Optical drive three-dimensional motion spherical robot and robot cluster

Abstract

The application discloses a light-driven three-dimensional motion spherical robot and a robot cluster. The spherical robot comprises a robot main body and a topological shell assembly. The robot main body comprises a shell, a driving module, an environment field sensing module, a signal emitting module and a control module. The driving module is used for driving the robot main body to move. The environment field sensing module is used for sensing an environment field signal. The signal emitting module is used for emitting the environment field signal. The control module is connected with the driving module, the environment field sensing module and the signal emitting module respectively, so as to control the driving module and the signal emitting module according to the environment field signal sensed by the environment field sensing module. The topological shell assembly is detachably connected to the outer surface of the shell. The topological shell assembly comprises an attachment structure used for attaching the robot main body to the surface of other objects and / or interconnecting with other robots. The application enables a single robot or a robot cluster to autonomously realize ground motion, vertical surface climbing and autonomous stacking in a three-dimensional space.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of robotics, and more particularly to a light-driven three-dimensional motion spherical robot. Background Technology

[0002] In scenarios such as industrial inspection, building maintenance, and disaster relief, robots need to perform tasks on vertical, inverted, or smooth curved surfaces (such as glass curtain walls, metal pipes, and acrylic observation windows). Traditional wheeled or tracked robots are ill-suited to such environments due to insufficient adhesion or poor mobility. Furthermore, existing climbing robots often rely on a single motion mode, resulting in low efficiency when transitioning to complex curved surfaces or dynamically adjusting their posture.

[0003] In warehousing and logistics, temporary construction, and disaster emergency response, the rapid construction of three-dimensional structures with variable height or shape is a core requirement for improving efficiency and safety. Traditional methods rely on manual assembly or pre-designed modules, which suffer from problems such as long processing time, poor flexibility, and high cost. Although some research has attempted to construct structures by stacking drones or modular robots, limitations in load capacity, positioning accuracy, and collaborative control algorithms make it difficult to achieve autonomous construction in complex environments. For example, stacking robots often use rigid connections, which cannot adapt to irregular substrates; while soft robots can deform and fit, they lack structural stability.

[0004] Spherical robots possess unique advantages in fields such as confined space exploration and environmental monitoring due to their omnidirectional movement capabilities, high mobility, and anti-tipping characteristics. However, existing spherical robots have limited functions, mostly focusing on ground movement or simple interactions, failing to fully explore their morphological potential. For example, climbing tasks require additional robotic arms or adhesive devices, leading to structural complexity; stacking tasks rely on external positioning systems or pre-programmed paths, lacking autonomous decision-making capabilities.

[0005] As robot applications expand from single-task to multi-task scenarios, higher demands are placed on the adaptability of equipment to various scenarios. However, existing robots are mostly designed for specific scenarios and lack cross-scenario capabilities, leading to redundant resource investment and low efficiency.

[0006] The above background information is provided only to aid in understanding the concept and technical solution of this invention. It does not necessarily belong to the prior art of this patent application. In the absence of clear evidence that the above information was disclosed on the filing date of this patent application, the above background information should not be used to evaluate the novelty and inventiveness of this application. Summary of the Invention

[0007] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this invention provides an optically driven three-dimensional motion spherical robot and robot swarm, offering a highly adaptive and reconfigurable mobile robot platform that enables it to perform diverse tasks in complex and ever-changing three-dimensional physical environments through autonomous decision-making and collaboration.

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0009] In a first aspect, the present invention discloses a light-driven three-dimensional motion spherical robot, comprising a robot body and a topological shell assembly. The robot body includes a shell, a drive module, an environmental field sensing module, a signal transmitting module, and a control module. The drive module, environmental field sensing module, signal transmitting module, and control module are integrated with the shell. The drive module drives the robot body to move. The environmental field sensing module senses environmental field signals. The signal transmitting module transmits environmental field signals. The control module is connected to the drive module, environmental field sensing module, and signal transmitting module respectively to control the drive module and signal transmitting module based on the environmental field signals sensed by the environmental field sensing module. The topological shell assembly is detachably connected to the outer surface of the shell. The topological shell assembly includes attachment structures for attaching the robot body to the surface of other objects and / or interconnecting with other robots.

