JP2019217615A - Finger mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a finger mechanism capable of performing an operation similar to an operation of fingers of a human being, according to a gripping object and a requested operation, without depending on an angle sensor or a force sensor.SOLUTION: There is provided a finger mechanism comprising: a base end part formed of a first base end member and a second base end member; a tip end part having a prescribed length and being coupled to one end side of the base end part; and a drive part coupled to the base end part. The first base end member has the other end part side coupled to the drive part, the second base end member has one end coupled to a lower end side of the tip end part in a rotatable manner, and has the other end which is coupled to the drive part through a drive force transmission member. The drive force transmission member is formed of a first transmission part, a second transmission part, and a link member, the second transmission part is directly coupled to the first base end member, the first transmission part is coupled to the second base end member through the link member. The link member transmits drive force transmitted from the first transmission part along a prescribed locus, the drive part applies towing force or extrusion force to the first and second base end members.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a finger mechanism that enables movement similar to that of a person.

Conventionally, various devices have been proposed and used in various fields. For example, robot hand devices are used not only in the manufacturing field but also in various places such as high places, the sea floor, and outer space.
Therefore, various proposals have been made regarding a robot hand. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a five-fingered hand device which can achieve the same operation as a human hand and can be reduced in size and weight and which can be suitably adopted for a humanoid robot. As one or both of the index finger mechanism and the middle finger mechanism and the thumb mechanism, a force sensor that detects a force acting on the fingertip is provided, and the finger mechanism including the force sensor is used as a dexterous operation including a pinch operation at the fingertip. And a finger mechanism other than the dexterous finger has been proposed as a strong finger that performs a force operation including a gripping operation in accordance with the operation of the dexterous finger.
Also, Patent Document 2 discloses a lightweight and easy-to-operate, simple-structured humanoid hand suitable for robots and artificial hands such as physically handicapped persons, which can rotate freely when a traction force is applied in one direction. A plurality of finger mechanisms that rotate to form a curved gripping shape by rotating a plurality of connected finger plates, a thumb mechanism that rotates toward the finger mechanism when a traction force is applied in one direction, and an operation traction force that is applied in one direction There has been proposed a humanoid hand including a finger drive mechanism that applies a traction force to each finger mechanism and a traction force to the thumb mechanism when pressed.

JP 2010-264548 A JP-A-2002-103269

However, in the finger mechanism according to the above proposal, it is difficult to arbitrarily designate the posture of a member corresponding to a finger from a force sensor in order to achieve the same movement as a human finger without an angle sensor or a force sensor. Yes, and could not achieve the same movements as human fingers. For example, it has been difficult with a conventionally proposed finger mechanism to strongly and accurately hit a predetermined location by bending the finger at a first joint or a second joint, such as when striking a keyboard or keyboard of a piano.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to perform the same operation as the movement of the finger of a person in addition to the vertical movement of the finger, without relying on an angle sensor or a force sensor, in accordance with the object to be grasped or the required operation. Only the tip part (the part corresponding to the first joint or the second joint of the human finger) can be folded down so that the fingertip position can be guided to a predetermined place, and the whole finger can be extended while the tip part is extended as necessary. An object of the present invention is to provide a finger mechanism that can easily change a bending state of a finger according to an object, such as extending and bending downward.

The present inventors have conducted intensive studies in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and as a result, formed the finger mechanism with two or more members, and formed the member located on the base end side of the two members with two members. The present inventors have found that the above-mentioned objects can be achieved by applying different forces to the two members at desired timings on the members located on the tip side, and have completed the present invention. Was.
That is, the present invention provides the following inventions.
1. A base end comprising two members, a first base end member and a second base end member; a front end having a predetermined length connected to one end of the base end; and the other end of the base end A driving mechanism connected to the base end on the side, and the base end is a finger mechanism that is rotatable on the other end.
The first base member has a distal end connecting portion rotatably supporting the distal end portion at one end side, and the other end side is connected to the driving portion,
The second base member has one end rotatably connected to the lower end of the distal end and the other end connected to the driving unit via a driving force transmitting member, thereby providing the driving force of the driving unit. It is formed so as to be able to transmit to the tip end,
The driving force transmitting member includes a first transmitting portion, a second transmitting portion, and a link member. The second transmitting portion is directly connected to the first base member, and the first transmitting portion is connected to the link. The link member is connected to the second base member via a member, and the link member transmits a driving force transmitted from the first transmission unit along a predetermined track,
A finger mechanism, wherein the driving unit is provided so as to apply a pulling force or a pushing force to each of the first base member and the second base member.
2. The drive unit has a rotation shaft, and is configured to apply a pulling force or a pushing force to each of the first base end member and the second base end member by rotation of the rotation shaft. 2. The finger mechanism according to claim 1, wherein by rotating in one direction, the base end and the tip end can be simultaneously or separately rotated, and can be rotated in desired directions.

