A deformable mobile robot based on the appearance of a pill millipede

Abstract

The present application relates to a kind of based on the deformable mobile robot of form of millipede, including scissor drive component and millipede deformation component, the scissor drive component includes moving piece and scissor support, the millipede deformation component includes shell, rotating piece and support connecting rod;The moving piece connects scissor support, and it is located below scissor support, for robot movement, the rotating piece connects scissor support, and it is located above scissor support, for the telescoping of scissor support, the shell is connected scissor support by support connecting rod, and scissor support drives shell deformation.Compared with prior art, the present application has good functionality and simple structure and the like advantages.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of robot device technology, in particular to a deformable mobile robot based on the appearance of a pill millipede. BACKGROUND

[0002] The deformable mobile robot is a mobile robot that changes structure according to the change of task or surrounding environment, and is also a mobile platform integrating environment perception, dynamic decision and planning, behavior control and execution, etc. Different working environments and working tasks require the robot to have different types of traveling mechanisms to adapt to complex environmental terrain. At present, in the military industry, the use of deformable mobile robots in exploration, observation, target detection, destruction, search and rescue, etc. is rapidly increasing. Due to its fixed form, the traditional mobile robot cannot navigate in multiple types of terrain, and for different environments or different tasks, numerous robots need to be designed, which will cost a lot of economic and time costs. Therefore, the advantages of deformable mobile robots are obvious for various complex conditions.

[0003] Among the mobile robots with various structures, wheeled and legged mobile robots are the two most widely used types of mobile robots. Wheeled mobile robots can move at high speed, high efficiency and stability on flat ground, but have poor complex terrain adaptability and limited obstacle crossing ability. Legged robots can select appropriate footholds according to the terrain and automatically adjust the body center of gravity due to the multi-joint leg structure, greatly improving the complex terrain adaptability of the robot. However, legged robots have low speed and efficiency and high energy consumption on flat ground.

[0004] These two defects to a large extent restrict the further development and application of mobile robots in the field of robots. Therefore, designing a platform that can change its form by reconfiguration will be able to solve the problem of maneuvering in multiple types of terrain. SUMMARY

[0005] The purpose of the present application is to overcome the defects of poor environmental adaptability, high structural complexity and large energy consumption of the prior art and provide a deformable mobile robot based on the appearance of a pill millipede.

[0006] The purpose of the present application can be achieved by the following technical solutions:

[0007] A deformable mobile robot based on the appearance of a pill millipede, comprising a scissor driving part and a pill millipede deformation part, the scissor driving part comprising a moving piece and a scissor support, the pill millipede deformation part comprising a shell, a rotating piece and a support connecting rod.

[0008] The moving part is connected with the scissor support and is located below the scissor support, and is used for robot movement.

[0009] Preferably, the scissor support comprises a plurality of single rods, the single rods are connected to form double rod parts in pairs, and the double rod parts are rotatably connected.

[0010] Preferably, the double rod parts are connected through a mother-daughter rivet, and the two single rods are connected through a bolt.

[0011] Preferably, the moving part comprises a moving support, a moving motor, a coupling and a tire.

[0012] One end of the moving support is connected with the scissor support, the moving motor and the coupling are fixed on the moving support, the moving motor is drivingly connected with the coupling, and the tire is sleeved on both ends of the coupling.

[0013] Preferably, the moving part further comprises an auxiliary moving unit, the auxiliary moving unit comprises a torsion spring support column, a torsion spring, a side column and an auxiliary wheel in sequence.

[0014] The upper end of the torsion spring support column is connected with the scissor support, the lower end of the torsion spring support column is connected with one end of the torsion spring, the other end of the torsion spring is connected with the side column, and the auxiliary wheel is rotatably fixed on the lower end of the side column.

[0015] Preferably, the lower end of the side column is provided with a half tooth bolt, and the auxiliary wheel is sleeved on the half tooth bolt.

[0016] Preferably, the shell comprises a head, a tail and a plurality of intermediate segments, and the head, the tail and the plurality of intermediate segments are rotatably connected with the support connecting rod.

