US-12617553-B2 - Methods and apparatus for autonomous 3D self-assembly, spatial docking and reconfiguration

Abstract

A method for autonomously assembling a plurality of tiles is performed in a microgravity environment. Each tile includes a shell having a first geometrical shape and an arrangement of first magnets and a controller that are supported by the shell. The controller controls operation of the arrangement of first magnets to self-assemble the shell with another tile. The first magnets are controlled to mate with a complementary arrangement of second magnets on the other tile when the complementary arrangement of second magnets floats to within a range of magnetic attractive force of the arrangement of first magnets, with or without the aid of propulsion. The controllers in the tiles detect the status of the magnetic bonds to determine whether each pair of tiles is properly bonded or has a magnetic bond error. When an error is detected, the tiles are controlled to disassemble and reassemble to correct the error.

Inventors

• Ariel EKBLAW
• Joseph A. Paradiso

Assignees

• MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20240903

Claims (17)

1. 1 . A system for autonomous 3D self-assembly, spatial docking and reconfiguration tile, the system comprising: a shell having a first geometrical shape; an arrangement of first magnets coupled to the shell; a light emitter coupled to the shell; and a controller configured to control operation of the arrangement of first magnets to couple the shell with at least one other shell in a microgravity environment, wherein the arrangement of first magnets are controlled to mate with a complementary arrangement of second magnets on the at least one other shell when the complementary arrangement of second magnets is within a range of a magnetic attractive force of the arrangement of first magnets and wherein the controller is coupled to the light emitter and further configured to control the light emitter to transmit to a modulated optical signal having a code to: indicate a location of the shell to at least one other shell; and/or communicate any other data to at least one other shell.
2. 2 . The system of claim 1 further comprising a light detector coupled to the shell and to the controller and wherein the controller is further configured to receive a modulated optical code from the at least one other shell.
3. 3 . The system of claim 2 wherein the light detector is configured to receive a confirmation signal from the at least one other shell and the controller is configured to determine a status of a magnetic bond between one of the first magnets and one of the second magnets based upon the confirmation signal received from the at least one other shell and wherein the confirmation signal is provided as a modulated light signal.
4. 4 . The system of claim 3 wherein the modulated light signal comprises at least one of: a first modulated optical code indicative of a magnetic bond error; and a second, different modulated optical code indicative of an aligned magnetic bond.
5. 5 . The system of claim 1 wherein the light emitter is configured to transmit an optical a code via an optical link.
6. 6 . The system of claim 5 further comprising a modulator configured to modulate coils that drive the arrangement of first magnets so as to modulate the optical code being transmitted across the optical link in response to a pair of shells coming into proximity with one another.
7. 7 . The system of claim 1 wherein the controller is further configured to transmit the code via an inductive link.
8. 8 . The system of claim 1 wherein the light emitter is configured to transmit the code by transmitting a series of optical signals having one or more colors.
9. 9 . A tile, comprising: a shell having a first geometrical shape; an arrangement of first magnets coupled to the shell; a light emitter coupled to the shell; and a controller configured to control operation of the arrangement of first magnets to couple the shell with a shell of at least one other tile in a microgravity environment, wherein the arrangement of first magnets is controlled to mate with a complementary arrangement of second magnets on the shell of the at least one other tile when the complementary arrangement of second magnets is within a range of a magnetic attractive force of the arrangement of first magnets and wherein the controller is coupled to the light emitter and further configured to control the light emitter to transmit a modulated optical signal having a code to indicate a location of the tile and/or communicate any other data to the at least one other tile.
10. 10 . The tile of claim 9 further comprising a light detector coupled to the shell and to the controller and wherein the controller is further configured to receive a modulated optical code from at least one other tile.
11. 11 . The tile of claim 10 wherein the light detector is configured to receive a confirmation signal from at least one other tile and the controller is further configured to determine the status of a magnetic bond between one of the first magnets and one of the second magnets based upon the confirmation signal received from the at least one other tile and wherein the confirmation signal is provided as a modulated light signal.
12. 12 . The tile of claim 11 wherein the modulated light signal comprises at least one of: a first modulated optical code indicative of a magnetic bond error; and a second, different modulated optical code indicative of an aligned magnetic bond.
13. 13 . In a zero gravity (0 G) environment, a system for identifying and aligning tiles with different geometrical configurations to form a predetermined configuration of tiles, the system comprising: (a) a magnetic field sensor configured to sense a magnetic field on a tile and to provide a tile identification signal in response thereto; (b) means, coupled to the magnetic field sensor, for identifying the tile based upon a tile identification signal sense; and (c) means for aligning a tile within a predefined pattern of tiles to form a predetermined configuration of tiles in a 0 g environment.
14. 14 . The system of claim 13 wherein the magnetic field sensor comprises a magnetometer.
15. 15 . The system of claim 13 further comprising means for joining two or more aligned tiles.
16. 16 . The system of claim 13 wherein at least two tiles have different geometric shapes.
17. 17 . The system of claim 13 wherein at least two tiles have different physical features.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/591,234 filed on Feb. 2, 2022, which claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/145,418, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein. FIELD One or more embodiments described herein relate to autonomous self-assembly of structures in reduced-gravity environments. BACKGROUND Research and development of space-based applications has increased significantly in recent years. In addition to the deployment of next-generation communication satellites and space vehicle design, there is extensive interest in space-station systems, global mapping solutions, navigation and location services, sensor imagery, deep-space exploration, and now space tourism. While many valuable advancements have been made in these areas, one area that continues to lag behind is space structure assemblies and related assembly techniques. Existing methods require human intervention or robotic arms to manage and perform the assembly. This is not only dangerous, but is also time-consuming, expensive and requires the use of specially trained personnel and external equipment (adding additional costly mass to space missions). These problems are also applicable to other types of reduced-gravity environments, including but not limited to those involving drone use. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION One or more embodiments described herein relate to a tile which may be used in the autonomous self-assembly of one or more structures in a reduced-gravity environment. In accordance with one or more embodiments, a tile includes a shell having a first geometrical shape, an arrangement of first magnets supported by the shell, a controller, within the shell, configured to control operation of the arrangement of first magnets to assemble the shell with at least one other tile in a microgravity environment. The arrangement of first magnets is controlled to mate with a complementary arrangement of second magnets on the at least one other tile when the complementary arrangement of second magnets is within a range of magnetic attractive force of the arrangement of first magnets. The controller may also detect an aligned magnetic bond between one of the first magnets and one of the second magnets and detect a magnetic bond error between one of the first magnets and one of the second magnets. In one embodiment, the controller may determine the status of a magnetic bond between one of the first magnets and one of the second magnets based a confirmation signal from said another tile. The confirmation signal may include one or more optical signals. In one case, a first color of light or modulated optical code may be indicative of a magnetic bond error, and a second color of light or modulated optical code is indicative of an aligned magnetic bond. In one embodiment, the shell may include a light window facing said another tile, and the light emitter is configured to transmit the predetermined color of light or modulated optical code to said another tile through the light window. In accordance with one or more other embodiments, a method for performing self-assembly and reconfiguration of structures includes autonomously assembling a plurality of tiles to form a first structure, the plurality of tiles including controllers configured to control magnets on sides of the plurality of tiles to bond the plurality of tiles together to form the first structure; generating or receiving information to reconfigure the plurality of tiles to form a second structure different from the first structure; controlling release of magnetic bonds between the magnets of at least a portion of the plurality of tiles based on the information; and autonomously assembling at least the portion of the plurality of tiles to form the second structure, the second structure formed by controlling operation of magnets on sides of at least the portion of the plurality of tiles to bond the plurality of tiles together, wherein the plurality of tiles are autonomously assembled to form the first structure and autonomously assembled to form the second structure in a microgravity environment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1A is a perspective view of an embodiment of three coupled smart tiles; FIG. 1B is a perspective view of a pair of smart tiles illustrate in FIG. 1A; FIG. 2 is a side view of a pair of tiles ineffectively coupled via a magnetic bond (i.e. an example of a magnetic bond error between tiles that the invention corrects for); FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a pair of tiles ineffectively coupled via a magnetic bond (i.e. an example of a magnetic bond error between tiles that the invention corrects for); FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a pair of tiles ineffectively coupled via a magnetic bond (i.e. an example of a magnetic bond error between tiles that the invention corrects for); FIG. 5A is a side view of an example of an assembled tile; FIG. 5B is a