Controllable adsorption and adjustable friction film suction cup and crawling robot with same

Abstract

The application discloses a controllable adsorption and adjustable friction film suction cup and a crawling robot with the same. The controllable adsorption and adjustable friction film suction cup comprises a flexible film, the flexible film having opposite adsorption surfaces and structure surfaces, the adsorption surfaces being suitable for contacting with adsorbed surfaces; a connecting protrusion being arranged at the center of the structure surface; and a ring-shaped reinforcing rib being arranged on the structure surface and extending along the circumference of the flexible film, the ring-shaped reinforcing rib being configured to form a seal between the flexible film and the adsorbed surface when the flexible film contacts with the adsorbed surface, and the film suction cup being configured to control the elastic deformation degree of the flexible film by controlling the pulling speed of the connecting protrusion in the normal direction of the flexible film, so as to control the adsorption state of the flexible film and the adsorbed surface. The controllable adsorption and adjustable friction film suction cup has the advantages of not needing a pneumatic device, being convenient for lightening the robot, reducing the energy consumption of the robot, being simple to control, being reliable and the like.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of robotics, and more specifically, to a thin-film suction cup with controllable adsorption and adjustable friction, and a crawling robot having the thin-film suction cup with controllable adsorption and adjustable friction. Background Technology

[0002] Suction cup mobile robots attach to walls using suction cups, and move on the walls by controlling the suction cups' attachment state.

[0003] In related technologies, suction cup mobile robots rely on the continuous operation of pneumatic devices to maintain adhesion. The system is complex and bulky, making it difficult to meet the requirements of lightweight, miniaturization and low power consumption. Moreover, the adhesion and detachment of the suction cup requires complex sensing, feedback and control strategies, resulting in complex system design and reduced reliability. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present invention aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, the present invention proposes a thin-film suction cup with controllable adsorption and adjustable friction, which has the advantages of eliminating the need for pneumatic devices, facilitating robot weight reduction, reducing robot energy consumption, simple control, and high reliability.

[0005] The present invention also proposes a crawling robot having a thin-film suction cup with controllable adsorption and adjustable friction.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, according to an embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention, a controllable adsorption and adjustable friction film suction cup is provided, the controllable adsorption and adjustable friction film suction cup comprising: a flexible film having opposing adsorption surfaces and structural surfaces, the adsorption surfaces being adapted to contact the adsorbed surface; a connecting protrusion disposed at the center of the structural surface; and an annular reinforcing rib disposed on the structural surface and extending circumferentially along the flexible film, the annular reinforcing rib being configured to form a seal between the flexible film and the adsorbed surface when the flexible film contacts the adsorbed surface, the film suction cup being configured to control the degree of elastic deformation of the flexible film by the lifting speed of the connecting protrusion in the normal direction of the flexible film, thereby controlling the adsorption state between the flexible film and the adsorbed surface.

[0007] The thin-film suction cup with controllable adsorption and adjustable friction according to embodiments of the present invention has advantages such as no need for pneumatic devices, easy to make robots lightweight, reduced robot energy consumption, simple control, and high reliability.

[0008] In addition, the thin-film suction cup with controllable adsorption and adjustable friction according to the above embodiments of the present invention may also have the following additional technical features: According to one embodiment of the present invention, the controllable adsorption and adjustable friction thin film suction cup further includes: a normal skeleton, the normal skeleton being disposed on the structural surface and covering at least a portion of the flexible film to limit the deformation of that portion of the flexible film.

[0009] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the thin film suction cup is configured to control the angle between the axial direction of the connecting protrusion and the normal direction of the flexible film by controlling the tangential force of the connecting protrusion, thereby controlling the frictional force between the flexible film and the surface to be adsorbed.

[0010] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the annular reinforcing rib includes an edge annular rib, the edge annular rib being disposed at the edge of the structural surface, the edge annular rib being configured to form a seal between the edge of the flexible film and the adsorbed surface when the flexible film contacts the adsorbed surface.

[0011] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the annular reinforcing rib further includes a central annular rib, which is disposed on the structural surface and located radially between the connecting protrusion and the edge annular rib.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the controllable adsorption and adjustable friction film suction cup further includes: radial ribs, which are disposed on the structural surface and extend radially along the flexible film.

[0013] According to an embodiment of a second aspect of the present invention, a crawling robot is provided, the crawling robot comprising a thin-film suction cup with controllable adsorption and adjustable friction as described in an embodiment of a first aspect of the present invention.

[0014] The crawling robot according to embodiments of the present invention, by utilizing the controllable adsorption and adjustable friction thin-film suction cup described in the first aspect of the present invention, has advantages such as no need for pneumatic devices, light weight, low energy consumption, simple control, and high reliability.

[0015] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the crawling robot further includes: a frame; a plurality of suction cup driving devices, the plurality of suction cup driving devices being disposed on the frame, the plurality of film suction cups being multiple, the plurality of suction cup driving devices being respectively connected to connecting protrusions of the plurality of film suction cups to drive the connecting protrusions to move in the normal direction of the flexible film, thereby controlling the adsorption state of the flexible film and the adsorbed surface.

[0016] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the film suction cup is configured to control the angle between the axial direction of the connecting protrusion and the normal direction of the flexible film by tangential force on the connecting protrusion, thereby controlling the frictional force between the flexible film and the surface to be adsorbed. The suction cup driving device is also adapted to adjust the angle between the axial direction of the connecting protrusion and the normal direction of the flexible film to control the frictional force between the flexible film and the surface to be adsorbed.

[0017] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the frame includes: a plurality of links, adjacent links being rotatably connected by joints, and a plurality of film suction cups being respectively disposed on the plurality of links; and a rotation drive device adapted to drive two adjacent links to rotate relative to each other.

[0018] Additional aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Attached Figure Description

[0019] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and readily understood from the description of the embodiments taken in conjunction with the following drawings, in which: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a thin-film suction cup with controllable adsorption and adjustable friction according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of a thin-film suction cup with controllable adsorption and adjustable friction according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the adsorption process of a thin-film suction cup with controllable adsorption and adjustable friction according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the friction adjustment process of a thin-film suction cup with controllable adsorption and adjustable friction according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 5 This is a structural schematic diagram of a crawling robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the gait of a crawling robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the servo motor phases during the movement of a crawling robot on a wall according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Reference numerals: 1. Crawling robot; 10. Thin film suction cup with controllable adsorption and adjustable friction; 100. Flexible film; 200. Connecting protrusion; 300. Annular reinforcing rib; 310. Edge annular rib; 320. Middle annular rib; 500. Normal skeleton; 20. Frame; 21. Link; 22. Joint; 23. Rotation drive device; 30. Suction cup drive device; 2. Adsorbed surface. Detailed Implementation

[0027] This application is based on the findings and understanding of the following facts and issues: In related technologies, suction cup mobile robots rely on the continuous operation of pneumatic devices to maintain adhesion. The system is complex and bulky, making it difficult to meet the requirements of lightweight, miniaturization and low power consumption. Moreover, the adhesion and detachment of the suction cup requires complex sensing, feedback and control strategies, resulting in complex system design and reduced reliability.

[0028] Furthermore, in related technologies, suction cup mobile robots separate the adsorption function from the friction adjustment function, requiring independent structures or actuators to control normal attachment and tangential friction separately, which leads to an increase in device degrees of freedom and energy consumption.

[0029] Furthermore, suction cup mobile robots in related technologies have difficulty in simultaneously achieving climbing, sliding, anchoring, and omnidirectional maneuvering, especially in vertical wall scenarios. Optimizing only "slowly climbing upwards" makes it difficult to switch friction characteristics as needed at different stages of movement.

