A novel explosion-proof walking system: Twin dual-motor drive tracked units for coal mine rescue robots

A new explosion-proof walking system was designed for the coal mine rescue robot(CMRR) by optimizing the mechanical structure and control algorithm. The mechanical structure innovation lies mainly in the dual-motor drive tracked unit used, which showed high dynamic performance compared with the conventional tracked unit. The control algorithm, developed based on decision trees and neural networking, facilitates autonomous switching between "Velocity-driven Mode" and "Torquedriven Mode". To verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the control strategy, we built a self-designed test platform and used it to debug the control program; we then made a robot prototype and conducted further experiments on single-step, ramp, and rubble terrains. The results show that the proposed walking system has excellent dynamic performance and the control strategy is very efficient, suggesting that a robot with this type of explosion-proof walking system can be successfully applied in Chinese coal mines.

Development of two rescue robots for disaster relief operations in narrow debris

This paper proposes two novel rescue robots,including a cutter robot and a jack robot,which are aimed to contribute to rescue activities such as to cut through obstacles and to jack up debris in dangerous sites and narrow spaces,where a rescue team can not work or approach.Firstly,a multilinked tracked rescue robot platform composed of connected crawler vehicles is developed,which has high mobility on irregular terrain and ability to move into narrow collapsed structures.Then,the cutter robot and jack robot are designed on the basis of rescue robot platform equipped with a cutter or a jack mechanism and corresponding manipulators in the front segment.The cutter refitted by an angle grinder is able to cut through 10 mm diameter steel bars.The electric jack mechanism designed based on multiple layers screw sleeves structure can lift up 300 kg load from 70 mm to 400 mm.Experimental results validate the capability of the two rescue robots.

An Improved Iterated Greedy Algorithm for Solving Rescue Robot Path Planning Problem with Limited Survival Time

Effective path planning is crucial for mobile robots to quickly reach rescue destination and complete rescue tasks in a post-disaster scenario.In this study,we investigated the post-disaster rescue path planning problem and modeled this problem as a variant of the travel salesman problem(TSP)with life-strength constraints.To address this problem,we proposed an improved iterated greedy(IIG)algorithm.First,a push-forward insertion heuristic(PFIH)strategy was employed to generate a high-quality initial solution.Second,a greedy-based insertion strategy was designed and used in the destruction-construction stage to increase the algorithm’s exploration ability.Furthermore,three problem-specific swap operators were developed to improve the algorithm’s exploitation ability.Additionally,an improved simulated annealing(SA)strategy was used as an acceptance criterion to effectively prevent the algorithm from falling into local optima.To verify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm,the Solomon dataset was extended to generate 27 instances for simulation.Finally,the proposed IIG was compared with five state-of-the-art algorithms.The parameter analysiswas conducted using the design of experiments(DOE)Taguchi method,and the effectiveness analysis of each component has been verified one by one.Simulation results indicate that IIGoutperforms the compared algorithms in terms of the number of rescue survivors and convergence speed,proving the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.

Mobile platform of rocker-type coal mine rescue robot

After a coal mine disaster,especially a gas and coal dust explosion,the space-restricted and unstructured underground terrain and explosive gas require coal mine rescue robots with good obstacle-surmounting performance and explosion-proof capability. For this type of environment,we designed a mobile platform for a rocker-type coal mine rescue robot with four independent drive wheels.The composition and operational principles of the mobile platform are introduced,we discuss the flameproof design of the rocker assembly,as well as the operational principles and mechanical structure of the bevel gear differential and the main parameters are provided.Motion simulation of the differential function and condition of the robot running on virtual,uneven terrain is carried out with ADAMS.The simulation results show that the differential device can maintain the main body of the robot at an average angle between two rockers.The robot model has good operating performance.Experiments on terrain adaptability and surmounting obstacle performance of the robot prototype have been carried out.The results indicate that the prototype has good terrain adaptability and strong obstacle-surmounting performance.

The theoretical research on localization using improved particle filter for mine rescue robot in unknown underground space

The localization for mine rescue robot in unknown space of coal mine emer- gency was researched,basing on the requirement of mine rescue robot localization which enters the scene of the coal mine accident,unknown circumstance,the unstructured, non-Gaussian and nonlinear work-space for robot works.The localization using particle filter was proposed to which is applied in mine rescue robot in unknown under-ground space.Meanwhile,focusing on severe particle sample degeneracy in the primary particle filter,an improved particle filter was proposed to reinforce the stability of particle filter.Be- ing compared with localization using extended Kalman filter through simulation experiment the localization using particle filter is proved to have more locating accuracy in unknown underground space and better computational real-time ability,which solves the pre-local- ization problem of robot underground.

CAN-based Control System Design on Minor-caliber Deep Well Rescue Robot

By introdming a small-caliber deep well rescue robot, a hold-hug pattern rescue mechanism was brought forward. In order to reduce the volmne, the trader-well rescue imclmnism is modularizing designed. At the same tirae, the audio and video systyems, the illumination system and the ventilation system are expatiated. The rescuing robot can rescue the falling person in the deep well, it can save much manateral resources and time. It＇s really an ideal rescue device for the small-caliber fall.

HeterBot:A heterogeneous mobile manipulation robot for versatile operation

This study presents the overall architecture of HeterBot,a heterogeneous mobile manipulation robot developed in our lab,which is designed for versatile operation in hazardous environments.The most significant feature of HeterBot is the heterogeneous design created by adopting the idea of‘big arm+small arm’and‘big car+mini car’.This combination has the advantage of functional complementation,which achieves performance promotion in both locomotion and manipulation capabilities,making HeterBot distinguished from other mobile manipulation robots.Besides,multiple novel technologies are integrated into HeterBot to expand its versatility and ease of use,including Virtual Robot Experimentation Platform-based teleoperation,reconfigurable end effectors,laseraided grasping,and manipulation with customised tools.Experimental results validate the effectiveness of HeterBot in various locomotion and manipulation tasks.HeterBot displays huge potential in future applications,such as searching and rescue.