Foot bionic structure caterpillar band of earwig

Abstract

The invention relates to a earwig foot bionic structure caterpillar band which comprises a bionic caterpillar band body, the bionic caterpillar band body is composed of a plurality of bionic sections, and the bionic sections are flexibly connected in series through elastic movable hinge structures to form a multi-section bionic structure. The multiple sections of bionic structures are connected end to end to form an annular chain belt capable of passively deflecting along multiple degrees of freedom; wherein a plurality of foot pad protrusions and macroscopic bionic claw hook protrusions are arranged on the ground plane of each bionic section, each elastic movable hinge structure is composed of a movable hinge and a claw hook after rubber materials for connecting the adjacent bionic sections are locally thinned, the overall ground performance is good, the terrain self-adaptive capacity is high, and the driving smoothness is high.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of walking equipment technology for complex terrain, and in particular to a biomimetic track structure for earwig feet. Background Technology

[0002] Tracked locomotives are widely used in special vehicles, engineering machinery, and exploration robots due to their low ground pressure and high traction. However, traditional tracked structures exhibit significant limitations when facing complex and varied terrains such as mountains, swamps, and deserts. Traditional tracks often use rigid chain plates with a fixed ground contact pattern, which cannot fully conform to uneven road surfaces, resulting in uneven ground pressure distribution. On soft ground, this can easily cause localized sinking and reduced traction efficiency; on hard, rugged surfaces, it generates severe impacts, affecting ride comfort and component lifespan. Although some improved designs with patterned or rubber tracks exist in current technology, they still lag significantly behind the superior performance of biological feet in terms of the overall passive compliant deformation capability and real-time adaptive conformation to terrain. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To address or partially address the problems existing in related technologies, this application provides an earwig foot-inspired track with good grounding performance, strong terrain adaptability, and high ride comfort.

[0004] This application discloses a biomimetic track structure for earwig feet, comprising: a biomimetic track body, wherein the biomimetic track body is composed of multiple biomimetic segments, the multiple biomimetic segments are flexibly connected in series through an elastic hinge structure to form a multi-segment biomimetic structure, and the multi-segment biomimetic structure is connected end to end to form a ring chain that can passively deflect along multiple degrees of freedom. The bionic segment's contact surface is provided with multiple foot pad protrusions and macroscopic bionic claw hook protrusions, while the elastic hinge structure is composed of hinges and claw hooks formed by locally thinning the rubber material connecting adjacent bionic segments.

[0005] Optionally, the equivalent torsional stiffness K of the elastic hinge structure satisfies: ; Where G is the shear modulus of the rubber material, w is the width of the hinge, t is the minimum thickness of the hinge, and L is the effective length of the hinge.

[0006] Optionally, the macroscopic biomimetic claw hook protrusion is a claw hook protrusion that imitates the foot of an earwig, with a front edge angle α1 of 15°–30° and a rear edge angle α2 of 40°–60°, and the protrusions are arranged in an alternating pattern in the width direction of the track.

[0007] Optionally, a high-strength cord skeleton is embedded inside the bionic segment (1), and the cord skeleton located in the elastic hinge structure area is arranged in a flexible weaving manner.

[0008] Optionally, the bionic track is made of flexural fatigue resistant rubber material through an integrated molding and vulcanization process, and the elastic hinge structure, bionic segments, and macroscopic bionic claw hook protrusions are integrally molded in one piece.

[0009] Optionally, the cross-section of the flexible hinge structure is preferably U-shaped or arc-shaped.

[0010] The technical solution provided in this application may include the following beneficial effects: This application uses the foot of an earwig to form a biomimetic structure. By designing different thicknesses and sizes of the raised areas of the foot pads, different contact heights can be achieved. Finally, the end of the structure is connected by an elastic hinge to form a ring chain that can passively deflect along multiple degrees of freedom. This allows it to fit more closely to the ground, resulting in good grounding performance, strong terrain adaptability, and high ride smoothness during the device's movement.

[0011] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and do not limit this application. Attached Figure Description

[0012] The above and other objects, features and advantages of this application will become more apparent from the more detailed description of exemplary embodiments thereof in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein the same reference numerals generally represent the same components in the exemplary embodiments thereof.