[0030] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below. Examples of these embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0031] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "clockwise," "counterclockwise," "axial," "radial," and "circumferential," etc., indicating orientation or positional relationships, are based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are only for the convenience of describing the invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of the invention. Furthermore, features defined with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this invention, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0032] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0033] The following description, with reference to the accompanying drawings, describes a thin-film suction cup 10 with controllable adsorption and adjustable friction according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] like Figures 1-7 As shown, the controllable adsorption and adjustable friction thin film suction cup 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a flexible film 100, a connecting protrusion 200 and an annular reinforcing rib 300.

[0035] The flexible film 100 has opposing adsorption surfaces and structural surfaces, the adsorption surfaces being adapted to contact the adsorbed surface 2. A connecting protrusion 200 is located at the center of the structural surface. An annular reinforcing rib 300 is located on the structural surface and extends circumferentially along the flexible film 100. The annular reinforcing rib 300 is configured to form a seal between the flexible film 100 and the adsorbed surface 2 when the flexible film 100 contacts the adsorbed surface 2. The flexible film 100 is configured to control the degree of elastic deformation of the flexible film 100 by controlling the lifting speed of the connecting protrusion 200 in the normal direction of the flexible film 100, thereby controlling the adsorption state between the flexible film 100 and the adsorbed surface 2.

[0036] Specifically, the normal of the flexible film 100 is shown by arrow a in the figure.

[0037] The flexible film 100 can be made of silicone, thermoplastic elastomer, polyurethane, rubber, or other flexible polymer materials. The flexible film 100 can be manufactured by mold casting, film hot pressing, multilayer film heat sealing or lamination, soft and hard composite material embedding, or a combination of 3D printing and secondary encapsulation; miniaturization can be achieved using microfabrication, soft lithography, hot pressing, or other alternative processes.

[0038] The connecting protrusion 200 is used to connect to a robotic arm, gripper, robot mechanism or other external support component as an input point for lifting load.

[0039] The annular reinforcing rib 300 can adjust the local stiffness distribution, deformation path and cavity evolution mode of the flexible film 100 during the lifting, pressing and deformation process.

[0040] like Figure 3As shown, when the flexible film 100 approaches and contacts the adsorbed surface 2, the annular reinforcing rib 300 forms a seal between the flexible film 100 and the adsorbed surface 2. Then, when the connecting protrusion 200 is lifted, a negative pressure is generated due to the volume change of the cavity between the flexible film 100 and the adsorbed surface 2.

[0041] When the thin film suction cup 10 contacts the surface 2 to be adsorbed and is lifted at a low speed, the volume change of the cavity between the flexible film 100 and the surface 2 to be adsorbed is small, the adsorption force is low, and the thin film suction cup 10 can be easily desorbed.

[0042] When the thin film suction cup 10 is lifted at a higher speed, the cavity volume changes more significantly due to the specific deformation path guided by the thin film suction cup 10 and the annular reinforcing rib 300. A larger negative pressure is more easily formed inside the thin film suction cup 10, thereby significantly improving the adsorption force.

[0043] Therefore, by adjusting the lifting speed of the connecting protrusion 200, the adsorption and desorption switching of the thin film suction cup 10 can be achieved, forming a passive, reversible, and structure-determined adsorption control mode. This allows the thin film suction cup 10 to operate independently of external pneumatic devices, instead utilizing the structural deformation of the flexible thin film 100 under external load to create a cavity volume change, thereby establishing a pressure difference and achieving a vacuum adsorption effect.

