Modularized self-reconfiguration amphibious robot

Abstract

The modular self-reconfiguration amphibious robot comprises a robot module, the robot module comprises a module main body, connecting assemblies are arranged at the two ends of the module main body in the transverse rolling shaft direction respectively, and the two connecting assemblies are driven by corresponding driving parts and rotate around the pitch axis and the yaw axis of the module main body respectively; a fluctuating fin assembly is arranged on the module main body and comprises a bionic fluctuating fin which is used for generating sine traveling waves propagating along a fin surface and generating thrust in the traveling wave propagation direction; the bionic undulating fins are provided with walking contact surfaces used for making contact with the ground; each connecting assembly has the same structure and comprises an assembly frame, one end of the assembly frame is provided with a rotary connecting part connected with the driving piece, and the other end of the assembly frame is provided with an interface assembly; the same end connecting assemblies of different robot modules are connected in parallel to form a horizontal configuration and a vertical configuration, and the different end connecting assemblies are connected in series to form a snakelike configuration and an annular configuration. The unmanned aerial vehicle can adapt to complex and changeable underwater and ground environments and meet diversified task requirements.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of modular self-reconfigurable robots, and in particular to a modular self-reconfigurable amphibious robot. Background Art

[0002] A modular self-reconfigurable robot is a robot that can automatically change its own structure and function according to environmental and task requirements. It can change its configuration by the mutual movement, connection or separation of modules, so as to expand its functions and motion forms. Significant progress has been made in land and air tasks by self-reconfigurable robots, but there are few applications in underwater scenarios. In recent years, the academic community has made breakthroughs in the field of modular self-reconfigurable robots. For example, the M-Blocks land robot module developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States realizes three-dimensional morphological self-organization through magnetic adsorption interfaces, and the DRAGON flying robot developed by the University of Tokyo in Japan completes aerial morphological transformation through chain joint modules. However, the above achievements all focus on land and air application scenarios, and their module connection mechanisms, power systems and control algorithms cannot be directly applied to underwater environments.

[0003] Amphibious robots are widely used in fields such as ocean exploration, resource development, environmental monitoring and emergency rescue. Among them, amphibious robots using bionic propulsion have the characteristics of high propulsion efficiency and small environmental disturbance compared with traditional propulsion methods. However, most of the existing amphibious robots using bionic propulsion have a fixed form and single function, and it is difficult to adapt to complex and changeable underwater environments and diverse task requirements. On the other hand, the function expansion of existing amphibious robots is poor. Usually, they need to return to the water surface for hardware replacement or adjustment. There is a lack of an amphibious robot that can autonomously reconfigure its form and function according to task requirements, resulting in low task execution efficiency and insufficient adaptability. In addition, existing bionic propulsion underwater robots are difficult to adapt to the land environment and achieve amphibiousness. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Aiming at the deficiencies of the prior art, the present invention provides a modular self-reconfigurable amphibious robot to adapt to complex and changeable underwater and ground environments and meet diverse task requirements.

[0005] The technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:

[0006] A modular self-reconfigurable amphibious robot includes robot modules. The structure of the robot module includes a module body, and connection components are respectively provided at both ends in the roll axis direction of the module body. The two connection components are driven by corresponding driving members and respectively rotate around the pitch axis and yaw axis of the module body; a flapping fin assembly is provided on the module body, and it includes a bionic flapping fin, which is used to generate a sinusoidal traveling wave propagating along the fin surface and generate a thrust in the traveling wave propagation direction; the bionic flapping fin has a walking contact surface for contacting the ground.

[0007] Each of the said connecting components has the same structure, including a component frame, with a rotational connecting portion connected to the said driving member provided at one end and an interface component provided at the other end;

[0008] The said interface component includes a power mechanism and an interface mechanism;

[0009] The said interface mechanism has a rotationally symmetric structure, which includes an interface plate and a plurality of buckles. The interface plate is provided with hollow portions corresponding to the number of the buckles and evenly distributed along the circumference. Each of the hollow portions includes a first hollow segment and a second hollow segment. A first shaft is provided in the first hollow segment, and the buckle is rotationally connected to the first shaft. A second shaft is provided in the second hollow segment;

[0010] The first end of the said buckle is connected to the power mechanism, which drives the buckle to rotate within the first hollow segment around the first shaft; the second end of the buckle is used to cooperate with the second shaft of the connecting component of another said robot module to connect or disconnect the two connecting components;

[0011] A plurality of said robot modules can be connected in parallel or in series. When connected in parallel, the connecting components at the same ends of each robot module are connected. When connected in series, the connecting components at different ends of each robot module are connected.

[0012] A further technical solution is:

[0013] The said undulating fin assembly includes at least five undulating fin drive servos arranged at equal intervals. The output shaft of the undulating fin drive servo is connected to one end of a rigid fin strip, and the other end of the rigid fin strip is connected to the bionic undulating fin;

[0014] The said undulating fin drive servos drive two adjacent said rigid fin strips in a timing sequence with a phase difference of 90°, so as to generate a sinusoidal traveling wave propagating along the fin surface.

[0015] The said walking contact surface is the outer edge surface of the bionic undulating fin, which extends in a sinusoidal waveform.

[0016] The said interface mechanism further includes a positioning frame, which is used to fix the interface plate and the magnetic positioning device;

[0017] The structure of the said magnetic positioning device includes an annular array of electromagnets, which are embedded on the surface of the positioning frame;

[0018] When two said robot modules are docked, the electromagnets are energized to generate a directional magnetic field, guiding the interface plates of the two connecting components to be docked to be parallel and aligned with each other and attract each other. When the distance is less than a set value, the buckle is triggered to act; when separating, the undulating fin assemblies of the two said robot modules generate a reverse thrust, and the polarity of the electromagnets is reversed to generate a repulsive force to assist in separation.

[0019] The power mechanism includes a locking servo, a transmission frame coaxially arranged with the interface board, and a connecting rod;

[0020] A central shaft hole connected to the output end of the locking servo is provided at the center of the transmission frame. A plurality of pull rods are provided on the transmission frame. The plurality of pull rods are radially distributed along the circumference with the central shaft hole as the center and have the same number as the number of the buckles;

[0021] The outer end of the pull rod is rotatably connected to one end of the connecting rod through a ball head, and the other end of the connecting rod is rotatably connected to the first end of the buckle through a ball head.

[0022] The rotation angle of the rotationally symmetric structure is 90°, and a total of four such buckles are included; the first hollow section and the second hollow section are perpendicular to each other, and the first shaft and the second shaft are perpendicular to each other.

[0023] The rotation angle range of the connection component is from -120° to 120°.

[0024] The structure of the module main body includes a main skeleton, and one driving part is arranged at each end thereof;

[0025] A housing is provided on the main skeleton, and an equipment cabin is arranged inside it.

[0026] The driving part includes a deformation driving servo and a spline shaft connected to the output shaft of the deformation driving servo;

[0027] The rotation connection part includes a spline hole matching with the spline shaft.

[0028] Two or more of the robot modules are connected in series to form a snake-shaped configuration, and the first and last connection components are free ends; three or more of the robot modules are connected in series, and the first and last connection components are connected in a closed loop to form a ring-shaped configuration;

[0029] An even number of the robot modules are connected in parallel to form a horizontal configuration or a vertical configuration;

[0030] In the horizontal configuration, the bionic undulating fin is located on the side of the robot in a horizontal posture and is suitable for underwater propulsion;

[0031] In the vertical configuration, the bionic undulating fin is located below the robot and is suitable for amphibious operation;

[0032] By changing the rotation angle of the connection component at the connection between the modules, the switching between the horizontal configuration and the vertical configuration is realized.

[0033] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0034] The robot module of the present invention realizes series or parallel connection with other modules through connection components. Since the module has two connection components that can rotate independently and whose axes of rotation are perpendicular, different deformation capabilities of different modules can be fully utilized to perform various self-reconfiguration combinations and switches, achieving various propulsion forms, and improving the mobility and environmental adaptability of the robot.

[0035] The undulating fin assembly of the present invention can simultaneously meet the propulsion and support requirements in both underwater and ground environments without the need to set up an additional ground walking mechanism.

