Holding device

Abstract

The purpose of the present disclosure is to, with respect to a gripping device that grips an object, provide utility that enables a gripping action and various tasks to be performed. A gripping device according to the present disclosure comprises a first member and a second member that extend from an arm part. The first member and the second member are configured so as to grip an object by sandwiching the object. The rigidity of the first member is greater than the rigidity of the second member.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a gripping device for gripping an object. [Background technology]

[0002] Automation of tasks using robots is a useful means for improving work efficiency. The tasks that robots perform vary depending on the object to be automated. Robot structures also vary depending on the diverse tasks.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a robot hand equipped with a mechanism for moving at least one of the first finger portion and the second finger portion along the opposing direction of the first finger portion and the second finger portion (see abstract). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-202370 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] It is desirable to optimize the structure of a robot depending on the task that the robot is to perform. On the other hand, optimizing the structure of a robot for a specific task reduces the robot's versatility, making it difficult to automate tasks other than that specific task. Robots such as those described in Patent Document 1 are usually optimized depending on the task that they are to perform, making it difficult for them to perform a wide variety of tasks.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a gripping device for gripping an object that can perform a variety of tasks in addition to gripping operations. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The gripping device according to the present disclosure comprises a first member and a second member extending from an arm portion, the first member and the second member being configured to sandwich and grip an object, and the rigidity of the first member being greater than the rigidity of the second member. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The gripping device according to the present disclosure can provide versatility that allows it to perform a variety of tasks in addition to gripping operations. Problems, configurations, advantages, and the like other than those described above will become clear from the description of the following embodiments. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a side view showing the configuration of a gripping device 1 according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] 2A to 2C are diagrams illustrating a process in which the gripping device 1 grips the object 2. [Figure 3] 3 is a diagram illustrating the rigidity of a first member 13 and the rigidity of a second member 14. FIG. [Figure 4] 10 is an example of a member that connects the second member 14 and the arm portion 12. [Figure 5] 4 is a side view showing the shape of the tip portion of the first member 13 or the second member 14. FIG. [Figure 6] 10 shows an example of an operation that can be performed using tapered portion 131. [Figure 7] 7 shows an example of an elastic body 701 that sandwiches an object 2. [Figure 8] 10 shows an example of an operation that can be performed using the resin part 15. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the distance between the arm 12 and the point of force. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a side view showing an example of the configuration of a gripping device 1 according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 11] 4A and 4B are diagrams showing an example of a configuration in which the rigidity of the second member 14 is reduced. [Figure 12] 4A and 4B are diagrams showing an example of a configuration in which the rigidity of the second member 14 is reduced. [Figure 13] 10 is an example of an operation for grasping an object 2 having a recess. [Figure 14]An example of a configuration with strain sensor 1401 installed. [Figure 15] 10 is an example in which an elastic body 162 is disposed between the second member 14 and the arm portion 12. [Figure 16] 10 shows a modified example of the elastic body 162. [Figure 17] 10 shows a modified example of the elastic body 162. [Figure 18] A modified example of the recess 132. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] <Embodiment 1> 1 is a side view showing the configuration of a gripping device 1 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. The gripping device 1 is a device for gripping an object. The gripping device 1 (robot) includes a main body 11, an arm 12, a first member 13, a second member 14, and a resin part 15.

[0011] The main body 11 is the main body of the gripping device 1. The arm 12 extends from the main body 11 and can perform various movements (e.g., rotational movements) by means of the main body 11. The first member 13 is attached to a first portion 121, which is the tip of the arm 12, and extends at a substantially right angle to the direction in which the arm 12 extends (at least in a direction that is not parallel to the direction in which the arm 12 extends). The second member 14 is attached to the arm 12 at a slight distance from the first member 13 and extends in substantially the same direction as the first member 13 (at least in a direction that is not parallel to the direction in which the arm 12 extends).

[0012] The position of the first member 13 is fixed relative to the arm 12. The second member 14 is movable along the extension direction of the arm 12. The rigidity of the first member 13 is configured to be greater than the rigidity of the second member 14. For example, the first member 13 can be made of SUS (Steel Use Stainless) and the second member 14 can be made of aluminum, but the materials are not limited to these.

