A control method and system of a self-moving printing caterpillar type 3D printing robot

Abstract

The application belongs to the technical field of industrial robots, and discloses a control method and system of a self-moving printing caterpillar type 3D printing robot. The method comprises the following steps: obtaining the current position and target position of the 3D printing robot, planning a movement path of the current 3D printing robot from the current position to the target position and moving to the target position according to the planned movement path; obtaining the real-time relative pose between the 3D printing robot's car head and a preset marker and comparing it with a preset relative pose, if the real-time relative pose is inconsistent with the preset relative pose, planning an attitude adjustment path of the car head and adjusting the attitude of the car head according to the path until the real-time relative pose is consistent with the preset relative pose; and the 3D printing robot prints at the current position and attitude. Through the application, the problem that the 3D printing robot cannot realize self-moving and self-adaptive adjustment of its own pose is solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of industrial robot technology, and more specifically, relates to a control method and system for a tracked 3D printing robot that can move and print autonomously. Background Technology

[0002] The autonomous mobile 3D printing robot system consists of a tracked vehicle system, a 3D printing module, and a control system that can move autonomously and adaptively adjust its own posture. The tracked vehicle serves as the driving platform, and the robotic arm serves as the 3D printing execution mechanism. With the addition of relevant control modules for movement planning and adaptive posture adjustment, it can ultimately complete the printing task of target structures that are beyond the coverage area of ​​the robotic arm when it is stationary.

[0003] Currently, besides the tracked 3D printing robot described in this invention, the existing patent database contains two other 3D printing platforms with different structural compositions (CN109878581B and CN 213675480U) that can also achieve mobile printing. These other two mobile 3D printing platforms not only have redundant hardware structures and limited functionalities, but also lack intelligent, adaptive control systems, making it impossible for the entire device to autonomously perform 3D printing tasks.

[0004] CN109878581B discloses a tracked walking device for a 3D printing robot and a 3D printing robot itself. The overall device comprises a small tracked printing actuator at the front and a large tracked material storage device at the rear, with material transferred between the actuator and the material storage device via a corrugated pipe. Analysis reveals that the small tracked actuator's movement trajectory is too fixed, limiting its ability to print straight lines and curves with limited curvature, thus restricting the number of digital models it can print. Furthermore, the physical separation of the printing actuator and material storage device makes it impossible to guarantee absolute synchronization between the front and rear devices during printing. The cumbersome and inefficient hardware design significantly increases the failure rate of material ejection during printing. In addition, the overall device lacks an intelligent decision-making and control system, requiring significant human intervention and unable to operate autonomously without human intervention. This does not align with current market trends in mobile 3D printing technology.

[0005] CN 213675480U discloses a tracked 3D printing mobile robot. The overall device comprises a tracked vehicle and an onboard 3D printing structure. The support structure of the onboard 3D printing structure can be adjusted in height according to the needs of the constructed object being printed. This invention breaks away from the traditional frame-type structure of 3D printing, changing the spatial limitations of 3D printing technology. Compared to CN109878581B, this device improves the material storage method by directly connecting the printing nozzle to the storage tank. However, the printing port of this device can only perform two-dimensional printing, printing in the third dimension by simply adjusting the height of the support structure. Therefore, it can only print small, simple three-dimensional models, lacking flexibility and unable to adapt to most construction scenarios. Furthermore, like CN109878581B, the overall device lacks an intelligent decision-making control system, requiring a high degree of human intervention and unable to print autonomously without human intervention. Accordingly, there is an urgent need in the field to find more comprehensive solutions, combining artificial intelligence technology to innovate mobile 3D printing technology that better meets the needs of the times. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In view of the above-mentioned defects or improvement needs of the existing technology, the present invention provides a control method and system for a tracked 3D printing robot that can move and print autonomously, solving the problem that 3D printing robots cannot achieve autonomous movement and adaptive adjustment of their own posture.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, according to one aspect of the present invention, a control method for an autonomously mobile, tracked 3D printing robot is provided, the method comprising the following steps:

[0008] The system acquires images of the area surrounding the 3D printing robot and determines whether there are obstacles within a preset range. If obstacles exist, the system controls the 3D printing robot to move towards the side without obstacles until there are no obstacles within the preset range.

