Modularized multi-fingered dexterous manipulator system with reconfigurable joint angle and design method of modularized multi-fingered dexterous manipulator system

Abstract

The invention discloses a modularized joint angle reconfigurable multi-fingered dexterous manipulator system and a design method thereof, each finger is provided with an independent control transmission assembly, and the system comprises a motor, a variable transmission unit, a metacarpophalangeal joint driving unit and an interphalangeal joint driving unit; the variable transmission unit is connected with the output end of the motor, the metacarpophalangeal joint driving unit and the interphalangeal joint driving unit. The output force of the motor is controlled to be transmitted to the metacarpophalangeal joint driving unit through state switching of the variable transmission unit so as to achieve angle adjustment of the first knuckle or transmitted to the interphalangeal joint driving unit so as to achieve angle adjustment of the second knuckle. According to the multi-fingered dexterous manipulator, flexible control over the angles between the different joints of the fingers of the multi-fingered dexterous manipulator can be achieved, so that the purpose of freely adjusting the bending amount of the different joints of each finger is achieved, target objects of different shapes and sizes are flexibly adapted, and application scenes and objects of the multi-fingered dexterous manipulator are greatly expanded.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of robot dexterous manipulators, and in particular to a modular multi-finger dexterous manipulator system with reconfigurable joint angles and a design method thereof. Background Art

[0002] With the development of robotics technology, dexterous manipulators will gradually replace traditional robot end effectors to perform more complex tasks, and have greatly improved in flexibility, versatility, perception and freedom, and continuously expand their application areas, so as to carry out more extensive operations. They have been applied to automated production lines and assembly processes in many industrial and manufacturing fields. In the era of Industry 4.0, the manufacturing industry is facing the characteristics of diversification, customization, uncertainty, etc., which makes its demand fluctuations more intense. Traditional batch and rigid production systems are often designed specifically for one or several products. Their mechanical structures, control systems and network systems are mostly rigidly designed and deployed. Once new products need to be produced or the design of existing products needs to be adjusted, large-scale equipment and process adjustments are required, which usually takes a lot of time and resources. This rigid production system cannot quickly adapt to market changes and consumers' personalized needs, which limits the flexibility and competitiveness of enterprises. This requires the use of reconfigurable manufacturing methods to achieve rapid adjustment and customized production of production systems through flexible combination and update of modules, equipment and control systems.

[0003] Reconfigurable manufacturing is a manufacturing method with the ability to quickly reorganize and update, and can adjust its structure and components in time. Its core technology is the reconfigurability of the system. By recombining, replacing, cutting, nesting and innovating manufacturing equipment, functional modules or related components, the system can be reconfigured, updated, converted or adjusted to meet the needs of market and task diversification. With the increasing market demand for personalized products, the reconfigurability of dexterous manipulators will gradually be able to support customized production and improve the flexibility and adaptability of production lines. Therefore, the reconfigurability of dexterous manipulators is also of great significance in the industrial field. Reconfigurability enables dexterous manipulators to be reconfigured to adjust their structure and function. Through modular design and configuration, rapid system adjustment and reorganization can be achieved to adapt to different tasks and changes in the working environment, including the grasping, handling and assembly of different objects. This flexibility enables dexterous manipulators to adapt to diverse production tasks, improve production efficiency and flexibility, and reduce the production cycle and the cost of system upgrades. Modular design of components is also very important for the development and maintenance of dexterous manipulator systems. Modularity allows the robot system to easily add or replace functions. When a part needs maintenance or upgrade, the module can be operated separately without intervening in the entire system, and it helps to quickly diagnose the problem. In addition, modular design is usually accompanied by the standardization of components, so that the same functional modules produced by different suppliers can be replaced with each other, which improves the availability of components. By breaking down complex systems into relatively simple subsystems, the overall design difficulty is reduced and it is conducive to the optimization of each module.

