Tecan Trading Ag

André Häfelfinger

Mirco Brennwald

Marcel Aschwanden

Antono Djojoatmodjo

Roland Fischer

Arrangements of a gripper finger and a clamp for use in an automated parallel gripper are provided. The arrangements will include first and second gripper fingers that are moveable in a direction of translation (y), whereby the clamp is connected to the gripper finger at an underside thereof, so as to be rotational about a vertical axis of rotation. The clamp has a front face with a contact surface for engagement with a lateral edge of an item to be gripped and has a default orientation in which the front face is parallel to a lateral direction (x) that is perpendicular to the direction of translation (y) and to the vertical rotation axis. The arrangements are additionally provided with a self-alignment feature which includes first and second biasing mechanisms arranged at either side of the rotation axis in lateral direction (x). Each biasing mechanism has a first part connected to the finger and a second part connected to the clamp and is configured to exert a centering force that urges the first and second parts of each biasing mechanism into alignment with each other. When the clamp is in the default orientation, each biasing mechanism is preloaded to exert an equal moment load on the clamp in the direction of translation (y).

Growing community of inventors

Oberneunforn, Switzerland

André Häfelfinger