Energy storage robot leg and motion control method thereof

Abstract

The invention relates to an energy storage robot leg and a motion control method thereof, belongs to the technical field of robots, and solves the problem that the whole passive energy storage leg is of an elastic structure and is difficult to control in the prior art. An energy storage robot leg comprises a thigh structure, a shank structure, a foot structure, a leg driving structure, a leg energy storage structure and a leg locking structure. The leg and foot driving structure is arranged between the thigh structure and the shank structure and used for driving the shank structure to rotate relative to the thigh structure; the leg and foot energy storage structure is arranged between the shank structure and the foot structure and used for storing elastic potential energy generated when the foot structure moves relative to the shank structure; the leg and foot locking structure is used for locking or unlocking the leg and foot energy storage structure. Energy storage during jumping of the robot is realized, and meanwhile, the foot structure and the shank structure synchronously move in a walking state, so that the control difficulty can be simplified.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of robot legs and feet, and in particular to an energy storage robot leg and foot and a motion control method thereof. Background Art

[0002] The legs and feet of a quadruped bionic robot serve as the supporting structure of the robot, which has a great influence on the robot's motion posture and motion performance. The existing more mature leg and foot solutions of quadruped robots are mostly two-section leg structures consisting of thighs and calves. Adding energy storage structures to the legs and feet of quadruped robots is a design trend in the current industry, and its purpose is to effectively reduce the output requirements of the joint motors when the robot performs high-explosive movements.

[0003] Energy storage structures are divided into active energy storage and passive energy storage. For active energy storage, the existing technology mainly adds a set of drive units to cooperate with springs, cylinders and other elastic elements to act on the leg structure that needs energy storage. When energy storage is needed, the drive unit pushes the elastic element to compress and store energy, and then releases the elastic potential energy of the elastic element. For passive energy storage, the main design form is to add elastic elements such as springs and cylinders between joints, compress the elastic elements during the movement of the robot, so that the elastic elements store energy, and release energy in the next adjacent action.

[0004] At present, the main disadvantage of the active energy storage structure of quadruped robots is that in order to implement the relevant solutions, an electrical drive unit needs to be added to the corresponding leg structure, which increases the electrical complexity of the robot, increases the weight of the whole machine, and increases the power burden of the robot joint motor. The main disadvantage of the passive energy storage of quadruped robots is that the elastic elements of the legs are always in the process of compression and release during the movement of the robot, making the leg and foot structure of the robot an elastic body, which makes the robot gait control more difficult.

[0005] Therefore, it is necessary to provide an energy storage robot leg that reduces the difficulty of control without increasing electrical drive. Summary of the invention

[0006] In view of the above analysis, the present invention aims to provide an energy storage robot leg and foot and a motion control method thereof, so as to solve the problem that the passive energy storage method of the existing robot legs and feet makes the robot legs and feet difficult to control.

[0007] The purpose of the present invention is mainly achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0008] A leg and foot of an energy storage robot comprises: a thigh structure, a calf structure, a foot structure, a leg and foot driving structure, a leg and foot energy storage structure and a leg and foot locking structure; the leg and foot driving structure is arranged between the thigh structure and the calf structure, and is used to drive the calf structure to rotate relative to the thigh structure; the leg and foot energy storage structure is arranged between the calf structure and the foot structure, and is used to store the elastic potential energy of the foot structure when it moves relative to the calf structure; the leg and foot locking structure is used to lock or unlock the leg and foot energy storage structure.

[0009] Furthermore, the leg and foot driving structure includes: a thigh crank, a thigh connecting rod and a joint motor; the thigh crank is rotatably installed on the upper end of the thigh structure; one end of the thigh connecting rod is hinged to the thigh crank, and the other end is hinged to the calf structure; when the joint motor drives the thigh crank to rotate, the thigh connecting rod drives the calf structure to rotate relative to the thigh structure.

[0010] Furthermore, the thigh structure and the calf structure are hingedly connected via a knee joint pivot.

