Underwater bionic robot

Abstract

According to the underwater bionic robot, through cooperation of three modularized propeller assemblies, when rapid swimming is needed in an emergency situation, three propellers of the robot can be used for driving in the same direction at the same time, and the swimming speed is increased; when a more complex scene task needs to be executed, the robot can freely and rapidly switch the swimming mode in multiple modes such as in-situ turning, in-situ rolling, omnidirectional moving and hovering, the passing ability problem of an underwater narrow and complex space is solved, the robot can rapidly swim or more flexible swimming scenes, and the requirement of the robot for the narrow and small space is met; on the other hand, a flexible film pressure sensor is attached to the surface of the flexible fin and used for sensing bending deformation of the flexible fin, so that whether the flexible fin breaks down or collides or not is sensed, the robot makes a decision, and the fault sensing and autonomous operation capacity of the robot is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of underwater bionic robots, and in particular to an underwater bionic robot. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, the development of intelligent bionic technology has opened up new directions for the research and development of new underwater actuators. Due to the significant advantages of underwater organisms such as fish, including high speed, efficiency, and mobility, researchers have imitated the kinematic characteristics of underwater organisms to create some bionic swimming robots. This type of robot overcomes the deficiencies of traditional propeller-driven underwater robots and has a large demand and good application prospects in the fields of disaster prevention, rescue, and military.

[0003] However, at the present stage, bionic robots are still less applied in the above working scenarios. The main reasons are low speed, poor maneuverability, and complex control. In recent years, the main research results in the field of bionic robots have focused on the imitation design and control of single organisms. In nature, the group effect of fish schools has a decisive impact on the swimming performance of organisms. Currently, existing underwater bionic robots mainly rely on single organisms or single actuators, and there is a lack of intelligent perception of whether the thrusters are normal. On the one hand, this goes against the movement laws of real fish in nature. On the other hand, due to the change of the center of gravity of the thruster during attitude conversion, it is also not conducive to the attitude and motion control of bionic robots. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Aiming at the deficiencies in the above technology, where the single actuator restricts the activities of the robot and the actuator does not have a sensing function, the present invention provides an underwater bionic robot that can change its attitude and can sense whether the flexible fins collide.

[0005] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides an underwater bionic robot, including a cabin body. The cabin body includes a sealed hemispherical cover, a sleeve, and a rear sealing end cover that are sequentially connected to form an enclosed space. The sleeve is provided with a main control board, and a thruster mounting bracket is sleeved on the sleeve; At least three thruster assemblies are arranged along the circumference of the cabin body and fixedly installed on the thruster mounting bracket. The thruster assembly is provided with a thin-film pressure sensor for sensing whether the thruster assembly deforms. The thruster assembly and the thin-film pressure sensor are electrically connected to the main control board; Wherein, the main control board controls the movement trajectory of the robot according to the force condition of the thruster assembly sensed by the thin-film pressure sensor.

[0006] As an improved scheme of the present invention, the thruster assembly includes a first servo motor and a second servo motor. The first servo motor is connected to the second servo motor through a servo motor connecting plate, and the servo motor connecting plate is sleeved at both ends of the output shaft of the first servo motor.

[0007] As an improved solution of the present invention, the thruster assembly further includes a swing assembly, and the second servo is movably connected to the swing assembly to reduce the resistance during movement in water.

[0008] As an improved solution of the present invention, the swing assembly includes a swing rod and a flexible fin. One end of the swing rod is fixedly connected to the flexible fin, and the thin-film pressure sensor is attached to the surface of the flexible fin; The second servo controls the movement of the swing rod through a gear mechanism to drive the flexible fin.

[0009] As an improved solution of the present invention, the gear mechanism includes a large gear, a small gear, a gear shaft and a bearing; a servo mounting plate is provided at one end of the second servo close to the swing assembly. The servo mounting plate is equipped with a rotating shaft bracket. The gear shaft is rotatably arranged on the rotating shaft bracket. A large gear and a small gear that mesh with each other are respectively sleeved at both ends of the output shaft of the second servo and the gear shaft; the swing rod is fixedly connected to the gear shaft.

