A highly self-adjusting robot chassis

Abstract

A highly self-adjustable robot chassis measures the displacement generated when passing through an obstacle through a ranging device, so as to know in advance the height of the obstacle. The robot uses a driving wheel height adjustment device to drive two carriages to slide up or down synchronously, so that the driving wheels move to match the height of the obstacle, realizing dynamic real-time adjustment of the height of the driving wheels according to the obstacle, keeping the load part of the robot always horizontal and preventing the robot from tipping over.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of robot chassis, and particularly relates to a robot chassis with self - height - adjustment function. Background Art

[0002] Robot chassis realizes different functions by matching different loads. Since the height of the existing robot chassis cannot be adjusted, when the robot is small in size and is matched with a relatively high load or the center of gravity of the load is high, when the robot crosses higher obstacles (such as elevators with a large height difference), the robot will have a large inclination and even a risk of tipping over. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In order to overcome the above - mentioned deficiencies in the prior art, the present invention provides a robot chassis that adjusts the inclination angle of the chassis according to the height of the obstacle.

[0004] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to overcome its technical problems is as follows:

[0005] A robot chassis with self - height - adjustment function includes a chassis, universal wheels I respectively installed on the left and right sides below the front end of the chassis, and drive wheels respectively arranged on the left and right sides below the rear end of the chassis. It further includes:

[0006] A ranging device, which is arranged below the front end of the chassis, and the ranging device measures the height of the obstacle;

[0007] A bracket, which is installed on the chassis;

[0008] Two sliding frames, which are respectively slidably installed at the left and right ends of the bracket through sliding mechanism I, and the drive wheels are installed on the sliding frames; and

[0009] A drive - wheel height - adjustment device, which is arranged on the bracket and is used to synchronously drive the two sliding frames to slide up and down in the vertical direction.

[0010] Furthermore, the above - mentioned ranging device includes a support frame installed at the lower end of the chassis, a sliding seat slidably installed on the support frame in the vertical direction through sliding mechanism II, a universal wheel II installed at the lower end of the sliding seat, and an encoder installed on the support frame. A gear I is coaxially installed on the rotating shaft of the encoder. A rack is slidably inserted in the vertical direction in the support frame. The lower end of the rack is fixedly connected to the sliding seat, and the upper end of the rack meshes with the gear I.

[0011] Furthermore, the above - mentioned sliding mechanism I includes fixing blocks respectively installed at the left and right ends of the bracket. The sliding frame has a rectangular frame structure and has a rectangular sliding hole inside. The width of the fixing block matches the width of the sliding hole, and the fixing block is inserted into the sliding block of the sliding frame.

[0012] Further, the driving wheel height adjusting device includes axle seats respectively arranged on the left and right sides of the upper end of the bracket, driving shafts rotatably installed in the axle seats, gear II installed on the outer ends of the driving shafts, a driving unit installed on the bracket, gear brackets respectively installed on the left and right sides of the bracket, and gear III rotatably installed on the gear brackets through a rotating shaft. The driving unit drives the two driving shafts to rotate synchronously and in the same direction. The axes of the gear III and the rotating shaft are both horizontally arranged in the left-right direction, and the axis of the gear III is eccentrically arranged with respect to the axis of the rotating shaft. The upper end of the gear III meshes with the gear II, and the lower end of the gear III contacts the upper end of the carriage. Spring II is located in the sliding hole of the carriage. The upper end of the spring II is connected to the upper end of the carriage, and its lower end is connected to the fixed block. When the carriage slides downward, the spring II compresses and stores energy.

[0013] Further, the sliding mechanism II includes chutes respectively arranged on the left and right sides of the support frame in the vertical direction, and sliders respectively arranged on the left and right sides of the sliding seat. The sliders are slidably inserted into the corresponding chutes on the same side.

[0014] To ensure accurate measurement, it further includes spring I. The lower end of spring I is connected to the sliding seat, and its upper end is connected to the support frame. When the sliding seat slides upward, the spring I compresses and stores energy.

[0015] Preferably, the encoder is a multi-turn absolute encoder.

[0016] Further, the driving unit includes a worm and worm gear reducer installed on the bracket, a servo motor drivingly connected to the input shaft of the worm and worm gear reducer, and a battery installed on the chassis. Output shafts are respectively arranged at the left and right ends of the worm and worm gear reducer, and the worm and worm gear reducer is drivingly connected to the corresponding driving shaft on the same side coaxially. The motor controller of the servo motor is electrically connected to the battery.

[0017] A method for adjusting the chassis height of a robot chassis with self-adjusting height, characterized in that:

[0018] A distance measuring device is arranged under the chassis. The distance measuring device includes a support frame installed at the lower end of the chassis, a sliding seat slidably installed on the support frame in the vertical direction through a sliding mechanism II, a universal wheel II installed at the lower end of the sliding seat, and an encoder installed on the support frame. A gear I is coaxially installed on the rotating shaft of the encoder. A rack is slidably inserted in the vertical direction in the support frame. The lower end of the rack is fixedly connected to the sliding seat, and its upper end meshes with the gear I;

[0019] A driving wheel height adjusting device for driving the driving wheels of the robot to move up and down in the vertical direction is arranged on the chassis;

[0020] The action process when the robot encounters an obstacle during walking is as follows:

[0021] S01. The driving wheels of the robot rotate, and the robot starts to move. Record the data of the encoder at this time;

[0022] S03. When the universal wheel II of the robot travels to the highest point of the obstacle, record the data of the encoder at this time;

[0023] S03. The robot calculates the height of the obstacle based on the encoder data in step S02 and the encoder data in step S01;

[0024] S04. The driving wheel height adjustment device drives the driving wheels of the robot to move up or down according to the calculated obstacle height. The moving distance matches the obstacle height to keep the robot crossing the obstacle in a horizontal state.

[0025] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: By measuring the displacement generated when passing through the obstacle by the ranging device, the height of the obstacle can be known in advance. The robot uses the driving wheel height adjustment device to drive the two sliding frames to slide up or down synchronously, so that the driving wheels move to match the obstacle height, realizing dynamic real-time adjustment of the height of the driving wheels according to the obstacle, keeping the load part of the robot always horizontal, and preventing the robot from tipping over. Description of the Drawings

[0026] Figure 1 is a three-dimensional structure diagram of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 2 is a three-dimensional structure schematic diagram of the ranging device of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 3 is a three-dimensional structure schematic of the driving wheel height adjustment device of the present invention Figure Ⅰ ;

[0029] Figure 4 is a three-dimensional structure schematic of the driving wheel height adjustment device of the present invention Figure Ⅱ ;

[0030] In the figure, 1. Battery 2. Chassis 3. Universal wheel I 4. Ranging device 5. Driving wheel 6. Driving wheel height adjustment device 41. Encoder 42. Encoder bracket 43. Gear I 44. Rack 45. Spring I 46. Support frame 47. Slide seat 48. Universal wheel II 49. Slide groove 410. Slide block 61. Gear II 62. Axle seat 63. Driving shaft 64. Driving unit 65. Bracket 66. Rotating shaft 67. Gear III 68. Gear bracket 69. Slide frame 610. Spring II 611. Fixed block. Detailed Embodiments

[0031] The following combines the attached Figure 1 to the attached Figure 4Further description of the present invention.

[0032] A highly self-adjusting robot chassis, comprising a chassis 2, universal wheels I 3 respectively installed on the left and right sides below the front end of the chassis 2, and drive wheels 5 respectively arranged on the left and right sides below the rear end of the chassis 2, further comprising: a ranging device, arranged below the front end of the chassis 2, the ranging device measuring the height of an obstacle; a bracket 65, which is installed on the chassis 2; two sliding frames 69, respectively slidably installed at the left and right ends of the bracket 65 through a sliding mechanism I, the drive wheels 5 being installed on the sliding frames 69; and a drive wheel height adjusting device, arranged on the bracket 65 for synchronously driving the two sliding frames 69 to slide up and down in the vertical direction.

[0033] When the robot is walking, it measures the displacement generated when passing through an obstacle through the ranging device, so as to know in advance the height of the obstacle. The robot uses the drive wheel height adjusting device to drive the two sliding frames 69 to slide up or down synchronously, so that the drive wheels 5 move to match the height of the obstacle, realizing dynamic real-time adjustment of the height of the drive wheels 5 according to the obstacle, keeping the load part of the robot always horizontal, and preventing the robot from tipping over.

[0034] In an embodiment of the present invention, the above ranging device may have the following structure, which includes a support frame 46 installed at the lower end of the chassis 2, a sliding seat 47 slidably installed on the support frame 46 in the vertical direction through a sliding mechanism II, a universal wheel II 48 installed at the lower end of the sliding seat 47, and an encoder 41 installed on the support frame 46. A gear I 43 is coaxially installed on the rotating shaft of the encoder 41. A rack 44 is slidably inserted in the vertical direction in the support frame 46. The lower end of the rack 44 is fixedly connected to the sliding seat 47, and its upper end meshes with the gear I 43. When the robot travels to an obstacle, the universal wheel II 48 travels on the obstacle. At this time, the sliding seat 47 moves upward under the guidance of the sliding mechanism II. At this time, the rack 44 moves upward to drive the gear I 43 to rotate, and then the encoder 41 works to generate a signal output.

