Multi-body fusion cuboid cluster sweeping software robot and cluster cooperative control method

Abstract

The application discloses a multi-body fusion cuboid cluster sweeping soft robot and a cluster cooperative control method, and relates to the field of soft robots.The multi-body fusion cuboid cluster sweeping soft robot is characterized by comprising at least one collecting robot and at least one cleaning robot, wherein the collecting robot and the cleaning robot each comprise a positioning sensor, an image collector, a controller and a soft robot in the shape of a cuboid; the collecting robot further comprises a collector and an edge brake arranged in the collecting robot and used for collecting articles; and the cleaning robot further comprises a sweeper and an edge brake arranged in the cleaning robot and used for sweeping articles to the collector. The soft robot of the cleaning robot carries the sweeper and is used for sweeping articles on a plane; the soft robot of the collecting robot carries the collector and is used for collecting the articles swept by the sweeper, so that the sweeping task can be realized through cooperation of the two.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of robot technology, and particularly relates to a multi-body fusion cuboid cluster sweeping soft robot and a cluster cooperative control method. BACKGROUND

[0002] Robots can be widely applied in manufacturing, aerospace, extreme environment operation, food and drug packaging industry, etc. according to task requirements and environmental changes. In the prior art, the patent document with the publication number CN102672716A discloses that all the rods of the polyhedral closed triangular mechanism and the connecting rod part are telescopic rods. When the robot is reconfigured, the corresponding rod is telescoped to a corresponding length according to different configurations, and only a single robot is reconfigured, and multiple robots are not formed into a cluster for control, so it is difficult to meet the needs of cleaning tasks.

[0003] Therefore, the prior art still needs to be improved and developed. SUMMARY

[0004] The present application solves the technical problems in the prior art, provides a soft robot and a multi-mode reconfiguration method thereof, and aims to solve the problem that multiple robots are difficult to be controlled in a cluster in the prior art and meet the needs of cleaning tasks.

[0005] The technical solutions adopted by the present application to solve the technical problems are as follows:

[0006] A multi-body fusion cuboid cluster sweeping soft robot, comprising at least one collection robot and at least one cleaning robot, wherein the collection robot and the cleaning robot each comprise a positioning sensor, an image collector, a controller and a soft robot in the shape of a cuboid, and the soft robot, the positioning sensor and the image collector are connected to the controller; the soft robot comprises:

[0007] eight corner brakes, each located at a vertex of the cuboid;

[0008] twelve edge brakes, each located at an edge of the cuboid;

[0009] wherein the two ends of the edge brake are movably connected to two corner brakes;

[0010] the controller is configured to control the size of the corner brake and the length of the edge brake to move the soft robot;

[0011] The collection robot further comprises:

[0012] a collector arranged in the edge brake of the collection robot and configured to collect articles;

[0013] The cleaning robot further comprises:

[0014] The sweeper is arranged in the edge brake of the cleaning robot and is used for sweeping the articles to the collector.

[0015] The collector has an inlet for the articles to enter the collector.

[0016] The image collector in the collecting robot is arranged in the collector and faces the inlet.

[0017] The image collector in the cleaning robot is arranged in the sweeper and faces away from the soft robot.

[0018] The edge brake comprises:

[0019] The telescopic device;

[0020] Two first magnetic attractors are respectively arranged at two ends of the telescopic device.

[0021] The edge brake is movably connected with the corner brake through a connector, and the connector comprises:

[0022] A flexible sheet is arranged on the surface of the corner brake and is provided with a plurality of mounting portions.

[0023] A plurality of second magnetic attractors are arranged in the corresponding mounting portions.

[0024] The second magnetic attractors are magnetically connected with the first magnetic attractors.

[0025] The telescopic device is a porous telescopic device which is shortened after extracting gas and restored to the original length after filling gas.

[0026] The porous telescopic device and the first magnetic attractors are arranged in the packaging bag.

[0027] A first gas pipe is in communication with the packaging bag.

[0028] The flexible sheet is provided with a through hole.

[0029] A balloon is arranged on the flexible sheet.

[0030] A second gas pipe is in communication with the balloon.

[0031] The second air pipe is located in the via hole.

[0032] A cluster cooperative control method of a multi-body fusion cuboid cluster sweeping soft robot, wherein the method is applied to at least two multi-body fusion cuboid cluster sweeping soft robots as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, and the cluster cooperative control method comprises the following steps:

[0033] The sweeping robot is controlled to rotate, and a first image is acquired by an image collector of the sweeping robot to determine the direction of the object to be swept; the sweeping robot is controlled to move towards the direction of the object, and the object is swept by a sweeper, so that the sweeping robot stops beside the gathered object after the object is gathered;

[0034] First positioning information of the sweeping robot after the object is swept and gathered is acquired by a positioning sensor of the sweeping robot, and the first positioning information is sent to the collecting robot; wherein the first positioning information is the position information of the sweeping robot after the object is swept and gathered;

[0035] When the collecting robot receives the first positioning information, the collecting robot is controlled to move so that the collector approaches the position of the first positioning information;

[0036] Second positioning information of the collecting robot is acquired by a positioning sensor of the collecting robot, and the second positioning information is sent to the sweeping robot; wherein the second positioning information is the position information of the collecting robot;

[0037] When the sweeping robot receives the second positioning information, the sweeping robot and the collecting robot are controlled according to the first positioning information and the second positioning information, so that the gathered object is swept by the sweeper to the collector.

