Rope-driven continuum robot with pneumatic flexible joints

Abstract

The invention discloses a rope-driven continuum robot with pneumatic flexible joints, and relates to the technical field of flexible continuum robots, the rope-driven continuum robot comprises a driving box and a movable arm, the movable arm comprises M pneumatic flexible joints, M driving devices and an inflation and deflation device are arranged in the driving box, and the driving devices are connected with the pneumatic flexible joints in a one-to-one correspondence mode; the inflating and deflating device is connected with the pneumatic flexible joint; the curved-surface side wall of each pneumatic flexible joint is made of an inflatable expansion material, and a plurality of guide discs are arranged on the curved-surface side wall; m hoses are arranged in each pneumatic flexible joint, M air pipes are formed after the hoses in every two adjacent pneumatic flexible joints in the movable arm are connected in a one-to-one correspondence and sealing mode, and only one inflation and deflation hose is arranged on each air pipe. The movable arm is convenient to disassemble and maintain, the movable arm can generate force with different strengths and rigidity along with use of pressurized air, the diameter of the movable arm is changed, and the movable arm adapts to working conditions with different complexity degrees.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of flexible continuum robots, in particular to a rope-driven continuum robot with pneumatic flexible joints. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, with the rapid development of high-tech industries, the development of precision equipment maintenance, nuclear power and large equipment pipeline detection has gradually become an important symbol of a country's comprehensive strength and international competitiveness. However, under extreme environmental conditions such as extremely low temperature, high temperature, high-energy particle radiation, and high-pressure vacuum, the equipment working in such an environment is very prone to failure, or even complete paralysis, and even serious economic losses. In order to ensure the normal operation of large industrial equipment and nuclear facilities and the daily cleaning and maintenance of some high-end equipment pipelines, there is a higher demand for the daily monitoring and maintenance capabilities of the equipment. At present, in such environments, many countries are making various attempts to overhaul, maintain and monitor large equipment. However, the space in such a working environment is mostly small, the structure is complex, and the danger is high, making it extremely difficult to perform tasks in such an environment. On the one hand, the manual operation of this task is difficult, labor-intensive and inefficient, which is not conducive to human intervention. On the other hand, traditional rigid robots rely on rigid structures and motors to directly drive joints. Although they perform well in terms of accuracy and load capacity, their flexibility and adaptability are limited when facing complex and unstructured environments, so they are not well suited for operations in such narrow spaces. In this context, the flexible rope-driven continuum robot came into being. It cleverly combines flexible mechanical design with rope transmission technology, bringing a revolutionary change to the field of robotics. The core of the flexible rope-driven continuum robot is to use ropes as a medium for transmitting power and control, and to achieve flexible control of the robot's body shape by precisely controlling the tension changes of the ropes. This design not only greatly improves the flexibility and compliance of the robot, enabling it to easily pass through narrow spaces and perform delicate operations, but also significantly reduces the overall weight and energy consumption of the robot, enhancing its adaptability and practicality in a variety of application scenarios. Compared with traditional industrial discrete robots, this robot has good bending characteristics, excellent dexterous movements, and strong obstacle avoidance and environmental adaptability. It is suitable for application in unknown unstructured environments, so the development of flexible continuum robots is of great significance.

[0003] The flexible rope-driven continuous robot combines the structure of rope drive and continuous robot body, which brings great advantages. Specifically, this structure can separate the motor and other drive mechanisms from the actuators, so that all control circuits and transmission mechanisms can be integrated in the root drive control box of the flexible robot, so that it can be protected from the influence of harsh external environments such as high radiation, extremely low temperature, etc.; in addition, it can also reduce the mass of the operating arm, which is more conducive to its slender body design, suitable for operation in a small workspace, and is widely used in on-orbit monitoring, industrial equipment parts assembly and fuel tank monitoring, nuclear power plant monitoring, disaster relief, medical treatment and pipeline inspection and other fields.

