Vine-type power soft gripper device, driving method thereof, device using vine-type power soft gripper, and jack-up device
The vine-type power soft gripper device addresses the low load-bearing capacity of existing soft grippers by incorporating a constant load spring and a fluid pressure adjustment method, resulting in enhanced load-bearing capacity suitable for disaster site applications.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2023211206
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2023-12-14
- Publication Date
- 2025-06-26
AI Technical Summary
Existing soft grippers have low load-bearing capacity, making them inadequate for use in disaster sites and environments where handling irregular heavy objects is challenging.
A vine-type power soft gripper device featuring a hose with a constant load spring inserted into it, utilizing a driving method that involves adjusting fluid pressure to increase the load-bearing capacity beyond the constant load of the spring.
The vine-type power soft gripper achieves a load-bearing capacity greater than the constant load spring, enabling effective handling of heavy objects in challenging environments such as disaster sites.
Smart Images
Figure 2025095290000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to a soft gripper, particularly to a vine-type power soft gripper device, a driving method thereof, and a device and a jack-up device using the vine-type power soft gripper.
Background Art
[0002] Recently, soft grippers that are engineered to mimic biological muscle tissue using flexible materials have attracted attention because they have a higher shape adaptation ability compared to conventional robotic hands.
[0003] Soft grippers that mimic biological ecologies such as an elephant's trunk (see Non-Patent Document 1) and a plant vine (see Non-Patent Document 2) grip an object by a winding operation. However, the load-bearing capacity of these soft grippers is low.
[0004] Also, the following soft grippers with increased load-bearing capacity are known. For example, an elastomer actuator having a surface layer inspired by a gecko has a load-bearing capacity of 11.3 kg (see Non-Patent Document 3), and a soft gripper tightened by pneumatic artificial muscles arranged in a spiral shape has a maximum load-bearing capacity of 35.5 kg (see Non-Patent Document 4).
Prior Art Documents
Non-Patent Documents
[0005]
Non-Patent Document 1
Non-Patent Document 2
[0006] However, all of the above-mentioned soft grippers still have low load-bearing capacity and are insufficient for use in disaster sites and other places where it is difficult to predict the external environment and handle irregular heavy objects. [Means for Solving the Problems]
[0007] In order to solve the above problems, a vine-type power soft gripper device according to the present invention is a vine-type power soft gripper device including at least one vine-type power soft gripper, and the vine-type power soft gripper includes a hose having an open base and a closed tip, and a constant load spring inserted into the hose.
[0008] In addition, a driving method of the vine-type power soft gripper device according to the present invention is a driving method of the above-described vine-type power soft gripper device, including: a first step of setting the fluid pressure of the hose to a pressurized fluid pressure higher than the initial fluid pressure and lowering the hose to approach an object; a second step of, after the first step, setting the fluid pressure of the hose lower than the pressurized fluid pressure and further lowering the hose; and a third step of, after the second step, setting the fluid pressure of the hose to the initial fluid pressure and stopping the lowering of the hose.
Effect of the Invention
[0009] According to the present invention, a load-bearing capacity larger than the constant load of the constant load spring can be realized, so that the load-bearing capacity can be increased. Therefore, it can be used at disaster sites and the like.
Brief Description of the Drawings
[0010]
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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention
[0011] FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a vine-type power soft gripper device according to the present invention. (A) is a top view of a wound hose, (B) is a perspective view of a constant load spring, and (C)-1, (C)-2, (C)-3, (C)-4 are perspective views showing a hose into which a constant load spring is inserted. In FIG. 1, the vine-type power soft gripper device has a single vine-type power soft gripper 10.
[0012] By inserting the constant load spring 12 shown in FIG. 1(B) into a non-air-permeable hose (e.g., a fire hose) 11 in an extended state with the root open and the tip closed as shown in FIG. 1(A), the vine-type power soft gripper 10 shown in FIG. 1(C)-1, (C)-2, (C)-3, (C)-4 is configured. An air hole is provided and opened at the root 11a of the hose 11, and the tip 11b of the hose 1 is closed. Also, the inner rubber sheet 13 and the outer rubber sheet 14 (see FIG. 8) provided on the surface of the hose 11 serve to wind back the gripper 10 in a spiral shape. However, the inner rubber sheet 13 and the outer rubber sheet 14 are not necessary when it is not necessary to wind back in a spiral shape in the initial state (see FIG. 20) as described later.
