Preparation method and device of body sensing software driver, and storage medium

Abstract

The invention discloses a preparation method of a body sensing soft driver. The body sensing soft driver comprises a driver body. The driver body comprises an optical waveguide and a plurality of driving cavity structures; the method comprises the steps that printing parameters are obtained; the printing parameters comprise one or more of the wall thickness of the driving cavity, the printing layer height, the nozzle temperature, the printing speed, the extrusion line width, the extrusion flow, the filling angle, the printing path of the driving cavity structure and the printing path of the optical waveguide; according to the printing parameters, a single printing material is used for integrally printing the driver body; wherein the printing material has flexibility, light transmission and meltability. Integrated manufacturing of the body sensing soft driver is achieved on low-cost additive manufacturing equipment by means of a single printing material.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of robotics, specifically to a method, apparatus, and storage medium for preparing a body-sensing software actuator. Background Technology

[0002] Existing soft actuators generally suffer from the following problems in the fabrication process of integrated actuation and sensing: On the one hand, different materials have differences in mechanical properties such as hardness and stiffness, which can easily cause stress concentration during the coordinated movement of the actuator and sensor, weakening the interfacial bonding strength and affecting overall performance. On the other hand, multi-material printing has extremely high requirements for material compatibility and equipment capabilities, requiring expensive equipment and cumbersome processes (such as material switching and system calibration), which is not conducive to the promotion and application of low-cost and high-consistency technologies.

[0003] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a method to realize a body-sensing actuator using a single material and low-cost device. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The main technical problem solved by this invention is to achieve integrated manufacturing of body-sensing software actuators using a single material on a low-cost additive manufacturing equipment.

[0005] According to a first aspect, one embodiment provides a method for fabricating a body-sensing soft actuator, the body-sensing soft actuator comprising an actuator body; the actuator body comprising an optical waveguide and a plurality of driving cavity structures; the method comprising: Obtain printing parameters; the printing parameters include one or more of the following: wall thickness of the drive cavity, printing layer height, nozzle temperature, printing speed, extrusion linewidth, extrusion flow rate, filling angle, printing path of the drive cavity structure, and printing path of the optical waveguide; According to the printing parameters, the driver body is printed in one piece using a single printing material; wherein the printing material is flexible, transparent, and fusible.

[0006] According to a second aspect, one embodiment provides an apparatus for fabricating a body-aware software driver, comprising: The parameter acquisition module is used to acquire printing parameters; wherein, the printing parameters include one or more of the following: wall thickness of the driving cavity, printing layer height, nozzle temperature, printing speed, extrusion linewidth, extrusion flow rate, filling angle, printing path of the driving cavity structure, and printing path of the optical waveguide; A printing module is used to integrally print the driver body using a single printing material according to the printing parameters; wherein the printing material has flexibility, light transmittance, and fusibility.

[0007] According to a third aspect, one embodiment provides a computer-readable storage medium including a program that can be executed by a processor to implement the method described above.

[0008] According to the above embodiment, a method for fabricating a body-sensing soft actuator utilizes a single thermoplastic material to simultaneously construct a driving cavity and an optical waveguide in the same printing process. This means that a hermetically sealed driving cavity and an embedded optical waveguide are simultaneously constructed in a single continuous printing process, achieving integrated driving and sensing functions of the body-sensing actuator. During the overall manufacturing process, the hermetically sealed driving cavity and the optical waveguide are completed in the same printing flow. Their material interfaces form a high-strength bond during melting and cooling, ensuring tight coupling and synchronous response between the driving and sensing units. This means that the driving and sensing units maintain synchronous response during deformation, ensuring signal accuracy and reliability. The integrated body-sensing soft actuator fabricated in this application can provide accurate and reliable body sensing functions while maintaining stable driving performance, and can be used for surface contour detection, real-time grasping width estimation, and soft robot applications. Attached Figure Description

[0009] Figure 1 This is a schematic flowchart illustrating a method for fabricating a body-sensing software driver provided in this embodiment. Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a body-aware software driver provided in this embodiment; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the driving cavity structure and optical waveguide provided in this embodiment; Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional view of an ontology-aware software driver provided in this embodiment; Figure 5 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of a body-aware software driver provided in this embodiment; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the printing of optical waveguides using different printing paths, as provided in this embodiment. Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram showing the wavelength and transmittance of optical waveguides printed using different printing paths, as provided in this embodiment. Figure 8 A scanning electron microscope image of the fused bonding between different printed layers after printing the body-sensing software driver using the first printing parameters; Figure 9 A scanning electron microscope image showing the fused bonding between different printed layers after printing the body-sensing software driver using the second printing parameters; Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram showing the results of the airtightness test of the body sensing software actuator printed with different print layer heights and extrusion flow rates. Figure 11This is a schematic diagram of the printing path of an ontology-aware software driver provided in this embodiment; Figure 12 This embodiment provides a schematic diagram of the structure connecting a body-sensing software driver to a rigid connector; Figure 13 Here are structural schematic diagrams of the three types of components to be identified provided in this embodiment; Figure 14 To identify the ontology-aware software driver of this application Figure 13 A schematic diagram showing the results of the contours of the three types of objects to be identified; Figure 15 This is a structural block diagram of a fabrication apparatus for a body-aware software driver provided in this embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0010] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to specific embodiments and accompanying drawings. Similar elements in different embodiments are referred to by associated similar element reference numerals. In the following embodiments, many details are described to facilitate a better understanding of this application. However, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that some features may be omitted in different situations, or may be replaced by other elements, materials, or methods. In some cases, certain operations related to this application are not shown or described in the specification. This is to avoid obscuring the core parts of this application with excessive description. For those skilled in the art, detailed description of these related operations is not necessary; they can fully understand the related operations based on the description in the specification and general technical knowledge in the art.

[0011] Furthermore, the features, operations, or characteristics described in the specification can be combined in any suitable manner to form various embodiments. At the same time, the steps or actions in the method description can be rearranged or adjusted in a manner obvious to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the various orders in the specification and drawings are only for the clear description of a particular embodiment and do not imply a necessary order, unless otherwise stated that a particular order must be followed.

[0012] The serial numbers assigned to components in this document, such as "first" and "second," are used only to distinguish the described objects and have no sequential or technical meaning. The terms "connection" and "linkage" used in this application, unless otherwise specified, include both direct and indirect connections (linkages).

[0013] Soft pneumatic actuators have gained widespread attention due to their low cost, light weight, and fast response, and are mainly used in fields such as grasping, motion, and wearable devices. A soft pneumatic actuator comprises two core subsystems: a drive system and a sensing system. Its overall performance depends not only on individual actuators and sensors, but also on their effective integration. Currently, non-contact mounting, attaching or embedding integrated sensors, and multi-material 3D printing are mainly used to achieve the integration of these two core subsystems.

[0014] Non-contact installation avoids difficulties caused by the deformation of flexible materials, but this method relies on bulky and expensive external equipment, making it difficult to meet the needs of low-cost and portable applications. Directly attaching or embedding sensors allows for synchronization of sensor and actuator deformation. Existing research shows that thin-film flexible sensors can reconstruct kinematic geometry, embedded optical waveguides can achieve bending detection, and combining multiple sensors can provide multimodal sensing. However, this method requires complex manual integration processes, has certain installation errors, poor repeatability, and is difficult to achieve miniaturized or fine structures. Multi-material 3D printing technology can directly manufacture complex structures. For example, flexible actuators, sensors, or sensor arrays can be fabricated using multiple materials, and the actuator and sensor can be integrated into a single printed body. Specifically, a structure combining actuation and sensing functions can be fabricated using a twelve-step printing process combining three matrix materials and two ink materials. Another example is using conductive silicone to construct complex cavities and combining them with flexible triboelectric sensors. However, on the one hand, differences in the hardness, stiffness, and other mechanical properties of various materials can easily lead to stress concentration when the actuator and sensor move together, thereby weakening the interface bonding strength and affecting overall performance. On the other hand, multi-material printing has extremely high requirements for material compatibility and equipment capabilities, requiring expensive equipment and complicated processes (such as material switching and system calibration), which is not conducive to the promotion and application of low-cost and high-consistency printing.

[0015] To address the aforementioned issues, this application provides a manufacturing method for the integrated and continuous forming of a body sensing actuator using a single material (thermoplastic polyurethane) on a low-cost desktop additive manufacturing device (desktop fused deposition modeling 3D printer). This method leverages the multifunctional properties (flexibility, meltability, and light transmittance) of a single thermoplastic material, enabling the airtight driving cavity and optical sensing channels to be collaboratively constructed in a single printing process. This reduces the failure risk caused by interface and material mismatch, lowers process complexity and cost, and ensures consistent structural deformation.

[0016] The fabrication method of the body-sensing soft actuator in this application differs from existing methods that fabricate the driving and sensing units separately and then assemble them. This application is based on the principle of fused deposition modeling, using the same flexible substrate material to integrally print the driving cavity structure and the optical waveguide. Specifically, after the printing material melts in the printing equipment, the material extruded from the nozzle undergoes thermal diffusion and molecular chain reentanglement with the previous layer during the layer-by-layer deposition process. This results in a continuous and high-strength interface between the driving cavity structure and the optical waveguide, thereby ensuring the consistency of deformation of the driving cavity structure and the optical waveguide structure, the synchronization of driving and sensing responses, and achieving a highly stable and highly consistent body-sensing soft actuator.

