One-Finger Angular Pneumatic Gripper Integral End Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional one-finger pneumatic grippers have long assembly times, are prone to ring nut failures, and require multiple sizes of ring nuts for different applications, leading to inefficiencies and reduced reliability.
Innovation Solution
The gripper design integrates the first and second ends as integral parts of the body, eliminating the need for ring nuts, and features a piston and spring for movement, with a clamping finger hinged directly to the body, enhancing torsional and flexural rigidity, and using a snap-fit plug to secure components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If ring nuts are used to close the ends of the gripper body, then the gripper can be assembled with standardized components, but the assembly time increases and the reliability decreases due to thread failures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the ring nut functionality directly into the gripper body by integrating the closing elements as integral parts of the tubular body. This eliminates separate ring nuts and their threaded connections, thereby improving reliability while maintaining ease of manufacture through a unified structural design.
2Reliability
If ring nuts with gaskets are used to ensure pneumatic tightness, then the compressed air supply is sealed, but the assembly complexity and time increase due to centering and torque requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The closing elements are merged into the gripper body as integral features, eliminating the need for separate gaskets and ring nuts. This integration maintains pneumatic tightness through the unified structure while significantly reducing assembly complexity by removing centering and torque control requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the problematic elements (ring nuts and gaskets) from the assembly and replaces them with integral closing elements directly formed on the gripper body, thereby eliminating the sources of assembly complexity while preserving the sealing function.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple sizes of ring nuts are provided for different gripper sizes, then all gripper variants can be assembled and repaired, but the inventory complexity and manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The closing elements are designed as integral parts of the gripper body, making each gripper variant self-contained and universal in its own right. This eliminates the need for multiple ring nut sizes across different gripper variants, as each size is built-in rather than requiring interchangeable components.
4Ease of operation
If the clamping finger is hinged to the second ring nut, then the finger can rotate between open and closed positions, but the additional component increases the risk of failure and assembly complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge connection for the clamping finger is merged into the integral closing element of the gripper body, eliminating the second ring nut as a separate component. This maintains the rotational functionality while reducing the number of potential failure points and simplifying the overall structure.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design reduces assembly time, increases reliability by eliminating ring nut failures, and allows for a single design to handle various applications with improved performance under compressed air pressures.
Implementation Method 1
a piston and a spring are accommodated in said body... The piston is alternately movable in said body in response to the force applied in a direction by the compressed air
Implementation Method 2
the force applied in a direction by the compressed air and by the spring, which acts as a return spring, in the opposite direction
Implementation Method 3
a clamping finger hinged to said body... The clamping finger is biased to rotate by the piston between an open position longitudinal to the body, and a closed position transversal or angled with respect to the body
Data Source
AI summary
A one-finger angular pneumatic gripper includes a body, in which a piston and a spring are accommodated, and a clamping finger hinged to the body. Differently from conventional solutions, the ends of the gripper body are not screwed or assembled ring nuts, but on the contrary they are integral parts of the body itself.