JPH08132381A - Hand for nipping device, and nipping device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a largely bendable hand for nipping device. CONSTITUTION: A plurality of holding bodies 3 are arranged in a line in the direction separating from a base end frame 2. The base end holding body 3A situated on the base end side is supported by the base end frame 2 in such a manner as to be capable of swinging, and each holding body 3 situated closer to the top end side from the base end holding body 3A is connected in an articulated form so that the adjacent holding bodies 3 are relatively swung through a fulcrum. Each holding body 3 has a plunger part 3a protruded from this holding body 3, and a cylinder part 3b for fitting the plunger part 3a of the partner's holding body 3 in such a manner as to be capable of relatively sliding. The cylinder part 3b and the plunger part 3a are formed into a circular form having a fulcrum X as the center, and air is supplied to the cylinder part 3b, thereby, each holding body 3 is switched to the nipping posture where they are swung and separated and the stand-by posture in which each holding body is adjacent to each other.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a gripping device hand used for gripping vegetables and fruits during harvesting and transportation, for example, in a direction in which a plurality of gripping bodies are separated from a base frame. Are arranged in a row in a row, and the base end gripping body located on the base end side is pivotably supported on the base end frame,
Each of the gripping bodies located on the tip side of the proximal end gripping body is connected to form a multi-joint type so that the adjacent gripping bodies relatively swing relative to each other via a fulcrum. The present invention relates to a gripping device hand provided with a posture changing mechanism that allows switching between a holding posture and a standby posture in which each gripping body is close to each other, and a drive device that drives the posture changing mechanism.

[0001]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional gripping device hand, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, a plurality of grippers 3 are connected to each other by a lateral axis Y so that they can swing relative to each other, and the gripping bodies 3 are located at the front and rear positions of the lateral axis Y. An air passage 5 for introducing or discharging air, which serves as a drive source for driving the posture changing mechanism C, is formed, and the posture changing mechanism C extends over the air passages 5 of both gripping bodies on the surfaces of the adjacent gripping bodies 3 facing each other. Was attached with a connecting pipe.
This connecting pipe C has O-rings 9 attached to the outer surfaces of both ends to improve the sealing performance with the inner surface of the air passage. At the same time, when air is supplied, the air is passed through the air passage 5 to the tip gripping body 3. When the tip gripping body 3 is supplied, the tip gripping body 3 is swung with respect to the succeeding gripping body 3 to which the tip gripping body 3 is attached. And swings, the grippers 3 are relatively separated from each other, and the hand is in a holding posture. Then, when the gripping bodies 3 try to relatively separate from each other, relative sliding occurs between the air passage 5 and the pipe C in the connecting pipe C portion, and the gripping bodies 3 are allowed to separate from each other. To do.

[0002]

In such a conventional structure, since the connecting pipe C is linear, even if the connecting pipe C can slide relative to the air passage 5, it sways. Therefore, the swinging range of the gripping bodies 3 separated from each other is inevitably small. Then, the hand 1 in which the grippers 3 are arranged in a row has a drawback that the bending in the sandwiching posture cannot be made large. In other words, in order to increase the bending in the holding posture, the number of the gripping bodies 3 to be arranged must be increased, which increases the weight of the hand 1 and drives the hand 1. There are problems such as lack of speed. Further, since the connecting pipe is provided separately from the gripping body, the number of parts is increased. An object of the first invention is to provide a hand of a holding device that can be obtained without providing a large number of gripping bodies in order to obtain a hand that can largely bend in a holding posture.

[0003]

A characteristic configuration according to the first aspect of the present invention is that the posture changing mechanism includes a plunger portion extending from one gripping body and the other gripping body adjacent to the one gripping body. It is configured with a cylinder part into which a plunger part is relatively movably fitted, and the axial centers of the plunger part and the cylinder part are set on the same arc centering around a fulcrum connecting the gripping bodies, and the drive device is It is constituted by a fluid pressure type that supplies a working fluid to the cylinder portion, and there is provided a returning means for changing the posture changing mechanism to the holding posture and returning to the standby posture. It is as follows.

[0004]

That is, when air is supplied from the drive device to the cylinder parts, the cylinder parts and the plunger part are relatively separated from each other, the grippers are separated from each other, and the hands of the sandwiching device are in the sandwiching posture. In the process of shifting from the standby position to the holding position, each cylinder part and the plunger part are formed in the same circular arc shape with the fulcrum connecting the grippers as the center.
The gripping bodies are in the same direction as the gripping bodies are separated from each other, and the separation operation can be performed smoothly and the swing angle can be made large as compared with the conventional one using a straight pipe. When returning from the holding posture to the standby posture, it can be performed by operating the returning means.

[0005]

As a result, it is possible to smoothly and largely separate the gripping members from each other and to swing them close to each other, as compared with the conventional pipe-defining structure, and the bending of the hand can be made sufficiently large. Therefore, since the use is less restricted to the size of the vegetables to be handled and the swing angle of each gripping body can be made large, if the bending radius of the whole hand is the same, the number of constituent gripping bodies Therefore, the posture of the hand can be easily changed. Moreover, since the cylinder part and the plunger part are integral with each gripping body, it is not necessary to provide the cylinder part and the plunger part as separate parts, and the number of parts can be reduced accordingly.

