JPH0333438Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] A. Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a manipulator in which drive means for driving the joints of the arm are concentrated in the shoulder.

B. Overview of the invention This invention is a manipulator that has an arm on its shoulder that has multiple joints, etc., in which a plurality of shafts connected to each joint, etc. A drive means for driving each of the shafts is disposed on each of the shafts, and a mounting portion for the drive means is provided on the shoulder, and one connector for wiring the drive means is centrally arranged and fixed in the center of the mounting portion. However, by making a single stay that fixes the drive means and the other connector detachable from the shoulder, the drive means can be easily replaced with another manipulator.

C. Prior Art In places where people cannot enter, such as nuclear facilities, work is carried out using manipulators and the like.

Conventionally, manipulators have separate drive means at the joints of the arm, such as the elbow and wrist.
That is, a motor and a deceleration means are respectively provided inside the arms near the joints to drive the joints.

Such a manipulator uses only gears as a power transmission means, and has better performance than one that transmits power using tape or wire. That is,
Even if an overload is applied to the arm from the outside, there is no disadvantage that the tape or wire will break or fall off the pulley.

D Problems to be solved by the invention However, if the motor breaks down, it is difficult to replace it. In other words, if a manipulator breaks down in a radioactive atmosphere, repair work must be performed remotely using an impact wrench by operating another healthy manipulator or an in-cell crane, especially when the motor is located inside the arm. When replacing a motor, it is practically impossible to reconnect the motor's wiring or the wiring of devices related to the motor.

Therefore, a manipulator has been proposed in which driving means such as a motor are centrally arranged in the shoulder portion.

The object of the invention is to enable easy exchange of centrally arranged drive means.

E. Means for Solving the Problems The present invention not only simply arranges the driving means around the axis of one end of the multiple shafts in the shoulder of the manipulator, but also provides a mounting part on the shoulder for attaching the driving means. One connector for the wiring of the drive means is centrally placed in the center of the mounting part and fixed.
The drive means and the other connector are attached to a single stay, and the stay is detachably attached to the shoulder by remote control via a hole and a guide pin inserted through the hole.

F Effect If the drive means fails, the failed drive means must be replaced with a new drive means using another healthy manipulator, but when the stay is removed from the shoulder, the drive means/mounting part and the connectors are separated. Then, when the stay with the new drive means and connector fixed is attached, the drive means and connector are attached to the shoulder at the same time. That is, simply by replacing the driving means, the wiring connections can be replaced at the same time, and there is no need to separately replace the wiring connections. The alignment between the stay and the shoulder can be easily performed by inserting a guide pin into the hole, and can therefore be performed remotely using a robot or the like.

Furthermore, since one connector is centrally arranged in the center of the mounting plate, wiring is easy.

G. Embodiments Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on embodiments shown in the drawings. Note that this embodiment shows a slave manipulator in a master-slave manipulator that is composed of a master manipulator that is directly operated by an operator, and a slave manipulator that moves in a manner similar to that of the master manipulator.

