JPH0422945Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] A. Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a manipulator, and particularly to a master-slave type manipulator.

B. Summary of the invention This invention is a master-slave type manipulator in which the opening and closing movements of the slave's fingers are operated by the master's grip. ON
-By opening with OFF control, it is small and lightweight, has a slow speed function, and can be operated safely and reliably.

C. Prior Art Conventionally, methods using ON-OFF control or bilateral control have been known to control the opening and closing operations of the fingers of a slave. The ON-OFF control method is
A push button switch provided on the master grip switches commands for opening and closing the slave fingers, and controls the energization time of the motor that drives the slave fingers. On the other hand, in the bilateral control method, both the master and slave are equipped with motors, position sensors, torque sensors, etc., and the master and slave control each other's positions and torques, and the torque on the master side is controlled by the operator. It becomes a power feedback to the

D. Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, although the above ON-OFF control method has the advantage of simple master and slave structures, it has the disadvantage of poor position command accuracy. Since the master and slave are generally used at a distance, it is quite difficult to accurately control the degree of opening and closing of the fingers, especially when the operating speed is high. Also,
When grasping the workpiece with the fingers, there was a risk that the workpiece would be damaged by issuing too many commands.

On the other hand, although the bilateral control method has the advantage of being able to precisely control position and torque, it has the disadvantage that the structure of both the master and slave becomes complex, making them large and heavy. Ta. In particular, since the master is operated by human power, it is desirable that it be as small and lightweight as possible. In addition, the master grip has a disadvantage in that a large number of operation switches are arranged, which means that it must be operated with both hands, resulting in poor workability.

E. Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve these conventional problems, the present invention provides a displacement sensor, such as a potentiometer, which is provided on the master grip to detect the amount of change in the grip of the trigger, and a displacement sensor for detecting the amount of change in the grip of the trigger. The manipulator is equipped with a control circuit that controls the closing operation of the slave finger at an operation speed corresponding to the detection signal, and a return switch on the master side that gives a command to the control circuit to open the slave finger. be.

F Effect In the manipulator having the above configuration, when the operator squeezes the trigger provided on the grip, the displacement sensor detects the amount of change in the grip. Then, a voltage corresponding to the amount of change in grip is applied to a drive source that drives the finger of the slave, and the closing operation of the fingers is performed at an operation speed corresponding to the amount of change in grip. On the other hand, to open the finger, a command is given to the control circuit by turning on a return switch provided on the master side, and the drive source is operated to open the finger.

G. Example Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on an example shown in the drawings.

In the manipulator of the present invention, for example, as shown in the figure, a trigger 2 is provided on a master grip 1. One end of a link 4 is rotatably attached to the trigger 2 by a pin 3. The other end of the link 4 is rotatably attached to the grip frame 1a by a pin 5. moreover,
A tension spring 6 is provided between the link 4 and the grip frame 1a, and the trigger 2 is constantly pulled in the return direction (to the left in the figure).

On the other hand, a pawl gear 7, which is constantly biased clockwise by a return spring (not shown), is fixed to the pin 5. Also, the pin 3 of the trigger 2 has a pawl 8.
One end of the pawl 8 is fixed, and the other end of the pawl 8 is urged toward the pawl gear 7 by a spring (not shown).
It meshes with pawl gear 7. pawl gear 7 and pawl 8
This is a ratchet mechanism.

Furthermore, a potentiometer 9 that meshes with the pawl gear 7 is attached to the grip frame 1a. The potentiometer 9 is a displacement sensor that picks up a voltage corresponding to the amount of rotation of the pawl gear 7, that is, the amount of change in grip of the trigger 2, and provides a command to a control circuit body 10 provided on the master side, for example. The control circuit main body 10 controls the closing operation speed of the motor 13, which is a drive source for opening and closing the finger 12 of the slave 11 and constitutes the control circuit with the control circuit main body 10, based on the command from the potentiometer 9. It is something.

Further, a push button switch 14 is attached to the grip 1 as a return switch for giving an opening operation command to the finger 12 of the slave 11 to the control circuit main body 10. The control circuit main body 10 is connected to this push button switch 14.
The motor 13 is driven and controlled in the direction in which the fingers 12 are opened based on the ON-OFF command. Here, an electrical interlock is provided between commands from the potentiometer 9 and the push button switch 14, and commands from the potentiometer 9 are given priority. This is for safety reasons to prevent the fingers 12 of the slave 11 from opening due to malfunction.

Furthermore, a lock pawl 16 that can be engaged with the pawl gear 7 by a spring-loaded lock lever 15 is attached to the grip frame 1a. When the lock pawl 16 meshes with the pawl gear 7, the clockwise rotation of the pawl gear 7 is locked and only counterclockwise rotation is possible.

