Gripper device

Abstract

Provided is a gripper device in which: a driving device (20) for providing rotational driving force in the forward and reverse directions is provided inside a gripper body (10); a guide unit (30) is provided below the gripper body (10) as a structure divided into three portions at equal angular intervals in the radial direction, and has a sliding path formed in each divided structure; a suction unit (40) is provided below the guide unit (30) so as to slide in the radial direction with respect to the center of rotation of the driving device (20), and includes suction pads (41) forming a circular arc and having a flat bottom; a mounting part (50) is provided at the outer side of the gripper body (10), so that the size of the suction unit (40) is actively changed according to the size of a component, the contact area of a suction surface is maximized, and a porous ceramic sintered material is used as the suction pad (41) so as to provide a uniform distribution of the suction surface, thereby enabling components that are thin, are weak in terms of brittleness, and require high precision to be stably gripped by suction.

Description

Gripper device

[0001] The present invention relates to a gripper device for gripping a part so as to move it, and more specifically, to a gripper device for gripping a part by vacuum suction.

[0002] Generally, a gripper that grips a part has two or three fingers installed at the tip, and grips the part by closing or extending the fingers.

[0003] These grippers are widely used in industrial settings implementing automation systems. In particular, they are mounted on the tips of robot arms or the movable mechanisms of workpiece systems to move parts, serving as components of various automation processes such as machining, assembly, and transfer.

[0004] In addition, the structure and operating method of such gripper devices vary depending on the shape or weight of the part being gripped, or the mechanical properties or application of the part.

[0005] However, since known grippers grip components by closing or expanding fingers at the tip, in the case of components that are precise and can be broken or damaged by even small external forces, such as quartz or glass used in semiconductor manufacturing processes, the possibility of component breakage remains even if the gripping force of the fingers is adjusted or the contact surface of the fingers that touches the component is improved with a soft elastic material.

[0006] In addition, as described below, many gripper devices utilizing vacuum suction have been introduced. These grippers are structured to grip flat parts by providing multiple vacuum suction plates and creating a vacuum on these plates by sucking in air. However, in this structure, if the vacuum is destroyed on some of the suction plates, the suction force of those plates is lost, causing the overall suction force to decrease rapidly. Furthermore, as the suction force is concentrated only on a part of the flat surface of the part in contact with the suction plates, problems may arise where the suctioned part of the part is damaged in the case of thin, brittle, or ultra-precision parts.

[0007] In addition, in the case of rubber vacuum suction cups, there is a limitation in that precise position control is not possible because the suction cup deforms due to the weight of the part.

[0008] Meanwhile, according to Patent Document 1 as prior art, a vacuum suction gripper installed on the robot arm of a transfer robot and gripping an object (target) using a vacuum has a structure comprising a plurality of vacuum-type slider bodies having a plurality of tap holes communicating with a vacuum line on the lower side, a vacuum pad having a tap portion formed on the upper side to be tap-coupled to each of the tap holes, and a width adjustment means for adjusting the distance between the plurality of vacuum-type slider bodies.

[0009] In addition, according to Patent Document 2 (the symbol in parentheses is the drawing symbol of Patent Document 2), the vacuum gripper device using a multi-disk for vacuum adsorption is a structure comprising a pad array composed of a plurality of inner adsorption pads arranged in a planar arrangement, wherein the multi-disk protrudes downward from the bottom surface of a flat plate and each inner space (S2) communicates with the exhaust hole, and an outer adsorption pad that protrudes downward from the edge portion of the plate and forms an outer wall surrounding the pad array, wherein the inner space (S1) communicates with the exhaust hole through the inner space (S2).

[0010] The structures of the above patent documents 1 and 2 have a disadvantage in that if the vacuum is destroyed in some of the vacuum suction plates, the suction plate loses its suction power, and the suction power of the object to be suctioned is concentrated in adjacent suction plates, which can lead to a problem of overall reduced suction power.

