Expandable Finger Gripper With Pneumatic Piston and Compression Disk
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inflatable finger grippers have limitations such as low gripping force, risk of explosion at high pressures, increased weight due to pressure regulators, and inability to replace worn components, leading to premature tool discard.
Innovation Solution
A pneumatically controlled, mechanically expandable finger gripper with a flexible component, featuring a supporting body, pneumatic control piston, and compression disk, allowing for robust, replaceable, and adjustable gripping force without the need for a pressure regulator.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If air pressure is increased to improve gripping force, then the gripping force increases, but the inflatable element may explode causing tool breakdown
Solution Approach 1:
The inflatable element is divided into multiple separate chambers that can be independently inflated. Each chamber is equipped with its own pressure regulator, allowing distributed pressure control. This segmentation prevents catastrophic failure of the entire gripper if one chamber exceeds pressure limits, as only that specific chamber would be affected.
Solution Approach 2:
A pressure regulator acts as an intermediary device between the air supply and the inflatable element. This mediator controls and limits the pressure entering the element, preventing excessive pressure buildup that could cause explosion. The regulator serves as a safety buffer that decouples the high-pressure air source from the vulnerable inflatable structure.
2Reliability
If a pressure regulator is added to prevent element explosion, then the reliability improves, but the tool weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of one heavy pressure regulator for the entire gripper, the system uses multiple smaller pressure regulators distributed to individual chambers. This segmentation allows each regulator to be more compact and lighter, while collectively providing the same safety function. The distributed architecture reduces the total weight compared to a single centralized regulator system.
3Stress or pressure
If the inflatable element walls are thickened to withstand higher pressure, then the pressure resistance improves, but the element cannot be replaced if worn or broken
Solution Approach 1:
The inflatable element is designed as multiple separate, modular chambers rather than a single thick-walled structure. Each chamber can be independently replaced if worn or damaged, without affecting the other chambers. This modular segmentation maintains pressure resistance through proper wall thickness in each chamber while enabling easy replacement of individual worn components.
Solution Approach 2:
The segmented chamber design allows individual worn or damaged chambers to be discarded and replaced, while the rest of the gripper structure is recovered and reused. This approach is more economical than replacing the entire gripper, as only the specific failed segment needs to be discarded and replaced.
4Weight of moving object
If the inflatable element walls are made thinner to reduce weight, then the tool weight decreases, but the maximum pressure is limited reducing gripping force
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple thin-walled chambers work together to provide the gripping function. Each chamber can be optimized with thinner walls to reduce weight, while the collective action of multiple chambers maintains the overall gripping force. The segmentation allows weight optimization at the chamber level without compromising total system performance.
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
The solution results in a lighter, more durable, and cost-effective gripper capable of handling higher forces, with adjustable expansion and longer lifespan, and can be used for both gripping and testing sealing capacity of containers.
Implementation Method 1
a pneumatic control piston (12) positioned and moving alternately in said body
Implementation Method 2
a flexible gripper component (14) positioned between said disk and body and movable between a contracted and an expanded position in response to the movements of the piston
Data Source
AI summary
A pneumatically controlled finger gripper having a supporting body (11) with a proximal and a distal end, a pneumatic control piston (12) guided and moving alternatively in the body, a compression disk (13) connected to, and moving axially with, the piston relatively at the distal end of the supporting body, and a flexible gripper element (14) assembled between the compression disk (13) and the distal end of the supporting body (11) and moving between a contracted and expanded position in response to the movements of the control piston with the compression disk between an inactive and active position.