[0013] The constant load spring 12 shown in (B) of FIG. 1 is a long leaf spring with a surface that is pulled and a back surface that is compressed and bent with a constant curvature. When it is stretched linearly, a constant load is generated. That is, when the constant load spring 12 wound in a spiral shape is pulled with a constant load, it extends. Therefore, in the vine-type power soft gripper 10, when the hose 11 is pressurized with an air pressure much larger than the atmospheric pressure, as shown in (C)-1 of FIG. 1, it extends linearly. Also, when the air pressure in the hose 11 is reduced, as shown in (C)-2 of FIG. 1, the hose 11 begins to be wound in a spiral shape. Finally, when the air pressure in the hose 11 becomes the atmospheric pressure, as shown in (C)-3 of FIG. 1, the hose 11 returns from the base 11a to the tip 11b in a complete spiral shape, for example, clockwise. In this spiral state (initial state), when an object B is gripped as shown in (C)-4 of FIG. 1, the object B is gripped with a large load-bearing capacity. That is, the object B is gripped by pressurizing → depressurizing → atmospheric pressure of the hose air pressure, and this gripping state is maintained by the atmospheric pressure hose air pressure, so no energy is required. Also, the gripper 10 is pulled out by atmospheric pressure → re-pressurization. Incidentally, the vine-type power soft gripper 10 is provided with an air pressure supply unit U1 for supplying air pressure to the hose 11 and a vertical movement unit U2 for moving the gripper 10 up and down.
[0014] Since the vine-type power soft gripper 10 in FIG. 1 wraps around the object B like a vine, its gripping force, that is, the load-bearing capacity, follows the Euler's belt theory shown in FIG. 2. That is, when the gripper 10 wraps around the cylindrical object B at the center 0 by a winding angle θ and an external force F acts on one side, the load-bearing capacity T when pulling the other side and slipping out is T = F exp(μθ) where μ is the coefficient of static friction between the gripper 10 and the object B. is given. That is, when the gripper 10 wraps around the object B in a spiral shape from the pressurized state, depressurized state, and atmospheric pressure state of the air pressure in the hose 11, and the winding angle θ increases, the load-bearing capacity T can be increased exponentially with respect to the winding angle θ of the gripper 10.
[0015] Next, an embodiment of the vine-type power soft gripper 10 in FIG. 1 will be described.
[0016] As the hose 11, a fire hose (manufactured by Iwasaki Seisakusho, 01GLA2520X) with a width of 45 mm and a diameter of 25 mm was used. As the constant load spring 12, a spring with a rated load of 2.20 kg, a plate thickness of 0.30 mm, a plate width of 20 mm, and a material of SUS301EH was used. The vine-type power soft gripper 10 in this case is shown in Fig. 3. That is, in the hose air pressure pressurized state of, for example, 0.4 MPa greater than the atmospheric pressure shown in Fig. 3(A), the gripper 10 becomes linear, and in the hose air pressure decompressed state of less than 0.4 MPa and greater than the atmospheric pressure shown in Fig. 3(B), the gripper 10 is wound back in a spiral shape, and in the hose air pressure atmospheric pressure state (initial state) shown in Fig. 3(C), the gripper 10 is in a complete wound-back state.
[0017] Fig. 4 is a diagram for explaining the winding drive method of the vine-type power soft gripper 10 in Fig. 1.
[0018] First, referring to Fig. 4(A), the air pressure supply unit U1 pressurizes the air pressure of the hose 11 to an air pressure pressurized state of 0.4 MPa greater than the atmospheric pressure, and the vertical movement unit U2 lowers the gripper 10 to approach the object B. In this case, since it is the hose air pressure pressurized state shown in Fig. 3(A), the gripper 10 is almost linear.
[0019] Next, referring to Fig. 4(B), the air pressure supply unit U1 reduces the air pressure of the hose 11 to an air pressure decompressed state of less than 0.4 MPa and greater than the atmospheric pressure, and the vertical movement unit U2 further lowers the gripper 10. In this case, since it is the hose air pressure decompressed state shown in Fig. 3(B), the gripper 10 becomes spiral and winds around the object B.
[0020] Finally, referring to Fig. 4(C), the air pressure supply unit U1 sets the air pressure of the hose 11 to the atmospheric pressure, resulting in the hose air pressure atmospheric pressure state shown in Fig. 3(C). As a result, the gripper 10 is completely wound around the object B, for example, in a counterclockwise spiral shape, and the vertical movement unit U2 stops the lowering of the gripper 10.
[0021] Also, the extraction of the vine-type power soft gripper 10 is performed by pressurizing the hose with the pneumatic supply unit U1 and raising the gripper 10 with the vertical movement unit U2. That is, since the vine-type power soft gripper 10 extends in a circular motion from the tip of the gripper 10 in the hose pneumatically pressurized state, the gripper 10 can be extracted. However, when the object B exists in a narrow space surrounded by the wall K, the tip of the gripper 10 contacts the wall K and the gripper 10 cannot be extracted due to friction. In this case, as shown in FIG. 5, the gripper 10 can be extracted by repeating the hose pneumatic pressurized state and the hose pneumatic depressurized state at appropriate timings. That is, in the fully wound state of the gripper (initial state) in FIG. 5(A), the gripper 10 cannot be extracted due to the friction between the gripper 10 and the object B. Therefore, when the hose pneumatic pressurized state in FIG. 5(B) is set, the tip 11b of the gripper 10 separates from the object B and the gripper 10 contacts the wall K. As a result, the gap between the gripper 10 and the object B loosens. Thus, as shown in FIG. 5(C), when the hose pneumatic depressurized state is set and the gripper 10 is raised, the friction decreases and it slides out. However, when the gripper 10 is raised, the gripper 10 clamps the object B again and the friction increases. Therefore, although not shown, the hose pneumatic pressurized state is set again. In this way, the gripper 10 can be extracted by repeating the hose pneumatic pressurized state, the raising of the gripper 10, and the hose pneumatic depressurized state at appropriate timings.
