JP2022185651A - Wire drive manipulator device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a wire drive manipulator device in which torque of a second joint connected via a link does not change even when a first joint is rotated.SOLUTION: A forceps manipulator device is composed of a first joint 1, a second joint 2, a link 3 connecting the first joint 1 and the second joint 2, and a guide pulley unit 5 fixed in the link 3. The first joint 1 has a drive pulley 11 and guide pulleys 14, 12, 13, 15. The second joint 2 has drive pulleys 2a and 2b. The guide pulley unit 5 has guide pulleys 54, 52, 53, 55. A wire W11 is wound around the drive pulley 11 of a wrist joint 1. A wire W12 is wound around the drive pulley 11 of the wrist joint 1. The wires W2, W3 are both bent in the same S letter shapes seen from a rotary axis 1x direction of the wrist joint 1 by two guide pulley 12, 52; 13, 53.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to wire driven manipulator devices, such as forceps manipulator devices.

Generally, in surgical operations using a forceps manipulator device, such as laparoscopic surgery and operations by robot remote control, it is necessary to feed back force information to the operator to realize advanced operations. As force information,
Contact force such as elasticity of organs,
External force applied to the tip of the forceps, such as suture thread tension during suturing,
It has the gripping force of a forceps gripper when grasping tissue such as a blood vessel.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing a conventional forceps manipulator device (see FIG. 10 of Patent Document 1).

The forceps manipulator device shown in FIG. It is composed of a link 103 connecting the forceps joint 102 and guide pulley units 105 and 106 fixed to the link 103 between the wrist joint 101 and the forceps joint 102 .

The wrist joint 101 has a relatively large drive pulley 1011 slidably journalled on the axis of rotation 101x and relatively small guide pulleys 1012, 1013, 1014, 1015 slidably journaled on the axis of rotation 101a. . Forceps joint 102, on the other hand, is slidably journalled to shaft 102x and relatively large drive pulley 102a coupled to jaw 104a, and slidably journaled to shaft 102x and coupled to jaw 104b. It also has a relatively large drive pulley 102b. The guide pulley unit 105 has relatively small guide pulleys 1052, 1054 slidably journalled on the rotary shaft 105x, and the guide pulley unit 106 has relatively small guides slidably journalled on the rotary shaft 106x. It has pulleys 1063 and 1065 . The rotation axes 105x and 106x of the guide pulley units 105 and 106 are parallel to the rotation axis 101x of the wrist joint 101, while the rotation axis 102x of the forceps joint 102 is perpendicular to the rotation axis 101x of the wrist joint 101.

The wrist joint 101 will be described in detail. The wire W11 is fixed to the lower side of the drive pulley 1011 of the wrist joint 101. As shown in FIG. Therefore, when the wire W11 is pulled with the tension T11, the forceps joint 102, the link 103, and the guide pulley units 105 and 106 descend in the yaw direction. This state is shown in FIG. 17(A). On the other hand, wire W12 is fixed to the upper side of drive pulley 1011 of wrist joint 101 . Therefore, when the wire W12 is pulled with the tension T12, the forceps joint 102, the link 103, and the guide pulley units 105 and 106 rise in the yaw direction. This state is shown in FIG. 17B.

Jaw 104a will now be described in detail. The wire W2 passes below the guide pulley 1012 of the wrist joint 101, passes over the guide pulley 1052 of the guide pulley unit 105, winds counterclockwise around the drive pulley 102a of the forceps joint 102, and is fixed on the drive pulley 102a. . Therefore, when the wire W2 is pulled with the tension T2, the jaws 104a move in the closing direction in the pitch direction as indicated by the arrow A1. On the other hand, the wire W3 passes over the guide pulley 1013 of the wrist joint 101, passes under the guide pulley 1063 of the guide pulley unit 106, winds clockwise around the drive pulley 102a of the forceps joint 102, and is fixed on the drive pulley 102a. there is Therefore, when the wire W3 is pulled with the tension T3, the jaw 104a moves in the opening direction in the pitch direction as indicated by the arrow A2. That is, both the wires W2 and W3 are bent into an S-shape by the two guide pulleys 1012, 1052; is.

Jaw 104b will now be described in detail. The wire W4 passes below the guide pulley 1014 of the wrist joint 101, passes over the guide pulley 1054 of the guide pulley unit 105, winds counterclockwise around the drive pulley 102b of the forceps joint 102, and is fixed on the drive pulley 102b. . Therefore, when the wire W4 is pulled with the tension T4, the jaw 104b moves in the opening direction in the pitch direction as indicated by the arrow B1. On the other hand, the wire W5 passes over the guide pulley 1015 of the wrist joint 101, passes under the guide pulley 1065 of the guide pulley unit 106, winds clockwise around the drive pulley 102b of the forceps joint 102, and is fixed on the drive pulley 102b. there is Therefore, when the wire W5 is pulled with the tension T5, the jaw 104b moves in the closing direction in the pitch direction as indicated by the arrow B2. That is, both the wires W4 and W5 are bent in an S shape by the two guide pulleys 1014, 1054; is.

