Wave Washer Flexible Member for Compact High-Load Bending
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a limit in securing load resistance and flexibility while achieving a reduction in size for flexible members used in joint functioning parts of robots and similar devices.
Innovation Solution
A flexible member is designed with a main body part composed of stacked wave washers joined by joint parts, allowing elastic deformation and featuring easily deformable parts between adjacent joint parts, which can be bent to enhance load resistance and flexibility while reducing size.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a coil spring is used to secure high degree of freedom for bending operation, then flexibility is improved, but size reduction is limited due to the need to secure load resistance and flexibility
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible member is segmented into multiple wave washers stacked in the axial direction, with each wave washer being joined to adjacent ones by joint parts. This segmentation allows the structure to achieve flexibility through the cumulative deformation of multiple segments while maintaining compact size, resolving the contradiction between bending freedom and size reduction.
Solution Approach 2:
The wave washers are designed with non-uniform thickness, creating easily deformable parts with smaller thickness values in specific regions. This local quality variation enables certain areas to deform more readily, providing flexibility and bending capability while the overall structure remains compact and maintains load resistance.
2Volume of moving object
If wave washers are stacked and joined by joint parts to enable bending, then size is reduced, but stress concentration occurs at the joint parts
Solution Approach 1:
The wave washers incorporate easily deformable parts with reduced thickness in specific locations, allowing these regions to undergo greater deformation and absorb stress. This local quality modification prevents stress concentration at the joint parts by distributing deformation more evenly, thereby reducing stress while maintaining the compact stacked structure.
3Strength
If the wave washer structure is used to achieve bending, then load resistance is improved, but deformation capability is limited without easily deformable parts
Solution Approach 1:
The wave washers are designed with non-uniform thickness, creating easily deformable parts with smaller thickness values in specific regions. This local quality variation enables certain areas to deform more readily, providing enhanced deformation capability while the overall structure maintains load resistance through the stacked wave washer configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible member is divided into multiple wave washer segments that can deform independently. This segmentation allows the structure to achieve both load resistance through the cumulative effect of multiple segments and enhanced deformation capability through the easily deformable parts in each segment.
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 member achieves excellent load resistance and flexibility, reduces stress concentration at joint parts, and improves durability by allowing deformation in easily deformable areas, enabling reliable bending operations and maintaining structural integrity.
Implementation Method 1
a main body part that has a plurality of wave washers stacked in an axial direction and joined to each other by a plurality of joint parts and is able to be bent with respect to the axial direction due to elastic deformation of the wave washers
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a flexible member having excellent load resistance and flexibility while achieving a reduction in size. This flexible member is provided with: a main body part which includes multiple wave washers that are stacked in an axial direction and are joined to one another by multiple joint parts, and which is capable of bending relative to the axial direction by elastic deformation of the wave washers; and easily deformable parts formed between the joint parts that are adjacent to one another in the circumferential direction in each wave washer.