  The finger mechanism according to the present invention can perform the same operation as the movement of a human finger in addition to the vertical movement of the finger body without depending on the angle sensor or the force sensor in accordance with the object to be grasped or the required operation. Only the tip portion (corresponding to the first and second joints of the human finger) is folded down so that the fingertip position can be guided to a predetermined location, and the driving force of the motor can be reversed by reversing the rotation direction of the motor. It is possible to easily change the bending state of the finger according to the target, such as extending the entire finger and bending the finger downward while the tip portion is extended simply by changing the way of giving.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of the finger mechanism of the present invention. 2 is a partially cutaway view of the device shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a main part (excluding a support member and each shaft) of the finger mechanism shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a view showing how the finger mechanism shown in FIG. 1 is used (equivalent to FIG. 2). FIG. 5 is a view showing how the finger mechanism shown in FIG. 1 is used (equivalent to FIG. 2). FIG. 5 is a view showing how the finger mechanism shown in FIG. 1 is used (equivalent to FIG. 2). FIG. 5 is a view showing how the finger mechanism shown in FIG. 1 is used (equivalent to FIG. 2).

  1 finger mechanism: 10 base end: 20 support member: 30 tip: 40 drive unit

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a finger mechanism of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the finger mechanism 1 of the present invention includes a base end 10 including two members, a first base end member 12 and a second base end member 16, and one end of the base end 10. It has a distal end portion 30 having a predetermined length and a driving portion 40 connected to the proximal end portion 10 at the other end of the upper end portion, and the proximal end portion 10 is rotatable at the other end side. It has been made.
In this specification, the base end (the other end) side means the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1, and the tip end (one end) means the direction of arrow B in FIG. The upper or upper side means the direction of arrow C in FIG. 1, and the lower or lower side means the direction of arrow D in FIG.
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail by using an example.

<Base end>
The base end 10 is composed of two independent members, a first base end member 12 and a second base end member 16, which are respectively arranged in parallel. The first proximal member 12 is an elongated flat plate, and the second proximal member 16 is an S-shaped elongated plate member whose central portion is bent and has a width wider than that of the first proximal member 12. It is formed narrow.

<Supporting member>
The support member 20 has openings on both upper and lower surfaces so as to cover the base ends of both the first base member 12 and the second base member 16, and the first base member 12 and the second base member The two base members 16 can be supported. The first base member 12 and a link member 18 described later are rotatably mounted on the support member 20 by penetrating the shaft 54.

<First base member>
The first base member 12 is provided at one end (distal end) thereof with a distal end connecting portion 12a that rotatably supports the distal end portion 30. In the present embodiment, the cushioning member 12c is provided between the distal end connecting portion 12a and the distal end portion 30. In this configuration, the first base end member 12 has a plate-like distal end connecting portion. It is formed by connecting two plate-shaped members, a portion 12a and a plate-shaped base end forming portion 12b, in the thickness direction. Further, the distal end portion 30, the first base end member 12, and the cushioning member 12c are fixed by a shaft body 51. The provision of the cushioning member 12c allows the tip to rotate more smoothly.
Below the other end (base end) side of the first base end member 12, a fixing portion 12d for fixing one end of a first base end transmission member 48 described later is provided. The fixing portion 12d is a protrusion in the present embodiment. The first base end member 12 is connected to the drive unit via the first base end transmission member 48.
Further, the base end portion 10 has the same width as the first base end portion 12 and is connected to the first base end portion 12 at one side edge thereof, so that the entire shape of the base end portion is like a human finger. And a housing portion 14 that covers the second base member 16 and the like. Thus, the second base member 16, the base end of the distal end portion 30, and the cushioning member 12 c are housed in the housing portion 14.

