Multi-degree-of-freedom thumb structure and multi-degree-of-freedom bionic hand

Abstract

The invention relates to a multi-degree-of-freedom thumb structure and a multi-degree-of-freedom bionic hand. The multi-degree-of-freedom bionic hand comprises a palm part, the multi-degree-of-freedom thumb structure comprises a first shell, a thumb assembly and a side swing driving assembly. The first shell is mounted on the palm part; the thumb assembly comprises a thumb near-end knuckle, a thumb middle-end knuckle and a thumb far-end knuckle which are connected in sequence; one end of the thumb near-end knuckle is connected with the palm part through a first spherical hinge structure, and the other end of the thumb near-end knuckle is connected with the thumb middle-end knuckle through a second spherical hinge structure; the power output end of the side-sway driving assembly is connected with the thumb near-end knuckle and further connected with the thumb middle-end knuckle, so that when the side-sway driving assembly drives the thumb assembly to be close to or away from the palm part, the side-sway driving assembly drives the thumb assembly to be close to or away from the palm part. The thumb middle-end knuckle is synchronously driven to swing around the sphere center of the second spherical hinge structure relative to the thumb near-end knuckle, and the advantage of being high in flexibility is achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of simulation devices and manipulators, in particular to a multi-freedom thumb structure and a multi-freedom bionic hand. Background Art

[0002] The manipulator is the final actuator of the robot's work, and its performance directly determines the robot's working ability. Therefore, it is very necessary to develop a manipulator with high versatility and flexibility.

[0003] For example, a simulated robot arm disclosed in Chinese patent publication number CN112659165A specifically discloses: a support plate, a palm block, a thumb support seat, four finger support seats, a thumb, four fingers, a first drive structure, a second drive structure and four third drive structures. The thumb support seat is rotatably set on the support plate, the palm block is vertically installed on the support plate, and the four finger support seats are installed on the palm block. The first drive structure includes a first motor, a first gear and a second gear. The first gear is coaxially fixed on the thumb support seat, the first motor is installed on the support plate, the second gear is fixedly sleeved on the output shaft of the first motor and meshes with the first gear, the thumb is hinged on the thumb support seat, and the second drive structure is installed on the thumb support seat, and its output end is connected to the thumb and drives the thumb to swing around the thumb support seat.

[0004] However, the above-mentioned robotic arm can only realize the swing and flexion and extension of the fingers in the plane direction, and has relatively few controllable degrees of freedom. It is not flexible enough and it is difficult to simulate human hand grasping, picking and other operations. In addition, its hand power and transmission devices are integrated in the arm, resulting in a lack of wrist flexibility, which further affects the flexibility of the entire simulated hand. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to overcome the defects in the prior art, thereby providing a multi-degree-of-freedom thumb structure and a multi-degree-of-freedom bionic hand.

[0006] To achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0007] A multi-degree-of-freedom thumb structure is used in a multi-degree-of-freedom artificial hand, wherein the multi-degree-of-freedom artificial hand includes a palm portion;

[0008] The multi-degree-of-freedom thumb structure includes a first shell, a thumb assembly, and a side-sway drive assembly connected to the first shell;

[0009] The first shell is mounted on the palm;

[0010] The thumb assembly includes a proximal thumb joint, a middle thumb joint, and a distal thumb joint connected in sequence; one end of the proximal thumb joint is connected to the palm portion via a first ball hinge structure, and the other end is connected to the middle thumb joint via a second ball hinge structure;

[0011] The power output end of the side-swing drive assembly is connected to the proximal knuckle of the thumb to drive the thumb assembly toward or away from the palm;

[0012] The power output end of the side-swing drive assembly is also connected to the middle finger joint of the thumb, so that when it drives the thumb assembly to move closer to or away from the palm, it synchronously drives the middle finger joint of the thumb to swing around the center of the ball of the second ball hinge structure relative to the proximal finger joint of the thumb.

[0013] Preferably, the first ball hinge structure comprises a connecting rod, a first sphere and a ball sleeve;

[0014] One end of the connecting rod is fixedly connected to the proximal knuckle of the thumb, and the other end is fixedly connected to the first sphere;

[0015] The ball sleeve is fixedly mounted on the palm and is hinged to the first sphere.

