A robotic explorer

Abstract

The application discloses a robot detector and relates to the technical field of microelectronics, which comprises a main body, a plurality of supporting legs fixedly connected with the main body, the supporting legs comprising a first supporting part and a second supporting part movably connected, and the included angle between the first supporting part and the second supporting part is not 0, each supporting leg being an independent spring suspension system, an auxiliary supporting leg fixedly connected with the main body, the auxiliary supporting leg not being subjected to pressure, the auxiliary supporting leg comprising a resistance type pressure sensor, a light detector array fixedly connected with the main body, the light detector array comprising a plurality of light detectors, the resistance type pressure sensor and the light detector array being integrated in the same circuit, the recess being detected through the resistance type pressure sensor, and the obstacles being identified through the light detector array. The application can reduce the complexity of data processing of a processor and improve the reliability of the robot detector.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application belongs to the field of microelectronics technology, and particularly relates to a robot detector. BACKGROUND

[0002] At present, there are a large number of visually impaired people in the world, but the number of guide dogs that can undertake the task of guiding the blind is quite small. The guide dog training period is long (about 1.5 to 2 years), the training cost is high (12000-20000 US dollars), the training can select fewer breeds, and the service time of a general guide dog is only about five years.

[0003] With the development of light detectors and artificial intelligence technology, the inherent imbalance between the increasing number of visually impaired people and the scarcity of guide dogs promotes the application of related advanced technologies, and guide dog robots, wearable guide dogs, guide sticks and other guide devices gradually replace traditional guide dogs. The common guide dog robot GDR generally adopts multiple sensing methods for external information perception, including ultrasonic sensors, infrared sensors and laser radars (LIDAR) and the like. The use of multiple, multiple sensors in a separate or combined manner for external information sensing and transmission can result in high power consumption, increase manufacturing costs, and reduce the working stability and reliability of the guide dog robot.

[0004] The existing guide dog robot GDR generally needs to process the signal after receiving the sensor signal change, so as to realize subsequent GPS positioning and other functions. Among them, the multi-signal transmission under the working of multiple sensors often leads to a decrease in signal processing speed, and the requirement for the processor is also higher. In addition, the independent multi-sensor system design also limits the miniaturization of the guide dog robot.

[0005] Therefore, how to reduce power consumption and manufacturing cost while realizing high-performance application requirements is a technical problem to be solved in the field of guide dog robot detector design at present. SUMMARY

[0006] In order to solve the above problems existing in the prior art, the present application provides a robot detector. The technical problem to be solved by the present application is solved by the following technical scheme:

[0007] In a first aspect, the present application provides a robot detector, comprising:

[0008] a main body;

[0009] a plurality of legs fixedly connected with the main body, the leg comprising a first branch and a second branch connected movably, and the included angle between the first branch and the second branch is not 0, and each leg is an independent spring suspension system;

[0010] The auxiliary supporting leg is fixedly connected with the main body and is not subjected to pressure; the auxiliary supporting leg comprises a resistance pressure sensor;

[0011] The light detector array is fixedly connected with the main body and comprises a plurality of light detectors;

[0012] The resistance pressure sensor and the light detector array are integrated in the same circuit, the recess is detected by the resistance pressure sensor, and the obstacle is identified by the light detector array.

[0013] The robot detector provided by the application has the following beneficial effects:

[0014] The robot detector provided by the application has the following beneficial effects:

[0015] The application will be further described in detail below in combination with the drawings and embodiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of the robot detector provided by the embodiment of the application;

[0017] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the circuit provided by the embodiment of the application;

[0018] Figure 3 is a structural schematic diagram of the light detector provided by the embodiment of the application;

[0019] Figure 4 is a side view of the light detector array provided by the embodiment of the application;

[0020] Figure 5 is a top view of the light detector array provided by the embodiment of the application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The application will be further described in detail below in combination with the drawings and embodiments.

