CN109606498B - A robot deformable leg with the ability to change wheels and feet - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a robot deformation leg with wheel-foot transformation capability, which comprises a thigh half ring and a shank half ring, wherein the thigh half ring and the shank half ring are circular rings when being folded and can be used as wheels to realize wheel-type movement; when the shank semi-ring and the thigh semi-ring form a certain included angle, the foot-type walking device can be used as a thigh and a shank, and foot-type walking is realized. The two configurations can be changed at any time, so that the robot has the advantages of two moving modes of wheels and feet, does not increase the weight of the leg structure and the complexity of control, and can be used for two-foot, four-foot or six-foot robots.

Description

A robot deformable leg with the ability to change wheels and feet

Technical field

The invention relates to the field of robots, and in particular to a robot deformable leg with wheel-foot transformation capabilities.

Background technique

The wheeled movement method has the advantages of relatively low energy consumption and fast movement speed, while the foot type movement method has the advantages of strong obstacle surmounting ability due to the use of large and small leg structures. Therefore, there are many prototypes that combine the two. It is hoped that Can take into account the advantages of both.

As shown in Figure 1, CN109018058A (Document 1) discloses a wheel-foot integrated robot leg structure. This leg structure includes the robot's sway mechanism, thighs, calves and foot ends; the entire leg has three groups controlled by servo valves The hydraulic cylinder with the same structure can realize the lateral swing of the legs, the forward and backward movement of the thighs and calves. The foot end of the robot has a wheel structure, and the direction of the wheel can be adjusted arbitrarily. The foot end has a separate power source and adopts a stepper drive. The all-in-one machine integrates drive and control; when traveling on a flat road section, the foot end motor can be used alone to drive the wheel rotation, making the movement faster and saving energy; when traveling on a bumpy road section, a hydraulic device can be used to drive and help the robot overcome obstacles.

As shown in Figure 2, the test prototype of South Korea's Hyundai Motor Company's extreme motor vehicle Elevate also uses wheels arranged at the ends of the calves. This method is currently used by most wheeled robots.

As shown in Figure 3, CN208007139U (Document 2) discloses a multi-adaptive wheel-foot switching mobile platform. The wheels are arranged at the knee joint. When the angle between the knee joint and the vertical axis is small, the robot adopts foot walking mode. When the angle between the knee joint and the vertical axis is large, the calf is lifted, the wheels are in contact with the ground, and the robot moves in a wheeled manner.

Arranging the wheels at the foot end is the most common and simplest wheel-footed leg structure, but the disadvantages are: (1) the wheels require independent drives, which will increase the mass of the leg structure and increase the number of drives in the overall robot. The control will also be more complicated; (2) The foot end of the robot is a wheel, which will prevent the robot from adding a simple manipulator through the foot end to achieve the robot's operating capabilities; (3) When the wheel brake is abnormal, it will cause the walking robot to slip. Or fall.

There are also some shortcomings in arranging the wheels at the knee joint: (1) it causes the mass of the leg structure to increase, and the robot will increase energy consumption when it uses the foot movement method; (2) when the robot uses the wheel movement method, the calf needs to maintain A certain posture requires additional posture maintenance mechanisms, resulting in a more complex leg structure and reduced reliability.

Contents of the invention

The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and provide a robot deformable leg with the ability to change wheels and feet without wheels, and the legs and wheels are integrated without increasing the weight and complexity of the legs.

The technical solution of the present invention is: a robot deformable leg with the ability to change wheels and feet, including a thigh half ring and a calf half ring. When the thigh half ring and calf half ring are closed, they form a ring, which can be used as a wheel to achieve wheeled movement; When the calf half-ring and the thigh half-ring form a certain angle, they can be used as the upper and lower legs to achieve foot-style walking.

Further, a thigh cross bar is provided in the middle of the thigh half ring, and the thigh cross bar is fixedly connected to the hip joint driving shaft through a connecting piece. The hip joint driving shaft drives the thigh half ring to rotate, and the calf half ring is fixedly connected to the hip joint driving shaft. One end is hinged to one end of the thigh half ring through a knee joint rotating shaft. The knee joint rotating shaft is connected to a knee joint driving shaft. The knee joint driving shaft drives the knee joint rotating shaft to rotate, which in turn drives the calf half ring to rotate.

Further, the free end of the calf half-ring is provided with a convex part, and the free end of the thigh half-ring is provided with a recess. When the thigh half-ring and the calf half-ring are closed, the convex part is inserted into the recess. Inside, forming a ring.

Further, the knee joint driving shaft and the knee joint rotating shaft are connected by a belt, a pulley is provided between the belt and the knee joint driving shaft, and a pulley is also provided between the belt and the knee joint rotating shaft. With wheels.

Further, it also includes a knee joint drive motor and a hip joint drive motor, the output shaft of the knee joint drive motor is connected to the knee joint drive shaft, and the output shaft of the hip joint drive motor is connected to the hip joint drive shaft. , the knee joint driving shaft and the hip joint driving shaft are arranged coaxially.

