JP2013173229A - Gripping device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a gripping device that has a larger thickness in an abutting part in a compressing direction to enhance gripping force than ever before.SOLUTION: A gripping device includes a gripping portion 2 for gripping a workpiece 50. The gripping portion 2 continues to a front face 6c which is a portion abutting against the workpiece 50 of a bag member 6a constituting an abutting portion 6, and includes a regulating member 19 for regulating a position of a lateral side 6d which is a portion formed substantially orthogonal to the front face 6c, wherein the regulating member is arranged to support the lateral side 6d of the abutting portion 6 over the whole circumference thereof. The regulating member 19 is formed of an elastic material and is configured to be capable of expansion and contraction in a compressing direction of the abutting portion 6.

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique of a gripping device that can securely grip a plurality of types of workpieces having different shapes.

Conventionally, when handling multiple types of workpieces with different external shapes in a gripping device that grips workpieces, products, etc., the contact part that is in direct contact with the workpiece, etc. of the gripping device corresponds to the shape of each workpiece It has been troublesome to replace it with a new one. For this reason, it has been desired to develop a gripping device that can flexibly handle a plurality of types of workpieces having different outer shapes.
Therefore, various techniques of a gripping apparatus that can grip a plurality of types of workpieces having different outer shapes have been studied. For example, the technique is disclosed in Patent Document 1 shown below and is publicly known.

In the prior art disclosed in Patent Document 1, various external shapes can be obtained by enclosing a large number of granular materials in a flexible film and reducing or releasing the pressure in the film using a vacuum pump or the like. Has been disclosed.
In the gripping device, a contact portion is disposed on a hand portion of a support device such as a robot arm.
Then, by the gripping operation of the robot arm or the like, the contact portion is brought into contact with the workpiece or the like, the corresponding contact portion is made to follow the shape of the workpiece or the like, and then the inside of the contact portion is decompressed, thereby A large number of granular materials are closely moored so that the shape of the contact portion follows the workpiece shape.
Further, in the gripping device, the contact portion is restored to a steady shape by releasing the reduced pressure state in the contact portion.
And by using such a conventional gripping device, the shape of the contact portion can be made to correspond to the outer shape of various workpieces, etc., so when handling multiple types of workpieces with different outer shapes, Can be stably held.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-128302

The force for gripping the workpiece at the conventional contact portion is composed of the frictional force generated between the surface of the contact portion and the workpiece, and the locking force generated when the contact portion enters the uneven shape of the workpiece. Although it is due to the applied force, it is effective to increase the latter locking force in order to grip a workpiece having a greater weight more reliably.
In order to further increase the locking force by the contact portion, it is only necessary to allow the contact portion to enter the uneven portion of the workpiece without any gap. It is effective to make it larger.

However, if the thickness of the contact portion in the clamping direction is increased, the contact portion hangs down due to the gravity acting on the contact portion in the softened state, and the contact portion is formed to have a predetermined thickness. There was a problem that it was difficult to maintain the shape of the part.
In this case, there is a problem that the gripping force cannot be improved unless a desired thickness is obtained for the contact portion.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem of the present situation, and provides a gripping device in which the gripping force is increased as compared with the conventional art by increasing the thickness of the contact portion in the clamping direction. It is aimed.

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is as described above. Next, means for solving the problem will be described.

  That is, in Claim 1, it is provided with a plurality of claw portions for clamping a work, a bag-shaped member made of an elastic material, and a granular material filled in the bag-shaped member, and the plurality of claw portions. A plurality of abutting portions attached to a portion that abuts on the workpiece, and by displacing the plurality of claw portions, the workpiece is clamped by the plurality of abutting portions to sandwich the workpiece. In a pressed state, by increasing the volume ratio of the granular material to the internal volume of the bag-shaped member, the granular material is cured while being held in a shape that follows the shape of the outer surface of the workpiece, A gripping device including a gripping part that grips, wherein the gripping part is continuous with a front part that is a part in contact with the workpiece of the bag-shaped member that constitutes the contact part, and is provided on the front part. The position of the side surface part, which is a part formed substantially orthogonal A regulating member arranged to support the side surface portion of the abutting portion over the entire circumference, and the regulating member is made of an elastic material and sandwiches the abutting portion. It is configured to be able to expand and contract in the pressure direction.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the restriction member is configured integrally with a side surface portion of the bag-shaped member.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the restriction member and the contact portion are configured in a substantially circular shape when the contact portion is viewed in the clamping direction.

