A universal limiting mechanism for quadruped robots and quadruped robots

Abstract

The present application discloses a universal limiting mechanism for quadruped robots and a quadruped robot, which belongs to the field of quadruped robots, and solves the problem that the hip joint limiting parts of quadruped robots in the related art are not universal. The quadruped robot includes a body and four side swing joints, a hip joint, a knee joint, a thigh and a calf connected in sequence, the hip joint and the knee joint are connected through the limiting mechanism, the limiting mechanism includes a hip limiting connector and a knee limiting connector, the hip limiting connector and the knee limiting connector have a rotation limiting mechanism, and are both mirror-symmetrical designs, and can be installed on the hip joint and the knee joint through different assembly methods, so as to achieve the technical effect of the same range of motion for four hip joints and knee joints in different positions.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of quadruped robots, and in particular to a universal limiting mechanism for quadruped robots and a quadruped robot. Background Art

[0002] Due to the influence of electrical circuits, additional equipment, etc., each joint of the legs of a quadruped robot needs to have a certain range of motion, and the mechanical limit of the joint is mainly achieved by the protruding structure between the rotating joints. Each leg of a bionic quadruped robot with a two-stage forward-turning leg configuration usually has a side swing joint, a hip joint and a knee joint. The knee joints and side swing joints of the four legs have the same structure, while the range of motion of the hip joint relative to the body is different. The range of motion of the hip joint of a typical quadruped robot is 20° forward to 180° backward. Such a range of motion will result in different limit parts for the front and rear legs, and the left and right legs. This increases the number of parts of the quadruped robot, makes installation complicated, and is not conducive to reducing production costs and improving production efficiency.

[0003] In summary, based on the limiting requirements of the hip joints at four different positions of the quadruped robot, multiple sets of limiting parts that are not uniform are currently used, which are not universal. This not only increases the processing cost, is not conducive to parts management, but also increases the complexity of assembly. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the embodiments of the present application is to provide a universal limiting mechanism for a quadruped robot and a quadruped robot, so as to solve the problem that the limiting parts of the hip joint of the quadruped robot in the related art are not universal.

[0005] According to a first aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a universal limiting mechanism for a quadruped robot is provided, wherein the quadruped robot comprises a body, a side-swing joint and four legs, each leg being connected to the body via the side-swing joint, each leg comprising a hip joint, a knee joint, a thigh and a calf, the hip joint being fixedly connected to an output shaft of the side-swing joint, the hip joint and the knee joint being connected via the limiting mechanism, the limiting mechanism comprising a hip limiting connector and a knee limiting connector, the hip limiting connector comprising a hip connecting flange, a hip limiting connector, a hip output hole and a hip joint connecting surface, the hip connecting flange being fixed to the side On the swivel fork of the swing frame, the hip output hole is located at the center of the hip connection flange, the hip limiter is fixed next to the hip connection flange, the hip joint connection surface is connected to the shell end of the hip joint, the knee limiter connection component includes a knee connection flange, a knee limiter and a knee connection surface end, the knee connection flange is fixed on the shell end surface of the knee joint, the knee connection surface end is fixed on the knee connection flange, the knee limiter is fixed next to the knee connection surface end, the hip joint output shaft of the hip joint is fixedly connected through the hip output hole and the knee connection surface end, the knee joint is connected to the thigh, and the thigh is hinged to the calf.

[0006] According to a second aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a quadruped robot is provided, comprising the limiting mechanism described in the first aspect.

[0007] The technical solution provided by the embodiments of the present application may have the following beneficial effects:

[0008] 1. The four legs of the present application all use the same hip limit connector and knee limit connector, which are universal, thereby reducing the number of drawings. The same drawing can be used to process more parts, reducing processing costs and inventory costs;

[0009] 2. Universal hip limit connectors and knee limit connectors can reduce the probability of errors during assembly and improve assembly efficiency, without having to find different parts for different leg positions;

[0010] 3. Common parts are highly interchangeable and easy to replace later, reducing the maintenance cost of the robot: If the right front leg is damaged, no matter which leg is in stock, it can be changed to the right front leg by changing the installation position, without having to store four types of leg parts for replacement.

[0011] It should be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the present application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present application.

[0013] Figure 1 is a stereoscopic view of a hip limiting connector according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0014] Figure 2 is a stereoscopic view of a knee limiting connection member according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0015] Figure 3 is an exploded view of a right front leg according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0016] Figure 4 is a stereoscopic diagram of a quadruped robot according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0017] Figure 5 is a diagram showing a normal standing hip joint state according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0018] Figure 6 The figure is a state diagram showing the front and rear hip joints swinging forward to the extreme position according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0019] Figure 7 The figure is a state diagram showing the front and rear hip joints swinging backward to the extreme position according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0020] Figure 8 is a diagram of a hip joint structure according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0021] The reference numerals in the figure are: side swing joint 1, hip joint 2, hip joint shell end 201, hip joint output shaft 202, knee joint 3, side swing turntable 4, turntable base 401, turntable fork 402, hip limit connector 5, hip connection flange 501, hip limit connector 502, hip output hole 503, hip joint connection surface 504, knee limit connector 6, knee connection flange 601, knee limit connector 602, knee connection surface end 603, thigh 7, calf 8, body 9, left front leg 901, right front leg 902, left hind leg 903, right hind leg 904. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] Exemplary embodiments will be described in detail herein, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings. When the following description refers to the drawings, the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements unless otherwise indicated. The implementations described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all implementations consistent with the present application. Instead, they are merely examples of devices and methods consistent with some aspects of the present application as detailed in the appended claims.

[0023] The terms used in this application are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and are not intended to limit this application. The singular forms of "a", "said" and "the" used in this application and the appended claims are also intended to include plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates other meanings. It should also be understood that the term "and / or" used herein refers to and includes any or all possible combinations of one or more associated listed items.

[0024] like Figure 1-3 As shown, the embodiment of the present invention provides a universal limiting mechanism for a quadruped robot, wherein the quadruped robot comprises a body 9, a side swing joint 1 and four legs (i.e., a left front leg 901, a right front leg 902, a left rear leg 903, and a right rear leg 904). Figure 4 As shown, the four legs are bent in a forward direction, that is, the bending directions of the four knee joints are the same. The knee joints of the quadruped robot with such legs are not easy to hit obstacles, which is conducive to moving forward through rough terrain. The structure of the four legs of the robot is similar. Each leg is connected to the body 9 through the side swing joint 1. The leg includes a hip joint 2, a knee joint 3, a side swing swivel frame 4, a thigh 7 and a calf 8. The hip joint 2 is connected to the output shaft of the side swing joint 1 through the side swing swivel frame 4. The hip joint 2 and the knee joint 3 are connected through the limiting mechanism. The limiting mechanism includes a hip limiting connector 5 and a knee limiting connector 6. The hip limiting connector 5 includes a hip connection flange 501, a hip limiting connector 502, a hip output hole 503 and a hip joint connection surface 504. The hip connection flange 501 is fixed on the swivel fork 402 of the side swing swivel frame 4. The hip output hole 503 is located at the center of the hip connection flange 501, which is used to pass the hip joint output shaft 202 (such as Figure 5 As shown in the figure), the hip limiting component 502 is fixed beside the hip connection flange 501, the hip joint connection surface 504 is connected to the shell end 201 of the hip joint 2, the knee limiting connection component 6 includes a knee connection flange 601, a knee limiting component 602 and a knee connection surface end 603, the knee connection flange 601 is fixed on the shell end surface of the knee joint 3, the knee connection surface end 603 is fixed on the knee connection flange 601, the knee limiting component 602 is fixed beside the knee connection surface end 603, the hip joint output shaft 202 of the hip joint 2 is fixedly connected with the knee connection surface end 603 through the hip output hole 503, the knee joint 3 is connected to the thigh 7, and the thigh 7 is hinged to the calf 8.