[0013] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the process by which the gripping device 1 grips the object 2. In the initial state, the arm 12 is positioned above the object 2. The gripping device 1 moves the second member 14 in a direction away from the first member 13 (FIG. 2(1)). The gripping device 1 moves the arm 12 downward (toward the object 2) (FIG. 2(2)). By moving the arm 12, the gripping device 1 brings the side of the first member 13 into contact with the side of the object 2 (FIG. 2(3)). The gripping device 1 moves the second member 14 in a direction toward the first member 13 (FIG. 2(4)). Through the above operations, the first member 13 and the second member 14 sandwich the object 2, thereby enabling the object 2 to be gripped.

[0014] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the rigidity of the first member 13 and the rigidity of the second member 14. When the rigidity of the first member 13 is stronger (upper part of FIG. 3), the second member 14 bends when the first member 13 and the second member 14 grasp the object 2. This means that the first member 13 is used as the reference position for grasping the object 2, and this reference position does not change. This results in high operational reproducibility of the grasping device 1. When the rigidity of the first and second members is the same (middle part of FIG. 3), both the first and second members 13 and 14 bend when the object 2 is grasped. This causes the reference position for grasping to shift from the first portion 121, resulting in lower operational reproducibility of the grasping device 1 than in the upper part of FIG. 3. When the rigidity of the second member 14 is stronger (lower part of FIG. 3), the first member 13 bends when the object 2 is grasped. This causes the reference position for grasping to shift from the first portion 121, resulting in lower operational reproducibility of the grasping device 1 than in the upper part of FIG. 3. Therefore, when the first portion 121 (that is, the first member 13) is set as the reference position, it is desirable that the rigidity of the first member 13 is stronger than the rigidity of the second member 14.

[0015] FIG. 4 shows an example of a member that connects the second member 14 and the arm 12. The second member 14 and the arm 12 can be connected by an elastic body 161. In other words, the second member 14 in FIG. 4 has the elastic body 161. The second member 14 is L-shaped, and the elastic body 161 extends along the arm 12 in the direction opposite to the direction toward the first member 13. By moving the second member 14 toward the first member 13 (sliding the upper surface of the elastic body 161 toward the first member 13), the elastic body 161 is deformed as shown in the lower part of FIG. 4. As a result, the reference position for the gripping operation does not change from the first part 121.

[0016] 4, the rigidity of the second member 14 excluding the elastic body 161 may be approximately the same as that of the first member 13. This is because the rigidity of the elastic body 161 of the second member 14 is weaker than the rigidity of the first member 13, and therefore the rigidity of the second member 14 as a whole when the second member 14 sandwiches the object 2 is weaker than the rigidity of the first member 13.

[0017] <Embodiment 1: Summary> The gripping device 1 according to this embodiment includes a first member 13 and a second member 14 extending from an arm 12, and is configured to be able to grip an object 2 with the first member 13 and the second member 14, with the rigidity of the first member 13 being stronger than the rigidity of the second member 14. This makes it possible to achieve a gripping operation with good reproducibility without changing the reference position of the gripping operation.

[0018] In the gripping device 1 according to this embodiment, the first member 13 and the second member 14 can take various postures by the arm 12 and the main body 11 (a drive mechanism that changes the posture of the arm 12). This allows, for example, various types of operations to be performed by the tip of the first member 13 (or the second member 14). Specific examples of the operations will be described in the following embodiments.

[0019] <Embodiment 2> Fig. 5 is a side view showing the shape of the tip portion of the first member 13 or the second member 14. At least one of the first member 13 or the second member 14 may be configured to have the tip portion shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 5 shows the tip portion of the first member 13 as an example, but the second member 14 may also have a similar structure. Alternatively, only the second member 14 may have a similar structure. The other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0020] The tip portion of the first member 13 has a tapered portion 131 that tapers toward the tip. The inclined portion of the tapered portion 131 further has a recessed portion 132. The tapered portion 131 can be formed from, for example, a resin material. The following operations can be performed using the tapered portion 131 and the recessed portion 132. The same applies to the second member 14.

[0021] Fig. 6 shows examples of operations that can be performed using the tapered portion 131. The gripping device 1 can perform various operations using the tapered portion 131. Fig. 6 shows some examples of these operations.

[0022] Figure 6(1): When accessing an object stored in the drawer structure 601, the recess 132 is hooked onto the slit portion of the drawer structure 601 and the drawer structure 601 is pulled out forward. This allows access to the object stored in the drawer structure 601. The pulled-out object can also be pushed back into its original position by the tapered portion 131.

[0023] 6(2): The jig 602 can be raised and lowered while being supported from below by the tapered portion 131. At this time, it is more preferable to position the jig 602 so that a part of it fits into the recess 132, as this stabilizes the position of the jig 602.

