CN111379758A - Flexible pipe with variable length and device using same - Google Patents
Flexible pipe with variable length and device using same Download PDFInfo
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- CN111379758A CN111379758A CN202010308179.2A CN202010308179A CN111379758A CN 111379758 A CN111379758 A CN 111379758A CN 202010308179 A CN202010308179 A CN 202010308179A CN 111379758 A CN111379758 A CN 111379758A
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- flexible pipe
- left end
- right end
- sleeve
- fixing member
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F15—FLUID-PRESSURE ACTUATORS; HYDRAULICS OR PNEUMATICS IN GENERAL
- F15B—SYSTEMS ACTING BY MEANS OF FLUIDS IN GENERAL; FLUID-PRESSURE ACTUATORS, e.g. SERVOMOTORS; DETAILS OF FLUID-PRESSURE SYSTEMS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F15B15/00—Fluid-actuated devices for displacing a member from one position to another; Gearing associated therewith
- F15B15/08—Characterised by the construction of the motor unit
- F15B15/10—Characterised by the construction of the motor unit the motor being of diaphragm type
- F15B15/103—Characterised by the construction of the motor unit the motor being of diaphragm type using inflatable bodies that contract when fluid pressure is applied, e.g. pneumatic artificial muscles or McKibben-type actuators
Abstract
The invention relates to a flexible pipe with variable length, which comprises a flexible pipe, a left end positioning piece and a right end positioning piece which are fixed at two ends of the flexible pipe, wherein the flexible pipe and the positioning pieces at the two ends form a hollow cavity; set up the through-hole on left end setting element or right-hand member setting element, the through-hole communicates with the cavity, thereby lets in pressure fluid to the cavity inside through the through-hole and makes the flexible tube inflation make it shorten in length direction. The invention also discloses a device using the flexible pipe. The invention improves the driving force and rigidity of the flexible pipe, can also generate effective thrust, and has easy and accurate control of the force of the flexible pipe and improved safety.
Description
Technical Field
The invention belongs to the technical field of telescopic control, and particularly relates to a flexible pipe with variable length and a device using the flexible pipe.
Background
Robots are getting deeper and deeper into human life. In recent years, a number of robots directly in contact with a human, such as rehabilitation robots, cooperative robots, and the like, have appeared. Robots that are co-located with humans must minimize the risk of injury to the human body, and therefore, flexible drive mechanisms are widely used in the design of such robots.
Flexible tubes of varying lengths are used in flexible drive mechanisms. Artificial muscles are a typical flexible drive mechanism. As shown in fig. 6, the flexible tube 1 ' and the end caps 2 ' at both ends form a closed chamber 3 '. The high pressure gas is filled into the closed cavity 3 ' through the through hole 4 ' to expand and shorten the flexible pipe 1 ', and further to generate a pulling force, as shown in fig. 7. The artificial muscle has the advantage of soft structure, and even if the artificial muscle collides with human, the artificial muscle cannot hurt the human body. However, its drawbacks are also very significant, mainly including the following:
(1) the driving force is insufficient. The artificial muscle generates a driving force by means of a tension force of the expansion deformation of the flexible tube. The material properties of the flexible tube's elastomeric material limit the maximum pressure of the high pressure gas within it. Too high a pressure can cause the elastic material to expand too much, resulting in permanent deformation or rupture, which limits the driving force of the artificial muscle.
(2) And (4) driving in a single direction. The artificial muscle can only produce tension in the process of inflation; in the process of deflation, the artificial muscle is restored to the original shape and length by the self-contraction force of the elastic material, and only tiny thrust can be generated. Therefore, the artificial muscle can only produce pulling force but cannot produce effective pushing force.
(3) The structural stiffness is close to zero. When the artificial muscle is in a non-inflated state, the flexible tube is a structure with zero rigidity and cannot bear external loads in any direction. Even in the inflated state, the artificial muscle has a certain rigidity only in the longitudinal direction.
(4) Because (3), when using artificial muscles, the technician has to use other rigid materials to construct the support frame, for example, a pneumatically driven flexible wearable upper limb rehabilitation system is disclosed in patent application No. CN201911237501.0, and the artificial muscles are fixed on a rigid support. In a human-machine coexistence environment, the support made of rigid materials can cause potential injury to human bodies, so that the advantage of the artificial muscle as a flexible driving mechanism is weakened.