As described above, according to the conventional forceps manipulator device of FIG. 16, the forceps can be opened and closed in the pitch direction while performing the wrist movement in the yaw direction.

US6394998B1

However, in the conventional forceps manipulator device shown in FIG. 16 described above, when the wrist joint 101 rotates, the pair of wires W2 and W3 that drive the jaw 104a of the forceps joint 102 and the wire 1 that drives the jaw 104b of the forceps joint 102. A change occurs in the difference in length or tension between the pair of wires W4, W5, and thus the difference in tension between the pair of wires W2, W3 and the pair of wires W4, W5, representing the torque in the jaws 104a, as described below. There is a problem that the tension difference between the jaws 104a and the torque of the jaws 104b changes. That is, as shown in FIG. 18A, when the length of the wire W11 and the length of the wire W12 are equal to each other and the tensions T11 and T12 of the wires W11 and W12 are changed to rotate the wrist joint 101, as shown in FIG. (B), the wire W2 is longer than the wire W3 because the two guide pulleys 1012 (1013) and 1052 (1063) of the wires W2 and W3 are reversed in S-shape. growing. As a result, the tension of the wires W2 and W3 changes, the tension difference changes, and the torque of the jaw 104a changes. Similarly, the torque on jaw 104b also changes.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a wire-driven manipulator device according to the present invention includes a first joint having a first rotation axis and a second joint having a second rotation axis perpendicular to the first rotation axis. a joint, a link connecting the first joint and the second joint, and a guide fixed in the link between the first and second joints and having a third rotation axis parallel to the first rotation axis a pulley unit and first, second and third wires, the first joint having a first drive pulley for driving a link pivotally attached to the first rotating shaft; The second articulation has a second drive pulley pivotally attached to a second axis of rotation, and the guide pulley unit has a first, second guide pulley pivotally attached to a third axis of rotation. It has third and fourth guide pulleys corresponding to the second guide pulley, the first wire is wound around the first drive pulley, and the second wire is passed through the first and third guide pulleys. The third wire is wound from one side of the second driving pulley through the second and fourth guide pulleys, and is wound from the other side of the second driving pulley through the second and fourth guide pulleys. As can be seen, the winding state of the second wire around the first and third guide pulleys and the winding state of the third wire around the second and fourth guide pulleys are the same.

According to the present invention, even if the first joint rotates, the winding state of the pair of second and third wires around the guide pulley remains the same. The lengths either increase or decrease together. Therefore, the difference between the wire lengths of the pair of second and third wires does not change, and the tension difference between the pair of second and third wires does not change. As a result, even if the first joint rotates, the tension difference between the pair of wires does not change, and therefore the torque of the second joint (second drive pulley) does not change.

1 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of a forceps manipulator device according to the present invention; FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the forceps manipulator device of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the pipe of FIG. 1 viewed from the wrist joint to the power section; FIG. It is a figure which shows the state of the wire of FIG. 1. It is a figure for demonstrating operation|movement of the forceps manipulator apparatus of FIG. 1, (A) shows before rotation of a wrist joint, (B) shows after rotation of a wrist joint. FIG. 2 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the control unit of FIG. 1; FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining changes in the lengths of wires W2, W3 and wires W4, W5 when the wrist joint 1 rotates in the forceps manipulator device of FIG. and (B) after rotation of the wrist joint. Fig. 11 is a perspective view showing a second embodiment of the forceps manipulator device according to the present invention, showing a power portion; FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the motion of the wrist joint motor and the motion of the interference compensation motor in the forceps manipulator device of FIG. 8 ; FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining changes in the lengths of wires W2, W3 and wires W4, W5 when the wrist joint rotates in the forceps manipulator device of FIG. 8, (A) showing the wrist joint before rotation; , (B) after rotation of the wrist joint. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a third embodiment of the forceps manipulator device according to the present invention; FIG. 12 is a side view of the forceps manipulator device of FIG. 11; 12 is a perspective view showing the forceps manipulator device of FIG. 11 after rotation of the wrist joint; FIG. FIG. 13 is a side view showing the wrist joint of the forceps manipulator device of FIG. 12 after rotation; Graphs showing force sensing verification results of the forceps manipulator device of FIG. 1, where (A) shows the force generated in the yaw direction of the wrist joint, (B) shows the force generated in the pitch direction of the jaw 4a of the forceps joint, (C) shows the force generated in the pitch direction of the jaw 4b of the forceps joint. 1 is a perspective view showing a conventional forceps manipulator device; FIG. FIG. 17 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the forceps manipulator device of FIG. 16, (A) showing the first rotation of the wrist joint, and (B) showing the second rotation of the wrist joint; 17A and 17B are diagrams for explaining a problem of the forceps manipulator device of FIG. 16, where (A) shows the wrist joint before rotation and (B) shows the wrist joint after rotation;

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of a forceps manipulator device according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a general view of the forceps manipulator device of FIG.

