METHOD FOR CONTROLLING A ROBOTIC GRIPPER USING FRICTION ESTIMATION

Abstract

A gripper which has a friction estimation module configured to estimate static and/or dynamic friction forces acting on gripping jaws is provided. The static friction force is calculated on the basis of constraining reactions whereto the gripping jaws are subjected, the constraining reactions being calculated at least as a function of an actuation force exerted on the gripping jaws, a coefficient of friction of gripper materials and/or lubricant used being known. The dynamic friction force is calculated on the basis of speed of the gripping jaws, width of sliding surfaces and distance between the sliding surfaces of the gripping jaws, the viscosity of the lubricant used being known.

Claims

1. A gripper, comprising: a gripper body; at least two gripping jaws, at least one of which is movable with respect to another one between a jaw opening position and a jaw closing position; an actuation group housed inside the gripper body; a transmission group housed inside the gripper body, the actuation group being operatively coupled to the at least one movable jaw by the transmission group to move said at least one movable jaw between the jaw opening position and the jaw closing position; a jaw position sensor, suitable to measure an absolute position of the gripping jaws; a possible gripping force sensor, suitable to measure a gripping force applied by the gripping jaws to an item; a processing unit operatively connected to said sensors and to said actuation group and comprising a friction estimation module and a friction compensation module, wherein: the friction estimation module is configured to estimate static and/or dynamic friction forces acting on components of the transmission group and on the gripping jaws, the static friction force being calculated by the friction estimation module based on constraining reactions to which the components of the transmission group and the gripping jaws are subjected, the constraining reactions being calculated at least as a function of an actuation force applied by the actuation group and/or the gripping force measured by the gripping force sensor, a friction coefficient (?.sub.i) of materials of the gripper and/or of lubricant used being known, the dynamic friction force being calculated based on speed of the gripping jaws, width of sliding surfaces, and distance between said sliding surfaces of the gripping jaws, viscosity of the lubricant used being known; and the friction compensation module is configured to control the actuation group based on signals from the sensors and on estimation of the friction forces from the friction estimation module.

2. The gripper of claim 1, further comprising an actuation force sensor suitable to measure the actuation force applied by the actuation group to the at least one movable jaw.

3. The gripper of claim 1, further comprising at least one center-of-pressure sensor, suitable to detect coordinates of a center of pressure (CoP) between the gripping jaws when the gripping jaws apply the gripping force to the item.

4. The gripper of claim 1, wherein, with i indicating the number of surfaces applying a constraining reaction, the i-th component of the static friction force (F.sub.fi) is estimated by the formula $F_{\mathrm{fi}}=R_i*{?}_i*?,$ where R.sub.i is the i-th component of a constraining reaction acting on the i-th surface, and ? is a parameter indicating a direction of the static friction force.

5. The gripper of claim 1, wherein the static friction force (F) is estimated using a Coulomb model expressed by the formula $F=\{\begin{array}{cc}{F}_C\mathrm{sgn}\left(\stackrel{.}{z}\right)& \mathrm{if}.Math.\stackrel{.}{z}.Math.?0\\ \min \left(.Math.F_e.Math.,F_C\right)\mathrm{sgn}\left(F_e\right)& \mathrm{if}.Math.\stackrel{.}{z}.Math.=0\end{array}$ where ? is the speed of the gripping jaws, F.sub.c=R.sub.i*?c, where R.sub.i is the i-th component of a constraining reaction acting on the i-th surface, ?c is a kinetic friction coefficient, and F.sub.e is the resultant of external forces.

6. The gripper of claim 4, wherein at least some components of the constraining reaction R.sub.i are calculated as a function of the coordinates of the center of pressure (CoP).

