Smooth wall surface wall-climbing robot

Abstract

The present application relates to a kind of smooth wall surface wall-climbing robot, including body, water delivery mechanism and 4 foot movement mechanism;Foot movement mechanism includes rotating arm mechanism and foot bottom mechanism, rotating arm mechanism includes first steering gear, rotating seat, second steering gear and main, driven swing arm, foot bottom mechanism includes foot bottom connecting part, wet adhesion foot bottom and friction foot bottom, first steering gear is installed on body and its output is connected rotating seat, second steering gear is installed on rotating seat and its output is connected with foot bottom connecting part through main swing arm, rotating seat is also connected with foot bottom connecting part through driven swing arm, foot bottom connecting part lower part is connected wet adhesion foot bottom, wet adhesion foot bottom bottom is connected water delivery port, friction foot bottom is arranged in the outside of wet adhesion foot bottom;Water delivery mechanism includes two water delivery bags and extrusion mechanism, each water delivery bag is communicated with the water delivery port on the wet adhesion foot bottom of oblique opposite direction through water delivery pipe, and extrusion mechanism alternately extrudes two water delivery bags.The wall-climbing robot is simple in structure, light in weight, reliable in adhesion, and good in wall-climbing effect.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of wall-climbing robots, and more specifically to a wall-climbing robot for smooth walls. Background Technology

[0002] Wall-climbing robots are widely used in numerous fields such as glass curtain wall cleaning, power, aerospace, construction, nuclear industry, and shipbuilding. They can replace manual labor in some cleaning and surveying / maintenance tasks, reducing the intensity and danger of manual labor. However, existing wall-climbing robots face significant technical challenges in vertical climbing on smooth walls. Current wall-climbing robots utilize various adsorption methods, including magnetic adsorption, negative pressure adsorption, friction-based support, and positive pressure propulsion. However, due to the wider applicability of the negative pressure adsorption principle, most robots employ this method. Regardless of the type, all wall-climbing robots are relatively heavy and large, with complex structures and programming implementations. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a new type of wall-climbing robot for smooth walls based on novel principles. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide a wall-climbing robot for smooth walls. This wall-climbing robot has a simple structure, is lightweight, has reliable adhesion, and has a good wall-climbing effect.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is: a smooth wall-climbing robot, comprising a body, a water supply mechanism, and four foot movement mechanisms, wherein the four foot movement mechanisms are arranged at four positions on the body: left front, right front, left rear, and right rear; each foot movement mechanism includes a rotating arm mechanism and a foot sole mechanism; the rotating arm mechanism includes a first servo motor, a rotating base, a second servo motor, an active swing arm, and a driven swing arm; the foot sole mechanism includes a foot sole connection part, a wet-adhesive foot sole, and a friction foot sole; the first servo motor is mounted on the body and its output end is fixedly connected to the rotating base; the second servo motor... The device is mounted on a rotating base, and its output end is rotatably connected to the foot sole connection part via an active swing arm. The rotating base is also rotatably connected to the foot sole connection part via a driven swing arm. The lower part of the foot sole connection part is connected to a wet-adhesive foot sole. A water inlet is provided on the wet-adhesive foot sole, extending to its bottom. The friction foot sole is located on the outer side of the wet-adhesive foot sole. The water supply mechanism includes two water supply bladders and a squeezing mechanism. Each water supply bladder is connected to a water inlet on the wet-adhesive foot sole of two diagonally opposite foot movement mechanisms via a water supply pipe. The squeezing mechanism alternately squeezes the two water supply bladders to make the two water supply bladders alternately supply water outward.

[0005] Furthermore, the output end of the first servo motor is fixedly connected to the first rotating arm to drive the first rotating arm to rotate, and the first rotating arm is then fixedly connected to the rotating seat to drive the rotating seat to rotate.

[0006] Furthermore, the rotating base has a servo motor insertion slot, and the second servo motor is placed in the servo motor insertion slot and fixedly connected to the rotating base.

[0007] Furthermore, the output end of the second servo motor is fixedly connected downward to a half-swing arm to drive the half-swing arm to swing. The half-swing arm is fixedly connected to one end of the active swing arm, and the other end of the active swing arm is rotatably connected to the foot connection part. The rotating seat is fixedly connected downward to one end of the driven swing arm, and the other end of the driven swing arm is rotatably connected to the foot connection part, thereby forming a parallelogram motion mechanism driven by the second servo motor between the rotating seat, the active swing arm, the foot connection part, and the driven swing arm.

[0008] Furthermore, the other end of the active swing arm and the other end of the driven swing arm are rotatably connected to the foot connection part via bearings.

[0009] Furthermore, the bottom of the friction foot is provided with a bristle array, the lower end face of the bristle array being lower than the bottom surface of the wet adhesive foot, so that when the bristle array contacts the wall surface, a thin space is formed between the wall surface and the bottom surface of the wet adhesive foot, thereby forming a thin water film between the wall surface and the bottom surface of the wet adhesive foot when the water supply bag supplies water to the water inlet on the wet adhesive foot through the water supply pipe.

[0010] Furthermore, the bristle material in the bristle array is PDMS, and the bristle array with a diameter of 10μm is formed by photolithography and ICP technology.

[0011] Furthermore, the lower part of the foot-sole connecting part is connected to the wet-adhesive foot sole by applying hot melt adhesive, and the friction foot sole is sleeved on the outside of the foot-sole connecting part and the wet-adhesive foot sole, and is connected to the foot-sole connecting part and the wet-adhesive foot sole by applying hot melt adhesive.

[0012] Furthermore, the two water-carrying bladders are symmetrically installed on the upper and lower sides of the body. The squeezing mechanism includes a third servo motor and a water-carrying swing arm. The third servo motor is installed on the body and its output end is fixedly connected to the water-carrying swing arm. The third servo motor drives the water-carrying swing arm to swing between the upper and lower sides of the body to alternately squeeze the upper and lower water-carrying bladders.

[0013] Furthermore, the left and right sides of the water supply bag are respectively connected to water supply pipes, and the water supply pipes on the left and right sides are connected to the water supply ports on the two diagonally opposite wet-adhesive feet.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: The present invention adopts a wet adhesion method, which reduces the heavy and redundant equipment such as air pumps and suction cups required in existing wall-climbing robots, thus reducing the overall weight of the robot. Furthermore, it achieves adhesion to smooth walls based on capillary adhesion, providing reliable adhesive force so that the robot can easily adhere to smooth walls. In addition, the mechanical structure and movement method of this wall-climbing robot are simple, which simplifies the manufacturing and programming cycle and cost of the robot. The friction foot structure design, similar to that of an ant's foot, provides reliable frictional propulsion for the robot to climb vertically. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the smooth wall-climbing robot according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 ;

[0016] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the smooth wall-climbing robot according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 ;

[0017] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the connection structure between the rotating base and the second servo motor in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the foot mechanism in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of wet adhesion to the sole of the foot and friction to the sole of the foot in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] In the diagram: 1-Water supply swing arm; 2-Half swing arm; 3-Driven swing arm; 4-Active swing arm; 5-First rotating arm; 6-First servo motor; 7-Rotating arm mechanism; 8-Water supply bladder; 9-Foot mechanism; 10-Body; 11-Water supply pipe; 12-Bearing; 13-Foot connection part; 14-Wet adhesive foot; 15-Friction foot; 16-Thin water film; 17-Bristle array; 18-Smooth wall surface (glass); 19-Rotating seat; 20-Second servo motor; 21-Third servo motor. Detailed Implementation

[0021] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0022] It should be noted that the following detailed descriptions are exemplary and intended to provide further explanation of this application. Unless otherwise specified, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application pertains.

[0023] It should be noted that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments according to this application. As used herein, the singular form is intended to include the plural form as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, it should be understood that when the terms "comprising" and / or "including" are used in this specification, they indicate the presence of features, steps, operations, devices, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0024] like Figure 1-5 As shown, this embodiment provides a smooth wall-climbing robot, including a body 10, a water supply mechanism, and four foot movement mechanisms. The four foot movement mechanisms are located at four positions on the body 10: left front, right front, left rear, and right rear. Each foot movement mechanism includes a rotating arm mechanism 7 and a foot sole mechanism 9. The rotating arm mechanism 7 includes a first servo motor 6, a rotating base 19, a second servo motor 20, an active swing arm 4, and a driven swing arm 3. The foot sole mechanism 9 includes a foot sole connection part 13, a wet-adhesive foot sole 14, and a friction foot sole 15. The first servo motor 6 is mounted on the body 10 and its output end is fixedly connected to the rotating base 19 to drive the rotating base 19 to rotate. The second servo motor 20 is mounted on the rotating base 19 and its output end is rotatably connected to the foot connection part 13 via the active swing arm 4. The rotating base 19 is also rotatably connected to the foot connection part 13 via the driven swing arm 3. The lower part of the foot connection part 13 is connected to the wet-adhesive foot 14, which has a water inlet 22 extending to its bottom. The friction foot 15 is located on the outer side of the wet-adhesive foot 14. The four first servo motors control the rotating base 19 to enable the robot to lift its feet, and the four second servo motors control the foot mechanism to enable the robot to climb upwards. The water delivery mechanism includes two water delivery bags 8 and a squeezing mechanism. Each water delivery bag 8 is connected to a water outlet 22 on the wet-adhesive sole 14 of two diagonally opposite foot movement mechanisms via a water delivery pipe 11. The squeezing mechanism alternately squeezes the two water delivery bags so that the two water delivery bags alternately deliver water outward.

[0025] In this embodiment, the output end of the first servo motor 6 is fixedly connected to the first rotating arm 5 to drive the first rotating arm 5 to rotate. The first rotating arm 5 is then fixedly connected to the rotating seat 19 to drive the rotating seat 19 to rotate.

[0026] In this embodiment, a servo motor insertion slot is provided on the rotating base 19, and the second servo motor 20 is placed in the servo motor insertion slot and fixedly connected to the rotating base 19. The output end of the second servo motor 20 is fixedly connected downward to the semi-swing arm 2 to drive the semi-swing arm 2 to swing. The semi-swing arm 2 is fixedly connected to one end of the active swing arm 4, and the other end of the active swing arm 4 is rotatably connected to the foot connection part 13 via a bearing 12. The rotating base 19 is fixedly connected downward to one end of the driven swing arm 3, and the other end of the driven swing arm 3 is rotatably connected to the foot connection part 13 via a bearing 12, thereby forming a parallelogram motion mechanism driven by the second servo motor between the rotating base, the active swing arm, the foot connection part, and the driven swing arm.

[0027] In this embodiment, the bottom of the friction foot 15 is provided with a bristle array 17. The lower end face of the bristle array 17 is lower than the bottom surface of the wet adhesive foot 14, so that when the bristle array comes into contact with the wall surface, a thin space is formed between the wall surface (glass) 18 and the bottom surface of the wet adhesive foot 14. Thus, when the water supply bag 8 supplies water to the water inlet 22 on the wet adhesive foot 14 through the water supply pipe 11, a thin water film 16 is formed between the wall surface (glass) 18 and the bottom surface of the wet adhesive foot 14, so that the wet adhesive foot 14 has sufficient adhesion.

[0028] The bristle material in the bristle array 17 can be PDMS, formed into a bristle array with a diameter of approximately 10 μm using photolithography and ICP technology. The bristle array on the bottom of the friction foot 15 provides sufficient friction for the robot to climb upwards.

[0029] The lower part of the foot-sole connecting portion 13 can be connected to the wet-adhesive foot-sole 14 via hot melt adhesive. The friction foot-sole 15 is sleeved on the outside of the foot-sole connecting portion 13 and the wet-adhesive foot-sole 14, and can also be connected to the foot-sole connecting portion 13 and the wet-adhesive foot-sole 14 via hot melt adhesive. The wet-adhesive foot-sole 14 provides sufficient adhesive force for the robot to adhere to a vertical smooth wall surface through capillary adhesion principle inspired by ant feet.

[0030] In this embodiment, the two water-carrying bladders 8 are symmetrically installed on the upper and lower sides of the body 10. The squeezing mechanism specifically includes a third servo motor 21 and a water-carrying swing arm 1. The third servo motor 21 is installed on the body 10 and its output end is fixedly connected to the water-carrying swing arm 1. The third servo motor 21 drives the water-carrying swing arm 1 to swing between the upper and lower sides of the body 10, so as to alternately squeeze the upper and lower water-carrying bladders 8, thereby forming a thin water film 16 between the corresponding wet-adhesive foot 14 and the smooth wall surface (glass) 18. When the water-carrying swing arm 1 is lifted from the water-carrying bladder 8, the water-carrying bladder 8 returns to its original shape, and the water film is retracted into the water-carrying pipe 11. The left and right sides of the water-carrying bladder 8 are respectively connected to the water-carrying pipe 11, and are connected to the water inlets 22 on the two diagonally opposite wet-adhesive foot 14 through the water-carrying pipes 11 on the left and right sides. The connection between the water-carrying pipe 11 and the water inlet is sealed and fixed by hot melt adhesive.

[0031] The working principle of the smooth wall climbing robot provided in this embodiment is as follows: the robot's climbing action is completed by controlling four first servo motors 6 and four second servo motors 20. The first servo motors 6 control the rotating seat 19 to enable the robot to lift its feet, and the second servo motors 20 control the foot mechanism to complete the upward climbing action. The robot adopts a diagonal foot movement gait and climbs in two cyclical motion states. In the first motion state, the two diagonal feet are in the lifted state. The third servo motor 21 controls the water supply arm 1 to press down the water supply airbag 8 on one side. Water in the water supply pipe 11 forms a thin water film 16 between the wet adhesive foot 14 and the smooth wall (glass) 18 through the water supply port reserved on the foot mechanism, so that the robot can adhere to the smooth wall (glass). The bristle array 17 at the bottom of the friction foot 15 provides sufficient friction for the robot to overcome gravity and climb upward. In the second motion state, the two diagonal feet are in the lifted state. As the foot lands, the third servo motor 21 reverses to control the water supply arm 1 to press down the water supply airbag 8 on the other side. Water in the water supply pipe forms a thin water film 16 between the wet adhesive foot and the smooth wall (glass) through the water inlet reserved on the foot mechanism, thereby allowing the robot to adhere to the smooth wall (glass). The bristle array 17 at the bottom of the foot 15 provides sufficient friction for the robot to climb upward and overcome gravity. At the same time, the water supply airbag squeezed in the first movement state returns to its original shape, sucking the water film back into the water supply pipe, thereby causing the two diagonal feet on that side to lose adhesion. The drive mechanism then lifts the two diagonal feet on that side.

[0032] Those skilled in the art will understand that embodiments of this application can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, this application can take the form of a completely hardware embodiment, a completely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, this application can take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0033] This application is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of this application. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, generate instructions for implementing the flowchart... Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A device that provides the functions specified in one or more boxes.

[0034] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means, which are implemented in a process Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The function specified in one or more boxes.

[0035] These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing equipment to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable equipment to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing instructions that execute on the computer or other programmable equipment for implementing the process. Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The steps of the function specified in one or more boxes.

