Distributed active/passive hybrid cable drive system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11754153-B2
Application number	US-202016975099-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 22, 2020
Priority date	Jul 24, 2019
Publication date	Sep 12, 2023
Grant date	Sep 12, 2023

Abstract

The present invention discloses a distributed active/passive hybrid cable drive system, including a direct current motor, a magnetorheological actuator module, and a drive gear set. The direct current motor provides power for the system, the magnetorheological actuator adjusts output, a cable is driven to move by using a reel fixedly connected to an output shaft, the power is transmitted to a tail end by using the cable along a Bowden cable, and the tail end is connected to a controlled object, to implement control. The distributed active/passive hybrid cable drive system can implement controllable force output with large torque, small inertia, and high bandwidth, and has a small volume, high efficiency, and low costs compared with a pure motor drive system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A distributed active/passive hybrid cable drive system, comprising a direct current motor ( 1 ), a motor output gear ( 2 ), a plurality of drive gear sets, and a plurality of magnetorheological actuator modules, wherein the direct current motor is separately connected to each drive gear set for driving, and each drive gear set is linked to the corresponding magnetorheological actuator module;
each drive gear set comprises a motor drive gear ( 3 ), a drive shaft ( 4 ), and a magnetorheological drive gear ( 5 ), the motor output gear ( 2 ) is connected to an output end of the direct current motor ( 1 ), the motor output gear ( 2 ) is meshed with the corresponding motor drive gear ( 3 ), the motor drive gear ( 3 ) is installed on the drive shaft ( 4 ), and the drive shaft ( 4 ) is provided with a plurality of magnetorheological drive gears ( 5 ); and
each magnetorheological actuator module comprises a module frame ( 7 ), and a rotary magnetorheological actuator ( 8 ), an output reel ( 9 ), and a magnetorheological input gear ( 10 ) that are installed in the module frame ( 7 ); the magnetorheological input gear ( 10 ) is fixed on the rotary magnetorheological actuator ( 8 ) and is capable of rotating around the module frame ( 7 ), the magnetorheological input gear ( 10 ) is meshed with the corresponding magnetorheological drive gear ( 5 ), an output end of the rotary magnetorheological actuator ( 8 ) is fixedly connected to the output reel ( 9 ), output torque of the output reel ( 9 ) is resulted by damping of the magnetorheological actuator ( 8 ), the output reel ( 9 ) pulls a cable ( 12 ) connected to the output reel, and the cable ( 12 ) receives power and transmits the power along a Bowden cable ( 13 ) to a controlled object at a tail end, to control the controlled object ( 14 ).

2. The distributed active/passive hybrid cable drive system according to claim 1 ,
wherein an encoder ( 11 ) is further disposed on each magnetorheological actuator module, the encoder ( 11 ) is installed on the module frame ( 7 ) and communicates with the output reel ( 9 ), and the encoder ( 11 ) measures a rotation angle of the output reel ( 9 ), to measure a telescopic length of the cable ( 12 ).

3. The distributed active/passive hybrid cable drive system according to claim 1 , wherein the direct current motor ( 1 ) provides power, and transfers the power to the magnetorheological actuator module ( 6 ) by using the motor output gear ( 2 ), the motor drive gear ( 3 ), the drive shaft ( 4 ), and the magnetorheological drive gear ( 5 ), the magnetorheological actuator module ( 6 ) is integrated with the magnetorheological drive gear ( 5 ) by using the magnetorheological input gear ( 10 ), and receives the power, then the magnetorheological input gear ( 10 ) and the rotary magnetorheological actuator ( 8 ) rotates around within the module frame ( 7 ) as both members are kinematically locked within the module frame ( 7 ), then the output torque of the output reel ( 9 ) is resulted by the damping of the magnetorheological actuator ( 8 ), the output reel ( 9 ) pulls the cable ( 12 ), and the cable ( 12 ) receives the power to transfer the power along the Bowden cable ( 13 ) to the controlled object at the tail end, to control the controlled object ( 14 ).

4. The distributed active/passive hybrid cable drive system according to claim 1 , wherein there are two drive gear sets in total, and there are four magnetorheological actuator modules in total; motor drive gears ( 3 ) in the two drive gear sets are respectively meshed with two ends of the motor output gear ( 2 ), each motor drive gear ( 3 ) is connected to the corresponding drive shaft ( 4 ), two magnetorheological drive gears ( 5 ) are disposed on each drive shaft ( 4 ), and four magnetorheological drive gears ( 5 ) are respectively meshed with the magnetorheological input gear ( 10 ) in each magnetorheological actuator module.

5. The distributed active/passive hybrid cable drive system according to claim 1 , wherein a plurality of magnetorheological drive gears ( 5 ) are disposed on the drive shaft, and a quantity of magnetorheological drive gears ( 5 ) corresponds to a quantity of magnetorheological actuator modules.

6. The distributed active/passive hybrid cable drive system according to claim 1 , wherein a sum of output power of output ends of the magnetorheological actuator modules is less than or equal to power of the direct current motor.

Assignees

• Univ Southeast

Inventors

• Song Aiguo
• Shi Ke
• Li Ye
• Li Huijun
• Ouyang Yunxia

Classifications

• B25J9/102 Primary

  Gears specially adapted therefor, e.g. reduction gears (gearings in general F16H) · CPC title

• B25J9/0078 Primary

  actuated by cables · CPC title

• F16H19/0645 Primary

  the flexible push or pull member having guiding means, i.e. the flexible member being supported at least partially by a guide to transmit the reciprocating movement  (the flexible member being a non-buckling chain F16H19/0636) · CPC title

• B25J9/104

  with cables, chains or ribbons · CPC title

• B25J9/12

  electric · CPC title