[0022] In the related art, the ability to accurately identify obstacles is an important guarantee for the safe driving of indoor blind guide robots. In order to improve the obstacle recognition accuracy of indoor blind guide robots, Dongqing Du et al. of Guilin University of Electronic Technology published a paper in 2021 (D. Du, J. Xu, Y. Wang, Obstacle recognition of indoor blind guide robot based on improved D-S evidence theory, J. Phys. Conf. Ser. 1820(1) (2021) 012053, 5pp) using ultrasonic sensors, infrared sensors and laser radars to collect environmental information, using a sensor data fusion method based on genetic algorithm D-S evidence theory, fusing the information of ultrasonic sensors, infrared sensors and laser radars, under the premise of determining the weight range of each sensor, using genetic algorithm to optimize the weight of each sensor, and substituting the optimized weight into D-S evidence theory for data fusion, improving the accuracy of indoor blind guide robot obstacle recognition; however, since the blind guide robot uses multiple sensors to work in parallel, the complexity of the blind guide robot data processing and the requirement for processor performance are constantly increasing. At the same time, its processor is mostly an active detector, which needs the blind guide dog to emit ultrasonic waves and infrared laser to obtain road condition information, resulting in increased power consumption, limiting the miniaturization and endurance of the blind guide robot.

[0023] In the related art, in order to solve the navigation challenges faced by blind people in daily life, Seita Kayukawa et al. of Waseda University in Japan published an article in 2020 (S. Kayukawa, et al., Blind Pilot: A Robotic local navigation system that leads blind people to a landmark object, in: CHI'20: CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2020) proposed an auxiliary robot Blind Pilot, which can guide blind users to use intuitive landmark objects; Blind Pilot uses an RGB-D camera to detect the position of the target object, and uses a laser radar (LiDAR) to construct a 2D map of the surrounding area, based on the sensing results, Blind Pilot then generates a path to the object and safely guides the blind user; However, the auxiliary robot still uses the design of the RGB-D camera to detect the position of the target object, and the laser radar (LiDAR) to construct the regional map, and adopts a multi-sensor independent design, which is difficult to meet the miniaturization and portability requirements of the guide dog robot; In addition, the multi-sensor independent design also reduces the signal processing speed.

[0024] In the prior art, the blind dog robot usually uses radio frequency identification, ultrasonic sensor and laser radar to independently work to perceive the surrounding environment; In order to solve the problem of increasing energy consumption and cost and limiting the miniaturization of the guide dog robot caused by the independent work of multiple detectors; The present application provides a robot detector, which integrates a resistive pressure sensor and a MoS2 / Ge semiconductor light detector (Molybdenum disulfide / Germanium Junction Field Effect Transistors, JFET) array in the same circuit, uses the resistive pressure sensor to detect the different recess depths of the road surface, and uses the MoS2 / Ge JFET array to detect the convex obstacle in front to realize the perception of the road condition; The interconnection working mode makes the detector output data all be the source-drain current of the MoS2 / Ge JFET instead of the data output of the existing multiple independent detectors, which can effectively reduce the complexity of data processing of the subsequent processor, and realize efficient perception of the surrounding environment of the robot detector.

[0025] Please refer to Figure 1 As shown in Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a robot detector provided by an embodiment of the present application, and the robot detector provided by the present application comprises:

[0026] a main body;

[0027] The plurality of legs are fixedly connected to the main body, and each leg is an independent spring suspension system, and each leg comprises a first leg part and a second leg part which are movably connected, and the included angle between the first leg part and the second leg part is not 0;

[0028] The auxiliary leg is fixedly connected to the main body, and the auxiliary leg is not subjected to pressure, and the auxiliary leg is in contact with the ground; the auxiliary leg comprises a resistance pressure sensor;

[0029] The light detector array is fixedly connected to the main body, and the light detector array comprises a plurality of light detectors;

[0030] The resistance pressure sensor and the light detector array are integrated in the same circuit, the resistance pressure sensor detects the recess, and the light detector array identifies the obstacle.

[0031] Specifically, please continue to refer to Figure 1 As shown in the drawings, the robot detector provided in the embodiment comprises a main body, a plurality of legs, an auxiliary leg, a resistance pressure sensor and a light detector array; wherein the plurality of legs and the auxiliary leg are arranged on the main body, the plurality of legs are used for bearing the main body, and the plurality of legs are movable to drive the main body to move, thereby realizing the guiding process; optionally, the number of legs is greater than or equal to 4, which can be 5 or 6; optionally, the side of the leg close to the ground is provided with a wheel, each leg is an independent spring suspension system, each leg comprises a first leg part and a second leg part, the first leg part and the second leg part are movably connected, and the included angle between the first leg part and the second leg part is not 0, that is, the angle of the two suspension links can be changed according to the road conditions, so as to adapt to various road conditions; the auxiliary leg is used for bearing the resistance pressure sensor, and the auxiliary leg is not subjected to pressure, that is, the auxiliary leg does not bear the weight of the main body; when the gravity center of the main body moves downward, the auxiliary leg needs to bear the weight of the main body, at this time, the pressure borne by the auxiliary leg can be monitored through the resistance pressure sensor; the light detector array is arranged on the main body, and the light detector array comprises a plurality of light detectors; the resistance pressure sensor and the light detector array are integrated in the same circuit, the recess is detected through the resistance pressure sensor, and the obstacle is identified through the light detector array; the resistance pressure sensor and the light detector array are interconnected in the embodiment, so that the output data of the detector is the current between the source and the drain of the light detector, instead of the data output of the plurality of independent detectors in the prior art, which can effectively reduce the complexity of subsequent data processing, and realize efficient perception of the surrounding environment of the robot detector.

[0032] It should be noted that the robot detector in the embodiment can be used in the guiding process.

[0033] It should also be noted that Figure 1The shown embodiment only shows the positional relationship of the main body, the leg, the auxiliary leg, the resistive pressure sensor and the light detector array, and does not represent the actual size.

[0034] In an alternative embodiment of the present application, please refer to Figure 2 shown, Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the circuit provided by the embodiment of the present application, the circuit further comprises a constant voltage source, a fixed resistance resistor and a bias voltage source; wherein the constant voltage source is electrically connected with the first end of the resistive pressure sensor, the second end of the resistive pressure sensor is electrically connected with the first node, the first end of the fixed resistance resistor is electrically connected with the first node, the second end of the fixed resistance resistor is grounded, the light detectors in the light detector array are connected in parallel and share the same gate, the gate of the light detector array is electrically connected with the first node, and the gate of the light detector array is also electrically connected with the bias voltage source; wherein the resistive pressure sensor is connected in series with the fixed resistance resistor.

[0035] Specifically, please continue to refer to Figure 2 shown, in the embodiment, the power supply 1 is a constant voltage source, Rp is a resistive pressure sensor, the greater the input pressure, the smaller the resistance, Rc is a fixed resistance resistor, the power supply 2 is a bias voltage source, and the bias voltage is provided for the light detector array, Figure 2 The dashed box in the figure only shows that one light detector is arranged, wherein all the light detectors share the same gate, and all the light detectors are connected in parallel, that is, all the light detectors can be connected in parallel in the manner of Figure 2 The bias voltage is provided by the bias power supply end, Figure 2 Only one light detector is shown in the figure.

[0036] In an alternative embodiment of the present application, please refer to Figures 3-5 shown, Figure 3 is a structural schematic diagram of the light detector provided by the embodiment of the present application, Figure 4 is a side view of the light detector array provided by the embodiment of the present application, Figure 5 is a top view of the light detector array provided by the embodiment of the present application, the light detector comprises:

[0037] a substrate;

[0038] a silicon dioxide layer 5 grown above the substrate, the silicon dioxide layer 5 comprises a plurality of openings forming the window 3;

[0039] a channel layer 4 grown above the silicon dioxide layer 5, at least part of the channel layer 4 overlaps with the window 3 in the direction perpendicular to the substrate;

[0040] a source 1 and a drain 2 grown above at least part of the channel and at least part of the silicon dioxide layer 5, and the source 1 and the drain 2 are arranged in intervals.

[0041] In an alternative embodiment of the present application, the light detectors in the light detector array share the same substrate.

[0042] In an alternative embodiment of the present application, the material of the source 1 and the drain 2 is gold, the material of the channel is molybdenum disulfide, and the material of the substrate is a p-type germanium substrate.

[0043] In an alternative embodiment of the present application, the thickness of the source 1 and the drain 2 is 45nm-55nm in the direction perpendicular to the substrate, and the thickness of the silicon dioxide layer 5 is 90nm-110nm; alternatively, the thickness of the source 1 and the drain 2 is 48nm, 50nm and 52nm, and the thickness of the silicon dioxide layer 5 is 95nm, 100nm and 105nm.

[0044] Specifically, in the present embodiment, Ge material is used as the main preparation material. Compared with Ⅲ-Ⅴ and Ⅱ-Ⅵ materials, Ge material has the advantages of process compatibility with Si-based CMOS process, high safety and low cost. In addition, due to its smaller band gap, Ge material has a stronger absorption coefficient in the near-infrared band; in the present embodiment, two-dimensional material MoS2 is used as the channel of the JFET. Due to its own characteristics, there is no lattice mismatch at the interface where Ge is in contact, which is beneficial to improve the light response and detection rate of the detector, and MoS2 now has a relatively mature array flow process, which is beneficial to ensure a high yield of the detector and further reduce the cost; in the present embodiment, the influence of the voltage applied on the gate of the MoS2 JFET by the resistive pressure sensor on the output current is much greater than the influence of light on the output current, so neither visible light in the daytime nor infrared light at night will affect the detection of road depressions by the resistive pressure sensor.

[0045] In the present embodiment, please continue to refer to Figure 2 , please combine Figure 1 , as shown in (c), the input of the circuit is the pressure received by the resistive pressure sensor and the light received by the light detector array, and the output of the circuit is the current between the source 1 and the drain 2 of each light detector in the light detector array.

[0046] Specifically, please continue to refer to Figure 2 , and combine Figure 1 (a), in the present embodiment, when driving on a flat road, the auxiliary legs of the resistive pressure sensor will not be subjected to pressure, and the light detector array cannot detect convex obstacles, and the multiple legs of the entire detector will not change.

[0047] Please continue to refer to Figure 2 , and combine Figure 1(b) As shown in this embodiment, when encountering a protruding obstacle on a flat road surface, the daytime light intensity is strong, and the photodetector array uses natural light imaging to convert the light signal into an electrical signal, that is, outputs the current between the source electrode 1 and the drain electrode 2 of the photodetector. By monitoring the current changes of the source electrode 1 and the drain electrode 2 of the photodetector, the robot detector can avoid the obstacle in time. At night and in poor lighting conditions, the robot detector can use its own laser to emit a laser with a wavelength of less than or equal to 1550nm. The laser is directed at the protruding obstacle and reflected to the photodetector array. The photodetector array converts the light signal into an electrical signal, that is, outputs the current between the source electrode and the drain electrode of the photodetector. By monitoring the current changes of the source electrode and the drain electrode, the detection and imaging of the protruding obstacle in front can be achieved. After the processor processes the data, the robot detector can avoid the obstacle in time.

[0048] It should be noted that this embodiment uses a photodetector array to identify protruding obstacles. Compared with a single photodetector, it can avoid misjudgment caused by factors such as the direction of illumination. Using a photodetector array for imaging can effectively identify objects and is not affected by insufficient light intensity.

[0049] In this embodiment, please continue to refer to Figure 2 As shown, and in combination Figure 1 As shown in (c), when encountering a depression on the road surface... Figure 1 In (c), outrigger 1 sinks into the depression, reducing the deformation Δx1 of outrigger 1. This decreases the main body weight load on outrigger 1, while increasing the main body weight load on the spring suspensions of outriggers 2, 3, and 4. Consequently, the deformation Δx increases, the height of the main body decreases, and the main body weight is converted into pressure F on the resistive pressure sensor. N Pressure F N The increase in resistance leads to a decrease in the resistance of the resistive pressure sensor, which in turn increases the voltage drop across the Rc resistor. This results in an increase in the grid voltage of all photodetectors and an increase in the current between the source and drain. By monitoring the current between the source and drain of the photodetector, the indentation in front can be detected. This method can effectively enable robotic detectors to avoid ground indentations in all weather conditions.

[0050] It should be noted that the gate voltage has a much greater impact on the channel current between the source and drain of the photodetector than the light has on the channel between the source and drain of the photodetector.

[0051] In the embodiment, the light detector in the detector uses natural light to passively detect and identify the front convex obstacle in the case of good light in the daytime, thereby reducing the power consumption of the detector; and in the case of poor light and night environment, the laser emitted by the 1550nm infrared laser is reflected by the obstacle to actively detect, and the active detection mode compensates for the deficiency of the passive detection mode in the poor light environment.

[0052] In an alternative embodiment of the present application, the light detector array is arranged in a ring around the main body, so that the front obstacle can be obtained in all directions.

[0053] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms such as first and second are used merely to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply that there is any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "include", "contain" or any other variant are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that the article or device including a series of elements not only includes those elements, but also includes other elements not explicitly listed. Without more limitation, the element defined by the statement "including a" does not exclude the presence of another identical element in the article or device including the element. The terms "connected" or "connected" and the like are not limited to physical or mechanical connection, but can include electrical connection, whether direct or indirect. The orientations or positional relationships indicated by "upper", "lower", "left", "right", 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 a limitation on the present application.

[0054] In the description of the present application, the description of the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "example", "specific example", or "some examples" and the like means that the specific features or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present application. In the present specification, the illustrative description of the above terms does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features or characteristics described can be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner. In addition, those skilled in the art can combine and combine different embodiments or examples described in the present specification.

[0055] The above is further detailed description of the present application in combination with specific preferred embodiments, and cannot be deemed as limitation of the specific implementation of the present application to these descriptions. For those skilled in the art to which the present application belongs, without departing from the concept of the present application, a number of simple deductions or substitutions can be made, and all of them shall be deemed as falling within the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A robotic probe, characterized by, The application relates to a device for detecting a depression in front of the device, comprising: a main body; a plurality of legs fixedly connected with the main body, each leg being an independent spring suspension system, wherein the leg comprises a first branch and a second branch which are movably connected, and the included angle between the first branch and the second branch is not 0; an auxiliary leg fixedly connected with the main body; the auxiliary leg comprises a resistance pressure sensor; a light detector array fixedly connected with the main body, wherein the light detector array comprises a plurality of light detectors; each light detector comprises: a substrate; a silicon dioxide layer grown above the substrate, wherein the silicon dioxide layer comprises a plurality of openings to form a window; a channel layer grown above the silicon dioxide layer, wherein at least part of the channel layer overlaps with the window in a direction perpendicular to the substrate; a source and a drain grown above at least part of the channel and at least part of the silicon dioxide layer, wherein the source and the drain are arranged in a spaced manner; the light detectors in the light detector array are connected in parallel and share the same gate; the resistance pressure sensor and the light detector array are integrated in the same circuit, wherein the depression is detected by the resistance pressure sensor and the obstacle is identified by the light detector array; the circuit further comprises a constant voltage source, a fixed resistance and a bias voltage source, wherein the constant voltage source is electrically connected with a first end of the resistance pressure sensor, a second end of the resistance pressure sensor is electrically connected with a first node, a first end of the fixed resistance is electrically connected with the first node, a second end of the fixed resistance is grounded, the gate of the light detector array is electrically connected with the first node, and the gate of the light detector array is further electrically connected with the bias voltage source; wherein the resistance pressure sensor and the fixed resistance are connected in series; when the device runs on a flat road, the auxiliary leg of the resistance pressure sensor is not subjected to pressure, when the device encounters a depression on the road, the deformation amount of part of the auxiliary leg decreases, the deformation amount of part of the auxiliary leg increases, the height of the main body decreases, the gravity of the main body is converted into pressure on the resistance pressure sensor, the increase of the pressure leads to the decrease of the resistance value of the resistance pressure sensor, the increase of the resistance voltage leads to the increase of the gate voltage of the light detector, and the increase of the current between the source and the drain, so that the depression in front of the device is detected by monitoring the current between the source and the drain of the light detector. The light detectors in the light detector array share the same substrate. The input of the circuit is the pressure received by the resistance pressure sensor and the light received by the light detector array, and the output of the circuit is the current between the source and the drain of each light detector in the light detector array. The material of the source and the drain is gold, the material of the channel is molybdenum disulfide, and the material of the substrate is a p-type germanium substrate. In a direction perpendicular to the substrate, the thickness of the source and the drain is 45nm-55nm, and the thickness of the silicon dioxide layer is 90nm-110nm. ​ ​ ​ 2. The robotic probe of claim 1, wherein, ​ 3. The robotic probe of claim 1, wherein, ​ 4. The robotic probe of claim 1, wherein, ​ 5. The robotic probe of claim 1, wherein, ​ 6. The robotic probe of claim 3, wherein, The light received by the light detector array includes natural light and laser reflection light; wherein the main body is further provided with a laser emitter, the laser emitter is used for emitting laser, the laser is shot to the obstacle, and is reflected to the light detector array.

7. The robotic probe of claim 6, wherein, The wavelength of the laser emitted by the light detector array is less than or equal to 1550nm.

8. The robotic probe of claim 1, wherein, The light detector array is arranged around the main body.

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