Remote manipulator system

• US 3,923,166 A
• Filed: 10/11/1973
• Issued: 12/02/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Dan H. Dane, Donald A. Kugath, Fletcher James C Administrator of The National Aeronautics and Space Administration With Respect To An Invention of, Herman T. Blaise
• Original Assignee: Dan H. Dane, Donald A. Kugath, Fletcher James C Administrator of The National Aeronautics and Space Administration With Respect To An Invention of, Herman T. Blaise
• Inventors: Blaise, Herman T., Fletcher, James C. Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space (N/A), Kugath, Donald A., Dane, Dan H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Spar, Robert J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Abraham, George F.
• Application Number:
  US05/405,341
• Time in Patent Office: 782 Days
• Field of Search: 214/1CM
• US Class Current: 414/4
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 19/002 using counterweights
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 3/04 involving servo mechanisms servo-actuated heads B25J15/02

Abstract

A master-slave manipulator system with two master units controlled by the two arms and hands of an operator and two corresponding slave units. Both the master and the slave units have a first arm rotatably mounted to the floor at 30* from the vertical, a second arm pivoted to it and mounted for rotation, and a third arm pivoted to the second arm. The slave has a pivotally and rotatably mounted gripper unit while the master has a pivotally mounted unit with manual switch controls. The servomechanism system includes a solid-state control circuit, and flat, helically wound, internal ribbons of wires.

Claims

1. A remote manipulator system comprising a master unit and a slave unit controlled by signals from said master unit, said master unit and said slave unit each separately comprising an elongated support arm mounted on a floor for rotation about its longitudinal axis, said support arm being mounted on said floor at about a 30* angle from an imaginary line perpendicular to said floor;

an elongated upper arm;

means mounting one end of the upper arm on the end of the support arm remote from the floor for pivotal movement of the upper arm about an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the support arm and for rotational movement of the support arm about its longitudinal axis;

a lower arm having one end connected to the other end of the upper arm for pivoting the lower arm about an axis parallel to the axis about which the upper arm pivots on thE support arm;

servomechanism means for causing the individual arms of said slave unit to occupy the same relative position as the corresponding arms of said master unit;

a gripper unit having an operable holder thereon adapted to grasp and release items;

means mounting said gripper unit on the other end of the lower arm of said slave unit for pivotal movement and rotational movement about two mutually perpendicular axes;

manually manipulatable control element means positioned at the other end of said lower arm of the master unit; and

communication means communicating the status of said manually manipulatable control element means to said gripper unit for controlling the pivotal movement of the gripper unit and operation of said holder.

2. The manipulation system as in claim 1 in which said arms in said slave unit are counterbalanced so that said slave unit simulates operation in the absence of gravity.

3. A remote manipulator system comprising a master unit and a slave unit controlled by signals from said master unit, said master unit and said slave unit each separately comprising an elongated support arm mounted on a floor for rotation about its longitudinal axis;

an elongated upper arm;

means mounting one end of the upper arm on the end of the support arm remote from the floor for pivotal movement of the upper arm about an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the support arm and for rotational movement of the support arm about its longitudinal axis;

a lower arm having one end connected to the other end of the upper arm for pivoting the lower arm about an axis parallel to the axis about which the upper arm pivots on the support arm;

servomechanism means for causing the individual arms of said slave unit to occupy the same relative position as the corresponding arms of said master unit;

a gripper unit having an operable holder thereon adapted to grasp and release items;

means mounting said gripper unit on the other end of the lower arm of said slave unit for pivotal movement and rotational movement about two mutually perpendicular axes;

manually manipulatable control element means positioned at the other end of said lower arm of the master unit; and

communication means communicating the status of said manually manipulatable control element means to said gripper unit for controlling the pivotal movement of the gripper unit and operation of said holder, said servomechanism means comprising potentiometers, the output of which are controlled by the positions of the said arms, said potentiometers being generally identical in operation in both said master unit and said slave unit, and in which said slave unit is driven by motors responsive to pulses created in response to the difference between values of the output of corresponding ones of said potentiometers in a said master unit and a said slave unit, said pulses being created in a circuit having only solid-state active elements, including a field effect transistor with its gate connected to respond to signals proportional to said difference in values of a predetermined magnitude to close a circuit across said field effect transistor which lowers the gain of the signals from said potentiometers to thereby reduce said drive signals.

4. A remote manipulator system comprising a master unit and a slave unit controlled by signals from said master unit, said master unit and said slave unit each separately comprising an elongated support arm mounted on a floor for rotation about its longitudinal axis;

an elongated upper arm;

means mounting one end of the upper arm on the end of the support arm remote from the floor for pivotal movement of the upper arm about an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the support arm and for rotational movement of the support arm about its longitudinal axis;

a lower arm having one end connected to the other end of the upper arm for pivoting the lower arm about an axis parallel to the axis about which the upper arm pivots on the support arm;

servomechanism means for causing the indiviDual arms of said slave unit to occupy the same relative position as the corresponding arms of said master unit;

a gripper unit having an operable holder thereon adapted to grasp and release items;

means mounting said gripper unit on the other end of the lower arm of said slave unit for pivotal movement and rotational movement about two mutually perpendicular axes;

manually manipulatable control element means positioned at the other end of said lower arm of the master unit; and

communication means communicating the status of said manually manipulatable control element means to said gripper unit for controlling the pivotal movement of the gripper unit and operation of said holder, said manually manipulatable control element means including a member pivotally mounted on said lower arm of the master unit, said communication means being effective to pivot said gripper unit to the same relative pivotal position as the pivotal position of said member on the master unit, said manually manipulatable control element also including a finger operated switch for controlling operation of the operable holder, said manipulator system comprising two master units as described mounted on said floor separated sufficiently to be operated together by the different arms of one person, two slave units as described, each controlled by the said master unit corresponding to it in position, and two support arms as described, each said support arm being mounted to the floor at about a 30* angle from an imaginary line perpendicular to said floor.

5. The manipulation system as in claim 4 in which the said lower arm of each said master units has an external loop member attached to it and adapted to receive the lower part of the arm of a person operating the master unit.

6. The manipulation system as in claim 5 in which said servomechanism means comprises potentiometers, the output of which are controlled by the positions of the said movable members, said potentiometers being generally identical in operation in both said master units and said slave units, and in which each said slave unit is driven by motors responsive to pulses created in response to the difference between values of the output of corresponding ones of said potentiometers in a said master unit and a said slave unit, said pulses being created in a circuit having only solid-state active elements, including a field effect transistor with its gate connected to respond to signals proportional to said difference in values of a predetermined magnitude to close a circuit across said field effect transistor which bypasses the signals from said potentiometers to thereby reduce said drive signals.

7. The manipulation system as in claim 5 in which said arms in said slave unit are counterbalanced so that said slave unit simulates operation in the absence of gravity.