  As effects of the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

  In claim 1, when the thickness of the contact portion in the clamping pressure direction is increased, the contact portion is prevented from sagging downward, while the regulating member interferes with the workpiece, and the contact portion against the workpiece. Can be prevented from being unable to be pressed. Thereby, a contact part can be made to fit along the uneven | corrugated | grooved part of a workpiece | work without gap.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the side portion of the bag-like member has a function as a restricting member, so that the contact portion can be prevented from hanging down with a simple configuration.

  According to the third aspect, it is possible to prevent the restricting member from being caught by the contact portion.

The schematic diagram which shows the whole structure of the holding | gripping apparatus which concerns on 1st embodiment of this invention. Schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of the gripping part constituting the gripping device, (a) front schematic diagram, (b) AA sectional view in FIG. 2 (a), (c) BB section in FIG. 2 (a) Figure. The schematic diagram which shows the contact part which concerns on 1st embodiment with which a holding part is equipped, (a) Front schematic diagram, (b) CC sectional drawing in Fig.3 (a). The detailed cross-sectional schematic diagram which shows the displacement condition of the holding frame with which the contact part which concerns on 1st embodiment is equipped. The schematic diagram which shows the holding state of the workpiece | work by a holding part, (a) The schematic diagram which shows the state before holding | grip, (b) The schematic diagram which shows a holding state. The schematic diagram which shows the whole structure of the holding | gripping apparatus which concerns on 2nd-4th embodiment of this invention. The schematic diagram which shows the contact part which concerns on 2nd embodiment with which a holding part is equipped, (a) Front schematic diagram, (b) DD sectional drawing in Fig.7 (a). The schematic diagram which shows the contact part which concerns on 3rd embodiment with which a holding part is equipped, (a) Front schematic diagram, (b) EE sectional drawing in Fig.8 (a). The schematic diagram which shows the contact part which concerns on 4th embodiment with which a holding part is equipped, (a) Front schematic diagram, (b) FF sectional drawing in Fig.9 (a).

Next, embodiments of the invention will be described.
First, the overall configuration of the gripping device according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 1, a gripping device 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention is a device for gripping and holding a workpiece or the like, and includes a gripping portion 2, a control device 7, a vacuum exhaust equipment 8, and the like. ing.
The gripping part 2 is a part for directly gripping a workpiece in the gripping device 1, and includes a drive part 3, a plurality of claw parts 4, 5, a plurality of contact parts 6, 6. 9 ... etc.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 (a), (b), and (c), the drive unit 3 is provided with two systems of slider units 3a and 3b, and the slider units 3a and 3b are arranged in the same axial direction. These are devices that can be reciprocally displaced independently or in conjunction with left and right. As the drive unit 3, for example, an electric actuator provided with a reciprocating mechanism including a ball screw / nut and a motor can be employed.

Each nail | claw part 4 * 5 is a pair of site | part provided in order to clamp a workpiece | work. In other words, the claw portions 4 and 5 are portions for holding the work disposed at the intermediate position between the claw portions 4 and 5 by holding the work by the claw portions 4 and 5.
The shapes of the claw portions 4 and 5 are set in consideration of the shape and size of the workpiece to be grasped, the stroke amount of the slider portions 3a and 3b, and the like.

