# US 11,298,833 B2 · Gripper, grasping device, and industrial robot

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- Number: US 11,298,833 B2
- Document ID: US11298833B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/765,439
- Filed: 2018-11-08
- Published: 2020-10-15
- Granted: 2022-04-12
- Earliest claimed: 2017-11-27
- Assignees: Nitta Corporation
- Applicants: Nitta Corporation
- Inventors: Itaru Hatano; Shunsuke Iwata; Hirokazu Nitta
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11298833B2

## CPC

- B25J 15/12: with flexible finger members
- B25J 15/0023: {Gripper surfaces directly activated by a fluid (flexible fingers B25J15/12)}
- B25J 15/0625: {provided with a valve}
- B25J 11/0045: {Manipulators used in the food industry}
- B25J: MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES ({manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery A61B34/70; manipulators used in cleaning hollow articles B08B9/04}; manipulators associated with rolling mills B21B39/20; manipulators associated with forging machines B21J13/10; {manipulators associated with picking-up and placing mechanisms B23P19/007}; means for holding wheels or parts thereof B60B30/00; {vehicles with ground-engaging propulsion means, e.g. walking members B62D57/02, B62D57/032; devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials between conveyors B65G47/90, B65G47/91; manipulators with gripping or holding means for transferring packages B65H67/065}; cranes B66C; {manipulators used in the protection or supervision of pipe-line installations F17D5/00; walking equipment adapted for nuclear steam-generators F22B37/006}; manipulators specially adapted for, or associated with, nuclear reactors G21C; {apparatus used for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor H10P72/50})

## Abstract

There is provided a gripper, a gripping device, and an industrial robot that can more reliably grip a workpiece without using a granular material. The gripper includes integrally: a palm portion; a plurality of finger portions protruding from a periphery of the palm portion and configured to fall toward the palm portion by deforming the palm portion in a thickness direction; a connecting portion formed in a position surrounding an outer edge of the palm portion on a side opposite to a side formed with the finger portions, the connecting portion connected to a case; and a high-strength portion provided between the palm portion and the connecting portion, the high-strength portion having a predetermined length from the outer edge of the palm portion in the thickness direction of the palm portion, and the high-strength portion being less likely to be deformed than the palm portion.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A gripper comprising integrally:
a palm portion;
a plurality of finger portions protruding from a periphery of the palm portion and configured to fall toward the palm portion by deforming the palm portion in a thickness direction;
a connecting portion formed in a position surrounding an outer edge of the palm portion on a side opposite to a side formed with the finger portions, the connecting portion connected to a case; and
a high-strength portion provided between the palm portion and the connecting portion, the high-strength portion having a predetermined length from the outer edge of the palm portion in the thickness direction of the palm portion, and the high-strength portion being less likely to be deformed than the palm portion, wherein
a base end of the high-strength portion comes into contact with a part of the case, and
the high-strength portion is configured to be microscopically elastically deformed toward the palm portion with the base end as a fulcrum according to a deformation of the palm portion.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The gripper according to claim 1, wherein the base end of the high-strength portion has a contact surface coming into contact with the case.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The gripper according to claim 1, wherein the high-strength portion is thicker than the palm portion.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The gripper according to claim 1, wherein the high-strength portion is made of a material having higher mechanical strength than a material of the palm portion.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

A gripping device comprising:
the gripper according to claim 1; and
the case connected to the connecting portion.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

An industrial robot comprising the gripping device according to claim 5.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The gripper according to claim 1, wherein a guide space is formed between the palm portion and the case, the palm portion is configured to be deformed in the thickness direction so as to be sucked into the guide space by sucking air inside the gripper.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The gripper according to claim 1, wherein the base end of the high-strength portion has a contact surface coming into contact with an outer peripheral portion of a bottom surface of the case.