Rigid-flexible coupling execution tail end with self-driven chain claws

Abstract

The invention discloses a rigid-flexible coupling execution tail end with a self-driven chain claw, and relates to the technical field of flexible robots, and the rigid-flexible coupling execution tail end is characterized in that a deformation assembly is communicated with high-pressure fluid, when the high-pressure fluid flows into the deformation assembly, the deformation assembly is changed into a second form from a first form, and one end of a driving wire is connected with the deformation assembly; the self-driven chain claw is formed by sequentially hinging a plurality of hollow chain claw units. When the flexible outer supporting claw expands outwards and deforms, the self-driven chain claw is driven by the length change of the driving wire generated by deformation to be changed into the rigid claw shape from the flexible shape, compared with the prior art, the flexibility of the execution tail end is reserved, meanwhile, the execution tail end is endowed with the function of being converted into the rigid shape, and for an object with the complex outer diameter, the flexible outer supporting claw can be used for an object with the complex outer diameter. The grabbing operation can be better completed through the rigid hook claws; in addition, the driving line is integrally arranged in the execution tail end, the structural arrangement is more compact and reasonable, and the device has good application prospects and a wide application range.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of flexible robots, in particular to a rigid-flexible coupling execution terminal with a self-driving chain claw. Background Art

[0002] Flexible manipulators can operate flexibly in limited spaces and effectively grasp fragile and complex objects. They are widely used in manufacturing, medicine, aerospace and other fields.

[0003] Existing flexible manipulators mostly adopt the operation mode of grasping the outer diameter of the grasped object, but the grasping effect is not ideal for objects with complex outer diameters. In addition, the end of the existing flexible manipulator is usually a flexible clamping end made of flexible materials, and some special working conditions require the clamping end to have a certain rigidity, and the flexible clamping end cannot meet the above requirements.

[0004] In view of this, how to provide a flexible manipulator that can grasp objects with complex outer diameters and can exhibit rigidity under special working conditions is a problem that technical personnel in this field urgently need to solve. Summary of the invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a rigid-flexible coupling execution terminal with a self-driving chain claw to solve the problems existing in the prior art.

[0006] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a rigid-flexible coupling actuator terminal with a self-driving chain claw, comprising:

[0007] A deformation component is connected to the high-pressure fluid, and when the high-pressure fluid flows into the deformation component, the deformation component changes from a first shape to a second shape;

[0008] A driving wire, one end of which is connected to the deformation component;

[0009] The self-driving chain claw is composed of a plurality of hollow chain claw units hinged in sequence, and the chain claw unit at the head end is connected to the deformation component; the other end of the driving line passes through the plurality of chain claw units in sequence and is connected to the chain claw unit at the tail end;

[0010] When the deformation component changes from the first form to the second form, the straight-line distance between the two ends of the driving line becomes shorter, and the driving line can drive the self-driving chain claw to change from a flexible form to a rigid hook claw form.

[0011] Furthermore, the deformation component includes:

[0012] The clamping end has a pressure fluid inlet formed through the upper and lower surfaces;

[0013] A plurality of flexible outer supporting claws, defining an expansion chamber inside, one end of the flexible outer supporting claw is connected to the clamping end, and the other end extends in a direction away from the clamping end, and there is a gap between adjacent flexible outer supporting claws, and the expansion chamber is connected to the pressure fluid inlet;

[0014] A connecting portion, wherein the other end of the flexible outer supporting claw is integrally connected to the connecting portion, and the connecting portion is connected to the chain claw unit located at the head end.

[0015] Furthermore, the flexible outer supporting claw comprises:

[0016] A fan-shaped expansion component defines the expansion chamber inside, a communication channel is formed between the fan-shaped expansion component and the side wall of the flexible outer support claw, and the expansion chamber is in communication with the communication channel;

[0017] A pressure fluid flow channel, one end of which is connected to the pressure fluid inlet and the other end of which is connected to the communication flow channel;

[0018] The fan-shaped expansion component and the side walls of the flexible outer support claws are both made of flexible materials. When high-pressure fluid flows into the expansion chamber, the fan-shaped expansion component and the flexible outer support claws expand outward, and the deformation component changes from a first form to a second form.

[0019] Furthermore, a drive wire fixing assembly is arranged inside the flexible outer support claw, and the drive wire fixing assembly is spaced apart from the fan-shaped expansion assembly. The drive wire is connected to one of the flexible outer support claws, and one end of the drive wire is connected to the drive wire fixing assembly, and the other end is led out from the gap between multiple flexible outer support claws.

[0020] Furthermore, the connecting portion is provided with a first pin hole, and the chain claw unit located at the head end is provided with a second pin hole, and the first pin hole and the second pin hole are located correspondingly and a fixing pin is inserted therein.

[0021] Furthermore, the chain claw unit includes:

[0022] The shell is hollow inside, and a first hinge and a second hinge are respectively provided at the front and rear ends, and the first hinge and the second hinge between adjacent chain claw units are hinged by a connecting pin; the front and rear ends of the shell are provided with wiring holes connected to the inside of the shell, and the other end of the driving wire passes through the wiring holes and passes through the plurality of chain claw units in sequence;

[0023] When the deformation component changes from the first form to the second form, the straight-line distance between the two ends of the driving line becomes shorter, and the driving line drives the multiple chain claw units to rotate in the same direction and change from a flexible form to a rigid hook form.

[0024] Furthermore, a through hole is formed through the side wall of the chain claw unit at the tail end, and the other end of the driving line is led out from the through hole and connected to and / or limited on the chain claw unit.

[0025] The present invention discloses the following technical effects:

[0026] When the flexible outer support claw expands and deforms outward, the change in the length of the driving line caused by the deformation drives the self-driving chain claw to change from a flexible form to a rigid hook form. Compared with the existing technology, while retaining the flexibility of the execution terminal, the execution terminal is given the function of being able to be converted into a rigid form. For objects with complex outer diameters, the rigid hook can also better complete the grasping operation. In addition, the driving line is integrated into the interior of the execution terminal, and the structural layout is more compact and reasonable, which has good application prospects and a wide range of applications. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. 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 paying creative work.

[0028] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the deformation component structure;

[0030] Figure 3 This is the internal structure diagram of the deformation component;

[0031] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the self-driving chain claw;

[0032] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the back structure of the self-driving chain claw;

[0033] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the chain claw root unit structure;

[0034] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the chain claw section unit structure;

[0035] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of the chain claw tip unit structure;

[0036] Fig. 9 It is a schematic diagram of the first state and the second state of the deformation component;

[0037] Fig.10 It is a schematic diagram of the second form structure of the deformation component;

[0038] Fig.11 It is a schematic diagram of the self-driving chain claw hook form in the second form of the deformation component;

[0039] Among them, 1. deformation component; 101. pressure fluid inlet; 102. clamping end; 103. flexible external support claw; 10301. pressure fluid flow channel; 10302. connecting flow channel; 10303. fan-shaped expansion component; 104. first pin hole; 105. connecting part; 106. drive line fixing component; 2. fixing pin; 3. self-driving chain claw; 301. chain claw root unit; 30101. second pin hole; 302. chain claw node unit; 303. chain claw tip unit; 30301. through hole; 304. routing hole; 305. first hinge; 306. second hinge; 4. connecting pin; 5. drive line. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0041] In order to make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0042] An embodiment of the present invention provides a rigid-flexible coupling actuator terminal with a self-driving chain claw, comprising:

[0043] The deformation component 1 is connected to the high-pressure fluid. When the high-pressure fluid flows into the deformation component 1, the deformation component 1 changes from the first shape to the second shape.

[0044] A driving wire 5, one end of which is connected to the deformation component 1;

[0045] The self-driving chain claw 3 is composed of a plurality of hollow chain claw units hinged in sequence, and the chain claw unit at the head end is connected to the deformation component 1; the other end of the driving line 5 passes through the plurality of chain claw units in sequence and is connected to the chain claw unit at the tail end;

[0046] When the deformation assembly 1 changes from the first form to the second form, the straight-line distance between the two ends of the driving line 5 becomes shorter, and the driving line 5 can drive the self-driving chain claw 3 to change from the flexible form to the rigid hook form.

[0047] In this embodiment, the deformation component 1 includes:

[0048] The clamping end 102 has a pressure fluid inlet 101 formed through the upper and lower surfaces;

[0049] A plurality of flexible outer supporting claws 103, defining an expansion chamber inside, one end of the flexible outer supporting claws 103 is connected together and connected to the lower surface of the clamping end 102, and the other end extends in a direction away from the clamping end 102, and there is a gap between adjacent flexible outer supporting claws 103, and the expansion chamber is connected to the pressure fluid inlet 101;

[0050] The connecting portion 105, the other end of the flexible outer supporting claw 103 is integrally connected with the connecting portion 105, and the connecting portion 105 is connected to the chain claw unit located at the head end.

[0051] In this embodiment, the flexible outer claw 103 includes:

[0052] The fan-shaped expansion component 10303 defines an expansion chamber inside, and a communication channel 10302 is formed between the fan-shaped expansion component 10303 and the side wall of the flexible outer support claw 103, and the expansion chamber is connected to the communication channel 10302;

[0053] A pressure fluid channel 10301, one end of which is connected to the pressure fluid inlet 101, and the other end of which is connected to the communication channel 10302;

[0054] The fan-shaped expansion component 10303 and the side walls of the flexible outer support claw 103 are both made of flexible materials. When high-pressure fluid flows into the expansion chamber, the fan-shaped expansion component 10303 and the flexible outer support claw 103 expand outward, and the deformation component 1 changes from the first form to the second form.

