Snakelike robot device based on hollow Hooke hinge structure and driving method

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of robots, in particular to a snakelike robot device based on a hollow hooke hinge structure. Comprising a linear feeding module, a driving mechanism, a hollow fixing rod and a snakelike mechanical arm. The snakelike mechanical arm is controlled by a plurality of Bowden cables to achieve adaptive bending movement, and each Bowden cable comprises an elastic sleeve and a steel wire rope arranged in the elastic sleeve. The driving mechanism comprises a driving shell, a plurality of driving motors, a winch installed at the output end of any driving motor and a plurality of penetrating-out holes, and the steel wire rope penetrates out of the penetrating-out holes into the elastic sleeve. And two steel wire ropes are wound on any winch in opposite directions, and when the driving motor drives the winches to rotate, the two steel wire ropes synchronously control the single-joint single-degree-of-freedom bending movement of the snake-shaped mechanical arm. Through the single-winch double-wire integrated design, the structure is remarkably simplified, the number of driving parts is reduced, the manufacturing cost is reduced, the assembly process and maintenance convenience of the whole machine are optimized, and the compact and efficient structure is achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of robotics, specifically to a snake-like robot device and its driving method based on a hollow Hooke hinge structure. Background Technology

[0002] Snake-like robotic arms, due to their high flexibility and ability to operate in confined spaces, have shown broad application prospects in fields such as minimally invasive surgery, industrial inspection, and maintenance. Their core driving mechanism typically relies on wire rope-based traction control, which achieves the bending movement of the robotic arm joints by pulling wire ropes in different directions.

[0003] To achieve single-joint, single-degree-of-freedom motion, existing technologies commonly employ a method of configuring an independent drive motor and winch for each wire rope. While this discrete drive architecture of "one rope, one motor" can achieve basic motion control, it also brings significant drawbacks: First, the number of required motors and transmission components increases exponentially, resulting in a complex overall structure, large space occupation, and high manufacturing costs; second, achieving perfect synchronization and coordination among multiple motor controls is difficult, potentially affecting the smoothness and accuracy of the robotic arm's movements; furthermore, the complex mechanical structure also brings great difficulties to the assembly, debugging, and subsequent maintenance of the entire machine, increasing operating costs and time. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Given that existing technologies suffer from complex overall structures, large space requirements, and difficulty in achieving perfect synchronization and coordination, which may affect the smoothness and accuracy of robotic arm movements, this invention provides a snake-like robot device based on a hollow Hooke hinge structure. A single drive motor rotates a winch, and two steel cables are installed on the winch in opposite directions, synchronously pulling and releasing them. This effectively pulls individual joints in the snake-like robotic arm to produce the required bending motion, improving the robotic arm's motion accuracy and overall reliability, while achieving a compact and efficient structure.

[0005] The present invention provides a snake-shaped robot device based on a hollow Hooke hinge structure, including a linear feed module, a drive mechanism mounted on the linear feed module, a hollow fixing rod mounted on the side of the drive mechanism, and a snake-shaped robotic arm mounted on the head end of the hollow fixing rod.

[0006] The serpentine robotic arm is controlled by several Bowden lines to achieve adaptive bending motion. The Bowden lines include: an elastic sleeve and a steel wire rope disposed within the elastic sleeve.

[0007] The drive mechanism includes: a drive housing mounted on the linear feed module 1, a plurality of drive motors mounted inside the drive housing, a winch mounted on the output end of any of the drive motors, and a plurality of through holes opened on the side of the drive housing, through which the wire rope passes into the elastic sleeve.

[0008] Two steel wire ropes are wound in opposite directions on any of the winches. When the drive motor drives the winch to rotate, the two steel wire ropes synchronously control the bending motion of the single joint and single degree of freedom of the serpentine robotic arm.

[0009] Furthermore, both the hollow fixing rod and the serpentine robotic arm are provided with hollow cavities for the passage of the Bowden wire.

[0010] Furthermore, the serpentine robotic arm includes n hollow serpentine joint segments sequentially installed at the head end of the hollow fixed rod, and the drive mechanism controls the independent bending of the n hollow serpentine joint segments through the steel wire rope.

[0011] Furthermore, the hollow snake joint segment includes: a transition joint and several body segments; adjacent body segments and the transition joint and body segments are rotatably mounted; one end of the wire rope is wound around the winch, and the other end is installed on the nth transition joint, and the wire rope is threaded through several body segments in the nth segment; when the wire rope is pulled, several body segments and the transition joint rotate and bend relative to each other; one end of the elastic sleeve is installed outside the through hole, and the other end is installed on the (n-1)th transition joint.

[0012] Furthermore, both the transition section and the body section are provided with rope holes for threading the steel wire rope, and the steel wire rope is threaded into the rope holes to control the adaptive bending of several hollow snake joint segments.

[0013] Furthermore, circular protrusions are provided between adjacent body segments and between transition segments and body segments to limit excessive bending.

[0014] Furthermore, the winch is provided with two rope-fixing holes for fixing the two wire ropes respectively.

[0015] Furthermore, a stepped mounting base for misaligned installation of the winch is installed inside the drive housing.

[0016] Furthermore, the linear feed module 1 includes: a mounting base, a feed motor mounted on the side of the mounting base, a pulley drive assembly coaxially mounted with the output shaft of the feed motor, a transmission screw mounted with the output end of the pulley drive assembly, a sliding block mounted on the transmission screw, and a sliding mounting seat mounted on the sliding block; a sliding rail for assisting the sliding mounting seat to slide is mounted on the top of the mounting base, and the drive mechanism is mounted on the sliding mounting seat.

[0017] The present invention also provides a driving method for a snake-like robot device based on a hollow Hooke hinge structure, comprising the following steps:

[0018] S1. Start the feed motor to control the drive mechanism and the serpentine robotic arm to move in a synchronized linear motion.

[0019] S2. Adaptively start the drive motor, and the corresponding winch rotates accordingly. The two steel wire ropes wound in opposite directions on the winch are tightened or extended accordingly. The two steel wire ropes are tightened and released one at a time, synchronously controlling the bending motion of the single joint and single degree of freedom of the snake-shaped robotic arm.

[0020] S3. The steel wire rope moves within the elastic sleeve, pulling the transition joint and the body joint to rotate relative to each other, and then several hollow snake joint segments adaptively rotate and bend relative to each other.

[0021] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0022] This invention patent flexibly adjusts the working position of a serpentine robotic arm through a linear feed module and achieves bending motion of the serpentine robotic arm by precisely controlling the Bowden line with a drive mechanism. The core of this invention lies in using a single drive motor to rotate a winch, on which two steel cables are installed in opposite directions. When the motor is running, the two steel cables can synchronously retract and release, effectively tractioning individual joints in the serpentine robotic arm to produce the required bending motion. Compared with existing technologies that use two motors to control two steel cables separately, this patent significantly simplifies the system structure through a single winch and dual-line integrated design. This not only reduces the number of drive components and lowers manufacturing costs but also optimizes the assembly process and ease of maintenance. Simultaneously, this integrated transmission method enhances the synchronization and coordination of control, which is beneficial for improving the movement accuracy and overall reliability of the robotic arm, achieving both compactness and efficiency while ensuring performance.

[0023] It should be understood that the description in the Summary of the Invention is not intended to limit the key or essential features of the embodiments of the present invention, nor is it intended to restrict the scope of the invention. Other features of the invention will become readily apparent from the following description. Attached Figure Description

[0024] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0025] Figure 1 This is an overall diagram of the snake-shaped robot device.

[0026] Figure 2 This is a structural diagram of the drive mechanism.

[0027] Figure 3 This is a structural diagram of some parts of the drive mechanism.

[0028] Figure 4 This is a structural diagram of a snake-shaped robotic arm.

[0029] Figure 5 This is a structural diagram of a hollow snake joint segment.

[0030] Figure 6 This is a diagram of the transition section structure.

[0031] Figure 7 This is a diagram of the somatic segments.

[0032] Figure 8 This is a structural diagram of a linear feed module.

[0033] The diagram labels are as follows: 1. Linear feed module; 11. Mounting base; 12. Feed motor; 13. Belt drive assembly; 16. Sliding mounting base; 17. Sliding rail;

[0034] 2. Drive mechanism; 21. Drive housing; 22. Drive motor; 23. Winch; 25. Through hole; 26. Stepped mounting base;

[0035] 3. Hollow fixed rod; 4. Snake-shaped robotic arm; 41. Hollow snake joint segment; 411. Transition joint; 412. Body segment; 413. Rope hole; 414. Circular protrusion; 415. Mounting cavity; 5. Bowden wire; 51. Elastic sleeve; 52. Steel wire rope; 6. Hollow cavity. Detailed Implementation

[0036] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. These drawings are simplified schematic diagrams, illustrating only the basic structure of the invention, and therefore only show the components relevant to the invention.

[0037] It should be noted that when a component is referred to as being "fixed to" or "set on" another component, it can be directly on or indirectly set on the other component; when a component is referred to as being "connected to" another component, it can be directly connected to or indirectly connected to the other component.

[0038] It should be understood that the terms "length", "width", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", and "outer" indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or component referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this application.

[0039] Please refer to Figures 1-8 The present invention provides a snake robot device based on a hollow Hooke hinge structure, including a linear feed module 1, a drive mechanism 2 mounted on the linear feed module 1, a hollow fixing rod 3 mounted on the side of the drive mechanism 2, and a snake-shaped robotic arm 4 mounted on the head end of the hollow fixing rod 3.

[0040] To further explain, the serpentine robotic arm 4 is controlled by several Bowden lines 5 to achieve adaptive bending motion. The Bowden lines 5 include: an elastic sleeve 51 and a steel wire rope 52 disposed within the elastic sleeve 51.

[0041] To further explain, the drive mechanism 2 includes: a drive housing 21 mounted on the linear feed module 1, a plurality of drive motors 22 mounted inside the drive housing 21, a winch 23 mounted on the output end of any drive motor 22, and a plurality of through holes 25 opened on the side of the drive housing 21, through which the wire rope 52 passes to the elastic sleeve 51.

[0042] To further explain, two steel wire ropes 52 are wound in opposite directions on any winch 23. When the drive motor 22 drives the winch 23 to rotate, the two steel wire ropes 52 synchronously control the bending motion of the single joint and single degree of freedom of the snake-shaped robotic arm 4.

[0043] This embodiment flexibly adjusts the working position of the serpentine robotic arm 4 through the linear feed module 1, and achieves the bending motion of the serpentine robotic arm 4 with the precise control of the Bowden line 5 by the drive mechanism 2. Its core lies in using a single drive motor 22 to drive the winch 23 to rotate, with two steel wire ropes 52 installed on the winch 23 in opposite directions. When the motor is running, the two steel wire ropes 52 can synchronously retract and release, effectively pulling the individual joints in the serpentine robotic arm 4 to produce the required bending motion. Compared with the existing technology that uses two motors to control two steel wire ropes 52 separately, this embodiment significantly simplifies the structure through a single winch and dual-line integrated design, not only reducing the number of drive components and lowering manufacturing costs, but also optimizing the assembly process and maintenance convenience of the entire machine. At the same time, this integrated transmission method enhances the synchronization and coordination of control, which is beneficial to improving the motion accuracy and overall reliability of the robotic arm, achieving a compact and efficient structure while ensuring performance.

[0044] In this embodiment, the bending of a single degree of freedom of each joint is controlled by a combination of a drive motor 22 and a winch 23. Two steel wire ropes 52 are wound in opposite directions on the winch 23. When the drive motor 22 drives the winch 23 to rotate, one steel wire rope 52 is tightened and retracted, while the other is simultaneously released and extended at the same length, forming an antagonistic arrangement. This synergistic action of tightening and releasing precisely controls the bending angle and posture of the joint, ensuring the rigidity and response speed of the individual joint movement.

[0045] Furthermore, by integrating multiple drive structures described above, it becomes possible to simultaneously control multiple joints of the serpentine robotic arm 4. Each drive motor 22 works in coordination according to instructions, independently or synchronously driving the corresponding winch 23, thereby achieving precise control of the complex bending motion of the serpentine robotic arm 4 with multiple degrees of freedom and multiple joints. This distributed drive design not only endows the robotic arm with extremely high flexibility, enabling it to perform dexterous operations in narrow spaces, but also, through the coordinated cooperation of the steel wire rope 52, fundamentally ensures the smoothness and coordination of the overall motion trajectory, significantly improving the robotic arm's motion performance and operational accuracy.

[0046] like Figure 2 As shown, both the hollow fixed rod 3 and the serpentine robotic arm 4 are equipped with hollow cavities 6 for the passage of the Bowden wire 5.

