A multi-stable stiffness-adjustable elastic mechanism

Abstract

The present invention discloses a multi-stable stiffness-adjustable elastic mechanism, which includes an elastic component and a base component. The elastic component includes a first elastic beam, a second elastic beam and a moving block. Both the first elastic beam and the second elastic beam can generate elastic deformation. The first elastic beam and the second elastic beam are cross-fixed by the moving block. The first elastic beam is connected to the upper disc in the base component, and the second elastic beam is connected to the lower disc in the base component. The upper disc rotates relative to the lower disc, so that the second elastic beam and the first elastic beam are bent and deformed, and initial internal stress is generated inside the first elastic beam and the second elastic beam. Due to the isotropy of the material, the stiffness of the first elastic beam and the second elastic beam in the bending orthogonal direction changes. The stiffness of the elastic mechanism can be adjusted by reciprocating the moving block along the rotation axis direction of the upper disc. By changing the change of the bending angles of the first elastic beam and the second elastic beam, the stiffness change range can be controlled, and the adaptability of the elastic mechanism is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of elastic elements and their peripheral supporting facilities, and particularly to a multi-stable stiffness-adjustable elastic mechanism. Background Art

[0002] Traditional springs have the characteristics of multiple degrees of freedom and difficult stiffness adjustment, which can be achieved by changing the cantilever length of a cantilever elastic beam. However, the elastic beam has a large stiffness within a limited space range, and its adjustment structure is complex. The pre-twisted parallel cross elastic beam has a single-degree-of-freedom stiffness characteristic by connecting the centers of two cross-arranged elastic beams in parallel, but it does not have a stiffness regulation function.

[0003] Therefore, how to change the current situation that the pre-twisted parallel cross elastic beam in the prior art cannot achieve stiffness adjustment has become an urgent problem to be solved by those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide a multi-stable stiffness-adjustable elastic mechanism to solve the above problems existing in the prior art, so that the stiffness of the elastic mechanism can be regulated and the adaptability of the elastic mechanism can be improved.

[0005] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following solution: The present invention provides a multi-stable stiffness-adjustable elastic mechanism, including:

[0006] An elastic component, the elastic component includes a first elastic beam, a second elastic beam and a moving block, and the first elastic beam and the second elastic beam can both slide through the moving block;

[0007] A base component, the base component includes an upper disc and a lower disc, both ends of the first elastic beam are connected to the upper disc, both ends of the second elastic beam are connected to the lower disc, and the upper disc is rotatably connected to the lower disc.

[0008] Preferably, the moving block has a first through hole and a second through hole, the first elastic beam can slide through the first through hole, the second elastic beam can slide through the second through hole, there is a gap between the first through hole and the second through hole, and the axes of the first through hole, the second through hole and the rotation axis of the upper disc are perpendicular to each other in pairs.

[0009] Preferably, the lower disc has a connection hole, the upper disc has a convex block adapted to the connection hole, and the convex block is rotatably arranged in the connection hole.

[0010] Preferably, the base assembly further includes a limit ring, which is detachably connected to the upper disk. The connection hole is a stepped hole. The convex block extends into the smaller-diameter end of the connection hole, and the limit ring is located at the larger-diameter end of the connection hole and abuts against the lower disk.

[0011] Preferably, fixing blocks are provided on both the upper disk and the lower disk. The first elastic beam is connected to the upper disk by using the fixing block, and the second elastic beam is connected to the lower disk by using the fixing block.

[0012] Preferably, the first elastic beam and the second elastic beam pass through the fixing block and are fixed by set screws. The fixing block has a threaded hole adapted to the set screw.

[0013] Preferably, the base assembly further includes a driver, and the output end of the driver is connected to the upper disk.

[0014] Preferably, the base assembly further includes a positioning element, which can fix the relative positions of the upper disk and the lower disk.

[0015] Preferably, the positioning element includes an upper magnet and a lower magnet. The upper magnet is provided on the upper disk, and the lower magnet is provided on the lower disk. The upper magnet is located above the lower magnet and their magnetic pole directions are the same. The number of both the upper magnet and the lower magnet is multiple groups.

[0016] Preferably, the upper magnet and the lower magnet correspond to each other one by one, and both the upper magnet and the lower magnet are circumferentially evenly distributed around the rotation axis of the upper disk.

[0017] The present invention has achieved the following technical effects compared with the prior art: The multi-stable stiffness-adjustable elastic mechanism of the present invention includes an elastic component and a base component. Among them, the elastic component includes a first elastic beam, a second elastic beam, and a moving block. The first elastic beam and the second elastic beam can both slidably pass through the moving block. The base component includes an upper disk and a lower disk. Both ends of the first elastic beam are connected to the upper disk, both ends of the second elastic beam are connected to the lower disk, and the upper disk is rotatably connected to the lower disk.

[0018] The multi-stable stiffness-adjustable elastic mechanism of the present invention. Both the first elastic beam and the second elastic beam in the elastic component can produce elastic deformation. The first elastic beam and the second elastic beam are cross-fixed by a moving block. The first elastic beam is connected to the upper disk in the base component, and the second elastic beam is connected to the lower disk in the base component. The upper disk rotates relative to the lower disk, so that the second elastic beam and the first elastic beam are bent and deformed, and initial internal stress is generated inside the first elastic beam and the second elastic beam. Due to the isotropy of the material, the stiffness of the first elastic beam and the second elastic beam in the bending orthogonal direction changes. The stiffness of the elastic mechanism can be adjusted by reciprocating the moving block along the rotation axis direction of the upper disk. By changing the change of the bending angles of the first elastic beam and the second elastic beam, the stiffness change range of the elastic mechanism can be controlled. On the basis of realizing the adjustable stiffness of the elastic mechanism, the stiffness regulation range is increased, and the single-degree-of-freedom stiffness adjustment improves the regulation sensitivity, so that the multi-stable stiffness-adjustable elastic mechanism of the present invention can be applied to more occasions and improves the adaptability of the elastic mechanism. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required to be used in the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings.

[0020] Figure 1 Isometric schematic diagram of the multi-stable stiffness-adjustable elastic mechanism of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 Exploded schematic diagram of the multi-stable stiffness-adjustable elastic mechanism of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3 Front view schematic diagram of the multi-stable stiffness-adjustable elastic mechanism of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 4 Top view schematic diagram of the multi-stable stiffness-adjustable elastic mechanism of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 5 Is Figure 4 Sectional view along line A-A in

[0025] Figure 6 Is Figure 5 Enlarged view at B in

[0026] Figure 7 Sectional structure schematic diagram of the upper disk of the multi-stable stiffness-adjustable elastic mechanism of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 8Schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of the lower disk of the multi-stable stiffness adjustment elastic mechanism of the present invention.

[0028] Among them, 1 is the first elastic beam, 2 is the second elastic beam, 3 is the moving block, 4 is the upper disk, 5 is the lower disk, 6 is the connecting hole, 7 is the convex block, 8 is the limiting ring, 9 is the fixed block, 10 is the driver, 11 is the upper magnet, and 12 is the lower magnet. Specific embodiments

[0029] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0030] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a multi-stable stiffness adjustment elastic mechanism to solve the problems existing in the above-mentioned prior art, so that the stiffness of the elastic mechanism can be adjusted and the adaptability of the elastic mechanism can be improved.

[0031] To make the above objects, features, and advantages of the present invention more obvious and understandable, the present invention will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0032] The present invention provides a multi-stable stiffness adjustment elastic mechanism, including an elastic component and a base component. Among them, the elastic component includes a first elastic beam 1, a second elastic beam 2, and a moving block 3. Both the first elastic beam 1 and the second elastic beam 2 can slide through the moving block 3; the base component includes an upper disk 4 and a lower disk 5. Both ends of the first elastic beam 1 are connected to the upper disk 4, both ends of the second elastic beam 2 are connected to the lower disk 5, and the upper disk 4 is rotatably connected to the lower disk 5.

