An electrically powered gripper device

Abstract

The application relates to the technical field of clamping jaws, and provides an electric clamping jaw device, which comprises a shell, a control circuit board, a driving assembly, two clamping jaws and a torque limiter, the driving assembly and the control circuit board are arranged on the shell, the driving assembly comprises a driving motor and a transmission assembly, the two clamping jaws are slidingly arranged on the shell and are connected with the transmission assembly, the transmission assembly drives the two clamping jaws to move oppositely or relatively, and the driving motor is in transmission connection with the transmission assembly through the torque limiter; when the clamping force of the two clamping jaws on an object is greater than the torsion of the torque limiter, the torque limiter slips, and the two clamping jaws stop moving. The clamping force of the clamping jaws is controlled through a mechanical torque limiter, many shortcomings of a current detection control clamping force scheme are overcome, the structure is simple, the reliability is high, the cost is low, and the electric clamping jaw can meet the use scenes of most electric clamping jaws.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of gripper technology, and more specifically, relates to an electric gripper device. Background Technology

[0002] Existing electric grippers generally use motor current detection for clamping force control. The technical drawbacks are: 1) Slow current response, requiring the motor to stall before protection can be triggered, leading to the risk of clamping force overshoot; 2) System interference sensitivity: factors such as motor load characteristics and temperature drift can easily cause detection errors; 3) High control complexity, requiring high-precision current sensors and filtering algorithms, increasing hardware costs; 4) Difficult dynamic adjustment: clamping force setting depends on software parameter adjustment, lacking physical-level hard protection. Utility Model Content

[0003] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, the purpose of this application is to provide an electric gripper device that overcomes many disadvantages of the current detection control of gripping force scheme. It has a simple structure, high reliability, low cost, and can meet the needs of most electric gripper application scenarios.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted in this application is as follows: An electric gripper device is provided, comprising: a housing, a control circuit board, a drive assembly, two grippers, and a torque limiter. Both the drive assembly and the control circuit board are mounted on the housing. The drive assembly includes a drive motor and a transmission assembly. The two grippers are slidably mounted on the housing and connected to the transmission assembly. The transmission assembly drives the two grippers to move relative to or in opposite directions. The drive motor and the transmission assembly are connected via the torque limiter. When the gripping force of the two grippers on the object exceeds the torque of the torque limiter, the torque limiter slips, and the two grippers stop moving.

[0005] In one embodiment, the transmission assembly includes two lead screws arranged in parallel and rotatably mounted on the housing. Each lead screw is provided with a sliding block, which is connected to a corresponding gripper. The two lead screws rotate synchronously in opposite directions on the outside of the housing via two meshing first gears. The torque limiter is fixed inside the housing. One end of the torque limiter meshes with the first gear via a second gear, and the other end of the torque limiter is provided with a rotating shaft. The rotating shaft is connected to the drive motor via a gear set.

[0006] In one embodiment, the gear set includes a third gear fixed on a rotating shaft, a fourth gear fixed on the output shaft of the drive motor, and a fifth gear rotatably disposed on the housing and meshing with the third and fourth gears.

[0007] In one embodiment, the housing includes a base plate and a rectangular frame disposed on the base plate, the base plate having two grooves for the sliding block to extend out.

[0008] In one embodiment, an initial position sensor is provided inside the housing, and a sensing plate is provided on the sliding block.

[0009] In one embodiment, the gripper includes a horizontal plate and a vertical plate, both the horizontal plate and the sliding block are connected to a fixed plate, the fixed plate is slidably disposed on the housing, and the vertical plate is used to clamp objects.

[0010] In one embodiment, the lower surface of the base plate is provided with a guide rail, and the fixing plate is slidably mounted on the base plate via the guide rail.

[0011] The beneficial effects of the electric gripper device provided in this application are as follows: the drive motor and the transmission component are transmitted through a torque limiter. When the clamping force of the two grippers is greater than the torque of the torque limiter, the torque limiter slips, and the motor can continue to rotate to avoid damage. By controlling the clamping force of the grippers through a mechanical torque limiter, the many shortcomings of the current detection control scheme are overcome. The structure is simple, the reliability is high, the cost is low, and it can meet the needs of most electric gripper application scenarios. Attached Figure Description

[0012] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, 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 some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0013] Figure 1 A left-side perspective view of the electric gripper device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0014] Figure 2 This is a right-side perspective view of the electric gripper device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0015] Figure 3 A three-dimensional structural diagram of the electric gripper device provided in the embodiment of this application, omitting one side plate of the rectangular frame;

