Actively driven artificial bionic fin with outer cartilage structure

Abstract

An actively driven artificial bionic fin with an outer cartilage structure belongs to the field of flexible mechanical gripper arms and bionic underwater robots. The present invention addresses the problem that existing grippers and drive structures have poor flexibility and adaptability due to their integral structural frame. It comprises a core support layer and two outer cartilage layers, which are mirror-symmetrically arranged on both sides of the core support layer and connected to the core support layer by elastic ropes; each outer cartilage layer comprises a tail moving pair and multiple cartilage nodes, which are sequentially connected in series to form a flexible segment, and the head end of the flexible segment is connected to the end of the tail moving pair; the cartilage node is a rigid structure, and adjacent cartilage nodes are connected by a hinge-like structure. The present invention is a flexible bionic structure.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to an actively driven artificial bionic fin with an outer cartilage structure, and belongs to the field of flexible mechanical grippers (arms) and bionic underwater robots. Background Art

[0002] The development of modern robotics technology is inseparable from the application of bionic principles. Through the study of the body structure and behavior patterns of various organisms, we can get a lot of inspiration, thus driving the development of robotics technology.

[0003] Fish, ubiquitous creatures in the ocean, possess many unique body structures that offer inspiration. Fish fin rays contain no muscles, yet they can change their shape with remarkable precision and speed, generating enormous fluid dynamics and maintaining exceptional stability. As fundamental components of fish fin structure, fin rays play a key role. The extraordinary properties of fin rays have captivated researchers, but current applications of their superior properties have primarily focused on passive adaptation of their external shape. Research and experiments on fin rays have revealed that their primary function is to drive them through muscles connected to their tails, thereby adjusting the fish's posture and driving its movement. Current biomimetic structures are unable to replicate the control mechanisms of fin rays, necessitating further research into their various properties to maximize their potential.

[0004] Existing grippers and drive structures usually only provide drive to the gripper as a whole to generate gripping force, but do not actively drive the specific shape of each gripper. This makes it impossible to actively adapt to the shape of the gripped object during the gripping process and the expected deformation curvature cannot be achieved during the driving process. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In order to solve the problem that the existing gripper and driving structure have poor flexibility and adaptability due to having an integral structural frame, the present invention provides an actively driven artificial bionic fin with an outer cartilage structure.

[0006] The active-driven artificial bionic fin ray with an outer cartilage structure of the present invention comprises a core support layer and two outer cartilage layers.

[0007] Two outer cartilage layers are arranged mirror-symmetrically on both sides of the core support layer and are connected to the core support layer by elastic ropes;

[0008] Each outer cartilage layer includes a tail movable pair and multiple cartilage nodes. The multiple cartilage nodes are connected in series to form a flexible segment. The head end of the flexible segment is connected to the end of the tail movable pair. The cartilage node is a rigid structure, and adjacent cartilage nodes are connected by a hinge-like structure.

[0009] According to the actively driven artificial bionic fin ray with an outer cartilage structure of the present invention, adjacent cartilage segments are connected by using quasi-flexible hinges composed of collagen.

[0010] According to the actively driven artificial bionic fin with an outer cartilage structure of the present invention, the core supporting layer is a flexible layer.

[0011] According to the actively driven artificial bionic fin ray with an outer cartilage structure of the present invention, the two outer cartilage layers are arranged in parallel;

[0012] The core support layer is composed of a plurality of small-rigidity springs; a small-rigidity spring is connected between each pair of cartilage nodes of the two outer cartilage layers and between the two tail movable sub-end segments.

[0013] According to the actively driven artificial bionic fin ray with an outer cartilage structure of the present invention, the two outer cartilage layers are arranged in parallel;

[0014] The core support layer is an integrated flexible layer, which is clamped between the two flexible segments and the end segments of the two tail moving pairs.

[0015] According to the actively driven artificial bionic fin ray with an outer cartilage structure of the present invention, each pair of cartilage nodes of the two outer cartilage layers and the two tail movable sub-end segments are connected by elastic ropes.