(a) Configuration of Example FIGS. 4 to 6 are external views of the slave manipulator, and FIGS. 7 and 8 are sectional views. The slave manipulator is roughly composed of a support part 10, a shoulder part 11, an arm 12, and a hand 13, and the arm 12 is composed of a first arm 12a, a second arm 12b, and a third arm 12c.
Further, the hand 13 is composed of a palm 13a and a fingertip 13b. For convenience of explanation, in FIGS. 7 and 8, the third arm 12c is shown bent upward in the drawings.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the support portion 10 is covered with an outer cover 20, and the outer cover 14 covering the shoulder portion 11 is pivotable in the direction indicated by arrow I in the figures. A proximal end portion of an outer sheath 15 that covers the first arm 12a is inserted into the outer sheath 14 so as to be pivotable in the direction indicated by an arrow RO in the figure, thereby forming a first joint P. Between the tip branch parts 15a and 15b of the outer cover 15,
The proximal end of the outer sheath 16 covering the second arm 12b is attached so as to be able to bend in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper, as indicated by an arrow C in the figure, thereby forming a second joint Q. Outer cover 1
A third arm 12c is connected between the distal end branching parts 16a and 16b of No. 6 through an intermediate member 17 as indicated by the arrow mark ○ in the figure.
It is configured to be able to bend freely in both the direction shown by and the direction shown by arrow H, and constitutes a third joint R (having two degrees of freedom). That is, the tip branch parts 16a and 16b
An outer sheath 18 covering the intermediate member 17 is attached between the intermediate member 17 and the intermediate member 17 so as to be rotatable in the direction indicated by the arrow ○ in the figure.
Proximal branch portions 19a and 19b of the outer sheath 19, which covers the third arm 12c, are attached so as to be rotatable in the direction indicated by the arrow ho in the figure while the outer sheath 18 is being held between them. To explain with reference to FIG. 8, the axis that rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow ◯ in the figure and the axis that rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow ◯ in the figure are perpendicular to each other, and the third arm 12c is bent upward. . A palm 13a is attached to the tip of the outer cover 19 so as to be pivotable in the direction indicated by an arrow circle in the figure, and forms a wrist S. A hand 13b is attached to the palm 13a so as to be freely openable and closable in the direction indicated by the arrow ◯ in the figure, and constitutes a grip portion T.

The support part 10 is installed on the floor, and the outer cover 20
The driving force of the two motors 7c attached to the is transmitted to the outer sheath 14 via a reducer (not shown), bevel gears 7e, 7f, and shaft 7g, and the shoulder 11, arm 12, etc. are shown by arrows I in the figure. Turn in the direction. 7a is a position sensor, and 7b is a brake.

