Bionic artificial stomach device based on electrostatic hydraulic drive and application thereof
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202610763298.4
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2026-05-29
- Publication Date
- 2026-08-18
AI Technical Summary
静态模型(如烧杯、离心管、摇床等)仅能模拟胃内的化学环境,完全缺乏对胃壁机械作用的模拟,无法再现“机械-化学耦合”的关键特征,实验结果与体内情况偏差较大
本申请的基于静电液压驱动的仿生人工胃装置实现了连续、分布式的柔性面收缩蠕动,有效替代了传统点接触或分段刚性驱动方式,从根本上改善了胃壁作用力离散、不连续的问题,使胃腔整体变形更加接近真实生理状态。同时,通过阵列式的静电液压驱动单元的协同调控,使柔性仿生胃腔胃壁能够在空间上形成连续传播的面收缩波,在时间上实现平滑过渡与可编程控制,从而更真实地复现人体胃壁的包覆式挤压与蠕动推进过程,为高精度体外胃动力学模拟提供了更接近生理真实的力学环境。
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Figure CN122598519A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This application belongs to the field of bionic medical device technology, and in particular relates to a bionic artificial stomach device based on electrostatic hydraulic drive and its application. Background Technology
[0002] The human stomach is the core organ for food digestion, nutrient release, and drug absorption. Its complex mechanical environment, including the periodic contractions of the stomach wall, peristaltic wave propagation, and the mixing and emptying of contents, plays a decisive role in the digestive process. However, due to ethical restrictions, significant individual variability, and difficulties in real-time observation during in vivo studies, conducting gastric motility research directly in the human body faces numerous obstacles. Therefore, developing an in vitro biomimetic stomach system that can realistically replicate the mechanical behavior and digestive environment of the stomach has become an indispensable experimental tool in the fields of food nutrition science, drug formulation development, and gastrointestinal physiology research. A high-fidelity in vitro artificial stomach model can not only replace or reduce animal experiments but also systematically study the digestive characteristics of different food matrices, drug release kinetics, and pathological mechanisms of gastric diseases under controlled conditions, which has significant scientific and application value for promoting personalized nutrition and precision medicine.
[0003] Based on the degree of simulation of gastric mechanical processes, existing in vitro artificial stomach models can be divided into two categories: static models and dynamic models. Static models (such as beakers, centrifuge tubes, shakers, etc.) can only simulate the chemical environment inside the stomach and completely lack the simulation of the mechanical processes of the stomach wall. They cannot reproduce the key characteristics of "mechanical-chemical coupling," and the experimental results deviate significantly from the in vivo situation.
[0004] While dynamic models incorporate some mechanical action, existing mainstream devices still have significant limitations: the action methods are mostly point or line contact (such as rollers and mechanical probes), making it difficult to achieve continuous, enveloping compression of the chyme by the stomach wall; the peristaltic process is discrete and discontinuous, failing to reproduce the spatially continuous wave-like propulsion formed by the coordinated contraction of smooth muscle; and there is a lack of precise control over the direction, frequency, amplitude, and phase difference of the peristaltic wave propagation. Furthermore, existing dynamic models generally suffer from complex structures, large size, high energy consumption, and high cost, limiting their widespread application.
[0005] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a biomimetic artificial stomach device that can achieve continuous, distributed flexible surface peristalsis with high control precision. Summary of the Invention
[0006] In view of the technical problems existing in the background art, this application provides a bionic artificial stomach device based on electrostatic hydraulic drive and its application. The device can realize continuous, distributed flexible surface contraction and peristalsis, effectively replacing the traditional point contact or segmented rigid drive method.
[0007] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a bionic artificial stomach device based on electrostatic hydraulic drive, including a flexible bionic stomach cavity, a composite peristaltic wave drive module, and a programmable control module; the composite peristaltic wave drive module is arranged on the outside of the flexible bionic stomach cavity and includes several electrostatic hydraulic drive units, a pressure divider system, and a high-voltage converter. The high-voltage converter is used to apply a controllable high-voltage electric field to the electrostatic hydraulic drive units through the pressure divider system to drive the electrostatic hydraulic drive units to generate volume response or interface deformation, thereby driving the corresponding area of the artificial stomach to achieve continuous and distributed surface contraction or surface relaxation movements.
[0008] Specifically, the flexible biomimetic gastric cavity is integrally molded from a flexible elastic material, exhibiting a spindle-shaped, human-stomach-like form, hollow with a smooth and continuous inner wall. In the flexible elastic material, the mass ratio of crosslinking agent to medical-grade silicone rubber is ≤5:100. The gastric cavity wall thickness is 5mm, and the inner wall is a continuously curved surface structure that has been polished to ensure a smooth, protrusion-free surface, thereby avoiding point contact or stress concentration between the gastric cavity and its contents.
[0009] The flexible bionic stomach cavity has an inlet and an outlet at each end for the introduction and discharge of contents. The wall of the flexible bionic stomach cavity serves as a drivable flexible interface, which is tightly coupled to the electrostatic hydraulic drive unit arranged on the outside to receive continuous distributed surface driving force from the composite peristaltic wave drive module. This forms a circumferentially closed and axially advancing contraction wave that propagates continuously from the fundus to the antrum on the outer wall of the stomach cavity, achieving the enveloping compression and transport of the contents.
