Remote handling devices
First Claim
1. A device for remotely handling an object, the device comprising a gripping device formed by a plurality of articulated elements for reproducing, at least in part, the structure of a human hand;
- means for receiving the hand of an operator and including position detectors disposed to sense the instantaneous spatial position of the movable parts of the hand of the operator and to produce signals representative thereof; and
a control device for controlling the instantaneous spatial position of said articulated elements in response to the signals produced by said receiving means, the control device being operative to reproduce, for each articulated element of the gripping device, the instantaneous position of the analogous moving part of the hand of the operator, wherein at least one of the said articulated elements is provided with at least one sensor for sensing a tactile parameter, and for providing signals representative thereof, whereby said tactile parameter representative signals are also representative of contacts of said articulated element with the object, and wherein the receiving means comprises actuator means for receiving said tactile parameter representative signals and applying to the hand of the operator sensations representative of said tactile parameter, wherein the actuator means comprises a plurality of actuators, and the receiving means comprises a support for supporting said actuators, and a plurality of members, such as rings or collars, for receiving respective movable parts of the hand of the operator, the actuators being connected between the support and respective ones of said receiving members.
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Accused Products
Abstract
In order to improve the grip and remote handling of an object by an "artificial hand" (or "slave hand") remotely controlled by the hand of an operator, the artificial hand is provided with sensors for sensing tactile parameters. The signals produced by these sensors are applied to actuators associated with a "master hand" in the form of a glove in which the hand of the operator is inserted, and the actuators apply tactile sensations to the hand of the operator. The operator thus apparently "feels" the object, as if handling it directly. The remote handling device of the invention is particularly useful for handling objects in a dangerous environment (in the nuclear or chemical industries for example) or out of the reach of the operator (under water or in space).
153 Citations
16 Claims
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1. A device for remotely handling an object, the device comprising a gripping device formed by a plurality of articulated elements for reproducing, at least in part, the structure of a human hand;
- means for receiving the hand of an operator and including position detectors disposed to sense the instantaneous spatial position of the movable parts of the hand of the operator and to produce signals representative thereof; and
a control device for controlling the instantaneous spatial position of said articulated elements in response to the signals produced by said receiving means, the control device being operative to reproduce, for each articulated element of the gripping device, the instantaneous position of the analogous moving part of the hand of the operator, wherein at least one of the said articulated elements is provided with at least one sensor for sensing a tactile parameter, and for providing signals representative thereof, whereby said tactile parameter representative signals are also representative of contacts of said articulated element with the object, and wherein the receiving means comprises actuator means for receiving said tactile parameter representative signals and applying to the hand of the operator sensations representative of said tactile parameter, wherein the actuator means comprises a plurality of actuators, and the receiving means comprises a support for supporting said actuators, and a plurality of members, such as rings or collars, for receiving respective movable parts of the hand of the operator, the actuators being connected between the support and respective ones of said receiving members. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
- means for receiving the hand of an operator and including position detectors disposed to sense the instantaneous spatial position of the movable parts of the hand of the operator and to produce signals representative thereof; and
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16. A device for remotely handling an object, the device comprising:
- a gripping device formed of a plurality of articulated elements for reproducing, at least in part, the stucture of a human hand;
means for receiving the hand of an operator and including position detectors disposed to sense the instantaneous spatial position of the movable parts of the hand of the operator and to produce signals representative thereof; and
a control device for controlling the instantaneous spatial portion of said articulated elememts in response to the signals produced by said receiving means, the control device being operative to reproduce, for each articulated element of the gripping device, the instantaneous position of the analogous moving part of the hand of the operator, wherein at least one of said articulated elements is provided with at least one sensor for sensing a tactile parameter, and for providing signals representative thereof, whereby said tactile parameter representative signals are also representative of contacts of said articulated element with the object, and wherein the receiving means comprises actuator means for receiving said tactile parameter representative signals and applying to the hand of the operator sensations representative of said tactile parameter, wherein the actuator means comprises a plurality of actuators, and the receiving means comprises a support for supporting said actuators, and a plurality of members, such as rings and collars, for receiving respective movable parts of the hand of the operator, the actuators being connected between the support and respective ones of said receiving members, wherein said at least one tactile parameter sensor comprises a temperature sensor formed in the thickness of a synthetic elastic insulating material and formed by thermistances or thermocouples comprising a first metal deposited on one of the faces of the elastic material, a second metal deposited on the other face of the elastic material and an electrical conductor connecting these two metals, the conductor being produced by doping the elastic material present in the space between the first and second metal with a suitable electrically conductive substance.
- a gripping device formed of a plurality of articulated elements for reproducing, at least in part, the stucture of a human hand;
Specification