Snake-like robot with the ability to adapt to uneven ground

Abstract

The invention discloses a snake robot with the ability to adapt to uneven ground. The snake robot comprises a snake head and a plurality of joint modules sequentially connected end to end, wherein each joint module comprises a body, a wheel located below the body, and a self-adapting suspension system for connecting the body to the wheel and detecting a contact condition between the wheel and the ground; every two adjacent joint modules are connected by a joint rotating shaft; each joint rotating shaft is driven by a joint motor mounted on each joint module; a joint motor controller is also arranged on each joint module; the joint motor controllers receive contact signals of the self-adapting suspension systems and control the joint motors; and a complete machine controller for controlling the joint motor controllers is arranged on the snake head. Contact forces between the wheels of the snake robot and the ground can be effectively controlled, and the normal operation of the snake robot on the uneven ground is ensured.

Description

technical field [0001] The invention relates to a snake-like robot, in particular to a snake-like robot capable of adapting to uneven ground. Background technique [0002] Snake robot is a new type of bionic robot that can imitate the movement of biological snakes. Because of its slender body, small cross-section and variable shape, it can walk through narrow spaces with dense obstacles and can climb Jump over obstacles. Existing snake-like robots are generally composed of multiple joint modules. The internal structure of the joint modules is hydraulic, pneumatic or electric, and has a single-degree-of-freedom or multi-degree-of-freedom movement mode. The joint modules contact the ground through wheels, although the joint modules The internal structure and function are different, but whether the wheels can maintain reliable and stable contact with the ground is an important factor for the snake robot to crawl successfully. [0003] Patent CN1291821C discloses a snake-shape...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Since the snake-shaped robot is equipped with a ground characteristic detection device on the snake head, it cooperates with the execution unit of the joint module, the main control unit installed in the snake head and the program control, so that the snake-shaped robot can distinguish a variety of different grounds, such as hard ground , soft soil, sandy ground, etc., and can automatically change the gait movement on a variety of different grounds to adapt to different grounds. However, when the snake robot crawls on uneven ground, it cannot ensure effective contact between the joint module and the ground. , unable to adapt to the working environment with uneven ground

[0004] In order to enable the snake-like robot to have the ability to crawl on uneven ground, a snake-like robot has been developed by adjusting the angle between the joint modules so that the wheels on the joint modules can be kept in contact with the ground, but this kind of snake There are two problems in the shape robot: First, the angle between the joint modules calculated according to the snake-like motion law needs to be corrected in real time to keep the wheels in contact with the ground. In order to perform this real-time correction calculation, not only the The use of sensors to obtain information on the ground also places high demands on the computing power of the snake robot's controller, which not only increases the complexity and development and maintenance costs of the snake robot, but also reduces reliability; secondly, This kind of snake robot can only ensure that the wheels are in contact with the ground, but cannot effectively control and adjust the contact force between the wheels and the ground, which also limits the application of snake robots on uneven ground

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