A beaded particle-driven soft robot

Abstract

The present invention discloses a beaded particle-driven soft robot, comprising an elastic deformable body with an inner cavity; a particle string, the particle string being composed of a plurality of particles connected in series; a particle conveying device, one end of the particle string being connected to the particle conveying device, and the particle conveying device being connected to the elastic deformable body; the particle conveying device being used to convey particles to the inner cavity and squeeze the particles in the inner cavity, and to pull the particle string so that the particles in the elastic deformable body are output to the particle conveying device. The present invention can effectively solve the problem that the existing particles cannot flow out of the inner cavity of the elastic deformable body, and the elastic deformable cavity cannot be restored to the initial state, and effectively improves the practicality of the soft robot and expands the application range of the soft robot.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of robots, and in particular to a bead-type particle-driven soft robot. Background Art

[0002] Soft robots are made of flexible materials and have the characteristics of high structural flexibility, strong environmental adaptability, and good human-computer interaction. They have been widely used in many fields.

[0003] The common disadvantage of low rigidity of soft robots limits their application in bearing large loads, etc. In order to improve the carrying capacity of soft robots, patent document CN201711363921.4 discloses a variable rigidity soft robot system, including a soft robot, a vacuum pumping device and a particle conveying device, wherein the soft robot has a cavity surrounded by an elastic deformation cavity wall; the particle conveying device is connected to a conveying channel and is used to convey the deformable medium of the soft robot into the cavity. When the elastic deformation cavity wall grasps an object, the particulate matter is sent into the elastic deformation cavity by the particle conveying device, and the particles flow in the elastic deformation cavity wall to adapt to the shape of the grasped object, and then the vacuum pumping device makes the elastic deformation cavity wall vacuum or negative pressure, the volume fraction of the particulate matter is reduced, and the particles enter a blocked state, which effectively enhances the rigidity of the elastic deformation cavity wall and improves the carrying capacity of the soft robot. When unloading, the inner cavity of the elastic deformable body is connected to the atmosphere, and the atmosphere enters the inner cavity. The particles in the inner cavity have fluidity. At this time, under the elastic restoring force of the elastic deformable body, the particles in the inner cavity are pushed out of the inner cavity, and the elastic deformable body gradually recovers to the initial flexible state. However, due to the friction between particles and particles, and between particles and the elastic deformable cavity, the particles are prevented from flowing out of the elastic deformable cavity, making it impossible for the elastic deformable cavity to return to its initial state, resulting in the inability of the soft robot to work repeatedly, and the scope of application is limited. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and to provide a bead-type particle-driven soft robot that can effectively solve the problem that the existing particles cannot flow out of the inner cavity of the elastic deformation body, making the elastic deformation cavity unable to return to its initial state, thereby effectively improving the practicality of the soft robot and expanding the application scope of the soft robot.

[0005] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a bead-type particle-driven soft robot, comprising:

[0006] an elastically deformable body having an inner cavity;

[0007] A particle string, wherein the particle string is composed of a plurality of particles connected in series;

[0008] A particle conveying device, one end of the particle string is connected to the particle conveying device, and the particle conveying device is connected to the elastic deformable body;

[0009] The particle conveying device is used to convey particles to the inner cavity and squeeze the particles in the inner cavity, and pull the particle string so that the particles in the elastic deformation body are output to the particle conveying device.

[0010] Furthermore, it also includes a strain limiting layer arranged to fit the outer surface of the elastic deformable body; the elastic modulus of the strain limiting layer is greater than the elastic modulus of the elastic deformable body.

[0011] Furthermore, there are multiple particle strings.

[0012] Furthermore, a first through hole is provided on the particle, and a plurality of particles are connected in series to form a particle string through a rope.

[0013] Furthermore, the particle conveying device includes a particle conveying channel, a piston, a piston rod and a linear drive mechanism, the piston is located in the particle conveying channel and is installed to move with the particle conveying channel, the piston rod is connected to the piston and passes through one end of the particle conveying channel and is connected to the linear drive mechanism; the other end of the particle conveying channel is connected to the elastic deformable body; one end of the particle string is connected to the piston.

[0014] Furthermore, the piston is provided with a second through hole through which the rope passes; and near the end of the piston rod, the piston is provided with a cover plate covering the end surface of the piston.

[0015] Furthermore, the other end of the particle conveying channel is connected to the elastic deformation body through a connecting piece.

[0016] Furthermore, one end of the connecting member is provided with a first inner stop which is mounted in cooperation with the elastic deformation body, and the other end of the connecting member is provided with a second inner stop which is mounted in cooperation with the particle conveying channel.

