Robot Hand

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a robot hand with which it is possible to pick up workpieces of various types and masses without increasing the size of the robot hand. A robot hand 1 comprises a pair of fingers 41, 42 provided so as to be capable of moving toward and away from one another in order to grip a workpiece 200, and a pair of claw members 51, 52 provided respectively to the pair of fingers in order to catch another workpiece 100. The claw members are provided so as to be capable of changing between a state in which the claw members protrude from surfaces of the fingers 41, 42 that contact the workpiece 200 and a state in which the claw members are pressed into the fingers.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a robot hand. [Background technology]

[0002] With the widespread use of robots, various hands have been proposed depending on the workpiece to be handled. For example, when transporting workpieces such as cans and plastic bottles with a hand, a method of clamping the workpiece is commonly used. To clamp a workpiece, a clamping force of 10 to 20 times the workpiece's mass is generally required, depending on the coefficient of friction between the workpiece's surface and the contact surface of the hand. Naturally, the greater the clamping force required, the larger the driving means, such as a motor or air cylinder, that generates the power to clamp the workpiece. Therefore, for light workpieces such as 350 ml beverage cans, a large driving means is not necessary and an increase in hand size can be avoided. However, for heavier workpieces such as 2 L plastic bottles, the driving means becomes larger, resulting in an increase in hand size. Larger hands inevitably increase the hand weight, which in some cases requires the use of robots with a larger payload capacity, which may result in increased costs. Furthermore, larger hands can sometimes make it difficult to grip small workpieces. Patent Document 1, for example, discloses a robot hand capable of gripping objects of various sizes as an example of a solution to this problem. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-335025 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] There is a demand for a robot hand that can pick up workpieces of various types and weights without increasing in size. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] A robot hand according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a pair of fingers that are provided so as to be movable toward and away from each other to grip a workpiece, and a pair of claw members that are provided on each of the pair of fingers to hook another workpiece. The claw members are provided so as to be movable between a state in which they protrude from the contact surface of the fingers with the workpiece and a state in which they are pressed into the fingers. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a robot hand can be provided that can pick up workpieces of various types and weights without increasing in size. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a robot hand according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the robot hand of FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a front view of the robot hand of FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the internal structure of the finger tips of the robot hand of FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the process of picking up a workpiece having an uneven outer peripheral surface by the robot hand according to this embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the process of picking up a workpiece having a smooth outer peripheral surface by the robot hand according to this embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the claw members of a robot hand according to a first modified example of this embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a state in which a workpiece having an uneven outer peripheral surface is held by a robot hand according to a first modified example of this embodiment. [Figure 9]FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a state in which a workpiece having a smooth outer peripheral surface is held by a robot hand according to a first modified example of this embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a claw member of a robot hand according to a second modified example of this embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a state in which a workpiece having an uneven outer peripheral surface is held by a robot hand according to a second modified example of this embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a plan view showing a state in which a workpiece having a smooth outer peripheral surface is held by a robot hand according to a second modified example of this embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a claw member of a robot hand according to a third modified example of this embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a plan view showing a state in which a workpiece having an uneven outer peripheral surface is held by a robot hand according to a third modified example of this embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a plan view showing a state in which a workpiece having a smooth outer peripheral surface is held by a robot hand according to a third modified example of this embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, a robot hand according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, components having substantially the same functions and configurations are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be given only when necessary.

[0009] The robot hand according to this embodiment can be used to pick two types of workpieces: workpieces with an uneven outer surface, such as plastic bottles, and workpieces without an uneven outer surface, such as beverage cans. In this embodiment, the workpiece with an uneven outer surface is referred to as the first workpiece, and the workpiece without an uneven outer surface is referred to as the second workpiece. The robot hand according to this embodiment picks up the first workpiece by inserting a pair of claw members into a recess and hooking it. Therefore, the first workpiece includes workpieces with a recess formed on the outer surface or workpieces with flanges, which have portions that can hook the claw members. The robot hand according to this embodiment picks up the second workpiece by clamping it with a pair of fingers. Therefore, the second workpiece may be a workpiece with an uneven outer surface, as long as it can be clamped with a pair of fingers.

[0010] The robot hand according to this embodiment is typically mounted on a robot arm mechanism so that the position and orientation of the robot hand can be changed. Of course, the mechanism on which the robot hand is mounted is not limited to a robot arm mechanism.

