A lightweight flexible snake-like robot based on bowl modules and an assembly method thereof

Abstract

The present application relates to a kind of lightweight flexible snake-shaped robot based on bowl module and its assembly method, the robot includes head section, tail section and multiple body section, adjacent body section, head section, tail section are connected with two degrees of freedom connecting section, two degrees of freedom connecting section is provided with two servos respectively along Pitch axis and along Yaw axis rotation, two degrees of freedom connecting section is connected with control system, to realize the orthogonal double degrees of freedom relative motion of rotation along Pitch axis and Yaw axis;Body section is thin-walled bowl with gradually increasing radial dimension from front end to rear end and low axial radial dimension ratio.Compared with prior art, the present application is compact in overall structure, high in flexibility, flexible in movement, can truly reproduce the spinal structure, appearance and movement mode of snake;Adopt modular assembly method, can improve the use efficiency of robot, broaden use scene, save use cost;In addition, it can also be carried on external equipment, improve robot on-board performance utilization and its multitask execution performance.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of bionic robot technology, in particular to a lightweight flexible snake-shaped robot based on bowl-shaped modules and an assembling method thereof. BACKGROUND

[0002] A biological snake has a long and soft body and multiple unique movement modes, can enter many narrow and complex areas, and can adopt different movement modes according to different environments, and has extremely strong environmental adaptability. The whole spine of a snake is connected by vertebrae in a hinge form, and only small-angle relative rotation can be made along the Pitch axis and the Yaw axis between two adjacent vertebrae, but the number of vertebrae in the whole spine can reach hundreds, and each vertebra is very thin, so the whole body has considerable flexibility and is very flexible when moving. Therefore, compared with traditional robots that move by wheels, tracks or legs, a snake-shaped robot has more superior application value, and has gradually become a research hotspot in the field of robots.

[0003] A snake-shaped robot can be applied in a very wide range of occasions: in the military field, it can become an important weapon on future battlefields, can silently sneak into enemy troops from a narrow and secret place, and can be applied in various combat environments such as cities, jungles, deserts, oceans, and even air and space; in the civil field, it can perform detection tasks inside narrow spaces such as pipelines that cannot be entered by personnel; after a disaster such as an earthquake, it can shuttle inside the ruins to find survivors. In addition, an extremely realistic snake-shaped robot can also be used in some special occasions, such as mixed into animal communities, so that people can observe more realistic biological life states, thereby promoting related research in biology; it can also be placed in farmland or housing to drive harmful species that have snakes as natural enemies.

[0004] At present, the mechanism of the snake-like robot is mainly studied abroad, such as Hirose Robot Lab of Tokyo University of Technology, Mobile Robotics Laboratory of University of Michigan (UM), Biorobotics Lab of Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), etc. In 1972, Professor Hirose of Tokyo University of Technology developed the earliest snake-like robot ACM series robot, which can realize amphibious movement, and the modules are connected by a universal joint with two degrees of freedom, and the movement is flexible. The modular mechanical snake developed by the team led by Professor Howie Choset of Carnegie Mellon University is connected by rigid modules containing two 1-DOF half joints, each module is connected to the adjacent module, and each module allows 180° rotation, ensuring that the entire robot has high degrees of freedom, thereby realizing various functions such as tree climbing.

[0005] In order to completely imitate the posture of snakes, many researchers at home and abroad focus their research on the innovation of structure and material. However, there are still some shortcomings: ① The existing snake-like robots mostly use parallel connection, orthogonal connection, universal connection, P-R connection and other connection methods, and are basically connected by multiple links. These structures have a certain degree of freedom, but due to the long link, they are quite different from snakes in appearance. Some snake-like robots use shorter links and basically have the appearance of snakes, but due to the use of parallel connection, they can only realize two-dimensional motion. ② In terms of driving mode, the existing snake-like robots mostly use active wheel drive, rope drive, intelligent material drive and direct drive. Wheel drive can better imitate the shape of snakes during straight-line motion and serpentine motion, and has high efficiency, but cannot realize other forms of motion, and is different from the motion principle of snakes; rope drive is mostly used in mechanical arms and less used in snake-like robots; new intelligent materials can better imitate the muscles of snakes and realize the motion of snake-like robots, but the research of these materials is still in its infancy and is difficult to apply to finished robots. Without relying on wheels, ropes and intelligent materials and other auxiliary motion tools, the motors directly drive the rigid links to move and realize the motion of snakes, which is called direct drive. Among them, passive wheels are used to realize serpentine motion, but only this kind of planar motion can be realized; straight-line motion and organ-like motion by imitating the peristalsis of insects can also be realized, but only this kind of motion can be realized; other various motions using joints can also be realized, although they can better realize certain functions, but they cannot better reproduce the appearance and motion mode of real snakes. SUMMARY

[0006] The bowl-shaped module-based lightweight flexible snake-shaped robot and the assembling method thereof can better reproduce the real spine structure, shape and movement mode of snakes.

[0007] The bowl-shaped module-based lightweight flexible snake-shaped robot comprises a head section, a tail section and multiple body sections.

[0008] When the head section and the tail section are not connected with the body sections, the head section and the tail section are connected through the double-degree-of-freedom connecting section.

[0009] The double-degree-of-freedom connecting section is provided with two servos rotating along a Pitch axis and a Yaw axis respectively, and is connected with a control system to realize the orthogonal double-degree-of-freedom relative movement along the Pitch axis and the Yaw axis.

[0010] Further, the control system comprises a binocular camera with a visual communication module, a servo control board, an MCU main control unit, a power supply, a servo communication module, a serial port, an upper computer and a bus.

[0011] The servo control board is connected with the visual communication module to realize data interaction.

[0012] The upper computer is connected with the MCU main control unit through the serial port, and the MCU main control unit is connected with the servo control board to realize data interaction.

[0013] Through the data interaction, the working states of the servo and the binocular camera are controlled.

[0014] Further, the servo communication module is arranged in the servo, the binocular camera is installed on the head section, and the servo control board, the MCU main control unit and the power supply are installed on the tail section.

