Self-contacting multi-lumen continuum flexible arm and robot

Abstract

The application provides a self-contacting multi-lumen continuum flexible arm and robot in the field of multi-lumen continuum flexible arms, which comprises a flexible bending section, a sealing protection tube, a fixed cap and a working part, the working part is installed on the fixed cap, the fixed cap is fixed at the front end of the flexible bending section, the sealing protection tube is arranged on the outer surface of the flexible bending section and the fixed cap, and the sealing protection tube is arranged on the inner surface of the second device channel in the flexible bending section; a plurality of slot structures in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction are arranged on the outer side of the flexible bending section along the axis, a plurality of device channels and a plurality of driving wire channels are arranged in the flexible bending section, and corresponding driving wires are connected in the plurality of driving wire channels. The slot structure is used for reducing the overall size, the vertical support beam structure and the vertical self-contacting support structure are arranged in the gap structure, a special bending shape is obtained, bending in multiple directions is realized, and related operations in narrow and limited operations or other spaces are realized.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of multi-lumen continuum flexible arms, in particular, to a self-contacting multi-lumen continuum flexible arm and robot. BACKGROUND

[0002] Traditional mechanical arms applied in surgery are integrated in surgical robot systems for assisting the smooth progress of surgical operations. Stable, precise and flexible mechanical arms can complete operations in narrow spaces that cannot be reached by human hands. However, rigid structure mechanical arms can easily cause damage to the fragile tissues of the human body, so soft mechanical arms that can be used for minimally invasive surgery have received widespread attention.

[0003] Small and compact soft mechanical arms can enter the human body through an incision made in the human body to achieve the function of endoscopy such as gastroscopy, and can also achieve operations such as grabbing by loading functional modules at the end. Soft mechanical arms have many advantages. Soft mechanical arms are not only suitable for operations in narrow cavities in minimally invasive surgery, but also suitable for operations in narrow spaces in industry, such as narrow spaces in industrial equipment, which can be flexibly bent to reach designated positions for observation, and can be inserted into clamps / magnets to remove scattered screws or other devices, or can be inserted into screwdrivers or sensors for operation. The overall size can be enlarged according to actual needs.

[0004] Many soft mechanical arms currently use pneumatic principles, but soft mechanical arms using pneumatic principles have safety hazards. Since soft bodies are driven by pneumatic principles to move or deform, once the soft body is broken, the leakage can cause harm to small blood vessels or organs in the human body.

[0005] After searching, one Chinese invention patent with the patent number CN111588470A discloses a full-directional special-shaped bending continuum flexible mechanical arm for intracavitary interventional diagnosis and treatment, which comprises a base and a plurality of modular units. The plurality of modular units are arranged on the base from bottom to top. The base and the upper end face of the modular unit are provided with a plurality of contact blocks and a plurality of skeletons. The height of the contact block is lower than or equal to the height of the skeleton. The center of the base and the modular unit is provided with a through hole. A plurality of wire holes are arranged around the through hole. The wire holes on the plurality of modular units and at least one wire hole on the base are connected vertically for threading a driving wire. The through hole of the base and the through hole of the plurality of modular units are connected vertically to form an intermediate cavity. The above patent cannot achieve a preset limited bending shape and cannot reach a complex operation space position. It cannot be applied to operations in narrow cavities in minimally invasive surgery, nor can it be applied to operations in narrow spaces in industry. SUMMARY

[0006] In view of the defects in the prior art, the purpose of the present application is to provide a self-contacting multi-lumen continuum flexible arm and robot.

[0007] According to the application, a self-contacting multi-lumen continuum flexible arm is provided, comprising a flexible bending section, a sealing protection tube, a fixed cap and a working component, the working component is installed on the fixed cap, the fixed cap is fixed on the front end of the flexible bending section, the sealing protection tube is arranged on the outer surface of the flexible bending section and the fixed cap, and the sealing protection tube is arranged on the inner surface of the second device channel in the flexible bending section.

[0008] A plurality of slot structures in vertical and horizontal directions are arranged on the outer side of the flexible bending section along the axis, a plurality of device channels and a plurality of driving wire channels are arranged in the flexible bending section, and corresponding driving wires are connected in the plurality of driving wire channels.

[0009] Preferably, the flexible bending section comprises a first gap structure, an intermediate sheet structure and a second gap structure, a plurality of first gap structures and a plurality of second gap structures are alternately arranged in sequence, and the intermediate sheet structure is arranged between the first gap structure and the second gap structure.

[0010] The first gap structure is provided with a vertical support beam structure and a vertical self-contacting support structure, the first gap structure and the vertical support beam structure form a vertical direction slot structure, and the surface of the vertical self-contacting support structure has a certain distance gap from the first vertical slot contact surface and the second vertical slot contact surface of the vertical direction slot structure.

[0011] The second gap structure is provided with a horizontal support beam structure and a horizontal self-contacting support structure, the second gap structure and the horizontal support beam structure form a horizontal direction slot structure, and the horizontal self-contacting support structure has a certain distance gap from the first horizontal slot contact surface and the second horizontal slot contact surface of the horizontal direction slot structure.

[0012] Preferably, the intermediate sheet structure is provided with a driving wire through hole, the first gap structure and the second gap structure are respectively provided with a driving wire through hole corresponding part corresponding to the driving wire through hole; along the axis direction of the flexible bending section, the driving wire through hole, the driving wire through hole corresponding part of the first gap structure and the driving wire through hole corresponding part of the second gap structure form a driving wire channel; a driving wire is connected in the driving wire channel, and one end of the driving wire is connected with the fixed cap.

