A flexible gripper mimicking the swallowing mechanism of sea anemones for grasping vulnerable deep-sea organisms and its grasping method

Abstract

This invention discloses a flexible gripper and gripping method for grasping vulnerable deep-sea organisms, mimicking the swallowing mechanism of sea anemones. Belonging to the field of deep-sea robotic end effectors, it aims to solve the problems of existing deep-sea vulnerable organism grasping equipment, such as easy mechanical damage to samples, poor fit to irregularly shaped organisms, and insufficient controllability of deformation and tolerance for positional deviations under high pressure and fluid disturbance conditions in the deep sea, leading to low sample retrieval success rates and difficulty in ensuring tissue integrity. The flexible gripper includes a gripping unit, a pressure driving unit, and a whole-machine fixing unit. It adopts independent pressure regulation and driving of upper and lower dual expansion chambers. Pressure difference changes drive the flexible outer wall to achieve sea anemone-like wrapping and axial swallowing feeding, and closed-loop pressure feedback ensures uniform and controllable gripping force. This invention is applicable to scenarios such as grasping marine vulnerable organism samples, biological resource exploration, and marine ecological environment monitoring.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of deep-sea robot end effectors, and specifically relates to a flexible gripper that mimics the swallowing mechanism of sea anemones for grasping vulnerable deep-sea organisms and its grasping method. Background Technology

[0002] With the deepening of marine scientific research, the exploration of deep-sea biological resources and the monitoring of the ecological environment have become important research directions in the field of marine science. Deep-sea vulnerable organisms, such as deep-sea corals, soft-bodied invertebrates, and larvae, live in unique environments and are highly sensitive to external disturbances. The integrity of the sample's tissue structure directly determines the accuracy and reliability of subsequent species classification, ecological analysis, and biological characteristic studies. Therefore, how to achieve non-destructive and stable acquisition of deep-sea vulnerable biological samples is a key technical problem that urgently needs to be solved in the field of marine scientific research equipment.

[0003] Currently, the retrieval of marine biological samples mainly employs traditional rigid gripping equipment and negative pressure adsorption equipment. Rigid gripping equipment relies on the mechanical interlocking of hard materials for grasping, but its high structural rigidity makes precise control of gripping force difficult. When in contact with the organism's surface, it is prone to mechanical damage such as punctures and scratches. Furthermore, it cannot adapt to the irregular shapes of organisms, easily leading to localized stress concentrations and sample breakage. Negative pressure adsorption equipment uses strong suction to adsorb and fix the organism, avoiding rigid contact. However, excessive suction can damage the organism's mucus layer or soft tissue, while insufficient suction results in unstable grasping. Moreover, it struggles to effectively separate organisms attached to complex substrates, leading to a low sample retrieval success rate.

[0004] In recent years, soft robotics technology has gained widespread attention in the manipulation of fragile objects due to the flexibility of its materials. Hydraulically driven flexible grippers, which achieve adaptive shape changes through pressure regulation, have demonstrated their gentle grasping capabilities in fields such as food sorting and medical surgery. However, existing conventional flexible grippers still have many shortcomings in the special conditions of the deep sea: Firstly, the high-pressure environment of the deep sea reduces the controllability of the deformation of flexible materials, making it difficult to precisely adjust the gripping force and ensuring the gentleness of the grasping process. Secondly, most existing flexible grippers use a single-cavity drive structure, resulting in a limited grasping mode, poor fit to irregularly shaped organisms, and susceptibility to seabed fluid disturbances and positioning deviations, leading to sample slippage or grasping failure. Furthermore, most flexible grippers rely on external hydraulic oil supply for their drive systems, resulting in complex structures and poor compatibility with the deep-sea environment, making them difficult to adapt to the integrated application requirements of deep-sea ROVs and underwater robots. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of this, the present invention aims to propose a flexible gripper and gripping method based on the swallowing mechanism of sea anemones for grasping vulnerable deep-sea organisms, in order to solve the problems of existing deep-sea vulnerable organism grasping equipment that easily causes mechanical damage to samples, poor fit to irregularly shaped organisms, and insufficient controllability of deformation and tolerance for positional deviation under deep-sea high pressure and fluid disturbance conditions, which in turn leads to low sample acquisition success rate and difficulty in ensuring tissue integrity.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: a flexible gripper mimicking the swallowing mechanism of sea anemones for grasping fragile deep-sea organisms, comprising a gripping unit, a pressure-driven unit, and a whole-machine fixing unit. The whole-machine fixing unit includes a whole-machine shell, an object channel, and a whole-machine support. The object channel is located in the middle of the whole-machine shell. The whole-machine support is connected to the whole-machine shell by fixing bolts. The gripping unit is mounted on the whole-machine support. The gripping unit includes a flexible outer wall, an upper expansion cavity, and a lower expansion cavity. The upper expansion cavity is mounted on the upper end of the whole-machine support, and the lower expansion cavity is mounted on the lower end of the whole-machine support. At the lower end, the flexible outer wall is entirely wrapped around the upper and lower expansion cavities. The flexible outer wall is connected to the overall support frame. The pressure drive unit includes an external pressure supply device, an upper cavity control circuit, and a lower cavity control circuit. The external pressure supply device is connected to the upper cavity control circuit and the lower cavity control circuit. The upper cavity control circuit is connected to the upper expansion cavity and independently controls the pressurization, pressure holding, and pressure release of the upper expansion cavity. The lower cavity control circuit is connected to the lower expansion cavity and independently controls the pressurization, pressure holding, and pressure release of the lower expansion cavity.

[0007] Furthermore, the upper cavity control circuit includes an upper expansion cavity inlet connector, an upper expansion cavity solenoid valve, an upper expansion cavity proportional valve, and an upper expansion cavity pressure sensor. The main frame has an upper flow channel inlet and an upper flow channel outlet connected to the upper expansion cavity. The upper flow channel inlet is connected to an upper flow channel inlet pipe. The upper expansion cavity inlet connector and the upper expansion cavity solenoid valve are sequentially installed on the upper flow channel inlet pipe along the medium flow direction. The upper expansion cavity inlet connector is connected to the pipe of an external pressure supply device. The upper flow channel outlet is connected to an upper flow channel outlet pipe. The upper expansion cavity proportional valve is installed on the upper flow channel outlet pipe, and its outlet is connected to the external seawater environment. The upper expansion cavity pressure sensor is installed at an opening in the main frame and communicates with the interior of the upper expansion cavity.

[0008] Furthermore, the lower cavity control circuit includes a lower expansion cavity inlet connector, a lower expansion cavity solenoid valve, a lower expansion cavity proportional valve, a lower expansion cavity pressure sensor, and a lower expansion cavity guide plate. The main support frame has a lower flow channel inlet and outlet connected to the lower expansion cavity. The lower expansion cavity guide plate is located at the lower flow channel inlet to form the lower expansion cavity inlet channel. The lower flow channel inlet is connected to the lower flow channel inlet pipe. The lower expansion cavity inlet connector and the lower expansion cavity solenoid valve are sequentially installed on the lower flow channel inlet pipe along the medium flow direction. The lower expansion cavity inlet connector is connected to the pipe of an external pressure supply device. The lower flow channel outlet is connected to the lower flow channel outlet pipe. The lower expansion cavity proportional valve is installed on the lower flow channel outlet pipe, and its outlet is connected to the external seawater environment. The lower expansion cavity pressure sensor is installed at the opening in the main support frame and communicates with the interior of the lower expansion cavity.

[0009] Furthermore, the upper expansion cavity is installed on the upper end of the machine frame via an upper expansion cavity sealing plate. The lower expansion cavity is sealed to the machine frame via a lower expansion cavity sealing plate and a lower expansion cavity O-ring. The flexible outer wall is entirely wrapped around the upper and lower expansion cavities. The flexible outer wall is connected to the machine frame via a lower and upper flexible outer wall sealing plate. The lower expansion cavity guide plate is sealed to the lower end of the machine frame via a lower expansion cavity guide plate sealing gasket.

[0010] Furthermore, the upper expansion cavity sealing plate, lower expansion cavity sealing plate, lower expansion cavity guide plate, flexible outer wall lower sealing plate, and flexible outer wall upper sealing plate are all made of PPS plastic + 25% glass fiber.

[0011] Furthermore, the lower end of the item channel cooperates with the upper end of the machine support to form a fitting gap for the flexible outer wall to deform and slide along the axial direction. The item channel plays a role in separating the upper and lower parts of the flexible outer wall during deformation and sliding.

