Insect-like pretarsal adhesive foot mechanism for non-cooperative space targets

Abstract

The present invention discloses an insect-like front tarsus adhesion foot mechanism for non-cooperative targets in space, comprising: an adhesion module and a detachment module connected thereto, wherein the adhesion module comprises: four mutually independent fan-shaped sub-adhesion modules, the four sub-adhesion modules enclosing a disc-shaped structure, each of the sub-adhesion modules comprising: an adhesion block; a sensor layer; an adhesion toe claw; and an elastic energy-absorbing layer, and the detachment module comprises: a piezoelectric actuator, the outer wall of which is connected to the four adhesion toe claws. The present invention reduces the impact on the adhesion target, has a strong adaptability to the target surface morphology, and is easy to form a high-reliability, high-quality connection; the detachment module imitates the adhesion foot structure of the insect front tarsus to achieve efficient and rapid detachment, avoiding the problem of large-scale residual adhesion areas after the desorption task is completed in the past.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of on-orbit service of space robots, and in particular to an insect-imitation front tarsal adhesion foot mechanism for non-cooperative space targets. Background Art

[0002] Space-attaching crawling robots based on bioadhesion mechanisms can meet the demands for flexible mobility on large spacecraft surfaces during on-orbit servicing and maintenance missions. These robots utilize a leg-based operating mechanism, offering excellent terrain adaptability and crawling speed. Currently, research on the adhesive legs of space-attaching crawling robots is limited, with technical challenges primarily related to poor adaptability to different target surfaces and low crawling speed.

[0003] On the one hand, when performing adhesion tasks, sufficient adhesion area is an important prerequisite for ensuring a reliable adhesion connection between the adhesion foot and the target surface. However, the target surface has bumps with different surface morphologies, which reduces the effective adhesion area between the flat adhesion surface and the target surface. Moreover, when the adhesion foot collides with the target surface, the energy provided for adhesion must be controlled within a certain range; otherwise, it is difficult to generate sufficient adhesion force to ensure an effective connection. The adhesion module of the current end-adhesion mechanism can only complete the adhesion task for targets with flat surfaces, has weak adaptability to different target surface morphologies, and does not consider the buffering and energy absorption issues that ensure reliable adhesion.

[0004] On the other hand, during the detachment task, the adhesion foot must be able to completely and quickly detach from the target surface to ensure that the space adhesion robot can crawl quickly on the target surface. Currently, the drive unit of the adhesion mechanism has a slow response speed, resulting in a long movement time of the detachment mechanism, which affects the movement speed of the entire space robot. Furthermore, the configuration of the traditional rope-driven detachment mechanism limits the detachment effect, resulting in a large amount of residual adhesion at the end of the detachment. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide an insect-like protarsal adhesive foot mechanism for non-cooperative targets in space. This method aims to address the problem that conventional methods of space-adhesive crawling robots have poor adaptability to different target surfaces and long detachment times, which affect crawling speed.

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides an insect-like front tarsal adhesion foot mechanism for non-cooperative space targets, comprising:

[0007] Adhesion module and desorption module connected thereto,

[0008] The adhesion module includes four independent fan-shaped sub-adhesion modules, and the four sub-adhesion modules are enclosed into a disc-shaped structure.

[0009] Each of the sub-adhesion modules includes: an adhesion block, which is used for adhering the entire mechanism;

[0010] a sensor layer, disposed above the adhesive block and configured to detect contact information of the adhesive block;

[0011] Adhesive toe claws, which are arranged on the adhesive block, and are fan-shaped frame structures, used for fixing and supporting the adhesive module;

[0012] An elastic energy-absorbing layer is provided between the sensor layer and the adhesive toe claw for buffering and absorbing energy.

[0013] The desorption module includes: a piezoelectric actuator, whose outer wall is connected to the four adhesion toe claws, and the actuator shaft of the piezoelectric actuator is respectively connected to the inner side of the four sub-adhesion modules. The piezoelectric actuator is used as a driving unit of the desorption module.

