Robot finger operation device and robot finger operation method

Abstract

To provide a robot device capable of mechanically and synchronously performing operation widening and narrowing gaps between fingers, and a finger operation method for the same.SOLUTION: A robot device has: first to third finger members 1 to 3 whose base end parts are supported by base end central axes 1A to 3A arranged in parallel to each other and on one straight line; an interlocking central axis 4 which is freely movably provided from a base end part of the first finger member 1 toward an end direction and parallel to the base end central axis 1A; a first link L1 whose one end is freely rotatably coupled to the interlocking central axis 4 and whose other end is freely rotatably coupled to the second finger member 2; a second link L2 whose one end is freely rotatably coupled to the interlocking central axis 4 and whose other end is freely rotatably coupled to the third finger member 3; and a drive mechanism 5 which rotates the finger members 1 to 3 around the interlocking central axis 4 by moving the interlocking central axis 4 via the first and second links L1, L2.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a robot finger manipulation device and a robot finger manipulation method that are capable of synchronously widening and narrowing the spacing between fingers in a manner similar to the movement of a human hand. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a known finger operation device for this type of robot. The robot shown in Patent Document 1 is provided with an end effector that changes the distance between the tips of its four fingers. In this end effector, the four fingers are opened and closed in synchronization based on the detection value of an encoder that detects the degree of change in the drive unit that opens and closes the palm. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-42836 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, the finger operation device shown in Patent Document 1 describes an end effector that changes the distance between the fingertips, but does not disclose a specific configuration for this, and so new technology has been expected to be provided in this regard.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and provides a robot finger manipulation device and a robot finger manipulation method that are capable of mechanically and synchronously widening and narrowing the spacing between fingers in a manner approximating the movement of a human hand. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention proposes the following means. A robot finger operating device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes first, second, and third finger members each having a base end supported on a base end central shaft that is parallel to each other and aligned on a straight line; an interlocking central shaft that is movable from the base end of the first finger member toward a tip end and is parallel to the base end central shaft; a first link having one end rotatably connected to the interlocking central shaft and the other end rotatably connected to the second finger member; a second link having one end rotatably connected to the interlocking central shaft and the other end rotatably connected to the third finger member; and a drive mechanism that moves the interlocking central shaft to rotate the first to third finger members about the base end central shaft via the first and second links.

[0007] A robot finger operating method according to a second aspect of the present invention includes the steps of: moving an interlocking central shaft from the base end of a first finger member to a tip end direction of a first finger member among first, second, and third finger members, the base ends of which are supported on base end central shafts that are parallel to each other and aligned on a straight line; rotating one end of a first link about the interlocking central shaft while rotating the other end relative to the second finger member, thereby rotating the first finger member and the second finger member in a direction narrowing or widening the gap between them; rotating one end of a second link about the interlocking central shaft while rotating the other end relative to the third finger member, thereby rotating the first finger member and the third finger member in a direction narrowing or widening the gap between them; and rotating the interlocking central shaft to rotate the first to third finger members about the base end central shaft via the first and second links. Effect of the Invention