[0010] Wherein, the second servo drives the large gear and the small gear to rotate, and the small gear drives the gear shaft to rotate to indirectly control the movement of the flexible fin.

[0011] As an improved solution of the present invention, balance air bags are provided on both sides of the second servo, and the balance air bags are used to balance the gravity of the second servo and the gear mechanism.

[0012] As an improved solution of the present invention, a second servo protection cover is further sleeved outside the second servo, and the second servo protection cover is used to protect the second servo and the gear mechanism.

[0013] As an improved solution of the present invention, an inertial measurement unit is further included. The inertial measurement unit is arranged inside the cabin and electrically connected to the main control board. The inertial measurement unit is used to monitor the pitch angle, roll angle, angular velocity and acceleration of the robot in real time to provide basic data for dynamic balance.

[0014] As an improved solution of the present invention, a battery and a component mounting plate are further included. The control board is electrically connected to the battery, and the control board and the battery are fixedly arranged on both sides of the component mounting plate.

[0015] As an improved solution of the present invention, both the sealed hemispherical cover and the rear sealed end cover are sealed through O-rings.

[0016] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: Compared with the prior art, the present invention provides an underwater bionic robot. Through the coordinated cooperation of three modular thruster components, when encountering an emergency and rapid swimming is required, the three thrusters of the robot can be driven simultaneously in the same direction to accelerate the swimming speed. When more complex scenario tasks need to be executed, multi-modal free and rapid switching swimming modes such as turning in place, rolling in place, omnidirectional movement, and hovering can be achieved, solving the problem of passability in narrow and complex underwater spaces to cope with scenarios of rapid swimming or more flexible swimming of the robot and meeting the requirements of the robot in narrow spaces; on the other hand, a flexible film pressure sensor is attached to the surface of the flexible fin to sense the bending deformation of the flexible fin, thereby sensing whether the flexible fin fails or collides, and then enabling the robot to make decisions, improving the fault perception and autonomous operation ability of the robot. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 is the first perspective view of the present invention; Figure 2 is the schematic diagram of the cabin body of the present invention; Figure 3 is the schematic diagram of the thruster assembly of the present invention; Figure 4 is the schematic diagram of the forward movement of the present invention; Figure 5 is the schematic diagram of the hovering of the present invention; Figure 6 is the schematic diagram of the pitching in place of the present invention; Figure 7 is the schematic diagram of the upward floating of the present invention; Figure 8 is the schematic diagram of the diving of the present invention; Figure 9 is the schematic diagram of the turning of the present invention; Figure 10 is the schematic diagram of the turning in place of the present invention; Figure 11 is the schematic diagram of the rolling in place of the present invention.

[0018] The main element symbols are explained as follows: 1. Cabin body; 11. Sealed hemispherical cover; 12. Sleeve; 13. Control board; 14. Battery; 15. Thruster mounting bracket; 16. Component mounting board; 17. Rear sealed end cover; 18. Switch; 2. Thruster assembly; 21. First servo; 22. Servo connecting plate; 23. Second servo; 24. Balance airbag; 25. Servo mounting board; 26. Large gear; 27. Small gear; 28. Gear shaft; 29. Rotating shaft bracket; 210. Swing rod; 211. Flexible fin; 212. Thin film pressure sensor; 213. Second servo protective cover. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] To describe the present invention more clearly, the present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0020] In the following description, specific details of the examples are given to provide a deeper understanding of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments are only used to explain the present invention and are not used to limit the present invention.

[0021] It should be understood that when the terms "comprise" and / or "include" are used in this specification, they indicate the presence of the described features, wholes, steps, operations, elements or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, wholes, steps, operations, elements, components or combinations thereof.

