JP2006159319A - Actuator and robot hand - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an actuator capable of realizing sufficient carrier performance, simple in structure and suitable for miniaturization in carrying an object by a progressive wave. <P>SOLUTION: A flexible substrate 14 is fixed on an actuator substrate 11 by overlapping it, a plurality of telescopic driving elements 12 are fixed in parallel on the flexible substrate 14, An elastic member 13 is placed and locked on an upper end of each of the telescopic driving elements 12 and a control driving part 15 is connected to each of the telescopic driving elements 12 through the flexible substrate 14. The control driving part 15 forms the progressive wave the progressing direction of which is an X direction by sequentially applying voltage to each of the telescopic driving elements 12 through the flexible substrate 14, sequentially expanding and contracting each of the telescopic driving elements 12 in a Z direction and deforming the elastic member 13 into wavy form. When an object is placed on this elastic member 13, the object is carried in a reverse direction to the X direction by the progressive wave of this elastic member 13. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an actuator for transporting an object and a robot hand.

  As is well known, there is a belt conveyor or the like as a conveying device. This belt conveyor is an apparatus that supports an endless belt that is stretched around a plurality of rollers, rotates the endless belt, and conveys an object placed on the endless belt.

  However, this belt conveyor requires a plurality of rotating rollers and a motor as a power source for each rotating roller, and the configuration thereof is complicated, and downsizing is not easy. Furthermore, since an electromagnetic wave is generated from the motor, a belt conveyor is not suitable for an apparatus that dislikes the electromagnetic wave, such as a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus.

  For such a belt conveyor, there has been proposed a conveying device that does not generate electromagnetic waves, has a simple configuration, and is easy to downsize. For example, in Patent Document 1, a plurality of vibrators are arranged side by side, a conveyance path made of an elastic material is placed on and supported by each vibrator, and each vibrator is vibrated to form a traveling wave on the surface of the conveyance path. However, a conveying device that conveys an object on the conveying path by this traveling wave is disclosed.

  Further, in Patent Document 2, as shown in FIG. 18, a plurality of pressure chambers 102 are formed side by side on a plate-like elastic member 101, the pressure in each pressure chamber 102 is controlled, and each pressure chamber 102 is sequentially expanded. An actuator is disclosed that deforms the plate-like elastic member 101, forms a traveling wave on the surface 101a of the plate-like elastic member 101, and conveys an object on the surface 101a of the plate-like elastic member 101. Yes.

Furthermore, in Patent Document 3, a plurality of stators 111 are arranged in parallel as shown in FIG. 19, and a wave elastic plate 112 is placed and supported on each stator 111, and the applied voltage of each stator 111 is controlled. In addition, an actuator is disclosed in which each stator 111 is sequentially bent by electrostatic force to form a traveling wave on the surface of the wave elastic plate 112, and the mover 113 on the wave elastic plate 112 is conveyed.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 60-258013 JP-A-9-79213 JP-A-9-252585

  However, although the conveyance device described in Patent Document 1 is suitable for downsizing, since the amount of bending of each vibrator is small, the amplitude of the traveling wave is small, the conveyance speed is slow, and the object is heavy. I was in trouble.

  Moreover, even if the structure of the actuator described in Patent Document 2 is simple, there are a plurality of pressure applying means for pumping air to each pressure chamber of the plate-like elastic member, and a plurality of pressure chambers connecting the pressure applying means. This tube was necessary and was not suitable for miniaturization. In addition, since air pressure is used, the response of traveling waves is poor and it is difficult to form a traveling wave having a high frequency. Furthermore, the partition between the pressure chambers is a factor that hinders the deformation of the pressure chambers, the plate-like elastic member is not easily deformed, and the conveyance speed cannot be increased. Also, since the thickness is different at the end and the center of the actuator, the end is thicker and the rigidity is higher, the difference in the amplitude of the traveling wave occurs at the end and the center, resulting in uneven transport performance. There was a problem.

  Furthermore, although the actuator described in Patent Document 3 is suitable for downsizing, since the amount of bending of each stator is small, the amplitude of the traveling wave is small, the conveyance speed is slow, and the object becomes heavy, I was in trouble. In addition, since the bending amount is different between the end portion and the central portion of the stator, there is a problem that the amplitude of the traveling wave is different between the end portion and the central portion of the actuator, and the conveyance performance is uneven.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and is capable of realizing sufficient transport performance when transporting an object by traveling waves, has a simple structure, and is downsized. An object of the present invention is to provide an actuator suitable for the above.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a robot hand provided with the actuator of the present invention.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, an actuator according to the present invention includes a plurality of arrayed expansion / contraction drive elements, an elastic member placed on and locked to each expansion / contraction drive element, and the expansion / contraction of each expansion / contraction drive element. The elastic member is deformed, and control means is provided for applying the respective voltages to the expansion / contraction drive elements to expand / contract the expansion / contraction drive elements so that traveling waves are formed in the elastic members.

  In the present invention, each expansion / contraction drive element is a polymer actuator in which a polymer material having elasticity is sandwiched between electrodes.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, the expansion / contraction drive elements are arranged in the matrix direction.

  Further, in the present invention, provided with contact state detection means for detecting the contact state between the object and the elastic member, the control means expands and contracts each extension drive element based on the detection output of the contact state detection means, The elastic member is deformed along the surface of the object, and in this state, each expansion / contraction drive element is expanded and contracted to form a traveling wave in the elastic member.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, a plurality of protrusions are formed on the surface of the elastic member.

  Further, in the present invention, each electrode pattern is provided with a plurality of electrode patterns respectively connected to each expansion / contraction driving element, and each expansion / contraction driving element is divided into a plurality of groups, and each electrode pattern set to a different potential for each group is provided. The electrodes are sequentially arranged in correspondence with the expansion / contraction driving elements, and electrode patterns set to the same potential are arranged in the same order in the respective groups in correspondence with the expansion / contraction driving elements. And the phase of the potential of each electrode pattern in one set is different. Further, for each set, a traveling wave for one wavelength is formed by each expansion / contraction drive element connected to each electrode pattern.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, each expansion / contraction drive element is arranged on a curved surface.

  On the other hand, according to another aspect of the present invention, in a robot hand that grips an object or the like, the actuator of the present invention is provided at a portion of the robot hand that contacts the object.

  According to the actuator of the present invention, a voltage is applied to each expansion / contraction drive element to expand / contract each expansion / contraction drive element, and a traveling wave is formed in the elastic member on each expansion / contraction drive element. Therefore, although the control means for applying a voltage to each expansion / contraction drive element and the wiring pattern for connecting the control means and each expansion / contraction drive element are required, the configuration is simple and the size can be reduced. is there. In addition, since each expansion / contraction drive element is separated from each other and does not include a factor that hinders deformation of each expansion / contraction drive element, the amplitude of the traveling wave of the elastic member can be increased, It is possible to increase the conveyance speed and convey a heavy object.

  Each expansion / contraction drive element is a polymer actuator in which a polymer material having elasticity is sandwiched between electrodes. Since the expansion / contraction driving element of the polymer actuator has a large expansion / contraction amount, the amplitude of the traveling wave can be increased. In addition, since both the polymer material and each electrode have elasticity and can be easily processed, the length of each expansion / contraction drive element can be increased. Even in this case, the amount of expansion / contraction between the central portion and the end portion of each expansion / contraction drive element is the same, there is no difference in the amplitude of the traveling wave between the end portion and the central portion, and there is no unevenness in the conveyance performance.

  Further, according to the present invention, the expansion / contraction drive elements are arranged in the matrix direction. In this case, a traveling wave in the matrix direction as well as a traveling wave in an oblique direction and a rotating direction can be formed on the elastic member on each expansion / contraction drive element, and not only the conveyance of the object in one direction but also the object It is also possible to carry the object forward / backward / left / right and to rotate it.

  Further, according to the present invention, the contact state between the object and the elastic member is detected, each expansion / contraction drive element is expanded / contracted, and the elastic member is deformed along the surface of the object, and in this state, each expansion / contraction drive is performed. The element is expanded and contracted to form a traveling wave in the elastic member. Thereby, a conveyance force can be made to act on the surface of a target object uniformly, and the stable conveyance of a target object is attained.

  Furthermore, according to the present invention, a plurality of protrusions are formed on the surface of the elastic member. In this case, when the elastic member is deformed along with expansion / contraction of each expansion / contraction drive element, the amount of movement of each projection tip increases, and a traveling wave having a large amplitude is formed at each projection tip. For this reason, it becomes possible to raise a conveyance force and a conveyance speed more, and to improve conveyance performance.

  In addition, according to the present invention, a plurality of electrode patterns connected to each expansion / contraction drive element are provided, and the electrode patterns are arranged in an appropriate order. Thereby, each expansion-contraction drive element expands-contracts sequentially, and a traveling wave is formed in an elastic member.

  Furthermore, according to the present invention, the expansion / contraction drive elements are arranged on a curved surface. In this case, the surface of the elastic member on each expansion / contraction drive element is also a curved surface, and the object can be conveyed along the curved surface of the elastic member.