[0024] Figure 6(3): A button can be pressed using the tapered portion 131. Alternatively, the door 603 can be opened or closed by pressing the tapered portion 131 against the door 603, which opens and closes when pushed.

[0025] FIG. 7 shows an example of an elastic body 701 that clamps the object 2. The upper part of FIG. 7 shows a side view of the gripping device 1, and the lower part of FIG. 7 shows a side view of the first member 13 (or the second member 14). The elastic body 701 may be attached to the side surface of at least one of the first member 13 and the second member 14 (both in FIG. 7) that clamps the object 2. The elastic body 701 acts as a non-slip surface when the object 2 is gripped. The elastic body 701 can be made of a material that generates a certain degree of frictional force when the object 2 is gripped. The elastic body 701 is attached so as to encompass at least a portion of the area of ​​the first member 13 (or the second member 14) that grips the object 2. The other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0026] If the object 2 is grasped without attaching the elastic body 701, and the force to hold the object 2 is insufficient, the object 2 may be held in a position where it is held only by the point of application, which may result in an unstable posture of the object 2. By using a material that is somewhat soft as the elastic body 701, when the object 2 is grasped, the elastic body 701 will concave and envelop the object 2, allowing the object 2 to be grasped stably. Furthermore, by using a material as the elastic body 701 that generates a certain amount of friction between the elastic body 701 and the object 2, the grasped state can be further stabilized.

[0027] <Embodiment 3> FIG. 8 shows examples of operations that can be performed using the resin part 15. The gripping device 1 can perform various operations using the resin part 15. FIG. 8 shows some examples. The resin part 15 has a first protrusion 151 that protrudes from the arm portion 12. The first protrusion 151 protrudes from the arm portion 12 in the direction opposite to the direction in which the first member 13 extends. The resin part 15 further has a second protrusion 152. The second protrusion 152 is disposed at the tip of the first protrusion 151. The second protrusion 152 protrudes in the direction opposite to the direction from the first member 13 toward the second member 14. The first protrusion 151 and the second protrusion 152 can perform the operations exemplified below. The configuration of the gripping device 1 is the same as in the above embodiment.

[0028] FIG. 8(1): The door 801 can be opened by hooking the second protrusion 152 onto the groove (handle) of the door 801 and pulling the door 801.

[0029] FIG. 8(2): Door 802 can be closed by pushing it in with resin part 15. Although a certain amount of force is applied to door 802 by the pushing action, since resin part 15 is made of a resin material, there is almost no risk of damaging door 802.

[0030] FIG. 8(3): The drawer structure 803 can be pulled out by hooking the second protrusion 152 onto the groove (handle) of the drawer structure 803 and pulling the drawer structure 803.

[0031] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the distance between the arm 12 and the force point. Here, an example of an operation of pulling the drawer structure 803 is shown. When the drawer structure 803 is pulled using the resin part 15 (upper part of FIG. 9), the distance between the force point and the arm 12 is short, so the moment applied to the gripping device 1 is small. Therefore, operations with a higher load can be performed. When the drawer structure 803 is pulled using the first member 13 (or the second member 14) (lower part of FIG. 9), the distance between the force point and the arm 12 is longer than in the upper part of FIG. 9, so the moment applied to the gripping device 1 is larger than in the upper part of FIG. 9. Therefore, only operations with a lower load can be performed. In view of the above, when performing operations that involve a large load, it is desirable to perform the operation shown in the upper part of FIG. 9 (resin part 15).

[0032] <Embodiment 4> A fourth embodiment of the present disclosure will be described, which is a modified example of each part of the gripping device 1. Since the other configurations are the same as those of the above embodiments, the following mainly describes the points that are different from the above embodiments.

[0033] FIG. 10 is a side view showing a configuration example of the gripping device 1 according to the fourth embodiment. At least one of the first member 13 and the second member 14 may have a material 1001 such as silicone rubber attached to the tip. For example, a capacitive touch panel can be operated using the material 1001. Alternatively, the material 1001 may be made of other rubber materials and used as a non-slip material to grip the object 2. In this case, the material 1001 can play the same role as the elastic body 701.

