Pneumatic soft driver assembled based on weft-wise tubular fabric sensing integrated module

Abstract

The invention provides a pneumatic soft driver assembled based on a weft-wise tubular fabric sensing integration module, which is formed by connecting a plurality of weft-wise tubular fabrics, the weft-wise tubular fabrics comprise an upper-layer fabric and a lower-layer fabric, the upper-layer fabric is formed by weaving spandex yarns, the lower-layer fabric is formed by weaving polyester yarns, and the lower-layer fabric is formed by weaving polyester yarns. A resistance-type strain yarn sensor is introduced into the upper-layer fabric, and a capacitance-type pressure yarn sensor is introduced into the lower-layer fabric. According to the invention, the upper-layer fabric and the lower-layer fabric are made of different yarn materials, so that the weft-wise tubular fabric is endowed with different mechanical properties on the upper layer and the lower layer, and the driver has good bending performance; a flexible yarn sensor and a modular assembly principle are combined, so that integrated and modular assembly of sensing and driving is realized, high-degree-of-freedom, multi-dimensional and nonlinear large-deformation driving is realized, a more natural motion mode is realized, the motion control performance is improved, diversified application requirements are met, the cost is low, the structure is simple, and implementation is easy.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of pneumatic soft actuators, and particularly to a pneumatic soft actuator assembled based on a zonal tubular fabric sensing integration module. Background Art

[0002] A pneumatic soft actuator is a type of actuator driven by gas pressure and made of flexible materials. In the rapid development of modern robotics and automation technologies, pneumatic soft actuators have received extensive attention due to their good flexibility and controllability. Currently, most common pneumatic actuators use elastic materials such as rubber or silicone for structural air cavity design to achieve deformation, but the sensing materials do not match well with the actuators, resulting in poor sensing and monitoring performance; at the same time, complex deformation requires high-difficulty rubber and other elastic material forming technologies, leading to high costs. These problems limit its application. In recent years, soft robots have gradually become a research hotspot, especially by using flexible materials and pneumatic technologies to achieve more natural motion modes. In view of this, we designed a pneumatic soft actuator assembled based on a zonal tubular fabric sensing integration module to solve the above problems. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of the present invention is to disclose a pneumatic soft actuator assembled based on a zonal tubular fabric sensing integration module. The upper fabric and the lower fabric are made of different yarn materials, endowing the upper and lower layers of the zonal tubular fabric with different mechanical properties, ensuring that the inflated actuator bends and deforms towards the lower fabric side, enabling the actuator to have good bending performance, achieving flexible and controllable motion, and having lightweight, high flexibility, and excellent response speed; combined with flexible yarn sensors and the principle of modular assembly, the integration of sensing and driving is achieved, and modular assembly realizes high-degree-of-freedom, multi-dimensional, non-linear large-deformation driving, realizes a more natural motion mode, improves motion control performance, meets diverse application requirements, has low cost, simple structure and is easy to implement, and can be widely applied in fields such as robots, medical devices, and wearable devices.

[0004] To achieve the above purpose, the present invention provides a pneumatic soft actuator assembled based on a zonal tubular fabric sensing integration module, which is composed of a plurality of zonal tubular fabrics connected together. The zonal tubular fabric includes an upper fabric and a lower fabric. The upper fabric is woven from spandex yarns, and the lower fabric is woven from polyester yarns. The warp yarns floating on the surface of the upper fabric are in a disconnected state. A resistive strain yarn sensor is introduced into the upper fabric, and a capacitive pressure yarn sensor is introduced into the lower fabric.

[0005] In some embodiments, the upper fabric and the lower fabric are symmetrically arranged with the central axis of the zonal tubular fabric as the axis of symmetry.

[0006] In some embodiments, the upper fabric is a ten - pick satin weave, the lower fabric is a plain weave, the ratio of the surface and back warp yarns is 1:1, the ratio of the surface and back weft yarns is 1:3, the upper fabric selects harnesses 1 - 10, and the lower fabric selects harnesses 11 - 14.

[0007] In some embodiments, the resistive strain yarn sensor is introduced into the upper fabric through beating - up; part of the capacitive pressure yarn sensor is introduced into the lower fabric through beating - up, and the other part of the capacitive pressure yarn sensor is introduced into the lower fabric through sewing.

[0008] In some embodiments, adjacent weft - direction tubular fabrics are connected by sewing.

[0009] In some embodiments, it further includes a rubber tube, rubber plugs at both ends of the rubber tube; several weft - direction tubular fabrics are sleeved on the rubber tube, the end of the weft - direction tubular fabric close to the rubber plug is pressed inside the rubber plug, and one of the rubber plugs is provided with a hole communicating with the rubber tube.

[0010] In some embodiments, the ends of the weft - direction tubular fabric, the rubber plugs, and the rubber tube are bonded by glue.

[0011] In some embodiments, a PU air tube is inserted into the hole, and the PU air tube is connected to an air pump through a pneumatic joint.

