Steel wire flexible hinge six-degree-of-freedom platform

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of six-degree-of-freedom platforms, and provides a steel wire flexible hinge six-degree-of-freedom platform which comprises a mounting base, an upper platform and three sets of flexible bodies. A first mounting surface close to the supporting frame and a second mounting surface far away from the supporting frame are arranged on each assembling position; the upper platform is provided with three annularly arranged third mounting surfaces and three fourth mounting surfaces, and one fourth mounting surface is arranged between every two adjacent third mounting surfaces; and each group of flexible bodies comprises two flexible fluid actuators and two steel wire flexible hinges. According to the invention, the upper platform can realize accurate position adjustment and attitude control in a large range by controlling the extension and retraction of the flexible actuator and combining the bending of the steel wire hinge, and high durability and reliability can be realized without power supply.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of six-degree-of-freedom platforms, and in particular to a six-degree-of-freedom platform with a flexible wire hinge. Background Art

[0002] Objects have six degrees of freedom in space, and the six-degree-of-freedom platform can simulate various motion postures in space when in use. It is widely used in many fields. Currently, the existing six-degree-of-freedom platforms mostly use a multi-electric cylinder combination structure to achieve control in order to simulate the motion postures in space, which increases the weight of the platform. Its reliability and durability require electricity to maintain, and the energy consumption is high, which needs further improvement. Summary of the invention

[0003] In view of the defects in the prior art, the object of the present invention is to provide a wire flexible hinge six-degree-of-freedom platform.

[0004] A wire flexible hinge six-degree-of-freedom platform provided by the present invention comprises:

[0005] The mounting base comprises a support frame and three mounting positions evenly arranged along the circumference of the support frame, each of the mounting positions being provided with a first mounting surface close to the support frame and a second mounting surface away from the support frame;

[0006] The upper platform has three third mounting surfaces and three fourth mounting surfaces arranged in an annular shape, and one fourth mounting surface is arranged between every two adjacent third mounting surfaces;

[0007] Three groups of flexible bodies, each group of flexible bodies includes two flexible fluid actuators and two steel wire flexible hinges, wherein the axis of the first flexible fluid actuator is arranged along the first direction and one end is mounted on the second mounting surface, the other end of the first flexible fluid actuator is mounted on the fourth mounting surface through a steel wire flexible hinge, the axis of the second flexible fluid actuator is arranged along the second direction and one end is mounted on the first mounting surface, the other end of the second flexible fluid actuator is mounted on the third mounting surface through a steel wire flexible hinge, wherein the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction.

[0008] Preferably, the steel wire flexible hinge comprises five fixed blocks, a high-toughness structure connecting the five fixed blocks in series, and a first connecting member, wherein the five fixed blocks are arranged in sequence at intervals to form two rows aligned at one end and arranged in parallel, wherein one row consists of two fixed blocks and the other row consists of three fixed blocks, and the two fixed blocks at the aligned ends in the two rows are connected by a first connecting member.

[0009] Preferably, the high-toughness structure is two steel wires or steel ropes parallel to each other.

[0010] Preferably, the fixing block comprises two fixing plates with L-shaped cross-sections and a second connecting member, the two fixing plates are buckled relative to each other and connected by the second connecting member to form a rectangular structure, wherein the high-toughness structure is clamped and fixed between the two fixing plates.

[0011] Preferably, the flexible fluid actuator comprises a plurality of actuators connected in sequence and fixed flanges arranged at both ends, and two adjacent actuators are connected via an internal channel, and the actuator is extended or shortened in the axial direction by inputting fluid into the actuator or outputting fluid from the actuator.

[0012] Preferably, the flexible fluid actuator is arranged with its axis along the first direction and is assembled to the second mounting surface through a base with the aid of its own fixing flange, wherein both the fixing flange and the base have an intermediate channel communicating with the interior of the actuator.

[0013] Preferably, the flexible fluid actuator is arranged with its axis along the first direction and is connected to the steel wire flexible hinge through a connecting piece by means of its own fixing flange.

