JPS6165796A - Multi-joint arm - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a bendable multi-joint arm used in various robots and automatic machines.

(Prior art) A robot that can be used for painting work, welding work, or maintenance inspection work in an atomic coupler, for example, when transporting a painting gun, welding torch, and inspection monitoring equipment R8 into a narrow space. Arms that are controlled and unloaded via links and chains are used in industrial machines and automatic machines, and conventional practical examples of the above-mentioned arms are
However, depending on the purpose of use, an arm that can be freely changed like an elephant's trunk can be used for peace of mind. arm is being developed.

(Problems with the prior art) The elephant trunk-shaped arm has a multi-joint gear system, wire system, link system, etc., but the small movement source is a $-saving motor, hydraulic cylinder, and pneumatic 7-ring system. Since the device is used as a vehicle, the entire device becomes extremely heavy, which poses problems in terms of maneuverability, cost, etc.

(Objective of the Invention, Means for Solving Problems) The present invention was developed in order to deal with problems such as ``(11) in conventional multi-jointed arms.
A plurality of joint members arranged at the same axial interval in a flexible cylindrical member and forming an articulated VC are connected by a universal joint between the centers of each adjacent face member in each 1) joint. A plurality of elastic bags connected between a central axis and the periphery of each of the adjacent surface materials and arranged symmetrically around the central axis, and a pressure supply/discharge hose individually connected to each of the elastic bags. It is characterized by a configuration with a flexible cylindrical material that is divided into multiple joints, and between each adjacent panel, a central axis and a number of elastic bags that are expanded and contracted are connected in symmetrical positions. The purpose of this invention is to provide a multi-joint arm which eliminates the above-mentioned conventional problems by significantly reducing weight and cost and improving maneuverability such as degree of freedom of bending.

(Embodiment of the invention) An embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1 to 5,
In Figures 1 (A) and (B) and Figure 2, (1) in 1 is a flexible cylindrical material formed of bellows, etc. that covers the arm cup; As shown in the figure, the diameter of the t1) is gradually reduced toward the tip end as necessary, and a plurality of knots (2) are arranged at appropriate intervals in the axial direction. , each of the above-mentioned knotwood (2) is
As shown, it can be formed into a plate-like or frame-like shape, or it can be fixed or connected to the inner surface (!1. It has a structure in which a flexible cylindrical shape (1) is formed into a multi-jointed structure.

Each adjacent section in each of the above joints 4 憫' (2)
There is a universal join between the centers of 121)! 31
t3), both ends of the central shaft (4) are connected and interposed, and each central shaft (4) maintains the distance between the adjacent face members 12) (2) at each joint and is configured to be freely tiltable. At the same time, each adjacent surface material (2) (2
Between the periphery of + is a long stretchable stretchable bag (5
) (rubber bags, etc.) with both ends connected and interposed, nl
[The expandable bag (5) is connected to the adjacent surface material (21t21 with an interval in the crocodile direction) and the central axis (l).
A plurality of them (four in the figure) are arranged in a symmetrical arrangement around the . Roughly 1, each of the elastic bags (51K) has at least a plurality of air hoses, that is, pressure supply and discharge hoses (6) connected individually, and the pressure supply and discharge hoses (6) are connected to each other from a pressure supply source (not shown). The pressure inside each elastic bag (5) is supplied individually through the
It is configured to be operated by ejecting and expanding/retracting. In addition, the appearance of the elephant trunk multi-jointed arm, which is similar to the configuration described above, is similar to that of the third
As shown in the figure, a monitoring device (1G), for example, is attached to the outer surface of the knotted material (2) disposed on the most extreme side of the flexible cylindrical material (1).

The flexible cylindrical member (1) may be a bellows with the inside of the arm completely rounded as shown in Fig. 3, or may be made of various lightweight materials with various structures. It can be formed in a flexible configuration, and can also be of an internally open type with an opening if desired. Further, since the pressure control mechanism in each of the elastic bags (5) can be implemented in the design of various structures using conventional techniques, a description of specific examples thereof will be omitted.

(Function) Since the embodiment of the present invention has the above-mentioned configuration, in each elastic bag (5) connected and interposed between the periphery of the adjacent face material 12) i2) of each joint, , when the inside of one stretchable bag (5), which has a symmetrical distribution with respect to the central axis (4), is depressurized and shortened, and the inside of the other stretchable bag (5) is pressurized and expanded δ (pressure supply). (via drainage hose (6)), adjacent wall material (2) (2)
has universal joints (3) at both ends of the central shaft (4).
1 (31 through 4th
As shown in the figure, the bending operation can be performed only by increasing or decreasing the pressure of one elastic bag (5), that is, by expanding or contracting it, or by changing the degree of expansion or contraction of a plurality of elastic bags (5). As shown in Figure 5, it has the freedom to bend some joints (a) in one direction and other joints (b) in the other direction, like an elephant's trunk. sex is obtained, and
Is the cylindrical material (1) worth 1? , serves to prevent dust from entering into the interior of the entire one-joint arm.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, in the present invention, a plurality of knots are arranged at axial intervals in a service-oriented member and formed into multi-yd joints, and each adjacent face member at each joint is The central axis connected to the center 1f by a universal joint and the periphery of each adjacent surface material are connected, and the bait is arranged symmetrically around the central axis, with one bag of bait for each. It consists of a pressure supply and discharge hose connected individually to the elastic bag, and each of the above four
The ``i'& hX members are made of small, lightweight parts, and the entire arm is relatively simple and light weight. It has a flexible degree of freedom of bending, and various degrees of freedom of bending can be arbitrarily selected in various directions by controlling the pressure in each elastic bag installed in each joint, providing flexible flexibility and improving operational performance. It has been significantly improved.

Although the non-invention has been explained above in terms of implementation side pressure, it goes without saying that the invention r
The present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various design modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figures 1 (A) and (B) are a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the entire multi-jointed arm and a cross-sectional view of the I-1 portion showing one embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 2 is an enlarged longitudinal cross-section of the main part of Figure 1 (A). Top view, Figure 3 is Figure 1 fA)
Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the bent state of Fig. 2;
FIG. 5 is a bending diagram showing one embodiment of the bending operation according to the second invention. 1: Flexible cylindrical material (bellows) 2: Face material 3: Univertel joint 4: Central shaft 5: Shinji; bag
6: Pressure supply hose sub-agent Patent attorney Oka
Honju 3 people outside the text Figure 1 Figure 2

Claims (1)

[Claims] A plurality of joints arranged at axial intervals in a flexible cylindrical member and formed into multi-joints, and a central axis connected by a universal joint between the centers of each adjacent joints at each joint. , a plurality of elastic bags connected between the peripheries of each of the adjacent knots and arranged symmetrically around the central axis, and a pressure supply/discharge hose individually connected to each of the elastic bags. A multi-jointed arm characterized by: