Importance

Loading Importance Indicators...

Abstract

A gripper with leaf springs having fingers near their ends to engage and disengage work. The springs are respectively connected in an annular array to the end of a cylindrical support. The springs are diverged or expanded to cause the fingers to engage the work and are converged or collapsed to cause the fingers to disengage the work. During the diverging and the converging each spring is pivoted about its junction with the support. The diverging and the converging of the springs is effected by an actuator or mandrel including a rod having a nose at its outer end. The actuator is reciprocable within the springs between advanced and retracted positions. Near its outer end the rod has a conical cam surface which engages cooperative internal cam-follower surfaces on the springs to diverge the springs when the actuator is in advanced position. The nose has a skirt which engages the outer ends of the springs, i.e. the fingers, to converge the springs near the ends when the actuator is in retracted position. The joint between each spring and the support is flexed radially outwardly from an unstressed neutral position to diverge the springs and radially inwardly from the neutral position to converge the springs. The range of the flexing in each direction is within the elastic limit of the material of the joint. Thus the leaf springs remain resilient and fatigue as a result of repeated flexing of the joints is precluded.

Loading the Abstract Image...

First Claim