RECONFIGURABLE EDUCATIONAL MANIPULATOR ROBOT PROTOTYPE
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- MX · MX
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- UNIV OF THE VALLEY OF MEXICO SC
- Filing Date
- 2022-07-27
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-12
AI Technical Summary
Existing educational robots lack the ability to interact with scenarios such as the motion capture system and do not facilitate the construction of various configurations, limiting their pedagogical effectiveness and versatility.
A reconfigurable educational manipulator robot composed of links and joints with a graphical interface, allowing users to define configurations and execute tasks in traditional classrooms and motion capture systems, incorporating features like laser projection, MoCap markers, and interactive learning through a variety of robotic configurations.
Enhances interactive learning by enabling users to understand complex concepts like kinematics and promote versatile educational experiences across different scenarios, including traditional classrooms and motion capture systems.
Smart Images
Figure MX434915B0
Abstract
Description
RECONFIGURABLE EDUCATIONAL MANIPULATOR ROBOT PROTOTYPE Technical field of the invention The present invention relates to a reconfigurable educational manipulator robot that allows a user to define a robot configuration (using links and rotational and prismatic actuation joints) and thus establish a sequence of tasks to be executed in order to interact with a specific element that fosters the learning process. This sequence is defined by means of a graphical interface, which offers the user a set of task options and their respective arguments. The tasks allow for the construction of theoretical concepts such as workspace, position, orientation, rotation, translation, forward kinematics, and inverse kinematics. Because the robot is reconfigurable, it is possible to establish various tasks and their interaction in two scenarios for which the robot is designed: the traditional classroom and the motion capture (MoCap) system. In particular, the present invention relates to a reconfigurable educational manipulator robot that is applicable to the two scenarios mentioned for educational purposes in the field of educational mechatronics. QczRnn / zznz / B / YiAi Background of the invention In the education sector, having tools to REF. 333201 Educational support that is engaging for students and motivates the learning of complex concepts is of fundamental importance today. Educational robots have gained significant importance due to the fascination they inspire in children and adults, and they are one of the most widely used options for teaching basic subjects such as mathematics, physics, programming, logic, electronics, and mechanics, among others. This is because they are very attractive, versatile, and multidisciplinary in nature for students of all ages. Furthermore, their structural complexity can range from the simplest (a planar robot with one joint) to the most complex (such as a humanoid robot). Finally, the mechanical nature of robots makes it very easy to modify them and establish new robotic configurations. Therefore, many commercial products consisting of educational robots have emerged in recent decades. Among them we can find: Lego Mindstorms EV3 This robotics kit is the standard in educational robotics worldwide. Its philosophy is based on offering a wide variety of parts for the user to build the robot's mechanical structure. It also provides a set of sensors and actuators that allow the designed structure to move and interact with its environment. This behavior is The QezRnn / zznz / B / YiAi program is installed on an electronic control board called Brick, which is programmed via a computer or mobile application. Manual interaction between the user and the mechanical parts once the robot is built is not part of its design philosophy. Makeblock Ultimate 2.0 It's an advanced programmable robot kit comprising over 550 mechanical parts and electronic modules for 10 custom robots and many more maker projects. Ideal for robot enthusiasts, who can build exciting projects with this kit. Its philosophy is to help people turn their ideas into reality and take education to the next level. This concept doesn't define the pedagogical process based on the robot's interaction with a scenario like a motion capture system, nor does it focus on building various manipulator robot configurations. Erector by Meccano, Intro to Robotics Innovation Set, STEAM Building Kit with Sensors and Real Motor It is a kit with a creation system offering creative possibilities and based on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics), where the student learns the fundamental principles of design. QezRnn / zznz / B / YiAi engineering and programming as they experiment with real electronic components like an infrared sensor and a high-torque motor to build motorized cars, robots, or anything else they can imagine. The included Maker Tool makes it easy to transform any material (even recyclable items) into a new part for their creations, with a built-in multi-hole punch and screw gauge. Their philosophy is that as children learn about robotics and bring their builds to life, they'll see how science, technology, engineering, arts, and math concepts are applied practically, in the best way. This concept does not define the pedagogical process based on the robot's interaction with a specific scenario, nor does it include elements for