A method for forming a hollow mechanical arm of a quadruped robot

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of hollow mechanical arm forming methods in four-legged robot, including upper mould and lower mould;Forming method includes the following steps: S1, inner container preparation: liquid silica gel is injected into injection cavity, and the silica gel inner container with the shape of mechanical arm is formed;S2, blank making: carbon fiber composite material is pasted on silica gel inner container, and the blank structure of mechanical arm is formed;S3, blank into mould: blank structure is placed into injection cavity, after moulding, positive pressure is filled into silica gel inner container, after silica gel inner container tight, carbon fiber composite material is fully attached to the surface of silica gel inner container, while negative pressure is filled into injection cavity, under the action of negative pressure, blank structure is attached to the inner wall of injection cavity;S4, solidification forming: the blank structure into mould and forming mould are placed into thermostatic chamber together, and solidification forming is carried out.The application optimizes the preparation process of two moulds required for preparing hollow mechanical arm into the preparation process of one mould, and saves the processing cost of mould.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of quadruped robot technology, and particularly relates to a method for forming a hollow robotic arm for a quadruped robot. Background Technology

[0002] With technological advancements and rapid development of social productivity, the robotics industry has flourished. Quadruped robots, in particular, have seen rapid growth and widespread application due to their high mobility, load-bearing capacity, and adaptability. Quadruped robots are a highly integrated research product, primarily based on mechatronics technology and incorporating knowledge from microcontrollers, hydraulics, sensors, and other fields. Encouraging the development of quadruped robots can drive the growth of multiple industries and create more jobs in various sectors.

[0003] To ensure rapid and sensitive movement response of quadruped robot legs, while maintaining sufficient rigidity, stringent requirements are placed on lightweight quadruped robot arms. Therefore, PAN-based carbon fiber has become the preferred material for quadruped robot arms.

[0004] In the traditional manufacturing process of quadruped robot arms, the quadruped robot arm is usually split in the middle into two symmetrical parts. The two symmetrical parts are then molded using carbon fiber composite materials using their own molds. After the two parts are formed separately, the shells of the two symmetrical robot arms are glued together with carbon fiber adhesive to form a whole hollow robot arm. Hollow robot arms made in this way can meet the requirements of lightweight design. However, because the hollow robot arm is made of two parts glued together with carbon fiber adhesive, the glued joints may crack due to large impacts during the movement of the quadruped robot, leading to robot arm failure. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This invention overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art and provides a method for forming a hollow robotic arm for a quadruped robot, thereby solving the problems existing in the prior art.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows: a method for forming a hollow robotic arm for a quadruped robot, wherein a forming mold is used to form the hollow robotic arm, and the forming mold includes an upper mold and a lower mold;

[0007] The upper mold surface is provided with an upper mold cavity, and the lower mold surface is provided with a lower mold cavity. When the upper mold and the lower mold are closed, the upper mold cavity and the lower mold cavity form an injection cavity in the shape of a robotic arm.

[0008] The molding method includes the following steps:

[0009] S1. Inner liner preparation: Liquid silicone is injected into the injection cavity. After the liquid silicone solidifies, a silicone inner liner with the shape of a robotic arm is formed.

[0010] S2. Blank Fabrication: Carbon fiber composite material is laid on the silicone inner liner to form the blank structure of the robotic arm.

[0011] S3. Blank placement: Place the blank structure into the injection cavity. After the mold is closed, positive pressure is applied to the silicone inner liner. After the silicone inner liner is tightened, the carbon fiber composite material is fully attached to the surface of the silicone inner liner. At the same time, negative pressure is applied to the injection cavity. Under the action of negative pressure, the blank structure is attached to the inner wall of the injection cavity.

[0012] S4. Curing and Molding: Place the blank structure and the molding mold together into a constant temperature and humidity chamber for curing and molding.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, both the upper mold surface and the lower mold surface are provided with negative pressure holes, through which negative pressure is injected into the injection cavity.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, one end of the molding die is provided with a pressure plate capable of pressurizing the injection cavity, and positive pressure is injected into the silicone inner liner through the pressure plate.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, before step S1, the following step is further included: coating wax sheets in the upper mold cavity and the lower mold cavity.

