A flexible joint for a robotic arm that integrates vertical, horizontal, and telescopic swinging motions.

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of robot swing structure technology, specifically a flexible joint for a robotic arm that integrates up-and-down, left-and-right, and telescopic swinging. The robotic arm is characterized by comprising a drive mechanism, an up-and-down flipping arm segment, and a left-and-right flipping telescopic arm segment. The drive mechanism is sequentially connected to the up-and-down flipping arm segment and the left-and-right flipping telescopic arm segment. The actuators within the drive mechanism serve as the actuators for the up-and-down flipping arm segment and the left-and-right flipping telescopic arm segment, respectively. Different actuators drive the up-and-down flipping arm segment to achieve up-and-down flipping, and drive the left-and-right flipping telescopic arm segment to achieve left-and-right flipping and telescopic functions.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of robot swing structure technology, specifically a flexible joint for a robotic arm that integrates swinging in the up-down, left-right, and telescopic directions. Background Technology

[0002] As is well known, robotic arms operating in confined spaces are mostly tethered or pneumatically driven. They are small in size, lightweight, and highly maneuverable with excellent obstacle avoidance capabilities, making them particularly advantageous in confined, unstructured environments with numerous obstacles. Tethered robotic arms, with their slender structures, are widely used in aerospace, disaster relief, nuclear industry, and medical equipment fields. Examples include inspecting instruments and equipment inside space station decks, repairing faults in satellite solar panel gaps, overhauling aircraft fuel tanks and engines, and inspecting nuclear cooling pipes. Tethered robotic arms are typically formed by multiple joints connected in series, with tools or cameras mounted at the end effector to perform inspection, maintenance, and repair tasks. The joints of a tethered robotic arm determine its performance and applicability. Currently, most joints in such tethered robotic arms are revolute pairs composed of cross hinges or ball hinges. These rigid hinge joints offer high motion accuracy but have poor passive adaptability, and their load-bearing capacity is limited, resulting in insufficient rigidity. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and provide a flexible joint for a robotic arm that integrates up-down, left-right, and telescopic swinging, which has advantages and potential in narrow, obstacle-prone, and enclosed spatial environments with small arm size, flexible movement, good passive compliance, high flexibility, low inertia, high load-bearing capacity, and great advantages and potential.

[0004] The technical solution adopted by this invention to solve its technical problem is: A flexible joint for a robotic arm that integrates vertical, horizontal, and telescopic swinging motions is characterized by comprising a drive mechanism, a vertical flipping arm segment, and a horizontal flipping telescopic arm segment. The drive mechanism is sequentially connected to the vertical flipping arm segment and the horizontal flipping telescopic arm segment. The actuators within the drive mechanism serve as actuators for the vertical flipping arm segment and the horizontal flipping telescopic arm segment, respectively. By using different actuators, the vertical flipping arm segment is driven to achieve vertical flipping function, and the horizontal flipping telescopic arm segment is driven to achieve horizontal flipping and telescopic functions.

[0005] The driving mechanism of the present invention includes a rope driver, a worm gear driver, a rear fixed plate, and a front fixed plate. The rear fixed plate and the front fixed plate are connected by a support rod. The rope driver and the worm gear driver are disposed between the rear fixed plate and the front fixed plate. The rope driver or the worm gear driver is fixed on the rear fixed plate or the front fixed plate. The driving end of the rope driver is connected to a rope, which passes through a round hole on the front fixed plate. The driving end of the worm gear driver is connected to a rotating rod, which passes through a through hole on the front fixed plate.