[0004] However, at present, there are still many shortcomings in the development of flexible rope-driven continuum robots. For example, the rope-driven continuum robots currently produced are generally developed for a certain scenario, and the diameter size of the designed continuum robots is mostly fixed and not universal. Or the flexible robotic arms of the rope-driven robots are generally set in length and cannot be easily disassembled and replaced. These designs will greatly increase maintenance time and slow down work efficiency. At the same time, the working range is also affected by the length. When the required working range exceeds the length of the rope-driven robot's own robotic arm, the rope-driven robot needs to be redesigned. Therefore, the flexible continuum robot still has a broad research prospect. Summary of the invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a rope-driven continuum robot with pneumatic flexible joints to solve the problems of traditional rope-driven continuum robots having poor adaptability and environmental adaptability, being difficult to repair, having a limited working range and being unable to be expanded at will.

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a rope-driven continuum robot with pneumatic flexible joints, comprising a driving box and a movable arm, one end of the movable arm being detachably fixedly connected to the driving box, the movable arm comprising M pneumatic flexible joints that are detachably connected in sequence, the driving box being provided with M driving devices and an air-charging and air-discharging device, the driving devices being connected to the pneumatic flexible joints in a one-to-one correspondence through driving ropes, and the M air valves in the air-charging and air-discharging devices being connected to the pneumatic flexible joints in a one-to-one correspondence through air pipes; The curved side wall of each pneumatic flexible joint is made of inflatable material, and a plurality of guide discs for passing the drive rope are arranged on the curved side wall, and the guide discs are fixedly connected to the curved side wall and evenly distributed along the length direction of the pneumatic flexible joint; Each of the pneumatic flexible joints is provided with M hoses arranged in parallel, and the M hoses are respectively 1 inflation and deflation hose and N air delivery hoses. The inflation and deflation hoses are provided with air holes connected to the inner cavity of the pneumatic flexible joints. The hoses in each two adjacent pneumatic flexible joints in the movable arm are sealed and connected one by one to form M air pipes. There is only one inflation and deflation hose on each air pipe, and a seal is provided at the end of the air pipe.

[0007] Preferably, the guide plate includes a first elastic fixing ring, a second elastic fixing ring and four sub-plates, the four sub-plates are respectively the first sub-plate, the second sub-plate, the third sub-plate and the fourth sub-plate, the first sub-plate and the second sub-plate are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the pneumatic flexible joint, the third sub-plate and the fourth sub-plate are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the pneumatic flexible joint, M through holes are arranged on the side of the sub-plate, and a first arc-shaped through groove and a second arc-shaped through groove arranged in parallel are arranged between the two end faces of the sub-plate, the first elastic fixing ring is located in the four first arc-shaped through grooves, and the second elastic fixing ring is located in the four second arc-shaped through grooves.

[0008] Preferably, each of the driving devices comprises a pan-swing driving motor and a pitch driving motor, there are M groups of driving ropes and they are arranged one by one with the pneumatic flexible joints, each group of driving ropes comprises a pan-swing driving rope and a pitch driving rope, the head end of the pan-swing driving rope is fixed on the drum of the corresponding pan-swing driving motor after being wound several times, the tail end of the pan-swing driving rope passes through the driving box and then sequentially passes through the through holes on the first sub-disk it passes through to the end of the corresponding pneumatic flexible joint, then turns on the guide disk at the end of the corresponding pneumatic flexible joint, and sequentially passes through the through holes on the second sub-disk it passes through to return to the drum, and finally is fixed on the drum after being wound several times on the drum, and only one pan-swing driving rope is passed through all the through holes on each first sub-disk and each second sub-disk; The head end of the pitch drive rope is fixed on the drum of the corresponding pitch drive motor after being wound several times. The tail end of the pitch drive rope passes through the drive box and then passes through the through holes on the third sub-disc it passes through in turn to lead to the end of the corresponding pneumatic flexible joint. Then it turns on the guide disk at the end of the corresponding pneumatic flexible joint, and passes through the through holes on the fourth sub-disc it passes through in turn to return to the drum. Finally, it is fixed on the drum after being wound several times. Only one pitch drive rope is passed through all the through holes on each third sub-disc and each fourth sub-disc.

[0009] Preferably, the air charging and discharging device includes an air storage tank, an air pump and M air valves, one end of the air pump is connected to the air storage tank, the other end of the air pump is connected in parallel with M air pipes, and an air valve is provided on one end of each air pipe close to the air pump.

[0010] Preferably, a female buckle is provided on the sub-disk, and a sub-buckle corresponding to the female buckle is provided on the curved side wall of the pneumatic flexible joint, and the female buckle and the sub-buckle are interference connected.

