Quadruped robot

Abstract

The quadruped robot comprises a trunk and four walking parts, and each walking part comprises a thigh connecting piece, a thigh part, a shank part, a first acceleration mechanism and a second acceleration mechanism; each of the first acceleration mechanism and the second acceleration mechanism comprises a fixed rod, a first linear driver, a first connecting rod, a second connecting rod and a third connecting rod; the fixed ends of the first linear driver and the third connecting rod are hinged to the two ends of the fixed rod respectively, the fixed end of the first connecting rod is hinged to the middle of the fixed rod, the output end of the first linear driver is hinged to the output end of the first connecting rod, and one end of the second connecting rod is hinged to the output end of the first connecting rod. The other end of the second connecting rod is hinged to the output end of a third connecting rod, and the first connecting rod is longer than the third connecting rod. The output end of the third connecting rod is connected with the thigh part in the first acceleration mechanism and is connected with the shank part in the second acceleration mechanism; the quadruped robot is provided with the first acceleration mechanism and the second acceleration mechanism to achieve high-speed movement.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of robot technology, in particular to a quadruped robot. Background Art

[0002] Quadruped robots are automated devices that mimic the way animals walk on four legs, and are often used in research, education, entertainment, rescue, exploration, and other fields. These robots have attracted attention for their flexibility and ability to adapt to various terrains, especially when performing tasks in uneven or complex environments.

[0003] The design of quadruped robots enables them to maintain balance on unstable or inclined ground, which is difficult for wheeled or tracked robots to do. They can traverse obstacles such as grass, sand, snow and even stairs, and are suitable for a variety of outdoor and indoor scenarios. Compared with bipedal robots, quadrupedal robots can carry greater weight while maintaining better mobility and stability.

[0004] Most existing quadruped robots use motor or hydraulic drive modes, and their movement speed depends on the motor speed or the extension and retraction speed of the hydraulic cylinder. For the motor drive mode, its control is relatively complicated and requires frequent switching of the motor's rotation direction, making it difficult to achieve high-speed swinging. For the hydraulic drive mode, the extension and retraction speed of the hydraulic cylinder is limited, and it is also difficult to achieve high-speed swinging. Therefore, the walking speed of the existing quadruped robots cannot achieve high-speed movement due to the limitation of the drive. Summary of the invention

[0005] To this end, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to overcome the problem that quadruped robots in the prior art cannot achieve high-speed movement, and to provide a quadruped robot that is equipped with a first acceleration mechanism and a second acceleration mechanism to achieve high-speed movement.

[0006] To solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides a quadruped robot, comprising a trunk and four walking parts, wherein the walking parts comprise: a thigh connecting member, a thigh part, a calf part, a first acceleration mechanism and a second acceleration mechanism;

[0007] The first acceleration mechanism is arranged in the thigh connecting member, the output end of the first acceleration mechanism is connected to the thigh, and the first acceleration mechanism drives the thigh to swing;

[0008] The second acceleration mechanism is arranged in the thigh, the output end of the second acceleration mechanism is connected to the calf, and the second acceleration mechanism drives the calf to swing;

[0009] Wherein: the first acceleration mechanism and the second acceleration mechanism each include: a fixed rod, a first linear drive, a first connecting rod, a second connecting rod and a third connecting rod;

[0010] The fixing rod is connected to the thigh connecting member in the first acceleration mechanism, and the fixing rod is connected to the thigh in the second acceleration mechanism;

[0011] The fixed ends of the first linear drive and the third connecting rod are respectively hinged at the two ends of the fixed rod, the fixed end of the first connecting rod is hinged at the middle position of the fixed rod, the output end of the first linear drive is hinged to the output end of the first connecting rod, one end of the second connecting rod is hinged to the output end of the first connecting rod, the other end of the second connecting rod is hinged to the output end of the third connecting rod, and the length of the first connecting rod is greater than the length of the third connecting rod;

[0012] The output end of the third connecting rod is connected to the thigh in the first acceleration mechanism, and the output end of the third connecting rod is connected to the calf in the second acceleration mechanism.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present invention, the trunk includes a front body and a rear body, and the front body and the rear body are rotatably connected.

[0014] In one embodiment of the present invention, a waist driving device is arranged between the front body and the rear body, and the waist driving device drives the front body and the rear body to rotate relative to each other.

[0015] In one embodiment of the present invention, an elastic member is provided between the front body and the rear body.

[0016] In one embodiment of the present invention, it further comprises four hip joints, wherein the hip joints are hinged on the trunk, and the walking part is connected to the hip joints.

[0017] In one embodiment of the present invention, a hip joint driving device for driving the hip joint to swing is arranged on the torso.

[0018] In one embodiment of the present invention, four ankle joints are further included, wherein the ankle joints are hinged to the walking part, and the bottom of the ankle joints is provided with a foot.

[0019] In one embodiment of the present invention, an ankle joint driving device for driving the ankle joint to swing is provided in the calf part.

[0020] In one embodiment of the present invention, the ankle joint driving device comprises:

[0021] A second linear drive;

[0022] a rack connected to an output end of the second linear drive and driven by the second linear drive to perform linear motion;

[0023] The gear set includes: a large gear and a small gear that are meshed with each other, the large gear is meshed with the rack, and the small gear is connected to the ankle joint.

[0024] In one embodiment of the present invention, the first acceleration mechanism, the second acceleration mechanism, the waist drive device arranged in the torso, the hip joint drive device and the ankle joint drive device arranged in the calf can all operate independently.

[0025] The above technical solution of the present invention has the following advantages compared with the prior art:

[0026] The quadruped robot described in the present invention is provided with a first acceleration mechanism and a second acceleration mechanism to achieve high-speed movement. Compared with the motor and hydraulic driving methods in the prior art, a linear drive is used in the acceleration mechanism in combination with a four-bar structure formed by a fixed rod, a first connecting rod, a second connecting rod and a third connecting rod. The power output by the linear drive is accelerated and output at a faster speed to act on the thigh and calf, thereby achieving rapid swinging of the thigh and calf, thereby realizing the accelerated movement of the robot. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] In order to make the content of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below according to specific embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0028] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the quadruped robot of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a first accelerating mechanism of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 3 is a kinematic analysis diagram of the power input structure of the first accelerating mechanism of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 4 This is a kinematic analysis diagram of the power output structure of the first acceleration mechanism of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 5 It is a schematic structural diagram of the ankle joint driving device of the present invention.

[0033] Explanation of the reference numerals in the specification: 1. torso; 11. front body; 12. rear body; 13. waist drive device; 14. elastic member; 2. walking part; 21. thigh connecting member; 22. thigh; 23. calf; 24. first acceleration mechanism; 241. fixing rod; 242. first linear drive; 243. first connecting rod; 244. second connecting rod; 245. third connecting rod; 25. second acceleration mechanism; 3. hip joint; 4. hip joint drive device; 5. ankle joint; 6. foot; 7. ankle joint drive device; 71. second linear drive; 72. rack; 73. large gear; 74. small gear. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] The present invention is further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments so that those skilled in the art can better understand the present invention and implement it, but the embodiments are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0035] Reference Figure 1 As shown, the present invention discloses a quadruped robot, comprising a trunk 1 and four walking parts 2, wherein the four walking parts 2 are respectively arranged at four positions of the front, rear, left and right of the trunk 1 to form a structure similar to that of a quadruped, wherein the four walking parts 2 respectively serve as two front legs and two rear legs to jointly support the trunk 1, wherein the four walking parts 2 have the same structure, wherein the left and right two walking parts 2 are symmetrically arranged, and the front and rear two walking parts 2 are radially arranged, wherein the walking parts 2 comprise: a thigh connecting member 21, a thigh part 22, a calf part 23, a first accelerating mechanism 24 and a second accelerating mechanism 25, wherein the first accelerating mechanism 24 is arranged at the thigh In the connecting member 21, the output end of the first acceleration mechanism 24 is connected to the thigh part 22, and the first acceleration mechanism 24 drives the thigh part 22 to swing. The second acceleration mechanism 25 is arranged in the thigh part 22, and the output end of the second acceleration mechanism 25 is connected to the calf part 23, and the second acceleration mechanism 25 drives the calf part 23 to swing. The thigh part 22 and the calf part 23 are driven to move by the first acceleration mechanism 24 and the second acceleration mechanism 25 respectively, so as to realize the driving of a single walking part 2, and the walking action of the robot can be realized by the cooperation of four walking parts 2.

