WO2019029184A1

WO2019029184A1 - Novel flexible finger

Info

Publication number: WO2019029184A1
Application number: PCT/CN2018/083642
Authority: WO
Inventors: 张帆; 沈科
Original assignee: 苏州柔触机器人科技有限公司
Priority date: 2017-02-24
Filing date: 2018-04-19
Publication date: 2019-02-14
Also published as: CN106625733A; CN107374908A; TWM570222U; CN107378980A; CN107378980B

Abstract

A novel flexible finger, comprising a finger bottom plate (2) and a finger surface (1); the finger surface (1) is connected to a side plate surface of the finger bottom plate (2), the elastic modulus of the finger bottom plate (2) being greater than the elastic modulus of the finger surface (1); the finger surface (1) comprises a fingertip segment (13), a knuckle segment (12) and a finger root segment (11), the knuckle segment (12) comprising at least one peak (121) and at least one trough (122), and the peak (121) and the trough (122) being sequentially connected to form a wavy structure; the knuckle segment (12) and the finger bottom plate (2) jointly form a driving chamber (16), a transition groove (14) being provided between the knuckle segment (12) and the finger root segment (11); the finger root segment (11) is internally provided with an expansion communication chamber (172) that communicates with the driving chamber (16), and the finger bottom plate (2) or the finger root segment (11) is provided thereon with a vent (22) that communicates with the expansion communication chamber (172), and when the vent (22) is disposed on the finger bottom plate (2), the position of the vent (22) corresponds to the position of the finger root segment (11). The structure of the flexible finger is well-designed and installation is convenient.

Description

A new type of flexible finger

Technical field

The present invention relates to a flexible finger, and more particularly to a flexible finger with a chamber that changes the deformation of the flexible finger by positive or negative pressure.

Background technique

In the field of industrial automation, the end gripping action of the arm is mainly done by a rigid mechanical gripper or a vacuum chuck. However, rigid mechanical claws are difficult to control due to the difficulty of force, making it difficult to achieve non-destructive grasping of soft and fragile objects. Vacuum suction cups are difficult to adapt to irregular surfaces with open surfaces and open holes during handling. This leads to limitations in both application scenarios.

The flexible mechanical finger uses an elastic material to enable the grasping of soft, fragile objects without causing damage to the object itself. The current flexible finger includes a fingertip, a knuckle, a tail of the knuckle is provided as a tapered air inlet nozzle, and the tapered air inlet is provided with a flange structure, and the structure has the following disadvantages:

1. Flexible fingers Due to the strength limitations of flexible materials themselves, service life and compressive strength are limited.

2. Since the tail of the current flexible finger is a tapered air inlet nozzle, a special fixing seat is required to clamp the flange edge of the air inlet nozzle, so that the installation of the flexible robot is complicated, and the arrangement of the flexible fingers is limited, and cannot be Tightly align and grab smaller items.

3. Since the inlet nozzle is tapered, the connection between the inlet nozzle and the knuckle is a cuff neck. During the use of the flexible finger, due to the presence of the neck of the cuff, the flexible finger is generated during the deformation process. A large amount of shaking, which makes the flexible finger unable to adapt to fast grabbing.

Utility model content

The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a novel flexible finger, which has a more reasonable structure and is more convenient to install.

In order to solve the above technical problem, the technical solution of the present invention is: a novel flexible finger comprising a finger bottom plate and a finger finger surface, the finger finger surface being connected to a side plate surface of the finger bottom plate, and the elastic mode of the finger bottom plate The amount is greater than the elastic modulus of the finger face, the finger face includes a fingertip segment, a phalanx segment and a finger heel segment, the phalanx segment comprising at least one crest and at least one trough, the crests and troughs being connected in sequence a wavy structure, the knuckle segment and the finger bottom plate together form a driving chamber, and a transition groove is arranged between the knuckle segment and the finger heel portion, and the driving chamber is disposed in the finger hem portion a communicating expansion communication chamber, wherein the finger bottom plate or the finger heel portion is provided with a vent port communicating with the expansion communication chamber, and when the vent port is disposed on the finger bottom plate, the position of the vent port and the position of the finger hem portion correspond.

As a preferred solution, the transition groove includes a rear groove wall adjacent to the finger heel section and a front groove wall adjacent to the finger tip section, the wall thickness of the rear groove wall being thicker than the wall thickness of the front groove wall Thick, the rear groove wall constitutes the chamber wall of the expansion communication chamber.

In a preferred embodiment, the expansion communication chamber includes an expansion deformation chamber and a communication chamber, the expansion deformation chamber being located near the finger segment, the communication chamber being located away from the finger segment, The shape of the expansion deformation chamber is similar to the shape of the chamber surrounded by the peaks of the knuckle segments, and the vent is in communication with the communication chamber.

As a preferred solution, a reinforcing sheet is embedded in the valley bottom of the trough of the finger segment.

As a preferred solution, the driving chamber includes a main passage formed by a gap between the knuckle segment and the finger bottom plate and a sub-chamber surrounded by the knuckle segment itself, and at least one of the main passages is disposed a set of reinforcing ribs, the at least one set of reinforcing ribs separating the main channel into at least two sub-channels, wherein the sub-channels are connected to the sub-chambers, each set of reinforcing ribs comprising the same number of troughs as the knuckle segments The sheet body has a one-to-one correspondence between the valley bottom of the trough of the knuckle segment and the bottom plate of the finger.

As a preferred solution, the reinforcing ribs are two groups, and correspondingly, the number of the sub-channels is three.

As a preferred solution, a reinforcing sheet is embedded in the bottom of the groove of the transition groove.

As a preferred solution, the shape of the finger heel is a rectangular parallelepiped or a hemisphere.

As a preferred solution, the other side surface of the finger bottom plate is provided with a rough structure for increasing friction.

After the above technical solution is adopted, the effect of the present invention is that since the finger segment and the finger bottom plate together form a driving cavity, a transition groove is arranged between the finger segment and the finger heel segment, and the finger An expansion communication chamber communicating with the drive chamber is disposed in the segment, and the flexible finger only needs to be sleeved on the connection joint during installation, and then the cover is buckled on the finger and the side wall is in transition. In the groove, the fixing is very convenient, the installation is simple, and at the same time, the expansion communication chamber also expands when inflated, so that the contact between the cover and the whole finger is more closely matched, and the sealing of the flexible finger is better, and the finger The bottom plate extends to the length of the entire flexible finger. After the flexible finger is fixed, since the elastic modulus of the finger bottom plate is large, the flexible finger shakes small, and is more suitable for quick grasping, and the grasping action is more accurate and reliable.

Also, since the transition groove includes a rear groove wall adjacent to the finger heel section and a front groove wall adjacent to the finger tip section, the wall thickness of the rear groove wall is thicker than the wall thickness of the front groove wall, the rear side The groove wall constitutes the chamber wall of the expansion communication chamber, which further increases the strength of the rear groove wall, and the difficulty of deformation increases, thereby further reducing the sway when the flexible finger is deformed.

Also, since the expansion communication chamber includes an expansion deformation chamber and a communication chamber, the expansion deformation chamber is located close to the knuckle portion, the communication chamber being located away from the knuckle segment, the expansion deformation chamber being The shape is similar to the shape of the chamber surrounded by the peaks of the knuckle segments, and the vent is in communication with the communication chamber, and the structure of the expansion communication chamber is reasonable, so that the flexible finger can select the vent according to the needs during the molding process. Position, reducing the number of forming dies.

Moreover, since the reinforcing sheet is embedded in the valley bottom of the trough of the finger segment, the reinforcing sheet can enhance the pressure resistance of the finger and prolong the service life of the flexible finger.

Further, since the driving chamber comprises a main passage formed by a gap between the knuckle segment and the finger bottom plate and a sub-chamber surrounded by the knuckle segment itself, at least one set of reinforcing ribs is disposed in the main passage. The at least one set of reinforcing ribs divides the main channel into at least two sub-channels, each of the sub-channels being in communication with the sub-chamber, each set of reinforcing ribs comprising a rib body equal to the number of troughs of the knuckle segments, the rib The sheet bodies are connected one by one to the valley bottom of the trough of the finger segments and the bottom plate of the finger. Similarly, the reinforcing ribs can greatly improve the compressive strength of the flexible fingers and greatly improve the service life.

DRAWINGS

The invention will now be further described with reference to the drawings and embodiments.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of another angle of Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

Figure 3 is a plan view of Embodiment 1;

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of Figure 3 at A-A;

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of Figure 3 at B-B;

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the flexible finger of the first embodiment;

Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of the flexible finger of Embodiment 2;

In the drawings: 100. flexible finger; 1. finger finger face; 11. finger follower segment; 12. finger segment; 121. wave crest; 122. trough; 13. finger tip segment; 14. transition groove; Groove wall; 142. front groove wall; 15. rib body; 16. drive chamber; 161. sub-chamber; 162. main channel; 1621. sub-channel; 17. expansion connection chamber; Chamber; 172. Connected chamber; 18. Reinforcement sheet; 2. Finger floor; 21. Spherical protrusion; 22. Vent; 200. Cover; 300. Mounting base; 400. Inlet and outlet joint.

Detailed ways

The invention is further described in detail below by way of specific examples.