[0011] FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 are a perspective view, a plan view, and a front view, respectively, of an example of a robot hand 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the robot hand 1 has a rectangular parallelepiped hand base 10. The hand base 10 is provided with an adapter (not shown) for connection to a hand mounting portion of a robot arm mechanism. The hand base 10 also has a support member 90 with a support surface for supporting a workpiece to suppress oscillation of the workpiece picked up using at least one of the pair of fingers 41 and 42 and the pair of claw members 51 and 52. A rail base 20, which forms a groove frame with a U-shaped cross section and an open front side, is connected to the hand base 10. A pair of linear rails 23 and 24 are laid along the width direction on the inner surfaces of a pair of side walls 21 and 22 that constitute the rail base 20. A pair of slider blocks 31 and 32 are movably fitted into the pair of rails 23 and 24. A pair of fingers 41 and 42 are fixed to the pair of slider blocks 31 and 32, respectively.

[0012] Hereinafter, the three orthogonal axes will be defined as follows and used as appropriate: the axis parallel to the direction in which the pair of linear rails 23, 24 provided on the pair of side walls of the rail base 20 are laid (left-right direction) is the X-axis, the direction in which the pair of side walls 21, 22 face each other (up-down direction) is the Y-axis, and the axis perpendicular to the X-axis and Y-axis is the Z-axis.

[0013] The fingers 41, 42 are each configured as a thin, linear column of the same shape and size. The fingers 41, 42 are fixed at their end portions to the slider blocks 31, 32, respectively, so that the central axes of the fingers 41, 42 are parallel to the Z axis. Typically, the inner surfaces of the pair of fingers 41, 42 are configured to be flat so that they can easily grip a workpiece. Here, "flat" means parallel to the YZ plane. The inner surfaces of the fingers 41, 42 are the contact surfaces that come into contact with the workpiece when the fingers 41, 42 grip the workpiece.

[0014] The movement of the pair of fingers 41, 42 is driven by a drive mechanism. The drive mechanism has a motor unit (not shown). The motor unit is provided on the hand base 10. The motor unit has a motor that generates power to move the pair of fingers 41, 42 and, if necessary, a reducer that slows down the rotation of the motor. A drive gear 25 is connected to the drive shaft of the motor unit. As shown in FIG. 3, the drive gear 25 is disposed between the slider blocks 31, 32 that are fitted into the pair of rails 23, 24. A linear gear is formed on the lower surface of the upper slider block 31 and is engaged with the upper side of the drive gear 25. Similarly, a linear gear is formed on the upper surface of the lower slider block 32 and is engaged with the lower side of the drive gear 25. When the motor rotates in the forward direction, the pair of fingers 41, 42 move toward each other together with the pair of slider blocks 31, 32. When the motor rotates in the reverse direction, the pair of fingers 41, 42 are moved away from each other together with the pair of slider blocks 31, 32. In this way, by controlling the drive of the motor, the pair of fingers 41, 42 can be opened and closed to pick up and release a workpiece.

[0015] The claw member 51 will be described below with reference to FIG. 4. The claw member 52 has the same shape and dimensions as the claw member 51, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted. As shown in FIG. 4, the claw member 51 is typically configured as a wide, thin, rectangular plate in a plan view. Here, "plan view" refers to the view from the Y-axis direction. By widening the width of the claw member 51, it is possible to allow for misalignment of the first workpiece in the width direction when aligning the claw members 51 and 52 with the recessed portion of the first workpiece, and to reduce the possibility of the held first workpiece falling off the claw members 51 and 52 due to shaking or the like. A linear slit 43 longer than the width of the claw member 51 is formed parallel to the Z-axis on the inner surface of the tip side of the finger 41. The claw member 51 is inserted into the slit 43 on the inner surface of the finger 41, and its base is supported by a compression coil spring 45 fixed inside the finger 41.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 4( a), the claw member 51 is biased toward the outside of the finger 41 by the compression coil spring 45, and in a steady state where no load is applied, the claw member 51 protrudes from the inner surface of the finger 41. Furthermore, by pushing the claw member 51 against the biasing force of the compression coil spring 45, at least a portion of the claw member 51 can be housed inside the finger 41. In this manner, the claw member 51 is freely movable between a state in which it protrudes from the inner surface of the finger 41 and a state in which it is housed inside the finger 41. Typically, as shown in FIG. 4( b), the dimensions of the finger 41, the claw member 51, and the compression coil spring 45 are designed so that the claw member 51 can be completely housed inside the finger 41 when pressed by the workpiece W. Furthermore, it is preferable to use a compression coil spring 45 with a small spring constant that can compress even with a small force so as to prevent the claw member 51 from damaging the workpiece W when it is pushed in by the workpiece W. A guide mechanism may be provided to guide the linear movement of the claw member 51 when the claw member 51 is pushed toward the inside of the finger 41, or when the claw member 51 that has been pushed into the inside of the finger 41 returns to its original state.