[0022] FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the actual object gripping state of the vine-type power soft gripper 10 of FIG. 1, where (A) shows the case where the object B is a triangular prism, (B) shows the case where the object B is a sphere, and (C) shows the case where the object B is a frame.
[0023] As shown in Fig. 6(A), the vine - type power soft gripper 10 of Fig. 1 could grip a triangular prism with a bottom surface being an equilateral triangle with a side length of 140 mm and a height of 90 mm. Also, as shown in Fig. 6(B), the vine - type power soft gripper 10 of Fig. 1 could grip a sphere with a diameter of 150 mm. Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 6(C), the vine - type power soft gripper 10 of Fig. 1 could grip an aluminum frame with a length (=30 mm)×width (=30 mm)×height (=430 mm).
[0024] Fig. 7 is a diagram for explaining the load - bearing capacity of the vine - type power soft gripper 10 of Fig. 1. (A) is a perspective view showing the load - bearing capacity measuring device, and (B) is a graph showing the load - bearing capacity characteristics measured by the load - bearing capacity measuring device of (A).
[0025] In the load - bearing capacity measuring device of Fig. 7(A), the vine - type power soft gripper 10 in a hose air - pressure pressurized state is wrapped around an object B that is fixed so as not to rotate, and the gripper 10 is set to the hose air - pressure atmospheric - pressure state, and a weight W is hung. As a result, as shown in Fig. 7(B), when the winding angle θ of the vine - type power soft gripper 10 with respect to the object B is 270 deg, 350 deg, and 450 deg, the maximum load at which it slips, that is, the load - bearing capacity, is 12 kg, 23 kg, and 69 kg, respectively. That is, it was demonstrated that the load - bearing capacity increases as the winding angle θ increases in accordance with Euler's belt theory. In particular, the load - bearing capacity of 69 kg when θ = 450 deg is a value that could not be achieved conventionally.
[0026] Fig. 8 is a diagram for explaining the rubber sheet of the vine - type power soft gripper 10 of Fig. 1.
[0027] In Fig. 8, with the hose 11 of the vine - type power soft gripper 10 stretched straight, an inner rubber sheet 13 is adhered to the inner and outer surfaces of the hose 11 facing the back surface of the constant - load spring 12. Then, an outer rubber sheet 14 is adhered to the outer and outer surfaces of the hose 11 facing the surface of the constant - load spring 12 in a spirally wound state. In the vine - type power soft gripper 10 in Fig. 8(A), the length is 1 m and the mass is 0.6 kg, the thickness of the inner rubber sheet 13 is 1 mm, and the thickness of the outer rubber sheet 14 is 4 mm. In the vine - type power soft gripper 10 in Fig. 8(B), the length is 0.9 m and the mass is 0.5 kg, the thickness of the inner rubber sheet 13 is 0.5 mm, the thickness of the outer rubber sheet 14 is 4 mm (from the base to the 0.6 - m part), and 5 mm (from the 0.6 - m part to the tip). By making the thickness of the inner rubber sheet 13 smaller than that of the outer rubber sheet 14, the vine - type power soft gripper 10 is bent inward, thereby making it easier to grip an object. Further, as shown in Fig. 8(B), by making the outer rubber sheet 14 larger from the base to the tip, the vine - type power soft gripper 10 is bent even more inward. As a result, it becomes even easier to grip an object. That is, the inner rubber sheet 13 prevents the gripper 10 from suddenly bending when the hose air pressure is reduced, and the outer rubber sheet 14 serves to unwind spirally when the hose air pressure is reduced. Thereby, excellent object - gripping performance is realized.
[0028] Fig. 9 is a diagram for explaining the gripping operation of an object with a load above the rated load by the vine - type power soft gripper device of Fig. 1. The conditions of the vine - type power soft gripper 10, hose 11, and constant - load spring 12 in Fig. 9 are the same as those in the case of Fig. 3. That is, the rated load of the constant - load spring 12 is 2.20 kg.
