JPH0224088A - Cylinder set device for robot - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a small-sized and lightweight cylinder set device for a robot by forming cylinder members from the flexible material. CONSTITUTION:The pressurized fluid in a frame member 5 is introduced into a cylinder tube 1 through a direction selector valve 9. A piston wire 3 is applied with a tensile strength by the pressure of the pressurized fluid. In this case, the cylinder tube 1 and the piston wire 3 as cylinder members are made of the flexible material. Therefore, the piston wire 3 can be easily direction- changed in a proper direction.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a cylinder setting device for a robot. In particular, it relates to the bone members of robots and the actuator assembly as muscles that bend and twist them.

(Prior art) The skeleton of conventional robots was made of steel and assembled into a rigid structure, making them heavy, inflexible, and expensive.

The actuators that served as the muscles were also large and heavy steel hydraulic cylinders, pneumatic cylinders, and electric motors. The uses of such robot halves are naturally limited, and in particular, as hands and fingers, they can only perform simple and clumsy movements.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) A first object of the present invention is to provide a cylinder setting device for a flexible robot hand member. A second object of the present invention is to provide a simple, small and lightweight cylinder setting device for a hand member of a robot. A third object of the present invention is to provide a cylinder set device for a hand member of a robot that enables complex movements by simultaneously applying bending and twisting to a bone member.

(Means for Solving Problems 2) To explain the present invention in detail, FIGS. 1 to 5 are explanatory diagrams of a cylinder setting device for a robot according to the present invention. A plurality of cylinders including a piston 2, a piston wire 3, and gaskets between them made of flexible materials.

It consists of a pressure pipe 4 for operating this cylinder and a bone member 5 equipped with a directional switching valve 9. In this way, by making the cylinder member a flexible material, the cylinder tube and piston wire can be allowed to bend, or this can be actively utilized to reduce the strength of the cylinder to the minimum necessary, thereby reducing the size and weight of the cylinder. In addition, it becomes possible to integrate a large number of cylinders in a high density around a bony member, thereby allowing complex and flexible hand movements.

The piston wire 3 is generally called a piston rod, but in the present invention, a term not found in conventional technical terms is used in order to use a rod or wire with a minimum diameter that can withstand tensile strength. In order to make the cylinder wire material small in diameter, the polymer material is, for example, Kevlar, and the metal material is, for example, titanium alloy wire or high-tensile steel wire. In addition, the piston wire outside the cylinder tube can be used as a lead wire to transmit the sensor signal.
If it is necessary to increase the strength of this lead wire, the lead wire is reinforced with a reinforcing material as described above.

For the cylinder tube, polymer materials such as polyethylene, polypropylene, vinyl, etc., and thin metal materials that are easily deformable are most suitable.

The pressure piping that operates the cylinder, the electrical wiring for operation, and the bone parts can be made of rigid materials such as metals and ceramics, but they should also be made of flexible materials such as polymeric materials and thin metals. If the bone members are made of an elastic material, it is desirable to design the rotation angle of the joint part 6 to be small in consideration of the bending of these parts, thereby reducing the size and weight of the entire device.

The operation becomes faster when returning to the initial position, and in some cases, the cylinder for restoring can be omitted or downsized, making it possible to further reduce the size and weight of the entire device.

Mechanisms that combine a pestle and white that can freely bend and rotate bone members, mechanisms that sandwich a ball between two mortars, and spherical bearings can be used to freely bend and rotate bone members by connecting them with joints 6 such as mechanisms or bellows. Tilt in direction becomes easier and freer. In addition, in joints other than the bellows, a known O-ring seal 7 is used to prevent leakage of pressure fluids such as hydraulic pressure, water pressure, or pneumatic pressure.
It is preferable to provide a sealing membrane or bellows 8.

In the example of FIGS. 2 to 4, the cylinder directs the pressurized fluid in the bone member 5 into the cylinder tube 1 via the directional valve 9, and this pressure causes the piston wires 3, 3A, 3
Apply tensile force to B. Since the piston wire is a flexible material, it can be easily redirected in any direction.

In the robot cylinder setting device of the present invention.

For example, in the example shown in FIG. 4, eight cylinder tubes 1 are arranged around a bone member with their lengths aligned.

The bone member 50 is equipped with a pair of piston wires 3A and 3B that are inclined in opposite directions relative to the bone member 5.
It is possible to actively apply twisting to the joint portion 6 at the same time as bending. Further, even when the bone member is an elastic body, as shown in FIG. 2, it is possible to actively twist the bone member at the same time as bending it. In these cases, by making the intervals between bends and twists closer together, or by using bone members with low torsional rigidity, it becomes possible to freely transform into a spiral shape like an elephant's trunk or a snake, and to wrap it around an object and handle it. Become.

As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the piston wire straddles the joint and connects to several bone members apart, making it possible to perform various operations even in narrow spaces or thin bone members where a cylinder cannot be attached. can be made possible.

