JP2008173757A - Five joints link type haptic device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a five joints link type haptic device inhibiting interference of the X, Y axes and Z axis with each other. <P>SOLUTION: A five joints type haptic device having a five joints link mechanism 2 is provided with: an operation part 3 provided at a prescribed position of the five link mechanism 2, for operating the five joints link mechanism 2; a rotary type instruction mechanism 4 for giving instruction in the Z axis direction; and a parallel link mechanism 5 for making the posture of the operation part 3 fixed irrespective of the posture of the five joints link mechanism 2, so that the X, Y axes and the Z axis are inhibited from interfering with each other. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a haptic device having a five-bar linkage mechanism and capable of indicating an axis different from the direction indicated by the five-bar link mechanism.

A haptic device is conventionally known as an operation device for operating something in a virtual space such as a computer graphic or a remote operation of a robot. As this conventional haptic device, for example, two five-joint link mechanisms are arranged in two upper and lower stages, and the plane (hereinafter referred to as “XY plane”) formed by these two upper and lower five-joint link mechanisms is displaced (moved) in all directions. ) Each free connecting portion is connected by a crankshaft so that the two upper and lower connecting portions can be displaced exceptionally. The position is instructed by operating a knob provided at the upper end of the crankshaft. For example, in order to indicate the positions in the X direction and the Y direction on the XY plane, the five-link mechanism is operated without rotating the crankshaft. In order to indicate a position in an axial direction different from the XY plane (hereinafter referred to as “Z-axis direction”), the knob is operated to rotate the crankshaft, and the positions indicated by the upper and lower five-joint link mechanisms. The amount of rotation of the crankshaft is obtained from the difference between them and used as a position instruction in the Z-axis direction. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).
USP 6339969 (Fig. 1)

  However, in the structure of the haptic device disclosed in Patent Document 1, since the XY plane instruction and the Z-axis direction instruction are performed with one knob, the operation is performed when trying to operate to a predetermined position on the XY plane. The posture of the person's hand changes. Due to this change, there is a problem that the crankshaft rotates and the indicated value of the Z axis also changes, that is, the operation on the XY plane interferes with the operation of the Z axis.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a five-bar link haptic device capable of giving instructions independently without interference between the operation on the XY plane and the operation on the Z axis.

In order to solve the above-described problems, a five-bar link haptic device according to the present invention is:
In a five-bar link haptic device having a five-bar link mechanism,
Posture control for maintaining the posture of the operation unit provided at a predetermined position of the five-bar linkage mechanism and the posture of the operation unit at the same position regardless of the displacement of the five-bar link mechanism. Mechanism,
A rotation type indicating mechanism for indicating an axis different from the direction indicated by the five-bar linkage mechanism,
The rotary type instruction mechanism is installed in the operation unit,
It is characterized in that the operation of the five-bar linkage mechanism and the operation of the rotation-type instruction mechanism can be performed independently.

The five-barrel link haptic device according to claim 2 of the present invention is the five-barrel link haptic device according to claim 1,
The posture control mechanism includes a parallel link mechanism provided in parallel to the five-bar link mechanism, and is characterized in that the operation unit is always held in the same posture regardless of the displacement of the five-bar link mechanism. .

  The five-bar linkage mechanism is operated to indicate a position on a plane (XY plane) parallel to the displacement direction of the five-bar linkage mechanism, and by rotating the rotary type indication mechanism, an axis direction different from this plane ( Z-axis direction) can be specified.

The five-barrel link haptic device according to claim 3 of the present invention is the five-barrel link haptic device according to claim 1 or 2,
The rotation type instruction mechanism includes a roller, a sensor for detecting a rotation angle of the roller, and an actuator for generating torque on the roller, and the rotation amount of the roller is set as a position instruction amount in the Z-axis direction.

