Wheel-leg mechanism, leg mechanism, wheel-leg mechanism control method and robot

Abstract

The present application discloses a robot wheel-leg mechanism, the leg of the wheel-leg mechanism comprises: an upper mounting portion; a calf bracket is provided with a walking wheel, the calf bracket has a connecting portion and an extension arm; a calf driving member is rotatably connected to the upper mounting portion; one end of the thigh bracket is rotatably connected to the upper mounting portion, and the other end forms a lower mounting portion, the lower mounting portion is rotatably connected to the connecting portion of the calf bracket; one end of a connecting rod is connected to the calf driving member, and the other end is connected to the extension arm of the calf bracket, and the connecting rod is formed with an abutment portion; a locking member is installed on the thigh bracket, and the locking member has a plurality of mounting positions in the moving direction of the connecting rod; two ends of an elastic member connect the locking member and the abutment portion, the elastic member can store elastic potential energy between the abutment portion and the locking member located at the mounting position, and release the elastic potential energy to drive the connecting rod to move relative to the locking member. It can be switched in multiple motion modes, has a simple structure, can switch height freely, and has good high-speed driving stability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of robots, and in particular to a wheel-leg mechanism, a leg mechanism, a wheel-leg mechanism control method and a robot. Background Art

[0002] The movement modes of ground walking robots are divided into wheeled, footed, tracked and composite types to adapt to different working environments. Among them, the wheeled and footed robot is a robot that integrates wheeled mechanism and quadrupedal walking mechanism and can walk in a complex terrain environment. The robot combines wheeled walking and quadrupedal walking. The former is suitable for wheeled fast movement on flat ground, and the latter is suitable for quadrupedal walking on complex ground (such as ruins) or when crossing obstacles.

[0003] However, the existing wheeled-legged robots have poor stability when driving at high speeds in wheeled state, and the existing wheeled-legged robots usually use multiple cylinders, hydraulic devices, etc., which leads to complex structures of wheeled-legged robots, especially their legs. At the same time, the complex structure makes it very difficult for the wheeled-legged robots to adjust their shapes according to different environments. Therefore, it is a technical problem that technicians in this field need to solve urgently to study a robot with a simple structure, which can be adjusted conveniently and quickly, and has high stability when driving at high speeds. Summary of the invention

[0004] In order to solve the technical problems of the above-mentioned robot's complex leg structure, poor stability when driving at high speed, and inability to quickly adapt to different working environments, the present application provides a robot wheel-leg mechanism with a simple structure and the ability to flexibly and quickly change the height of the wheel-leg mechanism to adapt to different working environments, and has good stability when driving at high speed in car mode.

[0005] In order to solve the problems existing in the use of the above-mentioned robots, the present application provides a robot that can switch between multiple motion modes to adapt to different usage environments, has a simple structure, can freely switch heights, and has good high-speed driving stability.

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present application provides a robot wheel-leg mechanism, the wheel-leg mechanism includes a leg and a walking wheel installed on the leg, the leg includes: a mounting member, which can be installed on the robot body, the mounting member includes an upper mounting portion that can rotate relative to the robot body; a thigh bracket, one end of which is connected to the upper mounting portion, and the other end forms a lower mounting portion; a calf bracket, which is equipped with the walking wheel, the calf bracket has a connecting portion rotatably connected to the lower mounting portion, and the calf bracket forms an extension arm on the side of the connecting portion away from the walking wheel; a calf driving member, which is connected to the upper mounting portion; a connecting rod, one end of which is connected to the calf driving member , the other end is connected to the extension arm, the calf driving member can drive the connecting rod to move in the extension direction of the thigh support to drive the calf support to rotate around the lower mounting portion, and the connecting rod is formed with an abutment portion; a limiting assembly includes a limiting member and a locking member, the limiting member and the thigh support move in the extension direction of the connecting rod, and the locking member can lock the limiting member and fix it on the thigh support; an elastic member, whose two ends are respectively connected to the limiting member and the abutment portion, the elastic member can store elastic potential energy between the abutment portion and the limiting member, and release the elastic potential energy to drive the connecting rod to move relative to the limiting member.

[0007] In an optional implementation of the robot wheel-leg mechanism, the locking member includes a first locking bar and a second locking bar extending along the moving direction of the connecting rod, and a driving portion driving the first locking bar and the second locking bar to move toward or away from each other, and the limiting member has a limiting portion located between the first locking bar and the second locking bar, and the driving portion can drive the first locking bar and the second locking bar to move toward each other to lock the limiting portion or move away from each other to release the limiting portion.

[0008] In an optional implementation of the robot wheel-leg mechanism, the first locking strip and the second locking strip are both configured as racks, and the limiting portion is a gear meshed between the two racks.

[0009] In an optional implementation of the robot wheel-leg mechanism, the limiter includes a damping cylinder, the connecting rod is a piston rod slidably connected to the damping cylinder, a stopper is formed on the outer side of the damping cylinder, and the elastic member is arranged between the stopper and the abutment portion.

[0010] In an optional implementation of the robot wheel-leg mechanism, the leg also includes a connecting rod, one end of which is connected to the connecting rod, and the other end of which is connected to an extension arm of the calf support.

