Position Sensing Wrists for Industrial Manipulators

摘要

A new wrist design for an industrial manipulator is described that exhibits a range of compliant control. This is necessary for large industrial robots that experience a range of tool-lengths and pay-loads. The device has five and a half degrees of freedom and is structurally similar to a previous design by McCallion. Reinforced elastomeric spheres are used in the compliant platform of the unit. These display a monotonically increasing spring stiffness and can be adjusted using a pressurized fluid. Deflections in the wrist are measured using LVDT transducers. A dedicated microcomputer monitors the deflections and modifies robot sequences to correct for long-term errors in repetitive tasks. (Author)