A retractable, segmented, linkage-driven, space-dexterous robotic arm

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of space robot technology, specifically a retractable, segmented, linked, rope-driven, space-dexterous robotic arm. The robotic arm includes a drive mechanism, a guide mechanism, a vertically flipping arm segment, a horizontally flipping and telescopic arm segment, and a omnidirectional rotating arm segment. The drive mechanism is sequentially connected to the guide mechanism, the vertically flipping arm segment, the horizontally flipping and telescopic arm segment, and the omnidirectional rotating arm segment. The actuators within the drive mechanism serve as the actuators for the vertically flipping arm segment, the horizontally flipping and telescopic arm segment, and the omnidirectional rotating arm segment, respectively. By using different actuators, the vertically flipping arm segment achieves vertical flipping, the horizontally flipping and telescopic arm segment achieves horizontal flipping and telescopic functions, and the omnidirectional rotating arm segment achieves omnidirectional rotation. This robotic arm possesses advantages such as small arm size, flexible movement, good passive compliance, high flexibility, low inertia, and significant advantages and potential in confined spaces, complex obstacles, and enclosed structures.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of space robot technology, specifically a retractable, segmented, linked, rope-driven space dexterous robotic arm. Background Technology

[0002] As is well known, with the development of aerospace technology, spacecraft structures are becoming increasingly complex. Space robots replacing astronauts in repetitive and dangerous tasks within the space environment is a future trend in spacecraft development. Traditional space robotic arms typically have one or more rigid arms. These rigid arms have limited degrees of freedom, and the drive motors are often mounted at the joints, resulting in a large arm structure. Due to the strict size constraints of spacecraft, for on-orbit operations in certain confined spaces (such as monitoring narrow spaces between modules of a space station, detecting pipelines within the space station, and repairing faulty components within the confined space of a satellite), traditional rigid space robotic arms are prone to rigid collisions with targets, making successful execution difficult. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and provide a retractable segmented linkage rope-driven space dexterous robotic arm that is compact in size, flexible in movement, has good passive compliance, high flexibility, low inertia, and has great advantages and potential in narrow, obstacle-filled, and enclosed spatial environments.

[0004] The technical solution adopted by this invention to solve its technical problem is: A retractable, segmented, linked, rope-driven spatial dexterous robotic arm is characterized by comprising a drive mechanism, a guide mechanism, a vertically flipping arm segment, a horizontally flipping telescopic arm segment, and a omnidirectional rotating arm segment. The drive mechanism is sequentially connected to the guide mechanism, the vertically flipping arm segment, the horizontally flipping telescopic arm segment, and the omnidirectional rotating arm segment. The actuators within the drive mechanism serve as the actuators for the vertically flipping arm segment, the horizontally flipping telescopic arm segment, and the omnidirectional rotating arm segment, respectively. By using different actuators, the vertically flipping arm segment is driven to achieve vertical flipping, the horizontally flipping telescopic arm segment is driven to achieve horizontal flipping and telescopic functions, and the omnidirectional rotating arm segment is driven to achieve omnidirectional rotation.

[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 guiding mechanism of the present invention includes at least two guide discs arranged side by side, with the guide discs facing forward from the rear. The diameter of the guide discs gradually decreases from the rear to the front. Adjacent guide discs are connected by a support rod. Each guide disc has a through hole for a rope and a rotating rod to pass through.

[0007] 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.

[0008] 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.

[0009] The universal rotating boom segment of the present invention includes at least two sets of universal boom segment units. Each unidirectional boom segment unit includes a third support rod, a front connecting seat, a rear connecting seat, a front universal disc, a rear universal disc, and a universal joint. The rear end face of the rear universal disc is connected to the third support rod. The inner surfaces between the front and rear universal discs are respectively connected to the front and rear connecting seats. The front and rear connecting seats are connected by a universal joint. The outer edges of the front and rear universal discs are provided with circular holes for ropes to pass through. Each set of universal boom units has a set of ropes. Each set of ropes is evenly distributed in the circumferential direction of the front and rear universal discs. The front end of each set of ropes is fixedly connected to the front universal disc. All the ropes in all universal boom segment units are combined together and evenly distributed on a circumference.