[0017] Preferably, the intermediate segment comprises a beam and a sub-shell, the beam is connected with the sub-shell and is located below the sub-shell, and one end of the beam is rotatably connected with the support connecting rod.

[0018] Preferably, the sub-shell is connected with the beam through a clasp spring.

[0019] Preferably, one end of the beam is rotatably connected with the support connecting rod through a bolt.

[0020] Compared with the prior art, the present application has the following advantages:

[0021] 1、This scheme through the rotating part drive scissor support makes it in the extended state, and through the support link drive shell, make the shell in the unfolded state, moving part with robot forward or backward movement; rotating part drive scissor support in the shortening state, the shell is driven by the scissor support, from the extended state to the state of curling, at this time, the whole shell is tire-like structure, the robot rolls over by its own shape, the whole robot in the state of curling has a certain roundness, can realize passive rolling, and can protect the electronic devices inside the mechanism. The robot can adapt to different road conditions through deformation, move in a more optimal way, autonomously change the driving and motion mode, have a wider range of applications and higher flexibility, and the mass of the robot in this scheme is lighter, the structure is simple and the manufacturing cost is low.

[0022] 2、This scheme uses two driving parts, one is used to drive the robot to move, and the other is used to drive the scissor support to stretch or retract, so as to realize the deformation of the robot. Compared with the traditional deformable mobile robot, the number of driving parts in this scheme is less, the robot control is simple and stable. Without increasing additional complex mechanism, the functions of unfolding and shrinking, advancing and retreating, and passive rolling of the robot are realized by using less driving, so that the mechanism has strong functionality. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 The structure schematic diagram of the robot in the unfolded state is provided for the present application.

[0024] Figure 2 The structure schematic diagram of the robot in the contracted state is provided for the present application.

[0025] Figure 3 The structure schematic diagram of the shell of the robot is provided for the present application.

[0026] In the figure: 1, moving part, 11, moving support, 12, moving motor, 13, coupling, 14, tire, 15, torsional spring, 16, side column, 17, auxiliary wheel, 18, torsional spring support column, 2, scissor support, 21, single rod, 22, double rod, 3, shell, 31, head, 32, middle section, 3201, beam, 3202, sub-shell, 3203, snap spring, 33, tail, 4, rotating part, 5, support link. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] To make the purpose, technical scheme and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the technical scheme in the embodiments of the present application will be described clearly and completely below in combination with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present application, not all the embodiments. The components of the embodiments of the present application described and shown in the drawings here can be arranged and designed in various different configurations.

[0028] Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the invention provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed invention, but merely to illustrate selected embodiments of the invention. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the invention without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of the invention.

[0029] It should be noted that similar labels and letters in the following figures indicate similar items. Therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it does not need to be further defined and explained in subsequent figures.

[0030] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that the terms "center," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, or the orientation or positional relationship in which the product of this invention is usually placed during use. They are only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this invention.

[0031] It should be noted that the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this application, "multiple" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0032] Furthermore, terms such as "horizontal" and "vertical" do not imply that components must be absolutely horizontal or suspended, but rather that they can be slightly tilted. For example, "horizontal" simply means that its direction is more horizontal than "vertical," and does not mean that the structure must be completely horizontal, but can be slightly tilted.

[0033] Example 1

[0034] like Figures 1-2 As shown, this embodiment provides a deformable mobile robot based on the shape of a woodlice, including a scissor drive component and a woodlice deformable component. The scissor drive component includes a moving part 1 and a scissor support 2, and the woodlice deformable component includes a shell 3, a rotating part 4 and a support link 5.

[0035] The movable component 1 is connected to the scissor lift bracket 2 and is located below the scissor lift bracket 2 for robot movement. The rotating component 4 is connected to the scissor lift bracket 2 and is located above the scissor lift bracket 2 for extension and retraction of the scissor lift bracket 2. The outer shell 3 is connected to the scissor lift bracket 2 through the support rod 5, and the scissor lift bracket 2 causes the outer shell 3 to deform.

