An underwater robot joint
By employing orthogonal motors, torque sensors, and rubber bellows structures in the joints of underwater robots, combined with vulcanized sealant, efficient force and motion control is achieved. This solves the adaptability and reliability issues of traditional joints in complex environments, and improves the operational accuracy and stability of underwater robots.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202410335554.0
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-03-22
- Publication Date
- 2026-08-25
- Estimated Expiration
- 2044-03-22
AI Technical Summary
Traditional multi-joint underwater robots have shortcomings in joint design regarding adaptability to complex terrain and operational precision, and lack a high-level integrated system to achieve efficient force and motion control. They also lack reliability in harsh underwater environments.
An underwater robot joint was designed, which uses orthogonally mounted motors and torque sensors, combined with rubber bellows and inner and outer ring structures, to integrate sensors and control circuit boards, and is sealed with vulcanized rubber or epoxy resin to achieve precise power measurement and control.
It improves the flexibility and controllability of underwater robots, enhances their adaptability and mobility in complex environments, and ensures structural stability and waterproofing.
Smart Images

Figure CN118124764B_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to the field of robotics, and in particular to an underwater robot joint. Background Technology
[0002] Jointed underwater robots play a crucial role in marine exploration, underwater construction, and inspection tasks due to their excellent maneuverability and flexibility. However, the joint designs of traditional jointed underwater robots are often limited by simple structures, resulting in limitations in adaptability and operational accuracy in specific scenarios, such as complex terrain. While existing joints are effective in simplifying force transmission and providing structural stability, they are insufficient in their response to and adaptability to complex dynamic environments.
[0003] Furthermore, the joints of multi-joint robots typically require a higher level of integration to achieve efficient force and motion control while maintaining reliability in harsh underwater environments. Against this backdrop, there is an urgent need for a novel joint design that can provide highly integrated control and enhanced environmental adaptability to overcome the limitations of existing technologies and improve the robot's motion performance. Summary of the Invention
[0004] The purpose of this invention is to address the aforementioned problems by providing an underwater robot joint. As part of a multi-joint underwater robot system, it not only retains the traditional advantages of rigid joints but also significantly improves joint flexibility and control capabilities through the integration of advanced sensors and control systems. This innovative joint design aims to enhance the performance of the entire robot system in complex underwater environments, particularly in terms of precision operation and environmental adaptability, thereby meeting the challenges of future marine operations.
[0005] The objective of this invention is achieved through the following technical solution:
[0006] The purpose of this invention is to provide an underwater robot joint, comprising: a joint circuit sealing cover, a joint housing, a joint arm, a joint motor, a servo motor central connecting plate, an arm connecting rod, a bellows assembly, a control assembly, and a float assembly; the joint circuit sealing cover is connected to the joint housing; two joint motors are provided and orthogonally mounted inside the underwater robot joint; the joint arm connects the joint motors and the bellows assembly; the servo motor central connecting plate connects the two joint motors; the arm connecting rod is connected to the joint arm; the bellows assembly is connected to the joint housing to seal and protect internal components from seawater corrosion; the float assembly provides buoyancy for the underwater robot joint; and the control assembly controls the movement of the underwater robot joint.
[0007] Furthermore, a watertight connector is installed on the inner side of the joint housing; six wiring holes are opened on the joint circuit sealing cover for installing the watertight connector; and an opening is provided on the inner side of the joint housing for installing the watertight connector.
[0008] Furthermore, the float assembly includes an external float for the joint, an internal end-side float for the joint, and an internal center float for the joint; the external float for the joint is connected to the joint housing and is used to provide buoyancy and protect the joint housing; the internal end-side float for the joint is installed at the end inside the underwater robot joint and is used to provide buoyancy and protect the watertight connectors installed in the two joint housings; the internal center float for the joint is installed outside the joint motor and is used to provide buoyancy and protect the joint motor.