[0010] Preferably, the control module is configured to: acquire the environmental field signal sensed by the environmental field perception module, determine the distance information between itself and a nearby robot or target based on the intensity of the environmental field signal, and control the intensity of the environmental field signal emitted by the signal emission module based on the distance information between itself and a nearby robot or target.

[0011] Preferably, the environmental field sensing module includes a visible light sensing unit for sensing the intensity of the visible light field in the environment and an infrared sensing unit for sensing the intensity of infrared signals in the environment, and the signal transmission module includes a visible light transmitting unit for transmitting visible light signals and an infrared transmitting unit for transmitting infrared signals.

[0012] Preferably, the visible light sensing unit includes a plurality of photosensitive elements, which are respectively arranged circumferentially within the housing to sense gradient changes in the intensity of the visible light field and determine the direction of the light source.

[0013] Preferably, the control module is configured to: acquire the visible light field intensity sensed by the visible light sensing unit and the infrared signal intensity sensed by the infrared sensing unit, and control the movement direction and speed of the drive module according to the visible light field intensity and the infrared signal intensity.

[0014] Preferably, the control module is configured to: acquire the infrared signal intensity sensed by the infrared sensing unit; when the infrared signal intensity is higher than or equal to a preset threshold, determine that it is in the cluster and control the visible light emitting unit to reduce the visible light signal emission intensity or turn it off; when the infrared signal intensity is lower than the preset threshold, determine that it is not in the cluster and control the visible light emitting unit to increase the visible light signal emission intensity.

[0015] Preferably, the control module is configured to control the drive module to move in the direction of strongest or weakest visible light intensity.

[0016] Preferably, the drive module includes a motor, a wheel hub, and a reduction mechanism. The reduction mechanism is connected to the wheel hub, and the motor is connected to the reduction mechanism to drive the wheel hub to rotate through the reduction mechanism.

[0017] Preferably, the control module includes a microcontroller chip, which integrates an analog-to-digital converter, a pulse width modulation controller, and a general-purpose input / output interface.

[0018] Preferably, the robot body further includes a power module, which is electrically connected to the drive module, the environmental field perception module, the signal transmission module and the control module respectively.

[0019] Preferably, the shell is a spherical shell, an ellipsoidal shell, or a polyhedral shell. The topological shell assembly includes a first topological shell assembly and / or a second topological shell assembly. The first topological shell assembly includes multiple adsorption elements, which are evenly distributed on the surface of the shell to allow the robot to attach to a smooth object surface for climbing. The second topological shell assembly includes multiple first complementary attachments or multiple second complementary attachments, which are evenly distributed on the surface of the shell to allow the robot to interconnect with other robots that are correspondingly connected to multiple second complementary attachments or multiple first complementary attachments. The first complementary attachments and the second complementary attachments can be attached to each other.

[0020] Secondly, the present invention discloses a robot cluster comprising multiple optically driven three-dimensional motion spherical robots as described in the first aspect.

[0021] Compared with existing technologies, the beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: The optically driven three-dimensional motion spherical robot and robot swarm disclosed in this invention, through the coordinated work of the environmental field perception module and the signal transmission module, combined with replaceable topological shell components, enable a single robot to both perceive and respond to ambient light field signals, and to achieve different three-dimensional motion functions by changing the shell. The environmental field perception module enables the robot to perceive the gradient changes of the surrounding environmental field signals and determine the direction of the signal source; the signal transmission module enables the robot to transmit environmental field signals to communicate with other robots; and the control module intelligently controls the movement of the drive module and the intensity of the signal transmission module based on the perceived signals. Through the coordinated design of the above hardware and control, autonomous, adaptive, and reconfigurable swarm intelligence behavior of the robots in three-dimensional space is realized, thereby achieving autonomous phototactic movement, swarm collaboration, and obstacle avoidance in three-dimensional space. In particular, through the design of the topological shell components, the robot can attach to smooth surfaces to climb as needed, or interconnect with other robots through complementary attachments to form a three-dimensional stacked structure, greatly expanding the application scenarios and adaptability of the spherical robot and solving the problem of the single function of traditional spherical robots.

