A reconfigurable parallel robot

Abstract

The present invention discloses a reconfigurable parallel robot, which relates to the technical field of robots. The robot includes a parallel platform, a joint base, at least three driving devices and at least three branch chains. The two ends of each branch chain are respectively connected to the parallel platform and a driving device. The end of each branch chain far from the parallel platform is the input end. Each driving device can drive the input end of the corresponding branch chain to move along a first straight line and adjust the distance between the input end of the corresponding branch chain and the plane where the parallel platform is located. Each driving device is rotatably connected to the joint base and can maintain its position. By rotating relative to the joint base, each driving device can adjust the angle between the first straight line and the plane where the parallel platform is located. The reconfigurability of the present invention is highly flexible, can meet diverse application requirements, and can solve the problems of high manufacturing cost, complex configuration and low efficiency during the size optimization and verification of parallel robots.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of robots, and particularly to a reconfigurable parallel robot. Background Art

[0002] Parallel robots have the advantages of a large effective working space, strong end bearing capacity, large overall stiffness, small motion inertia, good dynamic response, high motion accuracy, and compact structure. Therefore, they have been widely used in many fields, such as healthcare, industry, aerospace, etc. The reconfigurable function of parallel robots makes them more flexible and adaptable, enabling them to meet different application requirements.

[0003] Most existing parallel robots only achieve the reconfigurable function of the structure by adjusting the length of their linkages. One end of the linkage far from the parallel platform is mostly relatively fixed to the joint base, resulting in limited reconfigurable function of the parallel robot and insufficient flexibility in reconfiguration, making it difficult to meet diverse application requirements. For example, in the optimization process of the dimensional parameter design of parallel robots, researchers often use numerical analysis or simulation experiments to verify whether the dimensional parameters meet the design requirements. Considering the manufacturing cost, relevant research often manufactures experimental prototypes after obtaining the optimization results to verify the performance of the dimensional parameters under actual conditions. This method requires thorough consideration of potential differences in the transition from simulation to reality, such as manufacturing errors, assembly errors, and other error terms, as well as limitations in actuator and material properties during the actual motion control process. Among them, some additional error factors and constraints are difficult to represent by mathematical models or accurately simulated by simulation models. Due to the limitations of the reconfigurable function of existing parallel robots, the adjustability of the kinematic and dynamic properties of parallel robots is limited, increasing the difficulty of optimization, improvement, and adjustment of parallel robots, and the efficiency is low. Some researchers also choose to manufacture multiple prototypes to verify the performance differences between various design parameters. This method can accurately reflect the true performance of different design parameters. However, due to cost limitations, it is usually only used in research with relatively low prototype manufacturing costs. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide a reconfigurable parallel robot with high flexibility in reconfiguration, capable of meeting diverse application requirements, and capable of solving the problems of high manufacturing cost, complex configuration, and low efficiency in verifying the dimensional optimization of parallel robots.

[0005] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following solutions:

[0006] The present invention provides a reconfigurable parallel robot, which includes a parallel platform, a joint base, at least three driving devices and at least three branch chains. Both ends of each of the branch chains are respectively connected to the parallel platform and one of the driving devices. One end of each of the branch chains away from the parallel platform is the input end. Each of the driving devices can drive the input end of the corresponding branch chain to move along a first straight line and adjust the distance between the input end of the corresponding branch chain and the plane where the parallel platform is located. Each of the driving devices is rotatably connected to the joint base and can maintain its position. Each of the driving devices can adjust the angle between the first straight line and the plane where the parallel platform is located by rotating relative to the joint base.

[0007] Preferably, each of the branch chains can be telescoped along its own length direction.

[0008] Preferably, each of the driving devices includes a driving body, a lead screw, a guide rail and a slider assembly. Each of the slider assemblies is threadedly connected to the corresponding lead screw and slidably connected to the corresponding guide rail. Each of the lead screws is connected to the corresponding driving body. Each of the driving bodies can drive the corresponding lead screw to rotate around its own axis. Each of the slider assemblies is connected to the input end of the corresponding branch chain. The axis of the lead screw is the first straight line.