The outer cover 14 has a circular shape when viewed from the right side in FIG.
b to 6b and position sensors 1a to 6a are attached. The driving force of the motor 1c is transmitted to the drive gear 1 via a reduction gear (not shown) housed in the outer sheath 14.
e, and then to the spur toothed portion 1f, which is integral with the outer sheath 15. As a result, the arm 12 pivots at the first joint P in the direction of the arrow RO. The driving force of the motor 2c is transmitted via a reducer and a drive gear (not shown) to a hollow transmission shaft 2 having spur teeth 2f and bevel teeth 2h at the ends.
g, a transmission gear 2i having a bevel tooth portion and a spur tooth portion, and a spur gear 2j integral with the outer sheath 16. As a result, the second arm 12b is bent at the second joint Q in the direction indicated by the arrow H. The driving force of the motor 3c is transmitted via a reducer and a drive gear (not shown) to a hollow transmission shaft 3g having a spur tooth portion 3f and a bevel tooth portion 3h at the end;
A transmission gear 3i having a bevel tooth portion and a spur tooth portion, a transmission gear 3j having a spur tooth portion at both ends, a spur gear 3k, a transmission gear 3 having a spur gear and a bevel tooth portion, a transmission having a bevel tooth portion at both ends It is transmitted to a gear 3m, a transmission gear 3n having a bevel tooth portion and a spur tooth portion, spur gears 3p and 3q, a transmission gear 3r having a spur tooth portion and a bevel tooth portion, and a bevel gear 3s integral with the outer sheath 19. As a result, the third joint R
The third arm 12c is bent in the direction of the arrow H.
The driving force of the motor 4c is transmitted via a reducer and a drive gear (not shown) to a hollow transmission shaft 4g having a spur tooth portion 4f and a bevel tooth portion 4h at its end, and a transmission gear having a bevel tooth portion and a spur tooth portion. 4i, transmission gear 4j having spur teeth on both ends, spur gear 4k, transmission gear 4 having spur teeth and bevel teeth, transmission gear 4 having bevel teeth on both ends
m, transmission gear 4n having a bevel tooth part and a spur tooth part, spur gears 4p, 4q, transmission gear 4r having a spur tooth part and a bevel tooth part, transmission gear 4 having a bevel tooth part and a spur tooth part.
s, a spur gear 4t, a transmission gear 4u having a spur tooth portion and a bevel tooth portion, and a bevel gear 4v integral with the palm 13a. As a result, hand 13 moves to arrow ○ with wrist S.
Turn in the direction of. The driving force of the motor 5c is transmitted via a reducer (not shown) and a drive gear 5e to a hollow transmission shaft 5 having spur teeth 5f and bevel teeth 5h at the ends.
g, a transmission gear 5i having a bevel tooth portion and a spur tooth portion, a transmission gear 5j having spur tooth portions at both ends, a spur gear 5k,
A spur gear 5k, a transmission gear 5 having a spur tooth portion and a bevel tooth portion, a transmission gear 5m having a bevel tooth portion at both ends, a transmission gear 5n having a bevel tooth portion and a spur tooth portion, a spur gear 5
p, 5q, and is transmitted to the spur gear 5r integral with the outer sheath 18. As a result, the third arm 12c at the third joint R
bends in the direction shown by arrow ○. The driving force of the motor 6c is transmitted via a reducer and a drive gear (not shown) to a hollow transmission shaft 6g having a spur tooth portion 6f and a bevel tooth portion 6h at the end, and a transmission gear 6 having a bevel tooth portion and a spur tooth portion.
i, a transmission gear 6j having spur teeth at both ends, a spur gear 6k, a transmission gear 6 having spur teeth and a bevel tooth, a transmission gear 6m having bevel teeth at both ends, a bevel tooth and a spur tooth; transmission gear 6n, spur gears 6p, 6q,
A transmission gear 6r having a spur tooth portion and a bevel tooth portion, a transmission gear 6s having a bevel tooth portion and a spur tooth portion, a spur gear 6t,
The transmission is transmitted to a transmission gear 6u having a spur tooth portion and a bevel tooth portion, and a transmission gear 6v having bevel tooth portions at both ends. Then, a pair of transmission gears 6w ₁ and 6w ₂ that mesh with the transmission gear 6v and have bevel teeth and spur teeth rotate in opposite directions. A spur gear 6x ₁ , which is connected to the hand 13b ₁ through a link, meshes with the spur tooth portion of the transmission gear 6w ₁ , and a spur gear 6x 1, which is connected to the hand 13b ₂ through a link, meshes with the spur tooth portion of the transmission gear 6w ₂ . 6x ₂ spur gears are meshed. Hands 13b ₁ , 13b ₂ and palm 1
3a are also rotatably connected to each other by other links, and only the links and gears 6x ₁ and 6x ₂ are fixed, so that the gripping portion T allows the fingers 13b ₁ and 1
3b ₂ opens and closes in the direction shown by the arrow ○.

The transmission shafts 2g to 6g are arranged in multiples to form multiple shafts. The transmission gears 2i, 4i, 6
i, 3i, and 5i are arranged multiple times on the fixed shaft 8 that is integrated with the outer cover 15. the transmission gear 2j,
4j, 6j and 3j, 5j are arranged in multiples on a fixed shaft 9 that passes through the outer sheath 16 and is fixed to the outer sheath 15 at both ends. The spur gears 3k to 6k, 3p to 6
p, 3q to 6q are fixed shafts 21 integrated with the outer cover 16,
It is rotatably attached to 24 and 25. The transmission gears 3 to 6, 3n to 6n are mounted on fixed shafts 22 and 23 that are integral with the outer sheath 16 in a multiplicity. The spur gears 6t, 4t are rotatably attached to fixed shafts 26, 27 fixed to the outer sheath 19, and the transmission gears 6w ₁ , 6w ₂ are both rotatably attached to a fixed shaft 28 integrated with the palm 13a. It is being

