Jumping and walking soft robot

Abstract

The invention discloses a jumping walking soft robot. The jumping walking soft robot comprises a double-leg assembly (1) and two steering gears (2); the double-leg assembly comprises a support frame (11) and two soft legs (12); the two soft legs are respectively assembled on both sides of the support frame, and the two soft legs are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the support frame; the structural form of assembling a single soft leg and the support frame is as follows: a slider (13) is fixedly provided at the driving end of the soft leg, the slider is assembled in a chute of the support frame, the fixed end of the soft leg is fixedly connected to the support frame, and the walking end of the soft leg faces downward; the two steering gears respectively correspond to the two soft legs in the double-leg assembly, and the power output end of a single steering gear is drivingly connected to the driving end of the corresponding soft leg through an intermediate transmission mechanism; based on a vertical guide mechanism formed by the slider and the chute, the steering gear can drive the driving end of the soft leg to move up and down. The jumping walking soft robot of the invention can achieve stable and reliable jumping walking movements.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a soft robot, in particular to a jumping and walking soft robot. Background Art

[0002] Soft robots are typically flexible systems that typically undergo large overall motions and structural deformations. Compared to traditional rigid robots, soft robots offer improved safety and environmental compatibility, and therefore hold broad application prospects in various fields, including industry, exploration, healthcare, and deep-sea exploration.

[0003] The current problem is:

[0004] Most current soft robots are driven by pneumatics. This requires the deformation of the actuators through the inflation and deflation of air, a time-consuming process that significantly reduces the soft robot's speed and prevents it from achieving fast and flexible jumping movements. Pneumatic actuators also require additional actuating equipment, increasing the robot's system complexity. Furthermore, potential sealing and leakage issues associated with pneumatics can affect the robot's walking stability and continuity.

[0005] Generally speaking, robots need to be able to complete not only forward motion but also return motion. Most existing robots require turning to achieve this return motion, which not only increases control difficulty but also consumes a lot of time and is inefficient. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The object of the present invention is to provide a jumping walking soft robot, which can achieve stable and reliable jumping walking movements.

[0007] In order to achieve the above technical objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0008] A jumping walking soft robot comprises a double-leg assembly and two servos; the double-leg assembly comprises a support frame and two soft legs; the support frame is provided with two upright slides; the soft legs have a driving end, a fixed end and a walking end; the two soft legs are respectively assembled on both sides of the support frame, and the two soft legs are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the support frame; the structural form of the assembly of a single soft leg and the support frame is: a slider is fixedly provided at the driving end of the soft leg, the slider is assembled in the slide groove of the support frame, the fixed end of the soft leg is fixedly connected to the support frame, and the walking end of the soft leg faces downward; the two servos respectively correspond to the two soft legs in the double-leg assembly, and the power output end of a single servo is driven and connected to the driving end of the corresponding soft leg through an intermediate transmission mechanism; based on the vertical guiding mechanism composed of the slider and the slide groove, the servo can drive the driving end of the soft leg to move up and down.

[0009] Furthermore, the jumping walking soft robot includes two groups of double-leg components, which are arranged side by side and connected together; the two soft legs in a single group of double-leg components serve as the first soft leg and the second soft leg respectively; the first soft legs in the two groups of double-leg components are on the same side, and the second soft legs in the two groups of double-leg components are on the same side; the two servos serve as the first servo and the second servo respectively, the first servo corresponds to the first soft leg in the two groups of double-leg components, and the second servo corresponds to the second soft leg in the two groups of double-leg components.

[0010] Furthermore, a staggered embedded structure is provided between the slider and the slide groove.

[0011] Furthermore, the intermediate transmission mechanism is specifically implemented in the form of a structure comprising a crank-connecting rod member and a connecting rod assembly; the two ends of the connecting rod assembly are respectively assembled with the driving ends of the two soft legs, the crank end of the crank-connecting rod member is assembled with the power output end of the servo, and the connecting rod end of the crank-connecting rod member is hinged with the middle part of the connecting rod assembly.

[0012] Furthermore, the connecting rod assembly is composed of two connecting rods and two set blocks.

