A crawler vehicle crawler deformation structure

Abstract

The present invention discloses a caterpillar track deformation structure for a crawler vehicle, which includes a chassis module and two sets of pulley modules. The chassis module and the pulley modules are connected through a shock absorption module. The chassis module mainly includes a battery and an electric control box, which control the operation of the crawler vehicle and provide energy. The pulley module includes: a fixing plate, two motor-reducer integrated machines, a driving pulley, a driven pulley, a swing rod pulley, a first slider mechanism, a second slider mechanism, a slider connecting rod, a swing rod and a caterpillar track. By designing a connecting rod double-slider mechanism, the present invention enables the triangular caterpillar track to be deformed and effectively solves the problems brought by the cam pair. Compared with the cam pair, the rotating pair design uses dust-proof bearings, which will not admit sediment itself. The moving pair adopts a slide rail-slider mechanism, and the slider will sweep the sediment out of the slide rail. Moreover, compared with the cam structure, the overall structure of the present invention is easier to carry out dust-proof design.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a caterpillar track deformation structure of a crawler vehicle. Background Art

[0002] With the development of robot technology, more and more mobile chassis have been developed. In order to enable a crawler vehicle to walk freely on stairs, mountain slopes, and even ruins, a deformable crawler vehicle has been developed. With its excellent caterpillar track deformation ability, the deformable crawler vehicle can walk on more complex sites.

[0003] However, there are some problems with the deformation structures of the existing deformable crawler vehicles on the market. For example, in patent US7493976, the caterpillar track of this patent is a triangular structure. By swinging the swing arm in the middle, the shape of the triangle is changed while ensuring that the perimeter of the triangular caterpillar track remains unchanged, so as to cope with different walking sites. It uses a cam mechanism to ensure that the tension on each caterpillar track wheel remains unchanged while the length of the triangular caterpillar track remains unchanged. However, the cam is a higher pair with high pressure and easy to wear. For a deformable crawler vehicle, the damage of the cam mechanism will cause the caterpillar track unable to deform, and further cause the crawler vehicle unable to work properly. Moreover, since its cam mechanism is not designed for dust prevention, the cam follower contacts the cam in the way of a cam follower. During the movement, the two curved surfaces are in line contact. If there is sediment attached to the surface of the cam, the cam follower on the follower will roll over the sediment, further causing wear. And due to the attachment of sediment, the tension of the caterpillar track will become larger, and even cause the caterpillar track to break. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To solve the above problems existing in the prior art, the present invention provides a caterpillar track deformation structure of a crawler vehicle, which proposes a connecting rod double-slider mechanism to enable the triangular caterpillar track to achieve the same deformation as that in patent US7493976, and effectively solves the problems brought by the cam pair.

[0005] The present invention can be realized by the following technical solutions:

[0006] A crawler vehicle crawler deformation structure, including a chassis module and 2 groups of pulley modules. The chassis module and the pulley module are connected through a shock absorption module. The chassis module mainly includes a battery and an electric control box, which control the operation of the crawler vehicle and provide energy. The pulley module includes: a fixing plate, 2 motor-reducer integrated machines, a driving pulley, a driven pulley, a swing rod pulley, a first slider mechanism, a second slider mechanism, a slider connecting rod, a swing rod, and a crawler. The fixing plate is connected to the chassis module through the shock absorption module. One of the motor-reducer integrated machines is fixed on the fixing plate, and the driving pulley is connected to the motor-reducer integrated machine. The driven pulley is connected to the fixing plate and can rotate freely. The first slider mechanism has 2 horizontal and centered slide rails fixed on the fixing plate, and the first slider moves freely on the corresponding slide rail without coming out. One end of the slider connecting rod is connected to the centroid of the first slider and can rotate freely. The second slider mechanism has 2 vertical and centered slide rails fixed on the fixing plate. The second slider moves freely on the corresponding slide rail without coming out. The second slider is higher than the first slider, so that the first slider and the second slider do not interfere when moving in any position. The other end of the slider connecting rod is connected to the centroid of the second slider through a rotating pair and can rotate freely. At the same time, the rotating shaft passes through the second slider and is connected to one end of the swing rod in a fixed connection manner, so that the swing rod and the slider connecting rod move synchronously and are coplanar. Through the above connecting rod double-slider mechanism, when the swing rod swings, the outer end trajectory is an ellipse. The other motor-reducer integrated machine is fixed on the other end of the swing rod and is connected to the swing rod pulley. The crawler simultaneously surrounds the driving pulley, the driven pulley, and the swing rod pulley. The assembly methods and parts of the 2 groups of pulley modules are exactly the same. The fixing plate is installed on the chassis module through the shock absorption module and is centrosymmetric after being connected to the chassis module.

[0007] Further, the shock absorption module includes 2 guide rods, 2 springs, and 2 linear bearings. The upper and lower ends of the guide rods are fixedly connected to the chassis module, and the linear bearings can slide freely on the guide rods without coming out. The springs are installed directly above the linear bearings, and the linear bearings are connected to the pulley module.

[0008] Further, during the normal driving process of the crawler vehicle: the rotation speed of the left swing rod pulley is the same as the rotation speed of the left driving pulley, and the rotation speed of the right swing rod pulley is the same as the rotation speed of the right driving pulley.

[0009] Further, during the deformation of the crawler vehicle during stopping: the left and right driving pulleys do not move, and the left and right swing rod pulleys rotate in opposite directions at the same rotation speed.

[0010] Further, the crawler belt is flexible. The connecting rod double-slider mechanism makes the elliptical trajectory during the movement of the swing rod consistent with the elliptical trajectory formed by the crawler belt restricting three belt pulleys. The swing rod belt pulley moves on the internal teeth of the crawler belt, so that the swing rod rotates around the rotating shaft, causing the triangle formed by the crawler belt to have different shapes, thereby realizing a large-angle uphill of the crawler belt and increasing the length of the crawler belt in contact with the ground.

[0011] Further, during the movement of the crawler vehicle, it deforms: If the rotational speeds of the left and right drive belt pulleys are ω, and if the rotational speed of the swing rod belt pulley is not equal to ω, a speed difference will be generated, causing the swing rod to rotate around the rotating shaft, making the triangle formed by the crawler belt have different shapes, thereby realizing a large-angle uphill of the crawler belt and increasing the length of the crawler belt in contact with the ground.

[0012] Beneficial effects

[0013] By replacing the cam mechanism of the original deformable crawler vehicle, the present invention solves the problems that the cam mechanism is a high pair structure and is prone to wear, and it is also very difficult to do dust prevention for this structure. The connecting rod double-slider mechanism in the present invention has two sliding pairs and two rotating pairs, both of which are low pairs, with surface contact, small pressure, and good load-bearing capacity. The existing cam pair realizes line contact through two curved surfaces and is easy to roll sand and mud into it. Compared with the cam pair, the rotating pair in the present invention is designed with a dust-proof bearing and will not let sand and mud in itself. The sliding pair adopts a slide rail-slider mechanism, and the slider will sweep the sand and mud out of the slide rail. Compared with the cam structure, this structure is easier to carry out dust-proof design as a whole. Moreover, compared with customizing and finely processing a cam with hard materials, the slide rail-slider has low cost and high interchangeability. Description of the drawings

[0014] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of the present invention;

[0015] Figure 2 is a schematic partial structural diagram of the present invention;

[0016] Figure 3 is a schematic partial structural diagram of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 4 is a schematic structural diagram when the swing arm of the present invention moves forward;

[0018] Figure 5 is a schematic structural diagram when the swing arm of the present invention is leveled;

[0019] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the vehicle body when the swing arm of the present invention is tilted up;

[0020] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram when the swing arm of the present invention climbs stairs forward;

[0021] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram when the swing arm of the present invention is leveled while climbing stairs;

[0022] Figure 9 Theoretical demonstration diagram of elliptical motion;

[0023] Figure 10 Schematic diagram of the deformation mechanism. Specific implementation manners

[0024] The following uses specific embodiments to illustrate the implementation manners of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the content disclosed in this specification.

[0025] As Figures 1-6 shown, a crawler deformation structure of a crawler vehicle of the present invention includes a chassis module 1 and 2 sets of pulley modules 2. The chassis module 1 and the pulley module 2 are connected by a shock absorption module 3;

[0026] The chassis module 1 mainly includes a battery and an electric control box, which control the operation of the crawler vehicle and provide energy;

[0027] The pulley module 2 includes: a fixing plate 21, 2 motor reducer integrated machines 22, a driving pulley 23, a driven pulley 24, a swing rod pulley 25, a first slider mechanism 26, a second slider mechanism 27, a slider connecting rod 28, a swing rod 29 and a crawler 30.

