A modular segmented linkage flexible mechanical arm and a rope cluster segmented decoupling driving method

Abstract

The present invention relates to a modular segmented linkage flexible mechanical arm and a rope cluster segmented decoupling driving method, wherein the modular segmented linkage flexible mechanical arm comprises a driving box; a base connecting rod assembly for guiding a plurality of driving ropes drawn from the driving box, wherein the base connecting rod assembly is arranged above the driving box; and at least one arm segment group, wherein the arm segment group comprises modular arm segments and inter-arm segment connecting rods connected in sequence, wherein the bottom of the first modular arm segment 3000 is connected to the top of the base connecting rod assembly. The modular segmented linkage flexible mechanical arm adopts a "rigid connecting rod + rotating joint + linkage module" design to ensure that the path length of the rear end arm segment driving rope does not change with the front end arm segment joint angle when passing through the front end arm segment, thereby realizing rope cluster segmented drive decoupling.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of rope-driven flexible robots, and in particular to a modular segmented linkage flexible mechanical arm and a rope cluster segmented decoupling driving method. Background Art

[0002] The rope-driven flexible robot uses ropes as a driving means, which has unparalleled advantages over traditional discrete industrial robots. The flexible robot's moving parts are light in weight, small inertia, and good in safety performance, which is suitable for human-machine interaction scenarios; the motor, controller and other electrical vulnerable parts can be placed in the control box and do not move with the robot, realizing electromechanical separation, greatly improving the robot's environmental adaptability, and suitable for scenes of harsh environment operations; the robot is small in size, with a large range of variable stiffness and good compliance and flexibility, which is suitable for scenes of operations in small and confined spaces.

[0003] Under the existing technology, in the structure of a single drive box controlling multiple arm segments, the rope driving the rear arm segment will pass through the rope hole of the front arm segment in sequence. The change of the joint angle of the front arm segment will change the path length of the rear arm segment driving rope in the front arm segment, thereby affecting the path length of the rear arm segment driving rope in the entire robot arm body.

[0004] , that is, the segmented drive coupling problem of the rope cluster. This problem increases the control difficulty of the robot arm, limits the positioning accuracy and motion performance of the robot arm, and is not conducive to the modular design of the robot arm.

[0005] Therefore, it is urgent to propose a new design idea to solve the problem of rope cluster segmented drive coupling of a flexible robotic arm with a multi-arm structure controlled by a single drive box. Based on this, the present invention provides a rope cluster segmented decoupling drive method, and a modular segmented linkage flexible robotic arm that uses the method to achieve drive decoupling. Using the results of the present invention, a flexible robotic arm with different lengths and degrees of freedom can be constructed, in which the length of the driving rope group corresponds to the arm segment joint angle one by one, and has the characteristics of continuous arm shape, modular design, electromechanical separation, and large workspace, and is suitable for applications with high-precision control and complex motion requirements. Summary of the invention

[0006] The present invention provides a modular segmented linkage flexible mechanical arm and a rope cluster segmented decoupling driving method, aiming to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art.

[0007] The technical solution of the present invention is a modular segmented linkage flexible mechanical arm, comprising:

[0008] Drive box;

[0009] A base connecting rod assembly, used for guiding a plurality of driving ropes led out from the driving box, wherein the base connecting rod assembly is arranged above the driving box;

[0010] At least one boom segment group, the boom segment group includes modular boom segments and inter-boom segment links connected in sequence, and the bottom of the first modular boom segment 3000 is connected to the top of the base link assembly.

[0011] Further, the drive box includes a first support plate, a second support plate, a third support plate and a fourth support plate arranged in sequence from bottom to top, a first area is formed between the first support plate 1001 and the second support plate, a second area is formed between the second support plate and the third support plate, and a third area is formed between the third support plate and the fourth support plate;

[0012] A plurality of support rods for supporting the first support plate 1001, the second support plate and the third support plate are arranged in the first area and the second area;

[0013] The bottom of the second support plate is rigidly connected to eight drivers and eight motors via screws for providing power for the rotation of eight ball screws respectively arranged in the third area, and the drivers and the motors are installed in the first area.

[0014] Further, the second area includes 8 couplings, 8 first drive rope fasteners, 16 drive rope reversing fixed pulley supports and 16 drive rope reversing fixed pulleys;

[0015] Each coupling is used to connect the output shaft of the corresponding motor and one end of the ball screw;

[0016] The first driving rope fasteners are arranged below the third supporting plate, and each first driving rope fastener is used to connect one end of the corresponding driving rope;

[0017] Each driving rope reversing fixed pulley support member is arranged below the third support plate, the two driving rope reversing fixed pulley support members at the same radial ends have the same height, and the other driving rope reversing fixed pulley support members at different radial ends have different heights;

[0018] The driving rope reversing fixed pulleys are respectively installed on corresponding driving rope reversing fixed pulley supporting members.

[0019] Further, the third area includes 8 linear guide rails, 8 ball screws, 8 movable pulley sliders and 16 movable pulleys.

[0020] Both ends of each linear guide rail and both ends of each ball screw are connected to the third support plate and the fourth support plate respectively, each movable pulley slider moves smoothly on the respective linear guide rails, each movable pulley slider is equipped with two freely rotatable movable pulleys through pins, two driving ropes of the same group are respectively wound around the two movable pulleys of the same movable pulley slider, and the two movable pulleys on the same movable pulley slider are respectively in contact with the two driving ropes of the same group;

[0021] The fourth support plate is equipped with 8 second drive rope fasteners, 16 drive rope guide fixed pulley supports and 16 first drive rope guide fixed pulleys, the 8 second drive rope fasteners and 16 drive rope guide fixed pulley supports are respectively distributed circumferentially around the base connecting rod assembly, the second drive rope fasteners 1013 are distributed on the outside, and the drive rope guide fixed pulley supports are distributed on the inside;

[0022] A first driving rope guiding fixed pulley is installed on the driving rope guiding fixed pulley support, and the second driving rope fastener and the first driving rope fastener are respectively used for fastening and pre-tightening two driving ropes of the same group.

[0023] Furthermore, the base connecting rod assembly includes a long guide connecting piece and a short guide connecting piece connected to the main body base connecting rod.

[0024] The bottom of the base connecting rod is rigidly connected to the middle of the fourth support plate of the drive box through a plug screw, and the top of the base connecting rod is rigidly connected to the modular arm segment through a screw;

[0025] The long guide connector is provided with 4 long drive rope guide fixed pulley supports at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, and the short guide connector is provided with 12 short drive rope guide fixed pulley supports at equal intervals in the circumferential direction.

[0026] Each long driving rope guiding fixed pulley support member and each short driving rope guiding fixed pulley support member are provided with a driving rope guiding fixed pulley fixed by a retaining spring cylindrical pin.

[0027] Furthermore, the modular arm segment includes a joint module at the front end, a connecting rod between the joint modules, and a joint module at the rear end, which are connected in sequence;

[0028] In the first modular arm section, the bottom of the joint module at the front end is connected to the top of the base link assembly;

[0029] The first arm segment group connected to the base link assembly includes 4 driving ropes directly controlling the joint module at the front end and 8 driving ropes passing through the joint module at the front end to control the rear arm segment;

[0030] In the first arm segment group connected to the base connecting rod assembly, the upper and lower end surfaces of the joint module at the front end are provided with 24 flange pads, and the upper and lower end surfaces of the joint module at the rear end are provided with 16 flange pads;

[0031] In the first arm segment group connected to the base connecting rod assembly, the connecting rod between the joint modules includes 8 first fixed-length hoses and 16 first fixed-length hose positioning parts, the 16 first fixed-length hose positioning parts are respectively arranged on the upper and lower end surfaces of the connecting rod between the joint modules, the two ends of the first fixed-length hose are respectively connected with the corresponding driving ropes through the corresponding first fixed-length hose positioning parts, and one end of the first fixed-length hose on the lower end surface and the other end of the first fixed-length hose on the upper end surface are radially symmetrically arranged.

[0032] Furthermore, the joint module comprises at least two mutually anti-symmetrical joint groups and a connecting rod between the joint groups.

[0033] The joint assembly includes a flange, a small bevel gear support, a small bevel gear, a cross shaft, a cross shaft support, two large bevel gears and two cylindrical gears inside the joint module;

[0034] Two flanges are set at both ends of a single joint module to connect the base link assembly or the link between joint modules.

[0035] The small bevel gear support is rigidly connected to the adjacent flange by screws and connected to the small bevel gear by set screws.

[0036] The cross shaft and the small bevel gear are connected through angular contact bearings. The cross shaft and the small bevel gear can rotate relative to each other around the rotating axis. The cross shaft has four rotating axes in the horizontal direction. The two rotating axes adjacent to the rotating axis of the small bevel gear are respectively connected to a large bevel gear through angular contact bearings.

[0037] The cross shaft support is connected to the cross shaft through an angular contact bearing, and the cross shaft support is connected to the adjacent flange through screws.

