Flexible gripper

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of robot grabbing operation, and especially relates to a flexible grabbing manipulator, which comprises an outer ring mechanism and an inner ring mechanism capable of relative rotation, and flexible belts; one end of the flexible belt is fixedly connected with the outer ring mechanism, and the other end of the flexible belt is fixedly connected with the inner ring mechanism; the flexible grabbing manipulator comprises an unfolded state, a gathered state and an intermediate state between the unfolded state and the gathered state, the gathered state is an initial installation position of the flexible belt, and each flexible belt is located at the initial installation position and passes through an axis; the flexible belt is curved in an arc shape upwards, and a plurality of flexible belts are sequentially and staggeredly arranged at equal intervals along the outer ring mechanism and the inner ring mechanism in a circumferential direction to form a flexible gripper; the outer ring mechanism and / or the inner ring mechanism are driven to rotate relative to each other by a driving device, and the positive and negative values of the rotation angle do not exceed the installation included angle of two adjacent flexible belts.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of robotic grasping technology, and more particularly to a flexible grasping manipulator. Background Technology

[0002] Robotics is an important development direction in scientific research and industry. Grasping operations are typical tasks of various robots, which can meet important practical needs in agriculture, forestry, fisheries and environmental science.

[0003] Traditional gripping equipment is generally divided into two categories. One category consists of underwater electro- or hydraulically driven manipulators shaped like clamps. These devices have the advantages of simple drive structures and high stability, but their clamp-like shape limits the targets they can grasp, and the gripping process can easily damage the targets. The other category consists of dexterous manipulators. These devices use multi-motor methods or pneumatic structures for drive, aiming to mimic the shape of human fingers and the gripping pattern of a human hand. This significantly improves the success rate of gripping operations and the safety of the operation. However, the multi-segment drive structure usually results in a complex overall structure for dexterous manipulators, a large drive volume, and difficulty in adapting to underwater structures, making it difficult for this type of structure to achieve widespread engineering applications.

[0004] Therefore, in order to solve the problems encountered by the above-mentioned types of robotic arms during operation, there is an urgent need for a flexible grasping robotic arm that can achieve precise harvesting of crops or safe grasping of underwater organisms. Summary of the Invention

[0005] (a) Technical problems to be solved

[0006] In view of the above-mentioned shortcomings and deficiencies of the prior art, the present invention provides a flexible grasping manipulator, which solves the technical problems of existing grasping manipulators being prone to damaging the grasped target and having a complex drive structure that is difficult to adapt to underwater operations.

[0007] (II) Technical Solution

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, the main technical solutions adopted by the present invention include:

[0009] A flexible gripping robot includes an outer ring mechanism and an inner ring mechanism that can rotate relative to each other, as well as a flexible belt.

[0010] One end of the flexible belt is fixedly connected to the outer ring mechanism, and the other end of the flexible belt is fixedly connected to the inner ring mechanism;

[0011] The flexible gripping robot includes an extended state, a converged state, and an intermediate state between the extended and converged states. The converged state is the initial installation position of the flexible belt. When each flexible belt is in its initial installation position, the flexible belt passes through the axis.

[0012] The flexible belt is curved upward in an arc shape, and multiple flexible belts are arranged alternately at equal intervals along the circumference of the outer ring mechanism and the inner ring mechanism to form a flexible gripper;

[0013] The outer ring mechanism and / or the inner ring mechanism are driven to rotate relative to each other by a driving device, and the positive and negative amplitudes of the rotation angle do not exceed the installation angle between two adjacent flexible strips.

[0014] The outer ring mechanism includes a bearing, an outer ring positioning plate, and an outer ring cover plate, which are fixedly arranged from top to bottom;

[0015] The bearing includes an outer ring and an inner ring that can rotate relative to each other;

[0016] The bearing is fixed by bolts passing through the outer ring of the bearing, the outer ring positioning plate, and the outer ring cover plate in sequence.

[0017] The outer ring positioning plate is provided with a plurality of first positioning grooves at equal intervals along the circumference. One end of the flexible belt connected to the outer ring mechanism is inserted into the first positioning groove and is fixed by bolts passing through the bearing outer ring, the flexible belt and the outer ring cover plate in sequence.

