Asymmetric six-degree-of-freedom force-transducer system for a computer-controlled manipulator system
First Claim
1. A mechanical manipulator system including a gripper having a drive portion and at least a pair of opposed fingers for grasping objects, each of said fingers having a gripping portion with a gripping surface,linkage means for connecting said fingers to said drive portion, each of said fingers having associated therewith a plurality of force sensors, with corresponding ones thereof having similar moment arms and an asymmetric relationship of the orientation of analogous sensors for said pair of fingers with the exception that at least one of said sensors on one of said fingers is substantially offset in location with respect to the moment arm of a corresponding sensor on another finger to provide substantially different moment force components whereby when an object is grasped between said fingers, said system is capable of measuring a number of degrees of freedom equal to the sum of the numbers of sensors on said fingers.
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Abstract
A computer-controlled-manipulator gripper with a set of three-degree-of-freedom force sensors on each finger having strain gauges and 90° shift in orientation of the sensors includes an asymmetric, offset relationship of the location and orientation of analogous sensors on the two fingers in order to obtain different measurements from the two fingers.
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Citations
13 Claims
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1. A mechanical manipulator system including a gripper having a drive portion and at least a pair of opposed fingers for grasping objects, each of said fingers having a gripping portion with a gripping surface,
linkage means for connecting said fingers to said drive portion, each of said fingers having associated therewith a plurality of force sensors, with corresponding ones thereof having similar moment arms and an asymmetric relationship of the orientation of analogous sensors for said pair of fingers with the exception that at least one of said sensors on one of said fingers is substantially offset in location with respect to the moment arm of a corresponding sensor on another finger to provide substantially different moment force components whereby when an object is grasped between said fingers, said system is capable of measuring a number of degrees of freedom equal to the sum of the numbers of sensors on said fingers.
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6. A manipulator gripper including a pair of opposed fingers for grasping objects, each of said fingers having a set of multi-degree of freedom force sensors for providing force and moment data to determine the position and orientation of an object in the fingers of a manipulator system, comprising
force sensor assemblies rigidly connected at a first end to a said finger and rigidly connected at a second end to a drive member for said fingers, each sensor having a preferred response axis, said force sensor assemblies including a plurality of interconnected sensors, portions of said sensors providing means for rigidly interconnecting said sensors with the sensors generally oriented at a 90° - twist and/or rotation from each other,
said sensors are configured in a fashion to provide an assembly of sensors with the desired number of degrees of freedom of sensing, at least one of the sensors of the assembly associated with one finger is substantially offset in position with respect to the sensors associated with another finger cooperating therewith, and an asymmetric relationship of the orientation of analogous sensors for said pair of fingers whereby when an object is grasped between said fingers, said system is capable of measuring a greater number of degrees of freedom than when said fingers operate alone.
- twist and/or rotation from each other,
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7. A manipulator gripper including a pair of opposed fingers for grasping objects, each of said fingers having a set of multi-degree of freedom force sensors for providing force and moment data to determine the position and orientation of an object in the fingers of a manipulator system, comprising
strain gauge assemblies rigidly connected at a first end to said finger and rigidly connected at a second end to a drive member for said fingers, said strain gauge assembles including a plurality of interconnected strain gauge modules, each of said strain gauge modules comprising a generally I-shaped beam having a thin central beam adapted for mounting strain gauges on its relatively wide, flat surfaces, and end portions of said I-beam providing means for rigidly interconnecting said strain gauge modules with the I-beam generally oriented at a 90° - twist and/or rotation from each other, and
an asymmetric relationship of the orientation of analogous strain gauge assemblies from said pair of fingers, whereby said strain gauge modules can be configured in block-like fashion to provide a strain gauge assembly with the desired number of degrees of freedom sensing, and an I-beam module of the strain gauge assembly associated with one finger is substantially offset in position with respect to the strain gauge assembly associated with another finger cooperating therewith whereby when said fingers cooperate to grasp an object therebetween, said system is capable of measuring a greater number of degrees of freedom than when said fingers operate alone. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11)
- twist and/or rotation from each other, and
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12. A manipulator gripper for grasping objects including a pair of fingers with a set of multi-degree of freedom force sensors for providing force and moment data to a system for forces applied via a control means, comprising
a pair of fingers, each finger having a strain gauge assembly rigidly connected at a first end to said control means and rigidly connected at a second end to said finger, each of said strain gauge assemblies comprising a plurality of interconnected strain gauge modules with an asymmetric relationship of the orientation of analogous sensors for said pair of fingers, each of said strain gauge modules comprising a generally I-shaped beam having a central beam with the relatively wide, flat surfaces for mounting strain gauges thereon, and means on the ends of said central beam for interconnecting said I-beams in orthogonal relationship with the other beams to provide a strain gauge assembly with the desired number of degrees of freedom sensing, and one of said assemblies having at least one module substantially offset from the corresponding module for the other finger whereby when an object is grasped between said fingers, said system is capable of measuring a number of degrees of freedom equal to the sum of the numbers of sensors on said fingers.
Specification