Differential flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanism

Abstract

Disclosed is a differential flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanism, in which a first rigid connection block has a horizontal supporting surface; a driver is vertically supported on the supporting surface; a pair of input-end parallelogram mechanisms are connected to the supporting surface and are symmetrically distributed relative to the driver; a second rigid connection block is fixedly connected to the top of the input-end parallelogram mechanism; an intermediate block is supported on the top of the driver, one end of a first flexible branch chain is fixedly connected to one side of the intermediate block, and the other end is connected to the second rigid connection block; an output-end parallelogram mechanism is connected to the top of the intermediate block; a pair of clamping parts are supported on the top of the output-end parallelogram mechanism, one end of a second flexible branch chain is connected to the output-end parallelogram mechanism, and the other end is connected to the second rigid connection block.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of mechanical clamping mechanisms, in particular to a differential flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanism. Background Art

[0002] A clamping mechanism is required to fix and clamp the target object. The clamping mechanism often needs to move smoothly after clamping the object. In order to avoid the object shaking due to the small clamping force acting on the surface of the object when clamping the object, which leads to the problem of poor clamping effect of the clamping mechanism, it is necessary to solve and balance the relationship between force and displacement. Many clamping mechanism designs overcome the above problems through displacement control and force control strategies. Although the output force can be controlled within a certain range through precise control strategies, it is very complicated to establish a control system and it requires high cost and investment. Therefore, other ways are needed to simplify the control strategy.

[0003] The clamping mechanism of the prior art uses the lever principle to clamp the object, but the disadvantage is that the clamping mechanism based on the lever principle is often large in size, and the stability is reduced due to the rotation of the end during the clamping process.

[0004] The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known to a person of ordinary skill in the art. Summary of the invention

[0005] In response to the problems existing in the prior art, the present invention proposes a differential flexible force-amplifying clamping mechanism, which can achieve a force amplification ratio of hundreds of times, stably clamp the target object, and improve the problem of poor clamping effect of the clamping mechanism. The overall size of the mechanism is small but can greatly improve the clamping force of the clamping mechanism. Moreover, it has a simple structure, low cost, can be processed in an integrated manner, and is easy to manufacture.

[0006] The object of the present invention is achieved through the following technical solutions: a differential flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanism comprises:

[0007] a first rigid connecting block having a horizontal bearing surface;

[0008] a driver vertically supported on the support surface;

[0009] a pair of input-end parallelogram mechanisms connected to the support surface and symmetrically distributed relative to the driver;

[0010] A pair of second rigid connection blocks, wherein the second rigid connection blocks are fixedly connected to the top of the input end parallelogram mechanism;

[0011] A fixed half-bridge flexible module comprising:

[0012] An intermediate block supported on the top of the driver;

[0013] A pair of first flexible branch chains, one end of the first flexible branch chain is fixedly connected to one side of the middle block, and the other end of the first flexible branch chain is connected to the second rigid connection block;

[0014] An output-end parallel four-bar mechanism connected to the top end of the intermediate block;

[0015] An active half-bridge flexible module comprising:

[0016] A pair of clamping parts supported on the top end of the parallel four-bar mechanism at the output end;

[0017] A pair of second flexible branches, one end of the second flexible branch is connected to the output end parallel four-bar mechanism, and the other end is connected to the second rigid connection block.

[0018] In the differential flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanism, the output end parallel four-bar mechanism, the second rigid connecting block, the movable half-bridge flexible module and the fixed half-bridge flexible module form an annular frame.

[0019] In the differential flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanism, the movable half-bridge flexible module surrounds the fixed half-bridge flexible module in a direction away from the driver.

[0020] In the differential flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanism, the bending directions of the fixed half-bridge flexible module and the movable half-bridge flexible module are the same.

[0021] In the differential flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanism, the first flexible branch chain and the second flexible branch chain both include concentrated flexibility branch chains or distributed flexibility branch chains.

[0022] In the differential flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanism, the two ends of the concentrated flexibility branch chain are symmetrically provided with slots, and flexible hinges are formed inside the slots. The distributed flexibility branch chain is a whole section of flexible beam; the flexible beam includes a long beam or a spring leaf.

[0023] In the differential flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanism, the driver is a linear driver that causes the first rigid connecting block and the middle block to move away from or toward each other.

[0024] In the differential flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanism, the driver is a piezoelectric stack driver, a magnetostrictive driver or a linear voice coil motor.

[0025] In the differential flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanism, the differential flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanism is provided with multiple movable half-bridge flexible modules and multiple fixed half-bridge flexible modules.

