A tip self-growth obstacle avoidance robot based on light curing principle

Abstract

This invention relates to an advanced self-growing obstacle-avoiding robot based on the principle of photopolymerization, comprising a main body, a moving unit, a first conveying unit, a solidification unit, and a second conveying unit. The moving unit is disposed on the main body, and the first and second conveying units are connected to the solidification unit. The first conveying unit conveys liquid solidification material to the main body, and the solidification unit solidifies the liquid solidification material to obtain a solid growth. While the solid growth is being formed, the main body moves through the moving unit, causing the solid growth to continuously extend. After the solid growth is used up, the second conveying unit conveys dissolving material to the main body, dissolving the solid growth into liquid solidification material, thereby achieving reverse growth and recycling of the solid growth.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of robotics, specifically relating to a cutting-edge self-growing obstacle avoidance robot based on the principle of photopolymerization. Background Technology

[0002] The growth robot utilizes a principle similar to plant tip growth, constructing a growth body from the tip using building materials. The tip then moves within the environment through the extension of this growth body. This growth mechanism prevents the growth body from moving directly with the environment, significantly reducing frictional resistance during movement. Furthermore, the size of the growth body is not constrained by the robot's own dimensions; it only requires external supply of building materials to the tip through pre-constructed channels for continuous growth. These advantages enable the growth robot to flexibly traverse narrow and confined environments.

[0003] However, the growth bodies formed by current growth robots are limited to growing only once. Once the robot has finished growing, the resulting growth body is permanent and cannot be autonomously recycled by the robot; it can only be dismantled manually. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Aimed at at least in solving one of the technical problems existing in the prior art, the present invention provides an advanced self-growing obstacle avoidance robot based on the principle of photopolymerization, which is capable of recovering the grown body.

[0005] An embodiment of this application discloses a cutting-edge self-growing obstacle avoidance robot based on the principle of photopolymerization, comprising:

[0006] main body;

[0007] A moving unit is disposed on the main body;

[0008] A first conveying unit is connected to the main body and is used to convey liquid solidification material to the main body.

[0009] A curing unit is disposed on the main body, and the curing unit is used to cure the liquid curing material to obtain a solid growth.

[0010] The 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 a liquid solidified material.

[0011] According to certain embodiments of this application, the moving unit includes a connector, a rocker arm, a wheel, and an elastic element; the connector and the rocker arm are rotatably connected, the connector is connected to the outer side of the main body, one end of the rocker arm is connected to the wheel, and both ends of the elastic element are connected to the outer side of the main body and the other end of the rocker arm, respectively.

[0012] According to certain embodiments of this application, there are multiple moving units, and the multiple moving units are arranged circumferentially around the outer side of the main body.

[0013] According to certain embodiments of this application, the curing unit includes a flow-in channel, an extrusion channel, and a light source. The flow-in channel is connected to the first conveying unit and communicates with the extrusion channel. The extrusion channel is located outside the flow-in channel, and the flow-in channel and the extrusion channel are separated by an opaque material. The light source's light outlet faces the extrusion channel.

[0014] According to certain embodiments of this application, the extrusion channel of the body is connected to the base.

[0015] According to certain embodiments of this application, the first delivery unit includes a first container and a first pump body. The first container is used to store liquid solidification material. The first container is connected to the first pump body through a pipe, and the first pump body is connected to the flow channel through a pipe.

[0016] According to certain embodiments of this application, the second conveying unit includes a second container and a second pump body, the second container being used to store dissolved material, the second container being connected to the second pump body via a pipe, and the second pump body being connected to the extrusion channel via a pipe.

[0017] According to certain embodiments of this application, a light-transmitting cover is provided at the front end of the main body, and a camera is provided inside the light-transmitting cover.

[0018] According to certain embodiments of this application, a plurality of light sensors are arranged circumferentially inside the light-transmitting cover.

[0019] According to certain embodiments of this application, the main body is provided with an attitude sensor.

[0020] The beneficial effects of the present invention include: the first conveying unit conveys the liquid solidification material to the main body, and the solidification unit solidifies the liquid solidification material to obtain a solid growth; while the solid growth is being formed, the main body moves through the moving unit, so that the solid growth extends continuously; after the solid growth is used up, the second conveying unit conveys the dissolving material to the main body, dissolving the solid growth into a liquid solidification material, thereby realizing reverse growth and recycling of the solid growth.

[0021] Furthermore, additional aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of an advanced self-growing obstacle avoidance robot;

[0023] Figure 2 This is a structural diagram of the curing unit;

[0024] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a cutting-edge self-growing obstacle-avoiding robot generating solid growths.

[0025] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of an advanced self-growing obstacle-avoiding robot recovering solid growth material;

[0026] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a cutting-edge self-growing obstacle avoidance robot inspecting the internal blades of an aero-engine.

[0027] Reference numerals: curing unit 100, outer shell 101, transparent Teflon tube 102, extrusion channel 103, light source 104, growth material 105, opening 106, black Teflon tube 107, flow channel 108, moving unit 200, main body 203, motor 204, bevel gear 206, wheel 207, base 208, camera 209, light sensor 210, attitude sensor 211, controller 212, elastic element 213, rocker arm 214, connector 215, first conveying unit 300, first container 310, first pump body 320, second conveying unit 400, second container 410, second pump body 420. Detailed Implementation

[0028] The following will provide a clear and complete description of the concept, specific structure, and technical effects of the present invention in conjunction with the embodiments and accompanying drawings, so as to fully understand the purpose, solution, and effects of the present invention. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in this application can be combined with each other.

[0029] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, when a feature is referred to as "fixed" or "connected" to another feature, it can be directly fixed or connected to the other feature, or indirectly fixed or connected to the other feature. Furthermore, the descriptions of "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "top," and "bottom" used in this invention are only relative to the relative positional relationships of the various components of the invention in the accompanying drawings.

[0030] Furthermore, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. The terminology used in this specification is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and not for limiting the invention. The term "and / or" as used herein includes any combination of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0031] It should be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc., may be used in this disclosure to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish elements of the same type from one another. For example, without departing from the scope of this disclosure, a first element may also be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may also be referred to as a first element.

[0032] An embodiment of this application provides a cutting-edge self-growing obstacle avoidance robot based on the principle of photopolymerization.

[0033] Reference Figure 1 The advanced self-growing obstacle avoidance robot includes: a main body 203, a moving unit 200, a first conveying unit 300, a solidification unit 100, and a second conveying unit 400.

[0034] The moving unit 200 is disposed in the main body 203; the first conveying unit 300 is connected to the main body 203 and is used to convey the liquid solidification material to the main body 203; the solidification unit 100 is disposed in the main body 203 and is used to solidify the liquid solidification material to obtain a solid growth 105; the second conveying unit 400 is connected to the main body 203 and is used to convey the dissolving material to the main body 203 and dissolve the solid growth 105 into a liquid solidification material.

[0035] In this embodiment, the first conveying unit 300 conveys the liquid solidification material to the main body 203, and the solidification unit 100 solidifies the liquid solidification material to obtain a solid growth 105. While the solid growth 105 is being formed, the main body 203 moves through the moving unit 200, causing the solid growth 105 to extend continuously. After the solid growth 105 is used up, the second conveying unit 400 conveys the dissolving material to the main body 203 to dissolve the solid growth 105 into a liquid solidification material, thereby realizing reverse growth and recycling of the solid growth 105.

[0036] The first delivery unit 300 includes a first container 310 and a first pump body 320. The first container 310 is used to store liquid solidification material. The first container 310 and the first pump body 320 are connected by a pipe. The first pump body 320 is connected to the flow channel 108 by a pipe.

[0037] For example, the liquid curing 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 flow channel 108 of the curing unit 100 through a pipeline via a first pump body 320.

[0038] As is understandable, photocurable resin is a photosensitive resin containing groups capable of photocuring, such as various unsaturated double bonds or epoxy groups. Under ultraviolet or visible light irradiation, it can rapidly undergo physical and chemical changes, subsequently cross-linking and curing. Photocurable resins can be epoxy acrylates, polyurethane acrylates, polyester acrylates, or amino acrylates, etc.

[0039] The pipes between the first container 310 and the first pump body 320, as well as the pipes between the first pump body 320 and the flow channel 108, are all black Teflon pipes. Their black color is opaque, which can prevent the liquid resin in the pipes from being exposed to ultraviolet LED light and ambient light, thus preventing the resin from curing prematurely.

[0040] Similarly, the main body 203 is made of black Teflon, which can prevent the liquid resin in the pipeline from being prematurely cured by the ultraviolet LED and ambient light.

[0041] Reference Figure 2 The curing unit 100 includes a flow channel 108, an extrusion channel 103, and a light source 104. The outer side of the extrusion channel 103 is a housing 101. The flow channel 108 is connected to the first conveying unit 300 and communicates with the extrusion channel 103. The extrusion channel 103 is located outside the flow channel 108, and the flow channel 108 and the extrusion channel 103 are separated by an opaque material. The light outlet of the light source 104 faces the extrusion channel 103.

[0042] The opaque material is a black Teflon tube 107, which forms a flow channel 108. A 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.

[0043] The light source 104 is located outside the transparent Teflon tube 102, with its light outlet facing the extrusion channel 103, allowing light from the light source 104 to enter the extrusion channel 103 and cure the photocurable resin in the extrusion channel 103. An opaque material separates the inflow channel 108 from the extrusion channel 103, preventing light from the light source 104 from entering the inflow channel 108 and thus preventing the photocurable resin in the inflow channel 108 from curing.

[0044] The light source 104 is a violet LED with a power of 1W and a wavelength range of 395nm to 400nm. Understandably, the type of light source 104 can be selected based on the type of resin. Six violet LEDs evenly distributed along the circumference irradiate the liquid resin, causing a photopolymerization reaction that solidifies the resin 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 sources 104 and the size of the grown product 105, ensuring that the light energy of the light sources 104 covers the entire extrusion channel 103, completely illuminating the photocurable resin within the extrusion channel 103, allowing the photocurable resin in the extrusion channel 103 to solidify into the entire grown product 105.

[0045] For example, the inflow channel 108 and the extrusion channel 103 are arranged in parallel, with the extrusion channel 103 located outside the inflow channel 108, such that the solid grown material 105 formed by the growth robot is tubular. The grown pipe can be used to transport materials.

[0046] Reference Figure 2 and Figure 3 The first conveying unit 300 delivers the liquid curing material to the flow channel 108 of the curing unit 100. The liquid curing material flows from the flow channel 108 through the opening 106 into the extrusion channel 103. The light source cures the liquid curing material in the extrusion channel 103. After curing, the cured resin channel is extruded from the extrusion channel 103 under the pressure of the liquid photocurable resin in the extrusion channel 103, forming a new growth 105 resin channel. This photocuring growth cycle is repeated to build the growth 105 resin channel.

[0047] The low frictional resistance and chemical bonding between Teflon and the cured resin can reduce the extrusion resistance of the cured resin in the extrusion channel 103.

[0048] In addition, to reduce the extrusion resistance between the cured resin pipe and the extrusion channel 103, 20% by mass of a lubricating solution is added to the liquid resin. The lubricating solution consists of 65% polyethylene oxide and 35% dimethyl silicone oil. The lubricating solution is immiscible with the UV-cured resin and has a different polarity. The lubricating solution will spontaneously form a lubricating oil film at the interface between the resin and the Teflon pipe wall, reducing the resin extrusion resistance.

[0049] 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 for extrusion during growth. The base 208 can provide initial support and directional guidance for the growth robot.

[0050] The growth robot moves via a moving unit 200 to form a long channel when forming a solid product. The moving unit 200 includes a connector 215, a rocker arm 214, wheels 207, and an elastic element 213; it also includes a hollow cup reduction motor 204 and a bevel gear 206. The hollow cup reduction motor 204 drives the wheels 207 to rotate via the bevel gear 206. By using pairs of wheels 207 to clamp the product 105 and rotate them at different speeds, the growth direction is changed, improving the robot's flexibility.

[0051] The connector 215 and the rocker arm 214 are rotatably connected. The connector 215 is connected to the outside of the main body 203. One end of the rocker arm 214 is connected to the wheel 207. The two ends of the elastic member 213 are connected to the outside of the main body 203 and the other end of the rocker arm 214, respectively.

[0052] There are multiple mobile units 200, for example, four. The four mobile units 200 are arranged circumferentially around the outer side of the main body 203, enabling the growth robot to move stably even in rugged environments. Of course, in other embodiments, the number of mobile units 200 can be set according to the actual application scenario.

[0053] The elastic element 213 is a spring that provides elastic force to the rocker arm 214 and power for the rocker arm 214 to return to its original position. In addition, the elastic element 213 also acts as a buffer during the movement of the growth robot.

[0054] During the growth cycle, the wheel 207 rotates to provide extrusion force to the growth material 105, and the frictional force assists in the extrusion of the growth material 105. The elastic element 213 applies a spring force to one end of the rocker arm 214, pushing the wheel 207 to press tightly against the tube wall of the growth material 105, so that sufficient friction is generated between the wheel 207 and the growth material 105.

