A bionic jumping robot with adjustable trajectories for multiple motion modes

Abstract

A bionic jumping robot with an adjustable trajectory for multiple motion modes, comprising a jumping mechanism and a clutch mechanism. The jumping mechanism is composed of a flea-like jumping mechanism and a gall midge larva-like jumping mechanism, and is integrally in the shape of a similar six-bar mechanism. The flea-like jumping mechanism includes four torsion spring mechanisms arranged symmetrically up and down, and the gall midge larva-like jumping mechanism includes four arc-shaped elastic elements located in the middle of the torsion spring mechanisms. The clutch mechanism is mainly composed of a jumping servo, a driving wheel, a driven wheel and a winding wheel. It also includes a housing mechanism composed of a top cover, a carbon fiber rod and a hemispherical base. The overall center of gravity of the robot is located below the centroid of the housing mechanism. The present invention can adjust a suitable motion trajectory according to the sizes of different environmental obstacles, has multiple motion modes capable of adapting to various environments, has a strong load capacity, has the ability to move continuously, and is suitable for carrying devices such as cameras and sensors to conduct reconnaissance and rescue activities in unstructured environments.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a bionic bouncing robot, in particular to a bionic bouncing robot with multiple motion modes and adjustable trajectories, and belongs to the field of mechanical automation engineering. Background Art

[0002] With the increase of human archaeological exploration, military reconnaissance and interstellar exploration activities, the scope of robot activities has deviated from the original fixed-point operations and structured working environments. Adapting to unknown and unstructured environments has become the future development trend of robots. This requires robots to have better autonomous movement capabilities and ground adaptation capabilities, faster risk avoidance capabilities, better bone and road structure force methods and stronger obstacle crossing performance.

[0003] At present, robots are mainly wheeled, tracked, multi-legged and flapping-wing flying robots. Among them, wheeled and tracked mobile robots have limited obstacle-crossing capabilities on unstructured ground. As the degree of freedom of the multi-legged robot increases and the number of motors increases, the failure rate of the robot and the complexity of the control system also increase. The flapping-wing flying robot has a strong obstacle-crossing capability, but its continuous energy consumption reduces its energy utilization rate and is easily affected by natural conditions such as wind and rain. Therefore, it is necessary to study better movement modes to improve the obstacle-crossing performance and energy utilization rate of robots on unstructured ground. Compared with wheeled, walking and tracked movement modes, jumping movement has the advantages of better adaptability to unstructured terrain, stronger obstacle crossing and rapid and multi-danger avoidance. Therefore, jumping robots have broad application prospects in future archaeological exploration, anti-terrorism operations, interstellar exploration and battlefield reconnaissance. Especially in the field of interstellar exploration, jumping can play a greater advantage in the low gravity environment of Mars and the moon.

[0004] Although the existing bouncing robots have strong bouncing ability, the load will greatly reduce their bouncing ability, making it difficult to carry out practical applications. Some existing bouncing robots lack the righting function and cannot continue to move after landing, and few consider the situation of bouncing robots moving on flat ground. Summary of the invention

[0005] In order to overcome the above-mentioned deficiencies in the prior art, the present invention provides a bionic bouncing robot with multiple motion modes and adjustable trajectories. The robot can adjust the appropriate motion trajectory according to the sizes of different environmental obstacles, has multiple motion modes that can adapt to a variety of environments, has strong load capacity, and has the ability to move continuously.

[0006] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve its technical problems is as follows: The bouncing mechanism is composed of a flea-like bouncing mechanism and a gall midge larva-like bouncing mechanism, and the whole is in the shape of a similar six-bar mechanism; the flea-like bouncing mechanism includes four torsion spring mechanisms arranged symmetrically up and down, and the two torsion spring mechanisms on the same side are arranged facing each other. The two torsion spring mechanisms located above are connected to the clutch mechanism through the upper support block, and the two torsion spring mechanisms located below are jointly connected to the lower support block; the gall midge larva-like bouncing mechanism includes four arc-shaped elastic elements located in the middle of the torsion spring mechanisms. The four arc-shaped elastic elements are arranged in pairs, inside and outside, and are symmetrically installed left and right. And the arc-shaped parts of the arc-shaped elastic elements all protrude outward. The two ends of the two outer arc-shaped elastic elements are respectively connected to the outer sides of the inner ends of the four torsion spring mechanisms, and the two ends of the two inner arc-shaped elastic elements are respectively clamped between the inner ends on the same side of the four torsion spring mechanisms; the clutch mechanism is mainly composed of a bouncing servo motor, a driving wheel, a driven wheel and a winding wheel. The bouncing servo motor is directly drivingly connected to the driving wheel. The driving wheel, the driven wheel and the winding wheel form a planetary gear train. A nylon rope is provided on the winding wheel. The free end of the nylon rope is connected to the lower support block and passes through the middle of the bouncing mechanism, between the torsion spring mechanism and the arc-shaped elastic element; it also includes a housing mechanism, which is composed of a top cover, a carbon fiber rod and a hemispherical base. A plurality of carbon fiber rods are connected in the circumferential direction between the top cover and the hemispherical base. The clutch mechanism is installed on the upper part of the bottom surface of the hemispherical base through a support body. The bottom surface also has a through hole for the bouncing mechanism to pass through. The compressed bouncing mechanism can be located entirely inside the housing mechanism through the through hole; a walking mechanism is also installed at the lower part of the hemispherical base; the overall center of gravity of the robot is located below the centroid of the housing mechanism.

[0007] Compared with the prior art, for a bionic bouncing robot with multiple motion modes and adjustable trajectories of the present invention, firstly, by referring to the two different bouncing characteristics of fleas and gall midge larvae, a flea-like bouncing mechanism and a gall midge larva-like bouncing mechanism with bionic structures are designed. Then, the two bionic structures are integrated to form a new type of bouncing mechanism similar to a six-bar mechanism. The obtained high-performance bouncing mechanism enables the robot to have a powerful load capacity in a very small size and can carry devices such as sensors and cameras to perform tasks such as reconnaissance and rescue.

[0008] Secondly, the present invention adds a housing mechanism that can be passively righted by gravity. Therefore, when the robot topples over, it will be automatically righted due to the action of gravity without the need for an additional righting mechanism to continue the next movement; a walking mechanism is also provided at the bottom of the housing mechanism, enabling the robot to have running and turning functions. Thus, when on a smooth ground, the walking mechanism drives the robot to move freely and quickly; therefore, the robot of the present invention has both bouncing and running motion modes. The horizontal motion and the vertical jump provided by the bouncing mechanism form a combined motion with different motion trajectories, and finally form a bionic multi-motion mode robot with adjustable trajectories.

[0009] Furthermore, the present invention integrates the designed adjustable-height clutch mechanism and the bouncing mechanism, enabling the bouncing mechanism to store different amounts of energy to achieve different bouncing heights, so as to adapt to activities such as reconnaissance and rescue in unstructured environments. Finally, the robot of the present invention can move on flat ground, bounce over obstacles or in unstructured environments to reach the destination, and adjust the appropriate movement trajectory according to the sizes of different environmental obstacles. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the drawings and embodiments.

[0011] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

[0012] Figure 2a It is a front view of the bouncing mechanism + clutch mechanism in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] Figure 2b It is a side view of the bouncing mechanism + clutch mechanism in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] Figure 3 It is a schematic structural diagram of the bouncing mechanism in an embodiment of the present invention, where only the lower support block is shown.

[0015] Figure 4 It is a schematic structural diagram of the lower support block in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 5 It is a schematic structural diagram of the clutch mechanism in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 6 It is a schematic structural diagram of the housing mechanism in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] In the figure, 1. Bouncing mechanism, 2. Clutch mechanism, 3. Housing mechanism, 4. Frame, 5. Winding wheel, 6. Driven wheel, 7. Tie rod, 8. Driving wheel, 9. One-way bearing, 10. Support platform, 11. Nylon rope, 12. Bouncing servo, 13. Torsion spring, 14. Connecting rod, 15. Arc-shaped elastic element, 16-1. Upper support block, 16-2. Lower support block, 17. Carbon fiber rod, 18. Top cover, 19. Hemispherical base, 20. Walking servo, 21. Driving wheel, 22. Auxiliary wheel, 23. Torsion spring fixing arm connection hole, 24. Hinge hole, 25. Nylon rope connection hole. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0019] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Apparently, the described embodiments are only a part rather than all of the embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0020] Figures 1 to 6 The structural schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown. Figure 1 A bionic bouncing robot with an adjustable trajectory of multiple motion modes, including a bouncing mechanism 1, a clutch mechanism 2, and a housing mechanism 3. In the embodiments of the present invention, the bouncing mechanism 1, the clutch mechanism 2, and the housing mechanism 3 are integrated to obtain a complete robot with multiple motion modes. The bouncing motion of the robot is realized by its bouncing mechanism 1. The mechanism that controls the bouncing mechanism 1 to store and release energy is the clutch mechanism 2. After the robot bounces and lands and topples over, it is passively righted by the housing mechanism 3 under the action of gravity. The driving wheels 21 and the walking servo 20 at the bottom of the housing mechanism 3 provide the robot with horizontal motion. Therefore, the robot can perform wheeled motion on flat ground, perform bouncing motion to reach the destination when encountering obstacles or in an unstructured environment, and adjust the appropriate motion trajectory according to the sizes of different environmental obstacles. This bionic robot has a strong load capacity and can carry devices such as sensors and cameras to perform tasks such as reconnaissance and rescue.

[0021] As Figure 2a , 2b , and as shown in 3, the bouncing mechanism 1 is composed of a flea-like bouncing mechanism and a gall midge larva-like bouncing mechanism, and is integrally in a shape similar to a six-bar mechanism. The flea-like bouncing mechanism is based on the bouncing mechanism principle of fleas. The flea-like bouncing mechanism includes four torsion spring mechanisms arranged symmetrically up and down, and the two torsion spring mechanisms on the same side are arranged facing each other. The two torsion spring mechanisms located above are jointly connected to the clutch mechanism through an upper support block 16-1. The two torsion spring mechanisms located below are connected to the middle position of a lower support block 16-2. The gall midge larva-like bouncing mechanism is based on the bouncing principle of gall midge larvae. The gall midge larva-like bouncing mechanism includes four arc-shaped elastic elements 15 located in the middle of the torsion spring mechanisms. The four arc-shaped elastic elements 15 are arranged in pairs, inside and outside, and symmetrically installed left and right. Moreover, the arc-shaped parts of the arc-shaped elastic elements 15 all protrude outward. The two ends of the two outer arc-shaped elastic elements 15 are respectively connected to the outer sides of the inner ends of the four torsion spring mechanisms. The two ends of the two inner arc-shaped elastic elements 15 are respectively clamped between the inner ends on the same side of the four torsion spring mechanisms.

[0022] As Figure 4As shown, the lower support block 16-2 includes a frame body with an open upper end. The frame body is composed of two pairs of connecting blocks that are parallel to each other in pairs and are vertically connected. One pair of relatively tall connecting blocks is used for hinging with the torsion spring force application arm, and hinge holes 24 are provided thereon; the other pair of relatively short connecting blocks is connected to the torsion spring fixing arm through the torsion spring fixing arm connection holes 23 thereon; on the bottom plate of the frame body, nylon rope connection holes 25 are provided to fix the lower end of the nylon rope 11. The structure of the upper support block 16-1 is the same as that of the lower support block 16-2, except that the nylon rope connection hole thereon is for the nylon rope 11 to pass through.

[0023] As Figure 5 shown, the clutch mechanism 2 mainly consists of a bouncing servo 12, a driving wheel 8, a driven wheel 6, a winding wheel 5, a tie rod 7, and a one-way bearing 9. The driving wheel 8, the driven wheel 6, and the winding wheel 5 form a planetary gear train. Among them, the bouncing servo 12 is directly drivingly connected to the driving wheel 8. The driving wheel 8 meshes with the driven wheel 6. The end of the driving wheel 8 extends into the inner ring of the one-way bearing 9 and is connected to the one-way bearing 9. The outer ring of the one-way bearing 9 is installed in the hole at the lower part of the tie rod 7 and is interference-connected. The upper part of the tie rod 7 is connected to the driven wheel 6. A nylon rope 11 is provided on the winding wheel 5. The free end of the nylon rope 11 is connected to the lower support block 16-2, and at the same time passes through the middle of the bouncing mechanism 1 and is between the torsion spring mechanism and the arc-shaped elastic element 15. The clutch mechanism 2 drives the driving wheel 8 to rotate forward and backward through the bouncing servo 12, so that the driven wheel 6 and the winding wheel 5 are engaged and disengaged. Specifically, the tie rod 7 is used to engage or disengage the driven wheel 6 and the winding wheel 5. The allowed direction of the one-way bearing 9 is the forward rotation of the bouncing servo 12. At this time, the driven wheel 6 and the winding wheel 5 are engaged and driven; when the bouncing servo 12 rotates reversely, the inner and outer rings of the one-way bearing 9 cannot move relative to each other, and the tie rod 7 disengages the driven wheel 6 from the winding wheel 5, thereby realizing the control of the bouncing mechanism 1.

[0024] See Figures 1 to 3 , when the bouncing servo 12 rotates forward, the driving wheel 8 drives the driven wheel 6 to engage with the winding wheel 5, and the winding wheel 5 winds the rope. The nylon rope 11 in the middle of the bouncing mechanism 1 is tightened, and at this time, the bouncing mechanism 1 contracts and stores energy; when the bouncing servo 12 rotates reversely, the driving wheel 8 makes the driven wheel 6 disengage from the winding wheel 5 through the one-way bearing 9, and the nylon rope 11 is relaxed, and the bouncing mechanism 1 releases energy to realize bouncing.

[0025] As Figure 6As shown in the figure, the housing mechanism 3 is composed of a top cover 18, a carbon fiber rod 17, and a hemispherical base 19. A plurality of carbon fiber rods 17 are connected in the circumferential direction between the top cover 18 and the hemispherical base 19. The clutch mechanism 2 is mounted on the upper part of the bottom surface of the housing mechanism 3 through a support body. The bottom surface also has a through hole for the bouncing mechanism 1 to pass through. The height of the support body and the size of the through hole are jointly designed so that the compressed bouncing mechanism 1 can be entirely located inside the housing mechanism 3 through the through hole (that is, when the bouncing mechanism 1 stores energy, it is compressed and just retracts inside the housing mechanism 3, and the robot can move; when the bouncing mechanism 1 releases energy, the bouncing mechanism 1 will extend outside the housing mechanism 3, and at this time, the robot cannot move; after the bouncing ends and lands, the energy is stored again, the bouncing mechanism 1 retracts back inside the housing mechanism 3, and the robot automatically rights itself and continues the next movement). A traveling mechanism is also installed at the lower part of the housing mechanism 3. In this embodiment, the traveling mechanism includes at least two driving wheels 21, and each driving wheel 21 is equipped with a traveling servo 20, but it is not limited to this. The traveling mechanism can also be other wheeled movements, such as crawler type, crawling, etc. The overall center of gravity of the robot is located below the centroid of the housing mechanism 3. The housing mechanism 3 plays a role in protecting the robot and can also right the robot after it topples over. The driving wheels 21 and traveling servos 20 integrated at the bottom of the housing mechanism 3 can provide horizontal movement for the robot. Therefore, the robot will automatically right itself due to the action of gravity after toppling over; on a smooth ground, the two traveling servos 20 will drive the driving wheels 21 to perform rapid free movement.

[0026] See Figure 3 , as a further improvement scheme of the present invention, each of the torsion spring mechanisms is composed of a torsion spring 13 and a connecting rod 14, and one end of the torsion spring 13 is fixedly connected to the outer end of the connecting rod 14. This structure has high energy utilization rate, more stable structure, and stronger load capacity.

[0027] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the arc-shaped elastic element 15 is made of a nickel-titanium alloy sheet. The nickel-titanium alloy sheet belongs to a super-elastic material, which has stronger simulation in simulating the bouncing of gall midge larvae and better bouncing performance, and is beneficial to improving the energy storage capacity.

