JP2007083331A - Robot hand mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a robot hand capable of ensuring secure grasping and stably conveying an object, in grasping and conveying the object from a horizontal direction. <P>SOLUTION: This robot hand mechanism 10 includes a body 11 mounted on a manipulator and a pair of grippers 12 for gripping an object 30. A supporting plate 13 for supporting a bottom face of the object 30 is locked at a storage position under the body 11. Once a movable pin 15 fitted onto the body 11 is moved in contact with the outside, the supporting plate 13 is released and transferred to a supporting position under a gripper 12, thereby supporting the object 30. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

    The present invention relates to a robot hand mechanism, and more particularly, to a robot hand mechanism capable of gripping various shapes / sizes and target articles located at various places in an environment where people coexist with humans such as homes.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, development of service-use mobile robots equipped with an arm for carrying articles using an arm in a home or facility has been promoted. Such a mobile robot includes a robot hand mechanism that grips an article. The robot hand mechanism includes a gripper that grips an article and a manipulator that operates the gripper.

Conventionally, as disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 as a robot hand mechanism, a mechanism that can grip target articles of various shapes and sizes from a direction in which it is easy to grip is known. On the other hand, Patent Document 3 and Patent Document 4 are known as apparatuses for transporting thin target articles. Moreover, the apparatus which conveys a plate-shaped object in large quantities does not need to point out in literature especially, and is known as a general forklift.
JP-A-5-293786 JP-A-8-323678 JP-A-10-310382 JP 10-310145 A

  In the robot hand mechanism according to the related art described above, the target article is held by a one-degree-of-freedom open / close hand provided with a pair of parallel movable fingers to support the load of the target article. Therefore, while supporting the load of the target article, the robot hand mechanism must continuously generate a high torque, and the target article may be deformed or damaged during transportation. Therefore, there is a problem that it is difficult to suppress the energy consumption necessary for gripping even though the posture taken by the hand does not change during transportation. In addition, with one-degree-of-freedom grip, there is a risk of the object to be gripped slipping.

  Furthermore, in the above-described robot hand mechanism according to the prior art, a two-finger one-degree-of-freedom open / closed hand having a pair of parallel-movable fingers is used to grip a plate-like target object that is sufficiently long in the direction of the hand fingers. When transporting horizontally, a moment proportional to the length of the plate is added to the tip of the plate-like body in addition to the load. In particular, when other articles are mounted on or added to the plate-like body, it is difficult to carry them while stably supporting them horizontally. In order to perform control easily and safely as a robot hand mechanism, the hand is required to be as small and light as possible, and it is not preferable that the fingertip of the hand be designed long in advance from the viewpoint of durability and safety. . Further, when the finger of the hand is sufficiently long, there is a problem that the movable range of the manipulator on which the hand is mounted is narrowed.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to safely hold and stably transport the target article when the target article is gripped and transported in the horizontal direction. It is an object of the present invention to provide a robot hand mechanism that can be mounted on a hand having an auxiliary mechanism that can be used.

According to this invention,
A robot hand body attached to a manipulator and operated by this manipulator,
A pair of grippers provided in the robot hand body and capable of moving closer to and away from each other in order to grip an object to be gripped;
A support plate that is capable of advancing and retracting between a storage position of the robot hand body and a support position below the pair of grippers, and that supports an object to be grasped at the support position;
A movable pin that is provided in the robot hand body and is movable by abutment with the outside, and the support plate is locked and held at the storage position in conjunction with the movable pin, and is also locked at the support position. A drive mechanism that drives to release and shift,
A robot hand mechanism is provided.

Moreover, according to this invention,
A robot hand body attached to a manipulator and operated by this manipulator,
A pair of grippers provided in the robot hand body and capable of moving closer to and away from each other in order to grip an object to be gripped;
A support plate that is capable of advancing and retracting between a storage position of the robot hand body and a support position below the pair of grippers, and that supports an object to be grasped at the support position;
A drive mechanism for driving the pair of grippers, provided in the robot hand body, and locking and holding the support plate in the storage position in conjunction with a grip operation of the gripper by the gripper drive mechanism; A drive mechanism for unlocking and shifting the support plate to the support position;
A robot hand mechanism is provided.

Furthermore, according to the present invention,
A robot hand body attached to a manipulator and operated by this manipulator,
Upper and lower grippers provided on the robot hand body and capable of moving closer to and away from each other in order to grip an object to be gripped from above and below,
A support plate which is provided so as to be stored in the lower gripper and can be extended and stored from the lower gripper;
The support plate is accommodated in the lower gripper by the operation of bringing the support plate into contact with the outside and held in the gripper, and the holding is released by the operation of bringing the support plate into contact with the outside. A drive mechanism for extending the support plate;
A robot hand mechanism is provided.