[0025] As mentioned above, since the hip joint housing end 201 is fixedly connected to the hip connecting part 5, the hip joint output shaft 202 is fixedly connected to the knee limiter 6, and the knee limiter 6 is fixedly connected to the knee joint 3, the output shaft of the side swing joint 1 and the hip joint 2 of the robot's left front leg 901, right front leg 902, left hind leg 903, and right hind leg 904 are connected through the side swing turntable 4 and the hip connecting part 5, and the hip joint 2 and the knee joint 3 are both articulated and rotated through the knee limiter connecting part 6, and the hip joint and knee joint are limited by the contact between the hip limiter 502 and the knee limiter 602 of the hip limiter connecting part 5, so that a set of limiting mechanisms can meet the limiting functions of the four legs in different positions. The four legs of the present application all use the same hip limit connector and knee limit connector, which are universal, thereby reducing the number of drawings. The same drawing can process more parts, reducing processing costs and inventory costs; universal hip limit connectors and knee limit connectors can reduce the probability of errors in the assembly process, improve assembly efficiency, and do not need to find different parts for legs in different positions; universal parts have strong interchangeability and are easy to replace later, reducing the maintenance cost of the robot: if the right front leg is damaged, no matter which leg is in stock, it can be changed to the right front leg by changing the installation position, without having to distinguish and store four types of leg parts for replacement. Thereby solving the problem of the lack of universality of the hip limit parts of the quadruped robot in the related art, reducing the need to design four different limit structures to increase production and inventory costs.

[0026] In this embodiment, the side swing joint 1 is connected to the hip connection flange 501 through a side swing turntable 4. The side swing turntable 4 includes a turntable base 401 and a turntable fork structure 402 fixed on the turntable base 401. The turntable fork structure 402 is connected to the hip connection flange 501.

[0027] Specifically, the hip connection flange 501 is a semicircular ring structure, which is located around the hip joint connection surface 504 and is fixedly connected to the turntable fork 402 of the side swing turntable 4 after installation.

[0028] The hip limiting member 502 is a boss-shaped structure, and when the hip limiting connecting member 5 and the side swing rotating frame 4 are fixedly connected and installed, the position of the hip limiting member 502 is axially symmetrical with the side swing rotating frame base 401.

[0029] The hip output hole 503 is located in the middle of the hip limiting connector 5 , is concentric with the hip joint connection surface 504 , and has a size capable of passing through the hip joint output shaft 202 .

[0030] The knee connection flange 601 is circular, and its periphery is fixedly connected to the outer shell of the knee joint 3. The positions at which the knee connection flanges 601 of the two front legs of the quadruped robot are fixedly connected to the outer shell of the knee joint 3 are the same, and the positions at which the knee connection flanges 601 of the two hind legs are fixedly connected to the outer shell of the knee joint 3 are also the same, but the positions at which the knee connection flanges 601 of the hind legs and the front legs are fixedly connected to the outer shell of the knee joint 3 are 180° apart.

[0031] The knee limiter 602 is a boss-like structure and is located on the same side of the knee connection surface end 603 and inside the knee connection flange 601. The knee limiter connector 6 is symmetrical about the center line axis between the knee limiter 602 and the knee connection surface end 603. When the knee limiter connector 6 rotates relative to the hip limiter connector 5, the knee limiter 602 can contact the hip limiter 502 at the extreme position to limit the range of motion of the joint.

[0032] The knee connection surface end 603 can be fixedly connected to the hip joint output shaft 202 through the hip output hole 503.

[0033] like Figure 6-8 As shown, the assembly sequence of the remaining three legs is basically the same as that of the right front leg 902, with the difference being that: the knee limit connector 6 of the left front leg 901 and the right front leg 902 have the same installation angle as the knee joint 3, which is facing away from the direction of the thigh 7 in the embodiment; while the knee limit connector 6 of the left hind leg 903 and the right hind leg 904 have the same installation angle as the knee joint 3, and are opposite to the installation direction of the left front leg 901 and the right front leg 902, and are facing the direction of the thigh 7 in the embodiment.

[0034] The hip stopper 502 of the robot's front leg is arranged backward, and the hip stopper 502 of the robot's back leg is arranged forward; the knee stopper 602 of the robot's front leg is installed at the position farthest from the thigh 901, and the knee stopper 602 of the robot's back leg is installed at the position closest to the thigh 901. Figure 6 As shown, when the robot stands normally, the hip stopper 502 and the knee stopper 602 are not in contact; Figure 7 As shown, when both the front and rear thighs 901 swing forward, the knee stopper 602 of the front leg contacts the upper part of the hip stopper 502, and the knee stopper 602 of the rear leg contacts the lower part of the hip stopper 502, but the front and rear legs present the same forward swing amplitude; Figure 8 As shown, when both the front and rear thighs swing backward, the knee stopper 602 of the front leg contacts the lower part of the hip stopper 502, and the knee stopper 602 of the rear leg contacts the upper part of the hip stopper 502, but the front and rear thighs still have the same swing amplitude.

[0035] See Figure 4Regardless of the left front hip, right front hip, left rear hip or right rear hip, due to the symmetry of the hip limit connector, the left leg and the right leg can use the same hip limit connector parts; due to the two installation positions of the knee limit connector and the knee motor, the front leg and rear leg hip joints can obtain the same range of motion at different positions.

[0036] Therefore, in order to realize the embodiment of the present invention, the hip limit connector 5 of the left and right leg hip joints needs to be unified, and the limit position of the quadruped robot needs to be specified: assuming that the limit range of hip joint activity is x degrees forward, the range of its backward swing is allowed to be 180+x degrees; secondly, in order to unify the parts of the front legs and hind legs, the knee limit connector 6 and the knee motor 3 need to have two installation methods, and the orientation of the two installation methods is exactly 180°, and one installation method is used for each of the front legs and hind legs. In summary, regardless of the left front hip, the right front hip, the left rear hip or the right rear hip, due to the symmetry of the hip limit connector 5, the left leg and the right leg can use the same hip limit connector 5 parts; due to the different installation positions of the front and rear legs of the knee limit connector 6 and the knee motor 3, the hip joints of the front legs and the hind legs can obtain the same range of activity at different positions. Overall, the four legs can achieve their respective limit requirements through the same set of parts.

[0037] The embodiment of the present invention further provides a quadruped robot, comprising the above-mentioned limiting mechanism. The quadruped robot inherits the effects brought by the above-mentioned limiting mechanism, which will not be described in detail here.

[0038] Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate other embodiments of the present application after considering the description and practicing the contents disclosed herein. The present application is intended to cover any modification, use or adaptation of the present application, which follows the general principles of the present application and includes common knowledge or customary techniques in the art that are not disclosed in the present application. The description and examples are intended to be exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of the present application are indicated by the following claims.

[0039] It should be understood that the present application is not limited to the precise structures that have been described above and shown in the drawings, and that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope thereof. The scope of the present application is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A universal limiting mechanism for a quadruped robot, the quadruped robot comprising a body, a side-swing joint and four legs, each leg being connected to the body through the side-swing joint, each leg comprising a hip joint, a knee joint, a thigh and a calf, the hip joint being fixedly connected to the output shaft of the side-swing joint, the hip joint and the knee joint being connected through the limiting mechanism, the limiting mechanism comprising a hip limiting connector and a knee limiting connector, the hip limiting connector comprising a hip connecting flange, a hip limiting connector, a hip output hole and a hip joint connecting surface, the hip connecting flange being fixed on a swivel fork of a side-swing swivel, the hip output hole being located at the center of the hip connecting flange, the hip limiting connector being fixed beside the hip connecting flange, the hip joint connecting surface being connected to an outer shell end of the hip joint, the knee limiting connector comprising a knee connecting flange, a knee limiting connector and a knee connecting surface end, the knee connecting flange being fixed on an outer shell end surface of the knee joint, the knee connecting surface end being fixed on the On the knee connection flange, the knee stopper is fixed beside the knee connection surface end, the hip joint output shaft of the hip joint is fixedly connected to the knee connection surface end through the hip output hole, the knee joint is connected to the thigh, and the thigh is hinged to the calf; the side swing joint is connected to the hip connection flange through the side swing swivel, the side swing swivel includes a swivel base and a swivel fork structure fixed on the swivel base, and the swivel fork structure is connected to the hip connection flange; the hip connection flange is a semicircular ring structure, located around the hip joint connection surface, and is fixedly connected to the swivel fork of the side swing swivel after installation; the hip stopper is a boss-shaped structure, and when the hip stopper is fixedly connected to the side swing swivel and installed, it is axially symmetrical with the position of the side swing swivel base; the hip output hole is located in the middle of the hip stopper, concentric with the hip joint connection surface, and its size can pass through the hip joint output shaft; the knee connection flange is circular and can be fixedly connected to the shell of the knee joint.

2. According to the limiting mechanism of claim 1, the knee limiting member is a boss-like structure and is located on the same side of the knee connection surface end, and the knee limiting connecting member is symmetrical about the center line connecting the knee limiting member and the knee connection surface end.

3. According to the limiting mechanism of claim 1, the knee connection surface end can be fixedly connected to the hip joint output shaft through the hip output hole.

4. A quadruped robot, comprising the limiting mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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