Displacement measurement device, robot, and robot arm

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10583570-B2
Application number	US-201715723398-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 3, 2017
Priority date	Oct 7, 2016
Publication date	Mar 10, 2020
Grant date	Mar 10, 2020

Abstract

A displacement measurement device includes a first structure, a second structure, and a coupling portion configured to couple the first structure with the second structure. The first structure includes a first sensor configured to generate an electrical signal corresponding to displacement between a first attachment portion of the first structure and a second attachment portion of the second structure in the at least one first direction. The second structure includes a second sensor configured to generate an electrical signal corresponding to displacement between the first attachment portion and the second attachment portion in the at least one second direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A displacement measurement device configured to obtain amounts of displacement between a first member and a second member in at least one first direction and in at least one second direction different from the at least one first direction, the displacement measurement device comprising:
a first structure comprising a first attachment portion configured to be attached to the first member;
a second structure comprising a second attachment portion configured to be attached to the second member; and
a coupling portion configured to couple the first structure with the second structure,
wherein the first structure comprises a first sensor configured to generate an electrical signal corresponding to displacement between the first attachment portion and the second attachment portion in the at least one first direction, and
wherein the second structure comprises a second sensor configured to generate an electrical signal corresponding to displacement between the first attachment portion and the second attachment portion in the at least one second direction.

2. The displacement measurement device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first structure comprises:
a first support portion; and
a first elastic portion configured to couple the first attachment portion with the first support portion and capable of being displaced in the at least one first direction,
wherein the first sensor is configured to generate an electrical signal corresponding to displacement between the first attachment portion and the first support portion,
wherein the second structure comprises:
a second support portion; and
a second elastic portion configured to couple the second attachment portion with the second support portion and capable of being displaced in the at least one second direction, and
wherein the second sensor is configured to generate an electrical signal corresponding to displacement between the second attachment portion and the second support portion.

3. The displacement measurement device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the first sensor comprises:
a first detecting member disposed at one of the first attachment portion and the first support portion; and
a first detected member disposed at another of the first attachment portion and the first support portion, and
wherein the second sensor comprises:
a second detecting member disposed at one of the second attachment portion and the second support portion; and
a second detected member disposed at another of the second attachment portion and the second support portion.

4. The displacement measurement device according to claim 3 ,
wherein the first elastic portion is formed from a same peace of a material as the first attachment portion and the first support portion and coupled with the first attachment portion and the first support portion, and
wherein the second elastic portion is formed from a same peace of a material as the second attachment portion and the second support portion and coupled with the second attachment portion and the second support portion.

5. The displacement measurement device according to claim 3 , wherein the first detected member is a magnetic flux generation source and the first detecting member is a magnetoelectric conversion element.

6. The displacement measurement device according to claim 3 , wherein the first detected member is a scale of a linear encoder and the first detecting member is a detection head of the linear encoder.

7. The displacement measurement device according to claim 3 , wherein the second detected member comprises a magnetic flux generation source and the second detecting member comprises a magnetoelectric conversion element.

8. The displacement measurement device according to claim 3 , wherein the second detected member is a scale of a linear encoder and the second detecting member is a detection head of the linear encoder.

9. The displacement measurement device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the first elastic portion comprises plural columnar elastic bodies arranged in a circumferential direction about a straight line with intervals therebetween and extending along the straight line, the straight line extending from the first attachment portion to the second attachment portion,
wherein the second elastic portion comprises plural units arranged in the circumferential direction with intervals therebetween, and
wherein the plural units each comprise plural plate-like elastic bodies arranged in the direction of the straight line and extending in a direction perpendicular to the straight line.

10. The displacement measurement device according to claim 1 comprising a controller configured to obtain a force in the at least one first direction on a basis of the electrical signal obtained from the first sensor and obtain a force in the at least one second direction on a basis of the electrical signal obtained from the second sensor.

11. The displacement measurement device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the at least one first direction comprises a translational direction along a line perpendicular to a straight line extending from the first attachment portion to the second attachment portion and a rotational direction about the straight line extending from the first attachment portion to the second attachment portion, and
wherein the at least one second direction comprises a translational direction along the straight line extending from the first attachment portion to the second attachment portion and a rotational direction about the line perpendicular to the straight line extending from the first attachment portion to the second attachment portion.

12. The displacement measurement device according to claim 1 , wherein the coupling portion is a bolt.

13. A displacement measurement device comprising:
a first attachment portion configured to be attached to a first member;
a second attachment portion configured to be attached to a second member;
an intermediate member disposed between the first attachment portion and the second attachment portion;
a first elastic member configured to couple the first attachment portion with the intermediate member and capable of being displaced in at least one first direction;
a second elastic member configured to couple the second attachment portion with the intermediate member and capable of being displaced in at least one second direction different from the at least one first direction;
a first sensor configured to detect displacement between the first attachment portion and the intermediate member in the at least one first direction; and
a second sensor configured to detect displacement between the second attachment portion and the intermediate member in the at least one second direction.

14. A robot comprising:
a robot arm;
an end effecter;
a first structure comprising a first attachment portion configured to be attached to the robot arm;
a second structure comprising a second attachment portion configured to be attached to the end effecter; and
a coupling portion configured to couple the first structure with the second structure,
wherein the first structure comprises a first sensor configured to generate an electrical signal corresponding to displacement between the first attachment portion and the second attachment portion in at least one first direction, and
wherein the second structure comprises a second sensor configured to generate an electrical signal corresponding to displacement between the first attachment portion and the second attachment portion in at least one second direction different from the at least one first direction.

15

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Ogata Masaru

Classifications

• B25J9/042

  comprising an articulated arm · CPC title

• B25J19/027 Primary

  Electromagnetic sensing devices · CPC title

• B25J9/0021

  All motors in base · CPC title

• G01L1/122

  by using permanent magnets · CPC title

• B25J19/063

  working only upon contact with an outside object · CPC title