[0006] The tilting arm segment of this invention comprises at least two sets of worm gear arm segment units. Each worm gear arm segment unit includes a first support rod, a front worm disc, a rear worm disc, a connecting rod, a universal joint coupling, a worm shaft, a front support, a rear support, a worm gear, a worm gear shaft, and a worm gear pin. The first support rod is perpendicularly connected to the rear worm disc. The middle side of the rear worm disc has a through hole for a rotating rod or worm shaft to pass through. A circular hole for a rope to pass through is provided on the outer circumference of the rear worm disc. The front and rear supports are U-shaped. One end is fixed to the inner side of the front worm and the rear worm, respectively. The front support and the rear support are rotatably connected by the worm shaft. The front support or the rear support is provided with a worm pin. The two ends of the worm pin are respectively connected to the front support or the rear support and the worm. The side of the worm is provided with a worm shaft. The worm shaft is provided with a threaded section that meshes with the worm. One end of the worm shaft is connected to a rotating rod or connecting rod that extends through the through hole of the rear worm through a universal joint coupling. The other end of the worm shaft passes through the front worm and is connected to the connecting rod through a universal joint coupling.

[0007] The left-right tilting telescopic boom segment of this invention comprises at least two sets of flexible boom segment units. Each flexible boom segment unit includes a second support rod, a front flexible disc, a rear flexible disc, a bending spring, a telescopic spring, a joint slider, a front fixed seat, and a rear fixed seat. The second support rod is perpendicularly connected to the rear flexible disc. The circumferential edges of the front and rear flexible discs are provided with circular holes for ropes to pass through. The front and rear fixed seats are respectively connected to the inner end faces between the front and rear flexible discs. The front fixed seat is U-shaped, and the rear fixed seat has a sliding hole containing a telescopic spring. A joint pivot is provided between the U-shaped arms of the front fixed seat. The two ends of the joint pivot pass through the sliding holes on the rear fixed seat above the telescopic spring and are connected to the end of the U-shaped arm of the front fixed seat. The rope passes through the front flexible disc and the rear flexible disc in each flexible arm segment unit and is fixedly connected to the inner end face of the front flexible disc in the foremost flexible arm segment unit. The bending of the bending spring and the extension of the telescopic spring are achieved by the stretching of the rope. There are two ropes for the left and right flip telescopic arm segment. The plane of the two ropes is perpendicular to the left and right flipping surface of the left and right flip telescopic arm segment.

[0008] The rope actuator of the present invention includes a rope drive motor, a lead screw support, a rope slider, a lead screw nut, a lead screw, and a guide rail. The output shaft of the rope drive motor is connected to the lead screw, the lead screw is fixed on the lead screw support by a bearing, a lead screw nut is sleeved on the lead screw, the lead screw nut is fixedly connected to the rope slider, the rope slider is slidably connected to the guide rail, and the rope slider is provided with an L-shaped support. The horizontal side of the L-shaped support is connected to the rope slider, and the vertical side of the L-shaped support is connected to the rope.

[0009] The worm drive of the present invention includes a worm drive motor, the output shaft of which is fixedly connected to a rotating rod via a coupling.

[0010] In the flexible arm segment unit of the present invention, spring fixing seats for bending springs are respectively provided on the inner end faces between the front flexible plate and the rear flexible plate. The spring fixing seats are arc-shaped and fixedly connected to the front flexible plate or the rear flexible plate. The spring fixing seats are provided with spring fixing holes.

[0011] The joint slider of the present invention includes a locking part, a sliding part, and a positioning connection part. The locking part is provided with a sliding part on both sides. The sliding part and the locking part are provided with through holes for the joint pivot to pass through. The sliding part is fixedly connected with a positioning connection part that engages with a telescopic spring. The locking part is locked on the outside of the sliding hole on the rear fixed seat to ensure the stability of the joint slider movement.

[0012] Due to the above-mentioned structure, this invention has advantages such as small arm size, flexible movement, good passive compliance, high flexibility, low inertia, large load-bearing capacity, and great advantages and potential in narrow, complex, and enclosed spatial environments. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention.

[0014] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the rope actuator.

[0015] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 A partial structural diagram of the upper and lower tilting arm segment.

[0016] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 Enlarged view of section A.

[0017] Figure 5 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the left-right flipping telescopic arm section.

