JP2017100258A - Joint mechanism and manipulator with use of joint mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize a joint mechanism which can perform bending motion and rotating motion with a slender constitution, and a manipulator.SOLUTION: A joint mechanism comprises: a first link; a support shaft 13 which is so supported on one end side of the first link as to cross an extension direction of the ink; a rotary stem 14 which is so supported as to be rotated with respect to the support shaft 13; two intermediate gears 15 which are respectively so supported as to be rotated with respect to the support shaft 13; two input gears 16 which are rotatably supported by the first link while engaging with each other in such a manner that axial directions thereof respectively cross two intermediate gears 15; two output gears 17 which are rotatably supported by the rotary stem 14 while engaging with each other in such a manner that axial directions thereof respectively cross two intermediate gears 15; an internal gear 18 which is rotatably supported by the rotary stem 14 so as to be rotated in such a manner that two output gears 17 are engaged with an internal tooth thereof; and a second link which is so connected to the internal gear 18 as to be integrally rotatable.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention includes, for example, a forceps device and a pinching device, DCA (directional coronary atherectomy) Cartel, OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography) Cartel, other medical devices, physics and chemistry devices, industrial The present invention relates to a joint mechanism used in equipment, a robot, and the like, and a manipulator using the joint mechanism.

  Conventionally, in this type of invention, for example, as described in Patent Document 1, a work tool part (gripping members 1 and 2) that opens and closes by turning around a turning fulcrum part and the work tool Cylindrical link (fixed tube 10) supported so that the front end side of the portion (gripping members 1, 2) protrudes forward, and a plurality of wires (W) inserted through the link (fixed tube 10) There is a medical forceps that operates the work tool part (gripping members 1, 2) by pulling the wire (W) to one or the other.

Japanese Patent No. 3075404

In recent years, in minimally invasive surgery, there is a rapid shift from MPS (Multi-Port Surgery) to SPS (Single-Port Surgery).
In SPS (Single-Port Surgery), a plurality of working tool parts (forceps, etc.) are inserted into one port formed in the patient's body, but in order to reduce the adverse effects on the patient's body as much as possible, There is a demand to make the diameter of the port as small as possible. Therefore, the size of the forceps inserted into the port is required to be at least 8 mm or less, preferably 5 mm or less.
Furthermore, since it is necessary to move the forceps inserted into the one port in a complicated manner in the body, it is desirable that the link portion that supports the work tool portion bends by at least three or more joints.
Further, even in minimally invasive surgery, suturing (hand movement) requires the most skill, and an operation for rotating the work tool portion on the front end side (rotating operation with the link extending direction as an axis) is required.

  However, in an extremely thin configuration that can pass through the port, it is necessary to devise to realize the bending operation and the rotation operation.

In view of such problems, the present invention has the following configuration.
A first link; a support shaft supported at one end of the first link so as to intersect the extending direction of the link; and a rotation base supported to rotate relative to the support shaft Two intermediate gears supported so as to rotate with respect to the support shaft, and two inputs that mesh with the two intermediate gears so that their axial directions intersect with each other and are rotatably supported by the first link. The gears and the two intermediate gears mesh with each other with their axial directions intersecting with each other, and are rotated by meshing the two output gears with the internal teeth and rotatably supported by the rotation base. As described above, an articulation mechanism comprising: an internal gear rotatably supported by the rotation base portion; and a second link connected to the internal gear so as to be integrally rotatable.

  Since the present invention is configured as described above, a bending operation and a rotation operation can be realized even when a relatively thin configuration is employed.

It is a side view showing an example of a manipulator concerning the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the 1st joint mechanism in the manipulator. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a 1st joint mechanism. It is sectional drawing which follows the (IV)-(IV) line | wire in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows an example of a rotation base and an output gearwheel. It is a perspective view which shows an example of a rotation base. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of an internal gear 18. FIG. The structure of the 2nd joint mechanism in the same manipulator is shown, (a) is the figure seen from the side, (b) is the figure seen by rotating (a) 90 degrees. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the work tool part in the manipulator. The 1st joint mechanism in the same manipulator is shown, (a) is a side view seen from the direction orthogonal to a support axis, (b) is a figure seen by rotating (a) 90 degrees, (c) is ( It is a side view of the state which rotated the 2nd link about b). Looking from the position It is a schematic diagram which shows the bending operation | movement of a 1st joint mechanism in order to (a)-(c). It is a schematic diagram which shows the rotation operation | movement of a 1st joint mechanism in order to (a)-(c).

