Gripping and releasing apparatus and method
US9120230B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 20, 2014 |
| Grant date | Sep 1, 2015 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 20, 2034 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S901/31
- WIPO fieldHandling
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A passive universal gripper includes a mass of granular material encased in an elastic membrane. Using a combination of positive and negative pressure, the gripper can rapidly grip and release a wide range of objects that are typically challenging for conventional universal grippers, such as flat objects, soft objects, or objects with complex geometries. The gripper passively conforms to the shape of a target object, then vacuum-hardens to grip it rigidly; later using positive pressure to reverse this transition—releasing the object and returning to a deformable state. The apparatus and method enable the fast ejection of objects from the gripper, as well as essentially instantaneous reset time between releasing and gripping.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.