<Second base member>
One end 16 a of the second base member 16 is rotatably connected to the buffer member 12 c via a shaft 52 at a position below the base end of the distal end portion 30. Thus, the second base end member 16 is rotatably connected to the distal end portion 30 via the buffer member 12c. The other end 16 b is rotatably connected to the link member 18 by a shaft 53. Further, it is connected to the first base end member 12 via a link member 18 as a driving force transmission member and a shaft 54. Each of the shafts 53 and 54 is a rotating shaft, and the second base member 16, the first base member 12, and the link member 18 are rotatable. Since the link member 18 is connected to the driving unit 40 and is rotated by the driving force of the driving unit 40, the second base member 16 is moved in accordance with the movement of the link member 18 between the distal side and the proximal side. The tip portion 30 is moved up and down by freely reciprocating. This will be described later.

<Drive unit>
The drive unit 40 is a motor in the present embodiment, and a power transmission unit 44 formed of a plate is provided at a tip of a rotation shaft 42 of the motor so that its thickness direction and the axial direction of the rotation shaft 42 are aligned. It is arranged at the tip of the rotating shaft 42. The power transmission section 44 provided at the tip of the rotary shaft 42 has an elongated shape, and a first transmission section 46 and a second transmission section 48 as driving force transmission members are provided on both sides thereof. . In the present embodiment, the first transmitting unit 46 is located on the lower side, and the second transmitting unit 48 is located on the upper side.
With such a configuration, a traction force or a pushing force can be applied to each of the first base end 12 and the second base end 16.

<Driving force transmission member>
The driving force transmission member includes a rod-shaped first transmission portion 46, a second transmission portion 48, and a triangular link member 18, and the second transmission portion 48 is directly connected to the first base end member 12, The first transmission section 46 is connected to the second base member 16 via the link member 18. The link member 18 has a triangular shape so that the driving force transmitted from the first transmission portion 46 can be transmitted along a circular orbit as a predetermined trajectory. The second base member 16 and the elastic member 60 are connected. The link member 18 is rotatably supported by the support member 20 via a shaft 54 together with the first base end member 12 at a central portion thereof. The size of the link member 18 is large enough to be rotatable inside the support member 20, large enough to be rotatable inside the support member 20, and large enough to rotate the tip 30 to a desired angle. have.
The elastic member 60 is a coil spring member in the present embodiment. The elastic member 60 applies a traction force to one vertex of the link member, and the link member 18 is moved when the drive section 40 stops applying the traction force. The second base end member 16 and the distal end portion 30 are restored to the normal state by being pulled in the direction of the arrow α.

<Tip>
The distal end portion 30 is formed of a plate-shaped member formed in a U-shape, and is pivotally supported on the first proximal end portion 12 via a shaft body 51 at a proximal end side via a buffer member 12c. The cushioning member 12c and the tip portion 30 are bonded and fixed to be integrated. A notch is provided on the base end side, and the notch is arranged such that the tip of the second base member 16 is fitted into the notch. The distal end 16a of the second base member is rotatably connected to the buffer member 12c via a shaft 52. The shape of the notch conforms to the shape of the distal end of the second base end portion, and does not hinder the rotation operation when the distal end 16a of the second base end member 16 rotates. Further, the connecting portion between the distal end 16a of the second base end member 16 and the cushioning member 12c is located on the distal end side from the portion where the distal end portion 30 and the first base end member 12 are pivotally supported, Accordingly, the distal end 16a of the second base member 16 is moved by the towing operation of the second base member 16.

<Material, size>
Each member in the present embodiment, that is, the base end portion 10, the support member 20, the distal end portion 30, each shaft body, the first transmission portion 46, the second transmission portion 48, the link member 18, etc. The component can be formed using a material used for forming the component without any particular limitation. In addition, the 1st transmission part 46 and the 2nd transmission part 48 are each formed so that it may bend. In the present embodiment, the material is formed so as not to generate a repulsive force by being formed of a material that bends in this manner.
In addition, the size of each member is not particularly limited, and may be approximately the same size as a human finger, or may be smaller or larger.

