Non-powered gripper

Abstract

A non-powered gripper according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a gripper body coupled to the end of a robot arm, a pair of gripping parts each provided on both sides of the lower end of the gripper body to grip both upper sides of the rear end of a kitchen tool, and a handle support part formed by being recessed at the lower end of the gripper body between the pair of gripping parts to support the handle portion of the kitchen tool.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a non-powered gripper, and more specifically, to a non-powered gripper that operates without power and can smoothly and stably grip kitchen tools such as frying nets, thereby improving the efficiency and safety of cooking operations. Background Technology

[0003] As automation technology using robots advances, the use of robots in various tasks that are dangerous for humans to perform directly is increasing.

[0004] Recently, with the advancement of artificial intelligence technology, there has been active development of service robots capable of performing various services according to programmed content, moving beyond manufacturing robots that were previously adopted to perform dangerous or repetitive work processes in production sites.

[0005] For example, food tech, which integrates technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, and the Internet of Things (IoT) into the food industry, is attracting attention, and as part of this, food manufacturing robots are being developed and commercialized.

[0006] In order for a food preparation robot, or a cooking robot, to be able to cook food, it must be able to perform various movements, such as rotating or moving up and down or left and right, while stably holding the ingredients to be cooked or the kitchen tools containing such ingredients.

[0007] To this end, conventional cooking robots are equipped with a gripper for kitchen tools such as frying nets at the end of the robot arm. However, since most kitchen tools used previously were designed to be easy for humans to grip, there were limitations in stably gripping kitchen tools such as frying nets using the gripper of a conventional cooking robot, which differed from the structure of human finger joints.

[0008] Accordingly, there is a need to develop a gripper with a new configuration capable of easily and stably gripping kitchen tools such as frying nets, and a cooking robot equipped with such a gripper.

[0010] Related prior art includes Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2019-0112679 (Title of invention: Robot system and control method thereof). The problem to be solved

[0012] An embodiment of the present invention provides a non-powered gripper that operates without power and can smoothly and stably grip kitchen tools such as frying nets, thereby improving the efficiency and stability of cooking operations.

[0014] The problems that the present invention aims to solve are not limited to the problem(s) mentioned above, and other unmentioned problems will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below. means of solving the problem

[0016] A non-powered gripper according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a gripper body coupled to the end of a robot arm, a pair of gripping parts each provided on both sides of the lower end of the gripper body to grip both upper sides of the rear end of a kitchen tool, and a handle support part formed by being recessed at the lower end of the gripper body between the pair of gripping parts to support the handle portion of the kitchen tool.

[0017] According to one aspect, the gripper body comprises a first body member detachably coupled to the end of the robot arm, a second body member obliquely coupled to the end of the first body member, and a third body member coupled to the end of the second body member and having the handle support portion, wherein the pair of gripping portions may be symmetrically provided on both sides of the lower end of the third body member.

[0018] According to one aspect, a first reinforcing member may be provided on the front surface of the first body member and the second body member, having a direction perpendicular to the plane direction of the first body member and the second body member, with one side connected to the first body member and the other side connected to the second body member to reinforce the connection between the first body member and the second body member.

[0019] delete

[0020] According to one aspect, the handle support is formed to be recessed upward in the central area of ​​the lower part of the third body member, and is inclined toward the center as it extends upward, so as to have an isosceles trapezoidal shape with the upper end shorter than the lower end, and may include an inclined member that supports the handle portion of the kitchen tool.

[0021] According to one aspect, the handle support may further include a handle positioning member formed to be recessed in a vertical direction from both ends of the upper portion of the inclined member, thereby supporting the handle portion of the kitchen tool.

[0022] According to one aspect, at least one second reinforcing member may be provided on the rear surface of the second body member and the third body member, having a direction perpendicular to the plane direction of the second body member and the third body member, with one side connected to the second body member and the other side connected to the third body member to reinforce the connection between the second body member and the third body member.

[0023] According to one aspect, the at least one second reinforcing member may be a pair of second reinforcing members disposed on both sides of the rear of the second body member and the third body member with the handle support member in between.

