Exterior structure for robots

Abstract

To provide an exterior structure for a robot allowing soft parts to sufficiently follow the movement of joints and capable of beautifully maintaining the silhouette of the soft parts.SOLUTION: An exterior structure for a robot comprises an exterior for covering an outer surface of a skeleton having joint portions. The exterior comprises: soft portions that cover the outer surface of the joint portions and flexibly deforms according to movement of the joint portions; hard portions that are provided adjacent to the soft portions and covers portions other than the joint portions; and at least one of first elastic members each having one end connected to the hard portion and the other end abutting on the soft portion and second elastic members each provided on the soft portion along a shape of the soft portion.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an exterior structure for a robot. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, a robot is known that has an exterior that covers the outside of the skeleton including the joints, and the exterior has a soft part that covers the outside of the joints and flexibly deforms in response to the movement of the joints, and a hard part that is adjacent to the soft part and covers everything other than the joints (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-171566 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above robot, the deformation of the soft parts does not sufficiently follow the movement of the joints, and there is a risk of wrinkles or the like being formed in the soft parts.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and its main objective is to provide an exterior structure for a robot that can adequately follow the deformation of the soft parts in response to the movement of the joints and neatly maintain the silhouette of the soft parts. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the present invention is to The robot has an exterior that covers an outside of a skeleton having joints, The exterior is A soft part that covers the outside of the joint and flexibly deforms in response to the movement of the joint; A hard portion is provided adjacent to the soft portion and covers the portion other than the joint portion; At least one of a first elastic member having one end connected to the hard portion and the other end in contact with the soft portion, and a second elastic member provided on the soft portion along the shape of the soft portion; An exterior structure for a robot comprising: It is. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an exterior structure for a robot that can adequately follow the deformation of the soft parts in response to the movement of the joints and can neatly maintain the silhouette of the soft parts. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the skeleton of a robot. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the exterior of the robot. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view of the hip joint soft part. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a view showing a first elastic member provided on an exterior of the hip joint. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the knee joint. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a top view of the knee joint shown in FIG. 5. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] EMBODIMENT 1 Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the skeleton of a robot. A robot 10 according to this embodiment is configured as an articulated robot including, for example, a head 11, a body 12, arms 13, legs 14, and the like.

[0010] The arm 13 has a shoulder joint 131 that can rotate around three axes, an elbow joint 132 that can rotate around one axis, and a wrist joint 133 that can rotate around two axes. The shoulder joint 131, the elbow joint 132, and the wrist joint 133 are connected by a frame or the like. A gripping part 134 consisting of a plurality of fingers is provided at the tip of the arm 13.

[0011] The shoulder joint 131, elbow joint 132, and wrist joint 133 are each provided with an actuator such as a servo motor and a reducer. Each actuator rotates the shoulder joint 131, elbow joint 132, and wrist joint 133 via a reducer in response to a control signal from a control device. This allows the arm 13 of the robot 10 to perform any desired motion, such as a hand waving motion or a gripping motion.

[0012] The leg 14 has a hip joint 141 that can rotate around three axes, a knee joint 142 that can rotate around one axis, and an ankle joint 143 that can rotate around two axes. The hip joint 141, the knee joint 142, and the ankle joint 143 are connected by a frame or the like.

[0013] An actuator such as a servo motor and a reducer are provided for each of the hip joint 141, the knee joint 142, and the ankle joint 143. Each actuator rotates the hip joint 141, the knee joint 142, and the ankle joint 143 via the reducer in response to a control signal from the control device. This allows the leg 14 of the robot 10 to perform any movement, such as walking.

[0014] The configuration of the robot 10 described above is merely an example, and the robot 10 according to the present embodiment is not limited to this example, and can be applied to any articulated robot.

[0015] 2 is a diagram showing the exterior of a robot. The robot exterior structure 1 according to this embodiment includes an exterior 2 that covers the outside of the skeleton of the multi-joint robot 10 as described above. The exterior 2 has a soft part 21 that flexibly deforms and a hard part 22 that is provided adjacent to the soft part 21.

[0016] The soft part 21 is connected to the hard part 22 by, for example, pins or adhesive. The soft part 21 mainly covers the outside of each joint and flexibly deforms in response to the movement of each joint. This allows each joint to move smoothly within its movable range.

[0017] The soft part 21 has, for example, a hip joint soft part 211 covering the hip joint 141, a knee joint soft part 212 covering the knee joint 142, a shoulder joint soft part 213 covering the shoulder joint 131, and a neck soft part 214 covering the upper side of the tibia and the lower side of the knee joint.

[0018] FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a part of the hip joint soft part (the frame part in FIG. 2). The soft part 21 is made of a flexible material such as urethane, polyester, or rubber. The soft part 21 may have Y-shaped or cross-shaped slits or holes so that it can smoothly follow deformation in three-dimensional directions. The slits or holes are formed, for example, uniformly in the soft part 21. Note that if the soft part 21 is made of a material that has sufficient flexibility and restoring force, it is not necessary to form the above-mentioned slits or holes in the soft part 21.

[0019] The hard part 22 is provided adjacent to the soft part 21, and mainly covers parts other than the joints. The hard part 22 is provided in a location that does not affect the range of motion of each joint. The hard part 22 is fixed to the skeleton of the robot 10. The hard part 22 is formed of plastic, thin metal, or the like that has sufficient rigidity to maintain the aesthetic appearance of the robot 10.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 2, the hard portion 22 has a torso hard portion 221 that covers the skeleton of the torso portion 12, a below-knee hard portion 222 that covers the skeleton below the knee, and a neck hard portion 223 that covers the lower side of the tibia.

[0021] A pair of shoulder joint soft parts 213 are connected to both the left and right ends of the upper side of the hard body part 221. In response to the rotational movement of the shoulder joint 131 about three axes, the shoulder joint soft part 213 flexibly deforms to ensure the range of motion of the shoulder joint 131, while the shoulder joint soft part 213 and the hard body part 221 maintain the decorative appearance of the area near the shoulders.

[0022] The upper end of the hip joint soft part 211 is connected to the lower end of the hard body part 221. In response to the rotational movement of the hip joint 141 around three axes, the hip joint soft part 211 flexibly deforms to ensure the range of motion of the hip joint 141, while the hip joint soft part 211 and the hard body part 221 maintain the decorative appearance of the area near the hip joint.

[0023] The lower end of the knee joint soft part 212 is connected to the upper end of the below-knee hard part 222. The knee joint soft part 212 flexibly deforms in response to the rotational movement of the knee joint 142 around one axis to ensure the range of motion of the knee joint 142, while the knee joint soft part 212 and the below-knee hard part 222 maintain the aesthetic appearance of the area near the knee joint.

[0024] As described above, by covering only the parts that affect the range of motion of each joint with soft part 21 and flexibly deforming soft part 21 in response to the movement of each joint, the range of motion of each joint is ensured, while other parts that do not affect the range of motion of each joint are covered with hard part 22, thereby maintaining the aesthetic appearance of the robot as a whole.

[0025] However, for example, in the past, soft parts that cover joints such as hip joints, which have many movable axes, have been subject to complex deformations and are therefore difficult to restore to their original shape. The deformation of the soft parts does not adequately follow the movement of the joints, and there is a risk of wrinkles or the like forming in the soft parts.

[0026] In contrast, the robot exterior structure 1 according to this embodiment includes a first elastic member having one end connected to the hard portion 22 and the other end in contact with the soft portion 21. Even if the soft portion 21 is deformed in a complex manner and is difficult to restore to its original shape, the other end of the first elastic member can abut against the soft portion 21, thereby restoring it to its original shape. In other words, the deformation of the soft portion 21 can adequately follow the movement of the joint, and the silhouette of the soft portion 21 can be beautifully maintained.

[0027] 4 is a diagram showing a first elastic member provided on the exterior of the hip joint. The first elastic member 23 is a plate-like member of a predetermined length. The first elastic member 23 may be a rod-like member. The first elastic member 23 is made of an elastic member such as metal, rubber, or synthetic resin. The elastic coefficient of the first elastic member 23 is set so that it can sufficiently follow the deformation of the soft portion 21.

