CN113547510A - Multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator - Google Patents
Multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator Download PDFInfo
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- CN113547510A CN113547510A CN202110990626.1A CN202110990626A CN113547510A CN 113547510 A CN113547510 A CN 113547510A CN 202110990626 A CN202110990626 A CN 202110990626A CN 113547510 A CN113547510 A CN 113547510A
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- 239000007779 soft material Substances 0.000 description 4
- VYPSYNLAJGMNEJ-UHFFFAOYSA-N Silicium dioxide Chemical compound O=[Si]=O VYPSYNLAJGMNEJ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 3
- 208000006011 Stroke Diseases 0.000 description 3
- 230000015572 biosynthetic process Effects 0.000 description 3
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- 230000007547 defect Effects 0.000 description 1
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- 238000005516 engineering process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000012530 fluid Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000007789 gas Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000010720 hydraulic oil Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000000465 moulding Methods 0.000 description 1
- 210000003205 muscle Anatomy 0.000 description 1
- 229920000642 polymer Polymers 0.000 description 1
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- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 238000004804 winding Methods 0.000 description 1
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B25—HAND TOOLS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; MANIPULATORS
- B25J—MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES
- B25J9/00—Programme-controlled manipulators
- B25J9/0009—Constructional details, e.g. manipulator supports, bases
- B25J9/0015—Flexure members, i.e. parts of manipulators having a narrowed section allowing articulation by flexion
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
- A61H—PHYSICAL THERAPY APPARATUS, e.g. DEVICES FOR LOCATING OR STIMULATING REFLEX POINTS IN THE BODY; ARTIFICIAL RESPIRATION; MASSAGE; BATHING DEVICES FOR SPECIAL THERAPEUTIC OR HYGIENIC PURPOSES OR SPECIFIC PARTS OF THE BODY
- A61H1/00—Apparatus for passive exercising; Vibrating apparatus; Chiropractic devices, e.g. body impacting devices, external devices for briefly extending or aligning unbroken bones
- A61H1/02—Stretching or bending or torsioning apparatus for exercising
- A61H1/0274—Stretching or bending or torsioning apparatus for exercising for the upper limbs
- A61H1/0285—Hand
- A61H1/0288—Fingers
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B25—HAND TOOLS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; MANIPULATORS
- B25J—MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES
- B25J9/00—Programme-controlled manipulators
- B25J9/10—Programme-controlled manipulators characterised by positioning means for manipulator elements
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
- A61H—PHYSICAL THERAPY APPARATUS, e.g. DEVICES FOR LOCATING OR STIMULATING REFLEX POINTS IN THE BODY; ARTIFICIAL RESPIRATION; MASSAGE; BATHING DEVICES FOR SPECIAL THERAPEUTIC OR HYGIENIC PURPOSES OR SPECIFIC PARTS OF THE BODY
- A61H2201/00—Characteristics of apparatus not provided for in the preceding codes
- A61H2201/12—Driving means
- A61H2201/1238—Driving means with hydraulic or pneumatic drive
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
- A61H—PHYSICAL THERAPY APPARATUS, e.g. DEVICES FOR LOCATING OR STIMULATING REFLEX POINTS IN THE BODY; ARTIFICIAL RESPIRATION; MASSAGE; BATHING DEVICES FOR SPECIAL THERAPEUTIC OR HYGIENIC PURPOSES OR SPECIFIC PARTS OF THE BODY
- A61H2205/00—Devices for specific parts of the body
- A61H2205/06—Arms
- A61H2205/065—Hands
- A61H2205/067—Fingers
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Robotics (AREA)
- Animal Behavior & Ethology (AREA)
- Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Rehabilitation Therapy (AREA)
- General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Public Health (AREA)
- Veterinary Medicine (AREA)
- Physical Education & Sports Medicine (AREA)
- Pain & Pain Management (AREA)
- Epidemiology (AREA)
- Actuator (AREA)
Abstract
The invention discloses a multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator which comprises an actuator main body, wherein the actuator main body comprises a plurality of peak modules, a plurality of valley modules and driving cavities, the plurality of peak modules and the plurality of valley modules are alternately arranged along the axial direction of the actuator main body, and the driving cavities are distributed along the axial direction of the actuator main body; the cavity axial rib module is arranged in the driving cavity and arranged along the axial plane of the actuator main body, and the cavity axial rib module is connected with the top and the bottom of the driving cavity. The multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator can effectively improve the compression resistance of the soft actuator during negative pressure driving and the tensile resistance of the soft actuator during positive pressure driving, and improve the bearing capacity and the overall rigidity of the soft actuator during bearing.
