Rotary tong squeeze system

Claim 2

A wrist joint for a remote control manipulator comprising: A. a housing including upper and lower portions; B. a plurality of takeup means for linear motion transmission elements journaled to rotate within the upper portion of said housing, each of said takeup means being rotatable independently and each having a pair of circumferential channels for receiving linear motion transmission elements wrapped in opposite directions; C. gear means secured to each of said takeup means; D. one of said takeup means controlling tong squeeze operation; E. means including a plurality of spur gears journaled in the lower portion of said housing; F. means operatively connecting the gears of said takeup means with said spur gears; G. work performing means carried by the lower portion of thE wrist joint including tong means; H. rotary tong squeeze drive means in the lower portion of the wrist joint comprising a shaft pivotable about an axis parallel to the axes of rotation of the takeup means and spur gears and also rotatable about an axis normal thereto; and I. means operatively connecting said spur gears to said work performing means, one of said spur gears being operatively connected to said tong squeeze drive means for controlling tong squeeze operation.

Claim 3

A wrist joint according to claim 1 further characterized in that: A. a yoke is journaled for limited pivotal rotation in the lower part of said housing; B. said spur gears are journaled on the trunnions of said yoke; and C. a differential bevel gear is journaled to rotate with each of said spur gears.

Claim 4

A manipulator wrist joint according to claim 2 further characterized in that: A. a bevel pinion is supported from said yoke and journaled for rotation about an axis perpendicular to the axis of rotation of said differential bevel gears, the teeth thereof engaging the teeth of one pair of said differential gears; B. said bevel pinion has an elongated shank extending through a slot in the lower portion of said housing; C. said tong squeeze drive shaft extends through and is journaled for rotation within said bevel pinion on the axis of rotation thereof; D. one end of said drive shaft is operatively connected to drive said tong means; and E. the other end of said drive shaft is operatively connected to be driven from the one of said differential bevel gears operatively connected to the takeup means for controlling tong operation.

Claim 5

A wrist joint according to claim 3 further characterized in that said tong means includes: A. a tong housing secured to the shank of said bevel pinion; B. a pair of reciprocal jaws pivotally secured to links pivotally secured in said tong housing; C. a pair of actuating arms each connected to one of said jaws; D. gear teeth in each of said arms; E. a pair of spur gears in said tong housing, the teeth of said gears engaging the teeth in said arms; and F. drive means operatively connecting said spur gears with said tong squeeze drive shaft.

Claim 6

A wrist joint according to claim 4 further characterized in that: A. said tong squeeze drive shaft has a drive pinion at one end; B. said spur gears in said tong housing are each fixed to rotate with a bevel gear on the same axis; C. a further bevel pinion is journaled in said tong housing, the teeth thereof engaging the teeth of both of said last named bevel gears; D. said further bevel pinion being operatively connected to be driven by the drive pinion on said tong squeeze drive shaft.

Claim 7

A wrist joint according to claim 1 further characterized in that said tong means includes: A. a tong housing secured in the lower portion of the wrist joint; B. a pair of reciprocal jaws pivotally secured to links pivotally secured in said tong housing; C. at least one actuating arm connected to one of said jaws; D. gear teeth in said arm; E. at least one spur gear in said tong housing, the teeth of said gear engaging the teeth in said arm; and F. drive means operatively connecting said spur gear with said tong squeeze drive shaft.

Claim 8

A wrist joint for the slave arm of a remote control master-slave manipulator comprising: A. a housing including separate upper and lower portions; B. a plurality of takeup means for linear motion transmission elements journaled to rotate within the upper portion of said housing, each of said takeup means being rotatable independently and each having a pair of circumferential channels for receiving linear motion transmission elements wrapped in opposite directions; C. gear means secured to each of said takeup means; D. one of said takeup means controlling tong squeeze operation; E. a yoke journAled for limited pivotal movement in the lower portion of said housing; F. a plurality of spur gears journaled on the trunnions of said yoke; G. means operatively connecting the gears of said takeup means to said spur gears; H. a plurality of differential bevel gears journaled to rotate with said spur gears; I. work performing means carried by the lower portion of the wrist joint including tong means; J. tong squeeze drive means comprising a shaft extending through said yoke, said shaft being rotatable about an axis normal to the axis of rotation of the yoke and pivotable with the yoke, a bevel gear on one end of said shaft and a drive pinion on the other end; and K. means operatively connecting said bevel gears to said work performing means, one of said differential bevel gears being operatively connected to the bevel gear of said tong squeeze drive means for controlling tong squeeze operation.

Claim 9

A wrist joint for the slave arm of a remote control master-slave manipulator comprising: A. a housing including separate upper and lower portions; B. a plurality of takeup means for linear motion transmission elements journaled to rotate within the upper portion of said housing, each of said takeup means being rotatable independently and each having a pair of circumferential channels for receiving linear motion transmission elements wrapped in opposite directions; C. gear means secured to each of said takeup means; D. one of said takeup means controlling tong squeeze operation; E. a yoke journAled for limited pivotal movement in the lower portion of said housing; F. a plurality of spur gears journaled on the trunnions of said yoke; G. means operatively connecting the gears of said takeup means to said spur gears; H. a plurality of differential bevel gears journaled to rotate with said spur gears; I. work performing means carried by the lower portion of the wrist joint including tong means; J. tong squeeze drive means comprising a shaft extending through said yoke, said shaft being rotatable about an axis normal to the axis of rotation of the yoke and pivotable with the yoke, a bevel gear on one end of said shaft and a drive pinion on the other end; and K. means operatively connecting said bevel gears to said work performing means, one of said differential bevel gears being operatively connected to the bevel gear of said tong squeeze drive means for controlling tong squeeze operation.

Claim 10

A manipulator wrist joint according to claim 7 further characterized in that: A. a bevel pinion is supported from said yoke and journaled for rotation about an axis perpendicular to the axis of said spur gears and differential bevel gears, the teeth thereof engaging the teeth of one pair of said differential gears; B. said bevel pinion has an elongated shank extending through a slot in the lower portion of said housing; C. said tong squeeze drive shaft extends through and is journaled for rotation within said bevel pinion on the axis of rotation thereof; D. one end of said drive shaft is operatively connected to drive said tong means; and E. the other end of said drive shaft bearing said bevel gear is operatively connected to be driven from the one of said differential bevel gears operatively connected to the takeup means for controlling tong operation.

Claim 11

A wrist joint according to claim 8 further characterized in that said tong means includes: A. a tong housing secured to the shank of said bevel pinion; B. a pair of reciprocal jaws pivotally secured to links pivotally secured in said tong housing; C. a pair of actuating arms each connected to one of said jaws; D. gear teeth in each of said arms; E. a pair of spur gears in said tong housing, the teeth of said gears engaging the teeth in said arms; and F. drive means operatively connecting said spur gears with said tong squeeze drive shaft.

Claim 12

A wrist joint according to claim 9 further characterized in that: A. said tong squeeze drive shaft has a drive pinion at one end; B. said spur gears in said tong housing are each fixed to rotate with a bevel gear on the same axis; C. a further bevel pinion is journaled in said tong housing, the teeth thereof engaging the teeth of both of said last named bevel gears; D. said further bevel pinion being operatively connected to be driven by the drive pinion on said tong squeeze drive shaft.