Double-mode quick-change flexible grasping end effector for medicine sorting

Abstract

The application discloses a double-mode quick-change flexible grasping end effector for medicine sorting, which comprises a quick-change female seat, a suction disc module and a clamping module which can be selectively installed. A lock piece which moves transversely is arranged in the female seat, the lock piece is provided with a release hole and a lock holding groove which are connected, an inclined surface for guiding and lifting and a bearing plane which is connected with the inclined surface are arranged at the entrance of the lock holding groove. When the lock piece is reset, the neck part of the module plug-in connector is clamped, and the plug-in connector is pushed to press the end face sealing ring through the inclined surface for guiding and lifting, so that the mechanical connection and the sealing of the common air channel are completed in the same action. The suction disc module is elastically attached to the packaging surface through a corrugated suction disc; the clamping module is driven by a single-acting cylinder to move an active finger, and the elastic contact pads on the swing clamping plates on the two sides of the active finger adjust the posture according to the contact state. The application is suitable for sorting of medicine boxes, medicine bottles and other packages, and has the characteristics of simple and convenient replacement operation, few driving parts and soft contact.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of robot end effector technology, specifically to a flexible gripping end effector for pharmaceutical packaging sorting, which can replace suction cup modules and gripping modules. Background Technology

[0002] The pharmaceutical sorting objects include boxed pharmaceuticals, bottled pharmaceuticals, and some bagged pharmaceuticals, which vary in surface flatness, packaging rigidity, and shape. Suction cups are suitable for packaging with sealable surfaces, while grippers are suitable for packaging with gripping sides. Using only one gripping method limits the applicability to different packaging types.

[0003] Public document CN112248001A describes a mechanical gripper combining a suction cup and flexible fingers, indicating that the combination of adsorption and flexible clamping already has a technological basis. For structures using independent modules, attention still needs to be paid to the coordination between mechanical fixation, air circuit connection, and contact adaptation during replacement. If the interface requires tightening fasteners and inserting / removing air tubes separately, it will increase the number of replacement steps; when the clamp is fixed in place, the tilt of the packaging side can easily cause localized initial contact and concentrated force.

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to propose an end effector with a compact component layout, which can complete the mechanical and pneumatic connection through a short operation and can adapt to the packaging surface by relying on the movement of the contact mechanism itself. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to achieve rapid replacement of the suction cup module and the clamping module while keeping the gripping end structure simple, and to improve the adhesion to different packaging surfaces.

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the technical solution adopted by this invention is as follows: A dual-mode quick-change flexible gripping end effector for drug sorting includes a quick-change female base for connecting to a robot and a suction cup module and a clamping module that can be selectively installed on the quick-change female base. The quick-change female base has a plug hole, a common air passage communicating with the plug hole, and an end face sealing ring located around the outlet of the common air passage. Both modules have a plug connector that mates with the plug hole. The plug connector has a guide head, a constricted neck located below the guide head, and a module air passage penetrating the end face of the guide head. A bearing shoulder is formed between the guide head and the constricted neck. A locking plate is laterally slidable inside the quick-change female seat. The locking plate has a connected release hole and a locking groove. The release hole allows the guide head to pass through, and the locking groove allows the neck to enter and prevents the guide head from axially dislodging. The entrance of the locking groove has guide ramps on both sides, which are respectively connected to the bearing plane. The return spring drives the locking plate to move to the locking position, so that the bearing shoulder is raised along the guide ramp and supported on the bearing plane, and the end face of the guide head is pressed against the end face sealing ring. The locking plate has a pressing part for aligning the release hole with the insertion hole. The suction cup module is equipped with a corrugated suction cup that communicates with the module's air passage; the clamping module includes a clamping seat, a fixed finger, and a movable finger driven by a single-acting cylinder that approaches or moves away from the fixed finger along a guide rail. The opposite sides of the fixed finger and the movable finger are connected to swing clamping plates via a rotating shaft. Each swing clamping plate is provided with elastic contact pads on both sides of the rotating shaft. The air inlet of the single-acting cylinder is connected to the module's air passage.

[0007] Furthermore, the guide head has a positioning plane on its outer periphery, and the insertion hole has a planar hole wall that mates with the positioning plane to restrict the insertion head from rotating around the insertion axis.

