System is described with variable ratio, mixed mode, bilateral, master-slave control. Manipulator arms consist of shoulder and elbow with two degrees of freedom, a wrist with three degrees of freedom, and terminal grasping device. Feedback is provided by TV cameras attached near shoulder, grasping device, and at end of shuttle opposite arm

Brodie, S.

Flatau, C.

Greeb, F.

English

NASA Technical Reports Server

December 1972
	 B72-10733 
NASA TECH BRIEF S	 Manned Spacecraft Center 
NASA Tech Briefs announce new technology derived from the U.S. space program. They are issued to encourage 
commercial application. Tech Briefs are available on a subscription basis from the National Technical Information 
Service, Springfield, Virginia 22151. Requests for individual copies or questions relating to the Tech Brief program may 
be directed to the Technology Utilization Office, NASA, Code KT, Washington, D.C. 20546. 
A Proposed Remote Manipulator System: A Concept 
Ll
TV Camera Elbow And Lights 2 Degrees 
Of Freedom 
TV Camera Payload / Termi 
And
-
Device  
Points
Module
TV Camera 1_.
And Lights ¼ 
¼ Wrist 3 Degrees 
Of Freedom 
- -	 -
Arm Stowage 
-	 .
Clamp 
I' 
Shoulder 
2 Degrees ¼ 
Of Freedom
¼
In recent years, remotely operated mechanical arms 
have become an object of interest to many industries 
involved in some phase of routine production or 
assembly. Ideally these arms should perform a wide 
vareity of tasks, require little operator training, and 
be adaptable to automatic control. 
A manipulator control system, proposed for use on 
the space shuttle, meets these requirements and has 
many features that would be of interest in several appli-
cations. The system has a variable ratio, mixed mode, 
bilateral, master-slave control. The arms (shown in the 
figure as proposed for a space shuttle) consist of a 
shoulder with two degrees of freedom, an elbow with 
two degrees of freedom, a wrist with three degrees of 
LI
freedom, and a terminal grasping device. An operator 
can be readily trained to use the geometrically similar 
master control that allows parallel control of all the 
degrees of freedom. Feedback is provided by TV 
cameras attached near the shoulder, near the terminal 
grasping device, and at the end of the shuttle opposite 
the arm. 
The system has several features that allow it to 
efficiently perform a wide range of tasks. 
A low sensitivity mode provides a one-to-one ratio 
between angular movements of the master and the 
slave. This mode is suitable for moving a load over large 
distances and for other operations which do not require 
precise coordination.
(continued overleaf) 
This document was prepared under the sponsorship of the National	 Government assumes any liability resulting from the use of the 
Aeronautics and Space Administration. Neither the United States
	 information contained in this document, or warrants that such use 
Government nor any person acting on behalf of the United States
	 will be free from privately owned rights. 
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19720000732 2020-03-17T03:44:08+00:00Z
A high sensitivity mode has an eighteen-to-one ratio 
of angular motion between the master and the mechanical 
system. This high ratio provides a degree of control 
accurate enough to allow an operator to perform delicate 
and exact manipulations without extensive practice. 
The system is provided with positional and coordinate 
indexing. At the high master-to-slave angular ratio, more 
than the full range of movement on the master control 
may be required to achieve the desired motion by the 
slave arm. If the master control has reached the end of 
its play, the slave arm may be position indexed, or 
held in position, while the master control is returned to 
the other extreme position from which further motion 
can be directed. Coordinate indexing maintains geo-
metrically parallel control upon switching the camera 
used for feedback. In addition, coordinate indexing can 
be used to operate the arm in direct relation to some 
device or operation as may be required in an automated 
process. 
Finally, the system may be programed to auto-
matically perform predetermined tasks such as those 
that are often required on assembly lines.
Note: 
Requests for further information may be directed to: 
Technology Utilization Officer 
Manned Spacecraft Center 
Code JM7 
Houston, Texas 77058 
Reference: TSP72-10733 
Patent status: 
Inquiries concerning rights for the commercial use 
of this invention should be addressed to: 
Patent Counsel 
Manned Spacecraft Center 
Code AM 
Houston, Texas 77058 
Source: F. Greeb, S. Brodie, 
and C. Flatau of
Martin Marietta Corp. 
under contract to
Manned Spacecraft Center 
(MSC-14245)
. 
B72-10733
	 Category 06
	
0


A proposed remote manipulator system: A concept

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

NASA Technical Reports Server