Manipulator
AssigneeUnited Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority
InventorGeoffrey V. Cole
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A remote handling manipulator having a slave arm and a manually operated controller with a grip mechanism, is provided with a force feedback system to impose a force resisting operation of the grip mechanism related to a load experienced by the slave arm. A jaw mechanism of the slave arm is operated by a pressurized fluid, and in the system the pressure of the fluid and the effort exerted by the grip mechanism are compared to produce an error signal used for regulating the force applied to the grip mechanism.
Claims6
A manipulator comprising, a slave arm with at least one movement thereof operable by fluid power means;
- a manually operated grip means for controlling the movement of the slave arm;
- positional transducers at the slave arm and the grip means to provide positional signals representing the positions of the slave arm and of the grip means, means for comparing the positional signals and providing a difference signal representing the difference between the positional signals, and a servo-valve and a pressure control valve each responsive to the difference signal and arranged to operate the fluid power means;
- means for monitoring the fluid pressure of the fluid power means and providing a pressure signal, a load transducer for monitoring the load on the grip means and providing a load signal, comparator means for comparing pressure and load signals from the pressure monitoring means and the load transducer and providing an error signal representing the difference between the pressure and load signals, and a fluid power means connected to the grip means and operable in response to the error signal so as to impose on the grip means a load proportional to the said fluid pressure.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.