Soft Robots

Abstract

The present application provides a soft robot, which includes a main body component and multiple crawling components. The multiple crawling components are arranged on one side of the main body component. Each crawling component is connected to a first telescopic part and adjusts its position as the first telescopic part expands and contracts. At this time, there is an angle between the crawling component and the main body component. The multiple crawling components adjust their positions under the drive of the main body component, and the telescopic direction of the second telescopic part is different from the telescopic direction of the first telescopic part, so that the soft robot can adjust its own position in multiple directions, avoid the movement of the soft robot being restricted, and improve the environmental adaptability of the soft robot. In addition, each crawling component drives the expansion and contraction of the adsorption part through the second telescopic part, so as to adjust the position of the adsorption part, thereby facilitating the adsorption of different objects to be adsorbed by the adsorption part.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application belongs to the field of robotics technology, and in particular, relates to a soft robot. Background Art

[0002] With the development of science and technology, soft robots have replaced manual work and adapted to the corresponding working environment. In the existing technology, soft robots can usually only adapt to a single environment, which can be a plane, a rod or a pipe. When the working environment has both a plane and a rod-shaped environment, the movement of the soft robot is restricted, resulting in poor environmental adaptability of existing soft robots. Summary of the invention

[0003] The embodiment of the present application provides a soft robot to solve the problem of poor environmental adaptability of existing soft robots.

[0004] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a soft robot, comprising:

[0005] The main body assembly includes a telescopic first telescopic portion, wherein the first telescopic portion is used to telescope and telescope as the internal air pressure changes;

[0006] A plurality of crawling components are arranged on one side of the main body component; each of the crawling components is connected to the first telescopic part, and its position is adjusted as the first telescopic part is extended or retracted; an angle is formed between the crawling component and the main body component; the crawling component comprises a telescopic second telescopic part and an adsorption part, the second telescopic part is used for extension and retraction, and is extended or retracted as the internal air pressure changes; the adsorption part is connected to the second telescopic part, and its position is adjusted as the second telescopic part is extended or retracted; the adsorption part is used for adsorbing the object to be adsorbed.

[0007] Optionally, an angle is formed between the axis of the telescopic direction of the second telescopic part and the axis of the telescopic direction of the first telescopic part, and the angle changes as the positions of the main body component and the crawling component change.

[0008] Optionally, the first telescopic portion is provided with a first air pressure chamber and a first telescopic tube, and the first telescopic tube is connected to the first air pressure chamber in a sealing manner;

[0009] The main body component also includes a first pneumatic rod and a first driving component. The first pneumatic rod is sealingly inserted into the first pneumatic cavity. The first driving component is connected to the first pneumatic rod and drives the first pneumatic rod to move in the first pneumatic cavity to change the air pressure state of the first pneumatic cavity and adjust the telescopic state of the first telescopic tube.

[0010] Optionally, the first driving assembly includes a first driving motor and a first gear, the first gear is connected to the first driving motor and rotates when driven by the first driving motor; the first gear is connected to the first pneumatic rod through a gear part and a rack part, and drives the movement of the first pneumatic rod.

[0011] Optionally, the first telescopic tube is a corrugated tube with a hollow cavity, and the corrugated tube includes a plurality of corrugated parts stacked in sequence, and two adjacent corrugated parts can be relatively telescoped or bent.

[0012] Optionally, there are multiple first telescopic parts, and the multiple first telescopic parts are arranged at intervals along the circumferential direction.

[0013] Optionally, a connecting frame is connected between the second telescopic part and the first telescopic part, and the connecting frame includes a first connecting part and a second connecting part that are angled with each other, and the first connecting part is connected to the first telescopic part; and the second connecting part is connected to the second telescopic part.

[0014] Optionally, the second telescopic portion is provided with a second air pressure chamber and a second telescopic tube, and the second telescopic tube is sealedly connected to the second air pressure chamber;

[0015] The crawling assembly also includes a second pneumatic rod and a second driving assembly, wherein the second pneumatic rod is sealingly inserted into the second pneumatic chamber; the second driving assembly is connected to the second pneumatic rod and drives the second pneumatic rod to move in the second pneumatic chamber to change the air pressure state of the second pneumatic chamber and adjust the telescopic state of the second telescopic tube.

[0016] Optionally, the adsorption portion includes a third air pressure chamber and an adsorption plate, and the adsorption plate is sealedly connected to the third air pressure chamber: the adsorption plate is used to adsorb the object to be adsorbed when the third air pressure chamber is in a negative pressure state;

[0017] The crawling assembly also includes a third pneumatic rod and a third driving assembly, wherein the third pneumatic rod is sealingly inserted into the third pneumatic chamber; the third driving assembly is connected to the third pneumatic rod and drives the third pneumatic rod to move in the third pneumatic chamber to change the air pressure state of the third pneumatic chamber and adjust the adsorption state of the adsorption plate.

