Adjustable flexible rotary alignment mechanism and charging robot

Abstract

The invention provides an adjustable flexible rotary alignment mechanism and a charging robot, the adjustable flexible rotary alignment mechanism is arranged in an automatic operation facility and used for driving a to-be-operated object to rotate so as to be aligned and butted with a target object, and the adjustable flexible rotary alignment mechanism comprises a mounting frame rotationally connected with the to-be-operated object; a driving plate; the adjustable-flexibility soft muscles are arranged on the two sides of the driving plate and arranged in the first direction, one end of each soft muscle is connected with the driving plate, and the other end of each soft muscle is connected with the mounting frame; wherein the soft muscles stretch or are compressed to enable the driving plate to rotate so as to drive the to-be-operated object to rotate, when one of the soft muscles located on the two sides of the driving plate stretches, the other one of the soft muscles located on the two sides of the driving plate is compressed, and the total length of the two soft muscles is kept unchanged; the rotation position change of the driving plate is influenced by the pressure difference between the soft muscles located on the two sides of the driving plate. According to the rotation alignment mechanism with the adjustable flexibility, the to-be-operated object is controlled to rotate by adjusting the flexibility, and butt joint is smoothly achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application belongs to the technical field of charging robots, and in particular relates to a rotation alignment mechanism with adjustable flexibility and a charging robot. Background Art

[0002] As a new type of charging equipment, charging robots have huge market potential and application prospects. In the future, with the advancement of technology and the maturity of the market, charging robots will play an increasingly important role in the field of new energy vehicles.

[0003] Charging robots currently on the market typically include a gun insertion and removal mechanism and a positioning mechanism. The positioning mechanism determines the position of the charging gun tip and the charging port of the device to be charged. The gun insertion and removal mechanism then drives the gun insertion and removal mechanism to insert the charging gun tip into the charging port for charging. Once charging is complete, the charging gun tip is removed from the charging port, completing the automated charging process. However, in actual applications, due to uneven ground or the charging port of the device to be charged (new energy vehicle) not being parallel to the ground, the charging gun tip is difficult to align during insertion, resulting in rigid contact and damage to the charging gun tip and / or charging port. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of this, the present application provides an adjustable flexible rotation alignment mechanism and a charging robot to solve the technical problem that the current charging robot is difficult to align during the automatic charging process, which leads to easy damage to the charging gun head and / or charging port.

[0005] The present application provides an adjustable and flexible rotation alignment mechanism, which is provided in an automated operation facility and is used to drive an object to be operated to rotate so as to align and dock with a target object. The mechanism is characterized by comprising:

[0006] A mounting frame, rotatably connected to the object to be operated;

[0007] A driving plate having a connection position for fixedly connecting the object to be operated;

[0008] Soft muscles with adjustable flexibility are provided on both sides of the driving plate and arranged along a first direction, one end of the soft muscle is connected to the driving plate, and the other end of the soft muscle is connected to the mounting frame;

[0009] In which, the soft muscles stretch or compress to rotate the driving plate, thereby driving the object to be operated to rotate. When one of the soft muscles located on both sides of the driving plate stretches, the other is compressed, and the total length of the two soft muscles remains unchanged. The rotational position change of the driving plate is affected by the pressure difference between the soft muscles located on both sides of the driving plate, and the flexibility of the position of the driving plate is affected by the absolute pressure inside the cavity.

[0010] The adjustable flexible rotation alignment mechanism provided in the present application has adjustable flexible soft muscles. The soft muscles are stretched or compressed to rotate the driving plate, thereby driving the object to be operated to rotate and align and dock with the target object. The total length of the soft muscles on both sides of the driving plate remains unchanged, and the lengths are in a relationship of increase and decrease (that is, when one soft muscle is stretched, the other soft muscle is compressed). Therefore, the rotation position of the driving plate depends only on the pressure difference within the soft muscles, and the stability of the driving plate position (the degree of flexibility of the rotation of the object to be operated) depends on the size of the internal absolute pressure of the soft muscles. At different stages in the process of executing automated operations (initial alignment, contact, plugging and unplugging), the flexibility of the adjustable flexible rotation alignment mechanism is adjusted by adjusting the absolute pressure and relative pressure difference inside the two soft muscles so that each step can be completed smoothly with higher efficiency.

[0011] The present application provides a charging robot, comprising the adjustable flexibility rotary alignment mechanism, the gun grabbing mechanism and the plug-in mechanism described in the first aspect, the gun grabbing mechanism being rotationally connected to the adjustable flexibility rotary alignment mechanism, the plug-in mechanism being connected to the gun grabbing mechanism, the gun grabbing mechanism being used to fix the charging gun head, the plug-in mechanism being used to drive the charging gun head to be inserted into the charging port and / or pulled out from the charging port, the plug-in mechanism comprising the soft muscle, a control module and a visual module, the visual module being used to obtain the position information of the target object, the control module being used to control the fluid to flow into or out of the cavity of the soft muscle through the drive source interface at different stages of the alignment and plug-in process according to the position information, so that the adjustable flexibility rotary alignment device and the plug-in mechanism cooperate to complete the alignment and plug-in actions with different degrees of flexibility, so that the charging gun head is docked with the charging port.

[0012] The charging robot provided by the present application has greater flexibility before the charging gun head and the charging port come into contact, and can be quickly aligned and adjusted. After the initial contact, the internal pressure of the soft muscle of the plug-in mechanism increases, the rigidity increases, and the flexibility decreases, and then plugging begins. The rotational alignment and the flexibility of plugging can be dynamically changed and combined according to factors such as the alignment degree and the plug-in resistance, avoiding jamming or even damage during the plug-in process. Even if the positioning and plug-in actions are not precise enough, the automatic charging action can ultimately be completed efficiently and smoothly, reducing the overall system's requirements for positioning and plug-in accuracy. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or descriptions of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative work.

[0014] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the adjustable flexibility rotation alignment structure provided by the embodiment of the present application Figure 1 ;

[0015] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the adjustable flexibility rotation alignment structure provided by the embodiment of the present application Figure 2 ;

[0016] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the adjustable flexibility rotation alignment structure provided by the embodiment of the present application Figure 3 ;

[0017] Figure 4 A schematic structural diagram of a charging robot provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0018] Figures 5A-5D 1. A front view, a cutaway perspective view, and a central longitudinal cross-sectional view of a soft muscle with a circular cross-section provided in an embodiment of the present application in an initial state are shown;

[0019] Figures 6A-6B A complete central longitudinal cross-sectional view of the soft muscle provided by an embodiment of the present application when compressed to the shortest height and a central longitudinal cross-sectional view of the flexible side wall portion are shown;

[0020] Figures 7A-7B The comparison of the thrust required to change the length of the soft muscle according to the embodiment of the present application and the structural features thereof is clearly different from that of the soft muscle provided by the present application under different conditions. Figure 7C A graph showing how the length of a soft muscle changes with air pressure according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0021] Figures 8A-8B Showing a perspective view and a top view of a soft muscle having an oval cross-section;

[0022] Figures 9A-9B A perspective view and a top view showing a soft muscle having a racetrack-shaped cross section;

[0023] Figures 10A-10B A perspective view and a top view showing a soft muscle with a fan-shaped cross section;

[0024] Figure 11 A central longitudinal cross-sectional view showing a crease of a soft muscle provided according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Figures 12A-12B A central longitudinal cross-sectional view of a soft muscle provided according to an embodiment of the present application and an enlarged view at point E are shown.

