Gripper Transmission Bearing Sensor for Accurate Clamping Force
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gripper technologies face challenges in precisely measuring and maintaining clamping force without additional brakes or increased energy consumption, and are influenced by interference forces and moments, especially when gripping objects with variable lever arms or during robotic movements.
Innovation Solution
A gripper design with a separate gearbox arrangement for each gripper finger, where one gearbox absorbs the reaction force and a sensor measures this force independently, allowing precise clamping force measurement and maintaining grip without additional brakes, decoupled from drive train interference.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a sensor is integrated on the gripper fingers to measure clamping force, then the measurement is directly at the contact point, but the measurement is influenced by interference forces and moments from drive train movements and lever arm variations
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor is extracted from the gripper finger and placed on the transmission element bearing that is decoupled from the drive train. This separates the measurement location from the sources of interference forces and moments, allowing accurate clamping force measurement without contamination from drive train movements or lever arm variations.
2Reliability
If additional brakes are added to maintain grip during robotic movements, then grip stability is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor provides real-time feedback on the actual clamping force, enabling a closed-loop control system to maintain precise grip stability. This eliminates the need for continuous braking or excessive force application, reducing energy consumption while maintaining reliable grip during robotic movements.
3Device complexity
If the gripper design uses a common transmission for multiple fingers, then device complexity is reduced, but the ability to measure individual finger clamping forces independently is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The transmission system is segmented into individual transmission elements for each gripper finger, with each transmission element having its own decoupled bearing and sensor. This allows independent measurement of clamping forces on each finger while maintaining a relatively simple 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
Enables precise measurement and maintenance of clamping force independently of gripper finger length and lever arm, reducing energy consumption and avoiding interference from drive train movements, ensuring consistent grip performance even during robotic operations.
Implementation Method 1
which has a first gear link bearing (25.1) designed to separately absorb the gear bearing reaction force (R) acting in the direction of the clamping force (K)
Implementation Method 2
wherein a sensor (26) is assigned to the gear link bearing arrangement (25) which is designed to detect the gear bearing reaction force (R)
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a gripper (11) having a gripper main body (12), at least one first gripper finger (16.1) that is mounted in an adjustable manner with regard to the gripper main body (12) by means of a gripping finger mount (24), and at least one second gripper finger (16.2) that cooperates with the first gripper finger (16.1), and a motor-drivable transmission (21), which is configured to adjust the at least one first gripper finger (16.1), mounted in an adjustable manner by means of the gripping finger mount (24), relative to the gripper main body (12) and relative to the at least one second gripper finger (16.2), such that, as a result of the movement of the first gripper finger (16.1), a clamping force (K) is able to be generated, by which an article can be held in a clamped manner by the gripper (11), wherein the transmission (21) has a first transmission member (21.1), which is connected to the first gripper finger (16.1), and a second transmission member (21.2), which is mounted on the gripper main body (12), specifically by means of a transmission-member bearing arrangement (25) which is separate from the gripping finger mount (24) and has a first transmission member bearing (25.1), which is configured by itself to separately absorb the transmission-bearing reaction force (R) that acts in the orientation of the clamping force (K), wherein the transmission-member bearing arrangement (25) is assigned a sensor (26), which is configured to sense the transmission-bearing reaction force (R).