[0011] Preferably, the sub-disc is made of aluminum alloy, and the first elastic fixing ring and the second elastic fixing ring are both rubber rings.

[0012] Therefore, the present invention adopts the above-mentioned structure of the rope-driven continuum robot with pneumatic flexible joints, which has the following beneficial effects: 1. Easy to disassemble the pneumatic flexible joint: The pneumatic flexible joint adopts a segmented design. When one section is damaged during work, it can be replaced at any time without the need to repair the entire section, reducing work obstructions caused by long maintenance time.

[0013] 2. Convenient replacement of the guide disk: Due to the design of the guide sub-disk, the defect of some guide disks of traditional rope-driven robots being damaged and difficult to replace is avoided.

[0014] 3. Ability to adapt to working conditions of different complexity: Since the pneumatic flexible joints are made of elastic materials with high ductility and elasticity, the diameter of the rope-driven robot arm can be adjusted with the increase or decrease of pressurized air, generating different strengths of force and stiffness to adapt to working conditions of different complexity. In addition, the selection of the material of the pneumatic flexible joints has also reduced the weight and volume of the overall rope-driven robot. The pneumatic flexible joints of the rope-driven continuum robot integrate rope-driven technology and pneumatic technology, making it easier to adapt to various complex working environments.

[0015] The technical solution of the present invention is further described in detail below through the accompanying drawings and embodiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of an embodiment of a rope-driven continuum robot with pneumatic flexible joints of the present invention; Figure 2 It is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of a drive box in a rope-driven continuum robot with pneumatic flexible joints of the present invention; Figure 3 It is a structural schematic diagram of an embodiment of a guide plate in a rope-driven continuum robot with pneumatic flexible joints of the present invention; Figure 4 It is a structural schematic diagram of an embodiment of a split plate in a rope-driven continuum robot with pneumatic flexible joints of the present invention; Figure 5 It is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of a pneumatic flexible joint in a rope-driven continuum robot having a pneumatic flexible joint according to the present invention; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the penultimate section of the pneumatic flexible joint being inflated; Figure 7 for Figure 6 Enlarged view of point A in the middle.

[0017] Reference numerals 1. Drive box; 2. Pneumatic flexible joint; 3. Drive device; 31. Swing drive motor; 32. Pitch drive motor; 4. Inflating and discharging device; 41. Air storage tank; 42. Air pump; 43. Air valve; 5. Drive rope; 51. Swing drive rope; 52. Pitch drive rope; 6. Hose; 7. Guide plate; 71. First sub-plate; 72. Second sub-plate; 73. Third sub-plate; 74. Fourth sub-plate; 75. First elastic fixing ring; 76. Second elastic fixing ring; 8. Mother buckle; 9. Child buckle; 10. First arc-shaped through groove; 11. Second arc-shaped through groove; 12. Through hole. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] The technical solution of the present invention is further described below through the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0019] Example like Figure 1-7 As shown, a rope-driven continuum robot with pneumatic flexible joints includes a driving box 1 and a movable arm, one end of the movable arm is detachably fixedly connected to the driving box 1, and the movable arm includes M pneumatic flexible joints 2 that are detachably connected in sequence. In this embodiment, the number of pneumatic flexible joints 2 is 6. Two adjacent pneumatic flexible joints 2 are plugged in, and the elasticity of the material of the pneumatic flexible joints 2 themselves ensures the stability of the plugging. The specific plugging method is that one end of the pneumatic flexible joint 2 is provided with a plug, and the other end of the pneumatic flexible joint 2 is provided with a slot. M driving devices 3 and an air charging and discharging device 4 are arranged in the driving box 1. The driving device 3 is connected to the pneumatic flexible joint 2 one by one through the driving rope 5, and the M air valves 43 in the air charging and discharging device 4 are connected to the pneumatic flexible joint 2 one by one through the air pipe.