  On the other hand, according to another aspect of the present invention, the actuator of the present invention is provided in a portion of a robot hand that contacts an object. For this reason, when the object is gripped by the robot hand, the object comes into contact with the actuator, and the object can be conveyed by the actuator. For example, if an actuator is provided on the palm of the robot hand, the object can be moved or rotated on the palm of the hand, so that the object can be delicately handled by the robot hand.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
<Embodiment 1>
FIG. 1 is a partially exploded perspective view showing a first embodiment of the actuator of the present invention. In the actuator 10 of the present embodiment, the flexible substrate 14 is overlaid and fixed on the actuator substrate 11, and a plurality of expansion / contraction drive elements 12 are arranged and fixed on the flexible substrate 14. A sheet-like elastic member 13 is placed and locked, and the control drive unit 15 is connected to each telescopic drive element 12 through the flexible substrate 14. The control drive unit 15 sequentially applies a voltage to each expansion / contraction drive element 12 through the flexible substrate 14, sequentially expands / contracts each expansion / contraction drive element 12 in the Z direction, deforms the elastic member 13, and waves the elastic member 13. A traveling wave whose traveling direction is the X direction is formed. When the object is placed on the elastic member 13, the object is conveyed in the direction opposite to the X direction by the traveling wave of the elastic member 13.

  Each expansion / contraction drive element 12 is formed by winding a polymer actuator in which a sheet-like polymer material 21 as shown in FIG. 2A is sandwiched between a pair of electrodes 22 and 23 in a roll shape as shown in FIG. It is molded into a square bar shape. The polymer material 21 is also called a dielectric elastomer, an electrostrictive polymer, or the like, and is formed by a spin coating method, a dip coating method, a casting method, or a spray method. Each electrode 22 has flexibility and is formed by a manufacturing method similar to that for the polymer material 21.

  When a voltage is applied between the electrodes 22 and 23, an electrostatic force is generated between the electrodes 22 and 23, and this electrostatic force acts to spread the polymer material 21 as shown in FIG. 2 (b). The polymer material 21 and the electrodes 22 and 23 extend, and the expansion / contraction drive element extends.

  When the voltage application between the electrodes 22 and 23 is stopped, the electrostatic force between the electrodes 22 disappears, and the polymer material 21 and the electrodes 22 and 23 return to the original state shown in FIG. The length of the telescopic drive element is restored.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the expansion / contraction drive element 12 in which the polymer material 21 and each electrode 22 are wound in a roll shape and formed into a square bar shape expands and contracts in the Z direction in which the polymer material 21 and each electrode 22, 23 spread. Will do.

  The polymer actuators are P32 to P38 of the January 2001 issue of “Electronic Packaging Technology” published by the Technical Research Committee, and “SCIENCE” April 2000 of “SCIENCE”. (FEBRUARY) VOL287, P836, P837 and the like.

  The flexible substrate 14 has a known flexibility or elasticity and has a wiring pattern as shown in FIG. Here, each of the expansion / contraction drive elements 12 is divided into a plurality of sets, with the odd-numbered and even-numbered sets as one set. Are connected in common, and one electrode 22 of each even-numbered expansion / contraction drive element 12 of each set is connected in common to the control drive unit 15 through each wiring pattern 25. The other electrodes 23 of all the expansion / contraction drive elements 12 are grounded through a wiring pattern (not shown).

  The control driving unit 15 alternately outputs a constant voltage to each wiring pattern 24 and each wiring pattern 25, and is alternately constant to each pair of odd-numbered expansion / contraction driving elements 12 and each pair of even-numbered expansion / contraction driving elements 12. A voltage is applied, and the odd-numbered expansion / contraction drive elements 12 in each set and the even-numbered expansion / contraction drive elements 12 in each set are alternately expanded. More specifically, a constant voltage is applied to the electrodes 22 of the odd-numbered expansion / contraction driving elements 12 of each group through the wiring patterns 24 to extend the odd-numbered expansion / contraction driving elements 12 of each group. The voltage application to the electrodes 22 of the even-numbered expansion / contraction drive elements 12 of the set is stopped, and the even-numbered expansion / contraction drive elements 12 of each set are returned to their original lengths. Further, the control drive unit 15 applies a constant voltage to the electrodes 22 of the even-numbered expansion / contraction drive elements 12 of each set through the wiring patterns 25 to extend the even-numbered expansion / contraction drive elements 12 of each set. Then, the voltage application to the electrodes 22 of the odd-numbered expansion / contraction driving elements 12 in each group is stopped, and the odd-numbered expansion / contraction driving elements 12 in each group are returned to their original lengths. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the odd-numbered expansion / contraction driving elements 12 of each set and the even-numbered expansion / contraction driving elements 12 of each set are alternately expanded.