[0011] In addition, Patent Document 3 discloses a gripper structure for transporting a mobile phone protective case, comprising a gripper body capable of being connected to an external device in a structure for gripping a mobile phone protective case, a finger portion in which a plurality of gripping fingers are arranged at a certain distance apart on the upper part of the gripper body to grip the mobile phone protective case, a manifold portion provided on both sides of the lower part of the gripper body to supply fluid to each of the plurality of gripping fingers, and a connecting hose portion connecting the plurality of gripping fingers to serve as a fluid supply passage.

[0012] In addition, Patent Document 4 also relates to a gripper for gripping a mobile phone protective case, similar to Patent Document 3, and has a structure for gripping a mobile phone case using a plurality of gripper fingers.

[0013] [Prior Art Literature]

[0014] [Patent Literature]

[0015] (Patent Document 1) Korean Registered Patent Publication No. 10-1411546

[0016] (Patent Document 2) Korean Registered Patent Publication No. 10-1597975

[0017] (Patent Document 3) Korean Registered Patent Publication No. 10-2640419

[0018] (Patent Document 4) Korean Registered Patent Publication No. 10-2599670

[0019] The objective of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned problems is to provide a gripper device capable of stably adsorbing and gripping thin, brittle, and precise parts by actively changing the size of the adsorption unit to match the size of the part, maximizing the contact area of ​​the adsorption surface, and evenly dispersing the distribution of the adsorption surface.

[0020] The gripper device of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems is,

[0021] Gripper body (10);

[0022] A driving device (20) disposed inside the above-mentioned gripper body (10) and providing rotational driving force in forward and reverse directions;

[0023] A guide unit (30) installed at the lower part of the gripper body (10) and formed with a structure divided into equal angles in the radial direction based on the rotation center of the driving device (20), wherein a slide movement path is formed in each divided structure;

[0024] An adsorption unit (40) comprising an adsorption pad (41) made of a porous sintered material having a flat bottom surface for adsorbing parts, which is installed at the lower part of the guide unit (30) having a divided structure, driven by the driving device (20) and guided by the guide unit (30) to slide radially with respect to the rotation center of the driving device (20); and

[0025] It includes a mounting part (50) installed on the outside of the gripper body (10).

[0026] In a preferred embodiment, the driving device (20) of the gripper device comprises a servo motor (21) having an output shaft (22) protruding toward the lower part of the gripper body (10), a rotating bracket (23) formed with three equal-angled segmented structures perpendicular to the tip of the output shaft (22) and rotating in forward and reverse directions together with the output shaft (22), and a connecting bracket (24) having one end hinge-connected to the tip of the three segmented structures of the rotating bracket (23) divided at equal angles, wherein the other end of the connecting bracket (24) is hinge-connected to a connecting block (45) that is hinge-connected to the suction pad (41) of the suction unit (40).

[0027] In a preferred embodiment, the guide unit (30) of the gripper device is composed of three guide frames (31) that are divided into three equal angles with respect to the rotation center of the drive device (20) at the bottom of the gripper body (10) and extend radially, and a guide rail (32) that forms a movement path toward the rotation center of the drive device (20) at the bottom of the guide frames (31), and the guide rail (32) is characterized by being slidably inserted into a guide way (46) fixedly installed in the direction of the rotation center of the drive device (20) on the suction unit (40).

[0028] In a preferred embodiment, the adsorption pad (41) of the gripper device is characterized by being formed of a porous ceramic sintered material having a porosity in the range of 70 to 80% of the total volume.

[0029] In a preferred embodiment, the suction pad (41) of the suction unit (40) in the gripper device is formed by forming an arc with adjacent suction pads (41) with a constant width in the radial direction with respect to the rotation center of the driving device (20), and the upper part of the suction pad (41) is provided with a suction pad support (42) that forms a plurality of air passages (43) connected to the upper part of the suction pad (41) to suck air from the suction pad (41).

[0030] In a preferred embodiment, the air passage (43) of the gripper device is characterized by being formed to be evenly distributed on the upper surface of the suction pad (41) so as to maximize the contact area with the upper surface of the lower suction pad (41).