  A five-bar linkage mechanism is operated via the operation unit to indicate a position on the XY plane. The Z-axis direction is instructed by rotating the roller attached to the operation unit. At this time, the operation unit is always held in the same posture by the posture control mechanism regardless of the displacement of the five-bar link mechanism, so that the posture of the operator's hand does not change and the operation of the five-bar link and the roller The operation can be performed independently.

  According to the present invention, the position on the XY plane is instructed by the five-bar linkage mechanism, and the rotation type instruction mechanism is rotated to instruct the Z-axis direction. For this reason, the operation of the five-bar linkage mechanism and the operation of the rotary type instruction mechanism are independent, and the position instruction on the XY plane and the position instruction in the Z-axis direction can be performed independently.

  Hereinafter, a five-bar link haptic device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, a five-bar link haptic device 1 includes a five-bar link mechanism 2, an operation unit 3 for operating the five-bar link mechanism 2, and a five-bar link provided in parallel to the five-bar link mechanism 2. A parallel link mechanism 5 that always supports the operation unit 3 in the same posture regardless of the displacement of the mechanism 2 and a Z axis that is different from the XY plane formed by the XY plane formed by the five-bar link mechanism 2 installed in the operation unit 3 The roller 4 as a rotary type indicating mechanism that indicates the direction (for example, the height direction in the case of a robot) and the position from the operator side to the slave side, for example, the robot side, and when the robot side hits something It comprises driving devices 6, 7, 8, etc. for feeding back force as a reaction force to the operator side.

  The five-bar link mechanism 2 can be displaced in the horizontal direction, for example, and the two bearing blocks 21 and 21 constituting one link of the five-bar link mechanism 2 are struts suspended from a frame (not shown). 11 is fixed to be opposed to each other horizontally and vertically with a bracket 12 interposed therebetween. And each one end part of the 1st link 22 and the 4th link 25 is horizontally accommodated between the both ends of the two bearing blocks 21 and 21 which oppose up and down, and it hangs down on the lower surface of the both ends of the lower bearing block 21 The rotating shafts 14a and 15a of the motors 14 and 15 are fixed to the tip ends.

  The rotating shafts 14a and 15a of the motors 14 and 15 are pivotally supported vertically at both ends of the upper and lower bearing blocks 21 and 21, and the main body is fixed to the lower surface of the lower bearing block 21. Thus, the 1st link 22 and the 4th link 25 are supported by the both ends of the bearing block 21 so that rotation is possible horizontally. In addition, encoders (sensors) 16 and 17 as position detectors are attached to the lower ends of these motors 14 and 15, and the respective rotary shafts are connected to the lower ends of the rotary shafts 14a and 15a of the motors 14 and 15, respectively. Has been.

  One end of each of the second link 23 and the third link 24 is connected to the other end of each of the first link 22 and the fourth link 25 by connecting pins 26 and 27 so as to be horizontally rotatable. The other end portion of the third link 24 is connected to the other end portion of the link 23 by a connecting pin 28 so as to be horizontally rotatable. And the connection part of the 2nd link 23 and the 3rd link 24, ie, the position of the connection pin 28, is movable in all directions on the formation surface (XY plane) of the five-bar linkage mechanism 2.

  The first link 22 and the fourth link 25 have the same length, and the distance between the rotating shaft 14a and the connecting pin 26, and the distance between the rotating shaft 15a and the connecting pin 27 are the same distance. The second link 23 and the third link 24 have the same length, and the distance between the connecting pin 26 and the connecting pin 28 and between the connecting pin 27 and the connecting pin 28 is the same distance. The four links from the first link 22 to the fourth link 25 may have the same length, and the distance may be the same. In this way, the five-bar linkage mechanism 2 is configured.

  The operation unit 3 includes an operation stage 31, a handle 32 fixed to the upper plate 31a of the operation stage 31, a roller 4, and the like. The operation stage 31 is arranged in parallel with the XY plane formed by the five-bar linkage mechanism 2, and the connecting portion between the second link 23 and the third link 24 rotates between the upper plate 31 a and the lower plate 31 b. It is freely housed. The upper plate 31a and the lower plate 31b are pivotally supported at both upper and lower ends of the connecting pin 28 so as to be rotatable. The upper plate 31a and the lower plate 31b are connected via a connecting plate 31c.