Example 1

As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 6 , a novel flexible finger 100 includes a finger bottom plate 2 and a finger finger surface 1 , and the finger finger surface 1 is connected to a side surface of the finger bottom plate 2 , and the finger bottom plate 2 The elastic modulus is greater than the elastic modulus of the finger face 1 , wherein the difference in the elastic modulus can be achieved by using different elastic modulus materials, or can be implemented by other physical means, for example, the finger bottom plate 2 and the finger finger surface 1 The material is the same except that a material having a large elastic modulus is embedded in the finger bottom plate 2, thereby changing the overall elastic modulus of the finger bottom plate 2. The flexible finger 100 is generally made of an elastic material or a synthetic fiber material, such as a rubber material.

As shown in Figures 1, 2, 4 and 6, the finger face 1 comprises a fingertip segment 13, a knuckle segment 12 and a finger heel segment 11, the knuckle segment 12 comprising at least one peak 121 and at least A valley 122, the peaks 121 and troughs 122 are sequentially connected to form a wavy structure, and the number of peaks 121 and troughs 122 are selected and designed according to actual gripping requirements. The number of peaks 121 troughs 122 determines the length of the flexible finger 100. . The shape of the crests 121 and troughs 122 may be of various shapes, for example, may be V-shaped, or arched or rectangular. The shape of the finger-heavy segment 11 is a rectangular parallelepiped shape or a hemispherical shape, and is conveniently formed as a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the manufacturing difficulty is low. On the other side of the finger bottom plate 2, a rough structure for increasing friction is provided. The roughness can increase the friction of the flexible finger 100 when it is grasped, for example, it can be a spherical protrusion 21 or a waved protrusion.

The knuckle segment 12 and the finger bottom plate 2 together form a driving chamber 16, and a transition groove 14 is disposed between the knuckle segment 12 and the finger heel portion 11, and the finger knuckle segment 11 is provided with a driving The expansion of the chamber 16 communicates with the chamber 172, and the finger bottom plate 2 or the finger heel portion 11 is provided with a vent 22 communicating with the expansion communication chamber 172, when the vent 22 is disposed on the finger bottom plate 2 The position of the vent 22 corresponds to the position of the finger section 11.

In the present embodiment, the vent 22 is disposed on the finger bottom plate 2 and corresponds to the position of the finger heel portion 11. Of course, the vent port 22 may also be disposed on the finger heel portion 11, for example, at the tail portion of the finger heel portion 11. Or refer to the top of the segment 11.

As shown in FIG. 4, the transition groove 14 includes a rear groove wall 141 near the finger heel section 11 and a front groove wall 142 near the finger tip section 13, the rear groove wall 141 having a wall thickness smaller than the front groove The wall thickness of the groove wall 142 is thick. Preferably, the wall thickness of the rear groove wall 141 is 1.5 times the wall thickness of the front groove wall 142, and the rear groove wall 141 constitutes the expansion communication chamber 172. The wall of the room. The peak 121 of the knuckle segment 12 includes a peak 121 and a side wall of the peak 121 on both sides of the peak. The valley 122 includes a valley bottom and a side wall of the valley 122 on both sides of the valley bottom. The side wall of the peak 121 and the side wall of the valley 122 Interphase connection. The wall thickness of the front groove wall 142 is equal to the thickness of the side walls of all the peaks 121 of the knuckles and the side walls of the valleys 122, and the front groove wall 142 is the side wall of the peak 121 as the tail portion of the finger segment 12.

As shown in FIG. 4, the expansion communication chamber 172 includes an expansion deformation chamber 171 and a communication chamber 172, the expansion deformation chamber 171 is located close to the knuckle segment 12, and the communication chamber 172 is located away from the finger. In the segment 12, the shape of the expansion deformation chamber 171 is similar to the shape of the chamber surrounded by the crests 121 of the knuckle segments 12, and the vent 22 is in communication with the communication chamber 172. This expansion communicates with the configuration of the chamber 172 to select the position of the vent 22 when molding the flexible finger 100.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the drive chamber 16 includes a main passage 162 composed of a gap between the knuckle segment 12 and the finger bottom plate 2 and a branch surrounded by the knuckle segment 12 itself. a chamber 161 having at least one set of reinforcing ribs disposed therein, the at least one set of reinforcing ribs dividing the main passage 162 into at least two divided passages 1621, and the reinforcing ribs are disposed in the width direction of the main passage 162 Evenly, the airflow of each sub-channel 1621 is more uniform, and the offset deformation occurs when the flexible finger 100 is bent or opened. Each of the sub-channels 1621 is in communication with the sub-chamber 161. Each set of reinforcing ribs includes a plurality of rib bodies 15 equal to the number of troughs 122 of the knuckle segments 12, and the rib bodies 15 are connected to the knuckle segments 12 one by one. Between the valley bottom of the trough 122 and the finger bottom plate 2. In this embodiment, the reinforcing ribs are two groups, and correspondingly, the number of the sub-channels 1621 is three.