[0035] In an embodiment of the present invention, the sliding mechanism I includes fixing blocks 611 respectively installed at the left and right ends of the bracket 65. The sliding frame 69 has a rectangular frame structure, and has a rectangular sliding hole inside. The width of the fixing block 611 matches the width of the sliding hole, and the fixing block 611 is inserted into the sliding block of the sliding frame 69. When the sliding frame 69 moves up and down, the fixing block 611 slides in the sliding hole of the sliding frame 69 to play a guiding role.

[0036] In an embodiment of the present invention, the driving wheel height adjusting device includes axle seats 62 respectively arranged on the left and right sides of the upper end of the bracket 65, a driving shaft 63 rotatably installed in the axle seats 62, a gear II 61 installed on the outer end of the driving shaft 63, a driving unit installed on the bracket 65, gear brackets 68 respectively installed on the left and right sides of the bracket 65, and a gear III 67 rotatably installed on the gear brackets 68 through a rotating shaft 66. The driving unit drives the two driving shafts 63 to rotate synchronously and in the same direction. The axes of the gear III 67 and the rotating shaft 66 are both horizontally arranged in the left-right direction, and the axis of the gear III 67 is eccentrically arranged with respect to the axis of the rotating shaft 66. The upper end of the gear III 67 meshes with the gear II 61, and the lower end of the gear III 67 contacts the upper end of the carriage 69. The spring II 610 is located in the sliding hole of the carriage 69. The upper end of the spring II 610 is connected to the upper end of the carriage 69, and its lower end is connected to the fixed block 611. When the carriage 69 slides downward, the spring II 610 compresses and stores energy. When the driving unit operates, the two driving shafts 63 are driven to rotate synchronously. The driving shaft 63 rotates to drive the gear II 61 to rotate. Since the gear II 61 meshes with the gear III 67, the gear III 67 is driven to rotate. Since the gear III 67 is eccentrically rotatably installed through the rotating shaft 66, when it rotates, its lower end will drive the carriage 69 to move downward. At this time, the spring II 610 compresses and stores energy. When the gear III 67 rotates a certain angle, the spring II 610 releases energy to drive the carriage 69 to move upward, achieving the purpose of moving the driving wheel 5 of the robot in the up-down direction. Further preferably, the encoder 41 is a multi-turn absolute encoder.

[0037] In an embodiment of the present invention, the sliding mechanism II includes chutes 49 respectively arranged on the left and right sides of the support frame 46 along the vertical direction, and sliders 410 respectively arranged on the left and right sides of the sliding seat 47. The sliders 410 are slidably inserted into the corresponding chutes 49 on the same side. When the sliding seat 47 moves up and down, the sliders 410 slide in the chutes 49 to play a guiding role, ensuring the accuracy and smoothness of the movement of the sliding seat 47. Preferably, a spring I 45 can also be provided. The lower end of the spring I 45 is connected to the sliding seat 47, and its upper end is connected to the support frame 46. When the sliding seat 47 slides upward, the spring I 45 compresses and stores energy. The spring I 45 can ensure the close contact between the universal wheel II 48 and the ground, ensuring the reliability of the distance measuring device when measuring the distance.

[0038] In an embodiment of the present invention, the drive unit includes a worm and worm gear reducer mounted on the bracket 65, a servo motor drivingly connected to the input shaft of the worm and worm gear reducer, and a battery 1 mounted on the chassis 2. Output shafts are respectively provided at the left and right ends of the worm and worm gear reducer, and are drivingly connected coaxially with the corresponding drive shafts 63 on the same side. The motor controller of the servo motor is electrically connected to the battery 1. The servo motor operates to drive the two drive shafts 63 to rotate synchronously after reducing and amplifying the torque through the worm and worm gear reducer. Since the worm and worm gear reducer has a self-locking characteristic, after the servo motor rotates to the position and stops, the drive shafts 63 will not rotate anymore, thereby ensuring that the position of the drive wheels 5 remains unchanged after being adjusted in place.

[0039] The present invention also relates to a method for adjusting the chassis height of a robot chassis with high self-adjustability. A ranging device is provided below the chassis 2 of the robot. The ranging device includes a support frame 46 mounted at the lower end of the chassis 2, a sliding seat 47 slidably mounted on the support frame 46 in the vertical direction through a sliding mechanism II, a universal wheel II 48 mounted at the lower end of the sliding seat 47, and an encoder 41 mounted on the support frame 46. A gear I 43 is coaxially mounted on the rotating shaft of the encoder 41. A rack 44 is slidably inserted in the vertical direction in the support frame 46. The lower end of the rack 44 is fixedly connected to the sliding seat 47, and the upper end thereof meshes with the gear I 43. A drive wheel height adjustment device for driving the drive wheels 5 of the robot to move up and down in the vertical direction is provided on the chassis 2.

