A negative pressure adsorption device for a wall-climbing robot

Abstract

The present invention relates to a negative pressure adsorption device for a wall-climbing robot, belonging to the technical field of wall-climbing robots. It comprises a magnetorheological elastomer drive mechanism, a silicone suction cup and a thin film electrode mechanism. The magnetorheological elastomer drive mechanism comprises a tubular shell, an intermediate body, a coil, a magnetorheological elastomer, a cylindrical steel block and a permanent magnet. The flexible thin film electrode mechanism is annular and comprises an upper film, an electrode and a lower film, and a stretchable electrode is fixed between the upper film and the lower film. The present invention controls the magnetic field size by adjusting the reverse current of the coil, controls the magnetorheological elastomer to deform downward to block the axial through hole of the intermediate body, maintains the negative pressure inside the silicone suction cup, and realizes controllable adsorption. The electrodes of the thin film electrode mechanism are connected to high voltage, generate electrostatic adsorption with the wall surface, reduce the characteristic length of the gap, reduce gas leakage, and realize adsorption on the rough wall surface. The present invention has a fast response speed, low power consumption, and is noiseless, and is suitable for use on walls of different materials and roughness.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of wall-climbing robots, and in particular relates to a negative pressure adsorption device for a wall-climbing robot. Background Art

[0002] In the field of wall-climbing robots, devices based on electrostatic adsorption, magnetic adsorption, negative pressure adsorption, and biomimetic adsorption have been developed. Electrostatic adsorption technology can adhere to a wide range of surfaces and can adapt to rough surfaces. However, its main drawback is its sensitivity to dust and moisture, and the high electrostatic voltage required to achieve sufficient adsorption force. Magnetic adsorption technology provides fast, stable adsorption. However, its main drawback is its strict requirements for the surface material, which must be ferromagnetic. Negative pressure adsorption is simple and easy to implement, and is currently widely used. However, its main drawback is that it can only adhere to relatively smooth surfaces, has a slow response, and in some cases requires high power consumption to maintain a high vacuum. Bionic technology mimics the adsorption method of natural organisms, significantly increasing the contact area through improved structure and layout, thereby providing stable adsorption force. However, its main drawback is its difficulty adapting to common smooth surfaces. Therefore, a new adsorption technology is needed that can achieve fast, adaptable, stable, and low-power adsorption. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In order to achieve stable, effective and controllable adsorption of smooth and rough surfaces, and have good adsorption adaptability to adsorption surfaces of different materials and roughness, while having low power consumption, the present invention provides a negative pressure adsorption device for a wall-climbing robot.

[0004] A negative pressure adsorption device for a wall-climbing robot comprises a magnetorheological elastomer drive mechanism 1, a silicone suction cup 2, and a thin film electrode mechanism 3;

[0005] The magnetorheological elastomer drive mechanism 1 includes a tubular outer shell, an intermediate body 15, a coil 14, a magnetorheological elastomer 12, a cylindrical steel block 16 and a permanent magnet 17; the intermediate body 15 is a stepped metal cylinder with a through hole 150 in the axial center, one axial end being a large diameter end and the other axial end being a small diameter end, and the large diameter end of the intermediate body 15 is provided with an annular wire slot; the coil 14 is a circular coil and is arranged in the wire slot of the intermediate body 15; the cylindrical steel block 16 and the permanent magnet 17 are arranged in the circular center hole of the coil 14 from top to bottom; the magnetorheological elastomer 12 is sealed and fitted with a port at the large diameter end of the intermediate body 15; the tubular outer shell is sleeved on the intermediate body 15;

[0006] The silicone suction cup 2 is disc-shaped, with an axial vent hole formed in the center thereof, a boss 20 formed in the center of the outer side of the silicone suction cup 2, an axial mounting hole formed on the boss 20, and the mounting hole is connected to the vent hole; the small-diameter end of the intermediate body 15 is fitted into the mounting hole of the boss 20 on the silicone suction cup 2;