[0017] Compared with existing technologies, this application has significant advantages. First, the driving cavity structure and the optical waveguide are made of the same material, resulting in a stronger material interface bond that eliminates the risk of stress concentration and avoids the differences in mechanical properties between multiple material systems. Second, the fabrication method of this application is simple, requiring only a conventional desktop single-nozzle printer, without relying on expensive multi-nozzle equipment or complex calibration processes, significantly reducing costs. Third, the body-sensing soft actuator fabricated in this application possesses long-term stable airtightness and sensing performance, maintaining reliability even after multiple cycles of operation, ensuring coordinated actuation and sensing. Furthermore, the integrated manufacturing method reduces manual assembly steps and installation errors; the compact structure of this body-sensing soft actuator is suitable for miniaturized and wearable applications. Finally, the body-sensing soft actuator of this application exhibits superior performance in actuation and sensing synchronization. This is achieved by using the same material to integrally form the driving cavity structure and the optical waveguide, resulting in a continuous, interface-free structural bond. When the drive cavity deforms, the internal optical waveguide is simultaneously stressed and undergoes equal-amplitude deformation, ensuring consistency in time and amplitude between the optical signal change and the mechanical deformation. Because the two parts are perfectly matched in material properties and strain transmission paths, interface slippage and signal lag are effectively avoided, thus achieving real-time synchronous response between drive and sensing, significantly improving feedback accuracy and stability.

[0018] Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 This is a schematic flowchart illustrating a method for fabricating a body-aware software driver provided in this embodiment. Before introducing the fabrication method of the body-aware software driver, the structure of the body-aware software driver will be described first. Figures 2-5As shown, the body-sensing software driver includes a driver body 11; the driver body 11 includes multiple drive cavity structures 111 and an optical waveguide 112. Each drive cavity structure 111 includes a housing and a drive cavity enclosed by the housing; the driver body 11 also includes a base 116, on which each drive cavity structure 111 is disposed; the drive cavities of each drive cavity structure 111 are connected through the base 116; the housing of the drive cavity structure 111 located at one end is provided with an air inlet 115 communicating with its drive cavity. The body-sensing software driver also includes an optical transmitter 113 and an optical receiver 114; the optical transmitter 113 is disposed at one end of the optical waveguide 112, and the optical receiver 114 is disposed at the other end of the optical waveguide 112.

[0019] It should be noted that there are gaps between the multiple small protrusions on the base 116 and the multiple drive cavity structures 111.

[0020] When printing a tall and thin drive cavity structure 111 using fused deposition modeling (FDM) technology, the nozzle of a desktop FDM 3D printer exerts disturbance forces on its thin-walled areas during movement, which can easily cause warping, vibration, or deformation of the printed surface, especially when printing with flexible materials such as thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). To solve this problem, this application arranges multiple small protrusions on the base 116 to form a local support frame during printing, thereby significantly improving printing stability and forming accuracy. In addition, when the air chamber of the drive cavity structure 111 is driven by pressure, these small protrusions can also effectively limit the expansion of the bottom of the drive cavity structure 111, thereby preventing excessive bulging of the bottom of the body-sensing soft actuator due to air pressure, which would affect the deformation trajectory and output performance of the actuator.

[0021] In other words, the multiple small bumps on the base 116 can improve the structural stability of the pneumatic cavity during the printing stage and enhance the bending control capability and deformation consistency of the body-sensing software actuator during the pneumatic drive stage, thereby improving the stability and reliability of the body-sensing software actuator.

[0022] Next, we will continue to describe the fabrication method of this proprioceptive software actuator, which includes steps S101 and S102: Step S101: Obtain printing parameters; printing parameters include one or more of the following: wall thickness of the drive cavity, printing layer height, nozzle temperature, printing speed, extrusion line width, extrusion flow rate, filling angle, printing path of the drive cavity structure, and printing path of the optical waveguide.

[0023] It should be noted that the printing equipment for printing the drive cavity structure 111 and the optical waveguide 112 includes, but is not limited to, desktop fused deposition modeling (FDM) printing equipment.

[0024] It should be noted that the fill angle represents the angle between the main printing direction of the optical waveguide 112 and the main propagation direction of light within the optical waveguide 112 in the printing path. For example... Figure 6 As shown, taking the printing of the AA layer as an example, the main printing direction of the optical waveguide 112 is at 90°, 45°, or 0° to the main propagation direction (light incident direction) of the light in the optical waveguide 112. In practical applications, the main printing direction of the optical waveguide 112 is at 0° to the main propagation direction of the light in the optical waveguide 112, that is, the main printing direction of the optical waveguide 112 is parallel to the main propagation direction of the light in the optical waveguide 112. Figure 7 As shown, the red line indicates that the main printing direction of the optical waveguide 112 is at 0° to the main propagation direction of the light in the optical waveguide 112; the blue line indicates that the main printing direction of the optical waveguide 112 is at 45° to the main propagation direction of the light in the optical waveguide 112; and the green line indicates that the main printing direction of the optical waveguide 112 is at 90° to the main propagation direction of the light in the optical waveguide 112. Figure 7 It can be seen that when the main printing direction of the optical waveguide 112 is at 0° to the main propagation direction of the light in the optical waveguide 112, the light transmittance of the optical waveguide 112 can reach more than 50%, achieving a very good light transmission effect.

[0025] In one embodiment, the printing parameters include the printing parameters of the optical waveguide 112 and the printing parameters of the driving cavity structure 111, wherein the printing layer height, extrusion flow rate and / or filling angle are different in the printing parameters of the optical waveguide 112 and the driving cavity structure 111.

[0026] It should be noted that the printing parameters of the drive cavity structure 111 include the wall thickness of the drive cavity, the printing layer height, the nozzle temperature, the printing speed, the extrusion linewidth, and the extrusion flow rate. In practical applications, the printing path of the drive cavity structure 111 can be obtained by adjusting parameters such as the wall thickness of the drive cavity, the printing layer height, the nozzle temperature, the printing speed, the extrusion linewidth, and the extrusion flow rate. Then, multiple drive cavity structures 111 can be printed according to the printing path of the drive cavity structure 111.

[0027] It should be noted that the printing parameters of the optical waveguide 112 include the printing layer height, nozzle temperature, printing speed, extrusion linewidth, extrusion flow rate, and infill angle. In practical applications, the printing path of the optical waveguide 112 can be obtained by adjusting parameters such as the printing layer height, nozzle temperature, printing speed, extrusion linewidth, extrusion flow rate, and infill angle, and then the optical waveguide 112 structure can be printed according to the printing path of the optical waveguide 112.

[0028] It should be noted that the nozzle temperature, printing speed, and extrusion linewidth in the printing parameters of the optical waveguide 112 and the driving cavity structure 111 can be the same or different.

[0029] It should be noted that the printing parameters for the optical waveguide 112 and the driving cavity structure 111 differ in terms of layer height, extrusion flow rate, and / or fill angle. That is, the layer height of the optical waveguide 112 and the layer height of the driving cavity structure 111 can be different; however, in practical applications, they can also be the same. Similarly, the printing flow rate of the optical waveguide 112 and the extrusion flow rate of the driving cavity structure 111 can differ. In practical applications, the fill angle is primarily used for printing the optical waveguide 112.

[0030] In one embodiment, the print layer height does not exceed 0.15 mm, so that the temperature of the nozzle is transferred from the current layer to the previous layer; and / or, the nozzle temperature is one of 215°-220°, and the print speed does not exceed 20 mm / s, so as to improve the stability of the printing process.

[0031] It should be noted that the print layer height can be any positive number not exceeding 0.15mm, for example, the print layer height can be 0.1mm; the nozzle temperature can be any temperature value between 215° and 220°, for example, the nozzle temperature can be 220°; and the print speed can be any positive number not exceeding 20mm / s, for example, the print speed can be 20mm / s.

[0032] It should be noted that, in practical applications, the preferred printing layer height for the drive cavity structure 111 / optical waveguide 112 is 0.1 mm, the preferred nozzle temperature is 220°C, and the preferred printing speed is 20 mm / s. Because this printing layer height is relatively low, meaning the interlayer distance between the current and previous layers is short when printing the drive cavity structure 111 / optical waveguide 112, the high temperature from the nozzle of the printing equipment can more easily be transferred from the current layer to the previous layer. During this temperature transfer process, the newly extruded molten material from the nozzle can fully contact the semi-molten interface of the previous layer, which is beneficial for the thermal diffusion and re-entanglement of molecular chains, thereby forming a continuous, high-strength molten interface. Simultaneously, under stable cooling conditions, such as turning on the nozzle fan and the heat sink fan of the printing equipment at a constant 100% power, a uniform interlayer thermal field distribution and moderate melt depth are ensured, further improving the stability of the printing process. This avoids printing defects such as porosity and misalignment, achieving the goal of improving the airtightness and structural stability of the drive cavity structure.