[0009] The system obtains the current position and target position of the 3D printing robot, plans the motion path of the 3D printing robot from the current position to the target position, and the 3D printing robot moves to the target position according to the planned motion path.

[0010] The real-time relative pose between the front of the 3D printing robot and the preset marker is obtained and compared with the preset relative pose. If the real-time relative pose is inconsistent with the preset relative pose, the pose adjustment path of the front is planned and the pose of the front is adjusted according to the path until the real-time relative pose is consistent with the preset relative pose.

[0011] The 3D printing robot prints in its current position and posture, thereby achieving autonomous movement and adaptive printing.

[0012] More preferably, the planned attitude adjustment path of the vehicle front is obtained in the following manner:

[0013] The image of the preset marker is acquired under the current pose of the 3D printing robot's front end. The features of the acquired image are extracted and matched with the features at the calibrated preset relative pose. The posture adjustment path of the robot's front end is planned based on the angle difference between the current pose and the preset relative pose.

[0014] More preferably, the feature extraction employs scale-invariant feature transformation, Harris corner detection, or histogram of oriented gradients, and the feature matching employs nearest neighbor matching or nearest neighbor ratio.

[0015] According to another aspect of the present invention, a tracked 3D printing robot capable of autonomous mobile printing is provided. The 3D printing robot includes an image acquisition module, an image processing module, a motion path planning module, a posture adjustment path planning module, a motion control module, and a 3D printing module, wherein:

[0016] The image acquisition module is used to acquire images of the area surrounding the 3D printing robot;

[0017] The image processing module is connected to the image acquisition module and is used to process the images acquired by the image acquisition module. Based on the image processing results, it can determine whether there are obstacles in the 3D printing robot within a preset range, or determine the current position of the 3D printing robot based on the image processing results, or determine the real-time relative pose between the front of the 3D printing robot and the preset marker based on the image processing results, and determine whether the real-time relative pose is consistent with the preset relative pose.

[0018] The motion path planning path is connected to the image processing module to obtain the current position and target position of the 3D printing robot and plan the motion path of the 3D printing robot.

[0019] The posture adjustment path planning module is connected to the image processing module and is used to obtain the real-time relative pose between the 3D printing robot's front end and the preset marker, and to plan the posture adjustment path of the 3D printing robot.

[0020] The motion control module is connected to the motion path planning module and the posture adjustment planning module, and is used to control the movement of the 3D printing robot according to the planned motion path and posture adjustment path, respectively.

[0021] The 3D printing module is used for 3D printing.

[0022] More preferably, the 3D printing robot also includes a displacement sensing module, which is used to measure the distance between the 3D printing robot and its surrounding objects, thereby assisting the graphics processing unit in obtaining the current position of the 3D printing robot and the real-time relative pose between the front of the 3D printing robot and the preset marker.

[0023] More preferably, the displacement sensing module uses multiple ultrasonic sensors to measure the distance between the 3D printed robot and its surrounding objects.

[0024] More preferably, the 3D printing module includes a 3D printing mechanism and a robotic arm, wherein the 3D printing mechanism is disposed at the end of the robotic arm and is used to perform 3D printing according to a preset printing path.

[0025] More preferably, the motion control module adopts a tracked vehicle chassis and a drive mechanism, with the drive mechanism driving the tracked chassis to move.

[0026] More preferably, the motion control module, displacement sensing module, and image acquisition module are controlled by a PLC.

[0027] According to another aspect of the present invention, a computer-readable storage medium is provided having a computer program stored thereon for implementing the control method for an autonomously mobile and printable tracked 3D printing robot described above.

[0028] In summary, the technical solutions conceived by this invention have the following beneficial effects compared with the prior art:

[0029] 1. In this invention, the current position of the 3D printing robot is determined by intelligently recognizing the images around the robot, and a motion path is planned based on the difference between the current position and the target position. In addition, the real-time relative pose of the 3D printing robot's front is intelligently recognized, and a pose adjustment path is planned based on the pose. Finally, the robot moves according to the planned motion path and the pose adjustment path, thereby realizing the autonomous movement and adaptive pose adjustment of the 3D printing robot.