[0014] Preferably, the elastic energy-absorbing layer is a variable stiffness series buffer structure layer, which includes:

[0015] an elastic layer, which is arranged on the upper surface of the sensor layer, and is used for absorbing energy and reducing speed in advance;

[0016] an adhesive plate disposed on the upper surface of the elastic layer;

[0017] A variable stiffness spring is provided between the adhesion plate and the adhesion toe claw, and is used to match the adhesion target surface of the adhesion block to achieve deformation energy storage.

[0018] Preferably, the adhesive block is contacted with the sensor layer, the elastic energy absorbing layer and the adhesive plate in sequence with their outer edges aligned, and is fastened and connected using an integrated process.

[0019] Preferably, the elastic energy-absorbing layer further comprises: an adjusting stud, the variable stiffness spring and the adhesive toe claw are connected via the adjusting stud, and the preload force of the variable stiffness spring can be changed by adjusting the adjusting stud.

[0020] Preferably, the adjusting studs on the four sub-adhesion modules are adjusted respectively according to the surface morphology of the non-cooperative target to adapt to the morphology of different target surfaces.

[0021] Preferably, it further includes connecting rods, and the piezoelectric actuator is connected to the four adhesive toe claws respectively through the four connecting rods.

[0022] Preferably, the actuator shaft is respectively connected to each of the adhesive toe claws and the inner side of the adhesive plate.

[0023] Preferably, the actuator shaft is connected to each of the adhesive toe claws and the inner side of the adhesive plate via a rotary hinge.

[0024] Preferably, energy-absorbing material is provided in the elastic layer to achieve buffering and energy absorption.

[0025] Preferably, each of the adhesive toe claws is hollowed out to reduce the weight of the mechanism.

[0026] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0027] (1) The present invention has a strong buffering and energy-absorbing adhesion function that adapts to the surface morphology of non-cooperative targets. The variable stiffness series buffer structure layer between the adhesion block and the toe claw can realize the front damping material to absorb energy and reduce speed in advance, and the rear end special-shaped variable stiffness spring can match the target surface morphology and deform to realize partial energy storage, thereby reducing the impact on the adhesion target. It has a strong ability to adapt to the target surface morphology and is easy to form a high-reliability, high-quality connection;

[0028] (2) The present invention has an efficient and rapid detachment function for fast crawling on non-cooperative target surfaces. The detachment module imitates the adhesive foot structure of the insect's front tarsus. A single sub-adhesion module is used to support the target surface from the far end and gradually peel off the detachment method, which can save labor and energy. Moreover, under the support of the claws, the adhesion block can be completely peeled off from the target surface, avoiding the problem of large-scale residual adhesion area after the previous detachment task is completed. The piezoelectric actuator has the function of rapid actuation in a short time, and can drive the rod mechanism to quickly achieve efficient detachment tasks. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for the description. Obviously, the drawings described below are one embodiment of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can also derive other drawings based on these drawings without inventive effort:

[0030] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the overall structure of an insect-like front tarsal adhesion foot mechanism for non-cooperative space targets provided by one embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the adhesion module structure of an insect-like front tarsal adhesion foot mechanism for non-cooperative space targets provided by one embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the detachment state of an adhesive foot of an insect-like front tarsus adhesive foot mechanism for a non-cooperative target in space provided by one embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 4A schematic diagram of the adhesion block structure of an insect-mimicking front tarsal adhesion foot mechanism for non-cooperative space targets provided by one embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] Explanation of the reference numerals: 1-piezoelectric actuator, 2-connecting rod, 3-adjusting stud, 4-adhesion toe claw, 5-buffer spring, 6-adhesion plate, 7-elastic layer, 8-sensor layer, 9-adhesion block, 10-adhesion target, 11-energy absorbing material, 12-actuator shaft. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] The following is combined with Figure 1-4 The present invention further describes in detail the insect-like front tarsal adhesion foot mechanism for non-cooperative space targets proposed in the present invention and the specific implementation methods. The advantages and features of the present invention will become clearer according to the following description. It should be noted that the drawings are in a very simplified form and are not in precise proportions, which are only used to conveniently and clearly assist in explaining the purpose of the embodiments of the present invention. In order to make the purpose, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, please refer to the drawings. It should be noted that the structures, proportions, sizes, etc. illustrated in the drawings of this specification are only used to match the contents disclosed in the specification for people familiar with this technology to understand and read, and are not used to limit the implementation conditions of the present invention. Therefore, they have no technical significance. Any structural modification, change in proportional relationship or adjustment of size should still fall within the scope of the technical content disclosed in the present invention without affecting the efficacy and purpose that can be achieved by the present invention.