(5) The force characteristics are extremely non-linear and difficult to compensate by control. Artificial muscles rely on the tension of the expansive deformation of flexible materials to produce forces. Because the material properties of the artificial muscle have strong non-linearity and uncertainty, the relationship between the tension of the artificial muscle and other variables (such as contraction length, inflation pressure, etc.) has strong non-linearity and uncertainty, which in turn makes the control of the force difficult.
Disclosure of Invention
The present invention has been made in an effort to provide a flexible pipe having a variable length and a device using the same, which can improve driving force and rigidity of the flexible pipe, generate effective thrust, and improve safety by easily and accurately controlling force of the flexible pipe.
The invention is realized in this way, provide a flexible pipe of length variation, including flexible pipe and left end locating element and right end locating element fixed on both ends of flexible pipe, flexible pipe and locating element of both ends form the hollow cavity, set up the telescopic machanism in the cavity, the telescopic machanism can take place the length variation in the length direction of the flexible pipe, and can inhibit the flexible pipe from bending deformation in the direction beyond the length direction; set up the through-hole on left end setting element or right-hand member setting element, the through-hole communicates with the cavity, thereby lets in pressure fluid to the cavity inside through the through-hole and makes the flexible tube inflation make it shorten in length direction.
Furthermore, telescopic machanism includes left end mounting and right-hand member mounting, and the left end mounting is connected with the left end setting element, and the right-hand member mounting is connected with the right-hand member setting element, and left end mounting and right-hand member mounting can be at the length direction of flexible pipe relative movement, retrain each other in the direction beyond the length direction of flexible pipe.
Furthermore, the left end fixing part and the right end fixing part are respectively a sliding rod and a sleeve which are connected in a sliding fit mode, one end of the sliding rod is connected to the left end positioning part, the other end of the sliding rod is sleeved in the inner cavity of the sleeve, and one end of the sleeve is connected with the right end positioning part.
Furthermore, the fixing part of the telescopic mechanism is connected with the positioning part of the flexible pipe in a hinge connection mode.
Further, the telescopic mechanism can generate contraction force and expansion force in the length direction of the flexible pipe.
Further, telescopic machanism includes left end mounting and right-hand member mounting, left end mounting and right-hand member mounting are slide bar and the sleeve that mutual sliding fit connects, the one end of slide bar is connected on the left end setting element, its other end then cup joints in telescopic inner chamber and sets up the piston, telescopic one end is connected on the right-hand member setting element, the piston slides in telescopic inner chamber, still set up first pressure control route and second pressure control route respectively on length variation's flexible tube, first pressure control route communicates with the sleeve inner chamber of piston left part, second pressure control route communicates with the sleeve inner chamber of piston right part.
Further, telescopic machanism includes left end mounting and right-hand member mounting, and left end mounting includes dead lever and slider, and the right-hand member mounting includes motor and lead screw, and the one end of dead lever is connected on the left end setting element, and the slider setting is at the other end of dead lever, and the motor is connected with the lead screw and drives the lead screw rotation, and the motor is connected on the right-hand member setting element, and the slider cup joints on the lead screw and sets up with lead screw complex screw thread, and the motor drive lead screw rotates to make the slider remove on the lead screw.
Further, the pressure fluid introduced into the hollow cavity of the flexible pipe and the telescopic mechanism is gas, water or oil.
The invention is thus realised and provides a device for use with a flexible tube of varying length as hereinbefore described, the device being an artificial muscle, or a rehabilitation robot, or a collaboration robot, or a crawling robot.
Compared with the prior art, the flexible pipe with variable length and the device using the flexible pipe have the following characteristics:
1. the tensile force of the flexible pipe is enhanced, and the technical defect (1) of the existing artificial muscle is improved.
2. The telescopic driving mechanism can also generate thrust, and the defect (2) that the existing artificial muscle technology cannot generate effective thrust is overcome.
3. The flexible driving mechanism restrains the flexible pipe from deforming or bending in the directions other than the length change direction by arranging the rigid flexible structure in the flexible pipe, and simultaneously keeps the soft touch feeling of the artificial muscle. Improves the defects (3) and (4) of the prior artificial muscle.
4. Because some or all of the components of the telescopic driving mechanism are made of rigid materials and have no nonlinearity or uncertainty like flexible materials, the relationship between the force generated by the telescopic driving mechanism and the related control variable is very clear (for example, the relationship between the force of the piston and the pressure on the two sides of the piston is linear), and the force control becomes very easy and accurate. Therefore, the force controllability of the telescopic driving mechanism can be improved by controlling the force of the telescopic driving mechanism to compensate the nonlinear characteristic of the flexible pipe. Thus, the technical disadvantage (5) of the existing artificial muscle is also improved.
Drawings
FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a preferred embodiment of a variable length flexible pipe of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the variable length flexible pipe of FIG. 1 in an expanded condition;
FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of embodiment 3 of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view of embodiment 4 of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view of example 5 of the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view of a prior art artificial muscle;
figure 7 is a plan view of the artificial muscle of figure 6 in an expanded condition.
Detailed Description
In order to make the technical problems, technical solutions and advantageous effects to be solved by the present invention more clearly apparent, the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the invention and are not intended to limit the invention.
Example 1
Referring to fig. 1 and 2, a preferred embodiment of the flexible pipe with variable length of the present invention includes a flexible pipe 1, and a left end positioning element 2 and a right end positioning element 3 fixed at two ends of the flexible pipe 1.
The flexible pipe 1 and the left end positioning piece 2 and the right end positioning piece 3 at two ends form a hollow cavity 5, and a telescopic mechanism 4 is arranged in the cavity 5. The telescoping mechanism 4 is capable of varying in length in the longitudinal direction of the flexible pipe 1. The telescopic mechanism 4 is made of a rigid material partially or entirely, and can suppress bending deformation of the flexible tube 1 in directions other than the longitudinal direction.
A through hole 6 is arranged on the left end positioning piece 2 or the right end positioning piece 3. The through-hole 6 of the present embodiment is provided on the left-end positioning member 2. Through-hole 6 and cavity 5 intercommunication let in pressure fluid to cavity 5 inside through-hole 6 and make the inflation of flexible tube 1 make its length shorten, promptly, the distance between left end setting element 2 and the right-hand member setting element 3 shortens on the length direction of flexible tube 1.
The pressure fluid introduced into the cavity 5 is gas, water or oil. In this embodiment, the pressure fluid is compressed air.
Example 2
Referring to fig. 1 and 2, as a second embodiment of the flexible tube with variable length according to the present invention, the telescoping mechanism 4 includes a left end fixing member and a right end fixing member, the left end fixing member is connected to the left end positioning member 2, the right end fixing member is connected to the right end positioning member 3, and the left end fixing member and the right end fixing member can move relatively in the length direction of the flexible tube 1 and are constrained with each other in directions other than the length direction of the flexible tube 1.
In this embodiment, the left end fixing member and the right end fixing member are respectively a sliding rod 7 and a sleeve 8, the sliding rod 7 and the sleeve 8 are connected in a sliding fit manner, one end of the sliding rod 7 is connected to the left end positioning member 2, the other end of the sliding rod is sleeved in an inner cavity of the sleeve 8, and one end of the sleeve 8 is connected to the right end positioning member 3. As the flexible tube 1 expands and contracts, the slide rod 7 moves left and right within the cavity of the sleeve 8, producing a length change in the length direction of the flexible tube 1. The slide rod 7 and the sleeve 8 of the telescopic mechanism 4 are formed of a rigid material and are constrained to each other in a direction other than the longitudinal direction of the flexible pipe 1, so that the telescopic mechanism 4 is prevented from bending deformation and the bending deformation of the flexible pipe 1 can be suppressed. The other structures and functions are the same as those of embodiment 1, and are not described again.
In the present embodiment, the flexible tube 1 is prevented from being deformed or bent in directions other than the longitudinal direction by providing the rigid telescopic mechanism 4 in the flexible tube 1, and the soft touch feeling of the entire mechanism is maintained.
