Multiple prehension mechanism

Claim 2

A multiple prehension mechanism adapted to assume different prehensile operational modes to grasp objects comprising: a palmar base defining a working surface thereon, said base having a centerline generally normal to said working surface; at least three finger assemblies carried by said base, each of said finger assemblies including a support means mounted on said base, a finger pivotally mounted on each of said support means about a curl revolute axis generally perpendicular to said centerline for movement toward and away from said working surface; single finger drive means operatively connected to all of said fingers for simultaneously pivoting said fingers about the respective said curl revolute axis of said finger to engage the objects; and, positioning drive means operatively connected to said support means for selectively positioning said support means so that said fingers close in intersecting curling planes in a first position and in substantially parallel and laterally spaced curling planes in a secOnd position.

Claim 3

The mechanism of claim 1 wherein one of said support means is fixedly mounted on said base, wherein two of said support means are pivoted on said base at spaced apart positioning axes generally parallel to said centerline of said base, and wherein said positioning drive means is operatively connected to said two of said support means to selectively pivot said two of said support arms about said positioning axes to selectively move said two of said support arms between said first and second positions.

Claim 4

The mechanism of claim 1 wherein said finger drive means includes power means carried by said base, said power means comprising adapter means, a drive unit for selectively moving said adapter means along an operating path generally parallel to said centerline of said base, and connector means operatively connecting each of said fingers to said adapter unit for effecting simultaneous opening and closing of all of said fingers in response to movement of said adapter means.

Claim 5

The mechanism of claim 1 wherein said positioning drive means comprises at least one motor means carried by said adapter means and operatively connected to said two of said power arms to selectively pivot said two of said power arms and said two of said support means about said positioning axes.

Claim 6

The mechanism of claim 4 wherein said motor means includes fluid cylinder means.

Claim 7

The mechanism of claim 5 wherein said fluid cylinder means includes a first fluid cylinder carried by said adapter means having a first piston rod operatively connected to one of said two of said power arms to selectively pivot said one of said two of said power arms about its said positioning axis; and a second fluid cylinder carried by said adapter means having a second piston rod operatively connected to the other of said two of said power arms to selectively pivot said other of said two of said power arms about its said positioning axis.

Claim 8

The mechanism of claim 1 wherein each of said fingers of said finger assemblies further includes a projecting end extendable over said base and wherein each of said finger assemblies further includes tip means rotatably mounted in said projecting end of said finger about a tip axis generally parallel to said curl revolute axis of said finger, said tip means constructed and arranged to grasp objects.

Claim 9

The mechanism of claim 7 wherein said tip means defines at least two spaced apart contact surfaces thereon on the same side of said finger adapted to engage objects so that said tip means is rotated in response to engagement with the object until said two contact surfaces both engage the object.

Claim 10

The mechanism of claim 8 further including initial positioner means construced and arranged to resiliently urge said tip means in a first predetermined rotational direction so that the rotation of said tip means in response to enngagement with the object is in a second predetermined rotational direction opposite to said first direction.

Claim 11

The mechanism of claim 1 wherein said finger drive mechanism includes a finger drive linkage operatively associated with each of said finger assemblies and operating substantially coplanar with the curling plane of said finger associated therewith, each of said finger drive linkages defining a slider crank mechanism, the slider axis thereof substantially parallel to said finger curling plane.

Claim 12

The mechanism of claim 1 wherein each of said fingers includes a projecting end which opens and closes within said curling planes and a tip assembly carried by each of said projecting ends, each of said tip assemblies comprising: a tip member including contact means for engaging the object; and, pivot means for pivotally mounting said tip member on the projecting end of said finger member about a tip axis generally normal to the curling plane of said finger member for pivotal movement independent of said finger member movement.

Claim 13

The mechanism of claim 11 wherein each of said tip Assemblies further includes limiting means for limiting the pivotal movement of said tip member in a first direction and in a second direction opposite to said first direction about said tip axis.

Claim 14

The mechanism of claim 12 wherein each of said tip assemblies further includes positioner means for resiliently urging said tip means in said first direction.

Claim 15

The mechanism of claim 13 wherein each of said tip members defines two spaced apart contact surfaces arranged to urge said tip member in said second direction against the urging of said positioner means as an incident to the engagement of one of said contact points with the object.

Claim 16

The mechanism of claim 11 wherein each of said tip members defines a plurality of spaced apart contact surfaces thereon constructed and arranged so that said tip member is inherently shifted to cause at least two of said contact surfaces to engage the object as it is being grasped.

Claim 17

A multiple prehension mechanism adapted to assume different prehensile operational modes to grasp objects comprising: a palmar base defining a working surface thereon, said base having a centerline generally normal to said working surface; at least three finger assemblies carried by said base, each of said finger assemblies including a support means mounted on said base, a finger pivotally mounted on each of said support means about a curl revolute axis generally perpendicular to said centerline for movement toward and away from said working surface; and, single finger drive means operatively connected to all of said fingers for simultaneously pivoting said fingers about the respective said curl revolute axis of said finger to engage the objects, said finger drive means including power means carried by said base, said power means comprising adapter means, a drive unit for selectively moving said adapter means along an operating path generally parallel to said centerline of said base, and connector means operatively connecting each of said fingers to said adapter unit for effecting simultaneous opening and closing of all of said fingers in response to movement of said adapter means, said connector means including at least three power arms connected to said adapter means for movement therewith, one of said power arms fixed to said adapter means in alignment with said one of said support means and two of said power arms pivoted to said adapter means about arm positioning axes in alignment with said positioning axes of said two of said positioning means, and link means operatively connecting each of said power arms to said finger associated therewith.