[0018] Figure 6 yes Figure 5 Enlarged view of the structure between the front and rear flex plates.

[0019] Figure 7 yes Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of the middle and rear flexible plate and the rear fixed base.

[0020] Figure 8 yes Figure 7 A magnified view of the joint slider in section B.

[0021] Figure 9 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the exposed part of the worm gear actuator. Detailed Implementation

[0022] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings: As shown in the attached figure, a flexible joint for a robotic arm that integrates vertical, horizontal, and telescopic swinging is characterized in that the robotic arm includes a drive mechanism 1, a vertical flipping arm segment 2, and a horizontal flipping telescopic arm segment 3. The drive mechanism 1 is sequentially connected to the vertical flipping arm segment 2 and the horizontal flipping telescopic arm segment 3. The actuators in the drive mechanism 1 serve as the actuators for the vertical flipping arm segment 2 and the horizontal flipping telescopic arm segment 3, respectively. By driving the vertical flipping arm segment 2 to achieve vertical flipping function, and driving the horizontal flipping telescopic arm segment 3 to achieve horizontal flipping and telescopic functions.

[0023] Furthermore, the drive mechanism 1 includes a rope driver 4, a worm gear driver 5, a rear fixed plate 6, and a front fixed plate 7. The rear fixed plate 6 and the front fixed plate 7 are connected by a support rod 43. The rope driver 4 and the worm gear driver 5 are disposed between the rear fixed plate 6 and the front fixed plate 7. The rope driver 4 or the worm gear driver 5 is fixed on the rear fixed plate 6 or the front fixed plate 7. The driving end of the rope driver 4 is connected to the rope 40, and the rope 40 passes through the round hole on the front fixed plate 7. The driving end of the worm gear driver 5 is connected to the rotating rod 8, and the rotating rod 8 passes through the through hole on the front fixed plate 7.

[0024] Furthermore, the up-and-down tilting arm section 2 includes at least two sets of worm gear arm section units. Each worm gear arm section unit includes a first support rod 9, a front worm disc 10, a rear worm disc 11, a connecting rod 12, a universal joint coupling 13, a worm shaft 14, a front support 15, a rear support 16, a worm gear 17, a worm gear shaft 18, and a worm gear pin 19. The first support rod 9 is perpendicularly connected to the rear worm disc 11. The middle side of the rear worm disc 11 has a through hole for the rotating rod 8 or the worm shaft 14 to pass through. A circular hole for a rope to pass through is provided on the outer circumference of the rear worm disc 11. The front support 15 and the rear support 16 are U-shaped, with one end of each support separated. The front support 15 and the rear support 16 are fixed to the inner side of the front worm gear 10 and the rear worm gear 11. The front support 15 and the rear support 16 are rotatably connected by the worm shaft 18. The front support 15 or the rear support 16 is provided with a worm pin 19. The two ends of the worm pin 19 are respectively connected to the front support 15 or the rear support 16 and the worm 17. The side of the worm 17 is provided with a worm shaft 14. The worm shaft 14 is provided with a threaded section that meshes with the worm 17. One end of the worm shaft 14 is connected to the rotating rod 8 or the connecting rod 12 that extends through the through hole of the rear worm gear 11 via a universal joint coupling 13. The other end of the worm shaft 14 passes through the front worm gear 10 and is connected to the connecting rod 12 via the universal joint coupling 13.