[0009] Preferably, each of the joint bases includes a fixed part, a moving part and a base connecting piece. Each of the moving parts and the corresponding fixed part form a rotation around a second straight line. A plurality of first through holes and a plurality of second through holes are respectively arranged on each of the fixed parts and each of the moving parts. Each of the base connecting pieces can pass through the second through holes on the corresponding moving parts and the first through holes on the corresponding fixed parts and fix the corresponding moving parts to the corresponding fixed parts. By connecting the second through holes of each of the moving parts to different first through holes of the corresponding fixed parts, each of the moving parts and the corresponding fixed parts can be positionally held at different positions. Each of the moving parts is fixedly connected to the corresponding driving device.

[0010] Preferably, it further includes a bottom plate. Each of the joint bases further includes a magnetic base. Each of the magnetic bases is magnetically connected to the base. Each of the fixed parts is fixedly connected to the corresponding magnetic base.

[0011] Preferably, each of the branch chains includes an outer rod, an inner rod, and a rod connecting member. The inner rod of each branch chain is sleeved inside the outer rod. A plurality of third through holes and a plurality of fourth through holes are respectively provided on each of the outer rods and each of the inner rods. Each rod connecting member can pass through the third through hole on the corresponding outer rod and the fourth through hole on the corresponding inner rod and fixedly connect the corresponding outer rod and the corresponding inner rod. By connecting the third through holes on each outer rod to different fourth through holes on the corresponding inner rod, the length of the branch chain can be adjusted.

[0012] Preferably, a first inner ring hole group is provided on each of the fixing members. Each first inner ring hole group includes a plurality of first positioning holes. All the first positioning holes in each first inner ring hole group are located on the same circle. The central angle corresponding to the centers of any two adjacent first positioning holes in each first inner ring hole group is a first central angle; a second inner ring hole group is provided on each of the moving members. Each second inner ring hole group includes a plurality of second positioning holes. All the second positioning holes in each second inner ring hole group are located on the same circle. The central angle corresponding to the centers of any two adjacent second positioning holes in each second inner ring hole group is a second central angle. The difference between each first central angle and the corresponding second central angle is 0.5°. Each base connecting member can fix the corresponding fixing member and the corresponding moving member by using one first positioning hole and the corresponding second positioning hole.

[0013] Preferably, a first outer ring hole group is further provided on each of the fixing members. Each first outer ring hole group includes a plurality of third positioning holes. All the third positioning holes in each first outer ring hole group are located on the same circle. The circle where each first outer ring hole group is located is concentric with the circle where the corresponding first inner ring hole group is located. Each third positioning hole and one first positioning hole on the corresponding fixing member are arranged along the radial direction of the circle where the first outer ring hole group is located. The central angle corresponding to the centers of any two adjacent third positioning holes in each first outer ring hole group is the same as the corresponding first central angle;

[0014] Each of the moving components is further provided with a second outer ring hole group, each of the second outer ring hole groups includes a plurality of fourth positioning holes, all the fourth positioning holes of each of the second outer ring hole groups are located on the same circle, the circles where each of the second outer ring hole groups is located and the circles where the corresponding second inner ring hole groups are located share the same center, the central angle corresponding to the centers of any two adjacent fourth positioning holes of each of the second outer ring hole groups is the same as the corresponding second central angle, the fourth positioning holes of each of the second outer ring hole groups and the second positioning holes of the corresponding second inner ring hole groups are arranged in a staggered manner, the central angle corresponding to the center of each of the second positioning holes and the center of the corresponding adjacent fourth positioning hole is half of the second central angle, and each of the base connectors can fix the corresponding fixed component and the corresponding moving component by using one of the third positioning holes and the corresponding fourth positioning hole.

[0015] Preferably, all the third through holes are arranged along the length direction of the outer rod, all the fourth through holes are arranged along the length direction of the inner rod, and the gap between two adjacent third through holes and the gap between two adjacent fourth through holes differ by 1 mm.