[0018] The inner ring mechanism includes an inner ring pressure plate, an inner ring positioning plate, and an inner ring clamping piece, which are fixedly arranged from top to bottom.

[0019] The bolts pass through the inner ring pressure plate, the inner ring positioning plate, and the inner ring clamp in sequence and are fixedly connected to the inner ring of the bearing.

[0020] The inner ring positioning plate is provided with a plurality of second positioning grooves at equal intervals along the circumference. One end of the flexible belt connected to the inner ring mechanism is inserted into the second positioning groove and fixed by bolts passing through the inner ring pressure plate, the flexible belt and the inner ring clamp in sequence.

[0021] An inner ring gasket is provided between the inner ring clamp and the inner ring of the bearing.

[0022] The flexible belt has a blade on the side that converges inward.

[0023] The drive device employs a power source capable of providing torque to the outer ring mechanism and / or the inner ring mechanism.

[0024] (III) Beneficial Effects

[0025] The beneficial effects of this invention are: This invention provides a flexible grasping robot that simplifies the drive structure while proposing a novel grasping operation model, significantly improving the environmental adaptability and success rate of the grasping operation process to meet the grasping operation needs of various fields. It is applicable to various scenarios such as agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and environmental development, and can be used for underwater grasping operations.

[0026] By combining an outer ring mechanism, an inner ring mechanism, and multiple flexible belts, the staggered flexible belts can be deployed or converged to form a flexible mechanical gripper capable of grasping targets. This also simplifies the drive structure and makes it suitable for underwater operations.

[0027] By arranging multiple flexible bands in an arc-shaped staggered pattern, the grasping ability of the target is improved, making it easier to capture the target when the flexible bands converge.

[0028] By using multiple interlaced flexible belts as mechanical grippers, the grasping function can be achieved while reducing damage to the grasped target and improving the success rate of grasping operations. Attached Figure Description

[0029] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of the flexible gripping robot of the present invention in its unfolded state;

[0030] Figure 2 This is a perspective view of the flexible gripping robot of the present invention in a converged state;

[0031] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the unit flexible strip of the present invention in a gathered state;

[0032] Figure 4 This is a top view of the flexible gripping robot of the present invention in its unfolded state;

[0033] Figure 5 This is a side view of the flexible gripping robot of the present invention in its unfolded state;

[0034] Figure 6 This is a bottom view of the flexible gripping robot of the present invention in its unfolded state.

[0035] Figure 7 This is a perspective view of the bearing of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 8 This is a top view of the bearing of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 9 This is a side view of the bearing of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 10 This is a bottom view of the bearing of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 11 This is a perspective view of the flexible strip of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 12 This is a perspective view of the inner ring pressure plate of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 13 This is a perspective view of the inner ring positioning plate of the present invention;

[0042] Figure 14 This is a perspective view of the inner ring clip of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 15 This is a perspective view of the outer ring positioning plate of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 16 This is a perspective view of the outer ring cover plate of the present invention;

[0045] Figure 17 This is a perspective view of the inner ring gasket of the present invention;

[0046] Figure 18 This is a schematic diagram of the flexible gripping robot driven by a servo motor, as described in this invention.

[0047] Figure 19 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the flexible gripping robot driven by a motor, as described in this invention.

[0048] [Explanation of Labels in the Attached Image]

[0049] 1: Flexible belt; 2: Inner ring pressure plate; 3: Inner ring positioning plate; 31: Second positioning groove; 4: Inner ring clamp; 5: Bearing; 51: Bearing outer ring; 52: Bearing inner ring; 6: Outer ring positioning plate; 61: First positioning groove; 7: Outer ring cover plate; 8: Bolt; 9: Inner ring gasket; 10: Servo connecting plate; 11: Servo; 12: Motor. Detailed Implementation

[0050] To better explain and facilitate understanding of the present invention, a detailed description of the invention is provided below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. In this document, directional terms such as "upper," "lower," etc., are used interchangeably with other directional terms. Figure 2 The orientation is used as a reference.

[0051] To better understand the above technical solutions, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although exemplary embodiments of the present invention are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the present invention can be implemented in various forms and should not be limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that the present invention can be understood more clearly and thoroughly, and that the scope of the present invention can be fully conveyed to those skilled in the art.

