An underwater bionic lateral line tactile sensor

Abstract

The present invention provides an underwater bionic lateral line tactile sensor, which belongs to the field of underwater robot technology. The balance of internal and external pressures is achieved by filling the inside of the gel capsule and the compensator with magnetic fluid. The fluctuation of the pressure signal of the surrounding flow field acts on the gel capsule and will temporarily break the balance, causing the magnetic fluid to generate a weak current in the inductor. The environmental signal is measured by an array composed of multiple sensors to achieve perception of the environment. The beneficial effects of the present invention are: based on the principle of the lateral line neuromast of fish, the pressure compensation method is adopted to realize that the sensor can adapt to different environmental pressures and can always maintain good dynamic pressure measurement accuracy; the magnetic fluid power generation method is used to convert the flow field environmental pressure fluctuation signal into an electrical signal, so as to realize the perception of the flow field environment change, which is helpful for underwater vehicles such as AUV to adjust the power distribution and motion posture in real time, and improve their environmental adaptive ability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of underwater robots, and in particular to an underwater bionic lateral line tactile sensor. Background Art

[0002] Underwater robots are special robots used for underwater surveys and operations. They are increasingly used in marine resource development and military applications. Among them, miniaturized AUVs have gradually attracted attention due to their small size, low cost, and easy concealment. However, miniaturized AUVs also introduce problems such as susceptibility to interference from complex flow environments and low energy carrying capacity. To solve the above problems, it is first necessary to perceive and evaluate the flow environment as a basis for adjusting the AUV's adaptive posture. Research in the field of biology has found that fish have a tactile sensory organ of the lateral line system, which is composed of surface neuromasts and tubular neuromasts. When fish and the surrounding water flow move against each other, the flow velocity and water pressure will cause the sensory nerves under the cilia to generate signals, thereby performing functions such as interaction between peers, prey tracking, map positioning, maneuvering obstacle avoidance, and target recognition.

[0003] The most intuitive way to measure flow field signals is to measure the ambient pressure through a pressure sensor. Current pressure sensors mainly use principles such as capacitive and piezoelectric materials, and mainly measure static pressure. Therefore, they have great limitations in underwater environmental perception. For example, in terms of range, since the operating depth of AUV is usually a large range, the range of the sensor is often very large, which limits its measurement accuracy and makes it impossible to perceive weak fluctuations in the flow field; high-precision pressure sensors cannot adapt to deep underwater environments. Therefore, developing a bionic tactile sensor that can adapt to deep water environments and capture flow field fluctuation signals in real time is of great significance to improving the environmental perception capabilities of AUVs. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present invention provides an underwater bionic lateral line tactile sensor. Based on the principle of the lateral line neuromast of fish, a pressure compensation method is used to achieve the balance of the internal and external pressures of the sensor, which can adapt to different environmental pressures and always maintain a high dynamic pressure measurement accuracy. A magnetohydrodynamic power generation method is used to convert the flow field environmental pressure fluctuation signal into an electrical signal, thereby realizing the perception of the flow field environmental changes, which is helpful for underwater vehicles such as AUV to adjust the power distribution and motion posture in real time, and improve their environmental adaptability.

[0005] In order to solve the above technical problems, the embodiment of the present application provides an underwater bionic lateral line tactile sensor, characterized in that it includes a gel capsule, a liquid collector, a compensator, an inductor, a signal collector, a signal amplifier, a signal filter and a signal processor. The gel capsule is made of flexible material, including a capsule body and a sealing edge. The capsule body is a hemispherical structure with an O-shaped sealing edge at the edge. The gel capsule is fixed to a fixed platform through an upper pressure cover; the upper pressure cover is a "convex"-shaped structure, a sealing groove 1 and a fixing hole are provided at the edge of the lower surface, and filtering holes are evenly distributed on the upper surface; the fixed platform is a "concave"-shaped structure, a threaded hole and a sealing groove 2 matching the fixing hole are provided at the edge, the groove formed by the sealing groove 1 and the sealing groove 2 matches the specification size of the sealing edge, a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet are provided on the bottom surface of the fixed platform, and the sensor space composed of the gel capsule, the upper pressure cover and the fixed platform is filled with magnetic liquid; the inductor is divided into an inner tube and an outer tube, and the inner tube and the outer tube are A spiral wire groove is provided on the wall surface, and the wire is wound in the groove; the outer tube is made of non-magnetic shielding material, and through holes are provided at both ends of the side wall surface. The two ends of the wire pass through the through holes and are connected to the input end of the signal collector; the output end of the signal collector enters the signal processor after passing through the signal amplifier and the signal filter in turn; the two ends of the inner tube are sealed connectors, one end of which is sealed and connected with the liquid outlet, and the other end is sealed and connected with the liquid inlet of the liquid collector through a one-way valve two; the liquid collector is a hollow cavity, and a plurality of groups of liquid outlets and liquid inlets are provided on the upper surface, each group corresponds to a sensor formed by a gel capsule, and the liquid outlet is sealed and connected with the liquid inlet on the fixed platform through a one-way valve one and a connecting pipe; a sealing ring is provided between the lower surface and the back plate, and a sealing groove three and a locking hole are provided at the center of the back plate; the structure of the compensator is the same as that of the gel capsule, and the volume is larger than that of the gel capsule. The sealing edge at the edge matches the sealing groove, and is fixed to the back plate through a lower pressure cover and a locking hole.