[0004] In summary, the modularity and reconfigurability of the dexterous manipulator can help it adapt to diversified tasks, improve production efficiency, reduce deployment and adjustment costs, and support customized production, improve production efficiency and flexibility, and meet the ever-changing market needs. In view of this, the present invention proposes a design method for a multi-finger dexterous manipulator system with modular reconfigurable joint angles. The system includes a plurality of reconfigurable modules. By configuring and combining these modules, the independent adjustment and safe and flexible clamping of different joint bending angles in each finger are realized in an under-actuated manner. Only a single motor is required to meet the free matching and configuration changes of the angles of different joints in the fingers of the dexterous manipulator, thereby meeting the various operation requirements of different types of workpieces. Compared with the traditional under-actuated or fully-actuated dexterous manipulator system, the system has the advantages of reducing the number of drive units, saving space inside the palm, reducing the weight of the hand, and saving manufacturing costs. At the same time, it has the advantages of high flexibility, strong adaptability, wide application range and high resource utilization efficiency, and is suitable for various robot application scenarios and other industrial fields in the future. Summary of the invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to propose a multi-finger dexterous manipulator system with modular reconfigurable joint angles and its design method in view of the practical significance of the reconfigurable joint angles of dexterous manipulators in improving the versatility, flexibility, adaptability and resource utilization efficiency of manufacturing systems.

[0006] The technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:

[0007] A design method for a modular multi-finger dexterous manipulator system with reconfigurable joint angles, wherein each finger in the manipulator comprises at least: a first knuckle connected to the metacarpophalangeal joint and a second knuckle connected to the interphalangeal joint; each finger has an independent control transmission component, including: a motor, a variable transmission unit, a metacarpophalangeal joint drive unit, and an interphalangeal joint drive unit; the variable transmission unit is respectively connected to the output end of the motor, the metacarpophalangeal joint drive unit, and the interphalangeal joint drive unit, and the output force of the motor is controlled by state switching of the variable transmission unit to be transmitted to the metacarpophalangeal joint drive unit to achieve angle adjustment of the first knuckle or to the interphalangeal joint drive unit to achieve angle adjustment of the second knuckle.

[0008] In the above technical scheme, further, the variable transmission unit includes a magnetic module and a spline module. When the magnetic module drives the spline module to engage with the metacarpophalangeal joint drive unit and disengage from the interphalangeal joint drive unit, the motor drives the metacarpophalangeal joint drive unit to adjust the angle of the first joint. When the magnetic module drives the spline module to engage with the interphalangeal joint drive unit and disengage from the metacarpophalangeal joint drive unit, the motor drives the interphalangeal joint drive unit to adjust the angle of the second joint.

[0009] Further, specifically, the variable transmission unit includes a first spur gear, a second spur gear, a spline module, a magnetic module, a first connecting rod, and a second connecting rod; wherein, one end of the first connecting rod is fixedly connected to the motor output shaft, the first spur gear is axially sleeved on the first connecting rod and the two can rotate freely relative to each other, the end face of the first spur gear is provided with a spline, the spline module is axially sleeved on the other end of the first connecting rod and an axial flat key is provided between the two, the end faces of the spline module at both ends are respectively provided with splines, the end face of the metacarpophalangeal joint driving unit is also provided with splines, the second connecting rod is fixedly connected to the interphalangeal joint driving unit, the second spur gear is axially fixed on the second connecting rod, and the first spur gear is meshed with the second spur gear; the magnetic module is used to control the spline module to move along the first connecting rod and the axial flat key between the spline end face of the first spur gear and the spline end face of the metacarpophalangeal joint driving unit, so that one end of the spline module is meshed with the end face spline of the first spur gear or the other end of the spline module is meshed with the end face spline of the metacarpophalangeal joint driving unit.

[0010] Furthermore, the metacarpophalangeal joint drive unit includes a first worm gear mechanism, wherein one end of the first worm is provided with a spline for connecting to a spline module in a variable transmission unit, and the first worm wheel serves as a metacarpophalangeal joint, and its worm wheel shaft is fixedly connected to the lower end of the first phalanx.

[0011] Furthermore, the interphalangeal joint drive unit includes a second worm gear mechanism and a rack and pinion mechanism, wherein one end of the second worm gear is coaxially fixedly connected to the second connecting rod in the variable transmission unit, the second worm gear is coaxially fixed to the gear in the rack and pinion mechanism, the upper end of the rack is hinged to the lower end of the second finger joint, and the lower end of the second finger joint is also hinged to the upper end of the first finger joint to form an interphalangeal joint; the interphalangeal joint drive unit also includes a rack positioning block, which is used to limit the movement direction and meshing center distance of the rack, ensuring that the rack does not rotate or shift sideways to ensure that the rack and gear are always effectively meshed.