[0026] Among them, the figure numbers are:

[0027] 10. Mounting frame; 11. Frame body; 12. Connecting arm;

[0028] 20. Driver board; 21. Frame; 200. Connection position;

[0029] 30. Soft muscle; 31. End surface; 32. Flexible side wall; 321. Folding surface; 322. Crease; 323. Crease surface; 33. Drive source interface; 34. Sealing press-fit piece; 341. First press-fit portion; 35. End plate; 351. Second press-fit portion; 36. Connecting and mating portion;

[0030] 40. Gun grabbing mechanism;

[0031] 50. Plug-in mechanism; 51. Fixed seat; 52. Guide structure; 53. Drive structure; 531. Fixed end; 532. Movable end. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] In the following description, for the purpose of illustration rather than limitation, specific details such as specific system structures, technologies, etc. are provided so as to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the present application. However, it will be clear to those skilled in the art that the present application may also be implemented in other embodiments without these specific details. In other cases, detailed descriptions of well-known systems, devices, circuits, and methods are omitted to prevent unnecessary details from obstructing the description of the present application. It should also be understood that the term "and / or" used in this specification and the appended claims refers to any combination and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items, and includes these combinations. It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed on" or "arranged on" another element, it may be directly on the other element or indirectly on the other element. When an element is referred to as being "connected to" another element, it may be directly connected to the other element or indirectly connected to the other element.

[0033] While there are existing examples of foldable linear control fluid actuators being used for automated operations, these technologies present numerous shortcomings. For example, the most common form of currently used arms and robots is a combination of rigid drive components (e.g., motors, hydraulic cylinders, pneumatic cylinders), rigid structural components, and rigid transmission components. Because both the drive components and the structural components are rigid, this can present one or more of the following issues: a) potential mechanical damage and harm to surrounding organisms or objects, resulting in poor safety; b) electrical damage and harm caused by electric drive; c) limited degrees of freedom per arm segment, restricting the operating range and environmental adaptability. Increasing degrees of freedom requires increasing the number of arms and the corresponding rotational and reduction mechanisms, leading to new challenges (currently, robot joints typically use RV and harmonic reduction mechanisms, which are very expensive and account for a significant portion of the cost structure); and d) low load-to-weight ratios and energy efficiency. To overcome these issues, some existing technologies incorporate flexible components. For example, elastic elements (e.g., springs, rubber, etc.) are used to connect rigid components, or cable-operated control schemes are employed. However, these solutions all have drawbacks. For example, the use of elastic components doesn't streamline the structure or reduce weight, nor does it address the drawbacks listed in points a through d. In a cord-controlled solution, each control unit requires a separate drive module. As the load and operating distance increase, the system's size, weight, power consumption, and difficulty in precise control multiply. This leads to high costs and difficulty in deploying and achieving optimal operational results.

[0034] In addition, there are some artificial muscles in the prior art that use fluid as actuators to operate independently, or are combined with rigid structural parts and transmission parts to form fingers, claws or robotic arms to operate. Specifically, this type of artificial muscle is partially or completely surrounded by a flexible outer wall to form a cavity, and the fluid drives the shape and / or size changes of the flexible side walls in the cavity to operate in the direction of the change. However, this type of artificial muscle cannot overcome the above-mentioned problems a to d at the same time, and introduces new problems: e. One or both of the working stroke and the workload are very small; f. The change in fluid volume cannot be linearly related to the displacement, so it is impossible to obtain a stable output force (output force = fluid pressure × cross-sectional area) and displacement; g. If the fluid is constrained in directions other than the working direction in order to solve problem e, the proportion of rigid structural parts has to be increased, and thus one or all of the problems a to d cannot be solved. To address the above problems, some artificial muscles have adopted a flexible outer wall of a folding structure. However, there is no clear structural feature or design principle for folding structure artificial muscles that claims to solve the aforementioned problems a to g. In addition, general folding structures without special design introduce new problems. h. The strain of the folding structure tends to concentrate at the intersection of the folding surfaces. The concentration of stress causes local high values ​​of strain, which can easily lead to deformation of the material beyond the elastic range, thereby causing deformation such as bulging and collapse of the fluid cavity, and even fatigue cracking that destroys the airtightness of the cavity and causes failure.

[0035] As a result, existing linear control fluid actuators have a wide deformation range, resulting in significant overall material strain (the material itself, due to manufacturing limitations, cannot be absolutely uniform). This can lead to large local strain peaks that exceed the material's elastic deformation range, potentially causing localized failure (e.g., reduced elasticity, microcracks), and shortening the lifespan. Furthermore, existing linear control fluid actuators can deviate from their pre-set folded state during operation.

[0036] It should be noted that the axial direction (the direction of the central axis) is the first direction. The above is only for the convenience of explanation and should not be understood as limiting the scope of this application.

[0037] First, as Figure 1 As shown in FIG6 , the present application provides a rotational alignment mechanism with adjustable flexibility, which is provided in an automated operation facility to drive an object to be operated to rotate so as to align and dock with a target object. The rotational alignment mechanism includes: a mounting frame 10, a drive plate 20, and a soft muscle 30 with adjustable flexibility. The mounting frame 10 is used to rotationally connect to the object to be operated. The drive plate 20 has a connection position 200 for fixedly connecting to the object to be operated. The soft muscle 30 is provided on both sides of the drive plate 20 and arranged along a first direction. One end of the soft muscle 30 is connected to the drive plate, and the other end is connected to the mounting frame 10.

[0038] Among them, the soft muscles 30 stretch or compress to rotate the driving plate 20, thereby driving the object to be operated to rotate to achieve alignment and docking. When one of the soft muscles 30 located on both sides of the driving plate 20 stretches, the other one contracts, and the total length of the two soft muscles 30 remains unchanged. The rotation position of the driving plate 20 depends on the pressure difference between the soft muscles 30 located on both sides of the driving plate 20.

[0039] The adjustable flexibility rotation alignment mechanism provided by the present invention has an adjustable flexibility soft muscle 30. The soft muscle 30 is stretched or compressed to rotate the driving plate 20, thereby driving the object to be operated to rotate and align and dock with the target object. Moreover, the total length of the soft muscles 30 located on both sides of the driving plate 20 remains unchanged, and the lengths are in a relationship of increase and decrease (that is, when one soft muscle 30 is stretched, the other soft muscle 30 is compressed). Therefore, the rotation position of the driving plate 20 only depends on the pressure difference inside the soft muscle 30, and the stability of the position of the driving plate 20 (the degree of flexibility of the rotation of the object to be operated) depends on the size of the internal absolute pressure of the soft muscle 30. At different stages in the process of executing automated operations (initial alignment, contact, plugging and unplugging), the flexibility of the adjustable flexibility rotation alignment mechanism is adjusted by adjusting the absolute pressure and relative pressure difference inside the two soft muscles 30 so that each step can be completed smoothly with higher efficiency.

[0040] In applications, automated operating facilities include but are not limited to automatic charging robots, the object to be operated may be a charging gun head, and the target object may be a charging port / charging stand.