  According to the present invention, even in a robot hand mechanism with a low degree of freedom, it is possible to reduce the torque required for the fingertip of the hand by placing and supporting the target article gripped on the support plate, and the target article can be reduced with the hand fingertip. Thus, even if the hand is moved by the manipulator or the mobile robot having the manipulator is moved, the target article can be stably conveyed while maintaining the level. Further, since the supporting plate is provided as an auxiliary device without increasing the degree of freedom by the actuator, no electric energy is required for driving the auxiliary device, and the energy for gripping and carrying operations can be reduced as a whole.

  Further, according to the present invention, even with a robot hand mechanism having a low degree of freedom such as two fingers and one degree of freedom, by supporting and fixing the bottom surface of the gripped plate-like target article on the support plate with the hand fingertip, Even if the plate-like target article is longer than the hand fingertip, the moment applied to the hand tip is reduced, so that the energy required for gripping can be reduced. Even if the hand is moved by a manipulator or a mobile robot having a manipulator is moved, the plate-like body can be stably conveyed while maintaining the level. It is possible to carry a transported article on the top and carry it stably and safely. In addition, since the support plate rod member and its drive mechanism are provided as auxiliary devices without increasing the degree of freedom by the actuator, no electrical energy is required to drive the auxiliary device, and the energy required for gripping and transporting operations as a whole is reduced. Can be reduced. The supporting plate bar member itself is a knock type switch. Although the switch may be switched by the user, the deployment and storage of the support plate bar member can be performed by a robot equipped with a manipulator.

  Hereinafter, a robot hand mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings as necessary.

Example 1
FIG. 1 is a side view schematically showing a robot hand mechanism according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view schematically showing a bottom structure of the robot hand mechanism shown in FIG. FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the robot hand mechanism 10 is provided at the tip of the manipulator 21 via a wrist joint 22. In the robot hand mechanism 10, a hand main body 11 is attached to the wrist joint 22, and a pair of grippers 12 for gripping the target component 30 are extended in parallel from the hand main body 11. The pair of grippers 12 are opposed to each other, and the distance between the pair of grippers 12 can be changed evenly by a drive mechanism (not shown) provided in the hand body 11 in order to hold the target article 30 therebetween. Normally, the pair of grippers 12 are arranged along a direction substantially orthogonal to the axis of the manipulator 21 and can move from the outermost peripheral position to the center position between the grippers 12 at the same speed, and the center between the opposing surfaces. Can be brought into contact with each other. A contact sensor 19 is provided on the facing surface to detect the gripping force of the pair of grippers 12, and the contact force to the target article is measured by the contact sensor 19. Accordingly, if the target article 30 is within a grippable size range determined by the movable range of the pair of grippers 12, the target article 30 has an equal gripping force (holding force) predetermined by the pair of grippers 12. The target article 30 is held between the two.

  The robot hand mechanism 10 is given one degree of freedom in a substantially vertical plane including the axis of the manipulator 21, and is attached to the wrist joint 22 so as to be tiltable in the plane. Therefore, even if the manipulator 21 changes its inclination angle as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, it can be maintained substantially horizontal without changing the posture of the hand body 11. That is, even when the manipulator 21 is tilted, the posture of the target article 30 held by the pair of grippers 12 can be always maintained constant.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, below the bottom surface (storage position) of the hand main body 11, a support plate 13 to which one end of the parallel link mechanism 14 is pivotally fixed is arranged as a support auxiliary device. The other end of the mechanism 14 is pivotally fixed in the hand body 11. The parallel link mechanism 1 is provided with a gear 14 </ b> A for driving the parallel link mechanism 1, and the gear 14 </ b> A is meshed with the pinion mechanism 16. The pinion mechanism 16 is meshed with a rack 17 provided on a movable pin 15 that is held so as to be movable up and down. As an example, the movable pin 15 is accommodated in the cylindrical body 19 and is urged by a spring 18 disposed therein, and the movable pin 15 is held in the cylindrical body 19 by a lock mechanism described later. The movable pin 15 is pushed out of the cylindrical body 19 by the spring 18 by releasing the lock mechanism. When the lock mechanism is released, the movable pin 15 is urged by the spring 18 and linearly slides within the cylindrical body 19. The rack 17 provided on the movable pin 15 is also moved along with this sliding. It is moved linearly. Therefore, the pinion mechanism 16 meshed with the rack 17 is rotated, the gear 14A meshed with the pinion mechanism 16 is rotated, and the parallel link mechanism 14 is tilted. That is, the parallel link mechanism 14 is rotated with the pivotal support portion in the hand main body 11 as a base point, and one end thereof is pushed forward of the hand main body 11. As a result, the support plate 13 fixed to one end of the parallel link mechanism 14 is swung (swinged) from the storage position toward the bottom surface of the target article 30 and is brought into contact with the bottom surface of the target article 30. In this state, the target article 30 is gripped by the pair of grippers 12 and the support plate 13 is located at the support position, so that the bottom surface is supported by the support plate 13. Accordingly, even when a robot (not shown) provided with the manipulator 21 starts moving and receives a vibration from the outside and the target article 30 slides downward, the target article 30 drops by the support plate 13. Is prevented and the target article can be reliably conveyed even if the robot is moved.