[0010] In the drive mechanism of the present invention, a sliding plate is fixed on the rear fixed plate and the front fixed plate. A mechanical slider is connected to the middle of the sliding plate. The side of the mechanical slider is connected to the slide rail via a slider driver. The slider driver drives the mechanical slider to move back and forth, thereby driving the entire robotic arm to move back and forth.

[0011] 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.

[0012] 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.

[0013] 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.

[0014] 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.

[0015] Due to the above-mentioned structure, the present invention has advantages such as small arm size, flexible movement, good passive compliance, high flexibility, low inertia, and great advantages and potential in narrow space, complex obstacles, and enclosed space environments. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the drive mechanism and the guide mechanism.

[0018] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the rope actuator.

[0019] Figure 4 yes Figure 1 A partial structural diagram of the upper and lower tilting arm segment.

[0020] Figure 5 yes Figure 4 Enlarged view of section A.

[0021] Figure 6 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the left-right flipping telescopic arm section.

[0022] Figure 7 yes Figure 6 Enlarged view of the structure between the front and rear flex plates.

[0023] Figure 8 yes Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the structure of the middle and rear flexible plate and the rear fixed base.

[0024] Figure 9 yes Figure 8 A magnified view of the joint slider in section A.

[0025] Figure 10 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the omnidirectional rotating arm section.

[0026] Figure 11 yes Figure 2 The diagram shows the structure of the worm gear actuator, which is part of the drive mechanism. Detailed Implementation

[0027] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings: As shown in the attached figure, a retractable segmented linkage rope-driven spatial dexterous robotic arm is characterized by comprising a drive mechanism 1, a guide mechanism 2, a vertically flipping arm segment 3, a horizontally flipping telescopic arm segment 4, and a omnidirectional rotating arm segment 5. The drive mechanism 1 is sequentially connected to the guide mechanism 2, the vertically flipping arm segment 3, the horizontally flipping telescopic arm segment 4, and the omnidirectional rotating arm segment 5. The actuators within the drive mechanism 1 serve as the actuators for the vertically flipping arm segment 3, the horizontally flipping telescopic arm segment 4, and the omnidirectional rotating arm segment 5, respectively. Through different actuators, the vertically flipping arm segment 3 is driven to achieve vertical flipping, the horizontally flipping telescopic arm segment 4 is driven to achieve horizontal flipping and telescopic functions, and the omnidirectional rotating arm segment 5 is driven to achieve omnidirectional rotation.

[0028] Furthermore, the drive mechanism 1 includes a rope driver 101, a worm gear driver 102, a rear fixed plate 103, and a front fixed plate 104. The rear fixed plate 103 and the front fixed plate 104 are connected by a support rod 105. The rope driver 101 and the worm gear driver 102 are provided between the rear fixed plate 103 and the front fixed plate 104. The rope driver 101 or the worm gear driver 102 is fixed on the rear fixed plate 103 and the front fixed plate 104. The driving end of the rope driver 101 is connected to the rope 6, and the rope 6 passes through the round hole on the front fixed plate 104. The driving end of the worm gear driver 102 is connected to the rotating rod 106, and the rotating rod 106 passes through the through hole on the front fixed plate.

[0029] Furthermore, the guiding mechanism 2 includes at least two guide discs 201 arranged side by side, with the guide discs 201 facing forward from the rear. The diameter of the guide discs 201 gradually decreases from the rear to the front. Adjacent guide discs 201 are connected by a support rod 105. The guide discs 201 are respectively provided with through holes for ropes and rotating rods 106 to pass through.