[0018] Optionally, there are multiple second telescopic parts, and the multiple second telescopic parts are arranged at intervals along the circumferential direction and act on the adsorption part together.

[0019] An embodiment of the present application provides a soft robot, in which multiple crawling components are arranged on one side of a main body component, each crawling component is connected to a first telescopic part, and is positioned according to the extension and retraction of the first telescopic part. At this time, there is an angle between the crawling component and the main body component, and the multiple crawling components are positioned under the drive of the main body component, and the extension and retraction direction of the second telescopic part is different from the extension and retraction direction of the first telescopic part, so that the soft robot can adjust its own position in multiple directions, avoid restrictions on the movement of the soft robot, and improve the environmental adaptability of the soft robot, and each crawling component drives the extension and retraction of the adsorption part through the second telescopic part, so as to adjust the position of the adsorption part, thereby facilitating the adsorption of different objects to be adsorbed by the adsorption part. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] 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 description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without creative work.

[0021] In order to more completely understand the present application and its beneficial effects, the following description will be given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals represent the same parts.

[0022] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a soft robot provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0023] Figure 2 A compressed schematic diagram of the main components of the soft robot provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0024] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the bending of the crawling component of the soft robot provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0025] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the first telescopic part of the soft robot provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0026] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the interior of the first telescopic part of the soft robot provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0027] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the second telescopic part of the soft robot provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0028] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the interior of the second telescopic part of the soft robot provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0029] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the adsorption part of the soft robot provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described clearly and completely below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0031] With the development of science and technology, soft robots have replaced manual work and adapted to the corresponding working environment. In the existing technology, soft robots can usually only adapt to a single environment, which can be a plane, a rod or a pipe. When the working environment has both a plane and a rod-shaped environment, the movement of the soft robot is restricted, resulting in poor environmental adaptability of existing soft robots.

[0032] The embodiment of the present application provides a soft robot 100 to solve the problem of poor environmental adaptability of existing soft robots.

[0033] The soft robot 100 provided in the embodiment of the present application is described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in order to more clearly illustrate the structure of the soft robot 100. Figures 1 to 8 .

[0034] The soft robot 100 includes a main body component 10 and a plurality of crawling components 20 . The plurality of crawling components 20 are disposed on one side of the main body component 10 and are interconnected with the main body component 10 .

[0035] The main body component 10 includes a telescopic first telescopic part 11, which is used for telescoping and telescoping as the internal air pressure changes, wherein the first telescopic part 11 is provided with a first air pressure chamber 111 and a first telescopic tube 112, the first telescopic tube 112 is sealedly connected to the first air pressure chamber 111, and telescopes and adjusts as the air pressure of the first air pressure chamber 111 changes. At this time, the telescoping of the first telescopic part 11 is achieved by the change of the air pressure in the first air pressure chamber 111, and the space of the first air pressure chamber 111 has no effect on the telescopic direction of the first telescopic part 11, thereby ensuring the smoothness of the telescoping of the first telescopic part 11.

[0036] The main body component 10 also includes a first pneumatic rod 113 and a first driving component 114. The first pneumatic rod 113 is sealingly inserted into the first pneumatic chamber 111. The first driving component 114 is connected to the first pneumatic rod 113 and drives the first pneumatic rod 113 to move in the first pneumatic chamber 111. At this time, the first pneumatic rod 113 is in the first pneumatic chamber 111 and can be adjusted in position in the first pneumatic chamber 111. The first pneumatic rod 113 pushes the air in the first pneumatic chamber 111, so that the pressure of the first pneumatic chamber 111 changes, so as to change the air pressure state of the first pneumatic chamber 111 and adjust the telescopic state of the first telescopic tube 112.

[0037] When the air pressure state of the first air pressure chamber 111 is in a normal pressure state, the first telescopic tube 112 is in an open state. When the air pressure state of the first air pressure chamber 111 is in a negative pressure state, the first telescopic tube 112 is in a compressed state, and the change in the pressure in the first air pressure chamber 111 will adjust the telescopic length of the first telescopic tube 112.

