Rotation connecting mechanism, robot, robot arm, and robot hand

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12103160-B2
Application number	US-201917048525-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 24, 2019
Priority date	Apr 25, 2018
Publication date	Oct 1, 2024
Grant date	Oct 1, 2024

Abstract

A rotation connecting mechanism includes: a joint that connects a second member rotatably to a first member with three rotational degrees of freedom; a first link and a third link in each of which one end is attached rotatably to second member with at least two rotational degrees of freedom while the other end is attached rotatably to first member with at least two rotational degrees of freedom, each of first link and third link having a variable length and five rotational degrees of freedom; a second link in which one end is attached rotatably to first link with at least two rotational degrees of freedom while the other end is attached rotatably to first member with at least two rotational degrees of freedom, second link having a variable length and five rotational degrees of freedom; and motors that generate force changing lengths of the three links.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A rotation connecting mechanism comprising:
a joint to connect a second member rotatably to a first member with at least two rotational degrees of freedom;
a first actuator including a first link having four rotational degrees of freedom or five rotational degrees of freedom, a second-member first attaching unit provided in the second member to have a fixed positional relationship with respect to the joint in the second member, one end of the first link being attached rotatably to the second-member first attaching unit with at least two rotational degrees of freedom, a first-member first attaching unit to which the other end of the first link is attached rotatably with at least two rotational degrees of freedom, and a first power source to generate force changing a distance between the second-member first attaching unit and a first reference point provided in the first member to have a fixed positional relationship with respect to the joint in the first member; and
a second actuator including a second link having three rotational degrees of freedom, four rotational degrees of freedom, or five rotational degrees of freedom, a first-link second attaching unit provided on the first link to have a fixed positional relationship with respect to the second-member first attaching unit on the first link, one end of the second link being attached rotatably to the first-link second attaching unit with at least one rotational degree of freedom, a first-member second attaching unit to which the other end of the second link is attached rotatably with at least two rotational degrees of freedom, and a second power source to generate force changing a distance between the first-link second attaching unit and a second reference point provided in the first member and to have a fixed positional relationship with respect to the joint in the first member.

2. The rotation connecting mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein at the first-link second attaching unit, an angle formed by the first link and the second link is greater than or equal to a predetermined third crossing angle.

3. A robot comprising:
a chest;
a pair of right and left upper limbs, each of the upper limbs including an upper arm, a forearm, and a hand, the upper arm, the forearm, and the hand being connected in series to either a right or a left in an upper portion of the chest; and
the rotation connecting mechanism according to claim 1 having the second member being one of the hand, the forearm, and the upper arm, and the first member provided far from the hand and being connected rotatably with the second member with at least two rotational degrees of freedom.

4. The robot according to claim 3 , further comprising:
a height adjuster to move the waist or the chest vertically, the waist or the chest being mounted on height adjuster; and
a moving unit to move the height adjuster.

5. The robot according to claim 3 , further comprising a pair of right and left wrists, each of the wrists being a rotation connecting mechanism comprising:
a joint to connect a second member rotatably to a first member with at least two rotational degrees of freedom;
a first actuator including a first link having a variable length and four rotational degrees of freedom or five rotational degrees of freedom, a second-member first attaching unit provided in the second member to have a fixed positional relationship with respect to the joint in the second member, one end of the first link being attached rotatably to the second-member first attaching unit with at least two rotational degrees of freedom, a first-member first attaching unit provided in the first member to have a fixed positional relationship with respect to the joint in the first member, the other end of the first link being attached rotatably to the first-member first attaching unit with at least two rotational degrees of freedom, and a first power source to generate force changing a length of the first link;
a second actuator including a second link having a variable length and three rotational degrees of freedom, four rotational degrees of freedom, or five rotational degrees of freedom, a first-link second attaching unit provided on the first link to have a fixed positional relationship with respect to the second-member first attaching unit on the first link, one end of the second link being attached rotatably to the first-member second attaching unit with at least one rotational degree of freedom, a first-member second attaching unit provided in the first member to have a fixed positional relationship with respect to the joint in the first member, the other end of the second link being attached rotatably to the first-member second attaching unit with at least two rotational degrees of freedom, and a second power source to generate force changing a length of the second link; and
a third actuator including a third link having a variable length and five rotational degrees of freedom, a second-member third attaching unit provided in the second member to have a fixed positional relationship with respect to the joint in the second member, one end of the third link being attached rotatably to the second-member third attaching unit with at least two rotational degrees of freedom, a first-member third attaching unit provided in the first member to have a fixed positional relationship with respect to the joint in the first member, the other end of the third link being attached rotatably to the first-member third attaching unit with at least two rotational degrees of freedom, and a third power source to generate force changing a length of the third link,
wherein the joint allows the second member to be rotated with respect to the first member around a torsion axis having a direction fixed with respect to the first member or the second member, and connects the second member rotatably to the first member with three rotational degrees of freedom,
the first link and the second link have five rotational degrees of freedom, and
the first-link second attaching unit attaches the second link rotatably to the first link with at least two rotational degrees of freedom, and having the second member being either the right hand or the left hand and the first member being the forearm and being connected rotatably with the second member with three rotational degrees of freedom.

6. The robot according to claim 3 , further comprising a pair of right and left shoulders, each of the shoulders being a rotation connecting mechanism comprising:
a joint to connect a second member rotatably to a first member with at least two rotational degrees of freedom;
a first actuator including a first link having a variable length and four rotational degrees of freedom or five rotational degrees of freedom, a second-member first attaching unit provided in the second member to have a fixed positional relationship with respect to the joint in the second member, one end of the first link being attached rotatably to the second-member first attaching unit with at least two rotational degrees of freedom, a first-member first attaching unit provided in the first member to have a fixed positional relationship with respect to the joint in the first member, the other end of the first link being attached rotatably to the first-member first attaching unit with at least two rotational degrees of freedom, and a first power source to generate force changing a length of the first link; and
a second actuator including a second link having a variable length and three rotational degrees of freedom, four rotational degrees of freedom, or five rotational degrees of freedom, a first-link second attaching unit provided on the first link to have a fixed positional relationship with respect to the second-member first attaching unit on the first link, o

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Kawaguchi Noboru
• Hattori Tomoya
• Haruna Masaki
• Hirose Koji
• Ueda Ken
• Kimura Shingo

Classifications

• F16H2025/2081

  Parallel arrangement of drive motor to screw axis · CPC title

• F16H25/2454

  Brakes; Rotational locks · CPC title

• F15B2211/7053

  Double-acting output members · CPC title

• B62D57/032 Primary

  with alternately or sequentially lifted supporting base and legs; with alternately or sequentially lifted feet or skid (B62D57/024 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B25J17/00

  Joints · CPC title