JP2017104964A - Master arm input device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a master arm input device with excellent operability.SOLUTION: A master arm input device 11 operates a slave manipulator 20 which has a joint shaft corresponding to a plurality of degrees of freedom. The master arm input device 11 includes: a device body 100; a horizontal articulated link mechanism 40 which has at least one or more joint shafts and an end rotatably supported with respect to the device body 100 around a vertical rotation axis; an elevating/lowering guide 104 which is provided at the other end of the horizontal articulated link mechanism 40 and has a direct-acting mechanism for making a movable section movable in a vertical direction along a vertical axis; an elevating/lowering link 105 as the movable section supported to be freely elevated/lowered with respect to the horizontal articulated link mechanism 40 along the vertical axis via the elevating/lowering guide 104; and a holding section 110 provided in the elevating/lowering link 105.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a master arm input device.

  In recent years, research on medical procedures using robots has been conducted in order to save labor in medical facilities. In particular, in the field of surgery, various proposals have been made for manipulator systems for treating a patient with a manipulator having a multi-degree-of-freedom (multi-joint) arm. Generally, such a system is configured such that a slave manipulator that directly contacts a patient's body cavity can be remotely operated by a master arm input device having a plurality of rotation axes (see, for example, Patent Document 1). ). Recently, for the purpose of improving operability, a master arm input device including not only a plurality of rotating shafts but also a linear motion shaft has been developed (see, for example, Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3).

JP 2012-130800 A JP 2008-173724 A JP 2012-1331014 A

  However, since the conventional master arm input device has a configuration in which the linear movement mechanism of the master arm is fixed to the device main body, the weight of the master arm is directly added to the grip portion during the input operation. For this reason, the operability has room for improvement.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a master arm input device having excellent operability.

  A master arm input device according to an aspect of the present invention is a master arm input device for operating a slave manipulator having joint axes corresponding to a plurality of degrees of freedom, and includes a device main body and at least one or more joint axes. A horizontal articulated link mechanism having one end pivotably supported with respect to the apparatus body about a vertical rotation axis, and a movable part provided at the other end of the horizontal articulated link mechanism. And a lifting / lowering guide having a linear motion mechanism capable of moving in a vertical direction along a vertical axis, and supported by the horizontal articulated link mechanism along the vertical axis via the lifting / lowering guide. And an elevating link serving as the movable part, and a grip provided on the elevating link.

  According to the above configuration, the lifting link is supported so as to be movable up and down via the lifting guide provided at the other end of the horizontal articulated link mechanism, so that the lifting guide is directly attached to the apparatus main body. Thus, the weight of the master arm is not directly added to the grip portion during the input operation. Thereby, the operation load of the gripping portion is reduced and the operability is improved.

  The horizontal articulated link mechanism includes a first link supported so as to be rotatable with respect to the apparatus main body about a vertical rotation axis and a rotation with respect to the first link about a vertical rotation axis. The second link supported freely and the elevating guide may be supported so as to be rotatable with respect to the second link about a vertical rotation axis.

  According to the above configuration, since the lifting guide is provided at the other end of the horizontal articulated link mechanism having three joint axes, the motor that configures the joint shaft compared to the configuration employing the vertical articulated link mechanism, etc. This member can be made small. Thereby, the operation load is reduced and the operability is improved.

  The grip portion is provided at a tip of the lift link, the lift link has three rotation shafts that are not parallel to each other, and the grip portion is optional with respect to the base of the lift link via the three rotation shafts. You may be comprised so that a posture can be taken.

  According to the above configuration, the operator can freely change the posture of the gripping portion with respect to the base portion of the lifting link during input operation, and thus can be affected by the weight of the horizontal link mechanism and the lifting guide. Absent. Thereby, the operativity of a holding part improves.

  The gripping unit may include an operation unit for directly instructing a driving amount of an end effector provided at a tip of the slave manipulator.

