Human-hand-simulated operation device

Abstract

The utility model provides a hand-simulated operation device, and relates to the technical field of manipulators, the hand-simulated operation device comprises a plurality of finger-simulated structures used for grabbing a target object, the finger-simulated structures at least comprise fingertip knuckles, and the tops of the fingertip knuckles are special-shaped curved surfaces; an electronic skin is attached to each fingertip knuckle, the electronic skin is arranged to be of a stretchable and bendable flexible structure, and the electronic skin is configured to be capable of generating interactive perception with the target object when the target object is grabbed; the electronic skin is attached to the fingertip knuckles and at least covers the front faces and the tops of the fingertip knuckles. The defect that in the prior art, when a human hand operation simulating device grabs the target object, perceptual information of the target object is not accurate is overcome.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of mechanical hands, in particular to a human hand simulation operation device. BACKGROUND

[0002] A mechanical hand is an automatic operation device that can imitate some action functions of human hands and arms to grab, carry objects or operate tools according to a fixed program. It can complete various expected jobs through programming, and has the advantages of both hands and machines in structure and performance.

[0003] In a conventional human hand simulation operation device, a palm structure and a plurality of finger structures are usually included. The finger structure includes a fingertip knuckle and a non-fingertip knuckle. The fingertip knuckle is arranged at the end of the finger structure, and the non-fingertip knuckle is connected between the fingertip knuckle and the palm structure. In order to detect the target object when grabbing the target object, a rigid structure tactile sensor is usually used.

[0004] The front surface of the fingertip knuckle is a special-shaped curved surface, and the non-fingertip knuckle has a movement structure inside for driving the finger structure to move. Since the rigid structure sensor is difficult to be made into a special-shaped curved surface and has a large volume, it cannot be installed on the front surface of the fingertip knuckle and the non-fingertip knuckle. Therefore, it can only be installed at a single point on the fingertip part, which leads to a very limited sensing range of the target object and is difficult to cover the entire contact surface. When the human hand simulation operation device grabs the target object, the contact point may not occur in this small and predetermined range, which often leads to the lack of sensing information when contacting at a non-predetermined point, thereby affecting the accurate sensing of the target object. CONTENT OF THE UTILITY MODEL

[0005] The present application aims to provide a human hand simulation operation device, which aims to solve the defect that the human hand simulation operation device in the related art is not accurate in sensing information of a target object when grabbing the target object.

[0006] Additional aspects and advantages of the present application will be set forth in part in the following description, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the description, or can be learned by practice of the present application.

[0007] According to a first aspect of the present application, a human hand simulation operation device is provided, characterized in that it comprises:

[0008] a plurality of finger structures for grabbing a target object, each of the finger structures comprising a plurality of knuckles;

[0009] an electronic skin arranged as a flexible structure that is thin, stretchable and bendable, the electronic skin being configured to interact with the target object to sense the target object when grabbing the target object, and the electronic skin being attached to the circumferential side wall of any of the knuckles.

[0010] In an example embodiment of the present application, the knuckles include a fingertip knuckle and a non-fingertip knuckle, the fingertip knuckle is located at the end of the non-fingertip knuckle, the top of the fingertip knuckle is a special-shaped curved surface, and the electronic skin also covers the top of the fingertip knuckle.

[0011] In an example embodiment of the present application, the electronic skin is wrapped around the circumference of the fingertip knuckle and the non-fingertip knuckle.

[0012] In an example embodiment of the present application, the electronic skin is provided with a joint, the electronic skin on the fingertip knuckle and the non-fingertip knuckle is an integral structure, the electronic skin is provided with a joint, and the joint is located on the back of the fingertip knuckle and the non-fingertip knuckle.

[0013] In an example embodiment of the present application, it further comprises a simulated palm structure connected with the plurality of simulated finger structures, and the palm side and the back of the palm of the simulated palm structure are attached with the electronic skin.

[0014] In an example embodiment of the present application, the plurality of simulated finger structures include a thumb and a plurality of non-thumb fingers.

[0015] In an example embodiment of the present application, the wrist of the simulated palm structure is wrapped with the electronic skin, and the electronic skin located on the wrist is provided with a joint on the side of the thumb.

