Modular array robot and object moving method

Abstract

The embodiments of the present disclosure disclose a modular array robot and an object moving method. A specific implementation of the modular array robot includes: a circuit mainboard assembly, a support column assembly, wherein the support column in the support column assembly includes: a magnetic encoder, an elastic coupling, a DC reduction motor, a screw, a screw nut, a slide rail assembly, a pressure sensor, and a column body; the circuit mainboard is respectively connected to the magnetic encoder, the DC reduction motor, and the slide rail assembly; the circuit mainboard is installed between two adjacent support columns; the magnetic encoder is welded to the tail shaft of the DC reduction motor; the elastic coupling is respectively connected to the DC reduction motor and the screw; the screw is connected to the screw nut; the slide rail assembly included in the support column is connected to the pressure sensor circuit; the column body is used to: fix the screw nut, the slide rail assembly, and the pressure sensor. This implementation can reduce the waste of computing resources.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to the field of robots, and in particular to a modular array robot and an object moving method. Background Art

[0002] Building a desktop modular array robot can move objects. Currently, the commonly used method for building a desktop modular array robot is to build a robot system containing hundreds of support column nodes.

[0003] However, the above method usually has the following technical problems:

[0004] First, to build a robot with hundreds of support column nodes, each support column needs to be configured and controlled separately, and the configuration and control of each support column requires computing resources, resulting in a large waste of computing resources;

[0005] Second, the modular array robot needs to control the up and down movement of the support column to control the movement of objects. When the support column moves up and down, the wires may be entangled with the support column;

[0006] Third, when controlling the movement of the support column, the robot system continuously adjusts the position of the support column by continuously starting the DC reduction motor, making it difficult to accurately control the support column to move to a specified position.

[0007] The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the inventive concept and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art. Summary of the invention

[0008] The content of this disclosure is used to introduce concepts in a brief form, which will be described in detail in the detailed implementation section below. The content of this disclosure is not intended to identify the key features or essential features of the technical solution claimed for protection, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the technical solution claimed for protection.

[0009] Some embodiments of the present disclosure propose modular array robots and object moving methods to solve one or more of the technical problems mentioned in the above background technology section.

[0010] In the first aspect, some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a modular array robot, which includes: a circuit main board assembly, a support column assembly, wherein the support column in the above-mentioned support column assembly includes: a magnetic encoder, an elastic coupling, a DC reduction motor, a screw, a screw nut, a slide rail assembly, a pressure sensor, and a column body; the circuit main board in the above-mentioned circuit main board assembly is circuit-connected with the magnetic encoder, the DC reduction motor and the slide rail assembly included in the support column in the above-mentioned support column assembly respectively; the circuit main board in the above-mentioned circuit main board assembly is installed between two adjacent support columns in the support column assembly; the magnetic encoder included in the support column in the above-mentioned support column assembly is welded to the tail shaft of the DC reduction motor; the elastic coupling included in the support column in the above-mentioned support column assembly is respectively connected with the DC reduction motor and the screw; the screw included in the support column in the above-mentioned support column assembly is connected with the screw nut; the slide rail assembly included in the support column in the above-mentioned support column assembly is circuit-connected with the pressure sensor; the column body included in the support column in the above-mentioned support column assembly is used to: fix the screw nut, the slide rail assembly and the pressure sensor.

[0011] Optionally, the magnetic encoder included in the above-mentioned support column assembly is used to: collect the speed information of the DC reduction motor, and send the above-mentioned speed information to the circuit main board in the above-mentioned circuit main board assembly; the DC reduction motor included in the above-mentioned support column assembly is used to: receive the start signal sent by the circuit main board in the above-mentioned circuit main board assembly, and control the up and down movement of the support column; the slide rail assembly included in the above-mentioned support column assembly is used to: receive the pressure electrical signal collected by the pressure sensor, and send the above-mentioned pressure electrical signal to the circuit main board included in the above-mentioned circuit main board assembly; the pressure sensor included in the above-mentioned support column assembly is used to: collect the pressure electrical signal, and send the pressure electrical signal to the slide rail assembly.

[0012] Optionally, the circuit mainboard in the above-mentioned circuit mainboard assembly includes: a single-chip microcomputer, a motor driver chip, and a transceiver; the above-mentioned single-chip microcomputer is circuit-connected to the slide rail assembly included in the above-mentioned support column assembly, the above-mentioned motor driver chip, and the above-mentioned transceiver respectively; the above-mentioned motor driver chip is circuit-connected to the DC reduction motor included in the above-mentioned support column assembly; the above-mentioned connection interface is connected to the magnetic encoder included in the above-mentioned support column assembly; the above-mentioned single-chip microcomputer is used to: receive the pressure electrical signal sent by the above-mentioned slide rail assembly, receive the speed information sent by the above-mentioned motor driver chip, send the pressure digital signal and column position to the above-mentioned transceiver, receive the initial control command sent by the above-mentioned transceiver, and convert the format of the above-mentioned initial control command Processing to generate control commands, and sending an initial start signal to the above-mentioned electric drive chip; the above-mentioned motor drive chip is used to: receive the initial start signal sent by the above-mentioned single-chip microcomputer, send a start signal to the DC reduction motor included in the above-mentioned support column assembly, read the speed information of the associated magnetic encoder, and send the above-mentioned speed information to the above-mentioned single-chip microcomputer; the above-mentioned transceiver is used to: receive the pressure digital signal and the column position sent by the above-mentioned single-chip microcomputer, send the above-mentioned pressure digital signal and the above-mentioned column position to the associated host computer, receive the initial control command sent by the associated host computer, and send the above-mentioned initial control command to the above-mentioned single-chip microcomputer; the above-mentioned connection interface is arranged on the back of the above-mentioned circuit main board.

[0013] Optionally, the magnetic encoder included in the support column in the above-mentioned support column assembly includes: a board-to-board connector, a Hall element assembly, and a magnetic ring assembly; the above-mentioned board-to-board connector is connected to the connection interface included in the circuit main board in the above-mentioned circuit main board assembly; the above-mentioned Hall element assembly is connected to the above-mentioned magnetic ring assembly; the above-mentioned magnetic ring assembly is assembled at the tail shaft of the DC reduction motor.

[0014] Optionally, the slide rail assembly included in the support column in the above-mentioned support column assembly includes: a slide rail short plate and a slide rail long plate; the above-mentioned slide rail short plate is connected to the circuit main board circuit in the above-mentioned circuit main board assembly; the above-mentioned slide rail long plate is connected to the pressure sensor circuit; the above-mentioned slide rail short plate is elastically connected to the above-mentioned slide rail long plate; the above-mentioned slide rail long plate is used to: receive the pressure electrical signal collected by the pressure sensor, and send the above-mentioned pressure electrical signal to the above-mentioned slide rail short plate; the above-mentioned slide rail short plate is used to: receive the pressure electrical signal sent by the slide rail long plate, and send the above-mentioned pressure electrical signal to the circuit main board.

[0015] Optionally, the short plate of the slide rail included in the above-mentioned support column assembly is configured with: an elastic contact device, a socket, and a limit execution device; the long plate of the slide rail included in the above-mentioned support column assembly is configured with: a conductive plate and a limit device; the elastic contact device included in the above-mentioned slide rail short plate is elastically connected to the conductive plate included in the slide rail long plate; the socket included in the above-mentioned slide rail short plate is connected to the single-chip microcomputer included in the circuit main board in the above-mentioned circuit main board assembly; the conductive plate included in the above-mentioned slide rail long plate is connected to the pressure sensor circuit; the limit execution device included in the above-mentioned slide rail short plate is used to: trigger the limit device included in the slide rail long plate; the limit device included in the above-mentioned slide rail long plate is used to: limit the moving position of the support column in the above-mentioned support column assembly to protect the above-mentioned modular array robot.

[0016] Optionally, the modular array robot further includes: a power supply and communication board assembly, wherein the power supply and communication board in the power supply and communication board assembly is circuit-connected to the circuit main board in the circuit main board assembly; the power supply and communication board assembly is used for: supplying power to the circuit main board in the circuit main board assembly; the circuit main board in the circuit main board assembly is communicatively connected to an associated host computer via the power supply and communication board.

[0017] Optionally, the modular array robot further comprises: a motor bracket, a slide rail bracket, and a top bracket, wherein the motor bracket is connected to the DC reduction motor included in the support column assembly, and the motor bracket is used to: fix the DC reduction motor included in the support column assembly; the slide rail bracket is connected to the slide rail assembly included in the support column assembly, and the slide rail bracket is used to: fix the slide rail assembly included in the support column assembly; the top bracket is connected to the column body included in the support column assembly, and the top bracket is used to: fix the column body included in the support column assembly.

[0018] In a second aspect, some embodiments of the present disclosure provide an object moving method, which is applied to a modular array robot as described in any embodiment of the first aspect, including: the pressure sensor included in the support column of the support column assembly collects the pressure electric signal of the target object, and sends the above-mentioned pressure electric signal to the associated circuit main board; the magnetic encoder included in the support column of the above-mentioned support column assembly collects the speed information of the associated DC reduction motor, and sends the above-mentioned speed information to the associated circuit main board; the circuit main board in the circuit main board assembly generates a motor start signal based on the above-mentioned pressure electric signal and the above-mentioned initial control command in response to receiving the pressure electric signal sent by the associated slide rail assembly, in response to receiving the speed information sent by the associated magnetic encoder, and in response to receiving the initial control command sent by the associated host computer, and sends the above-mentioned motor start signal to the associated DC reduction motor; the DC reduction motor included in the support column of the above-mentioned support column assembly controls the support column to move up and down in response to receiving the motor start information, so as to control the movement of the above-mentioned target object.

[0019] The above-mentioned various embodiments of the present disclosure have the following beneficial effects: through the modular array robot of some embodiments of the present disclosure, the waste of computing resources can be reduced. Specifically, the reason for wasting a large amount of computing resources is that: to build a robot containing hundreds of support column nodes, each support column needs to be configured and controlled separately, and the configuration and control of each support column requires the consumption of computing resources. Based on this, the modular array robot of some embodiments of the present disclosure includes: a circuit mainboard assembly, a support column assembly. The support column in the above-mentioned support column assembly includes: a magnetic encoder, an elastic coupling, a DC reduction motor, a screw rod, a screw nut, a slide rail assembly, a pressure sensor, and a column body. Here, the structure of each support column in the support column assembly included in the modular array robot is the same, and each circuit mainboard assembly in the circuit mainboard assembly included in the modular array robot is the same. As a result, a modular array robot can be built in a modular and distributed manner, and the support column assembly can be controlled as a whole by using fewer computing resources. Thus, the waste of computing resources can be reduced. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] The above and other features, advantages and aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure will become more apparent with reference to the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Throughout the accompanying drawings, the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar elements. It should be understood that the drawings are schematic and the originals and elements are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0021] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of some embodiments of the modular array robot according to the present disclosure;

[0022] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of some embodiments of the circuit mainboard of the modular array robot according to the present disclosure;

[0023] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the structure of some embodiments of the magnetic encoder of the modular array robot according to the present disclosure;

[0024] Figure 4 is a schematic structural diagram of some embodiments of a slide rail assembly of a modular array robot according to the present disclosure;

[0025] Figure 5 1 is a schematic structural diagram of other embodiments of the slide rail assembly of the modular array robot according to the present disclosure;

[0026] Figure 6 is a schematic structural diagram of other embodiments of the modular array robot according to the present disclosure;

[0027] Figure 7are structural schematic diagrams of some further embodiments of modular array robots according to the present disclosure;

[0028] Figure 8 is a flow chart of some embodiments of the object moving method according to the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although certain embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. On the contrary, these embodiments are provided to provide a more thorough and complete understanding of the present disclosure. It should be understood that the drawings and embodiments of the present disclosure are only for exemplary purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0030] It should also be noted that, for ease of description, only the parts related to the invention are shown in the drawings. In the absence of conflict, the embodiments and features in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be combined with each other.

[0031] It should be noted that the concepts such as "first" and "second" mentioned in the present disclosure are only used to distinguish different devices, modules or units, and are not used to limit the order or interdependence of the functions performed by these devices, modules or units.

[0032] It should be noted that the modifications of "one" and "plurality" mentioned in the present disclosure are illustrative rather than restrictive, and those skilled in the art should understand that unless otherwise clearly indicated in the context, it should be understood as "one or more".

[0033] The names of the messages or information exchanged between multiple devices in the embodiments of the present disclosure are only used for illustrative purposes and are not used to limit the scope of these messages or information.

[0034] The present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and in conjunction with embodiments.

[0035] refer to Figure 1 , showing a schematic diagram of the structure of some embodiments of the modular array robot according to the present disclosure. Figure 1As shown, the modular array robot includes: a circuit mainboard assembly 1 and a support column assembly 2. Among them, the circuit mainboard assembly 1 includes: a circuit mainboard 11. The support column assembly 2 includes: a support column 21 and a support column 22. The support column 21 includes: a magnetic encoder 211, an elastic coupling 212, a DC reduction motor 213, a screw 214, a screw nut 215, a slide rail assembly 216, a pressure sensor 217, and a column body 218. The support column 22 includes: a magnetic encoder 221, an elastic coupling 222, a DC reduction motor 223, a screw 224, a screw nut 225, a slide rail assembly 226, a pressure sensor 227, and a column body 228.

[0036] In some embodiments, the circuit main board 11 in the circuit main board assembly 1 is respectively connected to the magnetic encoder 211, the DC reduction motor 213 and the slide rail assembly 216 included in the support column 21 in the support column assembly 2; the circuit main board 11 in the circuit main board assembly 1 is respectively connected to the magnetic encoder 221, the DC reduction motor 223 and the slide rail assembly 226 included in the support column 22 in the support column assembly 2; the circuit main board 11 in the circuit main board assembly 1 is installed between two adjacent support columns (for example, support column 21 and support column 22) in the support column assembly 1; The magnetic encoder 211 included in the support column 21 is welded to the tail shaft of the DC reduction motor 213; the elastic coupling 212 included in the support column 21 in the above-mentioned support column assembly 2 is respectively connected to the DC reduction motor 213 and the screw 214; the screw 214 included in the support column 21 in the above-mentioned support column assembly 2 is connected to the screw nut 215; the slide rail assembly 216 included in the support column 21 in the above-mentioned support column assembly 2 is circuit-connected with the pressure sensor 217; the column body 218 included in the support column 21 in the above-mentioned support column assembly 2 is used to: fix the screw nut 215, the slide rail assembly 216 and the pressure sensor 217.

[0037] For example, the circuit main board assembly 1 may include 128 circuit main boards. The support column assembly 2 may include 256 support columns. One circuit main board connects two support columns. The elastic coupling 212 may be an elastic coupling for connecting the output shaft of the DC reduction motor and the screw (for example, the diameter of the elastic coupling is 12 mm and the length is 18.5 mm). The DC reduction motor 213 may be a motor for driving the support column (for example, a 050-type DC reduction motor of CHRGM16050). The screw 214 may be a screw for converting the rotational motion of the DC reduction motor into linear motion (for example, the pitch of the screw is 1 mm and the lead is 4 mm). The screw nut 215 may be a nut for fixing the screw. The pressure sensor 217 may be a sensor for collecting the pressure electrical signal of the target object (for example, the pressure sensor may be a flexible variable resistance pressure sensor). The target object may be an object with weight (for example, a cup, a mouse, a bottle, etc.). The pressure electrical signal may be an electrical signal converted according to the pressure signal of the target object. The column body 218 can be a self-designed device for fixing the screw nut, the slide rail assembly and the pressure sensor. For example, the length of the column body can be 180 mm. The screw nut can be fixed at the tail of the column body, the slide rail assembly can be fixed on the surface, and the pressure sensor can be connected to the head of the column body by a buckle.

[0038] Next, combine Figure 2 and Figure 1 The circuit main board in the above-mentioned circuit main board assembly is described. Figure 2 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of some embodiments of the circuit board of the modular array robot according to the present disclosure. Figure 2As shown, the circuit main board 11 in the circuit main board assembly 1 includes: a single chip microcomputer 111, a motor driver chip 112, a transceiver 113 and a connection interface 114. The single chip microcomputer 111 is respectively connected to the slide rail assembly 216, the motor driver chip 112 and the transceiver 113 included in the support column assembly 2. The motor driver chip 112 is connected to the DC reduction motor 213 included in the support column assembly 2. The connection interface 114 is connected to the magnetic encoder 211 included in the support column assembly 2. The single chip microcomputer 111 is used to: receive the pressure electrical signal sent by the slide rail assembly 216, receive the speed information sent by the motor driver chip 112, send the pressure digital signal and the column position to the transceiver 113, receive the initial control command sent by the transceiver 113, perform format conversion processing on the initial control command to generate a control command, and send an initial start signal to the power driver chip 112. The motor drive chip 112 is used to receive the initial start signal sent by the single-chip microcomputer 111, send a start signal to the DC reduction motor 213 included in the support column assembly 2, read the speed information of the associated magnetic encoder 212, and send the speed information to the single-chip microcomputer 111. The transceiver 113 is used to receive the pressure digital signal and column position sent by the single-chip microcomputer 111, send the pressure digital signal and column position to the associated host computer, receive the initial control command sent by the associated host computer, and send the initial control command to the single-chip microcomputer 111. The connection interface 114 is arranged on the back of the circuit main board 11.

[0039] Among them, the speed information can be the angle of rotation of the DC reduction motor. The pressure digital signal can be a digital signal converted by an analog-to-digital converter from a pressure electrical signal. The column position can be the distance that the DC reduction motor rotates obtained according to the speed information and the speed of the DC reduction motor. The initial control command can represent the situation that the associated host computer wants the target object to move. The control command can be a command after the microcontroller converts the format of the initial control command (for example, the protocol of the initial control command can be a USB (Universal Serial Bus) protocol. The protocol of the control command can be a CAN (Controller Area Network) protocol). The initial start signal can represent the angle that the microcontroller wants the DC reduction motor to rotate. The start signal can be an initial start signal after pulse width modulation. For example, the above-mentioned single-chip microcomputer 111 can be a chip for processing pressure electrical signals and initial control commands (for example, the single-chip microcomputer can be an STM32F042K6T6 chip). The above-mentioned motor drive chip 112 can be a chip for driving two DC reduction motors (for example, the motor drive chip can be a CHRGM16050 chip). The transceiver 113 may be used to receive the initial control command of the USB protocol (for example, the transceiver may be an ADM3053 chip). The associated host computer may be a computer that issues a command to control the movement of the support column assembly. Here, the associated host computer may include a graphical interface. The graphical interface may display a grayscale image of the pressure condition of each support column. The grayscale image may include a grayscale value set. The grayscale values ​​in the grayscale value set may characterize the height of the support column.

[0040] Next, combine Figure 3 and Figure 1 The magnetic encoder included in the above-mentioned supporting column assembly is described. Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the structure of some embodiments of the magnetic encoder of the modular array robot according to the present disclosure. Figure 3 As shown, the magnetic encoder 211 included in the support column 21 of the support column assembly 2 includes: a board-to-board connector 2111, a Hall element assembly 2112, and a magnetic ring assembly 2113. The board-to-board connector 2111 is connected to the connection interface 114 included in the circuit main board 11 of the circuit main board assembly 1. The Hall element assembly 2112 is connected to the magnetic ring assembly 2113. The magnetic ring assembly 2113 is assembled at the tail shaft of the DC reduction motor 213.

[0041] Among them, the board-to-board connector 2111 can be a tin finger. The Hall element assembly 2112 can include a pair of Hall elements (for example, MLX92215 Hall element). The magnetic ring assembly 2113 can include 7 pairs of magnetic rings (for example, the magnetic ring assembly can be a 7-pair magnetic ring with an inner hole diameter of 1.5mm and a thickness of less than 7mm). Therefore, the magnetic ring assembly can be assembled on the tail shaft of the DC reduction motor, and the Hall element at one end contacts the N pole of the magnetic ring, and the Hall element at the other end contacts the S pole of the magnetic ring. Therefore, when the magnetic ring rotates, the orthogonal square wave signal can be output and captured by the Hall element, so that the rotation angle of the DC reduction motor can be recorded.

[0042] Next, combine Figure 4 and Figure 1 The slide rail assembly included in the above-mentioned support column assembly is described. Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the structure of some embodiments of the slide rail assembly of the modular array robot according to the present disclosure. Figure 3 As shown, the support column 21 in the support column assembly 2 includes a slide rail assembly 216 including: a slide rail short plate 2161 and a slide rail long plate 2162. The slide rail short plate 2161 is circuit-connected to the circuit board 11 in the circuit board assembly 1. The slide rail long plate 2162 is circuit-connected to the pressure sensor 217. The slide rail short plate 2161 is elastically connected to the slide rail long plate 2162. The slide rail long plate 2162 is used to: receive the pressure electrical signal collected by the pressure sensor 217, and send the pressure electrical signal to the slide rail short plate 2161. The slide rail short plate 2161 is used to: receive the pressure electrical signal sent by the slide rail long plate 2162, and send the pressure electrical signal to the circuit board 111.

[0043] Next, combine Figure 5 and Figure 1 The slide rail assembly included in the above-mentioned support column assembly is described. Figure 3 Schematic diagrams of the structures of other embodiments of the slide rail assembly of the modular array robot according to the present disclosure. Figure 3As shown, the short rail plate 2161 included in the above-mentioned support column assembly 2 is configured with: an elastic contact device, a socket, and a limit execution device. The long rail plate 2162 included in the above-mentioned support column assembly 2 is configured with: a conductive plate and a limit device. The elastic contact device included in the short rail plate 2161 is elastically connected to the conductive plate included in the long rail plate 2162. The socket included in the short rail plate 2161 is connected to the single-chip computer 111 included in the circuit main board 11 in the above-mentioned circuit main board assembly 1. The conductive plate included in the long rail plate 2162 is circuit-connected to the pressure sensor 217. The limit execution device included in the short rail plate 2161 is used to: trigger the limit device included in the long rail plate 2162. The limit device included in the long rail plate 2162 is used to: limit the position of the support column in the support column assembly 2 to protect the above-mentioned modular array robot.

[0044] Among them, the connection between the socket included in the above-mentioned slide rail short plate 2161 and the single-chip computer 111 included in the circuit main board 11 in the above-mentioned circuit main board assembly 1 can be connected through an FFC (Flexible Flat Cable) cable. For example, the elastic contact device can be a spring or a spring pin. The socket can be an FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit). The limit execution device can be a device that triggers the limit device when the limit device included in the slide rail long plate moves to the elastic contact device included in the slide rail short plate. The conductive plate can be a copper sheet. The limit device can be a magnetic switch or a limit switch.

[0045] As an inventive point of an embodiment of the present disclosure, the above-mentioned rail assembly solves the technical problem 2 mentioned in the background technology, "may cause the entanglement of wires and support columns". The factors that may cause the entanglement of wires and support columns are often as follows: the modular array robot needs to control the support column to move up and down to control the movement of the object, and the support column may cause the entanglement of wires and support columns when it moves up and down. If the above factors are solved, the effect of avoiding the entanglement of wires and support columns can be achieved. In order to achieve this effect, the rail assembly of the present disclosure includes a rail short plate and a rail long plate. Specifically, the rail short plate of the present disclosure is fixed on the rail bracket, and the rail long plate is fixed on the support column. Since the connection between the rail assembly and the circuit main board is to connect the rail short plate and the circuit main board through the FFC cable, and the connection between the rail short plate and the rail long plate is connected through an elastic contact device, there is no wire at the rail long plate. Therefore, when the support column moves up and down, the wires between the rail short plate and the circuit main board will not be unwound according to the movement of the support column, and the rail long plate will not be unwound when it moves according to the movement of the support column. Thereby, entanglement between the electric wires and the supporting column can be avoided.

[0046] Optionally, the magnetic encoder 211 included in the support column assembly 2 is used to collect the rotational speed information of the DC reduction motor 213 and send the rotational speed information to the circuit main board 11 in the circuit main board assembly 1 .

[0047] The DC reduction motor 213 included in the above-mentioned support column assembly 2 is used to: receive the start signal sent by the circuit main board 11 in the above-mentioned circuit main board assembly 1, and control the support column 21 to move up and down.

[0048] The slide rail assembly 216 included in the above-mentioned support column assembly 2 is used to: receive the pressure electrical signal collected by the pressure sensor 217, and send the above-mentioned pressure electrical signal to the circuit main board 11 included in the above-mentioned circuit main board assembly 1.

[0049] The pressure sensor 217 included in the support column assembly 2 is used to collect pressure electrical signals and send pressure electrical signals to the slide rail assembly 216 .

[0050] The above-mentioned various embodiments of the present disclosure have the following beneficial effects: through the modular array robot of some embodiments of the present disclosure, the waste of computing resources can be reduced. Specifically, the reason for wasting a large amount of computing resources is that: to build a robot containing hundreds of support column nodes, each support column needs to be configured and controlled separately, and the configuration and control of each support column requires the consumption of computing resources. Based on this, the modular array robot of some embodiments of the present disclosure includes: a circuit mainboard assembly, a support column assembly. The support column in the above-mentioned support column assembly includes: a magnetic encoder, an elastic coupling, a DC reduction motor, a screw rod, a screw nut, a slide rail assembly, a pressure sensor, and a column body. Here, the structure of each support column in the support column assembly included in the modular array robot is the same, and each circuit mainboard assembly in the circuit mainboard assembly included in the modular array robot is the same. As a result, a modular array robot can be built in a modular and distributed manner, and the support column assembly can be controlled as a whole by using fewer computing resources. Thus, the waste of computing resources can be reduced.

[0051] Further references Figure 6 , showing the structural schematic diagrams of other embodiments of the modular array robot according to the present disclosure. Figure 6 As shown, the modular array robot comprises: a circuit mainboard assembly 1, a support column assembly 2, and a power supply communication board assembly 3. The circuit mainboard assembly 1 comprises a mainboard circuit 11 and a mainboard circuit 12. The support column assembly 2 comprises support columns 21, 22, 23, and 24. The power supply communication board assembly 3 comprises a power supply communication board 31.

[0052] In other embodiments, the power supply communication board 31 in the power supply communication board assembly 3 is circuit-connected to the circuit main board 11 in the circuit main board assembly 1. The power supply communication board 31 in the power supply communication board assembly 3 is circuit-connected to the circuit main board 21 in the circuit main board assembly 1. The power supply communication board assembly 3 is used to: supply power to the circuit main board 11 and the circuit main board 12 in the circuit main board assembly 1. The circuit main board 11 and the circuit main board 12 in the circuit main board assembly 1 are communicatively connected to the associated host computer through the power supply communication board 31.

[0053] For example, the power supply communication board assembly 3 may include four power supply communication boards. One power supply communication board may drive 64 circuit main boards.

[0054] Alternatively, if Figure 7 As shown, a schematic diagram of the structure of some other embodiments of the modular array robot according to the present disclosure is shown. Figure 7 As shown, the above-mentioned modular array robot also includes: a motor bracket 4, a slide rail bracket 5, and a top bracket 6.

[0055] In some other embodiments, the motor bracket 4 is connected to the DC reduction motor 213 included in the support column 21 of the support column assembly 2, and the motor bracket 4 is used to fix the DC reduction motor 213 included in the support column assembly 2. The slide rail bracket 5 is connected to the slide rail assembly 216 included in the support column 21 of the support column assembly 2, and the slide rail bracket 5 is used to fix the slide rail assembly 216 included in the support column assembly 2. The top bracket 6 is connected to the column body 218 included in the support column 21 of the support column assembly 2, and the top bracket 6 is used to fix the column body 218 included in the support column assembly 2.

[0056] For example, the motor bracket 4 may be an aluminum alloy plate that is alternately locked between layers and positioned by two layers of aluminum alloy plates on the left and right. The rails 5 may be an aluminum alloy plate that is alternately locked between layers and positioned by acrylic plates on the left and right. The top bracket 6 may be a plastic plate that ensures that each grid on the top is spaced a preset distance from the support column on one side. For example, the preset distance may be 0.2 mm.

[0057] The present disclosure also provides an object moving method, which is applied to the modular array robot of each of the above embodiments, such as Figure 8 , a flowchart of some embodiments of the method for moving items according to the present disclosure is shown. The method may include the following steps.

[0058] Step 801: The pressure sensor included in the support column of the support column assembly collects the pressure electrical signal of the target object and sends the pressure electrical signal to the associated circuit main board.

[0059] In some embodiments, the pressure sensor included in the support column of the support column assembly collects the pressure electrical signal of the target object and sends the pressure electrical signal to the associated circuit main board, wherein the associated circuit main board may be a circuit main board connected to the support column.

[0060] Step 802: The magnetic encoder included in the support column of the support column assembly collects the speed information of the associated DC reduction motor and sends the speed information to the associated circuit main board.

[0061] In some embodiments, the magnetic encoder included in the support column of the support column assembly collects the speed information of the associated DC reduction motor, and sends the speed information to the associated circuit main board. The associated DC reduction motor may be a DC reduction motor included in the same support column as the magnetic encoder. The associated circuit main board may be a circuit main board connected to the support column.

[0062] Step 803, the circuit main board in the circuit main board assembly generates a motor start signal based on the pressure electric signal and the initial control command, and sends the motor start signal to the associated DC reduction motor in response to receiving the pressure electric signal sent by the associated slide rail assembly, in response to receiving the speed information sent by the associated magnetic encoder, and in response to receiving the initial control command sent by the associated host computer.

[0063] In some embodiments, the circuit board in the circuit board assembly generates a motor start signal based on the pressure electric signal and the initial control command in response to receiving a pressure electric signal sent by an associated slide rail assembly, in response to receiving speed information sent by an associated magnetic encoder, and in response to receiving an initial control command sent by an associated host computer, and sends the motor start signal to the associated DC reduction motor. The associated slide rail assembly may be a slide rail assembly included in a support column connected to the circuit board. The associated magnetic encoder may be a magnetic encoder included in a support column connected to the circuit board.

[0064] In practice, the circuit mainboard in the circuit mainboard assembly responds to receiving the pressure electric signal sent by the associated slide rail assembly, responds to receiving the speed information sent by the associated magnetic encoder, and responds to receiving the initial control command sent by the associated host computer. Based on the pressure electric signal and the initial control command, the motor start signal can be generated through the following steps, and the motor start signal can be sent to the associated DC reduction motor:

[0065] In the first step, the single-chip microcomputer performs analog-to-digital conversion processing on the pressure electric signal in response to receiving the pressure electric signal sent by the associated slide rail assembly to generate a pressure digital signal. In practice, the single-chip microcomputer can perform analog-to-digital conversion processing on the pressure electric signal through an ADC (Analog-to-digital converter) to generate a pressure digital signal.

[0066] In the second step, the single-chip microcomputer generates the column position in response to the rotation speed information sent by the associated magnetic encoder, and sends the pressure digital signal and the column position to the transceiver. In practice, first, the single-chip microcomputer can generate the column position representing the moving distance of the support column according to the rotation angle represented by the rotation speed information and the rotation speed of the DC reduction motor. Then, the single-chip microcomputer can send the pressure digital signal and the column position to the transceiver.

[0067] In the third step, the transceiver transmits the pressure digital signal and the column position to the associated host computer.

[0068] In the fourth step, the transceiver sends the initial control command to the associated single chip microcomputer in response to receiving the initial control command sent by the associated host computer.

[0069] In the fifth step, the single-chip microcomputer generates a pulse duty cycle based on the initial control command, the pressure digital signal and the column position in response to receiving the initial control command, and sends an initial motor start signal to the motor driver chip. In practice, first, the single-chip microcomputer can convert the initial control command representing the first protocol into a control command representing the second protocol in response to receiving the initial control command. Then, the single-chip microcomputer can generate a pulse duty cycle based on the control command, the pressure digital signal and the column position through a preset algorithm. Finally, the single-chip microcomputer can send an initial motor start signal to the motor driver chip. For example, the first protocol can be a USB protocol. The second protocol can be a CAN protocol. The preset algorithm can be a PID (Proportion Integral Differential) algorithm.

[0070] In the sixth step, in response to receiving the initial motor start signal, the motor drive chip performs pulse modulation processing on the initial motor start signal to generate a motor start signal.

[0071] In the seventh step, the motor driving chip sends the motor start signal to the associated DC reduction motor.

[0072] The relevant technical content in step 803, as an inventive point of the embodiment of the present disclosure, solves the technical problem three mentioned in the background technology, "it is difficult to accurately control the support column to move to the specified position". The factors that make it difficult to accurately control the support column to move to the specified position are often as follows: when controlling the movement of the support column, the robot system continuously adjusts the position of the support column by continuously starting the DC reduction motor, making it difficult to accurately control the support column to move to the specified position. If the above factors are solved, the effect of accurately controlling the support column to move to the specified position can be achieved. In order to achieve this effect, first, the single-chip microcomputer responds to receiving the pressure electric signal sent by the associated slide rail assembly, and performs analog-to-digital conversion processing on the pressure electric signal to generate a pressure digital signal. Thus, the pressure digital signal corresponding to the pressure electric signal collected by the pressure sensor of the target object can be obtained, so as to obtain the position information of the target object later. Secondly, the single-chip microcomputer responds to receiving the speed information sent by the associated magnetic encoder, generates the column position, and sends the pressure digital signal and the column position to the transceiver. Thus, a relatively accurate column position can be obtained according to the relatively accurate speed information collected by the magnetic encoder, so as to accurately control the movement of the support column according to the column position later. Next, the transceiver sends the pressure digital signal and the column position to the associated host computer. Then, in response to receiving the initial control command sent by the associated host computer, the transceiver sends the initial control command to the associated single-chip microcomputer. After that, the single-chip microcomputer generates a pulse duty cycle based on the initial control command, the pressure digital signal and the column position in response to receiving the initial control command, and sends an initial motor start signal to the motor driver chip. Thus, a relatively accurate pulse duty cycle and an initial motor start signal can be obtained according to a preset algorithm. After that, in response to receiving the initial motor start signal, the motor driver chip performs pulse modulation processing on the initial motor start signal to generate a motor start signal. Thus, a pulse-modulated power start signal can be obtained to start the DC reduction motor. Finally, the motor driver chip sends the motor start signal to the associated DC reduction motor. Thus, the start of the DC reduction motor can be accurately controlled so that the support column can be accurately controlled to move to a specified position.

[0073] Step 804: the DC reduction motor included in the support column of the support column assembly controls the support column to move up and down in response to receiving the motor start information, so as to control the target object to move.

[0074] In some embodiments, the DC reduction motor included in the support column of the support column assembly controls the support column to move up and down in response to receiving the motor start information, so as to control the movement of the target object.

[0075] The above descriptions are only some preferred embodiments of the present disclosure and an explanation of the technical principles used. Those skilled in the art should understand that the scope of the invention involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure is not limited to the technical solutions formed by a specific combination of the above-mentioned technical features, but should also cover other technical solutions formed by any combination of the above-mentioned technical features or their equivalent features without departing from the above-mentioned inventive concept. For example, the above-mentioned features are replaced with the technical features with similar functions disclosed in the embodiments of the present disclosure (but not limited to) and the technical solutions formed.

Claims

1. A modular array robot, characterized in that: include: The circuit main board assembly and the support column assembly, each circuit main board assembly in the circuit main board assembly is the same, and the support column assembly is controlled as a whole, wherein: The support column in the support column assembly includes: a magnetic encoder, an elastic coupling, a DC reduction motor, a lead screw, a lead screw nut, a slide rail assembly, a pressure sensor, and a column body; the circuit main board assembly includes 128 circuit main boards; the support column assembly includes 256 support columns, one circuit main board connects two support columns; the circuit main board in the circuit main board assembly is respectively connected to the magnetic encoder, the DC reduction motor, and the slide rail assembly included in the support column in the support column assembly; The circuit main board in the circuit main board assembly is installed between two adjacent support columns in the support column assembly; The magnetic encoder included in the support column of the support column assembly is welded to the tail shaft of the DC reduction motor; The elastic coupling included in the support column of the support column assembly is connected to the DC reduction motor and the lead screw respectively; The support column in the support column assembly includes a screw rod connected to a screw rod nut; The slide rail assembly included in the support column of the support column assembly is connected to the pressure sensor circuit; The support column in the support column assembly includes a column body used to: fix the screw nut, the slide rail assembly and the pressure sensor; The support column in the support column assembly includes a slide rail assembly including: a slide rail short plate and a slide rail long plate; the slide rail short plate is connected to the circuit board circuit in the circuit board assembly; the slide rail long plate is connected to the pressure sensor circuit; the slide rail short plate is elastically connected to the slide rail long plate; the slide rail long plate is used to: receive the pressure electrical signal collected by the pressure sensor, and send the pressure electrical signal to the slide rail short plate; the slide rail short plate is used to: receive the pressure electrical signal sent by the slide rail long plate, and send the pressure electrical signal to the circuit board; The short plate of the slide rail included in the support column assembly is configured with: an elastic contact device, a socket, and a limit execution device; the long plate of the slide rail included in the support column assembly is configured with: a conductive plate and a limit device; the elastic contact device included in the short plate of the slide rail is elastically connected to the conductive plate included in the long plate of the slide rail; the socket included in the short plate of the slide rail and the single-chip microcomputer included in the circuit main board of the circuit main board assembly are connected through a flexible flat cable FFC; the conductive plate included in the long plate of the slide rail is connected to the pressure sensor circuit; the limit execution device included in the short plate of the slide rail is used to: trigger the limit device included in the long plate of the slide rail; the limit device included in the long plate of the slide rail is used to: limit the moving position of the support column in the support column assembly to protect the modular array robot.

2. The modular array robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The magnetic encoder included in the support column assembly is used to: collect the speed information of the DC reduction motor, and send the speed information to the circuit main board in the circuit main board assembly; The DC reduction motor included in the support column assembly is used to: receive a start signal sent by the circuit mainboard in the circuit mainboard assembly, and control the support column to move up and down; The slide rail assembly included in the support column assembly is used to: receive the pressure electrical signal collected by the pressure sensor, and send the pressure electrical signal to the circuit mainboard included in the circuit mainboard assembly; The pressure sensor included in the support column assembly is used to collect pressure electrical signals and send pressure electrical signals to the slide rail assembly.

3. The modular array robot according to claim 2, characterized in that: The circuit mainboard in the circuit mainboard assembly includes: a single chip microcomputer, a motor drive chip, a transceiver, and a connection interface; The single chip microcomputer is connected to the slide rail assembly, the motor driving chip and the transceiver included in the support column assembly respectively by circuit connection; The motor driving chip is connected to the DC reduction motor circuit included in the support column assembly; The connection interface is connected to a magnetic encoder included in the support column assembly; The single chip microcomputer is used to: receive the pressure electric signal sent by the slide rail assembly, receive the speed information sent by the motor drive chip, send the pressure digital signal and the column position to the transceiver, receive the initial control command sent by the transceiver, perform format conversion processing on the initial control command to generate a control command, and send an initial start signal to the motor drive chip; The motor driving chip is used to: receive an initial start signal sent by the single chip microcomputer, send a start signal to the DC reduction motor included in the support column assembly, read the speed information of the associated magnetic encoder, and send the speed information to the single chip microcomputer; The transceiver is used to: receive the pressure digital signal and the column position sent by the single chip microcomputer, send the pressure digital signal and the column position to the associated host computer, receive the initial control command sent by the associated host computer, and send the initial control command to the single chip microcomputer; The connection interface is arranged on the back of the circuit main board.

4. The modular array robot according to claim 3, characterized in that: The magnetic encoder included in the support column of the support column assembly includes: a board-to-board connector, a Hall element assembly, and a magnetic ring assembly; The board-to-board connector is connected to a connection interface included in a circuit board in the circuit board assembly; The Hall element assembly is connected to the magnetic ring assembly; The magnetic ring assembly is assembled on the tail shaft of the DC reduction motor.

5. The modular array robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: The modular array robot further comprises: a power supply communication board assembly, wherein: The power supply communication board in the power supply communication board assembly is connected to the circuit main board circuit in the circuit main board assembly; The power supply communication board assembly is used to: supply power to the circuit main board in the circuit main board assembly; The circuit main board in the circuit main board assembly is communicatively connected with the associated host computer via the power supply communication board.

6. The modular array robot according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The modular array robot further includes: a motor bracket, a slide rail bracket, and a top bracket, wherein: The motor bracket is connected to the DC reduction motor included in the support column assembly, and the motor bracket is used to: fix the DC reduction motor included in the support column assembly; The slide rail bracket is connected to the slide rail assembly included in the support column assembly, and the slide rail bracket is used to: fix the slide rail assembly included in the support column assembly; The top bracket is connected to the column body included in the support column assembly, and the top bracket is used to fix the column body included in the support column assembly.

7. A method for moving an object, applied to the modular array robot according to any one of claims 1 to 6, comprising: The pressure sensor included in the support column of the support column assembly collects the pressure electrical signal of the target object and sends the pressure electrical signal to the associated circuit main board; The magnetic encoder included in the support column of the support column assembly collects the speed information of the associated DC reduction motor, and sends the speed information to the associated circuit main board; The circuit mainboard in the circuit mainboard assembly generates a motor start signal based on the pressure electric signal and the initial control command in response to receiving the pressure electric signal sent by the associated slide rail assembly, in response to receiving the speed information sent by the associated magnetic encoder, and in response to receiving the initial control command sent by the associated host computer, and sends the motor start signal to the associated DC reduction motor; The DC reduction motor included in the support column of the support column assembly controls the support column to move up and down in response to receiving the motor start information, so as to control the target object to move.

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