[0012] Furthermore, methyl silicone oil is filled between the upper expansion cavity and the flexible outer wall, and between the lower expansion cavity and the flexible outer wall.

[0013] Furthermore, the material of the item channel is white PEEK plastic, the material of the upper expansion cavity and the lower expansion cavity is natural latex, and the material of the whole machine bracket is 6061 aluminum alloy.

[0014] Furthermore, the upper and lower expansion cavities have a Shore A hardness of 10-15 degrees when unfilled and a Shore A hardness of 15-25 degrees when filled with media. The flexible outer wall is made of silicone with a Shore A hardness of 40-50 degrees.

[0015] This invention also provides a grasping method for grasping vulnerable deep-sea organisms using a flexible gripper that mimics the swallowing mechanism of sea anemones, comprising the following steps: Step 1: Attach the lower end of the flexible outer wall to the target object, and simultaneously open the upper expansion chamber solenoid valve and the lower expansion chamber solenoid valve. Start the external pressure supply device to pressurize the external seawater and allow it to enter the upper and lower expansion chambers respectively. The upper and lower expansion chambers expand synchronously under equal pressure conditions, driving the flexible outer wall to expand uniformly, so that the middle annular part of the flexible outer wall clamps the target object. Step 2: Keep the upper expansion chamber solenoid valve open, and the external pressure supply device continues to pressurize to push the upper expansion chamber to expand further. Simultaneously close the lower expansion chamber solenoid valve and open the lower expansion chamber proportional valve to connect the lower expansion chamber with the external seawater environment. The continuous expansion of the upper expansion chamber causes the middle part of the flexible outer wall to slide upward. The lower expansion chamber is squeezed by the flexible outer wall and discharges the internal medium through the lower expansion chamber proportional valve. At the same time, a negative feedback regulation loop is constructed based on the detection signal of the lower expansion chamber pressure sensor and the lower expansion chamber proportional valve to control the uniform discharge of the internal medium of the lower expansion chamber and maintain stable clamping of the target object. Step 3: The middle part of the flexible outer wall slides upward, moving the target object to the lower end of the material channel, thus completing the grasping operation of the target object; Step 4: After the grabbing operation is completed, close the upper expansion chamber solenoid valve and open the upper expansion chamber proportional valve. At the same time, close the lower expansion chamber proportional valve and open the lower expansion chamber solenoid valve. Start the external pressure supply device to pressurize, so that the medium enters the lower expansion chamber and expands it, causing the flexible outer wall to move downward and reset.

[0016] Compared with existing technologies, the beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: This invention adopts a working principle similar to that of a sea anemone swallowing, and achieves flexible clamping and adaptive full-wrap fitting of the target object by driving the flexible outer wall to produce regular expansion deformation, which can significantly improve the anti-deviation ability during the grasping process. The flexible outer wall expands regularly under the action of liquid, so that the contact pressure is evenly distributed, which can reduce the risk of damage such as puncture and scratch caused by contact stress and local stress concentration; at the same time, the expansion coverage of the flexible outer wall is large, which can effectively avoid the grasping failure problem caused by positioning error, angle deviation or water flow disturbance during deep-sea operations, thereby meeting the requirements for non-destructive grasping of fragile seabed organisms and completely preserving the tissue structure of biological samples.

[0017] Compared to traditional rigid deep-sea manipulators, this invention employs a flexible outer wall and a dual-expansion cavity structure, eliminating rigid clamping and mechanical impact. It achieves adaptive full-wrap gripping through a gentle approach, avoiding mechanical damage such as compression, puncture, and scratches to fragile organisms, while also preventing disturbance and escape, significantly improving sample retrieval success rates. This invention can adapt to various irregular biological morphologies, including branching, sheet-like, and attached forms, demonstrating strong adaptability. Furthermore, it avoids issues such as rigid mechanism jamming and metal fatigue, making it suitable for harsh deep-sea conditions with high pressure and low temperatures.

[0018] Compared to ordinary single-cavity soft grippers, this invention employs independent pressure regulation and closed-loop feedback drive in upper and lower dual expansion cavities, enabling more precise control of clamping force, envelopment degree, and movement speed. During clamping motion, the pressure difference between the upper and lower cavities drives axial sliding of the middle section of the flexible outer wall, achieving a swallowing-like feeding action similar to that of a sea anemone. Relying on the dual fixation method of the upper and lower cavities, the target can be stably transported inward, exhibiting stronger resistance to water flow disturbance and preventing detachment. The entire device utilizes a specialized sealing and lubrication structure, offering better sealing performance, higher operational stability, higher grasping success rate, and superior environmental adaptability in deep-sea high-pressure and low-temperature environments compared to the soft and hard mechanical combination of ordinary single-cavity soft grippers.

[0019] This invention adopts a direct seawater pressurization drive method, which has a simple structure, is naturally adapted to the deep-sea environment, and does not require an additional hydraulic oil system. At the same time, it can achieve rapid docking and installation with deep-sea ROVs and underwater robots, reducing the integration difficulty and operation and maintenance costs of the equipment, and making it easy to promote and apply in scientific research operations such as deep-sea biological resource exploration and marine ecological environment monitoring. Attached Figure Description

[0020] The accompanying drawings, which form part of this invention, are used to provide a further understanding of the invention. The illustrative embodiments of the invention and their descriptions are used to explain the invention and do not constitute an undue limitation of the invention. In the drawings: Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a flexible gripper that mimics the swallowing mechanism of a sea anemone for grasping vulnerable deep-sea organisms, as described in this invention. Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the upward-view structure of a flexible gripper that mimics the swallowing mechanism of a sea anemone for grasping vulnerable deep-sea organisms, as described in this invention. Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the main structure of the upper and lower expansion cavities described in this invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the initial stage of object grasping using a flexible gripper that mimics the swallowing mechanism of a sea anemone for grasping fragile deep-sea organisms, as described in this invention. Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a flexible gripper with a sea anemone-like swallowing mechanism for grasping and swallowing objects, as described in this invention. Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the internal channel connection of a flexible gripper with an anemone-like swallowing mechanism for grasping vulnerable deep-sea organisms, as described in this invention. Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the connection structure between a flexible gripper mimicking the swallowing mechanism of a sea anemone for grasping vulnerable deep-sea organisms and a deep-sea ROV underwater robot, as described in this invention. Figure 8 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the upper expansion cavity and the lower expansion cavity described in this invention; Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of a three-dimensional flexible gripper with an anemone-like swallowing mechanism for grasping vulnerable deep-sea organisms, as described in this invention.

[0021] In the picture: 1-Main casing, 2-Item passage, 3-Flexible outer wall, 4-Upper expansion cavity sealing plate, 5-Lower expansion cavity O-ring, 6-Lower expansion cavity sealing plate, 7-Upper expansion cavity, 8-Lower expansion cavity guide plate, 9-Flexible outer wall lower sealing plate, 10-Flexible outer wall upper sealing plate, 11-Lower expansion cavity guide plate sealing gasket, 12-Lower expansion cavity solenoid valve, 13-Main frame, 14-Lower expansion cavity, 15-Lower expansion cavity proportional valve, 16-Lower expansion cavity pressure sensor, 17-Lower expansion cavity inlet connector, 18-Upper expansion cavity inlet connector, 19-Upper expansion cavity solenoid valve, 20-Upper expansion cavity proportional valve, 21-Upper expansion cavity pressure sensor, 22-Target grasped object. Detailed Implementation

[0022] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features in the embodiments of the present invention can be combined with each other, and the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments.

[0023] See Figure 1-9This embodiment describes a flexible gripper with a sea anemone-like swallowing mechanism for grasping vulnerable deep-sea organisms. It includes a gripping unit, a pressure-driven unit, and a mounting unit. The mounting unit includes a housing 1, an object channel 2, and a support frame 13. The object channel 2 is located in the middle of the housing 1. The support frame 13 is connected to the housing 1 by fixing bolts. The support frame 13 also has docking points for docking with deep-sea ROVs and underwater robot end effectors, enabling rapid integration of the flexible gripper with underwater operating platforms. The gripping unit, mounted on the support frame 13, includes a flexible outer wall 3, an upper expansion cavity 7, and a lower expansion cavity 14. The upper expansion cavity 7 is mounted at the upper end of the support frame 13, and the lower expansion cavity 14 is mounted at the lower end. The flexible outer wall 3 completely encloses the upper and lower expansion cavities 7 and 14. The flexible outer wall 3 is connected to the support frame 13 via a lower sealing plate 9 and an upper sealing plate 10. The pressure drive unit includes an external pressure supply device, an upper cavity control circuit, and a lower cavity control circuit. The external pressure supply device is connected to the upper cavity control circuit and the lower cavity control circuit. The upper cavity control circuit is connected to the upper expansion cavity 7 and independently controls the pressurization, pressure holding, and pressure release of the upper expansion cavity 7. The lower cavity control circuit is connected to the lower expansion cavity 14 and independently controls the pressurization, pressure holding, and pressure release of the lower expansion cavity 14.

[0024] The upper expansion cavity 7 is mounted on the upper end of the machine support 13 via an upper expansion cavity sealing plate 4. The upper expansion cavity sealing plate 4 is bolted to the machine support 13 to seal the upper expansion cavity 7. The lower expansion cavity 14 is connected to the machine support 13 via a lower expansion cavity sealing plate 6 and a lower expansion cavity O-ring 5. The lower expansion cavity sealing plate 6 and the lower expansion cavity O-ring 5 are bolted to the machine support 13 to seal the lower expansion cavity 14. Similarly, the flexible outer wall lower sealing plate 9 and the flexible outer wall upper sealing plate 10 are bolted to the machine support 13 to seal the flexible outer wall 3. Methyl silicone oil is filled between the upper expansion cavity 7 and the flexible outer wall 3, and between the lower expansion cavity 14 and the flexible outer wall 3, to achieve lubrication and drag reduction between the expansion cavity and the flexible outer wall 3 during movement, ensuring smooth deformation and sliding of the flexible outer wall 3.

[0025] The upper cavity control circuit of the pressure drive unit includes an upper expansion cavity inlet connector 18, an upper expansion cavity solenoid valve 19, an upper expansion cavity proportional valve 20, and an upper expansion cavity pressure sensor 21. The main support 13 has an upper flow channel inlet and an upper flow channel outlet that communicate with the upper expansion cavity 7. The upper flow channel inlet is connected to the upper flow channel inlet pipeline. The upper expansion cavity inlet connector 18 and the upper expansion cavity solenoid valve 19 are installed sequentially on the upper flow channel inlet pipeline along the medium flow direction. The upper expansion cavity inlet connector 18 is connected to the pipeline of the external pressure supply device. The upper flow channel outlet is connected to the upper flow channel outlet pipeline. The upper expansion cavity proportional valve 20 is installed on the upper flow channel outlet pipeline. The outlet of the upper expansion cavity proportional valve 20 is connected to the external seawater environment. The upper expansion cavity pressure sensor 21 is installed at the opening of the main support 13 and communicates with the inside of the upper expansion cavity 7 to monitor the internal pressure of the upper expansion cavity 7 in real time. The lower cavity control circuit includes a lower expansion cavity inlet connector 17, a lower expansion cavity solenoid valve 12, a lower expansion cavity proportional valve 15, a lower expansion cavity pressure sensor 16, and a lower expansion cavity guide plate 8. The main support 13 has a lower flow channel inlet and outlet connected to the lower expansion cavity 14. Due to the difficulty in machining the internal flow channel of the main support 13, the lower expansion cavity 14 inlet flow channel is set through the lower expansion cavity guide plate 8. The lower expansion cavity guide plate 8 is sealed to the lower end of the main support 13 through a lower expansion cavity guide plate sealing gasket 11. The lower flow channel inlet and the lower flow channel inlet pipe... The lower expansion chamber inlet connector 17 and the lower expansion chamber solenoid valve 12 are sequentially installed on the lower flow channel inlet pipe along the medium flow direction. The lower expansion chamber inlet connector 17 is connected to the pipeline of the external pressure supply device. The lower flow channel outlet is connected to the lower flow channel outlet pipe. The lower expansion chamber proportional valve 15 is installed on the lower flow channel outlet pipe, and the outlet of the lower expansion chamber proportional valve 15 is connected to the external seawater environment. The lower expansion chamber pressure sensor 16 is installed at the opening of the whole machine bracket 13 and is connected to the inside of the lower expansion chamber 14 for real-time monitoring of the internal pressure of the lower expansion chamber 14. The external pressure supply device uses external seawater as the pressure medium to pressurize the upper expansion chamber 7 and the lower expansion chamber 14 respectively, thereby adjusting the corresponding deformation action.

