A gas-liquid reversible flexible mechanical arm

Abstract

The present application relates to a kind of gas-liquid reversible flexible mechanical arm, comprising: multiple flexible joints connected in series, flexible skeleton, displacement sensor is arranged on the body of gas-liquid reversible generator device. Multiple flexible joints are connected in series, realize the bending and deformation of multiple degrees of freedom, when the internal pressure of pneumatic muscle increases and contracts, flexible skeleton can bend under the action of flexible joint Motion occurs;The relative position and posture between adjacent flexible joints are measured by displacement sensor, and then the pose control of flexible joint is realized;By changing the bending direction and angle of flexible joint at different positions, the shape of flexible mechanical arm and the pose of end effector can be controlled, so that the end effector can realize gripping, processing and assembly and other operations.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application belongs to the field of flexible mechanical arm, in particular to a gas-liquid reversible flexible mechanical arm. BACKGROUND

[0002] Mechanical arm is a device for moving objects in a short distance, so it is often used to transfer objects in many occasions. Most of the mechanical arms today are traditional rigid mechanical arms, which have multiple rigid links. In order to obtain lifting, telescoping, rotating and other actions, the rigid links are connected through a multi-degree-of-freedom motion mechanism.

[0003] However, the rigid mechanical arm system has large mass inertia, high hardness, low load-to-weight ratio and poor flexibility during operation, and its activity coverage is limited. At the same time, it is greatly limited in application occasions requiring high compliance and flexibility.

[0004] Therefore, engineers are constantly improving the structure of the mechanical arm, and flexible mechanical arms have also been applied. However, the existing flexible mechanical arms use line driving or gas source driving, and the flexibility of the mechanical arm is relatively simple and the environmental adaptability is poor. SUMMARY

[0005] The present application provides a gas-liquid reversible flexible mechanical arm, which realizes gas source-free driving through gas-liquid reversible conversion of medium solution, cooperates with pneumatic muscle for driving, and is equipped with flexible skeleton as support, has light overall quality, good compliance, strong environmental adaptability, and can improve the safety of the interaction process between human and mechanical arm and environment.

[0006] The specific technical scheme of the present application is as follows: a gas-liquid reversible flexible mechanical arm, comprising:

[0007] Flexible joints, the flexible joints are multiple, the multiple flexible joints are connected in series, each flexible joint comprises a gas-liquid reversible generating device and a pneumatic muscle connected to the gas-liquid reversible generating device, and adjacent flexible joints are connected through opposite gas-liquid reversible generating devices and pneumatic muscles; wherein the gas-liquid reversible generating device comprises a body and a connecting part provided on the body for connecting the pneumatic muscle, a medium cavity with built-in gas-liquid reversible medium is arranged in the body, a heating device is arranged in the medium cavity, and the medium cavity is communicated with the connecting part;

[0008] Flexible skeleton, which passes through the middle part of the flexible joint and is fixed with the gas-liquid reversible generating device;

[0009] Displacement sensor, which is arranged on the body of the gas-liquid reversible generating device and is used for detecting the bending direction and angle of the adjacent flexible joint.

[0010] The body of the gas-liquid reversible generating device is provided with a medium container, and a gas-liquid reversible medium such as a weak electrolyte solution of ammonia water is filled in the medium container. A heating device is arranged in the medium container, and the gas-liquid reversible medium is reversibly converted between the gas phase and the liquid phase by changing the temperature, the pressure in the pneumatic muscle is adjusted to realize the expansion and contraction, and the flexible joint is driven to bend. A plurality of flexible joints are connected in series to realize the bending and deformation of multiple degrees of freedom. When the internal pressure of the pneumatic muscle increases and contracts, the flexible skeleton can bend under the action of the flexible joint. When the internal pressure of the pneumatic muscle decreases and expands, the flexible skeleton can drive the flexible joint to return to the initial state. A displacement sensor is arranged to measure the relative position and posture between adjacent flexible joints, and the pose control of the flexible joint is realized. The displacement sensor can be arranged on each body of the gas-liquid reversible generating device or be arranged at intervals. By changing the bending direction and angle of the flexible joint at different positions, the shape of the flexible manipulator and the pose of the end effector can be controlled, so that the end effector can realize grasping, processing and assembly operations. The medium solution realizes gas-liquid reversible conversion to realize gas-free driving, cooperates with the pneumatic muscle to drive, and is matched with the flexible skeleton as a support. The overall quality is light, the flexibility is good, the environmental adaptability is strong, the gas-free driving can improve the safety of the interaction process between the human and the manipulator and the environment, and the pneumatic muscle can adopt a fiber weaving type, a slit tube type or a folding cavity type.