The forceps manipulator device of FIGS. 1 and 2 includes a wrist joint (first joint) 1 for yaw motion, a forceps joint (second joint) 2 for pitch motion having jaws 4a and 4b, a wrist It is composed of a link 3 connecting the joint 1 and the forceps joint 2 and a guide pulley unit 5 fixed in the link 3 between the wrist joint 1 and the forceps joint 2 . The rotation axis 5x of the guide pulley unit 5 is parallel to the rotation axis 1x of the wrist joint 1, while the rotation axis 2x of the forceps joint 2 is perpendicular to the rotation axis 1x of the wrist joint 1.

The wrist joint 1 has a relatively large drive pulley 11 slidably journalled on the rotary shaft 1x and relatively small guide pulleys 14, 12, 13, 15 slidably journalled on the rotary shaft 1a. have. In this case, the guide pulleys 14 , 12 are provided above the drive pulley 11 and the guide pulleys 13 , 15 are provided below the drive pulley 11 . The forceps joint 2, on the other hand, is slidingly journaled to a rotating shaft 2x and is connected to a jaw 4a by a relatively large drive pulley 2a, and is slidingly journaled to a rotating shaft 2x and is connected to a jaw 4b. It also has a relatively large drive pulley 2b. The guide pulley unit 5 has guide pulleys 54, 52, 53, 55 slidably mounted on the rotating shaft 5x. In this case, the guide pulleys 54, 52 are located above and correspond to the guide pulleys 14, 12 of the wrist joint 1, while the guide pulleys 53, 55 are located below and correspond to the guide pulleys 13, 15 of the wrist joint 1. corresponds to The guide pulleys 14, 12 of the wrist joint 1 and the guide pulleys 54, 52 of the guide pulley unit 5 do not come into contact with the wires W2, W4. smaller than the diameter. Similarly, the diameters of the guide pulleys 15 and 53 are adjusted so that the wires W3 and W5 do not contact between the guide pulleys 13 and 15 of the wrist joint 1 and the guide pulleys 53 and 55 of the guide pulley unit 5. smaller than the diameter of

The wrist joint 1 will be described in detail. The wire W11 is wound from the rear side of the drive pulley 11 of the wrist joint 1 in FIG. On the other hand, the wire W12 is wound from the front side of the drive pulley 11 of the wrist joint 1 in FIG. In this case, the wires W11 and W12 are one wire and are driven by the motor M1. Therefore, when the tension T11 of the wire W11 is greater than the tension T12 of the wire W12, the guide pulley unit 5, the link 3 and the forceps joint 2 move rearward in FIG. If it is greater than T11, the guide pulley unit 5, link 3 and forceps joint 2 move forward in FIG.

The jaw 4a will be described in detail. The wire W2 is wound around the front side of the guide pulley 12 of the wrist joint 1 in FIG. 1, around the rear side of the guide pulley 52 of the guide pulley unit 5 in FIG. be wound. On the other hand, the wire W3 winds the guide pulley 13 of the wrist joint 1 toward the front side in FIG. 1, winds the guide pulley 53 of the guide pulley unit 5 toward the rear side of FIG. rolled upwards. In this case, wires W2 and W3 are one wire and are driven by motor M2. However, the wires W2 and W3 may be pin-fixed to the drive pulley 2a instead of being a single wire. Therefore, when the tension T2 of the wire W2 is greater than the tension T3 of the wire W3, the drive pulley 2a of the forceps joint 2 rotates clockwise and the jaw 4a descends in the pitch direction, while the tension T3 of the wire W3 increases with the tension T3 of the wire W2. is greater than the tension T2, the pulley 2a of the forceps joint 2 rotates counterclockwise and the jaw 4a rises in the pitch direction. That is, the wires W2 and W3 are both bent in the same S-shape when viewed from the direction of the rotation axis 1x of the wrist joint 1 by the two guide pulleys 12, 52;

The jaw 4b will be described in detail. The wire W4 is wound around the guide pulley 14 of the wrist joint 1 on the rear side in FIG. 1, around the guide pulley 54 of the guide pulley unit 5 on the front side in FIG. be wound. On the other hand, the wire W5 is wound on the rear side of the guide pulley 15 of the wrist joint 1 in FIG. 1, wound on the front side of the guide pulley 55 of the guide pulley unit 5 in FIG. rolled upwards. In this case, wires W4 and W5 are one wire and are driven by motor M3. However, the wires W4 and W5 may be pin-fixed to the drive pulley 2b instead of being one wire. Therefore, when the tension T4 of the wire W4 is greater than the tension T5 of the wire W5, the drive pulley 2b of the forceps joint 2 rotates counterclockwise to raise the jaw 4b in the pitch direction, while the tension T5 of the wire W5 When the tension of W4 is greater than T4, the drive pulley 2b of the forceps joint 2 rotates clockwise and the jaw 4b descends in the pitch direction. That is, the wires W4 and W5 are both bent in the same S-shape when viewed from the direction of the rotation axis 1x of the wrist joint 1 by the two guide pulleys 14, 54; 15 and 55. As shown in FIG.