[0012] Furthermore, the interphalangeal joint drive unit includes a second worm gear mechanism, a synchronous belt mechanism, and a gear mechanism, wherein one end of the second worm gear is coaxially fixedly connected to the second connecting rod in the variable transmission unit, the second worm gear is coaxially fixed to the first synchronous pulley in the synchronous belt mechanism, the second synchronous pulley is coaxially fixed to the first gear in the gear mechanism, and the gear shaft of the second gear in the gear mechanism is hinged to the lower end of the second finger joint to form an interphalangeal joint.

[0013] Correspondingly, the present invention also provides a modular multi-finger dexterous manipulator system with reconfigurable joint angles, wherein each finger in the manipulator comprises at least: a first knuckle connected to the metacarpophalangeal joint and a second knuckle connected to the interphalangeal joint; each finger has an independent control transmission assembly, including: a motor, a variable transmission unit, a metacarpophalangeal joint drive unit, and an interphalangeal joint drive unit; the variable transmission unit comprises a first spur gear, a second spur gear, a spline module, a magnetic attraction module, a first connecting rod, and a second connecting rod; wherein one end of the first connecting rod is fixedly connected to the motor output shaft, the first spur gear is axially sleeved on the first connecting rod, and the two can be relatively self-rotating By rotation, a spline is provided on the end face of the first spur gear, the spline module is axially sleeved on the other end of the first connecting rod and an axial flat key is provided between the spline module and the first connecting rod, splines are respectively provided on the end faces of both ends of the spline module, and the end face of the metacarpophalangeal joint driving unit is also provided with a spline, the second connecting rod is fixedly connected to the interphalangeal joint driving unit, the second spur gear is axially fixed on the second connecting rod, and the first spur gear is meshed with the second spur gear; the magnetic attraction module is used to control the movement of the spline module along the first connecting rod and the axial flat key so that one end of the spline module is meshed with the end face spline of the first spur gear or the other end of the spline module is meshed with the end face spline of the metacarpophalangeal joint driving unit.

[0014] Furthermore, the metacarpophalangeal joint drive unit includes a first worm gear mechanism, wherein a spline is provided at one end of the first worm for meshing and connecting with the spline module in the variable transmission unit. The first worm wheel serves as the metacarpophalangeal joint and its worm wheel shaft is fixedly connected to the lower end of the first finger joint, so that the metacarpophalangeal joint can be driven to move when the motor rotates.

[0015] The interphalangeal joint driving unit includes a second worm gear mechanism and a rack and pinion mechanism, wherein one end of the second worm gear is coaxially fixedly connected to the second connecting rod in the variable transmission unit, the second worm gear is coaxially fixed to the gear in the rack and pinion mechanism, the upper end of the rack is hinged to the lower end of the second knuckle, and the lower end of the second knuckle is also hinged to the upper end of the first knuckle to form an interphalangeal joint.

[0016] The interphalangeal joint driving unit includes a second worm gear mechanism, a synchronous belt mechanism, and a gear mechanism, wherein one end of the second worm is coaxially fixedly connected to the second connecting rod in the variable transmission unit, the second worm gear is coaxially fixed to the first synchronous pulley in the synchronous belt mechanism, the second synchronous pulley is coaxially fixed to the first gear in the gear mechanism, and the gear shaft of the second gear in the gear mechanism is hinged to the lower end of the second finger joint to form an interphalangeal joint.

[0017] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0018] The present invention can realize the flexible control of the angles between different joints of the multi-finger dexterous robot fingers, so as to achieve the purpose of freely adjusting the bending amount of different joints of each finger, so as to flexibly adapt to target objects of different shapes and sizes, and greatly expand the application scenarios and objects of the multi-finger dexterous robot hand. At the same time, the modular design idea can greatly save time, simplify the maintenance process of the system and reduce the overall maintenance cost.

[0019] The multi-finger dexterous manipulator system provided by the present invention mainly realizes independent angle adjustment of the first joint (i.e., metacarpophalangeal joint) and the second joint (i.e., interphalangeal joint) of each finger by a single motor through the use of a worm gear, a magnetic module and a spline module, a gear rack or a synchronous belt mechanism. In particular, the internal magnetic module can realize flexible control and free angle adjustment of different finger joints through the functions of engagement and disengagement. When the magnetic module drives the spline module to engage with the drive unit (i.e., the metacarpophalangeal joint drive unit) controlling the first joint and disengages from the drive unit (i.e., the interphalangeal joint drive unit) controlling the second joint, the motor drives the worm gear to start adjusting the angle of the first joint. When the magnetic module drives the spline module to engage with the drive unit controlling the second joint and disengages from the drive unit controlling the first joint, the motor drives the worm gear to start adjusting the angle of the second joint. The angle adjustment between different joints in the fingers is independent and uncoupled, thereby better meeting the operation requirements of different types of workpieces.