[0036] The connection component of the present invention is provided with a magnetic positioning device, which can assist the docking and separation actions between modules and improve the efficiency.

[0037] Other features and advantages of the present invention will be described in the subsequent description or will be understood by implementing the present invention. Description of the Drawings

[0038] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of the robot module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] Figure 2 It is a schematic internal structural diagram of the robot module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] Figure 3 It is a schematic installation structural diagram of the connection component at one end (rear end) of the robot module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] Figure 4 It is a schematic assembly structural diagram of the module body and the undulating fin assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0042] Figure 5 It is a schematic structural diagram of the connection component according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0043] Figure 6 It is a schematic structural diagram of the interface board according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0044] Figure 7 It is a schematic structural diagram of the interface component after hiding the locking servo according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0045] Figure 8 It is a schematic cooperation structural diagram of two interface components during the docking and separation process of two modules according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0046] Figure 9 It is a schematic structural diagram of two modules in series according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0047] Figure 10 It is a schematic structural diagram of a five-module snake-shaped configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0048] Figure 11This is a schematic structural diagram of the four-module annular configuration according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[0049] Figure 12 This is a schematic structural diagram of the two-module horizontal configuration according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0050] Figure 13 This is a schematic structural diagram of the four-module horizontal configuration 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0051] Figure 14 This is a schematic structural diagram of the four-module horizontal configuration 2 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0052] Figure 15 This is a schematic structural diagram of the two-module vertical configuration according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0053] Figure 16 This is a schematic structural diagram of the four-module vertical configuration according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0054] Figure 17 This is a front view of the robot in the vertical configuration according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0055] Figure 18 This is a schematic diagram of the switching between the four-module horizontal configuration and the vertical configuration according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0056] In the figure: 1. Module main body; 2. Flapping fin assembly; 3. Connection assembly;

[0057] 101. Main skeleton; 102. Outer shell; 103. Equipment cabin; 104. Deformation drive servo; 105. Spline shaft;

[0058] 201. Flapping fin drive servo; 202. Rigid fin strip; 203. Bionic flapping fin; 2031. Outer edge surface;

[0059] 301. Component frame; 302. Interface board; 303. Snap; 304. Locking servo; 305. Transmission frame; 306. Connecting rod; 307. Magnetic positioning device; 308. Spline hole; 309. Positioning frame; 310. First shaft; 311. Second shaft; 3021. First hollow section; 3022. Second hollow section; 3051. Central shaft hole; 3052. Pull rod. Detailed implementation manners

[0060] The following describes the detailed implementation manners of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0061] See Figures 1 to 4, the modular self - reconstructing amphibious robot of this embodiment includes robot modules. The structure of the robot module includes a module main body 1, and connecting components 3 are respectively provided at both ends in the roll axis direction of the module main body 1. The two connecting components 3 are driven by corresponding driving parts and respectively rotate around the pitch axis and yaw axis of the module main body 1; a flapping fin assembly 2 is provided on the module main body 1, which includes a bionic flapping fin 203, which is used to generate a sinusoidal traveling wave propagating along the fin surface and generate a propulsive force F in the traveling wave propagation direction; the bionic flapping fin 203 has a walking contact surface for contacting the ground.

[0062] As a preferred mode, the structure of the module main body 1 includes a main skeleton 101, and one of the driving parts is provided at each end of it.

[0063] As a preferred mode, the driving part includes a deformable driving servo 104 and a spline shaft 105 connected to the output shaft of the deformable driving servo 104.

[0064] For the directions in which the connecting components 3 at both ends of the module main body 1 rotate around the pitch axis and yaw axis respectively, refer to Figure 4 the arrows shown in. The pitch axis and yaw axis are perpendicular to each other, that is, the rotation axes of the connecting components 3 at both ends of the module main body 1 are perpendicular to each other.

[0065] As a preferred mode, a housing 102 is provided on the main skeleton 101, and an equipment compartment 103 is provided inside it. The equipment compartment 103 can be used to install equipment such as batteries, electronic controls, and counterweights.

[0066] As a preferred mode, the flapping fin assembly 2 includes at least five flapping fin driving servos 201 arranged at equal intervals on the main skeleton 101. The output shaft of each flapping fin driving servo 201 is connected to a rigid fin strip 202, and the other end of the rigid fin strip 202 extends out of the housing 102 and is connected to the bionic flapping fin 203. Specifically, the flapping fin driving servos 201 drive two adjacent rigid fin strips 202 in a time sequence with a phase difference of 90°, so as to generate a sinusoidal traveling wave propagating along the fin surface. When the sinusoidal traveling wave propagates longitudinally in the robot module body coordinate system, a thrust for forward or backward movement is generated, and thus the front - and - back movement of a single module can be realized.

[0067] Among them, the walking contact surface is the outer edge surface 2031 of the bionic flapping fin 203, which extends in a sinusoidal waveform. When the robot walks on the ground and the outer edge surface 2031 contacts the ground, the propulsive force F is used for the robot to move on the ground, thus realizing amphibious propulsion.

[0068] The at least five flapping fin driving servos 201 are preferably arranged on the main skeleton 101. After one end of the rigid fin strip 202 extends out of the housing 102, it is preferably connected to the bionic flapping fin 203 through a locking part.

[0069] As a preferred embodiment, the rotation angle range of each rigid fin 202 is from -150° to 150°.

[0070] As a preferred embodiment, the bionic undulating fin 203 is made of a flexible material and has a certain thickness to meet the requirement of ground walking. The rigid fin 202 serves as a transmission member and also functions to maintain the waveform of the bionic undulating fin 203 and the supporting force on the ground. As an improved embodiment, reinforcing ribs can be provided on the bionic undulating fin 203, and the extending direction thereof is consistent with that of the rigid fin 202. As an extended section of the rigid fin 202, the supporting strength can be further improved. It can be understood that when the flexible material is a relatively hard material such as rubber, the reinforcing ribs may not be provided.

[0071] Since the bionic undulating fin 203 is also used for ground walking, its thickness should not be too thin, and the specific thickness is set according to actual requirements.

[0072] As a specific embodiment, the connection components 3 at both ends of the module body 1 have the same structure. Refer to Figures 5 to 7 , Figure 5 Figures (a) and (b) in are schematic structural diagrams of the connection component 3 from different perspectives. The structure of each connection component 3 includes: a component frame 301, with a rotational connection portion connected to the driving member at one end and an interface component at the other end;

[0073] The interface component includes a power mechanism and an interface mechanism;

[0074] The interface mechanism has a rotationally symmetric structure and includes an interface plate 302 and a plurality of buckles 303. The interface plate 302 is provided with hollow portions corresponding to the number of buckles 303 and evenly distributed along the circumference. Each hollow portion includes a first hollow section 3021 and a second hollow section 3022. A first shaft 310 is provided in the first hollow section 3021, and the buckle 303 is rotatably connected to the first shaft 310. A second shaft 311 is provided in the second hollow section 3022;

[0075] The first end of the buckle 303 is connected to the power mechanism, which drives the buckle 303 to rotate within the first hollow section 3021 around the first shaft 310; the second end of the buckle 303 is used to cooperate with the second shaft 311 of the connection component 3 of another robot module to connect or disconnect the two connection components 3, thereby realizing the docking and separation of the two robot modules;

[0076] Multiple robot modules can be connected in parallel or in series. When connected in parallel, the connection components 3 at the same ends of the robot modules are connected; when connected in series, the connection components 3 at different ends of the robot modules are connected.

[0077] As a preferred embodiment, the power mechanism includes a locking servo 304, a transmission frame 305 coaxially arranged with the interface plate 302, and a connecting rod 306;

[0078] The center of the transmission frame 305 is provided with a central shaft hole 3051 connected to the output end of the locking servo 304. A plurality of tie rods 3052 are provided on the transmission frame 305. The plurality of tie rods 3052 are radially and circumferentially evenly distributed around the central shaft hole 3051 and have the same number as the number of the buckles 303.

