CN112454344A

CN112454344A - Parallel type torsion soft robot module

Info

Publication number: CN112454344A
Application number: CN202011486137.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 王勇; 吕仲明; 肖飞云; 姜明亮; 葛亮; 陈恩伟; 刘正士
Original assignee: Hefei University of Technology
Current assignee: Hefei University of Technology
Priority date: 2020-12-16
Filing date: 2020-12-16
Publication date: 2021-03-09

Abstract

The invention provides a parallel type twisting soft robot module which comprises a soft twisting structure, wherein the soft twisting structure comprises at least one inner elastic twisting main body and at least one outer elastic twisting main body which are coaxially arranged from inside to outside; the top connecting plate is arranged at one end of the soft torsion structure; the bottom connecting plate is arranged at the other end of the soft torsion structure; the bottom connecting plate, the top connecting plate, the inner elastic torsion body and the outer elastic torsion body together surround to form an outer driving cavity; and the bottom connecting plate, the top connecting plate and the inner elastic torsion body jointly surround to form an inner driving cavity. The parallel type torsion soft robot module can realize larger torsion movement and has larger torque, in addition, the parallel type torsion soft robot module is simple to manufacture, can be integrally formed, and can ensure the stability and the reliability of the joint movement of the robot.

Description

Parallel type torsion soft robot module

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of robots, in particular to a parallel type torsion software robot module.

Background

In recent years, with the advent of new materials and the improvement of processing and manufacturing technologies, the trend of soft robot research has been raised worldwide, and the soft robot is a new idea of robot research, and is inspired by nature, and researchers begin to explore the design and control of the soft robot composed of flexible materials. Modularity has proven practical in soft robots, simplifying control and increasing system redundancy. For the application fields of robots with quality requirements and complex environments, such as the deep sea field, the rehabilitation robot field and the like, the soft pneumatic torsion joint can replace the traditional mechanical torsion joint to a certain extent. The soft actuation module can achieve complex motions with relatively simple controls, which is advantageous over conventional electromechanical systems. Soft actuation modules are also practical due to their compatibility with the pneumatic and hydraulic pressures generated by various fluids and gases, and have proven to be a robust solution suitable for harsh environments.

Conventional fiber-reinforced soft actuators can achieve various motions such as bending, twisting, expanding, and contracting by changing the fiber arrangement. The traditional soft robot enhances the torsion by connecting a plurality of torsion or bending soft actuating modules in series end to end in a series mode, so that the bending or torsion of the soft robot is enhanced, and meanwhile, the torsion moment of the torsion soft actuating modules in the series mode is small.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the above drawbacks of the prior art, an object of the present invention is to provide a parallel type twisting soft robot module, so as to solve the technical problems that the twisting modules of the existing soft robot can only be serially connected to cause super redundancy of the robot arms, increase instability of the robot arms, and simultaneously have smaller twisting torque of the serially connected twisting soft robot modules.

To achieve the above and other related objects, the present invention provides a parallel type twisting soft robot module, comprising:

the soft torsion structure comprises at least one inner elastic torsion main body and at least one outer elastic torsion main body which are coaxially arranged from inside to outside;

the top connecting plate is arranged at one end of the soft torsion structure;

the bottom connecting plate is arranged at the other end of the soft torsion structure;

the bottom connecting plate, the top connecting plate, the inner elastic torsion body and the outer elastic torsion body together surround to form an outer driving cavity; and

the bottom connecting plate, the top connecting plate and the inner elastic torsion body jointly surround an inner driving cavity.

In an alternative embodiment, the outer elastic twisting body is a hollow tubular structure, and the outer wall surface of the outer elastic twisting body is formed with a first multi-thread outer thread groove and/or the inner wall surface of the outer elastic twisting body is formed with a first multi-thread inner thread groove; the inner elastic torsion body is of a hollow tubular structure, and a second multi-thread outer thread groove is formed on the surface of the outer wall of the inner elastic torsion body and/or a second multi-thread inner thread groove is formed on the surface of the inner wall of the inner elastic torsion body; the rotational direction of the first multi-start external thread groove/first multi-start internal thread groove of the external elastic torsion body is the same as or different from the rotational direction of the second multi-start external thread groove/second multi-start internal thread groove of the internal elastic torsion body.

In an optional embodiment, the first multi-thread outer thread groove/the first multi-thread inner thread groove comprises at least two thread grooves uniformly arranged in a circumferential direction of an outer wall surface/an inner wall surface of the outer elastic torsion body at equal intervals with a central axis of the parallel torsion soft robot module as an axis; the second multi-thread outer thread groove/the second multi-thread inner thread groove includes at least two thread grooves which are uniformly arranged in the circumferential direction of the outer wall surface/the inner wall surface of the inner elastic torsion body at equal intervals with the central axis of the parallel torsion soft robot module as an axis.