[0025] Furthermore, the left-right tilting telescopic arm segment 3 includes at least two sets of flexible arm segment units. Each flexible arm segment unit includes a second support rod 20, a front flexible disc 21, a rear flexible disc 22, a bending spring 23, a telescopic spring 24, a joint slider 25, a front fixed seat 26, and a rear fixed seat 27. The second support rod 20 is perpendicularly connected to the rear flexible disc 22. The circumferential edges of the front and rear flexible discs 21 and 22 are provided with circular holes for ropes to pass through. The front fixed seat 26 and rear fixed seat 27 are respectively connected to the inner end faces between the front and rear flexible discs 21 and 22. The front fixed seat 26 is U-shaped, and the rear fixed seat 27 has sliding holes. A telescopic spring 24 is provided, and a joint pivot 28 is provided between the U-shaped arms of the front fixed seat 26. The two ends of the joint pivot 28 pass through the sliding holes on the rear fixed seat 27 on the upper side of the telescopic spring 24 and are connected to the ends of the U-shaped arms of the front fixed seat 26. The rope passes through the front flexible disc 21 and the rear flexible disc 22 in each group of flexible arm segment units and is fixedly connected to the inner end face of the front flexible disc 21 in the foremost flexible arm segment unit. The bending of the bending spring 23 and the extension and retraction of the telescopic spring 24 are achieved by the stretching of the rope. There are two ropes for the left and right flip telescopic arm segment 3. The plane of the two ropes is perpendicular to the left and right flipping surface of the left and right flip telescopic arm segment 3.

[0026] Furthermore, the rope drive 4 includes a rope drive motor 29, a lead screw support 30, a rope slider 31, a lead screw nut 32, a lead screw 33, and a guide rail 34. The output shaft of the rope drive motor 29 is connected to the lead screw 33. The lead screw 33 is fixed on the lead screw 33 support 30 via bearings. The lead screw nut 32 is sleeved on the lead screw 33 and is fixedly connected to the rope slider 31. The rope slider 31 is slidably connected to the guide rail 34. The rope slider 31 is provided with an L-shaped support 35. The horizontal side of the L-shaped support 35 is connected to the rope slider 31, and the vertical side of the L-shaped support 35 is connected to the rope.

[0027] Furthermore, the worm drive 5 includes a worm drive motor, and the output shaft of the worm drive motor is fixedly connected to the rotating rod 8 via a coupling.

[0028] Furthermore, the inner end faces between the front flexible disc 21 and the rear flexible disc 22 in the flexible arm segment unit are respectively provided with spring fixing seats 36 for the bending spring 23 to be engaged. The spring fixing seats 36 are arc-shaped and fixedly connected to the front flexible disc 21 or the rear flexible disc 22. The spring fixing seats 36 are provided with spring fixing holes.

[0029] Furthermore, the joint slider 25 includes a snap-fit ​​part 37, a sliding part 38, and a positioning connection part 39. The snap-fit ​​part 37 has a sliding part 38 on each side. The sliding part 38 and the snap-fit ​​part 37 are provided with through holes for the joint pivot 28 to pass through. The sliding part 38 is fixedly connected to the positioning connection part 39, which snaps into the telescopic spring 24. The snap-fit ​​part 37 is snapped into the outside of the sliding hole on the rear fixed seat 27 to ensure the stability of the movement of the joint slider 25.

[0030] Due to the above-mentioned structure, this invention has advantages such as small arm size, flexible movement, good passive compliance, high flexibility, low inertia, large load-bearing capacity, and great advantages and potential in narrow, complex, and enclosed spatial environments.

[0031] The diameter of the above-mentioned vertical flipping arm section 2 and horizontal flipping telescopic arm section 3 is less than 74mm, which enables operation in narrow spaces. The rear end and bottom end of the drive mechanism 1 are equipped with universal adapters, which allow it to be installed on rigid robotic arms or horizontal slides, etc., to increase its working space, degree of freedom and dexterity, so that the rope-driven space dexterous robotic arm can complete a variety of work tasks.

[0032] The beneficial effects and advantages of this invention are as follows: 1. This invention designs a flexible joint arm that integrates up-down, left-right, and telescopic swinging, which improves the workspace and compliance of the rope-driven super-redundant robotic arm, reduces the number of drive units, and realizes independent drive of each arm segment and joint linkage within the segment through joint constraints.

