JP2003181780A - Manual manipulator - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a manual manipulator, which is able to securely grip even a heavy object by a large gripping force generated by spreading a gripping range because of flexibility given to a relative position between a manually operating portion and a griping portion. <P>SOLUTION: The manual manipulator is provided with a pair of articulated flexible actuators 4a, 4b for gripping an object, an actuator body 6 connected to the base end portions of these flexible actuators 4a, 4b, a supporting grip 8 integrated with the base end portion of the actuator body 6, a manual operating portion 10 having a built-in hydraulic fluid supplying portion, and long flexible hydraulic-fluid-transporting tubes 12a, 12b coupled in between the flexible actuators 4a, 4b and the manual operating portion 10. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a manual manipulator capable of grasping and picking up or moving an object in a place out of reach.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A manual manipulator is provided with a gripping portion and a manual operating portion for remotely operating the gripping portion. As a means for transmitting an operating force from the manual operating portion to the gripping portion, it has been linked up to now. Mechanisms and wire mechanisms are known.
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 06-46794, Registered Utility Model Publication No. 3045900
The manual manipulator described in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. Sho 63-176092 uses a link mechanism, or both the link mechanism and the wire mechanism, as means for transmitting an operating force.

When at least the link mechanism is used as in the above-mentioned publication, the structure is basically such that the relative positions of the manual operation portion and the grip portion are fixed.

[0004]

When the manipulator having such a structure is used and the positioning operation for the object to be grasped by one hand and the operation operation of the manual operation section are performed at the same time, the positioning becomes inaccurate. In addition, it is difficult to securely grasp a fragile object. Since the position and angle of the hand that grips the support grip are limited to perform manual operation,
There is a problem that the gripping range is narrow.

There is also a manipulator in which only the wire mechanism is used as a means for transmitting an operation force, for example, a manual operation portion and a grip portion are connected by a tube having a wire inside. Since the manipulator can have a degree of freedom in the relative position between the manual operation part and the grip part by bending the tube, the gripping range can be widened.

However, a manipulator using only the wire mechanism as an operating force has a large operating resistance when the tube is bent due to mutual friction between the tube and the wire, and the operating resistance increases as the gripping force of the gripping portion increases. It is difficult to remove. Therefore, a manipulator that uses only the wire mechanism as an operating force is generally a small device that generates a small gripping force for gripping a small object such as a child screw.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the gripping range can be widened by providing the relative positions of the manual operating portion and the gripping portion with a degree of freedom, and a large gripping force can be generated to securely grip a heavy object. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a manual manipulator that can be used.

[0008]

Therefore, a manual manipulator according to a first aspect of the present invention is a manual operation part having a holding part for holding an object by supplying a liquid and a liquid pressure supplying part. A flexible flow path that is connected between the grip portion and the manual operation portion to supply the liquid generated in the liquid pressure supply portion to the grip portion or to return the liquid from the grip portion. And a pressure resistant tube having.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the manual manipulator according to the first aspect, the grip portion is arranged at a tip end portion of a long manipulator main body provided with a support grip portion. Further, the invention according to claim 3 is the manual manipulator according to claim 2, wherein the manual operation part is detachably fixed to the manual operation part and the support grip part with respect to the support grip part. A means for fixing the manual operation unit is provided.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the manual manipulator according to the second or third aspect, the gripping direction is changed between the tip of the manipulator body and the gripping part. The direction changing means for holding the state is arranged. Further, the invention according to claim 5 is the cylinder of the manual manipulator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the liquid pressurizing and supplying part is filled with a fluid and is connected to the pressure resistant tube. And a piston that reciprocates in the cylinder, and an operation stick that is connected to the piston and transmits the forward movement is provided in the manual operation unit that incorporates the liquid pressure supply unit.

The invention according to claim 6 is the manual manipulator according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The liquid pressurizing and supplying unit is configured to include a bag body in which a fluid is enclosed and which is connected to the pressure-resistant tube and is expandable / contractible, and the liquid pressurized by crushing the bag body is supplied. , And is supplied to the grip portion through the pressure resistant tube.

Further, the invention according to claim 7 is the manual manipulator according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein:
The liquid pressurizing and supplying unit is provided with a check valve that allows the liquid to be supplied to the gripping unit and prevents the liquid from returning from the gripping unit, and allows the liquid to return from the gripping unit by a manual operation. A check valve opening mechanism that can be tolerated was provided.

The invention according to claim 8 is the manual manipulator according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The grip portion is a multi-joint flexible actuator that bends in a direction of gripping an object with a predetermined curvature and grips the object with a predetermined grip force. According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the manual manipulator according to the eighth aspect, the grip portions are arranged so as to face each other, and are constituted by a pair of the flexible actuators that perform bending motions toward each other.

