KR101263598B1 - Compliant gripper using buckling of flexure joint - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention, the lower link plate; An upper link plate disposed upwardly facing the lower link plate and movable in a pulling direction with respect to the lower link plate; A gripper link plate disposed between side ends of the lower link plate and the upper link plate, and a gripper leg having one end fixed to the gripper link plate, the other end extending below the lower link plate, and gripping the surface of the object. ; And an actuator providing a force for pulling the upper link plate and the lower link plate to each other, wherein the gripper link plate is connected to each of the upper link plate and the lower link plate by a flexible joint, and the flexible linker connects the upper link plate and the gripper link plate. The joint discloses an adaptive gripping robot formed of a buckling flexible joint that allows bending motion to occur in two opposite directions when a force pulling the upper link plate and the lower link plate is applied to each other.

Description

Adaptive GRIPPER USING BUCKLING OF FLEXURE JOINT}

The present invention relates to an adaptive gripping robot, and more particularly, an adaptation using a buckling phenomenon of a flexible joint that can be gripped by adaptive operation irrespective of a surface shape such as an uneven surface by using a buckling phenomenon of a flexible joint. Type gripping robot.

In general, a robot is a machine that has an appearance similar to an animal, a person, a machine, or a machine capable of working on something.

Artificially powered robots work on or with humans, and robots are usually designed to do what the manufacturer intended. These robots replace many tasks that humans have been doing in the past, and in the industrial field, monotonous repetitive tasks, boring tasks or objectionable tasks can be easily handled by using robots in particular. For example, riveting, welding, painting an automobile body, and the like in an assembly plant are good examples. Robots play an important role in our lives or industrial fields.

Recently, robots have been manufactured more precisely with industrial development, and various micro robots have been manufactured in the medical industry requiring delicate and precision, such as medical procedures.

On the other hand, research on biomimetic robots that mimic the structure, cognition, and cognitive methods of animals such as humans and insects has been actively conducted. Creatures in the Earth's ecosystem have long evolved into the most efficient form for their survival as they adjust to nature. Ecological mimicking robots have borrowed structures, motions, and cognitive methods necessary for functions and operations by studying behavioral characteristics of living organisms in natural ecosystems. Robots borrowing ideas from ecology can be called robotics.

According to this biomimetic robot research, robots that are adaptable to various environments are being developed beyond the limitations of existing robots. In 2005, Big Dog, a dog-like robot made by Boston Dynamics, USA During the exercise, the walking stability of walking on a four-foot stable slope or irregularities where the conventional robot was difficult to move was shown.

With respect to such a developing robot technology, gripping is being studied as one of the most important functions of the robot. Gripping is used to grab or grab something, such as a robot's hand, foot, or endoscope forceps. Various structures have been proposed.

As a prior art of a gripping device, Korean Patent Laid-Open No. 2010-0022877 proposes a finger module that mimics the shape of a human hand. Known finger modules are not divided and a plurality of integrally formed nodes are coupled to the pin to enable joint movement between each other, the link between adjacent nodes for joint movement between the nodes to move the knuckles freely It forms a link structure, and it is comprised so that the stretching motion of a finger module may be made freely through the drive apparatus which moves a link structure.

When attempting to catch a non-uniform surface in a multi-gear robot with a large number of grippers, when the grippers in contact are limited by the grippers that contact first, the gripping operation is substantially performed by one gripper. There is a problem that can not be exercised. However, the gripping device, such as a finger module, which mimics the shape of a human hand, has to be controlled separately to correspond to the surface shape with each finger module having a separate driving device in order to catch an uneven surface such as an uneven surface. This makes it difficult to apply to lightweight, compact and precision robots.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, by using the buckling phenomenon of the flexible joint using the buckling phenomenon of the flexible joint that can be gripped by adaptive operation regardless of the surface shape such as non-uniform surface It is an object to provide an adaptive gripping robot.

The present invention can design a lightweight and simple adaptive gripping robot by forming a link and a joint using a composite material and a polymer film, and the buckling phenomenon of the flexible joint that can be operated through the shape memory alloy spring actuator An object of the present invention is to provide an adaptive gripping robot.

An adaptive gripping robot using the buckling phenomenon of the flexible joint according to the present invention, the lower link plate; An upper link plate disposed upwardly facing the lower link plate and movable in a pulling direction with respect to the lower link plate; A gripper link plate disposed between side ends of the lower link plate and the upper link plate, and a gripper leg having one end fixed to the gripper link plate, the other end extending below the lower link plate, and gripping the surface of the object. ; And an actuator providing a force for pulling the upper link plate and the lower link plate to each other, wherein the gripper link plate is connected to each of the upper link plate and the lower link plate by a flexible joint, and the flexible linker connects the upper link plate and the gripper link plate. The joint is formed of a buckling flexible joint that allows bending motion to occur in two opposite directions when a force to pull the upper link plate and the lower link plate is applied to each other.

According to the present invention, the flexible joint connecting between the lower link plate and the gripper link plate is formed of a simple flexible joint that allows only one direction bending motion when the force applied by the upper link plate and the lower link plate is applied to each other.

According to the present invention, the buckling flexible joint is a flexible plate-like joint formed of one plate member having a length that allows two-way bending motion through elastic deformation when the force is applied, and the simple flexible joint is elastic when the force is applied. It is formed from a flexible plate-shaped joint formed of one plate-like member having a length that allows only one direction bending movement through deformation.

According to the present invention, the gripper is disposed on each side of the adaptive gripping robot, the upper link plate, the lower link plate, the buckling flexible joint, the simple flexible joint, the gripper link plate is connected to each other is closed It is manufactured to have a cross-sectional shape.

According to the present invention, the adaptive gripping robot has a skeleton of a closed cross-sectional shape by partially stacking reinforcement layers on the flexible film layer, and the flexible film layer part becomes the buckling flexible joint and the simple flexible joint part. The reinforcing layer formed on the flexible film layer is formed so that the upper link plate, the lower link plate and the gripper link plate portion, the actuator is fixed at both ends between the upper link plate and the lower link plate, the contraction by the power control supplied to the outside And a shape memory alloy spring formed by winding the shape memory alloy at least partially into a coil spring shape to restore operation.

According to the present invention, a plurality of the grippers are provided on at least one side of the adaptive gripping robot.

According to the present invention, the upper link plate is formed with an inclined portion of the upper link plate extending downward in the outward direction inclined in the lateral end direction, the buckling flexible joint is coupled to one end of the upper link plate inclined portion, the upper link plate inclined A plurality of portions are formed, wherein the upper link plate inclined portion is separated from each other by an adjacent upper link plate inclined portion, and is coupled to each of the buckling flexible joints independently corresponding to each of the gripper link plates.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an adaptive gripping robot capable of performing gripping by adaptively operating the gripper irrespective of the surface shape such as uneven surface by using the buckling phenomenon of the flexible joint.

According to the present invention, a lightweight and simple adaptive gripping robot can be designed by forming a link and a joint using a composite material and a polymer film, and a small and lightweight adaptive grip operating through a shape memory alloy spring actuator. Ping robot can be provided.

The adaptive gripping robot according to the present invention may be a robot that performs one operation by itself, and a part of another robot or another device is formed and installed to perform a gripping operation.

The adaptive gripping robot according to the present invention is also applicable to medical devices such as endoscopes, medical robots, and the like, which need to be formed with small precision.

1 is a perspective view of an adaptive gripping robot using the buckling phenomenon of the flexible joint according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the adaptive gripping robot shown in FIG. 1.
3 is a view for explaining the formation of the skeleton of the adaptive gripping robot using the buckling phenomenon of the flexible joint in the SCM manufacturing process according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a view for explaining the principle of the gripper operation of the adaptive gripping robot using the buckling phenomenon of the flexible joint according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a view sequentially showing the gripper operation of the adaptive gripping robot using the buckling phenomenon of the flexible joint according to the embodiment of the present invention.
6 to 8 are views for explaining the operation of the buckling flexible joint in contrast to the case where the adaptive gripping robot has a buckling flexible joint and a case with only a simple flexible joint.
9 and 10 are views for explaining the operation of the adaptive gripping robot using the buckling phenomenon of the flexible joint according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described an embodiment of the present invention in more detail.

1 and 2 are a perspective view and a schematic view of an adaptive gripping robot using the buckling phenomenon of the flexible joint according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 3 is a view for explaining the manufacturing process, Figure 4 is a principle of operation 5 is a diagram for explaining a sequential gripper operation.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, the adaptive gripping robot according to the present invention, the upper link plate 10 facing each other, the lower link plate 20, the gripper 30, the buckling flexible joint 40, the simple flexible joint 50 And actuator 60.

The upper link plate 10 and the lower link plate 20 are disposed to face each other, and are arranged to be movable in a direction to be pulled with respect to each other by the actuator 60. The lower link plate 20 is positioned in the direction of the surface of the object to be gripped, and the upper link plate 10 is spaced apart from the upper portion.

According to the present invention, the upper link plate 10 and the lower link plate 20 have a form in which the gripper link plate 32, the buckling flexible joint 40, and the simple flexible joint 50 are connected to each other, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The adaptive gripping robot according to the embodiment of the present invention can be described as having a closed cross-sectional shape because it forms a closed cross-sectional shape.

Since the cross-sectional skeleton is closed, the gripper 30 disposed on both sides of the upper link plate 10 and the lower link plate 20 may be simultaneously moved to perform the gripping operation. Furthermore, the adaptive gripping robot according to the present invention is provided in the form of a plurality of grippers on each side, so that the plurality of grippers 30 can be moved by one actuation operation. Therefore, it becomes possible to simplify the drive structure.

Although the embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in the form having a plurality of grippers 30 on each side of the adaptive gripping robot, one gripper is provided on one side, such as a human hand, and a plurality of opposing sides The gripper can be in an empty form. This may vary depending on the application of the adaptive gripping robot according to the invention.

The adaptive gripping robot according to an embodiment of the present invention may be manufactured in a small size and light weight by a smart composite microstructure (SCM) manufacturing process. 3 illustrates a method of forming a skeleton of an adaptive gripping robot according to the present invention.

A rigid reinforcing layer 1, such as a glass fiber layer, is made by laser micromachining processes corresponding to a rigid portion such as an upper link plate 10, a lower link plate 20, and a gripper link plate, and is made of a copper-laminated Kapton film and It is bonded to the same polymer film layer 2 and cured. The portion where the reinforcement layer 1 is laminated on the polymer film layer 2 becomes a rigid portion, and the plymer film layer 2 without the reinforcement layer 1 is a flexible joint portion such as a buckled flexible joint and a simple flexible joint. Becomes Whether the flexible joint will be part of the buckling flexible joint 40 or a simple flexible joint will be described later. However, the flexible joint is most dependent on the length of the flexible joint, and the length can be determined experimentally.

The gripper 30 includes a gripper link plate 32 and a gripper leg 35 fixed to the gripper link plate 32. The gripper link plate 32 is disposed between the side ends of the upper link plate 10 and the lower link plate 20 to be coupled with the upper link plate 10 through the buckling flexible joint 40, and lower through the simple flexible joint 50. It is coupled with the link plate 20. The gripper leg 35 has one end fixed to the gripper link plate 32 and extends, and the other end extends below the lower link plate 20 to grip the surface of the object. The gripper leg 35 may be formed in various forms to pick up a non-uniform object located between the gripper legs 35, such as a human finger, or to pick up a non-uniform surface of the object, such as an insect leg. Since the gripper leg 35 is fixed integrally with the gripper link plate 32, the gripper leg 35 operates according to the movement of the gripper link plate 32.

The upper link plate 10 may include an upper link plate inclined portion 15 extending in an outward direction obliquely to the side end so as to be connected to the gripper link plate 32 and the buckling flexible joint 40 via a medium. The upper link plate inclined portion 15 functions to guide the bending motion of the buckling flexible joint 40.

 One end of the buckling flexible joint 40 is coupled to an end of the upper link plate inclined portion 15, and the upper link plate inclined portion 15 corresponds to each of the gripper link plates 32, and the adjacent upper link plate inclined portion 15. The incision is cut off from each other and has an incision 17. Each upper link plate inclined portion 15 and each gripper link plate 32 correspond to each other independently and engage with both ends of the buckling flexible joint 40. Since the upper link plate inclined portion 15 is bent and extends from the surface of the upper link plate 10, it may allow elastic behavior around the curved portion depending on the material properties used, thereby improving the adaptability to the uneven surface. It is possible.

The adaptive gripping robot according to the present invention is designed to generate a gripper operation by a movement in which the upper link plate 10 and the lower link plate 20 are pulled from each other, and includes an actuator 60 for this purpose. The actuator 60 is coupled between the upper link plate 10 and the lower link plate 20, and is provided with a tension to pull the upper link plate 10 and the lower link plate 20 from each other by the operation of the actuator 60.

According to an embodiment of the invention the actuator 60 comprises a shape memory alloy spring. The shape memory alloy spring is a shape memory alloy that has a shape memory effect that is contracted or restored to its original shape according to a change in temperature according to a change in current supply, at least partially manufactured in a coil spring shape, and a temperature change occurs due to a current supply. When contracted to provide tension to pull the upper link plate 10 toward the lower link plate 20.

The shape memory alloy spring is fixed between the upper link plate 10 and the lower link plate 20 so that the upper link plate 10 is pulled toward the lower link plate 20 or returned to its original position by power control from the outside.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, the gripper link plate 32 is connected to the upper link plate inclined portion 15 through the buckling flexible joint 40, and connected to the lower link plate 20 through the simple flexible joint 50.

The buckling flexible joint 40 is a joint that allows bending motion in two directions opposed to each other when the force applied by the upper link plate 10 and the lower link plate 20 is pulled from each other, and the simple flexible joint 50 is the upper link plate. 10 and the lower link plate 20 are flexible joints that allow one-way bending movement when a force to pull each other acts. The buckling flexible joint 40 and the simple flexible joint 50 are the same in that they are flexible joints, but have different behavior characteristics due to length differences.

According to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the simple flexible joint 50 causes the one-way bending motion to rotate the gripper link plate 32 with respect to the lower link plate 20, which is the same as the normal joint behavior.

A flexible joint in the adaptive gripping robot according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. 4 sequentially illustrates the behavior of the buckling flexible joint 40 and the simple flexible joint 50 when a force Fa acting in the direction of pulling the upper link plate 10 and the lower link plate 20 in the adaptive gripping robot occurs. As shown.

When the actuator 60 generates a force Fa, the gripper 30 operates to generate a force Fs for holding the surface. The buckling flexible joint 40 bends outward in the initial direction, but bending continues. When folded, they are bent in two bending directions S1 and S2 opposite to each other. In case of drawing an imaginary curve (S) between both ends of which the buckling flexible joint (40) is connected, the buckling flexible joint (40) has an intersection with the imaginary curve (S) and the two bending directions for the imaginary curve (S). S1 and S2 are opposed to each other. In other words, one bending direction is directed downward in the other bending direction upward with respect to the imaginary curve. In this way, the buckling flexible joint 40 causes the gripper link plate 32 to move while acting similar to a sinusoidal wave. On the contrary, when the simple flexible joint 50 has the bending direction S3 only in one outer direction, the simple flexible joint 50 performs the bending motion. The behavior of the buckling flexible joint 40 uses the buckling phenomenon of the flexible joint as the movement of the flexible joint.

Whether the flexible joint is a buckling flexible joint 40 causing two-way bending (S1, S2) or a simple flexible joint 50 causing one-way bending (S3) is a characteristic of the flexible joint itself, the upper part. It is also influenced by the angle of the link plate inclined portion 15, the position of the gripper link plate 32, etc., but is greatly influenced by the length of the flexible joint, the length can be easily determined through the behavior characteristics test according to the length of the flexible joint.

Buckling flexible joint 40 is a flexible plate-shaped joint having a length that allows two-way bending movement through elastic deformation when simple force is applied, and simple flexible joint 50 is one-way bending movement through elastic deformation when force is applied. One flexible plate-shaped joint with a length that allows only. The present invention utilizes the buckling phenomenon of the flexible plate-shaped joint as a joint, that is, joint motion. The buckling behavior of the buckling flexible joint 40 occurs as the forces acting at the ends and the direction of moments when the force Fa acts are opposite each other.

FIG. 5 illustrates the movement of the flexible joint shown in FIG. 4 in sequence. When the actuator acts a force Fa and pulls the upper link plate 10 and the lower link plate 20 in the state (a), the buckling ductility is approached. The joint 40 and the simple flexible joint 50 are bent. At this time, at the beginning of the behavior, the buckling flexible joint 40 bends in one direction in the outward direction as in (b) state, but if approaching continues, the buckling phenomenon, that is, the two opposite directions in bending, occurs as in (c) state (d). Behaves like Through this process, the clipper 30 can pick up the surface of the object without being limited by the operation of another adjacent gripper operating as one actuator.

6 to 8 are views for explaining the operation of the buckling flexible joint in contrast to the case where the adaptive gripping robot has a buckling flexible joint and a case with only a simple flexible joint.

FIG. 6 (a) shows the operation of the gripper when the flexible gripping portion corresponding to the buckling flexible joint is set to 0.5 mm in the adaptive gripping robot to form a simple flexible joint, and FIG. 6 (b) shows the operation of the gripper. ) Shows the gripper operation when the part corresponding to the buckling flexible joint is formed to be a buckling flexible joint by setting 2.5 mm. The object has a step on the side, and the part where the rear gripper touches is configured to protrude laterally relative to the part where the front gripper touches.

When the actuator is operated in the gripping robot shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the upper link plate is pulled with respect to the lower link plate, and the rear gripper and the front gripper start to move to pick up the object. At this time, since the part contacting the rear gripper is relatively protruded laterally, the rear gripper first touches the object surface and picks up the object. In the case of FIG. 6 (a) without the buckling flexible joint, the rear gripper grips the surface of the object. When the movement stops, the front gripper also stops at that position. That is, in the absence of a buckling flexible joint, the front and rear grippers behave the same, so that the rear grippers do not creep the object.

 FIG. 7 illustrates the relationship between the actuating length and the gripper gripping force in the case of FIG. 6 (a), and the front gripper does not come into contact with the surface of the object, and thus no gripping force occurs. Only the rear gripper (Right) shows the gripping object.

In contrast, in the case (b) of FIG. 6, it can be seen that even after the rear gripper grips the surface of the object, the front gripper continues to move to grip the surface of the stepped object. FIG. 8 shows the relationship between the actuating length and the gripper's gripping force in the case of FIG. 6 (b), in which both the rear gripper and the front gripper correspond to an uneven surface of the object. It can be seen that the contact causes the gripping force.

This means that each gripper (Right, Left) grips the object surface while moving in accordance with the object surface shape even if the object surface is uneven due to the buckling flexible joint 40 behavior.

Accordingly, it can be seen that the adaptive gripping robot according to the present invention having the buckling flexible joint has the effect that each gripper can gripping the object surface while adapting to an uneven surface of the object.

9 shows another operation in which the adaptive gripping robot according to the present invention grasps a non-uniform surface. 9, each gripper of the adaptive gripper robot grips a surface while operating in response to an uneven surface shape of an object.

10 is a diagram showing an application example of the adaptive gripping robot according to the present invention. The adaptive gripping robot according to the invention can be one robot by itself as shown in FIG. 9, but can be part of another robot. 10 shows an example in which the adaptive gripper robot according to the present invention is configured as a part of a bugle robot.

The javelet robot shown in FIG. 10 can be gripped by adapting to a non-uniform surface by an adaptive gripping robot, and accordingly, the buggy robot can stably move the left and right rotational movements relative to the adaptive gripping robot part. You can do

10: upper link plate 15: upper link plate inclined portion
20: lower link plate 30: gripper
32: gripper link plate 35: gripper leg
40: buckling flexible joint 50: simple flexible joint
60: actuator

Claims (10)

Lower link plate 20;
An upper link plate 10 disposed to face the lower link plate 20 and movable in a pulling direction with respect to the lower link plate 20;
A gripper link plate 32 disposed between the lower end of the lower link plate 20 and the upper link plate 10, and one end fixedly extended to the gripper link plate 32, and the other end thereof is lower than the lower link plate 20. A gripper 30 that extends and includes a gripper leg 35 that grips the surface of the object; And
The upper link plate 10 and the lower link plate 20 includes an actuator 60 for providing a force to pull each other,
The gripper link plate 32 is connected to each of the upper link plate 10 and the lower link plate 20 by a flexible joint, and the flexible joint connecting the upper link plate 10 and the gripper link plate 32 is the upper link plate ( 10) and the lower link plate 20 is a buckling flexible joint 40, which allows the bending motion to occur in two opposite directions when the force applied to each other is adapted using the buckling phenomenon of the flexible joint. Type gripping robot. The method of claim 1,
The flexible joint connecting between the lower link plate 20 and the gripper link plate 32 has a simple ductility that allows only one direction bending movement when a force to which the upper link plate 10 and the lower link plate 20 are pulled together. Adaptive gripping robot using the buckling phenomenon of the flexible joint, characterized in that the joint (50). 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
The buckling flexible joint 40 is an adaptive type using the buckling phenomenon of the flexible joint, characterized in that it is a flexible plate-shaped joint formed of one plate member having a length that allows two-way bending motion through elastic deformation when a force is applied. Gripping robot. The method of claim 2,
The simple flexible joint 50 is an adaptive grip using the buckling phenomenon of the flexible joint, characterized in that the flexible plate-like joint formed of one plate member having a length that allows only one direction bending movement through elastic deformation when a force is applied. Ping Robot. The method of claim 2,
The gripper is disposed on each of both sides of the adaptive gripping robot, the upper link plate 10, the lower link plate 20, the buckling flexible joint 40, the simple flexible joint 50, the gripper Adaptive gripping robot using the buckling phenomenon of the flexible joint, characterized in that the link plate 32 is connected to each other forms a closed cross-sectional shape. The method of claim 5, wherein
The adaptive gripping robot has a skeleton of a closed cross-sectional shape by partially stacking reinforcement layers on the flexible film layer, and the flexible film layer portion becomes the buckling flexible joint and the simple flexible joint portion, Adaptive gripping robot using the buckling phenomenon of the flexible joint, characterized in that the portion formed with a reinforcing layer in the upper link plate 10, the lower link plate 20 and the gripper link plate (32). The method according to claim 6,
Both ends of the actuator 60 are fixed between the upper link plate 10 and the lower link plate 20, and the shape memory alloy is at least partially coiled so as to contract and restore by power control supplied to the outside. An adaptive gripping robot using a buckling phenomenon of a flexible joint, which is a shape memory alloy spring wound up. The method according to claim 5 or 6,
An adaptive gripping robot using the buckling phenomenon of the flexible joint, characterized in that a plurality of the gripper is provided on at least one side of the adaptive gripping robot. 6. The method according to claim 1 or 5,
The upper link plate 10 is formed with an inclined portion 15 extending downward in an outward direction inclined in the side end direction, the buckling flexible joint 40 has one end at the end of the upper link plate inclined portion 15 Adaptive gripping robot using the buckling phenomenon of the flexible joint, characterized in that coupled. The method of claim 8,
The upper link plate 10 is formed with a plurality of upper link plate inclined portion 15 which extends downward in an outward direction inclined in the side end direction, the upper link plate inclined portion 15 is between the adjacent upper link plate inclined portion 15 An adaptive gripping robot using the buckling phenomenon of the flexible joint, which is cut and separated from each other, and is coupled to each of the buckling flexible joints 40 corresponding to each of the gripper link plates 32 independently.

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