Modularized rope-driven continuum mechanical arm

Abstract

The invention discloses a modular rope-driven continuum mechanical arm which comprises a tip end guide disc and a tail end guide disc, the tip end guide disc and the tail end guide disc serve as the head and the tail of the mechanical arm correspondingly, a guide disc is arranged between the tip end guide disc and the tail end guide disc, and the guide disc is connected with the tip end guide disc and the tail end guide disc through a set of flexible joints; a tip end driving motor and a tail end driving motor are arranged in the tip end guiding disc and the tail end guiding disc respectively, a tip end winding drum and a tail end winding drum are arranged on output shafts of the tip end driving motor and the tail end driving motor respectively, and a driving rope X and a driving rope Y are arranged on the tip end winding drum and the tail end winding drum respectively and used for transmitting driving force in different directions. According to the invention, the trouble that a traditional rope-driven continuum robot needs to lengthen the distance of an arm and needs to add a driving disc again or even add an additional motor is avoided, the working distance of the rope-driven continuum robot can be conveniently extended by connecting a plurality of modules in series, and the rope-driven continuum robot is easier to adapt to a complex and narrow working environment.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application belongs to the technical field of flexible continuum robots, and particularly relates to a modular rope-driven continuum manipulator. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the progress of the times and the development of science and technology, people's exploration of unknown and complex environments is becoming more and more in-depth, such as exploration in the fields of aerospace, deep sea and medical treatment. Robot operation improves the safety and reliability of complex unknown environment exploration, but the space available for robot operation in narrow space is extremely small, so the robot needs to have strong obstacle avoidance ability, joint singularity ability, joint over-limit ability and dexterous operation space.

[0003] In recent years, with the development of high-tech industry technology, aerospace and nuclear power fields have become important factors for measuring the comprehensive strength and international competitiveness of countries in the world. However, affected by extremely cold and hot, high-energy particle radiation, high pressure or vacuum and other harsh environments, these devices often fail or even completely fail, resulting in huge economic losses. In order to ensure that spacecraft, aircraft and nuclear facilities and other devices can work smoothly and safely, the demand for daily device monitoring and maintenance and repair work is increasingly prominent. At present, different methods have been tried by countries in the world to carry out detection and maintenance and repair of large-scale devices in such environments. However, due to the characteristics of narrow space, complex structure and danger in such environments, the task is still extremely difficult to carry out. On the one hand, manual operation under such a task has the disadvantages of great difficulty, limited labor intensity and low efficiency, which is not conducive to human intervention for operation; on the other hand, since the mechanical and electrical components of the manipulator are installed at the joints, the traditional discrete joint type industrial robot has a relatively large size, so it cannot be used for operation in such a narrow space.

[0004] As one of the important choices for the above task, the flexible continuum robot uses an elastic body as the body support or a large number of consistent links and joints to obtain a continuous and slender appearance configuration. Such special structure and redundant degrees of freedom make it have extremely high intrinsic compliance and spatial flexible motion ability. Compared with traditional industrial robots, the robot has good bending characteristics, excellent dexterous motion and strong obstacle avoidance and environmental adaptation ability, and is suitable for application in unknown non-structural environments, so the development of the flexible continuum robot has great significance.

[0005] Rope-driven continuum robots combine the advantages of rope-driven and continuum robot body structure. However, the rope-driven continuum robots still have many disadvantages, such as when the manufactured rope-driven continuum robots are used for work, the execution range may be limited due to unknown working environment, if the working range needs to be increased, the rope-driven disk needs to be redesigned and installed, or even the motor needs to be increased, which prolongs the working time and is not conducive to efficient completion of the work, and the traditional rope-driven continuum robots also need a long period of maintenance and repair, need to be completely disassembled for maintenance, shorten the use time and other disadvantages. In addition, there are the following problems: 1. Since the driving ropes of multiple segments need to pass through all multiple segments in the direction of the driving box in turn and then enter the driving box, the guide disc needs a large diameter for designing the driving rope through hole, so it is not easy to achieve small size; 2. Due to the series-parallel coupling structure between multiple segments, the friction of the ropes will cause mutual interference between multiple segments and thus cause error accumulation transmission; 3. During design, redundancy driving is mostly used, such as 3 ropes driving 2 degrees of freedom, multiple ropes need to cooperate with movement, and the control difficulty is large, and antagonism between ropes is easy to occur; 4. Many existing products use non-modular design, which leads to difficult maintenance and exchange; Therefore, it is urgent to solve the problems of traditional rope-driven continuum robots, such as inconvenient installation and maintenance, limited working range in unknown narrow working space and difficulty in adding equipment. SUMMARY