[0038] The cluster cooperative control method, wherein when the collecting robot receives the first positioning information, the collecting robot is controlled to move so that the collector approaches the position of the first positioning information, comprises:

[0039] When the collecting robot receives the first positioning information, the collecting robot is controlled to move to a position at a preset distance from the first positioning information;

[0040] The collecting robot is controlled to move around the position of the first positioning information according to a preset trajectory until the first image acquired by the image collector of the sweeping robot contains the soft robot of the collecting robot;

[0041] acquire a second image by an image collector of the collecting robot, and control the collecting robot to rotate according to the second image, so that the collector faces the gathered objects.

[0042] The cluster cooperative control method, wherein the collector has an entrance, the entrance is used for the objects to enter the collector, and a width of the entrance is greater than a width of the sweeper.

[0043] After the sweeper robot receives the second positioning information, the sweeper robot and the collecting robot are controlled according to the first positioning information and the second positioning information, so that the gathered objects are swept to the collector by the sweeper, including:

[0044] The collecting robot is controlled to tilt outwardly;

[0045] The sweeper robot is controlled to move, so that the gathered objects are pushed to move toward the collector; during the movement of the sweeper robot, a first image is acquired by an image collector of the sweeper robot, and the sweeper robot is controlled to rotate according to the first image, so that a direction of the movement of the sweeper robot is adjusted.

[0046] After the objects are pushed into the collector, the collecting robot is controlled to tilt inwardly, so that the objects slide into the collector.

[0047] The cluster cooperative control method, wherein the sweeper robot is controlled to rotate, and a first image is acquired by an image collector of the sweeper robot, so that a direction of the objects to be swept is determined; the sweeper robot is controlled to move toward the direction of the objects, and the objects are swept by the sweeper, so that after the objects are gathered, the sweeper robot stops beside the gathered objects, including:

[0048] After the sweeper robot is controlled to rotate by a preset angle, a first image is acquired by an image collector of the sweeper robot;

[0049] When the objects to be swept exist in the first image, a direction of the objects is taken as a direction of the image collector of the sweeper robot;

[0050] After the sweeper robot is controlled to move toward the direction of the objects by a first preset distance, the sweeper robot is controlled to return, and the sweeper robot is controlled to move by a second preset distance in a vertical direction, and a cumulative value of the second preset distance is counted; wherein the vertical direction is a direction perpendicular to the direction of the objects.

[0051] The step of acquiring the first image by the image collector of the sweeper robot is continuously executed until the objects to be swept do not exist in the first image.

[0052] After the cleaning robot is controlled to move in the direction of the object by the first preset distance, the cleaning robot is controlled to rotate by 90 degrees to face the object, and the cleaning robot is controlled to move based on the cumulative value of the second preset distance, so that the object is gathered, and then the cleaning robot stops beside the gathered object.

[0053] Beneficial effects: The cleaning robot and the collection robot can be placed on a plane, and objects can also exist on the plane, and the cleaning robot and the collection robot can be used for cleaning and collecting objects on the plane. The soft robot of the cleaning robot carries a sweeper for cleaning objects on the plane, and the soft robot of the collection robot carries a collector for collecting objects cleaned by the sweeper, and the cleaning task can be realized through cooperation of the two. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0054] Figure 1 It is a structure schematic view of the multi-body fusion cuboid cluster sweeping soft robot in the embodiment of the application.

[0055] Figure 2 It is a structure schematic view of the connector and the corner brake.

[0056] Figure 3 It is a structure schematic view of the connector.

[0057] Figure 4 It is a structure schematic view of the edge brake.

[0058] Figure 5 It is a structure schematic view of the soft robot.

[0059] Figure 6 It is a schematic view of the corner brake and the edge brake.

[0060] Figure 7 It is a top view of the multi-body fusion cuboid cluster sweeping soft robot in the embodiment of the application.

[0061] Figure 8 It is a side view of the soft robot when moving.

[0062] Figure 9 It is a top view of the soft robot when rotating.

[0063] Explanation of reference signs:

[0064] 1a, collecting robot; 1b, cleaning robot; 10, soft robot; 110, second air pipe; 120, cable tie; 130, connector; 131, second magnetic attractor; 132, flexible sheet; 133, via; 140, balloon; 201, telescopic device; 202, packaging bag; 203, first magnetic attractor; 204, bag opening; 205, first air pipe; 20, collector; 30, cleaner; 40, image collector; 11, first corner brake; 12, second corner brake; 13, third corner brake; 14, fourth corner brake; 15, fifth corner brake; 16, sixth corner brake; 17, seventh corner brake; 18, eighth corner brake; 21, first edge brake; 22, second edge brake; 23, third edge brake; 24, fourth edge brake; 25, fifth edge brake; 26, sixth edge brake; 27, seventh edge brake; 28, eighth edge brake. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0065] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present application clearer and more explicit, the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples. It should be understood that the specific examples described herein are only used to explain the present application and do not limit the present application.