[0055] In this embodiment, a drive wire fixing component 106 is provided inside the flexible external support claw 103, and the drive wire fixing component 106 is spaced apart from the fan-shaped expansion component 10303. The drive wire 5 is connected to a flexible external support claw 103, and one end of the drive wire 5 is connected to the drive wire fixing component 106, and the other end is led out from the gap between multiple flexible external support claws 103; there are four drive wires 5, and four flexible external support claws 103 are provided.

[0056] In this embodiment, the connecting portion 105 is provided with a first pin hole 104, and the chain claw unit at the head end is provided with a second pin hole 30101, and the first pin hole 104 and the second pin hole 30101 correspond to each other and are inserted with the fixing pin 2. When the first pin hole 104 and the second pin hole 30101 cooperate with the fixing pin 2, sufficient deformation space should flow out, and when the deformation component 1 changes from the first form to the second form, the connecting portion 105 expands outward, and the fixing pin 2 should not interfere with the connecting portion 105, while ensuring the connection stability.

[0057] In this embodiment, the chain claw unit includes: a shell, which is hollow inside and has a first hinge 305 and a second hinge 306 at the front and rear ends respectively, and the first hinge 305 and the second hinge 306 between adjacent chain claw units are hinged by a connecting pin 4; the front and rear ends of the shell are provided with wiring holes 304 connected to the interior of the shell, and the other end of the driving wire 5 passes through a plurality of chain claw units in sequence through the wiring holes 304; when the deformation component 1 changes from the first form to the second form, the straight-line distance between the two ends of the driving wire 5 becomes shorter, and the driving wire 5 drives the plurality of chain claw units to rotate in the same direction and change from a flexible form to a rigid hook form.

[0058] In this embodiment, the chain claw unit at the head end is the chain claw root unit 301, the chain claw unit at the tail end is the chain claw tip unit 303, and the rest are chain claw section units 302. The length of the chain claw root unit 301 is slightly longer, and the chain claw root is not provided with the first hinge 305. The chain claw tip unit 303 has a tip, and the overall shape of the plurality of chain claw units is similar to a scorpion's tail. When the chain claw unit is deformed, its deformation effect is also similar to the bending tail of a scorpion. The chain claw tip unit 303 is not provided with the second hinge 306.

[0059] In this embodiment, a through hole 30301 is formed through the side wall of the chain claw tip unit 303, and the other end of the driving wire 5 is led out from the through hole 30301 and connected and / or limited on the chain claw unit.

[0060] In this embodiment, the deformation component 1 is formed by one-piece photocuring with flexible photosensitive resin. The use of flexible materials such as flexible photosensitive resin can enable the execution end to meet different environmental requirements and achieve better molding and deformation effects. The photocuring 3D printing processing method ensures the flexibility, environmental friendliness and density of the overall structure, so that the flexible manipulator with integrated pump and valve can adapt well to the surrounding environment and achieve flexible grasping. The self-driving chain claw 3, the fixing pin 2, and the connecting pin 4 are all formed by one-piece photocuring with rigid photosensitive resin.

[0061] The specific working process is as follows:

[0062] When it is necessary to grasp an object, high-pressure fluid enters the flexible outer support claw 103 through the pressure fluid inlet 101, and flows into the fan-shaped expansion chamber along the pressure fluid flow channel 10301 and the connecting flow channel 10302. Under the action of the high-pressure fluid, the fan-shaped expansion component 10303 and the flexible outer support claw 103 expand and deform outward, and the deformation component 1 changes from the first form to the second form (the principle of the deformation of the flexible outer support claw 103 under the influence of high-pressure fluid belongs to the prior art and will not be repeated here).

[0063] The four flexible outer claws 103 expand outward synchronously, and the four driving wires 5 move synchronously with the flexible outer claws 103. When the deformation component 1 changes to the second form, the driving wires 5 move outward significantly, so the straight-line distance between the two ends of the driving wires 5 is shortened, generating tension on each chain claw unit. Specifically, the chain claw section unit 302 and the chain claw tip unit 303 rotate around the connecting pin 4 at the hinge, and the chain claw root unit 301 rotates slightly around the fixing pin 2, finally forming a stable and rigid hook shape.

