Flexible soft valve based on bistable mechanical structure valve plate

Abstract

The utility model provides a flexible soft valve based on a bistable mechanical structure valve plate. The flexible soft valve comprises a shell, a first control air bag, a second control air bag, a first circulation kinking pipe, a second circulation kinking pipe, a plate penetrating connector and a driving valve plate. According to the flexible soft valve provided by the utility model, logic control can be formed, that is, the states of the first circulation kink pipe and the second circulation kink pipe are always opposite, and the first circulation kink pipe and the second circulation kink pipe can exist stably; meanwhile, an air outlet of the first circulation kinking pipe is communicated with the second control air bag or an air outlet of the second circulation kinking pipe is communicated with the first control air bag, so that the response switch based on the external soft robot is formed, and the application is flexible and wide; meanwhile, the symmetry and the stability of the driving valve plate are better than those of other silicon rubber in a jumping state.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of soft robots, in particular to a flexible soft valve based on a bistable mechanical structure valve sheet. Background Art

[0002] Existing pneumatic soft robots rely on electronic components and hard valves for motion control. These components typically have high rigidity, mass, and size, resulting in poor compatibility with soft materials. This also reduces the soft robot's compliance and adaptability to the environment. Therefore, the development of compliant control valves (flexible soft valves) has become a research hotspot.

[0003] At the same time, for multi-cavity soft robots, multiple pressure sources are usually required for control, which results in the overall size of the soft robot being large and the control being cumbersome. Its complicated pipelines will greatly limit the development of small, micro, integrated soft robots.

[0004] In addition, the existing flexible soft valve uses a fluid logic circuit composed of silicone bistable state, which is unstable during operation and when maintaining different states. The parameter adjustment of the silicone bistable valve plate in the manufacturing process is relatively cumbersome, and it is difficult to achieve adaptability in different sizes. Utility Model Content

[0005] The purpose of the utility model is to provide a flexible soft valve to further improve the flexibility and adaptability of a pneumatic soft robot in response to the deficiencies in the above-mentioned background technology.

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the utility model provides a flexible soft valve based on a bistable mechanical structure valve plate, comprising a housing, a first control airbag, a second control airbag, a first flow kink tube, a second flow kink tube, a through-plate joint, and a driving valve plate;

[0007] The first control airbag, the second control airbag, the first circulation kink tube, and the second circulation kink tube are all arranged in the inner cavity of the shell. The said penetration plate joints are provided in two pairs, namely the first penetration plate joint and the second penetration plate joint. The first penetration plate joint and the second penetration plate joint are both provided on the shell and communicate with the inner and outer sides of the shell. The air inlet and the air outlet of the first circulation kink tube are respectively communicated with the two first penetration plate joints, and the air inlet and the air outlet of the second circulation kink tube are respectively communicated with the two second penetration plate joints.

[0008] The fixed end of the driving valve plate is connected to the housing. The driving valve plate switches its state through the deformation of the first control airbag and the second control airbag to connect or close the first circulation kink tube and the second circulation kink tube.

[0009] Furthermore, it also includes a cover plate, which is arranged on one side of the shell and is detachably connected to the shell.

[0010] Furthermore, the driving valve plate is an elastic thin-sheet beam, and the elastic thin-sheet beam has bistable and jump characteristics.

[0011] Furthermore, the first control airbag and the first circulation kink tube are arranged at the upper part of the shell, the second control airbag and the second circulation kink tube are arranged at the lower part of the shell, the driving valve plate is connected to the mounting slot on the shell, and the mounting slot is arranged at the symmetrical surface position of the shell.

[0012] Furthermore, the first circulation kinked tube and the second circulation kinked tube are both flexible and bendable hoses, and the first circulation kinked tube and the second circulation kinked tube are both pre-bent into a U shape.

[0013] Furthermore, the air inlet of the first circulation kinked tube and the air inlet of the second circulation kinked tube are connected to the same air source.

[0014] Furthermore, the air outlet of the first circulation kink tube is connected in series with the external soft robot and the second control airbag, and the air inlet of the first circulation kink tube is connected to the air source.

[0015] The above solution of the utility model has the following beneficial effects:

[0016] The flexible soft valve based on the bistable mechanical structure valve plate provided by the utility model can form a logical control through the arrangement of the first control airbag, the second control airbag, the first circulation kink tube, the second circulation kink tube, the driving valve plate, etc., that is, the states of the first circulation kink tube and the second circulation kink tube are always opposite, and these two states can exist stably. At the same time, the air outlet of the first circulation kink tube can be connected to the second control airbag, or the air outlet of the second circulation kink tube can be connected to the first control airbag, forming a response switch based on an external soft robot, which has flexible and wide applications.

[0017] The driving valve disc in the utility model has better symmetry and stability in the jumping state than other silicone rubbers, and has the characteristics of high strength, light weight, and energy saving. In addition, the driving valve disc is simple to manufacture. The operating space of the driving valve disc can determine the volume of the shell, and then the overall size of the driving valve disc can be reversed by the environmental space. The correlation of size and structure simplifies the design process.