<Manufacturing>
The finger mechanism of the present embodiment can be manufactured by manufacturing each member by an ordinary method such as extrusion molding and assembling the members according to an ordinary method.

<Usage and effects>
The operation of the finger mechanism according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 2 and FIGS. First, the power transmission unit 44 is rotated in the direction of the arrow β or γ in FIG. 2 by rotating the motor of the drive unit 40 to rotate the rotation shaft 42. First, the case of rotating in the direction of arrow β will be described.
When the power transmission unit 44 rotates in the direction of the arrow β, the first power transmission unit 46 pulls one vertex below the link member 18 to drive the other end 16b of the second base end member 16, as shown in FIG. To the side. When the first power transmission unit 46 pulls one vertex below the link member 18, the one end 16 a of the second base member 16 moves to the drive unit 40 via the one end 16 b of the second base member 16. Become. At this time, when the distal end portion 30 or the first base end portion 12 is not in contact with another object, the second base end portion 16 moves to the drive unit 40 side to rotate the buffer member 12c as shown in FIG. Let it. The tip portion 30 fixed to the buffer member 12c rotates according to the rotation of the buffer member 12c, and the tip of the tip portion 30 moves downward.
When the motor further rotates in the direction of the arrow β, the link member 18 further rotates to pull the second base member 16, and the distal end portion 30 further faces downward. In addition, since the first transmission member 46 and the second transmission member 48 are formed of a material that bends as described above but does not generate a repulsive force, as shown in FIG. The first base end member 12 is rotated about the shaft 54 without being pushed downward on the base end side of the end member 12, and one end side thereof is rotated so as to be directed downward together with the front end portion 30 and the interference member 12C. You.
When the rotation direction of the motor is in the direction of the arrow β, the second transmission unit 48 may hinder the movement of the power transmission unit 44. Therefore, as in the present embodiment, a member capable of bending the second transmission unit 48. For example, it may be made of an elastic body or a chain.
In the state of FIG. 5 or FIG. 6, when the motor is rotated in the γ direction shown in FIG. 2, since the elastic member 60 urges the vertex above the link member 18 toward the drive section 40, The link member 18 rotates smoothly to the initial position shown in FIG. 2, and the rotating state of the distal end portion 30 also returns to the original state. For this reason, a substantially linear form shown in FIG. In order to move the link member 18 to the initial position, instead of providing the elastic member 60, the link member 18 is made of a material that does not generate a repulsive force only by bending the first power transmission portion 46. Alternatively, one lower vertex of the link member 18 may be pushed out.
Next, a case in which the motor of the drive unit 40 is rotated to rotate the power transmission unit 44 in the arrow γ direction from the initial state shown in FIG. 2 will be described. When the power transmission unit 44 rotates in the direction of the arrow γ, the first base end 12 pivots on the shaft 54 via the second power transmission unit 48 connected to connect the power transmission unit 44 and the fixed unit 12d. It works so that the side to which the shaft body 51 is joined is rotated downward. At this time, the link member 18 acts to inhibit the rotation of the first base end 12 together with the second base end 16. In this embodiment, the resistance for inhibiting the rotation is given by the repulsive force of the elastic member 60. However, the resistance is not limited to this as long as the action for inhibiting the rotation can be obtained.
When the motor applies a resistance that inhibits the rotational force of the first base member 12, that is, a rotational force that exceeds the urging force of the elastic member 60 in the present embodiment, the first proximal end 12 becomes the second proximal end 16. In addition, the side where the shaft body 51 is joined is rotated downward about the shaft body 54 together with the interference member 12C and the distal end portion 30. At this time, since the link member 18 continues to work to inhibit this rotation with a resistance, the second base end portion 16 always acts to extend the front end portion 30 via the interference member 12C. As a result, as shown in FIG. 7, the finger mechanism is bent downward in an extended state.
When the rotation direction of the motor is the direction of the arrow γ, the first transmission unit 46 may hinder the movement of the power transmission unit 44, and therefore, as in the present embodiment, the first transmission unit 46 is It may be made of a bendable member.
When the motor is rotated in the direction of arrow β from the state shown in FIG. 7, the finger mechanism operates to return from the extended state to the initial state shown in FIG. 2 by the resistance of the link member 18 applied via the elastic member 60. .
Therefore, by rotating the motor arbitrarily in the β direction and the γ direction, the finger mechanism 1 of the present embodiment can move from the initial state shown in FIG. 2 to the distal end portion 30 and the proximal end portion shown in FIGS. 10 can be arbitrarily moved to a bent state and a state where the distal end portion 30 and the proximal end portion 10 shown in FIG. 7 are extended.
As described above, in the finger mechanism of the present embodiment, the driving unit 40 has the rotating shaft 42, and the rotation of the rotating shaft 42 applies a pulling force or a pushing force to each of the first base member 12 and the second base member 16. The rotation of the rotation shaft 42 in one direction allows the base end portion 10 and the tip end portion 30 to be simultaneously or separately rotated, and can be rotated in desired directions. Mechanism. With this configuration, any movement can be realized, and the driving unit has a predetermined length connected to one end of the base end and the base end by rotating in the opposite direction to the above. The distal end is integrated with the distal end so as to be rotatable around the proximal end of the proximal end.

