CN211250043U - Twist and contract artificial muscle - Google Patents

Abstract

The utility model relates to a soft body driver, in particular to a torsional contraction artificial muscle. Comprises an outer packaging layer, a fiber winding and an elastic body; the elastic body is of a hollow structure, and radial expansion and axial contraction are realized by filling a driving medium into the hollow cavity; the fiber winding is arranged on the outer surface of the elastic body, is of a spiral structure, and drives the elastic body to twist through spiral torsion; the outer packaging layer is sleeved on the outer side of the elastic body and used for limiting the elastic body to axially extend out and can axially contract and radially expand along with the elastic body. The utility model discloses simple structure, the preparation is with low costs, not only is applicable to hydraulic drive, is applicable to air pressure drive moreover, can provide torsional motion and shrink motion, can apply to in the different fields, like aspects such as pipeline robot, rehabilitation device.

Description

Twisting and contracting artificial muscles

technical field

The utility model relates to a software driver, in particular to a twisting and contracting artificial muscle.

Background technique

In recent years, the application field of artificial muscles has become more and more extensive, including medical equipment, rescue devices and auxiliary devices, etc. This is due to the advantages of artificial muscles: simple structure, compared with hydraulic cylinders, air cylinders and ball screws: force-to-weight ratio High, soft, light weight, less mechanical parts and low cost.

With reference to mollusks in nature, some of the worms have fibrous structures that enable the worm's body to twist, elongate and contract. According to the existing fiber-reinforced artificial muscle deformation forms include: contraction, elongation, bending and torsional elongation. However, as a common form of motion in nature, torsional motion has not yet appeared in the artificial muscle design. The motion of torsional elongation and torsional contraction can complement each other, and the two are bound in Together, a movement similar to a worm crawling can be achieved. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a torsion-contraction artificial muscle with a larger and more practical thrust force generated by contraction than elongation.

Utility model content

In view of the above problems, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a torsion-contraction artificial muscle, which can provide torsional motion and contraction motion, and can be applied to different fields.

In order to achieve the above object, the utility model adopts the following technical solutions:

A torsion-contraction artificial muscle, comprising: an outer encapsulation layer, a fiber winding and an elastic body;

The elastic body is a hollow structure, and radial expansion and axial contraction are realized by filling the driving medium into the hollow cavity;

The fiber winding is arranged on the outer surface of the elastic body, and the fiber winding has a spiral structure; when the elastic body is filled with a driving medium, the fiber winding guides the elastic body to twist;

The outer encapsulation layer is sleeved on the outer side of the fiber winding and the elastic body to limit the axial extension of the elastic body and guide the elastic body to shrink axially and expand radially.

The fiber winding is fixedly connected to the elastic body in an integral structure.

The fiber winding is formed by spirally winding a plurality of fiber ropes on the elastic body, and is connected with the elastic body by means of bonding.

The plurality of fiber ropes are wound in parallel at equal intervals.

The outer packaging layer is a braided sleeve.

One end of the elastic body is provided with a plug, and the other end is provided with a joint, and the joint is used for connecting with an external driving medium.

The joint and the plug are respectively inserted into the two ends of the elastic body, and are fixedly connected with the elastic body through a clamp.

The elastomer is a latex tube.

The advantages and beneficial effects of the present utility model are:

The utility model has a wide range of application prospects: the torsion-contraction artificial muscle of the present utility model is a new type of software driver, which can provide torsional motion and contraction motion, and can be applied to different fields, such as pipeline robots, rehabilitation devices and the like.

The utility model has the advantages of simple structure and low preparation cost, and most parts are made of commercial materials.

The preparation process of the torsion-contraction artificial muscle of the utility model is simple, the inner elastic body adopts a medical latex tube, and the outer braided sleeve is also commercial, and the preparation of the torsion-contraction artificial muscle can be realized only by winding the fiber winding accurately.

The torsion-contraction artificial muscle of the utility model has a large torsion angle under hydraulic drive, which can reach 180°, and the contraction displacement can reach 50mm (contraction rate is 25%).

The torsion-contraction artificial muscle of the utility model is not only suitable for hydraulic driving, but also suitable for pneumatic driving, and the corresponding driving type can be selected according to different working conditions.