[0034] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration in which the rigidity of the second member 14 is reduced. In order to make the rigidity of the second member 14 lower than that of the first member 13, a portion of the second member 14 may be formed as a hole 141. As a result, even if the material of the first member 13 and the material of the second member 14 are the same, the rigidity of the second member 14 will be lower. This makes it possible to realize the configuration described in the first embodiment. The hole 141 does not necessarily have to penetrate the second member 14; the same effect can be achieved by recessing part of the rectangular portion of the second member 14. Such recesses will also be referred to as the hole 141.

[0035] 12 is a diagram showing a configuration example in which the rigidity of the second member 14 is reduced. Even if the first member 13 and the second member 14 are made of the same material, the second member 14 has lower rigidity by making the second member 14 thinner than the first member 13. This makes it possible to realize the configuration described in the first embodiment.

[0036] FIG. 13 shows an example of an operation for gripping an object 2 having a recess. The gripping device 1 moves the tip of the first member 13 and the tip of the second member 14 to positions at the same height as the inner wall of the recess (FIG. 13(1)). The gripping device 1 moves the arm 12 so as to press the first member 13 against the inner wall of the recess (FIG. 13(2)). The gripping device 1 moves the second member 14 so as to press the second member 14 against the other inner wall of the recess (FIG. 13(3)). This makes it possible to grip the object 2 from inside the recess.

[0037] FIG. 14 shows a configuration example in which a strain sensor 1401 is attached. In FIG. 14, the strain sensor 1401 is attached to at least one of the first member 13 and the second member 14. The gripping device 1 can detect the state in which the object 2 is being gripped (e.g., whether or not it is being gripped, the strength of the gripping force, etc.) based on the detection result. When using a sensor that detects the strain of the second member 14 based on the difference between the strain of the first member 13 and the strain of the second member 14, the strain sensor 1401 is attached to both the first member 13 and the second member 14. When using a sensor that detects the strain of the second member 14 alone, it is sufficient to attach the strain sensor 1401 only to the second member 14.

[0038] FIG. 15 shows an example in which an elastic body 162 is disposed between the second member 14 and the arm 12. The arm 12 and the second member 14 are connected via a portion 122 protruding from the arm 12 and the elastic body 162. In other words, the second member 14 is provided with the elastic body 162. By pressing the second member 14 against the object 2, the elastic body 162 collapses (lower part of FIG. 15). This makes it possible to grasp the object 2 without changing the reference position for the grasping operation.

[0039] 16 and 17 show modified examples of the elastic body 162. The elastic body 162 may be configured by a spring (FIG. 16) or a damper (FIG. 17). In either configuration, the same effect as in FIG. 15 can be achieved.

[0040] Figure 18 shows modified examples of the recess 132. Examples of the shape of the recess 132 include: a curved surface (Figure 18(1)); a V-shaped notch (Figure 18(2)); a depression that opens to the base of the tapered portion 131 (Figure 18(3)); and a triangular notch formed by two sides of different lengths (Figure 18(4)).

[0041] <Modifications of the present disclosure> The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments and includes various modifications. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present disclosure, and it is not necessary to include all of the described configurations. Furthermore, a part of one embodiment can be replaced with a configuration of another embodiment. Furthermore, a configuration of another embodiment can be added to a configuration of one embodiment. Furthermore, a part of the configuration of each embodiment can be added to, deleted from, or substituted for a part of the configuration of another embodiment.

[0042] In the above embodiment, each operation performed by the gripping device 1 can be realized by, for example, storing in advance in a storage device data describing the amount of movement of each part for each operation step, and instructing a combination of the operation steps. For example, data specifying the amount of movement of each part in each of steps (1) to (4) in Fig. 2 may be stored, and the gripping device 1 may be instructed to perform each step in the order shown in Fig. 2.

[0043] In the above embodiment, the drive mechanism for sliding the second member 14 along the arm portion 12 may be an electric actuator, a pneumatic cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, or the like.

[0044] In the above embodiment, the resin part 15 is attached to the first portion 121 at the tip of the arm 12. However, the front surface of the resin part 15 (the surface when the resin part 15 is viewed from the right side in FIG. 1 ) and the front surface of the arm 12 (the surface when the arm 12 is viewed from the right side in FIG. 1 ) do not necessarily have to be on the same plane. For example, the resin part 15 may be positioned slightly away from the first portion 121 toward the main body 11. That is, the position of the resin part 15 may be slightly changed as long as it does not interfere with the operation performed by the resin part 15. A member similar to the resin part 15 may be added to the upper surface of the arm 12 (the upper surface of the arm 12 in FIG. 1 ), thereby performing the same operation as in the above embodiment. The material of the resin part 15 may be changed as long as the operation described in the above embodiment can be performed. For example, a rubber material may be used.

