Robot covered with visco-elastic material
US5744728A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 12, 1996 |
| Grant date | Apr 28, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 12, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG05B2219/40201
- WIPO fieldHandling
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
It is difficult to use in combination a technique of detecting a collision of an arm due to application thereto of an external force and a technique of alleviating the degree of impact of the arm by covering the arm with a cushioning material. This is so because if it is intended to alleviate the impact degree, the timing of detection of the generation of the collision is delayed. The disclosed technique is to overcome the relation of the opposing factors by using a visco-elastic material. Particularly, by selecting the viscosity coefficient and the elasticity coefficient of the material in predetermined ranges, it is possible to alleviate the impact degree without excessive delay of the impact detection timing and forcibly stop the arm before the force acting between the arm and the object exceeds a permissible level.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.