A self-growing robot and an environmental exploration method thereof

Abstract

The application discloses a self-growing robot and an environment exploration method thereof, and comprises a driving storage mechanism, a plastic film body, a flexible sensing unit, a signal receiving module, pneumatic artificial muscles arranged on the inner wall of the plastic film body and a terminal guiding sensing mechanism; the flexible sensing unit is attached to the surface of the plastic film body, the sensing unit is designed in an array mode, the detection of obstacles in the environment is realized while the flexibility is ensured, the terminal guiding sensing mechanism is used for sensing the posture of the robot, and the information of the proximity sensor, the encoder and the gyroscope can be combined to realize navigation in the unknown environment; in addition, the pre-bending is set according to the environment obstacle information, the robot growth is guided by the environment obstacles, the pneumatic artificial muscles can cover a larger area, the proximity sensor is used to detect the corner points in the environment, and the depth-first strategy is adopted to explore the environment, so that a higher environment exploration rate can be realized in a smaller number of exploration times.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of self-growing robots, in particular to a self-growing robot and an environment exploration method thereof. BACKGROUND

[0002] The collision of traditional rigid robots with environmental obstacles is generally considered to be harmful, so various methods are needed to avoid obstacles in the environment.

[0003] The self-growing robot, as a new type of flexible robot, has strong flexibility and can fully utilize the collision with the environment. The collision can guide the self-growing robot, reduce its uncertainty, reduce the demand for precision of the self-growing robot, and use it to explore unknown space.

[0004] In addition, traditional navigation and SLAM algorithms based on vision and radar are difficult to effectively complete tasks in low-light environments and narrow spaces, and there are also volume and size limitations. The self-growing robot can extend its length indefinitely and has strong flexibility in narrow spaces.

[0005] However, current self-growing robots are difficult to maintain their flexibility while effectively sensing environmental obstacle information.

[0006] Based on this problem, the present application designs a new type of self-growing robot and an environment exploration method thereof. SUMMARY

[0007] The purpose of the present application is to provide a self-growing robot and an environment exploration method thereof to solve the problem of poor exploration effect and low exploration efficiency of previous self-growing robots.

[0008] To achieve the above purpose, the present application provides the following scheme:

[0009] A self-growing robot, comprising a driving storage mechanism, a material required for a plastic film body arranged in the driving storage mechanism, and a flexible sensing unit and a signal receiving module arranged in an array form on the outer wall of the plastic film body, a pneumatic artificial muscle arranged on the inner wall of the plastic film body, and an end guiding sensing mechanism located at the end of the inner wall of the plastic film body;

[0010] The driving storage mechanism comprises a body tank, a driving motor arranged on the outer upper surface of the body tank and extending into the interior of the body tank, and a material reel arranged in the interior of the body tank and connected with the driving motor, the body tank is provided with an air inlet and a hole, the movable end of the plastic film body extends out of the hole, the air inlet is used for inflating the plastic film body, the flexible sensing unit is used for sensing obstacles in the environment, the pneumatic artificial muscle is used for driving the adjustment of the posture of the movable end of the plastic film body, and the terminal guiding sensing mechanism provides guidance for the growth of the plastic film body and realizes the sensing of the terminal posture of the movable end of the plastic film body.

[0011] Preferably, an outlet plug is arranged outside the hole.

[0012] Preferably, the flexible sensing unit and the signal receiving module are connected through a flexible flat cable and arranged on both sides of the outer wall of the plastic film body.

[0013] Preferably, the flexible sensing unit comprises a flexible circuit board, AD7147 chips and pin electrodes arranged on the flexible circuit board, the pin electrodes are arranged in a strip shape, and the bristles are arranged on the surface of the flexible circuit board.

[0014] Preferably, the signal receiving module comprises a circuit board, a serial port, a download port, an STM32 chip and a connecting terminal arranged on the circuit board, the serial port is connected with an upper computer through a USB data line, the connecting terminal is used for connecting the flexible flat cable, and the download port is used for burning a required program.

[0015] Preferably, the terminal guiding sensing mechanism comprises an internal roller, a guiding roller, a gyroscope and a support arranged in the interior of the plastic film body, and bristles arranged on the surface of the internal roller, the internal roller is installed on the support through bearings arranged on both sides, and the gyroscope chip is bonded on the support.

[0016] Preferably, a shaft coupling is arranged between the driving motor and the material reel.

[0017] Preferably, an encoder is arranged on the driving motor and used for sensing the length of the self-growing robot.

[0018] Preferably, the pneumatic artificial muscles are uniformly and spacedly arranged on the inner wall of the plastic film body.

[0019] An environment exploration method of a self-growing robot comprises the following steps:

[0020] In step S1, the driving storage mechanism is inflated, the material storage reel releases materials, and the self-growing robot grows.

[0021] Step S2, detecting the obstacle information in the environment by using the proximity sensor;

[0022] Step S3, judging whether the position of collision changes, i.e. whether the self-growing robot reaches the corner position of the obstacle at this time, if yes, executing step S4, otherwise, continuing to execute step S2;

[0023] Step S4, stopping the growth of the self-growing robot, and swinging the pneumatic artificial muscle to the side where there is no obstacle to explore a larger area, and completing a single exploration;

[0024] Step S5, judging whether the current robot end can be avoided by setting a pre-bending according to the obstacle information in the environment, if yes, executing step S6, otherwise, executing step S7;

[0025] Step S6, exploring the unknown environment according to the depth-first strategy, setting the next pre-bending point of the self-growing robot according to the obstacle information, and returning to execute step S1 subsequently;

[0026] Step S7, judging whether there is a fork according to the obstacle information in the environment, if yes, executing step S8, otherwise, completing the exploration of the environment;

[0027] Step S8, there is a fork in the environment, and a pre-bending point is set near the fork.

[0028] The present application has the following technical effects relative to the prior art:

[0029] The present application attaches a capacitive flexible sensing unit on the surface of the self-growing robot, the sensing unit adopts an array design, and each group of sensing units is a pin electrode. While ensuring flexibility, the detection of obstacles in the environment is realized. The robot end guiding sensing mechanism is provided with a gyroscope for sensing the attitude of the robot. Combined with the information of the proximity sensor, the encoder and the gyroscope, the robot can navigate in the unknown environment. The present application proposes an algorithm for exploring the unknown environment by collision. The robot sets a pre-bending according to the environmental obstacle information, and grows by using the environmental obstacle, which can cover a larger area combined with the pneumatic artificial muscle. The algorithm uses the proximity sensor to detect the corner points in the environment, and uses the depth-first strategy to explore the environment. A higher environmental exploration rate can be achieved in a smaller number of explorations. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0030] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the prior art, the drawings needed in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application, and other drawings can be obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor.

[0031] Figure 1 Fig. 1 is a structural schematic diagram of the self-growing robot according to the present application;

[0032] Figure 2 Fig. 2 is a structural schematic diagram of the storage mechanism according to the present application;

[0033] Figure 3 Fig. 3 is a structural schematic diagram of the end guiding and sensing mechanism according to the present application;

[0034] Figure 4 Fig. 4 is a structural schematic diagram of the flexible sensing unit and signal receiving module according to the present application;

[0035] Figure 5 Fig. 5 is a structural schematic diagram of the pre-bending self-growing robot according to the present application;

[0036] Figure 6 Fig. 6 is a structural schematic diagram of the self-growing robot encountering an obstacle corner according to the present application;

[0037] Figure 7 Fig. 7 is a flow chart of the environment exploration method according to the present application;

[0038] Figure 8 Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of the self-growing exploration process according to the present application;

[0039] In the drawings: 1, driving storage mechanism; 2, plastic film body; 3, end guiding and sensing mechanism; 4, flexible sensing unit; 5, pneumatic artificial muscle; 6, stepper motor; 7, shaft coupling; 8, body tank; 9, air inlet; 10, outlet plug; 11, material reel; 12, internal roller; 13, bristle; 14, guiding roller; 15, gyroscope; 16, bracket; 17, bearing; 18, serial port; 19, STM32 chip; 20, connection terminal; 21, flexible flat cable; 22, AD7147 chip; 23, pinion electrode; 24, signal receiving module; 25, wrinkle; 26, adhesive tape. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0041] The purpose of the present application is to provide a self-growing robot and an environment exploration method thereof, so as to solve the problems of poor exploration effect and low exploration efficiency of the previous self-growing robot.

[0042] In order to make the above objectives, features and advantages of the present application more obvious and easy to understand, the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the drawings and specific embodiments.

[0043] Reference Figures 1 to 2 The self-growing robot comprises a driving storage mechanism, required materials of a plastic film body arranged in the driving storage mechanism, flexible sensing units and signal receiving modules arranged in an array form on the outer wall of the plastic film body, pneumatic artificial muscles arranged on the inner wall of the plastic film body, and an end guiding sensing mechanism located at the end of the inner wall of the plastic film body; the driving storage mechanism comprises a body tank, a driving motor arranged on the upper surface of the outer part of the body tank and extending to the inside of the body tank, and a material reel arranged in the inside of the body tank and connected with the driving motor, an air inlet and a hole are arranged on the body tank, the movable end of the plastic film body extends out of the hole, the air inlet is used for inflating the plastic film body, the flexible sensing unit is used for sensing the obstacles in the environment, the pneumatic artificial muscle is used for driving the adjustment of the posture of the movable end of the plastic film body, and the end guiding sensing mechanism provides guidance for the growth of the plastic film body and realizes the sensing of the posture of the end of the movable end of the plastic film body; the capacitive flexible sensing unit is attached to the surface of the self-growing robot, the sensing unit adopts an array design, and each group of sensing units is a pin electrode. While ensuring flexibility, the detection of obstacles in the environment is realized. The end guiding sensing mechanism of the robot is provided with a gyroscope for sensing the posture of the robot. Combined with the information of the proximity sensor, the encoder and the gyroscope, the robot can navigate in an unknown environment. The present application proposes an algorithm for exploring unknown environment by collision. The robot sets a pre-bending according to the environmental obstacle information, and guides the growth of the robot by the environmental obstacles, and combined with the pneumatic artificial muscle, a larger area can be covered. The algorithm uses the proximity sensor to detect the corner points in the environment, and adopts a depth-first strategy to explore the environment. A high environment exploration rate can be realized in a small number of exploration times.

[0044] Reference Figure 2 The driving mechanism selects a stepping motor, the stepping motor is installed on the upper surface of the body tank in a screw connection mode, and is connected with the material reel through a shaft coupling. At the same time, the stepping motor is provided with an encoder for sensing the length of the self-growing robot.

[0045] Reference Figure 2The body tank is provided with a hole on one side, and an outlet plug is installed on the body tank by cementation, and the plastic film material of the self-growing robot is folded outward and fixed on the outlet plug by adhesive tape. The other side of the body tank is provided with an air inlet. When the self-growing robot grows, the stepping motor drives the material reel to rotate to release the plastic film material, and at this time, the air inlet is inflated, so as to realize the growth of the robot. Conversely, the stepping motor drives the material reel to rotate in the opposite direction to retract the plastic film material, thereby realizing the recycling of the self-growing robot.

[0046] Referring to Figure 1 The flexible sensing unit and the signal receiving module are connected by a flexible flat cable and arranged on both sides of the outer wall of the plastic film body.

[0047] Referring to Figure 4 The flexible sensing unit includes a flexible circuit board, an AD7147 chip and a plurality of pin electrodes arranged on the flexible circuit board, the pin electrodes are arranged in a strip shape, and the bristles are arranged on the surface of the flexible circuit board; the AD7147 chip is directly welded on the flexible circuit board to convert the sensor capacitor analog quantity into digital quantity. The plurality of pin electrodes are arranged in a strip shape and can sense the obstacle information at different positions of the self-growing robot, and there is a common negative electrode. The bristles are cast on the surface of the flexible sensing unit to increase the friction between the robot and the environment, improve the stability and robustness of the robot in the process of responding to external interference, and also protect the flexible sensing unit.

[0048] Referring to Figure 4 The signal receiving module includes a circuit board, a serial port, a download port, an STM32 chip and a connection terminal arranged on the circuit board, the serial port is connected with the upper computer through a USB data line, the connection terminal is used for connecting the flexible flat cable, and the download port is used for programming; the STM32 is a main control chip of the sensor. In order to protect the flexibility of the sensing unit, the signal receiving module and the flexible sensing unit are designed in a separated mode, considering that the distance between the signal receiving module and the flexible sensing unit is long, the use of analog signal will cause large noise, therefore, the AD7147 chip is placed on the flexible sensing unit and communicates with the single-chip microcomputer through SPI. While ensuring the maximum flexibility of the sensing unit, the proximity sensing of the self-growing robot is realized.

[0049] Referring to Figure 3The terminal guiding sensing mechanism comprises an internal roller arranged inside the plastic film body, a guiding roller, a gyroscope, a support and bristles arranged on the surface of the internal roller, the internal roller is mounted on the support through bearings arranged on both sides, and the gyroscope chip is bonded on the support; further, four guiding rollers are mounted on the support and are uniformly arranged in a circle to provide guidance for the growth of the self-growing robot and reduce the resistance of material everted in the growth process. Two internal rollers are mounted on the support through bearings arranged on both sides. The surface is pasted with bristles for increasing the friction with the plastic film, so that the terminal guiding sensing mechanism follows the growth of the self-growing robot and is located at the terminal of the robot at any time. The gyroscope chip is bonded on the support for sensing the posture of the terminal of the self-growing robot.

[0050] With reference to Figure 2 A coupling is arranged between the driving motor and the material reel.

[0051] With reference to Figure 1 The pneumatic artificial muscles are uniformly and spacedly arranged on the inner wall of the plastic film body; most self-growing robots will install the pneumatic artificial muscles on the outside of the robot, but since the flexible array sensor is installed on the outside, the installation on the outside will affect the sensing function of the proximity sensor, and therefore the pneumatic artificial muscles can only be installed on the inside of the robot.

[0052] With reference to Figure 5 The self-growing robot is pre-bent. The plastic film is flattened, folded along the axial direction, and bent to form a Z-shaped wrinkle with a fixed width, and one side of the wrinkle is fixed by using a tape. At this time, the films on both sides are unfolded and form an asymmetric structure in length. At this time, the plastic film is inflated inside, and the plastic film will bend towards the direction where the tape exists. The angle of bending can also be controlled according to the length of the tape. The present application uses this way to control the growth direction of the self-growing robot so as to enter a narrow space.

[0053] With reference to Figure 6 The obstacle corner point is a related concept. The self-growing robot is regarded as a charged beam with a constraint at the terminal. When the robot collides with the environment, the support point of the robot will be bent, and at this time, the terminal will grow along one edge of the obstacle. All self-growing robots within the range of θ will be guided to the A point of the obstacle due to the guiding action of the obstacle, and the A point is the corner point of the obstacle. The corner point of the obstacle reduces the uncertainty of the self-growing robot when exploring the unknown environment.

[0054] With reference to Figure 7 A method for environmental exploration of a self-growing robot, comprising the following steps:

[0055] S1, drive the storage mechanism to inflate, the material storage reel releases material, the self-growing robot grows;

[0056] S2, detect the obstacle information in the environment by using the proximity sensor;

[0057] S3, determine whether the position of collision changes, i.e. whether the self-growing robot reaches the corner position of the obstacle, if yes, execute S4, otherwise continue to execute S2;

[0058] S4, the self-growing robot stops growing, the pneumatic artificial muscle swings to the side where there is no obstacle to explore a larger area, and completes a single exploration;

[0059] S5, according to the obstacle information in the environment, determine whether the current robot end can be avoided by setting a pre-bend, if yes, execute S6, otherwise execute S7;

[0060] S6, explore the unknown environment according to the depth-first strategy, set the next pre-bend point of the self-growing robot according to the obstacle information, and return to execute S1 subsequently;

[0061] S7, according to the obstacle information in the environment, determine whether there is a fork, if yes, execute S8, otherwise complete the exploration of the environment;

[0062] S8, there is a fork in the environment, set a pre-bend point near the fork.

[0063] The following describes the execution steps of the algorithm with the environment in Figure 8 as an example.

[0064] As shown in Figure 8 a, no pre-bend point is set during the initial exploration, and the robot stops advancing after detecting point A due to the guidance of the obstacle in the environment, and completes the first environmental exploration.

[0065] As shown in Figure 8 b, according to the environmental information, the obstacle is on the left side of the robot, so a pre-bend is set to make the self-growing robot turn right, and then the self-growing robot continues to advance to point C under the guidance of the environment. At this time, there is no obstacle on the left side of the robot, and there is an obstacle on the right side of the robot, so the pneumatic artificial muscle swings to the left side. At this time, the second environmental exploration is completed.

[0066] As shown in Figure 8As shown in FIG. 2c, according to the environmental information, the second obstacle is on the right side of the robot, thus the pre-bend is set so that the self-growing robot turns left at point D. After that, the self-growing robot continues to grow until point E, where the self-growing robot detects obstacles on both sides, at which time the robot cannot avoid the obstacles by pre-bending. The robot reaches the end of the environment. At this time, it is found that there is a large range near F area where the robot does not detect obstacles, indicating that there may be a fork in the environment.

[0067] As shown in FIG. 2c, according to the environmental information, the second obstacle is on the right side of the robot, thus the pre-bend is set so that the self-growing robot turns left at point D. After that, the self-growing robot continues to grow until point E, where the self-growing robot detects obstacles on both sides, at which time the robot cannot avoid the obstacles by pre-bending. The robot reaches the end of the environment. At this time, it is found that there is a large range near F area where the robot does not detect obstacles, indicating that there may be a fork in the environment. Figure 8

[0068] The principles and implementation manners of the present application are described by using specific examples in the present application. The above examples are only used to help understand the method of the present application and its core idea; meanwhile, for those skilled in the art, according to the idea of the present application, the specific implementation manners and application ranges will be changed. In conclusion, the content of the present specification should not be understood as the limitation of the present application.​

Claims

1. A self-growing robot, comprising a drive storage mechanism, materials required for a plastic film body arranged in the drive storage mechanism, flexible sensing units and signal receiving modules arranged in an array on the outer wall of the plastic film body, pneumatic artificial muscles arranged on the inner wall of the plastic film body, and an end guide sensing mechanism located at the end of the inner wall of the plastic film body; the drive storage mechanism comprises a body tank, a drive motor arranged on the outer upper surface of the body tank and with a drive end extending into the interior of the body tank, and a material reel arranged inside the body tank and connected to the drive motor, the body tank being provided with an air inlet and a hole, the movable end of the plastic film body extending out of the hole, the air inlet being used to inflate the plastic film body, the flexible sensing unit being used to sense obstacles in the environment, the pneumatic artificial muscle being used to drive the adjustment of the posture of the movable end of the plastic film body, and the end guide sensing mechanism providing guidance for the growth of the film body and realizing the perception of the posture of the movable end of the plastic film body.

2. A self-growing robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: An outlet plug is provided on the outside of the hole.

3. A self-growing robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flexible sensing unit and the signal receiving module are connected via a flexible flat cable and are arranged on both sides of the outer wall of the plastic film body.

4. A self-growing robot according to claim 3, characterized in that: The flexible sensing unit includes a flexible circuit board, an AD7147 chip arranged on the flexible circuit board, and a tooth electrode. The tooth electrode is arranged in a strip shape, and the bristles are arranged on the surface of the flexible circuit board.

5. A self-growing robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: The signal receiving module includes a circuit board, a serial port, a download port, an STM32 chip and a connection terminal arranged on the circuit board. The serial port is connected to the host computer via a USB data cable, the connection terminal is used to connect the soft cable, and the download port is used to burn the required program.

6. The self-growing robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The end guide sensing mechanism includes an internal roller arranged inside the plastic film body, a guide roller, a gyroscope, a bracket and bristles arranged on the surface of the internal roller. The internal roller is installed on the bracket through bearings arranged on both sides, and the gyroscope chip is bonded to the bracket.

7. The self-growing robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: A coupling is provided between the driving motor and the material reel.

8. A self-growing robot according to claim 7, characterized in that: The driving motor is provided with an encoder for sensing the length of the self-growing robot.

9. The self-growing robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pneumatic artificial muscles are evenly spaced and arranged on the inner wall of the plastic film body.

10. A method for environmental exploration of a self-growing robot, characterized in that: The self-growing robot according to any one of claims 1 to 9 is applied, comprising the following steps: step S1, driving the storage mechanism to inflate, the material storage reel to release the material, and the self-growing robot to grow; step S2, using a proximity sensor to detect obstacle information in the environment; step S3, judging whether the position where the collision occurs has changed, that is, whether the self-growing robot has reached the corner position of the obstacle at this time, if so, executing step S4, otherwise continuing to execute step S2; step S4, the self-growing robot stops growing, and the pneumatic artificial muscle swings to the side where there is no obstacle to explore a larger area and complete a single exploration; step S5, judging whether the obstacle at the end of the current robot can be avoided by setting a pre-bend based on the obstacle information in the environment, if so, executing step S6, otherwise executing step S7; step S6, exploring the unknown environment according to the depth-first strategy, setting the next pre-bend point of the self-growing robot according to the obstacle information, and then returning to execute step S1; step S7, judging whether there is a fork in the road based on the obstacle information in the environment, if so, executing step S8, otherwise completing the exploration of the environment; step S8, if there is a fork in the environment, setting a pre-bend point near the fork.

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