[0044] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the controllable adsorption and adjustable friction thin-film suction cup 10, by providing a flexible thin film 100, can form a compliant interface in contact with the adsorbed surface 2. By providing annular reinforcing ribs 300, the annular reinforcing ribs 300 are configured to form a seal between the flexible thin film 100 and the adsorbed surface 2 when they come into contact. The flexible thin film 100 is configured to control the degree of elastic deformation of the flexible thin film 100 by controlling the lifting speed of the connecting protrusions 200 in the normal direction of the flexible thin film 100, thereby controlling the adsorption between the flexible thin film 100 and the adsorbed surface 2. In the attached state, the lifting speed of the connecting protrusion 200 can be adjusted to switch between adsorption and desorption of the thin film suction cup 10. Compared with suction cup mobile robots in related technologies, it can achieve adaptive and reversible adsorption without external pneumatic devices, thereby reducing the overall complexity, weight and energy consumption of the robot, making it easier to achieve robot lightweighting, extending robot endurance, and suitable for occasions with high requirements for weight, power consumption and endurance. Moreover, it can switch between adsorption and desorption only by structural and load conditions, making adsorption control simpler and more direct, without the need for complex sensing and real-time control, which facilitates simplification of the overall structure and improves reliability.

[0045] Therefore, the thin-film suction cup 10 with controllable adsorption and adjustable friction according to the embodiments of the present invention has the advantages of not requiring a pneumatic device, facilitating robot weight reduction, reducing robot energy consumption, simple control, and high reliability.

[0046] The following description, with reference to the accompanying drawings, describes a thin-film suction cup 10 with controllable adsorption and adjustable friction according to a specific embodiment of the present invention.

[0047] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, such as Figures 1-7 As shown, the controllable adsorption and adjustable friction thin film suction cup 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a flexible film 100, a connecting protrusion 200 and an annular reinforcing rib 300.

[0048] Advantageously, such as Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 4 As shown, the controllable adsorption and adjustable friction film suction cup 10 also includes a normal skeleton 500. The normal skeleton 500 is disposed on the structural surface and at least covers a portion of the flexible film 100 to limit the deformation of that portion of the flexible film 100. Thus, when the connecting protrusion 200 is subjected to a tangential force and tilts to the normal direction of the flexible film 100, the flexible film 100 undergoes partial deformation under the constraint of the normal skeleton 500, thereby causing the flexible film 100 to exhibit direction-related asymmetric deformation. This changes the volume of the cavity between the flexible film 100 and the adsorbed surface 2, thereby adjusting the frictional force between the film suction cup 10 and the adsorbed surface 2.

[0049] Specifically, the tangential direction of the connecting protrusion 200 is shown by arrow c in the figure.

[0050] Specifically, such as Figure 4 As shown, the thin film suction cup 10 is configured to control the angle between the axial direction of the connecting protrusion 200 and the normal direction of the flexible film 100 by controlling the tangential force of the connecting protrusion 200, thereby controlling the friction between the flexible film 100 and the adsorbed surface 2.

[0051] Specifically, such as Figure 4 As shown in (a) and (b), when the connecting protrusion 200 is subjected to an external force in the tangential direction: the normal skeleton 500 restricts or guides the flexible film 100 to produce local deformation; the contact interface between the flexible film 100 and the adsorbed surface 2 exhibits different normal compression degrees and actual contact areas in different tangential directions, thereby causing the film suction cup 10 to exhibit a higher static friction state in some directions or under some input conditions, and a lower sliding friction state under other conditions. In other words, the film suction cup 10 can not only adhere, but also adjust "whether it is easy to slide" through the structure itself.

[0052] Thus, the thin-film chuck 10 simultaneously possesses two passive switching functions: adsorption and desorption in the normal dimension; and static friction and sliding friction in the tangential dimension. This reveals the coupling mechanism between adhesion and friction, enabling the thin-film chuck 10 to control both normal adhesion and tangential friction states, and the switching function can be implemented without relying on a complex external execution system.

