User interface for a tele-operated robotic hand system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-8989902-B1
Application number	US-201313868185-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Apr 23, 2013
Priority date	Mar 5, 2013
Publication date	Mar 24, 2015
Grant date	Mar 24, 2015

Abstract

Disclosed here is a user interface for a robotic hand. The user interface anchors a user's palm in a relatively stationary position and determines various angles of interest necessary for a user's finger to achieve a specific fingertip location. The user interface additionally conducts a calibration procedure to determine the user's applicable physiological dimensions. The user interface uses the applicable physiological dimensions and the specific fingertip location, and treats the user's finger as a two link three degree-of-freedom serial linkage in order to determine the angles of interest. The user interface communicates the angles of interest to a gripping-type end effector which closely mimics the range of motion and proportions of a human hand. The user interface requires minimal contact with the operator and provides distinct advantages in terms of available dexterity, work space flexibility, and adaptability to different users.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A user interface for determining a first MCP angle, a second MCP angle, and a PIP angle, where MCP denotes metacarpophalangeal and where PIP denotes proximal interphalangeal, comprising:
a fingertip locator, where the fingertip locator defines a location relative to a fixed reference point;
a palm anchoring section; and
a digital controller in data communication with the fingertip locator, where the digital controller is comprised of a data port, and where the digital controller is programmed for,
conducting a calibration procedure and determining a user MCP joint location relative to the fixed reference point, a user proximal phalange length, and a user intermediate-distal phalange length by,
receiving a plurality of calibration point locations from the fingertip locator, where each calibration point location in the plurality of calibration point locations has a unique location relative to the fixed reference point, and where a quantity of calibration point locations in the plurality of calibration point locations is equal to at least four,
defining a center of a calibration sphere using the plurality of calibration point locations, and determining a calibration sphere radius of the calibration sphere,
establishing the user MCP joint location at the center of the calibration sphere, thereby determining the user MCP joint location relative to the fixed reference point and,
determining a user finger length based on the calibration sphere radius, and dividing the user finger length into a first length and a second length based on the user finger length, and establishing the user proximal phalange length equal to the first length and establishing the user intermediate-distal phalange length equal to the second length, thereby determining the user proximal phalange length and the user intermediate-distal phalange length, and thereby conducting the calibration procedure and,

determining the first MCP angle, the second MCP angle, and the PIP angle by,
reading a specific fingertip location relative to the fixed reference point from the fingertip locator;
defining a user planar linkage comprised of,
a first link, where a displacement from a first end of the first link to a second end of the first link is equal to the user proximal phalange length, and where the first end of the first link is located at the user MCP joint location and anchored by a 2 DOF universal joint, where the 2 DOF universal joint has a first rotational degree of freedom and a second rotational degree of freedom, where the first rotational degree of freedom is a rotation about a user x-axis and where the second rotational degree of freedom is a rotation about a user y-axis, where the user x-axis is perpendicular to the user y-axis, and where the second end of the first link is pinned at a revolute joint, where the revolute joint is a single degree of freedom joint allowing rotation about a single rotation axis, where the single rotation axis is perpendicular to the user y-axis and,
a second link, where a displacement from a first end of the second link to a second end of the second link is equal to the user intermediate-distal phalange length, and where the second end of the second link is located at the specific fingertip location, and where the first end of the second link is pinned at the revolute joint, such that the user planar linkage has motion constrained to a user linkage motion plane, where the user y-axis resides in or is parallel to the user linkage motion plane and,

defining the first MCP angle, the second MCP angle, and the PIP angle for the specific fingertip location using inverse kinematics and the user planar linkage, where the first MCP angle is an angle between a user y-z plane and the user linkage motion plane, where the user y-z plane is defined by the user y-axis and a user z-axis, where the user z-axis is perpendicular to the user x-axis and perpendicular to the user y-axis, and where the second MCP angle is an angle between the first link and a user x-z plane, where the user x-z plane is defined by the user x-axis and the user z-axis, and where the PIP angle is a joint angle between the first link and the second link in the user linkage motion plane, thereby determining the first MCP angle, the second MCP angle, and the PIP angle and,

communicating the first MCP angle, the second MCP angle, and the PIP angle through the data port.

2. The user finger interface of claim 1 where the fingertip locator is comprised of;
a 2 DOF interface universal joint fixably attached to the palm anchoring section, where the 2 DOF interface universal joint has a first joint rotational degree of freedom and a second joint rotational degree of freedom, where the first joint rotational degree of freedom is a rotation about an interface x-axis and where the second joint rotational degree of freedom is a rotation about an interface y-axis, where the interface x-axis is perpendicular to the interface y-axis;
an interface revolute joint, where the interface revolute joint is a single degree of freedom joint allowing rotation about a single joint rotation axis, where the single joint rotation axis is perpendicular to the interface y-axis;
a user end-effector;
a first serial linkage, where a first end of the first serial linkage is anchored by the 2 DOF interface universal joint, and where a second end of the first serial linkage is pinned at the interface revolute joint, and where a first linkage length is equal to a displacement from the first end of the first serial linkage to the second end of the first serial linkage;
a second serial linkage, where a first end of the second serial linkage is pinned at the interface revolute joint, and where a second end of the second serial linkage is attached to the user end-effector, such that the first serial linkage and the second serial linkage comprise an interface planar linkage having motion constrained to an interface linkage motion plane, where the interface y-axis resides in or is parallel to the interface linkage motion plane, and where a second linkage length is equal to a displacement from the first end of the second serial linkage to the user end-effector;
a palm anchoring surface fixably attached to the palm anchoring section, where the palm anchoring surface is fixably attached to the palm anchoring section such that the interface planar linkage comprised of the first serial linkage and the second serial linkage can rotate about the interface x-axis to a position where the end-effector at the second end of the second serial linkage is within at least 200 millimeters of the palm anchoring surface;
a first joint angle sensor for determining a first angle, where the first angle is an angle between an interface y-z plane and the interface linkage motion plane, where the interface y-z plane is defined by the interface y-axis and an interface z-axis, where the interface z-axis is perpendicular to the interface y-axis and perpendicular to the interface x-axis, and where the first joint angle sensor is in data communication with the digital controller;
a second joint angle sensor for determining a second angle, where the second angle is an angle between the first serial linkage and an interface x-z plane, where the interface x-z plane is defined by the interface x-axis and the interface z-axis, and where the second joint angle sensor is in data communication with the digital controller; and
a third joint angle sensor for determining a third angle, where the third angle is a joint angle between the first serial linkage and the second serial linkage in the interface linkage motion plane, and where the third joint angle sensor is in data communication with the digital controller.

3. The user interface of claim 2 where the digital controller is further programmed for:
receiving the first angle, the second angle, a

Assignees

• Crawford Anthony L
• Us Dept Energy

Inventors

• Crawford Anthony L

Classifications

• B25J13/02 Primary

  Hand grip control means {(handles or pedals for crane control B66C13/56; for measuring the force applied to control members G01L5/22; hand-held casings for switching devices, e.g. joy-sticks H01H9/0214)} · CPC title

• A61B5/6826

  Finger · CPC title

• B25J13/082 Primary

  Grasping-force detectors (in general G01L5/16, G01L5/22) · CPC title

• A61B2019/2273

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• G01B21/16

  for measuring distance of clearance between spaced objects · CPC title