[0008] In the present invention, the movement of spreading or narrowing the distance between fingers can be performed mechanically and synchronously with a simple configuration using links. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a minimum configuration of a robot finger manipulation device according to the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a robot finger manipulation device according to an embodiment of the present invention, viewed from the back of a hand. [Diagram 3] 3 is a perspective view of the robot finger manipulation device of FIG. 2 as viewed from the palm side. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state in which the finger spacing is narrowed in the robot finger operating device of FIG. 2. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state in which the finger spacing is narrowed in the robot finger operating device of FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state in which the finger spacing is further increased in the robot finger operating device of FIG. 2. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state in which the finger spacing is further increased in the robot finger operating device of FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 1A is a diagram showing a state in which the finger spacing is narrowed in a robot finger operating device, and FIG. 1B is an enlarged view of the part indicated by the symbol B in FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a pulley of a drive mechanism. [Figure 10] FIG. 1A is a diagram showing a state in which the fingers are spaced apart in a robot finger manipulation device, and FIG. 1B is an enlarged view of the area indicated by the symbol B in FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the link mechanism in detail. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a plan view of FIG. [Figure 13] 1A and 1B are diagrams for explaining the operation by the wire according to the embodiment, in which (A) shows a state in which the finger spacing is widened, and (B) shows a state in which the finger spacing is narrowed. [Figure 14] 11A and 11B are diagrams for explaining an operation by a wire according to Modification 1, in which (A) shows a state in which the finger spacing is widened, and (B) shows a state in which the finger spacing is narrowed. FIG. [Figure 15] 13A and 13B are diagrams for explaining an operation by a wire according to Modification 2, in which (A) shows a state in which the finger spacing is widened, and (B) shows a state in which the finger spacing is narrowed. [Figure 16]13A and 13B are diagrams for explaining the operation by the wire according to the modified example 3, in which (A) shows a state in which the finger spacing is widened, and (B) shows a state in which the finger spacing is narrowed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] The minimum configuration of a robot finger manipulator 100 according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. This robot finger operating device 100 is applied to three fingers, namely, the index finger U2, the middle finger U1, and the ring finger U3, of a finger member (in this example, the right hand) consisting of a thumb U5, an index finger U2, a middle finger U1, a ring finger U3, and a little finger U4. Of these fingers, the middle finger U1 is composed of finger member 1 which is the first finger member, the index finger U2 is composed of finger member 2 which is the second finger member, and the ring finger U3 is composed of finger member 3 which is the third finger member.

[0011] The finger members 1 to 3 have their base ends supported by base end central shafts 1A to 3A that are arranged parallel to one another and aligned on a straight line. The first finger member 1 is provided with an interlocking central axis 4 which is movable in the finger length direction (the direction of arrows M1-M2) from the base end to the tip end and which is parallel to the base end central axis 1A.

[0012] A first link L1 is provided on this interlocking central shaft 4. One end of this first link L1 is rotatably connected to the interlocking central shaft 4, and the other end is rotatably connected to a finger member 2 that serves as a second finger member. In addition, a second link L2 is provided on the interlocking central shaft 4. One end of this second link L2 is rotatably connected to the interlocking central shaft 4, and the other end is rotatably connected to the finger member 3 that serves as the third finger member. In addition, the finger members 1 to 3 are provided with a drive mechanism 5 that moves the interlocking central shaft 4 to rotate the finger members 1 to 3 about the interlocking central shaft 4 via the first link L1 and the second link L2.

[0013] According to the robot finger operating device 100 of the present invention configured as described above, the lengths of the first link L1 and the second link L2 are set to optimal values, and the interlocking central axis 4 on the finger member 1 is moved by the drive mechanism 5, whereby the finger members 1 to 3 can be rotated while being interlocked with each other around the interlocking central axis 4 via these links L1, L2. As a result, with the robot finger operating device 100 of the present invention, it is possible to mechanically and synchronously perform the movement of spreading or narrowing the distance between the fingers with a simple configuration using the links L1 and L2.

[0014] (Embodiment) A robot finger manipulating device 101 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in Figs. 2 to 7, this robot finger operating device 101 is illustrated with finger members consisting of a middle finger U1, an index finger U2, a ring finger U3, a little finger U4, and a thumb U5. Among these fingers, the middle finger U1 is composed of finger member 11 which is the first finger member, the index finger U2 is composed of finger member 12 which is the second finger member, the ring finger U3 is composed of finger member 13 which is the third finger member, the little finger U4 is composed of finger member 14 which is the fourth finger member, and the thumb U5 is composed of finger member 15 which is the fifth finger member.

[0015] Each of these finger members 11 to 14 is made up of a plurality of components 14a to 14d (see FIG. 3) rotatably connected via a connecting shaft 16 consisting of three shafts, as shown in, for example, finger member 14 in FIGS. 2 and 3, and is driven by a finger joint drive motor 50 for each finger. However, since this is a known technique, detailed description thereof will be omitted. In addition, the finger member 15 serving as the thumb U5 is made up of a plurality of components 15a to 15c rotatably connected via a connecting shaft 51 having two shafts, and is driven by a finger joint drive motor 52 (see FIG. 3). However, since the technology for this is also known, detailed description will be omitted.

