Fluid-Stiffened Conduit Guide Element for Stable Manipulator Routing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing guide devices for conduits and media in industrial settings, such as motor vehicle production, lack a reliable and efficient means to guide flexible conduits and media in a defined and stable manner, particularly when subjected to movement and deformation by manipulator arms.
Innovation Solution
A guide device featuring a guide element with two pliable layers arranged one inside the other, forming a chamber system that can be stiffened by a reinforcing fluid to convert the guide element from a flexible to a rigid state, ensuring stable and defined guidance of conduits and media.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the guide element is made pliable to follow manipulator arm movements, then adaptability is improved, but guidance stability and definition deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The guide element transitions from a static rigid structure to a dynamic system that can change its properties. The pliable layers can be actively stiffened by introducing fluid into the chamber system, allowing the guide element to adapt its rigidity based on operational requirements - flexible during manipulation, stable during guidance.
Solution Approach 2:
The physical state of the guide element is changed by modifying the fluid pressure within the chamber system. By controlling the amount of fluid introduced into the chambers formed by the pliable layers, the guide element's rigidity parameter can be adjusted between flexible and rigid states, resolving the contradiction between adaptability and stability.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the guide element is made rigid to provide stable guidance, then guidance definition is improved, but flexibility and adaptability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than using a permanently rigid structure, the invention employs a dynamic system where the guide element's rigidity can be activated only when needed. The pliable layers remain flexible by default but can be stiffened on-demand through fluid introduction, providing guidance stability only during the guidance phase of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system prepares for rigid guidance by pre-configuring the pliable layers with chamber systems that can be rapidly stiffened. The capability for rigid guidance is established in advance through the structural design, but the actual rigid state is activated only when guidance is required, maintaining flexibility during other operational phases.
3Stability of the object's composition
If fluid is introduced into the chamber system to stiffen the guide element, then guidance stability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The guide element is merged with the fluid introduction system, where the pliable layers themselves form the chamber systems. This integration eliminates the need for separate rigidizing mechanisms, as the layers' own structure provides the chambers that, when filled with fluid, create the stiffening effect.
Solution Approach 2:
The pliable layers serve multiple functions: they form the structural basis of the guide element, create the chamber systems for fluid introduction, and provide the mechanism for both flexibility and rigidity. This multi-functionality reduces overall device complexity by eliminating the need for separate components for each function.
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
Enables targeted, energy-efficient, and long-lasting guidance of conduits and media, preventing fluid mixing and allowing for flexible manufacturing processes, reducing costs and improving the durability and stability of the guide element.
Implementation Method 1
The layers delimit a chamber system arranged between the layers, which can be acted upon by a fluid also referred to as a reinforcing fluid or stiffening fluid. By applying the stiffening fluid to the chamber system, the inherently pliable guide element can be stiffened or reinforced and thus converted into an inherently rigid state.
Data Source
AI summary
A guide device for guiding a conduit or a medium includes a guide element which delimits a guide channel in which the conduit or the medium is accommodatable and guidable. The guide element has a first layer and a second layer which are disposed one inside the other, are pliable, and delimit a chamber system which is disposed between the first layer and the second layer. The chamber system has a plurality of chambers. The first layer and the second layer are impermeable to a fluid. By acting upon the chamber system with the fluid, the guide element, which is intrinsically pliable, is stiffenable and thereby converted into a rigid state.