[0016] In an example embodiment of the present application, the electronic skin includes flexible measurement sheets, each of the flexible measurement sheets is provided with an array of measurement point positions for detecting the target object and generating an electrical signal.

[0017] In an example embodiment of the present application, the flexible measurement sheet includes a pressure sensor, a temperature sensor, and a proximity sensor.

[0018] In an example embodiment of the present application, it further comprises a collection device for receiving the electrical signal, the collection device is provided as one, and each of the flexible measurement sheets is connected with the collection device through a signal line for transmitting the electrical signal.

[0019] In an example embodiment of the present application, the flexible measurement sheet and the signal line are provided in the form of a sheet and can be stretched and bent in the flattened direction thereof.

[0020] The example embodiments of the present application can have the following parts or all of the beneficial effects:

[0021] In the human hand simulation operation device provided in the example embodiments of the present application, the electronic skin is arranged as a thin and stretchable and bendable flexible structure, so that the electronic skin can be deformed in bending, flattening and stretching, and still does not affect the interactive perception of the target object. Therefore, the electronic skin can be installed on any knuckle and wrapped in the entire circumferential side wall of the knuckle, realizing large-area coverage and multi-point perception of the entire contact area of the knuckle, so that when the human hand simulation operation device grasps the target object, the target object can be accurately located in the perception range, thereby effectively improving the comprehensiveness and accuracy of the perception of the target object.

[0022] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are only exemplary and explanatory, and cannot limit the present application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0023] The drawings incorporated in the specification and constituting a part of the specification illustrate embodiments consistent with the present application and, together with the specification, serve to explain the principles of the present application. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application, and other drawings can be obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor on the basis of these drawings.

[0024] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a human hand simulation operation device in an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0025] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the arrangement of the flexible measurement sheet in the human hand simulation operation device in an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0026] Explanation of reference signs:

[0027] 1, finger simulation structure; 11, knuckle of the fingertip; 12, knuckle of the non-fingertip; 2, palm simulation structure; 21, wrist; 3, electronic skin; 31, flexible measurement sheet; 311, signal line. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, example embodiments can be implemented in various forms and should not be construed as limited to the implementations set forth herein; rather, these implementations are provided as example embodiments so that this application will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the inventive idea of example embodiments to those skilled in the art. The same reference numerals in the drawings denote the same or similar structures, and thus detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted. In addition, the drawings are only schematic illustrations of the present application and are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0029] Although relative terms such as "upper" and "lower" are used in this specification to describe the relative relationship of one component of an icon to another, these terms are used only for convenience, such as according to the orientation of the examples in the accompanying drawings. It is understood that if the device of the icon is flipped so that it is upside down, the component described as "upper" will become the component described as "lower." When a structure is "upper" of another structure, it may mean that the structure is integrally formed on the other structure, or that the structure is "directly" mounted on the other structure, or that the structure is "indirectly" mounted on the other structure through another structure.

[0030] The terms “a,” “one,” “the,” and “at least one” are used to indicate the existence of one or more elements / components / etc.; the terms “including” and “having” are used to indicate an open-ended inclusion and to mean that there may be other elements / components / etc. in addition to the listed elements / components / etc.; the terms “first” and “second” are used only as markers and are not a limitation on the number of objects.

[0031] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown in the embodiments of this application, a human-hand-like operating device is provided, characterized in that it includes:

[0032] Several finger-like structures 1 are provided for grasping target objects, and each of the finger-like structures 1 includes multiple phalanges.

[0033] The electronic skin 3 is configured as a thin, stretchable, and bendable flexible structure. The electronic skin 3 is configured to interact with the target object when grasping it. The electronic skin 3 is attached to the circumferential sidewall of any of the finger joints.

[0034] In this embodiment, a hand-like structure 2 is also included, with the front of the hand-like structure 2 configured as the palm and the back of the hand configured as the back of the hand. A plurality of finger-like structures 1 are connected to the side of the hand-like structure 2 to form a human hand-like operating device.

[0035] In this embodiment, the plurality of finger-like structures 1 include a thumb and a plurality of non-thumb fingers. The plurality of non-thumb fingers is set to four, namely the index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and little finger. Of course, the plurality of non-thumb fingers is not limited to four; it can also be one, two, or three.

