A biomimetic snake robot

Abstract

The application discloses a bionic snake-shaped robot, which comprises a head joint, a battery cabin and a bending joint, and the snake body is formed by the combination of a plurality of electromagnetic cabins and bending joints. The bending joint is a main motion module, which is mainly composed of a plurality of bending joint units stacked together, and the maximum bending angle of the bending joint is realized by stacking different numbers of bending joint units. The bending joint unit comprises a joint unit driving circuit board, an electromagnet group, an upper rubidium magnet group, a lower rubidium magnet group, an upper air bag and a lower air bag. The application provides a snake-shaped robot with compact overall structure, high integration degree and simple driving mode, and the snake-shaped robot can realize linear crawling, turning crawling, head lifting, rolling and other actions by controlling the electromagnetic directions of different electromagnets.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application belongs to the field of robot technology, in particular to a bionic snake robot. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the continuous improvement of people's adaptability requirements for robots, the traditional robots cannot adapt to complex and variable unknown environments, meet the work requirements due to their rigid structure, non-deformability and low compliance. In order to further improve the performance of robots and expand the application field, people are increasingly interested in rigid-soft coupled robots. At present, the snake robot has become a hot spot in robot research. The snake robot has the characteristics of large flexibility and strong adaptability, and can realize amphibious maneuvering and perform high-risk combat tasks that humans are not convenient to perform, such as entering dangerous earthquake ruins to quickly carry out disaster information acquisition and survivor search and positioning, underwater exploration, etc. However, the traditional snake robot usually sets multiple movement pairs at the bending joint, forms different bending angles through different movement combinations, and makes the snake robot complete different action processes. These movement pairs mainly include rotating pairs and moving pairs, and the basic movement is simple. When multi-angle bending is required, it is usually necessary to design extremely complex transmission mechanisms and control systems, which are difficult to design, complex in structure, have many parts, occupy a large space, are heavy, and have high failure rate and cumbersome fault handling. These bending joints are usually driven by motor components, and the large size of the motor will cause the snake robot to have a large non-bendable rigid compartment. At the same time, the presence of the rigid compartment limits the number of bendable angles per unit length of the snake robot, making it difficult to adapt to narrow working environments with multiple bending sections. SUMMARY

[0003] The purpose of the present application is to provide a bionic snake robot to solve various problems such as complex structure of traditional snake robot driving mode, too few joint numbers in limited length.

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by the present application is solved by the following technical scheme:

[0005] A bionic snake robot, comprising a head joint 1, a bending joint 2 and a battery compartment 3.

[0006] The head joint 1 mainly comprises a compartment shell, a control circuit board, a communication module, a camera and various sensors. The head joint 1 is located at the head of the bionic snake robot and is the core control center, mainly used for sensor information acquisition and processing, joint control and external information exchange.

[0007] The bending joint 2 is composed of a plurality of magnetic drive joint units stacked together. The magnetic drive joint unit comprises a joint unit driving circuit board 23, an electromagnet group, a rubidium magnet group and an air bag group.

[0008] The battery cabin 3 mainly comprises a cabin shell and a battery pack; the battery cabin 3 is located at each part of the body of the bionic snake-shaped robot to provide kinetic energy for the robot.

[0009] Preferably,

[0010] The electromagnet group comprises four electromagnets 24 arranged in a square shape;

[0011] The rubidium magnet group comprises two layers, specifically four upper-layer rubidium magnets 212 and four lower-layer rubidium magnets 211;

[0012] The air bag group comprises two layers, specifically a lower-layer air bag 221 and an upper-layer air bag 222; the first air chamber 2211, the second air chamber 2212, the third air chamber 2213 and the fourth air chamber 2214 of the lower-layer air bag 221 are sequentially connected through air passages; the four air chambers of the upper-layer air bag 222 are also sequentially connected through air passages.

[0013] Preferably,

[0014] The lower-layer rubidium magnets 211, the lower-layer air bag 221, the electromagnets 24, the upper-layer air bag 222 and the upper-layer rubidium magnets 212 are sequentially arranged and stacked together with the centers coinciding.

[0015] Preferably,

[0016] The electromagnets 24 are fixed on the joint unit driving circuit board 23, and the joint unit driving circuit board 23 drives the electromagnets 24 to be activated.