[0030] Furthermore, the up-and-down tilting arm segment 3 includes at least two sets of worm gear arm segment units. Each worm gear arm segment unit includes a first support rod 301, a front worm disc 302, a rear worm disc 303, a connecting rod 304, a universal joint coupling 305, a worm shaft 306, a front support 307, a rear support 308, a worm gear 309, a worm gear shaft 310, and a worm gear pin 311. The first support rod 301 is perpendicularly connected to the rear worm disc 303. The middle side of the rear worm disc 303 has a through hole for the rotating rod 106 or the worm shaft 306 to pass through. A circular hole for a rope to pass through is provided on the outer circumference of the rear worm disc 303. The front support 307 and the rear support 308 are U-shaped. One end is fixed to the inner side of the front worm gear 302 and the rear worm gear 303 respectively. The front support 307 and the rear support 308 are rotatably connected by a worm gear shaft 310. A worm gear pin 311 is provided on the front support 307 or the rear support 308. The two ends of the worm gear pin 311 are connected to the front support 307 or the rear support 308 and the worm gear 309 respectively. A worm shaft 306 is provided on the side of the worm gear 309. The worm shaft 306 has a threaded section that meshes with the worm gear 309. One end of the worm shaft 306 is connected to a rotating rod or connecting rod 304 that extends through the through hole of the rear worm gear via a universal joint coupling 305. The other end of the worm shaft 306 passes through the front worm gear and is connected to the connecting rod 304 via the universal joint coupling 305. The worm shaft and the rear worm gear are connected by a thrust bearing 312.

[0031] Furthermore, the left-right tilting telescopic arm segment 4 includes at least two sets of flexible arm segment units. Each flexible arm segment unit includes a second support rod 401, a front flexible disc 402, a rear flexible disc 403, a bending spring 404, a telescopic spring 405, a joint slider 406, a front fixed seat 407, and a rear fixed seat 408. The second support rod 401 is perpendicularly connected to the rear flexible disc 403. The circumferential edges of the front and rear flexible discs 402 and 403 are provided with circular holes for ropes to pass through. The front fixed seat 407 and rear fixed seat 408 are respectively connected to the inner end faces between the front and rear flexible discs 402 and 403. The front fixed seat 407 is U-shaped, and the rear fixed seat 408 is provided with sliding holes. A telescopic spring 405 is installed inside the sliding hole. A joint pivot 409 is provided between the U-shaped arms of the front fixed seat 407. The two ends of the joint pivot 409 pass through the sliding hole on the rear fixed seat 408 above the telescopic spring 405 and are connected to the end of the U-shaped arm of the front fixed seat 407. The rope passes through the front flexible disc 402 and the rear flexible disc 403 in each flexible arm segment unit and is fixedly connected to the inner end face of the front flexible disc 402 in the frontmost flexible arm segment unit. The bending of the bending spring 404 and the extension of the telescopic spring 405 are achieved by the stretching of the rope. There are two ropes 6 for the left and right flip telescopic arm segment 4. The plane of the two ropes is perpendicular to the left and right flipping surface of the left and right flip telescopic arm segment 4.

[0032] Furthermore, the omnidirectional rotating arm segment 5 includes at least two sets of omnidirectional arm segment units. Each unidirectional arm segment unit includes a third support rod 501, a front connecting seat 502, a rear connecting seat 503, a front universal wheel 504, a rear universal wheel 505, and a universal joint 506. The rear end face of the rear universal wheel 505 is connected to the third support rod 501. The inner surfaces between the front universal wheel 504 and the rear universal wheel 505 are respectively connected to the front connecting seat 502 and the rear connecting seat 503. The front connecting seat 502 and the rear connecting seat 503 are connected by the universal joint 506. The outer edges of the front universal wheel 504 and the rear universal wheel 505 are provided with circular holes for ropes to pass through. Each set of omnidirectional arm units has a set of ropes. Each set of ropes is evenly distributed in the circumferential direction of the front universal wheel 504 and the rear universal wheel 505. The front end of each set of ropes is fixedly connected to the front universal wheel 504. All the ropes in all the omnidirectional arm segment units are combined together and evenly distributed on a circumference.