[0033] The multi-stable stiffness-adjustable elastic mechanism of the present invention. Both the first elastic beam 1 and the second elastic beam 2 in the elastic component can produce elastic deformation. The first elastic beam 1 and the second elastic beam 2 are cross-fixed by the moving block 3. The first elastic beam 1 is connected to the upper disk 4 in the base component, and the second elastic beam 2 is connected to the lower disk 5 in the base component. The upper disk 4 rotates relative to the lower disk 5, so that the second elastic beam 2 and the first elastic beam 1 are bent and deformed, and initial internal stresses are generated inside the first elastic beam 1 and the second elastic beam 2. Due to the isotropy of the material, the stiffness of the first elastic beam 1 and the second elastic beam 2 in the bending orthogonal direction changes. Moving the moving block 3 along the rotation axis direction of the upper disk 4 can adjust the stiffness of the elastic mechanism. By changing the change in the bending angles of the first elastic beam 1 and the second elastic beam 2, the stiffness change range of the elastic mechanism can be controlled. On the basis of realizing the adjustable stiffness of the elastic mechanism, the stiffness regulation range is increased, and the single-degree-of-freedom stiffness adjustment improves the regulation sensitivity, enabling the multi-stable stiffness-adjustable elastic mechanism of the present invention to be applied to more occasions and improving the adaptability of the elastic mechanism.

[0034] Wherein, the moving block 3 has a first through hole and a second through hole. The first elastic beam 1 slidably passes through the first through hole, and the second elastic beam 2 slidably passes through the second through hole. There is a gap between the first through hole and the second through hole, so that the moving block 3 will not rotate and misalign during movement. The axis of the first through hole, the axis of the second through hole, and the rotation axis of the upper disk 4 are perpendicular to each other in pairs. In this specific embodiment, in the initial state, the first elastic beam 1 is perpendicular to the second elastic beam 2 to ensure the adjustment range of the elastic mechanism. It should also be explained here that in practical applications, the moving block 3 can be connected to other structures to facilitate the operation of reciprocating movement of the moving block 3 along the axis direction of the upper disk 4.

[0035] Specifically, the lower disk 5 has a connecting hole 6, and the upper disk 4 has a convex block 7 adapted to the connecting hole 6. The convex block 7 is rotatably arranged in the connecting hole 6. The cooperation between the convex block 7 and the connecting hole 6 can improve the rotation accuracy of the upper disk 4 and ensure the working reliability of the elastic mechanism. It should also be noted here that the lower disk 5 is provided with mounting holes. In practical applications, the lower disk 5 can be fixed to other structures in the use scenario of the elastic mechanism by using the mounting holes to improve the structural stability of the elastic mechanism.

[0036] In order to further ensure the movement reliability of the upper disk 4, the base component further includes a limit ring 8. The limit ring 8 is detachably connected to the upper disk 4. The connecting hole 6 is a stepped hole. The convex block 7 extends into the smaller-diameter end of the connecting hole 6. The limit ring 8 is located at the larger-diameter end of the connecting hole 6 and abuts against the lower disk 5. The diameter of the limit ring 8 is larger than the diameter of the convex block 7, so as to fix the axial position of the upper disk 4, improve the movement reliability of the upper disk 4, and prevent the upper disk 4 from generating axial sliding misalignment. The limit ring 8 can be connected to the upper disk 4 by screws, with firm connection and convenient disassembly and assembly.

