JP2003117859A - Curving mechanism and robot equipped therewith - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a curving mechanism capable of a curving certainly in the intended direction. SOLUTION: The curving mechanism 10 is equipped with a core 12 having resilience, at least one wire 24b installed alongside the core 12 and with its one end fixed to the core 12 and other end coupled with a driving means, and a plurality of supporting members 20 secured to the core 12 at a certain spacing in the axial direction and supporting the wire 24b movably.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a bending mechanism most suitable for application to, for example, the tail of a small pet robot that resembles the shape of an animal such as a cat, and robots, toys, and home appliances using this bending mechanism. Products, Human Machine Interface (HMI), etc.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-23798.
No. 7 discloses a bending mechanism applicable to the tail of a pet robot. This bending mechanism realizes an articulated tail with a simple structure.

[0003]

However, since the bending mechanism adopts a multi-joint structure in which a plurality of tubular members are connected, a smooth curved shape cannot be realized. In addition, since a bending mechanism having a multi-joint structure in which a plurality of tubular members are connected has insufficient torsional rigidity, when a predetermined wire accommodated inside is pulled to bend the bending mechanism, There is a problem that it may not bend. Furthermore, in a structure in which a plurality of bendable tubular members that are connected to each other directly constitute the outer surface, a soft tactile sensation cannot be obtained.

[0004]

In order to solve the above problems, therefore, a bending mechanism of the present invention is provided with an elastic core member and a core member provided along the core member, one end of which is relative to the core member. At least one linear member that is fixed and has the other end connected to the driving means, and a plurality of supports that are fixed to the core member at an axial interval and that movably support the linear member. And a member. According to this structure, since the core member and the support member fixed to the core member as a whole have sufficient torsional rigidity, the bending mechanism is pulled in the direction intended by pulling the linear member by the driving means. Can be surely curved. Also,
Since the bending mechanism of the present invention does not employ a multi-joint structure, it can be bent into a smooth curved shape as a whole.

In the bending mechanism of the present invention, the periphery of the core member and the linear member may be covered with a flexible member. This provides a soft tactile sensation.

In the bending mechanism of the present invention, a plurality of annular grooves may be formed on the outer circumference of the flexible member. As a result, the force required to bend the bending mechanism can be reduced.

Further, in the bending mechanism of the present invention, the linear member may be housed in a flexible tube. This prevents the moving linear member from directly contacting the support member or the flexible member, and prevents the support member or the flexible member from being worn.

Further, in the bending mechanism of the present invention, the linear member may extend through a coil spring arranged in the tube. As a result, it is possible to prevent the tube from being damaged by the moving linear member coming into direct contact with the inner surface of the tube and rubbing against it.

Further, in the bending mechanism of the present invention, the flexible member provided between the support members may be provided with a bending restriction portion for restricting bending in one direction. By partially providing such a bending restricting portion in the bending mechanism, it is possible to restrict the bending of the bending portion and form a portion that extends in a substantially straight line, and as a result, it becomes more similar to the actual shape of the animal's tail. It is possible to realize a different shape.

Further, in the curved shape of the present invention, the curved restriction portion is constituted by a curved restriction member sandwiched between the support members, and the curved restriction member is formed in a wedge shape at both ends. Good. By providing the bending restricting member having such a shape, the bending mechanism restricts the bending in the direction in which the bending stress acts on the bending restricting member, while the wedge-shaped both ends do not restrict the inclination of the support member. Allows bending to.

[0011]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is an overall view of a cat-shaped pet robot 1 in which the bending mechanism of the present invention is applied to a tail 10. This cat-shaped pet robot 10 is configured by covering a robot body 2 made of plastic with artificial fur 3 all over the body.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the tail 10, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. The tail 10 includes a rod-shaped core member 12 made of, for example, urethane and having elasticity. A substantially disk-shaped tip member 14 made of, for example, hard urethane is fixed to one end (tip) of the core member 12,
A base end member 16 made of, for example, hard urethane is fixed to the other end (base end) of the core member 12. The tip member 14 is covered with a substantially hemispherical cap 18 made of a flexible resin, for example. On the other hand, the base end member 16 is a member for connecting and fixing the tail 10 to the robot body 2, and a connecting pin 16a for that purpose is provided in a protruding manner.

A plurality of disc-shaped support members 20 are fixed to the core member 12 between the tip member 14 and the base member 16 at intervals in the axial direction. These supporting members 20 are made of, for example, hard urethane. The core member 12 extends through the center of each support member 20. Each support member 20
Are formed so that the diameter gradually increases from the tip end side to the base end side.