  The operation of the robot hand mechanism 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  When the object 30 placed on the flat surface 8 is gripped and transported by the robot hand mechanism 10, the manipulator 21 is first directed toward the object 30 and the tip of the robot hand mechanism 10 is the target. Located on the article 30. In this state, the manipulator 21 is tilted and the robot hand mechanism 10 is lowered onto the flat surface 8. When the robot hand mechanism 10 is lowered, the robot hand mechanism 10 is lowered so that the posture of the robot hand mechanism 10 is maintained by the wrist joint 22 and the grippers 12 are positioned on both sides of the target article 30. The position is adjusted. Thereafter, the gripper 12 is moved in a direction in which the grippers 12 are close to each other, and the target article 30 is gripped. At the time of gripping, the target article 30 is securely gripped by the first gripping force that can lift the target article 30 with the gripping force.

  When the hand body 11 is lowered onto the flat surface 8, the free end of the movable pin 15 protruding from the lower surface thereof is brought into contact with the flat surface 8 as shown in FIG. 3. With this contact, the lock mechanism that has suppressed the push of the movable pin 15 by the spring 18 is released, and the push of the movable pin 15 by the spring 18 becomes possible. Before and after the lock mechanism is released, the target article 30 is gripped by the gripper 12 and can be lifted (lifted). In this state, when the manipulator 21 lifts the robot hand mechanism 10, as shown in FIG. 4, the target article 30 gripped by the gripper 12 is lifted and the rack 17 is moved downward as the movable pin 15 protrudes. The pinion 16 engaged and moved forward is rotated as indicated by an arrow R1. As the pinion 16 rotates, the arm of the parallel link mechanism 14 is rotated about the pivotal support portion of the main body 11 as indicated by an arrow R2, and the support plate 13 fixed to the parallel link mechanism 14 is indicated by an arrow R3 from the storage position. Thus, the support plate 13 is positioned below the target article 30 by being swung so as to be pushed downward. When the support plate 13 is advanced while swinging by the parallel link mechanism 14, the support plate 13 enters between the target article 30 and the flat surface 8, and the support plate 13 is moved to the target article as shown in FIGS. Abutting on the lower surface of 30, the support plate is moved to the support position. Accordingly, the target article 30 is placed on the support plate 13. Since the target article 30 is placed on the support plate 13, the gripping of the target article 30 by the gripper 12 is loosened, and the target article 30 is held with a second gripping force that is smaller than the first gripping force. Grasped. Even if the target article 30 is gripped by the second gripping force, the target article 30 is placed on the support plate 13, so that it is reliably held by the robot hand mechanism 10 even during the lift of the target article 30. It becomes.

  When the target article 30 is transported, the manipulator 21 is lifted so that the target article is gripped by the gripper 12 and the manipulator 21 is provided with the target article 30 placed on the support plate 13 ( (Not shown) starts moving and transports the target article 30. In some cases, an impact may be applied to the robot body from the outside during conveyance, and the lower surface of the target article 30 supports the support plate 13 even when the gripping force of the gripper 12 cannot support the target article 30. The robot hand mechanism 10 can reliably convey the target article 30.

  When the robot body moves to a predetermined position and places the target article 30 on the flat surface 8, the gripping force of the target article 30 is increased again, and the target article 30 is securely gripped by the gripper 12 with the first gripping force. Is done. In this state, as shown in FIG. 5, the manipulator 21 is tilted and the hand body 11 is lowered. As the hand body 11 descends, the movable pin 15 protruding from the hand body 11 is brought into contact with the flat portion, and the movable pin 15 is gradually pushed into the cylindrical body 19 against the spring 18 as indicated by an arrow R4. It is done. As the movable pin 15 moves linearly, the pinion 16 that meshes with the rack 17 is rotated, and the gear 14A is rotated as indicated by an arrow R5 by the rotational force applied from the pinion 16, and the parallel link 14 swings. Is done. Therefore, the support plate 13 is separated from the lower surface (support position) of the target article 30 as indicated by the arrow R6 as shown by the arrow R6 and retracted toward the bottom of the hand body 11 (storage position) as shown by the arrow R7. Is done. As the support plate 13 moves backward, the movable pin 15 enters the cylindrical body 19, and when most of the movable pin 15 is pushed into the cylindrical body 19, a lock mechanism (not shown) acts to move the movable pin 15 to the cylindrical body 19. It is held and stored inside the spring 18 against it. In this state, as shown in FIG. 1, the support plate 13 is in contact with the lower surface of the hand body 11.