[0009] Furthermore, the bellows assembly includes a rubber bellows, an outer joint ring, and an inner joint ring; the rubber bellows is fitted with the inner joint ring; the outer joint ring is sleeved on the outer side of the end of the rubber bellows; the outer end face of the outer joint ring is flush with the outer end faces of the two inner joint rings; and the inner joint ring is fitted with the joint housing.
[0010] Furthermore, the outer and inner joint rings are connected by adhesive. The specific connection method is as follows: while keeping the relative positions of the rubber bellows, the outer joint ring, and the inner joint ring fixed, seawater vulcanized adhesive or seawater epoxy resin adhesive is poured into the gap between the outer and inner joint rings, and then left to cure.
[0011] Optionally, the adhesive is a vulcanized adhesive for seawater or an epoxy resin adhesive for seawater.
[0012] Furthermore, the control component includes a joint control circuit board and a torque sensor; the joint control circuit board is installed inside the joint housing; the torque sensor is installed at the connection between the joint motor and the joint arm, and is used to measure the torque and transmit the torque signal to the two joint control circuit boards respectively.
[0013] Furthermore, the joint control circuit board includes a controller circuit, a sensor acquisition circuit, an interface conversion circuit, and corresponding peripheral control circuits.
[0014] Furthermore, the joint control circuit board is equipped with a voltage sensor, a current sensor, and a 6-axis attitude sensor.
[0015] Furthermore, the control process of the underwater robot joints is as follows:
[0016] Step 1: After receiving the instruction from the host computer, the joint control circuit board controls the power supply to the joint motor;
[0017] Step 2: Execute the joint motor self-test program;
[0018] Step 3: Determine if the joint motor is faulty. If not, proceed to step 4; if yes, proceed to step 9.
[0019] Step 4: The joint control circuit board begins to receive joint control commands from the host computer;
[0020] Step 5: The joint control circuit board acquires data from the torque sensor, voltage sensor, current sensor, and 6-axis attitude sensor;
[0021] Step 6: Determine whether the joint motor is malfunctioning based on the data from various sensors. If not, continue; if yes, proceed to step 9.
[0022] Step 7: The joint control circuit board outputs control signals to the joint motor;
[0023] Step 8: The joint control circuit board reports the status information of the joint motor and proceeds to step 4;
[0024] Step 9: Disconnect the power supply to the joint motor from the joint control circuit board;
[0025] Step 10: The joint control circuit board reports the fault code of the joint motor.
[0026] Furthermore, the underwater robot joint is an underwater eel-shaped robot joint.
[0027] Furthermore, the underwater robot joint includes:
[0028] Two joint circuit sealing covers, two joint housings, two external joint floats, one rubber bellows, two joint control circuit boards, four internal end floats, four joint shaft arms, two internal center floats, two joint motors, two torque sensors, one servo motor center connecting plate, four shaft arm connecting rods, two external joint rings, and two internal joint rings.
[0029] Furthermore, the two joint circuit sealing covers are located at both ends of the entire joint and are installed in conjunction with the two joint housings using an axial sealing method. Each joint circuit sealing cover has six wiring holes for installing watertight connectors.
[0030] Furthermore, the two joint chambers are located at both ends of the entire joint, and their inner sides have openings for installing watertight connectors, mainly for withstanding seawater pressure and protecting the components inside the chambers.
[0031] Furthermore, the two external floats are located at both ends of the entire joint and are installed in the two joint chambers respectively. They are mainly used to provide buoyancy and protect the two joint chambers.
[0032] Furthermore, the rubber bellows is located on the outer side of the entire joint, with small holes at both ends that mate with the two inner rings of the joint, mainly used to seal and protect the internal components from seawater corrosion.