[0052] See Figure 1-17This invention provides a flexible gripping manipulator suitable for various scenarios such as agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and environmental development, and can be used for underwater gripping operations. The flexible gripping manipulator includes a relatively rotatable outer ring mechanism and an inner ring mechanism, multiple flexible belts 1 connecting the outer and inner ring mechanisms, and a drive device for driving the relative rotation of the outer and inner ring mechanisms. The outer and inner ring mechanisms are coaxially arranged.

[0053] One end of the flexible belt 1 is bent inward and fixedly connected to the outer ring mechanism, while the other end is bent inward and fixedly connected to the inner ring mechanism, causing the flexible belt 1 to bend upward in an arc shape. Multiple flexible belts 1 are arranged at equal intervals along the circumference of the outer and inner ring mechanisms, with adjacent flexible belts 1 staggered sequentially to form a flexible gripper that can be deployed or folded. The deployment or folding of the flexible gripper is achieved by driving the inner or outer ring mechanism to rotate relative to each other with a phase difference via a driving device. In this embodiment, the flexible belt 1 is made of flexible steel belt.

[0054] The flexible gripping robot includes an extended state, a converged state, and an intermediate state between the extended and converged states. The converged state is the initial installation position of the flexible belt 1. When each flexible belt 1 is in its initial installation position, the flexible belt 1 passes through the axis, and at this time the flexible gripping robot is in the converged state.

[0055] The positive and negative amplitudes of the rotation angles of the outer ring mechanism and the inner ring mechanism do not exceed the installation angle between two adjacent flexible strips.

[0056] The outer ring mechanism includes a bearing 5, an outer ring positioning plate 6, and an outer ring cover plate 7 arranged coaxially from top to bottom. The bearing 5, the outer ring positioning plate 6, and the outer ring cover plate 7 are fixedly connected by bolts 8.

[0057] Bearing 5 is a crossed roller bearing, comprising an outer ring 51 and an inner ring 52, which are rotatable relative to each other. An outer ring positioning plate 6 is fixed between the outer ring 51 and the outer ring cover plate 7. The outer ring positioning plate 6 has multiple first positioning grooves 61 evenly spaced along its circumference. One end of the flexible belt 1, connected to the outer ring mechanism, is inserted into the first positioning groove 61 and fixed by bolts 8 passing sequentially through the outer ring 51, the flexible belt 1, and the outer ring cover plate 7. The first positioning grooves 61 restrict the horizontal displacement of the flexible belt 1. The outer ring cover plate 7 serves as a connecting seat for the outer ring mechanism, used to connect the drive device. The outer ring 51 and the outer ring cover plate 7 also have the function of compressing the flexible belt 1 to prevent it from loosening.

[0058] The outer ring 51, outer ring positioning plate 6, and outer ring cover plate 7 of the bearing are each provided with several through holes for bolts 8 to pass through, and the outer ring 51, outer ring positioning plate 6, and outer ring cover plate 7 are fixed with hexagon socket head cap screws.

[0059] The inner ring mechanism is fixedly connected to the inner ring 52 of the bearing. The inner ring mechanism includes an inner ring pressure plate 2, an inner ring positioning plate 3, and an inner ring clamping plate 4 arranged coaxially from top to bottom. Bolts 8 pass through the inner ring pressure plate 2, the inner ring positioning plate 3, and the inner ring clamping plate 4 in sequence and are fixedly connected to the inner ring 52 of the bearing. By fixing the inner ring mechanism to the inner ring 52 of the bearing, the connection and relative rotation between the outer ring mechanism and the inner ring mechanism are achieved.

[0060] The inner ring positioning plate 3 has multiple second positioning grooves 31 evenly spaced along its circumference. One end of the flexible belt 1 connected to the inner ring mechanism is inserted into the second positioning groove 31 and fixed by bolts 8 passing sequentially through the inner ring pressure plate 2, the flexible belt 1, and the inner ring clamping piece 4. The second positioning grooves 31 are used to limit the horizontal displacement of the flexible belt 1. The inner ring pressure plate 2 and the inner ring clamping piece 4 have the function of squeezing the flexible belt 1 to prevent it from loosening. An inner ring gasket 9 is also provided between the inner ring clamping piece 4 and the bearing inner ring 52.

[0061] The inner ring pressure plate 2, the inner ring positioning plate 3, and the inner ring clamping piece 4 are each provided with several through holes for the bolts 8 to pass through, and the inner ring pressure plate 2, the inner ring positioning plate 3, and the inner ring clamping piece 4 are fixed with cross bolts.

[0062] The drive unit uses a power source such as a servo motor 11 or a motor 12 to provide torque.

[0063] Example 1:

[0064] The power source is connected to the inner ring mechanism, and the outer ring mechanism is fixed by a fastener. The overall flexible gripper can be unfolded or folded by driving the inner ring mechanism to rotate.

[0065] See Figure 18 If a servo motor 11 is used as the power source, the drive end of the servo motor 11 is connected to the inner ring 52 of the bearing, and the bottom of the outer ring cover plate 7 is fixed by the servo motor connecting plate 10. The servo motor 11 drives the inner ring 52 of the bearing to rotate relative to the outer ring 51 of the bearing, thereby realizing the unfolding or gathering of multiple flexible belts 1.

[0066] Example 2:

[0067] The power source is connected to the outer ring mechanism, and the inner ring mechanism is fixed by a fastener. The overall flexible gripper can be unfolded or folded by driving the outer ring mechanism to rotate.

[0068] See Figure 19 If motor 12 is used as the power source, motor 12 is connected to outer ring cover plate 7 through flange, and bearing inner ring 52 is fixed by fastener. Motor 12 drives outer ring mechanism to rotate to realize the overall flexible gripper unfolding or folding.

[0069] Example 3:

[0070] The outer ring mechanism and the inner ring mechanism are connected by two power sources respectively. The two power sources drive the outer ring mechanism and the inner ring mechanism to rotate with a phase difference, so as to realize the overall flexible gripper's unfolding or folding.

[0071] Example 4:

[0072] One side of the flexible belt 1 can also be sharpened to enable the picking of crops and the collection of various soil and environmental factors during the gripping operation.

[0073] Example 5:

[0074] The flexible belt 1 can also use flexible hard plastic belts or steel ropes to adapt to the underwater working environment, further reduce the damage to underwater targets during the operation, and effectively improve the success rate of underwater grabbing operations.

[0075] Example 6:

[0076] If three flexible strips 1 are used as flexible grippers, the installation angle between adjacent flexible strips 1 is 120°.

[0077] Each flexible belt 1 is arranged sequentially along the circumference of the outer ring mechanism, dividing the outer ring mechanism and the inner ring mechanism into 360° circumferential sections. 0° or 360° is taken as the origin / installation starting position. The first flexible belt is connected to the 0° or 360° installation position of the outer ring mechanism, and the second and third flexible belts are sequentially connected to the 120° and 240° positions of the outer ring mechanism.

[0078] Correspondingly, the other ends of the first flexible belt, the second flexible belt, and the third flexible belt are connected to the 180°, 300°, and 60° positions of the inner ring mechanism in sequence, so that the line connecting the initial installation positions of each flexible belt 1 passes through the axis.

[0079] Example 7:

[0080] If the flexible gripper uses 6 flexible strips 1 as flexible grippers, then the installation angle between adjacent flexible strips 1 is 60°.

[0081] Each flexible belt 1 is arranged sequentially along the circumference of the outer ring mechanism, dividing the outer ring mechanism and the inner ring mechanism into 360° circumferential sections. 0° or 360° is taken as the origin / installation starting position. The first flexible belt is connected to the 0° or 360° installation position of the outer ring mechanism. The second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth flexible belts are sequentially connected to the 60°, 120°, 180°, 240°, and 300° positions of the outer ring mechanism.

[0082] Correspondingly, the other ends of the first flexible belt, the second flexible belt and the third flexible belt are connected sequentially to the 180°, 240°, 300°, 360°, 60° and 120° positions of the inner ring mechanism, so that the line connecting the initial installation positions of each flexible belt 1 passes through the axis.

[0083] This invention provides a flexible gripping robot that is suitable for various scenarios such as agriculture, forestry, fisheries, deep-sea operations, and environmental development, and can be used for underwater gripping operations.

[0084] By combining an outer ring mechanism, an inner ring mechanism, and multiple flexible belts 1, the multiple staggered flexible belts 1 can be deployed or converged to form a flexible mechanical gripper capable of grasping targets. This also simplifies the drive structure and makes it suitable for underwater operations.

[0085] By arranging multiple flexible bands 1 in an arc-shaped staggered manner, the grasping ability of the grasping target is improved, making it easier to capture the grasping target when the flexible bands converge.

[0086] By using a flexible belt 1 as a mechanical gripper, the gripping function can be achieved while reducing damage to the gripping target and improving the success rate of gripping operations.

[0087] The flexible gripping robot provided by this invention simplifies the drive structure and proposes a novel gripping operation model, which greatly improves the environmental adaptability and success rate of the gripping operation process, so as to meet the gripping operation needs of various fields.

[0088] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this invention, "a plurality of" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0089] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "linking," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0090] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can mean that the first and second features are in direct contact, or that they are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. Furthermore, "above," "over," or "on top" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," or "beneath" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0091] In the description of this specification, the terms "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "embodiment," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., refer to specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in connection with that embodiment or example, which are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples. Moreover, without contradiction, those skilled in the art can combine and integrate the different embodiments or examples described in this specification, as well as the features of different embodiments or examples.

[0092] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, it is understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. Those skilled in the art can make modifications, alterations, substitutions and variations to the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A flexible grasping robot, characterized in that, It includes a relatively rotatable outer ring mechanism and an inner ring mechanism, as well as a flexible belt (1); One end of the flexible belt (1) is fixedly connected to the outer ring mechanism, and the other end of the flexible belt (1) is fixedly connected to the inner ring mechanism; The flexible gripping robot includes an unfolded state, a converged state, and an intermediate state between the unfolded state and the converged state. The converged state is the initial installation position of the flexible belt (1). When each flexible belt (1) is in its initial installation position, the flexible belt (1) passes through the axis. The flexible belt (1) is curved upward in an arc shape, and multiple flexible belts (1) are arranged alternately at equal intervals along the circumference of the outer ring mechanism and the inner ring mechanism to form a flexible gripper; The outer ring mechanism and / or the inner ring mechanism are driven to rotate relative to each other by a driving device, and the positive and negative amplitudes of the rotation angle do not exceed the installation angle between two adjacent flexible belts (1); The outer ring mechanism includes a bearing (5), an outer ring positioning plate (6), and an outer ring cover plate (7) that are fixedly arranged from top to bottom. The bearing (5) includes a bearing outer ring (51) and a bearing inner ring (52) that are rotatable relative to each other. The bearing outer ring (51), the outer ring positioning plate (6), and the outer ring cover plate (7) are fixed by bolts (8) passing through them in sequence; The outer ring positioning plate (6) is provided with a plurality of first positioning grooves (61) at equal intervals along the circumference. One end of the flexible belt (1) connected to the outer ring mechanism is inserted into the first positioning groove (61) and fixed by bolts (8) through the bearing outer ring (51), the flexible belt (1) and the outer ring cover plate (7). The inner ring mechanism includes an inner ring pressure plate (2), an inner ring positioning plate (3), and an inner ring clamping piece (4) that are fixedly arranged from top to bottom. Bolt (8) passes through the inner ring pressure plate (2), the inner ring positioning plate (3), and the inner ring clamp (4) in sequence and is fixedly connected to the bearing inner ring (52); The inner ring positioning plate (3) is provided with multiple second positioning grooves (31) at equal intervals along the circumference. One end of the flexible belt (1) connected to the inner ring mechanism is inserted into the second positioning groove (31) and fixed by bolts (8) passing through the inner ring pressure plate (2), the flexible belt (1) and the inner ring clamp (4) in sequence.

2. The flexible gripping robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, An inner ring gasket (9) is provided between the inner ring clamp (4) and the bearing inner ring (52).

3. The flexible gripping robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The flexible strip (1) has a blade on the side that converges inward.

4. The flexible gripping robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The drive device employs a power source capable of providing torque to the outer ring mechanism and / or the inner ring mechanism.

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