[0017] The robot hand 1 according to this embodiment can pick up a first workpiece having an uneven outer peripheral surface as follows. Here, the first workpiece is described as a plastic bottle 100. The plastic bottle 100 has a cylindrical body 100a with a bottom, a neck 100b tapered toward the mouth, a cap 100c that covers the opening of the mouth, and an annular neck ring 100d that protrudes outward and is provided between the neck and mouth. A recess is formed on the underside of the neck ring 100d.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 5(a), the robot arm mechanism moves the robot hand 1 to a position where the claw members 51 and 52 are inserted into the recessed portion below the neck ring 100d of the plastic bottle 100. Next, the pair of fingers 41 and 42 are moved toward each other so that the inner surfaces of the fingers 41 and 42 do not come into contact with the outer circumferential surface of the neck ring 100d. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5(b), the claw members 51 and 52 are inserted into the recessed portion below the neck ring 100d of the plastic bottle 100. In this state, by moving the robot hand 1 upward using the robot arm mechanism, the upper surfaces of the claw members 51 and 52 come into contact with the lower end surface of the neck ring 100d of the plastic bottle 100, as shown in FIG. 5(c), and the claw members 51 and 52 can be hooked onto the neck ring 100d of the plastic bottle 100 and lifted.

[0019] As shown in Figure 5(d), the pair of fingers 41, 42 are further moved toward each other until the inner surfaces of fingers 41, 42 come into contact with the outer peripheral surface of neck ring 100d and fingers 41, 42 press against the outer peripheral surface of neck ring 100d from both sides. Because fingers 41, 42 press against the outer peripheral surface of neck ring 100d from both sides, shaking of plastic bottle 100 can be suppressed and its posture can be stabilized when hooking and lifting plastic bottle 100 with claw members 51, 52 and when moving horizontally. Stabilizing the posture of plastic bottle 100 reduces the possibility of plastic bottle 100 falling off robot hand 1 and allows plastic bottle 100 to be released in the correct posture.

[0020] The robot hand 1 according to this embodiment employs a method for lifting a first workpiece having an uneven outer peripheral surface by inserting and hooking the claw members 51, 52 into recesses in the first workpiece. Because the pair of fingers 41, 42 simply press the outer peripheral surface of the first workpiece from both sides to stabilize the posture of the first workpiece, there is no need to increase the clamping force of the pair of fingers 41, 42 depending on the weight of the first workpiece; instead, it is sufficient to improve the strength of the parts themselves and the strength of their connections. Therefore, there is no need to use a large motor to increase the clamping force of the pair of fingers 41, 42, which helps prevent the robot hand 1 from becoming too large.

[0021] The robot hand 1 according to this embodiment can pick up a second workpiece by gripping its flat outer peripheral surface. A typical example of the second workpiece is a cylindrical beverage can 200 with a smooth outer peripheral surface. As shown in FIG. 6( a), the robot arm mechanism aligns the robot hand 1 so that the pair of fingers 41, 42 are positioned on either side of the beverage can 200. Next, the pair of fingers 41, 42 are moved toward each other until the inner surfaces of the fingers 41, 42 come into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the beverage can 200. As the fingers 41, 42 move, the claw members 51, 52 are pushed into the fingers 41, 42 by the beverage can 200, and the inner surfaces (contact surfaces) of the pair of fingers 41, 42 come into surface contact with the outer peripheral surface of the beverage can 200, as shown in FIG. 6( b). Furthermore, the pair of fingers 41, 42 are moved in a direction approaching each other, whereby the contact surfaces of the pair of fingers 41, 42 press firmly against the outer periphery of the beverage can 200, and the pair of fingers 41, 42 clamp the beverage can 200. In this way, the robot hand 1 can pick up the beverage can 200 by utilizing the frictional force generated between the inner surfaces of the pair of fingers 41, 42 and the outer periphery of the beverage can 200.