As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the claw portion 4 includes a support portion 4a and two pressing portions 4b and 4b protruding from the support portion 4a. The clamping parts 4b and 4b are arranged at a predetermined interval from each other. Moreover, the nail | claw part 4 makes the surface by which the contact part 6 is attached the attachment surface 4c.
As for claw part 4, support part 4a is being fixed to slider part 3a. Then, the control unit 7 operates the drive unit 3 to slide the slider unit 3a, and reciprocates the clamping units 4b and 4b along the sliding direction of the slider unit 3a (see FIG. 1). ).

Further, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2C, the claw portion 5 includes a support portion 5a and one pressing portion 5b protruding from the support portion 5a. Moreover, the nail | claw part 5 makes the surface by which the contact part 6 is attached the attachment surface 5c.
As for claw part 5, support part 5a is being fixed to slider part 3b. Then, the control unit 7 operates the drive unit 3 to slide the slider unit 3b, so that the pressing unit 5b reciprocates along the sliding direction of the slider unit 3b (see FIG. 1).

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 (a), (b), and (c), the abutting portion 6 is a portion that directly abuts on the workpiece in the gripping device 1, and the shape and shape of the shape can be flexibly deformed. It is possible to realize two contradictory modes of the mode of holding firmly with one member.
The restricting member 9 is a member that plays a role of maintaining the shape of the contact portion 6, and is provided so as to surround the contact portion 6.

Here, the contact portion 6 and the regulating member 9 will be described in more detail.
As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the contact portion 6 includes a bag-like member 6a which is a substantially bag-like member having elasticity, and a granular material 6b filled in the bag-like member 6a. In a steady state, it exhibits a mode that can be flexibly deformed. And the contact part 6 is attached to the attachment surface 4c * 5c in each clamping part 4b * 5b of each nail | claw part 4 * 5.
The “steady state” referred to here is a state in which the pressure in the bag-like member 6a is close to atmospheric pressure, and the granular material 6b has fluidity (the same applies hereinafter).

The bag-like member 6a is a surface that comes into contact with the workpiece and forms a surface that is substantially perpendicular to the clamping direction of the corresponding contact portion 6, and is continuous from the front surface portion 6c, and the front surface portion. 6c, a side surface 6d that forms a thickness in the clamping direction of the contact portion 6, and a surface that is continuous from the side surface 6d and is substantially orthogonal to the side surface 6d. And a back surface portion 6e forming a surface for attaching the contact portion 6 to each of the attachment surfaces 4c and 5c.
In the present embodiment, the case where the shape of the bag-like member 6a is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape is illustrated, but the shape of the bag-like member in the contact portion constituting the gripping device according to the present invention is limited thereto. Not what you want.

As shown in FIG. 1, the contact portions 6, 6, and 6 (see FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C) are attached to the pinching portions 4b, 4b, and 5b of the claw portions 4 and 5, respectively. In this state, each is connected to the vacuum exhaust equipment 8.
The vacuum evacuation equipment 8 constitutes a means for hardening and softening the abutting portion 6 in the gripping device 1, and includes a vacuum pump 8a, a vacuum pipe 8b, an electromagnetic valve 8c, and the like. And each vacuum piping 8b * 8b * 8b is connected to the bag-like member 6a * 6a * 6a (refer FIG.3 (a) (b)) of each contact part 6,6,6.
In the present embodiment, the case where the vacuum pump 8a is provided in the vacuum exhaust equipment 8 is illustrated, but a configuration including exhaust means (for example, an ejector) other than the vacuum pump 8a is also possible.
Further, in the gripping device according to the present invention, the means for realizing the hardening and softening of the abutting portion is not necessarily a vacuum evacuation facility, and various means capable of realizing the hardening and softening of the abutting portion. The embodiment can be adopted.

  When the abutting portion 6 operates the vacuum pump 8a to depressurize the inside of the bag-like member 6a, the volume ratio of the granular material 6b to the inner volume of the bag-like member 6a increases, and the bag-like member 6a is filled. Since the particles constituting the granular material 6b are hardened by being more closely anchored, at this time, the shape is firmly held.