  When the backward movement of the support plate 13 is completed, the pair of grippers 12 are spread in a direction away from each other, and the target article 30 is released from the gripper 12 and placed on the flat surface 8. Thereafter, the manipulator 21 is raised, the robot main body is retracted, and the article transfer operation by the robot main body is completed.

  The lock mechanism described above is fixed to the plate storage claw 42 interlocked with the latch pin 41, the link clutch cam 44 meshed with the rack 17, and the movable pin 15 as shown in FIGS. 7 (a) and 7 (b) as an example. The plate lock claw 43 is moved up and down together with the movable pin 15. In this lock mechanism, as shown in FIG. 7A, when the lock is released and the movable pin 15 is lowered to the lowermost end, the spring 18 that pushes down the plate lock claw 43 is fully extended. The link of the link clutch cam 44 is engaged with the plate lock claw 43. As shown in FIG. 7A, when the movable pin 15 is raised to the uppermost end, the spring 18 that pushes down the plate lock claw 43 is in the most contracted state, and the projection of the link clutch cam 44 is The link clutch cam 44 is locked by being engaged with the plate storage claw 42.

  In such a structure, as shown in FIG. 7B, when the hand body 11 is lowered and the latch pin 41 is brought into contact with the flat surface 8, the plate storage claw 42 is raised as the latch pin 41 is raised. The Accordingly, the engagement between the plate storage claw 42 and the projection of the link clutch cam 44 is released. When the hand main body 11 is raised in this state, the plate lock claw 43 is pushed down by the spring 18 and the movable pin 15 to which the plate lock claw 43 is fixed is also pushed down. As the movable pin 15 is pushed down, the link clutch cam 44 is rotated by the fan gear of the link clutch cam 44 engaged with the rack 17 and linked to the lowered plate lock claw 43 as shown in FIG. The protrusion of the clutch cam 44 is engaged. As the link clutch cam 44 rotates, the support plate 13 is pushed forward (support position) by the parallel link mechanism 14 as already described.

  When the support plate 13 is moved backward, as shown in FIG. 7A, the hand body 11 is lowered and the movable pin 15 is brought into contact with the flat surface 8, and the movable pin 15 is raised as the hand body 11 is lowered. Then, the plate lock claw 43 is also raised against the spring 18 together with the movable pin 15. Therefore, the link clutch cam 44 is rotated by the fan gear of the link clutch cam 44 engaged with the rack 17, and the support plate 13 is moved backward by the parallel link mechanism 14. When the lowering of the hand main body 11 continues, the latch pin 41 is brought into contact with the flat surface and the plate storage claw 42 is raised as shown in FIG. 7B, and the projection of the link clutch cam 44 contacts the plate storage claw 42. Then, the plate storage claw 42 is slid on the plate storage claw 42 so that the projection is positioned in the stepped portion of the plate storage claw 42 and engaged with the plate storage claw 42. Therefore, the movable pin 15 is locked. As is apparent from the above description, when the lock mechanism is pushed for the first time, the plate storage claw 42 is lifted to release the lock of the link latch cam 44, and the plate storage claw 42 is released for the second time. When pushed, it is lifted slightly, so that it is fixed by interference with the link clutch cam 44.

  The lock mechanism is not limited to the structure shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, and a structure as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B may be adopted.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, a hand drive motor 54 is provided in the hand main body 11, and the motor 54 is connected to the ball screw 58 via a gear 56 meshed with a gear 54 A provided on the motor 54. The rotational force from is transmitted. Further, the rotational force from the motor 54 is transmitted to a ball screw (not shown) provided in parallel with the ball screw 58 via a gear 57 meshed with the gear 54A. A pair of carriages 60 (only one is shown in the drawing) through which the pair of ball screws 58 pass are provided so as to be movable on the corresponding ball screws 58. The ball screw 58 is screwed onto the screw of the carriage 60. Therefore, when the ball screw 58 is rotated, the pair of carriages 60 are moved along the ball screw 58 corresponding to the direction approaching or separating from each other according to the rotation direction. The grippers 12 are respectively fixed to the pair of carriages 60, and the grippers 12 extend out of the hand body 1. In response to the rotation of the ball screw 58, the gripper 12 is moved in a direction close to each other or in a direction away from each other in the same manner as the carriage 60. With this movement, the target article can be held or released.