[0011] In an optional implementation of the robot wheel-leg mechanism, the locking member is respectively provided on two opposite sides of the thigh support, and the limiting member includes two limiting portions that can respectively cooperate with the locking member.

[0012] Calf support

[0013] In an optional implementation of the robot wheel-leg mechanism, the thigh support is formed with a guide hole, the damping cylinder has a sliding portion, the sliding portion extends out of the thigh support through the guide hole and is connected to the limiter, and the damping cylinder is slidably mounted in the guide hole through the sliding portion. Limiter

[0014] In an optional implementation of the robot wheel-leg mechanism, the upper mounting portion and the lower mounting portion are both fixed rings, the line between the axis of the upper mounting portion and the axis of the lower mounting portion is colinear with the length direction of the thigh support, and the calf drive member extends outward to form a drive portion, and the drive portion is connected to the connecting rod.

[0015] The present application also provides a robot leg mechanism, which includes: a mounting member, which can be mounted on a robot body, the mounting member including an upper mounting portion that can rotate relative to the robot body; a thigh bracket, one end of which is connected to the upper mounting portion, and the other end forms a lower mounting portion; a calf bracket, which has a connecting portion that is rotatably connected to the lower mounting portion, and the calf bracket forms an extension arm at the connecting portion; a calf driving member, which is connected to the upper mounting portion; a connecting rod, one end of which is connected to the calf driving member, and the other end is connected to the extension arm, and the calf driving member can drive the connecting rod. The rod moves in the extension direction of the thigh support to drive the calf support to rotate around the lower mounting portion, and the connecting rod is formed with an abutment portion; a limiting assembly includes a limiting member and a locking member, and the limiting member cooperates with the thigh support to move along the extension direction of the connecting rod, and the locking member can lock the limiting member and fix it on the thigh support; an elastic member, whose two ends are respectively connected to the limiting member and the abutment portion, and the elastic member can store elastic potential energy between the abutment portion and the limiting member, and release the elastic potential energy to drive the connecting rod to move relative to the limiting member.

[0016] The present application also provides a robot, which includes: a robot body; and a robot wheel-leg mechanism, wherein the mounting member of the wheel-leg mechanism is mounted on the robot body.

[0017] The present application also provides a control method for a robot wheel-leg mechanism, which includes a robot wheel-leg mechanism, wherein the wheel-leg mechanism can execute any one of the following modes:

[0018] Car Mode:

[0019] S11, controlling the locking member to open to unlock the limiting member;

[0020] S12, controlling the calf driving member to rotate, driving the connecting rod member to move along the extension direction of the thigh support, so that the limiting member moves relative to the thigh support to switch the limiting position;

[0021] S13, controlling the locking member to lock the limiting member;

[0022] S14, controlling the walking wheel to rotate so that the elastic member can elastically reset the rotation of the calf support when the wheel-leg mechanism moves forward;

[0023] Calf single action mode:

[0024] S21, controlling the locking member to open to unlock the limiting member;

[0025] S22, controlling the calf driving member to rotate alternately in forward and reverse directions around the upper mounting portion, driving the connecting rod member to move back and forth along the extension direction of the thigh support, so that the calf support rotates alternately in forward and reverse directions around the connecting portion;

[0026] Thigh and calf linkage mode:

[0027] S31, controlling the locking member to open to unlock the limiting member;

[0028] S32, controlling the thigh support to rotate around the upper mounting portion so that the leg mechanism rotates relative to the robot body;

[0029] S33, controlling the calf driving member to rotate around the upper mounting portion, driving the connecting rod member to move along the extension direction of the thigh support, so as to adjust the angle between the calf support and the thigh support.

[0030] The beneficial effect of the present application is that the present invention provides a robot wheel-leg mechanism, which has a simple structure and can flexibly and quickly change the height of the wheel-leg mechanism. It can change a variety of different travel modes to adapt to different working environments, and has good stability when driving at high speed and walking. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] The drawings described herein are used to provide a further understanding of the present application and constitute a part of the present application. The illustrative embodiments of the present application and their descriptions are used to explain the present application and do not constitute an improper limitation on the present application. In the drawings:

[0032] Figure 1 This is a schematic structural diagram of the first state of an embodiment of a robot wheel-leg mechanism.

[0033] Figure 2 This is a schematic structural diagram of the second state of an embodiment of a robot wheel-leg mechanism.

[0034] Figure 3 This is a schematic structural diagram of the third state of an embodiment of a robot wheel-leg mechanism.

[0035] Figure 4 This is a schematic structural diagram of the fourth state of an embodiment of a robot wheel-leg mechanism.

[0036] Figure 5 This is a schematic structural diagram of the fifth state of an embodiment of a robot wheel-leg mechanism.

[0037] Description of reference numerals:

[0038] 10 wheel leg mechanism, 11 leg, 12 walking wheel;

[0039] 21 upper mounting portion, 22 calf support, 221 connecting portion, 222 extension arm, 23 calf driving member, 231 driving portion, 24 thigh support, 241 lower mounting portion, 25 connecting rod, 251 abutting portion, 26 limiting member, 261 damping cylinder, 262 stopping portion, 263 limiting portion, 27 elastic member, 28 connecting rod;

[0040] 31 locking member, 311 first locking strip, 312 second locking strip;

[0041] 41 is a guide hole, and 42 is a sliding portion. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] In order to more clearly illustrate the overall concept of the present application, a detailed description is given below in an illustrative manner in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0043] It should be noted that many specific details are set forth in the following description to facilitate a full understanding of the present application. However, the present application may also be implemented in other ways different from those described herein. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application is not limited to the specific implementation methods disclosed below.

