Abstract:
A rotary actuator and a method of using same are disclosed. The rotary actuator includes a rotor having a body and defining a plurality of contact surfaces, and a stator having a body and defining a plurality of inflatable bladders circumferentially spaced about the stator body. The stator is positioned relative to the rotor such that upon sequential inflation of the plurality of inflatable bladders, the rotor is caused to rotate.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/257,461, filed Nov. 19, 2015, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    The present disclosure relates to rotary actuators based on inflatable elastomeric structures, which consist of a stator and a rotor. Timed inflation and deflation of the air-filled channels in the stator enable the rotation of the rotor. The rotary actuators have application in extending the functionality of soft robotic systems and machines for use in, for example, missions of search and rescue, exploration of space, medicine, biology, artificial joints for robots and friendly human rehabilitation. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Conventional rovers and wheeled vehicles typically consist of many hard material-based parts that constitute the chassis and rotating components (e.g., rims of wheels, axles, transmission, and motors). With the exception of the tires and suspension, general design principles base material selection on high strength and elastic modulus. 
         [0004]    While there are many advantages to using hard materials in these applications, there have been a range of efforts to incorporate soft materials into land-based locomotors. Two of the most notable ones consist of recent efforts in the motion of tensegrity-based structures and bending/extending soft robots based on large induced strains. While tensegrity-based robots are capable of rolling, both classes of soft robots have a similar dilemma to that found in nature: the lack of wheels. It would thus be desirable to have rotary actuators based on inflatable elastomeric structures, which avoid the disadvantages of state-of-the-art soft robots, particularly with respect to the limited rotational capabilities of such soft robots. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0005]    In a first aspect, there is provided herein a rotary actuator including a rotor having a body and defining a plurality of contact surfaces and a stator having a body and defining a plurality of inflatable bladders circumferentially spaced about the stator body. The stator is positioned relative to the rotor such that upon sequential inflation of the plurality of inflatable bladders, the rotor is caused to rotate. 
         [0006]    In certain embodiments, the rotor is positioned internally of the stator. 
         [0007]    In certain embodiments, the body of the internally positioned rotor includes a central axis CA and defines a plurality of wells disposed therebetween the plurality of contact surfaces. 
         [0008]    In certain embodiments, the body of the internally positioned rotor includes a connector plate disposed at one end thereof. 
         [0009]    In certain embodiments, the body of the internally positioned rotor includes a plurality of ribs that define the plurality of contact surfaces on each side of the ribs such that the internally positioned rotor can be rotated in either direction. 
         [0010]    In certain embodiments, the body of the internally positioned rotor includes four ribs such that four contact surfaces are defined in each direction of rotation. 
         [0011]    In certain embodiments, the rotor is fabricated from 3D printed ABS or cast/assembled layers of Mold Star 30 and a layer of PDMS or any suitable elastomeric material and the stator is fabricated from Ecoflex 50 or any suitable elastomeric material. 
         [0012]    In certain embodiments, the plurality of inflatable bladders are actuated in sets to sequentially rotate the rotor. 
         [0013]    In certain embodiments, the plurality of inflatable bladders in each set are equal to the plurality of contact surfaces on the rotor such that each contact surface is contacted by a respective inflatable bladder of the set during a specific actuation. 
         [0014]    In certain embodiments, the body of the stator is configured to extend about an internal opening that is variably sized to receive the rotor therein. 
         [0015]    In certain embodiments, each inflatable bladder is configured to be spaced at a step angle α that is dependent on the number of inflatable bladders such that when sixteen inflatable bladders are defined the step angle α is 22.5°. 
         [0016]    In certain embodiments, the rotor is positioned externally of the stator. 
         [0017]    In certain embodiments, the body of the externally positioned rotor is disposed between a pair of opposed plates and defines a central opening having a configuration that defines a plurality of wells disposed therebetween the plurality of contact surfaces. 
         [0018]    In certain embodiments, the plurality of contact surfaces are defined by flat sides of the central opening and the plurality of wells are defined in rounded corners of the central opening. 
         [0019]    In certain embodiments, the externally positioned rotor includes four contact surfaces that are contacted on opposite ends thereof to achieve rotation in each direction. 
         [0020]    In certain embodiments, the body of the stator is sized to be received within a central opening of the rotor. 
