CN217442737U - Flexible electronic skin and robot - Google Patents

Abstract

The embodiment of the application discloses flexible electronic skin for need not external power supply, touch through external force can make the conductive element release a large amount of storage electric charges, switch on display element and make it produce the bright light, press the position with the demonstration, make electronic skin have better perception interaction. The method in the embodiment of the application comprises the following steps: the conductive unit comprises a conductive substrate and an electroplated layer, the conductive substrate and the electroplated layer are combined to form a conductive electrode, and the conductive electrode is used for generating an electric signal; the first side surface of the conductive electrode and the second side surface of the composite film are conductive surfaces; the sensing unit comprises at least one group of display parts, and positive and negative electrodes of the display parts are respectively adhered to the conductive electrodes and one end of the conductive surface of the composite film and used for displaying the pressed position.

Description

Flexible electronic skin and robot

Technical Field

The embodiment of the application relates to the technical field of robots, in particular to a flexible electronic skin and a robot.

Background

Skin is one of important organs constituting human body touch, and electronic skin is produced to give similar touch to a robot. After the robot is given with the touch sense through the electronic skin, the robot can more fully and accurately acquire the pressure signal in the environment, so that various and effective actions are realized.

When the robot moves, the electronic skin covered on the surface of the robot needs an external power supply to physically sense the surrounding environment, and when the external power supply cannot provide required electric energy for the electronic skin, the sensing interaction of the electronic skin is influenced.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

The embodiment of the application provides a flexible electronic skin for need not external power supply, touch through external force can make the conductive element release a large amount of storage charges, switch on display element and make it produce the light, press the position with the demonstration, make electronic skin have better perception interaction.

The present application provides flexible electronic skin in a first aspect, flexible electronic skin includes electrically conductive unit, induction element and complex film that sets gradually from outer to inner:

the conductive unit comprises a conductive substrate and an electroplating layer, the conductive substrate and the electroplating layer are combined to form a conductive electrode, and the conductive electrode is used for generating an electric signal;

the first side surface of the conductive electrode and the second side surface of the composite film are conductive surfaces;

the sensing unit comprises at least one group of display parts, and positive and negative electrodes of the display parts are respectively adhered to the conductive electrodes and one end of the conductive surface of the composite film and are used for displaying the pressed position.

Optionally, the flexible electronic skin further comprises an anode;

the first side surface of the conductive electrode is arranged to be a tooth space structure, the electroplated layer is a silver nano electroplated layer, and the anode is arranged in the groove of the tooth space structure of the conductive electrode and is used for depositing silver nano particles in the silver nano electroplated layer in the tooth space structure.

Optionally, a protective gas is filled between the conductive unit and the composite film to isolate oxygen.

Optionally, the composite membrane is a composite membrane with a porous characteristic.

Optionally, the conductive substrate is made of a flexible transparent material.

Optionally, the display component is a light strip set.

Optionally, the flexible electronic skin further comprises an adhesive glue layer;

the adhesive glue layer covers the third side face of the composite film and is used for adhering the outer surface of the robot.

Optionally, the flexible electronic skin further comprises an amplification detection circuit;

the amplification detection circuit comprises an amplifier, a first resistor and a second resistor;

and the positive electrode and the negative electrode of the power supply of the amplification detection circuit are respectively externally connected with the composite film and the other end of the conductive surface of the conductive electrode and are used for detecting the charge stored in the electroplated layer and amplifying corresponding electric signals.

Optionally, the flexible electronic skin further comprises a controller connected to the amplification detection circuit;

the controller is configured to:

acquiring an electric signal output by the amplification detection circuit;

determining a location of the depression based on the electrical signal.

From a second aspect, the present application provides a robot comprising a flexible electronic skin as described in any of the preceding first aspects.

