KR20230089668A - Bending actuators using materials of different rigidity - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a bending actuator using materials of different rigidities, comprising: a case including a case body having one side sealed and extending to both sides thereof, and a hollow part formed inside the case body; and a first elastic body and a second elastic body disposed in the hollow part of the case and extending such that both ends thereof are disposed on both sides of the case body, wherein the first elastic body and the second elastic body are made of different rigidities. Moreover, the relative lengths of the first elastic body and the second elastic body are varied according to the internal pressure of the case, thereby bending the case. Therefore, steering control can be performed.

Description

Bending actuators using materials of different stiffness {BENDING ACTUATORS USING MATERIALS OF DIFFERENT RIGIDITY}

The present invention relates to a bending drive device, and more particularly, to a bending drive device capable of bending control using two or more materials having different stiffnesses.

Robots are used in many industrial fields, and various mechanisms are introduced so that the robot can move or move in a direction desired by a worker. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-090193 ("Actuator and Hand Device") discloses a robot capable of gripping an object as shown in FIG. 1 and an actuator that drives the robot. Referring to FIG. 1, the actuator of JP 2004-090193 A includes an operating body 1, a tube 2, and an operation controller 3, wherein the operation controller 3 includes a controller 4 and a conversion valve 5 ), a manipulation unit 6, an operating source unit 7 and a pressure sensor 8 are disclosed. At this time, the actuator 1 is made of an elastic curved body and includes the tube 2 therein, and is configured to turn in a direction using a shape memory alloy. As described above, when configured to turn in a direction through a shape memory alloy material, there is a problem in that it is difficult to use repeatedly and takes a lot of time and cost in the manufacturing process.

In addition, in recent years, in a situation where a person cannot reach a specific destination, such as a pile of pipes or collapsed buildings, etc. For this purpose, a barine-type robot is being manufactured and used. At this time, a bar-type robot is disclosed in Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2019-0095653 or US Patent Publication No. 2021-0354289. Here, the barine-type robot is a robot that grows using everting, and in order to change direction, a separate actuator must be provided along with the barine that grows. However, the currently disclosed actuator technologies that change the material such as shape memory alloy or control the growth direction of the bar-type robot in more diverse forms, as there are limitations limited to controlling the pneumatic pressure acting on each wall surface. technology is required.

JP 2004-090193 A (2004.03.25. open) KR 10-2019-0095653 A (2019.08.16. open) US 2021-0354289 A1 (2021.11.18. open)

The present invention is an invention made to solve the problems of the prior art described above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a bending drive device capable of controlling the steering direction or angle using elastic bodies having different stiffnesses. .

The tasks of the present invention are not limited to the tasks mentioned above, and other tasks not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

A bending drive device according to the present invention for achieving the above object includes a case including a case body having one side sealed and extending to both sides and a hollow part formed inside the case body; a first elastic body disposed in the hollow of the case and extending such that both ends are disposed on both sides of the case body; and a second elastic body, wherein the first elastic body and the second elastic body are made of different stiffnesses, and the relative lengths of the first elastic body and the second elastic body are varied according to the internal pressure of the case, so that the case bends. (bending) can be.

In addition, the bending driving device according to the present invention, the first coupling portion for fixing each end of the first elastic body and the second elastic body to each other; and a second coupling part for fixing the other ends of the first elastic body and the second elastic body to each other.

In addition, the bending drive device according to the present invention may further include a drive unit for rotating the first coupler around an axis extending to both sides.

In addition, in the bending driving device according to the present invention, the bending direction of the case may be changed by rotating the first coupling part.

In addition, in the bending drive device according to the present invention, at least one of the first elastic body and the second elastic body may have a characteristic of being bent when contracted.

In addition, in the bending drive device according to the present invention, at least one of the first elastic body and the second elastic body may be configured as a helical spring.

In addition, in the bending drive device according to the present invention, at least one of the first elastic body and the second elastic body may be formed of an elastic tube through which gas may flow.

In addition, at least one of the first elastic body and the second elastic body may include a plurality of unit bodies spaced apart from each other, and the unit body may have characteristics close to that of a rigid body.

In addition, in the bending drive device according to the present invention, when the pressure inside the case changes, the first elastic body or the second elastic body contacts the inner circumferential surface of the case body so that the case can be bent.

In addition, in the bending drive device according to the present invention, when the internal pressure of the case is lowered, the case body is contracted and can be bent in close contact with the first elastic body or the second elastic body.

