Robot based on solid-liquid phase change adhesion mechanism

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of robots based on a solid-liquid phase change adhesion mechanism, in particular to a robot based on the solid-liquid phase change adhesion mechanism, which comprises a robot platform, a control system, a power supply module and robot feet, and the tail end of each robot foot is provided with a rapid adhesion and desorption device; the rapid adhesion and desorption device comprises an adsorption device base, a phase change material, a semiconductor chilling plate, a heating resistance wire, a temperature sensor and a resistance type film pressure sensor; according to the invention, the adhesive force derives from the combined action of Van der Waals force generated after phase change, mechanical interlocking and the shear strength of the material, so that the robot can be reliably adhered to a rough, porous and even wet surface without requiring the surface to be flat and airtight like vacuum adsorption; during desorption, complete separation can be realized through heating and melting, and almost no damage is caused to the contact surface.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of robot technology based on solid-liquid phase change adhesion mechanism, in particular to a robot based on solid-liquid phase change adhesion mechanism. BACKGROUND

[0002] Wall climbing robots and climbing robots have important application value in high-altitude detection, operation and maintenance, rescue and other fields, and their core functions depend on surface adhesion ability which is stable, reliable and can be quickly detached.

[0003] At present, the mainstream adhesion technology has significant limitations. Although chemical adhesives can provide strong adhesion, the detachment process often damages the surface or itself, and the consumables need to be frequently replenished, which is difficult to meet the repeated operation demand. The bionic microstructure adhesion (depending on van der Waals force) can realize non-destructive detachment, but its performance is extremely sensitive to environmental cleanliness and humidity, and it is easy to fail on wet, dirty or smooth surfaces such as glass and ceramic tiles, and the preparation of high adhesion micro-nano structure is complex and costly. Vacuum adsorption technology has high requirements for surface flatness and air tightness, and is easy to fail due to air leakage on rough or porous surfaces, and it needs to continuously consume a large amount of energy to maintain vacuum, which makes the system heavy and noisy. Electromagnetic adhesion is only suitable for ferromagnetic material surface, and the application range is fundamentally limited.

[0004] Therefore, the robot based on solid-liquid phase change adhesion mechanism is proposed. SUMMARY

[0005] In order to solve the above technical problems, the robot based on solid-liquid phase change adhesion mechanism is proposed.

[0006] The technical solution for achieving the purpose of the present application is: the robot based on solid-liquid phase change adhesion mechanism, comprising a robot platform, a control system, a power module and a plurality of robot feet, the end of each robot foot is provided with a rapid adhesion and detachment device;

[0007] The rapid adhesion and detachment device comprises an adsorption device base, a liquid pipeline is arranged at the bottom of the adsorption device base for injecting phase change material; the adsorption device base is provided with a semiconductor refrigeration fin, the cold end of the semiconductor refrigeration fin is in thermal connection with the adsorption device base for refrigerating the phase change material to solidify it;

[0008] A heating resistance wire is arranged on the adsorption device base for heating the phase change material to melt it;

[0009] A temperature sensor is installed on the adsorption device base, and the temperature sensor is used to detect the temperature of the phase change material;

[0010] A resistive thin-film pressure sensor is arranged on the adsorption device base, and is used to detect the adhesion force.

[0011] The control system is electrically connected with the semiconductor refrigeration sheet, the heating resistance wire, the temperature sensor and the resistive thin-film pressure sensor, and is used to control the adhesion and desorption process.

[0012] Preferably, the robot foot comprises a plurality of foot supports, i.e., a foot support one, a foot support two and a foot support three, and a plurality of foot motors, i.e., a foot motor one, a foot motor two and a foot motor three, which are respectively hinged to the foot support one, the foot support two and the foot support three to form a multi-degree-of-freedom motion structure, and the rapid adhesion and desorption device is mounted on the foot support one.

[0013] Preferably, the rapid adhesion and desorption device further comprises a heat sink and a small fan, the heat sink is in thermal connection with the hot end of the semiconductor refrigeration sheet, and the small fan is arranged opposite to the heat sink and is used to enhance heat dissipation.

[0014] Preferably, the rapid adhesion and desorption device further comprises a liquid circulation unit, the liquid circulation unit comprises a water tank, a motor body, a pump and a liquid pipeline, the pump is in communication with the cavity of the adsorption device base through the liquid pipeline, and is used to supplement or recycle the phase change material.

[0015] Preferably, the heating resistance wire is embedded in the interior or surface of the adsorption device base.

[0016] Preferably, a depth camera and a laser radar are respectively arranged on the robot platform, and the depth camera and the laser radar are in communication connection with the control system and are used for environment perception and path planning.

[0017] Preferably, the control system adopts a ROS2 system and carries an AI processing unit, and is used to realize autonomous navigation, foot temperature control and adhesion force feedback adjustment of the robot.

[0018] Preferably, the phase change material is water, a modified aqueous solution or other materials that can reversibly change between solid and liquid states.

[0019] Compared with the prior art, the present application has the following advantages:

[0020] One: the adhesion of the present application is derived from the comprehensive action of van der Waals force, mechanical interlocking and shear strength of the material itself after phase change, which makes the robot not require a flat and airtight surface like vacuum adsorption, and can reliably adhere to rough, porous and even wet surfaces; unlike the strict requirements of biomimetic microstructure on cleanliness; and beyond the fundamental restriction of electromagnetic adsorption limited to ferromagnetic materials, whether glass, ceramic tile, concrete or metal, strong adsorption can be achieved. What is particularly key is that complete separation can be achieved by melting through heating when detaching, with almost zero damage to the contact surface, especially when pure water is used as the medium, there is no chemical residue after thawing, realizing "non-destructive adhesion", which greatly expands its application value in sensitive scenarios such as high-end equipment inspection and cultural relic maintenance;

[0021] Secondly, the present application realizes precise and rapid regulation of the temperature of the adhesion interface by integrating semiconductor refrigerating sheets and micro-heating resistance wires, thereby compressing the solid-liquid switching time of the phase change material to a very short time, supporting the rapid gait movement of the robot. The energy consumption is mainly concentrated in the short switching process of adhesion or detachment, and once the adhesion is completed, only a small amount of energy is needed to maintain the low temperature. Compared with the scheme of continuously consuming a large amount of energy to maintain vacuum or magnetic field, the overall energy consumption is significantly reduced. At the same time, the temperature and pressure sensors integrated into the feet constitute a real-time feedback closed loop, and the intelligent control system can dynamically adjust the refrigeration or heating strategy according to the surface material, environmental temperature and humidity and load, not only ensuring the adhesion reliability, but also realizing energy on-demand distribution, optimizing system energy efficiency and prolonging the continuous operation time of the robot;

[0022] Thirdly, the present application has a wide range of applications and can be applied in special scenarios such as nuclear industry, aerospace and ocean. In addition, the whole working process is extremely quiet without the noise of vacuum pumps or strong electromagnetic fields, and has low energy consumption and stealthy nature;

[0023] Fourthly, the adhesion mechanism adopted by the present application has controllability and universality: the phase change point of the phase change adhesion material is fixed, providing controllability of adhesion, and there are many phase change materials, including water, modified solution of water and other phase change materials, providing universality;

[0024] Fifthly, the present application learns from the walking posture of wall-climbing animals to ensure that a sufficient number of legs remain in the adhesion state during movement, and to ensure the contact area when facing large curved surfaces, thereby maintaining stability. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0025] The present application will be further explained in conjunction with the drawings and examples:

[0026] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure provided by the present application;

[0027] Figure 2It is the foot structure schematic diagram provided by the application;

[0028] Figure 3 It is the foot fast adhesion and detachment device (single semiconductor refrigeration sheet) structure schematic diagram provided by the application;

[0029] Figure 4 It is the foot fast adhesion and detachment device (multiple semiconductor refrigeration sheets) structure schematic diagram provided by the application;

[0030] Figure 5 It is the foot adhesion (microscopic state) structure schematic diagram provided by the application;

[0031] Figure 6 It is the foot adhesion structure schematic diagram on the curved surface provided by the application;

[0032] Figure 7 It is the foot adhesion structure schematic diagram on the curved surface provided by the application;

[0033] Figure 8 It is the robot control scheme flow chart provided by the application;

[0034] Figure 9 It is the robot bionic gait scheme diagram provided by the application.

[0035] Explanation of reference signs:

[0036] 1, fast adhesion and detachment device; 2, robot foot; 3, depth camera; 4, laser radar; 5, control system; 6, lithium battery; 7, robot platform; 8, water tank; 9, adhesion base; 10, phase change material; 1-1, semiconductor refrigeration sheet; 1-2, adsorption device base; 1-3, heat dissipation fin; 1-4, small fan; 1-5, pump; 1-6, motor body; 1-7, liquid pipeline; 1-8, resistive film pressure sensor; 1-9, heating resistance wire; 1-10, temperature sensor; 2-1, foot support one; 2-2, foot motor one; 2-3, foot support two; 2-4, foot motor two; 2-5, foot support three; 2-6, foot motor three. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] The application will be described in detail below, and the technical solutions in the embodiments of the application will be clearly and completely described. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the application, not all. Based on the embodiments in the application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor belong to the scope of protection of the application.

[0038] The application provides a robot based on solid-liquid phase change adhesion mechanism by improvement, and the technical solutions of the application are:

[0039] like Figures 1-8 As shown, the robot based on the solid-liquid phase change adhesion mechanism includes a robot platform 7, which serves as the core carrier body and is internally integrated with a control system 5, a lithium battery 6, and a water tank 8. A depth camera 3 and a laser radar 4 are mounted above the platform, forming the robot's "perception system". The control system 5 supports NVIDIA Jetson Nano / Orin Nano or Raspberry Pi as a controller. The example of the present invention uses NVIDIA Jetson Nano / Orin Nano, but is not limited to this controller. The robot uses the ROS2 system and is equipped with a depth camera 3 and a laser radar 4. It has AI performance and can realize the robot's motion control, three-dimensional mapping navigation, obstacle avoidance, automatic driving, foot perception, and temperature control functions. It also has a power module and multiple robot feet 2. The end of each robot foot 2 is provided with a rapid adhesion and desorption device 1.

[0040] The rapid adhesion and desorption device 1 includes an adsorption device base 1-2, the bottom of which is provided with a liquid pipeline for injecting phase change material 10; the adsorption device base 1-2 is provided with a semiconductor cooling plate 1-1, the cold end of the semiconductor cooling plate 1-1 is tightly attached to the adsorption device base 1-2 through thermal grease, and the hot end is connected to the heat sink 1-3 and the small fan 1-4. Figure 4 The multiple TEC array layout shown further improves the cooling power and regional uniformity. The cold end of the semiconductor cooling plate 1-1 is thermally connected to the adsorption device base 1-2 to cool the phase change material 10 to solidify it.

[0041] A heating resistance wire 1-9 is provided on the adsorption device base 1-2 and is used to heat the phase change material 10 to melt it;

[0042] A temperature sensor 1-10 is mounted on the adsorption device base 1-2 and is used to detect the temperature of the phase change material 10;

[0043] Resistive film pressure sensor 1-8, which is disposed on adsorption device base 1-2, and is used to provide real-time feedback of foot information, and is used to coordinate the adhesion / detachment timing of each leg, contact point selection, and body posture adjustment;

[0044] The control system 5 is electrically connected to the semiconductor refrigeration plate 1-1, the heating resistor 1-9, the temperature sensor 1-10 and the resistive film pressure sensor 1-8 for controlling the adhesion and desorption process.

[0045] like Figure 2As shown, the robot foot 2 includes a plurality of foot support one 2-1, foot support two 2-3, foot support three 2-5, foot motor one 2-2, foot motor two 2-4 and foot motor three 2-6, the foot motor one 2-2, the foot motor two 2-4 and the foot motor three 2-6 are respectively hinged with the foot support one 2-1, the foot support two 2-3 and the foot support three 2-5, forming a multi-degree-of-freedom motion structure, the quick adhesion and detachment device 1 is installed on the foot support one 2-1, the robot is a four-legged spider robot, each foot is configured with three control motors, a single foot has three degrees of freedom, the robot has a total of twelve degrees of freedom, the three joint motors work cooperatively to accurately control the pose of the foot end in three-dimensional space. This not only realizes gait motion, but more importantly enables the adhesion device at the end to actively adjust the angle when in contact with the surface, ensuring that the adhesion base 9 at the bottom of the adhesion device is in close contact with the target surface whether it is a plane or a curved surface such as the Figure 7 As shown, the large curvature surface 11 can also achieve maximum area fitting.

[0046] As shown in Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the quick adhesion and detachment device 1 also includes a cooling fin 1-3 and a small fan 1-4, the cooling fin 1-3 is in thermal connection with the hot end of the semiconductor refrigeration fin 1-1, and the small fan 1-4 is oppositely arranged with the cooling fin 1-3 for enhancing heat dissipation.

[0047] The quick adhesion and detachment device 1 also includes a liquid circulation unit, the liquid circulation unit includes a water tank 8, a motor body 1-6, a pump 1-5 and a liquid pipeline 1-7, the pump 1-5 is in communication with the cavity of the adhesion device base 1-2 through the liquid pipeline 1-7, for supplementing or recycling the phase change material 10.

[0048] The heating resistance wire 1-9 is embedded in the inside or surface of the adhesion device base 1-2.

[0049] As shown in Figure 1 As shown, the robot platform 7 is respectively provided with a depth camera 3 and a laser radar 4, the depth camera 3 and the laser radar 4 are in communication connection with the control system 5, for environment perception and path planning.

[0050] The control system 5 adopts the ROS2 system and carries an AI processing unit, for realizing autonomous navigation, foot temperature control and adhesion force feedback adjustment of the robot.

[0051] The phase change material 10 is water, modified aqueous solution or other materials that can reversibly change between solid and liquid states.

[0052] Specific working method is: before the robot starts work, the control system 5 starts the pump 1-5, the liquid phase change material 10 stored in the water tank 8 is pumped into the cavity of the quick adhesion and detachment device 1 of each foot through the liquid pipeline 1-7 pump 1-5, ensure that the adhesion base 9 at the bottom of it (i.e. the part in contact with the crawling surface) is fully wetted by the liquid phase change material 10, after the foot is detected to be in contact with the surface by the resistance film pressure sensor 1-8, the signal is fed back to the control system 5;

[0053] When the foot needs to be adhered, the control system 5 applies a direct current voltage to the semiconductor refrigerating fin 1-1. According to the Peltier effect, the cold end of the semiconductor refrigerating fin 1-1 starts to rapidly absorb heat and cool down, and the cold end is in close thermal contact with the adsorption device base 1-2, so that the cold energy is efficiently transferred to the adhesion base 9 and the phase change material 10 on it, at the same time, the heat generated by the hot end of the semiconductor refrigerating fin 1-1 is rapidly taken away through forced convection heat dissipation by the heat dissipation fin 1-3 and the small fan 1-4, ensuring the refrigeration efficiency;

[0054] The temperature sensor 110 monitors the temperature of the adhesion interface in real time and feeds back the data to the control system 5. The control system 5 performs PID closed-loop control according to the set phase change temperature point, accurately adjusts the power of the semiconductor refrigerating fin 1-1, and ensures rapid and not excessive refrigeration;

[0055] Under continuous refrigeration, the liquid phase change material 10 in contact with the surface freezes into a solid state rapidly, and through the synergistic effect of the above-mentioned van der Waals force, mechanical interlocking and self-shear strength, a strong adhesion force is generated to firmly fix the foot on the surface;

[0056] Once the adhesion is completed, the control system 5 can reduce the power of the semiconductor refrigerating fin 1-1, so that it only needs to maintain the temperature of the adhesion interface below the phase change point. The energy consumption is very low at this stage, and the resistance film pressure sensor 1-8 continuously monitors the adhesion force state to provide data support for the attitude control and load management of the robot.

[0057] When the robot needs to move the foot, the control system 5 cuts off the power supply of the semiconductor refrigerating fin 1-1, and then immediately or delayedly starts the heating resistance wire 1-9. The heating resistance wire 1-9 is embedded or attached to the adsorption device base 1-2, and generates Joule heat after being electrified, rapidly and locally heating the solid phase change material 10 of the adhesion interface. The solid phase change material 10 absorbs heat and quickly melts into a liquid state, the mechanical interlocking structure collapses, the shear strength disappears, and the interface adhesion force drops to the surface tension level of liquid water, so that the foot can easily and non-destructively separate from the surface. After detachment, the pump 1-5 can recycle the melted liquid back to the water tank 8, or directly supplement new liquid before the next adhesion, realizing recycling;

[0058] The control system 5 of the robot runs the ROS2 system and integrates AI algorithms. The depth camera 3 and the laser radar 4 first scan the target wall surface, construct an environment map, identify information such as surface material, flatness, and obstacles, and plan an initial crawling path.

