US 11,926,043 B2
Robot for gripping and/or holding objects
Eckhard Maurer, Oberteuringen (DE)
Assigned to SMW-Autoblok Spannsysteme GmbH, (DE)
Filed by SMW-Autoblok Spannsysteme GmbH, Meckenbeuren (DE)
Filed on Sep. 30, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/038,089.
Claims priority of application No. 19200679 (EP), filed on Oct. 1, 2019; and application No. 20195208 (EP), filed on Sep. 9, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2021/0094192 A1, Apr. 1, 2021
Int. Cl. B25J 19/00 (2006.01); B25J 15/02 (2006.01); B25J 17/02 (2006.01); B25J 15/00 (2006.01); B25J 19/02 (2006.01); H04B 1/38 (2015.01)
CPC B25J 19/0041 (2013.01) [B25J 15/0253 (2013.01); B25J 17/0241 (2013.01); B25J 15/0042 (2013.01); B25J 19/02 (2013.01); H04B 1/38 (2013.01)] 11 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A robot (1) for gripping and/or holding objects (2), in particular workpieces, tools or carrier parts, the robot comprising:
at least one robot arm (3, 4, 5) which is supported on a support frame (19) and is movable in space in at least one translational and/or rotational degree of freedom,
a gripping and/or holding device (6), on which the respective object (2) is supported in a positionally oriented manner and/or held in a rotational arrangement,
at least one electric motor (9) provided in the gripping and/or holding device (6), by means of which a torque and/or a clamping force is generated which acts on the object (2), and
a drive shaft (24) mounted in the robot arm (5), which is coupled in a driving manner to the gripping and/or holding device (6) in such a way that the gripping and/or holding device (6) rotates about its own longitudinal axis (6′),
wherein an interface (31) is provided between a free end (10) of the robot arm (5) at the end and the gripping and/or holding device (6), which interface (31) is bridged by a coupler (25) fixed in a non-rotating arrangement to the robot arm (5) and by a flange (11) adapted thereto, which flange (11) is connected in a non-rotating arrangement to the gripping and/or holding device (6) and the drive shaft (24),
characterized in that,
a first inductively operated transceiver (12) is provided in the coupler (25), which transceiver (12) is connected to a power source (15) via an electrical line (14) fed to the robot arm (5),
a second inductively operated transceiver (13) is provided in the flange (11), which transceiver (13) is connected to the electric motor (9) in the gripping and/or holding device (6) via electrical lines (14),
an air gap (21) is provided between the coupler (25) and the flange (11) as part of the interface (31),
the drive shaft (24) passes through the air gap (21) and is coupled in a driving arrangement to the flange (11),
the first and second inductive transceiver devices (12, 13) transmit electrical voltages and/or electrical signals, by means of which the electric motor (9) in the gripping and/or holding device (6) is controlled and monitored, and
the gripping and holding device (6) comprises a plurality of sensors by means of which the signals from the gripping and holding device (6) are transmitted to the coupler (25) via an interface or bus interface.