[0016] Preferably, the side-sway driving assembly includes a side-sway driving portion, a side-sway pull rod and a connecting portion;

[0017] The side swing driving unit is installed in the first housing;

[0018] One end of the side swing pull rod is movably connected to the side swing drive unit, and the other end has a first hinge position and a second hinge position. The first hinge position is rotationally connected to the proximal knuckle of the thumb, and the second hinge position is connected to the middle knuckle of the thumb through the connecting part.

[0019] Preferably, the connecting portion includes a pull ring and a connecting rod;

[0020] The pull ring is a circular ring structure, and the central axis of the pull ring coincides with the central axis of the second ball hinge structure;

[0021] The pull ring is fixedly connected to the middle knuckle of the thumb, and partially protrudes from the middle knuckle of the thumb toward the proximal knuckle of the thumb;

[0022] One end of the connecting rod is rotatably connected to the second hinge position, and the other end is rotatably connected to the portion of the pull ring protruding from the middle knuckle of the thumb.

[0023] Preferably, the second ball hinge structure comprises an arc cavity, a hinge axis and a second sphere;

[0024] The arc cavity is formed on the middle joint of the thumb and has openings at both ends;

[0025] Both ends of the hinge shaft respectively pass through the opening and are rotatably connected to the proximal knuckle of the thumb, and the diameter of the opening is larger than that of the hinge shaft;

[0026] The second sphere is located in the arc cavity and is rotatably connected to the hinge shaft, and the outer wall surface of the second sphere is against the cavity wall of the arc cavity.

[0027] Preferably, the second ball hinge structure further comprises two extension sleeves sleeved on the hinge shaft;

[0028] The extension sleeve is symmetrically distributed with respect to the second sphere, and one end of the extension sleeve is fixedly connected to the second sphere, and the other end abuts against the proximal knuckle of the thumb;

[0029] The outer diameter of the extension sleeve is smaller than the diameter of the opening.

[0030] Preferably, the first shell is connected to the palm portion in a rotationally fitting manner;

[0031] The multi-degree-of-freedom thumb structure further includes a flip drive assembly for driving the first shell to rotate;

[0032] At least the power part of the flip driving assembly is installed on the palm part.

[0033] A multi-degree-of-freedom artificial hand, comprising a palm portion and the multi-degree-of-freedom thumb structure as described above;

[0034] It also includes the pinky finger structure and the middle finger structure;

[0035] The pinky finger structure includes a second shell, which is rotatably connected to the palm;

[0036] It also includes a linkage drive assembly for driving the first shell and the second shell to rotate toward the palm or away from the palm at the same time.

[0037] Preferably, a swing drive assembly is provided between the little finger structure and the second shell, and between the middle finger structure and the palm;

[0038] The swing drive assembly includes an articulated frame, an arc bevel gear segment, and a second active bevel gear;

[0039] The hinged frame is rotatably mounted on the second shell or the palm portion and is connected to the proximal knuckle of the little finger structure or the proximal knuckle of the middle finger structure;

[0040] The arc bevel gear segment is fixed on the hinge frame and meshes with the second driving bevel gear for transmission.

[0041] Preferably, the multi-degree-of-freedom thumb structure, the pinky finger structure and the middle finger structure all have finger joints that are hinged to each other;

[0042] A flexion-extension drive assembly is provided between adjacent finger joints;

[0043] The flexion-extension drive assembly includes a flexion-extension drive power unit, a second transmission gear set, a flexion-extension drive screw, a flexion-extension drive slider, and a flexion-extension pull rod;

[0044] The power of the flexion-extension driving power unit is transmitted to the flexion-extension driving screw through the second transmission gear set to drive the flexion-extension driving screw to rotate;

[0045] The flexion and extension drive slider is slidably installed on one of the finger joints and is threadedly connected to the flexion and extension drive screw so that it can slide axially along the flexion and extension drive screw when the flexion and extension drive screw rotates; one end of the flexion and extension pull rod is rotatably connected to the flexion and extension drive slider, and the other end is hinged to the other finger joint.