The invention according to claim 10 is the invention according to claim 8.
Alternatively, in the manual manipulator described in 9, the flexible actuator includes a long expansion tube to which a liquid is supplied, a plurality of bone members arranged at predetermined intervals in a longitudinal direction of the expansion tube, and an arrangement of these bone members. And an elastically deformable core material for holding the expansion tube, the expansion tube is formed of a material that can be expanded and contracted freely, and a plurality of flat-shaped expanded hollow portions provided at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction, and the expanded hollow portions. It is configured with a reduced diameter hollow portion that communicates between the output hollow portions.

In the invention according to claim 11, an elastic restoring force acts on the core material in a direction of returning the posture of the expansion tube and the plurality of bone members. Furthermore, the invention according to claim 12 is the manual manipulator according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein a flexible material is arranged on a side of the grip portion that comes into contact with the target object.

Furthermore, the invention according to claim 13 is the manual manipulator according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the outer periphery of the grip portion is covered with a film-shaped liquid absorbing member.

[0017]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of a manual manipulator according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a manual manipulator 2 of the first embodiment. The manual manipulator 2 of the present embodiment is
A pair of articulated flexible actuators 4a and 4b for gripping an object, an actuator body 6 connected to the base end portions of the flexible actuators 4a and 4b, and an integrated body at the base end portion of the actuator body 6. A flexible and long liquid movement connected between the supporting grip portion 8, the manual operation portion 10 including the liquid pressure supply portion, the flexible actuators 4a and 4b, and the manual operation portion 10. Tubes 12a, 12
and b.

A pair of flexible actuators 4a,
One of the flexible actuators 4a of 4b is
As shown in FIG. 2, a long expansion tube 16, a plurality of bone members 18a, 18b ... Arranged at equal intervals in the longitudinal direction of the expansion tube 16, and these bone members 18a, 18b.
And the core material 20 that holds the arrangement of the. The expansion tube 16 is a member made of synthetic resin that can expand and contract freely, and has a reduced-diameter hollow portion 24 between the flat-shaped expanded hollow portions 22a, 22b ... It has a fern-like appearance of communicating plants.

The plurality of bone members 18a, 18b ... Are members made of synthetic resin and having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, and are sandwiched by the bulging hollow portions 22a, 22b. The member arranged above the uppermost skeleton member 18j is a cap member 30 made of synthetic resin or the like. Further, the core member 20 is a plate member made of elastically deformable synthetic resin or the like, and each of the bone members 18 a, 18 is formed by using a plurality of screws.
b ... are fixed at intervals in the vertical direction, and the lower end is fixed to the tip portion 6a of the actuator body 6. Then, a sheet-shaped flexible material 28 is stretched over the entire surface of the core material 20 side on which the screws are mounted.

The flexible actuator 4b
Is made of the same member as the flexible actuator 4a shown in FIG. 2, and the core material 20 stretched with the flexible material 28 is arranged so as to face the core material 20 stretched with the flexible material 28 of one flexible actuator 4a. It is arranged at the tip portion 6 a of the main body 6. The actuator body 6 is a long tubular tube, and a support grip portion 8 having an outer shape of a shape that can be easily grasped by one hand is integrated with a base end portion 6b thereof. Then, the liquid movement tube 12 inserted into the support grip portion 8 and the actuator body 6
One ends of a and 12b are connected to the openings of the expansion tubes 16 of the pair of flexible actuators 4a and 4b.

The liquid transfer tubes 12a and 12b are pressure resistant tubes and are inserted in a flexible coating tube 32. Then, the liquid transfer tube 12a,
The other end of 12b is connected to the manual operation unit 10. Although not shown, the manual operation part 10 has a built-in liquid pressure supply part including two cylinders in which a working fluid is sealed and two pistons reciprocating in these cylinders, and the flexible actuators 4a and 4b. Inflow and outflow of the working fluid is performed. The other ends of the liquid transfer tubes 12a and 12b are connected to the two cylinders, respectively. Further, members 10a and 10b in FIG. 1 are operation sticks connected to two pistons. The outer peripheral shape of the manual operation portion 10 has such a shape that one operation stick 10a can be pushed by the thumb and the other operation stick 10b can be pushed by the index finger while grasping with one hand.

Next, the manual manipulator 2 having the above structure
The procedure and action of gripping an object using will be described. For example, while holding the manual operation part 10 with the right hand and bending the covering tube 32 (the liquid transfer tubes 12a and 12b) with the support grip part 8 with the left hand, the flexible actuator 4 at the tip of the actuator body 6 is held.
Bring a and 4b close to the object.