[0015] Further, the head section comprises a head section front end, a head section rudder disc connecting end on which a rudder disc of a Pitch axis rotating rudder is mounted, a head section rotating shaft connecting end on which a Pitch axis rotating hole is provided, and the head section front end, the head section rudder disc connecting end and the head section rotating shaft connecting end are further provided with mutually matched holes and pins for positioning during assembly, holes for mounting threaded fasteners, and spaces for mounting binocular cameras;

[0016] The tail section comprises a tail section rear end, a tail section rudder disc connecting end on which a rudder disc of a Yaw axis rotating rudder is mounted, a tail section rotating shaft connecting end on which a Yaw axis rotating hole is provided, and the tail section rear end, the tail section rudder disc connecting end and the tail section rotating shaft connecting end are further provided with mutually matched holes and pins for positioning during assembly, holes for mounting threaded fasteners, and the tail section rear end is further provided with a clamping groove for connecting with external devices.

[0017] Further, the body section comprises a body section Pitch axis rudder disc connecting end on which a rudder disc of a Pitch axis rotating rudder is mounted, a body section Pitch axis rotating shaft connecting end on which a Pitch axis rotating hole is provided, a body section Yaw axis rudder disc connecting end on which a rudder disc of a Yaw axis rotating rudder is mounted, and a body section Yaw axis rotating shaft connecting end on which a Yaw axis rotating hole is provided, and the body section Pitch axis rudder disc connecting end, the body section Pitch axis rotating shaft connecting end, the body section Yaw axis rudder disc connecting end and the body section Yaw axis rotating shaft connecting end are further provided with mutually matched holes and pins for positioning during assembly, and holes for mounting threaded fasteners.

[0018] Further, the overall shape of the body section is a bowl shape that imitates the structure of the spine of a biological snake, and the profile is a thin wall with a gradually increasing radial size from the front end to the rear end and a low axial-radial size ratio, and when moving, the part with a small radial size at the front end of the next body section enters the inside of the part with a large radial size at the rear end of the previous body section.

[0019] Further, the double-degree-of-freedom connecting section comprises a Pitch axis rotating rudder, a Yaw axis rotating rudder, a rudder disc connecting end shell on which a wire distribution plate is mounted, a rotating shaft connecting end shell on which a Pitch axis rotating rotating shaft and a Yaw axis rotating rotating shaft are provided, and the rudder disc connecting end shell and the rotating shaft connecting end shell are further provided with mutually matched holes and pins for positioning during assembly, and holes for mounting threaded fasteners;

[0020] The double-degree-of-freedom connecting section is a symmetrical structure, that is, in actual assembly and use, it is not necessary to distinguish between the Pitch axis and the Yaw axis.

[0021] An assembly method of a lightweight flexible snake-shaped robot based on a bowl-shaped module, comprising the following steps:

[0022] S1, assembling the double-degree-of-freedom connecting section;

[0023] S2, combining the head section, the body section, the tail section and the two-degree-of-freedom connecting section to obtain a first module, a second module, a third module and a fourth module, wherein the first module is two body sections connected by the two-degree-of-freedom connecting section;

[0024] The second module is a head section and a body section connected by the two-degree-of-freedom connecting section.

[0025] The third module is a body section and a tail section connected by the two-degree-of-freedom connecting section.

[0026] The fourth module is a head section and a tail section connected by the two-degree-of-freedom connecting section.

[0027] S3, according to the set robot length information, one or more of the first module, the second module, the third module and the fourth module are selected and connected to assemble a corresponding snake robot.

[0028] Further, the assembling process of the two-degree-of-freedom connecting section in step S1 includes:

[0029] S11, connecting the internal connecting ports of the two sub-wire boards by wires;

[0030] S12, connecting the wires of the Pitch-axis rotating servo and the Yaw-axis rotating servo to the servo connecting port of the two sub-wire boards respectively;

[0031] S13, fixing the two sub-wire boards on the two sub-wire board fixing bosses on the symmetric positions of the rudder connecting end shell respectively, and letting the wires connecting the internal connecting ports of the two sub-wire boards pass through the gap of the middle partition plate of the rudder connecting end shell;

[0032] S14, putting the Pitch-axis rotating servo and the Yaw-axis rotating servo into the two servo mounting grooves on the symmetric positions of the rudder connecting end shell respectively, and fixing them with threaded fasteners;

[0033] S15, according to the positions of the pins and holes, splicing the rotating shaft connecting end shell with the rudder connecting end shell, letting the wires connecting the internal connecting ports of the two sub-wire boards pass through the gap between the servo fixing boss on the rotating shaft connecting end shell and the middle partition plate of the rudder connecting end shell, and fixing them with threaded fasteners, after the assembly is completed, the external connecting ports of the two sub-wire boards are located on the surface of the two-degree-of-freedom connecting section and face outward.

[0034] Further, the assembling process of the first module in step S2 is specifically:

[0035] connecting the Pitch-axis rotating servo of the two-degree-of-freedom connecting section with the rudder disc of the Pitch-axis rudder connecting end of the body section;

[0036] The Pitch axis rotating shaft connecting end of the body segment is connected with the Pitch axis rudder connecting end through a pin and a hole, and the Pitch axis rotating shaft of the two-degree-of-freedom connecting segment rotating shaft connecting end shell is connected with the Pitch axis rotating hole of the body segment Pitch axis rotating shaft connecting end;

[0037] The Yaw axis rotating rudder of the two-degree-of-freedom connecting segment is connected with the rudder of the Yaw axis rudder connecting end of the body segment, and the Yaw axis rotating shaft of the two-degree-of-freedom connecting segment rotating shaft connecting end shell is connected with the rotating hole of the Yaw axis rotating shaft connecting end of the snake robot body segment;

[0038] The assembly process of the second module is specifically as follows:

[0039] The Pitch axis rotating rudder of the two-degree-of-freedom connecting segment is connected with the rudder of the Yaw axis rudder connecting end of the body segment, and the Yaw axis rotating shaft of the two-degree-of-freedom connecting segment rotating shaft connecting end shell is connected with the rotating hole of the Yaw axis rotating shaft connecting end of the snake robot body segment;