[0028] The fixing plate 21 is connected to the chassis module 1 through a shock absorption module. One motor reducer integrated machine 22 is fixed on the fixing plate 21. The driving pulley 23 is connected to this motor reducer integrated machine 22. The driven pulley 24 is connected to the fixing plate 21 and can rotate freely; in order to ensure the stability and reliability of the slider mechanism, the first slider mechanism 26 has 2 slide rails 261 horizontally and centrally fixed on the fixing plate 21. The first slider 262 can move freely on the slide rail without coming out; one end of the slider connecting rod 28 is connected to the centroid of the first slider 262 and can rotate freely; the second slider mechanism 27 has 2 slide rails 271 vertically and centrally fixed on the fixing plate 21; the second slider 272 can move freely on the corresponding slide rail 271 without coming out; the second slider 272 is higher than the first slider 262, so that the first slider 262 and the second slider 272 do not interfere when moving at any position; the other end of the slider connecting rod 28 is connected to the centroid of the second slider 272 through a rotating pair and can rotate freely. At the same time, the rotating shaft passes through the second slider 272 and is connected to one end of the swing rod 29 in a fixed connection manner, so that the swing rod 29 and the slider connecting rod 28 move synchronously and are coplanar. Through this mechanism (link double slider mechanism), when the swing rod 29 swings, the outer end trajectory is an ellipse (the demonstration is as follows). The other motor reducer integrated machine 22 is fixed to the other end of the swing rod 29 and is connected to the swing rod pulley 25. The crawler 30 simultaneously surrounds the driving pulley 23, the driven pulley 24 and the swing rod pulley 25. The assembly methods and parts of the 2 sets of pulley modules 2 are exactly the same. The fixing plates are all installed on the chassis module through the shock absorption module 3 and are centrosymmetric after being connected to the chassis module.

[0029] In this embodiment, the shock absorption module includes two guide rods, two springs, and two linear bearings; the upper and lower ends of the guide rods are fixedly connected to the chassis module, and the linear bearings can slide freely on the guide rods without falling off; the springs are installed directly above the linear bearings, and the linear bearings are connected to the pulley module.

[0030] During the normal driving process of the tracked robot: the rotational speed of the swing rod pulley 25 on the left side is the same as that of the driving pulley 23 on the left side, and the rotational speed of the swing rod pulley 25 on the right side is the same as that of the driving pulley 23 on the right side.

[0031] Deformation during the stop process of the tracked robot: the driving pulleys 23 on the left and right do not move, and the swing rod pulleys 25 on the left and right rotate in opposite directions at the same rotational speed.

[0032] Because the track is flexible, through design, the elliptical trajectory formed by the movement of the swing rod 29 in the link double-slider mechanism is the same as the elliptical trajectory formed by the three pulleys constrained by the track 30. The swing rod pulley 25 will move on the internal teeth of the track 30, causing the swing rod 29 to rotate around the rotating shaft, changing the shape of the triangle formed by the track 30, and thus realizing functions such as large-angle uphill climbing of the track 30 and increasing the ground contact length of the track.

[0033] Deformation during the movement process of the tracked robot: If the rotational speed of the driving pulleys 23 on the left and right is ω, and the rotational speed of the swing rod pulley 25 is not equal to ω, a speed difference will be generated, causing the swing rod 29 to rotate around the rotating shaft, changing the shape of the triangle formed by the track 30, and thus realizing functions such as large-angle uphill climbing of the track and increasing the ground contact length of the track 30.

[0034] As Figure 7 shown, when climbing stairs, the swing arm moves forward, making it easier to climb stairs compared to a tracked vehicle without a swing arm, and it can also climb stairs with higher steps.

[0035] As Figure 8 shown, during the process of climbing stairs, laying the swing arm flat can effectively prevent the tracked vehicle from tipping over.

[0036] The theoretical proof of the link double-slider mechanism enabling the swing rod pulley to achieve elliptical motion is as follows:

[0037] As Figure 9 shown, point p moves on the x-axis to simulate the slider mechanism of horizontal motion; point q moves on the y-axis to simulate the slider mechanism of vertical motion; pq is the length of the slider link. Take a point m on pq (including its extension line). If the motion trajectory of m is an ellipse as p and q move, then the motion of the swing rod pulley after the mechanism is designed is also an ellipse.

[0038] Let the coordinates of point p be (x0, 0)

[0039] Let the coordinates of point q be (0, y0).

[0040] Let qm = λpq

[0041] Then pm = (1 - λ)pq

[0042] That is, x m = λx0, y m = (1 - λ)y0

[0043]

[0044] Since opq is a right triangle, it satisfies: x0 2 + y0 2 = pq 2

[0045] That is

[0046] That is

[0047] That is

[0048] This equation satisfies the ellipse equation, so the locus of point m is an ellipse.

[0049] Calculate the parameters of the slider-link mechanism according to the crawler belt perimeter, as follows:

[0050] As Figure 10 shown, the 3 small circles respectively represent the drive pulley, the driven pulley and the swing arm pulley of the deformable crawler vehicle. During design, the radii of the 3 pulleys are all R; the dotted ellipse is the locus of the swing arm pulley during swing arm movement; the drive pulley and the driven pulley are located on the x-axis. At the same time, according to the definition of an ellipse, the two pulleys are at the foci of the ellipse, and the distance is 2c; the major axis of the ellipse is 2a; the minor axis of the ellipse is 2b; S is the perimeter of the crawler belt; n is the movement distance of the slider; pq is the length of the slider link (according to the structural analysis, the movement distance of slider p on the x-axis is the same as the movement distance of slider q on the y-axis, and pq = n); qm(1) is the length of the swing rod. The parameters to be calculated for the slider-link mechanism are 2: the length of the slider link and the length of the swing rod.