[0017] Beneficial effects of the present invention: The particle string of the present invention is composed of a plurality of particles connected in series in sequence, one end of the particle string is connected to a particle conveying device, and the particle conveying device conveys particles into the inner cavity of the elastic deformation body and squeezes the particles in the inner cavity, so that the elastic deformation body is deformed to achieve the grasping of the object. At the same time, when the soft robot of the present invention needs to restore the original shape after the grasping action is completed, the particle conveying device pulls the particle string back into the particle conveying device, so that the elastic deformation body is restored to the initial undeformed state, thereby improving the practicality of the soft robot and expanding the application range of the soft robot. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0019] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A partial enlarged view of .

[0021] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the local structure of the particle string of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 4 It is a schematic structural diagram of the elastic deformable body and the strain limiting layer of the present invention when they are in bending deformation.

[0023] The above reference numerals:

[0024] 1 elastic deformation body, 2 particle conveying device, 20 particle conveying channel, 21 piston, 22 piston rod, 23 cover plate, 24 linear drive mechanism, 3 particle string, 30 particles, 31 rope, 4 strain limiting layer, 5 connecting piece. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The invention is further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, but is not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

[0026] Example

[0027] like Figure 1-4 As shown, this embodiment provides a bead-type particle-driven soft robot, comprising:

[0028] An elastically deformable body 1 having an inner cavity;

[0029] A particle string 3, wherein the particle string 3 is composed of a plurality of particles 30 connected in series;

[0030] A particle conveying device 2, one end of the particle string 3 is connected to the particle conveying device 2, and the particle conveying device 2 is connected to the elastic deformable body 1;

[0031] The particle conveying device 2 is used to convey particles 30 to the inner cavity and squeeze the particles 30 , and pull the particle string 3 so that the particles 30 in the elastic deformation body 1 are output to the particle conveying device 2 .

[0032] The deformation process of the soft robot in this embodiment is as follows:

[0033] 1. Initial state: the particles 30 on the particle string 3 are located in the particle conveying device 2, or there are a certain number of particles 30 in both the particle conveying device 2 and the elastic deformable body 1, and the elastic deformable body 1 is in an initial undeformed state;

[0034] 2. Deformation state: When the soft robot grasps an object, the particle conveying device 2 conveys particles 30 into the inner cavity and squeezes the particles 30, so that the elastic deformable body 1 is axially elongated and deformed, so that the elastic deformable body 1 has a certain rigidity; the degree of squeezing of the particles 30 by the particle conveying device 2 is adjusted to adjust the rigidity of the elastic deformable body 1, thereby adjusting the carrying capacity of the soft robot in this embodiment;

[0035] 3. Elastic recovery state: the particle conveying device 2 pulls the particle string 3, so that the particles 30 in the inner cavity of the elastic deformable body 1 are output to the particle conveying device 2, and the elastic deformable body 1 recovers to the initial undeformed state.

[0036] In this embodiment, the beaded particle-driven soft robot further includes a strain limiting layer 4 disposed on one side of the outer surface of the elastic deformable body 1; the elastic modulus of the strain limiting layer 4 is greater than the elastic modulus of the elastic deformable body 1. The strain limiting layer 4 is bonded to the outer surface of the elastic deformable body 1 by glue or the like. When the elastic deformable body 1 undergoes axial elongation deformation, since the elastic modulus of the strain limiting layer 4 is greater than the elastic modulus of the elastic deformable body 1, the deformation of the strain limiting layer 4 is limited, so that the elastic deformable body 1 bends toward the strain limiting layer 4 until it contacts the grasped object, such as Figure 3 In this embodiment, preferably, the elastic deformation body 1 is made of silicone rubber material, and the strain limiting layer 4 is made of PP material.

[0037] In this embodiment, the number of the particle strings 3 is preferably multiple. Under the action of the multiple particle strings 3, not only the efficiency of the particle conveying device 2 in conveying the particles 30 is effectively improved, but also the particle conveying device 3 can quickly output the particles 30 in the elastic deformable body 1 to the particle conveying device 2, and the working efficiency is high.

[0038] In this embodiment, the particles 30 are preferably provided with a first through hole, and a plurality of particles 30 are connected in series to form a particle string 3 by a rope 31. One end of the rope 31 is tied in a knot to prevent the particles 30 from slipping out, and the other end is connected to the particle conveying device 2.

