A robotic joint assist mechanism and methods of using the same

Abstract

The application relates to the technical field of robot joints, in particular to a robot joint auxiliary mechanism and a use method thereof. The robot joint auxiliary mechanism comprises a first connecting assembly and a second connecting assembly, the first connecting assembly is provided with a first connecting end suitable for being fixed with a thigh rod, the second connecting assembly is provided with a second connecting end suitable for being fixed with a lower leg rod, and the first connecting assembly and the second connecting assembly are connected by buckling to form a containing space; an adjusting assembly comprises a rotating piece rotatably connected with the first connecting assembly and a first elastic piece connected with the second connecting assembly, one end of the first elastic piece is fixed on the rotating piece, and the rotating piece has a first state of being fixed opposite to the first connecting assembly and a second state of being rotated opposite to the first connecting assembly. The application provides the robot joint auxiliary mechanism and the use method thereof which can save energy and have long endurance.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of robot joints, in particular to a robot joint auxiliary mechanism and a use method thereof. BACKGROUND

[0002] The wheel-legged robot body bears the main platform and the carrying platform of the robot, and most of the movements of the body rely on the motor control of the hip joint. When the existing body falls from a high place, an impact will be generated on the knee joint. To solve this problem, the Ascento project of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology added a torsion spring at the knee joint, thereby buffering the robot when falling. However, this direct use of a torsion spring causes the spring to be in a compressed energy storage state when the robot is always in a squatting state. The direction of the elastic force is opposite to the squatting direction of the robot, so that the motor needs to continuously output excess energy to resist the work of the spring torque, resulting in energy loss and reducing the endurance time of the robot. SUMMARY

[0003] Therefore, the technical problem to be solved by the present application is to overcome the defects of the existing robot joint buffer structure, such as energy loss and influence on the endurance time of the robot, thereby providing a robot joint auxiliary mechanism and a use method thereof which can save energy and have a long endurance time.

[0004] To solve the above technical problems, the present application provides a robot joint auxiliary mechanism, comprising:

[0005] A first connecting assembly has a first connecting end adapted to be fixed with a thigh rod, and a second connecting assembly has a second connecting end adapted to be fixed with a calf rod, and the first connecting assembly and the second connecting assembly are connected to each other to form an accommodation space.

[0006] An adjusting assembly is arranged between the accommodation space and comprises a rotating member rotatably connected with the first connecting assembly and a first elastic member connected with the second connecting assembly, one end of the first elastic member is fixed on the rotating member, and the rotating member has a first state of being fixed relative to the first connecting assembly and a second state of being rotated relative to the first connecting assembly. In the first state, the first elastic member is elastically deformed to store energy, and in the second state, the first elastic member is elastically deformed to restore to the natural state to release energy.

[0007] Optionally, the rotating member is a disc structure, and a movable part is arranged on the peripheral wall, and a corresponding position of the first connecting assembly is provided with a groove matched with the movable part.

[0008] Optionally, a through hole is arranged on the peripheral wall of the rotating member to allow the movable part to pass through, and a mounting slot is arranged on the rotating member and penetrates the through hole, and a driving structure is arranged in the mounting slot, the driving structure generates an attractive force on the movable part to make the movable part move away from the groove when energized, and generates a pushing force on the movable part to move towards the groove when de-energized.

[0009] Optionally, the driving structure comprises a second elastic member arranged in the movement direction of the movable part and away from the groove, and an electromagnetic structure connected with the movable part in an on-off manner.

[0010] Optionally, the electromagnetic structure comprises a first electromagnet fixed on the movable part and a second electromagnet connected with the first electromagnet in an on-off manner.

[0011] Optionally, the first elastic member is a coil spring, and the second elastic member is a spring.

[0012] Optionally, the method further comprises the step of connecting a driving motor with the robot joint auxiliary mechanism.

[0013] The application further provides a method for using the robot joint auxiliary mechanism, comprising the following steps:

[0014] When the robot takes off and lands, the rotating member and the first connecting assembly are in a relatively fixed first state, and the first elastic member is elastically deformed to store energy.

[0015] When the robot is in a squatting state and after landing, the rotating member and the first connecting assembly are in a relatively rotating second state, and the first elastic member is elastically deformed to return to a natural state to release energy.

[0016] Optionally, when the robot takes off, the driving motor and the first elastic member jointly provide a driving force.

[0017] Optionally, when the robot is in a load operation state, the rotating member and the first connecting assembly are in a relatively fixed first state, and the first elastic member is elastically deformed to bear part of the load.

