Pneumatic control soft finger

Abstract

The invention relates to the field of flexible manipulators, and discloses a pneumatic control soft finger which comprises a finger body and a pneumatic driving system. The finger body is sequentially provided with a plurality of finger pulps, a left air channel, a middle air channel and a right air channel in the length direction, and the left air channel, the middle air channel and the right air channel communicate with the finger pulps. The air pressure driving system is used for providing driving air pressure for the finger pulps. Any one finger pulp comprises a left air bag, a middle air bag and a right air bag which are arranged in sequence, and the left air bag, the middle air bag and the right air bag are arranged in a centrosymmetric and non-uniform mode; and cutting grooves are respectively formed between the middle airbag and the left airbag and between the middle airbag and the right airbag. The single air bag can be bent in one direction after being subjected to driving air pressure, and when the two air bags are pressed, different driving air pressures are controlled, so that the flexible finger can be bent in any direction in a certain area, the fitting degree of the grabbing force direction of the soft finger and the surface of a target object is improved, and the grabbing capacity and adaptability of the soft finger are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of flexible manipulators, and in particular to a pneumatically controlled soft finger. Background Art

[0002] Soft manipulators, made of flexible materials, offer not only strong interactive flexibility, good environmental adaptability, high safety and reliability, and no damage to contact surfaces, but also unique advantages such as excellent material compliance, strong obstacle tolerance, and low manufacturing costs. They are ideal for safely grasping fragile objects. Their flexible structure enables them to operate flexibly in complex and confined environments, minimizing damage to surfaces. Consequently, they are widely used in various fields, including industry and medicine.

[0003] Currently, soft fingers have only a single cavity, a single degree of freedom, a limited bending deformation, and a low degree of fit with the surface of the target object, which limits their grasping ability and adaptability. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a pneumatically controlled soft finger, which makes the direction of the grasping force more closely fit the surface of the target object, thereby improving the grasping ability and adaptability of the soft finger.

[0005] To solve the above technical problems, an embodiment of the present invention provides a pneumatically controlled soft finger, comprising: a finger body and a pneumatic drive system;

[0006] The finger body is provided with a plurality of fingertips, a left airway, a middle airway and a right airway connected to each of the fingertips in sequence along its length, and the air pressure drive system is used to provide driving air pressure to each of the fingertips;

[0007] Any of the fingertips includes: a left airbag, a middle airbag, and a right airbag arranged in sequence, the left airbag, the middle airbag, and the right airbag are arranged symmetrically and unevenly; a groove is opened between the middle airbag and the left airbag and the right airbag respectively;

[0008] The left airbag, the middle airbag and the right airbag are connected to the air pressure drive system through the corresponding left airway, the middle airway and the right airway respectively, and the left airway, the middle airway and the right airway are not connected to each other.

[0009] Compared with the prior art, the embodiments of the present invention are as follows: any fingertip includes a left airbag, a middle airbag and a right airbag arranged in sequence. The volume of the middle airbag is larger than that of the left airbag and the right airbag. A single airbag will bend in one direction after being driven by air pressure. When the two airbags are pressurized, the size of the different driving air pressures can be controlled to enable the flexible finger to bend in any direction within a certain area, thereby improving the fit between the direction of the soft finger's grasping force and the surface of the target object, and improving the grasping ability and adaptability of the soft finger.

[0010] In addition, the pneumatic drive system includes: a control module, several air pumps and pressure sensors electrically connected to the control module, each of the air pumps is connected to the left airway, the middle airway, and the right airway in turn; each of the pressure sensors is respectively arranged in the middle airbag, the left airbag, and the right airbag.

[0011] In addition, the control module is a PID controller.

[0012] In addition, the finger body is made of silicone or TPU.

[0013] In addition, the finger body is prepared by 3D printing or mold forming technology. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of the pneumatically controlled soft finger in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0015] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the cross section of a fingertip in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] As shown in the figure, 1. left airway; 2. middle airway; 3. right airway; 4. left airbag; 5. middle airbag; 6. right airbag; 7. groove. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present invention more apparent, various embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that many technical details are provided in various embodiments of the present invention to facilitate a better understanding of the present application. However, even without these technical details and the various variations and modifications based on the following embodiments, the technical solutions claimed in the claims of this application can be implemented.