  According to the above configuration, the operator directly operates the driving amount of the end effector provided at the distal end of the slave arm (for example, the opening / closing amount of a surgical tool such as a gripper or forceps) at the time of input operation. can do.

  The gripping unit may include an operation amount detector that detects an operation amount of the operation unit, and a motor that drives the operation unit.

  According to the above configuration, it is possible to reflect in the drive of the end effector at the distal end of the slave manipulator (for example, opening / closing operation of the surgical instrument) based on the operation amount of the operation unit detected by the position detector. On the other hand, the movement amount of the end effector at the distal end of the slave manipulator and the external force acting on the end effector can be reflected in the driving amount of the motor of the operation unit. Thereby, the impact received by the slave manipulator can be transmitted to the master arm as vibration. As a result, the operator can perform a more intuitive operation.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the master arm input device excellent in operativity can be provided.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a master-slave manipulator system including a master arm input device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the master arm input device of FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of the master arm input device of FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the lifting link of FIG. FIG. 5 is an enlarged left side view of the grip portion shown in FIG. 6 is a left side view showing a drive system of the operation unit inside the gripping unit of FIG. FIG. 7 is a left side view of the grip portion showing a state when the master arm input device is actually operated. FIG. 8 is an enlarged perspective view of the horizontal articulated link mechanism. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing a joint support structure of a horizontal articulated link mechanism.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Below, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the element which is the same or it corresponds through all the drawings, and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

[Manipulator system]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of a master-slave manipulator system (hereinafter also simply referred to as a manipulator system) including a master arm input device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the manipulator system 1 according to the present embodiment includes a master manipulator 10, a slave manipulator 20, a control device 30, a display device 50, a camera 60, and an image processing unit 70.

  The master manipulator 10 functions as a master in the manipulator system 1 and includes a master arm input device 11. The master arm input device 11 is a device for operating the slave manipulator 20. The master arm input device 11 is operated by an operator (for example, a practitioner), generates an operation signal for operating the slave manipulator 20, and outputs the operation signal to the control device 30.

  The slave manipulator 20 includes a slave arm 21, an end effector 22, and a camera 23. The slave arm 21 is configured so that, for example, its tip has a 6-DOF position and orientation, and a plurality of slave arms 21 are installed. An end effector 22 is provided at the tip of the slave arm 21. The end effector 22 is composed of a surgical instrument such as a gripper (gripper) or forceps. The surgical instrument is used by being inserted into the body cavity of the patient. Here, the work target part is the affected part.

  The control device 30 includes a master control unit 31 and a manipulator control unit 32. The master control unit 31 calculates a position / posture command value of the end effector 22 according to, for example, kinematic calculation in accordance with an operation signal from the master arm input device 11, and outputs the position / posture command value to the manipulator control unit 32. To do. In addition, the master control unit 31 outputs an operation signal for instructing the driving amount of the end effector 22 to the manipulator control unit 32. The manipulator control unit 32 receives the position / posture command values from the master control unit 31, and each joint of the slave arm 21 required to match the position / posture of the end effector 22 at the tip of the slave arm 21 with the command value. Is calculated by, for example, inverse kinematics calculation. Then, the manipulator control unit 32 drives each joint of the slave arm 21 according to the calculated drive amount. Further, the manipulator control unit 32 receives the operation signal for instructing the driving amount of the end effector 22 from the master control unit 31 and drives the end effector 22 at the distal end of the slave arm 21.

  The display device 50 is a monitor that displays an image captured by the camera 23 and processed by the image processing unit 70 on a screen. The camera 60 can be moved by the slave arm 21 so as to take an image of the slave arm 21 and its work target portion. Here, the camera 60 is a stereoscopic endoscope. The camera 60 may be provided at the distal end of the slave arm 21 and may be configured to have a position and orientation of six degrees of freedom, similar to the end effector 22. The image processing unit 70 processes an image signal obtained from the camera 60 provided at the tip of the slave arm 21, generates a display image signal, and outputs it to the display device 50.