[0038] The two large bevel gears are connected to the cylindrical gear inside a joint module through screws respectively;

[0039] The inter-joint connecting rods include: two No. 1 inter-joint connecting rods and one No. 2 inter-joint connecting rod.

[0040] The two No. 1 inter-joint group connecting rods are respectively arranged on both sides of the No. 2 inter-joint group connecting rod, and the two No. 1 inter-joint group connecting rods and the one No. 2 inter-joint group connecting rod are fixedly connected to each other by screws.

[0041] Furthermore, the joint module further comprises: 2 linkage ropes, 1 linkage rope drum, 2 second fixed-length hoses, 1 joint module inter-cylindrical gear and 1 second fixed-length hose positioning member;

[0042] The two linkage ropes and two second fixed-length hoses are shared by the two joint modules in the modular arm section;

[0043] The linkage rope drum is fixed in the groove of the cross shaft by screws.

[0044] The linkage rope drum is provided with grooves along the arc surface, and the grooves are used to accommodate the two linkage ropes sliding therein.

[0045] The second fixed-length hose is used to ensure that the length of the linkage rope does not change during the reversing process, and the two ends are fixed on the cross shaft through the second fixed-length hose positioning piece.

[0046] Further, the linkage rope passes through the connecting rod between the second joint group, the linkage rope drum, the cross shaft, the second fixed-length hose, the cross shaft, the linkage rope drum and the connecting rod between the second joint group in sequence.

[0047] The two ends of the linkage rope are respectively fixedly connected to the connecting rod between the No. 2 joint groups of the two joint modules through rope fasteners. The characteristic of the unchanged total length of the linkage rope is utilized to make the rotating axes of the two joint modules in the axial direction of the large bevel gear rotate synchronously; the synchronous rotation of the rotating axes of the two joint modules in the axial direction of the small bevel gear is achieved by the cylindrical gears between the joint modules. The cylindrical gears between the joint modules are fixedly connected to the cross shaft by set screws to control the size and accuracy of the connecting rod between the joint modules and ensure that the cylindrical gears between the joint modules of the two joint modules can mesh normally.

[0048] Furthermore, the present invention also proposes a rope cluster segmented decoupling driving method, which is applied to the modular segmented linkage flexible mechanical arm. The rope cluster segmented decoupling driving method comprises the following steps:

[0049] S100, after the drive box receives the control signal, the drive motor rotates at a specified speed, and the rotation of the motor is transmitted to the ball screw through the coupling, driving the ball screw to rotate, so that the movable pulley slider moves horizontally along the linear guide rail;

[0050] S200, two movable pulleys are installed on the movable pulley slider, which are respectively in contact with one of the two driving ropes in the same group to control the retraction and extension of the driving rope. Both ends of the single driving rope need to be fastened, one end is fastened to the driving box, and the other end is fastened to the modular arm segment. One end of the two driving ropes in the same group needs to be fastened to the driving box, and fastened to the third support plate and the fourth support plate respectively. The driving rope fastened to the third support plate needs to be moved to a radially symmetrical position through the driving rope reversing fixed pulley, and the movable pulley slider moves horizontally along the linear guide rail, so that the two driving ropes in the same group are retracted and released one by one, and the extension and retraction directions are opposite, and the extension and retraction amounts are equal;

[0051] S300, the driving rope changes its distribution diameter through the first driving rope guide fixed pulley and the second driving rope guide fixed pulley, and enters from the driving box into the robot arm body composed of joint modules, modular arm segments, and connecting rods between arm segments that are alternately connected;

[0052] S400, the bending of each modular arm segment is controlled by two groups of driving ropes orthogonally distributed on the fourth support plate, the driving controls of the modular arm segments are decoupled from each other and do not affect each other, and the driving rope that controls the rear modular arm segment passes through all the non-driven modular arm segments and the connecting rods between the arm segments in sequence, and the path in the non-driven modular arm segment is "flange-flange pad-flange pad-flange-first fixed-length hose positioning member-first fixed-length hose-first fixed-length hose positioning member-flange-flange pad-flange pad-flange pad-flange", and the characteristics of the modular arm segments having equal rotation angles of the joints in the same direction and the same rotation direction make the path length of the driving rope in the non-driven modular arm segment remain unchanged, thereby making the driving controls of the modular arm segments decoupled from each other and do not affect each other;

[0053] S500, the driving rope is fastened to one end of the modular arm segment and to the rear flange of the joint module at the front end of the driving modular arm segment. Two sets of orthogonally distributed driving ropes apply pressure on the fastening points of the flange by contraction and release, thereby controlling the joint module at the front end of the driving modular arm segment to bend in a specified direction. The linkage device between the joint modules drives the joint module at the rear end to bend in the same specified direction. The joint module has 2 degrees of freedom, which enables free rotation in two directions except the axis direction of the joint module.

[0054] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0055] The modular segmented linkage flexible robotic arm and the rope cluster segmented decoupling driving method provide a new modular arm segment structure, which adopts the design of "rigid connecting rod + rotating joint + linkage module" to ensure that the path length of the rear end arm segment driving rope does not change with the joint angle of the front end arm segment when passing through the front end arm segment, thereby realizing the rope cluster segmented drive decoupling. The modular arm segment includes a joint module, a connecting rod and a linkage device between the joint modules, and the linkage between the rope and the gear is used to realize the synchronous rotation of the joints rotating in the same direction in the modular arm segment. The present invention proposes a drive box design adapted to the above-mentioned modular arm segment. By constructing multiple modular arm segments, flexible robotic arms of different lengths and degrees of freedom can be flexibly configured. It has the advantages of electromechanical separation, modular design, continuous arm shape, and large working space, and is suitable for flexible robotic arm applications with high-precision control and complex motion requirements. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0056] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a modular segmented linkage flexible robotic arm with rope cluster driven decoupled modular arm segments.

[0057] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of a drive box of a flexible robotic arm of a modular segmented linkage flexible robotic arm.

[0058] Figure 3It is a detailed schematic diagram of the base connecting rod of the modular segmented linkage flexible robotic arm.

[0059] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the rope cluster driven decoupled modular arm segment in the modular segmented linkage flexible robotic arm.

[0060] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the joint module within the modular arm segment driven by a rope cluster decoupling in a modular segmented linkage flexible robotic arm.

[0061] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the other direction of the joint module in the modular arm segment of the rope cluster drive decoupling modular segment linkage flexible robotic arm.

[0062] Figure 7 Flowchart of the rope cluster segmented decoupling drive method.

[0063] Reference numerals: 1000, drive box; 1001, first support plate; 1002, support rod; 1003, motor; 1004, driver; 1005, coupling; 1006, first drive rope fastener; 1007, drive rope reversing fixed pulley; 1008, drive rope reversing fixed pulley support; 1009, linear guide; 1010, movable pulley slider; 1011, movable pulley; 1012, ball bearing Lead screw; 1013, second drive rope fastener; 1014, drive rope guide fixed pulley support; 1015, first drive rope guide fixed pulley; 1016, second support plate; 1017, third support plate; 1018, fourth support plate; 2000, base connecting rod assembly; 2001, base connecting rod; 2002, long drive rope guide fixed pulley support; 2003, spring cylindrical pin; 2004, second drive Rope guide fixed pulley; 2005, short drive rope guide fixed pulley support; 3000, modular arm section; 3001, drive rope; 3002, flange pad; 3003, first fixed length hose positioning member; 3004, first fixed length hose; 3100, joint module; 3101, flange; 3102, small bevel gear support; 3103, small bevel gear; 3104, large bevel gear; 3105, joint Cylindrical gears within the module; 3106, connecting rod between the first joint group; 3107, connecting rod between the second joint group; 3108, cross shaft; 3109, cross shaft support; 3111, linkage rope; 3112, linkage rope drum; 3113, second fixed-length hose; 3114, cylindrical gears between joint modules; 3115, second fixed-length hose positioning piece; 3200, connecting rod between joint modules; 4000, connecting rod between arm sections. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0064] The following will be combined with the embodiments and drawings to clearly and completely describe the concept, specific structure and technical effects of the present invention, so as to fully understand the purpose, scheme and effect of the present invention. It should be noted that the embodiments and features in the embodiments of this application can be combined with each other without conflict.

[0065] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, when a feature is referred to as being "fixed" or "connected" to another feature, it may be directly fixed or connected to the other feature, or it may be indirectly fixed or connected to the other feature. In addition, the descriptions of up, down, left, right, top, bottom, etc. used in the present invention are only relative to the relative positional relationship of the components of the present invention in the drawings.

[0066] In addition, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as those generally understood by those skilled in the art. The terms used in this specification are only for describing specific embodiments, not for limiting the present invention. The term "and / or" used herein includes any combination of one or more related listed items.

[0067] It should be understood that, although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used to describe various elements in the present disclosure, these elements should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish elements of the same type from each other. For example, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, the first element may also be referred to as the second element, and similarly, the second element may also be referred to as the first element.