[0024] According to one aspect, the pair of gripping parts may be provided in a U-shape with the upper end open.

[0025] delete Effects of the invention

[0027] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a kitchen tool such as a frying net can be gripped smoothly and stably by a non-powered gripper detachably coupled to a robot arm, thereby improving the efficiency and stability of cooking operations. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0029] FIG. 1 is a drawing illustrating the state of gripping the handle portion of a kitchen tool using a non-powered gripper according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the front of the unpowered gripper illustrated in Figure 1. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the rear of the non-powered gripper illustrated in FIG. 1. Figure 4 is an enlarged view of Figure 1 showing a kitchen tool being gripped by the gripping part and the handle support part of the gripper. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the front of a non-powered gripper according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the rear of the non-powered gripper illustrated in FIG. 5. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0030] The advantages and / or features of the present invention and the methods for achieving them will become clear by referring to the embodiments described below in detail together with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below but may be implemented in various different forms. These embodiments are provided merely to ensure that the disclosure of the present invention is complete and to fully inform those skilled in the art of the scope of the invention, and the present invention is defined only by the scope of the claims. Throughout the specification, the same reference numerals refer to the same components.

[0032] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0033] FIG. 1 is a drawing showing the state of gripping the handle portion of a kitchen tool using a non-powered gripper according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the front of the non-powered gripper shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the rear of the non-powered gripper shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of FIG. 1 showing the kitchen tool being gripped by the gripping portion and the handle support portion of the gripper.

[0034] As illustrated in these drawings, a cooking robot according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a robot arm (1) having a plurality of joints and a non-powered gripper (100) detachably coupled thereto.

[0035] First, the robot arm (1) is driven by a driving force provided by the driving unit of the cooking robot as shown in FIG. 1, and a plurality of joints are connected to enable rotation, multi-directional linear movement, or tilting movement, thereby enabling smooth operation of the non-powered gripper (100) provided at its end.

[0036] Meanwhile, the non-powered gripper (100) of the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, is coupled to the end of a robot arm (1) to grip a kitchen tool, such as a frying net (10), and move it to a desired position. It may include a gripper body (110), a pair of gripping parts (170) provided on the gripper body (110), and a handle support part (150) provided on the gripper body (110).

[0037] With this configuration, kitchen tools such as frying nets (10) can be easily and firmly grasped, and through this, cooking processes such as frying can be smoothly performed using a cooking robot instead of a person.

[0038] To describe each configuration, the gripper body (110) of the present embodiment may include a first body member (111) detachably coupled to the end of the robot arm (1) as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a second body member (115) inclinedly coupled to the end of the first body member (111), and a third body member (118) coupled to the end of the second body member (115), having a handle support (150) and a pair of gripping parts (170) symmetrically provided on both sides of the lower end.

[0039] These gripper bodies (110) may be provided by individually manufacturing each body member and then joining them together using a method such as welding. Alternatively, the gripper body (110) may be provided as a single unit.

[0040] The first body member (111) of the present embodiment is provided in the shape of a circular plate and is provided with a plurality of screw holes (113) along its outer edge, through which it can be screw-coupled to the end of the robot arm (1) using a screw. By this coupling method, the non-powered gripper (100) of the present embodiment can be easily coupled to the end of the robot arm (1) and also easily separated, thereby allowing for smooth replacement or maintenance work of the non-powered gripper (100).

[0041] The second body member (115) of the present embodiment may have, for example, an isosceles trapezoidal shape, and its upper end may be inclinedly connected to the end of the first body member (111).

[0042] At this time, a first reinforcing member (120) may be provided to reinforce the connection between the first body member (111) and the second body member (115).

[0043] The first reinforcing member (120) is provided on the front surface of the first body member (111) and the second body member (115) which are joined at an angle, and can be joined to have a direction perpendicular to the plane direction of the first body member (111) and the second body member (115).

[0044] One side of the first reinforcing member (120) is connected to one side of the first body member (111) and the other side is connected to the second body member (115) to reinforce the connection between the first body member (111) and the second body member (115).

