JPH0580684U - Micro gripper - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Objective] To obtain a micro gripper in which the displacement amount of an actuator is increased, and as a result, the opening / closing amount of fingers is also increased. In a micro gripper that operates a displacement amount of an actuator 3 via a rotating body such as a gear to open and close a finger 8 and operates a minute object by the finger 8, the actuator 3 and the rotating bodies 6, 7, A displacement amount enlargement mechanism including a cylinder 1 having a different inner diameter ratio and a hydraulic cylinder provided with a piston 2 according to each inner diameter ratio is provided between the cylinder 13 and 13, and the displacement amount of the actuator 3 is increased by the displacement amount. The fingers are enlarged and transmitted to the rotating body through the mechanism to open and close the fingers.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 This invention relates to a microgripper used to manipulate small objects such as micromechanical parts and cells.

[0002]

[Prior Art]

 FIG. 2 shows a structure diagram of a conventional micro gripper. In this micro gripper, the displacement of the actuator 3 is received by the support frame 4, and the force is transmitted to the lever 5, the gear 6, and the gear 7 in order, and the fingers 8 are opened and closed. The pressing spring 9 is formed integrally with the gear 13 and has a pin 13a. The pin 13a is engaged with the tip of the lever 5 which is elastically pivotally supported by the base plate 12, and the finger 8 is closed or opened according to the displacement of the actuator 3 through the regulation of the elastic force of the lever 5. You are in control. The adjusting screw 10 is provided to adjust the opening / closing balance of the finger 8 according to the displacement amount of the actuator. The displacement of the actuator is designed to be expanded by combining multiple gears. However, in the conventional micro gripper having such a structure, the amount of displacement of the actuator is absorbed by the gear backlash, and the opening and closing of the fingers cannot be performed as expected.

[0003]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 As described above, in this conventional structure, since the displacement amount of the piezo element, which is the actuator, is as small as several μm, there is a problem that the displacement amount is absorbed in the gear meshing clearance and the finger does not open / close. It was An object of the present invention is to obtain a micro gripper that solves the above-mentioned conventional problems by increasing the displacement of the actuator and, as a result, increasing the opening / closing amount of the fingers.

[0004]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention first forms a cylinder integrally having a large-diameter and a small-diameter inner diameter structure in response to the problem of displacement of an actuator, The two pistons corresponding to the respective large diameter and small diameter portions of the cylinder are inserted into the cylinder, and a fixed amount of oil is sealed in the cylinder to form a hydraulic pump. By displacing the piston of the large diameter portion of the hydraulic pump, the piston of the small diameter portion of the hydraulic pump is amplified so that the displacement of the actuator is enlarged.

[0005]

[Action]

 In the micro gripper configured as described above, when a voltage is applied to the laminated piezoelectric element that is the actuator, the actuator expands and contracts according to the voltage. The displacement of this stretching movement is magnified via the hydraulic cylinder. Furthermore, the displacement of the cylinder is received by the lever, and the gear is rotated by the lever. The movement of this gear transmits a force to the other gear to be connected, and finally the fingers of the microgripper are opened and closed.

[0006]

【Example】

 An embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the hydraulic cylinder 1 which constitutes the displacement amount enlargement mechanism. In this hydraulic cylinder 1, for example, the inner diameters of the actuator 14 side and the finger 8 side are 4 mm and 1 mm, respectively, and the lengths of the cylinder tubes are 3 mm and 4 mm, respectively. Each cylinder tube 1a, 1b is equipped with a piston 2a, 2b. The operations of the gears 6, 7, 13 and the lever 5 with respect to the displacement of the actuator 14 when a voltage is applied are the same as the operations of the conventional micro gripper shown in FIG. That is, in the conventional micro gripper shown in FIG. 2, the displacement of the actuator 3 is received by the support frame 4, and the force is sequentially transmitted to the lever 5, the gears 6, 7, and 13, and the finger 8 opens and closes. Is. In addition, the gear 13 is provided with a pressing spring 9 and a pin 13a in order to push the lever 5 back, and the pin 13a is engaged with the tip of the lever 5 which is elastically pivotally supported by the main plate 12. According to the displacement of the actuator 3, the closing / opening of the finger 8 is controlled through the regulation by the elastic force of the lever 5. Further, the displacement position of the actuator 3 is performed through the adjusting screw 10 provided on the main plate 12, and the clearance plate 11 is a member for holding the actuator 3 at a fixed position, and is provided between the main plate 12 and the actuator 3. It is arranged. However, in such a conventional micro gripper structure, the amount of displacement of the actuator is absorbed by the backlash of the gear and the fingers cannot be opened or closed. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, in the micro gripper according to the present invention in which the cylinder 1 for expanding the displacement amount is arranged between the finger 8, the actuator 3 and the lever 5, the displacement amount of the actuator 14 is different from that of the conventional one. Although it is the same, since the displacement amount is enlarged by the cylinder 1, the desired finger 8 can be opened and closed. Needless to say, the opening / closing amount of the fingers can be further increased if the inner diameter ratio of the hydraulic cylinder can be further increased. The support frame 4 is a member for fixedly supporting the actuator 3 and the hydraulic cylinder 1, and is supported by the main plate 12.

[0007]

[Effect of the device]

 As described above, the present invention has a structure in which a displacement amount expansion mechanism including a hydraulic cylinder is provided between the actuator and the lever, and the displacement amount of the actuator is expanded through the hydraulic cylinder, so that the laminated piezoelectric actuator The displacement amount is expanded by the hydraulic cylinder, therefore the displacement amount of the lever push pin becomes large, and it is possible to obtain a displacement amount greater than the displacement absorption amount due to backlash with the piezo actuator. Even with the micro gripper that was previously used, there is an effect that it is possible to realize sufficient opening and closing of the fingers.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing a displacement amount enlarging mechanism of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view of a conventional method of a micro gripper.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a micro gripper according to the present school plan.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Cylinder 1a, 1b Cylinder tube 2, 2a Piston 3 Actuator 4 Support frame 5 Lever 6, 7, 13 Gear 8 Finger 9 Holding spring 10 Adjusting screw 11 Clearance plate 12 Base plate 13a Pin

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A micro gripper that converts the amount of displacement of an actuator into opening and closing motion of a finger via a rotating body such as a gear, and operates a minute object by this finger, between the actuator and the rotating body. A displacement amount magnifying mechanism including a cylinder having different inner diameter ratios and a hydraulic cylinder having pistons according to the respective inner diameter ratios is provided, and the displacement amount of the actuator is magnified through the displacement amount magnifying mechanism to rotate the rotating body. The micro-gripper is characterized in that the finger is opened and closed by transmitting to the finger.