Kinematic Analysis and Dimensional Synthesis of a Meso-Gripper

In recent years, applications in industrial assemblies within a size range from 0.5 mm to 100 mm are increasing due to the large demands for new products, especially those associated with digital multimedia. Research on grippers or robotic hands within the mesoscopic scale of this range has not been explored in any great detail. This paper outlines the development of a gripper to bridge the gap between microgrippers and macrogrippers by extending the gripping range to the mesoscopic scale, particularly without the need to switch grippers during industrial assembly. The mesoscopic scale gripper (meso-gripper) researched in this work has two modes of operation: passive adjusting mode and angled gripping mode, adapting its configuration to the shape of object automatically. This form of gripping and the associated mechanism are both novel in their implementation and operation. First, the concept of mesoscopic scale in robotic gripping is presented and contextualized around the background of inefficient hand switching processes and applications for assembly. The passive adjusting and angled gripping modes are then analyzed and a dual functional mechanism design proposed. A geometric constraint method is then demonstrated which facilitates task-based dimensional synthesis after which the kinematics of synthesized mechanism is investigated. The modified synthesized mechanism gripper is then investigated according to stiffness and layout. Finally, a 3D printed prototype is successfully tested, and the two integrated gripping modes for universal gripping verified.