Expandable, interactive, flexible robotic skin

Abstract

To provide an expandable and interactive flexible robot skin.SOLUTION: An expandable and interactive flexible robot skin includes at least one skin structure unit, and the skin structure unit includes a light emitting interactive module, a flexible access detection array, a data reading circuit, and a robot skin expansion interface. The flexible access detection array is connected to the data reading circuit, the data reading circuit is connected to an external microcontroller unit via the robot skin expansion interface, and the external microcontroller unit is connected to the light emitting interactive module via the robot skin expansion interface. This invention can cover a wide region of a robot main body, can thereby perform the access detection of a wide-region work environment, can secure the safety of interaction processes of human beings and a computer, and is advantageous for improving the efficiency and smoothness of the interaction processes of the human beings and the computer.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to robot skin in the technical field of flexible sensors, and in particular, to an expandable and reconfigurable interactive flexible robot skin.

Background Art

[0002] With the development of mechatronics and control science, robots occupy a very important position in people's daily production and life, and human-computer interaction scenarios also appear in many cases. In a series of human-computer interaction scenarios including smart manufacturing and service robots, safety consideration and assurance is the first link, so higher requirements are placed on the environmental perception capability of robots.

[0003] Robot skin can effectively expand the perception capability of a robot while ensuring the original structure and functions of the robot. At present, the research and application of robot skin mainly focus on the optimization of the structure and performance of pressure sensors, and the security policy is emergency stop and avoidance after contact and collision, which cannot avoid the damage caused by the contact itself. At the same time, high requirements are also imposed on the moving speed and reaction time of the robot, making it difficult to meet the safety requirements in the process of human-computer interaction. In addition, current achievements in the research field of robot skin generally focus on the research and development of the sensor body and the improvement of its performance, but little consideration is given to how to expand and cascade individual robot skin units, which makes it impossible for the robot skin to cover a large area of the robot body to eliminate detection blind spots, and it is also difficult to ensure essential safety in the process of human-computer interaction.

[0004] While typical robot skin cannot provide intuitive feedback to the object of interaction, the robot body can provide feedback to the object of interaction by processing the detection data acquired by the robot skin, transmitting it to the robot body controller for analysis and decision-making, and driving the robot arm or other control means. Since vision is the primary input source for humans and robots to acquire information, such interaction mechanisms centered on robot motion control are inefficient, have high latency, and are not intuitive for the object of interaction (such as humans or other robots cooperating with this robot), thus limiting the further development of human-computer interaction or interaction between robot groups.

[0005] By providing proximity detection capabilities to the robot body via robotic skin, it helps to achieve safe human-computer interaction under non-contact conditions. Compared to conventional vision-based collision avoidance methods, capacitance-based proximity detection significantly reduces the existence of detection blind spots and, after covering the entire skin, can achieve collision avoidance throughout the entire workspace. Furthermore, by arranging sensors in an array and reconfiguring the sensor array in combination with hardware control circuits, the flexibility of proximity detection can be improved, achieving both high spatial resolution and a wide detection range for proximity recognition. This allows the robot skin to be applied to various work scenarios and needs, enabling not only long-range recognition of external objects but also maximizing safety during human-computer interaction. Moreover, it enables highly accurate, contactless, and safe human-computer interaction, ensuring a certain safe detection distance while also providing a certain spatial resolution for proximity detection to identify the intent of the interaction. As a result, the robot can more accurately identify the direction and position of approaching objects in a space shared with humans or multiple robots, perform fundamental avoidance maneuvers, and cooperate with humans or multiple robots through contactless interaction. It also enables highly accurate touch detection, making the robot skin a carrier and interface for the robot operator or serviced object to give instructions or express emotions.

[0006] To enable robots to provide intuitive feedback to their interacting targets, a reliable and easily implementable method is to equip the robot skin with a light-emitting mechanism. This allows the robot skin to provide in-situ visual feedback of detection results without requiring analysis or processing by the robot body controller. It can calculate information on the distance between the human and the computer and the contact force between them in real time, providing rapid visual feedback and significantly optimizing the entire interaction process. When a human interacting with a robot approaches a moving robot, or when a human and robot accidentally collide, the robot skin utilizes light-emitting interaction to quickly issue visual signals for risk analysis and warnings that are easily perceived by humans, predicting risk coefficients in advance or evaluating the degree of damage caused by accidental collisions, thereby rapidly and effectively improving the safety of human-computer interactions. In human-computer collaboration in smart manufacturing, visual feedback allows operators to understand the detection results of the electronic skin more intuitively and quickly, improving work efficiency. For service robots, visual feedback makes the entire service process more vivid, leaving a deeper impression on participants and improving participation rates. The robot skins described in Patent Documents 1 to 4 cannot integrate addressable programmable light-emitting elements and do not provide the robot skin with light-emitting interaction functionality, thereby making it impossible to intuitively and quickly provide feedback to the operator in the form of visualization of sensor detection results. Therefore, the present invention provides a robot skin that effectively optimizes the human-computer interaction process in various application cases and improves the efficiency, safety, smoothness, and user participation rate of the human-computer interaction process. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] China Patent Publication No. 109163824A [Patent Document 2] Chinese Patent Publication No. 109945996A [Patent Document 3] China Patent Publication No. 103475385A [Patent Document 4] China Patent Publication No. 112605998A [Overview of the project]

[0008] Currently, robot skins applied to human-computer interaction cannot achieve flexible reconfiguration of the basic recognition unit, fail to fully meet safety requirements, and lack intuitive visual feedback for detection results. To address these problems, the present invention provides an expandable, interactive, flexible robot skin. By realizing a flexible robot skin with functions such as proximity recognition, visualization of detection results in their original position, and expandability, it is advantageous to enable detection of a wide area of ​​the work environment, ensure safety in the human-computer interaction process, and improve the efficiency and smoothness of the human-computer interaction process. The technical solutions used in this invention are as follows:

[0009] As shown in Figure 1, the present invention includes at least one skin structure unit, the skin structure unit comprising two parts: a flexible recognition and interaction unit and a data processing and control unit, the flexible recognition and interaction unit comprising a light-emitting interaction module and a flexible proximity sensing array, and the data processing and control unit comprising a data reading circuit and a robotic skin extension interface.

[0010] Specifically, the skin structure unit mainly consists of a light-emitting interaction module, a flexible proximity sensing array, a data reading circuit, and a robotic skin extension interface. The output terminal of the flexible proximity sensing array is connected to the data reading circuit, the data reading circuit is connected to an external microcontroller unit via the robotic skin extension interface, and the external microcontroller unit is connected to the light-emitting interaction module via the robotic skin extension interface.

[0011] As an object approaches and makes contact with a flexible proximity sensing array, the flexible proximity sensing array can detect the object's approach distance and contact point position in a reconfigurable, changeable, and adjustable manner, acquire an electrical signal containing recognition data, output it to a data reading circuit, transmit the acquired recognition data, which has been analyzed by the data reading circuit, to an external microcontroller unit via a robot skin extension interface, and transmit the interaction control signal generated by the external microcontroller unit to a light-emitting interaction module via the robot skin extension interface to provide recognition feedback.

[0012] The light-emitting interaction module is an addressable, programmable light-emitting element light-emitting device that, through the design of a specific program, executes different light-emitting interaction modes according to various application scenarios. Specifically, the light-emitting interaction module generates light-emitting interaction modes such as color changes, flashing, and tracking according to the distance between the object and the robot skin and the application scenario, and the distance between the object and the robot skin is detected by a flexible proximity sensing array. In a specific embodiment, the addressable programmable light-emitting element is composed of WS2812B type LED lamp beads. The following sections will describe the three luminescence interaction modes in detail.

