# US 11,897,131 B2 · Actuator > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,897,131 B2 - Document ID: US11897131B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/736,558 - Filed: 2022-05-04 - Published: 2022-11-24 - Granted: 2024-02-13 - Earliest claimed: 2021-05-18 - Assignees: ROLLS-ROYCE plc - Applicants: Rolls-Royce PLC - Inventors: David Alatorre Troncoso; Dragos Axinte; James Kell - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11897131B2 ## CPC - B25J 9/1075: {with muscles or tendons} - B25J 9/06: characterised by multi-articulated arms - B25J 9/065: {Snake robots} - B25J 9/104: {with cables, chains or ribbons} - B25J 9/12: electric - B25J 13/02: Hand grip control means {(handles or pedals for crane control B66C13/56; for measuring the force applied to control members G01L5/22; hand-held casings for switching devices, e.g. joy-sticks H01H9/0214)} - B25J 13/088: {with position, velocity or acceleration sensors} - B25J 18/06: flexible - B25J 19/0025: {Means for supplying energy to the end effector} - B25J: MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES ({manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery A61B34/70; manipulators used in cleaning hollow articles B08B9/04}; manipulators associated with rolling mills B21B39/20; manipulators associated with forging machines B21J13/10; {manipulators associated with picking-up and placing mechanisms B23P19/007}; means for holding wheels or parts thereof B60B30/00; {vehicles with ground-engaging propulsion means, e.g. walking members B62D57/02, B62D57/032; devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials between conveyors B65G47/90, B65G47/91; manipulators with gripping or holding means for transferring packages B65H67/065}; cranes B66C; {manipulators used in the protection or supervision of pipe-line installations F17D5/00; walking equipment adapted for nuclear steam-generators F22B37/006}; manipulators specially adapted for, or associated with, nuclear reactors G21C; {apparatus used for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor H10P72/50}) ## Abstract A universal actuator for driving a continuum arm robot having a plurality of tendons includes; a housing; a power supply pack with a power source; a control pack with an industrial programmable logic controller, a screen, a rotary encoder linked to an analogue input device, a digital output device, a plurality of electronic control cards that connect the programmable logic controller to a user input device, the rotary encoder and an actuator pack for controlling the motion of the continuum arm robot, the programmable logic controller or the screen having a computer program to allow for set up and control of the continuum arm robot. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A universal actuator for driving a continuum arm robot having a plurality of tendons, the universal actuator comprising: a housing; a power supply pack comprising a power source; and a control pack comprising an industrial programmable logic controller, a screen, a rotary encoder linked to an analogue input device a digital output device, a plurality of electronic control cards that connect the programmable logic controller to a user input device, the rotary encoder and an actuator pack for controlling the motion of the continuum arm robot, the programmable logic controller or the screen having a computer program to allow for set up and control of the continuum arm robot, wherein: the power supply pack and the control pack are located within the housing; the actuator pack is coupled to an electronic control card that is linked to the control pack, the actuator pack comprising a plurality of actuators, each actuator being coupled to its own load cell and servo drivers; the actuator pack has a connection port, the connection port having a hole through which tendons of the continuum arm robot are configured to pass through in order to be connected to their associated actuator and a coupler for allowing secure attachment and removal of the continuum arm robot; and each actuator of the plurality of actuators has a removable attachment configured for the tendons of the continuum arm robot. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The universal actuator as claimed in claim 1, wherein each actuator has a spool with a center configured for wrapping the tendon of the continuum arm robot. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The universal actuator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of actuators which are mounted in groups, each group being connected to a frame which also hosts the drive electronics for control of the actuator. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The universal actuator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of actuators are brushless servo motors. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The universal actuator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the load cell associated with each actuator is coupled to an operational amplifier, which is linked to the servo driver, which in turn is linked to the actuator. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The universal actuator as claimed in claim 1, wherein a position sensor is present to determine the location of the continuum arm robot and to provide feedback back to the programmable logic controller. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The universal actuator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the actuator is provided with an LED driver, the LED driver being coupled to LEDs present within the continuum arm robot to provide illumination of a desired area around a distal end of the continuum arm robot. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The universal actuator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rotary encoder is a rotary incremental encoder that is linked to a encoder interface, which is linked in series to the analogue input device and to the digital output device. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The universal actuator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electronic control cards are EtherCAT cards. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The universal actuator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the screen is a touch screen device. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The universal actuator device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the user input device is a joystick. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The universal actuator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the actuator is provided with a plurality of temperature sensors. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The universal actuator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the actuator is provided with a plurality of indicator LEDs. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The universal actuator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the universal actuator is provided with a ventilation system. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) A continuum arm robot comprising a plurality of interchangeable continuum arm sections and a universal actuator according to claim 1. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The continuum arm robot as claimed in claim 15, wherein each arm is between 0.5 and 10 m in length. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The continuum arm robot as claimed in claim 15, wherein each arm has a thickness between 3 and 30 mm. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The continuum arm robot as claimed in claim 16, wherein each arm has a thickness between 3 and 30 mm.