[0045] In other words, when the first body member (111) and the second body member (115) are joined only at their ends, the second body member (115) may bend or break relative to the first body member (111) when a load is applied, but the connection of the second body member (115) relative to the first body member (111) can be stably maintained by the first reinforcing member (120).

[0046] Meanwhile, the third body member (118) of the present embodiment is provided with a pair of gripping parts (170) and a handle support part (150), as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, particularly FIG. 4, so that when gripping a kitchen tool such as a frying net (10), it can be gripped stably without tilting or twisting.

[0047] The upper portion of the third body member (118) is inclinedly connected to the lower portion of the second body member (115), and a pair of second reinforcing members (125) may be provided to reinforce the connection of the third body member (118) to the second body member (115).

[0048] The second reinforcing member (125) is provided on the rear surface of the second body member (115) and the third body member (118) which are joined at an angle as shown in FIG. 3, and can be joined to have a direction perpendicular to the plane direction of the second body member (115) and the third body member (118).

[0049] One side of the second reinforcing member (125) is connected to one side of the second body member (115) and the other side is connected to the third body member (118) to reinforce the connection between the second body member (115) and the third body member (118).

[0050] However, a pair of second reinforcing members (125) may be provided and positioned on both sides of the rear of the second body member (115) and the third body member (118) with the handle support member (150), which will be described later, in between. Thus, the connection of the third body member (118) to the second body member (115) can be firmly maintained.

[0051] Meanwhile, a pair of gripping parts (170) of the present embodiment are provided on each side of the lower end of the third body member (118) of the gripper body (110), as well illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4, particularly FIG. 4, and can grip both upper sides of the rear end of a kitchen tool such as a frying net (10) in a balanced manner.

[0052] This gripping portion (170) may have a U-shape with the upper end open overall, the portion facing forward may be short, and the rear end may be connected to the third body member (118). The front end of the gripping portion (170) may be inserted and hooked, for example, between the nets formed at the rear end of the frying net (10), and then lifted so that the gripping portion (170) can be stably connected to the frying net (10).

[0053] That is, by having one of the nets forming the frying net (10) catch on the inner groove of the frying net (10), when the frying net (10) is lifted by the operation of the cooking robot, the frying net (10) is not detached from the gripping part (170) and the combined state can be firmly maintained.

[0054] In addition, in the case of the present embodiment, since a pair of gripping parts (170) are provided, both sides of the rear end of a kitchen tool such as a frying net (10) can be gripped in a balanced manner, and thereby, when lifting the frying net (10), the frying net (10) can be prevented from shifting to one side.

[0055] delete

[0056] delete

[0057] Meanwhile, the handle support portion (150) of the present embodiment is supported by the handle portion (15) of the kitchen tool being inserted into it, and as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, particularly FIG. 4, by having an inclined structure, the support of the handle portion (15) can be made smoother.

[0058] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, this handle support (150) may include an inclined member (151) formed to be recessed upward in the central region of the lower portion of the third body member (118), and inclined toward the center as it goes upward, so as to be formed in an equilateral trapezoidal shape with the upper portion being shorter than the lower portion.

[0059] Accordingly, the width of the handle support part (150) is greater than the width of the handle part (15) of the frying net (10), so that the handle support part (150) can be smoothly inserted into the inclined member (151) of the handle support part (150), and the inserted handle part (15) can go up along the slope of the inclined member (151) and be positioned at the upper part of the inclined member (151), thereby firmly supporting the handle part (15) of the frying net (10) by the handle support part (150).

[0060] Here, the width of the upper portion of the inclined member (151) has a size corresponding to the width of the handle portion (15), so that the handle portion (15) can maintain a stable state without shaking left and right.

[0061] In this way, according to the present embodiment, a kitchen tool such as a frying net (10) can be gripped smoothly and stably by a non-powered gripper (100) that is detachably coupled to a robot arm (1), thereby improving the efficiency and stability of the cooking operation.

[0063] Meanwhile, a non-powered gripper according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described below, but the description of a configuration substantially corresponding to the non-powered gripper of the aforementioned embodiment will be omitted.

[0064] FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the front of a non-powered gripper according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the rear of the non-powered gripper shown in FIG. 5.

