WO2017190689A1 - Mobile robotic liquid metal printing device and method - Google Patents

Abstract

A mobile robotic liquid metal printing device and method. The device comprises a control unit (2), a driving unit (3), a moving unit (4), an attaching unit (5) and a printing unit (6), the control unit parses liquid metal lines to be printed, and sends a control instruction to the driving unit; the driving unit controls the moving unit and the attaching unit such that the entire device can move to a specified spatial position and firmly attach to a working surface; the printing unit prints the liquid metal or a packaging material on the working surface by automatically adjusting a nozzle; the device can also move according to an instruction to achieve multi-area continuous printing. The device can automatically move to work surfaces in different spatial positions to directly print or package liquid metal lines, thus eliminating the limitations that fixed equipment have with respect to print sizes and locations, etc., and further enhancing the efficiency and degree of customization of the rapid manufacturing of liquid metal electronic circuits.

Description

Mobile robot type liquid metal printing device and method

cross reference

The present application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety in its entirety in its entirety in its entirety in the the the the the the the the the the the

Technical field

The present invention relates to the field of circuit printing technology, and more particularly to a mobile robot type liquid metal printing device and method.

Background technique

Liquid metal is a general term for a series of low melting point metals and alloy materials. As a conductive material, liquid metal can be directly printed on various base materials because it can have fluidity at room temperature or lower heating temperature. Surface, thereby enabling rapid additive manufacturing of electronic circuits. Compared with the processing of traditional copper-clad printed circuits, liquid metal printed circuits are fast, suitable for a variety of substrates, and can be printed on curved surfaces; in addition, liquid metal printed circuits are relatively conventional copper corrosion circuits, processing More energy efficient and environmentally friendly.

At present, the printing method of liquid metal can be roughly divided into two types: regional spraying and fine printing. The area spraying method generally needs to be combined with the mask to print the mask covering area, and after the completion, the next printing can be quickly performed only by replacing the substrate, and the batching of the liquid metal printed circuit can be adapted to the uniform specification. produce. Fine printing can be quickly implemented and modified based on programming, and can be more freely customized development, and is more suitable for meeting the multi-scenario, personalized electronic circuit rapid manufacturing needs.

However, the existing liquid metal printing equipment is a single-type fixing device, which needs to feed the substrate material to be printed first, and then place, attach or transfer the substrate printed with the liquid metal circuit to the desired scene. The use process is complicated, and the size of the printed circuit is limited by the design size of the device. Especially in many application scenarios, the surface to be printed is located at a special position such as a wall or a ceiling, or cannot be printed in a non-destructive manner. Equipment, which greatly limits the liquid metal electronic circuit The range of applications for rapid manufacturing.

Summary of the invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide a mobile robotic liquid metal printing apparatus or method that overcomes the above problems.

In order to solve the above technical problem, the present invention provides a mobile robot type liquid metal printing apparatus, the apparatus comprising a control unit, a driving unit, a moving unit, a attaching unit, and a printing unit;

The control unit is configured to acquire and parse a line file to obtain a print line, generate a control instruction according to the print line, issue the control command to the driving unit, and receive a feedback signal of the driving unit;

The driving unit is configured to receive the control instruction sent by the control unit and convert the motion instruction, the attaching unit, the moving instruction of the printing unit, a attaching instruction, and a printing instruction, and convert the The execution feedback information of the mobile unit, the attaching unit, and the printing unit is sent to the control unit;

The mobile unit is configured to receive a movement instruction sent by the driving unit, and control the device to move in a three-dimensional space according to the movement instruction;

The attaching unit is configured to receive an attaching instruction sent by the driving unit, and control, according to the iron attaching instruction, that the device is attached and fixed to a surface of any orientation during a stationary, moving or printing process;

The printing unit is configured to receive a print instruction sent by the driving unit, and perform a printing operation according to the printing instruction.

Preferably, the device further includes a body, the control unit, the driving unit, the moving unit, the attaching unit, and the printing unit are fixed on the body, and the body is the control unit, the driving unit, the mobile unit, and the sticker A space is provided for the connection of the unit and the printing unit.

