Bending position controllable soft drive

Abstract

The present invention discloses a bending position controllable soft driver, which belongs to the field of soft robots. The bending position controllable soft driver includes a soft body, wherein the soft body is provided with a through groove running through both ends thereof, and one end of the soft body is also provided with three first pressure chambers surrounding the outside of the through groove, and the end of the soft body away from the first pressure chamber is provided with three second pressure chambers, and the three second pressure chambers respectively correspond to the three first pressure chambers and are connected to the first pressure chamber, and the end of the second pressure chamber away from the first pressure chamber is closed, and the soft body includes a head section, a tail section, and a bending section, and the bending section is located between the head section and the tail section. It can realize precise control of the bending position according to needs, with a larger bending angle, and has a simple structure, low mold opening and manufacturing costs, and saves the total number of uses after being put into use, thereby reducing the cost of use.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of soft robots, and more particularly to a bending position controllable soft actuator. Background Art

[0002] Robots are widely used in various fields such as industry and medicine. Soft robots, as a type of continuous body robot, have attracted widespread attention. Compared with traditional mechanical rigid robots, soft robots have better flexibility, light weight and small size, strong adaptability to the environment, and the ability to continuously deform.

[0003] At present, the bending movements of soft robots are all completed by soft drivers. Through the combination of single or multiple soft drivers, the robots can complete various complex movements. However, the existing soft drivers have certain disadvantages. The bending position of the current soft drivers is usually located in the middle of the soft drivers, which is relatively fixed and cannot be adjusted according to needs. This leads to the limitation of the application environment of the soft drivers. In actual applications, more soft drivers may be required to achieve more precise bending of a larger range of angles and positions, and the cost of use is relatively high. Summary of the Invention

[0004] 1. Technical problems to be solved

[0005] In response to the problems existing in the prior art, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a soft driver with controllable bending position, which can accurately control the bending position according to needs, has a larger bending angle, and has a simple structure, low mold opening and manufacturing costs. After being put into use, the total number of uses can be saved, thereby reducing the cost of use.

[0006] Technical Solution

[0007] To solve the above problems, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions.

[0008] A bending position controllable soft drive includes a soft body, wherein the soft body is provided with a through groove running through both ends thereof, and one end of the soft body is also provided with three first pressure chambers surrounding the outside of the through groove, and the end of the soft body away from the first pressure chamber is provided with three second pressure chambers, and the three second pressure chambers respectively correspond to the three first pressure chambers and are connected to the first pressure chamber, and the end of the second pressure chamber away from the first pressure chamber is closed, and the soft body is also provided with a limiting component.

[0009] Furthermore, the soft body includes a head section, a tail section, and a curved section, the curved section is located between the head section and the tail section, the outer diameter of the head section and the tail section gradually decreases toward the side close to the curved section, and the curved section is the smallest outer diameter part of the soft body.

[0010] Furthermore, the diameter-limiting component includes a main limiting ring mounted on the curved section of the soft body, and multiple connecting strips are connected to both ends of the main limiting ring. The ends of the multiple connecting strips away from the main limiting ring are commonly connected to a secondary limiting ring. The inner diameters of the two secondary limiting rings are the same and both are larger than the inner diameter of the main limiting ring. The main limiting ring and the secondary limiting ring are both made of elastic material, and the inner rings of the main limiting ring and the secondary limiting ring are both in close contact with the surface of the soft body.

[0011] Furthermore, limiting rods are connected between both sides of the primary limiting ring and the secondary limiting ring, and both ends of the limiting rods are connected to the primary limiting ring and the secondary limiting ring in a flexible manner.

[0012] Furthermore, the thickness of the main limiting ring, the connecting strip and the secondary limiting ring are the same, and the upper and lower surfaces at both ends of the connecting strip are flush with the upper and lower surfaces of the main limiting ring and the secondary limiting ring respectively.

[0013] Furthermore, the diameter of the first pressure chamber is greater than the diameter of the second pressure chamber, and the first pressure chamber is located in the first section of the soft body.

[0014] Furthermore, the first pressure chamber and the second pressure chamber both contain fluid media.

