Space miniature soft robot based on dielectric elastomer

Abstract

The invention relates to a space miniature soft robot based on a dielectric elastomer, and belongs to the technical field of space miniature soft robots. Comprising six multi-section driving legs, a high-voltage conversion module, a power supply module and a control module, the control module is of a horizontally-placed regular hexagon plate-shaped structure. The high-voltage conversion module and the power module are mounted on the upper surface of the control module; the multi-section driving leg is of a rectangular plate-shaped structure; the six multi-section driving legs are uniformly arranged in the circumferential direction of the control module; each multi-section driving leg is in butt joint with one side edge of the control module; the six multi-section driving legs are arranged in a divergent manner; the lower surfaces of the control module and the six multi-section driving legs are adhered to the surface of an external spacecraft; the invention provides a centimeter-level robot capable of adsorbing and moving on the surface of a spacecraft.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of space micro soft robots and relates to a space micro soft robot based on a dielectric elastomer. Background Art

[0002] With the increase of space activities, the number of on-orbit assets such as space stations, satellites and scientific instruments continues to increase. Accordingly, the demand for services such as aging, failure, maintenance and upgrading is becoming increasingly prominent. Faced with the high-cost and high-risk extravehicular maintenance constraints, the development of on-orbit maintenance space robots has become an inevitable trend to change the future space economic environment. In recent years, the international community has conducted in-depth research on key robot technologies for space debris capture, multi-arm collaborative operations, rigid-flexible coupling contact and collision, and has achieved remarkable results, such as the Canadian space station robotic arm, the European Space Agency's extravehicular robot system, and China's seven-degree-of-freedom space robotic arm. However, traditional space robots will lose some or all of their mobility in confined spaces such as pores or narrow passages, making it difficult to detect, operate and maintain, resulting in an increase in space debris and an increase in usage costs. Although the modular replacement strategy has achieved certain results in reducing operating costs, it has put forward higher requirements for modular production and manufacturing of spacecraft. Space microrobots usually refer to millimeter-level or centimeter-level robots, which provide new solutions to the above challenges with their advantages of high precision, low cost, good flexibility and high fault tolerance. Therefore, the development of micro-robot technology is one of the important trends in future on-orbit maintenance robots, which can greatly promote the widespread application of on-orbit maintenance.

[0003] Flexible drive technology uses flexible materials and structures to achieve the movement and control of micro-robots. Compared with traditional robot systems composed of rigid materials, flexible drive robots have the advantages of small size, low cost, strong adaptability, simplified structure, reduced components and good mechanical compliance. These characteristics enable micro-robots based on flexible drive to operate flexibly in complex and challenging environments. A spacecraft surface adsorption crawling and operation robot (CN114148552 B) and an autonomous sensing and moving spacecraft surface crawling robot (CN113665852 B) are patents that are relatively close to the technical features of this patent. Although both have proposed technical solutions for spacecraft surface adsorption and movement, the driving structure used is traditional rigid components such as servos, gears, and grippers. This robot composed of a large number of rigid structures and mechanisms makes it difficult to break through the weight and size limits as a whole, and is difficult to be applied to operations or docking processes in a more confined space environment. Robots based on flexible driving materials can achieve smaller mass and scale. The patent "A multi-motion mode microrobot and its motion control method" (CN 114872013 B) mentions the use of dielectric elastomers or thermodynamic materials as driving materials for leg-like gait movement, but the application scenario is not space, so the harsh deep space environment is not considered. Summary of the invention

[0004] The technical problem solved by the present invention is: to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art, to propose a space micro soft robot based on dielectric elastomer, and to provide a centimeter-scale robot that can be adsorbed and moved on the surface of a spacecraft.

[0005] The solution of the present invention is:

[0006] A space micro soft robot based on dielectric elastomer, including 6 multi-segment driving legs, a high-voltage conversion module, a power module and a control module;

[0007] Among them, the control module is a horizontally placed regular hexagonal plate structure; the high-voltage conversion module and the power module are installed on the upper surface of the control module; the multi-segment driving legs are rectangular plate structures; the six multi-segment driving legs are evenly arranged along the circumference of the control module; each multi-segment driving leg is connected to a side edge of the control module; the six multi-segment driving legs are arranged divergently; the lower surfaces of the control module and the six multi-segment driving legs are adhered to the external spacecraft surface.

[0008] In the above-mentioned dielectric elastomer-based space micro soft robot, the multi-segment driving leg includes a dielectric elastomer frame, n dielectric elastomers, n upper flexible electrodes, n lower flexible electrodes, n upper prestressed membranes, n lower prestressed membranes and n flexible solar films;

[0009] Among them, the dielectric elastomer frame is composed of n joints; each joint is provided with a rectangular groove; each groove is filled with a dielectric elastomer; an upper flexible electrode is attached to the upper surface of each dielectric elastomer; an upper prestressed membrane is attached to the upper surface of each upper flexible electrode; a flexible solar film is attached to the upper surface of each upper prestressed membrane; a lower flexible electrode is attached to the lower surface of each dielectric elastomer; a lower prestressed membrane is attached to the lower surface of each lower flexible electrode; n is a positive integer not less than 3.

[0010] In the above-mentioned dielectric elastomer-based spatial micro soft robot, solar energy is obtained through a flexible solar film; the power module stores the solar energy as direct current, and drives the multi-stage driving legs to move through the high-voltage conversion module.

[0011] In the above-mentioned dielectric elastomer-based spatial micro soft robot, each joint of the dielectric elastomer frame is individually controlled.

[0012] In the above-mentioned dielectric elastomer-based space micro soft robot, when the space micro soft robot is completely unpowered, the six multi-segment driving legs are bent radially from the top toward the center, forming a spherical state.

[0013] In the above-mentioned space micro soft robot based on dielectric elastomer, the upper prestressed membrane and the lower prestressed membrane of each joint are pre-stretched; the thickness of the upper prestressed membrane is less than the thickness of the lower prestressed membrane; under the action of prestress, the dielectric elastomer will show a certain curvature; when the space micro soft robot is completely unpowered, the upward bending of each joint forms a multi-segment driving leg that bends radially from the top to the center.

[0014] In the above-mentioned space micro soft robot based on dielectric elastomer, when the space micro soft robot is fully powered on, the Maxwell force generated between the upper flexible electrode and the lower flexible electrode causes the dielectric elastomer in the middle to be compressed and deformed, and each joint is extended to a horizontal state, realizing the multi-stage driving leg extension into a rectangular plate structure.

[0015] In the above-mentioned dielectric elastomer-based spatial micro soft robot, by applying different amounts of voltage to each joint and utilizing the deformation principle of the dielectric elastomer unit, the multi-stage driving legs are controlled to bend to different degrees to achieve various deformations.

[0016] In the above-mentioned dielectric elastomer-based space micro soft robot, after the upper flexible electrode and the lower flexible electrode are energized, an electric field is formed at the edge of the electrode, inducing the charge on the surface of the external spacecraft, thereby forming a stable electric adhesion force.

[0017] In the above-mentioned dielectric elastomer-based space micro-soft robot, when the space micro-soft robot is completely unpowered, one of the multi-segment driving legs is powered to make the corresponding joint of the multi-segment driving leg unfold and electrically adhere to the surface of the external spacecraft; and through voltage control, the spherical state of the space micro-soft robot is realized by rolling along the multi-segment driving leg. Due to the zero-gravity environment in space, the torque generated by the bending of each joint of the multi-segment driving leg drives the entire space micro-soft robot to roll and flip; by controlling multiple multi-segment driving legs, the free rolling of the space micro-soft robot on the surface of the external spacecraft is realized.

[0018] The beneficial effects of the present invention compared with the prior art are:

[0019] (1) The space micro soft robot of the present invention is a millimeter-level or centimeter-level robot, with its advantages of high precision, low cost, good flexibility and high fault tolerance;

[0020] (2) The present invention realizes the motion and control of the micro robot by using flexible materials and structures. Compared with the traditional robot system composed of rigid materials, the flexible drive robot has the advantages of small size, low cost, strong adaptability, simplified structure, reduced parts and good mechanical compliance;

[0021] (3) The present invention not only realizes the change of various shapes of the space micro soft robot through voltage control, but also realizes rolling and flipping on the surface of the external spacecraft and free movement. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the space micro-soft robot of the present invention in a fully powered-on state;

[0023] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the space micro-soft robot of the present invention in a completely power-free state;

[0024] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the changes in the joints of the multi-stage driving legs of the space micro soft robot of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the electric adhesion and rolling of the space micro soft robot of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the embodiments.