[0020] In addition, the spring expansion module in the middle of the connecting rod can be combined in each joint of the present invention to realize the passive flexibility of the finger clamping force, avoid damage to the finger or workpiece caused by excessive clamping force, and realize safer operation. In addition, in the design process, it is also necessary to comprehensively consider factors such as material selection, structural design, and mechanical analysis to ensure the performance and effect of the reconfigurable joint angle of the dexterous manipulator. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the multi-finger dexterous manipulator system of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a specific example of a modular multi-finger dexterous manipulator with reconfigurable joint angles according to the present invention, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of a multi-finger dexterous manipulator with reconfigurable joint angles based on the rack-and-connecting rod transmission principle;

[0023] Figure 3 for Figure 2 Another perspective view of the structure;

[0024] Figure 4 for Figure 3 Zoom in on the structure view;

[0025] Figure 5 for Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the action status of the spline module in the structure;

[0026] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a specific example of a modular multi-finger dexterous manipulator with reconfigurable joint angles according to the present invention, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of a multi-finger dexterous manipulator with reconfigurable joint angles based on the principle of synchronous belt transmission;

[0027] Figure 7 for Figure 6 Another perspective view of the structure;

[0028] Figure 8 for Figure 7 Zoom in on the structure view;

[0029] Fig. 9 for Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the action status of the spline module in the structure.

[0030] In the figure: 1. second joint (also called interphalangeal joint), 2. first joint (also called metacarpophalangeal joint), 3. motor, 4. first fixed seat, 5. coupling, 6. second fixed seat, 7. first spur gear, 8. first flange, 9. second flange, 10. first worm, 11. rack connecting rod, 12. rack positioning block, 13. second worm gear, 14. second worm, 15. third fixed seat, 16. magnetic module, 17. second connecting rod, 18. second spur gear, 19. first spline end face, 20. first connecting rod, 21. flat key, 22. second spline end face, 23. first worm gear, 24. gear, 25. synchronous belt, 26. second gear, 27. second synchronous pulley, 28. first synchronous pulley, 29. first gear. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] In order to make the above-mentioned purpose, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, the specific implementation mode of the present invention is described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the following description, many specific details are set forth to facilitate a full understanding of the present invention. However, the present invention can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar improvements without violating the connotation of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below. The technical features in each embodiment of the present invention can be combined accordingly without conflicting with each other.

[0032] The modular multi-finger dexterous manipulator system with reconfigurable joint angles provided by the present invention comprises each finger in the manipulator comprising at least: a first knuckle connected to the metacarpophalangeal joint 2 and a second knuckle connected to the interphalangeal joint 1; each finger has an independent control transmission assembly, comprising: a motor 3, a variable transmission unit, a metacarpophalangeal joint drive unit, and an interphalangeal joint drive unit;

[0033] Among them, the variable transmission unit includes a first spur gear 7, a second spur gear 18, a spline module, a magnetic module 16, a first connecting rod 20, and a second connecting rod 17; the metacarpophalangeal joint drive unit includes a first worm gear mechanism; the interphalangeal joint drive unit includes a second worm gear mechanism, and its transmission strategy can adopt rack and connecting rod transmission or synchronous belt pulley transmission.

[0034] One end of the first connecting rod 20 is fixedly connected to the output shaft of the motor 3, the first spur gear 7 is axially sleeved on the first connecting rod 20 and the two can rotate freely relative to each other, a spline is provided on the end face of the first spur gear 7, and a spline module is axially sleeved on the other end of the first connecting rod 20 and an axial flat key 21 is provided between the two, and splines are provided on the end faces of both ends of the spline module respectively, a spline is provided on one end of the first worm 10 in the metacarpophalangeal joint drive unit, the second connecting rod 17 is fixedly connected to the interphalangeal joint drive unit, the second spur gear 18 is axially fixed on the second connecting rod 17, and the first spur gear 7 is meshed with the second spur gear 18; the magnetic attraction module 16 is used to control the spline module to move along the first connecting rod and the axial flat key between the spline end face of the first spur gear and the spline end face of the first worm, so that one end of the spline module is meshed with the end face spline of the first spur gear or the other end of the spline module is meshed with the end face spline of the first worm in the metacarpophalangeal joint drive unit.

