KR101867763B1

KR101867763B1 - Bending stiffness control device for joint device

Info

Publication number: KR101867763B1
Application number: KR1020170045126A
Authority: KR
Inventors: 박신석; 봉재환; 정수훈
Original assignee: 고려대학교 산학협력단
Priority date: 2017-04-07
Filing date: 2017-04-07
Publication date: 2018-06-15

Abstract

The present invention provides a bending stiffness control device for a joint mechanism, which is applied to the joint mechanism of various apparatuses with a simple structure to control bending stiffness according to movement of the joint mechanism. According to the present invention, the bending stiffness control device for the joint mechanism, which is installed in the joint mechanism including a first arm and a second arm that are connected to each other by joints to control a bending stiffness of the joint mechanism, includes: a variable stiffness unit having a variable stiffness body having a mesh shape which allow a stiffness to vary according to a torsional state, and a rotation support member coupled to one end of the variable stiffness body; a first variable stiffness unit holder coupled to the first arm of the joint mechanism to rotatably support the rotation support member; a second variable stiffness unit holder coupled to the second arm of the joint mechanism to support an opposite end of the variable stiffness body; and a variable stiffness body rotation unit, at least a part of which is coupled to the first variable stiffness unit holder to rotate the rotation support member so as to change the stiffness of the variable stiffness body by twisting the variable stiffness body.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a bending stiffness control apparatus,

The present invention relates to a bending stiffness control apparatus for a joint mechanism, and more particularly to a bending stiffness control apparatus for a bending stiffness control apparatus of a joint mechanism which is capable of controlling bending stiffness according to movement of a joint mechanism, And a control device.

In addition to the development of industrial robots, in addition to the industrial robots that have been exercising with the existing degrees of freedom, there is a need for various purpose remote control robots and human robots having many degrees of freedom to perform various tasks on behalf of human beings And the research and development thereof is progressing actively. In addition, research on alternate bio-robot arm and bio-robot bridge for the handicapped as a potential use field of robotic engineering is continuing.

In order to realize various movements of the robot, a manipulator called a multi-joint arm composed of a link and a joint, which is generally used, is used. The energy supplied to the robot is realized as an actual motion in the manipulator. The manipulator can move through various types of actuators.

On the other hand, bending stiffness control in a movement of a manipulator provided in a robot or the like or an exercise assist device for assisting human motion is an important factor in the manipulation precision and safety of the manipulator.

Nowadays, much research has been made on techniques for controlling and assisting the movement of the manipulator or the motion assist device. However, there is insufficient research and development on motion assist technology by controlling the flexural rigidity of the joint mechanism provided in these devices.

Patent Registration No. 1038473 (June, 2011)

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a bending rigidity control device of a joint mechanism which can be simply applied to a joint mechanism of various apparatuses to control flexural rigidity according to movement of a joint mechanism .

In order to achieve the above object, a bending rigidity control apparatus of a joint mechanism according to the present invention is provided in a joint mechanism in which first and second arms are jointed to each other to control flexural rigidity of the joint mechanism, A variable stiffness unit having a variable rigid body in the form of a mesh capable of varying the rigidity according to a twisted state and a rotation support member coupled to one end of the variable rigid body; A first variable rigid unit holder coupled to the first arm of the articulation mechanism to rotatably support the rotation support member; A second variable rigid unit holder coupled to a second arm of the articulation mechanism to support the other end of the variable rigid body; And a variable rigid body rotating unit at least a part of which is coupled to the first variable rigidity unit holder and which rotates the rotation supporting member so as to twist the variable rigid body to change the stiffness of the variable rigid body.

Wherein the variable rigid body rotating unit includes: a driven gear coupled to the rotation support member so as to rotate about a longitudinal direction segment of the variable rigid body; a drive gear that is gear-connected to the driven gear; And a motor coupled to the unit holder for rotating the driving gear.

The variable rigid body may be formed in a cylindrical shape.

The variable stiffness body may be coupled to at least a portion of the first arm, at least a portion of the second arm, and the joint mechanism to wrap the joint.