According to the technical scheme, the embodiment of the application has the following advantages:

the flexible electronic skin that provides at this application has included conductive element, induction element and complex film, and this conductive element has included conductive substrate and plating layer, and conductive substrate is used for producing the signal of telecommunication with the conductive electrode that the plating layer combination formed, and the positive and negative electrode of display part pastes the one end in the conductive surface of conductive electrode and complex film respectively among the induction element for show the position that is pressed. The first side face of the conductive electrode can simulate a capacitor to form a large amount of charge accumulation, and the potential difference generated between the conductive electrode and the composite film is increased, so that the electronic skin does not need an external power supply, and the conductive unit can release a large amount of stored charges to provide electric energy for the display part only by external force touch, so that the display part generates bright light, the pressing position is displayed, and the electronic skin has better perception interaction.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments or the prior art descriptions will be briefly described below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application, and it is obvious for those skilled in the art to obtain other drawings based on these drawings without inventive exercise.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a hardware structure of a multi-legged robot provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a mechanical structure of the multi-legged robot provided by the embodiment of the application;

FIG. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of a flexible electronic skin provided by an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of an amplification detection circuit provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 5 is a schematic flow chart of a preparation process of a composite membrane provided in an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

In the embodiments of the present application, the terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "front", "rear", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "middle", "vertical", "horizontal", "lateral", "longitudinal", and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are used only for explaining relative positional relationships between the respective members or components, and do not particularly limit specific mounting orientations of the respective members or components.

Moreover, some of the above terms may be used to indicate other meanings besides the orientation or positional relationship, for example, the term "on" may also be used to indicate some kind of attachment or connection relationship in some cases. The specific meaning of these terms in this application will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art as appropriate.

Furthermore, the terms "mounted," "disposed," "provided," "connected," and "connected" are to be construed broadly. For example, it may be a fixed connection, a removable connection, or a unitary construction; can be a mechanical connection, or an electrical connection; may be directly connected, or indirectly connected through intervening media, or may be in internal communication between two devices, elements or components. The specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art as appropriate.

In addition, the structures, the proportions, the sizes, and the like, which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in the present application, are intended to be considered illustrative and not restrictive, and therefore, not limiting, since those skilled in the art will understand and read the present application, it is understood that any modifications of the structures, changes in the proportions, or adjustments in the sizes, which are not necessarily essential to the practice of the present application, are intended to be within the scope of the present disclosure without affecting the efficacy and attainment of the same.

It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the invention and are not intended to limit the invention.

In the following description, suffixes such as "module", "component", or "unit" used to represent components are used only for the convenience of description of the present invention, and have no specific meaning in itself. Thus, "module", "component" or "unit" may be used mixedly.

Referring to fig. 1, fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a hardware structure of a multi-legged robot 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the embodiment shown in fig. 1, the multi-legged robot 100 includes a mechanical unit 101, a communication unit 102, a sensing unit 103, an interface unit 104, a storage unit 105, a control module 110, and a power supply 111. The various components of the multi-legged robot 100 can be connected in any manner, including wired or wireless connections, and the like. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the specific structure of the polypod robot 100 shown in fig. 1 does not constitute a limitation to the polypod robot 100, the polypod robot 100 may include more or less components than those shown, some components do not belong to the essential constitution of the polypod robot 100, and some components may be omitted or combined as necessary within the scope not changing the essence of the present invention.

The following describes the components of the multi-legged robot 100 in detail with reference to fig. 1:

the mechanical unit 101 is the hardware of the multi-legged robot 100. As shown in fig. 1, the machine unit 101 may include a drive plate 1011, a motor 1012, a machine structure 1013, as shown in fig. 2, the machine structure 1013 may include a body 1014, extendable legs 1015, feet 1016, and in other embodiments, the machine structure 1013 may further include extendable robotic arms (not shown), a rotatable head structure 1017, a swingable tail structure 1018, a load structure 1019, a saddle structure 1020, a camera structure 1021, and the like. It should be noted that each component module of the mechanical unit 101 may be one or multiple, and may be configured according to specific situations, for example, the number of the legs 1015 may be 4, each leg 1015 may be configured with 3 motors 1012, and the number of the corresponding motors 1012 is 12.