As described above, according to the forceps manipulator device of FIG. 1, the forceps can be opened and closed in the pitch direction while performing the wrist movement in the yaw direction.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, wires W11, W12, W2, W3, W4, and W5 are attached to the non-forceps side of the wrist joint 1 in order to measure the tensions T11, T12, T2, T3, T4, and T5. A pipe 6 is provided to accommodate W12, W2, W3, W4 and W5. A shaft 7 having a projection 7a and a microphone 8 are provided in the pipe 6, and the shaft 7 is rotated by a motor M4 to sequentially vibrate the wires W11, W5, W3, W12, and W4 within the pipe 6, thereby producing sound vibrations. The tensions T11, T5, T3, T12, T2, and T4 are calculated by measuring with the microphone 8, and the torque is calculated. The microphone 8 and the motors M 1 to M 4 with built-in potentiometers of the power section 9 are connected to the control unit 10 . The control unit 10 is configured by a computer including, for example, a CPU, ROM or flash memory, RAM, A/D converter, D/A converter, input/output interface, and the like.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the pipe 6 of FIG. 1 viewed from the wrist joint 1 to the power unit 9. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3, the wires W11, W5, W3, W12, W2, and W4 are arranged on the same circumference at the positions of the projections 7a of the shaft 7, and when the shaft 7 rotates, all the wires W11, W5, W3, W12, W2 and W4 are vibrated sequentially. The wires W11, W5, W3, W12, W2 and W4 are parallel as shown in FIG. 4(A). However, if they are on the same circumference at the positions of the projections 7a, they need not be parallel as shown in FIG. 4B.

In the forceps manipulator device of FIG. 1, even if the wrist joint 1 rotates, the pair of wires W2 and W3 for driving the jaw 4a of the forceps joint 2 and the pair of wires W4 for driving the jaw 4b of the forceps joint 2, No change occurs in the tension difference of W5. That is, the tension difference between the pair of wires W2 and W3 and the tension difference between the pair of wires W4 and W5, which represent the torque of the jaw 4a, do not change, and the torque of the jaw 4a and the torque of the jaw 4b do not change. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5A, when the wires W11 and W12 have the same length and tensions T11 and T12 are applied to the wires W11 and W12 to rotate the wrist joint 1, as shown in FIG. (B), both the wires W2 and W3 are bent in the same S-shape by the two guide pulleys 12, 52; The length change is almost identical. As a result, even if the tensions of the wires W2 and W3 change, the tensions of the wires W2 and W3 will either increase or decrease together.

Next, forceps torque calculation by the forceps manipulator apparatus of FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 6 is stored in the ROM or flash memory of the control unit 10. FIG. Also, prior to execution of the flow chart of FIG. 6, wire tensions T11, T5, T3, T12, T2, and T4 of the wires W11, W5, W3, W12, W2, and W4 are initially set in advance using a tension adjusting mechanism (not shown). Keep

First, at step 601, the motors M1, M2 and M3 are initialized. That is, the tension difference T11-T12 is set for the motor M1, the tension difference T2-T3 is set for the motor M2, and the tension difference T4-T5 is set for the motor M3.

Next, at step 602, the shaft 7 is driven by controlling the rotation angle of the motor M4. _In this case, the frequency of the rotation speed of the motor M4 is set sufficiently smaller _than the frequencies f11, _f5 , _f3 , _f12 , f2 _, and f4 of the sound vibrations of the wires W11, W5, W3, W12, W2, and W4. be done. In this way, the free vibration state of each wire is sampled between the excitation of each wire and the next excitation.

Next, in step 603, each audio vibration generated by the wires W11, W5, W3, W12, W2, and W4 is sampled from the microphone 8 in synchronization with the rotation angle of the shaft 7. FIG. At this time, the frequencies f ₁₁ , f ₅ , f ₃ , f ₁₂ , f ₂ , and f ₄ of the sound vibrations for each of the wires W11, W5, W3, W12, W2, and W4 are calculated using a fast Fourier transform (FFT) or the like. Calculate the wire tension T11 of each wire W11, W5, W3, W12, W2, W4 from each frequency _f11 , _f5 , f3, _f12 , f2 _, f4 using the _inverse function of the equation ( ₁ ) , T5, T3, T12, T2, and T4. In this case, the relationship between wire tension T (N) and wire frequency f (Hz) is used. In general, the frequency f (Hz) of the behavior of sound vibration generated by stretching a wire between two points with tension T (N) can be expressed by the following equation (1) according to string theory.
f=(n/2L)√(T/ρ) (1)
However, L is the wire length (m)
ρ is the linear density of the wire (kg/m)
n is the order of the vibration mode. However, due to the influence of friction and the like, it does not follow the theory. Therefore, an optimum approximation formula is set in advance for each wire in consideration of friction and the like.

