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US 12,246,437 B2Granted
Industrial manipulator gripper provided with sensor and method for detecting the presence of a piece between the jaws of an industrial manipulator gripper
AssigneeGimatic S.p.A.
InventorGiuseppe Bellandi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A gripper for industrial manipulators includes a body, jaws constrained to the body and activatable to hold and release a piece, an actuator of the jaws and a sensor configured to detect the presence of a piece between said jaws, is described. Advantageously, the sensor is not positioned between the jaws, in the space intended to accommodate the piece to be held, but is functionally interposed between the actuator and one of the jaws. A method for detecting the presence of a piece between the jaws of an industrial manipulator gripper includes providing a sensor usable to detect the position of a jaw with respect to the actuator of the gripper.
Claims21
A gripper (100, 200, 300, 400, 500) for industrial manipulators, comprising a body (101,201,301,401,501), jaws (106-107;
- 206-207;
- 306-307;
- 406-407;
- 506-507) constrained to the body (101, 201, 301, 401, 501) and activable to hold and release a piece (P), an actuator (103, 203, 303, 440, 503) of the jaws (106-107;
- 206-207;
- 306-307;
- 406-407;
- 506-507) and a sensor (112, 212, 312, 412, 512) configured to detect the presence of a piece (P) between said jaws (106-107;
- 206-207;
- 306-307;
- 406-407;
- 506-507),
- characterized in that the sensor (112, 212, 312, 412, 512) is functionally interposed between the actuator (103, 203, 303, 440, 503) and one of said jaws (106-107;
- 206-207;
- 306-307;
- 406-407;
- 506-507),
- wherein the sensor (112, 212, 312, 412) in turn comprises a magnetic element (120, 220, 320, 420) and an electronic circuit (116, 216, 316, 416) for detecting the magnetic element (120, 220, 320, 420), and wherein the electronic circuit (116, 216, 316, 416) is fixed with a jaw (106;
- 206;
- 306;
- 406) and the magnetic element (120, 220, 320, 420) is movable with respect to the electronic circuit (116, 216, 316, 416) in response to the stresses exerted by said one jaw (106;
- 206;
- 306;
- 406).
21 more elements
A method for detecting the presence of a piece (P) between the jaws (106-107;
- 206-207;
- 306-307;
- 406-407;
- 506-507) of a gripper (100, 200, 300, 400, 500) for industrial manipulators, comprising:
- providing a gripper (100, 200, 300, 400, 500) comprising a body (101, 201, 301, 401), jaws (106-107;
- 206-207;
- 306-307;
- 406-407, 506-507) constrained to the body (101, 201, 301, 401, 501) and activable to hold and release a piece (P), an actuator (103,203,303,440,503) of the jaws (106-107;
- 206-207;
- 306-307;
- 406-407;
- 506-507) and a sensor (112, 212, 312, 412, 512),
- by means of the actuator (103, 203, 303, 440, 503), moving the jaws (106-107;
- 206-207;
- 306-307;
- 406-407;
- 506-507) between an open position, a closed position and a gripping position of the piece (P), to pick up and hold a piece (P),
- by means of the sensor (112, 212, 312, 412, 512), generating a signal indicating the position of the jaws (106-107;
- 206-207;
- 306-307;
- 406-407, 506-507),
- characterized in that the sensor (112, 212, 312, 412, 512) is functionally interposed between the actuator (103, 203, 303, 440, 503) and one (106, 206, 306, 407, 506) of said jaws (106-107;
- 206-207;
- 306-307;
- 406-407, 506-507) and generates a signal when said one jaw (106, 206, 306, 407, 506) is gripping a piece (P),
- wherein the sensor (112, 212, 312, 412) in turn comprises a magnetic element (120, 220, 320, 420) and an electronic circuit (116, 216, 316, 416) for detecting the magnetic element (120, 220, 320, 420), and wherein the electronic circuit (116, 216, 316, 416) is fixed with a jaw (106;
- 206;
- 306;
- 406) and the magnetic element (120, 220, 320, 420) is movable with respect to the electronic circuit (116, 216, 316, 416) in response to the stresses exerted by said one jaw (106;
- 206;
- 306;
- 406).