[0041] Taking the field of automatic charging as an example, in existing automatic charging devices, a rigid robotic arm is usually used to drive the charging gun head for automatic charging. During the process of plugging and alignment, especially when the parking surface is uneven, the charging port / charging seat is not directly aligned with the axis position of the charging gun head, so a certain degree of rotation and rotation is required to make the charging gun head and the charging port accurately docked. However, due to the lack of flexible adjustability, the robotic arm in the existing technology often easily causes a rigid collision between the charging gun head and the charging port / charging seat, resulting in damage; and it is also difficult to accurately plug in during the alignment process. The present application adopts an adjustable flexible soft muscle 30 as a driver to fine-tune the rotation of the charging gun head in real time and timely according to the working conditions, thereby effectively improving the accuracy and effectively reducing the rigid collision between the charging gun head and the charging port / charging seat.

[0042] In applications, such as Figures 1 to 3As shown, the mounting frame 10 includes a frame body 11 and parallel, spaced-apart connecting arms 12. The two connecting arms 12 are connected to both ends of the frame body 11. The drive plate 20 includes a frame body 21 and a plate body 22. The frame body 21 is generally rectangular and has an opening on one side. A connection point 200 is formed in the frame body 21 for securing and connecting the object to be operated. One end of the soft muscle 30 is connected to the middle of the connection 12. The frame body 21 is rotatably connected to the frame body 11 via a rotating shaft. When the soft muscle 30 expands and contracts, it drives the frame body 21 and the object to be operated connected thereto to rotate, thereby achieving alignment and docking.

[0043] In some embodiments, as Figures 5A-5D As shown, the soft muscle 30 includes two end faces 31, a flexible side wall 32 and a driving source interface 33. The flexible side wall 32 and the two end faces 31 enclose a cavity with a central axis. The flexible side wall 32 is designed to or includes a stacking structure that can be stretched and / or bent along the direction of the central axis. The stacking structure is composed of at least two stacking layers stacked along the central axis, so that the strain of the entire flexible side wall 32 is evenly distributed in each stacking layer.

[0044] The stacked layer is designed to or includes strain cells having folded surfaces 321 and creases 322. Due to the combination of the shape, thickness, and stacking of the strain cells, when the flexible sidewall 32 expands and / or bends along the central axis, the strain of the strain cells is evenly distributed on the folded surfaces 321 and is not concentrated at the creases 322.

[0045] The driving source interface 33 is provided on the flexible side wall 32 or the end surface 31 and is used to change the internal and external pressure difference Δ of the cavity. P The uniformly distributed strain stacking structure compresses or stretches to drive the end surface 31 to move. The stacking layer is enclosed by the folded surfaces 321 of a single strain unit. The junction of the folded surfaces 321 of two adjacent stacking layers forms a crease surface 323, with the crease within the crease surface 323 being perpendicular to the central axis. Initially, the crease surface 323 is flat.

[0046] The strain unit has an intrusion angle θ, an intrusion depth coefficient a, a folding surface width l, and a wall thickness t. The intrusion angle θ is the angle between the folding surface 321 and the adjacent crease surface 323. The intrusion angle θ changes as the strain-uniformly distributed stacked structure is compressed or stretched. The intrusion angle θ, the intrusion depth coefficient a, the folding surface width l, and the wall thickness t are all defined based on the cross-section of the strain unit cut by the S plane. The folding surface width l is the width of the folding surface 321 from the radial outside of the protruding crease 322 to the radial inside of the recessed crease 322. The projection of the folding surface width l in a direction perpendicular to the central axis is defined as the intrusion depth v. The intrusion depth coefficient a is the ratio v / R of the intrusion depth v to the equivalent radius R of the protruding crease. The wall thickness t is the thickness of the flexible sidewall 32. The intrusion angle θ, the intrusion depth coefficient a, the folding surface width l, and the wall thickness t are numerically correlated with each other and have a set value combination, so that during the deformation of the linear control fluid actuator 33, the flexible side wall 32 only undergoes folding and / or stretching of the strain-uniformly distributed stacking structure, and the strain of the flexible side wall 32 is evenly distributed on each folding surface 321 without being concentrated at the crease 322.

[0047] It should be noted that the "S-plane" is defined as follows: when either the outer or inner contour of the protruding fold 322 on the fold surface 323 is a curved segment, the plane perpendicular to the tangent line of any point on the curved segment and passing through that point is the S-plane at that point on the fold 322; when either the outer or inner contour of the protruding fold 322 on the fold surface 323 is a straight segment, the plane perpendicular to and passing through any point on the straight segment is the S-plane at that point on the fold 322. When the cross-section of the protruding fold 322 perpendicular to the central axis is circular, the S-plane and the central longitudinal cross-section are coplanar.

[0048] The strain unit has at least one repeated basic shape that appears continuously in the axial direction, the folds 322 on adjacent fold surfaces 323 have different concave and convex states on the flexible side wall 32, and the convex folds 322 have a closed shape with continuous curvature G1 or continuous curvature G2 in the cross section perpendicular to the central axis.

[0049] The strain unit has at least one basic shape that appears continuously and repeatedly in the axial direction. In some embodiments, in the direction of the central axis, the folds 322 on the alternate fold surfaces 323 can have the same shape or a gradual change, the same size or a gradual change, and the same or a gradual change in position relative to the central axis. In some embodiments, when the folds 322 on the alternate fold surfaces 323 have the same shape, size, and position relative to the central axis, the strain unit has a basic shape that appears continuously and repeatedly in the axial direction, such as Figures 5A-5DAs shown, when the shape, size, and / or position relative to the central axis of the creases 322 on alternate crease surfaces 323 gradually change, the basic shape of the strain unit may vary, and thus may have two or more basic shapes that appear continuously and repeatedly in the axial direction. In some embodiments, the creases 322 on adjacent crease surfaces 323 have different concave and convex configurations on the flexible sidewall 32 in the direction of the central axis.

[0050] In application, the fold 322 has at least two basic shapes that appear continuously in the axial direction, and adjacent folds can be similar shapes with gradually changing sizes along the axis. The protruding fold 322 has a closed shape with continuous curvature G1 or continuous curvature G2 on the section perpendicular to the central axis to reduce the degree of local concentration of stress and / or strain in the circumferential direction. G1 continuity is tangent continuity, which means that the surface or curve is continuous at all points, and all connected line segments and surfaces are tangent to each other. The method for judging G1 continuity: the curve is continuous, smooth and has no sharp corners; the surface is continuous and has no corners. G2 continuity is curvature continuity, which means that the surface or curve is continuous at all points, and its curvature analysis result is a continuous change. The method for judging G2 continuity: perform curvature analysis on the curve, and the curvature curve is continuous without breakpoints. Figures 5A-5D and Figures 6A-6B The structure of the linear control fluid actuator 33 is described by taking a circle as an example; it should be noted that the closed shape may also include any other suitable shape, and the following description of the closed shape is as follows. Figures 5A-5D and Figures 6A-6B The description of FIGURE 1 also applies to linear control fluid actuators 33 having these cross-sectional shapes. For example, a closed shape may include curved segments with a continuous curvature G2, such as a circle and an ellipse. A closed shape may include straight segments with a continuous curvature G1, such as a sector ring and a racetrack. A closed shape may include a curve that is convex relative to the geometric center of the closed shape and a curve that is concave relative to the geometric center of the closed shape, such as a sector ring. The closed shape may be an axially symmetrical figure; a centrally symmetrical figure; or a rotationally symmetrical figure, etc.