[0013] The intermediate sheet structure is provided with a device through hole, the first gap structure and the second gap structure are respectively provided with a device through hole corresponding part corresponding to the device through hole; along the axis direction of the flexible bending section, the device through hole, the device through hole corresponding part of the first gap structure and the device through hole corresponding part of the second gap structure form a device channel, and the device channel is provided with a working cable and / or a working component.

[0014] Preferably, the driving wire includes a round head and a wire body, the wire body is connected to the fixed cap through the round head, and the diameter of the round head is greater than the diameter of the driving wire channel.

[0015] Preferably, the vertical self-contact support structure includes a first vertical self-contact support structure and a second vertical self-contact support structure, and the horizontal self-contact support structure includes a first horizontal self-contact support structure and a second horizontal self-contact support structure.

[0016] The plurality of first gap structures, the plurality of intermediate sheet structures, and the plurality of second gap structures form a first flexible bending section through the first vertical self-contact support structure and the first horizontal self-contact support structure.

[0017] The plurality of first gap structures, the plurality of intermediate sheet structures, and the plurality of second gap structures form a second flexible bending section through the second vertical self-contact support structure and the second horizontal self-contact support structure.

[0018] The first vertical self-contact support structure, the second vertical self-contact support structure, the first horizontal self-contact support structure, and the second horizontal self-contact support structure are respectively composed of a plurality of support structures arranged at intervals.

[0019] Alternatively, the plurality of horizontal self-contact support structures and / or the plurality of vertical self-contact support structures adopt a plurality of structural forms, including a hollow structure and an interlaced curved hinge structure. The plurality of horizontal self-contact support structures and / or the plurality of vertical self-contact support structures are subjected to secondary bending deformation on the basis of the deformation of the flexible bending section, so as to realize variable stiffness bending deformation and obtain a preset target downward bending deformation posture.

[0020] Preferably, the flexible bending section includes a first flexible bending section and a second flexible bending section, and the bending radii of the center lines of the first flexible bending section and the second flexible bending section are different.

[0021] The driving wire realizes the bending deformation of the flexible bending section in the up-down and left-right directions, and the bending deformation postures of the first flexible bending section and the second flexible bending section through backward driving and stretching.

[0022] Preferably, when the first flexible bending section reaches a bending deformation limit state, the surfaces of the plurality of first horizontal self-contact support structures are in contact with the corresponding plurality of first horizontal groove contact surfaces, and the first flexible bending section realizes bending shape limiting through the first horizontal self-contact support structures.

[0023] Alternatively, the surfaces of the plurality of second vertical self-contact support structures are in contact with the corresponding plurality of second vertical groove contact surfaces, and the first flexible bending section realizes bending shape limiting through the second vertical self-contact support structures.

[0024] When the second flexible bending segment reaches the bending deformation limit state, the plurality of second horizontal self-contacting support structure surfaces are in contact with the corresponding plurality of second horizontal groove contact surfaces, and the second flexible bending segment is limited in bending shape by the second horizontal self-contacting support structure.

[0025] Alternatively, the plurality of first vertical self-contacting support structure surfaces are in contact with the corresponding plurality of first vertical groove contact surfaces, and the second flexible bending segment is limited in bending shape by the first vertical self-contacting support structure.

[0026] Preferably, the fixing cap is provided with a mounting channel or a mounting hole, and the size of the mounting channel or the mounting hole corresponds to the size of the device channel and the driving wire channel, respectively.

[0027] Preferably, the working component comprises one or more of a camera device, an illumination or sensing device, an illumination or sensing device, and an operating device.

[0028] The camera device, the illumination or sensing device, the illumination or sensing device, and the operating device are connected to the front end of the flexible bending segment through the fixing cap, respectively.

[0029] The application also provides a robot comprising a self-contacting multi-lumen continuum flexible arm and a control operating device, wherein the end of the self-contacting multi-lumen continuum flexible arm is connected with the control operating device, the control operating device drives and controls the driving wire inside the self-contacting multi-lumen continuum flexible arm, and the control operating device controls one or more of a camera device, an illumination or sensing device, an illumination or sensing device, and an operating device.

[0030] Compared with the prior art, the application has the following beneficial effects:

[0031] (1) The application arranges a plurality of groove structures in vertical and horizontal directions along the axis to form the structural characteristics of corresponding vertical support beams and horizontal support beams.

[0032] (2) The single or double side support structures can be arranged on the single or double side surfaces of the plurality of groove structures, the plurality of support structures can be arranged in single or multiple combinations, and can also be arranged in solid or hollow structures; the bending hinge structure formed by the combination can realize bending operation in the vertical and horizontal directions while reducing the size of the multi-lumen continuum robot structure, and can realize the preset limited bending shape posture to reach a complex operation space position.

[0033] (3) The multi-lumen continuum robot of the application can be arranged or passed through a plurality of camera, illumination, sensing, and operating devices to realize related operations in narrow and limited operations or other spaces. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0034] Other features, objects, and advantages of the application will become more apparent from the following detailed description of non-limiting embodiments thereof, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings:

[0035] Figure 1 Structure schematic diagram of flexible bending section of self-contacting multi-lumen continuum flexible arm;

[0036] Figure 2 Structure schematic diagram of flexible bending section;

[0037] Figure 3 Three-view structure schematic diagram of flexible bending section;

[0038] Figure 4 Section view schematic diagram of flexible bending section embodying vertical support beam structure in front half and self-contacting support structure;

[0039] Figure 5 Section view schematic diagram of flexible bending section embodying horizontal support beam structure in front half and self-contacting support structure;