[0015] Furthermore, the three first pressure chambers and the three second pressure chambers are evenly arranged around the central axis of the soft body.

[0016] Furthermore, the shape of the through groove is linear, and the central axis of the through groove coincides with the central axis of the soft body.

[0017] Beneficial effects

[0018] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of the present invention are:

[0019] This solution applies different pressures to the three first pressure chambers and the second pressure chamber respectively, so that the three first pressure chambers and the second pressure chambers achieve different degrees of expansion in different positions of the soft body. Under the action of expansion, the soft body is stretched, and the two ends gradually bend together around the position of the bending section. By controlling the pressure intensity in the three first pressure chambers and the second pressure chamber, the bending direction and bending angle of the soft body can be controlled. The position of the bending section on the soft body can be changed more conveniently and quickly through the set diameter limiting component, and the two secondary limiting rings in the diameter limiting component can better limit the expansion on both sides near the bending position, thereby achieving a larger bending angle, and realizing the control of the bending position of the soft body, thereby increasing the application range and saving production and use costs. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of the present invention as a whole;

[0021] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the structure of the software of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3 It is an internal perspective view of the entire present invention;

[0023] Figure 4 is an internal perspective view of the software of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 5 It is a front cross-sectional view of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 6 It is a structural schematic diagram of the warp-limiting component of the present invention.

[0026] Description of the numbers in the figure:

[0027] 1. Soft body; 101. First section; 102. Tail section; 103. Bend section; 2. Through groove; 3. First pressure chamber; 4. Second pressure chamber; 5. Primary limiting ring; 6. Connecting strip; 7. Secondary limiting ring; 8. Limiting rod. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention; it is obvious that the described embodiments are only 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 ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0029] See also Figure 1-6, a bending position controllable soft drive includes a soft body 1, the soft body 1 includes a first section 101, a tail section 102, and a bending section 103, the bending section 103 is located between the first section 101 and the tail section 102, the outer diameter of the first section 101 and the tail section 102 gradually decreases toward the side close to the bending section 103, and the bending section 103 is the smallest outer diameter part of the soft body 1. The above can be understood as the shapes of both ends of the soft body 1 are conical, and the bending section 103 is the smallest diameter part of the soft body 1, that is, the two ends of the soft body 1. At the intersection of the two conical parts, a through groove 2 is opened in the soft body 1, and three first pressure chambers 3 surrounding the outside of the through groove 2 are opened at one end of the soft body 1. Three second pressure chambers 4 are opened at the end away from the first pressure chamber 3 in the soft body 1, and the three second pressure chambers 4 correspond to the three first pressure chambers 3 respectively and are connected to the first pressure chamber 3. The end of the second pressure chamber 4 away from the first pressure chamber 3 is closed. The soft body 1 is also sleeved with a limiting component. The first pressure chamber 3 and the second pressure chamber 4 are connected. The pressure chamber 4 is filled with fluid medium, which is a general term for liquid and gas. By adding liquid or gas to the first pressure chamber 3, the pressure in the first pressure chamber 3 is increased and transmitted to the second pressure chamber 4, the soft body 1 can be forced to expand under the action of pressure. The outer diameter and length at both ends are larger and the expansion strength is greater. The expansion at both ends will pull the bending section 103 part closer to itself. By pulling at both ends at the same time, bending around the position of the bending section 103 can be achieved. By using a diameter-limiting component, the position of the bending section 103 on the soft body 1 can be changed to control the bending position of the soft body 1, thereby increasing the scope of application and saving production and use costs. The diameter of the first pressure chamber 3 is larger than the diameter of the second pressure chamber 4, and the position of the first pressure chamber 3 is in the first section 101 of the soft body 1, ensuring that the pressure in the first pressure chamber 3 is stronger. After the first section 101 expands, the pulling force is greater, ensuring the strength of pulling the bending section 103, so that the tail section 102 will actively move closer to the bending section 103 to achieve bending.