[0013] Furthermore, two limit nuts are provided at the hinge between the connecting rod end of the crank connecting rod member and the connecting rod assembly. The two limit nuts are assembled on the connecting rod of the connecting rod assembly and are respectively located on both sides of the connecting rod end of the crank connecting rod member.

[0014] Furthermore, the robot's directional walking motion is achieved by controlling the driving phase difference of the two soft legs of the double-leg assembly.

[0015] The jumping walking soft robot of the present invention is provided with a double-leg assembly and a servo. The double-leg assembly is provided with symmetrically arranged soft legs. Driven by the servo, the soft legs can perform the movement of the body and legs retracting. Through gait design, that is, setting an appropriate drive phase difference, directional walking can be achieved. The servo is used and a vertical guide mechanism is configured to drive the soft legs to perform the movement of the body and legs retracting, thereby achieving relatively fast jumping-style walking. An interlaced embedded structure is provided between the slider and the chute. The connecting rod assembly is assembled from two connecting rods and two set blocks. Two limit nuts are provided at the hinge between the connecting rod end of the crank connecting rod member and the connecting rod assembly. These practices are conducive to improving the stability of the robot's overall structure, thereby improving the stability of the robot's walking movement and improving the repeatability of the walking gait. The jumping walking soft robot changes its walking direction by changing the drive phase difference of the soft legs on both sides. Therefore, the speed of switching the walking direction is relatively fast and it is very simple to implement.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the jumping walking soft robot of the present invention has the following advantages:

[0017] 1) Directional walking can be achieved by setting an appropriate soft leg drive phase difference;

[0018] 2) It can realize jumping walking movements, which helps to reduce possible friction energy consumption with the ground, effectively improve energy conversion, and thus improve walking efficiency;

[0019] 3) The overall structure of the robot is stable and reliable, the walking motion has good stability, and the walking gait has good repeatability;

[0020] 4) The speed of switching the walking direction is fast, the switching control efficiency is high, and the walking before and after switching is stable and reliable. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 This is an axonometric view of the jumping and walking soft robot of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 This is a front view of the jumping and walking soft robot of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 3 This is a side view of the jumping and walking soft robot of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 4 A top view of the jumping and walking soft robot of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 5 for Figure 4 An enlarged schematic diagram of the dotted box;

[0026] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the walking process of the jumping walking soft robot of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 7 This is a data collection diagram of the jumping and walking soft robot of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 8 This is a walking process curve diagram of the jumping walking soft robot of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The present invention will be further described below with specific embodiments:

[0030] This embodiment provides a jumping walking soft robot, which can achieve stable and reliable jumping walking movements.

[0031] See also Figure 1 、 Figure 2 、 Figure 3 and Figure 4 The jumping walking soft robot of this embodiment mainly includes a double-leg component 1 and a servo 2.

[0032] There are two groups of double-leg assemblies 1 . A single group of double-leg assemblies 1 includes a support frame 11 and two soft legs 12 .

[0033] The overall shape of the support frame 11 is column-shaped, and two upright (vertical) slide grooves are provided on the inner side of the upper part of the support frame 11 . The two slide grooves are arranged in parallel, and the two slide grooves correspond to the two soft legs 12 respectively.

[0034] The two soft legs 12 have the same structure. As for a single soft leg 12, the entire soft leg 12 is made of a specific soft material with elasticity, such as rubber, silicone, hydrogel, etc. Any elastomeric polymer that can perform elastic movement can be used.

[0035] The soft leg 12 has three ends, which are respectively referred to as a driving end, a fixed end, and a walking end.

[0036] More specifically, the soft leg 12 is composed of two main bars, one long and one short. The ends of the two main bars are fixedly connected together, forming the walking end of the entire soft leg 12. The unconnected end of the long main bar serves as the driving end of the entire soft leg 12, and the unconnected end of the short main bar serves as the fixed end of the entire soft leg 12. A rib structure for strengthening elasticity is also provided between the two main bars. When the driving end and the fixed end of the soft leg 12 are compressed close together, the walking end of the soft leg 12 will displace toward the side of the short main bar.

