A rope-driven continuum robot with pneumatically flexible joints

Abstract

The application discloses a rope-driven continuum robot with pneumatic flexible joints and relates to the technical field of flexible continuum robots, which comprises a driving box and a movable arm, the movable arm comprises M pneumatic flexible joints, the driving box is internally provided with M driving devices and one air charging and discharging device, the driving devices are connected with the pneumatic flexible joints in one-to-one correspondence, and the air charging and discharging device is connected with the pneumatic flexible joints; the curved side wall of each pneumatic flexible joint is made of an air inflation material, and a plurality of guide discs are arranged on the curved side wall; the inside of each pneumatic flexible joint is provided with M hoses, the hoses in every two adjacent pneumatic flexible joints in the movable arm are connected in one-to-one correspondence in a sealed mode to form M air pipes, and only one air charging and discharging hose is arranged on each air pipe. The application is convenient to disassemble and maintain, can make the movable arm generate forces and rigidities with different intensities along with the use of pressurized air, changes the diameter of the movable arm, and is suitable for different working conditions with different complexity.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of flexible continuum robot technology, in particular to a rope-driven continuum robot with a pneumatic flexible joint. BACKGROUND

[0002] In recent years, with the rapid development of high-tech industries, the development of precision equipment maintenance, nuclear power and large-scale equipment pipeline detection has gradually become an important symbol of a country's comprehensive strength and international competitiveness. However, in extreme low temperature, high temperature, high energy particle radiation, high pressure vacuum and other extreme environmental conditions, the devices working in such environments are prone to failure, even complete paralysis, and even cause significant 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 ability of daily monitoring and maintenance of equipment. At present, in such environments, many countries are trying to carry out various attempts in the maintenance, maintenance and monitoring of large-scale equipment. However, the space in such working environment is mostly narrow, complex in structure and dangerous, making it extremely difficult to perform tasks in such an environment. On the one hand, manual operation under such tasks has the disadvantages of great difficulty, limited labor intensity and low efficiency, which is not conducive to human intervention for operation; on the other hand, traditional rigid robots mostly rely on rigid structures and motor-driven joints, which perform well in precision and load capacity, but their flexibility and adaptability are limited when facing complex and unstructured environments, so they cannot be well applied to work in such narrow spaces. Under this background, flexible rope-driven continuum robots emerged as the times require, which ingeniously combines flexible mechanical design and rope transmission technology, bringing a revolutionary change to the field of robotics. The core of flexible rope-driven continuum robots is to use ropes as the medium for power transmission and control, and by precisely controlling the tension change of the ropes, the flexible manipulation of the robot's morphology is realized. This design not only greatly improves the flexibility and compliance of the robot, enabling it to easily traverse 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 various application scenarios. Compared with traditional industrial discrete robots, this robot has good bending characteristics, excellent dexterity, and strong obstacle avoidance and environmental adaptation ability, making it suitable for application in unknown unstructured environments, so the development of flexible continuum robots has great significance.

[0003] The flexible rope-driven continuum robot combines the rope drive and the structure of the continuum robot body, and has great advantages. Specifically, the structure can separate the installation of the driving mechanism such as the motor and the actuator, so that all control circuits and transmission mechanisms in the root driving control box of the flexible robot can be integrated, thereby being immune to the influence of the external harsh environment such as high radiation and extremely low temperature; in addition, the mass of the operating arm can be reduced, which is more conducive to the design of the slender body, is suitable for narrow working space operation, and is widely used in on-orbit monitoring, industrial equipment and part assembly, tank monitoring, nuclear power station monitoring, disaster rescue, medical treatment and pipeline detection and other fields.

[0004] However, at present, the development of the flexible rope-driven continuum robot still has many deficiencies. For example, the currently manufactured rope-driven continuum robot is generally developed for a certain scene, the diameter size of the designed continuum robot is fixed, and the flexible mechanical arm of the manufactured rope-driven robot generally has a fixed length and cannot be easily disassembled and replaced. These designs greatly increase the maintenance time and slow down the work efficiency, and the working range is also affected by the length. When the required working range exceeds the length of the mechanical arm of the rope-driven robot, the rope-driven robot needs to be redesigned. Therefore, the flexible continuum robot still has a wide research prospect. SUMMARY

[0005] The purpose of the present application is to provide a rope-driven continuum robot with a pneumatic flexible joint, which solves the problems of poor adaptability and environmental adaptability of the traditional rope-driven continuum robot, difficult maintenance, limited working range and inability to increase at will.

[0006] To achieve the above purpose, the present application provides a rope-driven continuum robot with a pneumatic flexible joint, which comprises a driving box and a movable arm, one end of the movable arm is detachably fixedly connected with 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 a gas charging and discharging device, the driving devices are connected with the pneumatic flexible joints one by one through driving ropes, and M air valves in the gas charging and discharging device are connected with the pneumatic flexible joints one by one through air pipes.

[0007] The curved side wall of each pneumatic flexible joint is made of an inflatable material, a plurality of guide discs for penetrating the driving ropes are arranged on the curved side wall, the guide discs are fixedly connected with the curved side wall and are uniformly distributed along the length direction of the pneumatic flexible joint.

[0008] The interior of each of the pneumatic flexible joints is provided with M parallel arranged hoses, the M hoses are respectively one inflation and deflation hose and N conveying gas hoses, the inflation and deflation hose is provided with a gas hole in communication with the inner cavity of the pneumatic flexible joint, the hoses in every two adjacent pneumatic flexible joints in the movable arm are one-to-one correspondingly sealed and connected to form M gas pipes, each of the gas pipes is provided with only one inflation and deflation hose, and the end of the gas pipe is provided with a sealing plug.

[0009] Preferably, the guide disc comprises a first elastic fixing ring, a second elastic fixing ring and four sub-discs, the four sub-discs are respectively a first sub-disc, a second sub-disc, a third sub-disc and a fourth sub-disc, the first sub-disc and the second sub-disc are symmetrically arranged on the two sides of the pneumatic flexible joint, the third sub-disc and the fourth sub-disc are symmetrically arranged on the two sides of the pneumatic flexible joint, the side surface of the sub-disc is provided with M through holes, the two end surfaces of the sub-disc are provided with a first circular arc through groove and a second circular arc through groove which are arranged in parallel, the first elastic fixing ring is located in the four first circular arc through grooves, and the second elastic fixing ring is located in the four second circular arc through grooves.

[0010] Preferably, each of the driving devices comprises a swing driving motor and a pitching driving motor, the driving ropes have M groups and are one-to-one correspondingly arranged with the pneumatic flexible joints, each group of the driving ropes comprises a swing driving rope and a pitching driving rope, the head end of the swing driving rope is wound on the drum of the corresponding swing driving motor for several turns and then fixed on the drum, the tail end of the swing driving rope passes out of the driving box, is sequentially led to the end of the corresponding pneumatic flexible joint through the through holes in the first sub-discs passed by the swing driving rope, is then turned on the guide disc at the end of the corresponding pneumatic flexible joint, is sequentially led back to the drum through the through holes in the second sub-discs passed by the swing driving rope, is finally wound on the drum for several turns and then fixed on the drum, and only one swing driving rope is arranged in all the through holes of each first sub-disc and each second sub-disc.

[0011] The head end of the pitching driving rope is wound on the drum of the corresponding pitching driving motor for several turns and then fixed on the drum, the tail end of the pitching driving rope passes out of the driving box, is sequentially led to the end of the corresponding pneumatic flexible joint through the through holes in the third sub-discs passed by the pitching driving rope, is then turned on the guide disc at the end of the corresponding pneumatic flexible joint, is sequentially led back to the drum through the through holes in the fourth sub-discs passed by the pitching driving rope, is finally wound on the drum for several turns and then fixed on the drum, and only one pitching driving rope is arranged in all the through holes of each third sub-disc and each fourth sub-disc.

[0012] Preferably, the air charging and discharging device comprises a gas storage tank, an air pump and M air valves, one end of the air pump is connected with the gas storage tank, the other end of the air pump is connected with M air pipes in parallel, and each air pipe is provided with an air valve at one end close to the air pump.