[Master arm input device]
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the master arm input device 11. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration shown in FIG. Here, FIG. 2 illustrates the configuration of the master arm input device 11 for the right hand. The configuration for the left hand is substantially the same as that shown in FIG. 2 except that the left-right relationship is reversed with respect to the configuration for the right hand. In the drawings (FIGS. 2 to 7) to be described hereinafter, when the operator operates the master arm input device 11, the X axis is defined as a direction parallel to the ground and from the operator's face toward the device main body 100 as a positive direction. Is set. Further, the Y axis is set along a direction parallel to the ground and perpendicular to the X axis. Furthermore, the Z axis is set along a direction perpendicular to the ground.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the master arm input device 11 includes a device main body 100, a horizontal articulated link mechanism 40, a lifting guide 104, a lifting link 105, and a grip 110.

  The horizontal articulated link mechanism 40 has at least one or more joint axes, and one end of the horizontal articulated link mechanism 40 is supported so as to be rotatable with respect to the apparatus main body 100 about a vertical rotation axis. In the present embodiment, the horizontal articulated link mechanism 40 includes a first link 101, a second link 102, a third link 103, a first axis JT1, a second axis JT2, and a third axis JT3. The first link 101 and the second link 102 each have a horizontally long flat plate shape, and the third link 103 has a vertically long flat plate shape. The first axis JT1, the second axis JT2, and the third axis JT3 are rotary joint axes that can rotate around a vertical rotation axis. The horizontal articulated link mechanism 40 is configured to connect the apparatus main body 100, the first link 101, the second link 102, and the third link 103 by these joint axes. Specifically, the first link 101 (one end in the longitudinal direction) is supported by a first axis JT1 that is rotatable with respect to the apparatus main body 100 about a vertical rotation axis. The second link 102 (one end in the longitudinal direction) is supported by a second shaft JT2 that is rotatable with respect to the first link 101 about a vertical rotation axis. The third link 103 (center in the longitudinal direction) is supported by a third axis JT3 that is rotatable with respect to the second link 102 about a vertical rotation axis.

  The elevating guide 104 is provided at the other end of the horizontal articulated link mechanism 40, and has a linear motion mechanism that allows the movable part to move in the vertical direction along a vertical axis. In the present embodiment, the lifting guide 104 is integral with the third link 103 provided at the other end of the horizontal articulated link mechanism 40. That is, the member on the horizontal articulated link mechanism 40 side is supported by the third axis JT3 as the third link 103, and the member on the lifting link 105 side is provided with the fourth axis JT4 as a movable part of the lifting guide 104. It is a rail. Further, the elevating guide 104 includes a gravity compensation mechanism 123 that makes the elevating link 105 stationary with respect to the elevating guide 104 by applying a force in the direction opposite to gravity to the elevating link 105 (see FIG. 3). In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the gravity compensation mechanism 123 has one end connected to the lifting guide 104 and the other end connected to the lifting link 105. Although the gravity compensation mechanism 123 is a tension spring here, it may be a counterweight or an auxiliary link. Thereby, the raising / lowering link 105 can be made still with respect to the raising / lowering guide 104 in a predetermined position.

  The elevating link 105 is supported by the horizontal articulated link mechanism 40 through the elevating guide 104 along the vertical axis so as to be movable up and down. FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view showing the lifting link 105. As shown in FIG. 4, the elevating link 105 includes a first link 105a, a second link 105b, a third link 105c, a fifth axis JT5, a sixth axis JT6, and a seventh axis JT7. The fifth axis JT5, the sixth axis JT6, and the seventh axis JT7 are rotational joint axes that are orthogonal to each other. Here, the fifth axis JT5 is configured to be rotatable around a rotation axis parallel to the Y-axis direction. The sixth axis JT6 is configured to be rotatable about a rotation axis parallel to the Z-axis direction. The seventh axis JT7 is configured to be rotatable about a rotation axis parallel to the X-axis direction.

