Patent Application
20120139278
1. Technical Field
This disclosure relates to gripping devices, and particularly, to a flexible adjustable gripping device.
2. Description of Related Art
Flexible adjustable gripping devices are widely applied to industrial robots for gripping workpieces automatically. However, a commonly used flexible adjustable gripping device has a complex structure and low accuracy for gripping the workpieces automatically. In addition, the commonly used flexible adjustable gripping device cannot align with a central portion of a pre-gripped workpiece automatically and accurately.
Therefore, there is room for improvement in the art.
Many aspects of the embodiments can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views. Wherever possible, the same reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like elements of an embodiment.
Referring to
Also referring to
The sliding block 13 is slidably assembled within the mounting slot 112, and further slidably assembled with the sliding shaft 15. In the illustrated embodiment, the sliding block 13 is substantially cross-shaped, and is slidably assembled within the mounting slot 112 along a preset direction. The sliding block 13 includes a first sliding block 131 and a second sliding block 132 perpendicularly intersecting with the first sliding block 131. The first sliding block 131 has a shape and dimension substantially the same as that of the second sliding block 132. The first and second sliding blocks 131, 132 both have a width substantially the same as that of the first mounting slot 1121, but less than that of the second mounting slot 1122. The first and second sliding blocks 131, 132 both have a length less that of the first mounting slot 1121, but greater than that of the second mounting slot 1122. One end of the sliding block 13 is slidably assembled within the mounting slot 112 of the flexible adjusting base 11, and the opposite other end of the sliding block 13 is received within the receiving chamber 116 of the flexible adjusting base 11, and further slidably assembled with the sliding shaft 15.
The sliding shaft 15 includes a main shaft 151, a connecting shaft 153 coaxially extending from a first end of the main shaft 151, and a fixed shaft 155 coaxially extending from a second end of the main shaft 151 opposite to the first end thereof. The connecting shaft 153 and the fixed shaft 155 both have a diameter greater than that of the main shaft 151. The connecting shaft 153 is substantially cylindrical disk-shaped, and is slidably mounted to and received within the receiving chamber 116 of the flexible adjusting base 11, and further slidably mounted with the sliding block 13. An assembly slot 154 is defined in the distal end surface of the connecting shaft 153 corresponding to the sliding block 13. In the illustrated embodiment, the assembly slot 154 is a cross-shaped slot. The assembly slot 154 includes a first assembly slot 1541 and a second assembly slot 1542 perpendicularly intersecting with the first assembly slot 1541, and is respectively corresponding to the first and second sliding blocks 131, 132. The first assembly slot 1541 has a length substantially the same as that of the first sliding block 131, and has a width wider than that of the first sliding block 131. The second assembly slot 1542 has a length longer than that of the second sliding block 132, and has a width substantially the same as that of the second sliding block 132. Such that, when the sliding block 13 is assembled with the flexible adjusting base 11 and the sliding shaft 15, the flexible adjusting base 11 and the sliding shaft 15 are slidably assembled together along two perpendicular directions relative to each other.
The adjustment assembly 16 is adjustably mounted to the flexible adjusting base 11, for timely adjustment of an assembling tightness between the sliding shaft 15 and the flexible adjusting base 11, and buffering an impulse force suffered by the sliding shaft 15. In the illustrated embodiment, the adjustment assembly 16 includes four adjusting bolts 161 and four elastic members 163. The four adjusting bolts 161 together with the corresponding elastic members 163 are respectively screwed into the four assembly holes 118 of the four side surfaces 117 of the flexible adjusting base 11 and elastically resist against the periphery of the connecting shaft 153 of the sliding shaft 15. The elastic member 163 can be a coil spring, or an elastic washer.
The fixing member 17 is substantially U-shaped, and is sleeved on the main shaft 151 of the sliding shaft 15, and further securely mounted onto the bottom surface 115 of the flexible adjusting base 11. The fixing member 17 defines a U-shaped opening 171 and a plurality of mounting holes 173 surrounding the opening 171.
The lubricating assembly 19 includes a plurality of idle wheels 191 and a plurality of roller balls 193. The plurality of idle wheels 191 together with the corresponding plurality of roller balls 193 are respectively assembled within the corresponding plurality of mounting holes 173 of the fixing member 17, and resist against the connecting shaft 153 of the sliding shaft 15.
The gripping jaw assembly 50 is mounted to the fixed shaft 155 of the sliding shaft 15, for gripping the workpiece. The gripping jaw assembly 50 includes a cylindrical section 51, four connecting blocks 53, four gripping jaws 55 and four support rods 57. In the illustrated embodiment, the cylindrical section 51 is a cylindrical structure comprising four jaws, and is fixed to the fixed shaft 155 of the sliding shaft 15. The cylindrical section 51 is substantially cylindrical and defines four connecting slots 513 symmetrically at a periphery of the distal end of the cylindrical section 51. A cross section of each connecting slot 513 is substantially T-shaped. The four connecting blocks 53 are all substantially T-shaped, and are respectively assembled within the four connecting slots 513 of the cylindrical section 51. The four gripping jaws 55 are assembled to the cylindrical section 51 by the four connecting blocks 53, and are driven by the cylindrical section 51 to grip and release the workpiece. Each gripping jaw 55 is substantially rectangular bar-shaped; one end of each gripping jaw 55 is fixed with the connecting block 53. The four support rods 57 are respectively fixed to the other end of the four gripping jaws 55, and together form a substantially rectangular shape. The four support rods 57 are made of rubber or flexible plastic.
Also referring to
In use, the connecting member 30 is connected to a mechanical arm or a driving shaft of a robot (not shown), and is driven by the mechanical arm or the driving shaft of the robot to move adjacent to the pre-gripped workpiece. The four gripping jaws 55 together with the four support rods 57 are driven by the cylindrical section 51 to align with and grip the workpiece, meanwhile, the gripping jaw assembly 50 together with the sliding shaft 15 can slide slightly relative to the flexible adjusting base 11 for ensuring the gripping accuracy of the flexible adjustable gripping device 100. In addition, the adjustment assembly 16 together with the lubricating assembly 19 can efficiently absorb and decrease the impulse force suffered by the sliding shaft 15 in use.
It is to be understood, however, that even through numerous characteristics and advantages of the disclosure have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 201010573282.6 | Dec 2010 | CN | national |