[0036] Working principle: the rotating member 4 drives the scissors support 2 to be in the stretched state, and drives the outer shell 3 through the support connecting rod 5, so that the outer shell 3 is in the unfolded state, and the moving member 1 moves forward or backward with the robot; the rotating member 4 drives the scissors support 2 to be in the shortened state, and the outer shell 3 is driven by the scissors support 2 to change from the stretched state to the curled state, at this time, the outer shell 3 is in the tire-like structure, and the robot rolls by utilizing the shape of the robot, and the robot in the curled state has a certain roundness, so that passive rolling can be realized, and the electronic devices inside the mechanism can be protected. The robot can adapt to different road conditions through deformation, move in a more optimal way, autonomously change the driving and motion mode, have a wider application range and higher flexibility, and the mass of the robot in the scheme is lighter, the structure is simple, and the manufacturing cost is low.

[0037] The scheme drives the scissors support 2 to be in the stretched state through the rotating member 4, and drives the outer shell 3 through the support connecting rod 5, so that the outer shell 3 is in the unfolded state, and the moving member 1 moves forward or backward with the robot; the rotating member 4 drives the scissors support 2 to be in the shortened state, and the outer shell 3 is driven by the scissors support 2 to change from the stretched state to the curled state, at this time, the outer shell 3 is in the tire-like structure, and the robot rolls by utilizing the shape of the robot, and the robot in the curled state has a certain roundness, so that passive rolling can be realized, and the electronic devices inside the mechanism can be protected. The robot can adapt to different road conditions through deformation, move in a more optimal way, autonomously change the driving and motion mode, have a wider application range and higher flexibility, and the mass of the robot in the scheme is lighter, the structure is simple, and the manufacturing cost is low.

[0038] Specifically, the scissors support 2 includes a plurality of single rods 21, the single rods 21 are connected to form double rod members 22 in groups of two, and the two ends of each double rod member 22 are rotatably connected. The double rod members 22 are connected by sub-mother rivets, and the two single rods 21 are connected by bolts. The structure is simpler, the scissors support 2 is easier to drive to complete deformation through the rotating member 4, and the overall structure is more efficient in deformation and driving.

[0039] In the embodiment, a single-shaft DC speed reduction motor is used as the rotating member, and a double-shaft DC speed reduction motor is used as the moving motor. The length of the support connecting rod 5 at the middle position of the scissors support 2 is greater than that of the support connecting rod 5 at the two end positions of the scissors support 2, and when the scissors support 2 is contracted, the support connecting rod 5 drives the outer shell 3 to curl into a tire-like structure. The middle connecting rod of the single-shaft speed reduction motor is fixed with the speed reduction motor through the rotating member, the end of the motor output shaft is D-shaped, and the middle of the single rod of the scissors mechanism connected with the D-shaped output shaft is also a D-shaped notch, so that the output shaft and the notch of the single rod of the scissors mechanism are in transition fit. When powered, the output shaft rotates to drive the single rod of the scissors mechanism connected with the output shaft to rotate synchronously, so as to achieve the effects of stretching and curling.

[0040] As a preferred embodiment, the moving member 1 includes a moving support 11, a moving motor 12, a shaft coupling 13, and a tire 14.

[0041] One end of the moving support 11 is connected with the scissor support 2, the moving motor 12 and the coupling 13 are fixed on the moving support 11, the moving motor 12 drives the coupling 13, and the tire 14 is sleeved on both ends of the coupling 13.

[0042] The moving part 1 further comprises an auxiliary moving unit, the auxiliary moving unit comprises a torsion spring support column 18, a torsion spring 15, a side column 16 and an auxiliary wheel 17 in sequence;

[0043] The moving motor 12 drives the coupling 13 to rotate, drives the tire 14 to roll, and then drives the robot to move forward or backward, and at the same time, the auxiliary wheel 17 is arranged in front of the robot, so that the robot is more stable during movement.

