Gripping Device Shape Holding Portion Soft Workpiece Handling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gripping devices, such as those using suction hands and five-finger grippers, face challenges in versatilely gripping workpieces of different sizes and shapes, and may damage soft workpieces like food, while granular-filled rubber bag devices require strong force and are prone to bursting, leading to contamination and instability.
Innovation Solution
A gripping device with a shape holding portion that prevents contraction of the palm portion, allowing it to deform in thickness direction and gently curve finger portions to grip workpieces without granular materials, ensuring reliable and soft gripping.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a suction hand or two-finger gripper is used, then the mechanism is simple, but it cannot versatilely grip workpieces of different sizes or shapes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a flexible rubber bag as the gripping element that can deform to accommodate various workpiece shapes and sizes. The rubber bag is filled with granular materials that provide adaptive gripping force, allowing the same simple structure to handle diverse workpieces without complex mechanisms or multiple gripper types.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state of the granular materials through jamming transition, transforming them from a loose state to a rigid jammed state to provide stable gripping force. This parameter change allows the granular materials to adapt to different workpiece geometries while maintaining a simple overall device structure.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a five-finger gripping device is used, then various workpieces can be gripped, but the movement and control mechanism becomes very complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the complex five-finger mechanism with a flexible rubber bag that naturally conforms to workpiece shapes. The flexibility of the rubber bag provides adaptive gripping without requiring complex joints, actuators, or control systems needed for multi-fingered grippers.
Solution Approach 2:
The granular materials inside the rubber bag automatically adjust their distribution and density through jamming transition to match the workpiece geometry, eliminating the need for complex control mechanisms to position each finger or adjust gripping forces independently.
3Adaptability or versatility
If granular materials are used in a rubber bag, then the rubber bag can follow the workpiece, but strong pressing force is needed which may damage soft workpieces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent controls the jamming transition of granular materials to achieve optimal gripping force. By carefully controlling the transition from loose to jammed state, the system provides sufficient gripping force for stable holding while avoiding excessive force that would damage soft workpieces like food.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies just enough pressing force to trigger jamming transition and achieve stable gripping, avoiding excessive force. The granular materials provide the minimum necessary force to maintain grip stability without over-compressing or damaging the workpiece surface.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If the rubber bag is pressed against the workpiece with weak force, then soft workpieces are not damaged, but followability of the rubber bag to the workpiece is significantly reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses jamming transition of granular materials to achieve stable gripping with minimal pressing force. The phase-like transition from loose to jammed state provides a sudden increase in stiffness and gripping stability without requiring continuously high compression forces, enabling the rubber bag to conform to workpiece shapes gently.
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 device can reliably grip workpieces of various sizes and shapes without damaging soft materials, preventing contamination and improving versatility by adjusting gripping force based on workpiece size and hardness.
Implementation Method 1
a gripping device (10) that includes an elastic portion (34) having a shape of the finger portion (32)
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
There is provided a gripping device and an industrial robot that can more reliably grip a workpiece without using granular materials. The gripping device includes: a bag-shaped gripping body 28A including a palm portion 30, and a plurality of finger portions 32 protruding from a periphery of the palm portion 30 and configured to fall toward the palm portion 30 by deforming the palm portion 30 in a thickness direction; elastic portions 34 respectively provided in the finger portions 32, each of the elastic portions 34 having a shape of the finger portion 32; and a shape holding portion 38 that is provided in the gripping body 28A and prevents contraction of an outer periphery of the palm portion 30. The shape holding portion 38 includes a guide bore 40 that receives the deformed palm portion 30, and a curved portion 49 provided on an outer side of a distal end of the shape holding portion in an axial direction of the guide bore 40. The distal end faces the finger portions 32.