Next, at step 604, the torque τ1 generated by the wires W11 and W12 of the wrist joint ₁ is given by
τ ₁ =r ₁ (T11−T12) (2)
where r1 computes the radius of the drive pulley 11 of the wrist joint ₁ with respect to the wires W11 and W12. Also, the torque τ ₂ generated in the jaw 4a by the wires W2 and W3 of the forceps joint 2 is τ ₂ =r ₂ (T2-T3) (3)
However, r2 calculates the radius of the drive pulley 2a of the forceps joint ₂ with respect to the wires W2 and W3. Furthermore, the torque _τ3 of the jaw 4b by the wires W4 and W5 of the forceps joint 2 is
τ ₃ =r ₃ (T4−T5) (4)
However, r3 computes the radius of the drive pulley _2b of the forceps joint 2 with respect to the wires W4 and W5.

Next, at step 605, the external force vector F applied to the tip jaws 4a and 4b of the forceps joint 2 is calculated based on the following equation.
F = J - ^T τ (5)
where τ is the torque vector (τ ₂ , τ ₃ )
J is the 2×2 Jacobian matrix J ^−T is the inverse of J. In general, the Jacobian matrix is determined by the rotation angle .theta.

Finally, in step 606, the operator resets the motors M1, M2, and M3, and the flow of steps 602-605 is repeated.

7A and 7B are diagrams for explaining changes in the lengths of the wires W2, W3 and the wires W4, W5 when the wrist joint 1 rotates in the forceps manipulator device of FIG. (B) shows the wrist joint 1 after rotation.

In the forceps manipulator apparatus of FIG. 1, as described above, even if the wrist joint 1 rotates, the tension difference between the pair of wires W2 and W3 for driving the jaw 4a of the forceps joint 2 and the tension difference driving the jaw 4b of the forceps joint 2 are increased. The tension difference between the pair of wires W4 and W5 that are connected to each other does not change. Therefore, the tension difference between the pair of wires W2 and W3 and the tension difference between the pair of wires W4 and W5, which represent the torque of the jaw 4a, do not change, and the torque of the jaw 4a and the torque of the jaw 4b do not change. However, as shown in FIG. 7A, when the wires W11 and W12 have the same length and tensions T11 and T12 are applied to the wires W11 and W12 to rotate the wrist joint 1, the wire W11 and W12 are rotated. As shown in (B), both the wires W2 and W3 are shortened and the tension is strengthened, while the wires W4 and W5 are both lengthened and the relaxation is strengthened. In the worst case, wire breakage is caused. The forceps manipulator device shown in FIGS. 8 to 14 for preventing this will be described below.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a second embodiment of the forceps manipulator device according to the present invention, showing details of only the power section 9'.

As shown in the power section 9' of FIG. 8, the motor M1 and the drive pulley M1a for the wrist joint 1 are provided on a motor base 81, in which case the motor base 81 is fixed. On the other hand, motor M2 and drive pulley M2a for jaw 4a are provided on motor base 82, and motor M3 and drive pulley M3a for jaw 4b are provided on motor base 83. In this case, motor base 82, 83 is movable in the direction of arrow X by an interference compensation motor M5. That is, the motor bases 82 and 83 are mounted orthogonally on rotating shafts 86 and 87 which are rotated synchronously by two three coupling gears 85, and one of the rotating shafts 86 and 87 is rotated by the interference compensation motor M5. driven. In this case, the motor base 82 is moved in the direction of the arrow X by a slide screw 88 fitted on the rotary shaft 86, and the motor base 83 is moved in the direction of the arrow X by a slide screw 89 fitted on the rotary shaft 87. However, the amounts of movement of the motor bases 82 and 83 are the same. 88' and 89' are linear bushes, 88'' is a coupling between the shaft 86 and the slide screw 88, and 89'' is a coupling between the shaft 87 and the slide screw 89.

The control unit 10 interlocks with the motor M1 for the wrist joint 1 to operate the motor M5 for interference compensation, so that the tensioned state of the wires W2 and W3 in FIG. The loosened state of the wires W4 and W5 is set to the tension side to prevent the wires W2, W3, W4 and W5 from being damaged.

FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the operation of the motor M1 for the wrist joint 1 and the operation of the interference compensation motor M5 in the forceps manipulator device of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 9, when the control unit 10 rotates the motor M1 for the wrist joint 1 as indicated by an arrow Y1 to generate tension in the wires W11 and W12, the forceps joint 2 rotates about the rotation axis 1x of the wrist joint 1 as indicated by an arrow Y2. Rotate as shown. At this time, the control unit 10 simultaneously rotates the interference compensation motor M5 as indicated by the arrow Z1. As a result, the rotating shafts 86 and 87 also rotate as indicated by arrow Z1. Therefore, the motor M2 and drive pulley M2a and the motor M3 and drive pulley M3a move in the same direction and by the same amount as indicated by the arrow X1. That is, the motor M2 and the drive pulley M2a move the wires W2 and W3 in the loosening direction, while the motor M3 and the drive pulley M3a move the wires W4 and W5 in the tension direction. At this time, the total number of rotations of the motor M1 and the total number of rotations of the interference compensating motor M5 are in a proportional relationship. in a proportional relationship. When the wrist joint 1 rotates in the direction opposite to the arrow Y2, the rotation direction of the interference compensating motor M5 becomes the direction opposite to the arrow Z1. The direction of movement of M3a is the opposite direction of arrow X1. As a result, motor M2 and drive pulley M2a move wires W2 and W3 in the direction of tension, while motor M3 and drive pulley M3a move wires W4 and W5 in the direction of relaxation. move to