Claim 18

A multiple prehension mechanism adapted to assume different prehensile operational modes to grasp objects comprising: a palmar base defining a working surface thereon, said base having a centerline generally normal to said working surface; at least three finger assemblies carried by said base, each of said finger assemblies including a support means mounted on said base, a finger pivotally mounted on each of said support means about a curl revolute axis generally perpendicular to said centerline for movement toward and away from said working surface; and, single finger drive means operatively connected to all of said fingers for simultaneously pivoting said fingers about the respective said curl revolute axis of said finger to engage the objects, said finger drive means including power means carried by said base, said power means comprising adapter means, a drive unit for selectively moving said adapter means along an operating path generally parallel to said centerline of said base, and connector means operatively connecting each of said fingers to said adapter unit for effecting simultaneous opening and closing of all of said fingers in response to movement of said adapter means, said connector means including at least three power arms connected to said adapter means for movement therewith, one of said power arms fixed to said adapter means in alignment with said one of said support means and two of said power arms pivoted to said adapter means about arm positioning axes in alignment with said positioning axes of said two of said positioning means, and link means operatively connecting each of said power arms to said finger associated therewith.

Claim 19

The mechanism of claim 16 wherein said drive unit comprises a fluid cylinder carried by said base; said fluid cylinder including a piston rod selectively movable about a path generally parallel to the centerline of said base, said piston rod having a projecting end and said adapter means mounted on said projecting end of said piston rod.

Claim 20

A multiple prehension mechanism adapted to assume different prehensile operational modes to grasp objects comprising: a palmar base defining a working surface thereon, said base having a centerline generally normal to said working surfaces; at least three finger assemblies carried by said base, each of said finger assemblies including a support means mounted on said base, a finger pivotally mounted on each of said support means about a curl revolute axis generally perpendicular to said centerline for movement toward and away from said working surface, one of said support means fixedly mounted on said base, two of said support means pivoted on said base at spaced apart positioning axes generally parallel to said centerline of said base, said two of said support means selectively movable from a first position in which said fingers move in intersecting curling planes to a second position in which said fingers move in parallel curling planes.

Claim 21

A multiple prehension mechanism adapted to assume different prehensile operational modes to grasp objects comprising: a palmar base defining a working surface thereon, said base having a centerline generally normal to said working surfaces; at least three finger assemblies carried by said base, each of said finger assemblies including a support means mounted on said base, a finger pivotally mounted on each of said support means about a curl revolute axis generally perpendicular to said centerline for movement toward and away from said working surface, one of said support means fixedly mounted on said base, two of said support means pivoted on said base at spaced apart positioning axes generally parallel to said centerline of said base, said two of said support means selectively movable from a first position in which said fingers move in intersecting curling planes to a second position in which said fingers move in parallel curling planes.

Claim 22

A multiple prehension mechanism adapted to assume different prehensile operational mOdes to grasp objects comprising: a base defining a centerline; three finger assemblies carried by said base, each of said finger assemblies including a support arm and a finger pivoted on said support arm about a curl revolute axis generally normal to said centerline, said support arms pinned to said base at three spaced points equally spaced about a circle lying in a plane generally perpendicular to said centerline, said support arm of one of said finger assemblies having a fixed position so that it extends generally radially of said circle and said support arms of the other two of said finger assemblies selectively pivotal about their associated points around positioning axes generally parallel to said centerline so that the curl revolute axes of said other two of said finger assemblies move about arcuate paths centered on said positioning axes.

Claim 23

A multiple prehension mechanism adapted to assume different prehensile operational mOdes to grasp objects comprising: a base defining a centerline; three finger assemblies carried by said base, each of said finger assemblies including a support arm and a finger pivoted on said support arm about a curl revolute axis generally normal to said centerline, said support arms pinned to said base at three spaced points equally spaced about a circle lying in a plane generally perpendicular to said centerline, said support arm of one of said finger assemblies having a fixed position so that it extends generally radially of said circle and said support arms of the other two of said finger assemblies selectively pivotal about their associated points around positioning axes generally parallel to said centerline so that the curl revolute axes of said other two of said finger assemblies move about arcuate paths centered on said positioning axes.

Claim 24

The mechanism of claim 19 further including positioning means for selectively moving said other two of said finger assemblies to a first position in which said support arms extend from said circle in directions not parallel to each other and to a second position in which said support arms are all generally parallel and laterally spaced so that said fingers pivot generally parallel to each other.

Claim 25

The mechanism of claim 20 wherein said support arms of said other two of said finger assemblies extend substantially radially with respect to said circle in said first position.

Claim 26

The mechanism of claim 21 further including finger drive means for selectively pivoting said fingers about said curl revolute axes to grasp objects.