends.

[0044] This implementation is mainly used for protection of the end hinge position on the gripper of a robotic arm, and the end hinge can be individually equipped with hydraulic drive to achieve multi-point drive.

[0045] In embodiment three, based on the above embodiments, a connecting rope 44 is fixedly connected to the corner of the inner side of the adhesive rubber spring sheet 41. A reel 45 is arranged between the four sets of connecting ropes 44. A shaft 46 is arranged on the side of the reel 45 away from the adhesive rubber spring sheet 41. An inner shaft 13 is rotatably installed at the hinge of the left gripper 1 and the right gripper 2. The inner shaft 13 can rotate as the left gripper 1 and the right gripper 2 open and close. A transmission disk 14 is arranged at the top and bottom of the inner shaft 13. A rectangular insertion hole 15 is opened inside the transmission disk 14. The shaft 46 can be inserted into the rectangular insertion hole 15.

[0046] A hinge shaft 11 is fixedly mounted on the left gripper 1, and the right gripper 2 is hinged to the hinge shaft 11. A fixed gear 12 is provided on the hinge shaft 11. An inner shaft 13 is rotatably mounted inside the hinge shaft 11, and a driven gear 16 is fixedly mounted on the inner shaft 13. A transmission shaft is rotatably mounted inside the right gripper 2. A transmission gear 21 and a transmission gear 22 are respectively provided at both ends of the transmission shaft. The transmission gear 21 meshes with the fixed gear 12, and the transmission gear 22 meshes with the driven gear 16.

[0047] The radius of the transmission gear 21 is smaller than the radius of the fixed gear 12.

[0048] The radius of the transmission gear 22 is larger than the radius of the driven gear 16. This design increases the opening and closing angle, so that at a small opening and closing angle, the winding wheel 45 can wind up enough connecting rope 44 to maintain follow-up control.

[0049] Because the elastic telescopic part 33 is made of elastic material, it will always be taut and stretched without any follow-up restriction, and will not be able to bend and fit at the intersection. When the left gripper 1 and the right gripper 2 are closed or opened, the sealed space formed by the module protective cover 3 and the follow-up inner liner 4 changes significantly. The breathing effect generated by the movement of the mechanism is the most easily overlooked fatal problem of dust prevention for stone grippers: When the grippers open and close, the volume of the internal closed cavity will change periodically; when it opens, the cavity volume increases, and a negative pressure is formed inside, forcibly sucking in high concentrations of dust from the outside; when it closes, the cavity volume decreases, and the internal pressure increases, expelling some dust, but a large amount of dust remains. Under long-term circulation, the internal dust concentration will gradually exceed that of the external environment, accelerating the wear of internal parts. Water cooling is commonly used in stone processing, resulting in alternating wet and dry environments. After the mud dries, it hardens into hard stones, blocking the movement gaps. The stones will scratch the surface of the seals, causing seal failure and forming a vicious cycle. The weakly alkaline mud will corrode the metal surface, reducing the strength and service life of the parts.

[0050] Therefore, the follow-up design provided in this embodiment is particularly important. Specifically, when the left gripper 1 and the right gripper 2 open and close, the right gripper 2 swings relative to the left gripper 1. The right gripper 2 drives the transmission gear 1 21 to roll around the fixed gear 12. The transmission gear 1 21 drives the transmission gear 22 to rotate. The transmission gear 22 drives the inner shaft 13 to rotate through the driven gear 16. The inner shaft 13 drives the winding wheel 45 to rotate through the transmission disc 14 and the insert shaft 46. The winding wheel 45 winds up the two connecting ropes 44 and unwinds the other two. The rope 44 is located at the intersection where the angle increases, so that the adhesive rubber spring 41 and the elastic telescopic part 33 are in close contact at the intersection, reducing the space at this position. The unwinding connecting rope 44 is located at the intersection where the angle decreases, so that the adhesive rubber spring 41 and the elastic telescopic part 33 are in a stable arc bend. This not only does not affect the end tension of the adhesive rubber spring 41, but also prevents the elastic telescopic part 33 from being over-folded, thus improving the service life. At the same time, it increases the space at this position, so that the size of the sealing space always remains stable, and no suction is generated, resulting in good protective effect.