10A and 10B are diagrams for specifically explaining changes in the lengths of the wires W2, W3 and the wires W4, W5 when the wrist joint 1 is rotated in the forceps manipulator device of FIG. The wrist joint 1 is shown before rotation, and (B) shows the wrist joint 1 after rotation. In FIG. 10, the arc guide 90 acts to bend the wires W2 and W3 in the right angle direction, and the arc guide 91 acts to bend the wires W4 and W5 in the right angle direction. As a result, the direction of the wires W2 and W3 toward the drive pulley M2a of the motor M2 is opposite to the direction of the wires W4 and W5 toward the drive pulley M3a of the motor M3. If the direction of the wires W2 and W3 toward the drive pulley M2a is opposite to the direction of the wires W4 and W5 toward the drive pulley M3a, the arc guides 90 and 91 may be other means such as pulleys.

In the forceps manipulator device of FIG. 8, as described above, even if the wrist joint 1 rotates, the difference in tension between the pair of wires W2 and W3 that drives the jaw 4a of the forceps joint 2 and the difference in tension between the pair of wires W2 and W3 that drive the jaw 4b of the forceps joint 2 will cause the forceps joint 2 to move. The tension difference between the pair of wires W4 and W5 that are connected to each other does not change. Therefore, the torque of jaw 4a and the torque of jaw 4b do not change either. Therefore, when tensions T11 and T12 are applied to the wires W11 and W12 in the state of FIG. 10A in which the length of the wire W11 and the length of the wire W12 are equal, as indicated by the arrow Y2 in FIG. 10B, The wrist joint 1 rotates. As a result, the wires W2 and W3 are both shortened and the tension tends to increase, but the motor M2 and the drive pulley M2a move in the loosening direction as indicated by the arrow X1, so the tension is relieved. At the same time, the wires W4 and W5 are both lengthened and the loosened state becomes stronger, but the motor M3 and the drive pulley M3a also move in the pulling direction as indicated by the arrow X1, so the loosened state is eased. As a result, wire breakage can be avoided.

11 is a perspective view showing a third embodiment of the forceps manipulator device according to the present invention, and FIG. 12 is a side view of the forceps manipulator device of FIG. 11 and 12, the pipe 6, shaft 7 and microphone 8 are omitted.

In the forceps manipulator device of FIGS. 11 and 12, in order to perform the same action as the forceps manipulator device of FIG. The drive pulley M1a of the motor M1 and the drive pulley 11 of the wrist joint 1 are connected by wires W11 and W12. In this case, for example, the diameter of drive pulley M1a and the diameter of drive pulley 11 are equal. Also, the motor M2 and the drive pulley M2a for the jaw 4a are fixed to the rack 92 instead of the pedestal 82 in FIG. 8, and the motor M3 and the drive pulley M3a for the jaw 4b are fixed to the rack 93 instead of the pedestal 83 in FIG. do. The racks 92 and 93 mesh with pinion gears 94 and 95, respectively, as rotation/linear motion conversion means, forming a rack and pinion mechanism. That is, the motor M2 and the driving pulley M2a for the jaw 4a move together with the movement of the rack 92, and the motor M3 and the driving pulley M3a for the jaw 4b move together with the movement of the rack 93. Furthermore, in this case, the pinion gears 94, 95 and the drive pulley M1a are pivotally attached to the rotation axis M1x of the motor M1 for the wrist joint 1, and the racks 92 and 93 are located on opposite sides of the pinion gears 94, 95. there is Also, although the racks 92 and 93 are arranged in parallel to the directions of the wrist joint 1 and the forceps joint 2, they are dependent on the wires W11, W12, W2, W3, W4, and W5, so they are not necessarily the same as the wrist joint 1 and the forceps joint 2. not parallel to the direction of Therefore, as the wrist joint 1 rotates, the rack and pinion mechanism moves the motor M2 and drive pulley M2a for jaw 4a and the motor M3 and drive pulley M3a for jaw 4b simultaneously and in opposite directions. The gear ratio of the pinion gears 94 and 95 determines the ratio between the amount of movement of the motor M2 and drive pulley M2a and the amount of movement of the motor M3 and drive pulley M3a. In FIGS. 11 and 12, the amount of movement of the motor M2 and the driving pulley M2a is greater than the amount of movement of the motor M3 and the driving pulley M3a, but the present invention is not limited to this.

13 and 14 are a perspective view and a side view showing a case where the wrist joint 1 of the forceps manipulator device of FIGS. 11 and 12 is rotated.