[0033] Furthermore, a sliding plate 107 is fixed on the rear fixed plate 103 and the front fixed plate 104 of the drive mechanism 1. A mechanical slider 108 is connected to the middle of the sliding plate 107. The side of the mechanical slider 108 is connected to the slide rail 116 via a slider driver 109. The slider driver 109 drives the mechanical slider 108 to move back and forth, thereby driving the entire robotic arm to move back and forth.

[0034] Furthermore, the rope driver 101 includes a rope drive motor 110, a lead screw support 111, a rope slider 112, a lead screw nut 113, a lead screw 114, and a guide rail 115. The output shaft of the rope drive motor 110 is connected to the lead screw 114. The lead screw 114 is fixed on the lead screw 114 support 111 via bearings. The lead screw nut 113 is sleeved on the lead screw 114 and is fixedly connected to the rope slider 112. The rope slider 112 is slidably connected to the guide rail 115. The rope slider 112 is provided with an L-shaped support 117. The horizontal side of the L-shaped support 117 is connected to the rope slider 112, and the vertical side of the L-shaped support is connected to the rope.

[0035] Furthermore, the worm drive 102 includes a worm drive motor, and the output shaft of the worm drive motor is fixedly connected to the rotating rod 106 via a coupling.

[0036] Furthermore, in the flexible arm segment unit, the inner end faces between the front flexible disk 402 and the rear flexible disk 403 are respectively provided with spring fixing seats 410 for the bending spring 404 to be engaged. The spring fixing seats 410 are arc-shaped and fixedly connected to the front flexible disk 402 or the rear flexible disk 403. The spring fixing seats 410 are provided with spring fixing holes.

[0037] Furthermore, the joint slider 406 includes a snap-fit ​​part 411, a sliding part 412, and a positioning connection part 413. The snap-fit ​​part 411 has a sliding part 412 on each side. The sliding part 412 and the snap-fit ​​part 411 are provided with through holes for the joint pivot 409 to pass through. The sliding part 412 is fixedly connected to the positioning connection part 413, which snaps into the telescopic spring 405. The snap-fit ​​part 411 is snapped into the outside of the sliding hole on the rear fixed seat 408 to ensure the stability of the movement of the joint slider 406.

[0038] The diameter of the aforementioned vertical flipping arm segment 3, horizontal flipping telescopic arm segment 4, and universal rotating arm segment 5 is less than 74mm, enabling operation in confined spaces. The rear and bottom ends of the drive mechanism are equipped with universal adapters, allowing them to be mounted on rigid robotic arms or horizontal slides, thereby increasing their workspace, degree of freedom, and dexterity, enabling the rope-driven space-dexterity robotic arm to complete a variety of tasks.

[0039] The beneficial effects and advantages of this invention are as follows: 1. This invention designs a retractable segmented linkage rope-driven spatial dexterous robotic arm, 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 linkage of joints within the segment through joint constraints.

[0040] 2. The boom body is a purely mechanical structure, with motors, wiring, and other components sealed within the drive housing, enabling stable operation in the extremely low temperatures and intense radiation of space. The boom body consists of boom segments with various drive methods, employing a hybrid drive system of drive ropes and worm gears, thus solving the problems of high control difficulty and strong system nonlinearity caused by single-rope drive.

[0041] 3. The arm body is a retractable, concentric, slender structure composed of three arm segments, possessing ten rotational degrees of freedom and three translational degrees of freedom, requiring only nine motors for drive. Compared to other rope-driven robotic arms, the robotic arm of this invention has a richer 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 appropriately increased or decreased depending on the working environment. Adding joints to the worm gear or flexible arm segments increases the robotic arm's workspace and degrees of freedom without increasing the number of drive motors.

[0042] 4. The guiding mechanism 2 has excellent guiding function, which can reduce the frictional resistance between the rope and the mechanism and reduce the attenuation of rope tension during transmission. Furthermore, the components of the guide are mainly made of sheet metal, rods, and standard pulleys, making processing simple and manufacturing costs low. The pulley blocks in the guide are all of the same specification, facilitating the replacement of faulty pulley blocks.

