JPH0445303B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a master-side operating device for a master-slave finger manipulator, and is capable of reducing the installation density of various component devices installed on the main body of the master finger manipulator. It is designed to facilitate production.

[Conventional technology]

When grasping various objects or performing delicate work in areas that workers cannot access due to work space restrictions or danger, the worker at a remote location can move the master finger manipulator directly with his or her fingers. The slave finger manipulator is operated based on the motion, and the slave finger manipulator is used to grasp various objects and perform delicate work in dangerous locations.

With this master-slave type finger manipulator,
Unless the gripping force and contact position of the slave finger manipulator are controlled, accurate gripping of objects and delicate work cannot be performed. For this reason, it is necessary to transmit information about the grasping state of the slave finger manipulator, that is, the magnitude of the force and the grasping position, to the fingers of the operator. Therefore, the force and pressure sensations from the slave finger manipulator are fed back to the master finger manipulator.

Here, the previously developed master-slave finger manipulator (Japanese Patent Application No. 100604, 1983)
260988) will be explained with reference to FIG. As shown in the figure, the master finger manipulator 1 has a finger 2
It has a cylindrical holder 1b fixed to a flat main body 1a along the thumb and index finger (in this example, the thumb and index finger), and the operator's finger 2 can be inserted into this holder 1b. The fixing member 1c is fixed to the surface of the main body 1a, and fixes one end of the outer wire 3a of the flexible tube type wire 3. One end of the inner wire 3b of the flexible tube type wire 3 is connected to a movable part 1 formed in a ring shape.
The proximal end of d is fixed via a connecting member 1e. The other end of the inner wire 3b is connected to a drive device 4, and the length of the inner wire 3b to be fed out is adjusted by driving the drive device 4. At this time, the pressure contact part 1f with a pressure sensor is fixed to the tip of the movable part 1d, and as the movable part 1d moves with the movement of the inner wire 3b, the pressure contact part 1f with a pressure sensor is attached to the pad of the finger 2. It is designed to move towards and away from each other. On the other hand, a spring 1g is interposed between the fixed member 1c and the connecting member 1e, and applies a force to the movable part 1d so that the pressure sensor equipped pressure contact part 1f moves away from the pad of the finger 2. The slave finger manipulator 5 has a pressure sensor 5b at the tip of each of the two fingers 5a.
The pressure when the object 6 is gripped can be detected. The comparator 7 is a sensor amplifier 8a.
The output signal of the pressurized contact portion 1f with a pressure sensor inputted via the sensor amplifier 8b is compared with the output signal of the pressure sensor 5b inputted via the sensor amplifier 8b, and a signal corresponding to the difference between the two is sent out. The servo driver 11 responds to the output signal of the comparator 7 to
The drive device 4 is controlled so that the output signal of the pressure sensor 5b becomes the same as the output signal of the pressure sensor 5b.

In addition, a position detection unit 9 and a force sensation generation motor 1 are provided at the joints of the main body 1a of the master finger manipulator 1.
0 is provided. The position detector 9 detects the joint rotation angle of the master finger manipulator 1, and based on this detection signal, the finger 5a of the slave finger manipulator 5 moves in accordance with the master. In other words, well-known master-slave control is performed. Further, the force generated on the slave finger manipulator 5 when holding the object 6 is detected by the pressure sensor 5b, and this detected value is sent to the force sensation generating motor 10. Then, the force sensation generating motor 10 applies a force similar to that generated on the slave side to the main body 1a on the master side. In other words, force sense control is performed.