[0044] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "up", "down", "left", "right", "axial", "radial", etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships, are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present application.

[0045] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an embodiment of a robot wheel-leg mechanism 10 is provided, wherein the wheel-leg mechanism 10 includes a leg 11 and a walking wheel 12 .

[0046] You can continue to see Figure 1 , the leg 11 includes an upper mounting portion 21, the position of which is fixed relative to other structures of the leg 11. For example, in a robot provided in the present application, the mounting member of the robot wheel-leg mechanism 10 can be mounted on the robot body, that is, the mounting member can be stationary relative to the robot body, and other structures of the leg 11 can be mounted on the upper mounting portion 21 to be movable relative to the robot. The connection between the wheel-leg mechanism 10 and the robot body can be completed only by the mounting member, and its thigh bracket 24 is directly connected to the upper mounting portion 21, and the calf bracket 22 is indirectly connected to the calf driving member 23 through the connecting rod 25. The calf driving member 23 is also connected to the upper mounting portion 21. A motor can be directly installed at the upper mounting portion 21 to directly drive the thigh bracket 24 to rotate and indirectly drive the calf bracket 22 to rotate through the calf driving member 23 and the connecting rod 25. The thigh bracket 24 and the calf bracket 22 of the leg 11 are not installed with other driving devices except for the motor that drives the walking wheel 12 to rotate, so the overall structure of the wheel-leg mechanism 10 is relatively simple.

[0047] The leg portion 11 also includes a calf support 22, which is equipped with a walking wheel 12, as shown in FIG. Figure 1 The walking wheel 12 is installed at the lower end of the calf bracket 22. The walking wheel 12 is used to contact the ground, and it can drive the robot to move quickly on the ground under the drive of the motor (not shown). The calf bracket 22 has a connecting portion 221, and the calf bracket 22 extends to form an extension arm 222 on the side of the connecting portion 221 away from the walking wheel 12. The leg 11 also includes a thigh bracket 24, one end of the thigh bracket 24 is rotatably connected to the upper mounting portion 21, and the other end forms a lower mounting portion 241, and the lower mounting portion 241 is rotatably connected to the connecting portion 221 of the calf bracket 22. The leg 11 also includes a calf driving member 23, which is rotatably connected to the upper mounting portion 21. The leg 11 also includes a connecting rod 25, one end of which is connected to the calf driving member 23, and the other end is connected to the extension arm 222 of the calf support 22, and the connecting rod 25 is formed with an abutment portion 251; the leg 11 also includes a limiting assembly, which includes a limiting member 26 and a locking member 31, and the limiting member 26 can be installed on the thigh support 24, and the limiting member 26 moves and cooperates along the extension direction of the connecting rod 25 between the thighs 24; the leg 11 also includes an elastic member 27, and the two ends of the elastic member 27 connect the limiting member 26 and the abutment portion 251, and the elastic member 27 can store elastic potential energy between the abutment portion 251 and the limiting member 26 located at the installation position, and release the elastic potential energy to drive the connecting rod 25 to move relative to the limiting member 26.

[0048] When the wheel-leg mechanism 10 is traveling in the vehicle mode, Figure 1 , Figure 1The middle limit member 26 is located at a first installation position relative to the thigh support 24, and the locking member 31 can lock and fix the limit member 26 at the first installation position. Figure 1 The middle elastic member 27 is in a natural state, and the calf support 22 is at the starting position. Taking the wheel-leg mechanism 10 in FIG1 moving to the right as an example, when the walking wheel 12 encounters an obstacle, the calf support 22 will rotate around the connecting portion 221 in the direction of the arrow A in the figure under the obstruction of the obstacle, and the extension arm 222 of the calf support 22 will rotate to the right around the connecting portion 221, thereby driving the connecting rod 25 to move to the right. At this time, the limiting member 26 is located in the first installation position and will not move relative to the thigh support 24. Therefore, as the connecting rod 25 moves, the distance between the abutment portion 251 on the connecting rod 25 and the limiting member 26 becomes smaller and smaller, thereby compressing the elastic member 27, and the compressed elastic member 27 stores elastic potential energy. After being compressed to a certain degree or the walking wheel 12 passes an obstacle, the elastic potential energy of the elastic member 27 is released, pushing the abutment portion 251 to drive the connecting rod 25 to move to the left and reset. Therefore, the connecting rod 25 can drive the calf support 22 to return to the starting position. Therefore, the elastic member 27 can provide a buffering effect for the wheel-leg mechanism 10 when the calf support 22 encounters an obstacle, and drive the calf support 22 to return to its original position in time after buffering, so as to keep the robot running stably when the robot encounters an obstacle, especially when the wheel-leg mechanism 10 travels at high speed in wheeled mode, it is particularly important to ensure good buffering effect and stability.