In addition, the bending direction control method according to the present invention using the above-described bending driving device includes: a) varying the hollow part of the case with a gauge pressure (P _G ); b) rotating the first coupling part at a set angle; and c) changing the hollow part of the case to a bending pressure (P _V ), wherein the bending pressure (P _V ) may be lower than the gauge pressure (P _G ).

In addition, in the bending direction control method according to the present invention, the gauge pressure (P _G ) may be formed to be atmospheric pressure or greater than atmospheric pressure.

In addition, in the bending direction control method according to the present invention, the bending pressure (P _V ) may be varied to adjust the bending angle of the case.

The bending drive device according to the present invention according to the above-described configuration has the advantage of high usability as it can control the bending direction or angle more smoothly through bending control using two or more elastic bodies, and more precisely controlled.

In addition, the bending drive device according to the present invention has the advantage of being compatible with the existing method in a form that can be inserted into the barine of the existing barine-type robot, so the performance of the barine robot is improved through more diverse steering mechanisms. can lead to

1 is a view showing the structure of an actuator according to the prior art.
2 is a view showing the configuration of a bending drive device according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 3 is a view showing that the bending driving device according to an embodiment of the present invention is bent.
4 is a view showing the configuration of a bending drive device according to another embodiment of the present invention;
5 is a view showing bending of a bending drive device according to another embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 6 is a view showing that the case body is contracted according to another embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a view showing the configuration of a bending drive device according to another embodiment of the present invention;
8 is a view showing rotation of the first elastic body and the second elastic body according to the present invention.
9 is a view sequentially showing a bending direction control method according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, a bending drive device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings introduced below are provided as examples to sufficiently convey the spirit of the present invention to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the present invention may be embodied in other forms without being limited to the drawings presented below. Also, like reference numbers indicate like elements throughout the specification.

Unless otherwise defined, the technical terms and scientific terms used at this time have meanings commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs, and the gist of the present invention is unnecessary in the following description and accompanying drawings. Descriptions of well-known functions and configurations that may be obscure are omitted.

2 and 3 relate to a bending drive device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a view showing the configuration of the bending drive device, and FIG. 3 is a view showing that the bending drive device is bent, respectively. indicate

Referring to FIG. 2 , the bending drive device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a case 100 , a first elastic body 200 and a second elastic body 300 . At this time, the case 100 includes a case body 110 having one end sealed but extending on both sides, and a hollow part formed inside the case body 110 and extending along the longitudinal direction of the case body 110. (120). Hereinafter, as shown for a clearer description, the longitudinal direction of the case body 110 is defined as the vertical direction, and one side and the other direction are defined as the upper and lower directions, respectively.

The first elastic body 200 and the second elastic body 300 may be disposed in the hollow part 120 of the case 100 and extend in a vertical direction. In this case, the first elastic body 200 and the second elastic body 300 may have different stiffnesses. Here, the stiffness relates to a value that resists deformation when an external force is applied, and the difference in stiffness is the strain caused by the external force according to the difference in shape or modulus of elasticity between the first elastic body 200 and the second elastic body 300. could mean something else. Therefore, strains caused by external forces may be formed differently. That is, when the strain of the first elastic body 200 due to the external force is lower than the strain due to the external force of the second elastic body 300, the direction in which the first elastic body 200 and the second elastic body 300 shrink. When an external force is applied, the deformation of the first elastic body 200 may be greater than the deformation of the second elastic body 300 . In addition, in the bending drive device 10, a plurality of elastic bodies having different stiffnesses may be disposed along the circumferential direction of the case body 110.

The bending drive device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a first coupling portion 400 for fixing lower ends of the first elastic body 200 and the second elastic body 300, and the first coupling portion ( 400) may further include a driving unit 500 that rotates about an axis in a vertical direction. Also, since the upper ends of the first elastic body 200 and the second elastic body 300 may also be fixed to each other, the bending drive device 10 may have upper ends of the first elastic body 200 and the second elastic body 300. It may further include a second coupling part 600 for fixing. At this time, when the inside of the case body 110 is maintained at a predetermined pressure, the lengths of the first elastic body 200 and the second elastic body 300 in the vertical direction may be equal to each other as L, and the predetermined pressure at this time is defined as the gauge pressure (P _G ). Here, the gauge pressure (P _G ) may be formed at atmospheric pressure or greater than atmospheric pressure, or may be formed greater than atmospheric pressure but greater than the bending pressure (P _V ) for bending the first elastic body 200 and the second elastic body 300. may be Here, the driving unit 500 may be fixed to the inner surface of the case body 110, and may be configured in various forms such as a driving motor or a pneumatic or hydraulic actuator.

