Multi-articulated manipulator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9796092-B2
Application number	US-201615002568-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 9, 2016
Priority date	Jan 21, 2015
Publication date	Oct 24, 2017
Grant date	Oct 24, 2017

Abstract

This multi-articulated manipulator is rich in reliability and follow-up property in medical applications. The multi-articulated manipulator is composed of more than one hollow outer shell, joint members to connect the outer shells each other, a grasping member fastened for rocking movement to the foremost outer shell, and a power transmission shaft to actuate the grasping member and the outer shell in a bending manner independently from each other. The power transmission shaft is composed of a universal join allowed to bend independently from each other and transmit the rotating torque, and a transmission shaft capable of making expansion and shrinkage and able to transmit rotating torque. The power transmission shaft at the foremost end thereof has male threads mating with the nut made at the boss portion inside the outer shell.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A multi-articulated manipulator comprising:
more than one hollow outer shells lying lengthwise, a joint fastened to opposite ends of the outer shells, a joint member to connect joints opposed to each other, a grasping member connected for rotation to the joint members opposed each other, and more than one power transmission shafts which fits into the outer shells and the joint for expansion and shrinkage and further bending to operate the grasping member and the outer shells independently from each other in a bending manner,
wherein the power transmission shafts each have a plurality of transmission shafts capable of extension and shrinkage and transferring a rotating torque, and more than one universal joints capable of bending to connect the adjacent transmission shafts each other and transmit the rotating torque,
wherein the power transmission shafts have second threaded portions which are allowed to mate into first threaded portions made in boss portions in the outer shells,
wherein the outer shells are composed of a first outer shell lying at a foremost end of the outer shells, a second outer shell adjacent to the first outer shell, a third outer shell adjacent to the second outer shell, and a fourth outer shell adjacent to the third outer shell,
wherein the power transmission shafts are composed of a pair of first power transmission shafts to actuate the grasping member with respect to the first outer shell in a vertical direction, a pair of second power transmission shafts to actuate the first outer shell relative to the second outer shell in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction, a single third power transmission shaft to actuate the second outer shell with respect to the third outer shell in a vertical direction, and a single fourth power transmission shaft to actuate the third outer shell with respect to the fourth outer shell in a vertical direction, and
wherein the transmission shafts of the power transmission shafts are composed of operating shafts lying at base end and having a first shaft part, a first folder fitting over the first shaft part in a sliding manner and having fastened to a universal joint, a second folder having a second shaft fit into the first folder for sliding movement, a universal joint having a third shaft fit into the second folder for sliding movement, a driving shaft formed with a male threads and having a fourth shaft which fits for sliding movement into the first folder fastened to the foremost universal joint, and springs installed between the first folder and the operating shaft, and the first folder and the second folder, the second folder and the universal joint, and the first folder and the driving shaft, and wherein pins are diametrically fastened to the first, second, third and fourth shaft parts to fit into slits in the first folder and the second folder to be guided in a lengthwise direction, but kept against rotation.

2. The multi-articulated manipulator defined in claim 1 , wherein the joint member each fastened to one of opposite ends of the outer shells are composed of a circular part fastened to the outer shell, and a pair of raised portions or U-shaped raised portions extended integrally from circumferentially opposite locations of the circular part.

3. The multi-articulated manipulator defined in claim 1 , wherein the joint fastened to one of the opposite ends of the outer shells have a stopper pin extended outwardly and another joint fastened to another of the opposite ends of the outer shell has a curved slit, and further the stopper pin made on the joint makes engagement with the curved slit in the adjacent joint to limit a bending range between adjacent joint members.

4. The multi-articulated manipulator defined in claim 1 , wherein the first threaded portion on the boss portion of the outer shell is a nut and the second threaded portion on the transmission shafts are male threads mating with the nut.

5. The multi-articulated manipulator defined in claim 1 , wherein the joint is composed of a first joint member to move the grasping member with respect to the outer shell in a vertical direction, a second joint to move the outer shell with respect to the second outer shell in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction, a third joint to move the second outer shell with respect to the third shell in a vertical direction and a fourth joint to move the third outer shell relative to the fourth outer shell.

6. The multi-articulated manipulator defined in claim 1 , wherein the universal joint in the power transmission shafts are composed of a pair of lengthwise opposed end yokes, and a middle yoke coupled at the opposite ends thereof with the end yokes by means of joint pins using the cross-shaped universal joints.

7. The multi-articulated manipulator defined in claim 1 , wherein a thin plate fastened inside the outer shell makes engagement with the transmission shaft parts of the power transmission shafts to restrict an expansion/shrinkage range of the power transmission shaft.

8. The multi-articulated manipulator defined in claim 1 , wherein the grasping member is composed of a pair of fingers which are supported for swinging movement with respect to each other with connecting pins fastened to the end of the first outer shell, so that the fingers are operated by the two first power transmission shafts to grasp an object.

9. The multi-articulated manipulator defined in claim 1 , wherein the outer shells, the joint members and the transmission shafts are made of metallic material rich in rigidity or stiffness.

10. A multi-articulated manipulator comprising:
more than one hollow outer shells lying lengthwise, a joint fastened to opposite ends of the outer shells, a joint member to connect joints opposed to each other, a grasping member connected for rotation to the joint members opposed each other, and more than one power transmission shafts which fits into the outer shells and the joint for expansion and shrinkage and further bending to operate the grasping member and the outer shells independently from each other in a bending manner,
wherein the power transmission shafts each have a plurality of transmission shafts capable of extension and shrinkage and transferring a rotating torque, and more than one universal joints capable of bending to connect the adjacent transmission shafts each other and transmit the rotating torque,
wherein the power transmission shafts have second threaded portions which are allowed to mate into first threaded portions made in boss portions in the outer shells,
wherein the outer shells are composed of a first outer shell lying at a foremost end of the outer shells, a second outer shell adjacent to the first outer shell, a third outer shell adjacent to the second outer shell, and a fourth outer shell adjacent to the third outer shell,
wherein the power transmission shafts are composed of a pair of first power transmission shafts to actuate the grasping member with respect to the first outer shell in a vertical direction, a pair of second power transmission shafts to actuate the first outer shell relative to the second outer shell in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction, a single third power transmission shaft to actuate the second outer shell with respect to the third outer shell in a vertical direction, and a single fourth power transmission shaft to actuate the third outer shell with respect to the fourth outer shell in a vertical direction, and
wherein the transmission shafts of the power transmission shafts are composed of operating shafts lying at base end and having a first shaft part, a first folder fitting over the first shaft part in a sliding manne

Assignees

• Nippon Thompson Co Ltd

Inventors

• Sato Takashi
• Sakai Tetsuya

Classifications

• B25J15/022

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• B25J9/1689 Primary

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• A61B2034/305

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• A61B2034/301

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