Pneumatic actuated grippers exist in the field. However, users of pneumatic actuated grippers seek electric alternatives to the pneumatic for various reasons. Reasons for seeking alternative actuators are lower energy costs and application where pneumatics are undesirable or unavailable. One such environment is a controlled clean room.
Electric grippers exist in the field. However, these electric grippers are expensive and difficult to operate when compared with their pneumatic counterparts. These add to the cost and complexity of the grippers. Most electric grippers require feedback devices and complicated control systems.
Solenoid driven grippers have been utilized in the past. However, these grippers are problematic in that they create a large heat build up. This is due to the fact that power is continuously on in these solenoid grippers. That is, the solenoid magnetic coil always requires power to maintain its state of full open or full close. Thus, these solenoid grippers generate a tremendous amount of heat. Thus, it is desirable to provide an electric gripper that is as simple to control as a pneumatic gripper and also has a comparable cost to the pneumatic gripper.
The present disclosure provides the art with an electric gripper that overcomes the deficiencies of prior art electric grippers. The present gripper provides the field with an electric gripper that is locked in a first, full open, and second, full close, position. The present disclosure provides an electric gripper that is activated for a very short duration in both a latching and unlatching direction. The present electric gripper is of a simple construction and utilizes simple control logic. The present disclosure provides an electric gripper that is held in both its full open and full close positions when power is terminated to the solenoid. Thus, no energy is required to hold the gripper in both a first, full open, and second, full close, position.