  A gear 62 is engaged with the gear 54A. The gear 62 is connected to a gear 64 via an electromagnetic clutch 68 and a shaft 70 connected to the electromagnetic clutch 68. The gear 64 includes a shaft 72. A gear 66 provided on the gear is meshed. The shaft 72 is connected to a torsion spring 74 so that the shaft 72 can be rotated by a spring force. One end of the parallel link mechanism 14 is connected to the shaft 72 provided with the gear 66. When a rotational force is applied to the shaft 72, the parallel link mechanism 14 is swung and the support plate 13 advances to the support position. Retracted to storage position.

  In the robot hand mechanism 10 shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the electromagnetic clutch 68 is released when the target article 30 is gripped. In this state, even if the rotational force from the drive motor 54 is transmitted to the gear 62, it is not transmitted to the gear 64, and the protrusion of the support plate 13 is started by the rotational force from the torsion spring 74. Since the support plate 13 is moved forward by swinging, the support plate 13 is prevented from advancing by the flat surface 8 when the flat surface 8 is below the support plate 13. When the gears 56 and 57 are rotated by the rotational force from the driving motor 54 and the carriage 60 is moved in a direction approaching each other, the object 30 is completely gripped by the gripper 12. In this state, when the hand main body 11 is lifted upward, the support plate 13 is moved away from the flat surface and moved forward until it enters the lower side of the target article 30 and contacts the lower surface of the target article 30. When the target article 30 is placed on the support plate 13, the drive motor 54 is slightly rotated in the reverse direction, and the gripping force of the target article 30 by the gripper 12 is slightly relaxed. In this state, the target article 30 is conveyed by the robot body provided with the robot hand mechanism 10.

  When the target article 30 is placed on the flat surface 8, the drive motor 54 is slightly rotated while the electromagnetic clutch 68 is free, and the gripping force of the target article 30 by the gripper 12 is slightly increased again. Thereafter, when the electromagnetic clutch 68 is connected and the drive motor 54 is rotated in reverse, the shaft 72 is reversely rotated through the gear 62, the electromagnetic clutch 68 and the gears 64 and 66. Accordingly, the shaft 72 is rotated against the spring 74, the parallel link mechanism 14 is swung, the support plate 13 is removed from below the target article 30, and is retracted below the main body 11. As the support plate 13 moves backward, the reverse rotational force from the drive motor 54 is transmitted to the carriage 60, the gripping force of the gripper 12 is gradually weakened, and the target article 30 is placed on the flat surface 8. When the gripper 12 is completely separated from the target article 30, the hand body 11 is separated from the target article 30 and the transfer operation is completed.

(Example 2)
A robot hand mechanism 10 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following description of the second embodiment, it should be noted that the description of the parts or parts indicated by the same reference numerals as those referred to in the first embodiment may be omitted. . For the omitted description, refer to the description of the first embodiment.

  FIG. 9 is a side view schematically showing the robot hand mechanism 10 according to the second embodiment of the present invention and a plan view schematically showing the bottom of the robot hand mechanism 10 shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the manipulator 21 is provided with an openable hand main body 11 with two fingers and one degree of freedom through a wrist joint 22 at the distal end portion. With the wrist joint 22, the hand body 11 can change the angle with respect to the manipulator 21 within a substantially vertical plane including the axis of the manipulator 21, and the wrist body 22 makes the posture of the hand body 11 substantially constant. Can be maintained. Here, maintaining the posture means that the posture can be set independently with respect to the inclination of the manipulator 21.

  A pair of grippers 12-1 and 12-2 is extended from the hand body 11, and the pair of grippers 12-1 and 12-2 can be moved in a direction close to each other and a direction away from each other by a mechanism (not shown). It is configured. In the robot hand mechanism 10 shown in FIG. 9, unlike the robot hand mechanism 10 shown in FIG. 1, the pair of grippers 12-1 and 12-2 are arranged up and down along a substantially vertical direction to The grippers 12-1 and 12-2 can be held from above and below.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the gripper 12-2 disposed below is provided with a support bar member 113, that is, a support plate, as an auxiliary device, so as to be extendable and contractable. The support rod member 113 is provided on the gripper 12-2 so as to form the same surface as the gripping surface (opposing surface) of the gripper 12-2 facing the gripper 12-1, and the support rod member 113 is disposed on the gripper 12-2. The support bar member 113 includes a support surface that forms the same surface as the gripping surface of the gripper 12-2 in both the state in which the support bar member 113 is retracted and the state in which the support bar member 113 extends from the gripper 12-2. Yes.

