A parallel type integrated actuator is proposed. The actuator includes: a driving unit composed of a plurality of motors, each motor being stacked successively in a longitudinal direction of the driving unit, each motor having a stator fixed to a position outside the driving unit and a rotor positioned inside thereof, each motor rotating relative to each other; a plurality of shafts; a heat sink housing having a cylindrical shape formed around the outer surface of the driving unit, and having an inner circumferential surface thereof thermally connected with the plurality of stators and a plurality of flow paths formed on the outer circumferential surface thereof; and a blower fan installed on one end side of the driving unit, provided with a wing part disposed to be adjacent to one end side of the heat sink housing, wherein rotation generates convection for heat exchange.

The invention relates to the improvement of exoskeletons and masters thereof and to their use in teleoperative applications in virtual worlds or the real world. Non-actuated exoskeletons can be used to transfer loads from the user, for example, heavy luggage, tools or also the body weight of the user, to the ground and to relieve the joint and muscle system of the user. This can increase the endurance and also effective strength of the user. Motor-driven, actuated exoskeletons can be used in different fields. They can be worn as a freely moveable robotic suit which comprises a built-in energy supply and electronic control. They can also be used to improve the force and endurance of a user whilst the user moves in an unlimited environment. Another use of the fixed exoskeleton is in the field of interaction with virtual worlds or for controlling real robots. In this instance, an exoskeleton can be used to establish a teleoperative connection between the user and the master (virtual avatar or real robot). The user users the exoskeleton to directly transfer control commands to the master. The elements of the user and the master then practically carry out the same movements synchronously. The aim of the invention is to improve exoskeletons and masters of the mentioned type and the associated control units. This can, in particular, be achieved by a favorable realization of rotational axes which define rotational movements of different elements which to a large extent perform a hip movement.

In a link actuating device, a distal end side link hub is coupled to a proximal end side link hub via three or more link mechanisms. A posture control drive source configured to arbitrarily change the posture of the distal end side link hub is provided to each of two or more link mechanisms. The link actuating device includes a storage unit configured to store therein an operating position of the posture control drive source when the distal end side link hub is in a defined posture. In each of the two or more link mechanisms, a positioning portion is provided to at least one of the proximal side end link member, the distal side end link member, and the intermediate link member. A positioning member configured to position the distal end side link hub in the defined posture is dismountably mounted between a plurality of the positioning portions.

A link actuation device includes a proximal-end-side link hub, a distal-end-side link hub, three or more link mechanisms each coupling the link hubs such that a posture of the distal-end-side link hub can be changed relative to the proximal-end-side link hub. Each link mechanism includes a proximal-side end link member, a proximal-side intermediate link member, a distal-side intermediate link member, and a distal-side end link member. Actuators for arbitrarily changing the posture and a distance from the distal-end-side link hub to the proximal-end-side link hub are provided to three or more link mechanisms of the three or more link mechanisms. A control unit calculates a rotation angle of the proximal-side end link member according to a targeted posture of the distal-end-side link hub and a targeted distance between the centers of the spherical links, and controls the respective actuators so as to attain the calculated rotation angle.

An embodiment joint structure for a robot includes an upper plate provided in an upper region, a link part coupled to a lower surface of the upper plate, wherein the link part includes a first link and a second link, and wherein the first link and the second link are provided close to one side of the upper plate with respect to a center of the lower surface of the upper plate, a support part coupled to the lower surface of the upper plate and configured to support the upper plate, wherein the support part is provided to be closer to the center of the lower surface of the upper plate than is the link part, and a motor part configured to provide power to the support part and the link part.

In a link actuation device, a distal end side link hub is coupled to a proximal end side link hub via three or more link mechanisms such that a posture of the distal end side link hub can be changed relative to the proximal end side link hub, and a posture of the distal end side link hub relative to the proximal end side link hub is arbitrarily changed by actuators provided to two or more link mechanisms. The manipulating device includes a posture acquirer for acquiring a distal end posture represented by a bending angle and a turning angle, from a coordinate position at which a distal end side spherical link center is projected onto a two-dimensional rectangular coordinate system that has an origin located on an extension of an axis of the proximal end side link hub and is orthogonal to the extension of the axis.

A work device is configured to perform a work with use of an end effector and have six degrees of freedom. The work device including: a linear motion unit obtained by combining three linear motion actuators, to have three degrees of freedom; and a rotation unit obtained by combining a plurality of rotation mechanisms each having one or more degrees of rotational freedom, to have three degrees of freedom. A base portion of the linear motion unit is fixed to a mount. A base portion of the rotation unit is fixed to an output portion of the linear motion unit. The end effector is mounted to an output portion of the rotation unit.

A working device includes: a linear motion unit having three degrees of freedom and obtained by combining three linear motion actuators; and a rotary unit having three degrees of freedom and obtained by combining a plurality of rotating mechanisms each having one or more rotational degrees of freedom. The linear motion unit is mounted on a mount such that a base portion of the linear motion unit is fixed to the mount. A base portion of the rotary unit is fixedly mounted on an output portion of the linear motion unit. End effectors are mounted on both the output portion of the linear motion unit and an output portion of the rotary unit.

An operation command generator includes: an area division unit configured to divide a line on a flat work surface of a target workpiece W into a straight area and a corner area, using a sharp boundary surface; a straight area operation command generation unit configured to generate a command for operating only the linear motion mechanism while keeping the posture of the parallel link mechanism fixed, in the straight area; and a corner area operation command generation unit configured to generate a command so that an acting point of the end effector passes on the boundary surface at a substantially constant speed by the linear motion mechanism and the parallel link mechanism performing coordinated operations in the corner area.

A link actuation device includes: a parallel link mechanism including a proximal-side link hub, a distal-side link hub, and three or more link mechanisms coupling the distal-side link hub to the proximal-side link hub such that a posture of the distal-side link hub can be changed with respect to the proximal-side link hub; actuators for changing the posture; and a teaching unit including a conversion unit configured to calculate coordinates (Wt (=Xt, Yt, Zt)) of a distal-side link center of the distal-side link hub, which are expressed in orthogonal coordinates, from rotation angles (βn; n=1, 2, . . . ) of the end link members. A normal vector is applied to equations of a plane and of a sphere, and the equations are rearranged and used in the conversion unit.