Parallel gripper with adaptive clamping surfaces

An arrangement of a gripper finger and a clamp for use in an automated parallel gripper comprising:

• first and second gripper fingers that are moveable towards each other and away from each other in a direction of translation (y), wherein the gripper finger extends in a vertical direction (z) perpendicular to the direction of translation (y) and the clamp is connected to the gripper finger at an underside thereof so as to be rotational about a vertical axis of rotation parallel to the vertical direction (z), and wherein
• the clamp has a front face with a contact surface for engagement with a lateral edge of an item to be gripped, the clamp having a default orientation in which the front face is parallel to a lateral direction (x) that is perpendicular to the direction of translation (y) and to the vertical axis of rotation that is parallel to the vertical direction (z), and wherein
• the arrangement further comprises a self-alignment mechanism which comprises first and second biasing mechanisms arranged at either side of the rotation axis in the lateral direction (x) which urges the clamp to adopt the default orientation in an unloaded condition of the clamp, wherein:
• (i) each biasing mechanism has a first part connected to the finger and a second part connected to the clamp and is configured to exert a centering force that urges the first and second parts of each biasing mechanism into alignment with each other;
• and
• (ii) when the clamp is in the default orientation, each biasing mechanism is preloaded to exert an equal moment load on the clamp in the direction of translation.