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CN-121973864-A - Foldable spherical robot based on bistable structure

CN121973864ACN 121973864 ACN121973864 ACN 121973864ACN-121973864-A

Abstract

The invention provides a foldable spherical robot based on a bistable structure, which comprises a chassis structure, four foldable units, four turnover mechanisms and a rope driving system, wherein the four turnover mechanisms and the rope driving system are respectively connected to the chassis structure, the four foldable units are uniformly distributed on the periphery of the chassis structure, the bottom ends of the foldable units are hinged with the chassis structure, the foldable units comprise a plurality of rigid tiles, the rigid tiles are flexibly connected through bistable hinges, the whole foldable units are flexibly deformable, the foldable units are transformed between a spherical shape and a plane unfolding shape under the action of the rope driving system, the foldable units are folded inwards and form a spherical shape together with the chassis structure, the bistable hinges are used for independently keeping the current shape under the spherical shape or the plane unfolding shape respectively, and the turnover mechanisms are used for outwards overturning one upright foldable unit to the foldable unit level or inwards overturning the horizontal foldable unit to be upright. The spherical robot of the invention incorporates low energy consumption form retention features of bistable structures.

Inventors

  • TAO GUANGHONG
  • ZHANG YUBO
  • DU FAN
  • LIAO TINGYU

Assignees

  • 沈阳航空航天大学

Dates

Publication Date
20260505
Application Date
20260402

Claims (10)