  The roller 4 has a disk shape and is formed with knurling eyes for preventing slippage on the outer peripheral surface. The XY plane is formed by the five-bar linkage mechanism 2 on the support base 33 fixed near the tip of the upper plate 31a. And is fixed to the upper end portion of the rotating shaft 18a of the motor 18 that hangs downward on the lower surface of the upper plate 31a. The rotating shaft 18a of the motor 18 penetrates the upper plate 31a of the operation stage 31 and the shaft hole of the support base 33, and the main body is fixed vertically to the lower surface of the upper plate 31a.

  An encoder (sensor) 19 is attached to the lower end portion of the motor 18, and its rotating shaft is connected to the lower end portion of the rotating shaft 18 a of the motor 18. Since the roller 4 is disposed in the vicinity of the tip of the handle 32, the roller 4 can be easily rotated with any fingertip while the handle 32 is held with one hand.

  When the robot hits something, the motors 14, 15, and 18 are detected by a pressure sensor provided in the robot, and generate torque based on a signal from the pressure sensor to Feedback to the operator as a reaction force. The encoders 16 and 17 indicate the position of the connecting portion between the first link 22 and the second link 23 of the five-bar linkage mechanism 2, that is, the connecting pin 28. The encoder 19 is for indicating a position in the Z-axis direction (for example, a height direction in the case of a robot) that is different from the XY plane formed by the five-bar linkage mechanism 2. The encoder 19 can be rotated by the roller 4, and thus can indicate an instruction range in the Z-axis direction.

  The motor 14 and the encoder 16 constitute a set of driving devices 6, the motor 15 and the encoder 17 constitute a set of driving devices 7, and the motor 18 and the encoder 19 constitute a set of driving devices 8. Yes. In this way, the five-bar link haptic device 1 is configured.

  The parallel link mechanism 5 includes two round bar-shaped links 35 and 36, a plate (hereinafter referred to as a “relay plate”) 37 composed of both end portions 37a and 37b, four joints 38, and the like. The relay plate 37 is pivotally supported by the lower end portion of the connecting pin 26 so as to be rotatable. The links 35 and 36 are arranged in parallel with the first link 22 and the second link 23 on one side of the five-bar linkage mechanism 2 and have the same length as the first link 22 and the second link 23. It is.

  The link 35 is arranged in parallel with the first link 22, one end is connected to the bearing block 21 via the joint 38, and the other end is connected to the end 37 a of the relay plate 37 via the joint 38. . The length of the link 35 is the same as the length of the first link 22. The link 36 is arranged in parallel with the second link 23, one end is connected to the end 37 b of the relay plate 37 via the joint 38, and the other end is connected to the lower plate 31 b of the operation stage 31 via the joint 38. It is connected. The length of the link 36 is the same as the length of the second link 23.

  Thereby, the operation unit 3 is held in a posture facing the bearing block 21 even when the position of the connecting pin 28 of the five-bar linkage mechanism 2 is displaced (moved) in any direction in the XY plane. That is, the operation unit 3 is always held in the same posture regardless of the displacement of the five-bar linkage mechanism 2. The handle 32 is fixed to the upper plate 31 a of the operation stage 31, and therefore is always held in the same posture regardless of the displacement of the five-bar linkage mechanism 2.

  The operation of the five-barrel haptic device 1 will be described below. In FIG. 1, the handle 32 is grasped, the five-bar linkage mechanism 2 is operated, and the connecting pin 28 is moved to the designated position as shown in FIG. In the five-bar linkage mechanism 2, the first link 22, the second link 23, the third link 24, and the fourth link 25 are shifted in the XY plane according to the operation, and accordingly, the rotation shafts 14 a of the motors 14 and 15 are moved. , 14a and the rotary shafts of the encoders 16 and 17 rotate to detect the position (indicated position) of the connecting pin 28 and instruct a slave robot (not shown).