One of the features of the joint mechanism in the present embodiment is that the first link, a support shaft supported on one end side of the first link so as to intersect the extending direction of the link, and the support A rotating base supported to rotate with respect to the shaft, two intermediate gears supported to rotate with respect to the supporting shaft, and the two intermediate gears meshing with each other with their axial directions crossed. Two input gears rotatably supported by a first link, and two output gears meshed with the two intermediate gears so as to cross each other in the axial direction and rotatably supported by the rotation base; An internal gear rotatably supported by the rotation base so as to rotate by meshing the two output gears with internal teeth, and a second link connected to the internal gear so as to be integrally rotatable. I was painting.
According to this configuration, by rotating the two input gears in the opposite directions and rotating the two intermediate gears in the same direction, the second link bends with respect to the first link (see FIG. 11). ). Further, by rotating the two input gears in the same direction and rotating the two intermediate gears in the opposite directions, the second link rotates relative to the first link (see FIG. 12).

  As another feature, the input gear and the intermediate gear are bevel gears (see FIG. 2 and FIG. 3) so that the force can be transmitted efficiently and can be made thinner and smaller.

  As another feature, in order to achieve a more preferable specific aspect in a slender configuration, the output gear integrally includes a bevel gear portion that meshes with the intermediate gear and a spur gear portion that meshes with the internal gear. (See FIG. 5).

  Another feature is that the two input gears and / or the two output gears are arranged on both sides in the axial direction of the intermediate gear in order to provide a more preferable specific aspect in a slender configuration. (See FIG. 3).

As another feature, the two input gears are respectively rotated by electric motors, and these electric motors are individually controlled.
According to this configuration, the rotation of the two input gears can be finely controlled by each electric motor. Therefore, the basic operation such as the joint bending operation performed by rotating the two input gears in the opposite directions at the same speed and the same angle, or the rotation operation performed by rotating the same angle in the same direction at the same angle, By providing the input gear with a speed difference, a variety of operations that mix joint flexion and rotation can be performed.

Another feature is a manipulator having the joint mechanism, wherein a plurality of links including the first link and the second link are connected, and among these links, the most advanced link is a work A work tool unit for performing work on the object is configured (see FIGS. 1 and 9).
According to this structure, it is a manipulator which can perform complicated work with various operations with a slim and small size.

<Specific Embodiment>
Next, specific embodiments having the above characteristics will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a simplified side view of a manipulator according to the present invention.

  The manipulator 1 includes a first joint mechanism 10 and a second joint mechanism 20, and a work object (for example, each organ of the human body) is disposed on the distal end side of the first and second joint mechanisms 10 and 20. Etc.) is configured.

As shown in FIG. 2, the first joint mechanism 10 is fixed to the rear link 11 (first link) and the front end side of the link 11 so as to be orthogonal to the extending direction of the link 11. A support shaft 13 supported via the base 12, a rotating base 14 supported to rotate with respect to the support shaft 13, and two intermediate gears 15 supported to rotate with respect to the support shaft 13, respectively. The two intermediate gears 15 mesh with the two intermediate gears 15 and the two input gears 16 supported so as to rotate with respect to the link 11 and the two intermediate gears 15 with the axial directions orthogonal to each other. And two output gears 17 that are supported so as to rotate with respect to the rotating base 14, and an internal gear that is supported so as to rotate with respect to the rotating base 14, and is connected to the internal teeth 18a (see FIG. 4). Output teeth Has an inner gear 18 so as to engage the 17, the front link 19 which is integrally rotatably connected to the internal gear 18 (second link), a.
In the description relating to the description of the present embodiment, the positional relationship in the description of the “rear” or “rear” phrase with respect to the “front” or “front” phrase is basically the output gear 17 side in the joint mechanism 10. Is a positional relationship in which the input gear 16 side is “rear side” or “rear side”. This positional relationship is, for example, a positional relationship in which the first and second joint mechanisms 10 and 20 are “rear” when the work tool unit 30 side of the manipulator 1 is regarded as “front”.

