Robotic hand and robot

Abstract

The utility model provides a kind of robot hand and robot, robot includes palm part, finger part and tiger mouth cover, finger part includes multiple the finger that can be relative to palm part active, wherein one finger is thumb, and thumb is located in the side of palm part;Tiger mouth cover includes oppositely arranged first end and second end, first end is fixed in palm part, and second end is fixed in thumb, and tiger mouth cover is wrapped around a part of thumb and / or wrapped around a part of palm part, and tiger mouth cover is made of deformable cloth.Compared with the tiger mouth part made of soft rubber material, the cost of the tiger mouth cover of the utility model robot hand is lower, the cost of the robot hand is also lower, and the durability of the tiger mouth cover is higher, and the gripping performance of the robot hand is better.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of robotics technology, and in particular to a robotic hand and a robot. Background Technology

[0002] The human hand is able to grasp objects of different sizes and shapes thanks to the covering and deformability of the web between the thumb and index finger. The bones of the human hand are covered with soft muscles and skin. When the fist is clenched, the muscles and skin at the web between the thumb and index finger can fill the gap between the metacarpal bones of the thumb and index finger, allowing the web to fit snugly against the object being grasped.

[0003] In the field of robotics, robotic hands need to grasp objects. To improve the grasping ability of robotic hands, their structure is currently designed with reference to the anatomical principles of the human hand. For example, in some existing technologies, the outer surface of the web area of ​​the robotic hand is made of soft rubber materials such as silicone or thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) to simulate the web of a human hand. In this way, the web area of ​​the robotic hand can deform and conform to the surface of the object being grasped. However, manufacturing the web area using soft rubber materials requires molding, which results in a high cost for the web area of ​​the robotic hand. Utility Model Content

[0004] This invention aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, this invention proposes a robotic hand with a lower cost for the tiger's mouth area.

[0005] This utility model also proposes a robot including the above-mentioned robotic hand.

[0006] A robotic hand according to a first aspect of the present invention includes: a palm portion; a finger portion, the finger portion including a plurality of fingers movable relative to the palm portion, one of the fingers being a thumb, the thumb being located on one side of the palm portion; and a tiger's mouth cover, the tiger's mouth cover including a first end and a second end disposed opposite to each other, the first end being fixed to the palm portion, the second end being fixed to the thumb, the tiger's mouth cover covering a portion of the thumb and / or covering a portion of the palm portion, and the tiger's mouth cover being made of deformable fabric.

[0007] The robotic hand of this embodiment has at least the following advantages: the gripper in this embodiment is made of fabric, and the processing of the gripper does not require the use of molds. For example, the required portion can be cut from a piece of fabric, and then the cut fabric can be sewn into the required gripper. Therefore, the cost of the gripper in this embodiment is low, and the cost of the robotic hand is also low.

[0008] Furthermore, even if the fabric suffers minor damage, the damaged area will not rapidly expand upon the next stretching of the fabric, allowing the fabric gripper to continue to be used for a period of time. This helps reduce the frequency of gripper replacement, saving on the operating costs of the robotic hand and improving its ease of use. In addition, the fabric has good elasticity; compared to grippers made of soft rubber materials, fabric grippers do not require large folds, which helps improve the similarity between the robotic hand and the human hand, thereby enhancing the robotic hand's gripping performance.

[0009] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the tiger's mouth cover is made of an elastic fabric; and / or, the fabric is a woven fabric.

[0010] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the robotic hand further includes multiple support ribs, the support ribs are elastic, the support ribs are fixed around the outer surface of the tiger mouth sleeve and / or the inner surface of the tiger mouth sleeve, and the multiple support ribs are distributed at intervals from the first end to the second end.

[0011] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the robotic hand further includes a thumb transmission mechanism, the two ends of which are respectively connected to the thumb and the palm. The thumb transmission mechanism is used to transmit power to make the thumb move relative to the palm. The thumb transmission mechanism is located inside the tiger's mouth sleeve. The robotic hand also includes a tiger's mouth support body, which is elastic. The tiger's mouth support body is located inside the tiger's mouth sleeve and is mounted on the thumb transmission mechanism. The tiger's mouth sleeve, the thumb, and the palm together define the tiger's mouth space. At least a portion of the tiger's mouth support body is located on the side of the thumb transmission mechanism facing the tiger's mouth space.