[0008] Furthermore, the bearing plane is parallel to the moving direction of the locking plate; the quick-change female seat is provided with a stop portion that defines the locking position and the release position respectively. When the locking plate is in the locking position, the bearing shoulder surface is located on the bearing plane and is offset from the guide ramp surface.

[0009] Furthermore, the quick-change female seat has protective edges on both sides of the pressing part, and the pressing part does not extend beyond the outer edge of the protective edges in the locked position; the end face sealing ring is embedded in the annular groove around the common air passage outlet.

[0010] Furthermore, the suction cup module also includes an air tube connecting the connector and the corrugated suction cup, the corrugated suction cup having an axially compressible corrugated section and an annular lip that contacts the packaging surface.

[0011] Furthermore, the rotating shaft is parallel to the insertion axis of the connector, the swing clamp extends in a direction perpendicular to the clamping direction, and the rotating shaft is located in the middle of the swing clamp; a centering torsion spring is provided at the rotating shaft, and the fixed finger and the movable finger are respectively provided with limiting protrusions for limiting the rotation angle of the corresponding swing clamp.

[0012] Furthermore, the elastic contact pad is detachably fixed to the swing clamp, the contact surface of the elastic contact pad is an arc surface protruding towards the packaging side, and two elastic contact pads on each swing clamp are spaced apart.

[0013] Furthermore, the single-acting cylinder is fixed to the clamping seat, and its piston rod is connected to the movable finger. When the cylinder is vented, it drives the movable finger to move towards the fixed finger. When the cylinder is vented, its built-in return spring drives the movable finger away from the fixed finger.

[0014] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: The locking plate completes the fastening and sealing with a single lateral reset, eliminating the need to disassemble and reassemble screws or external air pipes one by one during replacement; the bearing shoulder falls on the bearing plane at the locking endpoint, and the axial pull-out load does not directly push the locking plate back along the inclined plane; the two modules share the same connection interface, and the female seat does not need to stack two sets of gripping mechanisms; the corrugated suction cup and the swinging soft pad provide passive contact respectively, and the clamping module only requires one cylinder, which is convenient for layout and maintenance. Attached Figure Description

[0015] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without creative effort.

[0016] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of a quick-change female connector and two replaceable gripping modules.

[0017] Figure 2 This is a top view showing the engagement between the locking plate and the connector in the released position.

[0018] Figure 3 This is a top view showing the engagement relationship between the locking plate and the connector in the locked position.

[0019] Figure 4 This is a front view showing the mating relationship between the locking plate and the connector in the locked position.

[0020] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram showing the connection between the suction cup module and the common airway.

[0021] Figure 6 The end face shape of the guide head.

[0022] Figure 7 This is a top view of the clamping module.

[0023] Figure 8 This is a magnified view of a portion of the swing clamp and the limiting protrusion.

[0024] In the diagram: 1-Quick-change female connector; 2-Plug-in hole; 3-Locking plate; 31-Release hole; 32-Locking groove; 33-Guide slope; 34-Bearing plane; 4-Plug-in connector; 41-Guide head; 42-Neck; 43-Bearing shoulder; 44-Positioning plane; 5-Common air passage; 6-End face sealing ring; 7-Reset spring; 8-Pressing part; 9-Edge guard; 10-Suction cup module; 11-Air pipe; 12-Corrugated suction cup; 20-Clamping module; 21-Clamping seat; 22-Fixed finger; 23-Movable finger; 24-Single-acting cylinder; 25-Guide rail; 26-Swing clamp; 27-Rotating shaft; 28-Elastic contact pad; 29-Return torsion spring; 30-Limiting protrusion; 40-Module air passage. Detailed Implementation

[0025] The technical solution of the present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments: like Figure 1As shown, the upper end of the quick-change female base 1 is connected to the robot flange through a mounting hole, and the lower end has a plug-in hole 2. Both the suction cup module 10 and the clamping module 20 have plug-in connectors 4 fixed to their upper ends, and the guide head 41, neck 42, and air port positions of both are consistent. After selecting the module according to the packaging gripping surface, the module is installed into the female base along the plug-in axis without needing to rotate the entire module.