[0011] Furthermore, the calf structure and the foot structure are hingedly connected via an ankle joint rotation axis.

[0012] Furthermore, the leg-foot energy storage structure includes: an elastic energy storage element, a calf connecting rod and a leg-foot limiting shaft; the elastic energy storage element is arranged between the calf structure and the foot structure, and can store elastic potential energy; one end of the calf connecting rod is rotationally connected to the foot structure, and the other end is slidingly connected to the calf structure through the leg-foot limiting shaft.

[0013] Furthermore, a slide groove is provided on the calf structure; the leg-foot limiting shaft is slidably installed in the slide groove.

[0014] Furthermore, the elastic energy storage element is an energy storage torsion spring arranged between the calf structure and the foot structure.

[0015] Furthermore, the leg-foot locking structure is used to lock or unlock the movement of the leg-foot limiting axis relative to the calf structure.

[0016] Furthermore, when the leg-foot locking structure locks the leg-foot limiting axis, it can limit the sliding of the leg-foot limiting axis along the slide groove, and the calf connecting rod, calf structure and foot structure form a triangular structure, and the foot structure cannot rotate relative to the calf structure.

[0017] A motion control method for the legs and feet of an energy storage robot, wherein the method is used for the motion control of the legs and feet of the energy storage robot.

[0018] Specifically, the motion control method comprises the following steps:

[0019] Step S1: the leg-foot driving structure drives the calf structure to rotate relative to the thigh structure to realize leg-foot walking; when the leg-foot of the energy storage robot is in a walking state, the leg-foot locking structure locks the leg-foot energy storage structure, and the foot structure moves synchronously with the calf structure;

[0020] Step S2: when the robot squats, the leg-foot locking structure unlocks the leg-foot energy storage structure; the foot structure rotates relative to the calf structure, and the elastic energy storage element of the leg-foot energy storage structure stores elastic potential energy;

[0021] Step S3: When the leg-foot driving structure drives the robot to jump, the elastic energy storage element releases elastic potential energy.

[0022] The technical solution of the present invention can achieve at least one of the following effects:

[0023] 1. The legs and feet of the energy storage robot of the present invention adopt a non-electrified mechanical design structure, and the leg and foot energy storage structure is locked by the leg and foot locking structure, which can maintain the rigid body structure of the legs and feet during the normal walking process of the robot, and relatively reduce the difficulty of robot gait control.

[0024] 2. When the joint motor of the energy storage robot leg and foot of the present invention needs to perform a high-explosive jumping action, the elastic energy storage element is compressed and stored in the elastic potential energy through the cooperation of the leg and foot energy storage mechanism, and the elastic potential energy is released when the jumping action is performed, thereby reducing the torque and power required for the joint motor to drive the robot leg and foot to jump, improving the jumping performance of the robot leg and foot, and reducing the driving loss of the joint motor.

[0025] 3. The energy storage robot legs and feet of the present invention do not require the installation of electrical-related devices, so they will not have a negative impact on the total weight of the robot legs and feet and the electrical complexity of the entire robot. When needed, the robot's gravitational potential energy can be converted into the elastic potential energy of the elastic energy storage element to store the energy. In addition, the legs and feet can be rigidly driven as a whole when walking, without increasing the difficulty of controlling the legs and feet as a whole.

[0026] In the present invention, the above-mentioned technical solutions can also be combined with each other to achieve more preferred combination solutions. Other features and advantages of the present invention will be described in the subsequent description, and some advantages can become obvious from the description, or can be understood by practicing the present invention. The purpose and other advantages of the present invention can be realized and obtained through the contents particularly pointed out in the description and the drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] The drawings are only for the purpose of illustrating particular embodiments and are not to be considered limiting of the present invention. Like reference symbols denote like components throughout the drawings.

[0028] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the legs and feet of the energy storage robot of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 2 It is a partial cross-sectional view of the leg and foot of the energy storage robot of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structural composition of the locking structure of the leg and foot of the energy storage robot of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the unlocking and releasing process of the legs and feet of the energy storage robot of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 5 It is an overall schematic diagram of the unlocked state of the legs and feet of the energy storage robot of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 6 It is a partial enlarged view of the unlocked state of the legs and feet of the energy storage robot of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the compressed energy storage state of the legs and feet of the energy storage robot of the present invention.

[0035] Reference numerals:

[0036] 1-thigh structure; 101-thigh crank; 102-thigh connecting rod; 103-knee joint pivot; 1021-pressing block structure; 2-calf structure; 2001-slide; 201-leg and foot locking frame; 2011-semicircular limiting groove; 2012-cross bar structure; 2012-torsion spring limiting structure; 202-locking torsion spring; 203-leg and foot locking frame pivot; 3-foot structure; 301-calf connecting rod; 302-leg and foot limiting axis; 303-ankle joint pivot; 304-energy storage torsion spring. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein the accompanying drawings constitute a part of the present invention and are used together with the embodiments of the present invention to illustrate the principles of the present invention, but are not used to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0038] Example 1

[0039] A specific embodiment of the present invention discloses an energy storage robot leg, such as Figure 1As shown, it includes: a thigh structure 1, a calf structure 2, a foot structure 3, a leg and foot driving structure, a leg and foot energy storage structure and a leg and foot locking structure; the leg and foot driving structure is arranged between the thigh structure 1 and the calf structure 2, and is used to drive the calf structure 2 to rotate relative to the thigh structure 1; the leg and foot energy storage structure is arranged between the calf structure 2 and the foot structure 3, and is used to store the elastic potential energy of the foot structure 3 when it moves relative to the calf structure 2; the leg and foot locking structure is used to lock or unlock the leg and foot energy storage structure.

[0040] Furthermore, the leg and foot driving structure includes: a thigh crank 101, a thigh connecting rod 102 and a joint motor; the thigh crank 101 is rotatably installed on the upper end of the thigh structure 1; one end of the thigh connecting rod 102 is hinged to the thigh crank 101, and the other end is hinged to the calf structure 2; when the joint motor drives the thigh crank 101 to rotate, the thigh connecting rod 102 drives the calf structure 2 to rotate relative to the thigh structure 1.

[0041] In this embodiment, a four-bar linkage is formed between the thigh structure 1, the thigh crank 101, the thigh connecting rod 102 and the calf structure 2. When the joint motor drives the thigh crank 101 to rotate, the thigh crank 101 drives the calf structure 2 to rotate through the thigh connecting rod 102, thereby realizing the swing of the calf structure 2 relative to the thigh structure 1, thereby realizing the walking or jumping function of the robot's legs and feet.

[0042] Furthermore, the thigh structure 1 and the calf structure 2 are hingedly connected via a knee joint shaft 103 .

[0043] Furthermore, the calf structure 2 and the foot structure 3 are hingedly connected via an ankle joint pivot 303 .

[0044] In a specific embodiment of the present invention, it is characterized in that the leg and foot energy storage structure includes: an elastic energy storage element, a calf connecting rod 301 and a leg and foot limiting shaft 302; the elastic energy storage element is arranged between the calf structure 2 and the foot structure 3, and can store elastic potential energy; one end of the calf connecting rod 301 is rotationally connected to the foot structure 3, and the other end is slidingly connected to the calf structure 2 through the leg and foot limiting shaft 302.

[0045] Specifically, the angle between the calf link 301 and the calf structure 2 and the angle between the calf link 301 and the foot structure 3 are both acute angles.

[0046] like Figure 3As shown, the leg-foot limit axis 302 is arranged at the upper end of the calf connecting rod 301 and is arranged perpendicular to the calf connecting rod 301; the leg-foot locking structure realizes the switching of the rigid walking state and the elastic jumping state of the calf structure 2 and the foot structure 3 by locking or releasing the two ends of the leg-foot limit axis 302.

[0047] Furthermore, a slide groove 2001 is provided on the calf structure 2; and the leg-foot limiting shaft 302 is slidably installed in the slide groove 2001.

[0048] Furthermore, the elastic energy storage element is an energy storage torsion spring 304 arranged between the calf structure 2 and the foot structure 3 .

[0049] Specifically, the energy storage torsion spring 304 is mounted on the ankle joint shaft 303, and its two ends are respectively in contact with the calf structure 2 and the foot structure 3; so that the elastic potential energy of the energy storage torsion spring 304 can act on the foot structure 3; when the leg and foot locking structure is unlocked and the robot's legs and feet perform a jumping action, the foot structure 3 rotates relative to the calf structure 2 due to the transfer of the center of gravity during the squatting process, thereby compressing the energy storage torsion spring 304 to store energy; during the jumping process, the foot structure 3 rotates in the opposite direction relative to the calf structure 2, thereby releasing the elastic potential energy inside the energy storage torsion spring 304.

[0050] Furthermore, the leg-foot locking structure is used to lock or unlock the movement of the leg-foot limiting axis 302 relative to the calf structure 2 .

[0051] Furthermore, when the leg-foot locking structure locks the leg-foot limiting axis 302, it can limit the sliding of the leg-foot limiting axis 302 along the slide groove 2001. The calf connecting rod 301, the calf structure 2 and the foot structure 3 form a triangular structure, and the foot structure 3 cannot rotate relative to the calf structure 2.

[0052] like Figure 3 , Figure 4 As shown, in a specific embodiment of the present invention, the leg and foot locking structure includes: a leg and foot locking frame 201 and a locking torsion spring 202. Specifically, the leg and foot locking frame 201 is hingedly mounted on the calf structure 2; the upper end of the leg and foot locking frame 201 is designed with a crossbar structure 2012 that contacts the locking torsion spring 202, and the lower end of the leg and foot locking frame 201 is designed with a semicircular limiting groove 2011; when the semicircular limiting groove 2011 and the leg and foot limiting shaft 302 are engaged with each other, the calf structure 2 and the foot structure 3 are in a locked state, and the two will not rotate relative to each other.

[0053] Specifically, the locking torsion spring 202 is arranged between the calf structure 2 and the leg and foot locking frame 201; the leg and foot locking frame 201 presses the leg and foot limiting shaft 302 under the elastic force of the locking torsion spring 202, so that the leg and foot limiting shaft 302 will not separate from the semicircular limiting groove 2011.

[0054] In this embodiment, when the robot is in walking state, due to the limiting effect of the semicircular limiting groove 2011 on the leg and foot limiting axis 302, the leg and foot limiting axis 302 cannot slide along the slide groove 2001, and the calf connecting rod 301 will not rotate relative to the foot structure 3. At this time, the calf structure 2, the calf connecting rod 301 and the foot structure 3 form a triangular structure. Based on the stability characteristics of the triangle, relative rotation cannot occur between the calf structure 2 and the foot structure 3. The two are combined into a rigid overall synchronous movement, which reduces the difficulty of controlling the overall leg and foot structure.

[0055] Specifically, Figure 3 As shown, the leg and foot locking frame 201 is a U-shaped frame structure; the U-shaped frame structure includes: locking rods arranged in parallel on both sides, and semicircular limiting grooves 2011 are arranged at the ends of the locking rods; the two locking rods are hinged to the calf structure 2, and the two locking rods are connected by a cross bar structure 2012.

[0056] Furthermore, in order to release the limiting effect of the leg and foot locking frame 201 on the leg and foot limiting shaft 302, a pressing block structure 1021 is designed at the end of the thigh connecting rod 102; Figure 2 , Figure 3 Specifically, the pressing block structure 1021 is arranged outside the hinge point between the thigh connecting rod 102 and the calf structure 2; the leg and foot locking frame 201 is hingedly mounted on the calf structure 2 through the leg and foot locking frame rotating shaft 203; Figure 3 shown.