[0040] Figure 6 Section view schematic diagram of flexible bending section embodying vertical support beam structure in rear half and self-contacting support structure;

[0041] Figure 7 Section view schematic diagram of flexible bending section embodying horizontal support beam structure in rear half and self-contacting support structure;

[0042] Figure 8 Structure schematic diagram of flexible bending section in upward bending state;

[0043] Figure 9 Structure schematic diagram of flexible bending section in downward bending state;

[0044] Figure 10 Structure schematic diagram of flexible bending section in leftward bending state;

[0045] Figure 11 Structure schematic diagram of flexible bending section in rightward bending state;

[0046] Figure 12 Structure schematic diagram of flexible bending section of self-contacting multi-lumen continuum flexible arm preferred example;

[0047] Figure 13 Structure schematic diagram of flexible bending section in preferred example combined limiting shape bending state;

[0048] Figure 14 Structure schematic diagram of preferred example of the application provided with variable stiffness self-contacting support structure;

[0049] Figure 15Three views of a flexible bending segment of a preferred embodiment of the present invention having a self-contacting support structure;

[0050] Figure 16 A partial structural diagram of the flexible bending section in a preferred embodiment with a self-contacting support structure;

[0051] Figure 17 A schematic diagram of the drive wire structure for a self-contacting multi-cavity continuum flexible arm;

[0052] Figure 18 A schematic diagram of the two-view structure of the sealing protection tube for a self-contacting multi-cavity continuous flexible arm;

[0053] Figure 19 This is a schematic diagram of the self-contacting multi-cavity continuum flexible arm system in a robot.

[0054] The diagram shows:

[0055]

[0056] Detailed Implementation

[0057] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to specific embodiments. These embodiments will help those skilled in the art to further understand the present invention, but do not limit the invention in any way. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make several changes and improvements without departing from the concept of the present invention. These all fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0058] Example 1

[0059] According to the present invention, a self-contacting multi-cavity continuous flexible arm is provided, such as... Figures 1-19 As shown, it includes: a flexible bending section 11, a sealing and protective tube 12, a fixing cap 13, and one or more working components. The working components include interconnected working cables and working heads. The working components are mounted on the fixing cap 13, which is fixed to the front end of the flexible bending section 11. The working cable passes through the front cap 13 and the flexible bending section 11. The sealing and protective tube 12 is arranged on the outer surface of the flexible bending section 11 and the fixing cap 13, and the sealing and protective tube 12 is also arranged on the inner surface of the second device channel 112 inside the flexible bending section 11. The whole is sealed and fitted to prevent external gas, liquid, etc. from penetrating into the interior of the structure and to protect each device and channel.

[0060] The flexible bending section 11 is provided with a plurality of slot structures in vertical and horizontal directions along the axis outside, and is provided with a plurality of device channels and a plurality of driving wire channels inside, and the corresponding driving wires 15 are connected inside the driving wire channels. The driving wire 15 includes a round head and a wire body, the wire body is connected with the fixed cap 13 through the round head, and the diameter of the round head is larger than that of the driving wire channel, and the driving wire 15 is fixedly installed on the corresponding driving wire channel front end of the fixed cap 13 through the round head.

[0061] The working components include one or more of the camera 14, the illumination or sensing device 16, the illumination or sensing device 17, and the operation device 18; the camera 14, the illumination or sensing device 16, the illumination or sensing device 17, and the operation device 18 are respectively connected to the front end of the flexible bending section 11 through the fixed cap 13. The operation device 18 is a clamping device, a drug needle, a balloon, etc. The fixed cap 13 is provided with mounting channels or mounting holes, the sizes of the mounting channels or mounting holes correspond to the sizes of the device channels and the driving wire channels respectively, and are used for mounting the camera 14, the driving wire 15, the illumination or sensing device 16, and the illumination or sensing device 17 in the multi-lumen continuum robot.

[0062] The flexible bending section 11 includes a first gap structure 31, an intermediate sheet structure 32, and a second gap structure 33, the sizes of the plurality of first gap structures 31 can not be completely the same, the sizes of the plurality of intermediate sheet structures 32 can not be completely the same, and the sizes of the plurality of second gap structures 33 can not be completely the same. The plurality of first gap structures 31 and the plurality of second gap structures 33 are alternately arranged in sequence, and the intermediate sheet structure 32 is arranged between the first gap structure 31 and the second gap structure 33; the first gap structure 31 is provided with a vertical support beam structure and a vertical self-contact support structure, the first gap structure 31 and the vertical support beam structure form a vertical direction slot structure, and the surface of the vertical self-contact support structure and the first vertical groove contact surface 1120 and the second vertical groove contact surface 1122 of the vertical direction slot structure have a certain distance gap; the second gap structure 33 is provided with a horizontal support beam structure and a horizontal self-contact support structure, the second gap structure 33 and the horizontal support beam structure form a horizontal direction slot structure, and the horizontal self-contact support structure and the first horizontal groove contact surface 1121 and the second horizontal groove contact surface 1123 of the horizontal direction slot structure have a certain distance gap.