[0035] The specific implementation of the magnetic attraction module can be realized by using a push-pull electromagnet, wherein a groove is provided on the push-pull part, and a protrusion provided on the spline module is limited into the groove, such as Fig. 9 As shown, the magnetic module has two working states, namely state one and state two. When no power is supplied, the magnetic module is in the initial position, and the push-pull square shaft with a groove on the top is at the far left end. The magnetic module is in state one, and the spline module is meshed with the first worm to drive the rotation of the first joint. When power is supplied, thrust is generated inside the magnetic module, which can push the push-pull square shaft with a groove on the top to the right end. The magnetic module is in state two, and the spline module is meshed with the first spur gear to drive the rotation of the second joint.

[0036] The output force of the motor is controlled by switching the state of the variable transmission unit to be transmitted to the metacarpophalangeal joint drive unit to achieve the angle adjustment of the first knuckle or to the interphalangeal joint drive unit to achieve the angle adjustment of the second knuckle. The system can realize the reconfigurable joint angle gripping of different types of workpieces for multi-finger dexterous manipulators in various industrial scenarios, thereby ensuring the versatility of the entire dexterous manipulator system.

[0037] Example 1

[0038] The internal diagram of the modular multi-finger dexterous manipulator with reconfigurable joint angles based on the rack-and-link transmission principle is shown in the figure. Figure 2 As shown, in order to show the principle details of the joint angle adjustment in more detail, the middle finger is taken as an example for detailed description. Since the principle of independent adjustment of the joint angles of each finger is similar, the other fingers will not be described in detail.

[0039] like Figure 2-4The manipulator mainly includes: a second joint 1; a first joint 2; a motor 3; a first fixed seat 4; a coupling 5; a second fixed seat 6; a first spur gear 7; a first flange 8; a second flange 9; a first worm 10; a rack connecting rod 11; a rack positioning block 12; a second worm wheel 13; a second worm 14; a third fixed seat 15; a magnetic suction module 16; a second connecting rod 17; a second spur gear 18; a first spline end face 19; a first connecting rod 20; a flat key 21; a second spline end face 22; a first worm wheel 23; and a gear 24. Among them, the first flange 8 and its two end faces, namely the first spline end face 19 and the second spline end face 22, together constitute a spline module; the first worm 10, the first worm wheel 23 and the second flange 9 fixed to the end of the first worm 10 together constitute a metacarpophalangeal joint drive unit, and the end face of the second flange 9 has a spline; the gear 24 and the rack connecting rod 11 together constitute a gear rack mechanism, and together with the worm gear assembly formed by the second worm wheel 13 and the second worm 14, constitute an interphalangeal joint drive unit; a modular reconfigurable joint angle multi-finger dexterous manipulator system design method based on the rack-connecting rod transmission principle uses a single motor to independently and freely adjust the bending angles of different joints of the dexterous manipulator fingers, so that it can achieve flexible, safe and stable work in various industrial scenarios, including the following steps:

[0040] 1. First, the dexterous manipulator system uses sensors to sense the shape, size and relative position of the target object with the manipulator, and plans a safe and efficient trajectory path with the help of the control system. The dexterous manipulator system starts to move according to the planned path and adjusts its posture to prepare for grasping;

[0041] 2. When the gripper of the dexterous manipulator is accurately aligned with the object, the gripper (fingers) of the dexterous manipulator is in a fully open state, and the spline module is engaged with the first worm 10 of the first joint;

[0042] 3. The motor drives the first worm 10 at the first joint to rotate, driving the first worm wheel 23 meshing therewith to rotate. Since the first joint of the finger and the first worm wheel are fixedly connected as one, the first joint of the finger begins to bend inward from the original completely flat state until the first joint moves to the desired angle q1, and then slowly closes the first joint to preliminarily fix the object;

[0043] 4. The control system sends a motion command to the magnetic module 16, and the magnetic module 16 drives the spline module on the first connecting rod 20 to move axially, that is, to move in the direction of the second flange 9 at the end of the first worm 10 away from the first joint, until the spline module is out of engagement with the end face of the second flange 9 at the end of the first worm 10 at the first joint (such as Figure 5 );

[0044] 5. Due to the self-locking effect of the worm gear, the spline module and the end face of the flange 9 at the end of the first worm 10 on the first joint have been disengaged, and the first joint will maintain the desired angle q1 unchanged during the whole process; 6. Then the magnetic module 16 drives the spline module to mesh with the end face spline of the first spur gear 7, and the first spur gear 7 always keeps meshing with the second spur gear 18 driving the second joint. At this time, the second spur gear 18 starts to drive the second worm 14 of the second joint to move;