[Other Objectives / Structures / Operations / Effects] (1) The object of the invention of claim 2 is to provide, in addition to the object of the invention of claim 1, an object which can be handled as a clamping device. The structure adopted for this purpose is that in the structure of claim 1, a plurality of hands for the holding device are provided, and the operation and effect thereof are as follows. That is, by providing a plurality of hands, even a long object that is difficult to handle with one hand can be easily handled. In particular, since the hand can be bent greatly, it is also effective for thin and long objects. (2) The object of the invention of claim 3 is to provide, in addition to the object of the invention of claim 1, a structure for easily returning to the standby posture, and the configuration adopted for this purpose is as follows. In the structure of claim 1, the returning means is a spring, and the function and effect thereof are as follows. That is,
Since a spring is used as the returning means, the structure of the returning means is simple, and the spring bias always acts to return to the standby posture, so that even if the drive device fails, etc. It is possible to automatically return to the standby posture, and it is possible to prevent accidentally pinching something that should not be handled accidentally. (3) In addition to the object of the invention according to claim 1, an object of the invention according to claim 4 is to provide a structure which can also simplify the entire structure by using the return means in common, and the structure adopted for this purpose In the configuration of claim 1, the return means uses a means for sucking the fluid in the cylinder portion by the fluid pressure type drive device, and the action and effect are as follows. That is, when the drive device supplies the fluid into the cylinder portion, the hand can be held in the holding posture, and when the drive device sucks the fluid in the cylinder portion, the hand can be returned to the standby posture. As a result, the drive device can also serve as the returning means, and the structure of the entire hand can be simplified. (4) The object of the invention of claim 5 is to provide, in addition to the object of the invention of claim 1, a structure for easily returning to the standby posture, and the structure adopted for this purpose is In the configuration of claim 1, the return means is the self-gravitational force of the gripping body itself that urges the holding posture from the holding posture, and the function and effect thereof are as follows. That is, since the gravity of the gripping body itself is used as the returning means, it is not necessary to provide the returning means in particular, and the structure of the entire hand can be simplified.

[0007]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, a sandwiching device B that grips a round vegetable A or the like with two sandwiching device hands 1 and 1 will be described. First, the structure of the hand 1 will be described. The three gripping bodies 3 are arranged in a row in a row downward from the base end frame 2, and adjacent gripping bodies 3 are connected so as to be relatively swingable with the front-rear axis X as a fulcrum, and the base end gripping body 3A is connected to the base end frame. It is connected and fixed to 2 via a fulcrum X so as to be capable of relative swinging, and is configured as an articulated type.

Then, the mechanism C for changing the postures of the gripping bodies 3 is constructed as follows. A plunger portion 3a extends downward from the lower surface of the proximal end gripping body 3A, and a cylinder portion 3b recessed within the wall thickness is formed on the upper surface. The plunger portion 3a is located below the grip body 3
Is relatively slidable in the cylinder portion 3b, and the cylinder portion 3b is capable of receiving the plunger portion 3a of the gripping body 3 located above and relatively sliding. Base frame 2
Has a plunger portion 3a only, and the tip grip body 3B has only a cylinder portion 3b. Further, the plunger portion 3a and the cylinder portion 3b are positioned so that their axes are located at the same arcuate position with the front-rear axis X as the center.
It is formed in an arc shape.

On the other hand, the drive device D will be explained. An air passage 4 is formed in the plunger portion 3a and in a portion located between the plunger portion 3a and the cylinder portion 3b, and air from the air supply pump 5 is supplied. The air is supplied to the air passage 4 via a valve 6. Tip gripping body 3B
A spring 7 as a returning means is provided so as to extend between the base 7 and the base frame 2, and the spring 7 is provided on the lateral side surface of each grip body 3.
An insertion portion 3C is formed to insert the.

With the above-described structure, when air is supplied to the cylinder portion 3b, the tip gripping body 3B is sequentially rocked relative to the succeeding gripping body 3 from the tip gripping body 3B and is separated from the cylinder 3b. When the gripping body 3 is swung apart, it takes a holding posture. When the valve 6 is switched to discharge the air, the return spring force causes the gripping bodies 3 to return to the standby position in which they are close to each other.

Explaining the forming structure of the grip body 3,
As shown in FIG. 3, the grasping body 3 has an upper and lower split structure, and is divided by a plane including the axial center of the plunger portion 3a and the cylinder portion 3b. Upper grip body 3D and lower grip body 3
Half of the plunger portion 3a and the cylinder portion 3b are formed on the mating surface with E, respectively. At the lateral position,
A ⅛ circle-shaped recess is provided to form an insertion portion 3C into which the return spring 7 is inserted. The upper and lower grip body portions 3
D and 3E are resin integrally molded products, and the air passage 4 and the like are also integrally formed. Plunger part 3a and cylinder part 3b
As shown in FIG. 3, the cross-sectional shape may be circular or rectangular.

