JP7804976B2 - Drive unit - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a drive device .

Micromanipulators have traditionally been used for picking up and assembling minute parts, manipulating cells, and other tasks (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The micromanipulator in Patent Document 1 is equipped with a microgripper with multiple openable and closable gripping arms as a working tool for grasping minute objects. In addition to microgrippers, other working tools used by micromanipulators include, for example, pipettes and syringe needles.

In addition, in Patent Document 1, because the object to be grasped is tiny, a camera is provided that captures an image of the object to be grasped through a microscope, and the operator can operate the grasping arm by referring to the image output on a display. Furthermore, the manipulator in Patent Document 1 is equipped with a position change mechanism that can move the microgripper in an arc around the tip of the grasping arm, and an XYZ movement mechanism that moves the microgripper and the position change mechanism in three dimensions, allowing the position of the tip of the grasping arm to be changed within the field of view of the microscope.

Meanwhile, there are drive devices that use piezoelectric elements to convert electrical energy into mechanical work. The applicant has proposed a drive device in which a piezoelectric element is attached to one end of a drive shaft supported by a guide member and a restraining member, and the drive shaft is moved axially by expanding and contracting the piezoelectric element (see Patent Document 2). In such a drive device, a single or continuous sawtooth wave pulse is applied to the piezoelectric element, changing the state of the contact surface between the drive shaft and the moving body or support that frictionally engages with the drive shaft between a stuck state (stick) and a sliding state (slip), thereby moving the drive shaft and the moving body or support relative to each other.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-342844 JP 2015-128360 A

The present invention aims to improve the design freedom and versatility of use of a drive device having a support unit with a piezoelectric element fixed to at least one end of a drive shaft and a moving body unit that frictionally engages with the drive shaft of the support unit.

The technical problem of the reference invention is to realize a compact and lightweight work module with a camera that can change the orientation of a work tool.

The camera-equipped work module of the reference invention comprises an imaging device that images the working area of a work tool, a tool rotation device that supports the work tool and rotates it relative to the working area, and a base member that supports the tool rotation device and the imaging device, wherein the imaging device is held non-rotatably on the base member and is positioned on the rotation axis of the work tool rotated by the tool rotation device.
Here, the configuration in which "the imaging device is arranged on the rotation axis of the work tool" includes not only a configuration in which the optical axis of the imaging device and the rotation axis of the work tool are aligned, but also a configuration in which the optical axis of the imaging device and the rotation axis of the work tool are not aligned (shifted).

According to the camera-equipped work module of the reference invention, the tool rotation device can change the attitude (orientation) of the work tool, improving the reliability and accuracy of work. Furthermore, since the tool rotation device and imaging device are mounted on a base member and the imaging device is positioned on the axis of rotation of the work tool caused by the tool rotation device, a mechanism for moving the imaging device relative to the axis of rotation of the work tool is not required, resulting in a compact, lightweight, and highly workable camera-equipped work module. By making the camera-equipped work module compact and lightweight in this way, it can be attached to a small robot with low driving force. Furthermore, since the imaging device is non-rotatably held by the base member, even if the work tool is rotated by the tool rotation device, the image captured by the imaging device does not rotate, providing excellent operability for the operator.

Furthermore, according to the camera-equipped work module of the reference invention, the work tool, tool rotation device, and imaging device are assembled and modularized on a single base member, making it easy to incorporate the work tool, tool rotation device, and imaging device into various robots with moving mechanisms. Furthermore, the camera-equipped work module of the reference invention allows the user to operate the work tool while viewing images captured by the imaging device. Furthermore, by preparing a camera-equipped work module in which the optical axis of the imaging device and the work area of the work tool (e.g., the tip of the work tool) have already been adjusted, the work tool and imaging device can be quickly and easily attached to the robot. Furthermore, the camera-equipped work module of the reference invention can be made smaller and lighter, making it possible to attach it to small robots with low driving force. Furthermore, by passing the optical axis of the imaging device's lens through the work area of the work tool, the work area of the work tool can be observed in an image area where the influence of lens aberration is minimal.

In the camera-equipped work module of the reference invention, the imaging device may include a lens driving device that moves the lens along the optical axis by vibrating a piezoelectric element for driving the lens, and an imaging element that receives light that has passed through the lens.

In this configuration, the lens is moved by the vibration of the lens-driving piezoelectric element, which simplifies the configuration of the lens driving device and enables the lens driving device to be made smaller and lighter. This in turn enables the imaging device to be made smaller and lighter, and ultimately the camera-equipped work module to be made smaller and lighter.

In an embodiment equipped with the above-mentioned lens driving device and imaging element, the wiring member extending from the imaging element may be arranged to avoid the rotational range of the work tool, and the lens driving shaft of the lens driving device may be arranged to the side of the imaging element.

This configuration prevents the wiring members from interfering with the rotation of the work tool by the tool rotation device, while also making effective use of the available space to the side of the imaging element to position the lens drive device, resulting in a more compact work module with a camera.

Furthermore, in an aspect including the above-mentioned lens driving device and image sensor, the lens driving shaft of the lens driving device may be arranged on an extension of the optical axis of the lens, on the opposite side of the image sensor from the lens.

This configuration allows the planar size of the imaging device to be reduced, which in turn allows the planar size of the camera-equipped work module to be reduced.

In the camera-equipped work module of the reference invention, an example of the work tool is a gripper having gripping arms that open and close.

This configuration allows the gripper to grip and operate the object to be gripped, and the tool rotation device can change the gripper's posture (orientation), making it possible to realize a compact, lightweight, and highly workable camera-equipped work module.

The gripping arm of the gripper may extend diagonally downward so that the optical axis of the imaging device intersects with the extension direction of the gripping arm.

This configuration allows the gripper and imaging device to be arranged compactly, and the length of the gripping arm can be kept as short as possible to ensure the strength of the gripping arm. Furthermore, by extending the gripping arm diagonally downward, a space is formed below the gripper (below the base end of the gripping arm), preventing parts of the gripping arm other than the tip end (the part that grips the object to be gripped) from colliding with the object to be gripped, improving the operability of the gripper device. The direction from the imaging device toward the work area along the optical axis of the imaging device is downward.

The lens and the imaging element of the imaging device may be a first lens and a first imaging element, and the imaging device may further include a second lens and a second imaging element that capture an image of the work area with an optical axis tilted relative to the optical axis of the first lens, and the second lens may be fixed in position relative to the second imaging element.

In this embodiment, the imaging device is equipped with two imaging elements that capture images of the work area of the work tool. This allows the operator to perform gripping operations while viewing stereo images of the work object placed in the work area, improving operability. Furthermore, for example, the image captured by one of the imaging elements can be used to locate the work object, and when operating the work object with the work tool, the operator can perform gripping operations while viewing stereo images captured by the two imaging elements, resulting in excellent operability. Furthermore, because the second lens is fixed in position relative to the second imaging element, the imaging device including the second lens and second imaging element can be formed with a simple configuration. This allows the present embodiment to achieve a compact camera-equipped work module while still being capable of capturing stereo images. Note that this embodiment does not exclude a configuration in which the second lens is movable relative to the second imaging element and the focal length can be changed. Furthermore, the second lens may be composed of multiple lenses.

The wiring member extending from the first imaging element may be arranged to avoid the rotational range of the work tool, and the second lens and the second imaging element may be arranged in a position that overlaps with the wiring member in a direction parallel to the rotation axis of the work tool.

This configuration allows the second lens and second image sensor to be installed by utilizing dead space without reducing the rotational range of the work tool, thereby preventing the camera-equipped work module from becoming too large.

The camera-equipped work device of the reference invention comprises the camera-equipped work module of the reference invention and a movement mechanism that moves the base member of the camera-equipped work module.

According to the camera-equipped work device of the reference invention, since it is equipped with the camera-equipped work module of the reference invention, the entire camera-equipped work device can be made smaller and lighter, and the camera-equipped work module can be moved while the image of the object to be grasped is captured by the imaging device of the camera-equipped work module, thereby aligning the object to be grasped in the working area of the work tool.

In the camera-equipped work device of the reference invention, the moving mechanism may include a drive device having a first support unit having a pair of piezoelectric elements fixed to both ends of a drive shaft, and a first movable body unit that frictionally engages with the drive shaft of the first support unit, and the base member of the camera-equipped work module may be connected to the first movable body unit, and the first movable body unit may be moved in the axial direction of the drive shaft by driving both or one of the pair of piezoelectric elements.

The movement mechanism may also include a drive device having a second moving body unit with a pair of piezoelectric elements fixed to both ends of a drive shaft, and a second support unit that frictionally engages with the drive shaft of the second moving body unit to support the second moving body unit, and the base member of the camera-equipped work module may be connected to the second moving body unit, and the second moving body unit may be moved in the axial direction of the drive shaft by driving one or both of the pair of piezoelectric elements.

In the two embodiments described above, the drive device vibrates the drive shaft in the axial direction using the vibration of a piezoelectric element that converts an electrical signal (drive pulse) into mechanical vibration, thereby moving with high resolution and positioning with high precision the first movable unit that frictionally engages with the drive shaft of the first support unit, or the second movable unit that has a drive shaft that is frictionally engaged and supported by the second support unit.

Furthermore, in these embodiments, the drive device has a piezoelectric element fixed to each end of the drive shaft, so that, for example, the piezoelectric elements can be driven simultaneously to improve the movement speed and drive force of the mobile unit, or only one of the piezoelectric elements can be driven to improve the controllability and accuracy of the mobile unit. Therefore, in this embodiment, by connecting the base member of the camera-equipped work module to the mobile unit directly or via another member or mechanism, the work tool of the camera-equipped work module can be moved and positioned to the desired position quickly and accurately with high resolution.

The drive device may include a device holder that connects the first support unit to a base while holding it so that it can vibrate in the axial direction of the drive shaft, a unit positioning body that faces an end of the first support unit on the extension of the axial direction of the drive shaft, and an elastic body that biases one end of the first support unit toward the unit positioning body so that the other end of the first support unit is biased toward the one end.

In this configuration, the drive shaft of the first support unit can be connected to the base in a state in which it can vibrate in its axial direction, allowing vibrations generated by driving the piezoelectric element to be efficiently transmitted to the drive shaft. Furthermore, the first support unit can be held in position by the repulsive force (elastic force) of the elastic body while being able to vibrate in the axial direction of the drive shaft, allowing vibrations generated by driving the piezoelectric element to be efficiently transmitted to the drive shaft.

The drive device may include a device holder that connects the first support unit to a base while holding it so that it can vibrate in the axial direction of the drive shaft, and the device holder may include a holder-side convex or concave portion that engages with a unit-side concave or convex portion provided on the first support unit.

This configuration allows the drive shaft of the first support unit to be connected to the base in a state in which it can vibrate in its axial direction, and the vibrations generated by driving the piezoelectric element can be efficiently transmitted to the drive shaft. Furthermore, by engaging the convex or concave portion on the holder side with the concave or convex portion on the unit side, the first support unit can be positioned with a simple configuration.

The drive device may drive the pair of piezoelectric elements simultaneously or selectively depending on the positional relationship between the movable unit and the support unit.

According to this aspect, in the above embodiment in which the first movable body unit is frictionally engaged with the drive shaft of the first support unit, the movement speed and drive force can be varied, and controllability and accuracy can be improved, depending on the position of the first movable body unit within the range in which the first movable body unit can reciprocate on the drive shaft. Also, in the above embodiment in which the drive shaft of the second movable body unit is frictionally engaged with the second support unit, the movement speed and drive force can be varied, and controllability and accuracy can be improved, depending on the position of the second movable body unit relative to the second support unit.

The moving body unit moves within a predetermined stroke range along the axial direction of the drive shaft, and when it is located in the central region of the stroke, both of the pair of piezoelectric elements are driven; when it is located in one end region of the stroke closer to one of the piezoelectric elements, only one of the piezoelectric elements is driven; and when it is located in the other end region of the stroke closer to the other piezoelectric element, only the other piezoelectric element is driven.

In this manner, when the movable body unit is positioned in the stroke center region, both piezoelectric elements are simultaneously driven, thereby improving the movement speed and driving force of the movable body unit. Furthermore, when the movable body unit is positioned in the stroke end region closer to one or the other piezoelectric element, only the piezoelectric element closer to the movable body unit is driven, preventing the drive (vibration) of the piezoelectric element farther from the movable body unit from impeding the movement of the movable body unit. Furthermore, by controlling the movement of the movable body unit only by driving the piezoelectric element closer to the movable body unit, it becomes easier to design the circuit and drive waveform of the drive unit that supplies the drive waveform to the piezoelectric element, and it also improves the controllability and accuracy of the movement of the movable body unit in the stroke end region.

One of the pair of piezoelectric elements may be used as a driving piezoelectric element, and the two terminals of the other piezoelectric element may be short-circuited.

In this configuration, one of the piezoelectric elements acts as a vibration absorber, reducing the effects of reflected waves from the end of the drive shaft opposite to the end to which the other driving piezoelectric element is connected, thereby improving the controllability and accuracy of the movement of the moving unit.

One of the pair of piezoelectric elements may be a driving piezoelectric element, and may be equipped with a switch that shorts the two terminals of the other piezoelectric element when the first moving body unit or the second support unit approaches the other piezoelectric element.

In this aspect, when the first moving body unit or the second support unit is located in a stroke region distant from the driving piezoelectric element, the switch shorts the two terminals of the other piezoelectric element, thereby reducing the influence of reflected waves from the end of the drive shaft on the side of the other piezoelectric element when the driving piezoelectric element is driven (vibrated). This improves the controllability and accuracy of the movement of the first moving body unit or the second support unit in a stroke region distant from the driving piezoelectric element. For example, it is possible to achieve a long stroke by increasing the axial length of the drive shaft and increasing the stroke of the first moving body unit or the second support unit.

The movement mechanism comprises a drive device having a support unit with a piezoelectric element fixed to at least one end of a drive shaft, and a moving body unit that frictionally engages with the drive shaft of the support unit. The drive device has a portion of the support unit closest to the piezoelectric element supported by a cantilever on a base, and a cylindrical output member covering the other end of the support unit is connected to the moving body unit. The base member of the camera-equipped work module is connected to the moving body unit via the output member, and the moving body unit and the output member are moved in the axial direction of the drive shaft by driving the piezoelectric element.

In this embodiment, the rigidity of the output member can be increased by making the output member cylindrical. For example, if the output member has an end face portion that faces the end face on the other end of the support unit and closes the tip-end opening of the output member, the rigidity of the cylindrical output member can be further increased. Note that the support unit may also have a piezoelectric element fixed to the other end of the drive shaft. In this case, the output member is arranged to cover the piezoelectric element on the other end.

The present invention is a drive device having a support unit with a piezoelectric element fixed to at least one end of a drive shaft, and a movable body unit that frictionally engages with the drive shaft of the support unit, wherein the portion of the drive shaft closer to the piezoelectric element is cantilevered on a base , and the movable body unit is moved in the axial direction of the drive shaft by driving the piezoelectric element.

According to the present invention , the portion of the drive shaft closest to the piezoelectric element in the support unit is cantilevered on the base, thereby expanding the space in which the object to be moved connected to the moving body unit can be placed, improving design freedom and versatility of use. Furthermore, since the moment applied to the drive shaft by an external force is not applied to the joint between the piezoelectric element and the drive shaft, the vibration of the piezoelectric element can be stably transmitted to the drive shaft, ensuring the driving stability of the drive device.

Furthermore, the device holder that cantilevers the portion of the drive shaft closest to the piezoelectric element may include a fixing portion that fixes the drive shaft, and a restricting portion that extends from the fixing portion in the opposite direction to the piezoelectric element and is positioned opposite the side of the drive shaft.

In this configuration, the device holder securely connects the portion of the drive shaft closest to the piezoelectric element to the base at the fixed portion, and the fixed and restricting portions suppress rotation of the drive shaft when an external force moment is applied to the drive shaft, preventing damage to the device holder and drive shaft due to force being concentrated at the fixed portion.

The present invention can improve the design freedom and versatility of applications in a drive device having a support unit with a piezoelectric element fixed to at least one end of a drive shaft and a moving body unit that frictionally engages with the drive shaft of the support unit .

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of a gripper device. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a control system of the gripper device. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an extension/retraction drive device in the gripper device. 1A and 1B show a gripper module, in which FIG. 1A is a left side view and FIG. 1B is a front view. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the gripper module. FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the gripper module. 10A to 10C are diagrams illustrating the operation of the lens driving device of the gripper module. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the gripper module. 1A, 1B, and 1C are a plan view, a side view, and a bottom view, respectively, of an imaging device. 1A is an exploded perspective view of an imaging device, FIG. 1B is a plan view of a lens driving device, and FIG. 1C is an exploded perspective view of the lens driving device. 1A and 1B are diagrams showing a gripper, in which FIG. 1A is a plan view and FIG. 1B is a front view. FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating the inside of the gripper. 10A and 10B are plan views showing modified examples of the gripper. 1A and 1B are schematic diagrams for explaining the friction engagement structure between the arm-driving vibration unit and the gripping arm, in which FIG. 1A is a separated perspective view, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the assembled state. 10A and 10B show another embodiment of the gripper module, in which FIG. 10A is a side view and FIG. 10B is a front view with a partial cross section. 1A is a plan view of the imaging device according to the embodiment, FIG. 1B is a side view showing a partial cross section, and FIG. 1C is a bottom view. FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of a modified example of the gripper device. 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams showing the configuration of a modified example of the drive device, in which FIG. 10A is a front view and FIG. 10 is a side view showing a modified example of the connection configuration between the piezoelectric element and the drive shaft in the drive device. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining the drive control of the drive device. FIG. FIG. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining another example of the drive device. FIG. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining still another example of the drive device. FIG. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining still another example of the drive device. FIG. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining still another example of the drive device. FIG. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining still another example of the drive device. FIG. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining still another example of the drive device. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining an embodiment of a drive device. FIG. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining another example of an embodiment of a drive device.

A gripper module and a gripper device, which are embodiments of a camera-equipped work module and a camera-equipped work device according to the present invention, will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of the gripper device. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a control system of the gripper device. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an extension drive device in the gripper device. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the gripper module, with (A) being a left side view and (B) being a front view. FIG. 5 is a plan view for explaining the operation of the tool rotation device of the gripper module. FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the gripper module. FIG. 7 is an enlarged conceptual view of the gripper module as seen from the side, with (A) showing the imaging state of a close-range field of view and (B) showing the imaging state of a long-range field of view. FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the gripper module. FIG. 9 is a view showing the imaging device, with (A) being a plan view, (B) being a side view, and (C) being a bottom view. 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining an imaging device, in which (A) is an exploded perspective view of the imaging device, (B) is a plan view of the lens driving device, and (C) is an exploded perspective view of the lens driving device.

Note that in the following description, terms indicating specific directions or positions (such as "left and right," "front and back," and "up and down") are used as necessary, but these terms are used for convenience of explanation and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, a gripper is one example of a work tool, and other work tools such as pipettes and syringe needles can also be provided on the work module with a camera.

As shown in FIG. 1, the gripper device 1000 of this embodiment includes a three-axis operation drive device 500 (an example of a movement mechanism) that moves the gripper module 100 in three orthogonal axis directions. The gripper module 100 is attached to the tip of a three-axis movable drive shaft 504 (drive shaft 504 of the telescopic drive device 501C) of the three-axis operation drive device 500.

As also shown in Figures 2 and 4 to 8, the gripper module 100 includes a gripper 200 (an example of a work tool) having a pair of gripping arms 220 that open and close due to the vibration of an arm-driving piezoelectric element 210, an imaging device 300 that captures an image of the working area of the gripping arms 220 of the gripper 200 (the position where the gripping arms 220 grip the object to be gripped), a tool rotation device 700 that supports the gripper 200 and rotates the gripper 200 relative to the working area, and a base member 450 that supports the tool rotation device 700 and the imaging device 300.

The base member 450 is fixed to the tip of the drive shaft 504 of the telescopic drive device 501C. The gripper 200 has a pair of gripping arms 220 that open and close in response to the vibration of the arm drive piezoelectric element 210. The imaging device 300 is non-rotatably held by the base member 450 and is positioned on the rotation axis of the gripper 200, which is rotated by the tool rotation device 700.

As shown in Figure 8 and other figures, the base member 450 is made of metal or resin and has a downwardly convex shape, with the tool rotation device 700 attached to the base front portion 451 and the imaging device 300 attached to the downwardly protruding base lower portion 452. The tip of the drive shaft 504 of the telescopic drive device 501C is fitted and fixed into a front-to-rear opening mounting hole 453 provided in the center of the base member 450, thereby attaching the gripper module 100 to the three-axis operation drive device 500. The base member 450 and the tip of the drive shaft 504 can be connected by, for example, adhesive or screw fastening, but this is not particularly limited to, this method.

As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the tool rotation device 700 has a rotation device main body 701 fixed to the base front portion 451, a motor 710 attached to the rotation device 701 main body with the motor output shaft 711 facing downward, and a tool mounting member 720 attached to the motor output shaft 711 so as not to rotate relative to it and which rotates around the motor output shaft 711.

The rotation device main body 701 is made of metal or resin and has a roughly rectangular parallelepiped shape. It is firmly fixed to the front base portion 451 of the base member 450 by left and right screws 730 inserted from the front into front and rear screw insertion holes provided on the left and right edges.

The motor 710, which is cylindrical and equipped with a reducer, is inserted into a circular motor holder 702 with top and bottom openings in the rotating device main body 701 and secured therein, for example, with an adhesive. The tip of the motor output shaft 711 is rotatably supported in a shaft support hole 704 provided in a forward-facing L-shaped output shaft support 703 that hangs down from the rear edge of the underside of the rotating device main body 701. The motor output shaft 711 is also inserted non-rotatably into output shaft insertion holes 722 with top and bottom openings provided in the rotation base end 721 of a tool mounting member 720 disposed between the underside of the rotating device main body 701 and the output shaft support 703, and secured therein, for example, with an adhesive.

The tool mounting portion 723 provided at the tip of the tool mounting member 720 has the shape of a generally trapezoidal pillar with its front surface sloping diagonally downward, and is wider than the rotating base end portion 721. The gripper 200 is attached to the front surface 724 of the tool mounting portion 723 with gripper mounting screws 205, and a pair of left and right gripping arms 220 that can be opened and closed in the left-right direction extend diagonally downward. The tips of the left and right gripping arms 220 are positioned below the motor output shaft 711 when closed.

The tool mounting member 720 is not fixed to the rotation device main body 701, and rotates around the motor output shaft 711 as the motor output shaft 711 rotates. In other words, the rotation axis of the gripper 200 fixed to the tool mounting member 720 coincides with the axis of the motor output shaft 711. The allowable rotation range of the tool mounting member 720 is restricted by the output shaft support portion 703 of the rotation device main body 701. As shown in Figure 5, in this embodiment, the tool mounting member 720 is rotatable within a range of approximately 180 degrees.

As shown in Figures 6 to 10, the imaging device 300 comprises an imaging device main body 302 fixed to a lower base 452 of a base member 450, a lens drive device 310 that moves the lens 301 along the optical axis L, and an imaging element 330 that receives light that has passed through the lens 301. A pair of left and right fixing portions 303 extending in the front-to-rear direction are erected upward at the rear of the left and right edges of the upper surface of the metal or resin imaging device main body 302. The left and right fixing portions 303 sandwich the lower base 452 of the base member 450 between them, and the fixing portions 303 and the lower base 452 are connected by left and right screws 308, thereby firmly fixing the imaging device main body 302 to the base member 450.

The front half of the imaging device main body 302 extends below the rotation device main body 701, and the imaging element 330 held by the imaging device main body 302 is disposed below the motor output shaft 711. A lens 301 is disposed below the imaging element 330, and can be moved up and down by the operation of a lens drive device 310 held by the imaging device main body 302. In this embodiment, the optical axis L of the lens 301 is located on the rotation axis of the gripper 200 (on the axis of the motor output shaft 711). In other words, the imaging device 300 is held non-rotatably by the base member 450, and the lens 301 and imaging element 330 are disposed on the rotation axis of the gripper 200 (work tool) driven by the tool rotation device 700. The gripping arm 220 of the gripper 200 can then rotate about the optical axis L by driving the tool rotation device 700.

The imaging device 300 also has a second imaging element 340 and a second lens 341 mounted on a second camera mount 304 that extends downward from the rear of the underside of the imaging device main body 302. The second lens 341 is fixed in position relative to the second imaging element 340. The optical axis LA of the second lens 341 passes through the working area of the gripper 200, and the second imaging element 340 and second lens 341 are positioned so that they are focused on the working area of the gripper 200.

The gripper module 100 of this embodiment allows the tool rotation device 700 to change the attitude (orientation) of the gripper 200, improving the reliability and accuracy of work. Furthermore, the tool rotation device 700 and imaging device 300 are mounted on the base member 450, and the imaging device 300 is positioned on the axis of rotation of the gripper 200 caused by the tool rotation device 700. This eliminates the need for a mechanism to move the imaging device 300 relative to the axis of rotation of the gripper 200, resulting in a compact, lightweight, and highly user-friendly camera-equipped work module. In this way, the compact and lightweight construction of the gripper module 100 allows it to be mounted on small robots with low driving force. Furthermore, because the imaging device 300 is non-rotatably held by the base member 450, even if the gripper 200 is rotated by the tool rotation device 700, the image captured by the imaging device 300 does not rotate, providing excellent operability for the operator.

In this embodiment, the gripping arm 220 of the gripper 200 is extended diagonally downward so that the optical axis L of the imaging device 300 intersects with the extension direction of the gripping arm 220. This allows the gripper 200 and imaging device 300 to be arranged compactly, and the length of the gripping arm 220 can be made as short as possible to ensure the strength of the gripping arm 220. Furthermore, by extending the gripping arm 220 diagonally downward, a space is formed below the gripper 200 (below the base end of the gripping arm 220), which prevents parts of the gripping arm 220 other than the tip end (the part that grips the object to be gripped) from colliding with the object to be gripped, improving the operability of the gripper device 1000.

Furthermore, with the gripper module 100, the gripper 200 and tool rotation device 700 are assembled and modularized with the imaging device 300 on a single tool mounting member 720, making it easy to incorporate the gripper 200, tool rotation device 700, and imaging device 300 into various robots with movement mechanisms (in this embodiment, the three-axis operation drive unit 500). Furthermore, with the gripper module 100, the position of the gripper 200's gripping arm 220 can be adjusted while viewing images captured by the imaging device 300. By preparing a gripper module 100 in which the optical axis L of the imaging device 300, the rotation axis of the gripper 200 caused by the tool rotation device 700, and the position of the gripper 200's gripping arm 220 have already been adjusted, the gripper 200, tool rotation device 700, and imaging device 300 can be quickly and easily attached to a robot (e.g., the three-axis operation drive unit 500).

In addition, in the gripper module 100, the optical axis L of the lens 301 of the imaging device 300 passes through the working area of the gripping arm 220, so the working area of the gripping arm can be observed in an image area where the influence of the aberration of the lens 301 is minimal, improving the ease and accuracy of gripping operations by the gripping arm 220.

In addition, the imaging device 300 of the gripper module 100 is equipped with two imaging elements 330, 340 that capture images of the working area of the gripper 200, allowing the gripping operation to be performed while viewing a stereo image of the object to be grasped placed in the working area, improving operability. Furthermore, the image captured by the imaging element 330, whose optical axis L is aligned in the vertical direction, is used to locate the object to be grasped, and when gripping the object with the gripper 200, the gripping operation can be performed while viewing the stereo images captured by the two imaging elements 330, 340.

Next, we will explain the three-axis operation drive device 500. As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the three-axis operation drive device 500 comprises an extension/retraction drive device 501A for the up-down direction (Z-axis direction) that is fixed at one end on a base 550, an extension/retraction drive device 501B for the left-right direction (Y-axis direction) that is fixed to the other end, which serves as the output side of the extension/retraction drive device 501A, an extension/retraction drive device 501C for the front-back direction (X-axis direction) that is fixed to the output side of the extension/retraction drive device 501B, and an output member 502 that is fixed to the output side of the extension/retraction drive device 501C. Each of the extension/retraction drive devices 501A to 501C has the same configuration, and extends and retracts by sliding the drive shaft 504 of the moving body unit 503 in the axial direction relative to the housing 505.

The telescopic drive device 501A is arranged so that the axial direction of the drive shaft 504 runs vertically, and the lower end of the housing 505 is fixed to the base 550, standing upright from the base 550. By sliding the moving unit 503 up and down from the upper end of the housing 505, the output member 502 connected via the telescopic drive devices 501B and 501C moves vertically. In other words, the telescopic drive device 501A moves the gripper module 100 fixed to the output member 502 along the optical axis L of the imaging device 300. This allows the gripper module 100 to move up and down while the imaging device 300 captures an image of the object to be grasped, thereby aligning the tip of the gripping arm 220 of the gripper 200 with the object to be grasped.

The output side (front side) of the housing 505 of the telescopic drive device 501B is fixed to the output side of the upper end of the movable body unit 503 of the telescopic drive device 501A, and the telescopic drive device 501B is arranged horizontally in the left-right direction relative to the base 550. By sliding the movable body unit 503 left and right from the right end of the housing 505, the output member 502 connected via the telescopic drive device 501C is moved left and right. The output side (front side) of the housing 505 of the telescopic drive device 501C is fixed to the output side of the upper end of the movable body unit 503 of the telescopic drive device 501B, and the telescopic drive device 501B is arranged horizontally in the front-to-back direction relative to the base 550. By sliding the movable body unit 503 back and forth from the front end of the housing 505, the output member 502 connected to the front end of the movable body unit 503 is moved back and forth.

The general configuration of the extension/retraction drive devices 501A-501C will now be described with reference to Figure 3. Hereinafter, the extension/retraction drive devices 501A-501C will be referred to simply as extension/retraction drive device 501. The extension/retraction drive device 501 comprises a moving body unit 503, a support unit 506 that supports the moving body unit 503, and a piezoelectric element 507 that converts electrical signals into mechanical vibrations. The moving body unit 503 moves relative to the support unit 506 due to the vibration of the piezoelectric element 507. The extension/retraction drive controller 508 supplies sawtooth wave drive pulses to the piezoelectric element 507, causing the drive shaft 504 to vibrate in the axial direction.

The moving body unit 503 has an axial configuration, with a piezoelectric element 507 fixed to one end of a drive shaft 504 and an output member 502 fixed to the other end of the drive shaft 504. The moving body unit 503 is disposed within the cylindrical housing 505 so that the output member 502 fixed to the other end of the drive shaft 504 is positioned outside the housing 505, and is supported by a support unit 506 within the housing 505 so that the drive shaft 504 has a degree of freedom only in the axial direction (sliding direction). The output member 502 moves along the axial direction of the drive shaft 504 in accordance with the sliding movement of the moving body unit 503, outside the extension direction (axial direction) of the housing 505.

As shown in FIG. 2, an extension/retraction drive controller 508 is electrically connected to each of the extension/retraction drive devices 501A-501C. Furthermore, a module controller 101 is electrically connected to the gripper 200 of the gripper module 100, the lens drive device 310 of the imaging device 300, and the motor 710 of the tool rotation device 700. The module controller 101 supplies sawtooth wave drive pulses to the arm drive piezoelectric element 210 and the lens drive piezoelectric element 311, and supplies drive power to the motor 710.

These controllers 101 and 508 are electrically connected to a PC 1001, a personal computer that constitutes the control device. The imaging element 330 of the imaging device 300 of the gripper module 100 is also electrically connected to the PC 1001. The PC 1001 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that performs various arithmetic processing and control, a storage device including a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores control programs and various data, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) that temporarily stores control programs and various data, and an input interface. The PC 1001 controls the gripper 200 and extension/retraction drive devices 501A-501C via the controllers 101 and 508 so that they perform the desired operations.

The PC 1001 is configured to be able to display images acquired by the imaging elements 330, 340 of the imaging device 300 on a monitor 1002 as a display device. The PC 1001 also drives the lens driving device 310, which moves the lens 301, via the module controller 101, to perform autofocus control so that the image acquired by the imaging element 330 of the imaging device 300 is in focus. This allows the object to be focused on regardless of the height position the object is located at between the near-field of view Fs around the working area of the gripper 200 as shown in FIG. 7(A) and the far-field of view Fl below the working area as shown in FIG. 7(B).

Furthermore, when adjusting the height position of the object to be grasped relative to the gripper module 100, the image acquired by the second image sensor 340 and second lens 341, whose optical axis LA passes diagonally through the work area and is focused on the work area, is used to move the gripper module 100 and the object to be grasped relative to each other so that the object to be grasped is in focus, thereby accurately and reliably positioning the object to be grasped in the work area of the gripper 200. Note that a lens driving device may be provided that moves the second lens 341 along the optical axis LA, so that the images acquired by the second image sensor 340 and second lens 341 are in focus even at a position other than the work area. The lens driving device that moves the second lens 341 may be configured, for example, similar to the lens driving device 310.

To explain an example of the gripping operation of an object to be grasped by the gripper device 1000, while the imaging device 300 is operating, the gripper module 100 is moved by driving the three-axis operation drive device 500 to search for the object to be grasped in the long-distance field of view Fl. Then, while focusing on the object to be grasped that has been found, the gripper module 100 is moved by driving the three-axis operation drive device 500 so that the object to be grasped is positioned in the working area (near-distance field of view Fs) of the gripper 200's gripping arm 220. The tool rotation device 700 is then used to change the gripper 200's gripping arm 220 to the desired posture (orientation), and the gripper arm 220 is then driven to grasp the object to be grasped.

The tip of the gripper 200 can be used to poke, move, or rotate the object to be gripped to change its orientation. It is also possible to attach a needle-shaped member such as a capillary instead of the gripper's gripping arm, and perform the operation of puncturing the object with the needle-shaped member while viewing the image captured by the imaging device 300, which is focused on the object to be punctured, such as a cell.

As described above, the gripper device 1000 includes a gripper module 100 that can be made smaller and lighter, thereby enabling the entire gripper device 1000 to be made smaller and lighter. The gripper device 1000 also includes an extension/retraction drive device 501B as a linear motion mechanism that moves the gripper module 100 linearly along the optical axis L of the imaging device 300. This allows the gripper module 100 to be moved up and down while the imaging device 300 of the gripper module 100 captures an image of the object to be grasped, thereby aligning the tip of the gripping arm 220 of the gripper 200 with the object to be grasped.

As shown in Figures 4 to 10, the imaging device 300 comprises an imaging device main body 302, a lens driving device 310 that moves the lens 301 up and down along the optical axis L by vibrating a lens driving piezoelectric element 311, an imaging element 330 that receives light that has passed through the lens 301, and a second imaging element 340 that receives light that has passed through a second lens 341 that is fixed in position.

The lens drive device 310 comprises an axial lens drive vibration unit 313 with a lens drive shaft 312 fixed to one end of a lens drive piezoelectric element 311, a lens support 314 that frictionally engages with the lens drive shaft 312 and moves in the axial direction of the lens drive shaft 312, and a support case 317 that has a drive shaft support piece 315 and a piezoelectric element support piece 316 that support both ends of the lens drive vibration unit 313. The lens drive device 310 is fixed, for example with an adhesive, to a drive device placement section 305 with a downward opening created by cutting out one of the left and right sides (the left side in this embodiment) of the imaging device main body 302.

The support case 317 includes a plate-shaped support base 318 that connects the plate-shaped drive shaft support piece 315 and the piezoelectric element support piece 316, and is positioned with the piezoelectric element support piece 316 on the upper side and the drive shaft support piece 315 on the lower side. The drive shaft support piece 315 and the piezoelectric element support piece 316 extend in the same direction (forward in this embodiment) from the upper and lower ends of the support base 318, and the support case 317 has a U-shape (C-shape). The drive shaft support piece 315 and the piezoelectric element support piece 316 are provided with notched recesses 315a, 316a. The support case 317 holds the end of the lens drive shaft 312 in the notched recess 315a, while holding the lens drive piezoelectric element 311 in the notched recess 316a, thereby holding the lens drive vibration unit 313 at a distance from the support base 318.

The support case 317 is fixed to the rear of a notched recessed drive device placement section 305 provided on the image capture device body 302, with the lens drive piezoelectric element 311 facing upward. The image capture device body 302 is formed with a notched recessed section 305a that accommodates the lens drive piezoelectric element 311 that protrudes upward from the top surface of the piezoelectric element support piece 316 of the support case 317, and the lens drive piezoelectric element 311 is positioned with a gap between it and the image capture device body 302.

The lower end of the lens drive shaft 312 of the lens drive vibration unit 313 is fitted into the notched recess 315a of the drive shaft support piece 315 and fixed with adhesive (not shown). Meanwhile, the lower part of the lens drive piezoelectric element 311 (the portion near the joint with the lens drive shaft 312) is fitted into the notched recess 316a of the piezoelectric element support piece 316 and fixed with adhesive (not shown). The upper end of the lens drive shaft 312 is positioned close to the underside of the piezoelectric element support piece 316.

In this way, by fitting and securing both ends of the lens driving vibration unit 313 into the notched recesses 315a, 316a provided in a pair of support pieces 315, 316 of the support case 317, both ends of the lens driving vibration unit 313 can be securely secured to the support case 317, and the thickness of the support pieces 315, 316 can be reduced. This allows the length dimension (length dimension along the axial direction of the lens driving vibration unit 313) of the support case 317 to be reduced while maintaining the movable range (up and down stroke) of the lens support 314, thereby achieving a smaller and lighter support case 317 and ultimately a smaller and lighter lens driving device 310. Furthermore, by securing the lower end of the lens drive shaft 312 to the drive shaft support piece 315 and positioning the upper end of the lens drive shaft 312 adjacent to the piezoelectric element support piece 316, the movable range of the lens support 314, which frictionally engages with the lens drive shaft 312, can be restricted by the support pieces 315, 316.

Furthermore, by reducing the thickness of the drive shaft support piece 315 of the support case 317, the lens support 314 can be moved close to the lower end of the lens drive device 310 (the lower surface of the drive shaft support piece 315), thereby realizing a compact lens drive device 310 in which the protrusion dimension of the lower end of the lens drive device 310 relative to the end of the movable range of the lens support 314 on the drive shaft support piece 315 side (the lower limit of the movable range of the lens support 314) is small.

In addition, in a configuration in which the lower end of the lens drive shaft 312 is fixed to the drive shaft support piece 315 with adhesive, the adhesive may flow around the side of the lens drive shaft 312. The same applies to a configuration in which the lens drive piezoelectric element 311 is fixed to the piezoelectric element support piece 316 with adhesive.

As shown in Figures 4 to 10, the lens support 314 of the lens drive device 310 includes a support substrate 319 that frictionally engages with the lens drive shaft 312, and a lens holding plate 320 connected to the support substrate 319. The lens 301 is fixed to the lens holding plate 320, for example with an adhesive, so that it overlaps with a light-transmitting hole 320a provided in the lens holding plate 320. A downward-opening cavity 306 is provided in the front of the imaging device main body 302, and the lens 301 and lens holding plate 320 are arranged to be able to move up and down within the cavity 306.

In Figures 4 and 6 to 10, the structure of the support substrate 319 is illustrated in a simplified manner, and the support substrate 319 is frictionally engaged with the lens drive shaft 312, for example, in a structure similar to the frictional engagement structure between the gripping arm 220 and the arm drive shaft 211 (see Figure 14), which will be described later. Note that the structure for frictionally engaging the lens support 314 with the lens drive shaft 312 is not limited to the structure shown in Figure 14, and may be any frictional engagement structure in which the lens support 314 moves along the lens drive shaft 312 by repeatedly shifting between a stick state (fixed state) and a slip state (sliding state) due to vibration of the lens drive piezoelectric element 311.

As shown in Figures 6 and 10, a circuit placement groove 307 is formed on the top surface of the imaging device main body 302, extending in the front-to-rear direction from the front portion of the top surface to the rear edge portion. The front portion of the circuit placement groove 307 communicates with the cavity 306, and the rear portion of the circuit placement groove 307 opens to the rear surface of the imaging device main body 302. The imaging element 330 is mounted on one end of a flexible substrate 331, which is arranged along the circuit placement groove 307 with the imaging element 330 facing downward, and the imaging element 330 is arranged above the lens 301. Light that enters the lens 301 from below and passes through the lens 301 enters the imaging element 330 through the light transmission hole 320a.

The flexible substrate 331 extends rearward from the imaging device main body 302 so as not to interfere with rotation of the gripper 200 by the tool rotation device 700. A backing plate (not shown) may be attached to the front end of the flexible substrate 331 on the side opposite the imaging element 330 to increase the rigidity of the flexible substrate 331 and suppress shaking of the imaging element 330.

As shown in Figures 4, 6, 9, etc., an end of a second flexible substrate 342 carrying a second imaging element 340 is fixed to a second camera mounting seat 304 provided on the rear underside of the imaging device main body 302. The second imaging element 340 is covered by a box-shaped camera case 343. The second lens 341 is supported by the camera case 343 with its optical axis LA facing the working area of the gripper 200. The second flexible substrate 342 extends rearward from the second camera mounting seat 304 of the imaging device main body 302 so as not to interfere with rotation of the gripper 200 by the tool rotation device 700.

In the gripper module 100 of this embodiment, the imaging device 300 includes a lens driving device 310 that moves the lens 301 along the optical axis L by vibrating the lens driving piezoelectric element 311, and an imaging element 330 that receives light that has passed through the lens 301. Because the lens 301 is moved by vibrating the lens driving piezoelectric element 311, the configuration of the lens driving device 310 can be simplified, making it possible to reduce the size and weight of the lens driving device 310. This in turn makes it possible to reduce the size and weight of the imaging device 300, and ultimately the size and weight of the camera-equipped work module.

In addition, the flexible substrate 331 (an example of a wiring member) extending from the imaging element 330 is arranged to avoid the rotational range of the gripper 200, and the lens drive shaft 312 of the lens drive device 310 is positioned to the side of the imaging element 330. This prevents the flexible substrate 331 from interfering with the rotation of the gripper 200 by the tool rotation device 700, while allowing the lens drive device 310 to be positioned by effectively utilizing the empty space to the side of the imaging element 330, resulting in a more compact camera-equipped work module.

In addition, the gripper module 100 is equipped with a gripper 200 having a gripping arm 220 that opens and closes as a work tool, allowing the gripper 200 to grip and operate the object to be gripped, and the gripper's posture (orientation) can be changed using the tool rotation device 700, resulting in a compact, lightweight, and more user-friendly work module with a camera.

Next, the gripper 200 of the gripper module 100 will be described with reference to Figures 6 and 11 to 14. Note that in Figure 6, the cross section of the gripper 200 corresponds to the X-X position in Figure 11 (A).

The gripper 200 comprises an arm drive vibration unit 212, with left and right arm drive shafts 211 fixed to both the left and right ends of an arm drive piezoelectric element 210, and left and right gripping arms 220 that frictionally engage with the left and right arm drive shafts 211 and move in the axial direction of the arm drive shafts 211. The left and right gripping arms 220 open and close by moving away from or towards each other due to the vibration of the arm drive piezoelectric element 210. Because the gripper 200 opens and closes the gripping arms 220 due to the vibration of the arm drive piezoelectric element 210, the configuration of the gripper 200 can be simplified, and the gripper 200 can be made smaller and lighter.

As shown in Figure 12, the arm-driving vibration unit 212 is fixed to the left-right long gripper base plate 201. One side of the arm-driving piezoelectric element 210 is fixed with adhesive 202a to the base plate mounting base 201a that protrudes from the center of the gripper base plate 201. In addition, the end faces of the left and right arm drive shafts 211 are fixed with adhesive 202b to the tip faces of the left and right base plate support pieces 201b that protrude from the left and right ends of the gripper base plate 201.

The end faces of the left and right arm drive shafts 211 may be abutted against the base plate support piece 201b and fixed with adhesive (not shown), as shown in FIG. 13(A). The end faces of the left and right arm drive shafts 211 do not have to be fixed to the gripper base plate 201. For example, in the configuration shown in FIG. 13(A), if the arm drive shafts 211 and the base plate support piece 201b are not bonded to each other, the base plate support piece 201b functions as a protective member that protects the arm drive shafts 211. In this case, a gap may be formed between the arm drive shafts 211 and the base plate support piece 201b.

Also, as shown in FIG. 13(B), a stopper member 227 may be provided to limit the range of movement of the gripping arm 220 toward the tip end (left and right outer sides) of the arm drive shaft 211. For example, the stopper member 227 is formed of adhesive attached to a portion of one side (or two or more sides) of the arm drive shaft 211 near the tip (near the end opposite the arm drive piezoelectric element 210). The stopper member 227 limits the movement of the gripping arm 220 toward the left and right outer sides. The range of movement of the gripping arm 220 toward the base end (left and right inner sides) of the arm drive shaft 211 is limited by the plate mounting base 201a of the gripper plate 201.

In this modified example, a stopper member 227 is provided on each of the left and right arm drive shafts 211, but the left and right positions at which the stopper members 227 are provided are different for the left and right arm drive shafts 211. As a result, the left and right gripping arms 220 have different strokes (the left and right lengths of their movable ranges).

