Soft gripper apparatus
US12304063B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 1, 2021 |
| Grant date | May 20, 2025 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 12, 2044 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB25J15/10
- WIPO fieldHandling
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A soft gripper apparatus is provided. In another aspect, a soft gripper includes tribo-skin pressure sensors, an internal bending sensor, at least one flexible gripping finger and an actuator. A further aspect of a soft gripper apparatus employs longitudinally elongated, laterally spaced apart and self-powering, electrically conductive strips that sense and send a bending signal to a programmable controller indicative of a bending angle of a gripping finger within which the strips are encapsulated. Another aspect of a gripping apparatus includes at least one workpiece pressure sensor and/or at least one bending sensor, which are connected to a programmable controller and electrical circuit to automatically determine a characteristic of the workpiece.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.