When one of the operation sticks 10a of the manual operation unit 10 is pushed with the thumb, the working fluid in the cylinder is pressurized by the forward movement of the piston of the liquid pressure supply unit, and the liquid is moved through the liquid transfer tube 12a. The working fluid is supplied to the expansion tube 16 of the flexible actuator 4a. As a result, the expanded hollow portions 22a, 22b, ... Of the expansion tube 16 into which the working fluid has flowed are expanded,
The bone members 18a, 18b, ... Are displaced while bending the core material 20, and the entire flexible actuator 4a is bent with a predetermined curvature.

When the other operation stick 10b of the manual operation unit 10 is pushed with the thumb, the working fluid in the liquid pressurizing and supplying unit is pressurized to the expansion tube 16 of the flexible actuator 4b via the liquid moving tube 12b. Working fluid is supplied. As a result, in the expansion tube 16 connected to the flexible actuator 4b, the expanded hollow portions 22a, 22b ... Inflate due to the inflow of the working fluid, and the bone members 18a, while bending the core material 20.
18b ... are displaced and the whole is bent with a predetermined curvature.

Then, the flexible actuators 4a and 4b are bent so that the flexible material 28 of the pair of flexible actuators 4a and 4b contacts the object, and the pushing amount of the operation sticks 10a and 10b is gradually increased. As a result, the force (grasping force) for gripping the object is increased. After performing the operation of gripping the object and moving it to another place, the pushing operation of the operation sticks 10a and 10b is released. With this configuration, the working fluid in the tube 16 causes the working fluid in the tube 16 to move due to the elastic restoring force of the core member 20 of the flexible actuators 4a and 4b.
It is returned to the liquid pressurizing and supplying section of the manual operation section 10 via 2a and 12b, the bone members 18a, 18b ... Are also returned to their original positions, and the flexible actuators 4a and 4b are in the initial state.

According to the manual manipulator 2 having the above structure, the manual operation part 10 and the flexible actuators 4a and 4b as the grip parts are connected by the flexible liquid transfer tubes 12a and 12b. Cage, manual operation unit 10 and flexible actuator 4
Since the relative position with respect to a and 4b can be given a degree of freedom, the position and angle of the hand gripping the support grip portion 8 are not limited, and the range of gripping the object can be widened.

Also, grasp the manual operation section 10 with one hand,
While holding the support grip portion 8 with the other hand, the flexible actuators 4a, 4a at the tip of the actuator body 6
By bringing b closer to the object, the flexible actuators 4a and 4b do not shake from the object during the gripping operation, and the gripping operation can be performed accurately.

Further, since the actuating liquid is used as a means for transmitting the gripping force from the manual operation section 10 to the flexible actuators 4a, 4b, a large gripping force is generated by the flexible actuators 4a, 4b, so that even a heavy object can be reliably held. Can be grasped. Further, in the flexible actuators 4a and 4b that grip the object, the flexible material 28 first comes into contact with the object while bending uniformly with a predetermined curvature, so that the object is softly gripped or the object having an irregular shape is contacted. Can be reliably gripped.

Next, FIGS. 3 and 4 show a second embodiment of the present invention.
1 shows a manual manipulator 40 of an embodiment. The same components as those shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. In the manual manipulator 40 of this embodiment, the flexible actuators 4a and 4b are entirely covered with a film-shaped liquid absorbing member 42.

The flexible actuator 4a,
A flexible tube 44 is arranged between the actuator 4 and the actuator body 6, and the liquid transfer tubes 12 a and 12 b that have passed through the actuator body 6 pass through the flexible tube 44 and the flexible actuator 4.
It is connected to the openings of the expansion tubes 16 of a and 4b.

As shown in FIG. 4, in the manual operation section 46 of the present embodiment, a bag body 50 made of a highly flexible resin that is arranged in a case 48 and is flexible and expandable / contractible has a relay tube 52 with a check valve. Further, the bag body 50 is connected to the two liquid transfer tubes 12a and 12b through the branch tube 53, and the bag body 50 is filled with a predetermined amount of working fluid. The check valve-equipped relay tube 52 is made of an elastically deformable resin material, and moves from the bag body 50 to the liquid transfer tube 12a.
A check valve 52a that allows the flow of the working fluid to 12b and blocks the flow of the working fluid from the liquid transfer tubes 12a and 12b to the bag 50 is provided.

