Multi-Motion-Mode Amphibious Robot Inspired by Goat Walking and Turtle Crawling

Abstract

The present invention discloses a multi - motion - mode amphibious robot inspired by the walking of goats and the crawling of turtles, which includes a body. On one set of opposite side walls of the body, four moving mechanisms are symmetrically arranged. On the other set of opposite side walls of the body, float boxes are provided. A water - driving mechanism is arranged on one side wall of the body where the moving mechanism is located. The robot of the present invention solves the problems of low motion efficiency and poor obstacle - crossing performance of existing robots.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of robots and relates to a multi - motion - mode amphibious robot inspired by goat walking and turtle crawling. Background Art

[0002] With the development needs of human society, robots are required to be able to adapt to complex environments and perform multi - field operations. Amphibious robots are increasingly entering the military, engineering monitoring, and disaster prevention and relief fields, playing an important role in many large - scale projects and special applications. However, most of the existing robots can only perform single - domain operations on land or in water. When a certain task requires cross - domain operations, multiple robots need to work together, which brings many inconveniences. Amphibious robots have multiple motion modes, integrating the characteristics of land robots and water robots, and can well adapt to both land and water environments, and are used to perform specific cross - domain tasks, such as rescue after floods and transporting supplies.

[0003] For example, a Chinese invention patent application (publication number CN114083944A) discloses an amphibious robot using a decoupled cycloid vane wheel for propulsion. The robot body is connected to at least four groups of cycloid vane wheels; the structure of each group of cycloid vane wheels includes: a vane frame, a control shaft, a disc, and several vane assemblies; the vanes are driven by a first rotation drive mechanism; a control shaft is inserted through the center position of the vane frame, one end of which is eccentrically connected to the disc, and the other end is connected to a second rotation drive mechanism, so that the vane assemblies swing around their respective self - rotation axes while revolving. The motion system of this robot has a complex structure, and the same set of motion system is used on land and in water, resulting in low motion efficiency and poor obstacle - crossing performance.

[0004] Another example is a Chinese utility model patent (publication number CN213799131U) which discloses an amphibious robot, including a robot shell, a leg mechanism, a gear transmission device, and an internal base. The gear transmission mechanism and the internal base are arranged inside the robot shell. The leg mechanism includes four walking legs distributed on both sides of the robot shell; two motors are used as power sources, and at the same time, gear - rack and bevel gear transmissions are used, so that the foot chain can not only walk on land but also swing in water to generate thrust. The power source for the robot's motion in water is the swing of the legs, resulting in low motion efficiency in water; using motor drive requires a high sealing requirement for the driving parts. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a multi - motion - mode amphibious robot inspired by goat walking and turtle crawling, which solves the problems of low motion efficiency and poor obstacle - crossing performance of existing robots.

[0006] The technical solution adopted by the present invention is a multi - motion - mode amphibious robot inspired by the walking of goats and the crawling of turtles, which includes a body. On one set of opposite side walls of the body, four moving mechanisms are symmetrically arranged. On the other set of opposite side walls of the body, floating boxes are provided. On one side wall of the body where the moving mechanisms are arranged, a water - driving mechanism is provided.

[0007] The present invention is further characterized in that

[0008] Each moving mechanism includes a rotating leg. The bottom end of the rotating leg is hinged to one end of the thigh. The other end of the thigh is hinged to one end of the calf. The other end of the calf is hinged to a rubber foot. The side wall of the rotating leg is hinged to one end of the rotating - leg hydraulic - cylinder push rod. The other end of the rotating - leg hydraulic - cylinder push rod is connected to one end of the rotating - leg hydraulic - cylinder body. The other end of the rotating - leg hydraulic - cylinder body is hinged to the side wall of the body. The top end of the rotating leg is hinged to one end of the thigh hydraulic - cylinder body. The other end of the thigh hydraulic - cylinder body is connected to one end of the thigh hydraulic - cylinder push rod. The other end of the thigh hydraulic - cylinder push rod is hinged to the upper part of the thigh. The bottom of the thigh is hinged to one end of the calf hydraulic - cylinder body. The other end of the calf hydraulic - cylinder body is hinged to the calf. The rotating leg is hinged to the side wall of the body through a rotating frame.

[0009] The water - driving mechanism includes a left propeller and a right propeller arranged in parallel. The left propeller and the right propeller are arranged on the side wall of the body and are respectively connected to two hydraulic motors arranged in the body.

[0010] The bottoms of the left propeller and the right propeller are higher than the bottom of the body, and the tops of the left propeller and the right propeller are lower than the water surface.

[0011] Inside the body, several partition plates are arranged along its axial direction.