[0051] According to the definition of an ellipse and the special positions of the vertical and horizontal swing rods, we can get:

[0052] l = a

[0053] l - n = b

[0054] S = 2a + 2c + 2πR

[0055] c 2 = a 2 - b 2

[0056] The size of the ellipse can be determined according to design requirements, that is, a, b, c are constants, and the above formulas can be combined to obtain:

[0057]

[0058]

[0059]

[0060] Because l>n, so

[0061]

[0062]

[0063] Based on the relationship between l, S and R, the pulley and track can be selected, S and R can be determined, l and n can be calculated, and thus the parameters of the entire structure can be determined.

[0064] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A crawler belt deformation structure of a crawler vehicle, characterized in that, It includes a chassis module and two sets of pulley modules, and the chassis module and the pulley modules are connected through a shock-absorbing module; The chassis module mainly includes a battery and an electric control box, which control the operation of the tracked vehicle and provide energy; The pulley module includes: a fixing plate, two motor reducer integrated machines, a driving pulley, a driven pulley, a swing rod pulley, a first slider mechanism, a second slider mechanism, a slider connecting rod, a swing rod and a track; The fixing plate is connected to the chassis module through the shock-absorbing module. One of the motor reducer integrated machines is fixed on the fixing plate, and the driving pulley is connected to this motor reducer integrated machine; the driven pulley is connected to the fixing plate and can rotate freely; the first slider mechanism has two slide rails horizontally and centrally fixed on the fixing plate, and the first slider moves freely on the corresponding slide rail without coming out; one end of the slider connecting rod is connected to the centroid of the first slider and can rotate freely; the second slider mechanism has two slide rails vertically and centrally fixed on the fixing plate; the second slider moves freely on the corresponding slide rail without coming out; the second slider is higher than the first slider, so that the first slider and the second slider do not interfere when moving in any position; the other end of the slider connecting rod is connected to the centroid of the second slider through a rotating pair and can rotate freely. At the same time, the rotating shaft passes through the second slider and is connected to one end of the swing rod in a fixed connection manner, so that the swing rod and the slider connecting rod move synchronously and are coplanar. Through the connecting rod double-slider mechanism, when the swing rod swings, the trajectory of the outer end is an ellipse; the other motor reducer integrated machine is fixed on the other end of the swing rod and is connected to the swing rod pulley; the track simultaneously surrounds the driving pulley, the driven pulley and the swing rod pulley; the assembly methods and parts of the two sets of pulley modules are exactly the same. The fixing plate is installed on the chassis module through the shock-absorbing module, and after being connected to the chassis module, it is centrosymmetric.

2. The crawler deformation structure of a crawler vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that The shock-absorbing module includes two guide rods, two springs and two linear bearings; the upper and lower ends of the guide rods are fixedly connected to the chassis module, and the linear bearings can slide freely on the guide rods without coming out; the springs are installed directly above the linear bearings, and the linear bearings are connected to the pulley module.

3. A crawler track deformation structure of a crawler vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that, During the normal driving process of the tracked vehicle: the rotational speed of the swing rod pulley on the left is the same as that of the driving pulley on the left, and the rotational speed of the swing rod pulley on the right is the same as that of the driving pulley on the right.

4. A crawler track deformation structure of a crawler vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that, During the stopping process of the tracked vehicle, it deforms: the driving pulleys on the left and right do not move, and the swing rod pulleys on the left and right rotate in opposite directions and at the same rotational speed.

5. A crawler track deformation structure of a crawler vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that, The track is flexible. The connecting rod double-slider mechanism makes the elliptical trajectory when the swing rod moves consistent with the elliptical trajectory formed by the track restricting the three pulleys. The swing rod pulley moves on the internal teeth of the track, so that the swing rod rotates around the rotating shaft, making the triangle formed by the track have different shapes, thus realizing a large-angle uphill of the track and increasing the length of the track in contact with the ground.

6. A crawler belt deformation structure of a crawler vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that, During the movement of the tracked vehicle, deformation occurs: If the rotational speeds of the left and right drive pulleys are , and if the rotational speed of the swing rod pulley is not equal to , a speed difference will be generated, causing the swing rod to rotate around the rotating shaft, resulting in different shapes of the triangle formed by the crawler, thereby enabling the crawler to climb a slope at a large angle and increasing the length of the crawler in contact with the ground.

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