A release button 54 is provided on the manual operation section 46. As long as the release button 54 is continuously pressed, the check valve 52a is elastically deformed to form a flow path, and the liquid transfer tube 12a is formed. , 12b to the bag 50. Further, the case 4
8 has a hook 56 formed on it.
Is a hole or a recess (not shown) provided in the support grip portion 8.
The manual operation part 46 is detachably fixed to the support grip 8 when locked. The hook 56 and the hole or the concave portion correspond to the manual operation unit fixing means of the present invention.

Next, the manual manipulator 4 having the above configuration
A procedure and an action of gripping an object using 0 will be described. First, the flexible tube 44 arranged in advance at the tip of the actuator body 6 is bent to a predetermined angle so that the grasping operation of the object can be facilitated. Then, for example, by grasping the manual operation part 46 with the right hand, the covering tube 32
The flexible actuators 4a, 4b at the tip of the actuator body 6 are gripped by the left hand while holding the (liquid moving tubes 12a, 12b) in a bent state.
Close to the object.

When the bag body 50 of the manual operation portion 46 is gripped, the working fluid enclosed in the bag body 50 is pushed out, and the pair of flexible actuators 4a and 4b of the flexible actuators 4a and 4b are moved through the liquid transfer tubes 12a and 12b. It is evenly supplied to the expansion tube 16. As a result, the expanded hollow portions 22a of the expansion tube 16 into which the working fluid has flowed,
22b ... Inflate and displace each bone member 18a, 18b ... while bending the core material 20, and the pair of flexible actuators 4a, 4b simultaneously bend with a predetermined curvature.

Here, the relay tube 52 with a check valve connected to the bag body 50 includes the liquid transfer tubes 12a and 1a.
Since the flow of the working fluid from the 2b side to the bag body 50 is blocked, even if the operation of grasping the bag body 50 of the manual operation part 46 is stopped, the pair of flexible actuators 4a and 4b maintain the bent state. When the release button 54 of the manual operation section 46 is pressed, the check valve 52a of the relay tube 52 with check valve is elastically deformed, and the liquid transfer tube 12a,
The flow of the working fluid from 12b to the bag body 50 is allowed, and the elastic restoring force of the core material 20 of the flexible actuators 4a and 4b causes the working fluid in the tube 16 to pass through the liquid transfer tubes 12a and 12b and the manual operation part 46. Of the flexible actuators 4a and 4b, the bone members 18a, 18b ... Are also returned to their original positions.
Is the initial state.

According to the manual manipulator 40 having the above structure, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained, and the pair of flexible actuators 4a and 4b are provided.
Even if the operation of gripping the bag body 50 of the manual operation unit 46 is stopped after the object has been gripped by the user, the object can be kept gripped. Therefore, remove the hand from the manual operation unit 46 and use the support grips with both hands. It is possible to perform an operation of moving the grasped object to another place while grasping 8 or the actuator body 6.

The release button 5 of the manual operation section 46
Flexible actuators 4a, 4
The working fluid in b is started to flow out, and the gripped state of the object by the pair of flexible actuators 4a and 4b can be easily released. Further, the hook 56 formed on the case 48 of the manual operation portion 46 is attached to the support grip portion 8
Since the manual operation part 46 can be integrated with the support grip part 8 by engaging with the hole or recess provided in the above, the work is easy even when performing the gripping operation with one hand.

Moreover, when the flexible tube 44 arranged at the tip of the actuator body 6 is bent at a predetermined angle, it becomes possible to easily perform work such as gripping an object behind the object. Moreover, since the manual manipulator 40 of the present invention uses the fluid to transmit the force, it generates a large force as compared with the one using the wire, and even if the flexible pipe 44 is bent with a small curvature, It has the feature that operating resistance does not increase.

Therefore, the manual manipulator 40 of this embodiment can further improve the operability of gripping an object. Further, in the present embodiment, the entire area of the flexible actuators 4a and 4b is the liquid absorbing member 4.
Since it is covered with 2, even if the flexible actuators 4a and 4b are damaged, the working fluid can be surely prevented from leaking to the outside.

[0040]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the invention, the position and angle of the hand gripping the support grip portion is limited by providing the relative position between the manual operation portion and the grip portion with a degree of freedom. Therefore, the range of gripping the object can be widened. Since the liquid is used as the means for transmitting the gripping force from the manual operation part to the gripping part, a large gripping force is generated in the gripping part, so that a heavy object can be reliably gripped.

According to the inventions of claims 2 to 7,
Positioning of the gripping part with respect to the target object and gripping operation can be performed easily and reliably. Particularly, according to the second aspect of the present invention, by grasping the manual operation part with one hand and bringing the grip part closer to the object while gripping the support grip part with the other hand, the grip part moves from the object during the grip operation. It does not shake and the gripping operation can be performed accurately.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, when carrying out a careful grasping operation or when grasping and moving a heavy object, only the support grip portion can be grasped by both hands. Work becomes easy. Further, according to the invention described in claim 4, by changing the direction of the gripping portion by the direction changing means, the gripping portion can be positioned near the object behind the object or the like.

