A composite deformable walking robot

By designing a composite deformable walking robot that combines legged, wheeled, and tracked structures, the robot can flexibly transform on different terrains, solving the problems of complex shapes and inconvenient transformation of existing hybrid robots, and improving its applicability and flexibility.

CN121043969BActive Publication Date: 2026-01-30SHANGHAI HRSTEK
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN202511575096.9
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Patents(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2025-10-31
Publication Date
2026-01-30
Estimated Expiration
2045-10-31

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing hybrid robots have complex shapes and are not easy to transform, making it difficult for them to move flexibly on different terrains.

Method used

Design a composite deformable walking robot that combines legged, wheeled, and tracked structures. The composite legs are driven by a control system to achieve flexible deformation. By switching between different modes using drive and power components, it can achieve legged, wheeled, and tracked walking.

Benefits of technology

It improves the robot's applicability and flexibility, enabling it to walk on rugged terrain, cross obstacles, and climb slopes and stairs, making full use of the traversability of legged robots, the low wear and tear of wheeled robots, and the stability of tracked robots.

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Abstract

This invention discloses a composite deformable walking robot, belonging to the field of robotics technology. It includes a robot body and multiple composite legs at its four corners. The robot body comprises a housing, a drive assembly, and a control system. The control system is used for positioning, detecting the surrounding environment, and controlling the drive assembly. The front and rear housings of the housing are connected by an intermediate connector. Both the front and rear housings are externally fitted with shells. The drive assembly includes drive components and power components. Two sets of drive components are respectively located inside the front and rear housings, and the power components are housed within the composite legs. The control system enables positioning, environmental detection, and control of the drive and power components. The drive components drive the composite legs to swing back and forth for legged walking, while the power components drive the composite legs to extend and retract for wheeled or tracked walking. This invention utilizes the advantages of legged traversal capability, wheeled low-damage locomotion, and tracked high stability, improving the applicability of walking through flexible transformation between legged, tracked, and wheeled locomotion.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of robotics technology, and specifically relates to a composite deformable walking robot. Background Technology

[0002] Mobile robots can be classified according to their locomotion method into wheeled, tracked, legged, and hybrid types. Wheeled robots are the most widely used, offering advantages such as simple structure, high speed, high efficiency, and ease of control. However, wheeled robots are primarily suited for flat surfaces; they are prone to getting stuck on soft surfaces and easily tip over on uneven surfaces. Tracked robots can travel on both soft and uneven surfaces, with a larger contact area with the ground, making them less likely to tip over. However, the tracks experience greater friction and wear on harder surfaces.

[0003] Legged walking robots are specialized robots that mimic the locomotion of multilegged animals; they are legged locomotion mechanisms. Typical multilegged robots possess rich locomotion patterns, redundant limb structures, excellent flexibility and stability, and can adapt to walking on rugged terrain, making them particularly suitable for tasks requiring high autonomy and reliability. Compared to wheeled and tracked robots, legged robots have advantages such as strong all-terrain adaptability, high load capacity under the same motor power parameters, and complex multi-joint control. Currently, the single-leg structure of existing legged robots on the market is relatively simple and mature, generally containing three joints. Two joints are responsible for generating angles in the vertical direction; changes in the X-axis angle of different contact points with the ground cause horizontal displacement; one joint is responsible for controlling the horizontal rotation of the leg, which helps with load-bearing. Turning and rolling movements are produced by the Y-axis rotation of the four legs combined with changes in the X-axis angle of other joints in the single leg. Existing robots are complex in both structure and control, with various methods and multiple degrees of freedom of deformation. To achieve a high degree of biomimicry, different connectors and buffers are combined, increasing the overall weight. Furthermore, the final forms of these robots are not durable and have poor sustainability. If we try to imitate the leg structure of a particular animal, it will become even more limiting.

[0004] Furthermore, legged robots can traverse the ground and easily traverse obstacles, and combined gait patterns can better balance deformation and movement. However, they rely excessively on motors and force feedback damping models, resulting in a relatively low load-bearing ratio. Current hybrid robots employ a solution that integrates wheeled, tracked, and legged systems. In the patent CN 119348734 B, "A Bipedal Robot Using a Wheel-Track Deformable Wheel System and Its Working Method," the individual components are different, making it inconvenient to switch between multiple modes.