11 and 12, even if the wrist joint 1 rotates as described above, the tension difference between the pair of wires W2 and W3 for driving the jaw 4a of the forceps joint 2 and the tension difference between the jaws of the forceps joint 2 are reduced. The tension difference between the pair of wires W4, W5 driving 4b does not change. Therefore, the torque of jaw 4a and the torque of jaw 4b do not change either. 11 and 12, in which the length of the wire W11 and the wire W12 are equal, the rotating shaft M1x of the motor M1 is rotated in the direction of the arrow Y1 as shown in FIGS. When tensions T11 and T12 are applied, the wrist joint 1 rotates as indicated by arrow Y2 in FIGS. As a result, both the wires W2 and W3 become longer, and the loosened state tends to become stronger, but the loosened state is eased because the motor M2 and the drive pulley M2a move in the pulling direction as indicated by the arrow X2. At the same time, the wires W4 and W5 are both shortened and the tension increases, but the motor M3 and the drive pulley M3a move in the loosening direction as indicated by the arrow X3, thereby relaxing the tension. As a result, wire breakage can be avoided.

11 to 14, the pinion gears 94 and 95 are provided. may

15A and 15B are graphs showing force sensing verification results of the forceps manipulator device of FIG. (C) shows the force generated in the jaw 4b of the forceps joint 2 in the pitch direction.

As shown in FIG. 15(A), a force gauge applies an external force F in the yaw direction to the closed jaws 4a and 4b in the lateral direction, and after excitation, the audio vibrations of the wires W11 and W12 are sampled with a microphone, and FFT and the like are performed. Measured value M was obtained by calculating the frequency using the frequency, calculating the generated torque based on the formula (2), and dividing it by the distance between the rotation axis 1x of the wrist joint 1 and the point where the external force F was applied. The maximum error was 0.22N and the average error was as small as 0.07N.

As shown in FIG. 15B, the jaw 4b is released and a force gauge applies an external force F in the pitch direction to the surface opposite to the gripping surface of the jaw 4a. The frequency is calculated using FFT or the like, the generated torque is calculated based on the equation (3), and the measured value M is obtained by dividing by the distance between the rotation axis 2x of the forceps joint 2 and the point where the external force F is applied. rice field. The maximum error was 0.16N and the average error was as small as 0.10N.

As shown in (C) of FIG. 15, the jaw 4a is released and an external force F in the pitch direction is applied to the gripping surface of the jaw 4b by a force gauge. was used to calculate the frequency, and the generated torque was calculated based on the equation (4). The maximum error was 0.12N and the average error was as small as 0.07N.

In the above-described embodiment, the wrist joint (first joint) is of a unidirectional type, but the present invention can also be applied to a forceps manipulator device having a universal joint type wrist joint (first joint). .

Further, although the above-described embodiments show a wire closed loop driven forceps manipulator device, the present invention is also applicable to a wire antagonistic driven forceps manipulator device. In the wire antagonistic drive forceps manipulator device, two wires are hooked to each jaw of the joint, so the number of motors is doubled.

Furthermore, the present invention is applicable to any modification within the obvious scope of the above-described embodiments.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be applied to manipulator devices such as robots in addition to forceps manipulator devices.

1: wrist joint (first joint)
11: drive pulley
12, 13, 14, 15: guide pulley 2: forceps joint (second joint)
2a, 2b: drive pulleys 3: links 4a, 4b: jaws 5: guide pulley units 52, 53, 54, 55: guide pulleys 6: pipes 7: shafts 8: microphones 9, 9': power section 10: control unit W11 , W12, W2, . Coupling gears 86, 87: Rotating shafts 88, 89: Slide screws 88', 89': Linear bushings 88", 89": Couplings 90, 91: Arc guides 92, 93: Racks 94, 95: Pinion gears (rotary linear motion conversion means)
101: wrist joint (first joint)
1011: drive pulley
1012, 1013, 1014, 1015: guide pulley 102: forceps joint (second joint)
102a, 102b: drive pulleys 103: links 104a, 104b: jaws 105, 106: guide pulley units 1052, 1054, 1063, 1065: guide pulleys

As shown in the power section 9' of FIG. 8, the motor M1 and the drive pulley M1a for the wrist joint 1 are provided on a motor base 81, in which case the motor base 81 is fixed. On the other hand, motor M2 and drive pulley M2a for jaw 4a are provided on motor base 82, and motor M3 and drive pulley M3a for jaw 4b are provided on motor base 83. In this case, motor base 82, 83 is movable in the direction of arrow X by an interference compensation motor M5. That is, the motor bases 82 and 83 are mounted orthogonally on two rotary shafts 86 and 87 which are rotated synchronously by a three-connection gear 85, and one of the rotary shafts 86 and 87 is rotated by an interference compensation motor M5. driven. In this case, the motor base 82 is moved in the direction of the arrow X by a slide screw 88 fitted on the rotary shaft 86, and the motor base 83 is moved in the direction of the arrow X by a slide screw 89 fitted on the rotary shaft 87. However, the amounts of movement of the motor bases 82 and 83 are the same. 88′ and 89′ are linear bushes, 88″ is a coupling between the shaft 86 and the slide screw 88, and 89″ is a coupling between the shaft 87 and the slide screw 89.