[0037] For ease of description, in this embodiment, the two flexible legs 12 included in the double-leg assembly 1 are referred to as the first flexible leg and the second flexible leg, respectively. It should be noted that the distinction between the first and second flexible legs is for ease of description. However, the two flexible legs 12 in the double-leg assembly 1 are mirror-symmetrical, meaning that the first and second flexible legs are interchangeable.

[0038] In this embodiment, the two soft legs 12 are respectively assembled on the front and rear sides of the support frame 11, and the two soft legs 12 are symmetrically arranged on the front and rear sides of the support frame 11. Intuitively, they look like two legs that are spread out.

[0039] As for a single soft leg 12, its assembly with the support frame 11 is as follows:

[0040] Slide grooves are provided on the inner side of the support frame 11 for the two soft legs 12 respectively, and a slider 13 is fixedly provided at the driving end of the soft leg 12. The slider 13 is assembled in the slide groove of the support frame 11 corresponding to the soft leg 12, and the slider 13 and the slide groove of the support frame 11 together constitute a vertical guide mechanism (a vertically guided mechanism). In summary, the driving end of the soft leg 12 is assembled with the support frame 11 through the vertical guide mechanism, so that the driving end of the soft leg 12 can slide up and down based on the support frame 11 and along the guiding direction of the vertical guide mechanism (that is, the direction of the slide groove of the support frame 11).

[0041] It should be noted that a slider 13 is fixedly provided at the driving end of the soft leg 12 , and its specific structural form is: the driving end of the soft leg 12 is embedded in the slider 13 , thereby achieving a fixed connection between the two.

[0042] The fixed end of the soft leg 12 is fixedly connected to the lower portion of the support frame 11 .

[0043] The walking end of the flexible leg 12 faces downward at a position away from the support frame 11 and forms a certain angle with the ground. In this embodiment, the angle is set to 45°, but in other embodiments, the angle is not limited to 45°. It should be noted that the angle mentioned here refers to the angle between the shorter main strip of the flexible leg 12 and the ground.

[0044] Three connecting positioning rods 3 are provided between the two groups of double-leg components 1 , and the two groups of double-leg components 1 are connected and assembled together through the three connecting positioning rods 3 .

[0045] Specifically,

[0046] Two sets of double-leg components 1 are arranged side by side, as shown in FIG. Figure 1 As shown, the two ends of the connecting positioning rod 3 are respectively connected to the support frames 11 of the two sets of double-leg assemblies 1, thereby connecting the two double-leg assemblies 1 into a whole. In addition, the two soft legs 12 in the two sets of double-leg assemblies 1 are arranged in a corresponding manner, that is, the first soft legs in the two sets of double-leg assemblies 1 are on the same side, and the second soft legs in the two sets of double-leg assemblies 1 are on the same side.

[0047] It should be noted that the aforementioned “fixed connection between the fixed end of the soft leg 12 and the lower portion of the support frame 11” is specifically implemented in the following structural form:

[0048] The fixed end of the soft leg 12 is embedded in the lower part of the support frame 11, and then the ends of the two connecting positioning rods 3 are simultaneously passed through the fixed end of the soft leg 12 and the support frame 11, thereby realizing the assembly connection.

[0049] The jumping walking soft robot of this embodiment includes two servos 2. For ease of description, the two servos 2 are respectively referred to as a first servo and a second servo.

[0050] For each set of double-leg components 1, the two servos 2 correspond to the two soft legs 12 in the double-leg components 1 respectively. Specifically, the first servo corresponds to the first soft leg in the double-leg component 1, and the second servo corresponds to the second soft leg in the double-leg component 1. The actual meaning is that the movement of the first soft leg is controlled by the first servo, and the movement of the second soft leg is controlled by the second servo.

[0051] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the steering gear 2 is a device of the prior art, which has a power output end capable of outputting rotational and oscillating power.

[0052] In the case of a single servo 2, the servo 2 is assembled on three connecting and positioning rods 3. Specifically, the servo 2 body is provided with mounting holes that match the connecting and positioning rods 3, and the three connecting and positioning rods 3 are inserted into the mounting holes of the servo 2, thereby achieving the assembly of the servo 2 and the connecting and positioning rods 3.

[0053] In summary, the servo 2 is installed on the support frame 11 of the double-leg assembly 1 by connecting the positioning rod 3.

[0054] An intermediate transmission mechanism is provided between the power output end of the servo 2 and the driving end of the corresponding soft leg 12. The power output end of the servo 2 is driven and connected to the driving end of the corresponding soft leg 12 through the intermediate transmission mechanism. In this way, the servo 2 can drive the slider 13 at the driving end of the soft leg 12 to move up and down along the slide groove in the support frame 11 through the intermediate transmission mechanism. In other words, based on the vertical guide mechanism composed of the slider 13 and the slide groove, the servo 2 can drive the driving end of the corresponding soft leg 12 to move up and down.

[0055] Driven by the servo 2, when the driving end of the soft leg 12 moves downward, that is, when the driving end and the fixed end of the soft leg 12 are compressed and approach each other, the walking end of the soft leg 12 can also move downward, forming a downward leg movement. Conversely, when the driving end of the soft leg 12 moves upward, that is, when the driving end and the fixed end of the soft leg 12 are decompressed and separated, the walking end of the soft leg 12 can also move upward, forming an upward foot movement.

[0056] More specifically, the intermediate transmission mechanism provided between the steering engine 2 and the soft leg 12 includes a crank connecting rod 4 and a connecting rod assembly 5 .

[0057] The two ends of the connecting rod assembly 5 are respectively assembled with the driving ends of the two soft legs 12 "corresponding to the steering gear 2". The crank end of the crank connecting rod 4 is assembled with the power output end of the steering gear 2. The connecting rod end of the crank connecting rod 4 is hinged to the middle part of the connecting rod assembly 5. In this way, the power output end of the steering gear 2 can drive the connecting rod assembly 5 to move up and down through the crank connecting rod 4, and the connecting rod assembly 5 drives the driving ends of the two soft legs 12 to move up and down.

[0058] More specifically, the connecting rod assembly 5 is composed of two connecting rods 51 and two set blocks 52. The two connecting rods 51 are arranged in parallel, and the two set blocks 52 are provided with through holes matching the connecting rods 51. The two set blocks 52 are simultaneously set on the two connecting rods 51, and a gap is left between the two set blocks 52.

[0059] As mentioned earlier, "the two ends of the connecting rod assembly 5 are respectively assembled with the driving ends of the two soft legs 12 corresponding to the servo 2", wherein the assembly between one end of the connecting rod assembly 5 and the driving end of the soft leg 12 is specifically implemented as follows: the ends of the two connecting rods 51 of the connecting rod assembly 5 are simultaneously passed through the driving end of the soft leg 12 and the slider 13, thereby realizing the assembly connection.

[0060] The previously mentioned "connecting rod end of the crank connecting rod member 4 is hinged to the middle part of the connecting rod assembly 5", and its specific structural form is: the connecting rod end of the crank connecting rod member 4 is hinged to a connecting rod 51 in the interval between the two set blocks 52 of the connecting rod assembly 5.

[0061] It should be noted that the purpose of setting the connecting rod assembly 5 into the structural form of "two connecting rods 51 fitted into two fitting blocks 52" is to improve the overall stiffness of the connecting rod assembly 5 on the basis of realizing the "hinged connection between the crank connecting rod member 4 and the connecting rod assembly 5". This plays a great role in promoting the motion control accuracy of the entire jumping and walking soft robot, and can greatly improve the robot's motion stability.

[0062] In addition, two limit nuts are provided at the hinge between the connecting rod end of the crank-connecting rod member 4 and the connecting rod assembly 5. The two limit nuts are assembled on the connecting rod 51 of the connecting rod assembly 5 and are respectively located on both sides of the connecting rod end of the crank-connecting rod member 4. The limit nut is used to limit the position of the connecting rod end of the crank-connecting rod member 4 on the connecting rod assembly 5 to prevent the connecting rod end of the crank-connecting rod member 4 from deviating from the middle position of the connecting rod assembly 5, thereby ensuring that the servo 2 can balance the movement of the soft legs 12 on the two double-leg assemblies 1 and ensure the stability of the driving process.

[0063] In addition, in order to ensure the stability and reliability of the sliding movement of the slider 13 in the slide groove, a "staggered embedding structure" is provided between the slider 13 and the slide groove.

[0064] See also Figure 5 , the staggered embedded structure is as follows Figure 5 Specifically, the area indicated by the middle arrow A means that a T-shaped boss is provided in the slide groove, and a convex strip matching the T-shaped boss is provided on the slider 13. The convex strip on the slider 13 and the T-shaped boss in the slide groove are interlaced and embedded with each other, forming the "interlaced embedded structure".

[0065] The jumping-walking soft robot of this embodiment essentially controls its walking by controlling the soft legs 12 to continuously cycle through the cyclical movements of the trunk, leg, and foot (bending and recovering). Furthermore, the cyclical movements of the trunk, leg, and foot performed by the soft legs 12 on both sides maintain a certain phase difference. This allows the jumping-walking soft robot to walk in a specific direction, with a jumping posture. The walking direction is determined by the phase difference between the cyclical movements of the trunk, leg, and foot. Within a short phase difference interval, the side where the soft leg 12 is driven first is the side of the moving displacement.

[0066] See also Figure 6 Assume that the soft leg 12 on the right side of the robot is the first soft leg, and the soft leg 12 on the left side is the second soft leg. For example, when the robot starts from a stationary state and walks forward (to the right in the figure), the first soft leg is driven first. The servo 2 drives the slider 13 downward, causing the first soft leg to bend inward (constructing the "body-leg" movement). Subsequently, the second soft leg begins to move, with a phase difference of 0.6 seconds between the first and second soft legs. After the driving end of the first soft leg is pressed down to a certain amount, the first soft leg is driven upward (constructing the "foot-retraction" movement). Due to the phase difference, the first and second soft legs undergo asymmetrical deformation, causing the entire double-leg assembly 1 to tilt backward (toward the second soft leg). Because the first soft leg is driven faster, when the second soft leg is driven, the first soft leg jumps up, while the end of the second soft leg remains essentially unchanged and supports the entire robot. Eventually, the first soft leg touches the ground, and the robot completes a single cycle of walking motion. The first and second soft legs perform periodic body-leg-retraction movements with a phase difference, thus achieving a continuous and complete jumping walking motion. Since the second soft leg barely changes its displacement during jumping, the final walking distance of a single cycle is ΔL, which is equivalent to the inward bending deformation of the second soft leg.

[0067] In the jumping walking soft robot of this embodiment, a double-leg assembly 1 and a servo 2 are provided. Symmetrically arranged soft legs 12 are provided in the double-leg assembly 1. Driven by the servo 2, the soft legs 12 can perform the movement of retracting the legs and feet. Through gait design, that is, setting a suitable drive phase difference, directional walking can be achieved.

[0068] A servo 2 is used and a vertical guide mechanism is configured to drive the soft leg 12 to perform the action of retracting the trunk and feet, so that a relatively fast jumping action can be achieved. Jumping walking is beneficial to reduce the possible friction energy consumption with the ground, effectively improve energy conversion, and thus improve walking efficiency.

[0069] In the jumping walking soft robot, an interlaced embedded structure is provided between the slider 13 and the slide groove. The connecting rod assembly 5 is assembled from two connecting rods 51 and two set blocks 52. Two limit nuts are provided at the hinge between the connecting rod end of the crank connecting rod 4 and the connecting rod assembly 5. These practices are conducive to improving the stability of the overall structure of the robot, thereby improving the stability of the robot's walking movement, and the repeatability of the walking gait is better.

[0070] The jumping walking soft robot of this embodiment changes its walking direction by changing the driving phase difference of the soft legs 12 on both sides. Therefore, the speed of switching the walking direction is fast and it is very simple to implement. The switching control efficiency is high, and the walking before and after the switching is stable and reliable.