Further, the output shaft of the hip joint drive motor is connected to the hip joint drive shaft through a worm gear mechanism, the worm gear driven by the hip joint drive motor is hollow, and the worm gear and the knee joint drive motor are coaxially arranged; it is also possible Yes: The hip joint drive motor is hollow and set coaxially with the knee joint drive motor.

Further, the hip joint drive shaft is of a hollow cylindrical type, the knee joint drive shaft is arranged inside the hip joint drive shaft, one end extends out of the hip joint drive shaft, and drives the belt through the pulley, and the knee joint drive shaft A bearing is provided between the drive shaft and the hip joint drive shaft.

Further, a reinforcing rod is connected between the knee joint driving shaft and the knee joint rotating shaft. One end of the knee joint driving shaft extending out of the hip joint driving shaft is movably connected to the thigh crossbar. The reinforcing rod is connected with the knee joint driving shaft and the knee joint driving shaft. The joint axis and the thigh crossbar form a closed frame.

The invention has the following beneficial effects: both the thigh and the calf are designed as half rings, which function as wheels when closed, and as the upper and lower legs when opened. The invention does not use wheels and can be freely transformed without increasing the weight of the leg structure and the complexity of control. One feature allows the invention to be used with biped, quadruped or hexapod robots. When the knee joint driving shaft is arranged inside the hip joint driving shaft, the hip joint and knee joint driving shafts are coaxial, and the overall structure volume is smaller.

Description of the drawings

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a wheel-footed robot in the prior art.

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram 2 of a wheel-footed robot in the prior art.

Figure 3 is a schematic diagram 2 of a wheel-footed robot in the prior art.

Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the state of the deformed leg-foot walking structure of the present invention.

Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the state of the deformed leg-wheel walking structure of the present invention.

Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the driving system of the present invention.

Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a quadruped robot walking on wheels.

Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a quadruped robot walking on its legs.

Detailed ways

The technical solution of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are some, not all, of the embodiments of the present invention. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner", "outer", etc. The indicated orientation or positional relationship is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings. It is only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description. It does not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation or a specific orientation. construction and operation, and therefore should not be construed as limitations of the invention. Furthermore, the terms “first”, “second” and “third” are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly stated and limited, the terms "installation", "connection" and "connection" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection or a detachable connection. Connection, or integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; it can be an internal connection between two components. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood on a case-by-case basis.

Referring to Figure 1-8, a robot deformable leg with the ability to change wheels and feet includes a thigh half ring 1 and a calf half ring 2. When the thigh half ring 1 and calf half ring 2 are closed, they form a ring and can be used as a wheel to realize Wheel-type movement; when the calf half-ring 2 and the thigh half-ring 1 present a certain angle, they can be used as the upper and lower legs to achieve foot-style walking.

There is a thigh crossbar 3 in the middle of the thigh half ring 1. The thigh crossbar 3 is fixedly connected to the hip joint drive shaft 5 through the connector 4. The hip joint drive shaft 5 drives the thigh half ring 1 to rotate. One end of the calf half ring 2 passes through the knee. The joint rotating shaft 6 is hinged to one end of the thigh half ring 1, and the knee joint rotating shaft 6 is connected to the knee joint driving shaft 7. The knee joint driving shaft 7 drives the knee joint rotating shaft 6 to rotate, which in turn drives the calf half ring 2 to rotate.

The free end of the calf half-ring 2 is provided with a protruding part 8, and the free end of the thigh half-ring 1 is provided with a recessed part 9. When the thigh half-ring 1 and the calf half-ring 2 are closed, the protruding part 8 is inserted into the recessed part 9, Form a circle.

The knee joint driving shaft 7 and the knee joint rotating shaft 6 are connected through a belt 10. A pulley is provided between the belt 10 and the knee joint driving shaft 7, and a pulley 11 is also provided between the belt 10 and the knee joint rotating shaft 6.

It also includes a knee joint drive motor 12 and a hip joint drive motor 13. The output shaft of the knee joint drive motor 12 is connected to the knee joint drive shaft 7. The output shaft of the hip joint drive motor 13 is connected to the hip joint drive shaft 5 through a worm gear mechanism 16. , the knee joint drive shaft 7 and the hip joint drive shaft 5 are coaxially arranged, the hip joint drive motor 13 is installed on the worm gear mechanism 16, the worm gear mechanism 16 and the knee joint drive motor 12 are installed on the fixing device 14, and the deformed leg passes through The fixing device 14 is fixed to other components. The fixing device 14 may also be integrally formed with other components. The thigh half ring 1 can rotate under the driving of the hip joint driving motor 13 , and the calf half ring 2 can swing under the driving of the knee joint driving motor 12 .

The hip joint drive motor 13 can be an ordinary motor. As shown in Figure 4, the hip joint drive shaft 5 is driven to rotate through the worm gear mechanism 16. The worm gear driven by the hip joint drive motor 13 is a hollow type, and the worm gear is the same as the knee joint drive motor 12. Axis setting; the hip joint drive motor 13 can also be a hollow motor, which is coaxially set with the knee joint drive motor 12 to further reduce the volume of the overall structure.

