Handling: hand and hoist-line implements – Hook – hoistline – or grab type – Locking device
Patent
1982-06-01
1984-10-30
Cherry, Johnny D.
Handling: hand and hoist-line implements
Hook, hoistline, or grab type
Locking device
269 34, 269118, 269155, 294 86R, 901 37, 901 39, B25J 1500
Patent
active
044796730
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
DESCRIPTION
Title of the Invention
Hand of an Industrial Robot
1. Technicial Field
The present invention relates to an industrial robot. More particularly, the present invention relates to an improvement of the structure of a gripping finger of a hand of an industrial robot for increasing the gripping function of the hand.
2. Background Art
Industrial robots are now used widely in various fields for holding and delivering articles having a heavy weight or holding and delivering workpieces of machine tools. In the field where articles having a heavy weight are held and delivered, the application range of an industrial robot is especially broadened, and the weight of articles to be gripped (hereinafter referred to as "workpieces") is increasing and the shape of workpieces is diversified, causing the holding and delivering to become complicated. Accordingly, industrial robots able to accomplish holding and delivering heavy workpieces of diversified shapes greatly contribute to enhancing the labor-saving effect. When a workpiece having an increased weight is gripped and delivered by conventional robots, a robot hand, for example, the robot hand 10 shown in FIG. 1, effects the gripping and delivering operation. More specifically, in FIG. 1, the robot hand 10 has gripping fingers 12 and 12' opening and closing in the direction indicated by an arrow A, that is, in the lateral direction, and the hand 10 is brought close to a workpiece 14 in the lateral direction, that is, in the direction indicated by an arrow B, and the gripping fingers 12 and 12' are closed to grip the workpiece 14 therebetween. According to this gripping method, however, since the workpiece is gripped only at two confronting positions on the side face of the workpiece, the gripping state often becomes unstable when the weight of the workpiece is very heavy and/or when the workpiece has an angular plane shape, though the method is suitable for gripping and delivering a workpiece having a circular plane shape or a relatively light weight. When a workpiece having an angular shape is gripped, the gripping state is biased with respect to the gripping fingers, and, therefore, gripping is very unstable and there is the risk that an accident may occur. Furthermore, in the case where the position of a workpiece is lower than the position of the robot, for example, when the workpiece is placed on the floor surface of a workshop, because of structural limitations of the conventional robot, it is very difficult for said conventional robot to grip such workpiece and, in some cases, gripping is impossible. In order to eliminate this disadvantage, it is necessary to provide a special configuration or structure for a robot arm or wrist portion.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
It is a primary object of the present invention to eliminate the above-mentioned defect of the conventional robot hand and provide a hand of an industrial robot having a structure capable of securely and stably holding, by at least four confronting fingers, a workpiece having a heavy weight and/or an angular shape, or other complicated shape.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a hand of an industrial robot for gripping an article to be gripped, such as a workpiece, said hand comprising a hand base plate member connected to a wrist portion and a plurality of pairs of opening and closing gripping fingers arranged on the palm face of the hand base plate member, with an actuator being arranged for each pair of the opening and closing gripping fingers to actuate said fingers.
BRIEF EXPLANATION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a conventional robot hand.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an industrial robot provided with a robot hand according to one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the hand shown in FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the structure of an apparatus for operating the hand shown in FIG. 3.
FIG. 5 is a front view of the hand seen from the si
REFERENCES:
patent: 4252496 (1981-02-01), Williams
patent: 4273506 (1981-06-01), Thomson et al.
Inaba Hajimu
Nakajima Seiichiro
Nihei Ryo
Sakakibara Shinsuke
Cherry Johnny D.
Fujitsu Fanuc Limited
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