[0030] 2. By combining modules such as image acquisition, displacement sensing, and motion path planning, this invention provides the overall mobile 3D printing device with a control system that enables autonomous movement and adaptive adjustment of its own posture. This achieves the goal of eliminating the need for manual operation and coordination during the printing process, allowing the device to move autonomously along the planned path and adaptively adjust its posture at each target printing point. Attached Figure Description

[0031] Figure 1 This is a flowchart of a control method for a tracked 3D printing robot capable of autonomous mobile printing, constructed according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the modular structure of a tracked 3D printing robot capable of autonomous mobile printing, constructed according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the specific structure of a tracked 3D printing robot capable of autonomous mobile printing constructed according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the motion control module constructed according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a robotic arm constructed according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the 3D printing mechanism constructed according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In all the figures, the same reference numerals are used to denote the same elements or structures, wherein:

[0037] 1- Track, 2- Image acquisition module, 3- Displacement sensing module, 4- Motion path planning module, 5- 3D printing module, 6- 3D printing mechanism, 7- Chassis, 8- Drive mechanism, 9- Robotic arm end effector, 10- Joint, 11- Robotic arm chassis, 12- Linkage, 13- Motion control mechanism, 14- Storage bin, 15- Feed pipe, 16- Servo motor, 17- Pressure injector, 18- Nozzle, 19- Reducer, 20- Feed port, 21- Spiral rod. Detailed Implementation

[0038] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the invention. Furthermore, the technical features involved in the various embodiments of this invention described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0039] like Figure 2 and 3 As shown, a tracked 3D printing robot capable of autonomous mobile printing includes an image acquisition module 2, an image processing module, a motion path planning module 4, a posture adjustment path planning module, a motion control module, and a 3D printing module 5, wherein:

[0040] Image acquisition module 2 is used to acquire images of the area around the 3D printing robot;

[0041] The image processing module is connected to the image acquisition module and is used to process the images acquired by the image acquisition module. Based on the image processing results, it can determine whether there are obstacles in the 3D printing robot within a preset range, or determine the current position of the 3D printing robot, or determine the real-time relative pose between the front of the 3D printing robot and the preset marker, and determine whether the real-time relative pose is consistent with the preset relative pose.

[0042] The motion path planning module 4 is connected to the image processing module and is used to obtain the current position and target position of the 3D printing robot to plan the motion path of the 3D printing robot.

[0043] The attitude adjustment path planning module is connected to the image processing module and is used to obtain the real-time relative pose between the 3D printing robot's front end and the preset marker to plan the attitude adjustment path of the 3D printing robot.

[0044] The motion control module is connected to the motion path planning module 4 and the posture adjustment planning module, and is used to control the movement of the 3D printing robot according to the planned motion path and posture adjustment path, respectively.

[0045] 3D printing module 5 is used for 3D printing.

[0046] In one embodiment of the present invention, the motion control module adopts a tracked vehicle, such as... Figure 4 As shown, the tracked vehicle includes a chassis 7 and a drive mechanism 8. The chassis 7 is located at the bottom of the tracked vehicle and includes tracks 1 on both sides, a suspension system, and a power system. The chassis 7 is welded to the frame. The power system typically includes an electric motor and a transmission device. The output shaft of the electric motor is connected to the input shaft of the reducer via a coupling, and the output shaft of the reducer is connected to the drive wheel via a clutch. The suspension system connects the vehicle body and tracks, providing cushioning and shock absorption. One end of the suspension system is connected to the frame, and the other end is connected to the track roller. The suspension system is bolted to the frame and the track roller. The drive mechanism 8 includes a drive wheel, a guide wheel, a track roller, and a tensioning device. The tracks wrap around the drive wheel, guide wheel, and track roller and are maintained at appropriate tension by the tensioning device. The drive wheel is connected to the power system via a transmission device, driving the tracks to rotate. The drive wheel, guide wheel, and track roller are connected to the chassis via bearings.

[0047] In one embodiment of the present invention, the 3D printing module 5 employs a 3D-printed robotic arm and a 3D printing mechanism connected to its end effector. The lower end of the robotic arm is fixed to the tracked vehicle system by bolts, and the upper end is the robotic arm body. The robotic arm body consists of multiple joints and links connected by bolts and bearings. Each joint contains a motor and a reducer, and the links connect the joints. The motion control system inside the robotic arm includes components such as a controller, servo driver, and sensors. The controller and servo driver are electrically connected, and the servo driver is connected to the joint motor via cables. Encoders and force sensors are mounted on the joints. The end effector of the robotic arm is connected to the 3D printing mechanism via a flange. The 3D printing mechanism includes main components such as a servo motor, reducer, pressure regulator, feed inlet, and nozzle.