[0016] Preferably, each of the branch chains further includes two joint assemblies, each of the joint assemblies includes a first joint, a second joint and a cross shaft, each of the cross shafts includes a first shaft and a second shaft arranged perpendicularly, the first joint of each of the joint assemblies is rotatably connected to the first shaft of each of the joint assemblies, and the second joint of each of the joint assemblies is rotatably connected to the second shaft of each of the joint assemblies; the first joint and the second joint of one of the joint assemblies of each of the branch chains are respectively connected to the driving device and the corresponding outer rod, and the first joint and the second joint of the other joint assembly of each of the branch chains are respectively connected to the parallel platform and the corresponding inner rod.

[0017] The present invention has achieved the following technical effects compared with the prior art:

[0018] The present invention provides a reconfigurable parallel robot, comprising a parallel platform, a joint base, at least three driving devices and at least three branch chains. Both ends of each branch chain are respectively connected to the parallel platform and a driving device. The end of each branch chain far from the parallel platform is the input end. Each driving device can drive the input end of the corresponding branch chain to move along a first straight line and adjust the distance between the input end of the corresponding branch chain and the plane where the parallel platform is located. Each driving device is rotatably connected to the joint base and can maintain its position. Each driving device can adjust the angle between the first straight line and the plane where the parallel platform is located by rotating relative to the joint base. The present invention can not only adjust the distance between the branch chain and the plane where the parallel platform is located, but also adjust the angle between the first straight line and the plane where the parallel platform is located. The two adjustment components are coupled with each other, greatly improving the adjustment range, having high reconfigurable flexibility, being able to meet diverse application requirements, and being able to solve the problems of high manufacturing cost, complex configuration and low efficiency in the size optimization verification of parallel robots. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for use in the embodiments. Obviously, the following-described drawings are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings.

[0020] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of the reconfigurable parallel robot provided by the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of the joint base provided by the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3 is a schematic structural diagram of the driving device provided by the present invention;

[0023] Figure 4 is a schematic structural diagram of the branch chain provided by the present invention;

[0024] Figure 5 is a schematic structural diagram of the fixing component provided by the present invention;

[0025] Figure 6 is a schematic structural diagram of the moving component provided by the present invention;

[0026] Figure 7 is a schematic structural diagram when the second positioning hole of the moving component is aligned with the first positioning hole of the fixing component;

[0027] Figure 8 is a schematic structural diagram when the third through hole of the outer rod is aligned with the fourth through hole of the inner rod;

[0028] Figure 9 The control schematic diagram of the reconfigurable parallel robot provided by the present invention;

[0029] In the figure: 100, reconfigurable parallel robot; 1, parallel platform; 2, joint base; 201, moving part; 2011, second positioning hole; 2012, fourth positioning hole; 202, fixed part; 2021, first positioning hole; 2022, third positioning hole; 203, magnetic base; 3, driving device; 301, lead screw base; 302, motor; 303, encoder; 304, lead screw; 305, coupling one; 306, coupling two; 307, guide rail; 308, lead screw slider; 309, guide rail slider; 310, encoder bracket; 311, motor bracket; 312, slider connecting piece; 4, branch chain; 401, outer rod; 402, inner rod; 403, first joint; 404, cross shaft; 405, second joint; a, first central angle; b, second central angle; c, third central angle; d, fourth central angle; e, fifth central angle. Specific embodiments

[0030] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0031] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the terms "center", "longitudinal", "transverse", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc. is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and is only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, 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 should not be construed as a limitation to the present invention. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Thus, the features defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features. In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise specified, the meaning of "a plurality" is two or more.

[0032] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that unless otherwise clearly specified and defined, the terms "installation", "connection", and "coupling" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, and it can be the communication inside 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 situations.

[0033] The object of the present invention is to provide a reconfigurable parallel robot with high reconfigurable flexibility, which can meet diverse application requirements and solve the problems of high manufacturing cost, complex configuration, and low efficiency in the size optimization and verification of parallel robots.