  The elastic member 13 is made of a synthetic resin having elasticity, and is locked to the upper end of each telescopic drive element 12. For example, the upper end of each expansion / contraction drive element 12 is formed in a mountain shape, and the elastic member 13 is bonded to the center of the upper end of each expansion / contraction drive element 12.

  Accordingly, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, when the odd-numbered expansion / contraction driving elements 12 and the even-numbered expansion / contraction driving elements 12 of each set are alternately expanded, the elastic member 13 is driven by the respective expansion / contraction driving. The elastic member 13 is undulated as it deforms following the upper end of the element 12.

  Then, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the elastic member 13 is applied to the electrodes 22 of the odd-numbered expansion / contraction drive elements 12 in each set in a state where the elastic member 13 undulates following the upper end of each expansion / contraction drive element 12. When the phases of the applied voltage and the voltage applied to the electrodes 22 of the even-numbered expansion / contraction drive elements 12 of each set are shifted, a traveling wave is generated in the elastic member 13. For example, when the phase of the voltage applied to the electrodes 22 of the odd-numbered expansion / contraction drive elements 12 in each set is advanced, a traveling wave in the direction opposite to the X direction is generated in the elastic member 13, and the object on the drive member 13 is When the object is conveyed in the X direction and the phase of the voltage applied to the electrodes 22 of the even-numbered expansion / contraction drive elements 12 of each set is advanced, a traveling wave in the X direction is generated in the elastic member 13, and the drive member 13 The upper object is conveyed in the direction opposite to the X direction.

  Here, in general, when attention is paid to only one point on the medium through which the traveling wave propagates, it is known that the point has an elliptical motion rather than a simple vertical motion. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the point P on the surface of the elastic member 13 performs an elliptical motion. At this time, when the traveling direction of the traveling wave of the elastic member 13 is the X direction, the motion direction P1 of the point P near the apex of the traveling wave is opposite to the traveling direction X of the traveling wave. When the object is placed on the elastic member 13, the object contacts only the point P near the apex of the traveling wave and receives the force of the point P near the apex, so that the object is conveyed in the direction opposite to the traveling direction X. The

  As described above, in the actuator 10 of the present embodiment, a constant voltage is alternately applied to the odd-numbered expansion / contraction driving elements 12 of each set and the even-numbered expansion / contraction driving elements 12 of each set, and the odd-numbered expansion / contraction driving of each set. The elements 12 and the even-numbered expansion / contraction drive elements 12 of each set are alternately extended to generate a traveling wave in the elastic member 13, and the object on the driving member 13 is conveyed in a direction opposite to the traveling wave.

  Although this actuator 10 requires a control drive unit 15 that applies a voltage to each expansion / contraction drive element 12, an actuator substrate 11, and a flexible substrate 14, its configuration is simple, and each expansion / contraction drive element 12 is downsized. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size of the actuator 10 itself. Further, since each expansion / contraction drive element 12 is separated from each other and does not include a factor that prevents the deformation of each expansion / contraction drive element 12, the amplitude of the traveling wave of the elastic member 13 can be increased, and the elastic member 13. It is possible to increase the conveying force and conveying speed due to the movement of the heavy object.

  Further, even if the expansion / contraction driving element 12 is elongated in the Y direction, the entire expansion / contraction action element 12 expands and contracts uniformly in the Z direction, and the expansion / contraction amount between the central portion and the end portion of the expansion / contraction driving element 12 is the same. Therefore, there is no difference in the amplitude of the traveling wave between the end portion and the center portion of the expansion / contraction drive element 12, and the conveyance performance does not vary.

  Furthermore, the actuator 10 has a simple configuration as compared with the belt conveyor and can be thinned as a whole, so that it can be mounted even in a small space. Furthermore, since a motor or the like is not required, it can be mounted on a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus that does not emit electromagnetic waves and hates electromagnetic waves.

  Instead of providing the flexible substrate 14 between the actuator substrate 11 and each expansion / contraction drive element 12, the flexible substrate 14 is provided between each expansion / contraction drive element 12 and the elastic member 13, and each expansion / contraction drive element 12 is connected to the wiring pattern of the flexible substrate 14. You may connect to the control drive part 14 through. Further, instead of providing the flexible substrate 14, a plurality of lines are routed to the side of each expansion / contraction drive element 12 and connected to the electrode of each expansion / contraction drive element 12, and each expansion / contraction drive element 12 and the control drive are connected through each line. The unit 14 may be connected.

  Further, instead of alternately expanding / contracting the odd-numbered expansion / contraction driving elements 12 of each set and the even-numbered expansion / contraction driving elements 12 of each set, two or more expansion / contraction driving elements 12 are used as one set, The expansion / contraction drive element 12 and the even-numbered expansion / contraction drive elements 12 may be alternately expanded and contracted. Alternatively, as shown in FIGS. 7A to 7E, each expansion / contraction drive element 12 may be sequentially extended one by one. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 8, three or more expansion / contraction drive elements 12 may be used as one set, and a traveling wave for one wavelength may be generated in the drive member 13 by each expansion / contraction drive element 12 for each set. However, it is necessary to separately control the respective expansion / contraction drive elements 12 by connecting the electrodes 22 of the respective expansion / contraction drive elements 12 to the control drive unit 14 separately.

  Furthermore, the expansion / contraction drive elements 12 may not be arranged at equal intervals, but the intervals between the expansion / contraction drive elements 12 may be changed intentionally, thereby adjusting the conveyance performance.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the driving member 13 may be provided with a plurality of protrusions 13a. The protrusions 13a protrude in the Z direction with respect to the drive member 13, extend in the Y direction along the expansion / contraction drive elements 12, are arranged at equal intervals in the X direction, and only their tips contact the object. . As these protrusions 13a become higher, the amplitudes of the front and rear of the tip of each protrusion 13a increase, and the displacement speed of each protrusion 13a in the X direction increases. For this reason, a target object can be conveyed at higher speed and conveyance performance can be improved more.

Further, not only the flexible substrate 14 but also the actuator substrate 11 having flexibility or elasticity may be applied, and the actuator 10 itself may have flexibility or elasticity. In this case, the actuator 10 can be provided along a curved surface, or can be provided across two locations where the actuator 10 moves relatively.
<Embodiment 2>
FIG. 10 is a partially exploded perspective view showing a second embodiment of the actuator of the present invention. In the actuator 30 of the present embodiment, the flexible substrate 34 is overlapped and fixed on the actuator substrate 31, and a plurality of expansion / contraction drive elements 32 are arranged and fixed in the matrix direction on the flexible substrate 34. A sheet-like elastic member 33 is placed and locked on the upper end, and the control drive unit 35 is connected to each telescopic drive element 32 through the flexible substrate 34. The control drive unit 34 selectively applies a voltage to each expansion / contraction drive element 32 sequentially through the flexible substrate 34, and selectively expands / contracts each expansion / contraction drive element 32 in order to form a traveling wave on the elastic member 33. When the object is placed on the elastic member 33, the object is conveyed in a direction opposite to the traveling direction of the traveling wave by the traveling wave of the elastic member 33.

  Each expansion / contraction drive element 32 has the same configuration as the expansion / contraction drive element 12 of FIG.

  The flexible substrate 34 has a wiring pattern for connecting one electrode of each expansion / contraction drive element 32 to the control drive unit 34 and a wiring pattern for grounding the other electrode of each expansion / contraction drive element 32. Alternatively, instead of providing the flexible substrate 34, a plurality of lines are routed to the side of each expansion / contraction drive element 32 and connected to the electrode of each expansion / contraction drive element 32, and each expansion / contraction drive element 32 and the control drive are connected through each line. The unit 34 may be connected.

  The control driving unit 35 selectively applies a voltage to each expansion / contraction driving element 32 sequentially through each wiring pattern of the flexible substrate 34 to selectively expand / contract each expansion / contraction driving element 32 sequentially.

  The elastic member 33 is locked to the upper end of each expansion / contraction drive element 32, deforms following the expansion / contraction of each expansion / contraction drive element 32, and generates a traveling wave on the surface thereof.

  In the actuator 30 having such a configuration, the expansion / contraction drive elements 32 can be selectively expanded and contracted sequentially under the control of the control drive unit 35. For example, in the matrix of each expansion / contraction drive element 32, if each row is selectively expanded / contracted in units of rows in the Y direction, a traveling wave in the X direction or the direction opposite to the X direction is generated in the elastic member 33, The object on the drive member 33 can be conveyed in the direction opposite to the X direction or in the X direction. Further, if each column is selectively expanded and contracted sequentially in units of columns in the X direction, a traveling wave in the Y direction or the direction opposite to the Y direction is generated in the elastic member 33, and the object on the drive member 33 is moved. It can be conveyed in the direction opposite to the Y direction or in the Y direction.

