Claims
- 1. A modular gripper assembly which comprises:a body having a yoke structure defined at one end thereof by a pair of spaced apart wall members, and a fluid driven actuator at an opposite end; a pair of opposable jaw members, at least one of the pair of opposable jaw members being pivotal and each of the pair of opposable jaw members having through-slots therein and being independently removable and replaceable by other jaw members; at least one cam pin extending into the through-slots of each of the pair of opposable jaw members; a linkage structure driven by the fluid driven actuator and coupled to the at least one cam; side impact plates which are coupled to the spaced apart wall members of the yoke structure and extend beyond ends of the spaced apart wall members of the yoke structure; and the side impact plates being secured in an adjustable manner to the spaced apart wall members of the yoke structure whereby a distance at which they extend beyond the ends of the spaced apart wall members of the yoke structure can be adjusted.
- 2. The modular gripper assembly according to claim 1, wherein the side impact plates include parallel elongated through-slots and are secured to the spaced apart walls of the yoke structure by threaded members which pass through the parallel elongated through-slots and are received into threaded bores provided in the spaced apart walls of the yoke structure.
- 3. The modular gripper assembly according to claim 2, wherein at lease three threaded members are used to secure each side impact plate to the spaced apart walls of the yoke structure.
- 4. A modular gripper assembly according to claim 3, wherein the at least three threaded members are aligned along a pair of perpendicular lines.
- 5. A modular gripper assembly according to claim 1, wherein each of the side impact plates is secured to the spaced apart wall members of the yoke structure by at least two threaded members which are non-aligned with an axis of the modular gripper assembly.
- 6. A modular gripper assembly according to claim 5, wherein each of the side impact plates are secured to the spaced apart side wall members of the yoke structure by at lease three threaded members.
- 7. A modular gripper assembly according to claim 6, wherein the last three threaded numbers are aligned along a pair of perpendicular lines.
- 8. A modular gripper assembly according to claim 1, wherein the impact plates are made from a material which is more durable than a material from which the yoke structure is made.
- 9. A modular gripper assembly according to claim 1, wherein the side impact plates have impact surfaces that extend outward from at least one side of the yoke structure.
- 10. A modular gripper assembly according to claim 9, wherein the side impact plates have impact surfaces that extend outward from opposite sides of the yoke structure.
- 11. A modular gripper assembly according to claim 1, whereineach of the pair of spaced apart wall members is provided with an elongate through-slot; opposite ends of the at least one cam pin extend into the elongate through-slots; the modular gripper assembly further comprises elongate bushings which are provided in the elongate through-slots and receive the opposite ends of the at least one cam pin; and the side impact plates cover at least a portion of the elongate through-slots and secure the elongate bushings therein.
Parent Case Info
This is a Divisional of application Ser. No. 08/981,863, filed Aug. 4, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,048,013 which is the U.S. National Phase of International Ser. No. PCT/US97/17795 filed Oct. 3, 1997; which is based on U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/027,668 filed Oct. 7, 1996 and U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/039,088 filed Mar. 14, 1997.
US Referenced Citations (19)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
853091 |
Aug 1952 |
DE |
Non-Patent Literature Citations (1)
Entry |
BTM Corporation catalogue page for Light-Weight, Fast Cycling, High Force Grippers, no Date. |
Provisional Applications (2)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60/027668 |
Oct 1996 |
US |
|
60/039088 |
Mar 1997 |
US |