[0018] Other beneficial effects of the present invention will be described in detail in the subsequent specific implementation section. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the utility model;

[0020] Figure 2 This is another schematic diagram of the internal structure of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the utility model;

[0022] Figure 4 This is a state transition diagram of the present utility model.

[0023] [Description of Reference Numerals]

[0024] 1-housing; 2-cover plate; 3-first control airbag; 4-second control airbag; 5-first circulation kink tube; 6-second circulation kink tube; 7-first through-plate connector; 8-second through-plate connector; 9-drive valve plate; 10-installation slot. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] In order to make the technical problems, technical solutions and advantages to be solved by the present invention clearer, the following will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. Obviously, the embodiments described are part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention. In addition, the technical features involved in the different embodiments of the present invention described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0026] In the description of this utility model, it should be noted that the terms "center," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicating positions or relationships, are based on the positions or relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are intended solely to facilitate the description of this utility model and simplify the description. They do not indicate or imply that the devices or components referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed, or operate in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this utility model. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0027] In the description of this utility model, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, they may refer to a locking connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they may refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they may refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they may refer to internal communication between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in this utility model based on the specific circumstances.

[0028] As shown Figure 1-Figure 3 in the figure, an embodiment of the present utility model provides a flexible soft valve based on a bistable mechanical structure valve sheet, including a housing 1, a cover plate 2, a first control airbag 3, a second control airbag 4, a first flow kink tube 5, a second flow kink tube 6, a through-plate joint, and a driving valve sheet 9. Among them, the cover plate 2 and one side of the housing 1 are detachably connected by bolts (or by bonding) to seal the inner cavity of the entire housing 1, and the cover plate 2 can be opened when maintenance is required. The first control airbag 3 and the second control airbag 4 are fixed in the inner cavity of the housing 1 through the installation openings on the housing 1. The first flow kink tube 5 and the second flow kink tube 6 are both arranged in the inner cavity of the housing 1. Two pairs of through-plate joints are provided, namely the first through-plate joint 7 and the second through-plate joint 8, both of which are arranged on the housing 1 and penetrate through the housing 1 to connect the inside and outside of the housing 1. Among them, the inlet and outlet of the first flow kink tube 5 are respectively connected to the two first through-plate joints 7 in the inner cavity of the housing, and the inlet and outlet of the second flow kink tube 6 are respectively connected to the two second through-plate joints 8 in the inner cavity of the housing 1. It should be noted that the cavities of the flow kink tube and the control airbag are isolated from each other, which can reduce the interaction of fluids and can also achieve the control of gas on other fluids, etc.

[0029] The driving valve sheet 9 is an elastic thin plate beam, and its size design can be adjusted according to the space of the inner cavity. When installed, the fixed end of the driving valve sheet 9 is installed in the installation slot 10 of the housing 1. Among them, the driving valve sheet 9 switches its state through the deformation of the two control airbags. At the same time, the driving valve sheet 9 can adjust its own material and thickness to control the pressure for state change, thereby affecting the pressure of the driving airbag.

[0030] As a preferred embodiment, in this embodiment, the cross-section of the driving valve sheet 9 is set to a "匚" shape, and at the same time, the entire elastic thin plate beam buckles laterally. The structure formed by this lateral buckling has bistable and snap-through characteristics. Therefore, in the normal state, the driving valve sheet 9 is bent upward (or downward). When the air pressure of the corresponding control airbag is greater than the snap-through air pressure, the driving valve sheet 9 will snap through to bend downward (or upward) and remain stable. As a preferred embodiment, in this embodiment, the installation slot 10 is arranged at the symmetry plane position of the housing 1 so that the installed driving valve sheet ⑨ is also in the symmetry position of the entire flexible soft valve. Therefore, the two stable states of the driving valve sheet 9 are also symmetric, and the symmetry and stability are better than those of other silicone rubber snap-through states.

[0031] In this embodiment, the first circulation kink tube 5 and the second circulation kink tube 6 are both bent into a U-shape. The two ends of the first circulation kink tube 5 are respectively connected to two first through-plate connectors 7, and the two ends of the second circulation kink tube 6 are respectively connected to two second through-plate connectors 8. The first through-plate connectors 7 and the second through-plate connectors 8 are used to connect to an external air source or an actuator end, and can also be connected to a control airbag. Among them, the first circulation kink tube 5 and the second circulation kink tube 6 are both elastic and bendable hoses. Based on their pre-bent U-shape, they can completely block the flow when further bent to a certain degree. It is understandable that the spacing between the two first through-plate connectors 7 is required to ensure that the first circulation kink tube 5 is not blocked when bent into a U-shape, and the same is true for the spacing between the two second through-plate connectors 8.

[0032] It is worth mentioning that the housing 1 and cover 2 in this embodiment can be manufactured using 3D printing. 3D printing can shorten the production cycle, reduce design and manufacturing costs, and improve dimensional accuracy. Of course, the cover 2 can also be directly made of a transparent plate of a certain thickness to facilitate observation of the internal conditions.

