GRIPPING OR CLAMPING DEVICE

Abstract

The invention relates to an automation component or clamping device including a basic housing, at least one jaw movably guided in a jaw guide of the basic housing, and a piston movably guided in the basic housing, wherein the piston has a piston surface, wherein the piston is coupled in terms of movement to the jaw, and wherein a piston rod extending on the piston transversely with respect to the piston surface, wherein the centroid of the piston surface is spaced apart from the central longitudinal axis of the piston rod.

Claims

1. Gripping or clamping device having a main housing, having at least one main jaw that is extendable and retractable in a clamping direction in the main housing, having a wedge hook that is drivable transversely to the clamping direction along a guide axis, the wedge hook having at least one hook and a web, located between the hook and the guide axis, with a web portion, the hook having guide surfaces that extend obliquely with respect to the clamping direction and to the guide axis and are arranged parallel to one another, said guide surfaces being coupled in terms of movement to a main-jaw-side guide groove that extends parallel thereto, such that a movement of the wedge hook along the guide axis results in a movement of the main jaw in the clamping direction, characterized in that the hook has a vertical extent in the guide-axis direction that is greater than the vertical extent of the web portion, such that the hook forms an extension portion that extends in the guide-axis direction, the guide surfaces being congruent in the clamping direction and the hook being cylindrical or being designed as a parallelepiped, characterized in that the guide surfaces each form an upper edge together with an upper face of the hook that extends perpendicularly with respect to the guide axis, the upper edges and the upper face of the hook being in a plane E.sub.1 that extends perpendicularly with respect to the guide axis, and in that the web portion has an upper face that extends perpendicularly with respect to the guide axis, in the plane E.sub.1.

2. Gripping or clamping device according to claim 1, characterized in that the wedge hook comprises an adjustment portion that extends along or around the guide axis, the adjustment portion protruding beyond the extension portion in the guide-axis direction.

3. Gripping or clamping device according to claim, characterized in that the web portion comprises a lower face that extends perpendicularly with respect to the guide axis, in a plane E.sub.2, in that the guide surfaces each form a lower edge together with a lower face of the hook that extends perpendicularly with respect to the guide axis, the lower edges being in a plane E.sub.3, and the plane E.sub.3 being spaced apart from the plane E.sub.2 such that the extension portion extends downwards.

4. (canceled)

5. (canceled)

6. Gripping or clamping device according to claim 3, characterized in that the ratio V of the spacing of the plane E.sub.2 from the plane E.sub.3 to the spacing of the plane E.sub.1 from the plane E.sub.3 is in the range of from 0.15 to 0, and in that the spacing of the plane E.sub.2 from the plane E.sub.3 is in the range of from 1 mm to 4 mm.

7. Gripping or clamping device according to claim 1, characterized in that, in the region facing the extension portion, the main housing comprises a recess for receiving the extension portion when the main jaws are moved.

8. Gripping or clamping device according to claim 1, characterized in that, in the extended or retracted position of the main jaw, the upper face of the hook and the upper face of a main-jaw-side portion that defines the guide groove are in a plane extending perpendicularly with respect to the guide axis.

9. Gripping or clamping device according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one of the hook and the main-jaw-side portion that defines the guide groove comprise rounded regions.

10. Gripping or clamping device according to claim 1, characterized in that the web portion is integrally formed on the hook in the region of the inner guide surface facing the guide axis, such that the inner guide surface comprises two mutually spaced and mutually mirror-symmetrical guide surface portions.

11. Gripping or clamping device (2) according to claim 2, characterized in that the adjustment portion comprises an outer lateral surface, the lateral surface being designed as at least one of a sealing surface and guide surface, and the extension portion protruding, in the guide-axis direction, beyond the free end of the lateral surface facing the web.

12. Gripping or clamping device (2) according to claim 2, characterized in that the adjustment portion (52) comprises an outer lateral surface (64), the lateral surface (64) being designed as a sealing and/or guide surface, and the extension portion (44) protruding, in the guide-axis direction, beyond the free end (68) of the lateral surface (64) facing the web (35).

13. Gripping or clamping device (2) according to claim 1, characterized in that at least two main jaws are provided that can be moved towards one another and away from one another in the clamping direction, and in that the wedge hook comprises at least two hooks and one web portion located between the relevant hook and the guide axis in each case, one hook cooperating with one main jaw in each case.