Preferably, the control unit is further configured to locate the device, and correct the printed circuit according to the obtained data.

Preferably, the control unit is further configured to identify the working surface image and generate the control instruction in combination with the identified data.

Preferably, the mobile unit is a foot type, a wheel type, a rail type, a magnetic levitation type, a jet type, Rotor-type, electrostatic traction or bionic octopus tentacle mobile structure.

Preferably, the attaching unit is attached by a vacuum suction cup, a surface adhesive, an electrostatic adsorption, an electromagnetic adsorption, a track fixing, a screw fixing, a hooking fixing or a bionic flexible pleated surface adsorption.

Preferably, the printing unit comprises a multi-axis stabilizing device, an ink cartridge and a nozzle; the multi-axis stabilizing device is for adjusting an angle and a distance between the nozzle and the working surface; the ink is used for storing a liquid metal material; Used to spray the liquid metal material.

Preferably, the printing unit further comprises a camera for collecting images, and the printing condition of the working surface, the liquid metal line and the package thereof is fed back to the control unit through the driving unit.

A mobile robotic liquid metal printing method, the method using the above device for printing, comprising the following steps:

S1. The control unit acquires and parses the line file to obtain a print line, generates a control command according to the print line, sends the control command to the driving unit, and receives a feedback signal of the driving unit.

S2. The driving unit receives the control instruction sent by the control unit and converts it into the mobile unit, the attaching unit, a moving instruction of the printing unit, a attaching instruction, and a printing instruction;

S3. The mobile unit receives a movement instruction sent by the driving unit, and controls the device to move in a three-dimensional space according to the movement instruction.

S4. The attaching unit receives the attaching instruction sent by the driving unit, and controls, according to the iron attaching instruction, the device to be attached and fixed to the surface of the arbitrary orientation during the process of stationary, moving or printing;

S5. The printing unit receives the printing instruction sent by the driving unit, and performs a printing operation according to the printing instruction.

Preferably, the step S1 further includes the following steps:

The control unit locates the device and corrects the print line according to the obtained data.

The invention provides a movable robotic liquid metal printing device or method, which can move to a printing area at an arbitrary angle from the ground to directly print and package liquid metal lines for various types of working surfaces. , breaking the fixed liquid metal printing The limitations of the device on print size, position, etc., further enhance the efficiency and personalization of rapid manufacturing of liquid metal electronic circuits.

DRAWINGS

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings used in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly described below. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only It is a certain embodiment of the present invention, and other drawings can be obtained from those skilled in the art without any creative work.

1 is a schematic structural view of a movable robotic liquid metal printing apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a schematic structural view of a movable robotic liquid metal printing apparatus according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a schematic view showing the structure of a movable robotic liquid metal printing apparatus according to still another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

detailed description

The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. The following examples are intended to illustrate the invention but are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

A movable robotic liquid metal printing device, as shown in FIG. 1, the device comprises a control unit 2, a driving unit 3, a moving unit 4, an attaching unit 5, and a printing unit 6; the control unit is configured to acquire and analyze a line The file and the associated configuration file are printed, the control command is generated according to the print line, the control command is issued to the driving unit, and the feedback signal of the driving unit is received. The driving unit is configured to receive the control instruction sent by the control unit and convert the motion instruction, the attaching unit, the moving instruction of the printing unit, a attaching instruction, and a printing instruction, and convert the The execution feedback information of the mobile unit, the attaching unit, and the printing unit is transmitted to the control unit. The mobile unit is configured to receive a movement instruction sent by the driving unit, and control the device to move in a three-dimensional space according to the movement instruction. The attaching unit is configured to receive an attaching instruction sent by the driving unit, and control, according to the attaching instruction, the device in any direction during a stationary, moving or printing process Attached to the surface. The printing unit is configured to receive a print instruction sent by the driving unit, and perform a printing operation according to the printing instruction.

The control unit provides a specific control instruction and receives feedback information to the driving unit by means of wired or wireless communication, and the control unit may be a special industrial computer, or may be a personal computer, a tablet computer, a mobile phone or any other. A device that opens and parses line files and related configuration files.