[0014] Preferably, the flexible fluid actuator is arranged with its axis along the second direction and is directly assembled on the first mounting surface by means of its own fixing flange.

[0015] Preferably, the flexible fluid actuator is arranged along the second direction and is connected to the steel wire flexible hinge through a connecting piece by means of its own fixed flange.

[0016] Preferably, each actuator is designed with a fluid chamber, and a horizontal wall is designed between two adjacent fluid chambers to separate the two adjacent fluid chambers so as to prevent the actuator from bending in a radial direction, wherein the internal channel is arranged on the horizontal wall.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0018] The design of the mounting base in the present invention allows accurate arrangement of the steel wire flexible hinge and the flexible fluid actuator to achieve optimal mechanical properties and motion response, ensuring stable support during high-precision positioning and large-range motion. The upper platform is directly connected to the operated object or tool and supported by the steel wire flexible hinge and the flexible fluid actuator, enabling precise motion with six degrees of freedom. By controlling the extension and contraction of the flexible actuator and combining it with the bending of the steel wire hinge, the upper platform can achieve precise position adjustment and posture control over a large range, allowing multi-directional bending, supporting six-degree-of-freedom motion, achieving high durability and reliability without the need for power supply, ensuring that it is not easily damaged during long-term use, and is suitable for application scenarios requiring high-precision and large-stroke positioning. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Other features, objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the detailed description of non-limiting embodiments made with reference to the following drawings:

[0020] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 It is a schematic top view of the structure of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the installation base, upper platform, first connector and second connector after disassembly;

[0023] Figure 4 It is a structural schematic diagram of a steel wire flexible hinge;

[0024] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of some parts of the disassembled wire flexible hinge;

[0025] Figure 6 It is a structural schematic diagram of a flexible fluid actuator;

[0026] Figure 7 for Figure 6 AA section view.

[0027] The figure shows:

[0028] Flexible fluid actuator1

[0029] Actuator 11

[0030] Internal channel 111

[0031] Fluid chamber 112

[0032] Fixed flange 12

[0033] Base 13

[0034] Middle channel 131

[0035] Mounting Base 2

[0036] Support frame 21

[0037] Assembly position 22

[0038] First mounting surface 221

[0039] Second mounting surface 222

[0040] Upper Platform 3

[0041] The third mounting surface 31

[0042] Fourth mounting surface 32

[0043] Steel wire flexible hinge 4

[0044] Fixed block 41

[0045] Fixed plate 411

[0046] The second connecting member 412

[0047] First connecting member 42

[0048] High toughness structure 43

[0049] First connector 5

[0050] Second connector 6 DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0051] The present invention is described in detail below in conjunction with specific embodiments. The following embodiments will help those skilled in the art to further understand the present invention, but are not intended to limit the present invention in any form. It should be noted that, for those of ordinary skill in the art, several changes and improvements can also be made without departing from the concept of the present invention. These all belong to the protection scope of the present invention.

[0052] The present invention provides a wire flexible hinge six-degree-of-freedom platform, such as Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3As shown, it includes a flexible fluid actuator 1, a mounting base 2, an upper platform 3 and three groups of flexible bodies. The mounting base 2 has a support frame 21 and three assembly positions 22 evenly arranged along the circumference of the support frame 21. The support frame 21 is an equilateral triangle structure when viewed from above. Each assembly position 22 is provided with a first mounting surface 221 close to the support frame 21 and a second mounting surface 222 away from the support frame 21. The first mounting surface 221 and the second mounting surface 222 are preferably arranged in a stepped manner; the upper platform 3 has three third mounting surfaces 31 and three fourth mounting surfaces 32 arranged in an annular manner, and a fourth mounting surface 32 is arranged between each two adjacent third mounting surfaces 31. The third mounting surface 31 faces upward. A positioning edge higher than the third mounting surface 31 is provided on one side of the middle of the platform 3; each group of flexible bodies includes two flexible fluid actuators 1 and two steel wire flexible hinges 4, wherein the axis of the first flexible fluid actuator 1 is arranged along the first direction and one end is mounted on the second mounting surface 222, and the other end of the first flexible fluid actuator 1 is mounted on the fourth mounting surface 32 through a steel wire flexible hinge 4, wherein the steel wire flexible hinge 4 and the fourth mounting surface 32 are connected through a first connector 5, the cross section of the first connector 5 is a U-shaped structure, one side of the first connector 5 is mounted to the bottom of the fourth mounting surface 32, and the end of the steel wire flexible hinge 4 is mounted in the groove of the first connector 5. The axis of the second flexible fluid actuator 1 is arranged along the second direction and one end is mounted on the first mounting surface 221, and the other end of the second flexible fluid actuator 1 is mounted on the third mounting surface 31 through a steel wire flexible hinge 4, wherein the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction.

