Mechanical hand, useful in robotics

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11639004-B2
Application number	US-202017098716-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 16, 2020
Priority date	Nov 18, 2019
Publication date	May 2, 2023
Grant date	May 2, 2023

Abstract

A mechanical hand mimics a human hand having similar degrees of freedom and sensory abilities while appearing visually similar to human hand. The mechanical hand comprises a mechanical hand skeleton and resilient elastomer (e.g., silicone) skin that fully encloses the mechanical hand skeleton. The mechanical hand skeleton may advantageously be molded directly into the resilient elastomer (e.g., silicone) skin such that the hand appears, moves, and feels very similar to a real human hand. The mechanical hand may have applications in robotics, for example as an end-of-arm tool or end effector, or may have other applications. Robotic applications may include prosthetics applications.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A mechanical hand, comprising:
a palm;
at least three mechanical digits, each of the mechanical digits respectively comprised of at least three mechanical links, at least two curl joints, and having a tip and a base, the base of each of the mechanical digits coupled to the palm, the mechanical links of each pair of successive mechanical links along each of the mechanical digits between the tip and the base pivotally coupled to one another via a respective one of the at least two curl joints;
a plurality of mechanical tendons, each of the mechanical tendons coupled to at least one of the mechanical links of the mechanical digits; and
a skin of an elastic material that completely envelopes at least the palm and the mechanical digits.

2. The mechanical hand of claim 1 , further comprising:
at least one sensor, the at least one sensor positioned at least proximate the tip of at least one of the mechanical digits, wherein the skin also completely envelopes the at least one sensor.

3. The mechanical hand of claim 2 wherein the at least one sensor is at least one of a pressure sensor or a proximity sensor.

4. The mechanical hand of claim 1 , further comprising:
at least one wire, the at least one wire electrically coupled to the at least one sensor, wherein the skin also completely envelopes the at least one wire.

5. The mechanical hand of claim 4 wherein the at least one of wire includes an electrically insulative sleeve and extends at least to the palm.

6. The mechanical hand of claim 1 wherein the palm has a proximate portion and a distal portion, the mechanical digits coupled at least proximate the distal portion of the palm, and further comprising:
a mechanical wrist connection interface, the mechanical wrist connection interface coupled to or part of the distal portion of the palm.

7. The mechanical hand of claim 6 wherein the skin also completely envelopes the mechanical wrist connection interface.

8. The mechanical hand of claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of tubes; and wherein
each of the mechanical tendons are respectively comprised by at least one cable and the at least one cable is coupled to at least one of the mechanical links of the mechanical digits, each of the cables passing through at least one of the tubes, and wherein the skin also completely envelopes the tubes.

9. The mechanical hand of claim 8 , further comprising:
a mechanical wrist connection interface, the mechanical wrist connection interface coupled to or part of a distal portion of the palm.

10. The mechanical hand of claim 1 wherein the palm has a plane defined by a major face of the palm, and the curl joints of each of the mechanical digits that pivotally couple the links of each of the pair of links to one another each pivot about a respective axis that allow the tip of the respective mechanical digit to curl toward and away from the plane of the palm, and further comprising:
for each of at least two of the mechanical digits, a respective plurality of sweep joints that pivotally couple the base of the respective mechanical digit to the palm to pivot the respective mechanical digit towards or away from one another, wherein the skin also completely envelopes the plurality of sweep joints.

11. The mechanical hand of claim 10 wherein each sweep joint is a respective flexure joint.

12. The mechanical hand of claim 10 , further comprising:
for at least two of the at least three of the mechanical digits, at least one inter-digit joint that movably directly couples pairs of the mechanical digits to one another.

13. The mechanical hand of claim 12 wherein each inter-digit joint is a respective flexure joint.

14. The mechanical hand of claim 10 wherein the base of each of the mechanical digits is coupled to the palm via a respective one of the curl joints of the mechanical digit and each curl joint that pivotally couples the base of the respective mechanical digit to the palm is a flexure joint.

15. The mechanical hand of claim 10 wherein the base of each of the mechanical digits is coupled to the palm via a respective one of the curl joints of the mechanical digit and each curl joint that pivotally couples the base of the respective mechanical digit to the palm is a hinge joint with a respective pin.

16. The mechanical hand of claim 1 , and further comprising:
for at least three of the mechanical digits, a respective plurality of sweep joints that pivotally couple the base of the respective mechanical digit to the palm to pivot the respective mechanical digit towards or away from one another, wherein the skin also completely envelopes the plurality of sweep joints.

17. The mechanical hand of claim 1 , further comprising:
at least one of the palm or the mechanical digits comprise a plurality of through-holes and the skin extends through the through-holes to mechanically couple the skin to the at least one of the palm or the mechanical digits.

18. The mechanical hand of claim 1 wherein the skin is a silicone skin molded directly about and through the palm and mechanical digits.

19. The mechanical hand of claim 1 wherein the curl joints of each of the mechanical digits that pivotally couple the links of each of the pair of links to one another is a flexure joint.

20. The mechanical hand of claim 1 wherein the curl joints of each of the mechanical digits that pivotally couple the links of each of the pair of links to one another is a hinge joint with a respective pin.

21. The mechanical hand of claim 1 wherein the at least three mechanical digits comprises four mechanical fingers and a mechanical thumb coupled to the palm to move in opposition to the mechanical fingers.

22. A method of manufacturing a mechanical hand, the method comprising:
coupling at least three mechanical digits to a palm, each of the mechanical digits respectively comprised of at least two curl links, at least one joint, and having a tip and a base, the base of each of the mechanical digits coupled to the palm, the mechanical links of each pair of successive mechanical links along each of the mechanical digits between the tip and the base pivotally coupled to one another via a respective curl joint;
coupling each of a plurality of tendons to at least one of the mechanical links of respective ones of the mechanical digits; and
molding a skin of an elastic material with at least the palm and the mechanical digits in a mold to completely envelope at least the palm and the mechanical digits.

23. The method of claim 22 , further comprising:
positioning at least one sensor at least proximate the tip of at least one of the mechanical digits,
electrically coupling at least one wire electrically to the at least one sensor, and wherein the skin also completely envelopes the at least one sensor, and
wherein molding a skin of an elastic material to completely envelope at least the palm and the mechanical digits includes molding a skin of silicone with at least the palm, the mechanical digits, and the at least one wire in the mold to completely envelope at least the palm, the mechanical digits, the at least one sensor and the at least one wire.

24. The method of claim 22 wherein each of the tendons respectively comprised by at least one cable, and further comprising:
providing a plurality of tubes; and
passing each of the cables through at least one of the tubes, and wherein molding a skin of an elastic material to completely envelope at

Assignees

• Sanctuary Cognitive Systems Corp

Inventors

• Khadivinassab Hatef
• Shannon Connor Richard
• Wu Kevin Jiaming
• Hill Matthew Steven

Classifications

• B25J13/084

  Tactile sensors (in general G01L5/16, G01L5/22) · CPC title

• B25J15/0009 Primary

  comprising multi-articulated fingers, e.g. resembling a human hand · CPC title

• B25J9/104

  with cables, chains or ribbons · CPC title

• B25J13/086

  Proximity sensors · CPC title

• B25J13/081

  Touching devices, e.g. pressure-sensitive · CPC title