The tip member 14, the base member 16 and the support members 20 may be fixed to the core member 12 by any method such as adhesion, welding or integral molding. Since the support member 20 and the like are fixed to the core member 12 in this manner, the tail 10
As a whole, sufficient torsional rigidity is secured.

The tail 10 is a three wire unit 2
2, 24, 26 are provided. Wire unit 22,
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, 24 and 26 are provided along the core member 12 at positions shifted by 90 ° around the core member 12, and are supported by extending through the support members 20. There is.

The wire unit 24 is, for example, a flexible tube 24a made of an elastomer, a coil spring (not shown) arranged in the tube 24a, a tube 24a housed in the tube 24a, and extends through the coil spring. For example, superalloy wire (linear member) 24
and b. The other wire units 22 and 26 are similarly configured. Each wire 22b, 24
As shown in FIG. 2, retaining metal fittings 27 are fixed to the tips of the wires b and 26b.
24b and 26b are fixed to the tip of the core member 12 via the tip member 14.

The ends of the wires 22b, 24b, 26b on the side opposite to the retaining metal 27 are attached to the robot body 2
Each of them is connected to a driving device (not shown) formed of, for example, three pulleys driven by a motor. By this drive device, each wire 22b, 24b, 2
By pulling or loosening 6b, each wire 22b, 24b, 26b is connected to each tube 22a,
It is movable within 24a and 26a. The drive device is not limited to a motor-driven pulley, and may be any mechanism such as a lever mechanism, a cam mechanism, or a crank mechanism as long as it has a function of pulling or loosening a wire.

As shown in FIG. 2, the periphery of the core member 12 and each of the wire units 22, 24, 26 is covered with a substantially columnar flexible member 28 made of, for example, urethane foam, silicon foam, sponge or the like. . By thus covering with the flexible member 28, a soft tactile sensation can be obtained for the tail 10. A plurality of annular grooves 29 are formed on the outer circumference of the flexible member 28. By forming the annular groove 29 in this manner, it is possible to obtain the effect of reducing the force required to bend the tail 10 as described later.

In this embodiment, the wire penetrates the inside of the coil spring arranged in the tube as the wire unit. As a result, it is possible to prevent the tube from being damaged by the moving wire coming into direct contact with and rubbing against the inner surface of the tube. However, the coil spring is not an essential component and can be omitted. Even when the wire unit is composed of the tube and the wire as described above, the moving wire causes the moving member to move due to the presence of the tube.
It is possible to prevent the support member 20 and the flexible member 28 from being worn away without directly contacting the support member 20 and the flexible member 28. However, it is also possible to omit the tube, and the wire alone is used as the support member 2.
0 and the flexible member 28 may be configured to extend therethrough.

Next, the operation of the tail 10 having the above structure will be described. The tail 10 is, as shown in FIG.
When the drive device pulls the wire 22b, it bends in the X direction, and when the drive device loosens the pull of the wire 22b, the elasticity of the tail 10 itself restores it to a straight state. Further, the tail 10 bends in the Z direction (that is, upward) when the wire 24b is pulled by the drive device, and when the drive device loosens the pull of the wire 24b, the tail 10 is restored to a straight state by the elasticity of the tail 10 itself. Further, the tail 10 bends in the Y direction when the wire 26b is pulled by the driving device,
When the driving device loosens the pull of the wire 26b, the tail 1
The elasticity of 0 itself restores a straight state. And again, for example, with a driving device, the wire 22b and the wire 26
By alternately repeating pulling and loosening of b, the tail 10 can be alternately curved to the left and right and rocked.

When the tail 10 is bent in any direction in this way, the tail 10 as a whole has sufficient torsional rigidity as described above, so that the tail 10 is not twisted when it is bent. It does not occur, and it can be surely curved in the intended direction. In addition, since the tail 10 does not adopt a multi-joint structure, it can be curved in a smooth curved shape as a whole.

Next, a modification of the above-described embodiment will be described. As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, in the tail 11 of the modified example, the flexible member 28 between the support members 20 is provided.
In addition, a bending restricting portion that restricts bending in one direction is provided. The bending restriction portion is configured by a bending restriction member 30 which is sandwiched between the support members 20 and arranged so as to cover the wire unit 24. The bending restriction member 30 is made of, for example, hard urethane, has an L-shaped cross section, and has both ends formed in a wedge shape. This curving regulation member 3
0 is provided between the support members 20 in the intermediate portion excluding the tip end side and the base end side of the tail 11.

