JPH0378237B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a rope-driven manipulator, and the present invention relates to a rope-driven manipulator that allows an effector to be attached and detached without impairing the characteristics of the rope-driven type. Regarding expression manipulators.

(Prior Art) As is well known, some manipulators have a built-in power source such as a motor within the arm, and others have the power source concentrated at the base of the arm.
An arm with a built-in power source not only has a thicker arm diameter, but also inevitably becomes heavier. Therefore, this type of
Not suitable for detailed work in confined spaces. On the other hand, if the power source is concentrated at the base of the arm, the entire arm can be made thinner and the weight of the arm can be reduced. Therefore, it can be said that this type is suitable for detailed work in narrow spaces.

Manipulators in which the power source is concentrated at the base of the arm are classified into torque tube drive type, rope drive type, parallel link drive type, gear drive type, etc. based on the power transmission element used. Among these, the rope-driven type has the inherent advantages of being able to significantly reduce the weight of the arm and smoothing out its movements.

By the way, rope-driven manipulators in which the power source is concentrated at the base of the arm generally have
It is constructed as shown in FIG. That is,
Shoulder (root) 1, shoulder joint 2, and upper arm 3
An arm 7 is constructed by connecting the elbow joint 4, forearm 5, and wrist joint 6 in series, and an effector, in this example, a hand 8, is attached to the tip of the wrist joint 6. . Power sources 9a, 9b, . . . 9g, represented by motors necessary for moving each arm and each joint, are arranged near the shoulder 1,
The rotational power given from these power sources 9a, 9b, . In FIG. 8b, solid line arrows indicate permissible movable directions of each part.

The hand portion 8 normally connects a rope 11 extending from the arm 7 side to a pulley 1, as shown in FIG.
2 to rotate the pulley 12, the pulley 12 meshes with each other to rotate the gears 13 and 14 in opposite directions, and the gears 13 and 14 rotate the parallel link 1.
5, 16 are moved linearly, and this parallel link 15, 1
6 to open and close the finger parts 17 and 18.

However, the conventional rope-driven manipulator configured as described above has the following problems. That is, the more types of work that can be performed with the manipulator, the more the range of use of the manipulator can be expanded. However, it is usually difficult to perform all of these operations using a simple opening/closing hand section. Therefore, it is desirable to be able to selectively use a dedicated tool, that is, a dedicated effector, for each type of work.

However, in the case of the conventional rope-driven manipulator, the rope 11 is extended to the hand section 8, and the pulley 12 that drives the parallel links 15 and 16 is rotated by the rope 11, so it is difficult to disassemble and disassemble the module. It is difficult to assemble, and because of this, there is a problem in that a plurality of types of effect devices cannot be selectively attached to the hand section 8.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) As mentioned above, the conventional rope-driven manipulator has a problem in that there are only a few types of work that can be performed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a rope-driven manipulator that allows the effector to be freely replaced without impairing the characteristics of the rope-driven manipulator, thereby contributing to expanding the working range of the manipulator.

[Effects of the Invention] (Means for Solving Problems) The present invention provides power from a plurality of rotary power sources concentrated at the base of the arm to each joint and wrist joint via ropes and pulleys. A rope-driven manipulator configured to transmit power to an effector provided on a distal end side, comprising: a hand base attached to a distal end side of the wrist joint of the arm; and a hand base rotatably supported by the hand base. A pulley that rotates by power transmitted through the rope, and a pulley that is rotatably supported by the hand base with its axis perpendicular to the axis of the pulley and has a meshing portion at its tip. a rotation transmission mechanism of the system; a bevel gear mechanism provided between a base end of the rotation transmission mechanism and the pulley to transmit rotation of the pulley to the rotation transmission mechanism; and the meshing of the rotation transmission mechanism. and a rotational force receiving part that can be engaged with the hand base, and upon selective connection to the hand base, the rotating force receiving part engages with the engaging part in the axial direction and transmits the rotational force through the rotation transmission mechanism. It is equipped with an effector that operates using the power generated by the machine.

The structure of the upper device will be explained as follows using the schematic diagram shown in FIG. 1 in which a hand portion is attached as an effect device. That is, both ends of the power transmission rope 21 extending from the arm side are wound around the pulleys 22a, 22b, and the movement of the rope 21 causes the pulleys 22a, 22 to move.
Rotate b in opposite directions. Each pulley 22
Bevel gears 23a and 23b are coaxially connected to a and 22b, and these bevel gears 23a and 23b mesh with a bevel gear 24 whose axial center lines are orthogonal to the axes of the pulleys 22a and 22b. One end of a shaft 25 is connected to the bevel gear 24, and a bevel gear 26 is connected to the other end of the shaft 25. And bevel gear 26
are parallel links 28a and 28b with shaft 27 as a fulcrum.
It meshes with bevel gears 29a and 29b that drive the. Finger portions 30 are provided on the parallel links 28a and 28b.
a and 30b are attached. With this configuration, when the rope 21 is moved in the direction shown by the solid line arrow in the figure, the bevel gears 29a, 29b rotate in the direction shown by the solid line arrow in the figure, and as a result, the fingers 30a, 30b move in the closing direction. . When the rope 21 is moved in the opposite direction to the above case, the finger parts 30a and 30b
moves in the direction of opening. In this configuration, the present invention makes it possible to separate the midway portion of the shaft 25 or the meshing portion between the bevel gear 26 and the bevel gears 29a, 29b in the axial direction, so that the effector side can be attached and detached. That is, the final stage pulley 22a,
The rotational force transmitted to 22b rotates a rotation transmission mechanism consisting of a coaxially arranged shaft 25 and a bevel gear 26, and the rotation of this rotation transmission mechanism is transmitted to the rotational force receiving part of the effector. At the same time, the connection with the rotational force receiving portion can be separated in the axial direction at the rotation transmission mechanism.

(Function) A final stage pulley is provided on the hand base, a rotation transmission mechanism of one system is interposed between this pulley and the rotational force receiving part of the effector, and power is transmitted to the effector via this rotation transmission mechanism. In addition, since the connection with the rotational force receiving part can be separated in the axial direction at the rotation transmission mechanism part, it is possible to attach the most suitable effector for the work and perform the work. . In this case, there is no need to make any changes to the arm side, so the characteristics of the rope drive type are not impaired.

(Example) Examples will be described below.

FIG. 2 shows only the distal end of the wrist joint in a rope-driven manipulator according to an embodiment of the present invention, and the same parts as in FIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals. Therefore, detailed explanation of the overlapping parts will be omitted. In the same figure,
31 is a housing-like hand base fixed to the wrist joint. Inside this handon base 31, the above-mentioned pulleys 22a, 22b and bevel gear 23a,
23b (however, the pulley 22b and bevel gear 23b are not shown) is housed coaxially and rotatably. Furthermore, a bevel gear 24 that meshes with the bevel gears 23a and 23b is disposed in the hand base 31 so that its axis line is orthogonal to the axes of the pulleys 22a and 22b, and this bevel gear 24 is connected to one end of the shaft 25. It is connected to the. The shaft 25 is rotatably supported by the hand base 31 via a bearing 32, and the other end protrudes outside the hand base 31. A male portion 33 constituting a spline engagement mechanism is formed at the tip of the shaft 25 that protrudes outside the hand base 31.

In the figure, reference numeral 34 indicates a hand portion as an effector selectively connected to the hand base 31 and the shaft 25. The hand portion 34 includes a holder 3 connected to the hand base 31 via a connection mechanism (not shown).
5. This holder 35 has a bearing 36
A bevel gear 26 is rotatably mounted via the . The bevel gear 26 is mounted so as to be coaxial with the shaft 25 when the holder 35 is fixed to the hand base 31, and a male portion 33 provided on the shaft 25 is fitted into the portion located on the shaft 25 side. A female portion 37 is formed which together with the male portion 33 constitutes a spline engagement mechanism. The bevel gear 26 meshes with semicircular bevel gears 29a and 29b that drive parallel links 28a and 28b.

With such a configuration, the shaft 25 and the bevel gear 26
Since the boundary portion between the hand portion and the hand portion serves as an axial fitting and coupling mechanism, the hand portion 34 can be easily removed from the hand base 31 side, as shown in FIG. In other words, it becomes possible to replace the effector. FIG. 4 shows a state in which a hexagonal spanner part 41 is attached in place of the hand part 34, and FIG. 5 shows a state in which this is removed.

In this way, since the effector is detachable, it is possible to selectively attach an effector suitable for the work. Therefore, the working range of the rope-driven manipulator can be greatly expanded. In this case, since no mechanism requiring high precision is used, the configuration does not become complicated. Furthermore, since there is no need to change the configuration of the arm side, the characteristics of the rope drive type can be maximized.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. That is, in the embodiment described above, axis 2
The effector side is separated at the part 5, but as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the bevel gear 2
The hand portion 34a, that is, the effector may be separated at the meshing portion between the bevel gears 29a and 29b. Further, the bearing 32 may be sealed to prevent dust from entering the hand base 31.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, the final stage pulley is provided on the hand base, and one system of rotation transmission mechanism is interposed between this pulley and the rotational force receiving portion of the effector. The power is transmitted to the effector through this rotation transmission mechanism, and the rotation transmission mechanism can be separated from the rotational force receiving part in the axial direction, which is a characteristic of the rope drive type. It is possible to provide a rope-driven manipulator that enables the use of effectors suitable for various types of work without impairing performance, and that can greatly expand the range of work.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the distal side of the wrist joint in a rope-driven manipulator that is the main part of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the distal side of the wrist joint of the rope-driven manipulator according to an embodiment of the present invention. A longitudinal sectional view, FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state in which the hand part as an effector is removed from the tip part, and FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a state in which a hexagonal wrench part as an effector is attached to the tip part. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing the state with the hexagonal wrench removed, Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view of the main part of a rope-driven manipulator according to another embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 7 is a hand as an effect device. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the schematic structure of the rope-driven manipulator, and FIG.
The figure is a schematic diagram for explaining the conventional configuration of the manipulator on the distal side from the wrist joint. 6... Wrist joint, 7... Arm, 9a, 9
b,...9g...Power source, 10, 22a, 22b...
...Pulley, 21...Rope, 23a, 23b, 2
4, 29a, 29b...Bevel gear, 25...Shaft, 3
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...Hand base, 33...Male part forming a spline engagement mechanism, 34, 34a...Hand part as an effect device, 37...Female part forming a spline engagement mechanism, 41...Hexagonal as an effect device Spanner part.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A rope-driven type that transmits power from multiple rotary power sources centrally located at the base of the arm via ropes and pulleys to effectors located at the tip of each joint and wrist joint. The manipulator includes a hand base attached to a distal side of the wrist joint of the arm, a pulley rotatably supported by the hand base and rotated by power transmitted via the rope, and an axis of the pulley. a rotation transmission mechanism rotatably supported by the hand base with its axis perpendicular to the hand base and having a meshing portion at its distal end; and a base end of the rotation transmission mechanism and the pulley. a bevel gear mechanism provided between the hand base and transmitting the rotation of the pulley to the rotation transmission mechanism; and a rotation force receiving part that can mesh with the meshing part of the rotation transmission mechanism, and When selectively connected, the rotational force receiving section engages with the meshing section in the axial direction, and the effector is operated by the power transmitted through the rotation transmission mechanism. Rope-driven manipulator.