[0063] The intermediate sheet structure 32 is provided with a driving wire through hole, and the first gap structure 31 and the second gap structure 33 are respectively provided with a driving wire through hole corresponding part corresponding to the driving wire through hole; along the axis direction of the flexible bending section 11, the driving wire through hole, the driving wire through hole corresponding part of the first gap structure 31 and the driving wire through hole corresponding part of the second gap structure 33 form a driving wire channel; the driving wire channel is connected with a driving wire 15, and one end of the driving wire 15 is connected with the fixed cap 13. The intermediate sheet structure 32 is provided with a device through hole, and the first gap structure 31 and the second gap structure 33 are respectively provided with a device through hole corresponding part corresponding to the device through hole; along the axis direction of the flexible bending section 11, the device through hole, the device through hole corresponding part of the first gap structure 31 and the device through hole corresponding part of the second gap structure 33 form a device channel, and the device channel is connected with a working cable and / or a working part. The flexible bending section 11 is connected with the fixed cap 13 through a flexible bending section head, and the structure of the flexible bending section head is the same as that of the intermediate sheet structure 32, but the thickness of the flexible bending section head is greater than that of the intermediate sheet structure 32

[0064] The vertical self-contacting support structure includes a first vertical self-contacting support structure 1112 and a second vertical self-contacting support structure 1118, and the horizontal self-contacting support structure includes a first horizontal self-contacting support structure 1117 and a second horizontal self-contacting support structure 1119. A plurality of first gap structures 31, a plurality of intermediate sheet structures 32 and a plurality of second gap structures 33 form a first flexible bending section 1101 through the first vertical self-contacting support structure 1112 and the first horizontal self-contacting support structure 1117. A plurality of first gap structures 31, a plurality of intermediate sheet structures 32 and a plurality of second gap structures 33 form a second flexible bending section 1102 through the second vertical self-contacting support structure 1118 and the second horizontal self-contacting support structure 1119. The first vertical self-contacting support structure 1112, the second vertical self-contacting support structure 1118, the first horizontal self-contacting support structure 1117 and the second horizontal self-contacting support structure 1119 are respectively composed of a plurality of support structures arranged at intervals.

[0065] The flexible bending section 11 comprises a first flexible bending section 1101 and a second flexible bending section 1102, the bending radii of the center lines of the first flexible bending section 1101 and the second flexible bending section 1102 are different; the driving wire 15 realizes the bending deformation of the flexible bending section 11 in up, down, left and right directions by driving stretching backward, and the bending deformation postures of the first flexible bending section 1101 and the second flexible bending section 1102. When the first flexible bending section 1101 reaches the bending deformation limit state, the surfaces of a plurality of first horizontal self-contacting support structures 1117 are in contact with a plurality of first horizontal groove contact surfaces 1121 corresponding to the first horizontal self-contacting support structures 1117, and the first flexible bending section 1101 realizes bending shape limiting through the first horizontal self-contacting support structures 1117; or, the surfaces of a plurality of second vertical self-contacting support structures 1118 are in contact with a plurality of second vertical groove contact surfaces 1122 corresponding to the second vertical self-contacting support structures 1118, and the first flexible bending section 1101 realizes bending shape limiting through the second vertical self-contacting support structures 1118. When the second flexible bending section 1102 reaches the bending deformation limit state, the surfaces of a plurality of second horizontal self-contacting support structures 1119 are in contact with a plurality of second horizontal groove contact surfaces 1123 corresponding to the second horizontal self-contacting support structures 1119, and the second flexible bending section 1102 realizes bending shape limiting through the second horizontal self-contacting support structures 1119; or, the surfaces of a plurality of first vertical self-contacting support structures 1112 are in contact with a plurality of first vertical groove contact surfaces 1120 corresponding to the first vertical self-contacting support structures 1112, and the second flexible bending section 1102 realizes bending shape limiting through the first vertical self-contacting support structures 1112.

[0066] Example 2

[0067] This embodiment 2 is completed on the basis of embodiment 1, and mainly describes the device channel, the driving wire channel and the driving wire 15 in detail, in particular:

[0068] The device channel comprises a first device channel 111, a second device channel 112, a third device channel 117 and a fourth device channel 118, the first device channel 111 is used for passing through the working cable of the camera device 14, the second device channel 112 is used for passing through the working cable of the operation device 18, the third device channel 117 is used for passing through the working cable of the first lighting or sensing device 16, and the fourth device channel 118 is used for passing through the working cable of the second lighting or sensing device 17.

[0069] The driving wire 15 comprises a first driving wire 151, a second driving wire 152, a third driving wire 153 and a fourth driving wire 154. The driving wire channel comprises a first driving wire channel 113, a second driving wire channel 114, a third driving wire channel 115 and a fourth driving wire channel 116, which are respectively used for passing through the first driving wire 151, the second driving wire 152, the third driving wire 153 and the fourth driving wire 154.

[0070] Example 3

[0071] This embodiment 3 is completed on the basis of embodiment 2, mainly to further illustrate the horizontal support beam structure and the vertical support beam structure, specifically:

[0072] The horizontal support beam structure includes a first horizontal support beam 1113, a second horizontal support beam 1114, a third horizontal support beam 1115 and a fourth horizontal support beam 1116. One side or both sides of the first horizontal support beam 1113, the second horizontal support beam 1114, the third horizontal support beam 1115 and the fourth horizontal support beam 1116 can be provided with a groove structure. The third device passage 117 is between the first horizontal support beam 1113 and the second horizontal support beam 1114, the second device passage 112 is between the second horizontal support beam 1114 and the third horizontal support beam 1115, and the fourth device passage 118 is between the third horizontal support beam 1115 and the fourth horizontal support beam 1116.

[0073] The vertical support beam structure includes a first vertical support beam 119, a second vertical support beam 1110 and a third vertical support beam 1111. The vertical support beam structure and the horizontal support beam structure are alternately arranged along the axis direction of the flexible bending section 11 main body structure in turn, and the intermediate sheet structure 32 is arranged between the first gap structure 31 and the second gap structure 33. Design, thereby forming a vertical and horizontal staggered bending hinge on the flexible bending section 11.