[0026] like Figure 2-4 As shown, the locking piece 3 is accommodated in the transverse guide groove of the female seat, which restricts the locking piece from rotating around the insertion axis and moving along the axis. The release hole 31 on the locking piece 3 communicates with the locking groove 32. The minimum through size of the release hole is greater than the maximum external size of the guide head 41. The width of the locking groove is greater than the diameter of the neck 42 and smaller than the size of the guide head 41 in the width direction of the locking groove.

[0027] The upper surfaces on both sides of the entrance of the locking groove 32 form guide ramps 33. The guide ramps gradually rise along the locking path of the locking piece relative to the bearing shoulder surface 43, and then connect to the bearing plane 34 of the same height. When the locking piece moves from the released position to the locked position, the two ramps symmetrically lift the bearing shoulder surface 43, causing the connector 4 to move upward, and finally the shoulder surface crosses the ramps and is located on the bearing plane 34.

[0028] The return spring 7 is located inside the female seat and abuts against the locking plate 3, pushing the locking plate to the locked position. The pressing part 8 is connected to the locking plate, and when pressed inward, it moves the release hole 31 below the insertion hole 2. The stop parts inside the female seat abut against both ends of the locking plate, limiting its stroke; the locking stop ensures that the shoulder surface is fully engaged in the bearing plane and does not remain on the inclined surface. The return spring is used to push the locking plate, and the axial pull-out force of the module is transmitted by the bearing plane, the locking plate, and the guide groove of the female seat.

[0029] like Figure 5-6 As shown, the end face sealing ring 6 is embedded in the annular groove around the top of the insertion hole 2 and the outlet of the common air passage 5. The module air passage 40 opens from the top of the guide head 41 and passes through the interior of the module to the working part. After the insertion joint is lifted by the inclined surface, its top annular end face presses against the sealing ring, connecting the two air passages. The compression amount of the sealing ring is determined by the distance from the shoulder surface to the top end face, the height of the bearing plane, and the position of the sealing groove, with a compression margin reserved according to the selected sealing ring specification.

[0030] In the locked state, a gap is maintained between the lower part of the connector and the bottom surface of the female socket to prevent initial contact at this point from hindering the shoulder surface from entering the bearing plane. The insertion depth is based on the fit between the shoulder surface and the locking plate, and the sealing ring provides pre-tightening force; the guide fit within the insertion hole provides lateral positioning. The positioning plane 44 on the outer periphery of the guide head 41 mates with the planar hole wall to ensure that the clamping direction does not change due to module rotation.

[0031] During installation, first press down on the pressing part 8, allowing the guide head 41 to pass through the release hole 31 and enter the insertion hole 2. Then, align the neck 42 with the height of the locking plate and release the pressing part. The return spring pushes the locking plate to complete the guide lift and locking, and the pressing part returns to the extended position determined by the locking stop. The operator supports the module and performs a light pull check to confirm that the locking plate is in place before supplying air. The guard edges 9 are located on both sides of the pressing part to reduce the chance of directly pressing the pressing part when colliding with surrounding objects.

[0032] The external valve assembly connects to a positive pressure source, a vacuum source, a common air passage, and an atmospheric release port, and has three air path states: positive pressure operation, vacuum operation, and release. In positive pressure operation, only the common air passage is connected to the depressurized positive pressure source; in vacuum operation, only the common air passage is connected to the vacuum source; in release mode, both operating sources are simultaneously disconnected, and the common air passage is connected to the atmosphere. The external valve assembly should prevent both operating sources from being connected to the common air passage simultaneously.

[0033] In this implementation method, the operator confirms the module type and selects the corresponding operating state after replacement. The common interface itself does not automatically identify the module, nor does it constitute a pressurized disconnect valve. Before replacement, the packaging should be supported and released, the interface connection maintained, and the valve assembly placed in the released state to allow the gas inside the module to be discharged through the common air passage or to break the vacuum in the suction cup; after confirming that the residual pressure has been released, support the module, press down the pressing part, and pull it out along the axis.

[0034] The upper end of the air duct 11 of the suction cup module 10 is connected to the connector 4, and the lower end is connected to the corrugated suction cup 12. The corrugated suction cup is made of elastic material and is internally connected to the air duct. Its corrugated section can be compressed and shortened when in contact with the packaging, and the annular lip undergoes elastic deformation with a small angle of tilt. This structure eliminates the need for separate axial slide rods and attitude adjustment drive components.