[0068] Reference Figures 1 to 7 In some embodiments, the technical solution of the present invention is a modular segmented linkage flexible mechanical arm, referring to Figure 1 ,include:

[0069] Drive box 1000;

[0070] A base connecting rod assembly 2000, used for guiding a plurality of driving ropes 3001 led out from the driving box 1000, wherein the base connecting rod assembly 2000 is arranged above the driving box 1000;

[0071] At least one boom segment group, the boom segment group includes modular boom segments 3000 and inter-boom segment links 4000 connected in sequence, and the bottom of the first modular boom segment 3000 is connected to the top of the base link assembly 2000.

[0072] Specifically, the present invention proposes a flexible manipulator using a rope cluster drive decoupling modular arm segment 3000, the manipulator comprises a drive box 1000 providing power for the drive rope 3001, a base connecting rod assembly 2000 connecting the drive box 1000 and the modular arm segment 3000 and guiding the drive rope 3001, three modular arm segments 3000 realizing the core function of rope cluster segment drive decoupling, and two inter-arm segment connecting rods 4000 connecting the modular arm segments 3000. The currently configured manipulator has 6 active degrees of freedom, but in fact, the drive box 1000 and the base connecting rod assembly 2000 have spare drive and transmission components, which can drive and control up to 4 modular arm segments 3000 at the same time, that is, the actual maximum active degrees of freedom that can be accommodated is 8.

[0073] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0074] The modular segmented linkage flexible mechanical arm and the rope cluster segmented decoupling driving method provide a new modular arm segment 3000 structure, which adopts the design of "rigid connecting rod + rotating joint + linkage module" to ensure that the path length of the rear arm segment driving rope 3001 does not change with the joint angle of the front arm segment when passing through the front arm segment, thereby realizing the rope cluster segmented drive decoupling. The modular arm segment 3000 includes a joint module 3100, a connecting rod 3200 between joint modules and a linkage device, and the linkage between ropes and gears is used to realize the synchronous rotation of the joints rotating in the same direction in the modular arm segment 3000. The present invention proposes a drive box 1000 design adapted to the above modular arm segment 3000. By constructing multiple modular arm segments 3000, flexible mechanical arms of different lengths and degrees of freedom can be flexibly configured. It has the advantages of electromechanical separation, modular design, continuous arm shape, large working space, etc., and is suitable for flexible mechanical arm applications with high-precision control and complex motion requirements.

[0075] The present invention provides a rope cluster segmented decoupling driving method, and a modular segmented linkage flexible mechanical arm that uses the method to achieve drive decoupling, which aims to solve the rope cluster segmented driving coupling problem of a flexible mechanical arm with a multi-arm structure controlled by a single drive box 1000, reduce the control difficulty of the mechanical arm, and provide a new idea for the modular design of the mechanical arm, and improve positioning accuracy and motion performance. Specifically, it is used to solve the rope cluster segmented driving coupling problem of a flexible mechanical arm with a multi-arm structure controlled by a single drive box 1000. The cause of the rope cluster segmented driving coupling problem is analyzed. Since in the structure where a single drive box 1000 controls multiple arm segments, the rope driving the rear arm segment will pass through the rope hole of the front arm segment in sequence, and the change in the joint rotation angle of the front arm segment will change the path length of the rear arm segment driving rope 3001 in the front arm segment, thereby affecting the path length of the rear arm segment driving rope 3001 in the entire mechanical arm body. Therefore, as long as it can be ensured that the path length of the rear arm segment driving rope 3001 in the front arm segment does not change with the joint angle of the front arm segment when passing through the front arm segment, the rope cluster segment drive decoupling can be achieved.

[0076] Specifically, the present invention proposes a modular arm segment 3000 based on the rope cluster segment decoupling driving method, which adopts the structure of "rigid connecting rod + rotating joint + linkage module", including two sets of joint modules 3100, joint module inter-module connecting rods 3200 providing rigid connection between joint modules 3100, and linkage devices providing linkage functions. The yaw and pitch angles of the modular arm segment 3000 are respectively controlled by four rotating joints, and the rotating joints in the same direction are synchronized through the linkage module of "linkage rope + cylindrical gear + bevel gear". Each modular arm segment 3000 is controlled by four driving ropes 3001, two by two, and the positions of the rope holes of the same group of driving ropes 3001 through the flange 3101 are symmetrical about the center point of the flange 3101. The two ends of the variable part of the same group of driving ropes 3001 in the joint module 3100, a total of four endpoints, are connected in pairs to always form an isosceles trapezoid. The variable part of the driving rope 3001 is the bottom and top of the isosceles trapezoid, and the sum of the two is always equal to a constant. When the rear arm segment driving rope passes through the front arm segment, the first fixed-length hose 3004 is used between the two flanges 3101 of the inter-joint module link 3200 to achieve axis-symmetrical rope hole position change. According to the geometric characteristics of the isosceles trapezoid, the path length of the driving rope 3001 in the two joint modules 3100 of the modular arm segment 3000 is always a constant, thereby ensuring that when the rear arm segment driving rope passes through the front arm segment, the path length in the front arm segment does not change with the joint angle of the front arm segment. When the rear arm segment driving rope passes through the arm segment driven by itself, it does not need to change the rope hole position through the hose, and can be fixed on the flange 3101 of the first joint module 3100 of the arm segment.

[0077] The joint module 3100 includes: 2 flanges 3101, 2 cross shafts 3108, 4 cylindrical gears 3105 in the joint module, 6 bevel gears and 1 connecting rod between gears. The 6 bevel gears are divided into 2 small bevel gears 3103 and 4 large bevel gears 3104 according to their sizes. The small bevel gears 3103 are rigidly connected to the flange 3101 through set screws and supporting parts. The cross shaft 3108 has rotating shafts in 4 directions on the same plane, one side of which is connected to the small bevel gear 3103 through a bearing, and the two can rotate relative to each other, and the vertex of the small bevel gear 3103 faces the cross shaft 3108. The other two rotating shafts adjacent to the rotating shaft connected to the small bevel gear 3103 on the cross shaft 3108 are connected to two large bevel gears 3104 through bearings, and the large bevel gear 3104 can rotate relative to the rotating shaft and mesh with the small bevel gear 3103. In order to reduce the weight of the joint module 3100, the tooth surface of the large bevel gear 3104 is designed according to the rotation angle range, and the meshing rotation angle range with the small bevel gear 3103 is ±45°. The large bevel gear 3104 is rigidly connected to a cylindrical gear 3105 in the joint module through screws. For the convenience of description, the structure consisting of a flange 3101, a small bevel gear 3103, two large bevel gears 3104 and two cylindrical gears 3105 in the joint module is called a joint group. The joint module 3100 is composed of two joint groups symmetrical about the axis vertical plane and a connecting rod between gears. The joint groups are directly connected through the meshing of the cylindrical gears 3105 in the joint module. In order to achieve the meshing relationship, the positions of the teeth between the cylindrical gears 3105 in the joint modules of the two joint groups are different. The inter-gear connecting rod is composed of three parts rigidly connected, connected to two joint groups (a total of four large bevel gears 3104) through four rotating axes, and the large bevel gears 3104 can rotate relative to the corresponding rotating axes. There are four rotating joints in the joint module 3100, and the yaw and pitch directions are controlled by two rotating joints respectively. The synchronous rotation of the two rotating joints in the same direction is achieved through the "bevel gear + cylindrical gear 3105 in the joint module" structure.

[0078] The linkage device providing rigid connection and linkage function between the joint modules 3100 includes: 1 inter-joint module connecting rod 3200, 2 large "8" linkage ropes 3111, 2 rope drums 3112, 2 inter-joint module cylindrical gears 3114 and 2 second fixed-length hoses 3113. The joint modules 3100 are rigidly connected through the inter-joint module connecting rod 3200. In order to reduce the overall weight of the arm section, the inter-joint module connecting rod 3200 adopts a hollow design. A groove and a screw through hole are left at the cross shaft 3108. The rope drum is rigidly connected to the cross shaft 3108 through screws. Only the cross shaft 3108 adjacent to the inter-joint module connecting rod 3200 in the joint module 3100 needs to be equipped with a rope drum. The cylindrical gear 3114 between the joint modules is rigidly connected to the cross shaft 3108 through a set screw. In the joint module 3100, only the cross shaft 3108 of the connecting rod 3200 between the adjacent joint modules needs to be equipped with the cylindrical gear 3114 between the joint modules. The cylindrical gears 3114 between the two joint modules are meshed with each other to realize the linkage in one rotation direction between the joint modules 3100. The two ends of the second fixed-length hose 3113 are respectively fixed on the cross shaft 3108 of the connecting rod 3200 between the adjacent joint modules. The transmission path of the large "8" linkage rope 3111 is "connecting rod between gears-cross shaft 3108-second fixed-length hose 3113-cross shaft 3108-connecting rod between gears". The two ends of the large "8" linkage rope 3111 are respectively fixed on the connecting rods between the gears of the two joint modules 3100. Based on the characteristic that the length of the rope transmission path remains unchanged, the linkage in another rotation direction between the joint modules 3100 is realized.

