An inflatable origami structure robot

Abstract

The application discloses an inflatable origami structure robot, and belongs to the field of mechanical structures and robot technology. The robot combines the advantages of a spherical robot and an inflatable origami unfolding structure, and controls the movement of the spherical rolling robot by using the light weight and large deformation characteristics of the inflatable origami unfolding structure. The robot comprises a spherical core, an inflatable origami structure connecting rod, a foot and a driving part. The two ends of the inflatable paper structure connecting rod are respectively provided with the foot and the driving part. One end of the driving part of the inflatable paper structure connecting rod is installed on the spherical core. The inflatable paper structure connecting rod can be retracted in the spherical core, and the outer surface of the spherical core is maintained as a spherical shape. The extension and retraction of the inflatable paper structure connecting rod are controlled by the power part of the spherical core part. The movement state of the robot is controlled by the extension and retraction combination of different rods.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of mechanical structure and robotics technology, and specifically relates to an inflatable origami structure robot. Background Technology

[0002] Inflatable unfolding structures can unfold in various ways, mainly including curling, Z-shaped unfolding, and origami unfolding. Among them, origami structures can realize the transformation between two-dimensional paper and three-dimensional spatial structures, and have advantages such as portability, unfoldability, miniaturization, and lightweight. The creases of origami structures are regular, and by using preset ordered patterns or spontaneous buckling, they can be used to design unfoldable and robust deformable structures, self-folding machines, adjustable metamaterials, DNA origami, and bending structures. From a geometric perspective, these structures have topological protection behavior and good volume shrinkage capabilities.

[0003] With the rapid development of robotics technology and its expanding applications, people's demands for robot functions are becoming increasingly diverse. Spherical mobile robots refer to a general term for systems that house motion actuators, sensors, controllers, and power devices within a spherical shell. Spherical robots have the following characteristics: they possess excellent dynamic and static balance, good controllability of movement direction, and can quickly recover from motion errors. They also have excellent sealing properties; if the spherical volume provides sufficient buoyancy, they can move on water, exhibiting amphibious capabilities and showing promise for amphibious applications. Furthermore, spherical robots are highly adaptable, capable of operating in harsh environments such as unmanned, dusty, humid, and corrosive conditions. They can roll smoothly over both rough and smooth terrain, and relatively soft surfaces like sand and snow do not affect their agility. Finally, spherical robots have low energy consumption; due to the low resistance they experience during rolling, energy consumption is relatively low, making them suitable for applications requiring long-term operation, such as planetary exploration, environmental monitoring, and defense equipment.

[0004] Currently, spherical robots can be classified into five categories according to the driving form of their internal drive units: roller drive, gyroscope drive, spoke counterweight drive, single pendulum drive, and double pendulum drive. Spherical robots based on the above driving methods can achieve rolling and turning in a two-dimensional plane, but their obstacle crossing ability is poor. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This invention provides an inflatable origami structure robot that combines the advantages of a spherical robot and an inflatable origami unfolding structure. It utilizes the lightweight and large deformation characteristics of the inflatable origami unfolding structure to control the movement of the spherical rolling robot, thus solving the problem of poor obstacle-crossing ability of existing spherical robots.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0007] An inflatable origami structure robot includes: a spherical core, an inflatable origami structure link, feet, and a drive unit; the feet and the drive unit are respectively installed at both ends of the inflatable origami structure link, and one end of the inflatable origami structure link with the drive unit is installed on the spherical core; the inflatable origami structure link can retract into the spherical core to maintain the outer surface of the spherical core as a spherical shape;

[0008] The inflatable origami structure connecting rod is an origami inflatable tube based on the Yoshimura folding method, with 6 rods evenly installed on the surface of the spherical core; the outer surface of the foot is curved, and the curvature of the outer surface is the same as that of the spherical core, and it is rigidly connected to the inflatable origami structure connecting rod.

[0009] The internal structure of the spherical core consists of a power supply, a microcontroller, an air reservoir, a solenoid valve, and an air pump. The solenoid valve and air pump are connected to the microcontroller, which controls the switching of the air pump and solenoid valve. Each inflatable origami structure link is connected to one end of the solenoid valve via a silicone tube, and the other end of the solenoid valve is connected to the air reservoir via a silicone tube. The air reservoir is connected to the air outlet of air pump A and the air inlet of air pump B, respectively. The inflatable origami structure links are entirely driven by inflation and deflation. The inflation and deflation of each inflatable origami drive link is independent, and the degree of inflation and deflation can be controlled. The robot's movement is achieved through the extension and retraction combinations of different links.

[0010] Beneficial effects: This invention provides an inflatable origami structure robot that combines a spherical robot with an inflatable origami structure. The inflatable origami unfolding structure is a single-link design. The volume of each link in the unfolding structure is small. During movement, each link is in a contracted state to maintain the robot's outer surface as a sphere, but it unfolds independently during start-up and stop to achieve robot motion control. Attached Figure Description

[0011] Figure 1 This is a three-view diagram of a single connecting rod of the inflatable origami unfolding structure in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0012] Figure 2 These are three views of the foot joint in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0013] Figure 3 These are the three views of the spherical core in this embodiment of the invention;

[0014] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the inflatable paper structure connecting rod when it is deployed in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0015] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the inflatable paper structure connecting rod when it retracts in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0016] Figure 6This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the spherical core in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0017] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments:

[0018] like Figure 1-4 As shown, an inflatable origami structure robot includes: a spherical core, an inflatable origami structure link, feet, and a drive unit; the inflatable origami structure link is a single-link design. Figure 1 This is a sample drawing of a single connecting rod. The connecting rod is an inflatable tube based on the Yoshimura bending method. The inflatable tube is composed of identical triangular elements, with 3 sides in the cross-section and 5 layers. Figure 1 In the shown state, each layer is 20mm high, and the extended length of the link is 100mm. In the fully extended state, each layer is 36mm high, and the longest link can reach 180mm. The triangular unit is an isosceles triangle with a base length of 52mm. The two ends of the link are connecting sections, which are responsible for connecting to the drive part and the foot. A single link is in a retracted state during movement to maintain the spherical shape of the robot's outer surface, but it is independently extended during start-up and stop to achieve robot motion control. The foot is fixed to the end of the link, and the curvature of the outer surface of the foot is the same as the surface curvature of the spherical core. After the link is retracted, it participates in the robot's rolling as part of the spherical shell.

[0019] like Figure 6 As shown, the internal structure of the spherical core consists of a power supply, a microcontroller, an air bladder, a solenoid valve, and an air pump. The solenoid valve and the air pump are connected to the microcontroller, which controls the switching of the air pump and the solenoid valve. Each inflatable origami structure connecting rod is connected to one end of the solenoid valve through a silicone tube, and the other end of the solenoid valve is connected to the air bladder through a silicone tube. The air bladder is connected to the air outlet of air pump A and the air inlet of air pump B, respectively.

[0020] In the initial state, such as Figure 5 As shown, with the linkage in the retracted state, the robot maintains a spherical outer surface. Opening the solenoid valves corresponding to air pump A and the linkage inflates and extends the linkage, allowing the robot to roll using the thrust generated by the extended linkage. At this point, air pump A is turned off and air pump B is turned on, causing the linkage to retract and the robot to maintain its spherical rolling motion. During movement, the linkages on the left and right sides can be extended, changing the robot's center of gravity and thus achieving steering. When encountering obstacles, such as... Figure 4 As shown, the linkage can be fully extended to overcome obstacles. Figure 3The image shows a three-view diagram of the spherical core. The robot is a sphere with a radius of 100mm, and the length of the links in their retracted state is 27mm. The spherical core and the links are connected by airtight valves. The robot's power comes entirely from the spherical core. The inflatable origami-structure links are entirely driven by inflation and deflation. The inflation drive of each inflatable origami-structure link is independent, and the degree of inflation and deflation can be controlled. By combining the extension and retraction of different links, the robot's motion state can be controlled.

[0021] The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention. Any modifications made to the technical solution based on the technical concept proposed in this invention shall fall within the scope of protection of this invention.

Claims

1. An inflatable origami structure robot, characterized in that, include: The system comprises a spherical core, inflatable origami structure connecting rods, feet, and a drive unit. Multiple inflatable origami structure connecting rods are mounted on the surface of the spherical core. Feet and a drive unit are respectively installed at both ends of each inflatable paper structure connecting rod. One end of each inflatable paper structure connecting rod, with its drive unit attached, is mounted on the spherical core. The inflatable paper structure connecting rods are retractable within the spherical core, maintaining the spherical shape of the core's outer surface. The extension and retraction of the inflatable paper structure connecting rods are controlled by a power unit within the spherical core. Each inflatable origami structure connecting rod is an inflatable tube based on the Yoshimura folding method. The inflatable tube is composed of identical... The robot is constructed from triangular units with 3 sides and 5 layers. The outer surface of the foot is curved, and the curvature of the outer surface is the same as that of the spherical core. The inflatable origami structure links are entirely driven by inflation and deflation. The inflation drive of each inflatable origami structure link is independent. When the links are inflated and unfolded, the robot begins to roll using the thrust generated by the unfolded links. When the links retract, the robot maintains its spherical rolling. During movement, the extension of the links on the left and right sides is controlled to change the robot's center of gravity, thereby achieving the purpose of turning. When encountering obstacles, the robot overcomes them by fully unfolding the links.

2. The inflatable origami structure robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The triangular unit is an isosceles triangle with a base length of 52mm.

3. The inflatable origami structure robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The foot is rigidly connected to the inflatable origami structure link.

4. The inflatable origami structure robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The spherical core and the inflatable origami structure connecting rod are connected by an airtight valve.

5. The inflatable origami structure robot according to claim 1 or 4, characterized in that, The internal structure of the spherical core consists of a power supply, a microcontroller, an air reservoir, a solenoid valve, and an air pump. The solenoid valve and the air pump are connected to the microcontroller, which controls the switching of the air pump and the solenoid valve. Each inflatable origami structure link is connected to the solenoid valve through a silicone tube. The other end of the solenoid valve is connected to the air reservoir through a silicone tube. The air reservoir is connected to the air outlet of air pump A and the air inlet of air pump B, respectively.

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