一种新型模块化自重构机器人的运动仿真和试验

根据自重构机器人的特点,设计了一种新型的同构阵列式自重构机器人M-Cubes,其每个单元模块由6个旋转关节和1个立方体连杆组成,具有12个自由度,旋转关节上设计了一种机械式的连接分离机构,连杆内部设计了一种空间传动系统,用一个电机分别带动6个空间均布的关节旋转,机构整体结构上更加简洁、紧凑.对设计的模块进行的基本运动试验表明传动更加高效,连接分离更加可靠,控制更加简单方便.同时开发了一个自重构机器人仿真平台,可以图形化地设计系统的构型、模块的运动和系统的重构过程.利用元胞自动机的局部作用特性,将每个单元模块简化为元胞,结合遗传算法来进化元胞自动机的转移规则,将转移规则作用于每个单元模块,实现分布式控制,仿真结果表明该方法是有效和可行的.

Motion simulation and experiment of a novel modular self-reconfigurable robot

Based on the character of the modular self-reconfigurable (MSR) robot,a novel homogeneous and lattice MSR robot,M-Cubes, was designed.Each module unit of the robot has 12 freedoms and is composed of six rotary joints and one cubic link.An attached/detached mechanism was designed on the rotary joints.A novel space transmitting system was placed on the inner portion of the cubic link.A motor separately transmitted torque to the six joints which were distributed equally on six surfaces of the cubic link.The example of a basic motion for the module was demonstrated.The result shows that the robot is concise and compact in structure,highly efficient in transmission,credible in connecting, and simple in controlling.At the same time,a simulator is developed to graphically design the system configuration,the reconfiguration process and the motion of cluster modules.The character of local action for the cellular automata (CA) is utilized.Each module is simplified as a cell.The transition rules of the CA are developed to combine with the genetic algorithm (GA) and applied to each module to accomplish distributed control.Simulation proves that the method is effective and feasible.