[0016] These finger members 11 to 15 have their base ends supported by base end central shafts 11A to 15A disposed on a base 10 as shown in FIGS. The base end central axes 11A to 15A of the finger members 11 to 15 are arranged parallel to one another on the base 10, and among these, the base end central axes 11A to 13A are arranged in a straight line (indicated by the symbol S in FIG. 12). Among these finger members 11 to 15, finger member 11 is supported by a base end central shaft 11A, but is fixedly provided relative to base 10 without rotating. Moreover, finger members 12 to 15 other than finger member 11 are rotatably supported on base 10 by base end central shafts 12A to 15A. In addition, an operating piece 19 for operating the entire finger members 11 to 14 via link mechanisms 20 and 30 (described later) is provided at a lower position on the opposite side of the base end central axis 14A of the finger member 14 serving as the little finger U4. This will be described in detail in the following modified examples 2 and 3 (see Figures 15 and 16).

[0017] As shown in Figures 8 and 10, the finger member 11 serving as the first finger member is provided with an interlocking central axis 17 which is movable in the direction of arrows M1-M2 between the base end and the tip end and which is parallel to the base end central axis 11A. This interlocking central shaft 17 extends from the base end of finger member 11 toward the tip end and is movable within a long hole 18 along the length direction of finger member 11 (the direction of arrows M1-M2). By moving along long hole 18 in the direction of arrow M1 or arrow M2, it causes the spacing between finger members 12-14 to be widened or narrowed via link mechanisms 20 and 30 and with finger member 11 as the center. In addition, as shown in Figures 8 and 10, this interlocking central shaft 17 is moved in the direction of arrow M1-M2 within the long hole 18 via a drive motor 41, a pulley 42, and a wire 43 of a drive mechanism 40, thereby widening / narrowing the gap between the finger members 12 to 15 around the above-mentioned finger member 11 (described later).

[0018] Next, the link mechanism 20 and the link mechanism 30 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 10 to 12. The link mechanism 20 is made up of link members 21 and 22, as shown in detail in FIGS. One end of the link member 21 is supported by an interlocking central shaft 17 that moves along a long hole 18, and the other end is supported by a support shaft 23 that is located at a position offset from the center position of the finger member 12 corresponding to the index finger U2. In addition, one end of the link member 22 is supported by an interlocking central shaft 17 that moves along the long hole 18, and the other end is supported by a support shaft 24 that is located at a position away from the center position of the finger member 13 corresponding to the ring finger U3. In the link mechanism 20, the link member 21 and the link member 22 correspond to the first link L1 and the second link L2 shown in FIG.

[0019] The link mechanism 30 is made up of a link member 31 and a link member 32, as also shown in FIGS. The link member 31 has an intermediate portion supported by a moving shaft 34 that moves along an elongated hole 33 of the finger member 13, one end of which is supported by a support shaft 35 located at a position away from the center position of the finger member 11, and the other end of which is connected to the link member 32. The elongated hole 33 is formed in the center of the finger member 13 that becomes the ring finger U3 and along the length direction.

[0020] In addition, one end of the link member 32 is rotatable to the aforementioned link member 31 via a connecting shaft 36, and the other end is supported by a support shaft 37 located at a position away from the center position of the finger member 14 corresponding to the little finger U4. In the link mechanism 30, the link members 31 and 32 correspond to a third link.

[0021] In the link mechanism 20 and link mechanism 30 described above, when the interlocking central shaft 17 is pulled inward in the direction of arrow M2 by the drive mechanism 40, as shown in Figure 8, the link members 21, 22 of the link mechanism 20 operate to close toward each other, and the link members 31, 32 of the link mechanism 30 also operate to close toward each other. As a result, in the robot finger operating device 101, an operation is performed in which the distance between the finger members 12 to 15 is narrowed with the finger member 11 at the center.

