SUCTION GRIPPER

• US 20200130957A1
• Filed: 10/25/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2018
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: J. Schmalz GmbH
• Original Assignee: J. Schmalz GmbH
• Inventors: BOROWSKI, Alexander, BIENGER, Daniel, SCHNEIDER, Fabian, MERZ, Stefanie
• Application Number:
  US16/663,690
• Publication Number:
  US 20200130957A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 15/0052 multiple gripper units or multiple end effectors
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 15/0616 with vacuum
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/918 with at least two picking-up heads

Abstract

The invention relates to a suction gripper (10) having a gripper base body (12) with a suction side (14) and a plurality of suction points (16), a vacuum connection (18), and a vacuum distribution system (28) with distribution spaces (30) for connecting the suction points (16) with the at least one vacuum port (18). In this case, the gripper base body (12) is sandwiched and has a bottom plate (20), a cover plate (24) and a profile core (22), wherein the profile core (22) has a plurality of wall sections (32), which extend between cover plate (24) and bottom plate (20) in such a way that a plurality of cavities (34) are formed in the gripper body (12) and wherein the manifold spaces (30) of the vacuum manifold system (28) are formed by at least a subset of the cavities (34).

Claims

1. Suction gripper (10) for sucking objects by means of vacuum pressure, comprising:

a gripper base body (12) with a suction side (14) having a plurality of suction points (16);

at least one vacuum connection (18) for operating the suction gripper (10) by means of vacuum pressure;

a vacuum distribution system (28) with distribution chambers (30) for connecting suction points (16) with the at least one vacuum connection (18),

characterized in that the gripper base body (12) comprises a bottom plate (20) providing a suction side (14), a cover plate (24) and a profiled core (22), wherein the profiled core (22) is fixed between the bottom plate (20) and cover plate (24),

wherein the profiled core (22) comprises a plurality of wall sections (32), which extend between the cover plate (24) and bottom plate (20) such that a plurality of cavities (34) are formed in the gripper base body (12), and

wherein distribution spaces (30) of the vacuum distribution system (28) are formed of at least a subset of the plurality of cavities (34).

2. Suction gripper (10) according to claim 1, wherein the wall sections (32) form a spatially regular, in particular periodically repeating, structure between the bottom plate (20) and cover plate (24).

3. Suction gripper (10) according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of wall portions (32) are integrally connected to each other.

4. Suction gripper (10) according to claim 1, wherein the profile core (22) comprises intermediate walls (42) which run parallel to the cover plate (24) and/or bottom plate (20).

5. Suction gripper (10) according to claim 1, wherein, when viewed from above along a surface normal, the cover plate (24) and the bottom plate (20) cover identical areas to the cover plate and/or bottom plate, respectively, and the profile core (22) extends over the entire covered surface area.

6. Suction gripper (10) according to claim 1, wherein the profiled core (22) is formed plate-like and has a plurality of areas on at least two different height levels (40a, 40b), wherein the plurality of wall portions (32) extend between the areas of different height levels (40a, 40b).

7. Suction gripper (10) according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of wall portion (32) has a kink (44) or a wave along an extension between the bottom plate (20) and cover plate (24).

8. Suction gripper (10) according to claim 1, wherein at least some wall sections (32) extend obliquely to the cover plate (24) and/or bottom plate (20).

9. Suction gripper (10) according to claim 1, wherein at least some of the wall sections (32) are inclined relative to each other.

10. Suction gripper (10) according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of wall sections (32), when viewed along the surface normal on cover plate (24) and/or bottom plate (20), form a honeycomb structure (50).

11. Suction gripper (10) of claim 10, wherein the honeycomb structure (50) comprises a plurality of honeycombs (52), wherein the cross-sectional area increases or decreases along the extent of the honeycomb (52) from the bottom plate (20) to the cover plate (24).

12. Suction gripper (10) according to claim 1, wherein the wall sections (32) extend such that at least some of the cavities (34) are formed as channels (54) which extend parallel to the bottom plate (20) and/or cover plate (24).

13. Suction gripper (10) according to claim 1, wherein the wall sections (32) extend such that at least some of the cavities (34) are sealed in pairs against each other.

14. Suction gripper (10) according to claim 1, wherein each distribution space (30) is assigned a plurality of suction points (16) and these are connected via this distribution space (30) to the vacuum connection (18).

15. Suction gripper (10) according to claim 1, wherein the cover plate (24) comprises at least one distribution access (36) which opens into a distribution space (30) or into a group of distribution spaces (30).

16. Suction gripper (10) according to claim 1, wherein the profile core (22) is mirror-symmetrical with respect to a median plane (48) between the bottom plate (20) and cover plate (24).

17. Suction gripper (10) according to claim 1, wherein the gripper base body (12) is integrally formed, wherein preferably cover plate (24), profile core (22) and bottom plate (20) are made of the same material.

18. Suction gripper (10) according to claim 1, wherein the subset of the cavities (34) are filled with a filling material different from that of the plurality of wall sections (32), including a porous filling material (56) like foam.

19. Suction gripper (10) according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of wall portions (32) are integrally connected to each other.

20. Suction gripper (10) according to claim 2, wherein the profile core (22) comprises intermediate walls (42) which run parallel to the cover plate (24) and/or bottom plate (20).