An all-electromagnetic propulsion serpentine structure

Abstract

The application provides a full electromagnetic propulsion serpentine structure and belongs to the technical field of robots; the structure is driven electromagnetically, so that the structure does not have the fatigue problem of the rope in the rope driving, can be directly controlled by the current, the stability of the device structure and the convenience of the control are improved, and traditional driving units such as air pumps and hydraulic pumps are not needed, so that the volume and weight of the device are reduced. The application comprises rib modules arranged in sequence from front to back, and also comprises side scales, belly scales and ball joint modules; the rib module comprises a rib frame, side scale coils and belly scale coils, the side scale coils and the belly scale coils are fixedly installed on the inner side wall of the rib frame, one side of the side scale is connected with a side scale magnetic connecting rod and a side scale driven connecting rod, the other end of the side scale magnetic connecting rod and the side scale driven connecting rod is connected with the rib frame, one side of the belly scale is connected with a belly scale magnetic connecting rod and a belly scale driven connecting rod; the ball joint module comprises a ball joint socket, ball joint coils and a ball joint head.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a serpentine structure with all-electromagnetic propulsion, specifically belonging to the field of robotics technology. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, the driving methods for bionic snakes are divided into pneumatic, hydraulic, and servo motor drives. The power conversion methods are bionic scales and driven wheels mounted on the bottom. Due to the limitation of the degrees of freedom of movement, servo motor-driven bionic snake robots generally cannot complete all four movement modes of snakes; they can usually only complete meandering, tracked, and telescopic movements, and it is difficult to complete crab-walking lateral movements. In addition, due to the rigidity of the servo motor itself, the bending degree of the bionic snake robot is limited, making it difficult to traverse winding terrain.

[0003] Pneumatic bionic snake robots control their posture or the opening and closing of their bionic scales by controlling the air pressure of airbags. As the degrees of freedom of bionic snake robots increase, the number of airbags also increases, leading to a sharp increase in the difficulty of design, control, manufacturing, and maintenance. In addition, the poor stability and safety of the airbags increase the possibility of failure for pneumatic bionic snake robots. Hydraulically driven bionic snake robots use hydraulic pressure to control their posture or the opening and closing of their bionic scales. However, the sealing problems and phase change temperatures of liquids limit the development and use of this type of bionic snake robot.

[0004] Whether driven by pneumatics or hydraulics, the presence of structures other than electromagnetic drives, such as air pumps or hydraulic pumps, increases the complexity of the bionic snake robot. The power conversion method of installing driven wheels at the bottom is used in some basic and simple bionic snake robot structures. However, the use of driven wheels makes it difficult to guarantee the friction force when the bionic snake robot moves, especially when the bionic snake robot moves on smooth surfaces such as glass plates, where the driven wheels are prone to causing the bionic snake robot to slip.

[0005] Publication number "CN117226814A" describes a snake-like robot with a propulsive joint, including a snake head. A connector is hinged to one side of the snake head, and a connecting plate is fixedly connected to one side of the connector. A connecting plate is also located on one side of the connecting plate, and the connector is fixedly connected to the connecting plate. The connectors form a multi-segment snake body, with a snake tail hinged to one side of the connecting plate. A propulsion mechanism is located on one side of the connecting plate. The mechanism uses an output shaft and a hydraulic cylinder to move the connecting ring, which in turn moves the connecting plate. The distance between the connecting plates can be adjusted to allow the robot to move in a meandering manner while extending or shortening like a snake. A mounting bracket allows for the removal of the wheels from the bottom of the connecting plate, facilitating replacement after wear. The overall length of the robot is adjustable, providing better adaptability and traversal capability for complex terrain.

[0006] However, this driving method has low degrees of freedom, and usually outputs circular or linear motion in a single plane, making it difficult to achieve the complex postures of bionic snake robots; moreover, the number of traditional driving units will increase the size of the bionic snake robot, increase the rigid parts, and limit the degree of bending. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The purpose of this invention is to provide a snake-like structure with all-electromagnetic propulsion to solve the problems of complex structure, low degree of freedom of movement, and poor stability of traditional biomimetic snake robots.

