Continuous automatic twisting and winding device and method for polymer fiber artificial muscles

A continuous automatic twisting and winding device for polymer fiber artificial muscles, comprising a wire feeding mechanism, a twisting mechanism, a winding mechanism, a translation mechanism, and a base plate;

• wherein
• a polymer fiber is used by the twisting and winding device;
• a center axis of a rolling bearing I in the wire feeding mechanism is horizontally aligned with a center axis of a spline shaft in the winding mechanism;
• the polymer fiber comprises nylon fiber yarn or polyester fiber yarn;
• the twisting mechanism, the winding mechanism, and the translation mechanism are mounted on the base plate;
• a twisting mechanism articulation seat in the twisting mechanism is fixed to a front support seat in the winding mechanism;
• a mounted bearing in the translation mechanism is connected with the spline shaft in the winding mechanism by an interference fit;
• a guide rod in the translation mechanism is mounted on a rear support seat in the winding mechanism and is fixed with a nut;
• wherein the wire feeding mechanism comprises a torque motor, a torque motor mounting support, a spool I, a bottom plate of the wire feeding mechanism, a wire feeding pulley I, a wire feeding pulley II, the rolling bearing I and a wire feeding platform;
• the torque motor is fixed on the bottom plate of the wire feeding mechanism through the torque motor mounting support;
• the spool I is installed on an output shaft of the torque motor;
• the wire feeding pulley I and the wire feeding pulley II are installed on the wire feeding platform, and the wire feeding pulley I and the wire feeding pulley II are configured to prevent a torque of the fiber from being transmitted to the spool I;
• the rolling bearing I is installed in a hole at a front end of the wire feeding platform, the fiber passing through the rolling bearing I can effectively reduce an abrasion of a fiber filament;
• the wire feeding platform is fixed on the bottom plate of the wire feeding mechanism, and a tension on the fiber filament during a working process can be controlled by adjusting an output torque of the torque motor;
• wherein the winding mechanism comprises the front support seat, a rolling bearing III, the rear support seat, a spool II, the spline shaft, a spline shaft sleeve, a rolling bearing IV, a synchronous belt wheel III, gear rings, a synchronous belt II, a synchronous belt wheel IV, a stepper motor mounting support II, a stepper motor II, wherein
• the spool II is installed on one end of the spline shaft;
• the spline shaft sleeve has the interference fit with an inner hole of the rolling bearing IV;
• the rolling bearing IV is installed in the front support seat and has the interference fit with an inner hole of the front support seat;
• the spline shaft is installed in the spline shaft sleeve, and can slide relative to an axial direction;
• an inner hole of the rear support seat is also installed with a rolling bearing, the rolling bearing of the rear support seat is installed with a spline shaft sleeve, and the spline shaft passes through the spline shaft sleeve of the rear support seat in a clearance fit, and the spline shaft can slide axially relative to the spline shaft sleeve of the rear support seat;
• the spline shaft is sleeved with two of the gear rings and is located between the front support seat and the rear support seat;
• an inner hole of the synchronous belt wheel III is also installed with a spline shaft sleeve and is installed on the spline shaft, which is located between the two of the gear rings;
• the synchronous belt wheel IV is installed on an output shaft of the stepper motor II, and is limited by set screws to prevent a relative sliding;
• the stepper motor II is installed on the stepper motor mounting support II;
• the synchronous belt II is installed on the synchronous belt wheel III and the synchronous belt wheel IV;
• the stepper motor II rotates the spline shaft by means of a belt transmission, so as to make the spool II rotate to complete a winding process.

A method for continuous automatic twisting and winding of polymer fiber artificial muscles using a device, the device comprising a wire feeding mechanism, a twisting mechanism, a winding mechanism, a translation mechanism, and a base plate;

• wherein
• a polymer fiber used by the twisting and winding device;
• a center axis of a rolling bearing I in the wire feeding mechanism is horizontally aligned with a center axis of a spline shaft in the winding mechanism;
• the polymer fiber comprises nylon fiber yarn or polyester fiber yarn;
• the twisting mechanism, the winding mechanism, and the translation mechanism are mounted on the base plate;
• a twisting mechanism articulation seat in the twisting mechanism is fixed to a front support seat in the winding mechanism;
• a mounted bearing in the translation mechanism is connected with the spline shaft in the winding mechanism by an interference fit;
• a guide rod in the translation mechanism is mounted on a rear support seat in the winding mechanism and is fixed with a nut;
• wherein the wire feeding mechanism comprises a torque motor, a torque motor mounting support, a spool I, a bottom plate of the wire feeding mechanism, a wire feeding pulley I, a wire feeding pulley II, the rolling bearing I and a wire feeding platform;
• the torque motor is fixed on the bottom plate of the wire feeding mechanism through the torque motor mounting support;
• the spool I is installed on an output shaft of the torque motor;
• the wire feeding pulley I and the wire feeding pulley II are installed on the wire feeding platform, and the wire feeding pulley I and the wire feeding pulley II are configured to prevent a torque of the fiber from being transmitted to the spool I;
• the rolling bearing I is installed in a hole at a front end of the wire feeding platform, the fiber passing through the rolling bearing I can effectively reduce an abrasion of a fiber filament;
• the wire feeding platform is fixed on the bottom plate of the wire feeding mechanism, and a tension on the fiber filament during a working process can be controlled by adjusting an output torque of the torque motor;
• wherein the polymer fiber is a first polymer fiber that is one of a plurality of polymer fibers and wherein the method comprises:
• first, the plurality of polymer fibers are drawn from the spool I, so that the plurality of polymer fibers pass around the two wire feeding pulleys, namely the wire feeding pulley I and the wire feeding pulley II;
• then the plurality of polymer fibers sequentially pass through the rolling bearing I, a winding rod and finally to be tied to a spool II, the torque motor is powered on and adjusted to an appropriate torque T;
• a stepper motor I, a stepper motor II, and a stepper motor III start to rotate at the same time, and the stepper motor I drives a synchronous belt wheel II in the twisting mechanism to rotate;
• the winding rod rotates with the synchronous belt wheel II and a rotation speed is ω1;
• the winding rod drives the first polymer fiber to rotate and starts to twist the first polymer fiber;
• the stepper motor II drives the spline shaft in the winding mechanism to rotate at ω2, and the spool II rotates with the spline shaft;
• if ω1≠ω2, the spool II starts to rewind the artificial muscles;
• the stepper motor III rotates in reciprocating at ω3, and a trapezoidal lead screw and a lead screw nut cooperate to drive a translation joint seat for a reciprocating movement on the guide rod, the mounted bearing drives the spline shaft and the spool II to reciprocate and translate so that twisted polymer fibers of the plurality of polymer fibers are evenly wound on the spool II, the following relationship should be satisfied at this time:
• ω
• 3
• =
• ❘
• "\[LeftBracketingBar]"
• ω
• 1
• -
• ω
• 2
• ❘
• "\[RightBracketingBar]"
• ·
• d
• S
• (
• 1
• )
• wherein d is a diameter of the first polymer fiber, S is a lead of the trapezoidal lead screw,
• parameter of a twisting load F in a process of an artificial muscle preparation satisfies the following relationship:
• F
• =
• T
• r
• 1
• (
• 2
• )
• wherein, r1 is a radius of the spool I, and T is the output torque of the torque motor.