[0006] The purpose of the application is to overcome the above disadvantages, and the purpose of the application is to provide a modular rope-driven continuum robot arm, which has simple structure, reasonable design, and the modular rope-driven continuum robot arm can manufacture multiple segments for standby, and is easy to install, and the modularity design realizes the flexibility and scalability of the structure, and the rope-driven technology is endowed with the ability of continuous deformation and high flexibility.

[0007] Technical scheme: In order to achieve the above purpose, the application provides a modular rope-driven continuum robot arm, comprising: a tip guide disc, a tail end guide disc and at least one guide disc, the tip guide disc and the tail end guide disc are respectively used as the head and tail of the robot arm, and at least one guide disc is arranged between the two, and the guide disc and the tip guide disc and the tail end guide disc are connected through a group of flexible joints, constituting a trunk part. And the tip guide disc, tail end guide disc respectively provided with a tip drive motor and tail end drive motor, the output shaft of the tip drive motor and tail end drive motor are respectively provided with a tip drum and tail end drum, the tip drum and tail end drum are respectively provided with drive rope X and drive rope Y to transmit different direction driving force, the drive rope X and drive rope Y are all through the tip guide disc, tail end guide disc and the corresponding perforation on the guide disc.

[0008] The tip guide disc and the guide disc are provided with two symmetrical countersunk holes on both sides, and the connecting line of the countersunk holes on both sides is perpendicular; the countersunk holes are connected with the adjacent guide disc or tip guide disc through flexible joints, so as to connect the tip guide disc and the guide disc in series, and the plane where the flexible joints between the tip guide disc and the guide disc are located is perpendicular to the plane where the flexible joints between the guide disc and the other guide disc on the side away from the tip guide disc are located, until the tail end guide disc is connected in series, the tail end guide disc and the tip guide disc are arranged symmetrically but vertically, so that a whole module of the modular rope-driven continuum mechanical arm is completed. The countersunk holes on both sides are used to install the flexible joints, and the connecting line of the countersunk holes is perpendicular rather than parallel, which can well ensure the orthogonality of the flexible joints on both sides and ensure two degrees of freedom. The tail end guide disc and the tip guide disc are arranged symmetrically but vertically, and the directions to be driven by the guide discs at the head and tail are X-axis direction and Y-axis direction respectively, so they should be placed vertically to ensure the movement control of two directions and not interfere with each other.

[0009] Wherein, the outward side of the tip guide disc and the tail end guide disc is symmetrically provided with a drive hole, a roller support is arranged on the outside of the drive hole, and a V-shaped roller is arranged on the roller support; the drive hole is symmetrically arranged for considering the two driving directions X and Y, since the X and Y axes are symmetrically arranged, the drive holes of the two guide discs are also symmetrically designed in order to control the movement of two directions; After the drive rope X is wound around the tip drum for a number of turns, the two ends are respectively inserted into the symmetrically arranged two drive holes in the tip guide disc through the corresponding V-shaped rollers, and then sequentially pass through the symmetrically arranged drive holes in each guide disc for the torso, and finally pass through the symmetrically arranged drive holes in the tail end guide disc and be fixed thereto. The drive rope Y is installed perpendicularly to the drive rope X in the same way as the drive rope X, and after being wound around the tail end drum for a number of turns, the two ends are respectively inserted into the symmetrically arranged two drive holes in the tail end guide disc through the corresponding V-shaped rollers, and then sequentially pass through the symmetrically arranged drive holes in each guide disc for the torso, and finally pass through the symmetrically arranged drive holes in the tip guide disc and be fixed thereto.

[0010] Preferably, the number of guide discs can be adjusted according to actual needs.

[0011] Further, the tip guide disc, the tail end guide disc and the plurality of guide discs form a module, and the tip guide disc and the tail end guide disc are provided with symmetrical countersunk holes for mounting flexible joints on the outer sides thereof; When working, the plurality of modular rope-driven continuum manipulator modules can be connected in series to achieve the required working range due to the insufficient distance, and when a certain module fails when working after being connected in series, the module can be quickly disassembled and replaced, thereby greatly improving the working efficiency of the modular rope-driven continuum manipulator.

[0012] The tip guide disc and the tail end guide disc are respectively provided with a group of first connecting parts or second connecting parts, and the first connecting parts and the second connecting parts are matched.

[0013] The first connecting part comprises a first connecting part body, the inner wall of the first connecting part body is provided with a first protrusion, a first inner groove is arranged on one side of the first protrusion, the second connecting part comprises a second connecting part body, a second protrusion is arranged on the outer side of the second connecting part body, and a second inner groove is arranged on one side of the second protrusion, and the first connecting part and the second connecting part are in staggered matching.

[0014] It should be noted that the first connecting part or the second connecting part provided on the outer sides of the tip guide disc and the tail end guide disc can be selected according to actual conditions, and the multi-section connection requirement can be met.

[0015] The flexible joints arranged on the outer sides of the tip guide disc and the tail end guide disc connect the plurality of modular rope-driven continuum manipulator modules with different functions in series to meet different working requirements, and different modules can be used for different functions according to requirements, including a supporting part, an executing part or a guiding part. Each modular rope-driven continuum manipulator module has a good deformation ability to adapt to different working environments by the flexible joints and the plurality of guide discs as a trunk, so that the module can freely enter and exit even in a small working space.

[0016] The flexible joint is made of nickel-titanium alloy.

[0017] The tip guide disc and the tail end guide disc are provided with hollow parts in the middle portions thereof, the tip guide disc and the tail end guide disc are connected with the tip driving motor or the tail end driving motor through keys, the tip winding drum or the tail end winding drum is connected with the output shaft of the tip driving motor or the tail end driving motor through the keys, and the tip driving motor or the tail end driving motor is fixed through screws.

[0018] The working method of the modular rope-driven continuum manipulator is characterized in that: The planes where the driving ropes X and the driving ropes Y are located are perpendicular to each other in order to realize different orientation movements of the modular rope-driven continuum manipulator. A coordinate axis is established with the tip guide disc surface assuming the center of the driving rope X and the driving rope Y as the origin, the front and back are arranged as the positive and negative directions of the X axis along the driving rope X, and the left and right are arranged as the positive and negative directions of the Y axis along the driving rope Y; When the modular rope-driven continuum manipulator needs to move in the positive direction of the X axis, the tip driving motor drives the rotation of the tip winding drum through the clockwise rotation of the output shaft, so that the clockwise rotation of the tip winding drum drives the driving rope X to be tightened inward along the positive direction of the X axis, and the driving rope along the negative direction of the X axis is tightened outward, so as to complete the movement in the positive direction of the X axis; When the movement is completed, the tip driving motor can be restored to the initial state through the counterclockwise rotation of the output shaft, and the same way can be used to complete the movement of the modular rope-driven continuum manipulator in the positive and negative directions of the Y axis, and the tip driving motor and the tail driving motor at both ends can be used in cooperation to complete the movement of the modular rope-driven continuum manipulator in different directions; through the series connection of multiple modular rope-driven continuum manipulators, various complex movements can be completed to meet the work requirements.

[0019] The above technical solution can be seen that the present application has the following beneficial effects: 1、The present application modularizes the rope-driven continuum manipulator, and driving motors are installed at the two ends of a newly designed section of the rope-driven continuum to form separate modular designs. This design not only reduces the complexity of the traditional rope-driven robot, but also enables each section of the module to be used for work individually or in series, greatly enhancing the flexibility and expandability of the flexible robot in this field, and improving interchangeability by being easy to calibrate and replace. Meanwhile, the working efficiency of the modular rope-driven continuum manipulator can be greatly improved.

[0020] 2、The tip guide disc and the tail guide disc and the plurality of trunk guide discs in the present application form a module, which has good deformation ability to adapt to different working environments, and can freely enter and exit to work even in a very small working space. The modular design enables a module to be quickly removed and replaced if there is a problem, making it easier to maintain and maintain, shortening the maintenance and replacement time, and improving the efficiency in the work. The present application also reduces manufacturing costs, promotes technological innovation and industrial upgrading, and has a profound impact on the development and application of robot technology.

