Amphibious robot leg swing mechanism

Abstract

The embodiment of the present application discloses an amphibious robot leg swing mechanism, the swing mechanism comprising: a slide rail, a horizontal support, a horizontal rudder, a gear set, the slide rail having a guide rail inner tooth on the inner side; the slide rail is fixedly connected below the amphibious robot main body; one end of the horizontal support is rotatably connected below the amphibious robot main body near the central axis of the robot, the other end is slidably connected to the slide rail, and the end of the other end is fixedly connected with the robot leg; the horizontal rudder is fixedly connected with the horizontal support, and the output thereof acts on the gear set; the gear set is engaged with the guide rail inner tooth. The present application adopts a gear slide rail type swing mechanism, through the transmission mode of gear engagement, the stability of the robot leg swing output can be improved, and the rudder damage can be avoided, thereby the crawling ability of the amphibious robot in the near beach environment can be greatly improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of amphibious robots, and more specifically to an amphibious robot leg swinging mechanism. Background Technology

[0002] With increasing emphasis on marine resources, there is a greater demand for marine exploration technologies and equipment. For tasks such as monitoring and tracking amphibious targets in shallow water transition environments, monitoring organisms within coral reefs, and collecting minerals from seabed crevices, patent application CN108859637A discloses a small amphibious spherical robot with high mobility, high stealth, high positioning accuracy, and support for multi-mode flexible movement. The robot has two movement modes: underwater, it uses a water jet propulsion system for three-dimensional movement; on land, it uses a leg-driven mechanism for crawling in different modes. However, it also has shortcomings. Specifically, the drive of the robot's leg swing mechanism is directly loaded onto the horizontal servo motor, resulting in a high load on the horizontal servo motor and making it prone to damage. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Based on the above problems, in order to achieve stable and precise control of the robot leg swing mechanism in the horizontal plane and improve the durability of the robot leg swing mechanism, the present invention adopts the following technical solution.

[0004] On one hand, the present invention provides an amphibious robot leg swinging mechanism, the swinging mechanism comprising: a slide rail, a horizontal support, a horizontal servo motor, and a gear set, wherein the inner side of the slide rail has guide rail internal teeth;

[0005] The slide rail is fixedly connected to the underside of the amphibious robot's main body;

[0006] One end of the horizontal support is rotatably connected to the lower part of the amphibious robot body near the robot's central axis, and the other end is slidably connected to the slide rail, with its other end fixedly connected to the robot's leg.

[0007] The horizontal servo motor is fixedly connected to the horizontal support, and its output acts on the gear set;

[0008] The gear set meshes with the internal teeth of the guide rail.

[0009] Furthermore, the slide rail is fixedly connected to the partition plate through the first boss mounting hole and maintains a first predetermined height;

[0010] The horizontal support is rotatably connected to the partition plate through the second boss mounting hole, and maintains the second predetermined height;

[0011] The second boss mounting hole is positioned closer to the robot's central axis than the first boss mounting hole, and the first predetermined height is greater than the second predetermined height, so that the horizontal bracket is arranged parallel between the partition and the slide rail.

[0012] Furthermore, the horizontal support is provided with a guide rail pulley, which includes a fixing part and a pulley part;

[0013] The fixing part is used to fix the guide rail pulley to the horizontal bracket;

[0014] The slide rail is provided with a raised edge;

[0015] The pulley portion includes a groove that matches and contacts the raised edge of the slide rail, so that the guide rail pulley slides along the slide rail.

[0016] Furthermore, for each of the slide rails, at least two sets of guide rail pulleys are provided, and are respectively arranged on the inner and outer sides of the slide rail. The guide rail pulleys clamp the slide rail so that the horizontal support is slidably connected to the slide rail.

[0017] Furthermore, the horizontal support is provided with a pulley fixing hole, and a first shoulder is provided in the pulley fixing hole;

[0018] The first bearing contacts the upper surface of the first shoulder and is embedded in the horizontal bracket;

[0019] The second bearing contacts the lower surface of the first shoulder and is embedded in the horizontal bracket;

[0020] The upper surface of the guide rail pulley is in contact with the second bearing;

[0021] The upper end of the guide rail pulley is the fixing part;

[0022] The shaft end of the fixing part is threaded through the pulley fixing hole and abuts against the upper surface of the first bearing by a nut to fix the guide rail pulley to the horizontal bracket.

