US3904234A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Manipulator with electromechanical transducer means
Assignee: SRI International Inc
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Filing: 1973-10-15
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Granted: 1975-09-09
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Expires: 1993-10-15
Abstract
Abstract An articulated manipulator of the type which includes a pair of jaws relatively pivotally movable between open and closed positions under operation of an electric motor for picking up objects is disclosed. One or more electromechanical transducers are located on the jaws for force and slip sensing. The force sensors include spaced light source and light sensing elements attached to the manipulator jaws and a movable shutter or vane positioned therebetween for control of the amount of light from the source which strikes the light sensing elements. The shutter position, in turn, is controlled by a movable operating member at a face of the manipulator which is urged outwardly by resilient biasing member against external forces applied to the operating member. The shutter position, and therefore amount of light reaching the light sensing member, is proportional to the force required to move the operating member against the resilient biasing member. Different resilient biasing members including composite members having different stress-strain characteristics may be used for operation over different ranges of operating pressures and/or to provide the manipulator with different force sensing characteristics. A plurality of force sensors may be located on each jaw for sensing forces applied to the manipulator at locations other than the opposing jaw faces. Slip sensors for sensing slippage of gripped objects between the jaw faces also are contemplated, which sensors include rotatable disks mounted inside the jaws and having edges extending outwardly from the opposing jaw faces. The disks function also as code wheels, and code sensors within the jaws sense disk rotation. Provision for translational movement of the disks into the jaws is provided without producing an output from the code sensors. Also, a tool and tool holder for partial support of a tool are shown, which may be employed with the manipulator.
Inventors
- 👤 John W Hill
- 👤 Antony J Sword
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-22 22:06
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01L; G01L1/00; G01L1/005; B; B25; B25J; B25J13/00; B25J13/08; B25J13/081; B25J13/082; B25J13/083; B25J15/00; B25J15/04; B25J19/00; B25J19/02; B25J19/021; G01L1/04; G01L5/00; G01L5/22; G01L5/226; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S294/00; Y10S294/907; Y10S414/00; Y10S414/122
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 36
Claim 1
Independent Claim
143 words
In a manipulator of the type which includes a pair of relatively movable jaws having opposing jaw faces between which an object may be gripped, force transducer means at the face of at least one jaw for providing an electrical output related to the force applied thereto, said force transducer means comprising: means forming a beam of light; a photocell positioned to receive the light beam; a light vane movable in opposite directions across the light beam path to vary the amount of light which reaches the photocell in accordance with the vane position; means for resiliently biasing the vane in one direction; and vane operating means connected to the vane and including a movable member at a jaw face for moving the vane in the opposite direction against the action of the resilient biasing means upon application of an external force thereto.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
143 words
In a manipulator of the type which includes a pair of relatively movable jaws having opposing jaw faces between which an object may be gripped, force transducer means at the face of at least one jaw for providing an electrical output related to the force applied thereto, said force transducer means comprising: means forming a beam of light; a photocell positioned to receive the light beam; a light vane movable in opposite directions across the light beam path to vary the amount of light which reaches the photocell in accordance with the vane position; means for resiliently biasing the vane in one direction; and vane operating means connected to the vane and including a movable member at a jaw face for moving the vane in the opposite direction against the action of the resilient biasing means upon application of an external force thereto.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
32 words
The manipulator as defined in claim 1 wherein said vane operating means is located at one of said opposing jaw faces for sensing the force with which an object is gripped thereat.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
45 words
The manipulator as defined in claim 2 which includes a plurality of said force transducer means with a plurality of associated vane operating means at said one of said opposing jaw faces for individually sensing forces applied at different locations at said one jaw face.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
38 words
The manipulator as defined in claim 2 which includes a plurality of said force transducer means with a plurality of associated vane operating means at other jaw surfaces for individually sensing forces applied at said other jaw surfaces.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
26 words
The manipulator as defined in claim 1 wherein said means forming a beam of light includes a light emitting diode, and said photocell comprises a phototransistor.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
27 words
The manipulator as defined in claim 1 wherein said light beam is substantially totally blocked by the vane in the unactuated condition of the vane operating means.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
32 words
The manipulator as defined in claim 6 wherein the amount of light reaching the photocell is substantially directly proportional to the force applied to the movable member of said vane operating means.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
33 words