Description of drawings

Fig. 1 is the structural representation of the torsion contraction artificial muscle of the present utility model;

2 is a schematic diagram of the installation of a joint in the utility model;

3 is a schematic diagram of the installation of the plug in the utility model;

Fig. 4 is the schematic diagram of winding fiber winding on the elastomer in the utility model;

Fig. 5 is the structural representation of the braided sleeve in the utility model;

6 is a schematic structural diagram of the braided sleeve in the utility model before deformation;

7 is a schematic structural diagram of the braided sleeve after deformation in the utility model;

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of the deformation of the torsion-contraction artificial muscle of the present invention.

Among them: 1 is the joint, 2 is the clamp, 3 is the braided sleeve, 4 is the plug, 5 is the fiber winding, 6 is the elastomer, 7 is the support rod, A is the state before deformation, and B is the state after deformation.

Detailed ways

In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present utility model more clear, the present utility model will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

As shown in FIG. 1 , a torsion-contraction artificial muscle provided by the utility model includes an outer encapsulation layer, a fiber winding 5 and an elastic body 6; The fiber winding 5 is arranged on the outer surface of the elastic body 6, and the fiber winding 5 is a helical structure, which drives the elastic body 6 to twist through the helical torsion; In order to limit the axial extension of the elastic body 6, and can be axially contracted and radially expanded with the elastic body 6.

One end of the elastic body 6 is provided with a plug 4, and the other end is provided with a joint 1, so that the inside of the elastic body 6 is a closed cavity, and the joint 1 is used for connecting with an external driving medium. In the embodiment of the present invention, the elastic body 6 is a latex tube.

As shown in FIG. 2-3 , the joint 1 and the plug 4 are respectively inserted into the two ends of the elastic body 6 , and are fixedly connected with the elastic body 6 through the clamp 2 .

As shown in FIG. 4 , the fiber winding 5 is formed by spirally winding a plurality of fiber ropes on the elastic body 6 , and the fiber winding 5 and the elastic body 6 are fixedly connected in an integral structure. Further, the plurality of fiber ropes are parallel to each other and have equal intervals.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the fiber winding 5 is spirally wound on the elastic body 6 by 8-12 fiber ropes, and is fixedly connected with the elastic body 6 by means of bonding. The fiber rope is a commercially available product, using Kevlar (Kevlar) fiber developed by DuPont Company of the United States.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the outer packaging layer is a braided sleeve 3, and the material rigidity of the braided sleeve 3 limits the movement of the artificial muscle in the axial direction, but is not restricted in the radial direction. The braided fibers of the braided sleeve 3 cross in the radial direction and have a certain cross angle. As shown in FIG. 6 , in the non-working state, the crossing angle between the braided fibers of the braided sleeve 3 is 60 degrees; as shown in FIG. 7 , when the braided sleeve 3 expands radially and axially with the elastomer 6 When shrinking, the angle of intersection between the braided fibers becomes 45 degrees.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the braided sleeve 3 is made of Kevlar fiber rope or nylon rope.

The deformation principle of the torsion-contraction artificial muscle of the present utility model: because the torsion-contraction artificial muscle combines the deformation principle of the Mckibben artificial muscle and the torsion-elongation artificial muscle. Therefore, the deformation principle of the torsion-contraction artificial muscle can be understood as: under the action of internal pressure, due to the bound relationship between the 8-12 fiber windings 5 wound in parallel in the inner layer and the elastic body 6 (the fiber winding and the elastic body do not exist relative displacement), so that the fiber winding 5 can guide the elastic body 6 for a torsional movement and a tendency to expand. However, the material of the outer encapsulation layer restricts the elongation movement in the axial direction of the artificial muscle due to its high stiffness and fixed length. Therefore, similar to a fixed length rope without elasticity, it cannot be elongated, but the reverse is free movement. of. At the same time, as shown in FIG. 5 , since the braided sleeve 3 is braided by braided fibers that cross in the radial direction and have a braided structure with a certain cross angle, the radial direction is not restricted, and the braided sleeve 3 can guide the elastic body shrinkage deformation. Therefore, when the elastic body 6 is in contact with the outer braided sleeve 3, it exhibits radial expansion and axial contraction, which is similar to the deformation of the Mckibben muscle, thereby realizing the torsional contraction of the artificial muscle.

As shown in Figure 8, A is the state before deformation, and B is the state after deformation; the torsional contraction artificial muscle is driven by hydraulic pressure or air pressure, and the contraction length is ΔL under the action of internal pressure.

