Patent ID: 8491251
Filing Date: 2013-07-23
Classification: B66C,E02F,E04G

Abstract:
1. A gripping device provided at a displaceable end of a working arm of a working machine and configured to grip a processing object, the gripping device comprising: a gripping-device body mounted to the end of the working arm; a first gripping member and a second gripping member that are pivotably supported by the gripping-device body about respective central pivot shafts parallel to each other and are configured to open and close with respect to each other by pivoting so as to grip and release the processing object; and a driver that causes the first gripping member and the second gripping member to pivot so as to perform opening and closing operations, wherein at least one of the first gripping member and the second gripping member includes: one of various kinds of detachable sections each including a gripping segment that comes into contact with the processing object so as to grip the processing object; a holding section pivotably connected to the gripping-device body and selectively holding the detachable section in a detachable manner; and a coupling member for detachably coupling the detachable section to the holding section, wherein an end of the detachable section opposite the gripping segment is provided with a restrained segment, the restrained segment being provided with a detachable-section through-hole extending therethrough in a direction parallel to the central pivot shafts and through which the coupling member is insertable, wherein the holding section has an opening-closing-direction restraining segment that restrains the restrained segment from at least an outer side in an opening-closing direction and a holding wall capable of overlying the restrained segment, located at a position restrained by the opening-closing-direction restraining segment, from a direction parallel to the detachable-section through-hole, wherein the holding wall is provided with a holding-section through-hole aligned with the detachable-section through-hole and through which the coupling member is insertable, and wherein the coupling member couples the restrained segment to the holding wall in a state where the coupling member is inserted through both the detachable-section through-hole and the holding-section through-hole, wherein said at least one of the first gripping member and the second gripping member comprises both of the first gripping member and the second gripping member, wherein the driver includes a grip driving cylinder that is connected to the holding section of the first gripping member and the holding section of the second gripping member and that is configured to expand and contract so as to open and close the gripping members, and wherein said at least one of the first gripping member and the second gripping member further includes an engagement member that is connected to the grip driving cylinder so as to operate in conjunction with expansion and contraction of the grip driving cylinder and that is engaged with a slot formed in the corresponding holding section so as to be relatively displaceable only within a predetermined range of the slot with respect to the holding section, and a spring member provided between the holding section and the engagement member, wherein when the grip driving cylinder performs driving operation, the spring member transmits a driving force of the grip driving cylinder to the gripping-device body while maintaining a predetermined positional relationship between the engagement member and the holding section, elastically deforms due to a reaction force received from the processing object by the corresponding detachable section and the holding section holding the detachable section so as to permit displacement of the holding section relative to the engagement member, and transmits an elastic force to the corresponding gripping segment as a gripping force.