[0045] In the above embodiment, the first member 13 is described as being attached to the first portion 121, but similar to the resin part 15, the front surface of the first member 13 and the front surface of the arm portion 12 do not necessarily have to be on the same plane. [Explanation of symbols]

[0046] 1: Gripping device 11: Main body 12: Arm 13: First member 14: Second member 15: Resin parts

Claims

1. A gripping device for gripping an object, arm, a first member fixed to a first portion at an end of the arm portion and extending from the first portion in a direction not parallel to the direction in which the arm portion extends; a second member disposed in parallel with the first member and movable along the arm; Equipped with the first member and the second member are configured to be able to sandwich and grasp the object, At least one of the first member and the second member has a tapered portion tapering toward a tip thereof, The inclined portion of the tapered portion has a recess that is recessed in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the inclined portion. A gripping device characterized by:

2. the second member includes a first elastic body, the arm portion and the second member are connected by the first elastic body being connected to the arm portion, The first elastic body stretches in a direction opposite to a direction from the second member to the first member, so that the second member forms an L-shape.

2. The gripping device according to claim 1.

3. a second portion that is a tip end of the first member that is not connected to the arm portion; or a third portion that is a tip end of the second member that is not connected to the arm portion; At least one of the above has the recess.

2. The gripping device according to claim 1.

4. the first member and the second member are rectangular members extending from the arm portion, the second portion and the third portion are tapered portions disposed at the tip of the rectangular member, The recess is formed in the tapered portion.

4. The gripping device according to claim 3.

5. A second elastic body is attached to at least one of the opposing surfaces of the second portion and the third portion.

4. The gripping device according to claim 3.

6. The gripping device further includes a first protrusion formed to protrude from the arm portion in a direction opposite to the direction in which the first member extends in the first region.

2. The gripping device according to claim 1.

7. The first protrusion includes a second protrusion formed to protrude in a direction not parallel to a direction in which the first protrusion protrudes from the arm portion and in a direction opposite to a direction from the first member toward the second member.

7. The gripping device according to claim 6.

8. The length by which the first protrusion protrudes from the arm portion is shorter than the length by which the first member or the second member protrudes from the arm portion.

7. The gripping device according to claim 6.

9. At least one of the second portion and the third portion is made of an elastic material.

4. The gripping device according to claim 3.

10. the first member and the second member are made of the same material, The second member has a hollow portion or is thinner than the first member, so that the rigidity of the first member is greater than the rigidity of the second member.

2. The gripping device according to claim 1.

11. The gripping device further includes a strain sensor that detects a state in which the first member and the second member are gripping the object by detecting a deflection of the second member.

2. The gripping device according to claim 1.

12. the second member has a second elastic body, The arm portion and the second member are connected by connecting a member protruding from the arm portion to the second elastic body, The second elastic body is arranged to contract in accordance with the clamping strength when the first member and the second member clamp the object to hold it.

2. The gripping device according to claim 1.

13. The recessed portion is Curved depressions, isosceles triangular depressions, depressions formed by two sides of a triangle with different lengths, rectangular depressions, Contains at least one of the following:

4. The gripping device according to claim 3.

14. The gripping device The recess is pulled out by hooking it into a slit of a pull-out structure. raising and lowering the arm while supporting an object by the recess; Opening and closing a door that opens and closes by pressing or pushing a button using the second part or the third part. At least one of the following will be carried out:

5. The gripping device according to claim 4.

15. The gripping device The door is opened by hooking the second protrusion onto a handle of the door. The door is closed by being pushed in by the first protrusion or the second protrusion. The second protrusion is pulled out by hooking it into a slit of the pull-out structure. At least one of the following will be carried out:

8. The gripping device according to claim 7.

16. the object has a second recess; The gripping device pressing the first member against one of the inner walls of the second recess; The second member is pressed against the other of the inner walls of the second recess by moving the second member in a direction away from the first member. By doing so, the object is grasped via the second recess.

2. The gripping device according to claim 1.

17. the gripping device includes a drive mechanism that changes the posture of the arm; The drive mechanism is configured to change the type of movement performed by the gripping device by changing the posture of the arm.

2. The gripping device according to claim 1.

18. The first member and the second member are configured so that the rigidity of the first member is greater than the rigidity of the second member.

2. The gripping device according to claim 1.

Images