[0036] In the embodiments of the present application, the knuckles further include fingertip knuckles 11 and non-fingertip knuckles 12. Specifically, in the thumb, one fingertip knuckle 11 and one non-fingertip knuckle 12 are provided, and the non-fingertip knuckle 12 is connected between the fingertip knuckle 11 and the palm structure 2. In several non-thumb fingers, one fingertip knuckle 11 and two non-fingertip knuckles 12 are provided, the two non-fingertip knuckles 12 are connected to each other, one of the non-fingertip knuckles 12 is connected to the fingertip knuckle 11, and the other non-fingertip knuckle 12 is connected to the palm structure 2. A joint is provided at the connection between the fingertip knuckle 11 and the non-fingertip knuckle 12, the connection between the two non-fingertip knuckles, and the connection between the non-fingertip knuckle 12 and the palm structure 2. Through the joint, each fingertip knuckle 11 and non-fingertip knuckle 12 can bend and flatten towards the palm structure 2.

[0037] In the embodiments of the present application, the electronic skin 3 also covers the top of the fingertip knuckle 11, aiming to further improve the accurate perception when interacting with the target object. The electronic skin 3 can cover the entire fingertip knuckle 11, thereby further expanding the coverage of the electronic skin 3 on the fingertip knuckle 11. Specifically, the electronic skin 3 is a one-piece structure, the electronic skin 3 is attached to the front and top of the fingertip knuckle 11, the edges of the electronic skin 3 extend from the front and top to the sides and back of the fingertip knuckle 11 until the sides and back of the fingertip knuckle 11 are fully covered, so that the multi-point perception capability is further improved, thereby greatly enhancing the accuracy of perception of the target object.

[0038] In the embodiments of the present application, the electronic skin 3 is attached to the circumferential side wall of each non-fingertip knuckle 12 to achieve all-around tactile perception. Specifically, the electronic skin 3 is closely attached to the side wall of each non-fingertip knuckle 12 in a wrap-around manner.

[0039] In traditional human-like hand operating devices, a rigid structure tactile sensor is usually used on the front of the fingertip knuckle 11, but the rigid structure sensor is difficult to be made into a special-shaped curved surface, so it can only be installed at a single point on the front of the fingertip knuckle 11, thereby resulting in a very limited perception range of the target object and being difficult to cover the entire contact surface. When the human-like hand operating device grabs the target object, the contact point may not necessarily occur in this small and predetermined range, which often leads to the lack of perception information when contacting at non-predetermined points, thereby affecting the accurate perception of the target object. In contrast, the electronic skin 3 is of a flexible structure and can be applied to the special-shaped curved surface of the top of the fingertip knuckle 11 and the narrow space of the non-fingertip knuckle 12, so it can be perfectly attached to the entire fingertip knuckle 11 and non-fingertip knuckle 12, achieving large-area coverage and multi-point perception of the entire contact area, and thereby effectively improving the comprehensiveness and accuracy of perception of the target object.

[0040] It is particularly worth noting that the electronic skin 3 is provided with a joint at the head-to-tail position on both the fingertip knuckle 11 and the non-fingertip knuckle 12. Placing the joint on the back of the fingertip knuckle 11 and the non-fingertip knuckle 12 ensures that the front of the fingertip knuckle 11 and the non-fingertip knuckle 12 can present a complete piece of electronic skin 3, thereby reducing the interference of the joint on the perception of the target object, ensuring the continuity and accuracy of the perception process, and providing smoother and more accurate perception information for the interaction between the fingertip knuckle 11 and the non-fingertip knuckle 12 and the target object.

[0041] In the embodiment of the present application, the coverage of the electronic skin 3 is further extended to the outer surface of the palm structure 2, realizing more comprehensive tactile perception. Specifically, two pieces of electronic skin 3 are configured at the palm structure 2, one of which closely adheres to one side of the palm, and the other covers one side of the back of the palm. Not only does it ensure the comprehensive coverage of the palm structure 2, but it also provides more accurate perception information for the interaction between the human-like hand operating device and the target object.