[0005] In view of this, the present invention provides a composite deformable walking robot that combines legged, wheeled, and tracked locomotion. It can draw on the locomotion methods of legged, wheeled, and tracked locomotion and flexibly transform, making full use of the advantages of legged locomotion such as its ability to traverse, wheeled locomotion such as its low damage, and tracked locomotion such as its high stability. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to provide a composite deformable walking robot, which aims to solve the technical problems of existing hybrid robots having complex shapes and inconvenient deformation.

[0007] To address the above problems, this invention provides a composite deformable walking robot.

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:

[0009] A composite deformable walking robot includes a robot body and multiple composite legs on both sides. The robot body includes a box and a drive assembly and a control system connected to the box. The control system is used to locate, detect the surrounding environment and control the drive assembly. The box includes a front box and a rear box, which are connected by an intermediate connector. Both the front box and the rear box are provided with a shell on their exterior.

[0010] The drive assembly includes a drive component and a power component. The front box and the rear box are respectively equipped with two sets of drive components for driving the composite leg to swing back and forth to achieve foot-like walking. The power component is located inside the composite leg and is used to drive the composite leg to extend and retract to achieve wheel-like or track-like walking.

[0011] Furthermore, the composite leg includes an upper joint, a lower joint, and a wheel-leg joint. The upper end of the upper joint is connected to the output end of the drive assembly, and the lower end of the upper joint is rotatably connected to the upper end of the lower joint. Both the upper and lower joints are provided with tracks. The drive assembly is used to drive the track movement and adjust the angle between the upper and lower joints. The power component includes a telescopic limiting mechanism disposed in the lower joint and a motor disposed in the wheel-leg joint. The telescopic limiting mechanism is used to drive the wheel-leg joint to extend and retract, and the motor is used to drive the wheel-leg joint to rotate. The wheel-leg joint extends to achieve wheel-like walking and retracts to achieve track-like walking.

[0012] Furthermore, the driving component includes an outer circular motor and an inner circular motor. The outer circular motor drives the upper joint to swing back and forth through a bevel gear transmission. The track wheels I at both ends of the upper joint are connected by tracks. The track wheels I at the lower end of the upper joint are coaxially fixed with the track wheels II at the upper end of the lower joint. The track wheels II at both ends of the lower joint are connected by tracks.

[0013] The inner circular motor drives the rotating shaft I in the middle of the upper end of the upper joint to rotate through gear transmission. The rotating shaft I is set in the bushing hole at the upper end of the frame I of the upper joint and rotates with the bushing through bearing I; the track wheel I rotates with the outer circle of the bushing through bearing II.

[0014] The axle of the lower track wheel I of the upper joint is rotatably engaged with the rotating shaft II at the lower end of the frame I through bearing III. The lower end of the frame I and the rotating shaft II are rotatably engaged through bearing IV. The rotating shaft I and the rotating shaft II are connected by a transmission assembly, which is set on the frame I and is used to adjust the angle change between the upper joint and the lower joint. The rotating shaft II is coaxial with the axle of the lower track wheel I of the upper joint and the upper track wheel II of the lower joint through bearings.

[0015] The lower end of the upper joint frame I is connected to the upper end of the lower joint frame II via a pivot II.

[0016] Furthermore, the frame I of the upper joint is a U-shaped frame with the opening facing upward. The upper end of the U-shaped frame is connected by a bushing, and the lower end has protruding connecting ears in the middle. The connecting ears are rotatably engaged with the rotating shaft II.

[0017] The frame II of the lower joint is an H-shaped frame. The connecting double ears extend to the middle of the upper end of the frame II. The axles of the track wheels I on both sides of the lower end of the upper joint are symmetrically arranged on the outer side of the upper end of the H-shaped frame and are rotatably engaged with the rotating shaft II. Track wheels II are respectively provided between the upper and lower supports of the H-shaped frame. The upper end of the H-shaped frame is rotatably engaged with the rotating shaft II, and the lower end of the H-shaped frame is rotatably engaged with the axles of the two track wheels II at the lower end of the lower joint.

[0018] Furthermore, the transmission assembly includes a synchronous belt and synchronous pulleys meshing with it. The synchronous belt is located in the middle of frame I, and two synchronous pulleys are respectively located at the upper and lower ends of frame I. Track wheels I are respectively provided on both sides of the two synchronous pulleys. The synchronous belt and synchronous pulleys are both located on the inner side of the track on frame I. The synchronous pulleys at the upper and lower ends of frame I are fixedly connected to shaft I and shaft II respectively.

[0019] Furthermore, the output end of the inner circular motor is provided with a protective frame connected to the housing. The protective frame is an L-shaped semi-enclosed structure. The output shaft of the inner circular motor passes through a vertical plate on one side of the protective frame and is connected to the drive gear. The output shaft of the inner circular motor is coaxially fixed with the drive gear, and the driven gear that meshes with the drive gear is located at the end of the rotating shaft I.

[0020] The output shaft of the external circular motor is provided with a driving bevel gear at its end. The axle of the driven bevel gear that meshes with the driving bevel gear is fixed to the bushing at the upper end of the frame I through a flange. The driven gear and the driven bevel gear are arranged at intervals along the same axis and are located on the outside of the driving bevel gear. The other side plate of the protective frame is located on the side of the driven bevel gear and the driving gear.

[0021] Furthermore, the telescopic limiting mechanism includes a servo electric cylinder, a push rod, and a limiting structure. The servo electric cylinder is located in the middle of the frame II of the lower joint. The upper end of the push rod is connected to the movable end of the servo electric cylinder, and the lower end of the push rod is rotatably connected to the main shaft of the wheel leg joint. The limiting structure is located on both sides of the wheel leg joint and can cooperate with the track wheel II at the lower end of the lower joint.

[0022] Furthermore, the wheel-leg joint includes one or more traveling wheels, the main shaft of the traveling wheel is rotatably connected to the end of the push rod; the motor is a hub motor integrated into the main shaft of the traveling wheel.

[0023] Furthermore, the limiting structure includes four protrusions located in the middle of the outer end face of the traveling wheel. The four protrusions are arranged circumferentially and are spaced apart to form a cross groove. The limiting protrusion on the inner end face of the track wheel II at the lower end of the lower joint can cooperate with the cross groove.

[0024] Furthermore, the push rod is provided with symmetrical limit rods on both sides of its lower part. The outer surface of the limit rod is provided with a sliding groove that can slide with the limit protrusion. The limit protrusion can guide the push rod and ensure that the track wheel II can only rotate around its central axis.

[0025] The technological advancements achieved by this invention compared to existing technologies are as follows:

[0026] This invention utilizes a control system to locate and detect the surrounding environment using composite legs located on both sides of an independent front and rear box. The system controls the movement of drive and power components, controlling the drive components within the front and rear boxes to swing the composite legs back and forth for leg-like walking, and controlling the power components within the composite legs to extend and retract them for wheeled or tracked walking. This invention allows for flexible transformation of the composite legs between leg-like, tracked, and wheeled modes, fully leveraging the advantages of leg-like traversability, wheeled low-damage walking, and tracked high stability, further improving the applicability of walking and enabling functions such as climbing slopes, ascending stairs, traversing rough terrain, crossing ditches, and overcoming obstacles. Attached Figure Description

[0027] The accompanying drawings are provided to further illustrate the invention and form part of the specification. They are used together with the embodiments of the invention to explain the invention and do not constitute a limitation thereof.

[0028] In the attached diagram:

[0029] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the legged walking state of a composite deformable walking robot provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Front view of the composite deformable walking robot;

[0031] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the tracked walking state of the composite deformable walking robot in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the composite leg in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the lower joint and wheel-leg joint in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram showing the connection between frame II and frame I and the wheel leg joint in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the front or rear box in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the driving component in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 9 This is a cross-sectional view of the connection between the driving component and the upper joint in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 10 This is a cross-sectional view of the connection between the upper and lower joints in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] In the picture:

[0040] 100-Robot body; 101-Front box; 102-Rear box; 103-Intermediate connector; 104-Shell; 105-Protective frame; 106-Antenna; 107-Ultrasonic sensor; 108-Laser scanner; 109-Camera; 110-Outer circular motor; 111-Driving bevel gear; 112-Driven bevel gear; 120-Inner circular motor; 121-Driving gear; 122-Driven gear; 123-Flange; 124-Spline;

[0041] 200-Composite leg; 201-Crawler wheel I; 202-Crawler wheel II; 203-Shaft I; 204-Frame I; 2041-U-shaped frame; 2042-Connecting double lugs; 205-Busset; 206-Bearing I; 207-Bearing II; 208-Bearing III; 209-Shaft II; 210-Upper joint; 211-Bearing IV; 212-Synchronous belt; 213-Synchronous belt pulley; 214-Crawler;

[0042] 220-Lower joint, 221-Frame II, 2211-Horizontal plate, 2212-Top plate; 222-Servo electric cylinder, 223-Push rod, 224-Sleeve;

[0043] 230-Wheel joint; 231-Walking wheel; 232-Protrusion; 233-Limiting protrusion; 234-Limiting rod. Detailed Implementation

[0044] To make the technical problems, technical solutions, and beneficial effects of this invention clearer, the invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the invention. In the following detailed description of the invention, certain specific details are described in detail. However, those skilled in the art will fully understand the invention for any parts not described in detail.

[0045] Furthermore, those skilled in the art should understand that the accompanying drawings are provided only to illustrate the purpose, features, and advantages of the present invention, and are not actually drawn to scale.

[0046] Furthermore, unless the context explicitly requires it, the words "comprising," "including," and similar terms throughout the specification and claims should be interpreted as including rather than exclusive or exhaustive; that is, meaning "including but not limited to."

[0047] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown in the figure, an embodiment of the present invention provides a composite deformable walking robot, including a robot body 100 and multiple composite legs 200 on both sides. The robot body 100 includes a housing and a drive assembly and a control system connected to the housing. The control system is used to locate, detect the surrounding environment and control the drive assembly. The housing includes a front housing 101 and a rear housing 102, which are connected by an intermediate connector 103. Both the front housing 101 and the rear housing 102 are provided with a shell 104 on their exterior. The drive assembly includes a drive component and a power component. The front housing 101 and the rear housing 102 are respectively provided with two sets of drive components for driving the composite legs 200 to swing back and forth to achieve legged walking. The power component is disposed in the composite legs 200 and is used to drive the composite legs 200 to extend and retract to achieve wheeled or tracked walking. During installation, the output ends of the four sets of drive components pass through the two side shells of the front box 101 and the rear box 102 and are connected to the composite legs 200. They are used to drive the upper joint 210 of the composite leg 200 to swing back and forth and adjust the angle between the upper joint 210 and the lower joint 220. In this embodiment, there are four composite legs 200, which are located at the four corners of the robot body. The number of composite legs is not limited to four; it can also be designed as two, six, or eight depending on the actual situation.

[0048] In specific embodiments of the present invention, such as Figure 1 , Figure 4-6 As shown, the composite leg 200 includes an upper joint 210, a lower joint 220, and a wheel-leg joint 230. The upper end of the upper joint 210 is connected to the output end of the drive assembly, and the lower end of the upper joint 210 is rotatably connected to the upper end of the lower joint 220. Tracks 214 are provided on the surfaces of both the upper joint 210 and the lower joint 220. The drive assembly is used to drive the track 214 to move and to adjust the angle between the upper joint 210 and the lower joint 220. The power component includes a telescopic limiting mechanism disposed in the lower joint 220 and a motor disposed in the wheel-leg joint 230. The telescopic limiting mechanism is used to drive the wheel-leg joint 230 to extend and retract, and the motor is used to drive the wheel-leg joint to rotate. The wheel-leg joint extends to achieve wheel-type walking and retracts to achieve track-type walking. The wheel-leg joint 230 includes one or more walking wheels 231. In this embodiment, there are two walking wheels 231, and the middle of the main shaft of the two walking wheels 231 is rotatably connected to the end of the push rod 223. The motor is a hub motor integrated in the main shaft of the walking wheel 231. The hub motor drives the walking wheel 231 to rotate. When the walking wheel extends out of the lower joint, it is wheel-type walking; when the walking wheel retracts into the lower joint, it is track-type walking. Of course, the number of walking wheels is not limited to two; one or more can also be used.

[0049] As a preferred structure, such as Figure 7-9As shown, the driving component includes an outer circular motor 110 and an inner circular motor 120. The outer circular motor 110 drives the upper joint 210 to swing back and forth via a bevel gear transmission. The track wheels I 201 at both ends of the upper joint 210 are connected by tracks 214. The track wheel I 201 at the lower end of the upper joint 210 is coaxially fixed with the track wheel II 202 at the upper end of the lower joint 220. The track wheels II 202 at both ends of the lower joint 220 are connected by tracks 214. When the wheel leg joint 230 retracts and is linked with the track wheel II, the motor drives the lower joint 220 and the track 214 on the upper joint 210 to run. At the same time, the movement of the driving component makes the track 214 touch the ground, realizing tracked walking. When the wheel leg joint extends and separates from the track wheel II, the wheel leg joint touches the ground, and the motor drives the wheel leg joint to rotate, realizing wheeled walking. Alternatively, after the wheel-leg joint extends and separates from the track wheel II, the wheel-leg joint touches the ground, the motor does not run, and the upper joint swings and the angle between the upper and lower joints is adjusted only by the movement of the drive components to simulate foot walking.

[0050] In specific embodiments of the present invention, such as Figure 9 As shown, the inner circular motor 120 drives the rotating shaft I 203 at the middle of the upper end of the upper joint 210 to rotate via gear transmission. The rotating shaft I 203 is disposed in the bushing 205 hole at the upper end of the frame I 204 of the upper joint 210, and is rotatably engaged with the inner hole of the bushing 205 via bearing I 206. The track wheel I 201 is rotatably engaged with the outer circle of the bushing 205 via bearing II 207, ensuring that the track wheel I rotates flexibly. The outer circle of the end of the output shaft of the inner circular motor 120 is connected to the inner hole of the rotating shaft I 203 via a spline. Figure 8 As shown, the output end of the inner circular motor 120 is provided with a protective frame 105 connected to the housing 104. The protective frame 105 is an L-shaped semi-enclosed structure. The output shaft of the inner circular motor 120 passes through a vertical plate on one side of the protective frame 105 and is connected to the driving gear 121. The output shaft of the inner circular motor 120 and the driving gear 121 are coaxially fixed. The driven gear 122, which meshes with the driving gear 121, is located at the end of the rotating shaft I 203. With this structure, the driving gear and the driven gear can be driven to rotate by the inner circular motor. The driven gear drives the rotating shaft I to rotate through a spline engagement. At the same time, the L-shaped protective frame with a semi-enclosed structure protects the gear transmission components and the bevel gear transmission components.

[0051] like Figure 8 , 9As shown, the output shaft of the outer circular motor 110 is provided with a driving bevel gear 111 at its end. The axle of the driven bevel gear 112, which meshes with the driving bevel gear 111, is fixedly connected to the bushing 205 at the upper end of the frame I 204 via a flange 123. The driven gear 122 is arranged coaxially with the driven bevel gear 112 and is located outside the driving bevel gear 111. The other side plate of the protective frame 105 is provided on the side of the driven bevel gear 112 and the driving gear 121. The axle of the driven bevel gear extends into the bushing and is connected to the flange at the end of the bushing via a flange on its outer circle. The inner hole of the driven bevel gear axle is rotatably engaged with the outer circle of the rotating shaft I via a bearing. The outer circular motor drives the active bevel gear and the driven bevel gear to rotate. The driven bevel gear drives the bushing and frame I to swing around the axis of the driven bevel gear through the flange, realizing the swing of the upper joint 210. In conjunction with the inner circular motor and transmission components, the angle between the upper joint 210 and the lower joint 220 is adjusted. The four composite legs work together to realize the function of simulating foot walking.

[0052] During specific assembly, such as Figure 6 , 9 As shown in Figure 10, the axle of the lower track wheel I201 of the upper joint 210 is rotatably engaged with the rotating shaft II209 at the lower end of the frame I204 via bearing III208. The lower end of the frame I204 and the rotating shaft II209 are rotatably engaged via bearing IV211. The rotating shaft I203 and the rotating shaft II209 are connected via a transmission assembly. The transmission assembly is mounted on the frame I204 and is used to adjust the angle change between the upper joint 210 and the lower joint 220. The axles of the lower track wheel I201 of the upper joint 210 and the upper track wheel II202 of the lower joint 220 are coaxial. The lower end of the frame I204 of the upper joint 210 and the upper end of the frame II221 of the lower joint 220 are connected via rotating shaft II209. The transmission assembly includes a synchronous belt 212 and synchronous pulleys 213 meshing with it. The synchronous belt 212 is located in the middle of frame I 204, and two synchronous pulleys 213 are respectively located at the upper and lower ends of frame I 204. Track wheels I 201 are respectively provided on both sides of the two synchronous pulleys 213. The synchronous belt 212 and synchronous pulleys 213 are both located inside the track 214 on frame I 204. The synchronous pulleys 213 at the upper and lower ends of frame I 204 are fixedly connected to shaft I 203 and shaft II 209 respectively, while shaft II 209 is fixedly connected to the upper end of frame II 221. When walking on feet, shaft I drives the synchronous pulleys and synchronous belt to move, the lower synchronous pulley then drives shaft II to rotate, and shaft II then drives frame II to swing around the central axis of shaft II, realizing the adjustment of the angle between frame I and frame II. At the same time, the swinging of the upper joint realizes walking on feet.

[0053] To limit the movement of the synchronous pulley on shaft I, the synchronous pulley 213 can be positioned within the annular groove of the bushing 205, such as... Figure 9As shown, the sidewall of the annular groove can prevent the synchronous pulley from moving left and right.

