Dexterous finger and dexterous manipulator

Abstract

The dexterous finger comprises at least two knuckles which are hinged to each other and a first driving mechanism which drives one of the two adjacent knuckles to rotate around a first shaft relative to the other knuckle, and at least one knuckle is connected with a connecting part through a second driving mechanism. The second driving mechanism drives the knuckles to move linearly in the length direction of the knuckles and / or enables the knuckles to rotate around the axes of the knuckles, and the remaining parts of the second driving mechanism are arranged on the knuckles. The dexterous finger has the advantages that the driving mechanisms capable of extending and swinging the whole dexterous finger in multiple directions are additionally arranged between the knuckles, so that the dexterous finger not only can be bent in a single plane, but also can be expanded and flexibly swung on different planes, and the movement range and the flexibility of the finger are greatly improved; and moreover, grabbed objects with different shapes and sizes can be better adapted.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the field of bionic robots, and particularly relates to a dexterous finger and a dexterous manipulator. Background Art

[0002] Dexterous fingers and dexterous manipulators are devices that simulate the movement functions of human fingers and hands, mainly composed of multiple phalanges and drive mechanisms, and can perform grasping and operating tasks. They are widely used in industrial automation, medical treatment, service robots and other fields, but face technical challenges such as driving accuracy, volume, energy efficiency and control complexity. Future development trends include miniaturized design, intelligent control, new drive technologies and multi-sensor fusion to improve the performance and applicability of dexterous fingers and manipulators in complex tasks.

[0003] In the prior art, the grasping of dexterous fingers can only perform bending movements in a single plane. When facing grasped objects of different shapes and sizes, it has poor applicability. This single-plane movement limits the grasping ability of dexterous fingers and makes it difficult to adapt to scenarios that require multi-directional and three-dimensional space operations. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to address the above problems and provide a dexterous finger and a dexterous manipulator that can solve the above technical problems.

[0005] To achieve the above purpose, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions: A dexterous finger includes at least two hinged phalanges, and a first drive mechanism for driving one of the adjacent two phalanges to rotate relative to the other phalange around a first axis. At least one phalange is connected with a connecting part through a second drive mechanism for driving the phalange to linearly move along the length direction of the phalange and / or rotate the phalange around its axis. At least a part of the second drive mechanism is arranged on the connecting part, and the remaining part of the second drive mechanism is arranged on the phalange.

[0006] Further, the connecting part is respectively connected to each phalange through the second drive mechanism.

[0007] Further, the driving forces of the second drive mechanisms are equal or unequal.

[0008] Further, the second drive mechanism is a piezoelectric motor, and the piezoelectric motor is any one of a rotary linear piezoelectric motor, a rotary piezoelectric motor and a linear piezoelectric motor.

[0009] Further, the second driving mechanism includes a piezoelectric actuator and a driving shaft at least partially disposed in the piezoelectric actuator. The piezoelectric actuator is fixed to the connecting portion, and one end of the driving shaft extending out of the piezoelectric actuator is fixed to the finger joint.

[0010] Further, the piezoelectric actuator includes a carrier member and a plurality of piezoelectric elements fixed to the carrier member.

[0011] Further, one of two adjacent finger joints is hingedly connected to the connecting portion through a hinge portion. An articulated shaft movably connected to the hinge portion is fixedly connected to the connecting portion. The tendon rope of the first driving mechanism is wound around the articulated shaft and drives the hinge portion fixedly connected to the articulated shaft to rotate about a first axis.

[0012] Further, the first driving mechanism includes a rotating shaft rotatably connected to the finger joint. The rotating shaft and the articulated shaft are connected by two tendon ropes, and the rotating shaft is connected to a piezoelectric drive motor through a transmission structure.

[0013] Further, the transmission structure includes any one of a gear transmission structure, a belt transmission structure, and a tendon rope transmission structure.

[0014] As an application solution, the present invention further provides a dexterous manipulator, which includes the dexterous finger described above.