3, when the bending pressure P _V is applied to the inside of the case body 110, the first elastic body 200 and the second elastic body 300 have a first length L ₁ and a second elastic body 300, respectively. 2 It can be contracted to have a length (L ₂ ). At this time, when the first length (L ₁ ) is smaller than the second length (L ₂ ), the upper ends of the first elastic body 200 and the second elastic body 300 whose upper and lower ends are fixed to each other are the first elastic body 200 ). In addition, as the first elastic body 200 is in contact with the inner surface of the case body 110 and the upper end of the case body 110 can be bent together, the direction can be steered. Here, the bending pressure (P _V ) is a pressure capable of elongating the elastic body, such as a vacuum pressure, and by adjusting the value of the bending pressure (P _V ), the first length (L ₁ ) and the second length (L ₂ ) Since the relative length of the liver can be adjusted, the bending angle can also be adjusted.

4 to 6 relate to a bending drive device according to another embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a view showing the configuration of the bending drive device, FIG. 5 is a view showing that the bending drive device is bent, Figure 6 shows each drawing showing the contraction of the case body.

Referring to FIG. 4, the bending drive device 10 according to another embodiment of the present invention also includes the case 100, the first elastic body 200, the second elastic body 300, and the first coupling part 400 as described above. ), it may be configured to include a driving unit 500 and a second coupling unit 600. At this time, in another embodiment of the present invention, the case body 110 of the case 100 may be characterized in that it is composed of a material capable of contraction.

Referring to FIG. 5 together, when the inside of the case body 110 is adjusted to a bending pressure (P _V ) lower than atmospheric pressure, the case body 110 is contracted so that the volume of the hollow part 120 is reduced, It may adhere to the first elastic body 200 or the second elastic body 300 . Here, as the first elastic body 200 or the second elastic body 300 may be configured with different stiffnesses, the upper end may be bent to a side that varies in a lower length according to the internal pressure of the case body 110. . Also, as the upper end of the contracted case body 110 is bent, the direction may be steered. Here, when the drive unit 500 is fixed to the inner surface of the case body 110, a hole or flow path penetrating in the vertical direction is formed in the drive unit 500, or the case body 110 and the drive unit 500 A gap may be formed therebetween so that the pressure in the region where the first elastic body 200 and the second elastic body 300 are disposed may be adjusted.

6 shows a case where the pressure is controlled so that the inside of the case body 110 is lower than the atmospheric pressure of the outside 20, and the case body 110 is contracted to be in close contact with the first elastic body 200. can Here, the first elastic body 200 or the second elastic body 300 may be configured in various forms such as a spiral spring or a hollow elastic tube. For example, the first elastic body 200 is a helical spiral. It may consist of springs. At this time, the contracted case body 110 may be contracted to be interposed between the helical spaces of the first elastic body 200 .

7 relates to a bending drive device according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 shows a diagram showing the configuration of the bending drive device.

Referring to FIG. 7 , the bending drive device 10 according to another embodiment of the present invention includes the case 100, the first elastic body 200, the second elastic body 300, and the first coupling part as described above. 400 and a driving unit 500 may be included. At this time, the first elastic body 200 may be formed with a lower stiffness than the second elastic body 300 . Here, the second elastic body 300 may be composed of a plurality of unit bodies 310 spaced apart from each other and spaced apart from each other. Also, the plurality of unit bodies 310 are spaced apart from each other along the longitudinal direction of the first elastic body 200, and may be coupled to the first elastic body 200. Also, the unit body 310 may have properties close to a rigid body, and the first elastic body 200 may have a property of bending in one direction when contracted. Accordingly, when vacuum pressure or the like is applied to the inside of the case body 110, the upper end of the first elastic body 200 may be bent in one direction with respect to the lower end.

8 is a view showing rotation of the first elastic body 200 and the second elastic body 300, and will be described in detail with reference to the above-described configurations of the first coupling part 400 and the driving part 500. When the drive unit 500 rotates in a state in which the lower ends of the first elastic body 200 and the second elastic body 300 are fixed to the first coupling part 400, the first elastic body 200 and the second elastic body ( 300) may be adjusted. At this time, the driving unit 500 may have a rotational center, and the first elastic body 200 and the second elastic body 300 may rotate based on the rotational center of the driving unit 500 . Here, the case body 110 may be fixed, and the first elastic body 200 and the second elastic body 300 disposed therein may be rotated on the hollow part 120 . Accordingly, as the direction in which the first elastic body 200 is disposed varies, the bending direction of the case 100 may be controlled.

