Point-end self-growth obstacle avoidance robot inspired by plants and based on polystyrene foam

Abstract

The invention relates to a tip self-growth obstacle avoidance robot based on polystyrene foam. The tip self-growth obstacle avoidance robot comprises a main body, a curing unit and a stay wire unit, the curing unit is arranged on the main body and comprises a first pipeline, a second pipeline and a mixing module, an extrusion channel is formed between the first pipeline and the second pipeline, the mixing module mixes various different foaming agents to obtain mixed polystyrene foam, and an output port of the mixing module is connected with the extrusion channel; the mixed polystyrene foam is cured into a solid growth substance in the extrusion channel; the stay wire unit is provided with a first stay wire and a second stay wire, the first stay wire is connected with the first pipeline, the second stay wire is connected with the second pipeline, and the stay wire unit drives the first pipeline and the second pipeline to bend; the extrusion channel between the first pipeline and the second pipeline is bent, so that the solid growth substance extruded from the extrusion channel is bent, the growth bending direction of the growth substance can be flexibly controlled, and the flexibility is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the field of robots, and in particular relates to a foam-based tip self-growing obstacle-avoiding robot. Background Art

[0002] The growth robot uses a principle similar to the growth of plant tips. It uses construction materials to build growth objects from the tip part, and the tip moves in the environment through the extension of the growth object. The growth objects built by this growth mechanism do not move with the environment, which greatly reduces the resistance caused by friction between the robot and the environment during movement. In addition, the size of the growth object built by the growth robot is not restricted by the size of the growth robot itself; the growth object can continue to grow by simply transporting construction materials to the tip through the constructed growth pipe. Current growth robots mainly use additive manufacturing principles such as PLA materials and photocurable resins to construct growth objects, but there is still a problem that the growth objects cannot be bent flexibly, resulting in insufficient flexibility and difficulty in carrying out growth movements in rugged environments. Summary of the invention

[0003] Aiming to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art, the present invention provides a foam-based tip self-growing obstacle-avoiding robot, which can flexibly control the growth bending direction of the growing object.

[0004] The embodiment of the present application is a foam-based tip self-growing obstacle avoidance robot, comprising: main body; A curing unit, the curing unit is arranged on the main body, the curing unit comprises a first pipe, a second pipe and a mixing module, an extrusion channel is formed between the first pipe and the second pipe, the mixing module is used to mix a plurality of different foaming agents to obtain a mixed foamed glue, the output port of the mixing module is connected to the extrusion channel, and the mixed foamed glue is cured into a solid growth in the extrusion channel; A wire pulling unit is provided with a first wire pulling wire and a second wire pulling wire, wherein the first wire pulling wire is connected to the first pipe, and the second wire pulling wire is connected to the second pipe, and the wire pulling unit is used for driving the first pipe and the second pipe to perform bending movement.

[0005] According to certain embodiments of the present application, the mixing module includes multiple feed pipes, a mixing pipe and multiple output pipes, and the end of the output pipe is the output port; the multiple feed pipes are connected to the mixing pipe, and the mixing pipe is connected to the multiple output pipes.

[0006] According to some embodiments of the present application, the plurality of output ports are evenly distributed along the circumferential direction of the extrusion channel.

[0007] According to certain embodiments of the present application, the wire pulling unit also includes a first drive, a first screw rod, a first screw rod slider and a first optical axis, the first screw rod is connected to the output shaft of the first drive, one end of the first screw rod slider is connected to the first screw rod, the other end of the first screw rod slider is slidably connected to the first optical axis, and the first wire pulling unit is connected to the first screw rod slider.

[0008] According to certain embodiments of the present application, the wire pulling unit also includes a second drive, a second screw rod, a second screw rod slider and a second optical axis, the second screw rod is connected to the output shaft of the second drive, one end of the second screw rod slider is connected to the second screw rod, the other end of the second screw rod slider is slidably connected to the second optical axis, and the second wire pulling is connected to the second screw rod slider.

[0009] According to some embodiments of the present application, the first pipe is made of an opaque material.

[0010] According to some embodiments of the present application, the second pipe is made of a light-transmitting material.

[0011] According to certain embodiments of the present application, the main body is provided with an environment sensor and a posture sensor, the environment sensor and the posture sensor are connected to a controller, and the controller is connected to the wire pulling unit.

[0012] According to some embodiments of the present application, the environmental sensor includes a camera, and the camera is disposed in a light-transmitting cover at the front end of the main body.

[0013] According to some embodiments of the present application, the environmental sensor includes a light sensor, and a plurality of the light sensors are arranged along the circumferential direction of the light-transmitting cover at the front end of the main body.

[0014] The beneficial effects of the present invention include: conveying a plurality of different foaming agents through a mixing module, mixing the plurality of different foaming agents to form a mixed foamed glue, conveying the mixed foamed glue to an extrusion channel through an output port of the mixing module, and extruding a solid growth formed by the mixed foamed glue in the extrusion channel; while forming the solid growth, driving the first pipe and the second pipe to perform a bending movement through a wire drawing unit, so that the extrusion channel between the first pipe and the second pipe is bent, and then the solid growth extruded from the extrusion channel is bent, so that the growth bending direction of the growth can be flexibly controlled, thereby improving flexibility.

[0015] In addition, additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will be given in part in the following description, and in part will be obvious from the following description, or will be learned through practice of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1It is a structural diagram of a cutting-edge self-growing obstacle-avoiding robot; Figure 2 It is a cross-sectional view of the cutting-edge self-growing obstacle-avoiding robot; Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the flow direction of the foaming agent in the tip self-growing obstacle avoidance robot; Figure 4 This is a bottom view of the cutting-edge self-growing obstacle-avoiding robot; Figure 5 It is the structural diagram of the hybrid module; Figure 6 It is the structural diagram of the wire drawing unit; Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the tip self-growing obstacle avoidance robot growing on a base; Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of the bending growth of the tip self-growing obstacle-avoiding robot.

[0017] Figure numerals: main body 100, camera 101, head shell 102, second screw slider 103, second screw nut 104, second screw 105, base 106, second pull wire 107, growth 108, second optical axis 109, output tube 110, cross 111, output port 112, first pipeline 113, second pipeline 114, feed tube 115, light-transmitting cover 130, mixing module 200, controller 201, light sensor 202, posture sensor 203, second driver 204, mixing tube 205, pull wire unit 300, extrusion channel 301, base 401, first driver 501, first screw 502, first screw slider 503, first optical axis 504, first pull wire 505. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] The following will be combined with the embodiments and drawings to clearly and completely describe the concept, specific structure and technical effects of the present invention, so as to fully understand the purpose, scheme and effect of the present invention. It should be noted that the embodiments and features in the embodiments of this application can be combined with each other without conflict.

[0019] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, when a feature is referred to as being "fixed" or "connected" to another feature, it may be directly fixed or connected to the other feature, or it may be indirectly fixed or connected to the other feature. In addition, the descriptions of up, down, left, right, top, bottom, etc. used in the present invention are only relative to the relative positional relationship of the components of the present invention in the drawings.

[0020] In addition, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as those generally understood by those skilled in the art. The terms used in this specification are only for describing specific embodiments, not for limiting the present invention. The term "and / or" used herein includes any combination of one or more related listed items.

[0021] It should be understood that, although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used to describe various elements in the present disclosure, these elements should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish elements of the same type from each other. For example, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, the first element may also be referred to as the second element, and similarly, the second element may also be referred to as the first element.

[0022] An embodiment of the present application provides a foam-based tip self-growing obstacle-avoiding robot.

[0023] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 , a plant-inspired foam-based cutting-edge self-growing obstacle-avoiding robot, comprising: a main body 100, a curing unit and a wire pulling unit 300.