[0016] Figure 4 A schematic diagram illustrating the assembly relationship of the lead screw, sliding block, gripper, and guide rail in the electric gripper device provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0017] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the gripper structure in the electric gripper device provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0018] The following are the labeling elements in the figure:

[0019] 1. Housing; 11. Base plate; 12. Rectangular frame; 13. Guide rail; 2. Control circuit board; 3. Drive assembly; 31. Drive motor; 32. Lead screw; 33. Sliding block; 34. First gear; 35. Second gear; 36. Third gear; 37. Fourth gear; 38. Fifth gear; 4. Gripper; 41. Horizontal plate; 42. Vertical plate; 5. Torque limiter; 6. Initial position sensor; 7. Sensing plate; 8. Fixing plate. Detailed Implementation

[0020] To make the technical problems, technical solutions, and beneficial effects to be solved by this application clearer, the following detailed description is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the scope of this application.

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

[0022] It should be understood that the terms "length", "width", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They 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. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this application.

[0023] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this application, "multiple" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0024] like Figures 1-5As shown, an electric gripper device according to an embodiment of this application will now be described. This electric gripper device includes: a housing 1, a control circuit board 2, a drive assembly 3, two grippers 4, and a torque limiter 5. The housing 1 includes a base plate 11 and a rectangular frame 12 fixed to the base plate 11. The four side plates of the rectangular frame 12 are fixed to each other by several screws. Both the drive assembly 3 and the control circuit board 2 are disposed on the housing 1. The control circuit board 2 is disposed on the outside of the housing 1. The drive assembly 3 includes a drive motor 31 and a transmission assembly. The drive motor 31 is disposed inside the rectangular frame 12 and electrically connected to the control circuit board 2. The two grippers 4 are slidably disposed on the housing 1 and connected to the transmission assembly. The transmission assembly drives the two grippers 4 to move relative to each other or in opposite directions. The relative movement of the two grippers 4 is used to grip an object, and the opposite movement of the two grippers 4 is used to release the object or return to the initial position.

[0025] Specifically, the drive motor 31 is connected to the transmission assembly via a torque limiter 5. When the two grippers 4 are not holding an object, the drive motor 31 can drive the two grippers 4 to move synchronously through the torque limiter 5 and the transmission assembly. When the gripping force of the two grippers 4 on the object is greater than the torque of the torque limiter 5, the torque limiter 5 slips, and the two grippers 4 stop moving. However, the drive motor 31 can continue to rotate without being damaged. This embodiment controls the gripping force of the grippers 4 through a mechanical torque limiter, overcoming many shortcomings of the existing technology that controls the gripping force through current detection. It has a simple structure, high reliability, and low cost, and can meet the needs of most scenarios where electric grippers 4 are used.

[0026] like Figures 1-4As shown, in this embodiment, the transmission assembly includes two lead screws 32, which are arranged in parallel and rotatably disposed within the housing 1. Each lead screw 32 is provided with a sliding block 33, and each sliding block 33 is connected to a corresponding gripper 4. The two lead screws 32 rotate synchronously in opposite directions at the same end on the outer side of the housing 1 through two meshing first gears 34. A torque limiter 5 is fixed inside the housing 1. One end of the torque limiter 5 meshes with one of the first gears 34 through a second gear 35, and the other end of the torque limiter 5 is provided with a rotating shaft that extends to the other side of the housing 1. The rotating shaft is connected to the drive motor 31 through a gear set. The gear set has three gears, including a third gear 36 fixed on the rotating shaft, a fourth gear 37 fixed on the output shaft of the drive motor 31, and a fifth gear 38 rotatably disposed on the side plate of the housing 1 and meshing with the third gear 36 and the fourth gear 37. For example, when the drive motor 31 rotates forward, it drives the fourth gear 37 to rotate. The fourth gear 37 drives the third gear 36 to rotate via the fifth gear 38. The third gear 36 drives the rotating shaft and torque limiter 5 to rotate. The torque limiter 5 drives the second gear 35 to rotate. The second gear 35 drives one of the first gears 34 to rotate. The lead screw 32, which is fixedly connected to the first gear 34, rotates forward, while the other first gear 34, which meshes with the first gear 34, rotates in reverse. This causes the lead screw 32, which is fixedly connected to the other first gear 34, to rotate in reverse, driving the relative movement of the two grippers 4 through the sliding block 33. Conversely, when the drive motor 31 rotates in reverse, the two grippers 4 move in opposite directions. After the two grippers 4 clamp an object, the gripping force (due to the resistance of the object) increases as the grippers continue to clamp the object. When this gripping force exceeds the upper limit of the torque that the torque limiter 5 can transmit, the torque limiter 5 slips. When the rotating shaft continues to rotate, it will no longer drive the second gear 35 to rotate. At this time, the continued rotation of the motor is not affected by the gripping force, thus protecting the motor.

