Simulated skin and application thereof

Abstract

The invention provides simulated skin and application thereof.The simulated skin comprises, by mass, 15%-20% of a silica gel layer, 60%-70% of an air bag layer, 5%-15% of a heat conduction layer and 5%-10% of a control layer which are sequentially arranged; according to the simulation skin, in a simulation robot, the surface density is reduced by 65%, the weight is reduced by 40%-65% compared with that of traditional silica gel skin, and the cruising ability of the robot is remarkably improved; the touch sense dimension is expanded from 1D to 4D, and the user experience similarity reaches 94.7%; through topological optimization and self-repairing design, the average fault-free time of the system is prolonged to 10000 hours.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of bionic robots, and in particular to a simulation skin and its application. Background Art

[0002] Traditional humanoid robot skins are designed to mimic the perceptual functions of human skin and endow robots with the ability to interact with the external environment. Despite significant progress in modern technology, the research and application of traditional humanoid robot skins still face many challenges.

[0003] Currently, problems existing in traditional humanoid robots include excessive weight: the solid silicone layer (2.5 - 4 kg / m 2 ) causes a 30% - 50% increase in the energy consumption of robot movement; single tactile dimension: it can only detect pressure signals and cannot simulate the hardness gradient, temperature change, and texture adaptation of human skin; lack of biocompatibility: the rigid structure is prone to pose safety hazards in collision scenarios.

[0004] CN119871489A discloses a humanoid robot with a flexible electronic touch - screen skin, including a robot skeleton and a simulation skin wrapped outside the robot skeleton. The robot skeleton includes an upper - limb arm, a torso skeleton, lower - limb legs, and a head. The upper - limb arm, lower - limb legs, and head are respectively connected to the torso skeleton through servo - drive mechanisms to achieve the movement of the limbs and the head. Shielding layers are coated outside the servo - drive mechanisms at the joint connection parts of the robot skeleton; the simulation skin is a touch skin made of flexible touch - screen material, and the simulation skin includes a fitting layer, a color - changing display material layer, a sensing layer, and an outer coating. The present invention solves the deficiencies of traditional robot skins in tactile feedback, appearance simulation, and waterproof performance through flexible electronic touch - screens, color - changing display materials, sensor technology, and innovative waterproof coatings, enabling the robot to operate efficiently and stably in more complex and changeable environments.

[0005] CN118544390A discloses a robot simulation skin system, which relates to the technical field of robot manufacturing, specifically to a robot simulation skin system. The present invention aims to solve the technical problem of uneven heat distribution in the skin of current simulation robots. The micro - channels of the present invention are designed based on human blood vessels to mimic the liquid transportation, heat transfer, etc. of human blood vessels; the liquid storage box and the piezoelectric sheet are an integrated structure, which can miniaturize the system; a one - way valve is arranged in the liquid outlet pipe of the liquid storage box to prevent liquid back - flow, and there is a liquid inlet on the liquid storage box for convenient liquid recovery and reuse. By the controller, the temperature, flow rate, etc. of the liquid entering the simulation skin can be changed, thereby improving the problem of uneven heat distribution in the simulation skin to achieve the purpose of flexibly controlling the temperature of the simulation skin; the liquid in the simulation skin is not easily volatile, the simulation effect is stable, and the production and processing are easy, facilitating batch production, reducing the manufacturing cost, and the replacement of parts is also convenient.

[0006] Although related technologies have disclosed the simulation skin system of humanoid robots, they still cannot meet the requirements of simulation skin in humanoid robots. Therefore, how to develop a new type of humanoid robot is of great significance for future applications. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is that the existing simulation skin is too heavy, has a single tactile dimension and lacks biocompatibility when applied to robots.

[0008] To solve the above technical problems, in a first aspect, the present invention provides a simulation skin, which, by mass percentage, includes a silicone layer of 15% - 20%, an airbag layer of 60% - 70%, a heat-conducting layer of 5% - 15% and a control layer of 5% - 10% arranged in sequence.

[0009] The simulation skin provided by the present invention has four core modules, including an ultra-light composite epidermal layer, on the surface of which bionic fingerprints and pore textures are formed by laser engraving, a topologically optimized airbag layer, an intelligent thermal management layer with the effect of zone temperature control, dynamically matching the human body's heat radiation law, and a self-repair and safety module. At the same time, combined with an optimized control method, it achieves better lightweight, biological simulation breakthrough and high reliability effects.

[0010] The mass percentage of the silicone layer can be 15%, 16%, 17%, 18%, 19% or 20%, etc.

[0011] Preferably, the silicone layer contains hollow glass microspheres; the mass percentage of the hollow glass microspheres in the silicone layer is 30% - 40%, for example, it can be 30%, 35%, 38% or 40%, etc. In the present invention, the density of the hollow glass microspheres is generally 0.85 - 0.95 g / cm3. In the present invention, the hollow glass microspheres can reduce the overall weight of the skin.

[0012] Preferably, the thickness of the silicone layer is 0.3 - 1.2 mm.

[0013] Preferably, the surface of the silicone layer is provided with textures. The textures in the present invention are laser-engraved bionic textures, including fingerprint or pore textures. The diameter is adjustable from 10 to 50 μm.

[0014] Preferably, the silicone layer contains an optical capacitance composite sensor.

[0015] In the present invention, the optical capacitance composite sensor is composed of an embedded fiber Bragg grating array and a transparent capacitance grid. The fiber Bragg grating array can detect pressure, and the transparent capacitance grid can perform contact positioning with an accuracy of ±0.5 mm. It can synchronously detect contact pressure (0.1 - 50 N), temperature (10 - 50 °C), and surface deformation (accuracy ±0.5 mm).

[0016] The optical capacitance composite sensor identifies surface fouling by analyzing the change in the light transmittance of the silica gel layer (accuracy 0.1%) and triggers high-frequency micro-vibrations (50 - 200 Hz) of the airbag in the specified area to achieve self-cleaning. It has a built-in tactile learning database, and optimizes the airbag pressure-temperature linkage parameters by recording human skin contact response data, so that the similarity of tactile feedback is ≥92%.

[0017] Preferably, the silica gel layer further includes microcapsules; the diameter of the microcapsules is 30 - 60 μm. In the present invention, the microcapsules in the silica gel layer can play a self-repairing role. After the microcapsules rupture, they release silane repair agent to repair scratches with a depth less than 0.5 mm.

[0018] Preferably, the microcapsules contain electromagnetic pressure relief valves. The electromagnetic pressure relief valves in the present invention can quickly exhaust gas within 5 ms when the pressure is greater than 100 kPa. The principle is to adopt a pneumatic energy recovery design. When the airbag exhausts gas, it drives a micro-turbine generator to convert more than 30% of the exhaust kinetic energy into electrical energy for storage.

[0019] The mass percentage of the airbag layer can be 60%, 62%, 65%, 68%, 70%, etc.

[0020] Preferably, the airbag layer is composed of a number of independent micro airbags in the shape of a hexagonal honeycomb matrix; the wall thickness of the micro airbags is 0.05 - 0.2 mm, for example, it can be 0.05 mm, 0.1 mm, 0.15 mm, 0.2 mm, etc.

[0021] Preferably, each independent micro airbag is connected to a micro piezoelectric air pump and a pressure sensor.

[0022] In the present invention, the micro airbags support modular replacement. When a single airbag module fails, it can be automatically isolated and the deformation function can be compensated by adjacent airbags.

[0023] Preferably, the airbag layer includes any one or a combination of at least two of a high-density area airbag layer, a medium-density area airbag layer, or a low-density area airbag layer.

[0024] The high-density area airbag layer has 200 - 400 independent micro airbags distributed per square centimeter; the high-density area airbag layer is mainly used for the face and fingers in the human kinematics model parts. The airbag diameter is generally 1 mm, and the wall thickness is 0.05 mm.

[0025] The medium-density area airbag layer has 50 to 150 independent micro airbags distributed per square centimeter; the medium-density area airbag layer is mainly used for joints and soles in the human kinematics model parts. The diameter of the airbag is generally 3 mm, and the wall thickness is 0.1 mm.

[0026] The low-density area airbag layer has 10 to 30 independent micro airbags distributed per square centimeter. The low-density area airbag layer is mainly used for the torso and thighs in the human kinematics model parts. The diameter of the airbag is generally 5 mm, and the wall thickness is 0.15 mm.

[0027] The mass percentage of the heat conduction layer can be 5%, 7%, 10%, 12%, 14% or 15%, etc.

[0028] Preferably, the heat conduction layer includes a graphene heat conduction film and a micro Peltier element. The thickness of the heat conduction layer is 0.4 mm.

[0029] In the present invention, the heat conduction layer has the effect of intelligent thermal management, contains flexible graphene sheets, and has a thermal conductivity of 1500 W / m·K. It can perform zone temperature control, with an accuracy of up to ±0.3 °C, and can dynamically match the human body's heat radiation law. For example, the center of the palm is 1.2 to 2 °C higher than the edge of the palm. It can generate a temperature rise of 0.5 to 2 °C synchronously with the airbag expansion to simulate the thermal effect of biological contact.

[0030] The mass percentage of the control layer can be 5%, 6%, 7%, 8%, 9% or 10%, etc.

[0031] Preferably, the control layer includes a topology optimization algorithm unit and a multi-modal tactile feedback unit.

[0032] In the present invention, the topology optimization algorithm unit establishes a human skin deformation database based on finite element analysis, generates an optimal airbag density distribution map, and has the function of real-time dynamic adjustment: according to the joint angle sensor data, predicts the skin stretching rate and adjusts the adjacent airbag collaborative inflation strategy. The multi-modal tactile feedback unit can achieve hardness simulation: the Shore hardness can be continuously adjusted from 5A to 50A through airbag pressure - PID control; it has the effect of temperature synchronization: when the airbag expansion rate > 30%, the corresponding area heats up by 0.8 - 1.5 °C to simulate the metabolic heat generation effect.

[0033] In the present invention, the control layer can dynamically adjust the airbag pressure based on the contact position prediction algorithm, including: when detecting human contact, the airbag pressure in the contact area drops to 5 - 15 kPa, and the non-contact area maintains 20 - 30 kPa to maintain the shape; when simulating muscle contraction is required, the airbag pressure in the target area is increased to 50 - 80 kPa within 0.1 second.

[0034] In the present invention, setting the control method in the control layer has significant advantages. The control layer, as the core control hub of the entire simulation skin system, integrates various advanced control algorithms and logic processing units. From a hardware perspective, the control layer is equipped with a high-performance microprocessor and a rich interface circuit, enabling high-speed and stable connections with various sensors and actuators in the silicone layer, airbag layer, and heat conduction layer. When the optical capacitance composite sensor in the silicone layer detects changes in the external environment, such as the contact pressure varying within the range of 0.1 - 50 N, the temperature fluctuating in the range of 10 - 50 °C, or the surface deforming with an accuracy of ±0.1 mm, the sensor will quickly convert these analog signals into digital signals and transmit them to the control layer through high-speed data transmission lines. After receiving the signals, the central processing unit inside the control layer will perform rapid analysis and processing according to the preset complex algorithms. For example, when it detects an increase in pressure and temperature in the finger area, the control layer will determine that it may be in contact with a warm object with a certain pressure. At this time, on the one hand, the control layer sends instructions to the micro piezoelectric air pump in the corresponding area of the finger in the airbag layer to increase the air pressure in the micro airbag, simulating the tactile feedback of increased hardness, so that the robot can "perceive" the change in the hardness of the object; on the other hand, it controls the micro Peltier elements in the heat conduction layer to heat up according to the law of human body heat radiation, simulating the heat sensation during real contact, ensuring that the center of the palm is 1.2 - 2 °C higher than the edge of the palm, achieving precise heat simulation. In terms of self-repair, if the electromagnetic pressure relief valve in the microcapsule starts to exhaust due to a pressure greater than 100 kPa, the control layer will not only monitor the process of converting more than 30% of the exhaust kinetic energy into electrical energy and storing it by the micro turbine generator through the built-in energy recovery management module, but also record relevant data in real time, including the pressure relief time, pressure change curve, etc. Once it detects a scratch on the silicone layer with a depth less than 0.5 mm, the control layer will immediately trigger the microcapsule to release the silane repair agent, start the self-repair program, and continuously monitor the repair process to ensure the repair effect. In addition, if the control method is connected to the control system separately, there will be many drawbacks. In terms of signal transmission, due to the increase in additional connection lines and interfaces, the signal transmission delay will increase significantly. For example, during the process from the sensor to the control system and then back to the control actuator, the signal transmission time may extend from the millisecond level to the second level, which will seriously affect the performance of the simulation skin system that requires real-time response, resulting in dull tactile feedback of the robot and inability to simulate real tactile and heat sensations in a timely manner. Moreover, connecting the control system separately will make the system structure complex, increasing the hardware cost and the risk of failure. At the same time, it is difficult to ensure the compatibility and coordination between different systems, and problems such as control instruction conflicts or data transmission errors may occur, reducing the reliability and stability of the entire simulation skin system. In summary, setting the control method in the control layer can effectively improve the system's response speed, control accuracy, and reliability, better realize the various functions of the simulation skin, and meet the application requirements of humanoid robots in complex environments.

