JP4624273B2 - Endoskeleton robot exterior - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an exterior for an endoskeletal robot that covers an internal structure having a frame having a shape corresponding to the function of the robot with a soft material so that the external shape of the robot is similar to that of a living organism. .

  Conventional robots such as the normal biped walking type have a shell-like frame with a built-in drive mechanism and control circuit covered with a thin exterior made of a hard material, or the shell-like frame itself is an exoskeleton. The shape and rigidity were maintained, and the shape and rigidity were maintained.

  By the way, if a hard cover is attached to the shell-shaped frame as described above or the frame itself also serves as an exterior, the degree of freedom of the outer shape is reduced, so it is difficult to make the robot's outer shape similar to a living organism. Therefore, in recent years, an internal structure having a so-called endoskeleton-shaped frame in which a drive mechanism is arranged at a required position corresponding to the function of the robot regardless of the outer shape required for the robot is covered with a soft material. Attempts have been made to create an exterior for an endoskeleton that resemble the external shape of a robot.

  As such an endoskeleton-type robot, for example, a dinosaur-type robot manufactured by the applicant of the present application, which is shown in front, top and side views in FIGS. 5 (a), (b) and (c), is known ( 6 (a) and 6 (b) are perspective views showing the exterior 1 and the internal structure 2 of the dinosaur type robot, respectively, and FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the exterior 1 of the dinosaur type robot. FIG. 8 and FIG. 8 are cross-sectional views of the exterior 1 and the internal structure 2 of the dinosaur-type robot taken along line AA in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 6B, this dinosaur type robot has an internal structure 2 having a so-called endoskeleton-like frame having a shape in which a driving mechanism is arranged at a necessary position corresponding to the function of the biped walking robot. 6 (a) and FIGS. 5 (a) to 5 (c) are covered with a dinosaur-type exterior 1, and the exterior 1 here includes a head H and left and right body parts as shown in FIG. B and tail T are joined with a zipper (not shown) so as to cover the internal structure 2. As shown in FIG. 8, foamed urethane foam as a soft material that forms the external shape of the exterior 1 A silicon outer skin 1b is provided on the outer surface of the made meat portion 1a.
http://www.nedo.go.jp/expo2005/robot/dinosaur/

  However, since the foamed urethane foam used for the meat portion 1a of the exterior 1 has a high impact resilience, it is not well adapted to the shape to be pressed, so it is mounted on the internal structure 2 such as a frame or a drive mechanism. The inner shape of the upper part of the exterior that is placed and supports the weight of the exterior 1 does not conform to the uneven shape of the internal structure 2 pressed against it, and therefore the position of the exterior 1 is maintained and the weight of the exterior 1 is distributed There was a problem that it could not be performed well. In order to solve this problem, if the inner shape of the upper part of the exterior 1 is formed in advance corresponding to the uneven shape of the internal structure 2, the uneven shape is changed by the design change of the internal structure 2. There was a problem that it was difficult to cope with.

  Further, the foamed urethane foam for the meat part 1a of the exterior 1 is subject to local wear due to interference with the movable part such as the joint part of the internal structure 2, or the position is shifted or torn off due to being caught. There was also.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to advantageously solve the above-described problems, and an exterior for an endoskeleton robot of the present invention covers an internal structure having a frame having a shape corresponding to the function of the robot with a soft material. In an exterior for an endoskeleton type robot having an external shape of the robot, at least a part of the portion that comes into contact with the internal structure has a lower rebound resilience than the urethane foam that forms the external shape of the exterior The foam is formed in a pad shape that contacts the internal structure and deforms so as to fit into the uneven shape of the internal structure .
In addition, the exterior for the endoskeleton robot according to the present invention is such that at least a part of a portion in contact with the internal structure in the exterior for the endoskeleton robot is more resilient than a urethane foam that forms an external shape of the exterior. Is formed of urethane foam having a low thickness, and at least a part of the portion in sliding contact with the internal structure is formed of Teflon-coated acrylic-modified vinyl chloride. In this case, at least a part of the portion in contact with the internal structure is formed of urethane foam having a lower rebound resilience than the urethane foam forming the external shape of the exterior, and at least one of the movable portions spaced from the internal structure. A rubber sheet is stretched around the part.