[0013] Preferably, the sub-plate is provided with a female buckle, the curved side wall of the pneumatic flexible joint is provided with a male buckle corresponding to the female buckle, and the female buckle and the male buckle are connected in interference.

[0014] Preferably, the material of the sub-plate is aluminum alloy, and the first elastic fixing ring and the second elastic fixing ring are both rubber rings.

[0015] Therefore, the rope-driven continuum robot with the pneumatic flexible joint has the following beneficial effects:

[0016] 1. The pneumatic flexible joint is convenient to disassemble: the pneumatic flexible joint is designed in a segmented manner, when a certain segment is damaged during work, it can be replaced at any time without the need to return the whole segment for repair, thereby reducing the work obstruction caused by too long repair time.

[0017] 2. The guide plate is convenient to replace: due to the design of the guide sub-plate, the defect that some guide plates of the traditional rope-driven robot are damaged and not easy to replace is avoided.

[0018] 3. The work conditions of different complexity can be adapted: since the pneumatic flexible joint is made of elastic material and has high ductility and elasticity, the diameter size of the rope-driven robot arm can be adjusted with the increase or decrease of the pressurized air, different strength and rigidity are generated to adapt to work conditions of different complexity. Moreover, the selection of the material of the pneumatic flexible joint reduces the weight and volume of the whole rope-driven robot, the pneumatic flexible joint of the rope-driven continuum robot integrates the rope-driven technology and the pneumatic technology, and is more easily adapted to various complex working environments.

[0019] The technical solutions of the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the drawings and embodiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a structural schematic view of an embodiment of the rope-driven continuum robot with the pneumatic flexible joint of the present application;

[0021] Figure 2 FIG. 2 is a structural schematic view of an embodiment of the drive box in the rope-driven continuum robot with the pneumatic flexible joint of the present application;

[0022] Figure 3 FIG. 3 is a structural schematic view of an embodiment of the guide plate in the rope-driven continuum robot with the pneumatic flexible joint of the present application;

[0023] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a segmented disk in an embodiment of the cable-driven continuum robot with pneumatic flexible joints of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an embodiment of the pneumatic flexible joint in the rope-driven continuum robot with pneumatic flexible joint of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the second-to-last pneumatic flexible joint being inflated;

[0026] Figure 7 for Figure 6 Enlarged view of point A in the middle.

[0027] Figure Labels

[0028] 1. Drive box; 2. Pneumatic flexible joint; 3. Drive device; 31. Tilt drive motor; 32. Pitch drive motor; 4. Inflation / de-inflation device; 41. Air tank; 42. Air pump; 43. Air valve; 5. Drive rope; 51. Tilt 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 retaining ring; 76. Second elastic retaining ring; 8. Female buckle; 9. Female buckle; 10. First arc-shaped through groove; 11. Second arc-shaped through groove; 12. Through hole. Detailed Implementation

[0029] The technical solution of the present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0030] Example

[0031] like Figures 1-7 As shown, a rope-driven continuum robot with pneumatic flexible joints includes a drive box 1 and a movable arm. One end of the movable arm is detachably and fixedly connected to the drive box 1. 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. Adjacent pneumatic flexible joints 2 are interlocked, and the elasticity of the material of the pneumatic flexible joint 2 itself ensures the stability of the interlock. Specifically, one end of the pneumatic flexible joint 2 has a plug, and the other end of the pneumatic flexible joint 2 has a slot. The drive box 1 contains M drive devices 3 and an air inflation / deflation device 4. The drive devices 3 are connected to the pneumatic flexible joints 2 one-to-one via drive ropes 5. The M air valves 43 in the air inflation / deflation device 4 are connected to the pneumatic flexible joints 2 one-to-one via air pipes.