  When such a contact portion 6 is pressed against the workpiece in a flexible state by the clamping pressure of the claw portions 4 and 5, the contact portion 6 can enter the uneven portion of the workpiece surface. 6 can be made to follow the outer surface shape of the workpiece.

  Further, by operating the vacuum exhaust equipment 8 in a state where the front surface portion 6c is made to follow the outer surface shape of the workpiece, the contact portion 6 can be cured in a shape corresponding to (followed by) the outer surface shape of the workpiece. Therefore, it is possible to form the abutment portion 6 having a rigid aspect corresponding to the outer surface shape of the workpiece.

As described above, in the gripping portion 2 according to the present embodiment, the workpiece 50 can be gripped more firmly at three points by the contact portions 6, 6, 6 attached to the pinching portions 4 b, 4 b, 5 b. In addition, with a simple configuration with a small number of parts, it is possible to realize a more stable gripping state that can withstand the swinging operation of the workpiece 50 and the like.
In addition, in this embodiment, although the aspect which supports the workpiece | work 50 by the holding | grip part 2 is illustrated, the support point number of a workpiece | work in the holding | grip apparatus which concerns on this invention is not limited to this, For example, It may be an aspect of supporting at two points, or an aspect of supporting at four or more points.

Here, in order to further increase the gripping force by the gripping device 1, the thickness of the contact portion 6 with respect to the pressing direction (see FIG. It is effective to increase the thickness d) shown.
However, as the thickness d of the contact portion 6 in the clamping direction is increased, the contact portion 6 hangs down due to gravity acting on the bag-like member 6a and the granular material 6b. Even if the thickness d with respect to the clamping direction is increased, only a thickness smaller than the set (desired) thickness could be obtained. For this reason, even if the thickness d of the contact portion 6 in the clamping direction is increased, it is not possible to improve the gripping force by the gripping device 1.

  Therefore, in the gripping device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the regulating member 9 that is a member for regulating the position of the side surface portion 6d is provided around the contact portion 6 along the side surface portion 6d. It is configured to provide. The contact member 6 is prevented from sagging by the regulating member 9.

As shown in FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b), the restricting member 9 is configured by a holding frame 9a that is a portion that abuts against the side surface portion 6d and an elastic member 9b.
The holding frame 9a is a member that abuts against the side surface portion 6d from the four directions of the horizontal direction and the vertical direction, and retains the position of the side surface portion 6d against gravity acting on the abutting portion 6.
The elastic member 9b is a member for supporting the holding frame 9a from the respective attachment surfaces 4c and 5c, and is configured to have elasticity in the clamping direction of the contact portion 6.
In the present embodiment, a case where a spring member is employed as the elastic member 9b is illustrated.

By the way, when the restricting member 9 is provided, the holding frame 9a and the workpiece 50 interfere with each other, which may cause a problem that the contact portion 6 cannot be reliably pressed against the uneven portion of the workpiece. In the regulating member 9, the holding frame 9 a is attached to the claw portions 4 and 5 via the elastic member 9 b, and thereby the holding frame 9 a is moved as the holding frame 9 a comes into contact with the workpiece 50. It is set as the structure which can be displaced to each nail | claw part 4 * 5 side.
Thereby, it is set as the structure which can press the contact part 6 against the uneven | corrugated | grooved part of a workpiece | work reliably, preventing the contact part 6 from drooping.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the holding frame 9a is always urged in a direction away from the claw portion 4 (or the claw portion 5) by the elastic member 9b. And it is set as the structure which can be displaced to the nail | claw part 4 side, when a workpiece | work contacts and is pressed to the nail | claw part 4 side.
Then, when the holding frame 9a is displaced to the claw portion 4 side, the contact portion 6 that has been held in the form without being suspended by the holding frame 9a is exposed to the outside from the holding frame 9a toward the workpiece.
Further, at this time, the contact portion 6 can be pressed against the work almost simultaneously with the contact portion 6 being exposed to the outside from the holding frame 9a.
With such a configuration, the abutting portion 6 is surely attached to the workpiece according to the amount of displacement of each of the claw portions 4 and 5 while preventing the abutting portion 6 from sagging (that is, in a state where the desired thickness is maintained). Can be brought into contact with a predetermined position.