[0018] The embodiment of the present invention relates to a pneumatically controlled soft finger, comprising a finger body and a pneumatic drive system, specifically, Figure 1 、 Figure 2As shown, the finger body is sequentially provided with a number of fingertips along its length, a left airway 1, a middle airway 2, and a right airway 3 connecting each of the fingertips, and each fingertip is provided with driving air pressure by a pneumatic drive system. Any fingertip includes a left airbag 4, a middle airbag 5, and a right airbag 6 arranged in sequence, the middle airbag 5 is the main cavity, the left airbag 4 and the right airbag 6 are auxiliary cavities, the left airbag 4, the middle airbag 5, and the right airbag 6 are arranged symmetrically and unevenly, and the volume of the middle airbag 5 is larger than that of the left airbag 4 and the right airbag 6. In addition, the left airbag 4, the middle airbag 5, and the right airbag 6 are connected to the pneumatic drive system through the corresponding left airway 1, the middle airway 2, and the right airway 3, respectively, and the left airway 1, the middle airway 2, and the right airway 3 are not connected to each other. During use, inflating the left or right airbag 4, 6, or both allows the soft finger to swing left or right; inflating the middle airbag 5, 6, allows the soft finger to bend inward; and inflating the left, middle, and right airbags 4, 5, and 6 simultaneously allows the soft finger to wrap around objects. The main cavity provides the primary driving force, directing the direction of the wrapping, such as a significant bend to one side. The auxiliary cavity adjusts local stiffness to optimize the wrapping's fit, such as accommodating grooves or protrusions. By collaboratively controlling the combined air pressure of the left, middle, and right airbags 4, 5, and 6, the non-uniformly distributed cavities and multi-degree-of-freedom drive ensure a greater degree of fit between the soft finger's gripping force and the surface of the target object, thereby improving the soft finger's gripping ability and adaptability.

[0019] The finger body is made of silicone and produced using 3D printing or mold-forming processes. This ensures uniform cavity wall thickness and good sealing. In actual use, the finger body can also be made of TPU or other flexible materials. Using flexible materials such as silicone or TPU gives the finger body good deformability and resilience.

[0020] In this embodiment, the pneumatic drive system includes a control module, several air pumps electrically connected to the control module, and pressure sensors. Each air pump is connected to the left airway 1, the middle airway 2, and the right airway 3, respectively. Pressure sensors are located in the middle airbag 5, the left airbag 4, and the right airbag 6, respectively, to monitor the air pressure within the corresponding airbag. Each airbag is connected to an independent air pump and pressure sensor, and independent air circuits are set up to achieve precise air pressure control. Furthermore, the control module cooperates with the pressure sensors to adjust the air pressure of the left, middle, and right airbags in real time, allowing the envelope to dynamically change with the external load or object shape, achieving "active adaptation." In actual use, the control module can use a PID controller to dynamically adjust the air pressure value within the range of 0-100kPa to ensure fast response and stability. Of course, the type of control module can be selected according to actual needs.

[0021] In actual use, simulation can be performed in MATLAB software to analyze the working space of the flexible hand, optimize the cavity parameters and driving air pressure range to improve the flexibility of the flexible hand, thereby meeting the requirements of the working space range.

[0022] From the above content, it is not difficult to find that any fingertip includes a left airbag 4, a middle airbag 5 and a right airbag 6 arranged in sequence. The volume of the middle airbag 5 is larger than that of the left airbag 4 and the right airbag 6. A single airbag will bend in one direction after being driven by air pressure. When the two airbags are pressurized, the size of the different driving air pressures can be controlled to enable the flexible finger to bend in any direction within a certain area, thereby improving the fit between the direction of the soft finger's grasping force and the surface of the target object, and improving the grasping ability and adaptability of the soft finger.

[0023] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the above-described embodiments are specific examples of the present invention, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be readily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention should be included within the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should be based on the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A pneumatically controlled soft finger, characterized in that: include: Finger body and pneumatic drive system; The finger body is provided with a plurality of fingertips, a left airway, a middle airway and a right airway connected to each of the fingertips in sequence along its length, and the air pressure drive system is used to provide driving air pressure to each of the fingertips; Any of the fingertips includes: a left airbag, a middle airbag, and a right airbag arranged in sequence, the left airbag, the middle airbag, and the right airbag are arranged symmetrically and unevenly; a groove is opened between the middle airbag and the left airbag and the right airbag respectively; The left airbag, the middle airbag and the right airbag are connected to the air pressure drive system through the corresponding left airway, the middle airway and the right airway respectively, and the left airway, the middle airway and the right airway are not connected to each other.

2. The pneumatically controlled soft finger according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pneumatic drive system includes: a control module, several air pumps and pressure sensors electrically connected to the control module, each of the air pumps is connected to the left airway, the middle airway, and the right airway in sequence; each of the pressure sensors is respectively arranged in the middle airbag, the left airbag, and the right airbag.

3. The pneumatically controlled soft finger according to claim 2, characterized in that: The control module is a PID controller.

4. The pneumatically controlled soft finger according to claim 1, characterized in that: The finger body is made of silicone or TPU.

5. The pneumatically controlled soft finger according to claim 1, characterized in that: The finger body is prepared by 3D printing or mold forming technology.

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