[0026] In the differential flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanism, the differential flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanism is a symmetrical structure that is symmetrical relative to the driver.

[0027] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages: the differential flexible force-boosting clamping mechanism is small in size and easy to install and disassemble. The present invention utilizes a combination of two half-bridge flexible modules to realize the differential superposition of force and displacement, and can obtain a large force-boosting ratio, thereby greatly improving the stability of the clamping mechanism during the clamping process; the input-end parallel four-bar mechanism is utilized to connect the differential flexible force-boosting clamping mechanism to realize an integrated design; the output-end parallel four-bar mechanism is utilized to fix and guide the differential flexible force-boosting clamping mechanism, so that the differential flexible force-boosting clamping mechanism achieves a parallel clamping effect during the clamping process; a flexible hinge is used as a rotating pair, and the main body has no rigid components and can be processed in an integrated manner. The structure is simple and does not require assembly, thus overcoming the problems of processing and assembly of parts of traditional clamping mechanisms, as well as friction, wear, clearance, etc. caused by moving pairs; as the input force increases, the output force increases accordingly according to the set force-boosting multiple, and the differential flexible force-boosting clamping mechanism can provide a force-boosting effect within a certain input force range, and can achieve a good clamping effect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] By reading the detailed description of the preferred specific embodiments below, various other advantages and benefits of the present invention will become clear to those of ordinary skill in the art. The drawings in the specification are only for the purpose of illustrating the preferred embodiments and are not considered to be limitations of the present invention. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings without creative work. Moreover, the same reference numerals are used to represent the same components throughout the drawings.

[0029] In the attached picture:

[0030] Attached Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the centralized flexibility structure of the differential flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanism;

[0031] Attached Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the concentrated flexibility motion of the differential flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanism;

[0032] Attached Figure 3 It is a hybrid structure schematic diagram of a differential flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanism;

[0033] Attached Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the distributed compliance structure of the differential flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanism;

[0034] Attached Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the just-constrained concentrated flexibility structure of the differential flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanism;

[0035] Attached Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the over-constrained concentrated flexibility structure of the differential flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanism;

[0036] Attached Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the just-constrained distributed compliance structure of the differential flexible force-amplifying clamping mechanism;

[0037] Attached Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the over-constrained distributed compliance structure of the differential flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanism.

[0038] The present invention is further explained below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] The following will refer to the attached Figures 1 to 8 Specific embodiments of the present invention are described in more detail. Although specific embodiments of the present invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the present invention can be implemented in various forms and should not be limited by the embodiments described herein. On the contrary, these embodiments are provided to enable a more thorough understanding of the present invention and to fully convey the scope of the present invention to those skilled in the art.

[0040] It should be noted that certain words are used in the specification and claims to refer to specific components. Those skilled in the art should understand that technicians may use different nouns to refer to the same component. This specification and claims do not use the difference in nouns as a way to distinguish components, but use the difference in the functions of the components as the criterion for distinction. As mentioned throughout the specification and claims, "including" or "comprising" is an open term, so it should be interpreted as "including but not limited to". The subsequent description of the specification is a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the description is based on the general principles of the specification and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention shall be determined by the attached claims.

[0041] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present invention, further explanation will be given below by taking specific embodiments as examples in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and each of the accompanying drawings does not constitute a limitation on the embodiments of the present invention.

[0042] For better understanding, in one embodiment, Figures 1 to 8 As shown, a differential flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanism includes:

[0043] a first rigid connecting block 4 having a horizontal bearing surface;

[0044] a driver 7, which is vertically supported on the support surface;

[0045] a pair of input-end parallelogram mechanisms 5 connected to the support surface and symmetrically distributed relative to the driver 7;

[0046] A pair of second rigid connection blocks 3, wherein the second rigid connection blocks 3 are fixedly connected to the top of the input-end parallelogram mechanism 5;

[0047] A fixed half-bridge flexible module 1, comprising:

[0048] An intermediate block 9, which is supported on the top of the driver 7;

[0049] A pair of first flexible branch chains, one end of which is fixedly connected to one side of the middle block 9, and the other end of which is connected to the second rigid connection block 3;

[0050] An output end parallel four-bar mechanism 6 connected to the top end of the intermediate block 9;

[0051] An active half-bridge flexible module 2, comprising:

[0052] A pair of clamping parts 8, which are supported on the top end of the parallel four-bar mechanism 6 at the output end;

[0053] A pair of second flexible branches, one end of the second flexible branch is connected to the output end parallel four-bar mechanism 6, and the other end is connected to the second rigid connection block 3.