[0015] Compared with the existing technology, the advantages of the present application are as follows: A new dexterous finger is designed, and a driving mechanism capable of extending and swinging the entire dexterous finger in multiple directions is added between each finger joint, so that the dexterous finger can not only bend in a single plane, but also expand and swing flexibly in different planes, greatly improving the movement range and flexibility of the finger, and can better adapt to grasped objects of different shapes and sizes, such as objects with irregular shapes or objects that need to be grasped from multiple angles, thereby improving the stability and adaptability of grasping. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the assembled finished product of the main components of the dexterous finger of the present invention; Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the internal main component assembly of the dexterous finger of the present invention; Figure 3 Top view schematic diagram of the main component assembly of the dexterous finger of the present invention; Figure 4 For Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the A-A cross-section in Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the main body and movement of the second driving mechanism of the present invention; Figure 6 Schematic assembly diagram of the main component of the first driving mechanism of the present invention; Figure 7 Schematic assembly diagram of the main component of the finger joint of the present invention; Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the principle of radial vibration of the piezoelectric actuator of the present invention; Figure 9 Schematic diagram of the principle of axial vibration of the piezoelectric actuator of the present invention; Figure 10 Schematic diagram of the changing states of radial vibration and axial vibration of the piezoelectric actuator of the present invention; Figure 11 Schematic diagram of the change of the cross-sectional states of radial vibration and axial vibration of the piezoelectric actuator of the present invention.

[0017] In the figure, finger joint 1, quick installation hole 10, first driving mechanism 2, rotating shaft 20, piezoelectric driving motor 21, tendon cord 22, second driving mechanism 3, piezoelectric actuator 30, piezoelectric element 300, bearing member 301, driving shaft 31, connecting portion 4, valve core 5, hinged portion 6, hinge shaft 60, transmission structure 8, pulley 9, first axis X, axis line S. Detailed implementation manners

[0018] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It can be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention, rather than limiting the present invention. Additionally, it should be noted that for the convenience of description, only the parts related to the present invention rather than all the structures are shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0019] In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly defined and limited, the terms "connected", "connected to", and "fixed" shall be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or integrated; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and it can be the internal communication of two components or the interaction relationship between two components. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0020] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and defined, the first feature being "on" or "under" the second feature may include the direct contact between the first and second features, or may include the situation where the first and second features are not in direct contact but in contact through additional features therebetween. Moreover, the first feature being "above", "over" and "on top of" the second feature includes that the first feature is directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or merely indicates that the horizontal height of the first feature is higher than that of the second feature. The first feature being "under", "below" and "beneath" the second feature includes that the first feature is directly below and obliquely below the second feature, or merely indicates that the horizontal height of the first feature is less than that of the second feature.

[0021] In the description of this embodiment, the orientation or positional relationships such as "upper", "lower", "right", "left", etc. are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of description and simplifying the operation, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and thus cannot be construed as a limitation on the present invention. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are only used for distinction in description and have no special meaning.

[0022] Embodiment 1

[0023] As Figure 1 shown, the dexterous finger includes at least two knuckles 1 hinged to each other, and a first driving mechanism 2 for driving one of the adjacent two knuckles 1 to rotate relative to the other knuckle 1 about a first axis X. Specifically, a plurality of the above-mentioned first driving mechanisms 2 are used to enable the above-mentioned dexterous finger to perform bionic bending actions. In this embodiment, the above-mentioned knuckle 1 may include a proximal knuckle close to the palm end, a middle knuckle hinged to the proximal knuckle, a distal second knuckle hinged to the other end of the middle knuckle, and finally a distal first knuckle connected to the distal second knuckle. In this embodiment, the above-mentioned knuckle 1 is a hollow shell structure, and a part of the first driving member 2 may be fixed inside its shell. Specifically, each first driving mechanism 2 includes a rotating shaft 20 rotatably connected to the knuckle 1. The rotating shaft 20 and the hinge shaft 60 are connected by two tendon ropes 22, and the rotating shaft 20 is connected to a piezoelectric driving motor 21 through a transmission structure 8. As Figure 6 shown, in this embodiment, to ensure the integrity of the dexterous finger, the above-mentioned rotating shaft 20 and the piezoelectric driving motor 21 are both arranged inside the knuckle 1. The piezoelectric driving motor 21 has a high response frequency and high-precision displacement control ability, enabling the rotating shaft 20 to achieve precise angle adjustment. The transmission structure 8 includes any one of a gear transmission structure, a belt transmission structure, and a tendon rope transmission structure (the gear transmission structure is used in this embodiment). Through the transmission structure 8, the movement of the piezoelectric driving motor 21 is accurately transmitted to the rotating shaft 20, thereby driving the knuckle 1 to generate a rotational movement relative to the hinge shaft 60.