The manipulator as defined in claim 1 wherein said resilient biasing means comprises a member with triangular cross section to provide a nonlinear force at the vane operating means versus vane movement characteristic.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
30 words
The manipulator as defined in claim 1 including slip sensor means at at least one of the opposing jaw faces for sensing slippage of an object gripped between said jaws.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
50 words
The manipulator as defined in claim 9 wherein said jaws are hollow and include walls which include the opposing jaw faces, said slip sensor means including a rotatable disk extending through an aperture in one of said walls, and means including code means on said disk for sensing rotation thereof.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
32 words
The manipulator as defined in claim 10 wherein said slip sensor means includes a pair of said disks which are orthogonally oriented and rotatable by slippage of an object between the jawS.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
202 words
In a manipulator of the type which includes a pair of relatively movable jaws having opposing jaw faces between which an object may be gripped, at least one of said jaws comprising walls forming a generally hollow body, proportional force transducer means at a face of said hollow body jaw for providing an electrical output related to the force applied thereto, said force transducer means comprising: a sensor body fixed inside the jaw body; spaced apart light source and light sensing means carried by said sensor body with a light beam path therebetween; a light vane movable in opposite directions across the light beam path at said sensor body to vary the amount of light which reaches the light sensing means in accordance with the vane position; movable vane operating means extending through a jaw body wall and attached to said vane for moving the vane upon application of an external force thereto; resilient biasing means for urging said vane operating means and attached vane in an outward direction from said jaw body wall; and readily removable means for limiting outward movement of said vane operating means, said resilient vane biasing means being readily interchangeable upon removal of said removable limiting means.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
202 words
In a manipulator of the type which includes a pair of relatively movable jaws having opposing jaw faces between which an object may be gripped, at least one of said jaws comprising walls forming a generally hollow body, proportional force transducer means at a face of said hollow body jaw for providing an electrical output related to the force applied thereto, said force transducer means comprising: a sensor body fixed inside the jaw body; spaced apart light source and light sensing means carried by said sensor body with a light beam path therebetween; a light vane movable in opposite directions across the light beam path at said sensor body to vary the amount of light which reaches the light sensing means in accordance with the vane position; movable vane operating means extending through a jaw body wall and attached to said vane for moving the vane upon application of an external force thereto; resilient biasing means for urging said vane operating means and attached vane in an outward direction from said jaw body wall; and readily removable means for limiting outward movement of said vane operating means, said resilient vane biasing means being readily interchangeable upon removal of said removable limiting means.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
17 words
The manipulator as defined in claim 12 wherein said resilient biasing means comprises an annular elastomeric member.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
39 words
The manipulator as defined in claim 13 wherein said annular elastomeric member is located between a head formed on said vane operating means and the outside face of the jaw body wall through which said vane operating means extends.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
45 words
A manipulator comprising: a hand having a pair of relatively movable members with gripping faces between which an object may be gripped; and slip sensor means at at least one of said relatively movable members for sensing slippage of an object gripped between said members.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
45 words
A manipulator comprising: a hand having a pair of relatively movable members with gripping faces between which an object may be gripped; and slip sensor means at at least one of said relatively movable members for sensing slippage of an object gripped between said members.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
37 words
The manipulator as defined in claim 15 wherein said slip sensor means comprises a rotatable member extending from the gripping face of said one hand member and engageable with an object gripped between said relatively movable members.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
29 words
The manipulator as defined in claim 16 wherein said rotatable member comprises a disk mounted also for translational movement into said hand member by engagement with a gripped object.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
19 words
The manipulator as defined in claim 17 including; means with an electrical output for sensing rotation of said disk.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
36 words
The manipulator as defined in claim 15 wherein said slip sensor means includes means for sensing slippage of a gripped object in first and second orthogonal directions along the gripping faces of said relatively movable members.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
192 words