[0040] The action process when the robot encounters an obstacle during walking is as follows:

[0041] S01. The drive wheels 5 of the robot rotate, and the robot starts to move. Record the data of the encoder 41 at this time;

[0042] S02. When the universal wheel II 48 of the robot travels to the highest point of the obstacle, record the data of the encoder 41 at this time;

[0043] S03. The robot calculates the height of the obstacle according to the data of the encoder 41 in step S02 and the data of the encoder in step S01;

[0044] S04. The drive wheel height adjustment device drives the drive wheels 5 of the robot to move up or down according to the calculated height of the obstacle, and the moving distance matches the height of the obstacle, so as to keep the robot crossing the obstacle in a horizontal state.

[0045] Finally, it should be noted that the above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art can still modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments or perform equivalent replacements for some of the technical features. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A highly self - adjusting robot chassis, comprising a chassis (2), universal wheels I (3) respectively installed on the left and right sides below the front end of the chassis (2), and drive wheels (5) respectively arranged on the left and right sides below the rear end of the chassis (2). Characterized in that, It further comprises: A ranging device, arranged below the front end of the chassis (2), and the ranging device measures the height of an obstacle; A bracket (65), which is installed on the chassis (2); Two sliding frames (69), respectively slidably installed at the left and right ends of the bracket (65) through a sliding mechanism I, and the drive wheels (5) are installed on the sliding frames (69); and A drive wheel height - adjusting device, arranged on the bracket (65) for synchronously driving the two sliding frames (69) to slide up and down in the vertical direction; The sliding mechanism I includes fixed blocks (611) respectively installed at the left and right ends of the bracket (65). The sliding frame (69) has a rectangular frame structure with a rectangular sliding hole inside. The width of the fixed block (611) matches the width of the sliding hole, and the fixed block (611) is inserted into the slider of the sliding frame (69); The drive wheel height - adjusting device includes axle seats (62) respectively arranged on the left and right sides at the upper end of the bracket (65), drive shafts (63) rotatably installed in the axle seats (62), gear II (61) installed on the outer end of the drive shaft (63), a drive unit installed on the bracket (65), gear brackets (68) respectively installed on the left and right sides of the bracket (65), and gear III (67) rotatably installed on the gear brackets (68) through a rotating shaft (66). The drive unit drives the two drive shafts (63) to rotate synchronously and in the same direction. The axes of the gear III (67) and the rotating shaft (66) are both horizontally arranged in the left - right direction, and the axis of the gear III (67) is eccentrically arranged with respect to the axis of the rotating shaft (66). The upper end of the gear III (67) meshes with the gear II (61), the lower end of the gear III (67) contacts the upper end of the sliding frame (69), and spring II (610) is located in the sliding hole of the sliding frame (69). The upper end of the spring II (610) is connected to the upper end of the sliding frame (69), and its lower end is connected to the fixed block (611). When the sliding frame (69) slides downward, the spring II (610) compresses and stores energy.

2. The highly self - adjusting robot chassis according to claim 1, Characterized in that: The ranging device includes a support frame (46) installed at the lower end of the chassis (2), a sliding seat (47) slidably installed on the support frame (46) in the vertical direction through a sliding mechanism II, a universal wheel II (48) installed at the lower end of the sliding seat (47), and an encoder (41) installed on the support frame (46). A gear I (43) is coaxially installed on the rotating shaft of the encoder (41). A rack (44) is slidably inserted in the vertical direction in the support frame (46). The lower end of the rack (44) is fixedly connected to the sliding seat (47), and its upper end meshes with the gear I (43).

3. The highly self - adjusting robot chassis according to claim 2, Characterized in that: The sliding mechanism II includes chutes (49) respectively arranged on the left and right sides of the support frame (46) along the vertical direction, and sliders (410) respectively arranged on the left and right sides of the sliding seat (47). The sliders (410) are slidably inserted into the corresponding chutes (49) on the same side.

4. The height self-adjusting robot chassis according to claim 2, characterized in that: it further includes a spring I (45). The lower end of the spring I (45) is connected to the sliding seat (47), and its upper end is connected to the support frame (46). When the sliding seat (47) slides upward, the spring I (45) compresses and stores energy.

5. The height self-adjusting robot chassis according to claim 2, characterized in that: the encoder (41) is a multi-turn absolute encoder.

6. The height self-adjusting robot chassis according to claim 1, characterized in that: the drive unit includes a worm and worm gear reducer installed on the bracket (65), a servo motor drivingly connected to the input shaft of the worm and worm gear reducer, and a battery (1) installed on the chassis (2). Output shafts are respectively arranged at the left and right ends of the worm and worm gear reducer. The worm and worm gear reducer is drivingly connected to the corresponding drive shaft (63) on the same side coaxially. The motor controller of the servo motor is electrically connected to the battery (1).

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