CN211682100U

CN211682100U - Soft muscle

Info

Publication number: CN211682100U
Application number: CN201921954135.6U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 王峥; 刘思聪; 端木德浩; 方忠桂
Original assignee: Southwest University of Science and Technology
Current assignee: Shenzhen Renzhi Technology Co.,Ltd.
Priority date: 2019-11-13
Filing date: 2019-11-13
Publication date: 2020-10-16
Anticipated expiration: 2029-11-13

Abstract

The application discloses software muscle, including the cavity lateral wall of two tip and flexibility, exit has on tip or the cavity lateral wall, the cavity lateral wall has the paper folding structure, the paper folding structure includes the cyclic annular spine of a plurality of, a plurality of side spine and a plurality of folded surface, the cyclic annular spine is including protruding convex ridge that sets up and the concave ridge of sunken setting, the folded surface setting is between two adjacent side spines and the concave ridge and the convex ridge that correspond, when the fluid pressure intensity changes in closed cavity, the paper folding structure can produce deformation, in order to realize the paper folding structure along the axial folding of closed cavity or extend. When the soft muscle is used, pressure fluid is input or discharged through the inlet and the outlet to drive the folding surface to rotate around the annular ridge to open and close, the structural strength and stability of the soft muscle are enhanced through the annular ridge, the side ridge and the top point, so that the soft muscle can stably do linear motion on the premise of not using an external limiting structure, and can output larger force.

Description

Soft muscle

Technical Field

The application relates to the field of soft robots, in particular to a soft muscle.

Background

In the traditional driving scheme, when linear driving is realized, the rapid rotation of a motor needs to be converted into ideal linear output through a speed reducer and a transmission structure (such as a lead screw nut and a connecting rod), so that the defects of more participating components, heavy weight, high design requirement, complex assembly and lubrication and high cost are overcome.

In order to solve the above disadvantages, some technical solutions adopt a soft structure, specifically, a closed cavity is provided inside the soft structure, and the soft structure generates deformation of radial expansion and circumferential contraction by inflating the closed cavity inside the soft structure, so as to output axial tension. However, this deformation principle is difficult to achieve with considerable thrust and the realization of this function requires the use of the constraints of a reticular braided structure externally sheathed by a soft structure.

In fact, the lack of structural stability of the soft body structure greatly limits the use of the soft body structure. When the corrugated pipe in the market, such as a foot-operated air pump used for inflating a balloon, is used as a drive, when the inner cavity of the corrugated pipe is pressurized or depressurized, the corrugated pipe can generate axial contraction or expansion movement, and when the axial movement is blocked by the outside, push-pull force is generated. However, due to the instability of the bellows structure, the bellows is easy to produce unnecessary buckling and even collapse of the bellows structure in the process of pushing an external object, so that the driving effect is greatly reduced and even the bellows structure cannot play a driving role. Some solutions use the above-mentioned mesh woven structure or other restraining structures to protect and restrain the soft body structure. The technical scheme greatly increases the production cost of the product, and the self structure of the soft structure is not substantially enhanced, so that the magnitude of the force capable of being output is very limited, and the improvement is needed.

Disclosure of Invention

The application provides a soft muscle for solving the problems of insufficient output force and dependence on a limit structure of the existing soft structure.

The application provides a software muscle, includes:

two end portions facing each other;

the flexible cavity side wall is arranged between the two end parts, and two sides of the cavity side wall respectively extend to the corresponding end parts and are enclosed along the circumferential direction of the end parts to form a closed cavity;

the end part or the side wall of the cavity is provided with an inlet and an outlet, and the inlet and the outlet are used for allowing pressure fluid to enter and exit the closed cavity;

the side wall of the cavity is provided with a paper folding structure, the paper folding structure comprises a plurality of annular ridges, a plurality of side ridges and a plurality of folding surfaces, the annular ridges comprise convex ridges arranged in a protruding manner and concave ridges arranged in a concave manner, the convex ridges and the concave ridges are alternately connected end to form annular structures, the annular ridges are sequentially arranged along the axial direction of the closed cavity, the convex ridges of each annular structure correspond to the concave ridges of adjacent annular structures, and the concave ridges of each annular structure correspond to the convex ridges of the adjacent annular structures;

the folding paper structure comprises a paper folding structure and is characterized in that the connection point of a convex ridge and a concave ridge in the annular ridge is a vertex, the side ridges extend from the vertex of one annular ridge to the corresponding vertex of the adjacent annular ridge, the folding surface is arranged between the two adjacent side ridges and the corresponding concave ridge and convex ridge, and when the fluid pressure in the closed cavity changes, the paper folding structure can deform so as to realize the axial folding or extension of the paper folding structure along the closed cavity.

As a further improvement of the soft muscle, the annular structure is a plane symmetrical structure.

As the further improvement of software muscle, the loop configuration is the hexagon, six limits of hexagon include three raised ridge and three concave ridge, and three raised ridge and three concave ridge interval set up, and end to end connects gradually and forms the loop configuration.

As a further improvement of the soft muscle, the lengths of the convex ridges of all the annular ridges are the same, the lengths of the concave ridges of all the annular ridges are the same, and the lengths of the convex ridges are different from the lengths of the concave ridges, so that each folding surface is in a trapezoid shape.

As a further improvement of the soft muscle, the length of the ridges is shorter than the length of the concave ridges.

As a further improvement of the soft muscle, the thickness of the annular ridge and the lateral ridge is larger than that of the folding surface.

As a further improvement of the soft muscle, the side wall of the cavity is provided with a non-folding section, the non-folding section is located in the middle of the paper folding structure, the paper folding structure is axially divided into a first folding section and a second folding section, the first folding section and the second folding section are both in sealing connection with the non-folding section, and the inlet and the outlet are located in the non-folding section.

As a further improvement of the soft muscle, the end part is provided with an end face which is perpendicular to the axial lead of the closed cavity, and the inlet and the outlet are positioned on the end face.

As a further improvement of the soft muscle, the end part is provided with an end face and an installation face, the end face is perpendicular to the axial lead of the closed cavity, the installation face is located on one side, facing the side wall of the cavity, of the end face and is arranged along the circumferential direction of the end face, the radial length of the installation face is gradually reduced from one side, where the side wall of the cavity is located, to the side, where the end face is located, and the installation face is used for installing the flange.

As a further improvement of the soft muscle, the end part is provided with an end cover, the end cover is perpendicular to the axial lead of the closed cavity, and the end cover is provided with an external mounting hole which is used for realizing the connection of the soft muscle and other components.

The beneficial effect of this application:

because the side wall of the cavity is provided with the paper folding structure, when the soft muscle is used, pressure fluid is input or discharged through the inlet and the outlet to drive the folding surface to rotate around the annular ridge to open and close, so that the extension and the shortening of the soft muscle are realized, the structural strength and the stability of the soft muscle are enhanced through the annular ridge, the side ridge and the top point, and the soft muscle can stably do linear motion on the premise of not using an external limiting structure. The soft muscle has stable structure, can bear larger fluid pressure and convert the fluid pressure into output force in a linear direction, and can not generate the situation that the structure collapses when the common soft structure is stressed, so that the internal fluid pressure is lost by the soft structure or the output direction is changed by buckling, and the soft muscle can output larger force.

Drawings

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

FIG. 2 is a side view of a soft body muscle according to one embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of a soft body muscle according to one embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a soft muscle along the axial direction of a closed cavity according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a soft muscle along a radial direction of a closed cavity according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a soft muscle with an end cap according to another embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 7 is a side view of a soft muscle with an end cap according to another embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 8 is a top view of a soft muscle with an end cap according to another embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 9 is a schematic view of a soft muscle with an unfolded end portion of an access port according to a third embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of a soft muscle with an inlet and an outlet at the ends and without a mounting surface according to a fourth embodiment of the present application;

fig. 11 is a schematic structural view of a soft muscle with an inlet and an outlet in the middle part and without a mounting surface according to a fifth embodiment of the present application.

Reference numerals: 1000. soft muscle; 1100. an end portion; 1110. an end face; 1120. a mounting surface; 1130. an end cap; 1131. mounting holes; 1200. a cavity side wall; 1210. an annular ridge; 1211. a raised ridge; 1212. a concave ridge; 1220. a lateral spine; 1230. folding the surface; 1240. a non-folded section; 1300. an inlet and an outlet; 1400. and (4) connecting the pipes.

Detailed Description

The present application is described in further detail in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the figures, in which like elements in different embodiments are numbered with like associated element numbers. In the following description, numerous details are set forth in order to provide a better understanding of the present application. However, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that some of the features may be omitted or replaced with other elements, materials, methods in different instances. In some instances, certain operations related to the present application have not been shown or described in detail in order to avoid obscuring the core of the present application from excessive description, and it is not necessary for those skilled in the art to describe these operations in detail, so that they may be fully understood from the description in the specification and the general knowledge in the art.

Furthermore, the features, operations, or characteristics described in the specification may be combined in any suitable manner to form various embodiments. Also, the various steps or actions in the method descriptions may be transposed or transposed in order, as will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art. Thus, the various sequences in the specification and drawings are for the purpose of describing certain embodiments only and are not intended to imply a required sequence unless otherwise indicated where such sequence must be followed.

The numbering of the components as such, e.g., "first", "second", etc., is used herein only to distinguish the objects as described, and does not have any sequential or technical meaning. The term "connected" and "coupled" when used in this application, unless otherwise indicated, includes both direct and indirect connections (couplings).

This embodiment provides a soft muscle 1000.

Referring to fig. 1 and 2, the soft muscle 1000 includes two ends 1100 and a flexible cavity side wall 1200.

Referring to fig. 1 and 2, two end portions 1100 face each other.

The end 1100 or the side wall 1200 of the cavity is provided with an inlet and outlet 1300, and the inlet and outlet 1300 is used for allowing pressure fluid to enter and exit the closed cavity;

the side wall 1200 of the cavity has a paper folding structure, the paper folding structure includes a plurality of annular ridges 1210, a plurality of side ridges 1220 and a plurality of folding surfaces 1230, the annular ridges 1210 include convex ridges 1211 and concave ridges 1212, in the annular ridges 1210, the convex ridges 1211 and the concave ridges 1212 are alternately connected end to form annular structures, the annular ridges 1210 are sequentially arranged along the axial direction of the closed cavity, the convex ridges 1211 of each annular structure correspond to the concave ridges 1212 of the adjacent annular structure, and the concave ridges 1212 of each annular structure correspond to the convex ridges 1211 of the adjacent annular structure;

the connection point of the convex ridge 1211 and the concave ridge 1212 in the annular ridges 1210 is an apex, the side ridges 1220 extend from the apex of one annular ridge 1210 to the corresponding apex of the adjacent annular ridge 1210, and the folding surface 1230 is arranged between the two adjacent side ridges 1220 and the corresponding concave ridge 1212 and convex ridge 1211, so that when the pressure of fluid in the closed cavity changes, the paper folding structure can be deformed to realize the folding or extending of the paper folding structure along the axial direction of the closed cavity.

Because the side wall 1200 of the cavity is provided with the paper folding structure, when the soft muscle 1000 is used, pressure fluid is input or discharged through the inlet and outlet 1300, the folding surface 1230 is driven to deform and open and close around the annular ridge 1210, and the extension and the shortening of the soft muscle 1000 are realized. Compared with a smooth surface, the ridges of the paper folding structure increase the structural toughness of the closed cavity to internal pressure and external load, maintain the structural stability under heavy load and heavy input pressure, and increase the bearing capacity of the soft muscle 1000 to static or dynamic load, even impact load. Therefore, the structural strength and stability of the soft muscle 1000 are enhanced by the annular ridge 1210, the lateral ridges 1220 and the vertexes, so that the soft muscle 1000 can stably perform linear motion without an external limiting structure, and can output large force.

Referring to fig. 1 and 4, the soft muscle 1000 forms a macro motion of a closed cavity through the motion composition of the local paper folding structure, and the opening and closing around the ridge is also the limit of the paper folding structure to the macro motion of the cavity. Specifically, referring to fig. 4, the direction indicated by the arrow a in fig. 4 is the direction of the folding surface being opened and closed. When the internal pressure of the closed cavity changes, the pressure acts on the folding surface 1230 of each paper folding structure, and the linear motion of the closed cavity in one direction is realized by the guiding and limiting effect of the paper folding structures on the deformation motion.

The soft muscle 1000 of this embodiment overcomes the disadvantages of many participating components, heavy weight, high design requirement, complex assembly and lubrication, and high cost in the conventional driving scheme that the motor, the reducer, and the transmission mechanism (e.g., screw nut, connecting rod) are required to convert the rapid rotation of the motor into an ideal linear output. Meanwhile, compared with the existing soft muscle 1000, the composition is simpler (optimally, one material can be used for producing the whole muscle), the processing process is simpler and more efficient, and the mass production can be directly realized. And can output larger thrust under the same weight. The process of obtaining the desired output by designing the geometric parameters of the soft-bodied meat is more straightforward.