[0053] Furthermore, the flexible fluid actuator 1 is arranged along the first direction and is assembled to the second mounting surface 222 through the base 13 by means of its own fixing flange 12. Both the fixing flange 12 and the base 13 have an intermediate channel 131 connected to the inside of the actuator 11. Figure 7 The flexible fluid actuator 1 is arranged along the first direction with its own fixed flange 12 and connected to the steel wire flexible hinge 4 through the adapter 14, as shown in FIG. Figure 6 shown.

[0054] It should be noted that the steel wire flexible hinge 4 and the third mounting surface 31 are connected via a second connector 6. Figure 3As shown, the cross section of the second connector 6 is also a U-shaped structure. The difference between the first connector 5 and the second connector 6 is that when the first connector 5 is assembled on the upper platform 3, the U-shaped opening faces upward and is parallel to the axial direction of the upper platform 3, and when the second connector 6 is assembled on the upper platform 3, the U-shaped opening faces radially outward from the upper platform 3 and is perpendicular to the axial direction of the upper platform 3. The flexible fluid actuator 1 arranged along the second direction of the axis is directly assembled to the first mounting surface 221 by means of its own fixing flange 12, and the flexible fluid actuator 1 arranged along the second direction of the axis is connected to the steel wire flexible hinge 4 by means of its own fixing flange 12 through the adapter 14. The present invention realizes frictionless motion and high-precision positioning by using the combination of the steel wire flexible hinge and the flexible actuator.

[0055] like Figure 4 As shown, the steel wire flexible hinge 4 includes five fixed blocks 41, a high toughness structure 43 connecting the five fixed blocks 41 in series, and a first connecting member 42. The five fixed blocks 41 are arranged in sequence and form two rows with one end aligned and arranged in parallel, and a gap is arranged between the two rows. Among them, one row has two fixed blocks 41, and the other row has three fixed blocks 41, forming a 7-shaped structure as a whole. The two fixed blocks 41 at the aligned ends of the two rows are connected by the first connecting member 42. The first connecting member 42 is a connecting pin structure with thin ends and thick middle, as shown in FIG. Figure 5 As shown, the high-toughness structure 43 is two parallel steel wires or steel wire ropes. The steel wires are high-toughness stainless steel wires, and the steel wire rope is a structure formed by braiding multiple strands of steel wires.

[0056] Furthermore, the fixed block 41 includes two fixed plates 411 with L-shaped cross-sections and a second connecting member 412. The two fixed plates 411 are relatively buckled to form a rectangular structure, and are connected by the second connecting member 412 to fix the two fixed plates 411. The high-toughness structure 43 is clamped and fixed between the two fixed plates 411 when the two fixed plates 411 are buckled. The steel wire is tensioned during assembly. The steel wire flexible hinge 4 is one of the core components of the present invention. It uses high-toughness stainless steel wire or wire rope structure, combined with precise fixing and tensioning technology, to achieve frictionless flexible connection. This design not only provides the necessary support stiffness, but also allows the hinge to bend in different directions, thereby providing six degrees of freedom for the upper platform 3. The staggered arrangement of the hinge optimizes the mechanical properties of the entire platform, enabling it to withstand various loads without losing stability.