[0011] Further preferably, the pneumatic muscle is arranged in a central symmetry relative to the gas-liquid reversible generating device; the flexible skeleton passes through the central position of the gas-liquid reversible generating device and is fixed, and the pneumatic muscle is located at the periphery of the flexible skeleton. The flexible skeleton is located at the symmetric center position of the pneumatic muscle relative to the pneumatic muscle. The pneumatic muscle is arranged in a central symmetry, so that any angle of bending can be obtained in the expansion and contraction process.

[0012] Further preferably, the flexible skeleton includes a flexible base body and a skeleton unit embedded in the flexible base body, and the skeleton units are connected in series to form an internal skeleton of the flexible skeleton.

[0013] Further preferably, the cross section of the skeleton unit is in the shape of an I, the adjacent skeleton units are staggered, the staggered angle is 90°, and a gap is left between the side edges of the middle webs of the adjacent skeleton units; or the cross section of the skeleton unit is in the shape of a I or Y.

[0014] Further preferably, the body of the gas-liquid reversible generating device is in the shape of a flat plate, the medium container is arranged in the flat plate, and the connecting components are arranged at the front and back positions of the body. A center hole is arranged at the center position of the body, and the flexible skeleton passes through the center hole and is fixed by a bulging device.

[0015] Further preferably, the medium cavity is in a strip shape, the heating device occupies at least 2 / 3 of the length in the medium cavity; the medium cavity is communicated with the connecting component on one side of the gas-liquid reversible generating device, and the medium cavity is blocked from the connecting component on the other side of the gas-liquid reversible generating device. The connecting component is arranged on both sides of the body of the gas-liquid reversible generating device, and the medium cavity is communicated with only one side of the connecting component, so that the medium cavity is connected with only one side of the pneumatic muscle, and then only one side of the pneumatic muscle needs to be controlled, which is convenient for control.

[0016] Further preferably, the gas-liquid reversible generating device is in a square shape, the medium cavities are arranged in sequence in parallel to the sides of the square and in the forward or reverse direction, the side of the gas-liquid reversible generating device corresponds to the end position of the medium cavity, and the opening is arranged at the side of the gas-liquid reversible generating device corresponding to the end position of the medium cavity, the heating device is inserted into the medium cavity through the opening and is fixed at the opening.

[0017] Further preferably, the flexible joints are divided into two types, one is a first flexible joint, and the other is a second flexible joint, the displacement sensor is arranged on the second flexible joint, and the first flexible joint and the second flexible joint are connected alternately.

[0018] Further preferably, the second flexible joint is provided with a sensor mounting hole on the gas-liquid reversible generating device, and the displacement sensor is mounted in the sensor mounting hole.

[0019] Further preferably, the sensor mounting hole is six, the six sensor mounting holes are arranged in a central symmetry, the six sensor mounting holes are divided into two groups, one group of the sensor mounting holes is used for installing the displacement sensor to measure the bending direction and angle of the gas-liquid reversible generating device of the adjacent front flexible joint, and the other group of the sensor mounting holes is used for installing the displacement sensor to measure the bending direction and angle of the gas-liquid reversible generating device of the adjacent rear flexible joint.

[0020] The beneficial effects of the present application are:

[0021] 1. By using the characteristics that the solubility of the gas-liquid reversible medium in the gas-liquid reversible generating device is affected by temperature and is easy to decompose at high temperature, the pressure in the pneumatic muscle is adjusted to realize stretching and contraction by changing the temperature to realize the reversible conversion between the gas phase and the liquid phase, so as to drive the flexible joint to bend.

[0022] 2. A plurality of flexible joints are connected in sequence to realize bending and deformation with multiple degrees of freedom, when the internal pressure of the pneumatic muscle increases to contract, the flexible skeleton can bend under the action of the flexible joint; when the internal pressure of the pneumatic muscle decreases to stretch, the flexible skeleton can drive the flexible joint to restore the initial state.