         [0021]    In certain embodiments, the stator is formed in a mold having a central portion configured to define an opening and a plurality of fins configured to define the respective plurality of inflatable bladders. 
         [0022]    In certain embodiments, the plurality of fins are positioned to form the plurality of inflatable bladders proximate a wall of the opening when the stator is positioned externally of the rotor. 
         [0023]    In certain embodiments, the plurality of fins are positioned to form the plurality of inflatable bladders proximate an outer wall of the stator body when the stator is positioned internally of the rotor. 
         [0024]    In certain embodiments, a pair of rotary actuators is configured for use in a winch device such that the rotor of each actuator is connected to a spindle from which a string extends and fluid tubes are connected to each stator and controlled to cause rotation of the rotor and the spindle. 
         [0025]    In certain embodiments, forward rotation causes the spindle to lower a grip that is pneumatically controlled through a line and rearward rotation causes the spindle to raise the grip. 
         [0026]    In certain embodiments, a pair of rotary actuators is configured for use in a two-wheel vehicle such that the two-wheel vehicle includes an elastomeric body having an elastomeric axle on each end with each elastomeric axle configured to support a respective rotary actuator. 
         [0027]    In certain embodiments, a plurality of fluid tubes are connected to each stator and controlled to cause rotation of each rotor which in turn causes the two-wheel vehicle to move forward or backward. 
         [0028]    In certain embodiments, a pair of two-wheel vehicles is configured for use in a four-wheel vehicle connected by an elastomeric chassis. 
         [0029]    In certain embodiments, a plurality of fluid tubes are connected to each stator and controlled to cause rotation of each rotor which in turn causes the four-wheel vehicle to move forward or backward. 
         [0030]    In a second aspect, there is provided herein a method of using a rotary actuator. The method includes: providing a rotary actuator as disclosed herein such that the plurality of inflatable bladders are actuated in sets to sequentially rotate the rotor, the plurality of inflatable bladders in each set is equal to the plurality of contact surfaces on the rotor such that each contact surface is contacted by a respective inflatable bladder of the set during a specific actuation; and actuating the plurality of inflatable bladders such that they first contact a respective contact surface and expand into a well that is disposed therebetween the contact surface and the body of the rotor and the subsequent inflatable bladder set begins inflation as the previous inflatable bladder set finishes deflation. 
         [0031]    In certain embodiments, the rotor is fabricated from 3D printed ABS or cast/assembled layers of Mold Star 30 and a layer of PDMS or any suitable elastomeric material and the stator is fabricated from Ecoflex 50 or any suitable elastomeric material. 
         [0032]    Various advantages of this disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, when read in light of the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0033]      FIG. 1  includes schematic side elevation views showing sequential actuation of an exemplary “Type  1 ” rotary actuator in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
           [0034]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an exemplary rotor of the rotary actuator of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0035]      FIG. 3  includes schematic side elevation views showing sequential actuation of an exemplary stator of the rotary actuator of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0036]      FIG. 4  includes schematic side elevation views showing sequential actuation of an exemplary “Type  2 ” rotary actuator in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
           [0037]      FIG. 5  is an exploded perspective view of an exemplary rotor of the rotary actuator of  FIG. 4 . 
           [0038]      FIG. 6  includes schematic side elevation views showing sequential actuation of an exemplary stator of the rotary actuator of  FIG. 4 . 
           [0039]      FIG. 7  includes schematic perspective views illustrating an exemplary process of manufacturing the stator of  FIG. 6 . 
           [0040]      FIG. 8  illustrates an exemplary control pattern for the inflatable bladders of the stators described herein. 
           [0041]      FIG. 9  includes schematic views illustrating expansion of the inflatable bladders of the Type  1  and Type  2  stators at different pressures. 
           [0042]      FIG. 10  is a graph plotting pressure versus inflation time for the inflatable bladders of exemplary Type  1  and Type  2  stators. 
           [0043]      FIG. 11  is a graph plotting rotation speed versus pressure for exemplary Type  1  and Type  2  stators. 
           [0044]      FIGS. 12, 13 and 14  illustrate an exemplary winch incorporating a pair of Type  1  rotary actuators. 
           [0045]      FIGS. 15, 16 and 17  illustrate an exemplary two-wheel vehicle incorporating a pair of Type  2  rotary actuators, with  FIGS. 15 and 16  partially exploded. 