[0035] Implementing the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0036] The simulated skin provided by the present invention, in a simulated robot, has a surface density reduced by 65%, a weight reduction of 40% - 65% compared to traditional silicone skin, significantly improving the battery life of the robot (measured energy consumption reduction of 41%); the tactile dimension is extended from 1D to 4D (pressure, hardness, temperature, texture), and the user experience similarity reaches 94.7% (double-blind test result); through topology optimization and self-healing design, the system MTBF (mean time between failures) is increased to 10,000 hours. Detailed implementation manners

[0037] To make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below. Obviously, the described embodiments are some but not all of the embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0038] Embodiment 1

[0039] This embodiment provides a simulated skin

[0040] The simulated skin includes a silicone layer of 15%, an airbag layer of 60%, a heat conduction layer of 15%, and a control layer of 10% arranged in sequence. Among them, the silicone layer contains hollow glass microspheres accounting for 35% of the mass of the silicone layer, the thickness of the silicone layer is 0.5 mm, and at the same time, laser-engraved bionic textures are set. The silicone layer also contains an optical capacitance composite sensor and microcapsules, and the microcapsules contain electromagnetic pressure relief valves with a diameter of 40 μm; the airbag layer is composed of a number of independent micro airbags in the shape of a hexagonal honeycomb matrix, the wall thickness of each micro airbag is 0.1 mm, 100 micro airbags are distributed per square centimeter, and each micro airbag is connected to a micro piezoelectric air pump and a MEMS pressure sensor; the heat conduction layer includes a graphene heat conduction film and micro Peltier elements, and the heat conduction coefficient of the graphene heat conduction film is 1500 W / m·K; a topology optimization algorithm unit and a multi-modal tactile feedback unit are set in the control layer.

[0041] Embodiment 2

[0042] This embodiment provides a simulated skin

[0043] The simulated skin includes a silica gel layer (20%), an airbag layer (70%), a heat conduction layer (5%), and a control layer (5%) arranged in sequence. Among them, the silica gel layer contains hollow glass microspheres accounting for 40% of the mass of the silica gel layer. The thickness of the silica gel layer is 0.3 mm, and at the same time, laser-engraved bionic textures are set. The silica gel layer also contains an optical capacitance composite sensor and microcapsules. The microcapsules contain electromagnetic pressure relief valves, and the diameter of the microcapsules is 30 μm. The airbag layer consists of several independent micro airbags in the shape of a hexagonal honeycomb matrix. The wall thickness of each micro airbag is 0.2 mm, and 200 micro airbags are distributed per square centimeter. Each micro airbag is connected to a micro piezoelectric pump and a MEMS pressure sensor. The heat conduction layer includes a graphene heat conduction film and a micro Peltier element, and the heat conduction coefficient of the graphene heat conduction film is 1500 W / m·K. A topology optimization algorithm unit and a multi-modal tactile feedback unit are set in the control layer.

[0044] Example 3

[0045] This embodiment provides a simulated skin

[0046] The simulated skin includes a silica gel layer (20%), an airbag layer (60%), a heat conduction layer (15%), and a control layer (5%) arranged in sequence. Among them, the silica gel layer contains hollow glass microspheres accounting for 30% of the mass of the silica gel layer. The thickness of the silica gel layer is 1.2 mm, and at the same time, laser-engraved bionic textures are set. The silica gel layer also contains an optical capacitance composite sensor and microcapsules. The microcapsules contain electromagnetic pressure relief valves, and the diameter of the microcapsules is 60 μm. The airbag layer consists of several independent micro airbags in the shape of a hexagonal honeycomb matrix. The wall thickness of each micro airbag is 0.05 mm, and 10 micro airbags are distributed per square centimeter. Each micro airbag is connected to a micro piezoelectric pump and a MEMS pressure sensor. The heat conduction layer includes a graphene heat conduction film and a micro Peltier element, and the heat conduction coefficient of the graphene heat conduction film is 1500 W / m·K. A topology optimization algorithm unit and a multi-modal tactile feedback unit are set in the control layer.

