Hand device

Abstract

To provide a hand device capable of easily regulating a tiltable range of a gripper body without changing a basic structure of the hand device itself.SOLUTION: A hand device 10 comprises a gripper body 14, a pair of gripper brackets 12, a spherical bearing 15, and a regulating body 16. The gripper body 14 includes a gripper 13 that adsorbs an adsorption object surface of an object, and a gripper support portion 28 on which the gripper 13 is provided. The pair of gripper brackets 12 is arranged to face each other. The spherical bearing 15 is supported between the pair of gripper brackets 12 and supports the gripper body 14 in a tiltable manner relative to the pair of gripper brackets 12. The regulating body 16 protrudes from the gripper support portion 28 into the space between the pair of gripper brackets 12, enables the gripper body 14 to tilt within a range of being movable between the pair of gripper brackets 12, and regulates the tilt of the gripper body 14 by contacting the gripper brackets 12.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a hand device that sucks and holds a target surface of an article. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a hand device used to hold an object and move it from a source to a destination, as described in, for example, Patent Document 1. There is also a hand device that holds an object using a gripper body provided with a gripper that adsorbs the top surface of the object.

[0003] As such a hand device, Patent Document 1 employs a structure in which a gripper body is tiltably supported by a support portion via a spherical bearing, and the gripper body tilts freely in response to the inclination of the top surface of an article. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 61-78595 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the structure of Patent Document 1, the tilting range of the gripper body is ultimately limited by contact between the gripper body and a portion of the hand device, and no consideration is given to limiting the tilting range of the gripper body to an intended range. On the other hand, there is a demand for limiting the tilting range to a predetermined range while realizing the tilting operation of the gripper body.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention provides a hand device that can realize tilting movement of the gripper body while limiting the tilting range to a predetermined range. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The hand device of the present invention comprises a gripper body having a gripper that adsorbs the adsorbed surface of an object and a gripper support portion on which the gripper is mounted, a pair of gripper brackets arranged opposite each other, a spherical bearing supported between the pair of gripper brackets and supporting the gripper body so that it can tilt relative to the pair of gripper brackets, and a regulating body that protrudes from the gripper support portion between the pair of gripper brackets and allows the gripper body to tilt within a range in which it can move between the pair of gripper brackets and regulates the tilting of the gripper body by coming into contact with the gripper brackets. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the hand device of the present invention, the tilting range of the gripper body can be limited to a predetermined range while realizing the tilting operation of the gripper body. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a hand device showing a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. [Diagram 5] 13A and 13B show a state in which one gripper body of the hand device has been tilted about a second axis to a regulating position in one direction, with (a) being a plan view and (b) being a bottom view. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the two hand devices arranged side by side. [Figure 7] 13 is a side view of one gripper body of the hand device tilted about a third axis. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. [Figure 9] 5A and 5B show a second embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 5A is a side view of a hand device, and FIG. 5B is a front view of the hand device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] A first embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS.

[0011] 1 to 8 show the hand device 10. The hand device 10 is used in a transfer device that transfers an article from a source to a destination. When a gantry-type transfer mechanism having a horizontal movement arm that moves horizontally and a vertical movement arm that moves vertically relative to the horizontal movement arm is used as the transfer device, the hand device is attached to the lower end of the vertical movement arm, and when an articulated robot is used as the transfer mechanism, the hand device is attached to the tip of the arm of the articulated robot.

[0012] The hand device 10 comprises a mounting portion 11 that is attached to a moving mechanism, a pair of gripper brackets 12 supported by the mounting portion 11, two gripper bodies 14 having a plurality of grippers 13 etc., a spherical bearing 15 that supports each gripper body 14 so that it can tilt freely relative to the pair of gripper brackets 12, and a regulating body 16 that regulates the range within which each gripper body 14 can tilt relative to the pair of gripper brackets 12.

[0013] A mounting bracket 20 that supports a pair of gripper brackets 12 is fixed to the mounting portion 11. A pair of support portions 21 that support the pair of gripper brackets 12 are provided on the mounting bracket 20 so as to protrude downward, and a protruding portion 22 protrudes toward one side that intersects with the opposing direction of the pair of support portions 21 and the protruding direction.

