GB2201758A

GB2201758A - Control device incorporating an arm rest

Info

Publication number: GB2201758A
Application number: GB08804806A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Kauko Helevirta
Original assignee: TEOPROS Oy
Current assignee: TEOPROS Oy
Priority date: 1987-03-03
Filing date: 1988-03-01
Publication date: 1988-09-07
Anticipated expiration: 2008-03-01
Also published as: FI77334C; FI870913A; SE8800684D0; FI870913A0; GB2201758B; SE466720B; GB8804806D0; DE3806778A1; FI77334B; SE8800684L

Description

1 Control device The invention relates to a control device.

2201758 The invention relates to control devices that are used in several lines of technology, e.g. for adjusting the position of actuators. Generally this type of control devices are control levers, adapted to move or swivel relative to the body of a control leverage. On the basis of this. movement or swivelling, e.g. a linear motion or swivelling motion measuring sensor can be used to supply information to a preamplifier associated with the lever about an instruction delivered by the operator. The information received from the preamplifier is transmitted to a power amplifier and usually converted into a form suitable for the power amplifier. The power amplifier. e.g. a hydraulic valve, in turn. controls an actuator, e.g. a hydraulic cylinder, which adjusts a working implement connected to the actuator into a position determined by the instruction. With such a system, the position of an actuator and thus the position of a working implement can be matched with the instruction issued by the operator.

In most practical applications such control devices are nevertheless inadequately constructed, particularly in view of precise control motions and-the fact that the operator must be able to issue instructions to a plurality of actuators almost simultaneously. Some solutIons have been introduced for considering ergonomics in control devices. One such solution is disclosed in GB Patent No. 1 343 078. However, the control device -set forth in this specification is.intended for the control of a radar used in an aircraft. In the most common practical applications,.'sudh as in excavating c 2 machines and the like, the operator faces nowadays a wide variety of levers, most of which are intended to provide commands to one of many actuators in the apparatus. The operator must be highly skilled and ex- perienced to be able to simultaneously and successively operate the actuators as the movements of control levers often have nothing in common with the moving directions of actuators and working implements. Furthermore, the operation of such equipment most often leads to ergonomically harmful working postures and thus possibly to work- originated ailments.

An object of this invention is to provide a control device which is capable of.adopting the control move--ments based on the natural trajectories of human limbs. The invention is based on a conception that a control device is designed to serve like an acting part of a limb in a manner that linkages in a control device are positioned as close as possible to the joints of a limb, e.g..a hand, especially a wrist and and an elbow joint and possibly also a shoulder joint. The main characterizing features of the invention are set forth in the characterizing clause of claim 1.

A control device of the invention is provided with rest surfaces or the like for at least two parts of a limb, e.g. a hand, such as the palm and the forearm and/or the forearm and the upper arm etc. These two limb members are both supported against their own corresponding rest surfaces. Between the rest surfaces is disposed a linkage. so as to be. substantially in register with the joint between the above-mentioned limb members. Furthermore, the linkage is fitted with at least one preamplifier, such as an electronic. sensor, adapted to-issue a control signal to.an actuator-controlling 1 3 power amplifier, such as a valve, through a suitable inverter if necessary. The control signal is obtained on the basis of the relative position of rest surfaces.

The above construction offers the advantage that preamplifiers can be associated with a linkage in a manner that the relative movement of limb members results in the movement of an actuator in a corresponding direction. This is a substantial advantage considering several practical applications, such as bucket loaders, cranes, manipulators etc., whose operations can be "imitated" by means of a control.device of the invention. In the case of an excavating machine, for example, by turning the wrist in a vertical plane, the operator can thus produce the actuator movements corresponding to the excavating motions of a bucket and further, by lifting and and laterally moving the forearm, the operator can obtain the lifts and lateral motions and the like of a bucket beam.

Other characterizing features of the invention are set forth in the annexed subclaims disclosing a few preferred embodiments of the invention.