[0026] In this embodiment, all core components are made of special materials adapted to deep-sea high pressure and seawater corrosion conditions. The upper expansion cavity 7 and lower expansion cavity 14 are both made of natural latex, with a Shore A hardness of 10-15 degrees when unfilled and 15-25 degrees when filled with media. The flexible outer wall 3 is made of silicone, with a Shore A hardness of 40-50 degrees, exhibiting small deformation and relatively stable hardness during operation. The upper expansion cavity sealing plate 4, lower expansion cavity sealing plate 6, lower expansion cavity guide plate 8, flexible outer wall lower sealing plate 9, and flexible outer wall upper sealing plate 10 are all made of PP. S plastic + 25% glass fiber has the characteristics of seawater resistance, high pressure resistance and creep resistance, and can effectively adapt to the seawater medium and high pressure environment inside the structure. The whole machine bracket 13 is made of 6061 aluminum alloy, which supports and seals the flexible outer wall 3, upper expansion cavity 7 and lower expansion cavity 14. The material of the item channel 2 is white PEEK plastic. The lower end of the item channel 2 cooperates with the upper end of the whole machine bracket 13 to form a fitting gap for the flexible outer wall 3 to deform and slide along the axis. The item channel 2 plays a role in separating the upper and lower parts of the flexible outer wall 3 to ensure that the upper and lower cavities work independently.

[0027] The specific working process of this flexible gripper that mimics the swallowing mechanism of sea anemones for grasping vulnerable deep-sea organisms is as follows: First, the lower end of the flexible outer wall 3 is attached to the target object 22. At the same time, the upper expansion cavity solenoid valve 19 and the lower expansion cavity solenoid valve 12 are opened, and the external pressure supply device is activated. After the external seawater is pressurized, it enters the upper expansion cavity 7 and the lower expansion cavity 14 respectively. The upper expansion cavity 7 and the lower expansion cavity 14 expand synchronously under the same pressure conditions, driving the flexible outer wall 3 to expand uniformly, so that the middle annular part of the flexible outer wall 3 clamps the target object 22. After the annular portion of the flexible outer wall 3 clamps the target object 22, the upper expansion chamber solenoid valve 19 remains open. The external pressure supply device continuously pressurizes to further expand the upper expansion chamber 7. Simultaneously, the lower expansion chamber solenoid valve 12 is closed, and the lower expansion chamber proportional valve 15 is opened, connecting the lower expansion chamber 14 to the external seawater environment. The continuous expansion of the upper expansion chamber 7 causes the middle portion of the flexible outer wall 3 to slide upward. The lower expansion chamber 14, under the pressure of the flexible outer wall 3, discharges the internal medium through the lower expansion chamber proportional valve 15. At the same time, a negative feedback regulation loop is constructed based on the detection signal of the lower expansion chamber pressure sensor 16 and the lower expansion chamber proportional valve 15 to control the uniform discharge of the internal medium of the lower expansion chamber 14, maintaining stable clamping of the target object 22. As the middle portion of the flexible outer wall 3 continues to slide upward, the target object 22 moves to the lower end of the item channel 2, completing the grasping operation of the target object 22. After the gripping operation is completed, the upper expansion chamber solenoid valve 19 is closed and the upper expansion chamber proportional valve 20 is opened. At the same time, the lower expansion chamber proportional valve 15 is closed and the lower expansion chamber solenoid valve 12 is opened. The external pressure supply device is started to pressurize, so that the medium enters the lower expansion chamber 14 and expands, driving the flexible outer wall 3 to move downward and reset, preparing for the next gripping operation.

[0028] The specific embodiments of the present invention disclosed above are merely illustrative of the invention. These embodiments do not exhaustively describe all details, nor do they limit the invention to the specific embodiments described. Many modifications and variations can be made based on the content of this specification. This specification selects and specifically describes these embodiments to better explain the principles and practical applications of the invention, thereby enabling those skilled in the art to better understand and utilize the invention.