According to the endoskeleton-type robot exterior of the present invention, when the exterior is applied to an internal structure having a frame having a shape corresponding to the function of the robot, at least a part of a portion in contact with the internal structure is Because the urethane foam has a lower rebound resilience than the urethane foam that forms the outer shape of the exterior, it is formed in a pad shape that deforms so as to fit into the concave and convex shape of the internal structure by contacting the internal structure. It is pressed against the uneven shape of the internal structure by exterior its own weight, modified as mate the irregularities of the internal structure, better retain the exterior position to prevent displacement of the sheath In addition, at least a part of the weight of the exterior can be received and dispersed well by the entire urethane foam having a low impact resilience.

  Furthermore, according to the outer skeleton type robot exterior of the present invention, even when the irregular shape of the internal structure of the robot is changed, the irregular shape of the internal structure that has been changed can be simply applied by applying the exterior as it is. Therefore, it is possible to easily cope with the design change of the internal structure.

  In the outer skeleton robot exterior of the present invention, the urethane foam that forms the external shape of the exterior is a foamed urethane foam, and the urethane foam that has a lower rebound resilience than the urethane foam that forms the external shape is a flexible urethane foam. However, it may be a low-rebound resilience foam, which is preferably a kind of the flexible urethane foam. By doing so, the soft urethane foam has both viscosity and elasticity, and in particular, the low-rebound resilience foam suppresses elasticity and increases the viscosity. Therefore, the followability to the pressed uneven shape is high, and it can fit well with the uneven shape of the internal structure of the robot.

  Further, in the endoskeleton robot exterior of the present invention, at least a part of the portion in sliding contact with the internal structure may be formed of acrylic-modified vinyl chloride coated with Teflon (registered trademark). For example, while maintaining the inner surface of the exterior flat with acrylic-modified vinyl chloride, the friction due to sliding contact with the internal structure is made small with Teflon coating, and the exterior is locally worn by interference with movable parts such as joints. It is possible to prevent the position from being shifted or torn by being caught.

  Furthermore, in the endoskeleton-type robot exterior of the present invention, a rubber sheet may be stretched over at least a part of the movable part separated from the internal structure, thereby forming the external shape of the exterior. The elasticity of the urethane foam can be supplemented with a rubber sheet to maintain the stretchability of the exterior with respect to the movement of the robot and make the movement of the exterior natural.

  Furthermore, in the endoskeleton robot exterior of the present invention, a waste heat ventilation path may be formed inside the urethane foam forming the external shape, and in this way, the exterior is displaced. Therefore, the waste heat ventilation path can be prevented from being displaced or closed, and the heat generated from the internal structure can be efficiently discharged.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 (a) shows an embodiment in which the exterior for an endoskeleton robot of the present invention is applied to the dinosaur robot shown in FIGS. 6 (a) and 7 as an example of the endoskeleton robot. FIG. 1B is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the exterior rear portion shown in FIG. 1A, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 5 of the exterior of the embodiment, and FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the positional relationship between the internal structure of the dinosaur robot and the exterior of the embodiment. In the figure, the same parts as those in the prior art are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  That is, the endoskeleton-type robot exterior 1 of this embodiment is in a necessary position corresponding to the function of the biped walking robot as shown in FIG. 6B, as in the conventional example shown in FIGS. It covers the internal structure 2 having a so-called endoskeleton-shaped frame in which the drive mechanism is arranged, and the exterior 1 of this embodiment also has a head H (not shown in FIG. 1) as shown in FIG. ), The left and right body parts B, and the tail part T are joined with a zipper (not shown) to cover the internal structure 2, and a soft material that forms the external shape of the exterior 1 as shown in FIG. A silicon outer skin 1b is provided on the outer surface of the meat part 1a made of urethane foam.