[0022] Please refer to Figures 1-3 , an underwater bionic robot of the present invention includes a cabin body 1. The cabin body 1 includes a sealed hemispherical cover 11, a sleeve 12 and a rear sealed end cover 17 that are sequentially connected to form an enclosed space. The sleeve 12 is provided with a main control board 13, and a thruster mounting bracket 15 is sleeved on the sleeve 12; at least three thruster assemblies 2. The thruster assemblies 2 are distributed along the circumference of the cabin body 1 and fixedly installed on the thruster mounting bracket 15. The thruster assemblies 2 are provided with thin-film pressure sensors 212. The thin-film pressure sensors 212 are used to sense whether the thruster assemblies 2 are deformed. The thruster assemblies 2 and the thin-film pressure sensors 212 are electrically connected to the main control board 13; wherein, the main control board 13 controls the movement trajectory of the robot according to the force condition of the thruster assemblies 2 sensed by the thin-film pressure sensors 212. The present invention realizes the control movement of the robot in the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions through three modular thruster assemblies 2, and can realize movement postures such as zero-radius turning, rolling and pitching of the robot. The thin-film pressure sensors 212 are used to sense the environment and the force condition of the thruster assemblies 2 to help the robot make decisions on the movement situation.

[0023] As Figure 2 shown, the cabin body 1 includes a sealed hemispherical cover 11, a sleeve 12, a control board 13, a battery 14, a thruster mounting bracket 15, a component mounting board 16, a rear sealed end cover 17 and a switch 18. One end of the sealed hemispherical cover 11 extends into the sleeve 12 and is sealed by an O-ring. The component mounting board 16 is installed inside the cabin body 1. The control board 13 and the battery 14 are respectively pasted on both sides of the component mounting board 16, and the fitting is firm. One end of the rear sealed end cover 17 extends into the sleeve 12 and is sealed by an O-ring. Using an O-ring seal can effectively block foreign objects and moisture, ensuring the stability of the operating environment of the internal components. The switch 18 passes through the end face of the rear sealed end cover 17 and is electrically connected to the control board 13 inside the cabin body 1.

[0024] AsFigure 3 As shown in the figure, the thruster assembly 2 includes a first servo 21 and a second servo 23. The first servo 21 is connected to the second servo 23 through a servo connecting plate 22. The servo connecting plate 22 is sleeved at both ends of the output shaft of the first servo 21. The thruster assembly 2 further includes a swing assembly. The shape of the swing assembly is designed by imitating the tail of a fish. The second servo 23 is movably connected to the swing assembly to reduce the resistance during movement in water. Through the first servo 21 and the second servo 23, the modularization of the thruster assembly 2 is realized in the present invention, with two degrees of freedom of control, further improving the movement flexibility of the robot and completing different movement postures, such as zero-radius turning, rolling, and pitching.

[0025] Hide the second servo protective cover 213. The cabin 1 is provided with a thruster mounting bracket 15. The cabin 1 is connected to the first servo 21 through the thruster mounting bracket 15. The first servo 21 is provided with a servo connecting plate 22. The second servo 23 is provided with a connecting hole. The servo connecting plate 22 and the connecting hole are movably connected through a connecting column to realize the up-and-down swing of the second servo 23 and the rest of the components.

[0026] In this embodiment, balance airbags 24 are connected to both sides of the second servo 23 to balance the gravity of the second servo 23 and the gear mechanism and reduce the inertial influence during attitude adjustment.

[0027] In this embodiment, the swing assembly includes a swing rod 210 and a flexible fin 211. One end of the swing rod 210 is fixedly connected to the flexible fin 211. The thin-film pressure sensor 212 is attached to the surface of the flexible fin 211. The second servo 23 controls the movement of the swing rod 210 through a gear mechanism to drive the flexible fin 211. The thin-film pressure sensor 212 is used to sense the bending and pressure changes of the flexible fin 211, so that when the robot encounters an obstacle, it moves in the opposite direction of the collision. When the second servo 23 drives the swing rod 210 to swing, due to the resistance of the surrounding liquid, the flexible fin 211 will lag behind the overall movement, so that the entire flexible fin 211 forms an "S" - shaped curve, which is conducive to the mutual cancellation of lateral forces. The flexible fin design of the present invention imitates the fins of fish and is closer to the swimming methods of most fish in reality. The second servo 23 drives the swing component to move through a gear mechanism. In order to further increase the driving force generated by the tail fin swing, a large transmission ratio gear mechanism is used to transmit power between the second servo 23 and the swing rod 210 to increase the swing frequency of the swing rod 210, so that the average driving force of the thruster assembly 2 increases and the swimming speed is improved. The rigid-flexible coupling structure composed of the swing rod 210 and the flexible fin 211 swings at a high frequency under the action of gear transmission, outputting a stronger thrust.