[0034] To make the above objects, features, and advantages of the present invention more obvious and understandable, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0035] As Figures 1 - 9 shown, this embodiment provides a reconfigurable parallel robot 100, including a parallel platform 1, a joint base 2, at least three driving devices 3, and at least three linkages 4. Both ends of each linkage 4 are respectively connected to the parallel platform 1 and a driving device 3. The end of each linkage 4 far from the parallel platform 1 is the input end. Each driving device 3 can drive the input end of the corresponding linkage 4 to move along a first straight line and adjust the distance between the input end of the corresponding linkage 4 and the plane where the parallel platform 1 is located. Each driving device 3 is rotatably connected to the joint base 2 and can maintain its position. Each driving device 3 can adjust the angle between the first straight line and the plane where the parallel platform 1 is located by rotating relative to the joint base 2. This embodiment can not only adjust the distance between the linkage 4 and the plane where the parallel platform 1 is located, but also adjust the angle between the first straight line and the plane where the parallel platform 1 is located. Through the mutual coupling of the two adjustment processes, the adjustment range is greatly increased, the reconfigurable flexibility is higher, diverse application requirements can be met, and the problems of high manufacturing cost, complex configuration, and low efficiency in the size optimization and verification of parallel robots can be solved.

[0036] In this embodiment, each linkage 4 can be telescoped along its own length direction, realizing the reconfiguration of the length of the linkage 4, and further improving the reconfigurable flexibility of the reconfigurable parallel robot 100.

[0037] In this embodiment, each driving device 3 includes a driving body, a lead screw 304, a guide rail 307, and a slider assembly. Each slider assembly is threadedly connected to the corresponding lead screw 304 and slidably connected to the corresponding guide rail 307. Each lead screw 304 is connected to the corresponding driving body, and each driving body can drive the corresponding lead screw 304 to rotate about its own axis. Each slider assembly is connected to the input end of the corresponding chain 4. The axis of the lead screw 304 is the first straight line.

[0038] In this embodiment, each joint base 2 includes a fixed member 202, a moving member 201, and a base connecting member. Each moving member 201 and the corresponding fixed member 202 form a rotation about the second straight line. A plurality of first through holes and a plurality of second through holes are respectively provided on each fixed member 202 and each moving member 201. Each base connecting member can pass through the second through hole on the corresponding moving member 201 and the first through hole on the corresponding fixed member 202 and fix the corresponding moving member 201 to the corresponding fixed member 202. By connecting the second through hole of each moving member 201 to different first through holes of the corresponding fixed member 202, the corresponding moving member 201 and the corresponding fixed member 202 can be held in position at different positions; each moving member 201 is fixedly connected to the corresponding driving device 3. The structure is simple, easy to adjust, and the manufacturing cost is relatively low.

[0039] In this embodiment, a bottom plate is further included. Each joint base 2 further includes a magnetic base 203. Each magnetic base 203 is magnetically connected to the base, and each fixed member 202 is fixedly connected to the corresponding magnetic base 203. By connecting in a magnetic adsorption manner, it is convenient to adjust the position and direction of the joint base 2. The size of the bottom plate can be adjusted according to requirements, and a fast and stable layout of the joint base 2 in a large range can be achieved. The pose state can be arbitrarily adjusted within a reasonable working range.

[0040] In this embodiment, each chain 4 includes an outer rod 401, an inner rod 402, and a rod connecting member. The inner rod 402 of each chain 4 is sleeved inside the outer rod 401. A plurality of third through holes and a plurality of fourth through holes are respectively provided on each outer rod 401 and each inner rod 402. Each rod connecting member can pass through the third through hole on the corresponding outer rod 401 and the fourth through hole on the corresponding inner rod 402 and fixedly connect the corresponding outer rod 401 to the corresponding inner rod 402. By connecting the third through hole of each outer rod 401 to different fourth through holes of the corresponding inner rod 402, the length of the chain 4 can be adjusted. The structure is simple, easy to adjust, and the manufacturing cost is relatively low.

[0041] In this embodiment, a first inner ring hole group is provided on each fixing component 202. Each first inner ring hole group includes a plurality of first positioning holes 2021. All the first positioning holes 2021 of each first inner ring hole group are located on the same circle. The central angle corresponding to the centers of any two adjacent first positioning holes 2021 of each first inner ring hole group is the first central angle a. A second inner ring hole group is provided on each moving component 202. Each second inner ring hole group includes a plurality of second positioning holes 2011. All the second positioning holes 2011 of each second inner ring hole group are located on the same circle. The central angle corresponding to the centers of any two adjacent second positioning holes 2011 of each second inner ring hole group is the second central angle b. The difference between each first central angle a and the corresponding second central angle b is 0.5°. Each base connecting member can fix the corresponding fixing component 202 and the corresponding moving component 201 by using one first positioning hole 2021 and the corresponding one second positioning hole 2011. For the same joint base 2, the base connecting member passes through the first positioning hole 2021 and the second positioning hole 2011 of the joint base 2, and can lock the moving component 201 on the fixing component 202. By connecting different first positioning holes 2021 with different second positioning holes 2011, or the same first positioning hole 2021 with different second positioning holes 2011, the moving component 201 can be locked at different angles. Since the difference between the first central angle a and the corresponding second central angle b is 0.5°, the moving component 201 can be discretely adjusted at an angular step of 0.5°.