[0008] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is: the rib module is arranged sequentially from front to back, and also includes lateral scales, ventral scales and ball joint modules;

[0009] The rib module includes a rib frame, lateral scale coils, and ventral scale coils. The lateral scale coils and ventral scale coils are fixedly installed on the inner wall of the rib frame. A lateral scale magnetic link and a lateral scale driven link are connected to one side of the lateral scale. The other end of the lateral scale magnetic link and the lateral scale driven link are connected to the rib frame. A ventral scale magnetic link and a ventral scale driven link are connected to one side of the ventral scale. The other end of the ventral scale magnetic link and the ventral scale driven link are connected to the rib frame.

[0010] The ball joint module includes a ball joint socket, a ball joint coil, and a ball joint head. The ball joint socket is fixedly installed inside the rib frame. Ball joint coils are fixedly installed at equal intervals on the outer side of the ball joint socket. A ball joint head is provided on the inner side of the ball joint socket. One end of the ball joint head is fixedly connected to the adjacent rib frame.

[0011] The rib frame has corresponding lateral scale magnetic connecting rods and ventral scale magnetic connecting rods with grooves. Each rib frame contains two lateral scale coils and one ventral scale coil, with the two lateral scale coils symmetrically distributed along the axis of the ventral scale coil. The axis of the lateral scale coils is parallel to the direction of movement of the lateral scale magnetic connecting rod, and the axis of the ventral scale coils is parallel to the direction of movement of the ventral scale magnetic connecting rod.

[0012] Furthermore, by magnetically connecting the lateral and ventral scale magnetic links, they can move linearly within the grooves on the rib frame. Since one end of the lateral scale magnetic link is connected to the lateral scale hinge, and both ends of the lateral scale driven link are connected to the lateral scale and the rib frame hinge respectively, and one end of the ventral scale magnetic link is connected to the ventral scale hinge, and both ends of the ventral scale driven link are connected to the ventral scale and the rib frame hinge respectively, by changing the positions of the lateral and ventral scale magnetic links, the angle between the lateral scale, ventral scale, and rib frame changes accordingly, thereby enabling the lateral and ventral scales to cooperate for driving.

[0013] A flexible shell is fixedly installed on the outer wall of the rib frame, and a corrugated tube is set between two adjacent rib frames. The flexible shell and the corrugated tube work together to form a serpentine structure. The lateral scales and ventral scales are arranged in an overlapping and staggered pattern from front to back, and the ventral scales have an arc-shaped concave structure.

[0014] Furthermore, the serpentine structure allows for greater freedom of movement in the device.

[0015] The ball joint head and ball joint socket are not in contact, and the ball joint head and ball joint socket are magnetically coupled together.

[0016] Furthermore, when the ball joint coil is energized, it forms a spatial rotating magnetic field, which can drive the ball joint head to rotate. The rotation axis of the ball joint head has projections in both the vertical and horizontal directions, thereby realizing the multi-degree-of-freedom bending of the serpentine structure in three-dimensional space.

[0017] The beneficial effects of this invention are:

[0018] 1. By adopting an electromagnetic drive structure, the structure eliminates the fatigue problem of ropes in rope drives and the gear noise of servo motors. It can be directly controlled by current, which improves the stability and ease of control of the device structure. Furthermore, it eliminates the need for traditional drive units such as air pumps and hydraulic pumps, thereby reducing the size and weight of the device.

[0019] 2. By using the energized side scale coils and ventral scale coils, the "hardness" of the overall serpentine structure can be adjusted, and the opening and closing angle of each scale can be independently controlled, thereby improving the precision of the overall structure control. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall serpentine structure of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the bellows structure of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the rib module structure of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the horizontal plane rotation of the spinal ball joint of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the vertical rotation of the spinal ball joint of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the side scales opening in this invention;

[0026] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the side scale closure of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the ventral scales opening in this invention;

[0028] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the closure of the ventral scales in this invention;

[0029] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the undulating motion posture of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the tracked motion posture of the present invention.

[0031] 1. Flexible shell; 2. Side scales; 2-1. Side scale magnetic link; 2-2. Side scale driven link; 3. Ventral scales; 3-1. Ventral scale magnetic link; 3-2. Ventral scale driven link; 4. Rib module; 4-1. Rib frame; 4-2. Side scale coil; 4-3. Ventral scale coil; 5. Ball joint module; 5-1. Ball joint socket; 5-2. Ball joint coil; 5-3. Ball joint head; 6. Bellows. Detailed Implementation

[0032] The following will be combined with the appendix Figures 1-11 The technical solutions in the embodiments are described clearly and completely.