[0022] In a further embodiment, the present invention also has the following beneficial effects:

[0023] (1) By configuring the control module to control the signal transmission intensity according to the environmental field signal intensity, the robot can dynamically adjust the transmission signal intensity according to the distance, forming a dynamic communication gradient field, which optimizes the information transmission efficiency and energy consumption within the cluster.

[0024] (2) By setting up an environmental field perception module including a visible light sensing unit and an infrared sensing unit, and a signal transmission module including a visible light emitting unit and an infrared emitting unit, the two signals of visible light and infrared are used for perception and communication. Combined with the sensing units arranged in multiple directions, the direction and intensity of the signal source can be determined more accurately, providing richer environmental information for autonomous navigation.

[0025] (3) In some schemes, by configuring the control module to comprehensively control the motion direction and speed of the drive module based on the intensity of visible light field and infrared signal intensity, more intelligent and flexible motion control is achieved, enabling the robot to better respond to complex environmental changes. In other schemes, by configuring the control module to judge the cluster state based on the intensity of infrared signal and adjust the intensity of visible light signal emission accordingly, signal optimization in the cluster state is achieved, reducing signal interference within the cluster and improving the visibility of individuals outside the cluster. In still other schemes, by configuring the control module to control the drive module to move in the direction of the strongest or weakest visible light intensity, positive phototaxis or photoavoidance behavior is achieved, providing a foundation for the robot's autonomous navigation and cluster behavior. Combining these configurations, complex phototaxis behavior and adaptive response to the cluster state are achieved, enabling individual robots to intelligently decide their motion direction based on the environment and to collaboratively complete collective behaviors (such as gathering or stacking) within the cluster by adjusting their own signal emission.

[0026] (4) By designing the shell as a sphere, ellipsoid or polyhedron shape and designing different attachment structures (such as adsorption components or complementary attachment components) for the topological shell components, the robot can adapt to different application scenarios. It can be used for climbing on smooth surfaces and for interconnection and stacking between robots, which significantly improves the robot's functional diversity and environmental adaptability.

[0027] Other beneficial effects of the embodiments of the present invention will be further described below. Attached Figure Description

[0028] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a robot equipped with a first topological shell assembly containing multiple suction cups in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a robot equipped with a second topological shell assembly containing multiple Velcro straps in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a robot equipped with a second topological shell assembly containing multiple hook surfaces, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 4 yes Figure 1 , Figure 2 or Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the internal structure of the robot's main body. Detailed Implementation

[0032] The embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below. It should be emphasized that the following description is merely exemplary and not intended to limit the scope and application of the present invention.

[0033] It should be noted that when a component is referred to as "fixed to" or "set on" another component, it can be directly on or indirectly on that other component. When a component is referred to as "connected to" another component, it can be directly connected to or indirectly connected to that other component. Furthermore, a connection can be used for both fixing and circuit / signal connectivity.

[0034] It should be understood that the terms "length", "width", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", and "outer" indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the embodiments of 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. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the present invention.

[0035] 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 technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of embodiments of the present invention, "a plurality of" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0036] A preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a light-driven three-dimensional motion spherical robot and a robot cluster. Its core is to achieve autonomous movement through light-driven behavior (sensing visible light and infrared signals of the environment and responding accordingly), and to endow the robot with different three-dimensional spatial movement capabilities through replaceable topological shells, such as individual robots climbing smooth surfaces or multiple individual robots autonomously connecting to form a three-dimensional stacked structure.