[0047] Comparative Example 1

[0048] This comparative example is a traditional silica gel skin.

[0049] A material comparison experiment was carried out on the simulated skins provided by the above Example 1 and Comparative Example 1. The main tests were surface density, tensile modulus, and thermal response time. The tensile modulus was measured by manual stretching, and the thermal response time was measured using a thermometer. The results obtained are shown in Table 1 below:

[0050] Table 1

[0051] Sample <![CDATA[Areal density (kg / mm 2 )]]> Tensile modulus (MPa) Thermal response time (s) Example 1 1.05 1.2 Less than 15 Comparative Example 1 3.2 0.8 Greater than 60

[0052] From the above experimental data, it can be seen that the simulated skin provided by the present invention:

[0053] The simulated skin provided in Embodiment 1 activates the deformation compensation mode when three consecutive airbags fail: the inflation volume of adjacent airbags increases by 15%-20%; the corresponding area of the thermal management layer heats up by 2-3°C to attract attention (simulating human pain warning). After applying simulated dirt (viscosity 50 cP) on the surface and triggering 100 Hz high-frequency vibration, the remaining amount of dirt decreases by 82%.

[0054] The simulated skin provided in Embodiment 2 is actually deployed. Facial part: High-density area configuration is adopted to achieve 20 kinds of micro-expression control (for example, when frowning, the airbag group between the eyebrows inflates to 45 kPa); Palm part: When grasping an object, the airbags at the contact points depressurize to 8 kPa, and the non-contact areas pressurize to 35 kPa to enhance the gripping force.

[0055] Embodiment 4

[0056] Compared with Embodiment 1, the simulated skin provided in this embodiment is separately provided with a control system connected to the simulated skin, rather than being set as a whole with the simulated skin through a control layer.

[0057] In the process of the simulated skin provided in Embodiment 4 from the sensor to the control system and then back to the control actuator, the signal transmission time may extend from the millisecond level to the second level. For a simulated skin system that requires real-time response, this will seriously affect its performance, resulting in dull tactile feedback of the robot and inability to simulate real touch and thermal sensations in a timely manner.

[0058] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit them; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions recorded in the foregoing embodiments, or perform equivalent replacements for some of the technical features; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the various embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A simulated skin, characterized in that, The simulated skin, by mass percentage, comprises a silica gel layer of 15% - 20%, an airbag layer of 60% - 70%, a heat conduction layer of 5% - 15% and a control layer of 5% - 10% which are arranged in sequence.

2. The simulated skin according to claim 1, characterized in that, The silica gel layer contains hollow glass microspheres; the mass percentage of the hollow glass microspheres in the silica gel layer is 30% - 40%; Preferably, the thickness of the silica gel layer is 0.3 - 1.2 mm.

3. The simulated skin according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, Textures are arranged on the surface of the silica gel layer; Preferably, the silica gel layer contains an optical capacitance composite sensor.

4. The simulated skin according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The silica gel layer further comprises microcapsules; the diameter of the microcapsules is 30 - 60 μm; Preferably, an electromagnetic pressure relief valve is included in the microcapsules.

5. The simulated skin according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The airbag layer is composed of a number of independent micro airbags in the shape of a hexagonal honeycomb matrix; the wall thickness of the micro airbags is 0.05 - 0.2 mm; Preferably, each independent micro airbag is connected to a micro piezoelectric pump and a pressure sensor.

6. The simulated skin according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The airbag layer includes any one or a combination of at least two of a high-density area airbag layer, a medium-density area airbag layer or a low-density area airbag layer; The high-density area airbag layer has 200 - 400 independent micro airbags distributed per square centimeter; The medium-density area airbag layer has 50 - 150 independent micro airbags distributed per square centimeter; The low-density area airbag layer has 10 - 30 independent micro airbags distributed per square centimeter.

7. The simulated skin according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The heat conduction layer includes a graphene heat conduction film and a micro Peltier element.

8. The simulated skin according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The control layer includes a topology optimization algorithm unit and a multi-modal tactile feedback unit.

9. Application of the simulated skin according to any one of claims 1 - 8 in a humanoid robot.