[0022] According to the robot hand 1 of this embodiment, the claw members 51, 52 can be completely housed inside the fingers 41, 42, so that when a beverage can 200 is clamped between the pair of fingers 41, 42, the contact surface of the fingers 41, 42 that comes into contact with the beverage can 200 can be ensured to be approximately the same as when the fingers 41, 42 do not have the claw members 51, 52. Furthermore, since the beverage can 200 can be clamped using the wide contact surface of the fingers 41, 42 rather than the narrow contact surface of the claw members 51, 52, the beverage can 200 can be clamped stably and the surface pressure acting on the beverage can 200 can be reduced. Because the surface pressure acting on the beverage can 200 can be reduced, scratches on the outer surface of the beverage can 200 caused by clamping are less likely to occur.

[0023] A robot hand 2 according to a first modified example of this embodiment will be described below with reference to Figures 7, 8, and 9. The structural difference between the robot hand 1 according to this embodiment and the robot hand 2 according to the first modified example is that in the robot hand 2 according to the first modified example, the claw members 51, 52 are supported rotatably relative to the fingers 41, 42.

[0024] FIG. 7 shows the support structure of the claw member 51 inside the finger 41. The claw member 52 is supported by the finger 42 by the same support structure as the claw member 51, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted. As shown in FIG. 7, the claw member 51 is rotatably supported by a shaft 47, whose central axis is parallel to the Y axis, inside the tip side of the finger 41. As shown in FIG. 7(a), in a steady state in which no load is applied to the claw member 51, the claw member 51 protrudes from the inner surface of the finger 41. This is the same as in the present embodiment. On the other hand, when the workpiece W presses the claw member 51 against the biasing force of the compression coil spring 45, the end portion of the claw member 51 located on the base side of the finger 41 rotates toward the finger 41, as shown in FIG. 7(b).

[0025] As shown in FIG. 8 , with the robot hand 2 according to the first modification of this embodiment, when the claw members 51 and 52 are hooked onto the neck ring 100d of the plastic bottle 100 and the fingers 41 and 42 press the neck ring 100d of the plastic bottle 100 from both sides, the ends of the claw members 51 and 52 located at the tips of the fingers 41 and 42 can be made to protrude further from the inner surfaces of the fingers 41 and 42 than the ends of the claw members 51 and 52 located at the bases of the fingers 41 and 42. In other words, the distance between the pair of claw members 51 and 52 gradually narrows from the bases of the fingers 41 and 42 to the tips. As a result, the claw members 51 and 52 can also function as stoppers that prevent the plastic bottle 100 held by the robot hand 2 from slipping through the gap between the claw members 51 and 52 and falling off the tips of the fingers 41 and 42. Movement of the plastic bottle 100 held by the robot hand 2 to either the left or right is stopped by a pair of fingers 41, 42, downward falling of the plastic bottle 100 and forward movement of the plastic bottle 100 are stopped by claw members 51, 52, and forward movement of the plastic bottle 100 is stopped by support member 90. In this way, the plastic bottle 100 can be supported from the front, back, left, right, and below, reducing the possibility of the plastic bottle 100 falling off the robot hand 2.

[0026] 9 , with the robot hand 2 according to the first modified example of this embodiment, even if a beverage can 200 is placed in a position that interferes with the pair of claw members 51, 52, the pair of claw members 51, 52 rotate as they are pushed into the beverage can 200. Therefore, the beverage can 200 can be clamped by the wide inner surfaces of the pair of fingers 41, 42, rather than by the narrow tip surfaces of the pair of claw members 51, 52. Furthermore, as with the robot hand 1 according to this embodiment, when the beverage can 200 is clamped between the pair of fingers 41, 42, the claw members 51, 52 can also function as stoppers that prevent the beverage can 200 clamped between the pair of fingers 41, 42 from slipping through between the claw members 51, 52 and falling off toward the tip ends of the fingers 41, 42.

[0027] In the first modified example, the claw members 51, 52 are rotatably supported on the shaft 47 provided near the tips of the fingers 41, 42, so that they can function as stoppers that prevent the workpiece from falling off from the tips of the fingers 41, 42. This function can also be achieved by devising the shape of the claw members 51, 52. Below, modified examples of the claw members 51, 52 will be described in the second and third modified examples.

[0028] 10, in the robot hand 3 according to the second modification of this embodiment, the claw members 53 are configured as thin plates that are L-shaped in a plan view, and are arranged so that the portions located on the tip side of the fingers 41 protrude outward from the inner surfaces of the fingers 41 compared to the other portions. As shown in FIG. 10(a), in a steady state in which no load is applied to the claw members 53, the claw members 53 protrude from the inner surfaces of the fingers 41. When the claw members 53 are pressed by the workpiece W against the biasing force of the compression coil springs 45, the end portions of the claw members 53 located on the tip side of the fingers 41 remain protruding from the inner surfaces of the fingers 41, as shown in FIG. 10(b).

[0029] 11, with the robot hand 3 according to the second modification of this embodiment, the claw members 53, 54 can be hooked onto the neck ring 100d of the plastic bottle 100, and with the fingers 41, 42 holding the neck ring 100d of the plastic bottle 100 from both sides, only the ends of the claw members 53, 54 located on the tip side of the fingers 41, 42 can protrude from the inner surfaces of the fingers 41, 42. This allows the claw members 53, 54 to function as stoppers that prevent the plastic bottle 100 held by the robot hand 3 from slipping through the gap between the claw members 53, 54 and falling off toward the tip side of the fingers 41, 42.

[0030] Similarly, as shown in FIG. 12, the robot hand 3 according to the second modified example of this embodiment can clamp a beverage can 200 between a pair of fingers 41, 42, just like the robot hand 1 according to this embodiment, and furthermore, the claw members 53, 54 can also function as stoppers that prevent the beverage can 200 clamped between the pair of fingers 41, 42 from slipping through between the claw members 53, 54 and falling off to the tip side of the fingers 41, 42.

[0031] As shown in Fig. 13, in the robot hand 4 according to the third modified example of this embodiment, the claw members 55 are configured as thin, plate-like bodies that are U-shaped in a plan view, and are arranged so that the portions located on the tip and base sides of the fingers 41 protrude outward from the inner surfaces of the fingers 41 compared to the other portions. As shown in Fig. 13(a), in a steady state where no load is applied to the claw members 53, the claw members 55 protrude from the inner surfaces of the fingers 41. When the workpiece W presses the claw members 55 against the biasing force of the compression coil springs 45, the claw members 55 are completely housed inside the fingers 41, as shown in Fig. 13(b).

[0032] 14, with the robot hand 4 according to the third modification of this embodiment, the claw members 55, 56 can be hooked onto the neck ring 100d of the plastic bottle 100, and with the fingers 41, 42 holding the neck ring 100d of the plastic bottle 100 from both sides, the neck ring 100d can be surrounded on all four sides (front, back, left, and right) by the claw members 55, 56. This allows the claw members 55, 56 to function as stoppers that prevent the plastic bottle 100 held by the robot hand 4 from slipping through the gap between the claw members 55, 56 and falling off toward the tip or base of the fingers 41, 42.

[0033] Similarly, as shown in FIG. 15, the robot hand 4 according to the third modified example of this embodiment can clamp a beverage can 200 between a pair of fingers 41, 42, similar to the robot hand 1 according to this embodiment.

[0034] In the robot hand according to this embodiment, the shape and dimensions of the fingers, the shape and dimensions of the claw members, and the positions of the claw members on the fingers can be modified as needed depending on the type and size of the workpiece to be picked up. In this embodiment, the lower end surface of the neck ring 100d of the PET bottle 100, against which the claw members 51 and 52 contact, is flat, so the upper surfaces of the claw members 51 and 52 are configured flat. However, flatness of the upper surfaces of the claw members 51 and 52 is not essential. For example, if the surface of the workpiece against which the upper surfaces of the claw members 51 and 52 contact is uneven, the upper surfaces of the claw members 51 and 52 can be formed to match the surface of the workpiece. Furthermore, the upper surfaces of the claw members 51 and 52 may be provided with anti-slip pads or embossed for anti-slip purposes.

[0035] In this embodiment, the fingers, claw members, and compression coil springs are configured so that the claw members can be completely housed inside the fingers when pressed by a workpiece. However, in a case where the claw members 53, 54 are made to protrude from the inner surfaces of the fingers 41, 42 when pressed by a workpiece, so as to function as members that prevent the workpiece from falling off, as in the robot hand 3 according to the second modification of this embodiment, the fingers 41, 42, claw members 53, 54, and compression coil spring 45 may be configured so that the claw members 53, 54 cannot be completely housed inside the fingers 41, 42 when pressed by the workpiece.

