IP Library Granted Patent US 8,942,845
Granted Patent B2
US 8,942,845 · App. 13/232,273 · Granted Jan 27, 2015

Robot

Inventors: Yukihiro Yamaguchi (Sendai, JP); Tatsuya Hosoda (Chino, JP); Kazuhiro Kosuge (Sendai, JP); Yasuhisa Hirata (Sendai, JP)
Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
B25J15/08B25J15/0206B25J9/1633B25J9/1697Y10S901/30Y10S901/31Y10S901/41
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,942,845
App. No.
13/232,273
Granted
Jan 27, 2015
Kind
B2
Abstract

A robot includes a gripping section and a main body section to which the pair of finger sections are attached, having one end sections of the pair of finger sections rotatably connected to each other around a first rotating shaft disposed at a position separate from the main body section, and adapted to open and close the pair of finger sections by swinging the other side of the pair of finger sections on a plane parallel to a mounting surface on which an object is mounted centered on the first rotating shaft to thereby grip the object, a moving device adapted to relatively move the object and the gripping section, and a control device adapted to control the moving device to move the gripping section relatively toward the object, and grip the object with the gripping section at at least three contact points.

Claims (34)

1. A robot comprising:

a gripping section having a pair of finger sections and a main body section to which the pair of finger sections are attached, having one end sections of the pair of finger sections rotatably connected to each other around a first rotating shaft disposed at a position separate from the main body section, and adapted to open and close the pair of finger sections by swinging the other side of the pair of finger sections on a plane parallel to a mounting surface on which an object is mounted centered on the first rotating shaft to thereby grip the object;

a moving device adapted to relatively move the object and the gripping section; and

a control device adapted to control the moving device to move the gripping section relatively toward the object, and dispose the pair of finger sections in a periphery of the object, and then control the gripping section to open and close the pair of finger sections in a plane parallel to the mounting surface, pinch the object between the pair of finger sections from a lateral side of the object, and grip the object with the gripping section at at least three contact points; wherein

at least one of the pair of finger sections has a guard adapted to prevent the object from jumping out in an upward direction perpendicular to the mounting surface, the guard being disposed on an opposite side to the mounting surface across the object.

2. The robot according to claim 1 wherein

at least one of the pair of finger sections has contact with the object at at least two contact points on a gripping surface adapted to grip the object from the lateral side.

3. The robot according to claim 1 wherein

the gripping section is provided with a main body section to which the pair of finger sections are coupled, and grips the object at at least three contact points by making the object have contact with the pair of finger sections and the main body section.

4. The robot according to claim 1 wherein

the gripping section includes a detection device adapted to detect a force for gripping the object, and

the control device controls the force of the gripping section for gripping the object based on a detection result of the detection device.

5. The robot according to claim 1 wherein

each of the pair of finger sections includes

a first link section having one end rotatably coupled to the first rotating shaft, and

a second link section having one end rotatably coupled to a second rotating shaft provided to the main body section, and the other end rotatably coupled to the other end of the first link section.

6. The robot according to claim 5 wherein

a position of the second rotating shaft moves along a straight line connecting the first rotating shaft and the second rotating shaft in a direction opposite to a direction toward the first rotating shaft as the pair of finger sections move in a closing direction.

7. The robot according to claim 1 further comprising:

a camera adapted to take a picture of the object,

wherein the control device detects a position of the object based on a result of taking a picture by the camera, and then controls the moving device to move the gripping section relatively toward the object.

8. The robot according to claim 7 wherein

the gripping section is provided with a main body section to which the pair of finger sections are coupled, and

the camera is attached to the main body section.

9. The robot according to claim 7 wherein

each of the pair of finger sections includes

a tip section disposed in parallel to the mounting surface, and adapted to grip the object, and

a base end section disposed in a direction of getting apart from the mounting surface, and coupled to the main body section.

10. The robot according to claim 9 wherein

the tip section of each of the pair of finger sections has a flat surface opposed to the mounting surface.

11. The robot according to claim 9 wherein

the tip section and the base end section are arranged so as to eliminate an overlap between the tip section and the base end section in a view from a direction in which the camera takes a picture of the one end section.

12. The robot according to claim 9 wherein

an angle formed between the tip section and the base end section is an obtuse angle.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 14, 2011
From: YAMAGUCHI, YUKIHIRO; HOSODA, TATSUYA; KOSUGE, KAZUHIRO; HIRATA, YASUHISA
To: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 026903/0637 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2010-206662 · Sep 15, 2010 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20120065780A1 · Mar 15, 2012