[0040] The rotating shaft connecting end of the head segment is connected with the rudder connecting end through a pin and a hole, and the two are fixed by a threaded fastener, and the Pitch axis rotating shaft of the two-degree-of-freedom connecting segment rotating shaft connecting end shell is connected with the rotating hole of the head segment rotating shaft connecting end;

[0041] According to the position of the binocular camera, it is installed at the front end of the head segment;

[0042] The front end, the rudder connecting end and the rotating shaft connecting end of the head segment are connected, and a threaded fastener is used for fixation;

[0043] The assembly process of the third module is specifically as follows:

[0044] The rudder control board, the MCU main control unit and the power supply are connected by wires, and the rudder control board is connected with the external connection port of the branch line board connected with the Yaw axis rotating rudder in the two-degree-of-freedom connecting segment by wires;

[0045] The Yaw axis rotating rudder of the two-degree-of-freedom connecting segment is connected with the rudder of the Yaw axis rudder connecting end of the tail segment;

[0046] The rotating shaft connecting end of the tail segment is connected with the rudder connecting end through a pin and a hole, and the two are fixed by a threaded fastener, and the Yaw axis rotating shaft of the two-degree-of-freedom connecting segment rotating shaft connecting end shell is connected with the rotating hole of the tail segment rotating shaft connecting end, and the wires are passed through the wire hole between the rotating shaft connecting end and the rudder connecting end of the tail segment;

[0047] The rudder control board, the MCU main control unit and the power supply are fixed on the two sides of the vertical wall formed after the rotating shaft connecting end and the rudder connecting end of the tail segment are connected by a threaded fastener;

[0048] The rear end of the snake-shaped robot tail section, the rudder disc connecting end and the rotating shaft connecting end are connected through pins and holes, the wires are passed through the gap between the rear end of the tail section and the vertical wall, and the rear end of the tail section, the rudder disc connecting end and the rotating shaft connecting end are fixed by using threaded fasteners;

[0049] The assembly process of the fourth module is specifically with reference to the assembly processes of the first module, the second module and the third module.

[0050] Compared with the prior art, the present application has the following advantages:

[0051] Firstly, the present application realizes the connection between the head section and the body section, between two adjacent body sections, between the body section and the tail section, or between the head section and the tail section by designing the head section, the body section, the tail section and the double-degree-of-freedom connecting section, and the double-degree-of-freedom connecting section is provided with two rudders rotating along the Pitch axis and the Yaw axis to form the orthogonal double-degree-of-freedom characteristics, and the adjacent body sections, the head section and the tail section are connected by the double-degree-of-freedom connecting section, which can realize the relative rotation of the orthogonal double-degree-of-freedom under the action of the control system, thereby truly reproducing the movement mode of snakes.

[0052] Secondly, in the present application, the control system includes a binocular camera with a visual communication module, a rudder control board, an MCU main control unit, a power supply, a rudder communication module, a serial port, an upper computer and a bus, wherein the visual communication module, the rudder control board and the rudder communication module are respectively mounted on the bus, the rudder control board is connected with the rudders in the double-degree-of-freedom connecting section through the rudder communication module to realize data interaction, the rudder control board is also connected with the visual communication module to realize data interaction, the upper computer is connected with the MCU main control unit through the serial port, and the MCU main control unit is connected with the rudder control board to realize data interaction, thereby the upper computer communicates with the MCU main control unit through the serial port to issue robot movement instructions, the MCU main control unit communicates with the rudder control board to package and send the instructions to the rudder control board, the rudder control board unpacks the instructions and packages them again to issue them through the bus, each rudder communication module and the visual communication module judge whether to receive the data packet through the ID attribute, unpack the data packet and communicate with the rudder movement module or the binocular camera to control the work of the rudder or the binocular camera, and the data return is the reverse process, through the above data interaction process, the working state of the rudder and the working state of the binocular camera can be accurately and reliably controlled.

[0053] Third, in this invention, the body segments are designed as bowl-shaped modules, mimicking the bowl-shaped structure of a snake's spine. Their outline is a thin-walled structure with radial dimensions gradually increasing from the front to the rear, and they have a low axial-to-radial dimension ratio. During movement, the smaller radially sized portion of the front end of the subsequent body segment can enter the larger radially sized portion of the rear end of the preceding body segment. This makes the robot's body segment structure more compact, the axial distance between adjacent two-degree-of-freedom connecting segments shorter, and the linear density of kinematic pairs greater. Even with a large number of body segments, the overall design maintains high degrees of freedom and flexibility, thus effectively replicating the spinal structure, appearance, and movement patterns of snakes.

[0054] Fourth, in this invention, the dual-degree-of-freedom connecting section is a symmetrical structure, meaning that in actual assembly and use, there is no need to distinguish between the Pitch axis and the Yaw axis, thereby effectively improving assembly efficiency.

[0055] V. This invention adopts a modular assembly method, which simplifies assembly operations. Through modular assembly, robots of different lengths can be assembled. Specifically, it can be assembled from a head segment, a tail segment, any number of body segments (2), any number of dual-degree-of-freedom connecting segments, and a control system. The length can be changed according to specific tasks, and maintenance and replacement can be carried out in modules, thereby improving the robot's efficiency, expanding the robot's application scenarios, and saving the robot's operating costs. Attached Figure Description

[0056] Figure 1 An axonometric view of a snake robot with its body in a straight line (consisting of a head segment, a body segment, a 20-segment body segment, a 21-degree-of-freedom connecting segment, and a tail segment).

[0057] Figure 2 This is a top view of the snake robot with its body in a straight line (consisting of a snake robot head segment, 20 snake robot body segments, 21 two-degree-of-freedom connecting segments, and a snake robot tail segment);

[0058] Figure 3 An isometric view of a snake robot in serpentine motion (consisting of a head segment, a body segment, a 20-segment body segment, a 21-degree-of-freedom connecting segment, and a tail segment).

