JP2552977B2 - Force feedback type multi-axis operating device - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a force feedback type multi-axis operating device, and more particularly to increasing the number of operation converting axes to enable high control operation, and easy control of multi-axis controlled objects such as manipulators. The present invention relates to a force feedback type multi-axis operating device capable of performing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a force feedback type operating device for a conventional joystick or manipulator, there are 1-2
A bilateral master arm for operating an axis-type force feedback joystick or a manipulator is known.

In the case of the former joystick, the degree of freedom is limited, and it is necessary to switch the switch in order to operate a manipulator having many degrees of freedom, and the moving direction of the manipulator and the operating direction of the joystick do not always match. It had a drawback that it was difficult to understand, and it was not suitable for operation with multiple degrees of freedom.

On the other hand, when it comes to a device suitable for multi-degree-of-freedom operation, the latter bilateral master arm for manipulator operation is known, but this is for the operator to operate with the arm raised. However, there was a problem that it was very difficult to operate and easily tired.

From such a point of view, a structure of a master arm having good operability which does not depend on the structure of the slave is considered, and as a result, a system in which the master and the slave have different structures is constructed. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, this enables three-dimensional operation of the orthogonal three axes 1, 2, and 3 by a rack and pinion and the like, and a grip 4 is attached to one of the elements through a rotary shaft or the like. The operation is transmitted to the slave side. By doing so, the operation displacement can be captured in the Cartesian coordinate system, and there is an advantage that the control becomes easy. A parallel link type (pantograph type) is also proposed as a device similar to this.

[0006]

However, in the conventional device, the device or the installation space is large, and in particular, the operator's arm is floated in the air, so that the work is easily tired. In addition, even if the operation method of this kind is a bilateral method, the operation torque and the sense of force are transmitted to the operator only through the grip, so that there is a drawback that sufficient operability cannot be provided.

Focusing on the above-mentioned conventional problems, the present invention generates an output of the orthogonal coordinate system while having an arm capable of supporting the upper arm of the operator to reduce the fatigue of the operator. An object of the present invention is to provide a force feedback type multi-axis operating device which can be operated and which further improves operability by transmitting a torque / force sensation to a human arm.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, a force feedback type multi-axis operating device according to the present invention comprises:
One end of an extendable arm on which an arm can be placed is attached to a base via a base bracket having two orthogonal rotation axes, and a grip is attached to the extension / contraction tip side of the arm, and the grip is attached to the arm. It is attached via a tip bracket having three rotation axes orthogonal to each other, and the orthogonal rotation axes of the base bracket and the tip bracket are attached so that their intersections are located at the centers of human elbow joints and wrists, and the rotation is performed. The shaft and sliding shafts are connected to actuators such as motors that can control torque and force, and the rotary and sliding nodes between each element are equipped with sensors that detect their displacements to detect rotational and expansion / contraction displacements. It is possible to calculate the position command value of the slave from the detected displacement signal of the sensor based on the operation of each operation element and output it to the slave. Together, and the structure having an arithmetic unit for outputting a detection signal and the control signal of the rotational torque by calculating a command torque to the actuator based on a detection signal from the operating device side sensor from the slave side of the sensor.

[0009]

According to the above construction, the motion of the hand and the motion of the arm centering on the elbow can be transmitted as the control command of the slave while the arm is placed on the arm and the grip is gripped.
That is, since the grip that can be gripped by the hand is connected to the arm via the tip bracket, the grip alone can be twisted or rotated vertically and horizontally around the wrist. Further, since the arm itself is attached to the base via a base end bracket having two orthogonal axes, the arm can be horizontally rotated and vertically rotated about the elbow. Moreover, since the arm itself can expand and contract, it can be moved back and forth while holding the grip. Since the sensor that measures the displacement of the rotation angle and the amount of sliding movement is attached to the node of each element, it is possible to control the position and speed of the slave corresponding to each element, and to control the position and attitude in three-dimensional space. Is possible. In this case, by applying the above configuration to the armrest arm of the chair, the worker can arbitrarily operate the arm and hand while sitting on the chair, and the workability is improved.