[0046] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0047] The present invention provides a multi-degree-of-freedom thumb structure that achieves a movable connection between the proximal thumb joint and the palm of the hand through a first ball hinge structure, and achieves a movable connection between the proximal thumb joint and the middle thumb joint through a second ball hinge structure. Simultaneously, the proximal thumb joint and the middle thumb joint are simultaneously connected through a side-swing drive assembly. This allows the side-swing drive assembly to simultaneously drive the middle thumb joint to swing relative to the proximal thumb joint around the center of the second ball hinge structure when driving the thumb assembly toward or away from the palm, thereby effectively increasing the flexibility of the thumb structure. Accordingly, the present invention provides a multi-degree-of-freedom artificial hand having the above-mentioned multi-degree-of-freedom thumb structure, which is more flexible and more suitable for grasping operations. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0048] In order to more clearly illustrate the specific embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the specific embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0049] Figure 1This is a schematic diagram of the connection between the multi-degree-of-freedom thumb structure and the palm provided by the present invention.

[0050] Figure 2 This is a structural schematic diagram of one embodiment of the multi-degree-of-freedom thumb structure provided by the present invention.

[0051] Figure 3 for Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the structure after removing the first shell (partial cutaway).

[0052] Figure 4 for Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the D1 position in the figure.

[0053] Figure 5 for Figure 2 A partial cutaway diagram of .

[0054] Figure 6 for Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the enlarged D2 position.

[0055] Figure 7 for Figure 2 A cross-sectional diagram showing the location of its flexion-extension drive assembly.

[0056] Figure 8 This is a structural schematic diagram of another embodiment of the multi-degree-of-freedom thumb structure provided by the present invention.

[0057] Figure 9 for Figure 8 A cross-sectional diagram from another perspective.

[0058] Figure 10 This is a schematic structural diagram of the multi-degree-of-freedom artificial hand provided by the present invention.

[0059] Figure 11 for Figure 10 Schematic diagram of the connection between the multi-degree-of-freedom thumb structure, pinky finger structure and linkage drive assembly.

[0060] Figure 12 Schematic diagram of the structure of the middle finger.

[0061] Figure 13 It is a partial cross-sectional diagram of the middle finger structure.

[0062] Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the swing drive component in the middle finger structure.

[0063] Description of reference numerals:

[0064] 1. First shell; 2. Thumb assembly; 21. Proximal thumb joint; 22. Middle thumb joint; 23. Distal thumb joint; 3. Side swing drive assembly; 31. Side swing drive unit; 311. Side swing drive motor; 312. Side swing drive gear set; 313. Side swing drive screw; 314. Side swing drive slider; 32. Side swing pull rod; 321. First hinge position; 322. Second hinge position; 33. Connecting part; 331. Pull ring; 332. Connecting rod; 4. First ball hinge structure; 41. Connecting rod; 42. First sphere; 43. Ball sleeve; 5. Second ball hinge structure; 51. Arc cavity; 511. Opening; 52. Articulation Shaft; 53. Second sphere; 54. Extension sleeve; 6. Flip drive assembly; 61. First motor; 62. Flip transmission gear set; 63. Flip drive shaft; 64. First active bevel gear; 65. First driven bevel gear; 7. Second housing; 71. Circular shaft; 8. Linkage drive assembly; 9. Swing drive assembly; 91. Articulated frame; 92. Arc bevel gear segment; 93. Second active bevel gear; 94. Power source; 10. Flexion and extension drive assembly; 101. Flexion and extension drive power unit; 102. Second transmission gear set; 103. Flexion and extension drive screw; 104. Flexion and extension drive slider; 105. Flexion and extension pull rod; 106. Extension pull rod; 100. Palm. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0065] The technical solution of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the embodiments described are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field based on the embodiments of the present invention without making any creative efforts shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0066] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "center," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships, are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are intended solely to facilitate and simplify the description of the present invention. They are not intended to indicate or imply that the devices or components referred to must have, be constructed, or operate in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as limitations on the present invention. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0067] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, they may refer to fixed, detachable, or integral connections; mechanical or electrical connections; direct or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; and internal communication between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0068] See also Figures 1 to 7 An embodiment of the present invention provides a multi-degree-of-freedom thumb structure for use in a multi-degree-of-freedom artificial hand to enhance the dexterity of the artificial hand. The multi-degree-of-freedom artificial hand includes a palm portion 100 , and the multi-degree-of-freedom thumb structure includes a first housing 1 , a thumb assembly 2 , and a side-sway drive assembly 3 connected to the first housing 1 .