[0057] like Figure 6As shown, the flexible fluid actuator 1 includes a plurality of actuators 11 connected in sequence and fixed flanges 12 arranged at both ends. Two adjacent actuators 11 are connected by an internal channel 111. The actuator 11 is extended or shortened in the axial direction by inputting fluid into the actuator 11 or outputting fluid from the actuator 11. The design of the actuator 1 takes into account the ease of preparation and driving efficiency, and can produce linear motion. The actuator 1 is preferably prepared by three actuators 11 connected in series. Each actuator 11 is designed with a fluid chamber 112. A 2mm thick horizontal wall is designed between two adjacent fluid chambers 112 to separate different fluid chambers 112 to prevent the actuator 11 structure from bending in the radial direction. The internal channel 111 is arranged on the horizontal wall. In a possible embodiment, the overall structural dimensions of the flexible fluid actuator 1 are 60mm in diameter and 35mm in height. Within the cylindrical space, a single flexible fluid actuator 1 has a stroke of 8mm and is manufactured using a 3D printer using flexible materials.

[0058] In practical applications, due to the unique structural design and high performance of the wire flexible hinge six-degree-of-freedom platform, the small six-degree-of-freedom platform in the present invention is very suitable for scenarios with limited space and requiring high-precision and long-stroke positioning, such as micro-robots, precision assembly, biomedical testing and other fields.

[0059] In the steel wire flexible hinge six-degree-of-freedom platform of the present invention, the steel wire flexible hinges 4 arranged horizontally and the steel wire flexible hinges 4 arranged vertically are arranged alternately along the circumferential direction, and each steel wire flexible hinge 4 includes three pairs of orthogonally placed flexible fluid actuators 1, and each flexible fluid actuator 1 is respectively connected to the upper and lower platforms through the steel wire flexible hinges 4. The present invention realizes six-degree-of-freedom motion output within a large range of the upper platform 3 by combining a large-stroke steel wire flexible hinge with a linear flexible actuator, and driving the flexible actuator axially to extend or contract by fluid, combined with the bending deformation of the steel wire hinge. The platform has no friction during movement, has a large range of motion, and has high positioning accuracy, and the overall structure is very compact. It is suitable for scenarios with limited space and high-precision positioning requirements for a large stroke.

[0060] This platform uses a combination of steel wire flexible hinges and flexible actuators to achieve frictionless motion and high-precision positioning. The mounting base 2 serves as the supporting structure of the entire platform, responsible for connecting and fixing the steel wire flexible hinge 4 and the flexible fluid actuator 1. The mounting base 2 is made of high-strength material to ensure stable support during high-precision positioning and large-range motion. The mounting base 2 design allows the accurate arrangement of the steel wire flexible hinge 4 and the flexible fluid actuator 1 to achieve optimal mechanical properties and motion response. The upper platform 3 is a component that performs precise positioning tasks in the present invention and is directly connected to the operated object or tool. It is supported by the steel wire flexible hinge 4 and the flexible fluid actuator 1 and can achieve precise motion in six degrees of freedom. The design of the upper platform 3 takes into account the lightweight and rigidity of the structure to optimize the motion performance and response speed. By controlling the extension and contraction of the flexible actuator and combining the bending of the steel wire hinge, the upper platform 3 can achieve precise position adjustment and posture control in a large range, allowing multi-directional bending, supporting six-degree-of-freedom motion, high durability and reliability, ensuring that it is not easily damaged during long-term use, and is suitable for application scenarios requiring high-precision and large-stroke positioning.

[0061] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships, are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present application.

[0062] The above describes the specific embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the above specific embodiments, and those skilled in the art can make various changes or modifications within the scope of the claims, which does not affect the essence of the present invention. In the absence of conflict, the embodiments of the present application and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other arbitrarily.