[0043] 5. 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 114 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.

[0044] 6. The rear and bottom ends of the drive mechanism 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

[0045] A retractable, segmented, linked, rope-driven spatial dexterous robotic arm includes a drive mechanism 1, a guide mechanism 2, a vertically flipping arm segment 3, a horizontally flipping telescopic arm segment 4, and a omnidirectional rotating arm segment 5. The drive mechanism 1 is sequentially connected to the guide mechanism 2, the vertically flipping arm segment 3, the horizontally flipping telescopic arm segment 4, and the omnidirectional rotating arm segment 5. The actuators within the drive mechanism 1 serve as the actuators for the vertically flipping arm segment 3, the horizontally flipping telescopic arm segment 4, and the omnidirectional rotating arm segment 5, respectively. By driving the vertically flipping arm segment 3 to achieve vertical flipping, driving the horizontally flipping telescopic arm segment 4 to achieve horizontal flipping and telescopic functions, and driving the omnidirectional rotating arm segment 5 to achieve omnidirectional rotation.

[0046] The drive mechanism 1 includes a rope driver 101, a worm gear driver 102, a rear fixed plate 103, and a front fixed plate 104. The rear fixed plate and the front fixed plate are connected by a support rod 105. The rope driver 101 and the worm gear driver 102 are disposed between the rear fixed plate and the front fixed plate. The rope driver or the worm gear driver 102 is fixed to the rear fixed plate or the front fixed plate. The driving end of the rope driver 101 is connected to a rope 6, which passes through a round hole in the front fixed plate. The drive end of 02 is connected to the rotating rod 106, which passes through the through hole on the front fixed plate. There are 8 rope actuators 101, of which 6 rope actuators 101 are evenly distributed on the circumference of the front fixed plate 104 and the rear fixed plate 103, and the other 2 rope actuators 101 are symmetrically arranged on both sides inside the front fixed plate 104 and the rear fixed plate 103. The worm gear actuator 102 is arranged inside the rope actuators 101 at a position offset from the axis of the front fixed plate 104 and the rear fixed plate 103.

[0047] The rope drive 101 includes a rope drive motor 110, a lead screw 114 support 111, a rope slider 112, a lead screw nut 113, a lead screw 114, and a guide rail 115. The output shaft of the rope drive motor 110 is connected to the lead screw 114. The lead screw 114 is fixed on the lead screw 114 support 111 by bearings. The lead screw nut 113 is sleeved on the lead screw 114 and is fixedly connected to the rope slider 112. The rope slider 112 is slidably connected to the guide rail 115. The rope slider 112 is provided with an L-shaped support. The horizontal side of the L-shaped support is connected to the rope slider 112, and the vertical side of the L-shaped support is connected to the rope via a rope lock 7.

[0048] The worm drive 102 includes a worm drive motor, and the output shaft of the worm drive motor is fixedly connected to the rotating rod 106 via a coupling.

[0049] In the drive mechanism 1, a sliding plate 107 is fixed on the rear fixed plate 103 and the front fixed plate 104. A mechanical slider 108 is connected to the middle of the sliding plate 107. The side of the mechanical slider 108 is connected to the slide rail 116 via a slider driver 109. The slider driver 109 drives the mechanical slider 108 to move back and forth, thereby driving the entire robotic arm to move back and forth.

[0050] The guiding mechanism 2 includes at least two guide discs 201 arranged side by side, facing forward from the rear. The diameter of the guide discs 201 gradually decreases from the rear to the front. Adjacent guide discs 201 are connected by a support rod 105. Each guide disc 201 has a circular hole for a rope to pass through and a through hole for a rotating rod 106 to pass through. There are two guide discs 201, a front guide disc 201 and a rear guide disc 201. One side of the rear guide disc 201 is connected to the front fixed plate 104 via the support rod 105, and the other side of the rear guide disc 201 is connected to the front guide disc 201 via the support rod 105. Guide pulley groups 202 are respectively provided on the circular holes for ropes to pass through on the front fixed plate 104, the front guide disc 201, and the rear guide disc 201. The guide pulley groups 202 clamp the rope to prevent it from breaking due to friction.

[0051] The aforementioned tilting arm segment 3 includes three sets of worm gear arm segment units. Each worm gear arm segment unit includes a first support rod 301, a front worm disc 302, a rear worm disc 303, a connecting rod 304, a universal joint coupling 305, a worm shaft 306, a front support 307, a rear support 308, a worm gear 309, a worm gear shaft 310, and a worm gear pin 311. The first support rod 301 is perpendicularly connected to the rear worm disc. The middle side of the rear worm disc has a through hole for the rotating rod 106 or the worm shaft 306 to pass through. The outer circumference of the rear worm disc has a circular hole for a rope to pass through. The front support 307 and the rear support 308 are U-shaped, and one end of the front support 307 and the rear support 308 are respectively fixed. The front support 307 and the rear support 308 are rotatably connected via a turbine shaft 310 and are fixed inside the front and rear worm discs. A turbine pin 311 is provided on the front support 307 or the rear support 308. The two ends of the turbine pin 311 are respectively connected to the front support 307 or the rear support 308 and the turbine 309. A worm shaft 306 is provided on the side of the turbine 309. The worm shaft 306 has a threaded section that meshes with the turbine 309. One end of the worm shaft 306 is connected to a rotating shaft or connecting rod 304 that extends through the through hole of the rear worm disc via a universal joint coupling 305. The other end of the worm shaft 306 passes through the front worm disc and is connected to the connecting rod 304 via the universal joint coupling 305.

[0052] The front end of the first support rod 301 is connected to the rear worm disk 303, and the rear end of the first support rod 301 is fixedly connected to the front guide disk 201 at the foremost end. The first support rod 301 in the front worm gear arm segment unit is connected to the front worm disk 302 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 of the guide mechanism 2 and then through the through hole on the rear worm disk 303 in the worm gear arm segment unit, and is connected to the worm shaft 306 via the universal joint coupling 305. The worm shaft 306 is then connected to the connecting rod 304 via the universal joint coupling 305. The worm shaft 306 of the foremost worm gear arm segment unit is not connected to the connecting rod 304. The left-right tilting telescopic boom segment 4 includes three sets of flexible boom segment units. Each set of flexible boom segment units includes a second support rod 401, a front flexible disc 402, a rear flexible disc 403, a bending spring 404, a telescopic spring 405, a joint slider 406, a front fixed seat 407, and a rear fixed seat 408. The second support rod 401 is perpendicularly connected to the rear flexible disc 403. The circumferential edges of the front flexible disc 402 and the rear flexible disc 403 are provided with circular holes for ropes to pass through. The front fixed seat 407 and the rear fixed seat 408 are respectively connected to the inner end faces between the front flexible disc 402 and the rear flexible disc 403. The front fixed seat 407 is U-shaped, and the rear fixed seat 408 is provided with a sliding hole. A telescopic spring 405 is provided. A joint pivot 409 is provided between the U-shaped arms of the front fixed seat 407. The two ends of the joint pivot 409 pass through the sliding holes on the rear fixed seat 408 above the telescopic spring 405 and are connected to the ends of the U-shaped arms of the front fixed seat 407. The rope passes through the front flexible disc 402 and the rear flexible disc 403 in each flexible arm segment unit and is fixedly connected to the inner end face of the front flexible disc 402 in the foremost flexible arm segment unit. The bending of the bending spring 404 and the extension of the telescopic spring 405 are achieved by the stretching of the rope. There are two ropes for the left and right flip telescopic arm segment 4. The plane of the two ropes is perpendicular to the left and right flipping surface of the left and right flip telescopic arm segment 4.

[0053] The flexible arm segment unit is provided with spring fixing seats 410 for the bending spring 404 to be engaged on the inner end face between the front flexible plate 402 and the rear flexible plate 403. The spring fixing seats 410 are arc-shaped and fixedly connected to the front flexible plate 402 or the rear flexible plate 403. The spring fixing seats 410 are provided with spring fixing holes.