[0013] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure shown in the embodiments of this application; Figure 2 This is a front view shown in the embodiments of this application; Figure 3 This is a partially enlarged view of the biomimetic segment shown in the embodiments of this application; Figure 4 This is a magnified view of a macroscopic biomimetic claw-hook protrusion shown in an embodiment of this application; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the high-strength cord skeleton configuration shown in an embodiment of this application; Figure label: 1. Bionic segments; 2. Elastic hinge structure; 3. Macroscopic bionic claw hook protrusions; 4. High-strength cord skeleton. Detailed Implementation

[0014] Embodiments of this application will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. While embodiments of this application are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that this application may be implemented in various forms and should not be limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to make this application more thorough and complete, and to fully convey the scope of this application to those skilled in the art.

[0015] It should be understood that although the terms "first," "second," "third," etc., may be used in this application to describe various information, this information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish information of the same type from one another. For example, without departing from the scope of this application, first information may also be referred to as second information, and similarly, second information may also be referred to as first information. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this application, "multiple" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0016] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "length", "width", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", 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 this application 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 this application.

[0017] Unless otherwise expressly 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 part; 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; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application according to the specific circumstances.

[0018] To address the aforementioned problems, this application provides a biomimetic track structure for earwig feet. The technical solution of this application embodiment is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0019] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 The illustrated earwig foot bionic structure track includes a bionic track body, which is composed of multiple bionic segments 1. The multiple bionic segments 1 are flexibly connected by an elastic hinge structure 2 to form a multi-segment bionic structure. The multi-segment bionic structure is connected end to end to form a ring chain that can passively deflect along multiple degrees of freedom. The bionic segment 1 has multiple foot pad protrusions and macroscopic bionic claw hook protrusions 3 on its contact surface. The foot pads are used for shock absorption and to increase traction, while the macroscopic bionic claw hook protrusions 3 are used to increase anti-slip ability and climbing ability. Repeating blocks are connected by an elastic hinge structure 2. The elastic hinge structure 2 is composed of locally thinned rubber material connecting adjacent bionic segments, consisting of hinges and claw hooks. The hinges are plastic and ductile, and can deflect and deform to a certain extent, so that the multi-segment bionic structure can deflect along the x-axis with the direction of travel as the reference.

[0020] In this application, the biomimetic track body consists of multiple independent biomimetic segments 1 flexibly connected together by an elastic hinge structure 2, forming a continuously transmitting annular chain. This overall structure mimics the multi-segmental skeletal structure of an earwig's foot. Its core lies in replacing the rigid or limited hinge structure of traditional tracks with discrete segments and flexible connections, thereby achieving macroscopic passive terrain adaptation capabilities. Each biomimetic segment 1 is the basic unit constituting the track, roughly rectangular in shape, with a high-strength cord skeleton 4 embedded inside. The high-strength cord skeleton 4 is woven or arranged from high-strength fibers (such as aramid, nylon) or steel cords, and its main function is to provide core tensile strength when the track is under tension, preventing the track from being stretched or torn. The main body of the biomimetic segment is molded from a high-performance rubber material through compression vulcanization. This rubber material possesses high elasticity, high wear resistance, and excellent flexural fatigue resistance.

[0021] In this application, the elastic hinge structure 2 is a key component connecting two adjacent bionic segments 1. It is formed by locally thinning the rubber material at the connection point, meaning the rubber thickness in this area is significantly less than the thickness of the main body of the bionic segment. This structure mimics the soft tissue function of the joint in an earwig's foot. It is located between the ends of adjacent bionic segments 1 and is vulcanized into a single unit with both, eliminating the need for additional metal hinge pins. Due to its thin-walled design, this area has low torsional stiffness. When the track rolls onto an uneven surface, under the action of ground force, the elastic hinge structure can undergo multi-degree-of-freedom elastic deformation (mainly including pitch deflection about the lateral axis and roll deflection about the longitudinal axis), thereby allowing adjacent bionic segments to produce relative angular displacement. This allows each segment to independently adapt to the local terrain beneath it, ultimately enabling the entire track to passively conform to the contours of the rugged surface like a "cushion" or a "multi-fingered hand." Its function is to increase the effective grounding area, evenly distribute grounding pressure, reduce sinking on soft ground, absorb and buffer impacts from the road surface, and improve driving smoothness. The cross-section of the elastic hinge structure 2 is preferably U-shaped or arc-shaped to optimize stress, and its equivalent torsional stiffness K satisfies: ; Where G is the shear modulus of the rubber material, w is the hinge width, t is the minimum hinge thickness, and L is the effective hinge length. By precisely designing its thickness t, width w, and length L, the formula can be obtained. The specific torsional stiffness is characterized by this design. This design allows the hinge to ensure the overall longitudinal transmission stiffness of the track while enabling adjacent segments to undergo passive elastic deflection in the roll and pitch directions. This allows the track to dynamically conform to the uneven terrain, thereby increasing the contact area and achieving a more uniform distribution of contact pressure.

