A flexible profiled gripper

Abstract

The utility model discloses a kind of profiled flexible clamping jaw, including clamping part and the connecting part made of elastic material, the clamping part includes at least two mutually matched and form the clamping area of finger part, the connecting part includes drive chamber, the connecting part is provided with the communicating port with drive chamber, the drive chamber includes cavity bottom wall and cavity side wall, the cavity side wall is connected with the heel of each finger part, the thickness of cavity bottom wall is less than the thickness of cavity side wall or the elastic modulus of cavity bottom wall is less than the elastic modulus of cavity side wall, the inside of the finger part is provided with several flexible tongue piece that object is conveniently wrapped, the flexible tongue piece is spaced apart and arranged on the inside of finger part, the extension direction of the flexible tongue piece and the extension direction of the finger part between each other form an acute angle. The flexible clamping jaw is better wrapped object and realizes profiling when clamping, and then improve clamping effect.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of flexible clamping technology, and in particular to a contour-following flexible gripper. Background Technology

[0002] In the field of industrial automation, the grasping action of robotic arms is mainly accomplished by rigid robotic grippers or vacuum suction cups. However, rigid robotic grippers are difficult to control in terms of force, making it hard to grasp soft and fragile objects without damage. Vacuum suction cups are difficult to handle rough surfaces or irregularly shaped objects with openings during transport. This limits the application scenarios of both. Flexible robotic fingers, using elastic materials, can grasp soft and fragile objects without damaging them.

[0003] The applicant previously filed a utility model patent application (patent number 202320785989.6) entitled "A Reinforced Flexible Gripper." This application disclosed a reinforced flexible gripper for flexibly holding objects. The gripper uses the inner surface of its fingers to hold the object. However, the gripping contact area between the inner surface of the fingers and the object is relatively small. For example, when gripping cylindrical, spherical, or other irregularly shaped objects, the gripping stability may be insufficient due to the small contact area. For instance, when the object's surface is smooth and heavy, increasing the gripping force is necessary to achieve a more secure grip. Increasing the gripping force generally requires increasing the negative pressure of the flexible gripper. However, the gripping force is limited by the material and volume of the flexible gripper. Therefore, gripping irregularly shaped or spherical objects is typically achieved by adding contour blocks. This requires separately molding contour blocks for different shapes and connecting these blocks to the flexible gripper, which is cumbersome and costly. Utility Model Content

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by this utility model is to provide a contour-following flexible gripper that can better wrap around the object to achieve contour-following during clamping, thereby improving the clamping effect.

[0005] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the technical solution of this utility model is: a contour-following flexible gripper, including a gripping part and a connecting part made of elastic material. The gripping part includes at least two fingers that cooperate to form a gripping area. The connecting part includes a driving chamber and a communication port communicating with the driving chamber. The driving chamber includes a bottom wall and a side wall. The side wall is connected to the base of each finger. The thickness of the bottom wall is less than the thickness of the side wall or the elastic modulus of the bottom wall is less than the elastic modulus of the side wall. A plurality of flexible tongues for facilitating the wrapping of objects are provided on the inner side of each finger. The flexible tongues are spaced apart on the inner side of the finger, and the extension direction of the flexible tongues and the extension direction of the finger form an acute angle with each other.

[0006] As a preferred embodiment, the extension length of the flexible tongue gradually decreases from the base of the finger to the fingertip.

[0007] As a preferred embodiment, the angle between the extension direction of each flexible tongue piece and the extension direction of the finger is equal.

[0008] As a preferred embodiment, the free ends of all the flexible tongues are located on a fingertip plane, which intersects the outer surface of the finger at an acute angle.

[0009] As a preferred embodiment, a reinforcing portion is further provided between the base of the finger and the bottom wall of the cavity.

[0010] As a preferred embodiment, the inner surface of the reinforcing part is inclined so that the thickness of the base of the finger is greater than the thickness of the fingertip.

[0011] As a preferred embodiment, the flexible tongues are arranged in at least one column, with each column of flexible tongues spaced apart.

[0012] As a preferred embodiment, the finger portion is embedded with a reinforcing plate.

[0013] As a preferred embodiment, a reinforcing rib is provided between the base of the finger and the side wall of the cavity to prevent the finger from wobbling in the non-clamping direction.