[0031] In a preferred embodiment, a connecting block (45) is installed on one side of the inner diameter direction of the suction pad (41) of the gripper device and hinge-connected to the connecting bracket (24) of the driving device (20) so as to be rotatable in the up, down, left, and right directions, and a guideway (46) is installed on the upper part of the connecting block (45) so as to allow the guide rail (32) of the guide unit (30) to slide and move along a certain length toward the rotation center of the driving device (20).

[0032] In a preferred embodiment, the lower part of the gripper body (10) of the gripper device is characterized by having a plurality of air blowers (11) that spray compressed air onto the surface of the part to be adsorbed when the part is adsorbed through the adsorption pad (41) of the adsorption unit (40).

[0033] In a preferred embodiment, a center guide pin (12) is installed at the lower center of the gripper body (10) of the gripper device so that when the suction unit (40) suctions a part, the center of the part interacts with a shape that can be recognized as the center position of the part to be suctioned, and the center of the part forms an arc and aligns with the center of the suction pad (41).

[0034] In a preferred embodiment, the mounting portion (50) of the gripper device is characterized by being formed by installing a tapered shank portion (51) on the upper part of the gripper body (10).

[0035] In a preferred embodiment, the mounting portion (50) of the gripper device is characterized by having a support bracket (53) installed to protrude from one side of the gripper body (10), and a circular plate-shaped mount flange (52) formed at the tip of the support bracket (53).

[0036] In a preferred embodiment, the mounting portion (50) of the gripper device is characterized by having a tapered shank portion (51) on the upper part of the gripper body (10), a support bracket (53) installed to protrude from one side of the gripper body (10), and a circular plate-shaped mount flange (52) at the tip of the support bracket (53).

[0037] The present invention actively changes the size of the adsorption unit (40) to match the size of the part, maximizes the contact area of ​​the adsorption surface, and uses a porous ceramic sintered material as the adsorption pad (41) to evenly distribute the distribution of the adsorption surface, thereby enabling stable adsorption and gripping of thin, brittle, and precise parts.

[0038] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a gripper device viewed from one side of the upper portion as an embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a gripper device viewed from one side of the lower portion as an embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] FIG. 3 is a side view of a gripper device as an embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] FIG. 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a gripper device as an embodiment of the present invention.

[0042] FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a gripper device as an embodiment of the present invention.

[0043] FIG. 6 is a bottom view of a gripper device as an embodiment of the present invention.

[0044] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of one of the adsorption units of a gripper device as an embodiment of the present invention.

[0045] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of one of the adsorption units with a guide rail mounted on the upper part, as an embodiment of the present invention.

[0046] FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram showing the component adsorption operation of an adsorption pad as an embodiment of the present invention.

[0047] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9.

[0048] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a gripper device viewed from one side of the upper portion as an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a gripper device viewed from one side of the lower portion as an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a side view of a gripper device as an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a gripper device as an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a gripper device as an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a bottom view of a gripper device as an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of one of the adsorption units of a gripper device as an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of one of the adsorption units with a guide rail mounted on the upper portion as an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram showing the component adsorption operation of an adsorption pad as an embodiment of the present invention.

[0049]

[0050] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, the gripper device comprises a gripper body (10) that is generally cylindrical, and a driving device (20) is installed inside the gripper body (10) and arranged along the length of the gripper body (10) to provide rotational driving force in forward and reverse directions.

[0051] In addition, the lower part of the gripper body (10) is formed with a structure divided into three equal angles in the radial direction based on the rotation center of the driving device (20), and a guide unit (30) is installed in each divided structure, wherein a slide movement path is formed.

[0052] In addition, three suction units (40) are installed at the bottom of the guide unit (30) having the above-mentioned three-part structure, each including a suction pad (41) that is guided by the guide unit (30), slides radially with respect to the rotation center of the driving device (20), forms an arc with respect to the rotation center of the driving device (20), and has a flat bottom.

[0053] Additionally, the outside of the gripper body (10) is provided with a mounting part (50) that allows the gripper body (10) to be mounted on another machine or equipment.

