JPH08300288A - Robot hand - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To hold plural hold objects, being different in size and form, separately with a single robot hand by installing a position alteration mechanism, altering and adjusting a space between two finger forming bodies in a holding releasing attitude, in an interval between the finger forming body and a support member. CONSTITUTION: When a connecting end of a connecting pin W is engaged into an engaged hole 4a at the most rocking side, a space between two finger forming bodies 1 comes to a state of being most widened, and likewise when the connecting end of the connecting pin W is engaged into another engaged hole 4a at the more rocking outward side than this engaged hole 4a, a space between these finger forming bodies 1 comes to a state of being yet narrowed. In succession, a position alteration mechanism A, altering and adjusting a space between these finger forming bodies 1 in a holding releasing attitude, is formed by an engaged hole 2a, these two engaged holes 4a, and the connecting pin W connecting both these engaged holes. The space between finger forming bodies 1 in the holding releasing attitude is altered and adjusted in accord with the size of a cucumber by this position alteration mechanism A, and thereby an initial position of the finger forming bodies 1 is altered.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a plurality of finger forming members formed of a cylindrical soft material having a base end portion opened and a free end portion closed.
Dispersedly arranged around a support member, each base end is supported by the support member, the opening of the finger formation is connected to a fluid supply unit, and the fluid supply unit is supplied through the opening. The pressure of the fluid changes the posture of each finger forming body between the grasping posture in which each finger forming body is bent to the abdomen side and the grasping releasing posture in which the fluid is discharged from the opening and returns and extends to the back side. The present invention relates to a freely configured robot hand.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in the above-mentioned robot hand, the base end portion of the finger forming body is fixed to a supporting member so that the initial position of each finger forming body is always constant.

[0003]

According to the above-mentioned conventional structure, since the initial position of each finger formation is always constant, it is possible to grip a gripping target other than a predetermined size. Was difficult. As a result, in order to grip another gripping target having a different size, it is necessary to prepare another robot hand in which the initial position of each finger forming body matches the size of the other gripping target, The number of robot hands has increased, the manufacturing cost has increased, and storage has been troublesome.

An object of the present invention is to prevent the manufacturing cost from being increased and the troublesome storage being caused by the increase in the types of robot hands.

[0005]

A feature of the present invention is that a position changing mechanism for changing and adjusting a distance between finger forming bodies in a grip releasing posture is provided between the finger forming bodies and a supporting member. It is in.

[0006]

According to the above configuration, the initial position of the finger-formed body can be changed by changing and adjusting the interval between the finger-formed bodies, and a plurality of gripping objects having different sizes can be individually separated by one robot hand. Can be gripped.

[0007]

As a result, the number of robot hands can be reduced, the manufacturing cost can be reduced, and it is advantageous in terms of storage.

[0008]

EXAMPLES FIGS. 1 and 2 are each formed of an elongated tubular rubber material (an example of a soft material) having a base end opened and a free end closed 3
A three-fingered robot hand is shown in which the finger forming body 1 is supported by a supporting member 2. This robot hand is used to sort a large number of cucumbers in a harvest basket into a plurality of boxes according to grades, and a supporting arm for supporting the supporting member 2 at a tip end thereof is driven by a driving device (both not shown). The position of the support member 2 is changed so that the support member 2 is moved closer to and away from the harvest basket.

On the peripheral portion of the support member 2, three connecting plate members 4 are arranged in a distributed manner, and the intermediate portions thereof are attached so as to be swingable in the gripping direction, respectively. Round boss 11 that is formed so as to project to one side in the swing direction at the swing end portion side on one side
Then, the end portion of the finger body 1 on the opening 1a side is externally fitted,
It is fixed with a ring-shaped clip 5. And round boss 1
The distal end of the hose H is communicatively connected from the back side of the round boss 11 to the through hole for air circulation formed in the hose H, and the pump 3 is provided at the proximal end of the hose H (an example of a fluid supply unit. See FIG. 3). Are connected to each other, and an air discharge port (not shown) which can be opened and closed is connected to an intermediate portion of the hose H so that the finger forming body 1
The two circumferential portions of the bellows are formed into a bellows 18 in which the height of each fold is higher toward the back side of the finger body 1 (Fig. 4).
), The posture of each finger forming body 1 is changed into a gripping posture in which each finger forming body 1 is bent to the abdomen side by supplying and discharging pressurized air from the pump 3 and a grip releasing posture in which the finger forming body 1 is restored and extended to the back side. It is configured to be switchable.