[0054] The joint slider 406 includes a locking part 411, a sliding part 412, and a positioning connection part 413. The locking part 411 has a sliding part 412 on each side. The sliding part 412 and the locking part 411 are provided with through holes for the joint pivot 409 to pass through. The sliding part 412 is fixedly connected to the positioning connection part 413, which engages with the telescopic spring 405. The locking part 411 is locked on the outside of the sliding hole on the rear fixed seat 408 to ensure the stability of the movement of the joint slider 406.

[0055] The first support rod 301 of the last set of flexible boom segments is fixedly connected to the front worm gear 302 in the foremost worm gear boom segment. Two rope buckles 7 are fixed on the rear side of the front worm gear 302 in the foremost set of flexible boom segments. The two telescopic buckles are fixedly connected to the ends of the ropes led out by the rope drivers 101 symmetrically arranged on both sides inside the front fixed plate 104 and the rear fixed plate 103, respectively.

[0056] The omnidirectional rotating arm segment 5 includes two sets of omnidirectional arm segment units. Each set of omnidirectional arm segment units includes a third support rod 501, a front connecting seat 502, a rear connecting seat 503, a front universal wheel 504, a rear universal wheel 505, and a universal joint 506. The rear end face of the rear universal wheel 505 is connected to the third support rod 501. The inner surfaces between the front universal wheel 504 and the rear universal wheel 505 are respectively connected to the front connecting seat 502 and the rear connecting seat 503. The front connecting seat 502 and the rear connecting seat 503 are connected by the universal joint 506. The outer edges of the front universal wheel 504 and the rear universal wheel 505 are provided with circular holes for ropes to pass through. Each set of omnidirectional arm units has a set of ropes. Each set of ropes is evenly distributed in the circumferential direction of the front universal wheel 504 and the rear universal wheel 505. The front end of each set of ropes is fixedly connected to the front universal wheel 504. All the ropes in all the omnidirectional arm segment units are combined together and evenly distributed on a circumference.

[0057] The front end of the third support rod 501 in the aforementioned rear universal arm unit is connected to the rear universal disc 505, and the rear end of the third support rod 501 is connected to the front worm gear 302 of the foremost flexible arm unit. Three rope buckles 7 are evenly distributed on the inner side of the front universal disc 504 in each universal arm unit. The ropes led out by three of the six rope actuators 101 evenly distributed on the circumference of the front fixed plate 104 and the rear fixed plate 103 are connected to the rope buckles 7 in the front worm gear 302 of the rear flexible arm unit, and the three ropes led out by the other three rope actuators 101 are connected to the rope buckles 7 in the front worm gear 302 of the front flexible arm unit.

[0058] In use, the invention utilizes the worm drive motor in the worm drive driver 102 to rotate the vertically tilting arm segment 3, the rope drive motors 110 in the two rope drive drivers 101 to drive the horizontally tilting and telescopic arm segment 4, and the rope drive motors 110 in the six rope drive drivers 101 to drive the omnidirectional rotating arm segment 5 to rotate in all directions. The space-dexterous robotic arm is a redundant degree-of-freedom underactuated flexible robotic arm with 13 degrees of freedom. It consists of three arm segments, each with unique properties, connected in series. Adjacent units within the arm segment are connected by support rods and coupled by a linkage mechanism, enabling the joints of the units to move in the same direction and keeping the arm segment in a fully constrained state. The three arm segments, from the drive mechanism 1 to the end, are, in sequence, a vertically tilting arm segment 3, a horizontally tilting telescopic arm segment 4, and a universal rotating arm segment 5. The vertically tilting arm segment 3 has higher load-bearing capacity and motion precision, and is located at the beginning position and connected to the drive mechanism 1 via a guide mechanism. The horizontally tilting telescopic arm segment 4 has good passive adaptability, with each unit joint having one rotational degree of freedom and one translational degree of freedom. The universal rotating arm segment 5 is located at the end of the robotic arm, and is compact in size, 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 complete bending and telescopic movements. At the same time, it overcomes the disadvantages of having a large number of motors, a large housing size, a complex drive system, high manufacturing costs, and high control difficulty.

