Point self-growing obstacle avoidance robot based on photocuring principle

Abstract

The invention relates to a tip self-growing obstacle avoidance robot based on a photocuring principle. The tip self-growing obstacle avoidance robot comprises a main body, a moving unit, a first conveying unit, a curing unit and a second conveying unit, the moving unit is arranged on the main body, and the first conveying unit and the second conveying unit communicate with the curing unit; the first conveying unit conveys the liquid curing material to the main body, and the curing unit cures the liquid curing material to obtain a solid growth object; when the solid growth object is formed, the main body moves through the moving unit, so that the solid growth object continuously extends; after the solid growth substance is used up, the dissolving material is conveyed to the main body through the second conveying unit, the solid growth substance is dissolved into a liquid curing material, and reverse growth and recovery of the solid growth substance are realized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the field of robots, and in particular relates to a cutting-edge self-growing obstacle-avoiding robot based on the principle of photocuring. Background Art

[0002] The growth robot uses a principle similar to the growth of plant tips. It uses construction materials to build a growth body from the tip part, and the tip moves in the environment through the extension of the growth body. The growth body constructed by this growth mechanism does 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 body constructed by the growth robot is not restricted by the size of the growth robot itself; it only needs to transport construction materials to the tip through the constructed growth body pipeline, and the growth body can continue to grow. These advantages enable the growth robot to flexibly traverse narrow and restricted environments.

[0003] However, the growth bodies formed by current growth robots have the limitation that they can only grow once. The growth body formed after the robot's growth is completed is permanent and cannot be recovered by the robot itself, and can only be dismantled manually. Summary of the invention

[0004] Aiming to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art, the present invention provides a cutting-edge self-growing obstacle-avoiding robot based on the principle of photocuring, which is capable of recovering a growing body.

[0005] The embodiment of the present application is a cutting-edge self-growing obstacle avoidance robot based on the principle of photocuring, comprising: main body; A moving unit, wherein the moving unit is arranged on the main body; A first conveying unit, the first conveying unit is connected to the main body, and the first conveying unit is used to convey the liquid solidifying material to the main body; A curing unit, the curing unit is arranged on the main body, and the curing unit is used to cure the liquid curing material to obtain a solid growth; A second conveying unit is connected to the main body, and is used to convey the dissolved material to the main body to dissolve the solid growth into liquid solidified material.

[0006] According to certain embodiments of the present application, the mobile unit includes a connecting member, a rocker arm, a wheel and an elastic member; the connecting member and the rocker arm are rotatably connected, the connecting member is connected to the outer side of the main body, one end of the rocker arm is connected to the wheel, and the two ends of the elastic member are respectively connected to the outer side of the main body and the other end of the rocker arm.

[0007] According to some embodiments of the present application, there are a plurality of the mobile units, and the plurality of the mobile units are circumferentially arranged around the outer side of the main body.

[0008] According to certain embodiments of the present application, the curing unit includes an inflow channel, an extrusion channel and a light source, the inflow channel is connected to the first conveying unit, the inflow channel is communicated with the extrusion channel, the extrusion channel is located on the outside of the inflow channel, the inflow channel and the extrusion channel are separated by an opaque material, and the light outlet of the light source faces the extrusion channel.

[0009] According to some embodiments of the present application, the extrusion channel of the main body is connected to the base.

[0010] According to certain embodiments of the present application, the first conveying unit includes a first container and a first pump body, the first container is used to store liquid solidifying material, the first container is connected to the first pump body through a pipeline, and the first pump body is connected to the inflow channel through a pipeline.

[0011] According to some embodiments of the present application, the second conveying unit includes a second container and a second pump body, the second container is used to store dissolved material, the second container is connected to the second pump body through a pipeline, and the second pump body is connected to the extrusion channel through a pipeline.

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

[0013] According to some embodiments of the present application, a plurality of light sensors are circumferentially arranged inside the light-transmitting cover.

[0014] According to some embodiments of the present application, the main body is provided with a posture sensor.

[0015] The beneficial effects of the present invention include: the first conveying unit conveys the liquid solidifying material to the main body, and the solidifying unit solidifies the liquid solidifying material to obtain a solid growth; while the solid growth is formed, the main body is moved by the moving unit, so that the solid growth is continuously extended; after the solid growth is used up, the dissolving material is conveyed to the main body by the second conveying unit, and the solid growth is dissolved into the liquid solidifying material, thereby realizing reverse growth and recovery of the solid growth.

[0016] 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

[0017] Figure 1 It is a structural diagram of a cutting-edge self-growing obstacle-avoiding robot; Figure 2 It is a structural diagram of the curing unit; Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of a cutting-edge self-growing obstacle-avoiding robot generating solid growths; Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of a cutting-edge self-growing obstacle-avoiding robot retrieving solid growths; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a cutting-edge self-growing obstacle-avoiding robot inspecting the internal blades of an aero-engine.

[0018] Figure numerals: curing unit 100, housing 101, transparent Teflon tube 102, extrusion channel 103, light source 104, growth 105, opening 106, black Teflon tube 107, flow into channel 108, moving unit 200, main body 203, motor 204, bevel gear 206, wheel 207, base 208, camera 209, light sensor 210, posture sensor 211, controller 212, elastic member 213, rocker arm 214, connecting member 215, first conveying unit 300, first container 310, first pump body 320, second conveying unit 400, second container 410, second pump body 420. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] 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.

[0020] 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.

[0021] 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.

[0022] 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.

[0023] An embodiment of the present application provides a cutting-edge self-growing obstacle-avoiding robot based on the principle of photocuring.

[0024] Reference Figure 1 The tip self-growth obstacle avoidance robot includes: a main body 203, a moving unit 200, a first conveying unit 300, a curing unit 100 and a second conveying unit 400.

[0025] Among them, the moving unit 200 is arranged on the main body 203; the first conveying unit 300 is connected to the main body 203, and the first conveying unit 300 is used to convey the liquid solidifying material to the main body 203; the solidifying unit 100 is arranged on the main body 203, and the solidifying unit 100 is used to solidify the liquid solidifying material to obtain the solid growth 105; the second conveying unit 400 is connected to the main body 203, and the second conveying unit 400 is used to convey the dissolved material to the main body 203, and dissolve the solid growth 105 into the liquid solidifying material.

[0026] In this embodiment, the first conveying unit 300 conveys the liquid solidifying material to the main body 203, and the solidifying unit 100 solidifies the liquid solidifying material to obtain the solid growth 105; while the solid growth 105 is formed, the main body 203 is moved by the moving unit 200, so that the solid growth 105 is continuously extended; after the solid growth 105 is used up, the dissolving material is conveyed to the main body 203 by the second conveying unit 400, and the solid growth 105 is dissolved into the liquid solidifying material, so as to realize reverse growth and recovery of the solid growth 105.

[0027] The first conveying unit 300 includes a first container 310 and a first pump body 320 . The first container 310 is used to store liquid solidifying material. The first container 310 and the first pump body 320 are connected via a pipeline. The first pump body 320 and the inflow channel 108 are connected via a pipeline.

[0028] Exemplarily, the liquid curable material is a photocurable resin for 3D printing. The first container 310 is a storage tank that stores the photocurable resin. The first delivery unit 300 delivers the photocurable resin stored in the first container 310 to the inflow channel 108 of the curing unit 100 through a pipeline through the first pump body 320.

[0029] It is understood that the photocurable resin is a photosensitive resin having groups that can undergo photocuring reactions, such as various unsaturated double bonds or epoxy groups. Under the irradiation of ultraviolet light or visible light, it can rapidly undergo physical and chemical changes and then crosslink and cure. The photocurable resin can be epoxy acrylate, polyurethane acrylate resin, polyester acrylate resin or amino acrylate resin.

[0030] The pipes between the first container 310 and the first pump body 320 and the pipes between the first pump body 320 and the inflow channel 108 are both black Teflon tubes. The black color is opaque and can prevent the purple LED and ambient light from irradiating the liquid resin in the pipes and causing the resin to solidify prematurely.

[0031] Likewise, the body 203 is made of black Teflon, which can prevent the purple LED and ambient light from irradiating the liquid resin in the pipeline and causing the resin to solidify prematurely.

[0032] Reference Figure 2 The curing unit 100 includes an inflow channel 108, an extrusion channel 103 and a light source 104, and the outer side of the extrusion channel 103 is a housing 101. The inflow channel 108 is connected to the first conveying unit 300, and the inflow channel 108 is in communication with the extrusion channel 103. The extrusion channel 103 is located outside the inflow channel 108, and the inflow channel 108 and the extrusion channel 103 are separated by an opaque material, and the light outlet of the light source 104 faces the extrusion channel 103.