[0033] Furthermore, the two joint control circuit boards are respectively installed inside the two joint housings, each carrying an onboard voltage sensor, a current sensor, and a 6-axis attitude sensor. The voltage sensor measures the power supply voltage of the joint motor 9, the current sensor measures the power supply current of the joint motor 9, and the 6-axis attitude sensor measures the attitude of its respective joint control circuit board 5 relative to the Earth's coordinate system. The functions of the joint control circuit board 5 include: first, acquiring signals from each sensor and uploading them to the host computer via the CAN bus; second, receiving instructions from the host computer on the CAN bus and converting the instructions into specific control signals for the joint motor 9; and third, providing an interface for uplink and downlink power supply and CAN communication via this circuit board.
[0034] Furthermore, the four internal end floats of the joint are symmetrically installed at both ends of the entire joint, mainly to provide buoyancy and protect the watertight connectors installed in the two joint chambers.
[0035] Furthermore, the four articulated arms are symmetrically installed in pairs inside the entire joint. Two articulated arms are used to connect the output shafts of the two joint motors to the two inner rings of the joint, respectively, and the other two articulated arms are used to connect the virtual shafts of the two joint motors to the two inner rings of the joint, respectively. The articulated arms 7 are fixed to the output shafts and virtual shafts of the joint motors 9 by bolts, and the articulated arms 7 are fixed to the inner rings 14 by a combination of clips and bolts.
[0036] Furthermore, the two internal central floats of the joints are respectively installed on the outside of the two joint motors, mainly to provide buoyancy and protect the two joint motors.
[0037] Furthermore, the two joint motors are orthogonally mounted inside the joint, primarily used to provide power for joint bending. Each motor includes one output shaft and one virtual shaft. The output shaft is located on one side of the joint motor 9 and is used for power output from the joint motor 9. The virtual shaft is on the other side of the joint motor 9 and located on the perpendicular bisector of the output shaft, enabling the joint motor 9 to stably output rotational motion along the perpendicular bisector of the output shaft.
[0038] Furthermore, the two torque sensors are respectively installed at the connection between the output shafts of the two joint motors and the corresponding joint shaft arms, mainly used to measure torque and transmit the torque signals to the two joint control circuit boards respectively.
[0039] Furthermore, the aforementioned servo motor center connecting plate is installed at the center of the entire joint, mainly for connecting the two joint motors.
[0040] Furthermore, the four connecting rods are located on the inner side of the four joint arms in pairs, mainly used to connect the two joint arms in pairs to improve the stability of the output torque of the two joint motors.
[0041] Furthermore, the two joint outer rings are located on the outer sides of both ends of the rubber bellows, and are mainly used to fix the rubber bellows.
[0042] Furthermore, the two inner joint rings are located on the inner sides of both ends of the rubber bellows, and are mainly used to fix the rubber bellows and cooperate with the two joint chambers for installation.
[0043] Furthermore, the process of installing one rubber bellows, two outer joint rings, and two inner joint rings is as follows: First, install the rubber bellows with the two inner joint rings, ensuring that the small holes at both ends of the rubber bellows correspond one-to-one with the external protrusions of the two inner joint rings. Then, slip the two outer joint rings over the outer ends of the rubber bellows, ensuring that the outer end faces of the two outer joint rings are flush with the outer end faces of the two inner joint rings. While keeping the relative positions of the rubber bellows, the two outer joint rings, and the two inner joint rings fixed, pour seawater-based vulcanizing adhesive into the gaps between the two outer joint rings and the two inner joint rings, and allow it to cure.
[0044] Alternatively, seawater-based epoxy resin glue can be injected into the gaps between the two outer joint rings and the two inner joint rings.
[0045] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are reflected in the following aspects:
[0046] 1) The underwater robot joint proposed in this invention has a simple structure and adopts a joint motor direct drive scheme, which can have high reliability and driving efficiency.
[0047] 2) The present invention proposes an underwater robot joint in which two orthogonally mounted motors and torque sensors provide precise power and measurement, rubber bellows enhance external flexibility, and inner and outer ring structures ensure stability.