[0037] like Figures 1 to 3 As shown, a preferred embodiment of the present invention discloses a light-driven three-dimensional motion spherical robot, comprising a robot body 10 and a topological shell assembly 20, combined with... Figure 4The robot body 10 includes a shell 11, a drive module 12, an environmental field sensing module, a signal transmission module, and a control module 13. The drive module 12, the environmental field sensing module, the signal transmission module, and the control module 13 are respectively disposed within the shell 11. The drive module 12 is used to drive the robot body 10 to move. The environmental field sensing module is used to sense environmental field signals. The signal transmission module is used to transmit environmental field signals. The control module 13 is connected to the drive module 12, the environmental field sensing module, and the signal transmission module respectively, so as to control the drive module 12 and the signal transmission module according to the environmental field signals sensed by the environmental field sensing module. The topology shell assembly 20 is detachably connected to the outer surface of the shell 11. The topology shell assembly 20 includes an attachment structure for attaching the robot body 10 to the surface of other objects and / or interconnecting with other robots. The optical drive-driven three-dimensional motion spherical robot of this embodiment integrates an environmental field perception and signal transmission module, and is equipped with a replaceable topological shell, enabling a single robot or robot cluster to autonomously achieve ground movement, vertical surface climbing, and autonomous stacking in three-dimensional space. This solves the problems of existing spherical robots having limited functions, lacking adaptability to complex three-dimensional spatial movements (such as vertical climbing and autonomous stacking), and relying on complex external systems for cluster collaborative control.

[0038] In a further embodiment, the environmental field perception module includes a visible light sensing unit for sensing the intensity of the visible light field in the environment and an infrared sensing unit for sensing the intensity of infrared signals in the environment. The signal transmission module includes a visible light emitting unit for emitting visible light signals and an infrared emitting unit for emitting infrared signals. In one specific embodiment, the visible light sensing unit uses a photosensitive sensor 141, the visible light emitting unit uses an LED emitter 142, and the infrared sensing unit and the infrared emitting unit are integrated into an infrared signal transmitter 143. The photosensitive sensor 141 is used to sense changes in ambient light intensity and includes four photoresistors, which are respectively arranged in four directions on the middle horizontal plane of the shell 11 of the robot body 10, for sensing the ambient light intensity gradient and determining the direction of the light source. The LED emitter 142 is used to realize implicit optical communication between the robots. Each robot senses the ambient light intensity and infrared signal intensity through the photosensitive sensor 141 and adjusts the LED brightness accordingly. Specifically, the luminous intensity of the LED emitter 142 is determined by the distance between the robot itself and its neighboring robots, forming a brightness gradient field to realize implicit optical communication between the group. Infrared signal transmitter 143 is used to realize implicit infrared communication between the robots. Each robot can emit infrared signals to its surroundings and can also sense the intensity of the surrounding infrared signals to determine whether it is in the cluster or near a target. The infrared signal intensity specifically refers to the voltage signal generated by the infrared sensing unit, and the visible light intensity refers to the ambient light intensity sensed by the photoresistor.

[0039] To reduce ambient light interference, the visible light emitting unit (LED emitter 142) can emit light using pulse modulation at a specific frequency, while the visible light sensing unit (photosensor 141) performs frequency-selective measurement to distinguish its own signal from ambient light. This invention works best in scenarios where ambient light is relatively stable or controllable (e.g., indoors) or in darkness. Infrared signal sensing is suitable for short-range, unobstructed cluster status determination. However, in complex three-dimensional stacks, judgment errors may occur due to occlusion. This can be optimized by increasing signal emission redundancy or combining information from other sensors for comprehensive decision-making.

[0040] In some embodiments, the drive module 12 is used to achieve controllable and highly responsive motion on the ground. It includes a motor, a wheel hub, and a reduction mechanism. The reduction mechanism is connected to the wheel hub, and the motor is connected to the reduction mechanism to drive the wheel hub to rotate. This drive module provides stable and reliable driving capability, ensuring the robot's motion performance and response speed. The reduction mechanism consists of a tire and multiple pairs of gears. The motor controls the torque and speed via a PWM signal, driving the reduction mechanism to rotate, ultimately rotating the wheel hub to achieve forward movement, turning, or stopping of the robot. The robot's turning response time is 0.2s to 0.8s, for example, 0.5s.

[0041] In some embodiments, the control module 13 employs a microcontroller chip, which integrates an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), a pulse-width modulation controller (PWM), and a general-purpose input / output interface (e.g., GPIO interface) for acquiring sensor data, controlling motor drive, infrared signal transmission, and LED brightness adjustment. This microcontroller chip enables efficient signal processing and control command generation, meeting the needs of complex control algorithms. For example, the microcontroller chip may be an ESP32-C6 chip. The robot body also includes a power module 15, which is electrically connected to the drive module 12, the environmental field perception module, the signal transmission module, and the control module 13 to supply power to these modules. The power module 15 may, for example, use a 3.7V rechargeable lithium battery, providing over one hour of continuous operation on flat ground; however, the operating time will be shorter during high-power tasks such as vertical surface climbing or continuous stacking. In one specific embodiment, the control module 13 and the power module 15 can be soldered and integrated onto a PCB board.

[0042] In some embodiments, the shell 11 is a spherical shell, an ellipsoidal shell, or a polyhedral shell, and the shell 11 may be made of a transparent material, for example. The topological shell assembly 20 includes a first topological shell assembly and / or a second topological shell assembly. The first topological shell assembly includes a plurality of adsorption elements evenly distributed on the surface of the shell for attaching the robot to a smooth object surface to enable climbing, thereby achieving independent climbing. The second topological shell assembly includes a plurality of first complementary attachments or a plurality of second complementary attachments evenly distributed on the surface of the shell for interconnecting the robot with other robots correspondingly connected to the plurality of second complementary attachments or the plurality of first complementary attachments, wherein the first and second complementary attachments can be attached to each other. In a specific embodiment, the plurality of adsorption elements, the plurality of first complementary attachments, or the plurality of second complementary attachments can be evenly distributed on the surface of the shell 11 with reference to the face arrangement of a regular polyhedron. For example, with reference to a regular icosahedron, 20 adsorption elements, first complementary attachments, or second complementary attachments can be provided on the surface of the shell 11. The adsorption element is, for example, a suction cup 21; the first complementary attachment element is the napped side 22 of the hook and loop fastener; and the second complementary attachment element is the hook side 23 of the hook and loop fastener. Figure 1 As shown, by mounting a first topological shell assembly containing multiple suction cups 21, the robot can independently climb on smooth surfaces (such as acrylic sheets) using the suction cup structure, achieving independent wall-climbing functionality; Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, by incorporating a second topological shell assembly with multiple hook and loop fasteners, autonomous three-dimensional structure stacking of multiple robots can be achieved. This means that within a cluster of multiple robots, such as... Figure 2 As shown, half of the robot is equipped with a second topological shell assembly containing multiple Velcro straps on a rough surface 22, such as... Figure 3 As shown, the other half of the robot is equipped with a second topological shell assembly containing multiple Velcro hooks 23. When the robot swarm performs aggregation behavior, some robots move to top of other robots, autonomously forming a three-dimensional stacked structure. In this embodiment of the invention, the volume of a single robot is less than 150 cm³. 3 .

[0043] In some embodiments, the control module is configured to: acquire the visible light signal sensed by the visible light sensing unit (photosensitive sensor 141), determine the distance information between itself and a nearby robot or target based on the intensity of the visible light signal, and control the intensity of the environmental field signal emitted by the visible light emitting unit (LED emitter 142) based on the distance information between itself and a nearby robot or target; specifically, the control module estimates the approximate distance d to the signal source based on the infrared signal intensity I and the inverse square law I ∝ 1 / d². In specific applications, a robot equipped with a first topological shell assembly containing multiple suction cups can directionally climb on a smooth surface (e.g., an acrylic sheet) driven by light. Specifically, the control module controls the drive module to generate a force toward the wall, causing the suction cups to deform and expel air to form a negative pressure; during movement, the control module controls some suction cups to release vacuum according to a specific timing sequence, the drive mechanism moves the sphere, and then the released suction cups are re-adsorbed.

[0044] In some embodiments, the control module is configured to: acquire the visible light field intensity sensed by the visible light sensing unit and the infrared signal intensity sensed by the infrared sensing unit, and control the movement direction and speed of the drive module according to the visible light field intensity and the infrared signal intensity.