  When the target article 30 has such a size that the center of gravity of the target article 30 or the vicinity thereof can be gripped by the grippers 12-1 and 12-2, as shown in FIG. The gripper 12-2 is pulled into the gripper 12-2, and the target article 30 is gripped by the grippers 12-1 and 12-2 in this retracted state. When the target article 30 has such a size that the center of gravity of the target article 30 or the vicinity thereof cannot be gripped by the grippers 12-1 and 12-2, for example, the target article 30 is a long object or In the case of a plate-like member, as shown in FIG. 9, the support bar member 113 is pulled out of the gripper 12-2 and is pulled out by the gripper 12-1 and the support bar member 113 and the gripper 12-2. The target article 30 is gripped.

  The mobile robot is not limited to the case where only a single robot hand mechanism 10 is provided, but is a double mobile robot in which a pair of robot hand mechanisms 10 each having the structure shown in FIG. 9 are provided in the mobile robot. It may be configured. In a single mobile robot, the target article is gripped using the robot hand mechanism 10 as described above. However, in a double mobile robot, the target article 30 is gripped in various modes. Even if it is a long object, when the long object is supported by both sides, the width of the long object is small, and the object article 30 is gripped by the grippers 12-1, 12 near the center in the width direction. -2, it is possible to reliably hold a long object without using the support bar member 113. If the long article is a plate-like member having a large width and the target article 30 cannot be gripped by the grippers 12-1 and 12-2 near the center in the width direction, the support bar member 113 is used. The long object is gripped. Naturally, when a long object is supported on both sides, it is assumed that the long object is disposed between both sides.

  As shown in FIG. 11, when the support bar member 113 is housed in the gripper 12-2, the support bar member 113 is moved forward by a spring 115 so that the tip of the support bar member 113 slightly protrudes from the tip of the gripper 12-2. Locked while energized. This locking is realized by a knock mechanism 114 described later. In this lock mechanism, as shown in FIG. 12A, the hand mechanism is pushed out as indicated by an arrow 141, and the tip of the support bar member 113 is fixed to another member, for example, a fixed member such as the wall surface 130. The lock is released through a step of knocking by applying pressure to the contact. Further, the support bar member 113 is locked through the same process. That is, when the tip of the support bar member 113 protruding from the gripper 12-2 is pressed horizontally against a fixed article such as the wall surface 130 as indicated by an arrow 141 in FIG. When the fixed lock is released and the manipulator 21 is pulled as shown by the arrow 141 in FIG. 12B, the support bar member 113 is extended by being pushed out by the spring 115. At this time, the robot system equipped with the robot hand mechanism 10 and the manipulator 21 detects that the lock for fixing the support rod member 113 has been released, and outputs this detection as an electric signal to the outside of the robot hand mechanism 10. Yes. By this electric signal, the manipulator 21 stops the pressing operation and enters the operation of pulling the manipulator 21 as shown by an arrow 141 in FIG. 12B, and the support bar member 113 is unfolded and locked at the tip. Deployment is fixed. In order to release this lock, the lock is released in conjunction with the spring 115 when the tip is pressed horizontally against a wall surface or the like as in FIG. When the manipulator 21 is pressed from the support rod tip to the tip of the gripper 12-1, it is locked at the storage location. The support rod may be deployed not only by a knock type spring mechanism, but, for example, a lock mechanism may be provided in which the manipulator is driven in a certain direction beyond a certain acceleration and the lock is released when the acceleration is applied.

  12 (a) and 12 (b), the manipulator 21 is connected via an arm joint 24-1 and connected to a robot body (not shown) via an arm joint 24-2. A pair of arms 23-1, 23-2, and as shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B, while adjusting the positions of the arm joints 24-1, 24-2, the pair of arms 23-1, By extending 23-2, the tip of the gripper 12-1 can be pressed against the wall 130 or separated from the wall 130.

  In a double robot, when the support rod member 113 is unfolded and a plate-like target article 30 with a flange 30F as shown in FIG. 13, for example, a tray with a handle is gripped from both sides with both arms. After approaching the target article 30, the support bar member 113 is inserted into the gap between the flange 30F of the target article 30 and the table top (flat surface) 8 on which the target article 30 is placed as shown in FIG. The In this state, the flange 30F of the target article 30 is gripped by the grippers 12-1 and 12-2, and the target article 30 is lifted.

