Chain Plate Flexible Finger Pneumatic Actuation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional industrial manipulators are inadequate for gripping complex-shaped and varying-sized objects with irregular shapes, fragile, or soft materials, as they lack the necessary flexibility and adaptability to apply appropriate grip forces without damaging the objects.
Innovation Solution
A chain plate flexible finger is developed, combining the advantages of soft-bodied robots and rigid dexterous manipulators, utilizing an elastic bellows artificial muscle with a corrugated outer wall, chain plates, and tension springs to provide a flexible and adaptive gripping mechanism that can conform to various object shapes and sizes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a conventional industrial manipulator with clamp structure is used, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but it can only grip rigid workpieces with the same shape and size, lacking adaptability to complex targets
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs flexible fingers made of soft material that can withstand large strain, allowing the gripper to adapt to various object shapes and sizes. The flexible fingers can deform continuously to conform to the contours of complex targets, resolving the contradiction between grip adaptability and structural complexity by using material flexibility rather than complex mechanical structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material parameters of the gripper fingers by using soft materials with high elasticity and large strain capacity. This parameter change enables the fingers to deform and adapt to different object geometries, achieving high grip adaptability without requiring complex reconfigurable mechanisms.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a soft-bodied robot with continuous deformability is used, then the adaptability to various shapes is improved, but the payload capability is limited and fingers are prone to lateral bending or twisting
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the flexible finger into multiple chain plates connected by hinges, creating an articulated structure. This segmentation provides discrete support points that prevent lateral bending and twisting while maintaining the ability to conform to object shapes, thus improving payload capability without sacrificing shape adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a composite structure combining soft material for flexibility with rigid chain plates and hinge joints for structural support. This composite approach allows the finger to maintain its shape and resist unwanted deformations under load while still adapting to various object geometries through controlled elastic deformation.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If airbags in soft-bodied robot fingers are used, then the contact force is reduced for fragile objects, but the airbags deform greatly in a nonlinear manner affecting mechanical modeling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a pneumatic artificial muscle that dynamically adjusts its contraction based on pressure control, allowing the contact force to be regulated according to the fragility of the object. The dynamic nature of the pneumatic actuation provides smooth force control without the nonlinear deformation issues of traditional airbags, simplifying the control modeling while maintaining low contact forces for fragile objects.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The chain plate flexible finger achieves a wide grip range and high adaptability, allowing reliable gripping of complex objects with different shapes and sizes, and can safely handle soft and fragile materials by controlling air pressure within the elastic bellows artificial muscle.
Implementation Method 1
an elastic bellows artificial muscle with a corrugated outer wall... allowing reliable gripping of complex objects with different shapes and sizes
Implementation Method 2
a plurality of chain plates are sequentially hinged in an axial direction on a side of the outer wall of the elastic bellows artificial muscle; and the chain plate flexible finger further includes a tension spring
Implementation Method 3
can safely handle soft and fragile materials by controlling air pressure within the elastic bellows artificial muscle
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a chain plate flexible finger including a chain plate framework, a pneumatic elastic bellows artificial muscle, and a plastic annular frame. The axial expansion of the elastic bellows artificial muscle is restricted by the chain plate framework to overcome the elastic force of a tension spring to bend, to generate conformal contact between one or more chain plates and an object to be gripped and generate a contact force for a gripping state. With the control of a high-speed on-off valve, the air pressure in an inner cavity of the elastic bellows artificial muscle is accurately controlled to vertically or horizontally grip a cylindrical object, a cuboid object, a spherical object or an ellipsoid object. The flexible finger has adequate flexible adaptability and a simple structure, and is reliable to use, and adapts to differently shaped objects to be gripped and vertically and transversely placed objects.