QB Robotics SoftClaw User manual
PLEASE READ CAREFULLY THESE INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE USE. DO NOT DISCARD: KEEP FOR FUTURE REFERENCE.
Universal Robots Manual
RELEASE —V1.0.3
Dear customer,
Thank you for purchasing our product.
The present document provides information at best of our knowledge at the time of
publication. This document could present differences from the product and it is
subject to changes without notice: the latest version is available on our webpage
www.qbrobotics.com.
qbroboticss.r.l. does not assume any responsibility for errors or omissions.
In nocaseqbroboticss.r.l. will be responsible for any loss, problems or damages to
persons or property arising from the use of this document.
The qb® logo and qbrobotics® are registered trademarks of qbrobotics s.r.l. In the
following, the indications of (R) are omitted.
Table of Contents
1 Preface .......................................................................................................................... 1
1.1 Using this document 1
1.2 Symbols and conventions 1
1.3 Kit content 2
2 Safety............................................................................................................................. 3
2.1 Intended use 3
2.2 Safety instructions 3
2.3 EC Directives on product safety 3
2.4 Environmental conditions 4
2.5 Environmental safety 4
3 Technical data .............................................................................................................. 5
3.1 Mechanical dimensions 5
3.2 Center of Mass 5
3.3 Mechanical characteristics 6
3.4 Electrical characteristics 7
3.5 Tool connector pinout 8
3.6 Fingers exchange system 9
4 Description ..................................................................................................................10
4.1 General 10
4.2 Characteristics and key features 11
4.3 Standard customization 11
5 Mounting and wiring ..................................................................................................12
5.1 Tool mounting 12
5.2 Cable connections for Universal Robots 13
5.3 Cable connections 17
6 Software .......................................................................................................................21
6.1 ROS 21
6.2 Configuration GUI 30
6.3 URCap 32
7 Maintenance and warranty........................................................................................40
7.1 General 40
8 FAQ and troubleshooting ...........................................................................................42
8.1 The device never connects to the robot system 42
8.2 The device often disconnects while the robot is moving 43
8.3 The demo is not as good as expected 44
8.4 The USB flash drive is not working 45
8.5 The device is connected but does not move 45
8.6 URCap installation 46
8.7 URCap uninstallation 46
8.8 Error C740A0 on e-Series robots 47
8.9 Setup button on qb SoftClaw 48
SOFTCLAW —5
1 Preface
1.1 Using this document
Please, check that the document release date is before the product purchase date.
The documentation must always be complete and in a perfectly readable state.
Keep the document accessible to the operating and, if necessary, maintenance personnel at all times.
Pass the document to any subsequent owner or user of the product.
1.2 Symbols and conventions
STYLE DESCRIPTION
Identifies information about practice or circumstances that can
lead to critical damages on the device and to personal injury.
Attentions help you identify a hazard, avoid a hazard and
recognize the consequence.
Identifies information about practice or circumstances that can
lead to damages on the device and to personal injury.
Attentions help you identify a hazard, avoid a hazard and
recognize the consequence.
Identifies remarkable information and additional notes.
CRITICAL:
...
WARNING:
...
NOTE:
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2 —PREFACE
UNIVERSAL ROBOTS MANUAL —MAR 9, 2023 —RELEASE:V1.0.3
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STYLE DESCRIPTION
Identifies tips and highlights.
Identifies the required tool to be used during the described
assembly phase.
Monospaced text Identifies file paths, file names and software functions.
1.3 Kit content
The kit consists of:
N.1 qb SoftClaw;
N.1 ISO 9409-1-50-4-M6 tool flange adapter;
N. 1 0.3m direct wrist connection cable for compatible robots only;
N.1 main cable of 3m;
N.1 USB to RS485 converter with extension cord;
N. 1 set of magnetic pads;
N.1 USB flash drive with user documents and applications;
N.1 cylindrical pin EN ISO 8734 A d6x14 h6;
N.4 metrical screws EN ISO 4762 M6x10;
N.8 metrical screws EN ISO 10642 M3x8;
N.1 2 mm Allen hex key;
N.1 5 mm Allen hex key.
Optionals:
24 VDC power supply unit with cables;
ISO 9409-1-40-4-M6 tool flange adapter;
ISO 9409-1-31.5-4-M5 tool flange adapter;
Kinova Gen3 tool flange adapter.
TIPS:
...
SOFTCLAW —3
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2 Safety
2.1 Intended use
The product design is intended for grasping objects up to 3700 g.
Fragile, sharp or sharp-edged objects shall not be grasped.
Objects having the main dimension greater than 200 mm shall not be grasped.
The product is intended for installation on robotic arms: the safety features are established only for use
as described in this document.