[0023] Furthermore, the horizontal servo motor is fixedly connected to the horizontal support;

[0024] The output shaft of the horizontal servo motor is fixedly connected to the servo gear;

[0025] The gear set is rotatably connected to the horizontal support, and the servo gear meshes with the gear set.

[0026] Furthermore, the gear set includes a first gear and a second gear;

[0027] The first gear meshes with the servo gear, and the second gear meshes with the guide rail internal teeth of the slide rail;

[0028] The horizontal servo drives the servo gear to rotate the first gear meshing with it. The first gear transmits the drive to the second gear, which rotates within the slide rail, so that the horizontal servo drives the horizontal bracket to rotate around the fixed axis of the horizontal bracket.

[0029] Furthermore, the first gear and the second gear are coaxial.

[0030] Furthermore, a lubrication device is provided on the lower side of the horizontal support. The lubrication device has a lubrication groove that contacts the raised edge of the slide rail to lubricate the slide rail.

[0031] On the other hand, the present invention also provides an amphibious robot, the amphibious robot including a shell, a partition, and legs, the shell and the partition forming a sealed compartment, and the legs being connected to the partition by any of the swing mechanisms described above.

[0032] This invention improves the output of the horizontal servo motor acting on the robot's legs by positioning it further away from the robot's central axis. Furthermore, the use of a gear-rail swing mechanism enhances the stability of the robot's leg swing output through gear meshing, preventing servo motor damage. Finally, the transmission ratios between the horizontal servo motor and the gear set, the gear set itself, and the gear set and the guide rail's internal teeth increase the output torque of the horizontal servo motor acting on the robot's legs. Based on these designs, this invention significantly improves the amphibious robot's crawling ability in near-shore environments. Attached Figure Description

[0033] Figure 1 This is a front view of the robot;

[0034] Figure 2 This is a bottom view of the robot.

[0035] Figure 3 An exploded view of the robot from the front;

[0036] Figure 4 A partial exploded view of the robot from below;

[0037] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the robot's leg installation.

[0038] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the slide rail structure;

[0039] Figure 7 An upward view of the slide rail installation;

[0040] Figure 8 Exploded view of slide rail installation;

[0041] Figure 9This is a schematic diagram of a horizontal support structure;

[0042] Figure 10 This is a structural diagram of a robot leg;

[0043] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the gear set.

[0044] Figure 12 This is an exploded view of the gear assembly. Detailed Implementation

[0045] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that these specific descriptions are for teaching those skilled in the art how to implement the present invention, and are not intended to exhaustively describe all possible ways of the invention, nor to limit the scope of the invention.

[0046] This embodiment provides a spherical amphibious robot designed for transitional amphibious environments, suitable for operation in confined spaces, and featuring high mobility, high stealth, multiple motion modes, long endurance, strong load-bearing capacity, and retrievability.

[0047] like Figure 1-3 As shown, to enable the spherical amphibious robot to complete tasks in an amphibious environment more intelligently, autonomously, and conveniently, it employs a gear-rail swing mechanism to reduce the load on the horizontal servo motors. Specifically, the spherical amphibious robot includes a hemispherical shell 1, a partition 2, legs 3, and a gear-rail swing mechanism connecting the legs 3 to the partition 2. The hemispherical shell 1 and partition 2 form a hemispherical sealed compartment for the amphibious robot, where waterproof control and energy components, such as control boards and power supplies, can be housed. At least three sets of legs 3 are provided along the circumference of the robot's main body, connected to the underside of the amphibious robot's main body. Furthermore, a water jet motor 4 is located at the end of each leg 3; the leg 3 has at least one vertical rotation joint. On the one hand, in an underwater environment, the robot can adjust the output angle of the water jet motor 4 through the vertical rotation joint, thereby adjusting the propulsion direction. On the other hand, in terrestrial and near-shore environments, the robot can lift its legs (the water jet motor can be considered the end leg) through the vertical rotation joint, thus cooperating with the swing mechanism to complete crawling movements. In this embodiment, the legs 3 are provided in four groups and are evenly distributed in the four directions of the amphibious robot body. Each group of legs 3 includes at least two vertical rotating joints, thereby providing a larger adjustment angle for the water jet motor 4.