[0047] Furthermore, within the hollow cavity 6 of the hollow fixed rod 3 and the serpentine robotic arm 4, multiple steel wire ropes 52 are arranged in parallel and each is responsible for driving different joints. The elastic sleeve 51 creates a dedicated motion channel for each steel wire rope 52, allowing them to stretch or retract under the drive motor 22 without interfering with or affecting each other. This not only reduces the dynamic coupling effect between the steel wire ropes 52 but also effectively avoids energy loss and wear caused by friction. This ensures that each steel wire rope 52 can move independently and precisely according to preset instructions, further enabling the entire serpentine robotic arm 4 to maintain high coordination during multi-joint collaborative operations, improving motion stability and control reliability, and providing solid support for precision operations in complex environments.

[0048] Furthermore, one end of the hollow fixing rod 3 is rigidly connected to the drive mechanism 2 via a connector, while the other end serves as a stable mounting base for the serpentine robotic arm 4. The hollow fixing rod 3 provides the necessary rigid support, ensuring that the end of the serpentine robotic arm 4 has a stable force transmission path and precise positioning reference during extension operations, effectively suppressing swaying. Moreover, the hollow fixing rod 3 has a hollow cavity 6 inside, through which the Bowden cable 5 can pass into the serpentine robotic arm 4, providing an integrated and protected internal channel for the Bowden cable 5 that drives the serpentine robotic arm 4. This not only avoids the mess and vulnerability risks of external wiring, ensuring the safety and reliability of equipment operation, but also makes the entire system structure more compact and aesthetically pleasing, and easy to integrate into complex workspaces.

[0049] like Figures 4-7 As shown, the snake-shaped robotic arm 4 includes n hollow snake joint segments 41 sequentially installed at the head end of the hollow fixed rod 3, and the drive mechanism 2 controls the independent bending of the n hollow snake joint segments 41 through the steel wire rope 52.

[0050] Furthermore, the hollow snake joint segment 41 includes: a transition joint 411 and several body segments 412; adjacent body segments 412 and the transition joint 411 and body segments 412 are rotatably mounted.

[0051] To further explain, one end of the wire rope 52 is wound around the winch 23, and the other end is installed on the nth transition section 411. The wire rope 52 is threaded through several body sections 412 of the nth section. When the wire rope 52 is pulled, the several body sections 412 and the transition section 411 rotate and bend relative to each other.

[0052] To further explain, one end of the elastic sleeve 51 is installed outside the through hole 25, and the other end is installed on the (n-1)th transition section 411.

[0053] Furthermore, both the transition section 411 and the body section 412 are provided with rope holes 413 for threading the wire rope 52. The wire rope 52 is threaded into the rope holes 413 to control the adaptive bending of several hollow snake joint segments 41.

[0054] To further explain, the transition section 411 is provided with two symmetrical mounting cavities 415, the end of the elastic sleeve 51 is fixed in the rope hole 413 on the rear wall of the mounting cavity 415, and the end of the wire rope 52 is fixed in the rope hole 413 on the front wall of the mounting cavity 415.

[0055] In this embodiment, the end closer to the drive mechanism 2 is designated as the rear end, and the extended end of the snake-shaped robotic arm 4 is designated as the front end. The wire rope 52 extends from the through-hole 25 on the side of the drive housing 21 and passes through the elastic sleeve 51. Under the action of the winch 23 driven by the drive motor 22, it can slide freely axially within the elastic sleeve 51, achieving flexible control of the hollow snake joint segment 41. The elastic sleeve 51 is installed inside the hollow cavity 6, with one end fixedly mounted on the (n-1)th transition section 411, specifically in the rope-passing hole 413 on the front wall of the mounting cavity 415 of the (n-1)th transition section 411, providing stable support and a force transmission path for the bending movement of the nth hollow snake joint segment 41. The steel wire rope 52 inside the elastic sleeve 51 extends out from the end of the elastic sleeve 51 and passes through the pre-set rope holes 413 on several body segments 412 of the nth hollow snake joint segment 41 in sequence, forming a continuous constraint path. It is specifically fixed in the rope holes 413 on the rear wall of its mounting cavity 415, so as to achieve effective control of the bending movement of the nth hollow snake joint segment 41.

[0056] When the drive motor 22 operates and drives the winch 23 to rotate, the wire rope 52 performs push-pull motion under the guidance and protection of the elastic sleeve 51. Specifically, by the contraction or extension of the wire rope 52 inside the elastic sleeve 51, the relative rotational motion between the transition section 411 and the body section 412 is controlled, thereby applying or releasing tension to the nth hollow serpentine joint section 41, achieving precise control over the bending shape of the hollow serpentine joint section 41, further ensuring the smoothness and reliability of the transmission process, and also taking into account the coordination and structural compactness when multiple sections are continuously bent.

