A foldable joint module and continuum robot

Abstract

The present invention discloses a foldable joint module and a continuum robot. The foldable joint module includes a slide rail, a plurality of joint skeleton rods, and a plurality of foldable joint ribs. The plurality of joint skeleton rods are distributed circumferentially along the slide rail, and one end of each joint skeleton rod is slidably connected to the slide rail; each joint rib is arranged between two adjacent joint skeleton rods, and both sides of the joint rib are respectively connected to the joint skeleton rods on the corresponding side; when the two adjacent joint skeleton rods are close to each other, the joint ribs between the two joint skeleton rods are erected, folded, and brought close to each other; conversely, when the two adjacent joint skeleton rods are separated, the joint ribs between the two joint skeleton rods are unfolded to the working state. The present invention improves the portability of the continuum robot, reduces the space it occupies in the non-working state, and improves its applicability in multiple scenarios.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of robots, and in particular relates to a foldable joint module and a continuum robot. Background Art

[0002] In today's rapidly developing scientific and technological landscape, continuum robots are attracting widespread attention for their exceptional flexibility and ability to adapt to complex environments. These robots, mimicking biological structures found in nature, such as snakes or elephant trunks, are capable of performing tasks that are difficult for traditional rigid robots. The emergence of continuum robots offers a new approach to addressing operational challenges in complex environments, enabling them to perform tasks in confined or complex environments with minimal invasiveness. They are particularly well-suited for applications requiring high levels of flexibility, such as in minimally invasive surgery, where they can precisely reach lesions for treatment, and in industrial inspection, where they can penetrate deep into pipelines for defect detection.

[0003] Despite their significant advantages, existing continuum robot designs still have some shortcomings. Due to the continuous nature of their structure, these robots take up a large amount of space when not in operation, limiting their portability and deployment flexibility. This problem of taking up a large amount of space is particularly prominent in emergency situations that require a quick response, or in space-constrained environments. Secondly, although traditional continuum robots are flexible and versatile when in operation, they are bulky when not in operation and require a large storage space. In addition, for some applications where the robot needs to be transported to different work locations, the size and shape of the robot also bring additional challenges to logistics.

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to solve the problems existing in the existing continuum robots, such as taking up a large space when not working, requiring a large storage space, and limiting their portability and deployment flexibility. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The main purpose of the present invention is to provide a foldable joint module and a continuum robot that are easy to fold and store.

[0006] To achieve the aforementioned object of the invention, the technical solution adopted by the present invention includes: a foldable joint module, comprising:

[0007] Slide rails;

[0008] A plurality of articulated skeleton rods are distributed circumferentially along the slide rail, and one end of each articulated skeleton rod is slidably connected to the slide rail;

[0009] A plurality of foldable joint ribs, each of which is disposed between two adjacent joint skeleton rods, and both sides of the joint rib are respectively connected to the joint skeleton rods on the corresponding sides;

[0010] When two adjacent articulated skeleton rods are circumferentially close to each other, the articulated ribs between the two articulated skeleton rods are erected, folded and close to each other; conversely, when two adjacent articulated skeleton rods are circumferentially separated, the articulated ribs between the two articulated skeleton rods are unfolded to a working state.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment, the slide rail includes a slide groove, and a slide ball is provided at the end of each joint skeleton rod. The slide ball is embedded in the slide groove and performs rolling friction motion, so that one end of the joint skeleton rod is slidably connected to the slide rail.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment, each of the articulated skeleton rods includes two articulated skeleton branch rods distributed upper and lower and rigidly connected to each other, and a sliding ball is provided at the end of each of the articulated skeleton branch rods. The sliding rail also correspondingly includes two upper and lower sliding grooves, and the two sliding balls of each articulated skeleton rod are respectively embedded in the sliding grooves on the corresponding sides.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment, each of the joint ribs includes two joint rib plates, and the side of each joint rib plate close to the joint skeleton rod is connected to the joint rib plate on the corresponding side by a hinge, and the two joint rib plates are connected by a sliding hinge.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment, the articulated skeleton rod includes a slender articulated skeleton rod, a slender articulated skeleton rod and at least one ordinary articulated skeleton rod, and the ordinary articulated skeleton rod is located between the slender articulated skeleton rod and the slender articulated skeleton rod. Except that the articulated rib plate is not provided between the slender articulated skeleton rod and the slender articulated skeleton rod, a articulated rib plate is provided between the other two connected articulated skeleton rods, and the slender articulated skeleton rod and the slender articulated skeleton rod are in contact with each other when the joint module is fully unfolded. Conversely, the two are separated when the joint module is fully folded.

