Articulated manipulator
AssigneesToyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsYasuhiro Hama, Yoshiaki Tanaka, Takahiro Inada
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A miniaturized articulated manipulator 20 has a first arm member 31A internally provided with two driving motors 33 and 34, and a second arm member 30B not provided with any devices corresponding to the driving motors 33 and 34 and capable of being miniaturized. The driving motors 33 and 34 can be disposed in common areas 135 at least partially overlapping each other with respect to a direction parallel to the axis of the first arm member 30A and can be arranged in a direction perpendicular to the axis. Thus the first arm member 30A can be formed in a small axial size. Thus the first arm 30A and the second arm 30B can be miniaturized and hence the articulated manipulator 20 can be formed in a short overall length.
Claims8
An articulated manipulator comprising;
- a plurality of arm members successively connected in a linear arrangement;
- a plurality of joints each connecting adjacent arm members of the plurality of arm members so that the adjacent arm members are able to turn relative to each other,
- wherein one joint of consecutive joints rotates on an axis of rotation that is inclined with respect to an axis of rotation of the other respective joint of the consecutive joints;
- and
- a plurality of driving means each for driving two adjacent arm members of the plurality of arm members for turning relative to each other;
- wherein at least one of the arm members of the plurality of arm members has opposite ends connected to two other arm members of the plurality of arm members by respective ones of the plurality of the joints, the at least one arm member having the opposite ends connected to the two other arm members being provided with two driving means of the plurality of driving means for driving respective ones of the two other arm members connected thereto for turning, and the two driving means being integrated into the arm member having the opposite ends connected to the two other arm members and being disposed in areas at least partially overlapping each other with respect to a direction along an axis of the arm member having the opposite ends connected to the two other arm members.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.