Fluid-Driven Flexible Mechanical Arm for Safe High Load Handling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current mechanical arms are large, heavy, and limited in mobility and environmental adaptability due to rigid structures, posing safety risks and having small load-to-weight ratios, and existing flexible arm solutions fail to overcome these limitations.
Innovation Solution
A flexible mechanical arm design incorporating a flexible rotary module driven by fluid, featuring a first folding unit, a powered pusher plate, a nut, and a lead screw, allowing for rotational movement and deformation, with a flexible bending module for enhanced flexibility and stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional actuation means such as motors and rigid structures are used, then the mechanical arm has stable structure, but the mechanical arm becomes large in size and heavy in weight
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional motor-driven rigid mechanical systems with a fluid-driven flexible system. The flexible mechanical arm uses fluid pressure to actuate folding units that enable bending and rotation, eliminating heavy motors and rigid transmission components while maintaining actuation capability and structural stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs flexible structures including folding units with flexible sides and thin-walled designs. These flexible components replace rigid mechanical parts, significantly reducing the weight of the mechanical arm while preserving its structural integrity and functional stability through controlled deformation.
2Strength
If rigid structures are used, then the mechanical arm has strong supporting capability, but the mechanical arm has poor safety and causes damage to surrounding objects or persons
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses flexible structures with folding units that can deform under external force or failure conditions. This flexibility allows the mechanical arm to bend or collapse in a controlled manner rather than breaking rigidly, significantly improving safety for surrounding objects and persons while maintaining sufficient supporting capability during normal operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from static rigid structures to dynamic flexible structures that can adapt their stiffness and shape. The folding units enable the mechanical arm to change its configuration dynamically, providing both strength when needed and safety through controlled deformation when encountering obstacles or failures.
3Device complexity
If conventional mechanical arms with limited joints are used, then the structure is simple, but the movable range is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the mechanical arm into multiple segments connected by folding units. Each folding unit can independently bend or rotate, creating a segmented structure that achieves complex motion patterns and extended movable range without requiring complex joint configurations. The segmentation allows the arm to navigate around obstacles and reach positions that would be inaccessible to conventional rigid arms.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If existing flexible arm solutions using magnetic materials or electric polymers are used, then the structure is flexible, but the load-to-weight ratio is small
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses fluid pressure (pneumatics or hydraulics) to actuate the folding units of the flexible mechanical arm. This fluid-driven mechanism provides high force output relative to the system weight, achieving a favorable load-to-weight ratio while maintaining flexibility. The fluid pressure can be precisely controlled to enable both gentle manipulation and strong lifting capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite structures combining flexible materials with rigid reinforcement elements in the folding units. This composite approach maintains the flexibility and environmental adaptability of the arm while providing sufficient structural strength to support heavy loads, thereby improving the load-to-weight ratio compared to purely flexible materials.
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 flexible mechanical arm provides a large load-to-weight ratio, stable movement, and safety in special environments, avoiding damage to surroundings, and can operate in electric fields, magnetic fields, and other harsh conditions.
Implementation Method 1
a lead screw in threaded connection with the nut, wherein the lead screw rotates through the first end plate, and the first folding unit is driven by fluid to be extended or compressed to push the powered pusher plate to translate relative to the first end plate in an axial direction of the lead screw
Implementation Method 2
a first folding unit connected between the first end plate and the powered pusher plate and driven by fluid to be extended or compressed
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure discloses a flexible mechanical arm and a robot. The flexible mechanical arm includes an arm joint, a flexible rotary module (2) and an end execution mechanism (3) which are connected with each other. The flexible rotary module (2) is driven by fluid, and includes a first end plate (23), a powered pusher plate (222), a first folding unit (21), a nut (221), and a lead screw (223) in threaded connection with the nut (221), wherein the first folding unit (21) is driven by fluid to be extended or compressed to push the powered pusher plate (222) to translate in an axial direction of the lead screw (223). The flexible mechanical arm can be deformed under drive of the fluid, thus causing no damage to surrounding objects or persons, and capable of being applied to special environments such as electric fields, magnetic fields, rays, etc.