[0079] The present invention proposes a flexible robotic arm that uses a rope cluster to drive a decoupled modular arm segment 3000, including the above-mentioned modular arm segment 3000, an inter-arm segment connecting rod 4000 that provides a rigid connection between the modular arm segments 3000, a base connecting rod 2001 that guides the driving rope 3001 into the arm segment, and a driving box 1000 that provides power.

[0080] The number of driving ropes 3001 of a single rope cluster driving decoupling modular arm segment 3000 is 4, two in a group. The rope holes on the flange 3101 through which the two driving ropes 3001 in the same group pass are symmetrical with respect to the center point of the flange 3101. During the movement, the two driving ropes 3001 in the same group have opposite extension directions and equal lengths, and can be fully driven by one motor 1003, and the specific implementation process is completed in the drive box 1000.

[0081] The drive box 1000 suitable for rope cluster driven decoupling modular arm segments 3000 can be configured according to the number of modular arm segments 3000, and can be adapted to a robotic arm consisting of up to 4 modular arm segments 3000, including: 8 sets of screw guide modules, 8 movable pulley sliders 1010, 16 movable pulleys 1011, 8 drivers 1004, 8 motors 1003, 16 drive rope reversing fixed pulleys 1007, 16 first drive rope guide fixed pulleys 1015, 8 first drive rope fasteners 1006, 8 second drive rope fasteners 1013 and a number of drive box 1000 supports. Each set of lead screw guide rail module is controlled and driven by a driver 1004 and a motor 1003. The guide rails are equipped with a movable pulley slider 1010. Each movable pulley slider 1010 has two movable pulleys 1011. The two movable pulleys 1011 are used to drive two driving ropes 3001 in the same group. One end of the driving rope 3001 is fixed to the supporting part of the driving box 1000. The movable pulley slider 1010 moves along the guide rail to drive the driving rope 3001, which not only makes the two driving ropes 3001 in the same group to extend and retract in opposite directions and equal in length, but also increases the extension and retraction stroke of the driving rope 3001 without changing the length of the driving box 1000. The drive box 1000 adopts a hollow structure for convenient wiring. The lead screw guide rail module and the movable pulley slider 1010 are arranged on one side of the drive box 1000. The drive rope 3001 adjacent to the base in the same group of two drive ropes 3001 needs to be switched to the other side of the drive rope 3001 through the drive rope switching fixed pulley 1007. The distribution diameter of the rope hole of the drive rope 3001 of the drive box 1000 is different from that of the modular arm section 3000. In order to reduce the friction force of the drive rope 3001 during transmission, the drive rope 3001 is guided by the first drive rope guide fixed pulley 1015 on the drive box 1000 and the second drive rope guide fixed pulley 2004 on the base connecting rod 2001. The first drive rope fastener 1006 and the second drive rope fastener 1013 can pre-tighten the drive rope 3001 by using the self-locking effect of the threaded connection.

[0082] Further, refer to Figure 2 The drive box 1000 includes a first support plate 1001, a second support plate 1016, a third support plate 1017 and a fourth support plate 1018 which are arranged in sequence from bottom to top, a first area is formed between the first support plate 1001 and the second support plate 1016, a second area is formed between the second support plate 1016 and the third support plate 1017, and a third area is formed between the third support plate 1017 and the fourth support plate 1018;

[0083] A plurality of support rods 1002 are disposed in the first area and the second area for supporting a first support plate 1001, a second support plate 1016 and a third support plate 1017;

[0084] The bottom of the second support plate 1016 is rigidly connected by screws with eight drivers 1004 and eight motors 1003 for providing power for the rotation of eight ball screws 1012 respectively arranged in the third area, and the drivers 1004 and the motors 1003 are installed in the first area.

[0085] Specifically, the overall structure of the drive box 1000 is divided into three areas by four support plates 1001. The three support plates near the bottom are rigidly connected and supported by support rods 1002, and the support plate near the robot body is supported by eight linear guides 1009 and eight ball screws 1012. From bottom to top, the areas divided by the four support plates are rigidly connected by screws and equipped with eight drivers 1004 and eight motors 1003 in the first area to provide power for the rotation of the screw 1012.

[0086] Further, refer to Figure 2 , the second area includes 8 couplings 1005, 8 first drive rope fasteners 1006, 16 drive rope reversing fixed pulley supports 1008 and 16 drive rope reversing fixed pulleys 1007;

[0087] Each coupling 1005 is used to connect the output shaft of the corresponding motor 1003 and one end of the ball screw 1012;

[0088] The first driving rope fasteners 1006 are arranged below the third support plate 1017, and each first driving rope fastener 1006 is used to connect one end of the corresponding driving rope 3001;

[0089] Each driving rope reversing fixed pulley support member 1008 is disposed below the third support plate 1017, and the heights of the two driving rope reversing fixed pulley support members 1008 at the same radial ends are consistent, while the heights of the other driving rope reversing fixed pulley support members 1008 at different radial ends are different;

[0090] The driving rope reversing fixed pulleys 1007 are respectively installed on the corresponding driving rope reversing fixed pulley supports 1008.

[0091] Specifically, the second area includes 8 couplings 1005, 8 first drive rope fasteners 1006, 8 drive rope reversing fixed pulley supports 1008 and 8 drive rope reversing fixed pulleys 1007; the coupling 1005 provides a connection between the motor 1003 and the screw 1012; the first drive rope fastener 1006 provides a fastening point for one end of the drive rope 3001 that needs to be reversed, and at the same time, the self-locking characteristics of the threaded connection can be used to apply a pre-tightening force to the drive rope 3001 to avoid slack during the movement of the robot body; the drive rope reversing fixed pulley support 1008 provides a connection between the support plate 1001 and the drive rope reversing fixed pulley 1007, and at the same time, the height difference is used to avoid interference between the reversing drive rope 3001; the drive rope reversing fixed pulley 1007 provides a guide for the reversing drive rope 3001 to reduce the friction force on the drive rope 3001 when reversing.

[0092] Further, refer to Figure 2 The third area includes 8 linear guide rails 1009, 8 ball screws 1012, 8 movable pulley sliders 1010 and 16 movable pulleys 1011.

[0093] Both ends of each linear guide rail 1009 and both ends of each ball screw 1012 are connected to the third support plate 1017 and the fourth support plate 1018 respectively, each movable pulley slider 1010 moves smoothly on the respective linear guide rails 1009, each movable pulley slider 1010 is equipped with two freely rotatable movable pulleys 1011 through pins, two driving ropes 3001 of the same group are respectively wound around the two movable pulleys 1011 of the same movable pulley slider 1010, and the two movable pulleys 1011 on the same movable pulley slider 1010 are respectively in contact with the two driving ropes 3001 of the same group;

[0094] The fourth support plate 1018 is equipped with 8 second drive rope fasteners 1013, 16 drive rope guide fixed pulley supports 1014 and 16 first drive rope guide fixed pulleys 1015. The 8 second drive rope fasteners 1013 and the 16 drive rope guide fixed pulley supports 1014 are respectively distributed around the base connecting rod assembly 2000 in a circumferential direction, the second drive rope fasteners 1013 are distributed on the outside, and the drive rope guide fixed pulley supports 1014 are distributed on the inside.

[0095] A first driving rope guiding fixed pulley 1015 is installed on the driving rope guiding fixed pulley support 1014, and the second driving rope fastener 1013 and the first driving rope fastener 1006 are respectively used for fastening and pre-tightening two driving ropes 3001 of the same group.