Because the left and right gripping arms 220 have different strokes, when the left and right gripping arms 220 move from a fully open state to a closed state, the gripping arm 220 with the shorter stroke reaches the inner stroke end on the left or right side (the stroke end on the arm drive piezoelectric element 210 side), and the gripping arm 220 with the longer stroke reaches the inner stroke end on the left or right side later. In this way, by making one gripping arm 220 reach the inner stroke end on the left or right side earlier than the other gripping arm 220, the reproducibility of the position of the gripping arms 220 when the left and right gripping arms 220 are closed can be improved.

Furthermore, by having one of the gripping arms 220 reach the inner left/right stroke end first, it becomes easier to predict the position at which the left and right gripping arms 220 will grip the object when gripping a small object, and the object can be prevented from moving too much before the left and right gripping arms 220 have completed gripping the object. In this way, displacement of the object to be gripped before the gripping operation is completed can be reduced, improving the repeatability and reliability (accuracy) of the gripping operation.

Furthermore, when moving the object to be grasped to a desired orientation or position, if the gripping arm 220 with the shorter stroke reaches the inner stroke end on the left or right, the movement of the object to be grasped can be completed before the other gripping arm 220 comes into contact with the object to be grasped. This improves the reproducibility and reliability (accuracy) of the movement operation of the object to be grasped.

Even if the shape and stroke of the gripping arms 220 are set so that a gap is formed between the tips of the gripping arms 220 (tips of the finger members 225) when both the left and right gripping arms 220 are positioned at the inner left and right stroke ends, the same effect as above can be achieved by making the strokes of the left and right gripping arms 220 different from each other.

It is also possible to make the strokes of the left and right gripping arms 220 different from each other by providing a stopper member 227 on only one of the left and right arm drive shafts 211. Furthermore, by providing a stopper member near the base end of the arm drive shaft 211 (near the end on the arm drive piezoelectric element 210 side), it is possible to set the inner stroke ends of the left and right gripping arms 220. It goes without saying that the configuration in which the strokes of the left and right gripping arms 220 differ from each other can also be applied to the configuration shown in FIG. 13(A). The stopper member that determines the stroke end of the gripping arm 220 is not limited to a configuration provided on the arm drive shaft 211, and may be a configuration that comes into contact with the gripping arm 220 and limits the movable range of the gripping arm 220, such as a configuration formed by a protrusion provided on the gripper base plate 201 or gripper case 203.

The left and right gripping arms 220, which frictionally engage with the left and right arm drive shafts 211, are frictionally engaged with the arm drive shafts 211 by attaching elastic arm fixing members 222 to the arm body base ends 223 of the arm bodies 221, which are in contact with the arm drive shafts 211. The left and right gripping arms 220 have a symmetrical configuration. Figures 4, 6, 7, etc. show simplified illustrations of the arm body base ends 223 of the arm bodies 221 and the arm fixing members 222.

With reference to Figure 14, a specific configuration example of frictional engagement between the gripping arm 220 and the arm drive shaft 211 will be described. Note that in Figure 14, the finger attachment portion 224 of the arm main body 221 of the gripping arm 220 is illustrated in a simplified form, and the finger member 225 is not shown.

The arm body base end 223 of the arm body 221 has a bifurcated L-shape in side view, with one end forming an upper fixing portion 223A extending rearward and the other forming a front fixing portion 223B extending downward. The arm fixing member 222 is composed of an elastic body such as a plate-shaped friction spring bent into an L-shape in side view, with one end (rear upper edge side) of the arm fixing member 222 connected to the upper fixing portion 223A of the arm body base end 223, and the other end (lower front edge side) of the arm fixing member 222 connected to the front fixing portion 223B of the arm body base end 223.

The arm body 221 has a finger attachment portion 224 extending forward from the arm body base end 223. The finger attachment portion 224 is located on one of the left and right edges of the upper fixing portion 223A of the arm body base end 223, and extends forward from the front surface of the front fixing portion 223B. The arm body base end 223 has an upper locking portion 223X that protrudes upward from the rear edge of the upper fixing portion 223A, and a front locking portion 223Y that protrudes forward from the lower edge of the front fixing portion 223B. In other words, the arm body base end 223 is configured by branching into an upper fixing portion 223A having an upper locking portion 223X that is hook-shaped in side view at its rear edge, and a front fixing portion 223B having a front locking portion 223Y that is hook-shaped in side view at its lower edge.

The arm fixing member 222 has a rear plate portion 222A extending upward from the rear lower end, and a lower plate portion 222B extending forward from the lower edge of the rear plate portion 222A. An upper locking portion 222X bent into an L shape is provided on the upper edge of the rear plate portion 222A, while a front locking portion 222Y bent into an L shape is provided on the front edge of the lower plate portion 222B. The arm fixing member 222 has the upper and lower midpoints of the rear plate portion 222A protruding forward, and the front and rear midpoints of the lower plate portion 222B protruding upward, so that the connecting portion between the rear plate portion 222A and the lower plate portion 222B is U-shaped in side view. Additionally, the upper locking portion 222X extends forward from the upper edge of the rear plate portion 222A and then bends downward, while the front locking portion 222Y extends upward from the front edge of the lower plate portion 222B and then bends backward.

The arm body 221 is attached to the arm drive vibration unit 212 so that the arm body base end 223 abuts against part of the outer circumferential surface of the arm drive shaft 211. At this time, the lower surface of the upper fixing portion 223A of the arm body base end 223 contacts the upper surface of the arm drive shaft 211, and the rear surface of the front fixing portion 223B of the arm body base end 223 contacts the front surface of the arm drive shaft 211. In other words, the arm body 221 is attached to the arm drive vibration unit 212 so that the arm body base end 223 covers part of the upper and front surfaces of the arm drive shaft 211 in the left-right direction. Furthermore, the rear edge of the upper fixing portion 223A protrudes rearward beyond the rear edge of the arm drive shaft 211, and the lower edge of the front fixing portion 223B protrudes downward beyond the lower edge of the arm drive shaft 211.

The arm fixing member 222 is attached to the arm drive vibration unit 212 to which the arm body 221 is attached, so as to cover the exposed outer peripheral surface of the arm drive shaft 211 covered by the arm body base end 223. At this time, the arm fixing member 222 abuts the front surface of the protruding portion of the rear plate portion 222A against the rear surface of the arm drive shaft 211, and abuts the upper surface of the protruding portion of the lower plate portion 222B against the lower surface of the arm drive shaft 211. In other words, the arm fixing member 222 is attached to the arm drive vibration unit 212 so as to cover the rear and lower surfaces of the portions of the arm body 221 of the arm drive shaft 211 that are covered by the arm body base end 223. Furthermore, the upper edge of the rear plate portion 222A of the arm fixing member 222 protrudes upward from the top surface of the arm main body base end 223 of the arm fixing member 222, thereby engaging the upper locking portion 222X with the upper locking portion 223X of the arm main body base end 223, while the front edge of the lower plate portion 222B protrudes forward from the front surface of the arm main body base end 223 of the arm fixing member 222, thereby engaging the front locking portion 222Y with the front locking portion 223Y of the arm main body base end 223.

The arm main body 221 has upper locking portions 223X and front locking portions 223Y at both ends of the arm main body base end 223 hooked onto upper locking portions 222X and front locking portions 222Y at both ends of the arm fixing member 222, pressing down on the arm drive shaft 211 at two contact points with the arm drive shaft 211 and generating a frictional force between the arm main body 221 and the arm fixing member 222. In other words, the arm main body 221 is pulled toward the arm drive shaft 211 by the arm fixing member 222, generating a frictional force between the arm drive shaft 211 and the arm drive shaft 211 on the two surfaces (top and front) that are in contact with the arm drive shaft 211. In this way, the gripping arm 220, which combines the arm main body 221 and the arm fixing member 222, is frictionally engaged with the arm drive vibration unit 212.

The arm body base end 223 of the arm body 221, which serves as the moving body, has a shape that covers part of the outer periphery of the arm drive vibration unit 212 when viewed from the axial direction of the arm drive vibration unit 212, i.e., a shape that covers part of the outer periphery of the arm drive vibration unit 212 on a plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the arm drive vibration unit 212. The arm body base end 223 is aligned along the outer periphery of the arm drive vibration unit 212 and both ends of the arm body base end 223 are connected by elastic arm fixing members 222, engaging the arm body 221 with the arm drive vibration unit 212. In other words, the arm body base end 223 of the arm body 221 is installed so as to cover the upper front side of the arm drive shaft 211 and abut against the front and top surfaces of the arm drive shaft 211. Thereafter, the arm fixing member 222 is spread open so as to sandwich both ends of the arm main body base end 223 from below and behind the arm drive shaft 211, and the upper locking portion 223X and the front locking portion 223Y are respectively locked with the upper locking portion 222X and the front locking portion 222Y, thereby frictionally engaging the arm main body base end 223 of the arm main body 221 with the arm drive shaft 211.

In this way, the gripping arm 220 is installed on the arm drive vibration unit 212 so that the arm drive shaft 211 is sandwiched between the arm body base end 223 of the arm body 221 and the elastic arm fixing member 222. This makes it easy to incorporate the gripping arm 220 into the arm drive vibration unit 212, and allows the gripping arm 220 to frictionally engage with the arm drive vibration unit 212 with an appropriate force. In this case, the frictional force of the gripping arm 220 with respect to the arm drive vibration unit 212 may be changed by changing the elastic force of the arm fixing member 222, or the frictional force of the gripping arm 220 with respect to the arm drive vibration unit 212 may be changed by changing the contact area of the arm fixing member 222 with the arm drive shaft 211.

Furthermore, the gripping arm 220 has a configuration in which the finger attachment portion 224 of the arm body 221 is extended forward, but by making the arm drive shaft 211 rectangular prism-shaped and configuring the arm body base end portion 223 and arm fixing member 222 of the arm body 221 in an L-shape, it is possible to restrict the gripping arm 220 from rotating relative to the arm drive vibration unit 212 due to the rotational moment caused by the finger attachment portion 224. In other words, the arm body base end portion 223 and arm fixing member 222 of the arm body 221 each abut against the outer circumferential surface of the arm drive shaft 211 while pressing against it, thereby preventing the arm body 221 from rotating relative to the arm drive shaft 211. At this time, the arm body base end portion 223 of the arm body 221 and the arm fixing member 222 sandwich the arm drive shaft 211 from the front and rear between the front fixing portion 223B and the rear plate portion 222A, and also sandwich the arm drive shaft 211 from the top and bottom between the upper fixing portion 223A and the lower plate portion 222B, thereby frictionally engaging with the arm drive shaft 211.

In this way, the gripping arm 220 is frictionally engaged with the arm drive shaft 211. Note that the configuration for frictionally engaging the gripping arm 220 with the arm drive shaft 211 is not limited to the configuration described with reference to Figure 14, and any frictional engagement structure may be used in which the gripping arm 220 moves along the arm drive shaft 211 by repeatedly going between a stick state (fixed state) and a slip state (sliding state) due to vibration of the arm drive piezoelectric element 210.

Returning to Figures 11 to 13, etc., we will continue explaining the gripper 200. A finger mounting groove 224a for holding a plate-shaped finger member 225 is formed at the tip of the finger mounting portion 224 of the gripping arm 220. The finger mounting groove 224a opens to the tip surface, top surface, and bottom surface of the finger mounting portion 224. The tip of the finger mounting portion 224 is formed with finger fixing screw holes 224b that penetrate from the left and right outer surfaces of the tip to the finger mounting groove 224a.

The base ends of the finger members 225 are inserted into the finger mounting grooves 224a, and the base ends of the finger members 225 are pressed against the inner wall surfaces of the finger mounting grooves 224a by finger fixing screws 226 that are screwed into the finger fixing screw holes 224b from the left and right outside, thereby removably attaching the finger members 225 to the arm body 221. The finger fixing screws 226 are, for example, hexagon socket set screws. The tip sides of the finger members 225 extend diagonally inward in the direction in which the tips of the left and right finger members 225 approach each other, making it easy to grip micro-components with the tips of the finger members 225.

The base ends of the arm drive vibration unit 212 and gripping arm 220 are covered by a roughly box-shaped gripper case 203 fixed to the gripper base plate 201. The arm fixing member 222 of the gripping arm 220 and the arm body base end 223 of the arm body 221 are disposed within the gripper case 203, while the finger attachment portion 224 of the arm body 221 is disposed outside the gripper case 203. Left and right gripping arm insertion holes 203a, through which the left and right arm bodies 221 are inserted, are formed on the end faces of the gripper case 203. The gripping arm insertion holes 203a are elongated horizontally, allowing the gripping arm 220 to move left and right.

Mounting screw insertion holes 203b are formed in the center of each of the top and bottom surfaces of the gripper case 203. The mounting screw insertion holes 203b are positioned so that the gripper mounting screws 205 inserted through the mounting screw insertion holes 203b do not interfere with the gripping arms 220 and arm-driving vibration units 212 inside the gripper case 203. Openings on the left and right side surfaces of the gripper case 203 are covered by side covers 204 attached to the left and right side surfaces of the gripper case 203 and the left and right side surfaces of the gripper base plate 201. In addition, the gripper case 203 is formed with wiring insertion holes 203c for pulling out electrical wiring 206 that supplies electrical signals to the arm-driving piezoelectric elements 210 from within the gripper case 203.

The gripper 200 is detachably attached to the tool attachment part 723 by threading the gripper attachment screw 205 inserted through the attachment screw insertion hole 203b into the tool attachment screw hole 725 provided in the front surface 724 of the tool attachment part 723. The gripper 200 is fixed to the tool attachment part 723 in an obliquely downward position so that the finger members 225 of the gripping arms 220 are positioned below the tool attachment part 723 when the left and right gripping arms 220 are closed.

As described above, with the gripper module 100, the gripping arm 220 of the gripper 200 opens and closes due to the vibration of the arm-driving piezoelectric element 210, which simplifies the configuration of the gripper 200 and enables the gripper 200 to be made smaller and lighter. Furthermore, since the gripper 200 and the imaging device 300 are attached to the same base member, the gripper 200 and the imaging device 300 can be arranged compactly, enabling the gripper module 100 to be made smaller and lighter.

In the gripper module 100, the imaging device 300 includes a lens 301, a lens driving device 310 that supports and moves the lens 301, and an imaging element holder 332 that holds the imaging element 330. The lens driving device 310 and the imaging element holder 332 are individually attached to the tool mounting portion 723. This allows the area occupied by the imaging device 300 in the gripper module 100 to be smaller than when a modularized imaging device is attached to the tool mounting portion 723, making the gripper module 100 more compact and achieving a smaller and lighter gripper module 100. The lens 301 may be composed of multiple lenses. In this case, one or more of the multiple lenses may be configured to be movable for focus adjustment.

Furthermore, by separately attaching the lens driving device 310 and the imaging device holder 332 to the tool mounting portion 723 to which the gripper 200 is attached, the degree of freedom in the layout of the lens driving device 310 and the imaging device holder 332 relative to the gripper 200 is improved. Furthermore, by arranging the gripper 200 and the lens driving device 310 in close proximity to the imaging device holder 332, the gripper 200 and the imaging device 300 can be arranged compactly, contributing to the miniaturization and weight reduction of the gripper module 100. Note that the gripper 200 and the lens driving device 310 can also be arranged in close proximity as long as the lens driving device 310 is configured so as not to interfere with the opening and closing operation of the gripping arm 220.

