Flexible clamping device

Abstract

The invention discloses the technical field of clamping devices, and particularly relates to a flexible clamping device which comprises a bearing mechanism and a clamping mechanism, the bearing mechanism comprises a fixed table, a movable sliding table and a locking piece, the movable sliding table is arranged at the end of the fixed table, and the movable sliding table is used in cooperation with the locking piece; the locking piece is arranged on the movable sliding table, the artificial muscle is arranged on the movable sliding table through the locking piece, and an object at the end of the movable sliding table is clamped and placed through the contraction state change of the artificial muscle. The clamping device made of the artificial muscle material is uniformly contracted inwards to clamp an object through the temperature rise of power-on heating, the temperature is reduced after power-off, and the clamping device expands to loosen the clamped object, so that the artificial muscle and the clamped object have a large contact area and are stressed more uniformly.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of clamping devices, and in particular to a flexible clamping device. Background Art

[0002] A clamping device is a device that holds an object and then manipulates it. It is widely used in life and industrial production. For example, it is a special clamp used to fix the processed parts on machine tools during mechanical processing. Ordinary clamping devices clamp and release objects by imitating the movement of fingers through the relative movement between mechanical components. The mechanical components used to apply clamping force in this clamping method are generally rigid, and there is a small area of ​​contact between the mechanical components and the clamped object (especially irregularly shaped objects). Therefore, a large local stress will be generated at the contact point. For some low-strength or fragile objects, when the local stress exceeds its strength, it will cause large deformation or even damage. Summary of the invention

[0003] The purpose of this section is to summarize some aspects of embodiments of the present invention and briefly introduce some preferred embodiments. Some simplifications or omissions may be made in this section and the specification abstract and the invention title of this application to avoid blurring the purpose of this section, the specification abstract and the invention title, and such simplifications or omissions cannot be used to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0004] In view of the problem that when the existing clamps clamp low-strength or fragile objects, they will cause large deformation or even damage when the local stress exceeds their strength, the present invention is proposed.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a flexible clamping device.

[0006] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides the following technical solutions: a bearing mechanism, including a fixed platform, a movable slide and a locking piece, wherein the movable slide is arranged at the end of the fixed platform, and the movable slide is used in conjunction with the locking piece; an artificial muscle, wherein the artificial muscle is arranged on the movable slide through the locking piece, and the object at the end of the movable slide is clamped by changing the contraction state of the artificial muscle.

[0007] As a preferred solution of the flexible clamping device of the present invention, a lead screw is provided at the end of the fixed platform, and an operating hand wheel is provided at the end of the lead screw.

[0008] As a preferred solution of the flexible clamping device of the present invention, a fixing hook is arranged at one end of the fixing platform away from the operating hand wheel, and a screw support is also arranged at one end of the fixing platform away from the operating hand wheel.

[0009] As a preferred solution of the flexible clamping device of the present invention, the movable slide is provided with a first strip groove and a second strip groove at one end close to the locking member, and a connecting seat is also provided at the end of the movable slide.

[0010] As a preferred solution of the flexible clamping device of the present invention, the locking member is arranged on the connecting seat.

[0011] As a preferred solution of the flexible clamping device of the present invention, one end of the artificial muscle is arranged on the fixing hook, and the other end of the artificial muscle passes through the first strip groove and the second strip groove to be connected with the locking member.

[0012] As a preferred solution of the flexible clamping device of the present invention, the locking member is used to adjust the length of the artificial muscle at the end of the moving slide.

[0013] As a preferred solution of the flexible clamping device of the present invention, the artificial muscle is made of conductive material, and the artificial muscle can change its contraction force according to temperature changes.

[0014] As a preferred solution of the flexible clamping device of the present invention, a support seat is arranged at the bottom end of the movable slide, and the support seat is arranged in multiple groups, and the lead screw passes through multiple groups of the support seats at the same time.

[0015] As a preferred solution of the flexible clamping device described in the present invention, the locking member includes a movable plate arranged in the connecting seat, a screw fixedly connected to the end of the movable plate, and an adjusting wheel fixedly connected to the end of the screw; the screw passes through the end of the connecting seat, and the movable plate can move up and down along the inner wall of the connecting seat.

[0016] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: the present invention uses the contraction of artificial muscle materials controlled by electric heat to clamp objects. The temperature rises when power is turned on, causing the clamping device made of the artificial muscle material to contract inward evenly to clamp the object. After power is turned off, the temperature drops, causing the clamping device to expand to release the clamped object. This arrangement allows a larger contact area and more uniform force between the artificial muscle and the clamped object. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for describing the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative labor. Among them:

[0018] Figure 1It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the flexible clamping device of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 2 It is a partial structural schematic diagram of the flexible clamping device of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the locking member of the flexible clamping device of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 4 This is a performance diagram of the helical structure polymer fiber artificial muscle of the flexible clamping device of the present invention.

[0022] In the figure: 100, bearing mechanism; 101, fixed platform; 102, movable slide; 103, locking member; 103a, movable plate; 103b, screw; 103c, adjusting wheel; 104, lead screw; 105, operating hand wheel; 106, fixing hook; 107, lead screw support; 108, connecting seat; 200, artificial muscle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] In order to make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, the specific implementation methods of the present invention are described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0024] In the following description, many specific details are set forth to facilitate a full understanding of the present invention, but the present invention may also be implemented in other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art may make similar generalizations without violating the connotation of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0025] Secondly, the term "one embodiment" or "embodiment" as used herein refers to a specific feature, structure, or characteristic that may be included in at least one implementation of the present invention. The term "in one embodiment" that appears in different places in this specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor does it refer to a separate or selective embodiment that is mutually exclusive with other embodiments.

[0026] Secondly, the present invention is described in detail with reference to the schematic diagram. When describing the embodiments of the present invention in detail, for the sake of convenience, the cross-sectional diagrams showing the device structure will not be partially enlarged according to the general scale, and the schematic diagrams are only examples, which should not limit the scope of protection of the present invention. In addition, in actual production, the three-dimensional dimensions of length, width and depth should be included.

[0027] Example 1, reference Figure 1 to Figure 2, which is the first embodiment of the present invention, provides a flexible clamping device, including a carrying mechanism 100, including a fixed platform 101, a movable slide 102 and a locking piece 103, the movable slide 102 is arranged at the end of the fixed platform 101, and the movable slide 102 is used in conjunction with the locking piece 103; an artificial muscle 200, the artificial muscle 200 is arranged on the movable slide 102 through the locking piece 103, and the object at the end of the movable slide 102 is clamped by changing the contraction state of the artificial muscle 200.

[0028] Specifically, a lead screw 104 is disposed at the end of the fixing platform 101 , and an operating hand wheel 105 is disposed at the end of the lead screw 104 .

[0029] Furthermore, a fixing hook 106 is provided at one end of the fixing platform 101 away from the operating hand wheel 105 , and a support for the lead screw 104 is also provided at one end of the fixing platform 101 away from the operating hand wheel 105 .

[0030] It should be noted that if Figure 1 One end of the artificial muscle 200 shown is fixed on the fixing hook 106, and the fixing hook 106 is rigidly connected to the fixed platform 101. After the other end of the artificial muscle 200 passes through the movable slide 102, it is locked by the locking device on the right side of the movable slide 102. After loosening the locking device, the length of the artificial muscle 200 on the movable slide 102 can be adjusted by pulling. The movable slide 102 can be moved left and right relative to the fixed platform 101 through the screw 104 to meet the clamping needs of objects of different sizes.

[0031] After the positive and negative electrodes of direct current are connected to the artificial muscle 200, the electrical energy is converted into heat energy on the artificial muscle 200, causing the temperature to rise, so that the artificial muscle 200 contracts to wrap around the object between it and the moving slide 102 and generate a clamping force.

[0032] Example 2, reference Figure 1 Figure 3 This embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that a first strip-shaped groove and a second strip-shaped groove are provided at one end of the movable slide 102 close to the locking member 103 , and a connecting seat 108 is also provided at the end of the movable slide 102 .

[0033] Specifically, the locking member 103 is disposed on the connecting seat 108 .

[0034] Furthermore, one end of the artificial muscle 200 is disposed on the fixing hook 106 , and the other end of the artificial muscle 200 passes through the first strip-shaped groove and the second strip-shaped groove to be connected to the locking member 103 .

[0035] It should be noted that a first strip groove and a second strip groove are provided at one end of the movable slide 102 close to the locking member 103, and the artificial muscle 200 passes through the first strip groove and the second strip groove to connect with the locking member 103, thereby forming an adjustable clamping mechanism at the end of the movable slide 102; the connecting seat 108 provided at the end of the movable slide 102 is used to fix the locking member 103 to ensure the stability of the locking member 103 when adjusting the tension of the artificial muscle 200, one end of the artificial muscle 200 is fixed on the fixing hook 106, and the other end is connected to the locking member 103 through the groove, so that the artificial muscle 200 can adjust its length on the movable slide 102 as needed, and then adjust the clamping force, so that the flexible clamping device can adapt to objects of different sizes and shapes, while reducing damage to the objects, especially for low-strength or fragile objects, providing a more gentle and uniform clamping method, by adjusting the tension of the artificial muscle 200, it is possible to achieve accurate clamping and release of the object, thereby improving the flexibility and applicability of the clamping device.