[0051] In some embodiments, the flexible rotation alignment mechanism can be adjusted. During the rotation process, the soft muscle 30 stretches and bends, and the closed shape is a laterally flattened shape. It is easier to bend in the flat direction while maintaining overall shape stability.

[0052] As mentioned above, the driving source interface 33 is provided on the flexible side wall 32 or the end surface 31, and the driving source interface 33 is used to change the internal and external pressure difference Δ PThe strain uniformly distributed stacked structure is compressed or stretched to drive the end surface 31 to move. When the driving source is in the form of fluid, the driving source interface 33 can be arranged as an opening for the fluid to enter or exit. By allowing the fluid to enter or flow out of the cavity through the opening, the pressure difference Δ between the inside and outside of the cavity is changed. P , driving the linear control fluid actuator 33 to deform. The driving source can also be in the form of electric control, that is, the driving source interface 33 is electrically connected to an external electric drive device to change the internal and external pressure difference Δ of the cavity in an electrically driven manner P Or use chemical reaction to provide driving force. P It is basically linearly related to the output force of the end face.

[0053] The linear control fluid driver 33 is mainly involved in the folding of the folding surface 321 during the bending or stretching process, and the area change of the linear control fluid driver 33 itself can be very small. In other words, the energy of the fluid entering the cavity can be mainly used to make the strain-uniformly distributed stacking structure bend or stretch, and the strain of the strain-uniformly distributed stacking structure itself can therefore be very small (the strain generated during the deformation process is always within the elastic deformation range of the material and is less than 20%, 15%, 10%, 5% or 1%. For the convenience of description, this feature is named small strain). In some embodiments, the internal stress of the strain-uniformly distributed stacking structure itself is very small, so only a small proportion of the mechanical energy of the fluid is used to overcome the stress generated by the deformation of the strain-uniformly distributed stacking structure itself, and most of the mechanical energy of the fluid is reversibly converted into elastic potential energy during the reciprocating motion of the soft muscle 30 in tension and compression, and is released as the mechanical energy of the soft muscle during the change in the opposite direction, so the energy conversion efficiency of the soft muscle 30 is high. In some embodiments, during the deformation process of the soft muscle 30, small strains can be evenly distributed on the entire folding surface, so that the soft muscle 30 of the present application can withstand greater load force or lateral interference force and output greater force while maintaining the stability of its own shape, withstand more times of compression and extension, and have a longer service life compared to other existing fluid actuators.

[0054] Thin solid lines P1-P3 represent any three consecutive creases 323 from the multiple creases 323 of the soft muscle 30. The contour of the projection of the creases on crease P1 onto crease P2 does not intersect with the contour of the creases on crease P2 itself. That is, the closed curve formed by the creases corresponding to crease P2 includes the closed curve formed by the creases corresponding to crease P1. In some embodiments, the closed curve formed by the creases corresponding to crease P1 overlaps with the closed curve formed by the creases corresponding to crease P3.

[0055] There may be two folding surfaces 321 symmetrical about the folding surface P2 between the two folding surfaces P1 and P3. The intrusion angles between the two folding surfaces 321 and the folding surface P2 may be θ p1 and θ p2 . When the total amount of fluid (which can be gas or liquid) in the cavity increases, the soft muscle 30 stretches until the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the cavity, the load acting on the end surface 31 of the soft muscle 30, and the internal stress of the soft muscle 30 itself reach a new balance, at which point the soft muscle 30 stops deforming. On the contrary, when the total amount of fluid in the cavity decreases, the soft muscle 30 compresses until the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the cavity, the load acting on the end surface 31 of the soft muscle 30, and the internal stress of the soft muscle 30 itself reach a new balance, at which point the soft muscle 30 stops deforming. During the entire deformation process, the two angles θ p1 and θ p2 The volume of the soft muscle 30 increases or decreases synchronously and can remain essentially the same. It is understood that, in some embodiments, an increase in the total amount of fluid in the cavity does not necessarily mean that the soft muscle 30 is in an extended state; it may also be in a compressed state under the action of the load on the end surface 31. That is, the soft muscle 30 is balanced by the combined force of the internal and external pressure differential acting on the flexible sidewall 32, the load on the end surface 31, and the internal stress of the soft muscle 30 itself.

[0056] Figures 6A-6B A central longitudinal cross-sectional view of the soft muscle 30 when it is compressed to the minimum height is shown. During the process of the soft muscle 30 being compressed toward the minimum height, the folds 322 of the strain units of the soft muscle 30 approach each other, and the folding surfaces 321 of the strain units move, bend, and come close to each other. As a result, the folding surface 321 of each strain unit is deformed in a wave shape on the central longitudinal cross-section. The wave shape of the deformed folding surface 321 of each strain unit includes a crest and a trough. In some embodiments, the wave shape includes a crest and a trough of the folds 322 respectively close to the two ends of the folding surface 321.

[0057] In some embodiments, the area change rate of the soft muscle 30 is calculated by the formula σ k =a(1-cosθ p ) / (2cosθ p -a) σ k The range of values ​​used to limit the initial intrusion angle θ p , the intrusion coefficient a, and the point-to-point straight-line distance from the crest of a single strain unit to the outer end of the crease 322 on the S plane is greater than 0.25l. k It is the ratio of the area change of the folding surface 321 when the soft muscle 30 changes from the initial state to the fully compressed state to the area of ​​the folding surface 321 in the initial state.

[0058] In some embodiments, the wave-shaped deformations of two axially adjacent strain units are mirror-symmetrical to each other in a direction perpendicular to the central axis. The crest of one strain unit and the trough of the other strain unit in the two axially adjacent strain units correspond to each other in the direction along the central axis, so that the two axially adjacent strain units maintain an axial distance at the crest and trough without approaching each other and forming an arched gap. In some embodiments, the axially adjacent strain units maintain an axial distance ( ) at an ideal radial position (e.g., 1 / 4, 1 / 3 from the radial outer end of the fold 322). Figure 6B The folding surfaces 321 of the axially adjacent strain units form a stable microstructure close to a triangle near the crease 322. The stable microstructure close to a triangle allows the soft muscle 30 to maintain its basic shape, and only expands and contracts and / or bends in the axial direction without irregular deformation such as absorption, collapse and distortion, so that the soft muscle 30 has better shape stability. The linear control fluid actuator 33 provided in the present application is expected to achieve a working state in which the flexible side wall 32 with a stacked structure is folded / stretched, the flexible side wall 32 is expanded / bent, and each crease surface 323 is uniformly close to or deflected along the central axis. In contrast, irregular or harmful deformations such as distortion refer to at least one of the following: 1. Crease deformation; 2. Crease surface bending; 3. Uneven distance or angle between crease surfaces; 4. At least one crease is offset in the direction perpendicular to the axis or deflected to a significantly different degree from the distance and angle of other creases. In some embodiments, to achieve a distance between the wave crest and the radially outer end of the fold 322 close to 1 / 3-1 / 4, t can be configured to satisfy the following relationship: t = ml, 0.07 < m < 3. In some embodiments, the height of the arched gap can be set to (0.1 ± 0.05) l. In some embodiments, the point-to-point linear distance from the wave crest of a strain unit to the radially outer end of the fold on the S-plane cross-section can be set to be greater than 0.25 l.

