Patent US3922930A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3922930A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Remotely operable articulated manipulator
Assignee: National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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Filing: 1974-12-23
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Granted: 1975-12-02
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Expires: 1994-12-23
Abstract
Abstract An improved, remotely operable, articulated manipulator including a plurality of serially connected drive shafts, a grasping device mounted at the distal end of the ultimate drive shaft of a plurality of drive shafts, a plurality of joints including meshed bevel gears interconnecting the drive shafts, whereby rotary motion is imparted to the grasping device in response to rotation imparted to said drive shafts, a plurality of drive tubes concentrically related to the drive shafts for imparting angular displacement to the drive shafts about axes normally related to the longitudinal axes thereof, and a differential including a multiplicity of driver inputs for selectively rotating the drive shafts and drive tubes about their longitudinal axis.
Inventors
- 👤 James C Administrator Fletcher
- 👤 Ray E Marlow
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 17:46
CPC Classifications
F; F16; F16H; F16H1/00; F16H1/006; B; B25; B25J; B25J17/00; B25J17/02; B25J17/0283; B25J19/00; B25J19/0025; B25J19/0029; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T74/00; Y10T74/19; Y10T74/19023; Y10T74/19051; Y10T74/19056; Y10T74/19502; Y10T74/19516
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim
67 words
In a remotely operable, articulated manipulator including a plurality of serially connected drive shafts and a grasping device mounted at the distal end of the ultimate drive shaft of said plurality, the improvement comprising: drive means for selectively imparting to said grasping device angular displacement about a pair of normally related axes, one of which comprises a projection of the longitudinal axis of said ultimate drive shaft.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
67 words
In a remotely operable, articulated manipulator including a plurality of serially connected drive shafts and a grasping device mounted at the distal end of the ultimate drive shaft of said plurality, the improvement comprising: drive means for selectively imparting to said grasping device angular displacement about a pair of normally related axes, one of which comprises a projection of the longitudinal axis of said ultimate drive shaft.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
67 words
The improvement of claim 1 wherein said drive means includes: A. a rotatable sleeve including a pair of normally related segments for supporting the ultimate drive shaft in an orthogonal relationship with the penultimate drive shaft of said plurality of drive shafts; and B. means including a meshed pair of bevel gears for connecting the ultimate drive shaft in a driven relationship with the penultimate drive shaft.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
31 words
The improvement of claim 2 further comprising: means for imparting to said rotatable sleeve angular displacement about an axis of rotation coincident with the longitudinal axis of said penultimate drive shaft.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
47 words
The improvement of claim 3 wherein said drive means includes: A. a further drive shaft angularly related to the penultimate drive shaft; and B. means including a meshed pair of bevel gears for connecTing said penultimate drive shaft in a driven relationship with said further drive shaft.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
48 words
The improvement of claim 4 wherein said means for imparting angular displacement to said rotatable sleeve includes: A. a drive tube concentrically related to said further drive shaft; and B. a meshed pair of bevel gears connecting said rotatable sleeve in a driven relationship with said drive tube.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
49 words
The improvement of claim 5 wherein said drive means further includes differential drive means comprising a first gear train connected with said further drive shaft and a second gear train connected with said drive tube, and means for selectively imparting angular motion to said first and second gear trains.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
93 words
The improvement of claim 6 wherein said further drive shaft comprises a segmented drive shaft including: A. a first shaft segment; B. a second shaft segment angularly related to said first shaft segment; C. a third shaft segment angularly related to said second shaft segment; and D. means including a first meshed pair of bevel gears for connecting said second segment in a driven relationship with said first shaft segment, and a second meshed pair of bevel gears for connecting said second shaft segment in a driving relationship with said third shaft segment.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
93 words
The improvement of claim 7 wherein said drive tube is a segmented drive tube including: A. a first tube segment; B. a second tube segment angularly related to said first tube segment; C. a third tube segment angularly related to said second tube segment; and D. means including a first meshed pair of bevel gears for connecting said second tube segment in a driven relationship with said first shaft segment, and a second meshed pair of bevel gears for connecting said second tube segment in a driving relationship with said third tube segment.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-12-01 | 1979-06-02 | 1979-12-02 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-12-01 | 1983-06-02 | 1983-12-02 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-12-01 | 1987-06-02 | 1987-12-02 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |