A fish-fin-like pneumatic connector for soft robots

Abstract

The present invention provides a fish fin-like pneumatic connector for a soft robot, comprising: three soft telescopic layers, which are arranged at intervals from top to bottom, and a grid structure for limiting longitudinal deformation is arranged inside the soft telescopic layers; and two soft steering layers, the soft steering layers include a soft outer frame and a plurality of connecting plates, one side of the soft outer frame is a corrugated corrugated soft layer, one end of each connecting plate is dispersedly connected to the corrugated soft layer, and the other end is gathered and connected to the side of the soft outer frame opposite to the corrugated soft layer, so that all connecting plates are arranged in a fan shape; each soft steering layer is arranged between two adjacent soft telescopic layers, and the corrugated soft layers of the two soft steering layers face opposite directions, and an air cavity is formed between any two adjacent connecting plates. Beneficial effects of the present invention: the soft steering layer imitates the shape of the tail fin of a fish, and uses the principle of changing the swimming direction by swinging the fish fin to realize the expansion and contraction functions, and then the steering and telescopic functions are completed through the cooperation of the two soft steering layers.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of soft robots, and in particular to a fish-fin-like pneumatic connector of a soft robot. Background Art

[0002] Soft robots are generally composed of soft drive units and connectors. Through different combinations of soft drive units and different control algorithms, the coordinated control of soft robots is completed, thereby achieving different working states. The main function of traditional pneumatic connectors is to connect drive units and assist them in completing related actions. Its main function is also completed by the driver. This will result in the soft robot having a single functionality and being unable to complete complex actions. For example, the inchworm-type drive can only complete arching movements. Although the forward efficiency is high, it is inconvenient to turn during movement. Summary of the invention

[0003] In view of this, the connectors in the existing modular soft robots have the problem of insufficient functions. An embodiment of the present invention provides a fin-like pneumatic connector for a soft robot.

[0004] An embodiment of the present invention provides a fin-like pneumatic connector for a soft robot, comprising:

[0005] Three soft telescopic layers are arranged at intervals from top to bottom, and each of the soft telescopic layers has a grid structure inside to limit longitudinal deformation;

[0006] and two soft turning layers, each of which comprises a soft outer frame and a plurality of connecting plates arranged in the soft outer frame, wherein one side of the soft outer frame is a corrugated soft layer, one end of each connecting plate is dispersedly connected to the corrugated soft layer, and the other end is gathered and connected to the side of the soft outer frame opposite to the corrugated soft layer, so that all the connecting plates are arranged in a fan shape;

[0007] Each of the soft steering layers is arranged between two adjacent soft telescopic layers, the corrugated soft layers of the two soft steering layers face opposite directions, the upper and lower parts of the soft outer frame in each of the soft steering layers are sealed, and an air cavity is formed between any two adjacent connecting plates.

[0008] Furthermore, the soft telescopic layer includes an upper surface layer and a lower surface layer which are arranged relatively to each other, the upper surface layer is provided with a first cavity extending downward, the lower surface layer is provided with a second cavity extending upward, and the first cavity and the second cavity are arranged one by one.

[0009] Further, the lower portion of the first cavity does not contact the lower surface layer, and the upper surface of the second cavity does not contact the upper surface layer.

[0010] Furthermore, the longitudinal cross-sectional shapes of the first cavity and the second cavity are both rectangular.

[0011] Furthermore, the corrugated soft layer includes a plurality of U-shaped movable sheets connected in sequence, and each of the connecting plates is connected to a clamping groove between two adjacent movable sheets.

[0012] Furthermore, two sides of each movable sheet are respectively connected to the two connecting plates.

[0013] Furthermore, the corrugated soft layer also includes a balancing sheet, and the two movable sheets located in the middle are respectively connected to two ends of the balancing sheet, and each of the movable sheets is symmetrically arranged on both sides of the balancing sheet.

[0014] Furthermore, the software outer frame includes a front side, a rear side, a left side and a right side, wherein the front side and the rear side are arranged opposite to each other, the front side is a corrugated software layer, and one end of each connecting plate is gathered and connected to the middle part of the rear side, and the other end is evenly dispersed and connected to the corrugated software layer.

[0015] Furthermore, the front ends of the two connecting plates located on both sides are respectively connected to the left side surface and the right side surface.

[0016] Furthermore, the soft telescopic layer and the soft outer frame are made of silicone material, and the connecting plate is made of resin material.

[0017] The beneficial effects brought about by the technical solution provided by the embodiment of the present invention are:

[0018] 1. A fish fin-like pneumatic connector of a soft robot of the present invention has a soft steering layer that imitates the shape of a fish's tail fin and uses the principle of changing the swimming direction by swinging the fish fin to achieve expansion and contraction functions. Furthermore, through the cooperation of two soft steering layers, different steering operations can be achieved by inflating the two soft steering layers separately, and the telescopic function can be achieved by inflating the two soft steering layers at the same time.

[0019] 2. The fin-like pneumatic connector of a soft robot of the present invention places two soft steering layers up and down, and the corrugated soft layers of the two soft steering layers face opposite directions, so that left and right turns are smoother.

[0020] 3. The fin-like pneumatic connector of a soft robot of the present invention integrates a variety of deformation forms into one, which can assist the pneumatic driver to complete more complex movements, making the soft robot more adaptable to external working conditions, greatly improving the environmental adaptability of the modular soft robot and expanding its scope of use.

[0021] 4. The fin-like pneumatic connector of a soft robot of the present invention adopts a grid structure in the middle of the soft telescopic layer, which not only ensures the telescopic function, but also enhances the bearing capacity of the connector, taking into account the requirements of the connector's left turn, right turn and telescopic function. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of a fish-fin-like pneumatic connector of a soft robot of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 It is a diagram of the internal structure of a fish-fin-like pneumatic connector of a soft robot of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 3 It is an exploded view of a fish-fin-like pneumatic connector of a soft robot of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the software scaling layer;

[0026] Figure 5 yes Figure 4 A partial enlarged view of the middle A;

[0027] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the soft steering layer.

[0028] In the figure: 1. Soft telescopic layer; 2. Soft steering layer; 3. Grid structure; 4. Upper surface layer; 5. Lower surface layer; 6. First cavity; 7. Second cavity; 8. Soft outer frame; 9. Connecting plate; 10. Corrugated soft layer; 11. Air cavity; 12. Movable sheet; 13. Balance sheet; 14. Rear side; 15. Left side; 16. Right side. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present invention clearer, the embodiments of the present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The following is a preferred embodiment of the present invention, which is intended to provide a basic understanding of the present invention, but is not intended to confirm the key or decisive elements of the present invention or to limit the scope of protection.

[0030] In all examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values ​​should be interpreted as merely exemplary and not as limiting. Therefore, other examples of the exemplary embodiments may have different values.

[0031] Technologies, methods, and apparatus known to ordinary technicians in the relevant field may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, such technologies, methods, and apparatus should be considered part of the authorization specification.

[0032] It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters represent similar items in the following drawings, so once an item is defined in one drawing, it does not need to be further discussed in the subsequent drawings. At the same time, it should be understood that for ease of description, the sizes of the various parts shown in the drawings are not drawn according to the actual proportional relationship.

[0033] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the circuits, electronic components and modules involved in the present invention are all prior art and can be fully implemented by those skilled in the art. Needless to say, the content protected by the present invention does not involve improvements to the internal structure and methods.

[0034] It should be further explained that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installation" and "connection" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0035] Please refer to Figure 1 An embodiment of the present invention provides a fin-like pneumatic connector for a soft robot, one end (left end or right end) of which is connected to a driver of the soft robot. The fin-like pneumatic connector for the soft robot specifically includes three soft telescopic layers 1 and two soft steering layers 2.

[0036] Continue as Figure 3 As shown, the three software telescopic layers 1 are arranged at intervals from top to bottom, and each software steering layer 2 is arranged between two adjacent software telescopic layers 1 .

[0037] like Figure 4 As shown, each of the soft telescopic layers 1 is provided with a grid structure 3 for limiting longitudinal deformation. The grid structure 3 can limit the longitudinal deformation of the soft telescopic layer 1, so that the soft telescopic layer 1 can deform in the transverse direction for expansion and contraction. Moreover, the grid structure 3 can enable the soft telescopic layer 1 to quickly return to its original state when the external force applied to it disappears.

[0038] The soft telescopic layer 1 is made of soft material, such as silicone material in this embodiment. The grid structure 3 inside the soft telescopic layer 1 can be set in various forms, such as Figure 5As shown, the soft telescopic layer 1 in this embodiment includes an upper surface layer 4 and a lower surface layer 5 arranged opposite to each other, the upper surface layer 4 is provided with a first cavity 6 extending downward, the lower surface layer 5 is provided with a second cavity 7 extending upward, the first cavity 6 and the second cavity 7 are arranged one by one, and all the first cavities 6 and all the second cavities 7 divide the space between the upper surface layer 4 and the lower surface layer 5 into a grid structure 3. The first cavity 6 and the second cavity 7 can be set to a variety of shapes. For example, in this embodiment, the longitudinal cross-sectional shapes of the first cavity 6 and the second cavity 7 are both rectangular.

[0039] Preferably, the lower part of the first cavity 6 does not contact the lower surface layer 5, and the upper surface of the second cavity 7 does not contact the upper surface layer 4. In this way, when the upper surface layer 4 of the soft telescopic layer 1 is stretched under force or when the lower surface layer 5 of the soft telescopic layer 1 is stretched under force, the soft telescopic layer 1 can be more easily driven to stretch as a whole.

[0040] like Figure 2 and 6 As shown, each of the soft steering layers 2 includes a soft outer frame 8 and a plurality of connecting plates 9 disposed in the soft outer frame 8. The soft outer frame 8 is made of a soft material, such as a silicone material in this embodiment. The connecting plates 9 are made of a hard material, which can drive the corrugated soft layer 10 to move, such as being formed by 3D printing of a resin material in this embodiment.

[0041] One side of the software outer frame 8 is a corrugated software layer 10, one end of each connecting plate 9 is dispersedly connected to the corrugated software layer 10, and the other end is gathered and connected to the side of the software outer frame 8 opposite to the corrugated software layer 10, so that all connecting plates 9 are arranged in a fan shape.

[0042] like Figure 6 As shown, the software outer frame 8 is approximately a rectangular frame, which is composed of a front side, a rear side 14, a left side 15 and a right side 16, wherein the front side and the rear side 14 are arranged oppositely, the front side is a corrugated software layer 10, one end of each of the connecting plates 9 is gathered and connected to the middle of the rear side 14, and the other end is evenly dispersed and connected to the corrugated software layer 10. The front ends of the two connecting plates 9 located on both sides are respectively connected to the left side 15 and the right side 16, so that the left side 15 and the right side 16 can be better driven to expand outwards, so that the corrugated software layer 10 can be unfolded.

[0043] Continue as Figure 6 As shown, more specifically, the corrugated software layer 10 includes a plurality of U-shaped movable sheets 12 connected in sequence, and the number of the movable sheets 12 can be flexibly set according to the length of the software outer frame 8. For example, in this embodiment, the number of the movable sheets 12 is set to 12.

[0044] Each of the connecting plates 9 is connected to the clamping groove between two adjacent movable sheets 12, and both sides of one end of the connecting plate 9 are inserted into the clamping groove between the two movable sheets 12 and are respectively fixedly connected to the two movable sheets 12. One or more movable sheets 12 can be arranged between two adjacent connecting plates 9. For example, in this embodiment, one movable sheet 12 can be arranged between the two connecting plates 9, and both sides of each movable sheet 12 are respectively connected to the two connecting plates 9.

[0045] In order to ensure the stable expansion of the corrugated soft layer 10, each movable piece 12 is symmetrically arranged relative to the center line of the soft outer frame 8. The corrugated soft layer 10 also includes a balance piece 13. The two movable pieces 12 located in the middle are respectively connected to the two ends of the balance piece 13, and each movable piece 12 is symmetrically arranged on both sides of the balance piece 13.

[0046] It should be noted that the corrugated soft layers 10 of the two soft turning layers 2 face opposite directions, that is, the corrugated soft layer 10 of the upper soft turning layer 2 faces forward, and the corrugated soft layer 10 of the lower soft turning layer 2 faces backward. The upper edge of the soft outer frame 8 in each soft turning layer 2 is sealed to the soft telescopic layer 1 above it, and the lower edge is sealed to the soft telescopic layer 1 below it. At the same time, the upper and lower parts of each connecting plate 9 are respectively connected to the upper and lower two soft telescopic layers 1, so that an air cavity 11 is formed between any two adjacent connecting plates 9 in the soft outer frame 8.

[0047] The fin-like pneumatic connector of the soft robot is driven to turn left, turn right and extend by inflating each of the air cavities 11, as follows:

[0048] Turn left: Only the air cavities 11 in the upper soft steering layer 2 are inflated. To improve the expansion efficiency of each air cavity 11, the air cavities 11 are inflated from the middle to both sides in sequence, and the inflation pressure is from large to small. The expansion of each air cavity 11 causes each connecting piece to drive the soft steering layer 2 to expand, thereby driving the front part of the soft telescopic layer 1 in the middle to extend horizontally. The rear part of the soft telescopic layer 1 in the middle will adaptively contract to drive the connecting piece and the soft steering layer 2 in the lower soft steering layer 2 to contract, so that the rear sides of the upper and lower soft steering layers 2 are both contracted, causing the fish fin-like pneumatic connector of the soft robot to turn left.

[0049] Turn right: only the air cavities 11 in the soft steering layer 2 located at the bottom are inflated. The expansion of the air cavities 11 causes the connecting pieces to drive the soft steering layer 2 to unfold, thereby driving the rear part of the soft telescopic layer 1 in the middle to extend laterally. The front part of the soft telescopic layer 1 in the middle will adaptively contract to drive the connecting pieces and the soft steering layer 2 in the upper soft steering layer 2 to contract. In this way, the front sides of the upper and lower soft steering layers 2 are both contracted, causing the fin-like pneumatic connector of the soft robot to turn right.

[0050] Elongation: The air cavities 11 in the two soft steering layers 2 are inflated at the same time, and the connecting pieces in the two soft steering layers 2 and the soft steering layers 2 are unfolded, so that the fin-like pneumatic connector of the soft robot is elongated.

[0051] In this article, the directional words such as front, back, top, and bottom involved are defined by the positions of the parts in the drawings and the positions of the parts relative to each other, just for the sake of clarity and convenience in expressing the technical solution. It should be understood that they are relative concepts and can change accordingly according to different ways of use and placement, and the use of the directional words should not limit the scope of protection claimed in this application.

[0052] In the absence of conflict, the above embodiments and features in the embodiments may be combined with each other.

[0053] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A fish-fin-like pneumatic connector for a soft robot, characterized in that: include: Three soft telescopic layers are arranged at intervals from top to bottom, and each of the soft telescopic layers has a grid structure inside to limit longitudinal deformation; and two soft turning layers, each of which comprises a soft outer frame and a plurality of connecting plates arranged in the soft outer frame, wherein one side of the soft outer frame is a corrugated soft layer, one end of each connecting plate is dispersedly connected to the corrugated soft layer, and the other end is gathered and connected to the side of the soft outer frame opposite to the corrugated soft layer, so that all the connecting plates are arranged in a fan shape; Each of the soft steering layers is arranged between two adjacent soft telescopic layers, the corrugated soft layers of the two soft steering layers face opposite directions, the upper and lower parts of the soft outer frame in each of the soft steering layers are sealed, and an air cavity is formed between any two adjacent connecting plates.

2. The fish-fin-like pneumatic connector of a soft robot as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The soft telescopic layer includes an upper surface layer and a lower surface layer which are arranged relatively to each other, the upper surface layer is provided with a first cavity extending downward, the lower surface layer is provided with a second cavity extending upward, the first cavity and the second cavity are arranged one by one, and all the first cavities and all the second cavities divide the space between the upper surface layer and the lower surface layer into the grid structure.

3. The fish-fin-like pneumatic connector of a soft robot as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that: The lower portion of the first cavity does not contact the lower surface layer, and the upper surface of the second cavity does not contact the upper surface layer.

4. A fin-like pneumatic connector for a soft robot as claimed in claim 2 or 3, characterized in that: The longitudinal cross-sectional shapes of the first cavity and the second cavity are both rectangular.

5. The fish-fin-like pneumatic connector of a soft robot as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The corrugated soft layer includes a plurality of U-shaped movable sheets connected in sequence, and each of the connecting plates is connected to a clamping groove between two adjacent movable sheets.

6. The fish-fin-like pneumatic connector of a soft robot as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that: The two sides of each movable sheet are respectively connected to the two connecting plates.

7. The fish-fin-like pneumatic connector of a soft robot as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that: The corrugated soft layer also includes a balancing sheet, and the two movable sheets located in the middle are respectively connected to the two ends of the balancing sheet, and each movable sheet is symmetrically arranged on both sides of the balancing sheet.

8. The fish-fin-like pneumatic connector of a soft robot as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The software outer frame includes a front side, a rear side, a left side and a right side, wherein the front side and the rear side are arranged opposite to each other, the front side is a corrugated software layer, one end of each connecting plate is gathered and connected to the middle part of the rear side, and the other end is evenly dispersed and connected to the corrugated software layer.

9. The fish-fin-like pneumatic connector of a soft robot as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that: The front ends of the two connecting plates located on both sides are respectively connected to the left side surface and the right side surface.

10. The fish-fin-like pneumatic connector of a soft robot as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The soft telescopic layer and the soft outer frame are made of silicone material, and the connecting plate is made of resin material.

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