[0033] The opaque material is a black Teflon tube 107, which forms an inflow channel 108. The transparent Teflon tube 102 is located outside the black Teflon tube 107, and an extrusion channel 103 is formed between the black Teflon tube 107 and the transparent Teflon tube 102. The light source 104 is located outside the transparent Teflon tube 102, and the light outlet of the light source 104 faces the extrusion channel 103.

[0034] The light source 104 is located outside the transparent Teflon tube 102, and the light outlet of the light source 104 faces the extrusion channel 103, so that the light of the light source 104 can shine into the extrusion channel 103 to cure the light-curable resin in the extrusion channel 103. The inflow channel 108 is separated from the extrusion channel 103 by a light-proof material, so that the light of the light source 104 cannot shine into the inflow channel 108, so that the light-curable resin in the inflow channel 108 will not be cured.

[0035] The light source 104 is a violet LED, the power of the violet LED is 1W, and the wavelength range of the violet LED is 395nm to 400nm. It is understandable that the type of light source 104 can be selected according to the type of resin. Six violet LEDs evenly distributed along the circumference irradiate the liquid resin to cause the resin to undergo photopolymerization reaction and solidify into a solid. It should be noted that the number of light sources 104 needs to be determined based on the illumination range of the light source 104 and the size of the growth 105, ensuring that the light energy of the light source 104 covers the entire extrusion channel 103, and can completely illuminate the light-curable resin in the extrusion channel 103, so that the light-curable resin in the extrusion channel 103 can be cured into the entire growth 105.

[0036] Exemplarily, the inflow channel 108 and the extrusion channel 103 are arranged in parallel, and the extrusion channel 103 is located outside the inflow channel 108, so that the solid growth 105 formed by the growth robot is tubular. The pipeline formed by the growth can be used to transport materials.

[0037] Reference Figure 2 and Figure 3 , the first delivery unit 300 delivers the liquid curing material to the inflow channel 108 of the curing unit 100, and the liquid curing material flows from the inflow channel 108 through the opening 106 into the extrusion channel 103, and the light source cures the liquid curing material in the extrusion channel 103. The cured curing resin pipeline is squeezed out of the extrusion channel 103 by the pressure of the liquid light-curable resin in the extrusion channel 103, forming a new growth object 105 resin pipeline. In this way, the cycle of light-curing growth is performed to construct the growth object 105 resin pipeline.

[0038] 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 103 .

[0039] In addition, in order to reduce the extrusion resistance between the curing resin pipeline and the extrusion channel 103, 20% by mass of a lubricating solution is added to the liquid resin, and the lubricating solution is composed of 65% polyethylene oxide and 35% dimethyl silicone oil. The lubricating solution is immiscible with the photocurable resin and has different polarity. The lubricating solution will spontaneously form a lubricating oil film at the junction of the resin and the Teflon tube wall, reducing the resin extrusion resistance.

[0040] The extrusion channel 103 of the main body 203 is connected to the base 208. At the beginning of the growth cycle, the base 208 is inserted into the extrusion channel 103 as the growing extrusion, and the base 208 can provide initial support and direction guidance for the growing robot.

[0041] When the growth robot forms a solid product, it moves through the mobile unit 200 to form a long pipe. The mobile unit 200 includes a connecting piece 215, a rocker arm 214, a wheel 207 and an elastic piece 213; the mobile unit 200 is also provided with a hollow cup reduction motor 204 and a bevel gear 206. The hollow cup reduction motor 204 is driven by the bevel gear 206 to drive the wheel 207 to rotate. The growth direction is changed by clamping the growth 105 with a pair of wheels 207 and rotating at a differential speed, thereby improving the flexibility of the growth robot.

[0042] The connecting member 215 and the rocker arm 214 are rotatably connected, the connecting member 215 is connected to the outer side of the main body 203, one end of the rocker arm 214 is connected to the wheel 207, and the two ends of the elastic member 213 are respectively connected to the outer side of the main body 203 and the other end of the rocker arm 214.

[0043] There are multiple mobile units 200, for example, four. The four mobile units 200 are arranged around the outer circumference of the main body 203, so that the growth robot can move forward stably in a rugged environment. Of course, in other embodiments, the number of mobile units 200 can be set according to the actual application scenario.