[0015] On the other hand, the present invention also provides a continuum robot, comprising multiple joint modules, a flexible support rod and multiple ropes connected to the joint modules, wherein the multiple joint modules are fixed on the flexible support rod at upper and lower intervals, and all the joint modules are folded or unfolded circumferentially under the pulling of the rope; wherein the joint modules adopt the foldable joint modules.

[0016] In a preferred embodiment, the flexible support rod passes through the center of each joint module, and the center of each joint module is fixed to the flexible support rod via a tightening sleeve and a metal sleeve.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment, except for the thin and short joint skeleton rod, each joint skeleton rod of each joint module is provided with a plurality of holes at the head away from the slide rail, and the holes include a hanging code hole for placing a hanging code and a plurality of rope holes for ropes to pass through.

[0018] In a preferred embodiment, the positions of the hanging code holes on each joint skeleton rod of each joint module are the same, and the positions of the hanging code holes on the corresponding joint skeleton rods of different joint modules are staggered from top to bottom.

[0019] In a preferred embodiment, each rope passes through a rope hole on the joint module and is fixed by a hanging bracket in a hanging bracket hole on a joint skeleton rod to be controlled.

[0020] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0021] The present invention designs the joint modules of the continuum robot to be foldable. When the continuum robot needs to fold, the joint skeleton rods can be moved to bring all the joint skeleton rods together, causing the connected joint ribs to fold upright and form a folding effect. When the continuum robot is required to work, the joint skeleton rods can be moved to unfold all the folded joint ribs flat for normal operation. The foldable joint modules of the present invention not only greatly reduce the space occupied by the continuum robot when not in operation, but also allow the continuum robot to enter even smaller spaces and then unfold to work, further expanding the application of the continuum robot. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments recorded in the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0023] Figure 1 1 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of a continuum robot with a foldable joint module according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of a joint module in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the connection between the joint ribs and the joint skeleton rods of a joint module in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 4This is a schematic diagram of the connection between two joint ribs of a joint module according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of parts of three different joint skeleton rods in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 6 This is an exploded view of an installation method of a joint skeleton rod in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of a state of a joint module when closed according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of a state of a joint module when it is flattened according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Description of reference numerals:

[0032] 1. Joint module, 2. Flexible support rod, 3. Rope, 4. Joint rib, 5. Joint skeleton rod, 6. Sliding ball, 7. Slide rail, 8. Slim and short joint skeleton rod, 9. Slim and long joint skeleton rod, 10. Ordinary joint skeleton rod. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The present invention will be more fully understood through the following detailed description, which should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the present invention, which can be embodied in various forms. Therefore, the specific functional details disclosed herein should not be construed as limiting, but rather as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching those skilled in the art to employ the present invention in various ways in virtually any appropriately detailed embodiment.

[0034] like Figure 1 As shown, a continuum robot disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention includes multiple joint modules 1, a flexible support rod 2 and multiple ropes 3. The multiple joint modules 1 are fixed on the flexible support rod 2 at intervals up and down, and all the joint modules 1 are folded or unfolded under the pulling of the rope 3.