[0016] According to the active-drive artificial bionic fin with an outer cartilage structure of the present invention, the two outer cartilage layers are arranged at an angle; the core support layer has a triangular profile and is sandwiched between the flexible sections of the two outer cartilage layers and the end section of the tail moving pair;

[0017] Each cartilage segment of the two outer cartilage layers and the end segment of the tail movable pair are connected to the core support layer through elastic ropes.

[0018] According to the actively driven artificial bionic fin with an outer cartilage structure of the present invention, a plurality of ribs are provided inside the triangular outline of the core support layer; the space between each two adjacent cartilage nodes of each outer cartilage layer and the selected position of the tail moving pair are used as support points, and the two connecting ends of a rib are connected between each pair of support points of the two outer cartilage layers.

[0019] According to the actively driven artificial bionic fin with an outer cartilage structure of the present invention, each rib is thick in the middle and thin at two connecting ends along the supporting direction.

[0020] According to the actively driven artificial bionic fin with an outer cartilage structure of the present invention, the lengths of the connection ends of all ribs are equal.

[0021] Beneficial effects of the present invention: The fin ray structure described in the present invention is a structure capable of actively driving large deformations, and is mainly composed of a core support layer and an outer cartilage layer (Hemitrich) structure. The core support layer is composed of a flexible material or structure that can produce large shear deformations, and the outer cartilage layer is composed of a series of "cartilages", which can achieve both large bearing capacity and large flexibility. The fin ray structure of the present invention can control the deformation of the overall structure by applying force or displacement to the end, and has the advantages of high displacement amplification (small driving displacement, large displacement of the fin ray tip); uniform deformation curvature; high stiffness can be maintained under large deformation conditions, as well as passive adaptability and strong enveloping ability.

[0022] The flexibility and load-bearing capacity of the fin structure can be changed by changing the structure and stiffness of the core support layer, which has reference significance for developing flexible grippers that combine active and passive adaptation, improving the control mode of existing flexible robotic arms, and improving the bionic fish driving mode.

[0023] The fin structure of the present invention is suitable for use in active drive large deformation scenarios. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structural principle of the actively driven artificial bionic fin with an outer cartilage structure according to the present invention;

[0025] Figure 2 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a first example of an actively driven artificial bionic fin ray with an outer cartilage structure according to the present invention;

[0026] Figure 3 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a second example of an actively driven artificial bionic fin ray with an outer cartilage structure according to the present invention;

[0027] Figure 4 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a third example of the actively driven artificial bionic fin ray with an outer cartilage structure according to the present invention;

[0028] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the core support layer structure of the third example of the actively driven artificial bionic fin with an outer cartilage structure according to the present invention;

[0029] Figure 6 Schematic diagrams of the deformation of the first and second examples of the actively driven artificial bionic fin ray with an outer cartilage structure according to the present invention;

[0030] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the deformation of the third example of the actively driven artificial bionic fin with an outer cartilage structure described in the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making any creative efforts shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0032] It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the embodiments of the present invention and the features in the embodiments may be combined with each other.

[0033] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments, but they are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0034] Specific implementation method 1. Combination Figures 1 to 7 As shown, the present invention provides an actively driven artificial bionic fin with an outer cartilage structure, comprising a core support layer 100 and two outer cartilage layers 200.

[0035] The two outer cartilage layers 200 are arranged on both sides of the core support layer 100 in a mirror-symmetrical manner and are connected to the core support layer 100 via elastic ropes with a large elastic coefficient;

[0036] Each outer cartilage layer 200 includes a tail movable pair 210 and multiple cartilage nodes 220. The multiple cartilage nodes 220 are connected in series to form a flexible segment, and the head end of the flexible segment is connected to the end of the tail movable pair 210; the cartilage node 220 is a rigid structure, and adjacent cartilage nodes 220 are connected by a hinge-like structure 250.