In particular, in the present invention, the acting force of the force generated by the slave from the slave to other constituents is directly or indirectly sent to the arithmetic means as a detection signal. This detection signal is input as a direct torque command or an indirect command corresponding to the acting force. The arithmetic means that inputs this calculates the control torque based on the information of the operating angle and outputs the control current to the actuator of the node connecting each element, and operates each operating element member on the operating device side. Power can be fed back. As a result, the operation feeling of the operation device reflects the acting force received by the moving body in the slave, and operability with a sense of reality is exhibited.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Specific embodiments of a force feedback type multi-axis operating device according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

1 and 2 are a side view and a plan view of a multi-axis operating device according to an embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a skeleton diagram thereof. As shown in the figure, the multi-axis operating device 11 has an arm 13 having a length substantially corresponding to the arm length, on which the arm can be placed. The arm 13 is composed of a first arm 13A and a second arm 13B, both of which are slidably connected to each other so that they can be expanded and contracted. In the case of the embodiment, this is formed so that it can be expanded and contracted in the longitudinal direction of the arm 13 by the sliding mechanism by the dovetail and the dovetail groove. The sliding mechanism of the first arm 13A is the second
It is arranged on the lower surface side of the arm 13B, and when the arm is placed, the first
Care is taken so that the arm 13A does not hinder the extension and contraction operation by the hand. This sliding guide is a linear guide 15, which is set so that the extension / contraction direction coincides with the arm axis direction.

Such an extendable arm 13 is attached to a fixed base 17, and the base end of the first arm 13A can be horizontally and vertically rotated via a bracket 19 having two orthogonal rotation axes. It is attached so that you can. That is, the base end bracket 19 includes a vertical rotation shaft 19A which is inserted into a cylindrical boss formed on the surface of the base 17 so as to have a vertical axis, and an L-shaped bracket portion integrally formed on the upper end thereof. The vertical rotation shaft 19A is attached to the cylindrical boss of the base 17 so that the L-shaped bracket portion 19B can be horizontally rotated about the vertical rotation shaft 19A. Also,
The L-shaped bracket portion 19B is configured to hold one side of the base end of the first arm 13A, and the first arm 13A is rotated downward by a horizontal rotary shaft 21 arranged along a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the arm 13. It is connected as possible. Therefore, the arm 13 horizontally rotates about the connecting portion with the base 17, and the arm 13 (second
It is possible to freely perform a so-called elevation motion in which the tip of the arm 13B) is swung in the vertical direction. in this case,
The arm 2 operated by the intersection of the central axes of the rotating shafts 19A and 21.
It is set so as to coincide with the center of the elbow of 3.

Further, an operating grip 25 is attached to the tip of the second arm 13B which can be expanded and contracted. The grip is a rod-like grip, and the tip of the arm 13 is provided with tip brackets 27, 29 and 37 for three orthogonal axes. It is configured so that it can rotate around. That is, the first bracket 27 bent in an L-shape that is horizontally rotatable about the vertical shaft 31 inserted into the cylindrical boss formed at the tip of the second arm 12B is attached. A first horizontal shaft 33 orthogonal to the vertical shaft 31 is attached to the vertical plate portion of the bracket 27, and a second bracket 29 bent in a plane L shape is attached to the first horizontal shaft 33. Therefore, the second bracket 29 can be vertically swung with respect to the first bracket 27 at the front position of the arm 13, and both tip brackets 27 and 29 can be horizontally rotated integrally at the tip of the second arm 13B at the same time. Has been done. One piece of the second bracket 29 is bent so as to traverse the front of the arm 13, and
The second horizontal shaft 35 is attached along the axis of the above, the grip frame 37 is attached to the second horizontal shaft 35, and the rod-shaped grip 25 is attached to the frame 37, so that the grip 25 moves around the second horizontal shaft 35. It is attached to allow so-called rolling rotation. With such a configuration, the grip 25 is fixed to the arm 13
It is possible to rotate around the three orthogonal axes on the tip side of the manipulator, and the manipulator operated by the operating device can generate position / orientation data (6D) in a 3D space.