[0036] The robot hand 1 according to this embodiment is provided with a support member 90 for suppressing the oscillation of the workpiece, but the support member 90 is not essential and may be unnecessary depending on the type, size, etc. of the workpiece being handled.

[0037] Pads may be attached to the inner surfaces of the fingers 41 and 42 to increase the frictional force between the fingers and the workpiece. The pads are attached to the inner surfaces of the fingers 41 and 42, excluding the slits 43 and 44. The pads are elastic, more specifically, plates made of rubber or synthetic resin with spongy bubbles. The pads may also be inflatable and deflatable bags.

[0038] Although the pair of fingers 41, 42 are of a parallel opening / closing type that opens and closes by moving parallel to each other, the opening / closing type is not limited to this as long as the inner surfaces of the fingers 41, 42, which are the contact surfaces that come into contact with the beverage can 200, can move toward and away from each other. For example, one of the pair of fingers 41, 42 may be fixed, and only the other finger 42 may be moved. Also, a rotational opening / closing type may be adopted in which the pair of fingers 41, 42 are rotatably provided at their base end portions, and open and close by rotating toward and away from each other.

[0039] As long as the biasing member can bias the claw members 51, 52 toward the outside of the fingers 41, 42, the biasing member is not limited to the compression coil spring 45. For example, it may be another spring, such as a leaf spring, or another type of biasing member, such as rubber. Furthermore, a drive mechanism for driving the movement of the claw members 51, 52 may be provided so as to control the movement of the claw members 51, 52. Furthermore, from the viewpoint of enabling the claw members 51, 52 to be housed in the fingers 41, 42, a biasing member is not necessarily required. For example, the claw members 51, 52 may be configured to be housed in a direction slightly inclined downward from the horizontal direction, rather than being housed in the horizontal direction (X direction (see FIG. 3)). In this way, the claw members 51, 52, which have been pressed by the workpiece and housed in the fingers 41, 42, can be changed to a state in which they protrude from the inner surfaces of the fingers 41, 42 due to their own weight when released from the pressure of the workpiece.

[0040] In this embodiment, a motor is used as the drive source for driving the pair of fingers 41, 42. However, the drive source is not limited to this. For example, other mechanisms such as an air cylinder or a hydraulic cylinder can be used as the drive source for the pair of fingers 41, 42.

[0041] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as within the scope of the invention described in the claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 1...robot hand, 10...hand base, 20...rail base, 21, 22...side wall, 23, 24...rail, 31, 32...slider block, 41, 42...fingers, 51, 52...jaw members, 90...support member

Claims

1. a pair of fingers provided so as to be able to move toward and away from each other to hold the first workpiece; a pair of claw members provided on the pair of fingers, respectively, for hooking a second workpiece, the claw members being changeably provided between a state in which they protrude from the contact surface of the finger with respect to the first workpiece and a state in which they are pressed into the finger; Equipped with the pair of fingers are configured as linear columns with flat contact surfaces, and their center lines are parallel to each other and are provided in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the pair of fingers approach and move away from each other; A robot hand in which each of the pair of claw members is configured as a plate having an L-shape in a planar view, and the portion located on the tip side of the finger is oriented to protrude more from the contact surface than the other portions.

2. a pair of fingers provided so as to be able to move toward and away from each other to hold the first workpiece; a pair of claw members provided on the pair of fingers, respectively, for hooking a second workpiece, the claw members being changeably provided between a state in which they protrude from the contact surface of the finger with respect to the first workpiece and a state in which they are pressed into the finger; Equipped with the pair of fingers are configured as linear columns with flat contact surfaces, and their center lines are parallel to each other and are disposed in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which they approach and move away from each other; A robot hand, wherein each of the pair of claw members is configured as a wide, thin plate, the surface of which is oriented parallel to the direction along the center line of the finger and the direction of approach and separation, and the tip side of the finger is supported so as to be freely rotatable around a rotation axis perpendicular to the surface.

3. The robot hand according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a biasing member that biases the claw member in a direction in which the claw member protrudes from the contact surface.

4. The robot hand according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the claw members are provided on the tip sides of the fingers.

5. The robot hand according to claim 1 , wherein the claw members are completely retractable within the fingers.

6. 6. The robot hand according to claim 1, further comprising a support member for suppressing oscillation of the first workpiece held by the pair of fingers or the second workpiece hooked by the pair of claw members.

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