Pantograph Grasper for Robotic Grasping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing underactuated robotic graspers face challenges in achieving robust and stable grasping of arbitrarily shaped objects, particularly in maintaining balanced contact forces and preventing objects from being pushed away during initial contact.
Innovation Solution
A pantograph-based grasper design that extends along a curved path, using biased fingers and adjustable spring mechanisms to envelop and enclose objects, ensuring balanced contact forces and robust multi-point grasping.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If underactuated robotic graspers are used to grasp arbitrarily shaped objects, then adaptability to different object shapes is improved, but contact forces become unbalanced causing objects to be pushed away
Solution Approach 1:
The grasper is divided into multiple independent fingers, each with its own underactuated mechanism. This segmentation allows each finger to independently adapt to different surfaces of the object while maintaining individual force balance, resolving the contradiction between adaptability and force balance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs dynamic adjustment mechanisms where spring constants and finger configurations can be modified based on object characteristics. This dynamic adaptability enables the system to maintain balanced contact forces across various object shapes by adjusting mechanical parameters in real-time.
2Stability of the object's composition
If biased fingers are used to prevent objects from being pushed away, then grasp stability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The biased fingers utilize passive spring mechanisms that automatically generate restoring forces without requiring active control systems. This self-service approach provides grasp stability through inherent mechanical properties rather than complex control algorithms, resolving the contradiction between stability and complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the mechanical parameters of the fingers by introducing biasing springs with specific force constants. This parameter modification enables the fingers to exert controlled forces for stability while maintaining relatively simple mechanical structures, avoiding the need for complex active control systems.
3Reliability
If multi-point contact is achieved on arbitrarily shaped objects, then grasp robustness is improved, but maintaining balanced forces becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the grasper into multiple independent underactuated fingers, each contact point can be independently controlled to achieve balanced forces. This segmentation transforms the complex multi-point force balance problem into simpler individual finger control problems, maintaining grasp robustness while reducing control complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The underactuated finger mechanism serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides adaptability to different surfaces, generates balanced contact forces, and enables multi-point contact. This multi-functionality achieves robust grasping without requiring separate complex control systems for each function.
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 grasper achieves stable and robust multi-point contact on arbitrarily shaped objects, maintaining balanced forces and adaptability for various sizes and shapes, enhancing grasp robustness and minimizing object damage.
Implementation Method 1
The finger can be biased in a direction away from an object to be grasped by the grasper, and also biased in a direction toward an object to be grasped by the grasper when the grasper is extended
Data Source
AI summary
A grasper can include a first pantograph cell and a second pantograph cell coupled with the first pantograph cell. The first and second pantograph cells can be coupled together at a first pivot and a second pivot. The grasper can also include a finger extendable in a direction extending between the first pivot and the second pivot. The grasper can include a support base, where one or more links of the first pantograph cell can be slidably coupled with the support base for extending the grasper. In some embodiments, the grasper can be configured to extend along a curved path. In some embodiments, the finger can be biased in a direction away from an object to be grasped by the grasper, and also biased in a direction toward an object to be grasped by the grasper when the grasper is extended.