[0029] In FIG. 9, as the object B, a pipe made of aluminum with a diameter of 70 mm is rotatably passed through the barbell. At this time, the total load of the object B is 30 kg. The object B with a total load of 30 kg was lifted by one vine-type power soft gripper 10. In this case, 30 kg is larger than the rated load of 2.20 kg of the constant load spring 12. However, it was found that the object B rotated and the vine-type power soft gripper 10 came loose. Therefore, it is considered that the load-bearing capacity of the vine-type power soft gripper device in FIG. 1 is limited to about 30 kg.
[0030] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a second embodiment of the vine-type power soft gripper device according to the present invention.
[0031] In FIG. 10, the vine-type power soft gripper device has a vine-type power soft gripper 10 and a vine-type power soft gripper 20 on a hand lift H as an up-and-down movement unit U2. The vine-type power soft gripper 20 has the same hose 21, constant load spring 22, inner rubber sheet 23, and outer rubber sheet 24 as the hose 11, constant load spring 12, inner rubber sheet 13, and outer rubber sheet 14 of the vine-type power soft gripper 10 (reference numerals 11 to 14, 21 to 24 are omitted), but only the winding direction is different. That is, for the same target object, the winding direction from the base to the tip of the vine-type power soft gripper 10 is clockwise, while the winding direction from the base to the tip of the vine-type power soft gripper 20 is counterclockwise. Also, in FIG. 10, an air pressure supply unit U1 is provided as in the case of FIG. 1.
[0032] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the gripping operation of an object with a load equal to or greater than the rated load by the vine-type power soft gripper device of FIG. 10. The conditions of the vine-type power soft grippers 10 and 20 in FIG. 11 are the same as those in the case of FIG. 3 except for the winding direction. That is, the rated load of each constant load spring of the vine-type power soft grippers 10 and 20 is 2.20 kg.
[0033] Also in (A) of FIG. 11, as the object B, a pipe made of aluminum with a diameter of 70 mm is rotatably passed through the barbell. At this time, the total load of the object B is 30 kg. The object B with a total load of 30 kg was lifted by two vine-type power soft grippers 10 and 20. In this case, although 30 kg is larger than the total rated load of 2.20 kg × 2 = 4.40 kg of the constant load springs of the grippers 10 and 20, the object B could be lifted. Therefore, it is considered that the load-bearing capacity of the vine-type power soft gripper device in FIG. 10 is larger than about 30 kg.
[0034] In (B) of FIG. 11, as the object B, the weight W was increased so that the total load of the object B was 110 kg. The object B with a total load of 110 kg was lifted by two vine-type power soft grippers 10 and 20. In this case, although 110 kg is much larger than the total rated load of 2.20 kg × 2 = 4.40 kg of the constant load springs of the grippers 10 and 20, the object B could be lifted. Therefore, it is considered that the load-bearing capacity of the vine-type power soft gripper device in FIG. 10 is larger than about 110 kg.
[0035] FIG. 12 is a perspective view for explaining the driving method of the vine-type power soft gripper device of FIG. 10.
[0036] First, referring to the initial state of (A) in FIG. 12, the vine-type power soft grippers 10 and 20 are located on the object B, and there is a narrow space surrounded by the wall K as the moving place.
[0037] Next, referring to the hose pneumatic pressurization and gripper lowering state of (B) in FIG. 12, each hose of the vine-type power soft grippers 10 and 20 is in a pneumatic pressurization state, and the grippers 10 and 20 are lowered. As a result, the grippers 10 and 20 approach the object B.
[0038] Next, referring to the hose pneumatic decompression state of (C) in FIG. 12, the vine-type power soft grippers 10 and 20 wrap around the object B.
[0039] Next, referring to the object movement state of (D) in FIG. 12, the hand lift H moves the object B into the narrow space of the wall K.
[0040] Next, referring to the object lowering state of (E) in FIG. 12, the hand lift H lowers the object B into the narrow space of the wall K.
[0041] Next, referring to the hose pneumatic pressure boosting state of (F) in FIG. 12, the hoses 11 and 12 are pneumatically pressurized, and the vine-type power soft grippers 10 and 20 come into contact with the wall K (see (B) in FIG. 5).
[0042] Next, referring to the hose pneumatic pressure reducing state of (G) in FIG. 12, the pneumatic pressure of each hose of the vine-type power soft grippers 10 and 20 is reduced, and the vine-type power soft grippers 10 and 20 move away from the wall K. At this time, the vine-type power soft grippers 10 and 20 are lifted (see (C) in FIG. 5). Even if the distance between the object B and the wall K is only a few centimeters, by repeating the states of (F) and (G) in FIG. 12, the vine-type power soft grippers 10 and 20 can be pulled out from the narrow space of the wall K.
[0043] Finally, referring to (H) in FIG. 12, the vine-type power soft grippers 10 and 20 are completely pulled out from the object B.
[0044] In this way, the vine-type power soft gripper device having the vine-type power soft grippers 10 and 20 in FIG. 10 has a large load-bearing capacity, so the object B can be easily transported. Also, as shown in (E), (F), (G), and (H) of FIG. 12, operations in a narrow space are possible, and it can be utilized at disaster sites and the like.