[0048] Previously, the legs of underwater robots were directly driven by horizontal servos. The horizontal servos were located close to the robot's central axis, and their output acted directly on the robot's legs. The lever arm was long, resulting in a large load on the horizontal servos and insufficient output capacity at the end of the robot's legs, making them prone to damage. In addition, although patent application CN108859637A added a slide rail design, its slide rail design was simple and could only reduce the load on the horizontal servos. It could not solve the problem of unstable output of the horizontal servos and still easily caused damage to the horizontal servos.

[0049] like Figures 4-6 As shown, the gear-rail type swing mechanism of this embodiment includes a slide rail 501, a horizontal support 502, a horizontal servo motor 503, and a gear set 504. The slide rail 501 is arc-shaped, with internal guide teeth 5011 on its inner side, and is fixedly connected to the lower part of the amphibious robot body. One end of the horizontal support 502 is rotatably connected to the lower part of the amphibious robot body near the robot's central axis, and the other end is slidably connected to the slide rail 501, with its other end fixedly connected to the robot's leg 3. The horizontal servo motor 503 is fixedly connected to the horizontal support 502, and its output acts on the gear set 504. The gear set 504 meshes with the internal guide teeth 5011. This design improves the output torque of the horizontal servo motor 503 acting on the robot leg 3 by increasing the transmission ratio between the horizontal servo motor 503 and the gear set 504, the gear set 504 itself, and the gear set 504 and the guide rail internal gear 5011. Simultaneously, the horizontal servo motor 503 is positioned away from the robot's central axis, further enhancing the output torque of the horizontal servo motor 503 acting on the leg 3. Furthermore, the use of gear meshing transmission improves output stability, preventing servo motor damage.

[0050] Regarding the installation of slide rail 501, as follows: Figure 7-8 As shown, the slide rail 501 is fixedly connected to the corresponding first boss mounting holes 201 on the partition 2 via side mounting holes 5013 located at both ends, and maintains a first predetermined height with the lower surface of the partition 2 through the boss structure. In this embodiment, four slide rails 501 with the same structure are provided corresponding to the four sets of legs 3, and the four slide rails 501 are connected end to end to form a petal shape; each leg 3 cooperates with one slide rail 501 and can slide along the corresponding slide rail 501.

[0051] Regarding the installation of the horizontal bracket 502, as follows: Figure 4-5As shown, the horizontal support 502 is rotatably connected to the second boss mounting hole 202 correspondingly provided on the partition 2 via a horizontal support fixing pivot 5021 located at one end, and maintains a second predetermined height with the lower surface of the partition 2 through this boss structure. The second boss mounting hole 202 is located closer to the robot's central axis than the first boss mounting hole 201, and its height is lower than that of the first boss mounting hole 201, thus ensuring that the horizontal support 502 is parallel to the partition 2 and the slide rail 501. Figure 10 As shown, the other end of the horizontal support 502 is fixedly connected to the leg 3 via the leg fixing member 5022. Figure 10-12 As shown, a guide rail pulley 5023 is also installed on the horizontal support 502; wherein, the guide rail pulley 5023 includes a fixing part and a pulley part.

[0052] Specifically, the horizontal support 502 has a pulley fixing hole 5024, and a first shoulder 5025 is provided in the pulley fixing hole 5024; the angular thrust ball bearing 5026 contacts the upper surface of the first shoulder 5025 and is embedded in the horizontal support 502; the planar ball bearing 5027 contacts the lower surface of the first shoulder 5025 and is embedded in the horizontal support 502. The upper surface of the guide rail pulley 5023 contacts the planar ball bearing 5027; the upper end of the guide rail pulley 5023 is a fixing part, and the shaft end of the fixing part is threaded through the pulley fixing hole 5024 and abuts against the upper surface of the angular thrust ball bearing 5026 through a nut, thereby fixing the guide rail pulley 5023 to the horizontal support 502. Furthermore, the slide rail 501 is also provided with a slide rail protrusion edge 5012, which is located on the upper side of the guide rail internal teeth 5011. The lower end of the pulley 5023 is the pulley section, which includes a groove 5028 that matches and contacts the raised edge 5012 of the slide rail. For each slide rail 501, at least two sets of guide rail pulleys 5023 are provided, respectively disposed on the inner and outer sides of the slide rail 501. Thus, the guide rail pulleys 5023 can clamp the slide rail 501, allowing the horizontal support 502 to slide smoothly connected to the slide rail 501. In this embodiment, four sets of guide rail pulleys 5023 are provided, and the raised edge 5012 of the slide rail is in close contact with the grooves 5028 of the four guide rail pulleys 5023. This ensures that the horizontal support 502 is not easily tilted or shifted vertically on the slide rail 501, thus meeting the requirements for stable sliding.

