WO2011002202A2

WO2011002202A2 - Vacuum gripper device capable of angular displacement

Info

Publication number: WO2011002202A2
Application number: PCT/KR2010/004208
Authority: WO
Inventors: 조호영
Original assignee: 한국뉴매틱 주식회사
Priority date: 2009-07-02
Filing date: 2010-06-29
Publication date: 2011-01-06
Also published as: KR100926534B1; DE112010002799T5; CN102470997A; WO2011002202A3

Abstract

The present invention relates to a vacuum-gripper device which operates by means compressed air. The present invention enables a vacuum cup to rotate in a constant direction and enables the rotating angle of the vacuum cup to be adjustable, thereby achieving improved safety and convenience of use. The device according to the present invention comprises: a main body, the center of which is coupled to a ball joint, and to one side of which one end of a spring extending downward is connected; and a vacuum cup which is rotatably coupled to a ball portion of the ball joint, protruding downward from the main body, wherein the extended end of the spring is connected to one side of the vacuum cup. Preferably, the device of the present invention includes means for strictly limiting a horizontal rotation, and means for adjusting a displacement angle of a vertical rotation.

Description

Angular displacement vacuum gripper device

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vacuum gripper device used in a vacuum conveying system, and more particularly, to a gripper device capable of responding at various angles to the surface of an object by allowing the vacuum cup to rotate using a ball joint.

The vacuum transfer system refers to a system for generating a negative pressure in a vacuum pad or a vacuum cup by using a vacuum pump acting as compressed air, and using the generated negative pressure to grasp an object and then transfer it to a predetermined place. A vacuum cup here refers to any means that can be in contact with the article surface to form a vacuum / negative pressure for transport, which is not limited to just the 'cup' shape.

The gripper device used in the vacuum conveying system is typically composed of a fixed body connected to the suction port of the vacuum pump, and a vacuum cup fixedly coupled to the end of the body. While the compressed air passes through the vacuum pump, the air in the vacuum cup is attracted into the vacuum pump and discharged outward with the compressed air, so that negative pressure is generated in the cup.

In this structure, since the vacuum is fixed linearly to the end of the body, the adhesive surface of the body and the adhesive pad is always in a vertical relationship. Therefore, there is a problem that it is difficult to immediately correspond to the vacuum cup on the inclined surface of the object, which is not perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the body.

There is a proposal to solve this problem, using a ball-joint between the body and the vacuum cup. In this structure, the vacuum cup is fixedly coupled to the end of the ball joint and the ball portion is inserted into and coupled to the body. Therefore, the body and the vacuum cup are not limited to the vertical relationship, and can form various directions and angles.

That is, the vacuum cup freely rotates 360 ° around the body at various angles by means of a ball joint. Therefore, the vacuum cups may be correspondingly bonded to the inclined surface of the object, which is not perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the body. At this time, the vacuum cup is not linear to the body and is bent at a constant direction and angle.

The use of the ball joint makes it possible to freely rotate the vacuum cup, but the vacuum cup is rotated in multiple directions by the load of the object while lifting the object for transport after adhesion, and thus the object is fixed at a predetermined angle. The problem arises that it is impossible to transport accurately and safely. On the other hand, a sudden and excessive rotational force is added to the load of the object, causing the object to fall out of the vacuum cup during transportation.

For these problems, after the vacuum cup is rotated and the object is held by the 'vacuum pad apparatus' of the applicant's patent 889638, the ball joint of the ball joint is held by means of a piston or the like, and the ball joint and the vacuum cup fixed thereto are The structure which suppresses rotation is proposed. This may prevent the vacuum cup from rotating during transfer.

However, the impossibility of rotation itself is not necessarily desirable for the correct application, installation, loading, etc. of the object. In addition, when gripping, transporting, and loading an inclined object in a repetitive transfer operation, the rotation of the vacuum cup needs to be performed mechanically and repeatedly with the same direction / angle, and this patent does not have this consideration. The latter problem is common in all pad joint adhesive pad constructions.

