Sealed worm gear type finger joint unit

• US 7,823,475 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2006
• Issued: 11/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harmonic Drive Systems Inc., Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Harmonic Drive Systems Inc., Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Horiuchi, Masashi, Hirabayashi, Toshihiro, Ohkura, Morihiko, Ohta, Hirokazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson; Vicky A
• Application Number:
  US12/089,693
• Publication Number:
  US 20090145254A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,433 Days
• Field of Search: 74/89, 74/891.4, 744/12.R, 744/16, 744/21.A, 744/25, 746/06.R, 294/106
• US Class Current: 74/425
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 15/0009 comprising multi-articulated fingers, e.g. resembling a human hand
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 17/0241 One-dimensional joints
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 19/0075 Means for protecting the manipulator from its environment or vice versa
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/103 with backlash-preventing means
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 1/16 comprising worm and worm-wheel
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2057/02008 characterised by specific dividing lines or planes of the gear case
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2057/0235 specially adapted to allow easy accessibility and repair using repair kits F16H2057/0068
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 57/029 characterised by means for sealing the gearboxes, e.g. to improve airtightness
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 57/031 characterised by covers or lids for gearboxes
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 57/039 Gearboxes for accommodating worm gears
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/19828 Worm

Abstract

A sealed worm gear type finger joint unit for a robot hand has a circular opening in a gear box case of the unit, and the opening is closed by a rubber bush. When the rubber bush is removed, a shaft end face of a worm shaft section is exposed from the circular opening, and this makes a tool engagement section formed on the shaft end face is accessible from the outside. A tool for turning the worm shaft section is fitted in the tool engagement section, and the worm shaft section can be easily turned by the tool. Turning the worm shaft section turns a worm, turning a worm wheel meshing with the worm, and this turns the joint shaft. As a result, a swing arm connected to shaft end sections of the joint shaft can be moved to a predetermined position. In the finger joint unit, the joint shaft can be easily manually turned.

Claims

1. A sealed worm gear finger joint unit, comprising:

a worm;

a rotary actuator for rotatably driving a worm shaft of the worm, the worm shaft is a worm shaft section which is formed by extending a rotating shaft of the rotary actuator so as to pass through a shaft hole in the worm;

a worm wheel that meshes with the worm;

a joint shaft that protrudes coaxially from the worm wheel; and

a gearbox case in which the worm, the worm shaft, the worm wheel, and the joint shaft are housed, wherein at least one shaft end section of the joint shaft protrudes outward from the gearbox case;

a tool engagement section for engaging a tool for turning the worm shaft is formed in a shaft end section of the worm shaft, the shaft end section of the worm shaft in which the tool engagement section is formed is a shaft end section at the distal end of the rotating shaft;

an opening that makes the tool engagement section accessible from the outside is formed in the gearbox case, the opening being sealable by a removable lid;

a first case section in which the worm and the worm shaft section are attached; and

a second case section in which the worm wheel and the joint shaft are attached, wherein

an exposed face in which the external peripheral face of the worm is exposed in the first case section, and an exposed face in which the external peripheral face of the worm wheel is exposed in the second case section, lie on both sides of a shim plate and are joined together, whereby the gearbox case is assembled, and

a center distance between the worm shaft section and the joint shaft is adjusted by the shim plate.

2. The sealed worm gear type finger joint unit according to claim 1, wherein

positioning sections that have complementary shapes are formed in the exposed faces of the first case section and the second case section.

3. The worm gear type finger joint unit according to claim 2, wherein

a mounting opening that is sealed by mounting a distal end of the rotary actuator is formed in a region of the first case section on the opposite side of the opening;

the shaft end section at the distal end of the rotating shaft is rotatably supported by a bearing mounted in an internal peripheral face section of the opening; and

one of the sides of the first case section that are perpendicular to the worm shaft section constitutes the exposed face.

4. The worm gear type finger joint unit according to claim 3, wherein

the tool engagement section is a groove or a polygonal concavity of a specific depth formed in an end face of the shaft end section.

5. The worm gear type finger joint unit according to claim 2, wherein

the tool engagement section is a groove or a polygonal concavity of a specific depth formed in an end face of the shaft end section.

6. The worm gear type finger joint unit according to claim 1, wherein

a mounting opening that is sealed by mounting a distal end of the rotary actuator is formed in a region of the first case section on the opposite side of the opening;

the shaft end section at the distal end of the rotating shaft is rotatably supported by a bearing mounted in an internal peripheral face section of the opening; and

one of the sides of the first case section that are perpendicular to the worm shaft section constitutes the exposed face.

7. The worm gear type finger joint unit according to claim 6, wherein

the tool engagement section is a groove or a polygonal concavity of a specific depth formed in an end face of the shaft end section.

8. The worm gear type finger joint unit according to claim 1, wherein

the tool engagement section is a groove or a polygonal concavity of a specific depth formed in an end face of the shaft end section.