[0022] In addition, in the link mechanisms 20 and 30, when the interlocking central shaft 17 is pulled outward in the direction of the arrow M1 by the drive mechanism 40, as shown in FIG. 10, the link members 21, 22 of the link mechanism 20 operate to open from each other, and the link members 31, 32 of the link mechanism 30 also operate to open from each other. As a result, in the robot finger operating device 101, an operation is performed in which the distance between the finger members 12 to 15 is increased with the finger member 11 at the center.

[0023] At this time, by appropriately setting the lengths of link members 21, 22 and link members 31, 32 in link mechanism 20 and link mechanism 30, the finger members 11 to 14 can be caused to spread / narrow so that the distances between adjacent finger members 11 to 14 become equal. In addition, in the link mechanism 30, when the movement of the interlocking central axis 17 by the drive mechanism 40 is transmitted to two finger members 14 separated by a distance, the movement of the finger members 14 can be finely adjusted by causing relative rotation of the two link members 31, 32 using the moving axis 34 that moves along the long hole 33 and the connecting axis 36 that serves as a pivot axis, thereby allowing the finger members 11 to 14 to be rotated so that the distances between them are equal.

[0024] Next, the drive mechanism 40 that moves the interlocking central shaft 17 in the finger member 11 in the direction of the arrow M1-M2 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0025] The drive mechanism 40 includes a drive motor 41, a pulley 42 (42A, 42B) that is rotationally driven by the drive motor 41, and a wire 43 (43A, 43B) wound around the pulley 42. The drive motor 41 and the pulley 42 (42A, 42B) are installed so as to be embedded in the base 10 as shown in FIGS. 5, 7, 8(B) and 10(B). Further, the wire 43 (43A, 43B) wound around the pulley 42 is placed in the internal space of the finger members 12-15.

[0026] Specifically, the pulley 42 has a finger-opening pulley 42A and a finger-closing pulley 42B that are coaxially arranged as shown in FIG. The finger opening pulley 42A winds a wire 43A (first wire). As shown in FIGS. 10(A) and 10(B), the drive motor 41 rotates in the forward direction to wind up the wire 43A in the direction of the arrow m1, thereby moving the interlocking central shaft 17 in the direction of the arrow M1 to widen the distance between the finger members 12 to 14 on both sides of the finger member 11. When finger-opening pulley 42A is winding up wire 43A, wire 43B is let out from finger-closing pulley 42B.

[0027] In addition, the finger closing pulley 42B winds a wire 43B (second wire) as shown in Figures 8(A) and (B). By reversing the drive shaft of the drive motor 41 (indicated by arrow m2) to wind up the wire 43B, the interlocking central shaft 17 is moved in the direction of arrow M2, thereby narrowing the gap between the finger members 12 to 14 on both sides of the finger member 11. When finger-closing pulley 42B is winding up wire 43B, wire 43A is let out from finger-opening pulley 42A. In this drive mechanism 40, by winding or letting out wire 43 (43A, 43B) using pulleys 42 (42A, 42B), interlocking central shaft 17 is moved in the direction of arrow M1 or arrow M2 along the length of finger member 11, thereby rotating finger members 12 to 14 on both sides of finger member 11 around base end central shafts 12A to 14A, thereby widening or narrowing finger members 11 to 14.

[0028] According to the robot finger operating device 101 of the above embodiment, the lengths of the link members 21, 22 and the link members 31, 32 of the link mechanisms 20, 30 are set to optimal values, and the interlocking central shaft 17 on the finger member 11 is moved in the direction of the arrow M1 or M2 by the drive mechanism 40, whereby the finger members 12 to 14 on both sides of the finger member 11 can be rotated around the interlocking central shaft 17 while being interlocked with each other. As a result, in the robot finger operating device 101 of this embodiment, the movement of spreading or narrowing the distance between the fingers can be performed mechanically and synchronously with a simple configuration using the link mechanisms 20 and 30.