Next, the structure of the shoulder portion 11 will be explained in detail based on FIGS. 1 and 2. As described above, multiple shafts are housed inside the outer cover 14, and reduction gears 1d to 6d, which are omitted in FIG. 7, are arranged around the axes of the multiple shafts. Reducers 1d and 2d are gear cases 29
a, the reducers 3d and 4d are in the gear case 29b,
The reduction gears 5d and 6d are respectively incorporated into the gear case 29c. Therefore, motors 1c and 2c are connected to gear case 29a, motors 3c and 4c are connected to gear case 29b, and motors 5c and 6c are connected to gear case 2.
9c, respectively. For example, reducer 1
d is as shown in FIG. A shaft 31 is connected to the gear case 29a via bearings 30 and 30'.
32 are rotatably provided, spur gears 33 and 34 are fixed to the shaft 31, and spur gears 34 are fixed to the shaft 32.
The spur gear 35 that meshes with the spur gear 1f and the driving gear 1e that meshes with the spur gear 1f are fixed. Motor 1
c is attached to the stay 36, and the stay 3
6 has holes 38 and 39 (not shown) for attaching the stay 36 to the gearbox 29a as a mounting portion. Further, the stay 36 is provided with a connector 37, to which wires from the position sensor 1a, brake 1b, and motor 1c are connected. On the other hand, Gearbox 2
A guide pin 40 and a set bolt 41 are fixed to the guide pin 9a as attachment parts.
0. By inserting the set bolts 41 into the holes 38 and 39 and screwing the nut 42 into the set bolts 41, the pinion gear 43 fixed to the output shaft of the motor 1c meshes with the spur gear 33. Further, a connector box 45 is attached to the center of the outer cover 14 via a tripod-shaped stay 44, and circular connectors 46 are attached as many as the number of motors. The connector 46 is arranged at a position where it is naturally connected to the connector 37 when the motor 1c is attached to the gearbox 29a. The other motors 2c to 6c are similarly arranged.
A hollow lead wire guide 47 is provided between the gear boxes 29a to 29c and is fixed to the outer cover 14, and a lead wire 48 connected to a connector 46 is passed through the lead wire guide 47 and connected to a master manipulator or the like (not shown). has been done.

Incidentally, like the motors 1c to 6c, the motor 7c can also be detachably connected to the reducer 7d (not shown) together with the connector.
Although it is attached to the gear box, the explanation will be omitted. Positioning with respect to the gearbox is performed using stays, guide pins, and set bolts, but the present invention is not limited to these, and various other means can be used. Furthermore, since two sets of speed reducers are housed in one gearbox, both sets of motor and connector combinations may be attached to one stay.

(b) Operation of the embodiment Next, the operation of the slave manipulator will be explained. The operation of the slave manipulator itself will be briefly explained, and the operation of the present invention will be explained in detail.

The motor 1c causes the entire arm to pivot at the joint P in the direction of the arrow RO, the motor 2c causes the first arm 12b, etc. to bend at the joint Q in the direction of the arrow C, and the motor 3c causes the third arm 12c, etc. to rotate at the joint. The motor 4c causes the hand 13, etc., to turn in the direction of the arrow ○ at the wrist S, and the motor 5c causes the intermediate member 17, the third arm 12c, etc. to bend at the joint R.
The motor 6c causes the fingers 13b ₁ and 13b ₂ to open and close the grip T in the direction of the arrow G, and the motor 7c causes the entire shoulder 11, arm 12, etc. to bend in the direction of the arrow I. Turn to. Motor 1c~
7c is rotated independently according to the output of a master manipulator (not shown), so the slave manipulator moves similarly to the master manipulator.