[0033] 2. The boom body is a purely mechanical structure, with motors, wires, and other components sealed within the drive mechanism 1, enabling stable operation in the extremely low temperature and high radiation environment of space. The boom body consists of boom segments with various drive methods, employing a hybrid drive system of drive ropes and worm gears. This solves the problems of high control difficulty and strong system nonlinearity caused by single rope drive, and the use of a worm gear 17 increases the overall load-bearing capacity.

[0034] 3. The arm body is a retractable, concentric, slender structure. Compared to other rope-driven robotic arms, the robotic arm of this invention has a wider variety of kinematic pairs, enabling not only bending but also telescopic movements. Each arm segment consists of several joints, the number of which can be increased or decreased appropriately according to the working environment. Adding joints to the worm gear or flexible arm segments increases the robotic arm's workspace and degrees of freedom without requiring an increase in the number of drive motors.

[0035] 4. The drive mechanism 1 features low cost, small size, light weight, and easy assembly and disassembly. Its main support structure is primarily composed of plates and rods, making it easier to process and assemble. The drive rope is driven by the lead screw 33 slide table to perform linear telescopic motion, which is smooth and highly precise. Furthermore, each rope telescopic device inside the drive box has the same configuration, facilitating the replacement of faulty rope telescopic devices.

[0036] 5. The rear and bottom ends of the drive mechanism 1 are equipped with universal adapters, which can be installed on rigid robotic arms or horizontal slides to increase its workspace, degree of freedom and dexterity, so that the rope-driven space dexterity robotic arm can complete a variety of work tasks. Example

[0037] A flexible joint for a robotic arm that integrates vertical, horizontal, and telescopic swinging motions is characterized in that the robotic arm includes a drive mechanism 1, a vertical flipping arm segment 2, and a horizontal flipping telescopic arm segment 3. The drive mechanism 1 is sequentially connected to the vertical flipping arm segment 2 and the horizontal flipping telescopic arm segment 3. The actuators in the drive mechanism 1 serve as the actuators for the vertical flipping arm segment 2 and the horizontal flipping telescopic arm segment 3, respectively. By using different actuators, the vertical flipping arm segment 2 is driven to achieve the vertical flipping function, and the horizontal flipping telescopic arm segment 3 is driven to achieve the horizontal flipping and telescopic functions.

[0038] The drive mechanism 1 includes a rope driver 4, a worm gear driver 5, a rear fixed plate 6, and a front fixed plate 7. The rear fixed plate 6 and the front fixed plate 7 are connected by a support rod 43. The rope driver 4 and the worm gear driver 5 are disposed between the rear fixed plate 6 and the front fixed plate 7. The rope driver 4 or the worm gear driver 5 is fixed on the rear fixed plate 6 or the front fixed plate 7. The driving end of the rope driver 4 is connected to a rope, which passes through a round hole on the front fixed plate 7. The driving end of the worm gear driver 5 is connected to a rotating rod 8, which passes through a through hole on the front fixed plate 7. There are two rope drivers 4, which are symmetrically arranged on both sides inside the front fixed plate 7 and the rear fixed plate 6. The worm gear driver 5 is arranged inside the rope driver 4 at a position offset from the axis of the front fixed plate 7 and the rear fixed plate 6.

[0039] The rope drive 4 includes a rope drive motor 29, a lead screw 33 support 30, a rope slider 31, a lead screw nut 32, a lead screw 33, and a guide rail 34. The output shaft of the rope drive motor 29 is connected to the lead screw 33. The lead screw 33 is fixed on the lead screw 33 support 30 via bearings. The lead screw nut 32 is sleeved on the lead screw 33 and is fixedly connected to the rope slider 31. The rope slider 31 is slidably connected to the guide rail 34. The rope slider 31 is provided with an L-shaped support 35. The horizontal side of the L-shaped support 35 is connected to the rope slider 31, and the vertical side of the L-shaped support 35 is connected to the rope.