[0006] As a preferred embodiment of the present scheme, the colloid capsule is made of one of silicone and fluororubber, and is formed by pressing with a mold. The thickness of the capsule body is 0.1-0.2 mm, and the size of the sealing edge is made according to the O-ring standard.

[0007] As a preferred embodiment of the present scheme, the one-way valve 1 and the one-way valve 2 are both non-metallic micro-liquid one-way valves, wherein the passing pressure of the one-way valve 1 is greater than the passing pressure of the one-way valve 2.

[0008] As a preferred embodiment of the present scheme, the liquid collector is made of non-metallic material, and one group of liquid outlets and liquid inlets on the upper surface are used as liquid filling holes, wherein the liquid inlet is sealed and connected to the magnetic liquid storage device, and the liquid outlet is connected to the vacuum pump. When filling the liquid, the liquid inlet is first locked, the vacuum pump is turned on, the entire sensor cavity is evacuated, and then the vacuum pump is turned off and the liquid inlet is opened to ensure that the magnetic liquid fills the internal cavity.

[0009] As a preferred embodiment of the present solution, the magnetic liquid is composed of nano-magnetic particles, a base liquid and a surfactant, wherein the base liquid is low-viscosity transformer oil and the surfactant is oleic acid.

[0010] As a preferred embodiment of the present solution, the inner tube of the inductor tube is made of superconductor material, and the outer tube is made of non-metallic insulating material.

[0011] As a preferred embodiment of the present scheme, the signal collector is a micro-current collector, which adopts the sampling resistance method for measurement; the signal amplifier adopts the program-controlled amplification method for signal amplification; the signal filter is provided with an A / D conversion module and a threshold filtering algorithm; the signal processor is provided with an algorithm for converting electrical signals into pressure values, and the pressure value is divided into two parts: ambient pressure and real-time dynamic pressure.

[0012] One or more technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application have at least the following technical effects or advantages:

[0013] Based on the principle of the lateral line neuromast of fish, the pressure compensation method is used to achieve the balance of internal and external pressures of the sensor, which can adapt to different environmental pressures and always maintain a high dynamic pressure measurement accuracy; the magnetohydrodynamic power generation method is used to convert the flow field environmental pressure fluctuation signal into an electrical signal, thereby realizing the perception of changes in the flow field environment, which helps AUV and other underwater vehicles to adjust power distribution and motion posture in real time, and improve their environmental adaptability. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative labor.

[0015] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of an embodiment of the present application;

[0016] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the colloid capsule according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0017] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of a colloid capsule according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0018] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the upper pressure cover of an embodiment of the present application;

[0019] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a cross-sectional structure of an upper gland in an embodiment of the present application;

[0020] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of a fixing platform according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0021] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a cross-sectional structure of a fixing platform in an embodiment of the present application;

[0022] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of an inductor according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0023] Fig. 9 Schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the inductor of the embodiment of the present application

[0024] Fig.10 is a schematic diagram of the bottom structure of the liquid collector of an embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Fig.11 It is a schematic diagram of the top surface structure of the liquid collector of an embodiment of the present application.