[0069] Specifically, the first shell 1 is installed on the palm 100; the thumb assembly 2 includes a proximal thumb joint 21, a middle thumb joint 22 and a distal thumb joint 23 connected in sequence; one end of the proximal thumb joint 21 is connected to the palm 100 through a first ball hinge structure 4, and the other end is connected to the middle thumb joint 22 through a second ball hinge structure 5; the power output end of the side swing drive assembly 3 is connected to the proximal thumb joint 21 to drive the thumb assembly 2 closer to or away from the palm 100; the power output end of the side swing drive assembly 3 is also connected to the middle thumb joint 22 to synchronously drive the middle thumb joint 22 to swing relative to the proximal thumb joint 21 around the center of the ball of the second ball hinge structure 5 when it drives the thumb assembly 2 closer to or away from the palm 100.

[0070] It is worth noting that the “proximal end” is the end relatively close to the palm 100 , and the “distal end” is the end relatively far from the palm 100 .

[0071] It is not difficult to understand that in the above scheme, the movable connection between the proximal finger joint 21 of the thumb and the palm 100 is realized by the first ball hinge structure 4, and the movable connection between the proximal finger joint 21 of the thumb and the middle finger joint 22 of the thumb is realized by the second ball hinge structure 5. At the same time, the proximal finger joint 21 of the thumb and the middle finger joint 22 of the thumb are simultaneously connected by the side swing drive component 3, so that the side swing drive component 3 can synchronously drive the middle finger joint 22 of the thumb to swing relative to the proximal finger joint 21 of the thumb around the center of the ball of the second ball hinge structure 5 when driving the thumb component 2 to approach or move away from the palm 100, thereby effectively increasing the flexibility of the thumb structure. When it is applied to a multi-degree-of-freedom simulated hand, it can be more flexible and more suitable for grasping operations.

[0072] See also Figure 1 and Figure 5 The first ball hinge structure 4 includes a connecting rod 41, a first sphere 42 and a ball sleeve 43; one end of the connecting rod 41 is fixedly connected to the proximal knuckle 21 of the thumb, and the other end is fixedly connected to the first sphere 42; the ball sleeve 43 is fixedly installed on the palm 100 and is hinged to the first sphere 42.

[0073] Specifically, in this embodiment, the center C1 of the first sphere 42 is located on the side of the central axis L1 of the side swing drive assembly 3 close to the thumb assembly 2, thereby increasing the swing range of the thumb assembly 2 to a certain extent.

[0074] Of course, in other embodiments, the ball center C1 of the first ball hinge structure 4 may also be set on the rotation axis of the first shell 1 , and may also be set according to actual swing requirements, as long as it can meet the actual movement requirements of the thumb component 2 .

[0075] See also Figures 2 to 6 The side-swing drive assembly 3 includes a side-swing drive unit 31, a side-swing pull rod 32 and a connecting part 33; wherein the side-swing drive unit 31 is installed in the first shell 1; one end of the side-swing pull rod 32 is movably connected to the side-swing drive unit 31, and the other end has a first hinge position 321 and a second hinge position 322, the first hinge position 321 is rotatably connected to the proximal knuckle 21 of the thumb, and the second hinge position 322 is connected to the middle knuckle 22 of the thumb through the connecting part 33.

[0076] It should be understood that the side swing driving portion 31, the side swing pull rod 32 and the connecting portion 33 can be configured as a variety of structures, which can be used to drive the thumb assembly 2 to move closer to or away from the palm portion 100 (i.e., along the side swing driving portion 31). Figure 5 When the thumb mid-end knuckle 22 rotates in the direction of Z11 or Z12 as shown in FIG. 1 , the thumb mid-end knuckle 22 can be simultaneously driven to move closer to or away from the palm 100 relative to the thumb proximal knuckle 21 (i.e., along the Figure 5 (rotate in the direction of Z21 or Z22 as shown).

[0077] Specifically, in this embodiment, the side swing drive unit 31 includes a side swing drive motor 311, a side swing drive gear set 312, a side swing drive screw 313 and a side swing drive slider 314; wherein, the power of the side swing drive motor 311 is transmitted to the side swing drive screw 313 through the side swing drive gear set 312 to drive the side swing drive screw 313 to rotate; and the side swing drive screw 313 is slidingly connected to the side swing drive slider 314, thereby being able to drive the side swing drive slider 314 to slide along the axial direction of the side swing drive screw 313.

[0078] It is easy to understand that, since the side-sway driving slider 314 is driven to slide by the rotation of the side-sway driving slider 314 , the side-sway driving slider 314 is axially slidable and circumferentially limitedly connected to the first housing 1 .

