Continuum Robot Wire Guide Control for Accurate Form Shaping
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Continuum robots face accuracy issues in form control due to non-uniform wire curvatures caused by sliding friction, leading to unsatisfactory accuracy in kinematic calculations.
Innovation Solution
A continuum robot system with a first and second wire, where the second wire is slidable relative to wire guides, and a control unit maintains a constant distance between the proximal guide and the nearest wire guide, calculating driving displacements to maintain desired bending and rotation angles while compensating for wire expansion and contraction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the wires are driven to control the continuum robot form, then the robot can achieve desired bending and rotation angles, but sliding friction between wires and wire guides causes non-uniform wire curvatures and position shifts, leading to large errors in kinematic calculations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-calculating and compensating for wire guide position shifts before they affect control accuracy. The control unit calculates the position shift of wire guides caused by sliding friction and uses this information to adjust wire driving amounts in advance, thereby maintaining accurate form control despite the inherent friction effects in the sliding wire guide mechanism
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback by using detected wire guide positions to adjust subsequent wire driving commands. The control unit detects the actual positions of wire guides, compares them with expected positions based on kinematic models, and uses this feedback information to calculate compensation amounts that are applied to subsequent driving commands, creating a closed-loop control system that maintains accuracy despite friction
2Adaptability or versatility
If the distance between wire guides varies during operation, then the robot can adapt to different bending configurations, but this causes non-uniform wire curvatures that increase error in kinematic models assuming uniform curvature
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the wire guide positions dynamic rather than fixed. The control system actively adjusts wire guide positions and calculates compensation amounts based on actual positions, allowing the system to adapt to different bending configurations while maintaining control precision through real-time compensation for the resulting non-uniform curvatures
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
This approach enhances the accuracy of continuum robot control by maintaining constant gap lengths and reducing errors in wire deformation, improving the robot's ability to maintain precise form control.
Implementation Method 1
sliding friction between, for example, the wires and the wire guides caused by driving of the wires
Data Source
AI summary
A continuum robot includes: a first wire; a second wire; a distal guide configured to hold the first wire and the second wire; a proximal guide slidable relative to the first wire and the second wire; a plurality of wire guides provided between the distal guide and the proximal guide; a driving unit configured to drive the first wire and the second wire; and a control unit configured to control the driving unit. The first wire is fixed to the plurality of wire guides, the second wire is slidable relative to the plurality of wire guides, and the control unit controls the driving unit so as to keep a distance between the proximal guide and a wire guide among the plurality of wire guides provided nearest to the proximal guide constant.