Development of a Human Symbiotic Assist  Arm “PAS-Arm” (Design of Mechanism · CVT and Experimental System)

Mineo Higuchi

doi:10.20965/jrm.2013.p0211

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JRM Vol.25 No.1 pp. 211-219

doi: 10.20965/jrm.2013.p0211

(2013)

Paper:

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Development of a Human Symbiotic Assist Arm “PAS-Arm” (Design of Mechanism · CVT and Experimental System)

Mineo Higuchi

Advanced Technology R&D Center, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, 8-1-1 Tsukaguchi-honmachi, Amagasaki-shi, Hyogo 661-8661, Japan

Received:

September 29, 2012

Accepted:

October 9, 2012

Published:

February 20, 2013

Keywords:

robot, mechanism, passive robotics, continuously variable transmission, differential gear

Abstract

We describe a new robotic assist device: a passive assist arm (PAS-Arm). PAS-Arms are intended for direct physical interaction with a human operator, handling a shared payload. PAS-Arms are physically passive. Their purpose is not to enhance human strength, but to provide virtual guiding surfaces, which constrain and guide the motion of the payload within a shared workspace. PAS-Arms have three joints and a three-dimensional workspace, but possess only a two degrees of freedom, due to the reduction of degrees of freedom created by a combination of Continuously Variable Transmissions (CVTs) and differential gears. We have developed an experimental system of the PAS-Arm. In this paper, we describe kinematic specification of the experimental system. We discuss the differential relation of transmission ratios created by the CVTs. We conducted the relationship between transmission ratio resolutions of the CVTs and resolutions of normal vector of the virtual guiding surface, and the relationship between angular velocities of PAS-Arm’s joints and time derivative of the transmission ratios. Assuming that the Euclidean norm of the angular velocities is constant, maximum time derivative of transmission ratios is in proportion to link lengths of the PAS-Arm. We also describe the design of the CVT for use in the experimental system.¹
1. This paper is the full translation from the transactions of JSME, Series C, Vol.75, No.749, pp. 104-112, 2009.

Cite this article as:

M. Higuchi, “Development of a Human Symbiotic Assist Arm “PAS-Arm” (Design of Mechanism · CVT and Experimental System),” J. Robot. Mechatron., Vol.25 No.1, pp. 211-219, 2013.

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References

[1] Y. Yamada, H. Konosu, T. Morizono, and Y. Umetani, “Proposal of Skill-Assist for Mounting Operations in Automobile Assembly Processes,” Trans. of the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers, Series C, Vol.68, No.666, pp. 509-516, 2002 (in Japanese).
[2] ISO/CD12100, “Safety of machinery – basic concepts, general principles for design,” 1998.
[3] ISO10218, “Robots for industrial environments – Safety requirements – Part 1: Robot,” 2006.
[4] A. Goswami, M. A. Peshkin, and J. E. Colgate, “Passive Robotics: An Exploration of Mechanical Computation,” Proc. of 1990, IEEE Int. Conf. on Robotics and Automation, Cincinnati, pp. 279-284, 1990.
[5] M. A. Peshkin and J. E. Colgate, “Cobots,” Industrial Robot, Vol.26, No.5, pp. 335-341, 1999.
[6] M. Higuchi, “Working Auxiliary Arm,” Japanese Patent Application No.JP20030410620 20031209, Japanese Patent Publication No.JP2005169536, Japanese Patent No.4115927, 2008.
[7] M. Higuchi, “Development of a Human Symbiotic Assist Arm “PAS-Arm” (Basic Concept and Mechanism),” Trans. of the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers, Series C, Vol.73, No.730, pp. 1762-1768, 2007 (in Japanese).

This article is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internationa License.

[1] [1] Y. Yamada, H. Konosu, T. Morizono, and Y. Umetani, “Proposal of Skill-Assist for Mounting Operations in Automobile Assembly Processes,” Trans. of the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers, Series C, Vol.68, No.666, pp. 509-516, 2002 (in Japanese).

[2] [2] ISO/CD12100, “Safety of machinery – basic concepts, general principles for design,” 1998.

[3] [3] ISO10218, “Robots for industrial environments – Safety requirements – Part 1: Robot,” 2006.

[4] [4] A. Goswami, M. A. Peshkin, and J. E. Colgate, “Passive Robotics: An Exploration of Mechanical Computation,” Proc. of 1990, IEEE Int. Conf. on Robotics and Automation, Cincinnati, pp. 279-284, 1990.

[5] [5] M. A. Peshkin and J. E. Colgate, “Cobots,” Industrial Robot, Vol.26, No.5, pp. 335-341, 1999.

[6] [6] M. Higuchi, “Working Auxiliary Arm,” Japanese Patent Application No.JP20030410620 20031209, Japanese Patent Publication No.JP2005169536, Japanese Patent No.4115927, 2008.

[7] [7] M. Higuchi, “Development of a Human Symbiotic Assist Arm “PAS-Arm” (Basic Concept and Mechanism),” Trans. of the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers, Series C, Vol.73, No.730, pp. 1762-1768, 2007 (in Japanese).