[0048] 3) The underwater robot joint proposed in this invention uses vulcanized glue or epoxy resin potting to seal it, which has better waterproof performance.
[0049] 4) The underwater robot joint proposed in this invention has a built-in torque sensor, voltage sensor, current sensor and 6-axis attitude sensor. Combined with the control program, it can achieve better control accuracy and response speed. Attached Figure Description
[0050] Figure 1This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the underwater robot joint in its extended state according to the present invention.
[0051] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the underwater robot joint in a bent state according to the present invention.
[0052] Figure 3 This is a front view of the underwater robot joint in a bent state according to the present invention.
[0053] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the reverse structure of the underwater robot joint in a bent state according to the present invention.
[0054] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating the control process of the underwater robot joint in a bent state according to the present invention.
[0055] In the picture:
[0056] 1. Joint circuit sealing cover; 2. Joint housing; 3. External float of the joint; 4. Rubber bellows; 5. Joint control circuit board; 6. Internal end float of the joint; 7. Joint shaft arm; 8. Internal center float of the joint; 9. Joint motor; 10. Torque sensor; 11. Servo center connecting plate; 12. Shaft arm connecting rod; 13. External ring of the joint; 14. Internal ring of the joint. Detailed Implementation
[0057] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to specific embodiments and accompanying drawings, but this is by no means a limitation thereof. Any preparation methods, materials, structures, or compositional ratios not explicitly described in this technical solution are considered common technical features disclosed in the prior art.
[0058] In the accompanying drawings, components with the same structure are indicated by the same numerical designation, and components with similar structures or functions are indicated by similar numerical designations. The dimensions and thicknesses of each component shown in the drawings are arbitrary, and the present invention does not limit the dimensions and thicknesses of each component. To make the illustrations clearer and show the mating relationships between the components, some parts in the drawings have been appropriately scaled down, and the distances between the components have been increased or decreased.
[0059] In the description of the embodiments of this application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner", "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 commonly placed when the product of this application is used, or the orientation or positional relationship commonly understood by those skilled in the art. They are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the device or component 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 application.
[0060] In the description of the embodiments of this application, it should also be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "set," "install," "connect," and "link" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.
[0061] The underwater robot joint comprises a sealed cover, a cabin, an external float, a rubber bellows, a control circuit board, internal end floats, an arm, a central float, motors, torque sensors, and connecting plates. Two orthogonally mounted motors and torque sensors provide precise power and measurement, while the rubber bellows enhance external flexibility, and the inner and outer ring structure ensures stability. Integrated sensors and circuit boards achieve efficient joint motion control through a refined control process. The design uses vulcanized rubber or epoxy resin sealing to improve waterproofing, and built-in sensors and control programs ensure control accuracy and response speed. This joint design significantly improves the mobility and precise control of underwater multi-jointed robots in marine exploration, underwater construction, and inspection tasks.
[0062] Example
[0063] This embodiment provides an underwater robot joint, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, an embodiment is described, illustrating an underwater robot joint in both a straightened and a bent configuration. Figure 3 and Figure 4 The figures shown are schematic diagrams of the front and back structures of the underwater robot joint. The underwater robot joint includes 2 joint circuit sealing covers 1, 2 joint chambers 2, 2 external joint floats 3, 1 rubber bellows 4, 2 joint control circuit boards 5, 4 internal end floats 6, 4 joint shafts 7, 2 internal central floats 8, 2 joint motors 9, 2 torque sensors 10, 1 servo motor central connecting plate 11, 4 shaft connecting rods 12, 2 external joint rings 13, and 2 internal joint rings 14.
[0064] The two joint circuit sealing covers 1 are located at both ends of the entire joint and are installed in conjunction with the two joint housings 2 using an axial sealing method. The joint circuit sealing cover 1 has six wiring holes for installing watertight connectors.
[0065] The two joint chambers 2 are located at both ends of the entire joint. They have openings on their inner sides for installing watertight connectors, mainly for withstanding seawater pressure and protecting the components inside the chambers.