Claims

1. A wire flexible hinge six-degree-of-freedom platform, characterized in that: include: A mounting base (2) comprising a support frame (21) and three assembly positions (22) evenly arranged along the circumference of the support frame (21), each of the assembly positions (22) being provided with a first mounting surface (221) close to the support frame (21) and a second mounting surface (222) away from the support frame (21); The upper platform (3) has three third mounting surfaces (31) and three fourth mounting surfaces (32) arranged in an annular shape, and one fourth mounting surface (32) is provided between every two adjacent third mounting surfaces (31); Three groups of flexible bodies, each group of flexible bodies comprises two flexible fluid actuators (1) and two steel wire flexible hinges (4), wherein the axis of the first flexible fluid actuator (1) is arranged along the first direction and one end is mounted on the second mounting surface (222), and the other end of the first flexible fluid actuator (1) is mounted on the fourth mounting surface (32) through a steel wire flexible hinge (4), and the axis of the second flexible fluid actuator (1) is arranged along the second direction and one end is mounted on the first mounting surface (221), and the other end of the second flexible fluid actuator (1) is mounted on the third mounting surface (31) through a steel wire flexible hinge (4), wherein the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction.

2. The wire flexible hinge six-degree-of-freedom platform according to claim 1, characterized in that: The steel wire flexible hinge (4) comprises five fixed blocks (41), a high toughness structure (43) connecting the five fixed blocks (41) in series, and a first connecting member (42); the five fixed blocks (41) are arranged in sequence at intervals to form two rows with one end aligned and arranged in parallel, wherein one row comprises two fixed blocks (41) and the other row comprises three fixed blocks (41); the two fixed blocks (41) at the aligned ends of the two rows are connected via the first connecting member (42).

3. The wire flexible hinge six-degree-of-freedom platform according to claim 2, characterized in that: The high-toughness structure (43) is two steel wires or steel wire ropes parallel to each other.

4. The wire flexible hinge six-degree-of-freedom platform according to claim 2, characterized in that: The fixing block (41) comprises two fixing plates (411) with L-shaped cross sections and a second connecting member (412). The two fixing plates (411) are relatively buckled and connected via the second connecting member (412) to form a rectangular parallelepiped structure, wherein the high-toughness structure (43) is clamped and fixed between the two fixing plates (411).

5. The wire flexible hinge six-degree-of-freedom platform according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flexible fluid actuator (1) comprises a plurality of actuators (11) connected in sequence and fixed flanges (12) arranged at both ends. Two adjacent actuators (11) are connected via an internal channel (111). The actuator (11) is extended or shortened in an axial direction by inputting fluid into the actuator (11) or outputting fluid from the actuator (11).

6. The wire flexible hinge six-degree-of-freedom platform according to claim 5, characterized in that: The flexible fluid actuator (1) is arranged along the first direction and is assembled onto the second mounting surface (222) through a base (13) with the aid of a fixing flange (12) provided thereon, wherein the fixing flange (12) and the base (13) both have an intermediate channel (131) communicating with the interior of the actuator (11).

7. The wire flexible hinge six-degree-of-freedom platform according to claim 5, characterized in that: The flexible fluid actuator (1) is arranged with its axis along a first direction and is connected to the steel wire flexible hinge (4) through a connecting piece (14) by means of a fixing flange (12) provided therein.

8. The wire flexible hinge six-degree-of-freedom platform according to claim 5, characterized in that: The flexible fluid actuator (1) is arranged with its axis along the second direction and is directly assembled onto the first mounting surface (221) by means of its own fixing flange (12).

9. The wire flexible hinge six-degree-of-freedom platform according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flexible fluid actuator (1) is arranged along the second direction with its axis and is connected to the steel wire flexible hinge (4) through a connecting piece (14) by means of a fixing flange (12) provided therein.

10. The wire flexible hinge six-degree-of-freedom platform according to claim 6, characterized in that: Each actuator (11) is designed with a fluid chamber (112), and a horizontal wall is designed between two adjacent fluid chambers (112) to separate the two adjacent fluid chambers (112) so as to prevent the actuator (11) from bending in a radial direction, wherein the internal channel (111) is arranged on the horizontal wall.

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