[0028] As a specific implementable structural scheme of the embodiment of the present invention, the support body includes legs and a support platform 10. The clutch mechanism 2 is mounted on the support platform 10, and the support platform 10 is fixed on the bottom surface of the hemispherical base 19 through the legs. Further, the planetary gear train of the clutch mechanism 2 is mounted on the support platform 10 through a frame 4, and the driving wheel 8, the driven wheel 6, and the winding wheel 5 are respectively mounted on the frame 4 through shafts and bearings.

[0029] In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, when the walking mechanism is arranged as a driving wheel 21, a plurality of auxiliary wheels 22 are further installed under the hemispherical base 19 to ensure the flexibility and stability of movement. Preferably, the auxiliary wheels 22 are spherical universal wheels.

[0030] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the hemispherical base 19 is composed of a bottom surface and a side curved surface, and a hollow structure is formed on the side curved surface. Preferably, the hollow structure includes vertical strip hollows and horizontal strip hollows, which are arranged in groups and alternately symmetrically. The hollow structure mainly functions to adjust the self-weight and the center.

[0031] Considering the convenience of disassembly and assembly, the upper end of the carbon fiber rod 17 is fixedly connected to the lower periphery of the top cover 18, and its lower end is detachably installed on the upper periphery of the hemispherical base 19 through a connection block. Through the connection block, the hemispherical base 19 can be more conveniently opened, so that it is easy to adjust and repair the clutch mechanism 2 and the like installed therein.

[0032] The present invention is preferably manufactured by technologies such as 3D printing. The implementation process is as follows: First, a flea-like jumping mechanism and a gall midge larva-like jumping mechanism are made by using different elastic elements (torsion springs and nickel-titanium alloy sheets) and 3D printed parts; then, the designed adjustable-height clutch mechanism 2 and the jumping mechanism are integrated so that the jumping mechanism 1 can store different energies to achieve different jumping heights; finally, the jumping module is integrated into the non-toppling housing mechanism 3, and a driving wheel 21 and auxiliary wheels 22 are installed at the bottom of the housing mechanism 3 to enable the robot to have running and steering functions. A bionic jumping robot with adjustable trajectories in multiple motion modes made by this method can carry some devices such as cameras and sensors to conduct reconnaissance and rescue activities in unstructured environments.

[0033] The present invention combines the bionic jumping mechanisms of two types of jumping animals, namely hard-body jumping animals and soft-body jumping animals, to obtain a high-performance jumping mechanism 1, enabling the robot to carry a large load for practical applications. The clutch mechanism 2 can control the jumping mechanism 1 to perform jumps at different heights. The housing mechanism can passively right the robot, enabling the robot to have the ability to move continuously. The clutch mechanism 2 controls the storage and release of energy in the jumping mechanism 1, enabling the robot to perform vertical movement, and the walking mechanism (including the driving wheel 21 and auxiliary wheels 22) in the housing mechanism 3 provides horizontal movement for the robot. The combination of the two-directional movements enables the robot to achieve different movement trajectories and adapt to various actual environments.