[0054] In the preferred embodiment of the differential flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanism, the output end parallelogram mechanism 6, the second rigid connecting block 3, the movable half-bridge flexible module 2 and the fixed half-bridge flexible module 1 form an annular frame.

[0055] In a preferred embodiment of the differential flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanism, the movable half-bridge flexible module 2 surrounds the fixed half-bridge flexible module 1 in a direction away from the driver 7 .

[0056] In a preferred embodiment of the differential flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanism, the bending directions of the fixed half-bridge flexible module 1 and the movable half-bridge flexible module 2 are the same.

[0057] In a preferred embodiment of the differential flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanism, the first flexible branch chain and the second flexible branch chain both include concentrated flexibility branches or distributed flexibility branches.

[0058] In a preferred embodiment of the differential flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanism, slots are symmetrically provided on both ends of the concentrated flexibility branch chain, and flexible hinges are formed inside the slots. The distributed flexibility branch chain is a whole section of a flexible beam; the flexible beam includes a long beam or a spring leaf.

[0059] In a preferred embodiment of the differential flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanism, the driver 7 is a linear driver that causes the first rigid connecting block 4 and the middle block 9 to move away from or toward each other.

[0060] In a preferred embodiment of the differential flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanism, the driver 7 is a piezoelectric stack driver, a magnetostrictive driver or a linear voice coil motor.

[0061] In a preferred embodiment of the differential flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanism, the differential flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanism is provided with multiple movable half-bridge flexible modules 2 and multiple fixed half-bridge flexible modules 1 .

[0062] In a preferred embodiment of the differential flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanism, the differential flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanism is a symmetrical structure with respect to the driver 7 .

[0063] In one embodiment, a differential flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanism includes a fixed half-bridge flexible module 1, a movable half-bridge flexible module 2, a first rigid connection block 4, a second rigid connection block 3, an input-end parallel four-bar mechanism 5, an output-end parallel four-bar mechanism 6 and a driver 7; the fixed half-bridge flexible module 1 and the movable half-bridge flexible module 2 are connected through the second rigid connection block 3 and the output-end parallel four-bar mechanism 6 to form an annular frame; the driver 7 is arranged between the fixed end of the fixed half-bridge module and the rigid connection block; the fixed half-bridge flexible module 1 and the movable half-bridge flexible module 2 have the same bending direction.

[0064] In one embodiment, the fixed half-bridge flexible module 1 includes an intermediate block 9 and flexible branches, and the flexible branches are respectively arranged on both sides of the intermediate block 9; the movable half-bridge flexible module 2 includes a clamping portion 8 and a flexible branch, and the flexible branch is arranged between the input end parallelogram 5 and the output end parallelogram 6. The flexible branch is a concentrated flexibility branch or a distributed flexibility branch. The two ends of the concentrated flexibility branch are symmetrically provided with notches on both sides, and a flexible hinge is formed inside the notch. The distributed flexibility branch is a whole section of a flexible beam; the flexible beam is a long beam or a reed. The movable half-bridge flexible module 2 is arranged in the same direction as the fixed half-bridge flexible module 1, and θ is denoted as 1 and θ 2 ,θ 1 and θ 2 are the angles from the horizontal line in the counterclockwise direction to the single-side branch chain in the movable half-bridge flexible module 2 and the single-side branch chain in the fixed half-bridge flexible module 1, θ 1 and θ 2It should be within the range of 0 to 90 degrees at the same time. One end of the flexible branch chain in the fixed half-bridge flexible module 1 is connected to the frame, and the other end is connected to the rigid connection block; one end of the flexible branch chain in the movable half-bridge flexible module 2 is connected to the rigid connection block, and the other end is connected to the output end parallel four-bar mechanism 6, and the connection end serves as the clamping part 8 of the entire clamping mechanism. The two ends of the driver 7 are respectively connected to the fixed end of the fixed half-bridge module and the rigid connection block. The driver 7 provides a linear input to make the first rigid connection block 4 move away from or toward the middle block 9.