[0042] In this embodiment, a first outer ring hole group is further provided on each fixed component 202. Each first outer ring hole group includes a plurality of third positioning holes 2022. All the third positioning holes 2022 of each first outer ring hole group are located on the same circle. The circle where each first outer ring hole group is located is concentric with the circle where the corresponding first inner ring hole group is located. Each third positioning hole 2022 and a first positioning hole 2021 on the corresponding fixed component 202 are arranged along the radial direction of the circle where the first outer ring hole group is located. The central angle corresponding to the centers of any two adjacent third positioning holes 2022 of each first outer ring hole group is the same as the corresponding first central angle a; a second outer ring hole group is further provided on each moving component 201. Each second outer ring hole group includes a plurality of fourth positioning holes 2012. All the fourth positioning holes 2012 of each second outer ring hole group are located on the same circle. The circle where each second outer ring hole group is located is concentric with the circle where the corresponding second inner ring hole group is located. The central angle corresponding to the centers of any two adjacent fourth positioning holes 2012 of each second outer ring hole group is the same as the corresponding second central angle b. The fourth positioning holes 2012 of each second outer ring hole group and the second positioning holes 2011 of the corresponding second inner ring hole group are arranged in a staggered manner. The central angle (the fifth central angle e) corresponding to the center of each second positioning hole 2011 and the center of the corresponding adjacent fourth positioning hole 2012 is half of the second central angle b. Each base connecting member can fix the corresponding fixed component 202 and the corresponding moving component 201 by using one third positioning hole 2022 and the corresponding one fourth positioning hole 2012. For the same joint base 2, the base connecting member can also pass through the third positioning hole 2022 and the fourth positioning hole 2012 of the joint base 2, and can lock the moving component 201 on the fixed component 202. By connecting different third positioning holes 2022 with different fourth positioning holes 2012, or the same third positioning hole 2022 with different fourth positioning holes 2012, the moving component 201 can be locked at different angles. Since the difference between the central angle (the third central angle c) corresponding to the centers of any two adjacent third positioning holes 2022 of each first outer ring hole group and the central angle (the fourth central angle d) corresponding to the centers of any two adjacent fourth positioning holes 2012 of the second outer ring hole group is 0.5°, the moving component 201 can be adjusted discretely at a step of 0.5°. Since the fourth positioning holes 2012 of each second outer ring hole group and the second positioning holes 2011 of the corresponding second inner ring hole group are arranged in a staggered manner, and the central angle corresponding to the center of each second positioning hole 2011 and the center of the corresponding adjacent fourth positioning hole 2012 is half of the second central angle b, when the moving component 201 rotates at a large angle and the first positioning hole 2021 and the second positioning hole 2011 cannot be matched, the moving component 201 can be locked by the third positioning hole 2022 and the fourth positioning hole 2012.

[0043] As a preferred embodiment, the first central angle a is 4.5°, the second central angle b is 5°, and the central angle corresponding to the center of each second positioning hole 2011 and the center of the corresponding adjacent fourth positioning hole 2012 is 2.5°. It should be noted that the first positioning hole 2021 and the third positioning hole 2022 both belong to the first through holes, and the second positioning hole 2011 and the fourth positioning hole 2012 both belong to the second through holes.

[0044] In this embodiment, all the third through holes are arranged along the length direction of the outer rod 401, and all the fourth through holes are arranged along the length direction of the inner rod 402. The gap between two adjacent third through holes and the gap between two adjacent fourth through holes differ by 1 mm, enabling the inner rod 402 to move relatively in 1-mm increments.

