Importance

Loading Importance Indicators...

Abstract

A mechanical hand assembly for use in prosthetic and robotic applications includes multiple fingers pivotally attached to a palm subassembly. The fingers are operatively attached to a central actuating plate so that movement of the actuating plate in opposed directions causes the fingers to bend and straighten. An electric motor drives the actuating plate through a pivotable or tiltable linkage so that when one of the fingers engages an object to be manipulated, the plate tilts and continues to move any opposed fingers toward engagement. Each finger includes a base, a lever arm and multiple phalanges operatively interconnected by gears. Pivotal motion of the lever arm is transmitted to the phalanges through the interconnected phalanges and lever arm and rotation of the gears. The palm subassembly also includes a finger-spacing plate that fixes the relative positions of the fingers, and a finger orientation plate that, when rotated, changes the orientations of the fingers and the planes through which they bend. This makes it possible to selectively converge the tips of only two of the fingers, three of the fingers or to bend all of the fingers in an interdigitating manner.

Loading the Abstract Image...

First Claim