The present invention has been proposed to solve the problems of conventional vacuum-gripper devices constructed using ball joints. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vacuum-gripper device that can be effectively applied to a repetitive transfer operation of an object by allowing the vacuum cup to be rotatable in one direction so that the tilt and rotation of the vacuum cup can be mechanically and repeatedly performed. .

Another object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum-gripper device which partially absorbs excessive force caused by the load of the object during the rotation of the vacuum cup, thereby enabling the safe transport of the object. It is still another object of the present invention to provide a vacuum gripper-device capable of arbitrarily adjusting the inclination angle and the rotation angle of the vacuum cup so as to immediately respond to various working environments.

The vacuum-gripper device of the present invention is:

A fixed body having an upper and lower open passage, an end of the ball joint having a communication hole formed in a longitudinal direction at the lower side of the passage, and fixed at one end thereof connected to one end of a spring extending downward;

It is rotatably coupled to the ball portion of the ball joint protruding downward of the body, and on one side is a fastening portion connected to the extended end of the spring, and is fixed to the fastening portion and the inner space is passed through the communication hole of the ball joint A vacuum cup including a pad;

It includes.

Preferably, the vacuum gripper device of the present invention includes a horizontal rotation suppression means and a vertical rotation control means provided in the body and the fastening portion.

The horizontal rotation suppressing means includes a rectangular outer circumferential surface formed on the lower side of the body, and a rectangular groove formed on an upper surface of the fastening portion and having one side surface in contact with the outer circumferential surface. The vertical rotation control means: a lifting unit for lifting or lowering on one side of the body to press or release one side of the vacuum cup.

According to the present invention, the vacuum cup is coupled to the body by a ball joint, but can be rotated, but as the body and the spring are connected to one side, the rotation direction of the vacuum cup is limited to one direction. Moreover, when the horizontal rotation suppressing means is provided, the rotation direction of the working body is completely limited. In other words, the vacuum cup is only capable of angular displacement by rotation such as a clock. Therefore, the angular displacement by the one-way rotation of the vacuum cup can be made mechanically and repeatedly.

According to the present invention, the load of the object during the rotation of the vacuum cup is partially canceled by the spring. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the rapid rotation of the working body to enable safe transport of the object.

On the other hand, when the vertical rotation control means is provided, it is possible to arbitrarily adjust the inclination angle and the rotation angle of the body and the vacuum cup, so that it is possible to immediately respond to various working environments.

1 is a perspective view of a vacuum-gripper device according to the present invention.

2 is a cross-sectional view of FIG.

3 and 4 are views for explaining the operation of the vacuum-gripper device of FIG.

10.Body 11. Passage

12. Ball Joint 12b. Volbu

13. Communication hole 14. Spring

16. Lifting section 17. Outer circumference

20. Vacuum cup 21. Fastening part

24. Pad 25. Interior space

26. Spacer ring 27. Groove

Operations and effects of the present invention described or not described above will become more apparent from the following description of the embodiments described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1 is a perspective view of a vacuum-gripper device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 1, and FIGS. 3 and 4 are views for explaining a state of use of the vacuum-gripper device of FIG. 2.

1 and 2, the vacuum gripper device according to the present invention comprises a fixed body 10, and a vacuum cup 20 is coupled to the rotation from the body 10, in particular one-way rotation, such as a clockwork. .

The body 10 is a hollow body having a passage (11) open up and down in the center. In a vacuum transfer system, the body 10 can be fixed to, for example, a robot arm or the like. The outer surface of the body 10 is formed with a flange protruding outward to facilitate the installation of other elements.

The body 10 includes a ball joint 12 coupled to the lower side of the passage 11. The ball joint 12 has a coupling end portion 12a inserted from the lower side of the passage 11 of the body 10 and a ball portion 12b extending downward when the end portion 12a is fitted into the body 10 and engaged. It includes integrally. On the other hand, the ball joint 12 has a communication hole 13 in the longitudinal direction in communication with the passage (11).