Example 3
The fixing parts at the two ends of the telescopic mechanism 4 are connected with the positioning parts at the two ends of the flexible pipe 1 connected with the fixing parts by hinges. Referring to fig. 3, the difference between this embodiment and embodiment 2 is that a hinge 9 is disposed at a connection position between the left end positioning member 2 and the left end fixing member (i.e., the sliding rod 7), so that the left end positioning member 2 has a certain degree of freedom of rotation, which facilitates connection and fixation of the left end positioning member 2 and other components. Similarly, the connection of the right-hand retainer 3 to the right-hand retainer (i.e. the sleeve 8) can also be provided as a hinged connection. The other structures and functions are the same as those of embodiment 2, and are not described again.
Example 4
The telescopic mechanism 4 is capable of generating a contraction force and an expansion force in the longitudinal direction of the flexible pipe 1. Referring to fig. 4, as a fourth embodiment of the flexible pipe with variable length according to the present invention, the telescoping mechanism 4 includes a left end fixing member and a right end fixing member, and the left end fixing member and the right end fixing member are respectively a sliding rod 7 and a sleeve 8 which are connected to each other in a sliding fit manner. One end of the slide rod 7 is connected to the left end positioning piece 2, and the other end is sleeved in the inner cavity of the sleeve 8 and is provided with a piston 10. One end of the sleeve 8 is connected to the right end positioning piece 3. The piston 10 slides in the inner cavity of the sleeve 8. The flexible pipe with variable length is also provided with a first pressure control channel 11 and a second pressure control channel 12 respectively, wherein the first pressure control channel 11 is communicated with the inner cavity of the sleeve 8 at the left part of the piston 10, and the second pressure control channel 12 is communicated with the inner cavity of the sleeve 8 at the right part of the piston 10. In the present embodiment, the first pressure control passage 11 and the second pressure control passage 12 are provided on the right end retainer 3.
The piston 10 spatially separates the inner cavity of the sleeve 8 into two chambers. The fluid pressure of the two chambers exerts a force on the piston 10. The magnitude and direction of the force of the piston 10 can be controlled by controlling the magnitude of the fluid pressure in the two chambers. For example, if the pressure of the first pressure control passage 11 is increased, the piston 10 exerts a force that pulls the left end positioning member 2 and the right end positioning member 3 via the slide rod 7. If the pressure of the second pressure control passage 12 is increased, the piston 10 exerts a force pushing open the left end positioning member 2 and the right end positioning member 3 via the slide rod 7.
The other structures are the same as those of embodiment 2, and are not described again.
Example 5
Referring to fig. 5, as a fifth embodiment of the length-variable flexible pipe of the present invention, the telescoping mechanism 4 includes a left end fixing member and a right end fixing member, the left end fixing member includes a fixing rod 16 and a sliding block 13, and the right end fixing member 8 includes a motor 14 and a screw rod 15. One end of a fixed rod 16 is connected to the left end positioning part 2, the other end of the fixed rod 16 is provided with a sliding block 13, a motor 14 is connected with a screw rod 15 and drives the screw rod 15 to rotate, the motor 14 is connected to the right end positioning part 3, the sliding block 13 is sleeved on the screw rod 15 and is provided with a thread (not shown in the figure) matched with the screw rod 15, and the motor 14 drives the screw rod 15 to rotate, so that the sliding block 13 moves on the screw rod 15. The motor 14 drives the screw rod 15 to rotate, so that the left end positioning piece 2 is driven to move towards or away from the right end positioning piece 3 by the movement of the sliding block 13. The force applied to the left end positioning piece 2 and the right end positioning piece 3 is controlled by controlling the voltage of the motor 14 and the relation between the positive electrode and the negative electrode.
Since some or all of the components of the telescopic mechanism 4 are made of rigid materials, there is no nonlinearity or uncertainty such as flexible materials, and therefore, the relationship between the force and displacement generated by the telescopic mechanism 4 and the related control variables is very clear (for example, the relationship between the force of the piston and the pressure on both sides of the piston is linear, and the relationship between the displacement of the slider 13 and the rotation angle of the motor 14 is linear), the control of the force and displacement becomes very easy and accurate. Therefore, the nonlinear characteristic of the flexible pipe can be compensated by controlling the force and displacement of the telescopic mechanism, and the force controllability of the whole device is further improved.