7. The gripper of claim 1, wherein, with i indicating the number of sliding surfaces, the i-th component of the dynamic friction force (F.sub.vi) is estimated by the formula $F_{\mathrm{vi}}=C_i*\stackrel{.}{z}$ $\mathrm{where}$ $\mathrm{Ci}={?}_i*\left(S_i/d_i\right),$ where ? is the speed of the gripping jaws, ?.sub.i is the viscosity of the lubricant used, S.sub.i is a width of the i-th sliding surface, and d.sub.i is a distance between the i-th sliding surface and a surface against which the i-th sliding surface slides.

8. The gripper of claim 3, wherein the center-of-pressure (CoP) sensor is based on the gripping force sensor, the gripping force sensor being suitable to carry out torque measurements, the processing unit being programmed to calculate the coordinates of the center of pressure (CoP.sub.X, CoP.sub.Y) as: $\{\begin{array}{c}{\mathrm{CoP}}_X=\frac{M_Y}{.Math.F_Z.Math.}\\ {\mathrm{CoP}}_Y=\frac{M_X}{.Math.F_Z.Math.}\end{array}$ where M.sub.X and M.sub.Y are measured moments of an actual gripping force sensor (Fm) according to X and Y axes, respectively, and |F.sub.Z| is the absolute value of the actual gripping force (Fm) along a Z axis.

9. The gripper of claim 1, wherein the actuation group is a pneumatic actuation group and comprises a piston unit comprising at least one piston slidably housed in a respective piston chamber formed in the gripper body, said at least one piston being operatively connected to at least one jaw sliding in a jaw guide.

10. A method for controlling a gripping force of a gripper, wherein the gripper comprises: a gripper body; at least two gripping jaws, at least one of which is movable with respect to another one between a jaw opening position and a jaw closing position; an actuation group housed inside the gripper body; a transmission group housed inside the gripper body, the actuation group being operatively coupled to the at least one movable jaw by the transmission group to move said movable jaw between the jaw opening position and the jaw closing position; the method comprising: estimating static and/or dynamic friction forces acting on components of the transmission group and on the gripping jaws, adjusting an actuation force applied by the actuation group to the at least one movable jaw based on an estimate of the friction forces, wherein the static friction force is calculated based on constraining reactions to which the components of the transmission group and the gripping jaws are subjected, the constraining reactions being calculated at least as a function of the actuation force applied by the actuation group and/or a gripping force applied by the gripping jaws to an item, a friction coefficient (?.sub.i) of materials of the gripper and/or lubricant used being known, and wherein the dynamic friction force is calculated based on speed of the jaws, width of sliding surfaces, and a distance between said sliding surfaces of the gripping jaws, viscosity of the lubricant used being known.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, with i indicating the number of surfaces applying a constraining reaction, the i-th component of the static friction force (F.sub.fi) is estimated by the formula $F_{\mathrm{fi}}=R_i*{?}_i*?,$ where R.sub.i is the i-th component of a constraining reaction acting on the i-th surface, and ? is a parameter indicating a direction of the static friction force.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the static friction force (F) is estimated using a Coulomb model expressed by the formula $F=\{\begin{array}{cc}{F}_C\mathrm{sgn}\left(\stackrel{.}{z}\right)& \mathrm{if}.Math.\stackrel{.}{z}.Math.?0\\ \min \left(.Math.F_e.Math.,F_C\right)\mathrm{sgn}\left(F_e\right)& \mathrm{if}.Math.\stackrel{.}{z}.Math.=0\end{array}$ where ? is the speed of the gripping jaws, Fc=R.sub.i*pc, where R.sub.i is the i-th component of the constraining reaction acting on the i-th surface, ?c is a kinetic friction coefficient, and F.sub.e is the resultant of external forces.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising: calculating the coordinates of the center of pressure (CoP) between the gripping jaws when the gripping jaws apply the gripping force to the item; and calculating at least some components of the constraining reaction R.sub.i as a function of said coordinates of the center of pressure (CoP).