[0007] The thin film electrode mechanism 3 is annular and comprises an upper film 30, an annular electrode 31 and a lower film 32 which are fixedly connected in sequence; the inner circumference of the upper film 30 and the inner circumference of the lower film 32 on the thin film electrode mechanism 3 are naturally bonded to the outer circumference of the silicone suction cup 2;

[0008] On the one hand, the formation of negative pressure inside the suction cup is controlled by turning on and off the DC current source external to the coil 14, thereby generating a reliable and fast-responding adsorption capacity of the silicone suction cup 2; on the other hand, a high-voltage, low-power DC voltage source is externally connected to the electrode 31 in the thin-film electrode mechanism 3, and the electrostatic adsorption effect generated by the electric field is utilized to promote the thin-film electrode mechanism 3 on the outside of the silicone suction cup 2 to deform and fit into the rough adsorption wall surface, thereby reducing the effective length of the leakage gap when the silicone suction cup 2 contacts the rough wall surface, enhancing the ability of the adsorption device to maintain the internal and external pressure difference, and thus enhancing the adaptability of the negative pressure adsorption device to the rough surface.

[0009] Further technical solutions are as follows:

[0010] The material of the tubular shell is a photocurable material, specifically a polyurethane acrylate material; the shell is composed of a semi-circular tubular first shell 10 and a semi-circular tubular second shell 11 axially aligned and connected by pins; handles are respectively provided on the top of the first shell 10 and the top of the second shell 11; a wire hole 100 is opened on one side of the first shell 10 or one side of the second shell 11.

[0011] The intermediate body 15 is made of stainless steel magnetic conductive material.

[0012] The magnetorheological elastomer 12 is made of iron powder, silica gel and silicone oil in a mass ratio of 7:2:1, and has the appearance of a thin film with a thickness of 1 mm.

[0013] The material of the silicone suction cup 2 is platinum silicone.

[0014] The electrode 31 is made of silver. The electrode 31 includes three silver rings radially arranged in sequence. The three silver rings are radially connected at two locations. The width of each silver ring is 3 mm, and the radial gap between adjacent silver rings is 1 mm.

[0015] The upper film 30 is made of platinum silicone (Ecoflex-0050) film.

[0016] The lower film 32 is made of platinum silicone (Dragon Skin-10 slow) film.

[0017] The beneficial technical effects of the present invention are embodied in the following aspects:

[0018] 1. The present invention realizes effective and controllable adsorption of the suction cup on smooth and rough surfaces through the magnetorheological elastomer driver 1 and the flexible thin film electrode mechanism 3. The effective adsorption strength on the smooth surface reaches 9.16 kPa, and the adsorption strength on the rough surface reaches 3.05 kPa, and the response time of the adsorption device is controlled within 30 to 50 ms. At the same time, since the step of reducing the gap through electrostatic adsorption only needs to ensure that the effect is achieved when the suction cup is attached to the wall surface, the negative pressure can be maintained thereafter, without the need for continuous exhaust during the entire adsorption process like vacuum pump adsorption, ensuring that the power consumption required for adsorption does not need to be very high, thereby achieving an adsorption effect that is better than the existing controllable adsorption technology.

[0019] 2. The magnetorheological elastomer 12 of the present invention can control its deformation through an external magnetic field. When the coil 14 does not pass reverse current, the magnetorheological elastomer 12 is affected by the magnetic field of the permanent magnet 17, causing it to deform downward, blocking the axial pores 150 of the intermediate body 15. When the silicone suction cup 2 deforms and adsorbs to the wall, the air in the axial pores 150 of the intermediate body 15 is discharged from the silicone suction cup 2 through the gap, forming a negative pressure inside the silicone suction cup 2. When the silicone suction cup 2 needs to leave the wall, the coil 14 is passed through a reverse current, so that the magnetic field generated by the coil 14 offsets the magnetic field of the permanent magnet 17. At this time, the magnetorheological elastomer 12 recovers from its deformation, the axial pores 150 of the intermediate body 15 are no longer blocked, and the negative pressure inside the silicone suction cup 2 is no longer maintained, allowing the silicone suction cup 2 to quickly release the adsorption state. This control method provides the silicone suction cup 2 with a controllable and fast-response adsorption capability. The flexible thin film electrode mechanism 3 arranged on the periphery of the silicone suction cup 2 generates an electric field between the two electrodes by passing high voltage electricity with opposite polarities through the two crossed electrodes of the annular electrode 31, thereby realizing electrostatic adsorption, so that the flexible thin film electrode mechanism 3 is deformed by the electrostatic adsorption force and adsorbed on the rough wall surface, thereby reducing the effective length of the leakage gap when the flexible thin film electrode mechanism 3 on the periphery of the suction cup contacts the rough wall surface, thereby greatly reducing the leakage rate, enhancing the ability of the adsorption device to maintain the internal and external pressure difference, and enhancing the adaptability of the negative pressure adsorption device to rough surfaces. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Exploded diagram.