[0014] The pair of gripper brackets 12 are formed in a rectangular plate shape, and are arranged with their longitudinal middle parts inside the pair of support parts 21 of the mounting bracket 20 in a state where the plate thickness surface of the long side faces the up-down direction and the plate surface with the widest area faces each other with a gap therebetween. A support rod 25, which is a horizontal rotation axis, penetrates the pair of support parts 21 of the mounting bracket 20 and the pair of gripper brackets 12, and both ends of the support rod 25 are fixed to the pair of support parts 21 of the mounting bracket 20 by a locking structure 26 so as not to come off. The pair of gripper brackets 12 are rotatable with respect to the support rod 25 penetrating the longitudinal middle parts, and are supported by the pair of support parts 21 of the mounting bracket 20 via the support rod 25. Both ends of the pair of gripper brackets 12 in the longitudinal direction protrude laterally from the pair of support parts 21 in a direction intersecting the opposing direction and protruding direction of the pair of support parts 21 of the mounting bracket 20.

[0015] The gripper body 14 also includes a gripper support portion 28 formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a plurality of grippers 13 disposed on the underside of the gripper support portion 28. A pair of connection holes 29 to which a negative pressure path from a negative pressure generation source is connected are provided on the side surface of the gripper support portion 28, and an internal passage is formed inside the gripper support portion 28 to connect the connection holes 29 and each of the grippers 13 disposed on the underside of the gripper body 14.

[0016] A part of the spherical bearing 15 (rod portion 47 of the spherical bearing housing 37) penetrates and is supported at the center of the upper and lower surfaces of the gripper support portion 28, and four grippers 13 are disposed at positions near the four corners on the lower surface side of the gripper support portion 28. The four grippers 13 are disposed at positions with the same pitch from the center of the spherical bearing 15 (rod portion 47 of the spherical bearing housing 37), and are disposed so that the pitch between the grippers 13 aligned in the vertical and horizontal directions along the lower surface of the gripper support portion 28 is the same.

[0017] The grippers 13 are vacuum pads, and are formed of elastically deformable bellows pads made of, for example, rubber. The upper sides of the grippers 13 are attached to an attachment member 31 by joints 30, and the attachment member 31 is screwed and fixed to the lower surface of the gripper support part 28, thereby attaching the multiple grippers 13 to the lower surface side of the gripper support part 28. The joints 30 are connected to the internal passage of the gripper support part 28, and the inside of the grippers 13 is connected to the negative pressure path. The lower surfaces of the multiple grippers 13 arranged on the gripper support part 28 come into contact with the surface to be attracted of the article and are attracted to the surface to be attracted, and the lower surfaces of the multiple grippers 13 are configured as an attraction surface 32 that attracts the surface to be attracted of the article.

[0018] The spherical bearings 15 are supported between the pair of gripper brackets 12 at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the pair of gripper brackets 12, and support each gripper body 14 tiltably relative to the pair of gripper brackets 12.

[0019] The spherical bearing 15 has a spherical bearing rod 35 that passes through a pair of gripper brackets 12, a spherical bearing ball 36 supported on the spherical bearing rod 35 between the pair of gripper brackets 12, and a spherical bearing housing 37 that slidably engages with the surface of the spherical bearing ball 36.

[0020] The spherical bearing rod 35 has a head 39 and a rod portion 40 protruding from the head 39. The rod portion 40 passes through the pair of gripper brackets 12, and a nut 42 is screwed onto a male screw provided on the tip side of the rod portion 40 via a washer 41, thereby fixing the spherical bearing rod 35 to the pair of gripper brackets 12 with the pair of gripper brackets 12 sandwiching the spherical bearing ball 36. Therefore, the distance between the pair of gripper brackets 12 facing each other is determined by the spherical bearing 15.

[0021] The spherical bearing ball 36 is provided in a spherical shape with a spherical surface, and has a through hole 44 in the center through which the rod portion 40 of the spherical bearing rod 35 passes. The spherical bearing ball 36 is sandwiched and held between a pair of gripper brackets 12, and is supported without rotating relative to the spherical bearing rod 35.

[0022] The spherical bearing housing 37 has a housing portion 46 that slidably fits onto the spherical surface of the spherical bearing ball 36, and a rod portion 47 that protrudes from the housing 46. The housing portion 46 is ring-shaped, and its inner circumferential surface is formed into a concave spherical shape that slidably fits onto the spherical surface of the spherical bearing ball 36 via a sliding member. The rod portion 47 penetrates the center of the gripper support portion 28 from the upper surface side to the lower surface side, and is fixed to the gripper support portion 28 by screwing a nut 49, via a washer 48, onto a male screw provided on the tip side.