14. The method of claim 10, wherein, with i indicating the number of sliding surfaces, the i-th component of the dynamic friction force (F.sub.vi) is estimated by the formula $F_{\mathrm{vi}}=C_i*\stackrel{.}{z}$ $\mathrm{where}$ $C_i={?}_i*\left(S_i/d_i\right),$ where ? is the speed of the jaws, ?.sub.i is the viscosity of the lubricant used, S.sub.i is a width of the i-th sliding surface, and d.sub.i is a distance between the i-th sliding surface and a surface against which the i-th sliding surface slides.

15. The gripper of claim 5, wherein at least some components of the constraining reaction R.sub.i are calculated as a function of the coordinates of the center of pressure (CoP).

Description

[0052] Further features and advantages of the pneumatic gripper and of the gripping force control method according to the invention shall be made readily apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments thereof, provided purely by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying figures, wherein:

[0053] FIG. 1 schematically represents a generic gripper;

[0054] FIG. 2 is a perspective exploded view of an embodiment of a pneumatic gripper;

[0055] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the set of sensors/actuators and software modules of the gripper according to the invention;

[0056] FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of a gripper, wherein the distance between the center of pressure of the jaws and the sliding guide of the jaws is represented.

[0057] In said drawings, a pneumatic gripper has been indicated schematically as a whole with the reference number 1.

[0058] The gripper 1 comprises a gripper body 10, at least two gripping jaws 18, wherein at least one thereof is movable with respect to another between an inactive opening position and a closed item gripping position, an actuation group 14 housed within the gripper body, and a transmission group 15 housed within the gripper body 10.

[0059] The actuation group 14 is operatively coupled to the at least one movable jaw by means of the transmission group 15 in order to move the movable jaw between the opening position and the closing position.

[0060] In one embodiment, a gripping finger 19 is rigidly connected to each gripping jaw 18.

[0061] The gripper also comprises a jaw position sensor that is suitable for measuring the absolute position of the jaws.

[0062] The gripper 1 can furthermore be equipped with a gripping force sensor 46 that is suitable for measuring the gripping force exerted by the jaws on the item.

[0063] In an embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, the gripper 1 is a pneumatic gripper and the actuation group is a pneumatic actuation group operating by means of a pressurized fluid, for example compressed air.

[0064] In an embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, the pneumatic actuation group 14 comprises a piston unit comprising a piston 16 slidably housed within a piston chamber obtained in the gripper body 10. The piston 16 is operatively connected to two sliding jaws 18 within a jaw guide 20, for example a T guide. Each jaw 18 rigidly supports a respective finger 19.

[0065] In the embodiment illustrated in the example of FIG. 2, the jaws 18 are slidable along an axis of jaw translation Z and the piston 16 is slidable along a piston axis X, perpendicular to the axis of jaw translation Z. The pneumatic actuation group 14 comprises a pair of return levers 22 connecting a respective jaw 18 to the piston 16.

[0066] In an embodiment illustrated in the block diagram of FIG. 3, the gripper body 10 houses: [0067] a jaw position sensor 30 that is suitable for measuring the absolute position of the jaws; [0068] a line pressure sensor 32 that is suitable for measuring the air pressure in the gripper supply line; [0069] an opening chamber pressure sensor 34 that is suitable for measuring the pneumatic pressure within a gripper opening chamber of the pneumatic actuation group 14; 140; [0070] a closing chamber pressure sensor 36 that is suitable for measuring the pneumatic pressure within a gripper closing chamber of the pneumatic actuation group; [0071] pressure regulators 40 that are suitable for controlling the pneumatic pressure within the opening and closing chambers.

[0072] In one embodiment, the jaws 18 or fingers 19 are provided with a force and/or torque sensor 46, for example a load cell that is suitable for measuring the gripping force and two associated angular moments.

[0073] The gripper 1 comprises, or is connected to, a processing unit 50 operatively connected to the aforementioned sensors and pressure regulators. The processing unit 50 comprises an estimation module 51, including in particular a friction estimation module 52, and a friction compensation module 54, described below.

[0074] The estimation module 51 may further include a jaw speed estimation module 53 and a center of pressure (CoP) estimation module 55.