[0051] The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables those skilled in the art to make or use the invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, the invention is not to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A drive mechanism for an electrically adaptive stone gripper on a stone processing robotic arm, comprising a left gripper (1) and a right gripper (2) mounted on the robotic arm, characterized in that, The hinge joint between the left gripper (1) and the right gripper (2) is fitted with a follower inner liner (4), and a protective cover is installed on the outside of the follower inner liner (4). The protective cover is spliced ​​together from several modular protective covers (3). The module protective cover (3) includes two fixing parts (31) and one elastic telescopic part (33). The two fixing parts (31) are located at both ends of the elastic telescopic part (33). Both the fixing parts (31) and the elastic telescopic part (33) are semi-frame shaped. The fixing parts (31) are provided with connectors (32), and the connectors (32) are provided with connecting thread holes. The following inner liner (4) includes two adhesive rubber springs (41). The inner surface of the adhesive rubber spring (41) is a weak adhesive surface and the outer surface is a strong adhesive surface. The end of the adhesive rubber spring (41) is provided with a sealing rubber frame (42). The splicing gap of the module protective cover (3) is distributed vertically, and the two adhesive rubber springs (41) are also distributed vertically.

2. The electric adaptive stone clamping device drive mechanism for a stone processing robotic arm according to claim 1, characterized in that, A hydraulic drive hose (34) is provided between the two fixing parts (31) on the module protective cover (3), and the hydraulic drive hose (34) is connected to the external hydraulic system.

3. The electric adaptive stone clamping device drive mechanism for a stone processing robotic arm according to claim 2, characterized in that, The hydraulic drive hose (34) is divided into an inner rubber layer, a reinforcing layer and an outer rubber layer from the inside to the outside. The reinforcing layer is a steel wire winding layer, with the steel wire spirally wound on the inner rubber layer.

4. The electric adaptive stone clamping device drive mechanism for a stone processing robotic arm according to claim 1, characterized in that, The protective cover is composed of four sets of modular protective covers (3) spliced ​​together, and the adhesive rubber spring (41) is arranged in an X shape.

5. The electric adaptive stone clamping device drive mechanism for a stone processing robotic arm according to claim 4, characterized in that, A connecting rope (44) is fixedly connected to the corner of the inner side of the adhesive rubber spring (41). A reel (45) is set between the four sets of connecting ropes (44). A shaft (46) is set on the side of the reel (45) away from the adhesive rubber spring (41). An inner shaft (13) is rotatably installed at the hinge of the left jaw (1) and the right jaw (2). The inner shaft (13) can rotate as the left jaw (1) and the right jaw (2) open and close. A transmission disc (14) is set at the top and bottom of the inner shaft (13). A rectangular insertion hole (15) is opened inside the transmission disc (14). The shaft (46) can be inserted into the rectangular insertion hole (15).

6. The electric adaptive stone clamping device drive mechanism for a stone processing robotic arm according to claim 5, characterized in that, A hinge shaft (11) is fixedly installed on the left jaw (1), and the right jaw (2) is hinged on the hinge shaft (11). A fixed gear (12) is provided on the hinge shaft (11), and an inner shaft (13) is rotatably installed inside the hinge shaft (11). A driven gear (16) is fixedly installed on the inner shaft (13). A transmission shaft is rotatably installed inside the right jaw (2). A transmission gear one (21) and a transmission gear two (22) are respectively provided at both ends of the transmission shaft. The transmission gear one (21) meshes with the fixed gear (12), and the transmission gear two (22) meshes with the driven gear (16).

7. The electric adaptive stone clamping device drive mechanism for a stone processing robotic arm according to claim 6, characterized in that, The radius of the transmission gear (21) is smaller than the radius of the fixed gear (12).

8. The electric adaptive stone clamping device drive mechanism for a stone processing robotic arm according to claim 7, characterized in that, The radius of the second transmission gear (22) is greater than the radius of the driven gear (16).

9. The electric adaptive stone clamping device drive mechanism for a stone processing robotic arm according to claim 1, characterized in that, The protective cover is composed of two sets of modular protective covers (3) spliced ​​together, and the adhesive rubber spring (41) is set in a V shape.

10. The electric adaptive stone clamping device drive mechanism for a stone processing robotic arm according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sealing rubber frame (42) is semi-frame shaped, and the opening (43) of the sealing rubber frame (42) is located on the side after splicing.

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