  In motion control for determining the insertion positions of the grippers 12-1 and 12-2 corresponding to the hands, sensor signals from sensors such as cameras, touch sensors, and photo sensors are fed back to the grippers 12-1 and 12-2. The tip position of is controlled. The support rod member 113 and the fingertips of the grippers 12-1 and 12-2 are inserted to a position where the gripper 12-1 and 12-2 can stably grip the end face of the tray 30, and the gripping position is determined by a sensor signal. After that, the flange 30F is gripped by the grippers 12-1 and 12-2. At this time, since the support bar member 113 is interlocked with the grippers 12-1 and 12-2, the support bar member 113 and the tray 33 are in contact with each other in the same plane, and the upper surface of the support bar member 113 is placed on the upper surface of the tray 30. The flange 30F is in a riding state. The load applied to the tray 30 is supported by the support bar member 113, and the position is fixed at the gripping portions of the grippers 12-1 and 12-2. When the tray 30 is transported horizontally while maintaining the same posture and placed on the table top again, the moment applied to the support bar member 113 or the torque reduction of the gripper 12 is detected by the sensor, and the tray 30 is placed on the table top 8. It is detected that you got on. Since gripping by the grippers 12-1 and 12-2 is released and the support bar member 113 is unfolded and fixed, the hand is pulled out horizontally using the manipulator 21 or moved with the manipulator 21 mounted thereon. If it is a robot, it moves backward using a moving mechanism, and the manipulator 21 is separated from the tray 30, and the support bar member 113 and the grippers 12-1 and 12-2 are pulled out. In order to store the deployed support bar member 113, the tip of the support bar member 113 is pressed in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the support bar member 113, the fixed lock is released, and further, the support bar member 113 is stored by pressing. A fixed lock is given. At this time, since the tray 30 is always held while being kept horizontal and lifted, the target article 30 and the article to be loaded on the tray 30 can be loaded on the tray 30 within the range of the weight on which the manipulator 21 can be mounted. it can.

  As an example, the lock mechanism in the robot hand mechanism 10 according to the second embodiment described above includes the floating pin 216 shown in FIGS. 15 to 17 on the support rod member 113, and the floating pin 216 on the gripper 12-2. A guide groove 120 to be guided is provided.

  As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the floating pin 216 protrudes from the bottom surface of the support bar member 113 and is positioned in the guide groove 214. Further, a flange (not shown) for preventing the support bar member 113 from floating upward is extended in the horizontal direction in the support bar member 113, and the support bar member 113 provided in the gripper 12-2 is accommodated. This flange is engaged with an engagement groove (not shown) provided on the wall surface for this purpose. As shown in FIG. 17, the guide groove 214 for guiding the floating pin 216 is provided around the straight portion 214A for linearly guiding the support rod member 113 and the locking portion 221 for latching the floating pin 216. As shown in FIG. 17, the locking portion 221 is formed in the shape of an arrow blade whose tip is directed to the straight portion 214A, as shown in FIG. A groove corresponding to the shape of the stopper 221 is formed. Since the loose pin 216 is loosely fitted in a direction orthogonal to the direction in which the straight portion 214A extends and is attached to the support rod member 113, the loose pin 216 slides not only in the straight portion 214A but also in the surrounding portion 214B. be able to.

  As shown in FIG. 15, when the floating pin 216 is latched, the floating pin 216 is received in the base portion having the depression of the arrow blade-like locking portion 221 as shown in FIG. When releasing the latch of the floating pin 216, the floating pin 216 is temporarily retracted in the rotating portion 214B as shown by an arrow P1 against the spring 115, and then the floating pin 216 is moved by the spring force of the spring 115. Can be advanced as shown by arrows P2 and P3 to guide the idle pin 216 to the straight portion 214A. As shown in FIG. 16, when the floating pin 216 is brought into contact with the tip of the straight portion 214A by the spring force of the spring 115, the support bar member 113 is extended from the gripper 12-2. It becomes possible to support the target article 30 together with the gripper 12-2.

  In addition, the loose pin 216 is retracted against the spring 115 in the straight portion 214A, and the revolving portion 214B is also retracted as indicated by the arrows P4 and P5, so that the depression of the arrow blade-shaped locking portion 221 is formed. It can be located and latched at the base. In this latched state, the idle pin 216 can continue to be positioned in the base portion having the depression of the arrow blade-like locking portion 221 unless the idle pin 216 is retracted from the outside. In this locked state, as shown in FIG. 15, the support bar member 113 is stored in the gripper 12-2, and the target article 30 can be gripped only by the grippers 12-1 and 12-2.

  As described above, according to the present invention, even in a robot hand mechanism having a low degree of freedom, it is possible to reduce the torque required for the fingertip of the hand by placing and supporting the object to be gripped on the support plate. By positioning the target article with the hand fingertip, even if the hand is moved by the manipulator or the mobile robot having the manipulator moves, the target article can be stably conveyed while maintaining the level. Further, since the supporting plate is provided as an auxiliary device without increasing the degree of freedom by the actuator, no electric energy is required for driving the auxiliary device, and the energy for gripping and carrying operations can be reduced as a whole.