[0032] The curved side wall of each pneumatic flexible joint 2 is made of an inflatable material, which makes each pneumatic flexible joint 2 form an inflatable air bag. A plurality of guide plates 7 for passing the driving rope 5 are arranged on the curved side wall, and the guide plates 7 are fixedly connected with the curved side wall and uniformly distributed along the length direction of the pneumatic flexible joint 2. The minimum deformation diameter of the pneumatic flexible joint 2 depends on the diameter of the combined guide plates 7, and the maximum deformation diameter depends on the material properties and processing size of the pneumatic flexible joint 2, the first elastic fixing ring 75 and the second elastic fixing ring 76. The fixed connection between the guide plate 7 and the curved side wall can be that a female buckle 8 is arranged on the guide plate, a male buckle 9 corresponding to the female buckle 8 is arranged on the curved side wall of the pneumatic flexible joint 2, and the female buckle 8 and the male buckle 9 are interference connected. The female buckle 8 and the male buckle 9 are used to ensure the stability of the connection between the guide plate 7 and the pneumatic flexible joint 2.

[0033] The guide plate 7 includes the first elastic fixing ring 75, the second elastic fixing ring 76 and four guide plates, and the first elastic fixing ring 75 and the second elastic fixing ring 76 are both rubber rings. The material of the guide plate is aluminum alloy, engineering plastic or inorganic non-metal, which can be processed and manufactured, or 3D printing can be used for processing, such as using PEEK or PLA materials, and the aluminum alloy is preferred in the embodiment. The four guide plates are a first guide plate 71, a second guide plate 72, a third guide plate 73 and a fourth guide plate 74, and the first guide plate 71 and the second guide plate 72 are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the pneumatic flexible joint 2, and the third guide plate 73 and the fourth guide plate 74 are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the pneumatic flexible joint 2.

[0034] M through holes 12 are arranged on the side surface of the guide plate, and a first circular-arc through slot 10 and a second circular-arc through slot 11 are arranged between the two end surfaces of the guide plate. The first elastic fixing ring 75 is located in the four first circular-arc through slots 10, and the second elastic fixing ring 76 is located in the four second circular-arc through slots 11. The first elastic fixing ring 75 and the second elastic fixing ring 76 are used to change the diameter of the guide plate 7 with the change of the pneumatic flexible joint 2, and the through holes 12 are used to pass the driving rope 5.

[0035] Each driving device 3 includes a yaw driving motor 31 and a pitch driving motor 32, and is used to drive the pneumatic flexible joint 2 to bend and deform, so as to realize the movement of the movable arm. The driving ropes 5 are provided in M groups and correspond to the pneumatic flexible joints 2 one by one, and each group of driving ropes 5 includes a pitch driving rope 51 and a pitch driving rope 52. The head end of the pitch driving rope 51 is wound around the drum of the corresponding yaw driving motor 31 for several turns and then fixed on the drum, the tail end of the pitch driving rope 51 passes through the through hole 12 on the first sub-disc 71 in sequence and then leads to the end of the corresponding pneumatic flexible joint 2, then turns on the guide disc 7 at the end of the corresponding pneumatic flexible joint 2, and then passes through the through hole 12 on the second sub-disc 72 in sequence and returns to the drum, and finally is fixed on the drum after winding around the drum for several turns. There is only one pitch driving rope 51 in each through hole 12 on each first sub-disc 71 and each second sub-disc 72. The pitch driving rope 51 is used to transmit the driving power of the yaw driving motor 31, so that the pneumatic flexible joint 2 performs yaw movement.

[0036] The head end of the pitch driving rope 52 is wound around the drum of the corresponding pitch driving motor 32 for several turns and then fixed on the drum, the tail end of the pitch driving rope 52 passes through the through hole 12 on the third sub-disc 73 in sequence and then leads to the end of the corresponding pneumatic flexible joint 2, then turns on the guide disc 7 at the end of the corresponding pneumatic flexible joint 2, and then passes through the through hole 12 on the fourth sub-disc 74 in sequence and returns to the drum, and finally is fixed on the drum after winding around the drum for several turns. There is only one pitch driving rope 52 in each through hole 12 on each third sub-disc 73 and each fourth sub-disc 74. The pitch driving rope 52 is used to transmit the driving power of the pitch driving motor 32, so that the pneumatic flexible joint 2 performs pitch movement.