[0021] 3、The tip guide disc and the tail guide disc and the plurality of trunk guide discs in the present application form a driving module. During operation, the driving rope only needs to be perforated in the modular section itself, without the need to penetrate the entire manipulator, thereby solving the problem of error accumulation transmission caused by the mutual interference between multiple sections due to the series-parallel coupling structure of the rope. At the same time, the modular setting means that the drive rope does not need to be passed through every section, so there is no need to retain at least 8 drive holes on its guide disk. This can reduce the size of the drive disk to a certain extent, thereby further reducing its size and allowing it to better meet the needs of use in narrow environments.

[0022] 3. The present invention avoids the trouble of traditional rope-driven continuum robots that require extending the arm distance and reinstalling drive disks or even adding additional motors. The structure proposed by the present invention can conveniently extend the working distance of the rope-driven continuum robot by connecting multiple modules in series, and can enable it to have good deformation ability to adapt to different working environments, and can better adjust according to the actual application environment, thereby improving its adaptability.

[0023] 4. The modular rope-driven continuum robot arm of the present invention can be manufactured in multiple sections for backup, and is easy to install. When the working range is insufficient, external modules can be immediately connected to increase the working range. It is also easy to maintain. With the modular design, when a section of the rope-driven continuum robot has a problem, it can be quickly replaced without affecting the task, further shortening the repair and replacement time and reducing the subsequent maintenance costs.

[0024] 5. This invention achieves structural flexibility and scalability through modular design, while rope-driven technology is endowed with the ability to continuously deform and achieve high flexibility. The modular rope-driven continuum robotic arm of this invention possesses strong open-source capabilities. It can be connected in multiple sections and is easy to use and install, allowing it to be combined with many other robots for various tasks. It can be attached to a robotic arm for detection or attached to a mobile guide rail for operation. The modular rope-driven continuum robotic arm is an advanced robotic system that integrates modular design and rope-driven technology. Therefore, its unique structural features and performance advantages demonstrate enormous application potential and development prospects in a wide range of fields.

[0025] The tip guide plate and the two sides of the guide plate are each provided with two symmetrically distributed countersunk holes, and the connecting line of the countersunk holes on the two sides is perpendicular; 6. The tip guide disk and guide disk of the present invention are each provided with two symmetrically distributed countersunk holes on both sides, with the line connecting the countersunk holes perpendicular to each other. The countersunk holes on both sides are used to install the flexible joint. The line connecting the countersunk holes is perpendicular rather than parallel to each other to effectively ensure the orthogonality of the flexible joints on both sides, thus maintaining two degrees of freedom. The tail guide disk and the tip guide disk are symmetrically arranged but vertically positioned. The guide disks at the head and tail are driven in the X-axis and Y-axis directions respectively, so they should be placed vertically to ensure motion control in both directions and prevent interference between them. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Figure 1This is a schematic structural diagram of the modular rope-driven continuum robotic arm of the present invention; Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the installation of the V-shaped roller in the present invention; Figure 3 A partial schematic diagram of the V-shaped roller in the present invention; Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the series connection of multiple modular rope-driven continuum manipulators through flexible joints in the present invention; Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the structure of the further improved rope-driven continuum manipulator in the present invention; Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the structure of the three-section rope-driven continuum manipulator in the present invention; Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the local connection between two modular robotic arms in the present invention; Figure 8 It is a partial schematic diagram of the first connecting portion in the present invention; Figure 9 It is a partial schematic diagram of the second connecting portion in the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The present invention will be further explained below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0028] Example 1 The following describes embodiments of the present invention in detail, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are intended to be used to explain the present invention, and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0029] like Figures 1 to 3 The modular rope-driven continuum manipulator shown includes a tip guide disc 1, a tail guide disc 2, and at least one guide disc 3. The tip guide disc 1 and the tail guide disc 2 serve as the head and tail of the manipulator, respectively, with at least one guide disc 3 disposed therebetween. The guide disc 3 is connected to the tip guide disc 1 and the tail guide disc 2 via a set of flexible joints 4, forming the trunk portion. A tip drive motor 5 and a tail drive motor 6 are respectively provided in the tip guide disc 1 and the tail guide disc 2. The tip drive motor 5 and the tail drive motor 6 are interference fit with the tip guide disc 1 and the tail guide disc 2 respectively. The output shafts of the tip driving motor 5 and the tail driving motor 6 are respectively provided with a tip winding drum 7 and a tail winding drum 8, and the tip winding drum 7 and the tail winding drum 8 are respectively provided with a driving rope X 9 and a driving rope Y 10 for transmitting driving forces in different directions, and the driving rope X 9 and the driving rope Y 10 pass through corresponding through holes in the tip guide disc 1, the tail guide disc 2 and the guide disc 3. It should be noted that the modular rope-driven continuum manipulator in the embodiment can be connected in multiple sections according to actual needs, that is, the tip guide disc 1 or the tail guide disc 2 can be mechanically connected, such as being connected by fastening screws or being welded, to meet the use needs. The modularity of the modular rope-driven continuum manipulator mainly refers to that the rope-driven continuum manipulator is a module composed of the tip guide disc 1, the tail guide disc 2 and a plurality of trunk guide discs (six trunk guide discs in the figure). When the working distance is insufficient, a plurality of rope-driven continuum manipulator modules can be connected in series to achieve the required working range.