[0026] Figure 1-Figure 11 In: 1. colloid capsule, 1-1. capsule body, 1-2. sealing edge, 2. magnetic liquid, 3. upper pressure cover, 3-1. sealing groove 1, 3-2. fixing hole, 3-3. filtering hole, 4. fixing platform, 4-1. threaded hole, 4-2. liquid inlet, 4-3. liquid outlet, 4-4. sealing groove 2, 5. connecting pipe, 6. one-way valve 1, 7. liquid collector, 7-1. back plate, 7-2. locking hole, 7-3. sealing groove 3, 7-4. liquid outlet, 7-5. liquid inlet, 8. lower pressure cover, 9. compensator, 10. one-way valve 2, 11. inductor, 11-1. inner tube, 11-2. outer tube, 11-3. wire trough, 12. wire, 13. signal collector, 14. signal amplifier, 15. signal filter, 16. signal processor. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The present invention provides an underwater bionic lateral line tactile sensor. Based on the principle of the lateral line neuromast of fish, a pressure compensation method is used to achieve the balance of the internal and external pressures of the sensor, which can adapt to different environmental pressures and always maintain a high dynamic pressure measurement accuracy. A magnetohydrodynamic power generation method is used to convert the flow field environmental pressure fluctuation signal into an electrical signal, thereby realizing the perception of the flow field environmental changes, which is helpful for underwater vehicles such as AUV to adjust the power distribution and motion posture in real time, and improve their environmental adaptability.

[0028] In order to better understand the above technical solution, the above technical solution will be described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods.

[0029] like Figure 1-Figure 11As shown, an underwater bionic lateral line tactile sensor is characterized in that it includes a gel capsule 1, a liquid collector 7, a compensator 9, an inductor 11, a signal collector 13, a signal amplifier 14, a signal filter 15 and a signal processor 16. The gel capsule 1 is made of a flexible material and includes a capsule body 1-1 and a sealing edge 1-2. The capsule body 1-1 is a hemispherical structure with an O-shaped sealing edge 1-2 at the edge. The gel capsule 1 is connected to the upper cover 3. The upper pressure cover 3 is a "convex" shaped structure, with a sealing groove 3-1 and a fixing hole 3-2 at the edge of the lower surface, and filter holes 3-3 are evenly distributed on the upper surface. The fixed platform 4 is a "concave" shaped structure, with a threaded hole 4-1 and a sealing groove 4-4 matching the fixing hole 3-2 at the edge, and the groove formed by the sealing groove 3-1 and the sealing groove 4-4 matches the specifications of the sealing edge 1-2. The bottom surface of the fixed platform 4 is provided with a liquid inlet 4-2 and a liquid outlet 4-3, and the sensor space composed of the gel capsule 1, the upper pressure cover 3 and the fixed platform 4 is filled with a magnetic liquid 2; the inductor 11 is divided into an inner tube 11-1 and an outer tube 11-2, and the outer wall surface of the inner tube 11-1 is provided with a spiral wire groove 11-3, and the wire 12 is wound in the groove; the outer tube 11-2 is a non-magnetic shielding material, and the two ends of the side wall are provided with through holes, and the wire 12 The two ends of the inner tube 11-1 pass through the through hole to connect with the input end of the signal collector 13; the output end of the signal collector 13 passes through the signal amplifier 14 and the signal filter 15 in turn and enters the signal processor 16; the two ends of the inner tube 11-1 are sealed connectors, one end of which is sealed and connected with the liquid outlet 4-3, and the other end is sealed and connected with the liquid inlet 7-5 of the liquid collector 7 through the one-way valve 10; the liquid collector 7 is a hollow cavity, and a plurality of groups of liquid outlets 7-4 and liquid inlets 7-5 are provided on the upper surface, each The group corresponds to a sensor formed by a colloid capsule 1, and the liquid outlet 7-4 is sealed and connected with the liquid inlet 4-2 on the fixed platform 4 through a one-way valve 6 and a connecting pipe 5; a sealing ring is provided between the lower surface and the back plate 7-1, and a sealing groove 7-3 and a locking hole 7-2 are provided at the center of the back plate 7-1; the structure of the compensator 9 is the same as that of the colloid capsule 1, and the volume is larger than that of the colloid capsule 1, the sealing edge at the edge matches the sealing groove 7-3, and is fixed to the back plate 7-1 through a lower pressure cover 8 and the locking hole 7-2.

[0030] Among them, in actual application, the colloid capsule 1 is one of silicone and fluororubber, and is pressed by a mold. The thickness of the capsule body 1-1 is 0.1-0.2mm, and the size of the sealing edge 1-2 is made according to the O-ring standard, so that it has good flexibility and can deform with the pressure fluctuation of the external environment, thereby producing an extrusion flow for the magnetic liquid, minimizing the measurement error caused by the offset of the pressure fluctuation by its own hardness; at the same time, the sealing principle of the O-ring is used to achieve sealing isolation from the external environment.

[0031] Among them, in actual application, the one-way valve 1 6 and the one-way valve 2 10 are both non-metallic micro-liquid one-way valves, wherein the passing pressure of the one-way valve 1 6 is greater than the passing pressure of the one-way valve 2 10, ensuring that the magnetic liquid 2 inside the colloid capsule 1 can smoothly pass through the inductor 11, thereby generating an electrical signal. At the same time, the passing pressure difference between the two one-way valves can delay the replenishment of the liquid and prevent the magnetic liquid 2 from being unable to flow.

[0032] Among them, in actual application, the liquid collector 7 is made of non-metallic material, and one group of liquid outlets 7-4 and liquid inlet 7-5 on the upper surface are used as liquid filling holes, wherein the liquid inlet 7-5 is sealed and connected to the magnetic liquid storage device, and the liquid outlet 7-4 is connected to the vacuum pump. When filling the liquid, first lock the liquid inlet 7-5, turn on the vacuum pump, evacuate the entire cavity of the sensor, and then turn off the vacuum pump, open the liquid inlet 7-5, and ensure that the magnetic liquid 2 fills the internal cavity.

[0033] In practical applications, the magnetic liquid 2 is composed of nano-magnetic particles, a base liquid and a surfactant, wherein the base liquid is low-viscosity transformer oil, and the surfactant is oleic acid. The magnetic particles are used to make the magnetic liquid 2 magnetic, the base liquid makes it have good fluidity, and the surfactant can prevent the particles from agglomerating.

[0034] In practical applications, the inner tube 11-1 of the inductor 11 is made of a superconductor material, and the outer tube 11-2 is made of a non-metallic insulating material. When the magnetic liquid 2 is squeezed by the external environmental pressure, a unidirectional flow is generated, and the movement of cutting the magnetic flux lines in the coil composed of the conductor (12) generates an electrical signal, thereby realizing the conversion of the pressure signal into the electrical signal.

[0035] Among them, in actual applications, the signal collector 13 is a micro-current collector, which adopts the sampling resistance method for measurement; the signal amplifier 14 adopts a program-controlled amplification method to amplify the signal; the signal filter 15 is provided with an A / D conversion module and a threshold filtering algorithm; the signal processor 16 is provided with an electrical signal and a pressure value conversion algorithm, and the pressure value is divided into two parts: ambient pressure and real-time dynamic pressure. Through the weak current signal processing method, the interference noise can be filtered to obtain an ideal perception signal, and with the help of the ambient pressure fluctuation signal and the fish lateral line perception mechanism, the surrounding underwater targets can be identified and located.

[0036] Working principle: Through the interconnection between the gel capsule 1 and the compensator 9, the interior of the sensor is always filled with magnetic liquid 2, achieving a balance between internal and external pressures; when there are moving targets or ocean currents passing through the operating environment, it will cause fluctuations in the surrounding flow field pressure signal, which will directly act on the gel capsule 1, causing the internal and external pressures to temporarily break the balance, thereby causing the internal magnetic liquid 2 to flow. By utilizing the magnetic characteristics of the magnetic liquid 2, a weak current will be generated when it moves in the coil of the inductor 11, and the magnitude and frequency of the current are strongly correlated with the external environmental pressure fluctuations. By collecting this electrical signal and amplifying and filtering it, the pressure signal in the environment can be well collected, and the environmental signal can be measured using an array composed of multiple sensors, thereby realizing the perception of the environment.

[0037] The above is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and does not constitute any form of limitation to the present invention. Although the present invention has been disclosed as a preferred embodiment, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any technician familiar with the profession can make some changes or modifications to equivalent embodiments of equivalent changes using the technical contents disclosed above without departing from the scope of the technical solution of the present invention. However, any simple modification, equivalent change and modification made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the content of the technical solution of the present invention still falls within the scope of the technical solution of the present invention.

Claims

1. An underwater bionic lateral line tactile sensor, characterized in that: The invention comprises a gel capsule (1), a liquid collector (7), a compensator (9), an inductor (11), a signal collector (13), a signal amplifier (14), a signal filter (15) and a signal processor (16); the gel capsule (1) is made of a flexible material and comprises a capsule body (1-1) and a sealing edge (1-2); the capsule body (1-1) is a hemispherical structure, and an O-shaped sealing edge (1-2) is provided at the edge; the gel capsule (1) is fixed on a fixing platform (4) through an upper pressure cover (3); the upper pressure cover (3) is a "convex" shaped structure, and a sealing groove (3-1) and a fixing hole (3-2) are provided at the edge of the lower surface; filtering holes (3-3) are evenly distributed on the upper surface; the fixing platform (4 ) is a "concave"-shaped structure, with a threaded hole (4-1) and a second sealing groove (4-4) matching the fixing hole (3-2) provided at the edge, the groove formed by the first sealing groove (3-1) and the second sealing groove (4-4) matching the specifications and dimensions of the sealing edge (1-2), a liquid inlet (4-2) and a liquid outlet (4-3) provided on the bottom surface of the fixing platform (4), the sensor space composed of the gel capsule (1), the upper pressure cover (3) and the fixing platform (4) is filled with magnetic liquid (2); the inductor (11) is divided into an inner tube (11-1) and an outer tube (11-2), the outer wall surface of the inner tube (11-1) is provided with a spiral wire groove (11-3), and the wire is wound in the groove (12); the outer tube (11-2) is made of non-magnetic shielding material, and through holes are provided at both ends of the side wall surface, and the two ends of the wire (12) pass through the through holes and are connected to the input end of the signal collector (13); the output end of the signal collector (13) passes through the signal amplifier (14) and the signal filter (15) in sequence and then enters the signal processor (16); the two ends of the inner tube (11-1) are sealed connectors, one end of which is sealedly connected to the liquid outlet (4-3), and the other end is sealedly connected to the liquid inlet (7-5) of the liquid collector (7) through a one-way valve (10); the liquid collector (7) is a hollow cavity, and a plurality of groups of liquid outlets (7-4) and liquid inlets (7-5) are provided on the upper surface. 5), each group corresponds to a sensor formed by a colloid capsule (1), the liquid outlet (7-4) is sealed and connected to the liquid inlet (4-2) on the fixed platform (4) through a one-way valve (6) and a connecting pipe (5); a sealing ring is provided between the lower surface and the back plate (7-1), and a sealing groove (7-3) and a locking hole (7-2) are provided at the center of the back plate (7-1); the edge of the compensator (9) is provided with a sealing edge matching the sealing groove (7-3), and is fixed to the back plate (7-1) through a lower pressure cover (8) and the locking hole (7-2); the colloid capsule (1) is one of silica gel and fluororubber, and is formed by pressing with a mold, and the thickness of the capsule body (1-1) is 0.1-0.2mm, the size of the sealing edge (1-2) is made according to the standard of O-ring; the one-way valve 1 (6) and the one-way valve 2 (10) are both non-metallic micro-liquid one-way valves, wherein the passing pressure of the one-way valve 1 (6) is greater than the passing pressure of the one-way valve 2 (10).

2. The underwater bionic lateral line tactile sensor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The liquid collector (7) is made of non-metallic material, and a group of liquid outlets (7-4) and liquid inlets (7-5) on the upper surface are used as liquid filling holes, wherein the liquid inlet (7-5) is sealed and connected to the magnetic liquid storage device, and the liquid outlet (7-4) is connected to the vacuum pump. When filling the liquid, the liquid inlet (7-5) is first locked, the vacuum pump is turned on, and the entire cavity of the sensor is evacuated, and then the vacuum pump is turned off and the liquid inlet (7-5) is opened to ensure that the magnetic liquid (2) fills the internal cavity.

3. The underwater bionic lateral line tactile sensor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The magnetic liquid (2) is composed of nano magnetic particles, a base liquid and a surfactant, wherein the base liquid is low-viscosity transformer oil and the surfactant is oleic acid.

4. The underwater bionic lateral line tactile sensor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inner tube (11-1) of the inductor tube (11) is made of superconductor material, and the outer tube (11-2) is made of non-metallic insulating material.

5. The underwater bionic lateral line tactile sensor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The signal collector (13) is a micro-current collector, which adopts the sampling resistance method for measurement; the signal amplifier (14) adopts the program-controlled amplification method for signal amplification; the signal filter (15) is provided with an A / D conversion module and a threshold filtering algorithm; the signal processor (16) is provided with an algorithm for converting electrical signals to pressure values, and the pressure value is divided into two parts: ambient pressure and real-time dynamic pressure.

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