In the above structure, the rotary shafts 31, 33, 33, so that the center of the orthogonal rotary shaft of the grip 25 provided at the tip of the arm 13 coincides with the center of the human wrist.
35 are arranged.

With such a structure, the arm 13 as a whole can be three-dimensionally moved by the orthogonal three axes 19A and 21 on the base end side and the sliding shaft 15, and the grip 25 at the tip of the arm 13 also has three orthogonal axes. The three-dimensional movement can be performed around 31, 33, and 35.

As described above, the operating device 11 having the rotary node and the sliding node is further provided with a control device for feedback controlling the operating force of each element. First, the rotary shafts 19A, 21, 31, 33, 35 forming the rotary node
A torque-controllable rotation motor 39 is connected to, and between the first arm 13A and the second arm 13B that form a sliding joint, a linear motor 41 or a motor with a ball screw that can similarly control force is attached. Has been. Furthermore,
Sensors 43 such as potentiometers and rotary encoders are attached to the rotary joints and sliding joints between the respective elements in order to detect their displacements, so that rotational and expansion / contraction displacements can be detected.

The control device calculates the moving amount of the moving body of the slave from the detection signals of the angle of the operating device and the displacement sensor based on the operation of each operating element and outputs it to the slave, and the displacement and force sensor of the slave side. Is calculated and the command torque to the actuator is calculated based on the detection signal from the operation device side sensor, and the control signal of the rotation torque is output. FIG. 4 shows a configuration example of this control device. This is for performing an operation as a so-called joystick, and is for performing torque control (rigidity control) for returning each axis of the operating device to the neutral point. That is, the output displacement of each axis of the operating device 11 as a joystick is detected by the sensor 43 such as a potentiometer, and the control device 45 inputs this. For example, the rotational displacement α of the rotary shaft 21 is input from the sensor 43 to the sequential control device 45, which is given a predetermined gain by the first gain converter 47. The gain converter 47 outputs the displacement velocity Δθ _r with respect to the target arm on the slave side via the coordinate converter 49, and inputs this to the integrator 51.
Since the output of the integrator 51 becomes the position displacement θ as a command value, it is output to the motor 57 of the slave arm via the adder 53 and the second gain converter 55. The slave arm is also provided with a displacement sensor 59, which outputs a feedback signal θ _p to the adder 53 so as to match the operation amount of the operating device by feedback control. Such a control device 45 includes a spring return calculator 6
1 is provided, which takes in the displacement of said rotary shaft 21,
A torque signal for returning the rotary shaft 21 to the neutral point is output to the rotary motor 39. The function of the torque and angle of each axis on the operating device side at this time is shown in FIG. 4 (2), so this is performed by software servo by a computer as a predetermined function F (α), or by an electric circuit. The feedback signal i according to the operation amount may be output to the motor 39.

By constructing the control loop, the gain, and the function by the software servo created by software, the system becomes more general and can be converted to the bilateral master slave mode of FIG. 5 by mode switching. is there. FIG. 5 shows a case where a force reverse transfer bilateral master-slave system is configured. That is, the force sensor 63 is attached to the slave arm side, and this detection signal is output to the gain converter 65 provided in place of the spring return calculation unit 61. In this case, since the master and the slave have different structures, the coordinate converter 67 is interposed in the middle. By the output of the gain converter 65, the force received by the slave is transmitted to the master side, and for example, the state in which the slave is in contact with the member is transmitted to the master side as a reaction force. Therefore, it is possible to perform master operation with a sense of realism.

