Robot device and liquid supply device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022274250-A1
Application number	US-202017629862-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 14, 2020
Priority date	Sep 30, 2019
Publication date	Sep 1, 2022
Grant date	—

Abstract

A robot device of the present disclosure includes at least one artificial muscle that operates by being supplied with liquid; and a liquid supply device that supplies and discharges the liquid to/from the artificial muscle, and the liquid supply device includes: a liquid storage part that stores the liquid; a pressure regulating valve that regulates pressure of the liquid from the liquid storage part and supplies the liquid to the artificial muscle; and a liquid keeping part that allows the artificial muscle to keep the liquid supplied to the artificial muscle, according to occurrence of an abnormality, and the liquid supply device can allow the artificial muscle that operates by being supplied with liquid to operate properly.

First claim

1 . A robot device comprising: at least one artificial muscle that operates by being supplied with liquid; and a liquid supply device that supplies and discharges the liquid to/from the artificial muscle,
wherein the liquid supply device includes: a liquid storage part that stores the liquid; a pressure regulating valve that regulates pressure of the liquid from the liquid storage part and supplies the liquid to the artificial muscle; and a liquid keeping part that allows the artificial muscle to keep the liquid supplied to the artificial muscle, according to occurrence of an abnormality.

2 . The robot device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the liquid supply device further includes a pump that sucks the liquid from the liquid storage part and discharges the liquid, the pressure regulating valve regulates pressure of the liquid from the pump and supplies the liquid to the artificial muscle, and the liquid keeping part includes at least one valve that allows the artificial muscle to keep the liquid supplied to the artificial muscle, according to occurrence of the abnormality.

3 . The robot device according to claim 1 , further comprising a sensor that detects an amount of movement of a drive target driven by the artificial muscle,
wherein the abnormality includes at least any one of a failure in a control device in the liquid supply device, a failure in the liquid supply device, a failure in the sensor, and an increase in difference between the amount of movement detected by the sensor and a target amount of movement of the drive target.

4 . The robot device according to claim 1 , wherein the liquid keeping part includes an outflow restricting part that is provided in a liquid passage connecting the artificial muscle to the liquid storage part, and restricts an outflow of the liquid from the artificial muscle when the abnormality has occurred.

5 . The robot device according to claim 4 , wherein the outflow restricting part is disposed between an output port of the pressure regulating valve and the artificial muscle.

6 . The robot device according to claim 4 , wherein the outflow restricting part is disposed between a drain port of the pressure regulating valve and the liquid storage part.

7 . The robot device according to claim 4 ,
wherein the pressure regulating valve includes an electromagnetic part controlled by a control device in the liquid supply device, the outflow restricting part includes an on-off valve controlled by the control device, and the control device can detect an abnormality in passage of a current through the electromagnetic part of the pressure regulating valve, and closes the on-off valve when the abnormality in passage of a current is detected.

8 . The robot device according to claim 1 , wherein the liquid keeping part includes an inflow restricting part that is provided in a liquid passage connecting the artificial muscle to the liquid storage part, and restricts an inflow of the liquid into the artificial muscle when the abnormality has occurred.

9 . The robot device according to claim 8 , wherein the inflow restricting part is disposed between an output port of the pressure regulating valve and the artificial muscle.

10 . The robot device according to claim 8 , wherein the inflow restricting part is disposed between the liquid storage part and an input port of the pressure regulating valve.

11 . The robot device according to claim 1 , wherein the liquid supply device is connected to a plurality of the artificial muscles, and includes the single pump and includes, for each of the plurality of the artificial muscles, one each of the pressure regulating valve and the outflow restricting part.

12 . The robot device according to claim 1 , wherein the artificial muscle axially contracts while radially expanding when the liquid is supplied.

13 . A liquid supply device that supplies liquid to at least one artificial muscle that operates by being supplied with the liquid, the liquid supply device comprising:
a liquid storage part that stores the liquid; a pressure regulating valve that regulates pressure of the liquid from the liquid storage part and supplies the liquid to the artificial muscle; and a liquid keeping part that allows the artificial muscle to keep the liquid supplied to the artificial muscle, according to occurrence of an abnormality.

14 . The liquid supply device according to claim 13 , further comprising a pump that sucks the liquid from the liquid storage part and discharges the liquid,
wherein the pressure regulating valve regulates pressure of the liquid from the pump and supplies the liquid to the artificial muscle, and the liquid keeping part includes at least one valve that allows the artificial muscle to keep the liquid supplied to the artificial muscle, according to occurrence of the abnormality.

15 . The liquid supply device according to claim 13 , wherein the abnormality includes a failure in a control device in the liquid supply device, a failure in the pressure regulating valve, a failure in a sensor that detects an amount of movement of a drive target driven by the artificial muscle, and an increase in difference between the amount of movement detected by the sensor and a target amount of movement of the drive target.

Assignees

• Aisin Corp

Inventors

• Ichikawa Shinya
• OKAMOTO Tomonari
• Ishikawa Tomomi
• Asai Masahiro
• Korogi Reishi
• FUJIRAI Masayuki
• Fujii Noriomi

Classifications

• G05B2219/39462

  Pneumatic actuator, imitates human muscle · CPC title

• B25J9/1615

  characterised by special kind of manipulator, e.g. planar, scara, gantry, cantilever, space, closed chain, passive/active joints and tendon driven manipulators · CPC title

• G05B2219/32385

  What is simulated, manufacturing process and compare results with real process · CPC title

• B25J9/142

  comprising inflatable bodies · CPC title

• B25J9/1075 Primary

  with muscles or tendons · CPC title