The communication unit 102 can be used for receiving and transmitting signals, and can also communicate with other devices through a network, for example, receive command information sent by a remote controller or other multi-legged robots 100 to move in a specific direction at a specific speed according to a specific gait, and transmit the command information to the control module 110 for processing. The communication unit 102 includes, for example, a WiFi module, a 4G module, a 5G module, a bluetooth module, an infrared module, etc.

The sensing unit 103 is used for acquiring information data of the environment around the multi-legged robot 100 and monitoring parameter data of each component inside the multi-legged robot 100, and sending the information data to the control module 110. The sensing unit 103 includes various sensors such as a sensor for acquiring surrounding environment information: laser radar (for long-range object detection, distance determination, and/or velocity value determination), millimeter wave radar (for short-range object detection, distance determination, and/or velocity value determination), a camera, an infrared camera, a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), and the like. Such as sensors monitoring the various components inside the multi-legged robot 100: an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) (for measuring values of velocity, acceleration and angular velocity values), a sole sensor (for monitoring sole impact point position, sole attitude, ground contact force magnitude and direction), a temperature sensor (for detecting component temperature). As for the other sensors such as the load sensor, the touch sensor, the motor angle sensor, and the torque sensor, which can be configured in the multi-legged robot 100, the detailed description is omitted here.

The interface unit 104 can be used to receive inputs from external devices (e.g., data information, power, etc.) and transmit the received inputs to one or more components within the multi-legged robot 100, or can be used to output to external devices (e.g., data information, power, etc.). The interface unit 104 may include a power port, a data port (e.g., a USB port), a memory card port, a port for connecting a device having an identification module, an audio input/output (I/O) port, a video I/O port, and the like.

The storage unit 105 is used to store software programs and various data. The storage unit 105 may mainly include a program storage area and a data storage area, wherein the program storage area may store an operating system program, a motion control program, an application program (such as a text editor), and the like; the data storage area may store data generated by the multi-legged robot 100 in use (such as various sensing data acquired by the sensing unit 103, log file data), and the like. In addition, the storage unit 105 may include high-speed random access memory, and may also include non-volatile memory, such as disk memory, flash memory, or other volatile solid-state memory.

The display unit 106 is used to display information input by a user or information provided to the user. The Display unit 106 may include a Display panel 1061, and the Display panel 1061 may be configured in the form of a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), an Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED), or the like.

The input unit 107 may be used to receive input numeric or character information. Specifically, the input unit 107 may include a touch panel 1071 and other input devices 1072. The touch panel 1071, also called a touch screen, may collect a user's touch operations (such as operations of the user on the touch panel 1071 or near the touch panel 1071 using a palm, a finger, or a suitable accessory) and drive a corresponding connection device according to a preset program. The touch panel 1071 may include two parts of a touch detection device 1073 and a touch controller 1074. The touch detection device 1073 detects the touch orientation of the user, detects a signal caused by a touch operation, and transmits the signal to the touch controller 1074; the touch controller 1074 receives touch information from the touch sensing device 1073, converts the touch information into touch point coordinates, and transmits the touch point coordinates to the control module 110, and can receive and execute commands from the control module 110. The input unit 107 may include other input devices 1072 in addition to the touch panel 1071. In particular, other input devices 1072 may include, but are not limited to, one or more of a remote control handle or the like, and are not limited to such details.

Further, the touch panel 1071 may cover the display panel 1061, and when the touch panel 1071 detects a touch operation thereon or nearby, the touch panel 1071 transmits the touch operation to the control module 110 to determine the type of the touch event, and then the control module 110 provides a corresponding visual output on the display panel 1061 according to the type of the touch event. Although in fig. 1, the touch panel 1071 and the display panel 1061 are two independent components to implement the input and output functions, respectively, in some embodiments, the touch panel 1071 and the display panel 1061 may be integrated to implement the input and output functions, which is not limited herein.

The control module 110 is a control center of the multi-legged robot 100, connects the respective components of the entire multi-legged robot 100 using various interfaces and lines, and performs overall control of the multi-legged robot 100 by operating or executing software programs stored in the storage unit 105 and calling up data stored in the storage unit 105.