[0033] Specific implementation method one: as follows Figures 1-10 As shown, the device as a whole includes several sets of rib modules 4, lateral scales 2, and ventral scales 3. A flexible shell 1 is fixedly installed on the outer wall of each set of rib modules 4. The flexible shell 1 is a hollow columnar structure made of flexible material. A corrugated tube 6 is arranged between two adjacent rib frames 4-1. The flexible shell 1 and the corrugated tube 6 cooperate to form a serpentine structure. The rib frames 4-1 are hexagonal structures. Each rib frame 4-1 contains two lateral scale coils 4-2 and one ventral scale coil 4-3, with the two lateral scale coils 4-2 symmetrically distributed along the axis of the ventral scale coil 4-3.

[0034] One side of the side scale 2 is rotatably connected to the side scale magnetic link 2-1 and the side scale driven link 2-2 via a hinge. One side of the belly scale 3 is rotatably connected to the belly scale magnetic link 3-1 and the belly scale driven link 3-2 via a hinge. The other end of the side scale driven link 2-2 and the belly scale driven link 3-2 is rotatably connected to the rib frame 4-1 via a hinge. The other end of the side scale magnetic link 2-1 and the belly scale magnetic link 3-1 is slidably connected to the rib frame 4-1 via a slide groove. Since the side scale magnetic link 2-1 is magnetic, by energizing the side scale coil 4-2, the side scale magnetic link 2-1 can move linearly in the slide groove in the rib frame 4-1. By changing the magnitude of the energizing current, the position of the side scale magnetic link 2-1 can be changed, thereby changing the angle between the side scale 2 and the rib frame 4-1.

[0035] Similarly, since the ventral scale 3 is in contact with the ground and the ventral scale magnetic link 3-1 is magnetic, by energizing the ventral scale coil 4-3, the ventral scale magnetic link 3-1 can move linearly in the groove in the rib frame 4-1. By changing the magnitude of the energizing current, the position of the ventral scale magnetic link 3-1 can be changed, thereby changing the angle between the ventral scale 3 and the rib frame 4-1.

[0036] The rib frame 4-1 moves away from the ground by rotating the ball joint head 5-3. At the same time, by controlling the current on the ventral scale coil 4-3, the angle between the ventral scale 3 and the rib frame 4-1 is increased, causing the rib frame 4-1 to move closer to the ground by rotating the ball joint head 5-3. The force exerted by the ground on the ventral scale 3 propels the entire snake-like structure forward. Then, by controlling the current on the ventral scale coil 4-3, the angle between the ventral scale 3 and the rib frame 4-1 is decreased. This process is continuously executed in cycles to achieve the snake's track-like movement.

[0037] Specific implementation method two: such as Figure 11 As shown, the device as a whole includes several sets of rib modules 4, lateral scales 2, and ventral scales 3. A flexible shell 1 is fixedly installed on the outer wall of each set of rib modules 4. The flexible shell 1 is a hollow columnar structure made of flexible material. A corrugated tube 6 is arranged between two adjacent rib frames 4-1. The flexible shell 1 and the corrugated tube 6 cooperate to form a serpentine structure. The rib frames 4-1 are hexagonal structures. Each rib frame 4-1 contains two lateral scale coils 4-2 and one ventral scale coil 4-3, with the two lateral scale coils 4-2 symmetrically distributed along the axis of the ventral scale coil 4-3.

[0038] One side of the side scale 2 is rotatably connected to the side scale magnetic link 2-1 and the side scale driven link 2-2 via a hinge. One side of the belly scale 3 is rotatably connected to the belly scale magnetic link 3-1 and the belly scale driven link 3-2 via a hinge. The other end of the side scale driven link 2-2 and the belly scale driven link 3-2 is rotatably connected to the rib frame 4-1 via a hinge. The other end of the side scale magnetic link 2-1 and the belly scale magnetic link 3-1 is slidably connected to the rib frame 4-1 via a slide groove. Since the side scale magnetic link 2-1 is magnetic, by energizing the side scale coil 4-2, the side scale magnetic link 2-1 can move linearly in the slide groove in the rib frame 4-1. By changing the magnitude of the energizing current, the position of the side scale magnetic link 2-1 can be changed, thereby changing the angle between the side scale 2 and the rib frame 4-1.