[0035] Specifically, if Figure 2As shown, each joint module 1 adopts a foldable design, which is convenient for the storage of the continuum robot and saves its storage space. Each joint module 1 specifically includes a slide rail 7, a plurality of joint skeleton rods 5 and a plurality of foldable joint ribs 4. Among them, the center of the slide rail 7 is provided with a through-hole for the flexible support rod 2 to pass through. The flexible support rod 2 passes through the through-hole and is fixed to the center of the slide rail 7 by a tightening sleeve (not shown) and a metal sleeve (such as an aluminum sleeve, not shown). The slide rail 7 is also provided with a slide groove for the joint skeleton rod 5 to slide. In this embodiment, a circular groove is provided on the upper and lower surfaces of the slide rail 7, and the circular grooves are distributed on the periphery of the through-hole. The ring width of the circular groove can be specifically 8 mm.

[0036] A plurality of articulated skeleton rods 5 are distributed along the circumference of the slide rail 7, and each articulated skeleton rod 5 extends radially and has one end slidably connected to the slide rail 7. Specifically, Figure 5 As shown, the articulated skeleton rod 5 has three different types, namely, a thin and short articulated skeleton rod 8, a slender articulated skeleton rod 9 and a common articulated skeleton rod 10, wherein the common articulated skeleton rod 10 is located between the thin and short articulated skeleton rod 8 and the slender articulated skeleton rod 9, and its number is set to at least one. The thin and short articulated skeleton rod 8 is slightly shorter than the other articulated skeleton rods, and the common articulated skeleton rod 10 is slightly thicker in the middle part than the other articulated skeleton rods. In this embodiment, there is one thin and short articulated skeleton rod 8, one slender articulated skeleton rod 9 and three common articulated skeleton rods 10. Moreover, the thin and short articulated skeleton rod 8 and the slender articulated skeleton rod 9 are in contact with each other when the joint module is fully unfolded, whereas they are separated when the joint module 1 is fully folded.

[0037] Each joint skeleton rod 5 specifically includes two joint skeleton sub-rods distributed up and down and rigidly connected. In this embodiment, the upper and lower joint skeleton sub-rods of each joint skeleton rod 5 are rigidly connected by screws and nuts. Figure 6 As shown. And the end of each joint skeleton branch rod is provided with a sliding ball 6, that is, the end of each joint skeleton rod 5 is provided with two sliding balls 6 relatively distributed up and down. The sliding balls 6 can be steel balls or the like. When the upper and lower joint skeleton branches of each joint skeleton rod 5 are connected, the sliding balls 6 at their respective ends are aligned up and down, so that the two sliding balls 6 are simultaneously embedded in the two slide grooves of the above-mentioned slide rail 7, and rolling contact is formed between the sliding balls 6 and the slide grooves to perform rolling friction motion, thereby realizing the sliding connection between one end of the joint skeleton rod 5 and the slide rail 7, so that the joint skeleton rod 5 can make a circular motion along the slide groove of the slide rail 7, ensuring the low-friction motion of the joint skeleton rod 5 in the slide rail 7. In this embodiment, each joint module 1 has 10 steel balls, and the radius of each steel ball is 3 mm.

[0038] Each articulated skeleton rod 5 is equipped with a hinge in the middle portion for connecting to the articulated ribs 4. Among them, the ordinary articulated skeleton rod 10 is equipped with a double hinge, which can be connected to the articulated ribs 4 on both sides, while the short and thin articulated skeleton rods 8 and the long and thin articulated skeleton rods 9 are equipped with ordinary hinges, which can only be connected to the articulated ribs 4 on one side.

[0039] Each joint rib 4 is disposed between two adjacent joint ribs 5, and both sides of the joint rib 4 are connected to the corresponding joint rib 5. Specifically, in this embodiment, except for the short and thin joint ribs 8 and the long and thin joint ribs 9, a joint rib 4 is disposed between each of the remaining two adjacent joint ribs 5.

[0040] Each joint rib 4 includes two joint ribs. In this embodiment, each joint rib is fan-shaped, with a radius of 82 mm and a center angle of 39 degrees. The two joint ribs are connected by a sliding hinge. The two can be erected, folded together or unfolded by the sliding hinge. In this embodiment, the two joint ribs are connected by two sliding hinges. Figure 4 The other two sides of the two articulated ribs are connected to the corresponding articulated skeleton rods 5 through fixed hinges, as shown in FIG. Figure 3 shown.

