A superelastic memory alloy rod-triggered spherical robot imitating the shape of a coronavirus

Abstract

The present invention discloses a superelastic memory alloy rod-triggered spherical robot with a coronavirus-like appearance. The robot mainly consists of a rod-end contact, a superelastic memory alloy rod, a tough wire, a rod sleeve, a spherical shell, a miniature camera, a hexagonal connecting prism, a straight-through joint, a wire-retracting device, a dodecahedron core, a control panel, and a nine-axis attitude sensor. The wire-retracting device drives the winding drum to rotate through a motor to retract the tough wire, causing the elastic rod on the outer surface of the spherical robot to deform, and then quickly releases the tough wire. The bent elastic rod rebounds to provide power for the robot's movement. At the same time, the wire-retracting device and the elastic rod are reset to ensure the continuous movement of the robot. Changing the position of the knot on the tough wire can control the degree of bending of the elastic rod, and the control system controls the ejection cycle. The robot has a unique configuration, a novel principle, complex functions, strong human-machine interaction and perception capabilities, and high movement flexibility and stability. It has important theoretical significance and practical value for the research on spherical robots.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of multimodal spherical robots, in particular to a robot which is powered by the bending and rebounding of elastic rods on the outer surface of the robot. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, the rapid development of robotics has placed greater demands on the diversity of robotic motion and working environments. Traditional wheeled, tracked, and legged robots each have their own advantages and disadvantages, and are limited in certain complex environments. For example, wheeled robots struggle to navigate rough terrain, tracked robots are inefficient and noisy, and legged robots are complex, difficult to control, and relatively expensive. Against this backdrop, spherical robots, with their unique spherical structure and rolling motion, have demonstrated numerous advantages and have become a research hotspot in the field of robotics.

[0003] Spherical robots rely on the rolling motion of their spherical shells to achieve movement. They are compact, flexible, and have excellent obstacle-crossing capabilities and environmental adaptability. They can nimbly move across complex and irregular terrain, such as rugged mountains, sandy land, and grasslands. Compared to other types of robots, spherical robots have strong obstacle-crossing capabilities, good environmental adaptability, and omnidirectional mobility.

[0004] In summary, the unique advantages of spherical robots make up for the shortcomings of other types of robots, and are expected to occupy a place in the future development of robotics technology and provide more efficient and reliable solutions for various application scenarios. The present invention designs a new type of multimodal spherical robot, which has an appearance similar to that of a coronavirus. The robot changes the degree of curvature of the elastic rod installed on its outer surface by retracting and releasing the rope through a retractable wire device installed inside the robot, converting the electrical energy of the motor into elastic potential energy stored in the elastic rod, and using the elastic rod released instantly to convert the elastic potential energy into the kinetic energy of the robot, so that the robot has the ability to roll, turn, and jump. At the same time, the present invention uses a superelastic shape memory alloy rod as an energy storage element. The alloy rod can store more energy with a small mass and volume. The various movements of the robot are stable and reliable, and it can flexibly adapt to different terrains by changing the movement mode. The research on spherical robots has important theoretical significance and practical value. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide a novel multimodal spherical robot that can perform various movements by controlling the bending and rebounding of superelastic memory alloy rods mounted on the outer surface of the robot.

[0006] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0007] A new type of multimodal spherical robot mainly consists of a superelastic memory alloy rod assembly, a spherical shell, a hexagonal connecting prism, a straight-through joint, a regular dodecahedron core, a wire-reeling device, a micro camera, a nine-axis attitude sensor, and a robot control system.

[0008] The superelastic memory alloy rod assembly consists of a superelastic memory alloy rod, a rod end contact, a rod sleeve, and a retractable cable. The rod end contact is spherical and glued to the rod end. This prevents slippage during the movement of the spherical robot, ensuring stability and precision. The rod sleeve fits over the rod, and the elastic rod bends and deforms under the pull of the cable, storing elastic potential energy. Each group of five superelastic memory alloy rod assemblies shares a single retractable cable, for a total of twelve groups evenly distributed across the sphere.

[0009] The spherical shell is composed of twelve lightweight pentagonal shells and twenty hexagonal shells, arranged and assembled like soccer pieces. The pentagonal shells have large holes through which the toughness wire enters the sphere and connects to the wire-retracting mechanism. The hexagonal shells are connected to the three pentagons using three discontinuous sides. Three superelastic memory alloy rod fixing holes are evenly distributed in a circular pattern on the surface, connecting the three superelastic memory alloy rods. A micro-camera connection hole is located in the center of the outer surface of the hexagonal shell, allowing the micro-camera to be installed and wired into the shell. The inner surface of the shell features a hexagonal groove that is threadedly secured to the connecting studs via a straight-through connector.

[0010] The hexagonal connecting prism is a hollow hexagonal prism with an internal thread. One end of the thread is connected to the hexagonal spherical shell, and the other end is embedded in the hexagonal groove located on the vertex of the regular dodecahedron on the dodecahedron core. There are a total of twenty hexagonal connecting prisms, which respectively connect the twenty vertices of the dodecahedron and the centers of the twenty lightweight hexagonal spherical shells of the spherical shell, thereby fixing the spherical shell on the regular dodecahedron core.

[0011] The dodecahedron core is composed of two identical "half-dodecahedron cores." The dodecahedron core has a regular dodecahedron shape, retaining its edges and surfaces. Its interior is hollow, housing the robot's control panel. Each of its twenty vertices has regular hexagonal recesses for the hexagonal connecting prisms. Each dodecahedron face has three connection holes for mounting the wire retracting and releasing device. The two halves of the half-dodecahedron core are connected by bolts and nuts.

[0012] The winding and unwinding device consists of a bracket, a DC motor, a bobbin 1, a bobbin 2, a fixed shaft, a shift fork, an electromagnet, and a code disk. Both bobbin 1 and bobbin 2 are equipped with partial spur gears and are fixed to the bracket via a fixed shaft. A DC motor is connected to the side of bobbin 1, which controls the horizontal position of the shift fork by changing the electromagnet. The shift fork in turn controls whether the gears on bobbin 1 and bobbin 2 are engaged, thereby controlling the transmission between the two. A wire-tying protrusion is provided on the surface of the drum. After the tough wire enters the spherical shell, it passes around bobbin 1 and is tied to the upper wire-tying protrusion of bobbin 2. Three hexagonal holes are provided at the bottom of the bracket for connection to the pentagonal surface of the dodecahedron core.

[0013] The present invention proposes for the first time a spherical robot that mimics the appearance of a coronavirus, which has many innovations and advantages.

[0014] (1) Novel configuration: The robot mimics the coronavirus, with a superelastic shape memory alloy rod with tentacles installed on the outer shell of a soccer ball. Therefore, while retaining the structural symmetry and omnidirectional movement of the spherical robot, the elastic rod on the outer shell increases the stability and reliability of the robot's movement. The "tentacles" at the end of the elastic rod can effectively increase the friction between the robot and the ground, assisting the robot's movement and stabilizing the body. At the same time, the superelastic shape memory alloy rod has a high energy storage density and can provide more mechanical energy for the robot's movement.

[0015] (2) Unique principle: The present invention proposes a new method for robot movement, which promotes robot movement by changing the degree of bending deformation of the superelastic memory alloy rod.

[0016] (3) Functional complexity: The robot of the present invention has multiple motion modes, including rolling, turning, and jumping. It also has strong human-computer interaction and perception capabilities and can monitor the surrounding environment.

[0017] (4) Flexible and reliable: The robot is equipped with 12 retractable and pay-out devices evenly distributed in space, which can accurately control each step of the robot's movement. When the robot moves continuously, the working retractable and pay-out devices are different, which greatly reduces the probability of the robot malfunctioning due to repeated operation of the same retractable and pay-out device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of a single working unit of the present invention

[0019] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the overall external structure of the present invention

[0020] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the spherical shell of the present invention

[0021] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the connection between the dodecahedron core and the wire-reeling device of the present invention

[0022] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the connection between the semi-dodecahedron core and the robot control system of the present invention

[0023] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the wire-reeling device of the present invention

[0024] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of a polyhedron composed of the rod end contacts of the present invention

[0025] Figure 8 This is the motion flow chart of the present invention

[0026] Among them: 1. Rod end contact 2. Super elastic memory alloy rod, 3. Tough wire, 4. Rod sleeve, 5. Lightweight pentagonal spherical shell, 6. Lightweight hexagonal spherical shell, 7. Micro camera, 8. Hexagonal connecting prism, 9. Straight-through connector, 10. Wire retracting and releasing device, 11. Dodecahedron core, 12. Robot control board, 13. Nine-axis attitude sensor. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The present invention is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings:

[0028] Reference Figure 1 、 Figure 2 and Figure 3 The device is a superelastic memory alloy rod-triggered spherical robot with a coronavirus-like appearance, which mainly consists of a rod end contact (1), a superelastic memory alloy rod (2), a toughness wire (3), a rod sleeve (4), a lightweight pentagonal spherical shell (5), a lightweight hexagonal spherical shell (6), a micro camera (7), a hexagonal connecting prism (8), a straight-through connector (9), a wire-retracting device (10), a dodecahedron core (11), a robot control board (12), and a nine-axis attitude sensor (13).

[0029] Reference Figure 1 、 Figure 2 and Figure 3The rod end contact (1) is bonded to the end of the superelastic memory alloy rod (2) and bonded to the lightweight hexagonal spherical shell (6) along the spherical surface normal. The rod end contact (1) prevents the spherical robot described in the present invention from slipping during movement to a certain extent, ensuring the stability and accuracy of the movement. The rod sleeve (4) is sleeved on the superelastic memory alloy rod (2) and can slide along the rod under the traction of the toughness line (3) so that the superelastic memory alloy rod (2) undergoes elastic deformation in a curved form, thereby utilizing the curved superelastic memory alloy rod to store elastic potential energy. The five superelastic memory alloy rods (2) near each lightweight pentagonal spherical shell (5) form a group. The entire device uses a total of twelve groups of superelastic memory alloy rods (2). The five toughness lines (3) of each group of superelastic memory alloy rods are combined into one at a suitable height from the spherical shell to ensure that the toughness line (3) will not generate additional force due to contact with the spherical shell. Twenty lightweight hexagonal spherical shells (6) and twelve lightweight pentagonal spherical shells (5) are arranged and spliced ​​in the manner of soccer blocks. The toughness wire (3) enters the interior of the spherical shell through the central hole on the lightweight pentagonal spherical shell (5) and is connected to the retractable wire device (10). By controlling each retractable wire device (10), the synchronous bending degree of each corresponding group of superelastic memory alloy rods (2) can be controlled.

[0030] Reference Figure 1 、 Figure 4 and Figure 5 The dodecahedron core (11) is formed by splicing two identical parts and is fixed to the inside of the spherical shell through a hexagonal connecting prism (8) and a straight joint (9) located at the top corner of its regular dodecahedron. The hexagonal connecting prism (8) is bonded to the groove on the dodecahedron core (11). The hexagonal connecting prism (8) and the straight joint (9), and the straight joint (9) and the lightweight pentagonal spherical shell (5) are all connected by threads. The micro camera (7) can be installed at any straight joint (9). Each surface of the dodecahedron core (11) is connected to a wire-retracting device (10) by screws, with a total of twelve wire-retracting devices (10). The robot control board (12) and the nine-axis posture sensor (13) are connected to the inside of the dodecahedron core (11) by screws.

[0031] Reference Figure 6The wire-reeling and winding device of the present invention is composed of a bracket, a DC motor, a bobbin a, a bobbin b, a fixed shaft, a shift fork, an electromagnet, and a code disk. Both bobbin a and bobbin b are provided with partial spur gears and both are fixed to the bracket through a fixed shaft. A DC motor is connected to the side of bobbin a, which controls the horizontal position of the shift fork by changing the electromagnet, and the shift fork controls whether the gears on bobbin a and bobbin b are engaged, thereby controlling the transmission between the two. A code disk is installed on one side of bobbin b, and a wire clip is provided on the surface of the bobbin. After the tough wire enters the spherical shell, it passes around bobbin a and is tied to the upper wire clip of bobbin b. Three hexagonal holes are opened at the bottom of the bracket for connecting to the pentagonal surface of the dodecahedron core.

[0032] Reference Figure 2 、 Figure 7 and Figure 8 The rod end contact (1) is used as the endpoint of the spherical robot contact surface polyhedron. The contact polyhedron formed is composed of a triangle, a rectangle and a pentagon, which is a small rhombus truncated icosahedron among the Archimedean polyhedrons. The present invention has three types of plane figures composed of the endpoints in contact with the plane: triangle, rectangle and pentagon. The specific implementation method of the robot's rolling motion is: relying on a micro camera (7) and a nine-axis attitude sensor (13) to determine the type of the current contact surface with the ground, which is a triangle or a rectangle. Correspondingly, only three or four superelastic memory alloy rods (2) in contact with the ground participate in this motion, and each superelastic memory alloy rod (2) comes from a different group, that is, is controlled by a different retractable wire device (10). Correspondingly, the retractable wire device (12) is controlled by the robot control panel (12), and the retractable wire device corresponding to the superelastic memory alloy rod on the side of the desired moving direction is selected from the three or four superelastic memory alloy rods in contact with the ground to start working, bending the corresponding superelastic memory alloy rod (2) to deform it, thereby deforming the support surface and moving the center of mass of the robot out of the support surface boundary. Under the action of gravity and the reverse force of the ground on the superelastic memory alloy rod, the robot rolls in the corresponding direction. After the action is completed, the superelastic memory alloy rod returns to its original shape, and the contact surface between the robot and the ground is transformed from the original triangle or rectangle to the adjacent triangle or rectangle on the contact polyhedron. Subsequently, the robot remains stationary again under the support of the superelastic memory alloy rod (2) where the rod end contact (1) is located. Repeat the above action to complete the continuous rolling motion. Since the continuous triangles or rectangles on the contact polyhedron are not connected into a straight line, the robot can achieve non-linear rolling during the movement. The rolling motion is controlled by a robot control panel (12) to control the retracting and unreeling device (12), thereby selecting the superelastic memory alloy rod (2) in the bending motion direction to control the direction of each rolling motion.

[0033] Reference Figure 2 、 Figure 7 and Figure 8The specific implementation method of the robot's jumping motion is as follows: the robot first rolls to a state where the contact surface between the contact polyhedron and the ground is a triangle or a pentagon. Correspondingly, only three or five superelastic memory alloy rods (2) in contact with the ground participate in this motion, and each superelastic memory alloy rod (2) is from a different group, that is, is controlled by a different retractable wire device (12). Correspondingly, the retractable wire device (12) is controlled by the robot control panel (12), and the retractable wire device corresponding to the superelastic memory alloy rod on the side of the desired moving direction is selected from the three or five superelastic memory alloy rods (2) in contact with the ground starts working, bends the corresponding superelastic memory alloy rod (2), and deforms it, thereby deforming the support surface and moving the center of mass of the robot out of the support surface boundary. Under the action of gravity and the reverse force of the ground on the superelastic memory alloy rod, the robot jumps in the corresponding direction. After the action is completed, the superelastic memory alloy rod (2) returns to its original shape in the air, and the contact surface between the robot and the ground is transformed from the original triangle or pentagon to an adjacent triangle or pentagon on the contact polyhedron. Subsequently, the robot remains stationary again under the support of the superelastic memory alloy rod (2) where the rod end contact (1) forming the triangle or pentagon is located. The above action is repeated to complete the continuous jumping movement. Since the continuous triangles or pentagons on the contact polyhedron are not connected in a straight line, the robot can also complete a turning action during each jump. The jumping movement is controlled by the robot control panel (12) to control the retracting and unreeling device (12) and then select the superelastic memory alloy rod (2) in the bending movement direction to control the direction of each jump.