[0027] The present invention provides a space micro soft robot based on dielectric elastomer, which can realize various deformation capabilities of each driving leg from bending to unfolding to horizontal state. At the same time, by controlling multiple multi-segment driving legs, the space micro robot can realize free rolling on the surface of the spacecraft.

[0028] Space micro soft robots based on dielectric elastomers, such as Figure 1 As shown, it specifically includes 6 multi-segment drive legs 1, a high-voltage conversion module 2, a power module 3 and a control module 4. Among them, the control module 4 is a horizontally placed regular hexagonal plate-shaped structure; the high-voltage conversion module 2 and the power module 3 are installed on the upper surface of the control module 4; the multi-segment drive leg 1 is a rectangular plate-shaped structure; the 6 multi-segment drive legs 1 are evenly arranged along the circumference of the control module 4; each multi-segment drive leg 1 is connected to a side of the control module 4; the 6 multi-segment drive legs 1 are arranged divergently; the lower surfaces of the control module 4 and the 6 multi-segment drive legs 1 are adhered to the external spacecraft surface.

[0029] The multi-stage driving leg 1 comprises a dielectric elastomer frame 15, n dielectric elastomers 14, n upper flexible electrodes 13, n lower flexible electrodes 23, n upper prestressed membranes 12, n lower prestressed membranes 22 and n flexible solar films 11. The dielectric elastomer frame 15 is composed of n joints; each joint is provided with a rectangular groove; each groove is filled with a dielectric elastomer 14; an upper flexible electrode 13 is attached to the upper surface of each dielectric elastomer 14; an upper prestressed membrane 12 is attached to the upper surface of each upper flexible electrode 13; a flexible solar film 11 is attached to the upper surface of each upper prestressed membrane 12; a lower flexible electrode 23 is attached to the lower surface of each dielectric elastomer 14; a lower prestressed membrane 22 is attached to the lower surface of each lower flexible electrode 23; and n is a positive integer not less than 3.

[0030] Solar energy is obtained through the flexible solar film 11; the power module 3 stores the solar energy as direct current, and drives the multi-stage driving leg 1 to move through the high-voltage conversion module 2. Each joint of the dielectric elastomer frame 15 is individually controlled.

[0031] like Figure 2 As shown, when the space micro soft robot is completely powered off, the six multi-stage driving legs 1 are bent radially from the top to the center, forming a spherical shape. The upper prestressed membrane 12 and the lower prestressed membrane 22 of each joint are pre-stretched; the thickness of the upper prestressed membrane 12 is less than that of the lower prestressed membrane 22; under the action of prestress, the dielectric elastomer 14 will show a certain curvature; when the space micro soft robot is completely powered off, the upward bending of each joint forms a multi-stage driving leg 1 that is bent radially from the top to the center.

[0032] like Figure 3 As shown, when the space micro soft robot is fully powered on, the Maxwell force generated between the upper flexible electrode 13 and the lower flexible electrode 23 causes the middle dielectric elastomer 14 to be compressed and deformed, and each joint is stretched to a horizontal state, thereby realizing the multi-stage driving leg 1 being stretched into a rectangular plate-like structure.

[0033] By applying different voltages to each joint and utilizing the deformation principle of the dielectric elastomer unit, the multi-stage driving leg 1 is controlled to bend to different degrees to achieve various deformations.

[0034] like Figure 4 As shown, after the upper flexible electrode 13 and the lower flexible electrode 23 are energized, an electric field is formed at the edges of the electrodes, inducing the charge on the surface of the external spacecraft, thereby forming a stable electric adhesion force.

[0035] When the space micro-soft robot is completely unpowered, one of the multi-segment driving legs 1 is powered so that the corresponding joint of the multi-segment driving leg 1 is unfolded and electrically adhered to the surface of the external spacecraft; and through voltage control, the spherical space micro-soft robot is realized by rolling along the multi-segment driving leg 1. Due to the zero-gravity environment in space, the torque generated by the bending of each joint of the multi-segment driving leg 1 drives the entire space micro-soft robot to roll and flip; by controlling multiple multi-segment driving legs 1, the free rolling of the space micro-soft robot on the surface of the external spacecraft is realized.

[0036] The space micro robot of the present invention is composed of 6 multi-stage driving legs 1 and a high-voltage conversion module 2, a power module 3, and a control module 4 in the central part, wherein the multi-stage driving leg 1 is a multi-layer structure, and the uppermost layer is a flexible solar film 11, which is the energy source of the space robot. The power module 3 stores solar energy as direct current, and drives the multi-stage driving leg 1 to move through the high-voltage conversion module 2. The multi-stage driving leg is composed of a plurality of joints, each of which can be controlled separately, and the joints are supported and connected by a dielectric elastomer frame 15, and the inside of the frame is a dielectric elastomer 14, and the upper and lower flexible electrodes 13 and the lower flexible electrodes 23 are respectively attached to the upper and lower parts of the dielectric elastomer 14, and the outer layer is an upper prestressed film 12 and a lower prestressed film 22.

[0037] When the space micro robot is fully powered on, Figure 1 As shown, in the completely power-off state Figure 2 The deformation principle is as follows: Figure 3As shown, they are respectively the deformation principle of the dielectric elastomer unit, the deformation principle of the multi-segment driving leg and the deformation schematic diagram of the micro robot. For the dielectric elastomer unit, the upper prestressed membrane 12 and the lower prestressed membrane 22 are pre-stretched, and the thickness of the upper prestressed membrane 12 is set to be smaller than the lower prestressed membrane 22. Under the action of prestress, the dielectric elastomer will show a certain curvature. After the given voltage is applied, the Maxwell force generated between the upper flexible electrode 13 and the lower flexible electrode 23 causes the dielectric elastomer 14 in the middle to be compressed and deformed, and finally causes the dielectric elastomer unit to stretch to a horizontal state. For the multi-segment driving leg 1, it is composed of multiple dielectric elastomer units connected in series. By applying voltage to each joint and utilizing the principle of deformation of the dielectric elastomer unit, the bending of the multi-segment driving leg 1 to different degrees can be controlled. When the given voltage is applied to each joint, the multi-segment driving leg 1 can be in a horizontal state. Similarly, a spatial micro robot can be formed by a circular array of multiple multi-segment driving legs. After applying a given voltage, the space microrobot can achieve a variety of deformation capabilities of each driving leg from bending to unfolding to horizontal state.

[0038] like Figure 4 The figure shows the principle of electric adhesion and rolling of the space micro robot. After the upper flexible electrode 13 and the lower flexible electrode 23 are energized, an electric field will be formed at the edge of the electrode, inducing the charge on the surface of the spacecraft, and then forming a stable electric adhesion force. By sequentially controlling each section of the dielectric elastomer unit, the rolling motion of the space micro robot from a to f is realized. It is worth noting that, from state d to state e, the electric adhesion force makes the robot fit together with the surface of the spacecraft. Due to the zero gravity environment in space, the torque generated by the bending of the dielectric elastomer unit is sufficient to make the entire robot roll and flip. By controlling multiple multi-segment drive legs 1, the free rolling of the space micro robot on the surface of the spacecraft can be realized.

[0039] The space micro soft robot of the present invention is a millimeter-level or centimeter-level robot, and has the advantages of high precision, low cost, good flexibility and high fault tolerance.

[0040] The present invention realizes the movement and control of the micro-robot by adopting flexible materials and structures. Compared with the traditional robot system composed of rigid materials, the flexible-driven robot exhibits the advantages of small size, low cost, strong adaptability, simplified structure, reduced parts and good mechanical compliance.

[0041] The present invention not only realizes the change of various shapes of the space micro soft robot through voltage control, but also realizes rolling, flipping and free movement on the surface of the external spacecraft.

[0042] Although the present invention has been disclosed as above in the form of a preferred embodiment, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the art may make possible changes and modifications to the technical solution of the present invention by using the methods and technical contents disclosed above without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, any simple modifications, equivalent changes and modifications made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the content of the technical solution of the present invention shall fall within the protection scope of the technical solution of the present invention.