[0045] As a preferred embodiment, the gap between two adjacent third through holes is 5 mm, and the gap between two adjacent fourth through holes is 4 mm.

[0046] In this embodiment, each branch chain 4 further includes two joint assemblies. Each joint assembly includes a first joint 403, a second joint 405, and a cross shaft 404. Each cross shaft 404 includes a first shaft and a second shaft that are perpendicularly and fixedly connected. The first joint 403 of each joint assembly is rotationally connected to the first shaft of each joint assembly, and the second joint 405 of each joint assembly is rotationally connected to the second shaft of each joint assembly; the first joint 403 and the second joint 405 of one joint assembly of each branch chain 4 are respectively connected to the driving device 3 and the corresponding outer rod 401, and the first joint 403 and the second joint 405 of the other joint assembly of each branch chain 4 are respectively connected to the parallel platform 1 and the corresponding inner rod 402.

[0047] As a preferred embodiment, the driving device 3 is fixedly connected to the corresponding first joint 403, and the outer rod 401 is fixedly connected to the corresponding second joint 405; the parallel platform 1 is rotationally connected to the corresponding first joint 403, and the inner rod 402 is fixedly connected to the corresponding second joint 405.

[0048] In this embodiment, there are six joint bases 2, driving devices 3, and branch chains 4, forming a six-degree-of-freedom reconfigurable parallel robot 100. The first straight line is parallel to the length direction of the guide rail 307. The included angle ranges between the guide rail 307, the lead screw 304, and the bottom plate are preferably 16° to 90°. The second straight line is parallel to the bottom plate. The multiple joint bases 2 are arranged along the circumferential direction of a circle.

[0049] In this embodiment, the base connecting member and the rod connecting member are bolts or optical axes. The magnetic base 203 is connected to the fixed member 202 by bolts. The bottom plate can be an iron plate.

[0050] In this embodiment, each driving device 3 further includes a lead screw base 301, an encoder 303, a coupling, a first bracket, a second bracket, and a slider connecting member 312. The slider assembly includes a lead screw slider 308 and a guide rail slider 309. The driving body is a motor 302. The lead screw base 301 and the moving member 201 are connected by bolts. The motor 302 is installed on a motor bracket 311, and the encoder 303 is installed on an encoder bracket 310. The motor bracket 311, the encoder bracket 310, and the guide rail 307 are all connected to the lead screw base 301 by bolts. Both the lead screw slider 308 and the guide rail slider 309 are fixedly connected to the slider connecting member 312 by bolts. Both ends of the lead screw 304 are respectively connected to two couplings. One of the couplings (coupling two 306) is connected to the encoder 303, and the other coupling (coupling one 305) is connected to the motor 302. The lead screw slider 308 is sleeved outside the lead screw 304, and the guide rail slider 309 is slidably connected to the guide rail 307.

[0051] In this embodiment, the parallel platform 1 is provided with hole positions for connecting the joint assembly and the bearing, and several hole positions for connecting the end effector. The first joint 403 of each joint assembly is connected to the first shaft of each joint assembly through a miniature deep groove ball bearing, and the second joint 405 of each joint assembly is connected to the second shaft of each joint assembly through a miniature deep groove ball bearing. The first joint 403 and the driving device 3, the second joint 405 and the outer rod 401, the first joint 403 and the parallel platform 1, and the second joint 405 and the inner rod 402 are all connected through rotational pairs such as bearings.

[0052] The working principle of the reconfigurable parallel robot 100 provided in this embodiment is as follows:

[0053] Description of the length reconfiguration process of the branch chain 4: Insert the inner rod 402 into the outer rod 401, and by aligning the holes of the inner rod 402 and the outer rod 401, fix all the aligned holes with bolts to form a branch chain 4 with a fixed length. As Figure 8 shown, during the reconfiguration process, there are always at least two holes aligned between the inner rod 402 and the outer rod 401, and it can move to the right in 1 - mm increments. Tightening the bolts in the aligned holes can ensure that there is no relative displacement or rotation between the inner rod 402 and the outer rod 401.