In an alternative embodiment, the tube wall of the outer elastic torsion body has a bow-shaped structure in the axial section of the outer elastic torsion body, and the thickness of the tube wall of the bow-shaped structure is the same at all positions.

In an alternative embodiment, the tube wall of the inner elastic torsion body has a bow-shaped structure in the axial section of the inner elastic torsion body, and the thickness of the tube wall of the bow-shaped structure is the same at all positions.

In an optional embodiment, the thread groove of the first multi-start external thread groove/the thread groove of the first multi-start internal thread groove and the radial plane of the soft torsional structure form a first preset rotation angle, and the first preset rotation angle is greater than 0 and smaller than 90 degrees; the thread groove of the second multi-thread outer thread groove/the thread groove of the second multi-thread inner thread groove and the radial plane of the soft torsion structure form a second preset rotation angle, and the second preset rotation angle is larger than 0 and smaller than 90; the first preset rotation angle and the second preset rotation angle are consistent or inconsistent.

In an alternative embodiment, the number of the thread grooves of the first multi-start male thread groove is the same as or different from the number of the thread grooves of the second multi-start male thread groove or the number of the thread grooves of the second multi-start female thread groove; the number of the thread grooves of the first multi-start inner thread groove is the same as or different from the number of the thread grooves of the second multi-start outer thread groove or the number of the thread grooves of the second multi-start inner thread groove.

In an alternative embodiment, the top connecting plate and the soft torsion structure are integrally formed, or the top connecting plate and the soft torsion structure are separately formed and then connected and fixed together.

In an optional embodiment, the parallel type torsion software robot module further comprises a plurality of first external air pipes and a plurality of first external air pipes; the first external air pipes are communicated with the external driving cavity, and the second external air pipes are communicated with the internal driving cavity.

In an optional embodiment, a plurality of first air pipe connectors and a plurality of second air pipe connectors are uniformly arranged in the circumferential direction of the surface, far away from the soft torsion structure, of the bottom connecting plate, and the first air pipe connectors are located on the outer side of the second air pipe connectors; every first external trachea through one first trachea connector with outer drive cavity intercommunication, every the second external trachea through one second trachea connector with interior drive cavity intercommunication.

In an alternative embodiment, the material of the soft torsion structure comprises an elastic material; the material of the top and bottom webs comprises an elastic or inelastic material.

In an optional embodiment, the parallel torsion soft robot module further comprises the central restraining post disposed on the central axis of the inner elastic torsion body.

In an alternative embodiment, the parallel torsion soft robot module has a central through hole that sequentially penetrates the bottom plate connection plate, the central restraining post, and the top connection plate.

In an alternative embodiment, the soft torsion structure and the top connecting plate are integrally formed, or the top connecting plate and the soft torsion structure are separately formed and then connected and fixed together.

The parallel type torsion soft robot module has an elastic structure, does not contain rigid elements, has a simple structure, can be integrally formed, is easy to process and manufacture, and has larger output torque and higher action execution efficiency.

The parallel type twisting soft robot module adopts the design of a rotary bulge structure, and can realize different twisting effects by adopting thread structures with different characteristic parameters; and the twisting angle and the twisting torque can be conveniently controlled by controlling the pressure in the cavity structure of the soft twisting structure.

The parallel type torsion software robot module can be increased or decreased according to requirements, can generate a larger torsion angle without connecting a plurality of torsion actuators in series, and has larger torque.

The parallel type twisting soft robot module can generate two twisting angles in opposite directions in one parallel type twisting soft robot module, and is suitable for being used in a specific space.

The parallel type twisting soft robot module can realize the twisting movement of the soft robot module, and can be further operated together with other functional components (such as bending and stretching modules) to realize various complex movements.

Compared with the super-redundant manipulator which comprises a plurality of serially-connected bending modules to increase the degree of freedom, the parallel-connected type twisting soft robot module can more conveniently execute twisting operation in a smaller space and is easier to control.

The parallel type torsion soft robot module has wide application range and can also be used for minimally invasive surgery and rehabilitation medical equipment.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a parallel-type twisting soft robot module according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of one embodiment of a parallel torsion soft robotic module of the invention.

Fig. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the parallel torsion soft robotic module of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of the bottom connection board of the parallel-type twisting soft robot module according to the present invention.

Detailed Description

The embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to specific embodiments, and other advantages and effects of the present invention will be easily understood by those skilled in the art from the disclosure of the present specification. The invention is capable of other and different embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways, and its several details are capable of modification in various respects, all without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are only for convenience of description and simplicity of description, but do not indicate or imply that the device or element being referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and thus, should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" are to be construed broadly, e.g., as meaning either a fixed connection, a removable connection, or an integral connection; can be mechanically or electrically connected; they may be connected directly or indirectly through intervening media, or they may be interconnected between two elements. The specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood in specific cases to those skilled in the art.

Referring to fig. 1-4, fig. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a parallel type twisting soft robot module of the present invention, fig. 2 shows a partial cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the parallel type twisting soft robot module of the present invention, fig. 3 shows a partial cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the parallel type twisting soft robot module of the present invention, and fig. 4 shows a schematic structural view of a bottom connection plate 3 of the parallel type twisting soft robot module of the present invention. Referring to fig. 1-4, the parallel type twisting soft robot module of the present invention comprises a soft twisting structure 2, a top connecting plate 1 and a bottom connecting plate 3 respectively disposed at two ends of the soft twisting structure 2, wherein the soft twisting structure 2 comprises an inner elastic twisting body 22 and an outer elastic twisting body 21 coaxially disposed from inside to outside; an outer driving cavity 23 is formed by the bottom connecting plate 3, the top connecting plate 1, the inner elastic torsion body 22 and the outer elastic torsion body 21 in a surrounding mode; the bottom web 3, the top web 1, and the inner flexible twisting body 22 together enclose an inner drive cavity 25. The integrated torsion soft robot module can be driven to work by filling the first air pipe connector 32 and the second air pipe connector 33 which are arranged on the bottom connecting plate 3 and are described later into the external driving cavity 23 and the internal driving cavity 25 respectively with a fluid with certain pressure, wherein the fluid can be gas, liquid or other fluid capable of realizing actuation deformation.

Referring to fig. 1-3, in the present invention, the soft torsion structure 2 includes a central restraining column 24, an inner elastic torsion body 22 and an outer elastic torsion body 21 coaxially disposed from inside to outside; an annular gap is reserved between the inner wall of the inner elastic torsion body 22 and the outer wall of the central limiting column 24, so that the bottom connecting plate 3, the top connecting plate 1 and the inner elastic torsion body 22 jointly surround and form a closed inner driving cavity 25, and the inner driving cavity 25 can be driven by filling gas or liquid or other fluids capable of realizing actuation deformation; an annular gap is reserved between the outer wall of the inner elastic torsion body 22 and the inner wall of the outer elastic torsion body 21, so that the bottom connecting plate 3, the top connecting plate 1, the inner elastic torsion body 22 and the outer elastic torsion body 21 jointly surround to form a closed outer driving cavity 23, and the outer driving cavity 23 can be driven by filling gas or liquid or other fluids capable of realizing actuation deformation. It is understood that in some embodiments, the central restraining post 24 may not be provided.

Referring to fig. 1 to 3, in the present invention, the outer elastic twisting body 21 is a hollow tubular structure, the outer wall surface of the outer elastic twisting body 21 is formed with a first multi-thread outer thread groove 211 and/or the inner wall surface of the outer elastic twisting body 21 is formed with a first multi-thread inner thread groove 212, in other words, the outer wall surface of the outer elastic twisting body 21 is formed with a multi-thread outer thread and/or the inner wall surface of the outer elastic twisting body 21 is formed with a multi-thread inner thread, and the thread form of the multi-thread outer thread and the multi-thread inner thread comprises a triangular thread, a trapezoidal thread, a rectangular thread, a saw-tooth thread or a circular arc thread; the inner elastic torsion body 22 has a hollow tubular structure, a second multi-thread outer thread groove 221 is formed on an outer wall surface of the inner elastic torsion body 22 and/or a second multi-thread inner thread groove 222 is formed on an inner wall surface of the inner elastic torsion body 22, in other words, a multi-thread outer thread is formed on an outer wall surface of the inner elastic torsion body 22 and/or a multi-thread inner thread is formed on an inner wall surface of the outer elastic torsion body 21, and a tooth form of the multi-thread outer thread and the multi-thread inner thread includes a triangular thread, a trapezoidal thread, a rectangular thread, a saw-tooth thread shape or an arc thread shape.

Referring to fig. 1 to 3, in the present invention, the first multi-thread external thread groove 211/the first multi-thread internal thread groove 212 includes at least two thread grooves uniformly arranged in the circumferential direction of the outer wall surface/the inner wall surface of the external elastic torsion body 21 at equal intervals with the central axis of the parallel torsion soft robot module as an axis; the second multi-thread outer thread groove 221/the second multi-thread inner thread groove 222 includes at least two thread grooves uniformly arranged in the circumferential direction of the outer wall surface/inner wall surface of the inner elastic torsion body 22 at equal intervals with the central axis of the parallel torsion soft robot module as an axis. The thread groove of the first multi-thread outer thread groove 211/the thread groove of the first multi-thread inner thread groove 212 and the radial plane of the soft torsion structure 2 form a first preset rotation angle, and the first preset rotation angle is greater than 0 and smaller than 90 degrees; as an example, the first preset rotation angle may be, for example, greater than or equal to 15 ° and less than or equal to 45 °, such as 15 °, 20 °, 25 °, 30 °, 35 °, 40 °, 45 °, and the like. It should be noted that the first predetermined rotation angle may be defined as an angle between the radial plane of the external elastic torsion body 21 and a straight line of the first multi-thread external thread groove 211/the first multi-thread internal thread groove 212 after the external elastic torsion body 21 is unfolded along the circumferential surface.

