Influence of Inlet Parameters on Power Characteristics of Bernoulli Gripping Devices for Industrial Robots

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There is a wide variety of gripping devices with various parameters at the present stage of development of robotics. However, the existing literature about the power characteristics of pneumatic gripping devices does not provide any analysis of the different types of input parameters other than supply pressure and flow characteristics, whereas the input parameters completely determine the technical characteristics of the gripping devices of industrial robots. In particular, for pneumatic grippers, the input parameters play a crucial role in their productivity and energy efficiency. This paper fills the gap by providing a study of the impact of such parameters on the power and energy characteristics of Bernoulli ejection grippers for industrial robots, including: the parameters of the compressed air inlet design, the parameters of the fitting for compressed air supply, the diameter of the hose for compressed air supply, and the size of the vacuum zone. First, this paper presents the results of theoretical studies and finite element method for determining the distribution of pressure on the surface of an object of manipulation, which allows one to determine the lifting force of the Bernoulli gripping devices of an industrial robot. It is determined that the horizontal air flow to the capture chamber, compared with that of the vertical, should be used to ensure the maximum possible lifting force. Structures and constriction in fittings, which are used to supply compressed air to the chamber of Bernoulli gripping devices, are considered. Then, the dependencies of the influence of narrowing the fittings on the power characteristics of gripping devices are presented.