[0071] See also Figure 7 This figure shows the data collection process for a jumping walking soft robot. Markers were first attached to the end points of the robot's soft legs. The walking process was captured dynamically using a high-speed camera (ARAMS3D, Germany). The measurement acquisition frequency was 150 Hz. The data from the markers was identified and collected by a data processing system. Two video lights (GoldenEagleLED2000, China) were added during the experiment to enhance marker recognition.

[0072] See also Figure 8 , the figure shows that the robot changes its walking direction after walking forward for five cycles. The robot can return to its initial position in the same motion cycle, which shows that the robot has good control accuracy. The robot can quickly walk for 5 cycles in 8.25s. The different walking cycle curves show that the robot has good gait stability. The robot can complete a rapid switch in movement direction within 0.45s. Traditional robots mostly achieve steering through multi-step turns, but in this embodiment, the steering method can effectively shorten the driving time of the robot.

[0073] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A jumping and walking soft robot, characterized by: It comprises a double-leg assembly (1) and two steering gears (2); The double-leg assembly (1) comprises a support frame (11) and two soft legs (12); The support frame (11) is provided with two vertical slide grooves; The soft leg (12) has a driving end, a fixed end and a walking end; The two soft legs (12) are respectively assembled on both sides of the support frame (11), and the two soft legs (12) are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the support frame (11); The structural form of the assembly of a single soft leg (12) and a support frame (11) is as follows: a slider (13) is fixedly provided at the driving end of the soft leg (12), the slider (13) is assembled in a slide groove of the support frame (11), the fixed end of the soft leg (12) is fixedly connected to the support frame (11), and the walking end of the soft leg (12) faces downward; The two steering gears (2) respectively correspond to the two soft legs (12) in the double-leg assembly (1), and the power output end of a single steering gear (2) is drivingly connected to the driving end of the corresponding soft leg (12) through an intermediate transmission mechanism; Based on the vertical guide mechanism formed by the cooperation of the slider (13) and the slide groove, the steering engine (2) can drive the driving end of the soft leg (12) to move up and down.

2. The jumping walking soft robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The jumping walking soft robot comprises two groups of double-leg components (1), and the two groups of double-leg components (1) are arranged side by side and connected together; The two soft legs (12) in the single-group double-leg assembly (1) serve as a first soft leg and a second soft leg respectively; The first soft legs in the two sets of double-leg assemblies (1) are on the same side, and the second soft legs in the two sets of double-leg assemblies (1) are on the same side; The two steering gears (2) serve as a first steering gear and a second steering gear respectively, the first steering gear corresponding to the first soft legs in the two groups of double-leg assemblies (1), and the second steering gear corresponding to the second soft legs in the two groups of double-leg assemblies (1).

3. The jumping walking soft robot according to claim 2, characterized in that: An interlaced embedded structure is provided between the slider (13) and the slide groove.

4. The jumping walking soft robot according to claim 2, characterized in that: The intermediate transmission mechanism is specifically implemented in the form of a structure comprising a crank connecting rod (4) and a connecting rod assembly (5); the two ends of the connecting rod assembly (5) are respectively assembled with the driving ends of the two soft legs (12), the crank end of the crank connecting rod (4) is assembled with the power output end of the steering gear (2), and the connecting rod end of the crank connecting rod (4) is hinged with the middle part of the connecting rod assembly (5).

5. The jumping walking soft robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: The connecting rod assembly (5) is composed of two connecting rods (51) and two set blocks (52).

6. The jumping walking soft robot according to claim 5, characterized in that: Two limiting nuts are provided at the hinged joint between the connecting rod end of the crank connecting rod member (4) and the connecting rod assembly (5). The two limiting nuts are assembled on the connecting rod (51) of the connecting rod assembly (5) and are respectively located on both sides of the connecting rod end of the crank connecting rod member (4).

7. The jumping walking soft robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The robot's directional walking motion is achieved by controlling the driving phase difference of two soft legs (12) of a double-leg assembly (1).

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