[0018] The technical scheme of the application has the following advantages:

[0019] 1.The robot joint auxiliary mechanism provided by the application, comprising a first connecting assembly, an adjusting assembly and a second connecting assembly arranged in sequence, the first connecting assembly has a first connecting end suitable for being fixed with a thigh link, the second connecting assembly has a second connecting end suitable for being fixed with a shank link, and the first connecting assembly and the second connecting assembly are connected with each other to form an accommodating space; the adjusting assembly is arranged between the accommodating spaces and comprises a rotating piece rotatably connected with the first connecting assembly and a first elastic piece connected with the second connecting assembly, the other end of the first elastic piece is fixed on the rotating piece, the rotating piece has a first state of being fixed relative to the first connecting assembly and a second state of rotating relative to the first connecting assembly, in the first state, the first elastic piece is elastically deformed to store energy, in the second state, the first elastic piece is elastically deformed to restore to the natural state to release energy, by freely switching the first state and the second state, the storage and release of the elastic deformation energy of the first elastic piece are controlled, so that the robot joint auxiliary mechanism releases energy when the elastic deformation energy is not needed and stores energy when the elastic deformation energy is needed, thereby avoiding the output of excess energy by the motor, saving energy and increasing the endurance time.

[0020] 2.The robot joint auxiliary mechanism provided by the application, a through hole allowing the movable part to pass through is arranged on the peripheral wall of the rotating piece, a mounting groove passing through the through hole is arranged on the rotating piece, a driving structure is arranged in the mounting groove, the driving structure generates an attractive force to the movable part to make the movable part move away from the groove when powered on, and the driving structure generates a pushing force to the movable part to move towards the groove when powered off, whether the movable part is clamped in the groove is controlled by powering on and off the driving structure, so as to control the state of the rotating piece.

[0021] 3.A method for using the robot joint auxiliary mechanism provided by the application, comprising the following steps: when the robot takes off and lands, the rotating piece and the first connecting assembly are in the first state of being fixed relative to each other, and the first elastic piece is elastically deformed to store energy; when the robot is in a squatting state and after landing, the rotating piece and the first connecting assembly are in the second state of rotating relative to each other, and the first elastic piece is elastically deformed to restore to the natural state to release energy; by adjusting the state of the rotating piece, the storage and release of the elastic deformation energy of the first elastic piece are controlled, so as to adjust the size of the motor output energy, save energy, and finally realize the increase of the endurance time of the robot. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0022] In order to more clearly illustrate the specific embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings needed to be used in the description of the specific embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are some embodiments of the present application, and those skilled in the art can also obtain other drawings according to these drawings without creative labor.

[0023] Figure 1Schematic diagram of the robot joint auxiliary mechanism provided by the present application Figure One ;

[0024] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the robot joint auxiliary mechanism provided by the present application Figure Two .

[0025] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0026] 1, first connecting assembly; 2, groove; 3, first connecting end; 4, second connecting assembly; 5, second connecting end; 6, first elastic member; 7, rotating member; 8, movable part; 9, through hole; 10, second elastic member; 11, first electromagnet; 12, second electromagnet. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The technical solutions of the present application will be described clearly and completely below in conjunction with the drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative work fall within the protection scope of the present application.

[0028] In addition, the technical features involved in the different embodiments of the present application described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0029] As Figure 1 A specific embodiment of the robot joint auxiliary mechanism shown in FIG. 2 comprises a driving motor, a first connecting assembly 1, an adjusting assembly and a second connecting assembly 4 arranged in sequence.

[0030] The first connecting assembly 1 is a disc structure, and a first connecting end 3 is arranged on a circular boss at the center of the first connecting assembly 1. The first connecting end 3 is a plurality of threaded holes, and is connected and fixed with a thigh rod member through a screw passing through the threaded holes. A plain bearing is installed on the circular boss to reduce the friction with the adjusting assembly.

[0031] The second connecting assembly 4 is a disc structure matched with the first connecting assembly 1, and a second connecting end 5 is arranged on a circular boss at the center of the second connecting assembly 4. The second connecting end 5 is a plurality of threaded holes, and is connected and fixed with a calf rod member through a screw passing through the threaded holes. A bearing is installed on the outer circle of the circular boss to ensure smooth rotation between the second connecting assembly 4 and the calf rod member.

[0032] The first connecting assembly 1 and the second connecting assembly 4 are connected by buckling, and a containing space is formed therebetween, the containing space is an annular structure, the annular structure is provided with an adjusting assembly, the adjusting assembly comprises a rotating piece 7 and a first elastic piece 6, the first elastic piece 6 is a coil spring, one end of the first elastic piece 6 is inserted into a side hole of a circular boss of the second connecting assembly 4, and the other end is inserted into an inner wall of the rotating piece 7. The rotating piece 7 is rotatably connected with the first connecting assembly 1, the rotating piece 7 has a first state of relative fixation with the first connecting assembly 1 and a second state of relative rotation with the first connecting assembly 1, in the first state, the rotating piece 7 is fixed with the first connecting assembly 1, the first connecting assembly 1 rotates relative to the second connecting assembly 4, and the first elastic piece 6 is elastically deformed to store energy, in the second state, the rotating piece 7 is freely rotatable in the first connecting assembly 1, and the first elastic piece 6 is elastically deformed to return to a natural state to release energy.

[0033] The rotating piece 7 is a disc structure, one side facing the second connecting assembly 4 is an open end, and two movable parts 8 are oppositely arranged on the peripheral wall, the movable parts 8 are bolts, the movable parts 8 pass through through holes 9 on the peripheral wall of the rotating piece 7 and are axially movable under the action of an external force; two grooves 2 for clamping and cooperating with the movable parts 8 are arranged on the inner side wall of the first connecting assembly 1, and the movable parts 8 can be fixed through the grooves 2. An installation groove passing through the through holes 9 is arranged on the bottom wall of the rotating piece 7, and a driving structure is arranged in the installation groove. The driving structure comprises a second elastic piece 10 arranged in the movement direction of the movable part 8 and away from the groove 2, and an electromagnetic structure connected with the movable part 8 in an on-off manner. The second elastic piece 10 is a spring, one end of the spring is connected with the movable part 8, and the other end is fixed with the installation groove. The electromagnetic structure comprises a first electromagnet 11 fixed on the side wall of the movable part 8 and a second electromagnet 12 connected with the first electromagnet 11 in an on-off manner, the second electromagnet 12 is fixed in the installation groove, and is connected with the first electromagnet 11 in the axial direction parallel to the through hole 9, and is connected with a control system, the on-off of the second electromagnet 12 is controlled through the control system, when the first electromagnet 11 and the second electromagnet 12 are electrified, the second electromagnet 12 generates a pulling force towards the center of the rotating piece 7 to the first electromagnet 11, the second elastic piece 10 is compressed to store energy, and the first electromagnet 11 drives the movable part 8 to separate from the groove 2, and the rotating piece 7 can rotate relative to the first connecting assembly 1; when the power is off, the attraction between the first electromagnet 11 and the second electromagnet 12 disappears, the second elastic piece 10 releases energy, and generates a pushing force towards the groove 2 to the movable part 8, so that the rotating piece 7 is relatively fixed with the first connecting assembly 1.

[0034] The driving motor is arranged at the hip joint position of the robot, is used for controlling the movement of the whole body, and is connected with the robot joint auxiliary mechanism, according to different movement states of the robot, the robot joint auxiliary mechanism is adjusted with each other, and the endurance time is increased.

[0035] One embodiment of the method for using the robot joint auxiliary mechanism includes the following steps: when the robot jumps, first, the second electromagnet 12 is powered off, the second electromagnet 12 and the second elastic member 10 jointly generate a pushing force on the movable part 8 to move towards the groove 2, the movable part 8 is clamped in the groove 2, the rotating part 7 is fixed with the first connecting assembly 1, and is in the first state. Then the robot is made to squat by the driving motor, and the energy generated by the relative bending of the thigh and the lower leg is converted into the elastic deformation of the first elastic member 6 and stored in the first elastic member 6. Finally, when the robot jumps, the driving motor and the elastic deformation force of the first elastic member 6 in the natural state jointly provide driving force to make the robot obtain higher jumping energy, and when it is not necessary to jump very high, the output energy of the driving motor can be reduced, thereby saving energy and increasing the endurance time of the robot.

[0036] When the robot lands from the air, the driving motor does not need to output energy, the second electromagnet 12 is powered off, the second electromagnet 12 and the second elastic member 10 jointly generate a pushing force on the movable part 8 to move towards the groove 2, the movable part 8 is clamped in the groove 2, the rotating part 7 is fixed with the first connecting assembly 1, and is in the first state. Then, at the moment when the robot lands, the elastic deformation of the first elastic member 6 absorbs the gravitational potential energy of the robot and the impact force at the moment of falling, thereby playing a buffering role on the knee joint when landing. Finally, the second electromagnet 12 is powered on to generate an attractive force on the first electromagnet 11, the second elastic member 10 is compressed, the movable part 8 moves towards the second elastic member 10, is separated from the groove 2, the rotating part 7 can freely rotate in the first connecting assembly 1, is in the second state, and the first elastic member 6 recovers to the elastic deformation in the natural state and releases the generated elastic deformation.