[0037] The inside of each pneumatic flexible joint 2 is provided with M parallelly arranged hoses 6, and the M hoses 6 are respectively one charging and discharging hose 6 and N conveying hoses 6. The charging and discharging hose 6 is provided with a gas hole in communication with the inner cavity of the pneumatic flexible joint 2. The hoses 6 in each adjacent two pneumatic flexible joints 2 in the movable arm are connected in a sealing manner to form M air pipes. The sealing connection can be plug connection, and the two hoses 6 can be sealed under the elastic action of the hoses 6. There is only one charging and discharging hose 6 on each air pipe, and the end of the air pipe is provided with a sealing plug. The air pipe is used to connect the pneumatic flexible joint 2 in communication therewith to the charging and discharging device 4.

[0038] The air charging and discharging device 4 comprises an air tank 41, an air pump 42 and M air valves 43, one end of the air pump 42 is connected with the air tank 41, the other end of the air pump 42 is connected with M air pipes in parallel, and each air pipe is provided with an air valve 43 near one end close to the air pump 42. The air valve 43 controls the opening and closing of the air pipe, and further controls which position of the pneumatic flexible joint 2 is communicated with the air pump 42.

[0039] When the rope-driven continuum robot with the pneumatic flexible joint 2 is applied in the environment where the artificial and rigid robots are not easy to do, such as pipeline exploration or complex equipment maintenance, the flexibility and flexibility of the robot in the application can easily enter the working environment and complete the work. For example, the sensor is arranged 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 horizontal swing driving motor 31 and the pitching driving motor 32 are connected to the controller. When the maximum diameter size allowed by the working environment of the rope-driven continuum robot with the pneumatic flexible joint 2 in the application is smaller than the diameter size of the movable arm in the application, the sensor arranged on the movable arm will respectively transmit the environmental size information and the movable arm size information to the controller in the driving box 1. After calculation, the controller in the driving box 1 obtains the difference between the two sizes and the volume of gas that needs to be discharged from the pneumatic flexible joint 2 in the movable arm. Then the instruction information is sent to control the air pump 42 to discharge the gas in the pneumatic flexible joint 2, so as to reduce the diameter size of the movable arm. And in the process of discharging the gas, the sensor on the movable arm detects and sends information in real time, and the discharging stops when the diameter size of the movable arm reaches the maximum size allowed by the working environment, 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 size of the movable arm is smaller than the minimum environmental size allowed by the working environment, the flexible robot in the application will perform corresponding air charging work to reach the required size of the working requirement.

[0040] The volume calculation method of the pneumatic flexible joint of the movable arm in use includes the following steps:

[0041] The thickness and material of the pneumatic flexible joint are ignored, and the pneumatic flexible joint is regarded as a cylinder for volume calculation. According to the measurement of the diameter size of the pneumatic flexible joint and the maximum diameter size of the working environment, the difference between the two is calculated by the volume formula to calculate the volume of the air pump required for the pneumatic flexible joint.

[0042] The thickness of the disc is L, the diameter of the pneumatic flexible joint is D, the length of the pneumatic flexible joint is H, and the maximum diameter size of the working environment The volume of the pneumatic flexible joint required for air charging and discharging is ΔV.

[0043] According to the following volume formula:

[0044] ① Deflation: D+2L

[0045] Volume needed to deflate the pneumatic flexible joint:

[0046] △V=π( - )H;

[0047] ② Inflation: D+2L

[0048] Volume needed to inflate the pneumatic flexible joint:

[0049] △V=π( - )H.

[0050] Therefore, the rope-driven continuum robot with the pneumatic flexible joint adopting the above structure is an advanced technology that integrates rope-driven technology and pneumatic technology, facilitates disassembly of the pneumatic flexible joint, facilitates replacement of the guide disc, reduces work obstruction caused by excessively long maintenance time, can change the length of the movable arm by disassembling the pneumatic flexible joint, change the diameter size of the movable arm by inflation and deflation, generate different strength and rigidity, and thus adapt to different complex working conditions.