[0049] Since the limiter 26 is located at the first installation position and does not move, and the elastic potential energy accumulated by the elastic member 27 due to tension and compression is also limited, the first installation position of the limiter 26 and the elastic performance of the elastic member 27 together limit the displacement range of the connecting rod 25. Therefore, the displacement range of the connecting rod 25 limits the rotation range of the calf support 22, which can be seen in FIG. Figure 1 The calf support 22 can only rotate within the range enclosed by the dotted line and is cushioned and reset by the elastic member 27.

[0050] You can continue to see Figure 2 , Figure 2 The middle limit member 26 is located at the second installation position relative to the thigh support 24. It can be understood that the limit member 26 can be moved from the first installation position to the second installation position along the extension direction of the connecting rod 25. When the limit member 26 is located at the second installation position and does not move, the rotation buffer range of the calf support 22 is Figure 2 The dotted line indicates the fan-shaped area. Similarly, see 4, Figure 4 The middle limiter 26 is located at the third installation position relative to the thigh support 24. When the limiter 26 is located at the third installation position and does not move, the rotation buffer range of the calf support 22 is Figure 4 The fan-shaped area shown in .

[0051] Therefore, the installation position of the limit member 26 and the natural state of the elastic member 27 work together to make the calf support 22 have an initial position. When the limit member 26 is located at different installation positions, the calf support 22 has different initial positions. Therefore, the angles between the thigh support 24 and the calf support 22 are different, so the entire wheel-leg mechanism 10 has different heights. The robot can adjust the overall height of the robot or the angle between the thigh support 24 and the calf support 22 through the wheel-leg mechanism 10 so that it can travel in different environments. When driving at high speed in different environments, the elastic member 27 can buffer and reset the rotation of the calf mounting part 21 in time to ensure the shock absorption effect and driving stability of the wheel-leg mechanism 10.

[0052] It is also important to note that since one end of the connecting rod 25 is connected to the shank driving member 23 and the other end is connected to the extension arm 222, the shank driving member 23 and the extension arm 222 both rotate. Figure 1 The first installation position in Figure 4 When the connecting rod 25 is at a relatively extreme position in the moving direction, such as the third installation position in the middle, the calf driving member 23 and the extension arm 222 rotate, so the displacement of the connecting rod 25 in the moving direction allowed by the calf driving member 23 and the extension arm 222 is relatively small. Figure 1 and Figure 4 The dotted sector area is smaller than Figure 2 The dotted sector area in Figure 1 As shown, since the wheel-leg mechanism 10 is relatively high, the center of gravity of the robot is high, and the rotation range of the shank driving member 23 is small, the shank driving member 23 can be quickly reset to a natural state, so that the wheel-leg mechanism 10 maintains driving stability; Figure 4 The thigh support 24 is relatively close to the calf support 22, and the small rotation range of the calf drive 23 can keep a safe distance between the thigh support 24 and the calf support 22, so that they will not collide with each other, thereby ensuring the stability of the wheel-leg mechanism 10.

[0053] In an optional implementation of the robot wheel-leg mechanism 10, the leg 11 also includes a locking member 31 arranged on the thigh support 24, the locking member 31 includes a first locking strip 311 and a second locking strip 312 extending along the moving direction of the connecting rod 25, and a continuous slide groove is formed between the first locking strip 311 and the second locking strip 312, the limiting member 26 includes a limiting portion 263 that can slide in the continuous slide groove, and the locking member 31 can lock the limiting portion 263 at any position in the continuous slide groove by moving the first locking strip 311 and the second locking strip 312 toward each other, and the arbitrary position is the installation position of the limiting member 26. The locking member 31 can be locked with the limiting portion 263 at any position to limit the limiting member 26 to an installation position. When the first locking strip 311 and the second locking strip 312 move away from each other, the limiting portion 263 can be released. Since the limiting portion 263 can slide in the continuous slide groove, the locking member 31 can lock the limiting portion 263 at any position. Therefore, the calf support 22 can have more initial positions to choose from, that is, to a certain extent, the height of the wheel-leg mechanism 10 and the angle between the thigh support 24 and the calf support 22 can be freely selected, which can adapt to more usage scenarios.

[0054] When the locking member 31 locks the limiting portion 263 at the installation position, the wheel-leg mechanism 10 can travel in the vehicle mode described above. Figure 2 and Figure 3 For example, when the wheel-leg mechanism 10 is in the vehicle mode, the calf driving member 23 is driven by the connecting rod 25 to passively rotate, and the thigh support does not rotate under the control of the motor. Figure 2 and Figure 3 The middle limiter 26 is located at the same installation position. When obstacles or the like drive the calf support 22, Figure 2 The middle elastic member 27 is in a compressed state. Figure 3 The middle elastic member 27 is in a stretched state, and after passing the obstacle, the elastic member 27 pushes the calf transmission member to return to the initial position.

[0055] When the locking member 31 does not lock the limiting portion 263, the limiting portion 263 can slide freely in the continuous slide groove. Figure 1 and Figure 4 For example, when the calf driving member 23 is driven by the motor (not shown) to actively rotate, and the thigh support does not actively rotate, the calf driving member 23 can drive the connecting rod 25 to move and then drive the calf support 22 to rotate around the connecting portion 221, thereby realizing the calf single-action mode with the active rotation of the calf support 22 as the main action. Specifically, Figure 1 The calf drive member 23 is in the first state, and the calf drive member 23 is driven by the motor to rotate to Figure 4In the second state shown in the figure, the limit member 26 can slide freely at this time, so the displacement caused by the calf driving member 23 driving the connecting rod 25 is not limited by the elastic member 27, and the rotation range of the calf support 22 is directly determined by the rotation range of the calf driving member. Through the rigid connection between the calf driving member 23, the connecting rod 25, the thigh support 24 and the calf support 22, the leg 11 can be made more powerful when walking on the ground in the form of calf steps, and the swing of the calf connecting rod 25 can be directly controlled by the rotation range of the calf driving member 23, thereby controlling the size of the step, so that the wheel-leg mechanism 10 can move forward stably and with good controllability.

[0056] Can Figure 1 and Figure 5 For example, the thigh support 24 is actively rotated under the drive of the motor (not shown in the figure), and when the locking member 31 does not lock the limiting portion 263, the limiting portion 263 can slide freely in the continuous slide groove. Figure 1 Mid-thigh support rotates to Figure 5 At the position of the middle thigh support, the angle between the thigh support and the robot body changes significantly. When the thigh support rotates to a certain position, the thigh support is restricted to this position by the motor. At this time, by controlling the rotation of the calf drive 23, the thigh support 24 and the calf support 22 of the wheel-leg mechanism 10 can be changed to a variety of angles, thereby realizing the thigh-calf linkage mode of the wheel-leg mechanism 10 that can climb over various obstacles.

[0057] Therefore, through the cooperation of the locking member 31 and the limiting member 26, the wheel-leg mechanism 10 can be flexibly switched between the vehicle mode, the calf single-action mode and the thigh-calf linkage mode, so that the wheel-leg mechanism 10 can adapt to a variety of different life scenarios.

[0058] In a specific embodiment of the locking member, the locking member 31 includes a first locking strip 311 and a second locking strip 312 extending along the moving direction of the connecting rod 25, as shown in FIG. Figure 2The teeth of the first locking strip 311 and the second locking strip 312 are arranged opposite to each other and form a continuous sliding groove. The limiting portion 263 is formed with teeth that can mesh with the rack. The second locking strip 312 can move between a limiting position where the limiting portion 263 is clamped with the first locking strip 311 and an open position away from the first locking strip 311. When the second locking strip 312 is located at the limiting position, the teeth of the second locking strip 312 and the teeth of the limiting portion 263 are meshed and fixed with each other to limit the limiting member 26 to be located at the installation position. By the embodiment in which the first locking strip 311 and the second locking strip 312 are relatively close to each other to clamp the limiting portion 263 with teeth, the locking member 31 can lock the limiting portion 263 at any position, and the teeth of the rack can abut against the teeth on the limiting portion 263, especially in the moving direction of the connecting rod 25, so as to better limit the movement of the limiting member. Moreover, the two racks take up relatively little space, and the operation is relatively simple by controlling the two racks to be relatively close or relatively far away.

[0059] Regarding the arrangement of the teeth on the limiting portion 263, in a specific embodiment, the limiting portion 263 is a rotatable roller, and the roller can roll along the first locking strip 311. The first locking strip 311 can provide a certain limiting and guiding effect for the roller. When the second locking strip 312 moves toward the first locking strip 311, the second locking strip 312 and the first locking strip 311 clamp the roller. In another specific embodiment, the thigh support 24 is formed with a guide hole 41, which can be simultaneously referred to as Figure 3 The damping cylinder 261 has a sliding portion 42, which extends out of the thigh support 24 through the guide hole 41 and is connected to the limiting portion 263. The damping cylinder 261 is slidably installed in the guide hole 41 through the sliding portion 42. In this embodiment, the sliding cooperation between the guide hole 41 and the sliding portion 42 provides the limiting and guiding function for the stop portion 262. The limiting portion 263 moves translationally in the guide hole 41 with the sliding portion 42. Teeth are formed at a position where the limiting portion 263 is relatively close to the first locking strip 311 and the second locking strip 312. When the first locking strip 311 and the second locking strip 312 are relatively close, the teeth of the rack and the teeth on the limiting portion 263 can engage with each other to prevent the limiting member 26 from moving relative to the thigh support 24.

[0060] In an optional implementation of the robot wheel-leg mechanism 10, the limiting member 26 includes a damping cylinder 261, see Figure 2The connecting rod 25 is a piston rod slidably connected to the damping cylinder 261, a stopper 262 is formed on the outer side of the damping cylinder 261, the elastic member 27 is arranged between the stopper 262 and the abutting portion 251, and a limiter 263 is formed on the damping cylinder 261. By arranging the damping cylinder 261 and the piston rod, on the one hand, the damping cylinder 261 can play a better buffering role on the movement of the connecting rod 25 in the vehicle mode, and the damping cylinder 261 can play a further buffering and limiting role on the movement of the connecting rod 25, which can minimize the displacement of the connecting rod 25 and reduce the transmission of vibration to the robot body, thereby increasing the driving stability of the wheel-leg mechanism 10 and the robot as a whole. Moreover, in the calf single-action mode and the thigh-calf linkage mode, the connecting rod 25 can in turn drive the limiting portion 263 on the damping cylinder 261 to slide back and forth in the continuous slide groove. Since the damping cylinder 261 is not subjected to force when the locking member 31 does not lock the limiting portion 263, the connecting rod 25 drives the damping cylinder 261 to move with very little resistance. Therefore, the displacement of the damping cylinder 261 is basically the same as the displacement of the connecting rod 25, with a small error, and is easy to accurately control.

[0061] In an optional implementation of the robot wheel-leg mechanism 10, the elastic member 27 is a telescopic spring. By sleeve-mounting the telescopic spring outside the damping cylinder 261 and connecting the two ends of the telescopic spring to the abutment portion 251 and the stop portion 262 respectively, the connection and abutment between the telescopic spring and the connecting rod 25 and the damping cylinder 261 can be made more stable, and the telescopic spring is less likely to fall off, thereby ensuring long-term effectiveness. And the cooperation of the telescopic spring and the damping cylinder 261 can achieve a better buffering and shock-absorbing effect. Of course, the elastic member 27 can also be made of other elastic materials such as polyurethane elastomer, and the elastic member 27 may not be sleeved on the damping cylinder 261, as long as the elastic member 27 can connect the abutment portion 251 and the stop portion 262 and can store elastic potential energy.

[0062] In an optional implementation of the robot wheel-leg mechanism 10, the leg 11 further includes a connecting rod 28, see Figure 1-Figure 5 As shown in , one end of the connecting rod 28 is connected to the connecting rod 25, and the other end is connected to the extension arm 222 of the calf support 22. By setting the connecting rod 28, the degree of freedom of the extension arm 222 and the connecting rod 25 can be increased, and the range of motion of the extension arm 222 and the connecting rod 25 can be increased, so that the limit part 263 can slide in a straight continuous slide groove, making the locking member 31 simpler. Among them, the thigh support 24, the calf driving member 23, the connecting rod 25, the connecting rod 28, and the calf support 22 form a five-link mechanism, which can easily control the operation of the wheel-leg mechanism 10, so that the wheel-leg mechanism 10 can operate in different working modes.

[0063] In an optional implementation of the robot wheel-leg mechanism 10, the thigh support 24 is provided with locking members 31 on two opposite sides thereof, see Figure 2 The limiting member 26 includes two limiting portions 263 that can respectively cooperate with the locking member 31. By providing two locking members 31 to cooperate with the two limiting portions 263, the stability during locking can be effectively improved, and the abutment force generated when the limiting portions 263 and the locking member 31 are locked can be shared, which can prevent the locking member 31 or the limiting portions 263 from being damaged under long-term use to a certain extent, thereby extending the service life of the wheel-leg mechanism 10.

[0064] In an optional implementation of the robot wheel-leg mechanism 10, the upper mounting portion 21 and the lower mounting portion 241 are both fixed rings, and the line between the axis of the upper mounting portion 21 and the axis of the lower mounting portion 241 is colinear with the length direction of the thigh support 24, as shown in FIG. Figure 5 , and the calf driving member 23 extends outward to form a driving portion 231, and the driving portion 231 is connected to the connecting rod 25. Figure 5 The midpoint line is the line connecting the axis of the upper mounting part 21 and the fixed axis, which is colinear with the length direction of the thigh support 24. The multi-link structure formed by the calf driving part 23, the connecting rod 25, the thigh support 24 and the calf support 22 can make the calf support 22 rotate within a certain range through the driving part 231 and the extension arm 222.

[0065] The present application also provides a robot leg mechanism, which includes: a mounting member, which can be mounted on the robot body, the mounting member including an upper mounting portion 21 that can rotate relative to the robot body; a thigh support 24, one end of which is connected to the upper mounting portion 21, and the other end forms a lower mounting portion 241; a calf support 22, which has a connecting portion 221 that is rotatably connected to the lower mounting portion 241, and the calf support 22 forms an extension arm 222 at the connecting portion 221; a calf driving member 23, which is connected to the upper mounting portion 21; a connecting rod 25, one end of which is connected to the calf driving member 23, and the other end is connected to the extension arm 222, the calf driving member 23 can drive the connecting rod 25 to move in the extension direction of the thigh support 24, so as to drive the calf support 22 to rotate around the lower mounting portion 241, and the connecting rod 25 is formed with an abutment portion 251; a limiting assembly, including a limiting member 26 and a locking member 31, the limiting member 26 In cooperation with the thigh support 24 moving along the extension direction of the connecting rod 25, the locking member 31 can lock and fix the limiting member 26 on the thigh support 24; the elastic member 27, whose two ends are respectively connected to the limiting member 26 and the abutment portion 251, the elastic member 27 can store elastic potential energy between the abutment portion 251 and the limiting member 26, and release the elastic potential energy to drive the connecting rod 25 to move relative to the limiting member 26.

