Clip Gripper Tooling With Internally Guided Actuators
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gripper tooling for inserting clips into workpieces is heavy due to conventional cylinder-piston actuators with external guiding systems, limiting the number of actuators and causing electrical wiring damage from repeated rotation movements.
Innovation Solution
The use of precision cylinders with internal guiding systems reduces weight and allows for a higher number of clip positioning actuators, arranged in a rectangular array, eliminating the need for external guiding systems and preventing twisting movements, enabling more clips to be applied per cycle and improving precision and reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional cylinder-piston actuators with external guiding systems are used, then the gripper tooling can provide guiding function, but the weight of the gripper tooling increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the guiding function and actuation function into a single integrated cylinder-piston actuator unit. The actuator itself provides the guiding function through its structural design, eliminating the need for separate external guiding systems. This merging of functions directly reduces the overall weight of the gripper tooling while maintaining the required guiding precision for clip insertion.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and removes the external guiding systems from the conventional actuator configuration. By taking out the separate guiding components (guide rails, external guides) and integrating the guiding function directly into the actuator structure, the solution eliminates unnecessary weight while preserving the essential guiding capability needed for precise clip positioning.
2Ease of operation
If a semi-circular configuration of cylinder-piston actuators is used, then the gripper tooling can position fingertips for clip insertion, but repeated rotation movements cause electrical wiring to twist and increase damage risk
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a symmetric semi-circular actuator arrangement to an asymmetric linear array configuration. This asymmetric linear arrangement allows the fingertips to be positioned along a straight line, enabling clip insertion without requiring repeated rotation movements of the entire gripper tooling. The asymmetric configuration optimizes the spatial arrangement for the specific task, eliminating the rotational motion that causes wiring damage.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of arranging actuators in a semi-circular pattern that requires rotational movement to access different positions, the patent inverts the approach by using a linear array configuration where all actuators are accessible in a straight line. This inversion of the spatial arrangement eliminates the need for rotation, thereby protecting the electrical wiring from twisting and damage while maintaining full positioning capability.
3Weight of moving object
If up to six cylinder-piston actuators are used in a semi-circular line, then the gripper tooling can handle the maximum load, but the number of clips that can be applied per cycle is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a one-dimensional semi-circular arrangement to a two-dimensional linear array configuration. By arranging actuators in a linear array that can accommodate more units in a compact space, the system increases the number of clips that can be handled per cycle without proportionally increasing the overall tooling weight. This dimensional reorganization optimizes both weight and productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a dynamic linear array configuration where actuators can be selectively activated based on the specific workpiece requirements. This dynamic capability allows the system to adapt the number of active actuators to match the number of clips needed, maximizing productivity by enabling more clips to be applied per cycle while maintaining weight efficiency through selective actuation rather than always deploying the maximum number of actuators.
Data Source
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AI summary
Disclosed herein is a gripper tooling (1) comprising a frame (2) and a plurality of clip positioning actuators (3) mounted on the frame (2), wherein each clip positioning actuator (3) comprises a cylinder (4) with an internally guided piston (5), and a finger attachment (6) for a fingertip (7) at a distal end of the piston (5). In embodiments, the clip positioning actuators (3) may be mounted on the frame (2) in positions adjacent to each other in a rectangular array of at least two rows. Also disclosed are a clipping cell (100) and a method for inserting clips in workpieces (102).