[0023] The spherical bearing 15 supports the gripper body 14 so that it can tilt, with a first axis 51 extending along the opposing direction of the pair of gripper brackets 12, a second axis 52 intersecting the first axis 51 extending along the opposing direction of the pair of gripper brackets 12 and the gripper support portion 28, and a third axis 53 intersecting the first axis 51 and the second axis 52, centered around the spherical bearing 15 (spherical bearing ball 36).

[0024] The first axis 51 is the central axis of the spherical bearing rod 35. The second axis 52 is the central axis of the rod portion 47 of the spherical bearing rod 35. The third axis 53 is an axis parallel to the upper surface of the gripper support portion 28. In a state in which the upper and lower surfaces of the pair of gripper brackets 12 and the upper and lower surfaces of the gripper support portion 28 are parallel to each other, the center of the spherical bearing 15 and the center of the spherical portion 57 of the regulating body 16 are located on the axis of the third axis 53.

[0025] The first axis 51, the second axis 52, and the third axis 53 indicate pseudo rotation axes centered on the spherical bearing 15. Hereinafter, the first rotation direction centered on the first axis 51 will be referred to as the pitch direction p, the second rotation direction centered on the second axis 52 as the yaw direction y, and the third rotation direction centered on the third axis 53 as the roll direction r.

[0026] The regulating body 16 is provided on the upper surface of the gripper support portion 28 at a position away from the central portion to which the rod portion 47 of the spherical bearing housing 37 is fixed toward the peripheral portion. The regulating body 16 has a shaft portion 56 that protrudes substantially perpendicularly from the upper surface of the gripper support portion 28, and a spherical portion 57 provided on the tip side of the shaft portion 56. The diameter of the spherical portion 57 is larger than the diameter of the shaft portion 56 and smaller than the distance between the pair of gripper brackets 12.

[0027] At least the spherical portion 57 of the regulating body 16 is disposed between the pair of gripper brackets 12. The regulating body 16 allows the gripper body 14 to tilt within a movable range between the pair of gripper brackets 12, and regulates the tiltable range (angle) of the gripper body 14 by contacting with either one of the gripper brackets 12.

[0028] The tiltable range of the gripper body 14 in the yaw direction y and roll direction r can be adjusted arbitrarily by changing the relationship between the diameter of the spherical portion 57 of the regulating body 16 and the distance or position between the pair of gripper brackets 12. In other words, by changing the size or position of the spherical portion 57 of the regulating body 16, the tiltable range can be changed.

[0029] 8, the tilting of the gripper body 14 in the pitch direction p is regulated by the contact of the spherical portion 57 of the regulating body 16 with upper and lower regulating portions 58 protruding from the plate surface of the gripper bracket 12. The range in which the gripper body 14 can be tilted in the pitch direction p can be adjusted arbitrarily depending on the relationship between the diameter of the spherical portion 57 of the regulating body 16 and the distance between the upper and lower regulating portions 58. The regulating portions 58 are provided on at least one of the gripper brackets 12, and may be provided integrally with the gripper bracket 12, or may be provided separately and then attached integrally.

[0030] Next, the operation of the hand device 10 will be described.

[0031] The hand device 10 descends from above the surface to be attracted, for example the upper surface, of the article, and an attracting surface 32 formed by the multiple grippers 13 of the gripper body 14 comes into contact with and attracts the surface to be attracted of the article.

[0032] The pair of gripper brackets 12 tilt around the support rod 25 in response to the tilt of the object's surface, and the gripper body 14 freely tilts relative to the pair of gripper brackets 12 via the spherical bearings 15.

[0033] Figures 5(a) and (b) show a state in which one gripper body 14 rotates by an angle α in one side of the yaw direction y around the second axis 52, in which the regulating body 16 rotates together with the rotating gripper body 14 and the spherical portion 57 of the regulating body 16 contacts one of the gripper brackets 12 in the rotation direction, thereby regulating the rotation of the gripper body 14 in the yaw direction y.

[0034] The restriction position in the yaw direction y of the gripper body 14, the rotation of which is restricted by the restriction body 16, is a position where the spherical bearing housing 37 of the spherical bearing 15 and the gripper bracket 12 are separated without contacting each other, and is located closer to the front than the restriction position due to the basic structure of the hand device 10 itself, where the spherical bearing housing 37 of the spherical bearing 15 and the gripper bracket 12 come into contact with each other to restrict the rotation of the gripper body 14 in the yaw direction y in the absence of the restriction body 16. Therefore, the tiltable range of the gripper body 14 in the yaw direction y when the restriction body 16 is used is restricted to a narrower range than the tiltable range due to the basic structure of the hand device 10 itself when the restriction body 16 is not used.