[0065] In one embodiment, the differential flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanism comprises a fixed half-bridge flexible module 1, a movable half-bridge flexible module 2, a second rigid connection block 3, a first rigid connection block 4, an input end parallel four-bar mechanism 5, an output end parallel four-bar mechanism 6, a driver 7 and a clamping portion 8; the fixed half-bridge flexible module 1 and the movable half-bridge flexible module 2 are arranged between the second rigid connection block 3 and the output end parallel four-bar mechanism 6 to form a ring frame; the driver 7 is arranged between the fixed half-bridge module middle block 9 and the first rigid connection block 4; the bending directions of the fixed half-bridge flexible module 1 and the movable half-bridge flexible module 2 are the same. The fixed half-bridge flexible module 1 comprises an middle block 9 and a flexible branch chain, and the first flexible branch chain is respectively arranged on both sides of the middle block 9; the movable half-bridge flexible module 2 comprises a clamping portion 8 and a second flexible branch chain, and the flexible branch chain is arranged between the second rigid connection block 3 and the output end parallel four-bar mechanism 6. The two half-bridge flexible modules are arranged in the same direction to generate differential motion. The two half-bridge flexible modules can be of concentrated flexibility type or distributed flexibility type. For the concentrated flexibility structure, the fixed half-bridge flexible module is connected to the middle block 9 and the second rigid connection block 3 respectively through two slot flexible hinges, and the movable half-bridge flexible module is connected to the second rigid connection block 3 and the output end parallel four-bar mechanism 6 respectively through two slot flexible hinges.

[0066] In one embodiment, the middle part of the fixed half-bridge flexible module is fixed, and the first flexible branches at both ends are connected to the second rigid connection block 3. The two ends of the piezoelectric driver are respectively connected to the middle block 9 and the first rigid connection block 4, and the Y-direction input force is applied to the first rigid connection block 4 to generate the Y-direction input displacement. Further, the second rigid connection block 3 is connected to the first rigid connection block 4 through the input end parallelogram 5; the fixed half-bridge flexible module and the movable half-bridge flexible module are connected through the second rigid connection block 3 and the input end parallelogram 5; the two flexible branches of the movable half-bridge flexible module are connected to the output end parallelogram 6 as the clamping part 8 of the clamping mechanism to output the increased output force outward.

[0067] The working principle of the differential flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanism is as follows: Figure 2 As shown, first, a voltage is pre-applied to the piezoelectric stack driver installed inside the differential flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanism, and the driver generates an input force F in the Y direction.in and input displacement D in , the input force and displacement are transmitted to the input end parallel four-bar mechanism 5 through the first rigid connection block 4, then to the second rigid connection block 3, and finally to the fixed half-bridge flexible module 1 and the movable half-bridge flexible module 2. The input displacement is converted by the movable half-bridge flexible module 2 and output along the X direction, and converted by the fixed half-bridge flexible module 1 and output in the opposite direction of X. The superposition of these two output displacements obtains a small output displacement, that is, the clamping part obtains a large output force, which means that the mechanism achieves a large force amplification ratio. Other differential flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanisms, such as Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 5 , Figure 6 , Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, the working principle is the same as Figure 1 Centralized flexibility differential flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanism. Other differential flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanisms, such as Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 5 , Figure 6 , Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, the working principle is the same as Figure 1 Centralized flexibility, differential and flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanism.

[0068] In one embodiment, a linear actuator, such as a piezoelectric stack actuator, is used to provide a Y-direction pressure, ie, an input force F, to the first rigid connection block 4. in Pull down the fixed half-bridge flexible module 1 and the movable half-bridge flexible module 2. For the flexible branch chain on the left side of the fixed half-bridge flexible module, the driver inputs force F in the Y direction. in and input displacement D in , the output displacement in the opposite direction of X direction is ΔX 1 , For the flexible branch chain on the left side of the active half-bridge flexible module, the driver inputs a force F in the X direction. in and input displacement D in , the output displacement in the positive direction of X direction is ΔX 2 , The output end of the whole mechanism is the clamping part 8 of the active half-bridge flexible module. The input displacement of the clamping part 8 relative to the driver is ΔX. That is, the output displacement ΔX of the two half-bridge flexible modules is used 1 and ΔX 2 By superimposing each other, the input displacement of the driver can be greatly reduced, thereby greatly increasing the input force. At this time, the force amplification ratio of the mechanism is By changing the design parameters of the two half-bridge flexible modules, any proportion of force amplification can be obtained. For example, in extreme cases, when the design parameters of the two half-bridge flexible branches are exactly the same, the output force of the entire mechanism is infinitely increased, which means an infinite force amplification ratio. Two half-bridge flexible modules with concentrated flexibility and slotted flexible hinges can be replaced in whole or in part by distributed flexibility, long beam or reed half-bridge modules.