[0024] Among them, the curing unit is arranged on the main body 100, and the curing unit includes a first pipe 113, a second pipe 114 and a mixing module 200. An extrusion channel 301 is formed between the first pipe 113 and the second pipe 114. The mixing module 200 is used to mix a plurality of different foaming agents to obtain a mixed foamed glue. The output port 112 of the mixing module 200 is connected to the extrusion channel 301, and the mixed foamed glue is cured into a solid growth 108 in the extrusion channel 301; the wire pulling unit 300 is provided with a first wire pulling wire 505 and a second wire pulling wire 107. The first wire pulling wire 505 is connected to the first pipe 113, and the second wire pulling wire 107 is connected to the second pipe 114. The wire pulling unit 300 is used to drive the first pipe 113 and the second pipe 114 to perform bending movement.

[0025] In this embodiment, a plurality of different foaming agents are transported through the mixing module 200 and mixed to form a mixed foamed glue, which is then transported to the extrusion channel 301 through the output port 112 of the mixing module 200, and a solid growth 108 formed by the mixed foamed glue is extruded from the extrusion channel 301; while the solid growth 108 is being formed, the first pipe 113 and the second pipe 114 are driven by the wire pulling unit 300 to perform a bending movement, so that the extrusion channel 301 between the first pipe 113 and the second pipe 114 is bent, and the solid growth 108 extruded from the extrusion channel 301 is bent, so that the growth bending direction of the growth 108 can be flexibly controlled, thereby improving flexibility.

[0026] The main body 100 includes a head housing 102 and a base 106 .

[0027] Reference Figure 3 and Figure 5 The mixing module 200 includes a plurality of feed pipes 115, a mixing pipe 205 and a plurality of output pipes 110, the end of the output pipe 110 is an output port 112; the plurality of feed pipes 115 are connected to the mixing pipe 205, and the mixing pipe 205 is connected to the plurality of output pipes 110. Exemplarily, two liquid polyurethane foaming agents are mixed to form a mixed foaming gel to generate a solid growth 108, then there are two feed pipes 115, one of which is used to transport a liquid polyurethane foaming agent, and the other feed pipe 115 is used to transport another liquid polyurethane foaming agent. There are six output pipes 110, and the six output pipes 110 are all connected through three cross-connections 111, one end of the pipe is blocked at the cross-connection 111, and the other end is connected to the feed pipe 115 through the cross-connection 111.

[0028] The plurality of output ports 112 are evenly distributed along the circumferential direction of the extrusion channel 301. This ensures that the mixed foamed adhesive ejected from the output ports 112 can evenly fill the entire extrusion channel 301. Exemplarily, there are 6 output pipes 110, and correspondingly, there are 6 output ports 112, and the output ports 112 are connected to the output pipes 110 one by one, and the 6 output ports 112 are evenly distributed along the circumferential direction of the extrusion channel 301.

[0029] Reference Figure 4 and Figure 6 The wire pulling unit 300 includes a first screw rod linear moving module, which is provided with a first driver 501, a first screw rod 502, a first screw rod slider 503, a first optical axis 504 and a first wire pulling 505. The first screw rod 502 is connected to the output shaft of the first driver 501, one end of the first screw rod slider 503 is connected to the first screw rod 502, the other end of the first screw rod slider 503 is slidably connected to the first optical axis 504, and the first wire pulling 505 is connected to the first screw rod slider 503.

[0030] The first driver 501 is a stepping motor, which is powered by a rechargeable battery in the main body 100 .

[0031] The first optical axis 504 is connected between the head housing 102 and the base 106. One end of the first pull wire 505 is connected to the first screw slider 503, and the first pull wire 505 is bonded to the first pipe 113 along the radial direction of the first pipe 113, and the other end of the first pull wire 505 extends to the end of the first pipe 113.

[0032] The first screw nut is fixed on the first screw slider 503, and the first screw slider 503 can move linearly along the first optical axis 504. The first screw nut and the first screw slider 503 connected thereto are driven to move linearly along the first optical axis 504 by the thread action of the first screw 502. The first screw slider 503 drives the first pull wire 505 to move, and the first pull wire 505 pulls the first pipe 113 to move, so that the first pipe 113 bends.

[0033] Exemplarily, the first pipe 113 is pulled to move by three first screw linear moving modules; of course, in other embodiments, the number of first screw linear moving modules can be set according to actual needs to ensure that the first screw linear moving modules can pull the first pipe 113 to bend.