The safety of the product cannot be guaranteed in case of inappropriate use. One, single, inappropriate
use can result in a permanent damage to the safety of the product.
2.2 Safety instructions
2.3 EC Directives on product safety
The following EC directives on product safety must be observed.
If the product is being used outside the UE, international, national and regional directives must be
also observed.
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Check that all the content is intact after removing it from the packaging.
The device can be used only by specially trained staff.
Disconnect the power supply before installation, cleaning or maintenance operations.
Make sure that no residual energy remains in the system.
Always operate the product within the specifications defined.
Keep away from children and pets. Always set off or unplug when not in use.
Never use aerosol products, petroleum based lubricants or other flammable products on
or near the end-effectors.
Do not use any damaged power cable, plug, or loose outlet. It may cause damages to the
product or injury to people.
Do not touch electrical components to avoid damages due to electrostatic charges.
Make sure the end-effector is properly and securely bolted in place and cabled.
Do not use if damaged or defective. Do not disassemble.
Do not insert any objects between moving parts of the fingers.
Keep head and face outside the reach of the end-effector.
Do not wear loose clothing or jewelry when working with the end-effector.
Disrespect of these precautions can affect safety of the device.
4 —SAFETY
UNIVERSAL ROBOTS MANUAL —MAR 9, 2023 —RELEASE:V1.0.3
2.3.1 Machinery Directive (2006/42/EC)
Because of their small size, no serious threats to life or physical condition can normally be expected from
electric miniature drivers. Therefore, the Machinery Directive does not apply to our products. The
products described here are not "incomplete machines", so installation instructions are not normally
issued by qbrobotics.
2.3.2 Low Voltage Directive (2014/35/EU)
The Low Voltage Directive applies for all electrical equipment with a nominal voltage of 75 to 1500 V DC
and 50 to 1000 V AC. The products described in this device manual do not fall within the scope of this
directive, since they are intended for lower voltages.
2.4 Environmental conditions
Wrong environmental and operating conditions can lead to injuries, product damages and/or significant
reduction to the product's life.
2.5 Environmental safety
The qb SoftClaw must be disposed of in accordance with the applicable national laws, regulations and
standards.
All the components of this product have been chosen in accordance with the EU RoHS directive 2011/65/
EU: they are produced with restricted use of hazardous substances to protect the environment.
Observe national registration requirements for importers according to EU WEEE Directive 2012/19/EU.
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Any use or application deviating from intended use is deemed to be impermissible misuse.
This includes, but is not limited to:
Use before performing a risk assessment;
Use outside the permissible operational conditions and specifications;
Use in not low-dust environment;
Use in places with high temperature or humidity;
Use in wet places;
Use in potentially explosive atmospheres;
Use in medical and life critical applications;
Use close to a human's head, face and eye area;
Use as a climbing aid;
Use in outdoor applications.
SOFTCLAW —5
3 Technical data
3.1 Mechanical dimensions
The figurebelow shows the overall dimensions of the qb SoftClaw; distancesand tolerances in the
drawing are noted in millimeters[mm]and degrees[°].
For this SVG the export flag is not set!
3.2 Center of Mass
The following table gives also the position of the Center of Mass of the SoftClaw and defines its Coordinate
System, like depicted in the following schemes.
UNIT LEFT
CoM x coordinate, OTX [mm] - 1
CoM y coordinate, OTY [mm] 1
CoM z coordinate, OTZ [mm] 53
Weight [kg] 0.780
Center of Mass, OT, is evaluated w.r.t. ΣMconsidering the device mounted with its fixed finger facing the
ground, cf. the figures below.
Be aware that the above figure may be out of scale.
All coordinate systems here described follow the orthogonal right-hand rule.
6 —TECHNICAL DATA
UNIVERSAL ROBOTS MANUAL —MAR 9, 2023 —RELEASE:V1.0.3
Figure 1. — Robot Tool Coordinate System
On the left, it is represented the mechanical interface coordinate system ΣM(OM; XM, YM, ZM)of an
articulated robot, as defined by ISO 9787:2013. In particular, the center of the coordinate system, OM, is
on the interface surface of the robot tool flange and the ZMaxis is coincident with the tool flange axis of
symmetry.Riis the i-th revolute joint of the robot and(O1; X1, Y1, Z1)is the base coordinate system of the
robot.
On the right,there is the Tool Coordinate System,ΣT(OT; XT, YT, ZT), of the qbSoftClaw and the center,OT,
coincides with the center of mass of the device and its position is defined by the distance fromOM. TheZT
axis is normal to the palm, outgoing positive, and theYTaxis follows the proximal-distal direction and
orientation.
