Robot Gripper With Parallel Finger Rotation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial robots face challenges in accurately gripping small-sized and lightweight objects due to difficulties in detecting their position and posture, leading to potential misalignment and the object escaping during the gripping process.
Innovation Solution
A robot design featuring a gripping section with a pair of finger sections that rotate around a central shaft, allowing them to open and close in a plane parallel to the object's mounting surface, pinching the object from the lateral side and gripping it at multiple contact points to stabilize its position.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a camera is used to detect the position and posture of the object, then the positioning accuracy is improved, but for small-sized and lightweight objects, the detection precision deteriorates making accurate positioning unachievable
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of moving the gripping section toward the object, the patent inverts the approach by moving the object toward the gripping section. This allows the object to be positioned accurately relative to the gripping section, overcoming the camera's inability to precisely detect small, lightweight objects.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces camera-based optical detection with a mechanical positioning system. The moving device mechanically transports the object to a predetermined position where it contacts the gripping section, eliminating reliance on visual detection for small objects.
2Manufacturing precision
If the gripping section approaches the object for positioning, then the positioning accuracy is improved, but the object may contact at unintended places causing it to move in unintended directions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the approaching direction: instead of the gripping section moving toward the object, the object moves toward the gripping section. This ensures contact occurs at predetermined, controlled locations rather than unintended places, maintaining both positioning accuracy and gripping stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The moving device performs preliminary positioning by transporting the object to a predetermined position before gripping occurs. This preliminary action ensures the object is correctly positioned and oriented, preventing unintended contact during the gripping operation.
3Device complexity
If the finger sections open and close in a vertical plane, then the gripping structure is simplified, but for objects on a mounting surface, the gripping effectiveness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the gripping plane from vertical to horizontal, parallel to the mounting surface. This dimensional change allows the finger sections to effectively grasp objects lying on the surface, preventing them from escaping while maintaining a relatively simple gripping structure.
Data Source
AI summary
A robot includes a gripping section and a main body section to which the pair of finger sections are attached, having one end sections of the pair of finger sections rotatably connected to each other around a first rotating shaft disposed at a position separate from the main body section, and adapted to open and close the pair of finger sections by swinging the other side of the pair of finger sections on a plane parallel to a mounting surface on which an object is mounted centered on the first rotating shaft to thereby grip the object, a moving device adapted to relatively move the object and the gripping section, and a control device adapted to control the moving device to move the gripping section relatively toward the object, and grip the object with the gripping section at at least three contact points.