Robotic master controller
AssigneeKraft Telerobotics, Inc., a Kansas Corporation
InventorBrett W. Kraft
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A robotic master controller having a series of linking members interconnected by pivots to each other and a hand grip with relative position sensors therein and sensing yaw and pitch of the hand grip due to movement of the user. The final linking member including an arched section that terminates in a pivot for the hand grip that is located within the user's hand during use and has an axis of rotation that generally aligns with a roll axis of rotation of the arm when the user's hand rotates between a palm up configuration to a palm down configuration. The final linking member also includes an arched section that extends over and cradles the outer palm of the hand when the hand is in the palm up configuration. The user reaches around the outside (to the right for a right arm controller) to grasp the hand grip.
Claims10
A robotic arm master controller comprising:
- a) a base adapted to be secured to a supporting structure;
- b) a first member rotatably connected to said base and providing upper arm yaw movement;
- c) a second member and a third member that are serially and rotatably connected to each other and to said first member and providing extension movement and upper arm pitch movement;
- d) a fourth member rotatably connected to said third member by a first pivot having a first axis of rotation and that is positioned so as to be adapted to be operably aligned with the wrist of a user and providing for wrist yaw movement;
- e) a fifth member rotatably connected to said fourth member by a second pivot having a second axis of rotation and positioned so as to be adapted to be aligned with the wrist of the user and wherein said second axis of rotation is at an angle of ninety degrees from said first axis of rotation and further providing for wrist pitch movement;
- f) said fifth member including an arched section;
- and
- g) a hand grip that is sized and shaped so as to be adapted to be held in a palm of a hand of the user;
- said hand grip being pivotally joined to said fifth member at a third pivot near a distal end of said arched section and providing for roll associated with the hand;
- said arched section being sized and shaped so as to be adapted to extend across the palm of the hand of a user during use, so that the third pivot is located within the hand during use.
In a robotic master controller having a hand grip adapted to be held in the hand of a user and a series of interconnected linking members allowing a user to adjust the yaw, pitch and roll of the hand grip;
- the improvement wherein:
- a) said hand grip is joined to a final linking member by a pivot that allows for roll of the hand grip and the pivot is located so as to be in encircled by the hand of a user during use and has an axis of rotation that is generally aligned with an axis of rotation of a user's arm during use.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.