14. Wedge hook for a gripping or clamping device and that is drivable transversely to the clamping direction along a guide axis, the wedge hook comprising at least one hook and a web, located between the hook and the guide axis, with a web portion, the hook having guide surfaces that extend obliquely with respect to the clamping direction and to the guide axis and are arranged parallel to one another, said guide surfaces being coupled in terms of movement to a main-jaw-side guide groove that extends parallel thereto, such that a movement of the wedge hook along the guide axis results in a movement of the main jaw in the clamping direction, the hook having a vertical extent in the guide-axis direction that is greater than the vertical extent of the web portion, such that the hook forms an extension portion that extends in the guide-axis direction, the guide surfaces being congruent in the clamping direction, and the hook being cylindrical or being designed as a parallelepiped, characterized in that the guide surfaces each form an upper edge together with an upper face of the hook that extends perpendicularly with respect to the guide axis, the upper edges and the upper face of the hook being in a plane E.sub.1 that extends perpendicularly with respect to the guide axis, and in that the web portion has an upper face that extends perpendicularly with respect to the guide axis, in the plane E.sub.1.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a parallel gripper;

[0029] FIG. 2 is a cross section through the parallel gripper according to FIG. 1 when the jaws are retracted;

[0030] FIG. 3 is a cross section through the parallel gripper according to FIG. 1 when the jaws are extended in part;

[0031] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the wedge hook of the parallel gripper shown in FIGS. 1 to 3;

[0032] FIG. 5 is a side view of the wedge hook according to FIG. 4;

[0033] FIG. 6 is a cross section through the wedge hook according to FIG. 4;

[0034] FIG. 7 is a cross section through a multipart wedge hook;

[0035] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a wedge hook for a centric gripper.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] FIG. 1 shows a gripping device 2 designed as a parallel gripper. Said device comprises a main housing 4 having a jaw guide 8, extending in the clamping direction 6, for gripper jaws 10, 12 which can be inserted into the jaw guide 8 in the clamping direction 6 and are mounted therein so as to be extendable and retractable. In this case, the clamping direction 6 also corresponds to the longitudinal direction 6. Mounting openings 14 for releasably attaching gripper finger elements in the broadest sense of the term are provided on the upper faces of the gripper jaws 10, 12 and will not be described in greater detail here. As can further be seen in FIG. 1, the gripper jaws 10, 12 each comprise guide webs 16 on either side, which webs extend in the movement direction, are wedge-shaped or trapezoidal having a flattened free end, and engage in main-housing-side guide grooves 18.

[0037] A wedge-hook transmission is provided for adjusting the gripper jaws 10, 12. The wedge hook 22 is drivable transversely to the clamping direction 6 along a guide axis 20 which can be seen clearly in FIGS. 2 and 3.

[0038] As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the wedge hook 22 comprises two mutually mirror-symmetrical hooks 29, and webs 35 that are positioned between the hooks 29, in the guide axis 20, and that each comprise a web portion 31. The hooks 29 further each comprise two guide surfaces 26, 33 that extend obliquely with respect to the clamping direction 6 and to the guide axis 20 and are arranged parallel to one another. In this case, the webs 35 extend from the guide axis 20 as far as the hook 29.

[0039] As is clear from FIGS. 2 and 3, the guide surfaces 26, 33 are coupled in terms of movement to a main-jaw-side guide groove 30 that extends parallel thereto, such that a movement of the wedge hook 22 along the guide axis 20 results in a movement of the main jaw 10, 12 in the clamping direction 6.

[0040] In this case, as is clear from FIGS. 5 and 6, the hooks 29 or the guide surfaces 26, 33 have a vertical extent 43 in the guide-axis direction 21 that is greater than the vertical extent 23 of the web portions 31, such that the hooks 29 each form an extension portion 44 that extends in the guide-axis direction 21 and has a vertical extent 45. The vertical extent 43 of the hooks 29 is therefore made up of the vertical extents 23, 45 of the relevant web portion 31 and of the relevant extension portion 44. The wedge hook 22 further comprises an adjustment portion 52 that extends cylindrically around the guide axis 20, the adjustment portion 52 protruding beyond the extension portion 44 in the guide-axis direction 21.