[0020] The curved side wall of each pneumatic flexible joint 2 is made of inflatable material, and the inflatable material makes each pneumatic flexible joint 2 form an inflatable airbag. A plurality of guide discs 7 for passing the drive rope 5 are provided on the curved side wall, and the guide discs 7 are fixedly connected to the curved side wall and evenly distributed along the length direction of the pneumatic flexible joint 2. The minimum size of the deformation diameter of the pneumatic flexible joint 2 depends on the diameter of the integral guide disc 7 formed by the sub-discs combined together, and the maximum size of the deformation diameter depends on the material properties and processing dimensions of the pneumatic flexible joint 2, the first elastic fixing ring 75 and the second elastic fixing ring 76. The fixed connection method between the guide disc 7 and the curved side wall can be: a female buckle 8 is provided on the sub-disc, and a sub-buckle 9 corresponding to the female buckle 8 is provided on the curved side wall of the pneumatic flexible joint 2, and the female buckle 8 and the sub-buckle 9 are interference connected. The female buckle 8 and the sub-buckle 9 are used to ensure the stability of the connection between the guide disc 7 and the pneumatic flexible joint 2.

[0021] The guide plate 7 includes a first elastic fixing ring 75, a second elastic fixing ring 76 and four sub-plates, and the first elastic fixing ring 75 and the second elastic fixing ring 76 are both rubber rings. The sub-plates are made of various materials such as aluminum alloy, engineering plastics or inorganic non-metals, and can also be processed by 3D printing, such as PEEK or PLA materials. In this embodiment, aluminum alloy is preferably used for production. The four sub-plates are the first sub-plate 71, the second sub-plate 72, the third sub-plate 73 and the fourth sub-plate 74. The first sub-plate 71 and the second sub-plate 72 are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the pneumatic flexible joint 2, and the third sub-plate 73 and the fourth sub-plate 74 are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the pneumatic flexible joint 2.

[0022] M through holes 12 are provided on the side of the sub-disk, and a first arc-shaped through groove 10 and a second arc-shaped through groove 11 are provided between the two end surfaces of the sub-disk in parallel. The first elastic fixing ring 75 is located in the four first arc-shaped through grooves 10, and the second elastic fixing ring 76 is located in the four second arc-shaped through grooves 11. The first elastic fixing ring 75 and the second elastic fixing ring 76 are used to change the diameter of the guide disk 7 with the change of the pneumatic flexible joint 2, and the through hole 12 is used to pass the driving rope 5.

[0023] Each driving device 3 includes a panning drive motor 31 and a pitching drive motor 32. The driving device 3 is used to drive the pneumatic flexible joint 2 to bend and deform so as to realize the movement of the movable arm. There are M groups of driving ropes 5 and they are arranged one by one with the pneumatic flexible joints 2. Each group of driving ropes 5 includes a pitching drive rope 51 and a pitching drive rope 52. The head end of the pitching drive rope 51 is fixed on the drum of the corresponding panning drive motor 31 after being wound several times. The tail end of the pitching drive rope 51 passes through the driving box 1 and then passes through the through hole 12 on the first sub-disk 71 through which it passes, and leads to the end of the corresponding pneumatic flexible joint 2. Then, it turns on the guide disk 7 at the end of the corresponding pneumatic flexible joint 2, and passes through the through hole 12 on the second sub-disk 72 through which it passes, and returns to the drum. Finally, it is fixed on the drum after being wound several times on the drum. Only one pitching drive rope 51 is passed through all the through holes 12 on each first sub-disk 71 and each second sub-disk 72. The pitch drive rope 51 is used to transmit the driving power of the pan-tilt drive motor 31, so that the pneumatic flexible joint 2 performs pan-tilt motion.

[0024] The head end of the pitch drive rope 52 is fixed on the drum of the corresponding pitch drive motor 32 after being wound several times. The tail end of the pitch drive rope 52 passes through the drive box 1 and then passes through the through hole 12 on the third sub-disk 73 through which it passes to the end of the corresponding pneumatic flexible joint 2. Then, it turns on the guide disk 7 at the end of the corresponding pneumatic flexible joint 2 and passes through the through hole 12 on the fourth sub-disk 74 through which it passes to return to the drum. Finally, it is fixed on the drum after being wound several times. Only one pitch drive rope 52 is passed through all the through holes 12 on each third sub-disk 73 and each fourth sub-disk 74. The pitch drive rope 52 is used to transmit the driving power of the pitch drive motor 32, so that the pneumatic flexible joint 2 performs pitch motion.