It is a side view which shows roughly the inside of the robot hand mechanism which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows roughly the bottom face of the robot hand mechanism shown in FIG. It is a side view which shows roughly operation | movement of the robot hand mechanism shown in FIG. Similarly, it is a side view schematically showing the operation of the robot hand mechanism shown in FIG. Similarly, it is a side view schematically showing the operation of the robot hand mechanism shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a plan view schematically showing a bottom surface of the robot hand mechanism shown in FIG. 5. (A) And (b) is a side view which shows roughly one structural example of the latch mechanism provided in the robot hand mechanism shown in FIG. (A) And (b) is the top view and side view which show roughly the other structural example of the latch mechanism provided in the robot hand mechanism shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a side view schematically showing a partially broken interior of a robot hand mechanism according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a plan view schematically showing a partially cutaway bottom structure of the robot hand mechanism shown in FIG. 9. FIG. 10 is a side view schematically showing a partially broken internal structure of the robot hand mechanism shown in FIG. 9. (A) And (b) is a top view which shows roughly operation | movement of the robot hand mechanism shown in FIG. FIG. 10 is a side view schematically showing a partially broken internal structure of the robot hand mechanism shown in FIG. 9. FIG. 14 is a front view schematically showing a gripping state in the robot hand mechanism shown in FIG. 13. FIG. 10 is a side view schematically showing a partially broken internal structure of the robot hand mechanism shown in FIG. 9. FIG. 10 is a side view schematically showing a partially broken internal structure of the robot hand mechanism shown in FIG. 9. FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an internal structure of a gripper of the robot hand mechanism shown in FIGS. 15 and 16.

Explanation of symbols

    10 is a robot hand mechanism, 12, 12-1, 12-2. . . Gripper, 13. . . Support plate, 14. . . Parallel link mechanism, 15. . . Movable pin, 16. . . Pinion mechanism, 17. . . Rack, 18. . . Spring, 19. . . Contact sensor, 21. . . Manipulator, 22. . . Wrist joint, 30. . . 41. article to be grasped; . . Latch pin, 42. . . Plate storage claws 43. . . Plate lock claw, 44. . . Link latch cam, 51. . . Electromagnetic clutch, 52. . . Opening and closing ball screw, 53. . . Hand opening / closing motor, 54. . . Support plate protrusion spring, 113. . . Support rod member, 114. . . Knock mechanism, 115. . . Spring, 214. . . Guide groove, 216. . . Idle pins, 221. . . Locking part

Claims (5)

A robot hand body attached to a manipulator and operated by this manipulator,
A pair of grippers provided in the robot hand body and capable of moving closer to and away from each other in order to grip an object to be gripped;
A support plate that is capable of advancing and retracting between a storage position of the robot hand body and a support position below the pair of grippers, and that supports an object to be grasped at the support position;
A movable pin that is provided in the robot hand body and is movable by abutment with the outside, and the support plate is locked and held at the storage position in conjunction with the movable pin, and is also locked at the support position. A drive mechanism that drives to release and shift,
A robot hand mechanism comprising:     A lock mechanism is provided in the robot hand body for locking the drive mechanism so as to continue to hold the support plate at the storage position according to the movement of the movable pin, and for releasing the lock. The robot hand mechanism according to claim 1. A robot hand body attached to a manipulator and operated by this manipulator,
A pair of grippers provided in the robot hand body and capable of moving closer to and away from each other in order to grip an object to be gripped;
A support plate that is capable of advancing and retracting between a storage position of the robot hand body and a support position below the pair of grippers, and that supports an object to be grasped at the support position;
A drive mechanism for driving the pair of grippers, provided in the robot hand body, and locking and holding the support plate in the storage position in conjunction with a grip operation of the gripper by the gripper drive mechanism; A drive mechanism for unlocking and shifting the support plate to the support position;
A robot hand mechanism comprising: A robot hand body attached to a manipulator and operated by this manipulator,
An upper and lower gripper provided in the robot hand body and capable of moving closer to and away from each other in order to grip an object to be gripped from above and below;
A support plate which is provided so as to be stored in the lower gripper and can be extended and stored from the lower gripper;
The support plate is accommodated in the lower gripper by the operation of bringing the support plate into contact with the outside and held in the gripper, and the holding is released by the operation of bringing the support plate into contact with the outside. A drive mechanism for extending the support plate;
A robot hand mechanism comprising:     5. The robot hand mechanism according to claim 4, wherein a tip of the support plate is brought into contact with the outside by an operation of the manipulator.

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