[0079] The outer end of the tie rod 3052 is rotatably connected to one end of the connecting rod 306 through a ball head, and the other end of the connecting rod 306 is rotatably connected to the first end of the buckle 303 through a ball head.

[0080] The locking servo 304 of a connecting component drives each buckle 303 to rotate around its respective first shaft 310 through the transmission frame 305, so as to realize the locking and unlocking of the second shaft 311 of the interface plate 302 of another connecting component.

[0081] As a preferred mode, the interface mechanism is the rotationally symmetric structure, and its rotation angle is 90°, that is, the structure after rotating 90° is exactly the same as the structure before rotation. Correspondingly, each interface mechanism includes four buckles 303; the first hollow section 3021 is preferably perpendicular to the second hollow section 3022; the first shaft 310 is preferably perpendicular to the second shaft 311. It can be understood that since the rotation angle is 90°, it is convenient for two connecting components 3 to be connected at a relative angle of 0° or 90° in the circumferential direction.

[0082] As a preferred mode, the first shaft 310 is farther from the center of the interface plate 302, and the second shaft 311 is closer to the center of the interface plate 302 to avoid position interference during docking.

[0083] As a preferred mode, the second end of the buckle 303 is in a hook shape and is preferably provided with a groove, and is clamped and matched with the second shaft 311 of the connecting component 3 of another robot module through the groove.

[0084] As a preferred mode, the rotating connection part on the connecting component 3 includes a spline hole 308 that cooperates with the spline shaft 105. The spline shaft 105 and the spline hole 308 cooperate to drive the rotational deformation of the connecting component 3.

[0085] As a preferred mode, the rotation angle of the connecting component 3 is -120° to 120°.

[0086] As a preferred mode, the interface mechanism further includes a positioning frame 309, which is connected to the component frame 301 and is used to fix the interface plate 302.

[0087] As a preferred mode, the interface mechanism further includes a magnetic positioning device 307.

[0088] As a preferred mode, the structure of the magnetic positioning device 307 includes electromagnets that are evenly distributed along the circumference and are arranged in an annular array, and are embedded on the surface of the positioning frame 309.

[0089] When two robot modules are docked, the electromagnet is energized to generate a directional magnetic field, guiding the interface plates 302 of the two connection components 3 to be docked to be parallel and aligned with each other and attract each other. When the distance is less than the set value, the buckle 303 is triggered to act;

[0090] When separating, the undulating fin assemblies 2 of the two robot modules generate reverse thrust, and the polarity of the electromagnet is reversed to generate repulsive force to assist in separation.

[0091] The set value is preferably 5 mm.

[0092] When two robot modules are docked and separated, for the working process of connection and disconnection of the two connection components, please refer to Figure 8 , Figure 8 In which, (a) and (b) are respectively schematic diagrams of the mating states of the interface components of the two connection components during the docking process. The working process is as follows:

[0093] Before the docking starts, the buckle 303 is in the position shown in Figure 8 (a). During docking, first control the undulating fin drive servo 201 and the deformation drive servo 104 of the two modules to make the connection components located on the same straight line and approach along the straight line. During the approach of the connection components, the magnetic positioning device 307 is attracted to determine the positions of the two connection components, control the locking servo 304 of the two connection components, make the transmission frame 305 rotate, and then make their respective buckles 303 rotate as shown in Figure 8 (b), so as to correspond and cooperate with the second shaft 311 of the interface plate 302 of the other connection component, realizing the mechanical locking of the two connection components and completing the docking.

[0094] When separating, control the locking servo 304 of the two connection components, make the transmission frame 305 rotate, and then make their respective buckles 303 rotate in the reverse direction to unlock. By controlling the undulating fin assemblies 2 to generate forces in the opposite directions, the magnetic positioning device 307 is separated, thus completing the separation process.

[0095] In this embodiment, the docking and separation between robot modules and the adjustment of the angles of the connection components at the same time can realize the dynamic reconfiguration of the robot configuration, so as to adapt to diverse application scenarios and meet diverse task requirements. Since the rotation axes of the connection components at both ends of the module body are perpendicular to each other and each module has different deformation capabilities, the multi-module self-reconfiguration is not limited to a single plane and can form various spatial configurations. When in parallel connection, the rotation axes of the two docked connection components are parallel to each other, and the two docked modules have the ability to deform in a plane, and the thrusts generated by the undulating fin assemblies of the two robot modules are in the same plane; when in series connection, the rotation axes of the two docked connection components are perpendicular to each other, so there are two degrees of freedom at the docking point, and the plane where the thrust generated by the undulating fin assembly of the module can be changed.