[0013] The aforementioned different luminescence interaction modes refer to the fact that the luminescence interaction module can generate luminescence interaction modes, including but not limited to color changes, flashing, and tracking, according to the distance between the object and the electronic skin and various application scenarios. Three luminescence interaction modes will be described in detail below.

[0014] In industrial application scenarios such as smart manufacturing, feedback is set for the distance between external objects and the robot's skin, and different feedback colors are set according to various distance ranges. Firstly, when teaching the robot and performing daily operations, the distance can be intuitively and quickly read by the operator, effectively improving work efficiency. Secondly, when the distance reaches a limit value, a warning is issued to the operator by flashing, thereby avoiding the risk of endangering the operator's safety or damaging the robot's structure.

[0015] In application scenarios for service robots, corresponding interaction modes are set according to the user's usual contact methods such as touching, clicking, and tapping. For example, when touching, the light source can always follow the trajectory of the hand's movement, and when clicking or tapping, the light source corresponding to the contact point can flash at different frequencies. At the same time, since service robots often handle unstructured tasks such as the delivery of goods, the flexible robot skin of the present invention can be used as an input terminal for corresponding commands, thereby inputting commands to periodically touch the skin surface, and then informing the operator that the command has been successfully identified by changing the color or brightness.

[0016] All of the aforementioned light emission interaction modes leave a lasting impression on the service recipient, effectively improve participation rates, and thereby make human-computer interaction smoother and more receptive.

[0017] As shown in Figure 2, the flexible proximity detection array mainly consists of M x N flexible proximity detection electrodes arranged in an orthogonal array. Each flexible proximity detection electrode is composed of multiple metal sheets arranged in a straight line and connected in series. Each metal sheet in the middle section is a square of the same dimensions, with one diagonal of the square aligned along the straight line. The two metal sheets at both ends are isosceles triangles obtained by cutting a square in half diagonally, with the centerlines of the isosceles triangles aligned along the straight line. Two adjacent metal sheets are connected by a strip of metal sheet.

[0018] In a flexible proximity sensing array following a flexible proximity sensing electrode array, the intermediate metal sheets in each flexible proximity sensing electrode arranged in the row direction are located in the void region formed between the metal sheets of two adjacent flexible proximity sensing electrodes arranged in the column direction, thereby ensuring that all metal sheets in the flexible proximity sensing array have the same spacing / gap, and that the spacing array of each metal sheet is uniformly arranged. The metal sheets located at both ends of each flexible proximity sensing electrode are at the edges of the flexible proximity sensing array, surrounding it as the square outer edge of the flexible proximity sensing array.

[0019] More specifically, an array is configured including but not limited to a 6x6 dimension according to the method shown in Figure 1, and the basic recognition unit of the flexible proximity detection array is formed in the orthogonal portions of the rows and columns of the flexible proximity detection electrodes. More specifically, in a specific embodiment, the material of the flexible proximity detection electrodes is gold-plated copper foil used as the detection material, which has excellent conductivity and is advantageous for expanding the proximity detection range, as well as the gold plating layer enhances the wear resistance of the proximity detection electrodes, thereby extending the service life of the flexible robot skin of the present invention.

[0020] This invention uses a flexible proximity detection array composed of flexible proximity detection electrodes arranged in a strip-shaped metal sheet. Row electrodes and column electrodes are arranged on the same layer, rather than on different layers, which significantly improves space utilization and enhances skin recognition efficiency.

[0021] The material of the flexible proximity sensing electrode is composed of printable conductive materials for flexible printed circuit technology, such as gold-plated copper foil, nanometals, nanocarbon materials, polymeric conductive polymers, and ionic conductors. Preferably, the present invention uses gold-plated copper foil as the sensing material, which not only has excellent conductivity but also helps to improve the proximity sensing range; at the same time, the gold-plated layer can enhance the wear resistance of the proximity sensing electrode and extend the service life of the flexible robot skin of the present invention. In actual detection, four metal sheets in the shape of an isosceles right triangle at the series portions of the rows and columns of the flexible proximity sensing electrode constitute the basic sensing units of the flexible proximity detection array with a total of M×N basic sensing units, and detection is performed with the basic sensing unit as the basic structure.

[0022] The sensing area of the basic sensing unit is configured by the electrode areas at the corresponding orthogonal node portions of the row electrode and the column electrode complementing each other. The two-dimensional shape corresponding to the area of the basic sensing unit needs to be able to uniformly fill the sensing area (for example, rhombus and square) corresponding to the entire flexible proximity detection array as the number of rows and columns increases. Preferably, the present invention adopts a rhombus design to ensure the uniformity of the basic sensing unit area and the symmetry between the column electrodes, thereby ensuring the consistency of the proximity sensing performance of the M×N basic sensing units.

[0023] Using the proximity sensing principle of the basic sensing unit to form a projected self-capacitance sensing principle, under the condition of constant DC current I input, all row and column electrodes of the flexible proximity sensing electrode are charged, and by recording the charging time T and the charging peak voltage V, the self-capacitance value C of all the row electrodes and column electrodes of the flexible proximity sensing electrode is calculated, with the relational expression being C=(I×T) / V. When an external object approaches the basic sensing unit, the distribution and intensity of the electric field projected near the basic sensing unit change, which affects the charging time and charging peak voltage of the row electrodes and column electrodes corresponding to the basic sensing unit, and can alter the self-capacitance values of the row electrodes and column electrodes corresponding to the basic sensing unit. The degree of change in the self-capacitance value can reflect the approaching degree of the external object, and the position where the external object approaches is determined by whether the self-capacitance value changes in the corresponding row electrode and column electrode of the flexible proximity sensing electrode.

[0024] Using the contact sensing principle of the basic sensing unit, when an external object comes into contact with any one of the row electrodes or column electrodes of the flexible proximity sensing electrode, a step jump occurs in the self-capacitance values of the corresponding row electrode and column electrode. By setting a self-capacitance detection threshold, it is possible to determine whether an external object is in contact with any one of the row electrodes or column electrodes of the flexible proximity sensing electrode, and the position where the external object touches or contacts is determined by whether the self-capacitance value changes in the corresponding row electrode and column electrode of the flexible proximity sensing electrode.

[0025] The present invention uses a capacitive proximity sensing method, and performs array arrangement using unipolar proximity sensors to construct the flexible proximity sensing array of the present invention, so that the robot skin is provided with a high spatial resolution proximity recognition function.

[0026] The realization of proximity recognition compensates for the inherent limitations of conventional robot vision. This recognition capability is unaffected by ambient light, field of view, and blind spots, acting as a "second vision" for the robot and enabling contactless and safe human-computer interaction between the user and the robot. Simultaneously, thanks to the high resolution of the flexible proximity sensing array, the flexible robot skin of the present invention can be used as an input terminal for operator commands after being attached to the robot body. The operator inputs a specific trajectory via touch, and the flexible proximity sensing array recognizes the touch as a command in trajectory recognition, thereby enabling the robot to complete a specific task. The luminous interaction module provides visual feedback of sensor detection results by intuitively displaying the detection signal in the form of color or brightness, thus enabling intuitive luminous interaction with the detected distance parameter. The "interaction" of the present invention is embodied in the two parts described above: touch interaction and luminous interaction.

[0027] The light-emitting interaction module includes a plurality of light-emitting interaction elements, which are arranged around the flexible electronic skin, i.e., around the flexible proximity sensing array, with each row and each column of the flexible proximity sensing electrodes in the flexible proximity sensing array having a corresponding light-emitting interaction element, which is used to indicate the proximity sensing state of the corresponding flexible proximity sensing electrode, and the light-emitting interaction elements corresponding to the row and column position the corresponding proximity region between the object and the robot skin. The data reading circuit includes a data reading unit and an address configuration switch, the data reading unit being connected to the address configuration switch. The data reading circuit further includes an array reconstruction unit.