The vacuum gripper device according to the present invention is to suppress the horizontal rotation of the vacuum cup 20, but to enable the angular displacement vertical rotation. In this sense, the ball portion 12b of the ball joint 12 may not necessarily be spherical.

One side of the body 10 is connected to one end of the spring 14 extending downward. Depending on the required set angle [theta], the length of the spring 14 can be selected, and a tension spring under tension or a compression spring under compression can be selectively applied. For convenience, the arm member 15 for connecting the spring 14 is separately provided on one side of the body 10, but it can be variously designed.

The vacuum cup 20 is fixed to the fastening portion 21 and the fastening portion 21 are rotatably coupled to the ball portion 12b of the ball joint 12 protruding downward of the body 10. The inner space 25 includes a pad 24 that communicates with the lower side of the communication hole 13 of the ball joint 12.

More specifically, the fastening portion 21 includes an upper structure 22 and a lower structure 23. The upper structure 22 has an inner surface 22a in contact with the upper surface of the ball portion 12b, and the lower structure 23 has an inner surface 23a in contact with the lower surface of the ball portion 12b. Have The upper and

lower structures

22 and 23 are assembled by bolts to form the fastening portion 21. The fastening portion 21 formed as described above is coupled to the ball portion 12b, so that the vacuum cup 20 is It becomes rotatable.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the fastening part 21 is configured to accommodate the ball part 12b of the ball joint 12 by coupling the upper structure 22 and the lower structure 23. This is judged to be an optimal design for accommodating the ball portion 12b, but the present invention is not limited thereto and may be designed differently.

The pad 24 is made of a flexible material having excellent adhesiveness such as rubber and silicone, and the inward circular flange 24a integrally formed on the upper side is sandwiched between the upper and

lower structures

22 and 23, thereby providing a pad. The 24 is fixed to the fastening part 21. At this time, the inner space 25 is communicated to the lower side of the communication hole 13 of the ball joint (12).

Reference numeral 28 denotes a spacing ring, which is disposed between at least one of the upper and

lower structures

22 and 23 and contacts the upper or lower surface of the flange 24a of the pad 24, thereby increasing the height of the pad 24. I can regulate it. In addition, reference numeral 29 denotes an anti-slip pad, which contacts the surface of the object to prevent slipping during transportation.

One side of the vacuum cup 20, in particular the fastening portion 21, is connected to one side of the body 10, one end of the spring 14 extending downward. Reference numeral 26 is an arm member extending from the fastening portion 21 for connection of the spring 14. By this spring 14, the horizontal rotation of the vacuum cup 20 is considerably limited. However, it is natural that a certain amount of flow occurs, which requires a separate means to strictly suppress the horizontal rotation.

To this end, the vacuum gripper device of the present invention includes a horizontal rotation suppressing means, and in this embodiment, the horizontal rotation suppressing means is formed on the upper surface of the rectangular outer peripheral surface 17 formed on the lower side of the body 10 and the fastening portion 21. A rectangular groove 27 is formed and the long side surface contacts the outer circumferential surface 17. That is, the outer circumferential surface 17 and the groove 27 are in surface contact with each other, so that the vacuum cup 20 cannot rotate horizontally at all.

On the other hand, as described above, the initial angle (θ) of the vacuum cup 20 may vary depending on the type or length of the spring used. However, there will be more cases where partial adjustment is required. This means that a separate means for adjusting the vertical rotation is required.

To this end, the vacuum-gripper device of the present invention includes a vertical rotation control means, and in this embodiment, the vertical rotation control means is pushed up or down on one side of the body 10 to pressurize or press one side of the vacuum cup 20. Lifting unit 16 to release is included.

More specifically, the vertical rotation control means is composed of a lifting unit 16, the long hole is formed, and the bolt 18 to secure the lifting unit 16 by being coupled to the body 10 through the long hole. Referring to FIG. 3, when the lifting unit 16 is lowered while the angle θ of the vacuum cup 20 is formed as shown in FIG. 1, the lifting unit 16 presses the vacuum cup 20 to forcibly rotate it. The vacuum cup 20 may be at different angles or equilibrium.