The driving unit may acquire the execution status of the Ito unit, the attaching unit, and the printing unit through the sensor, and send the feedback information to the control unit, where the driving unit may be an integral board or may be distributed in each A separate board or module for the unit.

The above device can move to the area to be printed at an arbitrary angle from the ground to directly print and package the liquid metal line for various types of working faces, breaking the limitation of the fixed liquid metal printing device on the printing size and position. It further enhances the efficiency and personalization of rapid manufacturing of liquid metal electronic circuits.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1 , the device further includes a body 1 , and the control unit, the driving unit, the moving unit, the attaching unit, and the printing unit are fixed on the body. The body is used for providing attachment, fixing, protection and power supply to the control unit, the driving unit, the moving unit, the attaching unit and the printing unit, and provides space for isolation and communication between the units.

Further, the control unit is further configured to locate the device, and correct the print line according to the obtained data.

The control unit is further configured to identify the working surface image, and generate the control instruction according to the recognized data, and subsequently control the printing operation performed by the printing unit by the control instruction.

Further, the moving unit is a mechanical or electromechanical integrated structure capable of moving the body and each unit fixed on the body in a three-dimensional space, and the structure is a foot, a wheel, an orbit, a magnetic levitation, a jet. Type, rotor type, electrostatic traction or bionic octopus tentacle movement structure.

Further, the attaching unit is attached by a vacuum suction cup, a surface adhesive, an electrostatic adsorption, an electromagnetic adsorption, a track fixing, a screw fixing, a hooking fixing or a bionic flexible pleated surface adsorption.

Further, the printing unit may have one or more groups in the body, and the group of printing units includes a multi-axis stabilizer, an ink cartridge, and a nozzle; the multi-axis stabilizer is used to adjust the nozzle An angle and a distance from the work surface; the ink is used to store a liquid metal material; and the spray head is used to spray the liquid metal material. The printing unit causes the liquid metal or packaging material stored in the ink cartridge to be ejected from the nozzle and adhered to the working surface to form a liquid metal circuit by extrusion, heating, electro-injection, magnetron injection, gas or piezoelectric driving. Its packaging.

Further, the printing unit further includes a camera for collecting images, and the printing condition of the working surface, the liquid metal circuit and the package thereof is fed back to the control unit through the driving unit.

Further, the material of the liquid metal is selected from the group consisting of gallium, indium, tin, zinc, antimony, lead, cadmium, copper, silver, gold, mercury, sodium, potassium, aluminum, iron, cobalt, nickel, manganese, titanium, vanadium. One or more of the materials may be in the form of a metal element, an alloy, or a conductive nanofluid formed by mixing metal nanoparticles with a fluid dispersant.

Further, the working surface is a plane or a curved surface at an arbitrary angle to the ground, and the surface material thereof comprises one or more of a polymer, a glass, a ceramic, a wood, a paper, a solid metal element, and an alloy. The high molecular polymer includes polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, polyimide, polystyrene, polycarbonate, polyetheretherketone, polymethyl methacrylate, polyethylene terephthalate. , epoxy resin or acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer, polylactic acid, polyvinyl alcohol, polydimethylsiloxane, polysulfone, silica gel, rubber, and the like.

Corresponding to the above device, the present invention also discloses a mobile robotic liquid metal printing method, comprising the following steps:

S1. The control unit acquires and parses the line file to obtain a print line, generates a control command according to the print line, sends the control command to the driving unit, and receives a feedback signal of the driving unit.

S2. The driving unit receives the control instruction sent by the control unit and converts it into the mobile unit, the attaching unit, a moving instruction of the printing unit, a attaching instruction, and a printing instruction;

S3. The mobile unit receives a movement instruction sent by the driving unit, and controls the device to move in a three-dimensional space according to the movement instruction.

S4. The attaching unit receives the attaching instruction sent by the driving unit, and controls, according to the attaching instruction, the attachment and fixing of the surface of the arbitrary orientation during the stationary, moving or printing process;

S5. The printing unit receives the printing instruction sent by the driving unit, and performs a printing operation according to the printing instruction.

The step S1 further includes the following steps:

The control unit locates the device and corrects the print line according to the obtained data.

The above method and apparatus will be described in detail below through several specific embodiments.

As shown in FIG. 2, this embodiment is a mobile robot type liquid metal printing device with a foot single nozzle.

This embodiment includes a body 201, a control board 202, a drive board 203, a foot structure 204, a vacuum chuck 205, and a heated print head 206. The control board 202 is a circuit board card with input and display functions, and is a control unit of the device; the drive board 203 is used to output various control signals according to the command, which is a driving unit of the device; the control board 202 and The driving boards 203 are directly connected to each other by a wire and are fixed together on the body 201; the foot structure 204 is a mechanical component driven by a motor and hydraulically driven, and there are a total of 6 on the body, which is a moving unit of the device; The bottom of one foot structure is connected with a vacuum suction cup 205, which is an attachment unit of the device; the heating print head 206 is a printing unit of the device, which is a nozzle with a heating device, and sprays the indium tin alloy 207 on the epoxy resin. The surface of 208.

After the control board 202 reads the liquid metal circuit diagram and the relevant file of the printing area, the parsed command is sent to the driving board 203, thereby providing a control signal for the foot structure 204 so that it can follow the gait of the insect crawling. Perform alternate movements to move the entire body and its components. During the movement, each time the foot structure needs to be lifted, the vacuum suction cup 205 removes the negative pressure in the suction cup; and once the foot structure falls, the negative pressure suction cup 205 rapidly generates a negative pressure in the suction cup, so that the suction cup The foot structure in which it is placed is stably adsorbed on the surface of the glass 208 without slipping or detachment. After reaching the designated working surface, the heated printhead 206 at the bottom of the body initiates heating to melt the indium tin-tin alloy 207 in the ink cartridge of the body and spray it onto the surface of the epoxy resin 208 by heating the printhead 206. Spraying can be done either while the entire device is stationary or during the movement of the body. After the spraying is completed, if there is still a graphic to be printed, the entire device moves to a new printing area to start printing again; if the printing has ended, the heating of the printing head 206 stops heating, and the entire device stops working after being moved to a designated position.

As shown in FIG. 3, this embodiment is a remote control, rotary wing type, dual nozzle and image acquisition function. Mobile robotic liquid metal printing device.

The embodiment includes a body 301, a mobile phone 302, a driving board 303, a rotor 304, a liquid metal nozzle 305, a light curing glue head 306, an ultraviolet lamp 307, and a camera 308. The mobile phone 302 is the control unit of the device, the driving board 303 is the driving unit of the device, and the rotor 304 is the moving unit of the device. There are 8 around the body 301. According to the signal of the driving board 303, the whole device can fly in three-dimensional space. Moving or hovering, the liquid metal nozzle 305, the light curing glue nozzle 306, the ultraviolet lamp 307, and the camera 308 together constitute a printing unit of the device, and the camera 308 has two, and the gallium indium alloy 309 is sprayed on the surface of the ceiling glass 311, and The surface is covered with a photocurable adhesive 310 for packaging.

After the mobile phone 202 reads the liquid metal circuit diagram and the print area file, the command can be wirelessly sent to the drive board 303 via Bluetooth, and a signal for controlling the rotation of the rotor 304 is generated, thereby manually or automatically moving the body 301 to the ceiling glass 311 to be printed. Hover below the area and hover. During the printing process, the liquid metal nozzle 305 sprays the liquid metal material gallium indium alloy 309 by air pressure, and the photocurable rubber nozzle 306 uses the air pressure to spray the photocurable adhesive 310, and the ultraviolet lamp 307 is used to cure the photocurable adhesive 310, thereby Metal lines are quickly packaged. Two cameras 308 are used to capture the working surface and the liquid metal and packaging material printed thereon, and are fed back to the mobile phone 302 via the drive board 303. After the spraying is completed, if there is still a graphic to be printed, the entire device flies to a new printing area to start printing and packaging again; if the printing has ended, the entire device returns to the designated position on the ground and stops working.