[0024] As shown Figure 7 In the above-mentioned phalanx 1, there are also two quick-installation holes 10. The above-mentioned rotating shaft 20 and the piezoelectric drive motor 21 can penetrate through the quick-installation holes 10 and be fixed in the phalanx 1, greatly reducing the installation difficulty and time cost.

[0025] As an improved and optimized solution, in this embodiment, the above-mentioned at least one phalanx 1 is connected with a connecting part 4 through a second driving mechanism 3 that drives the phalanx 1 to linearly move along the length direction of the phalanx 1 and / or rotate the phalanx 1 around its axis line S. At least part of the second driving mechanism 3 is arranged on the connecting part 4, and the remaining part of the second driving mechanism 3 is arranged on the phalanx 1. And on each phalanx 1, there is a connecting part 4 connected through the second driving mechanism 3 respectively. As an alternative option, the driving forces of each second driving mechanism 3 are equal or unequal to meet the requirements of different working environments.

[0026] Specifically, as shown Figure 2 and Figure 5 In this embodiment, the second driving mechanism 3 is a rotary linear piezoelectric motor, which can also be replaced with a rotary piezoelectric motor or a linear piezoelectric motor according to the actual working conditions. The second driving mechanism 3 includes a piezoelectric actuator 30 and a driving shaft 31 at least partially penetrating through the piezoelectric actuator 30. The piezoelectric actuator 30 is fixed to the connecting part 4, and one end of the driving shaft 31 extending out of the piezoelectric actuator 30 is fixed to the phalanx 1. A valve core 5 is also arranged in the phalanx 1, and the above-mentioned driving shaft 31 is fixed to the phalanx 1 through the valve core 5. Specifically, as shown Figure 5 In the above, the piezoelectric actuator 30 can be further divided into several piezoelectric elements 300 and a bearing member 301. The bearing member 301 is, for example, in the shape of a rectangular column, and a piezoelectric element 300 is provided on each of the four outer surfaces of the rectangular column. The driving principle of the piezoelectric actuator 30 is as shown Figures 8 - 11 For example, the piezoelectric element 300 is fixed to the outer side wall of the bearing member 301 as shown Figure 5 and Figures 8 - 9 When a voltage is applied, the piezoelectric element 300 will generate a deformation in the radial direction or the axial direction of the piezoelectric actuator 30, thereby realizing the driving function of the piezoelectric actuator 30.

[0027] Specifically, when the piezoelectric actuator 30 is in the (i)-(iii) states as shown Figure 8 and Figure 10 , at this time, when the piezoelectric actuator 30 deforms in the radial direction of the driving shaft 31, it drives the driving shaft 31 to rotate.

[0028] When the piezoelectric actuator 30 is in the (ii)-(iv) states as shown Figure 9 and Figure 10 , at this time, when the piezoelectric actuator 30 deforms in the axial direction of the driving shaft 31, it drives the driving shaft 31 to linearly move.

[0029] In this way, the piezoelectric actuator 30 can convert an electrical signal into mechanical motion, driving the drive shaft 31 to perform linear and / or rotational motion, thereby driving the finger joint 1 to linearly move along its length direction or rotate around its axis line S. The design of the second drive mechanism 3 provides the dexterous finger with high-precision and high-speed response driving capabilities, and can provide a higher degree of freedom for the dexterous finger.