The power supply 111 is used to supply power to the various components, and the power supply 111 may include a battery and a power control board for controlling battery charging, discharging, and power management functions. In the embodiment shown in fig. 1, the power source 111 is electrically connected to the control module 110, and in other embodiments, the power source 111 may be electrically connected to the sensing unit 103 (e.g., a camera, a radar, a sound box, etc.) and the motor 1012 respectively. It should be noted that each component may be connected to a different power source 111 or powered by the same power source 111.

On the basis of the above embodiments, in particular, in some embodiments, the communication connection with the multi-legged robot 100 can be performed through a terminal device, when the terminal device communicates with the multi-legged robot 100, the command information can be transmitted to the multi-legged robot 100 through the terminal device, the multi-legged robot 100 can receive the command information through the communication unit 102, and in case of receiving the command information, the command information can be transmitted to the control module 110, so that the control module 110 can process the target velocity value according to the command information. Terminal devices include, but are not limited to: the mobile phone, the tablet computer, the server, the personal computer, the wearable intelligent device and other electrical equipment with the image shooting function.

The instruction information may be determined according to a preset condition. In one embodiment, the multi-legged robot 100 can include a sensing unit 103, and the sensing unit 103 can generate instruction information according to the current environment in which the multi-legged robot 100 is located. The control module 110 can determine whether the current velocity value of the multi-legged robot 100 satisfies the corresponding preset condition according to the instruction information. If yes, keeping the current speed value and the current gait movement of the multi-legged robot 100; if the target velocity value is not met, the target velocity value and the corresponding target gait are determined according to the corresponding preset conditions, so that the multi-legged robot 100 can be controlled to move at the target velocity value and the corresponding target gait. The environmental sensors may include temperature sensors, air pressure sensors, visual sensors, sound sensors. The instruction information may include temperature information, air pressure information, image information, and sound information. The communication mode between the environmental sensor and the control module 110 may be wired communication or wireless communication. The manner of wireless communication includes, but is not limited to: wireless network, mobile communication network (3G, 4G, 5G, etc.), bluetooth, infrared.

The hardware structure and the mechanical structure of the robot provided by the present application are explained above, and the flexible electronic skin applied to the multi-legged robot provided by the present application is explained below.

Referring to fig. 3, in the embodiment of the present application, a flexible electronic skin applied to a robot is provided, the flexible electronic skin includes a conductive unit, an induction unit and a composite film 13, which are sequentially arranged from outside to inside, the conductive unit includes a conductive substrate 11 and an electroplated layer 12, the conductive substrate 11 and the electroplated layer 12 form a conductive electrode, and the conductive electrode is used for generating an electrical signal; the first side of the conductive electrode and the second side of the composite film 13 are both conductive surfaces; the sensing unit comprises at least one group of display parts 14, and positive and negative electrodes of the display parts 14 are respectively adhered to one ends of the conductive surfaces of the conductive electrodes and the composite film 13 and used for displaying the pressed positions.

In this embodiment, the conductive substrate 11 and the electroplated layer 12 of the conductive unit can be combined to form a conductive electrode, when the conductive electrode rubs against the composite film 13, the conductive electrode can transfer charges, a potential difference can be formed between the conductive electrode and the composite film 13, since the amount of stored charges is increased, the transferred charges can be increased, the corresponding formed potential difference can also be increased, so that the electronic skin does not need an external power supply, the conductive unit can release a large amount of stored charges to provide required electric energy for the display part 14 only by external force touch, and the display part 14 can be quickly lightened to sense and display the pressed position.

In one embodiment, the first side of the conductive electrode may be set to be a spline structure to increase the amount of stored charge thereof, and the plating layer 12 is set to be a silver nano plating layer, so that, in order to allow silver nano particles in the silver nano plating layer to be deposited in the spline structure, that is, to make the plating uniform, the needle-shaped anode may be inserted into the groove of the spline structure through the corresponding tool for plating. It should be noted that the conductive electrode is configured in a spline structure to simulate a capacitor, and the conductive electrode may be configured in any structure that can simulate a large charge accumulation characteristic of a capacitor, other than the spline structure.

