Robot Hand With Retractable Jaw Members For Variable Workpiece Grasping
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing robot hands face challenges in efficiently handling workpieces of varying sizes and weights, leading to increased size and weight of the hand, higher costs, and difficulty in grasping small workpieces.
Innovation Solution
A robot hand design featuring a pair of fingers that can freely approach and separate, and a pair of jaw members that can be changed between protruding and being pushed into the fingers, allowing for efficient grasping of workpieces with irregularities and those without.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If the size of the driving means is increased to generate sufficient gripping force for heavy workpieces, then the gripping force is improved, but the size and weight of the hand increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a dynamic gripping mechanism where the jaw members can protrude from or be pushed into the fingers based on the workpiece being handled. This allows the hand to adapt its gripping structure dynamically - using the jaw members for heavy workpieces requiring more force, and retracting them for lighter workpieces, thereby avoiding the need for a permanently oversized driving mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The gripping function is segmented into two independent components: the fingers for general contact and the jaw members for enhanced gripping. The jaw members can be independently deployed when needed for heavy workpieces, allowing the base hand structure to remain compact while providing enhanced capability when required.
2Force
If the size of the hand is increased to accommodate larger driving means for heavy workpieces, then the gripping capability is improved, but the ability to grasp small workpieces deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The hand structure dynamically adapts its configuration based on the workpiece size and weight. For small workpieces, the jaw members are retracted into the fingers, creating a compact gripping surface appropriate for small objects. For heavy workpieces, the jaw members protrude to provide enhanced gripping capability, thus maintaining versatility across different workpiece sizes.
Solution Approach 2:
The gripping function is divided between the fingers and the jaw members. The fingers provide the base gripping capability for small workpieces, while the jaw members can be deployed to assist with heavy workpieces. This segmentation allows the hand to maintain a compact size for small objects while providing enhanced capability when needed.
3Force
If the gripping force is increased to handle heavy workpieces, then the handling capability is improved, but the cost increases due to larger driving means
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic gripping system where the jaw members can be deployed only when needed for heavy workpieces. This allows the use of a smaller, more cost-effective driving means that can still provide sufficient gripping force for light workpieces, while adding the capability to handle heavy workpieces when required, thereby reducing overall manufacturing costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The gripping function is segmented into a base capability provided by the fingers and an enhanced capability provided by the jaw members. This segmentation allows the use of a smaller, more economical driving means for the base function, with the jaw members serving as an optional enhancement for heavy workpieces, thus reducing the overall cost compared to using a large driving means for all applications.
Data Source
AI summary
A robot hand is provided with a pair of fingers provided so as to freely approach and separate from each other in order to hold a workpiece therebetween, and a pair of jaw members provided on the pair of fingers, respectively, in order to hook another workpiece. The jaw members are provided so as to be changeable between a state of protruding from the contact surfaces of the fingers with the workpiece and a state of being pushed into the fingers.