Micro robot

Claim 2

A micro robot comprising; at least two sensors having respective detection regions partly overlapping each other; at least one pair of driving means being driven independently of each other and having driven points separated from each other, each driven point defining a vertical axis extending therefrom in a direction perpendicular to a direction of movement; a control portion which is composed in a form of a thin plate, for controlling said driving means on the basis of outputs of said sensors; a chargeable power source portion for supplying a power source voltage to said sensors, said driving means and said control portion, said control portion and said power source portion being arranged in parallel between said pair of driving means, said driving means including an electromagnetic stepping motor having a magnetic rotor, an exciting coil winding wound on a magnetic core, a tabular stator having a circular hole to house said magnetic rotor, a pair of recesses, each being smaller than said magnetic rotor opening into the inside wall of said circular hole at diametrically opposed sites about the center of said circular hole and at a biased angle from a direction of a magnetic flux excited in said circular hole, and a pair of concave portions disposed outside said circular hole; said exciting coil winding being arranged between both ends of said tabular stator, said micro robot further having a center of gravity positioned in approximate alignment with a plane including the vertical axis of said driven points of said pair of driving means and below the highest height among the height of said driving means, said control portion and said power source portion, said microrobot further comprising at least two wheels driven by said driving means, said control portion generating drive pulses for said driving means that are shifted in time with respect to each other.

Claim 3

A micro robot comprising; at least two direction control sensors having respective detection regions partly overlapping each other; at least one pair of driving means being driven independently of each other and having driven points separated from each other, each driven point defining a vertical axis extending therefrom in a direction perpendicular to a direction of movement; a work control sensor which receives a work instruction contactlessly from an operation side; a work driving means; a control portion for controlling said driving means on the basis of outputs of said direction control sensors and for controlling said work driving means on the basis of an output of said work control sensor; and a chargeable power source portion for supplying a power source voltage to said direction control sensors, said driving means, said work control sensor, said work driving means, and said control portion, said control portion and said power source portion being arranged in parallel between said pair of driving means, said driving means including an electromagnetic stepping motor having a magnetic rotor, an exciting coil winding wound on a magnetic core, a tabular stator having a circular hole to house said magnetic rotor, a pair of recesses, each being smaller than said magnetic rotor opening into the inside wall of said circular hole at diametrically opposed sites about the center of said circular hole and at a biased angle from a direction of a magnetic flux excited in said circular hole, and a pair of concave portions disposed outside said circular hole; said exciting coil winding being arranged between both ends of said tabular stator, said micro robot further having a center of gravity positioned in approximate alignment with a plane including the vertical axis of said driven points of said pair of driving means and below the highest height among the height of said driving means, said control portion and said power source portion, wherein said work driving means includes a micropump which is driven to discharge a fluid.

Claim 4

A micro robot comprising; at least two direction control sensors having respective detection regions partly overlapping each other; at least one pair of driving means being driven independently of each other and having driven points separated from each other, each driven point defining a vertical axis extending therefrom in a direction perpendicular to a direction of movement; a work control sensor which receives a work instruction contactlessly from an operation side; a work driving means; a control portion for controlling said driving means on the basis of outputs of said direction control sensors and for controlling said work driving means on the basis of an output of said work control sensor; and a chargeable power source portion for supplying a power source voltage to said direction control sensors, said driving means, said work control sensor, said work driving means, and said control portion, said control portion and said power source portion being arranged in parallel between said pair of driving means, said driving means including an electromagnetic stepping motor having a magnetic rotor, an exciting coil winding wound on a magnetic core, a tabular stator having a circular hole to house said magnetic rotor, a pair of recesses, each being smaller than said magnetic rotor opening into the inside wall of said circular hole at diametrically opposed sites about the center of said circular hole and at a biased angle from a direction of a magnetic flux excited in said circular hole, and a pair of concave portions disposed outside said circular hole; said exciting coil winding being arranged between both ends of said tabular stator, said micro robot further having a center of gravity positioned in approximate alignment with a plane including the vertical axis of said driven points of said pair of driving means and below the highest height among the height of said driving means, said control portion and said power source portion, wherein said work driving means includes a micropump which is driven to discharge a fluid.