[0079] Specifically, the connecting portion 33 comprises a pull ring 331 and a connecting rod 332. The pull ring 331 is a circular ring, with its central axis coinciding with the central axis of the second ball hinge structure 5. The pull ring 331 is fixedly connected to the middle interphalangeal joint 22 of the thumb, and a portion thereof protrudes from the middle interphalangeal joint 22 toward the proximal interphalangeal joint 21 of the thumb. One end of the connecting rod 332 is rotatably connected to the second hinge point 322, and the other end is rotatably connected to the portion of the pull ring 331 protruding from the middle interphalangeal joint 22 of the thumb. It is readily understood that the proximal interphalangeal joint 21 of the thumb provides ample space for the connecting portion 33 to operate. This arrangement facilitates both structural installation and stable movement between the various structures.

[0080] See also Figures 2 to 6 The second ball hinge structure 5 includes an arc cavity 51, a hinge shaft 52 and a second sphere 53; the arc cavity 51 is opened on the middle interphalangeal joint 22 of the thumb, and has openings 511 at both ends; both ends of the hinge shaft 52 pass through the openings 511 and are rotatably connected to the proximal interphalangeal joint 21 of the thumb, and the diameter of the opening 511 is larger than the hinge shaft 52; the second sphere 53 is located in the arc cavity 51 and is rotatably connected to the hinge shaft 52, and the outer wall surface of the second sphere 53 is against the cavity wall of the arc cavity 51.

[0081] Furthermore, in order to facilitate the stable swinging of the middle interphalangeal joint 22 of the thumb relative to the proximal interphalangeal joint 21 of the thumb, the second ball hinge structure 5 also includes two extension sleeves 54 arranged on the hinge shaft 52; the extension sleeves 54 are symmetrically distributed about the second sphere 53, and one end of the extension sleeve 54 is fixedly connected to the second sphere 53, and the other end is against the proximal interphalangeal joint 21 of the thumb; the outer diameter of the extension sleeve 54 is smaller than the diameter of the opening 511.

[0082] See also Figure 8 and Figure 9 In another embodiment, in order to further increase the flexibility of the multi-degree-of-freedom thumb structure, the first shell 1 is rotationally connected to the palm 100; the multi-degree-of-freedom thumb structure also includes a flip drive component 6 for driving the first shell 1 to rotate.

[0083] It is easy to understand that in this solution, driving the first shell 1 to rotate, that is, driving the first shell 1, the thumb assembly 2 and the side swing driving assembly 3 to rotate as a whole (relative to the palm 100), can increase flexibility.

[0084] See also Figure 8 and Figure 9 In order to facilitate the flexible adjustment of the thumb assembly 2 , at least the power part of the flip drive assembly 6 is installed on the palm part 100 .

[0085] Specifically, the flip drive assembly 6 includes a first motor 61, a flip transmission gear set 62, a flip drive shaft 63, a first active bevel gear 64 and a first driven bevel gear 65; wherein, the power of the first motor 61 is transmitted to the flip drive shaft 63 through the flip transmission gear set 62 to drive the flip drive shaft 63 to rotate; the first motor 61, the flip transmission gear set 62, the flip drive shaft 63 and the first active bevel gear 64 are all installed on the palm 100, and the first active bevel gear 64 is fixed to one end of the flip drive shaft 63; the first driven bevel gear 65 is fixedly installed or clamped to one end of the first shell 1, and meshes with the first active bevel gear 64 for transmission, so that the flip drive assembly 6 can drive the first shell 1 to rotate.

[0086] Of course, in other embodiments, the flip drive assembly 6 can also be set as a motor and a coupling to directly drive the first shell 1 to rotate; it can also be set as a combination structure of a reciprocating motor (reciprocating electric push rod, etc.), a rack and a gear, that is, the flip drive assembly 6 can drive the first shell 1 to rotate relative to the palm 100.

[0087] See also Figures 10 to 14 This embodiment also provides a multi-DOF artificial hand, comprising a palm portion 100, a pinky finger structure, a middle finger structure, and the aforementioned multi-DOF thumb structure. Three middle finger structures are provided. The pinky finger structure comprises a second housing 7 and a pinky finger assembly. The pinky finger assembly is mounted on the second housing 7, which is rotatably coupled to the palm portion 100.