[0096] The different configurations that can be formed according to actual needs in this embodiment include:

[0097] (1) Two or more robot modules are connected in series, which can form a snake-like configuration. The first and last connection components 3 are free ends, suitable for underwater propulsion.

[0098] For the convenience of description, the two ends of the module body along the roll axis are respectively named "front end" and "rear end". Among them, the front-end connection component of the module body rotates around the pitch axis, and the rear-end connection component of the module body rotates around the yaw axis.

[0099] The snake-like configurations formed by connecting two and five robot modules in series are respectively as Figure 9 、 Figure 10 shown. Figure 9 In [the figure], A and B respectively represent two modules A and B. As Figure 10 shown, the front-end connection components of the foremost module and the rear-end connection components of the rearmost module are not docked, and the first and last connection components remain free ends. The snake-like configuration is in a head-to-tail connection mode at each docking point. Therefore, each connection point has two degrees of freedom. After multiple modules are connected in series, by changing the angles of the two connection components at each connection point and adjusting the thrust of the oscillating fin assemblies of each series-connected robot module, the robot can move forward and backward, pitch and yaw, and perform snake-like propulsion. The wetted area is the smallest in the series configuration, effectively reducing resistance. Long-distance and efficient propulsion is achieved through the coordinated drive of the oscillating fins of each module.

[0100] (2) Three or more robot modules are connected in series, and the first and last connection components 3 are connected in a closed loop, which can form a ring configuration, suitable for underwater propulsion.

[0101] As Figure 11 shown, when four modules are connected in a closed loop in series, a rhombus is formed. The angle of the rear-end connection component of the module is 0°, and the angle of the front-end connection component can be freely controlled, forming a certain deformation ability. According to the propulsion requirements, the angle of the front-end connection component can be changed, and at the same time, by adjusting the thrust of the oscillating fin assembly, the robot can move forward, backward and sideward underwater, as well as turn in place, with better maneuverability.

[0102] (3) An even number of robot modules are connected in parallel, which can form a horizontal configuration or a vertical configuration.

[0103] ① In the horizontal configuration, the bionic oscillating fins are located on the sides of the robot and are preferably in a horizontal posture, suitable for underwater propulsion.

[0104] As Figure 12 shown, modules A and B are connected in parallel, the front-end connection components are docked, and the angles of the front-end connection components of the two modules are both 90°.

[0105] In the four-module horizontal configuration, the undulating fins of module A and module B are arranged in parallel horizontally, which has good straight-line propulsion ability. At the same time, through the differential motion of the undulating fins on both sides, yaw and steering can be achieved. As Figure 13 、 Figure 14 shown, when the four modules are connected in parallel, the angles of the front-end connection components of the four modules are all -90°, and the angles of the rear-end connection components can be adjusted within ±90°. When the angles of the rear-end connection components of each module are 0°, as Figure 13 shown, module A, B and module C, D are arranged front and back, with a small water-facing area and reduced resistance. At this time, the thrusts generated by the four undulating fin assemblies are parallel to each other and in the same plane, having better stability and straight-line propulsion performance. By adjusting the angles of the rear-end connection components, the pitch of the robot can also be achieved.

[0106] By adjusting the thrusts of the undulating fin assemblies of module AD and module BC, yaw and steering can be achieved through differential motion. As Figure 14 shown, when the angle of the rear-end connection component of module AC is 90° and the angle of the rear-end connection component of module BD is -90°, module AB and module CD are arranged up and down. At this time, the robot can not only move forward and backward, yaw and turn, but also generate a pitching moment by adjusting the thrusts of the upper and lower undulating fins, which is suitable for snorkeling scenarios.

[0107] ② In the vertical configuration, the bionic undulating fins are located below the robot and can contact the ground to generate thrust, which is suitable for amphibious use.