[0038] The first driving assembly 114 includes a first driving motor 1141 and a first gear 1142. The first gear 1142 is connected to the first driving motor 1141 and rotates under the drive of the first driving motor 1141. The first gear 1142 is connected to the first pneumatic rod 113 through the gear part and the rack part, and drives the movement of the first pneumatic rod 113. The first gear 1142 drives the first pneumatic rod 113 through the transmission of the gear and rack, so as to adjust the position of the first pneumatic rod 113 in the first pneumatic chamber 111. At this time, the rod body of the first pneumatic rod 113 is provided with a rack part, and the end is a compression surface. The end of the first pneumatic rod 113 is sealed and connected with the side wall of the first pneumatic chamber 111 to avoid air leakage between the end of the first pneumatic rod 113 and the side wall of the first pneumatic chamber 111, thereby ensuring the accuracy of the air pressure change of the first pneumatic chamber 111.

[0039] The first telescopic tube 112 is a bellows with a hollow cavity. The bellows includes a plurality of corrugated portions stacked in sequence. Two adjacent corrugated portions can be relatively expanded or bent. At this time, the two adjacent corrugated portions are stacked along the extension direction of the bellows to achieve the expansion and contraction of the first telescopic tube 112; the two adjacent corrugated portions are bent along the arc direction to achieve the bending of the first telescopic tube 112; wherein the bellows is integrally formed of an elastic material, and the plurality of corrugated portions can be bent in the arc direction.

[0040] In addition, there are multiple first telescopic parts 11, and the multiple first telescopic parts 11 are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction to ensure the stability of the main component 10. The multiple first telescopic parts 11 act together on the crawling component 20 to increase the output force of the main component 10 on the multiple crawling components 20.

[0041] A plurality of crawling components 20 are arranged on one side of the main component 10; each crawling component 20 is connected to the first telescopic part 11, and is adjusted in position as the first telescopic part 11 is extended or retracted; an angle is formed between the crawling component 20 and the main component 10; the crawling component 20 includes a telescopic second telescopic part 21 and an adsorption part 22, the second telescopic part 21 is used for extension and retraction, and is extended or retracted as the internal air pressure changes; the adsorption part 22 is connected to the second telescopic part 21, and is adjusted in position as the second telescopic part 21 is extended or retracted; the adsorption part 22 is used for adsorbing the object to be adsorbed, at this time, the crawling component 20 There is an angle between the main component 10 and the crawling components 20, and the position of the multiple crawling components 20 is adjusted under the drive of the main component 10, and the telescopic direction of the second telescopic part 21 is different from the telescopic direction of the first telescopic part 11, so that the soft robot 100 can adjust its own position in multiple directions, avoid the movement of the soft robot 100 being restricted, and improve the environmental adaptability of the soft robot 100, and each crawling component 20 drives the expansion and contraction of the adsorption part 22 through the second telescopic part 21, so as to adjust the position of the adsorption part 22, thereby facilitating the adsorption of different objects to be adsorbed by the adsorption part 22.

[0042] An angle is formed between the axis of the telescopic direction of the second telescopic part 21 and the axis of the telescopic direction of the first telescopic part 11, and the angle changes with the position of the main component 10 and the crawling component 20, wherein a connecting frame 30 is connected between the second telescopic part 21 and the first telescopic part 11, and the connecting frame 30 includes a first connecting part 31 and a second connecting part 32 that are angled with each other, the first connecting part 31 is connected to the first telescopic part 11; the second connecting part 32 is connected to the second telescopic part 21, at this time, the connecting frame 30 is formed by bending a flat plate, or is integrally formed, and the connecting frame 30 can be optionally a steel plate or an aluminum plate.

[0043] The second telescopic part 21 is provided with a second air pressure chamber 211 and a second telescopic tube 212. The second telescopic tube 212 is sealedly connected to the second air pressure chamber 211, and is telescopically adjusted as the air pressure in the second air pressure chamber 211 changes. At this time, the telescopic movement of the second telescopic part 21 is achieved by the change in air pressure in the second air pressure chamber 211, and the space in the second air pressure chamber 211 has no effect on the telescopic direction of the second telescopic part 21, thereby ensuring the smoothness of the telescopic movement of the second telescopic part 21.

[0044] The crawling assembly 20 also includes a second pneumatic rod 213 and a second driving assembly 214. The second pneumatic rod 213 is sealingly inserted into the second pneumatic chamber 211; the second driving assembly 214 is connected to the second pneumatic rod 213 and drives the second pneumatic rod 213 to move in the second pneumatic chamber 211. At this time, the second pneumatic rod 213 is in the second pneumatic chamber 211 and can be positioned in the second pneumatic chamber 211. The second pneumatic rod 213 pushes the air in the second pneumatic chamber 211, so that the pressure of the second pneumatic chamber 211 changes, so as to change the air pressure state of the second pneumatic chamber 211 and adjust the telescopic state of the second telescopic tube 212.