29 more elements
A gripper (100, 200, 300, 400, 500) for industrial manipulators, comprising a body (101,201,301,401,501), jaws (106-107;
- 206-207;
- 306-307;
- 406-407;
- 506-507) constrained to the body (101, 201, 301, 401, 501) and activable to hold and release a piece (P), an actuator (103, 203, 303, 440, 503) of the jaws (106-107;
- 206-207;
- 306-307;
- 406-407;
- 506-507) and a sensor (112, 212, 312, 412, 512) configured to detect the presence of a piece (P) between said jaws (106-107;
- 206-207;
- 306-307;
- 406-407;
- 506-507),
- characterized in that the sensor (112, 212, 312, 412, 512) is functionally interposed between the actuator (103, 203, 303, 440, 503) and one of said jaws (106-107;
- 206-207;
- 306-307;
- 406-407;
- 506-507),
- wherein the sensor (112, 212, 312) comprises a first portion (113, 213, 313) which defines a housing of an electronic circuit (116, 216, 316) for detecting a magnetic element (120, 220, 320), and a second portion (118, 218, 318) in which the magnetic element (120, 220, 320) is housed, and comprising an elastic element (121,221, 321) interposed between the first portion (113,213, 313, 413) and the second portion (118, 218, 318), and wherein the second portion (118, 218, 318) is movable with respect to the first portion (113, 213, 313, 413), in response to the stresses exerted by a jaw (106;
- 206;
- 306;
- 406), and wherein the elastic element (121, 221, 321) exerts a countering force.
18 more elements
A gripper (100, 200, 300, 400, 500) for industrial manipulators, comprising a body (101,201,301,401,501), jaws (106-107;
- 206-207;
- 306-307;
- 406-407;
- 506-507) constrained to the body (101, 201, 301, 401, 501) and activable to hold and release a piece (P), an actuator (103, 203, 303, 440, 503) of the jaws (106-107;
- 206-207;
- 306-307;
- 406-407;
- 506-507) and a sensor (112, 212, 312, 412, 512) configured to detect the presence of a piece (P) between said jaws (106-107;
- 206-207;
- 306-307;
- 406-407;
- 506-507),
- characterized in that the sensor (112, 212, 312, 412, 512) is functionally interposed between the actuator (103, 203, 303, 440, 503) and one of said jaws (106-107;
- 206-207;
- 306-307;
- 406-407;
- 506-507)
- wherein the actuator (103, 203, 303, 440) comprises at least one air piston (103, 203, 303, 403′, 403″) alternately movable along a longitudinal direction in a corresponding cylinder (102, 202, 302, 402) defined in the gripper body (101, 201, 301, 401), under the action of a pressurized fluid supplied into the cylinder (102,202,302,402) and of an elastic return element (111, 211, 311, 411).
15 more elements
A method for detecting the presence of a piece (P) between the jaws (106-107;
- 206-207;
- 306-307;
- 406-407;
- 506-507) of a gripper (100, 200, 300, 400, 500) for industrial manipulators, comprising:
- providing a gripper (100, 200, 300, 400, 500) comprising a body (101, 201, 301, 401), jaws (106-107;
- 206-207;
- 306-307;
- 406-407, 506-507) constrained to the body (101, 201, 301, 401, 501) and activable to hold and release a piece (P), an actuator (103,203,303,440,503) of the jaws (106-107;
- 206-207;
- 306-307;
- 406-407;
- 506-507) and a sensor (112, 212, 312, 412, 512),
- by means of the actuator (103, 203, 303, 440, 503), moving the jaws (106-107;
- 206-207;
- 306-307;
- 406-407;
- 506-507) between an open position, a closed position and a gripping position of the piece (P), to pick up and hold a piece (P),
- by means of the sensor (112, 212, 312, 412, 512), generating a signal indicating the position of the jaws (106-107;
- 206-207;
- 306-307;
- 406-407, 506-507),
- characterized in that the sensor (112, 212, 312, 412, 512) is functionally interposed between the actuator (103, 203, 303, 440, 503) and one (106, 206, 306, 407, 506) of said jaws (106-107;
- 206-207;
- 306-307;
- 406-407, 506-507) and generates a signal when said one jaw (106, 206, 306, 407, 506) is gripping a piece (P),
- wherein the sensor (112, 212, 312, 412) comprises a magnetic element (120, 220, 320, 420) constrained to a corresponding jaw (106;
- 206;
- 306;
- 406), and an electronic circuit (116, 216,316, 416) fixed with a jaw (106;
- 206;
- 306;
- 406), for detecting the magnetic element (120, 220, 320, 420), and wherein:
- the magnetic element (120, 220, 320, 420) moves fixedly with the corresponding jaw (106;
- 206;
- 306;
- 406) during the closing movement of the jaws (106-107;
- 206-207;
- 306-307;
- 406-407) up to the point in which the jaws (106-107;
- 206-207;
- 306-307;
- 406-407) are closed against a piece (P), and the distance between the magnetic element (120, 220, 320, 420) and the electronic circuit (116, 216, 316, 416) is unchanged, i.e. remains constant;
- the magnetic element (120, 220, 320, 420) is rotatable with respect to the corresponding jaw (106;
- 206;
- 306;
- 406), in response to the stresses exerted by the actuator (103, 203, 303, 440), as long as a piece (P) is clamped between the jaws (106-107;
- 206-207;
- 306-307;
- 406-407), and the distance between the magnetic element (120, 220, 320, 420) and the electronic circuit (116, 216, 316,416) is reduced to the minimum.
46 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.