[0016] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the thickness of the wax sheet is 0.4mm-0.7mm.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in step S1, after the liquid silicone is injected into the injection cavity, the molding die is installed on a centrifuge, and the centrifuge drives the molding die to rotate, so that the liquid silicone solidifies in the injection cavity.

[0018] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, before step S2, the following step is further included: placing the carbon fiber composite material in a constant temperature and humidity chamber for softening.

[0019] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in step S3, both the positive pressure and the negative pressure are three atmospheres.

[0020] This invention addresses the shortcomings of the prior art and has the following beneficial effects:

[0021] (1) The present invention optimizes the traditional manufacturing process of a hollow robotic arm for a quadruped robot, which requires two molds, into a manufacturing process of one mold, thus saving the processing cost of the mold.

[0022] (2) Compared with the traditional method of molding and gluing the shell of the robotic arm, the present invention can effectively improve production efficiency and save costs. Furthermore, the present invention adopts a carbon fiber composite material integral molding process, so that the molded hollow robotic arm will not have gluing seams, which enhances the impact resistance of the hollow robotic arm.

[0023] (3) Applying wax sheets to the upper mold cavity and the lower mold cavity can reserve the forming thickness of the hollow robotic arm to be prepared, and ensure the forming accuracy of the hollow robotic arm.

[0024] (4) A centrifuge is used to drive the molding mold for injecting liquid silicone, so that the molding mold rotates at a uniform speed, which is beneficial to the curing and molding of liquid silicone in the injection cavity, thereby improving the processing accuracy of the hollow robotic arm.

[0025] (5) By applying positive pressure to the silicone inner liner through the pressure plate and negative pressure to the injection cavity through the negative pressure hole, the carbon fiber composite material can be tightly bonded to the inner wall of the injection cavity, thereby improving the molding accuracy of the hollow robotic arm. Attached Figure Description

[0026] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments;

[0027] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 2 This is an exploded view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 3 A flowchart of a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] In the diagram: 100, upper mold; 101, upper mold cavity; 102, negative pressure hole; 200, lower mold; 201, lower mold cavity; 300, pressure plate. Detailed Implementation

[0031] The following drawings disclose several embodiments of the present invention. For clarity, many practical details will be described in the following description. However, it should be understood that these practical details are not intended to limit the invention. That is, in some embodiments of the invention, these practical details are not essential. Furthermore, for the sake of simplicity, some conventional structures and components will be shown in the drawings in a simple schematic manner.

[0032] Furthermore, in this invention, the use of terms such as "first" and "second" is for descriptive purposes only and does not specifically refer to any order or sequence, nor is it intended to limit the invention. They are merely used to distinguish components or operations described using the same technical terms, and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Therefore, a feature defined with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of those features. Additionally, the technical solutions of various embodiments can be combined with each other, but only if they are feasible for those skilled in the art. If a combination of technical solutions is contradictory or impossible to implement, such a combination should be considered nonexistent and not within the scope of protection claimed by this invention.

[0033] Combination Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, this embodiment provides a method for forming a hollow robotic arm for a quadruped robot. A molding die is used to form the hollow robotic arm. The molding die includes an upper die 100 and a lower die 200. The upper die 100 has an upper die cavity 101 on its surface, and the lower die 200 has a lower die cavity 201 on its surface. When the upper die 100 and the lower die 200 are closed, the upper die cavity 101 and the lower die cavity 201 form an injection cavity in the shape of a robotic arm.

[0034] Furthermore, in this embodiment, both the surface of the upper mold 100 and the surface of the lower mold 200 are provided with negative pressure holes 102. Negative pressure is injected into the injection cavity through the negative pressure holes 102, which can create negative pressure in the injection cavity. One end of the molding die is provided with a pressure plate 300 that can pressurize the injection cavity. Positive pressure is injected into the silicone inner liner through the pressure plate 300, which makes the silicone inner liner tensile.