[0029] The driving mechanism 40 of the above embodiment may be modified as follows. (Variation 1) In the above embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 13(A) and 13(B), the finger member 11 that becomes the middle finger U1 is set as the first finger member, and the first wire 43A and the second wire 43B of the drive mechanism 40 are connected to the interlocking central shaft 17 in the finger member 11. However, without being limited thereto, in Modification 1, as shown in FIGS. 14(A) and 14(B), a finger member 13 to become a ring finger U3 may be set as the first finger member, and a first wire 43A and a second wire 43B of a drive mechanism 40 may be connected to a moving axis 34 (corresponding to an interlocking central axis) in a long hole 33 of the finger member 13. In this way, in the robot finger operating device 101, by winding or letting out the wire 43 (43A, 43B) by the pulley 42 (42A, 42B), the moving axis 34 (corresponding to the interlocking central axis) is moved in the direction of the arrow M1 or arrow M2 along the length direction of the finger member 13, thereby rotating the finger members 12 to 14 on both sides of the finger member 11 around the base end central axes 12A to 14A, thereby making it possible to widen / narrow the finger members 11 to 14. In Figures 13 and 14, (A) shows the state in which finger members 11 to 14 are spread apart by pulley 42 winding wire 43A and letting out wire 43B, and (B) shows the state in which finger members 11 to 14 are narrowed by pulley 42 winding wire 43B and letting out wire 43A.

[0030] (Variation 2) In the above embodiment, the first wire 43A and the second wire 43B of the drive mechanism 40 are connected to the interlocking central shaft 17 in the finger member 11 as shown in FIGS. 13(A) and 13(B). However, without being limited to this, in Modification 2, as shown in FIGS. 15(A) and 15(B), the first wire 43A of the drive mechanism 40 may be connected to the operating piece 19 of the finger member 14 which becomes the little finger U4, and the second wire 43B may be connected to the vicinity of the support shaft 37 of the link member 32 of the finger member 14. In this way, in the robot finger operating device 101, by winding or letting out the wire 43 by the pulley 42, the finger members 12 to 14 on both sides of the finger member 11 can be rotated around the base end central axis 12A to 14A, thereby causing the finger members 11 to 14 to spread / narrow. In Figure 15, Figure 15(A) shows a state in which finger members 11 to 14 are spread apart by pulley 42 winding wire 43A and letting out wire 43B, and Figure 15(B) shows a state in which finger members 11 to 14 are narrowed by pulley 42 winding wire 43B and letting out wire 43A.

[0031] (Variation 3) In the above-described second modification, as shown in Figs. 15(A) and (B), the second wire 43B of the driving mechanism 40 is connected near the link member support shaft 37 of the finger member 14. However, without being limited to this, the second wire 43B may be connected near the support shaft 23 of the link member 21 of the finger member 12 that becomes the index finger U2 as shown in Figs. 16(A) and (B). In this way, in the robot finger operating device 101, as in the second variant, the wire 43 (43A, 43B) is wound or let out by the pulley 42, thereby rotating the finger members 12 to 14 on both sides of the finger member 11 around the base end central axis 12A to 14A, thereby allowing the finger members 11 to 14 to spread / narrow.

[0032] Although an embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and design modifications and the like are also included within the scope of the present invention that does not deviate from the gist of the present invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0033] The present invention relates to a robot finger manipulation device and a robot finger manipulation method that are capable of synchronously widening and narrowing the spacing between fingers in a manner similar to the movement of a human hand. [Explanation of symbols]

