A biomimetic snake robot

Abstract

The application provides a bionic snake robot, which comprises a vibration walking mechanism group and a posture adjusting mechanism, and the vibration walking mechanism group and the posture adjusting mechanism are alternately connected in a snake shape; the vibration walking mechanism group comprises a plurality of vibration walking mechanisms, and the vibration walking mechanisms are connected through universal joints; the vibration walking mechanisms are integrally arranged in an inclined manner, the vibration walking mechanisms have left and right ground friction surfaces, the two ground friction surfaces of each vibration walking mechanism in the same group are selectively vibrated or synchronously vibrated, and the vibration walking mechanism group is driven to move forward to the side without vibration or to move forward in a positive direction; the posture adjusting mechanism comprises at least two steering gears, one of which is used to provide horizontal swinging motion, and one of which is used to provide vertical swinging motion; the robot utilizes vibration to drive movement, greatly reduces the use amount of the steering gears, has a lighter structure, a faster moving speed, and a smaller overall size, is convenient to pass through narrow spaces, and has a long endurance time due to a small energy demand.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of robot technology, in particular, to a bionic snake robot. BACKGROUND

[0002] Bionic robot kinematics is an important branch of bionics. Among them, in the completion of the terrain exploration, ecological monitoring and other field tasks, bionic snake robots are born to replace people to complete these work.

[0003] At present, the bionic snake robot mainly has the following types: EELS (Exobiology Extant Life Surveyor) is an autonomous snake robot for ice world exploration, which moves by using spiral structure; HITSZ-Snakebot series snake robot uses modular spherical joint in series, and the outer frame is designed as a spherical structure to reduce the friction between the road; The crawler snake robot developed by Guangzhou Ophidian Technology Co., Ltd. mainly imitates four kinds of snake movements: meandering movement, lateral movement, straight movement and organ movement; The amphibious snake robot of Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences mainly performs three-dimensional movement on the ground and underwater; The snake robot developed by National University of Defense Technology can advance, turn, retreat and accelerate, which is the first snake robot in China.

[0004] For the application market of bionic snake in multi-terrain survey, we have analyzed the industry pain points in depth, and the current status of bionic snake robot is summarized as follows:

[0005] (1) Slow movement rate of bionic snake robot

[0006] The bionic snake on the market is difficult to meet the urgent demand for detecting terrain in terms of speed. For the victims after the disaster, every second is very urgent.

[0007] (2) Low obstacle crossing ability

[0008] Among the robots that can climb obstacles, bionic snakes are the first, which can achieve the purposes of forward movement, crossing stairs and climbing obstacles by means of their own undulating movement. However, how to achieve the climbing effect still needs technical research and development.

[0009] (3) Large power consumption

[0010] At present, most bionic robots still need battery power when they are put into the survey field, but in the uninterrupted long-time survey, bionic robots apply a large number of rudders, which have high energy consumption and short endurance time.

[0011] (4) Difficult to enter narrow space

[0012] As is known to all, when disaster occurs, the collapse of buildings and the like will cause the generation of large area of debris, thus causing the burying of people, and the detection equipment must search for the people through narrow gaps. However, most of the bionic robots are large in size and cannot enter the gaps for searching.

[0013] In order to solve the above problems, people have been seeking an ideal technical solution. SUMMARY

[0014] The present application aims at the deficiencies of the prior art, and provides a bionic snake robot which utilizes vibration to drive movement, greatly reduces the use amount of rudders, has a lighter structure, faster movement speed, and small overall size, is convenient to pass through narrow spaces, has small energy demand, and long endurance.

[0015] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the technical scheme adopted by the present application is as follows: a bionic snake robot comprises a vibration moving mechanism group and a posture adjusting mechanism, and the vibration moving mechanism group and the posture adjusting mechanism are alternately connected in a snake shape.

[0016] The vibration moving mechanism group comprises a plurality of vibration moving mechanisms, and the vibration moving mechanisms are connected through universal joints.

[0017] The vibration moving mechanisms are integrally arranged in an inclined manner, and each vibration moving mechanism has two ground friction surfaces on the left and right sides. The two ground friction surfaces of each vibration moving mechanism in the same group are selectively vibrated or synchronously vibrated, so as to drive the vibration moving mechanism group to move forward to the side which is not vibrated or to move forward in a positive direction.

[0018] The posture adjusting mechanism comprises at least two rudders, at least one of which is used to provide a horizontal swinging action, and at least one of which is used to provide a vertical swinging action.

[0019] As described above, the vibration moving mechanism comprises a support, two force transmission ribs, two ground friction surfaces, two motor grooves, and two vibration motors.

[0020] The support is in a semicircular ring shape, the upper ends of the force transmission ribs are hingedly connected to the lower ends of the support, the lower ends of the force transmission ribs are hingedly connected to the ground friction surfaces, the ground friction surfaces are used to contact the ground, and the two ground friction surfaces are connected through a first reset spring.

[0021] One end of each of the two motor grooves is hingedly connected to the support and the other end is connected to the corresponding force transmission rib, and the motor grooves are used to install the vibration motors.

[0022] As described above, a ground pin is arranged on the inner upper end of the ground friction surface, and the upper end of the ground pin is hingedly connected to the lower end of the force transmission rib.

[0023] As described above, the upper end of the ground pin, the lower end of the force transmission rib and the upper end of the ground friction surface are coaxially hinged.

[0024] As described above, the bracket, the force transmission rib, the ground pin and the first reset spring jointly constitute a ring-shaped or ring-like structure.

[0025] As described above, the structure part constituted by the bracket, the force transmission rib and the ground pin is arranged obliquely, and the ground friction surface is arranged horizontally.

[0026] As described above, a connecting shaft is arranged at the upper hinge of the motor slot, and the connecting shafts of two adjacent vibration traveling mechanisms are connected together through a universal joint.

[0027] As described above, a second reset spring is arranged between the upper hinge of the motor slot and the inner side of the top end of the bracket.

[0028] As described above, bearings are installed at the hinges between the bracket and the force transmission rib, between the force transmission rib and the ground friction surface, and between the force transmission rib and the ground pin.

[0029] As described above, at least the outer skin of the posture adjusting mechanism.

[0030] The present application has the following advantages compared with the prior art:

[0031] The present application uses vibration energy as the driving force of the bionic snake robot, replacing the traditional mode of using a steering engine as the main driving force, which is lower in energy consumption, and the overall weight is greatly reduced due to the use of less steering engines, and the volume can also be designed to be smaller, which is roughly equivalent to the volume of a snake in nature, and the speed is faster. In addition, in the process of advancing, it is more similar to the walking of a snake in nature, and the walking is more reliable, and it can pass through various complex working conditions; in the face of complex situations, in addition to forward movement and turning, the posture adjusting mechanism can also complete the three-dimensional turning function of turning upward and downward, and the obstacle crossing ability is stronger.

[0032] Overall, the present application has greatly improved in terms of speed, energy consumption, obstacle crossing and narrow space passing ability due to the innovation in the basic principle. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0033] Figure 1 is one of the overall structure schematic diagrams of a bionic snake robot in the present application.

[0034] Figure 2 is the second overall structure schematic diagram of a bionic snake robot in the present application.

[0035] Figure 3is a structural schematic diagram of a vibration walking mechanism group in the present application.

[0036] Figure 4 is a structural schematic diagram of a single vibration walking mechanism in the present application.

[0037] Figure 5 is a side view of a single vibration walking mechanism in the present application.

[0038] Figure 6 is a force analysis diagram of a forward movement mode in the present application.

[0039] Figure 7 is a force analysis diagram of a single-side forward movement mode in the present application.

[0040] In the figure: 1. vibration walking mechanism group; 2. attitude adjustment mechanism; 11. walking mechanism; 12. universal joint; 111. support; 112. force transmission rib; 113. ground friction surface; 114. motor slot; 115. ground pin; 116. connecting shaft; 117. first reset spring; 118. second reset spring; 21. steering gear.F f DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] The technical solutions of the present application are described in further detail below through specific embodiments.

[0042] As Figures 1-6 shown, a bionic snake robot includes a vibration walking mechanism group 1 and an attitude adjustment mechanism 2, the vibration walking mechanism group 1 and the attitude adjustment mechanism 2 are alternately connected in a snake shape, in this embodiment, four vibration walking mechanism groups 1 and four attitude adjustment mechanisms 2 are connected for illustration.

[0043] The vibration walking mechanism group 1 includes a plurality of vibration walking mechanisms 11, and each vibration walking mechanism 11 is connected through a universal joint 12.

[0044] Specifically, in this embodiment, the vibration walking mechanism 11 is arranged as a whole, the vibration walking mechanism 11 includes a support 111, two force transmission ribs 112, two ground friction surfaces 113, two motor slots 114, two ground pins 115 and two vibration motors.