[0048] In one embodiment of the present invention, the image acquisition module 2 includes a camera, which is fixed to the top of the connecting plate between the 3D printing mechanism and the end effector, and is connected to the PLC controller through an electronic wiring harness;

[0049] Both the image acquisition module and the displacement sensing module 3 interact with the PC-based mobile printing platform via a PLC controller. In one embodiment of the invention, the ultrasonic sensor / radar ranging sensor in the displacement sensing module 3 is mounted on the front end of the tracked vehicle's chassis and on the side panels, and connected to the PLC controller via electronic wiring harnesses. Simultaneously, the 3D printing module is directly connected to the PC-based mobile printing platform via a digital interface. The PLC controller and the PC-based mobile printing platform are connected via EtherCAT.

[0050] In one embodiment of the present invention, for the 3D printing module, it firstly uses the 3D model design software Rhino to design a building structure suitable for 3D printing, then uses the slicing software Simplify 3D to plan the printing path of the designed structure, extracts the printing path of the Simplify 3D file using Python, and finally converts the text file into program instructions in the robotic arm operation software Robot Studio. Through a wired communication connection with the robotic arm control box, the host computer PC can control the motion of the 3D printing robotic arm.

[0051] In one embodiment of the present invention, the 3D printing module preferentially uses a servo motor to provide rotational power to the auger in the pressurizer, and a reducer is configured to stabilize the rotational speed of the auger, so that the material for printing can be continuously extruded from the pressurizer. The 3D printing mechanism preferentially uses a clamp structure to fix the nozzle to the pressurizer, so as to facilitate the replacement of nozzle size and other functional modules. The 3D printing module adopts a method of physically fixing the storage tank containing the pressure pump to the robotic arm control box, and the storage tank and the robotic arm inlet are connected by a water pipe with a smooth inner wall of rubber material, realizing an integrated hardware structure design of "storage-feeding-printing", so as to solve the problem that traditional storage devices cannot move with the printing equipment for printing.

[0052] like Figure 2 As shown, the displacement sensing module 3 includes wheel speed sensors, an odometer, and an ultrasonic ranging sensor. The wheel speed sensors are installed below the drive wheels on both sides of the tracked vehicle to obtain the rotational speed of the tracked wheel sets. The odometer is installed in the middle of the vehicle body to calculate the relative displacement (X / Y axis movement distance) and yaw angle change of the tracked vehicle. The ultrasonic ranging sensors are installed on the outer sides of the support plates on both sides of the tracked vehicle's support rollers, as well as on the front and rear sides of the vehicle, to measure the distance between the tracked vehicle and the target structure / obstacle, thereby determining the distance between the tracked vehicle body and the obstacle, and assisting the tracked vehicle in adjusting its printing posture.

[0053] like Figure 5 As shown, the 3D printing module 5 includes a robotic arm and a 3D printing mechanism 6. The robotic arm includes a robotic arm chassis 11, joints 10, links 12, a motion control mechanism 13, and a robotic arm end effector 9. The robotic arm chassis 11 is bolted to the upper plate of the tracked vehicle chassis 7. The core component of the 3D printing module 5 is the robotic arm body, which consists of multiple joints 10 and links 12. The robotic arm moves by receiving motion commands from the PC-based mobile printing platform through the motion control mechanism 13. The robotic arm end effector 9 is bolted to the 3D printing mechanism execution system 6.

[0054] like Figure 6 As shown, the 3D printing mechanism 6 includes a servo motor 16, a reducer 19, a spiral rod 21, a pressure device 17, a feed inlet 20, and a nozzle 18. The servo motor 16 and the reducer 19 are connected by bolts to ensure that the spiral rod 21 can extrude material at the required rotational speed. Printing material is fed into the pressure device 17 through the material storage tank 14 and the feed pipe 15 via the feed inlet 20. The pressure device 17 and the nozzle 18 are fixed together by clamps, and different models of nozzles 18 can be replaced according to different printing needs.

[0055] like Figure 1 As shown, a control method for a tracked 3D printing robot capable of autonomous mobile printing includes the following steps:

[0056] The system collects images of the area around the 3D printing robot and determines whether there are obstacles within a preset range. If there are obstacles, the system controls the 3D printing robot to move in a suitable direction without obstacles and adjusts the front of the robot to a suitable posture until there are no obstacles within the preset range, thus enabling the 3D printing robot to have the working premise for autonomous printing.

[0057] The system obtains the current position and target position of the 3D printing robot, plans the motion path of the 3D printing robot from the current position to the target position, and the 3D printing robot moves to the target position according to the planned motion path.

[0058] The real-time relative pose between the front of the 3D printing robot and the preset marker is obtained and compared with the preset relative pose. If the real-time relative pose is inconsistent with the preset relative pose, the pose adjustment path of the front is planned and the pose of the front is adjusted according to the path until the real-time relative pose is consistent with the preset relative pose.

[0059] The 3D printing robot prints in its current position and posture, thereby achieving autonomous movement and adaptive printing.

[0060] In one embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned adaptive adjustment of its own posture includes five steps: establishing a target identification object database, feature extraction, feature matching, inverse problem solving, and posture adjustment, wherein: (1) establishing a target identification object database: setting target identification objects, such as square black and white QR codes. (1) Set different feature point shapes at the four corners of the square QR code to facilitate the differentiation of the four directions of the QR code: upper left, lower left, upper right, and lower right; (2) Feature extraction: extract the color information, edge information, and corner point features of the square black and white QR code in the four directions of upper left, lower left, upper right, and lower right; (3) Feature matching: match the extracted features with the known target identification objects in the database; (4) Inverse problem solving: after the vision system captures a photo of the target identification object square QR code, it sends the captured image information back to the processing layer. The processing layer will analyze the received image corner point direction information to determine the current pose state of the tracked vehicle; (5) Attitude adjustment: after the processing layer knows the current pose of the tracked vehicle, it matches the pre-set pose state in the program, that is, it issues the corresponding motion command to the controller, so that the guide wheel of the tracked vehicle completes the motion planning within the command. Finally, the displacement sensing module feeds back to correct the attitude deviation and completes the complete attitude adjustment.

[0061] In one embodiment of the present invention, the autonomous movement process includes three steps: camera parameter calibration, capture interface locking, and mathematical model establishment, wherein: (1) Camera parameter calibration: a predetermined parameter coordinate system is presented on the camera image screen and the measurement unit is marked; (2) Capture interface locking: after the camera captures the target object, it locks the interface, that is, the current camera focal length and the position of the target object in the coordinate system are fixed in the vision system, and the tracked vehicle immediately stops moving; (3) Mathematical model establishment: the coordinate position of the target object in the vision system is mapped to its actual distance from the tracked vehicle.

[0062] For a control system capable of autonomous movement and adaptive posture adjustment, a visual perception module and a displacement perception module are added to the tracked vehicle. The visual perception module includes an automatically rotating gimbal camera, and the displacement perception module contains four ultrasonic sensors. It should be noted that the ultrasonic sensors in the automatically rotating gimbal camera are used to monitor obstacles around the robot—to avoid collisions.

[0063] The ability to autonomously move and adaptively adjust its own posture is achieved by combining a visual perception system with a QR code (a circular center point is set on the surface of the QR code image, and the current position of the QR code in the entire set path is marked at the center point). It integrates multiple algorithms such as QR code detection, image processing, perspective transformation, and geometric calculation, and designs a pure visual autonomous movement and adjustment algorithm structure and control logic.

[0064] The following is the complete workflow of the autonomous movement and adaptive adjustment of the vehicle body posture of the tracked 3D printing robot of this invention:

[0065] Step 1: Initialization

[0066] (1) Start the robot and initialize the visual perception module and ultrasonic sensing module to ensure that the data is accurate and reliable; load the preset QR code information database so that the corresponding location information and instructions can be parsed when different QR codes are identified; four ultrasonic sensors are configured on the front, rear, left and right sides of the tracked vehicle to monitor the obstacle avoidance distance value of the alarm.