9 shows a view sequentially showing a bending direction control method using a bending drive device according to the present invention. Here, FIG. 9-(a) and FIG. 9-(d) each show a cross-section of the case 100 in a bent state.

Referring to FIG. 9, in the bending direction control method according to the present invention, step a of varying the hollow part 120 of the case 100 to a gauge pressure (P _G ), the first coupling part 400 sets Step b of rotating at an angle and step c of varying the bending pressure (P _V ) of the hollow part 120 of the case 100 may be included. At this time, FIGS. 9-(a) and 9-(b) show the step a, FIGS. 9-(b) and 9-(c) show the step b, and FIGS. 9-(c) and 9-( d) is a schematic diagram of each step c.

Referring to each drawing of FIG. 9, in a state in which bending pressure (P _V ) is applied to the inside of the case body 110 and is bent in one direction, the bending pressure (P _V ) is variable to the gauge pressure (P _G ) When the posture is restored, the space between the inner surface of the case body 110 and the first elastic body 200 and the second elastic body 300 can be secured. When the first elastic body 200 and the second elastic body 300 are rotated by the first coupling part 400 and the driving part 500 in a state in which the posture is restored, the first elastic body 200 and the second elastic body 300 ) can be controlled. Then, when the inside of the case body 110 is adjusted to the bending pressure P _V , the first elastic body 200 is bent in the direction in which the first elastic body 200 is disposed based on the second elastic body 300 whose position is controlled. The bending direction can be controlled.

As described above, the present invention has been described by specific details such as specific components and limited embodiment drawings, but this is provided only to help a more general understanding of the present invention, and the present invention is limited to each of the above-described embodiments. It is not, and those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations from the above description, and several embodiments may be mixed or some components of each embodiment may be mixed.

Therefore, the spirit of the present invention should not be limited to the described embodiments, and it can be said that not only the claims described later, but also all modifications equivalent or equivalent to these claims fall within the scope of the spirit of the present invention. will be.

10: bending drive
100: case
110: case body 120: hollow part
200: first elastic body
300: second elastic body 310: unit body
400: first coupling part
500: driving unit
600: second coupling part

Claims (13)

A case including a case body having one side sealed but extending to both sides and a hollow part formed inside the case body;
a first elastic body disposed in the hollow of the case and extending such that both ends are disposed on both sides of the case body; and a second elastic body;
Including,
The first elastic body and the second elastic body are composed of different stiffnesses,
Bending drive device, characterized in that the relative length of the first elastic body and the second elastic body is varied according to the pressure inside the case, so that the case is bent.
According to claim 1,
a first coupling part for fixing ends of the first elastic body and the second elastic body to each other; and
a second coupling part for fixing the other ends of the first elastic body and the second elastic body to each other;
Bending drive device further comprising a.
According to claim 2,
a driving unit for rotating the first coupler about an axis extending to both sides;
Bending drive device further comprising a.
According to claim 3,
Bending drive device, characterized in that the bending direction of the case is variable by rotating the first coupling portion.
According to claim 1,
The bending drive device, characterized in that at least one of the first elastic body and the second elastic body has a characteristic of bending when contracted.
According to claim 5,
Bending drive device, characterized in that at least one of the first elastic body and the second elastic body is a spiral spring.
According to claim 5,
Bending drive device, characterized in that at least one of the first elastic body and the second elastic body is an elastic tube through which gas can flow.
According to claim 5,
At least one of the first elastic body and the second elastic body,
It includes a plurality of unit bodies spaced apart on both sides,
The unit body is a bending drive device, characterized in that it has characteristics close to a rigid body.
According to claim 1,
When the pressure inside the case changes,
The bending drive device according to claim 1 , wherein the first elastic body or the second elastic body is brought into contact with the inner circumferential surface of the case body so that the case is bent.
According to claim 1,
When the pressure inside the case is lowered,
The bending driving device, characterized in that the case body contracts and is bent in close contact with the first elastic body or the second elastic body.
In the bending direction control method using the bending drive device of claim 4,
a) varying the hollow part of the case to a gauge pressure (P _G );
b) rotating the first coupling part at a set angle; and
c) varying the hollow part of the case to a bending pressure (P _V );
including,
Bending direction control method, characterized in that the bending pressure (P _V ) is lower than the gauge pressure (P _G ).
According to claim 11,
Bending direction control method, characterized in that the gauge pressure (P _G ) is atmospheric pressure or greater than atmospheric pressure.
According to claim 11,
By varying the bending pressure (P _V ),
Bending direction control method characterized in that for adjusting the bending angle of the case.

Images