Patent ID: 8132835

Claim:
A workpiece gripping device comprising: a catching mechanism having a catching part for holding a workpiece by suction force or magnetic force, and a rod-like part having the catching part mounted at one end thereof; at least two gripping pawls for sandwiching and gripping the workpiece held by the catching part; a drive unit for supplying a drive power; and a transmission mechanism for transmitting the drive power of the drive unit to the gripping pawls, wherein the transmission mechanism moves the gripping pawls along an axis of the rod-like part between a gripping position where the gripping pawls are projected beyond an end of the rod-like part on which the catching part is mounted and a retreated position where the gripping pawls are positioned behind the catching part toward an end of the rod-like part on the side opposite to the catching part, and the gripping pawls are moved to the gripping position along the axis of the rod-like part while shortening the distance between the gripping pawls, whereby no component member of the gripping device exists around the catching part, as viewed from a radial direction of the rod-like part, wherein the rod-like part is configured to be moved by the drive unit along the axis of the rodlike part with respect to a gripping device base, wherein the transmission mechanism comprises: at least two base projection plates coupled to the gripping device base and extending along and beside the rod-like part; first links each having one end rotatably coupled to a corresponding one of the gripping pawls, a central portion rotatably coupled to the corresponding one of the base projection plates, and the other end coupled to the rod-like part so as to be rotatable and slidable in a longitudinal direction of each of the first links; and second links each having one end rotatably coupled to a corresponding one of the gripping pawls and the other end rotatably coupled to the corresponding one of the base projection plates.