Adaptive Robot Gripper With Four-Bar Links for Surface Constraints
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing robot grippers fail to adequately consider environmental constraints, leading to collisions and ineffective pinch grip on objects, especially when interacting with surfaces of varying inclinations.
Innovation Solution
A robot gripper design featuring symmetrically facing finger units with a four-bar link mechanism and a parallelogrammic link device, operated by a single motor, allowing the fingertips to adapt to environmental constraints by sliding on surfaces and applying forces to grip objects effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a traditional gripper with one driver per finger module is used, then the gripper can achieve object-adaptive grasp, but the device complexity increases and environmental constraints are not adequately considered
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple finger modules into a single integrated gripper structure that operates with one driver. The finger modules are combined through a common transmission mechanism that allows coordinated movement, reducing the number of drivers from multiple to one while maintaining the ability to adapt to different object shapes and sizes.
Solution Approach 2:
The gripper design incorporates a universal transmission mechanism that can perform multiple functions: pinch grip for small objects, power grip for large objects, and adaptation to various surface inclinations. This multi-functional mechanism eliminates the need for separate drivers for each finger module, achieving versatility with simplified complexity.
2Ease of operation
If the fingertip maintains a perpendicular angle by a parallelogram mechanism, then the gripper can pinch small objects, but collisions and contacts with the table surface occur frequently
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the static parallelogram mechanism with a dynamic transmission mechanism that can adjust the fingertip angle adaptively. The mechanism allows the fingertip to change its orientation dynamically during the gripping process, enabling the gripper to maintain pinch grip ability while avoiding collisions with the table surface by adapting to environmental constraints.
Solution Approach 2:
The gripper changes the operational parameters of the fingertip, specifically the angle relative to the object surface. Instead of maintaining a fixed perpendicular angle, the system dynamically adjusts this parameter based on the object's position and environmental constraints, preventing harmful collisions while preserving effective pinch grip.
3Ease of manufacture
If the gripper is designed without considering environmental constraints, then the design process is simpler, but the gripper fails to adapt to surface inclinations and collisions occur
Solution Approach 1:
The gripper incorporates a self-adapting mechanism that automatically adjusts to environmental constraints without requiring complex external control systems. The transmission mechanism inherently responds to surface inclinations and object positions, enabling the gripper to adapt to environmental constraints while maintaining design simplicity through passive adaptation rather than active control.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a robot gripper. The robot gripper comprises: at least two finger units which symmetrically face each other; finger tips which are provided at the terminal ends of the finger units and linked with the operation of the finger units; and a driving unit connected to the finger units so as to operate the finger units. When the finger units are operated, the finger tips pinch-grip an object by moving toward an inner area, which at least two of the finger units form by facing each other, while adapting to conflicts with constraints of the external environment. A force applied to the finger tips in order to enable the pinch grip can act in a direction that raises the object while being applied toward the inner area, or act in a direction lowering the object while being applied toward the inner area.