The invention also discloses a device using the flexible pipe with the variable length, wherein the device is an artificial muscle, or a rehabilitation robot, or a cooperation robot, or a crawling robot. The flexible pipe with the variable length of the invention improves the driving force and rigidity of the flexible pipe, can generate pulling force and pushing force in the length direction of the flexible pipe, and the control of the force of the flexible pipe becomes easy and accurate, thereby improving the safety of the flexible pipe.
The above description is only for the purpose of illustrating the preferred embodiments of the present invention and is not to be construed as limiting the invention, and any modifications, equivalents and improvements made within the spirit and principle of the present invention are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention.
Claims (9)
1. A flexible pipe with variable length is characterized by comprising a flexible pipe, a left end positioning piece and a right end positioning piece which are fixed at two ends of the flexible pipe, wherein the flexible pipe and the positioning pieces at the two ends form a hollow cavity; set up the through-hole on left end setting element or right-hand member setting element, the through-hole communicates with the cavity, thereby lets in pressure fluid to the cavity inside through the through-hole and makes the flexible tube inflation make it shorten in length direction.
2. A flexible pipe of varying length as claimed in claim 1, wherein said telescoping mechanism comprises a left end mount and a right end mount, the left end mount being connected to the left end spacer and the right end mount being connected to the right end spacer, the left and right end mounts being capable of relative movement in the length direction of the flexible pipe and being constrained to each other in directions other than the length direction of the flexible pipe.
3. The flexible pipe of claim 2, wherein the left end fixing member and the right end fixing member are a sliding rod and a sleeve slidably engaged with each other, one end of the sliding rod is connected to the left end positioning member, the other end of the sliding rod is sleeved in the inner cavity of the sleeve, and one end of the sleeve is connected to the right end positioning member.
4. A flexible pipe of varying length as claimed in claim 2, wherein the attachment of the securing member of the telescopic mechanism to the securing member of the flexible pipe to which it is attached is by a hinged connection.
5. A variable length flexible pipe as claimed in claim 1, wherein said telescoping mechanism is capable of generating a contraction force and an expansion force in the length direction of the flexible pipe.
6. The flexible pipe with variable length according to claim 5, wherein the telescoping mechanism comprises a left end fixing member and a right end fixing member, the left end fixing member and the right end fixing member are a slide rod and a sleeve which are connected with each other in a sliding fit manner, one end of the slide rod is connected to the left end positioning member, the other end of the slide rod is sleeved in the inner cavity of the sleeve and is provided with a piston, one end of the sleeve is connected to the right end positioning member, the piston slides in the inner cavity of the sleeve, the flexible pipe with variable length is further provided with a first pressure control passage and a second pressure control passage respectively, the first pressure control passage is communicated with the sleeve inner cavity of the left side portion of the piston, and the second pressure control passage is communicated with the sleeve inner cavity of the right side portion of.
7. The flexible pipe of claim 5, wherein the telescoping mechanism comprises a left end fixing member and a right end fixing member, the left end fixing member comprises a fixed rod and a sliding block, the right end fixing member comprises a motor and a screw rod, one end of the fixed rod is connected to the left end positioning member, the sliding block is arranged at the other end of the fixed rod, the motor is connected to the screw rod and drives the screw rod to rotate, the motor is connected to the right end positioning member, the sliding block is sleeved on the screw rod and is provided with a thread matched with the screw rod, and the motor drives the screw rod to rotate, so that the sliding block moves on the screw rod.
8. A variable length flexible pipe as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pressurised fluid introduced into the hollow chamber of the flexible pipe and the telescopic mechanism is gas, water or oil.
9. An apparatus using a flexible tube of varying length as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the apparatus is an artificial muscle, or a rehabilitation robot, or a cooperative robot, or a crawling robot.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CN202010308179.2A CN111379758A (en) | 2020-04-18 | 2020-04-18 | Flexible pipe with variable length and device using same |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CN202010308179.2A CN111379758A (en) | 2020-04-18 | 2020-04-18 | Flexible pipe with variable length and device using same |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CN111379758A true CN111379758A (en) | 2020-07-07 |
Family
ID=71214275
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CN202010308179.2A Pending CN111379758A (en) | 2020-04-18 | 2020-04-18 | Flexible pipe with variable length and device using same |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CN (1) | CN111379758A (en) |
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2020
- 2020-04-18 CN CN202010308179.2A patent/CN111379758A/en active Pending
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