[0035] When adsorbing the medicine box, the robot brings the lip into contact with a flat, sealed surface before applying a vacuum. The corrugated section absorbs minor deviations, and the lip forms a seal before transport. Once the package reaches its placement position and is supported, the valve assembly switches to the release state. For packages that are breathable, damaged, or have excessive wrinkles that prevent a seal from forming, a module with a suitable clamping surface is used instead of continuing to compress the suction cup to create a seal.

[0036] like Figure 7-8 As shown, the clamping seat 21 is fixed below the corresponding connector 4. The fixed finger 22 is fixed to one side of the clamping seat; the guide rail 25 is set along the clamping direction, and the movable finger 23 is slidably installed on the guide rail. The single-acting cylinder 24 is set outside the movable finger, and its piston rod is connected to the movable finger. When air is supplied and the movable finger extends, it pushes the movable finger closer to the fixed finger. After exhaust, the cylinder's built-in return spring opens the movable finger. The cylinder connector is connected to the module's air passage 40 through the module's internal air passage or a short pipe.

[0037] The working ends of the fixed finger 22 and the movable finger 23 are respectively connected to the swing clamp 26 via a rotating shaft 27. The rotating shaft is parallel to the insertion axis, and the clamp swings in a plane perpendicular to the axis. Two elastic contact pads 28 of each clamp are arranged at intervals along the length of the clamp, and the rotating shaft is located between the two contact pads. A centering torsion spring 29 is sleeved on the rotating shaft, and its two ends act on the finger and the clamp respectively; a limiting protrusion 30 is provided on the back of the clamp at the corresponding finger position.

[0038] When clamping a medicine box with a slightly tilted side, one of the contact pads on one of the clamps first contacts the box surface. The contact force creates a torque on the rotating shaft, pushing the clamp to swing until the other contact pad joins in contact. The two clamps rotate independently, and the elastic compression of the contact pads disperses the local contact, adapting to packaging with non-perfectly parallel sides.

[0039] When clamping the medicine bottle, two arc-shaped contact pads on the same side form separate contact areas on the outer periphery of the bottle, with both sides jointly constraining the bottle. The pad spacing should allow the target bottle to simultaneously contact both pads on the same side; if the bottle diameter is insufficient to cover the spacing between the two pads, the contact pad specifications or modules should be changed. The contact pads can be replaced with replaceable silicone rubber parts, and the allowable swing angle of the clamping plate is determined by the position of the limiting protrusion.

[0040] The clamping force is initially selected based on the external pressure reducing valve and the effective area of ​​the cylinder, and then adjusted considering the cylinder return spring, guide rail friction, and the allowable force on the packaging. The swing clamp improves contact distribution and does not automatically limit the maximum clamping force of the cylinder; it also stops compensating once the limit is reached. For soft packaging, the air supply pressure should be reduced and the ability to withstand contact damage and handle with the packaging verified.

[0041] The adaptive design of this structure derives from the elastic deformation of the corrugated suction cup and the passive oscillation of the clamping plate driven by contact force. For deviations exceeding the suction cup compensation, gripper opening, or clamping plate oscillation angle, repositioning or replacement with a suitable specification is required. During implementation, the locking plate stroke, sealing compression, insertion load, and gripping performance for different packaging should be verified. The above structural description does not rely on unverified speed, accuracy, or lifespan figures as implementation conditions.

[0042] In the description of this application, it should be noted that the terms "upper," "lower," etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this application. Unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installed," "connected," and "linked" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication between two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in this application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0043] It should be noted that in this application, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used merely to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.

[0044] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, enabling those skilled in the art to understand or implement this application. 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 this application. Therefore, this application 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 claimed herein.

