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US 8,985,656 B2Granted
Clamp having three jaws
AssigneeGimatic S.p.A.
InventorGiuseppe Maffeis
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AssigneeGimatic S.p.A.
InventorGiuseppe Maffeis
Estimating the term…
A self-centering clamp having three jaws, for the industrial automation field is provided and is adapted to equip robotic arms. One of the jaws is controlled by a cursor directly activated by the clamp actuator, which can be electric, pneumatic, oleopneumatic, etc. The other two jaws are controlled by corresponding transfer levers kinematically coupled to the cursor. The levers rotate in a lying plane parallel to the handling plane of the jaws and the cursor.
Clamp (1) comprising:
Clamp (1) comprising:
Clamp (1) comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.
Gripping heads and other end effectors: with movable, e.g. pivoting gripping jaw surfaces
Gripping heads and other end effectors: for internally gripping hollow or recessed objects
Gripping heads and other end effectors: servo-actuated
Having finger members: with three or more finger members
About 6 years 7 months of term left · ends 31 May 2033 (estimated)
The present invention relates to a clamp having three jaws, in particular to a self-centering type of clamp, adapted to be used as gripping element of industrial manipulators.
In the field of industrial automation is known the use of robotized manipulators to which a gripping clamp for the objects to be manipulated is normally associated.
The clamps are provided with a body housing the jaws, or clamps, and the corresponding activating device. The jaws are movable between a first not-operating position or releasing position, where they don't apply any pressure on the piece to be manipulated and an operating position, or gripping position, where they apply a pressure on the piece to be manipulated adequate to provide the workpiece not becoming accidentally free during its displacement. The device for activating the jaws can be of an electric, pneumatic, oleo-pneumatic, etc type.
Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will be more evident from a review of the following specification of a preferred, but not exclusive, embodiment, shown for illustration purposes only and without limitation, with the aid of the attached drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a clamp having three jaws according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the clamp shown in FIG. 1;
The enclosed FIGS. 1-6 show the preferred embodiment of the clamp 1 according to the present invention, comprising a body 2 housing the respective components.
The body 2 of the clamp 1 is made up of two portions, an upper portion 2A and a lower portion 2B. The upper portion 2A is substantially circular and extends around the longitudinal axis Z-Z and has a center recess 3, which is circular too.
The portion 2A of the body 2 houses the jaws G1, G2 and G3, that are slidable within respective seats, or tracks, 21-23 radially extending with respect to the axis Z-Z, along directions forming angles of 120° at the intersection of each other, and in the same lying plane. In FIG. 1 the jaws G1-G3 are fully retracted, i.e. they are in the position of minimum distance from the longitudinal axis Z-Z with respect to the travel each jaw can run, corresponding to the releasing position of the workpiece to be manipulated. The jaws G1-G3 can be translationally pushed in the respective seats 21-23 to be partially ejected beyond the perimeter of the portion 2A of the clamp body 2, taking the gripping position of the workpiece to be handled, which obviously is at least partially hollow, allowing the clamp 1 to be inserted therein.