  Further, when the contact state of the workpiece with respect to the holding frame 9a is released, the position of the holding frame 9a is restored to a predetermined position for holding the shape of the contact portion 6 by the spring force applied by the elastic member 9b. Is done.

In this embodiment, the displacement of the side surface portion 6d of the contact portion 6 is regulated in four directions by the holding frame 9a. For example, the side surface portion 6d on the upper side in the vertical direction is not regulated, and the horizontal direction It is also possible to use a holding frame that restricts only the lower side in the vertical direction.
Further, in the present embodiment, the holding frame 9a is configured to passively displace when the holding frame 9a comes into contact with the workpiece. However, for example, an actuator is used to link the holding frame 9a to the displacement of the claw portions 4 and 5 to actively Alternatively, the holding frame 9a can be displaced.

Next, the gripping state of the workpiece by the gripping device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5A, in the state where the holding frame 9a of the regulating member 9 is not yet in contact with the workpiece 50, the position of the side surface portions 6d and 6d of the abutting portion 6 is regulated by the holding frame 9a. Therefore, a desired thickness (in the present embodiment, a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape) is maintained. At this time, the contact portion 6 is in a softened state.
Since the contact portion 6 in the gripping device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention restricts the sagging due to gravity acting on the contact portion 6 by the restriction member 9, the thickness of the contact portion 6 (FIG. The thickness d) shown in 2 (a) is increased, and the flexibility of the contact portion 6 is further enhanced.

Then, as shown in FIG. 5 (b), when the respective claw portions 4, 5 are displaced in the direction in which the workpiece 50 is sandwiched, the contact portion 6 and the regulating member 9 abut on the workpiece 50.
If the claw portions 4 and 5 are further displaced in the direction in which the workpiece 50 is sandwiched from here, the regulating member 9 is displaced toward the claw portions 4 and 5 and at the same time, the contact portion 6 is in contact with the workpiece 50. Pressed.

At this time, since the contact portion 6 is more flexible than in the prior art, the contact portion 6 enters the concave portions 50a and 50b formed in the workpiece 50 without any gaps and enters the convex portions 50c. On the other hand, it can be surrounded without a gap.
And in this state (that is, the state in which the contact portion 6 is aligned with the concavo-convex portions 50a, 50b, and 50c without a gap), the contact portion 6 is hardened, which is higher than conventional. A gripping force can be obtained.

That is, the gripping device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of claw portions 4 and 5 for clamping the work 50, a bag-like member 6a made of an elastic material, and the bag-like member 6a. Each nail | claw part which hardens | cures the granular material 6b by hold | maintaining in arbitrary shapes by increasing the volume ratio of the granular material 6b with respect to the internal volume of the bag-shaped member 6a. A plurality of abutting portions 6, 6... Attached to a portion that abuts the workpiece 50, and by displacing each claw portion 4, a plurality of abutting portions 6. 6... The workpiece 50 is clamped by 6... And the volume ratio of the granular material 6 b to the internal volume of the bag-like member 6 a is increased in a state in which the workpiece 50 is clamped. The workpiece 50 is gripped by holding it in a shape that conforms to The grip portion 2 is provided, and the grip portion 2 is continuous with the front portion 6c which is a portion that contacts the workpiece 50 of the bag-like member 6a constituting the contact portion 6 and is substantially omitted from the front portion 6c. A regulating member 9 (more specifically, holding member) arranged to support the side surface portion 6d of the contact portion 6 over the entire circumference for regulating the position of the side surface portion 6d, which is a portion formed orthogonally. It is provided with a frame 9a).
With such a configuration, when the thickness d of the contact portion 6 in the clamping direction is increased, the contact portion 6 can be prevented from hanging down. This also allows the contact portion 6 to be fitted along the concave and convex portions 50a, 50b, and 50c of the workpiece 50 without a gap (that is, enter without a gap or be surrounded without a gap).

