Robot arm operation device, robot arm operation system, and robot operation system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12179342-B2
Application number	US-202418666852-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 17, 2024
Priority date	Dec 28, 2020
Publication date	Dec 31, 2024
Grant date	Dec 31, 2024

Abstract

A robot arm operation device is mounted on an upper arm, a forearm, and a hand of an operator and through which the operator inputs, by moving the robot arm operation device, an operation instruction to operate a robot arm to a control calculation device that controls the robot arm. The robot arm operation device includes: a shoulder joint angle measurement part to measure a shoulder joint measurement angle being an angle at which an upper arm structure is connected to an arm connection structure at a shoulder measurement joint; an elbow joint angle measurement part to measure an elbow joint measurement angle being an angle at which a forearm structure is connected to the upper arm structure; and a wrist joint angle measurement part to measure a wrist joint measurement angle being an angle at which a hand structure is connected to the forearm structure.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A robot arm operation device being configured to be mounted on an upper arm, a forearm, and a hand of an operator and through which the operator inputs, by moving the robot arm operation device, an operation instruction to operate a robot arm to a control calculation device that controls the robot arm including an arm connection portion, an upper arm connected to the arm connection portion, a forearm connected to the upper arm, a hand connected to the forearm, a shoulder joint that connects the upper arm to the arm connection portion rotatably, an elbow joint that connects the forearm to the upper arm rotatably, and a wrist joint that connects the hand to the forearm rotatably,
the robot arm operation device comprising:
an arm connection structure;
an upper arm structure connected to the arm connection structure;
a forearm structure connected to the upper arm structure;
a hand structure connected to the forearm structure;
a shoulder measurement joint to connect the upper arm structure to the arm connection structure so as to be rotatable with a rotational degree of freedom that is the same as that of the upper arm connected to the arm connection portion at the shoulder joint;
an elbow measurement joint to connect the forearm structure to the upper arm structure so as to be rotatable with a rotational degree of freedom that is the same as that of the forearm connected to the upper arm at the elbow joint;
a wrist measurement joint to connect the hand structure to the forearm structure so as to be rotatable with a rotational degree of freedom that is the same as that of the hand connected to the forearm at the wrist joint;
a shoulder joint angle measurement part to measure a shoulder joint measurement angle being an angle at which the upper arm structure is connected to the arm connection structure at the shoulder measurement joint;
an elbow joint angle measurement part to measure an elbow joint measurement angle being an angle at which the forearm structure is connected to the upper arm structure at the elbow measurement joint;
a wrist joint angle measurement part to measure a wrist joint measurement angle being an angle at which the hand structure is connected to the forearm structure at the wrist measurement joint;
a shoulder lock portion to lock the shoulder measurement joint such that the shoulder measurement joint does not move;
an elbow lock portion to lock the elbow measurement joint such that the elbow measurement joint does not move;
a wrist lock portion to lock the wrist measurement joint such that the wrist measurement joint does not move; and
a lock state change switch to switch uniformly between a locked state in which the shoulder lock portion, the elbow lock portion, and the wrist lock portion are locked and an unlocked state in which the shoulder lock portion, the elbow lock portion, and the wrist lock portion are not locked,
wherein the operation instructions are the shoulder joint measurement angle, the elbow joint measurement angle, and the wrist joint measurement angle.

2. The robot arm operation device according to claim 1 , wherein
a length of the robot arm operation device is shorter than a length of the robot arm, and
the operation instruction is an angle obtained by multiplying an angle measured by each of the shoulder joint angle measurement part, the elbow joint angle measurement part, and the wrist joint angle measurement part by a coefficient, the coefficient being determined for each of the shoulder joint angle measurement part, the elbow joint angle measurement part, and the wrist joint angle measurement part.

3. A robot arm operation system comprising:
an arm operation device being the robot arm operation device according to claim 1 ;
the robot arm to be operated in accordance with the operation instruction that is inputted through the arm operation device being moved; and
the control calculation device to control the robot arm based on the operation instruction, wherein
the control calculation device controls the shoulder joint, the elbow joint, and the wrist joint based on the shoulder joint measurement angle, the elbow joint measurement angle, and the wrist joint measurement angle that are the operation instructions inputted through the arm operation device.

4. The robot arm operation system according to claim 3 , wherein
the hand is a robot hand that includes: a first finger; a third finger disposed to face the first finger; a second finger disposed side by side with the third finger; a first finger connection portion to which the first finger is connected rotatably; a second finger connection portion to which the second finger is connected rotatably and to which the third finger is connected rotatably; a hand base to which the first finger connection portion and the second finger connection portion are connected; and a finger moving portion to move at least one of the first finger connection portion and the second finger connection portion with respect to the hand base such that a distance between the first finger and the third finger increases or decreases,
the hand structure is a hand operation device that is operated by the operator to input the operation instruction to move the robot hand and includes: a main body portion held by the operator; a first joystick, a second joystick, and a third joystick that are three joysticks provided on the main body portion; and a finger moving portion operation part, and
the operator inputs the operation instruction to rotate the first finger by moving the first joystick, inputs the operation instruction to rotate the second finger by moving the second joystick, inputs the operation instruction to rotate the third finger by moving the third joystick, and inputs the operation instruction to move the finger moving portion by operating the finger moving portion operation part.

5. The robot arm operation system according to claim 3 , wherein
the hand is a robot hand that includes: a first finger; a third finger disposed to face the first finger; a second finger disposed side by side with the third finger; a first finger connection portion to which the first finger is connected rotatably; a second finger connection portion to which the second finger is connected rotatably and to which the third finger is connected rotatably; a hand base to which the first finger connection portion and the second finger connection portion are connected; and a finger moving portion to move at least one of the first finger connection portion and the second finger connection portion with respect to the hand base such that a distance between the first finger and the third finger increases or decreases,
the hand structure is a hand operation device that is operated by the operator to input the operation instruction to move the robot hand and includes: a main body portion held by the operator; a first joystick, a second joystick, and a third joystick that are three joysticks provided on the main body portion; and a finger moving portion operation part,
the operator inputs the operation instruction to rotate the first finger by moving the first joystick, inputs the operation instruction to rotate the second finger by moving the second joystick, inputs the operation instruction to rotate the third finger by moving the third joystick, and inputs the operation instruction to move the finger moving portion by operating the finger moving portion operation part, and
the hand operation device includes the lock state change switch.

6. The robot arm operation system according to claim 5 , wherein
the first joystick can be pushed toward the main body portion, and
the first joystick being pushed toward the main body portion is the lock state change switch that switches between the locked state and the unl

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Kawaguchi Noboru
• Hirano Masaki
• Narasaki Shota
• Hoshino Hayato
• Kimura Shingo

Classifications

• B25J9/0087

  Dual arms (double SCARA arms B25J9/043) · CPC title

• B25J5/007

  mounted on wheels · CPC title

• B25J15/10 Primary

  with three or more finger members {(B25J15/0009 takes precedence)} · CPC title