[0028] The data reading unit includes a voltage adjustment chip and a detection data processing chip. The detection data processing chip is connected to the voltage adjustment chip, and the detection data processing chip is connected to a flexible proximity sensing array, a robot skin extension interface, and an address configuration switch, respectively. The address configuration switch configures the communication address of the data reading circuit and is used to control the communication relationship between the data reading circuit and the external microcontroller unit. The detection data processing chip of the data reading circuit reads recognition data from the flexible proximity sensing array and transmits the read recognition data to the external microcontroller unit via the robot skin extension interface. The detection data processing chip supports the IIC communication protocol and has four selectable IIC addresses.

[0029] The external microcontroller unit is used to supply power to the flexible robot skin of the present invention, transmit a reconfiguration control signal, receive detection data generated by the flexible robot skin of the present invention, control the operation of the robot body, and control the interaction mode of the light-emitting interaction module.

[0030] The external microcontroller unit controls the interaction mode of the light-emitting interaction module based on data and a pre-programmed program, and transmits the data to the robot control system, thereby guiding the robot's movements.

[0031] As shown in Figure 4, the system includes multiple skin structure units, which are connected in series to the same external microcontroller unit via a robot skin extension interface and wiring. The external microcontroller unit selectively reads detection data from a flexible proximity detection array (2) collected by a detection data processing chip in each of the multiple skin structure units by polling addresses configured by address configuration switches in the multiple skin structure units, thereby forming an expandable, interactive, flexible robot skin.

[0032] The address configuration switch specifically uses four dial switches to select four different IIC addresses, and the extension function is achieved by having one external microcontroller unit simultaneously control multiple different skin structure units.

[0033] The robot skin extension interface consists of five bonding pads: a 5V power supply pin and a GND ground pin for power supply, SCL and SDA pins for MPR121 chip IIC communication, and DIN pin for controlling the light-emitting interaction module. When actually using it, the connection of each part is completed by welding a flat cable to the robot skin extension interface on different parts.

[0034] The robot skin extension interface, including the array reconstruction unit, consists of eight pads: a 5V power supply pin and a GND ground pin for power supply, SCL and SDA pins for MPR121 chip IIC communication, DIN pin for controlling the light-emitting interaction module, and DIGITPIN2, DIGITPIN3, and DIGITPIN6 pins for controlling array reconstruction. When actually using it, the connection of each part is completed by welding a flat cable to the robot skin extension interface of different parts.

[0035] Based on heterogeneous integration using flexible printed circuit technology, the light-emitting interaction module, address configuration switch, flexible proximity sensing array, data reading circuit, and robot skin extension interface are integrated into the same flexible printed circuit.

[0036] Connections between skin structure units, and connections between skin structure units and external microcontroller units, are achieved via a robotic skin extension interface. The robotic skin extension interface connects the external microcontroller unit and the skin structure units in series. The external microcontroller unit supplies power to the skin structure units via the robotic skin extension interface and receives detection data from each skin structure unit via the robotic skin extension interface.

[0037] Furthermore, the detection data processing chip also provides a short-circuit mode within the chip, allowing all flexible proximity recognition electrodes to be short-circuited and used as a single electrode. Since the recognition capability of a unipolar proximity sensor is directly related to the electrode area, this mode can significantly expand the recognition range of the flexible robot skin of the present invention.

[0038] Each flexible proximity detection electrode arranged in the row direction passes through the same array reconstruction unit before being connected to the data reading unit, and each flexible proximity detection electrode arranged in the column direction passes through a different array reconstruction unit before being connected to the data reading unit, and the structure of the two array reconstruction units is the same.

[0039] The array reconstruction unit has N input ports E1 E6, N output ports P1 P6, and M reconstruction control terminals, and includes a plurality of OR gates and a plurality of unipolar double-throw switches, where N is the total number of flexible proximity sensing electrodes on one row or one column, and M is an integer greater than or equal to log2 N.

[0040] Each single-pole double-throw switch has six pins: a power pin VDD, a normally open pin S1A, a normally closed pin S1B, a control pin IN, an input pin D, and a ground pin GND. The power pin VDD of all single-pole double-throw switches is connected to the power supply voltage, the ground pin GND is connected to ground, the normally open pin S1A and the normally closed pin S1B are used as the two output terminals of the switch, the input pin D is one input terminal of the switch, and the control pin IN is used to control the conduction and disconnection between the input pin D and the normally open pins S1A and S1B. When the control pin IN is low, the input pin D and the normally closed pin S1B are on, and when the control pin IN is high, the input pin D and the normally open pin S1A are on.

[0041] N flexible proximity sensing electrodes in a row or column are each connected to N input ports, of which the first input port is directly connected to the first output port, and the other N1 input ports are each connected to the input pins of a single-pole double-throw switch, and M reconfiguration control terminals provide control signals to the control pins of the single-pole double-throw switch, and different single-pole double-throw switches are controlled by a different number of control signals depending on the array reconfiguration needs, a single-pole double-throw switch controlled by one control signal connects the corresponding reconfiguration control terminal directly to the control pin, a single-pole double-throw switch controlled by multiple control signals first aggregates the multiple reconfiguration control terminals via an OR gate and then connects them to the control pin.

[0042] The flexible proximity sensing array is arranged as a 6x6 array, and the array reconstruction unit includes four OR gates OR1 to OR4, six single-pole double-throw switches SPTD1 to SPTD6, input terminals E1 to E6 and output terminals P1 to P6, and three reconstruction control terminals DIGITPIN2, DIGITPIN3 and DIGITPIN6.

[0043] The input terminal E1 and output terminal P1 are directly connected, the input pins D of single-pole double-throw switches SPTD1 to SPTD5 are connected to input terminals E2 to E6 respectively, the normally open pin S1A of both single-pole double-throw switches SPTD1 and SPTD2 are both connected to output terminal P1, the normally closed pin S1B of single-pole double-throw switch SPTD1 is connected to output terminal P2, the control pin IN of single-pole double-throw switch SPTD1 is connected to the output terminal of OR gate OR1, and simultaneously the control pin IN of single-pole double-throw switch SPTD1 is connected to the resistor Grounded via resistor R2, the normally open pin S1B of single-pole double-throw switch SPTD2 and the normally open pin S1A of single-pole double-throw switch SPTD3 are connected to output terminal P3, the control pin IN of single-pole double-throw switch SPTD2 is connected to the output terminal of OR gate OR2, and simultaneously the control pin IN of single-pole double-throw switch SPTD1 is grounded via resistor R3, the normally open pin S1B of single-pole double-throw switch SPTD3 and the normally open pin S1A of single-pole double-throw switch SPTD4 are connected to switching port D of single-pole double-throw switch SPTD4. The control pin IN of the single-pole double-throw switch SPTD3 is connected to the reconfiguration control terminal DIGITPIN2, and simultaneously the control pin IN of the single-pole double-throw switch SPTD3 is grounded via resistor R4, the normally open pin S1B of the single-pole double-throw switch SPTD4 is connected to the output terminal P5, the control pin IN of the single-pole double-throw switch SPTD4 is connected to the output terminal OR3 of the OR gate, and simultaneously the control pin IN of the single-pole double-throw switch SPTD4 is grounded via resistor R5, and the normally open pin S1B of the single-pole double-throw switch SPTD5 is connected to the output terminal P6. The control pin IN of the single-pole double-throw switch SPTD5 is connected to the output terminal of the OR gate OR4, and at the same time, the control pin IN of the single-pole double-throw switch SPTD5 is grounded via resistor R6, the normally open pin S1A of the single-pole double-throw switch SPTD6 is connected to the output terminal P1, the normally open pin S1B of the single-pole double-throw switch SPTD6 is connected to the output terminal P4, the control pin IN of the single-pole double-throw switch PTD5 is connected to the reconfiguration control terminal DIGITPIN6, and at the same time, the control pin IN of the single-pole double-throw switch SPTD5 is grounded via resistor R1.

