Principle and Application of Vibrating Suction Method

In this paper a new suction-to-wall method is presented, which is called vibrating suction method (VSM). With this method, the vacuum in the suction cup is established through high-frequency vibration of the cup with respect to the wall surface. First, the principle of the VSM is studied. Based on some assumptions, the mathematic model of a vibrating suction cup is built. Then numerical simulation of the model shows the relationship between the pressure in the cup and vibration frequency and amplitude. In the end, a prototype of suction module is designed based on the principles of the VSM, and wall suction experiments prove the effectiveness of this module. This new-style suction module is supposed to be used in miniature wall climbing robot.