[0069] Example:

[0070] exist Figure 1 In the embodiment, in order to make the structure more compact and simple, and also to reduce the weight of the structure, a flexible branch chain with concentrated flexibility is connected to each of the two ends of the middle block of the fixed half-bridge flexible module; and a flexible branch chain with concentrated flexibility is connected to each of the two ends of the clamping part of the movable half-bridge flexible module. During operation, by changing the voltage on the piezoelectric stack driver, the piezoelectric driver generates a Y-direction input force and input displacement. When the voltage increases, the piezoelectric stack driver generates a Y-direction extension movement, at which time the input force and input displacement increase. When the voltage decreases, the piezoelectric stack driver generates a Y-direction contraction movement, at which time the input force and input displacement decrease. Y-direction input force F in and input displacement D in The force and displacement in the Y direction are transmitted to the first rigid connection block 4 connected to the piezoelectric stack driver. At this time, the magnitude and direction of the force and displacement remain unchanged. The force and displacement in the Y direction are respectively transmitted to the parallel four-bar mechanism 5 and the second rigid connection block 3 at the left and right input ends, so that the notched flexible hinges in the fixed half-bridge flexible module 1 and the movable half-bridge flexible module 2 connected to the second rigid connection block 3 are deformed, so that the two half-bridge flexible branches produce opposite output displacements in the X direction. After the two opposite output displacements in the X direction are superimposed on each other, a smaller output displacement in the X direction is obtained on the clamping part 8 of the movable half-bridge flexible module, which means that the output force in the X direction is greatly increased.

[0071] Figure 1 In the embodiment, the input-end parallelogram mechanism 5 serves to connect the second rigid connection block 3 and the first rigid connection block 4, while improving the input stiffness in the Y direction; the output-end parallelogram mechanism 6 connects the clamping portion 8 of the mechanism with the middle block 9 of the fixed half-bridge flexible module 1, while improving the output stiffness in the X direction, ensuring that the clamping portion 8 can withstand a large external load.

[0072] In summary, the differential flexible force-amplifying clamping mechanism of the present invention can achieve a large force-amplifying ratio and a stable clamping effect of parallel clamping.

[0073] Although the embodiments of the present invention are described above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to the above specific embodiments and application fields, and the above specific embodiments are only illustrative and instructive, rather than restrictive. A person of ordinary skill in the art can also make many forms under the guidance of this specification and without departing from the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention, all of which belong to the protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A differential flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanism, characterized in that: These include, a first rigid connecting block having a horizontal bearing surface; a driver vertically supported on the support surface; a pair of input-end parallelogram mechanisms connected to the support surface and symmetrically distributed relative to the driver; A pair of second rigid connection blocks, wherein the second rigid connection blocks are fixedly connected to the top of the input end parallelogram mechanism; A fixed half-bridge flexible module comprising: An intermediate block supported on the top of the driver; A pair of first flexible branch chains, one end of the first flexible branch chain is fixedly connected to one side of the middle block, and the other end of the first flexible branch chain is connected to the second rigid connection block; An output-end parallel four-bar mechanism connected to the top end of the intermediate block; An active half-bridge flexible module comprising: A pair of clamping parts supported on the top end of the parallel four-bar mechanism at the output end; A pair of second flexible branches, one end of the second flexible branch is connected to the output end parallel four-bar mechanism, and the other end is connected to the second rigid connection block.

2. The differential flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: Preferably, the output end parallelogram mechanism, the second rigid connecting block, the movable half-bridge flexible module and the fixed half-bridge flexible module form an annular frame.

3. The differential flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The movable half-bridge flexible module surrounds the fixed half-bridge flexible module in a direction away from the driver.

4. The differential flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bending directions of the fixed half-bridge flexible module and the movable half-bridge flexible module are the same.

5. The differential flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first flexible branch and the second flexible branch both include concentrated flexibility branches or distributed flexibility branches.

6. The differential flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanism according to claim 5, characterized in that: The two ends of the concentrated flexibility type branch chain are symmetrically provided with notches, and flexible hinges are formed inside the notches. The distributed flexibility type branch chain is a whole section of flexible beam; the flexible beam includes a long beam or a spring leaf.

7. The differential flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The driver is a linear driver which enables the first rigid connection block and the middle block to generate diverging or approaching motions.

8. The differential flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The driver is a piezoelectric stack driver, a magnetostrictive driver or a linear voice coil motor.

9. The differential flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The differential flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanism is provided with multiple movable half-bridge flexible modules and multiple fixed half-bridge flexible modules.

10. The differential flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The differential flexible force-enhancing clamping mechanism is a symmetrical structure that is symmetrical relative to the driver.

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