[0041] As can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the adjustment portion 52 passes through an opening 54 in the base of the jaw guide 8 and engages in a cylinder chamber 56 of the main housing 2 arranged therebelow. A piston 58 is arranged at the lower end of the adjustment portion 52, the piston 58 being movably mounted in the cylinder chamber 56 such that the cylinder chamber 56 forms, together with the piston 58, a hydraulic or pneumatic adjustment device for the wedge hook 22. In this case, the adjustment portion 52 comprises an outer lateral surface 64 that is designed as a guide and sealing surface and cooperates with the housing-side surface 66 that is complementary thereto and that defines the opening 54. In this case, the extension portion 44 protrudes, in the guide-axis direction, beyond the free end 68 of the lateral surface 64 facing the web 35.

[0042] As is clear in particular from FIG. 4, the outer contours of the mutually parallel guide surfaces 26, 33 are congruent, viewed both in the clamping direction 6 and perpendicularly to the plane of the guide surfaces 26, 33. In this case, the web 35 is integrally formed on the hook 29 in the region of the other guide surface 26 facing the guide axis 20, such that the inner guide surface 2 comprises mutually spaced and mutually mirror-symmetrical guide surface portions 26 and 26. The outer contour of the inner guide surface 26 is therefore interrupted in the region in which the web 35 is integrally formed on the hook 29. Nonetheless, the outer contour of the guide surface 26 is the same as that of the outer guide surface 33.

[0043] In this case, the hook 29 is cylindrical and designed as a parallelepiped.

[0044] As can further be seen in FIGS. 4 to 6, the web portion 31 comprises a lower face 47 that extends perpendicularly with respect to the guide axis 20 in a plane E2, the guide surfaces 26, 33 each a lower edge 38, 40 together with a lower face 42 of the hook 29 that extends perpendicularly with respect to the guide axis 20, in a plane E2, and the lower edges 38, 40 being in a plane E3. In this case, the plane E3 is spaced apart from the plane E2 by a vertical extent 45. Furthermore, the guide surfaces 26, 33 form an upper edge 32, 34 together with an upper face 36 of the hook 29 that extends perpendicularly with respect to the guide axis 20. The upper edges 32, 34 are in a common plane E1 that extends perpendicularly with respect to the guide axis. The web portion 31 also comprises an upper face 45 which extends in the plane E1. In this case, the plane E1 is spaced apart from the plane E2 by a spacing or the vertical extent 23. Furthermore, the plane E3 is spaced apart from the plane E1 by the vertical extent 43 which is greater than the spacing or the vertical extent 23 between the plane E2 and the plane E1. The hook 29 thus comprises a downwardly extending extension portion 44.

[0045] In this case, the ratio V of the spacing of the plane E.sub.2 from the plane E.sub.3 to the spacing of the plane E.sub.1 from the plane E.sub.3 is in the region of 0.15, 0.25 and in particular 0.2.

[0046] As can further be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, in the region facing the extension portion 44, the main housing 2 comprises two recesses 46 for receiving the relevant extension portion 44 when the main jaws 10, 12 are retracted. The recesses 46 can in particular each be cylindrical and have a rectangular or square base.

[0047] In order to reduce the notch effect, all the edges 48, 50 of the hook 29 are rounded, such that rounded regions 37, 39 are formed.

[0048] According to FIG. 7, the hook 29 is integral with the web 35. The adjustment portion 52 and the piston 58, which are each formed as separate components, are fastened to the web 35 by means of a screw connection 60.

[0049] FIG. 8 shows a wedge hook 22 for a centric gripper. In this case, the wedge hook 22 comprises three hooks 29 and one web 35 located between the relevant hook 29 and the guide axis in each case, one hook 29 cooperating with one main jaw in each case. A relief groove 62 is provided at the free end 68 of the lateral surface 64, which relief groove reduces the notch effect.

[0050] The overall height of the gripping device 2 can thus be reduced without losses in the travel path of the main jaws 10, 12, by the overall vertical extent of the wedge hook 22 being reduced by a specified amount and the extension portion 44 being formed, said portion having a vertical extent of exactly said amount. Equally, the surface pressure can be reduced while the installation space remains constant, by the extension portion 44 being formed without reducing the overall vertical extent of the wedge hook 22. As a result, the contact surface between the guide surfaces 26, 33 can be enlarged, resulting in an advantageous reduction in the surface pressure.