Mechanisms for steering robotic fish

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11124281-B2
Application number	US-201916655018-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 16, 2019
Priority date	Oct 16, 2018
Publication date	Sep 21, 2021
Grant date	Sep 21, 2021

Abstract

In one aspect, a device for providing propulsion in water is provided by the present disclosure. The device includes a parallel mechanism including at least five rigid bars and at least five joints, each joint being positioned between two of the rigid bars and configured to allow movement of the at least five rigid bars, a first servo motor coupled to a first rigid bar included in the at least five rigid bars, a second servo motor coupled to a second rigid bar included in the at least five rigid bars, and a controller coupled to the first servo motor and the second servo motor and configured to actuate the first servo motor and the second servo motor according to a predetermined pattern.

First claim

We claim:

1. A device for providing propulsion in water, the device comprising:
a parallel mechanism comprising at least five rigid bars and at least five joints, each joint being positioned between two of the rigid bars and configured to allow movement of the at least five rigid bars;
a first servo motor coupled to a first rigid bar included in the at least five rigid bars;
a second servo motor coupled to a second rigid bar included in the at least five rigid bars; and
a controller coupled to the first servo motor and the second servo motor and configured to actuate the first servo motor and the second servo motor according to a predetermined pattern.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the at least five joints are evenly spaced around the parallel mechanism.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the at least five joints comprise a fabric.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined pattern includes a sinusoidal pattern.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein a third rigid bar included in the at least five rigid bars is coupled to a substrate, the third rigid bar being positioned between the first rigid bar and the second rigid bar, and wherein the first servo motor and the second servo motor are coupled to the substrate.

6. The device of claim 5 , wherein the third rigid bar is attached to the substrate via a structural member.

7. The device of claim 5 further comprising a fin attached to a fourth bar of the at least five rigid bars and extending orthogonally away from the parallel mechanism, the fourth bar positioned adjacent to the first rigid bar, and the fourth bar moving when the first rigid bar moves.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein the pattern is determined based on predetermined parameters corresponding to a swimming maneuver, and wherein the predetermined pattern comprises a series of angular positions for the first servo motor and the second servo motor.

9. The device of claim 1 , wherein the device is included in a robotic fish.

10. The device of claim 1 , wherein the at least five joints comprise nylon.

11. The device of claim 1 further comprising a fin coupled to a third rigid bar included in the at least five rigid bars.

12. The device of claim 11 , wherein the fin is configured to provide a turning force to a submersible robot.

13. The device of claim 11 , wherein the fin is configured to provide a locomotion force to a submersible robot.

14. A robotic fish comprising:
a parallel mechanism comprising at least five rigid bars;
a first servo motor coupled to a first rigid bar included in the at least five rigid bars;
a second servo motor coupled to a second rigid bar included in the at least five rigid bars;
a fin coupled to a third rigid bar included in the at least five rigid bars; and
a controller coupled to the first servo motor and the second servo motor and configured to actuate the first servo motor and the second servo motor according to a predetermined pattern in order to provide a turning force to the robotic fish.

15. The robotic fish of claim 14 , wherein the parallel mechanism comprises at least five joints, each joint being positioned between two of the rigid bars and configured to allow movement of the at least five rigid bars.

16. The robotic fish of claim 15 , wherein the at least five joints are evenly spaced around the parallel mechanism.

17. The robotic fish of claim 15 , wherein the at least five joints comprise a fabric.

18. The robotic fish of claim 14 , wherein the predetermined pattern includes a sinusoidal pattern.

19. The robotic fish of claim 14 further comprising a caudal fin coupled to a third servo motor, wherein the controller is further coupled to the third servo motor and configured to actuate the third servo motor in a second predetermined pattern in order to provide a locomotion force to the robotic fish.

20. The robotic fish of claim 14 , wherein the fin extends orthogonally away from the parallel mechanism.

Assignees

• Aukes Daniel
• Sharifzadeh Mohammad
• Nichols Kevin
• Jiang Yuhao
• Univ Arizona State

Inventors

• Aukes Daniel
• Sharifzadeh Mohammad
• Nichols Kevin
• Jiang Yuhao

Classifications

• B63H21/17

  by electric motor · CPC title

• B25J11/00

  Manipulators not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• B63H25/44

  Steering or slowing-down by extensible flaps or the like · CPC title

• B63H1/36 Primary

  swinging sideways, e.g. fishtail type · CPC title

• B25J9/003

  having parallel kinematics · CPC title