Description
Technical Field
The invention relates to the technical field of soft robots, in particular to a multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator for a soft robot.
Background
With the rapid development of industrialization and modernization, people rely on the help of intelligent machines more and more, so that the traditional rigid robot is produced. But the rigid mechanical arm has great defects in dealing with some special problems, especially when the object is some fragile objects, the rigid mechanical arm can not deal with the problems properly due to self inertia caused by driving and self rigid structure, and the problem is the biggest limitation of the rigid mechanical arm.
Soft body robotics has been of great interest because rigid robotic arms are prone to cause significant damage to fragile items. The soft actuator is the smallest module constituting the soft robot, and the performance of the soft actuator directly determines the overall performance of the soft robot, so the structural design of the soft actuator is particularly important.
However, the existing soft actuator has the problems of less freedom of movement, smaller bearing capacity, easy formation of a suction-collapse state of a cavity of the soft actuator under negative pressure driving, excessive radial deformation under positive pressure driving and the like, and the application of the soft actuator is limited.
Disclosure of Invention
In view of the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art, an object of the present invention is to provide a multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator, which is used to solve the technical problems of the prior art that the soft actuator has less freedom of movement, less load-bearing capacity, easy formation of a suction-collapse state of the cavity of the soft actuator when driven by negative pressure, and excessive radial deformation when driven by positive pressure.
To achieve the above and other related objects, the present invention provides a soft actuator, comprising:
the actuator comprises an actuator main body and a plurality of driving cavities, wherein the actuator main body comprises a plurality of peak modules, a plurality of valley modules and a plurality of driving cavities, the plurality of peak modules and the plurality of valley modules are alternately arranged along the axial direction of the actuator main body, and the driving cavities are distributed along the axial direction of the actuator main body;
the cavity axial rib module is arranged in the driving cavity and arranged along the axial plane of the actuator main body, and the cavity axial rib module is connected with the top and the bottom of the driving cavity.
In an optional embodiment of the present invention, the actuator body is a flexible soft body actuator body or a plastic actuator body; the cavity axial rib module is an elastic soft cavity axial rib module or a plastic cavity axial rib module.
In an optional embodiment of the invention, the material of the actuator body is harder than the material of the cavity axial rib module.
In an optional embodiment of the invention, the actuator body and the cavity axial rib module are of an integrally formed structure or are separately manufactured and then combined.
In an optional embodiment of the present invention, the cavity axial rib module has a continuous structure or an intermittent structure.
In an optional embodiment of the invention, the cavity axial rib module includes a plurality of axial rib plate units arranged at intervals along an axial direction of the actuator main body, and the axial rib plate units are located at the crest module or the trough module.
In an optional embodiment of the present invention, the multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator further includes an interface, the interface is disposed at one end of the actuator main body and is communicated with the driving cavity; the cavity axial rib module extends to an end of the interface away from the actuator body.
In an optional embodiment of the present invention, the multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator further includes a circumferential rib module, where the circumferential rib module includes a plurality of circumferential ribs, and each circumferential rib is arranged along a circumferential outer contour of one of the peak modules or the valley modules.
In an optional embodiment of the invention, the circumferential rib is a full circumferential rib or a partial circumferential rib provided to a circumferential outer contour of the peak module or the valley module, and the partial circumferential rib is symmetrical with respect to an axial symmetry plane of the actuator body.
In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the cavity axial rib module is located on an axial symmetry plane of the actuator body.
In an optional embodiment of the present invention, the cavity axial rib module divides the driving cavity into two independent sub-cavities.
According to the multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator, the cavity axial rib modules are arranged on the axial plane in the driving cavity of the actuator main body, so that the compression resistance of the soft actuator during negative pressure driving and the tensile resistance of the soft actuator during positive pressure driving can be effectively improved, the bearing capacity of the soft actuator is improved, and the overall rigidity of the soft actuator during bearing can be improved.
The multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator can generate different degrees of freedom by arranging the cavity axial rib module which extends to one end of the interface, far away from the actuator main body, on the axial plane in the driving cavity of the actuator main body, so that the soft actuator can realize more motion modes.
According to the multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator, the cavity axial rib module is arranged on the axial plane in the driving cavity of the actuator main body, so that a supporting force can be provided for the main body structure of the soft actuator, and the phenomenon that the driving cavity of the soft actuator is in a sucking and shrinking state to influence the operation of the actuator during negative pressure driving can be avoided.
According to the multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator, the circumferential rib modules are arranged on the circumferential outer contour of the wave crest module or the wave trough module, so that radial deformation of the soft actuator generated when the soft actuator is driven by positive pressure can be effectively reduced, expansion generated when the soft actuator works is limited to a certain extent, the soft actuator can be prevented from being broken due to over expansion, and meanwhile, the effect of preventing a driving cavity of the soft actuator from forming a sucking and shrinking state during negative pressure driving can be achieved.
According to the multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator, the cavity axial rib module is arranged on the axial plane in the driving cavity of the actuator main body, so that the rigidity of the soft actuator in the cavity axial rib module and the area near the cavity axial rib module is higher, and the soft actuator is difficult to distort.
According to the multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator, the circumferential rib modules are arranged on the circumferential outer contour of the wave crest module or the wave trough module, so that the overall rigidity of the soft actuator can be improved.
The multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator can be divided into a left part and a right part to be manufactured during manufacturing, and finally the two parts are spliced to obtain the complete soft actuator, so that the manufacturing difficulty is reduced.
The multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator is made of elastic soft materials such as silica gel, polymer materials or plasticity and the like with good elasticity, and has the advantages of good flexibility, high tensile strength, easy manufacture and long service life.
When the multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator is used for manufacturing the soft mechanical gripper, the cavity axial rib module in the driving cavity provides a flexible supporting force for the actuator main body of the soft actuator, so that the loading capacity of the soft gripper can be improved, the rigidity and the gripping stability of the soft gripper are improved, and the multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator is suitable for gripping objects in various space occasions.
The multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator can improve the load capacity of the soft driving fingers when being used for manufacturing the soft driving fingers of the rehabilitation gloves, better assist patients to carry out rehabilitation training and accelerate hand rehabilitation of stroke patients.
According to the multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator, the axial rib plates are arranged between the adjacent wave crest modules and serve as the axial rib modules, and the axial rib plates provide flexible supporting force for the actuator main body of the soft actuator, so that the grabbing stability and the capacity of bearing external load can be further improved.
Drawings
Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator according to an embodiment of the present application.
FIG. 2 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a multi-degree of freedom soft actuator according to an embodiment of the present application.
FIG. 3 is an axial cross-sectional view of a multi-degree of freedom soft actuator according to an embodiment of the present application.
Fig. 4 is a radial sectional view taken along a-a direction in fig. 3.
Fig. 5 is an alternative radial cross-sectional view taken along the line a-a in fig. 3.
Fig. 6 is a schematic perspective view of a multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator according to a second embodiment of the present application.
FIG. 7 is an axial cross-sectional view of a multi-degree of freedom soft actuator according to a second embodiment of the present application.
FIG. 8 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a multi-degree of freedom soft actuator according to a second embodiment of the present application.
FIG. 9 is an axial cross-sectional view of a multi-degree of freedom soft actuator according to a third embodiment of the present application.
FIG. 10 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a multi-degree of freedom soft actuator according to a third embodiment of the present application.
Fig. 11 is a schematic perspective view of a multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator according to the fourth embodiment of the present application.
FIG. 12 is an axial cross-sectional view of a multi-degree of freedom soft actuator in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the present application.
FIG. 13 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a multi-degree of freedom soft actuator in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the present application.
Description of the element reference numerals
A wave crest module 1; a wave trough module 2; a cavity axial rib module 3; a circumferential rib 4; the first circumferential bead 4 a; the second circumferential bead 4 b; a drive chamber 5; an interface 6; and an outer axial rib plate 7.
Detailed Description
The embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to specific embodiments, and other advantages and effects of the present invention will be easily understood by those skilled in the art from the disclosure of the present specification. The invention is capable of other and different embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways, and its several details are capable of modification in various respects, all without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. It is to be noted that the features in the following embodiments and examples may be combined with each other without conflict.
It should be noted that the drawings provided in the following embodiments are only for illustrating the basic idea of the present invention, and the drawings only show the components related to the present invention rather than the number, shape and size of the components in actual implementation, and the type, quantity and proportion of the components in actual implementation may be changed freely, and the layout of the components may be more complicated.