[0057] Specifically, when the thigh structure 1 and the calf structure 2 are rotated to a preset angle, the pressing block structure 1021 contacts the crossbar structure 2012 designed for the leg and foot locking frame 201. That is to say, in this embodiment, when the legs and feet of the energy storage robot are in a walking state, the pressing block structure 1021 does not contact the leg and foot locking frame 201, and the leg and foot locking frame 201 presses the leg and foot limiting shaft 302 to limit it under the elastic force of the locking torsion spring 202. When the legs and feet of the energy storage robot are in a jumping state, the pressing block structure 1021 presses down the leg and foot locking frame 201 to make its end tilt up to release the limit on the leg and foot limiting shaft 302.

[0058] Specifically, Figure 5 , Figure 6As shown, when the calf structure 2 rotates relative to the thigh structure 1 and the angle between the two increases, the pressure block structure 1021 rotates toward the leg and foot locking frame 201, and then the pressure block structure 1021 can press down the cross bar structure 2012 at the upper end of the leg and foot locking frame 201, thereby driving the leg and foot locking frame 201 to rotate outward as a whole, and the semicircular limit groove 2011 gradually moves away from the leg and foot limit shaft 302 so that the two are disengaged, thereby unlocking the leg and foot limit shaft 302.

[0059] Further, when the leg-foot limiting shaft 302 is moved out of the semicircular limiting groove 2011, the leg-foot limiting shaft 302 can slide along the slide groove 2001. When the leg-foot limiting shaft 302 slides along the slide groove 2001, the calf connecting rod 301 is located between the two locking rods of the leg-foot locking frame 201 and can move relative to the leg-foot locking frame 201.

[0060] When the robot performs a jumping action, it first squats. At this time, the foot structure 3 rotates relative to the shank structure 2, and the angle between the two decreases. Then, the energy storage torsion spring 304 between the foot structure 3 and the shank structure 2 is compressed to store elastic potential energy. Figure 7 shown.

[0061] When the robot jumps, the angle between the foot structure 3 and the calf structure 2 increases, and the energy storage torsion spring 304 gradually recovers from the compressed state to the natural state, releasing the elastic potential energy stored inside, thereby achieving a bouncing assist effect.

[0062] Furthermore, if Figure 4 As shown, the leg and foot locking frame 201 is designed with an inclined surface structure with an angle of 150° on one side facing the slide groove 2001; when the energy storage torsion spring 304 releases the elastic potential energy, the foot structure 3 and the calf structure 2 rotate relative to each other, and the leg and foot limiting shaft 302 can slide along the inclined surface structure and gradually slide into the semicircular limiting groove 2011. That is to say, after the jumping action is completed, the leg and foot limiting shaft 302 can be restored to the engaged state with the semicircular limiting groove 2011 under the action of the energy storage torsion spring 304, so as to realize the locking and self-resetting of the leg and foot locking structure to the leg and foot energy storage structure.

[0063] In this embodiment, the leg and foot limit axis 302 is locked by the leg and foot locking structure. At the same time, the stable triangular support formed between the calf structure 2, the leg and foot connecting rod 301 and the foot structure 3 can maintain the rigid walking support effect of the combination of the calf structure 2 and the foot structure 3 of the robot's legs and feet in the walking state.

[0064] During implementation, when the foot structure 3 and the calf structure 2 rotate relative to each other and the energy storage torsion spring 304 switches from a compressed state to a released energy storage state, the leg-foot limit shaft 302 moves downward along the slide groove 2001, and the opening angle between the foot structure 3 and the calf structure 2 increases. The leg-foot limit shaft 302 moves downward in the slide groove 2001 and contacts and squeezes the inner inclined surface structure of the leg-foot locking frame 201, causing the leg-foot locking frame 201 to rotate around the leg-foot locking frame rotating shaft 203, and the leg The foot limit axis 302 is gradually aligned with the semicircular limit groove 2011 and is inserted into the semicircular limit groove 2011; after the leg and foot limit axis 302 is engaged with the semicircular limit groove 2011, the locking torsion spring 202 acts on the cross bar structure 2012 of the leg and foot locking frame 201, so that the semicircular limit groove 2011 and the leg and foot limit axis 302 are not separated, thereby realizing the maintenance of the limiting state of the leg and foot energy storage structure by the leg and foot locking structure when the robot is in a walking state.