[0054]

[0055] Referring to FIGS. 2, 4 to 6, the driving device (20) is installed inside the gripper body (10) and is controlled by a control device (not shown) to rotate in forward and reverse directions and has a servo motor (21) having an output shaft (22) protruding downwards, a rotating bracket (23) formed with three equal-angled segmented structures perpendicular to the tip of the output shaft (22) and rotating together with the output shaft (22) in forward and reverse directions, and a connecting bracket (24) having one end hinge-connected to the tip of the three segmented structures of the rotating bracket (23) divided into equal angles.

[0056] The other end of the above connecting bracket (24) is hinge-connected to a connecting block (45) that is hinge-connected to the suction pad (41) of the suction unit (40) described later.

[0057]

[0058] Additionally, referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the guide unit (30) is composed of three guide frames (31) that are divided at equal angles with respect to the rotation center of the drive device (20) at the bottom of the gripper body (10) and extend radially, and a guide rail (32) that forms a movement path toward the rotation center of the drive device (20) at the bottom of the guide frames (31).

[0059] The above guide rail (32) is inserted so as to be slidably movable into a guideway (46) fixedly installed in the direction of the rotation center of the driving device (20) in the adsorption unit (40) described later.

[0060]

[0061] Meanwhile, referring to FIGS. 4 to 9, each adsorption unit (40) is provided with an adsorption pad (41) formed in an arc shape of a certain width based on the rotation center of the driving device (20) at the bottom, and an adsorption pad support (42) located above the adsorption pad (41) and having a plurality of air passages (43) formed inside that are connected to the top of the adsorption pad (41) to suck air from the adsorption pad (41).

[0062] Preferably, the air passage (43) is formed to be evenly distributed on the upper surface of the adsorption pad (41) so as to maximize the contact area with the upper surface of the lower adsorption pad (41).

[0063] In addition, the inlet of the air passage (43) is connected to an external air intake device (not shown) and a hose (44).

[0064] Meanwhile, the above-mentioned adsorption pad (41) is formed with a flat bottom surface and is made of a porous ceramic sintered material having a porosity of approximately 70 to 80% of the total volume. This porous ceramic sintered material has numerous pores formed inside, some of which are interconnected, and has air permeability according to the porosity. When vacuum pressure is applied through the upper air passage (43), the vacuum pressure is transmitted to the lower surface of the adsorption pad (41) through the pores formed in the adsorption pad (41).

[0065] At this time, the higher the porosity of the adsorption pad (41) made of porous ceramic sintered material, the higher the vacuum adsorption pressure transmitted to the surface of the adsorption pad (41), so that heavy parts can be adsorbed. On the other hand, the lower the porosity of the adsorption pad (41), the lower the vacuum adsorption pressure transmitted to the surface of the adsorption pad (41), so that light parts can be adsorbed.

[0066] However, if a porous ceramic sintered material with a high porosity is used as the adsorption pad (41), heavy parts can be adsorbed under high pressure, but there is a risk of breakage if the parts are not brittle.

[0067] Therefore, it can be used as an adsorption pad (41) of a porous ceramic sintered material with a different porosity depending on the weight of the part and the surface roughness and brittleness of the part being adsorbed.

[0068] Additionally, when the adsorption unit (40) sucks air from an external air intake device through a hose (44) and an air passage (43), air is sucked in at a constant pressure over the entire surface of the lower surface of the adsorption pad (41) made of a porous ceramic sintered material having a porosity, and the flat surface of the part can be adhered to the surface of the adsorption pad (41) where air is sucked in in this way to adsorb the part.

[0069] In addition, a connecting block (45) is installed on one side of the inner diameter direction of the adsorption pad (41) forming an arc shape, which is hinge-connected to the connecting bracket (24) of the driving device (20) so as to be rotatable in the up, down, left, and right directions.

[0070] In addition, a guideway (46) is fixedly installed on the upper part of the connecting block (45) so that the guide rail (32) of the guide unit (30) can slide forward at a certain length toward the rotation center of the driving device (20).

