Robot hand and robot

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9248575-B2
Application number	US-201414199355-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 6, 2014
Priority date	Mar 25, 2013
Publication date	Feb 2, 2016
Grant date	Feb 2, 2016

Abstract

A second member having an elongated shape is attached to a first member via a connecting member. The connecting member is rotatable around a first shaft in a direction intersecting with a longitudinal direction of the second member with respect to the first member and rotatable around a second shaft intersecting both the longitudinal direction and a direction along the first shaft with respect to the second member. Further, a first drive part that rotationally drives the connecting member around the first shaft is provided in the first member and a second drive part that rotationally drives the connecting member around the second shaft is provided in the second member. In this manner, a robot hand that can rotate the first member and the second member not only around the first shaft but also around the second shaft may be realized with a simpler and smaller structure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A robot hand comprising:
a first member;
a second member having an elongated shape;
a connecting member attached to the first member so as to rotate around a first shaft intersecting a longitudinal direction of the second member and attached to the second member so as to rotate around a second shaft intersecting the longitudinal direction and a direction along the first shaft;
a first drive part provided in the first member and rotationally driving the connecting member around the first shaft; and
a second drive part provided in the second member and rotationally driving the connecting member around the second shaft,
wherein the first drive part and the second drive part are vibrators containing a piezoelectric material.

2. The robot hand according to claim 1 , wherein the longitudinal direction of the second member, a longitudinal direction of the first shaft, and a longitudinal direction of the second shaft are orthogonal to one another.

3. The robot hand according to claim 1 , wherein one of the first shaft and the second shaft is provided in a position offset from a centroid of a section set by a plane orthogonal to the longitudinal direction in the second member.

4. The robot hand according to claim 1 , wherein the first member is a member having an elongated shape.

5. The robot hand according to claim 1 , further comprising a first reduction mechanism that decelerates rotation from the first drive part.

6. The robot hand according to claim 1 , further comprising a second reduction mechanism that decelerates rotation from the second drive part.

7. A robot comprising the robot hand according to claim 1 .

8. A robot hand comprising:
a first member;
a second member having an elongated shape;
a connecting member that connects the first member and the second member;
the first shaft that connects the first member and the connecting member and intersects a longitudinal direction of the second member;
the second shaft that connects the second member and the connecting member and intersects both the longitudinal direction and the first shaft;
a first drive part provided in the first member and rotationally drives the connecting member around the first shaft; and
a second drive part provided in the second member and rotationally drives the connecting member around the second shaft,
wherein the first drive part and the second drive part are vibrators containing a piezoelectric material.

9. A robot comprising the robot hand according to claim 8 .

10. A robot hand comprising:
a first member;
a second member having an elongated shape;
a connecting member that connects the first member and the second member;
a first vibrator provided in the first member and vibrating in a bending direction and a stretching direction;
a first shaft that connects the first member and the connecting member and intersects the stretching direction of the first vibrator;
a second shaft that connects the second member and the connecting member and intersects both the longitudinal direction and the stretching direction of the first vibrator; and
a second vibrator provided in the second member and vibrating in the bending direction and the stretching direction, the bending direction and the stretching direction intersecting the second shaft,
wherein the first vibrator rotationally drives the connecting member around the first shaft, and
the second vibrator rotationally drives the connecting member around the second shaft.

11. A robot comprising the robot hand according to claim 10 .

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Miyazawa Osamu

Classifications

• H02N2/004

  Rectangular vibrators · CPC title

• B25J15/0009 Primary

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

• H02N2/103

  by pressing one or more vibrators against the rotor · CPC title