  The robot operates in response to an instruction from the five-bar linkage mechanism 2, and when the robot hits something, the motors 14 and 15 generate torque and are fed back to the operator of the five-bar linkage mechanism 2 as a reaction force. The Thereby, the operator can stop the robot. In this way, the operator moves the robot to a predetermined position on a plane (hereinafter referred to as “X′Y ′ plane”) corresponding to the XY plane formed by the five-bar linkage mechanism 2.

  Then, after moving the robot to a predetermined position on the X′Y ′ plane, the operator rotates the roller 4 with, for example, the index finger while holding the handle 32.

  As the roller 4 rotates, the rotating shaft 18a of the motor 18 and the rotating shaft of the encoder 19 rotate to detect the position of the connecting pin 28 in an axial direction different from the XY plane (hereinafter referred to as "Z-axis direction"). Instruct the robot. In the present invention, the indicated value in the Z-axis direction is handled as an indicated value in the axis direction perpendicular to the X′Y ′ plane (hereinafter referred to as “Z′-axis direction”) in the robot.

  When the robot moves in the Z′-axis direction with respect to the X′Y ′ plane in response to an instruction from the roller 4 and hits something, the motor 18 generates torque and feeds back to the operator as a reaction force. . As a result, the operator can stop the robot. In this way, the robot is instructed to a predetermined Z′-axis direction position.

  In the above embodiment, the roller 4 is disposed so as to rotate in a plane parallel to the formation surface (XY plane) of the five-bar linkage mechanism 2, and the rotation shaft 18a is disposed so as to be orthogonal to the XY plane. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and as shown in FIG. 3, it is also possible to arrange the roller 4 so as to rotate in a plane perpendicular to the XY plane, and to arrange the rotation axis thereof in parallel with the XY plane. In FIG. 3, the same members as those shown in FIG.

1 is a perspective view of a five-bar link haptic device according to the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows an example of the state which operated the five-barrel link type haptic device shown in FIG. It is a perspective view of the five-bar link type haptic device which has arrange | positioned so that the roller 4 may rotate within the surface orthogonal to XY plane.

Explanation of symbols

1 Five-bar link type haptic device 2 Five-bar link mechanism 3 Operation unit 4 Roller (rotary type pointing mechanism)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 5 Parallel link mechanism 6,7,8 Drive apparatus 11 Support | pillar 12 Bracket 14,15,18 Motor 14a, 15a, 18a Rotating shaft 16,17,19 Encoder 21 Bearing block 22 1st link 23 2nd link 24 3rd link 25 Fourth link 26, 27, 28 Connecting pin 31 Operation stage 31a Upper plate 31b Lower plate 31c Connecting plate 32 Handle 33 Support base 35, 36 Link 37 Relay plate 37a, 37b End portion 38 Joint

Claims (3)

In a five-bar link haptic device having a five-bar link mechanism,
An operation unit that is provided at a predetermined position of the five-bar link mechanism and operates the five-bar link mechanism;
A posture control mechanism for always maintaining the posture of the operation unit in the same posture regardless of the displacement of the five-bar linkage mechanism;
A rotation type indicating mechanism for indicating an axis different from the direction indicated by the five-bar linkage mechanism,
The rotary type instruction mechanism is installed in the operation unit,
The five-bar link haptic device, wherein the five-bar link mechanism and the rotary pointing mechanism can be operated independently.   The posture control mechanism includes a parallel link mechanism provided in parallel to the five-bar link mechanism, and is supported so that the operation unit always maintains the same posture regardless of the displacement of the five-bar link mechanism. The five-bar link haptic device according to claim 1, wherein   The rotation type indicating mechanism includes a roller, a sensor for detecting a rotation angle of the roller, and an actuator for generating torque on the roller, and the rotation axis of the roller indicates an axis different from the direction indicated by the five-bar linkage mechanism. The five-bar link haptic device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it is arranged to do so.

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