Networked robot control system and control method

Abstract

The invention discloses a networked robot control system and control method, the networked robot control system comprises an upper computer, a bus and a plurality of single drive control units, the plurality of single drive control units are connected with a plurality of soft robots in a one-to-one correspondence manner, the plurality of single drive control units are connected through the bus, and the bus is connected with the upper computer; each single driving control unit comprises a communication master station, a first communication slave station, a second communication slave station and a multi-channel mixing valve, the first communication slave station and the second communication slave station are respectively connected with the communication master station, the second communication slave station is connected with the multi-channel mixing valve, and the types of the first communication slave station and the second communication slave station are different. According to the invention, accurate air pressure can be output and synchronous driving can be carried out, so that the efficiency can be improved, the cost can be reduced, and real-time control and sensing of the soft robot can be enhanced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of robot control technology, and in particular to a networked robot control system and control method. Background Art

[0002] The functional structure of pneumatic soft robots is becoming more and more complex, requiring higher-performance pneumatic control systems. In the past, pneumatic control systems had shortcomings such as few channels, insufficient precision, and low data transmission efficiency, making it difficult to control complex soft robots.

[0003] Therefore, the prior art still needs to be improved and developed. Summary of the invention

[0004] The main purpose of the present application is to provide a networked robot control system and control method, aiming to solve the problem of difficulty in control caused by the small number of control channels of complex soft robots in the prior art.

[0005] A first aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides a networked robot control system, which includes a host computer, a bus and multiple single drive and control units, wherein the multiple single drive and control units are connected to multiple soft robots in a one-to-one correspondence, and the multiple single drive and control units are connected through a bus, and the bus is connected to the host computer; each of the single drive and control units includes a communication master station, a first communication slave station, a second communication slave station and a multi-channel mixing valve, wherein the first communication slave station and the second communication slave station are respectively connected to the communication master station, and the second communication slave station is connected to the multi-channel mixing valve; in each of the single drive and control units, the first communication slave station obtains sensor information and sends it to the host computer through the communication master station, and the host computer obtains control information according to the sensor information, and sends the control information to the second communication slave station through the communication master station, so that the second communication slave station controls the multi-channel mixing valve according to the control information.

[0006] Optionally, in one embodiment of the present application, the single-body drive control unit also includes an air pressure sensor, which is connected to the first communication slave station. The air pressure sensor collects analog signals of the environment and sends them to the first communication slave station, so that the first communication slave station obtains sensing information based on the analog signals.

[0007] Optionally, in one embodiment of the present application, the single-body drive control unit further includes an air source, the air source is connected to the multi-channel mixing valve, and the multi-channel mixing valve receives the control information so that the multi-channel mixing valve adjusts the air pressure according to the control information.

[0008] Optionally, in one embodiment of the present application, the second communication slave station includes a digital-to-analog conversion slave station and a digital quantity type slave station, the multi-channel mixing valve includes a proportional valve and a solenoid valve, the digital-to-analog conversion slave station is connected to the proportional valve, and the digital quantity type slave station is connected to the solenoid valve.

[0009] Optionally, in one embodiment of the present application, the communication master station includes a slave station chip, a main control chip, a first driver chip, a second driver chip and a plurality of connection physical layer chips, the slave station chip is connected to the main control chip, the main control chip is respectively connected to the first driver chip and the second driver chip, the first driver chip is respectively connected to part of the connection physical layer chips, and the second driver chip is respectively connected to another part of the connection physical layer chips.

[0010] Optionally, in one embodiment of the present application, the first communication slave station includes a first physical layer chip, a first micro control unit, an analog-to-digital conversion chip and a first integrated operational amplifier circuit, the first micro control unit is communicatively connected to the analog-to-digital conversion chip, the first micro control unit is communicatively connected to the first physical layer chip, and the first integrated operational amplifier circuit is connected to the analog-to-digital conversion chip;

[0011] The digital-to-analog conversion slave station includes a second physical layer chip, a second microcontroller unit, a digital-to-analog conversion chip and a second integrated operational amplifier circuit, the second physical layer chip is communicatively connected to the second microcontroller unit, the second microcontroller unit is communicatively connected to the digital-to-analog conversion chip, and the second integrated operational amplifier circuit is connected to the digital-to-analog conversion chip; the digital quantity type slave station includes a third physical layer chip, a third microcontroller unit and an optical coupling isolation amplifier circuit, the third physical layer chip is communicatively connected to the third microcontroller unit, and the optical coupling isolation amplifier circuit is connected to the third microcontroller unit; the first physical layer chip is connected to a corresponding part of the connected physical layer chips, and the second physical layer chip and the third physical layer chip are respectively connected to another corresponding part of the connected physical layer chips.

[0012] The second aspect of the embodiment of the present application also provides a control method for a networked robot control system based on any one of the above-mentioned schemes, wherein the control method includes: the first communication slave station in each of the single drive and control units obtains sensor information, and sends it to the host computer through the communication master station; the host computer obtains control information corresponding to each of the single drive and control units based on the multiple sensor information corresponding to the multiple single drive and control units, and sends the control information to the second communication slave station corresponding to each of the single drive and control units through the communication master station corresponding to each of the multiple single drive and control units; the second communication slave station corresponding to each of the single drive and control units controls the multi-channel mixing valve according to the control information.

[0013] Optionally, in one embodiment of the present application, the sensor information is the current air pressure value; the first communication slave station in each of the single drive and control units obtains the sensor information, specifically including: the air pressure sensor collects the analog signal of the environment and sends it to the first communication slave station; the first communication slave station obtains the current air pressure value based on the analog signal.

[0014] Optionally, in one embodiment of the present application, the control information includes an analog control value and a pulse waveform control value; the host computer sends the control information to the second communication slave station corresponding to each of the multiple single drive and control units through the communication master station corresponding to each of the multiple single drive and control units. Specifically, for each of the single drive and control units, the host computer sends the analog control value to the digital-to-analog conversion slave station through the communication master station, and the host computer sends the pulse waveform control value to the digital slave station through the communication master station.

[0015] Optionally, in one embodiment of the present application, the second communication slave station controls the multi-channel mixing valve according to the control information, specifically including: the digital-to-analog conversion slave station converts the analog control value into a target analog signal and sends it to the proportional valve, and the proportional valve adjusts the air pressure according to the target analog signal; the digital slave station converts the pulse waveform control value into a pulse signal and sends it to the solenoid valve, and the solenoid valve adjusts the air pressure according to the target pulse waveform.

[0016] Beneficial effects: The present application provides a networked robot control system and control method. The system connects multiple single drive control units to multiple soft robots in a complex robot one by one, and with the high bandwidth and low latency of the EtherCAT bus, each single drive control unit is controlled to output precise air pressure and can be driven synchronously, thereby improving efficiency, reducing costs, and enhancing real-time control and sensing of the soft robot. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments recorded in the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall framework of a preferred embodiment of the networked robot control system of the present application;

[0019] Figure 2This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of a single drive control unit in a preferred embodiment of the networked robot control system of the present application;

[0020] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the hardware design of a communication master station connected to a communication slave station in a preferred embodiment of the networked robot control system of the present application;

[0021] Figure 4 It is a flow chart of a preferred embodiment of the networked robot control system of the present application;

[0022] Figure 5 It is a flowchart of the specific steps of a preferred embodiment of the networked robot control system of the present application.

[0023] Description of reference numerals:

[0024] 100, host computer; 200, bus; 300, single drive control unit; 400, soft robot; 301, communication master station; 302, first communication slave station; 303, digital-to-analog conversion slave station; 304, digital quantity slave station; 305, air source; 306, air pressure sensor; 307, multi-channel mixing valve.

[0025] The above drawings have shown clear embodiments of the present application, which will be described in more detail later. These drawings and text descriptions are not intended to limit the scope of the present application in any way, but to illustrate the concept of the present application to those skilled in the art by referring to specific embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] In order to make the purpose, technical scheme and effect of the present application clearer and more specific, the technical scheme in the embodiments of the present application will be described clearly and completely in combination with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. The described embodiments are only possible technical implementations of the present application, not all possible implementations. Based on the embodiments in the present application, those skilled in the art can completely combine the embodiments of the present application to obtain other embodiments without creative work, and these embodiments are also within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0027] In the related technologies, in the control system of pneumatic soft robots, the previous technologies have the following major disadvantages: few channels: traditional pneumatic control systems can often only provide limited air pressure control channels, which limits the number of actions that the soft robot can perform simultaneously; insufficient precision: due to the limitations of hardware and control algorithms, traditional systems often find it difficult to achieve high-precision air pressure control, which is a major challenge for soft robots that require delicate operations; low data transmission efficiency: traditional communication protocols and interfaces may not be able to provide sufficient data transmission rates, resulting in slow response of the control system and inability to accurately reflect the status of the soft robot in real time; difficult to expand and maintain: traditional systems have a low degree of modularity, and are difficult to expand and maintain, which is not conducive to system upgrades and repairs.

[0028] The following nouns involved in the embodiments of this application are introduced:

[0029] EtherCAT, Chinese full name: Ethernet for Control Automation Technology;

[0030] IO-Link, Chinese full name: open standard for industrial communication;

[0031] PC, Chinese full name: Personal Computer (Personal Computer, often used to refer to the host computer in the control system);

[0032] PLC, Chinese full name: Programmable Logic Controller;

[0033] ADC, Chinese full name: Analog-to-Digital Converter;

[0034] DAC, Chinese full name: Digital-to-Analog Converter;

[0035] MCU, Chinese full name: Microcontroller Unit;

[0036] SPI, Chinese full name: Serial Peripheral Interface;

[0037] PWM, Chinese full name: Pulse Width Modulation (Pulse Width Modulation);

[0038] GPIO, Chinese full name: General-Purpose Input / Output;

[0039] AX58100 indicates the EtherCAT slave chip model;

[0040] STM32L431 indicates microcontroller;

[0041] L6364 indicates the IO-Link physical layer chip;

[0042] STM32G071 microcontroller;

[0043] ADC128S052 represents the analog-to-digital converter chip;

[0044] TLV5608IDW represents a digital-to-analog converter chip.

[0045] The networked robot control system and control method of the embodiment of the present application are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In view of the problem that the control channels of complex soft robots in the above-mentioned related technologies are few, resulting in control difficulties, the present application provides a networked robot control system, in which multiple single drive control units are connected one-to-one with multiple soft robots in the complex robot, and the high bandwidth and low latency of the EtherCAT bus are matched, and each single drive control unit is controlled to output accurate air pressure, and can be driven synchronously, thereby improving efficiency, reducing costs, and enhancing real-time control and sensing of soft robots. As a result, the technical problem that the control channels of complex soft robots in the related technologies are few, resulting in control difficulties, is solved.

[0046] The networked robot control system with EtherCAT / IO-Link topology of the embodiment of the present application performs module expansion and cascading based on the industrial communication protocol, and can quickly and accurately realize air pressure control and sensing.

[0047] The technical solution of the present application is described in detail with specific embodiments below. The following specific embodiments can be combined with each other, and the same or similar concepts or processes may not be described in detail in some embodiments.

[0048] like Figure 1As shown, an embodiment of the present application provides a networked robot control system, wherein the networked robot control system includes a host computer 100, a bus 200 and a plurality of monomer drive control units 300, wherein the plurality of monomer drive control units 300 are connected one-to-one with a plurality of soft robots 400, and the plurality of monomer drive control units 300 are connected via the bus 200, and the bus 200 is connected to the host computer 100; each of the monomer drive control units 300 includes a communication master station 301, a first communication slave station 302, a second communication slave station and a multi-channel mixing valve 307, wherein the first communication slave station 302 and the second communication slave station The first communication slave station 302 and the second communication slave station are respectively connected to the communication master station 301, and the second communication slave station is connected to the multi-channel mixing valve 307. The types of the first communication slave station 302 and the second communication slave station are different. In each of the single drive control units 300, the first communication slave station 302 obtains sensor information and sends it to the host computer 100 through the communication master station 301. The host computer 100 obtains control information according to the sensor information, and sends the control information to the second communication slave station through the communication master station 301, so that the second communication slave station controls the multi-channel mixing valve 307 according to the control information.

[0049] Specifically, Figure 1 As shown, each soft robot 400 is connected to a corresponding single drive control unit 300, i.e., a pneumatic control system, for realizing air pressure output and sensing functions. Figure 1 1-n individual drive control units 300 correspond to 1-n soft robots 400. The pneumatic control system is cascaded via the EtherCAT bus 200 and communicates with the master station (PC / PLC).

[0050] In the hierarchical structure of the present application, the bottom layer is the soft robot 400 and the single drive and control unit 300 connected thereto; the middle layer is the IO-Link master station and various IO-Link slave stations inside the single drive and control unit 300; the top layer is the master station (i.e., the host computer 100PC / PLC), which is responsible for overall control and data processing.

[0051] In one embodiment of the present application, the single-body drive control unit 300 also includes an air pressure sensor 306, which is connected to the first communication slave station 302 (i.e., ADC type IO-Link slave station). The air pressure sensor 306 collects analog signals of the environment and sends them to the first communication slave station 302, so that the first communication slave station 302 obtains sensing information based on the analog signals.

[0052] It can be understood that the air pressure sensor collects air pressure information of the environment and then generates an analog signal based on the air pressure information.

[0053] Specifically, Figure 2 As shown, the interior of the monomer drive control unit 300 is as follows Figure 2 As shown. It includes an IO-Link master, various types of IO-Link slaves, an air pressure sensor 306, a multi-channel mixing valve 307 (including a solenoid valve and a proportional valve) and an air source 305. The ADC type IO-Link slave acquires the current air pressure value by collecting the analog signal of the air pressure sensor 306 and uploads it to the IO-Link master.

[0054] In one embodiment of the present application, the second communication slave station includes a digital-to-analog conversion slave station 303 (i.e., a DAC type IO-Link slave station) and a digital quantity type slave station 304 (i.e., a digital quantity type IO-Link slave station), and the multi-channel mixing valve 307 includes a proportional valve and a solenoid valve, the digital-to-analog conversion slave station 303 is connected to the proportional valve, and the digital quantity type slave station 304 is connected to the solenoid valve.

[0055] Specifically, Figure 2 As shown, the IO-Link master sends the corresponding control instructions to the DAC type IO-Link slave station, which is used to output analog quantity to drive the proportional valve, and sends the control instructions to the digital type IO-Link slave station, which is used to output PWM waveform to drive the solenoid valve.

[0056] In one embodiment of the present application, the single drive control unit 300 further includes an air source 305 , which is connected to the multi-channel mixing valve 307 , and the multi-channel mixing valve 307 receives the control information so that the multi-channel mixing valve 307 adjusts the air pressure according to the control information.

[0057] It is understandable that the air pressure input from the air source to the multi-channel mixing valve is fixed. After the control information is sent to the multi-channel mixing valve, the multi-channel mixing valve adjusts its own air pressure output according to the control information.

[0058] Specifically, the gas source 305 includes a high-pressure gas source 305 and a negative-pressure gas source 305, which are used to provide a gas source for the monomer drive control unit 300. It can be understood that the gas source 305 (including the high-pressure gas source 305 and the negative-pressure gas source 305) is the gas source of the monomer drive control unit 300, and the output of the gas source 305 in this embodiment is fixed. Specifically, the control instructions issued by the IO-Link master station are converted into control signals for the proportional valve and the solenoid valve through the DAC type and digital type IO-Link slave stations. These control signals adjust the gas pressure output of the multi-channel mixing valve 307, thereby realizing precise control of gas flow, pressure and other parameters.

[0059] The networked robot control system of the embodiment of the present application can output accurate air pressure and collect pressure information at the same time. In addition, the communication based on IO-Link technology enables the IO-Link master station to monitor the working status of the slave station. If there is a communication error, the user can be notified in time to perform maintenance or replace the slave station. Thanks to the hot plug support of IO-Link, this operation can be completed during the power-on process. In addition, thanks to the high bandwidth and low latency of the EtherCAT bus 200, the single drive control unit 300 can quickly interact with the host computer 100 for data, and multiple single drive control units 300 can also be driven synchronously. Finally, the control system uses industrial communication protocols and interfaces, which can have strong anti-interference capabilities and can work for a long time in harsh environments.

[0060] In one embodiment of the present application, the communication master station 301 (IO-Link master station) includes a slave chip, a master control chip, a first driver chip, a second driver chip and a plurality of connection physical layer chips, the slave chip is connected to the master control chip, the master control chip is respectively connected to the first driver chip and the second driver chip, the first driver chip is respectively connected to part of the connection physical layer chips, and the second driver chip is respectively connected to another part of the connection physical layer chips.

[0061] That is, the master station has 4+4 physical layer chips, 4 of which are used as partial connection physical layer chips, and the other 4 are used as another partial connection physical layer chips, and these physical layer chips are connected to the physical layer chips of the slave stations.

[0062] Specifically, Figure 3 As shown in the figure, the IO-Link master includes an EtherCAT slave chip (AX58100), three STM32L431 MCUs, two of which are used for IO-Link physical layer chip drivers, and one as a core unit that integrates the protocol stack code of EtherCAT and IO-Link. The master contains 8 IO-Link ports and can connect 4 sensor-type slave modules and 4 driver-type slave modules.

[0063] In one embodiment of the present application, the first communication slave station 302 includes a first physical layer chip, a first micro control unit, an analog-to-digital conversion chip and a first integrated operational amplifier circuit, the first micro control unit is communicatively connected to the analog-to-digital conversion chip, the first micro control unit is communicatively connected to the first physical layer chip, and the first integrated operational amplifier circuit is connected to the analog-to-digital conversion chip; the digital-to-analog conversion slave station 303 includes a second physical layer chip, a second micro control unit, a digital-to-analog conversion chip and a second integrated operational amplifier circuit, the second physical layer chip is communicatively connected to the second micro control unit, the second micro control unit is communicatively connected to the digital-to-analog conversion chip, and the second integrated operational amplifier circuit is connected to the digital-to-analog conversion chip; the digital quantity type slave station 304 includes a third physical layer chip, a third micro control unit and an optical coupling isolation amplifier circuit, the third physical layer chip is communicatively connected to the third micro control unit, and the optical coupling isolation amplifier circuit is connected to the third micro control unit; the first physical layer chip is connected to a corresponding part of the connected physical layer chips, and the second physical layer chip and the third physical layer chip are respectively connected to another corresponding part of the connected physical layer chips.

[0064] That is, the first physical layer chip is connected to the physical layer chip corresponding to the first driver chip (4 connected physical layer chips), and the second physical layer chip and the third physical layer chip are respectively connected to the physical layer chip corresponding to the second driver chip (another 4 connected physical layer chips).

[0065] Specifically, Figure 3 As shown, the IO-Link slave station includes a first communication slave station 302 and a second communication slave station (a DAC type IO-Link slave station and a digital type IO-Link slave station). The IO-Link slave station includes an IO-Link physical layer chip (L6364) and an MCU (STM32G071). In addition, ADC, DAC and other chips are added for different types of slave stations.

[0066] Furthermore, the ADC type slave is used to obtain information from the air pressure sensor 306. The MCU communicates with the ADC chip (ADC128S052) through the SPI1 interface, obtains external 8-channel analog signal input and quantizes it into a digital value between 0 and 255. Furthermore, the MCU sends the data to the IO-Link slave physical layer chip through the SPI2 interface, and the physical layer chip then uploads it to the IO-Link master.

[0067] Furthermore, the DAC type slave is used to drive the proportional valve. The IO-Link slave physical layer chip communicates with the MCU via SPI1, receives the control information sent by the IO-Link master, and further the MCU sends the data to the DAC chip (TLV5608IDW) via SPI2, which is used to output 8-channel analog signals.

[0068] Furthermore, the digital slave 304 is used to drive the solenoid valve. The IO-Link slave physical layer chip communicates with the MCU via SPI1 and receives control information from the IO-Link master. The MCU controls the gpio port to output a corresponding duty cycle PWM signal, and further drives the solenoid valve through an isolation amplifier circuit.

[0069] The hardware design of the IO-Link master and slave of this application ensures the scalability and flexibility of the system; the master communicates with the upper control system through the EtherCAT bus 200, and the slave communicates with the master through the IO-Link protocol. The master and slave use the IO-Link protocol to communicate, ensuring the reliability and real-time performance of the data; the master interacts with the PC / PLC at high speed and low latency through the EtherCAT bus 200.

[0070] Based on the above embodiments, the present application also provides a control method for a networked robot control system based on any of the above solutions.

[0071] like Figure 4 As shown, the control method of the networked robot control system includes:

[0072] In step S101, the first communication slave station in each of the single drive control units acquires sensor information and sends it to the host computer through the communication master station;

[0073] In a possible implementation, the sensing information is a current air pressure value. The air pressure sensor collects an analog signal of the environment and sends it to the first communication slave station; the first communication slave station obtains the current air pressure value according to the analog signal.

[0074] In step S102, the host computer obtains control information corresponding to each of the monomer drive and control units based on the multiple sensor information corresponding to the multiple monomer drive and control units, and sends the control information to the second communication slave station corresponding to each of the monomer drive and control units through the communication master station corresponding to each of the multiple monomer drive and control units.

[0075] In a possible implementation, the control information includes an analog control value and a pulse waveform control value. For each of the single drive control units, the host computer sends the analog control value to the digital-to-analog conversion slave station through the communication master station, and the host computer sends the pulse waveform control value to the digital slave station through the communication master station.

[0076] In step S103, the second communication slave station corresponding to each of the individual drive control units controls the multi-channel mixing valve according to the control information.

[0077] In one possible implementation, the digital-to-analog conversion slave station converts the analog control value into a target analog signal and sends it to the proportional valve, and the proportional valve adjusts the air pressure according to the target analog signal; the digital slave station converts the pulse waveform control value into a pulse signal and sends it to the solenoid valve, and the solenoid valve adjusts the air pressure according to the target pulse waveform.

[0078] Specifically, the digital-to-analog conversion slave station receives the analog control value and outputs an analog signal. The proportional valve receives the analog signal and then adjusts the air pressure according to the analog signal. The digital slave station receives the pulse waveform control value and outputs the corresponding pulse waveform to the solenoid valve through the gpio (general-purpose input / output port), and the solenoid valve then adjusts the air pressure.

[0079] In the embodiments of the present application, Figure 5 As shown, in step S10, first, the ADC type IO-Link slave collects the output of the air pressure sensor and summarizes the information to the IO-Link master through IO-Link; in step S20, the master uploads it to the PC-side host computer through EtherCAT communication; in step S30, after the host computer processes the feedback information, it is sent to the IO-Link master of the single drive control unit through the EtherCAT bus, and in step S40, it is further sent to the slave for valve control.

[0080] The specific implementation of this application is described below in conjunction with a specific application scenario.

[0081] Step K10: System initialization and configuration.

[0082] Step K11, system startup: the master station (PC / PLC) is started and the control program is loaded; the IO-Link master station and slave station in the single drive control unit are started and initialized respectively;

[0083] Step K12, configuration and connection: the master station scans and identifies each connected single drive control unit through the EtherCAT bus; the IO-Link master station in each single drive control unit identifies and configures the connected ADC type, DAC type and digital type IO-Link slave stations through the IO-Link interface.

[0084] Step K20: collecting and transmitting air pressure information.

[0085] Step K21, air pressure acquisition: the ADC type IO-Link slave communicates with the ADC chip through its MCU, acquires the analog signal of the air pressure sensor, and quantizes it into a digital value between 0 and 255;

[0086] Step K22, data upload: the ADC type IO-Link slave uploads the collected air pressure data to the IO-Link master through its physical layer chip;

[0087] Step K23, data aggregation and uploading to the master station: the IO-Link master station receives the air pressure data from each ADC type slave station and aggregates it; the IO-Link master station uploads the aggregated air pressure data to the master station (PC / PLC) via the EtherCAT bus.

[0088] Step K30: issuing and executing control instructions.

[0089] Step K31, control instruction generation: the master station (PC / PLC) generates corresponding control instructions according to the received air pressure data and other control requirements;

[0090] Step K32, the control command is sent to the single drive control unit: the master station sends the control command to the IO-Link master station of the target single drive control unit through the EtherCAT bus;

[0091] Step K33, control instructions are distributed to slave stations: the IO-Link master station distributes the control instructions to corresponding DAC type or digital type IO-Link slave stations according to the type of the control instructions;

[0092] Step K34, execute the control instruction: after receiving the control instruction, the DAC type slave station communicates with the DAC chip through its MCU and outputs the corresponding analog signal to drive the proportional valve.

[0093] After receiving the control command, the digital slave station controls the GPIO port through its MCU to output a PWM signal corresponding to the duty cycle, and drives the solenoid valve through the isolation amplifier circuit;

[0094] Step K40: system monitoring and troubleshooting.

[0095] Step K41, slave status monitoring: the IO-Link master monitors the working status of each slave in real time through the IO-Link interface, including communication status, data integrity, etc.;

[0096] Step K42, fault detection and notification: Once a slave fault or communication error is detected, the IO-Link master immediately notifies the master (PC / PLC) and may trigger an alarm;

[0097] Step K43, fault handling: The master station (PC / PLC) instructs the user to perform maintenance or replace the slave station according to the fault type. Since IO-Link supports hot plugging, these operations can be completed during the system power-on process without stopping the system;

[0098] Step K50: data interaction and synchronous driving.

[0099] Step K51, data interaction: the single drive control unit performs fast and low-latency data interaction with the master station through the EtherCAT bus to ensure real-time performance;

[0100] Step K52, synchronous driving: multiple single drive control units can be synchronously driven under the coordination of the master station to ensure the overall coordination and performance of the soft robot;

[0101] Step K60: System anti-interference and long-term operation.

[0102] Step K61, anti-interference capability: Since the control system adopts industrial communication protocols and interfaces, it has strong anti-interference capability and can operate stably for a long time in harsh environments;

[0103] Step K62, long-term operation monitoring: The master station (PC / PLC) can continuously monitor the system status, record operation data, and provide a basis for system maintenance and optimization.

[0104] The embodiments of the present application ensure the efficient, precise and reliable operation of the pneumatic soft robot control system.

[0105] In the description of this application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection, an electrical connection, or can communicate with each other; it can be a direct connection, or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0106] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present application.

[0107] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of this application, the meaning of "plurality" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0108] It should be noted that: in this application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the first feature being "above" or "below" the second feature may mean that the first and second features are in direct contact, or the first and second features are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. Moreover, the first feature being "above", "above" and "above" the second feature may mean that the first feature is directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. The first feature being "below", "below" and "below" the second feature may mean that the first feature is directly below or obliquely below the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0109] The terms "first", "second", "third", "fourth", etc. (if any) in the specification and claims of the present application and the above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the data used in this way can be interchangeable where appropriate, so that the embodiments of the present application described herein can, for example, be implemented in an order other than those illustrated or described herein. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any of their variations are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions, for example, a process, method, system, product or device that includes a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units that are clearly listed, but may include other steps or units that are not clearly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

[0110] In the description of this specification, the description with reference to the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "illustrative embodiments", "examples", "specific examples", or "some examples" means that the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present disclosure. In this specification, the schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner.

[0111] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, rather than to limit it. Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or replace some or all of the technical features therein with equivalents. However, these modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. A networked robot control system, characterized in that: The networked robot control system includes a host computer, a bus and a plurality of single drive control units, wherein the plurality of single drive control units are connected to the plurality of soft robots in a one-to-one correspondence, and the plurality of single drive control units are connected via a bus, and the bus is connected to the host computer; Each of the monomer drive control units comprises a communication master station, a first communication slave station, a second communication slave station and a multi-channel mixing valve, wherein the first communication slave station and the second communication slave station are respectively connected to the communication master station, and the second communication slave station is connected to the multi-channel mixing valve; In each of the individual drive and control units, the first communication slave station acquires sensor information and sends it to the host computer through the communication master station. The host computer obtains control information based on the sensor information and sends the control information to the second communication slave station through the communication master station, so that the second communication slave station controls the multi-channel mixing valve according to the control information.

2. The networked robot control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The single drive control unit also includes an air pressure sensor, which is connected to the first communication slave station. The air pressure sensor collects analog signals of the environment and sends them to the first communication slave station, so that the first communication slave station obtains sensing information based on the analog signals.

3. The networked robot control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The single-body drive control unit further includes an air source, which is connected to the multi-channel mixing valve. The multi-channel mixing valve receives the control information so that the multi-channel mixing valve adjusts the air pressure according to the control information.

4. The networked robot control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second communication slave station includes a digital-to-analog conversion slave station and a digital quantity type slave station, the multi-channel mixing valve includes a proportional valve and a solenoid valve, the digital-to-analog conversion slave station is connected to the proportional valve, and the digital quantity type slave station is connected to the solenoid valve.

5. The networked robot control system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The communication master station includes a slave station chip, a main control chip, a first driver chip, a second driver chip and a plurality of connection physical layer chips. The slave station chip is connected to the main control chip, the main control chip is respectively connected to the first driver chip and the second driver chip, the first driver chip is respectively connected to some of the connection physical layer chips, and the second driver chip is respectively connected to another part of the connection physical layer chips.

6. The networked robot control system according to claim 5, characterized in that: The first communication slave station includes a first physical layer chip, a first micro control unit, an analog-to-digital conversion chip and a first integrated operational amplifier circuit, wherein the first micro control unit is communicatively connected to the analog-to-digital conversion chip, the first micro control unit is communicatively connected to the first physical layer chip, and the first integrated operational amplifier circuit is connected to the analog-to-digital conversion chip; The digital-to-analog conversion slave station includes a second physical layer chip, a second micro control unit, a digital-to-analog conversion chip, and a second integrated operational amplifier circuit, wherein the second physical layer chip is communicatively connected to the second micro control unit, the second micro control unit is communicatively connected to the digital-to-analog conversion chip, and the second integrated operational amplifier circuit is connected to the digital-to-analog conversion chip; The digital quantity type slave station comprises a third physical layer chip, a third micro control unit and an optical coupling isolation amplifier circuit, wherein the third physical layer chip is communicatively connected with the third micro control unit, and the optical coupling isolation amplifier circuit is connected with the third micro control unit; The first physical layer chip is connected to a corresponding part of the connection physical layer chips, and the second physical layer chip and the third physical layer chip are respectively connected to another corresponding part of the connection physical layer chips.

7. A control method based on the networked robot control system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The control method comprises: The first communication slave station in each of the monomer drive control units acquires sensor information and sends it to the host computer through the communication master station; The host computer obtains control information corresponding to each of the monomer drive control units according to the plurality of sensor information corresponding to the plurality of monomer drive control units, and sends the control information to the second communication slave station corresponding to each of the monomer drive control units through the communication master station corresponding to each of the plurality of monomer drive control units; The second communication slave station corresponding to each of the individual drive control units controls the multi-channel mixing valve according to the control information.

8. The control method of the networked robot control system according to claim 7, characterized in that: The sensor information is the current air pressure value; The first communication slave station in each of the single drive control units obtains the sensing information, specifically including: The air pressure sensor collects an analog signal of the environment and sends it to the first communication slave station; The first communication slave station obtains the current air pressure value according to the analog signal.

9. The control method of the networked robot control system according to claim 7, characterized in that: The control information includes an analog quantity control value and a pulse waveform control value; The host computer sends the control information to the second communication slave station corresponding to each of the monomer drive control units through the communication master station corresponding to each of the plurality of monomer drive control units, specifically: For each of the single drive control units, the host computer sends the analog control value to the digital-to-analog conversion slave station through the communication master station, and the host computer sends the pulse waveform control value to the digital slave station through the communication master station.

10. The control method of the networked robot control system according to claim 9, characterized in that: The second communication slave station controls the multi-channel mixing valve according to the control information, specifically including: The digital-to-analog conversion converts the analog control value into a target analog signal and sends it to the proportional valve, and the proportional valve adjusts the air pressure according to the target analog signal; The digital quantity type slave station converts the pulse waveform control value into a pulse signal and sends it to the solenoid valve, and the solenoid valve adjusts the air pressure according to the target pulse waveform.

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