Claims

1. A flexible gripper mimicking the swallowing mechanism of sea anemones for grasping vulnerable deep-sea organisms, characterized in that: It includes a gripping unit, a pressure driving unit, and a whole-machine fixing unit. The whole-machine fixing unit includes a whole-machine shell (1), an item channel (2), and a whole-machine bracket (13). The item channel (2) is located in the middle of the whole-machine shell (1). The whole-machine bracket (13) is connected to the whole-machine shell (1) by fixing bolts. The gripping unit is installed on the whole-machine bracket (13). The gripping unit includes a flexible outer wall (3), an upper expansion cavity (7), and a lower expansion cavity (14). The upper expansion cavity (7) is installed at the upper end of the whole-machine bracket (13), and the lower expansion cavity (14) is installed at the lower end of the whole-machine bracket (13). The flexible outer wall (3) The entire structure is wrapped around the upper expansion cavity (7) and the lower expansion cavity (14). The flexible outer wall (3) is connected to the whole machine bracket (13). The pressure drive unit includes an external pressure supply device, an upper cavity control circuit and a lower cavity control circuit. The external pressure supply device is connected to the upper cavity control circuit and the lower cavity control circuit. The upper cavity control circuit is connected to the upper expansion cavity (7). The upper cavity control circuit independently controls the pressurization, pressure holding and pressure release of the upper expansion cavity (7). The lower cavity control circuit is connected to the lower expansion cavity (14). The lower cavity control circuit independently controls the pressurization, pressure holding and pressure release of the lower expansion cavity (14).

2. The flexible gripper for grasping vulnerable deep-sea organisms, mimicking the swallowing mechanism of sea anemones, as described in claim 1, is characterized in that: The upper cavity control circuit includes an upper expansion cavity inlet connector (18), an upper expansion cavity solenoid valve (19), an upper expansion cavity proportional valve (20), and an upper expansion cavity pressure sensor (21). The machine support (13) has an upper flow channel inlet and an upper flow channel outlet that communicate with the upper expansion cavity (7). The upper flow channel inlet is connected to the upper flow channel inlet pipeline. The upper expansion cavity inlet connector (18) and the upper expansion cavity solenoid valve (19) are installed sequentially on the upper flow channel inlet pipeline along the medium flow direction. The upper expansion cavity inlet connector (18) is connected to the pipeline of the external pressure supply device. The upper flow channel outlet is connected to the upper flow channel outlet pipeline. The upper expansion cavity proportional valve (20) is installed on the upper flow channel outlet pipeline. The outlet of the upper expansion cavity proportional valve (20) is connected to the external seawater environment. The upper expansion cavity pressure sensor (21) is installed at the opening of the machine support (13) and communicates with the interior of the upper expansion cavity (7).

3. The flexible gripper for grasping vulnerable deep-sea organisms, mimicking the swallowing mechanism of sea anemones, as described in claim 2, is characterized in that: The lower cavity control circuit includes a lower expansion cavity inlet connector (17), a lower expansion cavity solenoid valve (12), a lower expansion cavity proportional valve (15), a lower expansion cavity pressure sensor (16), and a lower expansion cavity guide plate (8). The machine bracket (13) has a lower flow channel inlet and a lower flow channel outlet connected to the lower expansion cavity (14). The lower expansion cavity guide plate (8) is located at the lower flow channel inlet to form the inlet flow channel of the lower expansion cavity (14). The lower flow channel inlet is connected to the lower flow channel inlet pipe. The head (17) and the lower expansion chamber solenoid valve (12) are installed sequentially on the lower flow channel inlet pipe along the medium flow direction. The lower expansion chamber inlet connector (17) is connected to the pipeline of the external pressure supply device. The lower flow channel outlet is connected to the lower flow channel outlet pipeline. The lower expansion chamber proportional valve (15) is installed on the lower flow channel outlet pipeline. The outlet of the lower expansion chamber proportional valve (15) is connected to the external seawater environment. The lower expansion chamber pressure sensor (16) is installed at the opening of the whole machine bracket (13) and is connected to the inside of the lower expansion chamber (14).

4. The flexible gripper for grasping vulnerable deep-sea organisms, mimicking the swallowing mechanism of sea anemones, as described in claim 3, is characterized in that: The upper expansion cavity (7) is installed on the upper end of the whole machine bracket (13) through the upper expansion cavity sealing plate (4). The lower expansion cavity (14) is connected to the whole machine bracket (13) by the lower expansion cavity sealing plate (6) and the lower expansion cavity O-ring (5). The flexible outer wall (3) is completely wrapped around the outside of the upper expansion cavity (7) and the lower expansion cavity (14). The flexible outer wall (3) is connected to the whole machine bracket (13) through the flexible outer wall lower sealing plate (9) and the flexible outer wall upper sealing plate (10). The lower expansion cavity guide plate (8) is sealed to the lower end of the whole machine bracket (13) through the lower expansion cavity guide plate sealing gasket (11).

