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US 5,156,081 AGranted
Gripping actuator with independently flexible cylinders
AssigneeKabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
InventorKohichi Suzumori
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A gripping actuator comprises a plurality of flexible cylinders arranged adjacent to one another. The inside of each of the flexible cylinder is divided into a plurality of pressure chambers with partition walls that extend axially inside the flexible cylinder. The actuator has a pressure adjuster for adjusting pressures in the respective pressure chambers of the flexible cylinders so that the flexible cylinders may operate at individual degrees of freedom in achieving cooperative motions.
Claims24
A gripping actuator comprising:
- (a) at least two spaced, independently flexible cylinders, the inside of each of said flexible cylinders being divided into a plurality of pressure chambers with axially extending partition walls;
- and
- (b) means for separately adjusting pressure in the respective pressure chambers of each of said flexible cylinders to independently drive each of said flexible cylinders at multiple degrees of freedom such that said flexible cylinders move with respect to one another to cooperatively perform complicated tasks.
A gripping actuator comprising:
- a plurality of spaced, independently movable working bodies each of which has a plurality of pressure chambers, at least a peripheral wall of each of said working bodies having anisotropic elasticity, pressures in the respective pressure chambers of each of said working bodies being adjusted in operating the working bodies, base portions of said working bodies being fixed to a common base in a way to arrange said working bodies adjacent to one another, said working bodies being movable with respect to one another to cooperatively perform complicated tasks.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.