[0028] In this embodiment, the gear mechanism includes a large gear 26, a small gear 27, a gear shaft 28 and bearings; one end of the second servo 23 close to the swing assembly is provided with a servo mounting plate 25, the servo mounting plate 25 is mounted with a rotating shaft bracket 29, the gear shaft 28 is rotatably arranged on the rotating shaft bracket 29, and the large gear 26 and the small gear 27 which are meshed with each other are sleeved on the two ends of the output shaft of the second servo and the gear shaft 28 respectively; the swing rod 210 is fixedly connected with the gear shaft 28; wherein, the second servo 23 drives the large gear 26 and the small gear 27 to rotate, and the small gear 27 drives the gear shaft 28 to rotate so as to indirectly control the movement of the flexible fin 211; mainly when the second servo 23 works, the large gear 26 rotates to drive the meshing and driving small gear 27 to rotate and work, and the small gear 27 sleeved on the gear shaft 28 also drives the gear shaft 28 to rotate.

[0029] As Figures 4-11 shown, in this embodiment, the number of the thruster assemblies 2 is 3. When the thruster assemblies 2 push in the same direction at the same time, the robot can achieve all-direction high-speed swimming such as forward, backward, upward and downward diving; when one thruster assembly 2 swings on the left side of the underwater bionic robot and the other two thruster assemblies 2 swing on the right side, by adjusting the swing frequency or amplitude to make the forces on the left and right sides of the robot equal, the robot can be stopped; when the directions pushed by the three thruster assemblies 2 generate the same-direction torques on the central axes X, Y and Z of the robot, the robot can achieve zero-radius turning, rolling and pitching; when the three thruster assemblies 2 respectively generate forces and torques on the central axis of the robot at the same time, the robot can achieve gaits such as turning, pitching and rolling. Therefore, the robot adopting three modular thrusters can further improve the swimming performance of the bionic robot in a narrow space, including stability and maneuverability.

[0030] In this embodiment, an inertial measurement unit is further included. The inertial measurement unit is arranged in the cabin body 1 and electrically connected with the main control board 13. The inertial measurement unit is used for monitoring the pitch angle, roll angle, angular velocity and acceleration of the robot in real time to provide basic data for dynamic balance; the present invention adopts an inertial measurement unit (IMU) to monitor the attitude angles (such as pitch angle and roll angle), angular velocity and acceleration of the robot in real time to provide basic data for dynamic balance; a thin-film pressure sensor 212 is deployed to detect the contact force distribution of the fin part to optimize the gait stability. It should be noted that a single thruster will generate a periodic lateral force during operation. However, because the tail fin is flexible, the lateral force is small, and the lateral forces generated by the three groups of thrusters will be further offset when they cooperate with each other, so that the shaking of the robot can be effectively avoided and the stability of the robot during swimming can be further improved.

[0031] The working principle of the present invention is: The present invention is based on three modular thruster components 2 that cooperate with each other and simultaneously combine with the flexible fins 211 of a bionic fish. The thruster component 2 is composed of a first servo 21 and a second servo 23 connected in series, providing the robot with two degrees of freedom of movement, enabling it to easily achieve more abundant and flexible actions. The film pressure sensor 212 attached to and covering the surface of the flexible fin 211 can endow the robot with the ability to perceive the surrounding environment. According to the change in the pressure value of the film pressure sensor 212, the robot can better make motion decisions such as re-determining the motion trajectory and direction. When it needs to swim quickly in case of an emergency, the three thruster components 2 of the robot can be driven in the same direction at the same time to increase the swimming speed. When it needs to perform more complex scenario tasks, it can freely and quickly switch between multi-modal swimming modes such as rotating in place and rolling in place, solving the problem of passing through narrow and complex underwater spaces. Moreover, by detecting the pitch angle, roll angle, angular velocity, and acceleration of the robot through an inertial measurement unit, the robot has more precise control capabilities, providing basic data for dynamic balance.