[0065] As illustrated in these drawings, the non-powered gripper (200) according to another embodiment of the present invention differs from the gripper body (110, see FIG. 2) of the aforementioned embodiment in the inclined structure of the gripper body (210).

[0066] In the gripper body (210) of the present embodiment, the angle between the first body member (211) and the second body member (215) when combined may be larger than the angle between the first body member (111) and the second body member (115) of the previously described embodiment. In this case, when combined with a robot arm, the gripping portion (270) and the handle support portion (250) may be positioned further forward than in the previously described embodiment, and thus the handle support portion (250) may support a deeper rear end of the handle portion of the frying net, thereby strengthening the support force.

[0067] However, it is obvious that the angle between the first body member (211) and the second body member (215) in the gripper body (210) is not limited to the embodiments described above but can be selectively provided as needed.

[0068] Meanwhile, the handle support member (250) of the present embodiment may further include a handle position member (255) in addition to the aforementioned inclined member (251). The handle position member (255) may be formed to be recessed in a vertical direction from both ends of the upper portion of the inclined member (251), and the handle portion of the frying net may be positioned thereon. The handle position member (255) may have a width corresponding to the shape of the handle portion, thereby allowing the handle portion to be stably supported.

[0070] Although specific embodiments according to the present invention have been described so far, it is obvious that various modifications are possible within the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the described embodiments, but should be defined by the claims set forth below as well as equivalents thereof.

[0071] As described above, although the present invention has been explained by limited embodiments and drawings, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible from this description by those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs. Accordingly, the concept of the present invention should be understood only by the claims set forth below, and all equivalent or analogous variations thereof shall be considered to fall within the scope of the concept of the present invention. Explanation of the symbols

[0073] 1: Robotic arm 10: Frying net 15: Handle part 100: Non-powered gripper 110: Gripper body 111: First body member 115: Second body member 118: Third body member 120: First reinforcing member 125: Second reinforcing member 150: Handle support 151: Inclined member 170: Waste paper

Claims

Claim 1 A non-powered gripper detachably coupled to the end of a robot arm comprises: a gripper body coupled to the end of the robot arm; a pair of gripping parts each provided on both sides of the lower end of the gripper body to grip both upper sides of the rear end of a kitchen tool; and a handle support part formed by a recess in the lower end of the gripper body corresponding to the pair of gripping parts to support the handle portion of the kitchen tool; wherein the gripper body comprises: a first body member detachably coupled to the end of the robot arm; and a second body member obliquely coupled to the end of the first body member. The apparatus includes a third body member coupled to the end of the second body member and having the handle support portion, wherein a pair of gripping portions are symmetrically provided on both sides of the lower end of the third body member, and a first reinforcing member is provided on the front surface of the first body member and the second body member, having a direction perpendicular to the plane direction of the first body member and the second body member, with one side coupled to the first body member and the other side coupled to the second body member to reinforce the connection between the first body member and the second body member, and at least one second reinforcing member is provided on the rear surface of the second body member and the third body member, having a direction perpendicular to the plane direction of the second body member and the third body member, with one side coupled to the second body member and the other side coupled to the third body member to reinforce the connection between the second body member and the third body member. A non-powered gripper characterized by being equipped. Claim 2 delete Claim 3 delete Claim 4 delete Claim 5 A non-powered gripper according to claim 1, wherein the handle support portion is formed to be recessed upward in the central area of ​​the lower portion of the third body member, and is inclined toward the center as it extends upward, forming an isosceles trapezoidal shape with the upper portion being shorter than the lower portion, and includes an inclined member that supports the handle portion of the kitchen tool. Claim 6 A non-powered gripper according to claim 5, wherein the handle support member further comprises a handle position member formed to be recessed in a vertical direction from both ends of the upper end of the inclined member, thereby supporting the handle portion of the kitchen tool. Claim 7 delete Claim 8 A non-powered gripper according to claim 1, wherein the at least one second reinforcing member is a pair of second reinforcing members disposed on both sides at the rear of the second body member and the third body member with the handle support member in between. Claim 9 A non-powered gripper according to claim 1, characterized in that the pair of gripping parts are provided in a U-shape with an open top. Claim 10 delete

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