[0035] Fig. 6 shows a bottom view of two hand devices 10 arranged side by side. The right gripper body 14 of the upper hand device 10 in Fig. 6 has rotated by angle α in the clockwise direction in the yaw direction y around the second shaft 52 and is in a state of being restricted in rotation by the regulating body 16, and the right gripper body 14 of the lower hand device 10 in Fig. 6 has rotated by angle α in the counterclockwise direction in the yaw direction y around the second shaft 52 and is in a state of being restricted in rotation by the regulating body 16.

[0036] When two hand devices 10 are arranged side by side in this manner, without regulation by the regulating body 16, the rotation angle of the gripper body 14 in the yaw direction y may become too large, which may cause adjacent gripper bodies 14 to come into contact with each other. In addition, the arrangement of the multiple grippers 13 may be significantly disrupted, causing deformation of the suction surface 32, and the spacing between the grippers 13 of the tilted adjacent gripper body 14 may increase, reducing the number of grippers 13 arranged per unit area, which may result in a decrease in suction force, or the enlarged suction surface 32 may cause the gripper body 14 to adsorb an adjacent item that is not the target for suction.

[0037] The restriction by the restriction body 16 prevents the above-mentioned gripper bodies 14 from coming into contact with each other, a decrease in suction force, and suction of adjacent articles that are not the suction target.

[0038] 7 shows a state in which one gripper body 14 rotates in one direction in the roll direction r around the third axis 53, the regulating body 16 rotates together with the rotating gripper body 14, the spherical portion 57 of the regulating body 16 comes into contact with one of the gripper brackets 12, and the rotation of the gripper body 14 in the roll direction r is regulated. In this case as well, the regulation by the regulating body 16 prevents the above-mentioned contact between the gripper bodies 14, a decrease in the suction force, and suction of an adjacent article that is not the suction target.

[0039] 8 shows a state in which the upper and lower surfaces of the gripper bracket 12 and the upper and lower surfaces of the gripper support portion 28 of the gripper body 14 are parallel to each other. When the gripper body 14 rotates in the pitch direction p around the first axis 51, the spherical portion 57 of the regulating body 16 comes into contact with the regulating portion 58 of the gripper bracket 12, thereby regulating the tilting of the gripper body 14 in the pitch direction p.

[0040] As described above, the hand device 10 has the advantage of allowing the gripper body 14 to follow the inclination of the surface of the object to be attracted by using the spherical bearing 15, while restricting the tilt of the gripper body 14 in the yaw direction y, roll direction r, and pitch direction p within a certain range by the restricting body 16, thereby preventing the gripper body 14 from rotating excessively. This prevents the gripper bodies 14 from coming into contact with each other, and inhibits the suction surface 32 formed by the multiple grippers 13 from deforming significantly, making it possible to prevent the suction of an object that is not the target for suction and a decrease in suction force.

[0041] Therefore, by providing the regulating body 16, the range within which the gripper body 14 can be tilted can be adjusted as desired without changing the basic structure of the hand device 10 itself, and the range within which the gripper body 14 can be tilted can be easily regulated.

[0042] In addition, the regulating body 16 is provided with a spherical portion 57 having a larger diameter than the diameter of the shaft portion 56 at the tip side of the shaft portion 56 protruding from the gripper body 14. Therefore, regardless of the direction in which the gripper body 14 tilts, the positional relationship between the spherical portion 57 and the pair of gripper brackets 12 does not change, and the tilting of the gripper body 14 can be regulated within a certain range.

[0043] In addition to the structure in which the spherical portion 57 is provided on the tip side of the shaft portion 56, the spherical portion 57 may be provided by forming the tip surface of the shaft portion 56 into a spherical shape. Also, a plurality of the regulating bodies 16 may be protruded between the pair of gripper brackets 12 from the gripper support portion 28 of the gripper body 14, and, for example, one of the regulating bodies 16 may regulate the tilting in one direction in the yaw direction y, and the other regulating body 16 may regulate the tilting in the other direction in the yaw direction y.

[0044] 8, the tilting of the gripper body 14 in the pitch direction p may be regulated by front and rear regulating portions 58 in the longitudinal direction of the gripper bracket 12, instead of the upper and lower regulating portions 58 protruding from the plate surface of the gripper bracket 12. That is, in the case of the front and rear regulating portions 58, the front and rear regulating portions 58 are installed at intervals in the direction of the third shaft 53 (roll direction r), and the spherical portion 57 is located in the interval. Then, as the gripper body 14 tilts in the pitch direction p, the spherical portion 57 tilted in the pitch direction p comes into contact with the regulating portions 58, thereby regulating the tilting angle in the pitch direction p.