[0036] In view of the problem that the traditional method of space adhesion crawling robot has poor applicability and long detachment time for different target surfaces, which affects the crawling speed, this embodiment provides an insect-like front tarsal adhesion foot mechanism for non-cooperative space targets, referring to Figure 1 As shown, it includes: an adhesion module and a desorption module connected thereto.

[0037] The adhesion module includes: four independent fan-shaped sub-adhesion modules, and the four sub-adhesion modules are enclosed in a disc-shaped structure. Each sub-adhesion module includes: an adhesion block 9, which is used for the adhesion of the entire mechanism; a sensor layer 8, which is arranged above the adhesion block 9 and is used to detect the contact information of the adhesion block 9; an adhesion toe claw 4, which is arranged on the adhesion block 9, and the adhesion toe claw 4 is a fan-shaped frame structure, which is used to fix and support the adhesion module; an elastic energy absorption layer, which is arranged between the sensor layer 8 and the adhesion toe claw 4 and is used for buffering and energy absorption.

[0038] The elastic energy-absorbing layer in this embodiment is a variable-stiffness series buffer structure layer, which includes: an elastic layer 7, which is arranged on the upper surface of the sensor layer 8, and the elastic layer 7 is used to absorb energy and slow down in advance; an adhesion plate 6, which is arranged on the upper surface of the elastic layer 7; a variable-stiffness spring, which is arranged between the adhesion plate 6 and the adhesion toe claw 4, and the variable-stiffness spring is used to match the surface of the adhesion target 10 of the adhesion block 9 to achieve deformation energy storage.

[0039] The adhesive block 9 is contacted with the sensor layer 8 , the elastic energy absorbing layer and the adhesive plate 6 in sequence with their outer edges aligned, and is fastened and connected using an integrated process.

[0040] The elastic energy-absorbing layer further comprises an adjusting stud 3 , through which the variable stiffness spring is connected to the adhesive toe claw 4 , and the preload force of the variable stiffness spring can be changed by adjusting the adjusting stud 3 .

[0041] The adjusting studs 3 on the four sub-adhesion modules are adjusted respectively according to the surface morphology of the non-cooperative target to adapt to the morphology of different target surfaces.

[0042] In order to adjust the preload force of the rear end variable stiffness spring, the screwing amount of the nut on the upper part of the screw is increased or decreased, and the relative distance between the adhesive toe claw 4 and the adhesive plate 6 and the compression amount of the buffer spring 5 are changed.

[0043] During the collision contact process, the four molecular adhesion modules of the adhesion module can float independently of each other, and have different degrees of matching with the target morphology, so that the elastic deformation generated is different. Therefore, the overall adhesion area is improved, and it has a strong target surface adaptability, ensuring that the space robot can crawl stably and quickly on target surfaces with different morphologies.

[0044] like Figure 2 As shown, energy absorbing material 11 is provided in the elastic layer 7 to achieve buffering and energy absorption.

[0045] Each of the adhesive toe claws 4 is hollowed out to reduce the weight of the mechanism.

