A rolling robot with an external swing arm

Abstract

The present invention relates to a rolling robot with an external swing arm. The existing rolling robot has a built-in swing block that generates a small driving torque, insufficient driving force, and a problem of affected control accuracy. The device includes a rotatable shell, a horizontally arranged main shaft is set between the left and right side walls of the shell, the main shaft can rotate relative to the shell, a horizontally arranged secondary shaft is arranged at the center of the main shaft and is perpendicular to the main shaft, the secondary shaft can rotate and rotate with the main shaft, the two ends of the secondary shaft are suspended, and an inner swing block is fixedly suspended below the two ends of the secondary shaft, and the two ends of the main shaft are fixed with an external swing arm arranged outside the shell. The present invention arranges an external swing arm outside the shell to improve the overall driving torque, so that the robot control response speed is improved, and the control accuracy is more stable; the detection device is hung on the external swing arm, which is not only more convenient to disassemble and assemble, but also has a larger detection angle and detection range; the detection device is concentratedly arranged in the middle of the left and right directions on the external swing arm, which is more conducive to the stability of walking and turning.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the field of intelligent robots and relates to a pendulum-type rolling robot, in particular to a rolling robot with an external swing arm. Background Art

[0002] A robot is an intelligent device that simulates humans to complete various instructions through manual or automatic control. Robots can replace humans in performing various complex and delicate operations, and can also replace humans in entering complex and dangerous environments for exploration operations to ensure personnel safety. Existing robots include fixed robots that are fixed and operate within a certain area, and mobile robots that move through mechanical legs, tracks, rollers and other structures. Mobile robots can replace humans in entering some complex and dangerous scenes, such as spaces with toxic gases and fire scenes, to collect signals and guide rescue.

[0003] A rolling robot is a type of mobile robot. The shell of a spherical robot can be any shape suitable for rolling, such as a sphere, an ellipsoid, a drum, a polyhedron with a large number of faces, etc. It relies on the rolling of the shell itself to move. For example, the Chinese patent filed by the applicant on October 29, 2018, with application number 2018112678220, is named a panoramic information acquisition rolling robot. The device sets up a horizontal main shaft between the left and right side walls of the shell. The shell is a rotating body with the main shaft as the axis. The center of the main shaft is provided with a horizontal secondary shaft that is perpendicular to the main shaft. The two ends of the secondary shaft are suspended in the air, and swing blocks are suspended below the two ends of the secondary shaft. Cameras are respectively set at both ends of the main shaft. Images of the front and rear of both sides of the shell are obtained through the shell for splicing, and panoramic information of the surrounding environment is obtained during the robot's movement. The movement and turning of the robot of this device are realized by the swing of the swing block set in the shell. The driving torque generated by the built-in swing block is small, the driving force is insufficient, and the control accuracy is affected; the built-in camera is limited by the shell structure, the viewing angle is limited, and the position setting requirements are high. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a rolling robot with an external swing arm to solve the problem that the driving torque generated by the built-in swing block of the existing rolling robot is small, the driving force is insufficient, and the control accuracy is affected. The device also solves the problem that the built-in camera is limited by the shell structure, the viewing angle is limited, and the position setting requirements are high.

