Elastically deformable fluid actuator
AssigneeKabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
InventorsKoichi Suzumori, Takafumi Matsumaru, Shoichi Iikura
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Abstract
An actuator for use in an arm or hand of an industrial robot comprises a tubular elastic body of which interior is separated into a plurality of pressure chambers by an axially extending partition, and means for adjusting respective pressures of the pressure chambers to render the tubular elastic body to take a motion at a multi-degree freedom. At least the outer peripheral part of the tubular elastic body has an anisotropic characteristic with respect to modulus of elasticity. The axial direction of the tubular elastic body is a direction small in modulus of longitudinal elasticity, while the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the tubular elastic body is a direction large in modulus of longitudinal elasticity.
Claims46
An actuator comprising:
- (a) a tubular elastic body of which interior is separated into a plurality of pressure chambers by an axially extending partition;
- and
- (b) means for adjusting respective pressures of said pressure chambers.
An actuator comprising:
- (a) a tubular elastic body of which interior is separated into a plurality of pressure chambers by an axially extending partition, said tubular elastic body being composed of a plurality of tubular elastic members joined together, each of said tubular elastic members defining a respective one of said pressure chambers;
- and
- (b) means for adjusting respective pressures of said pressure chambers.
An actuator comprising:
- (a) a first elastic member;
- (b) a second elastic member attached to said first elastic member and having a modulus of elasticity different from that of said first elastic member, at least one of said first and second elastic members having therein a pressure chamber;
- and
- (c) means for adjusting a pressure in said pressure chamber.
The actuator comprising:
- (a) an elastic member having a pressure chamber therein, at least one portion of said elastic member having an anisotropy with respect to modulus of elasticity;
- and
- (b) means for adjusting a pressure in said pressure chamber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.