[0044] The three input terminals of OR gate OR1 and the three input terminals of OR gate OR4 are connected to the reconfiguration control terminals DIGITPIN2, DIGITPIN3, and DIGITPIN6, respectively. The two input terminals of OR gate OR2 are connected to the reconfiguration control terminals DIGITPIN2 and DIGITPIN6, respectively. The two input terminals of OR gate OR3 are connected to the reconfiguration control terminals DIGITPIN2 and DIGITPIN3, respectively. The array reconstruction unit described above is a flexible proximity detection array arranged as a 6x6 array, but the changes in the array arrangement are not limited to the above arrangement.

[0045] This invention integrates five key components—a flexible proximity sensing array, a light-emitting interaction module, a data reading circuit, and a robot skin extension interface—based on a manufacturing process for flexible printed circuit boards, thereby realizing a flexible robot skin with proximity recognition, in-situ visualization of detection results, expandable sensing skin, and reconfigurable basic recognition units. The proximity recognition function is characterized by adjustable spatial resolution and detection distance, where a larger detection distance can be obtained by reducing the spatial resolution, or a higher spatial resolution can be obtained by shortening the detection distance. This feature is realized based on the reconfigurability of the flexible sensing array provided by the data reading circuit, and all basic recognition units within the skin can be uniformly reconfigured under the control of an external control signal. Based on the above functional features, the flexible robot skin of this invention can cover a wide area of ​​the robot body, thereby enabling detection of a wide area of ​​the work environment, ensuring safety in the human-computer interaction process, and improving the efficiency and smoothness of the human-computer interaction process. The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows:

[0046] The present invention enables dynamic adjustment of the maximum detection distance and spatial resolution via a flexible proximity sensing array and data reading circuit, allowing for wider-range proximity recognition and higher spatial resolution touch recognition according to the specific needs of the robot's working environment, thereby not only advantageous in ensuring contactless and safe human-computer interaction between the user and the robot, but also the flexible robot skin of the present invention can be used as a window and interface for the user to input commands and complete non-repetitive or unstructured tasks by recognizing the user's touch trajectory.

[0047] This invention provides a light-emitting interaction function to robot skin by integrating addressable programmable light-emitting elements, thereby enabling intuitive and rapid feedback of sensor detection results to the operator in a visualized form. This effectively optimizes the human-computer interaction process in various applications, improving the efficiency, safety, smoothness, and user participation rate of the human-computer interaction process.

[0048] The expandable features of the present invention allow the robot skin to cover multiple surfaces of the robot body, thereby significantly improving the robot's ability to perceive the external environment, eliminating blind spots in conventional robot collision avoidance policies, and enabling proximity detection across the entire workspace. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0049] [Figure 1] This is an overall structural diagram of the flexible robot skin of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is an overall structural diagram of a flexible robot skin with an array reconstruction unit according to the present invention. [Figure 3] This is a schematic diagram of the appearance of the flexible proximity recognition electrode for the flexible robot skin of the present invention. [Figure 4] This is an extended connection diagram of the flexible robot skin with an array reconstruction unit according to the present invention. [Figure 5]This is a schematic diagram of the reconfiguration of the flexible proximity sensing array for the flexible robot skin of the present invention. [Figure 6] This is a schematic diagram of the electrical connections of each component of the flexible robot skin with an array reconstruction unit according to the present invention. [Figure 7] This is a schematic circuit diagram of the array reconstruction section of the data reading circuit for the flexible robot skin of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0050] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the drawings.

[0051] As shown in Figure 1, a specific embodiment of the present invention includes at least one skin structure unit, the skin structure unit comprising two parts: a flexible recognition and interaction unit and a data processing and control unit, the flexible recognition and interaction unit comprising a light-emitting interaction module 1 and a flexible proximity detection array 2, and the data processing and control unit comprising a data reading circuit 4 and a robot skin extension interface 3.

[0052] Specifically, the skin structure unit mainly consists of a light-emitting interaction module 1, an address configuration switch 404, a flexible proximity sensing array 2, a data reading circuit 4, and a robotic skin extension interface 3.

[0053] Specifically, the skin structure unit mainly consists of a light-emitting interaction module 1, a flexible proximity sensing array 2, a data reading circuit 4, and a robot skin extension interface 3. The output terminal of the flexible proximity sensing array 2 is connected to the data reading circuit 4, the data reading circuit 4 is connected to an external microcontroller unit 5 via the robot skin extension interface 3, and the external microcontroller unit 5 is connected to the light-emitting interaction module 1 via the robot skin extension interface 3. Together, these structures constitute an expandable, interactive, flexible robot skin.

[0054] As shown in Figure 2, a specific embodiment of the flexible robot skin with array reconstruction unit of the present invention includes at least one skin structure unit, the skin structure unit comprising two parts: a flexible recognition and interaction unit and a data processing and control unit, the flexible recognition and interaction unit comprising a light-emitting interaction module 1 and a flexible proximity detection array 2, and the data processing and control unit comprising a data reading circuit 4 and a robot skin extension interface 3.

[0055] The output terminal of the flexible proximity sensing array 2 is connected to the data reading circuit 4, which is connected to the external microcontroller unit 5 via the robot skin extension interface 3. Simultaneously, the data reading circuit 4 is connected to the address configuration switch 404, which is used to control the communication relationship between the data reading circuit 4 and the external microcontroller unit 5 by configuring the communication address of the sensing data processing chip 403 of the data reading circuit 4. The external microcontroller unit 5 is connected to the light-emitting interaction module 1 via the robot skin extension interface 3.

[0056] In the process of an object approaching and making contact with the flexible proximity sensing array 2, the flexible proximity sensing array 2 can detect the object's approach distance and contact point position in a reconfigurable, changeable, and adjustable manner, acquire an electrical signal containing recognition data, output it to the data reading circuit 4, transmit the acquired recognition data, which has been analyzed by the data reading circuit 4, to the external microcontroller unit 5 via the robot skin extension interface 3, and transmit the interaction control signal generated by the external microcontroller unit 5 to the light-emitting interaction module 1 via the robot skin extension interface 3 to provide recognition feedback.

[0057] The flexible robot skin of the present invention possesses flexibility and, with a dedicated mounting jig for three-dimensional printing, enables attachment of the robot skin to complex robot surfaces. This allows the robot skin to be widely used in various robots and application scenarios, improving the robot's ability to perceive its external environment.

[0058] The Flexible Proximity Detection Array 2 provides the Flexible Robot Skin with proximity recognition capabilities, which compensate for the shortcomings of robot vision achieved by external cameras in the conventional sense, giving the robot a "second vision." Compared to cameras and advanced image processing methods, the present invention can provide the robot with accurate distance recognition capabilities that are unaffected by ambient light and field of view, thereby enabling the robot to recognize the approach of external objects before colliding with them, realizing contactless and safe human-computer interaction between the user and the robot. At the same time, based on the reconfigurable characteristics of the Flexible Robot Skin of the present invention, the maximum detection distance and spatial resolution can be dynamically adjusted according to the various needs of the work environment, thus maximizing functionality and realizing contactless and safe human-computer interaction. It can also be used as an input terminal for operator commands, controlling the robot to complete the corresponding task. Furthermore, since the Flexible Robot Skin of the present invention can be widely distributed on the surface of the robot body, the proximity recognition function can also reduce the robot's visual blind spots, significantly improving the robot's ability to recognize the external environment.