[0044] Specifically, the upper end of the torsion spring support column 18 is connected with the scissor support 2, the lower end of the torsion spring support column 18 is connected with one end of the torsion spring 15, the other end of the torsion spring 15 is connected with the side column 16, and the auxiliary wheel 17 is rotatably fixed at the lower end of the side column 16. The lower end of the side column 16 is provided with a half-threaded bolt, and the auxiliary wheel 17 is sleeved on the half-threaded bolt.

[0045] The shell 3 comprises a head 31, a tail 33 and a plurality of intermediate segments 32, and the head 31, the tail 33 and the plurality of intermediate segments 32 are all rotatably connected with the support connecting rod 5.

[0046] When the scissor support 2 is contracted, the shell is curled, changes from the unfolded state to the tire-shaped structure, and at this time, the head 31 of the shell 3 exerts force on the auxiliary wheel 17, the torsion spring 15 is tightened, the side column 16 bends inward with the auxiliary wheel 17, and the deformation of the shell 3 is more convenient when the scissor support 2 is contracted.

[0047] More specifically, the intermediate segment 32 comprises a beam 3201 and a sub-shell 3202, the beam 3201 is connected with the sub-shell 3202 and located below the sub-shell 3202, and one end of the beam 3201 is rotatably connected with the support connecting rod 5. The sub-shell 3202 is connected with the beam 3201 through a clasp 3203. One end of the beam 3201 is rotatably connected with the support connecting rod 5 through a bolt.

[0048] The spliced shell design is more in line with the shape of the mole, and when the robot is passively rolled to move, the shell 3 has a certain elasticity due to the connection of the clasp 3203 with the support connecting rod 5, so as to better protect the internal components of the robot.

[0049] In combination with the above preferred mode, the embodiment provides an optimal implementation mode, and the specific structure of the deformable mobile robot is as follows:

[0050] A kind of deformable mobile robot based on the mechanism of millipede, including scissor mechanism driving part and passive deformable millipede structure part, scissor mechanism driving part is connected with passive deformable millipede structure part by connecting rod.The deformable mobile robot presented in the application realizes the function of driving overall structure stretching and shrinking through the expansion and contraction of scissor mechanism.Millipede structure is connected on scissor mechanism by rod, shell is installed on the beam of millipede structure, which guarantees the roundness of overall mechanism in the state of curling and reduces the impact generated when rolling passively.Overall mechanism is driven by two DC motors, single-shaft DC motor is used as a part of rod, which plays a supporting role, and the expansion and contraction of scissor mechanism is driven by the torque of motor.Another double-shaft DC motor is installed below scissor mechanism and is fixed by motor support, and after current driving, it can drive overall mechanism to move forward or backward to reach the desired destination.

[0051] Scissor mechanism driving part includes brass coupling, double-shaft DC motor, tire, auxiliary wheel, double-shaft motor support, side column, torsional spring, torsional spring support column, scissor rod, sub-mother rivet and bolt and nut.

[0052] Two ends of scissor rod are connected by sub-mother rivet, and the middle part is fixed with passive deformable millipede structure part by bolt.Torsional spring support column is connected with scissor mechanism by double-headed stud and is interference fit with torsional spring.Lower torsional spring support column is connected and fixed with side column, and bottom auxiliary wheel is sleeved on half-thread bolt.Double-shaft motor support is connected with scissor mechanism by bolt and nut.Tire is fixed on double-shaft DC motor by brass coupling.

[0053] Passive deformable millipede structure part includes millipede protection shell, head structure, DC motor and DC motor support, beam fitting millipede curve, support connecting rod supporting the whole millipede mechanism, clasp spring and tail structure.The size of support connecting rod has been calculated by MATLAB, and connecting rods are connected by bolt and nut.The connection between beam on the top of structure and connecting rod is carried out by bolt and nut, millipede protection shell is connected on the beam by clasp spring and is fixed by bolt.Head structure and tail structure are connected at the first and last ends of beam and are connected with lower scissor mechanism.