[0057] Furthermore, both the transition section 411 and the body section 412 are equipped with four rope holes 413, arranged symmetrically in pairs. Each drive motor 22 can synchronously control the tension of two steel wire ropes 52, which pass symmetrically through the oppositely arranged rope holes 413, thereby achieving bending drive of the hollow snake joint section 41 in a single degree of freedom. By having four steel wire ropes 52 pass through the four rope holes 413 respectively and controlled independently by two drive motors 22, the entire joint has the bending capability of two orthogonal degrees of freedom. This structure not only effectively utilizes the space of the hollow cavity 6, but also enhances the flexibility and motion coordination of the robotic arm, enabling the device to perform precise operations in narrow or complex environments.

[0058] Furthermore, the winch 23 is equipped with two rope-fixing holes for securing the two wire ropes 52 respectively. The ends of the two wire ropes 52 are firmly fixed in the corresponding rope-fixing holes, and then wound around the winch 23 in opposite directions in an orderly manner. This rope-fixing hole design not only provides a solid and reliable anchor point for the wire ropes 52, effectively preventing the ends from loosening or slipping under stress, but also ensures the stability of the wire ropes 52 from the source during repeated stretching and unwinding. This makes the tension transmission of the wire ropes 52 more uniform and the response more synchronized when bearing load, thereby ensuring the precise and stable bending movement of the hollow snake joint section 41 and improving the reliability and control accuracy of the entire device.

[0059] like Figures 5-7 As shown, circular protrusions 414 are provided between adjacent body segments 412 and between transition segments 411 and body segments 412 to limit excessive bending.

[0060] In this embodiment, the circular protrusion 414 has a uniform curved surface, which can effectively disperse and bear multi-directional stress during rotation, significantly improving the mechanical stability and durability of the connection. At the same time, the circular contour ensures smooth bending action with a clear range, achieving the necessary flexibility while precisely limiting excessive bending and preventing damage to the structure caused by reverse overstretching. Therefore, it can maintain the continuity and stability of the overall structure during dynamic movement, further ensuring the safety of the bending movement of the snake-shaped robotic arm 4 and effectively guaranteeing the service life of the device.

[0061] like Figure 2 As shown, a stepped mounting base 26 for misaligned installation of the winch 23 is installed inside the drive housing 21.

[0062] In this embodiment, the stepped mounting base 26 allows the winches 23 to be arranged in a staggered, stepped manner, thus optimizing the structure and enhancing the function of the drive mechanism 2. Specifically, by spatially offsetting the winches 23, the steel wire ropes 52 wound around them do not interfere with each other during the stretching process, enabling them to independently and precisely complete the extension and retraction movements, thereby effectively transmitting the driving force to each hollow snake joint segment 41. Since the number of joint segments is proportional to the number of winches 23, this structure significantly reduces the axial dimension of the drive components while ensuring coordinated movement of multiple degrees of freedom, making the overall drive mechanism 2 more compact. Furthermore, the stepped layout allows the drive motors 22 at different levels to be staggered within the limited housing space, saving space and avoiding the crossing and friction of the upper and lower steel wire ropes 52 during movement, ensuring the independence and synchronization of the stretching operation. The stepped mounting base 26 not only improves the response efficiency and motion coordination of the snake-like robotic arm 4 in bending motion, but also enhances its adaptability in narrow or complex environments, making the device as a whole both structurally reasonable and controllable in motion.

[0063] like Figure 1 and Figure 8 As shown, the linear feed module 1 includes: a mounting base 11, a feed motor 12 mounted on the side of the mounting base 11, a pulley drive assembly 13 coaxially mounted with the output shaft of the feed motor 12, a transmission screw mounted with the output end of the pulley drive assembly 13, a sliding block mounted on the transmission screw, and a sliding mounting seat 16 mounted on the sliding block; a sliding rail 17 for assisting the sliding mounting seat 16 to slide is mounted on the top of the mounting base 11, and the drive mechanism 2 is mounted on the sliding mounting seat 16.

