EP0630312A1 - Unite de prehension pour robots de manutention - Google Patents

Unite de prehension pour robots de manutention

Info

Publication number
EP0630312A1
EP0630312A1 EP93903708A EP93903708A EP0630312A1 EP 0630312 A1 EP0630312 A1 EP 0630312A1 EP 93903708 A EP93903708 A EP 93903708A EP 93903708 A EP93903708 A EP 93903708A EP 0630312 A1 EP0630312 A1 EP 0630312A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
gripping
holding
needles
gripper
elements
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP93903708A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Inventor
Christian Dr. Pieler
Franz Ernst Dr. Leichtfried
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Robocon Labor und Industrieroboterges GmbH
Original Assignee
Robocon Labor und Industrieroboterges GmbH
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Robocon Labor und Industrieroboterges GmbH filed Critical Robocon Labor und Industrieroboterges GmbH
Publication of EP0630312A1 publication Critical patent/EP0630312A1/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B25—HAND TOOLS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; MANIPULATORS
    • B25J—MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES
    • B25J15/00—Gripping heads and other end effectors
    • B25J15/02—Gripping heads and other end effectors servo-actuated
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
    • G01N35/00—Automatic analysis not limited to methods or materials provided for in any single one of groups G01N1/00 - G01N33/00; Handling materials therefor
    • G01N35/0099—Automatic analysis not limited to methods or materials provided for in any single one of groups G01N1/00 - G01N33/00; Handling materials therefor comprising robots or similar manipulators
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
    • G01N35/00—Automatic analysis not limited to methods or materials provided for in any single one of groups G01N1/00 - G01N33/00; Handling materials therefor
    • G01N35/02—Automatic analysis not limited to methods or materials provided for in any single one of groups G01N1/00 - G01N33/00; Handling materials therefor using a plurality of sample containers moved by a conveyor system past one or more treatment or analysis stations
    • G01N35/028—Automatic analysis not limited to methods or materials provided for in any single one of groups G01N1/00 - G01N33/00; Handling materials therefor using a plurality of sample containers moved by a conveyor system past one or more treatment or analysis stations having reaction cells in the form of microtitration plates

Definitions

  • the invention relates to a gripping unit for handling robots, in particular for gripping essentially cuboidal elements made of relatively light material, such as microtiter plates, with at least two gripping fingers which are arranged on a gripper and are controllably movable relative to one another and which have holding elements.
  • a gripping unit for handling robots in particular for gripping essentially cuboidal elements made of relatively light material, such as microtiter plates, with at least two gripping fingers which are arranged on a gripper and are controllably movable relative to one another and which have holding elements.
  • Such gripping units are known in a wide variety of designs and are mostly relatively closely matched to the respective application in order to optimize their function with regard to the design of the gripping fingers or holding elements.
  • arrangements have also become known in which the holding elements cooperate frictionally with the surface of the elements to be handled when the gripping fingers are pressed against this surface .
  • this allows a somewhat greater flexibility with regard to the possible uses, but on the other hand has the disadvantage that, in particular due to the properties of the element to be held, only a relatively low permitted gripping or holding force makes it impossible to hold it securely even under unfavorable circumstances.
  • microtiter plates mentioned are storage and reaction vessels for liquid samples.
  • the width and length (127.7 x 85.4 mm) of the microtiter plates are standardized; however, there are versions of different heights. They can be made from polypropylene, polystyrene, polycarbonate or other plastic materials; can be transparent or opaque be and be used with or without a lid.
  • Some shape details of the microtiter plates can vary between the individual producers, such as the height of the base; some manufacturers oblique two of the four corners of the microtiter plate and the associated lid from r so that these panels can only be used with covers of the same generator. In other microtiter plate manufacturers, the base is raised in the middle of the plate.
  • Sample wells are inserted into the microtiter plates from above, which are arranged in the most common form in a matrix of 8 x 12 wells, that is a total of 96 wells. However, there are also microtiter plates of the same length and width that contain only 48, 24, 12 or 6 cells, whereby the individual cell diameters are correspondingly larger.
  • microtiter plates are used in clinical diagnostics, where they e.g. in the ELISA method (Enzyme-Linked Immuno Assay.) e.g. used in blood banks; in quality control laboratories in the pharmaceutical industry, where they are used to test raw materials and products for the greatest possible purity, e.g. be used in the so-called Li ulus procedure; in pharmaceutical research and development, as well as in biotechnology, where they are used in so-called screening processes in which those with the desired clinical-therapeutic effect can be found from a large number of test substances.
  • ELISA method Enzyme-Linked Immuno Assay.
  • Li ulus procedure e.g. be used in the so-called Li ulus procedure
  • biotechnology e.g. screening processes in which those with the desired clinical-therapeutic effect can be found from a large number of test substances.
  • Microtiter plates are also used in food and environmental chemistry.
  • the object of the present invention is to improve a gripping unit of the type mentioned at the outset in such a way that the disadvantages mentioned of the known units of this type are avoided and that, in particular, rectangular elements made of relatively light material, such as microtiter plates, are safe even with different surface structures can be held.
  • the holding elements have gripping needles, the ends of which lie essentially point-like on the element to be gripped and hold it positively under the effect of the holding force exerted by the gripper. It has been found that this punctiform holding with naturally at least three gripping needles lying essentially in one plane offers excellent gripping or holding security even with relatively small applied forces.
  • a holding element has two gripping needles on a common needle rocker which can be pivoted about an axis arranged on the gripping finger essentially perpendicular to the effect of the holding force and to the direction of an imaginary connecting line between the two gripping needles.
  • unevenness, elevations and depressions on the surface of the element to be gripped can be easily and easily compensated for, and on the other hand it is ensured that the gripping or holding force is distributed as uniformly as possible on the individual gripping needles, so that damage to the element to be gripped is avoided secure gripping and holding are prevented at the same time.
  • the needle rocker and / or the holder for the gripping needles can be designed to be elastic, which results in a further improvement in safety or the uniform distribution of forces.
  • the needle rocker can also be elastically supported with respect to the gripping finger, which guarantees a secure gripping and holding even, for example, in the event of vibrations during operation.
  • the gripping needles and / or the gripping fingers carrying the holding elements can be bent and / or cranked.
  • FIG. 1 shows a gripping unit according to the invention in a perspective view
  • FIG. 1 each show alternative embodiments of gripping fingers or holding areas to FIG. 1,
  • FIG. 4 shows a top view of an exemplary embodiment of a microtiter plate, for example for holding a gripping unit according to the present invention
  • FIG. 5 shows a side view of the microtiter plate in the direction of arrow V in FIG. 4,
  • FIG. 5 shows a corresponding side view in the direction of arrow VI in FIG. 4
  • 7 shows the interaction of a microtiter plate according to FIGS. 4 to 6 with a gripping finger of a gripping unit according to the invention, which has been folded over into the plane of the drawing for clarification
  • FIG. 8 shows a view of the gripping finger from FIG. 7 alone in the direction of the arrow 8 in FIG. 7, and
  • FIG. 9 shows a view essentially corresponding to FIG. 1 of a similar embodiment according to the present invention.
  • a gripper 1 of a handling robot, not shown, which is used for handling essentially cuboid elements 2 made of relatively light material, such as e.g. Microtiter plates.
  • the gripper 1 can be rotated or swiveled around various axes or adjusted or moved in various directions in a wide variety of ways, which are not of interest here, so that the required handling area can be covered depending on the task.
  • Arranged at the illustrated outer end of the gripper 1 are two gripper fingers 4, 5, which are controllable in the direction of the double arrow 3 and which have 6 holding elements 7 at their outer ends.
  • FIG. 2 differs from FIG. 1 essentially only in that here now on the two cooperating gripping fingers 4, 5, which, as can also be seen in FIG. 1, by means of screws 11 on the not shown here Grippers are interchangeably attached, on the one hand a holding element 7 with a two rocking needles 8 carrying, not shown needle rocker and on the other hand a holding element 7 'with a single fixed gripping needle 8 is arranged.
  • This arrangement is sufficient for many application examples and, according to the principle of three-point mounting, prevents any wobbling in the holder.
  • the gripping needles 8 are bent or cranked at the outer ends 6 of the gripping fingers 4, 5, whereby the gap required between two adjacent elements 2 can be reduced to enable gripping.
  • the gripping needles 8 could also be arranged on needle rockers correspondingly modified compared to FIGS. 1 and 2, but this is not shown here.
  • the gripping fingers 4, 5 are themselves bent or cranked and consist of two separately manufactured and assembled parts, as can be seen in particular in FIG. 9. Together with the design of the outer end of the gripper 1 shown in FIG. 1, individual elements 2 can thus be picked out very easily from a series of elements 2 placed next to or behind one another at a distance.
  • microtiter plates are used as storage and / or reaction vessels for liquid samples and the like.
  • Various parameters such as the width and length of such plates, are standardized - other parameters, such as the height and matrix of the sample cup, vary depending on the manufacturer or application.
  • the plates consist entirely of plastic materials such as polypropylene, polystyrene, polycarbonate or the like, both transparent and opaque designs being known.
  • the microtiter plates are produced or used both with and without a separate cover, such a cover, of course, also having to be removable or replaceable by a handling robot when it is being handled.
  • microtiter plates vary depending on the use or producer, for example the height of the base 12, the susceptible bevel 13 the corners 14, the possible elevation 15 in the middle of the long side edge, etc.
  • the sample cups 16 inserted from above are arranged in the most common form in a matrix of 8 x 12 (as shown), although there are also designs with There are 48, 24, 12 or 6 cells, in which case the individual cell diameters are correspondingly larger.
  • microtiter plates The most common areas of application for such microtiter plates are clinical diagnostics, quality control in the pharmaceutical industry, pharmaceutical research and development, and biotechnology - but there are also other applications, for example, in food and environmental chemistry.
  • FIGS. 7 and 8 show an example of the construction of the needle 9 already mentioned in FIGS. 1 to 3, which carries two gripping needles 8, is arranged in a groove-shaped recess 17 at the outer end 6 of a gripping finger 4, 5 and is pivotable about an axis 18 arranged essentially perpendicular to the effect of the holding force and perpendicular to the direction of an imaginary connecting line between the two gripping needles 8 on the gripping fingers 4, 5.
  • manufacturing tolerances on the gripping unit itself or on the element 2 to be gripped (a microtiter plate according to FIGS. 4 to 6 is again shown in FIG. 7) can be easily compensated for.
  • the distance between the gripping needles 8 is selected so that they grip the microtiter plate or the element 2 laterally next to the elevation 15.
  • the needle rocker 9 and / or the holding of the gripping needles 8 in the needle rocker 9 itself can also be made elastic in a manner not shown here, or the needle rocker 9 can be elastically supported with respect to the gripping fingers 4, 5 or the groove 17, which improves safe holding or gripping.
  • FIG. 9 shows, similarly to FIG. 1, a somewhat different gripping finger 4, the attachment of which to the gripper (not shown) even here via four to be inserted into holes 19 Screws.
  • the connection of the two gripper finger parts is indicated at 20.
  • a needle rocker 9 with two spaced gripping needles 8, which can be pivoted about an axis 18, can again be seen in a groove 17.
  • a microtiter plate is again indicated as the element 2 to be gripped, which here also has a lateral elevation 15, next to which the ends of the two gripping needles 8 engage.
  • the gripper fingers shown and discussed can in principle be mounted on all robots provided with a corresponding gripper; so-called servo grippers are preferred, however, which enable the gripping force to be controlled.
  • all microtiter plates currently available on the market can be gripped or handled.
  • the plates can be attacked correctly with or without a lid.
  • the lid can be removed from the corresponding plate or placed on it.
  • the plates themselves can be gripped or held not only in the vicinity of their axes but also in the vicinity of their edges in a stable and secure manner without fear of tipping.
  • the microtiter plates can be removed from or placed in all common pallet configurations, provided that there is only a certain edge distance (preferably about 9 mm) between the individual plates.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Robotics (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Manipulator (AREA)