[0037] In this embodiment, the core support layer is composed of a flexible material or structure that can produce large shear deformation; adjacent cartilage nodes 220 can rotate relative to each other and produce small displacements; and can be driven by two tail moving pairs 210.

[0038] This implementation focuses on the biomimetic structure of fish fin rays, using biological models as biomimetic models. By leveraging the principles of structural biomimetic, the advantages of fish fin ray structures are analyzed and utilized to plan application scenarios, potentially contributing to the development of robotic automation. The fin ray structure exhibits the following characteristics: high displacement amplification (small drive displacement, large fin ray tip displacement); uniform deformation curvature; high stiffness even under large deformation conditions; and passive adaptability and strong envelope capability.

[0039] The fin structure can be expanded to a variety of application scenarios: for example, it can be used to design grippers that passively adapt to the shape of objects; it can be used to drive some specific structural deformations; it can be used to improve the driving mode of existing robotic bionic fish to enable it to swim at a higher frequency, etc.

[0040] Furthermore, adjacent cartilage nodes 220 are connected by flexible hinges composed of collagen.

[0041] As an example, the core support layer 100 is a flexible layer.

[0042] This embodiment provides three implementation schemes of the fin structure:

[0043] The first one: combination Figure 1 、 Figure 2 and Figure 6 As shown, the two outer cartilage layers 200 are arranged in parallel;

[0044] The core support layer 100 is composed of a plurality of small stiffness springs; a small stiffness spring is connected between each pair of cartilage nodes 220 of the two outer cartilage layers 200 and between the end sections of the two tail moving pairs 210.

[0045] Figure 2 In the embodiment, four through-holes 230 are provided on the main surface of the cartilage segment 220 to connect two opposing cartilage segments 220; two through-holes 240 are provided on the side surface of the cartilage segment 220 to connect two adjacent cartilage segments 220. Thus, a hinge-like structure is constructed between the cartilage segments.

[0046] The second is combined Figure 1 、 Figure 3 and Figure 6 As shown, the two outer cartilage layers 200 are arranged in parallel;

[0047] The core support layer 100 is an integrated flexible layer, which is sandwiched between two flexible segments and the end segments of the two tail moving pairs 210 .

[0048] Figure 3 In the embodiment, four through-holes 230 are provided on the main surface of the cartilage segment 220 to connect two opposing cartilage segments 220; two through-holes 240 are provided on the side surface of the cartilage segment 220 to connect two adjacent cartilage segments 220. Thus, a hinge-like structure is constructed between the cartilage segments.

[0049] In the first two embodiments, each pair of cartilage nodes 220 of the two outer cartilage layers 200 and the end sections of the two tail moving pairs 210 are connected by elastic ropes with a relatively large elastic coefficient.

[0050] The third type is combined Figure 1 、 Figure 4 、 Figure 5 and Figure 7As shown, the two outer cartilage layers 200 are arranged at an angle; the core support layer 100 has a triangular profile and is sandwiched between the flexible sections of the two outer cartilage layers 200 and the end section of the tail movable pair 210;

[0051] Each cartilage segment 220 of the two outer cartilage layers 200 and the end section of the tail movable pair 210 are connected to the core support layer 100 via elastic ropes with a relatively large elastic coefficient.

[0052] In the third method, the core support layer 100 has a plurality of ribs inside the triangular outline; the space between each two adjacent cartilage nodes 220 of each outer cartilage layer 200 and the selected position of the tail movable pair 210 are used as support points, and the two connecting ends of a rib are connected between each pair of support points of the two outer cartilage layers 200.

[0053] Furthermore, each rib is thick in the middle and thin at two connecting ends along the supporting direction.

[0054] The connecting ends of all ribs are of equal length.