[0022] Figure 3 for Figure 1 sectional view of .

[0023] Figure 4 for Figure 3 A partial enlarged view of a.

[0024] Figure 5 It is a structural schematic diagram of the first shell of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the structure of the intermediate of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the structure of the coil of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 8 It is a structural schematic diagram of the suction cup of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 9 Schematic diagram of the structure of the stretchable electrode of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 10 Schematic diagram of the structure of the flexible thin film electrode of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 11 This is a usage scenario diagram of the present invention.

[0031] Serial numbers in the above figure: magnetorheological elastomer drive mechanism 1, silicone suction cup 2, thin film electrode mechanism 3, first shell 10, second shell 11, magnetorheological elastomer 12, enameled wire 13, coil 14, intermediate body 15, cylindrical steel block 16, permanent magnet 17, boss 20, upper film 30, annular electrode 31, lower film 32, wire hole 100, through hole 150. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The present invention will be further described below by way of embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0033] See also Figure 1 A negative pressure adsorption device for a wall-climbing robot includes a magnetorheological elastomer driving mechanism 1, a silicone suction cup 2 and a thin film electrode mechanism 3.

[0034] See also Figure 2 The magnetorheological elastomer driving mechanism 1 includes a tubular housing, an intermediate body 15, a coil 14, a magnetorheological elastomer 12, a cylindrical steel block 16 and a permanent magnet 17. Figure 6 The intermediate body 15 is a stepped metal cylinder made of stainless steel magnetic conductive material. A through hole 150 is provided in the axial center. One axial end is a large diameter end, and the other axial end is a small diameter end. An annular wire groove is provided at the large diameter end of the intermediate body 15. Figure 7Coil 14 is a circular coil wound from enameled wire 13 and installed in the wire slot of intermediate body 15. A cylindrical steel block 16 and a permanent magnet 17 are installed, from top to bottom, in the center hole of the circular ring of coil 14. A magnetorheological elastomer 12 is sealed and installed in the port at the large diameter end of intermediate body 15. Magnetorheological elastomer 12 is made of a mixture of iron powder, silica gel, and silicone oil in a mass ratio of 7:2:1 and is in the form of a 1 mm thick circular film.

[0035] The material of the tubular shell is a light-curing material, specifically a polyurethane acrylate material. Figure 3 The housing consists of a semi-circular first shell 10 and a semi-circular second shell 11, which are axially aligned and sleeved onto an intermediate body 15 and secured by pins. A handle is provided on the top of the first shell 10 and the top of the second shell 11, respectively; a threading hole 100 is provided on one side of the first shell 10 or the second shell 11.

[0036] See also Figure 8 The silicone suction cup 2 is disc-shaped and made of platinum silicone. An axial vent hole is provided in the center of the silicone suction cup 2. A boss 20 is provided in the center of the outer side of the silicone suction cup 2. An axial mounting hole is provided on the boss 20, and the mounting hole and the vent hole are connected; see Figure 2 The small diameter end of the intermediate body 15 is fitted into the mounting hole of the boss 20 on the silicone suction cup 2 .

