초록 ▼

A multimorphic kinematic manipulator arm is provided with seven degrees of freedom and modular kinematic redundancy through identical pitch/yaw, shoulder, elbow and wrist joints and a wrist roll device at the wrist joint, which further provides to the manipulator arm an obstacle avoidance capability

A multimorphic kinematic manipulator arm is provided with seven degrees of freedom and modular kinematic redundancy through identical pitch/yaw, shoulder, elbow and wrist joints and a wrist roll device at the wrist joint, which further provides to the manipulator arm an obstacle avoidance capability. The modular pitch/yaw joints are traction drive devices which provide backlash free operation with smooth torque transmission and enhanced rigidity. A dual input drive arrangement is provided for each joint resulting in a reduction of the load required to be assumed by each drive and providing selective pitch and yaw motions by control of the relative rotational directions of the input drive.

대표청구항 ▼

Modular multimorphic kinematic control arm means for selective manipulation of objects and the like comprising: support means for holding said arm means; substantially identical shoulder, elbow and wrist joint means interconnected by link means, each of said joint means providing relative pitch and

Modular multimorphic kinematic control arm means for selective manipulation of objects and the like comprising: support means for holding said arm means; substantially identical shoulder, elbow and wrist joint means interconnected by link means, each of said joint means providing relative pitch and yaw motions between those of said link means joined thereby, and said shoulder joint being mounted on said support means via a said link means; said shoulder, elbow and wrist joint means each providing two degrees of freedom to said control arm means; wrist roll means interconnected by a said link means to said wrist joint means and rotatable thereon for providing one additional degree of freedom to said control arm means in the total provision of seven degrees of freedom and obstacle avoidance capability in said control arm means; and end effector means mounted on said wrist roll means for manipulating a said object and the like in response to movements of said control arm means; wherein said shoulder, elbow and wrist joint means each connect a support side link means and a manipulator side link means for relative motion thereof and comprise: output drive means mounted for rotation about orthogonal pitch and yaw axes in said link means, said link means including a right angle mount converting the orthogonal axes of rotational into pitch and yaw axes; differential drive means in said link means engaging said output drive means for constraining said output drive means to rotate about said pitch and yaw axes, respectively; and drive input means mounted in said support side link means and engaging said differential traction drive means to selectively impart rotations thereto for controlling the rotation of said output drive means about said pitch and yaw axes.