[0066] Please also refer to Figures 1-9 The present application provides some embodiments of a multi-body fusion cuboid cluster sweeping soft robot.

[0067] As shown in Figure 1 and Figure 7 A multi-body fusion cuboid cluster sweeping soft robot of the present application comprises at least one collecting robot 1a and at least one cleaning robot 1b, the collecting robot 1a and the cleaning robot 1b each comprising a positioning sensor, an image collector 40, a controller and a soft robot 10 in the shape of a cuboid, the soft robot 10, the positioning sensor and the image collector 40 being connected to the controller; the soft robot 10 comprising:

[0068] eight corner brakes, each located at a vertex of the cuboid;

[0069] twelve edge brakes, each located at an edge of the cuboid;

[0070] wherein the two ends of each edge brake are movably connected to two corner brakes; the controller is used to control the size of the corner brakes and the length of the edge brakes, so as to move the soft robot 10;

[0071] The collecting robot 1a further comprises:

[0072] The collector 20 is arranged in the collecting robot 1a and is used for collecting the articles;

[0073] The cleaning robot 1b further comprises:

[0074] The sweeper 30 is arranged in the cleaning robot 1b and is used for sweeping the articles to the collector 20.

[0075] It is worth mentioning that the cuboid refers to a solid surrounded by six rectangles, and the rectangle refers to a closed figure composed of four line segments connected in order, and the adjacent two sides are perpendicular to each other. The corner brake refers to a device with variable size located at the corner of the rectangle in the cuboid, and the size of the corner brake can be adjusted. The edge brake refers to a device with variable size located at the edge of the rectangle in the cuboid, and the size of the edge brake can be adjusted. After adjusting the size of the corner brake and the size of the edge brake, the size of the soft robot 10 is changed, so as to realize the movement and rotation of the soft robot 10. The corner brake is located at the vertex of the cuboid, the edge brake serves as the edge of the cuboid, the two ends of the edge brake are movably connected with the corner brake, and the rectangular surface of the cuboid is hollow.

[0076] The cleaning robot 1b and the collecting robot 1a can be placed on a plane, and there can be articles on the plane. The cleaning robot 1b and the collecting robot 1a can be used for sweeping and collecting the articles on the plane. The soft robot 10 of the cleaning robot 1b carries the sweeper 30, which is used for sweeping the articles on the plane; the soft robot 10 of the collecting robot 1a carries the collector 20, which is used for collecting the articles swept by the sweeper 30. Through cooperation of the two, the sweeping task can be realized.

[0077] In addition, the soft robot 10 in the collecting robot 1a can be one or more. When the size of the collector 20 is small, the collector 20 is connected with one soft robot 10; when the size of the collector 20 is large, the collector 20 is connected with multiple soft robots 10, for example, the collector 20 is connected with two soft robots 10. The soft robot 10 in the cleaning robot 1b can be one or more. Generally, the size of the sweeper 30 is small, and the sweeper 30 is connected with one soft robot 10.

[0078] In a preferred implementation manner of the embodiment of the present application, as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 7 The collector 20 has an inlet for the articles to enter the collector 20; the image collector 40 in the collecting robot 1a is arranged in the collector 20, and the image collector 40 faces the inlet.

[0079] Specifically, collector 20 can be a dustpan, and items enter collector 20 from the entrance. Image collector 40 of collection robot 1a is located within collector 20 and faces the entrance. The direction of image collector 40 of collection robot 1a is used as the orientation of collection robot 1a. Rotating collection robot 1a toward the direction of the items facilitates collection of these items.

[0080] In a preferred implementation of the embodiment of the present invention, Figure 1 and Figure 7 As shown, the image collector 40 in the cleaning robot 1b is set on the cleaner 30, and the image collector 40 is facing away from the soft robot 10.

[0081] Specifically, the sweeper 30 can be a broom, and the image collector 40 of the cleaning robot 1b is disposed on the sweeper 30. The image collector 40 faces away from the direction where the soft robot 10 of the cleaning robot 1b is located. The direction of the image collector 40 is used as the orientation of the cleaning robot 1b. When the orientation of the cleaning robot 1b is rotated to the direction where the objects are located, it is easier to clean these objects.

[0082] In a preferred implementation of the embodiment of the present invention, Figure 1 、 Figure 4 as well as Figure 5 As shown, the side brake includes:

[0083] Retractor 201;

[0084] The two first magnetic attractors 203 are respectively located at two ends of the telescopic device 201 .

[0085] Specifically, the retractor 201 can be extended and retracted to adjust the length of the side brake. The first magnetic absorber 203 is used to connect with other components by magnetic attraction. The first magnetic absorber 203 can be connected to both ends of the retractor 201.

[0086] In a preferred implementation of the embodiment of the present invention, Figures 1-3 as well as Figure 5 As shown, the side brake is movably connected to the corner brake via a connector 130; the connector 130 includes:

[0087] A flexible sheet 132 is attached to the surface of the corner brake and is provided with a plurality of mounting portions;

[0088] A plurality of second magnetic attractors 131 are installed on corresponding mounting portions;

[0089] The second magnetic absorber 131 is magnetically connected to the first magnetic absorber 203 .