Each of the links 11 and 19 is formed in a cylindrical shape from a hard material such as metal.
The rear link 11 (first link) is provided with two rotational drive sources 16 a for rotating the two input gears 16.
Each rotation drive source 16a is a φ2 servo motor including a gear mechanism and a rotary motor (for example, a brushless DC motor, a stepping motor, etc.). The rotational drive source 16a has an input gear 16 fixed to an output shaft directed forward (link 19 side).
The input gear 16 is a bevel gear whose shape is gradually reduced in diameter on the front side.

  The fixed base portion 12 is integrally formed of a substantially annular base portion 12a that is press-fitted and fixed to the front end of the link 11, and two bearing piece portions 12b that protrude forward from the base portion 12a with a radial interval. The two bearing pieces 12b are provided with through-hole support holes 12b1 (see FIG. 3) for inserting and supporting the support shaft 13.

The support shaft 13 is a cylindrical shaft extending between the two bearing pieces 12b, and is provided so as to be orthogonal to the links 11 and 19 (see FIG. 3).
Two intermediate gears 15 are annularly mounted on the center side in the longitudinal direction of the support shaft 13, and the rotation base 14 is annularly mounted with the intermediate gear 15 interposed therebetween.
The support shaft 13 is press-fitted and fixed in the support hole 12 b 1 of the fixed base 12. As another example, the support shaft 13 can be inserted into the support hole 12b1 so as to be rotatable and immovable in the axial direction.

The intermediate gear 15 is a substantially frustoconical bevel gear, and is rotatably attached to the support shaft 13.
Each of the two intermediate gears 15 meshes with the two input gears 16 on the rear half side thereof, and meshes with the two output gears 17 on the front half side.

Each output gear 17 integrally has a bevel gear portion 17 a that meshes with the intermediate gear 15 and a spur gear portion 17 b that meshes with the internal gear 18 of the internal gear 18.
The bevel gear portion 17 a is formed in a bevel gear shape that is gradually reduced in diameter toward the rear (link 11 side), and meshes with the intermediate gear 15 so as to be orthogonal.
The spur gear 17b is concentrically connected to the front side of the bevel gear portion 17a and meshes with the internal teeth 18a of the internal gear 18 (see FIG. 3).
The two output gears 17 are disposed substantially parallel to each other in the radial direction of the link 19 and are rotatably supported by the rotation base 14 (see FIGS. 3 and 5).

The rotating base portion 14 is provided on both sides of the two intermediate gears 15 so as to extend forward from the two shaft insertion piece portions 14a, which are rotatably and annularly fitted to the support shaft 13, and from these two shaft insertion piece portions 14a. And an annular portion 14b (see FIGS. 5 and 6).
The annular portion 14b is a substantially disk-shaped member, and rotatably supports the output gear 17 on both sides in the radial direction via bearing members 14c (see FIG. 5).

The internal gear 18 is a substantially cylindrical member (see FIG. 7). The internal gear 18 has internal teeth 18a over the entire circumference on the inner peripheral surface on the rear end side, and irregularities are formed on the inner peripheral surface on the front side of the internal teeth 18a. It has a cylindrical support surface 18b with no surface.
Two output gears 17 (specifically, a spur gear portion 17b) are meshed with the internal gear 18a (see FIG. 4).
The outer peripheral surface of the annular portion 14b fits slidably behind the support surface 18b (see FIG. 3). That is, the internal gear 18 can be rotated by bringing the support surface 18b into sliding contact with the outer peripheral surface of the annular portion 14b.
Further, an annular spacer 18c, a base portion 36 of a work tool portion 30 described later, and the like are fitted on the front side of the support surface 18b.
A cylindrical link 19 is fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the internal gear 18 so as not to advance and retreat and to rotate.