[0041] like Figure 7 As shown, when two adjacent articulated skeleton rods 5 are brought closer to each other along the circumferential direction of the slide rail 7, the fixed hinges between the articulated ribs 4 and the articulated skeleton rods 5 and the sliding hinges between the two articulated ribs gradually close, and finally become completely closed, causing the two articulated ribs between the two articulated skeleton rods 5 to stand up and fit tightly together, thus achieving the folding and storage of the joint module 1, significantly reducing the space occupied by the continuum robot and facilitating its carrying and storage. On the contrary, if Figure 8 As shown, when two adjacent articulated rods 5 separate circumferentially, the fixed hinges between the articulated ribs 4 and the articulated rods 5, as well as the sliding hinges between the two articulated ribs, gradually open, ultimately reaching a fully open state. This causes the two articulated ribs between the two articulated rods 5 to flatten and return to their working state. When all articulated ribs 4 on the joint module 1 are fully extended, the entire structure assumes or approximates a disc shape.

[0042] In addition, except for the thin and short articulated skeleton rod 8, the head of each of the other articulated skeleton rods 5 away from the slide rail 7 is provided with a plurality of holes for the rope 3 to pass through. In this embodiment, the plurality of holes are evenly spaced radially on the head of the articulated skeleton rod 5. The number of holes set on each articulated skeleton rod 5 corresponds to the number of joint modules 1 on the flexible support rod 2. For example, if there are 3 joint modules 1, the number of holes on each articulated skeleton rod 5 is set to 3. In this embodiment, the radius of each hole is 2 mm. Among them, the holes on each articulated skeleton rod 5 specifically include a hanging code hole for placing a hanging code and a plurality of rope holes for the rope 3 to pass through. The position of the hanging code hole on the articulated skeleton rod 5 is related to the number of layers of its joint module 1. For example, the hanging code hole on each articulated skeleton rod 5 of the top-level joint module 1 is set in the innermost layer. As the joint module 1 is layered downward, the corresponding hanging code hole moves outward one position step by step. For each joint module 1, the location of the hanging holes on each joint skeleton rod 5 is the same, and all holes on each joint skeleton rod 5, except for the hanging holes, are rope holes. That is, the location of the hanging holes on each joint skeleton rod 5 of each joint module 1 is the same, while the hanging holes on the corresponding joint skeleton rods 5 of different joint modules 1 are staggered from top to bottom.

[0043] Each rope 3 passes through the rope hole on the joint module 1 and is fixed by the hanging weight in the hanging weight hole on the joint skeleton rod 5 to be controlled. For example, the rope that controls the top joint module 1 passes through the rope holes on the bottom joint module 1 and the innermost rope holes of the middle joint module 1 from bottom to top, and finally passes through the innermost hanging weight hole of the top joint module 1 and is fixed by the hanging weight in the hanging weight hole, so that the rope 3 can be pulled to the top joint module 1; the rope that controls the middle joint module 1 passes through the rope hole on the middle side of the bottom joint module 1 and finally passes through the hanging weight hole on the middle side of the middle joint module 1 and is fixed by the hanging weight in the hanging weight hole; the rope that controls the bottom joint module 1 passes directly through the outermost hanging weight hole of the bottom joint module 1 and is fixed by the hanging weight in the hanging weight hole. The number of ropes 3 controlled on each layer corresponds to the number of joint skeleton rods 5 of each layer of joint modules 1. For example, in this embodiment, the number of joint skeleton rods 5 on each layer is 5, so the number of control ropes 3 on this layer is 5. The joint skeleton rods 5 drive the joint ribs 4 to fold or unfold under the pulling of the corresponding ropes 3.

[0044] The foldable joint module and continuum robot provided by the embodiments of the present invention have at least the following advantages:

[0045] The present invention designs the joint modules of the continuum robot to be foldable. This allows the robot to fold when needed by moving the joint skeleton rods, bringing all the joint skeleton rods together so that the connected joint ribs fold upright, thus performing a folding and storage function. When the continuum robot is required to operate, the joint skeleton rods can be moved to unfold all the folded joint ribs flat for normal operation. The foldable joint modules of the present invention not only greatly reduce the space occupied by the continuum robot when not in operation, thereby significantly reducing storage space, but also allow the continuum robot to enter even smaller spaces and then unfold for operation, further expanding the application of the continuum robot (particularly in applications with strict requirements on device size and ease of deployment).

