A scalable multi-degree of freedom flexible wraparound neck structure

Abstract

The application discloses a scalable multi-degree-of-freedom flexible wrapping type neck structure, and solves the contradiction between flexibility and protection of a traditional mechanical neck through the cooperative design of a flexible shell, a supporting spring, a universal coupling and a telescopic device. The flexible shell and the supporting spring form a 'wrapped support' dynamic adaptive structure, the universal coupling and the telescopic device realize'multi-angle rotation-precise telescoping' integration through linkage constraint, and each component does not work independently, but through gradient structure and nested cooperation, so that the neck simultaneously has the functions of flexible protection, multi-directional movement and stable telescoping, and provides an innovative idea for robot neck design.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of mechanical structure design and relates to a multi-degree-of-freedom flexible neck structure technology that can be applied to the field of robotics, especially for mechanical neck structure design with stretchable function, multi-directional movement capability and wrap-around protection performance. Background Technology

[0002] In current mechanical necks, rigid protective components and moving parts are mostly designed separately, while flexible support components and telescopic devices lack linkage constraints: the former's movement is restricted due to the fixed protective components, while the latter is prone to deformation and displacement because the support and telescopic functions operate independently. Traditional universal couplings are only physically connected to the telescopic device, and the telescopic direction easily deviates from the preset trajectory after rotation; the protective shell and support spring are not designed to fit together, either the shell hinders the spring's deformation, or the spring's excessive deformation causes the shell to break.

[0003] Existing robotic mechanical neck structures, while rigid, offer strong support but lack sufficient degrees of freedom. Flexible structures, while flexible, lack stability and resistance to deformation, and exhibit low motion accuracy. Furthermore, current designs struggle to achieve reliable length adjustment, limiting adaptability in complex environments. Therefore, a novel structure is urgently needed that balances multi-degree-of-freedom motion, rigid support and protection, and stable telescopic functionality to meet diverse task requirements. Utility Model Content

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a stretchable, multi-degree-of-freedom flexible wrap-around neck structure to solve at least one of the above-mentioned technical problems. Through cross-component collaborative mechanisms and gradient structure innovation, it solves the problem that in the design of mechanical necks, traditional structures are mostly rigid connections or have limited degrees of freedom, making it difficult to balance flexible movement and effective protection performance. Not only does it have poor motion adaptability in complex scenarios and cannot accurately achieve multi-directional movement, but its protection capability is also insufficient, making it easy to be damaged by collisions or friction. Furthermore, it is difficult to adapt to the length adjustment requirements in different working scenarios, thus limiting its application scope in the field of robotics.

[0005] The utility model achieves the above objective through the following solution: a retractable, multi-degree-of-freedom flexible wrap-around neck structure, including a universal coupling, which is composed of two half couplings, and the bottom of the half couplings is provided with threaded holes.

[0006] The universal coupling has a threaded hole on one side that connects to the telescopic device. The head of the telescopic rod is provided with an external thread, which can form a threaded engagement with the threaded hole of the universal coupling to achieve a detachable connection. The guide groove and guide key of the telescopic device are distributed along the axial direction, and their distribution plane is adapted to the rotation plane of the universal coupling's cross block. When the coupling rotates around the cross block connecting shaft, the guide key-groove can restrict the telescopic device from twisting around its own axis, ensuring that the telescopic direction always keeps in sync with the rotation direction of the coupling, thus solving the problem of "rotation and telescopic not being synchronized" in traditional structures.

[0007] As a further embodiment of this utility model: the gradient structure of the flexible shell, consisting of a "flexible base - fiber reinforcement - wear-resistant skin", can match the elastic deformation characteristics of the supporting spring: the base deforms with the compression or elongation of the spring, the fiber reinforcement layer is oriented along the spring helix to withstand tensile force, and the skin wraps around the threaded connection at the end of the spring, which not only protects the threads from wear, but also avoids rigid collisions at the connection point through flexible wrapping.

[0008] As a further embodiment of this utility model: both ends of the support spring are provided with external thread structures, one end of which can be connected to the internal thread hole of the external head structure, and the other end can be connected to the internal thread hole of the external body structure.

[0009] As a further embodiment of this utility model: the support spring is tangent to the flexible shell, and its helical direction is consistent with the direction of the fiber reinforcement layer of the flexible shell, so that when the spring deforms, it can drive the shell to bend synchronously, and the shell at the same time restricts the excessive deformation of the spring through the fiber layer, forming a mutual feedback structure of "support-protection"; the universal coupling and the telescopic device are coaxially connected by threads, and the extension direction of the guide keyway of the telescopic device is perpendicular to the rotation plane of the coupling, ensuring that after the rotation angle is determined, the telescopic movement is only carried out along the axial direction of the plane, avoiding directional deviation.

[0010] As a further embodiment of this utility model: threaded holes are provided at the bottom of both half couplings, and the threaded holes are distributed around the central axis of the coupling cylinder to ensure uniform force distribution when connected to external components and improve the reliability of the connection.