[0012] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: The pneumatic soft actuator assembled based on the weft - direction tubular fabric sensing integration module provided by the present invention uses different yarn materials for the upper fabric and the lower fabric, endowing different mechanical properties to the upper and lower layers of the weft - direction tubular fabric, ensuring that the inflated actuator bends and deforms towards the lower fabric side, enabling the actuator to have good bending performance, realizing flexible and controllable movement, being lightweight, highly flexible, and having excellent response speed; combining flexible yarn sensors and the principle of modular assembly, realizing the integration of sensing and driving, modular assembly realizes high - degree - of - freedom, multi - dimensional, non - linear large - deformation driving, realizes a more natural movement mode, improves the motion control performance, meets diverse application requirements, has low cost, simple structure and is easy to implement, and can be widely applied in fields such as robots, medical devices, and wearable devices. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of the pneumatic soft actuator assembled based on the weft - direction tubular fabric sensing integration module shown in the present invention;

[0014] Figure 2 is Figure 1 a schematic structural diagram of the weft - direction tubular fabric shown in

[0015] Figure 3 is Figure 2 the harnessing plan of the weft tubular fabric shown in

[0016] Figure 4 is Figure 2 the harnessing parameter plan of the weft tubular fabric shown in

[0017] Figure 5 is Figure 2 the physical map of the upper fabric shown in

[0018] Figure 6 is Figure 2 the physical map of the lower fabric shown in

[0019] Figure 7 is the physical map of the pneumatic soft actuator assembled based on the weft tubular fabric sensing integration module shown in the present invention;

[0020] Figure 8 is Figure 7 the inflation bending angle map of the pneumatic soft actuator assembled based on the weft tubular fabric sensing integration module shown;

[0021] Figure 9 is the working physical map of the pneumatic soft actuator assembled based on the weft tubular fabric sensing integration module shown in the present invention. Specific embodiments

[0022] The present invention will be described in detail below in conjunction with the embodiments shown in the drawings. However, it should be noted that these embodiments are not limitations on the present invention, and any equivalent transformation or substitution in terms of function, method, or structure made by those of ordinary skill in the art based on these embodiments shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0023] Such as Figures 1 - 9 the pneumatic soft actuator assembled based on the weft tubular fabric sensing integration module shown, which is composed of several weft tubular fabrics 4 connected together.

[0024] It further includes a rubber tube 1 and rubber plugs 2 located at both ends of the rubber tube 1. The rubber tube 1 is provided with an air chamber 10 for inflation and deflation. Several weft tubular fabrics 4 are sleeved on the rubber tube 1, and the end portions of the weft tubular fabrics 4 close to the rubber plugs 2 are pressed inside the rubber plugs 2, and the end portions of the weft tubular fabrics 4, the rubber plugs 2, and the rubber tube 1 are bonded together with glue to ensure airtightness.

[0025] One of the rubber plugs 2 is provided with a hole 20 communicating with the air chamber 10 of the rubber tube 1, and a PU air tube 3 is inserted into the hole 20. The diameter of the hole 20 is 8 mm, and the outer diameter of the PU air tube 3 is 8 mm. The PU air tube 3 is connected to an air pump through a pneumatic joint so as to inflate the air chamber 10 by controlling the air pump.

[0026] The weft tubular fabric 4 includes an upper fabric 41 and a lower fabric 42. The upper fabric 41 and the lower fabric 42 are symmetrically arranged with the central axis of the weft tubular fabric 4 as the axis of symmetry, so that the rubber tube 1 has good bending performance.

[0027] The upper fabric 41 is woven with spandex yarn with good elasticity. The lower fabric 42 is woven with polyester yarn with good rigidity, so that the upper fabric 41 and the lower fabric 42 have different mechanical properties. After inflation, the upper fabric 41 is easily deformed, and the rubber tube 1 expands upward to the upper fabric 41. As it expands and bulges, the air cavity 10 gradually bends towards the surface of the lower fabric 42, realizing the constrained binding bending, enabling the actuator to have good bending performance, achieving flexible and controllable movement, and having light weight, high flexibility and excellent response speed.

[0028] The warp yarns floating on the surface of the upper fabric 41 are in a disconnected state, retaining the weft float length. On the one hand, it greatly reduces the restraint of the upper fabric 41 on the rubber tube 1 and provides conditions for the expansion of the rubber tube 1. On the other hand, the warp pressure of the upper fabric 41 is small, which facilitates the bending of the rubber tube 1 towards the lower fabric 42. It can not only achieve a good degree of bending, but also the weft tubular fabric 4 will not be damaged, so it can be reused, reducing costs.

[0029] The lower fabric 42 is a plain weave. Plain weave fabrics have more interlacing points, a compact structure, and stronger resistance to external force deformation.

[0030] The weft tubular fabric 4 is an integral formed by the joint weaving of the upper fabric 41 and the lower fabric 42. Specifically, the upper fabric 41 is a ten - harness satin weave, the lower fabric 42 is a plain weave, the ratio of the arrangement of the surface and back warp yarns is 1:1, the ratio of the surface and back weft yarns is 1:3, the upper fabric 41 selects 1 - 10 harnesses, and the lower fabric 42 selects 11 - 14 harnesses.