[0030] The tip guide disc 1 and the guide disc 3 are both provided with two symmetrically distributed countersunk holes, and the connecting lines of the countersunk holes on the two sides are perpendicular; the countersunk holes are connected to the adjacent guide disc 3 or the tip guide disc 1 through the flexible joint 4, so as to connect the tip guide disc 1 and the guide disc 3 in series, and the plane where the flexible joint 4 between the tip guide disc 1 and the guide disc 3 is located is perpendicular to the plane where the flexible joint 4 between the guide disc 3 and the other guide disc 3 away from the tip guide disc 1 is located, and this is true until the tail guide disc 2 is connected in series. The tail guide disc 2 and the tip guide disc 1 are symmetrically arranged but vertically placed, so that the whole module of the modular rope-driven continuum manipulator ends.

[0031] The outward side of the tip guide disc 1 and the tail guide disc 2 is symmetrically provided with a driving hole, and a roller support is arranged outside the driving hole, and the roller support is provided with a V-shaped roller 11. After the driving rope X 9 is wound around the tip winding drum 7 for a plurality of turns, the two ends of the driving rope X 9 are respectively inserted into the symmetrically arranged two driving holes in the tip guide disc 1 through the corresponding V-shaped rollers 11, and then pass through the symmetrically arranged driving holes in each guide disc 3 for the trunk in sequence, and finally pass through the symmetrically arranged driving holes in the tail guide disc 2 and are fixed thereto. The driving rope X 9 and the driving rope Y 10 are fixed on the outside of the tip guide disc 1 or the tail guide disc 2 by a fixing member. In the embodiment, the fixing member is preferably a welded ball head, and the driving rope is welded and fixed with the welded ball head. It should be noted that the fixing member can be selected according to actual needs, and the fixing method can be welding or other fixing methods, as long as the driving rope can be fixed.

[0032] The driving rope Y10 is vertically installed in the same way as the driving rope X9. After reserving a number of winding turns on the tail end reel 8, the two ends are respectively inserted into the two driving holes on the tail end guide disc 2 through the corresponding V-shaped rollers 11, and then sequentially pass through the symmetric driving holes on each guide disc 3 for the trunk, and finally pass through the symmetric driving holes on the tip guide disc 1 and are fixed thereto. The number of guide discs 3 can be adjusted according to actual needs. It should be noted that in the existing rope-driven continuum mechanical arm, the driving rope needs to pass through each segment, and each segment needs to be rethreaded, so at least 8 driving holes are required on the guide disc, which requires the size of the guide disc to be maintained within a certain size to meet the distribution needs of the 8 holes, making it difficult to further reduce the size. In this case, the driving rope is only installed in the current segment, and the required driving holes are fewer, so the size of the guide disc can be reduced to a certain extent.

[0033] The tip guide disc 1, the tail end guide disc 2, and the guide discs 3 form a module. The tip guide disc 1 and the tail end guide disc 2 are provided with symmetric countersunk holes on the outer side away from the guide discs 3 for installing the flexible joints 4. When working, due to the insufficient distance, multiple modular rope-driven continuum mechanical arms can be connected in series to achieve the required working range. When multiple segments are connected and working, if a module fails, it can be quickly removed and replaced, greatly improving the working efficiency of the modular rope-driven continuum mechanical arm.

[0034] As shown in Figure 8 The middle part of the tip guide disc 1 and the tail end guide disc 2 is provided with a hollow part. The tip guide disc 1 and the tail end guide disc 2 are connected to the tip driving motor 5 or the tail end driving motor 6 through the key in the hollow part. The tip reel 7 or the tail end reel 8 is connected to the output shaft of the tip driving motor 5 or the tail end driving motor 6 through the key, and is fixed to the tip driving motor 5 or the tail end driving motor 6 through a screw. In this embodiment, the screw is preferably a tip screw. It should be noted that other connecting members that meet the continuous needs can be selected according to actual needs.