Referring to fig. 1-3, in the present invention, the thread groove of the second multi-thread outer thread groove 221/the thread groove of the second multi-thread inner thread groove 222 and the radial plane of the soft torsion structure 2 form a second predetermined rotation angle, and the second predetermined rotation angle is greater than 0 and smaller than 90 °; as an example, the second preset rotation angle may be, for example, greater than or equal to 15 ° and less than or equal to 45 °, such as 15 °, 20 °, 25 °, 30 °, 35 °, 40 °, 45 °, and the like. The first preset rotation angle and the second preset rotation angle are consistent (the angle values are equal and the directions are the same) or inconsistent (the angle values are not equal and/or the directions are not the same). It should be noted that the second predetermined rotation angle can be defined as an angle between the radial plane of the internal elastic torsion body 22 and the straight line of the thread of the second multi-thread external thread groove 221/the second multi-thread internal thread groove 222 after the internal elastic torsion body 22 is unfolded along the circumferential surface.

Referring to fig. 1 to 3, in the present invention, the number of the thread grooves of the first multi-start male thread groove 211 is the same as or different from the number of the thread grooves of the second multi-start male thread groove 221 or the number of the thread grooves of the second multi-start female thread groove 222; the number of thread grooves of the first multi-start internal thread groove 212 is the same as or different from the number of thread grooves of the second multi-start external thread groove 221 or the number of thread grooves of the second multi-start internal thread groove 222. By setting the characteristic parameters of the multiple-start thread, a torsion in the range from 0 to 180 ° (of course also greater than 180 °) can be achieved, and a greater torque can be achieved. It should be noted that the multi-thread groove can avoid the problem that the torsion axis deviates from the axis of the parallel type flexible torsion robot module when the single-thread groove is used for loading and torsion, and the deviation of the torsion axis may cause the bending or fluctuation of the inner elastic torsion body 22/the outer elastic torsion body 21, thereby affecting the performance of the parallel type flexible torsion robot module.

As shown in fig. 1 to 3, in the present embodiment, the rotation direction of the screw grooves (the first multi-thread male screw groove 211 and the first multi-thread female screw groove 212) of the male elastic twisting body 21 is the same as the rotation direction of the screw grooves (the second multi-thread male screw groove 221 and the second multi-thread female screw groove 222) of the female elastic twisting body 22, so that the male elastic twisting body 21 and the female elastic twisting body 22 can be twisted in the same direction, a large twisting angle can be generated by interlocking, and a large torque can be provided. It is understood that in other embodiments, the rotation direction of the thread groove of the outer elastic torsion body 21 and the rotation direction of the thread groove of the inner elastic torsion body 22 may be different, so that the torsion action in different directions can be realized by driving the outer elastic torsion body 21 and the inner elastic torsion body 22 respectively; for example, when the two bodies rotate in completely opposite directions, the completely opposite twisting motions can be achieved by driving the outer elastic twisting body 21 and the inner elastic twisting body 22, respectively.

It should be noted that the number of the thread grooves included in the first multi-start male thread groove 211/the first multi-start female thread groove 212 can be flexibly adjusted according to actual needs. For example, in order to achieve a larger torsion angle, under the same loading condition, with a larger torque, a larger load is driven to work, the number of the thread grooves included in the first multi-start male thread groove 211/the first multi-start female thread groove 212 is positively correlated with the diameter of the outer elastic torsion main body 21, and the larger the correlation of the diameter of the outer elastic torsion main body 21 is, the larger the number of the thread grooves included in the first multi-start male thread groove 211/the first multi-start female thread groove 212 is. This is because the larger the diameter of the outer elastic twisting body 21 is, the longer the circumference of the outer elastic twisting body 21 is, and the more the thread grooves can be received by the outer wall surface/inner wall surface of the outer elastic twisting body 21 with the same thread size, thereby enabling a better twisting action. Similarly, the number of the thread grooves included in the second multi-start external thread groove 221/the second multi-start internal thread groove 222 can be flexibly adjusted according to actual needs, for example, in order to achieve a larger torsion angle, under the same loading condition, a larger torque is provided to drive a larger load to work, the number of the thread grooves included in the second multi-start external thread groove 221/the second multi-start internal thread groove 222 is positively correlated with the diameter of the internal elastic torsion body 22, and the larger the correlation of the diameter of the internal elastic torsion body 22 is, the larger the number of the thread grooves included in the second multi-start external thread groove 221/the second multi-start internal thread groove 222 is.

