Director-general of Agency of Industrial Science and Technology

Akira Sonoda

Yoshinori Todo

Kyousuke Araki

Noriaki Ushijima

Masami Sakamoto

Yukio Miura

Kenichi Yoshida

A robot hand for gripping workpieces to be forged which are subjected to impact loads is provided. The robot hand 2 includes a grip 3 for gripping a workpiece to be forged and a grip support 2a for supporting the grip 3. A grip guide 12 for supporting the grip 3 so that it is movable in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the grip support and slidable in forward and rearward directions and a spherical seat 5 for bearing the grip guide 12 so that it can be inclined are provided within a casing 4 of the grip support 2a. The casing 3 of the grip support 2a is provided with various actuators 9, 10, 11, 7 for changing the supporting state between a state in which the grip 3 can be moved and inclined and a state in which the grip 3 can not be moved and inclined. The grip 3 is brought into the movable and inclinable state for absorbing an impact when the impact load is applied to the gripped workpiece to be forged.

Robot hand for forging working

When an impact load is applied to a workpiece which is held by the robot, the impact force can be absorbed. The robot includes a grip 3 for holding a workpiece to which an impact load is applied and a buffer mechanism disposed between the grip 3 and a robot arm 2. The buffer mechanism 4 includes two parallel link mechanisms 5, 6 for enabling the grip 3 to be moved in various directions and hydraulic actuator mechanisms 7, 8 for relaxing the actuation of the parallel link mechanisms 5, 6. When an impact force is applied to the grip 3, two parallel link mechanisms 5, 6 are actuated so that the grip 3 is slightly displaced while the hydraulic actuator mechanisms 5, 6 relax the actuation of the parallel link mechanisms 7, 8. Therefore, the impact force which is applied to the grip 3 can be absorbed. Additionally, after the impact force is applied to the grip 3, the buffer mechanism 4 can immediately be returned automatically to the initial position.

Robot which is capable of receiving impact load

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Nagasaki, Japan

Akira Sonoda