US 11,946,533 B2
Twisted string actuator
Dong Jun Shin, Seoul (KR); and Seung Ryeol Lee, Seoul (KR)
Assigned to CHUNGANG UNIVERSITY INDUSTRY-ACADEMIC COOPERATION FOUNDATION, Seoul (KR)
Appl. No. 17/413,769
Filed by CHUNGANG UNIVERSITY INDUSTRY-ACADEMIC COOPERATION FOUNDATION, Seoul (KR)
PCT Filed Jun. 28, 2019, PCT No. PCT/KR2019/007851
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jul. 29, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/141671, PCT Pub. Date Jul. 9, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 10-2018-0173605 (KR), filed on Dec. 31, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2022/0049760 A1, Feb. 17, 2022
Int. Cl. F16H 37/12 (2006.01); B25J 9/10 (2006.01); F16H 19/06 (2006.01)
CPC F16H 37/124 (2013.01) [B25J 9/104 (2013.01); F16H 19/0654 (2013.01)] 7 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A twisted string actuator comprising:
a driving source having an output shaft;
a driving part that receives power from the driving source, wherein the driving part is a driving gear connected to the output shaft configured for rotation;
a driven part that is installed to be interlocked with the driving part and receives the power from the driving part, wherein the driven part is a pair of driven gears arranged on both sides of the driving gear and engaged with the driving gear, and the pair of driven gears includes a first driven gear and a second driven gear;
a string that is connected to the driving part and the driven part to be twisted or untwisted, wherein the string comprises a driving string and a driven string; and
a driving compensator that is installed at an end of the string and compensates for ununiform driving of the string,
wherein the driving string is connected to an end of the driving gear,
wherein the driven string includes a first driven string coupled to an end of the first driven gear and a second driven string coupled to an end of the second driven gear, and
wherein the driving compensator includes:
a first support plate through which the driving string, the first driven string, and the second driven string pass,
a plurality of second support plates which are installed to be spaced apart from the first support plate and to which the driving string, the first driven string, and the second driven string are fixed, respectively, and
an elastic member is provided for each of the driving string, the first driven string and the second driven string with one end of each elastic member supported by the first support plate and another end of each elastic member is supported by respective second support plates, and each elastic member provides an elastic force in a direction in which the driving string, the first driven string, and the second driven string is untwisted.