[0030] See Figure 1 、 Figure 4The diameter-limiting component includes a main limiting ring 5 that is sleeved on the curved section 103 of the soft body 1, and multiple connecting strips 6 are connected to both ends of the main limiting ring 5. The ends of the multiple connecting strips 6 away from the main limiting ring 5 are commonly connected to a secondary limiting ring 7. The inner diameters of the two secondary limiting rings 7 are the same and are both larger than the inner diameter of the main limiting ring 5. The main limiting ring 5 and the secondary limiting ring 7 are made of elastic materials. The inner circles of the main limiting ring 5 and the secondary limiting ring 7 are tightly attached to the surface of the soft body 1. The normal state of the main limiting ring 5 and the connecting strip 6 when they are sleeved on 01 is the maximum stretching degree of the main limiting ring 5 and the connecting strip 6. The outer diameter of a certain part of the soft body 1 is smaller than the outer diameter of the other two ends through the elastic compression of the main limiting ring 5. Then the part is the curved section 103, and the connecting strips 6 and the secondary limiting rings 7 are connected on both sides of the main limiting ring 5 to limit the main limiting ring 5 through the connecting strip 6 The size of the expansion of the two sides of the limiting ring 5 due to pressure during bending makes it easier for the soft body 1 to bend around the bending section 103 and the bending angle is larger. The outer diameter of this position is limited by the secondary limiting ring 7, so that when bending to the maximum angle around 103, the pressure can continue to be increased. The two ends of the soft body 1 can be further bent around the position of the secondary limiting ring 7, thereby achieving a larger bending angle of the soft body 1, and the main bending position is still the bending section 10 where the main limiting ring 5 is located. The thickness of the main limiting ring 5, the connecting strip 6 and the secondary limiting ring 7 are the same, and the upper and lower surfaces of the two ends of the connecting strip 6 are flush with the upper and lower surfaces of the main limiting ring 5 and the secondary limiting ring 7 respectively. The connection between the main limiting ring 5, the connecting strip 6 and the secondary limiting ring 7 is smooth and of the same thickness, without any obvious protrusions or depressions, thereby improving the aesthetics and comfort of use.

[0031] See Figure 3 , a limiting rod 8 is connected between both sides of the main limiting ring 5 and the secondary limiting ring 7, and the connection between the two ends of the limiting rod 8 and the main limiting ring 5 and the secondary limiting ring 7 is a flexible connection. The limiting rod 8 is a soft deformable material, but its hardness is higher than that of the main limiting ring 5 and the secondary limiting ring 7, which can improve the limiting effect and limit the two secondary limiting rings 7 to approach the main limiting ring 5 during the bending process, so that the bending position is not easy to change, which is more reliable and more convenient when adjusting or installing the main limiting ring 5, the connecting strip 6 and the secondary limiting ring 7. If the connecting strip 6 is directly set to a harder material, although it can also play a supporting and limiting role, it will affect the normal bending of the soft body 1. The limiting rod 8 is small in size and cylindrical in shape, and there are only two of them, which is not easy to affect the normal bending of the soft body 1. Therefore, setting the connecting strip 6 to a softer flexible material can limit the expansion of the soft body 1 while ensuring that the normal bending of the soft body 1 is not affected.

[0032] See Figure 2 and Figure 4The three first pressure chambers 3 and the second pressure chambers 4 are evenly arranged around the central axis of the soft body 1 at 120 degrees. The uniform arrangement of the first pressure chambers 3 and the second pressure chambers 4 can ensure that the bending angle and bending direction of the soft body 1 can be controlled in a larger range, with better accuracy and good controllability.

[0033] See Figure 4 The shape of the through groove 2 is straight, and the central axis of the through groove 2 coincides with the central axis of the soft body 1. The setting of the through groove 2 is to make the soft body 1 have better extensibility and compressibility, so that the soft body 1 can have a larger bending angle. The middle part can have the same spacing with the three first pressure chambers 3 and the second pressure chamber 4, and the distribution is more even.