In order to further reduce the volume of the overall structure, the hip joint drive shaft 5 is of a hollow cylindrical type. The knee joint drive shaft 7 is arranged inside the hip joint drive shaft 5. One end extends out of the hip joint drive shaft 5 and drives the belt 10 through the pulley. , a bearing is provided between the knee joint drive shaft 7 and the hip joint drive shaft 5, preferably two bearings.

In order to further enhance the rigidity of the knee joint driving shaft 7 and the knee joint rotating shaft 6, a reinforcing rod 15 is movably connected between the knee joint driving shaft 7 and the knee joint rotating shaft 6, and one end of the knee joint driving shaft 7 extends out of the hip joint driving shaft 5 for movement. Connected to the thigh crossbar 3, the reinforcing rod 15 forms a closed frame with the knee joint driving shaft 7, the knee joint rotating shaft 6 and the thigh crossbar 3, thereby enhancing the connection stiffness of the knee joint driving shaft 7 and the knee joint rotating shaft 6.

As shown in Figure 4, the connecting piece 4 can be slotted in the middle to accommodate the pulley and allow the belt 10 and the reinforcing rod 15 to pass through.

The above embodiments are preferred embodiments of the present invention, but the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above embodiments. Any other changes, modifications, substitutions, combinations, etc. may be made without departing from the spirit and principles of the present invention. All simplifications should be equivalent substitutions, and are all included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims (6)

1. A robot deformable leg with the ability to change wheels and feet, which is characterized in that it includes a thigh half ring (1) and a calf half ring (2). The thigh half ring (1) and the calf half ring (2) form a circle when they are closed. Rings can be used as wheels to achieve wheeled movement; When the calf half-ring (2) and the thigh half-ring (1) present a certain angle, they can be used as the upper and lower legs to achieve foot-style walking; a thigh crossbar (3) is provided in the middle of the thigh half-ring (1), so The thigh crossbar (3) is fixedly connected to the hip joint driving shaft (5) through the connecting piece (4). The hip joint driving shaft (5) drives the thigh half ring (1) to rotate, and the calf half ring (2) One end of the knee joint rotating shaft (6) is hinged to one end of the thigh half ring (1). The knee joint rotating shaft (6) is connected to the knee joint driving shaft (7). The knee joint driving shaft (7) drives the knee joint driving shaft (7). The knee joint shaft (6) rotates, thereby driving the calf half ring (2) to rotate; The robot deformable leg also includes a knee joint drive motor (12) and a hip joint drive motor (13). The output shaft of the knee joint drive motor (12) is connected to the knee joint drive shaft (7). The hip joint drive motor (13) The output shaft of the joint drive motor (13) is connected to the hip joint drive shaft (5), and the knee joint drive shaft (7) and the hip joint drive shaft (5) are coaxially arranged; The hip joint driving shaft (5) is of a hollow cylindrical type, and the knee joint driving shaft (7) is arranged inside the hip joint driving shaft (5). One end extends out of the hip joint driving shaft (5), and passes through the hip joint driving shaft (5). The pulley drives the belt (10), and a bearing is provided between the knee joint drive shaft (7) and the hip joint drive shaft (5); the connecting piece (4) is slotted in the middle, and the pulley is accommodated in In the connector (4), the knee joint driving shaft (7) and the knee joint rotating shaft (6) are connected through a belt (10), and the belt (10) and the knee joint driving shaft (7) There is a pulley between them, and there is also a pulley between the belt (10) and the knee joint shaft (6). 2. A robot deformable leg with the ability to change wheels and feet according to claim 1, characterized in that: the free end of the lower leg half ring (2) is provided with a raised portion (8), and the upper thigh half ring The free end of (1) is provided with a recessed portion (9). When the thigh half-ring and the calf half-ring are closed, the protruding portion (8) is inserted into the recessed portion (9) to form a circular ring. 3. A robot deformable leg with wheel-foot transformation capability according to claim 1, characterized in that: the output shaft of the hip joint drive motor (13) communicates with the hip joint drive through a worm gear mechanism (16). The shafts (5) are connected, the worm gear driven by the hip joint drive motor (13) is hollow, and the worm gear and the knee joint drive motor (12) are coaxially arranged. 4. A robot deformable leg with the ability to change wheels and feet according to claim 1, characterized in that: the hip joint drive motor (13) is hollow and is coaxially arranged with the knee joint drive motor (12). 5. A robot deformable leg with the ability to change wheels and feet according to claim 1, characterized in that: a reinforcing rod (15) is movably connected between the knee joint drive shaft (7) and the knee joint rotation shaft (6), One end of the knee joint drive shaft (7) extending out of the hip joint drive shaft (5) is movably connected to the thigh crossbar (3), and the reinforcing rod (15) is connected with the knee joint drive shaft (7), the knee joint rotating shaft (6) and the thigh The crossbar (3) forms a closed frame. 6. A robot, characterized by comprising the robot deformable leg according to any one of claims 1-5.