It should be noted that different combinations are possible depending on whether the inner and outer surfaces of the outer elastic twisting body 21 and the inner and outer wall surfaces of the inner and outer elastic twisting body 21 are provided with multi-start thread grooves (multi-start threads), wherein fig. 2 and 3 respectively show two embodiments thereof, which will be described below with reference to fig. 2 and 3.

Referring to fig. 1 and 2, in the first embodiment of the present invention, the outer elastic torsion body 21 is a hollow tubular structure, the outer wall surface of the outer elastic torsion body 21 is formed with a first multi-thread outer thread groove 211, and the inner wall surface of the outer elastic torsion body 21 is not provided with a first multi-thread inner thread groove 212, and the parameters of the first multi-thread outer thread groove 211 are detailed in the description of the relevant parts above, and are not repeated herein; the internal elastic torsion body 22 is a hollow tubular structure, the outer wall surface of the internal elastic torsion body 22 is formed with a second multi-thread external thread groove 221, the inner wall surface of the internal elastic torsion body 22 is not provided with a second multi-thread internal thread groove 222, and the parameters of the second multi-thread external thread groove 221 are described in the relevant parts above and are not described herein again. The parallel type twisting soft body robot module of the embodiment adopts the pressure driving soft body twisting structure 2, can realize twisting deformation movement at different angles without additional transmission elements, and respectively fills fluid with certain pressure into the inner driving cavity and the outer driving cavity, thereby realizing twisting by utilizing the strain difference between the outer driving cavity and the outer surface of the outer elastic twisting main body 21. Specifically, when the outer elastic twisting body 21 is expanded, the outer elastic twisting body 21 extends perpendicular to the direction in which the multiple-start thread grooves (multiple-start thread-shaped rotation protrusions) are distributed, and the twisting motion is deflected according to the arrangement of the multiple-start thread grooves (multiple-start thread-shaped rotation protrusions) of the outer elastic twisting body 21; meanwhile, the pressure of the inner driving cavity is ensured to be larger than that of the outer driving cavity, a certain strain difference is generated between the inner driving cavity and the outer driving cavity, when the inner elastic torsion main body 22 expands, the inner elastic torsion main body 22 extends in a direction perpendicular to the distribution direction of the multi-thread grooves (the multi-thread-shaped rotary protrusions), and the torsion motion deflects according to the arrangement of the multi-thread grooves (the multi-thread-shaped rotary protrusions) of the inner elastic torsion main body 22, so that the torsion angle of the soft torsion cavity can be enhanced.

Referring to fig. 1 and 3, in another embodiment of the present invention, the outer elastic twisting body 21 is a hollow tubular structure, a first multi-thread outer thread groove 211 is formed on an outer wall surface of the outer elastic twisting body 21, a first multi-thread inner thread groove 212 is formed on an inner wall surface of the outer elastic twisting body 21, and the rotation directions of the first multi-thread outer thread groove 211 and the first multi-thread inner thread groove 212 are the same; a thread groove of the first multi-thread inner thread groove 212 is located between two adjacent thread grooves of the first multi-thread outer thread groove 211, in other words, the thread grooves of the first multi-thread inner thread groove 212 and the thread grooves of the first multi-thread outer thread groove 211 are arranged at intervals along the axial direction of the parallel type twisting soft body robot module, so that on the axial section of the outer elastic twisting main body 21, the pipe wall of the outer elastic twisting main body 21 has a structure in a shape like a Chinese character 'gong', the thickness of the pipe wall of the structure in the shape like a Chinese character 'gong' is the same everywhere, the twisting in the range of 0-180 ° (certainly, more than 180 °) can be realized by setting the characteristic parameters of the rotating thread, and a large torque can be realized. The inner elastic twisting body 22 has a hollow tubular structure, a second multi-thread outer thread groove 221 is formed on the outer wall surface of the inner elastic twisting body 22, a second multi-thread inner thread groove 222 is formed on the inner wall surface of the inner elastic twisting body 22, and the rotation directions of the second multi-thread outer thread groove 221 and the second multi-thread inner thread groove 222 are the same; a thread groove of the second multi-thread inner thread groove 222 is located between two adjacent thread grooves of the second multi-thread outer thread groove 221, in other words, the thread groove of the second multi-thread inner thread groove 222 and the thread groove of the second multi-thread outer thread groove 221 are arranged at intervals along the axial direction of the parallel type twisting soft robot module, so that on the axial section of the inner elastic twisting main body 22, the pipe wall of the inner elastic twisting main body 22 has a structure in a shape like a Chinese character 'gong', the thickness of the pipe wall of the structure in the shape like a Chinese character 'gong' is the same at each position, the twisting in the range of 0-180 degrees can be realized by setting the characteristic parameters of the rotating threads, and a larger moment can be realized. The parallel type twisting soft body robot module of the embodiment adopts the pressure driving soft body twisting structure 2, can realize twisting deformation motions of different angles without additional transmission elements, and respectively fills fluid with certain pressure into the inner driving cavity and the outer driving cavity, thereby realizing twisting by utilizing the strain difference between the multi-thread grooves on the inner and outer wall surfaces of the outer elastic twisting main body 21 and the inner and outer elastic twisting main bodies 21 under a pressurized state. Specifically, when the outer elastic twisting body 21 is expanded, the outer elastic twisting body 21 extends in a direction perpendicular to the distribution of the first multi-start internal thread grooves 212, the first multi-start internal thread grooves 212 of the inner wall surface of the outer elastic twisting body 21 are expanded outward to form a strain difference with the grooves corresponding to the first multi-start external thread grooves 211 of the outer wall surface of the outer elastic twisting body 21, and the twisting motion is deflected according to the arrangement of the first multi-start external thread grooves 211/first multi-start internal thread grooves 212 of the outer elastic twisting body 21; meanwhile, the pressure of the inner driving cavity is ensured to be larger than that of the outer driving cavity, a certain strain difference is generated between the inner driving cavity and the outer driving cavity, when the inner elastic torsion body 22 expands, the inner elastic torsion body 22 extends in a direction perpendicular to the distribution of the second multi-thread inner thread grooves 222, the second multi-thread inner thread grooves 222 on the inner wall surface of the inner elastic torsion body 22 expand outwards, so that the strain difference is formed with the grooves corresponding to the second multi-thread outer thread grooves 221 on the outer wall surface of the inner elastic torsion body 22, and the torsion motion deflects according to the arrangement of the second multi-thread outer thread grooves 221/the second multi-thread inner thread grooves 222 of the inner elastic torsion body 22, so that the torsion angle of the soft torsion cavity can be enhanced.