[0005] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve the technical problem is: a rolling robot with an outer swing arm, including a rolling shell, characterized in that: a horizontally arranged main shaft is set between the left and right side walls of the shell, the main shaft can rotate relative to the shell, a horizontally arranged secondary shaft is arranged at the center of the main shaft and is perpendicular to the main shaft, the secondary shaft can rotate and rotate with the main shaft, the two ends of the secondary shaft are suspended, and an inner swing block is fixedly suspended below the two ends of the secondary shaft, and the two ends of the main shaft are fixed with an outer swing arm arranged outside the shell. In this device, the inner swing block and the outer swing arm can swing forward and backward with the main shaft, change the center of gravity position of the inner swing block and the outer swing arm, so that the center of gravity position of the inner swing block and the outer swing arm swings forward, then the shell moves forward, and vice versa, the center of gravity position of the inner swing block and the outer swing arm swings backward, then the shell moves backward; when the two sides of the center line of the shell are arc surfaces, the inner swing block can also swing left and right with the secondary shaft, so that the center of gravity of the inner swing block is offset to one side, so that the shell tilts to one side while moving forward and backward, and the arc surface of the shell is used to complete the turn. In the traditional solution, the swing block as the driving member is only the inner swing block, and the detection device is set on the main shaft or the shell, which becomes the load. The inner swing block is limited by the internal space of the shell, and the length of the lever arm is limited, resulting in limited driving torque. In addition, the weight of the shell and the weight of other mechanisms in the shell are both loads. Compared with the torque of the inner swing block, the load ratio is greater, the response speed of the robot is greatly affected, and the control accuracy will also be affected to a certain extent. In this solution, the swing block as the driving member includes an inner swing block, an outer swing arm, and a detection device set on the outer swing arm. The outer swing arm and the detection device accessories on the outer swing arm are set on the outside of the shell. The length of the lever arm of the outer swing arm breaks through the limitation of the internal space of the shell, and can be farther away from the center of the shell, which can improve the overall driving torque, improve the control response speed of the robot, and make the control accuracy more stable. In addition, the existence of the outer swing arm gives the robot an external hanging space, and detection devices such as cameras, cameras, radars, etc. can be hung on the outer swing arm, which is not only more convenient for disassembly and assembly, but also the external detection device is not restricted by the shell, has a larger detection angle and detection range, and the detection device can be used as a driving part instead of a load, which increases the mass proportion of the swingable driving part of the rolling robot and improves the control performance. The detection device built into the shell needs to be set at both ends of the main shaft to obtain a better detection angle, or embedded in the shell and rotate with the shell. These installation methods cause the weight of the shell to be dispersed to both sides, which is not conducive to the lateral center of gravity stability, and the walking and turning control stability becomes worse; the detection device can be concentrated on the outer swing arm of the device in the middle of the left and right directions, so that the center of gravity of the robot is concentrated in the middle, which is more conducive to the stability of walking and turning. When walking, the swing angle of the outer swing arm is small and basically stable, and the detection device on the outer swing arm can obtain a relatively stable carrying platform, and the information obtained is stable.

[0006] Preferably, the outer swing arm is an integral structure connecting the two ends of the main shaft, or a split structure separately arranged at the two ends of the main shaft. The outer swing arms at both ends of the main shaft can be split or integral structures, as long as the center of gravity of the outer swing arms on both sides is balanced.

[0007] Preferably, one or more outer swing arms may be provided, and the center of gravity of the outer swing arm is located on the mid-vertical line of the shell.

[0008] Preferably, the outer swing arm is in a semi-circular or semi-square shape connecting the two ends of the main shaft, and a pan-tilt platform is provided in the middle of the outer swing arm, and a detection device is provided on the pan-tilt platform.

[0009] Preferably, the detection device is one or more of a camera, a video camera, and a radar.

[0010] Preferably, a pan / tilt motor for controlling the rotation of the pan / tilt is provided on one side of the pan / tilt.

[0011] Preferably, a main shaft driving device is provided on the main shaft, and a secondary shaft driving device is provided at the intersection of the main shaft and the secondary shaft.

[0012] Preferably, the main shaft drive device comprises a main shaft drive motor, the main shaft drive motor is offset and fixed on the main shaft, the main shaft drive motor axis is parallel to the main shaft axis, the main shaft drive motor and the main shaft are respectively provided with mutually meshing main shaft drive gears, and the output end of the main shaft drive motor is provided with a reducer, and the secondary shaft drive device comprises a secondary shaft drive motor arranged on the main shaft, the secondary shaft drive motor and the secondary shaft are respectively provided with mutually meshing secondary shaft drive gears, and the output end of the secondary shaft drive motor is provided with a reducer. When the main shaft drive motor is started, a torque offset from the main shaft is generated to rotate the main shaft.

[0013] Preferably, the housing is a bilaterally symmetrical structure, and the middle part of the housing surrounding the main shaft is a circular main raceway that moves in the front-rear direction. The main raceway can be made of high-strength wear-resistant material.

[0014] Preferably, the shell is spherical, ellipsoidal, horizontally placed cylindrical or drum-shaped. The spherical, ellipsoidal or drum-shaped shell has arc transitions on both sides of the main raceway to facilitate turning. The cylindrical shell is suitable for extreme situations where the movement is mainly forward and backward. The shell can also be a polyhedral structure fitted into a spherical, ellipsoidal, cylindrical or drum shape. As long as the number of faces is large enough, such as a 30-hedron, the rolling effect can also be achieved. This change should be regarded as an equivalent replacement of the spherical, ellipsoidal, cylindrical or drum-shaped shells.