[0040] The worm drive 5 includes a worm drive motor, and the output shaft of the worm drive motor is fixedly connected to the rotating rod 8 via a coupling.

[0041] The aforementioned tilting arm section 2 includes three sets of worm gear arm section units. Each worm gear arm section unit includes a first support rod 9, a front worm disc 10, a rear worm disc 11, a connecting rod 12, a universal joint coupling 13, a worm shaft 14, a front support 15, a rear support 16, a worm gear 17, a worm gear shaft 18, and a worm gear pin 19. The first support rod 9 is perpendicularly connected to the rear worm disc 11. The middle side of the rear worm disc 11 has a through hole for the rotating rod 8 or the worm shaft 14 to pass through. A circular hole for a rope to pass through is provided on the outer circumference of the rear worm disc 11. The front support 15 and the rear support 16 are U-shaped, and one end of each is fixed. Inside the front worm gear 10 and the rear worm gear 11, the front support 15 and the rear support 16 are rotatably connected by a turbine shaft 18. The front support 15 or the rear support 16 is provided with a turbine pin 19. The two ends of the turbine pin 19 are respectively connected to the front support 15 or the rear support 16 and the turbine 17. The turbine 17 is provided with a worm shaft 14 on its side. The worm shaft 14 is provided with a threaded section that meshes with the turbine 17. One end of the worm shaft 14 is connected to the rotating rod 8 or the connecting rod 12 that extends through the through hole of the rear worm gear 11 via a universal joint coupling 13. The other end of the worm shaft 14 passes through the front worm gear 10 and is connected to the connecting rod 12 via the universal joint coupling 13.

[0042] The front end of the first support rod 9 is connected to the rear worm disc 11, and the rear end of the first support rod 9 is fixedly connected to the front fixed plate 7. The first support rod 9301 in the front worm gear arm segment unit is connected to the front worm disc 10 in the rear worm gear arm segment unit, realizing the mutual connection of adjacent worm gear arm segment units. The rotating shaft passes through the through hole on the rear worm disc 11 in the worm gear arm segment unit and is connected to the worm shaft 14 through the universal joint coupling 13. The worm shaft 14 is then connected to the connecting rod 12 through the universal joint coupling 13. The worm shaft 14 of the foremost worm gear arm segment unit is not connected to the connecting rod 12. The rear worm disc is connected to the connecting rod or rotating rod through the thrust bearing 42. Figure 9 The connecting rod of the bottommost tilting arm section is directly connected to the worm shaft.

[0043] The left-right tilting telescopic boom segment 3 includes at least two sets of flexible boom segment units. Each flexible boom segment unit includes a second support rod 20, a front flexible disc 21, a rear flexible disc 22, a bending spring 23, a telescopic spring 24, a joint slider 25, a front fixed seat 26, and a rear fixed seat 27. The second support rod 20 is perpendicularly connected to the rear flexible disc 22. The circumferential edges of the front and rear flexible discs 21 and 22 are provided with circular holes for ropes to pass through. The front fixed seat 26 and rear fixed seat 27 are respectively connected to the inner end faces between the front and rear flexible discs 21 and 22. The front fixed seat 26 is U-shaped, and the rear fixed seat 27 has a sliding hole containing a... A joint pivot 28 is provided between the telescopic spring 24 and the U-shaped arm of the front fixed seat 26. The two ends of the joint pivot 28 pass through the sliding holes on the rear fixed seat 27 on the upper side of the telescopic spring 24 and are connected to the end of the U-shaped arm of the front fixed seat 26. The rope passes through the front flexible disc 21 and the rear flexible disc 22 in each flexible arm segment unit and is fixedly connected to the inner end face of the front flexible disc 21 in the foremost flexible arm segment unit. The bending of the bending spring 23 and the extension of the telescopic spring 24 are achieved by the stretching of the rope. There are two ropes for the left and right flip telescopic arm segment 3. The plane of the two ropes is perpendicular to the left and right flipping surface of the left and right flip telescopic arm segment 3.