Claims (11)

a first joint having a first axis of rotation;
a second joint having a second axis of rotation perpendicular to the first axis of rotation;
a link connecting the first joint and the second joint;
a guide pulley unit fixed within the link between the first and second joints and having a third axis of rotation parallel to the first axis of rotation;
a first, second and third wire;
The first joint has a first drive pulley and first and second guide pulleys for driving the link pivotally attached to the first rotation shaft,
the second joint has a second drive pulley pivotally attached to the second rotating shaft;
The guide pulley unit has third and fourth guide pulleys corresponding to the first and second guide pulleys pivoted on the third rotating shaft,
the first wire is wound around the first drive pulley;
the second wire is wound from one side of the second drive pulley through the first and third guide pulleys;
the third wire is wound from the other side of the second drive pulley via the second and fourth guide pulleys;
When viewed from the direction of the first rotation axis, the second wire is wound around the first and third guide pulleys, and the third wire is wound around the second and fourth guide pulleys. A wire-driven manipulator device that is identical to the winding state. The state in which the second wire is wound around the first and third guide pulleys and the state in which the third wire is wound around the second and fourth guide pulleys are defined by the first rotating shaft. 2. A wire driven manipulator device according to claim 1, which is identical in S shape when viewed from the same direction. Further comprising fourth and fifth wires,
The first joint further has fifth and sixth guide pulleys pivotally attached to the first rotating shaft,
the second joint further has a third drive pulley pivotally attached to the second rotary shaft;
The guide pulley unit further includes seventh and eighth guide pulleys pivotally attached to the third rotating shaft and corresponding to the fifth and sixth guide pulleys,
the fourth wire is wound from one side of the third drive pulley through the fifth and seventh guide pulleys;
the fifth wire is wound from the other side of the third driving pulley via the sixth and eighth guide pulleys;
When viewed from the direction of the first rotation axis, the fourth wire is wound around the fifth and seventh guide pulleys, and the fifth wire is wound around the sixth and eighth guide pulleys. 3. A wire drive manipulator device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the winding state is the same. The state in which the fourth wire is wound around the fifth and seventh guide pulleys and the state in which the fifth wire is wound around the sixth and eighth guide pulleys correspond to the first rotating shaft. 4. A wire driven manipulator device according to claim 3, which has the same S-shape when viewed from the same direction. The first and fifth guide pulleys are provided on one side of the first drive pulley,
The second and sixth guide pulleys are provided on the other side of the first drive pulley,
diameters of the third and fifth guide pulleys are smaller than diameters of the first and seventh guide pulleys;
5. The wire driven manipulator device according to claim 3, wherein diameters of said fourth and sixth guide pulleys are smaller than diameters of said second and eighth guide pulleys. moreover,
a first motor for the first wire and a first base supporting the first motor;
a second motor for driving the second and third wires and a second base for supporting the second motor;
a third motor for driving the fourth and fifth wires and a third base for supporting the third motor;
a fourth motor for moving the second and third bases in opposite directions with respect to the first and second joints;
The fourth motor and the first motor are controlled in conjunction to control the tensioned state or the relaxed state of the second and third wires in the loosened direction or the tensioned direction, and at the same time, the fourth and fifth motors are controlled. 6. The wire driving manipulator device according to claim 3, wherein the relaxed state or tensioned state of the wire is controlled in the direction of tension or relaxation. moreover,
a first motor for the first wire;
Rotation/linear motion conversion means pivotally attached to the rotation shaft of the first motor;
a second motor for the second and third wires;
a first rack that fits on one side of the rotation/linear motion conversion means and supports the second motor;
a third motor for the fourth and fifth wires;
a second rack fitted to the other side of the rotation-to-linear motion converting means and supporting the third motor,
the first and second racks are arranged in parallel,
The first joint and the rotation-to-linear motion converting means are synchronously rotated in the same direction. 6. The wire-driven manipulator device according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the other of the motors is moved away from said first joint. moreover,
a pipe housing the first, second and third wires;
a shaft with projections provided in the pipe;
a motor for rotating the projection shaft;
a microphone provided within the pipe;
3. A wire driven manipulator device according to claim 1 or 2, comprising a control unit for calculating respective tensions of said first, second and third wires from vibration frequencies detected by said microphone. 9. A wire-driven manipulator device according to claim 8, wherein said first, second and third wires are arranged on the same circumference from the center of said shaft with projections at the projection positions of said shaft with projections. moreover,
a pipe housing the first, second, third, fourth and fifth wires;
a shaft with projections provided in the pipe;
a motor for rotating the shaft;
a microphone provided within the pipe;
and a control unit for calculating respective tensions of the first, second, third, fourth and fifth wires from vibration frequencies detected by the microphone. of wire-driven manipulator devices. 11. The wire driven manipulator according to claim 10, wherein said first, second, third, fourth and fifth wires are arranged on the same circumference from the center of said shaft with projections at the projection positions of said shaft with projections. Device.

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