[0012] According to some embodiments of this utility model, the tiger's mouth support is a hollow bracket.

[0013] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the surface of the tiger's mouth support facing the tiger's mouth space includes a concave curved surface.

[0014] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the outer surface of the palm portion includes a deformable palm surface.

[0015] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the outer surface of the palm includes a palm sleeve made of fabric, and the palm sleeve has a deformable palm surface corresponding to the palm position of the palm.

[0016] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the robotic hand further includes a palm support body, which is located inside the palm sleeve. The palm support body is a hollowed-out bracket and has elasticity.

[0017] The robot according to a second aspect embodiment of the present invention includes the robotic hand as described in the first aspect embodiment.

[0018] Additional aspects and advantages of this invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Attached Figure Description

[0019] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments, wherein:

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the robot hand according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the robotic hand of the first embodiment from another perspective;

[0022] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram showing the installation positions of the tiger's mouth support and the palm support in the first embodiment.

[0023] Figure 4 This is a partial schematic diagram of the robot hand according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the robotic hand of the second embodiment from another perspective.

[0025] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the installation position of the tiger's mouth support in the second embodiment.

[0026] Reference numerals: 100-Robot hand, 101-Palm, 102-Fingers, 103-Thumb, 105-Palm surface, 106-Tiger-mouth space, 107-Palm sleeve, 108-First end, 109-Second end, 110-Tiger-mouth sleeve, 111-Support rib, 112-Transmission mechanism, 113-Tiger-mouth support body, 114-Palm support body, 116-Curved surface. Detailed Implementation

[0027] The embodiments of this utility model are described in detail below. Examples of these embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain this utility model, and should not be construed as limiting this utility model.

[0028] In the description of this utility model, it should be understood that the directional descriptions, such as up, down, front, back, left, right, etc., indicate the directional or positional relationships based on the directional or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this utility model and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the module or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this utility model.

[0029] In the description of this utility model, "several" means one or more, "multiple" means two or more, "greater than," "less than," and "exceeding" are understood to exclude the stated number, while "above," "below," and "within" are understood to include the stated number. The use of "first" and "second" in the description is merely for distinguishing technical features and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance, or implicitly indicating the number of indicated technical features, or implicitly indicating the order of the indicated technical features.

[0030] In the description of this utility model, unless otherwise explicitly defined, terms such as "setting," "installation," and "connection" should be interpreted broadly, and those skilled in the art can reasonably determine the specific meaning of the above terms in this utility model in conjunction with the specific content of the technical solution.

[0031] Figure 1 and Figure 2 A robotic hand 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention is shown. The robotic hand 100 is applied to a robot as an end effector, enabling the robot to perform human-like hand movements. The robotic hand 100 includes a palm portion 101, a finger portion, and a thumb sleeve 110. The finger portion includes a plurality of fingers 102 movable relative to the palm portion 101, one of which is a thumb 103 located on one side of the palm portion 101. In this embodiment, the robotic hand 100 has five fingers 102, the same number as a human finger 102. In other embodiments not shown, the robotic hand 100 may have three, four, or other fingers 102. The robotic hand 100 is provided with a drive mechanism for driving the movement of the fingers 102, allowing the fingers 102 to move relative to the palm portion 101. The drive mechanism may be located inside the palm portion 101.

[0032] like Figure 1-2 As shown, both the palm portion 101 and the thumb 103 are connected to the thenar eminence 110, which is located between the palm portion 101 and the thumb 103. Figure 2As shown, the two opposite ends of the thumb grip 110 are a first end 108 and a second end 109, respectively. The first end 108 is fixedly connected to the palm 101, and the second end 109 is fixedly connected to the thumb 103. The thumb grip 110 is deformable and is made of fabric. The fabric thumb grip 110 has good deformability. When the robotic hand 100 performs a grasping action, the thumb grip 110 can deform along with the movement of the thumb 103 relative to the palm 101, thus adapting to the shape and size of the object being grasped, and adapting to different objects. Furthermore, the fabric thumb grip 110 is soft, allowing it to closely conform to the surface of the object, improving grasping stability.

[0033] In existing technologies, the gripper of a robotic hand is usually made of soft rubber materials such as silicone or elastic plastics (e.g., TPU). Manufacturing such grippers requires the use of molds, and the cost of molds leads to a high cost for the grippers.