[0023] 3. The relative position and posture between the adjacent flexible joints are measured by the displacement sensor, and then the pose control of the flexible joint is realized.

[0024] 4. By changing the bending direction and angle of the flexible joints at different positions, the shape of the flexible robotic arm and the pose of the end effector can be controlled, thereby enabling operations such as grasping, processing and assembly through the end effector;

[0025] 5. The medium solution achieves gas-liquid reversible conversion to realize airless drive, which is combined with pneumatic muscles for driving and flexible skeleton for support. The overall weight is light, flexible and has strong environmental adaptability. Airless drive can improve the safety of the interaction between human and robotic arm and environment. Attached Figure Description

[0026] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a structure of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 2 This is a partially enlarged schematic diagram of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the gas-liquid reversible generator for a second flexible joint according to the present invention.

[0029] Figure 4 This is the present invention. Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of the structure shown;

[0030] Figure 5 This is the present invention. Figure 3 Side view of the structure shown;

[0031] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a gas-liquid reversible generator for a first flexible joint according to the present invention.

[0032] Figure 7 This is the present invention. Figure 6 A cross-sectional view of the structure shown;

[0033] Figure 8 This is the present invention. Figure 6 Side view of the structure shown;

[0034] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a flexible skeleton according to the present invention;

[0035] Figure 10 This is the present invention. Figure 9 A schematic diagram of the axial cross-section of the flexible skeleton shown.

[0036] Figure 11 This is the present invention. Figure 9 A schematic diagram of the internal skeleton of the flexible skeleton shown.

[0037] Figure 12 This is the present invention. Figure 11 An axial schematic diagram of the structure shown.

[0038] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of the bending of the first flexible joint of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram of a bending process according to the present invention;

[0040] In the diagram: 1. Base, 2. Sealing screw, 3. Second flexible joint, 4. First flexible joint, 5. Pneumatic muscle, 6. Flexible skeleton, 7. Fixing nut, 8. Heating device, 9. End flange, 10. Displacement sensor, 11. Tightening device, 12. First gas-liquid reversible generator, 13. Second gas-liquid reversible generator, 14. Through-type connecting component, 15. Center hole, 16. Sensor mounting hole, 17. Blocking connecting component, 18. Medium cavity, 19. End connector, 20. Flexible substrate, 21. Skeleton unit, 22. Inner skeleton. Detailed Implementation

[0041] The present invention will be further described below through specific embodiments and in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Example

[0042] like Figure 1 Figure 2 As shown, a pneumatic-hydraulic reversible flexible robotic arm includes: a base 1, multiple flexible joints connected to the base, an end flange 9 connected to the last flexible joint, and a flexible skeleton 6 that starts from the base, passes through each flexible joint, and finally connects to the end flange. The base and the first flexible joint are assembled and fixedly connected and sealed by sealing screws 2.

[0043] There are multiple flexible joints connected in series. There are two types of flexible joints: a first flexible joint 4 and a second flexible joint 3. The first and second flexible joints are connected alternately in sequence. The second flexible joint is connected to the base, and the last flexible joint is a second flexible joint connected to an end flange. Each flexible joint includes a gas-liquid reversible generator and a pneumatic muscle 5 connected to the gas-liquid reversible generator. The gas-liquid reversible generator includes a body and a connecting component on the body for connecting the pneumatic muscle. The body contains a medium cavity 18 with a built-in gas-liquid reversible medium, and a heating device 8 is installed in the medium cavity. The medium cavity communicates with the corresponding pneumatic muscle through the connecting component. The gas-liquid reversible generator for the first flexible joint is a first gas-liquid reversible generator 12, and the gas-liquid reversible generator for the second flexible joint is a second gas-liquid reversible generator 13.