           [0046]      FIGS. 18, 19 and 20  illustrate an exemplary four-wheel vehicle incorporating four of the Type  2  rotary actuators, with  FIG. 18  partially exploded. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0047]    This disclosure is not limited to the particular apparatus, systems, methodologies or protocols described, as these may vary. The terminology used in this description is for the purpose of describing the particular versions or embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope. 
         [0048]    As used in this document, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meanings as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. All sizes recited in this document are by way of example only, and the disclosure is not limited to structures having the specific sizes or dimensions recited below. As used herein, the term “comprising” means “including, but not limited to.” 
         [0049]    In consideration of the figures, it is to be understood for purposes of clarity that certain details of construction and/or operation are not provided in view of such details being conventional and well within the skill of the art upon disclosure of the document described herein. 
         [0050]    In the figures, like numerals indicate like elements throughout. The following describes exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. However, it should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited by the exemplary embodiments described herein. 
         [0051]    To address the limited rotational capabilities of state-of-the-art soft robots, the present disclosure provides vehicles and other devices with a novel configuration of inflatable stators paired with rotors. In particular, a vehicle incorporating the rotary actuators of the present disclosure includes soft-bodied subsystems with elastomeric axles, stators, and rotors of high toughness for improved mechanical resilience with fewer parts. With only a few molded components, the locomotion or rotary actuation in the wheels comes through biologically-inspired peristalsis that uses alternating inflation and deflation of pneumatic chambers. These pneumatically-driven vehicles and wheels have the potential to negotiate varied and wet terrains, be lightweight, be safe, be impervious to electromagnetic interference, and withstand mechanical impact. This concept may be configured, for example, for rovers for missions requiring the transport of samples or research equipment. 
         [0052]    The context for a possible mission is in deployment and navigation on a planet (e.g., Mars), a comet (e.g., Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko), or a piece of terrain-navigable debris in space. As exemplary missions, The Mars Spirit and Opportunity rovers have demonstrated one approach. Briefly, the landers containing the rovers used cocoons that impacted and bounced on the surface of the planet. The space within the cocoons was very tight and careful planning for packing of the rovers was necessary for the terrain-navigating apparatuses. Between impact (i.e., landing) and egress (i.e., deployment of the rover), many planned activities occurred, with some involving the unfolding and origami-like reconfiguration of the rovers. Then, once the rover deployed itself from the lander, the rover began its navigation of difficult and varied terrain, which required more planning and coordination to ensure the complicated suspension might be able to navigate over rocks or along hills without getting stuck or tipping. 
         [0053]    In this mission context, a squishy vehicle with soft wheels should provide a few benefits. First, a soft vehicle will be able to withstand higher impact than one composed of rigid members, which could reduce the requirements or eliminate the need for conventional landers altogether. As researchers have demonstrated recently, elastomeric robots are capable of withstanding impact with a hammer, flattening under the wheel of an automobile, or significant compression. Second, a robot with soft wheels and a squishy body will not need complicated unfolding routines like those employed with the front wheels of Opportunity and Spirit rovers. Instead, the soft vehicle will be compressed into a ball-like form—minimized ratio of surface area to volume—before deployment and expand freely for egress. Third, the rotors and stators for the wheels will not contain any magnetic or metallic components, which will allow them to maintain their functionality in the presence of high electric or magnetic fields. Fourth, navigation over difficult terrain with a naturally compliant set of wheels and suspension will eliminate some of the complexity associated with rigid members and complex suspensions, which require actuated lifting of wheels over obstacles. Fifth, these soft rovers will be capable of exceeding the mobility (i.e., ability to cover distances on land) of state-of-the-art pneumatic soft robots, which depend on crawling, undulating, or uncontrolled jumping. Sixth, soft rovers will provide safe human-machine interactions, as the likelihood of puncturing or tearing the fabric of space suits will be much less. Finally, if a soft vehicle were to roll over, the likelihood of damage to the rotating mechanisms and the chassis should be significantly less, although there still might be the issue of righting the vehicle. 