[0022] Thus, this application forms a biomimetic structure by imitating the foot of an earwig. By designing different thicknesses and sizes of the raised areas of the foot pads, different contact heights are achieved. Finally, the end-to-end connection of the elastic hinge structure 2 forms a ring chain that can passively deflect along multiple degrees of freedom, which can better fit the ground, resulting in good grounding performance, strong terrain adaptability, and high ride smoothness during the movement of the equipment.

[0023] In one embodiment, such as Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, each biomimetic segment 1 has a graded biomimetic pattern on its contact surface. This pattern system mimics the cooperative gripping mechanism of the claws and micro-hairs at the end of the earwig's foot. Specifically, it is designed with multiple macroscopic biomimetic claw protrusions 3 integrally formed. These protrusions strictly imitate the asymmetrical geometric configuration of the earwig's claws, with a sharp leading edge (leading edge angle α1 approximately 15°-30°) to facilitate cutting into soil, sand, and other media; and a gentle trailing edge (trailing edge angle α2 approximately 40°-60°) to provide stable support reaction force. These protrusions are staggered in the track width direction, forming continuous and uninterrupted gripping units. After the leading edge cuts into the ground, the asymmetrical wedge structure and the supporting effect of the trailing edge together generate a strong hooking effect, providing the track with significant traction and anti-slip capability. In soft media, the sharp leading edge easily cuts into the ground, and the wedge shape pushes and compacts the soil, forming a stable fulcrum. On hard, rugged surfaces, its curved, hook-like shape can mechanically hook onto protrusions such as rock crevices. The staggered arrangement ensures that there are enough protrusions in contact with the ground at all times, providing continuous grip.

[0024] This application comprehensively covers the surface of macroscopic biomimetic claw-like protrusions and the substrate portion of the ground plane not covered by the protrusions. This texture consists of dense micron-sized particles and can be formed through a mold surface etching process. Overall, it significantly increases the actual contact area and roughness of the grounding surface, utilizing the high frictional properties of rubber and intermolecular forces (van der Waals forces) to provide strong frictional adhesion on smooth or hard surfaces. The macroscopic biomimetic claw-like protrusions 3 work in conjunction with the macroscopic claw-like protrusions to achieve a composite gripping mode combining "mechanical interlocking" and "frictional adhesion."

[0025] In one embodiment, such as Figure 5As shown, the high-strength cord skeleton 4 is specifically designed with a hollowed-out cylindrical annular channel inside the track, and metal chains are added to enhance the overall tensile strength and rigidity of the track. In actual production, the high-strength cord skeleton 4 is placed in a precision mold, into which a specially formulated flexural fatigue-resistant rubber material is injected, and then vulcanized under high temperature and pressure. This process allows for the one-time integration of the main body of the biomimetic segment 1, the elastic hinge structure 2, and the macroscopic biomimetic claw hook protrusion 3 into a complete, seamless track segment unit. Multiple such units are then connected end-to-end via connectors to form a closed annular track. This integral molding process greatly ensures the integrity, consistency, and durability of the structure.