[0054] Description of the motion range of two joint components: The universal joint composed of the first joint 403 (input shaft), the cross shaft 404, and the second joint 405 (output shaft) transmits the motion state of the guide rail 307. The first joint 403 (input shaft), the cross shaft 404, the second joint 405 (output shaft), and the spherical hinge formed by the rotating joint of the second joint 405 and the parallel platform 1 together transmit the motion state of the connecting rod. Connected by a miniature deep groove ball bearing, it can eliminate the clearance between the shaft and the hole and increase the rotation angle range. It should be noted that the shapes and structures of the first joints 403 of the two joint components are different.

[0055] Description of the reconfiguration process of the joint base 2: Align the holes of the moving part 201 and the fixed part 202 and fix them with bolts to form a fixed pitch angle. In the range of 16° to 90°, the joint base 2 can be adjusted discretely at a step of 0.5°. The magnetic base 203 can be fixed at the target position on the bottom plate to facilitate the adjustment of the position and direction.

[0056] Description of the control process of the reconfigurable parallel robot 100: As Figure 9 shown, periodic control is performed through the loop module based on ROS2 by the servo system of the upper computer. In each control cycle, the core control algorithm sends signals to the microcontroller running the motor control program through USB serial communication. The microcontroller distributes these commands to the motor driver through SPI communication. The motor driver generates pulse signals to drive the motor 302 to execute the motion command. The motor driver collects signals from the encoder 303 and the magnetic proximity switch to determine the in-place status of the motor 302 and the lead screw slider 308. The system can adjust the moving speed of each branch chain 4 or the moving and rotating speeds of the parallel platform 1. After configuring the reconfigurable branch chain 4 and the reconfigurable joint base 2, the lead screw 304 is adjusted by the pulse control of the motor 302, and the lead screw slider 308 is guided by the guide rail slider 309 through the slider connecting piece 312 to move. The motion of the reconfigurable branch chain 4 is controlled through the first joint 403 of the joint component fixedly connected to the slider connecting piece 312. The motion is transmitted to the outer rod 401 and the inner rod 402 through the cross shaft 404 and the second joint 405, and then transmitted to the parallel platform 1 through the second joint 405, the cross shaft 404, and the first joint 403 of another joint component to complete the pose adjustment of the parallel platform 1.

[0057] In the present invention, specific examples are used to elaborate on the principle and implementation manner of the present invention. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the method and its core idea of the present invention; at the same time, for those of ordinary skill in the art, according to the idea of the present invention, there will be changes in the specific implementation manner and application scope. In summary, the content of this specification should not be construed as a limitation to the present invention.