[0088] In order to further increase the flexibility of the entire multi-freedom artificial hand, a linkage drive assembly 8 is also included, which is used to drive the first shell 1 and the second shell 7 to rotate toward or away from the palm 100 at the same time. Figure 11 That is, when the first shell 1 rotates inward (i.e., toward the palm 100) about its rotational axis L2, the second shell 7 simultaneously rotates inward (i.e., toward the palm 100) about its rotational axis L3, thereby closing the entire bionic hand and simulating movements such as making a fist or grasping. Conversely, when the first shell 1 rotates outward (i.e., away from the palm 100) about its rotational axis L2, the second shell 7 simultaneously rotates outward (i.e., away from the palm 100) about its rotational axis L3, thereby flattening the entire bionic hand and simulating the movement of opening a human palm.

[0089] Specifically, the linkage drive assembly 8 can be configured as a combination structure of a gear set and a shaft, thereby facilitating adjustment of the transmission ratio and adjusting the rotation angle of the first housing 1 to match the rotation angle of the second housing 7 .

[0090] Specifically, one end of the linkage drive assembly 8 is engaged with the flip drive shaft 63 for transmission, and the other end is connected to the circular shaft 71 connecting the second housing 7 and the palm portion 100 .

[0091] In order to further increase the flexibility of the bionic hand and simulate the state of the fingers of a person moving closer to or further away from each other, a swing drive assembly 9 is provided between the little finger structure and the second shell 7 and between the middle finger structure and the palm 100.

[0092] Taking the middle finger structure as an example, the swing drive assembly 9 includes an articulated frame 91, an arc-shaped conical tooth segment 92, and a second active bevel gear 93; the articulated frame 91 is rotatably mounted on the palm 100 and is connected to the proximal finger joint of the middle finger structure. The arc-shaped conical tooth segment 92 is fixed on the articulated frame 91 and meshes with the second active bevel gear 93 for transmission.

[0093] It should be understood that see Figure 14 The power source 94 of the swing drive assembly 9 can also be set as a motor, which can also transmit power to the rotating shaft through the gear set, and then drive the second active bevel gear 93 to rotate. When the second active bevel gear 93 rotates, it drives the arc bevel gear segment 92 and the articulated frame 91 to swing synchronously.

[0094] In addition, in order to facilitate the adjustment of each finger, the swing drive assembly 9 can be arranged in a mounting cavity provided in the palm portion 100.

[0095] It should also be understood that the structure of the swing drive assembly 9 located in the little finger structure is similar to that of the second shell 7, with the difference being that the articulated frame 91 is rotatably mounted on the second shell 7 (that is, the swing drive assembly 9 is arranged in the mounting cavity provided in the second shell 7), and is connected to the proximal knuckle of the little finger structure, so it will not be elaborated on.

[0096] See also Figure 7 ,as well as Figure 10 and Figure 13 The multi-degree-of-freedom thumb structure, the little finger structure and the middle finger structure all have mutually hinged finger joints; a flexion and extension drive assembly 10 is provided between adjacent finger joints to achieve flexion and extension adjustment of the fingers.

[0097] Specifically, taking the multi-degree-of-freedom thumb structure and the little finger structure as an example, the flexion and extension drive assembly 10 includes a flexion and extension drive power unit 101, a second transmission gear set 102, a flexion and extension drive screw 103, a flexion and extension drive slider 104 and a flexion and extension pull rod 105; the power of the flexion and extension drive power unit 101 is transmitted to the flexion and extension drive screw 103 through the second transmission gear set 102 to drive the flexion and extension drive screw 103 to rotate; the flexion and extension drive slider 104 is slidably installed on one of the finger joints and is threadedly connected to the flexion and extension drive screw 103 so that when the flexion and extension drive screw 103 rotates, it slides axially along the flexion and extension drive screw 103; one end of the flexion and extension pull rod 105 is rotatably connected to the flexion and extension drive slider 104, and the other end is hinged to the other finger joint.

[0098] In addition, see Figure 13 In the middle finger structure, since the fingers are relatively long, the finger joints can be provided with four sections, and an extension rod 106 can be added between the finger joint at the farthest end and the middle finger joint to achieve synchronous driving of the finger joint at the farthest end and the finger joints adjacent to it.

[0099] It should also be noted that, since each slider and screw rod of the present application are threadedly connected, and the slider rod is driven to slide by the rotation of the screw rod, the slider rod is installed in an axial sliding and circumferential limiting manner.

