A mobile robot capable of operating in multiple environments

Abstract

The present invention discloses a mobile robot capable of operating in multiple environments, belonging to the technical field of mobile robots. The robot comprises a robot body, a robot head mounted above the robot body, mechanical legs A and B mounted in parallel below the robot body, and two mechanical composite feet mounted at the ends of the mechanical legs A and B, respectively. The mechanical composite feet comprise a foot frame, rollers A and B, sprockets A and B, chains A, connectors A and B, connectors C, track wheels A and B, metal rubber tracks, sprockets C and D, chains B, connecting rods, electric telescopic rods, power sources A and B. The present invention is a mobile robot with a rational structure, two motion modes: rolling friction forward and sliding friction forward, and the ability to freely switch motion modes according to changes in the operating environment to improve motion stability and efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention mainly relates to the technical field of mobile robots, and in particular to a mobile robot that can be used for multi-environment operations. Background Art

[0002] Mobile robots can flexibly shuttle between warehouse areas in parts stores and workshops at production bases to transport goods. They can even travel back and forth between origin and destination to deliver takeout meals, express packages, and other tasks, thus possessing broad application prospects. However, the surfaces on which mobile robots operate are often complex, encompassing both flat and unusual surfaces between origin and destination. These unusual surfaces include slopes and stairs, uneven surfaces, or soft, easily submerged surfaces. Existing mobile robots can be roughly divided into two categories based on their operating environments: high-speed mobile robots suitable for flat surfaces, and low-speed, obstacle-crossing mobile robots suitable for unusual surfaces. Therefore, while existing technologies enable mobile robots to operate, they lack the ability to freely switch between different motion modes across different road environments. In other words, existing mobile robots cannot simultaneously meet the multi-environmental requirements of both flat and unusual surfaces. Therefore, there is an urgent need to design a mobile robot that can adapt to multiple operating environments. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is: in response to the technical problems existing in the prior art, the present invention provides a mobile robot with a reasonable structure, two motion modes of rolling friction forward and sliding friction forward, and the ability to freely switch motion modes according to changes in the working environment to improve motion stability and motion efficiency.

[0004] In order to solve the above problems, the solution proposed in the present invention is: a mobile robot that can be used for multi-environment operations, including a robot body, a robot head installed above the robot body, and mechanical legs A and mechanical legs B installed in parallel below the robot body, and also including two mechanical composite feet installed at the ends of the mechanical legs A and mechanical legs B respectively.

[0005] The mechanical composite foot includes: a foot frame fixedly installed along the direction of travel, rollers A and B of equal diameter rotatably installed on the foot frame, sprocket A and sprocket B installed coaxially and synchronously with the roller B, a chain A connecting the sprocket A and sprocket B, connecting members A and B hingedly connected to the foot frame and always parallel to each other, a connecting member C hingedly connected to the connecting members A and B and always parallel to the foot frame, and a track wheel rotatably installed on the connecting member C. A and track wheel B, a metal rubber track that transmits transmission connection between the track wheel A and the track wheel B, a sprocket C that is coaxially and synchronously mounted with the track wheel A, a sprocket D that rotates mounted on the connecting member A, a chain B that transmits transmission connection between the sprocket C and the sprocket D, a connecting rod with both ends hingedly connected to the foot frame and the connecting member C respectively, an electric telescopic rod that drives the connecting rod to rotate relative to the foot frame, a power source A that drives the sprocket B to rotate, and a power source B that drives the sprocket D to rotate.

[0006] The two foot frames are fixedly connected to the mechanical legs A and B respectively; the two sprockets B are rotatably mounted on the mechanical legs A and B respectively.

[0007] When the acute angle between the connecting member A and the foot frame is the smallest, the lowest point of the metal rubber track is higher than the lowest point of the roller A; when the connecting member A and the foot frame are perpendicular to each other, the lowest point of the metal rubber track is lower than the lowest point of the roller A.

[0008] Furthermore, the mechanical legs A and B are bilaterally symmetrical about the longitudinal section of the center of gravity of the mobile robot; and the rollers A and B are front-to-back symmetrical about the plane where the mechanical legs A and B are located.

[0009] Furthermore, the cylinder portion of the electric telescopic rod is hingedly connected to the foot frame, and the movable output rod of the electric telescopic rod is hingedly connected to the connecting rod.

[0010] Furthermore, the power source A and the power source B are servo motors or stepper motors.

[0011] Furthermore, the radius of the sprocket A is smaller than the radius of the roller B, and the radius of the sprocket C is smaller than the radius of the track wheel A.

[0012] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages and beneficial effects: a mobile robot capable of operating in multiple environments is provided with a mechanical composite foot, wherein an electric telescopic rod in the mechanical composite foot drives a connecting rod to rotate forward and reverse around the foot frame, and the contact mode between the mechanical composite foot and the road surface can be freely switched between a rolling friction contact mode and a track sliding friction contact mode, thereby making the mobile robot of the present invention universally adaptable to multiple environments; in the rolling friction contact mode, power source A drives rollers A and B to rotate, allowing the mobile robot of the present invention to move rapidly on a flat road surface, and the mode switching lowers the center of gravity of the mobile robot, thereby improving the motion stability of the mobile robot during high-speed movement; in the track sliding friction contact mode, power source B drives sprocket D to rotate, and then drives the metal rubber track to slide at low speed on special road surfaces through chain B, sprocket C, and track wheel A, thereby increasing the contact area between the mechanical composite foot and the ground, thereby improving the motion stability of the mobile robot during movement on special working surfaces. Thus, the present invention is a mobile robot with a reasonable structure, two motion modes of rolling friction and sliding friction, and the ability to freely switch motion modes according to changes in the working environment to improve motion stability and motion efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of a mobile robot that can be used for multi-environment operations according to the present invention.

[0014] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the structural principle of the mechanical composite foot in the present invention.

[0015] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the connection between the midfoot skeleton and the two rollers of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the connection relationship between the connecting member C and the foot frame in the present invention.

[0017] In the figure, 10 is the robot head; 11 is the robot body; 12 is the mechanical leg A; 13 is the mechanical leg B; 2 is the mechanical composite foot; 20 is the foot skeleton; 201 is the rotating shaft; 21 is the roller A; 22 is the roller B; 23 is the sprocket A; 24 is the sprocket B; 25 is the chain A; 31 is the connecting part A; 32 is the connecting part B; 33 is the connecting part C; 34 is the track wheel A; 35 is the track wheel B; 36 is the sprocket C; 37 is the sprocket D; 38 is the chain B; 39 is the metal rubber track; 41 is the connecting rod; 42 is the electric telescopic rod. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0019] like Figure 1As shown, the present invention discloses a mobile robot capable of operating in multiple environments. It comprises a robot body 11, a robot head 10 mounted above the robot body 11, mechanical legs A 12 and B 13 mounted parallel to the robot body 11, and two mechanical composite feet 2 mounted at the ends of legs A 12 and B 13, respectively. In practice, the power source in the mechanical composite foot 2 is electrically connected to the control system within the robot. The mechanical composite foot 2 can operate in two ground motion modes: a high-speed rolling friction propulsion mode and a low-speed track sliding friction propulsion mode.

[0020] See also Figures 2 to 4 The mechanical composite foot 2 includes: a foot frame 20 fixedly mounted along the direction of travel, rollers A21 and B22 of equal diameter rotatably mounted on the foot frame 20, sprockets A23 and B24 coaxially and synchronously mounted with the roller B22, a chain A25 connecting the sprockets A23 and B24, connecting members A31 and B32 hingedly connected to the foot frame 20 and always parallel to each other, a connecting member C33 hingedly connected to the connecting members A31 and B32 and always parallel to the foot frame 20, and track wheels A34 and B32 rotatably mounted on the connecting member C33. B35, a metal rubber track 39 that transmits and connects the track wheel A34 and the track wheel B35, a sprocket C36 that is coaxially and synchronously installed with the track wheel A34, a sprocket D37 that is rotatably installed on the connecting piece A31, a chain B38 that transmits and connects the sprocket C36 and the sprocket D37, a connecting rod 41 whose two ends are hingedly connected to the foot frame 20 and the connecting piece C33 respectively, an electric telescopic rod 42 that drives the connecting rod 41 to rotate relative to the foot frame 20, a power source A (not shown in the figure) that drives the sprocket B24 to rotate, and a power source B (not shown in the figure) that drives the sprocket D37 to rotate. During specific implementation, roller A21 and roller B22 are rotatably mounted on the foot frame 20 through two rotating shafts 201 respectively, that is, the rotating shaft 201 is mounted on the foot frame 20 using rolling bearings, roller A21 is fixedly mounted on one of the rotating shafts 201, and roller B22 and sprocket A23 are fixedly mounted on the other rotating shaft 201; the two hinge points of connecting member A31 and the two hinge points of connecting member B32 form the four vertices of a parallelogram, so that the connecting member C33 is always parallel to the foot frame 20; roller A21 and roller B22 are located on the inner side of the two foot frames 20, and track wheel A34 and track wheel B35 are located on the outer side of the two foot frames 20, thereby eliminating motion interference. Preferably, the cylinder part of the electric telescopic rod 42 is hingedly connected to the foot frame 20, and the movable output rod of the electric telescopic rod 42 is hingedly connected to the connecting rod 41; the power source A (not shown in the figure) and the power source B (not shown in the figure) are servo motors or stepper motors, thereby providing the movement accuracy of the mobile robot.

[0021] The two foot frames 20 are fixedly connected to the mechanical legs A12 and B13 respectively; the two sprockets B24 are rotatably installed on the mechanical legs A12 and B13 respectively; when the acute angle between the connecting member A31 and the foot frame 20 is the smallest, the lowest point of the metal rubber track 39 is higher than the lowest point of the roller A21; when the connecting member A31 and the foot frame 20 are perpendicular to each other, the lowest point of the metal rubber track 39 is lower than the lowest point of the roller A21.

[0022] Preferably, the mechanical legs A12 and B13 are symmetrical left and right about the longitudinal section of the center of gravity of the mobile robot, and the rollers A21 and B22 are symmetrical front and back about the plane where the mechanical legs A12 and B13 are located, so as to improve the movement stability of the mobile robot during movement.

[0023] Preferably, the radius of the sprocket A23 is smaller than the radius of the roller B22, and the radius of the sprocket C36 is smaller than the radius of the track wheel A34.

[0024] The mechanical composite foot of the present invention switches from a low-speed track sliding friction forward mode to a high-speed rolling friction forward mode as follows: The movable output rod of the electric telescopic rod 42 retracts, pulling the connecting rod 41 clockwise about the hinge point between the connecting rod 41 and the foot frame 20. Connectors A31 and B32 rotate clockwise, causing the metal rubber track 39 to move upward and off the ground. The angle between the connecting rod A31 and the foot frame 20 gradually decreases to a minimum value, and rollers A21 and B22 roll into contact with the ground. As the metal rubber track 39 moves upward and off the ground, the mechanical composite foot of the present invention retracts the metal rubber track 39 during high-speed rolling forward mode, avoiding motion interference during high-speed travel. During this switching process, the mobile robot slowly moves downward following the mechanical composite foot, reducing its overall height and shifting its center of gravity downward. This not only makes the transition from the low-speed track sliding friction forward mode to the high-speed rolling friction forward mode more stable, but also significantly improves the mobile robot's motion stability during high-speed rolling friction forward mode due to the downward shift in its center of gravity.

[0025] The working principle of the mechanical composite foot in the present invention switching from the high-speed rolling friction forward mode to the low-speed crawler sliding friction forward mode is as follows: first, the forward speed of the mobile robot is reduced by controlling the power source A (not shown in the figure), and the power source B (not shown in the figure) is started to drive the track wheel A34 to rotate in advance; after the speed of the roller A21 and the track wheel A34 are basically matched, the movable output rod of the electric telescopic rod 42 extends outward to push the connecting rod 41 to rotate counterclockwise around the hinge point between the connecting rod 41 and the foot frame 20, and the connecting member A31 and the connecting member B32 rotate counterclockwise to a plumb state, that is, the angle between the connecting member A31 and the foot frame 20 is a right angle, and the metal rubber track 39 moves downward and presses against the ground, thereby causing the roller A21 and the roller B22 to leave the ground. The above switching process can reduce the wear caused by the speed mismatch when the metal rubber track 39 contacts the ground, and at the same time make the switching process smoother. Therefore, the contact mode between the mechanical composite foot 2 and the ground can be controlled by the movable output rod of the electric telescopic rod 42, so that the mobile robot can roll forward at high speed or move forward in a low-speed crawler manner on the ground to adapt to different ground environments.

[0026] The mobile robot of the present invention operates at high and low speeds in different operating environments as follows: When the mobile robot needs to advance at high speed on a relatively flat road, the mobile robot is first switched to a high-speed rolling friction forward mode via the electric telescopic rod 42. Then, power source A (not shown) is activated, causing sprocket B24 to rotate sprocket A23, which in turn drives roller B22 to roll forward. When the mobile robot needs to advance at low speed in a special operating environment, such as a slope or stairs at a certain angle, or a soft, easily sinking surface, the mobile robot is first switched to a low-speed track sliding friction forward mode via the electric telescopic rod 42. Then, power source B (not shown) is activated, causing sprocket D37 to rotate sprocket C36 via chain B38, which in turn rotates track wheel A34, driving the metal rubber track 39 to slide along the ground at low speed. This increases the contact area between the mechanical composite foot and the ground, thereby improving the stability of the mobile robot on the special operating surface.

[0027] The above are only specific embodiments of the present invention, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any changes or replacements that are not conceived through creative work should fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A mobile robot capable of operating in multiple environments, comprising a robot body (11), a robot head (10) mounted above the robot body (11), and a robot leg A (12) and a robot leg B (13) mounted in parallel below the robot body (11), characterized in that: It also includes two mechanical composite feet (2) respectively mounted on the ends of the mechanical leg A (12) and the mechanical leg B (13); The mechanical composite foot (2) comprises: a foot frame (20) fixedly mounted along the direction of travel, rollers A (21) and rollers B (22) of equal diameter rotatably mounted on the foot frame (20), sprockets A (23) and B (24) coaxially and synchronously mounted with the rollers B (22), a chain A (25) for connecting the sprockets A (23) and B (24), a connecting member A (31) and B (32) articulated and always parallel to the foot frame (20), a connecting member C (33) articulated and always parallel to the foot frame (20), a track wheel A (31) rotatably mounted on the connecting member C (33), and a connecting member B (32) for connecting the sprockets A (23) and B (24). 4) and track wheel B (35), a metal rubber track (39) for transmission connection between the track wheel A (34) and the track wheel B (35), a sprocket C (36) coaxially and synchronously rotated with the track wheel A (34), a sprocket D (37) rotated on the connecting member A (31), a chain B (38) for transmission connection between the sprocket C (36) and the sprocket D (37), a connecting rod (41) whose two ends are respectively hingedly connected to the foot frame (20) and the connecting member C (33), an electric telescopic rod (42) for driving the connecting rod (41) to rotate relative to the foot frame (20), a power source A for driving the sprocket B (24) to rotate, and a power source B for driving the sprocket D (37); The two foot frames (20) are fixedly connected to the mechanical leg A (12) and the mechanical leg B (13) respectively; the two sprockets B (24) are rotatably mounted on the mechanical leg A (12) and the mechanical leg B (13) respectively; When the acute angle between the connecting member A (31) and the foot frame (20) is the smallest, the lowest point of the metal rubber track (39) is higher than the lowest point of the roller A (21); when the connecting member A (31) and the foot frame (20) are perpendicular to each other, the lowest point of the metal rubber track (39) is lower than the lowest point of the roller A (21).

2. The mobile robot capable of operating in multiple environments according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mechanical leg A (12) and the mechanical leg B (13) are symmetrical about the longitudinal section of the center of gravity of the mobile robot; the roller A (21) and the roller B (22) are symmetrical about the plane where the mechanical leg A (12) and the mechanical leg B (13) are located.

3. The mobile robot capable of operating in multiple environments according to claim 2, characterized in that: The cylinder portion of the electric telescopic rod (42) is hingedly connected to the foot frame (20), and the movable output rod of the electric telescopic rod (42) is hingedly connected to the connecting rod (41).

4. The mobile robot capable of operating in multiple environments according to claim 2, characterized in that: The power source A and the power source B are servo motors or stepper motors.

5. A mobile robot capable of operating in multiple environments according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The radius of the sprocket A (23) is smaller than the radius of the roller B (22), and the radius of the sprocket C (36) is smaller than the radius of the track wheel A (34).

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