[0035] The driving mode of the modular rope-driven continuum robot adopts a motion mode similar to that of a snake-like organism, similar to peristalsis. Each segment of the modular rope-driven continuum mechanical arm has a trunk composed of flexible joints and multiple guide discs 3, which can adapt to different working environments and freely enter and exit even in a small working space. The first end is connected to the corresponding tip guide disc 1 and tail end guide disc 2 through the flexible joint, forming a modular rope-driven continuum mechanical arm that can operate independently.

[0036] Embodiment 2 As shown in Figures 1-4As shown, the difference between the embodiment 1 is that, when the small aperture industrial equipment maintenance, when this happens, generally need to be removed for maintenance and repair to know the root cause of the part, and the use of the present invention of small diameter modular rope-driven continuum manipulator can be very convenient for small aperture detection. By connecting the flexible joint in the present invention of multi-segment modular rope-driven continuum manipulator, the outward side of the tip guide plate 1 and the tail end guide plate 2 contains two symmetrical counterbore holes, both of which can be installed two flexible joints 4, and the different two modules are connected by the flexible joint 4 to increase the overall working range. The multi-segment is divided into several parts according to the different execution of the work task, such as Figure 4 As shown is a schematic diagram of the multi-segment modular rope-driven continuum manipulator through the series connection of the flexible joint. The front segment rope-driven continuum manipulator is regarded as the driving part, which is used to drive the whole segment rope-driven manipulator. The middle segment of the modular rope-driven continuum manipulator is regarded as the support part of the front end execution mechanism, which supports the last segment of the rope-driven manipulator. The last segment of the modular rope-driven continuum manipulator is installed with the execution mechanism such as the camera mechanism, sensor and other execution task devices. The whole segment of the rope-driven continuum manipulator is connected with the power supply, and the optical fiber and other lines are arranged in the hollow part of the guide plate. Each segment of the modular rope-driven continuum manipulator is driven by the driving motor in each module to complete the action of the respective work task. Thus, the execution mechanism on the front end of the modular rope-driven continuum manipulator is driven to complete the maintenance and repair of the aviation maintenance. And when the working range cannot reach the target task point, the working range can be increased by adding the multi-segment modular rope-driven continuum manipulator in the present invention to complete the target task.

[0037] Embodiment 3 As Figure 6 The flexible joint 4 outside the tip guide plate 1 and the tail end guide plate 2 connects the multi-segment modular rope-driven continuum manipulator with different functions together to meet different work requirements. Different modules can be used for different functions, including support part, execution part or guide part. Each segment of the modular rope-driven continuum manipulator has a good deformation ability through the flexible joint 4 and the multi-segment guide plate 3 as the trunk to adapt to different working environments, so that it can freely enter and exit even in a small working space.

[0038] The tip guide plate 1 and the tail end guide plate 2 are respectively provided with a group of first connecting parts 101 or second connecting parts 102, and the first connecting parts 101 and the second connecting parts 102 are matched. The first connecting parts 101 or the second connecting parts 102 are arranged on the outside of the tip guide plate 1 and the tail end guide plate 2, which can connect the multi-segment modular rope-driven continuum manipulator according to the actual needs, and facilitate installation and disassembly.

[0039] As shown in the figure, it is a three-section modular rope-driven continuum manipulator, when a certain module has a problem when working in series, it can be quickly removed and replaced, which can greatly improve the working efficiency of the modular rope-driven continuum robot. Figure 6 The first connecting part 101 comprises a first connecting part body, the inner wall of the first connecting part body is provided with a first protrusion 103, one side of the first protrusion 103 is provided with a first inner groove, the second connecting part 102 comprises a second connecting part body, the outer side of the second connecting part body is provided with a second protrusion 104, one side of the second protrusion 104 is provided with a second inner groove, and the first connecting part and the second connecting part are in staggered fit. It should be noted that the outer side of the tip guide disc 1 and the tail end guide disc 2 can be provided with the first connecting part 101 or the second connecting part 102 according to the actual situation, the mechanical arm in the two modules can complete the end-to-end connection, and can meet the multi-section connection requirement.