Claims

1. A retractable, segmented, linkage-driven, spatially dexterous robotic arm, characterized in that... The robotic arm includes a drive mechanism, a guide mechanism, a vertically tilting arm segment, a horizontally tilting and telescopic arm segment, and a omnidirectional rotating arm segment. The drive mechanism is sequentially connected to the guide mechanism, the vertically tilting arm segment, the horizontally tilting and telescopic arm segment, and the omnidirectional rotating arm segment. The actuators within the drive mechanism act as actuators for the vertically tilting arm segment, the horizontally tilting and telescopic arm segment, and the omnidirectional rotating arm segment, respectively. Different actuators drive the vertically tilting arm segment to achieve vertical tilting, drive the horizontally tilting and telescopic arm segment to achieve horizontal tilting and telescopic functions, and drive the omnidirectional rotating arm segment to achieve omnidirectional rotation. 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 provided 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 driving end of the rope actuator is connected to a rope, which passes through a circular hole on the front fixed plate. The driving end of the worm gear actuator is connected to a rotating rod, which passes through a through hole on the front fixed plate. The guiding mechanism includes at least two guide discs arranged side by side, facing forward from the rear. The diameter of the guide discs gradually decreases from the rear to the front. Adjacent guide discs are connected by a support rod. Each guide disc has a through hole for the rope and the rotating rod to pass through. 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. The system comprises 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 circular hole for a 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 the worm wheel shaft. A worm wheel pin is provided on the front or rear support, with both ends of the worm wheel pin connected to the front or rear support and the worm wheel, respectively. A worm shaft is provided on the side of the worm wheel, with a threaded section that meshes with the worm wheel. One end of the worm shaft... The worm shaft is connected to a rotating rod or connecting rod extending through a through hole in the rear worm disc via a universal joint coupling. 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 boom section includes at least two sets of flexible boom section units. Each flexible boom 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 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 is provided with a sliding hole containing a telescopic spring. A joint pivot is provided between the U-shaped arms of the front fixed seat.Both ends of the joint pivot pass through the sliding holes on the rear fixed seat above the telescopic spring and are connected to the U-shaped arm end 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 tension 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. The universal rotating arm segment includes at least two universal arm segment units. The universal arm segment unit includes a third support rod, a front connecting seat, a rear connecting seat, a front universal wheel, a rear universal wheel, and a universal joint. The rear end face of the rear universal wheel is connected to the third support rod. The inner surfaces between the front and rear universal wheels are connected to the front connecting seat and the rear connecting seat, respectively. The front and rear connecting seats are connected by a universal joint. The outer edges of the front and rear universal joints have circular holes for ropes to pass through. Each universal arm segment unit has one set of ropes, evenly distributed around the circumference of the front and rear universal joints. The front end of each set of ropes is fixedly connected to the front universal joint. All ropes in all universal arm segment units are combined and evenly distributed around a circumference. 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, which is fixed to the lead screw support by a bearing. A lead screw nut is fitted on the lead screw and is fixedly connected to the rope slider. The rope slider is slidably connected to the guide rail. The rope slider has an L-shaped support; the horizontal side of the L-shaped support is connected to the rope slider, and the vertical side is connected to the rope.

2. The retractable segmented linkage rope-driven spatial dexterous robotic arm according to claim 1, characterized in that... In the drive mechanism, a sliding plate is fixed on the rear fixed plate and the front fixed plate. A mechanical slider is connected to the middle of the sliding plate. The side of the mechanical slider is connected to the slide rail via a slider driver. The slider driver drives the mechanical slider to move back and forth, thereby driving the entire robotic arm to move back and forth.

3. The retractable segmented linkage rope-driven spatial dexterous robotic arm according to claim 1, 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.

4. The retractable segmented linkage rope-driven spatial dexterous robotic arm according to claim 1, 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.

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