[0059] During movement, the control system 5 imitates the gait of a wall-climbing animal, accurately coordinates the adhesion or detachment timing of the four foot parts and the movement of the foot motor, ensures that at least three foot parts are in the adhesion state at any time, and ensures the stability of the body

[0060] According to the real-time feedback data of the pressure sensor and the temperature sensor 1-10, the system dynamically adjusts the refrigeration or heating power and action time of each foot part to adapt to the changes brought by different surface materials, environmental temperature, and humidity, realizes adaptive intelligent control, and if an emergency occurs (such as foot slip, abnormal force reduction detected by the pressure sensor), the control system 5 can immediately adjust the body posture and instruct the remaining foot parts to strengthen adhesion or re-plan the path to ensure the safety of the work.

[0061] The technical means disclosed in the scheme of the present application are not limited to the technical means disclosed in the above technical means, and also include technical solutions composed of equivalent replacement of the above technical features. The unfinished matters of the present application belong to the common knowledge of those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A robot based on a solid-liquid phase transition adhesion mechanism, comprising a robot platform (7), a control system (5), a power module, and a plurality of robot feet (2), characterized in that: The end of each of the robot feet (2) is provided with a rapid adhesion and desorption device (1); The rapid adhesion and desorption device (1) comprises an adsorption device base (1-2), wherein the adsorption device is provided with a liquid pipeline for injecting a phase change material (10); the adsorption device base (1-2) is provided with a semiconductor refrigeration sheet (1-1), wherein the cold end of the semiconductor refrigeration sheet (1-1) is thermally connected to the adsorption device base (1-2) for cooling the phase change material (10) to solidify it; a heating resistance wire (1-9), the heating resistance wire (1-9) being arranged on the adsorption device base (1-2) and being used for heating the phase change material (10) to melt it; a temperature sensor (1-10), the temperature sensor (1-10) being mounted on the adsorption device base (1-2), the temperature sensor (1-10) being used to detect the temperature of the phase change material (10); A resistive film pressure sensor (1-8), the resistive film pressure sensor (1-8) being arranged on an adsorption device base (1-2), and the resistive film pressure sensor (1-8) being used to detect adhesion force; The control system (5) is electrically connected to the semiconductor refrigeration plate (1-1), the heating resistance wire (1-9), the temperature sensor (1-10) and the resistive film pressure sensor (1-8) and is used to control the adhesion and desorption process.

2. The robot based on the solid-liquid phase change adhesion mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The robot foot (2) comprises a plurality of foot brackets 1 (2-1), foot brackets 2 (2-3), foot brackets 3 (2-5), foot motors 1 (2-2), foot motors 2 (2-4) and foot motors 3 (2-6); the foot motors 1 (2-2), 2 (2-4) and 3 (2-6) are respectively hinged to the foot brackets 1 (2-1), 2 (2-3) and 3 (2-5) to form a multi-degree-of-freedom motion structure; the rapid adhesion and detachment device (1) is mounted on the foot brackets 1 (2-1).

3. The robot based on the solid-liquid phase change adhesion mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that: The rapid adhesion and desorption device (1) further comprises a heat sink (1-3) and a small fan (1-4); the heat sink (1-3) is thermally connected to the hot end of the semiconductor refrigeration plate (1-1); and the small fan (1-4) is arranged opposite to the heat sink (1-3) to enhance heat dissipation.

4. The robot based on the solid-liquid phase change adhesion mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that: The rapid adhesion and desorption device (1) further comprises a liquid circulation unit, the liquid circulation unit comprising a motor body (1-6), a water tank (8), a pump (1-5) and a liquid pipeline (1-7), the pump (1-5) being connected to the cavity of the adsorption device base (1-2) via the liquid pipeline (1-7) for replenishing or recovering the phase change material (10).

5. The robot based on the solid-liquid phase change adhesion mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heating resistance wire (1-9) is embedded in the interior or surface of the adsorption device base (1-2).

6. The robot based on the solid-liquid phase change adhesion mechanism according to claim 5, characterized in that: The robot platform (7) is provided with a depth camera (3) and a laser radar (4), respectively. The depth camera (3) and the laser radar (4) are communicatively connected with the control system (5) for environment perception and path planning.

7. The robot based on the solid-liquid phase change adhesion mechanism according to claim 6, characterized in that: The control system (5) adopts the ROS2 system and is equipped with an AI processing unit to realize autonomous navigation, foot temperature control and adhesion force feedback adjustment of the robot.

8. The robot based on the solid-liquid phase change adhesion mechanism according to claim 7, characterized in that: The phase change material (10) is water, a modified aqueous solution or other materials that can undergo a reversible phase change between a solid state and a liquid state.

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