[0044] The elastic member 213 is a spring, which can provide elastic force for the rocker arm 214 and provide power for the rocker arm 214 to reset. In addition, the elastic member 213 also plays a buffering role during the travel of the growth robot.

[0045] During the growth cycle, the wheel 207 rotates to provide extrusion force for the growth 105, and the friction force assists the extrusion of the growth 105. The elastic member 213 applies elastic force to one end of the rocker arm 214, pushing the wheel 207 to be close to the tube wall of the growth 105, so that sufficient friction force is generated between the wheel 207 and the growth 105.

[0046] A light-transmitting cover is provided at the front end of the main body 203, and a camera 209 is provided inside the light-transmitting cover. A plurality of light sensors 210 are arranged circumferentially inside the light-transmitting cover. A posture sensor 211 is provided in the main body 203. The light-transmitting cover is also provided with a controller 212. The camera 209 is an important component for the growth robot to detect the in-depth location environment, and can provide environmental image information for the growth robot. The light sensor 210 can sense the intensity of light, and four light sensors 210 are evenly arranged in the circumferential direction of the robot's head. The direction with the largest reading in the light sensor 210 can be considered as the direction of light. The posture sensor 211 detects the position posture and impact vibration of the tip of the robot. The controller 212 is a single-chip microcomputer, and the robot is controlled to move according to the sensor data through the controller 212.

[0047] The controller 212 is also connected to the mobile unit 200 , and the moving direction and moving speed of the mobile unit 200 are controlled by the controller 212 .

[0048] Reference Figure 3 When the data perceived by the light sensor 210 is analyzed and it is found that the direction of illumination is directly above the growth robot, the growth robot grows upward in the vertical direction. When the data perceived by the light sensor 210 is analyzed and it is found that the direction of illumination is at a certain angle to the robot axis, the four light sensors 210 arranged along the circumference of the tip of the growth robot sense the direction and intensity of illumination, and the attitude sensor 211 reads the attitude angle of the tip of the growth robot, and the above data is used 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.

[0049] The principle of the robot's bending growth is as follows. Take the example of the robot tip bending to the left during the process. The light sensor 210 on the left senses stronger light, and the controller 212 makes a decision to control the robot tip to turn left. The right wheel 207 accelerates and the left wheel 207 decelerates. The left and right wheels 207 produce a speed difference that causes the tip to deflect to the left. After deflection, the tip continues the photocuring growth cycle to construct a curved growth object 105 pipeline to allow the robot tip to change the direction of growth and movement. During the turning process, the wheel 207 is always close to the wall of the growth object 105 tube under the elastic force of the elastic member 213 to prevent the wheel 207 from slipping. The two wheels 207 are a group, and controlling the speed difference of the two wheels 207 can make the robot tip turn in any direction.

[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 209 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 the growth direction can be autonomously determined through the perception information of the light sensor 210 and the posture sensor 211 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 211 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 eventually produce a curved tubular solid growth 105, which plays a role in supporting the tip of the robot and transporting the growth raw materials. The growth 105 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 and the auxiliary pushing force of the wheel 207 to forcibly push open the obstacle and pass through the environment.

[0051] After the growth robot completes the construction of the growth 105, the tip of the growth robot can be separated from the growth 105, leaving behind the pipeline formed by the growth 105. 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] Reference Figure 4 The second conveying unit 400 includes a second container 410 and a second pump body 420. The second container 410 is used to store the dissolved material. The second container 410 is connected to the second pump body 420 through a pipeline. The second pump body 420 is connected to the extrusion channel 103 through a pipeline.

[0053] Exemplarily, the dissolving material is an organic solvent such as dichloromethane which has a high solubility in the curing resin. The second container 410 is a storage tank which stores the dissolving material. The second conveying unit 400 conveys the dissolving material stored in the second container 410 to the extrusion channel 103 of the curing unit 100 through a pipeline through the second pump body 420.

[0054] After completing the detection task, the growth robot can start to grow backward from the tip to recover the growth 105. It is necessary to close the first pump body 320 that conveys the resin, and add the dissolving material from the tip of the growth robot into the extrusion channel 103. During the dissolution process, the waste liquid flows out through the opening on the black Teflon tube 107 and the growth 105 pipeline, and at the same time, the wheel 207 rotates in the opposite direction, so that the robot crawls backward on the growth 105 until it crawls to the root of the growth 105, and the growth 105 is completely dissolved.

[0055] In addition, when the growth 105 does not meet the actual demand, the first pump body 320 for conveying the resin is closed, and the dissolving material is added from the tip of the growth robot into the extrusion channel 103. During the dissolving process, the waste liquid flows out through the opening on the black Teflon tube 107 and the growth 105 pipeline, and the wheel 207 rotates in the opposite direction, so that the robot crawls in the opposite direction on the growth 105, and partially dissolves the wrong growth 105. Then the second pump body 420 for conveying the dissolving material is closed, and the first pump body 320 for conveying the resin is opened to continue to form a new growth 105, so as to achieve the modification of the growth 105 and improve the fault tolerance.

[0056] Reference Figure 5 The growth robot (the blue line in the figure) can pass through the gaps in the blades of the aircraft engine through the micro-motion obstacle avoidance strategy, and use the camera at the end to detect the damage of the blades inside the aircraft engine.

[0057] 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 the principle of photocuring, characterized in that: include: Subject (203); A mobile unit (200), the mobile unit (200) being arranged on the main body (203); A first conveying unit (300), the first conveying unit (300) being connected to the main body (203), and the first conveying unit (300) being used to convey liquid solidifying material to the main body (203); A solidification unit (100), the solidification unit (100) being arranged on the main body (203), the solidification unit (100) being used to solidify the liquid solidification material to obtain a solid growth (105); A second conveying unit (400), the second conveying unit (400) being connected to the main body (203), the second conveying unit (400) being used to convey the dissolved material to the main body (203) to dissolve the solid growth (105) into liquid solidified material.

2. The tip self-growing obstacle avoidance robot based on the light curing principle according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The mobile unit (200) comprises a connecting member (215), a rocker arm (214), a wheel (207) and an elastic member (213); the connecting member (215) and the rocker arm (214) are rotatably connected, the connecting member (215) is connected to the outer side of the main body (203), one end of the rocker arm (214) is connected to the wheel (207), and two ends of the elastic member (213) are respectively connected to the outer side of the main body (203) and the other end of the rocker arm (214).

3. The tip self-growing obstacle avoidance robot based on the light curing principle according to claim 2 is characterized in that: There are a plurality of the mobile units (200), and the plurality of the mobile units (200) are arranged circumferentially around the outer side of the main body (203).

4. The tip self-growing obstacle avoidance robot based on the light-curing principle according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The curing unit (100) comprises an inflow channel (108), an extrusion channel (103) and a light source (104); the inflow channel (108) is connected to the first conveying unit (300); the inflow channel (108) is in communication with the extrusion channel (103); the extrusion channel (103) is located outside the inflow channel (108); the inflow channel (108) and the extrusion channel (103) are separated by a light-proof material; and a light outlet of the light source (104) faces the extrusion channel (103).

5. The tip self-growing obstacle avoidance robot based on the light-curing principle according to claim 4 is characterized in that: The extrusion channel (103) of the main body (203) is connected to the base (208).

6. The tip self-growing obstacle avoidance robot based on the light-curing principle according to claim 4 is characterized in that: The first conveying unit (300) comprises a first container (310) and a first pump body (320); the first container (310) is used to store liquid solidifying material; the first container (310) and the first pump body (320) are connected via a pipeline; and the first pump body (320) and the inflow channel (108) are connected via a pipeline.

7. The tip self-growing obstacle avoidance robot based on the light-curing principle according to claim 4 is characterized in that: The second conveying unit (400) comprises a second container (410) and a second pump body (420), the second container (410) being used to store dissolved material, the second container (410) being connected to the second pump body (420) via a pipeline, and the second pump body (420) being connected to the extrusion channel (103) via a pipeline.

8. The tip self-growing obstacle avoidance robot based on the light-curing principle according to claim 1 is characterized in that: A light-transmitting cover is arranged at the front end of the main body (203), and a camera (209) is arranged inside the light-transmitting cover.

9. The tip self-growing obstacle avoidance robot based on the light-curing principle according to claim 8, characterized in that: A plurality of light sensors (210) are arranged in the light-transmitting cover along the circumferential direction.

10. The tip self-growing obstacle avoidance robot based on the light-curing principle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The main body (203) is provided with a posture sensor (211).

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