[0045] FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a third embodiment of the vine-type power soft gripper device according to the present invention.
[0046] In FIG. 13, the vine-type power soft gripper device has four vine-type power soft grippers 10, 20, 30, and 40 under the hand lift H as an up-and-down movement unit. The vine-type power soft gripper 20 faces the vine-type power soft gripper 10 and has the same hose 21, constant load spring 22, inner rubber sheet 23, and outer rubber sheet 24 as the hose 11, constant load spring 12, inner rubber sheet 13, and outer rubber sheet 14 of the vine-type power soft gripper 10, but only the winding direction is different. Note that the reference numerals 11 to 14 and 21 to 24 are omitted. That is, for the same target object, the winding direction from the base to the tip of the vine-type power soft gripper 10 is clockwise, while the winding direction from the base to the tip of the vine-type power soft gripper 20 is counterclockwise. Also, the vine-type power soft gripper 40 faces the vine-type power soft gripper 30 and has the same hose 41, constant load spring 42, inner rubber sheet 43, and outer rubber sheet 44 as the hose 31, constant load spring 32, inner rubber sheet 33, and outer rubber sheet 34 of the vine-type power soft gripper 30, but only the winding direction is different. Note that the reference numerals 31 to 34 and 41 to 44 are omitted. That is, for the same target object, the winding direction from the base to the tip of the vine-type power soft gripper 30 is clockwise, while the winding direction from the base to the tip of the vine-type power soft gripper 40 is counterclockwise. Also, in FIG. 13, similar to the case of FIG. 1, a pneumatic supply unit U1 for individually supplying pneumatic pressure to the grippers 10, 20, 30, and 40 is provided.
[0047] FIG. 14 is a perspective view for explaining the driving method of the vine-type power soft grippers 10 and 20 of the vine-type power soft gripper device of FIG. 13.
[0048] First, referring to the hose pneumatic pressure pressurization and the lowered state of the grippers 10 and 20 in FIG. 14(A), each hose of the grippers 10 and 20 is in a pneumatic pressure pressurized state, and the grippers 10 and 20 are lowered. As a result, the grippers 10 and 20 approach an object B, for example, a fallen tree.
[0049] Next, referring to the hose air pressure reduction in (B) of FIG. 14 and the lowered states of the grippers 10 and 20, the vine-type power soft grippers 10 and 20 wrap around the object B. In this case, the winding directions of the vine-type power soft grippers 10 and 20 are opposite to each other.
[0050] Finally, referring to the object moving state which is the hose air pressure atmospheric pressure and the gripper rising state in (C) of FIG. 14, the object B is moved by the hand lift H.
[0051] FIG. 15 is a perspective view for explaining the driving method of other vine-type power soft grippers 30 and 40 of the vine-type power soft gripper device of FIG. 13.
[0052] In the hose air pressure reduction state of FIG. 15, the vine-type power soft grippers 30 and 40 wrap around an object B such as a reinforced concrete and move the object B by the hand lift H. In this case, the winding directions of the vine-type power soft grippers 30 and 40 are opposite to each other.
[0053] Thus, according to the vine-type power soft gripper device of FIG. 13, the vine-type power soft grippers 10 and 20 and the vine-type power soft grippers 30 and 40 can be switched according to the position of the object B to perform the gripping operation. Therefore, the working time can be shortened.
[0054] FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing a fourth embodiment of the vine-type power soft gripper device according to the present invention.
[0055] In FIG. 16, five pneumatic artificial muscles 15 as a contraction type actuator and a pneumatic supply unit U3 for supplying the air pressure of the pneumatic artificial muscles 15 are provided on the tip of the outer rubber sheet 14 of the vine type power soft gripper 10 in FIG. 1, and a polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon (registered trademark) tape) 6 with a low coefficient of friction and low adhesiveness is pasted on the tip of the inner rubber sheet 13 of the vine type power soft gripper 10 in FIG. 1. The pneumatic artificial muscle 15 is made of, for example, a filament fiber surrounding a rubber-made hollow cylindrical tube and is controlled by the air pressure of the pneumatic supply unit U3. Note that the vine type power soft gripper 10 in FIG. 16 is in a complete spiral shape clockwise from the base 11a to the tip 11b of the hose.
[0056] FIG. 17 is a side view for explaining the operation of the vine type power soft gripper device in FIG. 16.
[0057] When the air pressure is off, that is, when the air pressure is reduced, as shown in FIG. 17(A), the pneumatic artificial muscle 15 is in an extended state. On the other hand, when the air pressure is on, that is, when the air pressure is increased, as shown in FIG. 17(B), the pneumatic artificial muscle 15 is in a contracted state and stands up. Thus, when the air pressure of the pneumatic artificial muscle 15 is turned on and off, the pneumatic artificial muscle 15 repeats the contracted state / extended state. Note that in FIG. 17, the diameter of the part of the pneumatic artificial muscle 15 of the vine type power soft gripper 10 is larger than that of the other parts because the inner rubber sheet 13 of the part of the pneumatic artificial muscle 15 is thicker.
[0058] FIG. 18 is a diagram for explaining the winding drive operation of the vine type power soft gripper 10 in FIG. 16.
[0059] First, as shown in FIG. 18(A), while lowering the gripper 10, the hose 11 approaches the object B in a state where the hose air pressure is pressurized. When the hose air pressure becomes a decompressed state, the tip 11b of the hose 11 is wound around the object B by the restoring force of the constant load spring 12 of the gripper 10.
[0060] Next, as shown in (B) of FIG. 18, while further lowering the gripper 10, when the air pressure of the pneumatic artificial muscle 15 is turned on / off, the pneumatic artificial muscle 15 rises from the object B or contacts the object B.
[0061] Finally, as shown in (C) of FIG. 8, while further lowering the gripper 10, turn off the air pressure of the pneumatic artificial muscle 15.
[0062] In this way, by repeatedly pressurizing (turning on) and depressurizing (turning off) the air pressure of the pneumatic artificial muscle 5, the tip 11b of the hose 11 advances while sliding on the surface of the object B. As a result, the catching at the tip during the winding drive of the vine-type power soft gripper 10 onto the object B is eliminated, and the gripping of the object B is successfully achieved.
[0063] FIG. 19 is a diagram for explaining the winding drive operation using the pneumatic artificial muscle 15 of the vine-type power soft gripper 10 in FIG. 16. In FIG. 19, the diameter of the object B is 22 cm.
[0064] First, referring to (A) of FIG. 19, bring the gripper 10 in the hose air pressure pressurized state close to the object B.
[0065] Next, referring to (B) of FIG. 19, depressurize the hose air pressure to lower the gripper 10 and wind it around the object B.
[0066] Next, referring to (C), (D), and (E) of FIG. 19, by repeatedly driving the pressurization (turning on) and depressurization (turning off) of the pneumatic artificial muscle 15 and lowering the gripper 10, the gripper 10 winds around the object B without being caught.
[0067] Finally, referring to (F) of FIG. 19, the gripper 10 can be completely wound around the object B.
[0068] In this way, the object B with a diameter of 22 cm could wrap the gripper 10 by the on / off driving of the pneumatic artificial muscle 5. Incidentally, in the case of the object B with a diameter of 17 cm, the gripper 10 could wrap the object B without driving the pneumatic artificial muscle 15. On the other hand, in the case of the object B with a diameter of 22 cm, when the polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) tape 16 was absent, even if the pneumatic artificial muscle 15 was driven on and off, the gripper 10 did not wrap around the object B. Therefore, for the object B with a large diameter, the superimposed effect of the pneumatic artificial muscle 15 and the PTFE tape 16 was recognized. In any case, the pneumatic artificial muscle 15 provided on the outer side of the tip of the hose 11 and / or the PTFE tape 16 provided on the inner side of the tip of the hose enable the gripping of the object B with a larger diameter. Incidentally, the pneumatic artificial muscle 15 and / or the PTFE tape 16 can also be provided on each vine-type soft gripper shown in FIGS. 10 and 13.
[0069] FIG. 20 is a perspective view showing a modified example of the vine-type soft gripper device of FIG. 13.
[0070] In FIG. 20, the vine-type soft gripper device has four vine-type soft grippers 10′, 20′, 30′, and 40′ under the handlift H. In this case, the vine-type soft gripper 10′ faces the vine-type soft gripper 20′, and the vine-type soft gripper 30′ faces the vine-type soft gripper 40′. Each of the vine-type soft grippers 10′, 20′, 30′, and 40′ consists of a hose having an open base and a closed tip, and a constant-load spring inserted from the base of the hose, and does not have an inner rubber sheet, an outer rubber sheet, a pneumatic artificial muscle, and a PTFE tape. Therefore, the vine-type soft grippers 10′, 20′, 30′, and 40′ in the state of being wound with hose air pressure and atmospheric pressure become spiral, but the clockwise and counterclockwise directions of the spiral are random. However, as shown in FIG. 21, it can wrap around the object B. In particular, it is effective for an object B with a complex shape, for example, a cross shape.
[0071] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiments, the drive source of the vine-type power soft gripper may be a fluid pressure other than pneumatic pressure. Also, the drive source of the pneumatic artificial muscle 15 may be a fluid pressure other than pneumatic pressure. Further, the rubber sheet may be an elastic sheet other than the rubber sheet. Furthermore, the polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) tape may be another fluororesin tape having low adhesiveness and a low coefficient of friction.
[0072] Also, the pneumatic artificial muscle 15 may be other artificial muscles, for example, artificial muscles using polymers, artificial muscles using electricity or magnetism, etc. Further, instead of the artificial muscle, other contraction actuators may be used. Furthermore, a stiffening actuator that stiffens by pneumatic pressure or the like also has the same action as the pneumatic artificial muscle.
[0073] FIG. 22 shows an observation device using the vine-type power soft gripper according to the present invention, where (A) is a non-observation state and (B) is an observation state.
[0074] In FIG. 22, the observation device 50 has a vine-type power soft gripper 10 and a fixed-point observation camera 51. The fixed-point observation camera 51 is provided on the side of the root 11a of the hose of the vine-type power soft gripper 10.
[0075] In the non-observation state of the observation device 50 shown in FIG. 22(A), the hose of the vine-type power soft gripper 10 is pre-pressurized and plugged with a plug 52. As a result, the vine-type power soft gripper 10 becomes linear. Note that instead of the plug 52, a pneumatic pressure supply unit (tube) can also be used.
[0076] In the observation state of the observation device 50 shown in FIG. 22(B), the observation device 50 is brought close to the vicinity of the standing tree 53 by hand or a robot arm. Next, the plug 52 is removed or the hose root 11a of the vine-type power soft gripper 10 is opened by removing the pneumatic pressure supply unit (tube) so that the hose is in the atmospheric pressure state. As a result, the vine-type power soft gripper 10 is spirally wound around the branch 54 of the standing tree 53. At this time, the fixed-point observation camera 51 operates and the periphery of the standing tree 53 is photographed.
[0077] The removal of the observation device 50 from the standing tree 53 is performed by pumping air into the vine-type power soft gripper 10 through a pneumatic supply unit (tube) from the base 11a of the hose of the vine-type power soft gripper 10 to put the vine-type power soft gripper 10 in a pressurized state.
[0078] In addition, in FIG. 22, a fixed-point observation camera is used, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In addition to a camera with a pan-tilt unit whose orientation and position can be changed, for example, various functional devices such as a thermometer, a toxic gas concentration detector, a microphone, a speaker, a relay for wireless communication, and lighting can also be mounted. Further, in FIG. 22, the fixed-point observation camera is mounted at the base of the vine-type power gripper, but it is not necessarily provided at the base, and it may be anywhere as long as it is a part integrated with the vine-type power gripper. Furthermore, in FIG. 22, it is wound around the branch of the standing tree, but the object to be wound is not limited thereto, and it may be anything that can be wound, such as a pointed rock.
[0079] FIG. 23 shows a wire jacking device (rope winding device) using the vine-type power soft gripper according to the present invention.
[0080] In FIG. 23, the jacking-up device 60 has a wire rope winding unit 61, a vine-type power soft gripper 10 connected to the wire rope winding unit 61, and a wire rope 62 wound up by the wire rope winding unit 61. A plug or a pneumatic supply hose (means) is connected to the base 11a side of the hose of the vine-type power soft gripper 10, and the state of the vine-type power soft gripper can be controlled. That is, before fixing this jacking-up device to a standing tree, the pressure inside the vine-type power soft gripper is increased to an extended state, and when fixing, the internal pressure of the vine-type power soft gripper is released to the atmosphere by removing the above plug or pneumatic supply hose (means), and it is wound around the standing tree.
[0081] In FIG. 23, it is wound around a standing tree, but the object to be wound is not limited to this. For example, anything that can be wound, such as a protruding rock, may be used.
[0082] In the jack-up device 60 shown in FIG. 23, the hose of the vine-type power soft gripper 10 is pre-pressurized to make the vine-type power soft gripper 10 linear. Next, the jack-up device 60 is brought close to the vicinity of the standing tree 63 by hand or a robot arm. Then, the base 11a of the hose of the vine-type power soft gripper 10 is opened by the pneumatic supply hose so that the hose is in the atmospheric pressure state. As a result, the vine-type power soft gripper 10 is spirally wound around the standing tree 63. Next, the wire rope 62 is placed over the fallen tree 64 by hand or a robot arm. Finally, the fallen tree 64 is pulled and moved by the drive motor of the wire rope winching unit 61.
[0083] The removal of the jack-up device 60 from the standing tree 63 is performed by pumping air into the vine-type power soft gripper 10 through the pneumatic supply hose from the base 11a of the hose of the vine-type power soft gripper 10 to put the vine-type power soft gripper 10 in a pressurized state.
[0084] Note that the present invention can be applied to any modification within the obvious scope of the above-described embodiments.