[0034] The wire pulling unit 300 includes a second screw linear moving module, which is provided with a second driver 204, a second screw 105, a second screw slider 103, a second optical axis 109 and a second wire pulling unit 107. The second screw 105 is connected to the output shaft of the second driver 204, one end of the second screw slider 103 is connected to the second screw 105, the other end of the second screw slider 103 is slidably connected to the second optical axis 109, and the second wire pulling unit 107 is connected to the second screw slider 103.

[0035] The second driver 204 is a stepper motor, which is powered by a rechargeable battery in the main body 100 .

[0036] The second optical axis 109 is connected between the head housing 102 and the base 106. One end of the second pull wire 107 is connected to the second screw slider 103, and the second pull wire 107 is bonded to the second pipe 114 along the radial direction of the second pipe 114, and the other end of the second pull wire 107 extends to the end of the second pipe 114.

[0037] The second screw nut 104 is fixed on the second screw slider 103, and the second screw slider 103 can move linearly along the second optical axis 109. The second screw nut 104 and the second screw slider 103 connected thereto are driven to move linearly along the second optical axis 109 by the thread action of the second screw 105. The second screw slider 103 drives the second pull wire 107 to move, and the second pull wire 107 pulls the second pipe 114 to move, so that the second pipe 114 is bent.

[0038] Exemplarily, the second pipe 114 is pulled to move by three second screw linear moving modules; of course, in other embodiments, the number of second screw linear moving modules can be set according to actual needs to ensure that the second screw linear moving modules can pull the second pipe 114 to bend.

[0039] An extrusion channel 301 is formed between the second pipe 114 and the first pipe 113. When the first pipe 113 is bent by the first pull wire 505 and the second pipe 114 is bent by the second pull wire 107, the extrusion channel 301 between the first pipe 113 and the second pipe 114 is bent, thereby bending the solid growth 108 extruded from the extrusion channel 301. The growth bending direction of the growth 108 can be flexibly controlled, thereby improving flexibility.

[0040] The first pipe 113 and the second pipe 114 are arranged in parallel, and the second pipe 114 is located outside the first pipe 113, so that the solid growth 108 formed by the growth robot is tubular. The pipe formed by the growth can be used to transport materials.

[0041] The first pipe 113 and the second pipe 114 are both made of Teflon material. The friction resistance and chemical bond strength between Teflon and the cured resin are low, which can reduce the extrusion resistance of the cured resin in the extrusion channel 301.

[0042] Reference Figure 7 , the extrusion channel 301 of the main body 100 is connected to the base 401. At the beginning of the growth cycle, the base 401 is inserted into the extrusion channel 301 as the growing extrusion, and the base 401 can provide initial support and direction guidance for the growing robot.

[0043] Reference Figure 2 The main body 100 is provided with an environment sensor and a posture sensor 203 , the environment sensor and the posture sensor 203 are connected to the controller 201 , and the controller 201 is connected to the wire pulling unit 300 .

[0044] A light-transmitting cover 130 is disposed at the front end of the main body 100. The environmental sensor includes a camera 101 and a light sensor 202. The camera 101 is disposed in the light-transmitting cover 130. A plurality of light sensors 202 are disposed along the circumferential direction of the light-transmitting cover 130.

[0045] The camera 101 is an important component of the growth robot for in-depth location environment detection, and can provide environmental image information for the growth robot. The light sensor 202 can sense the intensity of light. Four light sensors 202 are evenly arranged in the circumferential direction of the robot head. The direction with the largest reading in the light sensor 202 can be considered as the direction of light. The posture sensor 203 detects the position posture and impact vibration of the robot tip. The controller 201 is a single-chip microcomputer, and the controller 201 controls the robot to move according to the sensor data.

[0046] Reference Figure 8The controller 201 is connected to the wire drawing unit 300 , and the controller 201 controls the wire drawing unit 300 to bend the first pipe 113 and the second pipe 114 , thereby bending the solid growth 108 extruded from the extrusion channel 301 , and the growth bending direction of the growth 108 can be flexibly controlled.