Next, another embodiment of the gripper module 100 will be described with reference to Figures 15 and 16. Figure 15 shows another embodiment of the gripper module, with (A) being a side view and (B) being a front view with a partial cross section. Figure 16 shows an imaging device, with (A) being a plan view, (B) being a side view with a partial cross section, and (C) being a bottom view. The upper cover body 354 is not shown in Figure 16(A), and the lower cover body 356 is not shown in Figure 16(C). In Figures 15 and 16, parts that are the same as those in the gripper module 100 described with reference to Figures 1 to 10 are designated by the same reference numerals, and descriptions of these parts will be omitted.

In the imaging device 300A of the gripper module 100 of this embodiment, the lens drive shaft 312 of the lens drive device 310, which moves the lens 301 along the optical axis L by vibration of the lens drive piezoelectric element 311, is positioned on the opposite side of the imaging element 330 from the lens 301, on an extension of the optical axis L of the lens 301.

The imaging device body 302A of the imaging device 300 has a rectangular parallelepiped base made of metal or resin, with left and right fixing portions 303 on the upper surface of the base and a second camera mounting seat 304 on the lower surface. A square cylindrical camera holder 351 with top and bottom openings is fixed to the front of the imaging device body 302A, and the lens 301, lens drive device 310, and imaging element 330 are arranged within the camera holder 351. The camera holder 351 is made of metal or resin.

A backing plate 333 is attached to the tip of the flexible substrate 331 on the side opposite the mounting surface for the image sensor 330. The image sensor 330, flexible substrate 331, and backing plate 333 are disposed within the camera holder 351, with the image sensor 330 facing downward, via wiring holes 352 provided midway between the top and bottom of the rear side of the camera holder 351, and are fixed in position to the camera holder 351 by adhesively adhering the left and right edges of the backing plate 333 to stepped portions 353 provided on the left and right inner wall surfaces of the camera holder 351. The flexible substrate 331 extends in the front-to-rear direction along the underside of the image sensor main body 302A, and a midway portion of the flexible substrate 331 is inserted and held in wiring holding holes 309 with front and rear openings provided at the base of the second camera mounting seat 304 of the image sensor main body 302A.

The lens drive device 310 is positioned above the backing plate 333 (above the image sensor 330). An upper cover body 354 that covers the upper opening of the camera holder 351 is fixed to the upper end of the camera holder 351 with adhesive. One end (upper end) of the lens drive shaft 312 extending in the vertical direction is fixed to the underside of the upper cover body 354 via a drive device holder 355.

The drive unit holder 355 is box-shaped with openings on the top, one left and right side (here, the left side), and one front and rear side (the rear side), and a notch 355a that extends left and right and opens to the left is formed midway between the front and rear of the bottom. The lens drive piezoelectric element 311 fixed to the upper end surface of the lens drive shaft 312 is inserted vertically into the notch 355a, and the upper end of the lens drive shaft 312 is fixed to the bottom surface of the drive unit holder 355 with adhesive. A recess 354a facing the lens drive piezoelectric element 311 is formed on the underside of the upper cover body 354, and is configured to prevent contact between the lens drive piezoelectric element 311 and the upper cover body 354.

The lens drive device 310 is provided with a lens support 314 that extends in the front-to-rear direction and frictionally engages with the lens drive shaft 312 to move in the axial direction (here, the up-and-down direction) of the lens drive shaft 312. In a plan view, the front end of the lens support 314 is located in front of the image sensor 330, flexible substrate 331, and backing plate 333, and the front end of the lens holding plate 320 is fixed to the lower end of a connecting member 321 that hangs down from the front end of the lens support 314.

The plate-shaped lens holding plate 320 extends backward from the connecting member 321 below the image sensor 330 so as to overlap with the image sensor 330 in a plan view, and has a light-transmitting hole 320a below the image sensor 330. A cylindrical lens holder 322 is fixed to the upper surface of the lens holding plate 320, surrounding the periphery of the light-transmitting hole 320a.

The lens 301 is held in the lens holder 322 and is disposed below the image sensor 330. The lower opening of the camera holder 351 is covered by a light-transmitting lower cover body 356 made of, for example, transparent resin or transparent glass. Light enters the image sensor 330 from below, passes through the lower cover body 356 and the light-transmitting hole 320a, and enters the lens 301.

The imaging device 300A is configured to move the lens support 314, which is frictionally engaged with the lens drive shaft 312 of the lens drive device 310, up and down using the vibration of the lens drive piezoelectric element 311, thereby moving the lens 301 up and down relative to the imaging element 330 and focusing on an object to be grasped located in the working area of the gripper 200.

In the gripper module 100 of this embodiment, the lens drive shaft 312 of the lens drive device 310 of the imaging device 300A is positioned on the opposite side of the lens 301 from the imaging element 330, on an extension of the optical axis L of the lens 301. This allows the planar size of the imaging device 300A, particularly its left-right width, to be reduced, thereby reducing the planar size of the gripper module 100. Furthermore, by reducing the left-right width of the imaging device 300A, it is also possible to increase the range within which the gripper 200 can be rotated by the tool rotation device 700.

Next, a modified example of the three-axis operation drive device 500 will be described with reference to Figures 17 and 18. As shown in Figure 17, the three-axis operation drive device 500, which moves the gripper module 100 in three orthogonal axis directions, includes a drive device 800 for the up-down direction (Z-axis direction) that is fixed at one end to a base 550, a telescopic drive device 501B for the left-right direction (Y-axis direction) that is connected to the output member 800a of the drive device 800, a telescopic drive device 501C for the front-back direction (X-axis direction) that is fixed to the output side of the telescopic drive device 501B, and an output member 502 that is fixed to the output side of the telescopic drive device 501C. The telescopic drive devices 501B and 501C and the gripper module 100 are the same as those shown in Figure 1, etc.

As shown in Figure 18, the drive device 800 comprises a shaft-shaped support unit 801 having a pair of piezoelectric elements 811A, 811B fixed to both ends of a drive shaft 812, and a moving body unit 802 that frictionally engages with the support unit 801 and moves in the axial direction of the support unit 801. In the support unit 801, the piezoelectric elements 811A, 811B are fixed to the end of the drive shaft 812 via a transmission member 814. Note that Figure 18 shows a simplified configuration of the moving body unit 802, and the moving body unit 802 frictionally engages with the drive shaft 812 using a structure similar to the frictional engagement structure between the gripping arm 220 and arm drive shaft 211 described with reference to Figure 14, for example.

The support unit 801 and the moving body unit 802 are arranged inside a rectangular box-shaped housing 803, and the support unit 801 is supported by the housing 803 by fixing the transmission member 814 to the inner wall of the housing 803. A long hole 803a is formed in one side of the housing 803, aligned with the drive shaft 812. The output member 800a, arranged outside the housing 803, is connected to the moving body unit 802 via the long hole 803a. The housing 803 is a base that supports the drive device 800.

When sawtooth wave drive pulses are supplied to the piezoelectric elements 811A and 811B, vibrating the drive shaft 812 in the axial direction, the moving body unit 802 and output member 800a move along the drive shaft 812. Because the external dimensions of the transmission member 814 are larger than those of the drive shaft 812, it functions as a stopper that limits the range of movement of the moving body unit 802.

The transmission member 814 has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape or an H-shape in side view, and includes an output shaft end accommodating recess 814a that accommodates the end 812a or 812b of the drive shaft 812, and a piezoelectric element end accommodating recess 814b that accommodates one end of the piezoelectric element 811A or 811B. The transmission member 814 is made of a material such as metal, ceramic, or resin.

The ends 812a and 812b of the drive shaft 812 are accommodated in the output shaft end accommodating recess 814a of the transmission member 814 and are fixed to the transmission member 814, for example, with adhesive. Note that the drive shaft 812 and transmission member 814 may be fixed to each other using adhesive or other methods.

One end of each of the piezoelectric elements 811A and 811B is housed in a piezoelectric element end housing recess 814b of the transmission member 814 and is fixed to the transmission member 814 with, for example, an adhesive. The piezoelectric elements 811A and 811B are, for example, laminated elements in which piezoelectric material is stacked in the axial direction of the drive shaft 812. A pair of terminals is provided on the side of each of the piezoelectric elements 811A and 811B, and lead wires 813 are connected to each terminal with solder, conductive adhesive, or the like.

In this embodiment, the vibrations of the piezoelectric elements 811A, 811B are transmitted to the drive shaft 812 via the transmission member 814. This reduces the load on the adhesive between the piezoelectric elements 811A, 811B and the transmission member 814, compared to a configuration in which the piezoelectric elements 811A, 811B and the drive shaft 812 are directly connected with adhesive, thereby preventing a decrease in the adhesive's adhesive strength and stabilizing the operation of the drive device 800. Furthermore, by interposing the transmission member 814 between the piezoelectric elements 811A, 811B and the drive shaft 812, the adhesive can be selected based on the material of the transmission member 814, rather than simply one that has high adhesive strength to both the piezoelectric elements 811A, 811B and the drive shaft 812. This broadens the range of adhesive choices and allows the piezoelectric elements 811A, 811B and the drive shaft 812 to be strongly bonded to the transmission member 814 using an appropriate adhesive. Here, the adhesive that bonds the piezoelectric elements 811A, 811B to the transmission member 814 and the adhesive that bonds the drive shaft 812 to the transmission member 814 may be the same, or may have different components.

In addition, by providing the transmission member 814, the natural frequency of the drive shaft 812, which receives vibrations from the piezoelectric elements 811A and 811B, can be adjusted, allowing the vibrations from the piezoelectric elements 811A and 811B to be efficiently transmitted to the drive shaft 812, improving the efficiency and performance of the drive device in terms of speed and driving force.

Figure 19 is a diagram illustrating a modified example of the connection configuration between the piezoelectric elements 811A, 811B and the drive shaft 812. As shown in Figure 19(A), a plate-shaped transmission member 815 may be interposed between the end faces of the piezoelectric elements 811A, 811B and the end face of the drive shaft 812, and the transmission member 815 may be connected to a base 820 to support the piezoelectric elements 811A, 811B and the drive shaft 812. The end faces of the piezoelectric elements 811A, 811B and the end face of the drive shaft 812 are connected to the transmission member 815 with, for example, an adhesive. In this embodiment, the transmission member 815 is formed from an L-shaped member made of metal, ceramic, or resin.

The connection configuration between the piezoelectric element 811A and the drive shaft 812 may be different from the connection configuration between the piezoelectric element 811B and the drive shaft 812. For example, as shown in FIG. 19(B), a transmission member 815 may be interposed between one piezoelectric element 811A and the drive shaft 812, and a transmission member 814 (see also FIG. 18) may be interposed between the other piezoelectric element 812B and the drive shaft 812. With this configuration, the support unit 801 is firmly supported by the transmission member 814, while the simply configured transmission member 815 acts as a vibration rest to prevent shaking (vibration) of the support unit 801, resulting in weight and cost reductions.

Also, as shown in Figures 19(C) and (D), a joint 817 between the end faces of the piezoelectric elements 811A and 811B and the end face of the drive shaft 812 may be bonded with adhesive, and a fixing member 816 surrounding the outer periphery of the piezoelectric elements 811A and 811B and the drive shaft 812 may be bonded with adhesive to straddle the joint 817. The fixing member 816 may be connected to a base protrusion 820a protruding from a base 820 to support the piezoelectric elements 811A and 811B and the drive shaft 812 (support unit 801). In this embodiment, the fixing member 816 is formed from a metal, ceramic, or resin member with a square cross section. The drive shaft 812 has the same cross-sectional shape (rectangular) as the piezoelectric elements 811A and 811B. Note that Figure 19(D) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line D-D in Figure 19(C).

Also, as shown in Figures 19(E) and (F), joints 817 between the end faces of the piezoelectric elements 811A and 811B and the end face of the drive shaft 812 may be bonded with adhesive, and fixing members 818 may be bonded with adhesive to both the left and right sides of the piezoelectric elements 811A and 811B and the drive shaft 812 so as to straddle the joints 817, and the fixing members 818 may be connected to a base 820 to support the support unit 801. In this embodiment, the fixing member 818 is formed of a metal, ceramic, or resin member with a U-shaped cross section. Furthermore, the drive shaft 812 and the piezoelectric elements 811A and 811B have the same width dimension in the left-right direction (their height dimensions may be the same or different from each other). Note that Figure 19(F) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line E-E in Figure 19(E).

The connection configuration shown in Figures 19(A) and (B) reduces the load on the adhesive between the piezoelectric elements 811A, 811B and the transmission members 814, 815 compared to a configuration in which the piezoelectric elements 811A, 811B and the drive shaft 812 are simply directly bonded with adhesive, thereby preventing a decrease in the adhesive strength of the adhesive and stabilizing the operation of the drive device 800. Furthermore, the transmission members 814, 815 make it possible to adjust the natural frequency of the drive shaft 812, which receives vibrations from the piezoelectric elements 811A, 811B, thereby improving the efficiency and performance of the drive device in terms of speed and drive force.

Furthermore, with regard to adhesive bonding between the piezoelectric elements 811A, 811B and the drive shaft 812, similar to the configuration using the transmission member 814 described with reference to Figure 18, the adhesive can be selected after selecting the material of the transmission members 814, 815 or the fixing members 816, 818. This broadens the range of adhesive choices and allows the piezoelectric elements 811A, 811B and drive shaft 812 to be strongly bonded to the transmission members 814, 815 or the fixing members 816, 818 using an appropriate adhesive. Of course, it is also possible to use different adhesive components on the piezoelectric elements 811A, 811B side and the drive shaft 812 side.

In the gripper device 1000 shown in Figure 17, the axial direction of the drive shaft 812 is aligned vertically, and the lower end of the housing 505 is fixed to the base 550 and stands upright from the base 550. The drive device 800 slides the movable unit 802 and output member 800a up and down along the drive shaft 812, thereby moving the output member 502 and gripper module 100, which are connected via the output member 800a and the telescopic drive devices 501B and 501C, in the vertical direction.

Next, the drive control of the drive device 800 will be described below with reference to Figure 20. As described above, the drive device 800 comprises a moving body unit 802, a support unit 801 that supports the moving body unit 802, and a pair of piezoelectric elements 811A and 811B that convert electrical signals into mechanical vibrations. Piezoelectric elements 811A and 811B are fixed to both ends of a drive shaft 812 that constitutes the support unit 801. Note that in Figure 19, the moving body unit 802 moves relative to the support unit 801 due to the vibrations of piezoelectric elements 811A and 811B.

The drive controller 808 supplies sawtooth wave drive pulses to the piezoelectric elements 811A and 811B, vibrating the drive shaft 812 in the axial direction and moving the movable body unit 802, which is frictionally engaged with the drive shaft 812, along the drive shaft 812. When moving the movable body unit 802, the drive controller 808 drives the piezoelectric elements 811A and 811B simultaneously or selectively depending on the position of the movable body unit 802 within the stroke S (the range in which the movable body unit 802 can reciprocate).

Specifically, when moving the movable body unit 802, the drive controller 808 supplies drive pulses to both piezoelectric elements 811A and 811B when the movable body unit 802 is located in the stroke center region SC, supplies drive pulses only to piezoelectric element 811A when the movable body unit 802 is located in the stroke end region SA closer to piezoelectric element 811A, and supplies drive pulses only to piezoelectric element 811B when the movable body unit 802 is located in the stroke end region SB closer to piezoelectric element 811B. The position of the movable body unit 802 is detected by a position detection device such as an encoder. For example, when at least a portion of the movable body unit 802 is located in the stroke end region SA, the movable body unit 802 is moved only by driving piezoelectric element 811A, and when at least a portion of the movable body unit 802 is located in the stroke end region SB, the movable body unit 802 is moved only by driving piezoelectric element 811B.