[0010] The composite peristaltic wave driving module is used to form continuous distributed surface contraction deformation on the flexible bionic gastric cavity outer wall through a high-voltage electrical energy-hydraulic energy conversion mechanism.
[0011] Specifically, the high-voltage converter is used to convert low-voltage electrical signals into a stable high-voltage electric field of 1~10 kV, providing a driving basis for each electrostatic hydraulic drive unit.
[0012] Several electrostatic hydraulic drive units are arranged in a zoned ring array along the fundus, body, and antrum of the flexible bionic stomach cavity. Specifically, the composite peristaltic wave drive module includes 3-5 functional zones arranged axially along the flexible bionic stomach cavity. Each functional zone includes several electrostatic hydraulic drive units arranged at equal intervals circumferentially along the flexible bionic stomach cavity and an electrode layer connecting adjacent electrostatic hydraulic drive units. The effective working area of each electrostatic hydraulic drive unit is 10-20 mm². 2It fits tightly against the flexible, biomimetic outer wall of the stomach cavity to form a continuously covered driving interface. Through a programmable control module, programmable timing control and phase difference adjustment are applied to each electrostatic hydraulic drive unit, causing the electrostatic hydraulic drive units in different areas to contract and recover sequentially. This creates a propulsive peristaltic wave that propagates from the fundus to the antrum in space, while simultaneously generating a circumferential closed contraction, achieving a composite peristaltic mode that couples axial propulsion and circumferential contraction.
[0013] Furthermore, the electrostatic hydraulic drive unit includes a flexible polymer film encapsulation layer and a liquid medium sealed within the flexible polymer film encapsulation layer. The high-voltage electric field output by the high-voltage converter acts on the interface of the flexible polymer film encapsulation layer, generating a controllable volume response or interface deformation, thereby converting electrical energy into mechanical energy output of the flexible biomimetic gastric cavity outer wall via hydraulic energy, forming a non-rigid, continuous distributed surface driving action.
[0014] Furthermore, the programmable control module is electrically connected to the high-voltage converter, the voltage divider system, and each electrostatic hydraulic drive unit, and is used to control the start, stop, action direction, and phase difference of each electrostatic hydraulic drive unit according to a preset timing sequence, so as to generate a composite creep wave with a controllable propagation direction.
[0015] Specifically, the control module includes an STM32 microcontroller development board, an ST-Link hardware debugger, and a computer-based programming unit. The computer-based programming unit uses STM32CubeMX and Keil5 to write programmable control programs, which are then burned onto the STM32 microcontroller development board via the ST-Link hardware debugger to establish a programmable timing control and spatially coupled drive mode.
[0016] The programmable control module is electrically connected to the high-voltage converters of the corresponding electrostatic hydraulic drive units in each partition, enabling independent timing control and phase difference adjustment of three or more electrostatic hydraulic drive units. The multiple electrostatic hydraulic drive units are arranged in a spatially partitioned array to form a drive field. Under timing control, each electrostatic hydraulic drive unit sequentially undergoes contraction deformation, resulting in a smooth and continuous deformation transition between adjacent units without discrete discontinuities. This creates a continuously propagating closed contraction band across the entire flexible biomimetic gastric cavity wall, achieving a transition from discrete point drive to continuous surface field drive.
[0017] The composite peristaltic wave drive module independently adjusts the contraction intensity, contraction timing, and phase difference of each electrostatic hydraulic drive unit through a programmable control module to generate composite peristaltic waves with different frequencies, amplitudes, and propagation directions, simulating gastric motility characteristics under different physiological or pathological conditions.
[0018] Furthermore, there are three functional zones: a first functional zone, a second functional zone, and a third functional zone. The first functional zone corresponds to the fundus of the stomach, and its control parameters are: start-up delay 0s, forward contraction 6s, relaxation 4s, reverse relaxation 6s, and relaxation 4s. The second functional zone corresponds to the body of the stomach, and its control parameters are: start-up delay of 6s relative to the first functional zone. The third functional zone corresponds to the antrum of the stomach, and its control parameters are: start-up delay of 9s relative to the first functional zone. The programmable control module achieves programmable control of the peristaltic waveform, frequency, amplitude, and propagation direction by adjusting the start-up delay time, contraction time, relaxation time, and deformation direction of each electrostatic hydraulic drive unit.
[0019] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide an application of a biomimetic artificial stomach device based on electrostatic hydraulic drive, used to simulate the physiological peristalsis of the human stomach, including the following steps: S1, System Assembly: Assemble and fix the flexible bionic stomach cavity, composite peristaltic wave drive module and programmable control module in the predetermined positions to ensure that each electrostatic hydraulic drive unit is in close contact with the outer wall of the flexible bionic stomach cavity. S2, Parameter Initialization: Turn on the power, set the high voltage output to 1~10 kV, the drive frequency to 0.05~0.2 Hz, set the phase difference of each partition to 1~10 s, and establish the peristaltic propagation timing. S3, Peristalsis Simulation: The starting device, through the programmable control module, sequentially excites each electrostatic hydraulic drive unit in a time sequence, causing the flexible bionic gastric cavity outer wall to produce continuous surface contraction deformation, forming a composite peristaltic wave that propagates from the gastric fundus to the gastric antrum; S4, Status Monitoring and Parameter Adjustment: Real-time recording of peristalsis status; by adjusting voltage amplitude, frequency, or phase difference, the intensity and rhythm of peristalsis are changed to simulate gastric motility characteristics under different physiological or pathological conditions.