[0034] 1 Finger member (first finger member) 2 Finger member (second finger member) 3 Finger member (third finger member) 4 Interlocking center axis 5. Driving mechanism 10 Foundations 11 Finger member 11A Proximal center axis 12 Finger member 12A Proximal center axis 13 Finger member 13A Proximal central axis 14 Finger member 14A Proximal center axis 15 Finger member 15A Proximal center axis 16 Connecting shaft 17 Interlocking center axis 18 long hole 19 Operation piece 20 Link mechanism 21 Link member (first link) 22 Link member (second link) 23 Support shaft 24 Support shaft 30 Link mechanism 31 Link member (third link) 32 Link member (third link) 33 long hole 34 Moving axis 35 Support shaft 36 Connecting shaft 37 Support shaft 40 Drive mechanism 41 Drive motor 42 Pulley 42A No. 1 pulley 42B No. 2 pulley 43 Wire 43A 1st Wire 43B 2nd Wire 50 Finger joint drive motor 51 Connecting shaft 52 Finger joint drive motor 100 Robot finger operation device 101 Robot finger operation device L1 First link L2 Second link M1-M2 Movement direction of interlocking central axis S straight line U1 middle finger U2 index finger U3 Ring Finger U4 Pinky U5 Thumb

Claims

1. First, second and third finger members each having a base end supported on a base end central shaft that is arranged parallel to each other and aligned on a straight line; a linkage central shaft that is provided to be movable from a base end portion of the first finger member toward a tip end portion and is parallel to the base end central shaft; a first link having one end rotatably connected to the interlocking central shaft and the other end rotatably connected to the second finger member; a second link having one end rotatably connected to the interlocking central shaft and the other end rotatably connected to the third finger member; and a drive mechanism that moves the interlocking central shaft to rotate the first to third finger members about the base end central shaft via the first and second links.

2. 2. The robot finger operating device according to claim 1, wherein a second finger member is disposed on one side of the first finger member, and a third finger member is disposed on the other side of the first finger member.

3. a fourth finger member having a base end supported on a base end central shaft provided on the opposite side of the third finger member from the first finger member; 3. A robot finger operating device as described in claim 2, further comprising a third link having one end rotatably connected to the fourth finger member and the other end rotatably connected to any one of the first to third finger members.

4. a base end central axis of the fourth finger member is disposed at a position offset from a straight line along which the first to third finger members are aligned, 4. The robot finger operating device according to claim 3, wherein the third link is configured to be rotatable about an axis at a portion between one end and the other end that are rotatably supported.

5. 2. The robot finger operating device according to claim 1, wherein the drive mechanism includes a drive motor, a pulley that is rotationally driven by the drive motor, and a wire wound around the pulley, and the interlocking central shaft is moved along the length of the first finger member by winding or letting out the wire, thereby rotating the finger members on both sides of the first finger member around the base end central shaft.

6. The pulley includes a finger-opening pulley and a finger-closing pulley that are coaxially arranged, 6. The robot finger operating device according to claim 5, wherein the drive motor rotates in a forward direction to wind up a first wire wound around the finger opening pulley, thereby moving the interlocking central shaft in one direction to widen the spacing between the multiple finger members, and rotates the drive motor in a reverse direction to wind up a second wire wound around the finger closing pulley, thereby moving the interlocking central shaft in the other direction to narrow the spacing between the multiple finger members.

7. 7. The robot finger operating device according to claim 6, wherein the first and second wires of the drive mechanism are connected to a central linkage axis within a finger member corresponding to a middle finger, the first finger member being set as the first finger member.

8. 7. The robot finger operating device according to claim 6, wherein a finger member corresponding to a ring finger is set as the first finger member, and the first and second wires of the drive mechanism are connected to an interlocking central axis within the finger member.

9. 7. A robot finger operating device according to claim 6, wherein the first and second wires of the drive mechanism are directly connected to finger members such as an index finger and a little finger.

10. a step of moving an interlocking central shaft from a base end of a first finger member toward a tip end of the first finger member among first, second, and third finger members, the base ends of which are supported by base end central shafts that are arranged in parallel with each other and aligned on a straight line; a step of rotating one end of a first link relative to the interlocking central shaft while rotating the other end of the first link relative to the second finger member, thereby rotating the first finger member and the second finger member in a direction narrowing or widening the gap between them; a step of rotating one end of the second link relative to the interlocking central shaft while rotating the other end of the second link relative to the third finger member, thereby rotating the first finger member and the third finger member in a direction narrowing or widening the gap between them; and a step of rotating the first to third finger members about the base end central axis via the first and second links by moving the interlocking central axis.

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