If the motors 1c to 7c are out of order, for example if the arm 12 etc. no longer rotate at the joint P, this means that the motor 1c has broken down and needs to be replaced. In this case, remove the nut 42 using another healthy manipulator, etc., and use the stay 36 to connect the position sensor 1a, brake 1b, motor 1c, and connector 37.
The actuator module with which the two are integrated is removed from the gearbox 29a. At this time, the connectors 37 and 46 are separated at the same time, and the wiring is also removed.
Next, the actuator module equipped with the new motor 1c is installed in the mounting portion of the gearbox 29a. At this time, holes 38 and 3 formed in the stay 36
When the guide pin 40 and set bolt 41 are inserted into the position 9, the motor 1c is automatically positioned. Since the tips of the guide pin 40 and the set bolt 41 are sharp, positioning of the motor 1c using another manipulator can be easily performed even if vision is insufficient. When the stay 36 is positioned and attached to the gearbox 29a, not only the motor 1c is positioned but also the connectors 37 and 46 are connected at the same time, so just tighten the nut 42 on the set bolt 41 and the replacement work for the motor 1 is completed. do. This also applies to the replacement of the other motors 2c to 7c.

In addition, for example, if the reducer 1d breaks down, the gearbox 29a must be removed and repaired together with the motors 1c and 2c, but after the reducer 1d is repaired, the lead wire guide 47 guides the gearbox 29a to the outer cover. It should be attached to 14. At this time, as shown in FIG. 3, the spur gear 1 with the same outer diameter
Although the drive gears 1e and 2e must be meshed with the gears f and 2f, since the reducers 1d and 2d are housed in the gear box 29a and integrated, the backlash of the two sets of gears can be adjusted at the same time. Since the gear case is detachable, the gear ratio of the reducer can be easily changed, and repairs can be made easily in the event of a breakdown. The connectors are also centrally placed in the center, so you can pull out the lead wires all at once.

Note that although the slave manipulator has been described in this embodiment, the invention can also be applied to a master manipulator.

H. Effects of the invention As explained above, according to the invention, the driving means and the connector are attached to a single stay, and the stay is made detachable from the shoulder through the hole and the guide pin, so the stay can be attached to the shoulder. By attaching and detaching the drive means to the section, the drive means can be replaced and the wiring of the drive means can be changed at the same time. Therefore, it is easy to replace the drive means with another manipulator, etc. in places where people cannot directly enter and replace it, such as in a radioactive atmosphere, and there is no need to separately change the wiring. Great effect. Further, since the drive means are provided in a concentrated manner on the shoulder, it becomes easy to replace the drive means with another manipulator by remote control.
In addition to this, not only when the drive means breaks down,
It is also convenient in the case of maintenance and inspection. Furthermore, since one connector is centrally arranged in the center of the mounting plate, wiring is easy when connecting each motor to an external power source all at once.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIGS. 1 to 7 relate to a slave manipulator which is an embodiment of the manipulator according to the present invention.
The figure is a cross-sectional view of the shoulder, and Figure 2 is the − in Figure 1.
3 is an explanatory diagram for backlash adjustment, 4 is a front view, 5 is a plan view, and 6
The figure is a right side view, FIG. 7 is a sectional view, and FIG. 8 is a view taken along the - arrow in FIG. 7. 1c to 6c...Motor, 2g to 6g...Transmission shaft, 11...Shoulder, 12...Arm, 13...
Hand, 15... Outer cover, 29a-29c... Gearbox, 36... Stay, 38... Hole, 37, 46
... Connector, 40 ... Guide pin, 41 ... Set bolt, P, Q, R ... Joint, S ... Wrist,
T...Gripping part.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] A manipulator configured by connecting an arm having a plurality of joints, etc. to a shoulder, in which axes connected to each of the joints, etc. are arranged multiple times on the shoulder. The structure is such that multiple shafts are formed and drive means for driving each shaft are arranged around the axis of the multiple shafts, and a mounting part for attaching the drive means is provided on the shoulder and a mounting part for wiring of each drive means is provided. One connector is centrally arranged and fixed in the center of the mounting part, and the driving means and the other connector are attached to a single stay, and the stay can be attached and detached by remote control via a hole and a guide pin inserted through the hole. A manipulator characterized by being freely attached to the shoulder.