[0036] As mentioned above, existing quadruped robots are mostly driven by motors or hydraulics, and their movement speed depends on the rotation speed of the motor or the extension and retraction speed of the hydraulic cylinder. In this embodiment, the first acceleration mechanism 24 and the second acceleration mechanism 25 are used as driving mechanisms. The purpose is to overcome the speed limitation of the original driving mechanism and provide a faster quadruped robot.

[0037] In this embodiment, the first accelerating mechanism 24 and the second accelerating mechanism 25 have the same structure. Figure 2As shown, taking the first acceleration mechanism 24 as an example to explain it, the first acceleration mechanism 24 includes: a fixed rod 241, a first linear driver 242, a first connecting rod 243, a second connecting rod 244 and a third connecting rod 245, the fixed rod 241 is connected to the thigh connecting member 21 in the first acceleration mechanism 24, the fixed rod 241 includes two bent rod-shaped portions, the first linear driver 242, the first connecting rod 243 and the third connecting rod 245 are all hinged to the fixed rod 241, the first linear driver 242, the first connecting rod 243 and the third connecting rod 245 all have a fixed end and an output end, the The fixed ends of the first linear drive 242 and the third connecting rod 245 are respectively hinged at the two ends of the fixing rod 241, the fixed end of the first connecting rod 243 is hinged at the middle position of the fixing rod 241, that is, the bending position of the fixing rod 241, the output end of the first linear drive 242 is hinged to the output end of the first connecting rod 243, one end of the second connecting rod 244 is hinged to the output end of the first connecting rod 243, the other end of the second connecting rod 244 is hinged to the output end of the third connecting rod 245, and the output end of the third connecting rod 245 is connected to the thigh part 22 in the first acceleration mechanism 24;

[0038] In this way, in the first acceleration mechanism 24, a three-link power input structure is formed by the cooperation of the fixed rod 241, the first linear drive 242, and the first connecting rod 243, and the input power acts on the output end of the first connecting rod 243, driving the first connecting rod 243 to swing; in the first acceleration mechanism 24, a four-link power output structure is formed by the cooperation of the fixed rod 241, the first connecting rod 243, the second connecting rod 244 and the third connecting rod 245, and the output power acts on the output end of the third connecting rod 245, driving the third connecting rod 245 to swing; in this embodiment, as long as the length of the first connecting rod 243 is set to be greater than the length of the third connecting rod 245, the swing angular velocity of the third connecting rod 245 must be greater than the swing angular velocity of the first connecting rod 243, that is, the swing speed output by the first acceleration mechanism 24 of the present invention can be greater than the swing speed input by the first linear drive 242, which can break through the limitation of the movement speed of the quadruped robot in the prior art that the output speed of the driving mechanism is limited, and achieve higher speed movement.

[0039] The specific action of using the first acceleration mechanism 24 to drive the thigh 22 to move is: when the thigh 22 needs to be lifted, the first linear driver 242 is extended and retracted, driving the first connecting rod 243 and the second connecting rod 244 to move, and finally the output end of the third connecting rod 245 pushes the thigh 22 to swing.

