Intelligent mechanical arm end effector

Abstract

The invention discloses an intelligent mechanical arm end effector which comprises a base, a rotating disc and a grabbing module. A rotatable turntable is arranged on the base; a grabbing module is arranged on the rotating disc and comprises a plurality of mechanical claws, and each mechanical claw is a bionic crab claw type mechanical claw capable of independently moving; the mechanical claw comprises a first claw, a second claw, a first driving part and a second driving part, the upper end of the first claw is hinged to the turntable, the lower end of the first claw is hinged to the upper end of the second claw, and the lower end of the second claw is a free end; buffer layers are arranged on the first gripper arm and the second gripper arm, and a pressure sensor, a water flow sensor and an optical target recognition probe are further arranged on the second gripper arm. According to the device, a large-range operation area is formed through multi-claw independent driving and the rotating platform, the grabbing efficiency is remarkably improved, the bionic crab claw type mechanical claw is matched with the pressure sensor to achieve rigid and flexible self-adaptive grabbing, optical recognition and water flow sensing structures are integrated, the target track can be pre-judged, and the accidental injury rate of coral can be effectively reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of underwater debris cleanup, and in particular to an intelligent robotic arm end effector. Background Technology

[0002] In recent years, with the increasing awareness of marine environmental protection, the demand for underwater debris cleanup operations has been growing. Areas such as coral reefs have complex terrain and fragile ecosystems, placing extremely high demands on the technical performance of cleanup equipment.

[0003] Currently, commonly used underwater debris collection technologies mainly include the following four categories: 1. Electromagnetic adsorption: Relies on a strong magnetic field to adsorb ferromagnetic debris, which consumes a lot of energy and is ineffective for non-metallic debris such as plastic and glass, thus limiting its use; 2. Net catching: Uses trawls or purse seines for concentrated retrieval, but it is very easy to entangle corals and seaweed during the operation, causing secondary ecological damage; 3. Hydraulic gripper: Directly grips with rigid grippers, but the pressure is uncontrollable and may crush fragile objects; 4. Vacuum suction: Uses negative pressure to absorb lightweight debris, but in shallow sea environments with wave heights of 1.5m or current speeds of 0.5m / s, the adsorption efficiency decreases by 70%, and it cannot be used in deep-sea scenarios.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need for an underwater robotic arm end effector that combines large-scale operation capability, high flexibility, intelligent sensing and control capability, and ecological protection characteristics to solve the technical challenge of efficiently and non-destructively cleaning up debris in sensitive and complex environments such as coral reefs. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention aims to at least solve one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. Therefore, one object of the present invention is to provide an intelligent robotic arm end effector.

[0006] The technical solution of the present invention is as follows: an intelligent robotic arm end effector, characterized in that it comprises: a base, a turntable, and a gripping module;

[0007] The base is provided with a rotatable turntable, and the base is provided with a drive module, which is connected to the turntable to drive the turntable to rotate;

[0008] The turntable is equipped with the gripping module, which includes several mechanical claws arranged at intervals along the circumference of the turntable. Each mechanical claw is a biomimetic crab claw-type mechanical claw that can move independently.

[0009] The mechanical gripper includes a first gripper, a second gripper, a first driving member, and a second driving member. The upper end of the first gripper is hinged to the turntable, and the lower end is hinged to the upper end of the second gripper. The lower end of the second gripper is a free end. The second gripper is a curved gripper that bends toward the rotation axis of the base. The first driving member is connected to the first gripper to drive the first gripper to rotate, and the second driving member is connected to the second gripper to drive the second gripper to rotate.

[0010] The first and second jaws are provided with a buffer layer, and the second jaw is also provided with a pressure sensor, a water flow sensor and an optical target recognition probe.

[0011] Furthermore, the first driving component is a lifting arm that is mounted on a turntable and can be raised and lowered. The lifting arm is provided with a connecting rod, the upper end of which is hinged to the lifting arm and the lower end of which is hinged to the first jaw.

[0012] Furthermore, both the first and second jaws are composed of a corrosion-resistant titanium alloy skeleton and a flexible polymer outer layer, wherein the flexible polymer outer layer forms the buffer layer.

[0013] Furthermore, the inner side of the second claw is also inlaid with an anti-slip toothed aluminum alloy liner.

[0014] Furthermore, the opening and closing angle of the mechanical gripper is 0-150 degrees, and the maximum clamping force is 800N.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0016] This device adopts a multi-claw independent drive and a 360° omnidirectional turntable design, forming a large spherical working area, which effectively improves the gripping efficiency. Its biomimetic crab claw-like mechanical claw, combined with a pressure sensor, can achieve rigidity and flexibility adaptive gripping of debris in complex water flow. Moreover, it integrates optical recognition and water flow sensing structure, which can predict the target trajectory and effectively reduce the rate of coral damage. It is particularly suitable for debris cleaning operations in the complex terrain of coral reefs in shallow sea environments.

[0017] Additional aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Attached Figure Description

[0018] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention, and the drawings are only examples and not strictly drawn to scale. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort:

[0019] Figure 1 This is an overall schematic diagram of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 This is a bottom schematic diagram of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the interior of the base of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the turntable portion of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the mechanical gripper of the present invention.

[0024] Figure label:

[0025] 1. Base; 2. Turntable; 3. Mechanical claw; 4. First claw; 5. Second claw; 6. First drive component; 7. Second drive component; 8. Buffer layer; 9. Connecting rod; 10. Anti-slip toothed aluminum alloy liner. Detailed Implementation

[0026] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0027] The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below. Examples of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "inner," "outer," "vertical," "circumferential," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of the present invention.

[0028] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "linking," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0029] In the description of this invention, "first feature" and "second feature" may include one or more of the indicated features. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the indicated features.

[0030] The following is with reference to the attached diagram. Figures 1-5 A smart robotic arm end effector according to an embodiment of the present invention is described. The device includes: a base 1, a turntable 2, and a gripping module.

[0031] like Figures 1-3 As shown, a rotatable turntable 2 is provided on the base 1, and a drive module is provided on the base 1. The drive module is connected to the turntable 2 to drive the turntable 2 to rotate.

[0032] In practical applications, there are many structural forms of the drive module that can realize the rotation of turntable 2. For example, the drive module may include a waterproof motor and gears. Turntable 2 is provided with an external gear ring. The motor is connected to the gears, and the gears mesh with the external gear ring. In this way, when the waterproof motor is working, it can drive the turntable 2 to rotate through the meshing transmission of the gears and the external gear ring. Of course, those skilled in the art can use other structures to realize the 360-degree rotation of turntable 2, and this is not limited here.

[0033] like Figures 3-5 As shown, the turntable 2 is equipped with a gripping module, which includes several mechanical claws 3 arranged at intervals along the circumference of the turntable 2. Each mechanical claw 3 is an independently movable biomimetic crab claw-type mechanical claw 3, meaning that the opening and closing of each mechanical claw 3 is independently driven and adjusted, without affecting each other. Specifically, the opening and closing angle of each mechanical claw 3 is 0-150 degrees, and the maximum gripping force is 800N. This allows the gripping module to have a more flexible opening and closing gripping angle, and can effectively grip some irregularly shaped waste.

[0034] Furthermore, the multi-claw 3 independently driven + 360° rotating turntable 2 can form a spherical working area, which can achieve full coverage in actual work, covering debris (minimum 5mm) within a radius of 2m, improving efficiency by 300% compared to a single claw, and is especially suitable for complex coral reef terrain.

[0035] Each mechanical claw 3 includes a first claw 4, a second claw 5, a first drive member 6, and a second drive member 7. The upper end of the first claw 4 is hinged to the turntable 2, and the lower end is hinged to the upper end of the second claw 5. The lower end of the second claw 5 is a free end. The second claw 5 is a curved claw bent towards the rotation axis of the base 1. The first drive member 6 is connected to the first claw 4 to drive the first claw 4 to rotate, and the second drive member 7 is connected to the second claw 5 to drive the second claw 5 to rotate. This enables the mechanical claw 3 to perform rapid opening and closing actions similar to crab claws, thereby quickly hooking floating garbage, seabed waste, or small fragments in complex water currents.

[0036] The first claw 4 and the second claw 5 are provided with a buffer layer 8. The second claw 5 is also provided with a pressure sensor, a water flow sensor and an optical target recognition probe.

[0037] The included pressure sensor detects the pressure applied by the robotic gripper 3 when it grasps waste. Combined with the adjustment of the gripper's opening and closing angle, the gripping force can be intelligently graded according to the hardness of the waste. For example, it can apply a rigid grip of 800N to hard waste like glass bottles, and a flexible grip to soft waste like plastic bags. Furthermore, to achieve more precise adjustment of the gripping force, multiple pressure sensors can be configured to form a pressure sensor array.

[0038] The optical target recognition probe is used to identify target debris, and the water flow sensor is used to detect water flow speed. The two work together to predict the displacement of debris. Combined with the buffer layer 8 design of the mechanical claw 3, the rate of accidental damage to coral is reduced to 0.3 times / 10,000 times, which is conducive to achieving zero ecological damage operation.

[0039] Pressure sensors, water flow sensors, and optical target recognition probes are all existing products. Their more detailed principles and structures are well known to those skilled in the art. Therefore, those skilled in the art can select the required product model according to their needs, and will not elaborate further.

[0040] In some implementations, such as Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the turntable 2 is equipped with a liftable lifting arm, and the lifting arm has a connecting rod 9. The upper end of the connecting rod 9 is hinged to the lifting arm, and the lower end is hinged to the first gripper 4. Thus, when the lifting arm moves up and down, it can drive the first gripper 4 to open and close and rotate through the connecting rod 9. In specific applications, a hydraulic telescopic arm can be selected as the lifting arm. In this case, the lifting arm itself can work as the first driving component 6, and the hydraulic drive can output a large thrust or high torque, which facilitates the subsequent adjustment of the gripping force of the mechanical gripper 3.

[0041] The second drive unit 7 can be a waterproof joint motor commonly used in robotic arms, used to drive the rotation of the second gripper 5. Of course, the first drive unit 6 and the second drive unit 7 can also adopt other structural forms, which are not limited here.

[0042] In some embodiments, the first claw 4 and the second claw 5 are both composed of a corrosion-resistant titanium alloy skeleton and a flexible polymer outer layer. The flexible polymer outer layer forms a buffer layer 8, which can be a silicone layer. The first claw 4 and the second claw 5 made of this material can adapt to seawater temperature fluctuations of -5℃ to 40℃ and have good stability in extreme environments.

[0043] In some embodiments, the inner side of the second claw 5 is also inlaid with an anti-slip toothed aluminum alloy liner 10, which can improve the anti-slip effect when grabbing garbage.

[0044] In summary, this device adopts a multi-claw independent drive and a 360° omnidirectional turntable 2 design, forming a large spherical working area, which effectively improves the gripping efficiency. Its biomimetic crab claw-like mechanical claw 3, combined with a pressure sensor, can achieve rigidity and flexibility adaptive gripping of debris in complex water flow. Moreover, it integrates optical recognition and water flow sensing structure, which can predict the target trajectory and effectively reduce the rate of coral damage. It is particularly suitable for debris cleaning operations in the complex terrain of coral reefs in shallow sea environments.

[0045] Although some embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations of these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention are within the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An intelligent robotic arm end effector, characterized in that, include: Base, turntable, and gripping module; The base is provided with a rotatable turntable, and the base is provided with a drive module, which is connected to the turntable to drive the turntable to rotate; The turntable is equipped with the gripping module, which includes several mechanical claws arranged at intervals along the circumference of the turntable. Each mechanical claw is a biomimetic crab claw-type mechanical claw that can move independently. The mechanical gripper includes a first gripper, a second gripper, a first driving member, and a second driving member. The upper end of the first gripper is hinged to the turntable, and the lower end is hinged to the upper end of the second gripper. The lower end of the second gripper is a free end. The second gripper is a curved gripper that bends toward the rotation axis of the base. The first driving member is connected to the first gripper to drive the first gripper to rotate, and the second driving member is connected to the second gripper to drive the second gripper to rotate. The first and second jaws are provided with a buffer layer, and the second jaw is also provided with a pressure sensor, a water flow sensor and an optical target recognition probe.

2. The intelligent robotic arm end effector according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first driving component is a lifting arm that is mounted on a turntable and can be raised and lowered. The lifting arm is provided with a connecting rod, the upper end of which is hinged to the lifting arm and the lower end of which is hinged to the first jaw.

3. The intelligent robotic arm end effector according to claim 1, characterized in that, Both the first and second jaws are composed of a corrosion-resistant titanium alloy skeleton and a flexible polymer outer layer, wherein the flexible polymer outer layer forms the buffer layer.

4. The intelligent robotic arm end effector according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inner side of the second claw is also inlaid with an anti-slip toothed aluminum alloy liner.

5. The intelligent robotic arm end effector according to claim 1, characterized in that, The mechanical gripper has an opening angle of 0-150 degrees and a maximum clamping force of 800N.

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