[0096] Specifically, the third area includes 8 linear guide rails 1009, 8 movable pulley sliders 1010, 16 movable pulleys 1011 and 8 ball screws 1012; the linear guide rails 1009 are rigidly connected to the upper and lower support plates 1001, and are coated with grease to reduce the friction generated by the movable pulley sliders 1010 contacting with them; the movable pulley sliders 1010 are equipped with 2 freely rotatable movable pulleys 1011 through pins, which can move smoothly on the guide rails 1010; the 2 movable pulley sliders 1010 on the same movable pulley slider 1010 The movable pulley 1011 contacts with two driving ropes 3001 of the same group respectively, and controls the two driving ropes 3001 of the same group to have opposite extension and retraction directions and equal lengths by keeping the relative distance between the two movable pulleys 11011 unchanged. At the same time, the extension and retraction stroke of the driving rope 3001 is improved by the characteristics of the movable pulley 1011 itself; the ball screw 1012 converts the circular motion of the motor 1003 into the linear motion of the movable pulley slider 1010, which is coated with grease to improve the force transmission efficiency of the motor 1003. The top of the drive box 1000 is equipped with 8 second drive rope fasteners 1013, 16 drive rope guide fixed pulley supports 1014 and 16 first drive rope guide fixed pulleys 1015; the second drive rope fasteners 1013 and the first drive rope fasteners 1006 have the same structure and similar functions, and are respectively used to fasten and pre-tighten the two drive ropes 3001 of the same group; the drive rope guide fixed pulley support 1014 provides support for the first drive rope guide fixed pulley 1015, and the difference from the drive rope reversing fixed pulley support 1008 is that the drive rope guide fixed pulley support 1014 does not have to provide a height difference; because the rope hole distribution diameter through which the drive rope 3001 on the drive box 1000 passes is not the same as that on the modular arm segment 3000, the first drive rope guide fixed pulley 1015 is required to provide guidance for the drive rope 3001 to achieve the conversion of the rope hole distribution diameter while minimizing friction. The motor 1003 of the driving box 1000 rotates, driving the ball screw 1012 to rotate through the coupling 1005, and then driving the movable pulley slider 1010 to move horizontally on the linear guide 1009 through the screw slider structure. The two driving ropes 3001 of the same group are respectively wound around the two movable pulleys 1011 of the same movable pulley slider 1010, and one end is respectively fixed on the fourth support plate 1018 and the first support plate 1001 of the driving box 1000. When the movable pulley slider 1010 moves toward the top, the driving rope 3001 near the top is loosened and the driving rope 3001 near the bottom is tightened. When it moves toward the bottom, the driving rope 3001 near the bottom is loosened and the driving rope 3001 near the top is tightened. No matter how the movable pulley slider 1010 moves, it can ensure that the path length of the driving rope 3001 in the driving box 1000 changes in opposite directions and the amount of change is equal. In order to reduce the friction force on the drive rope 3001 as much as possible when converting the rope hole distribution diameter, the drive rope 3001 will contact the first drive rope guide fixed pulley 1015 when leaving the drive box 1000.

[0097] The driving box 1000 drives the ball screw 1012 to rotate through the motor 1003, and uses the screw slider mechanism to convert the rotation of the ball screw 1012 into the translation of the movable pulley slider 1010. The movable pulley slider 1010 tightens the driving rope 3001 on one side through the movable pulley 1011. The driving rope 3001 will pass through all the front arm segments, and the path length in the front arm segment is always constant, and finally reach the modular arm segment 3000 directly controlled by itself, and is fixed on the flange 3101 through the rope fastener. The change in the length of the driving rope 3001 will change the joint angle of the modular arm segment 3000, so that the shape of the modular arm segment 3000 changes, and then the end of the robot arm body composed of it reaches the desired posture.

[0098] Furthermore, the base connecting rod assembly 2000 includes a base connecting rod 2001, a long guide connecting piece and a short guide connecting piece which are connected in sequence.

[0099] The bottom of the base connecting rod 2001 is rigidly connected to the middle of the fourth supporting plate 1018 of the driving box 1000 by plug screws, and the top of the base connecting rod 2001 is rigidly connected to the modular arm section 3000 by screws;

[0100] The long guide connector has four long drive rope guide fixed pulley supports 2002 equidistantly arranged around the circumference, and the short guide connector has twelve short drive rope guide fixed pulley supports 2005 equidistantly arranged around the circumference.

[0101] Each long drive rope guide fixed pulley support 2002 and each short drive rope guide fixed pulley support 2005 are provided with a second drive rope guide fixed pulley 2004 fixed by a retaining spring cylindrical pin 2003.

[0102] Specifically, the main function of the base connecting rod assembly 2000 is to provide a rigid connection between the drive box 1000 and the modular arm 3000, and to realize the conversion of the rope hole distribution diameter. The base connecting rod 2001 needs to provide a positioning reference for the robot arm body, and has a high positioning requirement. The bottom is rigidly connected to the drive box 1000 by plug screws, and the top is rigidly connected to the modular arm 3000 by screws. The middle part has a threaded hole to provide an interface for the long drive rope guide fixed pulley support 2002 and the short drive rope guide fixed pulley support 2005. The long drive rope guide fixed pulley support 2002, the short drive rope guide fixed pulley support 2005, the spring cylindrical pin 2003 and the second drive rope guide fixed pulley 2004 together constitute a fixed pulley assembly, which provides guidance for the drive rope 3001 and realizes the conversion of the rope hole distribution diameter under the condition of minimizing friction.

[0103] Further, refer to Figure 4, the modular arm segment 3000 includes a joint module 3100 at the front end, a connecting rod 3200 between the joint modules, and a joint module 3100 at the rear end which are connected in sequence;

[0104] In the first modular arm segment 3000, the bottom of the joint module 3100 at the front end is connected to the top of the base link assembly 2000;

[0105] The first arm segment group connected to the base link assembly 2000 includes 4 driving ropes 3001 directly controlling the joint module 3100 at the front end and 8 driving ropes 3001 passing through the joint module 3100 at the front end to control the rear arm segment;

[0106] In the first arm segment group connected to the base connecting rod assembly 2000, 24 flange pads 3002 are provided on the upper and lower end faces of the joint module 3100 at the front end, and 16 flange pads 3002 are provided on the upper and lower end faces of the joint module 3100 at the rear end;

[0107] In the first arm segment group connected to the base link assembly 2000, the inter-joint module link 3200 includes 8 first fixed-length hoses 3004 and 16 first fixed-length hose positioning parts 3003. The 16 first fixed-length hose positioning parts 3003 are respectively arranged on the upper and lower end surfaces of the inter-joint module link 3200. The two ends of the first fixed-length hose 3004 respectively pass through the corresponding first fixed-length hose positioning parts 3003 and are connected to the corresponding driving rope 3001. One end of the first fixed-length hose 3004 at the lower end surface and the other end of the first fixed-length hose 3004 at the upper end surface are radially symmetrically arranged.

[0108] In principle, the modular segmented linkage flexible mechanical arm comprises at least one arm segment group, referring to Figure 1 The above are the numbers of drive ropes 3001, flange spacers 3002, first fixed-length hoses 3004 and first fixed-length hose positioning members 3003 set in the modular arm segments in the first arm segment group, and the numbers of drive ropes 3001, flange spacers 3002, first fixed-length hoses 3004 and first fixed-length hose positioning members 3003 set in the modular arm segments of subsequent arm segment groups decrease successively.

[0109] Specifically, the second arm segment group includes 4 driving ropes 3001 that directly control the current joint module 3100 and 4 driving ropes 3001 that control the rear end arm segment through the current joint module 3100; the third arm segment group only includes 4 driving ropes 3001 that directly control the current joint module 3100.

[0110] In the second arm segment group, the upper and lower end faces of the joint module 3100 at the front end are provided with 16 flange spacers 3002, and the upper and lower end faces of the joint module 3100 at the rear end are provided with 8 flange spacers 3002; in the third arm segment group, the upper and lower end faces of the joint module 3100 at the front end are provided with 8 flange spacers 3002, and the upper and lower end faces of the joint module 3100 at the rear end are not provided with flange spacers.

[0111] In the second arm segment group, the inter-joint module connecting rod 3200 includes 4 first fixed-length hoses 3004 and 8 first fixed-length hose positioning members 3003 ; in the third arm segment group, the inter-joint module connecting rod 3200 includes 4 first fixed-length hose positioning members 3003 .

[0112] Specifically, the modular arm segment 3000 is the core component for realizing the decoupling of rope cluster segmented drive, and its internal components are relatively complex. Taking the front-end modular arm segment 3000 as an example, the driving rope 3001 is a group of two driving ropes 3001 that are symmetrical about the axis of the modular arm segment 3000. After passing through the first joint module 3100 of the front-end modular arm segment 3000, the same group of driving ropes 3001 of the rear-end arm segment will be exchanged through the first fixed-length hose 3004 to ensure that its total length in the front-end modular arm segment 3000 will not change, thereby realizing the decoupling of rope cluster segmented drive; the same group of driving ropes 3001 controlling a certain arm segment will stop after passing through the first joint module 3100 of the corresponding modular arm segment 3000, and will be fixed to the flange 3101 by a rope locking member.

[0113] The main function of the flange pad 3002 is to make the plane formed by the endpoints of the variable length part of the driving rope 3001 in the joint module 3100 coplanar with the intersection of the rotation axis of the cross axis 3108, ensuring that the driving ropes 3001 in the same group have opposite extension and contraction directions and equal lengths during the movement of the robot body.

[0114] The first fixed-length hose positioning member 3003 is used to position the first fixed-length hose 3004. During assembly, the center of the hose should be aligned with the rope hole on the flange 3101 as much as possible. The friction between the driving rope 3001 leaving the first fixed-length hose 3004 and the flange 3101 is the main source of friction for the driving rope 3001. The first fixed-length hose 3004 is used to interchange the positions of the same group of driving ropes 3001 of the rear arm segment when passing through the front arm segment, so that the total path length of the driving rope 3001 in the two joint modules 3100 of the modular arm segment 3000 is fixed.