[0065] Example 2

[0066] A motion control method for the legs and feet of an energy storage robot, using the legs and feet of the energy storage robot of Example 1; the motion control method comprises the following steps:

[0067] Step S1: the leg-foot driving structure drives the shank structure 2 to rotate relative to the thigh structure 1 to achieve leg-foot walking; when the leg-foot of the energy storage robot is in a walking state, the leg-foot locking structure locks the leg-foot energy storage structure, and the foot structure 3 moves synchronously with the shank structure 2;

[0068] Step S2: When the robot squats, the leg-foot locking structure unlocks the leg-foot energy storage structure; the foot structure 3 rotates relative to the calf structure 2, and the elastic energy storage element of the leg-foot energy storage structure stores elastic potential energy;

[0069] Step S3: When the leg-foot driving structure drives the robot to jump, the elastic energy storage element releases elastic potential energy.

[0070] Specifically, in step S1, the leg-foot driving structure drives the calf structure 2 to move in the following manner:

[0071] Step S101: the joint motor drives the thigh crank 101 to deflect;

[0072] Step S102: while the thigh crank 101 drives the thigh connecting rod 102 to move, the thigh connecting rod 102 simultaneously deflects;

[0073] Step S103 : During the movement of the thigh connecting rod 102 , the calf structure 2 is driven to deflect relative to the thigh structure 1 , and the rotation axes of the two coincide with the axis of the knee joint rotation axis 103 .

[0074] In step S1, when the leg and foot of the energy storage robot are in a walking state, the deflection angle of the thigh connecting rod 102 is small, and the pressing block structure 1021 at the end of the thigh connecting rod 102 reciprocates relative to the shank structure 2 and does not contact the leg and foot locking frame 201. At this time, the leg and foot locking frame 201 is pressed by the elastic force of the locking torsion spring 202, so that the leg and foot locking frame 201 does not rotate, and the semicircular limiting groove 2011 of the leg and foot locking frame 201 is always engaged with the leg and foot limiting shaft 302, thereby maintaining the limiting state of the leg and foot connecting rod 301.

[0075] In the step S1, when the leg-foot connecting rod 301 is in the limited state of the leg-foot locking frame 201, the leg-foot connecting rod 301 does not rotate relative to the calf structure 2 or the foot structure 3, and the leg-foot connecting rod 301, the calf structure 2 and the foot structure 3 form a rigid motion component, thereby simplifying the control strategy in the walking state.

[0076] In step S2, the leg-foot locking structure unlocks the leg-foot energy storage structure in the following manner:

[0077] Step S201: The joint motor drives the thigh crank 101 and the thigh connecting rod 102 to rotate, so that the calf structure 2 rotates relative to the thigh structure 1 and the angle between the two increases, and then the pressing block structure 1021 at the end of the thigh connecting rod 102 rotates toward the leg-foot locking frame 201;

[0078] Step S202: When the pressing block structure 1021 rotates to contact the crossbar structure 2012 at the upper end of the leg-foot locking frame 201, the pressing block structure 1021 continues to rotate to press down the crossbar structure 2012 at the upper end of the leg-foot locking frame 201, thereby driving the opening angle between the leg-foot locking frame 201 and the calf structure 2 to expand; at this time, the locking torsion spring 202 is in a compressed state;

[0079] Step S203: During the process of expanding the opening angle between the leg and foot locking frame 201 and the calf structure 2, the semicircular limiting groove 2011 at the end of the leg and foot locking frame 201 gradually moves away from the slide groove 2001 on the calf structure 2, so that the leg and foot limiting shaft 302 and the leg and foot connecting rod 301 gradually break away from the limiting effect of the semicircular limiting groove 2011, thereby unlocking the leg and foot energy storage structure.