[0045] When the air pressure state of the second air pressure chamber 211 is in a normal pressure state, the second telescopic tube 212 is in an open state. When the air pressure state of the second air pressure chamber 211 is in a negative pressure state, the second telescopic tube 212 is in a compressed state, and the change in the pressure in the second air pressure chamber 211 will adjust the telescopic length of the second telescopic tube 212.

[0046] The second driving assembly 214 includes a second driving motor 2141 and a second gear 2142. The second gear 2142 is connected to the second driving motor 2141 and rotates under the drive of the second driving motor 2141. The second gear 2142 is connected to the second pneumatic rod 213 through the gear part and the rack part, and drives the movement of the second pneumatic rod 213. The second gear 2142 drives the second pneumatic rod 213 through the transmission of the gear and rack, so as to adjust the position of the second pneumatic rod 213 in the second pneumatic chamber 211. At this time, the rod body of the second pneumatic rod 213 is provided with a rack part, and the end is a compression surface. The end of the second pneumatic rod 213 is sealed and connected with the side wall of the second pneumatic chamber 211 to avoid air leakage between the end of the second pneumatic rod 213 and the side wall of the second pneumatic chamber 211, thereby ensuring the air pressure change accuracy of the second pneumatic chamber 211.

[0047] The second telescopic tube 212 is a bellows with a hollow cavity. The bellows includes a plurality of corrugated portions stacked in sequence. Two adjacent corrugated portions can be relatively expanded or bent. At this time, the two adjacent corrugated portions are stacked along the extension direction of the bellows to achieve the expansion and contraction of the second telescopic tube 212; the two adjacent corrugated portions are bent along the arc direction to achieve the bending of the second telescopic tube 212; wherein the bellows is integrally formed of an elastic material, and the plurality of corrugated portions can be bent in the arc direction.

[0048] In addition, there are multiple second telescopic parts 21, and the multiple second telescopic parts 21 are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction to ensure the stability of the crawling component 20. The multiple second telescopic parts 21 act together on the main component 10 to increase the output force of the multiple crawling components 20 on the main component 10.

[0049] The adsorption portion 22 includes a third air pressure chamber 221 and an adsorption plate 222, and the adsorption plate 222 is sealedly connected to the third air pressure chamber 211: the adsorption plate 222 is used to adsorb the object to be adsorbed when the third air pressure chamber 211 is in a negative pressure state; wherein the adsorption portion 22 is located at the center position of the arc surrounded by multiple second telescopic portions 21.

[0050] The crawling assembly 20 also includes a third pneumatic rod 223 and a third driving assembly 224. The third pneumatic rod 223 is sealingly inserted into the third pneumatic chamber 221. The third driving assembly 224 is connected to the third pneumatic rod 223 and drives the third pneumatic rod 223 to move in the third pneumatic chamber 221 to change the air pressure state of the third pneumatic chamber 221 and adjust the adsorption state of the adsorption plate 222.

[0051] Among them, the third driving assembly 224 includes a third driving motor 2241 and a third gear 2242. The third gear 2242 is connected to the third driving motor 2241 and rotates under the drive of the third driving motor 2241. The third gear 2242 is connected to the third pneumatic rod 223 through the gear part and the rack part, and drives the movement of the third pneumatic rod 223. The third gear 2242 drives the third pneumatic rod 223 through the transmission of the gear rack, so as to adjust the position of the third pneumatic rod 223 in the third pneumatic chamber 221. At this time, the rod body of the third pneumatic rod 223 is provided with a rack part, and the end is a compression surface. The end of the third pneumatic rod 223 is sealed and connected with the side wall of the third pneumatic chamber 221 to avoid air leakage between the end of the third pneumatic rod 223 and the side wall of the third pneumatic chamber 221, thereby ensuring the air pressure change accuracy of the third pneumatic chamber 221.

[0052] When the air pressure state of the third air pressure chamber 221 is in a normal pressure state, the adsorption disk 222 is in a non-adsorption state. When the air pressure state of the third air pressure chamber 221 is in a negative pressure state, the adsorption disk 222 is in an adsorption state, and the change in the pressure in the third air pressure chamber 221 will adjust the adsorption strength of the adsorption disk 222.