[0059] In the related art, the existing fluid actuator (whose structural features are obviously different from the soft muscle 30 provided by the present application) has a large rounded shape that is repeated in the longitudinal direction. When the existing fluid actuator is compressed to the minimum height, its folded surface cannot present the wavy shape of the soft muscle 30 of the present application. Compared with the existing fluid actuator, under the condition of equal fluid volume in a sealed state, the soft muscle 30 of the present application requires a smaller and more linear force to achieve different lengths, that is, when the soft muscle provided by the present application is driven by fluid to drive other objects, the length of the soft muscle itself can be changed with a smaller component force and other objects can be driven to work with a larger component force, that is, there is a greater force-to-weight ratio and higher efficiency. As Figure 7A In the case of zero pressure difference, the soft muscle 30 of the present application also requires a smaller and more linear force to achieve different lengths, such as Figure 7B In addition, Figure 7C A graph showing the length of the soft muscle 30 provided by the present application changes with air pressure in the absence of load is shown. It can be seen that the length of the soft muscle 30 provided by the present application changes linearly with air pressure.

[0060] It should be noted that Figure 7A and Figure 7B In the figure, the gray broken line represents the existing fluid actuator, and the orange line represents the linear control fluid actuator provided by this application.

[0061] In some embodiments, reference Figures 8A-8B The cross-sectional shape of the protruding fold 322 perpendicular to the central axis can be designed as an ellipse. Compared to the circular flexible sidewall 32, the linear control fluid actuator 33 with an elliptical cross-section can effectively utilize lateral space and improve space utilization. The penetration depth coefficient a of the equivalent radius linear control fluid actuator 33 is configured to satisfy the following relationship: a = v / R, where the penetration depth v is the projection of the folding surface width l in a direction perpendicular to the central axis, and the equivalent radius R of the protruding fold 322 is the radius of a circle with the same perimeter as the elliptical cross-sectional shape at the protruding fold 322.

[0062] In other embodiments, reference Figures 9A-9B , the cross-sectional shape of the protruding fold 322 perpendicular to the central axis can be designed to be runway-shaped. Compared with the circular soft muscle 30, the soft muscle 30 with a runway-shaped cross-section can have a smaller number and sufficient driving force to drive the adjustable flexible rotation alignment mechanism to perform automatic operations (such as automatic charging operations) and effectively utilize the lateral space, thereby improving space utilization. The penetration depth coefficient a of the soft muscle 30 is configured to satisfy the following relationship: a=v / R, where the penetration depth v is the projection of the folding surface width l in the direction perpendicular to the central axis, and the equivalent radius R of the protruding fold 322 is the radius of the arc at both ends of the runway-shaped cross-section.

[0063] In other embodiments, in order to maximize the use of a nearly circular cross section, reference Figures 10A-10B, the cross-sectional shape of the protruding fold perpendicular to the central axis can be designed as a fan ring. Compared with the circular soft muscle 30, the soft muscle 30 with a fan ring cross section can effectively utilize the lateral space and improve space utilization. The penetration depth coefficient a is configured to satisfy the following relationship: a=v / R, wherein the penetration depth v is the projection of the folding surface width l in the direction perpendicular to the central axis, and the equivalent radius R of the protruding fold 322 is the radius of a circle with the same circumference as the fan ring cross section at the fold 322. In order to reduce stress concentration, in some embodiments, the four corners of the fan ring are transitioned into arcs, and the radius r0 of the transition arc of the outer contour of the fan ring satisfies: r0≥R. In this way, the above complex shapes such as ellipse, runway, circle, etc. can adapt to the requirements of various workspaces, especially ellipse or fan shape can better utilize lateral space than circle.

[0064] The soft muscle 30 has an initial invasion angle θ in the initial state. p , and during the compression or extension of the strain-uniformly distributed stacked structure, the intrusion angle θ ranges from 0° to the maximum intrusion angle θ max By setting a favorable initial invasion angle range, the strain uniform distribution stacking structure of the soft muscle 30 can be made to have a smaller strain and / or a more uniform strain distribution during the deformation process. It should be understood that the maximum invasion angle θ max It should be understood that the state that the soft muscle 30 can achieve within its rated working range (e.g., rated pressure difference range, taking the external air pressure of 0.1 MPa as an example, the rated pressure difference range is -0.08 MPa to 0.2 MPa), not the state that can be achieved under the physical limit. In some embodiments, the maximum intrusion angle θ max Can be configured to satisfy the following relationship: 15°≤θ max ≤45°. Generally, a linear control fluid actuator can achieve optimized working performance within a rated working range, for example, a folding life of nearly 3 million times.

[0065] Due to the small strain characteristics of the soft muscle 30, the penetration depth coefficient a can be basically a constant during the deformation process. In some embodiments, the penetration depth coefficient a can be advantageously configured to satisfy the following relationship: a>0.2. a greater than 0.2 can improve the folding deformation performance and compression ratio of the soft muscle 30. In some embodiments, in order to further improve the folding deformation performance of the soft muscle 30, the penetration depth coefficient a can be advantageously configured to satisfy the following relationship: 0.2<a<0.6. Furthermore, for the soft muscle 30, the load on its end face 31 and the ambient pressure jointly determine the pressure range inside the cavity required for work. The range of the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the cavity determines the range of the wall thickness t of the flexible side wall 32.

[0066] The soft muscle 30 has an initial height H in the initial state (ie, in a relaxed state without external force and pressure difference). P , and during the compression or extension process of the strain uniformly distributed stacked structure, the height H of the soft muscle 30 is at the minimum height H min To the maximum height H max In some embodiments, to improve the lateral stability of the soft muscle 30, the initial height H of the soft muscle 30 is P The equivalent radius R of the convex fold can be advantageously configured to satisfy the following relationship: 0.6 < H P / R<3(working pressure range -0.1MPa~0.2MPa), 2.5<H P / R<6 (working below 0MPa). Advantageously, by setting a favorable initial height H P The numerical relationship between the equivalent radius R of the protruding fold 322 can unexpectedly achieve good lateral stability. Within the effective working range, the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the cavity of the soft muscle 30 changes due to changes in load, stroke and the volume and / or pressure of the driving fluid, and the range of the internal and external pressure difference is within -0.1MPa to 0.2MPa. Correspondingly, the minimum height of the soft muscle 30 is 0.2H. p <H min <0.4H p , maximum height H max >1.5H p , maximum intrusion angle θ max <45°, at this time, the soft muscle 30 can have a lifespan of more than 3 million expansions and contractions due to the characteristic of uniform strain distribution.

[0067] The static compression ratio C of the soft muscle 30 is the initial height H P and minimum height H min The ratio of , that is:

[0068] C=H P / H min =lsinθ P / 1.5ml=sinθ P / 1.5m.

[0069] In order to achieve a larger static compression ratio, C can be set to be greater than 3. Thus, sinθ P >4.5m. θ P The relationship between and m can be set as follows:

[0070] m <![CDATA[sinθ P ]]> <![CDATA[θ P ]]> 0.07 ＞0.315 ＞18.4° 0.15 ＞0.45 ＞26.8° 0.2 ＞0.6 ＞36.87°

[0071] The soft muscle 30 of the present application is significantly different from the soft muscle provided in the present application in that it has a large effective compression ratio, a small total area of ​​the flexible side walls 32 , better lateral stiffness, and better shape stability.

[0072] In some embodiments, when m=0.1, sinθ P =0.4230 (i.e. θ P =25.025°), the static compression ratio C is 2.82. P =0.5192 (i.e. θ P =31.3°), at this time the static compression ratio C is 3.46.