A control device of the invention will now be described in more detail in the following specification with reference made to the accompanying drawings. in the drawings fig. 1 is a plan.view of a control device of the invent ion, fig. 2 is a side view of the same in partial section.

cl 4 fig. 3 is a perspective view of one alternative embodiment of the disposition of the linkage and preamplifiers in a control device of the invention, and figs. 4-6 show a few possible trajectories for the control device.

The embodiment shown in the drawings is intended for a human hand. The control device comprises a first rest surface 1-for the palm, a second rest surface 2 for the forearm and further a third rest surface 3, in this case a seat in which the operator is sitting during the operation of such control device. Between rest surfaces 1 and 2 as well as between- rest surfaces 2 and 3 are linkages protected by a resilient folding cover.

As the operator is sitting in the seat providing said third rest surface, his or her elbow rests in the area of a rear linkage 5 and his or her forearm rests on second rest.surface 2 and his or her palm lies upon first rest surface 1 with the fingers bent below rest surface 1. Fig. 1 illustrates the possibilites for a horizontal angular adjustment of a control device on the one hand around linkage 4 and on the other hand around linkage 5. These are explained in more detail later in connection with fig. 5.

Particularly fig. Ishows a-perspective view of linkage 4 and its associated preamplifiers. in the embodiment shown in fig. 3,.the linkage comprises a ball joint 6, whose housing member 6a is fastened to a box beam 2a, which forms the.second rest surface, by means of inclined brace rods 7. The brace rods are fastened on the one hand to beam 2a and on.the, other hand to hous- G ing member 6a e.g. by welding. A ball member 8 of the ball joint, fitted in a spherical socket inside the housing member, is in turn fastened by means of a rod 9 to a box member forming said first rest surface 1. in order to limit the motions of a ball joint so as to accomplish the trajectories shown in figs. 4-6, the ball joint can be provided with suitable operating limiters Inot shown in fig. 3). Inside a beam 2a forming said second rest surface 2 are fitted two sensors 10 and 11. In the present embodiment, the sensors are electronic and they issue an electrical message proportional to the position of an indicator 12 fixed to ball member 8 of the linkage, said message passing along wirings 10a and 11a to an inverter or directly to a power amplifier.

In the present embodiment, said rod 9 is fastened to box element la through the intermediary of a mechanical device, such as a gas spring 13. This gas spring provides a parallel movement between rest surfaces 1 and 2 which does not alter the angle obtained therebetween by means of a ball joint. Thus, the question is about a parallel displacement along one flank of an angle between elements 1 and 2 defined by the ball joint at any given time. This parallel displacement can be used to supply a message instruction to a power amplifier, with which an electronic sensor 14 serving as a preamplifier is coupled. This sensor 14 is fitted inside box element la forming said first rest surface 1 and fastened to its body. Rod 9 can be fitted e.g. with a bushing 15 for determining a message, which is.to be measured between the tracer heads of electronic sensor 14 and proportional.to therelative position ofelements 1 and 2.

With particular reference to fgs. 3 and'4, the appa- c1 6 ratus includes a variety of switches whose detailed constructions are not explained in this connection as most of them are not actually part of the invention. The second rest surface 2 can be further provided with a special groove member 16 consisting of two side flanges 17 rising from the plane of rest surface 2. The purpose of this groove 16 is to facilitate those movements of an operator which take place around the second linkage especially in horizontal direction. Flanges 17 can be preferably fitted with an electric eye for clamping the operations if the hand of an operator leaves said rest surface 2. Furthermore, the box element providing said-first rest surface 1 can be fitted with a keyboard 18, including e.g. a main switch for the device, a movement clamping switch, and an automatic sequence repeater switch. An adjuster 19 can be used to adjust the length.of rest surface 1. Furthermore, the box structure forming said second.rest surface is provided with an operating button 20 for the spring relief and adjustment of a forearm section and also with an adjustment button 21 for the length of a forearm section. What is accomplished with this type of adjustments is that a control device can be set up according to the individual measurements of an operator so that, in vertical directiont the wrist and elbow joint are aligned with linkages 4 and 5.

The second linkage 5 corresponds substantially to the first linkage shown in fig. 3 with its preamplifier as sembly but comprising, in addition,.a possibility of making a turn around the longitudinal direction of the forearm, as shown in fig. 6.

Fig. 4 illustrates those.verti:cal trajectories that can be accomplished by means of-the present embodiment of cl, 7 a control device of the invention. The first rest surface 1 can be pivoted from a horizontal position upwards 30 0 and downwards 40 0 by using a ball joint 6. For the extreme positions of this movement, said ball joint is provided with limiters. This movement is transmitted by way of an indicator 1.2 to a preamplifier 10 which produces an electrical message proportional to the relative position of rest surfaces 1 and 2. This possible movement is designated in fig. 4 with reference numeral L1. A similar trajectory is also possible to accomplish by means of secons linkage 5 employing a trajectory L2 indicated in fig. 4. By using the second linkage it is 0 thus possible to move vertically 90 upwards from the horizontal plane and 30 0 downwards also from the horizontal plane. Linkage 5 is provided with a sensor assembly similar to the one discussed above for producing a control message proportional to the angular position between second rest surface 2 and third rest surface 3.

Fig. 5 illustrates horizontal trajectories around link ages 4 and 5. Around the linkage 6 shown in fig. 3, 0 it is possible to travel in either direction 40 in the horizontal plane. This motion is transmitted to a prearnplifier 11.._ This trajectory is designated in fig.-5 with reference numeral L3 and, further, the pivoting of rest surface 2 around linkage 5 relative 0 0 to body 3 can be effected 30. to the right and 90 to the left (towards a seat In the embodiment shown in drawings). This trajectory is designated in fig. 5 with reference numeral L4.

Fig. 6 illustrates a parallel displacement accomplished by means of a parallel displacement shown in the embodiment of-fig. 3 between elements la and 2a byusing e.g. a gas spring 13. A device, tudh as a-gas spring C' 6 in connection with linkage 5 makes it possible to pivot or swivel box structure 2a provided by second rest surface around the longitudinal axis of said box structure 2a. Elements la and 2a can be swivelled around linkage 5 from the horizontal position of rest surface 2 to the right 90 0 and to the left 45 0 (when the device is operated with right hand). This trajectory is shown in fig. 6 with reference numeral L5. The possibility of parallel displacement is indicated with reference numeral L6.

Especially the trajectories shown in figs. 4-6 are ergonomically maximum trajectories of a human arm.

It should be appreciated that, in the embodiment shown in the drawings, said linkages 4 and 5 can be set in register with the joints of a human arm as seen from above. In side view, however, there is a certain distance in vertical direction between linkages 4 and 5 as well as the joints of a human arm, especially between wrist and elbow joint. However, that distance can be made as small as possible. Constructionally it is possible to position the axis of rotation for the relative pivoting of rest surfaces especially in vertical direction so as to set it precisely in register with the point of articulation of a wrist joint and/or elbow joint e.g. by means of a cross-linkage. This can be accomplished e.g. by mounting a linkage effecting a vertical rotational movement on lugs that are elevated from the plane of rest surfaces. The mode of control can be relative or absolute,-the control operation can be effected with minumum, muscular power by, employing spring balances and linkage relieves in a control device construction. The control device can be-equipped.with a heating and/or cooling apparatus for maintaining the temperature of rest surface pleas- C % 9 ant to the touch. It is also conceivable to coat the rest surfaces with a coating for preventing a heat transfer away from rest surfaces to maintain their temperature pleasant to the operator. The preamplifiers can be either electrical (operating on a capacitive, inductive, photoelectric or resistive principle)# hydraulic or pneumatic pre-control valves.

lu

Claims

1. A control device, c h a r a c t e r i z e d by comprising:

rest surfaces (1, 2# 3) or the like for at least two parts of a limb, preferably a human arm, for supporting said parts against.these surfaces, a linkage (4, 5) between rest surfaces (1, 2; 2, 3) positioned substantially in register with a joint between the parts of a human limb, and at least one preamplifier, mountea in connection with linkage (4, 5) and adapted to issue a-message instruction on the basis of the relative position of rest surfaces (1, 2; 2, 3).