[0053] In a soft robot 100 provided by an embodiment of the present application, a plurality of crawling components 20 are arranged on one side of a main body component 10, each crawling component 20 is connected to a first telescopic portion 11, and is position-adjusted as the first telescopic portion 11 is extended or retracted. At this time, an angle is provided between the crawling component 20 and the main body component 10, and the plurality of crawling components 20 are position-adjusted under the drive of the main body component 10, and the extension direction of the second telescopic portion 21 is different from the extension direction of the first telescopic portion 11, so that the soft robot 100 can adjust its own position in multiple directions, avoid restriction of the movement of the soft robot 100, and improve the environmental adaptability of the soft robot 100, and each crawling component 20 drives the extension or retraction of the adsorption portion 22 through the second telescopic portion 21, so as to adjust the position of the adsorption portion 22, thereby facilitating the adsorption of different objects to be adsorbed by the adsorption portion 22.

[0054] In the above embodiments, the description of each embodiment has its own emphasis. For parts that are not described in detail in a certain embodiment, reference can be made to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0055] In the description of this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more features.

[0056] The above is a detailed introduction to the soft robot provided in the embodiments of the present application. Specific examples are used in this article to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present application. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the method of the present application and its core idea; at the same time, for technical personnel in this field, based on the ideas of the present application, there will be changes in the specific implementation methods and application scopes. In summary, the content of this specification should not be understood as a limitation on the present application.

Claims

1. A soft robot, It is characterized in that include: The main body assembly includes a telescopic first telescopic portion, wherein the first telescopic portion is used to telescope and telescope as the internal air pressure changes; A plurality of crawling components are arranged on one side of the main body component; each crawling component is connected to the first telescopic part, and is adjusted in position as the first telescopic part is extended or retracted; an angle is formed between the crawling component and the main body component; the crawling component comprises a telescopic second telescopic part and an adsorption part, the second telescopic part is used for extension and retraction, and is extended or retracted as the internal air pressure changes; the adsorption part is connected to the second telescopic part, and is adjusted in position as the second telescopic part is extended or retracted; the adsorption part is used for adsorbing an object to be adsorbed; Wherein, the first telescopic portion is provided with a first air pressure chamber and a first telescopic tube, and the first telescopic tube is connected to the first air pressure chamber in a sealing manner; The main body assembly further includes a first pneumatic rod and a first driving assembly, wherein the first pneumatic rod is sealed and plugged into the first pneumatic cavity; the first driving assembly is connected to the first pneumatic rod and drives the first pneumatic rod to move in the first pneumatic cavity to change the air pressure state of the first pneumatic cavity and adjust the telescopic state of the first telescopic tube; Wherein, the second telescopic portion is provided with a second air pressure chamber and a second telescopic tube, and the second telescopic tube is sealedly connected to the second air pressure chamber; The crawling assembly further includes a second pneumatic rod and a second driving assembly, wherein the second pneumatic rod is sealed and plugged into the second pneumatic chamber; the second driving assembly is connected to the second pneumatic rod and drives the second pneumatic rod to move in the second pneumatic chamber to change the air pressure state of the second pneumatic chamber and adjust the telescopic state of the second telescopic tube; Wherein, the adsorption part comprises a third air pressure chamber and an adsorption plate, and the adsorption plate is sealedly connected to the third air pressure chamber: the adsorption plate is used to adsorb the object to be adsorbed when the third air pressure chamber is in a negative pressure state; The crawling assembly also includes a third pneumatic rod and a third driving assembly, wherein the third pneumatic rod is sealingly inserted into the third pneumatic chamber; the third driving assembly is connected to the third pneumatic rod and drives the third pneumatic rod to move in the third pneumatic chamber to change the air pressure state of the third pneumatic chamber and adjust the adsorption state of the adsorption plate.

2. The soft robot according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The angle is formed between the axis of the extension direction of the second extension part and the axis of the extension direction of the first extension part, and the angle changes with the position of the main body component and the crawling component.

3. The soft robot according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The first driving assembly includes a first driving motor and a first gear. The first gear is connected to the first driving motor and rotates under the drive of the first driving motor. The first gear is connected to the first pneumatic rod through a gear part and a rack part, and drives the movement of the first pneumatic rod.

4. The soft robot according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The first telescopic tube is a corrugated tube with a hollow cavity. The corrugated tube includes a plurality of corrugated parts stacked in sequence, and two adjacent corrugated parts can be relatively telescopic or bendable.

5. The soft robot according to claim 1, It is characterized in that There are a plurality of the first telescopic parts, and the plurality of the first telescopic parts are arranged at intervals along the circumferential direction.

6. The soft robot according to claim 1, It is characterized in that A connecting frame is connected between the second telescopic part and the first telescopic part. The connecting frame includes a first connecting part and a second connecting part which are angled with each other. The first connecting part is connected to the first telescopic part; and the second connecting part is connected to the second telescopic part.

7. The soft robot according to claim 1, It is characterized in that There are a plurality of the second telescopic parts, which are arranged at intervals along the circumferential direction and act on the adsorption part together.

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