A spiral spring (not shown) is provided at the connecting portion between the connecting plate member 4 and the supporting member 2 to urge the connecting plate member 4 to swing outward. An engaging hole 2a formed in the central portion of the support member 2 and an arbitrary engaging hole 4a among the plurality of engaging holes 4a formed in the swinging end portion of the connecting plate member 4 on the inner side. Are connected via a connecting pin W, and the connecting plate member 4 is pulled toward the swinging inner side by a predetermined amount against the biasing force of the spiral spring. The plurality of locking holes 4a are arranged side by side in the swinging direction, and the connecting end portion of the connecting pin W is configured to be engageable with and disengageable from each locking hole 4a on the connecting plate member 4 side.
By changing the locking hole 4a into which the connecting pin W is inserted, the gap between the finger-formed bodies 1 in the grip release posture can be changed and adjusted. That is, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, when the connecting end of the connecting pin W is engaged with the locking hole 4a on the innermost side of the swing, the distance between the finger bodies 1 becomes the widest. When the connecting end of the connecting pin W is engaged with the locking hole 4a on the swinging outer side of the locking hole 4a, the gap between the finger bodies 1 becomes narrower. The engagement hole 2a, the plurality of engagement holes 4a, and the connecting pin W connecting both engagement holes constitute a position changing mechanism A for changing and adjusting the interval between the finger forming bodies 1 in the grip release posture. ing.

According to the above configuration, the position changing mechanism A can change and adjust the interval between the finger forming bodies 1 in the grip release posture according to the size of the cucumber to change the initial position of the finger forming body 1. A single robot hand can separately grip a plurality of gripping objects having different sizes.

[Other Embodiments] As shown in FIG. 5, the base end portion on the side of the round boss 11 is slidably inserted into a long hole 12 formed in the end portion of the support member 2 and extending in the radial direction, and a predetermined length is obtained. The position changing mechanism A may be configured by providing a fixing means such as a screw 13 that fixes the position.

The finger forming body 1 may be formed of another soft material such as vinyl urethane instead of the rubber material.

The object to be grasped may be vegetables or fruits other than cucumber, or may be something other than food.

Two or four or more finger forming bodies 1 may be provided.

It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the posture of the finger forming body 1 is switched by a liquid such as pressurized hydraulic oil instead of the pressurized air.

In the claims, reference numerals are provided for convenience of comparison with the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the configuration shown in the attached drawings.

[Brief description of drawings]

[Fig. 1] Vertical front view of robot hand

[Fig. 2] Cross-sectional bottom view of the robot hand

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional front view of the robot hand in a gripping state.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional plan view of a finger formation body.

FIG. 5 is a partially cutaway front view of another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Finger Forming Body 1a Opening 2 Supporting Member 3 Fluid Supply A Position Change Mechanism

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of finger forming bodies (1) formed of a cylindrical soft material having a base end portion opened and a free end portion closed, are dispersedly arranged around a support member (2), and each base is formed. An end portion is supported by the support member (2), and an opening portion (1a) of the finger forming body (1).
Is fluidly connected to the fluid supply part (3), and the opening part (1a)
By the pressure of the fluid supplied from the fluid supply section (3), the finger formation body (1) is bent to the abdomen side, and the fluid is discharged from the opening (1a) to the back side. Each finger forming body (1) in the extended grip release position
In the robot hand, the position changing mechanism (A) for changing and adjusting the interval between the finger forming bodies (1) in the grip releasing posture, and the finger forming body (1). A robot hand provided between the support member (2).