[0039] Similarly, since the ventral scale 3 is in contact with the ground and the ventral scale magnetic link 3-1 is magnetic, by energizing the ventral scale coil 4-3, the ventral scale magnetic link 3-1 can move linearly in the groove in the rib frame 4-1. By changing the magnitude of the energizing current, the position of the ventral scale magnetic link 3-1 can be changed, thereby changing the angle between the ventral scale 3 and the rib frame 4-1.

[0040] The rib frame 4-1 moves away from the ground through the rotation of the ball joint head 5-3, while simultaneously rotating in the horizontal direction. The adjacent rib frame 4-1 contacts the ground through the rotation of the ball joint head 5-3. Therefore, the entire serpentine structure is only partially in contact with the ground at any given time, while the rest moves away from the ground. Then, through the rotation of the ball joint head 5-3, the part in contact with the ground moves away from the ground, and the part away from the ground contacts the ground, thus achieving the serpentine crab-walking movement.

[0041] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention in any way. Although the present invention has been disclosed above with reference to preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the art can make some modifications or alterations to the above-disclosed technical content to create equivalent embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention. Any simple modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made to the above embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention, based on the technical essence of the present invention and within the spirit and principles of the present invention, shall still fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A serpentine structure with all-electromagnetic propulsion, characterized in that, It includes a rib module (4) arranged from front to back, as well as lateral scales (2), ventral scales (3) and ball joint module (5). The rib module (4) includes a rib frame (4-1), a lateral scale coil (4-2), and a ventral scale coil (4-3). The lateral scale coil (4-2) and the ventral scale coil (4-3) are fixedly installed on the inner wall of the rib frame (4-1). A lateral scale magnetic link (2-1) and a lateral scale driven link (2-2) are connected on one side of the lateral scale (2). The other end of the lateral scale magnetic link (2-1) and the lateral scale driven link (2-2) is connected to the rib frame (4-1). A ventral scale magnetic link (3-1) and a ventral scale driven link (3-2) are connected on one side of the ventral scale (3). The other end of the ventral scale magnetic link (3-1) and the ventral scale driven link (3-2) is connected to the rib frame (4-1). The ball joint module (5) includes a ball joint socket (5-1), a ball joint coil (5-2), and a ball joint head (5-3). The ball joint socket (5-1) is fixedly installed inside the rib frame (4-1). The ball joint coil (5-2) is fixedly installed at equal intervals on the outer side of the ball joint socket (5-1). The ball joint head (5-3) is provided on the inner side of the ball joint socket (5-1). One end of the ball joint head (5-3) is fixedly connected to the adjacent rib frame (4-1). A permanent magnet is fixedly installed on the outer side of the ball joint head (5-3).

2. The serpentine structure for all-electromagnetic propulsion according to claim 1, characterized in that, A flexible shell (1) is fixedly installed on the outer wall of the rib frame (4-1). A corrugated tube (6) is provided between two adjacent rib frames (4-1). The flexible shell (1) and the corrugated tube (6) cooperate to form a serpentine structure. The flexible shell (1) has a slot that does not affect the movement of the lateral scales (2) and the ventral scales (3).

3. The serpentine structure for all-electromagnetic propulsion according to claim 1, characterized in that, Each rib frame (4-1) is provided with two lateral scale coils (4-2) and one ventral scale coil (4-3). The two lateral scale coils (4-2) are symmetrically distributed along the axis of the ventral scale coil (4-3). The axis of the lateral scale coil (4-2) is parallel to the direction of movement of the lateral scale magnetic link (2-1), and the axis of the ventral scale coil (4-3) is parallel to the direction of movement of the ventral scale magnetic link (3-1).

4. The serpentine structure for all-electromagnetic propulsion according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rib frame (4-1) is a regular hexagonal structure, and the rib frame (4-1) is provided with a groove for the movement of the lateral scale magnetic connecting rod (2-1) and the ventral scale magnetic connecting rod (3-1).

5. The serpentine structure for all-electromagnetic propulsion according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ball joint head (5-3) and the ball joint socket (5-1) are not in contact, and the ball joint head (5-3) and the ball joint socket (5-1) are magnetically coupled, and the magnetic pole directions of adjacent permanent magnets are different.

6. The serpentine structure with all-electromagnetic propulsion according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lateral scales (2) and ventral scales (3) are arranged in an overlapping pattern from front to back, and the ventral scales (3) have an arc-shaped concave structure.

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