[0053] More specifically, such as Figures 1-3 As shown, the annular reinforcing rib 300 includes an edge annular rib 310, which is disposed at the edge of the structural surface. The edge annular rib 310 is configured to form a seal between the edge of the flexible film 100 and the adsorbed surface 2 when the flexible film 100 comes into contact with the adsorbed surface 2. This seal between the edge of the flexible film 100 and the adsorbed surface 2 facilitates the formation of a sealed cavity between the flexible film 100 and the adsorbed surface 2. This allows for the generation of negative pressure after deformation of the flexible film 100. Furthermore, the edge annular rib 310 can restrict and guide the deformation of the flexible film 100, ensuring the formation of the sealed cavity.

[0054] Furthermore, such as Figure 1 As shown, the annular reinforcing rib 300 also includes a central annular rib 320, which is disposed on the structural surface and located radially between the connecting protrusion 200 and the edge annular rib 310. Specifically, there can be multiple central annular ribs 320, which are arranged at radial intervals. This allows the central annular ribs 320 to further restrict and guide the deformation of the flexible film 100, facilitating the formation of a cavity between the flexible film 100 and the adsorbed surface 2, and making it easier to control the shape of the cavity.

[0055] More advantageously, the controllable adsorption and adjustable friction film suction cup 10 also includes radial ribs, which are disposed on the structural surface and extend radially along the flexible film 100. Specifically, the radial direction of the flexible film 100 is shown by arrow b in the figure. This allows the radial ribs to transmit force radially, facilitating reliable contact between the annular reinforcing ribs 300 and the adsorbed surface 2 when the adsorbed surface 2 is not horizontal, thereby forming a sealed cavity and facilitating adsorption of the film suction cup 10 on vertical or inclined surfaces.

[0056] Therefore, the thin-film suction cup 10 can improve work efficiency through a combination of slow climbing, fast sliding and fast anchoring movements. It can be applied to complex motion tasks on vertical walls and inverted surfaces, such as glass curtain wall cleaning, and is conducive to building a three-dimensional omnidirectional mobile robot.

[0057] Specifically, by structural coding design, the structure and parameters of the flexible film 100, connecting protrusions 200, annular reinforcing ribs 300, radial ribs, and normal skeleton 500 can be adjusted to form sub-channels or partitioned adsorption structures to adapt to irregular surfaces, locally curved surfaces, or objects with through holes. The film suction cup 10 can be customized for different target surface curvatures, roughness, and through hole distributions. The parameterized design of the annular reinforcing ribs 300, radial ribs, normal skeleton 500, and handle positions facilitates operation under non-ideal conditions such as curved surfaces, dusty surfaces, rough surfaces, and surfaces with small obstacles.

[0058] For example, the thin-film suction cup 10 can adapt well to the following non-ideal surfaces: Curved surfaces: Through the flexibility and structural coding design of the flexible film 100, the film suction cup 10 can adapt to positive and negative curvature surfaces within a certain radius of curvature; Surfaces with dust and debris: It can still achieve adsorption and movement under a certain degree of dust pollution, and can produce a certain "cleaning" effect during the movement; Rough and gapped surfaces: Basic functions can still be maintained on non-ideal contact interfaces such as local roughness, wood grain, and small gaps.

[0059] For example, it may include the design of the number, width, height, spacing and thickness of the annular reinforcing ribs 300; the design of the thickness and material modulus of the flexible film 100; the topological layout design of the normal skeleton 500; the design of the position, size and stiffness of the connecting protrusions 200; and the design of radial ribs, sub-channels or local partition adsorption units.

[0060] Specifically, the reinforcing ribs of the structural surface of the flexible film 100 can also adopt other shapes besides circumferential and radial, such as spiral or lattice.

[0061] The following describes a crawling robot 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The crawling robot 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a thin-film suction cup 10 with controllable adsorption and adjustable friction according to the above embodiment of the present invention.

[0062] The crawling robot 1 according to the embodiments of the present invention has the advantages of being lightweight, low-energy, simple to control, and highly reliable by utilizing the thin film suction cup 10 with controllable adsorption and adjustable friction according to the above embodiments of the present invention.