[0074] The flexible bending section 11 is provided with a plurality of intermediate sheet structures 32 comprising a plurality of first vertical self-contacting support structures 1112 and a plurality of first horizontal self-contacting support structures 1117, a plurality of first gap structures 31 and a plurality of second gap structures 33, which form a first flexible bending section 1101; The flexible bending section 11 is provided with a plurality of intermediate sheet structures 32 comprising a plurality of second vertical self-contacting support structures 1118 and a plurality of second horizontal self-contacting support structures 1119, a plurality of first gap structures 31 and a plurality of second gap structures 33, which form a second flexible bending section 1102; Wherein the first vertical self-contacting support structure 1112, the first horizontal self-contacting support structure 1117, the second vertical self-contacting support structure 1118 and the second horizontal self-contacting support structure 1119 can also be arranged in the form of a support structure combination with a plurality of intervals.

[0075] Example 4

[0076] This embodiment 4 is completed on the basis of embodiment 3, which realizes the bending deformation of the multi-lumen continuum flexible arm 1 in the upward direction, specifically:

[0077] As Figure 8As shown, by driving the first driving wire 151 and the third driving wire 153 arranged in the first driving wire channel 113 and the third driving wire channel 115 provided on the upper side of the stretching flexible bending section 11 backward, the multi-lumen continuum flexible arm 1 can be deformed in the upward bending direction, including the bending deformation posture of the first flexible bending section 1101 and the second flexible bending section 1102, and the bending radii of the center lines of the two bending structures are different; after a period of driving stretching operation on the first driving wire 151 and the third driving wire 153, the first flexible bending section 1101 reaches the bending deformation limit state, the bending shape of the first flexible bending section 1101 remains unchanged, and the surfaces of the plurality of first horizontal self-contacting support structures 1117 arranged thereon are in contact with the corresponding plurality of first horizontal groove contact surfaces 1121 with a certain area, and the first horizontal self-contacting support structures 1117 become support beams for limiting the bending of the structure, thereby realizing the bending shape limiting of the first flexible bending section 1101 reaching the limit value in the bending process; the second flexible bending section 1102 realizes synchronous bending change during the driving stretching operation on the first driving wire 151 and the third driving wire 153, and when the first flexible bending section 1101 reaches the bending shape limit, the second flexible bending section 1102 can continue to increase the bending deformation posture with the driving stretching of the first driving wire 151 and the third driving wire 153 until the driving stretching stops or reaches the bending limit of the hinge structure; by designing the size and arrangement position of the plurality of first horizontal self-contacting support structures 1117, the plurality of intermediate sheet structures 32, the plurality of first gap structures 31 and the plurality of second gap structures 33, the preset target upward bending deformation posture can be realized.

[0078] As Figure 9As shown, the bending deformation of the multi-lumen continuum flexible arm 1 in the downward direction can be achieved by arranging the second driving wire 152 and the fourth driving wire 154 in the second driving wire channel 114 and the fourth driving wire channel 116 provided at the lower side of the stretching flexible bending section 11, including the bending deformation posture of the first flexible bending section 1101 and the second flexible bending section 1102, the bending radii of the center lines of the two bending structures are different; after a period of driving stretching operation on the second driving wire 152 and the fourth driving wire 154, the second flexible bending section 1102 reaches the bending deformation limit state, the bending shape of the second flexible bending section 1102 remains unchanged, and the surfaces of the plurality of second horizontal self-contacting support structures 1119 arranged therein are in contact with the corresponding plurality of second horizontal groove contact surfaces 1123 with a certain area, the second horizontal self-contacting support structures 1119 become support beams for limiting the bending of the structure, thereby realizing the bending shape limiting of the second flexible bending section 1102 reaching the limit value in the bending process; the first flexible bending section 1101 realizes synchronous bending change during the driving stretching operation on the second driving wire 152 and the fourth driving wire 154, when the second flexible bending section 1102 reaches the bending shape limit, the first flexible bending section 1101 can continue to increase the bending deformation posture with the driving stretching of the second driving wire 152 and the fourth driving wire 154, until the driving stretching stops or reaches the bending limit stop of the hinge structure; the preset target downward bending deformation posture can be achieved by designing the size and arrangement position of the plurality of second horizontal self-contacting support structures 1119, the plurality of intermediate sheet structures 32, the plurality of first gap structures 31 and the plurality of second gap structures 33.

[0079] As Figure 10As shown, by arranging the third driving wire 153 and the fourth driving wire 154 in the third driving wire channel 115 arranged on the upper side of the stretchable flexible bending section 11 and the fourth driving wire channel 116 arranged on the lower side, the multi-lumen continuum flexible arm 1 can be bent and deformed to the left, including the bending deformation posture of the first flexible bending section 1101 and the second flexible bending section 1102, the bending radii of the center lines of the two bending structures are different; after a period of driving stretching operation on the third driving wire 153 and the fourth driving wire 154, the second flexible bending section 1102 reaches the bending deformation limit state, the bending shape of the second flexible bending section 1102 remains unchanged, and the surfaces of the plurality of second vertical self-contacting support structures 1118 arranged thereon are in contact with the corresponding plurality of second vertical groove contact surfaces 1122 with a certain area, the second vertical self-contacting support structures 1118 become support beams for limiting the bending of the structure, thereby realizing the bending shape limiting of the second flexible bending section 1102 reaching the limit value in the bending process; the first flexible bending section 1101 realizes synchronous bending change during the driving stretching operation on the third driving wire 153 and the fourth driving wire 154, and when the second flexible bending section 1102 reaches the bending shape limit, the first flexible bending section 1101 can continue to increase the bending deformation posture with the driving stretching of the third driving wire 153 and the fourth driving wire 154 until the driving stretching stops or reaches the bending limit of the hinge structure; by designing the size and arrangement position of the plurality of second vertical self-contacting support structures 1118, the plurality of intermediate sheet structures 32, the plurality of first gap structures 31 and the plurality of second gap structures 33, the preset target left bending deformation posture can be realized.