[0028] One end of the first elastic member 23 is connected to the inside of the lower end of the hard trunk part 221. The other end of the first elastic member 23 abuts against the inside of the hip joint soft part 211. In this way, one end of the first elastic member 23 is fixed to the hard trunk part 221, and the other end is in a state where it only contacts the hip joint soft part 211. As a result, in response to the movement of the hip joint 141, the hip joint soft part 211 flexibly deforms and then returns to its original shape due to the contact force of the first elastic member 23. In this way, the first elastic member 23 has the function of smoothing out wrinkles in the soft part 21.

[0029] A configuration may be adopted in which a plurality of first elastic members 23 are provided between the soft part 21 and the hard part 22. Note that Fig. 4 above is a diagram showing the left hip joint. As shown in Fig. 4, one end of the first elastic member 23 is connected to the left side of the trunk hard part 221, and the other end is in contact with the left side of the hip joint soft part 211.

[0030] The first elastic member 23 is also provided on the right hip joint 141, like the left hip joint 141. That is, one end of the first elastic member 23 is connected to the right side of the trunk hard part 221, and the other end abuts on the right side of the hip joint soft part 211. In this way, it is preferable to provide the first elastic member 23 in correspondence with the part of the soft part 21 that deforms in a complex manner.

[0031] The robot exterior structure 1 according to this embodiment may further include a stretchable outer skin that covers the outside of the exterior 2. The outer skin is made of, for example, a chemical fiber such as polyester fiber. Since the outer skin is stretchable, it does not affect the operation of each joint, and furthermore, it can completely cover and hide the seams of the exterior 2, thereby further improving the aesthetic appearance of the design of the robot 10.

[0032] EMBODIMENT 2 Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of a knee joint. Fig. 6 is a top view of the knee joint shown in Fig. 5. The robot exterior structure 1 according to the second embodiment may further include a second elastic member 24 provided on the knee joint soft part 212 along the shape of the knee joint soft part 212. In this way, even if the knee joint soft part 212 deforms in a complex manner and is difficult to restore to its original shape, the second elastic member 24 can restore the knee joint soft part 212 to its original shape.

[0033] The second elastic member 24 is a plate-shaped member. The second elastic member 24 may be a rod-shaped member. The second elastic member 24 is formed in a substantially C-shape to fit the shape of the knee joint soft part 212. The second elastic member 24 is connected to the knee joint soft part 212 with an adhesive or the like. The elastic modulus of the second elastic member 24 is set so as to be able to sufficiently follow the deformation of the knee joint soft part 212.

[0034] 5 is an enlarged view of the left knee joint. The second elastic member 24 is provided on the right knee joint soft part 212 as well as on the left knee joint soft part 212. In the above embodiment, at least one of the first elastic member 23 and the second elastic member 24 may be provided.

[0035] Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 1 Exterior structure for robot, 2 Exterior, 10 Robot, 11 Head, 12 Torso, 13 Arm, 14 Leg, 21 Soft part, 22 Hard part, 23 First elastic member, 24 Second elastic member, 131 Shoulder joint, 132 Elbow joint, 133 Wrist joint, 134 Grip, 141 Hip joint, 142 Knee joint, 143 Ankle joint, 211 Hip joint soft part, 212 Knee joint soft part, 213 Shoulder joint soft part, 214 Neck soft part, 221 Torso hard part, 222 Knee lower hard part, 223 Neck hard part

Claims

1. The robot has an exterior that covers an outside of a skeleton having joints, The exterior is A soft part that covers the outside of the joint and flexibly deforms in response to the movement of the joint; A hard portion is provided adjacent to the soft portion and covers the portion other than the joint portion; a first elastic member, one end of which is connected to an inner side of a lower end of a hard part that covers a skeleton of a torso part of the robot, and the other end of which abuts against an inner side of a soft part that covers a hip joint of the robot; An exterior structure for a robot comprising:

2. The exterior structure for a robot according to claim 1, The exterior structure for a robot further comprises a second elastic member connected to a soft portion covering a knee joint of the robot along the shape of the soft portion.

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