[0090] Specifically, the flexible sheet 132 is flexible and can be deformed. When the edge stopper is retracted, the included angle between the edge stopper and the adjacent edge stopper changes, and the flexible sheet 132 deforms to adjust the position of the mounting portion and adapt to the change of the edge stopper. The second magnetic attractor 131 forms a magnetic attraction connection with the first magnetic attractor 203. The magnetic attractor can be a component with magnetism or a component attracted by a component with magnetism. For example, the two magnetic attractors can be a magnet component and an iron component respectively, or two magnet components. The second magnetic attractor 131 is a component with magnetism, for example, a magnet component.

[0091] In a preferred implementation of the embodiment of the present application, as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 4 , the retractor 201 is a porous retractor that is shortened after extracting gas and restored to the original length after filling gas.

[0092] Specifically, the retractor 201 is a porous retractor (for example, a porous sponge) with a porous structure inside. When the gas (for example, air) in the porous structure is extracted, the porous retractor is shortened. When the gas (for example, air) is filled into the porous structure again, the porous retractor is lengthened until it returns to the original length.

[0093] In a preferred implementation of the embodiment of the present application, as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 4 , the edge stopper further comprises:

[0094] an encapsulation bag 202, wherein the porous retractor and the first magnetic attractor 203 are located in the encapsulation bag 202;

[0095] a first gas pipe 205 in communication with the encapsulation bag 202.

[0096] Specifically, in order to ensure that the air in the porous retractor does not escape, the encapsulation bag 202 is used to wrap the porous retractor and the first magnetic attractor 203, so as to maintain the air pressure in the porous retractor and the length of the porous retractor. The first gas pipe 205 is in communication with the encapsulation bag 202, and gas can be filled or extracted from the first gas pipe 205 to the encapsulation bag 202. The encapsulation bag 202 is provided with a bag opening 204, the first gas pipe 205 is inserted into the bag opening 204 and is in sealed connection with the bag opening 204.

[0097] In a preferred implementation of the embodiment of the present application, as shown in Figures 2-3 , the flexible sheet 132 is provided with a through hole 133; and the corner stopper comprises:

[0098] a balloon 140 attached to the flexible sheet 132;

[0099] a second gas pipe 110 in communication with the balloon 140.

[0100] The second air pipe 110 is located in the through hole 133.

[0101] Specifically, the flexible sheet 132 is provided with the through hole 133, and the through hole 133 is specifically provided at the center of the flexible sheet 132. A plurality of mounting portions are arranged around the through hole 133. The second air pipe 110 is located in the through hole 133, and specifically can be clamped in the through hole 133. For example, the second air pipe 110 is tightened by a cable tie 120. The cable tie 120 and the balloon 140 are located on two sides of the through hole 133, respectively. The second air pipe 110 cannot be removed from the through hole 133 due to the obstruction of the cable tie 120 and the balloon 140. The cable tie 120 can also tighten the second air pipe 110 to prevent the balloon 140 from deflating. The mounting portion can adopt a slot, and the second magnetic attractor 131 is inserted into the slot to form a detachable connection.

[0102] In a preferred implementation manner of the embodiment of the present application, as shown in Figures 2-3 Each connector 130 has three mounting portions.

[0103] Specifically, each flexible sheet 132 has three mounting portions, and each mounting portion can correspond to an edge brake.

[0104] In a preferred implementation manner of the embodiment of the present application, as shown in Figures 2-3 The connecting portion is flexible and can be stretched. When the relative positions of the mounting portions and the adjacent mounting portions change, the connecting portion between the two mounting portions is stretched or shrunk. The second magnetic attractor 131 can adopt a rectangle, and the mounting portion also adopts a rectangle. The corners of the rectangular mounting portion are directed to the center of the flexible sheet 132. The connecting portion is trapezoidal and connects the edges of the adjacent two rectangular mounting portions. All the mounting portions and all the connecting portions are sequentially connected and surrounded to form the through hole 133.

[0105] The soft robot 10 can move and rotate, thereby realizing the movement and rotation of the collecting robot la and the movement and rotation of the cleaning robot lb. Since the soft robot 10 is a cuboid, there are four corner stopper contact planes, of which two corners stoppers are close to the collector 20 or the sweeper 30, which are recorded as the first corner stopper 11 and the second corner stopper 12, and the direction in which the collector 20 or the sweeper 30 is located is the front direction, and the direction away from the collector 20 or the sweeper 30 is the rear direction; the other two corner stoppers are away from the collector 20 or the sweeper 30, which are recorded as the third corner stopper 13 and the fourth corner stopper 14; in addition, the corner stopper above the first corner stopper 11 is recorded as the fifth corner stopper 15, the corner stopper above the second corner stopper 12 is recorded as the sixth corner stopper 16, the corner stopper above the third corner stopper 13 is recorded as the seventh corner stopper 17, and the corner stopper above the fourth corner stopper 14 is recorded as the eighth corner stopper 18. The edge stopper connecting the first corner stopper 11 and the fourth corner stopper 14 is recorded as the first edge stopper 21, the edge stopper connecting the first corner stopper 11 and the second corner stopper 12 is recorded as the second edge stopper 22, the edge stopper connecting the second corner stopper 12 and the third corner stopper 13 is recorded as the third edge stopper 23, and the edge stopper connecting the third corner stopper 13 and the fourth corner stopper 14 is recorded as the fourth edge stopper 24. In addition, the edge stopper above the first edge stopper 21 is the fifth edge stopper 25, the edge stopper above the second edge stopper 22 is the sixth edge stopper 26, the edge stopper above the third edge stopper 23 is the seventh edge stopper 27, and the edge stopper above the fourth edge stopper 24 is the eighth edge stopper 28, of course, the size of the four edge stoppers can not be changed. By controlling the size of each corner stopper and each edge stopper, the rotation and movement of the soft robot 10 can be realized.