[0054] In specific embodiments of the present invention, such as Figure 6 As shown, the frame I 204 of the upper joint 210 is a U-shaped frame 2041 with an upward opening. The upper end of the U-shaped frame 2041 is connected by a bushing 205, and the lower end has a protruding connecting double ear 2042 in the middle. The connecting double ear 2042 is rotatably engaged with the rotating shaft II 209 through the bearing IV 211. The frame II 221 of the lower joint 220 is an H-shaped frame. The connecting double ear 2042 extends to the middle of the upper end of the frame II 221. The axles of the track wheels I 201 on both sides of the lower end of the upper joint 210 are symmetrically arranged on the outer side of the upper end of the H-shaped frame and are rotatably engaged with the rotating shaft II 209. Track wheels II 202 are respectively provided between the upper and lower supports of the H-shaped frame. The upper end of the H-shaped frame is rotatably engaged with the rotating shaft II 209, and the lower end of the H-shaped frame is rotatably engaged with the axles of the two track wheels II 202 at the lower end of the lower joint 220. Among them, the lower middle part of the bushing 205 is provided with a downward-opening arc-shaped notch, and the closed end of the U-shaped frame is provided with a rectangular opening for the synchronous belt 212 to pass through; the lower synchronous belt pulley is located between the connecting ears; at the same time, the track wheel I 201 and track wheel II 202 on the rotating shaft II 209 are both designed as two, with the two track wheels I and the two track wheels II 202 respectively located on both sides of the connecting ears 2042, and the track wheel II 202 is located on the outside of the track wheel I 201.

[0055] In specific embodiments of the present invention, such as Figure 5 , 6As shown, the telescopic limiting mechanism includes a servo electric cylinder 222, a push rod 223, and a limiting structure. The servo electric cylinder 222 is located in the middle of the frame II 221 of the lower joint 220. The upper end of the push rod 223 is connected to the movable end of the servo electric cylinder 222, and the lower end of the push rod 223 is rotatably connected to the main shaft of the wheel leg joint 230. The limiting structure is located on both sides of the wheel leg joint 230 and can cooperate with the track wheel II 202 at the lower end of the lower joint 220. During specific assembly, the cylinder body of the servo electric cylinder 222 is located between the horizontal plate 2211 and the top plate 2212 in the middle of the frame II 221. A sleeve 224 is provided between the middle horizontal plate 2211 of the frame II 221 and the lower track wheel II 202 for the servo electric cylinder 222 telescopic rod and push rod 223 to pass through. The lower end of the push rod 223 passes through the sleeve 224 and is connected to the main shaft of the wheel leg joint 230. The upper part of the push rod 223 is cylindrical, and the ends gradually taper to plate shape on both sides and are rotatably connected to the main shaft of the wheel leg joint 230. The inner end face of the axle of the two track rollers II 202 is provided with a limiting protrusion 233 that cooperates with the limiting structure. When the servo electric cylinder 222 drives the wheel leg joint 230 to retract to between the two track rollers II 202 at the lower end of the lower joint 220, the limiting structure and the limiting protrusion cooperate to make the wheel leg joint and the track rollers II rotate coaxially. Under the drive of the wheel leg joint, the tracks on the lower joint and the upper joint can be driven to rotate.

[0056] In specific design, such as Figure 6 As shown, the limiting structure includes four protrusions 232 located in the middle of the outer end face of the walking wheel 231. The four protrusions 232 are arranged circumferentially and are spaced apart to form a cross-shaped groove. The limiting protrusion 233 on the inner end face of the track wheel II 202 at the lower end of the lower joint 220 can cooperate with the cross-shaped groove. To further optimize the structure, limiting rods 234 are symmetrically provided on both sides of the lower part of the push rod 223. The outer surface of the limiting rod 234 is provided with a sliding groove that can cooperate with the limiting protrusion 233. As the push rod 223 extends and retracts, the limiting protrusion 233 can slide up and down in the sliding groove of the push rod 223, which can guide the push rod and ensure that the track wheel II can only rotate around its central axis during foot or wheel walking, and will not rotate around its vertical diameter. Simultaneously, by controlling the rotation of the traveling wheel, the limiting protrusion engages with any one of the axial grooves of the cross groove, and the traveling wheel retracts between the two track wheels II. The rotation of the traveling wheel can drive the track wheels II and the track on the lower joint to rotate, and then drive the track on the upper joint to rotate through the rotating shaft II; then drive the track on the upper joint and the lower joint to touch the ground through the outer and inner circular motors, thus realizing tracked movement.