[0059] The specific implementation of the flexible proximity detection array 2 is a 6x6 array composed of flexible proximity detection electrodes 201, which are manufactured by gold plating copper foil. The gold-plated flexible proximity detection electrodes 201 have excellent conductivity and can reflect changes in approach distance in changes in capacitance values ​​using the principle of self-capacitance, and can be used as proximity sensors. The presence of the gold plating layer is advantageous not only in improving the conductivity of the flexible proximity detection electrodes 201 and expanding the range of proximity detection, but also in increasing the wear resistance of the proximity detection electrodes and extending the service life of the flexible robot skin of the present invention. The appearance of the flexible proximity detection electrodes 201 of the specific implementation is shown in Figure 1, and each flexible proximity detection electrode 201 has the same shape and is formed by short-circuit connections of multiple rhombus-shaped gold-plated copper foils. A flexible proximity detection array 2 is formed by arranging flexible proximity detection electrodes 201 in a crisscross pattern vertically and horizontally. By scanning and reading each flexible proximity detection electrode 201, it is possible to determine when an external object approaches an intersection. The rows and columns of the orthogonally arranged flexible proximity detection electrodes 201 constitute the basic recognition units 202 of the flexible proximity detection array 2, with a total of 6 x 6 basic recognition units 202. The recognition area of ​​each basic recognition unit is formed by the complementary relationship between the electrode areas of the corresponding orthogonal node portions of the row electrodes and column electrodes.

[0060] The array reconstruction unit 405 controls the rows or columns of the flexible proximity detection array 2 and connects a predetermined number of consecutive adjacent flexible proximity detection electrodes 201 together to form a short circuit. The short-circuited flexible proximity detection electrodes 201 then form a new set of detection electrode units, and the reconstruction improves the density resolution of the recognition detection and expands and adjusts the recognition distance.

[0061] When implemented in this structure, the flexible proximity sensing array of the present invention comprises a plurality of orthogonally arranged flexible proximity sensing electrodes, forming an array with dimensions including but not limited to 6 × 6 according to a rhombus-like arrangement, and the orthogonal portions of the rows and columns of the flexible proximity sensing electrodes constitute the basic recognition unit of the flexible proximity sensing array.

[0062] Figure 3 shows the appearance of the flexible proximity detection electrode 201 in a specific implementation method. Each flexible proximity detection electrode 201 has the same shape and is formed by short-circuiting multiple rhombus-shaped gold-plated copper foils. By arranging the flexible proximity detection electrodes 201 in a crisscross pattern, a flexible proximity detection array 2 is formed. By scanning and reading each flexible proximity detection electrode 201, it is possible to determine when an external object approaches the intersection. The rows and columns of the orthogonally arranged flexible proximity detection electrodes 201 constitute the basic recognition units 202 of the flexible proximity detection array 2, with a total of 6 × 6 basic recognition units 202. The recognition area of ​​the basic recognition unit is formed by the complementary relationship between the electrode areas of the corresponding orthogonal node portions of the row electrodes and column electrodes.

[0063] The function of the data reading circuit 4 is to filter the capacitance values ​​detected by the flexible proximity sensing array 2, convert the analog signal to a digital signal, finally obtain a stable digital signal, and transmit it to the external microcontroller unit 5. The external microcontroller unit 5 then applies the data to control the interaction mode of the light-emitting interaction module 1 and transmits the data to the robot control system for further control of its operation. The reconfigurable nature of the flexible proximity sensing array 2 is achieved by controlling the data reading circuit 4 via an external microcontroller unit 5, which performs short circuits between adjacent row electrodes and adjacent column electrodes. As a result, the flexible proximity sensing array is gradually reconfigured from the initial 6×6 array to 3×3, 2×2, and 1×1 arrays. After the short circuit, two or more flexible proximity sensing electrodes can be considered as unipolar proximity sensors with increased area. Since the detection distance of a unipolar proximity sensor is positively correlated with the electrode area, the short circuit reconfiguration process actually expands the maximum detection distance of the flexible robot skin of the present invention. However, in the short circuit reconfiguration, the original basic recognition unit is also disabled and replaced with an expanded reconfigured recognition unit whose area is 4 times, 9 times, and 36 times that of the basic recognition unit. Since the area of ​​the recognition unit determines the spatial resolution of the flexible robot skin of the present invention, the short circuit reconfiguration process actually reduces the spatial resolution. In other words, the short circuit reconfiguration process obtains a larger detection distance by reducing the spatial resolution, while the reverse short circuit reconfiguration process obtains a higher spatial resolution by reducing the detection distance.The reconstruction of the flexible proximity detection array in a specific implementation method is shown in Figure 5, where Figures (a), (b), and (c) represent the reconstructed 3×3, 2×2, and 1×1 arrays, respectively. The dotted boxes represent the reconstructed recognition units. It can be seen that the area of ​​the reconstructed recognition unit in the reconstructed 3×3 array is four times that of the basic recognition unit, the area of ​​the reconstructed recognition unit in the reconstructed 2×2 array is nine times that of the basic recognition unit, and the area of ​​the reconstructed recognition unit in the reconstructed 1×1 array is 36 times that of the basic recognition unit. Clearly, the short-circuit reconstruction process obtains the maximum detection distance by reducing the spatial resolution. Since the area of ​​the recognition unit determines the spatial resolution of the skin structure unit of the present invention, the short-circuit reconstruction process actually reduces the spatial resolution; that is, the short-circuit reconstruction process obtains a larger detection distance by reducing the spatial resolution, while the reverse short-circuit reconstruction process obtains a higher spatial resolution by shortening the detection distance.

[0064] Since the reconstruction control signals for multiple skin structure units connected in series all come from the external microcontroller unit 5, the multiple skin structure units connected in series simultaneously have the same reconstruction detection array, i.e., the same spatial resolution and detection distance.

[0065] Therefore, the present invention configures a data reading circuit in which the array can be reconfigured by setting up the array reconstruction unit 405, thereby realizing reconfigurable detection of the flexible proximity detection array 2, and further realizing the ability to adjust the recognition distance to adapt to various changes in recognition conditions by adjusting the spatial resolution.

[0066] The function of the data reading circuit 4 is to reconfigure the array using a control signal from an external microcontroller unit, read the recognition data from the flexible proximity sensing array, and transmit it to the external microcontroller unit. In a specific implementation, the data reading circuit 4 includes a data reading unit 401 and an address configuration switch 404. The data reading circuit 4 further includes an array reconstruction unit 405.

[0067] Figure 6 shows the electrical connection relationships of each part of the data reading circuit 4 in the specific implementation method. The detection data processing chip 4 is an MPR121, and its function is to filter the capacitance values ​​detected by the flexible proximity sensing array 2, convert the analog signal to a digital signal, finally obtain a stable digital signal, and transmit it to the external microcontroller unit 5. The chip can connect to 12 external electrodes, thereby fully satisfying the 6x6 array requirement for the flexible proximity sensing array 2.

[0068] The MPR121 chip further provides an internal short-circuit mode, thereby allowing the 12 external electrodes to be used as electrodes with a wider area. Since the detection distance of the capacitive proximity sensor is proportional to the electrode area, this mode can significantly expand the range of the flexible robot skin of the present invention. The operating mode of the flexible robot skin of the present invention can be a predetermined internal short-circuit mode after power-on, thereby providing the maximum proximity detection range. When the distance from the flexible robot skin of the present invention is less than the limit distance, i.e., when the capacitance detection result is greater than the limit value, the external microcontroller unit switches to normal mode. In this mode, the 12 electrodes operate independently, thereby improving spatial resolution and can be used to detect the specific position of external objects and receive user gesture commands.

