JPH09272500A - Device for fixing body under gravity-free state - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To release a body under gravity-free state without giving initial motion in such a manner that a pair of releasing apparatus which has opposed fingers operated by a command signal are mounted on a rail, and oppositely moved on the rail. SOLUTION: On an inner side of the main body 1, a rail 2 is disposed, on which a pair of releasing devices 3, 3 are disposed so as to have fingers 4, 4 which are operated by a command signal. A body (a) is stably retained between grasping portion 6, 6 on the tip of a finger 4, via a spherical bearing 5. In this condition, the command signal to release grasping is applied to the finger 4, then, is response to this signal, the rotary shaft of a pulley is driven by a motor 10 so that an endless timing belt 8 is run at a constant speed. Thus, the body (a) is simultaneously released from grasping by grasping portions 6, 6, and the releasing devices 3, 3 move to opposed direction, to release the body (a).

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a device for separating and fixing an object gripped under a weightless condition such as outer space.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When performing weightlessness experiments or work in a drop facility or spacecraft, the experiment or work space is restricted.
In a state where humans cannot intervene, there is a demand for a technique of separating an object without giving motion and fixing it in a weightless space.

Conventionally, in space development technology, a robot hand and a docking mechanism have been developed as a device for capturing a floating object.

On the other hand, as for the disconnecting device, there is a space shuttle arm as a device for ejecting an object such as an artificial satellite in zero gravity, and although it is not in zero gravity, a falling capsule and an electromagnet are installed in the falling facility of the zero gravity experiment. There is a large-scale separation device that separates using hydraulic pressure.

[0005]

However, it takes a skilled operator's operation to discharge an object in a weightless manner without giving an initial motion by the arm of the space shuttle.

Further, in the above-mentioned large-scale disconnecting device, an object is separated by using a hydraulic pressure or an electromagnet, but this requires a large-scale device for controlling the hydraulic pressure and a large amount of electric power, and is small in size. Cannot be installed on the device.

[0007]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION In view of the above situation, the present invention provides a pair of detaching devices having opposed fingers having a finger operated by a command signal on a rail, and disabling the detaching device on the rail. The present invention proposes a device for fixing an object under weightlessness, in which a drive mechanism for moving the object in the direction is provided, and a gripping portion for the object is provided at the tip of the finger through a mechanism for stably gripping the object.

Here, the fingers gripping the object are operated by power such as a motor, air pressure, hydraulic pressure, etc., and at the same time as the command signal, all fingers are separated from the object at the same time so that no extra motion is given to the object. To do.

Further, the pair of disconnecting devices installed on the rails are configured to move in opposite directions by the drive mechanism in response to the command signal.

That is, by moving the separating device on the rail, an uncertain motion due to vibration at the time of separation is not given to the object, and the rigidity of the entire separating mechanism is secured.

Further, the drive mechanism of the pair of separating devices installed on the rail is constituted by attaching the pair of separating devices to both sides of an endless timing belt driven by, for example, a motor.

On the other hand, a grip portion for an object is provided at the tip of the finger through a mechanism for stably gripping the finger. This makes it possible to relieve stress on the object attached under a gravity environment and stabilize the grip. .

That is, by interposing a stable gripping mechanism between the tip of the finger and the gripping portion, the stress can be relaxed and the target object can be stably held regardless of its shape.

Here, as a stable gripping mechanism,
A conventionally used self-aligning mechanism such as a self-aligning roller bearing, a self-aligning bearing, a self-aligning ball bearing, or a self-aligning roller can be used.

If the object cannot be stably held on a flat surface, the shape of the grip surface may be made to correspond to the object. For example, when the object is a sphere or a triangular pyramid, the shape of the illustrated embodiment may be changed. Thus, a groove may be formed on the grip surface.

[0016]

In the above structure, when an object is grasped between the grasping portions provided in opposed relation to each other, and then a command signal is issued to simultaneously release the fingers from the object, in response to this, on the rail. The object is fixed under zero gravity by separating the object by moving the separating device installed in the opposite direction.

That is, according to the present invention, the object is stably grasped, and when the object is separated, the separating device is moved on the rail so as not to vibrate the object, and the finger simultaneously receives the command signal from the object. It separates and does not give extra motion to the object, so that it can float in zero gravity without initial motion.

[0018]

EXAMPLES The present invention will be described below based on examples carried out by using a drop facility of a weightlessness experiment center (underground weightlessness experiment center in Kamisagawa, Hokkaido). 1 and 2 show a detaching device body 1 used in a dropping device.

The experimental space that can be used in the drop facility is 870 [W] ×
The size is 870 [L] × 443 [H] [mm], and all the equipment including the power source must be mounted in this, so that the size of the main body 1 is reduced.

Although a small robot for space robot experiments is used as the detached object, a rectangular parallelepiped a is used as the detached object in this embodiment.

On the other hand, a rail 2 is provided on one side of the main body 1, a pair of disconnecting devices 3 and 3 are installed on the rail 2, and the separating devices 3 and 3 are operated in opposition to each other by a command signal. Fingers 4 and 4 are provided, and a grip portion 6 for the object a is provided at the tip of the finger 4 via a spherical bearing 5.

As a drive mechanism for the disconnecting devices 3 and 3, in this embodiment, an endless timing belt 8 is provided on the pulleys 7 and 7 along the rail 2 and further the pulleys 7 and 7 are provided.
7 is provided with a motor 10 for driving the rotating shafts 9 and 9,
Separation devices 3 and 3 are fixed to both sides of the endless timing belt 8.

A spring plunger 11 for equilibrium support is provided between the finger 4 and the grip 6.

In the above construction, the object a is the spherical bearing 5
It is stably held between the gripping portions 6 and 6 provided at the tip of the finger 4 via.

In this state, a command signal for releasing the grip is issued to the finger 4, and in response to this, the motor 10 drives the rotary shaft 9 of the pulley to drive the endless timing belt 8 at a constant speed.

As a result, the grasping of the object a by the grasping portion 6 is released at the same time, and the separating devices 3 and 3 move on the rail 2 in the opposite directions, so that the object a is separated.

In this embodiment, the motor 10 installed in the main body 1 is driven for 1 second at the same time as the finger 4 is detached and moved by using the drop signal (the electric contact is energized for 1 second upon dropping) used in the drop facility. Object a was separated by moving in the direction.

According to this embodiment, the object a is stably held between the grips 6 and 6, the gripping is simultaneously released by the command signal at the time of separation, and the separation devices 3 and 3 are mounted on the rail 2. It was confirmed that the object a can be fixed in zero gravity without any initial motion because the object is moved.

In this embodiment, since the separated object is a rectangular parallelepiped, the gripping surface of the gripping portion 6 is a flat surface. However, when the separated object is a sphere or a triangular pyramid, the shape shown in FIG.
By providing the triangular groove 12 on the gripping surface as shown in (A) and (B), the object a can be stably held.

[0030]

In summary, according to the present invention, the object is stably held between the grips, and at the time of disconnection, the fingers simultaneously separate from the object by the command signal, and the pair of disconnecting devices oppose each other on the rail. Since the object is moved in the direction, the separated object can be fixed without being subjected to the initial motion in the zero gravity.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway plan view of the same as above.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing a drive mechanism of the above separating device.

FIG. 4A is a plan view showing an embodiment for stably holding a sphere, and FIG. 4B is a plan view showing an embodiment for stably holding a triangular pyramid.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 is a detaching device body 2 is a rail 3, 3 is a detaching device 4 is a finger 5 is a spherical bearing 6,6 is a gripping part 7, 7 is a pulley 8 is an endless timing belt 9 is a rotating shaft of the pulley 10 is a motor 11 is a spring plan Jar 12 is groove a is object

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Toshiyuki Suzuki 1-4-1, Umezono, Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki Electronic Technology Research Institute, Industrial Technology Institute (72) Inventor Hiroshi Murakami 1-4-1, Umezono, Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki Industrial Technology Research Institute, AIST

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A pair of detaching devices having fingers operating in response to a command signal are installed on a rail, and a drive mechanism for moving the detaching devices in the opposite direction on the rail is provided. A device for fixing an object under zero gravity, characterized in that a gripping part for the object is provided at the tip through a mechanism for stably gripping the object.