[0071] Accordingly, as the servo motor (21) of the driving device (20) rotates in the forward and reverse directions, the rotating bracket (23) installed on the output shaft (22) of the servo motor (21) rotates, and as the rotating bracket (23) rotates, the connecting bracket (24) pivotally hinged to the front end of the rotating bracket (23) pulls the connecting block (45) of the suction unit (40), thereby causing the suction pad (41) hinged to the connecting block (45) to move.

[0072] At this time, a guideway (46) fixedly installed radially toward the center of the gripper drive device (20) on the upper part of the connecting block (45) is guided by a guide rail (32) of an upper guide unit (30) installed in the same direction, thereby causing the suction pad (41) to move linearly radially toward the center of the drive device (20).

[0073] Accordingly, each adsorption pad (41) maintains an arc shape with the rotation center of the driving device (20) as the center, and the diameter of the arc shape changes according to the forward and reverse rotation movement of the servo motor (21) of the driving device (20).

[0074] Accordingly, the diameter of the suction pad (41) can be adjusted to match the diameter of the part to be grasped by adjusting the diameter of the adjacent suction pad (41) to form an arc according to the diameter of the part to be grasped.

[0075]

[0076] Meanwhile, a plurality of air blowers (11) that spray compressed air are installed at the bottom of the gripper body (10), so that when a part is adsorbed through the adsorption pad (41) of the adsorption unit (40), compressed air is sprayed onto the surface of the part to be adsorbed to remove foreign matter before the adsorption operation is performed, thereby preventing an error in the adsorption of the part by the adsorption pad (41).

[0077]

[0078] Additionally, a center guide pin (12) is installed at the lower center of the gripper body (10) so that when the suction unit (40) suctions a part, it interacts with a groove formed at the center of the surface of the part to be suctioned or a shape recognized as a center position, thereby allowing the center of the part to be aligned with the center of the suction pad (41) that forms an arc.

[0079]

[0080] In addition, on one side of the outside of the gripper body (10), a mounting part (50) is provided so that the gripper body (10) can be mounted on another machine or equipment.

[0081] This mounting portion (50) can be formed by installing a tapered shank portion (51) on the upper part of the gripper body (10). The shank portion (51) is structured so that it can be inserted into the spindle of a machine tool such as a machining center or the tool holder of a tool magazine, thereby allowing the gripper device to be mounted on the spindle of a machine tool or the tool magazine.

[0082] Additionally, the mounting part (50) may be configured such that a support bracket (53) is installed to protrude from one side of the gripper body (10) separately from the shank part (51), and a circular plate-shaped mount flange (52) is formed at the tip of the support bracket (53) to be mounted on the tip of the robot arm.

[0083] Accordingly, the gripper device can be mounted on a robot by the mount flange (52) or mounted on a spindle or tool magazine of a machine tool by the shank part (51), and depending on the purpose of use, it can be mounted on a robot by the mount flange (52) and then replaced and mounted on a spindle of a machine tool by the shank part (51).

[0084]

[0085] As described in the above embodiment, the present invention actively changes the size of the adsorption unit (40) to match the size of the part, maximizes the contact area of ​​the adsorption surface, and uses a porous ceramic sintered material as the adsorption pad (41) to evenly distribute the distribution of the adsorption surface, thereby enabling stable adsorption and gripping of thin, brittle, and precise parts.

[0086] [Explanation of the symbol]

[0087] 10 gripper bodies

[0088] 11 Airblow

[0089] 12 center guide pins

[0090] 20 drive unit

[0091] 21 servo motor

[0092] 22 output axes

[0093] 23 rotating bracket

[0094] 24 connecting brackets

[0095] 30 guide units

[0096] 31 Guide Frame

[0097] 32 guide rails

[0098] 40 adsorption units

[0099] 41 suction pad

[0100] 42 Suction Pad Support

[0101] 43 air passage

[0102] 44 hoses

[0103] 45 connecting blocks

[0104] 46 Guideway

[0105] 50 mounting part

[0106] 51 Sankbu

[0107] 52 Mount Flange

[0108] 53 Support bracket

Claims

1. Gripper body (10); A driving device (20) disposed inside the above-mentioned gripper body (10) and providing rotational driving force in forward and reverse directions; A guide unit (30) installed at the lower part of the gripper body (10) and formed with a structure divided into equal angles in the radial direction based on the rotation center of the driving device (20), wherein a slide movement path is formed in each divided structure; An adsorption unit (40) including an adsorption pad (41) made of a porous sintered material, which is installed at the lower part of the guide unit (30) having a divided structure, is driven by the driving device (20), is guided by the guide unit (30), slides radially with respect to the rotation center of the driving device (20), and has a flat bottom formed for adsorbing parts; and A gripper device comprising a mounting part (50) installed on the outside of the gripper body (10).