[0011] As a further embodiment of this utility model: the two half-couplings are connected by a cross block and a cross block connecting shaft. The center of each opposite side of the cross block is provided with a hole structure. One pair of opposite sides is provided with a threaded through hole penetrating the opposite side at the center, and the other pair of opposite sides is provided with a shaft through hole penetrating the opposite side at the center. Through the threaded engagement between the threaded through hole and the cross block connecting shaft, and the shaft engagement between the shaft through hole and the cross block connecting shaft, the multi-angle adaptive rotation of the half-couplings is realized.

[0012] As a further embodiment of this utility model: the end of the telescopic rod head section away from the middle section is provided with an external thread, which is adapted to the threaded hole at the end of the half coupling in the universal coupling, so that the telescopic device and the universal coupling can be detachably connected through the threaded engagement; the end of the telescopic rod head section near the middle section is slidably sleeved with the middle section of the telescopic rod through a guide groove and a guide key, forming a relatively stable telescopic engagement structure, and the guide key is embedded in the guide groove to restrict the relative circumferential rotation of the two.

[0013] As a further embodiment of this utility model, the middle section of the telescopic rod is provided with an annular limiting boss, the outer diameter of which is larger than the major diameter of the external thread at the beginning, and abuts against the end face of the external component to achieve axial limiting.

[0014] As a further embodiment of this utility model, a radially protruding limiting ring is provided at the end of the telescopic rod furthest from the middle. When the tail of the telescopic rod extends to its maximum stroke relative to the middle, the limiting ring can abut against the end face of the middle end to prevent the tail from excessively detaching from the middle section, while enhancing the structural stability of the tail under stress.

[0015] The beneficial effects of this utility model are:

[0016] 1) The flexible shell and the supporting spring are matched by the "fiber direction - helical direction" to form a synergistic structure that "encloses without hindering movement and supports without damaging protection", thus resolving the contradiction of the traditional separate design;

[0017] 2) The universal coupling and the telescopic device are linked by "coaxiality and directional constraint" to achieve directional coordination of rotation and telescopic movement, avoiding directional deviation of traditional independent structures;

[0018] 3) In the overall nested structure, the position and orientation of each component serve the functional realization of other components. It is not a simple combination, but an organic whole, which improves the movement stability and environmental adaptability of the neck. Attached Figure Description

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

[0020] Figure 2 This is an overall cross-sectional view of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the flexible shell of this utility model;

[0022] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the support spring of this utility model;

[0023] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the universal coupling of this utility model;

[0024] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the telescopic device of this utility model;

[0025] In the picture:

[0026] 1. Flexible housing; 2. Support spring; 3. Universal coupling; 301. Half coupling; 302. Cross block; 303. Cross block connecting shaft; 304. Thread; 305. Washer; 4. Telescopic device; 401. Telescopic rod head; 402. Telescopic rod middle; 403. Telescopic rod tail. Detailed Implementation

[0027] The technical solutions of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present utility model, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of the present utility model.

[0028] Example 1: As Figures 1 to 6 The diagram shows a retractable, multi-degree-of-freedom flexible wrap-around neck structure, comprising a flexible outer shell (1), a support spring (2), a universal coupling (3), and a telescopic device (4). The support spring (2) is tangent to the flexible outer shell (1), and the support spring (2) wraps around the universal coupling (3) and the telescopic device (4), forming a nested structure of "outer protection - middle support - inner drive".

[0029] The flexible outer shell (1) is made of flexible material, exhibiting a gradient modulus distribution of "flexible substrate - fiber reinforcement - wear-resistant skin". The inner substrate has high elasticity and can be stretched or compressed with neck movement. The middle layer is embedded with fibers to improve tear resistance. The outer skin has wear-resistant properties. When the neck structure rotates or extends, the flexible outer shell (1) can passively adapt to the movement, avoiding damage to internal components from rigid collisions and extending service life through the wear-resistant properties of the skin.

[0030] The support spring (2) is a high-strength alloy spring with external threads at both ends. One end is connected to the threaded hole of the external head structure through the thread, and the other end is connected to the threaded hole of the external body structure to achieve rigid fixation of the overall structure. At the same time, the spring has an appropriate elastic coefficient and can generate elastic deformation with the bending of the neck, which helps to quickly reset after posture adjustment and improves the stability of the structure after movement.

[0031] The universal coupling (3) consists of two half couplings (301), a cross block (302), and a cross block connecting shaft (303). The two half couplings (301) are symmetrically distributed and staggered, with threaded holes evenly distributed around the central axis at the bottom, which can be reinforced to the external structure by bolts. The cross block (302) has a cubic structure, with through threaded holes and shaft through holes on adjacent sides: the threaded holes are engaged with the threaded section of the cross block connecting shaft (303), and the shaft through holes are engaged with the smooth shaft section of the cross block connecting shaft (303). Through the synergistic effect of the two, the universal coupling (3) can achieve multi-angle rotation.

