Composite deformation wheel type amphibious robot with wheel leg paddle function

Abstract

The invention relates to a composite deformation wheel type amphibious robot with wheel leg paddle functions. Comprising a sealed cabin, wheel-leg-paddle composite deformation wheels, a transmission structure, a settlement control structure, a visual module and a driving motor, the sealed cabin serves as a robot body support, and the four wheel-leg-paddle composite deformation wheels are symmetrically installed at the four corners of the bottom of the sealed cabin; the two transmission structures are symmetrically arranged on the two sides in the sealed cabin and are connected with the four wheel-leg-paddle composite deformation wheels through through holes in the two sides of the sealed cabin; two driving motors arranged in the sealed cabin drive two groups of wheel-leg-paddle composite deformation wheels on the same side to rotate through two groups of matched transmission structures, and each group of wheel-leg-paddle composite deformation wheels has a wheel type form, a leg type form and a paddle type form which can be switched; when entering a water area, the suspension depth is automatically adjusted through the settlement control structure. The amphibious robot realizes land rolling, obstacle crossing and underwater propelling movement, and is suitable for stable operation in a complex amphibious environment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the field of robots, and particularly relates to a composite deformable wheeled amphibious robot with functions of wheels, legs and paddles. Background Art

[0002] With the continuous progress of technology, robots are increasingly widely used in various fields. Especially in amphibious environments, robots can play a huge role, such as rescue, detection, scientific research, etc. However, existing amphibious robots mainly have the following two major drawbacks:

[0003] On the one hand, the structural redundancy is high and the integration is insufficient: For example, the amphibious robot with the publication number CN107116980A realizes amphibious movement through two independent propulsion units of omnidirectional wheels and propellers. Although the movement flexibility is relatively high, the structure is not compact enough. The amphibious robot with the publication number CN117944410A moves on land relying on a multi-joint leg structure and moves in water relying on a screw propeller, with a complex structure. The deformable wheel in the amphibious wheel-leg obstacle-crossing robot with the publication number CN119388924A adopts a multi-stage connecting rod assembly, which requires precision machining and high-tolerance assembly, and the reliability is limited.

[0004] On the other hand, it is difficult to synergistically optimize the land obstacle-crossing performance and movement efficiency: For example, the amphibious wheel-paddle robot with the publication number CN118342926A adopts a wheel-paddle with a flipable structure, and the omnidirectional wheel propulsion mechanism adopted by the amphibious robot with the publication number CN107116980A has difficulty crossing obstacles when facing special terrains such as continuous steps in the land environment. Although the paddle-leg deformable amphibious hexapod robot with the publication number CN112026461B adopts a leg structure to improve the obstacle-crossing performance, the intermittent movement characteristics of the leg drive result in that the land moving speed cannot meet the rapid response requirements. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To solve the problems of complex structure, low switching efficiency of the amphibious propulsion mechanism, insufficient obstacle-crossing ability and poor reliability in the prior art, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a composite deformable wheeled amphibious robot with functions of wheels, legs and paddles, which is small in size, light in weight and low in implementation cost, improves the obstacle-crossing ability of the robot, realizes land rolling, obstacle-crossing and water propulsion movement, and adapts to stable operation in complex amphibious environments.

[0006] The technical solution to achieve the purpose of the present invention is: A composite deformable wheeled amphibious robot with functions of wheels, legs and paddles, comprising a sealed cabin, a wheel-leg-paddle composite deformable wheel, a transmission structure, a settlement control structure, a vision module and a driving motor.

[0007] The sealed cabin serves as the main body support of the robot and adopts a split - type sealed design. Four wheel - leg - paddle composite deformable wheels are symmetrically installed at the four corners of the bottom. There are two groups of transmission structures, symmetrically placed on both sides inside the sealed cabin, and connected to the four wheel - leg - paddle composite deformable wheels through through - holes on both sides of the sealed cabin. Two drive motors installed inside the sealed cabin drive the two groups of wheel - leg - paddle composite deformable wheels on the same side to rotate through the two supporting transmission structures. Each group of wheel - leg - paddle composite deformable wheels has switchable wheel form, leg form, and paddle form. The settlement control structure is arranged along the central axis of the sealed cabin. When the robot enters the water area, the autonomous adjustment of the suspension depth is achieved through the settlement control structure.

[0008] Further, the sealed cabin includes a cabin body, a rectangular - frame sealing strip, and a cabin cover. The cabin cover is tightly connected to the cabin body by bolts at the four corners. The rectangular - frame sealing strip is embedded in the rectangular joint surface between the cabin body and the cabin cover to form a pressure - adaptive sealing interface.

[0009] Further, each wheel - leg - paddle composite deformable wheel includes a hub, a wheel - leg - paddle support frame, four partial - gear wheel - leg - paddles, a central gear, a wheel - leg - paddle fixing frame, a servo coupling flange, and a waterproof servo.

[0010] One side of the hub is connected to the transmission structure, and the other side extends four fixed shafts evenly distributed circumferentially. The fixed shafts sequentially pass through the four through - holes of the wheel - leg - paddle support frame, the four partial - gear wheel - leg - paddles, and the wheel - leg - paddle fixing frame. A positioning shaft is provided at the center of the side of the wheel - leg - paddle support frame away from the hub. The central gear is sleeved on the positioning shaft of the wheel - leg - paddle support frame through a rolling bearing.

[0011] The root of the partial - gear wheel - leg - paddle is provided with an involute gear segment, and the involute gear segment meshes with the central gear. The outer edge of the partial - gear wheel - leg - paddle is provided with an arc - shaped paddle blade segment, and the arc - shaped paddle blade segments form a continuous paddle surface when unfolded in water.

[0012] One end of the servo coupling flange meshes with the output shaft of the waterproof servo through splines, and the other end is fixedly connected to the central gear through a pin shaft. The waterproof servo drives the central gear to rotate through the servo coupling flange, and the involute gear segment meshing with the central gear rotates accordingly, driving the four partial - gear wheel - leg - paddles to rotate synchronously around the fixed shafts of the hub and synchronously move inwards or outwards to achieve the switching of different forms.

[0013] Further, the wheel - leg - paddle composite deformable wheel also includes a hub coupling flange and a servo support.

[0014] The hub coupling flange is coaxially installed with the hub through bolt connection and is used to connect the transmission structure; the wheel leg paddle fixing bracket is provided with four axially limiting bosses evenly distributed in the circumferential direction, and an assembly through hole for the fixing shaft to pass through is opened at the center of each axially limiting boss; the end face of the axially limiting boss abuts against the upper surfaces of the four partial gear wheel leg paddles to limit the axial displacement of the four partial gear wheel leg paddles; the servo bracket is bolted to the side of the wheel leg paddle fixing bracket without axially limiting bosses, and an installation slot is provided on the upper side of the servo bracket for installing a waterproof servo.

[0015] Furthermore, the transmission structure adopts a dual-axis synchronous transmission design, including a motor fixing bracket, a coupling, two synchronous pulleys, a driving shaft, a driven shaft, three flange micro bearings, two O-ring seals, a driven shaft fixing bracket, and a synchronous belt;

[0016] The motor fixing bracket is used to fixedly connect the driving motor to the bottom of the cabin; one end of the coupling is connected to the output shaft of the driving motor, and the other end is connected to the driving shaft; the driving shaft and the driven shaft are arranged in parallel, and the dynamic sealing connection with the cabin is realized through the flange structure of the flange micro bearing and the O-ring seal. The outer ends of the two rotating shafts respectively pass through the through holes of the cabin and are connected to the hub coupling flange of the wheel leg paddle composite deformation wheel, and the inner ends are respectively installed with synchronous pulleys; the synchronous belt is tensioned between the two synchronous pulleys to complete the torque transmission from the driving shaft to the driven shaft; the flange micro bearing is arranged on one side of the driving shaft, and the two-way axial positioning is realized by means of the coupling; the flange micro bearings are arranged on both sides of the driven shaft, and one side of which is supported by the driven shaft fixing bracket.

[0017] Furthermore, the settlement control structure includes an exhaust pipe, a linear guide rail, an inflation pipe I, an air pump, an inflation pipe II, a compressed gas cylinder, two inflatable air bags, and four hanging buckles;

[0018] The two inflatable air bags are symmetrically arranged on the front and rear sides of the cabin, and each inflatable air bag is fixed to one side of the cabin by two hanging buckles; the linear guide rail is bolted and fixed to the upper inner part of the cabin bottom surface; the air pump and the compressed gas cylinder are adjustably installed on the linear guide rail through bolts; the air pump is connected to the compressed gas cylinder through the exhaust pipe, and is connected to the two inflatable air bags through the inflation pipe I and the inflation pipe II to realize the inflation and deflation of the air bags.

[0019] Furthermore, the vision module includes a transparent sealing cover, a sealing cover bottom plate, a lidar, and an industrial camera;

[0020] The lidar is placed at the center of the upper bottom surface of the sealing cover bottom plate; the industrial camera is installed above the lidar, and there is no interference conflict between their optical fields of view.

[0021] A method for the above-mentioned robot to achieve amphibious operation is as follows:

[0022] (a): When the robot is in a flat land environment, it switches to the wheeled form. The waterproof servo drives the central gear to rotate. Through the gear meshing transmission between the central gear and the involute gear segments of the four partial gear leg paddles, the partial gear leg paddles are rotated inward and retracted. Then the waterproof servo locks the attitude of the central gear relying on its own torque. The leg paddle composite deformation wheel switches to the wheeled form, forming a rigid wheel body structure. The drive motor drives the driving shaft and the driven shaft to rotate synchronously through the synchronous belt, driving the two wheels on the same side to rotate synchronously. The four leg paddle composite deformation wheels (2) on both sides rotate in one direction, realizing the straight forward movement of the amphibious robot. When moving backward, the drive motor rotates in reverse, thus realizing the backward movement of the amphibious robot. When turning, the rotational speeds of the two drive motors on both sides are adjusted by differential. When turning left, the right motor accelerates; when turning right, the left motor accelerates. The flexible turning is realized by using the wheel speed difference between the leg paddle composite deformation wheels on both sides.