[0051] Finally, it should be noted that: the above examples are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application but not to limit it, although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that: it can still modify or equivalently replace the technical solutions of the present application, and these modifications or equivalent replacements cannot make the modified technical solutions deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the present application.

Claims

1. A cable-driven continuum robot with pneumatically flexible joints, characterized in that: It includes a drive box and a movable arm. One end of the movable arm is detachably and fixedly connected to the drive box. The movable arm includes M pneumatic flexible joints that are detachably connected in sequence. The drive box is equipped with M drive devices and an air inflation / deflation device. The drive devices are connected to the pneumatic flexible joints one by one through drive ropes. The M air valves in the air inflation / deflation device are connected to the pneumatic flexible joints one by one through air pipes. Each of the pneumatic flexible joints has a curved sidewall made of an inflatable material. The curved sidewall is provided with a plurality of guide discs for threading the drive rope. The guide discs are fixedly connected to the curved sidewall and are evenly distributed along the length of the pneumatic flexible joint. Each of the pneumatic flexible joints has M parallel hoses inside. The M hoses are one inflation / deflation hose and N delivery hoses. The inflation / deflation hoses have air holes that communicate with the inner cavity of the pneumatic flexible joint. The hoses in every two adjacent pneumatic flexible joints in the movable arm are sealed and connected one-to-one to form M air pipes. Each air pipe has only one inflation / deflation hose, and the end of the air pipe is sealed. The guide plate includes a first elastic fixing ring, a second elastic fixing ring, and four sub-plates. The side of each sub-plate is provided with M through holes. The two end faces of each sub-plate are provided with a first arc-shaped through groove and a second arc-shaped through groove arranged in parallel. 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. The disc is provided with a female buckle, and the curved sidewall of the pneumatic flexible joint is provided with a female buckle corresponding to the female buckle. The female buckle and the female buckle are interference-fitted together.

2. The cable-driven continuum robot with pneumatic flexible joints according to claim 1, characterized in that: The four sub-discs are designated as a first sub-disc, a second sub-disc, a third sub-disc, and a fourth sub-disc. The first and second sub-discs are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the pneumatic flexible joint, and the third and fourth sub-discs are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the pneumatic flexible joint.

3. The cable-driven continuum robot with pneumatic flexible joints according to claim 2, characterized in that: Each of the drive devices includes a yaw drive motor and a pitch drive motor. There are M sets of drive ropes, each corresponding to a pneumatic flexible joint. Each set of drive ropes includes a yaw drive rope and a pitch drive rope. The head end of the yaw drive rope is wound around the drum of the corresponding yaw drive motor several times and then fixed to the drum. The tail end of the yaw drive rope passes through the drive box and then passes through the through hole on the first disc it passes through to the end of the corresponding pneumatic flexible joint. Then it turns on the guide plate at the end of the corresponding pneumatic flexible joint and passes through the through hole on the second disc it passes through to return to the drum. Finally, it is wound around the drum several times and then fixed to the drum. Only one yaw drive rope is threaded through all the through holes on each first disc and each second disc. The head end of the pitch drive rope is wound several times around the drum of the corresponding pitch drive motor and then fixed to the drum. The tail end of the pitch drive rope passes through the drive box and then passes through the through holes on the third disc it passes through to the end of the corresponding pneumatic flexible joint. Then it turns on the guide plate at the end of the corresponding pneumatic flexible joint and passes through the through holes on the fourth disc it passes through back to the drum. Finally, it is wound several times around the drum and then fixed to the drum. Only one pitch drive rope is threaded through each through hole on each third disc and each fourth disc.

4. The cable-driven continuum robot with pneumatic flexible joints according to claim 3, characterized in that: The inflation / deflation device includes an air tank, an air pump, and M air valves. One end of the air pump is connected to the air tank, and the other end of the air pump is connected in parallel to M air pipes. Each air pipe has an air valve at the end near the air pump.

5. The cable-driven continuum robot with pneumatic flexible joints according to claim 4, characterized in that: The material of the dividing plate is aluminum alloy, and both the first elastic retaining ring and the second elastic retaining ring are rubber rings.

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