[0035] like Figure 3 As shown, the molding method in this embodiment specifically includes the following steps:

[0036] S1. Inner liner preparation: Liquid silicone is injected into the injection cavity. After the liquid silicone solidifies, a silicone inner liner with the shape of a robotic arm is formed. After the liquid silicone is injected into the injection cavity, the molding mold is installed on a centrifuge. The centrifuge drives the molding mold to rotate. During the continuous rotation, the liquid silicone solidifies in the injection cavity to form a structurally stable silicone inner liner.

[0037] S2. Blank making: The carbon fiber composite material is placed in a constant temperature and humidity chamber at 40℃ and left to stand for 30 minutes to soften the carbon fiber composite material. The silicone inner liner is filled with a positive pressure of one atmosphere to fully inflate the silicone inner liner. Then the softened carbon fiber composite material is laid on the silicone inner liner to form the blank structure of the robotic arm.

[0038] S3. Blank placement: The blank structure is placed into the injection cavity. After the mold is closed, the pressure plate 300 is installed. Positive pressure is injected into the silicone inner liner through the pressure plate 300, and the silicone inner liner is fully expanded, so that the carbon fiber composite material is tightly attached to the surface of the silicone inner liner. At the same time, negative pressure is injected into the injection cavity through the negative pressure holes 102 on the surface of the upper mold 100 and the lower mold 200, so that the blank structure is attached to the inner wall of the injection cavity.

[0039] S4. Curing and Molding: Place the blank structure and the molding mold into a constant temperature and humidity chamber, keep it at 150℃ for 2 hours, and let it stand for 1 hour after it cools down to room temperature to complete the curing and molding process.

[0040] Before step S1 in this embodiment, the following steps are also included: coating wax sheets in the upper mold cavity 101 and the lower mold cavity 201. The thickness of the wax sheets is 0.4mm-0.7mm. Coating wax sheets in the upper mold cavity 101 and the lower mold cavity 201 can reserve the forming thickness of the hollow robotic arm to be prepared, and ensure the forming accuracy of the hollow robotic arm.

[0041] Specifically, in this embodiment, after the silicone inner liner is molded, the wax flakes in the injection cavity need to be removed to avoid affecting the subsequent molding operation of the hollow robotic arm.

[0042] Furthermore, in step S3 of this embodiment, both the positive pressure and the negative pressure are three atmospheres.

[0043] In practical use, the molding method of this embodiment optimizes the traditional manufacturing process of quadruped hollow robotic arms, which requires two molds, into a single-mold manufacturing process, saving mold processing costs. Compared to the traditional method of molding and gluing the robotic arm shell, this invention effectively improves production efficiency and saves costs. Furthermore, the invention uses a one-piece molding process with carbon fiber composite materials, eliminating gluing seams in the molded hollow robotic arm and enhancing its impact resistance. The upper mold cavity 101 and lower mold cavity 201 are coated with... The wax sheet allows for the pre-formed thickness of the hollow robotic arm to be manufactured, ensuring the forming accuracy of the hollow robotic arm. The centrifuge drives the molding mold that injects liquid silicone, making the molding mold rotate at a uniform speed, which is conducive to the curing and forming of liquid silicone in the injection cavity, thereby improving the processing accuracy of the hollow robotic arm. Furthermore, the positive pressure injected into the silicone inner liner by the pressure plate 300 and the negative pressure injected into the injection cavity by the negative pressure hole 102 can make the carbon fiber composite material tightly adhere to the inner wall of the injection cavity, improving the forming accuracy of the hollow robotic arm.

[0044] While the invention has been described above with reference to various embodiments, it should be understood that many changes and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. That is, the methods, systems, or devices discussed above are merely examples. Various configurations can be appropriately omitted, substituted, or added to various processes or components. For example, in alternative configurations, methods can be performed in a different order than described, and / or various stages can be added, omitted, and / or combined. Moreover, features described with respect to certain configurations can be combined in various other configurations. Different aspects and elements of the configuration can be combined in a similar manner. Furthermore, as technology develops, many elements are merely examples and do not limit the scope of this disclosure or the claims.