[0020] The beneficial effects of this application are: This application presents a biomimetic artificial stomach device based on electrostatic hydraulic drive, which achieves continuous, distributed flexible surface contraction and peristalsis, effectively replacing traditional point contact or segmented rigid drive methods. This fundamentally improves the problem of discrete and discontinuous gastric wall forces, making the overall deformation of the gastric cavity more closely resemble the real physiological state. Simultaneously, through the coordinated control of an array of electrostatic hydraulic drive units, the flexible biomimetic gastric cavity and wall can form continuously propagating surface contraction waves in space, achieving smooth transition and programmable control in time. This more realistically reproduces the enveloping compression and peristaltic propulsion process of the human gastric wall, providing a more physiologically accurate mechanical environment for high-precision in vitro gastric dynamics simulation.
[0021] This application achieves continuous, distributed flexible surface contraction peristalsis, transforming the overall deformation process of the gastric cavity from discrete local effects to a continuous, global drive, thereby significantly improving the uniformity and stability of the gastric wall's action on the contents. This continuous surface contraction mechanism can form an uninterrupted peristaltic wave propagation path in space and achieve smooth transitions in periodic deformation in time, effectively avoiding the abrupt force changes and local disturbances caused by traditional point-contact drives. Simultaneously, this mechanism ensures that the gastric contents are always in a state of enveloping force during propulsion, more closely resembling the mechanical environment within the real stomach, thus improving the physiological relevance and experimental consistency of in vitro digestion simulations.
[0022] This application utilizes continuous, distributed flexible surface contraction and peristalsis to enable each driving region to respond independently and deform collaboratively, avoiding localized rigidity concentration or single-point overload, thereby significantly improving the uniformity of force distribution on the flexible gastric wall.
[0023] This planar shrinkage method makes the deformation transition between adjacent areas smoother, reduces the risk of sudden local stress changes and material fatigue, and improves the stability and reliability of the device during long-term cyclic operation.
[0024] At the level of content contact, local continuous surface driving can create a more uniform enveloping squeezing effect, enhance the mixing and propulsion effect in local areas, thereby improving the consistency of local movement of gastric contents and simulation accuracy.
[0025] This application directly brings precise control, easy operation, and flexible expansion through the STM32 control module and modular design. Through computer programming and burning, it realizes the coordinated control of multiple drive units, which facilitates parameter adjustment and system optimization. Attached Figure Description
[0026] Figure 1 This is a longitudinal cross-sectional schematic diagram of the flexible bionic stomach cavity in this application.
[0027] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the layout of the electrostatic hydraulic drive unit in this application.
[0028] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the working principle of the bionic artificial stomach device based on electrostatic hydraulic drive according to this application.
[0029] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the driving principle of an electrostatic hydraulic drive unit. Detailed Implementation
[0030] The embodiments of the technical solution of this application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. These embodiments are only used to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of this application and are therefore merely examples, and should not be used to limit the scope of protection of this application.
[0031] In the description of the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the technical terms "connection," "coupling," "arrangement," and "fitting" should be interpreted broadly. Specifically, the "connection" or "coupling" between the electrostatic hydraulic drive unit and the flexible biomimetic gastric wall does not refer to traditional rigid fixing or point connection, but rather to a close fit between the drive unit and the gastric wall, forming a continuous surface contact, so that the surface contraction deformation generated by the drive unit can be continuously and uniformly transmitted to the gastric wall. This fit can be a direct contact fit or an indirect fit through a flexible intermediate layer; it can be a physical adsorption fit or an encapsulated integrated structure. For those skilled in the art, without departing from the continuous distributed surface driving principle described in the embodiments of this application, the specific meaning of the above terms in the embodiments of this application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.
[0032] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the following detailed description is provided in conjunction with embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the scope of this application.
[0033] To address the technical problems of discontinuous peristalsis and distorted mechanical action in existing dynamic in vitro artificial stomach models, this application provides a biomimetic artificial stomach device based on electrostatic hydraulic drive. This device achieves continuous, distributed flexible surface contraction and peristalsis, transforming the overall deformation process of the gastric cavity from discrete local action to continuous global drive, thereby significantly improving the uniformity and stability of the gastric wall's action on the contents.
[0034] The biomimetic artificial stomach device based on electrostatic hydraulic drive of this application includes a flexible biomimetic gastric cavity 10, a composite peristaltic wave drive module, and a programmable control module.
[0035] Please see Figures 1 to 4 As shown, in this application, the flexible bionic stomach cavity 10 is integrally molded using a flexible elastic material. The flexible elastic material is a mixture of silicone rubber and a crosslinking agent, with a mass ratio of crosslinking agent to silicone rubber not exceeding 5:100. It is prepared by integral molding using a 3D printed mold.