[0069] When using the flexible robot skin of the present invention, it is necessary to connect it to an external microcontroller unit 5. The external microcontroller unit 5 is used to power the flexible robot skin of the present invention, transmit reconfiguration control signals, receive detection data generated by the flexible robot skin of the present invention, control the operation of the robot body, and control the interaction mode of the light-emitting interaction module 1. The relationship between the external microcontroller unit 5 and the flexible robot skin of the present invention is similar to the relationship between a personal computer host and peripheral devices such as a mouse and keyboard, where the host provides power and control signals to the peripheral devices, receives signals transmitted from the peripheral devices, and is used to realize complex control functions. The flexible robot skin of the present invention has high versatility, and various series of commonly used microcontroller units such as Arduino microcontrollers and STM32 microcontrollers can directly control the flexible robot skin of the present invention. However, since different microcontroller units have different operating levels, they cannot be used directly to power the flexible robot skin of the present invention. The function of the voltage adjustment chip 402 is to stabilize the power supply provided by the external microcontroller unit 5 to a 3.3V DC power supply that the data processing chip can directly use, thereby preventing the data processing chip from not operating properly when the voltage is too high or too low. Specifically, the element selected is the LP2985 33DBVR.

[0070] The MPR121 chip supports the IIC communication protocol, enabling it to transmit detection data generated by the flexible proximity sensing array 2 to an external microcontroller unit in real time. The MPR121 chip has four built-in IIC communication addresses, and the selection of four IIC addresses can be achieved by connecting pin ADDR to four pins: VDD (i.e., 3.3V high level), VSS (i.e., GND low level), SDA, and SCL. The address configuration switch 404 is the hardware configuration for realizing the communication addresses. Based on the functional characteristic that the data processing chip can arrange four different communication addresses in hardware, one external microcontroller unit can simultaneously control and read data from the four flexible robot skins of the present invention. The four flexible robot skins of the present invention can be connected in series as shown in Figure 4, thereby realizing the expandable functionality of the flexible robot skin of the present invention and significantly saving hardware resources of the external microcontroller. When used in cooperation with mature communication protocols such as SPI, IIC, and CAN bus between external microcontrollers, the flexible robot skin of the present invention can easily cover a wide area of ​​the robot body, thereby reducing or eliminating detection blind spots.

[0071] A schematic circuit diagram of the array reconstruction unit 405 of the data reading circuit 4 in a specific implementation is shown in Figure 7. Figure 7 shows the reconstruction circuit for the row electrodes in the flexible proximity sensing array 2, and the reconstruction circuit for the column electrodes is not shown as it is exactly the same. The circuit of the array reconstruction unit 303 mainly consists of four OR gates and six single-pole double-throw switches. DIGITPIN2, DIGITPIN3, and DIGITPIN6 are input pins for the reconstruction control signal, which are connected in series via the robot skin extension interface 3 and then finally connected to pins D5, D6, and D7 of the external microcontroller unit 5. When the pins are input at a high level, the reconstruction is controlled to acquire 3×3, 2×2, and 1×1 arrays as shown in Figures 5(a), (b), and (c). Pins P1 and P6 on the left side of Figure 7 correspond to the six sensing input pins of the sensing data processing chip 405, and pins E1 and E6 on the right side of Figure 7 correspond to the six row electrodes of the proximity sensing array 2. Using the reconstruction of a 3x3 array as an example, the operating principle of the array reconstruction unit 405 of the data reading circuit 4 will be explained.

[0072] When the reconfiguration control terminal DIGITPIN2 receives a high level input, and the reconfiguration control terminals DIGITPIN3 and DIGITPIN6 receive low levels input, OR gates OR1 and OR4 are controlled to output high levels, and OR gates OR2 and OR3 are controlled to output low levels. At this time, the control pin IN of the single-pole double-throw switches SPTD1, SPTD3 and SPTD5 receives a high level, and the switches are turned to the normally open pin S1A, thereby short-circuiting E2 and E1, E4 and E3, and E6 and E5, reconfiguring the original six row electrodes of the entire flexible proximity sensing array 2 into three, and transmitting the received capacitance values ​​to pins P1, P3 and P5, respectively.

[0073] When the reconfiguration control terminal DIGITPIN3 receives a high level input and the reconfiguration control terminals DIGITPIN2 and DIGITPIN6 receive low levels input, OR gates OR1, OR2, OR3, and OR4 are controlled to output high levels. At this time, the control pin IN of the single-pole double-throw switches SPTD1, SPTD2, SPTD4, and SPTD5 receives a high level, putting the switches into the normally open pin S1A, thereby short-circuiting E1, E2, and E3, and E4, E5, and E6, reconfiguring the original six row electrodes of the entire flexible proximity sensing array 2 into two, and transmitting the received capacitance values ​​to pins P1 and P4, respectively.

[0074] When the reconfiguration control terminal DIGITPIN6 receives a high level input and the reconfiguration control terminals DIGITPIN2 and DIGITPIN3 receive low levels input, OR gates OR1, OR2, OR3, and OR4 are controlled to output high levels. At this time, the control pins IN of the single-pole double-throw switches SPTD1, SPTD2, SPTD4, SPTD5, and SPTD6 receive high levels, and the switches are turned to terminal S1A, thereby short-circuiting E1, E2, E3, E4, E5, and E6, reconfiguring the entire original six row electrodes of the flexible proximity sensing array 2 into one, and transmitting the received capacitance values ​​to pins P1, respectively. The specific elements of the 303 circuit in the array reconstruction section are selected to be the SN74HCS4075OR gate and the ADG884BRMZ single-pole double-throw switch.

[0075] In the practical application process of the flexible robot skin of the present invention, since detection is generally required across the entire range from the maximum detection distance to the highest spatial resolution, the flexible proximity sensing array 2 can initially be reconfigured into a 1x1 array after power-on. After detecting the approach of an external object, as the object gradually approaches, the received capacitance value gradually increases, and the array is reconfigured into a 2x2 array and then a 3x3 array in sequence, finally into the most basic 6x6 array, thereby gradually obtaining the highest spatial resolution. As the object gradually moves away from the flexible robot skin of the present invention, the flexible proximity sensing array 2 is reconfigured into a 3x3, 2x2, and 1x1 array in sequence, again gradually obtaining the maximum detection distance. Since the reconfiguration control signals for multiple flexible robot skins of the present invention connected in series all come from an external microcontroller unit 5, multiple flexible robot skins of the present invention connected in series simultaneously have the same reconfiguration sensing array.

[0076] As shown in Figure 4, the above-mentioned connections between flexible robot skins of the present invention, and the connection between the flexible robot skin and the external microcontroller unit 5, are realized via the robot skin extension interface 3, which connects the external microcontroller unit 5 and the flexible robot skin together in series. The robot skin extension interface 3 consists of eight bonding pads: 5V and GND for power supply, SCL and SDA for MPR121 chip IIC communication, DIN for controlling the light-emitting interaction module 1, and DIGITPIN2, DIGITPIN3, and DIGITPIN6 for controlling array reconfiguration. When actually using it, the connection of each part is completed by welding a flat cable to the robot skin extension interface 3 at different points.

[0077] The luminescent interaction module 1 provides the flexible robot skin of the present invention with a luminescent interaction function, enabling visual feedback to the detection results of the flexible proximity sensing array 2 by changing the color and brightness and setting different luminescence modes, thereby allowing the detected distance parameters to interact intuitively with the user. The user can directly read the sensor detection results from the robot skin body without the need for other devices such as displays, which not only helps to improve the efficiency and smoothness of the human-computer interaction process, but also allows the robot to issue a warning by flashing or using other luminescence modes when it gets too close to the user or other external objects, so that both the robot and the user can simultaneously recognize dangerous situations and take appropriate measures, effectively improving the safety of the human-computer interaction process.