It should be further noted that the conductive substrate 11 in the conductive unit may be a transparent Polyester (PET) substrate, and at the same time, may include, but is not limited to, forming a plating layer on the conductive substrate 11 by means of a surge plating process using silver nanoparticles, so as to obtain a conductive electrode.

In one embodiment, since oxygen easily oxidizes the electrode, and the inert gas is inactive and does not chemically react with the electrode, oxidation of the electrode can be prevented, so that the electrode can be isolated from oxygen by filling a protective gas between the conductive unit and the composite film 13, for example, a dry nitrogen gas with a concentration of 95% -98% can be filled in a gap between the conductive unit and the composite film 13, thereby achieving an effect of preventing oxidation of the plating layer 12. Further, during the standing process of the flexible electronic skin, due to the charge accumulation effect, the conductive electrode can release excessive charges after contacting with the composite film 13.

In one embodiment, the composite membrane 13 is a composite membrane 13 having porous characteristics. Since silicone rubber is one of the polymeric membrane materials having the highest gas permeation rate, is inexpensive and readily available, has good adhesion and film forming properties, and is an excellent gas separation membrane material, the composite membrane 13 may be a composite membrane 13 made of at least a silicone rubber material in order to obtain excellent gas permeation and separation selectivity of the composite membrane 13.

In one embodiment, display member 14 may be a bank of light strips.

In one embodiment, for the conductive unit, the conductive substrate 11 of the conductive unit has flexible light-transmitting property; in order to make the flexible e-skin more conformable to the outer surface of the applied robot, an adhesive layer 15 is applied to the third side of the composite film 13.

Referring to fig. 4, as shown in fig. 4, the flexible electronic skin in the embodiment of the present application may further be externally connected to the amplification detection circuit from the composite film 13 and the conductive electrode, and the external connection manner is as follows: the positive electrode of the power supply of the amplification detection circuit is externally connected with the composite membrane 13, and the negative electrode of the power supply is externally connected with the conductive surface of the conductive electrode. The amplification detection circuit may include an amplifier 41, a first resistor R1, and a second resistor R2 for detecting the magnitude of the charge stored in the plating layer 12 and amplifying the corresponding electrical signal. It should be noted that in the amplification detection circuit, the model of the amplifier 41 may include, but is not limited to, the AD 823.

Preferably, the flexible electronic skin in the embodiment of the present application may further include a controller connected to the amplification detection circuit, and the controller may acquire an electrical signal output by the amplification detection circuit and determine the pressed position according to the acquired electrical signal. In this embodiment of the application, the controller may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a combinational logic controller, or other general-purpose controllers, and is not limited herein. When the flexible electronic skin is used as a sensor, the controller can respond correspondingly according to the pressing position, the magnitude of the electric signal, the existence time of the electric signal and the like.

Referring to fig. 5, as shown in fig. 5, a method for preparing a flexible electronic skin composite film 13 may include the following steps:

(a1) adding 5 to 10 percent of curing agent into a certain amount of Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) to cure the PDMS;

(a2) mixing and stirring a certain amount of copper nano powder (conductive powder), a certain amount of calcium carbonate, cured polydimethylsiloxane and a certain amount of deionized water, and uniformly distributing the copper powder to form a PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) -doped copper powder conductive polymer;

(a3) introducing nitrogen into the conductive polymer to enable PDMS mixed colloid in the conductive polymer to generate bubbles, so as to realize porous characteristics;

(a4) pouring the conductive polymer into a corresponding mold groove for curing/polishing for 24 hours, wherein the curing/polishing temperature environment is set within the range of 60-80 degrees, the curing is used for forming the conductive polymer into a preset shape, and the polishing is used for maintaining the flatness of the PDMS mixed colloid so as to facilitate the attachment;

(a5) taking the treated conductive polymer out of the die slot, and pickling to remove calcium carbonate;

(a6) washing with deionized water for multiple times;

(a7) the washed conductive polymer is dried at 50 ° to 80 ° to remove water vapor.