As shown in FIG. 1, each hand 1 is covered with a boot 10 that covers all the grippers 3. Boots 10
A highly durable material such as urethane rubber is arranged on the outer surface portion 10A, and a highly cushioning material such as a sponge is arranged on the inner surface portion 10B, and they are bonded together. By providing the boot 10 as described above, dust and the like that enter between the gripping bodies 3 can be eliminated, damage can be prevented when the handled object is clamped, and the boot 10 itself is less damaged.

Reference numeral 8 in the drawing denotes a sandwiching completion detecting sensor for detecting whether or not the vegetables A are completely sandwiched by both hands 1, and a movable frame 8A which contacts the vegetables A and the movable frame 8
It is composed of a spring 8B that biases A toward the protrusion and a limit switch 8C that detects a state in which the movable frame 8A retracts by a certain amount. Other than the limit switch 8C, a differential transformer, a piezoelectric element, an optical sensor, etc. can be adopted. With such a configuration, when the limit switch 8C senses a pressed state of a certain amount or more, the movement of the hand 1 to the holding side is stopped.

[Other Embodiments] In addition to the basic configuration described above, the following configuration may be adopted. (1) The hand 1 can be handled independently as a single item. Of course, as shown in FIG.
Although a pair of hands 1 may constitute the holding device,
As shown in FIG. 4, when grasping a spherical object such as an onion A, the hands 1 may be arranged in a triangle, and as shown in FIG. The hands 1 may be arranged in rows, and as shown in FIG. 6, the hands 1 may be arranged in a staggered manner so that a long object such as a green onion can be easily grasped. (2) Not only the driving device D but also the restoring means 7 may be configured to be driven by air. As shown in FIG. 7, an intake pump 9 is provided together with the air supply pump 5, and when the air is supplied from the air supply pump 5 by switching the valve 11, the hand 1 can be held in a holding posture, and when the air is exhausted by the intake pump 9, a standby posture is achieved. You can (3) In FIG. 1, the returning means 7 is also performed by air, but only the air supply pump 5 is used and the returning means 7 is used.
As the above, a configuration using the own weight of the grip body 3 may be adopted. (4) Although air is used as the working fluid of the drive unit D, it may be constructed hydraulically. (5) The material of the grip body 3 is resin, but may be metal as long as it is lightweight.

It should be noted that reference numerals are given in the claims for convenience of comparison with the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the configurations of the accompanying drawings by the entry.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional front view showing a state where a pair of hands are in a standby posture.

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional front view showing a state of being in a working posture.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a disassembled state and an assembled state of the grip body.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a state in which three hands are arranged at the vertex positions of a triangle.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a state in which a pair of hands are arranged in a row.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a state where hands are arranged in a staggered pattern.

FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional side view showing a structure in which the restoring device is also air-driven.

FIG. 8 is a vertical cross-sectional side view showing a conventional connecting structure of grippers.

FIG. 9 is a clamping device using the hand in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Hand 2 Base Frame 3 Grip 3A Base Grip 3a Plunger 3b Cylinder 7 Returning Device C Posture Change Mechanism D Drive Device X Support Point

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of gripping bodies (3) are arranged in a row in a direction away from the base end frame (2), and a base end gripping body (3A) located on the base end side is the base end frame (2). The gripping bodies (3) located on the distal side of the base end gripping body (3A) are pivotally supported to each other, and the adjacent gripping bodies (3) move relative to each other via a fulcrum (X). A posture changing mechanism (C) that is configured to be articulated by being connected to each other so as to move, and allows switching between a holding posture in which each gripping body (3) swings and separates and a standby posture in which each gripping body (3) is close to each other. And a gripping device hand provided with a drive device (D) for driving the posture changing mechanism (C), wherein the posture changing mechanism (C) extends from one gripping body (3) into a plunger part ( 3a) and the plunger part (3a) in the other gripping body (3) adjacent to the one gripping body (3). It is composed of a cylinder part (3b) which is fitted so as to be relatively movable, and the axes of the plunger part (3a) and the cylinder part (3b) are centered on a fulcrum (X) connecting the gripping bodies (3). Set on the same arc,
The drive unit (D) is constituted by a fluid pressure type that supplies a working fluid to the cylinder section (3b), and the posture changing mechanism (C) is changed to the holding posture and is returned to the standby posture. A hand for a clamping device provided with a returning means (7). 2. The hand holding device for a holding device according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of hands (1) for the holding device. 3. The gripping device hand according to claim 1, wherein the returning means (7) is a spring. 4. The gripping device hand according to claim 1, wherein the returning means (7) uses means for sucking the fluid in the cylinder portion (3b) by the fluid pressure type driving device. 5. The gripping device hand according to claim 1, wherein the return means (7) is a self-gravitational force of the gripping body itself which urges the gripping posture from the gripping posture to the standby posture.