[0080] As Figure 11As shown, by arranging the first driving wire 151 and the second driving wire 152 in the first driving wire channel 113 and the second driving wire channel 114 arranged on the upper side and the lower side of the rear driving stretchable flexible bending section 11, the multi-lumen continuum flexible arm 1 can be bent and deformed to the right direction, including the bending deformation posture of the first flexible bending section 1101 and the second flexible bending section 1102, and the bending radii of the center lines of the two bending structures are different; after a period of driving stretching operation of the first driving wire 151 and the second driving wire 152, the first flexible bending section 1101 reaches the bending deformation limit state, the bending shape of the first flexible bending section 1101 remains unchanged, and the surfaces of the plurality of first vertical self-contacting support structures 1112 arranged thereon are in contact with the corresponding plurality of first vertical groove contact surfaces 1120 with a certain area, and the first vertical self-contacting support structures 1112 become support beams for limiting the bending of the structure, thereby realizing the bending shape limiting of the first flexible bending section 1101 reaching the limit value in the bending process; the second flexible bending section 1102 realizes synchronous bending change during the driving stretching operation of the first driving wire 151 and the second driving wire 152, and when the first flexible bending section 1101 reaches the bending shape limit, the second flexible bending section 1102 can continue to increase the bending deformation posture with the driving stretching of the first driving wire 151 and the second driving wire 152 until the driving stretching stops or reaches the bending limit of the hinge structure; the preset target bending deformation posture to the right can be realized by designing the size and arrangement position of the plurality of first vertical self-contacting support structures 1112, the plurality of intermediate sheet structures 32, the plurality of first gap structures 31 and the plurality of second gap structures 33.

[0081] Example 5

[0082] This embodiment 5 is a preferred embodiment of embodiments 1-4, in particular:

[0083] As shown in the drawings, Figure 12 along the axis direction of the flexible bending section 11, the first driving wire 151 is arranged in the first driving wire channel 113, and the third driving wire 153 is arranged in the third driving wire channel 115, and the first driving wire 151 and the third driving wire 153 are positioned and installed to the front ends of the corresponding driving wire channels of the first flexible bending section 1101 by round head parts; the second driving wire 152 is arranged in the second driving wire channel 114, and the fourth driving wire 154 is arranged in the fourth driving wire channel 116, and the second driving wire 152 and the fourth driving wire 154 are positioned and installed to the front ends of the corresponding driving wire channels of the intermediate sheet structure 32 closest to the first flexible bending section 1101 in the second flexible bending section 1102 by round head parts.

[0084] As shown in the drawings, Figure 13As shown, first, the second driving wire 152 and the fourth driving wire 154 arranged in the second driving wire channel 114 and the fourth driving wire channel 116 arranged at the lower side of the second flexible bending section 1102 of the rear driving stretching flexible bending section 11 are driven, and after a certain period of time of continuously applying driving stretching operation to the second driving wire 152 and the fourth driving wire 154, the second flexible bending section 1102 reaches the bending deformation limit state, the bending shape of the second flexible bending section 1102 remains unchanged, the surface of the plurality of second horizontal self-contacting support structures 1119 arranged on the second flexible bending section 1102 is in contact with the second horizontal groove contact surface 1123 with a certain area, and the second horizontal self-contacting support structure 1119 becomes the limiting support beam of the bending structure, so that the bending shape of the second flexible bending section 1102 is limited during the bending process, and the downward bending deformation of the second flexible bending section 1102 can be realized; in this state, the first driving wire 151 and the third driving wire 153 arranged in the first driving wire channel 113 and the third driving wire channel 115 arranged at the upper side of the rear driving stretching flexible bending section 11 are driven again, and after a certain period of time of continuously applying driving stretching operation to the first driving wire 151 and the third driving wire 153, the first flexible bending section 1101 reaches the bending deformation limit state in the state of being limited by the downward bending deformation of the second flexible bending section 1102, the bending shape of the first flexible bending section 1101 remains unchanged, the surface of the plurality of first horizontal self-contacting support structures 1117 arranged on the first flexible bending section 1101 is in contact with the first horizontal groove contact surface 1121 with a certain area, and the first horizontal self-contacting support structure 1117 becomes the limiting support beam of the bending structure, so that the bending shape of the first flexible bending section 1101 is limited during the bending process, and the upward bending deformation of the first flexible bending section 1101 can be realized.

[0085] At this time, the limited bending deformation posture of the second flexible bending section 1102 in the downward direction and the limited bending deformation posture of the first flexible bending section 1101 in the upward direction are combined to form the bending posture of the limited shape of the flexible bending section 11, and the deformed flexible bending section 11 has a certain limited stiffness, which can be suitable for special spaces and use scenarios. By driving the driving wires 15 arranged at different axial positions in different driving wire channels, the combined bending deformation postures of upward and downward, left and right, and space can be realized, which can be suitable for special spaces and use scenarios.