In the manipulator having such a configuration, the closing operation of the finger 12 of the slave 11 is controlled in a slow speed range in the unlocked state in which the locking lever 15 is operated to release the engagement between the locking pawl 16 and the pawl gear 7. That is, when the operator squeezes the trigger 2 with, for example, his index finger (in the direction of arrow A), the pawl 8 rotates the pawl gear 7 counterclockwise (in the direction of arrow B). Then, the potentiometer 9 rotates clockwise (in the direction of arrow C), detects a voltage corresponding to the rotation angle, and controls the control circuit main body 10 to close the finger 12 at an operating speed corresponding to the detection signal. The motor 13 is driven to control the operation.

When the operator stops gripping the trigger 2, the trigger 2 returns to its original position due to the action of the tension spring 6 (in the opposite direction to arrow A), and the pawl gear 7 rotates clockwise due to the action of the return spring. Potentiometer 9 rotates counterclockwise and trigger 2
A signal indicating that the grip change amount is zero is input to the control circuit main body 10. Based on this signal, the control circuit main body 10 stops driving the motor 13, and the closing operation of the finger 12 is stopped.

Further, in the locked state in which the locking lever 15 is operated to engage the locking pawl 16 and the pawl gear 7, the closing operation of the finger 12 can be performed at high speed. That is, when the operator squeezes trigger 2,
Pawl gear 7 rotates counterclockwise and potentiometer 9 rotates clockwise. When the operator stops squeezing the trigger 2, the trigger returns to its original position, but the pawl gear 7 is locked by the locking pawl 16.
Since the grip is locked, unlike the unlocked state described above, it is not rotated clockwise but remains at the rotational position corresponding to the amount of grip change. Next, when the operator squeezes the trigger 2 again, the pawl gear 7 further rotates counterclockwise.
Potentiometer 9 also rotates further clockwise. By repeating this operation several times and feeding the pawl gear 7, the potentiometer 9 can be operated over its entire range, and the closing operation of the finger 12 can be performed at high speed. The closing operation of the finger 12 can be stopped by operating the lock lever 15 and the pawl 8 to disengage the pawl gear 7 and release the lock, and then the pawl gear 7 is immediately moved clockwise by the action of the return spring. , the potentiometer 9 also rotates counterclockwise, and a signal indicating that the amount of change in grip of the trigger 2 is zero is input to the control circuit main body 10.

On the other hand, to open the finger 12 of the slave 11, the operator stops squeezing the trigger 2 and presses the push button switch 14 (ON) with, for example, his index finger. Then, the control circuit main body 10 receives the command for the opening operation and drives the motor 13 so that the finger 12 opens.
The motor 13 is driven only while the push button switch 14 is kept pressed, and when the operator stops pushing the push button switch 14 (OFF), the motor 13 is driven.
The drive of the finger 12 is stopped, and the opening motion of the finger 12 is stopped.

As described above, in this embodiment, the push button switch (return switch) 14 is disposed near the trigger 2, so that all operations can be performed with one hand. In addition, the reaction force of the tension spring 6 is transmitted to the operator, providing a sense of realism.

H. Effect of the invention As described above, according to the manipulator of the invention, the closing action of the slave's finger is performed at a speed corresponding to the amount of grip change of the trigger provided on the master's grip, and the opening action of the finger is Since the configuration is such that the operation is performed by a command from a return switch, the structure of the slave is simple, small and lightweight, and the slave can be easily operated in a narrow space. The master also has a simpler structure than the conventional bilatel control system, making it easier to handle. Furthermore, the closing motion of the fingers can be performed at a very slow speed, and the operation can be performed safely and reliably.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The figure is a schematic configuration diagram showing an embodiment of the manipulator of the present invention. 1... Grip, 2... Trigger, 9... Potentiometer, 10... Control circuit body, 11... Slave, 12... Finger, 13... Motor, 14...
Push button switch.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] A displacement sensor provided on the master's grip to detect the amount of change in the grip of the trigger, and a device that controls the closing operation of the slave's finger at an operating speed corresponding to the detection signal of this displacement sensor, and A control circuit that stops the closing operation of the finger when a signal indicating a grip change amount is zero, and a return switch provided on the grip and giving a command to the control circuit to open the slave finger, the grip being operated a trigger that is displaced in accordance with the amount of change in the user's grip; one end of the trigger is rotatably supported, the other end is supported by a pin on the frame of the grip, and the trigger is always oriented in the direction of pulling back. The loaded link, a pawl gear with a return spring rotatably provided on the pin of the frame body, one end engages with the pawl gear to form a ratchet mechanism, and the other end is attached to the trigger. a pawl that rotates the pawl gear in a fixed direction when the trigger is pulled; a potentiometer that meshes with the pawl gear and applies a displacement to the displacement sensor corresponding to the amount of change in grip of the trigger; and a potentiometer that engages and disengages the pawl gear. A manipulator comprising a locking pawl that is freely movable and locks the return rotation of a pawl gear when engaged.