[0078] In the specific implementation method, the light-emitting interaction module 1 uses WS2812B type LED lamp beads as light-emitting elements, and as shown in Figure 1, 12 light-emitting interaction modules 1 corresponding to each flexible proximity detection electrode 201 are integrated on the flexible robot skin of the present invention. Since the WS2812B type LED lamp beads are addressable and programmable, the detection results of the flexible proximity detection array 2 can be visualized by switching the lamp beads on and off or changing the color of the lamp beads under the control of an external microcontroller 5. The following describes in detail the application of the light emission interaction function and touch interaction function of the present invention through two embodiments. (Example 1)

[0079] In industrial scenarios such as smart manufacturing, it is necessary to ensure operator safety while facilitating human-computer interaction and improving work efficiency as much as possible. In this context, the flexible robot skin of the present invention can be attached to parts that require frequent interaction with an operator, such as the robot arm of an industrial robot. In this application scenario, the mode of light emission interaction can be set to change color depending on the distance and contact between the external object and the electronic skin, and to flash when the distance reaches a limit or when contact occurs. For example, the recognition range of the actual flexible proximity sensing array 2 is 0 to 200 mm, and in this visual feedback mode, the entire process from when an external object moves 200 mm away from the flexible robot skin of the present invention until it makes contact with the flexible robot skin of the present invention can be visualized as the entire process in which the LED light source of the light emission interaction module 1 changes from green (RGB: 0,255,0) → yellow (RGB: 255,255,0) → red (RGB: 255,0,0). Furthermore, a distance limit can be set as needed. If the distance to an external object is less than the limit, the robot's movement will be stopped via motion control, and the light-emitting interaction module 1 will flash in the corresponding color to alert the operator.

[0080] The luminescence interaction mode, which changes the color of the light source of the luminescence interaction module 1 according to the detection results of the flexible proximity sensing array 2, is primarily applied to improve work efficiency because, with the advent of robotics technology, teaching—that is, the method by which an operator directly moves the relevant movable parts of the robot (such as the robot arm) to plan the robot's path—is increasingly applied in industrial scenarios. Industrial application scenarios are characterized by spatial constraints and relatively precise parameter requirements. In conventional methods of obtaining sensor detection results via a computer display, the teaching process is not sufficiently smooth and inefficient. Therefore, to adjust the teaching, the operator needs to quickly and intuitively know the distance parameter between the current robot arm and surrounding objects during teaching. The luminescence interaction function can fulfill this requirement. By associating corresponding contact points or proximity points and their corresponding proximity distance intervals with different LED light source colors, it also greatly helps the operator to know the detection results of the current sensor in real time, thereby improving work efficiency and accuracy.

[0081] The luminous interaction mode in which the light source of the luminous interaction module 1 flashes when contact occurs because the distance to an external object is smaller than the limit value, or because the applied pressure is greater than the limit value, can be used primarily to warn the operator to avoid dangers that could endanger the operator's safety or damage the structure of the robot itself.

[0082] Therefore, in industrial scenarios, the present invention can demonstrate that it visualizes sensor detection results in real time, effectively improves the efficiency of human-computer interaction, and further enhances safety in the human-computer interaction process. (Example 2)

[0083] In application scenarios for service robots (such as elderly care robots and nursing robots), it is necessary to enhance the interaction process between humans and computers so that users can easily issue commands to the robot and receive feedback from the robot, thereby improving user participation and the smoothness of the service throughout the entire service process. In this case, the flexible robot skin of the present invention can be attached to the surface of the service robot, and the luminescent interaction mode can be set to provide targeted feedback to the user regarding robot contact.

[0084] Utilizing the high spatial resolution of the flexible proximity detection array 2, the flexible robot skin of the present invention can easily identify the contact mode and contact trajectory between the user and the service robot. The contact mode refers to emotional contact between the user and the service robot, such as touching or tapping, and the contact trajectory refers to the trajectory containing command information created by the user's finger on the flexible robot skin of the present invention. The contact mode can be identified by the area and duration of contact, and various visual feedback modes can be used for the corresponding identification results. For example, in the case of touching, the LED light source of the light-emitting interaction module 1 can light up in real time or with a delay following the user's touch path, and the light color can be adjusted according to the duration of the touch. In the case of tapping, the LED light source of the light-emitting interaction module 1 corresponding to the contact point can be made to flash at various frequencies. The contact trajectory can be identified by the area of ​​contact and the order in which the contact points appear. This interaction mode is primarily used to complete multiple non-repetitive or unstructured actions. Users can create arbitrary patterns such as triangles, rectangles, and circles on the robot's skin and bind them to different actions. For example, creating a triangle might be to find a cup and deliver it to the user; creating a rectangle might be to help the user stand up for a walk; and creating a circle might be to help the user rest in a bed or similar position. This command input mode significantly reduces the conditions for human-computer interaction and is advantageous for the further proliferation of service robots.

[0085] Therefore, in application scenarios for service robots, the present invention can identify the user's contact mode and contact trajectory, and demonstrate that two different interaction modes, namely luminescence interaction and touch interaction, can be applied. Luminescence interaction can be used as visual feedback for user operations and as a dynamic guide for the user's next operation, while touch interaction allows the robot skin of the present invention to also serve as a window and interface for the user to send commands to the robot. The combination of the two interaction methods greatly optimizes the entire human-computer interaction process, leaving a deep impression on the user and effectively improving user engagement, thereby making human-computer interaction smoother and more acceptable.

[0086] In summary, the above describes only preferred embodiments of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0087] The diagram shows a light-emitting interaction module 1, a flexible proximity detection array 2, a flexible proximity recognition electrode 201, a basic recognition unit 202, a robot skin extension interface 3, a data reading circuit 4, a data reading unit 401, a voltage adjustment chip 402, a detection data processing chip 403, an address configuration switch 404, an array reconstruction unit 405, and an external microcontroller unit 5.

Claims

1. It includes at least one skin structure unit, The skin structure unit comprises a light-emitting interaction module (1), a flexible proximity detection array (2), a robotic skin extension interface (3), and a data reading circuit (4). The output terminal of the flexible proximity detection array (2) is connected to the data reading circuit (4), The data reading circuit (4) is connected to an external microcontroller unit (5) via the robot skin extension interface (3). The external microcontroller unit (5) is connected to the light-emitting interaction module (1) via the robot skin extension interface (3), The light-emitting interaction module (1) generates a light-emitting interaction mode that includes at least one of color change, flashing, and tracking, according to various distances between the object and the robot skin and the application scenario. The distance between the object and the robot skin is detected by the flexible proximity sensing array (2). The robotic skin extension interface (3) is used for communication connections between the data reading circuit (4), the external microcontroller unit (5), and the light-emitting interaction module (1). The data reading circuit (4) is used to process the data acquired by the flexible proximity detection array (2). The external microcontroller unit (5) is used to generate interaction control signals and transmit them to the light-emitting interaction module (1) to provide recognition feedback. The flexible proximity detection array (2) is composed of M rows and N columns of flexible proximity recognition electrodes (201) arranged in an orthogonal array. Each flexible proximity detection electrode (201) is composed of multiple metal sheets arranged in a straight line and connected in series. Each metal sheet in the middle section is a square of the same dimensions, and one diagonal of the square is aligned along the straight line. The two metal sheets located at both ends are isosceles triangles obtained by cutting a square in half diagonally, with the centerlines of the isosceles triangles aligned along a straight line, and the two adjacent metal sheets are connected by a strip of metal sheet. In a flexible proximity detection array (2) obtained by arranging flexible proximity detection electrodes (201), the intermediate metal sheet of each flexible proximity detection electrode (201) arranged in the row direction is located in a void region formed between the metal sheets of two adjacent flexible proximity detection electrodes (201) arranged in the column direction, thereby having the same spacing / gap between the metal sheets of all flexible proximity detection arrays (2). The metal sheets located at both ends of each flexible proximity sensing electrode (201) are located at the edges of the flexible proximity sensing array (2) and surround the square outer edge of the flexible proximity sensing array (2). An expandable, interactive, flexible robotic skin characterized by the following features.

