Artificial hand

• US 6,660,043 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2002
• Issued: 12/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (Government of Japan)
• Original Assignee: National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (Government of Japan)
• Inventors: Higuchi, Tetsuya, Kajitani, Isamu
• Primary Examiner(s): Snow, Bruce
• Application Number:
  US10/157,160
• Publication Number:
  US 20030195638A1
• Time in Patent Office: 558 Days
• Field of Search: 623/61, 623/64, 901/29, 901/30, 901/31, 901/38, 901/39
• US Class Current: 623/64
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/583 Hands; Wrist joints
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/585 Wrist joints
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/586 Fingers
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/72 Bioelectric control, e.g. myoelectric
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30525 Worm gears
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/5018 for adjusting angular orientation
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/587 Thumbs
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/701 operated by electrically controlled means, e.g. solenoids or torque motors
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/0025 Connections or couplings between prosthetic parts, e.g. between modular parts; Connecting elements

Abstract

An artificial hand is constructed to sufficiently rotate the fingers as a unit using a smaller small-sized motor by decreasing the magnitude of the radius of rotation of its rotating motion. The artificial hand has a support part for rotatably supporting the fingers; a conversion device for converting a rotating output of a driving device to a linear motion; and a finger opening-and-closing operation part for converting a linear motion of the conversion device to an opening-and-closing operation of the fingers. A holding part rotatably holds the support part above or at an upper part of the driving device; and another driving device is arranged in a terminal device held by a wrist part. A rotating output of another driving device is converted to a rotational motion of the support part; and a rotating mechanism rotates the fingers and driving device as a unit around the holding part.

Claims

1. An artificial hand comprising a plurality of fingers disposed opposite to one another;

a support body for rotatably supporting the fingers;

a first driving device mounted on a grasping part integrated with said support body, said first driving device having an upper part and a lower part, the upper part being closer to said fingers than the lower part; and

a finger opening-and-closing operation part for converting a rotation output of said driving device to an opening-and-closing operation of said fingers, which further comprises;

a holding part for rotatably holding said support body arranged above or at the upper part of said first driving device;

a terminal device held by a wrist part;

a second driving device arranged in said terminal device, a rotating output of said second driving device being converted to a rotational motion of said supports body; and

a rotating mechanism for rotating said fingers and said first driving device as a unit around a longitudinal axis of said holding part and limiting rotating of said fingers and said first driving device around the longitudinal axis of said holding part between a first angular position and a second angular position.

2. An artificial hand according to claim 1, wherein said rotating mechanism is constructed of a worm gear rotated by said second driving device;

and a rotation gear for rotating said holding part, said rotation gear being driven by engaging with said worm gear.

3. An artificial hand according to claim 2, wherein said rotation gear has a stopper for limiting rotation thereof.

4. An artificial hand according to claim 1, wherein said holding part is a rotation shaft.

5. An artificial hand according to claim 4, wherein each of said plurality of fingers is rotatably supported on said supporting body by a pivot.

6. An artificial hand according to claim 5, wherein a longitudinal axis of said pivot is parallel to the longitudinal axis of said holding part.

7. An artificial hand according to claim 1, wherein said holding part is arranged near a root part of said plurality of fingers.

8. An artificial hand according to claim 1, wherein rotation of said fingers and said first driving device as a unit around the longitudinal axis of said holding part rotates said plurality of fingers from an unrotated position clockwise to said first angular position and counter-clockwise to said second angular position.

9. An artificial hand according to claim 8, wherein an angular distance between the uncoated position and one of said first and second angular positions is larger than an angular distance between the unrotated position and the other of said first and second angular positions.

10. An artificial hand according to claim 9, wherein said first angular position is about 45 degrees in the clockwise direction from said unrotated position and said second angular position is about 30 degrees in the counter-clockwise direction from said unrotated position.

11. An artificial hand according to claim 9, wherein said holding part is a rotation shaft.

12. An artificial hand according to claim 8, wherein said holding part is a rotation shaft.

13. An artificial hand according to claim 12, wherein each of said plurality of fingers is rotatably supported on said supporting body by a pivot.

14. An artificial hand according to claim 13, wherein a longitudinal axis of said pivot is parallel to the longitudinal axis of said holding part.

15. An artificial hand according to claim 8, wherein said holding part is arranged near a root part of said plurality of fingers.

16. An artificial hand comprising a plurality of fingers disposed opposite to one another;

a support body for rotatably supporting the fingers;

a plurality of driving devices, at least one of which is mounted on a grasping part integrated with said support body; and

a finger opening-and-closing operation part for converting a rotation output of one of said driving devices to an opening-and-closing operation of said fingers, wherein

said one of said plurality of driving devices being mounted for rotation together with said fingers, and another of said plurality of driving devices being rotatably arranged in a wrist part, said one of said plurality of driving devices and the fingers being rotated together around a position near a root part of the fingers as the rotation center thereof using said another of said plurality of driving devices the rotation of said one of said plurality of driving devices and said fingers being limited between a first angular position and a second angular position.

17. An artificial hand comprising a plurality of fingers disposed opposite to one another;

a support body for rotatably supporting the fingers;

a first driving device mounted on a grasp part integrated with said support body, said first driving device having an upper part and a lower part, the upper part being closer to said fingers than the lower part;

a conversion device for converting a rotating output of said first driving device to a linear motion; and

a finger opening-and-closing operation part for converting the linear motion of said conversion device to an opening-and-closing operation of said fingers, which further comprises;

a holding part for rotatably holding said support body at a point above or at the upper part of said first driving device;

a terminal device held by a wrist part;

a second driving device arranged in said terminal device, a rotating output of said second driving device being converted to a rotational motion of said support body; and

a rotating mechanism for rotating said fingers and said first driving device as a unit around a longitudinal axis of said holding part and limiting rotation of said fingers and said first driving device around the longitudinal axis of said holding part between a first angular position and a second angular position.

18. An artificial hand according to claim 17, wherein said rotating mechanism is constructed of a worm gear rotated by said second driving device, and a rotation gear for rotating said holding part, said rotation gear being driven by engaging with said worm gear.

19. An artificial hand according to claim 18, wherein said rotation gear has a stopper for limiting rotation thereof.

20. An artificial hand comprising a plurality of fingers disposed opposite to one another;

a support body for rotatably supporting the fingers;

a plurality of driving devices, at least one of which is mounted on a grasping part integrated with said support body;

a conversion device for converting a rotating output of one of said driving devices to a linear motion; and

a finger opening-and-closing operation part for converting the linear motion of said conversion device to an opening-and-closing operation of said fingers, wherein

said one of said plurality of driving devices being mounted for rotation together with said fingers, and another of said plurality of driving devices being rotatably arranged in a wrist part, said one of said plurality driving devices and the fingers being rotated together around a position near a root part of the fingers as the rotation center thereof using said another of said plurality of driving devices, the rotation of said one of said plurality of driving devices and said fingers being limited between a first angular position and a second angular position.