[0053] like Figure 9-12As shown, in this embodiment, the horizontal servo motor 503 is fixedly connected to the horizontal support 502, and its servo output shaft 5031 is fixedly connected to the servo gear 5032; the gear set 504 is rotatably connected to the horizontal support 502, and the servo gear 5032 meshes with the gear set 504. The gear set 504 includes a first gear 5041 and a second gear 5042, wherein the first gear 5041 meshes with the servo gear 5032, and the second gear 5042 meshes with the guide rail internal gear 5011 of the slide rail 501. Thus, driven by the horizontal servo motor 503, the servo gear 5032 drives the meshing first gear 5041 to rotate, and the first gear 5041 transmits the drive to the second gear 5042. Furthermore, the second gear 5042 rotates within the slide rail 501, thereby realizing that the horizontal servo motor 503 drives the horizontal support 502 to rotate around the fixed rotating shaft 5021 of the horizontal support. In this embodiment, the first gear 5041 and the second gear 5042 are coaxial; the transmission ratio of the servo gear 5032, the first gear 5041, the second gear 5042, and the internal gear 5011 is 5-10, thus increasing the output torque. The horizontal servo 503 can drive the leg 3 with a relatively small rated torque, and the gear transmission method ensures the accuracy of the swing mechanism's movement in the horizontal plane and reduces vibration. In this embodiment, the number of teeth A1 of the servo gear 5032 is 8 to 15, the number of teeth A2 of the first gear 5041 is 0.5*A1 to 0.8*A1, the number of teeth A3 of the second gear 5042 is 1*A1 to 1.25*A1, and the number of teeth A4 of the internal gear 5011 is 5*A1 to 8*A1. The number of teeth A1 of the servo gear 5032 is greater than the number of teeth A2 of the first gear 5041, and the number of teeth A3 of the second gear 5042 is greater than the number of teeth A2 of the first gear 5041. This allows the gear set 504 and the servo gear 5032 to fit together more compactly, thus saving space.

[0054] Regarding the installation of gear set 504, as follows: Figure 9-12As shown, a gear fixing hole 5026 is provided on the horizontal bracket 502, and a second shoulder 5027 is provided inside the gear fixing hole 5026. A flat ball bearing 5043 contacts the upper surface of the second shoulder 5027 and is embedded in the horizontal bracket 502; an angular thrust ball bearing 5044 contacts the lower surface of the second shoulder 5027 and is embedded in the horizontal bracket 502. One end of the gear shaft 5045 has a stop, and the other end may be threaded. The gear shaft 5045 is inserted into the through holes of the flat ball bearing 5043 and the angular thrust ball bearing 5044, and its stop contacts the upper surface of the flat ball bearing 5043. At different axial positions on the gear shaft 5045, a first keyway 5046 and a second keyway 5047 are provided. Thus, the first gear 5041 is fixed to the gear shaft 5045 via the first gear key 5048 and the first keyway 5046, and the second gear 5042 is fixed to the gear shaft 5045 via the second gear key 5049 and the second keyway 5047. Between the first gear 5041 and the second gear 5042, a first bushing 5050 is also fitted onto the gear shaft 5045. The upper surface of the first bushing 5050 contacts the lower surface of the second gear 5042, and the lower surface of the first bushing 5050 contacts the upper surface of the first gear 5041. At the other end of the gear shaft 5045, a second bushing 5051 is provided. The upper surface of the second bushing 5051 contacts the lower surface of the first gear 5041, and a shaft end retaining ring 5052 presses the second bushing 5051 to complete the fixation of the parts on the shaft. In this embodiment, the other end of the gear shaft 5045 is threaded and can be fixed by a nut abutting against the shaft end retaining ring 5052.