When the slave finger manipulator 5 holds the object 6 in this manner, the pressure sensation applied to the finger of the slave finger manipulator 5 is detected by the pressure sensor 5b. This information is transmitted to the finger 2 of the operator operating the master finger manipulator 1 as follows. That is, when the inner cable 3b of the flexible tube type wire 3 is pulled by the drive device 4, the pressure contact part 1f with the pressure sensor presses the finger 2, and the fingertip feels as if it had received a pressure sensation by gripping an object. give to the operator. At this time, force control is performed by amplifying pressure information from the pressure contact part 1f with a pressure sensor using a sensor amplifier 8a, and using a comparator 7 to control the slave finger manipulator 5.
The driving device 4 is controlled using the servo driver 11 by comparing the information with the information from the pressure sensor 5a.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

By the way, in the above-mentioned technique, the pressure sensation generating device composed of the movable part 1d, the pressure contact part 1f with a pressure sensor, the flexible tube type wire 3, etc., the position detector 9, and the force sensation generation motor 10 are all integrated into the small main body 1a. I was prepared above. For this reason, the problem remains that the installation density of the various devices described above is high, and there are many mechanical restrictions, making manufacturing time-consuming and complicated. This drawback is particularly noticeable in devices with a large number of master finger manipulators. Furthermore, since the above-mentioned device is provided on the main body 1a, there is a risk that the burden on the fingers will increase and the control accuracy will deteriorate.

In view of the above circumstances, the present invention provides a master side operating device for a master/slave finger manipulator that can reduce the number of devices installed on the main body of the master finger manipulator and provides a sense of force or pressure to the operator. The purpose is to

[Means for solving problems]

The configuration of the present invention that achieves the above object is that the main body of the master finger manipulator is equipped with a position detector for detecting the operating position of the master finger manipulator, and the main body includes a gripping force simulator that provides pressure and force sensations to the fingers of the operator. It is characterized by being provided separately.

〔Example〕

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the invention. As shown in the figure, in the master side operating device according to this embodiment, the main body 1a of the master finger manipulator 1 is provided with only a position detector 9, and a gripping force simulating part 20 is provided separately from the main body 1a, and this gripping force is The simulator 20 gives the finger 2 a sense of pressure and a sense of force.

To explain the gripping force simulator 20 in detail, the gripping force simulator 20 includes a plurality of small manipulators 40 (two in this example) provided in the elastic partition wall 30, and a small manipulator 40 that moves the small manipulator 40 at a predetermined position. It is composed of a swinging means 50 for swinging the motor, and a controller 60.

In the small manipulator 40, the elastic bellows 4
1 includes a contraction spring 42 and a linear position detector 43.
is built-in. Further, a tip 45 is provided on the head of the bellows 41 via a ball joint 44, and the tip 45 can be oriented in any direction. A master side pressure sensor is installed on the surface of the tip portion 45. On the other hand, a base end portion 46 is fixed to the lower part of the bellows 41, and this base end portion 46 is swingably supported by a gimbal 51 of a swing means 50. Furthermore, a valve 47 is interposed within the bellows 41, and compressed air is supplied and discharged through a pipe 48 connected to an air pressure source. After all, the small manipulator 40 is a polar coordinate type three-degree-of-freedom manipulator, and two degrees of freedom in the three-dimensional space are determined by the gimbal 51, and the remaining one degree of freedom is determined by the expansion and contraction of the bellows 41.

The swinging means 50 includes a gimbal 51 and a gimbal 5.
A motor 53 transmits power to swing the small manipulator 40 in one direction (x direction) out of the two degrees of freedom determined by 1, and a motor 53 transmits power to swing the small manipulator 40 in the remaining one direction (y direction) of the two degrees of freedom. A motor 55 that transmits the power to swing the small manipulator 40 through a belt 54, and an angle detector 5 that detects the angle at which the small manipulator 40 swings by the motor 53.
6, and an angle detector 57 that detects the angle at which the small manipulator 40 is oscillated by the motor 55.

The controller 60 receives signals from various sensors and controls the valve 47, motors 53, 55, etc., as will be described in detail later.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. In FIG. 2, 5 is a slave finger manipulator, 5a is a finger, 5b is a pressure sensor, and 6
is the grasped object.

The operating position of the main body 1a of the master finger manipulator 1 is detected by the position detector 9, and based on this detected value, the slave finger manipulator 5 operates in accordance with the master finger manipulator 1.
grips object 6.

