Deformable soft spoked wheel with three states and wheel leg robot

Abstract

The invention discloses a deformable soft spoked wheel with three states and a wheel leg robot, and relates to the technical field of robots. The device comprises a rack, a rotating shaft is rotationally connected to the rack, the interior of the rotating shaft is hollow, a pneumatic sliding ring is installed at one end of the rotating shaft, an air supply unit is connected to the pneumatic sliding ring, and the air supply unit is fixed to the rack; the end, away from the air supply unit, of the rotating shaft is fixedly connected with a connecting piece, and the interior of the connecting piece is hollow. The deformable spoked wheel provided by the invention has a small wheel mode, a large wheel mode and a leg mode, the maneuverability of a robot is improved by applying the large wheel mode on a flat ground, various obstacles are overcome by applying the leg mode on a rugged ground so as to facilitate obstacle crossing, and the deformable spoked wheel is convenient to pass through a low environment by applying the small wheel mode; and switching among the modes can be achieved only through control of a single air pump, the structure is simple, operation is convenient and fast, and the terrain adaptive capacity of the robot is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of robots, in particular to a deformable soft spoke wheel with three states. Background Art

[0002] Wheeled and legged motion are two common modes of robot motion, each with its own characteristics. Wheeled motion has low energy loss, simple mechanical structure and motion control, and good maneuverability on open and flat terrain, but it is difficult to pass uneven terrain, such as potholes and steps. Compared with wheeled motion, legged motion is very good at coping with various environments, but it is slow, complex in structure, and has high control requirements. The wheel-legged robot with a spoke wheel mechanism uses a simple structure and control to achieve strong terrain adaptability, combining the advantages of wheeled and legged motion. However, the existing wheel-legged robot with a spoke wheel mechanism drives multiple transmission mechanisms to achieve mechanism deformation when switching modes, which not only increases the cost, but also makes the overall structure more complicated and inconvenient to operate. For this reason, we propose a deformable soft spoke wheel and wheel-legged robot with three states. Summary of the invention

[0003] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a deformable soft spoke wheel and a wheel-leg robot with three states to solve the problems raised in the above-mentioned background technology.

[0004] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following technical solution: a deformable soft spoke wheel with three states, comprising a frame, a rotating shaft is rotatably connected to the frame, the interior of the rotating shaft is set to be hollow, a pneumatic slip ring is installed on the outer surface of the rotating shaft, an air supply unit is connected to the pneumatic slip ring, and the air supply unit is fixed to the frame;

[0005] One end of the rotating shaft away from the air supply unit is fixedly connected with a connecting piece, the interior of the connecting piece is hollow, and a plurality of openings are opened around the connecting piece, and the end of each opening is fixedly connected with a radial spoke, and the end of the radial spoke is fixedly connected with an arc-shaped spoke, and the radial spokes, the arc-shaped spokes and the connecting piece are interconnected;

[0006] A telescopic unit is arranged inside the radial spoke, and the bottom end of the telescopic unit is installed at the opening position of the connecting piece, and the telescopic unit is used to provide support for the radial spoke and control the deformation direction of the radial spoke;

[0007] An extension unit is installed inside the arc-shaped spoke, and the extension unit is used to maintain the deformation direction of the arc-shaped spoke and control the arc-shaped spoke to deform after the radial spoke.

[0008] Furthermore, the rotating shaft is arranged through the central through hole of the pneumatic slip ring, a coupling is installed on one end of the rotating shaft, and a motor is installed on the other end of the coupling, and the motor is fixed on the frame.

[0009] Furthermore, the air supply unit comprises an air pump fixedly connected to the frame, an air pipe is installed at the exhaust port of the air pump, and the other end of the air pipe is connected and penetrated with a pneumatic slip ring.

[0010] Furthermore, the air delivery pipe led out from the pneumatic slip ring is communicated with the hollow interior of the rotating shaft.

[0011] Furthermore, the connecting member has four openings, the rotating shaft and the connecting member are interconnected, and the air intake direction of the rotating shaft is perpendicular to the air exhaust direction of the connecting member openings.

[0012] Furthermore, the number of radial spokes and arcuate spokes is equal, and both radial spokes and arcuate spokes are arranged in a bellows shape. The radial spokes are perpendicular to the inner arc surface of the arcuate spokes and are integrated with each other and have interconnected cavities therein.

[0013] Furthermore, the telescopic unit includes a guide rod three fixedly connected to the bottom end of the radial spoke, the outer surface of the guide rod three is coaxially slidably connected to the guide rod two, and the upper portion of the guide rod two is coaxially slidably connected to the guide rod one.

[0014] Further, the extension unit includes a slider fixedly connected to the top of the guide rod 1, the outside of the slider is slidably connected with the guide rail 1 and the guide rail 2, the inside of the guide rail 1 and the guide rail 2 is provided with an arc groove adapted to the slider, and the side walls of the guide rail 1 and the guide rail 2 are fixedly connected with a tension spring, and the other end of the tension spring is connected to the slider;

[0015] One end of the guide rail 1 and the guide rail 2 close to the tension spring is rotatably connected to one end of the arc-shaped spoke.

[0016] Furthermore, a vent hole is provided at one end of the radial spoke to which the connecting piece is fixed, so as to allow the radial spoke and the connecting piece to penetrate each other.

[0017] According to one aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a wheel-legged robot, comprising the above-mentioned deformable soft spoke wheel with three states.

[0018] The present invention has at least the following beneficial effects:

[0019] The deformable spoke wheel provided by the present invention has a small wheel mode, a large wheel mode and a leg mode. On flat ground, the large wheel mode is applied to improve the maneuverability of the robot. On rugged ground, the leg mode is applied to overcome various obstacles and facilitate obstacle crossing, while the small wheel mode is applied to facilitate passing through low environments. Switching between the modes can be achieved through the control of a single air pump. The structure is simple, the operation is convenient, and the terrain adaptability of the robot is improved.

[0020] Of course, any product implementing the present invention does not necessarily need to achieve all of the advantages described above at the same time. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention in a small wheel mode;

[0022] Figure 2 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention in a leg mode;

[0023] Figure 3 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention in a large wheel mode;

[0024] Figure 4 It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the stretching unit and the extension unit of the present invention in the small wheel mode;

[0025] Figure 5 It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the stretching unit and the extension unit of the present invention in the leg-type mode;

[0026] Figure 6 It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the stretching unit and the extension unit of the present invention in the large wheel mode;

[0027] Figure 7 It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the connecting piece structure of the present invention.

[0028] Reference numerals:

[0029] 1. Frame; 2. Rotating shaft; 3. Pneumatic slip ring; 4. Air supply unit; 41. Air pump; 42. Air pipe; 5. Connector; 6. Opening; 7. Radial spokes; 8. Arc spokes; 9. Telescopic unit; 91. Guide rod 1; 92. Guide rod 2; 93. Guide rod 3; 10. Extension unit; 101. Slider; 102. Guide rail 1; 103. Guide rail 2; 104. Arc groove; 105. Tension spring; 11. Vent; 12. Coupling; 13. Motor. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present disclosure to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0031] Embodiment 1:

[0032] See also Figure 1-Figure 7The present invention provides a technical solution: a deformable soft spoke wheel with three states, comprising a frame 1, a rotating shaft 2 is rotatably connected to the frame 1, the interior of the rotating shaft 2 is set to be hollow, a pneumatic slip ring 3 is installed on the outer surface of the rotating shaft 2, the pneumatic slip ring 3 is connected to an air supply unit 4, and the air supply unit 4 is fixed on the frame 1;

[0033] The end of the rotating shaft 2 away from the air supply unit 4 is fixedly connected with a connecting piece 5, the interior of the connecting piece 5 is hollow, and a plurality of openings 6 are opened around the connecting piece 5, and the end of each opening 6 is fixedly connected with a radial spoke 7, and the end of the radial spoke 7 is fixedly connected with an arc-shaped spoke 8, and the radial spoke 7 is connected with the arc-shaped spoke 8 and the connecting piece 5.

[0034] A telescopic unit 9 is provided inside the radial spoke 7, and the bottom end of the telescopic unit 9 is installed at the opening 6 of the connecting member 5. The telescopic unit 9 is used to provide support for the radial spoke 7 and control the deformation direction of the radial spoke 7;

[0035] An extension unit 10 is installed inside the arc-shaped spoke 8 , and the extension unit 10 is used to maintain the deformation direction of the arc-shaped spoke 8 and control the arc-shaped spoke 8 to deform after the radial spoke 7 .

[0036] According to the technical solution of this embodiment, the air supply unit 4 includes an air pump 41 fixedly connected to the frame 1, and an air pipe 42 is installed at the exhaust port of the air pump 41. The other end of the air pipe 42 is connected and penetrated with the pneumatic slip ring 3. When the air pump 41 is started, gas is filled into the pneumatic slip ring 3 through the air pipe 42.

[0037] According to the technical solution of this embodiment, one end of the rotating shaft 2 passes through the air pneumatic slip ring 3 in the hole, the air pneumatic slip ring 3 in the hole is fixed on the frame 1, a coupling 12 is installed at one end of the rotating shaft 2, and a motor 13 is installed at the other end of the coupling 12, the motor 13 is fixed on the frame 1, the motor 13 is started to drive the rotating shaft 2 to rotate through the coupling 12, the pneumatic slip ring 3 is connected to the rotating shaft 2 through the air pipe, when the rotating shaft 2 rotates, the air in the pneumatic slip ring 3 can be transported to the inside of the rotating shaft 2, and can be transported to the connecting member 5, the radial spokes 7, and the arc spokes 8 in sequence through the rotating shaft 2.

[0038] According to the technical solution of this embodiment, four openings 6 of the connecting member 5 are provided, the rotating shaft 2 and the connecting member 5 are interconnected, and the air intake direction of the rotating shaft 2 is perpendicular to the exhaust direction of the openings 6 of the connecting member 5. It should be noted that this embodiment does not make specific limitations on this, and the number of openings 6 can also be modified according to actual conditions. The number of openings 6 corresponds one-to-one to the radial spokes 7 and the arc-shaped spokes 8.

[0039] Furthermore, the number of radial spokes 7 and arcuate spokes 8 is equal, and both radial spokes 7 and arcuate spokes 8 are configured as bellows. The radial spokes 7 are perpendicular to the inner arc surface of the arcuate spokes 8 and are integrated in design, and are provided with interconnected cavities.

[0040] According to the technical solution of this embodiment, the telescopic unit 9 includes a guide rod three 93 fixedly connected to the bottom end of the radial spoke 7, the outer surface of the guide rod three 93 is coaxially slidably connected to the guide rod two 92, and the upper part of the guide rod two 92 is coaxially slidably connected to the guide rod one 91. The guide rod one 91, the guide rod two 92 and the guide rod three 93 can realize multi-stage telescopic and unfolding, which is convenient for guiding and supporting the radial spokes 7 when they are inflated and expanded.

[0041] According to the technical solution of this embodiment, the extension unit 10 includes a slider 101 fixedly connected to the top of the guide rod 1 91, and the outside of the slider 101 is slidably connected to the guide rail 1 102 and the guide rail 2 103, and the inside of the guide rail 1 102 and the guide rail 2 103 is provided with an arc groove 104 adapted to the slider 101, and the side walls of the guide rail 1 102 and the guide rail 2 103 are fixedly connected with a tension spring 105, and the other end of the tension spring 105 is connected to the slider 101, and the number of the tension springs 105 is set to two, and the ends of the guide rails 1 102 and the guide rails 2 103 close to the tension spring 105 are rotatably connected to one end of the arc spoke 8, and when the arc spoke 8 is inflated, the arc spoke 8 will move toward The two ends are unfolded, and guide rail 1 102 and guide rail 2 103 will move to both sides along slider 101 to facilitate supporting and guiding the arc-shaped spoke 8, and when the arc-shaped spoke 8 expands, the curvature will change due to the change in radius. At this time, the ends of guide rail 102 and guide rail 2 103 are rotatably connected with the arc-shaped spoke 8 through a rotating part to provide compensation for the curvature change and avoid interference. At the same time, when guide rail 1 102 and guide rail 2 103 slide, guide rail 1 102 and guide rail 2 103 will also pull the tension spring 105 to stretch it. Therefore, when inflating, it is necessary to overcome the elastic force of the tension spring 105 first to make the arc-shaped spoke 8 unfold, so that the arc-shaped spoke 8 can be unfolded after the radial spoke 7.

[0042] Furthermore, a vent hole 11 is provided at one end of the radial spoke 7 to which the connecting member 5 is fixed, so as to allow the radial spoke 7 and the connecting member 5 to penetrate each other.

[0043] The use principle and process of the present invention are as follows: when it is necessary to move in the leg-type mode, first start the air pump 41 to inflate the rotating shaft 2 through the air pipe 42 and the pneumatic slip ring 3, and then the gas in the rotating shaft 2 will enter the connecting member 5, and the gas will be transported to the radial spokes 7 and the arc-shaped spokes 8 through the opening 6 of the connecting member 5 and the air holes 11 at the bottom of the radial spokes 7. At this time, the radial spokes 7 will first expand radially, and during the expansion of the radial spokes 7, the guide rod 1 91, the guide rod 2 92 and the guide rod 3 93 will extend in the direction away from the rotating shaft 2, so as to guide and support the radial spokes 7. When the radial spokes 7 are fully expanded, the arc-shaped spokes 8 are at the critical point to be expanded, and the device as a whole is in the leg-type mode.

[0044] Then, the gas is continuously filled, and the arc-shaped spokes 8 will also expand to both ends to form a large arc. In the process of the arc-shaped spokes 8 expanding, the guide rail 1 102 and the guide rail 2 103 will also move to both sides along the slider 101 to overcome the tension of the tension spring 105, so as to support and guide the arc-shaped spokes 8. At this time, multiple arc-shaped spokes 8 will expand together to form a complete circle, and the device as a whole will switch from the leg mode to the large wheel mode.

[0045] In the big wheel mode, the air pump 41 is pumping air. At this time, the force provided by the gas cannot maintain the balance between the guide rail and the tension spring 105, and the arc spokes 8 will be reset preferentially over the radial spokes 7. When the air is pumped until the arc spokes 8 return to their original state and the radial spokes 7 are fully extended, the device as a whole switches from the big wheel mode back to the leg mode.

[0046] Then the air pump 41 continues to pump air, the radial spokes 7 will also shrink and reset, and drive the guide rod 1 91 and the guide rod 3 93 to extend into the guide rod 2 92. When the radial spokes 7 shrink to a plurality of arc-shaped spokes 8 spliced ​​into a small circle, the air pumping stops. At this time, the device as a whole switches from the leg mode to the small wheel mode.

[0047] Embodiment 2:

[0048] This embodiment provides a wheel-legged robot, including the deformable soft spoke wheel with three states described in the first embodiment.

[0049] In summary, the deformable spoke wheel provided by the present invention has a small wheel mode, a large wheel mode and a leg mode. On flat ground, the large wheel mode is applied to improve the maneuverability of the robot. On rugged ground, the leg mode is applied to overcome various obstacles and facilitate obstacle crossing, while the small wheel mode is applied to facilitate passing through low environments. The switching between the modes can be achieved by controlling only a single air pump 41. The structure is simple, the operation is convenient, and the terrain adaptability of the robot is improved.

[0050] It should be noted that, in this article, relational terms such as first and second, etc. are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "include", "comprise" or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device.

[0051] For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to the specific circumstances. When an element is referred to as being "assembled on", "installed on", "fixed on" or "set on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or there can also be a centered element. When an element is considered to be "connected" to another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or there may be a centered element at the same time. The terms "vertical", "horizontal", "up", "down", "left", "right" and similar expressions used herein are only for illustrative purposes and are not intended to be the only implementation method.

[0052] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations may be made to the embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, and that the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0053] In the description of this specification, the description with reference to the terms "one embodiment", "example", "specific example", etc. means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present disclosure. In this specification, the schematic representation of the above terms does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described can be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner.