[0034] Furthermore, the soft rubber material itself has limited elasticity, and after prolonged use, it is prone to breakage due to material fatigue. The soft rubber material is also easily damaged when the robotic hand touches sharp and hard objects. Even minor damage will rapidly expand the damaged area of ​​the soft rubber material upon the next extension of the grip. For example, if a grip made of soft rubber is punctured, creating a small hole, this hole will rapidly enlarge upon the next extension, thus worsening the damage. This means that existing grips require immediate replacement after even minor damage, making continued use difficult.

[0035] Furthermore, due to the limited extensibility of soft rubber materials, the gripper made of soft rubber needs to have larger folds to improve its extensibility. However, excessively large folds will reduce the similarity between the robotic hand and the human hand, which is not conducive to improving the robotic hand's gripping performance.

[0036] In this embodiment, the gripper 110 is made of fabric, and its processing does not require the use of molds. For example, the required portion can be cut from a piece of fabric, and then the cut fabric can be sewn into the desired gripper 110. Therefore, the gripper 110 of this embodiment has a lower cost, and the cost of the robotic arm 100 is also lower.

[0037] Moreover, even if the fabric suffers minor damage, the damaged area will not rapidly expand upon the next stretching of the fabric, allowing the fabric-made gripper 110 to continue to be used for a period of time. This helps reduce the frequency of replacing the gripper 110, saving on the operating costs of the robotic hand 100 and improving its ease of use. Furthermore, the fabric has good elasticity, eliminating the need for large folds in the gripper 110, which helps improve the similarity between the robotic hand 100 and a human hand, thereby enhancing the gripping performance of the robotic hand 100.

[0038] In some embodiments, the gripper 110 can be made of an elastic fabric, such as spandex, nylon, polyester, or a blend of polyester and spandex. The fabric used to make the gripper 110 can be woven fabric, i.e., the fabric is woven from multiple interlaced yarns. When the fabric is woven, a specific texture (not shown) can be formed on the surface of the fabric through a weaving process, thereby increasing the friction between the outer surface of the gripper 110 and the object grasped by the robotic hand 100, and thus improving the gripping performance of the robotic hand 100. Alternatively, a specific texture on the fabric surface can be used to improve the extensibility and visual distinctiveness of the gripper 110. The texture on the fabric surface can be striped, grid-like, honeycomb-like, etc.

[0039] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the robotic hand 100 also includes multiple annular support ribs 111. These support ribs 111 are spaced apart from the first end 108 to the second end 109. In this embodiment, all support ribs 111 are connected to the outer surface of the gripper sleeve 110. When the robotic hand 100 performs operations such as grasping or releasing objects, the support ribs 111 provide support for the gripper sleeve 110, preventing it from deforming or being damaged due to excessive stretching.

[0040] In other embodiments not shown, the support ribs 111 may also be provided on the inner surface of the gripper sleeve 110 (i.e., the support ribs 111 are not exposed), thereby improving the neatness and aesthetics of the outer surface of the gripper sleeve 110, and preventing the gripper sleeve 110 from collapsing due to pressure from the object when the robot hand 100 grasps the object. Alternatively, to improve the support effect of the gripper sleeve 110, multiple support ribs 111 may be provided on both the inner and outer surfaces of the gripper sleeve 110.

[0041] The support rib 111 can be elastic. For example, the support rib 111 is made of TPU (Thermoplastic Urethane), and the TPU support rib 111 is molded onto the gripper sleeve 110 using an embossing process. Alternatively, the support rib 111 can be made of elastic metal wire, and the support rib 111 is bonded to the gripper sleeve 110, or it can be sewn onto the surface of the gripper sleeve 110. The materials that can be used to manufacture the support rib 111 are not listed here. Because the support rib 111 is elastic, it can deform along with the gripper sleeve 110 when the robotic hand 100 grasps an object. The gripper sleeve 110 has good deformability, allowing it to make good contact with the object. The multiple support ribs 111 are spaced apart, ensuring support at multiple locations on the gripper sleeve 110.

[0042] Figures 4 to 6 A portion of a robotic hand from another embodiment is shown. Figure 6 The image shows the state of the robotic hand 100 after the tiger's mouth cover 110 has been removed. (See image below.) Figure 6 As shown, the robotic hand 100 also includes a thumb transmission mechanism 112, with its two ends connected to the thumb 103 and the palm portion 101, respectively. The thumb transmission mechanism 112 is used to transmit power to move the thumb 103 relative to the palm portion 101, and this power can be provided by the drive mechanism mentioned above. In some embodiments, the thumb transmission mechanism 112 may specifically be a linkage mechanism, which includes multiple links that are hinged sequentially.

