Movable Pressure Piece Gripping Device for Workpiece Carriers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gripping devices for workpiece carriers on conveyor lines face challenges in securely gripping plates with minimal play while avoiding contact with conveyor carriers, and require complex adaptations for different sizes, often necessitating separate drives and increased costs.
Innovation Solution
A gripping device with movably mounted pressure pieces that adjust distance based on the weight of the workpiece carrier, allowing for simple operation without a separate drive, and featuring rotatable pressure pieces and return springs for easy engagement and disengagement, enabling low surface pressure and adaptable sizing with identical parts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the pressure pieces are fixed in position, then the gripping device structure is simple, but the gripping device cannot adapt to different workpiece carrier sizes and cannot adjust to weight variations
Solution Approach 1:
The pressure pieces are made movable instead of fixed, allowing them to adjust their position dynamically. Each pressure piece can move independently along the gripping edge to adapt to different workpiece carrier sizes and weights, resolving the contradiction between adaptability and structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The position parameter of the pressure pieces is made variable through movable mounting. This allows the gripping device to change its geometric parameters (distance between gripping edges) to accommodate different workpiece carrier dimensions and weight distributions without redesigning the entire device.
2Ease of operation
If a separate drive is added for the pressure pieces, then the pressure pieces can be precisely controlled, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The pressure pieces utilize the weight of the workpiece carrier itself as the driving force for their movement. The workpiece weight automatically causes the pressure pieces to move to their appropriate positions, eliminating the need for separate drives or control mechanisms while maintaining ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The complex drive mechanism is completely removed from the system. Instead of adding a separate drive for pressure piece control, the invention extracts the driving function and replaces it with passive gravitational action from the workpiece itself, simplifying the device while maintaining functionality.
3Ease of operation
If the gripping edges are kept at minimum distance, then the gripping device can be easily inserted between conveyor carriers, but the gripping device cannot securely grip larger workpiece carriers
Solution Approach 1:
The distance between gripping edges is made dynamically adjustable through movable pressure pieces. When inserted between conveyor carriers, the pressure pieces are at minimum distance for easy insertion. Once gripping a workpiece, they move outward to accommodate larger workpiece carrier sizes, resolving the contradiction between insertion ease and gripping capability.
4Reliability
If the gripping device is designed for large workpiece carriers, then large carriers can be securely gripped, but the device cannot be easily inserted between conveyor carriers
Solution Approach 1:
The gripping device transitions from a compact inserted state to an expanded gripping state. The movable pressure pieces allow the device to start with minimum dimensions for easy insertion, then expand to accommodate and securely grip various workpiece carrier sizes, resolving the contradiction between insertion ease and gripping reliability.
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 allows for secure gripping with minimal play and easy adaptation to different sizes, reducing costs by using identical parts and minimizing the need for complex drives, while ensuring low surface pressure even under high loads.
Implementation Method 1
a return spring is assigned to each of the pressure pieces, which is installed in such a way that it is placed under tension by the action of the weight of the workpiece carrier on the gripping device, in particular on the pressure pieces
Implementation Method 2
the distance between two parallel gripping edges increases as a result of the weight of the workpiece carrier acting on the gripping device, in particular on the pressure pieces
Data Source
Figure 1~1a
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates to a gripping device (20) for gripping a plate-like workpiece carrier, wherein the gripping device (20) has a main body (21) which is rotatably mounted with respect to a vertical axis (14), wherein the gripping device (20) has four corner regions (22) on each of which a first and a second straight gripping edge (23; 24) are arranged at right angles to each other, wherein the corner regions (22) are arranged distributed around the vertical axis (14) such that the gripping edges (23; 24) define a gripping rectangle, wherein the gripping device (20) is arranged completely within the gripping rectangle, wherein the gripping edges define a gripping plane which is arranged perpendicular to the vertical axis (14), wherein the gripping device (20) is arranged completely on one side of the gripping plane (27).According to the invention, each of the gripping edges (23; 24) is assigned a separate pressure piece (40) which is movably mounted relative to the main body (21).