[0086] Example 6

[0087] This embodiment 6 is another preferred embodiment of embodiments 1-4, in particular:

[0088] As Figure 14As shown, the second horizontal self-contact support structure 1119 of the second flexible bending segment 1102 can be provided in various structural forms, such as the second horizontal self-contact support structure 11191, the second horizontal self-contact support structure 11192, the second horizontal self-contact support structure 11193, or the second horizontal self-contact support structure 11194, which aims to enable the contact surface thereof to be further compressed and deformed within a certain range under the action of an external force, that is, to be bent and deformed for the second time on the basis of the original first contact deformation of the support structure, so as to obtain a preset bending deformation state of the flexible arm. By driving the second driving wire 152 and the fourth driving wire 154 arranged in the second driving wire channel 114 and the fourth driving wire channel 116 provided on the lower side of the flexible bending segment 11 rearward, the multi-lumen continuum flexible arm 1 can be bent and deformed in the downward direction, including the bending deformation postures of the first flexible bending segment 1101 and the second flexible bending segment 1102, and the bending radii of the center lines of the two bending structure bodies are different. After the second driving wire 152 and the fourth driving wire 154 are continuously subjected to the driving and stretching operation for a period of time, the surfaces of the plurality of second horizontal self-contact support structures 1119 provided on the second flexible bending segment 1102 are in contact with the corresponding plurality of second vertical groove contact surfaces 1122 by a certain area, and the second horizontal self-contact support structure 1119 becomes a limiting support beam of the bending structure body, so as to realize the increase of the rigidity of the second flexible bending segment 1102 in the bending process and achieve the first-stage bending shape limiting. By continuously applying the driving and stretching operation to the second driving wire 152 and the fourth driving wire 154, the second flexible bending segment 1102 is kept in the bending shape limiting for a certain period of time, and the second horizontal self-contact support structure 1119 including the second horizontal self-contact support structure 11191, the second horizontal self-contact support structure 11192, the second horizontal self-contact support structure 11193, or the second horizontal self-contact support structure 11194 is compressed and deformed due to the hollow structure characteristics thereof, and the second flexible bending segment 1102 is continuously bent and deformed until the hollow structure type second horizontal self-contact support structure 1119 reaches the final bending shape limiting posture, so as to realize the variable-rigidity bending deformation of the second flexible bending segment 1102 and obtain a preset target downward bending deformation posture, which can be applicable to special spaces and use scenarios.

[0089] Example 7

[0090] This embodiment 7 is another preferred example of embodiments 1-4, in particular:

[0091] As Figures 15-16As shown, a large channel is arranged in the middle of the flexible bending section 4, and 12 channel holes are arranged in the outer ring in the circumferential direction as drive wire channels; the flexible bending section 4 is provided with a plurality of gap structures and middle plate structures in the axial direction, the gap structures are uniformly distributed with 3 slot structures along the circumferential direction of the flexible bending section 4, and 3 support beams are formed, so as to form staggered bending hinges on the flexible bending section 11 to realize bending deformation.

[0092] The first flexible bending section 401, the second flexible bending section 402, the third flexible bending section 403 and the fourth flexible bending section 404 can be formed by different combinations of gap structure positions and middle plate structures, and each flexible bending section can realize bending deformation in four directions by driving the drive wires arranged in different preset drive wire channels.

[0093] Example 8

[0094] The application also provides a robot, such as Figure 19 As shown, the robot comprises the self-contacting multi-lumen continuum flexible arm 1 in embodiments 1-7 and a control operation device 2, the end of the self-contacting multi-lumen continuum flexible arm 1 is connected with the control operation device 2, the control operation device 2 drives and controls the drive wires 15 in the self-contacting multi-lumen continuum flexible arm 1, and the control operation device 2 controls one or more of the camera 14, the lighting or sensing device 16, the lighting or sensing device 17 and the operation device 18.

[0095] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "upper", "lower", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer" and the like refer to the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only intended to facilitate the description of the present application and simplify the description, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present application.

[0096] The specific embodiments of the present application are described above. It should be understood that the present application is not limited to the above specific embodiments, and various changes or modifications can be made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the claims, which do not affect the essential content of the present application. The embodiments of the present application and the features in the embodiments can be arbitrarily combined with each other without conflict, provided that they do not conflict.

Claims

1. A self-contacting multi-lumen continuum flexible arm, characterized by, The utility model relates to a flexible bending section (11), sealing protection pipe (12), fixed cap (13) and work part, work part is installed on fixed cap (13), fixed cap (13) is fixed in the front end of flexible bending section (11), sealing protection pipe (12) is arranged on the outer surface of flexible bending section (11) and fixed cap (13), and sealing protection pipe (12) is arranged on the inner surface of second device channel (112) in flexible bending section (11); The flexible bending section (11) is provided with a plurality of slot structures in vertical and horizontal directions along the axis on the outside, and a plurality of device channels and a plurality of driving wire channels are arranged inside the flexible bending section (11), and a corresponding driving wire (15) is connected inside the plurality of driving wire channels; The flexible bending section (11) comprises a first gap structure (31), an intermediate sheet structure (32), and a second gap structure (33), a plurality of the first gap structures (31) and a plurality of the second gap structures (33) are alternately arranged in sequence, and the intermediate sheet structure (32) is arranged between the first gap structure (31) and the second gap structure (33); The first gap structure (31) is provided with a vertical support beam structure and a vertical self-contacting support structure, the first gap structure (31) and the vertical support beam structure form a vertical slot structure, and the surface of the vertical self-contacting support structure is spaced apart from the first vertical slot contact surface (1120) and the second vertical slot contact surface (1122) of the vertical slot structure by a certain distance gap; The second gap structure (33) is provided with a horizontal support beam structure and a horizontal self-contacting support structure, the second gap structure (33) and the horizontal support beam structure form a horizontal slot structure, and the horizontal self-contacting support structure is spaced apart from the first horizontal slot contact surface (1121) and the second horizontal slot contact surface (1123) of the horizontal slot structure by a certain distance gap; The vertical self-contacting support structure comprises a first vertical self-contacting support structure (1112) and a second vertical self-contacting support structure (1118), and the horizontal self-contacting support structure comprises a first horizontal self-contacting support structure (1117) and a second horizontal self-contacting support structure (1119); A plurality of first gap structures (31), a plurality of intermediate sheet structures (32), and a plurality of second gap structures (33) form a first flexible bending section (1101) through the first vertical self-contacting support structure (1112) and the first horizontal self-contacting support structure (1117); A plurality of first gap structures (31), a plurality of intermediate sheet structures (32), and a plurality of second gap structures (33) form a second flexible bending section (1102) through the second vertical self-contacting support structure (1118) and the second horizontal self-contacting support structure (1119). ​ 2. The self-contacting multi-lumen continuum flexible arm of claim 1, wherein, The intermediate sheet structure (32) is provided with a driving wire through hole, and the first gap structure (31) and the second gap structure (33) are respectively provided with a driving wire through hole corresponding position corresponding to the driving wire through hole; along the axis direction of the flexible bending section (11), the driving wire through hole, the driving wire through hole corresponding position of the first gap structure (31) and the driving wire through hole corresponding position of the second gap structure (33) form the driving wire channel; the driving wire (15) is connected in the driving wire channel, and one end of the driving wire (15) is connected with the fixed cap (13); The intermediate sheet structure (32) is provided with a device through hole, and the first gap structure (31) and the second gap structure (33) are respectively provided with a device through hole corresponding position corresponding to the device through hole; along the axis direction of the flexible bending section (11), the device through hole, the device through hole corresponding position of the first gap structure (31) and the device through hole corresponding position of the second gap structure (33) form the device channel, and the device channel is connected with the working cable and / or the working part.