[0033] One application of the flexible soft valve provided in this embodiment is to connect the air inlet of the first circulation kink tube 5 and the air inlet of the second circulation kink tube 6 to the same air source. Figure 1 As shown in the figure, at this time, the outlet of the first circulation kink tube 5 is closed due to the pressure of the driving valve plate 9, and this state is logic 0. The outlet of the second circulation kink tube 6 is open, and this state is logic 1. Therefore, the state of the entire flexible soft valve is 0-1. When the first control airbag 3 is inflated to expand, the driving valve plate 9 is pushed down to press the second circulation kink tube 6 to close. At this time, the state is as follows: Figure 4 As shown, the outlet of the first circulation kink tube 5 is open due to the release of the driving valve plate 9, which is a logical 1. The outlet of the second circulation kink tube 6 is closed due to the pressure of the driving valve plate 9, which is a logical 0. Therefore, the state of the entire flexible valve is now 1-0. This combination of 0-1 and 1-0 state switching is different from the single 0-1 switching. It can effectively provide logical drive for the combined soft robot, forming a stable and controllable control form.

[0034] Another application is to use the flexible valve as a response switch for an external soft robot. Figure 4As shown, the air outlet of the first circulation kink tube 5, the external soft robot and the second control airbag 4 are connected in series, and the air inlet of the first circulation kink tube 5 is connected to the air source. When the execution air pressure of the external soft robot is less than the jump pressure of the driving valve plate 9, the driving valve plate 9 cannot jump, that is, the state of the flexible soft valve is not switched. When the execution air pressure of the external soft robot is greater than the jump pressure of the driving valve plate 9, the driving valve plate 9 jumps, and the state is converted from compressing the second circulation kink tube 6 to compressing the first circulation kink tube 5, so that the first circulation kink tube 5 is closed, and then the air source input of the external soft robot is closed. This process can be used as a protection switch when the pressure of the soft gripper grasping the object is too high, and it can also be used as a stability switch that can maintain the gripper state without additional air source input.

[0035] As described above, the flexible soft valve can not only form a logical control, that is, the states of the first circulation kink tube 5 and the second circulation kink tube 6 are always opposite, and the two can exist stably, but also can form a response switch based on an external soft robot by connecting the air outlet of the first circulation kink tube 5 with the second control airbag 4 or the air outlet of the second circulation kink tube 6 with the first control airbag 3.

[0036] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0037] The above embodiments merely illustrate several implementation methods of the present application. While the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present application. It should be noted that a person of ordinary skill in the art may make various modifications and improvements without departing from the spirit of the present application, all of which fall within the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application shall be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A flexible soft valve based on a bistable mechanical structure valve plate, characterized in that: The device comprises a housing, a first control airbag, a second control airbag, a first flow kink tube, a second flow kink tube, a through-plate joint, and a driving valve plate; The first control airbag, the second control airbag, the first circulation kink tube, and the second circulation kink tube are all arranged in the inner cavity of the shell. The said penetration plate joints are provided in two pairs, namely the first penetration plate joint and the second penetration plate joint. The first penetration plate joint and the second penetration plate joint are both provided on the shell and communicate with the inner and outer sides of the shell. The air inlet and the air outlet of the first circulation kink tube are respectively communicated with the two first penetration plate joints, and the air inlet and the air outlet of the second circulation kink tube are respectively communicated with the two second penetration plate joints. The fixed end of the driving valve plate is connected to the housing. The driving valve plate switches its state through the deformation of the first control airbag and the second control airbag to connect or close the first circulation kink tube and the second circulation kink tube.

2. A flexible soft valve based on a bistable mechanical structure valve disc according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a cover plate, which is arranged on one side of the shell and is detachably connected to the shell.

3. The flexible soft valve based on a bistable mechanical structure valve plate according to claim 1, characterized in that: The driving valve plate is an elastic thin-sheet beam, and the elastic thin-sheet beam has bistable and jump characteristics.

4. The flexible soft valve based on a bistable mechanical structure valve plate according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first control airbag and the first circulation kink tube are arranged at the upper part of the shell, the second control airbag and the second circulation kink tube are arranged at the lower part of the shell, the driving valve plate is connected to the installation slot on the shell, and the installation slot is arranged at the symmetrical surface position of the shell.

5. The flexible soft valve based on a bistable mechanical structure valve plate according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first circulation kinked tube and the second circulation kinked tube are both flexible and bendable hoses, and are pre-bent into a U shape.

6. A flexible soft valve based on a bistable mechanical structure valve disc according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The air inlet of the first circulation kinked tube and the air inlet of the second circulation kinked tube are connected to the same air source.

7. A flexible soft valve based on a bistable mechanical structure valve disc according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The air outlet of the first circulation kink tube is connected in series with the external soft robot and the second control airbag, and the air inlet of the first circulation kink tube is connected with the air source.

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