Moreover, the 2nd joint mechanism 20 is a mechanism for bending the joint part between the link 11 of the front side, and the link 21 of the rear side, as shown to Fig.8 (a) (b).
More specifically, the second joint mechanism 20 includes a rotation drive source 22 having an output shaft directed rearward in the link 21, a transmission gear 23 that transmits the rotational force of the rotation drive source 22, and a transmission gear. A feed screw mechanism 24 that operates in response to the rotational force of 23, two first pulley portions 25 that are provided to rotate integrally with the front link 11, and a rear end side of the rear link 21. A second pulley portion 26 is provided, and a feed screw mechanism 24, a first pulley portion 25, and two wires 27 wound around the second pulley portion 26 are provided.
The two second joint mechanisms 20 in the illustrated example are connected to the rear side of the first joint mechanism 10, but as another example, a mode in which the second joint mechanism 20 is singular, It is also possible to adopt a mode in which two or more joint mechanisms 20 are connected.

  The link 21 is formed in a cylindrical shape from a hard material such as metal, like the links 11 and 19 described above.

  The rotational drive source 22 is a φ2 servo motor with a built-in gear mechanism and a rotary motor (for example, a brushless DC motor, a stepping motor, etc.), similar to the rotational drive source 16a described above. The rotary drive source 22 has a spur gear-like drive gear 22a fixed to an output shaft directed rearward.

The transmission gear 23 is rotatably supported with respect to the link 21 via the base portion 28, and meshes with the drive gear 22a so as to receive a rotational force.
The base portion 28 is a cylindrical member that is press-fitted to the rear end side in the link 21, and has two support piece portions 28 a that respectively support the two first pulley portions 25 on the rear side. The transmission gear 23 is supported on the front end surface of the base portion 28 via a shaft-like member.
According to the illustrated example, the base 28 is also provided on the rear end side of the link 11 (see FIG. 8).

  The feed screw mechanism 24 is engaged with the transmission gear 23 by being fixed to the one end side of the screw shaft 24a and a screw shaft 24a provided in parallel with the rotation shaft of the rotary drive source 22 with one end side directed rearward. This mechanism includes an input gear 24d and a linearly moving member 24b screwed to the other end of the screw shaft 24a, and linearly moves the linearly moving member 24b by rotating the screw shaft 24a. In the illustrated example, a sliding screw mechanism is used as the feed screw mechanism 24. However, a ball screw mechanism can be used instead of the sliding screw mechanism.

The front end side of the screw shaft 24a is rotatably supported by a bearing member 24c fixed to the inner surface of the link 21. In addition, the rear end side of the screw shaft 24 a is rotatably supported by the front end portion of the base portion 28.
The linear motion member 24b is a nut-like member screwed to the screw shaft 24a, and one end side and the other end side of the wire 27 to be described later are fastened.

The two first pulley portions 25 are disposed at the rotation fulcrum portion of the front link 11 and are provided so as to rotate integrally with the link 11.
If it demonstrates in detail, each 1st pulley part 25 is connected with each support piece part 28a of the base 28 fixed to the rear-end side of the link 11 so that integral rotation is possible. The first pulley portion 25 and the support piece portion 28a are rotatably supported by a shaft member 29c supported by the base portion 29 on the front end side of the link 21.

The base portion 29 integrally includes an annular portion 29a press-fitted to the front end side of the link 21 and two support piece portions 29b protruding forward from the front end of the annular portion 29a.
The annular portion 29a supports the rotational drive source 22 and the bearing member 24c described above at the rear end thereof.
The two support piece portions 29b press-fit the shaft member 29c so as to be orthogonal to the central axis of the link 21. The shaft member 29c is fixed so as not to rotate, but may be rotatable as long as it does not move in the axial direction.

  Further, a torque limiter (not shown) is provided between the first pulley portion 25 and the support piece portion 29b to release the connection state between them when a rotational load exceeding a predetermined threshold is applied. It has been. This torque limiter includes, for example, an input disk having unevenness and an output disk that fits the unevenness, and when a rotational load of a predetermined threshold or more is applied, the aspect due to the unevenness is removed, Other known torque limiters may be used.