A mobile robotic liquid metal printing method comprising the following steps:

1) After reading the liquid metal circuit and related configuration files required for printing, the control unit can parse the liquid metal circuit and its position to be printed, and send the command to the driving unit through wired or wireless communication;

2) The driving unit controls the moving unit and the attaching unit based on the command and the sensor information, so that the entire body is moved to a specified position in a space at an arbitrary angle to the ground, and is stably attached to the working surface;

3) The printing unit automatically adjusts the angle and distance between the nozzle and the working surface according to the signal of the driving unit, and prints the liquid metal and the packaging material on the surface of the working surface, and can feed the printing condition to the control unit through the driving unit through a sensor such as a camera. To control the printing process in real time;

4) After the current position is printed, the body moves to the next print position according to the control unit command. Set to continue printing, or move to the specified stop position to end printing.

The above embodiments are merely illustrative of the invention and are not intended to limit the invention. While the invention has been described in detail herein with reference to the embodiments of the embodiments of the present invention Within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims (10)

A movable robotic liquid metal printing device, characterized in that the device comprises a control unit, a driving unit, a moving unit, an attaching unit and a printing unit; The control unit is configured to acquire and parse a line file to obtain a print line, generate a control instruction according to the print line, issue the control command to the driving unit, and receive a feedback signal of the driving unit; The driving unit is configured to receive the control instruction sent by the control unit and convert the motion instruction, the attaching unit, the moving instruction of the printing unit, a attaching instruction, and a printing instruction, and convert the The execution feedback information of the mobile unit, the attaching unit, and the printing unit is sent to the control unit; The mobile unit is configured to receive a movement instruction sent by the driving unit, and control the device to move in a three-dimensional space according to the movement instruction; The attaching unit is configured to receive an attaching instruction sent by the driving unit, and control, according to the attaching instruction, the device to be attached and fixed to a surface of any orientation during a stationary, moving or printing process; The printing unit is configured to receive a print instruction sent by the driving unit, and perform a printing operation according to the printing instruction. The system according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprises a body, the control unit, the driving unit, the moving unit, the attaching unit, and the printing unit are fixed on the body, and the body is the The communication unit, the drive unit, the moving unit, the attaching unit, and the printing unit provide space for communication. The system of claim 1 wherein said control unit is further operative to position said device and to modify said printed circuit based on the located data. The system according to claim 1 or 3, wherein the control unit is further configured to recognize face image and generate the control command in combination with the identified data. The system of claim 1 wherein said moving unit is a foot, wheel, rail, magnetic levitation, jet, rotor, electrostatic traction or bionic octopus tentacle movement structure. The system according to claim 1, wherein the attaching unit is attached by a vacuum chuck, a surface adhesive, an electrostatic adsorption, an electromagnetic adsorption, a rail fixing, a screw fixing, Hook the fixed or bionic flexible pleated surface for adsorption. The system according to claim 1, wherein said printing unit comprises a multi-axis stabilizing device, an ink cartridge, and a showerhead; said multi-axis stabilizing device for adjusting an angle and a distance of said showerhead from a work surface; said ink For storing a liquid metal material; the spray head is for spraying the liquid metal material. The system according to claim 7, wherein the printing unit further comprises a camera for acquiring an image, and the printing condition of the working surface, the liquid metal line and the package thereof is fed back to the driving unit through the driving unit The control unit. A mobile robotic liquid metal printing method, characterized in that the method uses the apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8 for printing, comprising the steps of: S1. The control unit acquires and parses the line file to obtain a print line, generates a control command according to the print line, sends the control command to the driving unit, and receives a feedback signal of the driving unit. S2. The driving unit receives the control instruction sent by the control unit and converts it into the mobile unit, the attaching unit, a moving instruction of the printing unit, a attaching instruction, and a printing instruction; S3. The mobile unit receives a movement instruction sent by the driving unit, and controls the device to move in a three-dimensional space according to the movement instruction. S4. The attaching unit receives the attaching instruction sent by the driving unit, and controls, according to the attaching instruction, the attachment and fixing of the surface of the arbitrary orientation during the stationary, moving or printing process; S5. The printing unit receives the printing instruction sent by the driving unit, and performs a printing operation according to the printing instruction. The method according to claim 9, wherein the step S1 further comprises the following steps: The control unit locates the device and corrects the print line according to the obtained data.

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