[0055] In this embodiment, a lubrication device 505 is also provided on the lower side of the horizontal support 502. The lubrication device 505 is fixed to the horizontal support 502 through a fixing hole 5029. The lubrication device 505 is provided with a lubrication groove 5051, which contacts the raised edge 5012 of the slide rail to lubricate the slide rail 501.

[0056] It should be understood that the specific embodiments described above are merely illustrative or explanatory of the principles of the invention and do not constitute a limitation thereof. Therefore, any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention should be included within the protection scope of the invention. Furthermore, the appended claims are intended to cover all variations and modifications falling within the scope and boundaries of the appended claims, or equivalent forms of such scope and boundaries.

Claims

1. A leg swinging mechanism for an amphibious robot, characterized in that, The swing mechanism includes: a slide rail, a horizontal support, a horizontal servo motor, and a gear set, wherein the inner side of the slide rail has guide rail teeth; The slide rail is fixedly connected to the underside of the amphibious robot's main body; One end of the horizontal support is rotatably connected to the lower part of the amphibious robot body near the robot's central axis, and the other end is slidably connected to the slide rail, with its other end fixedly connected to the robot's leg. The horizontal servo motor is fixedly connected to the horizontal support, and its output acts on the gear set; The gear set meshes with the internal teeth of the guide rail.

2. The amphibious robot leg swinging mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The slide rail is fixedly connected to the partition plate through the first boss mounting hole and maintains a first predetermined height; The horizontal support is rotatably connected to the partition plate through the second boss mounting hole, and maintains the second predetermined height; The second boss mounting hole is positioned closer to the robot's central axis than the first boss mounting hole, and the first predetermined height is greater than the second predetermined height, so that the horizontal bracket is arranged parallel between the partition and the slide rail.

3. The amphibious robot leg swinging mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The horizontal support is equipped with a guide rail pulley, and the guide rail pulley includes a fixed part and a pulley part; The fixing part is used to fix the guide rail pulley to the horizontal bracket; The slide rail is provided with a raised edge; The pulley portion includes a groove that matches and contacts the raised edge of the slide rail, so that the guide rail pulley slides along the slide rail.

4. The amphibious robot leg swinging mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that, For each of the slide rails, at least two sets of guide rail pulleys are provided, and are respectively arranged on the inner and outer sides of the slide rail. The guide rail pulleys clamp the slide rail so that the horizontal support is slidably connected to the slide rail.

5. The amphibious robot leg swinging mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that, The horizontal support is provided with a pulley fixing hole, and a first shoulder is provided in the pulley fixing hole; The first bearing contacts the upper surface of the first shoulder and is embedded in the horizontal bracket; The second bearing contacts the lower surface of the first shoulder and is embedded in the horizontal bracket; The upper surface of the guide rail pulley is in contact with the second bearing; The upper end of the guide rail pulley is the fixing part; The shaft end of the fixing part is threaded through the pulley fixing hole and abuts against the upper surface of the first bearing by a nut to fix the guide rail pulley to the horizontal bracket.

6. The amphibious robot leg swinging mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The horizontal servo motor is fixedly connected to the horizontal support; The output shaft of the horizontal servo motor is fixedly connected to the servo gear; The gear set is rotatably connected to the horizontal support, and the servo gear meshes with the gear set.

7. The amphibious robot leg swinging mechanism according to claim 6, characterized in that, The gear set includes a first gear and a second gear; The first gear meshes with the servo gear, and the second gear meshes with the guide rail internal teeth of the slide rail; The horizontal servo drives the servo gear to rotate the first gear meshing with it. The first gear transmits the drive to the second gear, which rotates within the slide rail, so that the horizontal servo drives the horizontal bracket to rotate around the fixed axis of the horizontal bracket.

8. The amphibious robot leg swinging mechanism according to claim 7, characterized in that, The first gear and the second gear are coaxial.

9. The amphibious robot leg swinging mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that, A lubrication device is also provided on the lower side of the horizontal support. The lubrication device has a lubrication groove, which contacts the raised edge of the slide rail to lubricate the slide rail.

10. An amphibious robot, characterized in that, The amphibious robot includes a shell, a partition, and legs. The shell and the partition form a sealed compartment, and the legs are connected to the partition by a swing mechanism as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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