[0014] After adopting the above technical solution, the effect of this utility model is as follows: Since the inner side of the finger is provided with several flexible tongues that facilitate wrapping objects, and the flexible tongues are spaced apart on the inner side of the finger, the extension direction of the flexible tongues and the extension direction of the finger form an acute angle with each other. Therefore, when flexibly clamping, the fingers come together to clamp the object. Since several flexible tongues are provided, the flexible tongues themselves have a certain elasticity and can better wrap the object to be clamped. This makes it closer to the shape of the object. For example, when clamping a cylindrical or spherical object, since the surface of the object is arc-shaped, the flexible tongues will also fit the surface of the object as closely as possible. This results in a larger contact surface and greater friction during clamping, thus a better clamping effect and less likelihood of falling off. Therefore, this flexible gripper is more adaptable and can be suitable for clamping objects with different shapes and smooth surfaces.

[0015] Furthermore, since the extension length of the flexible tongue gradually shortens from the base of the finger to the fingertip, the flexible tongue closer to the fingertip is shorter and fits the object better, as the fingertip will generally contact the object more during gripping. The flexible tongue closer to the base of the finger is longer and can extend towards the fingertip to cover the upper part of the object as much as possible (the orientation is determined when the flexible gripper moves from top to bottom to grip the object), thus providing better coverage.

[0016] Furthermore, since a reinforcing part is provided between the base of the finger and the bottom wall of the cavity, the reinforcing part can increase the force transmission when the bottom wall of the cavity is pulled between the base of the finger and the base of the finger, thereby improving the clamping force of the finger.

[0017] Furthermore, because the inner side of the reinforcing part is inclined, the thickness of the base of the finger is greater than the thickness of the fingertip. Therefore, the inner side of the reinforcing part is inclined, which provides more space for the closure between the fingers.

[0018] Furthermore, since the flexible tongue is arranged in at least one column, with intervals between each column, multiple columns of flexible tongue can not only wrap around the object in the vertical direction, but also in the width direction of the finger (i.e., the front-back direction), resulting in a higher contouring effect.

[0019] Furthermore, since the finger is embedded with a reinforcing plate, the strength of the finger is further improved, and the clamping force is increased. Since the contouring deformation relies on the flexible tongue, it does not affect the contouring effect of the wrapped object.

[0020] Furthermore, since a reinforcing rib is provided between the base of the finger and the side wall of the cavity to prevent the finger from wobbling in the non-clamping direction, the reinforcing rib connected between the base of the finger and the side wall of the cavity can effectively prevent the finger from wobbling. Attached Figure Description

[0021] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0022] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural view of Embodiment 1 of this utility model;

[0023] Figure 2 This is a front view of Embodiment 1 of this utility model;

[0024] Figure 3 This is a side view of Embodiment 1 of this utility model;

[0025] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 Sectional view at AA;

[0026] Figure 5 This is a perspective view of Example 2;

[0027] In the attached diagram: 1. Connecting part; 11. Cavity side wall; 12. Cavity bottom wall; 13. Connecting port; 14. Driving chamber; 2. Finger part; 3. Reinforcing part; 4. Flexible tongue; 5. Connecting hole; 6. Reinforcing plate; 7. Finger tip plane; 8. Reinforcing rib. Detailed Implementation

[0028] The present invention will be further described in detail below through specific embodiments.

[0029] Example 1

[0030] like Figures 1 to 4 As shown, a contour-following flexible gripper includes a gripping part and a connecting part 1 made of an elastic material, wherein the elastic material can be made of silicone. The gripping part includes at least two fingers 2 that cooperate to form a gripping area. In this embodiment, two fingers 2 are shown, but more fingers 2 can be set according to the actual size of the object being gripped, such as three or four fingers. The connecting part 1 includes a driving chamber 14. The connecting part 1 is provided with a communication port 13 that communicates with the driving chamber 14. The communication port 13 is used to connect to a negative pressure driving air path. By absorbing gas in the driving chamber 14, a negative pressure is generated, thereby deforming the bottom wall 12 of the chamber upward and pulling the fingers 2 together to complete the gripping.

[0031] The up and down positions mentioned in this embodiment refer to the flexible grippers being positioned according to... Figure 2 The orientation of the object is determined. In other words, the object to be gripped is located below the flexible grippers.

[0032] The driving chamber 14 includes a bottom wall 12 and a side wall 11. The side wall 11 is connected to the base of each finger 2. The thickness of the bottom wall 12 is less than the thickness of the side wall 11, or the elastic modulus of the bottom wall 12 is less than the elastic modulus of the side wall 11. Several flexible tongues 4 for wrapping objects are provided on the inner side of the finger 2. The flexible tongues 4 are spaced apart on the inner side of the finger 2. The extension direction of the flexible tongues 4 and the extension direction of the finger 2 form an acute angle with each other. The free end of the flexible tongues 4 faces the fingertip of the finger 2.

[0033] like Figure 2 As shown, the extension length of the flexible tongue 4 gradually shortens from the base of the finger to the fingertip.