[0040] The flexible joint 4 is made of nickel-titanium alloy. It should be noted that other materials can be selected according to actual needs.

[0041] The working method of the modular rope-driven continuum manipulator in the embodiment is as follows:

[0042] The planes where the driving ropes X9 and Y10 are located are perpendicular to each other in order to realize different orientation movements of the modular rope-driven continuum manipulator; The coordinate axis is established with the driving rope X9 and the driving rope Y10 as the center on the surface of the tip guide disc 3, the front and back are set as the positive and negative directions of the X axis along the driving rope X9, and the left and right are set as the positive and negative directions of the Y axis along the driving rope Y10; When the modular rope-driven continuum manipulator needs to move in the positive direction of the X axis, the tip driving motor 5 drives the tip winding drum 7 to rotate clockwise through the clockwise rotation of the output shaft, so that the clockwise rotation of the tip winding drum 7 drives the driving rope X9 to tighten inward along the positive direction of the X axis, and drives the driving rope along the negative direction of the X axis to tighten outward, so as to complete the movement along the positive direction of the X axis; When the movement is completed, the tip driving motor 5 can restore the initial state through the counterclockwise rotation of the output shaft, and the same method can be used to complete the movement of the modular rope-driven continuum manipulator in the positive and negative directions of the Y axis, and the tip driving motor 5 and the tail end driving motor 6 at both ends can be used in cooperation to complete the movement of the modular rope-driven continuum manipulator in different directions; through the series connection of the multi-section modular rope-driven continuum manipulator, a variety of complex movements can be completed to meet the working requirements.

[0043] ​It should be noted that the guide disc of the modular rope-driven continuum manipulator can be processed and manufactured by 3D printing, which is convenient and fast. It is conceivable that it can also be manufactured according to actual needs by using other processing methods. Preferably, it can be manufactured by using PEEK material, which is convenient and fast. The flexible joint for connecting and supporting can be manufactured by using various flexible materials, such as memory metal and synthetic rubber. In the preferred embodiment, it can be manufactured by using nickel-titanium alloy, which has better flexibility and is not easy to deform.

[0044] The above only describes the preferred embodiments of the present application. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make several improvements without departing from the principles of the present application, and these improvements should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A modular rope-driven continuum manipulator, characterized by: include: A tip guide disc (1), a tail guide disc (2), and at least one guide disc (3), wherein the tip guide disc (1) and the tail guide disc (2) serve as the head and the tail of the robot arm, respectively, and at least one guide disc (3) is provided between the two. The guide disc (3) is connected to the tip guide disc (1) and the tail guide disc (2) via a set of flexible joints (4), thereby forming a trunk portion; A tip drive motor (5) and a tail drive motor (6) are respectively provided in the tip guide disc (1) and the tail guide disc (2); a tip reel (7) and a tail reel (8) are respectively provided on the output shafts of the tip drive motor (5) and the tail drive motor (6); a drive rope X (9) and a drive rope Y (10) are respectively provided on the tip reel (7) and the tail reel (8) for transmitting driving forces in different directions; the drive rope X (9) and the drive rope Y (10) both pass through corresponding holes on the tip guide disc (1), the tail guide disc (2) and the guide disc (3).

2. The modular rope-driven continuum manipulator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The tip guide disc (1) and the guide disc (3) are both provided with two symmetrically distributed countersunk holes on both sides, and the connecting line of the countersunk holes on the two sides is perpendicular; the countersunk holes are connected to the adjacent guide disc (3) or the tip guide disc (1) through the flexible joint (4), so that the tip guide disc (1) and the guide disc (3) are connected in series, and the plane where the flexible joint (4) between the tip guide disc (1) and the guide disc (3) is located is perpendicular to the plane where the flexible joint (4) between the guide disc (3) and another guide disc (3) on the side away from the tip guide disc (1) is located, until the tail guide disc (2) is connected in series, the tail guide disc (2) and the tip guide disc (1) are symmetrically arranged but vertically placed, and then a whole module of a whole modular rope-driven continuum robot arm is completed.