Explanation of Reference Numerals
[0085] 10, 20, 30, 40, 10', 20', 30', 40': Vine-type power soft gripper 11: Hose 11a: Base 11b: Tip 12: Constant load spring 13: Inner rubber sheet 14: Outer rubber sheet 15: Pneumatic artificial muscle 16: Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) tape 50: Observation device 51: Camera for fixed-point observation 52: Plug 53: Standing tree 54: Branch 60: Jack-up device 61: Wire rope hoisting unit 62: Wire rope 63: Standing tree 64: Fallen tree U1: Pneumatic supply unit U2: Vertical movement unit U3: Pneumatic supply unit B: Object
Claims
1. A vine - type power soft gripper device comprising at least one vine - type power soft gripper, wherein the vine - type power soft gripper, comprises a hose having an open base and a closed tip, and a constant - load spring inserted into the hose. A vine - type power soft gripper device.
2. The vine - type power soft gripper further comprises, an inner elastic sheet adhered to the inner and outer surfaces of the hose facing the back surface of the constant - load spring, and an outer elastic sheet adhered to the outer surface of the hose facing the front surface of the constant - load spring. The vine - type power soft gripper device according to claim 1.
3. The vine - type power soft gripper device according to claim 2, wherein the thickness of the outer elastic sheet is greater than the thickness of the inner elastic sheet.
4. The vine - type power soft gripper device according to claim 2, wherein the thickness of the outer elastic sheet is larger on the tip side than on the base side of the vine - type power soft gripper.
5. The vine - type power soft gripper, comprises a resin tape provided on the tip side of the inner elastic sheet. The vine - type power soft gripper device according to claim 2.
6. The vine - type power soft gripper device according to claim 5, wherein the resin tape is a fluororesin tape.
7. The vine - type power soft gripper, comprises a contraction - type actuator or a rigid - type actuator provided on the tip side of the outer elastic sheet. The vine - type power soft gripper device according to claim 2.
8. The vine - type power soft gripper device according to claim 7, wherein the contraction - type actuator or the rigid - type actuator is an artificial muscle.
9. A vine - type power soft gripper device comprising at least first and second opposing vine - type power soft grippers for gripping an object, wherein each of the first and second vine - type power soft grippers, comprises a hose having an open base and a closed tip, and a constant - load spring inserted into the hose, and the winding direction of the constant - load spring of the first vine - type power soft gripper with respect to the object and the winding direction of the constant - load spring of the second vine - type power soft gripper with respect to the object are opposite to each other. A vine - type power soft gripper device.
10. A driving method of the vine - type power soft gripper device according to claim 1, A first step of setting the fluid pressure of the hose to a pressurized fluid pressure higher than the initial fluid pressure and lowering the hose to approach an object; A second step, after the first step, of setting the fluid pressure of the hose to be lower than the pressurized fluid pressure and further lowering the hose; A third step, after the second step, of setting the fluid pressure of the hose to the initial fluid pressure and stopping the lowering of the hose A driving method for a vine-type power soft gripper device comprising the above steps.
11. A driving method for a vine-type power soft gripper device according to claim 7, A first step of setting the fluid pressure of the hose to a pressurized fluid pressure higher than the initial fluid pressure and lowering the hose to approach an object; A second step, after the first step, of setting the fluid pressure of the hose to a decompressed fluid pressure lower than the pressurized fluid pressure and higher than the initial fluid pressure, and repeatedly turning on and off the contraction-type actuator or the rigid-type actuator to further lower the hose; A third step, after the second step, of setting the fluid pressure of the hose to the initial fluid pressure and stopping the lowering of the hose A driving method for a vine-type power soft gripper device comprising the above steps.
12. A driving method for a vine-type power soft gripper device according to claim 9, A first step of setting the fluid pressures of the hoses of the first and second vine-type power soft grippers to a pressurized fluid pressure higher than the initial fluid pressure and lowering the hoses of the first and second vine-type power soft grippers to approach the object from opposite sides; A second step, after the first step, of setting the fluid pressures of the hoses of the first and second vine-type power soft grippers to a decompressed fluid pressure lower than the pressurized fluid pressure and higher than the initial fluid pressure, and further lowering the hoses of the first and second vine-type power soft grippers; A third step, after the second step, of setting the fluid pressures of the hoses of the first and second vine-type power soft grippers to the initial fluid pressure and stopping the lowering of the hoses of the first and second vine-type power soft grippers A driving method for a vine-type power soft gripper device comprising the above steps.
13. An apparatus comprising a vine-type power soft gripper and a functional device, wherein the vine-type power soft gripper comprises a hose having a root and a closed tip, and a constant-load spring inserted into the hose and the functional device is provided on a part of the hose. In the pre-movable state of the functional device, the base of the hose is blocked and the inside of the hose is in a pressurized state. In the movable state of the functional device, the base of the hose is opened and the inside of the hose is in an atmospheric pressure state.
14. A wire rope hoisting unit, A vine-type power soft gripper connected to the wire rope hoisting unit, A jack-up device comprising an object gripping member connected to a drive motor of the wire rope hoisting unit, The vine-type power soft gripper, A hose having a base connected to a fluid pressure supply means and a closed tip, A constant load spring inserted into the hose A jack-up device comprising.