When the slave finger manipulator 5 grips the object 6, the operation position information of the slave finger manipulator 5 is input to the controller 60. In other words, in the OS- _XYZ coordinate system where the work origin on the slave side is _OS , information indicating the positions of the two pressure sensors 5b that are in pressure contact with the object 6 is X〓 _SA = (X _SA , Y _SA ,
Z _SA ) and X〓 _SB = X _SB , Y _SB , Z _SB ) are input.
The controller 60 controls the work origin on the _master side.
In the O _{M −XYZ coordinate system where}
The small manipulator 40 is moved so that X〓 _SA and X〓 _SB correspond. That is, the motors 53 and 55 are operated to swing the small manipulator 40 to a predetermined position. At this time, the swing angle is detected by the angle detectors 56 and 57, and the swing angle is controlled to be accurate.
Furthermore, the controller 60 controls the valve 47 to supply and discharge compressed air into the bellows 41 to adjust the stroke of the small manipulator 40. At this time, the linear position detector 43 detects the stroke length and controls the stroke length to be accurate. When the position of the small manipulator 40 on the master side is controlled in this manner, the tip portion 45 comes into contact with the pad of the finger 2.

The controller 60 also includes two slave side
Pressures P _SA and P _SB acting on the two pressure sensors 5b
Information indicating this is input. Then, the controller 60 controls the valve 47 to further supply and discharge compressed air so that the pressure generated between the tip 45 on the master side and the finger 2 becomes equal to P _SA and P _SB . That is, although not shown, since the tip portion 45 is also provided with a master side pressure sensor, the supply and discharge of compressed air is controlled so that the detected values of the master side and slave side pressure sensors are equal.

In this way, the operator's finger 2 is given a force sensation and a pressure sensation corresponding to the reaction force and pressure generated on the slave side.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As specifically explained above in conjunction with the embodiments, according to the present invention, the gripping force simulating section that gives pressure and force sensations to the fingers of the operator is provided separately from the main body of the master finger manipulator, so that each device is mounted on the main body. This avoids crowding and eliminates mechanical constraints.
Manufacturing becomes easier. Of course, it uses pressure and force feedback, so it can perform highly precise work.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the operating state of this embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a conventional technique. In the drawings, 1 is a master finger manipulator, 1a is a main body, 2 is a finger, 5 is a slave finger manipulator, 6 is an object, 9 is a position detector, 20 is a gripping force simulator, 3
0 is a bulkhead, 40 is a small manipulator, 41 is a bellows, 42 is a spring, 43 is a linear position detector, 44
is a ball joint, 45 is a tip end, 46 is a base end, 47 is a valve, 48 is a pipe, 50 is a swinging means, 51 is a gimbal, 52 is a belt, 53 is a motor, 54 is a belt, 55 is a motor, 56 and 57 are angle detectors, and 60 is a controller.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. Detects the operating position of a master finger manipulator that is attached to and operated by an operator's finger, and based on this detected value, operates a slave finger manipulator corresponding to the master finger manipulator, and The slave side pressure sensor detects the gripping pressure generated as a reaction force on the slave finger manipulator when an object is gripped with the finger manipulator, and this detected value is fed back to the master side to apply the reaction force and gripping pressure to the operator's fingers. In the master/slave finger manipulator, the body of the master finger manipulator is equipped with a position detector that detects the operating position of the master finger manipulator, and it also has a built-in spring and linear position detector that expands and contracts by supplying and discharging compressed air. A small manipulator which has a cylindrical structure, whose base end is swingably supported, and whose tip end, on which a master side pressure sensor is installed, is pressed by an operator's finger, and a predetermined number of said small manipulators equal to the number of master fingers. Compressed air is supplied to the swinging means and the small manipulator so that the positional relationship of the master side pressure sensor is equal to the positional relationship of the slave side pressure sensor based on the operation position information of the slave finger manipulator. a controller that further controls the supply and discharge of compressed air to the small manipulator so that the values detected by the master side pressure sensor and the slave side pressure sensor are equal. A master-side operating device for a master-slave finger manipulator, characterized in that: