Articulated support arm
View Patent ↗An articulated supporting arm having a first rigid section, a second rigid section, a third rigid section, a first flexible section and a second flexible section, The articulated supporting arm is formed by a plurality of flat strips having two flat sides parallel to each other, Each of the flat strips has one or two flat sides overlapped with, parallel to and in close contact with, flat sides of adjacent flat strips. A compressive covering compresses the flat strips in a radial direction, such that flexural mobility of the first and second flexible sections is limited to a flexural plane perpendicular to the overlapped flat sides and a bending of the first flexible section in a first direction is transmitted to the second flexible section through a slip between the flat strips, causing an automatic bending of the second flexible section in a second direction opposed to the first direction.
1 . An articulated supporting arm comprising a first rigid section, a second rigid section, a third rigid section, a first flexible section between the first rigid section and the second rigid section, and a second flexible section between the second rigid section and the third rigid section, the articulated supporting arm being formed by:
a plurality of flat strips elongated in a longitudinal direction and spanning uninterruptedly from the first rigid section to the third rigid section, each flat strip being flexible and inelastic in the longitudinal direction and having two flat sides parallel to the longitudinal direction and parallel to each other;
at least one flat side of the flat sides of each of the flat strips is overlapped with, parallel to and in close contact with, at least one flat side of the flat sides of at least one adjacent flat strip;
each of the flat strips has a first end attached to the first rigid section and a second end opposite the first end, and only one of the flat strips, serving as an anchoring strip, has the second end attached to the third rigid section;
a compressive covering spanning uninterruptedly from the first rigid section to the third rigid section, compressing the flat strips in a radial direction, pressing the overlapped flat sides together, increasing friction between the overlapped flat sides, and preventing lateral displacement of the flat strips, such that flexural mobility of the first and second flexible sections is limited to a flexural plane perpendicular to the overlapped flat sides; and
a bending of the first flexible section in a first direction is transmittable to the second flexible section through a slip between the flat strips, causing an automatic bending of the second flexible section on the flexural plane in a second direction opposed to the first direction.
2 . The articulated supporting arm according to claim 1 , wherein the compressing of the flat strips in the radial direction produced by the compressive covering around sections of the flat strips comprised on the third rigid section is greater than around sections of the flat strips comprised on the first rigid section, the first flexible section, and/or the second rigid section.
3 . The articulated supporting arm according to claim 2 , wherein the flat strips, excluding the anchoring strip, each have the second end housed in an expansion housing, and the expansion housing is hollow in the longitudinal direction and provided within the third rigid section.
4 . The articulated supporting arm according to claim 1 , wherein the anchoring strip is a metal strap and/or has a thickness equal to or less than 0.6 mm.
5 . The articulated supporting arm according to claim 1 , wherein at least two of the flat strips are:
electricity-conducting strips, having a first end connectable to a power source, and having a second end, opposite the first end, connectable to an electrical energy-consuming device; or electricity-conducting strips, having a first end connectable to a first electrical signal emitter and/or a first electrical signal receiver, and having a second end, opposite the first end, connectable to a second electrical signal emitter and/or a second electrical signal receiver; or
light-conducting strips, having a first end connectable to a first light signal emitter and/or a first light signal receiver, and having a second end, opposite the first end, connectable to a second light signal emitter and/or a second light signal receiver.
6 . The articulated supporting arm according to claim 5 , wherein the flat strips, excluding the anchoring strip and the electricity-conducting strips, are made of a plastic material, polyester, polystyrene or polypropylene and/or each have a thickness equal to or less than 1 mm.
7 . The articulated supporting arm according to claim 1 , wherein the flat strips, excluding the anchoring strip, are made of a plastic material, polyester, polystyrene or polypropylene and/or each have a thickness equal to or less than 1 mm.
8 . The articulated supporting arm according to claim 1 , wherein the compressive covering comprises one of the following:
a strip tightly wound around the flat strips; or
two strips tightly wound in opposite directions around the flat strips.
9 . The articulated supporting arm according to claim 1 , wherein each rigid section is formed by a rigid tube surrounding a portion of the flat strips.
10 . The articulated supporting arm according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of flat strips include an equal number of flat strips on each of the flat sides of the anchoring strip.
11 . The articulated supporting arm according to claim 1 , wherein each of the flat sides of each of one or more flat strips of the flat strips is overlapped with, parallel to and in close contact with, a respective one of the flat sides of two opposed adjacent flat strips located on the flat sides of the flat strip.