[0064] In this embodiment, the feed motor 12 starts, and the motor output shaft generates rotational power. This rotational motion is first transmitted to the coaxially mounted pulley drive assembly 13, which then efficiently transmits the power to the connected lead screw. The lead screw rotates accordingly, driving the sliding block to move precisely in a straight line. At this time, the sliding mounting base 16, which is mounted on the sliding block, moves synchronously, driving the drive mechanism 2, the hollow fixed rod, and the serpentine robotic arm 4 to move in a straight line. The sliding track 17 provides auxiliary support and guidance for the sliding of the sliding mounting base 16, and works in conjunction with the lead screw to ensure that the sliding mounting base 16 and the drive mechanism 2, the hollow fixed rod, and the serpentine robotic arm 4 mounted on it can move smoothly and without wobbling along a predetermined linear reciprocating trajectory.

[0065] Furthermore, the linear feed module 1 enables high-precision, high-rigidity linear displacement of the drive mechanism 2, the hollow fixed rod, and the serpentine robotic arm 4. The coordinated transmission of the lead screw and the sliding block ensures positioning accuracy; the sliding track 17 effectively overcomes the influence of lateral offset force and overturning torque, ensuring the smoothness and load-bearing capacity of the operation, and further guaranteeing the efficiency of the feed motion.

[0066] like Figures 1-8 As shown, the present invention also provides a driving method for a snake-like robot device based on a hollow Hooke hinge structure, comprising the following steps:

[0067] S1. Start the feed motor 12 to control the drive mechanism 2 and the snake-shaped robotic arm 4 to move synchronously in a linear motion.

[0068] S2. Adaptively start the drive motor 22, and the corresponding winch 23 rotates accordingly. The two steel wire ropes 52 wound in opposite directions on the winch 23 are tightened or extended accordingly. The two steel wire ropes 52 tighten and loosen in turn, synchronously controlling the bending motion of the single joint and single degree of freedom of the snake-shaped robotic arm 4.

[0069] S3. The steel wire rope 52 moves within the elastic sleeve 51, pulling the transition joint 411 and the body joint 412 to rotate relative to each other, thereby causing several hollow snake joint segments 41 to adaptively rotate and bend relative to each other.

[0070] The driving method for a snake-like robot device with a hollow Hooke hinge structure specifically includes the following:

[0071] Start the feed motor 12, which causes the transmission screw to rotate through the pulley transmission group 13. The sliding block moves linearly, causing the sliding mounting seat 16 installed with the sliding block to move synchronously. This drives the drive mechanism 2, the hollow fixed rod and the snake-shaped robotic arm 4 to move linearly, so as to extend or retract the snake-shaped robotic arm 4. This process does not change the bending shape of the arm body, but is only used for positioning in subsequent operations.

[0072] Several drive motors 22 are adaptively and synchronously started. The winch 23, which is mounted on the output shaft of the drive motor 22, rotates under the control of the drive motor 22. This drives two steel wire ropes 52 wound in opposite directions on the winch 23 to move synchronously in a winding and unwinding motion. The wound steel wire rope 52 is tightened, and the unwinding steel wire rope 52 is correspondingly lengthened. The rotation of one winch 23 controls the bending motion of a single hollow snake joint segment 41 with a single degree of freedom. The synchronous control of multiple drive motors 22 by multiple winches 23 can realize the control of the bending motion of several hollow snake joint segments 41, thereby controlling the bending motion of the snake-shaped robotic arm 4.

[0073] The contraction or extension of the steel wire rope 52, which is threaded through the elastic sleeve 51, causes relative rotation between the transition joint 411 and the body joint 412. Specifically, the taut steel wire rope 52 generates tension, forcing relative rotation between the transition joint 411 and the body joint 412, as well as between adjacent body joints 412. The rotation of multiple winches 23 can control the stretching or contraction of multiple sets of steel wire ropes 52, driving several hollow snake joint segments 41 to produce coordinated and adaptive relative rotation, enabling the snake-shaped robotic arm 4 to form smooth and continuous bending movements with multiple degrees of freedom, thus achieving flexible movement of the snake-shaped robotic arm 4 in three-dimensional space.