[0025] Each pneumatic flexible joint 2 is provided with M hoses 6 arranged in parallel, and the M hoses 6 are respectively 1 inflation hose 6 and N air delivery hoses 6, and the inflation hose 6 is provided with air holes connected with the inner cavity of the pneumatic flexible joint 2. The hoses 6 in each two adjacent pneumatic flexible joints 2 in the movable arm are sealed and connected one by one to form M air pipes, and the sealing connection method can be plug-in, and the sealing between the two hoses 6 can be achieved under the elastic action of the hose 6. There is only one inflation hose 6 on each air pipe, and the end of the air pipe is provided with a seal, and the air pipe is used to connect the pneumatic flexible joint 2 connected with it to the inflation and deflation device 4.

[0026] The air charging and discharging device 4 includes an air tank 41, an air pump 42 and M air valves 43. One end of the air pump 42 is connected to the air tank 41, and the other end of the air pump 42 is connected in parallel with M air pipes, and each air pipe is provided with an air valve 43 at one end close to the air pump 42. The air valve 43 controls the opening and closing of the air pipe, thereby controlling the position of the pneumatic flexible joint 2 with which the air pump 42 is connected.

[0027] When in use, the rope-driven continuum robot with pneumatic flexible joints 2 is applied in environments such as pipeline exploration or complex equipment maintenance where manual and rigid robots are not easy to do, and the flexibility and flexibility of the robot in the present invention can be used to easily enter the working environment and complete the work. For example, a sensor is set on the movable arm to detect the environmental size information and the diameter size information of the movable arm, and then the sensor, the air valve 43, the swing drive motor 31, and the pitch drive motor 32 are all connected to the controller. When the maximum diameter size allowed by the working environment of the rope-driven continuum robot with pneumatic flexible joints 2 in the present invention is smaller than the diameter size of the movable arm in the present invention, the sensor set on the movable arm will respectively transmit the environmental size information and the movable arm size information to the controller in the drive box 1. After calculation, the controller in the drive box 1 obtains the difference between the two sizes and the volume of gas that needs to be released by the pneumatic flexible joint 2 in the movable arm. After that, a command information is issued to control the air pump 42 to deflate the gas in the pneumatic flexible joint 2 to discharge the gas in the pneumatic flexible joint 2 to reduce the diameter size of the movable arm. And during the exhaust process, the sensor on the movable arm detects and sends information in real time until the diameter of the movable arm reaches the maximum size allowed by the working environment, then the exhaust stops and the air pump 42 stops working. At this time, the movable arm completes the reduction of the diameter size. Similarly, when the outer diameter of the movable arm is smaller than the minimum environmental size allowed by the working environment, the flexible robot in the present invention will perform corresponding inflation work to reach the size required for the work requirements.

[0028] The method for calculating the volume of the pneumatic flexible joint when the movable arm is in use includes the following steps: Ignore the thickness and material of the pneumatic flexible joint, and treat the pneumatic flexible joint as a cylinder for volume calculation. According to the measured diameter of the pneumatic flexible joint and the maximum diameter of the working environment, the volume formula is used to calculate the volume of the pneumatic flexible joint that the air pump needs to inflate and deflate by taking the difference between the two.

[0029] Thickness of the plate L, diameter of the pneumatic flexible joint D, length of the pneumatic flexible joint H, maximum diameter size of the working environment , the volume △V required to inflate and deflate the pneumatic flexible joint.

[0030] Calculated according to the following volume formula: ①Deflation: D+2L> Volume to deflate the pneumatic flexible joint: △V=π( - )H; ②Inflation: D+2L< Volume required to inflate the pneumatic flexible joint: △V=π( - )H.

[0031] Therefore, the present invention adopts the rope-driven continuum robot with pneumatic flexible joints of the above structure, which is an advanced technology that integrates rope-driven technology and pneumatic technology. It is convenient to disassemble the pneumatic flexible joints and replace the guide plates, reducing work obstructions caused by long maintenance time. The length of the movable arm can be changed by disassembling the pneumatic flexible joints, and the diameter of the movable arm can be changed by inflating and deflating air, thereby generating forces and stiffnesses of different intensities, thereby adapting to working conditions of different complexities.

[0032] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solution of the present invention rather than to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify or replace the technical solution of the present invention with equivalents, and these modifications or equivalent replacements cannot cause the modified technical solution to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solution of the present invention.