[0027] In this embodiment, the gripper 4 is located on the bottom outer side of the housing 1, the lead screw 32 is located inside the housing 1, and most of the structure of the sliding block 33 is located inside the housing 1. The bottom plate 11 of the housing 1 is provided with two sliding grooves for the sliding block 33 to extend out. The sliding grooves can ensure that the sliding block 33 only performs linear reciprocating motion.

[0028] In this embodiment, as Figure 3 As shown, an initial position sensor 6 is provided inside the housing 1, and a sensing plate 7 is provided on the sliding block 33. When the sensing plate 7 moves to the initial position sensor 6, it indicates that the two grippers 4 are in the open state and in the initial position, so that the opening width of the two grippers 4 is maximized.

[0029] In this embodiment, the gripper 4 includes a horizontal plate 41 and a vertical plate 42. The horizontal plate 41 and the sliding block 33 are both connected to the fixed plate 8. The fixed plate 8 is slidably mounted on the housing 1. Specifically, the lower surface of the base plate 11 is provided with a guide rail 13, and the fixed plate 8 is slidably mounted on the outer side of the base plate 11 via the guide rail 13. The vertical plate 42 is used to clamp objects. The side of the vertical plate 42 used to clamp objects can be provided with an object to increase friction, such as a rubber sheet or a silicone sheet; or the entire vertical plate 42 can be covered with a rubber sleeve or a silicone sleeve.

[0030] In this embodiment, the required clamping force can be calculated based on the weight of the object being clamped, and the torque limiter 5 corresponding to the torque can be replaced accordingly. This means that the clamping force required for the object is greater than the torque limiter 5's slippage force, and the torque limiter 5's slippage force is greater than the resistance to the movement of the gripper 4 under no-load conditions.

[0031] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this application and is not intended to limit this application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. An electric gripper device, characterized in that, include: The device comprises a housing (1), a control circuit board (2), a drive assembly (3), two grippers (4), and a torque limiter (5). The drive assembly (3) and the control circuit board (2) are both mounted on the housing (1). The drive assembly (3) includes a drive motor (31) and a transmission assembly. The two grippers (4) are slidably mounted on the housing (1) and connected to the transmission assembly. The transmission assembly drives the two grippers (4) to move relative to each other or in opposite directions. The drive motor (31) and the transmission assembly are connected by a torque limiter (5). When the gripping force of the two grippers (4) on the object is greater than the torque of the torque limiter (5), the torque limiter (5) slips, and the two grippers (4) stop moving.

2. The electric gripper device as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The transmission assembly includes two lead screws (32), which are arranged in parallel and rotatably mounted on the housing (1). Each lead screw (32) is provided with a sliding block (33), which is connected to the corresponding gripper (4). The two lead screws (32) rotate synchronously in opposite directions on the outside of the housing (1) through two meshing first gears (34). The torque limiter (5) is fixed inside the housing (1). One end of the torque limiter (5) meshes with the first gear (34) through a second gear (35), and the other end of the torque limiter (5) is provided with a rotating shaft. The rotating shaft is connected to the drive motor (31) through a gear set.

3. The electric gripper device as described in claim 2, characterized in that: The gear set includes a third gear (36) fixed on the rotating shaft, a fourth gear (37) fixed on the output shaft of the drive motor (31), and a fifth gear (38) rotatably disposed on the housing (1) and meshing with the third gear (36) and the fourth gear (37).

4. The electric gripper device as described in claim 3, characterized in that: The housing (1) includes a base plate (11) and a rectangular frame (12) disposed on the base plate (11). The base plate (11) is provided with two sliding grooves for the sliding block (33) to extend out.

5. The electric gripper device as described in claim 4, characterized in that: An initial position sensor (6) is provided inside the housing (1), and a sensing plate (7) is provided on the sliding block (33).

6. The electric gripper device as described in claim 5, characterized in that: The gripper (4) includes a horizontal plate (41) and a vertical plate (42). The horizontal plate (41) and the sliding block (33) are both connected to the fixed plate (8). The fixed plate (8) is slidably disposed on the housing (1). The vertical plate (42) is used to clamp objects.

7. The electric gripper device as described in claim 6, characterized in that: The lower surface of the base plate (11) is provided with a guide rail (13), and the fixing plate (8) is slidably mounted on the base plate (11) via the guide rail (13).

Images