[0023] (b): When the robot encounters an obstacle that cannot be crossed in the wheeled mode, it switches to the legged form. The waterproof servo drives the central gear to rotate in the opposite direction to the transformation of the wheeled form. Through the gear meshing transmission between the central gear and the involute gear segments of the four partial gear leg paddles, the partial gear leg paddles are rotated outward and unfolded to the maximum angle. Then the waterproof servo locks the attitude of the central gear relying on its own torque. The four partial gear leg paddles form a cross-shaped evenly distributed support leg. The end of the arc-shaped paddle segment contacts the ground, and it switches to the legged form. In the legged form, the drive motor reduces the rotational speed and increases the torque to reduce the impact during the movement in the legged mode. The ends of the arc-shaped paddle segments of the four partial gear leg paddles of the leg paddle composite deformation wheel take turns to provide the gripping force for the legged mode, and the amphibious robot is pushed forward by the friction force between the end of the arc-shaped paddle segment and the ground.

[0024] (c): When the robot enters the water area, it switches to the paddle form and enables the settlement control structure. The waterproof servo drives the central gear to rotate to a preset angle. Through the gear meshing transmission between the central gear and the involute gear segments of the four partial gear leg paddles, the four partial gear leg paddles are unfolded outward to a preset angle. Then the waterproof servo locks the attitude of the central gear relying on its own torque. The arc-shaped paddle segments of the four partial gear leg paddles form a continuous paddle surface, switching to the paddle form to increase the rowing area. The two drive motors respectively drive the four leg paddle composite deformation wheels to rotate at high speed through two sets of transmission structures. The paddle blades strike the water flow to generate the propulsive force, controlling the forward or backward movement of the robot. The settlement control structures work together. The air pump dynamically inflates and deflates the two inflatable air bags through the exhaust pipe, the compressed gas cylinder, the inflation pipe I, and the inflation pipe II to realize the autonomous adjustment of the suspension depth. Through the control of the waterproof servo, the unfolding angle of the four partial gear leg paddles is dynamically adjusted, so that the arc-shaped paddle segments of the partial gear leg paddles form a differential paddle blade flow-facing surface in the water, thereby regulating the overall motion state of the robot.

[0025] Compared with the prior art, the remarkable advantages of the present invention are as follows:

[0026] (1) Achieve integrated land and water power, with a compact overall structure. In the land wheeled form, the overall size is limited to 450mm × 400mm × 300mm, enabling movement in narrow spaces.

[0027] (2) Have multi-modal movement capabilities. The wheel-leg-paddle composite deformable wheel can flexibly switch among three forms: wheeled, legged, and paddled, achieving high-speed land movement, obstacle crossing, and underwater propulsion, significantly enhancing the robot's obstacle-crossing ability and adapting to complex amphibious terrains.

[0028] (3) The amphibious propulsion mechanism can switch quickly. Through the drive of waterproof servo motors and gear meshing transmission, the form switching between wheeled, legged, and paddled can be achieved within 2 seconds.

[0029] (4) The settlement control structure realizes the stable control of the underwater attitude through the rapid inflation and deflation of airbags and the adjustable air pump layout on the linear guide rail; the air pump and compressed gas cylinder dynamically adjust the installation position along the linear guide rail, which can optimize the matching of the robot's center of gravity and center of buoyancy, significantly enhancing the underwater movement stability.

[0030] (5) The modular design of each component facilitates component maintenance and the expansion of additional functional modules. Description of the Drawings

[0031] Figure 1 This is the overall structural schematic diagram of the underwater propulsion state of the amphibious robot of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 2 This is the overall structural schematic diagram of the land movement state of the amphibious robot of the present invention.

[0033] Figure 3 This is the exploded view of the wheel-leg-paddle composite deformable wheel of the amphibious robot of the present invention.

[0034] Figure 4 This is the structural schematic diagram of the sealed cabin of the amphibious robot of the present invention.

[0035] Figure 5 This is the axial sectional view of the wheel-leg-paddle composite deformable wheel of the amphibious robot of the present invention.

[0036] Figure 6 This is the structural schematic diagram of the wheeled form of the wheel-leg-paddle composite deformable wheel of the amphibious robot of the present invention.

[0037] Figure 7 This is the structural schematic diagram of the legged and paddled forms of the wheel-leg-paddle composite deformable wheel of the amphibious robot of the present invention.

[0038] Figure 8Schematic diagram of the drive structure and drive motor connection for the amphibious robot of the present invention.

[0039] Figure 9 Schematic diagram of the settlement control structure for the amphibious robot of the present invention.

[0040] Figure 10 Schematic diagram of the vision module for the amphibious robot of the present invention.

[0041] Description of reference numerals:

[0042] 1 - Sealed cabin, 2 - Wheel - leg - paddle composite deformation wheel, 3 - Drive structure, 4 - Settlement control structure, 5 - Vision module, 6 - Drive motor, 7 - Cabin body, 8 - Rectangular frame - type sealing rubber strip, 9 - Cabin cover, 10 - Hub coupling flange, 11 - Hub, 12 - Wheel - leg - paddle support frame, 13 - Partial gear wheel - leg - paddle, 14 - Central gear, 15 - Wheel - leg - paddle fixing frame, 16 - Servo coupling flange, 17 - Servo support, 18 - Waterproof servo, 19 - Motor fixing frame, 20 - Coupling, 21 - Synchronous pulley, 22 - Driving shaft, 23 - Driven shaft, 24 - Flange micro - bearing, 25 - O - ring seal, 26 - Driven shaft fixing frame, 27 - Synchronous belt, 28 - Exhaust pipe, 29 - Linear guide rail, 30 - Inflation pipe Ⅰ, 31 - Air pump, 32 - Inflation pipe Ⅱ, 33 - Compressed gas cylinder, 34 - Airbag, 35 - Hanging buckle, 36 - Transparent sealing cover, 37 - Sealing cover bottom plate, 38 - Lidar, 39 - Industrial camera, 111 - Fixed shaft, 121 - Positioning shaft, 131 - Involute gear section, 132 - Arc - shaped paddle blade section, 133 - Through - hole, 151 - Axial limiting boss. Detailed implementation manners

[0043] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0044] It should be noted first that in different descriptions of the present invention, the same components are identified by consistent reference numerals or component names, and the description in the specification applies to all components with the same identification. The orientation descriptions such as "center", "upper", "lower", etc. are based on the orientation shown in the drawings or the usual placement method of the product, and are only used to simplify the description, and do not constitute a limitation on the actual orientation, structure or operation of the device; when the position of the component changes, the relevant description is automatically adapted according to the functional meaning and should not be understood as a constraint on the present invention.

[0045] Combined with the attached Figures 1 to 10 , the implementation manners of the present invention are described in detail as follows: A composite deformation wheel - type amphibious robot with both wheel, leg and paddle functions includes a sealed cabin 1, four groups of wheel - leg - paddle composite deformation wheels 2, two groups of drive structures 3, a settlement control structure 4, a vision module 5 and two drive motors 6.

[0046] As Figure 4As shown, the sealed cabin 1 adopts a split-type sealing design, including a cabin body 7, a rectangular frame sealing strip 8, and a cabin cover 9. The cabin cover 9 is fixedly connected to the cabin body 7 by bolts at the four corners. The rectangular frame sealing strip 8 is embedded in the rectangular joint surface between the cabin body 7 and the cabin cover 9 to form a pressure-adaptive sealing interface. This design compensates for the installation tolerance through the elastic deformation of the sealing strip to ensure the sealing performance of the sealed cabin 1 in the underwater high-pressure environment.

[0047] As Figure 3 , Figures 5 to 7 shown, the four-wheel-leg-paddle composite deformation wheels 2 include a hub coupling flange 10, a hub 11, a wheel-leg-paddle support frame 12, partial gear wheel-leg-paddles 13, a central gear 14, a wheel-leg-paddle fixing frame 15, a servo coupling flange 16, a servo support 17, and a waterproof servo 18. One side of the hub 11 is connected to the transmission structure 3 through the hub coupling flange 10, and the other side extends four circumferentially evenly distributed fixed shafts 111. The fixed shafts 111 penetrate through four through holes of the wheel-leg-paddle support frame 12. A positioning shaft 121 is provided on the side of the wheel-leg-paddle support frame 12 away from the hub 11. The central gear 14 is sleeved on the positioning shaft 121 of the wheel-leg-paddle support frame 12 through a rolling bearing. The root of the partial gear wheel-leg-paddle 13 is provided with an involute gear section 131, the outer edge is provided with an arc-shaped paddle section 132, and a through hole 133 is opened at the rotation center; its involute gear section 131 meshes with the central gear 14, and the arc-shaped paddle sections 132 form a continuous paddle surface when unfolded in water, and the through hole 133 is used to install the partial gear wheel-leg-paddle 13 on the fixed shaft 111 of the hub 11. The wheel-leg-paddle fixing frame 15 is provided with four circumferentially evenly distributed axial limiting bosses 151, and an assembly through hole is opened at the center of each axial limiting boss 151. The wheel-leg-paddle fixing frame 15 is sleeved on the fixed shaft 111 of the hub 11 through this assembly through hole; the end surfaces of the axial limiting bosses 151 are in contact with the upper surfaces of the four partial gear wheel-leg-paddles 13 to limit the axial displacement of the four partial gear wheel-leg-paddles 13. The servo support 17 is connected to the wheel-leg-paddle fixing frame 15 by bolts, and a waterproof servo 18 is installed in a card slot on its upper side.

[0048] The waterproof servo 18 is connected to the central gear 14 through the servo coupling flange 16. By driving the central gear 14 to rotate through the waterproof servo 18, the four partial gear wheel-leg-paddles 13 are synchronously unfolded outward through gear meshing transmission; by precisely controlling the waterproof servo 18, the unfolding angles of the four partial gear wheel-leg-paddles 13 are adjusted to complete the switching of wheeled, legged, and paddle-shaped forms:

[0049] Wheeled form: By driving the central gear 14 to rotate through the servo coupling flange 16, the involute gear section 131 meshing with the central gear 14 rotates accordingly, driving the four partial gear wheel-leg-paddles 13 to synchronously rotate and fold inwards around the fixed shaft 111 of the hub 11. The arc-shaped paddle sections 132 of the four partial gear wheel-leg-paddles 13 form a closed rim for rolling on land;

[0050] Leg form: The center gear 14 is driven to rotate by the servo coupling flange 16. The involute gear segment 131 engaged with the center gear 14 rotates accordingly, driving the four partial gear leg paddles 13 to synchronously rotate around the fixed shaft 111 of the hub 11 and unfold outward to the maximum angle to form a cross-shaped evenly distributed support leg. The ends of the arc paddle segments 132 of the four partial gear leg paddles 13 contact the ground for obstacle crossing.

[0051] Paddle form: The center gear 14 is driven to rotate by the servo coupling flange 16. The involute gear segment 131 engaged with the center gear 14 rotates accordingly, driving the four partial gear leg paddles 13 to synchronously rotate around the fixed shaft 111 of the hub 11 and unfold outward to a preset angle. The arc paddle segments 132 of the four partial gear leg paddles 13 unfold to form a continuous paddle surface for underwater propulsion.

[0052] Among them, in the paddle form, the unfolding angle of the four partial gear leg paddles 13 can be dynamically adjusted by the waterproof servo 18 to form a differential paddle blade flow-facing surface in the water, thereby regulating the overall motion state of the robot.

[0053] As Figure 8 shown, the transmission structure 3 adopts a double-axis synchronous transmission design, including a motor fixing bracket 19, a coupling 20, two synchronous belt pulleys 21, a driving shaft 22, a driven shaft 23, three flange micro bearings 24, two O-ring seals 25, a driven shaft fixing bracket 26 and a synchronous belt 27. The driving motor 6 is coaxially connected with the driving shaft 22 through the coupling 20. The driving shaft 22 and the driven shaft 23 are arranged in parallel, and dynamic sealing connection with the cabin 7 is achieved through the flange micro bearings 24 and the O-ring seals 25 to effectively isolate the infiltration of water and liquid. The synchronous belt 27 is tensioned between the synchronous belt pulleys 21 on the two shafts to ensure the synchronous output of the power of the two leg paddle composite deformation wheels 2 on the same side. One side of the driving shaft 22 realizes two-way axial positioning through the coupling 20 and a single flange micro bearing 24, and both sides of the driven shaft 23 form a composite support structure with the driven shaft fixing bracket 26 and the cabin 7 through two flange micro bearings 24 to improve the bending resistance stiffness and operation stability of the shafting.

[0054] As Figure 7As shown, the settlement control structure 4 includes an exhaust pipe 28, a linear guide 29, inflation tubes I 30 and II 32, a compressed gas cylinder 33, two inflatable airbags 34, and four aluminum hooks 35. The inflatable airbags 34 are symmetrically fixed to the front and rear sides of the cabin 7 via the aluminum hooks 35. The linear guide 29 is bolted to the upper bottom surface of the cabin 7. The air pump 31 and compressed gas cylinder 33 can move along the linear guide 29 to dynamically adjust the position of the robot's center of gravity on the central axis of the sealed cabin 1, ensuring that the robot's center of gravity and center of buoyancy are aligned on the central axis of the sealed cabin 1. The exhaust pipe 28, inflation tube I 30, inflation tube II 32, two inflatable airbags 34, and air pump 31 form a closed-loop air circuit. Adjusting the amount of air in the inflatable airbags 34 and deflation can control the robot's underwater suspension depth.

[0055] like Figure 8 As shown, the vision module 5 includes a transparent sealing cover 36, a sealing cover base plate 37, a laser radar 38, and an industrial camera 39. The laser radar 38 is centrally mounted on the upper bottom surface of the sealing cover base plate 37, and the industrial camera 39 is fixed above it. The optical fields of view of the two are non-interfering and overlap within the transparent sealing cover 36. The laser radar 38 generates a three-dimensional point cloud map through multi-line scanning, and the industrial camera 39 simultaneously captures high-resolution images to complete the detection of the surrounding environment.

[0056] Working process:

[0057] like Figure 2 and Figure 6 As shown, when the robot is in a flat land environment, it switches to a wheeled configuration. The waterproof servo 18 drives the central gear 14 to rotate. Through the meshing transmission between the central gear 14 and the involute gear segments 131 of the four partial gears, the wheel-leg-paddle 13 rotates inward and retracts. The waterproof servo 18 locks the central gear 14 with its own torque, and the wheel-leg-paddle composite deformable wheel 2 switches to a wheeled configuration, forming a rigid wheel structure. The drive motor 6 drives the driving shaft 22 and the driven shaft 23 via a timing belt 27 to rotate synchronously, driving the two wheels on the same side to rotate synchronously. The four wheel-leg-paddle composite deformable wheels 2 on both sides rotate in the same direction, allowing the amphibious robot to move forward in a straight line. When moving backward, the drive motor 6 reverses, allowing the amphibious robot to move backward. When turning, the speed of the drive motors 6 on both sides is adjusted by differential speed. When turning left, the right motor accelerates, while when turning right, the left motor accelerates. Flexible steering is achieved by utilizing the speed difference between the wheel-leg-paddle composite deformable wheels 2 on both sides.

[0058] like Figure 7As shown, when the robot encounters an obstacle that it cannot overcome in wheeled mode, it switches to legged mode. The waterproof servo 18 drives the central gear 14 to rotate in the opposite direction of the wheeled mode. Through the meshing transmission of the central gear 14 and the involute gear segments 131 of the four partial gear wheel leg paddles 13, the partial gear wheel leg paddles 13 are rotated outward to their maximum angle. After that, the waterproof servo 18 uses its own torque to lock the central gear 14 in position. The four partial gear wheel leg paddles 13 form a cross-shaped uniformly distributed support leg, and the ends of their arcuate blade segments 132 contact the ground, switching to legged mode. In legged mode, the drive motor 6 reduces the speed and increases the torque, reducing the impact during legged mode movement. The ends of the arcuate blade segments 32 of the four partial gear wheel leg paddles 13 of the wheel leg paddle composite deformable wheel 2 take turns to provide grip for the legged mode. The friction between the ends of the arcuate blade segments 32 and the ground propels the amphibious robot forward.

[0059] like Figure 1 As shown, when the robot enters water, it switches to a paddle-like configuration and activates the settlement control mechanism 4. The waterproof servo 18 drives the central gear 14 to rotate to a preset angle. Through the meshing transmission between the central gear 14 and the involute gear segments 131 of the four partially geared wheel-leg paddles 13, the four partially geared wheel-leg paddles 13 are extended outward to the preset angle. The waterproof servo 18 locks the central gear 14 in position using its own torque. The curved blade segments 132 of the four partially geared wheel-leg paddles 13 form a continuous paddle surface, switching to a paddle-like configuration and increasing the paddling area. Two drive motors 6, respectively, drive the four wheel-leg paddle composite deformable wheels 2 at high speeds through two sets of transmission mechanisms 3. The blades strike the water, generating propulsion and controlling the robot's forward or backward movement. Working in conjunction with the settlement control mechanism 4, an air pump 31 dynamically inflates and deflates two inflatable airbags 34 via an exhaust pipe 28, a compressed gas cylinder 33, and inflation tubes I 30 and II 32, achieving autonomous adjustment of the robot's floating depth. Through the precise control of the waterproof servo 18, the deployment angles of the four partial gear wheel leg propellers 13 can be dynamically adjusted, so that the arc-shaped blade sections 132 of the partial gear wheel leg propellers 13 form differentiated blade frontal surfaces in the water. Small-angle deployment is suitable for high-speed cruising, and large-angle deployment provides greater thrust, thereby regulating the overall motion state of the robot.

Claims

1. A composite deformable wheeled amphibious robot with the functions of wheels, legs and paddles, characterized in that, It includes a sealed cabin (1), a wheel-leg-paddle composite deformable wheel (2), a transmission structure (3), a settlement control structure (4), a vision module (5) and a drive motor (6). The sealed cabin (1) serves as the main body bracket of the robot and adopts a split sealing design. Four wheel-leg-paddle composite deformable wheels (2) are symmetrically installed at the four corners of the bottom. There are two groups of transmission structures (3), which are symmetrically built-in on both sides inside the sealed cabin (1) and are connected to the four wheel-leg-paddle composite deformable wheels (2) through the through holes on both sides of the sealed cabin (1). Two drive motors (6) arranged inside the sealed cabin drive the two groups of wheel-leg-paddle composite deformable wheels (2) on the same side to rotate through the two supporting groups of transmission structures (3). Each group of wheel-leg-paddle composite deformable wheels (2) has switchable wheel form, leg form and paddle form. The settlement control structure (4) is arranged along the central axis of the sealed cabin (1). When the robot enters the water area, the autonomous adjustment of the suspension depth is realized through the settlement control structure (4).

2. The robot according to claim 1, wherein The sealed cabin (1) includes a cabin body (7), a rectangular frame sealing strip (8) and a cabin cover (9). The cabin cover (9) is tightly connected to the cabin body (7) through bolts at the four corners. The rectangular frame sealing strip (8) is embedded in the rectangular joint surface between the cabin body (7) and the cabin cover (9) to form a pressure adaptive sealing interface.

3. The robot according to claim 2, wherein Each wheel-leg-paddle composite deformable wheel (2) includes a wheel hub (11), a wheel-leg-paddle support frame (12), four partial gear wheel-leg-paddles (13), a central gear (14), a wheel-leg-paddle fixing frame (15), a servo coupling flange (16) and a waterproof servo (18). One side of the wheel hub (11) is connected to the transmission structure (3), and the other side extends four fixed shafts (111) evenly distributed in the circumferential direction. The fixed shafts (111) sequentially pass through the four through holes of the wheel-leg-paddle support frame (12), the four partial gear wheel-leg-paddles (13) and the wheel-leg-paddle fixing frame (15). A positioning shaft (121) is provided at the center of the side of the wheel-leg-paddle support frame (12) away from the wheel hub (11). The central gear (14) is sleeved on the positioning shaft (121) of the wheel-leg-paddle support frame (12) through a rolling bearing. The root of the partial gear wheel-leg-paddle (13) is provided with an involute gear section (131), and the involute gear section (131) meshes with the central gear (14). The outer edge of the partial gear wheel-leg-paddle (13) is provided with an arc-shaped paddle section (132), and the arc-shaped paddle section (132) forms a continuous paddle surface when unfolded in water. One end of the servo coupling flange (16) is meshed with the output shaft of the waterproof servo (18) through a spline tooth, and the other end is fixedly connected to the central gear (14) through a pin shaft. The waterproof servo (18) drives the central gear (14) to rotate through the servo coupling flange (16), and the involute gear section (131) meshing with the central gear (14) rotates accordingly, driving the four partial gear wheel-leg-paddles (13) to synchronously rotate and synchronously retract or expand inward around the fixed shafts (111) of the wheel hub (11) to realize the switching of different forms.

4. The robot according to claim 3, wherein The wheel-leg-paddle composite deformable wheel (2) also includes a wheel hub coupling flange (10) and a servo support (17). The hub coupling flange (10) is coaxially installed with the hub (11) through bolt connection and is used to connect the transmission structure (3); the wheel leg paddle fixing bracket (15) is provided with four axially limiting bosses (151) evenly distributed in the circumferential direction, and an assembly through hole for the fixing shaft (111) to pass through is opened at the center of each axially limiting boss (151); the end face of the axially limiting boss (151) abuts against the upper surfaces of the four partial gear wheel leg paddles (13) to limit the axial displacement of the four partial gear wheel leg paddles (13); the servo bracket (17) is connected to the side of the wheel leg paddle fixing bracket (15) without axially limiting bosses (151) through bolt connection, and an installation slot is provided on the upper side of the servo bracket (17) for installing the waterproof servo (18).

5. The robot according to claim 4, characterized in that, The transmission structure (3) adopts a dual-axis synchronous transmission design, including a motor fixing bracket (19), a coupling (20), two synchronous pulleys (21), a driving shaft (22), a driven shaft (23), three flange micro bearings (24), two O-ring seals (25), a driven shaft fixing bracket (26) and a synchronous belt (27); The motor fixing bracket (19) is used to fixedly connect the driving motor (6) to the inner bottom of the cabin (7); one end of the coupling (20) is connected to the output shaft of the driving motor (6), and the other end is connected to the driving shaft (22); the driving shaft (22) and the driven shaft (23) are arranged in parallel, and the dynamic sealing connection with the cabin (7) is realized through the flange structure of the flange micro bearing (24) and the O-ring seal (25). The outer ends of the two rotating shafts respectively pass through the through holes of the cabin (7) and are connected to the hub coupling flange (10) of the wheel leg paddle composite deformation wheel (2), and the inner ends are respectively installed with synchronous pulleys (21); the synchronous belt (27) is tensioned between the two synchronous pulleys (21) to complete the torque transmission from the driving shaft (22) to the driven shaft (23); the flange micro bearing (24) is arranged on one side of the driving shaft (22), and two-way axial positioning is realized by means of the coupling (20); the flange micro bearing (24) is arranged on both sides of the driven shaft (23), and one side is assisted by the driven shaft fixing bracket (26).