[0032] The telescopic device (4) consists of a telescopic rod head (401), a telescopic rod middle section (402), and a telescopic rod tail section (403). One end of the telescopic rod head (401) is provided with an external thread, which forms a detachable connection with the threaded hole of the universal coupling (3). The outer wall of the other end is provided with a guide key, which slides in cooperation with the guide groove on the inner wall of the telescopic rod middle section (402). The outer surface of the telescopic rod middle section (402) is provided with an annular limiting boss. When the telescopic rod head (401) is fully retracted to the telescopic rod middle section (402), the boss abuts against the end face of the telescopic rod head (401) to achieve axial limiting. The outer wall of the middle section is provided with a guide key, which slides in cooperation with the guide groove on the inner wall of the telescopic rod tail section (403). The end of the telescopic rod tail section (403) is provided with a limiting ring to prevent excessive dislodgement during sliding. With the help of a three-section nesting and guide structure, the total length of the telescopic device (4) can be stably adjusted to meet the neck length requirements in different scenarios, while avoiding circumferential torsion during sliding.

[0033] The nesting order of the head (401), middle (402), and tail (403) of the telescopic rod is consistent with the force direction of the universal coupling (3): the head connects to the coupling, the middle receives the steering force of the head, and the tail transmits the force axially through the guide key. The three-section structure not only realizes telescopic movement, but also distributes the rotational stress to the entire telescopic device through the step-by-step transmission of the guide key-groove, thus avoiding excessive local stress.

[0034] The length of the supporting spring and the length of the universal coupling connected to the telescopic device are designed in a certain proportion to ensure that the threaded connection parts at both ends of the spring are aligned with the port of the flexible shell. This not only supports the rotational center of gravity of the coupling through the middle section of the spring, but also wraps the spring threads through the port of the shell, forming a nested balance of "spring bearing force - shell protecting".

[0035] Example 2: In addition to all the technical features included in Example 1, this example also includes:

[0036] The surface of the optical shaft section of the cross block connecting shaft (303) is treated with a special coating to reduce the rotational friction between the half coupling (301) and the cross block (302). Combined with grease filling, this can improve the durability of the structure and ensure the normal operation of the overall neck structure.

[0037] Example 3: In addition to all the technical features included in Example 1, this example also includes:

[0038] The inner wall guide grooves of the middle (402) and tail (403) of the telescopic rod adopt a dovetail groove structure, and the outer wall guide keys of the head (401) and middle (402) are corresponding trapezoidal structures. The anti-dislodgement design of the keyway further improves the sliding stability and adapts to the stability requirements of the robot's neck during precision operation.

[0039] The clearance between the guide groove and the guide key is controlled within a preset range, which ensures smooth sliding and limits radial sway through the tight fit between the two, so that the telescopic device maintains structural stability when subjected to axial force and improves the load-bearing capacity of the neck in the extended state.

Claims

1. A telescopic multi-degree of freedom flexible wraparound neck structure comprising a flexible outer shell (1), a supporting spring (2), a universal joint (3) and a telescopic device (4); characterized in that, The support spring (2) is inscribed in the flexible shell (1), and the helical direction of the support spring (2) is consistent with the direction of the fiber reinforcement layer of the flexible shell (1); the support spring (2) wraps the universal coupling (3) and the telescopic device (4), the universal coupling (3) and the telescopic device (4) are coaxially connected, and the extension direction of the guide keyway of the telescopic device (4) is perpendicular to the rotation plane of the universal coupling (3); the inner wall of the telescopic rod middle part (402) and the telescopic rod tail part (403) of the telescopic device (4) is provided with an axial guide groove, and the outer wall of the telescopic rod head part (401) and the telescopic rod middle part (402) is provided with an adapter guide key.

2. A scalable multi-degree of freedom flexible wraparound neck structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flexible shell (1) is made of flexible material and has a gradient modulus distribution of "flexible base - fiber reinforced wear-resistant skin" to adapt to the stretching, bending and turning needs during neck movement, thereby improving the durability and motion adaptability of the structure.

3. A telescoping multi-degree of freedom flexible wraparound neck structure according to claim 1, wherein: The fiber reinforcement layer of the flexible shell (1) is distributed along the spiral line of the supporting spring (2), and the fiber orientation is consistent with the spring deformation direction.

4. A telescoping multi-degree of freedom flexible wraparound neck structure according to claim 1, wherein: The universal coupling (3) includes two half couplings; the guide keyway of the telescopic device (4) extends perpendicularly to the rotation plane of the universal coupling (3), so that the telescopic device only extends and retracts axially along the rotation plane of the universal coupling.

5. A scalable multi-degree-of-freedom flexible wraparound neck structure according to claim 1, wherein: The support spring (2) has threads at both ends.

6. A scalable multi-degree-of-freedom flexible wraparound neck structure according to claim 1, wherein: The universal coupling (3) is formed by two half couplings (301) connected in an alternating manner.

7. A scalable multi-degree-of-freedom flexible wraparound neck structure according to claim 4, wherein: The two half-couplings are connected by a cross block (302) and a cross block connecting shaft (303).

8. A scalable multi-degree-of-freedom flexible wraparound neck structure according to claim 1, wherein: The telescopic device (4) consists of three parts: the head of the telescopic rod (401), the middle part of the telescopic rod (402), and the tail of the telescopic rod (403). It achieves axial stable sliding through the cooperation of the guide groove and the guide key, while restricting circumferential torsion and realizing telescopic limit.

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