According to the fifth and sixth aspects of the invention,
The fluid can be supplied to the grip portion by a simple operation with one hand. According to the invention of claim 7, it is possible to easily perform the operation of maintaining the grasped state of the object or immediately releasing the grasped state with one hand. And claim 8
According to the inventions described in (1) to (11), it is possible to hold an object with high accuracy by using a flexible actuator having an articulated shape.

According to the twelfth aspect of the invention, even a fragile object can be grasped gently and surely. Furthermore, according to the thirteenth aspect of the present invention, since the outer periphery of the grip portion is covered with the film-shaped liquid absorbing member, it is possible to reliably prevent the fluid from leaking to the outside.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a view showing a manual manipulator of a first embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a flexible actuator that constitutes a grip portion of a manual manipulator.

FIG. 3 is a view showing a manual manipulator of a second embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an internal structure of a manual operation unit according to a second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

2, 40 Manual manipulators 4a, 4b Flexible actuator (grasping part) 6 Actuator body 8 Support grip parts 10, 46 Manual operating parts 12a, 12b Liquid moving tube (pressure resistant tube) 16 Expansion tubes 18a, 18b ... Bone member 20 Core materials 22a, 22b ... Swelling hollow portion 24 Reduced diameter hollow portion 28 Flexible material 42 Liquid absorbing member 44 Flexible pipe (direction changing means) 48 Case 50 Bag body 52 Relay tube with check valve 52a Check valve 54 Release button 56 Hook

Claims (13)

[Claims] 1. A gripping part for gripping an object by supplying a liquid, a manual operation part containing a liquid pressure supply part, and a connection between the gripping part and the manual operation part, A manual pressure manipulator, comprising: a flexible pressure resistant tube that serves as a flow path for supplying the liquid generated in the liquid pressure supply unit to the holding unit or returning the liquid from the holding unit. . 2. The manual manipulator according to claim 1, wherein the grip portion is arranged at a tip end portion of a long manipulator body provided with a support grip portion. 3. The manual operation part and the support grip part are provided with a manual operation part fixing means capable of detachably fixing the manual operation part to the support grip part. The manual manipulator according to claim 2. 4. A direction changing means for changing the holding direction of the grip and holding the state between the grip of the manipulator body and the grip of the manipulator body. Alternatively, the manual manipulator described in 3. 5. The liquid pressurizing and supplying section comprises a cylinder in which a fluid is sealed and which is connected to the pressure resistant tube, and a piston which reciprocates in the cylinder. The manual manipulator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a manual operation unit having a built-in supply unit is provided with an operation stick that is coupled to the piston to transmit the forward movement. 6. The liquid pressurizing and supplying unit is configured to include a bag body in which a fluid is enclosed and which is connected to the pressure resistant tube and is expandable and contractible, and is added by crushing the bag body. The manual manipulator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the pressurized liquid is supplied to the grip portion via the pressure resistant tube. 7. The liquid pressurizing and supplying section is provided with a check valve for allowing the supply of the liquid to the gripping section and preventing the liquid from returning from the gripping section, and is manually operated from the gripping section. 7. The manual manipulator according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a check valve opening mechanism capable of allowing the return of the liquid. 8. The multi-joint flexible actuator that bends the grip portion in a direction of gripping an object with a predetermined curvature and grips the object with a predetermined gripping force. The manual manipulator according to claim 1. 9. The gripping portion is formed of a pair of the flexible actuators that are arranged so as to face each other and bend in directions toward each other.
The described manual manipulator. 10. The flexible actuator comprises:
A long expansion tube to which a liquid is supplied, and a plurality of bone members arranged at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction of the expansion tube,
An elastically deformable core material that holds the arrangement of these bone members, the expansion tube is formed of a material that can be expanded and contracted freely, and a plurality of flat-shaped expanded hollows provided at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction. 10. The manual manipulator according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the manual manipulator comprises a portion and a reduced diameter hollow portion that communicates between the bulging hollow portions. 11. The manual manipulator according to claim 10, wherein an elastic restoring force acts on the core material in a direction in which the postures of the expansion tube and the plurality of bone members are returned. 12. The manual manipulator according to claim 1, wherein a flexible material is arranged on a side of the grip portion that comes into contact with the object. 13. The manual manipulator according to claim 1, wherein an outer periphery of the grip portion is covered with a film-shaped liquid absorbing member.