[0115] Further, refer to Figure 5 and Figure 6The joint module 3100 includes at least two mutually anti-symmetrical joint groups and a connecting rod between the joint groups.

[0116] The joint assembly includes a flange 3101, a small bevel gear support 3102, a small bevel gear 3103, a cross shaft 3108, a cross shaft support 3109, two large bevel gears 3104 and two joint module inner cylindrical gears 3105;

[0117] Two flanges 3101 are provided at both ends of a single joint module 3100 for connecting the base link assembly 2000 or the link 3200 between joint modules.

[0118] The small bevel gear support 3102 is rigidly connected to the adjacent flange 3101 by screws, and is connected to the small bevel gear 3103 by set screws.

[0119] The cross shaft 3108 and the small bevel gear 3103 are connected through an angular contact bearing. The cross shaft 3108 and the small bevel gear 3103 can rotate relative to each other around the rotation axis. The cross shaft 3108 has four rotation axes in the horizontal direction. The two rotation axes adjacent to the rotation axis of the small bevel gear 3103 are respectively connected to a large bevel gear 3104 through an angular contact bearing.

[0120] The cross shaft support 3109 is connected to the cross shaft 3108 through an angular contact bearing, and the cross shaft support 3109 is connected to the adjacent flange 3101 through screws.

[0121] The two large bevel gears 3104 are connected to a cylindrical gear 3105 in a joint module through screws respectively;

[0122] The inter-joint connecting rods include: two No. 1 inter-joint connecting rods 3106 and one No. 2 inter-joint connecting rod 3107.

[0123] The two No. 1 inter-joint group connecting rods 3106 are respectively arranged on both sides of the No. 2 inter-joint group connecting rod 3107, and the two No. 1 inter-joint group connecting rods 3106 and the one No. 2 inter-joint group connecting rod 3107 are fixedly connected to each other by screws.

[0124] Specifically, the flange 3101 provides the joint module 3100 with a mechanical interface with the base link assembly 2000 and the joint module inter-link 3200, and provides support points and fixing points for various parts in the joint module 3100. The size and accuracy of the cross shaft 3108 need to be strictly controlled to ensure that the large bevel gear 3104 and the small bevel gear 3103 can mesh normally. At the same time, in order to accurately locate the position of the cross shaft 3108, the cross shaft support 3109 is connected to the cross shaft 3108 through an angular contact bearing, and is fixed to the flange 3101 through screws.

[0125] Two No. 1 inter-joint group connecting rods 3106 and one No. 2 inter-joint group connecting rod 3107 are fixedly connected to each other by screws to form an inter-joint group connecting rod. The joint module 3100 is composed of two joint groups and one inter-joint group connecting rod, and the order of composition is "joint group-inter-joint group connecting rod-joint group", and each of them is connected by an angular contact bearing.

[0126] The size and accuracy of the connecting rod 3106 between the first joint group need to be strictly controlled to ensure that the cylindrical gear 3105 in the joint module of the two joint groups can mesh normally. So far, all the internal linkage parts of the joint module 3100 have been introduced. Through the special structure of "bevel gear-cylindrical gear", the two rotating axes in the same direction in the joint module 3100 can rotate synchronously.

[0127] Further, refer to Figure 5 and Figure 6 The joint module 3100 further includes: two linkage ropes 3111, a linkage rope drum 3112, two second fixed-length hoses 3113, a joint module inter-cylindrical gear 3114 and a second fixed-length hose positioning member 3115;

[0128] The two linkage ropes 3111 and the two second fixed-length hoses 3113 are all shared by the two joint modules 3100 in the modular arm section 3000;

[0129] The linkage rope drum 3112 is fixed in the groove of the cross shaft 3108 by screws.

[0130] The linkage rope drum 3112 is provided with grooves along the arc surface, and the grooves are used to accommodate the two linkage ropes 3111 to slide therein.

[0131] The second fixed-length hose 3113 is used to ensure that the length of the linkage rope 3111 does not change during the switching process, and the two ends are fixed on the cross shaft 3108 through the second fixed-length hose positioning piece 3115.

[0132] Further, refer to Figure 5 and Figure 6 The linkage rope 3111 passes through the second joint group inter-linking rod 3107, the linkage rope drum 3112, the cross shaft 3108, the second fixed-length hose 3113, the cross shaft 3108, the linkage rope drum 3112 and the second joint group inter-linking rod 3107 in sequence.

[0133] The two ends of the linkage rope 3111 are respectively fixedly connected to the No. 2 joint group connecting rod 3107 of the two joint modules 3100 by rope fasteners. By utilizing the characteristic that the total length of the linkage rope 3111 remains unchanged, the rotation axes of the two joint modules 3100 in the axial direction of the large bevel gear 3104 can rotate synchronously; the synchronous rotation of the rotation axes of the two joint modules 3100 in the axial direction of the small bevel gear 3103 is achieved by the cylindrical gear 3114 between the joint modules. The cylindrical gear 3114 between the joint modules is fixedly connected to the cross shaft 3108 by a set screw, so as to control the size and accuracy of the joint module connecting rod 3200 and ensure that the cylindrical gears 3114 between the joint modules of the two joint modules 3100 can mesh normally.

[0134] Specifically, when the joints in the joint module 3100 rotate synchronously along the axis direction of the large bevel gear 3104: the meshing position of the large bevel gear 3104 and the small bevel gear 3103 of the bottom joint group remains unchanged, the connecting rod between the joint groups rotates relative to the large bevel gear 3104 of the bottom joint group to drive the top joint group, and the meshing position of the large bevel gear 3104 and the small bevel gear 3103 of the top joint group also remains unchanged. Based on the meshing relationship of the cylindrical gears 3105 in the joint modules of the top and bottom joint groups, the joints in the joint module 3100 rotate synchronously along the axis direction of the large bevel gear 3104. When the joints in the joint module 3100 rotate synchronously along the axis direction of the small bevel gear 3103: the cross shaft 3108 of the bottom joint group rotates relative to the small bevel gear 3103 of the bottom joint group to drive the large bevel gears 3104 of the two bottom joint groups. Based on the meshing relationship between the large bevel gear 3104 and the small bevel gear 3103, the rotation directions of the two large bevel gears 3104 are opposite and the angles are equal. The large bevel gear 31043 of the bottom joint group drives the large bevel gear 3104 of the top joint group to rotate through the meshing relationship of the cylindrical gears 3105 in the two joint modules. The two large bevel gears 3104 of the top joint group rotate in opposite directions and at equal angles. The gear meshing drives the small bevel gear 3103 of the top joint group to realize the synchronous rotation of the joints along the axis of the small bevel gear 3103 in the joint module 3100. When the joints between the joint modules 3100 rotate synchronously along the axis of the large bevel gear 3104: the two ends of the linkage rope 3111 are respectively fixed on the connecting rods between the joint groups of the two joint modules 3100. When the front joint module 3100 rotates along the axis of the small bevel gear 3103, the two linkage ropes 3111 will have a tight side and a loose side. The arc length of the tight side around the linkage rope drum 3112 is larger, and the arc length of the loose side around the linkage rope drum 3112 is smaller, because the rope drum is tightened to the rope. The tangent distance of the points always remains unchanged, and the path from the front joint module 3100 to the rear joint module 3100 remains unchanged due to the second fixed-length hose 3113. Therefore, without considering the deformation of the rope, the rear joint module 31003100 will also have a tight side and a loose side. The arc length of the linkage rope 3111 around the linkage rope drum 3112 is complementary to achieve the synchronous rotation of the joints between the joint modules 3100 along the axis of the large bevel gear 3104. When the joints between the joint modules 3100 rotate synchronously along the axis of the small bevel gear 3103: Based on the meshing relationship between the cylindrical gears 3114 between the joint modules of the front and rear joint modules 3100, the joints between the joint modules 3100 rotate synchronously along the axis of the small bevel gear 3103.

[0135] Further, refer to Figure 7 The present invention also proposes a rope cluster segmented decoupling driving method, which is applied to the modular segmented linkage flexible mechanical arm. The rope cluster segmented decoupling driving method comprises the following steps:

[0136] S100, after the driving box 1000 receives the control signal, the driving motor 1003 rotates at a specified speed, and the rotation of the motor 1003 is transmitted to the ball screw 1012 through the coupling 1005, driving the ball screw 1012 to rotate, so that the movable pulley slider 1010 moves along the linear guide rail 1009;

[0137] S200, two movable pulleys 1011 are installed on the movable pulley slider 1010, which are respectively in contact with one of the two driving ropes 3001 of the same group to control the retraction and extension of the driving rope 3001. Both ends of the single driving rope 3001 need to be fastened, one end is fastened to the driving box 1000, and the other end is fastened to the modular arm section 3000. One end of the two driving ropes 3001 of the same group needs to be fastened to the driving box 1000, respectively fastened to the third support plate 1017 and the fourth support plate 1018. The driving rope 3001 fastened to the third support plate 1017 needs to pass through the driving rope reversing fixed pulley 1007 and move to a radially symmetrical position. The movable pulley slider 1010 moves horizontally along the linear guide rail 1009, so that the two driving ropes 3001 of the same group are retracted and released one by one, and the extension and retraction directions are opposite and the extension and retraction amounts are equal.

