Stiffness improvement of swirl gripper based on gap height and force estimation

The swirl gripper is an electrically activated noncontact handling device that uses swirling airflow to generate a lifting force. This force can be used to pick up a workpiece placed underneath the swirl gripper without any contact. It is applicable, for example, on a semiconductor wafer production line, where contact must be avoided during the handling and moving of a workpiece to minimize damage. When a workpiece levitates underneath a swirl gripper, the gap height between them is critical for safe handling. Therefore, in this study, we develop a theoretical model of the swirl gripper, based on which a method to estimate the levitation gap height by detecting pressure at two points is proposed. Experiments indicate that the estimated gap height can track changes in actual gap height accurately in real time, when the gap height is relatively small and the inertia of airflow in the gap is negligible. In addition, the force between the gripper and workpiece can also be estimated using the detected pressure. As a result, a desired relationship between the force and gap height can be achieved by adjusting the rotating speed of the fan according to the real-time estimated force and gap height using a microcontroller. The control system was experimentally verified using a desired linear relationship. Because the stiffness of the force decreases with increasing gap height for a constant gripper fan rotating speed, the linear relationship between the force and gap height, which means a constant stiffness, is expected to enhance handling stability of workpieces.