[0045] The support 111 is in the shape of a semicircular ring, the upper ends of the force transmission ribs 112 are hinged to the lower ends of the support 111, the lower ends of the force transmission ribs 112 are hinged to the ground friction surfaces 113, the ground friction surfaces 113 are used to contact the ground, and the two ground friction surfaces 113 are connected through a first reset spring 117.

[0046] The force transmission rib 112 is used to imitate the rib structure of a snake, and the force transmission rib 112 is driven to swing around the upper end hinge point by the vibration motor, and the lower hinge ground friction surface 113 is driven to vibrate, and the first reset spring is used to provide a reset tension.

[0047] The inner side upper end of the ground friction surface 113 is provided with a ground pin 115, the upper end of the ground pin 115 is hinged with the lower end of the force transmission rib 112, the upper end 115 of the ground pin, the lower end of the force transmission rib 112 and the upper end of the ground friction surface 113 are coaxially hinged, and the ground pin 115 is used to provide an auxiliary structure for the stable vibration of the ground friction surface 113, so as to prevent the problem of large overturning angle caused by single-point hinge of the ground friction surface 113.

[0048] The bottom end of the ground friction surface 113 is provided with a friction pattern, which is used to cooperate with the ground to provide better friction.

[0049] One end of the motor groove 113 is hinged and connected to the support 111, and the other end is connected to the corresponding side of the force transmission rib 112, and the motor groove 113 is used to install the vibration motor, specifically, the upper hinge of the motor groove 113 is provided with a connecting shaft 116, and the connecting shafts 116 of adjacent two vibration forward mechanisms are connected together through a universal joint; the second reset spring 118 is arranged between the upper hinge of the motor groove and the inner side of the top end of the support 111, and the hinge mounting structure of the motor groove 113 is used to make the vibration motor fully vibrate and release energy, and the second reset spring 118 is used to provide a reset force.

[0050] In the embodiment, bearings are installed at the hinges between the support and the force transmission rib, between the force transmission rib and the ground friction surface, and between the force transmission rib and the ground pin.

[0051] In the embodiment, the support 111, the force transmission rib 112, the ground pin 115 and the first reset spring 117 jointly constitute a ring-shaped or ring-like structure, which is similar to the structure of a snake.

[0052] The structure part composed of the support 111, the force transmission rib 112 and the ground pin 115 is arranged obliquely, and the ground friction surface 115 is arranged horizontally.

[0053] By controlling the vibration of the two ground friction surfaces 113 of the same group of vibration forward mechanisms to be selected or synchronized, the vibration forward mechanism group is driven to move forward to the side without vibration or forward.

[0054] The posture adjusting mechanism 2 includes at least two steering gears 21, at least one of which is used to provide a horizontal swinging action, and at least one of which is used to provide a vertical swinging action.

[0055] At least the outer skin of the attitude adjustment mechanism.

[0056] Working principle:

[0057] The vibration walking mechanism assumes the following conditions:

[0058] Each part of the vibration walking mechanism 11 is an ideal rigid body, i.e., each part will not be slightly deformed due to external force;

[0059] Because of the optimized design of the length and shape of the vibration walking mechanism 11, the center of mass of the entire vibration walking mechanism 11 can be approximately considered to be located at the center of the approximate circle;

[0060] Based on the shape design and material selection, the stress of each part can be approximately considered to act on the center of mass, and it can be approximately considered that no friction couple is generated, i.e., the single vibration walking mechanism 11 will not roll forward, fall, etc.

[0061] The contact between each ground friction surface and the ground is a plane uniform contact, ensuring that the contact points are continuous, and the contact points form a plane.

[0062] Under this premise, we perform stress analysis:

[0063] In the forward mode, the single vibration walking mechanism 11 is analyzed, and the two sides of the vibration motor simultaneously apply force to the two sides, so that the overall stress is as shown in Figure 6 Because the vibration walking mechanism 11 is inclined as a whole, the resultant force of the two sides is in the forward direction, so under the action of the two sides, the entire vibration walking mechanism 11 moves forward through the friction.

[0064] In the single-sided forward mode, the single vibration walking mechanism 11 is analyzed, and the overall stress condition is as shown in Figure 7 When the action force is applied on one side, because the vibration walking mechanism 11 is inclined as a whole, the action force moves forward in the horizontal direction towards the side that is not vibrating, and the steering action forward can be completed.