Claims

1. A rope-driven continuum robot with pneumatic flexible joints, characterized in that: It comprises a driving box and a movable arm, one end of the movable arm is detachably fixedly connected to the driving box, the movable arm comprises M pneumatic flexible joints which are detachably connected in sequence, the driving box is provided with M driving devices and an air charging and discharging device, the driving devices are connected to the pneumatic flexible joints one by one through driving ropes, and the M air valves in the air charging and discharging device are connected to the pneumatic flexible joints one by one through air pipes; The curved side wall of each pneumatic flexible joint is made of inflatable material, and a plurality of guide discs for passing the drive rope are arranged on the curved side wall, and the guide discs are fixedly connected to the curved side wall and evenly distributed along the length direction of the pneumatic flexible joint; Each of the pneumatic flexible joints is provided with M hoses arranged in parallel, and the M hoses are respectively 1 inflation and deflation hose and N air delivery hoses. The inflation and deflation hoses are provided with air holes connected to the inner cavity of the pneumatic flexible joints. The hoses in each two adjacent pneumatic flexible joints in the movable arm are sealed and connected one by one to form M air pipes. There is only one inflation and deflation hose on each air pipe, and a seal is provided at the end of the air pipe.

2. The rope-driven continuum robot with pneumatic flexible joints according to claim 1, characterized in that: The guide plate includes a first elastic fixing ring, a second elastic fixing ring and four sub-plates, the four sub-plates are respectively the first sub-plate, the second sub-plate, the third sub-plate and the fourth sub-plate, the first sub-plate and the second sub-plate are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the pneumatic flexible joint, the third sub-plate and the fourth sub-plate are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the pneumatic flexible joint, M through holes are arranged on the side of the sub-plate, and a first arc-shaped through groove and a second arc-shaped through groove arranged in parallel are arranged between the two end faces of the sub-plate, the first elastic fixing ring is located in the four first arc-shaped through grooves, and the second elastic fixing ring is located in the four second arc-shaped through grooves.

3. The rope-driven continuum robot with pneumatic flexible joints according to claim 2, characterized in that: Each of the driving devices comprises a pan-swing driving motor and a pitch-swing driving motor, and there are M groups of driving ropes which are arranged one by one with the pneumatic flexible joints, and each group of driving ropes comprises a pan-swing driving rope and a pitch-swing driving rope, and the head end of the pan-swing driving rope is fixed on the drum of the corresponding pan-swing driving motor after being wound several times, and the tail end of the pan-swing driving rope passes through the driving box and then sequentially passes through the through holes on the first sub-disk through which it passes to lead to the end of the corresponding pneumatic flexible joint, and then turns on the guide disk at the end of the corresponding pneumatic flexible joint, and sequentially passes through the through holes on the second sub-disk through which it passes to return to the drum, and finally is fixed on the drum after being wound several times on the drum, and only one pan-swing driving rope is passed through all the through holes on each first sub-disk and each second sub-disk; The head end of the pitch drive rope is fixed on the drum of the corresponding pitch drive motor after being wound several times. The tail end of the pitch drive rope passes through the drive box and then passes through the through holes on the third sub-disc it passes through in turn to lead to the end of the corresponding pneumatic flexible joint. Then it turns on the guide disk at the end of the corresponding pneumatic flexible joint, and passes through the through holes on the fourth sub-disc it passes through in turn to return to the drum. Finally, it is fixed on the drum after being wound several times. Only one pitch drive rope is passed through all the through holes on each third sub-disc and each fourth sub-disc.

4. The rope-driven continuum robot with pneumatic flexible joints according to claim 3, characterized in that: The air charging and discharging device includes an air storage tank, an air pump and M air valves. One end of the air pump is connected to the air storage tank, and the other end of the air pump is connected in parallel with M air pipes. An air valve is provided on the end of each air pipe close to the air pump.

5. The rope-driven continuum robot with pneumatic flexible joints according to claim 4, characterized in that: The sub-disk is provided with a female buckle, and the curved side wall of the pneumatic flexible joint is provided with a sub-buckle corresponding to the female buckle, and the female buckle and the sub-buckle are interference connected.

6. The rope-driven continuum robot with pneumatic flexible joints according to claim 5, characterized in that: The material of the sub-disk is aluminum alloy, and the first elastic fixing ring and the second elastic fixing ring are both rubber rings.

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