Referring to Fig. 4, in the vacuum gripper device of the present invention, the vacuum cup 20 is initially set at a constant angle θ '. This is made possible by a spring 14 provided on one side of the device, which allows for a quick and accurate response to a constant angle θ 'and similar angles, and repeatedly to grip, transport and load the object. Will be.

Of course, the set constant angle θ 'can be changed by appropriately selecting and applying the kind, length, etc. of the spring 14. On the other hand, by the horizontal rotation suppressing means (17, 27) provided between the body 10 and the vacuum cup 20, the horizontal rotation of the vacuum cup 20 is impossible to be suppressed, and one-way rotation to perform only angular displacement may be possible. It is only.

In the state where the vacuum cup 20 holds the object, the vacuum cup 20 may rotate the angle θ 'to θ "vertically with respect to the ball part 12b. It is not rotated sharply while being partially absorbed by (14). Here, the angles θ 'and θ " are adjusted by manipulating the elevating portion 16 provided as a means for controlling the vertical rotation of the vacuum cup 20. It is possible.

Meanwhile, the passage 11 of the body 10 and the ball joint 12, the communication hole 13 of the ball joint 12, and the internal space 25 of the vacuum cup 20 form a communication relationship with each other. This communication relationship is maintained regardless of the rotation of the vacuum cup 20.

Therefore, when the suction port of the vacuum pump is connected to the passage 11 of the body 10 and the compressed air is discharged through the vacuum pump, the air in the vacuum cup 20 is attracted to the vacuum pump and It can be discharged together. At this time, a negative pressure is generated inside the vacuum cup 20, and the object may be gripped by the generated negative pressure.

Claims

A fixed body having an upper and lower open passage, an end of the ball joint having a communication hole formed in a longitudinal direction at the lower side of the passage, and fixed at one end thereof connected to one end of a spring extending downward;

It is rotatably coupled to the ball portion of the ball joint protruding downward of the body, and on one side is a fastening portion connected to the extended end of the spring, and is fixed to the fastening portion and the inner space is passed through the communication hole of the ball joint A vacuum cup including a pad;

Vacuum-gripper device comprising a.
The method of claim 1,

The vacuum-gripper device further comprises horizontal rotation suppression means provided in the body and the vacuum cup to suppress horizontal rotation of the vacuum cup.
The method of claim 2,

The horizontal rotation suppressing means: a vacuum gripper device, characterized in that it comprises a rectangular outer peripheral surface formed on the lower side of the body, and a rectangular groove formed on the upper surface of the fastening portion and one side surface is in contact with the outer peripheral surface.
The method of claim 1,

The vacuum-gripper device further comprises means for controlling the vertical rotation of the working body provided at one side of the stationary body.
The method of claim 4, wherein

The vertical rotation control means: a vacuum-gripper device, characterized in that it comprises a lifting unit for lifting or lowering on one side of the body to press or release one side of the vacuum cup.
The method of claim 5,

The vertical rotation control means is a vacuum-gripper device, characterized in that consisting of a lifting portion formed with a long hole, and a bolt for fixing the lifting portion through the long hole.
The method of claim 1,

The fastening part includes an upper structure having an inner surface in contact with the upper surface of the ball part, and a lower structure having an inner surface in contact with the lower surface of the ball part, and the upper and lower structures are assembled to form the fastening part and the ball part. And the vacuum cup is rotatable.
The method of claim 7, wherein

And the pad includes an inward circular flange integrally formed on the upper side, and is fixed to the fastening portion by allowing the flange to fit between the upper and lower structures.
The method of claim 8,

The vacuum cup is disposed between at least one of the upper and lower structures of the fastening portion, the vacuum contact, characterized in that it comprises a gap ring provided to contact the upper or lower surface of the flange of the pad, so as to adjust the height of the pad -Gripper device.