[0066] The two external floats 3 are located at both ends of the entire joint and are installed in the two joint chambers 2 respectively. They are mainly used to provide buoyancy and protect the two joint chambers 2.
[0067] The rubber bellows 4 is located on the outside of the entire joint, with small holes at both ends that fit with the two inner rings 14 of the joint. It is mainly used to seal and protect the internal components from seawater corrosion.
[0068] The two joint control circuit boards 5 are respectively installed inside the two joint housings 2. Each board carries multiple chip-level MEMS sensors, including one voltage sensor, one current sensor, and one 6-axis attitude sensor. The voltage sensor measures the power supply voltage of the joint motor 9, the current sensor measures the power supply current of the joint motor 9, and the 6-axis attitude sensor measures the attitude of its respective joint control circuit board 5 relative to the Earth's coordinate system. The functions of the joint control circuit board 5 include: first, acquiring signals from each sensor and uploading them to the host computer via the CAN bus; second, receiving instructions from the host computer on the CAN bus and converting these instructions into specific control signals for the joint motor 9; and third, providing an interface for uplink and downlink power supply and CAN communication via this circuit board.
[0069] The four internal end floats 6 are symmetrically installed in pairs at both ends of the entire joint, mainly to provide buoyancy and protect the watertight connectors installed in the two joint chambers 2. The watertight connectors are conventional or commercially available watertight connectors.
[0070] The four articulated arms 7 are symmetrically installed in pairs inside the joint. Two articulated arms 7 are used to connect the output shafts of the two articulated motors 9 to the two inner rings 14, respectively. The other two articulated arms 7 are used to connect the virtual shafts of the two articulated motors 9 to the two inner rings 14, respectively. The articulated arms 7 are fixed to the output shafts and virtual shafts of the articulated motors 9 by bolts, and the articulated arms 7 are fixed to the inner rings 14 by a combination of clips and bolts.
[0071] The two internal central floats 8 of the joints are respectively installed on the outside of the two joint motors 9, mainly to provide buoyancy and protect the two joint motors 9.
[0072] The two joint motors 9 are orthogonally mounted inside the joint and are mainly used to provide power for joint bending. Each motor includes one output shaft and one virtual shaft. The output shaft is located on one side of the joint motor 9 and is used for power output. The virtual shaft is on the other side of the joint motor 9 and is located on the perpendicular bisector of the output shaft, enabling the joint motor 9 to stably output rotational motion along the perpendicular bisector of the output shaft.
[0073] The two torque sensors 10 are respectively installed at the connection between the output shaft of the two joint motors 9 and the corresponding joint shaft arm 7. They are mainly used to measure torque and transmit the torque signal to the two joint control circuit boards 5 respectively.
[0074] The aforementioned servo motor center connecting plate 11 is installed at the center of the entire joint and is mainly used to connect the two joint motors 9.
[0075] The four connecting rods 12 are located on the inner side of the four joint arms 7 in pairs, and are mainly used to connect the two joint arms 7 in pairs to improve the stability of the output torque of the two joint motors 9.
[0076] The two joint outer rings 13 are located on the outer sides of both ends of the rubber bellows 4, and are mainly used to fix the rubber bellows 4.
[0077] The two joint inner rings 14 are located on the inner sides of both ends of the rubber bellows 4, and are mainly used to fix the rubber bellows 4 and to cooperate with the two joint chambers 2 respectively.
[0078] The following process is involved in installing one rubber bellows 4, two outer joint rings 13, and two inner joint rings 14:
[0079] First, install one rubber bellows 4 with two joint inner rings 14, so that the small holes at both ends of the rubber bellows 4 correspond one-to-one with the external protrusions of the two joint inner rings 14.
[0080] Then, the two outer joint rings 13 are fitted onto the outer sides of both ends of the rubber bellows 4, so that the outer end faces of the two outer joint rings 13 are flush with the outer end faces of the two inner joint rings 14.