[0106] The movement of the soft robot 10 can be linear movement, for example, moving backward, as shown in Figure 5 、 Figure 6 and Figure 8As shown, after the size of the first and second corner brakes 11 and 12 is increased, the center of gravity of the soft robot 10 moves backward, and when the lengths of the first and third edge brakes 21 and 23 are shortened (the lengths of the fifth and seventh edge brakes 25 and 27 are also shortened accordingly), since the center of gravity of the soft robot 10 is close to the third and fourth corner brakes 13 and 14 and far from the first and second corner brakes 11 and 12, the third and fourth corner brakes 13 and 14 have a larger pressure on the ground and a larger frictional force; the first and second corner brakes 11 and 12 have a smaller pressure on the ground and a smaller frictional force, so the positions of the third and fourth corner brakes 13 and 14 do not change substantially, and the first and second corner brakes 11 and 12 move backward. Then the size of the first and second corner brakes 11 and 12 is restored, and the size of the third and fourth corner brakes 13 and 14 is increased, the center of gravity of the soft robot 10 moves forward, and then the lengths of the first and third edge brakes 21 and 23 are restored (the lengths of the fifth and seventh edge brakes 25 and 27 are also restored accordingly), since the center of gravity of the soft robot 10 is close to the first and second corner brakes 11 and 12 and far from the third and fourth corner brakes 13 and 14, the first and second corner brakes 11 and 12 have a larger pressure on the ground and a larger frictional force; the third and fourth corner brakes 13 and 14 have a smaller pressure on the ground and a smaller frictional force, so the positions of the first and second corner brakes 11 and 12 do not change substantially, and the third and fourth corner brakes 13 and 14 move backward. Finally, the size of the third and fourth corner brakes 13 and 14 is restored, and the soft robot 10 as a whole moves backward by one step.

[0107] Conversely, it can also move forward by one step. Increase the size of the third and fourth corner brakes 13 and 14, then shorten the lengths of the first and third edge brakes 21 and 23 (the lengths of the fifth and seventh edge brakes 25 and 27 are also shortened accordingly), then restore the size of the third and fourth corner brakes 13 and 14 and increase the size of the first and second corner brakes 11 and 12, then restore the lengths of the first and third edge brakes 21 and 23 (the lengths of the fifth and seventh edge brakes 25 and 27 are also restored accordingly), and finally restore the size of the first and second corner brakes 11 and 12, and the soft robot 10 as a whole moves forward by one step.

[0108] The rotation of the soft robot 10 can be clockwise rotation, such as Figure 5 、 Figure 6 and Figure 9As shown, first, the size of the first corner brake 11 and the third corner brake 13 is increased, then the second corner brake 12 and the fourth corner brake 14 can be slightly lifted, the pressure of the first corner brake 11 and the third corner brake 13 on the ground is larger, and the friction is also larger, the pressure of the second corner brake 12 and the fourth corner brake 14 on the ground is smaller, and the friction is also smaller; then the length of the first side brake 21 and the third side brake 23 (the length of the fifth side brake 25 and the seventh side brake 27 is also shortened accordingly) is reduced, and the second corner brake 12 and the fourth corner brake 14 are moved in the clockwise direction respectively. Then the size of the first corner brake 11 and the third corner brake 13 is restored, and the size of the second corner brake 12 and the fourth corner brake 14 is increased, and the length of the first side brake 21 and the third side brake 23 (the length of the fifth side brake 25 and the seventh side brake 27 is also restored accordingly) is restored, then the first corner brake 11 and the third corner brake 13 are moved in the clockwise direction respectively. Of course, when the length of the first side brake 21 and the third side brake 23 is restored, the length of the second side brake 22 and the fourth side brake 24 (the length of the fifth side brake 25 and the seventh side brake 27 is also shortened accordingly) can also be reduced, and the first corner brake 11 and the third corner brake 13 are further moved in the clockwise direction respectively, therefore, the soft robot 10 can rotate an angle in the clockwise direction.

[0109] Conversely, the rotation of the soft robot 10 can be counterclockwise rotation, first, the size of the second corner brake 12 and the fourth corner brake 14 is increased, then the length of the second side brake 22 and the fourth side brake 24 (the length of the sixth side brake 26 and the eighth side brake 28 is also shortened accordingly) is reduced; then the size of the second corner brake 12 and the fourth corner brake 14 is restored, and the size of the first corner brake 11 and the third corner brake 13 is increased, and the length of the second side brake 22 and the fourth side brake 24 (the length of the sixth side brake 26 and the eighth side brake 28 is also restored accordingly) is restored; when the length of the second side brake 22 and the fourth side brake 24 is restored, the length of the first side brake 21 and the third side brake 23 (the length of the fifth side brake 25 and the seventh side brake 27 is also shortened accordingly) can also be reduced, therefore, the soft robot 10 can rotate an angle in the counterclockwise direction.

[0110] Based on the multi-body fusion cuboid cluster sweeping soft robot described above, the application also provides a preferred embodiment of a cluster cooperative control method of a multi-body fusion cuboid cluster sweeping soft robot:

[0111] The cluster cooperative control method of the multi-body fusion cuboid cluster sweeping soft robot of the embodiment of the application is based on at least one collection robot and at least one cleaning robot, and realizes the sweeping of articles into a collector through the at least one collection robot and the at least one cleaning robot. The cluster cooperative control method comprises the following steps:

[0112] Step S100, control the cleaning robot to rotate, and acquire a first image through an image collector of the cleaning robot to determine a direction of an article to be cleaned; control the cleaning robot to move towards the direction of the article, and clean the article through a cleaner, so that the cleaning robot stops beside the gathered article after the article is gathered.

[0113] Step S200, acquire first positioning information through a positioning sensor of the cleaning robot, and send the first positioning information to the collecting robot; wherein the first positioning information is position information of the cleaning robot after the cleaning robot cleans the gathered article.

[0114] Step S300, after the collecting robot receives the first positioning information, control the collecting robot to move, so that the collector approaches the position where the first positioning information is located.

[0115] Step S400, acquire second positioning information through a positioning sensor of the collecting robot, and send the second positioning information to the cleaning robot; wherein the second positioning information is position information of the collecting robot.

[0116] Step S500, after the cleaning robot receives the second positioning information, control the cleaning robot and the collecting robot according to the first positioning information and the second positioning information, so as to clean the gathered article to the collector through the cleaner.

[0117] Specifically, when cleaning the article, first determine the direction of the article through the cleaning robot, so as to facilitate gathering the article, and then report the first positioning information, so that the collecting robot reaches the vicinity of the position where the first positioning information is located, and send the second positioning information, so that the cleaning robot pushes the article into the collector, and completes the cleaning of the article.

[0118] When determining the direction of the article, control the cleaning robot to rotate, and acquire a first image through the image collector after rotating by an angle, if the article to be cleaned exists in the first image, the direction of the article can be determined, that is, the orientation of the cleaning robot is the direction of the article. When cleaning the gathered article to the collector, the cleaning robot and the collecting robot can be controlled together to realize the collection of the article.

[0119] Step S100 specifically comprises:

[0120] Step S110, control the cleaning robot to rotate by a preset angle, and acquire a first image through an image collector of the cleaning robot.

[0121] Step S120, when there is an object to be cleaned in the first image, the orientation of the image collector of the cleaning robot is taken as the direction of the object.

[0122] Step S130, after controlling the cleaning robot to move a first preset distance in the direction of the object, controlling the cleaning robot to return and controlling the cleaning robot to move a second preset distance in a vertical direction, and counting the cumulative value of the second preset distance; wherein the vertical direction is a direction perpendicular to the direction of the object.

[0123] Step S140, continue to execute the step of acquiring the first image by the image collector of the cleaning robot until there is no object to be cleaned in the first image.

[0124] Step S150, after controlling the cleaning robot to move a first preset distance in the direction of the object, controlling the cleaning robot to rotate 90° to face the object, and based on the cumulative value of the second preset distance, controlling the cleaning robot to move so that the object is gathered, and the cleaning robot stops beside the gathered object.

[0125] Specifically, the object can be distributed in any way, and when the object is gathered, the object is first cleaned to a linear distribution, and then the object is cleaned together to a gathered state. When the image collector of the cleaning robot acquires the first image, if there is no object to be cleaned in the first image, the cleaning robot needs to be controlled to rotate a preset angle, and continue to acquire the first image by the image collector until there is an object to be cleaned in the first image, and the orientation of the cleaning robot (i.e. the orientation of the image collector of the cleaning robot, i.e. the direction of the forward direction) is taken as the direction of the object. Controlling the cleaning robot to move in this direction can gather the objects in this direction. Then control the cleaning robot to return and move left or right, continue to acquire the first image, and determine whether there is an object to be cleaned in the first image. If there is an object, move along the orientation of the cleaning robot to gather the objects in this direction. Until there is no object in the first image, the objects are gathered to a linear distribution, and are perpendicular to the direction of the object. Then control the cleaning robot to move to the straight line where the linearly distributed objects are located, and then gather the objects along the straight line direction to realize the gathering of the objects.

[0126] After gathering the objects, the cleaning robot stops beside the gathered objects, and then the cleaning robot sends first positioning information through the positioning sensor, and the collecting robot can receive the first positioning information, which indicates the position of the gathered objects, so that the collecting robot moves to the vicinity of the gathered objects.

[0127] Step S300 specifically includes:

[0128] Step S310, when the collection robot receives the first positioning information, control the collection robot to move to a position at a preset distance from the first positioning information.

[0129] Step S320, control the collection robot to move around the position of the first positioning information according to a preset trajectory until the soft robot of the collection robot exists in the first image collected by the image collector of the cleaning robot.

[0130] Step S330, acquire a second image by the image collector of the collection robot, and control the collection robot to rotate according to the second image so that the collector faces the gathered objects.

[0131] Specifically, when the collection robot receives the first positioning information, the collection robot is rotated and faces the position of the first positioning information, and the collection robot is controlled to move to the position of the first positioning information. The collection robot moves to the vicinity of the position of the first positioning information, and the specific distance is a preset distance, that is, when the collection robot moves to the vicinity of the preset distance from the gathered objects, the orientation of the collection robot is adjusted, and the specific adjustment method is to move around the position of the first positioning information. The preset trajectory can be a rectangle or a square, so that the collection robot and the cleaning robot are respectively located on two sides of the gathered objects, facilitating the cleaning robot to clean the objects into the collector. Whether the collection robot and the cleaning robot are respectively located on two sides of the gathered objects is determined by the first image collected by the image collector, and when the soft robot of the collection robot moves into the first image collected by the image collector of the cleaning robot, it indicates that the two are respectively located on two sides of the gathered objects. When the cleaning robot cleans the objects into the collector, it can move forward, and if necessary, it also needs to rotate a small angle to avoid part of the objects from being separated from the sweeper when the sweeper rotates, and more actions are needed to completely clean the objects into the collector.

[0132] Of course, the second image can also be acquired by the image collector of the collection robot, and the alignment of the cleaning robot and the collection robot can be realized by the first image and the second image. For example, the image collector is arranged on the center line of the collector or the sweeper, the collector is symmetrical about the center line of the collector, and the sweeper is also symmetrical about the center line of the sweeper. Therefore, the image collector of the collection robot exists in the first image, the image collector of the cleaning robot exists in the second image, the image collector of the collection robot is located at the middle position of the first image, and the image collector of the cleaning robot is located at the middle position of the second image. When the collection robot and the cleaning robot are aligned, the cleaning robot can move forward to push the objects into the collector.

[0133] The collector has an entrance for the articles to enter into the collector, and the width of the entrance is greater than the width of the sweeper; and the step S500 specifically comprises:

[0134] The step S510 controls the collecting robot to tilt the collector outward.

[0135] The step S520 controls the sweeping robot to move to push the gathered articles toward the collector; in the process of the movement of the sweeping robot, a first image is acquired by the image collector of the sweeping robot, and the sweeping robot is controlled to rotate according to the first image to adjust the direction of the movement of the sweeping robot.

[0136] The step S530 controls the collecting robot to tilt the collector inward when the articles are pushed into the collector, so that the articles slide into the collector.

[0137] Specifically, in the initial state, the collector in the collecting robot can be suspended or in contact with the ground. When the collector is ready to collect the articles, the collector is tilted outward, for example, the size of the third and fourth angle brakes can be increased, so that the opening of the collector is lower, forming an outwardly tilted state, and of course, the side brake connected to the collector can also be controlled to shorten to lower the collector, so that the opening of the collector is in contact with the ground, so that the articles on the ground can enter the collector from the opening.

[0138] Then the sweeping robot is controlled to move forward to push the gathered articles to the opening of the collector. In the process of controlling the sweeping robot to move forward, a first image can be acquired by the image collector of the sweeping robot, and the sweeping robot is controlled to rotate according to the first image. For example, since the image collector of the collecting robot is located in the first image, if the image collector of the collecting robot is located on the left side of the first image, the sweeping robot needs to be controlled to rotate to the left; if the image collector of the collecting robot is located on the right side of the first image, the sweeping robot needs to be controlled to rotate to the right; if the image collector of the collecting robot is located in the middle of the first image, the sweeping robot does not need to be controlled to rotate. Of course, the sweeping robot can also return and move left or right, and then move forward again until all the articles are pushed into the collector.

[0139] When the articles are pushed into the collector, the collecting robot can also be controlled to tilt the collector inward, so that the articles at the entrance of the collector slide inward to avoid falling out. Specifically, the size of the first and second angle brakes can be controlled to increase, so that the collector is tilted inward.

[0140] It is to be understood that the application is not limited to the examples described above, which can be modified or adapted in several ways by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present application, as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A multi-body fusion cuboid cluster sweeping soft robot, characterized by: include: At least one collection robot and at least one cleaning robot, each of the collection robot and the cleaning robot comprises: a positioning sensor, an image collector, a controller, and a cuboid soft robot, wherein the soft robot, the positioning sensor, and the image collector are all connected to the controller; the soft robot comprises: Eight corner brakes, located at the vertices of the cuboid; twelve edge brakes, respectively located at the edges of the rectangular parallelepiped; Wherein, the two ends of the side brake are movably connected to the two corner brakes respectively; The controller is used to control the size of the corner brake and the length of the side brake to move the soft robot; The collection robot also includes: A collector, provided at the side brake of the collecting robot and used for collecting objects; The cleaning robot also includes: a sweeper, provided on the side brake of the cleaning robot and used to sweep objects into the collector; The side brake comprises: Retractor; Two first magnetic absorbers are respectively located at two ends of the telescopic device; The side brake is movably connected to the corner brake via a connector; the connector comprises: a flexible sheet, attached to the surface of the corner brake and provided with a plurality of mounting portions; A plurality of second magnetic absorbers are installed on corresponding mounting portions; Wherein, the second magnetic absorber is magnetically connected to the first magnetic absorber; The expander is a porous expander, which becomes shorter after gas is extracted and recovers its length after gas is refilled; the side brake also includes: A packaging bag, wherein the porous expander and the first magnetic absorber are both located in the packaging bag; a first air pipe, connected to the packaging bag; The flexible sheet is provided with a via hole; the corner brake comprises: a balloon, abutting against the flexible sheet; a second trachea, connected to the balloon; Wherein, the second air pipe is located in the through hole.

2. The multi-body fusion rectangular cluster sweeping soft robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The collector has an inlet for the objects to enter the collector; The image collector in the collection robot is arranged on the collector, and the image collector faces the entrance.

3. The multi-body fusion cuboid cluster sweeping soft robot according to claim 2, characterized in that: The image collector in the cleaning robot is arranged on the cleaner, and the image collector faces away from the soft robot.

4. A cluster collaborative control method for a multi-body fusion rectangular cluster sweeping soft robot, characterized in that: Applied to at least two multi-body fusion rectangular cluster sweeping soft robots according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the cluster collaborative control method comprises the following steps: Controlling the cleaning robot to rotate and acquiring a first image through an image collector of the cleaning robot to determine a direction of an object to be cleaned; controlling the cleaning robot to move toward the object and cleaning the object through a cleaner so that the object is gathered, and then stopping the cleaning robot next to the gathered object; Acquire first positioning information through the positioning sensor of the cleaning robot, and send the first positioning information to the collection robot; wherein the first positioning information is the position information of the cleaning robot after the cleaning objects are gathered by the cleaning robot; When the collecting robot receives the first positioning information, the collecting robot is controlled to move so that the collector moves closer to the position of the first positioning information; Acquire second positioning information through the positioning sensor of the collection robot, and send the second positioning information to the cleaning robot; wherein the second positioning information is the position information of the collection robot; When the cleaning robot receives the second positioning information, it controls the cleaning robot and the collecting robot according to the first positioning information and the second positioning information, so as to clean the gathered objects to the collector through the cleaner.

5. The cluster collaborative control method according to claim 4, characterized in that: After the collecting robot receives the first positioning information, controlling the collecting robot to move so that the collector moves closer to the location of the first positioning information includes: When the collecting robot receives the first positioning information, the collecting robot is controlled to move to a position at a preset distance from the first positioning information; Controlling the collecting robot to move around the location of the first positioning information along a preset trajectory until the soft robot of the collecting robot exists in the first image captured by the image collector of the cleaning robot; A second image is acquired by the image collector of the collecting robot, and the collecting robot is controlled to rotate according to the second image so that the collector faces the gathered objects.

6. The cluster collaborative control method according to claim 5, characterized in that: The collector has an entrance for the articles to enter the collector, and the width of the entrance is greater than the width of the sweeper; After the cleaning robot receives the second positioning information, the cleaning robot and the collecting robot are controlled according to the first positioning information and the second positioning information to clean the gathered objects to the collector through the cleaner, including: controlling the collecting robot to tilt the collector outward; Controlling the movement of the cleaning robot to push the gathered objects toward the collector; during the movement of the cleaning robot, acquiring a first image through an image collector of the cleaning robot, and controlling the rotation of the cleaning robot according to the first image to adjust the direction of movement of the cleaning robot; After the objects are pushed into the collector, the collecting robot is controlled to tilt the collector inwards so that the objects slide into the collector.

7. The cluster collaborative control method according to claim 4, characterized in that: The method of controlling the cleaning robot to rotate and acquiring a first image through an image collector of the cleaning robot to determine a direction of an object to be cleaned; controlling the cleaning robot to move toward the object and cleaning the object through a cleaner so that the object is gathered, and then the cleaning robot stops beside the gathered object, includes: After controlling the cleaning robot to rotate a preset angle, a first image is acquired through an image collector of the cleaning robot; When there is an object to be cleaned in the first image, the orientation of the image collector of the cleaning robot is used as the direction of the object; After controlling the cleaning robot to move a first preset distance toward the object, controlling the cleaning robot to return, and controlling the cleaning robot to move a second preset distance in a vertical direction, and calculating a cumulative value of the second preset distance; wherein the vertical direction is a direction perpendicular to the direction of the object; Continue to perform the step of acquiring a first image by the image collector of the cleaning robot until no object to be cleaned exists in the first image; After controlling the cleaning robot to move a first preset distance toward the object, the cleaning robot is controlled to rotate 90° to face the object, and based on the accumulated value of the second preset distance, the cleaning robot is controlled to move so that after the objects are gathered, the cleaning robot stops next to the gathered objects.

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