Patent ID: 6026701
Filing Date: 2000-02-22
Classification: B25J,Y10S,Y10T

Abstract:
Remote manipulation apparatus of the ""master-slave"" type with six degrees of freedom, characterized in that it comprises:an articulated structure (1) in the form of a deformable parallelogram, comprising two parallel arms (2) each joined, on the one hand, to a crossmember (3) by an articulation (5) with one degree of freedom in rotation about an axis perpendicular to the plane of the parallelogram and, on the other hand, to a structure (4) by an articulation (6) with two degrees of freedom in rotation about two axes, the first axis being perpendicular to the plane of the parallelogram and the second axis being supported by the fourth side of the parallelogram, the four articulations lying at the vertices of the parallelogram, the two arms (2) extending beyond their respective articulations (6) to the structure;two articulation devices (8, 9) with parallel structure, namely a ""master"" device and a ""slave"" device, these devices being arranged respectively at the free end of each arm (2), each device comprising:a base (10) supported by the free end of the corresponding arm (2),a member (11) which can move relative to the base (10), forming either the control member in the ""master"" device, or the controlled member in the ""slave"" device, said moving member (11) being articulated (12) at its center, with three degrees of freedom in rotation, to a support (13) mounted on the base (10) for axial displacement parallel to the axis of the arm, by virtue of which arrangement the moving member has a degree of freedom in axial translation relative to said arm,four actuator devices (14) approximately parallel to the axis of the arm, inserted between the base (10) and the moving member (11) and surrounding the support (13), each actuator device comprisinga linkage (15) approximately parallel to the axis of the arm, supported by the base 10 and capable of sliding freely therein parallel to the axis of the arm,and a connecting piece (16) of fixed length connected with articulations in rotation to the end of the linkage (15) and to the moving member (11),the respective positions of the linkages (15) on the base (10) and of the articulations of the connecting pieces (16) on the moving member (11) being such that the connecting pieces (16) are capable of creating moments about three axes of rotation on the moving member, giving it three degrees of freedom in rotation with respect to the corresponding arm (2),and five devices (19) for the two-way transmission of linear movement which are insertedin the case of four of them, between the four actuator devices of the ""master"" device (8) and the four corresponding actuator devices of the ""slave"" device (9),and, in the case of the fifth one, between the respective supports of the moving control member of the ""master"" device (8) and of the moving controlled member of the ""slave"" device (9),these two-way transmission devices being arranged in such a way that the linear displacement of one actuator device or of the support of the moving control member of the ""master"" device is transmitted in the form of a linear displacement in the same sense of the corresponding actuator device or of the support of the moving controlled member of the ""slave"" device.