[0081] While keeping the relative positions of the rubber bellows 4, the two outer joint rings 13 and the two inner joint rings 14 fixed, seawater vulcanized adhesive is poured into the gaps between the two outer joint rings 13 and the two inner joint rings 14, and then left to cure.
[0082] Alternatively, seawater-based epoxy resin glue can be injected into the gaps between the two outer joint rings 13 and the two inner joint rings 14.
[0083] like Figure 5 As shown, the control process of the underwater robot's joints is introduced:
[0084] Step 1: After receiving the instruction from the host computer, the joint control circuit board 5 controls the power supply to the joint motor 9;
[0085] Step 2: Execute the joint motor 9 self-test program;
[0086] Step 3: Determine if the joint motor 9 is faulty. If it is not faulty, proceed to step 4; if it is faulty, proceed to step 9.
[0087] Step 4: The joint control circuit board 5 begins to receive joint control commands from the host computer;
[0088] Step 5: The joint control circuit board 5 acquires data from the torque sensor, voltage sensor, current sensor, and 6-axis attitude sensor;
[0089] Step 6: Determine whether the joint motor 9 has malfunctioned based on the data from various sensors. If no malfunction has occurred, continue execution; if a malfunction has occurred, proceed to step 9.
[0090] Step 7: The joint control circuit board 5 outputs the control signal for the joint motor 9;
[0091] Step 8: The joint control circuit board 5 reports the status information of the joint motor 9, and proceeds to step 4;
[0092] Step 9: Disconnect the power supply to the joint motor 9 from the joint control circuit board 5;
[0093] Step 10: The joint control circuit board 5 reports a fault code for the joint motor 9.
[0094] The working method of the above-mentioned underwater robot joints includes the following steps:
[0095] The host computer sends control commands to the CAN bus. After receiving the commands, the joint control circuit board 5 decodes them into specific control signals and sends them to the joint motor 9. After receiving the control signals, the joint motor 9 outputs rotational power through the output shaft. The rotation of the output shaft will drive the joint shaft arm 7 connecting the inner ring 14 of the joint and the output shaft to rotate, which ultimately manifests as the bending of the entire joint.
[0096] The above description of the embodiments is provided to enable those skilled in the art to understand and use the invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made to these embodiments, and the general principles described herein can be applied to other embodiments without inventive effort. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and any improvements and modifications made by those skilled in the art based on the disclosure of the present invention without departing from the scope of the invention should be within the protection scope of the present invention.
Claims
1. An underwater robot joint, characterized in that, The underwater robot joints include: Joint circuit sealing cover (1), joint housing (2), joint shaft arm (7), joint motor (9), servo motor center connecting plate (11), shaft arm connecting rod (12), bellows assembly, control assembly, float assembly; The joint circuit sealing cover (1) is connected to the joint housing (2); Two joint motors (9) are provided, and the two joint motors (9) are orthogonally installed inside the joint of the underwater robot; The articulated arm (7) connects the articulated motor (9) and the bellows assembly; the servo motor center connecting plate (11) connects two articulated motors (9); the arm connecting rod (12) is connected to the articulated arm (7); The bellows assembly is connected to the joint chamber (2) to seal and protect the internal components from seawater corrosion; The floating body assembly is used to provide buoyancy for the joints of the underwater robot; The control component is used to control the joint movement of the underwater robot.
2. The underwater robot joint according to claim 1, characterized in that, A watertight connector is installed on the inner side of the joint housing (2); The joint circuit sealing cover (1) has a wiring hole for installing a watertight connector; The joint housing (2) has an opening on its inner side for installing a watertight connector.