[0042] In the embodiment of the present application, the palm structure 2 is provided with a wrist 21 on the side away from several non-thumb fingers, and the electronic skin 3 covers the entire circumferential side wall of the wrist 21, realizing the interactive perception of the wrist 21 region and the target object. Specifically, the electronic skin 3 closely adheres to the wrist 21 in a circumferential manner, and the joint at the head-to-tail position is provided on the side facing the thumb, which not only ensures the complete coverage of the electronic skin 3 in the wrist 21 region, but also reduces the potential interference of the joint on tactile perception.

[0043] In the embodiment of the present application, the electronic skin 3 includes flexible measurement sheets 31, each of which is provided with an array of measurement points, which aims to generate an electrical signal with interactive perception of the target object when grabbing the target object, thereby realizing accurate identification of the characteristics of the object. The flexible measurement sheets 31 are attached to the finger structure 1 and the palm structure 2, covering the key positions expected to interact with the target object. Specifically, the flexible measurement sheets 31 are not only attached to each fingertip knuckle 11 and non-fingertip knuckle 12 in the finger structure 1, but also attached to the palm, the back of the palm and the wrist 21 in the palm structure 2, ensuring the comprehensive coverage of the finger structure 1 and the palm structure 2 for the perception of the target object. The perception accuracy and interaction performance of the bionic operating device for the target object are improved.

[0044] In the embodiments of the present application, the flexible measurement sheet 31 can accurately measure the normal force, temperature and proximity of the target object when interacting with the target object, and exhibits multi-modal sensing capability. Specifically, the flexible measurement sheet 31 integrates a pressure sensor, a temperature sensor and a proximity sensor to form a highly integrated sensing unit. The pressure sensor has a range of 0-10N; the temperature sensor has a range of -20℃-120℃; and the proximity sensor has a range of 0.002 pF-0.02 pF.

[0045] By integrating various sensors provided in the flexible measurement sheet 31, the humanoid hand operating device can accurately predict the potential collision risk with obstacles, monitor in real time whether the preset safe operation boundary is exceeded, and accurately assess whether the mechanical feedback shows abnormal signs. Based on these real-time sensing data, the humanoid hand operating device can accurately adjust its motion trajectory and speed to ensure a safe distance from the surrounding environment at all times, effectively avoid accidental collisions, and ensure operation safety.

[0046] Meanwhile, the physical properties of the target object can also be analyzed in detail, so that the humanoid hand operating device can accurately apply appropriate gripping force. When grabbing the target object, it is ensured that the gripping force will not be too small to cause the target object to slip, nor will it be too large to damage the surface of the target object, thereby realizing stable, safe and non-destructive grabbing of the target object and improving the reliability and efficiency of the humanoid hand operating device when performing tasks.

[0047] In the embodiments of the present application, the humanoid hand operating device also includes a collection device, which can be configured as a single device or expanded to multiple devices to meet the needs of different application scenarios. A signal line 311 for transmitting electrical signals is arranged between the flexible measurement sheet 31 and the collection device.

[0048] In the embodiments of the present application, when multiple collection devices are used, each collection device can be connected to part of the flexible measurement sheet 31. A modular data collection unit is formed. For example, the flexible measurement sheet 31 on the finger structure 1 can be connected to a dedicated collection device through the signal line 311, while the flexible measurement sheet 31 on the palm structure 2 is connected to another independent collection device through the signal line 311. In addition, another connection scheme is provided, such as connecting the flexible measurement sheet 31 on the thumb structure to a dedicated collection device, and connecting the flexible measurement sheet 31 on each non-thumb finger to an independent collection device. Furthermore, the collection device can also correspond to each flexible measurement sheet 31, i.e. each flexible measurement sheet 31 is directly connected to a collection device through an independent signal line 311. It can be understood that the above is only an exemplary description, and the connection scheme of the flexible measurement sheet 31 and the multiple collection devices is not limited thereto.

[0049] When the acquisition device is set to one, all the flexible measurement sheets 31 are connected to the acquisition device through the signal lines 311, thus constructing a highly integrated sensing system. In the configuration, the flexible measurement sheets 31 attached to each of the finger joints 11 and the non-finger joints 12 have the measurement point arrays uniformly distributed in the form of an 8x12 matrix, while the flexible measurement sheets 31 on the palm structure 2 have the measurement point arrays arranged in the form of a 32x32 matrix. Through the above array forms, the measurement points on the flexible measurement sheets 31 are maximized, thus endowing the human hand simulation device with high density, wide coverage, and multi-modal excellent performance, and significantly improving the accuracy and reliability of the detection of the target object. Of course, the array form of the measurement points is not limited thereto.