2. The gripper device according to claim 1, wherein the driving device (20) comprises a servo motor (21) having an output shaft (22) protruding toward the lower part of the gripper body (10), a rotating bracket (23) formed with three equal-angled segmented structures perpendicular to the tip of the output shaft (22) and rotating in forward and reverse directions together with the output shaft (22), and a connecting bracket (24) having one end hinge-connected to the tip of the three segmented structures of the equally-angled rotating bracket (23), and the other end of the connecting bracket (24) is hinge-connected to a connecting block (45) that is hinge-connected to the suction pad (41) of the suction unit (40).

3. In claim 1, the guide unit (30) is composed of three guide frames (31) that are divided into three equal angles with respect to the rotation center of the driving device (20) at the bottom of the gripper body (10) and extend radially, and a guide rail (32) that forms a movement path toward the rotation center of the driving device (20) at the bottom of the guide frames (31), and the guide rail (32) is slidably inserted into a guide way (46) fixedly installed in the direction of the rotation center of the driving device (20) on the suction unit (40).

4. A gripper device according to claim 1, wherein the adsorption pad (41) is formed of a porous ceramic sintered material having a porosity in the range of 70 to 80% of the total volume.

5. A gripper device according to claim 1, wherein the adsorption pad (41) of the adsorption unit (40) is formed by forming an arc with adjacent adsorption pads (41) with a constant width in the radial direction with respect to the rotation center of the driving device (20), and the upper part of the adsorption pad (41) is provided with an adsorption pad support (42) having a plurality of air passages (43) formed inside that are connected to the upper part of the adsorption pad (41) and suck air from the adsorption pad (41).

6. A gripper device according to claim 5, characterized in that the air passage (43) is formed to be evenly distributed on the upper surface of the adsorption pad (41) to maximize the contact area with the upper surface of the lower adsorption pad (41).

7. A gripper device according to claim 5, wherein a connecting block (45) is installed on one side of the inner diameter direction of the adsorption pad (41) so as to be hinge-coupled to the connecting bracket (24) of the driving device (20) so as to be rotatable in the up, down, left, and right directions, and a guide way (46) is installed on the upper part of the connecting block (45) so as to be inserted so as to be slidably moved by the guide rail (32) of the guide unit (30) in a certain length toward the rotation center of the driving device (20).

8. A gripper device according to claim 1, characterized in that a plurality of air blowers (11) are installed at the lower part of the gripper body (10) to spray compressed air onto the surface of the part to be adsorbed when the part is adsorbed through the adsorption pad (41) of the adsorption unit (40).

9. A gripper device according to claim 1, characterized in that a center guide pin (12) is installed in the lower center of the gripper body (10) so that when the suction unit (40) suctions a part, the center of the part interacts with a shape that can be recognized as the center position of the part to be suctioned, thereby aligning the center of the part with the center of the suction pad (41) that forms an arc.

10. A gripper device according to claim 1, wherein the mounting portion (50) is formed by installing a tapered shank portion (51) on the upper part of the gripper body (10).

11. A gripper device according to claim 1, wherein the mounting portion (50) is formed by installing a support bracket (53) protruding from one side of the gripper body (10) and having a circular plate-shaped mount flange (52) at the tip of the support bracket (53).

12. A gripper device according to claim 1, wherein the mounting portion (50) comprises a tapered shank portion (51) on the upper part of the gripper body (10), a support bracket (53) installed to protrude from one side of the gripper body (10), and a circular plate-shaped mount flange (52) at the tip of the support bracket (53).

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