[0030] Regarding the above-mentioned valve core 5, specifically, the above-mentioned valve core 5 is as Figure 2 shown, having a plurality of fixing rods, and one ends of the plurality of fixing rods are simultaneously connected to a fixing plate, and the other ends of the fixing rods are fixedly connected to the above-mentioned hinge portion 6. For example, there are 3-4 fixing rods. At the same time, one end of the drive shaft 31 of the second drive mechanism 3 is fixedly connected to the valve core 5. This structure increases the structural strength of the finger joint 1. At the same time, through the fixed connection between the drive shaft 31 of the second drive mechanism 3 and the valve core 5, the driving force can be transmitted more accurately, ensuring the balance and stability of the dexterous finger during multi-directional movement. In this embodiment, to optimize the spatial layout inside the finger joint 1, as Figure 2 shown, the first drive mechanism 2 and the rotating shaft 20 are inserted between the fixing rods of the above-mentioned valve core 5, so that the dexterous finger has a smaller volume without affecting the performance of the components.

[0031] In addition, as Figures 1 - 4 shown, to further achieve the smoothness between adjacent finger joints 1 of the dexterous finger, one of the adjacent two finger joints 1 is hingedly connected to the connecting portion 4 through the hinge portion 6, and a hinge shaft 60 movably connected to the hinge portion 6 is fixedly connected to the connecting portion 4. In the non-operating state, the above-mentioned hinge shaft 60 is distributed along the above-mentioned first axis X to ensure that the initial position is maintained without external force. The hinge shaft 60 is fixed to the connecting portion 4 by a plurality of high-precision bearings. These bearings not only provide stable support but also effectively reduce friction, ensuring smooth and efficient movement between the finger joints. This design optimizes the movement smoothness of the dexterous finger and improves its performance in complex grasping tasks.

[0032] In addition, a part of the tendon rope 22 of the first driving mechanism 2 is connected to the hinge shaft 60 and drives the hinge part 6 fixedly connected to the hinge shaft 60 to rotate around the first axis X. The tendon rope 22 enables the driving force to be efficiently transmitted from the first driving mechanism 2 to the hinge shaft 60, thereby driving the hinge part 6 to rotate around the first axis X, and further realizing the bending or rotating movement of the dexterous finger. In this embodiment, each first driving mechanism 2 has two horizontally distributed tendon ropes 22, aiming to avoid the problem of reduced transmission accuracy caused by the wear of the tendon rope 22. And through the symmetrical distribution of the two tendon ropes 22, the driving force can be more evenly distributed, reducing the high-load stress concentrated on a single tendon rope 22. At the same time, the design of the two tendon ropes 22 can also improve the stability of the transmission system, avoiding the problem of reduced driving accuracy caused by the sudden failure or deviation of a single tendon rope 22.

[0033] Specifically, as Figure 2 shown, pulleys 9 are arranged on both sides of the above-mentioned rotating shaft 20 and the above-mentioned hinge shaft 60. The pulleys 9 arranged on both sides of the rotating shaft 20 have the same rotation amount as the rotating shaft 20. Similarly, the pulleys 9 arranged on both sides of the hinge shaft 60 have the same rotation amount as the hinge shaft 60. The above-mentioned tendon rope 22 is simultaneously sleeved on the pulleys 9 on the same side of the rotating shaft 20 and the hinge shaft 60, and the synchronous transmission of the driving force is realized in this way. When the rotating shaft 20 rotates, the pulley 9 transmits the rotational force to the hinge shaft 60 through the tendon rope 22. As Figure 6 shown, when the rotating shaft 20 rotates in one direction under the drive of the second driving mechanism 3, the tendon rope 22 arranged on the rotating shaft 20 will drive the pulley 9 fixed on the hinge shaft 60 to move synchronously, and the hinge shaft 60 will rotate in the same direction as the rotating shaft 20 synchronously. Since the hinge shaft 60 is fixedly connected to the connecting part 4, but the hinge shaft 60 is slidably connected to the hinge part 6, the bending grasping movement or releasing movement of the entire dexterous finger can be realized.