Referring to fig. 1 to 3, in the present invention, the central restraining column 24 may be, for example, a hollow cylinder with a first central through hole 241 formed at a central position, and when the inner elastic torsion body 22/the outer elastic torsion body 21 are twisted, the central restraining column 24 may prevent the inner elastic torsion body 22/the outer elastic torsion body 21 from stretching or shrinking along an axial direction thereof during twisting, so as to enhance the module rigidity and protect from overload; the first center through hole 241 and the second center through hole 11 and the third center through hole 31, which will be described later, can be used to place connecting air pipes and other communication devices when the modules are connected in series. It is understood that in an alternative embodiment, the central restraining post 24 of the soft torsion structure 2 may not have a central through hole, i.e., the central restraining post 24 may be a solid cylindrical structure.

Referring to fig. 1-3, in the present invention, the top connecting plate 1 may be, for example, a circular plate having a second central through hole 11 at a central position; the top connecting plate 1 and the soft torsion structure 2 may be integrally formed, or the top connecting plate 1 and the soft torsion structure 2 may be separately formed, and then the two are fixedly connected together by means of adhesion, binding, and the like. When the parallel type twisting soft robot module is used alone, the top connection plate 1 may be a circular plate without a central through hole.

Referring to fig. 1-4, in the present invention, the bottom connecting plate 3 is coaxially disposed at an end of the soft torsion structure 2 away from the top connecting plate 1, the bottom connecting plate 3 may be, for example, adhered or clamped at an end of the soft torsion structure 2 away from the top connecting plate 11, the bottom connecting plate 3 may be, for example, a disk-shaped plate having a third central through hole 31 at a central position, and the third central through hole 31, the first central through hole 241 and the second central through hole 11 are mutually communicated to form a central through hole sequentially passing through the bottom connecting plate 3, the central limiting column 24 and the top connecting plate 1.

Referring to fig. 1 to 4, in order to fill fluid uniformly, a plurality of (e.g., 2, 3, 4, 5, … …) first air tube connectors 32 communicated with the outer driving cavity 23 and a plurality of (e.g., 2, 3, 4, 5, … …) second air tube connectors 33 communicated with the inner driving cavity 25 are uniformly disposed in the circumferential direction of the surface of the bottom connecting plate 3 away from the soft torsion structure 2, and the first air tube connectors 32 are located outside the second air tube connectors 33. The parallel type torsion soft robot module also comprises a plurality of first external air pipes 4 and a plurality of first external air pipes 5; every first external trachea 4 is through one first trachea connector 32 with outer drive cavity 23 intercommunication, every second external trachea 5 is through one second trachea connector 33 with interior drive cavity 25 intercommunication to fill or take the fluid out in a plurality of first external trachea 4 even outer drive cavity 23 simultaneously, fill or take the fluid out in even interior drive cavity 25 simultaneously through a plurality of second external trachea 5, in order to improve the torsional control precision of parallel torsion software robot module. It is understood that in some embodiments, the number of the first gas pipe connectors 32 may be one, or a plurality of the first gas pipe connectors 32 may be non-uniformly arranged on the surface of the bottom connecting plate 3 away from the soft torsion structure 2; similarly, the number of the second air tube connectors 33 may be one, or a plurality of the second air tube connectors 33 may also be non-uniformly arranged on the surface of the bottom connecting plate 3 away from the soft torsion structure 2.