  Thus, in the exterior 1 of this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the low resilience elastic foam having a lower resilience elastic modulus than the foamed urethane foam is formed on the inner upper part of the body part including the left and right body parts B. A back pad 1c made of plastic, a leg pad 1d made of the above-mentioned low-resilience elastic foam is also provided on the inner lower portion of the base of the rear leg portion of the left and right body portions B, and further inside the flank portions of the left and right body portions B The side pad 1e made of the low resilience elastic foam is also provided, and the back pad 1c is pressed against the upper part 2a of the internal structure 2 mainly by its own weight of the body part B of the exterior 1, and comes into contact with the upper part. The leg pad 1d and the flank pad 1e correspond to the inner side of the base of the rear leg 2b of the internal structure 2 and the flank 2c, respectively. Touching them after It is deformed to fit fits to the uneven shape of the root and flank portion 2c parts 2b. In addition, it is preferable that the low rebound resilience foam here is a low rebound resilience polyurethane foam having a rebound resilience of 1 to 20% measured by a measurement method based on the method A of JIS K 6400. If it is less than 1%, it is difficult to maintain the pad shape, and if it exceeds 20%, it is difficult to deform so as to fit (follow) the shape of the contact partner.

  Thereby, the back pad 1c positions the back part of the body part B of the exterior 1 with respect to the upper part 2a of the internal structure 2, and the leg pad 1d connects the rear leg part of the body part B of the exterior 1 to the internal structure 2. Positioned with respect to the rear leg 2b, the flank pad 1e positions the flank of the body B of the exterior 1 with respect to the flank 2c of the internal structure 2, and each part of the body B of the exterior 1 Therefore, the back pad 1c can receive the weight of the body part B of the exterior 1 by the entire back pad 1c and can be dispersed well.

  Further, in the exterior 1 of this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a leg plate 1f made of acrylic-modified vinyl chloride whose surface is coated with Teflon is formed on the inner upper part of the base of the rear legs of the left and right body parts B. While being provided, rubber sheets 1g are stretched in the vertical direction at the upper and lower positions of the leg plates 1f, respectively, and the leg plates 1f are mainly internal weights 2 of the body portion B of the exterior 1. The rubber sheet 1g is pressed against the outer corner of the base of the rear leg 2b and slidably contacts the outer corner of the base as the rear leg 2b moves, and the rubber sheet 1g is elastic of the meat part 1b made of urethane foam. To improve the followability of the rear legs of the left and right body parts B of the exterior 1 with respect to the movement of the rear legs 2b of the internal structure 2, and the left and right body parts due to the weight of the rear legs of the left and right body parts B B hind leg droop It is possible to prevent the fall.

  Further, in the exterior 1 of this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, along the back part of the body part B of the exterior 1, a meat part 1 a is cut out to form a ventilation path 1 h for waste heat. The ventilation path 1h branches into a plurality of parts, and a plurality of parts provided on the back pad 1c corresponding to the heat source 2e such as the fuselage exhaust fan 2d and circuit elements provided on the upper part 2a of the internal structure 2. Each of the vent holes 1i communicates with the vent hole 1i, and each of the vent holes 1i is provided with a metal or resin net 1j for maintaining the shape of the vent hole 1i. On the other hand, the exhaust port 1k at the front end of the ventilation path 1h is opened to the outside air through a net 11 provided on the outer surface of the back part of the body part B of the exterior 1, as shown in FIG.

  Therefore, according to the endoskeleton robot armor 1 of this embodiment, the back pad 1c made of a low resilience elastic foam having a lower resilience elastic modulus than the foamed urethane foam of the meat part 1a forming the external shape of the armor 1, the leg The part pad 1d and the abdominal part pad 1e position each part of the body part B of the exterior 1 with respect to each part of the internal structure 2 so that each part of the body part B of the exterior 1 is displaced relative to each part of the internal structure 2 Further, the back pad 1c can receive the weight of the body part B of the exterior 1 by the entire back pad 1c and can be dispersed well.