[0037] When the robot is in a squatting state all the time, the second electromagnet 12 is powered on to generate an attractive force on the first electromagnet 11, the second elastic member 10 is compressed, the movable part 8 moves towards the second elastic member 10, is separated from the groove 2, the rotating part 7 can freely rotate in the first connecting assembly 1, is in the second state, and the first elastic member 6 recovers to the elastic deformation in the natural state, so that the driving motor does not need to output excess energy to resist the elastic deformation of the first elastic member 6, and only needs to output the energy to make the robot squat, thereby reducing the operating pressure of the motor.

[0038] When the robot is in a load state, first, the second electromagnet 12 is powered off, the second electromagnet 12 and the second elastic member 10 jointly generate a pushing force on the movable part 8 to move towards the groove 2, the movable part 8 is clamped in the groove 2, the rotating part 7 is relatively fixed with the first connecting assembly 1, and is in the first state, and the first elastic member 6 is elastically deformed to bear part of the load, thereby reducing the operating pressure of the driving motor and increasing the operating time of the whole machine.

[0039] Obviously, the above embodiments are merely example for clearly illustrating but not limitation to the embodiments. Based on the above description, other different forms of changes or variations can be made by those skilled in the art. Here, all the embodiments need not and can not be enumerated. The obvious changes or variations derived from the above description are still within the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A robot joint assist mechanism, characterized by, The utility model relates to a kind of robot joint auxiliary mechanism, including: First connecting component (1) and second connecting component (4), the first connecting component (1) with the first connecting end (3) suitable for being fixed with thigh bar, the second connecting component (4) with the second connecting end (5) suitable for being fixed with shank bar, and the first connecting component (1) and second connecting component (4) are mutually buckled and connected to form containing space; Adjusting component is located between the containing space, including rotator (7) rotatably connected with the first connecting component (1) and first elastic member (6) connected with the second connecting component (4), the other end of the first elastic member (6) is fixed on the rotator (7), the rotator (7) has the first state of relative fixation with the first connecting component (1) and the second state of relative rotation with the first connecting component (1), in first state, the first elastic member (6) occurs elastic deformation to store energy, in the second state, the first elastic member (6) occurs elastic deformation to restore to natural state to release energy; The rotator (7) is disc structure, and movable part (8) is equipped on the circumference wall, and the corresponding position of the first connecting component (1) is equipped with recess (2) with the card joint of the movable part (8); The rotator (7) is equipped with the through hole (9) allowing the movable part (8) to penetrate on the circumference wall, and the rotator (7) is equipped with the installation slot being set through the through hole (9), and the installation slot is equipped with drive structure, the drive structure generates the suction force of the movable part (8) from the recess (2) when energized, and generates the thrust of the movable part (8) towards the recess (2) when de-energized; The drive structure includes the second elastic member (10) being set in the movable direction of the movable part (8) and being set away from the recess (2), and electromagnetic structure connected with the movable part (8) on-off; The electromagnetic structure includes the first electromagnet (11) being fixed on the movable part (8) and the second electromagnet (12) being connected with the first electromagnet (11) on-off, and the second electromagnet (12) is fixed in installation slot, and the first electromagnet (11) and the second electromagnet (12) generate the pulling force of the first electromagnet (11) when energized, and the attraction between the first electromagnet (11) and the second electromagnet (12) disappears when de-energized.

2. The robotic joint assist mechanism of claim 1, wherein, The first elastic member (6) is coil spring, and the second elastic member (10) is spring.

3. The robotic joint assist mechanism of claim 1, wherein, It further includes drive motor connected with robot joint auxiliary mechanism.

4. A method of using a robotic joint assist mechanism as claimed in any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, Including the following steps: When robot takes off and lands, the rotator (7) is in the first state of relative fixation with the first connecting component (1), and the first elastic member (6) occurs elastic deformation to store energy; When robot is in the squatting state and after landing, the rotator (7) is in the second state of relative rotation with the first connecting component (1), and the first elastic member (6) occurs elastic deformation to restore to natural state to release energy.

5. The method of using a robotic joint assist mechanism of claim 4, wherein, When robot takes off, drive motor and the first elastic member (6) jointly act, to provide driving force.

6. The method of using a robotic joint assist mechanism of claim 5, wherein, When the robot is in a load operation, the rotating member (7) is in a relatively fixed first state with the first connecting assembly (1), and the first elastic member (6) is elastically deformed to bear part of the load.

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