Claims

1. A reconfigurable parallel robot, characterized in that: It includes a parallel platform, a joint base, at least three driving devices and at least three branch chains. Both ends of each of the branch chains are respectively connected to the parallel platform and one of the driving devices. One end of each of the branch chains away from the parallel platform is the input end. Each of the driving devices can drive the input end of the corresponding branch chain to move along a first straight line and adjust the distance between the input end of the corresponding branch chain and the plane where the parallel platform is located. Each of the driving devices is rotatably connected to the joint base and can maintain its position. Each of the driving devices can adjust the angle between the first straight line and the plane where the parallel platform is located by rotating relative to the joint base. Each of the joint bases includes a fixed component, a moving component and a base connecting member. Each of the moving components and the corresponding fixed component form a rotation around a second straight line. A plurality of first through holes and a plurality of second through holes are respectively provided on each of the fixed components and each of the moving components. Each of the base connecting members can pass through the second through holes on the corresponding moving components and the first through holes on the corresponding fixed components and fix the corresponding moving components to the corresponding fixed components. By connecting the second through holes of each of the moving components to different first through holes of the corresponding fixed components, each of the moving components and the corresponding fixed components can be positionally maintained at different positions. Each of the moving components is fixedly connected to the corresponding driving device. A first inner ring hole group is provided on each of the fixed components. Each of the first inner ring hole groups includes a plurality of first positioning holes. All of the first positioning holes in each of the first inner ring hole groups are located on the same circle. The central angle corresponding to the centers of any two adjacent first positioning holes in each of the first inner ring hole groups is a first central angle. A second inner ring hole group is provided on each of the moving components. Each of the second inner ring hole groups includes a plurality of second positioning holes. All of the second positioning holes in each of the second inner ring hole groups are located on the same circle. The central angle corresponding to the centers of any two adjacent second positioning holes in each of the second inner ring hole groups is a second central angle. The difference between each of the first central angles and the corresponding second central angles is 0.5°. Each of the base connecting members can fix the corresponding fixed component and the corresponding moving component by using one of the first positioning holes and the corresponding one of the second positioning holes. A first outer ring hole group is further provided on each of the fixed components. Each of the first outer ring hole groups includes a plurality of third positioning holes. All of the third positioning holes in each of the first outer ring hole groups are located on the same circle. The circle where each of the first outer ring hole groups is located is concentric with the circle where the corresponding first inner ring hole group is located. Each of the third positioning holes and one of the first positioning holes on the corresponding fixed component are arranged radially along the circle where the first outer ring hole group is located. The central angle corresponding to the centers of any two adjacent third positioning holes in each of the first outer ring hole groups is the same as the corresponding first central angle. Each of the moving components is further provided with a second outer ring hole group. Each second outer ring hole group includes a plurality of fourth positioning holes. All the fourth positioning holes of each second outer ring hole group are located on the same circle. The circle where each second outer ring hole group is located is concentric with the circle where the corresponding second inner ring hole group is located. The central angle corresponding to the centers of any two adjacent fourth positioning holes of each second outer ring hole group is the same as the corresponding second central angle. The fourth positioning holes of each second outer ring hole group and the second positioning holes of the corresponding second inner ring hole group are arranged staggeredly. The central angle corresponding to the center of each second positioning hole and the center of the corresponding adjacent fourth positioning hole is half of the second central angle. Each base connecting member can fix the corresponding fixed component and the corresponding moving component by using one of the third positioning holes and the corresponding fourth positioning hole.

2. The reconfigurable parallel robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each of the branch chains can be telescoped along its own length direction.

3. The reconfigurable parallel robot according to claim 1, wherein: Each of the driving devices includes a driving body, a lead screw, a guide rail, and a slider assembly. Each slider assembly is threadedly connected to the corresponding lead screw and slidably connected to the corresponding guide rail. Each lead screw is connected to the corresponding driving body. Each driving body can drive the corresponding lead screw to rotate around its own axis. Each slider assembly is connected to the input end of the corresponding branch chain; the axis of the lead screw is the first straight line.

4. The reconfigurable parallel robot according to claim 1, wherein: It further includes a bottom plate. Each joint base further includes a magnetic base. Each magnetic base is magnetically connected to the bottom plate. Each fixed component is fixedly connected to the corresponding magnetic base.

5. The reconfigurable parallel robot according to claim 2, characterized in that: Each of the branch chains includes an outer rod, an inner rod, and a rod connecting member. The inner rod of each branch chain is sleeved inside the outer rod. A plurality of third through holes and a plurality of fourth through holes are respectively arranged on each outer rod and each inner rod. Each rod connecting member can pass through the third through hole on the corresponding outer rod and the fourth through hole on the corresponding inner rod and fixedly connect the corresponding outer rod and the corresponding inner rod. By connecting the third through holes of each outer rod to different fourth through holes of the corresponding inner rod, the length of the branch chain can be adjusted.

6. The reconfigurable parallel robot according to claim 5, wherein: All the third through holes are arranged along the length direction of the outer rod. All the fourth through holes are arranged along the length direction of the inner rod. The gap between two adjacent third through holes differs from the gap between two adjacent fourth through holes by 1 mm.

7. The reconfigurable parallel robot according to claim 5, wherein: Each of the branch chains further includes two joint assemblies. Each joint assembly includes a first joint, a second joint, and a cross shaft. Each cross shaft includes a first shaft and a second shaft that are vertically arranged. The first joint of each joint assembly is rotatably connected to the first shaft of each joint assembly. The second joint of each joint assembly is rotatably connected to the second shaft of each joint assembly; the first joint and the second joint of one joint assembly of each branch chain are respectively connected to the driving device and the corresponding outer rod. The first joint and the second joint of the other joint assembly of each branch chain are respectively connected to the parallel platform and the corresponding inner rod.

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