[0047] When the data analysis based on the light sensor 202 senses that the direction of illumination is directly above the growth robot, the growth robot grows upward in the vertical direction. When the data analysis based on the light sensor 202 senses that the direction of illumination is at a certain angle to the robot axis, the four light sensors 202 arranged along the circumference of the tip of the growth robot sense the direction and intensity of illumination, and the attitude sensor 203 reads the attitude angle of the tip of the growth robot, and uses the above data as the input of the specified growth strategy. The growth robot adopts the same phototropism and anti-topography growth strategy as plant growth, that is, the tip bends and grows in the direction of strong light, and the stem grows in the opposite direction of gravity.

[0048] The principle of the bending growth of the growing robot is as follows. Two different liquid polyurethane foaming agents are transported to the mixing tube 205 through two different feeding tubes 115, and are mixed evenly in the mixing tube 205 to form a mixed foamed glue. The mixed foamed glue is injected into the extrusion channel 301 between the first pipe 113 and the second pipe 114 from the output port 112 through the output pipe 110. The mixed foamed glue expands and solidifies into solid foamed glue in the extrusion channel 301, and a solid growth 108 is formed. After a part of the foamed glue is completely solidified, the foamed glue is continued to be injected. The pressure generated by the expansion of the newly injected foaming agent pushes the solidified foamed glue out of the extrusion channel 301, forming a tubular growth 108.

[0049] After the controller 201 of the growth robot receives the steering angle instruction, the host computer calculates the length change of the three first pull wires 505 on the side of the first pipe 113 after the first pipe 113 is bent through inverse kinematics, and controls the first driver 501 to drive the first pull wire 505 to pull the first pipe 113. The output shaft of the first driver 501 drives the first screw 502 to rotate, and the first screw 502 drives the first screw nut and the first screw slider 503 connected thereto to move in a straight line along the first optical axis 504. The first screw slider 503 drives the first pull wire 505 to move, and the first pull wire 505 pulls the first pipe 113 to move, so that the first pipe 113 is bent, and the end of the first pipe 113 is bent to the target bending angle. Similarly, the host computer calculates the length change of the three second pull wires 107 on the side of the second pipe 114 after the second pipe 114 is bent through inverse kinematics, and controls the second driver 204 to drive the second pull wire 107 to pull the second pipe 114. The output shaft of the second driver 204 drives the second screw 105 to rotate, and the second screw 105 drives the second screw nut 104 and the second screw slider 103 connected thereto to move linearly along the second optical axis 109. The second screw slider 103 drives the second pull wire 107 to move, and the second pull wire 107 pulls the second pipe 114 to move, so that the second pipe 114 is bent, and the end of the second pipe 114 is bent to a target bending angle. The first pipe 113 and the second pipe 114 are bent, the extrusion channel 301 is bent, and the growth 108 is extruded toward a certain angle, so as to achieve the purpose of making the growth 108 grow in a bent manner.

[0050] The growth robot is provided with a wireless communication unit. After entering the unknown environment to be detected, the image captured by the camera 101 can be wirelessly transmitted to the operator's upper computer interface through the wireless communication unit. After the operator evaluates the environment, the operator manually sends a steering control instruction to the growth robot, or autonomously decides the growth direction through the perception information of the light sensor 202 and the posture sensor 203 of the growth robot itself. The autonomous growth strategy of the growth robot follows the phototropism and geotropism of plants. When the tip of the growth robot encounters an obstacle during the growth process, the posture sensor 203 senses the impact vibration, and the growth robot turns to grow in the opposite direction of the impact. After the growth is completed, the growth robot will produce a curved tubular solid growth 108, which plays the role of supporting the tip of the robot and transporting the growth raw materials. The growth 108 has a certain elasticity, which plays a certain buffering role when the tip of the growth robot encounters an obstacle, and can also bend passively to adapt to the detection environment. In special cases, the growth robot can rely on the extrusion pressure generated by the liquid resin to forcibly push open the obstacle and pass through the environment.

