Turtle-imitating soft crawling robot

Abstract

The utility model discloses a turtle-imitating soft crawling robot which comprises a base plate, four actuators are arranged at the bottom of the base plate, and the four actuators are arranged at the bottom of the base plate to form two limb groups which are arranged front and back; each limb group comprises two actuators which are symmetrically arranged left and right; each actuator comprises a bent main body and two torsion units, the bent main body is of a hollow cylindrical structure internally provided with two bent fluid cavities, the bottom ends of the two bent fluid cavities of the bent main body are sealed through a foot bottom plate, and the included angle between the foot bottom plate and the axis of the bent main body is an acute angle; each torsion unit is of a hollow fan-shaped columnar structure internally provided with a torsion fluid cavity; the top of each actuator is connected with the base plate through a connecting piece, the axis of a bent body of each actuator is obliquely arranged outwards from top to bottom relative to the base plate, and each actuator makes contact with the ground through a foot bottom plate at the bottom of the corresponding actuator. The utility model has the advantages that: miniaturization is realized, the motion forms are diversified, and the robot can adapt to various environments.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of soft robots, in particular to a turtle-like soft crawling robot. Background Art

[0002] Soft robots are robots created by imitating creatures in nature such as octopuses, jellyfish, and earthworms. They are more flexible and softer than rigid robots. Rigid robots have high precision and strong load-bearing capacity, but their structures are relatively complex and their ability to adapt to the environment is not strong. Soft robots have strong ability to adapt to the environment and their structures are relatively simple. Soft robots are made of flexible materials, which have large deformation capabilities and can change their shape and size in different environments. The use of flexible materials can reduce the weight of the entire machine and also have higher safety when working with people.

[0003] With the continuous development of soft robots, their driving methods have become more diversified. The fluid-driven method has a large driving force and a fast response speed, but it requires external pipes and fluid pumps and other devices, making it difficult to miniaturize the entire machine. In addition, most of the existing soft robots have a single form of movement and can only perform linear movement but not turning. Their application scenarios are also relatively single, and they can only move on smooth surfaces and cannot be used on complex surfaces. Utility Model Content

[0004] The utility model aims to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art and provides a tortoise-like soft crawling robot to achieve diversified movement forms, adapt to a variety of environments and realize miniaturization of the entire machine.

[0005] The utility model is realized by the following technical solutions:

[0006] A tortoise-like soft crawling robot, comprising a base plate, four actuators forming the robot's limbs are arranged at the bottom of the base plate, and the four actuators are arranged in two groups of limbs arranged in front and back at the bottom of the base plate;

[0007] Each limb group includes two actuators arranged symmetrically on the left and right;

[0008] Each actuator includes a bending body and two torsion units symmetrically extending outward from both sides of the bending body. The bending body is a hollow columnar structure with two bending fluid cavities arranged therein. The bottom ends of the two bending fluid cavities of the bending body are sealed by a foot plate. The angle between the foot plate and the axis of the bending body is an acute angle. Each torsion unit is a hollow fan-shaped columnar structure with a torsion fluid cavity arranged therein.

[0009] The top of each actuator is connected to the base plate through a connecting piece, and the axis of the curved body of the actuator is arranged to be tilted outward from top to bottom relative to the base plate, and contacts the ground through the sole plate at the bottom of the actuator.

[0010] As a preferred solution of the above-mentioned robot, the tops of the two bending fluid cavities of the bending main body are open to form bending fluid inlet ends, the bottom of the torsion fluid cavity of the torsion unit is closed and the top is open to form a torsion fluid inlet end. Four mounting positions are provided on the substrate corresponding to the four actuators. Four fluid inlets are opened on each mounting position of the substrate. The bottom of the connecting member is hermetically docked with the four fluid inlet ends at the top of the actuator. The four fluid inlet ends at the top of the actuator are connected to the four fluid inlets on the corresponding mounting positions of the substrate in one-to-one correspondence through four connecting pipes arranged in the connecting member.

[0011] As a preferred solution of the above-mentioned robot, in the front limb group, the left and right actuators extend obliquely downward along the forward and outward direction; in the rear limb group, the left and right actuators extend obliquely downward along the backward and outward direction.