Claims

1. A space micro soft robot based on dielectric elastomer, characterized by: It includes six multi-stage driving legs (1), a high-voltage conversion module (2), a power module (3) and a control module (4); The control module (4) is a horizontally placed regular hexagonal plate-shaped structure; the high-voltage conversion module (2) and the power module (3) are installed on the upper surface of the control module (4); the multi-segment drive leg (1) is a rectangular plate-shaped structure; the six multi-segment drive legs (1) are evenly arranged along the circumference of the control module (4); each multi-segment drive leg (1) is connected to a side edge of the control module (4); the six multi-segment drive legs (1) are arranged in a divergent manner; and the lower surfaces of the control module (4) and the six multi-segment drive legs (1) are adhered to the external spacecraft surface.

2. The space micro soft robot based on dielectric elastomer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The multi-section driving leg (1) comprises a dielectric elastomer frame (15), n dielectric elastomers (14), n upper flexible electrodes (13), n lower flexible electrodes (23), n upper prestressed membranes (12), n lower prestressed membranes (22) and n flexible solar films (11); The dielectric elastomer frame (15) is composed of n joints; each joint is provided with a rectangular groove; each groove is filled with a dielectric elastomer (14); an upper flexible electrode (13) is attached to the upper surface of each dielectric elastomer (14); an upper prestressed membrane (12) is attached to the upper surface of each upper flexible electrode (13); a flexible solar film (11) is attached to the upper surface of each upper prestressed membrane (12); a lower flexible electrode (23) is attached to the lower surface of each dielectric elastomer (14); a lower prestressed membrane (22) is attached to the lower surface of each lower flexible electrode (23); and n is a positive integer not less than 3.

3. The space micro soft robot based on dielectric elastomer according to claim 2, characterized in that: Solar energy is obtained through a flexible solar film (11); a power module (3) stores the solar energy as direct current, and a high-voltage conversion module (2) drives the multi-stage driving leg (1) to move.

4. The space micro soft robot based on dielectric elastomer according to claim 3, characterized in that: Each joint of the dielectric elastomer frame (15) is independently controlled.

5. The space micro soft robot based on dielectric elastomer according to claim 4, characterized in that: When the space micro soft robot is completely unpowered, the six multi-segment driving legs (1) are bent radially from the top toward the center to form a spherical shape.

6. The space micro soft robot based on dielectric elastomer according to claim 5, characterized in that: The upper prestressed membrane (12) and the lower prestressed membrane (22) of each joint are pre-stretched; the thickness of the upper prestressed membrane (12) is smaller than the thickness of the lower prestressed membrane (22); under the effect of prestress, the dielectric elastomer (14) will show a certain curvature; when the space micro soft robot is completely de-energized, the upward curvature of each joint forms a multi-segment driving leg (1) that bends radially from the top toward the center.

7. The space micro soft robot based on dielectric elastomer according to claim 5, characterized in that: When the space micro soft robot is fully powered on, the Maxwell force generated between the upper flexible electrode (13) and the lower flexible electrode (23) causes the dielectric elastomer (14) in the middle to be compressed and deformed, and each joint is extended to a horizontal state, thereby achieving the extension of the multi-stage driving leg (1) into a rectangular plate-like structure.

8. The dielectric elastomer-based spatial micro soft robot according to claim 7, characterized in that: By applying different voltages to each joint and utilizing the principle of deformation of a dielectric elastic body unit, the bending of the multi-segment drive leg (1) to different degrees is controlled to achieve various deformations.

9. The dielectric elastomer-based spatial micro soft robot according to claim 8, characterized in that: After the upper flexible electrode (13) and the lower flexible electrode (23) are energized, an electric field is formed at the edges of the electrodes, inducing electric charges on the surface of the external spacecraft, thereby forming a stable electric adhesion force.

10. The dielectric elastomer-based spatial micro soft robot according to claim 9, characterized in that: When the space micro soft robot is in a completely power-free state, one of the multi-segment driving legs (1) is powered, so that the corresponding joint of the multi-segment driving leg (1) is unfolded and electrically adhered to the surface of an external spacecraft; and through voltage control, the space micro soft robot in a spherical state is rolled along the multi-segment driving leg (1). Due to the zero-gravity environment in space, the torque generated by the bending of each joint of the multi-segment driving leg (1) is used to drive the entire space micro soft robot to roll and flip; by controlling multiple multi-segment driving legs (1), the space micro soft robot can roll freely on the surface of an external spacecraft.

Images