[0017] Preferably,

[0018] The air chambers of the upper-layer air bag 222 and the lower-layer air bag 221 can be set to six, eight or more; the number of the upper-layer rubidium magnets 212, the lower-layer rubidium magnets 211 and the electromagnets 24 is consistent with the number of the air chambers of the upper-layer air bag 222 and the lower-layer air bag 221, and they cooperate with each other.

[0019] Further, the electromagnets 24 are fixed on the joint unit driving circuit board 23 by penetrating the through holes 231 of the joint unit driving circuit board 23 through screws;

[0020] Further, the curved joint 2 is composed of a plurality of magnetic drive joint units stacked together, and different maximum bending angles are achieved by stacking different numbers of magnetic drive joint units;

[0021] Further, in the curved joint 2, the upper-layer rubidium magnet 212 of a previous magnetic drive joint unit is the lower-layer rubidium magnet 211 of a subsequent magnetic drive joint unit; in the curved joint 2, all the rubidium magnet groups have the same magnetic pole direction.

[0022] Further, the bending joint 2 unit is internally adhered by strong soft glue between the magnetic drive joint units, and the adhered shape is circular with a diameter smaller than that of the air bag group air chamber.

[0023] Further, the battery cabin 3 is located behind each bending joint 2 to independently supply power for each bending joint, that is, one bending joint 2 is powered by one battery cabin 3 to balance the overall robot weight; the battery cabin 3 can adopt multiple 18650 batteries connected in series for power supply.

[0024] Further, the snake robot includes multiple bending joints 2 and multiple battery cabins 3, and different lengths of the snake robot are realized by splicing different numbers of the battery cabins 3 and the bending joints 2.

[0025] Further, the control instruction of the joint drive circuit board 23 comes from the head joint 1, and the hollow part of the bending joint 2 can be wired.

[0026] Further, the head joint 1, the bending joint 2 and the battery cabin 3 are mainly connected by screws, and different numbers of screws are configured according to different strength requirements.

[0027] The present application has the advantages of ingenious design, high integration, compact overall structure and simple driving mode. The combination of the electromagnet, the rubidium magnet and the air bag can realize multi-directional bending movement. The response time is short, and the bending speed is fast. The electromagnet can generate electromagnetic force in a very short time after receiving an electric signal, interact with the rubidium magnet, and the gas in the air bag flows quickly under stress, so that the shape of the air bag is quickly changed, thereby realizing rapid bending deformation. At the same time, the short and rigid cabin section can adapt to some more complex environments. The distribution and arrangement of the battery cabin balance the overall weight, so that the robot has better adaptability in water. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0028] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the following will briefly introduce the drawings needed to be used in the embodiment description. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application, and other drawings can be obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor.

[0029] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present application.

[0030] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the bending joint structure.

[0031] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the bending effect of the bending joint.

[0032] Figure 4 It is a detail view of one magnetic drive joint unit.

[0033] Figure 5 is a plan view of the lower air bag;

[0034] Figure 6 is a plan view of the joint unit driving circuit board;

[0035] Figure 7 is a detail view of the bending state;

[0036] Figure 8 is an overall view of the bending state.

[0037] In the drawings, the components represented by the respective reference numerals are listed as follows:

[0038] 1 - head joint, 2 - bending joint, 3 - battery compartment, 211 - lower layer rubidium magnet, 212 - upper layer rubidium magnet, 221 - lower layer air bag, 222 - upper layer air bag, 23 - joint unit driving circuit board, 24 - electromagnet, 2211 - first air chamber, 2212 - second air chamber, 2213 - third air chamber, 2214 - fourth air chamber, 231 - through hole. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] In order to make the technical means, creative features, purposes and effects of the present application easy to understand, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described clearly and completely in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative labor fall within the scope of the present application.

[0040] In the description of the present application, it should be noted that the orientations or positional relationships indicated by the terms "vertical", "upper", "lower", "horizontal" and the like are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the devices or elements referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present application. In addition, "first", "second", "third", "fourth" are only for the purpose of description, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0041] It should be noted that in the description of the present application, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "arrange", "mount", "connect", "connect" should be understood broadly, for example, it can be fixedly connected, or it can be detachably connected, or it can be integrally connected, it can be mechanically connected, or it can be electrically connected, it can be directly connected, or it can be connected through an intermediate medium, it can be the communication inside two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0042] As shown in Figures 1 to 8 A bionic snake robot, comprising a head joint 1, a bending joint 2 and a battery cabin 3;

[0043] The head joint 1 mainly comprises a cabin shell, a control circuit board, a communication module, a camera and various sensors; the head joint 1 is located at the head of the bionic snake robot, and is a core control center, mainly used for sensor information acquisition and processing, joint control and external information exchange;

[0044] The bending joint 2 is composed of a plurality of magnetic drive joint units stacked, the magnetic drive joint unit comprises a joint unit drive circuit board 23, an electromagnet group, a rubidium magnet group and an air bag group;

[0045] The battery cabin 3 mainly comprises a cabin shell and a battery pack; the battery cabin 3 is located at each part of the body of the bionic snake robot, and provides kinetic energy for the robot.

[0046] Preferably,

[0047] The electromagnet group comprises four electromagnets 24, which are distributed in the four corners of a square;

[0048] The rubidium magnet group comprises two layers, specifically comprising four upper rubidium magnets 212 and four lower rubidium magnets 211;

[0049] The air bag group comprises two layers, specifically comprising a lower air bag 221 and an upper air bag 222, the first air chamber 2211, the second air chamber 2212, the third air chamber 2213 and the fourth air chamber 2214 of the lower air bag 221 are connected in turn through the air duct, and the four air chambers of the upper air bag 221 are also connected through the air duct.

[0050] Preferably,

[0051] The lower rubidium magnet 211, the lower air bag 221, the electromagnet 24, the upper air bag 222, the upper rubidium magnet 212 are arranged and stacked in turn and the centers coincide.

[0052] Preferably,

[0053] The electromagnet 24 is fixed on the joint unit driving circuit board 23, and the joint unit driving circuit board 23 drives the electromagnet 24 to activate.

[0054] Preferably,

[0055] The air chambers of the upper air bag 222 and the lower air bag 221 can be provided as 6, 8 or more; the number of the upper rubidium magnet 212, the lower rubidium magnet 211 and the electromagnet 24 is consistent with the number of the air chambers of the upper air bag 222 and the lower air bag 221, and they cooperate with each other.

[0056] Further, the electromagnet 24 is fixed on the joint unit driving circuit board 23 by screwing through the through hole 231 of the joint unit driving circuit board 23;

[0057] Further, the curved joint 2 is composed of a plurality of magnetic drive joint units stacked, and different maximum bending angles are achieved by stacking different numbers of magnetic drive joint units;

[0058] Further, in the curved joint 2, the upper rubidium magnet 212 of the previous magnetic drive joint unit is the lower rubidium magnet 211 of the next magnetic drive joint unit; in the curved joint 2, all the rubidium magnet groups have the same magnetic pole direction;

[0059] Further, in the curved joint 2 unit, the magnetic drive joint units are adhered by strong soft glue, and the shape of the adhesion is circular with a diameter smaller than that of the air chamber of the air bag group;

[0060] Further, the battery compartment 3 is located behind each curved joint 2, and each curved joint is powered separately, that is, one curved joint 2 is powered by one battery compartment 3, and the weight of the entire robot is balanced; the battery compartment 3 can use multiple 18650 batteries connected in series for power supply;

[0061] Further, the snake robot includes a plurality of curved joints 2 and a plurality of battery compartments 3, and different lengths of snake robots are achieved by splicing different numbers of battery compartments 3 and curved joints 2;

[0062] Further, the control instructions of the joint driving circuit board 23 come from the head joint 1, and the hollow part of the curved joint 2 can be wired;

[0063] Further, the connection mode of the head joint 1, the curved joint 2 and the battery compartment 3 mainly relies on screws, and different numbers of screws are configured according to different strength requirements.

[0064] Further, the lower air bag 221 is above the lower rubidium magnet 211, and a rubidium magnet is placed at the center of each air chamber of the lower air bag 221 and is adhered by strong glue; the electromagnet 24 is above the air chamber of the lower air bag 221, and the joint unit driving circuit board 23 is arranged in the middle, and the joint unit driving circuit board 23 is above the air chamber of the lower air bag 221 and is adhered by strong glue; the upper rubidium magnet 212 is placed above the air chamber of the upper air bag 222 and is adhered by strong glue, and the air chamber of the upper air bag 222 is placed above the electromagnet 24 and is adhered by strong glue.

[0065] It should be noted that the gas in the air chamber should not be too much, and the air pressure should be kept close to the atmospheric pressure.

[0066] When the magnetic drive joint unit works, first, the direction in which the magnetic drive joint unit needs to bend needs to be determined. For example, when bending in the positive direction of the X axis is needed, the electromagnets in the first and fourth quadrants are activated to generate an attractive force between the electromagnets and the corresponding upper and lower rubidium magnets, thereby pressing the air chamber. The electromagnets in the second and fourth quadrants are activated to generate a repulsive force between the electromagnets and the corresponding upper and lower rubidium magnet groups, thereby expanding the air chamber. The first and fourth quadrant air chambers contract, the second and third quadrant air chambers expand, and the left is high and the right is low, thereby realizing bending of the bending joint unit in the positive direction of the X axis. Similarly, when bending in the negative direction of the X axis is needed, the electromagnets in the first and fourth quadrants are activated to generate a repulsive force between the electromagnets and the corresponding upper and lower rubidium magnets, and the electromagnets in the second and fourth quadrants are activated to generate an attractive force between the electromagnets and the corresponding upper and lower rubidium magnet groups. The first and fourth quadrant air chambers expand, the second and third quadrant air chambers contract, the left is low and the right is high, thereby realizing bending of the bending joint unit in the negative direction of the X axis. Similarly, activating the electromagnets in the first, second, third and fourth quadrants at the same time generates the same electromagnetic force in the first and second quadrants and opposite electromagnetic force in the third and fourth quadrants, thereby realizing bending in the positive and negative directions of the Y axis.

[0067] Further, the multiple magnetic drive joint units of one bending joint 2 can be independently controlled to realize different bending effects.

[0068] Further, by combining different bending joints 2, the snake-shaped robot can realize straight crawling, turning crawling, lifting, rolling and other actions.

[0069] Further, the snake-shaped robot can be wrapped with TPU film, corrugated pipe and other materials to make it waterproof and amphibious.

[0070] The preferred embodiments of the application disclosed above are only to facilitate the elucidation of the application. The preferred embodiments do not describe all the details of the application and limit the application to the specific embodiments described. Obviously, many modifications and variations can be made in light of the teachings above. The description is chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the application and its practical application to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the application and get the best results from the application. The application is only limited by the claims and their full scope and equivalents.

Claims

1. A biomimetic snake-like robot, characterized in that: Includes head joint (1), bending joint (2) and battery compartment (3); The head joint (1) mainly includes the outer shell of the cabin, the control circuit board, the communication module, as well as the camera and various sensors; the head joint (1) is located in the head of the bionic snake robot and is the core control center, mainly used for sensor information acquisition and processing, joint control and external information exchange; The bending joint (2) is composed of multiple magnetically driven joint units stacked together. The magnetically driven joint unit includes a joint unit drive circuit board (23), an electromagnet group, a neodymium magnet group, and an airbag group. The electromagnet group includes four electromagnets (24) arranged in a square with the four corners distributed. The neodymium magnet group includes two layers, specifically four upper-layer neodymium magnets (212) and four lower-layer neodymium magnets (211). The airbag group includes two layers, specifically a lower-layer airbag (221) and an upper-layer airbag (222). The lower-layer neodymium magnets (211), lower-layer airbags (221), electromagnets (24), upper-layer airbags (222), and upper-layer neodymium magnets (212) are arranged and stacked together in sequence with their centers overlapping. The battery compartment (3) mainly includes the outer shell of the compartment and the battery pack; the battery compartment (3) is located in various parts of the bionic snake robot body and provides kinetic energy for the robot.

2. The biomimetic snake-like robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first air chamber (2211), the second air chamber (2212), the third air chamber (2213), and the fourth air chamber (2214) of the lower airbag (221) are connected in sequence through airways, and the four air chambers of the upper airbag (222) are also connected through airways in the same way.

3. A biomimetic snake-like robot according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The electromagnet (24) is fixed on the joint unit drive circuit board (23), and the joint unit drive circuit board (23) drives the electromagnet (24) to activate.

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