3.3 Mechanical characteristics
MINIMUM NOMINAL MAXIMUM
Payload [kg] — — 3.70
Grasping force [N] 0.5 —64.0
Grasping time [s] — — 1.0
Releasing time [s] — — 1.0
Look at the graph for details. The grasping force in the graph refers to the component along the line joining
the centers of the two pads, so it depends on the size of the object
SOFTCLAW —7
3.4 Electrical characteristics
MINIMUM NOMINAL MAXIMUM
Power supply
voltage
[VDC] 23.1 24 24.8
Power
consumption
[W] —3 22
Current limit [A] —0.90 *
Operational time [s] — — 300
Duty cycle [%] — — 69
Operating
temperature
[°C] -5 20 50
Relative humidity
**
[%] 5 —80
Typical noise level [dB] —<50 —
* Starting spike current may be greater, but it is instantaneous.
** Only the non-condensing case is to be considered.
8 —TECHNICAL DATA
1 https://www.phoenixcontact.com/online/portal/us?uri=pxc-oc-itemdetail:pid=1424232
2 https://www.phoenixcontact.com/online/portal/us?uri=pxc-oc-itemdetail:pid=1404192
UNIVERSAL ROBOTS MANUAL —MAR 9, 2023 —RELEASE:V1.0.3
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3.5 Tool connector pinout
On the qb SoftClaw flange there is aPhoenix Contact 8-position M8 connector, A-coded, withgold-plated
copper alloy contacts — Part Number: 14242321.
The main cable of the qb SoftClaw is a Phoenix contact 3mfree cable end with angled socket — Part
Number: 14041922
The RS485 protocol characteristics are as follow:
8 bit;
no parity;
1 stop bit;
no flow control;
2M baud rate.
# WIRE COLOR DESCRIPTION
1 White RS485+
2 Brown RS485-
3 Green -
4 Yellow Digital Output
5 Gray 24V ***
6 Pink Digital Input 2
7 Blue Digital Input 1
8 Red GND ***
*** 24VDC and GND must be provided by an isolated Power Supply Unit.
For external power supplies, use only 24VDC with at least 2.5A (60W) and 3.75A overload
current.
Any error in the pins connection may cause irremediable damages to the device.
SOFTCLAW —9
3.6 Fingers exchange system
The fingers are provided of magnetic system to easy setup the gripper with desired kind of soft interface.
You can directly place the pad on its socket and it will be automatically constrained.
Figure 2. — Disassembly of fingers.
The fingers are designed to be easy replaceable to allow customizations for special applications.
The picture shows the standard version of fingers. For different or customized fingers, please ask a
quotation to qbrobotics.
10 —DESCRIPTION
UNIVERSAL ROBOTS MANUAL —MAR 9, 2023 —RELEASE:V1.0.3
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4 Description
4.1 General
The qb SoftClaw is a compact, light and versatile Variable Stiffness Gripper. It's able to grasp objects of the
most disparate nature, exploiting the intrinsicmechanical intelligence of its variable stiffness system,
without the use of any type of sensorson the contact surfaces or specific algorithms on the absorbed
current by the motors.
The custom-made electronic board inside the qb SoftClaw is composed of a logic stage for communication
and low-level computation, and a power stage for motion control. This, together with two DC motor and
its encoders, establishes a simple position and current control feedback regulated by a properly tuned PID
controller.
The qb SoftClaw does not use Common Industrial Protocols (CIP) or other industrial standards for I/O
communication due to historical design and technical reasons.
I/O data basically refers as measurements from the device, commands to the device, and parameters
from/to the device. These are handled in a custom package format as follows
2-byte — common preamble;
1-byte — target slave id;
1-byte — payload length;
n-byte — payload;
1-byte — checksum for communication integrity.
A custom-made single-master-multiple-slave (SMMS) serial communication protocol is implemented to:
send commands to the connected devices;
read measurements from the connected devices (motor position and/or current);
get and set configuration parameters.
4.1.1 Control Modes
The qb SoftClaw can be controlled by two differentmodalities:
Position: itis the control mode that most closely approaches the operation of a classic gripper. In this
modality the user can control bothpositionand stiffness. The first parameter is used to set the
angular position of the qb SoftClaw movable arm, the second oneallows the elasticity of the arm itself
to be adjusted. Higher values of stiffness indicates a greater rigidity of the gripper during the grasp;
on the contrary lower values allows soft grips.
Deflection:it is the control mode that allows the user to regulate the grip force during the grasp. This
modality does not requires anytype of sensorson the contact surfaces or specific algorithms on the
absorbed current by the motors, but exploits themechanical intelligence of the qb SoftClaw. In this
modality the movable arm is controlled to close completely towards the fixed part for each
SOFTCLAW —11
3 mailto:[email protected]
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commanded value. Small values allow to grip fragile and low-weight objects; on the contrary higher
values can be used for heavy and rigid objects.