[0036] The rest of the structure is the same as that of Example 1.

[0037] Example 3, reference Figures 1 to 4 , this embodiment is different from the above embodiments in that: the locking member 103 is used to adjust the length of the artificial muscle 200 at the end of the moving slide 102 .

[0038] Specifically, the artificial muscle 200 is made of a conductive material, and the artificial muscle 200 can change its contraction force according to temperature changes.

[0039] Furthermore, a support seat is provided at the bottom end of the movable slide 102, and there are multiple groups of support seats, and the lead screw 104 passes through the multiple groups of support seats at the same time.

[0040] Furthermore, the locking member 103 includes a moving plate 103a disposed in the connecting seat 108, a screw rod 103b fixedly connected to the end of the moving plate 103a, and an adjusting wheel 103c fixedly connected to the end of the screw rod 103b;

[0041] The screw rod 103 b passes through the end of the connecting seat 108 , and the moving plate 103 a can move up and down along the inner wall of the connecting seat 108 .

[0042] It should be noted that the main function of the locking piece 103 is to adjust the length of the artificial muscle 200 at the end of the movable slide 102 to adapt to objects of different sizes and provide appropriate clamping force. The locking piece 103 achieves this function through the cooperation of the movable plate 103a, the screw 103b and the adjusting wheel 103c inside it. As a conductive material, the artificial muscle 200 can change its contraction force according to temperature changes, which means that by controlling the electrical and thermal state of the artificial muscle 200, its contraction degree can be accurately controlled, thereby achieving flexible clamping of the object; the multiple groups of support seats arranged at the bottom end of the movable slide 102 and the lead screw 104 running through it provide stable support and precise movement control for the movable slide 102, so that the movable slide 102 can move smoothly along the fixed platform 101 to adapt to the needs of different clamping positions. The screw 103b of the locking member 103 passes through the end of the connecting seat 108, so that the movable plate 103a can move up and down along the inner wall of the connecting seat 108. This arrangement enables the locking member 103 to dynamically adjust the tension of the artificial muscle 200 to adapt to different clamping conditions; through the above arrangement, the flexible clamping device can flexibly adjust the clamping force and position to adapt to various operating environments and object characteristics.

[0043] It should also be noted that if Figure 2 As shown, the left side of the artificial muscle 200 is fixed, and the right side passes through a strip hole on the movable slide 102 into the lower part and then passes through another strip hole back to the upper part, and then is pressed by the movable plate 103a. The movable plate 103a is driven by the screw 103b to move up and down so as to press or loosen the artificial muscle 200. The screw 103b is moved up and down by rotating the adjusting wheel 103c.

[0044] As shown in Figure 3, there are multiple sets of screw 104 supports at the lower end of the mobile slide 102, and the two are rigidly connected together. After the screw 104 is rotated by the hand wheel, the screw 104 nut can drive the mobile slide 102 to move left and right. The left side of the artificial muscle 200 is always fixed, and the right side of the artificial muscle 200 moves left and right with the mobile slide 102. The left and right movement stroke of the mobile slide 102 is determined according to the size and shape of the clamped object.

[0045] The temperature rise of the artificial muscle 200 can be controlled by adjusting the voltage and power-on time, thereby obtaining different degrees of contraction and corresponding clamping force.

[0046] The rest of the structure is the same as that of Example 2.

[0047] Working principle: The artificial muscle 200 material adopted in the present invention is electrified, and then the electrical energy on the artificial muscle 200 material is converted into heat energy, so that the artificial muscle 200 material expands. At this time, the expansion of the artificial muscle 200 will squeeze the object at the end of the movable slide 102, so that the artificial muscle 200 material fits tightly with the clamped object over a large area, the force is more uniform, and no large local stress is generated, so that the object is not easily deformed or damaged during the clamping process.

[0048] Artificial muscle 200 can be woven into strips of different widths, or can be woven into special shapes according to the shape of the object to ensure uniform force over a large area between the object and the clamped object. Artificial muscle 200 refers to an actuator, material or device used to imitate natural muscle, which can respond to external stimuli (such as voltage, current, pressure or temperature) and exhibit reversible contraction or expansion. Research on the driving performance of silk carbon nanotube yarn in the prior art shows that twisted structure carbon nanotube yarn has a twisted structure and a spiral structure. The twisted structure yarn can generate rotation and contraction responses in electrical, thermal, electrochemical and other ways, with a maximum contraction strain of 9%. By adding a guest material, the performance of the carbon nanotube yarn artificial muscle 200 is greatly improved. In the prior art, commercial polymer fibers are twisted to form a spiral structure to prepare a low-cost electrothermally driven spiral structure polymer fiber artificial muscle 200. By adjusting the spiral index of the prepared artificial muscle 200, the contraction strain reaches 34%. In summary, the artificial muscle 200 can achieve the flexible clamping effect of our invention. The present invention can solve the problem in the prior art that when a clamp clamps low-strength or fragile objects, a large deformation or even damage will occur when the local stress exceeds its strength.