[0031] The upper fabric 41 is introduced with a resistive strain yarn sensor 51, and the lower fabric 42 is introduced with a capacitive pressure yarn sensor, realizing the integration of sensing and driving, improving the motion control performance, meeting the diverse application requirements, with low cost, simple structure and easy to implement, and can be widely applied in fields such as robots, medical devices, wearable devices, etc.

[0032] Specifically, the resistive strain yarn sensor 51 is introduced into the upper fabric 41 through beating-up, that is, the resistive strain yarn sensor 51 is woven into the upper fabric 41 as a weft yarn, and the operation is simple and easy. The capacitive pressure yarn sensor 521 is introduced into the lower fabric 42 through beating-up, that is, the capacitive pressure yarn sensor 521 is woven into the lower fabric 42 as a weft yarn, and the capacitive pressure yarn sensor 522 is introduced into the lower fabric 42 by sewing along the warp direction, and the operation is simple and easy.

[0033] As Figure 8 shown, as the inflation air pressure increases, the bending angle of the pneumatic soft actuator increases, and it has good bending performance, capable of achieving flexible and controllable movement. As Figure 9 shown, adjacent weft tubular fabrics 4 are connected by sewing. Through modular assembly, high-degree-of-freedom, multi-dimensional, and non-linear large deformation driving are achieved, a more natural movement mode is realized, the movement control performance is improved, diverse application requirements can be met, the cost is low, the structure is simple and easy to implement, and it can be widely applied in fields such as robots, medical devices, and wearable devices.

[0034] The weft tubular fabric 4 is sleeved on the rubber tube 1 to achieve the bending of the rubber tube 1, replacing the traditional air cavity design. It is not only simple and easy to implement in structure, but also plays a protective role for the rubber tube 1 itself to prevent accidental damage.

[0035] The series of detailed descriptions listed above are only specific descriptions of the feasible implementation manners of the present invention, and they are not intended to limit the protection scope of the present invention. Any equivalent implementation manners or changes made without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

[0036] In addition, it should be understood that although this specification is described according to implementation manners, not every implementation manner only contains an independent technical solution. This narrative manner of the specification is only for clarity. Those skilled in the art should regard the specification as a whole, and the technical solutions in each embodiment can also be appropriately combined to form other implementation manners understandable by those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A pneumatic soft actuator based on the assembly of a weft tubular fabric sensing integration module, characterized in that It is composed of several longitudinally tubular fabrics connected together. The longitudinally tubular fabric includes an upper fabric and a lower fabric. The upper fabric is woven with spandex yarns, and the lower fabric is woven with polyester yarns. The warp yarns floating on the surface of the upper fabric are in a disconnected state. A resistive strain yarn sensor is introduced into the upper fabric, and a capacitive pressure yarn sensor is introduced into the lower fabric.

2. The pneumatic soft actuator assembled based on the weft tubular fabric sensing integration module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The upper fabric and the lower fabric are symmetrically arranged with the central axis of the longitudinally tubular fabric as the axis of symmetry.

3. The pneumatic soft actuator assembled based on the weft tubular fabric sensing integration module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The upper fabric is of a ten - pick satin weave, and the lower fabric is of a plain weave. The ratio of the surface and back warp yarns is 1:1, and the ratio of the surface and back weft yarns is 1:

3. The upper fabric selects heddles from page 1 to page 10, and the lower fabric selects heddles from page 11 to page 14.

4. The pneumatic soft actuator assembled based on the weft tubular fabric sensing integration module according to claim 1, characterized in that The resistive strain yarn sensor is introduced into the upper fabric by beating - up; part of the capacitive pressure yarn sensor is introduced into the lower fabric by beating - up, and the other part of the capacitive pressure yarn sensor is introduced into the lower fabric by sewing.

5. The pneumatic soft actuator assembled based on the weft tubular fabric sensing integration module according to claim 1, characterized in that, Adjacent longitudinally tubular fabrics are connected by sewing.

6. The pneumatic soft actuator assembled based on the weft tubular fabric sensing integration module according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that It also includes a rubber tube and rubber plugs at both ends of the rubber tube; several longitudinally tubular fabrics are sleeved on the rubber tube, and the end of the longitudinally tubular fabric close to the rubber plug is pressed inside the rubber plug. A hole communicating with the rubber tube is provided on one of the rubber plugs.

7. The pneumatic soft actuator assembled based on the weftwise tubular fabric sensing integration module according to claim 6, characterized in that, The connection between the end of the longitudinally tubular fabric, the rubber plug and the rubber tube is bonded with glue.

8. The pneumatic soft actuator assembled based on the weft tubular fabric sensing integration module according to claim 6, characterized in that A PU air tube is inserted into the hole, and the PU air tube is connected to an air pump through a pneumatic joint.

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