Claim 5

A micro robot comprising: at least two direction control sensors having respective detection regions partly overlapping each other; at least one pair of driving means being driven independently of each other and having driven points separated from each other, each driven point defining a vertical axis extending therefrom in a direction perpendicular to a direction of movement; a work control sensor which receives a work instruction contactlessly from an operation side; a work driving means; a control portion for controlling said driving means on the basis of outputs of said direction control sensors and for controlling said work driving means on the basis of an output of said work control sensor; and a chargeable power source portion for supplying a power source voltage to said direction control sensors, said driving means, said work control sensor, said work driving means, and said control portion, wherein said control portion and said power source portion being arranged in parallel between said pair of driving means, said driving means including an electromagnetic stepping motor, said electromagnetic stepping motor comprising; a magnetic rotor, an exciting coil winding wound on a magnetic core, a tabular stator having a circular hole to house said magnetic rotor, a pair of recesses, each being smaller than said magnetic rotor opening into the inside wall of said circular hole at diametrically opposed sites about the center of said circular hole and at a biased angle from a direction of a magnetic flux excited in said circular hole, and a pair of concave portions disposed outside said circular hole; said exciting coil winding being arranged between both ends of said tabular stator, said micro robot further having a center of gravity positioned in approximate alignment with a plane including the vertical axis of said driven points of said pair of driving means and below the highest height among the height of said driving means, said control portion and said power source portion, wherein said work driving means includes a hand mechanism and a driving means for driving said hand mechanism.

Claim 6

A micro robot comprising: at least two direction control sensors having respective detection regions partly overlapping each other; at least one pair of driving means being driven independently of each other and having driven points separated from each other, each driven point defining a vertical axis extending therefrom in a direction perpendicular to a direction of movement; a work control sensor which receives a work instruction contactlessly from an operation side; a work driving means; a control portion for controlling said driving means on the basis of outputs of said direction control sensors and for controlling said work driving means on the basis of an output of said work control sensor; and a chargeable power source portion for supplying a power source voltage to said direction control sensors, said driving means, said work control sensor, said work driving means, and said control portion, wherein said control portion and said power source portion being arranged in parallel between said pair of driving means, said driving means including an electromagnetic stepping motor, said electromagnetic stepping motor comprising; a magnetic rotor, an exciting coil winding wound on a magnetic core, a tabular stator having a circular hole to house said magnetic rotor, a pair of recesses, each being smaller than said magnetic rotor opening into the inside wall of said circular hole at diametrically opposed sites about the center of said circular hole and at a biased angle from a direction of a magnetic flux excited in said circular hole, and a pair of concave portions disposed outside said circular hole; said exciting coil winding being arranged between both ends of said tabular stator, said micro robot further having a center of gravity positioned in approximate alignment with a plane including the vertical axis of said driven points of said pair of driving means and below the highest height among the height of said driving means, said control portion and said power source portion, wherein said work driving means includes a hand mechanism and a driving means for driving said hand mechanism.

Claim 7

A micro robot attached to an end portion of an endoscope, comprising: a photovoltaic element for receiving light through optical fibers and for supplying a power source voltage; a micro pump for discharging a fluid; and a control portion for analyzing a control signal superimposed on the light obtained through said optical fibers to thereby drive said micro pump.

Claim 8

A micro robot attached to an end portion of an endoscope, comprising: a photovoltaic element for receiving light through optical fibers and for supplying a power source voltage; a micro pump for discharging a fluid; and a control portion for analyzing a control signal superimposed on the light obtained through said optical fibers to thereby drive said micro pump.

Claim 9

A micro robot comprising: a robot body including a driving means having a built-in motor for driving a fin to rotate; an arm adapted to open outward so as to engage with a pipe inner wall; a contactlessly chargeable power source portion for supplying a power source voltage to said sensor, said driving means and said control portion; and a control portion which stops the driving of said motor and opens said arm so as to stop within a fluid, when the voltage of said power source portion becomes a value not higher than a predetermined reference voltage value; whereby when said fin is rotated by a flow of said fluid during stoppage, an induced voltage is generated in a winding of said motor so that said power source portion is charged by said induced voltage after rectified.