[0059] Figure 4 A top view of a snake robot in serpentine motion (consisting of a snake robot head segment, 20 snake robot body segments, 21 dual-degree-of-freedom connecting segments, and a snake robot tail segment);

[0060] Figure 5 An isometric view of the front of the head section of the snake-like robot;

[0061] Figure 6 Front view of the snake robot head segment;

[0062] Figure 7 Exploded view of the snake robot head segment;

[0063] Figure 8 Front view of the snake robot body segment;

[0064] Figure 9 Rear view of the snake robot body segment;

[0065] Figure 10 Exploded view of the snake robot body segment;

[0066] Figure 11 Front view of the snake robot tail segment;

[0067] Figure 12 Rear view of the snake robot tail segment;

[0068] Figure 13 Rear view of the snake robot tail segment (with the tail segment rear end removed);

[0069] Figure 14 Exploded view of the snake robot tail segment;

[0070] Figure 15 Front view of the two-degree-of-freedom connection segment;

[0071] Figure 16 Axonometric view of the two-degree-of-freedom connection segment (with the rotation shaft connection end housing removed);

[0072] Figure 17 Axonometric view of the rotation shaft connection end housing of the two-degree-of-freedom connection segment;

[0073] Figure 18 Axonometric view of the front of the first module;

[0074] Figure 19 Axonometric view of the rear of the first module;

[0075] Figure 20 Axonometric view of the second module;

[0076] Figure 21 Axonometric view of the third module;

[0077] Figure 22 Axonometric view of the fourth module;

[0078] Figure 23 Axonometric view of the unmanned aerial vehicle carrying the snake robot in the embodiment;

[0079] Figure 24 The control schematic diagram of the snake robot control system;

[0080] Marked description in the figure: 1, snake robot head section, 11, binocular camera, 12, head section front end, 13, head section rudder connecting end, 131, head section Pitch axis rotating rudder, 14, head section rotating shaft connecting end, 141, head section Pitch axis rotating hole, 2, snake robot body section, 21, body section Pitch axis rudder connecting end, 211, body section Pitch axis rotating rudder, 22, body section Pitch axis rotating shaft connecting end, 221, body section Pitch axis rotating hole, 23, body section Yaw axis rudder connecting end, 231, body section Yaw axis rotating rudder, 24, body section Yaw axis rotating shaft connecting end, 241, body section Yaw axis rotating hole, 3, snake robot tail section, 31, rudder control board, 32, MCU main control unit, 33, power supply, 34, tail section rear end, 341, clamping groove, 35, tail section rudder connecting end, 351, tail section Yaw axis rotating rudder, 36, tail section rotating shaft connecting end, 361, tail section Yaw axis rotating hole, 37, tail section wire hole, 38, tail section vertical wall, 4, two-degree-of-freedom connecting section, 41, Pitch axis rotating rudder, 42, Yaw axis rotating rudder, 43, rudder connecting end shell, 431, distribution board, 4311, internal connecting port of distribution board, 4312, rudder connecting port of distribution board, 4313, external connecting port of distribution board, 432, distribution board fixing boss, 433, middle partition plate, 44, rotating shaft connecting end shell, 441, Pitch axis rotating rotating shaft, 442, Yaw axis rotating rotating shaft, 443, rudder fixing boss. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0081] The application will be described in detail below in conjunction with the drawings and specific embodiments.

[0082] Embodiment

[0083] A lightweight flexible snake robot based on orthogonal two-degree-of-freedom bowl-shaped modules, like Figures 1-4As shown, the snake robot control system includes a snake robot control system, a snake robot head section (1), a snake robot body section (2), a snake robot tail section (3), a two-degree-of-freedom connecting section (4), two servo motors are provided in the two-degree-of-freedom connecting section (4) to rotate along the pitch axis and the yaw axis to form the orthogonal two-degree-of-freedom characteristics. Among them, the snake robot head section (1) and the snake robot body section (2), the snake robot tail section (3) and the snake robot body section (2), the snake robot head section (1) and the snake robot tail section (3), and any two snake robot body sections (2) are connected by the two-degree-of-freedom connecting section (4), so that the adjacent two sections have two orthogonal degrees of freedom of rotation along the pitch axis and rotation along the yaw axis, to realize the overall snake-like motion, for example, it can realize the Figure 3 and Figure 4 The winding motion shown in

[0084] As shown in Figure 24 The snake robot control system includes a binocular camera (11) with a visual communication module, a servo control board (31), an MCU master control unit (32), a power supply (33), a servo communication module, a serial port, a host computer and a bus. Among them, the binocular camera (11) is installed in the snake robot head section (1), the servo control board (31), the MCU master control unit (32) and the power supply (33) are installed in the snake robot tail section (3). The working principle is: the host computer communicates with the MCU master control unit (32) through the serial port, thereby issuing robot motion instructions, the MCU master control unit (32) communicates with the servo control board (31), packs and sends the instructions to the servo control board (31), the servo control board (31) unpacks the instructions and repackages them through the bus, each servo communication module and the visual communication module judge whether to receive the data packet through the ID attribute, after obtaining the respective data packet, unpacking and communicating with the servo motion module or the binocular camera (11), thereby controlling the working state of the servo or the binocular camera (11), and the data return is the reverse process.

[0085] As shown in Figures 5-7As shown, the snake robot head section (1) includes a head section front end (12), a head section rudder disc connection end (13) mounted with a Pitch axis rotating rudder disc (131), a head section rotating shaft connection end (14) provided with a Pitch axis rotating hole (141). Among them, the head section front end (12), the head section rudder disc connection end (13), the head section rotating shaft connection end (14) are also provided with mutually matched holes and pins for positioning during assembly, holes for mounting threaded fasteners, and spaces for mounting binocular cameras (11). In addition, the head section front end, the rudder disc connection end, and the rotating shaft connection end are all provided with cavities, which can effectively reduce the area of the joint surface, the finishing area, improve the tightness of the connection, reduce the processing cost; reduce the amount of material, save cost; reduce the mass of the head section, save energy.

[0086] As shown in Figures 8-10 The snake robot body section (2) includes a body section Pitch axis rudder disc connection end (21) mounted with a Pitch axis rotating rudder disc (211), a body section Pitch axis rotating shaft connection end (22) provided with a Pitch axis rotating hole (221), a body section Yaw axis rudder disc connection end (23) mounted with a Yaw axis rotating rudder disc (231), and a body section Yaw axis rotating shaft connection end (24) provided with a Yaw axis rotating hole (241). Among them, the body section Pitch axis rudder disc connection end (21), the body section Pitch axis rotating shaft connection end (22), the body section Yaw axis rudder disc connection end (23), and the body section Yaw axis rotating shaft connection end (24) are also provided with mutually matched holes and pins for positioning during assembly, holes for mounting threaded fasteners.

[0087] In addition, the overall shape of the snake robot body section (2) is a bowl-shaped structure that imitates the spine structure of a biological snake, with a profile of a thin wall with a gradually increasing radial dimension from the front end to the rear end, and a low axial-radial dimension ratio. When moving, the part of the front end of the next body section with a small radial dimension can enter the inside of the part of the rear end of the previous body section with a large radial dimension.

[0088] As shown in Figures 11-14 The snake robot tail section (3) includes a tail section rear end (34), a tail section rudder disc connection end (35) mounted with a Yaw axis rotating rudder disc (351), and a tail section rotating shaft connection end (36) provided with a Yaw axis rotating hole (361). Among them, the tail section rear end (34), the tail section rudder disc connection end (35), and the tail section rotating shaft connection end (36) are also provided with mutually matched holes and pins for positioning during assembly, holes for mounting threaded fasteners, and spaces for mounting a rudder control board (31), an MCU main control unit (32), and a power supply (33). The tail section rear end (34) is also provided with a clamping groove (341) for connecting with other external devices (such as a UAV).

[0089] As Figures 15-17 , the two-degree-of-freedom connecting section (4) includes a pitch-axis rotating rudder (41), a yaw-axis rotating rudder (42), a rudder disc connecting end shell (43) provided with a split board (431), a rotating shaft connecting end shell (44) provided with a pitch-axis rotating rotating shaft (441) and a yaw-axis rotating rotating shaft (442). Among them, the rudder disc connecting end shell (43) and the rotating shaft connecting end shell (44) are also provided with mutually matched holes and pins for positioning during assembly, and holes for installing threaded fasteners. In addition, the two-degree-of-freedom connecting section (4) is a symmetrical structure, that is, in actual assembly and use, there is no need to distinguish between the pitch axis and the yaw axis, thereby improving the assembly efficiency.

[0090] The assembly process of the two-degree-of-freedom connecting section (4) is as follows:

[0091] First, use the wire to connect the internal connecting ports (4311) of the two split boards;

[0092] Then connect the wires of the pitch-axis rotating rudder (41) and the yaw-axis rotating rudder (42) to the rudder machine connecting ports (4312) of the two split boards respectively;

[0093] Then fix the two split boards (431) on the two split board fixing bosses (432) at the symmetrical positions of the rudder disc connecting end shell respectively, and let the wire connecting the internal connecting ports (4311) of the two split boards pass through the gap of the middle partition plate (433) of the rudder disc connecting end shell;

[0094] Then put the rudders (41, 42) into the two rudder installation grooves at the symmetrical positions of the rudder disc connecting end shell, and fix them with threaded fasteners;

[0095] Finally, according to the position of the pin and the hole, the rotating shaft connecting end shell (44) is spliced with the rudder disc connecting end shell (43), the wire connecting the internal connecting ports (4311) of the two split boards passes through the gap between the rudder machine fixing boss (443) on the rotating shaft connecting end shell and the middle partition plate (433) of the rudder disc connecting end shell, and is fixed with threaded fasteners.

[0096] After the two-degree-of-freedom connecting section (4) is assembled, the external connecting ports (4313) of the two split boards are located on the surface of the two-degree-of-freedom connecting section (4) and face outward.

[0097] The above snake robot has a modular assembly method, which can be assembled by connecting the following modules:

[0098] As Figures 18-19As shown, the first module is composed of a double freedom connection segment (4), the Pitch axis rudder connecting end (21) and the Pitch axis rotating shaft connecting end (22) of the previous snake robot body segment, the Yaw axis rudder connecting end (23) and the Yaw axis rotating shaft connecting end (24) of the next snake robot body segment, and its assembly steps are as follows:

[0099] (aa), connect the Pitch axis rotating rudder (41) of the double freedom connection segment with the rudder (211) of the Pitch axis rudder connecting end of the snake robot body segment;

[0100] (ab), connect the Pitch axis rotating shaft connecting end (22) and the Pitch axis rudder connecting end (21) of the snake robot body segment through pin and hole, and connect the Pitch axis rotating shaft (441) of the rotating shaft connecting end shell of the double freedom connection segment with the Pitch axis rotating hole (221) of the body segment Pitch axis rotating shaft connecting end;

[0101] (ac), connect the Yaw axis rotating rudder (42) of the double freedom connection segment with the rudder (231) of the Yaw axis rudder connecting end of the snake robot body segment, and connect the Yaw axis rotating shaft (442) of the rotating shaft connecting end shell of the double freedom connection segment with the rotating hole (241) of the Yaw axis rotating shaft connecting end of the snake robot body segment.

[0102] As shown in Figure 20 , the second module is composed of a double freedom connection segment (4), a snake robot head segment (1), the Yaw axis rudder connecting end (23) and the Yaw axis rotating shaft connecting end (24) of the next snake robot body segment, and its assembly steps are as follows:

[0103] (ba), connect the Pitch axis rotating rudder (41) of the double freedom connection segment with the rudder (131) of the rudder connecting end of the snake robot head segment;

[0104] (bb), connect the rotating shaft connecting end (14) and the rudder connecting end (13) of the snake robot head segment through pin and hole, and fix them with threaded fasteners, and connect the Pitch axis rotating shaft (441) of the rotating shaft connecting end shell of the double freedom connection segment with the rotating hole (141) of the head segment rotating shaft connecting end;

[0105] (bc), according to the position of the binocular camera (11) camera, put it into the front end (12) of the snake robot head segment;

[0106] (bd), connect the front end (12), the rudder connecting end (13), and the rotating shaft connecting end (14) of the snake robot head segment, and fix them with threaded fasteners.