[0032] The advantages of the present invention are as follows: Based on the cooperation of three modular thrusters, the present invention can easily achieve more abundant and flexible actions. When it needs to swim quickly in case of an emergency, the three thrusters of the robot can be driven in the same direction at the same time to increase the swimming speed. When it needs to perform more complex scenario tasks, it can freely and quickly switch between multi-modal swimming modes such as rotating in place and rolling in place, solving the problem of passing through narrow and complex underwater spaces.

[0033] The above only discloses several specific embodiments of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and any changes that can be conceived by those skilled in the art should fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An underwater bionic robot, characterized in that: include: A cabin body, the cabin body comprises a sealing hemispherical cover, a sleeve and a rear sealing end cover which are sequentially connected to form an enclosed space, the sleeve is provided with a main control panel, and the sleeve is provided with a propeller mounting bracket; at least three thruster assemblies, the thruster assemblies are distributed along the circumference of the cabin and fixedly mounted on the thruster mounting bracket, the thruster assemblies are provided with film pressure sensors, the film pressure sensors are used to sense whether the thruster assemblies are deformed, and the thruster assemblies and the film pressure sensors are electrically connected to the main control board; Wherein, the main control board senses the force condition of the thruster assembly according to the film pressure sensor to control the motion trajectory of the robot.

2. An underwater bionic robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The propeller assembly includes a first steering gear and a second steering gear, wherein the first steering gear is connected to the second steering gear via a steering gear connecting plate, and the steering gear connecting plate is sleeved on both ends of an output shaft of the first steering gear.

3. The underwater bionic robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The propeller assembly also includes a swing assembly, and the second steering gear is movably connected to the swing assembly to reduce the resistance when moving in water.

4. The underwater bionic robot according to claim 3, characterized in that: The swing assembly includes a swing rod and a flexible fin, one end of the swing rod is fixedly connected to the flexible fin, and the thin film pressure sensor is attached to the surface of the flexible fin; The second steering gear controls the movement of the rocker rod through a gear mechanism to drive the flexible fin.

5. The underwater bionic robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: The gear mechanism comprises a large gear, a small gear, a gear shaft and a bearing; a steering gear mounting plate is provided at one end of the second steering gear close to the swing assembly, a rotating shaft bracket is installed on the steering gear mounting plate, the gear shaft is rotatably arranged on the rotating shaft bracket, and the large gear and the small gear that mesh with each other are respectively sleeved at both ends of the second steering gear output shaft and the gear shaft; the swing rod is fixedly connected to the gear shaft; The second steering gear drives the large gear and the small gear to rotate, and the small gear drives the gear shaft to rotate, so as to indirectly control the movement of the flexible fin.

6. The underwater bionic robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: Balancing airbags are provided on both sides of the second steering gear, and the balancing airbags are used to balance the gravity of the second steering gear and the gear mechanism.

7. The underwater bionic robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: A second steering gear protective cover is also provided outside the second steering gear, and the second steering gear protective cover is used to protect the second steering gear and the gear mechanism.

8. The underwater bionic robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes an inertial measurement unit, which is arranged in the cabin and electrically connected to the main control board. The inertial measurement unit is used to monitor the pitch angle, roll angle, angular velocity and acceleration of the robot in real time to provide basic data for dynamic balance.

9. The underwater bionic robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a battery and a component mounting plate. The control board is electrically connected to the battery, and the control board and the battery are fixedly arranged on both sides of the component mounting plate.

10. The underwater bionic robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sealing hemispherical cover and the rear sealing end cover are both sealed by O-rings.

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