  One end of the first link 105a is connected to the fourth axis JT4 (movable part) of the lifting guide 104 and extends in the longitudinal direction along the minus direction of the X axis. Curved in the direction and extended in the longitudinal direction along the same direction, curved in the positive direction of the Z-axis at the second bent portion 202, extended in the longitudinal direction along the same direction, and the other end 203 is the fifth It is connected to the second link 105b via the shaft JT5. Accordingly, the first link 105a is supported by the fourth axis JT4 of the lifting guide 104 so as to be movable up and down with respect to the lifting guide 104 along a vertical axis.

One end portion 204 of the second link 105b is connected to the other end portion 203 of the first link 105a via the fifth axis JT5, and extends in the longitudinal direction along the negative direction of the Z axis. It curves in the negative direction of the Y axis and extends in the longitudinal direction along the same direction, and the other end 206 is connected to the third link 105c via the sixth axis JT6.
Thus, the second link 105b is supported by the fifth axis JT5 so as to be rotatable with respect to the first link 105a about the rotation axis perpendicular to the Y-axis direction.

  One end 207 of the third link 105c is connected to the other end 206 of the second link 105b via the sixth axis JT6, and the longitudinal direction is along the direction inclined about 45 degrees from the Z-axis direction to the X-axis direction. The other end 208 is coupled to the grip 110 via the seventh axis JT7. Accordingly, the third link 105c is supported by the sixth axis JT6 so as to be rotatable with respect to the second link 105b about the rotation axis perpendicular to the Z-axis direction.

  The grip 110 is provided on the third link 105 c located at the tip of the lift link 105. FIG. 5 is an enlarged left side view of the grip 110 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the grip 110 is connected at its tip to the other end 208 of the third link 105c via a seventh axis JT7 and extends in the longitudinal direction along the minus direction of the X axis. The link 110a is configured. The link 110a further extends in the negative direction of the Z axis to constitute a grip 110b. The grip 110b is a part that the operator holds with his / her hand. As a result, the grip 110 is supported by the seventh axis JT7 so as to be rotatable with respect to the third link 105c about the rotation axis perpendicular to the X-axis direction.

  As described above, the first link 105a, the second link 105b, the third link 105c, and the grip 110 are connected by the fifth axis JT5, the sixth axis JT6, and the seventh axis JT7, which are rotation joint axes orthogonal to each other. Configured. Further, the center position G of the grip 110 is located at the intersection of the axes of three rotation axes (JT5, JT6 and JT7) orthogonal to each other. The gripping part 110 can take an arbitrary posture with respect to the base part of the elevating link 105 via the fifth axis JT5, the sixth axis JT6, and the seventh axis JT7, which are three rotation axes. In the present embodiment, the grip 110 is supported so as to be movable in three orthogonal axes (X-axis, Y-axis, Z-axis) and rotation directions around each axis.

  The grip part 110 includes an operation part 111 that is configured to be openable and closable with a thumb and an index finger when the operator grips the grip 110b by hand. As shown in FIG. 5, the left operation unit 111 includes a thumb operation lever 112 provided on the left side surface of the link 110 a of the gripping unit 110 main body. A thumb protection cover is attached to the operation lever 112. An operation unit 111 for the index finger is provided on the right side surface of the holding unit 110. The configuration of the right operation unit 111 is substantially the same as the configuration of the thumb operation unit 111 except that the left-right relationship is reversed. The left and right operation units 111 are provided to directly command the drive amount of an end effector 22 (for example, a surgical instrument such as a gripper (gripper) or forceps) provided at the distal end of the slave manipulator 20 in FIG. . That is, the left and right operation units 111 are attached with an eighth axis JT8 that can be opened and closed independently of the position and orientation of the gripping unit 110.