[0043] like Figure 6 As shown, the robotic hand 100 may further include a thumb support 113, which is located inside the thumb sleeve 110. The thumb support 113 is connected to the thumb transmission mechanism 112; for example, the thumb support 113 can be fixed to the thumb transmission mechanism 112 by adhesive bonding. The thumb sleeve 110, the thumb 103, and the palm portion 101 together define a thumb space 106, and at least a portion of the thumb support 113 is located on the side of the thumb transmission mechanism 112 facing the thumb space 106. For example, as... Figure 6 As shown, in some embodiments, the thumb transmission mechanism 112 does not penetrate the thumb-and-tiger support 113, and the thumb-and-tiger support 113 is entirely located on the side of the thumb transmission mechanism 112 facing the thumb-and-tiger space 106. For example, as... Figure 3 As shown, in some other embodiments, the thumb transmission mechanism 112 passes through the thumb support 113, and a portion of the thumb support 113 is located on the side of the thumb transmission mechanism 112 facing the thumb space 106.

[0044] The gripper support 113 can contact the inner surface of the gripper sleeve 110, and the gripper support 113 can also support the gripper sleeve 110, thereby preventing the gripper sleeve 110 from deforming or being damaged due to excessive stretching. Moreover, when the robotic hand 100 grasps an object, a part of the object will be located in the gripper space 106, and the gripper support 113 can support the gripper sleeve 110 so that the gripper sleeve 110 fits well with the object.

[0045] It should be noted that, in order to support the tiger's mouth sleeve 110, the robotic hand 100 does not necessarily need to have both the tiger's mouth support body 113 and the support rib 111. If the robotic hand 100 has the support rib 111, it may not need the tiger's mouth support body 113. If the robotic hand 100 has the tiger's mouth support body 113, it may not need the support rib 111. Alternatively, the robotic hand may have both the support rib 111 and the tiger's mouth support body 113 simultaneously.

[0046] In some embodiments, the gripper support 113 is elastic. For example, the gripper support 113 is made of materials such as silicone, TPE (Thermoplastic Elastomer), or TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane). The elastic gripper support 113 can undergo elastic deformation to adapt to different shapes of grasped objects, thereby making the robotic hand 100 suitable for grasping a variety of objects of different shapes.

[0047] like Figure 6 As shown, in some embodiments, the tiger's mouth support 113 can be a hollow bracket. On the one hand, this helps to reduce the weight of the tiger's mouth support 113, thereby reducing the weight of the robotic hand 100. On the other hand, the hollow design of the tiger's mouth support 113 gives it both good support capacity and good deformation capacity. The hollow bracket can be manufactured by 3D printing, so that no mold is needed when manufacturing the tiger's mouth support 113, which helps to further reduce the manufacturing cost of the tiger's mouth support 113, thereby reducing the cost of the robotic hand 100.

[0048] like Figure 6 and Figure 3 As shown, in some embodiments, mimicking the concave surface of the web of a human hand, the surface of the web support 113 facing the web space 106 includes a concave curved surface 116. This configuration makes the surface of the web support 113 facing the web space 106 highly similar to the web of a human hand, making it easy for the web sleeve 110 to deform when the robot hand 100 grasps an object, conforming to the shape of the concave curved surface 116 to fit the object being grasped, thereby facilitating better object grasping by the robot hand 100.

[0049] The outer surface of the palm portion 101 includes a palm sleeve 107, which is made of fabric. The palm sleeve 107 has a deformable palm surface 105 corresponding to the palm position of the palm portion 101 (e.g., ...). Figure 5 (As shown). When the fingers are closed (i.e., the individual fingers 102 close together), the fingers converge toward the palm surface 105. This allows the palm surface 105 to deform upon contact with an object, adapting to the object's shape, thus enabling the robotic hand 100 to grasp objects of various shapes.