  1. 1. A bi-stable structure based collapsible spherical robot comprising: The folding and unfolding device comprises a chassis structure (12), four folding and unfolding units (4), four turnover mechanisms and a rope driving system, wherein the four turnover mechanisms and the rope driving system are respectively connected to the chassis structure (12); The four folding and unfolding units (4) are uniformly distributed in the circumferential direction of the chassis structure (12), and the bottom end of each folding and unfolding unit (4) is hinged with the chassis structure (12) through a hinge (9); The folding and unfolding unit (4) comprises a plurality of rigid tiles (14), wherein adjacent rigid tiles (14) are flexibly connected through bistable hinges, and the whole folding and unfolding unit (4) is flexibly deformable; the folding and unfolding units (4) are transformed between a spherical shape and a plane unfolding shape under the action of the rope driving system, and under the spherical shape, the four folding and unfolding units (4) are folded inwards and form a sphere together with the chassis structure (12); The bistable hinge can independently maintain the current form under the spherical form or the plane unfolding form respectively; each of the turning mechanisms is used for turning the folding and unfolding unit (4) in an upright plane unfolding mode outwards to be horizontal or turning the folding and unfolding unit (4) in a horizontal plane unfolding mode inwards to be upright.
  2. 2. A bi-stable structure based collapsible spherical robot according to claim 1, characterized in that the collapse unit (4) is horizontally in a left-right symmetrical shape with thick middle, thin bottom and thin top and divided into 15 rigid tiles (14) of 5 rows by 3 columns; The folding and unfolding unit (4) sequentially comprises a first tile (14-1), a second tile (14-2), a third tile (14-3), a fourth tile (14-4), a fifth tile (14-5), a sixth tile (14-6), a seventh tile (14-7), an eighth tile (14-8), a ninth tile (14-9), a tenth tile (14-10), an eleventh tile (14-11), a twelfth tile (14-12), a thirteenth tile (14-13), a fourteenth tile (14-14) and a fifteenth tile (14-15) from top to bottom in sequence from left to right.
  3. 3. A collapsible spherical robot based on bistable structures according to claim 2, characterized in that said bistable hinges comprise seven bistable hinges of the first type (5), eight bistable hinges of the second type (10), two bistable hinges of the third type (11) and five bistable hinges of the fourth type (20) arranged symmetrically up and down; the first bistable hinge (5) is of a symmetrical structure for connecting the first connecting piece and the second connecting piece, the first bistable hinge (5) comprises five first connectors which are arranged in a W-shaped fold line, and two adjacent first connectors are connected through an arc section; the first connecting piece is provided with three first joints, and two first joints of the second connecting piece are positioned in the middle of two adjacent first joints of the first connecting piece; The left side and the right side of the fifth tile (14-5), the eighth tile (14-8) and the eleventh tile (14-11) and the lower side of the eleventh tile (14-11) are provided with first connecting pieces, and the corresponding positions of the fourth tile (14-4), the sixth tile (14-6), the seventh tile (14-7), the ninth tile (14-9), the tenth tile (14-10), the twelfth tile (14-12) and the fourteenth tile (14-14) are provided with second connecting pieces; Eight bistable hinges (10) of the second type are positioned on the upper side and the lower side of a fourth tile (14-4), a sixth tile (14-6), a tenth tile (14-10) and a twelfth tile (14-12), and the hinges on the upper side and the lower side of the fourth tile (14-4), the tenth tile (14-10) and the sixth tile (14-6) as well as the twelfth tile (14-12) are in a left-right mirror image structure; the second bistable hinge (10) comprises two fifth joints (105), an intermediate joint (101) positioned between the two fifth joints (105), the intermediate joint (101) and the two fifth joints (105) which are respectively connected by circular arc sections, and the distances from the intermediate joint (101) to the two fifth joints (105) are unequal; The upper side of the sixth tile (14-6) is connected with an intermediate joint, two fifth joints are arranged at the lower side of the sixth tile (14-6), two fifth joints are arranged at the lower side of the third tile (14-3), two fifth joints are arranged at the upper side of the twelfth tile (14-12), the lower sides of the ninth tile (14-9) and the twelfth tile (14-12) are connected with the intermediate joint, and two fifth joints are arranged at the upper side of the fifteenth tile (14-15); the third bistable hinge (11) comprises a U-shaped structure with a right angle bending part and a cross beam (112) positioned at the outer sides of two ends of the U-shaped structure; The middle position of the U-shaped structure is respectively fixed with the upper side and the lower side of the eighth tile (14-8) through a vertical beam (111), the opening of the U-shaped structure faces the eighth tile (14-8), the lower side of the fifth tile (14-5) and the upper side of the eleventh tile (14-11) are concave structures surrounding the U-shaped structure, two opposite sides of the concave structures are connected to the end parts of the U-shaped structure through cross beams (112), and the cross beams (112) are arranged along the left-right direction; The fourth bistable hinge (20) comprises two fourth joints which are arranged at intervals, an arc section which is connected between the two fourth joints and an intermediate joint which is positioned in the middle of the arc; intermediate joints are respectively arranged on the left side and the right side of the second tile (14-2), the left side and the right side of the fourteenth tile (14-4) and the upper side of the fifth tile (14-5), and two fourth joints are arranged at corresponding positions of the first tile (14-1), the third tile (14-3), the thirteenth tile (14-13), the fifteenth tile (14-15) and the second tile (14-2).
  4. 4. A bi-stable structure based collapsible spherical robot as claimed in claim 2, wherein, The fixed leaf of the hinge (9) is fixed on the upper surface of the chassis structure (12), the movable leaf of the hinge (9) is fixed on a fourteenth tile (14-14), and the turning leaf of the turning mechanism is vertical or horizontal; The rope drive system is connected with each folding and unfolding unit (4) in a rope drive mode and is used for providing driving force for generating relative motion of the rigid tiles (14).