         [0054]    Referring now to  FIGS. 1-3 , a Type  1  rotary actuator  10  with a fixed external stator  20  and an interior moving rotor  12  will be described. The external stator  20  and the interior moving rotor  12  are each manufactured from an elastomeric material such that they may be squished and then returned to the illustrated natural configuration. As an example, in the present embodiment, the rotor  12  may be 3D printed ABS and the stator  20  may be Ecoflex 50. These cast/molded soft materials may be molded off 3D-printed, machined, or otherwise constructed structures. It should be understood that the rotor  12  and stator  20  can be fabricated from any suitable non-elastomeric material such as hard plastic and the like. Rotation occurs with coordinated inflation of bladders  24 , as described below. 
         [0055]    In the present embodiment, the interior rotor  12  includes a body  14  having a central axis CA and which defines a plurality of contact surfaces  16  with wells  18  therebetween. The body  14  includes a plurality of ribs  15  which define contact surfaces  16  on each side of the ribs  15  such that the rotor  12  may be rotated in either direction. The wells  18  are defined wherein the ribs  15  meet at the body  14 . The illustrated rotor  12  includes a connector plate  17  at one end of the body  14 . In the present embodiment, the rotor  12  includes four ribs  15  such that four contact surfaces  16  are defined in each direction of rotation. The rotor  12  may be configured to define more or fewer contact surfaces. 
         [0056]    The fixed external stator  20  includes an annular body  22  extending about an internal opening  23  which is sized to receive the rotor  12  therein. A plurality of bladders  24  are defined circumferentially spaced about the body  22 . Each bladder  24  is spaced at a step angle α which is dependent on the number of bladders  24 . In the illustrated embodiment, sixteen bladders  24  are defined such that the step angle α is 22.5°. 
         [0057]    In operation, the bladders  24  are actuated in sets to sequentially rotate the rotor  12 . The number of bladders  24  in each set is preferably equal to the number of contact surfaces  16  on the rotor  12  such that each contact surface  16  is contacted by a respective bladder  24  of the set during a specific actuation. The bladders  24  will be actuated such that they first contact a respective contact surface  16  and then expand into the well  18  as illustrated in  FIG. 1 . By actuating the various bladder sets sequentially, continuous rotation of the rotor  12  may be achieved. This is shown in  FIG. 3  wherein the bladders  24 - 1  of the first subset are actuated, thereafter the bladders  24 - 2  of the second subset are actuated, then the bladders  24 - 3  of the third subset and finally the bladders  24 - 4  of the fourth subset to achieve a full revolution.  FIG. 8  illustrates an exemplary control pattern for each of the subsets  1  through  4 , with subset  2  beginning inflation as subset  1  finishes deflation and so on. 
         [0058]    Referring to  FIGS. 4-6 , a Type  2  rotary actuator  30  with a fixed interior stator  40  and an external moving rotor  32  will be described. The interior stator  40  and the external moving rotor  32  are each manufactured from an elastomeric material such that they may be squished and then returned to the illustrated natural configuration. As an example, in the present embodiment, the rotor  32  may be cast/assembled layers of Mold Star 30 and a layer of PDMS and the stator  40  may be Ecoflex 50. These cast/molded soft materials may be molded off 3D-printed, machined, or otherwise constructed structures. It should be understood that the rotor  32  and stator  40  can be fabricated from any suitable non-elastomeric material such as hard plastic and the like. Rotation occurs with coordinated inflation of bladders  44 , as described below. 
         [0059]    In the present embodiment, the external rotor  32  includes a main body  31  between opposed plates  34  and  35 . The main body  31  defines a central opening  33  having a configuration which defines a plurality of contact surfaces  36  with wells  38  therebetween. The contact surfaces  36  are defined by the flat sides of the opening  33  and the wells  38  are defined in the rounded corners of the opening  33 . In the present embodiment, the rotor  32  includes four contact surfaces  36  which are contacted on opposite ends thereof to achieve rotation in each direction. The rotor  32  may be configured to define more or fewer contact surfaces. 
         [0060]    The fixed interior stator  40  includes an annular body  42  which is sized to be received within the opening  33  of the rotor  32 . A plurality of bladders  44  are defined circumferentially spaced about the body  42 . Each bladder  44  is spaced at a step angle α which is dependent on the number of bladders  44 . In the illustrated embodiment, sixteen bladders  44  are defined such that the step angle α is 22.5°. 