[0054] The deformable mobile robot has the advantages that its stretching and curling process is fitted with the expansion and contraction of millipede, and compared with other deformation mechanisms, the designed mechanism has less driving.The size of beam and rod of the mechanism is fitted by MATLAB, according to three motion curves of millipede movement, the optimal solution is calculated by setting optimization target and constraint condition and is exported to SW software.The whole mechanism has two states, expanded state and curled state.When the mechanism is in initial state, scissor mechanism is in open state, the included angle between scissor rod and overall mechanism is minimum, and at this time, head structure and tail structure are raised.

[0055] When the DC motor in the passive deformable structure of the mouse is rotated, the robot starts to change from the unfolded state to the curled state. The torque of the rotating DC motor promotes the relative rotation of the cross rod, thereby driving the contraction of the scissors mechanism. During the transition from the unfolded state to the curled state, the head structure and the tail structure are retracted inward, and the mouse protective shell is changed accordingly. By controlling the timing of the DC motor, the angle of rotation of the scissors mechanism is controlled, and the desired curled position is reached; when the mechanism is in the curled state, the angle between the scissors rod and the overall mechanism is maximum, at this time the head structure and the tail structure fall down, and the mouse protective shell wraps the overall mechanism into a tire type, which has a high degree of circularity from the side. Therefore, during the passive rolling of the mechanism, the external impact can be greatly offset, thereby protecting the internal electronic devices well. The process of changing from the curled state to the unfolded state is the opposite of the previous one. The DC motor is reversed, and the torque opens the scissors mechanism, thereby driving the overall mechanism to unfold. The mechanism can also move forward and backward through the dual-shaft DC motor. The tire is connected to the dual-shaft DC motor through a brass coupling, and the tire is driven forward or backward by the forward and reverse rotation of the motor. During the movement, the auxiliary wheels in front of the scissors mechanism provide support and assistance.

[0056] As shown in Figure 1 , when the mechanism is in the unfolded state, the head structure and the tail structure are raised upwards, and the scissors mechanism is opened.

[0057] As shown in Figure 2 , the entire mechanism includes a scissors mechanism driving part and a passive deformable mouse structure part, and the scissors mechanism driving part is connected to the passive deformable mouse structure part through a connecting rod. The deformable mobile robot controls the expansion and contraction of the scissors mechanism through a single-shaft DC motor, thereby driving the unfolding and curling of the overall mechanism. The robot moves forward and backward through a dual-shaft DC motor to move to the desired destination. The scissors mechanism driving part includes a brass coupling, a dual-shaft DC motor, a tire, an auxiliary wheel, a dual-shaft motor support, a side column, a torsional spring, a torsional spring support column, a scissors rod, a mother-daughter rivet, and a bolt and nut. The two ends of the scissors rod are connected by a mother-daughter rivet, and the middle is fixed to the passive deformable mouse structure part by a bolt. The torsional spring support column is connected between the torsional spring and the scissors mechanism through a double-headed stud, and is in interference fit with the torsional spring. The lower torsional spring support column is connected and fixed with the side column, and the auxiliary wheel at the bottom end is sleeved on a half-threaded bolt. The dual-shaft motor support is connected to the scissors mechanism by a bolt and nut. The tire is fixed to the dual-shaft DC motor through a brass coupling.

[0058] The overall structure is driven forward and backward by a dual-shaft DC motor, and the movement speed is controlled by PWM to reach the desired destination. The auxiliary wheels in front of the scissors mechanism provide support and assistance during forward and backward movement.Figure 3 As shown in the figure, the connection between the protection shell and the beam fitting the curve of the mouse is shown, and the spring ring is used to make the connection elastic, the spring ring and the protection shell are connected by the full tooth stud, and finally the spring ring is fixed on the beam by the bolt.

[0059] As a specific embodiment, the whole mechanism is realized by an Arduino nano control board and an L298N motor control module, the L298N supports driving two different motors, so that the single-shaft DC speed reducer on the top and the double-shaft DC speed reducer on the bottom can be driven respectively. The whole control process is as follows: an external DC power supply supplies 12V voltage to the L298N module to ensure that the module is powered on and can be used, at the same time, the L298N has a 5V output port, the voltage is supplied to the Arduino nano single-chip microcomputer through the Dupont wire to drive the program burned into the single-chip microcomputer. When the program starts, the single-chip microcomputer controls the two motor output ports of the L298N through the signal line, and the single-shaft DC speed reducer and the double-shaft DC speed reducer are controlled by using PWM.

[0060] The preferred embodiments of the application are described in detail above. It should be understood that those of ordinary skill in the art can make many modifications and changes without creative work based on the concept of the present application. Therefore, any technical solution obtained by logical analysis, reasoning or limited experiment based on the prior art according to the concept of the present application shall be within the protection scope determined by the claims.

Claims

1. A deformable mobile robot based on the appearance of a pill bug, characterized by, The application relates to a robot comprising a scissor driving component and a mole deformation component, wherein the scissor driving component comprises a moving piece (1) and a scissor support (2), and the mole deformation component comprises a shell (3), a rotating piece (4) and a supporting connecting rod (5). The moving piece (1) is connected with the scissor support (2) and is located below the scissor support (2) and is used for robot movement; the rotating piece (4) is connected with the scissor support (2) and is located above the scissor support (2) and is used for scissor support (2) expansion and contraction; the shell (3) is connected with the scissor support (2) through the supporting connecting rod (5), and the scissor support (2) drives the shell (3) to deform. The scissor support (2) comprises a plurality of single rods (21), the single rods (21) are connected in pairs to form double rod pieces (22), and the two ends of each double rod piece (22) are rotatably connected. The double rod pieces (22) are connected through a mother-daughter rivet, and the two single rods (21) are connected through a bolt. The rotating piece (4) is a speed reducer motor, the end of the output shaft of the speed reducer motor is D-shaped, the middle of the single rod of the scissor mechanism connected with the speed reducer motor is D-shaped, the output shaft and the slot of the single rod of the scissor mechanism are transitionally matched, when power is supplied, the output shaft rotates, and the connected single rod of the scissor mechanism rotates synchronously. The shell (3) comprises a head (31), a tail (33) and a plurality of middle sections (32), and the head (31), the tail (33) and the plurality of middle sections (32) are rotatably connected with the supporting connecting rod (5). The middle section (32) comprises a beam (3201) and a sub-shell (3202), the beam (3201) is connected with the sub-shell (3202) and is located below the sub-shell (3202), and one end of the beam (3201) is rotatably connected with the supporting connecting rod (5). The sub-shell (3202) is connected with the beam (3201) through a clasp (3203). One end of the beam (3201) is rotatably connected with the supporting connecting rod (5) through a bolt.

2. The geophilic robot of claim 1, wherein, The moving piece (1) comprises a moving support (11), a moving motor (12), a shaft coupling (13) and a tire (14). One end of the moving support (11) is connected with the scissor support (2), the moving motor (12) and the shaft coupling (13) are fixed on the moving support (11), the moving motor (12) is connected with the shaft coupling (13), and the tire (14) is sleeved on the two ends of the shaft coupling (13).

3. The geophilic robot of claim 2, wherein, The moving piece (1) further comprises an auxiliary moving unit, the auxiliary moving unit comprises a torsion spring support column (18), a torsion spring (15), a side column (16) and an auxiliary wheel (17) in sequence. The torsion spring support column (18) is connected with the scissor support (2) at the upper end and is connected with one end of the torsion spring (15) at the lower end, the other end of the torsion spring (15) is connected with the side column (16), and the auxiliary wheel (17) is rotatably fixed at the lower end of the side column (16).

4. The gecko-inspired transformable locomotive robot according to claim 3, wherein, The lower end of the side column (16) is provided with a half-threaded bolt, and the auxiliary wheel (17) is sleeved on the half-threaded bolt.

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