[0033] In practical applications, Figure 8The image shows a scanning electron microscope (SEM) image of the fused bonding between different printed layers after printing a body-sensing software actuator using the first printing parameters. It should be noted that the first printing parameters include a printed layer height of 0.2 mm, an extrusion flow rate of 100%, and the printing material being thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). Figure 8 It can be seen that there are air gaps at the fusion joints between different printed layers (the nth layer and the (n+1th layer) of the body-sensing software driver printed using the first printing parameters. Figure 9 This is a scanning electron microscope (SEM) image showing the fusion bonding between different printed layers after printing a body-sensing software actuator using the second printing parameters. It should be noted that the second printing parameters include a layer height of 0.1 mm, an extrusion flow rate of 110%, and the printing material being thermoplastic polyurethane. Figure 9 It can be seen that there are no air gaps at the fusion joints between the different printed layers of the body-sensing software actuator printed using this printing parameter, and the layers exhibit a dense structure. Therefore, the body-sensing software actuator printed using this second printing parameter shows good stability.

[0034] To further verify the airtightness of the actuator printed using the preparation method of this application, multiple rectangular air cavity samples, such as six, were selected and their airtightness was tested. The rectangular air chamber samples all measure 35 mm × 19 mm × 20 mm, with a wall thickness of 1.6 mm. Each layer consists of four parallel and continuous closed printing loops. The printing layer height for the first air chamber sample is set to 0.1 mm, and the extrusion flow rate is set to 90%. The printing layer height for the second air chamber sample is set to 0.1 mm, and the extrusion flow rate is set to 100%. The printing layer height for the third air chamber sample is set to 0.2 mm, and the extrusion flow rate is set to 90%. The printing layer height for the fourth air chamber sample is set to 0.2 mm, and the extrusion flow rate is set to 100%. The printing layer height for the fifth air chamber sample is set to 0.3 mm, and the extrusion flow rate is set to 90%. The printing layer height for the sixth air chamber sample is set to 0.3 mm, and the extrusion flow rate is set to 100%. The top and bottom of each rectangular air chamber sample are sealed with nylon end caps and cyanoacrylate adhesive to ensure that the rectangular air chamber sample remains closed during the test.

[0035] During the airtightness test of each rectangular air cavity sample, air was injected into the cavity of each sample to 200 kPa via a pneumatic system, and then the valve was closed. The air pressure changes were recorded over a period of 0–100 s. The test results are as follows: Figure 10As shown, the airtightness of the cavity samples significantly improved with decreasing print layer height and increasing extrusion flow rate. Specifically, when the print layer height was 0.3 mm, the airtightness of the cavity samples was poor, and after 100 s, the air pressure inside the fifth and sixth cavity samples dropped to 16.99 kPa (leakage rate 91.51%) and 58.03 kPa (leakage rate 70.99%), respectively. When the print layer height was reduced to 0.1 mm, the airtightness of the cavity samples significantly improved, and the air pressure of the first cavity sample remained at 196.77 kPa after 100 s (a decrease of 1.62%), while the air pressure of the second cavity sample remained at 198.29 kPa after 100 s (a decrease of only 0.85%). In other words, different print layer heights and extrusion flow rates have a significant impact on the airtightness of the cavity samples, and lower print layer heights and higher extrusion flow rates can effectively improve the airtightness of the cavity samples.

[0036] Therefore, it can be seen that the present application can significantly improve the airtightness of the air cavity structure and effectively reduce the leakage rate by printing the body sensing actuator with a smaller printing layer height and a larger extrusion flow rate, thereby achieving a stable and reliable sealing effect.

[0037] Step S102: Based on the printing parameters, use a single printing material to print the driver body in one piece; wherein the printing material has flexibility, light transmittance and fusibility.

[0038] In one embodiment, an integrated printing driver body using a single printing material is used to print according to printing parameters, including: According to the printing parameters, the optical waveguide 112 and multiple drive cavity structures 111 are printed layer by layer using a single printing material to form an integrated driver body.

[0039] In one embodiment, the printing material includes thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU).

[0040] It should be noted that, in practical applications, printing materials include, but are not limited to, thermoplastic polyurethane. Other thermoplastic materials with flexibility, light transmittance, and fusibility can also be used as printing materials in this application. This application makes no limitations in this regard.

[0041] In one embodiment, the drive cavity structure 111 includes a housing and a drive cavity enclosed by the housing; the printing path of the drive cavity structure 111 is a continuous closed loop path. When printing the drive cavity structure 111 layer by layer, the printing order corresponding to the printing path of each layer is to first print the filling part between the inner wall and the outer wall of the housing, then print the inner wall of the housing, and then print the outer wall of the housing.

[0042] It should be noted that, as Figure 11As shown, during layer-by-layer printing, the total path for one layer can be a combined path of the printing paths for the driving cavity structure 111 and the optical waveguide 112, or it can be a separate printing path for the driving cavity structure 111 and the separate printing path for the optical waveguide 112. The printing paths for each layer are connected, forming a continuous closed-loop path. This continuous closed-loop path has a start point and an end point, and the seam between the start and end points affects the printing quality and directly impacts the hermeticity of the driver. To address this issue, this application optimizes the printing path of the driving cavity structure to reduce the number of continuous closed-loop paths, thereby reducing the number of seams and forming a dense and stable cavity structure, achieving high hermeticity and pressure resistance of the driving cavity. In practical applications, this continuous closed-loop path can be multiple closed-loop printing paths. Of course, each layer's continuous closed-loop path can also be a single closed-loop printing path; in this case, the density of the printed cavity structure and optical waveguide is excellent.

[0043] In other words, the printing path of the drive cavity structure 111 adopts a continuous closed-loop design, which reduces the seams between the start and stop and the printing path; it is stacked in the order of filling-inner shell-outer shell, that is, the filling part between the inner wall and the outer wall of the shell is printed first, then the inner wall of the shell is printed, and then the outer wall of the shell is printed. This makes the outer layer structure squeeze the inner layer melt during the printing process, thereby reducing the influence of the seams and improving the airtightness of the drive cavity.

[0044] In one embodiment, the driver body further includes a base 116, and each driving cavity structure 111 is disposed on the base 116; the driving cavity structure 111 includes a housing and a driving cavity surrounded by the housing; the driving cavities of each driving cavity structure 111 are connected through the base 116; the housing of the driving cavity structure 111 located at the end is provided with an air inlet 115 communicating with its driving cavity; the optical waveguide 112 is located inside the base 116.

[0045] In one embodiment, the main printing direction in the printing path of the optical waveguide 112 is parallel to the main propagation direction of light in the optical waveguide 112.

[0046] It should be noted that the propagation of light within flexible materials is affected by interface scattering and multiple reflections. Therefore, it is necessary to rationally design the printing path and structure of the optical waveguide 112 to ensure that the direction of light propagation is consistent with the printing path, thereby reducing reflection and refraction losses at interface discontinuities. In other words, this application optimizes the printing path of the optical waveguide 112 to form an embedded optical waveguide 112 with high light transmittance, thereby reducing absorption and scattering losses during light propagation, and achieving efficient transmission with low attenuation and high signal-to-noise ratio.

[0047] In one embodiment, the body-sensing software driver further includes an optical transmitter 113 and an optical receiver 114; the optical transmitter 113 is disposed at one end of the optical waveguide 112, and the optical receiver 114 is disposed at the other end of the optical waveguide 112.

[0048] It should be noted that the light emitter 113 includes a light-emitting diode; the light receiver 114 includes a photodiode.

[0049] It should be noted that the optical transmitter 113, the optical waveguide 112, and the optical receiver 114 together constitute the sensing structure of the body-sensing software actuator. When the optical waveguide 112 deforms, this sensing structure can stably transmit optical signals and sensitively reflect deformation, realizing real-time sensing and feedback of the driving state.

[0050] It should be noted that in practical applications, the driving cavity structure 111 can be a PneuNet bending structure, or it can be a linear driving structure, a torsional driving structure, or an arrayed actuator. This application does not impose any limitations on this. For different driving cavity structures, the optical waveguide 112 can be embedded in the key stress or deformation area of ​​the actuator body according to different driving methods, so as to realize real-time optical detection of elongation, rotation, bending, and multi-point coordinated deformation, thereby achieving high-precision body sensing and feedback control in different motion modes.

[0051] It should be noted that the integrated body-aware software driver prepared in this application can provide accurate and reliable body-aware functions while maintaining stable driving performance. For example... Figure 12 As shown, after the body-sensing soft actuator is connected to the rigid connector 12, it can be used for real-time grasping width estimation and soft robot applications.

[0052] The body-aware software actuator can also be used for surface contour detection. This application selects three typical geometric shapes—arc, inclined, and serrated—as test objects. Figure 13 As shown, Figure 13 (a) in the diagram is a schematic diagram of the arc-shaped part to be identified. Figure 13 (b) is a schematic diagram of the inclined plane of the object to be identified. Figure 13 (c) in the diagram is a schematic diagram of the serrated object to be identified. Before performing surface contour detection, the body sensing software driver is first installed on the horizontal moving detection platform, and then the arc-shaped, inclined, and serrated objects to be identified are detected respectively. Specifically, firstly, a preset air pressure is applied to multiple driving cavity structures 111 inside the driver body 11, causing them to bend and deform and contact the surface of the object to be identified. Subsequently, the body sensing software driver is driven by the horizontal moving detection platform to slide along the surface of the object to be identified, thereby realizing continuous scanning and detection of the surface morphology of the object to be identified.

[0053] It should be noted that during the process of the body-sensing software actuator touching the surface of the object to be identified, the multiple drive cavity structures 111 inside the actuator body 11 deform, and the optical waveguide 112 also bends synchronously. When the optical waveguide 112 is in a bent state, its light transmission path and bending radius change, resulting in a change in its internal light intensity distribution, and its output light signal also changes accordingly. By detecting the change in this light signal, the inspector obtains the degree of bending and contact position information of the body-sensing software actuator, thereby realizing the reconstruction of the surface morphology of the object to be identified.

[0054] It should be noted that the aerodynamic deformation of the drive cavity structure 111 in this application provides the driving function, and the optical waveguide 112 realizes the optical sensing of this deformation. The two work together to form a "drive-sensing integrated" body sensing system, which can realize the sensing and recognition of the object to be identified without the need for external sensors.

[0055] Figure 14 (a) in the figure is a schematic diagram showing the result of recognizing the arc-shaped outline of the object to be identified using the ontology-aware software driver of this application. Figure 14 (b) in the figure is a schematic diagram showing the result of recognizing the contour of the inclined surface of the object to be identified using the ontology-aware software driver of this application. Figure 14 (c) in the figure is a schematic diagram showing the result of recognizing the jagged contour of the object to be identified using the ontology-aware software driver of this application, as shown in the figure. Figure 14 As shown, the reconstructed contours (red lines) of the three types of objects to be identified are basically consistent with the reference contour (blue line), thus verifying that the ontology-aware software driver of this application has high shape perception accuracy for the objects to be identified. In practical applications, the root mean square error of the reconstruction of the arc-shaped surface is 0.14 mm; the root mean square error of the reconstruction of the inclined surface is 0.27 mm; and the root mean square error of the reconstruction of the sawtooth surface is 0.43 mm.

[0056] In other words, when using the body perception software actuator of this application to detect the object to be identified, not only is there no need for external sensors to assist, but the perception accuracy is also improved. Moreover, the body perception software actuator of this application has a fast response speed and high signal stability, and is not only suitable for the field of surface topography detection, but also for the fields of tactile perception of flexible robots and human-computer interaction.

[0057] This embodiment provides a method for fabricating a body-sensing soft actuator, which includes an actuator body; the actuator body includes an optical waveguide and multiple drive cavity structures; the method includes: acquiring printing parameters; the printing parameters include one or more of the following: wall thickness of the drive cavity, printing layer height, nozzle temperature, printing speed, extrusion linewidth, extrusion flow rate, filling angle, printing path of the drive cavity structure, and printing path of the optical waveguide; according to the printing parameters, integrally printing the actuator body using a single printing material; wherein the printing material has flexibility, light transmittance, and fusibility. Based on the above-mentioned fabrication method, the hermetic performance of the actuator and the light transmission performance of the optical waveguide are optimized. By embedding light-emitting diodes and photodiodes, a sensing unit is formed with the optical waveguide to realize real-time optical response detection of bending, stretching or deformation, providing the soft actuator with high-sensitivity and low-drift body perception function. In the overall manufacturing process, the hermetic drive cavity and the optical waveguide are completed in the same printing process, and the interface between the two forms a firm bond during the melting and cooling process, thereby ensuring tight coupling and synchronous response between the drive and sensing units. The integrated body perception soft actuator prepared in this application can provide accurate and reliable body perception function while maintaining stable drive performance, and can be used for surface contour detection, real-time grasping width estimation and soft robot applications.

[0058] Please refer to Figure 15 , Figure 15 This is a structural block diagram of a fabrication apparatus for a proprioceptive software driver. The fabrication apparatus 20 includes a parameter acquisition module 201 and a printing module 202.

[0059] The parameter acquisition module 201 is used to acquire printing parameters, which include one or more of the following: wall thickness of the driving cavity, printing layer height, nozzle temperature, printing speed, extrusion linewidth, extrusion flow rate, filling angle, printing path of the driving cavity structure, and printing path of the optical waveguide. This parameter acquisition module 201 can be an input device or a communication device. This application does not impose any limitations on this.

[0060] The printing module 202 is used to integrally print the driver body using a single printing material according to the printing parameters; wherein the printing material has flexibility, light transmittance and fusibility.

[0061] This embodiment provides a fabrication apparatus for a body-sensing soft actuator, which includes a parameter acquisition module and a printing module. The parameter acquisition module acquires printing parameters, including one or more of the following: wall thickness of the drive cavity, layer height, nozzle temperature, printing speed, extrusion linewidth, extrusion flow rate, filling angle, printing path of the drive cavity structure, and printing path of the optical waveguide. The printing module, based on the printing parameters, integrally prints the actuator body using a single printing material; wherein the printing material is flexible, transparent, and fusible. The fabrication apparatus optimizes the hermeticity of the actuator and the light transmittance of the optical waveguide. Embedded light-emitting diodes and photodiodes, together with the optical waveguide, form a sensing unit, enabling real-time optical response detection of bending, stretching, or deformation. This provides the soft actuator with high-sensitivity, low-drift body sensing capabilities. During the overall manufacturing process, the hermetic actuator cavity and the optical waveguide are completed in the same printing process, and their interface forms a strong bond during melting and cooling, ensuring tight coupling and synchronous response between the actuator and sensing unit. The integrated body-sensing soft actuator fabricated in this application can provide accurate and reliable body sensing capabilities while maintaining stable driving performance. It can be used for surface contour detection, real-time grasping width estimation, and soft robot applications.

[0062] Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the functions of the various methods in the above embodiments can be implemented by hardware or by computer programs. When all or part of the functions in the above embodiments are implemented by computer programs, the program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, which may include: read-only memory, random access memory, disk, optical disk, hard disk, etc., and the program is executed by a computer to achieve the above functions. For example, the program can be stored in the memory of a device, and when the program in the memory is executed by the processor, all or part of the above functions can be achieved. In addition, when all or part of the functions in the above embodiments are implemented by computer programs, the program can also be stored in a server, another computer, disk, optical disk, flash drive, or external hard drive, etc., and can be downloaded or copied to the memory of a local device, or the system of the local device can be updated. When the program in the memory is executed by the processor, all or part of the functions in the above embodiments can be achieved.

[0063] The above examples illustrate the present invention only to aid in understanding it and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Those skilled in the art can make various simple deductions, modifications, or substitutions based on the principles of this invention.

Claims

1. A method for fabricating a proprioceptive software driver, characterized in that, The ontology-aware software driver includes a driver body; The driver body includes an optical waveguide and multiple driving cavity structures; the method includes: Obtain printing parameters; the printing parameters include one or more of the following: wall thickness of the drive cavity, printing layer height, nozzle temperature, printing speed, extrusion linewidth, extrusion flow rate, filling angle, printing path of the drive cavity structure, and printing path of the optical waveguide; According to the printing parameters, the driver body is printed in one piece using a single printing material; wherein the printing material is flexible, transparent, and fusible.

2. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The step of printing the driver body in one piece using a single printing material according to the printing parameters includes: According to the printing parameters, the optical waveguide and the multiple drive cavity structures are printed layer by layer using a single printing material to form an integrated driver body.

3. The method as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The method further includes: The drive cavity structure includes a shell and a drive cavity enclosed by the shell; the printing path of the drive cavity structure is a continuous closed loop path; when printing the drive cavity structure layer by layer, the printing order corresponding to the printing path of each layer is to first print the filling part between the inner wall and the outer wall of the shell, then print the inner wall of the shell, and then print the outer wall of the shell.

4. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, In the printing path of the optical waveguide, the main printing direction is parallel to the main propagation direction of light in the optical waveguide.

5. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The printing material includes thermoplastic polyurethane; the printing parameters include printing parameters for the optical waveguide and printing parameters for the driving cavity structure, wherein the printing layer height, extrusion flow rate and / or filling angle are different in the printing parameters for the optical waveguide and the driving cavity structure.

6. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The print layer height does not exceed 0.15 mm, so that the temperature of the nozzle is transferred from the current layer to the previous layer; and / or, the nozzle temperature is one of 215°-220°, and the print speed does not exceed 20 mm / s, so as to improve the stability of the printing process.

7. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The driver body also includes a base, and each driving cavity structure is disposed on the base; each driving cavity structure includes a housing and a driving cavity enclosed by the housing; the driving cavities of each driving cavity structure are connected through the base; the housing of the driving cavity structure located at the end is provided with an air inlet that communicates with its driving cavity; the optical waveguide is located inside the base.

8. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The body-sensing software driver also includes an optical transmitter and an optical receiver; the optical transmitter is disposed at one end of the optical waveguide, and the optical receiver is disposed at the other end of the optical waveguide.

9. An apparatus for fabricating a proprioceptive software driver, characterized in that, include: The parameter acquisition module is used to acquire printing parameters; wherein, the printing parameters include one or more of the following: wall thickness of the driving cavity, printing layer height, nozzle temperature, printing speed, extrusion linewidth, extrusion flow rate, filling angle, printing path of the driving cavity structure, and printing path of the optical waveguide; A printing module is used to integrally print the driver body using a single printing material according to the printing parameters; wherein the printing material has flexibility, light transmittance, and fusibility.

10. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, Includes a program that can be executed by a processor to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-8.

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