FIG. 6 shows a general example of each control mode system as described above. That is, a function conversion unit 69 configured to perform a predetermined torque control by capturing an output displacement of the operating device side, a slave side displacement, and a signal from the force sensor is provided. 5
A necessary torque command is given to the motor 39 in the operating device by the output from 9, and the resistance according to the spring return to the neutral point or the operating resistance in the slave is fed back as the displacement resistance torque of each operating member on the operating device side. You can

In the multi-axis operating device 11 thus constructed, the arm can be placed on the arm 13 and the grip 25 can be gripped to prepare for the operation. Then, by moving the arm around the elbow, the arm 13 is moved to an arbitrary position around the base bracket 19. Further, by moving the arm back and forth, the second arm 12B expands and contracts to change the length of the arm 13. With such an operation, the tip position 3 of the arm 13 can be determined, and only the grip 25 can be driven independently in the three axial directions, and the tip grip 25 can be handled in the same manner as a conventional joystick or master arm. You can The movement of each of these elements is captured by the sensors provided in those nodes, and the tip of the manipulator can be operated via a controller (not shown). That is, by operating the tip grip 25, it is possible to control the position / orientation of the tip of the manipulator by giving a command in the working coordinate system of the manipulator, a displacement and a velocity proportional to the deviation from the neutral point of each axis. . Torque control motors 39 and 41 are attached to each of the rotary nodes and the slide nodes so that the sense of torque and force, such as the operating resistance, can be transmitted to the arm of the operator who operates the operating device. You will be able to get it on your side.

By applying the multi-axis operating device 11 of such an embodiment to an armrest arm of a chair, it is possible for an operator to sit and operate.

The present invention has the above-mentioned basic structure and has an angle detector (eg potentiometer,
The axes having encoders and the like) and actuators are not necessarily all axes, and the number of axes may be reduced depending on the application.

[0024]

As described above, according to the force feedback type multi-axis operating device of the present invention, it is possible to perform three-axis orthogonal operation at the center of the elbow or wrist of the operator's arm. In addition, by arranging an actuator on each axis and controlling the torque and force of this actuator with software, it exhibits various functions depending on the situation, such as joystick mode at one time, bilateral master slave mode at some time It is possible to obtain an excellent effect that it can be a versatile and flexible operating device.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a force feedback type multi-axis operating device used in an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the operating device.

FIG. 3 is a skeleton diagram of the operating device.

FIG. 4 is a control block diagram of a joystick mode of the force feedback type multi-axis operating device.

FIG. 5 is a control block diagram of a force feedback type multi-axis operating device in a bilateral larel master slave mode.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a general system configuration of a force feedback type multi-axis operating device.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a conventional operating device as a master arm.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 Operating Device 13 (13A, 13B) Arm 15 Linear Guide 17 Fixed Base 19 (19A, 19B) Base Bracket 19A Vertical Rotation Axis 21 Horizontal Rotation Axis 23 Arm 25 Operation Grip 27, 29 Tip Bracket 31 Vertical Axis 33 1st Horizontal axis 35 Second horizontal axis 37 Grip frame 39 Torque control rotary motor 41 Torque control linear motor 43 Sensor 45 Controller 47, 55, 65 Gain converter 49, 67 Coordinate converter 51 Integrator 53 Adder 57 Slave arm motor 59 Slave arm sensor 61 Spring return calculation unit 63 Force sensor 69 Function conversion unit

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. An expandable / contractible structure on which a forearm can be placed.
Horizontal rotation and depression via a base bracket having two rotation axes orthogonal to the base end corresponding to the elbow part of the arm
It is rotatably attached to a fixed base, and a grip is attached to the expansion and contraction tip side of the arm, and the grip is horizontally rotated, lowered, and rolled through a tip bracket having three rotation axes orthogonal to the arm. The rotation shaft portion and the sliding shaft are attached so that the orthogonal rotation shafts of the proximal end bracket and the distal end bracket are attached such that their intersections are located at the centers of the human elbow joint and wrist. An actuator such as a motor that can control torque and force is connected to the section, and a sensor that detects the displacement is attached to the rotating node and sliding node between each element to detect rotation and expansion and contraction displacement. The position command value of the slave is calculated from the displacement signal detected by the sensor based on the above operation and output to the slave, and detected from the sensor on the slave side. No. and force feedback type multi-axis manipulation device, characterized in that by calculating a command torque having an arithmetic unit for outputting a control signal of the rotational torque to the actuator based on a detection signal from the operation unit side sensor.