[0080] In step S2, the leg and foot energy storage structure stores elastic potential energy in the following manner:

[0081] Step S211: When the leg-foot limiting shaft 302 is moved out of the semicircular limiting groove 2011, the leg-foot limiting shaft 302 can slide along the slide groove 2001; when the leg-foot limiting shaft 302 slides along the slide groove 2001, the angle between the leg-foot connecting rod 301 and the foot structure 3 is enlarged, and the angle between the leg-foot connecting rod 301 and the calf structure 2 is reduced;

[0082] Step S212: the leg-foot connecting rod 301 drives the foot structure 3 to rotate relative to the calf structure 2, and the angle between the two is reduced;

[0083] Step S213: During the process of reducing the angle between the foot structure 3 and the calf structure 2, the energy storage torsion spring 304 is gradually compressed, so that the energy storage torsion spring 304 can store elastic potential energy.

[0084] In step S3, when the robot is in a jumping state, the energy release assistance method of the leg and foot energy storage structure is: under the elastic force of the energy storage torsion spring 304, the foot structure 3 is pushed to rotate in the direction away from the calf structure 2, and at the same time, the energy storage torsion spring 304 releases elastic potential energy; the elastic potential energy of the energy storage torsion spring 304 pushes the calf structure 2 to rotate in the direction of the thigh structure 1, and at the same time helps the overall center of gravity of the robot to move upward.

[0085] In step S3, while the energy storage torsion spring 304 releases its elastic potential energy, the leg and foot locking structure restores the limit of the leg and foot energy storage structure, and the resetting method is:

[0086] Step S301: When the energy storage torsion spring 304 releases the elastic potential energy, the foot structure 3 and the calf structure 2 rotate relative to each other so that the angle between the two increases, and then the leg-foot connecting rod 301 pulls the leg-foot limiting shaft 302 to slide downward along the sliding groove 2001;

[0087] Step S302: During the downward sliding movement of the leg-foot limiting shaft 302 along the slide groove 2001, the leg-foot limiting shaft 302 simultaneously slides along the inclined surface structure of the leg-foot locking frame 201 and gradually slides into the semicircular limiting groove 2011 at the end of the leg-foot locking frame 201; the leg-foot limiting shaft 302 returns to the engaged state with the semicircular limiting groove 2011, realizing the locking and self-resetting of the leg-foot locking structure to the leg-foot energy storage structure;

[0088] Step S303: After the leg-foot limiting shaft 302 is engaged with the semicircular limiting groove 2011, the elastic force of the locking torsion spring 202 pushes the leg-foot locking frame 201 to press the leg-foot limiting shaft 302, so that the leg-foot limiting shaft 302 cannot be separated from the semicircular limiting groove 2011; thereby ensuring the limiting stability of the leg-foot locking frame 201 on the leg-foot limiting shaft 302 and the leg-foot connecting rod 301.

[0089] That is to say, in this embodiment, when the joint motor drives the robot to perform a jumping action, it needs to overcome the elastic force of the locking torsion spring 202 and the energy storage torsion spring 304; wherein, the joint motor overcomes the elastic force of the locking torsion spring 202 to do work, which is used to unlock the leg-foot limiting axis 302 and the leg-foot connecting rod 301; the joint motor overcomes the elastic force of the energy storage torsion spring 304 to do work to realize the storage of elastic potential energy and enhance the jumping ability; after the robot's jumping action is completed, the leg-foot locking structure restores the limiting effect on the leg-foot energy storage structure, and at the same time, the leg-foot connecting rod 301 of the leg-foot energy storage structure also once again supports and positions the calf structure 2 and the foot structure 3 as a rigid whole.

[0090] Compared with the prior art, the technical solution provided by this embodiment has at least one of the following beneficial effects:

[0091] 1. The energy storage robot legs and feet of the present invention realize energy storage without adding a new motor system, and at the same time enable the robot leg and foot structure to switch between different movement modes in the walking state and the jumping state. In the walking state, the calf structure 2 and the foot structure 3 are relatively still, and the robot legs and feet are in a tiptoe walking state; in the jumping state, the calf structure 2 and the foot structure 3 rotate relatively and the energy storage torsion spring 304 can store energy, and then release energy when jumping to improve the jumping performance, which has little impact on the weight of the entire robot and is lower than the original performance of the robot.