3. The self-contacting multi-lumen continuum flexible arm of claim 1, wherein, The driving wire (15) includes a round head and a wire body, the wire body is connected with the fixed cap (13) through the round head, and the diameter of the round head is greater than that of the driving wire channel, and the driving wire (15) is fixedly installed on the fixed cap (13) through the round head corresponding to the front end of the driving wire channel.

4. The self-contacting multi-lumen continuum flexible arm of claim 1, wherein, The first vertical self-contacting support structure (1112), the second vertical self-contacting support structure (1118), the first horizontal self-contacting support structure (1117), and the second horizontal self-contacting support structure (1119) are respectively composed of a plurality of support structures arranged at intervals. Alternatively, a plurality of horizontal self-contacting support structures and / or a plurality of vertical self-contacting support structures adopt a plurality of structural forms, including a hollow structure and an interlaced curved hinge structure; a plurality of horizontal self-contacting support structures and / or a plurality of vertical self-contacting support structures are subjected to secondary bending deformation on the basis of the deformation of the flexible bending section (11), so as to realize variable rigidity bending deformation and obtain a preset target downward bending deformation posture.

5. The self-contacting multi-lumen continuum flexible arm of claim 4, wherein, The flexible bending section (11) includes the first flexible bending section (1101) and the second flexible bending section (1102), and the bending radii of the center lines of the first flexible bending section (1101) and the second flexible bending section (1102) are different. The driving wire (15) realizes the bending deformation of the flexible bending section (11) in the up-down and left-right directions, the bending deformation postures of the first flexible bending section (1101) and the second flexible bending section (1102) by backward driving and stretching.

6. The self-contacting multi-lumen continuum flexible arm of claim 5, wherein, When the first flexible bending section (1101) reaches the bending deformation limit state, a plurality of surfaces of the first horizontal self-contacting support structure (1117) are in contact with a plurality of corresponding first horizontal groove contact surfaces (1121), and the first flexible bending section (1101) is limited in bending shape by the first horizontal self-contacting support structure (1117). Alternatively, a plurality of surfaces of the second vertical self-contacting support structure (1118) are in contact with a plurality of corresponding second vertical groove contact surfaces (1122), and the first flexible bending section (1101) is limited in bending shape by the second vertical self-contacting support structure (1118). When the second flexible bending section (1102) reaches the bending deformation limit state, a plurality of surfaces of the second horizontal self-contacting support structure (1119) are in contact with a plurality of corresponding second horizontal groove contact surfaces (1123), and the second flexible bending section (1102) is limited in bending shape by the second horizontal self-contacting support structure (1119). Alternatively, a plurality of surfaces of the first vertical self-contacting support structure (1112) are in contact with a plurality of corresponding first vertical groove contact surfaces (1120), and the second flexible bending section (1102) is limited in bending shape by the first vertical self-contacting support structure (1112).

7. The self-contacting multi-lumen continuum flexible arm of claim 1, wherein, The fixing cap (13) is provided with a mounting channel or a mounting hole, and the size of the mounting channel or the mounting hole corresponds to the size of the device channel and the driving wire channel, respectively.

8. The self-contacting multi-lumen continuum flexible arm of claim 1, wherein, The working components include one or more of a camera (14), an illumination or sensing device (16), an illumination or sensing device (17), and an operating device (18); The camera (14), the illumination or sensing device (16), the illumination or sensing device (17), and the operating device (18) are respectively connected to the front end of the flexible bending section (11) through the fixing cap (13).

9. A robot, characterized in that The self-contacting multi-lumen continuum flexible arm (1) of any one of claims 1-8 is connected to a control operating device (2), the control operating device (2) drives and controls the driving wire (15) inside the self-contacting multi-lumen continuum flexible arm (1), and the control operating device (2) respectively controls one or more of a camera (14), an illumination or sensing device (16), an illumination or sensing device (17), and an operating device (18).

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