[0074] It should be understood that the specific embodiments described above are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Obvious variations or modifications derived from the spirit of the invention are still within the protection scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A snake-like robot device based on a hollow Hooke's hinge structure, characterized in that, It includes a linear feed module (1), a drive mechanism (2) mounted on the linear feed module (1), a hollow fixing rod (3) mounted on the side of the drive mechanism (2), and a snake-shaped robotic arm (4) mounted on the head end of the hollow fixing rod (3); The serpentine robotic arm (4) is controlled by several Bowden lines (5) to achieve adaptive bending motion. The Bowden lines (5) include: an elastic sleeve (51) and a steel wire rope (52) disposed in the elastic sleeve (51). The drive mechanism (2) includes: a drive housing (21) mounted on the linear feed module (1), a plurality of drive motors (22) mounted inside the drive housing (21), a winch (23) mounted on the output end of any of the drive motors (22), and a plurality of through holes (25) opened on the side of the drive housing (21), wherein the wire rope (52) passes through the through holes (25) into the elastic sleeve (51); Two steel wire ropes (52) are wound in opposite directions on any of the winches (23). When the drive motor (22) drives the winch (23) to rotate, the two steel wire ropes (52) synchronously control the bending motion of the snake-shaped robotic arm (4) with a single joint and a single degree of freedom.

2. The snake-like robot device based on a hollow Hooke hinge structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, Both the hollow fixed rod (3) and the snake-shaped robotic arm (4) are provided with hollow cavities (6) for the Bowden wire (5) to pass through.

3. The snake-like robot device based on the hollow Hooke hinge structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The serpentine robotic arm (4) includes n hollow serpentine joint segments (41) sequentially installed at the head end of the hollow fixed rod (3), and the drive mechanism (2) controls the n hollow serpentine joint segments (41) to bend independently through the steel wire rope (52).

4. The snake-like robot device based on the hollow Hooke hinge structure according to claim 3, characterized in that, The hollow snake joint segment (41) includes: a transition joint (411) and several body segments (412); the adjacent body segments (412) and the transition joint (411) and body segments (412) are rotatably mounted; One end of the wire rope (52) is wound around the winch (23), and the other end is installed on the nth transition joint (411). The wire rope (52) is threaded through several body sections (412) of the nth section. When the wire rope (52) is pulled, the several body sections (412) and the transition joint (411) rotate and bend relative to each other. One end of the elastic sleeve (51) is installed outside the through hole (25), and the other end is installed on the transition section (411) of the (n-1)th segment.

5. The snake-like robot device based on the hollow Hooke hinge structure according to claim 4, characterized in that, Both the transition section (411) and the body section (412) are provided with rope holes (413) for threading the wire rope (52). The wire rope (52) is threaded into the rope holes (413) to control the adaptive bending of several hollow snake joint segments (41).

6. The snake-like robot device based on the hollow Hooke hinge structure according to claim 4, characterized in that, Circular protrusions (414) for limiting excessive bending are provided between adjacent body segments (412) and between transition segments (411) and body segments (412).

7. The snake-like robot device based on the hollow Hooke hinge structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The winch (23) is provided with two rope fixing holes for fixing the two wire ropes (52) respectively.

8. The snake-like robot device based on the hollow Hooke hinge structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The drive housing (21) is equipped with a stepped mounting base (26) for misaligned installation of the winch (23).

9. The snake-like robot device based on the hollow Hooke hinge structure according to claim 4, characterized in that, The linear feed module (1) includes: a mounting base (11), a feed motor (12) mounted on the side of the mounting base (11), a pulley drive assembly (13) coaxially mounted with the output shaft of the feed motor (12), a transmission screw mounted with the output end of the pulley drive assembly (13), a sliding block mounted on the transmission screw, and a sliding mounting seat (16) mounted on the sliding block. The mounting base (11) has a sliding track (17) installed on top to assist the sliding mounting base (16) in sliding, and the drive mechanism (2) is installed on the sliding mounting base (16).

10. The driving method for the snake robot device based on the hollow Hooke hinge structure according to claim 9, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1. Start the feed motor (12) to control the drive mechanism (2) and the snake-shaped robotic arm (4) to move synchronously in a straight line; S2. Adaptively start the drive motor (22), and the corresponding winch (23) rotates accordingly. The two steel wire ropes (52) wound on the winch (23) in opposite directions are tightened or stretched accordingly. The two steel wire ropes (52) are pulled in and released at the same time, synchronously controlling the bending motion of the snake-shaped robotic arm (4) with a single joint and a single degree of freedom. S3. The wire rope (52) moves within the elastic sleeve (51), pulling the transition joint (411) and the body joint (412) to rotate relative to each other, thereby causing several hollow snake joint segments (41) to adaptively rotate and bend relative to each other.

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