[0066] When the locking member 31 does not lock the limiting portion 263, the limiting portion 263 can slide freely in the continuous slide groove. Figure 1 and Figure 4 For example, when the calf drive member 23 is actively rotated under the drive of the motor (not shown in the figure), and the thigh support 24 is not actively rotated, the calf drive member 23 can drive the connecting rod 25 to move and then drive the calf support 22 to rotate around the connecting part 221, realizing the calf single-action mode with the active rotation of the calf support 22 as the main action. Specifically, the lower end of the calf support 22 can directly contact the ground for walking, Figure 1 The calf drive member 23 is in the first state, and the calf drive member 23 is driven by the motor to rotate to Figure 4 In the second state shown in the figure, the limit member 26 can slide freely at this time, so the displacement caused by the calf driving member 23 driving the connecting rod 25 is not limited by the elastic member 27, and the rotation range of the calf support 22 is directly determined by the rotation range of the calf driving member. Through the rigid connection between the calf driving member 23, the connecting rod 25, the thigh support 24 and the calf support 22, the leg 11 can be made more powerful when walking on the ground in the form of calf steps, and the swing of the calf connecting rod 25 can be directly controlled by the rotation range of the calf driving member 23, thereby controlling the size of the step, so that the wheel-leg mechanism 10 can move forward stably and with good controllability.

[0067] Can Figure 1 and Figure 5 For example, the thigh support 24 is actively rotated under the drive of the motor (not shown in the figure), and when the locking member 31 does not lock the limiting portion 263, the limiting portion 263 can slide freely in the continuous slide groove. Figure 1 Mid-thigh support rotates to Figure 5 The position of the thigh support and the angle between the thigh support and the robot body change significantly. When the thigh support rotates to a position, the thigh support 24 is restricted to this position by the motor. At this time, by controlling the rotation of the calf drive 23, the thigh support 24 and the calf support 22 of the wheel-leg mechanism 10 can be changed to a variety of angles, thereby realizing the thigh-calf linkage mode of the wheel-leg mechanism 10 that can climb over various obstacles.

[0068] When the locking member 31 locks the limit portion 263, the thigh support 24 can actively rotate under the drive of the motor, so as to realize the leg mode in which the entire leg mechanism rotates. When operating in the leg mode, the lower end of the calf support 22 can contact the ground, and when the calf support 22 contacts the ground, the elastic member 27 can play a certain buffering role in the rotation of the calf support 22 touching the ground, thereby further reducing the vibration of other parts of the leg mechanism and the robot body during walking or movement, thereby ensuring that the leg mechanism and the robot have a longer service life.

[0069] The present application also provides a robot, which includes: a robot body and a robot wheel-leg mechanism, wherein the mounting member of the wheel-leg mechanism is mounted on the robot body. The robot can switch between multiple motion modes to adapt to different use environments, has a simple structure, can switch heights freely, and has good high-speed driving stability.

[0070] The present application also provides a control method for a robot wheel-leg mechanism, which includes a robot wheel-leg mechanism, and the wheel-leg mechanism can execute any one of the following modes:

[0071] Among them, in the vehicle mode: the locking member 31 is controlled to open to unlock the limiting member 26; the calf driving member 23 is controlled to rotate, driving the connecting rod 25 to move along the extension direction of the thigh support 24, so that the limiting member 26 moves relative to the thigh support 24 to switch the limiting position; the locking member 31 is controlled to lock to lock the limiting member 26; the walking wheel 12 is controlled to rotate, so that the elastic member 27 can elastically reset the rotation of the calf support 22 when the wheel-leg mechanism moves forward;

[0072] Calf single-action mode: control the locking member 31 to open to unlock the limit member 26; control the calf driving member 23 to rotate around the upper mounting portion 21 in a forward and reverse direction alternately, drive the connecting rod 25 to move back and forth along the extension direction of the thigh support 24, so that the calf support 22 rotates around the connecting portion 221 in a forward and reverse direction alternately;

[0073] Thigh-calf linkage mode: control the locking piece 31 to open to unlock the limit piece 26; control the thigh support 24 to rotate around the upper mounting portion 21 to allow the leg mechanism to rotate relative to the robot body; control the calf drive piece 23 to rotate around the upper mounting portion 21 to drive the connecting rod 25 to move along the extension direction of the thigh support 24 to adjust the angle between the calf support 22 and the thigh support 24.

[0074] By sequentially controlling multiple parts in the robot's wheel-leg mechanism, the robot's wheel-leg mechanism can be freely switched between multiple modes, with rapid switching and simple operation, and can ensure smooth operation in each mode. Moreover, there is no sequential relationship between the multiple modes, and any mode can be freely selected to operate to adapt to different adaptation scenarios encountered by the robot. Therefore, the robot provided by the present application has strong adaptability and strong passing ability, and can fully exert its functions in different usage scenarios.

[0075] The technical solutions protected by this application are not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments. It should be noted that the combination of the technical solutions of any one embodiment with the technical solutions of one or more other embodiments is within the scope of protection of this application. Although the application has been described in detail above with general descriptions and specific embodiments, some modifications or improvements can be made to it on the basis of this application, which is obvious to those skilled in the art. Therefore, these modifications or improvements made on the basis of not departing from the spirit of this application all belong to the scope of protection claimed in this application.