Further, the second pulley portion 26 is fixed to the rear end side in the link 21 such that a linear motion member 24 b is disposed between the second pulley portion 26 and the first pulley portion 25.
According to the illustrated example, the second pulley portion 26 is a cylindrical shaft-like member, and a wire 27 is hung on the rear half side of the outer peripheral surface, and the wire 27 is slid in the longitudinal direction. As another example of the second pulley portion 26, a cylindrical member or the like that is rotatably supported with respect to the link 21 may be used.

The wire 27 is a string-like member having an appropriate tensile strength, such as a metal wire, and two wires 27 are provided in the link 21 at intervals in the radial direction.
One end side and the other end side of each wire 27 are fixed to the linear motion member 24b. A portion between one end side and the other end side of each wire 27 is wound around the first pulley portion 25 only once and hung on the second half portion side of the second pulley portion 26.
In addition, according to this embodiment, although two sets are provided so that the wire 27, the 1st pulley part 25, and the 2nd pulley part 26 may be located in a line with a link radial direction, they may be set to a single set or three sets or more. Is possible.

  The work tool unit 30 is a pinching mechanism (specifically, a medical forceps) that rotates and opens and closes a plurality of (two in the illustrated example) pinching pieces 31, and includes a rotation drive source 33 and a feed mechanism. By providing a plurality of screw mechanisms 34 so as to correspond to each of the plurality of sandwiching pieces 31, each of the sandwiching pieces 31 is rotated by a linear motion of the linear motion member of the corresponding feed screw mechanism 34. .

The mechanism on the drive source side of the work tool unit 30 has substantially the same basic structure as the drive source side mechanism of the second joint mechanism 20 described above.
That is, the drive source side mechanism of the work tool unit 30 includes a rotation drive source 33 with the output shaft directed rearward in the cylindrical link 19, a transmission gear 35 that transmits the rotational force of the rotation drive source 33, and transmission A linear motion member that includes two pairs of feed screw mechanisms 34 that receive the rotational force of the gear 35 by the input gear 34b and that are arranged in the link radial direction so as to be aligned in the link radial direction, and are screwed to the screw shaft 34a of each feed screw mechanism 34 The power is transmitted to the corresponding clip piece 31 on the front side (not shown).

  Each rotational drive source 33 is a φ2 servo motor having a built-in gear mechanism and a rotary motor (for example, a brushless DC motor, a stepping motor, etc.) substantially similar to the rotational drive sources 16a, 22 described above. The rotary drive source 33 has a spur gear-like drive gear 33a fixed to an output shaft directed rearward.

Each transmission gear 35 is rotatably supported by a rear end portion of the link 19 via a base portion 36, and meshes with the drive gear 33a so as to receive a rotational force.
The base portion 36 is a columnar member that is press-fitted to the rear end side in the link 19, and the transmission gear 35, the screw shaft 34 a, and the like are rotatably supported by shaft members that are supported on the front end surface thereof. .

  Each feed screw mechanism 34 is a mechanism that linearly moves a linearly moving member (not shown) by rotation of the screw shaft 34a with one end directed rearward, similarly to the feed screw mechanism 24 described above.

The two clamping pieces 31 are pivotally supported on the front end side of the link 19 so that the front end side is opened and closed.
More specifically, a shaft member 32 supported on the front end side of the link 19 is inserted into the rear end side of each clip piece 31, and each clip piece 31 rotates around the shaft member 32 as a rotation center. On the outer periphery of the shaft member 32, a torsion spring-like biasing member 32a is annularly mounted so as to bias the two clip pieces 31 in the opening direction.
Further, the rear portion of the sandwiching piece 31 with respect to the shaft member 32 is bent outward in a substantially L shape, and the rear end side of the linear movement member (see FIG. (Not shown). Therefore, when the linear motion member is advanced by driving the rotational drive source 33, the pinching piece 31 rotates in the closing direction against the biasing force of the biasing member 32a.

Next, the characteristic effect of the manipulator 1 having the above configuration will be described in detail.
First, the operation of the first joint mechanism 10 will be described.
11 to 12 schematically show the first joint mechanism 10.
If the two input gears 16 are rotated in the reverse direction (in other words, clockwise and counterclockwise) at the same rotational speed by the rotational force of the two rotational driving sources 16a (see FIG. 11A), they mesh with each other. The two intermediate gears 15 rotate in the same direction (see FIG. 11B).
Then, rotational forces in opposite directions act on the two output gears 17 (the bevel gear portion 17a and the spur gear portion 17b) engaged with the two intermediate gears 15.
For this reason, the internal gear 18 cannot be rotated as shown in FIG. 11C, and the rotation base portion 14 is rotated with the support shaft 13 as a fulcrum, and the link 19 is also rotated integrally therewith. . That is, as shown in FIGS. 10B and 10C, the link 19 is bent with respect to the link 11.
In addition, although illustration is abbreviate | omitted, if the two rotation drive sources 16a are each rotated reversely, the link 19 will bend with respect to the link 11 in the reverse direction.

Further, if the two input gears 16 are rotated in the same direction at the same rotational speed by the rotational force of the two rotational drive sources 16a (see FIG. 12A), the two intermediate gears 15 meshing with them are obtained. Rotate in directions opposite to each other (see FIG. 12B).
Then, the two output gears 17 (the bevel gear portion 17a and the spur gear portion 17b) meshing with the two intermediate gears 15 rotate so as to be in the same rotation direction.
For this reason, the internal gear 18 receives rotational force from the two output gears 17 and comes into sliding contact with the outer peripheral surface of the annular portion 14b of the rotation base 14 to rotate in one direction (rotation). Accordingly, the link 19 integrated with the internal gear 18 also rotates in the same direction.
In addition, although illustration is abbreviate | omitted, if the two rotation drive sources 16a are each rotated reversely, the rotation direction of the rotation base 14 and the link 19 will be reversed.

  Also, if the rotational speeds of the two rotational drive sources 16a are individually controlled and the rotational direction and rotational speed of the two input gears 16 are adjusted appropriately, the link 19 can be bent and rotated. .

Next, the operation of the second joint mechanism 20 will be described (see FIG. 8).
When the drive gear 22a rotates by supplying power to the rotational drive source 22, the rotational force is transmitted to the screw shaft 24a of the feed screw mechanism 24 via the transmission gear 23, the input gear 24d, and the like. The linear movement member 24b moves linearly parallel to the center line of the link 21 by the rotation of the screw shaft 24a. Then, since the wire 27 fixed to the linear motion member 24b moves in the longitudinal direction, the first pulley portion 25 around which the wire 27 is wound rotates, and is integrated with the first pulley portion 25. The base 28 and the link 11 are rotated. That is, the link 11 is bent with respect to the link 21. When the bending direction of the link 11 is reversed, the power supplied to the rotational drive source 22 is controlled to reverse the rotational direction of the rotational drive source 22.
When the link 11 receives excessive force from the work tool portion 30 side, the base 28 and the link are caused by the action of a torque limiter (not shown) between the support piece portion 28a and the first pulley portion 25. Since 11 rotates with respect to the 1st pulley part 25, damage to each part of the manipulator 1 and the surrounding object which the manipulator 1 touches can be prevented.
In addition, according to the example of illustration, since the 2nd joint mechanism 20 is provided in series at the rear part side of the manipulator 1, the said operation | movement is each possible about these two joint parts.

Next, the operation of the work tool unit 30 will be described (see FIG. 9).
When electric power is supplied to each rotational drive source 33 and the drive gear 33a rotates, the rotational force is transmitted to the screw shaft 34a via the transmission gear 35 and the input gear 34b, and the screw shaft 34a rotates in one direction. . Accordingly, a linear motion member (not shown) screwed to the screw shaft 34a moves linearly in parallel to the center line of the link 19, and this linear motion is transmitted to each sandwiching piece 31 via the link member 32b and the like. Each clip piece 31 rotates.
Note that the tooth width dimensions of the drive gear 33a, the transmission gear 35, and the input gear 34b can maintain a state in which the gears mesh with each other even when the axial position of the feed screw mechanism 34 is displaced inside the link 19. Is set to
The two rotational drive sources 33 can be controlled independently of each other. Therefore, if the two rotational drive sources 33 are appropriately controlled, the two clip pieces 31 are closed against the urging force of the urging member 32a, or opened oppositely, or the two clip pieces 31 are opened. Various operations can be performed, such as turning to tilt to one side in a closed state.

Therefore, according to the manipulator 1 configured as described above, it can be configured to have an outer diameter of 8 mm or less or an outer diameter of 5 mm or less, and a complex bending operation can be performed by a plurality of or three or more joints. About the part 30, the 1st joint mechanism 10 can perform the complicated operation | movement which combined rotational motion and bending motion.
Therefore, the manipulator 1 is particularly useful as a forceps used for SPS (Single-Port Surgery).

  According to the above embodiment, the two input gears 16 and the two output gears 17 are disposed on both sides of the two intermediate gears 15 in the axial direction, but as another example, between the two intermediate gears 15. Alternatively, a configuration in which two input gears 16 and / or two output gears 17 are arranged and meshed with each other is also possible.

  Moreover, according to the said embodiment, although the rear side part (bevel gear part 17a) of the input gear 16, the intermediate | middle gear 15, and the output gear 17 was comprised by the bevel gear, these are gears which mesh | intersect crossing an axial direction. For example, a configuration using a crown gear (face gear) or other gears is also possible.

  In the second joint mechanism 20, the output shaft or the like of the rotational drive source 22 is directed rearward, and the link 11 on the opposite side (front) is bent. In other words, the output shaft of the rotational drive source 22 can be directed forward and the link on the opposite side (rear) can be bent.

  Moreover, according to the said embodiment, although it was set as the structure provided with the 1st joint mechanism 10 which carries out bending movement and rotational movement, and the 2nd joint mechanism 20 which carries out only bending movement, as all other examples, A mode in which the joints are configured by the first joint mechanism 10, a mode in which all the joints are configured by the second joint mechanism 20, and the number and combination of the first joint mechanism 10 and the second joint mechanism 20 other than those illustrated. It is possible to set it as the aspect etc. which were made.

Moreover, according to the said embodiment, although the working tool part 30 was comprised as a medical clamping device (forceps), as another example of this working tool part, DCA Cartel, OCT, other medical equipment, physics and chemistry equipment, It can be configured as a device for a working part such as an industrial device or a robot.
More specifically, as another example of the work tool unit 30, a device for pinching the work object, a device for drilling a hole in the work object, a device for coating the work object, etc. Is also possible.

  Further, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present invention.

1: Manipulator 10: First joint mechanism 11: Link (first link)
13: Support shaft 14: Rotating base 15: Intermediate gear 16: Input gear 17: Output gear 17a: Bevel gear portion 17b: Spur gear portion 18: Internal gear 19: Link (second link)
20: Second joint mechanism 21: Link 16a, 22, 33: Rotation drive source (electric motor)
24, 34: feed screw mechanism 23, 35: transmission gear 24: feed screw mechanism 24a: screw shaft 24b: linear motion member 25: first pulley portion 26: second pulley portion 27: wire 29: base portion 30: work Tool part 31: Clipping piece

Claims (6)

The first link,
A support shaft supported on one end side of the first link so as to intersect the extending direction of the link;
A pivot base supported to rotate relative to the support shaft;
Two intermediate gears supported to rotate with respect to the support shaft,
Two input gears meshing with each other with the two intermediate gears crossing each other in the axial direction and rotatably supported by a first link;
Two output gears that mesh with each other with the two intermediate gears crossed in the axial direction and rotatably supported by the rotating base;
An internal gear rotatably supported by the rotation base so as to rotate by meshing the two output gears with internal teeth;
A second link connected to the internal gear so as to be integrally rotatable;
With joint mechanism.   The joint mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the input gear and the intermediate gear are bevel gears.   3. The joint mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the output gear integrally includes a bevel gear portion that meshes with the intermediate gear and a spur gear portion that meshes with the internal gear.   The joint mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the two input gears and / or the two output gears are arranged on both sides of the intermediate gear in the axial direction.   The joint mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the two input gears are respectively rotated by an electric motor, and the electric motors are individually controlled. A manipulator comprising the joint mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
A plurality of links including the first link and the second link are connected, and among these links, the most advanced link constitutes a work tool unit that performs work on a work object. Characteristic manipulator.

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