2. The expandable interactive flexible robot skin according to claim 1, characterized in that the light-emitting interaction module (1) is an addressable programmable light-emitting element.

3. The expandable interactive flexible robot skin according to claim 1, characterized in that the light-emitting interaction module (1) comprises a plurality of light-emitting interaction elements, all of which are arranged around a flexible proximity detection array (2), and each flexible proximity detection electrode (201) in each row and each column of the flexible proximity detection array (2) corresponds to a light-emitting interaction element.

4. The expandable interactive flexible robot skin according to claim 1, characterized in that the data reading circuit (4) includes a data reading unit (401) and an address configuration switch (404), the data reading unit (401) being connected to the address configuration switch (404).

5. The data reading circuit (4) further includes an array reconstruction unit (405), and in the process of an object approaching and making contact with the flexible proximity sensing array (2), the flexible proximity sensing array (2) can reconfigure, change, and adjust the detection resolution of the object's approach distance and contact point position, acquire an electrical signal having recognition data and output it to the data reading circuit (4), after analysis by the data reading circuit (4), acquire the recognition data and transmit it to an external microcontroller unit (5) via the robot skin extension interface (3), the external microcontroller unit (5) generates an interaction control signal and transmits it to a light-emitting interaction module (1) via the robot skin extension interface (3) to perform detection feedback, characterized in that the expandable interactive flexible robot skin according to claim 4.

6. The data reading unit (401) includes a voltage adjustment chip (402) and a detection data processing chip (403). The detection data processing chip (403) is connected to a voltage adjustment chip (402), and the detection data processing chip (403) is connected to a flexible proximity detection array (2), a robot skin extension interface (3), and an address configuration switch (404), respectively, the address configuration switch (404) is used to configure the communication address of the data reading circuit (4) in order to control the communication relationship between the data reading circuit (4) and an external microcontroller unit (5), the flexible proximity detection electrodes (201) in the flexible proximity detection array (2) are connected to the detection data processing chip (403) after passing through an array reconstruction unit (405), and the detection data processing chip (403) is connected to the robot skin interface (3), characterized in that the robot skin extension interface (3) is connected to the robot skin extension chip (403) according to claim 4.

7. The expandable interactive flexible robot skin according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of skin structure units, the plurality of skin structure units being connected in series to the same external microcontroller unit (5) via a robot skin expansion interface (3) and wiring, and the external microcontroller unit (5) selectively reads detection data from a flexible proximity detection array (2) collected by a detection data processing chip (403) of each of the plurality of skin structure units by polling addresses configured by address configuration switches (404) in the plurality of skin structure units, thereby forming an expandable interactive flexible robot skin.

8. The expandable interactive flexible robotic skin according to claim 7, characterized in that the address configuration switch (404) specifically uses four dial switches to select four different IIC addresses, and one external microcontroller unit (5) simultaneously controls multiple different skin structure units to realize expandable functionality.

9. The expandable interactive flexible robot skin according to claim 1, characterized in that, based on heterogeneous integration using flexible printed circuit technology, the light-emitting interaction module (1), address configuration switch (404), flexible proximity detection array (2), data reading circuit (4), and robot skin extension interface (3) are integrated into the same flexible printed circuit.

10. Each flexible proximity detection electrode (201) arranged in the row direction passes through the same array reconstruction unit (405) and is then connected to the data reading unit (401), and each flexible proximity detection electrode (201) arranged in the column direction passes through another array reconstruction unit (405) and is then connected to the data reading unit (401), and the structure of the two array reconstruction units (405) is the same. The array reconstruction unit (405) has N input ports E1 E6, N output ports P1 P6, and M reconstruction control terminals, and includes a plurality of OR gates and a plurality of unipolar double-throw switches, where N is the total number of flexible proximity detection electrodes (201) on one row or one column, and M is an integer greater than or equal to log²N. The expandable interactive flexible robot skin according to claim 5, characterized in that N flexible proximity sensing electrodes (201) in rows or columns are each connected to N input ports, of which a first input port is directly connected to a first output port, and the other N1 input ports are each connected to the input pins of a monopolar double-throw switch, M reconfiguration control terminals provide control signals to the control pins of the monopolar double-throw switch, and various monopolar double-throw switches are controlled by various numbers of control signals according to the array reconfiguration needs, a monopolar double-throw switch controlled by one control signal directly connects the corresponding reconfiguration control terminal to the control pin, and a monopolar double-throw switch controlled by multiple control signals first aggregates the multiple reconfiguration control terminals via an OR gate and then connects them to the control pin.

11. The flexible proximity sensing array (2) is arranged as a 6x6 array, and the array reconstruction unit (405) includes four OR gates OR1 to OR4, six single-pole double-throw switches SPTD1 to SPTD6, input terminals E1 to E6, output terminals P1 to P6, and three reconstruction control terminals DIGITPIN2, DIGITPIN3, and DIGITPIN6. Input terminal E1 and output terminal P1 are directly connected, input pin D of single-pole double-throw switches SPTD1 to SPTD5 are connected to input terminals E2 to E6 respectively, normally open pin S1A of single-pole double-throw switches SPTD1 and SPTD2 are both connected to output terminal P1, normally closed pin S1B of single-pole double-throw switch SPTD1 is connected to output terminal P2, control pin IN of single-pole double-throw switch SPTD1 is connected to the output terminal of OR gate OR1, and control pin I of single-pole double-throw switch SPTD1 is also connected N is grounded via resistor R2, the normally open pin S1B of single-pole double-throw switch SPTD2 and the normally open pin S1A of single-pole double-throw switch SPTD3 are connected to output terminal P3, the control pin IN of single-pole double-throw switch SPTD2 is connected to the output terminal of OR gate OR2, the control pin IN of single-pole double-throw switch SPTD1 is grounded via resistor R3, the normally open pin S1B of single-pole double-throw switch SPTD3 and the normally open pin S1A of single-pole double-throw switch SPTD4 are connected to switching port D of single-pole double-throw switch SPTD4 The control pin IN of the single-pole double-throw switch SPTD3 is connected to the reconfiguration control terminal DIGITPIN2, and at the same time, the control pin IN of the single-pole double-throw switch SPTD3 is grounded via resistor R4, the normally open pin S1B of the single-pole double-throw switch SPTD4 is connected to the output terminal P5, the control pin IN of the single-pole double-throw switch SPTD4 is connected to the output terminal OR3, and at the same time, the control pin IN of the single-pole double-throw switch SPTD4 is grounded via resistor R5, and the normally open pin S1B of the single-pole double-throw switch SPTD5 is connected to the output terminal P6. The control pin IN of the single-pole double-throw switch SPTD5 is connected to the output terminal of the OR gate OR4, and at the same time, the control pin IN of the single-pole double-throw switch SPTD5 is grounded via resistor R6, the normally open pin S1A of the single-pole double-throw switch SPTD6 is connected to the output terminal P1, the normally open pin S1B of the single-pole double-throw switch SPTD6 is connected to the output terminal P4, the control pin IN of the single-pole double-throw switch PTD5 is connected to the reconfiguration control terminal DIGITPIN6, and at the same time, the control pin IN of the single-pole double-throw switch SPTD5 is grounded via resistor R1. The expandable interactive flexible robot skin according to claim 5, characterized in that the three input terminals of OR gate OR1 and the three input terminals of OR gate OR4 are connected to reconstruction control terminals DIGITPIN2, DIGITPIN3, and DIGITPIN6, respectively; the two input terminals of OR gate OR2 are connected to reconstruction control terminals DIGITPIN2 and DIGITPIN6, respectively; and the two input terminals of OR gate OR3 are connected to reconstruction control terminals DIGITPIN2 and DIGITPIN3, respectively.

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