[0045] 7. The second worm 14 in the second joint drives the second worm wheel 13 to rotate, the second worm wheel 13 drives the gear 24 coaxially connected thereto to rotate, and the gear 24 drives the rack connecting rod 11 connected to the second joint shaft to perform telescopic reciprocating motion until the second joint moves to the desired angle q2;

[0046] 8. When the angles of the first joint and the second joint of the finger are adjusted appropriately, the finger can stably grasp the target object. At the same time, the worm gear assembly in the dexterous manipulator system has a self-locking function, that is, the desired angles q1 and q2 of the first joint and the second joint of the finger are maintained to prevent the target object from being damaged or slipping; 9. According to the shape and texture of the object, the remaining fingers in the dexterous manipulator system can also be finely adjusted according to the above process, so as to grasp the object safely and reliably at a more precise angle;

[0047] 10. Repeat the above steps in each subsequent crawling process.

[0048] Example 2

[0049] The internal diagram of the modular multi-finger dexterous manipulator with reconfigurable joint angles based on the principle of synchronous belt transmission is shown in the figure. Figure 6As shown, in order to show the principle details of its joint angle adjustment in more detail, the middle finger is also used as an example for detailed description. Since the principles of independent adjustment of the joint angles of each finger are similar, the remaining fingers will not be described in detail. The manipulator mainly includes: a second joint 1; a first joint 2; a motor 3; a first fixed seat 4; a coupling 5; a second fixed seat 6; a first spur gear 7; a first flange 8; a second flange 9; a first worm 10; a synchronous belt 25; a second gear 26; a second synchronous pulley 27; a second worm wheel 13; a second worm 14; a third fixed seat 15; a magnetic module 16; a second connecting rod 17; a second spur gear 18; a first spline end face 19; a first connecting rod 20; a flat key 21; a second spline end face 22; a first worm wheel 23; a first synchronous pulley 28; and a first gear 29. Among them, the first flange 8 and its two end faces, namely the first spline end face 19 and the second spline end face 22, together constitute a spline module; the first worm 10, the first worm wheel 23 and the second flange 9 fixed to the end of the first worm 10 together constitute a metacarpophalangeal joint drive unit, and the end face of the second flange 9 has a spline; the first synchronous pulley 28, the synchronous belt 25, the second synchronous pulley 27, the second worm wheel 13, the second worm 14, and the first gear 29, the second gear 26 together constitute an interphalangeal joint drive unit;

[0050] A design method for a multi-finger dexterous manipulator system with modular reconfigurable joint angles based on the principle of synchronous belt transmission is characterized in that a single motor is used to independently and freely adjust the bending angles of different joints of the dexterous manipulator fingers, so that it can achieve flexible, safe and stable operation in various industrial scenarios, including the following steps: 1. First, the dexterous manipulator system uses sensors to sense the shape, size and relative position information of the target object with the manipulator, and plans a safe and efficient trajectory path with the help of a control system. The dexterous manipulator system starts to move according to the planned path and adjusts its posture to prepare for grasping;

[0051] 2. When the gripper (fingers) of the dexterous manipulator is accurately aligned with the object, the fingers of the dexterous manipulator are in a fully open state, and the spline module is engaged with the first worm 10 on the first joint;

[0052] 3. The motor drives the first worm 10 at the first joint to rotate, driving the first worm wheel 24 meshing therewith to rotate. Since the first joint of the finger and the first worm wheel are fixedly connected as one, the first joint of the finger begins to bend inward from the original completely flat state until the first joint moves to the desired angle q1, and then slowly closes the first joint to preliminarily fix the object;

[0053] 4. The control system sends a motion command to the magnetic module 16, and the magnetic module 16 drives the spline module on the first connecting rod 20 to move axially, that is, to move in the direction of the second flange 9 at the end of the first worm 10 away from the first joint, until the spline module is out of engagement with the end face of the second flange 9 at the end of the first worm 10 at the first joint (such as Fig. 9 );

[0054] 5. Due to the self-locking effect of the worm gear, the spline module and the end face of the flange 9 at the end of the first worm 10 on the first joint have been disengaged, and the first joint will maintain the desired angle q1 unchanged during the whole process; 6. Then the magnetic module 16 drives the spline module to mesh with the end face spline of the first spur gear 7, and the first spur gear 7 always keeps meshing with the second spur gear 18 driving the second joint. At this time, the second spur gear 18 starts to drive the second worm 14 of the second joint to move;