Abstract

Dans une unité de préhension pour des robots de manutention, il est prévu au moins deux doigts de préhension (4, 5) disposés sur une pince (1) et pouvant être commandés de manière à se déplacer l'un par rapport à l'autre, doigts qui portent des éléments de maintien (7). Les éléments de maintien (7) présentent des aiguilles de préhension (8) qui peuvent être disposées sur un support commun (9) et dont les extrémités (10) viennent en contact, de manière essentiellement ponctuelle, avec l'élément (2) à saisir, de sorte que celui-ci est maintenu par liaison de forme sous l'action de la force de maintien exercée par la pince (1).
EP93903708A 1992-02-24 1993-02-23 Unite de prehension pour robots de manutention Withdrawn EP0630312A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AT346/92 1992-02-24
AT34692A AT399835B (de) 1992-02-24 1992-02-24 Greifeinheit für handhabungsroboter
PCT/AT1993/000030 WO1993016849A1 (fr) 1992-02-24 1993-02-23 Unite de prehension pour robots de manutention

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0630312A1 true EP0630312A1 (fr) 1994-12-28

Family

ID=3488176

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP93903708A Withdrawn EP0630312A1 (fr) 1992-02-24 1993-02-23 Unite de prehension pour robots de manutention

Country Status (3)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0630312A1 (fr)
AT (1) AT399835B (fr)
WO (1) WO1993016849A1 (fr)

Families Citing this family (10)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6746648B1 (en) 2000-06-15 2004-06-08 Beckman Coulter, Inc. Method and system for transporting and storing multiple reagent packs and reagent packs used therein
DE102004020590A1 (de) * 2004-04-27 2005-11-17 Carl Zeiss Jena Gmbh Greifvorrichtung
FR2932272B1 (fr) * 2008-06-09 2011-02-25 Stago Diagnostica Dispositif de prehension d'une cuvette de reaction
US11259531B2 (en) 2015-03-02 2022-03-01 Valka Ehf Apparatus for processing and grading food articles and related methods
US20220061340A1 (en) 2015-03-02 2022-03-03 Valka Ehf Apparatus for processing and grading food articles and related methods
EP3264903A2 (fr) 2015-03-02 2018-01-10 Valka Ehf Appareil de traitement et de classification d'articles alimentaires et procédés associés
DE102016123585A1 (de) 2016-12-06 2018-06-07 MonTech System Solutions GmbH Greifer für Prüfkörper, Positioniervorrichtung für Rohproben, Handhabungssystem für Rohproben und Prüfkörper sowie Prüfsystem für visko-elastische Werkstoffe
GB201906418D0 (en) 2019-05-07 2019-06-19 Valka Ehf Conveyor system and method
CN111689215B (zh) * 2020-05-21 2021-07-06 宁波伟立机器人科技股份有限公司 一种侧上料的智能料仓
DE102021000775A1 (de) 2021-02-12 2022-08-18 Eberhard Kunze Greifvorrichtung

Family Cites Families (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3261479A (en) * 1962-12-26 1966-07-19 Samuel W Baker Manipulating devices
DE2742225A1 (de) * 1977-09-20 1979-03-22 Banning Ag J Schmiedezange, insbesondere fuer einen manipulator mit maschinellem zangenantrieb
EP0134819A1 (fr) * 1978-08-01 1985-03-27 Grisebach, Hans-Theodor Pince à moteur électrique pour la commande du serrage
DE8324779U1 (de) * 1983-08-29 1989-05-03 Siemens AG, 1000 Berlin und 8000 München Greifer für Industrieroboter
DE8618843U1 (de) * 1986-07-14 1986-09-18 Scharnofske, John David, 30177 Hannover Greifervorrichtung zum Aufnehmen und/oder Vereinzeln von flächigen Werkstücken
DE3705884A1 (de) * 1987-02-24 1988-09-01 Fraunhofer Ges Forschung Greifersystem insbesondere fuer industrieroboter
JPH058064Y2 (fr) * 1987-05-25 1993-03-01
JPH0329117Y2 (fr) * 1987-11-06 1991-06-21
DE3823621A1 (de) * 1988-07-12 1990-01-18 Fraunhofer Ges Forschung Greifer zum greifen und handhaben von werkstuecken

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
See references of WO9316849A1 *

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
ATA34692A (de) 1994-12-15
WO1993016849A1 (fr) 1993-09-02
AT399835B (de) 1995-07-25

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