The conductive polymer after removing the water vapor is the composite membrane 13 with the porous characteristic, and the composite membrane 13 prepared through the steps not only has excellent gas permeability, but also has excellent separation selectivity. It should be noted that the nitrogen used in the step (a3) is not exclusive and may be any chemically inert gas.

Due to the triboelectrification effect, the conductive electrode is pressed externally to be in contact with the composite film 13, and because the triboelectric polarities of the conductive electrode and the composite film 13 are different, charge transfer can occur, so that a potential difference is formed between the conductive electrode and the composite film 13. The specific implementation mode is as follows: when the conductive electrode is in press contact with the composite film 13, the conductive electrode and the composite film 13 generate friction, and as the ability of the particles in the conductive electrode to lose electrons is stronger than that of the composite film 13, negative electricity is generated after the composite film 13 is rubbed; when the conductive electrode is separated from the composite film 13, due to the porous characteristic of the composite film 13, the separation sequence is orderly, electrons flow through the pins of the display part 14 to neutralize positive charges, so that pulse currents are generated to light the display part 14, and the flexible electronic skin can work independently without being powered by a battery.

It should be noted that the display component 14 in the sensing unit may be at least one Light Emitting Diode (LED) strip, positive and negative electrodes of the LED strip are respectively adhered between the conductive electrode and the composite film 13, so that electrostatic arcing is not generated, electrons balance potential difference by transferring between the LED strips, thus the formed electron transfer is continuous, and current can drive the LED strips. Under the condition of no external power supply, through pressing the conductive electrode, the friction electrification effect is produced, and the lamp pearl on the display unit 14 is switched on in the circular telegram, produces the light, and the light source sees through transparent conductive electrode, shows and presses the position, has better interactivity.

Claims (10)

1. The utility model provides a flexible electron skin which characterized in that, flexible electron skin includes electrically conductive unit, induction element and the complex film that sets gradually from outer to inner:

the conductive unit comprises a conductive substrate and an electroplating layer, the conductive substrate and the electroplating layer are combined to form a conductive electrode, and the conductive electrode is used for generating an electric signal;

the first side surface of the conductive electrode and the second side surface of the composite film are conductive surfaces;

the sensing unit comprises at least one group of display parts, and positive and negative electrodes of the display parts are respectively adhered to the conductive electrodes and one end of the conductive surface of the composite film and used for displaying the pressed position.

2. The flexible electronic skin of claim 1, further comprising an anode;

the first side surface of the conductive electrode is arranged to be a tooth space structure, the electroplated layer is a silver nano electroplated layer, and the anode is arranged in the groove of the tooth space structure of the conductive electrode and is used for depositing silver nano particles in the silver nano electroplated layer in the tooth space structure.

3. The flexible electronic skin according to claim 2, wherein a protective gas is filled between the conductive unit and the composite film for isolating oxygen.

4. The flexible electronic skin according to claim 3, wherein the composite film is a composite film with porous characteristics.

5. The flexible electronic skin according to claim 1, wherein the conductive substrate is made of a material having a flexible light-transmitting property.

6. The flexible electronic skin of claim 1, wherein the display component is a light strip set.

7. The flexible electronic skin of claim 1, further comprising an adhesive gel layer;

the adhesive glue layer covers the third side face of the composite film and is used for adhering the outer surface of the robot.

8. The flexible electronic skin according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising an amplification detection circuit;

the amplification detection circuit comprises an amplifier, a first resistor and a second resistor;

the positive electrode and the negative electrode of the power supply of the amplification detection circuit are respectively externally connected with the composite film and the other end of the conductive surface of the conductive electrode and are used for detecting the charge stored in the electroplated layer and amplifying the corresponding electric signals.

9. The flexible electronic skin of claim 8, further comprising a controller connected to the amplification detection circuit;

the controller is configured to:

acquiring an electric signal output by the amplification detection circuit;

determining a location of the depression based on the electrical signal.

10. A robot comprising a flexible electronic skin according to any of claims 1 to 9.

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