The soft body actuator aims to solve the problems that the soft body actuator in the prior soft body robot technology has less freedom of movement, smaller bearing capacity, easy formation of a suction-shrinkage state of a cavity of the soft body actuator when driven by negative pressure, overlarge radial deformation when driven by positive pressure and the like. The embodiment of the invention discloses a multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator, which comprises an actuator main body and a port, wherein the actuator main body is composed of wave crest modules and wave trough modules which are alternately arranged along the axial direction of the actuator main body, and the performance of the soft actuator is improved by arranging cavity axial rib modules in the axial direction of a driving cavity of the soft actuator. The technical solution of the present invention will be explained by specific examples.
Example one
Fig. 1-4 are a schematic perspective view, a horizontal sectional view, an axial sectional view, and a radial sectional view along the direction a-a in fig. 3, respectively showing the multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator of the present embodiment.
Referring to fig. 1-4, the multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator includes an actuator body and a port 6. The actuator main body comprises a plurality of peak modules 1, a plurality of trough modules 2 and a driving cavity 5; the interface 6 is arranged at one end of the actuator body, the other end of the actuator body is sealed, the driving cavity 5 is distributed along the axial direction of the actuator body, the interface 6 is communicated with the driving cavity 5, an external device can inject fluid (which can be but is not limited to gas, water, hydraulic oil and the like) into the driving cavity 5 through the interface 6 to drive the multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator to bend, and the interface 6 can be a tubular structure such as a cylindrical pipe, an elliptical pipe, a square pipe and the like.
Referring to fig. 1-4, in order to solve the problems that the degree of freedom of the motion of the soft actuator is small, the carrying capacity is small, the cavity of the soft actuator is easily collapsed when driven by negative pressure, and the radial deformation is too large when driven by positive pressure, the cavity axial rib module 3 may be disposed in the driving cavity 5 of the multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator. The cavity axial rib module 3 is arranged along the axial plane of the actuator main body, and the cavity axial rib module 3 is connected with the top and the bottom of the driving cavity 5. In particular, the cavity axial rib module 3 is located on an axial symmetry plane of the actuator body.
Referring to fig. 1 to 4, in the present embodiment, the cavity axial rib module 3 is a continuous structure, and the cavity axial rib module 3 extends from one end of the driving cavity 5, which is far away from the interface 6, to one end of the interface 6, which is far away from the actuator main body, so that the cavity axial rib module 3 divides the driving cavity 5 into two independent sub-cavities. The two independent sub-cavities can realize the multi-degree-of-freedom movement of the soft actuator by applying different air pressures, when the two sub-cavities apply the same air pressure, the bending deformation of the soft actuator can be realized, and when one of the two sub-cavities applies larger air pressure and the other applies smaller air pressure, the winding movement of the soft actuator can be realized.
By arranging the cavity axial rib module 3 on the axial plane in the driving cavity 5 of the actuator main body, the compression resistance and the tensile resistance of the soft actuator during negative pressure driving and positive pressure driving can be effectively improved, the bearing capacity of the soft actuator is improved, and the overall rigidity of the soft actuator during bearing can be improved.
By arranging the cavity axial rib module 3 extending to one end of the interface 6 far away from the actuator body on the axial plane in the driving cavity 5 of the actuator body, the soft actuator can generate different degrees of freedom, and can realize more movement modes.
The cavity axial rib module 3 is arranged on the axial plane in the driving cavity 5 of the actuator main body, so that a supporting force can be provided for the main body structure of the soft actuator, and the phenomenon that the driving cavity 5 of the soft actuator is in a sucking and shrinking state to influence the operation of the actuator during negative pressure driving can be avoided.
The cavity axial rib module 3 is arranged on the axial plane in the driving cavity 5 of the actuator main body, so that the rigidity of the soft actuator in the cavity axial rib module 3 and the area near the cavity axial rib module 3 is higher, and the soft actuator is difficult to distort.
Referring to fig. 1-4, a circumferential rib module is further disposed on the multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator, the circumferential rib module includes a plurality of circumferential ribs 4, each circumferential rib 4 is disposed along a circumferential outer contour of the peak module 1, and the circumferential ribs 4 are connected to the peak module 1. Of course, each of the circumferential ribs 4 may also be provided to the valley module 2 similar to that shown in fig. 11-13.
Referring to fig. 1 to 4, in the present embodiment, the circumferential rib 4 is a full circumferential rib, and the circumferential rib 4 is arranged along the entire circumferential outer contour of the peak module 1. Of course, the circumferential ribs 4 can also be provided like the partial circumferential ribs shown in fig. 5, which are symmetrical with respect to the axial symmetry plane of the actuator body.
Referring to fig. 1 to 4, the number of the circumferential ribs 4 in the circumferential rib module is the same as the number of the wave crest modules 1 of the multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator, that is, the circumferential ribs 4 and the wave crest modules 1 are in a one-to-one correspondence relationship, and the circumferential outer contour of each circumferential rib 4 is provided with one circumferential rib 4. Of course, the number of the circumferential ribs 4 in the circumferential rib module can also be less than that of the wave crest modules 1 of the multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator, so that only part of the circumferential outer contour of the wave crest modules 1 is provided with the circumferential ribs 4.
Referring to fig. 1 to 4, in the present embodiment, the width of the circumferential rib 4 in the axial direction may be equal to the arc width of the top end of the peak module 1 (or the valley module 2) in the axial direction. Of course, it may not be equal to the arc width of the top end of the crest module 1 (or the trough module 2) in the axial direction.
Referring to fig. 1 to 4, the circumferential rib modules have the same arrangement height of the circumferential ribs 4. Of course, the arrangement heights of the circumferential ribs 4 in the circumferential rib module may also be different, for example, the arrangement heights may gradually decrease from the end of the actuator body connected with the interface 6 to the end far away from the interface 6, so as to form a certain draft angle, which is more convenient for demolding.
Through set up circumference muscle module on crest module 1's circumference outline, can reduce the produced radial deformation of software actuator when receiving the malleation drive effectively, limited the produced inflation of software actuator during operation to a certain extent, can prevent that the software actuator from leading to breaking because of the inflation is excessive, also can play the effect that prevents that the drive cavity 5 of software actuator from forming and inhaling flat state during the negative pressure drive simultaneously.
The material of the cavity axial rib module 3, the circumferential rib module and the actuator main body can be elastic soft material (such as soft silica gel and some polymers) or plastic, and the material of the cavity axial rib module 3 can be lower than the material of the actuator main body and the circumferential rib module in hardness, so that the expansion of the multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator can be restrained, and the bending deformation of the multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator is not limited basically. Of course, the three components may be made of the same material, so that the cavity axial rib module 3, the circumferential rib module and the actuator body may be manufactured by an integral molding method. Of course, the cavity axial rib module 3, the circumferential rib module and the actuator main body may also be made of different materials, so that the cavity axial rib module 3, the circumferential rib module and the actuator main body need to be separately made and then combined.
It is understood that, in this embodiment, similar to fig. 8 and 9, an outer axial rib module may also be disposed on the multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator, and details of the outer axial rib module are described in the third embodiment, which are not described herein.
The multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator can be used for a soft mechanical gripper, and the cavity axial rib module 3 is arranged in the driving cavity 5, so that a flexible supporting force can be provided for the actuator main body of the soft actuator, the load capacity of the soft gripper can be improved, the rigidity and the gripping stability of the soft gripper are improved, and the multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator is suitable for gripping objects in various space occasions.
The multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator can be used for manufacturing soft driving fingers of medical auxiliary rehabilitation gloves, the load capacity of the soft driving fingers can be improved, a patient can be better assisted in rehabilitation training, and hand rehabilitation of a stroke patient is accelerated.
Example two
Fig. 6-8 show a three-dimensional structure, an axial sectional view, and a horizontal sectional view of the multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator according to the present embodiment. Compared with the first embodiment, the difference is that the cavity axial rib module 3 in the present embodiment does not extend to the end of the interface 6 away from the actuator body, and other structures are substantially the same, so that the description is not repeated.
Referring to fig. 6 to 8, in this embodiment, the cavity axial rib module 3 is a continuous structure, the cavity axial rib module 3 is disposed in the driving cavity 5, the cavity axial rib module 3 is disposed along an axial plane of the actuator main body, and the cavity axial rib module 3 is connected to the top and the bottom of the driving cavity 5. Of course, the cavity axial rib module 3 may also be a spacing structure similar to that shown in fig. 9 and 10, wherein details of the cavity axial rib module 3 of the spacing structure are described in the third embodiment, and are not described herein again.