[0075] The measurements provided by the (gripper body and jaws) sensors may be used by the estimation module 51 in order to estimate the following quantities: [0076] the speed of the jaws: the measurements provided by the jaw position sensor are used to calculate the relative speed between the jaws 18 and the gripper body 10. Since each jaw 18 is rigidly connected to the respective finger 19, the speed of the jaws also corresponds to the speed of the fingers 19; [0077] Centre of Pressure (CoP): the measurements obtained from the force and/or torque sensor 46 may provide a precise estimation of the center of pressure (CoP) coordinates of the contact between the jaws or fingers and the item to be gripped; [0078] Friction force: the estimation of the speed of the jaws, the estimation of the center of pressure and the measurements provided by the force and/or torque sensor are combined by an algorithm of the friction estimation module 52 in order to estimate the friction force of the jaws.

[0079] Some methods for calculating the friction forces by the estimation module may now be described.

[0080] A factor that influences the calculation of the friction forces in pneumatic grippers with linear sliding guides is the gripping distance L (FIG. 4), i.e. the distance between the center of pressure (CoP) and the origin of reference system of the force and/or torque sensor 46 (if present) or from the point of application of the actuation force exerted by the actuation group.

[0081] In fact, in grippers of this type, the same force applied to the jaws produces different gripping forces depending on the distance of the item gripped by the guides, as the values of the moments cause a variable friction in the guides of the jaws.

[0082] Measuring the gripping distance L allows this side effect to be compensated and to obtain greater accuracy in the application of the desired gripping force. Due to the estimation of the center of pressure (CoP) it is possible to calculate the distance L.

[0083] In the following description, F.sub.fi and F.sub.vi indicate the components of the static and dynamic friction forces, respectively, where i indicates the number of surfaces that exert a constraining reaction on the components of the transmission group and on the jaws, in the case of static friction, or of the sliding surfaces, in the case of dynamic friction.

[0084] In particular, the knowledge of the static friction forces F.sub.fi contributes significantly to correctly estimate the gripping force. These forces affect the operation and performance of the gripper and change as a function of the gripping distance L and consequently of the moment generated.

[0085] According to an aspect of the invention, an equations model that makes it possible to estimate these forces without any experimental identification is used to obtain the value of the components of the friction forces.

[0086] In particular, in the case of static friction, the i-th components of the forces depend on the constraining reactions R.sub.i, which are functions of the actuation force acting upon the jaws (by means of the transmission group). Knowing the value of this actuation force, it is possible to estimate the value of the constraining reactions R.sub.i by making them explicit in the equations of the developed model. Finally, using the specific coefficients of friction known for the materials and/or lubricants used, it is possible to reconstruct the value of the friction forces.

[0087] In the static case, i.e. when the speed of the jaws ? is zero, the i-th friction force Ff.sub.i is expressed as follows:

[00008]${\mathrm{Ff}}_i=R_i*u_i*?$ [0088] where ?.sub.i is the coefficient of friction of the materials or lubricant used, R.sub.i is the constraining reaction that normally acts upon the surface under consideration and ? is a parameter relating to the sign of the speed of the jaws, indicating the direction of the friction force.

[0089] As mentioned above, at least some of the constraining reactions R.sub.i are a function of the coordinates of the center of pressure, i.e. the distance L between the center of pressure and the origin of the reference system of the force and/or torque sensor or the point of application of the actuation force.

[0090] Alternatively, the coefficient of friction ?.sub.i may be expressed by means of one of the friction models used in multi-body mechanical systems, for example the Coulomb model, where the friction force may be expressed as follows:

[00009]$F=\{\begin{array}{cc}{F}_C\mathrm{sgn}\left(\stackrel{.}{z}\right)& \mathrm{if}.Math.\stackrel{.}{z}.Math.?0\\ \min \left(.Math.F_e.Math..Math.F_C\right)\mathrm{sgn}\left(F_e\right)& \mathrm{if}.Math.\stackrel{.}{z}.Math.=0\end{array}$

where ? is the speed of the jaws (or of the jaws), Fc=R.sub.i*?c, where R.sub.i is the i-th component of the constraining reaction acting upon the i-th surface, ?c is the coefficient of kinetic friction, and where Fe is the result of the external forces.

