Ball wheel moving device and moving method thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses a ball wheel moving device and a moving method thereof. The device comprises a machine body, a ball wheel mechanism, a leg mechanism and a control system. The spherical wheel mechanism comprises a spherical wheel and a first driving unit for driving the spherical wheel to rotate; the leg mechanism comprises a deformable connecting rod assembly and a second driving unit used for driving the connecting rod assembly to deform and rotate. The connecting rod assembly is hinged to the side face of the machine body and fixedly connected with the ball wheel mechanism. The control system is separately in electric signal connection with the ball wheel mechanism and the leg mechanism; through the rotation and deformation design of the leg mechanisms and the coordinated control of the control system on the ball wheel mechanisms and the leg mechanisms, an all-terrain self-adaptive composite transmission structure is formed, dynamic coupling of rolling driving and foot type obstacle crossing is achieved, the environmental adaptability, flexibility and operation reliability are improved, and the working efficiency is improved. And the problems of obstacle crossing instability and movement interruption of an existing device are solved, and the working efficiency under the complex terrain is remarkably improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a mobile device, and more particularly to a spherical wheel mobile device and its moving method. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of robot technology, mobile robots are increasingly widely used in various fields. Compared with other types of robots, spherical wheel robots have flexible and efficient movement modes. They can achieve omnidirectional movement through the rolling of spherical wheels, without the need for complex steering mechanisms, and can flexibly shuttle in narrow spaces and complex terrains, having many unique advantages, which makes them widely used in many fields. One type of spherical wheel drive device in the prior art is a single spherical wheel structure adopted to ensure movement flexibility. Although it has the advantage of high movement efficiency, it is difficult to cross obstacles such as steps and gullies. Another type adds a leg mechanism to the spherical wheel drive device to improve the obstacle-crossing ability. Although it has a certain obstacle-crossing ability, it has defects such as complex structure, high energy consumption, and poor movement continuity. These problems lead to the inability of existing mobile devices to achieve dynamic coordination between rolling drive and legged movement when dealing with typical unstructured terrains such as stair climbing and gravel roads, and it is easy to have movement interruption during complex terrain switching, seriously restricting the operation reliability in a dynamic environment. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Object of the Invention: The object of the present invention is to provide a spherical wheel mobile device with strong environmental adaptability, good flexibility, and high operation reliability. Another object of the present invention is to provide a moving method for a spherical wheel mobile device.

[0004] Technical Solution: The spherical wheel mobile device described in the present invention includes a body, a spherical wheel mechanism, a leg mechanism, and a control system; the spherical wheel mechanism includes a spherical wheel and a first driving unit for driving the spherical wheel to rotate; the leg mechanism includes a deformable link assembly and a second driving unit for driving the deformation and rotation of the link assembly; the link assembly is hinged to the side of the body and fixedly connected to the spherical wheel mechanism, and the link assembly can rotate relative to the body. The body is connected to the spherical wheel mechanism through the link assembly of the leg mechanism; the control system is separately electrically connected to the spherical wheel mechanism and the leg mechanism, and the control system controls the coordinated action of the spherical wheel mechanism and the leg mechanism according to different terrain features.

[0005] Preferably, the first driving unit includes a first motor, a driving wheel that is in rolling contact with the spherical wheel to drive its movement, and a transmission system connecting the driving wheel and the first motor; the transmission system includes a synchronous belt and a bevel gear set. The synchronous belt drive is adopted to ensure accurate transmission ratio and high efficiency; the input shaft of the bevel gear set is connected to the output shaft of the first motor, and its output shaft is connected to the rotating shaft of the driving wheel through the synchronous belt.

[0006] Preferably, an elastic wear-resistant layer is provided on the outer surface of the spherical wheel, and cross-shaped anti-slip patterns are distributed on its surface; the number of drive wheels cooperating with each spherical wheel is three or more, and they are symmetrically arranged on the spherical wheel.

[0007] Preferably, the second drive unit includes an electric push rod and a second motor, and both ends of the electric push rod are respectively hinged to the body and the link assembly.

[0008] Preferably, the leg mechanisms are symmetrically arranged around the body, and the number of them is four or more to ensure the stable operation of the device.

[0009] Preferably, the link assembly is of a parallelogram structure, which is successively hinged by a first link, a second link, a third link and a fourth link. The first link is hinged to the side of the body, and the third link is fixedly connected to the ball wheel mechanism.

[0010] Preferably, the control system includes an inertial measurement unit for real-time detection of the body attitude, a vision sensor for obtaining terrain feature data, and a processor for selecting a drive mode based on the attitude parameters and terrain feature data.

[0011] Preferably, the drive modes include:

[0012] Rolling mode, the first drive unit makes the spherical wheel roll continuously;

[0013] Leg mode, the electric push rod adjusts the deformation of the link assembly to achieve an obstacle-crossing action;

[0014] Hybrid mode, alternately executing the rolling mode and the leg mode.

[0015] The moving method of the above device includes the following:

[0016] The control system adjusts the arrangement state of the leg mechanisms according to the space width to adjust the overall width of the device;

[0017] The control system judges the terrain features and selects the drive mode as the rolling mode, the leg mode or the hybrid mode;

[0018] When encountering a flat road surface and long-distance driving is required, the rolling mode is adopted: the first drive unit controls the rotational speed vector synthesis of the drive wheels to make the spherical wheel roll along the target direction;

[0019] When encountering unstructured terrain and obstacle crossing is required, the leg mode is adopted:

[0020] S1: Adjust the contraction of the electric push rod of at least one leg mechanism to lift the corresponding ball wheel mechanism off the ground;

[0021] S2: The first drive unit adjusts the rolling direction of the lifted spherical wheel;

[0022] S3: The electric push rod extends to make the spherical wheel contact a new support point;

[0023] S4: Repeat S1 - S3 to achieve alternating obstacle crossing;

[0024] When encountering a complex dynamic environment, a hybrid mode is adopted: the terrain parameters are detected in real time. When the obstacle height exceeds the preset threshold, it switches to the obstacle - crossing legged mode; the rolling mode is restored on flat sections.

[0025] Preferably, in the rolling mode, all the first drive units are controlled to operate synchronously so that each spherical wheel maintains the same rotational speed.

[0026] Beneficial effects: Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following remarkable advantages: Through the rotation and deformation design of the leg mechanism and the coordinated control of the control system over the ball - wheel mechanism and the leg mechanism, a full - terrain adaptive composite transmission structure is formed, realizing the dynamic coupling of rolling drive and legged obstacle crossing. It not only improves the environmental adaptability, flexibility and operation reliability, but also solves the problems of obstacle - crossing instability and motion interruption of existing devices, significantly improving the operation efficiency in complex terrains. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0027] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the device of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the upward movement of the leg mechanism in the legged mode of the device of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the downward pressure of the leg mechanism in the legged mode of the device of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the rotational state of the leg mechanism of the device of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the body and the leg mechanism in the present invention.

[0032] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the ball - wheel mechanism in the present invention. Detailed Embodiments

[0033] The technical solution of the present invention will be further described below with reference to the drawings.

[0034] As Figure 1-6As shown in the figure, in the ball wheel moving device and its moving method of this embodiment, the device uses the body 1 as the main frame, and reserves standard interfaces for function module expansion. The body 1 adopts a lightweight alloy frame, and deformable leg mechanisms 3 are symmetrically arranged at the four corners. An independently driven ball wheel mechanism 2 is installed at the end of each leg mechanism 3 to form a four-legged support structure. The control system, as the control center of the entire device, is separately electrically connected to the ball wheel mechanism 2 and the leg mechanism 3, and controls the working states of the ball wheel mechanism 2 and the leg mechanism 3 by controlling the first drive unit and the second drive unit respectively. The leg mechanism 3 includes a deformable link assembly 5 and a second drive unit for driving the deformation and rotation of the link assembly 5. The ball wheel mechanism 2 and the leg mechanism 3 can work independently or cooperatively. In the typical working state, the ball wheel mechanism 2 and the leg mechanism 3 can form three cooperative modes: when the ball wheel mechanism 2 works alone, the first drive unit makes the spherical wheel 4 of the ball wheel mechanism 2 roll continuously, which is the rolling mode; when the leg mechanism 3 works alone, the first drive unit adjusts the deformation of the link assembly 5 to achieve an obstacle-crossing action, which is the legged mode; in a complex terrain environment, the hybrid mode is started to dynamically coordinate the actions of the two.

[0035] The core of the ball wheel mechanism 2 is the spherical wheel 4 wrapped with an elastic wear-resistant layer, and cross-shaped anti-slip patterns are provided on its surface to enhance the friction performance. Three drive wheels 7 are evenly distributed on the surface of the spherical wheel 4 at 120°. The power of the first motor 6 is received through the bevel gear set of the transmission system 8, and the power is transmitted to the drive wheels 7 through the synchronous belt drive, forming a three-way vector drive structure to achieve the omnidirectional precise control of the spherical wheel 4. The deformable leg mechanism 3 adopts a high-rigidity parallelogram link structure, which is articulated into a kinematic chain by the first link 11, the second link 12, the third link 13 and the fourth link 14. Among them, the first link 11 is articulated with the side wall of the body 1, and the third link 13 is fixedly connected to the ball wheel mechanism 2. The second drive unit is composed of a high-precision electric push rod 9 and a second motor 10. The second motor 10 adopts a servo motor. Both ends of the electric push rod 9 are respectively articulated with the frame of the body 1 and the link assembly 5, and the expansion angle of the link assembly 5 is changed by adjusting the stroke of the electric push rod 9, so as to realize the spatial position adjustment of the ball wheel mechanism 2. Four groups of the same leg mechanisms 3 are distributed in a cross-symmetrical manner, and can rotate synchronously during operation in a narrow space to minimize the overall width, so as to realize movement in a narrow space.

[0036] The control system of the device integrates multi-modal perception and decision-making functions. The inertial measurement unit located in the body 1 monitors the attitude angle and acceleration data in real time. The vision sensor constructs a three-dimensional terrain model. The processor automatically selects the optimal driving mode by fusing multi-source information. When on a flat road surface, the system enters the efficient rolling mode. The four spherical wheels 4 are synchronously controlled by the first motor 6. The target movement direction is synthesized by adjusting the rotational speed vectors of each driving wheel 7. When detecting stairs or obstacles, it switches to the legged obstacle-crossing mode. At this time, the electric push rod 9 sequentially contracts the specific leg mechanism, lifts the corresponding spherical wheel 4 and then adjusts its driving direction, and then realizes the crossing action through the extension of the electric push rod 9. In a mixed terrain environment, the system automatically switches dynamically between the two modes. When the obstacle height recognized by vision exceeds the preset threshold, the obstacle-crossing program is triggered, and continuous climbing is achieved by alternately lifting two groups of spherical wheels 4 on the diagonal.

[0037] When the device enters a narrow passage, the control system first controls all link assemblies 5 to rotate synchronously around the body 1, making the four groups of leg mechanisms 3 in a parallel state and compressing the overall width. During the passage, the spherical wheels 4 keep rotating at a low speed synchronously, and the inertial measurement unit continuously corrects the traveling direction. When encountering a slope, the two groups of leg mechanisms 3 in the uphill direction automatically increase the pressure of the electric push rod 9, and at the same time the corresponding spherical wheels 4 increase the driving torque to maintain a uniform climb.

[0038] When the device is working, the control system adjusts the arrangement state of the leg mechanism 3 according to the space width to adjust the overall width of the device to ensure that the device can pass smoothly. Secondly, the control system judges the terrain characteristics and selects the driving mode as the rolling mode, the legged mode or the mixed mode. When encountering a flat road surface and needing to travel a long distance, the rolling mode is adopted: the first driving unit controls the rotational speed vector synthesis of the driving wheel 7 to make the spherical wheel 4 roll along the target direction. When encountering an unstructured terrain and needing to cross an obstacle, the legged mode is adopted: first, the electric push rod 9 of at least one leg mechanism 3 is adjusted to contract, so that the corresponding spherical wheel mechanism 2 is lifted off the ground; secondly, the first driving unit adjusts the rolling direction of the lifted spherical wheel 4; the electric push rod 9 extends to make the spherical wheel 4 contact the new support point; repeat the previous steps to cross the obstacle alternately. When encountering a complex dynamic environment, the mixed mode is adopted: the terrain parameters are detected in real time. When the obstacle height exceeds the preset threshold, it switches to the obstacle-crossing legged mode; the rolling mode is restored on the flat section.

Claims

1. A ball wheel moving device, comprising a body (1), a ball wheel mechanism (2), a leg mechanism (3) and a control system; characterized in that, The ball wheel mechanism (2) includes a spherical wheel (4) and a first driving unit for driving the spherical wheel (4) to rotate; the leg mechanism (3) includes a deformable link assembly (5) and a second driving unit for driving the deformation and rotation of the link assembly (5); the link assembly (5) is hinged to the side of the body (1) and fixedly connected to the ball wheel mechanism (2); the control system is separately electrically connected to the ball wheel mechanism (2) and the leg mechanism (3).

2. The mobile device according to claim 1, wherein: The first driving unit includes a first motor (6), a driving wheel (7) that is in rolling contact with the spherical wheel (4) to drive its movement, and a transmission system (8) connecting the driving wheel (7) and the first motor (6); the transmission system (8) includes a synchronous belt and a bevel gear set, the input shaft of the bevel gear set is connected to the output shaft of the first motor (6), and its output shaft is connected to the rotating shaft of the driving wheel (7) through the synchronous belt.

3. The mobile device according to claim 2, wherein: An elastic wear-resistant layer is provided on the outer surface of the spherical wheel (4), and cross-shaped anti-slip patterns are distributed on its surface; the number of driving wheels (7) cooperating with each spherical wheel (4) is three or more, and they are symmetrically arranged on the spherical wheel (4).

4. The mobile device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second driving unit includes an electric push rod (9) and a second motor (10), and both ends of the electric push rod (9) are respectively hinged to the body (1) and the link assembly (5).

5. The mobile device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The leg mechanisms (3) are symmetrically arranged around the body (1), and the number thereof is four or more.

6. The mobile device according to claim 1, wherein: The link assembly (5) is of a parallelogram structure and is successively hinged by a first link (11), a second link (12), a third link (13) and a fourth link (14). The first link (11) is hinged to the side of the body (1), and the third link (13) is fixedly connected to the ball wheel mechanism (2).

7. The mobile device according to claim 1, wherein: The control system includes an inertial measurement unit for real-time detecting the attitude of the body (1), a vision sensor for acquiring terrain feature data, and a processor for selecting a driving mode based on the attitude parameters and terrain feature data.

8. The mobile device according to claim 7, wherein: The driving modes include: Rolling mode, the first driving unit makes the spherical wheel (4) continuously roll; Leg mode, the electric push rod (9) adjusts the deformation of the link assembly (5) to achieve an obstacle-crossing action; Hybrid mode, alternately executing the rolling mode and the leg mode.

9. A moving method of the device according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, It includes the following contents: The control system adjusts the arrangement state of the leg mechanisms (3) according to the space width to adjust the overall width of the device; The control system judges the terrain features and selects the driving mode as the rolling mode, the leg mode or the hybrid mode; When encountering a flat road surface and long-distance driving is required, the rolling mode is adopted: the first driving unit controls the rotational speed vector synthesis of the driving wheel (7) to make the spherical wheel (4) roll along the target direction; When encountering unstructured terrain and obstacle crossing is required, the leg mode is adopted: S1: Adjust the contraction of the electric push rod (9) of at least one leg mechanism (3) to lift the corresponding ball wheel mechanism (2) off the ground; S2: The first driving unit adjusts the rolling direction of the lifted spherical wheel (4); S3: The electric push rod (9) extends to make the spherical wheel (4) contact a new support point; S4: Repeat S1 - S3 to achieve alternate obstacle crossing; When encountering a complex dynamic environment, a hybrid mode is adopted: terrain parameters are detected in real time. When the obstacle height exceeds the preset threshold, it switches to the obstacle-crossing legged mode; the rolling mode is restored on flat sections.

10. The moving method according to claim 9, characterized in that: In the rolling mode, all the first driving units are controlled to operate synchronously, so that each spherical wheel (4) maintains the same rotational speed.

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