[0026] This application employs a multi-segment biomimetic segment design with flexible connections via an elastic hinge structure. This allows the track to passively conform to the contours of uneven road surfaces during movement, significantly increasing the contact area and evenly distributing the contact pressure. This effectively overcomes the problems of traditional rigid tracks, such as localized sinking on soft ground, low traction efficiency, and poor ride comfort on hard surfaces. The biomimetic track features a graded pattern on each segment's contact surface, incorporating macroscopic biomimetic claw-like protrusions and blocky friction textures. The combination of the mechanical cutting and hooking action of the macroscopic protrusions and the high-friction adsorption of the microscopic textures provides the track with a composite grip and anti-slip capability far superior to traditional patterns on various complex surfaces such as mud, sand, and rock, significantly improving the equipment's traction performance and terrain adaptability. High-performance, flexurally resistant rubber material is used, and the biomimetic segments, elastic hinges, and graded patterns are molded into a single unit using an integrated molding and vulcanization process. This structure not only avoids the problems of wear, corrosion and lubrication required by traditional metal hinges, achieving lightweight, low noise and maintenance-free operation, but also ensures the overall tensile strength and durability of the track by its internally embedded high-strength cord skeleton, reducing the use and maintenance costs throughout the entire life cycle.

[0027] In one specific embodiment, the overall structure and static installation relationship of this application are as follows: the walking module includes two annular bionic tracks, a metal drive wheel, a metal guide wheel, two sets of nylon load-bearing wheel sets, and a track motor and control unit encapsulated in the robot body.

[0028] The biomimetic track is fitted around the drive wheel, guide wheel and load-bearing wheel assembly.

[0029] The inner surface of the biomimetic track has toothed grooves that mesh with the drive wheel to transmit power.

[0030] The output shaft of the track motor is coaxially and fixedly connected to the drive wheel shaft via a reducer. The motor receives PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) signals from the control unit to adjust its speed and direction.

[0031] The guide wheels and load-bearing wheels are mounted on the rigid bracket of the robot body via bearings, serving to tension, guide, and support the weight of the robot body.

[0032] Static structural features of biomimetic tracks: In this embodiment, the bionic track consists of 14 independent bionic segments connected in a loop by 14 elastic hinge structures. The external dimensions of each bionic segment are: 135mm in length, 300mm in width, and 30mm in thickness (excluding the pattern).

[0033] Bionic segment: Its matrix is ​​made of hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber (HNBR) through compression molding and vulcanization. Internally, it contains a high-strength cord skeleton woven from aramid cords, which are arranged parallel to the track length within the segment body to withstand tension. Thin-walled areas are reserved at both ends of the segment to form movable hinges.

[0034] The flexible hinge structure, located between the ends of two adjacent bionic segments, is an integrated thin-walled connection formed by designing corresponding grooves in the vulcanization mold, resulting in a rubber thickness t of 15mm, a width w of 150mm, and an effective length L of 75mm in the connecting area. This design gives the hinge suitable torsional flexibility, allowing a relative deflection angle of approximately ±15 degrees between adjacent segments.

[0035] Hierarchical biomimetic patterns: Macroscopic biomimetic claw hook protrusions: Two claw hook protrusions are molded into each elastic hinge section. Each protrusion is 15mm high, with a leading edge angle α1 of 20°, forming a sharp wedge shape; and a trailing edge angle α2 of 50°, forming a smooth arc shape. The protrusions in adjacent rows are staggered along the track length to ensure ground continuity.

[0036] Microscopic friction texture: The cavity of the mold is laser-etched to form blocky protrusions approximately 20 mm high and 40 mm long. This texture is replicated in all individual bionic segments.

[0037] Dynamic working process and effects: As the tidal flat exploration robot moves across the muddy, soft tidal flats: Adaptive Adhesion Process: The robot's gravity acts on several ground-contacting segments of the bionic track through the load-bearing wheel assembly. When there is a depression in the ground beneath a certain bionic segment, that segment sinks under gravity. Because it is connected to adjacent segments by elastic hinges at the front and rear, this sinking motion causes the hinges to bend and deform, allowing the segment to "sink" deeper into the depression. At the same time, adjacent segments adjust their angles accordingly. This process occurs passively without external control. Its effect is to dynamically match the ground contour of the track, increasing the average ground contact area by approximately 30%, distributing pressure evenly, and significantly reducing the sinking depth in soft substrates.

[0038] Composite gripping process: Driven by the motor, the track moves backward. The sharp leading edge of the biomimetic claw-like protrusion first pierces the mud surface. As the track moves, its rear curved surface pushes and compacts the mud, forming a stable support point. Simultaneously, the staggered arrangement of protrusions ensures that multiple protrusions are always engaged in the work. The blocky friction texture increases the actual contact area between the rubber and the mud, sand, or hidden hard surfaces, preventing slippage through high-friction adsorption. Together, these two elements provide the robot with continuous and powerful traction, overcoming the high slippage rate of traditional plain-weave tracks on mudflats.

[0039] Buffering and obstacle-crossing process: When the tracks roll over small, hidden shells or rocks on the mudflats, the impact force first acts on the bionic segment in direct contact. The elastic hinge under this segment can quickly absorb part of the impact energy, producing elastic deformation, converting the violent instantaneous impact into a relatively gentle change in potential energy, which is then slowly released. This process effectively filters high-frequency vibrations, significantly reducing the impact transmitted to the vehicle body and internal precision sensors, thus improving ride comfort and equipment reliability.

[0040] Optional integration of electrical control components: As a functional extension, this embodiment can embed a micro-MEMS pressure sensor at the root of some biomimetic segments.

[0041] Electrical connection: These sensors are connected to the slip rings at the end of the track via flexible printed circuit (FPC) wires embedded in the rubber, and then the signals are transmitted to the control unit (containing a microprocessor) through the robot's body slip rings.

[0042] Dynamic Relationship and Control Strategy: The control unit reads the pressure data of each grounded segment in real time. When it detects that the pressure of multiple segments on one side of the track is consistently low (indicating possible slippage in mud), while the pressure on the other side is normal, the control unit can determine that there is a single-sided stall and slippage. It will immediately send instructions to the track motors on both sides to dynamically adjust the speed difference between the motors: temporarily reducing the speed of the motor on the stuck side, while maintaining or slightly increasing the speed of the motor on the solid side, forming a corrective torque to help the robot quickly get out of trouble. This process realizes adaptive torque control based on tactile feedback.

[0043] Finally, it should be noted that in this document, relationships such as "first" and "second" are used merely to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "include," "contain," or any other variations are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus.

[0044] The various embodiments of this application have been described above. These descriptions are exemplary and not exhaustive, nor are they limited to the disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein is chosen to best explain the principles, practical application, or improvement of the technology in the market, or to enable others skilled in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A biomimetic track structure for earwig feet, characterized in that, include: The bionic track belt body is composed of multiple bionic segments (1). The multiple bionic segments (1) are flexibly connected by an elastic hinge structure (2) to form a multi-segment bionic structure. The multi-segment bionic structure is connected end to end to form a ring chain that can passively deflect along multiple degrees of freedom. Among them, the contact surface of the bionic segment (1) is provided with multiple foot pad protrusions and macroscopic bionic claw hook protrusions (3), and the elastic hinge structure (2) is composed of a hinge and claw hook after the rubber material connecting the adjacent bionic segments is locally thinned.

2. The earwig foot-inspired track according to claim 1, characterized in that: The equivalent torsional stiffness K of the elastic hinge structure (2) satisfies: ; Where G is the shear modulus of the rubber material, w is the width of the hinge, t is the minimum thickness of the hinge, and L is the effective length of the hinge.

3. The earwig foot-inspired track according to claim 1, characterized in that: The macroscopic biomimetic claw hook protrusion (3) is a claw hook protrusion that imitates the foot of an earwig. Its front edge angle α1 is 15°-30° and its rear edge angle α2 is 40°-60°. The protrusions are arranged in an alternating pattern in the width direction of the track.

4. The earwig foot-inspired track according to claim 1, characterized in that: A high-strength cord skeleton (4) is embedded inside the bionic segment (1), and the cord skeleton located in the region of the elastic hinge structure (2) is arranged in a flexible weaving manner.

5. The earwig foot biomimetic track according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bionic track is made of flexural fatigue resistant rubber material through an integrated molding and vulcanization process. The elastic hinge structure, bionic segments, and macroscopic bionic claw hook protrusions are integrally molded in one piece.

6. The earwig foot biomimetic structure track according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cross-section of the elastic hinge structure (2) is preferably U-shaped or arc-shaped.

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