A bidirectional motion pneumatic flexible driver and its working method

Abstract

The invention discloses a bidirectional motion pneumatic flexible driver and a working method thereof. The driver comprises a top-layer air cavity and a bottom-layer air cavity, wherein the bottom-layer air cavity comprises an upper-layer plastic sheet, a lower-layer plastic sheet and a first hose; the upper-layer plastic sheet and the lower-layer plastic sheet are connected through a thermoplastic sealing edge to form an upward-protruding bottom-layer cavity; one end of the first hose communicates with the bottom-layer cavity, and the other end of the first hose communicates with an air source or atmosphere; the top-layer air cavity comprises an elastic top air cavity chamber wall and a second hose, and the bottom of the elastic top air chamber wall is bonded with the upper-layer plasticsheet through a silica gel adhesive to form a top-layer cavity; and one end of the second hose communicates with the top-layer cavity, and the other end of the second hose communicates with an air source or atmosphere. When high-pressure gas is filled into the top-layer cavity, the driver is bent and deformed; and when high-pressure gas is filled into the bottom-layer cavity, the driver can be restored to the initial position. The bidirectional motion pneumatic flexible driver is simple in structure, and the bending and recovery of the driver can be effectively realized through a double-air-cavity parallel structure.

Description

technical field [0001] The invention relates to the technical field of flexible drives, in particular to a two-way motion pneumatic flexible drive and a working method thereof. Background technique [0002] Pneumatic flexible actuator (also known as pneumatic muscle) is a new type of driving device developed in recent years. It has the advantages of good flexibility, high safety, high power / weight ratio, and control characteristics similar to biological muscles, so it is especially suitable for some Applications that require high safety and compliance of the drive, such as industrial clamping, medical rehabilitation technology applications and other fields. The currently widely used pneumatic flexible actuator is the Mckibben type pneumatic muscle invented by American J.L.Mckibben. This pneumatic flexible actuator is composed of an internal rubber tube and a peripheral braided mesh. After inflation, it expands radially and contracts axially to convert the gas pressure is th...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

However, when this structure is restored, with the help of rubber elasticity and springs, the device has many components and a complex structure.

Huazhong University of Science and Technology proposed a symmetrical structure, so that the bottom surfaces of two pneumatic flexible actuators with the same structural parameters are bonded together, and compressed gas is filled into the two pneumatic flexible actuators respectively, so that the overall two-way movement can be realized. The disadvantage of this structure is that : The volume is large, and there are peaks and troughs in any axial section, which results in the use being limited by the external space

The fiber-reinforced aerodynamic flexible actuator researched by Panagiotis Ploygerinos et al. of Harvard University, and the variable stiffness flexible aerodynamic flexible actuator researched by Hong Kai et al. of the National University of Singapore can only provide unidirectional bending moment and cannot apply the auxiliary force required for recovery.

The University of Auckland added a cantilever spring to the driver, using the resilience of the spring to provide a reverse restoring moment, but the structure needs to overcome the reaction force of the spring when it is bent, the required gas pressure increases, and the spring reduces the safety performance of the driver

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