[0012] On the top of the body, a tool - mounting position is provided.

[0013] On the top of the body, a cargo hold is provided.

[0014] On both side walls of the body where the moving mechanisms are arranged, a front protective cover and a rear protective cover are respectively provided.

[0015] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows

[0016] (1) For the multi - motion - mode amphibious robot of the present invention inspired by the walking of goats and the crawling of turtles, the moving mechanism adopts a three - joint series leg, and each leg has three degrees of freedom, which increases the movement space and flexibility, and greatly improves the movement ability and obstacle - crossing ability of the robot;

[0017] (2) For the multi - motion - mode amphibious robot of the present invention inspired by the walking of goats and the crawling of turtles, two sets of motion systems are adopted on land and in water, which improves the movement efficiency of the robot and reduces the energy consumption;

[0018] (3) The multi - motion - mode amphibious robot inspired by goat walking and turtle crawling of the present invention adopts hydraulic drive, so the moving parts have a fast response speed, high precision, stable and reliable operation, and low requirements for water tightness. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of the multi - motion - mode amphibious robot inspired by goat walking and turtle crawling of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of the body in the multi - motion - mode amphibious robot inspired by goat walking and turtle crawling of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3 is a schematic structural diagram of the moving mechanism in the multi - motion - mode amphibious robot inspired by goat walking and turtle crawling of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 4 is a top view of the moving mechanism in the multi - motion - mode amphibious robot inspired by goat walking and turtle crawling of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 5 is a schematic structural diagram of the underwater drive mechanism in the multi - motion - mode amphibious robot inspired by goat walking and turtle crawling of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the land crawling mode of the multi - motion - mode amphibious robot inspired by goat walking and turtle crawling of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the land standing and walking mode of the multi - motion - mode amphibious robot inspired by goat walking and turtle crawling of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the underwater navigation mode of the multi - motion - mode amphibious robot inspired by goat walking and turtle crawling of the present invention.

[0027] In the figures, 1. Body, 2. Cargo hold, 3. Tooling installation position, 4. Rotating leg, 5. Thigh, 6. Calf, 7. Rubber foot, 8. Rotating frame, 9. Float box, 10. Rear protective cover, 11. Partition board, 12. Front protective cover, 13. Thigh hydraulic cylinder body, 14. Thigh hydraulic cylinder push rod, 15. Calf hydraulic cylinder body, 16. Calf hydraulic cylinder push rod, 17. Pin shaft, 18. Rotating leg hydraulic cylinder body, 19. Rotating leg hydraulic cylinder push rod, 20. Left propeller, 21. Right propeller. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0028] The present invention will be described in detail below in conjunction with the drawings and specific embodiments.

[0029] The present invention provides an amphibious robot with multiple motion modes inspired by the walking of goats and the crawling of turtles. The structure is as follows: Figure 1 As shown, it includes a body 1. The bottom of the body 1 is streamlined to reduce the resistance during navigation in water. Four moving mechanisms are symmetrically arranged on a set of opposite side walls of the body 1. Front protective covers 12 and rear protective covers 10 are respectively arranged on the two side walls of the body 1 where the moving mechanisms are located. The front protective covers 12 and rear protective covers 10 are used to protect the body. Buoyancy tanks 9 are arranged on another set of opposite side walls of the body 1. A water driving mechanism is arranged on one of the side walls of the body 1 where the moving mechanism is located. As shown in: Figure 2 As shown, several partition plates 11 are arranged along the axial direction inside the body 1. Specifically, there are 5 partition plates 11, which divide the interior of the body 1 into 6 cabins to prevent the robot from capsizing due to water ingress. To reduce the overall mass of the machine, the thickness of each partition plate 11 is 3 mm. A tooling installation position 3 and a cargo hold 2 are arranged on the top of the body 1. Different working devices, such as excavating arms, manipulators, etc., can be carried on the tooling installation position 3. The cargo hold 2 is used for transporting materials.

[0030] As shown in: Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, each moving mechanism includes a rotating leg 4. The bottom end of the rotating leg 4 is hinged to one end of the thigh 5. The other end of the thigh 5 is hinged to one end of the calf 6. The other end of the calf 6 is connected to the rubber foot 7 through a pin shaft. The rubber foot 7 increases the contact area between the robot and the ground and prevents the robot from sinking in soft ground. The side wall of the rotating leg 4 is hinged to one end of the rotating leg hydraulic cylinder push rod 19. The other end of the rotating leg hydraulic cylinder push rod 19 is connected to one end of the rotating leg hydraulic cylinder body 18. The rotation of the whole leg around the rotating frame 8 is controlled by the telescopic movement of the rotating leg hydraulic cylinder push rod 19. The other end of the rotating leg hydraulic cylinder body 18 is hinged to the side wall of the body 1. The top end of the rotating leg 4 is hinged to one end of the thigh hydraulic cylinder body 13. The other end of the thigh hydraulic cylinder body 13 is connected to one end of the thigh hydraulic cylinder push rod 14. The other end of the thigh hydraulic cylinder push rod 14 is hinged to the upper part of the thigh 5. The linear motion is converted into the rotary motion of the thigh 5 around the rotating leg 4 through the telescopic movement of the thigh hydraulic cylinder push rod 14. The bottom of the thigh 5 is hinged to one end of the calf hydraulic cylinder body 15. The other end of the calf hydraulic cylinder body 15 is connected to one end of the calf hydraulic cylinder push rod 16. The other end of the calf hydraulic cylinder push rod 16 is hinged to the calf 6. The linear motion is converted into the rotation of the calf 6 around the thigh 5 through the telescopic movement of the calf hydraulic cylinder push rod 16. The rotating leg 4 is hinged to the side wall of the body 1 through the rotating frame 8. The four rotating frames 8 are respectively arranged at the four corners of the body 1. The whole moving mechanism has three degrees of freedom, which increases the movement space and flexibility of the robot's rubber foot 7.

[0031] As shown in: Figure 5As shown in the figure, the underwater driving mechanism includes a left propeller 20 and a right propeller 21 arranged in parallel. The left propeller 20 and the right propeller 21 are arranged on the side wall of the fuselage and are respectively connected to two hydraulic motors arranged in the fuselage 1. The bottoms of the left propeller 20 and the right propeller 21 are higher than the bottom of the fuselage 1, and the tops of the left propeller 20 and the right propeller 21 are lower than the water surface.

[0032] The power sources of the robot of the present invention are all supplied with oil to the thigh hydraulic cylinder block 13, the calf hydraulic cylinder block 15, the swivel leg hydraulic cylinder block 18 and the hydraulic motor by an engine-driven double gear pump. The double gear pump is connected to the hydraulic oil tank. The power components (oil tank, engine, double gear pump) are integrally arranged in the fuselage 1, reducing the volume of the robot.

[0033] The principle of the land crawling mode of the multi-motion mode amphibious robot inspired by the walking of goats and the crawling of turtles of the present invention is as follows: As Figure 6 shown, in this mode, the push rod 19 of the swivel leg hydraulic cylinder extends, adjusting the four moving mechanisms to an angle of 50° with the side surface of the fuselage 1 (the side wall provided with the floating box); the push rod 14 of the thigh hydraulic cylinder contracts, adjusting the thigh 5 to be parallel to the upper surface of the fuselage 1; the push rod 16 of the calf hydraulic cylinder contracts, adjusting the calf 6 to a position collinear with the thigh 5. Thus, the robot completes the switching of the crawling mode. After that, the position of the push rod 16 of the calf hydraulic cylinder is locked. The thigh 5 and the calf 6 are equivalent to one body. By controlling the extension and contraction of the push rod 14 of the thigh hydraulic cylinder and the push rod 19 of the swivel leg hydraulic cylinder, the front and rear swinging and the up and down lifting and lowering of the leg can be realized, and the robot can crawl.

[0034] The principle of the land standing and walking mode of the multi-motion mode amphibious robot inspired by the walking of goats and the crawling of turtles of the present invention is as follows: As Figure 7 shown, in this mode, the push rod 19 of the swivel leg hydraulic cylinder contracts, adjusting the four moving mechanisms to be parallel to the side surface of the fuselage 1; the push rod 14 of the thigh hydraulic cylinder extends, adjusting the angle between the thigh 5 and the swivel leg 4 to 135°; the push rod 16 of the calf hydraulic cylinder contracts, adjusting the angle between the calf 6 and the thigh 5 to 90°. Thus, the robot completes the switching of the walking mode. After that, the position of the push rod 19 of the swivel leg hydraulic cylinder is locked. By controlling the extension and contraction of the push rod 14 of the thigh hydraulic cylinder and the push rod 16 of the calf hydraulic cylinder, the front and rear swinging and the up and down lifting and lowering of the thigh 5 and the calf 6 can be realized.

[0035] The principle of the underwater navigation mode of the multi-motion mode amphibious robot inspired by the walking of goats and the crawling of turtles of the present invention is as follows: As Figure 8As shown in the figure, in this mode, the push rod 19 of the leg rotating hydraulic cylinder contracts, adjusting the four moving mechanisms to a position parallel to the side surface of the body 1; the push rod 14 of the thigh hydraulic cylinder contracts, adjusting the thigh 5 to an angle of 45° with the lower surface of the body 1; the push rod 16 of the calf hydraulic cylinder extends, adjusting the calf 6 to a position with an angle of 115° with the thigh 5. At this time, the four legs of the robot are completely lifted, and the robot completes the switching of the navigation mode. After that, the positions of the push rods of each hydraulic cylinder remain unchanged, and the left propeller 20 and the right propeller 21 located at the tail of the body 1 work to realize the underwater navigation of the robot.

