Micro-gripper with one-piece structure
AssigneeCommissariat A L'energie Atomique Et Aux Energies Alternatives
InventorJohan Andre
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A micro-gripper includes a support to which are articulated fingers and an actuating diaphragm, adjusting the spacing of the fingers. The support being circular, the fingers may be arranged in any number around it, and the diaphragm delimits a chamber with the support assembled to an equipment for distributing fluids, the pressure of which elastically deforms the diaphragm and controls a simultaneous movement of variations in spacings of the fingers. If the diaphragm is conical and the fingers link up all around, an independence of the movements of the fingers remains.
Claims12
A micro-gripper with one-piece structure comprising at least two gripping fingers with variable spacing, a support to which first ends of each of the fingers are joined to the support by flexible couplings of the fingers and an actuator connected to the fingers and deformable to adjust the spacing of the fingers, wherein the actuator is a flexible diaphragm, and the support comprises a continuous sleeve that can be coupled in a leak tight manner to an equipment for supplying pressurised fluid and wherein the diaphragm is mounted by a continuous contour,
- wherein the diaphragm is on the whole conical in a free state, wherein the flexible couplings joining the support to the fingers surround the diaphragm, and wherein the diaphragm extends in a volume surrounded by the fingers.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.