[0055] 7. The second worm 14 in the second joint drives the second worm wheel 13 to rotate, and the second worm wheel 13 drives the first synchronous pulley 28 to rotate. The first synchronous pulley 28 drives the first gear 29 through the second synchronous pulley 27 to drive the second gear 26 to rotate. The second gear 26 is fixedly connected to the second joint shaft, thereby driving the second joint to move until the second joint moves to the desired angle q2;

[0056] 8. When the angles of the first joint and the second joint of the finger are adjusted appropriately, the finger can stably grasp the target object. At the same time, the worm gear assembly in the dexterous manipulator system has a self-locking function, that is, the desired angles q1 and q2 of the first joint and the second joint of the finger are maintained to prevent the target object from being damaged or slipping; 9. According to the shape and texture of the object, the remaining fingers in the dexterous manipulator system can also be finely adjusted according to the above process, so as to grasp the object safely and reliably at a more precise angle;

[0057] 10. Repeat the above steps in each subsequent crawling process.

[0058] The above-described embodiments are only some of the preferred solutions of the present invention, but they are not intended to limit the present invention. A person skilled in the relevant technical field may make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, any technical solution obtained by equivalent replacement or equivalent transformation falls within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A design method for a modular multi-finger dexterous manipulator system with reconfigurable joint angles, characterized in that: Each finger in the manipulator comprises at least: a first knuckle connected to the metacarpophalangeal joint and a second knuckle connected to the interphalangeal joint; each finger has an independent control transmission assembly, including: a motor, a variable transmission unit, a metacarpophalangeal joint drive unit, and an interphalangeal joint drive unit; the variable transmission unit is respectively connected to the output end of the motor, the metacarpophalangeal joint drive unit, and the interphalangeal joint drive unit, and the output force of the motor is controlled by switching the state of the variable transmission unit to be transmitted to the metacarpophalangeal joint drive unit to achieve angle adjustment of the first knuckle or to the interphalangeal joint drive unit to achieve angle adjustment of the second knuckle.

2. The method for designing a modular multi-finger dexterous manipulator system with reconfigurable joint angles according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The variable transmission unit includes a magnetic module and a spline module. When the magnetic module drives the spline module to engage with the metacarpophalangeal joint drive unit and disengage from the interphalangeal joint drive unit, the motor drives the metacarpophalangeal joint drive unit to adjust the angle of the first joint. When the magnetic module drives the spline module to engage with the interphalangeal joint drive unit and disengage from the metacarpophalangeal joint drive unit, the motor drives the interphalangeal joint drive unit to adjust the angle of the second joint.

3. The design method of a modular multi-finger dexterous manipulator system with reconfigurable joint angles according to claim 1 is characterized in that: Specifically, the variable transmission unit includes a first spur gear, a second spur gear, a spline module, a magnetic module, a first connecting rod, and a second connecting rod; wherein, one end of the first connecting rod is fixedly connected to the motor output shaft, the first spur gear is axially sleeved on the first connecting rod and the two can rotate freely relative to each other, a spline is provided on the end face of the first spur gear, the spline module is axially sleeved on the other end of the first connecting rod and an axial flat key is provided between the two, splines are respectively provided on the end faces of both ends of the spline module, and a spline is also provided on the end face of the metacarpophalangeal joint driving unit, the second connecting rod is fixedly connected to the interphalangeal joint driving unit, the second spur gear is axially fixed on the second connecting rod, and the first spur gear is meshed with the second spur gear; the magnetic module is used to control the spline module to move along the first connecting rod and the axial flat key between the spline end face of the first spur gear and the spline end face of the metacarpophalangeal joint driving unit, so that one end of the spline module is meshed with the spline end face of the first spur gear or the other end of the spline module is meshed with the spline end face of the metacarpophalangeal joint driving unit.

4. The method for designing a modular multi-finger dexterous manipulator system with reconfigurable joint angles according to claim 3 is characterized in that: The metacarpophalangeal joint drive unit comprises a first worm gear mechanism, wherein one end of the first worm is provided with a spline for connecting with a spline module in a variable transmission unit, and the first worm wheel serves as a metacarpophalangeal joint, and its worm wheel shaft is fixedly connected to the lower end of the first phalanx.