[0138] S300, the driving rope 3001 changes its distribution diameter through the first driving rope guide fixed pulley 1015 and the second driving rope guide fixed pulley 2004, and enters the robot arm body composed of the joint module 3100, the modular arm segment 3000 and the arm segment connecting rod 4000 connected alternately from the driving box 1000;

[0139] S400, the bending of each modular arm segment 3000 is controlled by two groups of driving ropes 3001 orthogonally distributed on the fourth support plate 1018, and the driving controls of the modular arm segments 3000 are decoupled and do not affect each other. The driving rope 3001 controlling the rear modular arm segment 3000 passes through all the non-driven modular arm segments 3000 and the inter-arm segment connecting rod 4000 in front of it in sequence, and the path in the non-driven modular arm segment 3000 is "flange 3101-flange pad 3002-flange pad 3002 - flange 3101-first fixed-length hose positioning piece 3003-first fixed-length hose 3004-first fixed-length hose positioning piece 3003-flange 3101-flange pad 3002-flange pad 3002-flange 3101", the characteristics of the modular arm segments 3000 having equal rotation angles of the joints in the same direction and the same rotation direction make the path length of the driving rope 3001 in the non-driven modular arm segment 3000 remain unchanged, thereby making the driving controls of the modular arm segments 3000 decoupled from each other and not affecting each other;

[0140] S500, the driving rope 3001 is fastened to one end of the modular arm segment 3000, and fastened to the rear flange 3101 of the joint module at the front end of the driving modular arm segment 3000. Two groups of orthogonally distributed driving ropes 3001 apply pressure on the fastening points of the flange 3101 by contraction and release, thereby controlling the joint module 3100 at the front end of the driving modular arm segment 3000 to bend in a specified direction, and the joint module 3100 at the rear end is driven to bend in the specified direction through the linkage device between the joint modules. The joint module 3100 has 2 degrees of freedom, which enables free rotation in two directions except the axis direction of the joint module.

[0141] The above is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The present invention is not limited to the above implementation. As long as the technical effect of the present invention is achieved by the same means, any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present disclosure shall be included in the scope of protection of the present disclosure. All should belong to the protection scope of the present invention. Within the protection scope of the present invention, its technical scheme and / or implementation method can have various modifications and changes.

Claims

1. A modular segmented linkage flexible robotic arm, characterized in that: include: Drive box (1000); A base connecting rod assembly (2000) for guiding a plurality of driving ropes (3001) led out from the driving box (1000), wherein the base connecting rod assembly (2000) is arranged above the driving box (1000); At least one arm segment group, the arm segment group comprising modular arm segments (3000) and inter-arm segment connecting rods (4000) connected in sequence, the bottom of the first modular arm segment (3000) being connected to the top of the base connecting rod assembly (2000); The modular arm segment (3000) comprises a joint module (3100) at the front end, a connecting rod (3200) between the joint modules, and a joint module (3100) at the rear end, which are connected in sequence; In the first modular arm segment (3000), the bottom of the joint module (3100) at the front end is connected to the top of the base link assembly (2000); The first arm segment group connected to the base connecting rod assembly (2000) includes a driving rope (3001) that directly controls the joint module (3100) at the front end and a driving rope (3001) that controls the rear arm segment via the joint module (3100) at the front end; In the first arm segment group connected to the base connecting rod assembly (2000), the upper and lower end surfaces of the joint module (3100) at the front end are provided with flange pads (3002), and the upper and lower end surfaces of the joint module (3100) at the rear end are provided with flange pads (3002); In the first arm segment group connected to the base connecting rod assembly (2000), the inter-joint module connecting rod (3200) comprises a first fixed-length hose (3004) and a first fixed-length hose positioning member (3003), the first fixed-length hose positioning member (3003) being respectively arranged on the upper and lower end surfaces of the inter-joint module connecting rod (3200), the two ends of the first fixed-length hose (3004) respectively passing through the corresponding first fixed-length hose positioning members (3003) and connected to the corresponding driving rope (3001), and one end of the first fixed-length hose (3004) at the lower end surface and the other end of the first fixed-length hose (3004) at the upper end surface are radially symmetrically arranged; The joint module (3100) comprises at least two mutually reversely symmetrical joint groups and a connecting rod between the joint groups. The joint assembly includes a flange (3101), a small bevel gear support (3102), a small bevel gear (3103), a cross shaft (3108), a cross shaft support (3109), two large bevel gears (3104) and two joint module inner cylindrical gears (3105); Two flanges (3101) are provided at both ends of a single joint module (3100) for connecting a base connecting rod assembly (2000) or a connecting rod (3200) between joint modules. The small bevel gear support (3102) is rigidly connected to the adjacent flange (3101) by screws, and is connected to the small bevel gear (3103) by set screws. The cross shaft (3108) and the small bevel gear (3103) are connected via an angular contact bearing. The cross shaft (3108) and the small bevel gear (3103) can rotate relative to each other around the rotation axis. The cross shaft (3108) has four rotation axes in the horizontal direction. Two rotation axes adjacent to the rotation axis of the small bevel gear (3103) are respectively connected to a large bevel gear (3104) via an angular contact bearing. The cross shaft support (3109) is connected to the cross shaft (3108) through an angular contact bearing, and the cross shaft support (3109) is connected to the adjacent flange (3101) through screws. The two large bevel gears (3104) are connected to a cylindrical gear (3105) in a joint module through screws respectively; The inter-joint group connecting rods include: two No. 1 inter-joint group connecting rods (3106) and one No. 2 inter-joint group connecting rod (3107). Two No. 1 joint group inter-connecting rods (3106) are respectively arranged on both sides of the No. 2 joint group inter-connecting rod (3107), and the two No. 1 joint group inter-connecting rods (3106) and the one No. 2 joint group inter-connecting rod (3107) are fixedly connected to each other by screws.

2. The modular segmented linkage flexible mechanical arm according to claim 1, characterized in that: The drive box (1000) comprises a first support plate (1001), a second support plate (1016), a third support plate (1017) and a fourth support plate (1018) which are arranged in sequence from bottom to top, a first area is formed between the first support plate (1001) and the second support plate (1016), a second area is formed between the second support plate (1016) and the third support plate (1017), and a third area is formed between the third support plate (1017) and the fourth support plate (1018); A plurality of support rods (1002) for supporting a first support plate (1001), a second support plate (1016) and a third support plate (1017) are arranged in the first area and the second area; The bottom of the second support plate (1016) is rigidly connected to eight drives (1004) and eight motors (1003) via screws for providing power for the rotation of eight ball screws (1012) respectively arranged in the third area, and the drives (1004) and the motors (1003) are installed in the first area.

3. The modular segmented linkage flexible mechanical arm according to claim 2, characterized in that: The second area includes 8 couplings (1005), 8 first drive rope fasteners (1006), 16 drive rope reversing fixed pulley supports (1008) and 16 drive rope reversing fixed pulleys (1007); Each coupling (1005) is used to connect the output shaft of the corresponding motor (1003) and one end of the ball screw (1012); The first drive rope fasteners (1006) are arranged below the third support plate (1017), and each first drive rope fastener (1006) is used to connect one end of a corresponding drive rope (3001); Each driving rope reversing fixed pulley support member (1008) is arranged below the third support plate (1017), the two driving rope reversing fixed pulley support members (1008) at the same radial ends have the same height, and the other driving rope reversing fixed pulley support members (1008) at different radial ends have different heights; The driving rope reversing fixed pulleys (1007) are respectively mounted on corresponding driving rope reversing fixed pulley supports (1008).

4. The modular segmented linkage flexible mechanical arm according to claim 3, characterized in that: The third area includes 8 linear guide rails (1009), 8 ball screws (1012), 8 movable pulley sliders (1010) and 16 movable pulleys (1011). Two ends of each linear guide rail (1009) and two ends of each ball screw (1012) are respectively connected to the third support plate (1017) and the fourth support plate (1018); each movable pulley slider (1010) moves smoothly on its respective linear guide rail (1009); each movable pulley slider (1010) is equipped with two freely rotatable movable pulleys (1011) via pins; two driving ropes (3001) of the same group are respectively wound around the two movable pulleys (1011) of the same movable pulley slider (1010); and the two movable pulleys (1011) on the same movable pulley slider (1010) are respectively in contact with the two driving ropes (3001) of the same group; The fourth support plate (1018) is equipped with 8 second drive rope fasteners (1013), 16 drive rope guide fixed pulley supports (1014) and 16 first drive rope guide fixed pulleys (1015); the 8 second drive rope fasteners (1013) and the 16 drive rope guide fixed pulley supports (1014) are respectively distributed circumferentially around the base connecting rod assembly (2000), the second drive rope fasteners (1013) are distributed on the outside, and the drive rope guide fixed pulley supports (1014) are distributed on the inside; A first driving rope guiding fixed pulley (1015) is mounted on the driving rope guiding fixed pulley support (1014), and the second driving rope fastener (1013) and the first driving rope fastener (1006) are respectively used to fasten and pre-tighten two driving ropes (3001) of the same group.