[0045] In some embodiments, the control module is configured to: acquire the infrared signal intensity sensed by the infrared sensing unit; when the infrared signal intensity is higher than or equal to a preset threshold, determine that it is in a cluster and control the visible light emitting unit to reduce or extinguish the visible light signal emission intensity; when the infrared signal intensity is lower than the preset threshold, determine that it is not in a cluster and control the visible light emitting unit to increase the visible light signal emission intensity. The preset threshold is measured experimentally. When another robot emits an infrared signal at a distance D (e.g., 10 cm), the received signal intensity value is V_ref, and the preset threshold is set to k*V_ref (k is an empirical coefficient, e.g., 0.8). Furthermore, the control module is also configured to: control the drive module to move in the direction of strongest or weakest visible light intensity. In practical applications, within a cluster of multiple robots, half the robots are equipped with a second topological shell assembly featuring a rough surface with multiple Velcro straps, while the other half are equipped with a second topological shell assembly featuring a hook surface with multiple Velcro straps. Each robot uses infrared signals to determine its position within the cluster; it does not emit light when it is in the cluster, but emits strong light when it is out of the cluster. Simultaneously, all individual robots exhibit phototactic movement (i.e., the control module controls the drive module to move towards the direction of strongest visible light intensity; specifically, the control module reads the values ​​of four photoresistors, calculates the relative light intensity gradient, and sets the movement direction from the lowest value sensor to the highest value sensor). Under these conditions, the robots in the cluster closely cluster together, and some individual robots move to the top of other robots using the external shell structure, thus autonomously exhibiting a three-dimensional stacked structure. The robots fine-tune their positions by varying the intensity gradient of the light signal at close range, achieving coarse alignment with the attachment points of the robots below. Upon contact, they complete the connection using slight deformation of the shell and the inherent tolerance range of the Velcro straps. To further improve stacking stability, a center of gravity estimation can be incorporated into the control algorithm, prioritizing stacking at locations that lower the overall structural center of gravity.

[0046] The preferred embodiment of this invention discloses a light-driven three-dimensional spherical robot that employs a hub-driven mechanism and integrates photosensitive sensors, LED emitters, and infrared signal transmitters to achieve implicit communication and phototactic cooperative behavior. When equipped with two different topological shells, it can perform individual wall climbing and autonomous three-dimensional structural stacking of multiple robots. The robot's main shell can be modified by replacing different topological shell components and combining light rods with infrared cooperative control to achieve different types of three-dimensional motion behaviors. This solves the problem of functional adaptability of the robot in complex scenarios, realizing multimodal motion capabilities from planar motion to vertical climbing and autonomous three-dimensional structural components, significantly enhancing the robot's scene adaptability and task versatility.

[0047] Another preferred embodiment of the present invention discloses a robot cluster, including multiple optically driven three-dimensional motion spherical robots as described in the above preferred embodiments.

[0048] This invention addresses the limitations of traditional spherical robots, which have limited application scenarios and low adaptability. It can be applied to complex tasks such as industrial inspection and maintenance, building and infrastructure monitoring, and art exhibitions. Specifically, in industrial inspection and maintenance, the robot can climb vertical acrylic panels (such as observation windows of storage tanks in the petrochemical industry) to inspect internal cracks, leaks, or corrosion. In building and infrastructure monitoring, when inspecting the facades of high-rise buildings, the robot can replace manual labor in high-risk operations, climbing glass curtain walls to capture high-definition images, analyze aging levels, and reduce safety risks. In art exhibitions, the robot can stack into different shapes based on varying signal field distributions under different audience behaviors, exploring human-robot collaborative art.

[0049] The background section of this invention may include background information about the problems or circumstances surrounding the invention, rather than a description of prior art by others. Therefore, the content included in the background section is not an admission of prior art by the applicant.