[0046] The adhesion module configuration is designed based on the structural characteristics of the front appendage of insects: the entire adhesion module adopts a layout of four independently floating fan-shaped sub-adhesion modules, and a variable stiffness buffer energy absorption layer is connected between the adhesion block 9 of the sub-adhesion module and the claw 4.

[0047] Use a fan-shaped cutter to cut the adhesive block 9 into a fan-shaped structure, taking care to protect the adhesive surface during the cutting process. Place the adhesive plate 6 in an ultrasonic cleaner for cleaning and then remove it for drying, ensuring that the surface of the adhesive plate 6 is free of oil stains, particles, and other substances before assembly. Align the back of the adhesive block 9 with the sensor layer 8, elastic layer 7, energy-absorbing material 11, and adhesive plate 6 in this order, with their outer edges aligned. Fasten them together using an integrated assembly process. Inspect and evaluate the consistency of the prepared four-fan adhesive submodule to ensure that its dimensional deviations are within the tolerance range.

[0048] Use screws to securely connect the cleaned adhesive toe claw 4 and the buffer spring 5. The length of the screws should not exceed the inner surface of the buffer spring 5 to prevent contact with the inner surface of the other spring when the buffer spring 5 undergoes elastic compression deformation, thereby rendering the buffering effect ineffective. The other side of the buffer spring 5 is placed firmly against the upper surface of the adhesive plate 6. Then, a set screw is sequentially inserted through the adhesive toe claw 4, the buffer spring 5, and the nut, screwed into the adhesive plate 6, and tightened with the nut. A nut is assembled onto the set screw at the upper end of the adhesive toe claw 4. The amount of deformation of the buffer spring 5 is adjusted by the screwing amount of the nut, thereby changing the relative position and preload of the adhesive toe claw 4 and the adhesive plate 6.

[0049] Continue to refer Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, when an adhesion foot with a certain initial kinetic energy contacts a target of different morphology, the resulting initial collision information is transmitted to the sensor. This collision energy is sequentially dissipated through the elastic layer 7 and the energy-absorbing material 11. The remaining kinetic energy is stored by the compression buffer spring 5, reducing the impact on the adhesion target 10. During the collision contact process, the four molecular adhesion modules each match the target morphology to varying degrees, resulting in different amounts of elastic deformation. This increases the overall adhesion area, demonstrating strong adaptability to target surface morphology.

[0050] refer to Figure 3 As shown, the desorption module includes: a piezoelectric actuator 1, whose outer wall is connected to the four adhesion toe claws 4, and the actuator shaft 12 of the piezoelectric actuator 1 is respectively connected to the inner side of the four sub-adhesion modules, and the piezoelectric actuator 1 is used as the driving unit of the desorption module.

[0051] The piezoelectric actuator 1 is connected to the four adhesive toe claws 4 via the four connecting rods 2. The actuator shaft 12 is connected to each adhesive toe claw 4 and the inner side of the adhesive plate 6. The actuator shaft 12 is connected to each adhesive toe claw 4 and the inner side of the adhesive plate 6 via a rotary hinge.

[0052] Continue to refer Figure 3As shown, the design of the detachment module mimics the structure of the insect's fore-tarsal segment, the relative motion of its claws and soft pads, and achieves distal support and proximal detachment when the adhesive foot separates from the contact surface, forming a labor-saving mechanism based on a guide rod mechanism. The detachment module's drive unit utilizes a fast-response piezoelectric actuator 1, which can drive the mechanism to complete detachment in a short period of time.

[0053] When piezoelectric actuator 1 rapidly drives the shaft upward, the relative displacement between the piezoelectric actuator's claw and the shaft decreases. The adhesive claw 4 and adhesive plate 6 are pulled upward along with the piezoelectric actuator's shaft until the outer edge of the adhesive foot contacts the target surface, forming a support point. The adhesive block 9 then begins to move around the support point, gradually forming a peeling gap with the target at its edge, until the adhesive foot completes its entire detachment motion.