[0046] The various aspects, embodiments, features and examples of the present invention should be considered as illustrative in all respects and are not intended to limit the present invention, the scope of which is defined solely by the claims. Other embodiments, modifications and uses will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

[0047] The use of headings and sections in this disclosure is not meant to limit the disclosure; each section may apply to any aspect, embodiment, or feature of the disclosure.

Claims

1. A foldable joint module, characterized by: The joint module comprises: Slide rails; A plurality of articulated skeleton rods are distributed circumferentially along the slide rail, and one end of each articulated skeleton rod is slidably connected to the slide rail; A plurality of foldable joint ribs, each of which is arranged between two adjacent joint skeleton rods, and both sides of the joint rib are respectively connected to the joint skeleton rods on the corresponding sides; When two adjacent articulated skeleton rods are circumferentially close to each other, the articulated ribs between the two articulated skeleton rods are erected, folded and close to each other; conversely, when two adjacent articulated skeleton rods are circumferentially separated, the articulated ribs between the two articulated skeleton rods are unfolded to a working state.

2. The foldable joint module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The slide rail includes a slide groove, and a slide ball is provided at the end of each joint skeleton rod. The slide ball is embedded in the slide groove and performs rolling friction motion, so that one end of the joint skeleton rod is slidably connected to the slide rail.

3. The foldable joint module according to claim 2, characterized in that: Each of the articulated skeleton rods includes two articulated skeleton branch rods distributed upper and lower and rigidly connected to each other. A sliding ball is provided at the end of each articulated skeleton branch rod. The sliding rail also correspondingly includes two upper and lower sliding grooves. The two sliding balls of each articulated skeleton rod are respectively embedded in the sliding grooves on the corresponding sides.

4. The foldable joint module according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each joint rib plate includes two joint rib plates. The side of each joint rib plate close to the joint skeleton rod is connected to the joint rib plate on the corresponding side through a hinge, and the two joint rib plates are connected through a sliding hinge.

5. The foldable joint module according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The joint skeleton rod includes a thin and short joint skeleton rod, a slender joint skeleton rod and at least one ordinary joint skeleton rod. The ordinary joint skeleton rod is located between the thin and short joint skeleton rod and the slender joint skeleton rod. Except that the joint rib is not set between the thin and short joint skeleton rod and the slender joint skeleton rod, a joint rib is set between the other two connected joint skeleton rods. The thin and short joint skeleton rod and the slender joint skeleton rod are in contact with each other when the joint module is fully unfolded. Conversely, the two are separated when the joint module is fully folded.

6. A continuum robot, characterized in that: The robot includes multiple joint modules, flexible support rods and multiple ropes connected to the joint modules. The multiple joint modules are fixed on the flexible support rods at upper and lower intervals. All the joint modules are folded or unfolded circumferentially under the pulling of the ropes; the joint modules adopt the foldable joint modules described in claim 5.

7. The continuum robot according to claim 6, characterized in that: The flexible support rod passes through the center of each joint module, and the center of each joint module is fixed on the flexible support rod through an expansion sleeve and a metal sleeve.

8. The continuum robot according to claim 6, characterized in that: In addition to the thin and short joint skeleton rod, each joint skeleton rod of each joint module is provided with a plurality of holes at the head away from the slide rail. The holes include a hanging code hole for placing a hanging code and a plurality of rope holes for ropes to pass through.

9. The continuum robot according to claim 8, characterized in that: The position of the hanging code holes on each joint skeleton rod of each joint module is the same, and the positions of the hanging code holes on the corresponding joint skeleton rods of different joint modules are staggered from top to bottom.

10. The continuum robot according to claim 8, characterized in that: Each rope passes through the rope hole on the joint module and is fixed by the hanging bracket in the hanging bracket hole on the joint skeleton rod to be controlled.

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