[0015] The present invention arranges an outer swing arm on the outside of the shell. The length of the lever arm of the outer swing arm breaks through the limitation of the internal space of the shell, which can improve the overall driving torque, improve the control response speed of the robot, and make the control accuracy more stable; the existence of the outer swing arm enables the robot to have an external hanging space, and detection devices such as cameras, cameras, radars, etc. can be hung on the outer swing arm, which is not only more convenient for disassembly and assembly, but also the external detection device is not restricted by the obstruction of the shell and has a larger detection angle and detection range; the detection devices can be concentrated on the outer swing arm in the middle of the left and right directions, so that the center of gravity of the robot is concentrated in the middle, which is more conducive to the stability of walking and turning. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the spherical shell structure of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the ellipsoidal shell structure of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the cylindrical shell structure of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the drum-shaped shell structure of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the front view structure of the interior of the spherical shell of the present invention in a static state.

[0021] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the top view of the spherical shell structure in a static state of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the front view structure of the spherical shell in a turning state inside the present invention.

[0023] Figure 8 It is a side structural schematic diagram of the spherical shell of the present invention in the forward state.

[0024] In the figure: 1. Shell, 2. Main shaft, 3. Secondary shaft, 4. Inner swing block, 5. Main shaft drive device, 6. Secondary shaft drive device, 7. Outer swing arm, 8. Industrial camera, 9. LiDAR, 10. Pan / tilt motor. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The present invention will be further described below through specific embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0026] Embodiment: A rolling robot with an external swing arm, such as Figure 5-8 The device comprises a rollable housing 1, which is a rotating body structure around a horizontal main axis. The housing can be Figure 1 The spherical shape shown can also be Figure 2 The ellipsoidal shape shown can also be Figure 3 The cylindrical type shown can also be Figure 4 The drum type shown in the figure, etc. A horizontally arranged main shaft 2 is set between the left and right side walls of the shell 1, and the main shaft can rotate relative to the shell. The two ends of the main shaft are rotatably connected to the shell by bearings. The shell is a bilaterally symmetrical structure, and the middle part of the ring around the main shaft of the shell is a circular main raceway that moves in the front and rear directions.

[0027] like Figure 5 , 7 As shown, the center of the main shaft 2 is provided with a horizontally arranged secondary shaft 3 which is perpendicular to the main shaft. The secondary shaft can rotate and rotate with the main shaft. The two ends of the secondary shaft are suspended in the air, and an inner swing block 3 is fixedly suspended below the two ends of the secondary shaft. The inner swing block and the secondary shaft cannot rotate relative to each other. The main shaft 2 is provided with a main shaft driving device 5, and a secondary shaft driving device 6 is provided at the intersection of the main shaft 2 and the secondary shaft 3. The main shaft driving device includes a main shaft driving motor, the main shaft driving motor is fixedly suspended below the main shaft, the main shaft driving motor axis and the main shaft axis are parallel to each other, the main shaft driving motor and the main shaft are respectively provided with mutually meshing main shaft driving gears, forming a main shaft driving gear set for transmitting torque, and a reducer is provided at the output end of the main shaft driving motor, the secondary shaft driving device includes a secondary shaft driving motor arranged on the main shaft, the secondary shaft driving motor and the secondary shaft are respectively provided with mutually meshing secondary shaft driving gears, forming a secondary shaft driving gear set for transmitting secondary shaft rotation torque, and a reducer is provided at the output end of the secondary shaft driving motor.

[0028] like Figure 6 , 8 The two ends of the main shaft are fixed with an outer swing arm 7 arranged outside the shell 1. The center of gravity of the outer swing arm 7 is located at the center line of the shell, and the outer swing arm 7 can be set in a split manner, opposite to each other and symmetrical to each other. In this embodiment, the outer swing arm 7 is a semi-circular integrated setting connecting the two ends of the main shaft, and the outer swing arm can also be set as a semi-frame type connecting the two ends of the main shaft. The semi-frame type structure has the same function as the semi-circular structure. Those skilled in the art can easily make an analogy, which will not be expanded here and should be regarded as an equivalent replacement. A pan-tilt is provided in the middle of the outer swing arm, and a detection device is provided on the pan-tilt. The detection device includes an industrial camera 8 and a laser radar 9, and the pan-tilt also includes a pan-tilt motor 10. When the outer swing arm swings, the pan-tilt motor can rotate accordingly to adjust the angles of the industrial camera 8 and the laser radar 9 to maintain the optimal setting angle and better obtain information.