[0050] In the embodiments of the present application, the flexible measurement sheets 31 and the signal lines 311 are both set to be thin sheets and have the performance of stretching and bending in the flattened direction. Specifically, the flexible measurement sheets 31 and the signal lines 311 should have a thickness ranging from 0.1 mm to 2 mm, which aims to ensure that the flexible measurement sheets 31 are widely distributed and highly covered without increasing the volume of the finger structure 1 and the palm structure 2. More importantly, even if stretched in the horizontal direction, the flexible measurement sheets 31 and the signal lines 311 can still maintain the normal working state, and the maximum stretching length can reach 10% to 50% of the length in the free state.

[0051] Through the above structure, when the human hand simulation device is grabbing the target object, the flexible measurement sheets 31 can be flexibly bent, and the signal lines 311 can be completely stretched. When the human hand simulation device returns to the flattened state, the flexible measurement sheets 31 and the signal lines 311 can quickly recover to the original form, thus ensuring the stability and reliability of the human hand simulation device in various operating states. Therefore, any adverse effects of the flexible measurement sheets 31 and the signal lines 311 on the activity of the human hand simulation device are avoided, and the adaptability and operating precision of the human hand simulation device in complex environments are enhanced.

[0052] Other embodiments of the present application will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the application. The present application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the application following the general principles thereof and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within known use or custom in the art. The specification and examples are to be regarded as exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of the application is indicated by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A humanoid hand operating device characterized by comprising: The application relates to a robotic hand comprising: a plurality of finger-like structures (1) for grasping an object, each of the finger-like structures (1) comprising a plurality of knuckles; an electronic skin (3) configured as a thin and stretchable and bendable flexible structure, the electronic skin (3) being configured to interact with the object when grasping the object, the electronic skin (3) being attached to the circumferential side wall of any of the knuckles; the electronic skin (3) comprising a plurality of flexible measurement sheets (31), each of the flexible measurement sheets (31) being provided with an array of measurement points for detecting the object and generating an electrical signal.

2. The anthropomorphic hand operating device according to claim 1, characterized in that the knuckles comprising a fingertip knuckle (11) and a non-fingertip knuckle (12), the fingertip knuckle (11) being located at the end of the non-fingertip knuckle (12), the top of the fingertip knuckle (11) being shaped as a curved surface, the electronic skin (3) further covering the top of the fingertip knuckle (11).

3. The anthropomorphic hand operating device according to claim 2, wherein the electronic skin (3) being wrapped around the circumference of the fingertip knuckle (11) and the non-fingertip knuckle (12).

4. The anthropomorphic hand operating device according to claim 3, wherein the electronic skin (3) being an integral structure on the fingertip knuckle (11) and the non-fingertip knuckle (12), the electronic skin (3) being provided with a joint, the joint being located on the back of the fingertip knuckle (11) and the non-fingertip knuckle (12).

5. A device for simulating human hand operation according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, the robotic hand further comprising a palm-like structure (2) connected to the plurality of finger-like structures (1), the palm of the palm-like structure (2) being attached with the electronic skin (3).

6. A humanoid hand apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of finger-like structures (1) comprising a thumb and a plurality of non-thumb fingers.

7. A humanoid hand apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the wrist (21) of the palm-like structure (2) being wrapped with the electronic skin (3), the electronic skin (3) on the wrist (21) being provided with a joint on the side of the thumb.

8. The anthropomorphic hand operating device according to claim 1, wherein the flexible measurement sheets (31) comprising pressure sensors, temperature sensors and proximity sensors.

9. A humanoid hand apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the robotic hand further comprising a collection device for receiving the electrical signal, the collection device being provided as one, and each of the flexible measurement sheets (31) being connected with the collection device through a signal line (311) for transmitting the electrical signal.

10. The anthropomorphic hand operating device according to claim 9, characterized in that the flexible measurement sheets (31) and the signal line (311) being provided as thin sheets and being stretchable and bendable in the flat direction thereof.

Images