The finger mechanism of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be variously modified without departing from the gist of the present invention.
For example, a drive source other than a motor may be used for the drive unit as long as the drive force can be transmitted.
Further, the shape of the link member may be a quadrangle or a straight line instead of a triangle.
The first and second power transmission portions 46 and 48 can be formed using a bendable elastic material or a material that flexes but does not generate a repulsive force (such as a wire or a chain). The form can be a bar, a wire, a chain, or the like. Further, a rod-shaped member that does not bend depending on the shape of the power transmission unit 44 and the link member 18 may be used.
The tip portion 30 may have an elongated shape instead of a dogleg shape.
The distal end portion 30 may be configured to include two members. That is, the two members may be connected by a shaft such as the shaft 51 and a power transmission member capable of transmitting the rotational force through the second base end 16 may be provided, and the shaft may be used as the rotation shaft.
In the embodiment, the resilient member 60 generates a repulsive force or a resistive force and returns to the initial position shown in FIG. 2. However, if a similar repulsive force or a resistive force can be obtained, an elastic member other than the coil spring, for example, Rubber or the like can also be used.
In addition, the shape of each member does not need to be the above-described shape, and is not particularly limited as long as the above-described operation can be realized. For example, the first base member 12 is a bar or the like, the second base member 16 is not an S-shape but a bar or a plate, and the support member 20 is not a shape surrounding the whole but a single plate or the like. be able to.
Further, the support member 20 does not need to be a box-shaped member as described above, and may be constituted by a shaft body and a member holding the shaft body as long as the base end can be rotatably supported.
In the above-described embodiment, in the link member 18, the second base end member 16 and the first transmission member 46 are rotatably fixed by the shafts 53 and 55 at different positions. In the above, it is also possible to fix rotatably by one shaft body.

Claims (2)

A base end comprising two members, a first base end member and a second base end member; a front end having a predetermined length connected to one end of the base end; and the other end of the base end A driving mechanism connected to the base end on the side, and the base end is a finger mechanism that is rotatable on the other end.
The first base member has a distal end connecting portion rotatably supporting the distal end portion at one end side, and the other end side is connected to the driving portion,
The second base member has one end rotatably connected to the lower end of the distal end and the other end connected to the driving unit via a driving force transmitting member, thereby providing the driving force of the driving unit. It is formed so as to be able to transmit to the tip end,
The driving force transmitting member includes a first transmitting portion, a second transmitting portion, and a link member. The second transmitting portion is directly connected to the first base member, and the first transmitting portion is connected to the link. The link member is connected to the second base member via a member, and the link member transmits a driving force transmitted from the first transmission unit along a predetermined track,
A finger mechanism, wherein the driving unit is provided so as to apply a pulling force or a pushing force to each of the first base member and the second base member.
The drive unit has a rotation shaft, and is configured to apply a pulling force or a pushing force to each of the first base end member and the second base end member by rotation of the rotation shaft. By rotating in one direction, the base end and the distal end can be simultaneously or separately rotated, and each can be rotated in a desired direction.
The finger mechanism according to claim 1.