JPH01109092A - Robot hand - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To miniaturize and lighten a hand by constituting an air tight bag by a non-ductile soft film molded integrally with plural longitudinal non-ductile reinfircement wire rods bridged to both poles and connecting one pole of a pressurized fluid introduction side with the control valve on a bone member by a non-ductile pipe shape flexible tendon and connecting the other pole with the other bone member by the non-ductile flexible tendon. CONSTITUTION: The pressurized fluid in a bone member 3 is introduded from one pole C of an air tight bag (consisting of a non-ductile soft film 2 molded integrally with plural non-ductile reinforcement wire rods 1 in a longitudinal shape) through a non-ductile pipe shape flexible tendon 5 via a control valve 4 and a tensile force is added to plural non-ductile flexible tendons 6A, 6B connecting the other bone member 3 with the other one pole D of the air bag and the direction of the non-ductile flexible tendons 6A, 6B slanted in the mutually opposite direction for the bone member 3 is converted in a proper direction and the positive twist as well as bending are given to the joint part 7 of the bone member 3.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] (Industrial application field) The present invention relates to a robot hand.

In particular, it relates to the bone members of robots and the actuator assembly as muscles that bend and twist them.

(Prior art) The skeleton of conventional robots was made of steel and assembled into a rigid structure, making them heavy, inflexible, and expensive.

The actuators that served as the muscles were also large and heavy steel hydraulic cylinders, pneumatic cylinders, and electric motors. The uses of such robot halves are naturally limited, and in particular, as hands and fingers, they can only perform simple and clumsy movements.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) A first object of the present invention is to provide a flexible robot hand. A second objective is to provide a simple, small and lightweight robot hand. A third object of the present invention is to provide a robot hand that can perform complex movements by simultaneously applying bending and twisting to bone members.

(Operation of Means 2 for Solving Problems) To explain the present invention in detail, FIGS. 1 to 7 are explanatory diagrams of the robot hand of the present invention.

The present invention includes an airtight bag consisting of a plurality of meridional non-ductile reinforcing wires 1 extending across both poles C and D and a non-ductile flexible membrane 2 integrally molded, and a pressure fluid introduced from one pole C of the bag, It is characterized by comprising a non-ductile flexible tube 115 that connects this pole C and the control valve 4 on the bone member 3, and a non-ductile flexible member 116 that connects the other pole and the other bone member 3. It is a robot hand.

As shown in FIG. 1, the cross section of the airtight bag of the present invention has an airtight structure in which the non-ductile reinforcing wire l connects the two poles in a meridian shape at the position closest to the center and swells outward between them and connects to the non-ductile flexible membrane 2. When the internal pressure increases, the diameter of the airtight bag expands as shown in FIG. 1B, and the non-ductile reinforcing wire 1 moves away from the center, reducing the distance between the two poles.

If the airtight bag is made of a ductile material, extra energy is required to cause the airtight bag to elongate, which is undesirable because the ratio of the two poles approaching each other to the expansion of the airtight bag becomes smaller. Connecting non-ductile tubular flexible 11
5 and non-ductile flexible lB16 are also ductile materials,
Extra energy is required to cause these to stretch, and if the key itself stretches, the amount of operation of the bone members will become smaller, which is not preferable.

In this way, by using flexible materials for the airtight bag and the tumor as actuator members, the airtight bag and key can be allowed to flex, or by actively utilizing this, the strength of the actuator can be reduced to the minimum necessary to make it more compact. It is possible to reduce the weight and to integrate a large number of actuators in high density around the bone member, thereby enabling complex and flexible hand movements.

In order to make the diameter of this industrial material small, a polymer material such as Kevlar, and a metal material such as a titanium alloy wire or a high tensile strength steel wire are most suitable.

Also, the non-ductile flexible part of the part extending outward from the airtight bag
15 can be a lead wire for transmitting the signal of the sensory sensor, and if it is necessary to increase the strength of this lead wire, the lead wire is reinforced with a reinforcing material as described above.

The materials for the airtight bag include the above-mentioned non-ductile material that has been airtightly treated with rubber or polymeric material, polymeric materials such as vinyl or nylon, rubber with almost no elongation, or thin metal that is easily deformed. Fiber cloth is best.

The pressure piping that operates the actuator, the electrical wiring for operation, bone members, etc. can be made of rigid materials such as metals and ceramics, but these can be made of flexible materials such as polymeric materials and thin metals. It is desirable to design the rotation angle of the joint part 7 to be small in consideration of deflection, and to make the entire device smaller and lighter.If the bone members are made of an elastic material with almost no change in length, the initial position When returning to normal position, the operation becomes faster, and in some cases, the actuator for restoring can be omitted or downsized, making it possible to further reduce the size and weight of the entire a position. - ``A mechanism combining a punch and a white that can freely bend and rotate the bone members, a mechanism with a ball sandwiched between two whites, and a spherical bearing can be connected by a joint 7 using a mechanism, a bellows, a coil spring, etc. Tilting of the bone member in any direction becomes easier and freer. In joints other than the bellows, it is preferable to provide a known O-ring seal 9, a sealing membrane, or a bellows to prevent leakage of pressure fluid such as hydraulic pressure, water pressure, or pneumatic pressure.

In the example of FIGS. 2 to 4, the actuator is a bone member a
The pressure fluid inside is led into the airtight bag via the control valve 4, and this pressure applies a tensile force to the non-ductile flexible members 6A and 6B. Since m is a flexible material, the direction can be easily changed to an appropriate direction.