Claim 10

A micro robot comprising: a robot body including a driving means having a built-in motor for driving a fin to rotate; an arm adapted to open outward so as to engage with a pipe inner wall; a contactlessly chargeable power source portion for supplying a power source voltage to said sensor, said driving means and said control portion; and a control portion which stops the driving of said motor and opens said arm so as to stop within a fluid, when the voltage of said power source portion becomes a value not higher than a predetermined reference voltage value; whereby when said fin is rotated by a flow of said fluid during stoppage, an induced voltage is generated in a winding of said motor so that said power source portion is charged by said induced voltage after rectified.

Claim 11

The micro robot according to claim 5, capable of being disposed within a non-magnetic pipe containing a fluid therein; and wherein an exciting device is provided at the outside of said non-magnetic pipe for supplying a stator of said motor with magnetic flux corresponding to the number of poles of said motor.

Claim 12

A micro robot according to claim 1, wherein said exciting device is supported so as to be movable in the direction of length of said non-magnetic pipe.

Claim 13

A micro robot comprising: at least two sensors having respective detection regions partly overlapping each other; at least one pair of driving means being driven independently of each other and having driven points separated from each other, each driven point defining a vertical axis extending therefrom in a direction perpendicular to a direction of movement; a control portion which is composed in a form of a thin plate, for controlling said driving means on the basis of outputs of said sensors; a contactlessly chargeable power source portion for supplying a power source voltage to said sensors, said driving means and said control portion; said control portion and said contactlessly chargeable power source portion being arranged in parallel between said pair of driving means, said driving means including an electromagnetic stepping motor, said electromagnetic stepping motor comprising; a magnetic rotor, an exciting coil winding wound on a magnetic core, a tabular stator having a circular hole to house said magnetic rotor, a pair of recesses, each being smaller than said magnetic rotor opening into the inside wall of said circular hole at diametrically opposed sites about the center of said circular hole and at a biased angle from a direction of a magnetic flux excited in said circular hole, and a pair of concave portions disposed outside said circular hole; said exciting coil winding being arranged between both ends of said tabular stator, said micro robot further having a center of gravity positioned in approximate alignment with a plane including the vertical axis of said driven points of said pair of driving means and below the highest height among the height of said driving means, said control portion and said contactlessly chargeable power source portion.

Claim 14

A micro robot comprising: at least two sensors having respective detection regions partly overlapping each other; at least one pair of driving means being driven independently of each other and having driven points separated from each other, each driven point defining a vertical axis extending therefrom in a direction perpendicular to a direction of movement; a control portion which is composed in a form of a thin plate, for controlling said driving means on the basis of outputs of said sensors; a contactlessly chargeable power source portion for supplying a power source voltage to said sensors, said driving means and said control portion; said control portion and said contactlessly chargeable power source portion being arranged in parallel between said pair of driving means, said driving means including an electromagnetic stepping motor, said electromagnetic stepping motor comprising; a magnetic rotor, an exciting coil winding wound on a magnetic core, a tabular stator having a circular hole to house said magnetic rotor, a pair of recesses, each being smaller than said magnetic rotor opening into the inside wall of said circular hole at diametrically opposed sites about the center of said circular hole and at a biased angle from a direction of a magnetic flux excited in said circular hole, and a pair of concave portions disposed outside said circular hole; said exciting coil winding being arranged between both ends of said tabular stator, said micro robot further having a center of gravity positioned in approximate alignment with a plane including the vertical axis of said driven points of said pair of driving means and below the highest height among the height of said driving means, said control portion and said contactlessly chargeable power source portion.

Claim 15

A micro robot according to claim 8, wherein each of said driving means includes a built-in motor so that an induced voltage is generated in a winding of said motor by a magnetic field of an externally provided charging coil, said induced voltage being used after rectified to charge said power source.

Claim 16

A micro robot according to claim 8, further comprising a mechanism by which said micro robot automatically moves toward a stand in which said charging coil is provided.

Claim 17

A micro robot according to claim 8, wherein a photovoltaic element is connected to said power source portion so that said power source portion is charged by an output of said photovoltaic element.

Claim 18

A micro robot according to claim 8, wherein a thermoelectric generation element is connected to said power source portion so as to generate an electric current in response to heat absorption/generation of an externally provided heat absorption/generation body to thereby charge said power source portion.

Claim 19

A micro robot according to claim 8, wherein a booster circuit is connected to said power source portion so that said booster circuit performs automatic boosting operation in accordance with a voltage of said power source portion.