Manipulator

A manipulator for industrial purposes, which comprises in combination:

• (a) a housing;
• (b) a main shaft held on both upper and lower surfaces of said housing in a rotatable manner;
• (c) an auxiliary shaft concentrically fitted in said main shaft in a manner as to be rotatable together with said main shaft, and projecting outwardly of said upper surface of said housing, said auxiliary shaft being also movable in the up and down direction;
• (d) an arm member fixedly supported on the top end part of said auxiliary shaft substantially perpendicularly with respect to the axial line thereof, said arm member being provided therein with a control mechanism for holding, releasing and shifting a work-piece from one place to any other designated place;
• (e) a hand member for clamp-holding the work-piece therein, said hand being mounted on one end part of said arm, and having at the tip end thereof a pair of finger members;
• (f) a control shaft which is concentrically fitted within said auxiliary shaft in a rotatable manner, and which operates said control mechanism for opening and closing said finger members provided on said arm member;
• (g) a reversible electric motor fixedly provided on one external surface part of said housing;
• (h) a worm gear member which is rotatably mounted on an outer peripheral surface part of said main shaft, and receives the driving force of said reversible electric motor through a worm provided on said motor and being meshed therewith;
• (i) a group of gears for moving said auxiliary shaft in the up and down direction;
• (j) another group of gears for rotating said control shaft;
• (l) an intermittent gear which rotates along with said worm gear, and selectively transmits the driving force of said reversible electric motor to said both groups of gears to cause said auxiliary shaft to move up and down, or to cause said control shaft to rotate in either direction;
• (m) means to cause said main shaft to follow the movement of said worm gear after said main shaft is rotated for a certain definite rotational angle;
• and
• (n) means to detect rotation of said main shaft after the same is rotated for a certain definite angle, and to cause said reversible electric motor to rotate forwardly or reversely, said worm, worm gear, both gear groups, supporting frame, intermittent gear, and means for causing said main shaft to follow the movement of said worm gear being accommodated within said housing.