  FIG. 6 is a left side view showing the drive system of the left and right operation units 111 inside the gripping unit 110 of FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, the gripping unit 110 includes therein an operation amount detector E that detects the operation amount of the left and right operation units 111 and a motor M that drives the left and right operation units 111. The operation amount detector E is a position detector such as an encoder. The operation amount detector E and the motor M are connected to the first shaft 114. The first shaft 114 is pivotally supported by a bearing 114a, and is connected to the left lever pulley 113L and the right lever pulley 113R via wires 115L and 115R. The left lever pulley 113L and the right lever pulley 113R are connected to the second shaft 113, and the second shaft 113 is pivotally supported by a bearing 113a. The second shaft 113 is connected to the operation lever 112 of the left and right operation units 111 and is configured to rotate in conjunction with the lever operation.

  Here, the encoder E and the motor M provided corresponding to the eighth axis JT8 have been described. However, the first axis JT1 to the seventh axis JT7 are also provided with an encoder and a motor, respectively (not shown). .

  FIG. 7 is a left side view of the grip portion 110 showing a state when the master arm input device 11 for the right hand is actually operated. The operation of the left-hand master arm input device 11 is substantially the same as that shown in FIG. 7 except that the left-right relationship is reversed with respect to the right-hand operation. As shown in FIG. 7, in the input operation, the operator holds the grip 110b of the holding unit 110 with the right hand and inserts the thumb and index finger between the left and right operation levers 112 of the main body link 110a and the protective cover. To do.

  Here, in the master arm input device 11, an elevating link 105 having a grip 110 at the tip is supported so as to be movable up and down via an elevating guide 104 provided at the other end of the horizontal articulated link mechanism 40 ( (See FIG. 2). Compared to the conventional configuration in which the elevating guide 104 is directly attached to the apparatus main body, the weight of the master arm is not directly applied to the left and right grips 110 during the input operation. Thereby, the operation load of the holding part 110 is reduced and the operability is improved.

  Further, at the other end of the horizontal articulated link mechanism 40 (JT1, JT2, JT3) in which the operator can operate the grip part 110 back and forth with respect to the reference position G, the operator moves the grip part 110 with respect to the reference position G. A lifting guide 104 (JT4) that can be operated up and down is provided (see FIG. 2 and the like). Thereby, compared with the structure which employ | adopts a vertical articulated type link mechanism, since members, such as a motor which comprises a joint axis, can be made small, an operation load is reduced and operativity improves.

  The grip 110 is provided at the tip of the lift link 105, the lift link 105 has three rotation axes (JT5 to JT7) orthogonal to each other, and the grip 110 is connected to the three rotation axes (JT5 to JT7). By being configured to be able to take an arbitrary posture with respect to the base portion of the lift link 105, the operator can freely change the posture of the grip portion 110 with respect to the base portion of the lift link 105 during an input operation. Can do. Thereby, since it does not receive to the influence of the weight of the horizontal articulated link mechanism 40 or the raising / lowering guide 104, the operativity of the holding part 110 improves. Further, the control device 30 can calculate the posture of the grip portion 110 relative to the base portion of the elevating link 105 from the angle information (encoder detection value) of each axis.

  In addition, the gripping unit 110 includes an operation unit 111 (JT8) for directly commanding the driving amount of the end effector 22 provided at the distal end of the slave manipulator 20, so that the operator can perform an input operation. By using the thumb and index finger to operate the left and right operation levers 112 of the link 110a of the main body, the opening / closing amounts of surgical tools such as grippers and forceps at the distal end of the slave arm 21 can be directly manipulated.

  In addition, the grasping unit 110 includes an operation amount detector E that detects an operation amount of the operation unit 111 and a motor M that drives the operation unit 111 (see FIG. 6), and is detected by the operation amount detector E. Based on the operation amount of the operation unit 111, it can be reflected in the opening / closing operation of the surgical instrument at the distal end of the slave manipulator 20. On the other hand, the movement amount of the end effector 22 at the tip of the slave manipulator 20 and the external force acting on the end effector 22 can be reflected in the driving amount of the motor M of the operation unit 111. Thereby, the impact received by the slave manipulator 20 can be transmitted to the master arm as vibration. As a result, the operator can perform a more intuitive operation.

  In the present embodiment, the horizontal articulated link mechanism 40 includes a support mechanism that supports each joint axis (JT1 to JT3). FIG. 8 is an enlarged perspective view of the horizontal articulated link mechanism 40. As shown in FIG. 8, the horizontal articulated link mechanism 40 includes a first pulley 301 located between the apparatus main body 100 and the first link 101 and provided on the first shaft JT1, a first link 101, A second pulley 302 located between the second links 102 and provided on the second axis JT2, and a third pulley located between the second links 102 and the third link 103 and provided on the third axis JT3. A pulley 303; a first linear member 121 that supports the first pulley 301 and the second pulley 302; and a second linear member 122 that supports the second pulley 302 and the third pulley 303.

  The first pulley 301 is fixed to the apparatus main body 100. A fixed end 301 a is provided on the surface of the first pulley 301. The second pulley 302 is rotatably attached to the first link 101 or the second link 102 via a bearing (not shown). Here, the second pulley 302 is not fixed to either the first link 101 or the second link 102. Fixed ends 302 a and 302 b are provided on the surface of the second pulley 302. The third pulley 303 is fixed to the third link 103. A fixed end 303 a is provided on the surface of the third pulley 303. Here, the winding diameters of the first pulley 301, the second pulley 302, and the third pulley 303 are the same.

  One end of the first linear member 121 is fixed to the fixed end 301 a of the first pulley 301, and the other end is fixed to the fixed end 302 a of the second pulley 302. The second linear member 122 has one end fixed to the fixed end 302 b of the second pulley 302 and the other end fixed to the fixed end 303 a of the third pulley 303. In the present embodiment, the first linear member 121 and the second linear member 122 are wires, but the linear member may be a string as long as it is strong enough to support the pulleys. The first linear member 121 and the second linear member 122 are fixed to one side surface of the first pulley 301, the second pulley 302, and the third pulley 303, respectively, but have the same configuration on the other side surface. It is fixed with.

  FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing a joint support structure of the horizontal articulated link mechanism 40 of FIG. FIG. 9A shows the state of each joint axis (JT1 to JT3) when there is no operation by the operator. In this case, the first linear member 121 supports the first pulley 301 (JT1) and the second pulley 302 (JT2). The second linear member 122 supports the second pulley 302 (JT2) and the third pulley 303 (JT3). Here, for convenience, only the first linear member 121 and the second linear member 122 fixed to one side surface of the first pulley 301, the second pulley 302, and the third pulley 303 are schematically shown.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the first linear member 121 supports the first pulley 301 (JT1) and the second pulley 302 (JT2), and the second linear member 122 supports the second pulley 302 (JT2) and When the third pulley 303 (JT3) is supported and there is no operation, the front of the lifting guide 104 on the back side of the third link 103 is directed to the operator side (the right direction in FIG. 9).

  FIG. 9B shows a state of each joint axis (JT1 to JT3) when the first axis (JT1) is rotated by the operator. Here, the rotation of the pulley is indicated by a one-dot chain line. As shown in the figure, when the first shaft (JT1) rotates about 30 degrees, the winding amount of the first linear member 121 around the first pulley 301 fixed to the main body 100 increases, and the first linear member Since the length of 121 is constant, the amount of winding of the first linear member 121 around the second pulley 302 decreases. That is, the second pulley 302 rotates about 30 degrees with respect to the first link 101. A tensile force is generated in the second linear member 122 via the fixed end 302b in conjunction with the rotation of the second pulley 302, and the third pulley 303 fixed to the third link 103 is fixed via the fixed end 303a. Rotate about 30 degrees. Thereby, the state where the front of the raising / lowering guide 104 on the back side of the third link 103 faces the operator side is maintained.

  FIG. 9C shows a state of each joint axis (JT1 to JT3) when the second axis (JT2) is rotated by the operator. As shown in the figure, when the second shaft (JT2) rotates about 30 degrees, the winding amount of the second linear member 122 around the second pulley 302 increases, and the length of the second linear member 122 is constant. Therefore, the amount of winding of the second linear member 122 around the third pulley 303 decreases. That is, the third pulley 303 rotates about 30 degrees with respect to the second link 102. Thereby, the state where the front of the raising / lowering guide 104 on the back side of the third link 103 faces the operator side is maintained.

  Thus, in this embodiment, since the horizontal articulated link mechanism 40 includes the support mechanism for each joint axis (JT1 to JT3), the front surface of the lifting guide 104 can always face the operator side. As a result, the operator can easily operate the grip portion 110.

  In the present embodiment, the grip portion 110 is configured to be supported so as to be movable in the three orthogonal axes (X-axis, Y-axis, Z-axis) directions and the rotation directions around the respective axes. If the posture of the gripping part 110 with respect to the base part of the lifting link 105 can be calculated from the angle information (detected value of the encoder) of each axis, the gripping part 110 is around the axis other than the X, Y, and Z axes. It may be supported so as to be movable in the rotational direction, or may be supported so as to be movable in the rotational direction around three axes that are not parallel to each other nor orthogonal to each other.

  From the foregoing description, many modifications and other embodiments of the present invention are obvious to one skilled in the art. Accordingly, the foregoing description should be construed as illustrative only and is provided for the purpose of teaching those skilled in the art the best mode of carrying out the invention. Details of both the structure and / or function can be substantially changed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

  The present invention is useful for a master arm input device of a master slave manipulator.

1 Manipulator System 10 Master Manipulator 11 Master Arm Input Device 20 Slave Manipulator 21 Slave Arm 22 End Effector 30 Control Device 31 Manipulator Control Unit 32 Master Control Unit 40 Horizontal Articulated Link Mechanism 50 Display Device 60 Camera 70 Image Processing Unit 100 Device Main Body 101 1st link 102 2nd link 103 3rd link 104 Elevating guide 105 Elevating links 105a-105c 1st link-3rd link 110 Holding part 111 Operation part 121,122 1st linear member, 2nd linear member 123 Gravity Compensation mechanism JT1-JT8 1st joint axis-8th joint axis

Claims (5)

A master arm input device for operating a slave manipulator having joint axes corresponding to a plurality of degrees of freedom,
The device body;
A horizontal articulated link mechanism having at least one or more joint axes, one end of which is pivotally supported with respect to the apparatus main body about a vertical rotation axis;
An elevating guide provided at the other end of the horizontal articulated link mechanism, and having a linear motion mechanism capable of moving the movable portion in the vertical direction along a vertical axis;
A lifting link as the movable part supported to be movable up and down with respect to the horizontal articulated link mechanism along a vertical axis through the lifting guide,
A gripping portion provided on the lifting link;
A master arm input device. The horizontal articulated link mechanism includes a first link supported so as to be rotatable with respect to the apparatus main body about a vertical rotation axis and a rotation with respect to the first link about a vertical rotation axis. A second link supported freely,
2. The master arm input device according to claim 1, wherein the elevating link is supported to be rotatable with respect to the second link about a vertical rotation axis.   The grip portion is provided at a tip of the lift link, the lift link has three rotation shafts that are not parallel to each other, and the grip portion is optional with respect to the base of the lift link via the three rotation shafts. The master arm input device according to claim 1, wherein the master arm input device can take a posture.   The master arm input device according to claim 1, wherein the gripping unit includes an operation unit for directly commanding a driving amount of an end effector provided at a tip of the slave manipulator. The gripping part is
An operation amount detector for detecting an operation amount of the operation unit;
The master arm input device according to claim 4, further comprising a motor that drives the operation unit.

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