[0064] When the grabbing operation is finished, the high-pressure fluid leaks out, the four flexible outer support claws 103 are reset to the initial form, the deformation assembly 1 changes to the first form, the distance between the two ends of the driving line 5 becomes longer, each chain claw unit loses the tension, and changes from the hook claw form to the flexible form again.

[0065] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "longitudinal", "lateral", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside" and "outside" etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships, are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0066] The embodiments described above are only descriptions of the preferred modes of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Without departing from the design spirit of the present invention, various modifications and improvements made to the technical solutions of the present invention by ordinary technicians in this field should all fall within the protection scope determined by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A rigid-flexible coupling actuator with a self-driving chain claw, characterized in that: include: A deformation component (1) is connected to a high-pressure fluid, and when the high-pressure fluid flows into the deformation component (1), the deformation component (1) changes from a first shape to a second shape; A driving wire (5), one end of which is connected to the deformation component (1); The self-driving chain claw (3) is composed of a plurality of hollow chain claw units hinged in sequence, wherein the chain claw unit at the head end is connected to the deformation assembly (1); the other end of the driving line (5) passes through the plurality of chain claw units in sequence and is connected to the chain claw unit at the tail end; When the deformation component (1) changes from the first form to the second form, the straight-line distance between the two ends of the driving line (5) becomes shorter, and the driving line (5) can drive the self-driving chain claw (3) to change from a flexible form to a rigid hook claw form.

2. A rigid-flexible coupling actuator terminal with a self-driving chain claw according to claim 1, characterized in that: The deformation component (1) comprises: The clamping end (102) is provided with a pressure fluid inlet (101) through the upper and lower surfaces; A plurality of flexible external support claws (103), defining an expansion chamber inside, one end of the flexible external support claw (103) being connected to the clamping end (102), and the other end extending in a direction away from the clamping end (102), with gaps between adjacent flexible external support claws (103), and the expansion chamber being in communication with the pressure fluid inlet (101); A connecting portion (105), the other end of the flexible outer supporting claw (103) is integrally connected to the connecting portion (105), and the connecting portion (105) is connected to the chain claw unit located at the head end.

3. The rigid-flexible coupling actuator terminal with self-driving chain claw according to claim 2, characterized in that: The flexible outer supporting claw (103) comprises: The fan-shaped expansion component (10303) defines the expansion chamber inside, the fan-shaped expansion component (10303) and the side wall of the flexible outer support claw (103) form a communication channel (10302), and the expansion chamber is connected to the communication channel (10302); A pressure fluid flow channel (10301), one end of which is connected to the pressure fluid inlet (101), and the other end of which is connected to the communication flow channel (10302); The fan-shaped expansion component (10303) and the side walls of the flexible external support claw (103) are both made of flexible materials. When high-pressure fluid flows into the expansion chamber, the fan-shaped expansion component (10303) and the flexible external support claw (103) expand outward, and the deformation component (1) changes from a first form to a second form.

4. The rigid-flexible coupling actuator terminal with self-driving chain claw according to claim 3, characterized in that: A driving wire fixing component (106) is arranged inside the flexible outer support claw (103), and the driving wire fixing component (106) is arranged at a distance from the fan-shaped expansion component (10303). The driving wire (5) is connected to one of the flexible outer support claws (103), and one end of the driving wire (5) is connected to the driving wire fixing component (106), and the other end is led out from the gap between multiple flexible outer support claws (103).

5. The rigid-flexible coupling actuator terminal with self-driving chain claw according to claim 4, characterized in that: The connecting portion (105) is provided with a first pin hole (104), and the chain claw unit located at the head end is provided with a second pin hole (30101), and the first pin hole (104) and the second pin hole (30101) correspond in position and a fixing pin (2) is inserted therein.

6. The rigid-flexible coupling actuator terminal with self-driving chain claw according to claim 5, characterized in that: The chain claw unit comprises: The shell is hollow inside, and is provided with a first hinge (305) and a second hinge (306) at the front and rear ends respectively, and the first hinge (305) and the second hinge (306) between adjacent chain claw units are hinged by a connecting pin (4); the front and rear ends of the shell are provided with wiring holes (304) connected to the inside of the shell, and the other end of the driving wire (5) passes through the wiring holes (304) and passes through the plurality of chain claw units in sequence; When the deformation component (1) changes from the first form to the second form, the straight-line distance between the two ends of the driving line (5) becomes shorter, and the driving line (5) drives the multiple chain claw units to rotate in the same direction and change from a flexible form to a rigid hook claw form.

7. The rigid-flexible coupling actuator terminal with self-driving chain claw according to claim 6, characterized in that: A through hole (30301) is provided through the side wall of the chain claw unit at the tail end, and the other end of the driving line (5) is led out from the through hole (30301) and connected and / or limited on the chain claw unit.

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