[0037] More specifically, fixing blocks 9 are provided on both the upper disk 4 and the lower disk 5. The first elastic beam 1 is connected to the upper disk 4 by means of the fixing block 9, and the second elastic beam 2 is connected to the lower disk 5 by means of the fixing block 9. In this specific embodiment, two fixing blocks 9 are connected to both the upper disk 4 and the lower disk 5 for fixing both ends of the first elastic beam 1 and the second elastic beam 2. The upper disk 4 is located above the lower disk 5. In order to avoid affecting the installation of the fixing block 9 and the second elastic beam 2, the upper disk 4 is provided with a hollowed-out portion allowing the fixing block 9 to pass through. The fixing block 9 connected to the lower disk 5 passes through the hollowed-out portion and is connected to the second elastic beam 2. Similarly, the fixing block 9 can be fixed to the upper disk 4 and the lower disk 5 by screws, improving the operation convenience.

[0038] In other specific embodiments of the present invention, the lengths of the first elastic beam 1 and the second elastic beam 2 are longer than the distance between the two fixing blocks 9. The first elastic beam 1 and the second elastic beam 2 pass through the fixing block 9 and are fixed by setscrews. The fixing block 9 has a threaded hole adapted to the setscrew, further improving the operation convenience and reducing the labor intensity of the operator.

[0039] Furthermore, the base assembly further includes a driver 10. The output end of the driver 10 is connected to the upper disk 4. The driver 10 can be a stepper motor, improving the rotation accuracy of the upper disk 4, thereby improving the accuracy of the elastic mechanism stiffness adjustment. In this specific embodiment, the output end of the driver 10 is key-connected to the upper disk 4 to ensure smooth power transmission.

[0040] Even further, the base assembly further includes a positioning element. The positioning element can fix the relative positions of the upper disk 4 and the lower disk 5. After the upper disk 4 rotates a certain angle, the positions of the upper disk 4 and the lower disk 5 can be fixed by means of the positioning element. After the driver 10 drives the upper disk 4 to change the angle, the angle of the upper disk 4 is locked by means of the positioning element, avoiding energy consumption caused by continuous operation of the driver 10 and saving energy.

[0041] In this specific embodiment, the positioning element includes an upper magnet 11 and a lower magnet 12. The upper magnet 11 is arranged on the upper disc 4, and the lower magnet 12 is arranged on the lower disc 5. The upper magnet 11 is located above the lower magnet 12 and their magnetic pole directions are the same. Since the magnetic pole directions of the upper magnet 11 and the lower magnet 12 are the same, the magnetic poles on the opposite sides of the upper disc 4 and the lower disc 5 are opposite. After the upper disc 4 is adjusted in angle, the upper magnet 11 and the lower magnet 12 attract each other, thereby playing a role in fixing the relative positions of the upper disc 4 and the lower disc 5. The driver 10 can lock the position of the upper disc 4 without continuous power supply. In practical applications, the number of the upper magnets 11 and the lower magnets 12 is multiple groups, and the positions of the upper magnets 11 and the lower magnets 12 can be set according to the requirements of the angle adjustment range. In other specific embodiments of the present invention, structures such as positioning pins can also be used to fix the relative positions of the upper disc 4 and the lower disc 5.

[0042] In practical applications, the upper magnets 11 and the lower magnets 12 can be arranged in one-to-one correspondence. The upper magnets 11 and the lower magnets 12 are both circumferentially uniformly distributed around the rotation axis of the upper disc 4. By arranging the upper magnets 11 and the lower magnets 12 in pairs, the multi-stable characteristic of the rotation direction is realized, and the adaptability of the elastic mechanism is further improved. In addition, in order to facilitate the installation of the upper magnets 11 and the lower magnets 12, mounting pits are provided at the top of the upper disc 4 and the bottom of the lower disc 5. While facilitating the installation, it can also prevent the misalignment of the upper magnets 11 and the lower magnets 12 due to the adsorption effect, and improve the working reliability of the positioning element.