[0051] After the growth robot completes the construction of the growth 108, the tip of the growth robot can be separated from the growth 108, leaving behind the pipeline formed by the growth 108. The outside world can transport materials into the restricted environment through this pipeline. For example, in a search and rescue operation, the outside world can transport drinking water and nutrient solution to the trapped people under the ruins through this pipeline to prolong the lives of the trapped people.

[0052] The above is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The present invention is not limited to the above implementation. As long as the technical effect of the present invention is achieved by the same means, any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present disclosure shall be included in the scope of protection of the present disclosure. All should belong to the protection scope of the present invention. Within the protection scope of the present invention, its technical scheme and / or implementation method can have various modifications and changes.

Claims

1. A tip self-growing obstacle avoidance robot based on foam glue, characterized in that: include: body(100); a curing unit, the curing unit being arranged in the main body (100), the curing unit comprising a first pipe (113), a second pipe (114) and a mixing module (200), an extrusion channel (301) being formed between the first pipe (113) and the second pipe (114), the mixing module (200) being used to mix a plurality of different foaming agents to obtain a mixed foaming glue, the output port (112) of the mixing module (200) being connected to the extrusion channel (301), and the mixed foaming glue being cured in the extrusion channel (301) into a solid growth (108); A wire pulling unit (300), wherein the wire pulling unit (300) is provided with a first wire pulling unit (505) and a second wire pulling unit (107), wherein the first wire pulling unit (505) is connected to the first pipe (113), and the second wire pulling unit (107) is connected to the second pipe (114), and the wire pulling unit (300) is used to drive the first pipe (113) and the second pipe (114) to perform bending movement.

2. The tip self-growing obstacle avoidance robot based on foam glue according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mixing module (200) comprises a plurality of feed pipes (115), a mixing pipe (205) and a plurality of output pipes (110), wherein the ends of the output pipes (110) are the output ports (112); the plurality of feed pipes (115) are connected to the mixing pipes (205), and the mixing pipes (205) are connected to the plurality of output pipes (110).

3. The tip self-growing obstacle avoidance robot based on foam glue according to claim 2, characterized in that: The plurality of output ports (112) are evenly distributed along the circumferential direction of the extrusion channel (301).

4. The foam-based tip self-growing obstacle avoidance robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The wire pulling unit (300) further comprises a first driver (501), a first screw rod (502), a first screw rod slider (503) and a first optical axis (504), wherein the first screw rod (502) is connected to the output shaft of the first driver (501), one end of the first screw rod slider (503) is connected to the first screw rod (502), the other end of the first screw rod slider (503) is slidably connected to the first optical axis (504), and the first wire pulling (505) is connected to the first screw rod slider (503).

5. The tip self-growing obstacle avoidance robot based on foam glue according to claim 1, characterized in that: The wire pulling unit (300) further includes a second driver (204), a second screw rod (105), a second screw rod slider (103) and a second optical axis (109), wherein the second screw rod (105) is connected to the output shaft of the second driver (204), one end of the second screw rod slider (103) is connected to the second screw rod (105), the other end of the second screw rod slider (103) is slidably connected to the second optical axis (109), and the second wire pulling (107) is connected to the second screw rod slider (103).

6. The foam-based tip self-growing obstacle avoidance robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first pipe (113) is made of a light-proof material.

7. The foam-based tip self-growing obstacle avoidance robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second pipe (114) is made of a light-transmitting material.

8. The foam-based tip self-growing obstacle avoidance robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The main body (100) is provided with an environment sensor and a posture sensor (203); the environment sensor and the posture sensor (203) are connected to a controller (201); and the controller (201) is connected to the wire pulling unit (300).

9. The foam-based tip self-growing obstacle avoidance robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The environmental sensor comprises a camera (101), and the camera (101) is arranged in a light-transmitting cover (130) at the front end of the main body (100).

10. The foam-based tip self-growing obstacle avoidance robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The environmental sensor comprises a light sensor (202), and a plurality of the light sensors (202) are arranged along the circumferential direction of the light-transmitting cover (130) at the front end of the main body (100).

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