[0045] Specific details are provided in the specification to offer a thorough understanding of exemplary configurations, including implementations. However, configurations can be practiced without these specific details; for example, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms, structures, and techniques have been shown without unnecessary detail to avoid obscuring the configuration. This description provides only exemplary configurations and does not limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the claims. Rather, the foregoing description of the configurations will provide those skilled in the art with an enabling description for implementing the described techniques. Various changes can be made to the function and arrangement of the elements without departing from the spirit or scope of this disclosure.

[0046] Furthermore, although each operation can be described as a sequential process, many operations can be executed in parallel or simultaneously. Additionally, the order of operations can be rearranged. A process may have additional steps. Moreover, examples of methods can be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, middleware, code, hardware description languages, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, firmware, middleware, or code, the program code or code segments used to perform the necessary tasks can be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as a storage medium and executed by a processor.

[0047] In summary, the above detailed description is intended to be illustrative rather than restrictive, and it should be understood that the claims (including all equivalents) are intended to define the spirit and scope of the invention. These embodiments should be understood as illustrative only and not as limiting the scope of protection of the invention. After reading the description of this invention, those skilled in the art can make various alterations or modifications to the invention, and these equivalent changes and modifications also fall within the scope defined by the claims of this invention.

Claims

1. A method of molding a hollow robot arm of a quadruped robot, the method comprising: molding the hollow robot arm using a molding die, wherein the method is characterized by: The molding die includes an upper die (100) and a lower die (200); The upper mold (100) has an upper mold cavity (101) on its surface, and the lower mold (200) has a lower mold cavity (201) on its surface. When the upper mold (100) and the lower mold (200) are closed, the upper mold cavity (101) and the lower mold cavity (201) form an injection cavity in the shape of a robotic arm. The molding method includes the following steps: S1. Inner liner preparation: Liquid silicone is injected into the injection cavity. After the liquid silicone solidifies, a silicone inner liner with the shape of a robotic arm is formed. S2. Blank Fabrication: Carbon fiber composite material is laid on the silicone inner liner to form the blank structure of the robotic arm. S3. Blank placement: Place the blank structure into the injection cavity. After the mold is closed, positive pressure is applied to the silicone inner liner. After the silicone inner liner is tightened, the carbon fiber composite material is fully attached to the surface of the silicone inner liner. At the same time, negative pressure is applied to the injection cavity. Under the action of negative pressure, the blank structure is attached to the inner wall of the injection cavity. S4. Curing and molding: Place the blank structure and the molding mold together into a constant temperature and humidity chamber for curing and molding. In step S1, after the liquid silicone is injected into the injection cavity, the molding mold is installed on the centrifuge, and the centrifuge drives the molding mold to rotate, so that the liquid silicone solidifies in the injection cavity. Before step S1, the following steps are also included: coating wax sheets in the upper mold cavity (101) and the lower mold cavity (201).

2. The method for forming a hollow robotic arm for a quadruped robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, Negative pressure holes (102) are provided on the surface of the upper mold (100) and the surface of the lower mold (200), and negative pressure is filled into the injection cavity through the negative pressure holes (102).

3. The method for forming a hollow robotic arm for a quadruped robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, One end of the molding die is provided with a pressure plate (300) that can pressurize the injection cavity, and positive pressure is injected into the silicone inner liner through the pressure plate (300).

4. The method for forming a hollow robotic arm for a quadruped robot according to claim 3, characterized in that, The thickness of the wax sheet is 0.4mm-0.7mm.

5. The method for forming a hollow robotic arm for a quadruped robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, Before step S2, the following step is also included: placing the carbon fiber composite material in a constant temperature and humidity chamber to soften it.

6. The method for forming a hollow robotic arm for a quadruped robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step S3, both the positive pressure and the negative pressure are three atmospheres.

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