Gripper with carbon nanotube film structure

• US 8,585,109 B2
• Filed: 01/07/2011
• Issued: 11/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd., Tsinghua University
• Original Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd., Tsinghua University
• Inventors: Chen, Lu-Zhuo, Liu, Chang-Hong, Fan, Shou-Shan
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Paul T
• Application Number:
  US12/986,265
• Publication Number:
  US 20120049552A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,047 Days
• Field of Search: 294/86.4, 294/103.1, 294/902, 310363-366, 310/800
• US Class Current: 294/86.4
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 15/12 with flexible finger members
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 7/00 Micromanipulators specimen supports for investigating or analysing materials G01N23/2204; associated with microscopes G02B21/32; means for supporting or positioning the objects or the material in discharge tubes H01J37/20
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/68707 the wafers being placed on a robot blade, or gripped by a gripper for conveyance

Abstract

A gripper includes a support and a plurality of gripping arms fixed on the support. One of the plurality of gripping arms includes a base and a carbon nanotube film structure to define a conductive circuit. The conductive circuit receives current to heat the base and the carbon nanotube film structure to actuate the gripper for gripping an object.

Claims

1. A gripper, comprising:

a support; and

a plurality of gripping arms fixed on the support,

wherein one gripping arm of the plurality of gripping arms comprises a carbon nanotube film structure that receives current to actuate the gripper for gripping an object, the support comprises a plurality of supportive arms corresponding to the plurality of gripping arms, each of the plurality of supportive arms comprises a first side and a second side, and the second sides of the plurality of supportive arms are in contact with each other.

2. The gripper as claimed in claim 1, wherein the gripper comprises more than two gripping arms and the support comprises more than two supportive arms, the more than two gripping arms are respectively fixed on first sides of the more than two supportive arms of the support.

3. The gripper as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one of the plurality of gripping arms further comprises a base, and the carbon nanotube film structure is located on the base.

4. The gripper as claimed in claim 3, wherein a thickness ratio of the carbon nanotube film structure to the base is in a range from about 1:

5 to about 1;

200.

5. The gripper as claimed in claim 3, wherein the base is selected from the group consisting of silicone rubber, polymethyl methacrylate, polyurethane, epoxy resin, poly ethyl acrylate, poly butyl acrylate, polystyrene, polybutadiene, polyacrylonitrile, polyaniline, polypyrrole, polythiophene, and any combination thereof.

6. The gripper as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one of the plurality of gripping arms further comprises a base, and the carbon nanotube film structure is received in the base.

7. The gripper as claimed in claim 1, wherein the gripping arm further comprises a base, the carbon nanotube film structure consists of at least one first electric part, at least one second electric part and at least one connection part, the at least one first electric part and the at least one second electric part are located on the base at a set interval, and the at least one connection part is located on the base and in contact with the at least one first electric part and the at least one second electric part to define a conductive circuit.

8. The gripper as claimed in claim 7, wherein the one of the plurality of gripping arms further comprises a conductive layer adjoining the at least one connection part to enhance conductivity of the conductive circuit.

9. The gripper as claimed in claim 8, wherein the conductive layer is composed of silver colloid.

10. The gripper as claimed in claim 7, wherein the carbon nanotube film structure comprises a carbon nanotube film or a plurality of laminated carbon nanotube films.

11. The gripper as claimed in claim 10, wherein the carbon nanotube film of the carbon nanotube film structure comprises a plurality of carbon nanotubes oriented along a direction.

12. The gripper as claimed in claim 1, wherein the gripper comprises two gripping arms and the support comprises two supportive arms, the two gripping arms are respectively fixed on first sides of the two supportive arms of the support.

13. The gripper as claimed in claim 12, wherein the support is assembled as a Y-type support.

14. A gripper, comprising:

a support; and

a plurality of gripping arms fixed on the support, one of the plurality of gripping arms comprising;

a base; and

a carbon nanotube film structure comprising a plurality of first electric parts, a plurality of second electric parts, and at least one connection part,

wherein the plurality of first electric parts and the plurality of second electric parts are located on the base and interlaced at a set interval, and the at least one connection part is located on the base and in contact with the plurality of first electric parts and the plurality of second electric parts to define a conductive circuit that receives current to actuate the gripper for gripping an object.

15. The gripper as claimed in claim 14, wherein the support comprises a plurality of supportive arms corresponding to the plurality of gripping arms, each of the plurality of supportive arms comprises a first side and a second side, and the second sides of the plurality of supportive arms are in contact with each other.

16. The gripper as claimed in claim 15, wherein the gripper comprises more than two gripping arms and the support comprises more than two supportive arms, the more than two gripping arms are respectively fixed on first sides of the more than two supportive arms of the support.

17. The gripper as claimed in claim 15, wherein the gripper comprises two gripping arms and the support comprises two supportive arms, the two gripping arms are respectively fixed on first sides of the two supportive arms of the support.

18. The gripper as claimed in claim 17, wherein the support is assembled as a Y-type support.

19. The gripper as claimed in claim 14, wherein the base is selected from the group consisting of silicone rubber, polymethyl methacrylate, polyurethane, epoxy resin, poly ethyl acrylate, poly butyl acrylate, polystyrene, polybutadiene, polyacrylonitrile, polyaniline, polypyrrole, polythiophene, and any combination thereof.

20. A gripper, comprising:

a support; and

a plurality of gripping arms fixed on the support,

wherein at least one gripping arm of the plurality of gripping arms comprises a carbon nanotube film structure, the carbon nanotube structure being configured to receive electrical currents and to actuate the gripper for gripping an object, the carbon nanotube film structure comprising a plurality of carbon nanotubes arranged along an alignment direction or arranged randomly aligned.

21. The gripper as claimed in claim 20, wherein the plurality of carbon nanotubes are aligned along the alignment direction and are joined end to end along the alignment direction by van der Waals force therebetween.

22. The gripper as claimed in claim 20, wherein an angle between an alignment direction of the plurality of carbon nanotubes and a surface of the carbon nanotube film structure is in a range from about 0 degrees to about 15 degrees.