[0108] As Figure 15 shown, when two modules are connected in parallel, the angles of the rear-end connection components of module A and module B are -90° and 90° respectively for docking. And the bionic undulating fins of the two modules are located below the configuration, generating sinusoidal waves in the same direction to achieve the forward and backward movement of the configuration. Yaw and steering can be achieved through the differential motion of the two undulating fins, and amphibious use can be realized.

[0109] As Figure 16 shown, when four modules are connected in parallel, the angles of the front-end connection components of the four modules are all 0°, the angle of the rear-end connection component of module AC is 90°, and the angle of the rear-end connection component of module BD is -90°. The bionic undulating fins are located below the configuration. Similar to the case of two modules connected in parallel, sinusoidal waves in the same direction are generated to achieve the forward and backward movement of the configuration. Yaw and steering are achieved through the differential motion of the undulating fins on both sides. The number of parallel modules increases, the grounding area is larger, and it has better load-bearing capacity and passability on the ground.

[0110] In the vertical configuration, when underwater, the bionic undulating fins are preferably set in the vertical direction. When on the ground, see Figure 17, in order to provide thrust on the ground and maintain the stability of the robot, through the control of the undulating fin drive servo, the bionic undulating fin 203 is not set in the vertical direction perpendicular to the ground, but the center of the bionic undulating fins 203 of the two juxtaposed modules generates a sine traveling wave and tilts a certain angle to both sides, that is, in a "V shape". Therefore, when observed in the front view of Figure 17 , the inner side of the "sector arc" formed by the walking contact surface 2031 of the bionic undulating fin 203 contacts the ground.

[0111] Furthermore, when four modules are connected in parallel, Figure 16 the vertical configuration shown in Figure 13 and the horizontal configuration shown in Figure 16 can be quickly switched without changing the module docking method. In the vertical configuration shown in Figure 16 , by controlling the deformation drive servo, the angle of the front connection component is changed to -90°, so that the four modules are arranged in parallel up and down, that is, in the form of the modules AB and CD arranged up and down in the four-module parallel configuration shown in Figure 13 , to achieve a quick water-land switch. For the switching state, see Figure 18 .

[0112] In practical applications, by controlling the undulating fin drive servo, the waveform parameters of the sine traveling wave of the robot module can be adjusted to change the magnitude of the thrust. By coordinating the propulsion forces of each module and the angles of the connection components, the control of the overall movement of the combined configuration is achieved.

[0113] Those of ordinary skill in the art can understand that the above description is only the preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not used to limit the present invention. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, for those skilled in the art, they can still modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or perform equivalent replacements for some of the technical features. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A modular self-reconfigurable amphibious robot, characterized in that: The robot module comprises a module body (1), the two ends of which are provided with connection components (3) in the direction of the roll axis, respectively, and the two connection components (3) are driven by corresponding driving members to rotate around the pitch axis and the yaw axis of the module body (1) respectively; the module body (1) is provided with an undulating fin component (2), which comprises a bionic undulating fin (203) for generating a sinusoidal traveling wave propagating along a fin surface to generate a thrust in the direction of the traveling wave propagation; the bionic undulating fin (203) has a walking contact surface for contacting the ground; Each of the connection components (3) has the same structure, comprising a component frame (301), one end of which is provided with a rotating connection portion connected to the driving member, and the other end of which is provided with an interface component; The interface assembly includes a power mechanism and an interface mechanism; The interface mechanism is of a rotationally symmetrical structure, comprising an interface plate (302) and a plurality of buckles (303); the interface plate (302) is provided with hollow portions corresponding in number to the buckles (303) and uniformly distributed along the circumference; each of the hollow portions comprises a first hollow section (3021) and a second hollow section (3022); a first shaft (310) is provided in the first hollow section (3021); the buckle (303) is rotatably connected to the first shaft (310); and a second shaft (311) is provided in the second hollow section (3022); The first end of the buckle (303) is connected to the power mechanism, which drives the buckle (303) to rotate around the first axis (310) and in the first hollow section (3021); the second end of the buckle (303) is used to cooperate with the second axis (311) of the connecting component (3) of another robot module to connect or disconnect the two connecting components (3); The plurality of robot modules can be connected in parallel or in series. In parallel, the connection components (3) at the same end of each robot module are connected. In series, the connection components (3) at different ends of each robot module are connected.