4.2 Characteristics and key features
Adaptive grasp;
Variable Stiffness grasp;
Interchangeable fingertips;
Up to 64 N grasping force*;
Up to 3.7 kg maximum payload*;
Maximum closure time of 1.0 s;
Total weight of 780 g (including aluminium flange and screws);
Universal Robots + plug-and-play certified;
ROS packages and general C++ API available;
* Grasp forces and payloads highly depend on object dimensions and approaching strategy (cf. Mechanical
Characteristics(see Page 5)).
4.3 Standard customization
Mechanical flange adapters for non-standard robot flanges;
We may evaluate other customization for special partners; for requests, please contact our
sales team3.
12 —MOUNTING AND WIRING
UNIVERSAL ROBOTS MANUAL —MAR 9, 2023 —RELEASE:V1.0.3
5 Mounting and wiring
5.1 Tool mounting
The qb SoftClaw Kit allows you to connect the device to your robot arm.
The device can be mounted on any robot equipped with a mounting interfaceISO 9409-1-50-4-M6.
It is possible to control it directly from within the UR user interface — e.g. from the UR Teach Pendant
To assemble the device on the robot arm, please follow thefollowing instructions:
# INSTRUCTIONS
1 Insert (1) into the 6 mm hole on the robot wrist,
centering (2) on the wrist diameter 63 mm, taking
care that the cylindrical pin (1) fits into one of the
four d6 reamed through holes.
Fasten (2) to the robot wrist by tightening the four
screws (3).
Max Tightening Torque, TTmax=11.1 Nm.
You need the 5 mm Allen wrench.
Use only the screws provided within the package. Longer screws could damage the robot or
the end-effector.
SOFTCLAW —13
# INSTRUCTIONS
2 Center (4) on the diameter 63 mm of (2), taking
care that the plug fits into one of the four d6 mm
through holes.
3 Fix axially the device by tightening the 8 screws
(5).
Max Tightening Torque, TTmax=2.1 Nm.
You need the 2 mm Allen wrench.
Table 1. — Installation guidelines of the qb SoftClaw on robot arm.
5.2 Cable connections for Universal Robots
This section illustrates how to wire the qb SoftClaw in order to exploit the button on the wrist
flange as a trigger for a Universal Robots Digital Input. This button allows to customise the
behaviour of the robot, such as enabling freedrive mode when it is pressed.
This is an optional configuration. For general wiring or for old qbSoftClaw releases (without
button) see here(see Page 17).
To correctly connect the external power supply, follow the UR User Guide: Electrical Interface
– Controller I/O.
This wiring procedure must be done while the robot is powered off.
14 —MOUNTING AND WIRING
UNIVERSAL ROBOTS MANUAL —MAR 9, 2023 —RELEASE:V1.0.3
To correctly wire the SoftClaw please follow the instructions in the table, using the provided kit:
Figure 3. — Connection kit for qb SoftClaw: optional power supply unit kit (A)+(C3)+(C4), RS485-USB
converter (B), main cable (C1), USB-A extention cable (C2).
# INSTRUCTIONS
1
If you have purchased our OPTIONAL external
power supply,connect the power cable (C3) at
the power supply unit(A).
Connect the power cable (C4) to the output DC
port of the power supply unit (A)
Connect the External Power Supply before switch ON the UR robot, to avoid Fault C314A0.
SOFTCLAW —15
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# INSTRUCTIONS
2 This step illustrates how to power the robot
digital I/O with the provided power supply.For
Universal Robots it is possible to power the
digital I/O from an internal 24V power supply or
from an external power source by configuring
the terminal block called Powerin the Universal
Robot Controller I/O. The lower two
terminals(24V and 0V)
in the block are the 24V input to supply the I/O.
The default configuration uses the
internal power supply. Remove the jumpers of
the predefined configuration and connect the 2
pin power cable (C3) to the Power Ports of the
Control Panel, as shown in figure.
3 Connect the three wires of the main cable (C1) to
the Digital IO ports of the Control Panel, as
described below:
GRAY wire → 24V;
RED wire→ 0V;
YELLOW wire→ Digital Input (for
example DI7);
16 —MOUNTING AND WIRING
UNIVERSAL ROBOTS MANUAL —MAR 9, 2023 —RELEASE:V1.0.3
# INSTRUCTIONS
4Connect the main cable (C1) to the RS485-USB
converter (B).
Then connectthe RS485-USB converter (B) (or the
USB extension cord (C2)) to an USB type-A
available in the UR Control Box.
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Pay attention to connect wires as
follows:
WHITE wire → A-port;
BROWN wire→ B-port.
If the qb SoftClaw has to be used
through C++ APIs or ROS packages,
then the USB communication cable
has to be connected to the workstation
PC.
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