Modular Manipulator Arm with Rotatable Spool and Stabilizer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing modular manipulator arms lack the flexibility and scalability to effectively navigate tight spaces and provide a wide range of motion for tools, especially in applications requiring precision and access to complex geometries.
Innovation Solution
A modular manipulator arm apparatus comprising a series of interconnected modules with rotatable spool and ring components, where the bottom spool end of each intermediate module is attached to the top ring of the next lower module, and the top ring is attached to the bottom spool end of the next higher module, allowing independent rotation and stabilization through stabilizers, enabling a wide range of movement and scalability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If modular manipulator arms are designed with fixed module configurations, then manufacturing and assembly are simplified, but flexibility and adaptability for different applications are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The manipulator arm is divided into multiple identical modular units, each comprising a spool member, envelope member, and stabilizer. These modules can be connected in series to create manipulator arms of varying lengths and configurations, allowing easy adaptation to different applications while maintaining standardized manufacturing processes for each module.
Solution Approach 2:
Each module incorporates rotatable spool and envelope members that can dynamically adjust their relative positions and orientations. The stabilizers provide controlled movement constraints, enabling the manipulator arm to adapt its configuration in real-time to navigate tight spaces and access complex geometries while maintaining structural integrity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If manipulator arms use multiple rotatable modules with complex joints, then range of motion and accessibility to tight spaces are improved, but device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
Each modular unit serves multiple functions: the spool member provides rotational movement, the envelope member provides structural support and guidance, and the stabilizer provides positional control. This multi-functionality within each standardized module reduces overall system complexity compared to using specialized components for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
The stabilizer is positioned within the envelope member, and the spool member rotates within the envelope member's confines. This nested arrangement allows multiple functional components to be integrated in a compact configuration, reducing the overall footprint and structural complexity while maintaining the required range of motion.
3Stability of the object's composition
If stabilizers are added to prevent relative rotation of spool members, then structural stability is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The stabilizer is designed as a separate, standardized component that can be easily attached to and removed from the modular units. This segmentation allows the stabilizer to be manufactured independently using simple processes and assembled into the manipulator arm configuration as needed, minimizing manufacturing complexity while providing essential structural stability.
Data Source
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AI summary
A manipulator arm module includes a hollow spool with corresponding top and bottom spool ends. An upper envelope member has a bottom ring rotatably attached to the top spool end, a top ring oriented at an angle to the bottom ring, and struts rigidly connecting the rings. A top drive rotates the bottom ring with respect to the spool. A manipulator arm comprises a plurality of modules the bottom spool end of one module rotatably attached to the top ring of a next lower adjacent module. Each ring is rotationally driven independently. A stabilizer is connected between adjacent spools and allows the adjacent spools to move closer together or farther apart, and resists relative rotative movement of the adjacent spools.