Soft growing robot having folding type growing unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12311544-B2
Application number	US-202117349343-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 12, 2021
Priority date	Jun 19, 2020
Publication date	May 27, 2025
Grant date	May 27, 2025

Abstract

A growth-type soft robot includes a housing including an external body including an internal accommodation space and one side open and a fixing portion formed on a periphery of an open region of the external body, a growth unit including an outer periphery having one end connected to the fixing portion, an inner periphery spaced apart from an inner side of the outer periphery and extending to the accommodation space, and a bent portion connecting the other end of the outer periphery to one end of the inner periphery to form a front end space, and a data collecting unit including a cable extending along a central portion surrounded by the inner periphery and a sensing module acquiring external information, wherein the other end of the inner periphery forms a folded region, and a length of the growth unit is adjustable by air supplied to the front end space.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A growth-type soft robot comprising:
a housing including an external body including an internal accommodation space and one side open and a fixing portion formed on a periphery of the opened side of the external body;
a growth unit including an outer periphery having one end connected to the fixing portion, an inner periphery spaced apart from an inner side of the outer periphery and extending to the accommodation space, and a bent portion connecting an other end of the outer periphery to one end of the inner periphery to form a front end space by the outer periphery, the bent portion, and the inner periphery;
a roller unit including at least one driving roller rotating in contact with the inner periphery; and
a data collecting unit including a cable extending along a central portion surrounded by the inner periphery and a sensing module provided on one side of the cable and acquiring external information,
wherein an other end of the inner periphery is folded by multiple stages to form a folded region, and a length of the growth unit is adjusted by pressure of air supplied to the front end space, and
wherein the housing further includes an internal body disposed in the accommodation space and extending to surround a portion of the cable, wherein the folded region surrounds a circumference of the internal body.

2. The growth-type soft robot of claim 1 , wherein the at least one driving roller includes a pair of driving rollers and a gear portion, the pair of driving rollers is disposed to be spaced apart from each other based on the internal body and contacting the inner periphery, and the pair of driving rollers is formed to perform a rotational motion simultaneously through the gear portion.

3. The growth-type soft robot of claim 1 , wherein the at least one driving roller includes a circular roller body and a depression inwardly depressed from the roller body, and the depression is disposed to face the internal body and depressed to face an outer curvature of the internal body.

4. The growth-type soft robot of claim 1 , wherein the roller unit further includes one or more auxiliary rollers rotating in contact with the inner periphery and disposed to be spaced apart from the at least one driving roller in a direction along an axial length of the housing, each of the plurality of rollers includes one or more protrusions protruding outward based on the roller body, and an end of each of the plurality of protrusions is bent to be biased to one side of a rotation direction.

5. The growth-type soft robot of claim 4 , wherein the one or more auxiliary rollers have a pair of inclined surfaces connecting the end of the protrusion to an outer circumferential surface of the roller body, and the pair of inclined surfaces has different lengths.

6. The growth-type soft robot of claim 5 , wherein one of the pair of inclined surfaces protrudes to one side of the rotation direction, and the other inclined surface is depressed to one side of the rotation direction.

7. The growth-type soft robot of claim 6 , wherein, among the pair of inclined surfaces, relatively shorter inclined surface is depressed to one side of the rotation direction so that the inner periphery of the growth unit is pressed to be folded.

8. The growth-type soft robot of claim 4 , wherein the at least one driving roller includes a pair of driving rollers and a gear portion, the pair of auxiliary rollers is disposed to be spaced apart from each other across the internal body and in contact with the inner periphery, and the pair of driving rollers performs a rotational motion simultaneously through the gear portion.

9. The growth-type soft robot of claim 1 , wherein the roller unit further includes a first fixing portion and a second fixing portion each fixing both ends of the at least one driving roller to an inner surface of the external body, and the roller unit is rotatably coupled with the first fixing portion and the second fixing portion.

10. The growth-type soft robot of claim 1 , further comprising:
a chamber coupled to an other side of the housing; and
an airbag accommodated in the chamber and pressing the cable.

11. The growth-type soft robot of claim 1 , wherein the housing further includes a guide body extending to one side of the internal body, the cable is disposed on a hollow of the guide body and the internal body, and an outer diameter of the guide body is smaller than an outer diameter of the internal body.

12. The growth-type soft robot of claim 1 , wherein the housing further includes a coupling body disposed on an other side of the external body and fixing the other end of the inner periphery.

13. The growth-type soft robot of claim 12 , wherein the housing further includes a cover portion disposed to surround the coupling body and coupled to be fixed with the external body.

14. The growth-type soft robot of claim 13 , wherein the coupling body and the cover portion include a through hole through which the cable penetrates.

15. The growth-type soft robot of claim 12 , wherein the coupling body includes a hollow opened on one side, and an inner diameter of the coupling body corresponds to an outer diameter of the internal body so that the internal body is inserted into the hollow of the coupling body.

16. The growth-type soft robot of claim 1 , wherein the fixing portion has a shape in which a diameter thereof is reduced toward one side.

17. The growth-type soft robot of claim 1 , wherein the housing further includes an extension body coupled to an other end of the external body, and a coupling body may be disposed on the extension body.

Assignees

• Korea Advanced Inst Sci & Tech

Inventors

• Ryu Jee-Hwan
• Kim Ji-Hun

Classifications

• B25J19/023

  including video camera means · CPC title

• F15B15/103

  using inflatable bodies that contract when fluid pressure is applied, e.g. pneumatic artificial muscles or McKibben-type actuators · CPC title

• B25J13/00

  Controls for manipulators (programme controls B25J9/16) · CPC title

• B25J19/02

  Sensing devices · CPC title

• B25J9/14

  fluid · CPC title