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US 4,607,873 AGranted
Gripper apparatus
AssigneePHD, Inc.
InventorsKay T. Nusbaumer, Bruce D. McIntosh
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Gripping apparatus includes a supporting body having a pair of spaced generally parallel jaws independently mounted thereon for movement toward and away from each other. An actuating device is reciprocably mounted in the supporting body and between the jaws and is operably connected to the end portions of the jaws to move them toward and away from each other upon reciprocal movement of the actuating device. The body is in the form of a cylinder and a fluid operated, doubleacting piston is reciprocably received therein and connected to the actuating device for the reciprocation thereof. The jaws extend longitudinally of the cylinder on diametrically opposite sides thereof and the actuating device extends axially of the piston.
Claims16
Gripping apparatus, comprising:
- a supporting body;
- a pair of opposed spaced apart levers, each said lever having a mounting arm and a gripping arm angularly joined together at one of their respective ends, one of said levers being independently pivotally mounted, substantially at the joinder of its said mounting arm and said gripping arm, to said supporting body for pivotal movement of its gripping arm toward and away from the gripping arm of the other of said levers, said other lever being operably mounted to said supporting body;
- a distal end of said mounting arm of said one of said levers being formed to have a substantially spherical shape truncated to have a substantially planar surface in direct facing relationship with the mounting arm of said other lever;
- an actuating member reciprocably mounted in said supporting body so as to be generally disposed between respective distal ends of said mounting arms of said levers, said actuating member being reciprocable in a direction orthogonal to a line projecting between said respective distal ends, said actuating member including a substantially circularly cylindrical opening therein axially oriented orthogonally to the direction of reciprocation of said actuating member and generally along said line projecting between said respective distal ends, said cylindrical opening being operably coupled to said spherical end of said mounting arm of said one lever toward and away from said other lever upon reciprocable movement of said actuating member;
- means for reciprocating said actuating member;
- said other lever being independently pivotally mounted substantially at the joinder of its said mounting arm and said gripping arm, to said supporting body, said levers being pivotal toward and away from each other about spaced parallel pivot axes, said actuating member being generally between said pivot axes and likewise operably coupled to said mounting arm of said other lever to pivot said levers toward and away from each other in unison upon reciprocal movement of said actuating member under actuation of said means for reciprocating said actuating member;
- said means for reciprocating said actuating member is a piston-cylinder assembly within said supporting body, said piston being connected to said actuating member;
- and
- said means including a bushing member for securing said piston in said cylinder, and wherein said apparatus further includes a pair of bushing blocks respectively disposed on opposite sides of and slidably abutting against said mounting arms of said levers, said bushing blocks abutting against said bushing member, said bushing blocks being secured to said supporting body to thereby secure said bushing member in said cylinder, each of said levers being pivotally supported between said pair of bushing blocks by a respective wrist pin received through a hole at the pivot axis thereof and in bearing openings in respective said bushing blocks, said bushing blocks abutting against and reciprocably supporting said actuating member therebetween.
6 more elements
A gripping apparatus comprising:
- a supporting body, having two parallel wall projections outwardly extending orthogonally from a first surface thereof and disposed to be respectively contiguous with opposed adjacent sides thereof and having two lug members outwardly extending orthogonally from the first surface thereof and disposed to be respectively spaced between facing opposed surfaces of respective ends of said wall projections;
- a pair of opposed spaced apart levers, each said lever having a mounting arm and a gripping arm angularly joined together at one of their respective ends, one of said levers being pivotally supported between one of said wall projections and one of said lug members by a wrist pin received through a hole in the region of joinder of the mounting arm and the gripping arm of said one level and in respective bearing openings in said one of said wall projections and said one lug member, the other of said levers being pivotally supported between the other of said wall projections and the other of said lug members by a wrist pin received through a hole in the region of joinder of the mounting arm and the gripping arm of said other lever and in bearing openings in said other wall projection and said other lug member, said levers so adapted to pivot about said wrist pins in parallelly spaced apart planes;
- an actuating member reciprocably mounted in said supporting body and disposed generally to reciprocate in a plane parallel to and between the planes of pivoting of said levers, said reciprocation being generally in a direction orthogonal to said first surface of said supporting body, said actuating member being operably coupled to said mounting arms of said levers so as to pivot the gripping arms of said levers so as to pivot the gripping arms of said levers toward and away from each other in unison upon reciprocal movement of said actuating member;
- and
- means for reciprocating said actuating member.
2 more elements
Gripper apparatus, comprising:
- a supporting body,
- a pair of opposed spaced-apart levers, each said lever having a mounting arm and a gripping arm angularly joined together at one of their respective ends, one of said levers being independently slidably mounted at its said mounting arm onto said supporting body for lateral movement toward and away from the other said lever which is operably mounted at its said mounting arm onto said supporting body, said gripping arms extending outwardly from said supporting body in a parallel relationship to each other,
- an actuating member reciprocably mounted in said supporting body and between said levers,
- at least one cam coupled to said mounting arm of said one lever and mounted on said actuating member, said at least one cam being operably disposed to laterally move said one lever toward and away from said other lever upon orthogonally directed reciprocal movement of said actuating member, said gripping arms maintaining their parallel relationship during said movement, and
- means for reciprocating said actuating member.
2 more elements
Gripping apparatus, comprising:
- a supporting body;
- a pair of opposed spaced apart levers, each said lever having a mounting arm and a gripping arm angularly joined together at one of their respective ends, one of said levers being independently pivotally mounted, substantially at the joinder of its said mounting arm and said gripping arm, to said supporting body for pivotal movement of its gripping arm toward and away from the gripping arm of the other of said levers, said other lever being operably mounted to said supporting body;
- a distal end of said mounting arm of said one of said levers being formed to have a substantially spherical shape truncated to have a substantially planar surface in direct facing relationship with the mounting arm of said other lever;
- an actuating member reciprocably mounted in said supporting body so as to be generally disposed between respective distal ends of said mounting arms of said levers, said actuating member being reciprocable in a direction orthogonal to a line projecting between said respective distal ends, said actuating member including a substantially circularly cylindrical opening therein axially oriented orthogonally to the direction of reciprocation of said actuating member and generally along said line projecting between said respective distal ends, said cylindrical opening being operably coupled to said spherical end of said mounting arm of said one lever toward and away from said other lever upon reciprocable movement of said actuating member;
- means for reciprocating said actuating member;
- said piston and said body defining two variable volume chambers in said cylinder, said body having two ports therein communicating with respective said variable volume chambers, whereby pressure fluid is selectively introduced alternately in said chambers to reciprocate said piston;
- an elongated bounded recess formed in a side face of said supporting body, substantially aligned with the direction of reciprocation of the piston within said body;
- at least one proximity switch adapted to be received at an adjustably predetermined postion along the extent of said recess;
- a substantially V-shaped bar adapted to be mounted to said body longitudinally of said recess, and adapted to retain said at least one proximity switch within said recess;
- and
- at least one rubber strip extending along such bar in abutting frictional contact between said bar and said at least one proximity switch for retaining said at least one proximity switch in said predetermined position.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.