[0037] See also Figure 1 , the thin film electrode mechanism 3 is annular, see Figure 9 and Figure 10 , including an upper film 30, a circular electrode 31 and a lower film 32. The material of the electrode 31 is silver. The electrode 31 includes three silver rings arranged radially in sequence, and the three silver rings are radially connected at two points. The width of each silver ring is 3mm, and the radial gap between adjacent silver rings is 1mm. Figure 4 The electrode 31 is fixed between the upper film 30 and the lower film 32. The inner circumference of the upper film 30 and the inner circumference of the lower film 32 are naturally bonded to the outer circumference of the silicone suction cup 2.

[0038] When working, see Figure 11 The electrode 31 of the thin film electrode mechanism 3 is connected to a high voltage, generating an electric field force, which produces electrostatic adsorption with the wall, causing the flexible thin film electrode mechanism 3 on the periphery of the suction cup to deform and fit onto the wall, thereby reducing the characteristic length of the gap between the bottom of the silicone suction cup 2 and the wall, and reducing the rate at which gas leaks from the outer circumference of the silicone suction cup 2 into the interior of the silicone suction cup 2, thereby maintaining the negative pressure inside the silicone suction cup 2 on the rough wall and achieving adsorption on the rough wall.

[0039] The working principle of the present invention is described in detail as follows:

[0040] like Figure 3 On the one hand, the coil 14 is connected to a DC current source and energized to generate a magnetic field, thereby suppressing the magnetic field of the permanent magnet 17, so that the external magnetic field acting on the magnetorheological elastomer 12 is reduced, the magnetorheological elastomer 12 recovers its deformation, and the through hole 150 is no longer blocked by the magnetorheological elastomer 12. When the DC current source is disconnected, the magnetic field generated by the coil 14 disappears, the magnetic field of the permanent magnet 17 recovers, and the magnetorheological elastomer 12 is affected by the magnetic field, which increases and deforms downward to block the through hole 150. Thus, the formation of negative pressure inside the suction cup is controlled by turning on and off the DC current source connected to the coil 14. This produces a reliable and fast-responding adsorption capacity of the silicone suction cup 2; on the other hand, by connecting the electrode 31 in the thin film electrode mechanism 3 to a high-voltage, low-power DC voltage source, a sufficiently strong electric field is generated near the electrode 31, and the electrostatic adsorption effect generated by the electric field is utilized to promote the thin film electrode mechanism 3 on the outside of the silicone suction cup 2 to deform and fit into the rough adsorption wall surface, thereby reducing the effective length of the leakage gap when the silicone suction cup 2 contacts the rough wall surface, enhancing the ability of the adsorption device to maintain the internal and external pressure difference, and thus enhancing the adaptability of the negative pressure adsorption device to rough surfaces.

[0041] In actual application scenarios, see Figure 11 The thin film electrode mechanism 3 is externally connected to a high voltage and the coil 14 is externally connected to a DC current source to work in coordination. Specifically, when it is necessary to adsorb onto a rough wall surface, when the silicone suction cup 2 is attached to the wall surface, the thin film electrode mechanism 3 is connected to a high voltage and the coil 14 is disconnected from the DC current source. At this time, the magnetorheological elastomer 12 is affected by the magnetic field of the permanent magnet 17 and deforms downward to block the through hole 150. At the same time, the thin film electrode mechanism 3 is attached to the rough wall surface at the periphery of the suction cup 2 due to the action of the electric field force, so that the air leakage gap between the periphery of the suction cup 2 and the rough wall surface is reduced. The cooperation between the two ensures that sufficient negative pressure can be generated inside the suction cup 2, thereby adsorbing on the wall surface. When it is necessary to release the adsorption and make the suction cup leave the wall, the thin film electrode mechanism 3 disconnects the high voltage and connects the coil 14 to an external DC current source. The magnetic field of the permanent magnet 17 is offset by the reverse magnetic field generated by the coil 14. At this time, the external magnetic field of the magnetorheological elastomer 12 is weakened, and it recovers to deform upward. The through hole 150 is opened, and the negative pressure inside the suction cup 2 is reduced. At the same time, the thin film electrode mechanism 3 loses the effect of the electric field force on the periphery of the suction cup 2, which increases the leakage gap between the periphery of the suction cup 2 and the rough wall surface. The two cooperate with each other to cause the suction cup 2 to leak rapidly, and the internal negative pressure cannot be maintained, thereby quickly releasing the adsorption and detaching from the wall.