  Moreover, according to the endoskeleton robot exterior 1 of this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b), in which different uneven shapes are changed, the internal structure 2 shown in FIG. Even when the uneven shape is changed, the exterior 1 is simply applied as it is, and is deformed so as to fit the uneven shape of the internal structure 2 that has been changed. And the effect of dispersing the weight of the exterior can be brought about, so that it is possible to easily cope with a design change of the internal structure 2.

  Furthermore, according to the endoskeleton robot exterior 1 of this embodiment, the urethane foam of the material of the meat part 1a forming the external shape of the exterior 1 is a foamed urethane foam, and the back pad 1c, leg pad 1d, and abdominal pad Since the urethane foam of the material 1e is a low rebound elastic foam having a lower rebound resilience than the urethane foam forming the external shape, the back pad 1c, leg pad 1d and abdominal pad 1e have both viscosity and elasticity. In addition, since the elasticity is particularly suppressed and the viscosity is increased, the followability to the pressed uneven shape is high, and the uneven shape of the internal structure 2 can be fitted well.

  Further, according to the endoskeleton type robot exterior 1 of this embodiment, the portion that is in sliding contact with the rear leg portion 2b of the internal structure 2 is formed by the leg plate 1f made of acrylic-modified vinyl chloride coated with Teflon. Thus, while maintaining the inner surface of the exterior flat with acrylic-modified vinyl chloride, the friction caused by sliding contact with the rear leg 2b of the internal structure 2 is made slight with Teflon coating, and the exterior 1 is interfered with the rear leg 2b. Can be prevented from being locally worn out or caught and displaced or torn off.

  Further, according to the endoskeleton robot exterior 1 of this embodiment, the rubber sheet 1g is stretched over the upper and lower positions of the leg plate 1f, which is a movable part separated from the internal structure 2, so that the exterior 1 The elasticity of the foamed urethane foam of the meat part 1a forming the external shape of the dinosaur is supplemented by a rubber sheet 1g to maintain the stretchability of the rear leg part of the exterior 1 against the action of the rear leg part of the dinosaur type robot, The rear leg of the exterior 1 can be made to follow well and the movement of the exterior can be made natural.

  Furthermore, according to the endoskeleton-type robot armor 1 of this embodiment, a vent heat path 1h for waste heat is formed inside the meat part 1a made of urethane foam that forms the external shape of the back part. As described above, the exterior 1 is not displaced with respect to the internal structure 2 and is not locally crushed by its own weight, so that the displacement and closing of the waste heat ventilation path 1h can be prevented. Heat generated from the structure 2 can be efficiently discharged.

  Although the present invention has been described based on the illustrated examples, the present invention is not limited to the above-described example. For example, the endoskeleton robot is not limited to the dinosaur type, and may be a human type or an animal type, and forms an external shape. The urethane foam having a lower rebound resilience than the urethane foam to be used may be a soft urethane foam other than the low rebound resilience foam.

Thus, according to the exterior for an endoskeletal robot of the present invention, when the exterior is applied to an internal structure having a frame having a shape corresponding to the function of the robot, at least a part of a portion in contact with the internal structure is formed. Since the urethane foam has a lower rebound resilience than the urethane foam that forms the outer shape of the exterior, it is formed into a pad shape that deforms so as to abut the inner structure and fit into the irregular shape of the inner structure. , is pressed against the uneven shape of the internal structure due to its own weight or the like of the exterior, modified as mate the irregularities of the internal structure, the better exterior position to prevent displacement of the sheath While being able to hold | maintain, at least one part of the dead weight of an exterior can be received and disperse | distributed favorably with the whole urethane foam with the low impact resilience rate.