[0034] Embodiment Two

[0035] The structure and principle of this embodiment are basically the same as those of Embodiment One. The different structure lies in that for the dexterous finger of the above-mentioned Embodiment One, this dexterous manipulator includes dexterous fingers.

[0036] As the core execution unit of the dexterous manipulator, the dexterous finger further expands its functions and application scenarios. By integrating the dexterous finger into the mechanical structure of the dexterous manipulator, this embodiment realizes a larger grasping range, higher operation accuracy, and more complex task processing capabilities. In this embodiment, the above-mentioned dexterous manipulator includes at least two dexterous fingers. Each dexterous finger is consistent with the dexterous finger of Embodiment One in structure and driving principle, and has multiple phalanges 1 and corresponding first driving mechanisms 2 and second driving mechanisms 3. The dexterous fingers of the dexterous manipulator are connected to the main body of the manipulator, thereby forming a complete mechanical operating system.

[0037] The specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the spirit of the present invention. Those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains may make various modifications or supplements to the described specific embodiments, or use similar means for substitution, without departing from the spirit of the present invention or exceeding the scope defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A dexterous finger, comprising at least two mutually hinged knuckles (1), and a first driving mechanism (2) for driving one of the two adjacent knuckles (1) to rotate relative to the other knuckle (1) about a first axis (X), characterized in that: At least one of the knuckles (1) is connected to a connecting portion (4) via a second driving mechanism (3); the second driving mechanism (3) drives the knuckle (1) to move linearly along the length direction of the knuckle (1) and / or causes the knuckle (1) to rotate around its axis (S); at least a portion of the second driving mechanism (3) is disposed on the connecting portion (4), and the remaining portion of the second driving mechanism (3) is disposed on the knuckle (1).

2. The dexterous finger according to claim 1, characterized in that: The connecting portion (4) is connected to each of the finger joints (1) via the second driving mechanism (3).

3. The dexterous finger according to claim 2, characterized in that: The driving forces of the second driving mechanisms (3) are equal or unequal.

4. The dexterous finger according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that: The second driving mechanism (3) is a piezoelectric motor, and the piezoelectric motor is any one of a rotary linear piezoelectric motor, a rotary piezoelectric motor and a linear piezoelectric motor.

5. The dexterous finger according to claim 4, characterized in that: The second driving mechanism (3) comprises a piezoelectric actuator (30) and a driving shaft (31) at least partially passing through the piezoelectric actuator (30), the piezoelectric actuator (30) being fixed to the connecting portion (4), and one end of the driving shaft (31) passing through the outside of the piezoelectric actuator (30) being fixed to the finger joint (1).

6. The dexterous finger according to claim 5, characterized in that: The piezoelectric actuator (30) comprises a bearing member (301) and a plurality of piezoelectric elements (300) fixed to the bearing member (301).

7. The dexterous finger according to claim 1, characterized in that: One of the two adjacent knuckles (1) is hingedly connected to the connecting portion (4) via a hinged portion (6); a hinge shaft (60) movably connected to the hinge shaft (6) is fixedly connected to the connecting portion (4); a tendon rope (22) of the first driving mechanism (2) is connected around the hinge shaft (60) and drives the hinge shaft (6) fixedly connected to the hinge shaft (60) to rotate around the first axis (X).

8. The dexterous finger according to claim 7, characterized in that: The first driving mechanism (2) comprises a rotating shaft (20) rotatably connected to the finger joint (1), the rotating shaft (20) and the hinge shaft (60) being connected via two tendon ropes (22), and the rotating shaft (20) being connected to the piezoelectric driving motor (21) via a transmission structure (8).

9. The dexterous finger according to claim 8, characterized in that: The transmission structure (8) comprises any one of a gear transmission structure, a belt transmission structure and a tendon transmission structure.

10. A dexterous manipulator, characterized in that: The dexterous manipulator comprises the dexterous fingers described in any one of claims 1-9.

Images