[0073] In order to make the soft muscle 30 have better folding performance, in some embodiments, the number of layers M of the strain uniformly distributed stacking structure of the soft muscle 30 is configured to satisfy the following relationship: 8<M<12. Specifically, when designing the soft muscle 30, taking into account the diversity of the working environment of the soft muscle 30, if the working space where the soft muscle 30 is located meets the value range of H / R, the number of muscle layers can be directly determined to meet 8 to 12. If the working space where the soft muscle 30 is located does not meet the value range of H / R, the working space can be regarded as a combination of multiple spatial units that meet the value range of H / R or a part of a single spatial unit, and then the number of muscle layers corresponding to each spatial unit can be determined.

[0074] In order to make the strain distribution of the soft muscle 30 as uniform as possible during the folding and deformation process, the wall thickness t of the folding surface 321 can be advantageously configured to satisfy the following relationship: 0.05h / sinθ p <t<0.2h / sinθ p , where h is the distance between two adjacent layers in the multi-layer crease surface 323 in the initial state, θ p During the folding deformation process of the linear control fluid actuator, the wall thickness t of the folding surface 321 of the flexible side wall 32 can remain unchanged.

[0075] Figure 11 A schematic diagram of a longitudinal cross-section of fold 322 is shown. The arc radius of its outer surface is r1, the arc radius of its inner surface is r2, and the wall thickness between the outer and inner surfaces is T. To achieve uniform strain distribution and prevent strain concentration at the fold, the wall thickness T at fold 322 can be set to be greater than the wall thickness t of fold surface 321. Therefore, when r1 = ot and r2 = it, r1 and r2 can be advantageously configured to satisfy the following relationship:

[0076]

[0077]

[0078]

[0079] Area change rate σ of soft muscle 30 Δ It refers to the ratio of the area change value of the folding surface 321 when the soft muscle 30 is deformed from the first state to the second state (the first state and the second state refer to any two states within the deformation range of the soft muscle 30, not specifically a certain state) to the area of ​​the folding surface 321 in the first state. By limiting the range of the difference in the change in the area of ​​the folding surface 321 during the deformation of the soft muscle 30, the performance of the soft muscle 30 can be further optimized, and a soft muscle 30 that can simultaneously meet the requirements of a large thrust-to-weight ratio, a large compression ratio, high energy efficiency, linear response control characteristics, and a long life can be obtained. By simplifying the process, the folding surface 321 of the soft muscle 30 in the initial state is regarded as the side of a truncated cone, the diameters of its upper and lower bases are r and R respectively, and the generatrix length is (Rr) / cosγ. The folding surface 321 in the folded state is regarded as a ring with an inner diameter and an outer diameter of Rl and R respectively, then:

[0080] σ k =a(1-cosγ) / (2cosγ-a);

[0081] Wherein, γ is the change value of the invasion angle θ when the soft muscle 30 is deformed from the first state to the second state, σ k It is the ratio of the area change of the folding surface 321 to the area of ​​the folding surface 321 in the initial state when the linear control fluid driver 33 changes from the initial state to the fully compressed state.

[0082] Through this relationship, the soft muscle 30 under different working conditions (working stroke, that is, the corresponding angle change range, pressure difference range) can be calculated by σ k The value range of θ is limited p , and the value range of a ensures that the flexible side wall 332 is in a uniform strain distribution state during the folding and stretching process, while optimizing the compression ratio, shape stability and service life of the soft muscle 30. The uniform strain distribution state does not refer to the absolute uniform distribution of the actual strain, but rather to disperse it as much as possible and not concentrate it locally, especially at the crease 322.

[0083] It should be noted that the "uniform strain distribution" referred to in this article does not mean that the actual strain energy can be completely evenly distributed, but rather that it is dispersed as evenly as possible and not concentrated in certain positions (at the crease 322). Concentration in certain positions (at the crease 322) will cause the strain / stress in certain tiny local areas to be significantly higher than that in other positions, and in some cases these tiny local areas may exceed the elastic deformation range of the material and cause fatigue / damage.

[0084] In some embodiments, the initial intrusion angle θp And the intrusion coefficient a satisfies the following relationship:

[0085] σ k =a(1-cosθ p ) / (2cosθ p -a), and 0.06<σ k <055.

[0086] When the working pressure difference of the soft muscle 30 is between -0.08Mpa and 0Mpa (only negative pressure is used and the load is small), the maximum angle of the soft muscle 30 during its working process is θ p , that is, the soft muscle 30 can only be compressed), through the formula σ k =a(1-cosγ) / (2cosγ-a) to define the initial intrusion angle θ p The value of , where γ = θ p , 0.4<a<0.6, 0.06<σ k In this embodiment, the material of the flexible side wall 32 satisfies the requirements of a tensile strength greater than 5 MPa, a Shore hardness greater than 60, and a resilience greater than 50%.

[0087] When the working pressure difference range of the soft muscle 30 is -0.08Mpa to 0.2Mpa (both positive and negative pressures are applicable, the pressure difference span is large and it can withstand a larger load, that is, the soft muscle 30 can be compressed or stretched), the initial invasion angle θ p The value of σ is determined by the formula k =a(1-cosγ) / (2cosγ-a), where γ=θ p , 0.02<σ k In this embodiment, the material of the flexible side wall 32 satisfies the following requirements: tensile strength greater than 9 MPa, Shore hardness greater than 70, and resilience greater than 40%. Furthermore, the material has tensile strength greater than 12 MPa, Shore hardness greater than 80, and resilience greater than 30%.

[0088] refer to Figure 12A and 12B, the soft muscle 30 includes a sealing crimping piece 34 and an end plate 35 for its sealing. Accordingly, a connecting fitting portion 36 is provided at both ends of the flexible side wall 32, and the connecting fitting portion 36 forms a sealed connection with the sealing crimping piece 34 and the end plate 35. The sealing crimping piece 34 has a first crimping portion 341 that matches the shape of the axial inner side and the radial inner side of the connecting fitting portion 36, and the end plate 35 has a second crimping portion 351 that matches the shape of the axial outer side and the radial outer side of the connecting fitting portion 36. The first crimping portion 341 and the second crimping portion 351 limit the connecting fitting portion 36 in both radial and axial directions, so that the end of the soft muscle 30 has a stable shape; in one embodiment, the first crimping portion 341 and the second crimping portion 351 are both L-shaped.

[0089] A sealing fit is formed between the first crimping portion 341, the second crimping portion 351 and the connecting fitting portion 36, and the degree of deformation of the connecting fitting portion 36 is proportional to the pressure difference between the inside of the cavity and the external environment, thereby forming a seal with better effect as the pressure difference increases, thereby effectively solving the problem that the probability of sealing failure increases with the increase of pressure difference.

[0090] In some embodiments, during compression or extension of the strain-uniformly distributed stacking structure, the folding surface 321 of the strain-uniformly distributed stacking structure has a uniform strain distribution. Specifically, the strain difference in every 102 mm area does not exceed 10%.