[0049] Importantly, it should be noted that the construction and arrangement of the present application shown in a plurality of different exemplary embodiments are only exemplary. Although only a few embodiments are described in detail in this disclosure, it should be readily understood by those who refer to this disclosure that many modifications are possible (e.g., the size, scale, structure, shape and proportion of various elements, and parameter values ​​(e.g., temperature, pressure, etc.), installation arrangement, use of materials, color, directional changes, etc.) without substantially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the subject matter described in the application. For example, the element shown as integrally formed can be composed of multiple parts or elements, the position of the element can be inverted or otherwise changed, and the nature or number or position of the discrete element can be changed or changed. Therefore, all such modifications are intended to be included in the scope of the present invention. The order or sequence of any process or method steps can be changed or reordered according to alternative embodiments. In the claims, any "device plus function" clause is intended to cover the structure of performing the function described herein, and is not only structurally equivalent but also equivalent structure. Without departing from the scope of the present invention, other replacements, modifications, changes and omissions can be made in the design, operating conditions and arrangement of the exemplary embodiments. Therefore, the invention is not limited to a specific embodiment, but extends to numerous modifications still falling within the scope of the appended claims.

[0050] Additionally, in order to provide a concise description of exemplary embodiments, all features of an actual embodiment (ie, those features that are not relevant to the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the invention or those that are not relevant to implementing the invention) may not be described.

[0051] It will be appreciated that in the development of any actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific decisions may be made. Such a development effort may be complex and time-consuming, but will be a routine task of design, fabrication, and production for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure without undue experimentation.

[0052] It should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions 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 the technical solutions of the present invention may be modified or replaced by equivalents without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the present invention, which should all be included in the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A flexible clamping device, characterized in that: include, The bearing mechanism (100) comprises a fixed platform (101), a movable slide (102) and a locking member (103), wherein the movable slide (102) is arranged at the end of the fixed platform (101), and the movable slide (102) and the locking member (103) are used in coordination; An artificial muscle (200) is provided on the movable slide (102) via the locking member (103), and an object at the end of the movable slide (102) is clamped by changing the contraction state of the artificial muscle (200).

2. The flexible clamping device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A lead screw (104) is provided at the end of the fixed platform (101), and an operating hand wheel (105) is provided at the end of the lead screw (104).

3. The flexible clamping device according to claim 2, characterized in that: A fixing hook (106) is provided at one end of the fixing platform (101) away from the operating hand wheel (105), and a screw (104) support is also provided at one end of the fixing platform (101) away from the operating hand wheel (105).

4. The flexible clamping device according to claim 3, characterized in that: A first strip-shaped groove and a second strip-shaped groove are formed at one end of the movable slide (102) close to the locking member (103), and a connecting seat (108) is also provided at the end of the movable slide (102).

5. The flexible clamping device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The locking member (103) is arranged on the connecting seat (108).

6. The flexible clamping device according to claim 5, characterized in that: One end of the artificial muscle (200) is arranged on the fixing hook (106), and the other end of the artificial muscle (200) passes through the first strip-shaped groove and the second strip-shaped groove to be connected to the locking member (103).

7. The flexible clamping device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The locking member (103) is used to adjust the length of the artificial muscle (200) located at the end of the movable slide (102).

8. The flexible clamping device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The artificial muscle (200) is made of a conductive material, and the artificial muscle (200) can change its contraction force according to temperature changes.

9. The flexible clamping device according to claim 8, characterized in that: A support seat is arranged at the bottom end of the movable slide (102), and the support seat is provided in multiple groups, and the lead screw (104) passes through multiple groups of the support seats at the same time.

10. The flexible clamping device according to claim 9, characterized in that: The locking member (103) comprises a movable plate (103a) disposed in the connecting seat (108), a screw rod (103b) fixedly connected to the end of the movable plate (103a), and an adjusting wheel (103c) fixedly connected to the end of the screw rod (103b); The screw rod (103b) passes through the end of the connecting seat (108), and the movable plate (103a) can move up and down along the inner wall of the connecting seat (108).

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