[0063] Specifically, such as Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the crawling robot 1 also includes a frame 20 and multiple suction cup drive devices 30. The multiple suction cup drive devices 30 are mounted on the frame 20. There are multiple film suction cups 10. The multiple suction cup drive devices 30 are respectively connected to the connecting protrusions 200 of the multiple film suction cups 10 to drive the connecting protrusions 200 to move in the normal direction of the flexible film 100, thereby controlling the adsorption state between the flexible film 100 and the adsorbed surface 2. In this way, the adsorption state of the film suction cups 10 can be controlled by driving the connecting protrusions 200 through the suction cup drive devices 30 and adjusting the lifting speed of the connecting protrusions 200.

[0064] More specifically, such as Figure 5 and Figure 6As shown, the film suction cup 10 is configured to control the angle between the axial direction of the connecting protrusion 200 and the normal direction of the flexible film 100 by controlling the tangential force of the connecting protrusion 200, thereby controlling the frictional force between the flexible film 100 and the adsorbed surface 2. The suction cup driving device 30 is also adapted to adjust the angle between the axial direction of the connecting protrusion 200 and the normal direction of the flexible film 100 to control the frictional force between the flexible film 100 and the adsorbed surface 2. Specifically, the film suction cup 10 also includes a normal skeleton 500, which is disposed on the structural surface and at least covers a portion of the flexible film 100 to limit the deformation of that portion of the flexible film 100. In this way, the connecting protrusion 200 can be driven by the suction cup driving device 30 to tilt towards the flexible film 100, causing the flexible film 100 to undergo asymmetrical deformation, thereby adjusting the frictional force between the flexible film 100 and the adsorbed surface 2.

[0065] Furthermore, such as Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the frame 20 includes multiple links 21 and a rotation drive device 23. Adjacent links 21 are rotatably connected by joints 22, and multiple thin-film suction cups 10 are respectively mounted on the links 21. The rotation drive device 23 is adapted to drive two adjacent links 21 to rotate relative to each other. Thus, the crawling motion of the crawling robot 1 can be achieved by coordinating the movement of the frame 20 with the changes in the adsorption state of the thin-film suction cups 10.

[0066] For example, such as Figures 5-7 As shown, there can be three connecting rods 21 connected end to end in sequence. Two film suction cups 10 are located at the ends of the connecting rods 21. A rotation drive device 23 is located on the middle connecting rod 21 and drives the connecting rods 21 at both ends to rotate relative to the middle connecting rod. Two suction cup drive devices 30 are located on the connecting rods 21 at both ends.

[0067] Both the suction cup drive device 30 and the rotation drive device 23 can be servo motors, such as... Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown, for ease of description, the rotation drive device 23 is the first servo motor, and the two suction cup drive devices 30 are the second and third servo motors, respectively.

[0068] The crawling robot 1 achieves the following motion modes through the alternating adsorption, desorption, static friction holding, and sliding friction release of multiple thin-film suction cups 10: crawling on a horizontal surface; crawling on an inclined surface; inverted surface movement; creeping upward on a vertical wall; rapid downward sliding on a vertical wall dominated by gravity; switching between three-dimensional spatial directions and omnidirectional movement.

[0069] Taking a vertical wall scene as an example: Climbing upward mode: By adjusting the friction of the film suction cup 10 to a high friction or static friction state, and in conjunction with the alternating adsorption of the film suction cup 10 and the propulsion of the frame 20, a slow upward climbing similar to that of a worm or inchworm can be achieved.

[0070] Downward sliding mode: By adjusting the friction of the thin film suction cup 10 to a low friction or sliding friction state, the crawling robot 1 can slide down quickly with the help of gravity while ensuring that it is not completely detached.

[0071] Quick anchoring or braking mode: By changing the friction state again, the film suction cup 10 is restored to a high friction state, thereby quickly stopping and stably adhering to the wall during the descent.