[0091] To ensure that the soft muscle 30 has good folding deformation performance, in some embodiments, the preparation material of the soft muscle 30 is configured to meet the following relationship: tensile strength greater than 9Mpa, Shore hardness greater than 80, and resilience greater than 30% (under the test standard of ISO4662-2017). The soft muscle 30 is made of a material with greater resilience so that the soft muscle 30 can store the part of the fluid energy used to overcome the stress in the strain-uniformly distributed stacking structure in the form of elastic potential energy in the material in a larger proportion during the reciprocating action of deformation and reconvert it into mechanical energy for causing the strain-uniformly distributed stacking structure to rebound and reset in the subsequent process, thereby improving the energy conversion efficiency. In some embodiments, the soft muscle 30 is made of thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer rubber (TPU). In other embodiments, the soft muscle 30 is configured to be composed of any one or more of silicone rubber, polyethylene, polypropylene, thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer, thermoplastic elastomer, thermoplastic rubber, polyolefin thermoplastic elastomer, and thermoplastic vulcanizate.

[0092] In summary, the various types of soft muscles 30 obtained by the methods of the embodiments of the present application can achieve that during the folding and deformation process, the folding surface 321 does not undergo large deformations such as depression or convexity, and the flow power is mainly used to cause the strain-uniformly distributed stacking structure to fold or stretch. The flexible side wall 32 itself hardly undergoes strain (i.e., the above-mentioned small strain feature), and the fold 322 does not deform either, so that the soft muscle 30 can maintain a stable basic shape (a cylindrical shape with a variable length along the axis) with the fold 322 as the frame. 23 approach and move away from each other uniformly along the axis, the fold 322 in the fold surface 323 does not bend or deform, nor does it move within the fold surface 323, but only moves along the axis with the fold surface 323. The flexible side wall 32 changes with the change of the distance between the fold surfaces 323, and the inclination angle between the fold surfaces 323 relative to the fold surface 323 changes. The basic position and shape of the flexible side wall 32 itself (the basic position is determined by the fold 322) do not change. A single folding surface 321 may undergo a slight S-shaped bend, but there will be no obvious area change caused by tensile strain.

[0093] The adjustable flexible rotation alignment mechanism of the present application includes a soft muscle 30, which has the characteristics of high pressure resistance, small strain, and long life, and can overcome at least some of the shortcomings of the prior art, thereby achieving a large load-to-weight ratio, large output force, and linear output force. The present application makes a targeted design of the shape of the linear control fluid actuator with a stacked structure to adapt to various working conditions, and tries to make the overall strain evenly distributed on the flexible side wall 32 (or, evenly distributed on each folding surface) instead of concentrated at the crease. This has obvious positive significance for improving the energy conversion efficiency of the linear control fluid actuator, enhancing the environmental and working tolerance (wider temperature range, larger pressure difference, etc.), and extending the service life.

[0094] Specifically, the linear control fluid actuator of the present application can achieve the following technical effects: 1. A large effective compression ratio (which is a necessary condition for a large working stroke and a small space occupation. The concept of an effective compression ratio is a prerequisite for maintaining all the characteristics claimed below); 2. Strong pressure bearing capacity (which refers to maintaining its various characteristics under large pressure differentials and large loads); 3. Directional movement and structural characteristics (which refers to the fluid actuator itself being easy to expand and contract in the axial direction and not prone to lateral distortion such as twisting and torsion, resulting in good constraints on the shape of the fluid in the cavity, so that the fluid driving force can be oriented as much as possible in the working direction), while minimizing the energy consumed in the deformation of the muscle itself; 4. Efficient energy utilization (the characteristic of the previous item 3 enables a greater proportion of energy to be used in the working direction. At the same time, the combination of materials and structures makes the strain evenly distributed, thereby controlling the local strain not to exceed the elastic deformation, so that the energy that causes muscle deformation can be stored and released as much as possible in the form of elastic energy and dissipated in the plastic deformation process of the material); 5. Long life (the characteristic of the previous item 4 also brings the effect of being not easy to be damaged by fatigue. Combined with item 3, this kind of muscle can work stably and efficiently for a long time. The experimental data reaches a service life of 3 million times under specified conditions. The specified conditions include the pressure difference range, the deformation form is only extension and contraction, and the stroke range, rather than any working conditions, especially large pressure difference combined with large angle bending).

[0095] Secondly, refer to Figures 1 to 4 The present application also provides a charging robot, comprising the adjustable flexibility rotary alignment mechanism, a gun grabbing mechanism 40 and a plug-in mechanism 50 described in the first aspect, the gun grabbing mechanism 40 is rotatably connected to the adjustable flexibility rotary alignment mechanism, the plug-in mechanism 50 is connected to the gun grabbing mechanism 40, the gun grabbing mechanism 40 is used to fix the charging gun head, and the plug-in mechanism 50 is used to drive the charging gun head to be inserted into and / or pulled out from the charging port, the plug-in mechanism 50 includes a soft muscle 30, a control module and a visual module, the visual module is used to obtain the position information of the target object, and the control module is used to control the fluid to flow into or out of the cavity of the soft muscle through the drive source interface at different stages of the alignment and plug-in process according to the position information, so that the adjustable flexibility rotary alignment device and the plug-in mechanism can cooperate with different flexibility combinations to complete the alignment and plug-in actions, so that the charging gun head is docked with the charging port.

[0096] In some embodiments, as Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the plug-in structure 50 includes a fixing seat 51, a guide structure 52 and a driving structure 53;

[0097] The guide structure 52 is arranged on the fixed seat 51 along the first direction. The driving structure 53 has a fixed end 531, a movable end 532 and a soft muscle 30 arranged between the fixed end and the movable end. The fixed end 531 is connected to the fixed seat 532, and the movable end 532 is slidably connected to the guide structure 52. The movable end 532 is also fixedly connected to the grab gun assembly 40. When the soft muscle 30 is extended or retracted, it drives the charging gun head to perform plugging and / or alignment actions during the automated charging operation.

[0098] The charging robot provided in the present application has greater flexibility before the charging gun head and the charging port come into contact, and can be quickly aligned and adjusted. After the initial contact, the internal pressure of the soft muscle of the plug-in mechanism increases, the rigidity increases, and the flexibility decreases, and then the plug-in begins. The rotational alignment and the flexibility of the plug-in can be dynamically changed and combined according to factors such as the alignment degree and the plug-in resistance, and finally the automatic charging action is completed accurately and efficiently.

[0099] In some embodiments, the gun grabbing assembly mentioned in this application is relatively well known in the field of charging robots. Its specific structure is not the focus of this application and will not be described in detail in this article.

[0100] In the above embodiments, the description of each embodiment has its own focus. For parts that are not described or recorded in detail in a certain embodiment, reference can be made to the relevant description of other embodiments.

[0101] The above-described embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, rather than to limit them. Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or make equivalent replacements for some of the technical features therein. These modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the various embodiments of the present application, and should all be included in the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A flexible and adjustable rotary alignment mechanism, provided in an automated operation facility, for driving an object to be operated to rotate so as to align and dock with a target object, characterized in that: include: A mounting frame, rotatably connected to the object to be operated; A driving plate having a connection position for fixedly connecting the object to be operated; Soft muscles with adjustable flexibility are provided on both sides of the driving plate and arranged along a first direction, one end of the soft muscle is connected to the driving plate, and the other end of the soft muscle is connected to the mounting frame; In which, the soft muscles stretch or compress to rotate the driving plate, thereby driving the object to be operated to rotate. When one of the soft muscles located on both sides of the driving plate stretches, the other is compressed, and the total length of the two soft muscles remains unchanged. The rotational position change of the driving plate is affected by the pressure difference between the soft muscles located on both sides of the driving plate, and the flexibility of the position of the driving plate is affected by the absolute pressure inside the cavity.