[0034] Working principle: By applying pressure to three different first pressure chambers 3 and second pressure chambers 4, the expansion of different positions of the soft body 1 is achieved under the action of pressure. The soft body 1 will be stretched during expansion. After the pressure is high, the part with a larger diameter will pull the part with a smaller diameter closer to itself. After applying pressure to the first pressure chamber 3 and the second pressure chamber 4, the first section 101 will generate a force to pull the bending section 103 closer to itself, so that when the tail section 102 is unable to pull the bending section 103 closer to itself after expansion, the tail section 102 will actively move closer to the bending section 103, thereby achieving bending around the bending section 103; and during the bending process, the bending is limited by the main limiting ring 5. The outer diameter of segment 103 determines the main bending position, and the outer diameter changes on both sides of the main limiting ring 5 are limited by the connecting strip 6 and the secondary limiting ring 7, ensuring that the outer diameters on both sides will not differ too much from the outer diameter of the bending segment 103 where the main limiting ring 5 is located, so that the first segment 101 and the tail segment 102 can be closer, and the bending angle of the software 1 can be larger. Before actual use, it is only necessary to manually pull the secondary limiting ring 7 to change the positions of the secondary limiting ring 7, the main limiting ring 5 and the connecting strip 6. The position of the main limiting ring 5 is the position of the bending segment 103. The elastic tension of the main limiting ring 5 itself can ensure its own stability, ensuring that the position of the bending segment 103 will not be easily offset and changed, and the controlled bending position can be freely changed.

[0035] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention; however, the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art who, within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention, makes equivalent substitutions or modifications based on the technical solutions and improved concepts of the present invention shall be covered by the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A bending position controllable soft drive, comprising a soft drive (1), characterized in that: The soft body (1) is provided with a through groove (2) running through both ends thereof, and one end of the soft body (1) is further provided with three first pressure chambers (3) surrounding the outside of the through groove (2), and the end of the soft body (1) away from the first pressure chamber (3) is provided with three second pressure chambers (4), and the three second pressure chambers (4) respectively correspond to the three first pressure chambers (3) and are connected to the first pressure chamber (3), and the end of the second pressure chamber (4) away from the first pressure chamber (3) is closed, and a diameter limiting component is also sleeved on the soft body; The diameter limiting component comprises a main limiting ring (5) sleeved on the curved section (103) of the soft body (1), the curved section (103) being the minimum outer diameter portion of the soft body (1), a plurality of connecting strips (6) being connected to both ends of the main limiting ring (5), a secondary limiting ring (7) being commonly connected to one end of the plurality of connecting strips (6) away from the main limiting ring (5), the inner diameters of the two secondary limiting rings (7) being the same and both being larger than the inner diameter of the main limiting ring (5), the main limiting ring (5) and the secondary limiting ring (7) being both made of elastic material, and the inner rings of the main limiting ring (5) and the secondary limiting ring (7) being in close contact with the surface of the soft body (1).

2. The bending position controllable soft actuator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The soft body (1) comprises a first section (101), a tail section (102), and a curved section (103), wherein the curved section (103) is located between the first section (101) and the tail section (102), and the outer radial dimensions of the first section (101) and the tail section (102) gradually decrease toward a side close to the curved section (103).

3. The bending position controllable soft actuator according to claim 1, characterized in that: A limiting rod (8) is connected between both sides of the primary limiting ring (5) and the secondary limiting ring (7), and both ends of the limiting rod (8) are connected to the primary limiting ring (5) and the secondary limiting ring (7) in a flexible manner.

4. The bending position controllable soft actuator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The thickness of the primary limiting ring (5), the connecting strip (6) and the secondary limiting ring (7) are the same, and the upper and lower surfaces at both ends of the connecting strip (6) are flush with the upper and lower surfaces of the primary limiting ring (5) and the secondary limiting ring (7), respectively.

5. The bending position controllable soft actuator according to claim 2, characterized in that: The diameter of the first pressure chamber (3) is greater than the diameter of the second pressure chamber (4), and the first pressure chamber (3) is located in the first section (101) of the soft body (1).

6. The bending position controllable soft actuator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first pressure chamber (3) and the second pressure chamber (4) both contain fluid media.

7. The bending position controllable soft actuator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The three first pressure chambers (3) and the three second pressure chambers (4) are evenly arranged around the central axis of the soft body (1) at intervals of 120 degrees.

8. The bending position controllable soft actuator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The through groove (2) is in a straight line shape, and the central axis of the through groove (2) coincides with the central axis of the soft body (1).

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