Further, in the gripping device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the holding frame 9a is supported by the claw portions 4 and 5 via the elastic member 9b, and in the clamping direction of the contact portion 6. It is configured to be displaceable.
With such a configuration, it is possible to prevent the restricting member 9 and the workpiece 50 from interfering with each other and preventing the contact portion 6 from being pressed against the workpiece 50.

Next, the overall configuration of the gripping device according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.
As shown in FIG. 6, the gripping device 11 according to the second embodiment of the present invention is different from the gripping device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention in the configuration of the gripping portion.
Specifically, the gripping portion 12 included in the gripping device 11 is configured to include a plurality of contact portions 16, 16, etc. in the plurality of claw portions 14, 15. This is different from the contact portion 6 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
In addition, the structure of the drive part 3, the control apparatus 7, the vacuum exhaust equipment 8, etc. in the holding apparatus 11 is common in the holding apparatus 1 which concerns on 1st embodiment of this invention.

  The abutting portion 16 is a portion that directly abuts on the workpiece in the gripping device 11, and realizes two conflicting modes, a mode in which the shape can be flexibly deformed and a mode in which the shape is firmly held, with one member. Is something that can be done.

As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the contact portion 16 includes a bag-like member 16a that is a substantially bag-like member having elasticity, and a granular material 16b filled in the bag-like member 16a. In a steady state, it can be flexibly deformed.
The bag-like member 16a is contacted by a front part 16c that forms a surface that comes into contact with the workpiece and is substantially perpendicular to the clamping direction of the corresponding contact part 16, and a surface that is substantially orthogonal to the front part 16c. A side surface portion 16d that forms a thickness in the clamping direction of the contact portion 16 and a back surface portion 16e that is a surface for attaching the contact portion 16 to the attachment surfaces 14c and 15c are provided.

Further, for each of the claw portions 4 and 5, a regulating member which is a member for regulating the position of the side surface portion 16d along the side surface portion 16d around each contact portion 16, 16. 19 is provided.
And the regulating member 19 shown in this embodiment is not comprised by the holding frame 9a and the elastic member 9b like the regulating member 9 with which the holding apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is provided. The member 19 itself is formed in a frame shape, and a material having elasticity (for example, rubber or the like) is adopted as the material of the regulating member 19 itself.

That is, the restricting member 19 according to the present embodiment is made of a material having elasticity, and as the restricting member 19 comes into contact with the workpiece, the restricting member 19 is moved to the claw portions 14 and 15 side ( In other words, the contact portion 6 can be contracted in the clamping direction).
And since the contact part 16 can be exposed toward the workpiece | work from the control member 19 because the control member 19 shrink | contracts to each nail | claw part 14 * 15, compared with the control member 9, it is a simpler structure. Thus, the contact portion 16 can be reliably brought into contact with the workpiece according to the amount of displacement of the claw portions 14 and 15 while preventing the contact portion 16 from sagging.

  Further, when the contact state of the workpiece with respect to the restriction member 19 is released, the position of the restriction member 19 is restored to a predetermined position for maintaining the form of the contact portion 16 by the restoring force of the restriction member 19 itself. The

That is, in the gripping device 11 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the restricting member 19 is made of an elastic material and is configured to be extendable and contractable in the pressing direction of the contact portion 6.
With such a configuration, it is possible to prevent the restricting member 19 and the workpiece from interfering with each other and preventing the contact portion 16 from being pressed against the workpiece.