[0055] Figure 4 The middle cartilage segment 220 has four through-holes 230 on its main surface. Four similar through-holes are located at corresponding positions on the triangular profile, connecting each cartilage segment 220 to the corresponding position on the triangular profile. The triangular profile is divided into multiple sections by ribs. The main through-holes 230 and corresponding through-holes on the triangular profile connect each cartilage segment 220 to each section of the core support layer 100, allowing the structure in the core support layer 100 to function as a hinge-like structure between cartilage segments. Two through-holes 240 are located on the side surfaces of the cartilage segments 220, connecting two adjacent cartilage segments 220 and ensuring continuity of structural deformation.

[0056] Figure 4 In the embodiment, one tail moving pair 210 can be used as a fixed end and the other tail moving pair 210 can be used as a driving end. Figure 4 The middle arrow is used as the driving input direction. The input displacement will drive the core support layer 100 to shear deformation, thereby causing the overall structure to deform. Figure 7 shown.

[0057] Figure 6 and Figure 7 In the figure, the dotted line is the deformed structure shape, and Δs is the input displacement; the first two forms of fin structures are similar, and both use Figure 6 Show its deformation state.

[0058] This embodiment describes three fin structures, and the corresponding core support layers 100 are in three different forms. The first core support layer 100 is composed of a small stiffness spring; the second core support layer 100 can be a cube structure formed by 3D printing using a flexible material and a complex molding process; the third core support layer 100 can be a Fin-like The three core support layers 100 are all suitable for the fin structure of this embodiment, achieving an effect similar to the active large deformation of the bionic prototype. The three core support layers 100 have different artificial bionic fin structures. Due to the differences in the core support layers, the deformation magnification, load-bearing capacity, and overall flexibility of the resulting overall structure vary to a certain extent, and can be selected as needed.

[0059] The bionic fin ray structure described in this embodiment is based on and improved upon the structure of fish fins. When driven, the core support layer 100 undergoes shear deformation, achieving a large curvature deformation of the overall structure. Furthermore, the driven displacement is linearly related to the deformation of the fin ray tip, allowing for active driving to achieve an effect similar to that of a fish fin ray.

[0060] Changing the structure and material of the core support layer 100 can alter the overall stiffness of the structure, thereby achieving different displacement amplification factors (the ratio of drive input displacement to end displacement) and load-bearing capacity, thereby adapting to various operating environments. Furthermore, by changing the structure of the core support layer 100, the natural frequency of the entire structure can be changed, thereby outputting high-frequency oscillation, suitable for high-frequency drive applications.

[0061] The fin structure described in this embodiment can be driven by inputting displacement or force at the end to cause deformation of the tip of the structure; drive input can also be performed from any position, which can include one or more drive input sources.

[0062] From the driving perspective, displacement and force can be input from the end of the bionic fin to imitate the role of muscles in fish fins, thereby controlling the entire structure to produce large curvature deformation, and controlling the output displacement by the size of the input displacement, providing a new control mode for flexible robotic arms and flexible grippers.

[0063] Fin rays can contract and relax through muscles connected to their ends, precisely controlling their overall deformation while also resisting the pressure of undercurrents in the water. This demonstrates the fin ray structure's sufficient load-bearing capacity and potential for precise actuation. The fin ray structure described in this embodiment exhibits similar characteristics. Compared to traditional flexible structures, this invention offers the following advantages:

[0064] 1. The structural stiffness of the outer Hemitrich layer is relatively large, so the bearing capacity of the overall structure is significantly improved compared with traditional flexible structures. At the same time, due to the special deformation mechanism, its flexibility is superior to that of traditional structures, which ensures the coexistence of flexibility and bearing capacity.

[0065] 2. By changing the structure of the middle core support layer, the flexibility, bearing capacity, displacement amplification and high-frequency response characteristics of the overall structure can be greatly affected. Therefore, by changing the core support structure, it can adapt to different environments and be applicable to more application scenarios.

[0066] 3. There is a strong correlation between input and output displacements, and the deformation and curvature of the entire structure can be controlled by driving the input. This has great reference significance for the development of flexible structures that can be actively controlled.

