Abstract
Underwater minirobots have attracted significant interest due to their value in complex application scenarios. Typical underwater minirobots are driven mainly by a soft or rigid actuator. However, soft actuation is currently facing challenges, including inadequate motional control accuracy and the lack of a continuous and steady driving force, while conventional rigid actuation has limited actuation efficiency, environmental adaptability, and motional flexibility, which severely limits the accomplishment of complicated underwater tasks. In this study, we developed underwater minirobots actuated by a hybrid driving method (HDM) that combines combustion-based actuators and propeller thrusters to achieve accurate, fast, and flexible underwater locomotion performance. Underwater experiments were conducted to investigate the kinematic performance of the minirobots with respect to the motion modes of rising, drifting, and hovering. Numerical models were used to investigate the kinematic characteristics of the minirobots, and theoretical models developed to unveil the mechanical principle that governs the driving process. Satisfactory agreement was obtained from comarisons of the experimental, numerical, and theoretical results. Finally, the HDM was compared with selected hybrid driving technologies in terms of acceleration and response time. The comparison showed that the minirobots based on HDM were generally superior in transient actuation ability and reliability.
目的
水下机器人运动时会受到水下环境中局部水流方向和流速的无规则变化等随机因素的干扰,并且其在水中的运动过程本身是一个强耦合的非线性系统,因此对水下机器人的动力驱动性能提出了较高的要求。本文旨在探索一种水下混合驱动技术,即将化学放能反应软体驱动器与螺旋桨推进器耦合,提升水下机器人动力驱动性能,以实现快速、灵活且可靠的水下运动表现。
创新点
1. 提出了一种水下混合驱动技术,即将化学放能反应驱动(柔性)与螺旋桨驱动(刚性)相结合,且所提出的由刚性-柔性驱动协同运作的混合驱动技术能够结合两种驱动方式的优势特点,完成其中任一单一驱动方式无法实现的水下运动表现;2. 建立了混合驱动水下小型机器人运动过程的数值模拟和机理分析模型,成功模拟了混合驱动机器人水下运动全过程,并定量研究了混合驱动技术的驱动性能和运动表现。
方法
1. 通过实验研究,完成混合驱动水下小型机器人的设计制造及运动测试(图1~8);2. 建立运动过程的数值模拟模型,定量研究混合驱动水下小型机器人的动力学表现(图9);3. 建立运动过程的理论推导模型(公式(1)~(8)),揭示混合驱动水下小型机器人的驱动及运动过程的力学原理(图10),并对比验证实验、数模和理论结果,验证所提方法的可行性和有效性(图11)。
结论
1. 混合驱动水下小型机器人能实现瞬时弹射,然后保持上升、转向或悬停于某一位置,具有优异的快速响应驱动能力且能满足水下运动多自由度要求;2. 与现有混合驱动技术研究相比,所报道的混合驱动技术具有更强的运行可靠性和快速响应能力;3. 化学放能反应驱动的极高驱动加速度,能够帮助水下机器人在面临被地形卡死或被水生植物缠绕等复杂情况时成功摆脱,或实现水下瞬间启动和制动、瞬间转向和避障等;4. 螺旋桨推进驱动的机动性和持续性能够帮助机器人在水下稳定作业,实现水下监测等潜在应用。
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Acknowledgments
This study is supported by the Key Research and Development Plan of Zhejiang Province, China (No. 2021C03181), the Startup Fund of the Hundred Talents Program at the Zhejiang University, China, and the China Scholarship Council (No. 202006320349).
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Xinghong YE and Pengcheng JIAO designed the research. Lingwei LI and Xinghong YE conducted the experiments. Yang YANG proposed the theoretical model. Xinghong YE, Lingwei LI, and Yang YANG processed the numerical data. Xinghong YE and Yang YANG wrote the first draft of the manuscript. Zhiguo HE revised and edited the final version.
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Xinghong YE, Yang YANG, Pengcheng JIAO, Zhiguo HE, and Lingwei LI declare that they have no conflict of interest.
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Ye, X., Yang, Y., Jiao, P. et al. Underwater minirobots actuated by hybrid driving method. J. Zhejiang Univ. Sci. A 24, 596–611 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1631/jzus.A2300056
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1631/jzus.A2300056