Specifically, in this embodiment, the cavity axial rib module 3 is located on an axial symmetric plane of the actuator main body, the cavity axial rib module 3 divides the driving cavity 5 into sub-cavities, and the two sub-cavities are communicated at the interface 6.
The cavity axial rib module 3 is arranged in the driving cavity 5, so that a certain supporting effect can be achieved on the driving cavity 5 of the multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator, the driving cavity 5 of the multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator is not easy to form a suction-shrinking state when driven by negative pressure, and meanwhile, the cavity axial rib module 3 can also increase the rigidity of the multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator.
EXAMPLE III
Fig. 9 and 10 show an axial sectional view and a horizontal sectional view, respectively, of the multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator of the present embodiment.
Compared with the embodiment, the difference is that the cavity axial rib module 3 in the embodiment is a spacing structure, and the outer axial rib module is arranged outside the actuator main body, and other structures are basically the same, so that repeated description is omitted.
Referring to fig. 9 and 10, the cavity axial rib module 3 of the spacing structure includes a plurality of axial rib units arranged at intervals along the axial direction of the actuator main body, and the axial rib units are mainly located at the trough module 2 (or the crest module 1), and are disconnected at the crest module 1. The outer axial rib module comprises a plurality of outer axial ribs 7 arranged at intervals along the axial direction of the actuator main body, and the plurality of outer axial ribs 7 are positioned on the axial symmetry plane of the actuator main body. Each outer axial rib plate 7 is located between two adjacent crest modules 1, and two ends of each outer axial rib plate 7 are respectively connected with two adjacent crest structures, that is, each outer axial rib plate 7 is connected between two adjacent crest modules 1. The outer axial rib module and the actuator body can be integrally formed or formed by combining after being manufactured separately. When the outer axial rib module and the actuator main body can be of an integrally formed structure, the outer axial rib module and the actuator main body can be made of the same elastic soft material or plastic, and of course, the outer axial rib module can also be made of a material different from that of the actuator main body.
In the multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator of the embodiment, the axial rib plate unit and the outer axial rib plate 7 are respectively arranged inside and outside the wave trough module 2, so that the radial expansion of the multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator can be limited, and the bending motion of the multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator is not greatly influenced. Compared to the first and second embodiments, the multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator of the present embodiment has no limitation on the axial expansion deformation of the valley block 2, and the axial expansion of the valley block 2 during pressing promotes the bending deformation of the actuator.
Referring to fig. 9, the height of the top of the outer axial rib 7 of the outer axial rib module is lower than the height of the tops of two adjacent crest modules 1. Of course, the top height of the outer axial rib 7 of the outer axial rib module can also be equal to the top height of two adjacent crest modules 1.
Referring to fig. 9 and 10, the arrangement heights of the outer axial rib plates 7 in the outer axial rib modules are the same. Of course, the arrangement heights of the outer axial ribs 7 in the outer axial rib module may also be different, for example, the arrangement heights may gradually decrease from the end of the actuator main body connected with the interface 6 to the end far away from the interface 6, so as to form a certain drawing angle, which is more convenient for demolding.
It will be appreciated that in some embodiments, two or more outer axial rib modules are provided on the multi-degree of freedom soft actuator; when the number of the outer axial rib modules is even, ensuring that each outer axial rib module is symmetrically arranged on two sides of the axial symmetrical plane of the actuator main body; when the number of the rib plates is an odd number larger than 1, one outer axial rib module is arranged on the axial symmetrical surface of the actuator main body, and the rest other outer axial rib modules are symmetrically arranged on two sides of the axial symmetrical surface of the actuator main body.
The design of the outer axial rib module has a supporting acting force on the wave crest modules 1 contacted with the outer axial rib plate 7, so that the distance between two adjacent wave crest modules 1 cannot be changed to a large extent, the overall shape of the multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator is more stable, and the bearing capacity and the overall rigidity of the soft actuator can be improved.
Example four
Fig. 11-13 show a three-dimensional structure, an axial sectional view, and a horizontal sectional view of the multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator according to the present embodiment.
Compared with the second embodiment, the difference is that in the present embodiment, a circumferential rib module is further provided at the outer contour of the valley module 2 of the actuator body, and other structures are basically the same, so that descriptions are not repeated. For the sake of distinction, the circumferential ribs 4 of the circumferential rib module of the second embodiment, which are arranged at the outer contour of the crest module 1, are denoted by first circumferential ribs 4 a.
