Slider-type wire actuator for under-actuation and glove-type wearable robot equipped with the same

Slider-type wire actuator for underactuation with minimized friction using driven bearings

This technology is a slider-type wire actuator and a glove-type wearable robot equipped with it, which converts the rotational motion of a drive motor into the linear motion of a slider via a drive wire, and performs underactuation by distributing the tension of a driven wire through a driven pulley and driven bearing mounted on the slider.

Wire-driven underactuated robots have historically faced issues such as reduced power transmission efficiency and component wear due to friction caused by slippage between the wire and contact surfaces, as well as increased production costs due to structural complexity.

This technology proposes a method to minimize friction between the wire and the structure by equipping the slider with a driven pulley and driven bearing, ensuring that the wire only slips within the bearing. The linear drive configuration using a drive pulley and drive wire reduces mechanical volume and production costs. It can be applied to rehabilitation glove robots and industrial gripping devices, providing a practical solution that enhances durability by reducing frictional loss and component wear while lowering manufacturing costs.

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Key Features:

• A support body, a guide member installed to extend in the longitudinal direction, and a slider that moves linearly along it
• A drive unit including a drive motor, a drive pulley, and a drive wire connecting the drive pulley and the slider
• A driven unit including a driven bearing and a driven pulley installed on the slider, and a driven wire wound around the driven pulley
• An elastic member connected to the slider and the support body to provide elastic force in the direction opposite to the slider's movement

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This invention was developed with support from the Human-Centered Soft Robotics Technology Research Center of the Ministry of Science and ICT.