Next, the overall configuration of the gripping device according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 8.
As shown in FIG. 6, the gripping device 21 according to the third embodiment of the present invention differs from the gripping devices 1 and 11 according to the first and second embodiments of the present invention in the configuration of the gripping portion. ing.
Specifically, the gripping portion 22 included in the gripping device 21 includes a plurality of contact portions 26, 26, etc. in the plurality of claw portions 24, 25, and the contact portion 26 is particularly configured. These are different from the contact portions 6 and 16 according to the first and second embodiments of the present invention.
In addition, the structure of the drive part 3, the control apparatus 7, the vacuum exhaust equipment 8, etc. in the holding apparatus 21 is common in each holding apparatus 1 * 11 which concerns on 1st and 2nd embodiment of this invention.

  The abutting portion 26 is a part that directly abuts against a workpiece in the gripping device 21, and realizes two conflicting modes, a mode in which the shape can be flexibly deformed and a mode in which the shape is firmly held, with one member. Is something that can be done.

As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the contact portion 26 includes a bag-like member 26a that is a substantially bag-like member having elasticity, and a granular material 26b filled in the bag-like member 26a. In a steady state, it can be flexibly deformed.
The bag-like member 26a is contacted by a front part 26c that forms a surface that comes into contact with the workpiece and is substantially perpendicular to the clamping direction of the corresponding contact part 26, and a surface that is substantially orthogonal to the front part 26c. A side surface portion 26d that forms a thickness in the clamping direction of the contact portion 26 and a back surface portion 26e that is a surface for attaching the contact portion 26 to each of the attachment surfaces 24c and 25c are provided.

  And in this embodiment, it is set as the structure provided with the regulating member 29 which is a member for hold | maintaining the shape of the applicable contact part 26 with the side part 26d with respect to the contact part 26, and this point is This is different from the configuration in each of the gripping devices 1 and 11 described above.

Therefore, the regulating member 29 according to the present embodiment can be constituted by a core material made of an elastic body inserted along the side surface portion 26d within the thickness of the side surface portion 26d of the contact portion 26, for example. Alternatively, the side surface portion 26d itself can be used as the regulating member 29 by adjusting the thickness and material of the side surface portion 26d itself.
Further, the side surface portion 26d of the contact portion 26 is reinforced by the restricting member 29 to prevent the contact portion 26 from drooping even when the thickness of the contact portion 26 is increased. .

Then, as the restricting member 29 comes into contact with the workpiece, the restricting member 29 contracts toward the claw portions 24 and 25. At this time, the front part 26c, which is a flexible part of the contact part 26, can be brought into contact with the workpiece.
Thereby, the contact part 26 can be made to contact | abut to the workpiece | work 50 reliably according to the displacement amount of each nail | claw part 24 * 25, preventing the contact part 26 sagging.

That is, in the gripping device 21 according to the third embodiment of the present invention, the regulating member 29 is configured integrally with the side surface portion 26d of the bag-like member 26a.
With such a configuration, the side portion 26d of the bag-like member 26a has a function as the regulating member 29, so that the contact portion 26 can be prevented from hanging down with a simple configuration.

Next, the overall configuration of the gripping device according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 9.
As shown in FIG. 6, the gripping device 31 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention has a gripping portion configuration with respect to the gripping devices 1, 11, and 21 according to the first to third embodiments of the present invention. Is different.
Specifically, the grip portion 32 included in the grip device 31 is configured to include a plurality of contact portions 36, 36... In the plurality of claw portions 34, 35. These are different from the respective contact portions 6, 16, 26 according to the first to third embodiments of the present invention.
In addition, the structure of the drive part 3, the control apparatus 7, the vacuum evacuation equipment 8, etc. in the holding | grip apparatus 31 is common in each holding | grip apparatus 1,11,21 which concerns on the 1st-3rd embodiment of this invention.