  5. 5. The bistable structure-based foldable spherical robot of claim 4, wherein the turnover mechanism comprises a screw rod electric slipway and a connecting rod (16) as a transmission member, and the screw rod electric slipway comprises an electric slipway chassis (8), an electric slipway motor (17), a screw rod (25), a sliding block (26) in threaded fit with the screw rod (25) and a guide rail (27) parallel to the screw rod (25); The electric sliding table chassis (8) is fixed on the chassis structure (12), two ends of the screw rod (25) are rotatably supported by the electric sliding table chassis (8), two ends of the guide rail (27) are fixed on the electric sliding table chassis (8), the electric sliding table motor (17) drives the screw rod (25) to rotate so as to drive the sliding block (26) to move, and the sliding block (26) is in sliding connection with the guide rail (27); the sliding direction of the sliding block (26) is vertical to the folding and unfolding unit (4) in the vertical plane unfolding mode; one end of the connecting rod (16) is hinged with the sliding block (26), and the other end of the connecting rod (16) is hinged with the movable blade.
  6. 6. A bi-stable structure-based foldable spherical robot according to claim 3, wherein the rope driving system comprises four ropes connected with the foldable units (4) one by one, the middle part of each rope is divided into a first branch rope (13-1), a second branch rope (13-2) and a third branch rope (13-3), and the eighth tile (14-8) is provided with a fourth through hole (15-4), a fifth through hole (15-5) and a sixth through hole (15-6) which are arranged in a triangular manner; the first branch rope (13-1) passes through the first through hole (15-1) on the seventh tile (14-7) from the inner side and then passes through the fourth through hole (15-4) close to the seventh tile (14-7) from the outer side; The second branch rope (13-2) passes through a second through hole (15-2) on the second tile (14-2) from the inner side and then passes through a fifth through hole (15-5) close to the second tile (14-2) from the outer side; The third branch rope (13-3) passes through the third through hole (15-3) on the ninth tile (14-9) from the inner side and then passes through the sixth through hole (15-6) close to the ninth tile (14-9) from the outer side; The first branch ropes (13-1), the second branch ropes (13-2) and the third branch ropes (13-3) are used for fixing the input end of each rope before the folding and unfolding unit (4) is arranged on the inner side of the folding and unfolding unit (4) in a penetrating mode, and the output end of each rope is fixed after the folding and unfolding unit (4) is arranged in a penetrating mode; The first branch rope (13-1), the second branch rope (13-2) and the third branch rope (13-3) are respectively tied with an inner knot (61) and an outer knot (62) at the inner part and the outer part of the folding unit (4); when in a spherical shape, the outer knots (62) are clamped at the outer side of the folding and unfolding unit (4), and when the input end of each rope is unfolded and the output end of each rope is retracted, the inner knots (61) are clamped at the inner side of the folding and unfolding unit (4) and then continue to unfold the input end and retract the output end until the folding and unfolding unit (4) is in a vertical plane unfolding shape; After the folding and unfolding unit (4) is in an upright plane unfolding mode, the input end is retracted, the output end is unfolded, the first branch rope (13-1), the second branch rope (13-2) and the third branch rope (13-3) connected with the input end of each rope are kept in a loose state at the inner side of the folding and unfolding unit (4), and meanwhile the overturning mechanism overturns the upright folding and unfolding unit (4) outwards to be horizontal.
  7. 7. The bistable structure-based collapsible spherical robot according to claim 6, wherein said rope drive system further comprises a reel (21) driven by a motor (19), a motor bracket (18), a square strander (1), a support shaft (24), said motor (19) being fixed to said chassis structure (12) by means of the motor bracket (18); a supporting shaft (24) is fixed on the top surface of the winding wheel (21), and the square strander (1) is rotationally connected with the supporting shaft (24); The end point of the starting end of the traction rope (3) is fixed on the winding wheel (21), the starting end is wound on the winding wheel (21) and enters the square strander (1), the tail end of the traction rope (3) is wound on the winding wheel (21), and the end point of the tail end is fixed on the winding wheel (21); the square strander (1) is a hollow square shell, and a main wire inlet hole and a return wire outlet hole are formed in the bottom surface of the square strander (1); the hauling ropes (3) enter the square strander (1) from a main wire inlet hole and then are divided into four ropes, and each rope penetrates through a corresponding side surface of the square strander (1) and then is divided into a first branch rope (13-1), a second branch rope (13-2) and a third branch rope (13-3); The first branch rope (13-1), the second branch rope (13-2) and the third branch rope (13-3) are fixed into a rope before being threaded back from one corresponding side face, and four ropes are synthesized into the junction tail end of the traction rope (3) again in the square strander (1) and returned to the winding wheel (21) from a loop leading-out hole; When the winding wheel (21) rotates, the starting end of the traction rope (3) is unfolded and the tail end of the traction rope is retracted, or the starting end of the traction rope (3) is retracted and the tail end of the traction rope is unfolded.
  8. 8. A bi-stable structure based collapsible spherical robot according to claim 1, wherein the bi-stable hinge of the collapse unit (4) and the rigid tiles (14) are integrally formed from polyethylene terephthalate material.
  9. 9. The bi-stable structure-based collapsible spherical robot of claim 1, wherein the center of gravity of the collapsible spherical robot is disposed on the upper surface of the chassis structure (12).
  10. 10. The bistable structure-based foldable spherical robot according to claim 7, wherein the rope driving system further comprises a first thermoplastic pipe (2-1) and a second thermoplastic pipe (2-2), wherein the outer surfaces of the part of the four ropes which are not divided into the first branch rope (13-1), the second branch rope (13-2) and the third branch rope (13-3) and are connected with the starting end and the starting end of the traction rope (3) are fixedly sleeved with the first thermoplastic pipe (2-1); The outer surfaces of the four ropes which are not divided into the first branch rope (13-1), the second branch rope (13-2) and the third branch rope (13-3) and are connected with the tail end and the tail end of the traction rope (3) are fixedly sleeved with a second thermoplastic pipe (2-2).