2. The modular self-reconfigurable amphibious robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The undulating fin assembly (2) comprises at least five undulating fin driving steering gears (201) arranged at equal intervals, the output shaft of the undulating fin driving steering gear (201) being connected to one end of a rigid fin ray (202), and the other end of the rigid fin ray (202) being connected to the bionic undulating fin (203); The wave fin driving steering engine (201) drives two adjacent rigid fins (202) at a time sequence with a phase difference of 90 degrees, thereby generating a sinusoidal traveling wave propagating along the fin surface.

3. The modular self-reconfigurable amphibious robot according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The walking contact surface is the outer edge surface (2031) of the bionic undulating fin (203), which extends in a sinusoidal waveform.

4. The modular self-reconfigurable amphibious robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The interface mechanism also includes a positioning frame (309) for fixing the interface plate (302) and the magnetic positioning device (307); The structure of the magnetic positioning device (307) includes an annular array of electromagnets, which are embedded in the surface of the positioning frame (309); When the two robot modules are docked, the electromagnet is energized to generate a directional magnetic field, guiding the interface plates (302) of the two connection components (3) to be docked to align in parallel and attract each other, and triggering the snap (303) to act when the distance is less than a set value; when separating, the wave fin components (2) of the two robot modules generate a reverse thrust, and the polarity of the electromagnet is reversed to generate a repulsive force to assist in separation.

5. The modular self-reconfigurable amphibious robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The power mechanism comprises a locking steering gear (304), a transmission frame (305) coaxially arranged with the interface plate (302), and a connecting rod (306); A central shaft hole (3051) connected to the output end of the locking servo (304) is provided at the center of the transmission frame (305), and a plurality of pull rods (3052) are provided on the transmission frame (305). The plurality of pull rods (3052) are evenly distributed along the circumference in a radial shape with the central shaft hole (3051) as the center, and the number of the pull rods is the same as that of the buckles (303); The outer end of the pull rod (3052) is rotatably connected to one end of the connecting rod (306) via a ball head, and the other end of the connecting rod (306) is rotatably connected to the first end of the buckle (303) via a ball head.

6. The modular self-reconfigurable amphibious robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rotation angle of the rotationally symmetrical structure is 90°, and a total of four buckles (303) are included; the first hollow section (3021) and the second hollow section (3022) are perpendicular to each other, and the first axis (310) and the second axis (311) are perpendicular to each other.

7. The modular self-reconfigurable amphibious robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rotation angle range of the connecting component (3) is from -120° to 120°.

8. The modular self-reconfigurable amphibious robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The structure of the module body (1) comprises a main frame (101), with one driving member being arranged at each end of the main frame; The main frame (101) is provided with an outer shell (102), and an equipment cabin (103) is provided inside the outer shell.

9. The modular self-reconfigurable amphibious robot according to claim 1 or 8, characterized in that: The driving member comprises a deformation driving steering gear (104) and a spline shaft (105) connected to an output shaft of the deformation driving steering gear (104); The rotating connection portion includes a spline hole (308) that cooperates with the spline shaft (105).

10. The modular self-reconfigurable amphibious robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: Two or more of the robot modules are connected in series to form a serpentine configuration, with the head and tail connection components (3) being free ends; three or more of the robot modules are connected in series, with the head and tail connection components (3) being connected in a closed loop to form a ring configuration; An even number of said robot modules are connected in parallel to form a horizontal configuration or a vertical configuration; In the horizontal configuration, the bionic undulating fin (203) is located at the side of the robot in a horizontal posture, suitable for underwater propulsion; In the vertical configuration, the bionic undulating fin (203) is located below the robot, and is suitable for amphibious operation; By changing the rotation angle of the connection component (3) at the connection point between the modules, switching between the horizontal configuration and the vertical configuration is achieved.

Images