  The abutting part 36 is a part that directly abuts against the workpiece in the gripping device 31, and realizes two contradictory modes, a mode in which the shape can be flexibly deformed and a mode in which the shape is firmly held, with one member. Is something that can be done.

As shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the contact portion 36 includes a bag-like member 36a that is a substantially bag-like member having elasticity, and a granular material 36b filled in the bag-like member 36a. In a steady state, it can be flexibly deformed.
The bag-like member 36a is contacted by a front part 36c that forms a surface that comes into contact with the workpiece and is substantially perpendicular to the clamping direction of the corresponding contact part 36, and a surface that is substantially orthogonal to the front part 36c. A side surface portion 36d that forms a thickness in the clamping direction of the contact portion 36 and a back surface portion 36e that is a surface for attaching the contact portion 36 to the attachment surfaces 34c and 35c are provided.
Further, the contact portion 36 is provided with a regulating member 39 that is a frame member for holding the shape of the contact portion 36 along the side surface portion 36 d around the contact portion 36.

Further, the restriction member 39 according to the present embodiment has a configuration in which the restriction member 39 and the contact portion 36 have a substantially circular shape when viewed in the clamping direction, and the inner peripheral surface of the restriction member 39 and the contact portion 36 are The side portion 36d is not provided with a corner portion.
Accordingly, the contact portion 36 and the restriction member 39 can be prevented from being caught, and the restriction member 39 can be reliably displaced toward the claw portions 34a and 35a, so that the contact portion 36 is reliably pressed against the workpiece. It becomes possible to do.

In other words, in the gripping device 31 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, the restriction member 39 and the contact portion 36 are configured so that the aspect of the contact portion 36 when viewed in the clamping direction is substantially circular.
With such a configuration, the restriction member 39 can be prevented from being caught by the contact portion 36.

  In the present embodiment, the restriction member 39 is exemplified by the holding frame 39a and the elastic member 39b. However, like the restriction member 19 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the restriction member 39 itself is used. Even in the case where the elastic material is used, the same effect of preventing the contact portion 36 and the regulating member 39 from being caught can be obtained.

1 Gripping device (first embodiment)
2 grip part 4 claw part 5 claw part 6 contact part (first embodiment)
6a Bag-like member 6b Granule 6c Front part 6d Side part 9 Restricting member 9a Holding frame 9b Elastic member 11 Gripping device (second embodiment)
14 Claw part 15 Claw part 16 Contact part 19 Restriction member 21 Gripping device (third embodiment)
26 abutting portion 26a bag-like member 26d side surface portion 29 regulating member 31 gripping device (fourth embodiment)
36 Contact part 39 Restriction member 50 Workpiece

Claims (3)

A plurality of claws for clamping the workpiece;
A plurality of abutting portions provided at portions of the plurality of claw portions that abut against the workpiece, the bag-shaped member made of a material having elasticity, and a granular material filled in the bag-shaped member;
Have
By displacing the plurality of claws, the workpiece is clamped by the plurality of abutting portions, and the volume ratio of the granular material to the internal volume of the bag-like member is increased in a state in which the workpiece is clamped. A gripping device comprising a gripping part that grips the workpiece by curing the granular material while retaining the shape following the shape of the outer surface of the workpiece,
The gripping part is
In order to regulate the position of the side surface portion that is a portion that is continuous to the front portion that is in contact with the workpiece of the bag-shaped member that constitutes the contact portion, and that is formed substantially orthogonal to the front portion. A regulating member arranged to support the side surface portion of the contact portion over the entire circumference,
The restriction member is made of a material having elasticity,
It is configured to be extendable / contractible with respect to the clamping direction of the contact portion.
A gripping device characterized by that. The regulating member is
Configured integrally with the side surface of the bag-like member,
The gripping device according to claim 1, wherein The regulating member and the contact portion are
The aspect of the contact portion viewed in the clamping pressure direction is configured to be substantially circular.
The gripping device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the gripping device is provided.

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