2. A control device as set forth in claim 1r character i zedinthat it comprises a first rest surface (1) for the palm of a hand and a second rest surface (2) for the forearm and that said linkage (4) is positioned precisely in register with the location of a wrist joint.

3. A control device as set forth in claims 1 and 2, c h a.r a c t e r i z e d in that said second rest surface (2) intended for the forearm is fastened by means of linkage.(5) to a fixed or movable third rest surface (3).

4. A control device as set forth in claim 3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that said third rest surface (3) is made stationary, being e.g a seat, in which the operator of a control dev:Lce,is sitting 'during the Z 1 operation of a control device.

5. A control device as set forth in claims 1-3, charac ter I zed inthat said linkage (4, 5) includes means for turning and/or swivelling said linkage-connected rest surfaces (1, 2; 2, 3) relative to each other (6) and/or for displacing them while maintaining their direction J9, 13).

6. A control device as set forth in claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that-saia first rest surface (1) is provided by a box element (1a) with at least one preamplifier (14) fitted therein. a link member (9) of said linkage (4) being fastened to said preamplifier.

7. A control device as set forth in claim 1. c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that said second rest surface (2) is provided by a box beam (2a) which is provided with counter link members (6a, 7) of at least one linkage (4).

8. A control device as set forth in claims 6 and 7. c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that inside said box beam (2a) is fitted at least one preamplifier (10, 11), adapted to receive a control message producing signal through the intermediary of a member (12) connected to the counter element of linkage (4) connected with box element (1a).

9. A control device as set forth in claim 1. c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that said linkage (4, 5) includes a gas spring (13) or the like and that linkage (4, 5) Is provided with a preamplifier (14) whose message is produced on the basis of.the.movement of said gas spring or the like.

4 12

10. A control device as set forth in claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that at least one linkage (4, 5) has at least two relief degrees (L1p L3s L6; L2,, L4,, L5) and that a corresponding number of preamplifiers is provided in connection with the linkage.

11. A control device as set forth in claims 1 and 10, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that said first rest surface (1) associated with linkage (4) aligned with the wrist joint is adapted to be movable relative to the second rest surface by way of parallel displacement, e.g. by means of a gas spring, provided in connection with linkage (4).

12. A control device as set forth in claims 1 and 10, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that said second rest surface (2) associated with linkage (5) aligned with the elbow-joint is adapted to be rotatable around the longitudinal axis of said second rest surface (2).

13. A control device as set forth in claim 1. chara cter i zed inthatfirstand second rest surfaces (1, 2) are arranged in a manner that the palm and forearm can be positioned upon respective rest surfaces, at least the first linkage (4) positioning itself below said members of a human arm.

14. A control device as set forth In claims 10 and 13. c h a r a c t e r i.z e d in that said first linkage (4) provides a possibility of the relative movement of first and second rest surfaces 0# 2) around a substantially vertical axis.

15. A control device as set forth in claims 10 and 13, c h a r a c t e r. i z e d in that said second rest 2 1 1 13 surface (2) is arranged in a manner that the second linkage (5) associated therewith positions itself below the elbow joint.

16. A control device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accanpanying drawings.

Published 19M at The Patent Office, State House, 68/71 High Horbom, London WClR 4TP. Further copies may be obtained from The Patent Ofrice, Sales Branch, St Mary Cray, Orpington, Kent BR5 3RD. Printed by Multiplex techniques ltd, St Mary Cray, Kent. Con. 1/87.