3. The underwater robot joint according to claim 2, characterized in that, The float assembly includes an external float (3), an internal end float (6), and an internal center float (8). The external float (3) of the joint is connected to the joint housing (2) to provide buoyancy and protect the joint housing (2); The internal end float (6) of the joint is installed at the end inside the joint of the underwater robot to provide buoyancy and protect the watertight connectors installed in the two joint chambers (2). The central float (8) inside the joint is installed outside the joint motor (9) to provide buoyancy and protect the joint motor (9).
4. The underwater robot joint according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bellows assembly includes a rubber bellows (4), an outer joint ring (13), and an inner joint ring (14); The rubber bellows (4) is installed in conjunction with the inner ring (14) of the joint; The joint outer ring (13) is fitted around the outside of the end of the rubber bellows (4); The outer end face of the external joint ring (13) is flush with the outer end faces of the two internal joint rings (14); The inner ring (14) of the joint is installed in conjunction with the joint housing (2).
5. The underwater robot joint according to claim 4, characterized in that, The outer joint ring (13) and the inner joint ring (14) are connected by glue; The adhesive is a vulcanized adhesive for seawater or an epoxy resin adhesive for seawater.
6. The underwater robot joint according to claim 1, characterized in that, The underwater robot joints include: Two joint circuit sealing covers (1), two joint housings (2), four joint shaft arms (7), two joint motors (9), one servo motor center connecting plate (11), and four shaft arm connecting rods (12); Two joint circuit sealing covers (1) are located at both ends of the entire joint; Two joint chambers (2) are located at both ends of the entire joint.
7. The underwater robot joint according to claim 5, characterized in that, Four articulated arms (7) are symmetrically installed in pairs inside the entire joint. Two articulated arms (7) are used to connect the output shafts of two articulated motors (9) to two articulated inner rings (14), and the other two articulated arms (7) are used to connect the virtual shafts of two articulated motors (9) to two articulated inner rings (14). Two joint motors (9) are orthogonally mounted inside the joint to provide power for joint bending; the joint motors (9) include an output shaft and a virtual shaft; A servo center connection plate (11) is installed at the center of the entire joint to connect two joint motors (9); The four connecting rods (12) are located on the inner side of the four joint arms (7) in pairs, and are used to connect the two joint arms (7) in pairs to improve the stability of the output torque of the two joint motors (9).
8. The underwater robot joint according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control components include a joint control circuit board (5) and a torque sensor (10); The joint control circuit board (5) is installed inside the joint housing (2); The torque sensor (10) is installed at the connection between the joint motor (9) and the joint arm (7) to measure the torque and transmit the torque signal to the two joint control circuit boards (5).
9. The underwater robot joint according to claim 8, characterized in that, The joint control circuit board (5) has onboard voltage sensors, current sensors and a 6-axis attitude sensor.
10. An underwater robot joint according to claim 9, characterized in that, The control process for the underwater robot's joints is as follows: Step 1: After receiving the instruction from the host computer, the joint control circuit board (5) controls the power supply to turn on the joint motor (9); Step 2: Execute the joint motor (9) self-test procedure; Step 3: Determine if the joint motor (9) is faulty. If not, proceed to step 4; if yes, proceed to step 9. Step 4: The joint control circuit board (5) begins to receive joint control commands from the host computer; Step 5: The joint control circuit board (5) collects data from the torque sensor, voltage sensor, current sensor and 6-axis attitude sensor; Step 6: Determine whether the joint motor (9) has malfunctioned based on the data from various sensors. If not, continue execution; if yes, execute step 9. Step 7: The joint control circuit board (5) outputs control signals to the joint motor (9); Step 8: The joint control circuit board (5) reports the status information of the joint motor (9) and executes step 4; Step 9: Disconnect the power supply to the joint motor (9) from the joint control circuit board (5); Step 10: The joint control circuit board (5) reports the fault code of the joint motor (9).
Citation Information
Patent Citations
Snake-eel-shaped light-operation modularized underwater autonomous operation and maintenance robot
CN113184148A
Underwater robot joint servo motor
CN220492761U