  Alternatively, the expansion / contraction drive elements 32 are selectively expanded and contracted sequentially in the direction oblique to the X direction and the Y direction, and a traveling wave in the oblique direction or the direction opposite to the oblique direction is generated in the elastic member 33. The object on the drive member 33 can be conveyed in a direction opposite to the oblique direction or in an oblique direction.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 11, each expansion / contraction drive element 32 is allocated to two regions 36 and 37, and each expansion / contraction drive element 32 is selectively expanded and contracted sequentially for each region 36 and 37 under the control of the control drive unit 35. May be. For example, in the region 36, the traveling wave speed N1 of the elastic member 33 accompanying expansion / contraction of each expansion / contraction drive element 32 is increased, and in the region 37, the traveling wave of the elastic member 33 accompanying expansion / contraction of each expansion / contraction driving element 32 is increased. Decrease the speed N2. Thereby, a difference occurs in the conveyance speed of the object 39 between the regions 36 and 37, and the object 39 rotates in the direction C while being conveyed on the elastic member 33.

  Alternatively, if the traveling direction of the traveling wave in the region 36 and the traveling direction of the traveling wave in the region 37 are reversed, the object 39 rotates on the elastic member 33.

  Instead of providing the flexible substrate 34 between the actuator substrate 31 and each expansion / contraction drive element 32, the flexible substrate 34 is provided between each expansion / contraction drive element 32 and the elastic member 33, and each expansion / contraction drive element 32 is connected to the wiring pattern of the flexible substrate 34. You may connect to the control drive part 34 through.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 12, the driving member 33 may be provided with a plurality of protrusions 33a in the matrix direction. Each protrusion 33a protrudes in the Z direction with respect to the drive member 33, is arranged at equal intervals in the XY direction, and only their tips contact the object. As these projections 33a become higher, the amplitude of the tip of each projection 33a increases, and the displacement speed in the XY direction of the tip of each projection 33a increases. For this reason, a target object can be conveyed at higher speed and conveyance performance can be improved more.

  Furthermore, not only the flexible substrate 34 but also an actuator substrate 31 having flexibility or elasticity may be applied, and the actuator 30 itself may have flexibility or elasticity. In this case, as shown in FIG. 13, the actuator 30 can be provided along the curved surface S, or the actuator 30 can be provided across two places where the actuator 30 moves relatively. Alternatively, it can be provided on the palm of the robot hand or on the belly of the finger. In recent years, development of robot hands has been active, and robot hands are trying to make complicated movements. This requires a mechanism having multiple degrees of freedom and complicated control, but its development is extremely difficult. Therefore, if the actuator of the present invention is mounted on the palm of the robot hand or the belly of the finger and the object gripped by the robot hand is moved or rotated, the configuration and control of the robot hand are not complicated. It becomes possible to perform complicated work.

Further, the arrangement pattern of the expansion / contraction drive elements 32 or the arrangement pattern of the protrusions 33a of the drive member 33 in FIG. 12 is not limited to the matrix direction, and may be variously modified. In addition, the arrangement pattern may be changed for each of a plurality of regions.
<Embodiment 3>
FIG. 14 is a partially exploded perspective view showing a third embodiment of the actuator of the present invention. In FIG. 14, the same reference numerals are given to portions that perform the same operation as in FIG. 10.

  In the actuator 40 of the present embodiment, a coordinate sensor 41 equivalent to a known touch panel or the like is inserted between each expansion / contraction drive element 32 and the elastic member 33 in FIG. The coordinate sensor 41 does not need to be transparent like a touch panel and has flexibility or elasticity using pressure-sensitive rubber or the like. When the object comes into contact with the elastic member 33, the object is The contacted position is detected via the elastic member 33. Based on the detection output of the coordinate sensor 41, the control drive unit 35A expands and contracts each expansion / contraction drive element 32 so that the elastic member 33 is deformed into a shape along the surface of the object.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 15A, when the object 42 comes into contact with the elastic member 33 in a state in which each expansion / contraction drive element 32 is contracted, the control drive unit 35 </ b> A detects the target based on the detection output of the coordinate sensor 41. At least one expansion / contraction drive element 32 at the contact position of the object 42 is determined, and each of the other expansion / contraction drive elements 32 around the expansion / contraction drive element 32 at the contact position is gradually extended. Then, the control drive unit 35A comes into contact with the surface of the object 42 when another position of the elastic member 33 comes into contact with the extension of each other expansion / contraction drive element 32 based on the detection output of the coordinate sensor 41. The expansion / contraction drive element 32 at another position is determined, the expansion of the expansion / contraction drive element 32 at this contact position is stopped, and the length of the expansion / contraction drive element 32 at this time is maintained. Similarly, every time any position of the elastic member 33 comes into contact with the surface of the object 42, the expansion / contraction drive element 32 at this contact position is determined based on the detection output of the coordinate sensor 41, and this contact position The extension of the telescopic drive element 32 is stopped and the length thereof is maintained.