Referring to fig. 1-4, in the present invention, the material of the soft torsion structure 2 includes an elastic material, so that torsion is more easily generated under a loading condition; the material of the top web 1 and the bottom web 3 comprises an elastic or inelastic material.

In the present invention, the multiple thread grooves of the inner and outer wall surfaces of the outer elastic torsion body 21/the inner elastic torsion body 22 of the soft torsion structure 2 are formed integrally, but it is understood that the multiple thread grooves may be formed by attaching a plurality of fiber threads to the inner and outer wall surfaces of the outer elastic torsion body 21/the inner elastic torsion body 22 of the soft torsion structure 2 at a certain rotation angle, and two adjacent fiber threads form a thread groove together with the body surface.

In the present invention, the number of the outer elastic torsion main body 21/the inner elastic torsion main body 22 of the soft torsion structure 2 may be plural, for example, the soft torsion structure 2 may include, from inside to outside, a plurality of inner elastic torsion main bodies 22 and an outer elastic torsion main body 21 which are coaxially disposed.

The parallel type torsion soft robot module has an elastic structure, does not contain rigid elements, has a simple structure, can be integrally formed, is easy to process and manufacture, and has larger output torque and higher action execution efficiency; the parallel type twisting soft robot module adopts the design of a rotary bulge structure, and can realize different twisting effects by adopting thread structures with different characteristic parameters; the twisting angle and the torque can be conveniently controlled by controlling the pressure in the cavity structure of the soft twisting structure; the parallel type torsion software robot module can be increased or decreased according to requirements, can generate a larger torsion angle without connecting a plurality of torsion actuators in series, and has larger torque; the parallel type twisting soft robot module can generate two twisting angles in opposite directions in one parallel type twisting soft robot module, and is suitable for being used in a specific space; the parallel type twisting soft robot module can realize the twisting motion of the soft robot module, and can be further operated together with other functional components (such as bending and stretching modules) to realize various complex motions; compared with the super-redundant manipulator which comprises a plurality of serially-connected bending modules to increase the degree of freedom, the parallel-connected twisting soft robot module can more conveniently execute twisting operation in a smaller space and is easier to control; the parallel type torsion soft robot module has wide application range and can also be used for minimally invasive surgery and rehabilitation medical equipment.

In the description herein, numerous specific details are provided, such as examples of components and/or methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the invention. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however, that an embodiment of the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or with other apparatus, systems, assemblies, methods, components, materials, parts, and/or the like. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of embodiments of the invention.

Reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment", "an embodiment", or "a specific embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment, and not necessarily all embodiments, of the present invention. Thus, respective appearances of the phrases "in one embodiment", "in an embodiment", or "in a specific embodiment" in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics of any specific embodiment of the present invention may be combined in any suitable manner with one or more other embodiments. It is to be understood that other variations and modifications of the embodiments of the invention described and illustrated herein are possible in light of the teachings herein and are to be considered as part of the spirit and scope of the present invention.

It will also be appreciated that one or more of the elements shown in the figures can also be implemented in a more separated or integrated manner, or even removed for inoperability in some circumstances or provided for usefulness in accordance with a particular application.

Additionally, any reference arrows in the drawings/figures should be considered only as exemplary, and not limiting, unless otherwise expressly specified. Further, as used herein, the term "or" is generally intended to mean "and/or" unless otherwise indicated. Combinations of components or steps will also be considered as being noted where terminology is foreseen as rendering the ability to separate or combine is unclear.

As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, "a", "an", and "the" include plural references unless otherwise indicated. Also, as used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, unless otherwise indicated, the meaning of "in …" includes "in …" and "on … (on)".

The above description of illustrated embodiments of the invention, including what is described in the abstract of the specification, is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed herein. While specific embodiments of, and examples for, the invention are described herein for illustrative purposes only, various equivalent modifications are possible within the spirit and scope of the present invention, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize and appreciate. As indicated, these modifications may be made to the present invention in light of the foregoing description of illustrated embodiments of the present invention and are to be included within the spirit and scope of the present invention.

The systems and methods have been described herein in general terms as the details aid in understanding the invention. Furthermore, various specific details have been given to provide a general understanding of the embodiments of the invention. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however, that an embodiment of the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or with other apparatus, systems, assemblies, methods, components, materials, parts, and/or the like. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, and/or operations are not specifically shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of embodiments of the invention.