  Furthermore, according to the outer skeleton type robot exterior of the present invention, even when the irregular shape of the internal structure of the robot is changed, the irregular shape of the internal structure that has been changed can be simply applied by applying the exterior as it is. Therefore, it is possible to easily cope with the design change of the internal structure.

(A) is an embodiment in which the exterior for an endoskeletal robot of the present invention is applied to the dinosaur type robot shown in FIG. 6 (a) and FIG. 7 as an example of the endoskeletal robot. It is a perspective view shown with the cross section about the exterior rear part after the section which meets a line, and (b) is an exploded perspective view showing the composition of the exterior rear part shown in (a). It is sectional drawing which follows the AA line in FIG. 5 of the exterior of the said Example. It is explanatory drawing which shows the positional relationship of the internal structure of the said dinosaur-type robot, and the exterior of the said Example. (A), (b) is the same position as FIG. 2 which respectively shows the state inside the exterior 1 of the said Example when the shape of an internal structure is changed differently from what is shown in FIG. FIG. (A), (b) and (c) are the front view, top view, and side view which show the dinosaur type robot as an example of the conventional endoskeleton type robot. (A), (b) is a perspective view which respectively shows the exterior and internal structure of the said dinosaur-type robot. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the exterior of the said dinosaur type | mold robot. It is a cross-sectional view along the AA line of FIG.5 (c) of the exterior and internal structure of the said dinosaur-type robot.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Exterior 1a Meat 1b Skin 1c Back pad 1d Leg pad 1e Side pad 1f Leg plate 1g Rubber sheet 1h Ventilation path 1i Vent hole 1j, 1l Net 1k Exhaust port 2 Internal structure 2a Upper part 2b Rear leg part 2c Part 2d fuselage exhaust fan 2e heat source H head B fuselage part T tail part

Claims (7)

In the exterior for an endoskeleton robot that covers the internal structure with a frame of a shape corresponding to the function of the robot with a soft material and makes the outer shape of the robot an arbitrary shape,
At least a part of the portion that comes into contact with the internal structure is a urethane foam having a lower rebound resilience than the urethane foam that forms the external shape of the exterior, and comes into contact with the internal structure to form an uneven shape of the internal structure. An exterior for an endoskeleton-type robot, characterized by being formed into a pad shape that is deformed so as to fit . Wherein at least a part of the internal structure and the sliding contact portion, and forming an acrylic modified vinyl chloride was Teflon-coated, claim 1 Symbol placement endoskeleton robot exterior of. In the exterior for an endoskeleton robot that covers the internal structure with a frame of a shape corresponding to the function of the robot with a soft material and makes the outer shape of the robot an arbitrary shape,
Forming at least a part of the part in contact with the internal structure with a urethane foam having a lower rebound resilience than the urethane foam forming the external shape of the exterior, and at least a part of the part in sliding contact with the internal structure, endoskeleton robot exterior it and forming an acrylic modified vinyl chloride was Teflon-coated.   The exterior for an endoskeleton-type robot according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a rubber sheet is stretched over at least a part of the movable part spaced apart from the internal structure. In the exterior for an endoskeleton robot that covers the internal structure with a frame of a shape corresponding to the function of the robot with a soft material and makes the outer shape of the robot an arbitrary shape,
At least a part of the portion that contacts the internal structure is formed of a urethane foam having a lower rebound resilience than the urethane foam that forms the external shape of the exterior, and at least a part of the movable part that is spaced apart from the internal structure. An exterior for an endoskeleton robot characterized by stretching rubber sheets. The urethane foam that forms the external shape of the exterior is a foamed urethane foam,
The exterior for an endoskeletal robot according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a urethane foam having a lower rebound resilience than the urethane foam forming the external shape is a flexible urethane foam. The exterior for an endoskeletal robot according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein a ventilation path for waste heat is formed inside the urethane foam forming the external shape.

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