When the moving body unit 802 is positioned in the stroke central region SC, both piezoelectric elements 811A and 811B can be driven simultaneously to improve the movement speed and driving force of the moving body unit 802. The same driving waveform may be supplied to the piezoelectric elements 811A and 811B, or different driving waveforms may be supplied to each other.

On the other hand, when the movable body unit 802 is positioned in the stroke end region SA closer to the piezoelectric element 811A, there is a large difference in time between the time when the vibration of the closer piezoelectric element 811A is transmitted to the frictional engagement portion between the movable body unit 802 and the drive shaft 812 and the time when the vibration of the farther piezoelectric element 811B is transmitted. Therefore, by controlling the movement of the movable body unit 802 in the stroke end region SA only by driving the piezoelectric element 811A, it is possible to prevent the drive (vibration) of the piezoelectric element 811B farther from the movable body unit 802 from impeding the movement of the movable body unit 802. In other words, controlling the movement of the movable body unit 802 only by driving the piezoelectric element 811A closer to the movable body unit 802 simplifies the circuit design and drive waveform design of the drive controller 808 that supplies drive waveforms to the piezoelectric elements 811A and 811B, and improves the controllability and accuracy of the movement of the movable body unit 802 in the stroke end region SA.

Similarly, when the movable body unit 802 is positioned in the stroke end region SB closer to the piezoelectric element 811B, the movement of the movable body unit 802 is controlled solely by driving the piezoelectric element 811B, which simplifies the circuit design and drive waveform design of the drive controller 808 and improves the controllability and accuracy of the movement of the movable body unit 802 in the stroke end region SB.

Furthermore, when moving the moving body unit 802 by driving only one of the piezoelectric elements 811A or 811B, the two terminals of the other piezoelectric element 811B or 811A may be short-circuited. In this case, the other piezoelectric element 811B or 811A acts as a vibration absorber, reducing the effects of reflected waves from the end of the drive shaft 812 opposite to the end to which the driving piezoelectric element 811A or 811B is connected, thereby improving the controllability and accuracy of the movement of the moving body unit 802.

Figure 21 is a schematic diagram illustrating another example of a drive device. The drive device 900 includes a moving body unit 902, a support unit 901 that supports the moving body unit 902, and a pair of piezoelectric elements 903 and 904. A drive piezoelectric element 903 is connected to one end of a drive shaft 912 that constitutes the support unit 901, and a vibration-absorbing piezoelectric element 904 is connected to the other end. Two terminals 904a and 904b of the vibration-absorbing piezoelectric element 904 are short-circuited via, for example, a lead wire 905.

In the drive device 900, the moving body unit 902 moves relative to the support unit 901 due to the drive (vibration) of the driving piezoelectric element 903. The drive controller 908 supplies sawtooth wave drive pulses to the driving piezoelectric element 903 via lead wire 913, vibrating the drive shaft 912 in the axial direction and moving the moving body unit 902, which is frictionally engaged with the drive shaft 912, along the drive shaft 912.

The driving device 900 supplies a driving waveform to the driving piezoelectric element 903, of the piezoelectric elements 903, 904 connected to both ends of the driving shaft 912, to drive (vibrate), while shorting the two terminals 904a, 904b of the vibration-absorbing piezoelectric element 904. This reduces the effect of reflected waves from the end of the driving shaft 912 on the vibration-absorbing piezoelectric element 904 side when the driving piezoelectric element 903 is driven (vibrated), thereby improving the controllability and accuracy of the movement of the moving body unit 902.

In addition, in the drive device 900, the joining and supporting structure of the piezoelectric elements 903, 904 and the drive shaft 912 can be similar to the joining and supporting structure of the piezoelectric elements 811A, 811B and the drive shaft 812 shown in Figures 18 and 19, for example.

Furthermore, as shown in Figure 22, the configuration in which piezoelectric elements are provided on both ends of a shaft that vibrates when driven by the piezoelectric elements can also be applied to a drive device 950 in which a support unit 952 that frictionally engages with a drive shaft 955 is fixed to a base 960, piezoelectric elements 953 and 954 are connected to both ends of the drive shaft 955, and the drive shaft 955 and piezoelectric elements 953 and 954 are moved as a moving unit 951 by driving one or both of the piezoelectric elements 953 and 954.

22A, the end faces of the piezoelectric elements 953, 954 and the drive shaft 955 may be joined with adhesive (not shown), as shown in FIG. 22A, or with adhesive via a roughly rectangular or H-shaped transmission member 914 in side view as shown in FIG. 22B, or with adhesive via a plate-shaped transmission member 915 as shown in FIG. 22C. Alternatively, as shown in FIGS. 22D and 22E, the end faces of the piezoelectric elements 953, 954 and the drive shaft 955 may be joined with adhesive at the joint 917, and a pair of U-shaped fixing members 916a, 916b may be butted against each other and fixed to the outer periphery of the piezoelectric elements 953, 954 and the drive shaft 955 across the joint 917. The materials for the transmission members 914, 915 and the fixing member 916 may be, for example, metal, ceramic, or resin.

As shown in Figures 22(B) to (E), by providing transmission members 914, 915 and a fixed member 916 at the joint between the piezoelectric elements 953, 954 and the drive shaft 955, the same effects and advantages as those of the embodiments shown in Figures 18 and 19 are achieved. That is, compared to a configuration in which the piezoelectric elements 953, 954 and the drive shaft 955 are simply directly bonded with adhesive (see Figure 22(A)), it is possible to suppress a decrease in the adhesive strength between the piezoelectric elements 953, 954 and the transmission members 914, 915 or the fixed member 916, thereby stabilizing the operation of the drive device 950. Furthermore, the transmission members 914, 915 make it possible to adjust the natural frequency of the drive shaft 955, which receives vibrations from the piezoelectric elements 953, 954, thereby improving the efficiency and performance of the drive device in terms of speed and drive force. Furthermore, when adhesively bonding the piezoelectric elements 953, 954 to the drive shaft 955, the adhesive can be selected after selecting the material of the transmission members 914, 915 or the fixed member 916. This broadens the range of adhesive choices and allows the piezoelectric elements 953, 954 and drive shaft 955 to be strongly bonded to the transmission members 914, 915 or the fixed member 916 using an appropriate adhesive. Here too, it is possible to use different adhesive components on the piezoelectric elements 953, 954 side and the transmission members 914, 915 or the fixed member 916 side.

22(D) and (E) may be configured as a single piece with a square cross section. The configuration in which a pair of square-shaped cross-section fixing member pieces 916a and 916b are butted together to form the square-shaped cross-section fixing member 916 can also be applied to the fixing member 818 shown in FIGS. 19(C) and (D). Instead of the fixing member 916 shown in FIGS. 22(D) and (E), a square-shaped cross-section transmission member may be bonded with adhesive to both the left and right sides (or both the top and bottom sides) of the piezoelectric elements 953 and 954 and the drive shaft 955 so as to straddle the joint 817. Furthermore, the connection configuration between the piezoelectric element 953 side and the drive shaft 955 on the piezoelectric element 953 side may be different from that on the piezoelectric element 954 side. For example, the transmission member 914 may be provided on the piezoelectric element 953 side, while the piezoelectric element 954 side may be directly bonded to the drive shaft 955.

In this type of drive device 950, similar to the control described with reference to FIG. 20, when the movable body unit 951 is located in the stroke center region, a drive pulse is supplied to both piezoelectric elements 953 and 954; when the movable body unit 951 is located in the stroke end region closer to one piezoelectric element 953, a drive pulse is supplied only to piezoelectric element 953; and when the movable body unit 951 is located in the stroke end region closer to the other piezoelectric element 954, a drive pulse is supplied only to piezoelectric element 954, thereby improving the controllability and accuracy of the movement of the movable body unit 951. Furthermore, when moving the movable body unit 951 by driving only one piezoelectric element 953 or 954, the two terminals of the other piezoelectric element 954 or 953 are short-circuited to cause the other piezoelectric element 954 or 953 to act as a vibration absorber, thereby improving the controllability and accuracy of the movement of the movable body unit 951.

Furthermore, as shown in Figure 23 (A), by shorting the two terminals 954a, 954b of one piezoelectric element 954 with a lead wire 905 or the like to form a vibration-absorbing piezoelectric element, and using the other piezoelectric element 953 as a driving piezoelectric element, the influence of reflected waves from the end of the drive shaft 955 on the vibration-absorbing piezoelectric element 954 side can be reduced when the driving piezoelectric element 953 is driven (vibrated), thereby improving the controllability and accuracy of the movement of the moving body unit 802.

As shown in Figure 23 (B), at least one of output members 950a and 950b may be attached to both ends of a moving unit 951 having piezoelectric elements 953 and 954 fixed to both ends of a drive shaft 955. The output member 950a attached to the piezoelectric element 954 is arranged so as not to interfere with the electrical characteristics of the terminals 954a and 954b and the lead wire 905. The output member 959b attached to the piezoelectric element 953 is arranged so as not to interfere with the electrical characteristics of the terminal of the piezoelectric element 953 and the lead wire 913.

By connecting the base member 450 (see Figure 2, etc.) of the camera-equipped work module 100 to the output members 950a, 950b directly or via other members or mechanisms, the gripper 200 (work tool) of the camera-equipped work module 100 can be moved and positioned to the desired position quickly, accurately, and with high resolution. Note that the configuration in which output members 950a, 950b are provided on both ends of the moving body unit 951 can also be applied to a configuration in which both piezoelectric elements 953, 954 can be used as driving elements (see, for example, the embodiment in Figure 22).

Figure 24 is a schematic diagram illustrating yet another example of a drive device. Drive device 900A of this embodiment differs from drive device 900 shown in Figure 21 in that two terminals 904a, 904b of vibration-absorbing piezoelectric element 904 are connected via a switch 909 provided midway through lead wire 905. The rest of the configuration of drive device 900A is the same as drive device 900. Furthermore, in drive device 900A, the joining and support configuration of piezoelectric elements 903, 904 and drive shaft 912 can be the same as drive device 900, for example, as with drive device 900, and can be the same as the joining and support configuration of piezoelectric elements 811A, 811B and drive shaft 812 shown in Figures 18 and 19.

The switch 909 is configured to short-circuit the terminals 904a and 904b of the vibration-absorbing piezoelectric element 904 when the moving body unit 902 is located in the stroke region Sclose closer to the vibration-absorbing piezoelectric element 904 within the stroke S. The switch 909 is also configured to open the terminals 904a and 904b of the vibration-absorbing piezoelectric element 904 when the moving body unit 902 is located in the stroke region Sopen (the region of the stroke S excluding the stroke region Sclose), which includes the central region within the stroke S and the end region closer to the driving piezoelectric element 903.

In this embodiment, the switch 909 has a conductive movable piece 909a and a fixed piece 909b. The movable piece 909a is located between the fixed piece 909b and the drive shaft 912. As shown in Figure 24 (A), when the moving body unit 902 is located in an area away from the stroke area Sclose, the fixed piece 909b and the drive shaft 912 are spaced apart from each other. In other words, the terminals 904a and 904b of the vibration-absorbing piezoelectric element 904 are not electrically connected, and the electrical circuit between the terminals 904a and 904b is open.

On the other hand, when the movable unit 902 approaches the stroke area Sclose, the tip of the movable piece 909a of the switch 909 is pushed by the movable unit 902 and displaced in a direction away from the drive shaft 912. When at least a portion of the movable unit 902 enters the stroke area Sclose, the movable piece 909a comes into contact with the fixed piece 909b, creating a short circuit between the terminals 904a and 904b of the vibration-absorbing piezoelectric element 904 (see Figure 24(B)). In this embodiment, when the tip of the movable piece 909a of the switch 909 is pushed by the movable unit 902 and displaced maximally toward the fixed piece 909b, the tip of the fixed piece 909b is pushed by the movable piece 909a and displaced slightly in a direction away from the drive shaft 912. The size of the stroke area Sclose can be changed as needed.

In the drive device 900A, the drive controller 908 supplies sawtooth wave drive pulses to the drive piezoelectric element 903 to drive (vibrate) the drive piezoelectric element 903 and vibrate the drive shaft 912 in the axial direction, thereby moving the moving body unit 902, which is frictionally engaged with the drive shaft 912, along the drive shaft 912. When the moving body unit 902 is located in a stroke region (Sclose) away from the drive piezoelectric element 903, the drive device 900A uses the switch 909 to short-circuit the two terminals 904a, 904b of the vibration-absorbing piezoelectric element 904, thereby reducing the influence of reflected waves from the end of the drive shaft 912 on the vibration-absorbing piezoelectric element 904 side when the drive piezoelectric element 903 is driven (vibrated). This improves the controllability and accuracy of the movement of the moving body unit 902 in the stroke region (Sclose) away from the drive piezoelectric element 903. For example, by increasing the axial length of the drive shaft 912, it is possible to increase the stroke S of the moving unit 902, thereby achieving a long stroke.

The switch 909 is not limited to a configuration including a movable piece 909a and a fixed piece 909b, and may have any configuration as long as it is capable of shorting the terminals 904a and 904b of the vibration-absorbing piezoelectric element 904 when the moving body unit 902 is located in the stroke region Sclose, and opening the terminals 904a and 904b when the moving body unit 902 is located in the stroke region Sopen.

In addition, in the drive device 950 shown in FIG. 23, a switch 909 may be connected midway through the lead wire 905 connecting the two terminals 954a, 954b of the piezoelectric element 954. In this case, the switch 909 may be configured to short-circuit the terminals 954a, 954b of the piezoelectric element 954 when the drive shaft 955, which frictionally engages with the support unit 952, moves to the left in the plane of the paper in FIG. 23, the piezoelectric element 953 for driving the support unit 952 moves away from the support unit 952, and the vibration-absorbing piezoelectric element 954 approaches the support unit 952. This reduces the influence of reflected waves from the end of the drive shaft 955 on the piezoelectric element 954 side, improving the controllability and accuracy of the movement of the moving body unit 951, even when the distance between the driving piezoelectric element 953 and the support unit 952 is large.

Figures 25 and 26 are schematic diagrams illustrating yet another example of a drive unit. The embodiment shown in Figures 25 and 26 represents an example of a support configuration for the drive unit 900. Figures 25(A), (B), 25(C), (D), 25(E), (F), 26(A), (B), 26(C), (D), 26(E), (F) each show a different embodiment. Note that Figure 25(B) is a cross-sectional view taken along the X-X position in (A), Figure 25(D) is a cross-sectional view taken along the Y-Y position in (C), and Figure 25(F) is a cross-sectional view taken along the Z-Z position in (E). Figure 26(B) is a cross-sectional view taken along the P-P position in (A), Figure 26(D) is a cross-sectional view taken along the Q-Q position in (C), and Figure 26(F) is a cross-sectional view taken along the R-R position in (E).