Claims

1. A negative pressure adsorption device for a wall-climbing robot, characterized in that: It includes a magnetorheological elastomer driving mechanism (1), a silicone suction cup (2) and a thin film electrode mechanism (3); The magnetorheological elastomer driving mechanism (1) comprises a tubular shell, an intermediate body (15), a coil (14), a magnetorheological elastomer (12), a cylindrical steel block (16) and a permanent magnet (17); the intermediate body (15) is a stepped metal cylinder, a through hole (150) is provided in the axial center, one axial end is a large diameter end, the other axial end is a small diameter end, and the large diameter end of the intermediate body (15) is provided with an annular wire groove; the coil (14) is a circular ring coil, and is arranged in the wire groove of the intermediate body (15); the cylindrical steel block (16) and the permanent magnet (17) are arranged in the circular center hole of the coil (14) from top to bottom; the magnetorheological elastomer (12) is sealed and fitted on the port of the large diameter end of the intermediate body (15); the tubular shell is sleeved on the intermediate body (15); The silicone suction cup (2) is disc-shaped, an axial vent hole is provided at the center of the silicone suction cup (2), a boss (20) is provided at the center of the outer side surface of the silicone suction cup (2), an axial mounting hole is provided on the boss (20), and the mounting hole is connected to the vent hole; the small diameter end of the intermediate body (15) is fitted in the mounting hole of the boss (20) on the silicone suction cup (2); The thin film electrode structure (3) is annular and comprises an upper film (30), an annular electrode (31) and a lower film (32) which are fixedly connected in sequence; the inner circumference of the upper film (30) and the inner circumference of the lower film (32) on the thin film electrode structure (3) are naturally bonded to the outer circumference of the silicone suction cup (2); On the one hand, the formation of negative pressure inside the suction cup is controlled by turning on and off a DC current source externally connected to the coil (14), thereby generating a reliable and fast-responding adsorption capability of the silicone suction cup (2); on the other hand, a high-voltage, low-power DC voltage source is externally connected to the electrode (31) in the thin-film electrode mechanism (3), and the electrostatic adsorption effect generated by the electric field is utilized to promote the deformation of the thin-film electrode mechanism (3) outside the silicone suction cup (2) to adhere to the rough adsorption wall surface, thereby reducing the effective length of the air leakage gap when the silicone suction cup (2) contacts the rough wall surface, enhancing the ability of the adsorption device to maintain the internal and external pressure difference, and thus enhancing the adaptability of the negative pressure adsorption device to the rough surface; The tubular shell is made of a light-curing material, specifically a polyurethane acrylate material; the shell is composed of a semi-circular tubular first shell (10) and a semi-circular tubular second shell (11) axially aligned and connected by a pin; a handle is provided on the top of the first shell (10) and the top of the second shell (11); a wire hole (100) is provided on one side of the first shell (10) or one side of the second shell (11); The magnetorheological elastomer (12) is made of iron powder, silica gel and silicone oil in a mass ratio of 7:2:1, and has the appearance of a thin film with a thickness of 1 mm; The material of the silicone suction cup (2) is platinum silicone; The material of the upper film (30) is a platinum silicone film; The material of the lower film (32) is a platinum silicone film.

2. The negative pressure adsorption device for a wall-climbing robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material of the intermediate body (15) is a stainless steel magnetic conductive material.

3. The negative pressure adsorption device for a wall-climbing robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material of the electrode (31) is silver; the electrode (31) comprises three silver rings arranged radially in sequence, and the three silver rings are radially connected at two locations, the width of each silver ring is 3 mm, and the radial gap between adjacent silver rings is 1 mm.

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