[0054] The detachment module's design mimics the structure of an insect's fore-tarsal segment, with its claws and soft pads emulating their relative motion. This allows for distal support and proximal detachment when the adhesive foot separates from the contact surface, creating a labor-saving mechanism based on a guide rod mechanism. The mechanism's drive utilizes a fast-response piezoelectric actuator1, which drives the mechanism to complete detachment in a short period of time, enabling efficient and rapid detachment when the space robot is rapidly crawling on non-cooperative target surfaces.

[0055] The detachment module's piezoelectric actuator 1, connecting rod 2, adhesive toe claw 4, and adhesive plate 6 are connected via a rotary hinge. The piezoelectric actuator 1 utilizes the inverse piezoelectric effect of the piezoelectric ceramic stack to continuously store and release mechanical energy converted from electrical energy. High-frequency, inchworm-like linear motion of two pairs of drive teeth achieves continuous relative motion between the actuator and actuator shaft 12. As shown in the diagram, the ends of the four connecting rods 2 are connected to the actuator claws and the adhesive toe claws 4, respectively. The actuator shaft 12 and the four adhesive toe claws 4 are connected via pins, forming the entire detachment module. After assembly, the connecting rods 2 should be perpendicular to the annular surface of the adhesive block 9 to ensure good load-bearing performance for the detachment mechanism. The adhesive surfaces of the four molecular adhesion modules must meet flatness requirements.

[0056] When the piezoelectric actuator 1 rapidly drives the shaft upward, the relative displacement between the toe claw of the piezoelectric actuator 1 and the shaft decreases. The adhesive toe claw 4 and the adhesive plate 6 have been installed as a whole and are pulled up along with the shaft of the piezoelectric actuator 1. Until the outer edge of the adhesive foot contacts the target surface to form a support point, the adhesive block 9 begins to move around the fulcrum, gradually forming a peeling gap with the target at the edge until the adhesive foot completes the entire desorption movement. Because the support point is at the outermost edge, the adhesion force is evenly distributed in the adhesion area between the adhesive block 9 and the target surface, so the equivalent adhesion load is concentrated in the middle area of ​​the material, forming a force-saving lever mechanism, which reduces the driving force required to complete the desorption movement.

[0057] In summary, this embodiment has a strong buffering and energy-absorbing attachment function that adapts to the surface morphology of non-cooperative targets. The variable-stiffness serial buffer structure layer between the adhesion block 9 and the claw 4 enables the front damping material to absorb energy and reduce speed in advance, and the rear-end special-shaped variable-stiffness spring can deform to match the target surface morphology to achieve partial energy storage, reducing the impact on the adhesion target 10. It has strong adaptability to the target surface morphology and easily forms a highly reliable, high-quality connection. This embodiment has an efficient and fast detachment function for rapid crawling on non-cooperative target surfaces. The detachment module imitates the adhesive foot structure of the insect's front tarsus. A single sub-adhesion module is used to support the target surface from the far end and gradually peel off the detachment method, which can achieve labor-saving and energy-saving detachment. With the support of the claw 4, the adhesion block 9 can be completely peeled off from the target surface, avoiding the phenomenon of large-scale residual adhesion areas after the previous detachment task is completed. The piezoelectric actuator 1 has the function of rapid actuation in a short time, and can drive the rod mechanism to quickly achieve efficient detachment tasks.

[0058] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as first and second, etc., are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply the existence of any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article, or device comprising a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or device. In the absence of further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising a ..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or device comprising the element.