[0065] From basic mechanics knowledge, the three forces received by the pins are located in the same plane. If the force applied by the center rod to the single side is F(t), then the force received by each pin is

[0066] F(t)' = F(t) sin 60° / sin 45°

[0067] Then the vertical force generated by the contact surface can be solved

[0068] Fn = F(t)' cos 15°

[0069] Then the vertical pressure distribution function qz1 (a) need to meet

[0070]

[0071] In combination with the friction mechanics in the spatial coordinate system, the following formula can be obtained

[0072]

[0073] The vertical pressure distribution function q of the other side is z2 (a) and f2 are respectively

[0074]

[0075] In terms of overall motion:

[0076] When the overall robot receives the instruction to start moving, the vibration forward mechanism group provides the forward power of the overall robot, and decides to adopt the straight forward mode or the single side forward mode (turning) according to the ground condition.

[0077] Based on the properties of friction, the vibration forward mechanism group can only provide a plane force, that is, it can only move in a two-dimensional plane. However, in actual application scenarios, most environments are three-dimensional spaces, which requires the snake robot to be able to move in three dimensions.

[0078] The main function of the rudder group posture adjustment unit is to provide a force in the z-axis direction, so that the snake robot can complete a three-dimensional motion, and can also adjust the posture in a two-dimensional plane to a certain extent, assisting in adjusting the self-motion posture of the robot.

[0079] The bionic snake robot has the characteristics of small unit pressure on the ground, small subsidence, strong adhesion, fast speed, small vibration and noise, so that it can run safely in dangerous and easy-to-collapse places, and its contact surface damage to the travel route is small. It is a new all-terrain snake structure design to bring the most reliable performance and the widest adaptability with the most simple structure. It has strong advantages and adaptability for terrain geological survey and auxiliary post-disaster rescue.

[0080] Finally, it should be noted that: the above examples are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application and not to limit it; although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that the specific embodiments of the present application can be modified or some technical features can be replaced by equivalent; without departing from the spirit of the technical solutions of the present application, they should be covered in the technical solution range of the present application.

Claims

1. A biomimetic snake robot, characterized by: The vibration crawling mechanism group and the posture adjusting mechanism are alternately connected in a snake shape; The vibration crawling mechanism group comprises a plurality of vibration crawling mechanisms, and each vibration crawling mechanism is connected through a universal joint; The vibration crawling mechanism is integrally arranged obliquely, and has two left and right ground friction surfaces. By controlling the vibration of the two ground friction surfaces of each vibration crawling mechanism in the same group, the vibration crawling mechanism group is driven to advance to the side without vibration or to advance forward. The posture adjusting mechanism comprises at least two steering gears, at least one of which is used to provide horizontal swinging action, and at least one of which is used to provide vertical swinging action; the vibration crawling mechanism comprises a support, two force transmission ribs, two ground friction surfaces, two motor grooves and two vibration motors; The support is in the shape of a semicircular ring, the upper end of the force transmission rib is hinged to the lower ends of the support, the lower end of the force transmission rib is hinged to the ground friction surface, the ground friction surface is used to contact the ground, and the two ground friction surfaces are connected through a first reset spring; One end of the two motor grooves is hinged and connected to the support, and the other end is connected to the corresponding side of the force transmission rib, and the motor groove is used to install the vibration motor.

2. The biomimetic snake robot of claim 1, wherein: The inner upper end of the ground friction surface is provided with a ground pin, and the upper end of the ground pin is hinged to the lower end of the force transmission rib.

3. The biomimetic snake robot of claim 2, wherein: The upper end of the ground pin, the lower end of the force transmission rib and the upper end of the ground friction surface are coaxially hinged.

4. The biomimetic snake robot of claim 3, wherein: The support, the force transmission rib, the ground pin and the first reset spring jointly form a ring or a ring-like structure.

5. The biomimetic snake robot of claim 4, wherein: The support, the force transmission rib and the ground pin are arranged obliquely, and the ground friction surface is arranged horizontally.

6. The biomimetic snake robot of any one of claims 1-5, wherein: The upper hinged part of the motor groove is provided with a connecting shaft, and the connecting shafts of adjacent two vibration crawling mechanisms are connected together through a universal joint.

7. The biomimetic snake robot of any one of claims 1-5, wherein: The upper hinged part of the motor groove and the inner side of the top end of the support are provided with a second reset spring.

8. The biomimetic snake robot of claim 5, wherein: Bearings are installed at the hinged parts between the support and the force transmission rib, between the force transmission rib and the ground friction surface, and between the force transmission rib and the ground pin.

9. The biomimetic snake robot of any one of claims 1-5, wherein: At least the outer skin of the posture adjusting mechanism.

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