[0036] The flexible biomimetic stomach cavity 10 is spindle-shaped, resembling the human stomach (e.g. Figure 1 As shown, the wall thickness is precisely controlled to 5mm, and the inner wall is polished to ensure a smooth surface without any contact points or rigid protrusions, thereby avoiding point contact or stress concentration with the contents.
[0037] The flexible bionic stomach cavity 10 is hollow with a smooth and continuous inner wall, and has an inlet 11 and an outlet 12 at both ends for the introduction and discharge of contents. The stomach cavity wall, as a drivable flexible interface, is tightly coupled to the electrostatic hydraulic drive unit arranged on the outside, and receives continuous distributed surface driving force from the electrostatic hydraulic drive unit to form a circumferentially closed and axially advancing contraction wave that propagates continuously from the fundus to the antrum on the outer wall of the flexible bionic stomach cavity 10, thereby realizing the enveloping compression and transport of the contents within the flexible bionic stomach cavity 10.
[0038] The composite peristaltic wave drive module is arranged on the outside of the flexible bionic stomach cavity 10, and includes several electrostatic hydraulic drive units, a pressure divider system and a high-pressure converter.
[0039] Please see Figure 2 As shown in this application, the electrostatic hydraulic drive unit is fixed to the outer wall of the flexible bionic stomach cavity 10 by an insulating support structure (such as PMMA), and is arranged in sections along the gastric fundus 20, gastric body 30, and gastric antrum 40 to ensure that the drive of each area does not interfere with each other.
[0040] In some embodiments, a plurality of electrostatic hydraulic drive units are arranged in a zoned annular array along the gastric fundus 20, gastric body 30 and gastric antrum 40 of the flexible bionic gastric cavity 10.
[0041] Specifically, the composite peristaltic wave driving module includes 3 to 5 functional zones arranged axially along the flexible bionic stomach cavity 10; each functional zone includes several electrostatic hydraulic driving units 51 arranged at equal intervals (5 to 10 mm spacing) circumferentially along the flexible bionic stomach cavity 10 and an electrode layer 52 connecting adjacent electrostatic hydraulic driving units 51, with each electrostatic hydraulic driving unit having an effective working area of 10 to 20 mm². 2 It fits tightly against the outer wall of the flexible bionic stomach cavity 10 to form a continuously covered driving interface.
[0042] For ease of description, the sum of all electrostatic hydraulic drive units 51 will be referred to as the electro-hydraulic drive.
[0043] The electrostatic hydraulic drive unit 51 includes a flexible polymer film encapsulation layer and a liquid medium sealed in the flexible polymer film encapsulation layer.
[0044] The material of the flexible polymer film encapsulation layer is selected from one or more of the following: acrylate dielectric elastomers, silicone rubber dielectric elastomers, polyurethane dielectric elastomers, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film, or polyimide (PI) film.
[0045] The liquid medium is selected from one or more of transformer oil, silicone oil, glycerin, or ionic liquid.
[0046] The electrostatic hydraulic drive unit uses a high-voltage electric field output from a high-voltage converter to act on the interface of a flexible polymer film encapsulation layer, generating a controllable volume response or interface deformation. This converts electrical energy into mechanical energy output through hydraulic energy, forming a non-rigid, continuous, distributed surface driving action.
[0047] Multiple electrostatic hydraulic drive units 51 are arranged in spatial partitions to form an arrayed drive field. Each electrostatic hydraulic drive unit generates contraction deformation in sequence under time control, so that the deformation transition between adjacent electrostatic hydraulic drive units 51 is smooth and continuous without discrete discontinuities, so as to form a continuously propagating closed contraction band in the entire outer wall of the flexible bionic stomach cavity 10, realizing the transformation from discrete point drive to continuous surface field drive.
[0048] The composite peristaltic wave drive module independently adjusts the contraction intensity, contraction timing, and phase difference of each electrostatic hydraulic drive unit through the control module to generate composite peristaltic waves with different frequencies, amplitudes, and propagation directions, simulating the gastric motility characteristics under different physiological or pathological conditions.
[0049] Specifically, the high-voltage converter is used to convert low-voltage electrical signals into a stable high-voltage electric field of 1~10 kV, providing a driving basis for each electrostatic hydraulic drive unit.
[0050] The high-voltage converter is used to apply a controllable high-voltage electric field to the electrostatic hydraulic drive unit through the voltage divider system, so as to drive the electrostatic hydraulic drive unit to generate volume response or interface deformation, thereby driving the corresponding area of the flexible bionic stomach cavity 10 to achieve continuous and distributed surface contraction or surface relaxation movement.
[0051] The programmable control module applies programmable timing control and phase difference adjustment to each electrostatic hydraulic drive unit, causing the electrostatic hydraulic drive units in different areas to contract and recover sequentially, thereby forming a propulsive peristaltic wave that propagates from the gastric fundus to the gastric antrum in space, while simultaneously generating a circumferential closed contraction, realizing a composite peristaltic mode that couples axial propulsion and circumferential contraction.
[0052] Specifically, the programmable control module is electrically connected to the high-voltage converter, the voltage divider system, and each electrostatic hydraulic drive unit. It is used to control the start, stop, direction of action, and phase difference of each electrostatic hydraulic drive unit according to a preset timing sequence, so as to generate a composite creep wave with a controllable propagation direction.
[0053] Specifically, the programmable control module includes an STM32 microcontroller development board, an ST-Link hardware debugger, and a computer-based programming unit. The computer-based programming unit uses STM32CubeMX and Keil5 to write programmable control programs, which are then burned onto the STM32 microcontroller development board via the ST-Link hardware debugger to establish a programmable timing control and spatially coupled drive mode.
[0054] The programmable control module is electrically connected to the high-voltage converter of the electrostatic hydraulic drive unit in each corresponding zone, thereby realizing independent timing control and phase difference adjustment of three or more electrostatic hydraulic drive units.
[0055] In some embodiments, the number of function areas is 3, namely a first function area, a second function area, and a third function area.
[0056] The first functional area corresponds to the fundus of the stomach 20, and its control parameters are: start-up delay 0s, forward contraction 6s, relaxation 4s, reverse relaxation 6s, relaxation 4s; the second functional area corresponds to the body of the stomach 30, and its control parameters are: start-up 6s delayed relative to the first functional area; the third functional area corresponds to the antrum of the stomach 40, and its control parameters are: start-up 9s delayed relative to the first functional area.
[0057] The programmable control module achieves programmable control over the waveform, frequency, amplitude, and propagation direction of gastric peristalsis by adjusting the start-up delay time, contraction time, relaxation time, and deformation direction of each electrostatic hydraulic drive unit.
[0058] The working principle of the bionic artificial stomach device based on electrostatic hydraulic drive in this application is explained below: Please refer to Figure 3 As shown, a test system for a bionic artificial stomach device based on electrostatic hydraulic drive is presented. The system consists of five main units: a host computer control unit, a power supply and high-voltage drive unit, a control and execution unit, a drive and load unit, and a monitoring and data acquisition unit. Multi-device collaborative control is achieved through Modbus communication, and the flexible bionic stomach cavity (electro-hydraulic actuator) is driven by electrostatic hydraulics to produce a peristaltic effect.
[0059] The host computer control unit consists of two laptops, each responsible for different control and data acquisition tasks. The first laptop (Laptop 1, the main control unit) uses a USB-to-Modbus module to configure parameters and send control commands to the adjustable CNC step-down module and the Arduino microcontroller.
[0060] The second laptop (laptop 2, data acquisition terminal): uses another USB to Modbus module to control the camera to acquire and record images of the peristaltic process of the flexible bionic stomach cavity.
[0061] Power supply and high-voltage drive unit: The DC power supply is connected to the adjustable CNC step-down module. This step-down module provides a stable low-voltage power supply to the Arduino microcontroller and relays on the one hand, and a controllable input voltage to the high-voltage module on the other. The high-voltage module receives the voltage and boosts it to provide the high-voltage electrostatic signal required for the electro-hydraulic actuator.
[0062] Control and Execution Unit: The Arduino microcontroller receives control commands from the host computer via the Modbus protocol and outputs control signals to the relay. The relay acts as an execution switch, controlling the power circuit of the high-voltage module to switch on and off according to the control signal, thereby realizing the timing control of the high-voltage module and controlling the start, stop and cycle of the electro-hydraulic actuator.
[0063] Drive and load unit: The electro-hydraulic actuator, as the core drive component of the flexible bionic stomach cavity, receives the electrostatic signal output by the high-voltage module and uses the electrostatic hydraulic effect to drive the flexible bionic stomach cavity to deform and achieve peristaltic movement. At the same time, the electro-hydraulic actuator is connected to the high-voltage meter to monitor the working voltage status at both ends in real time.
[0064] Monitoring and data acquisition unit: A high-voltage meter is connected in parallel across the two ends of the electro-hydraulic drive to collect and feed back drive voltage data in real time to ensure the safety and controllability of the drive process.
[0065] The camera is controlled by the host computer via a USB-to-Modbus module to continuously acquire images of the peristaltic deformation process of the flexible bionic stomach cavity for subsequent peristaltic effect analysis and verification.
[0066] The specific workflow is as follows: First, the main control unit (laptop 1) sets the output voltage of the adjustable CNC step-down module via a USB-to-Modbus module and sends commands such as the peristaltic cycle and frequency to the Arduino microcontroller. A DC power supply powers the step-down module, which outputs two voltages: a low-voltage supply to the Arduino and relays, and an input voltage to the high-voltage module. Then, the Arduino controls the relays to switch on and off according to a preset sequence, causing the high-voltage module to output a high-voltage electrostatic signal to the electro-hydraulic actuator. The electro-hydraulic actuator uses the electrostatic hydraulic effect to drive the flexible bionic stomach cavity to produce periodic deformation, achieving peristaltic movement. Simultaneously, a high-voltage meter monitors the drive voltage in real time to ensure safety, and a camera controlled by another laptop (laptop 2) captures images of the peristaltic process for effect analysis and verification.
[0067] Figure 4 The diagram shows the electrostatic hydraulic drive principle of the cross-section of the flexible bionic stomach cavity 10, illustrating the changes in the stomach cavity morphology under two states: voltage off and voltage on.
[0068] Experiments show that when the driving voltage is off, the electrostatic hydraulic drive unit is not affected by the electric field, and the gastric cavity is in a relaxed state, with the effective flow area at the baseline value (100%). When the electrostatic hydraulic drive voltage is on, the electrostatic hydraulic drive unit undergoes radial contraction under the action of the electric field, squeezing the silicone gastric wall inward and deforming it, causing the effective flow area of the gastric cavity to shrink to approximately 41%. This cross-sectional change directly verifies that the electrostatic hydraulic drive method can achieve controllable contraction of the gastric cavity, thereby simulating the squeezing and transporting functions during the peristalsis of the human stomach.
[0069] System Integration: In this application, the flexible bionic stomach cavity 10, the composite peristaltic wave drive module and the programmable control module are integrated into a single design. This allows the timing control signal issued by the control module to act directly on each electrostatic hydraulic drive unit through a high-voltage converter, thereby driving the outer wall of the flexible bionic stomach cavity 10 to produce continuous deformation. This reduces intermediate mechanical transmission and energy loss links, and improves the response consistency and system stability of continuous, distributed flexible surface contraction and peristalsis.
[0070] The control module and each zone's electrostatic hydraulic drive unit are electrically connected to achieve one-to-one control, enabling independent timing control and phase difference adjustment of the three electrostatic hydraulic drive units. An external DC regulated power supply provides a stable input to the high-voltage converter, and the control terminal can adjust the timing, phase difference, and output intensity of each drive unit in real time, realizing dynamic regulation and visual monitoring of the gastric peristalsis waveform and propulsion rhythm.
[0071] In this application, by arranging arrayed electrostatic hydraulic drive units circumferentially and axially on the outer wall of the flexible bionic stomach cavity 10, and introducing a high-voltage converter inside the high-voltage module to provide a stable driving electric field, continuous planar contraction deformation of the flexible interface is achieved, thereby transforming the traditional point contact drive into a distributed planar drive, and achieving the effect of uniform force on the stomach cavity.
[0072] Meanwhile, by applying timing control and phase difference adjustment to each electrostatic hydraulic drive unit, the drive units in different regions contract and recover sequentially. The contraction deformation propagates continuously along the direction from the gastric fundus to the gastric antrum, forming a stable peristaltic wave. At the same time, a ring-shaped closed contraction is generated in the circumferential direction, realizing a composite peristaltic mode that couples axial propulsion and circumferential contraction, achieving the effect of continuous peristalsis and controllable rhythm.
[0073] In addition, this application adopts a direct drive method of electric energy-hydraulic energy (electric energy is converted into mechanical energy of the flexible bionic gastric cavity outer wall through hydraulic energy), which reduces mechanical transmission links and achieves the effect of high system response consistency and relatively simplified structure.
[0074] This application also provides an application of a biomimetic artificial stomach device based on electrostatic hydraulic drive, used to simulate the physiological peristalsis of the human stomach, including the following steps: S1, System Assembly: According to the aforementioned structural requirements of the bionic artificial stomach device based on electrostatic hydraulic drive, the flexible bionic stomach cavity, the composite peristaltic wave drive module and the programmable control module are assembled and fixed. The electrostatic hydraulic drive unit is fixed to the outer wall of the stomach cavity along the gastric fundus, gastric body and gastric antrum, ensuring tight fit and stable electrical connection, and realizing continuous drive interface.
[0075] S2, parameter initialization: Connect the power supply, set the high voltage output to 1~5 kV, the driving frequency to 0.05~0.1 Hz, and the phase difference between each partition to 1~2 s to establish the peristaltic propagation timing.
[0076] S3, Peristalsis Simulation: The system is started, and the programmable control module sequentially excites each electrostatic hydraulic drive unit according to a time sequence. For example... Figure 3 As shown in the schematic diagram of the working principle, the control flow of this embodiment is as follows: The host computer (laptop 1) sends control commands to the Arduino microcontroller through the USB to Modbus module, setting parameters such as the start-up sequence, action phase difference, and duration of each drive unit; the Arduino microcontroller controls the on / off state of the relay according to the preset commands, thereby driving the high-voltage module to output a periodic high-voltage signal to excite the electrostatic hydraulic drive unit; the DC power supply provides stable power to each unit of the system through the adjustable digital control step-down module, and the high-voltage meter monitors the voltage status of the drive circuit in real time to ensure that the drive process is safe and controllable.
[0077] By coordinating the start-up, stop, direction of action, and phase difference of each electrostatic hydraulic drive unit through the control module, the outer wall of the flexible bionic stomach cavity 10 generates continuous distributed surface contraction deformation, forming a composite peristaltic wave that propagates directionally from the gastric fundus to the gastric antrum, thereby achieving a continuous and controllable flexible surface peristalsis effect and simulating the physiological peristalsis process of the human stomach.
[0078] S4, Status Monitoring: Voltage, frequency, and gastric peristalsis status are recorded every hour to ensure continuous propagation of the contraction wave without any abnormal interruptions.
[0079] Parameter adjustment: If it is necessary to simulate different physiological states, the peristalsis intensity and rhythm can be changed by adjusting the voltage amplitude, frequency or phase difference in the control program, so as to achieve the simulation of different physiological states without adjusting the structure.
[0080] This embodiment demonstrates the practical application effect of the biomimetic artificial stomach device based on electrostatic hydraulic drive in physiological peristalsis simulation.
[0081] The results show that the composite peristaltic waves generated by the system are highly consistent with the physiological characteristics of human gastric peristalsis: the peristaltic frequency is 0.05~0.2 Hz (corresponding to approximately 3~12 per minute of fasting gastric peristalsis), the conduction direction is unidirectional from the fundus to the antrum (consistent with the propagation direction of human gastric peristaltic waves), and the squeezing intensity corresponds to a gastric wall contraction pressure of 45~90 mmHg (matching the physiological pressure range of the human stomach). The above peristaltic frequency, conduction direction, and squeezing intensity all conform to human physiological parameters (the physiological pressure range of the human stomach is 45~90 mmHg).
[0082] Compared to traditional point-contact or segmented driving methods, this system achieves distributed surface driving of a fully flexible interface. The overall deformation of the gastric cavity is continuous and uninterrupted, the internal contents are subjected to more uniform stress, and there are no obvious local compression peaks. Each electrostatic hydraulic drive unit generates contraction deformation sequentially under time-sequenced control, making the deformation transition between adjacent electrostatic hydraulic drive units smooth and continuous without discrete discontinuities. This forms a continuously propagating closed contraction band across the entire outer wall of the flexible biomimetic gastric cavity, realizing the transformation from discrete point driving to continuous surface field driving.
[0083] Experimental results verify that the electrostatic hydraulic drive scheme can effectively realize continuous, distributed flexible surface contraction and peristalsis, solving the problems of discontinuous peristalsis and mechanical distortion in existing dynamic in vitro artificial stomach models, and providing a stable in vitro simulation platform for subsequent experiments such as food digestion characteristic analysis, drug metabolism research, and exploration of gastrointestinal physiological mechanisms.
[0084] Long-term stability test: (1) Operating steps: After assembling the bionic artificial stomach device based on electrostatic hydraulic drive according to the aforementioned structural requirements, the drive parameters were set as follows: high voltage output 10 kV, drive frequency 0.2 Hz, and phase differences of 0s, 6s, and 9s for the gastric fundus (20), gastric body (30), and gastric antrum (40). The system was started and ran continuously for 12 hours. During this period, the gastric wall deformation, the response of the electrostatic hydraulic drive unit, and the content propulsion efficiency were recorded every 2 hours. After the operation, the gastric wall was checked for fatigue damage or deformation attenuation.
[0085] (2) Test results: After 12 hours of continuous operation, the gastric wall deformation remained intact, and the response of each drive unit was stable, with no significant deformation attenuation or fatigue damage. The deformation transition between adjacent electrostatic hydraulic drive units 51 remained smooth and continuous, without any discrete discontinuities. The content propulsion efficiency did not decrease significantly compared to the initial state, verifying that the device of the present invention has good long-term operational stability and reliability.
[0086] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application and within the scope of the bionic artificial stomach device based on electrostatic hydraulic drive disclosed in this application shall be covered within the scope of protection of this application.
Claims
1. A biomimetic artificial stomach device based on electrostatic hydraulic drive, characterized in that, include: The flexible biomimetic stomach cavity is integrally molded from flexible elastic material, and is spindle-shaped like a human stomach, hollow and with a smooth and continuous inner wall. A composite peristaltic wave driving module is arranged on the outside of the flexible bionic stomach cavity, including several electrostatic hydraulic driving units, a pressure dividing system and a high-voltage converter; the high-voltage converter is used to apply a controllable high-voltage electric field to the electrostatic hydraulic driving units through the pressure dividing system to drive the electrostatic hydraulic driving units to generate volume response or interface deformation, so as to drive the corresponding area of the flexible bionic stomach cavity to achieve continuous and distributed surface contraction or surface relaxation movement. The programmable control module is electrically connected to the high-voltage converter, the voltage divider system, and each electrostatic hydraulic drive unit. It is used to control the start, stop, direction of action, and phase difference of each electrostatic hydraulic drive unit according to a preset timing sequence, so as to generate a composite creep wave with a controllable propagation direction.
2. The bionic artificial stomach device based on electrostatic hydraulic drive according to claim 1, characterized in that, Multiple electrostatic hydraulic drive units are arranged in a zoned ring array along the bottom, body and antrum of the flexible bionic stomach cavity, and are closely attached to the outer wall of the flexible bionic stomach cavity to form a continuously covered drive interface. The wall of the flexible bionic stomach cavity serves as a drivable flexible interface, receiving continuous distributed surface driving force from the electrostatic hydraulic drive unit. This forms a circumferentially closed and axially advancing contraction wave that propagates continuously from the fundus to the antrum on the outer wall of the flexible bionic stomach cavity, thereby achieving the enveloping compression and transport of the contents within the flexible bionic stomach cavity.