Claims

1. A robot wheel-leg mechanism, the wheel-leg mechanism comprising a leg and a walking wheel mounted on the leg, characterized in that: The leg comprises: A mounting member, which can be mounted on the robot body, the mounting member comprising an upper mounting portion that can rotate relative to the robot body; a thigh support, one end of which is connected to the upper mounting portion and the other end of which forms a lower mounting portion; A calf support, which is equipped with the walking wheel, the calf support having a connecting portion rotatably connected to the lower mounting portion, and the calf support forming an extension arm on a side of the connecting portion away from the walking wheel; A calf drive member connected to the upper mounting portion; A connecting rod, one end of which is connected to the calf driving member and the other end of which is connected to the extension arm, the calf driving member can drive the connecting rod to move in the extension direction of the thigh support to drive the calf support to rotate around the lower mounting portion, and the connecting rod is formed with an abutment portion; A limiting assembly, comprising a limiting member and a locking member, wherein the limiting member is movable and matched with the thigh support along the extension direction of the connecting rod, and the locking member can lock and fix the limiting member on the thigh support; An elastic member, two ends of which are respectively connected to the limiting member and the abutting portion, the elastic member being capable of storing elastic potential energy between the abutting portion and the limiting member, and releasing the elastic potential energy to drive the connecting rod to move relative to the limiting member; The locking member includes a first locking bar and a second locking bar extending along the moving direction of the connecting rod, and a driving part driving the first locking bar and the second locking bar to move toward or away from each other; the limiting member includes a limiting part located between the first locking bar and the second locking bar, and the driving part can drive the first locking bar and the second locking bar to move toward each other to lock the limiting part or move away from each other to release the limiting part; The leg part also includes a connecting rod, one end of which is connected to the connecting rod, and the other end of which is connected to the extension arm of the calf support.

2. The robot wheel-leg mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first locking bar and the second locking bar are both configured as racks, and the limiting portion is a gear meshed between the two racks.

3. The robot wheel-leg mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The limiting member comprises a damping cylinder, the connecting rod member is a piston rod slidably connected to the damping cylinder, a stopper is formed on the outer side of the damping cylinder, and the elastic member is arranged between the stopper and the abutting portion.

4. The robot wheel-leg mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The locking member is respectively arranged on two opposite sides of the thigh support, and the limiting member includes two limiting parts which can respectively cooperate with the locking member.

5. The robot wheel-leg mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that: The thigh support is formed with a guide hole, and the damping cylinder has a sliding portion, the sliding portion extends out of the thigh support through the guide hole and is connected to the limit member, and the damping cylinder is slidably installed in the guide hole through the sliding portion.

6. The robot wheel-leg mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper mounting part and the lower mounting part are both fixed rings, the line between the axis of the upper mounting part and the axis of the lower mounting part is colinear with the length direction of the thigh support, and the calf driving part extends outward to form a driving part, and the driving part is connected to the connecting rod.

7. A robot leg mechanism, characterized in that: It includes: A mounting member, which can be mounted on the robot body, the mounting member comprising an upper mounting portion that can rotate relative to the robot body; a thigh support, one end of which is connected to the upper mounting portion and the other end of which forms a lower mounting portion; A calf support having a connection portion rotatably connected to the lower mounting portion, and the calf support forming an extension arm at the connection portion; A calf drive member connected to the upper mounting portion; A connecting rod, one end of which is connected to the calf driving member and the other end of which is connected to the extension arm, the calf driving member can drive the connecting rod to move in the extension direction of the thigh support to drive the calf support to rotate around the lower mounting portion, and the connecting rod is formed with an abutment portion; A limiting assembly, comprising a limiting member and a locking member, wherein the limiting member is movable and matched with the thigh support along the extension direction of the connecting rod, and the locking member can lock and fix the limiting member on the thigh support; An elastic member, two ends of which are respectively connected to the limiting member and the abutting portion, the elastic member being capable of storing elastic potential energy between the abutting portion and the limiting member, and releasing the elastic potential energy to drive the connecting rod to move relative to the limiting member; The locking member includes a first locking bar and a second locking bar extending along the moving direction of the connecting rod, and a driving portion driving the first locking bar and the second locking bar to move toward or away from each other. The limiting member has a limiting portion located between the first locking bar and the second locking bar, and the driving portion can drive the first locking bar and the second locking bar to move toward each other to lock the limiting portion or move away from each other to release the limiting portion.

8. A robot comprising: Robot body; and According to any one of claims 1 to 6, the mounting member of the wheel-leg mechanism is mounted on the robot body.

9. A control method for a robot wheel-leg mechanism, characterized in that: It comprises the robot wheel-leg mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wheel-leg mechanism can execute any one of the following modes: Car Mode: S11, controlling the locking member to open to unlock the limiting member; S12, controlling the calf driving member to rotate, driving the connecting rod member to move along the extension direction of the thigh support, so that the limiting member moves relative to the thigh support to switch the limiting position; S13, controlling the locking member to lock the limiting member; S14, controlling the walking wheel to rotate so that the elastic member can elastically reset the rotation of the calf support when the wheel-leg mechanism moves forward; Calf single action mode: S21, controlling the locking member to open to unlock the limiting member; S22, controlling the calf driving member to rotate alternately in forward and reverse directions around the upper mounting portion, driving the connecting rod member to move back and forth along the extension direction of the thigh support, so that the calf support rotates alternately in forward and reverse directions around the connecting portion; Thigh and calf linkage mode: S31, controlling the locking member to open to unlock the limiting member; S32, controlling the thigh support to rotate around the upper mounting portion so that the leg mechanism rotates relative to the robot body; S33, controlling the calf driving member to rotate around the upper mounting portion, driving the connecting rod member to move along the extension direction of the thigh support, so as to adjust the angle between the calf support and the thigh support.

Images