5. A flexible gripper mimicking the swallowing mechanism of sea anemones for grasping vulnerable deep-sea organisms according to claim 4, characterized in that: The materials of the upper expansion cavity sealing plate (4), lower expansion cavity sealing plate (6), lower expansion cavity guide plate (8), flexible outer wall lower sealing plate (9), and flexible outer wall upper sealing plate (10) are all PPS plastic + 25% glass fiber.

6. The flexible gripper for grasping vulnerable deep-sea organisms, mimicking the swallowing mechanism of sea anemones, as described in claim 1, is characterized in that: The lower end of the item channel (2) and the upper end of the whole machine bracket (13) cooperate with each other to form a fitting gap for the flexible outer wall (3) to deform and slide along the axial direction. The item channel (2) plays a role in separating the upper and lower parts of the flexible outer wall (3) during deformation and sliding.

7. The flexible gripper for grasping vulnerable deep-sea organisms, mimicking the swallowing mechanism of sea anemones, as described in claim 1, is characterized in that: The space between the upper expansion cavity (7) and the flexible outer wall (3), and the space between the lower expansion cavity (14) and the flexible outer wall (3) are filled with methyl silicone oil.

8. The flexible gripper for grasping vulnerable deep-sea organisms, mimicking the swallowing mechanism of sea anemones, as described in claim 1, is characterized in that: The material of the item channel (2) is white PEEK plastic, the material of the upper expansion cavity (7) and the lower expansion cavity (14) is natural latex, and the material of the whole machine bracket (13) is 6061 aluminum alloy.

9. A flexible gripper mimicking the swallowing mechanism of sea anemones for grasping vulnerable deep-sea organisms according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper expansion cavity (7) and the lower expansion cavity (14) have a Shore A10-15 hardness when not filled with a medium and a Shore A15-25 hardness when filled with a medium. The flexible outer wall (3) is made of silicone and has a Shore A40-50 hardness.

10. A grasping method for a flexible gripper mimicking the swallowing mechanism of sea anemones for grasping vulnerable deep-sea organisms as described in claim 1, characterized in that: It includes the following steps: Step 1: Place the lower end of the flexible outer wall (3) against the target object (22), and simultaneously open the upper expansion chamber solenoid valve (19) and the lower expansion chamber solenoid valve (12) to start the external pressure supply device, so that the external seawater is pressurized and enters the upper expansion chamber (7) and the lower expansion chamber (14) respectively. The upper expansion chamber (7) and the lower expansion chamber (14) expand synchronously under the same pressure conditions, driving the flexible outer wall (3) to expand evenly, so that the middle annular part of the flexible outer wall (3) clamps the target object (22). Step 2: Keep the upper expansion chamber solenoid valve (19) open, and the external pressure supply device continues to pressurize to push the upper expansion chamber (7) to expand further. At the same time, close the lower expansion chamber solenoid valve (12) and open the lower expansion chamber proportional valve (15) to connect the lower expansion chamber (14) with the external seawater environment. The continuous expansion of the upper expansion chamber (7) causes the middle part of the flexible outer wall (3) to slide upward. The lower expansion chamber (14) is squeezed by the flexible outer wall (3) and discharges the internal medium through the lower expansion chamber proportional valve (15). At the same time, based on the detection signal of the lower expansion chamber pressure sensor (16) and the lower expansion chamber proportional valve (15), a negative feedback regulation loop is constructed to control the uniform discharge of the internal medium of the lower expansion chamber (14) and maintain the stable clamping of the target object (22). Step 3: The middle part of the flexible outer wall (3) slides upward, driving the target object (22) to move to the lower end of the item channel (2), completing the grabbing operation of the target object (22); Step 4: After the grabbing operation is completed, close the upper expansion chamber solenoid valve (19) and open the upper expansion chamber proportional valve (20). At the same time, close the lower expansion chamber proportional valve (15) and open the lower expansion chamber solenoid valve (12). Start the external pressure supply device to pressurize, so that the medium enters the lower expansion chamber (14) and expands, driving the flexible outer wall (3) to move downward and reset.

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