  Thereby, as shown in FIG. 15B, each expansion / contraction drive element 32 expands, the elastic member 33 is deformed into a shape along the surface of the object, and the elastic member 33 contacts the surface of the object in a wide range. To do.

  Thereafter, the control drive unit 35 selectively expands and contracts each expansion / contraction drive element 32 sequentially, generates a traveling wave in the elastic member 33, and conveys or rotates the object on the drive member 33. Further, when the object is transported or rotated, each expansion / contraction drive element 32 is expanded or contracted based on the detection output of the coordinate sensor 41 so that the elastic member 33 is deformed into a shape along the surface of the object 42. A traveling wave is generated in the elastic member 33.

  As a result, the state in which the elastic member 33 is in contact with the surface of the object 42 in a wide range is maintained, and the object 42 is conveyed or rotated by the traveling wave of the elastic member 33, so that the surface of the object 42 is The conveying force acts in a wide range, and the object 42 is stably conveyed or rotated.

  As the coordinate sensor 41, not only the touch panel but also other types may be applied. For example, as shown in FIG. 16, for each expansion / contraction drive element 32, an electrode 51 is provided at the distal end of the expansion / contraction drive element 32, and an electrode 52 is provided at a position opposite to the distal end of the expansion / contraction drive element 32 on the back surface of the elastic member 33. A spring 53 interposed between 51 and 52 may be applied. When the object comes into contact with the elastic member 33, a force acts on the expansion / contraction drive element 32 at the contact position so that the electrodes 51 and 52 of the expansion / contraction drive element 32 approach each other, and the electrostatic force between the electrodes 51 and 52 is increased. Since the capacitance changes, if the change in the capacitance between the electrodes 51 and 52 is detected for each of the expansion / contraction drive elements 32, it is detected which position of the elastic member 33 is in contact with the surface of the object. The expansion / contraction drive element 32 at this position can be determined.

  If the sensor having the structure as shown in FIG. 16 is realized as a MEMS (Microelectoromechanical System) sensor, a small sensor can be obtained.

  Further, the telescopic drive element itself can be used as a sensor. A telescopic drive element, which is a polymer actuator, causes some buckling when in contact with an object. This buckling makes the extension of the polymer actuator asymmetric. By reading the asymmetric extension, it is possible to know whether or not the object has been touched. There are various other sensing methods using the polymer actuator itself, but an appropriate method may be selected according to the installation location of the polymer actuator and the transported object.

  The actuator of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and can be variously modified. For example, the expansion / contraction drive element is not limited to the polymer actuator in which the polymer material 21 shown in FIG. 2A is sandwiched between the pair of electrodes 22 and 23, and other types of elements may be applied. As another type of expansion / contraction drive element, there is an element that utilizes the property that an electrode is provided in a polymer material and ions are taken in and expanded when a voltage is applied, and this may be used.

  Alternatively, any driving element can be used as long as it is an actuator that can be electrically controlled and has the same properties as the polymer actuator.

  Further, as an expansion / contraction driving element, there is an element that generates an ultrasonic wave on the surface of an elastic member to convey an object. In this case, since the amplitude of the traveling wave is small, the object is pressed against the surface of the elastic member with a certain amount of force in order to obtain a driving force, or if the contact area of the elastic member with the surface of the elastic member is not wide, A sufficient driving force cannot be obtained. For this reason, it is not suitable for the conveyance of the object of a complicated shape. The conveyance speed is higher for ultrasonic waves. However, when a high conveyance speed is not required, it is better to form a traveling wave with a polymer actuator than to form a traveling wave with ultrasonic waves for the above reason.

Furthermore, the object to be conveyed is not particularly limited.
<Embodiment 4>
17A and 17B are a side view and a plan view schematically showing an embodiment of a robot hand to which the actuator of the present invention is applied. The robot hand 51 includes five fingers 52 having a plurality of joints, a palm 53 supporting each finger 52, an actuator 30 provided inside the palm 53, and a back side of the palm 13. The hand control circuit 55 is provided.

  Various drive mechanisms for each finger 52 have been proposed, such as a combination of pulleys and wires, a combination of gears, and the like, and any drive mechanism may be applied. The driving mechanism of each finger 52 is driven and controlled by the hand control circuit 55 through a signal line (not shown).

  The actuator 30 has the same configuration as that shown in FIG.

  The hand control circuit 55 drives and controls the driving mechanism of each finger 52 so that the target 52 is properly gripped by each finger 52. The hand control circuit 55 includes a control drive unit 35 that controls the actuator 30, and also performs control drive of the actuator 30 to generate a traveling wave in the elastic member 33 of the actuator 30.