Claims

1. A multi - motion - mode amphibious robot inspired by goat walking and turtle crawling, characterized in that, it includes a body (1). On one set of opposite side walls of the body (1), four moving mechanisms are symmetrically arranged. On the other set of opposite side walls of the body (1), float boxes (9) are arranged. On one side wall of the body (1) where the moving mechanism is arranged, a water - driving mechanism is arranged; Each of the moving mechanisms includes a rotating leg (4). The bottom end of the rotating leg (4) is hinged to one end of the thigh (5). The other end of the thigh (5) is hinged to one end of the calf (6). The other end of the calf (6) is hinged to the rubber foot (7). The side wall of the rotating leg (4) is hinged to one end of the rotating - leg hydraulic - cylinder push rod (19). The other end of the rotating - leg hydraulic - cylinder push rod (19) is connected to one end of the rotating - leg hydraulic - cylinder body (18). The other end of the rotating - leg hydraulic - cylinder body (18) is hinged to the side wall of the body (1). The top end of the rotating leg (4) is hinged to one end of the thigh hydraulic - cylinder body (13). The other end of the thigh hydraulic - cylinder body (13) is connected to one end of the thigh hydraulic - cylinder push rod (14). The other end of the thigh hydraulic - cylinder push rod (14) is hinged to the upper part of the thigh (5). The bottom of the thigh (5) is hinged to one end of the calf hydraulic - cylinder body (15). The other end of the calf hydraulic - cylinder body (15) is hinged to the calf (6). The rotating leg (4) is hinged to the side wall of the body (1) through a rotating frame (8); In the land - crawling mode, the rotating - leg hydraulic - cylinder push rod (19) extends, adjusting the four moving mechanisms to an angle of 50° with the side of the body (1); the thigh hydraulic - cylinder push rod (14) contracts, adjusting the thigh (5) to be parallel to the upper surface of the body (1); the calf hydraulic - cylinder push rod (16) contracts, adjusting the calf (6) to a position collinear with the thigh (5); In the standing - walking mode, the rotating - leg hydraulic - cylinder push rod (19) contracts, adjusting the four moving mechanisms to be parallel to the side of the body (1); the thigh hydraulic - cylinder push rod (14) extends, adjusting the angle between the thigh (5) and the rotating leg (4) to 135°; the calf hydraulic - cylinder push rod (16) contracts, adjusting the angle between the calf (6) and the thigh (5) to 90°; In the water - navigation mode, the rotating - leg hydraulic - cylinder push rod (19) contracts, adjusting the four moving mechanisms to a position parallel to the side of the body (1); the thigh hydraulic - cylinder push rod (14) contracts, adjusting the thigh (5) to an angle of 45° with the lower surface of the body (1); the calf hydraulic - cylinder push rod (16) extends, adjusting the calf (6) to a position with an angle of 115° with the thigh (5).

2. The multi - motion - mode amphibious robot inspired by goat walking and turtle crawling according to claim 1, characterized in that, the water - driving mechanism includes a left propeller (20) and a right propeller (21) arranged in parallel. The left propeller (20) and the right propeller (21) are arranged on the side wall of the body and are respectively connected to two hydraulic motors arranged in the body (1).

3. The multi - motion - mode amphibious robot inspired by goat walking and turtle crawling according to claim 2, It is characterized in that the bottoms of the left propeller (20) and the right propeller (21) are higher than the bottom of the body (1), and the tops of the left propeller (20) and the right propeller (21) are lower than the water surface.

4. The multi-motion mode amphibious robot inspired by goat walking and turtle crawling according to claim 1, It is characterized in that a plurality of partition plates (11) are arranged in the body (1) along its axial direction.

5. The multi-motion mode amphibious robot inspired by goat walking and turtle crawling according to claim 1, It is characterized in that a tooling installation position (3) is arranged at the top of the body (1).

6. The multi-motion mode amphibious robot inspired by goat walking and turtle crawling according to claim 1, It is characterized in that a cargo hold (2) is arranged at the top of the body (1).

7. The multi-motion mode amphibious robot inspired by goat walking and turtle crawling according to claim 1, It is characterized in that a front protective cover (12) and a rear protective cover (10) are respectively arranged on both side walls of the moving mechanism arranged on the body (1).

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