Claims

1. A deformable soft spoke wheel with three states, comprising a frame (1), characterized in that: The frame (1) is rotatably connected to a rotating shaft (2), the interior of the rotating shaft (2) is arranged to be hollow, an outer surface of the rotating shaft (2) is installed with a pneumatic slip ring (3), the pneumatic slip ring (3) is connected to an air supply unit (4), and the air supply unit (4) is fixed to the frame (1); The end of the rotating shaft (2) away from the air supply unit (4) is fixedly connected to a connecting piece (5), the interior of the connecting piece (5) is hollow, and a plurality of openings (6) are provided around the connecting piece (5), the end of each opening (6) is fixedly connected to a radial spoke (7), the end of the radial spoke (7) is fixedly connected to an arc-shaped spoke (8), and the radial spoke (7) and the arc-shaped spoke (8) and the connecting piece (5) are interconnected; A telescopic unit (9) is arranged inside the radial spoke (7), and the bottom end of the telescopic unit (9) is installed at the opening (6) of the connecting member (5). The telescopic unit (9) is used to provide support for the radial spoke (7) and control the deformation direction of the radial spoke (7); An extension unit (10) is installed inside the arc-shaped spoke (8), and the extension unit (10) is used to maintain the deformation direction of the arc-shaped spoke (8) and control the arc-shaped spoke (8) to deform after the radial spoke (7).

2. The deformable soft spoke wheel with three states according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rotating shaft passes through the central through hole of the pneumatic slip ring, a coupling is installed on one end of the rotating shaft, and a motor is installed on the other end of the coupling, and the motor is fixed on the frame.

3. The deformable soft spoke wheel with three states according to claim 2, characterized in that: The air supply unit (4) comprises an air pump (41) fixedly connected to the frame (1); an air pipe (42) is installed at the exhaust port of the air pump (41); the other end of the air pipe (42) is connected to and penetrates the pneumatic slip ring (3).

4. The deformable soft spoke wheel with three states according to claim 3, characterized in that: The air delivery pipe led out from the pneumatic slip ring (3) is connected to the hollow interior of the rotating shaft (2).

5. The deformable soft spoke wheel with three states according to claim 4, characterized in that: The number of openings (6) of the connecting member (5) is four, the rotating shaft (2) and the connecting member (5) are interconnected, and the air intake direction of the rotating shaft (2) is perpendicular to the air exhaust direction of the openings (6) of the connecting member (5).

6. The deformable soft spoke wheel with three states according to claim 5, characterized in that: The number of the radial spokes (7) and the arc-shaped spokes (8) is equal, and the radial spokes (7) and the arc-shaped spokes (8) are both arranged in a bellows shape. The radial spokes (7) are perpendicular to the inner arc surface of the arc-shaped spokes (8) and are of an integrated design, and are provided with interconnected cavities therein.

7. The deformable soft spoke wheel with three states according to claim 5, characterized in that: The telescopic unit (9) comprises a guide rod three (93) fixedly connected to the bottom end of the radial spoke (7), the outer surface of the guide rod three (93) is coaxially slidably connected to the guide rod two (92), and the upper surface of the guide rod two (92) is coaxially slidably connected to the guide rod one (91).

8. The deformable soft spoke wheel with three states according to claim 7, characterized in that: The extension unit (10) comprises a slider (101) fixedly connected to the top of the guide rod 1 (91); the outside of the slider (101) is slidably connected to the guide rail 1 (102) and the guide rail 2 (103); the insides of the guide rail 1 (102) and the guide rail 2 (103) are provided with an arc groove (104) adapted to the slider (101); and the side walls of the guide rail 1 (102) and the guide rail 2 (103) are fixedly connected to a tension spring (105); the other end of the tension spring (105) is connected to the slider (101); One end of the guide rail 1 (102) and the guide rail 2 (103) close to the tension spring (105) is rotatably connected to one end of the arc-shaped spoke (8).

9. The deformable soft spoke wheel with three states according to claim 8, characterized in that: One end of the radial spoke (7) fixed to the connecting piece (5) is provided with a vent hole (11) for allowing the radial spoke (7) and the connecting piece (5) to penetrate each other.

10. A wheel-legged robot, characterized in that: A deformable soft spoke wheel with three states comprising any one of claims 1 to 9.

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