3. The modular rope-driven continuum manipulator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The tip guide disc (1) and the tail guide disc (2) are symmetrically provided with drive holes on their outward sides, and a roller bracket is provided on the outside of the drive hole, and a V-shaped roller (11) is provided on the roller bracket; After the driving rope X (9) is wound several times on the tip drum (7), each end passes through the corresponding V-shaped roller (11) and is inserted into the two symmetrical driving holes on the tip guide disc (1), and then passes through the symmetrical driving holes on each guide disc (3) for the trunk in turn, and finally passes through the symmetrical driving holes on the tail guide disc (2) and is fixed thereto; The drive rope Y (10) is installed vertically with the drive rope X (9) in the same manner as the above drive rope X (9). After being wound several times on the tail end drum (8), the two ends of the rope pass through the corresponding V-shaped rollers (11) and are inserted into the two symmetrical drive holes on the tail end guide disc (2). The ropes then pass through the symmetrical drive holes on each guide disc (3) for the trunk and finally pass through the symmetrical drive holes on the tip guide disc (1) and are fixed thereto.

4. The modular rope-driven continuum manipulator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The number of the guide discs (3) can be adjusted according to actual needs.

5. The modular rope-driven continuum manipulator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The tip guide disc (1), the tail guide disc (2) and the plurality of guide discs (3) form a module, and the outer sides of the tip guide disc (1) and the tail guide disc (2) away from the guide disc (3) are both provided with symmetrical countersunk holes for mounting the flexible joint (4); When working, due to insufficient distance, multiple modular rope-driven continuum robotic arms can be connected in series to achieve the required working range. When working after multiple sections are connected in series, if a module has a problem, it can be quickly removed and replaced, which can greatly improve the working efficiency of the modular rope-driven continuum robotic arm.

6. The modular rope-driven continuum manipulator according to claim 1, characterized in that: A group of first connecting parts (101) or second connecting parts (102) are respectively provided on the outer sides of the tip guide disc (1) and the tail guide disc (2), and the first connecting parts (101) and the second connecting parts (102) cooperate with each other.

7. The modular rope-driven continuum manipulator according to claim 6, characterized in that: The flexible joint (4) located outside the tip guide disc (1) and the tail guide disc (2) connects multiple sections of modular rope-driven continuum manipulators with different functions in series to achieve different working requirements. Different modules can be used for different functions as required, including support part, execution part or guidance part. Each segment of the modular rope-driven continuum robot arm uses a flexible joint (4) and a multi-segment guide disc (3) as a trunk, so that it has good deformation ability to adapt to different working environments, and can freely enter and exit even a very small working space to perform operations.

8. The modular rope-driven continuum manipulator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flexible joint (4) is made of nickel-titanium alloy.

9. The method for operating a modular rope-driven continuum manipulator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The tip guide disc (1) and the tail guide disc (2) are both provided with a hollow portion in the middle, and the hollow portion is connected to the tip drive motor (5) or the tail drive motor (6) via a key, and the tip reel (7) or the tail reel (8) is connected to the output shaft of the tip drive motor (5) or the tail drive motor (6) via a key and fixed to the tip drive motor (5) or the tail drive motor (6) via a screw.

10. The method for operating a modular rope-driven continuum manipulator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The details are as follows: The planes on which the driving rope X (9) and the driving rope Y (10) are located are perpendicular to each other so as to facilitate the different azimuth movements of the modular rope-driven continuum manipulator; A coordinate axis is established with the driving rope X (9) and the driving rope Y (10) being assumed to be centered on the surface of the tip guide disk (3) as the origin, and the front and back directions along the driving rope X (9) are set as the positive and negative directions of the X axis, and the left and right directions along the driving rope Y (10) are set as the positive and negative directions of the Y axis; When the modular rope-driven continuum robot arm is required to move in the positive direction of the X-axis, the tip drive motor (5) drives the tip reel (7) to rotate by rotating the output shaft clockwise, so that the clockwise rotation of the tip reel (7) drives the drive rope X (9) to tighten the drive rope along the positive direction of the X-axis inwardly, and tighten the drive rope along the negative direction of the X-axis outwardly, so that the drive rope completes the movement along the positive direction of the X-axis; When the movement is completed, the tip drive motor (5) can be restored to its initial state by rotating the output shaft counterclockwise. The same method can be used to complete the movement of the modular rope-driven continuum robot arm in the positive and negative directions of the Y axis. The tip drive motor (5) and the tail drive motor (6) at both ends can be used in conjunction to complete the movement of the modular rope-driven continuum robot arm in different directions. By connecting multiple sections of modular rope-driven continuum robots in series, a variety of complex movements can be completed to meet work requirements.

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