Picking Gripper Jaw Guide for Higher Clamping Force
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing operating devices for order-picking systems with horizontal storage areas, particularly for pharmaceutical packs, have a high number of components leading to high costs and limited clamping force, making them inefficient for handling larger and heavier drug packs.
Innovation Solution
A structurally simple operating device with pivotable clamping jaws featuring a jaw guide arrangement and a drive unit that allows direct control of the clamping jaws, reducing the need for complex guide devices and enabling higher clamping forces through synchronized movement of clamping jaw carriages.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a guide mechanism with multiple components is used to pivot the clamping jaws, then the clamping jaws can be moved in the storage or retrieval direction, but the number of components increases leading to high costs and limited clamping force
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the complex guide mechanism from the operating device. Instead of using a traditional guide mechanism with multiple components to pivot the clamping jaws, the invention directly couples the clamping jaws to the carriage, allowing the carriage's linear movement to directly drive the pivoting action. This extraction of the guide mechanism reduces the number of components while maintaining the pivoting capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent inverts the traditional approach by making the clamping jaws rotatable about a vertical axis rather than pivoting in the conventional horizontal direction. This inversion allows the clamping jaws to be directly coupled to the carriage without requiring a separate guide mechanism, as the rotational movement about the vertical axis naturally accommodates the storage and retrieval operations.
2Ease of operation
If a guide mechanism is used to convert rotary drive movement into pivoting movement of the clamping jaws, then the clamping jaws can be actuated, but the clamping force is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the guide mechanism that was converting rotary drive movement into pivoting movement. Instead, the clamping jaws are directly coupled to the carriage, allowing the drive unit's linear movement to directly translate into clamping jaw pivoting and clamping action. This eliminates the force loss associated with mechanical conversion mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent inverts the movement conversion approach by allowing the clamping jaws to rotate about a vertical axis directly coupled to the carriage, rather than using a guide mechanism to convert rotary drive movement. This direct coupling preserves the full force output of the drive unit, enabling increased clamping force.
3Device complexity
If traditional clamping jaw attachment to brackets is used, then the structure is simple, but pivoting of the clamping jaws is not possible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional attachment approach by making the clamping jaws rotatable about a vertical axis rather than fixed to brackets. The clamping jaws are directly coupled to the carriage in a manner that allows rotational movement about the vertical axis, enabling pivoting capability while maintaining structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic capability to the clamping jaw attachment by allowing rotation about a vertical axis. The direct coupling between the carriage and clamping jaws enables the clamping jaws to dynamically adjust their orientation during storage and retrieval operations, transforming from a static bracket attachment to a dynamic rotational joint.
Data Source
Figure 1a~1b
Figure 2a~2b
Figure 3
AI summary
Operating device for a picking system for storing individual items, especially pharmaceutical packages. Known operating devices are structurally complex and can only apply a limited clamping force.To solve this problem, the operating device comprises a storage table (10) extending in a first horizontal direction (x), two elongated clamping jaws (20a, 20b) arranged above the storage table (10) with clamping surfaces (21a, 21b) facing each other, and a clamping jaw guide arrangement (30) with a frame structure (31, 32, 33a, 33b), at least one first and one second guide (35, 36) which extend apart from each other in the first horizontal direction (x) and in a second horizontal direction (y), and at least four clamping jaw slides (40a, 40b, 41a, 41b) coupled to the guides (35, 36) and driven in the second horizontal direction (y), wherein two clamping jaw slides are assigned to each guide and wherein at least two clamping jaw slides (40a, 36) are spaced apart in the first horizontal direction (x). 41a; 40b, 41b) are coupled with a clamping jaw (20a, 20b).