[0059] It should be noted that the devices and methods disclosed in the embodiments of this document may also be implemented in other ways. The device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For example, the flowcharts and block diagrams in the accompanying drawings illustrate the possible architectures, functions, and operations of the devices, methods, and computer program products according to the various embodiments of this document. In this regard, each box in the flowchart or block diagram may represent a module, program, or portion of code, wherein the module, program segment, or portion of code contains one or more executable instructions for implementing a specified logical function, and the module, program segment, or portion of code contains one or more executable instructions for implementing a specified logical function. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions marked in the boxes may also occur in an order different from that marked in the accompanying drawings. For example, two consecutive boxes may actually be executed substantially in parallel, or they may sometimes be executed in the opposite order, depending on the functions involved. It should also be noted that each box in the block diagram and / or flowchart, and the combination of boxes in the block diagram and / or flowchart, may be implemented by a dedicated hardware-based system for performing the specified function or action, or may be implemented by a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0060] Although the present invention has been described in detail through the above preferred embodiments, it should be understood that the above description is not intended to limit the present invention. After reading the above description, various modifications and substitutions of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An insect-like front tarsal adhesion foot mechanism for non-cooperative targets in space, characterized in that: include: Adhesion module and desorption module connected thereto, The adhesion module includes four independent fan-shaped sub-adhesion modules, and the four sub-adhesion modules are enclosed into a disc-shaped structure. Each of the sub-adhesion modules includes: an adhesion block for adhering to a non-cooperative target; a sensor layer, disposed above the adhesive block and configured to detect contact information of the adhesive block; Adhesive toe claws, which are arranged on the adhesive block, and are fan-shaped frame structures, used for fixing and supporting the adhesive module; An elastic energy-absorbing layer is provided between the sensor layer and the adhesive toe claw for buffering and absorbing energy; the elastic energy-absorbing layer is a variable-stiffness series buffer structure layer, which includes: an elastic layer provided on the upper surface of the sensor layer, the elastic layer being used for absorbing energy and reducing speed in advance; an adhesive plate provided on the upper surface of the elastic layer; a variable-stiffness spring provided between the adhesive plate and the adhesive toe claw, the variable-stiffness spring being used to match the adhesive target surface of the adhesive block to achieve deformation energy storage; an adjusting stud, the variable-stiffness spring is connected to the adhesive toe claw through the adjusting stud, and the preload force of the variable-stiffness spring is changed by adjusting the adjusting stud. The desorption module includes: a piezoelectric actuator, whose outer wall is connected to the four adhesion toe claws, and the actuator shaft of the piezoelectric actuator is respectively connected to the inner side of the four sub-adhesion modules. The piezoelectric actuator is used as a driving unit of the desorption module.

2. The space-oriented non-cooperative target-oriented insect-like front tarsal adhesion foot mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The adhesive block is contacted with the sensor layer, the elastic energy absorbing layer and the adhesive plate in sequence with their outer edges aligned, and is fastened and connected using an integrated process.

3. The space-oriented non-cooperative target-oriented insect-like front tarsal adhesion foot mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that: The adjusting studs on the four sub-adhesion modules are adjusted respectively according to the surface morphology of the non-cooperative target to adapt to the morphology of different target surfaces.

4. The space-oriented non-cooperative target-oriented insect-like front tarsal adhesion foot mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that: It also includes connecting rods, and the piezoelectric actuator is connected to the four adhesive toe claws respectively through the four connecting rods.

5. The space-oriented non-cooperative target-oriented insect-like front tarsal adhesion foot mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that: The actuator shaft is respectively connected to each of the adhesive toe claws and the inner side of the adhesive plate.

6. The space-oriented non-cooperative target-oriented insect-like front tarsal adhesion foot mechanism according to claim 5, characterized in that: The actuator shaft is connected to each of the adhesive toe claws and the inner side of the adhesive plate through a rotary hinge.

7. The space-oriented non-cooperative target-oriented insect-like front tarsal adhesion foot mechanism according to claim 6, characterized in that: Energy absorbing material is arranged in the elastic layer to achieve buffering and energy absorption.

8. The space-oriented non-cooperative target-oriented insect-like front tarsal adhesion foot mechanism according to claim 7, characterized in that: Each of the adhesive toe claws is hollowed out to reduce the weight of the mechanism.

Images