[0092] 2. The legs and feet of the energy storage robot of the present invention, when the legs and feet of the robot are in a locked state, the leg and foot energy storage structure is locked by the leg and foot locking structure, and the calf structure 2 and the foot structure 3 are limited by the leg and foot energy storage structure, so that the two are combined into a rigid whole, which is similar to the leg and foot structure of the currently more common four-legged bionic robot. During the normal movement of the robot, the control method of the ordinary four-legged robot can basically be used, which simplifies the control strategy and reduces the control difficulty.

[0093] 3. The legs and feet of the energy storage robot of the present invention use a mechanical structure to achieve the switching of locking or unlocking actions. The principles of the various components of the mechanical structure are simple, and torsion springs are used as elastic elements for limiting and energy storage. The reliability is high, and the overall structure does not require high-precision matching, thus saving costs.

[0094] The above description is only a preferred specific implementation manner of the present invention, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by any technician familiar with the technical field within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention should be covered within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An energy storage robot leg, characterized in that: include: A thigh structure (1), a calf structure (2), a foot structure (3), a leg and foot driving structure, a leg and foot energy storage structure and a leg and foot locking structure; the leg and foot driving structure is arranged between the thigh structure (1) and the calf structure (2), and is used to drive the calf structure (2) to rotate relative to the thigh structure (1); the leg and foot energy storage structure is arranged between the calf structure (2) and the foot structure (3), and is used to store the elastic potential energy of the foot structure (3) when it moves relative to the calf structure (2); the leg and foot locking structure is used to lock or unlock the leg and foot energy storage structure.

2. The energy storage robot leg according to claim 1, characterized in that: The leg-foot driving structure comprises: a thigh crank (101), a thigh connecting rod (102) and a joint motor; the thigh crank (101) is rotatably mounted on the upper end of the thigh structure (1); one end of the thigh connecting rod (102) is hinged to the thigh crank (101), and the other end is hinged to the calf structure (2); when the joint motor drives the thigh crank (101) to rotate, the thigh connecting rod (102) drives the calf structure (2) to rotate relative to the thigh structure (1).

3. The energy storage robot leg according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The thigh structure (1) and the calf structure (2) are hingedly connected via a knee joint shaft (103).

4. The energy storage robot leg according to claim 3, characterized in that: The calf structure (2) and the foot structure (3) are hingedly connected via an ankle joint shaft (303).

5. The energy storage robot leg according to any one of claims 1-2 and 4, characterized in that: The leg-foot energy storage structure comprises: an elastic energy storage element, a calf connecting rod (301) and a leg-foot limiting shaft (302); the elastic energy storage element is arranged between the calf structure (2) and the foot structure (3) and is capable of storing elastic potential energy; one end of the calf connecting rod (301) is rotationally connected to the foot structure (3), and the other end is slidingly connected to the calf structure (2) via the leg-foot limiting shaft (302).

6. The energy storage robot leg according to claim 5, characterized in that: The calf structure (2) is provided with a slide groove (2001); the leg-foot limiting shaft (302) is slidably installed in the slide groove (2001).

7. The energy storage robot leg according to claim 6, characterized in that: The elastic energy storage element is an energy storage torsion spring (304) arranged between the calf structure (2) and the foot structure (3).

8. The energy storage robot leg according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that: The leg and foot locking structure is used to lock or unlock the movement of the leg and foot limiting axis (302) relative to the calf structure (2).

9. The energy storage robot leg according to claim 8, characterized in that: When the leg-foot locking structure locks the leg-foot limiting shaft (302), it can limit the sliding of the leg-foot limiting shaft (302) along the slide groove (2001); the calf connecting rod (301), the calf structure (2) and the foot structure (3) form a triangular structure; the foot structure (3) cannot rotate relative to the calf structure (2).

10. The motion control method for the legs and feet of an energy storage robot according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The method is used for the motion control of the legs and feet of the energy storage robot.

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