[0107] As Figure 21 shown, the third module is composed of a double degree of freedom connecting section (4), a snake robot tail section (3), the pitch axis rudder disc connecting end (21) and the pitch axis rotating shaft connecting end (22) of the previous snake robot body section, and the assembly steps are as follows:

[0108] (ca), the rudder control board (31), the MCU main control unit (32), and the power supply (33) are connected by wires, and the rudder control board (31) is connected to the external connecting port (4313) of the branch board of the Yaw axis rotating rudder (42) of the double degree of freedom connecting section by wires;

[0109] (cb), the Yaw axis rotating rudder (42) of the double degree of freedom connecting section is connected to the rudder disc (351) of the rudder disc connecting end of the snake robot tail section;

[0110] (cc), the rotating shaft connecting end (36) and the rudder disc connecting end (35) of the snake robot tail section are connected by pins and holes, and are fixed by threaded fasteners, while the Yaw axis rotating shaft (442) of the rotating shaft connecting end shell of the double degree of freedom connecting section and the rotating hole (361) of the tail section rotating shaft connecting end are connected, and attention is paid to threading the wires through the wire passing hole (37) between the rotating shaft connecting end and the rudder disc connecting end of the snake robot tail section;

[0111] (cd), the rudder control board (31), the MCU main control unit (32), and the power supply (33) are fixed on the two sides of the vertical wall (38) composed of the rotating shaft connecting end and the rudder disc connecting end of the snake robot tail section by threaded fasteners;

[0112] (ce), the rear end (34), the rudder disc connecting end (35), and the rotating shaft connecting end (36) of the snake robot tail section are connected by pins and holes, the wires are threaded through the gap between the rear end (34) of the snake robot tail section and the vertical wall (38), and the rear end (34), the rudder disc connecting end (35), and the rotating shaft connecting end (36) of the snake robot tail section are fixed by threaded fasteners.

[0113] As Figure 22 shown, the fourth module is composed of a double degree of freedom connecting section (4), a snake robot head section (1), and a snake robot tail section (3), and its assembly can be completed by referring to the assembly methods of the first module, the second module, and the third module.

[0114] It should be noted that in addition to the fourth module itself being a whole, when different modules are connected, only the external connection port (4313) of the branch line board connected with the Yaw axis rotating rudder (42) of the previous module and the external connection port (4313) of the branch line board connected with the Pitch axis rotating rudder (41) of the next module are connected by wires, then the pins on the body section Yaw axis rudder disc connection end (23) and the body section Yaw axis rotating shaft connection end (24) of the previous module are inserted into the holes on the body section Pitch axis rudder disc connection end (21) and the body section Pitch axis rotating shaft connection end (22) of the next module, and are fixed by threaded fasteners.

[0115] According to the specific task requirements, the above modular assembly method is used to assemble a snake robot of different lengths. Specifically, the snake robot can be assembled from one snake robot head section (1), one snake robot tail section (3), any number of snake robot body sections (2), any number of double-degree-of-freedom connecting sections (4), and a snake robot control system.

[0116] As shown in Figure 23 The embodiment loads the snake robot on the unmanned aerial vehicle. The base station loads the snake robot on the unmanned aerial vehicle and sends it to a remote work site, and then releases it for independent work by the snake robot. That is, the snake robot is loaded on the unmanned aerial vehicle through the clamping groove provided on the tail section, flexible control and monitoring in the air can be achieved, and the unmanned aerial vehicle can carry the snake robot to the target work site to carry out search tasks.

[0117] The specific operation of loading the snake robot on the unmanned aerial vehicle is as follows: the clamping groove (341) of the tail section of the snake robot is inserted into the corresponding part of the unmanned aerial vehicle and rotated. After the unmanned aerial vehicle is started, the electromagnet inside the unmanned aerial vehicle can suck the snake robot tightly.

[0118] The clamping groove (341) is also provided with a metal contact for connection with the unmanned aerial vehicle. During the process of sending to the work site, the unmanned aerial vehicle can supply power to the snake robot through the metal contact, thereby saving the built-in power supply of the snake robot and improving the energy utilization rate of the snake robot.

[0119] The way the unmanned aerial vehicle releases the snake robot is as follows: the unmanned aerial vehicle approaches the ground, the snake robot touches the ground, then the polarity of the electromagnet is changed, the clamping groove (341) is ejected, the snake robot is separated from the unmanned aerial vehicle, and the unmanned aerial vehicle returns to the base station.

[0120] After the work is completed, the snake robot can be controlled to lift the tail, the clamping groove (341) is aligned with the corresponding part of the unmanned aerial vehicle through the visual system of the snake robot, the electromagnet of the unmanned aerial vehicle is turned on, and the snake robot can be reconnected.

[0121] The modular assembly mode provided by the technical scheme can also provide convenience for maintenance and replacement, that is, in the use process, when a device fails, after judging the fault site, the module where the fault occurs can be directly removed in the reverse order of assembly, and then replaced with the corresponding module that can work normally, so that the whole bionic snake-shaped robot can continue to work normally, and the replaced module can be repaired or scrapped without affecting the normal work of the whole bionic snake-shaped robot.

[0122] Compared with the existing achievements, the bionic snake-shaped robot provided by the technical scheme is designed as a bowl shape, so that the body segment structure is more compact, the axial distance between adjacent double-degree-of-freedom connecting segments is shorter, and the linear density of the kinematic pair is larger. In the case of using a large number of body segments, the whole body can have higher degrees of freedom and flexibility, so as to better reproduce the spine structure, appearance and movement mode of snakes. Through the reproduction of the appearance and movement mode of snakes, the technical scheme can be applied to more extensive occasions. In addition, the modular assembly mode is simple to assemble, can change the length according to specific tasks, and can be repaired and replaced in modules, thereby improving the use efficiency of the robot, widening the use scenarios of the robot, and saving the use cost of the robot.