[0044] The flexible arm segment unit is provided with spring fixing seats 36 on the inner end faces between the front flexible plate 21 and the rear flexible plate 22 for the bending spring 23 to be engaged. The spring fixing seats 36 are arc-shaped and fixedly connected to the front flexible plate 21 or the rear flexible plate 22. The spring fixing seats 36 are provided with spring fixing holes.

[0045] The joint slider 25 includes a locking part 37, a sliding part 38, and a positioning connection part 39. The locking part 37 has a sliding part 38 on both sides. The sliding part 38 and the locking part 37 are provided with through holes for the joint pivot 28 to pass through. The sliding part 38 is fixedly connected to the positioning connection part 39, which engages with the telescopic spring 24. The locking part 37 is locked on the outside of the sliding hole on the rear fixed seat 27 to ensure the stability of the movement of the joint slider 25.

[0046] The second support rod 20 of the last set of flexible arm segment units is fixedly connected to the front worm gear arm segment unit in the foremost worm wheel arm segment unit. Two rope buckles 41 are fixed on the rear side of the front worm gear arm segment unit in the foremost set of flexible arm segment units. The two telescopic buckles 41 are fixedly connected to the rope ends of the rope drivers 4 symmetrically arranged on both sides inside the front fixed plate 7 and the rear fixed plate 6, respectively.

[0047] In use, the worm drive motor in the worm drive driver 5102 rotates to rotate the vertically tilting arm segment 23, while the rope drive motors 29110 in the two rope drive drivers 4101 drive the horizontally tilting and telescopic arm segment 34 to rotate and telescopically extend. This invention comprises sequentially connected arm segments. Adjacent units within an arm segment are connected by support rods and coupled using a linkage mechanism, enabling unidirectional movement between the joints of the units and placing the arm segment under complete constraint. The two arm segments, from the drive mechanism 1 to the end, are sequentially a vertically tilting arm segment 2 and a horizontally tilting telescopic arm segment 3. The vertically tilting arm segment 2 has higher load-bearing capacity and motion precision, and is connected to the drive mechanism 1 at the beginning. The horizontally tilting telescopic arm segment 3 has good passive adaptability; each unit joint has one rotational degree of freedom and one translational degree of freedom. It is compact, lightweight, has higher motion precision, and better controllability. Each unit joint can be independently controlled. This invention improves the passive adaptability and dexterity of the robotic arm, enabling it to simultaneously perform bending and telescopic movements. Simultaneously, it overcomes the disadvantages of a large number of motors, large housing size, complex drive system, high manufacturing cost, and high control difficulty.

