CN114732677A - Soft actuator and rehabilitation training device - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of soft robots, and particularly relates to a soft actuator and a rehabilitation training device, which comprise: at least two fixed seats; at least one telescopic unit arranged between two adjacent fixed seats; the limiting plate is connected between the adjacent fixing seats and arranged close to the bottom ends of the fixing seats, the limiting plate is made of elastic materials, and at least partial area of the limiting plate is arranged in a wave shape so as to limit the limiting plate to be only capable of bending in a first plane. The invention adds the limit plate at the bottom of the soft actuator fixing seat, can obviously limit the uncontrolled bending deformation of the soft actuator during working, limits the main motion direction of the soft actuator to the bending motion which can be controlled manually, and can reduce the energy loss of the soft actuator caused by abnormal bending deformation.

Description

Soft actuator and rehabilitation training device

Technical Field

The invention belongs to the technical field of soft robots, and particularly relates to a soft actuator and a rehabilitation training device.

Background

Some soft actuators, in particular bellows-like soft actuators, exhibit uncontrolled bending deformations during use, which to a certain extent affect the normal use of the soft actuator and therefore need to be limited.

Most of the hand rehabilitation training devices in the market are driven by corrugated tube-shaped soft actuators, most of the rehabilitation gloves in the market do not have the capability of resisting lateral bending deformation, and even if some of the rehabilitation gloves have some capability of resisting the lateral bending deformation, the gloves can be bent under the normal condition to cause certain limitation, so that the invention provides a device which can enable the rehabilitation gloves to have the capability of resisting the lateral bending deformation and can not cause the limitation on the normal bending of the gloves, and the device can solve the problem that the rehabilitation gloves are twisted due to mutual extrusion of the soft actuators caused by the lateral bending of the soft brakes.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art, an object of the present invention is to provide a soft body actuator and a rehabilitation training device capable of preventing the soft body actuator from being abnormally bent.

To achieve the above and other related objects, the present invention provides a soft actuator, comprising:

at least two fixed seats;

at least one telescopic unit which is arranged between two adjacent fixed seats;

the limiting plate is connected between the adjacent fixing seats and arranged close to the bottom ends of the fixing seats, the limiting plate is made of elastic materials, and at least partial area of the limiting plate is arranged in a wave shape so as to limit the limiting plate to be only capable of bending in a first plane.

In an optional embodiment of the present invention, the limiting plate and the fixing seat are an integrated structure.

In an optional embodiment of the present invention, the limiting plate and the fixing seat are of a split structure.

In an optional embodiment of the present invention, the fixing seat includes a body and a base, the body is detachably connected to the base, and the limiting plate is clamped between the body and the base.

In an optional embodiment of the present invention, the base is provided with a protrusion, the position-limiting plate is provided with a groove, and when the position-limiting plate is clamped between the base and the body, the protrusion is engaged with the groove.

In an optional embodiment of the present invention, two sides of the base are provided with buckles, and two sides of the body are provided with clamping grooves matched with the buckles.

In an optional embodiment of the invention, a cross section of the limiting plate perpendicular to the length direction is an arc, and an arc center faces to a side where the telescopic unit is located.

In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the expansion unit is a bellows.

In an optional embodiment of the present invention, the fixing seat is provided with a plurality of fixing seats, and each fixing seat is provided with a through hole for communicating each corrugated pipe.

To achieve the above and other related objects, the present invention also provides a rehabilitation training device, comprising:

a glove body;

an actuator mounted to a finger region of the glove body;

the actuator includes:

a plurality of holders;

the corrugated pipes are arranged between two adjacent fixed seats and are communicated with an air source;

the limiting plate is connected between the adjacent fixing seats and arranged close to the bottom ends of the fixing seats, the limiting plate is made of elastic materials, and at least partial area of the limiting plate is arranged in a wave shape so as to limit the limiting plate to be only capable of bending in a first plane.

The invention has the technical effects that:

the invention can obviously limit the uncontrolled bending deformation of the soft actuator during working by adding the limit plate at the bottom of the soft actuator fixing seat, limit the main motion direction of the soft actuator to the bending motion which can be controlled manually, and reduce the energy loss of the soft actuator caused by abnormal bending deformation.

When the limiting plate is applied to the rehabilitation gloves, the uncontrolled bending and twisting of the rehabilitation gloves in the use process can be avoided, meanwhile, the mutual extrusion caused by abnormal bending between adjacent soft actuators can be prevented, and the comfort and the attractiveness of the rehabilitation gloves in use are improved.

Because the limiting plate is distributed in a square wave-like shape, the limiting plate can extend and contract along with the forward and reverse bending of the soft actuator, the extension and the contraction of the soft actuator are not influenced, and the capability of the soft actuator for resisting abnormal bending can be increased.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a soft actuator according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the fixing base and the limiting plate in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a soft actuator according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the mounting seat and the limiting plate of the embodiment shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the anchor block of the embodiment of FIG. 3;

fig. 6 is a partial perspective view of the stopper plate in the embodiment of fig. 3.

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. It is to be noted that the features in the following embodiments and examples may be combined with each other without conflict.

It should be noted that the drawings provided in the following embodiments are only for illustrating the basic idea of the present invention, and the drawings only show the components related to the present invention rather than the number, shape and size of the components in actual implementation, and the type, quantity and proportion of the components in actual implementation may be changed freely, and the layout of the components may be more complicated.

Referring to fig. 1-6, a soft actuator includes a plurality of fixing bases 10, a plurality of telescopic units 20, and a limiting plate 30. It will be understood that the number of the holders 10 and the telescopic units 20 can be selected according to actual needs, for example, at least two holders 10 and one telescopic unit 20 can be provided.

Referring to fig. 1 and 3, the telescopic unit 20 is installed between two adjacent fixing seats 10, and it can be understood that the telescopic unit 20 adopted in the present invention is a component capable of performing telescopic action under the action of an external power source, the telescopic unit 20 may be, for example, a bellows-shaped air bag, the air bag is communicated with an air source, when the air source inflates the air bag, the air bag extends, and when the air source evacuates the air bag, the air bag shortens; it should be noted that the present invention does not exclude the possibility of using other types of components as the telescopic unit 20, such as a micro cylinder or the like.

Referring to fig. 1 to 6, the limiting plate 30 is connected between adjacent fixing seats 10 and disposed near the bottom ends of the fixing seats 10, the limiting plate 30 is made of an elastic material, at least a partial area of the limiting plate 30 is disposed in a wave shape to limit the limiting plate 30 to be only bendable in a first plane, where the first plane refers to a symmetrical plane of the fixing seats, and it should be noted that the first plane refers to a plane where a center line of the flexible unit 20 is bent when the flexible unit is bent in a predetermined direction in consideration of an actual working state, taking a rehabilitation training glove as an example, when the flexible brake is installed in a finger area of the glove, the predetermined bending direction of the flexible brake is a bending direction of a finger when a user makes a fist.

It can be understood that the limiting plate 30 can limit one side of the telescopic unit 20 to maintain a relatively constant length when the telescopic unit 20 is extended or shortened, so as to bend the telescopic unit 20, and on the other hand, since the limiting plate 30 of the present invention can only bend in the first plane, the limiting plate 30 can limit the bending direction of the telescopic unit 20 in the first plane, so as to prevent the telescopic unit 20 from uncontrollably bending abnormally.

Referring to fig. 1 and 2, in an embodiment, the limiting plate 30 and the fixing base 10 are an integrated structure, in this embodiment, the limiting plate 30 and the fixing base 10 may be formed by injection molding, or may be formed separately and then fixed together, for example, the fixing base 10 and the limiting plate 30 formed separately may be fixed together by welding or bonding.

Referring to fig. 3-6, in another embodiment, the limiting plate 30 and the fixing base 10 are in a split structure, in this embodiment, each fixing base 10 and the limiting plate 30 are separately formed and connected together by a mechanical assembly, which may be, for example, a detachable assembly structure.

Specifically, referring to fig. 3 to 6, the fixing base 10 may include, for example, a body 11 and a base 12, the body 11 is detachably connected to the base 12, and the limiting plate 30 is clamped between the body 11 and the base 12. It can be understood that a plurality of fixing seats 10 in the present embodiment may share the same limiting plate 30, for example, and the fixing seats 10 are clamped on the limiting plate 30 at intervals.

Referring to fig. 4-6, in an embodiment, a protrusion 15 is disposed on the base 12, a groove 31 is disposed on the position-limiting plate 30, and when the position-limiting plate 30 is clamped between the base 12 and the body 11, the protrusion 15 is engaged with the groove 31 to position the fixing base 10 and the position-limiting plate 30; it should be understood that the positioning manner between the fixing seat 10 and the position-limiting plate 30 is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, for example, the protrusion 15 may be disposed on the position-limiting plate 30, and the groove 31 may be disposed on the base 12 or the body 11, besides, those skilled in the art can apply other positioning manners to the fixing seat 10 and the position-limiting plate 30 of the present invention in light of the teaching of the present invention, and this also falls into the protection scope of the present invention.

Referring to fig. 5 and 6, in an embodiment, two sides of the base 12 are provided with fasteners 14, and two sides of the body 11 are provided with slots 13 matched with the fasteners 14; the section of the limiting plate 30 perpendicular to the length direction is arc-shaped, and the arc center faces to one side of the telescopic unit 20; through holes 16 for communicating the corrugated pipes are arranged on the fixed seats.

Based on the soft actuator, the present invention further provides a rehabilitation training device, comprising: a glove body 11; an actuator mounted to a finger region of the glove body 11; the actuator includes: a plurality of holders 10; the corrugated pipes are arranged between two adjacent fixing seats 10 and are communicated with an air source; the limiting plate 30 is connected between the adjacent fixing seats 10 and is arranged close to the bottom ends of the fixing seats 10, the limiting plate 30 is made of an elastic material, and at least partial area of the limiting plate 30 is arranged in a wave shape so as to limit the limiting plate 30 to be only capable of bending in a first plane.

In summary, the invention adds the limiting plate 30 at the bottom of the soft actuator fixing seat 10, so as to significantly limit the uncontrolled bending deformation of the soft actuator during operation, limit the main motion direction of the soft actuator to the bending motion that can be controlled manually, and reduce the energy loss of the soft actuator caused by the abnormal bending deformation.

When the limiting plate 30 is applied to the rehabilitation glove, the uncontrolled bending and twisting of the rehabilitation glove in the use process can be avoided, meanwhile, the mutual extrusion caused by abnormal bending between adjacent soft actuators can be prevented, and the comfort and the attractiveness of the rehabilitation glove in use are improved.

Because the position-limiting plate 30 is distributed like a square wave, it can extend and contract along with the forward and reverse bending of the soft actuator, and will not affect the extension and contraction of the soft actuator, and at the same time, it can increase the ability of the soft actuator to resist abnormal bending.

The foregoing embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and utilities of the present invention and are not intended to limit the invention. Any person skilled in the art can modify or change the above-mentioned embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, it is intended that all equivalent modifications or changes which can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and technical spirit of the present invention be covered by the claims of the present invention.

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 in 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 specified. Also, as used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, the meaning of "in …" includes "in …" and "on …" unless otherwise specified.

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 (10)

1. A soft actuator, comprising:

at least two fixing seats;

at least one telescopic unit which is arranged between two adjacent fixed seats;

the limiting plate is connected between the adjacent fixing seats and arranged close to the bottom ends of the fixing seats, the limiting plate is made of elastic materials, and at least partial area of the limiting plate is arranged in a wave shape so as to limit the limiting plate to be only capable of bending in a first plane.

2. The soft actuator of claim 1, wherein the retainer plate and the holder are of a unitary construction.

3. The soft actuator of claim 1, wherein the limiting plate and the fixing seat are of a split structure.

4. The soft actuator of claim 3, wherein the holder comprises a body and a base, the body is detachably connected to the base, and the retainer plate is clamped between the body and the base.

5. The soft actuator of claim 4, wherein the base has a protrusion thereon, the retainer has a recess thereon, and the protrusion engages the recess when the retainer is sandwiched between the base and the body.

6. The soft actuator of claim 4, wherein the base is provided with a snap on both sides thereof, and the body is provided with a slot on both sides thereof for engaging with the snap.

7. The soft actuator of claim 1, wherein the limiting plate has an arc-shaped cross section perpendicular to the length direction, and the arc center is toward the side where the telescopic unit is located.

8. The soft actuator of claim 1, wherein the telescoping unit is a bellows.

9. The soft actuator of claim 8, wherein the fixed seats are provided with a plurality of through holes for communicating with the bellows.

10. A rehabilitation training device, comprising:

a glove body;

an actuator mounted to a finger region of the glove body;

the actuator includes:

a plurality of holders;

the corrugated pipes are arranged between two adjacent fixing seats and are communicated with an air source;

the limiting plate is connected between the adjacent fixing seats and arranged close to the bottom ends of the fixing seats, the limiting plate is made of elastic materials, and at least partial area of the limiting plate is arranged in a wave shape so as to limit the limiting plate to be only capable of bending in a first plane.

Images