use in a motion capture system. In another context, the prior art includes robots such as application US4600355, which describes a modular robotic system with interchangeable basic parts. This system has an educational purpose, but it does not include a positioning system, nor does it incorporate the robot's interaction with the motion capture system's environment. QezRnn / zznz / B / YiAi Brief description of the invention The reconfigurable educational manipulator robot referred to in the present invention is composed of a base, a series of links (graduated and non-graduated) joined by joints (rotational and prismatic) that allow relative movement between each two consecutive links, an angular graduation system in the rotational joints, a laser in the prismatic joints activated by an ON-OFF switch, a Cartesian and polar coordinate panel, reference systems, MoCap markers, and a graphical user interface. Brief description of the figures The present invention will be better understood from the following figures taken in conjunction with the detailed description of the invention, where the figures depict: Figure 1 shows a dimetric view and components of the manipulator robot. Figure 2 shows a dimetric view and rotational joint components. Figure 3 shows a dimetric view and prismatic joint components. Figure 4 shows a top view of a Cartesian and polar coordinate panel of the educational manipulator robot. Figure 5 shows a top view of the educational manipulator robot. Qezpnn / zznz / B / Y Figure 6 shows a dimetric view of the robot QezRnn / zznz / B / YiAi educational manipulator. Detailed description of the invention It should be noted that in this application the parts of the reconfigurable educational manipulator robot 100 will be described individually by referring to the figures, but this description of the individual parts should be considered as illustrative and not limiting because the configurable robot 100 may comprise more than one of the parts described herein. Figure 1 shows the exploded view of the components of the reconfigurable educational manipulator robot 100. The robot comprises a base 2 with four holes 50. A square rod support 6 is used in any of the holes 50 to attach a three-dimensional axis (x, y, z) or a reference frame 7, which is intended to show the user the reference frame 7 fixed to the earth. A non-graduated link 3, a rigid structure, connects a Cartesian and polar coordinate panel 1 to a rotational joint support 9. The non-graduated link 3 is inserted through the base 2 via a square or rectangular receptacle hole 51. The non-graduated link 3 is secured to the base 2 and the rotational joint support 9 using fasteners such as screws 4 and nuts 5.At least one rotational joint 10 is mounted on the rotational joint support 9, enabling rotational movement of a manipulator arm from 0° to 360° with a fixed resolution. The rotational joint support 9 is coupled to the at least one rotational joint 10 by means of screws 4 and nuts 5. The at least one rotational joint 10 further contains an upper hole 10a for attaching a reference system 7' by means of a square rod support 6' on the axis of action of said joint. The at least one rotational joint 10 also comprises a rectangular or square lateral receptacle for receiving a graduated link 11 with the aid of a screw 4 and a nut 5.The graduation of said link 11 allows linear movement in both directions and its position is fixed by a screw 13, at the end of link 11 where the screw 13 is fixed, at least one prismatic joint or end effector 12 is inserted which has a laser 25, whose light projected orthogonally on the Cartesian and polar coordinate panel 1 defines the position of the at least one prismatic joint 12. The at least one prismatic joint 12 has a receiver into which a square rod support 6'' is inserted to accommodate another reference system 7''. A limiter is attached to one side of the prismatic joint, which is responsible for limiting the maximum upper displacement that the at least one prismatic joint 12 can perform. Referring to Figure 2, it can be observed that the at least one rotational joint 10 is composed of a fixed lower part 15 containing a fixed number of angular positions that provide static resolution to the at least one rotational joint 10, and contains a triangular indicator 22 that indicates the robot's angular position. Furthermore, the at least one rotational joint 10 comprises a movable upper part 16 containing an angular graduated scale 21 ranging from 0° to 360°.The fixed lower part 15 and the movable upper part 16 are joined by a rod spring system with support comprising a threaded rod 20, a spring 17, a washer 18 and two nuts 19, allowing the fixed lower part 15 and the movable upper part 16 to maintain a position, which can be modified by moving the movable upper part 16 upwards and then rotating it to a desired angular position. As shown in Figure 3, the at least one prismatic joint 12 is composed of a housing 23 that includes a triangular indicator 24 that indicates the linear displacement of the at least one prismatic joint 12, an ON-OFF switch 26 that has the function of turning on the laser 25 which is powered by a battery QezRnn / zznz / B / YiAi 27. It is worth mentioning that the light projected orthogonally by said laser 25 on the Cartesian and polar coordinate panel 1 defines the position of the prismatic joint in a visual way, which can be used in a traditional classroom. The Cartesian and polar coordinate panel 1 is designed with two different coordinate