  In the robot hand having such a configuration, when the object is gripped by each finger 52, the object contacts the surface of the elastic member 33 of the actuator 30. In this state, when a traveling wave is generated in the elastic member 33 of the actuator 30 by the control driving unit 35 of the hand control circuit 55, the object can be conveyed or rotated by the traveling wave of the elastic member 33. As a result, it becomes possible to handle the object delicately, which was impossible with the fingers 52 of the robot hand.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the actuator 30 and can be applied to any actuator according to the present invention. Further, the location where the actuator is provided may be changed, or a plurality of actuators may be provided.

1 is a partially exploded perspective view showing a first embodiment of an actuator of the present invention. (A) is a perspective view which shows the structure of a polymer actuator, (b) is a perspective view which shows operation | movement of a polymer actuator. It is a perspective view which shows the expansion-contraction drive element formed by winding a polymer actuator in roll shape and shape | molding in square-bar shape. It is a top view which shows the flexible substrate etc. in the actuator of FIG. (A) And (b) is a figure which shows operation | movement of each expansion-contraction drive element in the actuator of FIG. It is a figure which shows the traveling wave of the elastic member in the actuator of FIG. (A)-(e) is a figure which shows the modification of operation | movement of each expansion-contraction drive element in the actuator of FIG. It is a figure which shows the other modification of operation | movement of each expansion-contraction drive element in the actuator of FIG. It is a figure which shows the modification of the elastic member in the actuator of FIG. It is a partially exploded perspective view which shows 2nd Embodiment of the actuator of this invention. It is a figure which shows the conveyance state of the target object by the actuator of FIG. It is a figure which shows the modification of the elastic member in the actuator of FIG. It is a figure which shows the modification of the actuator of FIG. It is a partially exploded perspective view which shows 3rd Embodiment of the actuator of this invention. (A) And (b) is a figure which shows operation | movement of each expansion-contraction drive element in the actuator of FIG. It is a figure which shows the modification of the coordinate sensor in the actuator of FIG. (A) And (b) is the side view and top view which show roughly embodiment of the robot hand to which the actuator of this invention is applied. It is a perspective view which shows the conventional actuator. It is a perspective view which shows the other conventional actuator.

Explanation of symbols

10, 30, 40 Actuator 11, 31 Actuator substrate 12, 32 Telescopic drive element 13, 33 Elastic member 14, 34 Flexible substrate 15, 35, 35A Control drive unit 21 Polymer material 22, 23 Electrode 24, 25 Wiring pattern 41 Coordinates Sensor 51 Robot hand 52 Finger 53 Hand flat part 55 Hand control circuit

Claims (10)

A plurality of arranged telescopic drive elements;
An elastic member placed and locked on each of the telescopic drive elements;
The elastic member is deformed following the expansion / contraction of each expansion / contraction drive element, and control is performed to expand / contract each expansion / contraction drive element by applying a voltage to each expansion / contraction drive element so that a traveling wave is formed in the elastic member. And an actuator.   2. The actuator according to claim 1, wherein each of the expansion / contraction drive elements is a polymer actuator in which a polymer material having elasticity is sandwiched between the electrodes.   The actuator according to claim 1, wherein the expansion / contraction drive elements are arranged in a matrix direction. Contact state detecting means for detecting the contact state between the object and the elastic member,
Based on the detection output of the contact state detection means, the control means expands / contracts each expansion / contraction drive element, deforms the elastic member along the surface of the object, and expands / contracts each expansion / contraction drive element in this state, The actuator according to claim 1, wherein a traveling wave is formed on the elastic member.   The actuator according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of protrusions are formed on a surface of the elastic member. Provided with a plurality of electrode patterns respectively connected to each extension drive element,
Dividing each expansion / contraction drive element into a plurality of sets, each electrode pattern set to a different potential for each set is sequentially arranged corresponding to each expansion / contraction drive element, and each pair has the same potential in the same order. The actuator according to claim 1, wherein the electrode pattern set to 1 is arranged so as to correspond to the expansion / contraction drive element.   The actuator according to claim 6, wherein the phase of the potential of each electrode pattern in one set is different.   The actuator according to claim 6, wherein a traveling wave for one wavelength is formed by each expansion / contraction drive element connected to each electrode pattern for each set.   The actuator according to claim 1, wherein the extension / contraction drive elements are arranged on a curved surface. In a robot hand that grips an object,
A robot hand characterized in that the actuator according to any one of claims 1 to 9 is provided at a portion of the robot hand that contacts an object.

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