[0029] A control system is also provided in the housing, and the control system includes a dynamic state sensor and a PID controller for detecting the real-time dynamics of the robot and the drive system, and the sensors include a GPS, at least one gyroscope, at least one acceleration sensor and a code disk. The GPS, gyroscope, acceleration sensor, and PID controller can be installed at the intersection of the main shaft and the secondary shaft, and the code disk is installed on the motor output shaft. And their respective detection data are transmitted to the control unit or an external remote computer via wired or wireless transmission for further processing.

[0030] Specifically, the control system includes a three-axis gyroscope, a three-axis acceleration sensor and a three-axis magnetometer, the so-called nine-axis sensor, and a code disk corresponding to the number of motors. Therefore, the control system is able to detect any changes in dynamic state, such as sudden changes in direction, speed, altitude, etc.

[0031] like Figure 7 , 8 As shown, when the rolling robot needs to move forward or backward, the main shaft driving device drives the main shaft to rotate, and the secondary shaft is set in the middle of the main shaft with both ends suspended, so the secondary shaft is driven by the main shaft to rotate around the main shaft by an angle, thereby driving the inner swing block to swing forward or backward, and at the same time, the outer swing arm also swings forward or backward with the main shaft, causing the overall center of mass to move forward or backward, thereby driving the rolling robot forward or backward. When the rolling robot needs to turn, the main shaft continues to rotate to keep the rolling robot moving forward or backward stably, and at the same time, the secondary shaft driving device drives the secondary shaft to rotate around its own axis, driving the inner swing block to swing to the left or right, causing the overall center of mass to shift to one side, causing the rolling robot to tilt to one side, thereby achieving a turn.

Claims

1. A rolling robot with an external swing arm, comprising a rolling housing, characterized in that: A main shaft is horizontally arranged between the left and right side walls of the shell, and the main shaft can rotate relative to the shell. A sub-shaft is horizontally arranged and perpendicular to the main shaft at the center of the main shaft, and the sub-shaft can rotate on its own and can rotate with the main shaft. Both ends of the sub-shaft are suspended in the air, and inner swing blocks are fixedly suspended below both ends of the sub-shaft. Both ends of the main shaft are fixed with outer swing arms arranged outside the shell. The outer swing arm is semi-circular or semi-square connecting the two ends of the main shaft. A pan-tilt is provided in the middle of the outer swing arm, and a detection device is arranged on the pan-tilt; the detection device is one or more of a camera and a radar; the detection device is concentrated in the middle of the left and right directions on the outer swing arm, so that the center of gravity of the robot is concentrated in the middle, which is more conducive to the stability of walking and turning. The swing block as a driving part includes an inner swing block, an outer swing arm and a detection device arranged on the outer swing arm. Both the inner swing block and the outer swing arm can swing back and forth with the main shaft to change the center of gravity position of the inner swing block and the outer swing arm.

2. A rolling robot with an outward swing arm according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer swing arm is an integral structure connecting the two ends of the main shaft or a separate structure separately arranged at the two ends of the main shaft.

3. A rolling robot with an external swing arm according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: One or more outer swing arms are provided.

4. A rolling robot with an outward swing arm according to claim 1, characterized in that: A pan head motor for controlling the rotation of the pan head is provided on one side of the pan head.

5. A rolling robot with an outward swing arm according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The main shaft is provided with a main shaft driving device, and the intersection of the main shaft and the secondary shaft is provided with a secondary shaft driving device.

6. A rolling robot with an outward swing arm according to claim 5, characterized in that: The main shaft drive device includes a main shaft drive motor, which is offset and fixed on the main shaft, the axis of the main shaft drive motor is parallel to the axis of the main shaft, the main shaft drive motor and the main shaft are respectively provided with main shaft drive gears that mesh with each other, and a reducer is provided at the output end of the main shaft drive motor, and the secondary shaft drive device includes a secondary shaft drive motor arranged on the main shaft, the secondary shaft drive motor and the secondary shaft are respectively provided with secondary shaft drive gears that mesh with each other, and a reducer is provided at the output end of the secondary shaft drive motor.

7. A rolling robot with an external swing arm according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The shell is a bilaterally symmetrical structure, and the middle part of the shell surrounding the main shaft is a circular main raceway that moves in the front-rear direction.

8. A rolling robot with an outward swing arm according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The shell is in the shape of a sphere, an ellipsoid, a horizontally placed cylinder or a drum.

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