Artificial muscle length measuring device and humanoid robot

Abstract

The invention discloses an artificial muscle length measuring device and a humanoid robot. The length measuring device comprises a mounting base, a rotating part, a measuring rope, an elastic part and a rotating angle measuring mechanism, and the mounting base is fixed to the fixed end of an artificial muscle; the rotating piece is rotationally arranged on the mounting base, and a winding part is formed on the rotating piece; the rotation angle measuring mechanism is connected with the rotating member and is used for detecting the rotation angle of the rotating member. The device has the beneficial effects that the rotating part, the measuring rope, the elastic part and other components are matched, the length change of the artificial muscle is converted into the rotating angle change of the rotating part, the rotating angle measuring mechanism records and outputs the value of the rotating angle, and therefore the length change value of the artificial muscle can be calculated; because the rotation angle measurement occupies a small volume, the compactness of the structure is realized, the measurement device can be integrated in the compact structure of the humanoid robot, and the influence on the overall design and motion performance of the robot is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of artificial muscle length measurement, and in particular to an artificial muscle length measuring device and a humanoid robot. Background Art

[0002] Artificial muscle is an artificial material that mimics the structure and function of biological muscle and is widely used in the field of bionic robotics.

[0003] The measurement of artificial muscle length change is generally divided into indirect measurement method and direct measurement method. The indirect measurement method is to calculate the length change through the data of tension sensor and air pressure sensor through mathematical model. Since the relationship between length change and air pressure and tension is nonlinear, the final calculated data result is not accurate enough. The direct measurement method is to directly install displacement sensors in the process of artificial muscle contraction and stretching, and obtain the length change of artificial muscle when contracting and stretching by reading the data of the sensor. The length of artificial muscle is directly obtained, and the length change information can be obtained without complicated operations. Therefore, displacement sensors are widely used in the field of pneumatic artificial muscle research and development.

[0004] In the field of humanoid robot applications, it is necessary to use displacement sensors to obtain the length change state of artificial muscles during work, and then combine other sensors to establish a nonlinear relationship, and solve the position and posture of the controlled joints through the humanoid robot kinematic model to achieve control of the joints. The displacement sensors used in actual engineering applications are generally based on photoelectric encoders to obtain displacement data. The sensor is large in size and affects the structure and integration of the robot. Summary of the invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the above-mentioned technical deficiencies and propose an artificial muscle length measuring device and a humanoid robot to solve the technical problems in the prior art that the artificial muscle length measuring device based on photoelectric encoder is large in size, difficult to integrate into the compact structure of the humanoid robot, and may affect the overall design and motion performance of the robot.

[0006] In order to achieve the above technical objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions: The present invention provides an artificial muscle length measuring device, comprising: A mounting base, wherein the mounting base is fixed to a fixed end of the artificial muscle; A rotating member, the rotating member is rotatably disposed on the mounting base, and a winding portion is formed on the rotating member; a measuring rope, the measuring rope being arranged in parallel with the artificial muscle, one end of the measuring rope being wound around the winding portion, and the other end of the measuring rope being fixedly connected to the active end of the artificial muscle; an elastic member, the elastic member being connected to both the rotating member and the mounting base and being used to drive the rotating member to rotate so that the measuring rope is in a stretched state; and A rotation angle measuring mechanism is connected to the rotating member and is used to detect the rotation angle of the rotating member.

[0007] In some embodiments, a socket is provided on the mounting base; An inserting portion is formed on the rotating member, and the inserting portion is inserted into the insertion hole and is rotatably connected to the mounting base.

[0008] In some embodiments, the artificial muscle length measuring device further comprises a bearing, an inner ring of the bearing is fixedly sleeved on the insertion portion, and an outer ring of the bearing is fixedly connected to the mounting base.

[0009] In some embodiments, a receiving groove communicating with the plug hole is formed in the mounting base, and a fixing groove is formed on the insertion portion; The elastic member is a coil spring, which is wound in the receiving groove, with one end located at the center being clamped in the fixing groove, and one end located at the edge being fixedly connected to the inner side wall of the receiving groove.

[0010] In some embodiments, the winding portion includes two retaining rings, and a winding area for winding the measuring rope is formed between the two retaining rings.

[0011] In some embodiments, the rotation angle measurement mechanism includes a magnetic carrier, a magnetic sensitive element and a signal processing board. The magnetic carrier is coaxially fixed to the rotating part. A plurality of magnetic gratings are evenly arranged circumferentially on the magnetic carrier. The magnetic sensitive element is arranged opposite to the magnetic carrier and is used to convert the magnetic field strength information of the magnetic carrier into an electrical signal. The signal processing board is electrically connected to the magnetic sensitive element and is used to obtain the rotation angle of the magnetic carrier based on the electrical signal sent by the magnetic sensitive element.

[0012] In some embodiments, the rotation angle measuring mechanism also includes a fixed column, one end of which is fixedly connected to the mounting base, and the other end of which is fixedly connected to the signal processing board, and the magnetic sensitive element is fixedly mounted on the signal processing board.

[0013] In some embodiments, a through hole is formed on the signal processing board, a fixing screw hole is formed on the other end of the fixing column, and the rotation angle measuring mechanism further includes a first fixing screw, which passes through the through hole and is threadedly inserted into the fixing screw hole.

[0014] In some embodiments, the mounting base is fixed to the fixed end of the artificial muscle via a plurality of second fixing screws.

[0015] The present invention also provides a humanoid robot, comprising the artificial muscle length measuring device.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the artificial muscle length measuring device provided by the present invention has the following beneficial effects: when the length of the artificial muscle changes during use, its movable end will be displaced, causing the measuring rope fixedly connected to the movable end to also be displaced accordingly. Since the other end of the measuring rope is wound around the winding part of the rotating member, the displacement change of one end of the measuring rope will be converted into the rotation angle change of the rotating member. The rotation angle measuring mechanism records and outputs the numerical value of the rotation angle, which is proportional to the length change of the measuring rope, so that the length change value of the artificial muscle can be calculated, and the length change value can be used in the motion control algorithm of the humanoid robot to achieve accurate control of the joint posture. The measuring device adopts the cooperation of components such as the rotating member, the measuring rope and the elastic member to convert the length change of the artificial muscle into the rotation angle change of the rotating member. The rotation angle measuring mechanism records and outputs the numerical value of the rotation angle, so that the length change value of the artificial muscle can be calculated. Since the rotation angle measurement takes up little volume, the compactness of the structure is achieved, which is conducive to integrating the measuring device in the compact structure of the humanoid robot and reducing the impact on the overall design and motion performance of the robot. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an artificial muscle length measuring device provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A partial enlarged view of the middle area A; Figure 3 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the artificial muscle length measuring device; Figure 4 yes Figure 3 An exploded view of the artificial muscle length measurement device in FIG. Explanation of the reference numerals: 1-artificial muscle length measuring device, 11-mounting base, 111-jack, 112-accommodating groove, 12-rotating member, 121-winding portion, 1211-blocking ring, 1212-rope winding area, 122-insertion portion, 1221-fixing groove, 13-measuring rope, 14-elastic member, 15-rotation angle measuring mechanism, 151-magnetic carrier, 152-magnetic sensitive element, 153-signal processing board, 154-fixing column, 155-fixing screw, 16-bearing, 2-artificial muscle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0019] In order to solve the technical problems that the artificial muscle length measurement device based on photoelectric encoder is large in size, difficult to integrate into the compact structure of a humanoid robot, and may affect the overall design and motion performance of the robot, the present invention provides an artificial muscle length measurement device, which can reduce the size of the artificial muscle length measurement device to reduce the impact on the robot structure and integration.

[0020] See also Figure 1-Figure 3 , Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of an artificial muscle length measuring device in an embodiment of the present invention. The artificial muscle length measuring device 1 includes a mounting base 11, a rotating member 12, a measuring rope 13, an elastic member 14 and a rotation angle measuring mechanism 15.

[0021] The mounting base 11 is fixed to the fixed end of the artificial muscle 2 .

[0022] The rotating member 12 is rotatably disposed on the mounting base 11 , and a winding portion 121 is formed on the rotating member 12 .

[0023] The measuring rope 13 is arranged in parallel with the artificial muscle 2 , one end of which is wound around the winding portion 121 , and the other end of which is fixedly connected to the movable end of the artificial muscle 2 .

[0024] The elastic member 14 is connected to both the rotating member 12 and the mounting base 11 and is used to drive the rotating member 12 to rotate so that the measuring rope 13 is in a stretched state. The rotation angle measuring mechanism 15 is connected to the rotating member 12 and is used to detect the rotation angle of the rotating member 12 .

[0025] During use, when the length of the artificial muscle 2 changes, its movable end will be displaced, causing the measuring rope 13 fixedly connected to the movable end to also be displaced accordingly. Since the other end of the measuring rope 13 is wound around the winding portion 121 of the rotating member 12, the displacement change of one end of the measuring rope 13 will be converted into a change in the rotation angle of the rotating member 12. The rotation angle measuring mechanism 15 records and outputs the numerical value of the rotation angle, which is proportional to the length change of the measuring rope 13. The length change value of the artificial muscle 2 can be calculated, and the length change value can be used in the motion control algorithm of the humanoid robot to achieve precise control of the joint posture.

[0026] The measuring device adopts the cooperation of components such as a rotating part 12, a measuring rope 13 and an elastic part 14 to convert the length change of the artificial muscle 2 into the rotation angle change of the rotating part 12. The rotation angle measurement mechanism 15 records and outputs the numerical value of the rotation angle, so that the length change value of the artificial muscle 2 can be calculated. Since the rotation angle measurement occupies a small volume, the compactness of the structure is achieved, which is conducive to integrating the measuring device into the compact structure of the humanoid robot and reducing the impact on the overall design and motion performance of the robot.

[0027] In one embodiment, see Figure 2-Figure 4 The mounting base 11 is provided with a plug hole 111; the rotating member 12 is provided with an insertion portion 122, the insertion portion 122 is inserted into the plug hole 111, and is rotatably connected to the mounting base 11. By providing a plug hole on the mounting base and forming an insertion portion on the rotating member, the rotating member and the mounting base are rotatably connected. This design is not only simple in structure, but also flexible in rotation, and can effectively convert the length change of the artificial muscle into the rotation angle change of the rotating member.

[0028] In one embodiment, see Figure 2-Figure 4 The artificial muscle length measuring device 1 further includes a bearing 16, the inner ring of which is fixedly sleeved on the inserting portion 122, and the outer ring of which is fixedly connected to the mounting base 11. The bearing 16 is introduced as a connecting member between the rotating member and the mounting base to improve the stability and smoothness of the rotation of the rotating member. The bearing can reduce friction and wear during the rotation process, extend the service life of the device, and further improve the measurement accuracy.

[0029] In one embodiment, see Figure 2-Figure 4 The mounting base 11 is provided with a receiving groove 112 connected with the jack 111, and the inserting portion 122 is provided with a fixing groove 1221; the elastic member is a coil spring, which is wound in the receiving groove 112, with one end located in the center clamped in the fixing groove 1221, and one end located at the edge fixedly connected to the inner wall of the receiving groove 112. The coil spring is used as an elastic member to provide a continuous driving force for the rotating member, so that the measuring rope can be kept in a straight state. This design not only ensures the accuracy of the measurement, but also the length of the coil spring can be adjusted as needed to adapt to different ranges of artificial muscle lengths.

[0030] In one embodiment, see Figure 2-Figure 4The winding part 121 includes two retaining rings 1211, and a winding area 1212 for winding the measuring rope is formed between the two retaining rings 1211. By arranging two retaining rings on the rotating member to form a winding area, a stable winding space is provided for the measuring rope. This design can effectively prevent the measuring rope from sliding or falling off during the winding process, thereby improving the stability and reliability of the measurement.

[0031] In one embodiment, see Figure 2-Figure 4 The rotation angle measuring mechanism 15 includes a magnetic carrier 151, a magnetic sensitive element 152 and a signal processing board 153. The magnetic carrier 151 is coaxially fixed to the rotating member 12. A plurality of magnetic grids are evenly arranged on the magnetic carrier 151 along the circumferential direction. The magnetic sensitive element 152 is arranged opposite to the magnetic carrier 151 and is used to convert the magnetic field strength information of the magnetic carrier 151 into an electrical signal. The signal processing board 153 is electrically connected to the magnetic sensitive element 152 and is used to obtain the rotation angle of the magnetic carrier 151 according to the electrical signal sent by the magnetic sensitive element 152.

[0032] In this embodiment, the number of magnetic pole pairs of the magnetic grid can be a single pole pair or a multi-pole pair. A single pole pair is composed of an adjacent N pole and an S pole, while a multi-pole pair is composed of multiple single pole pairs arranged in a regular distribution. When a single magnetic pole pair is arranged regularly on the magnetic carrier 151 for one circle, a magnetic code track is formed, also called a magnetic grid. When the magnetic grid rotates one circle, the magnetic sensitive element scans the alternating magnetic field information generated by the magnetic poles. This information changes regularly during the rotation process. This change has a certain corresponding relationship with the magnetic field strength. The magnetic sensitive element converts it into an analog signal output. The analog signal is a quasi-sinusoidal signal, and the number of signal outputs is the same as the number of magnetic pole pairs. The amplitude of the signal output by the magnetic sensitive element is proportional to the magnetic field strength generated by the magnetic grid. When the magnetic carrier 151 drives the magnetic grid to rotate during the rotation process, a periodically distributed spatial leakage magnetic field will be generated. The magnetic sensitive element detects the signal, converts the periodically changing magnetic field signal into an electrical signal, and then processes it through the signal processing circuit on the signal processing board 153, and finally realizes the encoding function of the magnetic encoder.

[0033] In one embodiment, see Figure 1 and Figure 2 The rotation angle measuring mechanism also includes a fixed column 154, one end of which is fixedly connected to the mounting base 11, and the other end of which is fixedly connected to the signal processing board 153, and the magnetic sensitive element 152 is fixedly installed on the signal processing board 153.

[0034] In one embodiment, see Figure 1 and Figure 2The signal processing board 153 is provided with a through hole, the other end of the fixing column 154 is provided with a fixing screw hole, and the rotation angle measuring mechanism further includes a first fixing screw 155, which passes through the through hole and is threadedly inserted into the fixing screw hole. The signal processing board is fixedly connected to the mounting base by the fixing column and the first fixing screw, thereby ensuring the stability and reliability of the rotation angle measuring mechanism. This design not only improves the measurement accuracy, but also facilitates the installation and debugging of the device.

[0035] In one embodiment, see Figure 1 and Figure 2 The mounting base 11 is fixed to the fixed end of the artificial muscle 2 via a plurality of second fixing screws 31. The mounting base is fixed to the fixed end of the artificial muscle by the second fixing screws, thereby ensuring a firm connection between the measuring device and the artificial muscle.

[0036] The present invention also provides a humanoid robot, comprising the artificial muscle length measuring device 1 and the artificial muscle 2.

[0037] In order to better understand the present invention, the following Figures 1 to 4 The technical solution of the present invention is described in detail: when in use, when the length of the artificial muscle 2 changes, its movable end will be displaced, causing the measuring rope 13 fixedly connected to the movable end to also be displaced accordingly. Since the other end of the measuring rope 13 is wound around the winding portion 121 of the rotating member 12, the displacement change of one end of the measuring rope 13 will be converted into a change in the rotation angle of the rotating member 12. The rotation angle measuring mechanism 15 records and outputs the numerical value of the rotation angle, which is proportional to the length change of the measuring rope 13. The length change value of the artificial muscle 2 can be calculated, and the length change value can be used in the motion control algorithm of the humanoid robot to achieve precise control of the joint posture.

[0038] The measuring device adopts the cooperation of components such as a rotating part 12, a measuring rope 13 and an elastic part 14 to convert the length change of the artificial muscle 2 into the rotation angle change of the rotating part 12. The rotation angle measurement mechanism 15 records and outputs the numerical value of the rotation angle, so that the length change value of the artificial muscle 2 can be calculated. Since the rotation angle measurement occupies a small volume, the compactness of the structure is achieved, which is conducive to integrating the measuring device into the compact structure of the humanoid robot and reducing the impact on the overall design and motion performance of the robot.

[0039] The specific implementation of the present invention described above does not constitute a limitation on the protection scope of the present invention. Any other corresponding changes and modifications made based on the technical concept of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An artificial muscle length measuring device, characterized in that: include: A mounting base, wherein the mounting base is fixed to a fixed end of the artificial muscle; A rotating member, the rotating member is rotatably disposed on the mounting base, and a winding portion is formed on the rotating member; a measuring rope, the measuring rope being arranged in parallel with the artificial muscle, one end of the measuring rope being wound around the winding portion, and the other end of the measuring rope being fixedly connected to the active end of the artificial muscle; an elastic member, the elastic member being connected to both the rotating member and the mounting base and being used to drive the rotating member to rotate so that the measuring rope is in a stretched state; and A rotation angle measuring mechanism is connected to the rotating member and is used to detect the rotation angle of the rotating member.

2. The artificial muscle length measuring device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mounting base is provided with a plug hole; An inserting portion is formed on the rotating member, and the inserting portion is inserted into the insertion hole and is rotatably connected to the mounting base.

3. The artificial muscle length measuring device according to claim 2, characterized in that: It also includes a bearing, the inner ring of the bearing is fixedly sleeved on the insertion part, and the outer ring of the bearing is fixedly connected to the mounting base.

4. The artificial muscle length measuring device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The mounting base is formed with a receiving groove connected with the plug hole, and the inserting portion is provided with a fixing groove; The elastic member is a coil spring, which is wound in the receiving groove, with one end located at the center being clamped in the fixing groove, and one end located at the edge being fixedly connected to the inner side wall of the receiving groove.

5. The artificial muscle length measuring device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The wire winding portion comprises two retaining rings, and a wire winding area for winding the measuring wire is formed between the two retaining rings.

6. The artificial muscle length measuring device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rotation angle measuring mechanism includes a magnetic carrier, a magnetic sensitive element and a signal processing board. The magnetic carrier is coaxially fixed to the rotating part. A plurality of magnetic grids are evenly arranged on the magnetic carrier along the circumferential direction. The magnetic sensitive element is arranged opposite to the magnetic carrier and is used to convert the magnetic field strength information of the magnetic carrier into an electrical signal. The signal processing board is electrically connected to the magnetic sensitive element and is used to obtain the rotation angle of the magnetic carrier according to the electrical signal sent by the magnetic sensitive element.

7. The artificial muscle length measuring device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The rotation angle measuring mechanism also includes a fixing column, one end of which is fixedly connected to the mounting base, and the other end of which is fixedly connected to the signal processing board, and the magnetic sensitive element is fixedly mounted on the signal processing board.

8. The artificial muscle length measuring device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The signal processing board is provided with a through hole, the other end of the fixing column is provided with a fixing screw hole, and the rotation angle measuring mechanism further comprises a first fixing screw, which passes through the through hole and is threadedly inserted into the fixing screw hole.

9. The artificial muscle length measuring device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mounting base is fixed to the fixed end of the artificial muscle via a plurality of second fixing screws.

10. A humanoid robot, characterized in that: It comprises the artificial muscle length measuring device as described in any one of claims 1-9.

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