Gripper system

• US 8,141,924 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2008
• Issued: 03/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Foster-Miller Incorporated (Thermo Fisher Scientific Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Foster-Miller Incorporated (Thermo Fisher Scientific Incorporated)
• Inventors: Albin, Scott R.
• Primary Examiner(s): KRAMER, DEAN J
• Application Number:
  US12/317,740
• Publication Number:
  US 20100164243A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,184 Days
• Field of Search: 294/106, 294/902, 294/213, 901/38, 901/39, 269/268, 269/270
• US Class Current: 294/106
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/065 non-masted mobile jacks of the garage type mounted on wheels or rollers B66F5/00
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/184 Roll clamps
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 1/16 comprising worm and worm-wheel
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 294/902 Gripping element
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/19828 Worm

Abstract

A gripper system having a pair of jaws operable in a first plane and having a central closure axis; each jaw including a finger member and finger tip member disposed on its distal end; and a gripper drive assembly for moving the jaws toward and away from each other; each finger member having a shaped inner contour for accommodating an object to be gripped; each finger tip member including an inner surface which generally aligns with the shaped inner contour for gripping a range of larger objects and an outer surface which generally aligns with the gripper central closure axis upon closure for gripping a range of smaller objects. Alternatively, each finger tip member may include a forcep element extending transversely to said plane.

Claims

1. A gripper system comprising:

a pair of jaws operable in a first plane and having a central closure axis, each jaw including a finger member and finger tip member disposed on its distal end; and

a gripper drive assembly for moving said jaws toward and away from each other;

each finger member having a shaped inner contour for accommodating an object to be gripped, each finger tip member including a concave inner surface having angled sections which generally aligns with said shaped inner contour when gripping objects, said inner surface for gripping a range of larger objects and followed by a concave outer surface extending outwardly from the inner concave surface and also having angled sections which generally align with the gripper central closure axis upon closure for gripping a range of smaller objects.

2. The gripper system of claim 1 in which said inner surface includes an inner dihedral defining said angled sections which generally align with said shaped inner contour.

3. The gripper system of claim 1 in which said outer surface includes an outer dihedral defining said angled sections which generally align with the gripper central axis.

4. The gripper system of claim 1 in which said inner contour is curved.

5. The gripper system of claim 1 in which said inner contour is a fair curve.

6. The gripper system of claim 1 in which said inner contour is a circular arc.

7. The gripper system of claim 1 in which each said finger member includes a pivot device for pivotably mounting the finger tip member to the associated finger member.

8. The gripper system of claim 7 in which said each said inner surface includes an inner dihedral defining sections which generally align with said shaped inner contour and said pivot device is disposed proximate the apex of the dihedral.

9. The gripper system of claim 7 in which each said jaw includes a stop mechanism for limiting rotation of each said finger tip member about said pivot device.

10. The gripper system of claim 9 in which each said stop mechanism includes a fork device on one of said members and a stop device on the other.

11. The gripper system of claim 1 in which each said finger member includes a pair of spaced plates fastened together by a plurality of spacers.

12. The gripper system of claim 1 in which each said finger member and finger tip member are fixed together.

13. The gripper system of claim 1 in which said gripper drive assembly includes a worm gear fixed to the proximal end of each said jaw and a worm for rotating both said worm gears.

14. The gripper system of claim 1 in which each said finger tip member includes a forcep element extending transversely to said first plane.

15. A gripper system comprising:

a pair of jaws operable in a first plane and having a central closure axis;

each jaw including a finger member and finger tip member disposed on its distal end; and

a gripper drive assembly for moving said jaws toward and away from each other;

each finger member having a shaped inner contour for accommodating an object to be gripped;

each finger tip member including an inner surface which includes an inner dihedral defining sections which generally align with said shaped inner contour for gripping a range of larger objects and an outer surface which generally aligns with the gripper central closure axis upon closure for gripping a range of smaller objects; and

a pivot device for pivotably mounting the finger tip member to the associated finger member, said pivot device disposed proximate the apex of the dihedral.

16. A gripper system comprising:

a pair of jaws operable in a first plane and having a central closure axis;

each jaw including a finger member and a fingertip member disposed on its distal end;

a gripper device for moving said jaws toward and away from each other;

each finger member having a shaped inner contour for accommodating an object to be gripped;

each fingertip member including an inner surface with an inner dihedral defining angled sections which generally align with said shaped inner contour for gripping larger objects; and

each fingertip member also including an outer surface also having angled sections which generally align with the central closure axis upon closure of the jaws for gripping smaller objects.

17. A gripper system comprising:

a pair of jaws operable in a first plane and having a central closure axis;

each jaw including a finger member and a fingertip member disposed on its distal end;

a gripper device for moving said jaws toward and away from each other;

each finger member having a shaped inner contour for accommodating an object to be gripped;

each fingertip member including an inner surface defining angled sections which generally align with said shaped inner contour for gripping larger objects; and

each fingertip member also having an outer surface including an outer dihedral defining angled sections which generally align with the central closure axis upon closure of the jaws for gripping smaller objects.

18. A gripper system comprising:

a pair of jaws operable in a first plane and having a central closure axis;

each jaw including a finger member and a fingertip member disposed on its distal end;

a pivot device pivotably mounting the fingertip member to the finger member;

a gripper device for moving said jaws toward and away from each other;

each finger member having a shaped inner contour for accommodating an object to be gripped;

each fingertip member having an inner surface including an inner dihedral defining angled sections which generally align with said shaped inner contour to grip larger objects;

the pivoting device located at the apex of the dihedral; and

each fingertip member also including an outer surface with angled sections which generally align with the central closure axis upon closure of the jaws for gripping smaller objects.

19. A gripper system comprising:

a pair of jaws operable in a first plane and having a central closure axis;

each jaw including a finger member and a fixed fingertip member disposed on its distal end;

a gripper device for moving said jaws toward and away from each other;

each finger member having a shaped inner contour for accommodating an object to be gripped;

each fingertip member including an inner surface defining angled sections which generally align with said shaped inner contour for gripping larger objects; and

each fingertip member also including an outer surface with angled sections which generally align with the central closure axis upon closure of the jaws for gripping smaller objects.