[0057] In a specific embodiment of the present invention, the control system includes a level, a compass, an encoder, a control circuit board, an angle potentiometer, a safety detector, a GPS positioning module, a laser scanner 108, a camera 109, and a torque feedback sensor. The antenna 106 of the GPS positioning module and the ultrasonic sensor 107 are located on the top of the housing. The laser scanner 108 and the camera 109 are located at both the front and rear ends of the housing. Figure 1 As shown, the system is used to acquire surrounding images and videos. Lighting can also be installed to provide sufficient illumination. A laser scanner and ultrasonic sensors work together to detect the position and distance of surrounding objects. A level, compass, GPS positioning module, and safety detector are all located inside or outside the housing. Encoders and torque feedback sensors are installed on the outer circular motor, inner circular motor, and hub motor. These encoders and torque feedback sensors are connected to a control circuit board, which controls the speed and torque of each motor based on the data fed back from the encoders. An angle potentiometer is located at the junction of the upper joint of the composite leg and the housing and lower joint to detect the angle between them. The safety detector includes an ultrasonic detector and / or an infrared detector. The above structures are all existing technologies and can be adjusted according to actual conditions; further details are omitted here.

[0058] In addition, the enclosure is equipped with a steering mechanism (not shown in the figure), which allows the enclosure to turn freely. The steering mechanism can be installed in the middle or at the four corners of the enclosure, and the steering function is achieved through a combination of lifting and rotating structures. A conventional structure is sufficient.

[0059] In summary, this invention is a composite deformable walking robot combining legged, wheeled, and tracked locomotion. It borrows from and flexibly transforms the locomotion methods of these three systems, fully utilizing the traversal capabilities of legs, the low damage of wheels, and the high stability of tracks. Employing independent front and rear housing units and coordinating the control of each motor further enhances its versatility. Simultaneously, the wheels with hub motors contact the ground, maximizing energy utilization. The composite legs are fully foldable and can be used with the aid of tracks, further improving locomotion capabilities such as climbing slopes, ascending stairs, traversing rough terrain, crossing ditches, and overcoming obstacles.

[0060] Finally, it should be noted that the above descriptions are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art can still modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments or make equivalent substitutions for some of the technical features. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A composite metamorphic walking robot, characterized by: The robot comprises a robot body and a plurality of composite legs on both sides of the robot body, the robot body comprises a box body and a driving assembly and a control system connected with the box body, the control system is used for positioning, detecting the surrounding environment and controlling the driving assembly, the box body comprises a front box and a rear box, the front box and the rear box are connected through an intermediate connecting piece, and the outer parts of the front box and the rear box are respectively provided with a shell; the driving assembly comprises a driving component and a power component, the inner parts of the front box and the rear box are respectively provided with two groups of driving components, which are used for driving the composite legs to swing forward and backward to realize foot walking; the power component is arranged in the composite leg and is used for driving the composite leg to stretch and retract to realize wheel walking or track walking; the composite leg comprises an upper joint, a lower joint and a wheel-leg joint, the upper end of the upper joint is connected with the output end of the driving assembly, the lower end of the upper joint is rotationally connected with the upper end of the lower joint, the surfaces of the upper joint and the lower joint are respectively provided with tracks, and the driving assembly is used for driving the tracks to move and adjusting the angle between the upper joint and the lower joint; the power component comprises a stretching and limiting mechanism arranged in the lower joint and a motor arranged in the wheel-leg joint, the stretching and limiting mechanism is used for driving the wheel-leg joint to stretch and retract, and the motor is used for driving the wheel-leg joint to rotate, the wheel-leg joint is stretched out to realize wheel walking, and the wheel-leg joint is retracted to realize track walking; the driving component comprises an outer circle motor and an inner circle motor, the outer circle motor drives the upper joint to swing forward and backward through a bevel gear transmission, the track wheels I at both ends of the upper joint are connected through a track, the track wheel I at the lower end of the upper joint is coaxially fixed with the track wheel II at the upper end of the lower joint, and the track wheels II at both ends of the lower joint are connected through a track; the inner circle motor drives the rotating shaft I at the middle part of the upper end of the upper joint to rotate through a gear transmission, the rotating shaft I is arranged in a shaft sleeve hole at the upper end of a frame I of the upper joint and rotationally matched with the shaft sleeve through a bearing I; the track wheel I is rotationally matched with the shaft sleeve outer circle through a bearing II; the wheel shaft of the track wheel I at the lower end of the upper joint is rotationally matched with a rotating shaft II at the lower end of the frame I through a bearing III, the lower end of the frame I is rotationally matched with the rotating shaft II through a bearing IV, the rotating shaft I is connected with the rotating shaft II through a transmission assembly, the transmission assembly is arranged on the frame I and is used for adjusting the angle change between the upper joint and the lower joint, and the rotating shaft II is coaxial with the wheel shafts of the track wheels I at the lower end of the upper joint and the track wheels II at the upper end of the lower joint through a bearing; the lower end of the frame I of the upper joint is connected with the upper end of a frame II of the lower joint through the rotating shaft II.