In each of the embodiments shown in Figures 25(A), (B), 25(C), (D), 25(E), (F), and 26(A), (B), the end faces of the piezoelectric elements 903, 904 and the end face of the drive shaft 912 are joined at joints 917 with an adhesive, and a fixing member 918 with a U-shaped cross section is fixed to the outer periphery of the piezoelectric elements 903, 904 and the drive shaft 912 with an adhesive so as to straddle the joints 917, thereby forming the support unit 901. The material of the fixing member 918 is, for example, metal, ceramic, or resin.

The drive unit 900 is attached to a U-shaped or box-shaped base 920 via a pair of device holders 930. The base 920 has a first base portion 921 facing the end face of the drive piezoelectric element 903, a second base portion 922 facing the end face of the vibration-absorbing piezoelectric element 904, and a third base portion 923 extending in the axial direction of the drive shaft 912 and supporting the first base portion 921 and the second base portion 922. The device holder 930 holds the piezoelectric elements 903 and 904, the drive shaft 912, and the fixed member 918 so that they can vibrate in the axial direction. The base 920 and device holder 930 are made of materials such as metal, ceramic, or resin. The shape of the base 920 is not limited to a U-shaped or box-shaped configuration, as long as it is capable of supporting the device holder 930. The base 920 may also be formed from multiple components.

The device holding portion 930 includes a holding base member 931 having a recess 931a that accommodates the fixing member 918, and a holding cover member 932 that covers the opening of the recess 931a. The holding cover member 932 is connected to the holding base member 931 with a pair of cover mounting screws 933. The holding base member 931 is fixed to the third base portion 923 with base fixing screws 934. In this embodiment, the holding base member 931 has a generally L-shaped configuration in which the portion that is fixed to the third base portion 923 is longer along the axial direction of the drive shaft 912 than the portion where the recess 931a is formed.

The inner wall of the recess 931a is not fixed to the fixed member 918, and the holding cover member 932 is not fixed to the piezoelectric elements 903, 904, or fixed member 918. As a result, the fixed member 918 is held so that it can vibrate in the axial direction of the drive shaft 912 while being restricted from moving in the radial direction of the drive shaft 912 (a direction perpendicular to the axial direction), and thus the support unit 901 is held so that it can vibrate in the axial direction of the drive shaft 912 while being restricted from moving in the radial direction of the drive shaft 912. The device holding section 930 functions as a stopper member that limits the range of movement of the movable unit 902.

The embodiment shown in Figures 25(A) and (B) includes an elastic body 940 interposed between the end face of the driving piezoelectric element 903 and the first base portion 921. The end face of the vibration-absorbing piezoelectric element 904 is in contact with the second base portion 922. In other words, the support unit 901 is urged toward the second base portion 922 by the elastic body 940 and positioned accordingly. In this way, by holding the support unit 901 in position using the repulsive force (elastic force) of the elastic body 940 while allowing it to vibrate in the axial direction of the drive shaft 912, vibrations generated by driving the driving piezoelectric element 903 can be efficiently transmitted to the drive shaft 912.

The elastic body 940 may be interposed between the vibration-absorbing piezoelectric element 904 and the second base portion 922, or between both ends of the support unit 901 and the base portion 920. In this embodiment, the elastic body 940 is formed from a compression coil spring, but the elastic body may be any material that can bias the support unit 901 in the axial direction of the support unit 901 with a repulsive force, and may be made of rubber, for example.

Furthermore, the first base portion 921 and the second base portion 922 constitute a unit positioning body that faces the end of the support unit 901 on the axial extension of the drive shaft 912. The unit positioning body may be formed of a member different from the base portion 920, and may be formed of, for example, another part attached to the base portion 920 or the device holding portion 930.

Even if the inner wall of the recess 931a and the fixed member 918 are fixed together with, for example, an adhesive, the vibrations generated by driving the piezoelectric element 903 can be transmitted to the drive shaft 912, and the moving body unit 902 can be moved. However, by leaving a small degree of freedom (gap) between the inner wall of the recess 931a and the fixed member 918, the vibrations of the piezoelectric element 903 can be transmitted more efficiently to the drive shaft 912, and the movement speed and driving force of the moving body unit 902 can be increased, for example.

In the embodiment shown in Figures 25(C) and (D), the piezoelectric elements 903, 904 are arranged at a distance from the base 920. The holding base member 931 of the device holder 930, which supports the fixing member 918 on the driving piezoelectric element 903 side, has a pin holding hole 931b that penetrates from the third base portion 923 side to the recess 931a. One end of a positioning pin member 935 disposed in the pin holding hole 931b protrudes into the recess 931a and fits into a positioning pin insertion recess 918a provided in the fixing member 918. The pin member 935 is made of a material such as metal, ceramic, or resin, for example.

The inner wall of the pin holding hole 931b is not fixed to the side of the pin member 935, and the pin member 935 is not fixed to the pin insertion recess 918a. As a result, the support unit 901 is positioned relative to the base 920 and device holder 930, while being held so that it can vibrate in the axial direction of the drive shaft 912. In this way, by holding the support unit 901 in position with the pin member 935 and the pin insertion recess 918a and being held so that it can vibrate in the axial direction of the drive shaft 912, vibrations generated by driving the drive piezoelectric element 903 can be efficiently transmitted to the drive shaft 912, and the support unit 901 can be positioned with a simple configuration.

The pin member 935 may be integrally formed with the holding base member 931, so that a protrusion formed on the inner wall of the recess 931a fits into the pin fitting recess 918a. Alternatively, instead of the pin member 935, a protrusion provided on the outer circumferential surface of the fixing member 918 may fit into the pin holding hole 931b.

Furthermore, even if the pin member 935 and the pin fitting recess 918a are fixed with, for example, an adhesive, the vibration of the piezoelectric element 903 is transmitted to the drive shaft 912. However, by leaving a small degree of freedom (gap) between the pin member 935 and the pin fitting recess 918a, the vibration of the piezoelectric element 903 can be transmitted more efficiently to the drive shaft 912, and the movement speed and driving force of the moving body unit 902 can be increased, for example.

Furthermore, depending on the shape, dimensions, material properties, and drive waveform frequency of the drive shaft 912 and piezoelectric elements 903 and 904 that make up the support unit 901, it is possible to position the vibration node of the support unit 901 at or near the joint 917. Fixing the vibration node or its vicinity has little effect on vibration. In this case, the inner wall of the recess 931a and the fixing member 918 in one or both device holders 930 may be fixed with adhesive or the like. Furthermore, at least one of the piezoelectric elements 903 and 904, drive shaft 912, and fixing member 918 may be fixed to the holding cover member 932. Fixing the pin member 935 to the pin insertion recess 918a may also be performed. In this way, positioning the vibration node of the support unit 901 at or near the joint 917 requires the design of conditions such as the shape, dimensions, material properties, and drive waveform frequency of the support unit, but it increases the rigidity of the entire device.

Compared to the embodiment shown in Figures 25(C) and (D), the embodiment shown in Figures 25(E) and (F) includes a pressure spring member 936 instead of the holding cover member 932. The pressure spring member 936 is formed, for example, from a metal leaf spring, and both left and right end portions are connected to the holding base member 931 by cover mounting screws 933, with the convex central portion making contact with the piezoelectric element 903 and drive shaft 912.

In this embodiment, the repulsive force of the pressure spring member 936 presses the fixing member 918 toward the bottom side (third base portion 923 side) of the recess 931a of the holding base member 931, thereby holding the support unit 901 so that it can vibrate in its axial direction. By adjusting the degree to which the cover mounting screw 933 is screwed into the holding base member 931, the repulsive force of the pressure spring member 936 against the support unit 901 can be adjusted, and the ease with which the support unit 901 vibrates can be adjusted.

It goes without saying that the configuration in which the support unit 901 is held on the device holding section 930 by the pressure spring member 936 can be applied to the embodiments shown in Figures 25(A) and (B).

In the embodiment shown in Figures 26(A) and (B), compared to the embodiment shown in Figures 25(A) and (B), the support unit 901 does not include a vibration-absorbing piezoelectric element 904, and the end face of the drive shaft 912 is in contact with the second base part 922. A fixing member 918 supported by the device holder 930 is fixed to a portion of the drive shaft 912 near the end on the second base part 922 side.

In this way, the support configuration in which the support unit 901 is positioned by the repulsive force of the elastic body 940 while being held so that the drive shaft 912 can vibrate in the axial direction is also applicable to a configuration in which a driving piezoelectric element 903 is joined to one end of the drive shaft 912. Note that the configuration in which the drive shaft 912 of a support unit 901 that does not have a vibration-absorbing piezoelectric element 904 is supported by the device holder 930 is also applicable to the embodiments shown in Figures 25(C) and (D) and the embodiments shown in Figures 25(E) and (F).

In the embodiment shown in Figures 26(C) and (D), compared to the embodiment shown in Figures 25(A) and (B), the support unit 901 does not have a fixing member 918, and is supported by a pair of device holders 930A having a holding base member 931 with a recess 931c that accommodates the joint 917. The inner wall of the recess 931c is not fixed to the piezoelectric elements 903 and 904 or the drive shaft 912, and the holding cover member 932 is not fixed to the piezoelectric elements 903 and 904. This allows the support unit 901 to be held by the device holder 930 so that it can vibrate in the axial direction of the drive shaft 912. The device holder 930A functions as a stopper member that limits the range of movement of the movable unit 902.

The device holder 930A may be configured to hold a portion of the drive shaft 912 near the end thereof without holding the joint 917. Also, instead of the holding cover member 932, the support unit 901 may be held on the device holder 930 by a pressure spring member 936 (see Figures 25(E) and (F)).

In the embodiment shown in Figures 26(E) and (F), the piezoelectric elements 903, 904 are arranged at a distance from the base 920, as compared to the embodiment shown in Figures 26(C) and (D). The holding base member 931 of the device holder 930A on the drive piezoelectric element 903 side has a pin holding hole 931b that holds a positioning pin member 935, similar to the holding base member 931 in the embodiment shown in Figures 25(C) and (D). One end of the pin member 935 protrudes into the recess 931a and fits into a pin insertion recess 912a provided near the end of the drive shaft 912. The drive shaft 912 is restrained within the recess 931a of the holding base member 931 by the repulsive force of the pressure spring member 936.

The inner wall of the pin holding hole 931b and the side of the pin member 935 are not fixed to each other, and the support unit 901 is held so that it can vibrate in the axial direction of the drive shaft 912 while being positioned relative to the base 920 and device holding part 930. In this way, the support unit 901 can be held so that it can vibrate in the axial direction of the drive shaft 912 by using a recess or protrusion on the drive shaft 912 and the device holding part 930A, which has a protrusion or recess that engages with it.

In each of the embodiments shown in Figures 25 and 26, the vibration-absorbing piezoelectric element 904 may be a driving piezoelectric element connected to the drive controller 908 (see Figure 23) via lead wires 913. Furthermore, the configurations described in the above-mentioned embodiments and variations (notes, etc.) may be combined, and additions, omissions, substitutions, and other modifications of the configurations are possible.

Fig. 27 is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of a drive device. The embodiment shown in Fig. 27 represents an example of a cantilever support configuration of a support unit 901. Fig. 27(A) and (B) show the same embodiment, with (A) showing a state in which a moving body unit 902 is positioned on the side of a driving piezoelectric element 903, and (B) showing a state in which the moving body unit 902 is positioned closer to the end on the opposite side from the piezoelectric element 903.

In this embodiment, the support unit 901 of the drive device 900 has a drive piezoelectric element 903 fixed to one end of a drive shaft 912. The portion of the support unit 901 closer to the piezoelectric element 903 is cantilevered on a box-shaped base 920 by a device holder 930A. A stopper member 919 with a larger diameter than the drive shaft 912 is fixed to the other end of the drive shaft 912 (the end opposite the piezoelectric element 903). The moving body unit 902, which frictionally engages with the drive shaft 912, is configured to be slidable along the axial direction of the drive shaft 912 between the device holder 930A and the stopper member 919.

A cylindrical output member 970 that covers the other end of the support unit 901 is connected to the movable body unit 902. The cylindrical output member 970 has, for example, a rectangular cylindrical shape with one end opening closed, and has a rectangular cylindrical side portion 971 that covers the outer periphery of the drive shaft 912, and a tip surface portion 972 that closes the opening of the side surface portion 971. In this embodiment, the inner circumferential surface of the side surface portion 971 of the output member 970 is joined to a spacer member 902a provided on the outer periphery of the movable body unit 902 by a fastener 973, thereby connecting the movable body unit 902 and the output member 970. The tip surface portion 972 of the output member 970 is positioned opposite the stopper member 919.

In this way, by making the output member 970 cylindrical, the rigidity of the output member 970 can be increased. Furthermore, the output member 970 has a tip surface portion 972 that faces the stopper member 919 provided on the end surface on the other end side of the support unit 901 and closes the tip opening of the side surface portion 971, thereby further increasing the rigidity of the cylindrical output member 970. In addition, by providing the output member 970 in a cylindrical shape, it is possible to connect moving objects to multiple surfaces of the side surface portion 971, or to connect a moving object to the tip surface portion 972, for example, thereby improving the versatility of use.

Note that, although the movable body unit 902 that frictionally engages with the drive shaft 912 is illustrated in a simplified manner in Figure 27 and elsewhere, it frictionally engages with each of the four side surfaces of the rectangular parallelepiped drive shaft 912. For example, the movable body unit 902 may include four members provided on each of the four side surfaces of the drive shaft 912, or two L-shaped members provided on each of two adjacent side surfaces of the drive shaft 912, and these members are pressed against the drive shaft 912 to frictionally engage with the drive shaft 912. If both of the two portions of the movable body unit 902 that frictionally engage with two opposing side surfaces of the four side surfaces of the drive shaft 912 are fixed to the output member 970, the shape, dimensions, rigidity, etc. of the output member 970 may affect the frictional engagement force between the drive shaft 912 and the movable body unit 902. Therefore, in this embodiment, one of the two parts of the moving unit 902 is fixed to the output member 970 by a fixing device 973, and the other part is not fixed to the output member 970.

In Figure 27, spacer members 902a are shown attached to two portions of the movable body unit 902 that frictionally engage with two opposing sides of the four sides of the drive shaft 912; however, the spacer member 902a attached to one of the two portions of the movable body unit 902 that frictionally engage with two opposing sides of the drive shaft 912 in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper in Figure 27 may also be fixed to the output member 970. Furthermore, by interposing a spacer member 902a that is not fixed to the output member 970 between the other portion of the movable body unit 902 and the output member 970, it is possible to reduce the displacement of the output member 970 relative to the movable body unit 902 when an external force is applied to the output member 970.

Furthermore, the fixing device 973 may be any device capable of joining the movable body unit 902 and the output member 970, and may be, for example, a screw member or an adhesive. Furthermore, the spacer member 902a may be integrally formed with a member of the movable body unit 902 that frictionally engages with the drive shaft 912, or may be fixed thereto with an adhesive, a screw member, or the like.

Next, the cantilever support structure of this embodiment will be described. The device holder 930A, which holds the portion of the support unit 901 closest to the piezoelectric element 903, is similar to the device holder 930A of the embodiment shown in Figures 26(E) and (F), in that the holding base member 931 has a recess 931c that houses the drive shaft 912, and the drive shaft 912 is positioned by fitting a pin member 935 into a pin insertion recess 912a provided on the drive shaft 912. The drive shaft 912 housed in the recess 931c is restrained by a holding cover member 932, which is attached to the holding base member 931 with a cover attachment screw 933.