[0100] In summary, see Figures 1 to 14 , the specific movement modes of the bionic hand in this application can be as follows:

[0101] 1. Swinging and flexion and extension movements of the middle finger and little finger structures.

[0102] 2. Flexion and extension movement of the thumb structure with multiple degrees of freedom.

[0103] 3. The multi-degree-of-freedom thumb structure moves relatively closer to or farther away from the palm 100 , and at the same time, the middle thumb joint 22 of the multi-degree-of-freedom thumb structure swings relative to the proximal thumb joint 21 .

[0104] 4. The first shell 1 and the second shell 7 rotate relative to the palm 100 simultaneously.

[0105] It should also be understood that, since the above four movements do not interfere with each other, they can be performed simultaneously to cooperate with each other to enable the bionic hand to simulate the human hand's movements of clenching, grasping, and unfolding, making the bionic hand more flexible.

[0106] Furthermore, to achieve precise control, all drive units (such as the flexion-extension drive assembly 10, the tilt drive assembly 6, and the lateral swing drive assembly 3) are equipped with end position sensors to ensure motion accuracy. For example, these sensors can be used to detect the position of the corresponding slider to determine the motion state.

[0107] It is also worth noting that, in this embodiment, the side swing driving unit 31 is installed in the first housing 1 (see Figure 2 、 Figure 3 and Figure 5 ); the flip drive assembly 6 and the linkage drive assembly 8 are both mounted on the palm portion 100 (see Figures 8 to 11 ); The swing drive assembly 9 is installed between the little finger structure and the second housing 7, and between the middle finger structure and the palm 100 (see Figures 10 to 14 ); flexion and extension drive assembly 10 is provided between adjacent finger joints (see Figure 7 and Figure 13 ), that is: the power and transmission structures of the simulated hand, such as the side swing drive component 3, the flip drive component 6, the swing drive component 9 and the flexion and extension drive component 10, are all arranged on the simulated hand, and the movements between the various drive structures are relatively independently controlled, thereby effectively increasing the flexibility of the entire simulated hand. At the same time, it can also not affect the flexibility of the wrist part of the simulated hand, further increasing the flexibility of the entire simulated hand.

[0108] The above embodiments are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and cannot be used to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Any non-substantial changes and replacements made by technicians in this field on the basis of the present invention fall within the scope of protection required by the present invention.

Claims

1. A multi-degree-of-freedom thumb structure for use in a multi-degree-of-freedom artificial hand, wherein the multi-degree-of-freedom artificial hand comprises a palm portion (100); It is characterized by: The multi-degree-of-freedom thumb structure comprises a first shell (1), a thumb assembly (2), and a side-sway drive assembly (3) connected to the first shell (1); The first housing (1) is mounted on the palm (100); The thumb assembly (2) comprises a proximal thumb joint (21), a middle thumb joint (22), and a distal thumb joint (23) connected in sequence; one end of the proximal thumb joint (21) is connected to the palm portion (100) via a first ball hinge structure (4), and the other end is connected to the middle thumb joint (22) via a second ball hinge structure (5); The power output end of the side-swing driving component (3) is connected to the proximal knuckle (21) of the thumb to drive the thumb component (2) to move closer to or away from the palm (100); The power output end of the side-swing drive assembly (3) is also connected to the middle finger joint (22) of the thumb, so that when it drives the thumb assembly (2) to move closer to or away from the palm (100), it synchronously drives the middle finger joint (22) of the thumb to swing around the center of the ball of the second ball hinge structure (5) relative to the proximal finger joint (21) of the thumb.

2. The multi-degree-of-freedom thumb structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first ball hinge structure (4) comprises a connecting rod (41), a first sphere (42) and a ball sleeve (43); One end of the connecting rod (41) is fixedly connected to the proximal knuckle (21) of the thumb, and the other end is fixedly connected to the first sphere (42); The ball sleeve (43) is fixedly mounted on the palm portion (100) and is hinged to the first sphere (42).

3. The multi-degree-of-freedom thumb structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: The side-sway driving assembly (3) comprises a side-sway driving portion (31), a side-sway pull rod (32) and a connecting portion (33); The side-sway driving unit (31) is installed in the first housing (1); One end of the side swing pull rod (32) is movably connected to the side swing driving part (31), and the other end has a first hinge position (321) and a second hinge position (322), the first hinge position (321) is rotatably connected to the proximal knuckle (21) of the thumb, and the second hinge position (322) is connected to the middle knuckle (22) of the thumb through the connecting part (33).