[0034] like Figure 2 As shown, the angle between the extending direction of each flexible tongue 4 and the extending direction of the finger 2 is equal. However, this equal angle is preferred but not mandatory. Also preferably, the free ends of all flexible tongues 4 are located on a fingertip plane 7, which intersects the outer surface of the finger 2 at an acute angle.

[0035] A reinforcing part 3 is also provided between the base of the finger 2 and the bottom wall 12 of the cavity. The inner side of the reinforcing part 3 is inclined so that the thickness of the base of the finger is greater than the thickness of the fingertip.

[0036] The flexible tongue pieces 4 are arranged in at least one column, with intervals between each column of flexible tongue pieces 4. For example... Figure 1As shown, in this embodiment, the flexible tongue 4 is arranged in two columns, so the width of the flexible tongue 4 is relatively narrow. According to this idea, when there are more columns of flexible tongue 4, the width of the flexible tongue 4 becomes even narrower, forming a flexible tongue strip. The flexible tongue strip is still based on the same concept as the wider sheet-like flexible tongue 4, and should also be protected.

[0037] like Figure 4 As shown, the finger part 2 is embedded with a reinforcing plate 6, which is made of metal and has a connecting hole 5. The reinforcing plate 6 is used to increase the strength of the finger part 2.

[0038] In this embodiment, the flexible gripper uses the finger part 2, the reinforcing part 3 and the reinforcing plate 6 to provide sufficient gripping force, while the soft and easily deformable flexible tongue 4 is used to better wrap the object and provide sufficient conforming ability. Therefore, the flexible gripper can provide greater friction, better match the shape of the object, and is suitable for gripping smoother objects.

[0039] Example 2

[0040] like Figure 5 As shown, the structure in this embodiment is basically the same as that in embodiment 1, except that the flexible tongue is arranged in a row, and a reinforcing rib 8 is provided between the base of the finger 2 and the side wall of the cavity to prevent the finger from wobbling in the non-clamping direction. In this embodiment, the two fingers are located on the left and right sides respectively. The reinforcing rib 8 is provided between the front and rear sides of the finger 2 and the side wall of the cavity. In use, the reinforcing rib 8 does not hinder the opening and closing of the finger 2 in the left and right direction, but it can effectively prevent wobbling in the front and back direction.

[0041] The above-described embodiments are merely preferred embodiments of the present utility model and are not intended to limit the scope of the present utility model. Any modifications and alterations to the technical solution of the present utility model without departing from its design spirit shall fall within the protection scope defined by the claims of the present utility model.

Claims

1. A contour-following flexible gripper, comprising a gripping portion and a connecting portion (1) made of an elastic material, wherein the gripping portion comprises at least two fingers (2) that cooperate to form a gripping area, the connecting portion (1) comprises a driving chamber (14), the connecting portion (1) is provided with a communication port (13) communicating with the driving chamber (14), the driving chamber (14) comprises a bottom wall (12) and a side wall (11), the side wall (11) is connected to the base of each finger (2), the thickness of the bottom wall (12) is less than the thickness of the side wall (11) or the elastic modulus of the bottom wall (12) is less than the elastic modulus of the side wall (11), characterized in that: The inner side of the finger (2) is provided with a plurality of flexible tongues (4) for easy wrapping of objects. The flexible tongues (4) are spaced apart on the inner side of the finger (2), and the extension direction of the flexible tongues (4) and the extension direction of the finger (2) form an acute angle with each other.

2. The contour-following flexible gripper as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The extension length of the flexible tongue (4) gradually decreases from the base of the finger to the tip of the finger.

3. The contour-following flexible gripper as described in claim 2, characterized in that: The angle between the extension direction of each flexible tongue piece (4) and the extension direction of the finger (2) is equal.

4. The contour-following flexible gripper as described in claim 3, characterized in that: All the free ends of the flexible tongues (4) are on a fingertip plane (7), which intersects the outer surface of the finger (2) at an acute angle.

5. The contour-following flexible gripper as described in claim 1, characterized in that: A reinforcing part (3) is also provided between the base of the finger (2) and the bottom wall (12) of the cavity.

6. The contour-following flexible gripper as described in claim 5, characterized in that: The inner side of the reinforcing part (3) is inclined so that the thickness of the base of the finger is greater than the thickness of the fingertip.

7. The contour-following flexible gripper as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The flexible tongue pieces (4) are arranged in at least one column, with each column of flexible tongue pieces (4) spaced apart.

8. The contour-following flexible gripper as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The finger (2) is embedded with a reinforcing plate (6).

9. The contour-following flexible gripper as described in claim 1, characterized in that: A reinforcing rib (8) is also provided between the base of the finger (2) and the cavity side wall (11) to prevent the finger (2) from shaking in the non-clamping direction.

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