[0123] As can be seen from the above, the snake-shaped robot provided by the technical scheme is composed of a snake-shaped robot head segment, a snake-shaped robot body segment, a snake-shaped robot tail segment and a double-degree-of-freedom connecting segment, and is controlled by a snake-shaped robot control system. The head segment is provided with a wireless communication binocular camera, the tail segment is provided with a power supply and a control component, the double-degree-of-freedom connecting segment is provided with two servos rotating along the Pitch axis and the Yaw axis respectively to form the characteristics of orthogonal double-degree-of-freedom, and the adjacent body segments, the head segment and the tail segment are connected by the double-degree-of-freedom connecting segment, so that the relative rotation of orthogonal double-degree-of-freedom can be performed. At the same time, the body segment is a thin-walled bowl with gradually increasing radial size from the front end to the rear end and a low axial radial size ratio. When moving, the thinner part of the front end of the next body segment can enter the thicker part inside the rear end of the previous body segment. The technical scheme adopts a modular assembly mode and can be assembled by four modules. Each module takes the double-degree-of-freedom connecting segment as the main body and is connected with the parts of other segments. The whole assembly operation is simple, different numbers of modules can be used to assemble snake-shaped robots of different lengths according to specific tasks, and the modules can be repaired and replaced in modules. The technical scheme can be carried on other external devices through the clamping groove provided on the tail segment, so as to realize flexible control monitoring and improve the utilization rate of robot on-board performance and multi-task execution performance.

Claims

1. A bowl module based lightweight flexible snake robot characterized by, The robot comprises a head section (1), a tail section (3) and a plurality of body sections (2), when the body sections (2) are connected between the head section (1) and the tail section (3), the head section (1) and the body sections (2), two adjacent body sections (2) and the body sections (2) and the tail section (3) are connected by double-degree-of-freedom connecting sections (4); When the body sections (2) are not connected between the head section (1) and the tail section (3), the head section (1) and the tail section (3) are connected by the double-degree-of-freedom connecting sections (4); The double-degree-of-freedom connecting section (4) is provided with two servo motors rotating along the Pitch axis and the Yaw axis, and is connected with a control system to realize orthogonal double-degree-of-freedom relative movement along the Pitch axis and the Yaw axis; The control system comprises a binocular camera (11) with a visual communication module, a servo motor control board (31), an MCU main control unit (32), a power supply (33), a servo motor communication module, a serial port, a host computer and a bus, the visual communication module, the servo motor control board (31) and the servo motor communication module are mounted on the bus, the servo motor control board (31) is connected with the servo motors in the double-degree-of-freedom connecting section (4) through the servo motor communication module to realize data interaction; The servo motor control board (31) is connected with the visual communication module to realize data interaction; The host computer is connected with the MCU main control unit (32) through the serial port, and the MCU main control unit (32) is connected with the servo motor control board (31) to realize data interaction; Through the data interaction, the working states of the servo motors and the binocular camera (11) are controlled correspondingly; The servo motor communication module is arranged in the servo motor, the binocular camera (11) is installed on the head section (1), and the servo motor control board (31), the MCU main control unit (32) and the power supply (33) are installed on the tail section (3); The head section comprises a head section front end (12), a head section steering disc connecting end (13) provided with a head section Pitch axis rotating servo motor steering disc (131), and a head section rotating shaft connecting end (14) provided with a head section Pitch axis rotating hole (141), and the head section front end (12), the head section steering disc connecting end (13) and the head section rotating shaft connecting end (14) are further provided with mutually matched holes and pins for positioning during assembly, holes for mounting threaded fasteners and spaces for mounting the binocular camera (11); The tail section (3) comprises a tail section rear end (34), a tail section steering disc connecting end (35) provided with a tail section Yaw axis rotating servo motor steering disc (351), and a tail section rotating shaft connecting end (36) provided with a tail section Yaw axis rotating hole (361), and the tail section rear end (34), the tail section steering disc connecting end (35) and the tail section rotating shaft connecting end (36) are further provided with mutually matched holes and pins for positioning during assembly, holes for mounting threaded fasteners and a clamping groove (341) for connecting with external equipment. The body segment (2) includes a body segment Pitch axis rudder disc connecting end (21) provided with a body segment Pitch axis rudder disc (211), a body segment Pitch axis rotating shaft connecting end (22) provided with a body segment Pitch axis rotating hole (221), a body segment Yaw axis rudder disc connecting end (23) provided with a body segment Yaw axis rotating rudder disc (231), and a body segment Yaw axis rotating shaft connecting end (24) provided with a body segment Yaw axis rotating hole (241). The body segment Pitch axis rudder disc connecting end (21), the body segment Pitch axis rotating shaft connecting end (22), the body segment Yaw axis rudder disc connecting end (23), and the body segment Yaw axis rotating shaft connecting end (24) are further provided with mutually matched holes and pins for positioning during assembly and holes for mounting threaded fasteners. The overall shape of the body segment (2) is a bowl-shaped structure simulating the spine structure of a biological snake, and the profile is a thin wall with a gradually increasing radial size from the front end to the rear end. When moving, the front end of the next body segment (2) with a small radial size enters the inside of the rear end of the previous body segment (2) with a large radial size.

2. A bowl module based lightweight flexible snake robot as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The double-degree-of-freedom connecting segment (4) includes a Pitch axis rotating rudder (41), a Yaw axis rotating rudder (42), a rudder disc connecting end shell (43) provided with a line distribution plate (431), a rotating shaft connecting end shell (44) provided with a Pitch axis rotating rotating shaft (441) and a Yaw axis rotating rotating shaft (442). The rudder disc connecting end shell (43) and the rotating shaft connecting end shell (44) are further provided with mutually matched holes and pins for positioning during assembly and holes for mounting threaded fasteners. The double-degree-of-freedom connecting segment (4) is a symmetrical structure, that is, there is no need to distinguish between the Pitch axis and the Yaw axis in actual assembly and use.