In the tail 11 provided with such a bending regulating member 30, when the wire 24b of the wire unit 24 is pulled (that is, when it is bent upward), the bending regulating member 30 is bent in a direction in which bending stress acts. The bending is regulated, and as shown in FIG. 6, the distal end side and the proximal end side are curved, but the intermediate region 11a of the tail 11 corresponding to the region where the bending regulating member 30 is provided is substantially straight without being curved. It will be extended to. This makes it possible to realize a shape that more closely resembles the actual shape of the cat's tail. on the other hand,
When the wires 22b and 26b of the wire units 22 and 26 are pulled in the tail 11, the wedge-shaped portion of the bending restriction member does not hinder the inclination of the support member 20, so that the tail 11 is moved to the X and Y directions as shown in FIG. It can be curved in a direction (that is, in the left-right direction) into a smoothly curved shape as a whole.

In the modification described above, the bending regulating member 3 is used.
Although the bend restricting portion is configured by using 0, the bend restricting portion may be configured by another method. For example, the wire unit 24
The bending restricting portion can be formed by impregnating the flexible member 28 in the vicinity of the above with an adhesive to harden it, and the same effect as when the bending restricting member 30 is used can be obtained.

In the above description, an example in which the bending mechanism of the present invention is applied to the tail of a cat-shaped pet robot has been described. However, the bending mechanism of the present invention can be applied to the tail of robots of other tetrapods such as dogs. It is also applicable to curved parts of various devices such as curved parts, various curved parts of humanoid robots and industrial robots, various curved parts of home electric appliances, various curved parts of human-machine interfaces.

[0026]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the bending mechanism of the present invention, the core member and the support member fixed to the core member as a whole ensure a sufficient torsional rigidity. By pulling the linear member by the means, the bending mechanism can be surely bent in the intended direction. Further, since the bending mechanism of the present invention does not adopt the multi-joint structure, it can be bent into a smooth curved shape as a whole.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall view of a cat-shaped pet robot in which the present invention is applied to a tail.

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the tail.

3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a view showing a curved state of the tail.

FIG. 5 is a view showing a tail of a modified example in which a bending regulation member is provided.

FIG. 6 is a view showing a curved state of the tail of a modified example.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Cat type pet robot, 2 ... Robot body, 3 ... Artificial fur, 10 ... Tail, 12 ... Core member, 14 ... Tip member, 1
6 ... Base end member, 18 ... Cap, 20 ... Support member, 2
2, 24, 26 ... Wire units, 22a, 24a,
26a ... Tube, 22b, 24b, 26b ... Wire, 28 ... Flexible member, 29 ... Annular groove, 30 ... Curvature restricting member.

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] June 21, 2002 (2002.6.2)
1)

[Procedure Amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Name of item to be corrected] Claim 4

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[Procedure Amendment 2]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Name of item to be corrected] Claim 6

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

6. The bending mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the flexible member between the support members is provided with a bending restriction portion that restricts bending in one direction.

[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] October 4, 2002 (2002.10.
4)

[Procedure Amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Name of item to be amended] Claims

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[Claims]

[Procedure Amendment 2]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0004

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[0004]

In order to solve the above problems, therefore, the bending mechanism of the present invention is provided with a rod-shaped core member having elasticity and around the core member along the periphery thereof, and one end thereof is At least one linear member that is fixed to the core member and has the other end connected to the drive means, and is fixed to the core member with an interval in the axial direction so that the linear member can move. A plurality of supporting members for supporting, and the core member extends through each of the supporting members. According to this configuration, since the rod-shaped core member and the support member fixed to the rod-shaped core member as a whole have sufficient torsional rigidity, the bending mechanism is intended by pulling the linear member by the driving means. It can be surely bent in the direction. In addition, since the bending mechanism of the present invention is configured around an elastic rod-shaped core member that extends through each support member as a center and does not adopt a multi-joint structure, it bends into a smooth curved shape as a whole. Can be made.

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Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. An elastic core member, and at least one linear member provided along the core member, one end of which is fixed to the core member and the other end of which is connected to a driving means. A bending mechanism including: a member; and a plurality of support members that are fixed to the core member at intervals in the axial direction and movably support the linear member. 2. The bending mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the core member and the linear member are covered with a flexible member. 3. The bending mechanism according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of annular grooves are formed on the outer periphery of the flexible member. 4. The bending mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the linear member is housed in a flexible tube. 5. The bending mechanism according to claim 4, wherein the linear member extends through a coil spring arranged in the tube. 6. The bending mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the flexible member provided between the support members is provided with a bending restriction portion that restricts bending in one direction. 7. The bend restricting portion is constituted by a bend restricting member disposed between the supporting members, and both ends of the bend restricting member are formed in a wedge shape. The bending mechanism described in. 8. A robot in which the bending mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 7 is incorporated in a bending portion such as a tail.