Description

Foldable spherical robot based on bistable structure Technical Field The invention relates to the robot technology, in particular to a foldable spherical robot based on a bistable structure. Background In the fields of disaster early warning and environment monitoring, the realization of long-term and real-time monitoring of complex dangerous areas is a key for improving emergency response capability and reducing disaster loss. For example, geological disasters such as debris flow are often sudden and destructive, and are often found in mountain areas with rough terrain and difficult access by manpower. At present, satellite remote sensing and limited ground fixed monitoring stations are mainly relied on, the satellite remote sensing stations have the limits of observation window period and precision, and the satellite remote sensing stations are difficult to construct and maintain in extreme terrains, so that all-weather and full-coverage close-range accurate monitoring cannot be realized. In order to overcome the difficulty of personnel entering, remote deployment by using an aerial delivery platform (such as an unmanned aerial vehicle) to carry monitoring equipment becomes a feasible idea. This requires that the deployed device terminals have good impact resistance to accommodate the impact of delivering landings, while the terminals themselves have sufficient mission capabilities to support long-term autonomous operation. Spherical shells are often considered as ideal shapes for such delivery terminals due to their natural advantages in terms of impact resistance, seal protection, and omnidirectional rolling passability. However, existing spherical robots face significant bottlenecks when applied to long-term monitoring tasks. The inherent spherical shell is beneficial to movement and protection, but severely limits the available space inside, so that the spherical shell is difficult to bear various sensors, high-capacity power supplies or communication relay equipment, and the continuous operation time and the task execution complexity of the spherical shell under the unattended condition are limited. To solve the space limitation problem, some studies have attempted to introduce a deformation or deployment mechanism for spherical robots. However, most of the existing schemes have the problems that the transformation process needs continuous energy consumption to maintain the form, the structural rigidity and stability after the expansion are insufficient, or the mechanism is complex and the shock resistance is weak. More importantly, an integrated design which can achieve the survivability of high-strength throwing deployment, low-energy-consumption form maintenance and large space gain is lacking. The spherical robot is difficult to truly realize an advanced monitoring mode of 'quick arrival, long-term latency and flexible operation', and the deep application of the spherical robot in the key fields of border patrol, disaster field monitoring and the like is limited. Disclosure of Invention The invention aims to overcome the defects of the prior art and provide a foldable spherical robot based on a bistable structure. The method mainly aims to realize efficient, reliable and low-energy conversion between a sealed and impact-resistant spherical state and a spacious and stable planar operation state of the robot, and ensure that the robot can be rapidly deployed to a target area in a throwing or air-drop mode in the spherical state. In order to achieve the above purpose, the present invention adopts the following technical scheme: A bi-stable structure based collapsible spherical robot comprising: The device comprises a chassis structure, four folding and unfolding units, four turnover mechanisms and a rope driving system, wherein the four turnover mechanisms and the rope driving system are respectively connected to the chassis structure; the four folding and unfolding units are uniformly distributed in the circumferential direction of the chassis structure, and the bottom end of each folding and unfolding unit is hinged with the chassis structure through a hinge; The folding and unfolding unit comprises a plurality of rigid tiles, adjacent rigid tiles are flexibly connected through bistable hinges, and the whole folding and unfolding unit is flexibly deformable; Under the action of the rope driving system, the folding and unfolding units are transformed between a spherical form and a plane unfolding form, and under the spherical form, the four folding and unfolding units are folded inwards and form a sphere together with the chassis structure; the bistable hinge can independently maintain the current form under the spherical form or the plane unfolding form respectively; each turnover mechanism is used for outwards turning the folding and unfolding unit in an upright plane unfolding mode to be horizontal or inwards turning the folding and unfolding unit in the horizontal plane unfolding mode to be upr