3. An assembling method of a bowl-module-based lightweight flexible snake-like robot for realizing the bowl-module-based lightweight flexible snake-like robot according to claim 2, wherein The method comprises the following steps: S1, completing the assembly of the double-degree-of-freedom connecting segment (4); S2, combining and connecting the head segment (1), the body segment (2), the tail segment (3), and the double-degree-of-freedom connecting segment (4) to obtain a first module, a second module, a third module, and a fourth module. Specifically, the first module is two body segments (2) connected by a double-degree-of-freedom connecting segment (4); The second module is a head segment (1) and a body segment (2) connected by a double-degree-of-freedom connecting segment (4); The third module is a body segment (2) and a tail segment (3) connected by a double-degree-of-freedom connecting segment (4); The fourth module is a head segment (1) and a tail segment (3) connected by a double-degree-of-freedom connecting segment (4); S3, according to the set robot length information, one or more of the first module, the second module, the third module, and the fourth module are selected for connection to assemble a corresponding snake-shaped robot.

4. The assembly method of a bowl module based lightweight flexible snake robot according to claim 3, wherein, The assembly process of the double-degree-of-freedom connecting segment (4) in step S1 comprises: S11, connecting the internal connecting ports (4311) of the two line distribution plates (431) with wires; S12, connect the wires of the Pitch-axis steering engine (41) and the Yaw-axis steering engine (42) to the steering engine connection ports (4312) of the two branch boards (431) respectively; S13, fix the two branch boards (431) on the two branch board fixing bosses (432) of the steering disc connection end shell (43) respectively, and let the wires connecting the internal connection ports (4311) of the two branch boards (431) pass through the gap of the middle partition plate (433) of the steering disc connection end shell (43); S14, put the Pitch-axis steering engine (41) and the Yaw-axis steering engine (42) into the two steering engine installation grooves of the steering disc connection end shell (43) respectively, and fix them with threaded fasteners; S15, according to the position of the pin and hole, combine the rotation shaft connection end shell (44) with the steering disc connection end shell (43), let the wires connecting the internal connection ports (4311) of the two branch boards (431) pass through the gap between the steering engine fixing boss (443) on the rotation shaft connection end shell (44) and the middle partition plate (433) of the steering disc connection end shell (43), and fix them with threaded fasteners, after assembly, the external connection ports (4313) of the two branch boards (431) are located on the surface of the double-degree-of-freedom connection section (4) and face outward.

5. The assembly method of a bowl module based lightweight flexible snake robot according to claim 4, wherein, The assembly process of the first module in step S2 is as follows: Connect the Pitch-axis steering engine (41) of the double-degree-of-freedom connection section (4) with the body section Pitch-axis steering engine steering disc (211) in the body section (2); Connect the body section Pitch-axis shaft connection end (22) and the body section Pitch-axis steering disc connection end (21) through the pin and hole, and connect the Pitch-axis rotating shaft (441) of the rotation shaft connection end shell (44) of the double-degree-of-freedom connection section (4) and the body section Pitch-axis rotating hole (221) of the body section Pitch-axis shaft connection end (22); Connect the Yaw-axis steering engine (42) of the double-degree-of-freedom connection section (4) and the body section Yaw-axis steering engine steering disc (231), and connect the Yaw-axis rotating shaft (442) of the rotation shaft connection end shell (44) of the double-degree-of-freedom connection section (4) and the body section Yaw-axis rotating hole (241) of the snake robot body section (2); The assembly process of the second module is as follows: Connect the Pitch-axis steering engine (41) of the double-degree-of-freedom connection section (4) with the head section Pitch-axis steering engine steering disc (131) of the head section (1); Connect the head section rotation shaft connection end (14) and the head section steering disc connection end (13) through the pin and hole, and fix them with threaded fasteners, and connect the Pitch-axis rotating shaft (441) of the rotation shaft connection end shell (44) of the double-degree-of-freedom connection section (4) and the head section Pitch-axis rotating hole (141); According to the position of the binocular camera (11) camera, install it on the head section front end (12). Connect the front end (12) of the head section, the rudder disk connection end (13) of the head section, and the shaft connection end (14) of the head section, and fix them with threaded fasteners; The assembly process of the third module is as follows: Connect the servo control board (31), MCU main control unit (32), and power supply (33) with wires, and connect the servo control board (31) to the external connection port (4313) of the splitter board (431) in the dual-degree-of-freedom connection section (4) that is connected to the servo (42) rotating on the Yaw axis with wires; Connect the servo motor (42) of the Yaw axis rotation in the two-degree-of-freedom connecting section (4) to the servo disk (351) of the tail section Yaw axis rotation in the tail section (3); The tail section shaft connection end (36) and the tail section rudder disk connection end (35) are connected by a pin and a hole, and the two are fixed with threaded fasteners. At the same time, the Yaw axis rotation shaft (442) of the shaft connection end housing (44) in the dual-degree-of-freedom connection section (4) is connected to the tail section Yaw axis rotation hole (361), and the wire is passed through the through hole (37) between the tail section shaft connection end (36) and the tail section rudder disk connection end (35). The servo control board (31), MCU main control unit (32), and power supply (33) are fixed to the two sides of the vertical wall (38) formed by connecting the tail section shaft connection end (36) and the tail section servo disk connection end (35) using threaded fasteners. The tail section rear end (34), tail section rudder disk connection end (35), and tail section shaft connection end (36) of the snake robot are connected by pins and holes. The wires are passed through the gap between the tail section rear end (34) and the vertical wall (38), and the tail section rear end (34), tail section rudder disk connection end (35), and tail section shaft connection end (36) are fixed with threaded fasteners. The assembly process of the fourth module is specifically carried out with reference to the assembly processes of the first, second, and third modules.

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