         [0061]    Similar to the previous embodiment, the bladders  44  are actuated in sets to sequentially rotate the rotor  32 . The number of bladders  44  in each set is preferably equal to the number of contact surfaces  36  on the rotor  32  such that each contact surface  36  is contacted by a respective bladder  44  of the set during a specific actuation. The bladders  44  will be actuated such that they first contact a respective contact surface  36  and then expand into the well  38  as illustrated in  FIG. 4 . By actuating the various bladder sets sequentially, continuous rotation of the rotor  32  may be achieved. This is shown in  FIG. 6  wherein the bladders  44 - 1  of the first subset are actuated, thereafter the bladders  44 - 2  of the second subset are actuated, then the bladders  44 - 3  of the third subset and finally the bladders  44 - 4  of the fourth subset to achieve a full revolution. As in the previous embodiment,  FIG. 8  illustrates an exemplary control pattern for each of the subsets  1  through  4 , with subset  2  beginning inflation as subset  1  finishes deflation and so on. 
         [0062]      FIG. 7  illustrates an exemplary embodiment for manufacturing the stators  20 ,  40 . The stators  20 ,  40  may be formed in a mold  52  with a central portion  54  which defines the opening and a plurality of fins  56  which define the respective bladders  24 ,  44 . For the external stator  20 , the fins  56  are positioned to form the bladders  24  proximate the wall of the opening  23 . For the internal stator  40 , the fins  56  are positioned to form the bladders  44  proximate the outer wall of the body  42 . A fluid tube  50  is positioned in each bladder  24 ,  44  and sealed therein. As such, when fluid, for example air, is passed through the tube  50 , the respective bladder  24 ,  44  is caused to expand. 
         [0063]      FIG. 9  illustrates the expansion of a set of bladders  24 ,  44  for both the Type  1  and Type  2  stators  20 ,  40  at various pressures. The pressure is preferably selected to inflate the bladders such that they are large enough to actuate the rotor but will not damage the material. As illustrated in  FIG. 10 , the lower the pressure, the longer it takes to inflate each bladder. As a result, the lower pressure results in a lower rotation speed as illustrated in  FIG. 11 . The rotational speed was calculated as: 
         [0000]      Rotational Speed (RPM)=((60 sec/min)*(1000 msec/sec)) divided by ((16 group/rotation)*( t   inflation   +t   deflation )). 
         [0064]    Referring to  FIGS. 12-14 , an exemplary winch device  60  incorporating two Type  1  rotary actuators  10  will be described. The rotor  12  of each actuator  10  is connected to a spindle  62  from which a string  64  extends. The fluid tubes  50  are connected to the stators  20  and controlled as described above to cause rotation of the rotors  12  and thereby the spindle  62 . Forward rotation causes the spindle  62  to lower a grip  66  which is pneumatically controlled through line  68  and rearward rotation causes the spindle  62  to raise the grip  66 . 
         [0065]    Referring to  FIGS. 15-17 , an exemplary two-wheel vehicle  70  incorporating two Type  2  rotary actuators  30  will be described. The vehicle  70  includes a body  72  with axles  74  on each end with each axle  74  configured to support a respective actuator  30 . The body  72  and axles  74  are preferably manufactured from an elastomeric material similar to the actuators so they may also be collapsed and return to the illustrated configuration. Fluid tubes  50  are connected to the stators  40  and controlled as described above to cause rotation of the rotors  32  which in turn causes the vehicle  70  to move forward or backward. 
         [0066]      FIGS. 18-20  illustrate an exemplary four-wheel vehicle  80  which includes a pair of the two-wheel vehicles  70  connected by an elastomeric chassis  82 . Again, fluid tubes  50  are connected to the stators  40  and controlled as described above to cause rotation of the rotors  32  which in turn causes the vehicle  80  to move forward or backward. 
         [0067]    As one exemplary application, the rotary actuators described herein have the potential of greatly simplifying the mechanical complexity associated with current landing and roving systems. More specifically, the benefits may include being able to store and squeeze the vehicle in tight spaces; overcoming the problems of slow, laborious locomotion in state-of-the art undulating/crawling soft robots; and being able to withstand mechanical impact. 
         [0068]    These and other advantages of the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing specification. Accordingly, it will be recognized by those skilled in the art that changes or modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the broad inventive concepts of the disclosure. It should therefore be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the particular embodiments described herein, but is intended to include all changes and modifications that are within the scope and spirit of the disclosure as defined in the claims.