The specific preparation process of the torsion-contraction artificial muscle of the present utility model is as follows:

Put the support rod 7 inside the elastic body 6 and cooperate with the positioner at the same time, as shown in FIG. 4 . The positioning point is marked on the surface of the elastic body 6, and there are many methods for marking the positioning point. In order to speed up the process of preparing the artificial muscle, the standard helical mark is realized by spraying after obtaining the above-mentioned assembly; after obtaining the standard helical mark Afterwards, a plurality of Kevlar fibers are used to wind in parallel along the positioning mark helix on the elastomer 6, and each Kevlar fiber is equidistant in the circumferential direction. After the Kevlar fiber winding is completed, the support rod 7 is removed and flexible glue is used to bond the Kevlar fiber and the elastomer 6 together, so that the relationship is a binding constraint. According to the deformation principle of the torsional elongation artificial muscle, at this time, in the absence of the peripheral braided sleeve 3, the artificial muscle at this time shows the phenomenon of torsional elongation when the pressure is applied, and may be accompanied by local blistering The phenomenon. Therefore, after obtaining the twisted and elongated artificial muscle, the outer braided sleeve 3 is further added to encapsulate the artificial muscle, which can not only realize the characteristic of twisting, but also can change the direction of the artificial muscle movement from elongation to contraction. Finally, the two ends of the elastic body 6 are blocked by the joint 1 and the plug 4, and the braided sleeve 3 is bound with the elastic body 6 by the clamp 2 to realize the packaging.

The torsion-contraction artificial muscle of the utility model is not only suitable for hydraulic driving, but also suitable for pneumatic driving, and the corresponding driving type can be selected according to different working conditions. The torsion angle under hydraulic drive is large, which can reach 180°, and the shrinkage displacement can reach 50mm (the shrinkage rate is 25%).

The torsion-contraction artificial muscle of the utility model is a novel software driver, which can provide torsion motion and contraction motion, and can be applied to different fields, such as pipeline robots, rehabilitation devices and the like. When applied to the pipeline robot, the artificial muscle of twisting contraction and the artificial muscle of twisting and elongation act synergistically, and the movements of the two can complement each other. When the two are bound together, a movement similar to crawling of a worm can be achieved. Moreover, compared with the motion of torsional elongation, the motion of torsional contraction can provide the torsional motion, and at the same time, the contraction force generated by the contraction is larger and more practical than the thrust force generated by the elongation.

The preparation process of the torsion-contraction artificial muscle of the utility model is simple, the inner elastic body adopts a medical latex tube, and the outer braided sleeve is also commercial, and the preparation of the torsion-contraction artificial muscle can be realized only by winding the fiber winding accurately.

The above descriptions are merely embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the protection scope of the present invention. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, expansion, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present utility model are all included in the protection scope of the present utility model.

Claims (8)

1. a torsion contraction artificial muscle, is characterized in that, comprises: outer encapsulation layer, fiber winding (5) and elastic body (6); The elastic body (6) is a hollow structure, and radial expansion and axial contraction are realized by filling the hollow cavity with a driving medium; The fiber windings (5) are arranged on the outer surface of the elastic body (6), and the fiber windings (5) have a helical structure; when the elastic body (6) is filled with a driving medium, the fibers The winding (5) guides the elastic body (6) to twist; The outer encapsulation layer is sleeved on the outer side of the fiber winding (5) and the elastic body (6), so as to limit the axial extension of the elastic body (6) and guide the elastic body (6) to move in the axial direction. contraction and radial expansion. 2 . The torsion-contraction artificial muscle according to claim 1 , wherein the fiber winding ( 5 ) and the elastic body ( 6 ) are fixedly connected in an integral structure. 3 . 3. The artificial muscle for twisting contraction according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the fiber winding (5) is formed by spirally winding a plurality of fiber ropes on the elastic body (6), and is formed by bonding way to connect with the elastomer (6). 4 . The torsion-contraction artificial muscle according to claim 3 , wherein the plurality of fiber ropes are wound in parallel at equal intervals. 5 . 5. The torsion-contraction artificial muscle according to claim 1, wherein the outer packaging layer is a braided sleeve (3). 6. The artificial muscle of torsion contraction according to claim 1, characterized in that, one end of the elastic body (6) is provided with a plug (4), and the other end is provided with a joint (1), and the joint (1) For connecting with external drive media. 7. The artificial muscle for torsional contraction according to claim 6, wherein the joint (1) and the plug (4) are respectively inserted into the two ends of the elastic body (6), and are connected through a clamp ( 2) Fixed connection with the elastic body (6). 8. The torsion-contraction artificial muscle according to claim 1, wherein the elastic body (6) is a latex tube.

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