Claims

1. A dual-mode quick-change flexible gripping end effector for drug sorting, comprising a quick-change female base (1) for connecting to a robot, and a suction cup module (10) and a clamping module (20) optionally mounted on the quick-change female base (1), characterized in that: The quick-change female base (1) is provided with a plug hole (2), a common air passage (5) communicating with the plug hole (2), and an end face sealing ring (6) located around the outlet of the common air passage (5); both modules are provided with a plug connector (4) that mates with the plug hole (2). The plug connector (4) has a guide head (41), a neck (42) located below the guide head (41), and a module air passage (40) penetrating the end face of the guide head (41). A bearing shoulder (43) is formed between the guide head (41) and the neck (42). A locking plate (3) is laterally slidably disposed inside the quick-change female seat (1). The locking plate (3) is provided with a release hole (31) and a locking groove (32) connected together. The release hole (31) allows the guide head (41) to pass through, and the locking groove (32) allows the neck (42) to enter and prevents the guide head (41) from axially dislodging. The inlet of the locking groove (32) is provided with a guide ramp (33) on both sides, and the guide ramp (33) is connected to the bearing plane (34) respectively. The reset spring (7) drives the locking plate (3) to move to the locking position, so that the bearing shoulder (43) is raised along the guide ramp (33) and supported on the bearing plane (34), and the end face of the guide head (41) presses against the end face sealing ring (6). The locking plate (3) is provided with a pressing part (8) for aligning the release hole (31) with the insertion hole (2). The suction cup module (10) is provided with a corrugated suction cup (12) that communicates with the module air passage (40); the clamping module (20) includes a clamping seat (21), a fixed finger (22), and a movable finger (23) driven by a single-acting cylinder (24) and moving along the guide rail (25) to approach or move away from the fixed finger (22). The opposite sides of the fixed finger (22) and the movable finger (23) are connected to the swing clamping plate (26) through the rotating shaft (27). Each swing clamping plate (26) is provided with elastic contact pads (28) on both sides of the rotating shaft (27). The air inlet of the single-acting cylinder (24) is connected to the module air passage (40).

2. The dual-mode quick-change flexible gripping end effector for drug sorting according to claim 1, characterized in that, The guide head (41) has a positioning plane (44) on its outer periphery, and the insertion hole (2) has a planar hole wall that cooperates with the positioning plane (44) to restrict the insertion head (4) from rotating around the insertion axis.

3. The dual-mode quick-change flexible gripping end effector for drug sorting according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bearing plane (34) is parallel to the moving direction of the locking plate (3); the quick-change female seat (1) is provided with a stop portion that defines the locking position and the release position respectively. When the locking plate (3) is in the locking position, the bearing shoulder surface (43) is located on the bearing plane (34) and is offset from the guide inclined surface (33).

4. The dual-mode quick-change flexible gripping end effector for drug sorting according to claim 1, characterized in that, The quick-change female seat (1) has protective edges (9) on both sides of the pressing part (8), and the pressing part (8) does not extend beyond the outer edge of the protective edge (9) in the locked position; the end face sealing ring (6) is embedded in the annular groove around the outlet of the common air passage (5).

5. The dual-mode quick-change flexible gripping end effector for drug sorting according to claim 1, characterized in that, The suction cup module (10) also includes an air tube (11) connecting the connector (4) and the corrugated suction cup (12), the corrugated suction cup (12) having an axially compressible corrugated section and an annular lip that contacts the packaging surface.

6. The dual-mode quick-change flexible gripping end effector for drug sorting according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rotating shaft (27) is parallel to the insertion axis of the plug (4), the swing clamp (26) extends in a direction perpendicular to the clamping direction, and the rotating shaft (27) is located in the middle of the swing clamp (26); a centering torsion spring (29) is provided at the rotating shaft (27), and the fixed finger (22) and the movable finger (23) are respectively provided with limiting protrusions (30) for limiting the rotation angle of the corresponding swing clamp (26).

7. The dual-mode quick-change flexible gripping end effector for drug sorting according to claim 6, characterized in that, The elastic contact pad (28) is detachably fixed to the swing clamp (26). The contact surface of the elastic contact pad (28) is an arc surface protruding towards the packaging side, and the two elastic contact pads (28) on each swing clamp (26) are spaced apart.

8. The dual-mode quick-change flexible gripping end effector for drug sorting according to claim 1, characterized in that, The single-acting cylinder (24) is fixed to the clamping seat (21), and its piston rod is connected to the movable finger (23). When the cylinder is ventilated, it drives the movable finger (23) to move toward the fixed finger (22). When the cylinder is ventilated, its built-in return spring drives the movable finger (23) away from the fixed finger (22).

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