2. The adjustable flexible rotation alignment mechanism according to claim 1, wherein: The soft muscle comprises two end surfaces, a flexible side wall and a driving source interface; The flexible side wall and the two end faces enclose a cavity having a central axis, the flexible side wall being designed to or comprising a stacked structure that can be compressed and / or stretched along the central axis, the stacked structure being formed by at least two stacked layers stacked along the central axis, such that the strain of the entire flexible side wall is evenly distributed in each stacked layer, the stacked layer comprising at least one strain unit, the strain unit having a folding surface and a crease, based on a combination of the shape, thickness, and stacking method of the strain unit, during the process of the flexible side wall expanding and / or bending along the central axis, the strain of the strain unit is evenly distributed on the folding surface and not concentrated on the crease, the drive source interface being provided on the flexible side wall or the end face, the drive source interface being used to change the internal and external pressure difference of the cavity and to compress or stretch the stacked structure to drive the end face to move, the stacked layer being enclosed by a single folded surface, a crease being formed at the connection of the folded surfaces of two adjacent stacked layers, the crease being located within the crease surface perpendicular to the central axis, and the crease surface being a plane in an initial state; The strain unit has an intrusion angle θ, an intrusion depth coefficient a, a folding surface width l and a wall thickness t, wherein the intrusion angle θ is the angle between the folding surface and the adjacent crease surface, and the intrusion angle θ changes with the compression or extension of the stacking structure. The intrusion angle θ, the intrusion depth coefficient a, the folding surface width l and the wall thickness t are all defined based on the cross-section of the strain unit cut by the S plane. The folding surface width l is the width of the folding surface from the radial outer side of the protruding crease to the radial inner side of the concave crease. The folding surface width l is perpendicular to the center The projection in the axial direction is defined as an intrusion depth v, the intrusion depth coefficient a is the proportional relationship between the intrusion depth v and the effective radius of the protruding crease, the wall thickness t is the thickness of the flexible sidewall, the intrusion angle θ, the intrusion depth coefficient a, the folding surface width l, and the wall thickness t are numerically correlated with each other and have a set value combination, so that during the deformation of the soft muscle, the flexible sidewall folds and / or stretches, and the strain of the flexible sidewall is evenly distributed on each folding surface and is not concentrated at the crease; The strain unit has at least one repeated basic shape that appears continuously in the axial direction, the folds on adjacent fold surfaces have different concave and convex states on the flexible sidewall, and the convex folds have a closed shape with a continuous curvature G1 or a continuous curvature G2 in a cross section perpendicular to the central axis; The soft muscle has an initial invasion angle θ in the initial state. p and initial height H p , and during the compression and / or extension process within the effective working range of the stack structure, the intrusion angle θ is between 0° and the maximum intrusion angle θ max The height H of the soft muscle varies between min To the maximum height H max The crease only moves along the central axis with the crease surface without deformation; During the compression of the soft muscle, the folding surface is deformed in a wave shape on the central longitudinal section, and the wave shape of the deformed folding surface includes wave crests and wave troughs.

3. The adjustable flexible rotation alignment mechanism according to claim 2, wherein: The initial intrusion angle θp and the intrusion coefficient a satisfy the following relationship: s k =a(1-cosθ p ) / (2cosθ p -a); Furthermore, on the S plane, the straight-line distance from the wave crest of a single strain unit to the outer end of the crease is greater than 0.

251.

4. The adjustable flexible rotation alignment mechanism according to claim 2, wherein: Within the effective working range, the pressure difference between the cavity of the soft muscle and the external environment changes due to the change in the volume and / or pressure of the driving fluid, and causes the volume change of the cavity of the soft muscle. The volume change of the cavity is mainly reflected in the expansion and contraction and bending along the direction of the central axis, thereby driving the relative movement of the two ends of the soft muscle. The pressure difference changes in the range of -0.1MPa to 0.2MPa. The minimum height of the soft muscle is 0.2H. p <H min <0.4H p , maximum intrusion angle θ max <45°, maximum height H max >1.5H p The soft muscle has a lifespan of more than 3 million expansions and contractions.

5. The adjustable flexible rotation alignment mechanism according to claim 2, wherein: When the working pressure difference of the soft muscle is in the range of -0.08Mpa to 0Mpa, 0.06<σ k <0.17,0.4<a<0.6; The flexible side wall is made of a material that meets the following requirements: tensile strength greater than 5 MPa, Shore hardness greater than 60, and resilience greater than 50%.

6. The adjustable flexible rotation alignment mechanism according to claim 2, wherein: When the working pressure difference of the soft muscle is in the range of -0.08Mpa to 0.2Mpa, 0.02<σ k <0.1,0.25<a<0.55; The flexible side wall is made of a material that meets the following requirements: tensile strength greater than 12 MPa, Shore hardness greater than 80, and resilience greater than 30%.

7. The adjustable flexible rotation alignment mechanism according to claim 2, wherein: The soft muscle includes a sealing press-fit piece and an end plate for sealing thereof, and both ends of the flexible side wall are provided with a connecting fitting portion, and the connecting fitting portion and the sealing press-fit piece and the end plate form a sealed connection; The sealing crimping piece has a first crimping portion that matches the axial inner side and radial inner side of the connecting fitting portion, and the end plate has a second crimping portion that matches the axial outer side and radial outer side of the connecting fitting portion, and the first crimping portion and the second crimping portion limit the connecting fitting portion in both radial and axial directions.

8. The adjustable flexible rotation alignment mechanism according to claim 2, wherein: The closed shape includes a straight line, an arc, and a curved line segment with a varying curvature, and when at least two of these are adjacent, the curvature is G1 continuous; Or, when the closed shape only includes curves with continuously changing curvature, the curvature is G2 continuous, The flexible rotation alignment mechanism can adjust the flexibility so that the soft muscles stretch and bend during rotation, and the closed shape is a laterally flattened shape.

9. A charging robot, characterized in that: It includes the adjustable flexibility rotation alignment mechanism, gun grabbing mechanism and plug-in mechanism as described in any one of claims 1 to 8, the gun grabbing mechanism is rotationally connected to the adjustable flexibility rotation alignment mechanism, the plug-in mechanism is connected to the gun grabbing mechanism, the gun grabbing mechanism is used to fix the charging gun head, the plug-in mechanism is used to drive the charging gun head to be inserted into the charging port and / or unplugged from the charging port, the plug-in mechanism includes the soft muscle, a control module and a visual module, the visual module is used to obtain the position information of the target object, the control module is used to control the fluid to flow into or out of the cavity of the soft muscle through the drive source interface at different stages of the alignment and plug-in process according to the position information, so that the adjustable flexibility rotation alignment device and the plug-in mechanism can cooperate to complete the alignment and plug-in actions with different flexibility combinations, so that the charging gun head is docked with the charging port.

10. The charging robot according to claim 9, characterized in that: The plug-in mechanism comprises: Fixed seat; a guide structure, disposed on the fixing seat along a first direction; and The driving structure has a fixed end, a movable end and the soft muscle arranged between the fixed end and the movable end. The fixed end is connected to the fixed seat, the movable end is slidably connected to the guide structure, and the movable end is also fixedly connected to the gun grabbing assembly. When the soft muscle expands and contracts, it drives the charging gun head to perform plugging and / or alignment actions during the automated operation process.

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