5. The method for designing a modular multi-finger dexterous manipulator system with reconfigurable joint angles according to claim 3 is characterized in that: The interphalangeal joint driving unit includes a second worm gear mechanism and a gear rack mechanism, wherein one end of the second worm gear is coaxially fixedly connected to the second connecting rod in the variable transmission unit, the second worm gear is coaxially fixed to the gear in the gear rack mechanism, the upper end of the rack is hinged to the lower end of the second finger joint, and the lower end of the second finger joint is also hinged to the upper end of the first finger joint to form an interphalangeal joint; the interphalangeal joint driving unit also includes a rack positioning block, which is used to limit the movement direction and meshing center distance of the rack to ensure that the rack does not rotate or shift sideways to ensure that the rack and gear are always effectively meshed.

6. The method for designing a modular multi-finger dexterous manipulator system with reconfigurable joint angles according to claim 3 is characterized in that: The interphalangeal joint driving unit includes a second worm gear mechanism, a synchronous belt mechanism, and a gear mechanism, wherein one end of the second worm is coaxially fixedly connected to the second connecting rod in the variable transmission unit, the second worm gear is coaxially fixed to the first synchronous pulley in the synchronous belt mechanism, the second synchronous pulley is coaxially fixed to the first gear in the gear mechanism, and the gear shaft of the second gear in the gear mechanism is hinged to the lower end of the second finger joint to form an interphalangeal joint.

7. A modular multi-finger dexterous manipulator system with reconfigurable joint angles, characterized in that: Each finger in the manipulator at least includes: a first knuckle connected to the metacarpophalangeal joint and a second knuckle connected to the interphalangeal joint; each finger has an independent control transmission assembly, including: a motor, a variable transmission unit, a metacarpophalangeal joint drive unit, and an interphalangeal joint drive unit; the variable transmission unit includes a first spur gear, a second spur gear, a spline module, a magnetic module, a first connecting rod, and a second connecting rod; wherein one end of the first connecting rod is fixedly connected to the motor output shaft, the first spur gear axially sleeves on the first connecting rod and the two can rotate freely relative to each other, and the end face of the first spur gear is provided with a spline, The spline module is axially sleeved on the other end of the first connecting rod and an axial flat key is provided between the spline module and the first connecting rod, splines are respectively provided on the end faces of both ends of the spline module, and the end face of the metacarpophalangeal joint driving unit is also provided with splines, the second connecting rod is fixedly connected to the interphalangeal joint driving unit, the second spur gear is axially fixed on the second connecting rod, and the first spur gear is meshed with the second spur gear; the magnetic suction module is used to control the movement of the spline module along the first connecting rod and the axial flat key so that one end of the spline module is meshed with the end face spline of the first spur gear or the other end of the spline module is meshed with the end face spline of the metacarpophalangeal joint driving unit.

8. The modular multi-finger dexterous manipulator system with reconfigurable joint angles according to claim 7 is characterized in that: The metacarpophalangeal joint driving unit includes a first worm gear mechanism, wherein a spline is provided at one end of the first worm for meshing and connecting with a spline module in a variable transmission unit. The first worm wheel serves as a metacarpophalangeal joint, and its worm wheel shaft is fixedly connected to the lower end of the first finger joint, so that the metacarpophalangeal joint can be driven to move when the motor rotates.

9. The modular multi-finger dexterous manipulator system with reconfigurable joint angles according to claim 7 is characterized in that: The interphalangeal joint driving unit includes a second worm gear mechanism and a rack and pinion mechanism, wherein one end of the second worm gear is coaxially fixedly connected to the second connecting rod in the variable transmission unit, the second worm gear is coaxially fixed to the gear in the rack and pinion mechanism, the upper end of the rack is hinged to the lower end of the second knuckle, and the lower end of the second knuckle is also hinged to the upper end of the first knuckle to form an interphalangeal joint.

10. The multi-finger dexterous manipulator system with modular reconfigurable joint angles according to claim 7, characterized in that: The interphalangeal joint driving unit includes a second worm gear mechanism, a synchronous belt mechanism, and a gear mechanism, wherein one end of the second worm is coaxially fixedly connected to the second connecting rod in the variable transmission unit, the second worm gear is coaxially fixed to the first synchronous pulley in the synchronous belt mechanism, the second synchronous pulley is coaxially fixed to the first gear in the gear mechanism, and the gear shaft of the second gear in the gear mechanism is hinged to the lower end of the second finger joint to form an interphalangeal joint.

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