[0043] The multi-stable stiffness-adjustable elastic mechanism of the present invention pre-applies bending deformation to the first elastic beam 1 and the second elastic beam 2 to make them bear stress. Due to the isotropy of the material, the stiffness of the first elastic beam 1 and the second elastic beam 2 in the bending orthogonal direction changes, so that the stiffness of the elastic mechanism is regulated by the change of the bending angle. The bending of the first elastic beam 1 and the second elastic beam 2 is realized by the relative rotation of the upper disc 4 and the lower disc 5. Driving the upper disc 4 to rotate by a stepping motor can achieve precise angle change. In the present invention, the upper magnets 11 and the lower magnets 12 are arranged circumferentially on the upper disc 4 and the lower disc 5, and the adsorption effect of the upper magnets 11 and the lower magnets 12 is used to fix the relative positions of the upper disc 4 and the lower disc 5, realizing the multi-stable characteristic of the rotation direction, and the angle can be locked without continuous power supply of the driver 10, thereby saving the energy consumption of the mechanism. The multi-stable stiffness-adjustable elastic mechanism of the present invention has the advantages of large adjustable range, high sensitivity, small volume and low stiffness, and improves the adaptability of the elastic mechanism.

[0044] In the present invention, specific examples are used to illustrate the principle and implementation manner of the present invention. The description of the above embodiments is only for helping to understand the method and its core idea of the present invention; at the same time, for those of ordinary skill in the art, according to the idea of the present invention, there will be changes in the specific implementation manner and application scope. In summary, the content of this specification should not be construed as a limitation to the present invention.

Claims

1. A multi-stable stiffness-adjustable elastic mechanism, characterized in that, Comprising: An elastic component, the elastic component includes a first elastic beam, a second elastic beam and a moving block, and both the first elastic beam and the second elastic beam can slidably pass through the moving block; A base component, the base component includes an upper disc and a lower disc, both ends of the first elastic beam are connected to the upper disc, both ends of the second elastic beam are connected to the lower disc, and the upper disc is rotatably connected to the lower disc; Fixed blocks are provided on both the upper disc and the lower disc, the first elastic beam is connected to the upper disc by using the fixed block, and the second elastic beam is connected to the lower disc by using the fixed block; The base component further includes a positioning element, and the positioning element can fix the relative positions of the upper disc and the lower disc; the positioning element includes an upper magnet and a lower magnet, the upper magnet is provided on the upper disc, the lower magnet is provided on the lower disc, the upper magnet is located above the lower magnet and their magnetic pole directions are the same, and the number of both the upper magnet and the lower magnet is multiple groups.

2. The multi-stable stiffness-adjustable elastic mechanism according to claim 1, wherein: The moving block has a first through hole and a second through hole, the first elastic beam can slidably pass through the first through hole, the second elastic beam can slidably pass through the second through hole, there is a gap between the first through hole and the second through hole, and the axes of the first through hole, the second through hole and the rotation axis of the upper disc are perpendicular to each other in pairs.

3. The multi-stable stiffness-adjustable elastic mechanism according to claim 1, wherein: The lower disc has a connection hole, the upper disc has a convex block adapted to the connection hole, and the convex block is rotatably arranged in the connection hole.

4. The multi-stable stiffness-adjustable elastic mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that: The base component further includes a limiting ring, the limiting ring is detachably connected to the upper disc, the connection hole is a stepped hole, the convex block extends into the smaller diameter end of the connection hole, and the limiting ring is located at the larger diameter end of the connection hole and abuts against the lower disc.

5. The multi-stable stiffness-adjustable elastic mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first elastic beam and the second elastic beam pass through the fixed block and are fixed by set screws, and the fixed block has a threaded hole adapted to the set screw.

6. The multi-stable stiffness-adjustable elastic mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The base component further includes a driver, and the output end of the driver is connected to the upper disc.

7. The multi-stable stiffness-adjustable elastic mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper magnet and the lower magnet correspond to each other one by one, and both the upper magnet and the lower magnet are circumferentially uniformly distributed around the rotation axis of the upper disc.

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