[0067] Step Two: Obstacle Detection and Avoidance

[0068] (1) The ultrasonic sensor detects surrounding obstacles in real time and calculates the distance. If the distance is less than or equal to the set alarm value, a warning signal is immediately sent to the central controller. If there is no warning information, it means that the vehicle body is in a safe state and the vehicle body can perform attitude adjustment work.

[0069] (2) After receiving the alarm signal, the host computer issues the corresponding motion command to the tracked vehicle drive module according to the location information of the alarm.

[0070] Step 3: Adaptively adjust vehicle posture

[0071] (1) Arrange the QR codes on the planned path according to a certain azimuth angle, assuming that the expected angle of the QR code relative to a certain fixed reference (such as due north) is target_dir;

[0072] (2) Fix the pan-tilt camera with automatic rotation function to the tracked vehicle body, and reset the pan-tilt to the initial position, which is consistent with the direction of the vehicle front;

[0073] (3) The pan-tilt camera searches for the current sequence identifier QR code image within the spatial range;

[0074] (4) After capturing the QR code image of the current sequence identifier, calibrate the camera coordinate origin and the center point of the QR code, and record the current azimuth angle current_theta of the current gimbal.

[0075] (5) Calculate the angle difference adjustment_agle between the tracked vehicle and the preset direction of the QR code, that is: adjustment_angle = target_dir - current_theta%360;

[0076] (6) The change value of the gimbal azimuth angle adjustment_angle is fed back to the central controller, and the central controller issues the corresponding attitude adjustment motion command (left / right track movement speed, time) to the tracked vehicle drive module.

[0077] Step 4: Autonomous Movement

[0078] (1) After completing the adaptive adjustment of the vehicle body posture, the camera coordinate origin and the center point of the current sequence QR code are recalibrated to coincide.

[0079] (2) Two options (which can be selected based on the actual situation during work):

[0080] First, the size of the QR code's center point displayed in the camera (calculated through perspective transformation and known camera parameters) is utilized, with a fixed lens focal length. Through control model training, a mapping data model is formed between the (x,y) quadrant coordinates within the lens and the actual distance between the current vehicle front and the QR code marker, i.e., the array data [(x,y,z)|(x,y)]. When the 3D printing robot is actually working, the collected visual and displacement information can be matched within the established database model to determine the specific distance D that the tracked vehicle needs to autonomously move.

[0081] Secondly, the camera on the rotating gimbal is directly equipped as a depth camera. After calibrating and locking the lens coordinate origin and the center point of the QR code, the depth camera system can directly calculate the distance 'a' between the lens and the QR code in the real scene. Simultaneously, it records the gimbal's pitch angle 'φ'. The horizontal distance 'd' between the vehicle's front and the currently printed QR code is obtained using 'a·cosφ'. The distance the vehicle needs to move forward or backward is D = d - ddir, where ddir is the preset horizontal distance between the vehicle's front and the QR code. It should be noted that the QR code is mounted on a support rod, the height of which can be adjusted as needed.

[0082] After collecting relevant information from the visual perception system, the central controller derives the data D value using a preset algorithm structure (the logic described above). Based on a pre-defined fuzzy control rule base, that is:

[0083] Using the value D as the standard, if D < 0, it means the vehicle needs to move backward, and the feedback signal is "0"; if D > 0, it means the vehicle needs to move forward, and the feedback signal is "1". The specific distance of reversing or moving forward is determined by the value of |D| according to the formula: Tracked vehicle motor pulse count = |D| * conversion coefficient K; where the conversion coefficient K is calculated from the mechanical structure and motor performance parameters of the tracked vehicle.

[0084] (3) After receiving the information from the central controller, the host computer issues the corresponding motion command to the tracked vehicle drive module according to the pre-set command library (set the left and right track movement speed and movement time).

[0085] Step 5: Execute repeatedly

[0086] (1) Based on the set 3D printing task, repeat the above steps to realize the robot's autonomous movement and adaptive adjustment of the vehicle body posture until all printing tasks are completed.