The manipulator as defined in claim 15 including: proportional force transducing means at at least one of said relatively movable members for sensing gripping force on an object gripped between said members. 21. In a manipulator of the type which includes a pair of relatively movable gripping members having opposing faces between which an object may be gripped, a slip sensor for sensing sliding motion of an object along a gripping member face comprising: a disk having an edge extending outwardly from the face of said gripping member engageable with a gripped object and rotatable about an axis to the rear of the face; means for translationally resiliently biasing said rotatable disk outwardly from the face of said member; said disk being formed with an alternating series of radially extending light opaque and light transmissive sections arranged in a circle about the disk axis; and light emitting and light sensing means at opposite sides of the disk so that light therebetween passes through a light transmissive section of the disk for detecting rotation thereof by reason of a variable amount of light reaching said light sensing means as said disk is rotated.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
40 words
The manipulator as defined in claim 21 wherein said light emitting and light sensing means inclUde first and second pairs of light source and light detecting means generally diametrically oppositely located in the direction of translational movement of the disk.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
43 words
A manipulator comprising: a hand having a pair of relatively movable jaws between which a tool may be gripped; means for supporting said relatively movable jaws; and tool holder means at said supporting means for engagement with a tool gripped between said jaws.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
43 words
A manipulator comprising: a hand having a pair of relatively movable jaws between which a tool may be gripped; means for supporting said relatively movable jaws; and tool holder means at said supporting means for engagement with a tool gripped between said jaws.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
45 words
The manipulator as defined in claim 23 wherein said tool holder means is formed with a notch to receive the head of an elongated tool grasped between the manipulator jaws to prevent rotation of the grasped tool when subjected to torque about its longitudinal axis.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
73 words
A manipulator comprising: A hand having a pair of jaws; a housing; means for mounting the jaws on the housing for relative pivotal movement for grasping members therebetween; a motor attached to said housing and connected to said jaws for relatively pivotally moving the same; and tool holder means attached to said housing intermediate said jaw mounting means adapted for engagement with the end of a tool to be grasped between the jaws.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
73 words
A manipulator comprising: A hand having a pair of jaws; a housing; means for mounting the jaws on the housing for relative pivotal movement for grasping members therebetween; a motor attached to said housing and connected to said jaws for relatively pivotally moving the same; and tool holder means attached to said housing intermediate said jaw mounting means adapted for engagement with the end of a tool to be grasped between the jaws.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
31 words
The manipulator as defined in claim 25 wherein said tool holder means includes forwardly directed brackets formed with notches at the forward end thereof to receive the head of a tool.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
28 words
The manipulator as defined in claim 26 including a tool having a shank adapted to be grasped by said jaws and a cross head engageable with said brackets.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
21 words
The manipulator as defined in claim 27 wherein said shank is formed with opposite disposed flats for grasping between the jaws.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
139 words
A proportional force transducer comprising: a source of radiant energy; a detector of radiant energy from said source to produce an output dependent upon the amount of radiant energy received from said source, said source and detector of radiant energy being relatively fixed; an element relatively movable with respect to said source and detector and having an energy transparent region, for passage of energy from said source to said detector, and an adjacent energy opaque region to block transmission of energy therebetween; resilient means comprising an annular elastomeric member connected between said element and said source and detector for resiliently biasing the same in one direction; and means for moving said element relative to said source and detector against the biasing action of said resilient means to change the amount of radiation to reach said detector from said source.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
139 words
A proportional force transducer comprising: a source of radiant energy; a detector of radiant energy from said source to produce an output dependent upon the amount of radiant energy received from said source, said source and detector of radiant energy being relatively fixed; an element relatively movable with respect to said source and detector and having an energy transparent region, for passage of energy from said source to said detector, and an adjacent energy opaque region to block transmission of energy therebetween; resilient means comprising an annular elastomeric member connected between said element and said source and detector for resiliently biasing the same in one direction; and means for moving said element relative to said source and detector against the biasing action of said resilient means to change the amount of radiation to reach said detector from said source.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
34 words
The proportional force transducer as defined in clam 29 wherein the output from said detector is directly related to the force required to move said element against the biasing action of said resilient means.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
34 words
The proportional force transducer as defined in clam 29 wherein the output from said detector is directly related to the force required to move said element against the biasing action of said resilient means.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-09-08 | 1979-03-10 | 1979-09-09 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-09-08 | 1983-03-10 | 1983-09-09 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-09-08 | 1987-03-10 | 1987-09-09 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |