A composite bionic amphibious robot

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of robotics, providing a composite biomimetic amphibious robot. The robot includes a body, servo motors, multiple undulating fins, and omnidirectional wheels. The body has an axisymmetric structure, with the multiple servo motors symmetrically connected to both sides of the body, and the omnidirectional wheels located at the bottom of the body. The undulating fins include multiple fin bones, fin surfaces, and a serpentine mechanism. The proximal ends of the fin bones are connected to the servo motors' control discs, the fin edges are connected to the serpentine mechanism, and the fin bones are connected at equal intervals to the fin surfaces. This invention achieves amphibious functionality and underwater flipping capabilities, with low internal stress, low lateral force, low overall propulsion power consumption, strong system structural stability, and a long service life.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of robotics, and more particularly to a composite biomimetic amphibious robot. Background Technology

[0002] Amphibious robots, which combine the features of land robots and underwater vehicles, are unmanned marine equipment capable of performing tasks in complex aquatic and terrestrial environments such as swamps, coastal areas, and islands. They have wide applications in marine resource exploration, subsea pipeline maintenance, marine environmental protection, topographic observation of marine islands and reefs, nautical charting, and military reconnaissance. However, most amphibious robots use propellers for propulsion, which typically suffer from low energy efficiency, high power consumption, large size and mass, poor maneuverability, high noise and environmental disturbance, and significant interference with surrounding organisms. Furthermore, they often require multiple propulsion systems and switching between them during cross-medium operations, which also affects their motion performance and reliability.

[0003] Amphibians in nature, through a long process of natural evolution, have developed excellent environmental adaptability and extraordinary locomotion capabilities. They are characterized by high propulsion efficiency, good maneuverability, low noise, and environmental friendliness. Therefore, biomimetic amphibious robots have attracted widespread attention. Biomimetic technology is a concept derived from imitating the appearance, movement patterns, and behaviors of natural organisms, while integrated propulsion refers to amphibious robots equipped with only one propulsion system capable of performing tasks in different environments.

[0004] The typical characteristics of robots based on biomimetic wave fins are simple structure, low power consumption, and high maneuverability at low speed. Wave fins are a typical propulsion structure for fish. There are no amphibious robots based on wave fins in nature. However, through specific configuration design and material selection, it is possible to develop amphibious biomimetic robots based on wave fins. These robots not only possess the advantages mentioned above of fish that use wave fins for propulsion in nature, but also have superior cross-media mobility.

[0005] In various amphibious robots involving biomimetic wave-fins, amphibious functionality is achieved by increasing the hardness and thickness of the wave-fin surface to give it a certain rigidity. However, directly thickening the fin surface or increasing its hardness to increase the land load to achieve amphibious functionality leads to greater internal stress, causing the fin rays and motor shaft to be subjected to large lateral forces. As a result, the stability of the entire system is reduced, making it more susceptible to damage and reducing its lifespan. At the same time, it greatly increases the robot's propulsion power consumption. In addition, robots using this type of wave-fin are also difficult to overcome obstacles on land and to change course underwater by flipping, thus limiting their overall maneuverability. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present invention aims to at least solve one of the technical problems existing in the related art. To this end, the present invention provides a composite biomimetic amphibious robot.

[0007] This invention provides a composite biomimetic amphibious robot, comprising: a body, a servo motor, omnidirectional wheels, and multiple wave-shaped fins;

[0008] The main body has an axisymmetric structure, and multiple servo motors are connected to both sides of the main body in an axisymmetric manner. The omnidirectional wheels are located at the bottom of the main body.

[0009] The wave fin includes multiple fin bones, fin surfaces, and a serpentine mechanism. The head end of the fin bone is connected to the rudder disk of the servo motor, the edge end of the fin bone is connected to the serpentine mechanism, and the fin bones of the multiple fin bones are connected to the fin surface at equal intervals.

[0010] According to the present invention, a composite biomimetic amphibious robot has a phase angle difference of 90° between two adjacent fin bones.

[0011] According to the present invention, a composite bionic amphibious robot is provided, wherein four omnidirectional wheels are provided, two of which are arranged in parallel at the bottom of the front end of the body, and the other two are arranged at the bottom of the rear end of the body.

[0012] According to the present invention, a composite biomimetic amphibious robot is provided, wherein the fin bone includes two fin rays, the fin rays are semi-cylindrical structures, and the arc surface of the semi-cylindrical structure of the fin rays is connected to the fin surface.

[0013] According to the present invention, a composite biomimetic amphibious robot is provided, wherein the fins are made of silicone, the serpentine mechanism is made of silicone, and the fin bones are made of carbon fiber.

[0014] According to the present invention, a composite biomimetic amphibious robot is provided in which the connection position between the snake-shaped mechanism and the fin surface is provided with a transition rounded corner, and the edge of the fin bone is connected to the snake-shaped mechanism by engaging with the transition rounded corner.

[0015] According to the present invention, a composite biomimetic amphibious robot is provided, wherein the servo motor is a waterproof servo motor.

[0016] The present invention provides a composite biomimetic amphibious robot, which realizes amphibious function and underwater flipping function through a composite biomimetic fin composed of multiple fin bones, fin surfaces and edge snake-shaped mechanisms. It has low internal stress and low lateral force, and the overall robot has low propulsion power consumption. In addition, the system has strong structural stability and long service life.

[0017] Additional aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Attached Figure Description

[0018] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in this invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of this invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.

[0019] Figure 1 This is a structural schematic diagram of a composite biomimetic amphibious robot provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the wave fin structure in a composite biomimetic amphibious robot provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the fin bone structure in the wave fin of a composite biomimetic amphibious robot provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the land walking form of a composite bionic amphibious robot at time t=0, provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the land walking form of a composite biomimetic amphibious robot at time t=1 / 4T, provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the obstacle-crossing process of a composite biomimetic amphibious robot provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the underwater navigation process of a composite biomimetic amphibious robot provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the underwater flipping process of a composite biomimetic amphibious robot provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Figure label:

[0028] 1. Main body; 2. Servo motor; 3. Fin bone; 4. Fin surface; 5. Snake mechanism; 6. Caster wheel. Detailed Implementation

[0029] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the technical solutions of this invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this invention. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this invention without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this invention. The following embodiments are used to illustrate this invention but should not be used to limit the scope of this invention.

[0030] In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the embodiments of the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the embodiments of the present invention. In addition, the terms "first," "second," and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0031] In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "connected" and "linked" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in the embodiments of the present invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0032] In embodiments of the present invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can mean that the first feature is in direct contact with the second feature, or that the first feature is in indirect contact with the second feature through an intermediate medium. Furthermore, "above," "on top of," and "over" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0033] In the description of this specification, the references to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., refer to specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in connection with that embodiment or example, which are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples. Moreover, without contradiction, those skilled in the art can combine and integrate the different embodiments or examples described in this specification, as well as the features of different embodiments or examples.

[0034] The following is combined Figures 1 to 8 Description of embodiments of the present invention.

[0035] This invention provides a composite biomimetic amphibious robot, comprising: a body 1, a servo motor 2, omnidirectional wheels 6, and multiple wave-shaped fins;

[0036] The main body 1 has an axisymmetric structure, and multiple servo motors 2 are connected to both sides of the main body 1 in an axisymmetric manner. The casters 6 are located at the bottom of the main body 1.

[0037] The wave fin includes multiple fin bones 3, fin surfaces 4, and a serpentine mechanism 5. The head end of the fin bone 3 is connected to the rudder disk of the servo motor 2, and the edge end of the fin bone 3 is connected to the serpentine mechanism 5. The bones of the multiple fin bones 3 are connected to the fin surfaces 4 at equal intervals.

[0038] In some embodiments, waterproof servos are bolted to both sides of the robot body, 10 on each side, to provide driving force. One end of the fin is bolted to the servo disk of the waterproof servo, and the other end of the fin is fastened to the fin surface by rivets. The serpentine mechanism of the fin surface and the edge of the fin surface is made of silicone material and formed into an integrated composite bionic fin by 3D printing. Small universal wheels are embedded in the bottom of the robot body and fastened to the chassis by bolts. This facilitates the robot to cross obstacles and prevents the chassis from directly contacting steps or obstacles and causing wear.

[0039] The phase angle difference between two adjacent fin bones 3 is 90°.

[0040] In some embodiments, each complete wave fin is driven by five waterproof servos that drive the fin bones. The five fin bones are arranged at equal intervals on the crests, troughs and three zero points of the complete wave, with a phase angle difference of 90 degrees between adjacent fin bones. A total of four composite fin structures are formed on both sides of the robot to mimic the quadruped configuration of a sea turtle, thereby improving the flexibility of the bionic amphibious robot's movement and enabling functions such as overcoming obstacles on land and flipping underwater.

[0041] The omnidirectional wheels 6 are provided in four configurations, with two positioned parallel to each other at the bottom front end of the main body 1 and the other two positioned at the bottom rear end of the main body 1.

[0042] The fin bone 3 includes two fin rays, each fin ray having a semi-cylindrical structure, and the arc surface of the semi-cylindrical structure of the fin ray is connected to the fin surface 4.

[0043] The fin surface 4 is made of silicone, the serpentine mechanism 5 is made of silicone, and the fin bone 3 is made of carbon fiber.

[0044] In some embodiments, the wave-like fin is a composite biomimetic fin manufactured using 3D printing technology. It employs an arc-shaped structure and is formed by applying pre-tensioning force through the fin bones. Its deployment process is as follows: Figure 2 (a) to Figure 2 As shown in (b), it uses soft rubber material instead of hard rubber. In this example, silicone is used. The fin surface simulates the fin membrane of a fish fin, which is thin and soft. In this example, it is 0.8 mm thick. As a result, the internal stress of the fin surface is very small during the wave process, and it will not generate a large lateral pulling force on the fin bone. This makes the fin bone and the transmission mechanism connected to it less likely to be damaged, while reducing its drive power consumption. The columnar structure at the edge of the fin surface, that is, the snake-shaped mechanism at the edge of the fin surface, imitates the drive mechanism of a snake. Since it has a large diameter relative to the fin surface, it is 10 mm in this example. Therefore, it has a large rigidity, which enables the robot to move forward with a load on land and realize amphibious function. The fin bone is made of carbon fiber with a certain strength and lightweight. Its two fin rays adopt a semi-cylindrical structure. Therefore, when it is fastened to the fin surface, the contact with the fin surface is a line contact rather than a traditional planar contact. This allows the fin surface to maintain the integrity of the wave as much as possible during the wave process, while avoiding unnecessary torsional forces that could damage the fin bone.

[0045] The connection between the serpentine mechanism 5 and the fin surface 4 is provided with a transition rounded corner, and the edge of the fin bone 3 is connected to the serpentine mechanism 5 by engaging with the transition rounded corner.

[0046] Furthermore, such as Figure 3 As shown, the rounded ends of the two fin rays engage and lock with the transition rounded corner of the fin edge serpentine mechanism to the fin surface, thereby allowing the fin bone to drive the edge serpentine mechanism to oscillate.

[0047] The servo motor 2 is a waterproof servo motor.

[0048] Furthermore, the amphibious robot's undulating fins can generate basic movements such as forward and backward undulation and up and down flapping. When the five servo motors on a single undulating fin drive the five fin bones to swing rhythmically, while keeping the initial phase difference constant, the undulating fin can maintain the propagation of harmonic waveforms forward or backward. While maintaining waveform propagation, when the five fin bones are offset up and down at the same angular velocity, up and down flapping movements can be generated simultaneously.

[0049] Furthermore, such as Figures 4 to 5 As shown, Figure 4 This diagram illustrates the movement of the amphibious robot provided by this invention on land at time t=0, where the five fin bones of each wave fin are sequentially arranged at the first zero point, trough, second zero point, crest, and third zero point of the complete waveform. Figure 5 The diagram illustrates the movement of the amphibious robot provided by this invention on land at time t=1 / 4T, where T is the movement period. The five fin bones of each undulating fin are sequentially arranged at the crest, first zero point, trough, second zero point, and crest of the complete waveform. When the amphibious robot provided by this invention moves on land, the servo motor drives the fin bones to rhythmically oscillate, causing the undulating fin to undulate and form a waveform that propels it forward or backward. The undulating fin will rub against the ground, and the friction force will then propel the robot forward or backward.

[0050] Furthermore, such as Figure 6 As shown, the amphibious robot adopts a four-fin configuration similar to that of a sea turtle, and with the wave and swing motion of the wave fins, it can achieve obstacle crossing. This example only uses crossing stairs as an example to illustrate its obstacle crossing process.

[0051] First, such as Figure 6 As shown in (a), the robot propels itself forward normally on land by using its undulating fins; when it encounters obstacles such as steps (e.g., Figure 6 (As shown in (b)); the robot's two side wavy fins are tilted downwards, causing the robot body to rise above the step (as shown in (b)). Figure 6 (as shown in (c)); then the robot tilts the front pair of fins upwards, and the rear pair of fins continue to propel it forward (as shown in (c)). Figure 6 As shown in (d), at this point, the omnidirectional wheels on the bottom of the robot contact the step and move forward automatically; then, as shown in (d), Figure 6 As shown in (e), the robot's front fins are lowered, and its rear fins are tilted upwards. The front fins drive the robot to continue moving forward; eventually, the robot crosses the step, as shown in (e). Figure 6 As shown in (f).

[0052] Furthermore, such as Figure 7 As shown, when the amphibious robot moves underwater, the wave-like fins generate waves that propagate forward or backward. The crests and troughs of the fins propagate forward or backward, creating a water displacement motion. Due to the reaction force of the water, the robot propels itself forward or backward. When the wave-like fins on both sides of the robot have the same propagation direction and wave speed, the robot will move forward or backward. When the wave-like fins on both sides of the robot have the same propagation direction but different wave speeds, they will turn left or right. When the wave-like fins on both sides of the robot have opposite propagation directions but the same wave speed, they will rotate in place.

[0053] Furthermore, such as Figure 8 As shown, the robot moves forward in undulating motion underwater. When the robot tilts its front fins upward and its rear fins downward, causing the wave patterns of the front and rear fins to propagate in opposite directions, the front fins generate a forward propulsive force with their point of action above the robot's center of mass. Then, the point of action of the fin is placed below the robot's center of mass, and the thrust is directed backward. This allows the robot to perform underwater flipping motions.

[0054] This invention provides a composite biomimetic amphibious robot that achieves amphibious movement using a composite biomimetic wave-fin configuration. This solves the problems of traditional propeller-wheel amphibious robots, such as bulky structure, complex amphibious mode switching, significant environmental disturbances, and low propulsion efficiency. Furthermore, unlike traditional biomimetic wave-fin amphibious robots that directly increase fin surface hardness and thickness, this invention uses soft, thin silicone fins combined with a serpentine mechanism at the fin edge with a certain diameter. The serpentine mechanism at the fin edge, which is in direct contact with the ground, maintains a certain rigidity, enabling load-bearing forward movement on land. Additionally, the composite four-fin configuration, instead of the traditional two-fin configuration, mimics the four-legged structure of a sea turtle, greatly improving the robot's amphibious mobility and enabling maneuvers such as obstacle crossing on land and underwater flipping. Overall, by forming an integrated composite biomimetic wave-fin, the internal stress of the fin surface is reduced, thereby reducing the lateral force on the fin bones, further reducing the power consumption of the robot's wave-propulsion, lowering the probability of structural damage, and improving the overall lifespan of the robot.

[0055] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and not to limit them; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features; and these modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A composite biomimetic amphibious robot, characterized in that, include: Main body, servo motor, universal wheels and multiple wave fins; The main body has an axisymmetric structure, with multiple servo motors connected symmetrically to both sides of the main body, and the casters located at the bottom of the main body; the casters are small casters. The omnidirectional wheels are provided in four places, two of which are arranged in parallel at the bottom of the front end of the main body, and the other two are arranged at the bottom of the rear end of the main body. The wave fin includes a fin surface, a serpentine mechanism, and multiple fin bones. The head end of the fin bone is connected to the rudder disk of the servo motor, the edge end of the fin bone is connected to the serpentine mechanism, and the fin bones of the multiple fin bones are connected to the fin surface at equal intervals. The wave-shaped fin adopts an arc-shaped structure and is formed by applying pre-tightening force through the fin bones; The serpentine mechanism is located at the edge of the undulating fin to provide rigid support, reduce internal stress on the fin surface, and enable underwater flipping; and the serpentine mechanism has a columnar structure. The fin bone includes two fin rays, each fin ray having a semi-cylindrical structure, with the arc surface of the semi-cylindrical structure of the fin ray connected to the fin surface; and the fin bone is made of carbon fiber material, with the fin ray making line contact with the fin surface when it is fastened to the fin surface. The fin surface is made of silicone, the serpentine mechanism is made of silicone, and the fin bones are made of carbon fiber. The connection between the serpentine mechanism and the fin surface is provided with a transition rounded corner, and the edge of the fin bone is engaged with the serpentine mechanism through the transition rounded corner; The phase angle difference between two adjacent fin bones is 90°; The servo motor is waterproof.

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