5. The modular segmented linkage flexible mechanical arm according to claim 1, characterized in that: The base connecting rod assembly (2000) comprises a base connecting rod (2001), a long guide connecting piece and a short guide connecting piece which are connected in sequence. The bottom of the base connecting rod (2001) is rigidly connected to the middle of the fourth support plate (1018) of the drive box (1000) via a plug screw, and the top of the base connecting rod (2001) is rigidly connected to the modular arm section (3000) via a screw; The long guide connecting member is provided with four long drive rope guide fixed pulley supports (2002) at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, and the short guide connecting member is provided with twelve short drive rope guide fixed pulley supports (2005) at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. Each long drive rope guide fixed pulley support (2002) and each short drive rope guide fixed pulley support (2005) is provided with a second drive rope guide fixed pulley (2004) fixed by a spring cylindrical pin (2003).

6. The modular segmented linkage flexible mechanical arm according to claim 1, characterized in that: The joint module (3100) further comprises: two linkage ropes (3111), a linkage rope drum (3112), two second fixed-length hoses (3113), a joint module inter-cylindrical gear (3114) and a second fixed-length hose positioning member (3115); The two linkage ropes (3111) and the two second fixed-length hoses (3113) are all shared by the two joint modules (3100) in the modular arm section (3000); The linkage rope drum (3112) is fixed in the groove of the cross shaft (3108) by screws. The linkage rope drum (3112) is provided with a groove along the arc surface, and the groove is used to accommodate two linkage ropes (3111) to slide therein. The second fixed-length hose (3113) is used to ensure that the length of the linkage rope (3111) does not change during the reversing process, and the two ends are fixed on the cross shaft (3108) through the second fixed-length hose positioning piece (3115).

7. The modular segmented linkage flexible mechanical arm according to claim 6, characterized in that: The linkage rope (3111) passes through the second joint group inter-linking rod (3107), the linkage rope drum (3112), the cross shaft (3108), the second fixed-length hose (3113), the cross shaft (3108), the linkage rope drum (3112) and the second joint group inter-linking rod (3107) in sequence; The two ends of the linkage rope (3111) are respectively fixedly connected to the No. 2 inter-joint connecting rod (3107) of the two joint modules (3100) by rope fasteners. By utilizing the characteristic that the total length of the linkage rope (3111) remains unchanged, the rotation axes of the two joint modules (3100) in the axial direction of the large bevel gear (3104) are synchronously rotated; the synchronous rotation of the rotation axes of the two joint modules (3100) in the axial direction of the small bevel gear (3103) is achieved by the inter-joint module cylindrical gear (3114). The inter-joint module cylindrical gear (3114) is fixedly connected to the cross shaft (3108) by a set screw, and the size and accuracy of the inter-joint module connecting rod (3200) are controlled to ensure that the inter-joint module cylindrical gears (3114) of the two joint modules (3100) can mesh normally.

8. The modular segmented linkage flexible mechanical arm according to claim 4, characterized in that: The base connecting rod assembly (2000) comprises a base connecting rod (2001), a long guide connecting piece and a short guide connecting piece which are connected in sequence. The bottom of the base connecting rod (2001) is rigidly connected to the middle of the fourth support plate (1018) of the drive box (1000) via a plug screw, and the top of the base connecting rod (2001) is rigidly connected to the modular arm section (3000) via a screw; The long guide connecting member is provided with four long drive rope guide fixed pulley supports (2002) at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, and the short guide connecting member is provided with twelve short drive rope guide fixed pulley supports (2005) at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. Each long drive rope guide fixed pulley support member (2002) and each short drive rope guide fixed pulley support member (2005) is provided with a second drive rope guide fixed pulley (2004) fixed by a spring cylindrical pin (2003); The joint module (3100) further comprises: two linkage ropes (3111), a linkage rope drum (3112), two second fixed-length hoses (3113), a joint module inter-cylindrical gear (3114) and a second fixed-length hose positioning member (3115); The two linkage ropes (3111) and the two second fixed-length hoses (3113) are all shared by the two joint modules (3100) in the modular arm section (3000); The linkage rope drum (3112) is fixed in the groove of the cross shaft (3108) by screws. The linkage rope drum (3112) is provided with a groove along the arc surface, and the groove is used to accommodate two linkage ropes (3111) to slide therein. The second fixed-length hose (3113) is used to ensure that the length of the linkage rope (3111) does not change during the reversing process, and the two ends are fixed on the cross shaft (3108) through the second fixed-length hose positioning piece (3115); The linkage rope (3111) passes through the second joint group inter-linking rod (3107), the linkage rope drum (3112), the cross shaft (3108), the second fixed-length hose (3113), the cross shaft (3108), the linkage rope drum (3112) and the second joint group inter-linking rod (3107) in sequence; The two ends of the linkage rope (3111) are respectively fixedly connected to the No. 2 inter-joint connecting rod (3107) of the two joint modules (3100) by rope fasteners. By utilizing the characteristic that the total length of the linkage rope (3111) remains unchanged, the rotation axes of the two joint modules (3100) in the axial direction of the large bevel gear (3104) are synchronously rotated; the synchronous rotation of the rotation axes of the two joint modules (3100) in the axial direction of the small bevel gear (3103) is achieved by the inter-joint module cylindrical gear (3114). The inter-joint module cylindrical gear (3114) is fixedly connected to the cross shaft (3108) by a set screw, and the size and accuracy of the inter-joint module connecting rod (3200) are controlled to ensure that the inter-joint module cylindrical gears (3114) of the two joint modules (3100) can mesh normally.

9. A rope cluster segmented decoupling driving method, applied to the modular segmented linkage flexible mechanical arm as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that: The rope cluster segmented decoupling driving method comprises the following steps: S100, after receiving the control signal, the driver (1004) in the driving box (1000) drives the motor (1003) to rotate at a specified speed, and the rotation of the motor (1003) is transmitted to the ball screw (1012) through the coupling (1005), driving the ball screw (1012) to rotate, so that the movable pulley slider (1010) moves along the linear guide rail (1009); S200, two movable pulleys (1011) are mounted on the movable pulley slider (1010), each of which contacts one of the two driving ropes (3001) of the same group to control the retraction and extension of the driving rope (3001). Both ends of the single driving rope (3001) need to be fastened, one end is fastened to the driving box (1000), and the other end is fastened to the modular arm segment (3000). One end of the two driving ropes (3001) of the same group needs to be fastened to the driving box ( 1000), and are respectively fastened to a third support plate (1017) and a fourth support plate (1018); the driving rope (3001) fastened to the third support plate (1017) needs to be moved to a radially symmetrical position through a driving rope reversing fixed pulley (1007); the movable pulley slider (1010) moves along a linear guide rail (1009), so that two driving ropes (3001) of the same group are retracted and released one by one, with opposite directions and equal amounts of retraction; S300, the driving rope (3001) changes its distribution diameter through the first driving rope guide fixed pulley (1015) and the second driving rope guide fixed pulley (2004), and enters the robot arm body from the driving box (1000); S400, the bending of each modular arm segment (3000) is controlled by two groups of driving ropes (3001) orthogonally distributed on the fourth support plate (1018), the driving controls of the modular arm segments (3000) are decoupled from each other and do not affect each other, and the driving rope (3001) that controls the rear modular arm segment (3000) passes through all the non-driven modular arm segments (3000) and the inter-arm segment connecting rod (4000) in sequence, and the path in the non-driven modular arm segment (3000) is "flange (3101)-flange pad (3002)-flange pad (3002) - flange (3101) - first fixed-length hose positioning piece (3003) - first fixed-length hose (3004) - first fixed-length hose positioning piece (3003) - flange (3101) - flange pad (3002) - flange pad (3002) - flange (3101)", the modular arm segments (3000) have the same rotation angles of joints in the same direction and the same rotation direction, so that the path length of the drive rope (3001) in the non-driven modular arm segment (3000) remains unchanged, thereby making the drive controls of the modular arm segments (3000) decoupled from each other and not affecting each other; S500, the driving rope (3001) is fastened to one end of the modular arm segment (3000), and fastened to the rear flange (3101) of the joint module at the front end of the driving modular arm segment (3000). Two groups of orthogonally distributed driving ropes (3001) exert pressure on the fastening points of the flange (3101) by contraction and release, thereby controlling the joint module (3100) at the front end of the driving modular arm segment (3000) to bend in a specified direction, and the joint module (3100) at the rear end is driven to bend in the specified direction through the linkage device between the joint modules. The degree of freedom of the joint module (3100) is 2, and free rotation in two directions other than the axis direction of the joint module is realized.

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