[0012] As a preferred solution of the above-mentioned robot, the connecting member includes a connecting body, which is composed of an upper section and a lower section. The upper section of the connecting body is a vertical section and the lower end is a bending section. The top of the upper section of the connecting body is connected to the substrate, and the bottom of the lower section of the connecting body is connected to the top of the actuator.

[0013] As a preferred solution of the above-mentioned robot, a first groove for the top of the actuator to be embedded is opened at the bottom of the lower section of the connecting body. Four arc-shaped convex plates are arranged around the top of the upper section of the connecting body. Four second grooves are opened at the bottom of each mounting position of the substrate. The four arc-shaped convex plates of the connecting body are embedded into the four second grooves of the substrate in one-to-one correspondence.

[0014] As a preferred solution of the above-mentioned robot, the structural form of the bending main body is: a hollow columnar structure formed by alternating wave crests and wave troughs along the axis of the bending main body.

[0015] As a preferred solution of the above-mentioned robot, on the arc-shaped surfaces of the two torsion units in each actuator, a first rotating thread section and a second rotating thread section belonging to the same rotating thread are respectively provided.

[0016] As a preferred solution of the above-mentioned robot, the two bending fluid cavities of the bending main body are arranged opposite to each other along the axis of the bending main body.

[0017] As a preferred solution of the above-mentioned robot, four groups of fluid pumps are provided on the substrate, which are respectively used as the driving sources for the fluid to enter the four actuators.

[0018] The utility model has the following advantages compared with the prior art:

[0019] A turtle - like soft crawling robot provided by the utility model integrates four actuators at the bottom of the substrate as the limbs of the robot. A single actuator combines a bending body and a pair of torsion units, enabling the bending and torsion actions of a single actuator. Different combinations of the operating forms of the four actuators realize the diversification of the robot's operating forms, meeting the requirements of the robot's linear motion and steering. By means of a connecting piece, the actuator forms a certain angle with the ground, and the sole plate at the inclined end of the actuator contacts the ground, which can enhance the reaction force of the ground on the actuator during driving, improve the stability of the robot during movement, and further enhance the robot's motion performance, enabling it to adapt to relatively complex environments. In addition, by providing a second groove and a fluid inlet on the substrate and cooperating with the connecting piece, components such as an external fluid pipe and a fluid pump can be integrated on the substrate, realizing the integration and miniaturization of the robot. Therefore, the turtle - like soft crawling robot has a simple structure, diverse motion forms, a small overall size, and can be applied to various environments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 is a perspective view of the utility model.

[0021] Figure 2 is a perspective view of the actuator of the utility model.

[0022] Figure 3 is a perspective view of the substrate of the utility model.

[0023] Figure 4 is a front view of the connecting piece of the utility model.

[0024] Figure 5 is a perspective view of the connecting piece from the first perspective of the utility model.

[0025] Figure 6 is a perspective view of the connecting piece from the second perspective of the utility model.

[0026] Figure 7 is a perspective view of the connecting piece from the third perspective of the utility model.

[0027] Reference numerals in the figures: 1 substrate; 2 actuator; 3 bending body; 4 torsion unit; 5 bending fluid cavity; 6 sole plate; 7 torsion fluid cavity; 8 first rotating thread section; 9 second rotating thread section; 10 wave crest; 11 wave trough; 12 connecting piece; 13 mounting position; 14 fluid inlet; 15 connecting pipe; 16 connecting body; 17 first groove; 18 arc - shaped convex plate; 19 second groove. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0028] The following is a detailed description of the embodiments of the present utility model. These embodiments are implemented on the premise of the technical solution of the present utility model, and detailed implementation manners and specific operation processes are given. However, the protection scope of the present utility model is not limited to the following embodiments.

[0029] Referring to Figures 1 to 7 , this embodiment discloses a turtle-like soft crawling robot. The turtle-like soft crawling robot includes a base plate 1. Four actuators 2 forming the limbs of the robot are provided at the bottom of the base plate 1. The four actuators 2 are arranged in two sets of limb groups arranged front and back at the bottom of the base plate 1.

[0030] Each set of limb groups includes two symmetrically arranged actuators 2 on the left and right. Each actuator 2 includes a bending body 3 and two torsion units 4 symmetrically extending outward from both sides of the bending body 3. The bending body 3 is a hollow columnar structure provided with two bending fluid cavities 5 inside. The tops of the two bending fluid cavities 5 of the bending body 3 are open to form bending fluid inlet ends. The two bending fluid cavities 5 of the bending body 3 are arranged opposite to each other along the axis of the bending body 3. The bottoms of the two bending fluid cavities 5 of the bending body 3 are sealed by a foot plate 6. The angle between the foot plate 6 and the axis of the bending body 3 is an acute angle. Each torsion unit 4 is a hollow sector columnar structure provided with a torsion fluid cavity 7 inside. The bottom of the torsion fluid cavity 7 of the torsion unit 4 is closed and the top is open to form a torsion fluid inlet end. In each actuator 2, a first rotating thread segment 8 and a second rotating thread segment 9 belonging to the same rotating thread are respectively provided on the arc surfaces of the two torsion units 4. The structural form of the bending body 3 is: a hollow columnar structure formed by alternating wave crests 10 and wave troughs 11 along the axis direction of the bending body 3.

[0031] The top of each actuator 2 is connected to the base plate 1 through a connecting member 12. The axis of the bending body 3 of the actuator 2 is arranged obliquely outward from top to bottom relative to the base plate 1, and contacts the ground through the foot plate 6 at the bottom of the actuator 2. Four mounting positions 13 are provided on the base plate 1 corresponding to the four actuators 2. Four fluid inlets 14 are opened on each mounting position 13 of the base plate 1. The bottom of the connecting member 12 is hermetically docked with the four fluid inlet ends at the top of the actuator 2. The four fluid inlet ends at the top of the actuator 2 are connected to the four fluid inlets 14 on the corresponding mounting positions 13 of the base plate 1 in one-to-one correspondence through four connecting pipes 15 provided inside the connecting member 12.

[0032] In the front limb group, the left and right actuators 2 extend obliquely downward along the forward and outward direction; in the rear limb group, the left and right actuators 2 extend obliquely downward along the backward and outward direction. This arrangement of the four actuators 2 on the substrate 1 has the following advantages compared with the way that the four actuators 2 all extend vertically: it can increase the area of the region surrounded by the contact points with the ground, thereby improving the stability of the robot and its output performance; and the crawling motion of the robot is easier to control.

[0033] The connecting member 12 includes a connecting body 16 which is composed of an upper section and a lower section. The upper section of the connecting body 16 is a vertical section and the lower end is a bent section. The top of the upper section of the connecting body 16 is connected to the substrate 1, and the bottom of the lower section of the connecting body 16 is connected to the top of the actuator 2. A first groove 17 for the top of the actuator 2 to be embedded is formed at the bottom of the lower section of the connecting body 16. Four arc-shaped convex plates 18 are provided around the top of the upper section of the connecting body 16. Four second grooves 19 are formed at the bottom of each mounting position 13 of the substrate 1. The four arc-shaped convex plates 18 of the connecting body 16 are respectively embedded into the four second grooves 19 of the substrate 1. The upper section of the connecting body 16 and the substrate 1, and the lower section of the connecting body 16 and the actuator 2 can be fixedly connected by bonding. The connecting member 12 with such a structural form can achieve accurate and stable connection between the actuator 2 and the substrate 1, ensuring the stability of the whole robot.

[0034] Four groups of fluid pumps are provided on the substrate 1, which respectively serve as the driving sources for the fluid to enter the four actuators 2. The substrate 1 serves as the base for external fluid pipelines, fluid pumps and other components, making the whole robot more integrated and miniaturized. Each fluid pump is connected to the four fluid inlets 14 on the corresponding mounting positions 13 on the substrate 1 through four groups of fluid pipelines respectively. The on-off and flow rate of the fluid in the four fluid cavities in the actuator 2 are independently controlled through the valves on each fluid channel, so that the actuator 2 can complete bending, twisting and combined bending and twisting actions, realizing the linear motion and steering of the robot. The fluid can be gas, liquid or other fluids that can achieve actuation deformation. In this embodiment, gas is taken as an example to illustrate the working process.