As shown in fig. 11 to 13, the circumferential rib module disposed at the outer contour of the trough module 2 includes a plurality of second circumferential ribs 4b, each of the second circumferential ribs 4b is disposed along the outer contour of the trough module 2, and the second circumferential ribs 4b are full circumferential ribs. Of course, the second circumferential bead 4b may also be provided like the partial circumferential bead shown in fig. 5, which is symmetrical about the axial symmetry plane of the actuator body.
As shown in fig. 11 to 13, the profile of the circumferential rib 4b matches the profile of the valley module 2. Of course, the contour shape of the axial cross section of the circumferential rib 4b may be selected from other shapes, such as square, oval, circular, or triangular.
It should be noted that the design concept of the cavity axial rib module 3, the outer axial rib module and the circumferential rib module of the multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator of the present invention can be combined with existing soft actuators of various shapes, and is not limited to the multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator in the first to fourth embodiments.
In summary, the multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator of the present invention can effectively improve the compressive performance of the soft actuator during negative pressure driving and the tensile performance of the soft actuator during positive pressure driving, improve the carrying capacity of the soft actuator, and improve the overall stiffness of the soft actuator during carrying by disposing the cavity axial rib module on the axial plane in the driving cavity of the actuator body. The multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator can generate different degrees of freedom by arranging the cavity axial rib module which extends to one end of the interface, far away from the actuator main body, on the axial plane in the driving cavity of the actuator main body, so that the soft actuator can realize more motion modes. According to the multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator, the cavity axial rib module is arranged on the axial plane in the driving cavity of the actuator main body, so that the rigidity of the soft actuator in the cavity axial rib module and the area near the cavity axial rib module is higher, and the soft actuator is difficult to distort. According to the multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator, the cavity axial rib module is arranged on the axial plane in the driving cavity of the actuator main body, so that a supporting force can be provided for the main body structure of the soft actuator, and the phenomenon that the driving cavity of the soft actuator is in a sucking and shrinking state to influence the operation of the actuator during negative pressure driving can be avoided. According to the multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator, the circumferential rib modules are arranged on the circumferential outer contour of the wave crest module or the wave trough module, so that radial deformation of the soft actuator generated when the soft actuator is driven by positive pressure can be effectively reduced, expansion generated when the soft actuator works is limited to a certain extent, the soft actuator can be prevented from being broken due to over expansion, and meanwhile, the effect of preventing a driving cavity of the soft actuator from forming a sucking and shrinking state during negative pressure driving can be achieved. According to the multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator, the circumferential rib modules are arranged on the circumferential outer contour of the wave crest module or the wave trough module, so that the overall rigidity of the soft actuator can be improved. The multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator can be divided into a left part and a right part to be manufactured during manufacturing, and finally the two parts are spliced to obtain the complete soft actuator, so that the manufacturing difficulty is reduced. The multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator is made of elastic soft materials such as silica gel, polymer materials or plasticity and the like with good elasticity, and has the advantages of good flexibility, high tensile strength, easy manufacture and long service life. When the multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator is used for manufacturing the soft mechanical gripper, the cavity axial rib module in the driving cavity provides a flexible supporting force for the actuator main body of the soft actuator, so that the loading capacity of the soft gripper can be improved, the rigidity and the gripping stability of the soft gripper are improved, and the multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator is suitable for gripping objects in various space occasions. The multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator can improve the load capacity of the soft driving fingers when being used for manufacturing the soft driving fingers of the rehabilitation gloves, better assist patients to carry out rehabilitation training and accelerate hand rehabilitation of stroke patients. According to the multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator, the axial rib plates are arranged between the adjacent wave crest modules and serve as the axial rib modules, and the axial rib plates provide flexible supporting force for the actuator main body of the soft actuator, so that the grabbing stability and the capacity of bearing external load can be further improved.
The foregoing embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and utilities of the present invention and are not intended to limit the invention. Any person skilled in the art can modify or change the above-mentioned embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, it is intended that all equivalent modifications or changes which can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and technical spirit of the present invention be covered by the claims of the present invention.
In the description herein, numerous specific details are provided, such as examples of components and/or methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the invention. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however, that an embodiment of the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or with other apparatus, systems, assemblies, methods, components, materials, parts, and/or the like. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of embodiments of the invention.
Reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," or "a specific embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment, and not necessarily in all embodiments, of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases "in one embodiment," "in an embodiment," or "in a specific embodiment" in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics of any specific embodiment of the present invention may be combined in any suitable manner with one or more other embodiments. It is to be understood that other variations and modifications of the embodiments of the invention described and illustrated herein are possible in light of the teachings herein and are to be considered as part of the spirit and scope of the present invention.
It will also be appreciated that one or more of the elements shown in the figures can also be implemented in a more separated or integrated manner, or even removed for inoperability in some circumstances or provided for usefulness in accordance with a particular application.
Additionally, any reference arrows in the drawings/figures should be considered only as exemplary, and not limiting, unless otherwise expressly specified. Further, as used herein, the term "or" is generally intended to mean "and/or" unless otherwise indicated. Combinations of components or steps will also be considered as being noted where terminology is foreseen as rendering the ability to separate or combine is unclear.
As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, "a," "an," and "the" include plural references unless otherwise indicated. Also, as used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, the meaning of "in …" includes "in …" and "on …" unless otherwise indicated.
The above description of illustrated embodiments of the invention, including what is described in the abstract of the specification, is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed herein. While specific embodiments of, and examples for, the invention are described herein for illustrative purposes only, various equivalent modifications are possible within the spirit and scope of the present invention, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize and appreciate. As indicated, these modifications may be made to the present invention in light of the foregoing description of illustrated embodiments of the present invention and are to be included within the spirit and scope of the present invention.
The systems and methods have been described herein in general terms as the details aid in understanding the invention. Furthermore, various specific details have been given to provide a general understanding of the embodiments of the invention. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however, that an embodiment of the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or with other apparatus, systems, assemblies, methods, components, materials, parts, and/or the like. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, and/or operations are not specifically shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of embodiments of the invention.
Thus, although the present invention has been described herein with reference to particular embodiments thereof, a latitude of modification, various changes and substitutions are intended in the foregoing disclosures, and it will be appreciated that in some instances some features of the invention will be employed without a corresponding use of other features without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as set forth. Thus, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the essential scope and spirit of the present invention. It is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular terms used in following claims and/or to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include any and all embodiments and equivalents falling within the scope of the appended claims. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is to be determined solely by the appended claims.
Claims (10)
1. A multiple degree of freedom soft actuator, comprising:
the actuator comprises an actuator main body and a plurality of driving cavities, wherein the actuator main body comprises a plurality of peak modules, a plurality of valley modules and a plurality of driving cavities, the plurality of peak modules and the plurality of valley modules are alternately arranged along the axial direction of the actuator main body, and the driving cavities are distributed along the axial direction of the actuator main body;
the cavity axial rib module is arranged in the driving cavity and arranged along the axial plane of the actuator main body, and the cavity axial rib module is connected with the top and the bottom of the driving cavity.
2. The multiple degree of freedom soft actuator of claim 1, wherein the actuator body is made of a material that is harder than a material of the cavity axial rib module.
3. The multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator of claim 1, wherein the actuator body and the cavity axial rib module are integrally formed or separately manufactured and then combined.
4. The multiple degree of freedom soft actuator of claim 1, wherein the cavity axial rib module is of a continuous or discontinuous structure.
5. The multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator according to claim 4, wherein the cavity axial rib module comprises a plurality of axial rib plate units arranged at intervals along the axial direction of the actuator body, and the axial rib plate units are located at the crest module or the trough module.
6. The multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator of claim 1, further comprising an interface disposed at one end of the actuator body and in communication with the drive cavity; the cavity axial rib module extends to an end of the interface away from the actuator body.
7. The multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator according to claim 1, further comprising a circumferential rib module, wherein the circumferential rib module comprises a plurality of circumferential ribs, and each circumferential rib is arranged along a circumferential outer contour of one of the peak module or the valley module.
8. The multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator of claim 7, wherein the circumferential rib is a full circumferential rib or a partial circumferential rib provided to a circumferential outer contour of the peak module or the valley module, the partial circumferential rib being symmetrical with respect to an axial symmetry plane of the actuator body.
9. The multiple degree of freedom soft actuator of claim 1, wherein the cavity axial rib module is located on an axial symmetry plane of the actuator body.
10. The multiple degree of freedom soft actuator of claim 1, wherein the cavity axial rib module divides the drive cavity into two separate sub-cavities.
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| CN202110990626.1A CN113547510A (en) | 2021-08-26 | 2021-08-26 | Multi-degree-of-freedom soft actuator |
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