3. The bionic artificial stomach device based on electrostatic hydraulic drive according to claim 1, characterized in that, The composite peristaltic wave driving module includes 3 to 5 functional areas arranged along the axial direction of the flexible bionic stomach cavity. Each functional area includes several electrostatic hydraulic driving units arranged at equal intervals along the circumference of the flexible bionic stomach cavity and an electrode layer connecting adjacent electrostatic hydraulic driving units.
4. The bionic artificial stomach device based on electrostatic hydraulic drive according to claim 3, characterized in that, The electrostatic hydraulic drive unit includes a flexible polymer film encapsulation layer and a liquid medium sealed within the flexible polymer film encapsulation layer. The electrostatic hydraulic drive unit acts on the interface of the flexible polymer film encapsulation layer through a high-voltage electric field output by a high-voltage converter, generating a controllable volume response or interface deformation, so as to convert electrical energy into mechanical energy output of the flexible biomimetic gastric cavity outer wall via hydraulic energy, forming a non-rigid, continuous distributed surface driving action.
5. The bionic artificial stomach device based on electrostatic hydraulic drive according to claim 3, characterized in that, The effective working area of each electrostatic hydraulic drive unit is 10~20 mm. 2 .
6. The bionic artificial stomach device based on electrostatic hydraulic drive according to claim 1, characterized in that, The wall thickness of the flexible biomimetic stomach cavity is 5 mm.
7. The bionic artificial stomach device based on electrostatic hydraulic drive according to claim 1, characterized in that, The high-voltage converter is used to convert low-voltage electrical signals into a stable high-voltage electric field of 1~10 kV, providing a driving basis for each electrostatic hydraulic drive unit; the programmable control module applies programmable timing control and phase difference adjustment to each electrostatic hydraulic drive unit, so that the electrostatic hydraulic drive units in different regions contract and recover sequentially, so as to form a propulsive peristaltic wave propagating from the gastric fundus to the gastric antrum in space, while generating a ring-shaped closed contraction in the circumferential direction, realizing a composite peristaltic mode coupled with axial propulsion and circumferential contraction.
8. The bionic artificial stomach device based on electrostatic hydraulic drive according to claim 3, characterized in that, The programmable control module is connected one-to-one with the high-voltage converter of the electrostatic hydraulic drive unit in each corresponding partition to perform independent timing control and phase difference adjustment of three or more electrostatic hydraulic drive units; the multiple electrostatic hydraulic drive units are arranged according to spatial partitions to form an arrayed drive field, and each electrostatic hydraulic drive unit generates contraction deformation in sequence under timing control, so that the deformation transition between adjacent electrostatic hydraulic drive units is smooth and continuous without discrete discontinuities, so as to form a continuously propagating closed contraction band throughout the entire outer wall of the flexible bionic stomach cavity, realizing the conversion from discrete point drive to continuous surface field drive; The composite peristaltic wave drive module independently adjusts the contraction intensity, contraction timing, and phase difference of each electrostatic hydraulic drive unit through the control module to generate composite peristaltic waves with different frequencies, amplitudes, and propagation directions, simulating the gastric motility characteristics under different physiological or pathological conditions.
9. The bionic artificial stomach device based on electrostatic hydraulic drive according to claim 8, characterized in that, The number of functional areas is three, namely the first functional area, the second functional area, and the third functional area; the first functional area corresponds to the fundus of the stomach; the second functional area corresponds to the body of the stomach, and its control parameter is: start-up is delayed by 6 seconds relative to the first functional area; the third functional area corresponds to the antrum of the stomach, and its control parameter is: start-up is delayed by 9 seconds relative to the first functional area; the programmable control module realizes programmable control of the peristaltic waveform, frequency, amplitude, and propagation direction of the stomach by adjusting the start-up delay time, contraction time, relaxation time, and contraction direction of each electrostatic hydraulic drive unit.
10. The application of the biomimetic artificial stomach device based on electrostatic hydraulic drive according to any one of claims 1 to 9, used to simulate the physiological peristalsis of the human stomach, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1, System Assembly: Assemble and fix the flexible bionic stomach cavity, composite peristaltic wave drive module and programmable control module in the predetermined positions to ensure that each electrostatic hydraulic drive unit is in close contact with the outer wall of the flexible bionic stomach cavity. S2, Parameter Initialization: Turn on the power, set the high voltage output to 1~10 kV, the drive frequency to 0.05~0.2 Hz, set the phase difference of each partition to 1~10 s, and establish the peristaltic propagation timing. S3, Peristalsis Simulation: The starting device, through the programmable control module, sequentially excites each electrostatic hydraulic drive unit in a time sequence, causing the flexible bionic gastric cavity outer wall to produce continuous surface contraction deformation, forming a composite peristaltic wave that propagates from the gastric fundus to the gastric antrum; S4, Status Monitoring and Parameter Adjustment: Real-time recording of peristalsis status; by adjusting voltage amplitude, frequency, or phase difference, the intensity and rhythm of peristalsis are changed to simulate gastric motility characteristics under different physiological or pathological conditions.