[0035] The actuator 2 is made of an elastic material. In a single actuator 2, when gas is introduced into one of the bending fluid cavities 5 of the bending body 3 while no gas is introduced into the other bending fluid cavity 5, the actuator 2 will bend towards the side of the bending fluid cavity 5 where no gas is introduced; when gas is simultaneously introduced into the bending fluid cavities 5 of the two torsion units 4 on both sides of the bending body 3, unidirectional torsion of the actuator 2 can be achieved; and in each group of limb groups, the two actuators 2 are arranged symmetrically left and right. Therefore, the torsion directions of the two actuators 2 in each group of limb groups are opposite. The torsion direction of one actuator 2 is clockwise torsion along the axis, and the torsion direction of the other actuator 2 is counterclockwise torsion along the axis.

[0036] The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present utility model and are not intended to limit the present utility model. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present utility model shall be included within the protection scope of the present utility model.

Claims

1. A turtle-like soft crawling robot, characterized in that: The turtle-like soft crawling robot comprises a base plate, and four actuators forming the robot's limbs are arranged at the bottom of the base plate, and the four actuators are arranged in two groups of limbs arranged in a front-to-back manner at the bottom of the base plate; Each limb group includes two actuators arranged symmetrically on the left and right; Each actuator includes a bending body and two torsion units symmetrically extending outward from both sides of the bending body. The bending body is a hollow columnar structure with two bending fluid cavities arranged therein. The bottom ends of the two bending fluid cavities of the bending body are sealed by a foot plate. The angle between the foot plate and the axis of the bending body is an acute angle. Each torsion unit is a hollow fan-shaped columnar structure with a torsion fluid cavity arranged therein. The top of each actuator is connected to the base plate through a connecting piece, and the axis of the curved body of the actuator is arranged to be tilted outward from top to bottom relative to the base plate, and contacts the ground through the sole plate at the bottom of the actuator.

2. The turtle-like soft crawling robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The two curved fluid cavities of the curved body are open at the top to form a curved fluid inlet end; the torsional fluid cavity of the torsional unit is closed at the bottom and open at the top to form a torsional fluid inlet end; four mounting positions are provided on the substrate at locations corresponding to the four actuators; each mounting position of the substrate is provided with four fluid inlets; the bottom of the connector is sealed and connected to the four fluid inlets at the top of the actuator; and the four fluid inlets at the top of the actuator are connected one-to-one with the four fluid inlets at the corresponding mounting positions of the substrate through four connecting pipes provided in the connector.

3. The turtle-like soft crawling robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the front limb group, the left and right actuators extend obliquely from top to bottom in a forward and outward direction; in the rear limb group, the left and right actuators extend obliquely from top to bottom in a backward and outward direction.

4. The turtle-like soft crawling robot according to claim 2, characterized in that: The connecting member includes a connecting body, which is composed of two sections, the upper section of the connecting body is a vertical section, and the lower end is a curved section. The top of the upper section of the connecting body is connected to the substrate, and the bottom of the lower section of the connecting body is connected to the top of the actuator.

5. The turtle-like soft crawling robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: The bottom of the lower section of the connecting body is provided with a first groove for the top end of the actuator to be embedded in, and four arc-shaped convex plates are arranged around the top end of the upper section of the connecting body. Four second grooves are opened at the bottom of each mounting position of the substrate, and the four arc-shaped convex plates of the connecting body are embedded in the four second grooves of the substrate one by one.

6. The turtle-like soft crawling robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The structural form of the curved body is a hollow columnar structure formed by alternating wave crests and wave troughs along the axis of the curved body.

7. The turtle-like soft crawling robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: In each actuator, a first rotating thread segment and a second rotating thread segment belonging to the same rotating thread are respectively arranged on the arc surfaces of the two torsion units.

8. The turtle-like soft crawling robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The two curved fluid cavities of the curved body are arranged opposite to each other along the axis of the curved body.

9. The turtle-like soft crawling robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The substrate is provided with four groups of fluid pumps, which respectively serve as driving sources for fluid to flow into four actuators.

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