[0034] The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention, and do not impose any form of limitation on the present invention. Any simple modifications and equivalent changes made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention all fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A bionic bouncing robot with an adjustable trajectory for multiple motion modes, comprising a bouncing mechanism (1) and a clutch mechanism (2), characterized in that: The bouncing mechanism (1) is formed by integrating a flea-like bouncing mechanism and a gall midge larva-like bouncing mechanism, and is integrally in the shape of a similar six-bar mechanism; the flea-like bouncing mechanism includes four torsion spring mechanisms arranged symmetrically up and down, and the two torsion spring mechanisms on the same side are arranged facing each other. The two torsion spring mechanisms located above are connected to the clutch mechanism through an upper support block (16-1), and the two torsion spring mechanisms located below are commonly connected to a lower support block (16-2); each of the torsion spring mechanisms is composed of a torsion spring (13) and a connecting rod (14), and one end of the torsion spring (13) is fixedly connected to the outer end of the connecting rod (14). The gall midge larva-like bouncing mechanism includes four arc-shaped elastic elements (15) located in the middle of the torsion spring mechanism. The arc-shaped elastic elements (15) are made of nickel-titanium alloy sheets; the four arc-shaped elastic elements (15) are arranged in pairs, inside and outside, and symmetrically installed left and right, and the arc-shaped parts of the arc-shaped elastic elements (15) all protrude towards the outside. The two ends of the two outer arc-shaped elastic elements (15) are respectively connected to the outer sides of the inner ends of the four torsion spring mechanisms, and the two ends of the two inner arc-shaped elastic elements (15) are respectively clamped between the inner ends on the same side of the four torsion spring mechanisms. The clutch mechanism (2) mainly consists of a bouncing servo (12), a driving wheel (8), a driven wheel (6) and a winding wheel (5). The bouncing servo (12) is directly drivingly connected to the driving wheel (8). The driving wheel (8), the driven wheel (6) and the winding wheel (5) form a planetary gear train. A nylon rope (11) is provided on the winding wheel (5). The free end of the nylon rope (11) is connected to the lower support block (16-2), and at the same time passes through the middle of the bouncing mechanism (1), and is between the torsion spring mechanism and the arc-shaped elastic element (15). It further includes a housing mechanism (3), which is composed of a top cover (18), a carbon fiber rod (17) and a hemispherical base (19). A plurality of carbon fiber rods (17) are connected in the circumferential direction between the top cover (18) and the hemispherical base (19). The clutch mechanism (2) is installed on the upper part of the bottom surface of the hemispherical base (19) through a support body. The bottom surface also has a through hole for the bouncing mechanism (1) to pass through. The compressed bouncing mechanism (1) can be entirely located inside the housing mechanism (3) through the through hole; a walking mechanism is also installed below the hemispherical base (19); the overall center of gravity of the robot is located below the centroid of the housing mechanism (3).

2. The bionic bouncing robot with adjustable trajectories in multiple motion modes according to claim 1, characterized in that: The clutch mechanism (2) further includes a connecting rod (7) and a one-way bearing (9). The output shaft of the bouncing servo (12) is directly connected to the driving wheel (8). The driving wheel (8) meshes with the driven wheel (6). The end of the driving wheel (8) extends into the inner ring of the one-way bearing and is connected to the one-way bearing (9). The outer ring of the one-way bearing (9) is installed in the hole at the lower part of the connecting rod (7) and is in interference connection. The upper part of the connecting rod (7) is connected to the driven wheel (6).

3. The bionic bouncing robot with adjustable trajectories in multiple motion modes according to claim 2, characterized in that: The described support body includes legs and a support platform (10). The clutch mechanism (2) is installed on the support platform (10), and the support platform (10) is fixed to the bottom surface of the hemispherical base (19) through the legs.

4. The bionic bouncing robot with an adjustable trajectory in multiple motion modes according to claim 1, characterized in that: The described traveling mechanism includes at least two drive wheels (21), and each drive wheel (21) is equipped with a traveling servo (20).

5. The bionic bouncing robot with an adjustable trajectory in multiple motion modes according to claim 4 is characterized in that: in A number of auxiliary wheels (22) are also installed at the lower part of the hemispherical base (19), and the auxiliary wheels (22) are spherical universal wheels.

6. The bionic bouncing robot with an adjustable trajectory in multiple motion modes according to claim 2, characterized in that: The described hemispherical base (19) is composed of a bottom surface and a side curved surface, and a hollow structure is formed on the side curved surface.

7. A bionic bouncing robot with an adjustable trajectory for multiple motion modes according to claim 6, characterized in that: The described hollow structure includes vertical strip-shaped hollows and horizontal strip-shaped hollows, which are arranged in groups and alternately symmetrically arranged.

8. A bionic bouncing robot with an adjustable trajectory for multiple motion modes according to claim 2, characterized in that: The upper end of the described carbon fiber rod (17) is fixedly connected to the lower periphery of the top cover (18), and its lower end is detachably installed on the upper periphery of the hemispherical base (19) through a connecting block.

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