In this way, by supporting the support unit 901 with the portion of the drive shaft 912 closest to the piezoelectric element 903 cantilevered on the base 920, the space available for arranging the moving object connected to the moving unit 902 (such as the base member 450 of the working module 100 or other drive devices) can be expanded, improving design freedom and versatility of use. Furthermore, because the moment applied to the drive shaft 912 by an external force is not applied to the joint 917 between the piezoelectric element 903 and drive shaft 912, the vibration of the piezoelectric element 903 can be stably transmitted to the drive shaft 912, ensuring the driving stability of the drive device 900.

The device holding unit 930A also includes a fixing portion 937 that fixes the drive shaft 912, and a restricting portion 938 that extends from the fixing portion 937 in the opposite direction to the piezoelectric element 903 and is positioned opposite the side of the drive shaft 912. In this embodiment, a cover mounting screw 933 that secures the holding cover member 932 to the holding base member 931 is screwed into the holding base member 931 at a position close to the piezoelectric element 903. As a result, the portion of the recess 931c that is close to the piezoelectric element 903 forms the fixing portion 937 that firmly fixes the drive shaft 912, and the portion away from the piezoelectric element 903 forms the restricting portion 938.

In this embodiment, the device holder 930A securely connects the portion of the drive shaft 912 closest to the piezoelectric element 903 to the base 920 via the fixing portion 937, and when an external force moment is applied to the drive shaft 912, the fixing portion 937 and the restricting portion 938 restrict rotation of the drive shaft 912, thereby preventing damage to the device holder 930A and drive shaft 912 due to force concentration on the fixing portion 937. Furthermore, the restricting portion 938 has a smaller restraining force on the drive shaft 912 (the adhesive force between the drive shaft 912 and 930A) than the fixing portion 937, thereby restricting a decrease in vibration of the drive shaft 912 caused by driving the piezoelectric element 903. The device holder 930A is configured to firmly position the drive shaft 912 while restricting a decrease in the movement speed and drive force of the mobile unit 902.

In addition, the device holding part 930A and the drive shaft 912 may be fixed with adhesive at the fixing part 937. In this case, if the device holding part 930A and the drive shaft 912 are not fixed at the restricting part 938, the same effects and advantages as those of the above embodiment can be obtained. Furthermore, the cantilever support configuration of the support unit 901 may be configured to restrain the joint part 917 to the device holding part 930A directly or via the fixing member 918.

As shown in Figure 27 (C), a vibration-absorbing piezoelectric element 904 may be joined to the other end of the drive shaft 912. Note that instead of the vibration-absorbing piezoelectric element 904, a piezoelectric element that can be driven by an electrical signal from a drive controller may be provided at the other end of the drive shaft 912. In this case, the wiring extending from the piezoelectric element can be connected to a drive controller disposed outside the output member 970 by passing it through a long hole or groove provided along the drive shaft 912 on one side of the side portion 971 of the output member 970, for example.

Alternatively, as shown in Figure 27(C), the moving body unit 902 that frictionally engages with the drive shaft 912 may be divided into multiple moving body unit components 902b that are separated from one another in the axial direction of the drive shaft 912, with each moving body unit component 902b frictionally engaging with the drive shaft 912. These moving body unit components 902b are connected to one another via spacer members 902a and output members 970.

The longer the length of the frictional engagement portion between the movable body unit 902 and drive shaft 912 in the axial direction of the drive shaft 912, the more the vibrations transmitted from the piezoelectric element 903 to the frictional engagement portion are averaged, resulting in more stable operation of the movable body unit 902. However, because the frictional engagement portion requires a high degree of flatness at the joint surface between the drive shaft 912 and the movable body unit 902, forming a frictional engagement portion that is long in the axial direction requires advanced processing technology and increases manufacturing costs.

In this embodiment, by dividing the moving body unit 902 into multiple moving body unit components 902b in the axial direction, the frictional engagement portion between the moving body unit 902 and the drive shaft 912 can be divided, thereby reducing the axial length of each frictional engagement portion. This allows for a configuration in which the axial length of each frictional engagement portion can be designed to be small, thereby reducing manufacturing costs, while also lengthening the total axial length of the frictional engagement portions between the moving body unit 902 and the drive shaft 912, thereby improving the driving stability of the moving body unit 902.

The moving body unit 902 may be composed of three or more moving body unit components 902b that are separate from one another. Also, a configuration in which the frictional engagement portion between the drive shaft and the moving body unit or support unit is divided into two or more parts in the axial direction (separately provided) can be applied to any of the above embodiments. Furthermore, the configurations described in the above embodiments and variations (notes, etc.) may be combined, and additions, omissions, substitutions, and other modifications of configurations are possible.

As shown in Figure 28, the holding base member 931 of the device holding unit 930A may be fixed to the base 920 by base fixing screws 934 at multiple locations (e.g., two locations) spaced apart in the axial direction of the drive shaft 912. This more firmly connects the device holding unit 930A and the base 920, more reliably reducing displacement of the drive shaft 912 when an external force is applied to the drive shaft 912 via the output member 970 or the like, and improving the positioning accuracy of the moving body unit 902 and the output member 970.

Note that a configuration in which the device holder and base are fastened with screws at multiple spaced apart locations (which may be spaced apart in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the drive shaft) can be applied to any of the above embodiments. Furthermore, the means for fastening the device holder and base is not limited to fasteners such as screws; adhesives may also be used, or the device holder and base may be fastened using both fasteners and adhesives. Furthermore, each piezoelectric element may be composed of multiple stacked piezoelectric elements joined in series in the stacking direction.

The above describes the embodiments of the reference invention and the present invention. However, the materials, shapes, arrangements, numbers, etc., in the above embodiments are merely examples, and the reference invention and the present invention can be embodied in various other ways. For example, the camera-equipped work device to which the camera-equipped work module of the reference invention is attached may be a three-axis operation drive device, a one-axis operation drive device, a two-axis operation drive device, or a combination with a drive device that performs rotational motion. Furthermore, the configurations described in the above embodiments and modified examples (notes, etc.) may be combined, and additions, omissions, substitutions, and other modifications of the configurations are possible.
[Note]
In the micromanipulator of Patent Document 1, the microgripper is configured so that the gripping arm opens and closes by an electromagnetic drive system, which results in a complex structure and makes it difficult to reduce the size and weight.In addition, the camera that captures images of the area around the tip of the gripping arm of the microgripper is supported by a member separate from the member that supports the microgripper, which results in an increase in the size and weight of the microgripper device.
In the micromanipulator of Patent Document 1, a camera that captures images of the working area of the microgripper (work tool) is attached to a microscope, and an XYZ movement mechanism is provided to move the tip of the gripping arm of the microgripper into the field of view of the microscope, which causes problems of increased size and weight.
[Appendix 1]
an imaging device that images a working area of the work tool;
a tool rotation device that supports the work tool and rotates the work tool relative to the work area;
a base member supporting the tool rotation device and the imaging device,
A camera-equipped work module, wherein the imaging device is held non-rotatably on the base member and is arranged on the axis of rotation of the work tool by the tool rotation device.
[Appendix 2]
The camera-equipped work module described in Appendix 1, wherein the imaging device includes a lens driving device that moves the lens along the optical axis by vibrating a piezoelectric element for driving the lens, and an imaging element that receives light that has passed through the lens.
[Appendix 3]
A wiring member extending from the imaging element is provided so as to avoid a rotatable range of the work tool,
3. The camera-equipped work module described in Appendix 2, wherein a lens drive shaft of the lens drive device is arranged to the side of the imaging element.
[Appendix 4]
The camera-equipped work module described in Appendix 2, wherein the lens drive shaft of the lens drive device is positioned on the extension line of the optical axis of the lens at a position opposite the lens with respect to the imaging element.
[Appendix 5]
5. The camera-equipped work module according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the work tool is a gripper having a gripping arm that opens and closes.
[Appendix 6]
The gripping arm of the gripper extends obliquely downward so that the optical axis of the imaging device intersects with the extension direction of the gripping arm.
6. The camera-equipped work module according to claim 5.
[Appendix 7]
the lens and the imaging element of the imaging device are a first lens and a first imaging element,
the imaging device further includes a second lens and a second imaging element that capture an image of the work area with an optical axis that is inclined with respect to the optical axis of the first lens,
the second lens is fixed in position relative to the second imaging element;
7. A camera-equipped work module according to any one of claims 1 to 6.
[Appendix 8]
a wiring member extending from the first imaging element extends to avoid a rotatable range of the work tool;
the second lens and the second imaging element are disposed at positions overlapping with the wiring member in a direction parallel to a rotation axis of the work tool;
8. The camera-equipped work module according to claim 7.
[Appendix 9]
A camera-equipped operation module according to any one of appendices 1 to 8;
a movement mechanism for moving the base member of the camera-equipped operation module,
Work equipment with camera.
[Supplementary Note 10]
the movement mechanism includes a drive device having a first support unit having a pair of piezoelectric elements fixed to both ends of a drive shaft, and a first moving body unit frictionally engaged with the drive shaft of the first support unit,
The base member of the camera-equipped work module is connected to the first moving body unit,
The first moving body unit is moved in the axial direction of the drive shaft by driving both or one of the pair of piezoelectric elements.
10. A work device with a camera as described in appendix 9.
[Appendix 11]
the movement mechanism includes a drive device having a second moving body unit having a pair of piezoelectric elements fixed to both ends of a drive shaft, and a second support unit that frictionally engages with the drive shaft of the second moving body unit to support the second moving body unit,
The base member of the camera-equipped work module is connected to the second moving body unit,
The second moving body unit is moved in the axial direction of the drive shaft by driving both or one of the pair of piezoelectric elements.
10. A work device with a camera as described in appendix 9.
[Appendix 12]
the drive device includes a device holder that connects the first support unit to a base while holding the first support unit so that the first support unit can vibrate in the axial direction of the drive shaft;
a unit positioning body that faces an end of the first support unit on an axial extension of the drive shaft, and an elastic body that urges one end of the first support unit toward the one end so that the other end of the first support unit is urged toward the unit positioning body;
11. A work device with a camera according to claim 10.
[Appendix 13]
the drive device includes a device holder that connects the first support unit to a base while holding the first support unit so that the first support unit can vibrate in the axial direction of the drive shaft;
the device holder includes a holder-side convex or concave portion that engages with a unit-side concave or convex portion provided on the first support unit;
11. A work device with a camera according to claim 10.
[Appendix 14]
the drive device simultaneously or selectively drives the pair of piezoelectric elements depending on the positional relationship between the movable body unit and the support unit.
A camera-equipped work device according to any one of appendices 10 to 13.
[Appendix 15]
When the movable body unit moves within a predetermined stroke range along the axial direction of the drive shaft and is located in a central region of the stroke, both of the pair of piezoelectric elements are driven, when the movable body unit is located in one end region of the stroke near one of the piezoelectric elements, only one of the piezoelectric elements is driven, and when the movable body unit is located in the other end region of the stroke near the other piezoelectric element, only the other piezoelectric element is driven.
15. A work device with a camera as described in appendix 14.
[Appendix 16]
One of the pair of piezoelectric elements is used as a driving piezoelectric element, and two terminals of the other piezoelectric element are short-circuited.
A camera-equipped work device according to any one of appendices 10 to 13.
[Appendix 17]
One of the pair of piezoelectric elements is a driving piezoelectric element,
a switch that short-circuits two terminals of the other piezoelectric element when the first moving body unit or the second support unit approaches the other piezoelectric element;
A camera-equipped work device according to any one of appendices 10 to 13.
[Appendix 18]
the moving mechanism includes a drive device having a support unit having a piezoelectric element fixed to at least one end of a drive shaft, and a moving body unit frictionally engaged with the drive shaft of the support unit;
the drive device is configured such that a portion of the support unit closer to the piezoelectric element is cantilevered on a base, and a cylindrical output member covering the other end of the support unit is connected to the moving body unit,
the base member of the camera-equipped work module is connected to the movable unit via the output member,
The piezoelectric element is driven to move the movable unit and the output member in the axial direction of the drive shaft.
10. A work device with a camera as described in appendix 9.
[Appendix 19]
the moving mechanism includes a drive device having a support unit having a piezoelectric element fixed to at least one end of a drive shaft, and a moving body unit frictionally engaged with the drive shaft of the support unit;
The driving device is supported by a cantilever on a base at a portion of the driving shaft that is closer to the piezoelectric element,
The base member of the camera-equipped work module is connected to the moving body unit,
The piezoelectric element is driven to move the movable unit in the axial direction of the drive shaft.
10. A work device with a camera as described in appendix 9.
[Appendix 20]
The device holder, which cantilevers the drive shaft at a portion closer to the piezoelectric element, includes a fixing portion that fixes the drive shaft, and a restricting portion that extends from the fixing portion in a direction opposite to the piezoelectric element and is disposed opposite to a side surface of the drive shaft.
20. A work device with a camera as described in appendix 19.

100 Gripper module (work module with camera)
200 Gripper (work tool)
220 Grasping arm 300, 300A Imaging device 301 Lens (first lens)
310 Lens driving device 311 Lens driving piezoelectric element 312 Lens driving shaft 330 Image pickup element (first image pickup element)
331 Flexible substrate 340 Second imaging element 341 Second lens 450 Base member 500 Three-axis operation drive device 501 Telescopic drive device 700 Tool rotation device 800 Drive device 800a Output member 801 Support unit 802 Moving body unit 803 Housing 808 Drive controller 811A Piezoelectric element 811B Piezoelectric element 812 Drive shaft 812a Drive shaft end 812b Drive shaft end 814 Transmission member 814a Output shaft end accommodating recess 814b Piezoelectric element end accommodating recess 815 Transmission member 816 Fixing member 817 Joint 818 Fixing member 820 Base material 900 Drive device 901 Support unit 902 Moving body unit 903 Drive piezoelectric element 904 Vibration absorbing piezoelectric element 904a Terminal 904b Terminal 905 Lead wire 908 Drive controller 909 Switch 912 Drive shaft 920 Base 922 Second base portion (unit positioning body)
923 Third base part (unit positioning body)
930, 930A Device holding portion 937 Fixing portion 938 Restricting portion 940 Elastic body 950 Driving device 950a, 950b Output member 951 Moving body unit 952 Support unit 953 Piezoelectric element 954 Piezoelectric element 954a Terminal 954b Terminal 955 Output shaft 960 Base 970 Cylindrical output member 1000 Gripper device L Optical axis LA Optical axis S Stroke SA Stroke end region SB Stroke end region SC Stroke central region

Claims (2)

A drive device having a support unit having a piezoelectric element fixed to at least one end of a drive shaft, and a moving body unit frictionally engaged with the drive shaft of the support unit,
the moving unit is frictionally engaged with the outer surface of the drive shaft;
a portion of the drive shaft close to the piezoelectric element is cantilevered on a base by a device holder ;
The piezoelectric element is driven to move the movable unit in the axial direction of the drive shaft.
Drive unit. The device holder , which cantilevers the drive shaft at a portion closer to the piezoelectric element, includes a fixing portion that fixes the drive shaft, and a restricting portion that extends from the fixing portion in a direction opposite to the piezoelectric element and is disposed opposite to a side surface of the drive shaft.
The drive device according to claim 1 .