[0045] Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0046] The hand device 10 comprises a gripper body 14, a support 61 that supports the gripper body 14, a spherical bearing 15 that supports the gripper body 14 so that it can tilt relative to the support 61, a regulating body 16 that protrudes from the support portion 61 toward the gripper body 14, and a pair of wall bodies 62 that protrude from the gripper support portion 28 of the gripper body 14 toward the support 61 with a gap between them, sandwiching the regulating body 16 between them.

[0047] The support body 61 is configured in the same manner as the mounting bracket 20, with a pair of support legs 63 protruding downward and a protruding portion 64 protruding toward one side intersecting the opposing direction and protruding direction of the pair of support legs 63. An attachment portion 11 for attachment to a transfer mechanism is provided on the upper surface of the support body 61.

[0048] The regulating body 16 protrudes from the lower surface of the protruding portion 64 of the support body 61 toward the upper surface of the gripper support portion 28. The regulating body 16 has a shaft portion 56 protruding substantially perpendicularly from the lower surface of the protruding portion 64, and a spherical portion 57 provided on the lower end side, which is the tip side, of the shaft portion 56. The diameter of the spherical portion 57 is smaller than the distance between the pair of wall bodies 62 facing each other.

[0049] The pair of walls 62 are fixed to the upper surface of the gripper support portion 28 and protrude toward the support body 61 with a gap therebetween so as to sandwich the spherical portion 57 of the regulating body 16 therebetween. The distance between the pair of walls 62 facing each other is larger than the diameter dimension of the spherical portion 57.

[0050] The regulating body 16 allows the gripper body 14 to tilt in the yaw direction y and the roll direction r within the range in which it can move between a pair of wall bodies 62, and regulates the tilting of the gripper body 14 in the yaw direction y and the roll direction r by contacting the wall bodies 62.

[0051] The tilting of the gripper body 14 in the pitch direction p may be restricted by providing a restricting portion 58 on the wall body 62 as in the first embodiment.

[0052] In addition, by increasing the amount of protrusion of the regulating body 16 from the support body 61 and reducing the gap between the spherical portion 57 and the upper surface of the gripper body 14, the tilting in the pitch direction p can be regulated by contact between the spherical portion 57 and the upper surface of the gripper support portion 28, and it is also possible to regulate the upward and downward tilting in the pitch direction p by installing separate walls above and below the spherical portion 57 across the gap between the walls 62. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 10 Hand device 12 Gripper bracket 13 Gripper 14 Gripper body 15 Spherical bearing 16 Regulatory Bodies 28 Gripper support 56 Shaft 57 Sphere Section 51 1st axis 52 2nd axis 53 3rd axis 61 Support 62 Wall

Claims

1. a gripper body having a gripper that attracts a surface of an object to be attracted and a gripper support portion on which the gripper is provided; A pair of gripper brackets disposed opposite each other; a spherical bearing supported between the pair of gripper brackets and configured to support the gripper body tiltably relative to the pair of gripper brackets; a regulating body that protrudes from the gripper support portion between the pair of gripper brackets, allows the gripper body to tilt within a movable range between the pair of gripper brackets, and regulates the tilting of the gripper body by contacting with the gripper brackets; A hand device comprising:

2. the regulating body has a shaft portion protruding from the gripper support portion, and a spherical portion provided on a tip side of the shaft portion and having a diameter larger than a diameter of the shaft portion, The spherical portion is located between the pair of gripper brackets.

2. The hand device according to claim 1.

3. the spherical bearing supports the gripper body tiltably about a first axis extending along a direction in which the pair of gripper brackets face each other, a second axis extending along a direction in which the gripper brackets and the gripper support portion face each other and intersecting the first axis, and a third axis intersecting the first axis and the second axis, The regulating body regulates a tiltable range of the gripper body about at least the second axis by contacting the gripper bracket.

3. The hand device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. a gripper body having a gripper that attracts a surface of an object to be attracted and a gripper support portion on which the gripper is provided; A support body for supporting the gripper body; a spherical bearing that supports the gripper body so as to be tiltable relative to the support body; a regulating body protruding from the support body toward the gripper body; a pair of walls protruding from the gripper support portion toward the support body at a distance from each other so as to sandwich the regulating body therebetween; The regulating body allows tilting of the gripper body within a movable range between the pair of the wall bodies, and regulates tilting of the gripper body by contacting with the wall bodies. A hand device characterized by:

Images