It is preferable to bundle the cylinder tube rows in the same direction so that they fit compactly, and it is also possible to bundle them in multiple layers. In addition to making it easy to twist the bone members by crossing them as shown in FIG. 4, it is also possible to change the operating force by changing the number of cylinders to operate.

Figures 1 to 3 show conceptual diagrams when the present invention is applied to the hands and fingers of a robot. In each of these figures, only the piston wire 3 extends at the tip of the finger, and the cylinder tube does not extend. 8. For example, the plate-shaped bone member 5 shown in FIG. 1 is enlarged in FIG.
The cylinders are integrated in the joint part 6, and the cylinder wire extends beyond the joint part 6. The cylinder wires extending forward are positioned by piston wire guides 11 at the joints in order to make them compact. A sensory sensor is installed at the tip of the finger, and the cylinder wire also serves as a lead wire to transmit signals from the sensory sensor. In the example of FIG. 2, cylinders are integrated in the tubular bone member 5 as shown in FIG.
The part beyond the joint part 6 is made of an elastic bone member. This bone member flexes with the flexible cylinder as shown,
Move the tip to the target point. In this case as well, the piston wire also serves as a lead wire for the sensory sensor 12. In FIG. 2, the piston wire guide 11 is installed away from the joint. The example shown in FIG. 3 is a combination of the mechanisms shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and shows a completed example as a robot cylinder setting device.

Although not shown in these figures, the hands and fingers of the robot cylinder set device of the present invention are preferably covered with an elastic body such as rubber or a polymeric material to form the skin.

In the robot cylinder setting device of the present invention, a plate-shaped bone member or the like as shown in FIG. 5 can be rolled into a tubular shape to create a compact and strong robot cylinder setting device. In this case, the cylinder, pressure piping, electrical wiring, switching valve, etc. may be concentrated on the inner or outer surface of the pipe.

When using pneumatic pressure for the cylinder setting device of the robot of the present invention, the other end of the cylinder tube may be left open, but when using hydraulic pressure or water pressure, the bone member and cylinder must be separated in order to return it to a draining tank. It is preferable to cover it with an elastic skin to form a train pipe.

In the example shown in FIG. 5 in which cylinder tubes are arranged on both sides of a plate-shaped bone member, the piston 2 is
and operate piston wire 3. In this example, pressure piping 4 and control wiring 10 are installed at both ends of bone member plate 5. Since the pressure piping can be designed as a strength member, it is best to choose the optimal location for each case.

Even when the cylinders described above are bundled or integrated, the cylinder tubes of conventional cylinders are deformed and the cylinder tubes are deformed and the cylinders cannot be operated.However, in the present invention, the cylinders are made of a flexible material, so that they can be easily operated.

In the present invention, a plurality of cylinders can be stacked on the bone member with their directions crossed. That is, even if the cylinder tube is dented by an external force, since the cylinder is made of a flexible material, its operation will not be affected, and the cylinder tubes can be assembled in various ways.

(Effects of the Invention) A flexible flat member for a robot can be provided by the cylinder setting device of the present invention. Furthermore, it is clear that this device is simple, small and lightweight, as it can use flexible materials such as polymeric materials and thin metal materials instead of heavy metal materials. Furthermore, by integrating a large number of cylinders, complex and subtle movements of the hands and fingers are possible.

The robot cylinder set device of the present invention can also be used as a leg member or body member of a walking robot.

The robot cylinder set device of the present invention can be put to practical use by using a visual sensor, a tactile sensor, or a proximity sensor intermediate between visual and tactile senses, and rapid development can be expected in the future.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 5 are explanatory diagrams of the present invention. Figures 1 to 3 show an example assembled as a robot cylinder set device, Figure 4 is an enlarged view of the tubular bone member and the spherical joint, and Figure 5 shows the case where the cylinder tube is attached to the plate-shaped bone member. It is an enlarged view. 1: cylinder tube, 2: piston, 3: piston wire, 3A, 3B: crossed piston wife pair, 4
: Pressure piping, 5: Bone member, 6: Joint part. 7: O-ring, 8: Sealing membrane, 9: Directional switching valve. 10: Control wiring, 11: Piston wire guide. Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3

Claims (5)

[Claims] (1) A skeleton equipped with multiple cylinders made of flexible materials such as cylinder tubes, pistons, piston wires, and packings between them, and pressure piping, directional control valves, and electrical wiring for operating the cylinders. 1. A robot cylinder set device comprising: (2) The cylinder set device for a robot according to claim 1, wherein the pressure piping, the electrical wiring for operation, and the bone member are made of flexible materials. (3) A cylinder set device for a robot according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the bone members are connected by a pair of piston wires crossing each other and a joint. (4) Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the piston wire is positioned and guided by a piston wire guide at the joint and extends to the joint beyond this.
The cylinder setting device for the robot described in Section 1. (5) A cylinder set device for a robot according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a part of the piston wire is a lead wire for transmitting a signal from a sensory sensor.