[0072] Thus, the crawling robot 1 can not only "climb walls", but also achieve an integrated motion mechanism that allows for slow climbing, rapid sliding, and controlled movement on vertical surfaces.

[0073] This is especially important for glass curtain wall cleaning robots, because cleaning operations often require slow and stable ascent or positioning; rapid return to the initial position; and stable stay at the designated position.

[0074] Other configurations and operations of the crawling robot 1 according to embodiments of the present invention are known to those skilled in the art and will not be described in detail here.

[0075] In the description of this specification, the references to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "illustrative embodiment," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., indicate that a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the invention. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0076] Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A thin-film suction cup with controllable adsorption and adjustable friction, characterized in that, include: A flexible film having opposing adsorption surfaces and structural surfaces, wherein the adsorption surfaces are adapted to contact the surface to be adsorbed; A connecting protrusion is located at the center of the structural surface; The annular reinforcing rib is disposed on the structural surface and extends circumferentially along the flexible film. The annular reinforcing rib is configured to form a seal between the flexible film and the adsorbed surface when the flexible film contacts the adsorbed surface. The film suction cup is configured to control the degree of elastic deformation of the flexible film by the lifting speed of the connecting protrusion in the normal direction of the flexible film, thereby controlling the adsorption state between the flexible film and the adsorbed surface.

2. The thin-film suction cup with controllable adsorption and adjustable friction according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: A normal skeleton is disposed on the structural surface and covers at least a portion of the flexible film to limit the deformation of that portion of the flexible film.

3. The thin-film suction cup with controllable adsorption and adjustable friction according to claim 1, characterized in that, The thin-film suction cup is constructed such that the angle between the axial direction of the connecting protrusion and the normal direction of the flexible film is controlled by the tangential force applied to the connecting protrusion, thereby controlling the frictional force between the flexible film and the surface to be adsorbed.

4. The thin-film suction cup with controllable adsorption and adjustable friction according to claim 1, characterized in that, The annular reinforcing rib includes: An edge ring rib is provided on the edge of the structural surface. The edge ring rib is configured to form a seal between the edge of the flexible film and the adsorbed surface when the flexible film comes into contact with the adsorbed surface.

5. The thin-film suction cup with controllable adsorption and adjustable friction according to claim 4, characterized in that, The annular reinforcing rib also includes: A central annular rib is provided on the structural surface and is located radially between the connecting protrusion and the edge annular rib.

6. The thin-film suction cup with controllable adsorption and adjustable friction according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: Radial ribs are provided on the structural surface and extend radially along the flexible film.

7. A crawling robot, characterized in that, Including a thin-film suction cup with controllable adsorption and adjustable friction according to any one of claims 1-6.

8. The crawling robot according to claim 7, characterized in that, Also includes: frame; Multiple suction cup driving devices are mounted on the frame. There are multiple film suction cups. The multiple suction cup driving devices are respectively connected to the connecting protrusions of the multiple film suction cups to drive the connecting protrusions to move in the normal direction of the flexible film, thereby controlling the adsorption state between the flexible film and the adsorbed surface.

9. The crawling robot according to claim 8, characterized in that, The thin-film suction cup is configured to control the angle between the axial direction of the connecting protrusion and the normal direction of the flexible film by tangential force applied to the connecting protrusion, thereby controlling the frictional force between the flexible film and the surface to be adsorbed. The suction cup driving device is also adapted to adjust the angle between the axial direction of the connecting protrusion and the normal direction of the flexible film to control the frictional force between the flexible film and the surface to be adsorbed.

10. The crawling robot according to claim 8, characterized in that, The rack includes: Multiple connecting rods, with adjacent connecting rods rotatably connected by joints, and multiple thin-film suction cups respectively disposed on the multiple connecting rods; A rotation drive device, the rotation drive device being adapted to drive two adjacent connecting rods to rotate relative to each other.

Images