The variable rigid body rotating unit includes a driven gear provided with a through hole in the middle so that the first arm can penetrate and coupled to the rotation support member so as to rotate about the first arm, And a motor coupled to the first variable stiffness unit holder for rotating the driving gear.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for controlling bending rigidity of a joint mechanism, the apparatus including a first arm and a second arm mounted on joint mechanisms connected to each other by joints, A first rotating support member coupled to one end of the variable rigid body, and a second rotating support member coupled to one end of the variable rigid body, wherein the variable stiffness member has a mesh shape variable in rigidity according to a twisted state, A variable stiffness unit having a rotation support member; A first variable rigidity unit holder coupled to a first arm of the articulation mechanism to rotatably support the first rotation support member; A second variable rigidity unit holder coupled to a second arm of the articulation mechanism and rotatably supporting the second rotation support member; A first variable rigid body rotating unit coupled to at least a portion of the first variable rigidity unit holder for rotating the first rotating support member so as to twist the variable rigid body to change rigidity of the variable rigid body; And a second variable rigid body rotating unit coupled to at least a part of the second variable stiffness unit holder and twisting the variable rigid body to rotate the second rotary supporting member so as to change rigidity of the variable rigid body .

The flexural rigidity control apparatus according to the present invention can vary the flexural rigidity of the articulated mechanism by varying the stiffness of the variable rigid body with a simple twist motion. Therefore, it can be applied to a robot or an athletic aiding device to effectively assist the movement of a robot or an athletic aiding device.

Further, the flexural rigidity control apparatus according to the present invention can effectively limit the joint motion of the joint mechanism by increasing the rigidity of the variable rigid body by simple torsional motion, and can easily control the range of motion of the joint mechanism according to the degree of twist of the variable rigid body .

1 is a side view showing a bending rigidity control apparatus of a joint mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is an exploded view showing a bending rigidity control apparatus of a joint mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a view for explaining the action of the variable stiffness unit provided in the bending rigidity control apparatus of the joint mechanism according to the embodiment of the present invention.
4 is for explaining a change in stiffness of the variable rigid body of the variable stiffness unit shown in Fig.
5 shows a state in which a bending rigidity control apparatus of a joint mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed in a joint mechanism.
6 is a view showing a bending rigidity control device of a joint mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention installed in a joint mechanism.
7 is a side view showing a bending rigidity control apparatus of a joint mechanism according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, a bending rigidity control apparatus of a joint mechanism according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

2 is an exploded view showing a bending rigidity control apparatus of a joint mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the bending rigidity control apparatus of the articulated mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a view for explaining a change in stiffness of the variable rigid body of the variable stiffness unit shown in FIG. 3, and FIG. And FIG. 5 is a view showing a state where a bending rigidity control device of a joint mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed in a joint mechanism.

As shown in the figure, a flexural rigidity control apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a variable stiffness unit 110, a first variable stiffness unit holder 120 that supports one end of the variable stiffness unit 110, A second variable rigidity unit holder 130 for supporting the other end of the variable stiffness unit 110 and a variable rigid body rotation unit 140 for operating the variable stiffness unit 110. [ The flexural rigidity control device 100 may be installed in a joint mechanism 10 provided in a robot, an exercise assist device, or the like to variously control flexural rigidity of the joint mechanism 10. The flexural rigidity control apparatus 100 according to the present invention is installed in the joint mechanism 10 of the structure in which the first arm 11 and the second arm 12 are connected by the joints 13, do.

The variable stiffness unit 110 includes a variable rigid body 111 whose rigidity can be changed according to a twisted state, a rotation support member 112 coupled to one end of the variable rigid body 111, And a variable rigid body support member 114 coupled to the other end of the rigid body support member 114.

The variable rigid body 111 has a cylindrical mesh structure. The variable rigid body 111 can be twisted and its stiffness can be changed according to its twisted state. That is, in the initial state where the variable stiffness body 111 is unstable, the density of the network structure is low and the stiffness is small. When the stiffness is twisted, the density of the network structure is increased and the stiffness is increased. The variable rigid body 111 has a cylindrical structure so that at least a part of the first arm 11 and at least a part of the second arm 12 constituting the articulating mechanism 10 can be covered. The variable rigid body 111 may be formed by weaving a wire of various materials such as a metal wire and the like into a net structure.

The rotation support member 112 is coupled to one end of the variable rigid body 111. A through hole 113 through which the first arm 11 of the articulating mechanism 10 can pass is provided in the middle of the rotation support member 112. The rotation support member 112 is rotatably coupled to the first variable rigidity unit holder 120.

The variable rigid body supporting member 114 is coupled to the other end of the variable rigid body 111. A through hole 115 through which the second arm 12 of the articulating mechanism 10 can pass is provided in the middle of the variable rigid body supporting member 114. The variable rigidity support member 114 is fixed to the second variable rigidity unit holder 130. [

One end of the variable stiffness unit 110 is rotatably coupled to the first variable stiffness unit holder 120 and the other end thereof is fixed to the second variable stiffness unit holder 130. The variable stiffness unit 110 is twisted Depending on the condition, the magnitude of the stiffness can vary widely. 3 and 4, one end of the variable stiffness body 111 of the variable stiffness unit 110 is fixed to the second variable stiffness unit holder 130, And the magnitude of the stiffness is changed according to the degree of twist.

As shown in Fig. 3 (a), the variable rigid body 111 has a low density and a relatively small rigidity in a state where one end of the variable rigid body 111 is not rotated. At this time, as shown in Fig. 4 (a), the variable rigid body 111 can be more easily bend-deformed by an external force due to small rigidity.

3 (b), if one end of the variable stiffening body 111 rotates and the variable stiffening body 111 is twisted, the variable stiffening body 111 becomes denser and the rigidity thereof becomes relatively higher . At this time, as shown in FIG. 4 (b), the variable rigid body 111 is not easily bend-deformed relatively easily due to external force due to increased rigidity.

1 and 2, the first variable stiffness unit holder 120 is coupled to the first arm 11 of the articulating mechanism 10 to rotate the rotary support member 112 of the variable stiffness unit 110 . On one side of the first variable rigidity unit holder 120, a coupling groove 121 is provided. The engaging groove 121 is for engaging the driven gear 141 provided in the variable rigid body rotation unit 140. A through hole 122 through which the first arm 11 of the articulating mechanism 10 can pass is formed in the middle of the first variable rigidity unit holder 120. The first variable rigidity unit holder 120 can be fixed to the first arm 11 in such a manner that the first arm 11 is inserted into the through hole 122. [

The second variable rigidity unit holder 130 is coupled to the second arm 12 of the articulating mechanism 10 to support the variable rigid body support member 114 of the variable rigidity unit 110. A through hole 131 through which the second arm 12 of the articulating mechanism 10 can penetrate is formed in the middle of the second variable rigidity unit holder 130. The second variable rigidity unit holder 130 can be fixed to the second arm 12 in such a manner that the second arm 12 is inserted into the through hole 131. [

The variable rigid body rotation unit 140 is at least partially coupled to the first variable rigidity unit holder 120 so as to rotate the rotation support member 112 of the variable rigid unit 110. [

The variable rigid body rotation unit 140 includes a driven gear 141 coupled to the rotation support member 112, a drive gear 143 connected to the driven gear 141 by gear engagement, (144).

The driven gear 141 is coupled to the outside of the rotation support member 112 so as to rotate about the longitudinal direction segment L of the variable rigid body 111. A through hole 142 through which the first arm 11 of the articulating mechanism 10 can pass is provided in the middle of the driven gear 141. The driven gear 141 is coupled to the coupling groove 121 of the first variable rigidity unit holder 120 and is rotatable with respect to the first variable rigid unit holder 120. The driving gear 143 is coupled to the motor 144 and is connected to the driven gear 141 so as to transmit the rotational force of the motor 144 to the driven gear 141. The motor 144 is fixed to the first variable rigidity unit holder 120 to rotate the driving gear 143.

The variable stiff body rotating unit 140 rotates the driven gear 141 disposed at one end of the variable stiff body 111 by the rotational force of the motor 144 so that the variable stiff body 111 is twisted to move the variable stiff body 111 ) Can be changed.

The operation of the variable rigid body rotation unit 140 can be controlled by a control unit (not shown). The variable rigid body rotating unit 140 can be controlled by the control unit in accordance with the movement of the articulating mechanism 10 and the like to vary the degree of twisting and twisting speed of the variable rigid body 111 variously.

Hereinafter, the operation of the flexural rigidity control apparatus 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

5, the flexural rigidity control apparatus 100 is configured such that the first variable stiffness unit holder 120 is fixed to the first arm 11 and the second variable stiffness unit holder 130 is fixed to the second arm 12, And the variable rigid body 111 is installed in the joint mechanism 10 so as to enclose at least a part of each of the first arm 11 and the second arm 12 and the joint 13. [ In the initial state in which the variable rigid body 111 is not twisted, the variable rigid body 111 has a low mesh density and a relatively small rigidity. At this time, the variable rigid body 111 can be easily bend-deformed by an external force due to small rigidity, and a relatively small bending stiffness is applied to the articulating mechanism 10. Therefore, the first arm 11 and the second arm 12 of the articulating mechanism 10 can relatively easily bend around the joint 13.

6, when the first arm 11 and the second arm 12 of the articulating mechanism 10 are aligned in parallel with each other, the motor 144 of the variable rigid body rotation unit 140 is operated The rotational force of the motor 144 is transmitted to the driven gear 141 via the driving gear 143 and the variable rigid body 111 is twisted by the rotation of the driven gear 141. [ At this time, the density of the network structure of the variable rigid body 111 becomes high and the rigidity becomes relatively large. The flexural rigidity applied by the variable rigid body 111 to the articulating mechanism 10 is increased and the bending motion of the articulating mechanism 10 is suppressed or the bending angle of the articulating mechanism 10 is limited. As described above, the joint mechanism 10 can maintain the set posture more stably by the action of the variable rigid body 111.

When the motor 144 is operated in the counterclockwise direction in the state where the flexural rigidity by the variable rigid body 111 is increased, the variable rigid body 111 is restored to a state where the density of the mesh structure is low. At this time, the variable rigid body 111 has less influence on the bending motion of the articulation mechanism 10, and the articulation mechanism 10 can smoothly perform the joint motion.

As described above, the flexural rigidity control apparatus 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention changes the stiffness of the variable stiffness body 111 by a simple twist motion, Stiffness can be adjusted in various ways. Therefore, it can be applied to a robot or an athletic aiding device to efficiently assist the movement of a robot or an athletic aiding device.

Also, the flexural rigidity control apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention can effectively restrict the joint motion of the joint mechanism 10 by increasing the rigidity of the variable rigid body 111 by a simple twisting motion, The movable range of the articulating mechanism 10 can be easily adjusted according to the degree of twisting of the joint 111.

7 is a side view showing a bending rigidity control apparatus of a joint mechanism according to another embodiment of the present invention.

7, the flexural rigidity control apparatus 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a variable stiffness unit 210, a first variable rigidity unit holder 220 for supporting one end of the variable stiffness unit 210, A second variable stiffness unit holder 230 for supporting the other end of the variable stiffness unit 210, a first variable rigid body rotation unit 240 for operating the variable stiffness unit 210, (250). Since the flexural rigidity control device 200 has substantially the same configuration as the flexural rigidity control device 100 described above except that both ends of the variable rigid unit 210 are all rotatable, Which is different from the device 100.

The variable stiffness unit 210 includes a variable rigid body 111 whose rigidity can be changed according to a twisted state, a first rotation support member 211 coupled to one end of the variable rigid body 111, And a second rotation support member 212 coupled to the other end of the first rotation support member 111. The variable rigid body 111 has a cylindrical mesh structure and its stiffness can be changed according to its twisted state, as described above.

The first rotation support member 211 is coupled to one end of the variable rigid body 111 and is rotatably coupled to the first variable rigid unit holder 220. The second rotation supporting member 212 is coupled to the other end of the variable rigid body 111 and is rotatably coupled to the second variable rigid unit holder 230. The first variable rigidity unit holder 220 is coupled to the first arm 11 of the articulating mechanism 10 to rotatably support the first rotation supporting member 211 of the variable stiffness unit 210. The second variable rigidity unit holder 230 is coupled to the second arm 12 of the articulating mechanism 10 to support the second rotation support member 212 of the variable rigidity unit 210.

One end of the variable stiffness unit 210 is rotatably coupled to the first variable stiffness unit holder 220 and the other end of the variable stiffness unit 210 is rotatably coupled to the second variable stiffness unit holder 230, Can be variously changed in magnitude of the stiffness acting on the articulating mechanism 10 by twisting.

The first variable rigidity unit holder 220 is coupled to the first arm 11 of the articulating mechanism 10 to rotatably support the first rotation supporting member 211 of the variable stiffness unit 210. The second variable rigidity unit holder 230 is coupled to the second arm 12 of the articulating mechanism 10 to rotatably support the second rotation support member 212 of the variable stiffness unit 210. The specific configurations of the first variable stiffness unit holder 220 and the second variable rigidity unit holder 230 and the coupling structure with the joint mechanism 10 are the same as those of the first variable rigidity unit holder 120).

The first variable stiffness unit rotating unit 240 is coupled to the first variable stiffness unit holder 220 at least in part so as to rotate the first rotatable support member 211 of the variable stiffness unit 210. The first variable rigid body rotation unit 240 includes a driven gear 141 coupled to the first rotary support member 211, a drive gear 143 meshed with the driven gear 141, And a motor 144 coupled to the holder 220 to rotate the drive gear 143. The first variable rigid body rotation unit 240 has the same specific structure as the variable rigid body rotation unit 140 of the flexural rigidity control apparatus 100 described above, The variable stiffness body 111 can be twisted and deformed by rotating the elastic body 211.

The second variable rigidity unit rotation unit 250 is at least partially coupled to the second variable rigidity unit holder 230 so as to rotate the second rotation support member 212 of the variable stiffness unit 210. The second variable rigid body rotation unit 250 includes a driven gear 141 coupled to the second rotary support member 212, a drive gear 143 meshed with the driven gear 141, And a motor 144 coupled to the holder 230 to rotate the drive gear 143. The second variable stiffness body rotating unit 250 has the same specific structure as the variable stiffness body rotating unit 140 described above and the second rotating supporting member 212 of the variable stiffness unit 210 is fixed to the first rotating support member 210. [ The variable rigid body 111 can be twisted and deformed by rotating in a direction opposite to the rotating direction of the member 211. [

The flexural rigidity control apparatus 200 according to the present embodiment is configured such that the first variable stiffness unit holder 220 is coupled to the first arm 11 and the second variable stiffness unit holder 230 is coupled to the second arm 12 And the first variable rigid body rotation unit 240 and the second variable rigid body rotation unit 250 twist the variable rigid body 111 to change the rigidity of the variable rigid body 111 The flexural rigidity of the joint mechanism 10 can be varied.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the scope of the present invention is not limited to those described and illustrated above.

For example, although the variable rigid body 111 of the network structure is shown as being cylindrical in order to cover the joint mechanism 10, the variable rigid body may have a density of the mesh structure depending on the degree of twist And can be made in various other forms in which rigidity can vary.

The figure also shows that the variable rigid body rotating unit for twisting the variable rigid body 111 includes the driven gear 141, the driving gear 143 and the motor 144, In addition to this structure, the structure can be changed into various other structures that can rotate at least one end of the variable rigid body 111.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that numerous modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

10: joint mechanism 11, 12: first and second arms
13: joint 100, 200: flexural rigidity control device
110, 210: variable stiffness unit 111: variable rigid body
112: rotation support member 114: variable rigid body support member
120: first variable rigidity unit holder 130: second variable rigidity unit holder
140: variable rigid body rotating unit 141: driven gear
143: driving gear 144: motor
211, 212: first and second rotation supporting members
220, 230: first and second variable rigidity unit holders
240, 250: first and second variable rigid body rotating units

Claims

The first arm and the second arm are installed in a joint mechanism connected by joints to control flexural rigidity of the joint mechanism.
A variable stiffness unit having a variable stiffness in the form of a mesh capable of varying the stiffness according to a torsional state and a rotation support member coupled to one end of the variable stiffness;
A first variable rigid unit holder coupled to the first arm of the articulation mechanism to rotatably support the rotation support member;
A second variable rigid unit holder coupled to a second arm of the articulation mechanism to support the other end of the variable rigid body; And
And a variable rigid body rotating unit coupled to at least a portion of the first variable stiffness unit holder and rotating the rotation supporting member to twist the variable rigid body to change rigidity of the variable rigid body. A device for controlling the flexural rigidity of a joint mechanism.

The method according to claim 1,
The variable rigid body rotating unit includes:
A driven gear coupled to the rotation support member so as to rotate about a longitudinal direction segment of the variable rigid body,
A driving gear that is gear-connected to the driven gear,
And a motor coupled to the first variable stiffness unit holder to rotate the driving gear.

The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the variable rigid body is formed in a cylindrical shape.

The method of claim 3,
Wherein the variable stiffness body is coupled to at least a part of the first arm, at least a part of the second arm, and the joint mechanism so as to surround the joint.

5. The method of claim 4,
The variable rigid body rotating unit includes:
A driven gear provided with a through hole at an intermediate portion thereof so as to allow the first arm to penetrate therethrough and coupled to the rotation support member so as to rotate about the first arm,
A driving gear that is gear-connected to the driven gear,
And a motor coupled to the first variable stiffness unit holder to rotate the driving gear.

The first arm and the second arm are installed in a joint mechanism connected by joints to control flexural rigidity of the joint mechanism.
A first rotating support member coupled to one end of the variable rigid body and a second rotation support member coupled to the other end of the variable rigid body, wherein the variable stiffness body has a mesh shape variable in rigidity according to a torsional state, A variable stiffness unit;
A first variable rigidity unit holder coupled to a first arm of the articulation mechanism to rotatably support the first rotation support member;
A second variable rigidity unit holder coupled to a second arm of the articulation mechanism and rotatably supporting the second rotation support member;
A first variable rigid body rotating unit coupled to at least a portion of the first variable rigidity unit holder for rotating the first rotating support member so as to twist the variable rigid body to change rigidity of the variable rigid body; And
And a second variable rigid body rotating unit coupled to at least a portion of the second variable stiffness unit holder to rotate the second rotating support member so as to twist the variable rigid body to change rigidity of the variable rigid body And the bending rigidity of the joint mechanism.