[0050] Specifically, the palm portion 101 may include a palm sleeve 107 and a palm support body 114. The palm sleeve 107, as shown... Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the palm sleeve 107 is made of fabric, and the palm surface 105 is set on the palm sleeve 107, thus the palm surface 105 is flexible. The type of fabric used for the palm sleeve 107 and the type of fabric used for the thumb sleeve 110 can be the same or different. The fingers protrude outside the palm sleeve 107. The palm support body 114 is not on... Figures 4 to 6 As shown in the figure, the palm support 114 can be referred to Figure 3 , Figure 3 The diagram shows the state of the robotic hand 100 after the palm sleeve 107 has been removed. A palm support 114 is located inside the palm sleeve 107, providing structural strength to the palm portion 101. Furthermore, the palm support 114 is elastic, allowing it to deform to adapt to the object's shape when the robotic hand 100 grasps it, thus enabling the robotic hand 100 to grasp objects of various shapes. In some embodiments, the palm portion 101 may also include a support plate (not shown), which can be made of plastic or metal. The support plate is connected to the palm sleeve 107 and located on the back side of the palm portion 101, thereby increasing the strength of the palm portion 101 and its resistance to external impacts. The support plate and palm sleeve 107 can be connected by adhesive, stitching, or other methods.

[0051] Similar to the tiger's mouth support 113, the palm support 114 can also be designed as a hollow bracket. On one hand, this helps reduce the weight of the palm support 114, thereby reducing the weight of the robotic hand 100. On the other hand, the hollow design of the palm support 114 gives it both good support capacity and good deformation capacity. The palm support 114 can be manufactured using 3D printing, thus eliminating the need for molds and reducing manufacturing costs, thereby lowering the cost of the robotic hand 100.

[0052] In some embodiments, the first end 108 of the thumb sleeve 110 can be connected to the palm 101 by means of screw connection, adhesive bonding, sewing, snap-fit, etc., and the second end 109 of the thumb sleeve 110 can be connected to the thumb 103 by means of screw connection, adhesive bonding, sewing, snap-fit, etc. This achieves a detachable connection between the thumb sleeve 110 and the palm 101 and the thumb 103, thereby facilitating the installation and removal of the thumb sleeve 110.

[0053] In the description of this utility model, the terms "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "illustrative embodiment," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., refer to specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in connection with that embodiment or example, which are included in at least one embodiment or example of this utility model. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

Claims

1. A robotic hand, characterized by, include: Palm area; The finger portion includes a plurality of fingers movable relative to the palm portion, one of which is a thumb located on one side of the palm portion; A thumb cover, comprising a first end and a second end disposed opposite to each other, the first end being fixed to the palm and the second end being fixed to the thumb, the thumb cover covering a portion of the thumb and / or a portion of the palm, and the thumb cover being made of deformable fabric.

2. The robotic hand of claim 1, wherein, The tiger's mouth cover is made of an elastic fabric; and / or, the fabric is a woven fabric.

3. The robotic hand according to claim 1, characterized in that, The robotic hand also includes multiple support ribs, which are elastic and are fixed around the outer surface of the tiger's mouth sleeve and / or the inner surface of the tiger's mouth sleeve. The multiple support ribs are distributed at intervals from the first end to the second end.

4. The robotic hand according to claim 1, characterized in that, The robotic hand also includes a thumb transmission mechanism, with its two ends connected to the thumb and the palm respectively. The thumb transmission mechanism is used to transmit power to make the thumb move relative to the palm. The thumb transmission mechanism is located inside the thumb-mouth sleeve. The robotic hand also includes a tiger's mouth support, which is elastic and located inside the tiger's mouth sleeve. The tiger's mouth support is mounted on the thumb transmission mechanism. The tiger's mouth sleeve, the thumb, and the palm together define the tiger's mouth space. At least a portion of the tiger's mouth support is located on the side of the thumb transmission mechanism facing the tiger's mouth space.

5. The robotic hand according to claim 4, characterized in that, The tiger's mouth support is a hollow bracket.

6. The robotic hand according to claim 4, characterized in that, The surface of the tiger's mouth support facing the tiger's mouth space includes a concave curved surface.

7. The robotic hand according to claim 1, characterized in that, The outer surface of the palm includes a deformable palm surface.

8. The robotic hand according to claim 1, characterized in that, The outer surface of the palm includes a palm sleeve made of fabric, and the palm sleeve has a deformable palm surface corresponding to the palm position of the palm.

9. The robotic hand according to claim 8, characterized in that, The robotic hand also includes a palm support, which is located inside the palm sleeve. The palm support is a hollowed-out bracket and is elastic.

10. A robot, characterized in that, Including the robotic hand as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

Images