2. The composite metamorphic walking robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: the frame I of the upper joint is a U-shaped frame with an opening upward, the upper end of the U-shaped frame is connected through a shaft sleeve, the lower end of the U-shaped frame is provided with protruding connecting lugs at the middle part, the connecting lugs are rotationally matched with the rotating shaft II; the frame II of the lower joint is an H-shaped frame, the connecting lugs extend to the middle part of the upper end of the frame II, the wheel shafts of the track wheels I at both sides of the lower end of the upper joint are symmetrically arranged on the outer sides of the upper end of the H-shaped frame and are rotationally matched with the rotating shaft II, the H-shaped frame is respectively provided with the track wheels II between the upper supports at both ends of the H-shaped frame, the upper ends of the H-shaped frame are rotationally matched with the rotating shaft II, and the lower ends of the H-shaped frame are rotationally matched with the wheel shafts of the track wheels II at the lower end of the lower joint.

3. The composite metamorphic walking robot according to claim 2, characterized in that: The transmission assembly comprises a synchronous belt and synchronous pulleys engaged with the synchronous belt, the synchronous belt is arranged in the middle of the frame I, two synchronous pulleys are arranged at the upper and lower ends of the frame I respectively, two sides of the two synchronous pulleys are respectively provided with track wheels I, the synchronous belt and the synchronous pulleys are arranged on the inner side of the track of the frame I; the synchronous pulleys at the upper and lower ends of the frame I are fixedly connected with the rotating shaft I and the rotating shaft II respectively.

4. The composite metamorphic walking robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The output end of the inner circular motor is provided with a protection frame connected with the shell, the protection frame is a half-enclosing structure in L shape, the output shaft of the inner circular motor is connected with the driving gear through a vertical plate on one side of the protection frame, the output shaft of the inner circular motor is coaxially fixed with the driving gear, the driven gear engaged with the driving gear is arranged at the end of the rotating shaft I; The output shaft of the outer circular motor is provided with a driving bevel gear at the end, the wheel shaft of the driven bevel gear engaged with the driving bevel gear is fixedly connected with the shaft sleeve at the upper end of the frame I through a flange, the driven gear and the driven bevel gear are coaxially arranged at intervals and are arranged on the outer side of the driving bevel gear; the other side of the protection frame is arranged on the side of the driven bevel gear and the driving gear.

5. The composite metamorphic walking robot according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that: The telescopic limiting mechanism comprises a servo electric cylinder, a push rod and a limiting structure, the servo electric cylinder is arranged in the middle of the frame II of the lower joint, the upper end of the push rod is connected with the movable end of the servo electric cylinder, the lower end of the push rod is rotatably connected with the main shaft of the wheel leg joint, and the limiting structure is arranged on both sides of the wheel leg joint and can cooperate with the track wheel II at the lower end of the lower joint.

6. The composite metamorphic walking robot according to claim 5, characterized in that: The wheel leg joint comprises one or more walking wheels, the main shaft of the walking wheel is rotatably connected with the end of the push rod; and the motor is a hub motor integrated in the main shaft of the walking wheel.

7. The composite metamorphic walking robot according to claim 6, characterized in that: The limiting structure comprises four protrusions arranged in the middle of the outer side end face of the walking wheel, the four protrusions are circumferentially arranged and form a cross-shaped groove at intervals; and the limiting protrusions on the inner side end face of the track wheel II at the lower end of the lower joint can cooperate with the cross-shaped groove.

8. The composite metamorphic walking robot according to claim 7, characterized in that: The lower part of the push rod is symmetrically provided with limiting rods on both sides, and the outer side face of the limiting rod is provided with a sliding groove capable of slidingly cooperating with the limiting protrusions.

Citation Information

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