[0044] like Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 7 Figure 8As shown, the body of the gas-liquid reversible generating device is a square flat plate, the medium cavity is arranged in the flat plate, the medium cavity is in a strip shape, the medium cavities are arranged in parallel to the edges of the square and sequentially in the forward or reverse direction, the side edges of the body correspond to the end positions of the medium cavities and are provided with openings, and the openings are communicated with the medium cavities. The heating device 8 is inserted into the medium cavity, and the heating device occupies a length of at least 2 / 3 in the medium cavity. The end of the heating device is closed and connected at the opening of the medium cavity. The front and back surfaces of the body correspond to the positions of the square corners and are provided with connecting components. The connecting components are used to be connected with the pneumatic muscles. The connecting components are divided into two types, one is a through connecting component 14 communicated with the medium cavity, and the other is a blocking connecting component 17 blocked from the medium cavity. The through connecting component is arranged on one side of the body, and the blocking connecting component is arranged on the other side of the body. The pneumatic muscles are connected with the connecting components and are fixed by the fixing nut 7. The center of the body of the gas-liquid reversible generating device is provided with a center hole 15, and the flexible skeleton passes through the center hole and is fixed.

[0045] The first flexible joint and the second flexible joint are different in the structure of the gas-liquid reversible generating device. The body of the first gas-liquid reversible generating device of the first flexible joint is only provided with a center hole 15 in the center. The body of the second gas-liquid reversible generating device of the second flexible joint is provided with six sensor mounting holes 16 around the center hole in addition to the center hole. The sensor mounting holes are arranged in central symmetry relative to the center hole. Displacement sensors 10 are arranged in the sensor mounting holes. Six displacement sensors are arranged in the six sensor mounting holes. Three displacement sensors are arranged in central symmetry and are used to measure the relative position and attitude of the first gas-liquid reversible generating device of the first flexible joint on one side. The other three displacement sensors are arranged in central symmetry and are used to measure the relative position and attitude of the first gas-liquid reversible generating device of the first flexible joint on the other side.

[0046] In this embodiment, each flexible joint has four pneumatic muscles, and the four pneumatic muscles are arranged in central symmetry relative to the gas-liquid reversible generating device. The flexible skeleton is arranged at the central symmetry of the pneumatic muscles.

[0047] As shown in the figure, Figure 9 Figure 10 Figure 11 Figure 12 As shown, the flexible skeleton 6 includes a flexible base body 20 and a skeleton unit 21 embedded in the flexible base body. The skeleton units are connected in series to form an inner skeleton 22 of the flexible skeleton. The two ends of the flexible skeleton are end connectors 19 used to connect the base and the end flange. The cross section of the skeleton unit is in the shape of an I-beam. Adjacent skeleton units are staggered, and the staggered angle is 90°. There is a gap between the side edges of the middle webs of adjacent skeleton units.

[0048] In this embodiment, the gas-liquid reversible medium in the medium cavity is a weak electrolyte solution such as ammonia.

[0049] This embodiment has a total of seven flexible joints, including three first flexible joints and four second flexible joints. The specific implementation process of this embodiment is as follows:

[0050] 1. Initial state:

[0051] When all heating devices in the first to seventh flexible joints are not powered, the reversible gas-liquid media in the medium chambers of all gas-liquid reversible generating devices are at room temperature and their pressures are all at the same atmospheric pressure. The pneumatic muscles are in an initial extended state, the flexible skeleton is in a balanced state and does not bend, and correspondingly, the flexible robotic arm composed of multiple flexible joints is in an initial extended state at this time. Figure 1 As shown.

[0052] 2. Flexible joint bending:

[0053] Taking the first flexible joint as an example, when the two heating devices on the upper side of the first gas-liquid reversible generator 12 are simultaneously energized, the temperature of the gas-liquid reversible medium in the corresponding medium cavity rises, and the solute precipitates out as bubbles, increasing the pressure inside the medium cavity and the upper pneumatic muscle. The lower pneumatic muscle contracts, driving the second gas-liquid reversible generator to bend and rotate counterclockwise downward relative to the first gas-liquid reversible generator, thereby causing the flexible bone segment 6 to bend but not lengthen, with its centerline approximately forming an arc. At this time, the second flexible joint is in a downward bending state, such as... Figure 13 As shown, the operation of the corresponding heating device can be controlled as required, thereby controlling the extension and contraction of the corresponding pneumatic muscles, and thus controlling the bending state of the flexible joint. Furthermore, using the displacement sensor 10, the position and orientation between the pneumatic-hydraulic reversible generators of adjacent flexible joints can be measured and calculated, thereby realizing the pose control of the flexible joint.