[0055] A light-transmitting cover is provided at the front end of the main body 203, and a camera 209 is installed inside the light-transmitting cover. Multiple light sensors 210 are arranged circumferentially inside the light-transmitting cover. An attitude sensor 211 is also provided on the main body 203. A controller 212 is also provided on the light-transmitting cover. The camera 209 is a crucial component for the growth robot's deep-penetration environmental detection, providing environmental image information. The light sensors 210 can sense the intensity of light; four light sensors 210 are evenly arranged circumferentially around the robot's head, and the direction with the highest reading among the light sensors 210 can be considered the direction of light. The attitude sensor 211 detects the position and attitude of the robot's tip and impact vibrations. The controller 212 is a microcontroller that controls the robot's movement based on the sensor data.

[0056] The controller 212 is also connected to the mobile unit 200, and controls the direction and speed of travel of the mobile unit 200 through the controller 212.

[0057] Reference Figure 3 When the light direction is determined to be directly above the growth robot based on data analysis from the light sensor 210, the growth robot grows vertically upwards. When the light direction is determined to be at a certain angle to the robot's axis based on data analysis from the light sensor 210, the four light sensors 210 arranged circumferentially at the tip of the growth robot sense the orientation and intensity of the light, and the attitude sensor 211 reads the attitude angle of the growth robot's tip. This data is used as input for the specified growth strategy. The growth robot adopts the same phototropic and terrain-avoidance growth strategy as plants, that is, the tip bends towards the direction of strong light and the stem grows against the direction of gravity.

[0058] The principle of the robot's bending growth is as follows. Taking the example of the robot's tip bending to the left during growth: The light sensor 210 on the left detects stronger light, and the controller 212 makes a decision to control the robot's tip to turn to the left. The right wheel 207 accelerates its rotation, while the left wheel 207 decelerates, creating a speed difference that causes the tip to deflect to the left. After deflection, the tip continues the photocuring growth cycle, constructing a curved growth tube 105, allowing the robot tip to change its growth direction. During the turning process, the wheel 207 remains in close contact with the growth tube wall 105 under the elastic force of the elastic element 213, preventing the wheel 207 from slipping. Two wheels 207 form a group, and controlling the speed difference between the two wheels 207 allows the robot tip to turn in any direction.

[0059] The growth robot, equipped with a wireless communication unit, can wirelessly transmit images captured by camera 209 to the operator's host computer interface after venturing into an unknown environment. After assessing the environment, the operator can manually send steering control commands to the growth robot, or autonomously decide its growth direction based on information from its own light sensor 210 and attitude sensor 211. The growth robot's autonomous growth strategy mimics the phototropism and geotropism of plants. When the robot's tip encounters an obstacle during growth, the attitude sensor 211 senses the impact vibration, and the robot turns to grow in the opposite direction of the impact. Upon completion of growth, the robot produces a curved, tubular solid growth structure 105, which supports the robot's tip and transports growth materials. The growth structure 105 has a certain degree of elasticity, providing cushioning when the robot's tip encounters obstacles and allowing it to passively bend to adapt to the environment. In special circumstances, the growth robot can forcefully push aside obstacles and traverse the environment using the extrusion pressure generated by the liquid resin and the auxiliary pushing force of the wheels 207.

[0060] After the growth robot completes the construction of the growth material 105, the robot's tip can detach from the growth material 105, leaving behind a channel formed by the growth material 105. Materials can be transported from the outside to the confined environment through this channel. For example, during search and rescue operations, drinking water and nutrient solutions can be delivered to those trapped under rubble to sustain their lives.

[0061] 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 dissolved materials. The second container 410 is connected to the second pump body 420 through a pipe. The second pump body 420 is connected to the extrusion channel 103 through a pipe.

[0062] For example, the dissolving material is an organic solvent such as dichloromethane, which has a high solubility for the cured resin. The second container 410 is a storage tank that stores the dissolving material. The second delivery unit 400 uses a second pump body 420 to transport the dissolving material stored in the second container 410 through a pipeline to the extrusion channel 103 of the curing unit 100.

[0063] After completing the exploration task, the growth robot can reverse-grow and recover the grown material 105 from its tip. The first pump 320, which delivers the resin, needs to be shut off, and dissolving material needs to be added from the tip of the growth robot into the extrusion channel 103. During the dissolution process, waste liquid flows out through the opening on the black Teflon tube 107 and the pipe of the grown material 105. Simultaneously, the wheels 207 rotate in the opposite direction, causing the robot to crawl backwards on the grown material 105 until it reaches the root of the grown material 105, at which point the grown material 105 is completely dissolved.

[0064] Additionally, when the grown material 105 does not meet the actual requirements, the first pump 320 for delivering resin is shut off, and dissolving material is added from the tip of the growth robot into the extrusion channel 103. During the dissolution process, waste liquid flows out through the opening on the black Teflon tube 107 and the pipe of the grown material 105. At the same time, the wheel 207 rotates in the opposite direction, causing the robot to crawl in reverse on the grown material 105, partially dissolving the incorrect grown material 105. Then, the second pump 420 for delivering dissolving material is shut off, and the first pump 320 for delivering resin is turned on to continue forming a new grown material 105, thus modifying the grown material 105 and improving fault tolerance.

[0065] Reference Figure 5 The growth robot (as shown by the blue line in the figure) can pass through the gaps in the blades of an aero-engine using a micro-motion obstacle avoidance strategy, and use the camera at its end to detect the damage to the blades inside the aero-engine.

[0066] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, or improvements made within the spirit and principles of this disclosure, as long as they achieve the same technical effects, should be included within the scope of protection of this disclosure and fall under the protection scope of the present invention. Within the protection scope of the present invention, the technical solutions and / or implementation methods can have various modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A cutting-edge self-growing obstacle avoidance robot based on photopolymerization principle, characterized in that, include: Main body (203); A moving unit (200) is disposed on the main body (203); A first conveying unit (300) is connected to the main body (203) and is used to convey liquid solidification material to the main body (203). A curing unit (100) is disposed on the main body (203) and is used to cure the liquid curing material to obtain a solid growth (105). The second conveying unit (400) is connected to the main body (203) and is used to convey the dissolved material to the main body (203) to dissolve the solid growth (105) into a liquid solidified material. The moving unit (200) includes a connector (215), a rocker arm (214), a wheel (207), and an elastic element (213); the connector (215) and the rocker arm (214) are rotatably connected, the connector (215) is connected to the outside of the main body (203), one end of the rocker arm (214) is connected to the wheel (207), and both ends of the elastic element (213) are connected to the outside of the main body (203) and the other end of the rocker arm (214), respectively. The second conveying unit (400) includes a second container (410), a second pump body (420), and an extrusion channel (103). The second container (410) is used to store dissolved materials. The second container (410) is connected to the second pump body (420) through a pipe, and the second pump body (420) is connected to the extrusion channel (103) through a pipe.

2. The tip-based self-growing obstacle avoidance robot based on photopolymerization principle according to claim 1, characterized in that, There are multiple moving units (200), and the multiple moving units (200) are arranged circumferentially around the outer side of the main body (203).

3. The tip-based self-growing obstacle avoidance robot based on photopolymerization principle according to claim 1, characterized in that, The curing unit (100) includes a flow channel (108), an extrusion channel (103), and a light source (104). The flow channel (108) is connected to the first conveying unit (300), and the flow channel (108) communicates with the extrusion channel (103). The extrusion channel (103) is located outside the flow channel (108), and the flow channel (108) and the extrusion channel (103) are separated by an opaque material. The light outlet of the light source (104) faces the extrusion channel (103).

4. The tip-based self-growing obstacle avoidance robot based on photopolymerization principle according to claim 3, characterized in that, The extrusion channel (103) of the main body (203) is connected to the base (208).

5. The tip-based self-growing obstacle avoidance robot based on photopolymerization principle according to claim 3, characterized in that, The first delivery unit (300) includes a first container (310) and a first pump body (320). The first container (310) is used to store liquid solidification material. The first container (310) is connected to the first pump body (320) through a pipe. The first pump body (320) is connected to the flow channel (108) through a pipe.

6. The tip-based self-growing obstacle avoidance robot based on photopolymerization principle according to claim 1, characterized in that, The front end of the main body (203) is provided with a light-transmitting cover, and a camera (209) is provided inside the light-transmitting cover.

7. The tip-based self-growing obstacle avoidance robot based on photopolymerization principle according to claim 6, characterized in that, Multiple light sensors (210) are arranged circumferentially inside the light-transmitting cover.

8. The tip-based self-growing obstacle avoidance robot based on photopolymerization principle according to claim 1, characterized in that, The main body (203) is equipped with an attitude sensor (211).

Images