[0050] The above description provides a further detailed explanation of the present invention in conjunction with specific / preferred embodiments, and it should not be construed that the specific implementation of the present invention is limited to these descriptions. For those skilled in the art, various substitutions or modifications can be made to these described embodiments without departing from the concept of the present invention, and all such substitutions or modifications should be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention. In the description of this specification, the reference to terms such as "an embodiment," "some embodiments," "preferred embodiment," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., indicates that the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in connection with that embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples. Furthermore, those skilled in the art can combine and integrate different embodiments or examples and features of different embodiments or examples described in this specification without contradiction. Although the embodiments of the present invention and their advantages have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions, and modifications can be made herein without departing from the scope defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A light-driven three-dimensional motion spherical robot, characterized in that, Includes the robot body and topological shell assembly, among which, The robot body includes a shell, a drive module, an environmental field sensing module, a signal transmission module, and a control module. The drive module, the environmental field sensing module, the signal transmission module, and the control module are integrated with the shell. The drive module is used to drive the robot body to move. The environmental field sensing module is used to sense environmental field signals. The signal transmission module is used to transmit environmental field signals. The control module is connected to the drive module, the environmental field sensing module, and the signal transmission module respectively, so as to control the drive module and the signal transmission module according to the environmental field signals sensed by the environmental field sensing module. The topological shell assembly is detachably connected to the outer surface of the shell, and the topological shell assembly includes attachment structures for attaching the robot body to the surface of other objects and / or interconnecting with other robots; The control module is configured to: acquire the environmental field signal sensed by the environmental field perception module, determine the distance information between itself and the neighboring robot or target based on the intensity of the environmental field signal, and control the intensity of the environmental field signal emitted by the signal emission module based on the distance information between itself and the neighboring robot or target. The topology housing assembly includes a first topology housing assembly and / or a second topology housing assembly, wherein, The first topological shell assembly includes a plurality of adsorption elements disposed on the surface of the shell for attaching the robot to a smooth object surface; The second topological housing assembly includes a plurality of first complementary attachments or a plurality of second complementary attachments disposed on the surface of the housing for interconnecting the robot with other robots correspondingly connected to the plurality of second complementary attachments or the plurality of first complementary attachments, wherein the first complementary attachments and the second complementary attachments are capable of being attached to each other.

2. The optically driven three-dimensional motion spherical robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The environmental field sensing module includes a visible light sensing unit for sensing the intensity of the visible light field in the environment and an infrared sensing unit for sensing the intensity of infrared signals in the environment. The signal transmission module includes a visible light transmitting unit for transmitting visible light signals and an infrared transmitting unit for transmitting infrared signals.

3. The optically driven three-dimensional motion spherical robot according to claim 2, characterized in that, The visible light sensing unit includes multiple photosensitive elements, which are circumferentially arranged inside the housing to sense gradient changes in the intensity of the visible light field and determine the direction of the light source.

4. The optically driven three-dimensional motion spherical robot according to claim 2, characterized in that, The control module is configured to: acquire the visible light field intensity sensed by the visible light sensing unit and the infrared signal intensity sensed by the infrared sensing unit, and control the movement direction and speed of the drive module according to the visible light field intensity and the infrared signal intensity.

5. The optically driven three-dimensional motion spherical robot according to claim 2, characterized in that, The control module is configured to: acquire the infrared signal intensity sensed by the infrared sensing unit; when the infrared signal intensity is higher than or equal to a preset threshold, determine that it is in the cluster and control the visible light emitting unit to reduce the visible light signal emission intensity or turn it off; when the infrared signal intensity is lower than the preset threshold, determine that it is not in the cluster and control the visible light emitting unit to increase the visible light signal emission intensity.

6. The optically driven three-dimensional motion spherical robot according to claim 2, characterized in that, The control module is configured to control the drive module to move in the direction of strongest or weakest visible light intensity.

7. The optically driven three-dimensional motion spherical robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The drive module includes a motor, a wheel hub, and a reduction mechanism. The reduction mechanism is connected to the wheel hub, and the motor is connected to the reduction mechanism to drive the wheel hub to rotate through the reduction mechanism.

8. The optically driven three-dimensional motion spherical robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The shell is a spherical shell, an ellipsoidal shell, or a polyhedral shell, and a plurality of adsorption elements are evenly distributed on the surface of the shell, and a plurality of first complementary attachment elements or a plurality of second complementary attachment elements are evenly distributed on the surface of the shell.

9. A robot swarm, characterized in that, Includes multiple optically driven three-dimensional motion spherical robots as described in any one of claims 1 to 8.

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