[0036] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the invention in any other way. Any person skilled in the art may make changes or modifications to the above-disclosed technical content to create equivalent embodiments. However, any simple modifications, equivalent changes, and modifications made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the scope of the present invention shall still fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A wall-climbing robot for smooth walls, characterized in that, The device includes a body, a water delivery mechanism, and four foot movement mechanisms, located at four positions on the body: left front, right front, left rear, and right rear. Each foot movement mechanism includes a rotating arm mechanism and a foot sole mechanism. The rotating arm mechanism includes a first servo motor, a rotating base, a second servo motor, an active swing arm, and a driven swing arm. The foot sole mechanism includes a foot sole connection part, a wet-adhesive foot sole, and a friction foot sole. The first servo motor is mounted on the body, and its output end is fixedly connected to the rotating base. The second servo motor is mounted on the rotating base, and its output end is connected to the active swing arm. The arm and foot are rotatably connected. The rotating seat is also rotatably connected to the foot connection via a driven swing arm. The lower part of the foot connection is connected to a wet-adhesive foot. A water inlet extending to the bottom of the wet-adhesive foot is provided on the wet-adhesive foot. The friction foot is located on the outer side of the wet-adhesive foot. The water supply mechanism includes two water bladders and a squeezing mechanism. Each water bladder is connected to a water inlet on the wet-adhesive foot of two diagonally opposite foot movement mechanisms via a water supply pipe. The squeezing mechanism alternately squeezes the two water bladders to make them alternately supply water outward. The output end of the second servo motor is fixedly connected downward to half of the swing arm to drive the half swing arm to swing. The half swing arm is fixedly connected to one end of the active swing arm, and the other end of the active swing arm is rotatably connected to the foot connection part. The rotating seat is fixedly connected downward to one end of the driven swing arm, and the other end of the driven swing arm is rotatably connected to the foot connection part, thereby forming a parallelogram motion mechanism driven by the second servo motor between the rotating seat, the active swing arm, the foot connection part and the driven swing arm. The friction foot has a bristle array at the bottom, and the lower end of the bristle array is lower than the bottom surface of the wet adhesive foot. When the bristle array comes into contact with the wall, a thin space is formed between the wall and the bottom surface of the wet adhesive foot. Thus, when the water supply bag supplies water to the water inlet on the wet adhesive foot through the water supply pipe, a thin water film is formed between the wall and the bottom surface of the wet adhesive foot.

2. The smooth wall-climbing robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The output end of the first servo motor is fixedly connected to the first rotating arm to drive the first rotating arm to rotate. The first rotating arm is then fixedly connected to the rotating seat to drive the rotating seat to rotate.

3. A smooth wall-climbing robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rotating base has a servo motor insertion slot, and the second servo motor is placed in the servo motor insertion slot and fixedly connected to the rotating base.

4. A smooth wall-climbing robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The other end of the active swing arm and the other end of the driven swing arm are rotatably connected to the foot connection part via bearings.

5. A smooth wall-climbing robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bristle material in the bristle array is PDMS, and the bristle array with a diameter of 10 μm is formed by photolithography and ICP technology.

6. A smooth wall-climbing robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lower part of the foot-sole connection is connected to the wet-adhesive foot sole by applying hot melt adhesive. The friction foot sole is sleeved on the outside of the foot-sole connection and the wet-adhesive foot sole, and is connected to the foot-sole connection and the wet-adhesive foot sole by applying hot melt adhesive.

7. A smooth wall-climbing robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The two water-carrying bladders are symmetrically installed on the upper and lower sides of the body. The squeezing mechanism includes a third servo motor and a water-carrying swing arm. The third servo motor is installed on the body and its output end is fixedly connected to the water-carrying swing arm. The third servo motor drives the water-carrying swing arm to swing between the upper and lower sides of the body to alternately squeeze the upper and lower water-carrying bladders.

8. A smooth wall-climbing robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The water supply bladder is connected to water supply pipes on its left and right sides, and these pipes are connected to water outlets on two opposite wet-adhesive feet.

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