US 11,685,056 B2Granted

Autonomously encapsulating gripper tooling

AssigneePHD, Inc.

InventorMatthew R. Williams

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A gripper tooling includes: a gripper having a gripper body and an angular jaw; a rotor fixedly connected to the angular jaw; and a tooling member for gripping a workpiece, the tooling member including: a base pivotally connected to the rotor; a middle segment pivotally connected to the base; a distal segment pivotally connected to the middle segment; an adducting tendon having a proximal end attached to the rotor and a distal end attached to the distal segment, the rotor for rotating relative to the base and thereby for tensioning the adducting tendon; and an abducting tendon having a proximal end attached to the base and a distal end attached to the distal segment such that the tooling member can autonomously grip the workpiece as the angular jaw rotates toward the workpiece and the tooling member autonomously returns to an ungripped position as the angular jaw rotates away from workpiece.

Claims12

Dependent claims

A gripper tooling, comprising:

a gripper having a gripper body and at least one angular jaw;
at least one rotor including a rotor body and a plurality of legs extending from the rotor body, the rotor body of the at least one rotor being fixedly connected to, and thereby configured for rotating with, the at least one angular jaw;
and
at least one tooling member configured for gripping a workpiece, each said tooling member including:
a base pivotally connected to the plurality of legs of the at least one rotor, the plurality of legs of the at least one rotor being disposed within the base;
at least one middle segment pivotally connected to the base;
a distal segment pivotally connected to the at least one middle segment;
an adducting tendon having a proximal end attached to the rotor body of the at least one rotor and a distal end attached to the distal segment, the at least one rotor configured for rotating relative to the base and thereby for tensioning the adducting tendon;
and
an abducting tendon having a proximal end attached to the base and a distal end attached to the distal segment such that the at least one tooling member is configured for autonomously gripping the workpiece as the at least one angular jaw rotates toward the workpiece and the at least one tooling member autonomously returns to an ungripped position as the at least one angular jaw rotates away from the workpiece, the abducting tendon having an absence of an assembly including a tendon and a linear spring attached to a distal end of the tendon.

7 more elements

A method for gripping a workpiece, comprising the steps of:

providing a gripper tooling including a gripper having a gripper body and at least one angular jaw moveably connected to, and thereby configured for rotating relative to, the gripper body, at least one rotor including a rotor body and a plurality of legs extending from the rotor body, the rotor body of the at least one rotor being fixedly connected to, and thereby configured for rotating with, the at least one angular jaw, and at least one tooling member configured for gripping the workpiece, each tooling member including a base pivotally connected to the plurality of legs of the at least one rotor, at least one middle segment pivotally connected to the base, a distal segment pivotally connected to the at least one middle segment, an adducting tendon having a proximal end attached to the rotor body of the at least one rotor and a distal end attached to the distal segment, and an abducting tendon having a proximal end attached to the base and a distal end attached directly to the distal segment, the plurality of legs of the at least one rotor being disposed—and thus housed—within the base, the abducting tendon having an absence of an assembly including a tendon and a linear spring attached to a distal end of the tendon;
gripping the workpiece by the adducting tendon upon moving the base, by the at least one angular jaw, to be immobilized by the workpiece;
and
ungripping the workpiece by the abducting tendon upon moving the base, by the at least one angular jaw, away from the workpiece.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 17/683,756Filed 1 Mar 2022 · continuation
Priority: 8 Jun 2018
Published: US 2022/0234214 A128 Jul 2022
Granted: 27 Jun 2023
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

B25J 15/0009
Gripping heads and other end effectors: comprising multi-articulated fingers, e.g. resembling a human hand
B25J 9/104
Characterised by positioning means for manipulator elements: with cables, chains or ribbons
B25J 15/0233
Comprising articulated grippers: actuated by chains, cables or ribbons
B25J 15/0253
Servo-actuated: comprising parallel grippers

Family

Application62/682,471Us provisional application · filed 8 Jun 2018
Application16/430,724Parent of this continuation · filed 4 Jun 2019
US 2022/0234214 A1Pre-grant publication · published 28 Jul 2022
US 11,312,022 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2019/0375114 A1Published application
US 11,685,056 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.