Claims

1. A superelastic memory alloy rod-triggered spherical robot with a coronavirus-like appearance, characterized by: The invention comprises a rod end contact (1), a superelastic memory alloy rod (2), a tough wire (3), a rod sleeve (4), a lightweight pentagonal spherical shell (5), a lightweight hexagonal spherical shell (6), a micro camera (7), a hexagonal connecting prism (8), a straight-through connector (9), a wire retracting and releasing device (10), a dodecahedron core (11), a robot control board (12), and a nine-axis attitude sensor (13). The rod end contact (1) is bonded to the end of the superelastic memory alloy rod (2), and the rod sleeve (4) is sleeved on the superelastic memory alloy rod (2) and can slide along the rod under the traction of the toughness line (3), thereby causing the superelastic memory alloy rod (2) to undergo elastic deformation. The five superelastic memory alloy rods (2) near each lightweight pentagonal spherical shell (5) form a group and share a common toughness line (3). The entire device uses a total of twelve groups; twenty lightweight hexagonal spherical shells (6) and twelve lightweight pentagonal spherical shells (5) are arranged and spliced ​​in the manner of football blocks. The superelastic memory alloy rod (2) is bonded to the lightweight hexagonal spherical shell (6) in the radial direction of the spherical shell. The toughness line (3) enters the interior of the spherical shell through the center hole on the lightweight pentagonal spherical shell (5) and is connected to the retractable wire device (10). The dodecahedron core (11) is formed by splicing two identical parts and is fixed to the inside of the spherical shell through a hexagonal connecting prism (8) and a straight joint (9) located at the top corner of the regular dodecahedron. The hexagonal connecting prism (8) is bonded to the groove on the dodecahedron core (11). The hexagonal connecting prism (8) and the straight joint (9), and the straight joint (9) and the lightweight pentagonal spherical shell (5) are all connected by thread. The micro camera (7) can be installed at any straight joint (9). Each surface of the dodecahedron core (11) is connected to a retractable wire device (10) by screws, and there are a total of twelve retractable wire devices (10). The robot control board (12) and the nine-axis posture sensor (13) are connected to the inside of the dodecahedron core (11) by screws.

2. According to claim 1, a superelastic memory alloy rod-triggered spherical robot with a coronavirus-like shape, the specific implementation method of its movement is: the rod end contact (1) is used as the end point of the spherical robot contact surface polyhedron, and the contact polyhedron formed is composed of triangles, rectangles and pentagons, which is a small rhombus-truncated icosahedron among the Archimedean polyhedrons; therefore, there are three types of plane figures formed by the end points of the robot's rod end contact (1) in contact with the plane: triangle, rectangle and pentagon; the specific implementation method of the robot's rolling movement is: relying on the micro camera (7) and the nine-axis posture sensor (13) to determine the type of the current contact surface with the ground is triangle or rectangle, and correspondingly, only the three contact surfaces with the ground are in contact. One or four superelastic memory alloy rods (2) participate in this movement, and each elastic rod (2) comes from a different group, that is, is controlled by a different retractable wire device (10); correspondingly, the retractable wire device (12) is controlled by the robot control panel (12), and the retractable wire device corresponding to the superelastic memory alloy rod on the side of the desired moving direction is selected from the three or four superelastic memory alloy rods in contact with the ground to start working, bending the corresponding superelastic memory alloy rod (2) to deform it, thereby deforming the support surface and moving the center of mass of the robot out of the support surface boundary; under the action of gravity and the reverse force of the ground on the superelastic memory alloy rod, the robot rolls in the corresponding direction; after the action is completed, the superelastic memory alloy rod returns to its original state. , the contact surface between the robot and the ground is transformed from the original triangle or rectangle to the adjacent triangle or rectangle on the contact polyhedron; then, the robot remains stationary again under the support of the superelastic memory alloy rod (2) where the rod end contact (1) is located, which forms the triangle or rectangle; repeat the above actions to complete the continuous rolling movement; the specific implementation method of the robot's jumping movement is: the robot first makes it in a state where the contact surface between the contact polyhedron and the ground is a triangle or a pentagon through a rolling action; correspondingly, only three or five superelastic memory alloy rods (2) in contact with the ground participate in this movement, and each superelastic memory alloy rod (2) comes from a different group, that is, is controlled by a different retractable wire device (12); Correspondingly, the retractable wire device (12) is controlled by the robot control panel (12), and the retractable wire device corresponding to the superelastic memory alloy rod on the side of the desired moving direction is selected from the three or five superelastic memory alloy rods (2) in contact with the ground to start working, and the corresponding superelastic memory alloy rod (2) is bent to deform it, thereby deforming the support surface and moving the center of mass of the robot out of the support surface boundary; under the action of gravity and the reverse force of the ground on the superelastic memory alloy rod, the robot jumps in the corresponding direction; after the action is completed, the superelastic memory alloy rod (2) returns to its original shape in the air, and the contact surface between the robot and the ground is transformed from the original triangle or pentagon to the adjacent triangle or pentagon on the contact polyhedron;Subsequently, the robot remains stationary again under the support of the superelastic memory alloy rod (2) where the rod end contact (1) is located, which forms a triangle or a pentagon; the above actions are repeated to complete the continuous jumping movement.

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