Example 2

As shown in Fig. 7, the present embodiment is basically the same as the structure in the first embodiment, and the reinforcing sheet 18 is embedded in the valley bottom of the trough 122 of the finger segment 12. Similarly, a reinforcing sheet 18 is embedded in the bottom of the groove of the transition groove 14. The reinforcing sheet 18 is a fiber sheet. Of course, the reinforcing sheet 18 and the reinforcing rib sheet of the embodiment 1 can be simultaneously present, resulting in a longer service life.

The working principle of the present invention is as follows: First, as shown in FIG. 6, the flexible finger 100 is first fixed on the mounting base 300. In FIG. 6, the standard inlet and outlet fitting 400 is mounted on the mounting base 300, and the vent 22 of the flexible finger 100 is attached. The sleeve is placed on the air inlet and outlet joint 400, and then the cover 200 is placed on the fingertip section 11 of the flexible finger 100. The side wall of the cover buckle is in the transition groove 14, and the cover buckle and the mounting base 300 are fixed. The flexible fingers 100 are arranged in pairs. By controlling the level of the air pressure in the driving cavity of the flexible finger 100, the amount of expansion deformation of the finger finger 1 when the internal pressure is increased is greater than the deformation amount of the finger bottom plate 2, thereby generating a finger toward the finger. The bottom is bent to complete the gripping action. When the internal pressure of the flexible finger 100 is negative, a bending to the finger face 1 is generated, and the release action to the grasping target is completed. The flexible finger 100 may use a gas as a driving medium or a liquid as a driving medium.

The above-mentioned embodiments are only for the description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, and various modifications and changes made to the technical solutions of the present invention should be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. It is within the scope of protection defined by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

A novel flexible finger comprises a finger bottom plate (2) and a finger finger surface (1), the finger finger surface (1) being connected to a side plate surface of the finger bottom plate (2), characterized in that: the finger bottom plate The elastic modulus of (2) is greater than the elastic modulus of the finger face (1), and the finger face (1) includes a fingertip segment (13), a phalanx segment (12), and a finger heel segment (11). The knuckle segment (12) includes at least one peak (121) and at least one trough (122), the peaks (121) and the troughs (122) are sequentially connected to form a wavy structure, the knuckle segments (12) and The finger bottom plate (2) together encloses a driving chamber (16), and a transition groove (14) is disposed between the knuckle segment (12) and the finger heel portion (11), and the finger heel portion (11) An expansion communication chamber (172) communicating with the drive chamber (16) is disposed therein, and the finger bottom plate (2) or the finger heel portion (11) is provided with a vent port communicating with the expansion communication chamber (172) (22) When the vent (22) is placed on the finger bottom plate (2), the position of the vent (22) corresponds to the position of the finger heel (11).
A novel flexible finger according to claim 1 wherein said transition groove (14) includes a rear groove wall (141) adjacent the finger heel section (11) and a fingertip section (13) adjacent to the fingertip section (13). a front groove wall (142), the rear groove wall (141) has a wall thickness thicker than a front groove wall (142), and the rear groove wall (141) constitutes the expansion communication chamber The wall of (172).
A novel flexible finger according to claim 1 wherein said expansion communication chamber (172) includes an expansion deformation chamber (171) and a communication chamber (172), said expansion deformation chamber (171) Positioned close to the phalanx segment (12), the communication chamber (172) being located away from the knuckle segment (12), the shape of the expansion deformation chamber (171) and the peak of the knuckle segment (12) ( 121) The enclosed chamber is shaped like a vent, and the vent (22) is in communication with the communication chamber (172).
A novel flexible finger according to claim 1, characterized in that a reinforcing sheet (18) is embedded in the valley bottom of the trough (122) of the finger segment (12).
A novel flexible finger according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said drive chamber (16) comprises a gap formed by a finger segment (12) and a finger bottom plate (2) a main passage (162) and a sub-chamber (161) surrounded by the knuckle segment (12), the main passage (162) is provided with at least one set of reinforcing ribs, the at least one set of reinforcing ribs will be the main The channel (162) is partitioned into at least two sub-channels (1621), each of which is in communication with a sub-chamber (161), each set of ribs including a trough (122) with the phalanx segment (12) An equal number of rib body (15), one to one correspondingly connected between the valley bottom of the trough (122) of the knuckle segment (12) and the finger bottom plate (2).
A novel flexible finger according to claim 5, wherein the reinforcing ribs are two sets, and correspondingly, the number of the sub-channels (1621) is three.
A novel flexible finger according to claim 5, characterized in that the reinforcing groove (18) is embedded in the groove bottom of the transition groove (14).
A novel flexible finger according to claim 5, wherein the finger heel section (11) has a rectangular parallelepiped shape or a hemispherical shape.
A novel flexible finger according to claim 5, characterized in that the other side surface of the finger bottom plate (2) is provided with a rough structure for increasing friction.