[0067] Although the present invention is described herein with reference to specific embodiments, it should be understood that these embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and applications of the invention. It should be understood that many modifications may be made to the illustrative embodiments, and that other arrangements may be devised, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. It should be understood that the various dependent claims and features described herein may be combined in ways other than those described in the original claims. It should also be understood that features described in conjunction with individual embodiments may be used in conjunction with other described embodiments.

Claims

1. An actively driven artificial bionic fin with an outer cartilage structure, characterized in that It comprises a core support layer (100) and two outer cartilage layers (200), Two outer cartilage layers (200) are arranged in a mirror-symmetrical manner on both sides of the core support layer (100); Each outer cartilage layer (200) includes a tail movable pair (210) and a plurality of cartilage nodes (220), wherein the plurality of cartilage nodes (220) are sequentially connected in series to form a flexible segment, and the head end of the flexible segment is connected to the end of the tail movable pair (210); the cartilage node (220) is a rigid structure; Adjacent cartilage nodes (220) are connected by flexible hinge-like structures composed of collagen; The two outer cartilage layers (200) are arranged in parallel; The core support layer (100) is a plurality of small stiffness springs; a small stiffness spring is connected between each pair of cartilage nodes (220) of the two outer cartilage layers (200) and between the end sections of the two tail moving pairs (210); Each pair of cartilage nodes (220) of the two outer cartilage layers (200) and the end sections of the two tail moving pairs (210) are connected by elastic ropes.

2. An actively driven artificial bionic fin with an outer cartilage structure, characterized in that It comprises a core support layer (100) and two outer cartilage layers (200), Two outer cartilage layers (200) are arranged in a mirror-symmetrical manner on both sides of the core support layer (100); Each outer cartilage layer (200) includes a tail movable pair (210) and a plurality of cartilage nodes (220), wherein the plurality of cartilage nodes (220) are sequentially connected in series to form a flexible segment, and the head end of the flexible segment is connected to the end of the tail movable pair (210); the cartilage node (220) is a rigid structure; Adjacent cartilage nodes (220) are connected by flexible hinge-like structures composed of collagen; The two outer cartilage layers (200) are arranged in parallel; The core support layer (100) is an integrated flexible layer, and the integrated flexible layer is clamped between the two flexible segments and the end segments of the two tail moving pairs (210); Each pair of cartilage nodes (220) of the two outer cartilage layers (200) and the end sections of the two tail moving pairs (210) are connected by elastic ropes.

3. An actively driven artificial bionic fin with an outer cartilage structure, characterized in that It comprises a core support layer (100) and two outer cartilage layers (200), Two outer cartilage layers (200) are arranged in a mirror-symmetrical manner on both sides of the core support layer (100); Each outer cartilage layer (200) includes a tail movable pair (210) and a plurality of cartilage nodes (220), wherein the plurality of cartilage nodes (220) are sequentially connected in series to form a flexible segment, and the head end of the flexible segment is connected to the end of the tail movable pair (210); the cartilage node (220) is a rigid structure; Adjacent cartilage nodes (220) are connected by flexible hinge-like structures composed of collagen; The two outer cartilage layers (200) are arranged at an angle; the core support layer (100) has a triangular profile and is sandwiched between the flexible sections of the two outer cartilage layers (200) and the end section of the tail movable pair (210); Each cartilage segment (220) of the two outer cartilage layers (200) and the end segment of the tail movable pair (210) are respectively connected to the core support layer (100) via elastic ropes; The core support layer (100) has a plurality of ribs inside its triangular profile; the positions between each two adjacent cartilage nodes (220) of each outer cartilage layer (200) and the selected positions of the tail movable pair (210) are used as support points, and the two connecting ends of a rib are connected between each pair of support points of the two outer cartilage layers (200).

4. The actively driven artificial bionic fin with an outer cartilage structure according to claim 3, characterized in that: Each rib is thick in the middle along the supporting direction and thin at the two connecting ends.

5. The actively driven artificial bionic fin with an outer cartilage structure according to claim 4, characterized in that: The connecting ends of all ribs are of equal length.

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