[0091] In the dynamic case, another contribution must be considered, i.e., the viscous friction forces (F.sub.vi) generated by the movement. With i indicating the number of sliding surfaces, the i-th component of the static friction force (F.sub.vi) is estimated by means of the formula

[00010]$F_{\mathrm{vi}}=C_i*\stackrel{.}{z}$$\mathrm{where}\mathrm{Ci}={?}_i*\left(S_i/d_i\right),$

where ? is the speed of the jaws, ?.sub.i is the kinematic viscosity of the lubricant used, S.sub.i is the width of the i-th sliding surface and d.sub.i is the distance between the i-th sliding surface and the surface against which it slides.

[0092] Therefore, the friction estimation module is configured to estimate the static and/or dynamic friction forces acting upon the components of the transmission group 15 and upon the jaws 18, the static friction forces being calculated by the estimation module based on the constraining reactions to which components of the transmission group and the jaws are subjected. These constraining reactions are calculated as a function of the actuation force exerted upon the jaws by the actuation group, the coefficient of friction (?.sub.i) of the gripper materials and/or lubricant used being known.

[0093] The dynamic friction forces are calculated by the estimation module on the basis of the speed of the jaws, the width of the sliding surfaces and the distance between said sliding surfaces of the jaws, the viscosity of the lubricant used being known.

[0094] The friction compensation module 54 is configured to control the actuation group 14 (e.g. the at least one pressure regulator 40 in the case of a pneumatic gripper) based on the signals from the sensors and the estimated friction forces from the estimation module 52.

[0095] As cited above, in some embodiments, the center-of-pressure sensor (CoP) is based on the gripping force sensor, which is suitable for performing torque measurements. In this case, the processing unit calculates the coordinates (CoP.sub.X, CoP.sub.Y) of the center of pressure as:

[00011]$\{\begin{array}{c}{\mathrm{CoP}}_X=\frac{M_Y}{.Math.F_Z.Math.}\\ {\mathrm{CoP}}_Y=\frac{M_X}{.Math.F_Z.Math.}\end{array}$ [0096] where M.sub.X and M.sub.Y are the moments measured by the gripping force sensor along the X and Y axes respectively, and where |F.sub.Z| is the absolute value of the effective gripping force (Fm) along the Z axis.

[0097] The pneumatic gripper described above makes it possible, due to the sensors and algorithms of the estimation module and the friction compensation module, to achieve the intended objectives. In particular, the jaws and therefore the fingers are controlled, taking into account the effects of the friction forces, thus compensating them.

[0098] Furthermore, with the proposed gripper the following functions may be implemented much more accurately than with pneumatic grippers according to the state of the art: [0099] detecting the contact with the item being gripped; [0100] estimating the coordinates of the Center of Pressure; [0101] estimating the normal force; [0102] measuring the orientation of the gripper and jaws; [0103] checking the gripping force; [0104] detecting the contact between the jaws and the item gripped; [0105] correcting the gripping force from external disturbances (e.g. contacts, accelerations);

[0106] In addition, the gripper above allows the following technical advantages to be obtained: [0107] evaluating the performance of the gripper based on efficiency (wear or problems); [0108] foreseeing when the gripper requires maintenance (for example due to wear, defects, missing lubricant); [0109] improving safety (for people and items).

[0110] To the forms of embodiment of the gripper and the method of controlling the gripping of an item according to the invention, a person skilled in the art, in order to meet contingent needs, may make modifications, adaptations, and make substitutions of elements with others that are functionally equivalent, without going beyond the scope of the following claims. Each of the features described as belonging to a possible embodiment may be obtained independently of the other described embodiments.