6. The robot according to claim 5, characterized in that, The settlement control structure (4) includes an exhaust pipe (28), a linear guide rail (29), an inflation pipe I (30), an air pump (31), an inflation pipe II (32), a compressed gas cylinder (33), two inflatable airbags (34) and four hanging buckles (35); The two inflatable airbags (34) are symmetrically arranged on the front and rear sides of the cabin (7), and each inflatable airbag (34) is fixed to one side of the cabin (7) through two hanging buckles (35); the linear guide rail (29) is fixedly connected to the upper part inside the bottom surface of the cabin (7) through bolt connection; the air pump (31) and the compressed gas cylinder (33) are adjustably installed on the linear guide rail (29) through bolt connection; the air pump (31) is connected to the compressed gas cylinder (33) through the exhaust pipe (28), and is connected to the two inflatable airbags (34) through the inflation pipe I (30) and the inflation pipe II (32) to realize the inflation and deflation of the airbags.

7. The robot according to claim 6, wherein The vision module (5) includes a transparent sealing cover (36), a sealing cover bottom plate (37), a lidar (38) and an industrial camera (39); The lidar (38) is placed at the center of the upper bottom surface of the sealing cover bottom plate (37); the industrial camera (39) is installed above the lidar (38), and there is no interference conflict between their optical fields.

8. A method for a robot as claimed in claim 7 to achieve amphibious operation, characterized in that, Specifically as follows: (a): When the robot is in a flat land environment, it switches to the wheeled form. The waterproof servo (18) drives the central gear (14) to rotate. Through the gear meshing transmission between the central gear (14) and the involute gear segments (131) of the four partial gear wheel leg paddles (13), the partial gear wheel leg paddles (13) are rotated inwards and folded. Then the waterproof servo (18) locks the posture of the central gear (14) relying on its own torque. The wheel leg paddle composite deformation wheel (2) switches to the wheeled form, forming a rigid wheel body structure; the drive motor (6) drives the driving shaft (22) and the driven shaft (23) to rotate synchronously through the synchronous belt (27), driving the two wheels on the same side to rotate synchronously. The four wheel leg paddle composite deformation wheels (2) on both sides rotate in one direction, realizing the straight forward movement of the amphibious robot; when reversing, the drive motor (6) rotates in reverse, thus realizing the reverse movement of the amphibious robot; when turning, the rotational speeds of the two drive motors (6) on both sides are adjusted by differential; when turning left, the right motor accelerates, and when turning right, the left motor accelerates. The flexible turning is realized by using the wheel speed difference between the wheel leg paddle composite deformation wheels (2) on both sides; (b): When the robot encounters an obstacle that cannot be crossed in the wheeled mode, it switches to the legged form. The waterproof servo (18) drives the central gear (14) to rotate in the direction opposite to the transformation of the wheeled form. Through the gear meshing transmission between the central gear (14) and the involute gear segments (131) of the four partial gear wheel leg paddles (13), the partial gear wheel leg paddles (13) are rotated outwards and unfolded to the maximum angle. Then the waterproof servo (18) locks the posture of the central gear (14) relying on its own torque. The four partial gear wheel leg paddles (13) form a cross-shaped evenly distributed support leg, and the end of the arc-shaped paddle blade segment (132) contacts the ground, switching to the legged form; in the legged form, the drive motor (6) reduces the rotational speed and increases the torque to reduce the impact during the movement in the legged mode; the ends of the arc-shaped paddle blade segments (132) of the four partial gear wheel leg paddles (13) of the wheel leg paddle composite deformation wheel (2) alternately provide the grasping force for the legged mode, and the amphibious robot is pushed forward by the friction force between the ends of the arc-shaped paddle blade segments (132) and the ground; (c): When the robot enters the water area, it switches to the paddle form and enables the settlement control structure (4). The waterproof servo (18) drives the central gear (14) to rotate to a preset angle. Through the gear meshing transmission between the central gear (14) and the involute gear segments (131) of the four partial gear leg paddles (13), the four partial gear leg paddles (13) are unfolded outward to a preset angle, and then the waterproof servo (18) locks the attitude of the central gear (14) relying on its own torque. The arc-shaped paddle blade segments (132) of the four partial gear leg paddles (13) form a continuous paddle surface, switching to the paddle form to increase the water rowing area. The two drive motors (6) respectively drive the four leg paddle composite deformation wheels (2) to rotate at high speed through two sets of transmission structures (3). The paddle blades strike the water flow to generate propulsion force to control the forward or backward movement of the robot. The settlement control structure (4) works in coordination. The air pump (31) dynamically inflates and deflates the two inflatable air bags (34) through the exhaust pipe (28), the compressed gas cylinder (33), the inflation pipe I (30), and the inflation pipe II (32) to achieve autonomous adjustment of the suspension depth. Through the control of the waterproof servo (18), the unfolding angle of the four partial gear leg paddles (13) is dynamically adjusted, so that the arc-shaped paddle blade segments (132) of the partial gear leg paddles (13) form a differential paddle blade flow-facing surface in the water, thereby regulating the overall motion state of the robot.

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