Claims

1. A flexible joint for a robotic arm that integrates vertical, horizontal, and telescopic swinging motions, characterized in that... The robotic arm includes a drive mechanism, a vertically tilting arm segment, and a horizontally tilting and telescopic arm segment. The drive mechanism is sequentially connected to the vertically tilting arm segment and the horizontally tilting and telescopic arm segment. The actuators within the drive mechanism act as actuators for the vertically tilting arm segment and the horizontally tilting and telescopic arm segment, respectively. Different actuators drive the vertically tilting arm segment to achieve vertical tilting, and drive the horizontally tilting and telescopic arm segment to achieve horizontal tilting and telescopic functions. The drive mechanism includes a rope actuator, a worm gear actuator, a rear fixed plate, and a front fixed plate. The rear fixed plate and the front fixed plate are connected by a support rod. A rope actuator and a worm gear actuator are located between the rear fixed plate and the front fixed plate. The rope actuator or worm gear actuator is fixed to the rear fixed plate or the front fixed plate. The drive ends of the actuators are connected to ropes, which pass through round holes in the front fixed plate. The drive end of the worm drive is connected to a rotating rod, which passes through a through hole in the front fixed plate. The up-and-down tilting arm section includes at least two sets of worm gear arm section units. Each worm gear arm section unit includes a first support rod, a front worm disc, a rear worm disc, a connecting rod, a universal joint coupling, a worm shaft, a front support, a rear support, a worm wheel, a worm wheel shaft, and a worm wheel pin. The first support rod is perpendicularly connected to the rear worm disc. The middle side of the rear worm disc has a through hole for the rotating rod or worm shaft to pass through. The outer circumference of the rear worm disc has a round hole for the rope to pass through. The front and rear supports are U-shaped, with one end fixed to the inner side of the front and rear worm discs, respectively. The front and rear supports are rotatably connected via a worm gear shaft. A worm gear pin is provided on either the front or rear support, with both ends connected to the worm gear and the front or rear support respectively. A worm shaft is provided on the side of the worm gear, with a threaded section meshing with the worm gear. One end of the worm shaft is connected via a universal joint coupling to a rotating rod or connecting rod extending through a hole in the rear worm disc. The other end of the worm shaft passes through the front worm disc and is connected to the connecting rod via a universal joint coupling. The left-right tilting telescopic arm section includes at least two sets of flexible arm section units. Each flexible arm section unit includes a second support rod, a front flexible disc, a rear flexible disc, a bending spring, a telescopic spring, a joint slider, a front fixed seat, and a rear fixed seat. The second support rod is perpendicularly connected to the rear flexible disc. The circles of the front and rear flexible discs... The periphery is provided with circular holes for ropes to pass through. The front and rear fixed seats are respectively connected to the inner end faces between the front and rear flexible discs. The front fixed seat is U-shaped, and the rear fixed seat has a sliding hole with a telescopic spring inside. A joint pivot is provided between the U-shaped arms of the front fixed seat. The two ends of the joint pivot pass through the sliding holes on the rear fixed seat above the telescopic spring and are connected to the ends of the U-shaped arms of the front fixed seat. The rope passes through the front and rear flexible discs in each flexible arm segment unit and is fixedly connected to the inner end face of the front flexible disc in the foremost flexible arm segment unit. The bending of the bending spring and the extension of the telescopic spring are achieved by the stretching of the rope. There are two ropes for the left and right flip telescopic arm segment, and the plane of the two ropes is perpendicular to the left and right flipping surface of the left and right flip telescopic arm segment.The rope actuator includes a rope drive motor, a lead screw support, a rope slider, a lead screw nut, a lead screw, and a guide rail. The output shaft of the rope drive motor is connected to the lead screw. The lead screw is fixed to the lead screw support via bearings. A lead screw nut is fitted onto the lead screw and is fixedly connected to the rope slider. The rope slider is slidably connected to the guide rail. An L-shaped support is provided on the rope slider. The horizontal side of the L-shaped support is connected to the rope slider, and the vertical side of the L-shaped support is connected to the rope.

2. The flexible joint of a robotic arm according to claim 1, which integrates vertical, horizontal, and telescopic swinging motions, is characterized in that... The worm drive includes a worm drive motor, the output shaft of which is fixedly connected to the rotating rod via a coupling.

3. The flexible joint of a robotic arm according to claim 1, which integrates vertical, horizontal, and telescopic swinging motions, is characterized in that... The flexible arm segment unit is provided with spring fixing seats on the inner end faces between the front flexible plate and the rear flexible plate, respectively, for the bending spring to be engaged. The spring fixing seats are arc-shaped and fixedly connected to the front or rear flexible plate. The spring fixing seats are provided with spring fixing holes.

4. The flexible joint of a robotic arm according to claim 1, which integrates up-down, left-right, and telescopic swinging, is characterized in that... The joint slider includes a locking part, a sliding part, and a positioning connection part. The locking part has a sliding part on each side. The sliding part and the locking part have through holes for the joint pivot to pass through. The sliding part is fixedly connected to a positioning connection part that engages with the telescopic spring. The locking part is engaged with the outside of the sliding hole on the rear fixed seat.

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