KR102568155B1 - Flexible actuator including air cooling device, wearable robot and massage device including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for controlling a flexible motor according to the present invention includes a thermal response member configured to change between a contraction state and a relaxation state according to temperature change; a cooling unit configured to provide air for cooling the thermally responsive member; and a control unit configured to control the thermal response member and the cooling unit, wherein an air flow direction of the cooling unit is orthogonal to an arrangement direction of the thermal response member.

Description

Flexible actuator including air cooling device, wearable robot and massage device including the same {Flexible actuator including air cooling device, wearable robot and massage device including the same}

The present invention relates to a fluid actuator equipped with an air cooling device, a wearable robot and a massage device including the same, and more particularly, to a cloth-type fluid actuator including an air cooling device for improving relaxation responsiveness, and a wearable robot including the same and a massage device.

In general, industrial workers, unloading workers, courier workers, etc. often carry out an operation of repeatedly lifting and moving a heavy object.

This work requires a number of manpower, or it is inconvenient to use auxiliary equipment such as heavy equipment, cranes, pulleys, and the like according to field conditions. In addition, when a person works directly, there is a problem of avoidance of related occupations and industrial accidents such as musculoskeletal damage, as well as increased fatigue and reduced work efficiency due to high work intensity, and when using auxiliary equipment Since it requires a relatively large moving space or installation space, there is a problem in that the range of use is limited.

Due to these problems, the need for a wearable muscle strength assisting device to relieve the operation of standing up with a repetitive load or the operation of enduring a heavy load has emerged.

Most of the recently developed muscle power assist devices are driven by attaching them to the side of an arm or leg using a motor and a frame.

This type of muscle assist device is composed of a frame or a motor for driving various frames, and is heavy and hard, which hinders natural movement and is uncomfortable to wear.

Therefore, it is required to develop a wearable robot (clothing for strengthening muscle strength) that is light in weight, attached to a position similar to human body muscle, does not interfere with body movement, and can improve responsiveness of various motions.

In response to these demands, a cloth-type flexible movement motivator using a shape memory alloy spring and a muscle strength assisting device using the same have been proposed and related technologies are being studied. However, since shape memory alloy springs depend on natural cooling during temperature control and have a slow cooling rate, most of these types of wearable robots or muscle power assist devices have a problem of slow relaxation, and air cooling to solve this problem The structure is disclosed in several patent documents.

However, the air cooling structure disclosed in these documents is configured so that the air for cooling purposes flows along the longitudinal direction of the spring. In this case, the air flowing along the longitudinal direction absorbs heat from the spring and gradually rises in temperature. As a result, a problem occurred in which the cooling efficiency of the spring parts located downstream of the flow was lowered.

The present invention aims to solve the above problems and other problems related thereto.

An exemplary object of the present invention is a cloth-type flexible fabric having an improved cooling structure that is attached to a position similar to the human muscle so as not to interfere with the movement of the body and to improve the responsiveness of various actions, particularly relaxation actions. It is to provide an actuator and a wearable robot and massage device including the same.

The technical task to be achieved by the cloth-type flexible motive and the wearable robot and massage device including the same according to the technical idea of the technology disclosed in this specification is not limited to the above-mentioned task, and another task not mentioned is from the description below It will be clear to those skilled in the art.

An inertia motor according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a driving unit including a thermal response member arranged in a first direction; a cooling unit configured to allow air for cooling the thermal response member of the driving unit to contact the thermal response member in a second direction substantially orthogonal to the first direction; and a control unit configured to control supply of power to the driving unit and the cooling unit.

Induction actuator according to another embodiment of the present invention, the driving unit including a thermal response member; a cooling unit providing an air shower-type air flow over an area occupied by the thermal response member of the driving unit; and a control unit configured to control supply of power to the driving unit and the cooling unit.

The cooling unit may include an external air supply; and an air pocket configured to discharge the air generated from the external air supplier toward the thermal response member.

The air pocket may include an air inlet configured to introduce air supplied from the external air supplier into the air pocket; and an air outlet configured to discharge the air introduced into the air pocket to a surface where the thermal response member is located.

The air outlet includes a plurality of air holes oriented in the second direction.

The plurality of air holes are formed in a region corresponding to a contracted state of the thermal response member.

The air pocket functions as one side of the flexible actuator, and the other surface of the flexible actuator is made of a porous material through which air discharged from the air pocket can escape to the outside of the flexible actuator.

The driving unit includes a first driving unit and a second driving unit, and the air pocket is disposed between the first and second driving units so that air introduced into the air pocket is disposed on a surface where the first and second driving units are located. is emitted as

Both sides of the flexible actuator are made of a porous material through which air discharged from the air pocket can escape to the outside of the flexible actuator.

The cooling unit includes an external air supply, and the external air supply is attached to one side of the driving unit, and an area where the external air supply is located overlaps an area where a thermal reaction member of the driving unit is located.

Both sides of the flexible actuator are made of a porous material through which air generated from the external air supplier can pass through the actuator directly and then escape to the outside of the actuator.

The external air supplier is located in a region corresponding to a contracted state of the thermal response member.

The thermally responsive member includes an SMA spring bundle composed of a plurality of fine diameter SMA wires.

A wearable robot according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a clothing body and the above-described flexible motivation connected to the clothing body, one side of the flexible motivation is disposed on a first body fixing part, and the other of the flexible motivation The side is disposed in the second body fixing part on the opposite side of the first body fixing part based on the position corresponding to the joint in the garment body.

A massage device according to another embodiment of the present invention includes an elastic band, and one or more flexible actuators described above connected to the elastic band.

A flexible actuator according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a thermal response member configured to change between a contraction state and a relaxation state according to temperature change; a cooling unit configured to provide air for cooling the thermally responsive member; and a control unit configured to control the thermal response member and the cooling unit, wherein after air from the cooling unit cools the thermal response member, it is discharged to the outside of the induction motor through an air outlet installed at a position corresponding to the region of the thermal response member. characterized by being released. When the cooling air injected in any way (eg, simultaneous injection from the top and bottom) is discharged through an air outlet (including a mesh, etc.) installed at a location corresponding to the area of the heat reaction member, the heat reaction member and the cooling air are discharged. The contact time with air can be increased, so the cooling efficiency can be increased.

A method for controlling a flexible motor according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a thermal response member configured to change between a contraction state and a relaxation state according to a temperature change; a cooling unit configured to provide air for cooling the thermally responsive member; and a control unit configured to control the thermal response member and the cooling unit, wherein an air flow direction of the cooling unit is orthogonal to an arrangement direction of the thermal response member.

A computer program stored in a computer readable recording medium according to another embodiment of the present invention includes instructions, and when the instructions are executed by a computer, the control method described above is implemented.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a cloth-type flexible motor using a shape memory alloy spring and having an air cooling device for temperature control thereof, a wearable robot including the same, and a massage device.

Specifically, the cooling air is injected in such a way that the installed spring and the cooling air are in direct contact in a substantially orthogonal direction, or the cooling air is discharged to the outside of the induced actuator through an air outlet installed at a position corresponding to the area of the spring after cooling the spring In this way, the outlet is positioned, and a cloth-type flexible actuator having a response of a quick relaxation operation, a wearable robot including the same, and a massage device can be provided.

On the other hand, the effects described above are merely exemplary, and effects predicted or expected from the detailed configuration of the present invention from the viewpoint of those skilled in the art may also be added to the unique effects of the present invention.

1A and 1B are a configuration diagram and an exploded perspective view of an inertia motor according to an embodiment of the present invention, respectively.
FIG. 2 is an exemplary view of an SMA spring bundle and unit spring applicable to the flexible actuator of FIG. 1 .
3 is a configuration diagram of an overlapping unit applied to the flexible motor of FIG. 1;
Figure 4 is a configuration diagram of the additional fabric in the flexible motive of Figure 1.
FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of the flexible drive motivation of FIG. 1 .
6 shows an embodiment of a cooling unit using air pockets.
FIG. 7 (a) shows that cooling air is sprayed in the form of an air shower by the air pocket of FIG. 6 and (b) shows the contact relationship (orthogonal direction intersection) between the cooling air and the SMA spring.
FIG. 8 shows an embodiment in which a plurality of driving units are cooled using air pockets of the double-sided injection structure of FIG. 6 .
Figure 9 shows the front and rear of the flexible motor according to the embodiment of Figure 6.
10A and 10B show an embodiment of a cooling unit using an external air supply and an enlarged cross-sectional view, respectively.
11 is a configuration diagram of a massage device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
12 is an exemplary diagram for explaining the operation of the massage device of FIG. 11;

Hereinafter, the embodiments disclosed in this specification will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the same reference numerals will be assigned to the same or similar components regardless of reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions thereof will be omitted. The suffixes "module" and "unit" for components used in the following description are given or used together in consideration of ease of writing the specification, and do not have meanings or roles that are distinct from each other by themselves. In addition, in describing the embodiments disclosed in this specification, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known technology may obscure the gist of the embodiment disclosed in this specification, the detailed description thereof will be omitted. In addition, the accompanying drawings are only for easy understanding of the embodiments disclosed in this specification, the technical idea disclosed in this specification is not limited by the accompanying drawings, and all changes included in the spirit and technical scope of the present invention , it should be understood to include equivalents or substitutes.

Terms including ordinal numbers, such as first and second, may be used to describe various components, but the components are not limited by the terms. These terms are only used for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

It is understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected" or "connected" to another element, it may be directly connected or connected to the other element, but other elements may exist in the middle. It should be. On the other hand, when an element is referred to as “directly connected” or “directly connected” to another element, it should be understood that no other element exists in the middle.

Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

In this application, terms such as "comprise" or "have" are intended to designate that there is a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification, but one or more other features It should be understood that the presence or addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof is not precluded.

While the present disclosure has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the present disclosure is to be considered illustrative rather than restrictive in nature, with only certain embodiments shown and described, and within the spirit of the present disclosure. It will be appreciated that all changes and modifications that enter are preferably protected.

Yoo Research East

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, a cloth-type flow motor according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. For convenience of description, the embodiments described in this specification are limited to the case of a thermal response member that causes the induction motor to contract through Joule heating using current.

In addition, although the present specification describes a structure including a plurality of fine SMA springs as an example of such a thermal response member, the cooling structure corresponding to the technical idea of the present invention is a thermal response member of any type/form/structure that generates heat during operation. It will be self-evident that it can also be applied to related research motives including (s).

1. Fluid Motivational Unit

As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, in the inductive actuator 10 unit according to the present embodiment, the heat response member 100, which is a bundle of SMA springs disposed inside the body, contracts and relaxes by the control unit, so that the actuator itself also It is configured to contract and relax.

The thermal response member 100, which is an SMA spring bundle, extends in one direction and may be configured to contract or relax along the lengthwise direction D1 according to temperature change. Illustratively, the heat response member may contract along one direction in response to heat generated when electricity is supplied. In addition, when the supply of electricity is stopped and the temperature decreases, it can be relaxed in the opposite direction to one direction.

The thermal response member 100 may be formed of a shape memory alloy material that reacts to heat. For example, the thermal response member 100 may be formed of a shape memory alloy SMA spring implemented with a shape memory alloy SMA wire. Alternatively, the thermal response member 100 may include not only a shape memory alloy material, but also various thermally reactive materials that react by heat, for example, shape memory resin, shape memory polymer (SMP), carbon It may be made of carbon nanotube, polyethylene, polyamide, nylon, or the like.

In the present specification, as an example, an SMA wire, which is a shape memory alloy, is implemented as an SMA spring as a thermal reaction member. The SMA spring unit body 101 is composed of a changeable body portion 101a and a leg portion 101b for fixed coupling.

The thinner the diameter of the SMA wire constituting the SMA spring, the faster the heating rate and the higher the surface area to volume ratio, so the cooling rate can also be improved.

For example, a 0.08 mm fine diameter SMA wire has a cross-sectional area of 1/39 of a 0.5 mm coarse diameter SMA wire, increasing the unit volume to surface area ratio by 6.25 times. Since the load capacity decreases by the ratio of the cross-sectional area, theoretically 39 SMA springs made of 0.08 mm diameter SMA wire are required to exert the load capacity of one SMA spring made of 0.5 mm diameter SMA wire.

In the case of manufacturing a cloth-type actuator having a driving force of 10 kgf with an SMA spring composed of 0.5 mm diameter SMA wire, dozens (eg, 20) of SMA springs may be used, but the user wears an actuator assembly composed of a plurality of these springs. If you do, the feeling of heterogeneity and discomfort will be inevitable.

On the other hand, in order to have a corresponding driving force of 10 kgf of a cloth type actuator made of an SMA spring composed of a 0.5 mm diameter SMA wire, hundreds of SMA springs must be used in the case of an SMA spring of 0.08 mm diameter wire.

The present disclosure will be a solution to the development needs of a new type of cloth type actuator and manufacturing process using SMA springs of such a large number of fine diameter wires.

It should be noted that, although the diameters of the wires constituting the spring are 0.5 mm and 0.08 mm as examples in FIG. 2 , the present invention is not necessarily applicable only to these diameters. As the number of methods that did not need to be considered in the past increases as the wire becomes thinner, new manufacturing methods and configurations are needed. Therefore, even in the case of a wire having a diameter larger than 0.5 mm, it is sufficiently possible to manufacture it by the new method according to the present invention. Any wire of a foldable diameter can be applied to the present invention.

In the present disclosure, for example, hundreds of such fine SMA springs are gathered to form an SMA spring bundle (group) 100 as one module. By using a fine-diameter SMA wire-based bundle, while maintaining the existing driving force, a considerable part of the flexibility of the fabric is maintained, so there is no sense of difference when worn, and in particular, a fast response can be realized by improving the cooling speed. On the other hand, the same is true for the number of springs constituting a bundle/group as for wire diameter. New manufacturing methods and configurations according to the present invention can be applied to several to several hundred.

For reference, the SMA spring itself is not limited to a specific manufacturing method. may be prepared, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

On the other hand, it will be understood that the fine-diameter SMA wire-based groups may be installed singly or in plural depending on the required driving force and the like.

In this embodiment, the SMA wire-based SMA spring unit body 101 having a fine or predetermined diameter is configured in plurality, such as the first SMA spring bundle 110 and the second SMA spring bundle 120, so that the same contraction as shown in FIG. /The operation in the relaxation direction, that is, the case where they are arranged side by side will be described as an example.

The flexible motor is largely composed of a body (400: 410, 420), an SMA spring bundle (100: 110, 120), an electrode (200), a conductive pad, and an external current receiver (current supply line; 240).

The outer skin 400 constituting the main body is composed of a pair of upper skin 410 and lower skin 420. It may be made of various materials, and preferably, it may be made of a material that can be contracted or released together when the SMA spring bundle is contracted or relaxed. For example, the outer shell may be made of a flexible material, more preferably a fabric material. In particular, this outer skin plays an important role in cooling the heat-reactive member, and for this, see ‘2. Cooling structure’ section explains in detail.

The SMA spring bundle 100 is a module that forms a bundle/group of, for example, tens to hundreds of SMA wires of a predetermined diameter. It is arranged to change between a contracted state and a relaxed state in response to temperature changes within the outer shell. The plurality of SMA spring bundles include a first SMA spring bundle 110 at the front end (located at the uppermost stream) and a second SMA spring bundle 120 at the end (located at the downstream end) in terms of current flow. Each of the SMA spring bundles 110 and 120 includes, on the current flow side (refer to the arrow in FIG. 3A ), an inlet end (current enters) and an outlet end (current exits). In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the first SMA spring bundle 110 and the second SMA spring bundle 120 are arranged side by side so as to be operable in the same contraction/relaxation direction.

At least two conductive pads, which are the electrodes 200, are conductive cloth or flexible conductor thin films that serve as electrodes to make a path for current supplied from the outside to flow to the SMA spring bundle. The conductive pad 200 may be fixedly disposed on the outer shell by various methods.

In this embodiment, the plurality of electrodes 200 are, in terms of current flow, the first conductive pad 210 at the front end (located at the uppermost stream), the middle conductive pad 230, and the end at the end (located at the lowermost stream). A second conductive pad 220 is included.

The plurality of electrodes 200 have areas in contact with each of the plurality of SMA spring bundles to form an electrical path with each of the bundles. This area is defined as an 'overlap', and the overlap may be part or all of the conductive pad. The overlapping portion is made in such a way that the conductive pad and the SMA spring bundle are sewn together and fixed.

The first conductive pad 210 includes a first overlapping portion 211 electrically connected to one end of the first SMA spring bundle 110, and is formed on the upper end of the shell 400 in the embodiment of FIG. 2 .

As shown in FIG. 2, the intermediate conductive pad 230 is formed on the lower end 400 of the shell and is configured to electrically connect the first SMA spring bundle 110 and the second SMA spring bundle 120 to each other, and each spring It includes two intermediate overlapping portions 231 in contact with the bundle.

The second conductive pad 220 includes a second overlapping portion 221 electrically connected to the other end of the second SMA spring bundle 120, and in the embodiment of FIG. It is formed parallel to the conductive pad 210 .

That is, when viewed from the side of the direction in which the external current flows, the first conductive pad 210 among the plurality of electrodes transfers the current supplied from the outside to the SMA spring bundle (first SMA spring bundle) located upstream. ', the second conductive pad 220 is an 'end electrode' that transfers current from the SMA spring bundle (second SMA spring bundle) located at the most downstream to the outside, and the middle conductive pad 230 is a plurality of SMA spring bundles. It corresponds to an 'intermediate electrode' formed to enable current flow between the spring bundles. As will be mentioned in other embodiments to be described later, the 'intermediate electrode' between the 'top electrode' and the 'end electrode' is not necessary (for example, when there is one spring bundle) or two (for example, You may need two spring bundles) or three (eg three spring bundles) or more.

As mentioned above, the overlapping portion refers to a region in which individual unit springs constituting the SMA spring bundle and the conductive pad physically contact each other so that they can be electrically energized, and may be at least a part of the conductive pad. In general, in the overlapping portion, the leg portion 101b of the SMA spring is positioned and fixedly coupled to the corresponding conductive pad 200 by a method such as stitching. In the example shown in FIG. 3 , these overlapping parts may be coupled to each other by sewing one side and the other side of the first SMA spring bundle 110 together with corresponding first and second conductive pads 220 , respectively.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 4 , each of the overlapping portions may be in a folded state at least once. In the existing flexible motor using a thick wire, the SMA spring leg had to be sewn to flexible plastic with high rigidity several times to withstand the load received from the outside so that the spring leg did not come off even under a high external load, so the process was complicated. there was. However, as in the present embodiment, after fixing the legs of SMA springs of many fine diameters to the conductive pads, which are the electrodes 200, fold them at least once, preferably twice, so that the cross section of the folded portion is substantially 'D' shape. Or, it was formed in a similar form and then fixed with stitching to prevent the spring legs from falling out even under high external loads. In this way, the manufacturing process can be simplified by fixing the plurality of SMA springs to the fabric by stitching at once without sewing them one by one. Of course, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various fixing means can be substituted.

As shown in FIG. 4, the flexible motivator according to this embodiment further includes an additional fabric 500 configured to be integrally sewn and fixedly coupled while being inserted into the folded portion such as 'D' of the overlapping portion. The additional fabric 500 is preferably constructed from a material that is less flexible than the outer skin. The additional cloth 500 may include an eyelet opening 501, and the flexible actuator may be connected to the connecting member 2000 using the opening 501. That is, the additional fabric 500 may be understood as a highly rigid fabric such as a bag strap that fixes eyelets and transmits externally applied force.

The external current receiver 240 means a wire or conductive cloth exposed to the outside to receive current from the outside to the inside of the outer shell. That is, it is configured to first draw current from the outside to form an electrical path between the conductive elements present inside the shell, such as the conductive pads of FIG. 1 and the SMA spring bundles.

The external current receiver 240 may be formed from the first conductive pad 210, which is an uppermost tip electrode. Conventionally, the SMA spring leg sewn to flexible plastic was pulled out and used as a current supply line, but this method required the SMA spring leg to be long, resulting in waste of material and complexity of the process. In this embodiment, since conductive pads such as conductive cloth used as electrodes are used as a path for current, the conductive cloth itself can be extended to the outside and used as a current supply line. According to this, the SMA spring legs are made short and uniform, wasting material prevention and process simplification.

5 shows a flexible research motivation according to another embodiment of the present invention.

5 (a), unlike the embodiment of FIG. 1, consists of one SMA spring bundle 100. Therefore, as mentioned above, the actuator according to the present embodiment, when viewed from the direction of the external current, transfers the current supplied from the outside to the uppermost SMA spring bundle (first SMA spring bundle) at the front end. Only the first conductive pad, which is an electrode, and the second conductive pad, which is an 'end electrode' for sending current to the outside, are required, and an 'intermediate electrode' formed to allow current to flow between the plurality of SMA spring bundles is not required.

Therefore, the flexible motor according to the embodiment of FIG. 5 (a) is arranged to change between a contraction state and a relaxation state according to a temperature change within a pair of outer skins of a flexible material and a pair of outer skins, and has a plurality of fine diameters. A first conductive pad 210 including a first SMA spring bundle 110 made of SMA wire and a first overlapping portion 211 fixed to the outer shell and electrically connected to one side of the first SMA spring bundle 110. ), a second conductive pad 220 fixed to the shell and including a second overlapping portion 221 so as to be electrically connected to the other side of the first SMA spring bundle 110, and the first conductive pad 210 1 SMA spring bundle 110 and an external current receiver 240 configured to draw in current from the outside to form an electrical path to the second conductive pad 220, and each of the first and second overlapping parts is in a sewn state, , other features may be equally applied to the above-described embodiment 1.

Unlike the embodiment of FIG. 1 , FIG. 5 ( b ) consists of first to third three SMA spring bundles 100 . Therefore, as mentioned above, the driver according to the present embodiment includes the first to third SMA springs as well as the first conductive pad as the 'top electrode' and the second conductive pad as the 'end electrode' for sending current to the outside. Intermediate conductive pads, which are 'intermediate electrodes' for electrically connecting bundled modules to each other, are required.

Therefore, the plurality of electrodes in the flexible actuator according to the embodiment include a plurality of intermediate conductive pads and a plurality of intermediate overlapping portions. Likewise, other features may be applied in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment.

2. Cooling structure

As mentioned above, the outer skin 400 constituting the main body consists of a pair of upper skin 410 and lower skin 420 (see FIG. 1B). This outer shell plays an important role in relation to the cooling of the thermally responsive member.

As shown in FIG. 1B, conductive fabric serving as an electrode is attached to the cloth covers of the upper skin 410 and the lower skin 420, and the conductive fabric, the SMA spring bundle, and the wires are fixed to the lower skin by sewing. For example, the SMA spring bundle, wires, and fabric cover may be combined with each other by folding the portion to which the conductive fabric is attached several times and then stitching it.

In this way, by using a conductive fabric capable of sewing and folding as an electrode, it is possible to sew a large number of shape memory alloy springs to the conductive fabric and the air permeable fabric cover at once. In addition, even if an external force acts, it is possible to supply external current while maintaining a firmly coupled state with the cloth cover.

Here, when the SMA spring bundle is relaxed, it is necessary to cool the copper spring bundle for rapid relaxation, and for this cooling, one side (eg, lower skin 420) has an air pocket structure, and the other side (eg, upper skin ( 410)) may be formed of a porous structure such as a mesh through which cooling air passing through the air pockets can smoothly escape to the outside.

As shown in FIG. 6, the air pocket 620 is an air pocket that can be manufactured by overlapping two layers of fabric, for example, and has a plurality of air holes 622 formed on one or both sides of the air pocket. It consists of a structure that can spray air like a shower. The air outlet 622 may be artificially formed, but substantially the same effect may be obtained due to the characteristics of the material itself (for example, a porous material).

As shown in FIG. 7, if the (length) direction in which the SMA spring bundles are arranged is the first direction, the air discharged from these air pockets flows in a second direction (preferably perpendicular to the first direction) that is not parallel to the first direction. ), which is sprayed over a significant portion of the entire length of the spring bundle and consists of a structure in contact with each other. Therefore, when the cooling air flows in the same direction as the longitudinal direction of the spring as in the prior art, the temperature of the cooling air rises toward the lower end of the flow, resulting in a reduced cooling effect. Since the present embodiment adopts an air shower type cooling air flow structure like a method in which water is sprayed from a shower, this problem can be solved.

That is, the cooling method in this embodiment is a structure that does not interfere with the relaxation / contraction of the SMA spring bundle, and an air inlet 621 is formed on the upper part of the air pocket 620, through which external air is supplied (external air The supply can be a fan or a blower, etc.), the supplied air passes through the air pocket 620 and is discharged through a plurality of air outlets 622, and passes through the SMA spring bundle while showering, and after forced convection cooling, the fabric on the opposite side It passes through the cover shell and exits to the outside (see FIG. 9).

The air outlets 622 of the air pocket 620 may be evenly formed so that air can be evenly sprayed to the SMA spring bundle 100, and in consideration of the relaxation purpose, they are located in an area corresponding to the contracted state of the spring bundle. It can also be formed intensively.

In addition, although it has been described that the upper or lower skin constituting the main body is configured with an air pocket structure, additional air pockets may be installed while maintaining the existing main body structure.

As shown in FIG. 9 , a structure that drives two upper and lower driving units like the first and second driving units and simultaneously cools them is possible. In this case, when the air pocket 620 has air outlets 622 formed on both sides and disposed between the first and second driving units, the air introduced into the air pocket is simultaneously directed to the surface where the first and second driving units are located. It is discharged. Both sides 410 and 420 of the flexible actuator are made of a porous material such as a mesh through which the air discharged from the air pocket 620 can escape to the outside of the flexible actuator. As a result, the air generated from the external air supplier is configured to flow directly through the driving unit.

On the other hand, the epithelium and the hypothelium described exemplarily above may be configured opposite to each other (eg, the epithelium is an air pocket and the hypothelium is a mesh).

10 shows another embodiment according to the present invention. In this embodiment, while maintaining the technical idea that the air for cooling the heat reaction member 100 of the drive unit contacts the heat reaction member in a direction substantially orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the heat reaction member, the external air supply as a cooling unit ( For example, a fan; 610) is characterized in that it is directly attached to one side of the flexible motor body.

For the contact in the orthogonal direction, the area where the external air supplier 610 is located and the area where the thermal response member 100 of the driving unit is located must overlap. For an efficient relaxation operation, the external air supplier 610 is preferably located in a region corresponding to the contracted state of the thermal response member 100 .

In addition, for smooth air circulation, both sides 410 and 420 of the flexible actuator are preferably made of a porous material through which air generated from the external air supplier 610 can escape to the outside of the flexible actuator after directly passing through the actuator.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 10, one or more cooling air supply fans 610 for forced convection air cooling may be used, a cooling air supply fan is attached to one side, and the air supplied by the fan is It passes through the upper cloth cover (400; upper skin), passes through the SMA spring bundle (100), and passes through the lower surface cloth cover (400; lower skin) after forced convection cooling. Since the rigid fan is attached to the main body, which is a cloth cover, it does not interfere with the relaxation/contraction action of the SMA spring.

3. Control method

The flexible actuator according to the present embodiment may further include a control unit, an electricity supply unit, a sensing unit, and a power supply unit.

The control unit may be configured to control whether electricity is supplied to the thermal response member 100 so that the thermal response member 100 can be changed from a contracted state to a relaxed state or vice versa.

Specifically, the control unit may control whether electricity is supplied to the thermal response member 100 through the electricity supply unit. When the control unit transmits an electricity supply signal to the electricity supply unit, the electricity supply unit may supply current to the thermal response member 100 . In addition, when the control unit transmits an electricity supply stop signal to the electricity supply unit, the electricity supply unit may stop supplying current so that current does not flow to the thermal response member 100 any more.

When current is supplied to the thermal reaction member 100 by controlling whether or not to supply electricity, heat is generated and the thermal reaction member 100 contracts, and when current supply is stopped, the temperature decreases and the thermal reaction member 100 relaxes. do. At this time, the relaxation rate of the thermal response member 100 is relatively slow when relying on natural cooling, and the responsiveness of the relaxation operation of the thermal response member is improved by introducing the cooling unit 200 described above.

The electricity supply unit is a current driver connected to the thermal response member and configured to supply current to the thermal response member, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The sensing unit may include a sensor configured to sense the wearer's biometric information or motion. Here, the biometric information may include EMG. For example, when the sensing unit includes an EMG sensor, the sensor may detect movement or motion (specifically, contraction or relaxation) of the wearer's muscles according to gripping, moving, or supporting a heavy object. As another example, the sensing unit may include a voice sensor, and in this case, the sensor may be configured to receive current wearer's behavior, status, requirements, and the like through voice information of the wearer.

Also, the sensing unit may include a sensor configured to detect deformation of the thermal response member 100 . For example, the sensing unit may include a strain gauge. The sensing unit may include a sensor configured to sense the temperature of the thermal response member 100, which may be usefully used in a massage device that drives a fan according to temperature by repeating a relaxation operation and a contraction operation.

The power supply unit may be configured to supply electricity to at least one of the control unit, the electricity supply unit, and the sensing unit.

The control unit may control current supplied from the electricity supply unit to the thermal response member based on information detected by the sensing unit.

For example, when the wearer performs an operation requiring contraction of the thermal response member, such as bending an arm, the sensor may transmit the measured EMG information to the controller, and the controller may move the wearer's arm based on the EMG information. It can be judged that the motion to bend is intended. In addition, the control unit may calculate a target force to be output from the flexible movement motor 10 by calculating the force required for the wearer to bend the arm. And, in order to implement this, the control unit may control the current supplied from the electricity supply unit to the thermal response member so that the calculated target force is output.

Meanwhile, the control unit of the induction motor according to the present invention may control the electricity supply unit so that when the thermal response member is changed to a relaxed state, power supply to the thermal response member is cut off and power is supplied to the cooling unit. According to this configuration, the supply of power to the heat responsive member is cut off and the temperature starts to decrease, and the heat responsive member starts to relax. In addition, as power is supplied to the cooling unit, a cooling air input device such as a fan is operated, and a temperature decrease of the thermal response member is accelerated, a relaxation rate of the thermal response member may be increased. Depending on the operating environment of the induction motor, the supply of cooling air may always be maintained in an on state.

wearable robot

Hereinafter, a wearable robot (or an artificial bot for muscle strength enhancement) including a flexible research motivation according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

A wearable robot according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a clothing body 20 and a cloth-type flexible motor 10 connected to the clothing body 20 . Since the cloth-type flexible motor 10 has been described above, redundant description will be omitted.

The clothing main body 20 is a part constituting the base of the clothing for increasing muscle strength, and here, an upper garment is described as an example, but is not limited thereto, and may be applied to lower garments.

The clothing body 20 may include an inner skin and an outer skin, and the cloth-type flexible motor 10 may be illustratively provided between the inner skin and the outer skin. In particular, the cloth-type flexible motor 10 may be disposed in the vicinity of a position corresponding to the joint of the wearer's body on the clothing body.

The clothing body 20 may include first and second body fixing parts. The first and second body fixing parts may be disposed on opposite sides of each other based on positions corresponding to the joints in the clothing body 20 . For example, when the joint is an elbow, the first body fixing part may be a part corresponding to the upper arm, and the second body fixing part may be a part corresponding to the lower arm.

At this time, one side of the loose motive may be fixed to the first body fixing part, and the other side of the loose motive may be fixed to the second body fixing part of the clothing body.

Meanwhile, the first and second body fixing parts may include a band, and the band wraps around the wearer's arm so that the artificial muscle adheres to the wearer's arm, or the first and second body fixing parts do not move on the wearer's body. can be fixed.

The wearable robot of the present invention includes a sensor configured to detect a wearer's motion, and when the sensor detects the wearer's relaxation motion, the power supply to the thermal response member is cut off and the power to the cooling unit is turned off. It is possible to control the electricity supply unit so that it is supplied.

A wearable robot according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a pair of first and second cloth-type oscillators. When the wearer wears the wearable robot, the first and second cloth-type fluid actuators may be disposed to face each other so that the first and second cloth-type fluid actuators are positioned inside and outside of the arm (or leg).

Here, the control unit of the wearable robot of the present invention contracts the first cloth-type flexible motor when a predetermined motion of the wearer, for example, a motion of bending an arm (or leg) is detected, and/or the second cloth The mold release motor can be configured to relax. That is, the control unit controls the electricity supply so that power is supplied to the thermal reaction member of the first cloth-type flexible actuator, and/or the power supply is cut off to the thermal reaction member of the second cloth-type flexible actuator, and at the same time, the second cloth-type flexible actuator is supplied. The electricity supply unit may be controlled so that power is supplied to the cooling unit of the actuator.

massage device

Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12, a massage device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. Corresponds to a massage device that tightens and loosens calves, wrists, and waist by connecting both ends of a cloth-type actuator.

Massage device 30 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include at least one elastic band (610, 620) and a cloth-type flexible actuator 10 connected to the elastic band. Since the cloth-type flow motor has been described above, redundant description will be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 11 , each of the first and second elastic bands 31 and 32 may be connected to one side and the other side of the main body of the flexible actuator 10, respectively. Here, a control unit and/or a power supply unit 33 may be connected to one side of the first elastic band 31 . In addition, a power connector 33b is formed on one side of the second elastic band 32, which can be coupled to another connector 33a formed in the power supply unit 33. That is, according to this structure, when the power connectors 33a and 33b are connected, power can be supplied from the power source 33 to the thermal reaction member 100 .

12 (a) and (b) respectively show relaxation and contraction states according to the operation of the massage device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The controller of the device adjusts the contraction force of the SMA spring by controlling the amount of supply current while controlling the temperature through the temperature sensor of the SMA spring inside the cloth-type actuator, thereby adjusting the tightening force of the massage part.

And, the controller controls the on-off of the supply of current and the supply of cooling air to the SMA spring bundle according to the timing of tightening and loosening the massage device. Specifically, ① in the massage loosening state, the current supply of the SMA spring bundle is turned off and the cooling air supply is turned off, ② when the massage is switched from loosening to tightening state, the current supply of the SMA spring bundle is turned on and the cooling air supply is turned off, ③ When switching from massage tightening to loosening state, the current supply of the SMA spring bundle is turned off and the cooling air supply is turned on.

Depending on the operating environment or method, the cooling air supply may always remain on.

As described above, although the embodiments have been described with limited examples and drawings, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations from the above description. For example, the described techniques may be performed in an order different from the method described, and/or components of the described system, structure, device, circuit, etc. may be combined or combined in a different form than the method described, or other components may be used. Or even if it is replaced or substituted by equivalents, appropriate results can be achieved.

Therefore, other implementations, other embodiments, and equivalents of the claims are within the scope of the following claims.

1 Flexible motor assembly
10 Research Motivation
100 thermal response member/SMA spring bundle
200 electrodes/conductive pad
400 shell/body
500 extra cloth
600 cooling section
610 External air supply 620 Air pocket
621 air inlet 622 air outlet
20 Clothing for Wearable Devices
30 massage device

Claims (18)

As a flexible actuator,
a driving unit including thermal reaction members arranged in a first direction;
a cooling air supply fan configured to supply air in contact with the thermal response member in a second direction substantially orthogonal to the first direction to cool the thermal response member of the drive unit; and
A control unit configured to control power supply to the driving unit and the fan;
The fan is attached to one side of the drive unit, and the air supplied by the fan is discharged to the outside of the induction motor after cooling the thermal reaction member, and the direction in which the air is discharged to the outside of the induction motor is the second Characterized in that the direction
motivation for research.
a driving unit including a thermal response member;
a cooling unit providing an air shower-type air flow over an area occupied by the thermal response member of the driving unit; and
A control unit configured to control power supply to the driving unit and the cooling unit;
the cooling unit,
fresh air supply; and
Including an air pocket made of a flexible cloth-like material configured to discharge the air generated from the external air supply toward the heat reaction member.
motivation for research.
delete According to claim 2,
The air pocket,
an air inlet configured to introduce air supplied from the external air supplier into the air pocket; and
And an air outlet configured to discharge the air introduced into the air pocket to a surface where the thermal response member is located.
motivation for research.
According to claim 4,
The air outlet includes a plurality of air holes oriented in a direction orthogonal to the thermal reaction member.
motivation for research.
According to claim 5,
The plurality of air holes are formed in a region corresponding to a state in which the thermal response member is contracted.
motivation for research.
According to claim 2,
The air pocket functions as one side of the flexible actuator, and the other surface of the flexible actuator is made of a porous material through which air discharged from the air pocket can escape to the outside of the flexible actuator.
motivation for research.
According to claim 2,
The driving unit includes a first driving unit and a second driving unit,
The air pocket is disposed between the first and second driving units so that the air introduced into the air pocket is simultaneously discharged to the surface where the first and second driving units are located.
motivation for research.
According to claim 8,
Both sides of the flexible actuator are made of a porous material through which the air discharged from the air pocket can escape to the outside of the flexible actuator.
motivation for research.
According to claim 1,
The region where the fan is located overlaps the region where the thermal response member of the drive unit is located.
motivation for research.
According to claim 10,
Both sides of the flexible actuator are made of a porous material through which the air generated by the fan can escape to the outside of the flexible actuator after directly passing through the drive unit.
motivation for research.
According to claim 10,
The fan is located in a region corresponding to a state in which the thermal response member is contracted.
motivation for research.
According to claim 1 or 2,
The thermally responsive member comprises an SMA spring bundle composed of a plurality of fine diameter SMA wires.
motivation for research.
delete delete delete a thermal response member configured to change between a contracted state and a relaxed state according to a temperature change;
a cooling unit configured to provide air for cooling the thermally responsive member; and
A control method of an induction motor comprising a control unit configured to control the thermal response member and the cooling unit,
The air flow direction of the cooling unit is orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the thermal reaction member,
The air cooling the heat reaction member is discharged to the outside of the induction motor, and the direction in which the air is discharged to the outside is a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the heat reaction member,
the cooling unit,
- Consisting of a fan installed on one side of the thermal reaction member,
-Consisting of air pockets of a cloth-like material providing an air shower-type air flow over the area occupied by the thermally responsive member,
Control method of flexible research motivation.
delete

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