[0087] Those skilled in the art will readily understand that the above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A control method for a tracked 3D printing robot capable of autonomous mobile printing, characterized in that, The method includes the following steps: The system acquires images of the area surrounding the 3D printing robot and determines whether there are obstacles within a preset range. If obstacles exist, the system controls the 3D printing robot to move towards the side without obstacles until there are no obstacles within the preset range. The system obtains the current position and target position of the 3D printing robot, plans the motion path of the 3D printing robot from the current position to the target position, and the 3D printing robot moves to the target position according to the planned motion path. The real-time relative pose between the front of the 3D printing robot and the preset marker is obtained and compared with the preset relative pose. If the real-time relative pose is inconsistent with the preset relative pose, the pose adjustment path of the front is planned and the pose of the front is adjusted according to the path until the real-time relative pose is consistent with the preset relative pose. The 3D printing robot prints in its current position and posture, thereby achieving autonomous movement and adaptive printing. The planned attitude adjustment path for the vehicle's front end is obtained in the following manner: In the current pose of the 3D printing robot's front end, an image of a preset marker is acquired. Features are extracted from the acquired image and matched with features at a calibrated preset relative pose. Based on the angle difference between the current pose and the preset relative pose, a path for adjusting the robot's front end's posture is planned. Specifically: Fix the pan-tilt camera with automatic rotation function to the tracked vehicle body, and reset the pan-tilt to the initial position, which is aligned with the direction of the vehicle's front. The PTZ camera searches for the current sequence identifier QR code image; After capturing the QR code image of the current sequence identifier, the camera coordinate origin is aligned with the center point of the QR code, and the current azimuth angle of the gimbal is recorded as current_theta. The angle difference adjustment_angle between the tracked vehicle and the preset direction of the QR code is calculated, i.e., adjustment_angle = target_dir - current_theta. The adjustment_angle is fed back to the central controller, which then issues corresponding attitude adjustment motion commands to the tracked vehicle drive module.

2. The control method for a tracked 3D printing robot capable of autonomous mobile printing as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The feature extraction employs scale-invariant feature transformation, Harris corner detection, or histogram of directional gradients, while the feature matching employs nearest neighbor matching or nearest neighbor ratio.

3. A 3D printing robot that prints according to the control method described in any one of claims 1-2, characterized in that, The 3D-printed robot includes an image acquisition module, an image processing module, a motion path planning module, a posture adjustment path planning module, a motion control module, and a 3D printing module, among which: The image acquisition module is used to acquire images of the area surrounding the 3D printing robot; The image processing module is connected to the image acquisition module and is used to process the images acquired by the image acquisition module. Based on the image processing results, it can determine whether there are obstacles in the 3D printing robot within a preset range, or determine the current position of the 3D printing robot based on the image processing results, or determine the real-time relative pose between the front of the 3D printing robot and the preset marker based on the image processing results, and determine whether the real-time relative pose is consistent with the preset relative pose. The motion path planning path is connected to the image processing module to obtain the current position and target position of the 3D printing robot and plan the motion path of the 3D printing robot. The posture adjustment path planning module is connected to the image processing module and is used to obtain the real-time relative pose between the 3D printing robot's front end and the preset marker, and to plan the posture adjustment path of the 3D printing robot. The motion control module is connected to the motion path planning module and the posture adjustment planning module, and is used to control the movement of the 3D printing robot according to the planned motion path and posture adjustment path, respectively. The 3D printing module is used for 3D printing.

4. The 3D printing robot as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The 3D printing robot also includes a displacement sensing module, which is used to measure the distance between the 3D printing robot and its surrounding objects, thereby assisting the graphics processing unit in obtaining the current position of the 3D printing robot and the real-time relative pose between the front of the 3D printing robot and the preset marker.

5. The 3D printing robot as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The displacement sensing module uses multiple ultrasonic sensors to measure the distance between the 3D printed robot and its surrounding objects.

6. The 3D printing robot as described in claim 3 or 5, characterized in that, The 3D printing module includes a 3D printing mechanism and a robotic arm. The 3D printing mechanism is located at the end of the robotic arm and is used to perform 3D printing according to a preset printing path.

7. The printing robot as described in claim 3 or 5, characterized in that, The motion control module uses a tracked vehicle chassis and a drive mechanism, with the drive mechanism driving the tracked chassis to move.

8. The 3D printing robot as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The motion control module, displacement sensing module, and image acquisition module are controlled by a PLC.

9. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that, This computer program is used to implement the control method for a tracked 3D printing robot capable of autonomous mobile printing as described in any one of claims 1-2.

Images