Referring to fig. 1-5, another advantage of the soft muscle 1000 of this embodiment is that the paper folding structure keeps the effective pressed area of any cross section perpendicular to the axial direction constant when the cavity is extended or retracted. Thus, when the two end faces 1110 are pushed to move in the extension direction by the pressure acting on the two end faces 1110, if an external obstruction is encountered, the output force of the end faces 1110 is linear with the internal pressure. It should be noted that the effective pressure area is considered as the area of a designated area between the outer diameter circle and the inner diameter circle of the muscle, and is verified through experiments and theoretical comparison, and in the soft muscle 1000 of this embodiment, i.e. the area marked as B in fig. 5, due to the principle of air pressure or hydraulic pressure, the linearity of the muscle output force relative to the internal pressure is directly related to the effective pressure area. Therefore, the paper folding structure of the soft muscle 1000 of this embodiment can be very closely made to keep the inner diameter and the outer diameter constant when the muscle is stretched and contracted, that is, the effective pressure area constant, thereby exhibiting linear output. In addition, since the soft muscle 1000 is flexible, the application range of the soft muscle 1000 can be further expanded by realizing bending and twisting of the soft muscle 1000 by means of external restriction or guidance.

Referring to fig. 1 and 5, in one embodiment, the ring structure is a plane-symmetric structure. Specifically, the annular structure may be a planar symmetric multi-variable shape, such as a hexagon, and the specific shape may be flexibly selected according to actual needs. In practical applications, each folding surface 1230 of the paper folding structure of the soft muscle 1000 may be different. The arrangement of the ridges 1211 and the ridges 1212, as well as the geometric parameters and configuration of each ring structure, can be designed as desired.

Referring to fig. 1 and 5, in an embodiment, the shape of the ring structure includes a hexagon, the ring structure is a hexagon, six sides of the hexagon include three ridges 1211 and three ridges 1212, the three ridges 1211 and the three ridges 1212 are spaced apart and connected end to form the ring structure.

Referring to fig. 1 and 5, in one embodiment, the length of the ridges 1211 of the annular ridge 1210 is the same, the length of the ridges 1212 of the annular ridge 1210 is the same, and the length of the ridges 1211 is different from the length of the ridges 1212, such that each folding surface 1230 has a trapezoidal shape. Through the scheme, the folding surfaces 1230 are all in the same trapezoid shape, and the trapezoid folding surfaces 1230 are beneficial to further improving the structural strength and stability of the soft muscle 1000.

Referring to fig. 1 and 5, in one embodiment, the length of the ridges 1211 is shorter than the length of the ridges 1212. The folding surface 1230, the ridge 1211 and the concave ridge 1212 form a trapezoid with the ridge 1211 as the short side and the concave ridge 1212 as the long side, which is beneficial to further enhance the structural strength and stability of the soft muscle 1000.

In other embodiments, the length of the ridge 1211 may be longer than the length of the concave ridge 1212 or the length of the ridge 1211 may be the same as the length of the concave ridge 1212.

Referring to fig. 1-5, in one embodiment, the annular ridge 1210 and the lateral ridges 1220 have a thickness greater than the thickness of the folding surface 1230. By increasing the thickness of the circumferential ridge 1210 and the lateral ridges 1220, it is beneficial to further increase the structural strength and stability of the soft muscle 1000.

Referring to fig. 1-5, in one embodiment, the chamber sidewall 1200 has a non-folding section 1240, the non-folding section 1240 is located in the middle of the paper folding structure, and the paper folding structure is divided into a first folding section and a second folding section in the axial direction of the closed chamber, the first folding section and the second folding section are both hermetically connected to the non-folding section 1240, and the access 1300 is located in the non-folding section 1240. Through increasing non-folding section 1240 for exit 1300 can set up in the middle part of cavity lateral wall 1200, is favorable to increasing the variety of software muscle 1000 structural layout, makes software muscle 1000 can be applicable to more extensive work scene.

Referring to FIG. 9, in one embodiment, the chamber sidewall 1200 has a non-folded section 1240, but the opening is not provided in the non-folded section 1240, but in the end face 1110.

Referring to fig. 1, 10 and 11, in another embodiment, the end 1100 has a face 1110, the face 1110 is perpendicular to the axis of the closed cavity, and the access opening 1300 is located at the face 1110. The inlet and outlet 1300 is arranged at the end 1100, so that the structural layout diversity of the soft muscle 1000 is increased, and the soft muscle 1000 can be applied to wider working scenes.

Referring to fig. 1 and 9, in an embodiment, the end 1100 has an end face 1110 and a mounting face 1120, the end face 1110 is perpendicular to the axial line of the closed cavity, the mounting face 1120 is located on a side of the end face 1110 facing the cavity side wall 1200 and is disposed along the circumferential direction of the end face 1110, the radial length of the mounting face 1120 is gradually reduced from a side of the cavity side wall 1200 to a side of the end face 1110, and the mounting face 1120 is used for mounting a flange. By additionally arranging the mounting surface 1120, the flange can be smoothly mounted on the end part 1100 of the soft muscle 1000, and the convenience of mounting the flange on the soft muscle 1000 is enhanced.

Referring to fig. 6-8, in another embodiment, the end portion 1100 has an end cover 1130, the end cover 1130 is perpendicular to the axial line of the closed cavity, the end cover 1130 has an external mounting hole 1131, and the external mounting hole 1131 is used for connecting the soft muscle 1000 with other components. When an end cap 1130 is used, the outer surface of the end cap 1130 is the end surface. Specifically, when the soft muscle 1000 needs to be connected to other components, the end cover 1130 may be connected to other components through the through hole of the end cover 1130 by using a pin, a bolt, a screw, or other components, so as to conveniently achieve the connection between the soft muscle 1000 and other components.

Referring to fig. 6-8, in one embodiment, the end cap 1130 is integrally formed with the cavity sidewall 1200. In other embodiments, the end cap 1130 and the cavity may be formed separately and then assembled together. In particular, the end cap 1130 and the cavity sidewall 1200 may be formed by injection molding, 3D printing, or other suitable methods.

Referring to fig. 1-11, in some embodiments, a connection tube 1400 is protruded from the port 1300, and one end of the connection tube 1400 is connected to the port 1300. When the soft muscle 1000 is used, a pipeline for conveying pressure fluid can be connected with the connecting pipe 1400, so that the connection between the soft muscle 1000 and an external pipeline is conveniently realized.

The foregoing is a more detailed description of the present application in connection with specific embodiments thereof, and it is not intended that the present application be limited to the specific embodiments thereof. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that many more simple derivations or substitutions can be made without departing from the inventive concepts herein.

Claims

1. A soft muscle, comprising:

two end portions facing each other;

2. The soft muscle according to claim 1, wherein the loop structure is a planar symmetric structure.

3. The soft muscle according to claim 2, wherein the ring-shaped structure is a hexagon, and six sides of the hexagon comprise three ridges and three ridges, and the three ridges are arranged at intervals and connected end to form the ring-shaped structure.

4. The soft muscle according to claim 2, wherein the ridges of all the annular ridges have the same length and the ridges of all the annular ridges have the same length, and the ridges have a length different from that of the ridges, so that each of the folded surfaces has a trapezoidal shape.

5. The soft muscle of claim 2, wherein the length of the ridges is shorter than the length of the ridges.

6. The soft muscle of claim 1, wherein the thickness of the circumferential ridge and the lateral ridge is greater than the thickness of the folded surface.

7. The soft muscle according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the side wall of the cavity has an unfolded section located at the middle of the paper folding structure, which separates the paper folding structure into a first folded section and a second folded section in the axial direction of the closed cavity, the first folded section and the second folded section are both connected with the unfolded section in a sealing manner, and the port is located at the unfolded section.

8. The soft muscle of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the end portion has an end surface perpendicular to the axis of the closed cavity, and the access opening is located in the end surface.

9. The soft muscle of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the end part has an end face perpendicular to the axis of the closed cavity and an installation face located on the side of the end face facing the side wall of the cavity and arranged along the circumferential direction of the end face, the radial length of the installation face is gradually reduced from the side of the side wall of the cavity to the side of the end face, and the installation face is used for installing the flange.

10. The soft muscle of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the end portion has an end cap perpendicular to the axis of the closed cavity, the end cap having a circumscribing mounting hole.