Honeycomb Bidirectional Driver for Rehabilitation Glove
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing flexible exoskeleton rehabilitation robots for upper limbs have limited deformation and output force, requiring high air pressure that can damage the driver, and provide insufficient working space and grasping force.
Innovation Solution
A rehabilitation glove with a bidirectional driver based on a honeycomb imitating structure, featuring buckling and stretching air bags, and a control system using PID algorithms to manage air pressure and force, allowing for two degrees of freedom in rehabilitation training with reduced air pressure requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If traditional cavity expansion drivers are used, then the driver can provide output force through expansion, but the driver is small in deformation and output force
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a nested structure where the buckling air bag is placed inside the stretching air bag, and the honeycomb imitating structure is nested within the air bags. This nested arrangement allows multiple functional layers to work together, enabling large deformation through buckling while maintaining high output force through the combined action of stretching and buckling mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces bidirectional functionality by adding the buckling dimension to the traditional unidirectional stretching driver. The buckling air bag enables deformation in a different dimensional mode (buckling/curling) while the stretching air bag provides linear expansion, creating a two-degree-of-freedom system that achieves both large deformation and high output force.
2Force
If high air pressure is used to increase output force, then the driver can provide sufficient force, but the air pressure required is large and the driver is likely to be damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the driver into multiple functional components: stretching air bag, buckling air bag, honeycomb imitating structure, and guide layers. Each segment performs a specific function - the stretching air bag provides expansion force, the buckling air bag enables large deformation, the honeycomb structure amplifies deformation through geometric mechanics, and the guide layers control the deformation direction. This segmentation allows the system to achieve high output force through mechanical amplification rather than relying solely on high air pressure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite material structures including the honeycomb imitating structure made from multiple layers (air nozzle, upper layer, spacer layer, lower layer) bonded together. This composite construction provides both strength to withstand operating pressures and controlled deformability to achieve large motion ranges, resolving the contradiction between durability and performance.
3Force
If the distance between air cavities is decreased to increase grasping force, then the grasping force output is increased, but the working space is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic adjustment of the working space through the bidirectional driver system. The stretching air bag can expand to increase working space when needed, while the buckling air bag can curl to decrease the effective distance between cavities for increased grasping force. This dynamic adaptability allows the system to optimize both working space and grasping force according to different operational requirements.
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 glove provides a larger output force and rotating angle, enabling effective rehabilitation training in buckling and stretching movements while minimizing air pressure, thus aiding in hand function recovery with improved safety and efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
The buckling air bag is in a continuous bent state, the middle guide layer is also in a continuous bent state... The driver stretches to be inflated and pressurized, so that the driver may be straightened to provide a finger of the patient with a stretching force.
Implementation Method 2
The buckling air bag is formed by hot pressing an air nozzle I, an upper layer of the buckling air bag, a spacer layer of the air bag and a lower layer of the buckling air bag from top to bottom
Data Source
AI summary
A rehabilitation glove based on a bidirectional driver of a honeycomb imitating structure, including five bidirectional drivers and a cotton glove. The drivers are fixed to a back of the glove through hook and loop fasteners. Each driver includes a hollow buckling air bag in a continuous bent state, a middle guide layer in a continuous bent state and a hollow stretching air bag. The buckling air bag and the middle guide layer are symmetrically arranged, and the stretching air bag in a straightened state is arranged below the middle guide layer. A novel bidirectional driver of a honeycomb imitating structure is provided, which may provide a patient with rehabilitation training in two degrees of freedom: buckling and stretching. A control algorithm of the bidirectional driver is further provided to perform force control output for the driver, which may better help the patient recover hand functions.