[0039] In this embodiment, the particle conveying device 2 preferably includes a particle conveying channel 20, a piston 21, a piston rod 22 and a linear drive mechanism 24. The piston 21 is located in the particle conveying channel 20 and is installed in a movable manner with the particle conveying channel 20. The piston rod 22 is connected to the piston 21 and one end of the piston rod 22 that passes through the particle conveying channel 20 is connected to the linear drive mechanism 24; the other end of the particle conveying channel 20 is connected to the elastic deformable body 1; and one end of the particle string 3 is connected to the piston 21. The linear drive mechanism 24 can be a linear motion device such as an oil cylinder, an air cylinder, or an electric push rod. For example, when the linear drive mechanism 24 uses an oil cylinder or an air cylinder, the piston rod 22 can be a piston rod matched with the oil cylinder or the air cylinder. When in use, the linear drive mechanism 24 drives the piston rod 22 to move toward the elastic deformable body 1, so that the piston 21 pushes the particles 30 in the particle conveying channel 20 to be conveyed into the elastic deformable body 1, and the particles 30 are squeezed by the piston 21, so that the elastic deformable body 1 is deformed; when the elastic deformable body 1 needs to be restored to its original shape, the linear drive mechanism 24 drives the piston rod 22 to move away from the elastic deformable body 1, so that the piston 21 pulls the particle string 3 to move toward the particle conveying channel 20, so that the particles 30 in the elastic deformable body 1 are output to the particle conveying channel 2.

[0040] In this embodiment, preferably, the piston 21 is provided with a second through hole through which the rope 31 passes; near the end of the piston rod 22, the piston 21 is provided with a cover plate 23 covering the end surface of the piston 21. When in use, after the other end of the rope 31 passes through the second through hole on the piston 21, the particle string 3 is fixed to the piston 21 by tying a knot or the like, and the cover plate 23 covers the piston 21 to achieve the sealing of the second through hole. The cover plate 23 can be connected to the piston 21 by bolts or screws, and the piston rod 22 can be an integrated structure with the cover plate 23.

[0041] In this embodiment, the other end of the particle conveying channel 20 is preferably connected to the elastic deformation body 1 through a connector 5. One end of the connector 5 is provided with a first inner stopper matched with the elastic deformation body 1, and the other end is provided with a second inner stopper matched with the particle conveying channel 20, so as to facilitate the installation and connection of the elastic deformation body 1 and the particle conveying channel 20. The elastic deformation body can be connected to the connector 5 by glue or the like, and the particle conveying channel 20 can be connected to the connector 5 by threaded connection or the like.

[0042] In this embodiment, the particles 30 are preferably solid particles with a stable structural morphology, and the diameter of the solid particles is 0.1-3 mm, preferably, the diameter of the solid particles is 1-3 mm.

[0043] The above shows and describes the basic principles, main features and advantages of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The above embodiments and descriptions are only for explaining the principles of the present invention. The present invention may be subject to various changes and improvements without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. These changes and improvements fall within the scope of the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention is defined by the attached claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A beaded particle driven soft robot, characterized in that: include: an elastically deformable body having an inner cavity; A particle string, wherein the particle string is composed of a plurality of particles connected in series; A particle conveying device, one end of the particle string is connected to the particle conveying device, and the particle conveying device is connected to the elastic deformable body; The particle conveying device is used to convey particles to the inner cavity and squeeze the particles in the inner cavity, and pull the particle string so that the particles in the elastic deformation body are output to the particle conveying device.

2. A beaded particle driven soft robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a strain limiting layer arranged to fit the outer surface of the elastic deformable body; the elastic modulus of the strain limiting layer is greater than the elastic modulus of the elastic deformable body.

3. The beaded particle driven soft robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The number of the particle strings is multiple.

4. A beaded particle driven soft robot according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The particles are provided with a first through hole, and a plurality of particles are connected in series to form a particle string through a rope.

5. The beaded particle driven soft robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: The particle conveying device includes a particle conveying channel, a piston, a piston rod and a linear drive mechanism. The piston is located in the particle conveying channel and is installed to move in cooperation with the particle conveying channel. The piston rod is connected to the piston and one end of the piston rod passes through the particle conveying channel and is connected to the linear drive mechanism; the other end of the particle conveying channel is connected to the elastic deformable body; and one end of the particle string is connected to the piston.

6. The beaded particle driven soft robot according to claim 5, characterized in that: The piston is provided with a second through hole through which the rope passes; near the end of the piston rod, the piston is provided with a cover plate covering the end surface of the piston.

7. The beaded particle driven soft robot according to claim 5, characterized in that: The other end of the particle conveying channel is connected to the elastic deformation body through a connecting piece.

8. The beaded particle driven soft robot according to claim 7, characterized in that: One end of the connecting piece is provided with a first inner stop which is matched with the elastic deformation body, and the other end is provided with a second inner stop which is matched with the particle conveying channel.

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