[0054] 3. Flexible robotic arm bending:

[0055] By adjusting the state, bending direction, and angle of each of the interconnected flexible joints from the first to the seventh, the position and overall shape of the end flange 9 of the flexible robotic arm relative to the base 1 can be controlled to meet operational requirements, such as... Figure 14 As shown. Similarly, when the flexible joints from the first to the seventh flexible joint are in other bending directions and angles, the flexible robotic arm as a whole will take on other shapes accordingly.

[0056] The above is only the preferred embodiment of the present application, and does not limit the present application, and any simple modification, change and equivalent transformation of the above embodiment according to the technical essence of the present application still belongs to the protection scope of the technical scheme of the present application.

Claims

1. A gas-liquid reversible flexible robot arm, characterized by, The utility model relates to a flexible joint, flexible joint is multiple, multiple flexible joint series type is connected, every flexible joint includes gas-liquid reversible generating device and the pneumatic muscle (5) connected on gas-liquid reversible generating device, and adjacent flexible joint is connected through opposite gas-liquid reversible generating device and pneumatic muscle, wherein, gas-liquid reversible generating device includes body and the connecting part for connecting pneumatic muscle set up on the body, and the medium cavity (18) of built-in gas-liquid reversible medium is set up in the body, and heating device (8) is set up in the medium cavity, and the medium cavity is open with the connecting part, Flexible skeleton (6) passes through the middle part of flexible joint and is fixed with gas-liquid reversible generating device, and flexible skeleton includes flexible matrix (20) and the skeleton unit (21) embedded in flexible matrix, and the skeleton unit is mutually connected into the inner skeleton of flexible skeleton, and the cross section of skeleton unit is I-shaped, and adjacent skeleton unit is staggered, and the staggered angle is 90 DEG, and the side between the middle web of adjacent skeleton unit leaves the gap, Displacement sensor (10) is set up on the body of gas-liquid reversible generating device and is used to detect the bending direction and angle of adjacent flexible joint. Pneumatic muscle is centrally symmetric with gas-liquid reversible generating device, and flexible skeleton passes through the central position of gas-liquid reversible generating device and is fixed, and pneumatic muscle is in the periphery of flexible skeleton, and flexible skeleton is in the symmetric center position of pneumatic muscle relative to pneumatic muscle.

2. The gas-liquid reversible flexible robotic arm according to claim 1, wherein, The body of gas-liquid reversible generating device is flat, and the medium cavity is set up in the flat, and the connecting part is set up on the front and back position of body, and the central hole (15) is set up in the central position of body, and flexible skeleton passes through the central hole and is fixed through the expansion device (11).

3. The gas-liquid reversible flexible robotic arm of claim 1, wherein, The medium cavity is long strip, and heating device is in the medium cavity and occupies at least 2 / 3 length, and the medium cavity is open with the connecting part on one face of gas-liquid reversible generating device, and the medium cavity is blocked with the connecting part on the other face of gas-liquid reversible generating device.

4. The gas-liquid reversible flexible robotic arm according to claim 3, wherein, Gas-liquid reversible generating device is square, and the medium cavity is parallel to the side of square and is sequentially set up according to the direction of time or reverse, and the side of gas-liquid reversible generating device corresponds the end position of medium cavity and sets up the opening, and the opening is open with the medium cavity, and heating device is inserted into the medium cavity through the opening and is fixed at the opening.

5. The gas-liquid reversible flexible arm according to claim 1 or 2 or 3 or 4, characterized in that, Flexible joint is divided into two kinds, one is first flexible joint (4), and the other is second flexible joint (3), and displacement sensor is set up on second flexible joint, and first flexible joint and second flexible joint are connected alternately.

6. The gas-liquid reversible flexible arm according to claim 1 or 2 or 3 or 4, characterized in that, Sensor mounting hole (16) is set up on the gas-liquid reversible generating device of second flexible joint, and displacement sensor is installed in sensor mounting hole.

7. The gas-liquid reversible flexible robotic arm according to claim 6, wherein, Sensor mounting hole is six, and six sensor mounting holes are centrally symmetric, and six sensor mounting holes are divided into two groups, one group installs displacement sensor to measure the bending direction and angle of the gas-liquid reversible generating device of adjacent front flexible joint, and the other group installs displacement sensor to measure the bending direction and angle of the gas-liquid reversible generating device of adjacent rear flexible joint.

8. The gas-liquid reversible flexible robotic arm according to claim 7, wherein, ​

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