systems to maximize the educational value of the reconfigurable educational manipulator robot 100. In Cartesian coordinates, the mesh has a resolution of 1 cm for the xy axis and 1 cm for the y axis, while in polar coordinates, the resolution is 2 cm for the length r and 10° for the angular value θ. The purpose of panel 1 is to inform the user of the position of at least one prismatic joint 12, which can be defined as a point with Cartesian coordinates (x, y) or polar coordinates (r, θ') depending on the educational objectives of the activity. This point is defined by the point of incidence of the light emitted by the laser 25 on plane 1 (see Figures 4 and 5). With the intention of expanding the educational scenarios and strategies where the reconfigurable educational manipulator robot 100 can be used, it is equipped with MoCap 8 markers, which have a surface with the property of reflecting light, where the light is captured QezRnn / zznz / B / YiAi by infrared cameras of a motion capture system which provides position and orientation of said markers 8 that are fixed to the reference systems 7, Ί' , Ί'', so it is possible to know the position and orientation of the base 2 of the robot 100, of the at least one rotational joint 10, and the at least one prismatic joint or end effector 12 . On the other hand, users of the reconfigurable educational manipulator robot 100 determine the configuration and scenario where the sequence of tasks will be executed. This sequence aims to address mechatronic concepts of robot kinematics, such as workspace, position, orientation, rotation, translation, forward kinematics, and inverse kinematics, by interacting with a specific element that fosters the learning process. This sequence is defined through a graphical interface and offers the user a set of task options and their respective arguments. The graphical interface is configured with these task options and arguments so that a user can interact with or learn interactively using the robot's current configuration. Finally, it is possible to define various different robotic configurations using the links and joints described as fundamental building blocks. Among QezRnn / zznz / B / YiAi They can be found: serial manipulator robots, planar robots with multiple degrees of freedom, parallel robots, Cartesian robots, humanoid robots, and all their possible combinations. Each and every one of the components described in the present invention aims to provide interactive learning to the user by allowing them to understand the position and / or placement of certain parts, for example, reference systems, the location of the laser in the Cartesian or polar plane, degrees of freedom, etc. It is hereby stated that, as of this date, the best method known to the applicant for putting the aforementioned invention into practice is the one that is clear from the present description of the invention.
Claims
1. A reconfigurable educational manipulator robot, characterized in that it comprises: at least one rotational joint; at least one prismatic joint; a base with four holes, the base attached to a Cartesian and polar coordinate panel; a non-graduated link fixed to a receptacle hole of the base; a rotational joint support fixed to the non-graduated link and to the at least one rotational joint; wherein the at least one rotational joint includes a lateral receptacle to receive a graduated link; wherein the at least one prismatic joint is inserted through the graduated link, the movement of the at least one prismatic joint being limited by a delimiter fixed to one end of the graduated link; wherein each of the base, the at least one rotational joint and the at least one prismatic joint includes a reference system coupled by a rod;wherein the reference system comprises motion capture (MoCap) markers configured to output QczRnn / zznz / B / YiAi information to a graphical user interface; 2. The robot according to claim 1, characterized in that the at least one rotational joint comprises a fixed lower part and a movable upper part.
3. The robot according to claim 2, characterized in that the fixed lower part contains a fixed number of angular positions that provide a static resolution.
4. The robot according to claim 2, characterized in that the fixed lower part comprises a triangular indicator.
5. The robot according to claim 2, characterized in that the movable upper part comprises an angular graduate from 0 to 360°.
6. The robot according to claim 2, characterized in that the fixed lower part and the movable upper part are connected with a modifiable rod spring system.
7. The robot according to claim 6, characterized in that the rod spring system comprises a threaded rod, a spring, a washer and two nuts.
8. The robot according to claim 1, characterized in that the at least one prismatic joint comprises a housing housing an ON-OFF switch, a laser and a battery. QezRnn / zznz / B / YiAi 9. The robot according to claim 8, characterized in that the laser is configured to project light orthogonally to the Cartesian and polar coordinate panel.
10. The robot according to claim 1, characterized in that the graduated link comprises a screw configured to fix its linear movement.
11. The robot according to claim 1, characterized in that the Cartesian and polar coordinate panel comprises a resolution of 1 cm for the x and y axis, a length resolution r of 2 cm and an angular value Θ of 10°.
12. The robot according to claim 1, characterized in that the at least one prismatic joint comprises a triangular indicator.