Thus, although the present invention has been described herein with reference to particular embodiments thereof, a latitude of modification, various changes and substitutions are intended in the foregoing disclosures, and it will be appreciated that in some instances some features of the invention will be employed without a corresponding use of other features without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as set forth. Thus, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the essential scope and spirit of the present invention. It is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular terms used in following claims and/or to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include any and all embodiments and equivalents falling within the scope of the appended claims. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is to be determined solely by the appended claims.

Claims

1. The utility model provides a parallel twists reverse software robot module which characterized in that, parallel twists reverse software robot module includes:

the top connecting plate is arranged at one end of the soft torsion structure;

2. A parallel torsion soft robot module according to claim 1, wherein the outer elastic torsion body is a hollow tubular structure, the outer wall surface of the outer elastic torsion body is formed with a first multi-thread outer thread groove and/or the inner wall surface of the outer elastic torsion body is formed with a first multi-thread inner thread groove; the inner elastic torsion body is of a hollow tubular structure, and a second multi-thread outer thread groove is formed on the surface of the outer wall of the inner elastic torsion body and/or a second multi-thread inner thread groove is formed on the surface of the inner wall of the inner elastic torsion body; the rotational direction of the first multi-start external thread groove/first multi-start internal thread groove of the external elastic torsion body is the same as or different from the rotational direction of the second multi-start external thread groove/second multi-start internal thread groove of the internal elastic torsion body.

3. A parallel-connection-type twisting soft robot module according to claim 2, wherein the first multi-thread outer thread groove/the first multi-thread inner thread groove comprises at least two thread grooves uniformly arranged in a circumferential direction of an outer wall surface/an inner wall surface of the outer elastic twisting body at equal intervals with a central axis of the parallel-connection-type twisting soft robot module as an axis; the second multi-thread outer thread groove/the second multi-thread inner thread groove includes at least two thread grooves which are uniformly arranged in the circumferential direction of the outer wall surface/the inner wall surface of the inner elastic torsion body at equal intervals with the central axis of the parallel torsion soft robot module as an axis.

4. A parallel torsion soft robot module according to claim 3, wherein the tube wall of the outer elastic torsion body has a "bow" shaped structure in axial cross section of the outer elastic torsion body, and the thickness of the tube wall of the "bow" shaped structure is the same everywhere.

5. A parallel torsion soft robot module according to claim 3, wherein the tube wall of the inner elastic torsion body has a "bow" shaped structure in axial cross section of the inner elastic torsion body, and the thickness of the tube wall of the "bow" shaped structure is the same everywhere.

6. A parallel torsion soft robot module according to claim 3, wherein the thread groove of the first multi-start male thread groove/the thread groove of the first multi-start female thread groove and the radial plane of the soft torsion structure are at a first preset rotation angle, the first preset rotation angle being greater than 0 and smaller than 90 °; the thread groove of the second multi-thread outer thread groove/the thread groove of the second multi-thread inner thread groove and the radial plane of the soft torsion structure form a second preset rotation angle, and the second preset rotation angle is larger than 0 and smaller than 90; the first preset rotation angle and the second preset rotation angle are consistent or inconsistent.

7. A parallel torsion software robot module according to claim 3, wherein the number of thread grooves of the first multi-start male thread groove is the same as or different from the number of thread grooves of the second multi-start male thread groove or the number of thread grooves of the second multi-start female thread groove; the number of the thread grooves of the first multi-start inner thread groove is the same as or different from the number of the thread grooves of the second multi-start outer thread groove or the number of the thread grooves of the second multi-start inner thread groove.

8. A parallel torsion soft robot module according to claim 1, wherein the top connection plate and the soft torsion structure are integrally formed, or the top connection plate and the soft torsion structure are separately formed and then connected and fixed together.

9. A parallel torsion soft robot module according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of first external air pipes and a plurality of first external air pipes; the first external air pipes are communicated with the external driving cavity, and the second external air pipes are communicated with the internal driving cavity.

10. A parallel torsion software robot module according to claim 9, wherein a plurality of first air tube connectors and a plurality of second air tube connectors are uniformly arranged in the circumferential direction of the surface of the bottom connecting plate away from the software torsion structure, and the first air tube connectors are located outside the second air tube connectors; every first external trachea through one first trachea connector with outer drive cavity intercommunication, every the second external trachea through one second trachea connector with interior drive cavity intercommunication.

11. A parallel-type torsional soft robotic module according to claim 1, wherein the material of the soft torsional structure comprises an elastic material; the material of the top and bottom webs comprises an elastic or inelastic material.

12. A parallel torsional soft robot module in accordance with any of claims 1-11 further comprising the central restraining post disposed on the central axis of the inner elastic torsional body.

13. A parallel torsion soft robot module according to claim 12, wherein the parallel torsion soft robot module has a central through hole that passes through the bottom plate connection plate, the central restraining post and the top connection plate in sequence.