4. The multi-degree-of-freedom thumb structure according to claim 3, characterized in that: The connecting portion (33) includes a pull ring (331) and a connecting rod (332); The pull ring (331) is a circular ring structure, and the central axis of the pull ring (331) coincides with the central axis of the second ball hinge structure (5); The pull ring (331) is fixedly connected to the middle finger joint (22) of the thumb, and partially protrudes from the middle finger joint (22) of the thumb toward the proximal finger joint (21); One end of the connecting rod (332) is rotatably connected to the second hinge position (322), and the other end is rotatably connected to the portion of the pull ring (331) protruding from the middle knuckle (22) of the thumb.

5. The multi-degree-of-freedom thumb structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second ball hinge structure (5) comprises an arc cavity (51), a hinge shaft (52) and a second sphere (53); The arc cavity (51) is opened on the middle finger joint (22) of the thumb and has openings (511) at both ends; Both ends of the hinge shaft (52) respectively pass through the opening (511) and are rotatably connected to the proximal knuckle (21) of the thumb, and the diameter of the opening (511) is larger than that of the hinge shaft (52); The second sphere (53) is located in the arc cavity (51) and is rotatably connected to the hinge shaft (52), and the outer wall surface of the second sphere (53) is against the cavity wall of the arc cavity (51).

6. The multi-degree-of-freedom thumb structure according to claim 5, characterized in that: The second ball hinge structure (5) further includes two extension sleeves (54) sleeved on the hinge shaft (52); The extension sleeve (54) is symmetrically distributed with respect to the second sphere (53), and one end of the extension sleeve (54) is fixedly connected to the second sphere (53), and the other end abuts against the proximal knuckle (21) of the thumb; The outer diameter of the extension sleeve (54) is smaller than the diameter of the opening (511).

7. A multi-degree-of-freedom thumb structure according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The first shell (1) is connected to the palm portion (100) in a rotationally fitting manner; The multi-degree-of-freedom thumb structure further includes a flip drive assembly (6) for driving the first shell (1) to rotate; At least the power part of the flip driving assembly (6) is installed on the palm part (100).

8. A multi-degree-of-freedom artificial hand, comprising a palm portion (100), characterized in that: Also includes the multi-degree-of-freedom thumb structure according to any one of claims 1 to 7 above; It also includes the pinky finger structure and the middle finger structure; The little finger structure comprises a second shell (7), and the second shell (7) is connected to the palm portion (100) in a rotationally matched manner; It also includes a linkage drive assembly (8) for driving the first shell (1) and the second shell (7) to rotate simultaneously in a direction toward the palm (100) or away from the palm (100).

9. The multi-degree-of-freedom artificial hand according to claim 8, characterized in that: A swing drive assembly (9) is provided between the little finger structure and the second housing (7), and between the middle finger structure and the palm (100); The swing drive assembly (9) comprises an articulated frame (91), an arc bevel gear segment (92), and a second active bevel gear (93); The hinge frame (91) is rotatably mounted on the second housing (7) or the palm portion (100), and is connected to the proximal finger joint of the little finger structure or the proximal finger joint of the middle finger structure; The circular arc bevel gear segment (92) is fixed on the hinge frame (91) and meshes with the second active bevel gear (93) for transmission.

10. The multi-degree-of-freedom artificial hand according to claim 8, characterized in that: The multi-degree-of-freedom thumb structure, the pinky finger structure and the middle finger structure all have finger joints that are hinged to each other; A flexion-extension drive assembly (10) is provided between adjacent finger joints; The flexion-extension drive assembly (10) comprises a flexion-extension drive power unit (101), a second transmission gear set (102), a flexion-extension drive screw (103), a flexion-extension drive slider (104), and a flexion-extension pull rod (105); The power of the flexion-extension driving power unit (101) is transmitted to the flexion-extension driving screw (103) through the second transmission gear set (102), so as to drive the flexion-extension driving screw (103) to rotate; The flexion and extension driving slider (104) is slidably mounted on one of the finger joints and is threadedly connected to the flexion and extension driving screw (103) so as to slide axially along the flexion and extension driving screw (103) when the flexion and extension driving screw (103) rotates; one end of the flexion and extension pull rod (105) is rotatably connected to the flexion and extension driving slider (104), and the other end is hinged to the other finger joint.

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