In the robot hand of the present invention, 2 is used, for example, in the example shown in FIG.
The airtight bags of books are arranged around the bone member in the same length direction, and a pair of non-ductile flexible tendons 6A and 8B that are inclined in opposite directions with respect to the bone member 3 are installed, thereby making the bone member 30 joint. It is possible to actively twist the portion 7 at the same time as bending it. Furthermore, even when the bone member is an elastic body, it is possible to actively apply twisting to the bone member at the same time as bending it. In these cases, if the intervals between bends and twists are brought closer together, or if bone members with low torsional rigidity are used, the material can freely transform into a spiral shape, like an elephant's trunk or a snake, and can be wrapped around an object and handled. become.

If the non-ductile flexible A6 is connected to several bone members apart from each other by straddling the joint as shown in Figures 5 to 7, it can be used in narrow spaces or thin bone members where the actuator cannot be attached. Various operations can be performed.

It is desirable that the rows of airtight bags are bundled with their directions aligned by a lock 11 so that they can be stored compactly, and the rows of airtight bags can be stacked in multiple layers.

By preparing a large number of actuators like this, it becomes easy to intersect the non-ductile flexible members 116 to give twist to the bone member 3, and it is also possible to change the actuation force by changing the number of actuations of the actuators. It also becomes possible to do so.

Figures 5 to 7 show conceptual diagrams when the present invention is applied to the hands and fingers of a robot. In each of these figures, the tips of the fingers are non-ductile and flexible! II! 6 extends, and the airtight bag has sufficient installation space in front of it. For example, in FIG. Extending.

The keys extending forward are positioned by a key guide 11 at the joint to keep them compact. A sensory sensor 12 is installed at the tip of the finger, and the non-ductile flexible key 6 also serves as a lead wire for transmitting signals from this sensory sensor. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the actuator is integrated in a tubular bone member 3 as shown in FIG. 4, and the portion beyond the joint 7 is constructed of an elastic bone member. The bone member flexes with the flexible actuator as shown to move the tip to the target point. In this case as well, the non-ductile flexible [1B is the sensory sensor 1
It also serves as the lead wire for 2. In FIG. 6, a portion of the shoulder guide 11 is placed away from the joint. FIG. 7 shows another completed example of a robot hand. Although not shown in these figures, the hands and fingers of the robot hand of the present invention are preferably covered with an elastic material such as rubber or a polymeric material to form the skin.

In the robot hand of the present invention, a plate-shaped bone member or the like can be rolled into a tube shape to make the robot hand compact and strong. In this case, the actuator, pressure piping, electrical wiring, switching valve, etc. may be concentrated on the inner or outer surface of the pipe, and the airtight bag and tiles may be located inside the joint 7 in Figures 2 to 4. good.

In the example shown in FIG. 5 in which airtight bags are arranged on both sides of a plate-shaped bone member, the airtight bags are inflated by fluid pressure introduced into the airtight bags from the pressure pipe 8 via the control valve 4. In this example, the pressure piping 8 and the control wiring lO are provided at both ends of the bone member plate 3. Since the pressure piping can be designed as a strength member, it is best to choose the optimal location for each case.

Even if the above-mentioned actuators are bundled or integrated, conventional actuators do not operate due to deformation or interference of cylinder tubes, etc. In the present invention, the actuators can be easily operated by being made of a flexible material. .

In the present invention, multiple actuators can be integrated on the bone component with their directions crossed. That is, even if the airtight bag is dented by an external force, since it is made of a flexible material, its operation will not be affected, and the airtight bag can be stacked in various ways.

(Effects of the Invention) By using the robot hand of the present invention, a flexible robot hand member can be provided. Furthermore, it is clear that this device is simple, small and lightweight, as it can use flexible materials such as polymer materials, metal cloth, and thin metal materials instead of heavy metal materials. Furthermore, by integrating a large number of actuators, complex and subtle movements of the hands and fingers become possible.

The robot hand of the present invention can also be used as a leg member or body member of a walking robot.

The robot hand of the present invention can be put to practical use by using a visual sensor, a tactile sensor, or a proximity sensor intermediate between visual and tactile senses, and rapid development can be expected in the future.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 7 are explanatory diagrams of the present invention. 1st [3! IA is shown in Figure 1B when the pressure inside the airtight bag is low.
is a cross-sectional view of the airtight bag when the pressure increases. Figure 2 is a diagram of a tubular bone member and a spherical joint; Figure 3 is a diagram of a tubular bone member and a coil spring joint; Figure 4 is a diagram of a tubular bone member and a bellows joint; Figures 5 to 7. is an example of an assembly diagram for a robot hand. 1: Non-ductile reinforcing wire material, 2: Non-ductile flexible membrane, 3: Bone member,
4: Control valve, 5: Non-ductile flexible membrane key. 6: Non-ductile flexible, 7: Joint, 8: Pressure piping.

Claims (5)

[Claims] (1) An airtight bag consisting of a plurality of meridional non-ductile reinforcing wires extending across both poles and a non-ductile flexible membrane integrally molded, and a pressure fluid introduced from one pole of the bag, A robot hand comprising: a non-ductile flexible tendon that connects a control valve; and a non-ductile flexible tendon that connects another pole and another bone member. (2) The robot hand according to claim 1, wherein the pressure piping, the electrical wiring for operation, and the bone member are made of flexible materials. (3) The robot hand according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the bone members are connected by a pair of intersecting non-ductile flexible tendons and a joint. (4) Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the non-ductile flexible tendon is positioned and guided at the joint by a non-ductile flexible tendon guide and extended to the joint beyond this.
Robot hand described in section. (5) The robot hand according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a part of the non-ductile flexible tendon is a lead wire that transmits a signal from a sensory sensor.