[0040] Reference Figure 3 and Figure 4As shown, in order to further illustrate that the first accelerating mechanism 24 of the present invention can break through the limit of the driving mechanism speed limit, the above structure is subjected to a dynamic analysis:

[0041] Among them: the straight line ABE is the fixed rod 241, the straight line AC is the first linear driver 242, the straight line BC is the first connecting rod 243, the straight line CD is the second connecting rod 244, and the straight line ED is the third connecting rod 245.

[0042] First, a power analysis is performed on the power input structure formed by the cooperation of the fixed rod 241, the first linear drive 242, and the first connecting rod 243 to form a three-link power input structure:

[0043] Assuming that the angle between the two bent rod-shaped portions of the fixing rod 241 is β, then:

[0044]

[0045] θ1 = β - angle ABC;

[0046] in addition,

[0047]

[0048] In this embodiment, the tangential force F of the first connecting rod 243 切 and the thrust F of the first linear drive 242 AC satisfy:

[0049] F C切 =F AC sin(angleACB);

[0050] Then the output torque τ1 of the first connecting rod 243 satisfies:

[0051] τ1=F C切 l1

[0052] =F AC l1sin(angle ACB)

[0053] Then, a power analysis is performed on the power output structure formed by the fixed rod 241, the first connecting rod 243, the second connecting rod 244, and the third connecting rod 245 to form a four-link power output structure:

[0054] Connecting CE, α1 and α2 can be obtained by solving the triangle:

[0055]

[0056] Then, further

[0057] θ3=π-α1-α2

[0058] θ2=arccos((l3cosθ3+l4-l1cosθ1) / l2)

[0059] According to the angle relationship, the swing speed ω3 of the output end of the third connecting rod 245 is solved;

[0060] In the connecting rod BCDE, the following vector relationship is satisfied:

[0061]

[0062] The corresponding coordinates are:

[0063] l1cosθ1+l2cosθ2=l3cosθ3+l4

[0064] l1sinθ1-l2sinθ2=l3sinθ3;

[0065] Taking the derivative of the above formula, we get:

[0066] l1ω1sinθ1+l2ω2sinθ2=l3ω3sinθ3

[0067] l1ω1cosθ1-l2ω2cosθ2=l3ω3cosθ3;

[0068] After sorting, we can get:

[0069] ω3 / ω1=l1sin(θ1+θ2) / (l3sin(θ2+θ3))

[0070] v AC / ω3=l3sin(θ2+θ3)sin(angle ACB) / sin(θ1+θ2)

[0071] ω3=v AC *sin(θ1+θ2) / l3sin(θ2+θ3)sin(angle ACB);

[0072] According to the above formula, in a specific embodiment, when the speed of the first linear drive 242 is set to 500 mm / s, the maximum angular velocity of the swing of the third connecting rod 245 can reach 2000° / S;

[0073] In practical applications, different swing angular velocities can be obtained by changing the length of the third connecting rod 245 and the corresponding angle.

[0074] Specifically, the second acceleration mechanism 25 also includes: a fixed rod 241, a first linear drive 242, a first connecting rod 243, a second connecting rod 244 and a third connecting rod 245. The second acceleration mechanism 25 is installed at a different position and acts on a different object from the first acceleration mechanism 24. The fixed rod 241 in the second acceleration mechanism 25 is connected to the thigh 22, and the output end of the third connecting rod 245 in the second acceleration mechanism 25 is connected to the calf 23. The specific action of using the first acceleration mechanism 24 to drive the thigh 22 to move is: when the calf 23 needs to be lifted, the second linear drive is extended and retracted to drive the first connecting rod 243 and the second connecting rod 244 to move, and finally the output end of the third connecting rod 245 pushes the calf 23 to swing.

[0075] Specifically, the driving action of the second acceleration mechanism 25 is the same as the acceleration principle of the first acceleration mechanism 24, and will not be repeated here.

[0076] Reference Figure 1 As shown, in the present embodiment, the trunk 1 further includes a front body 11 and a rear body 12, and the front body 11 and the rear body 12 are rotatably connected. Through the cooperation of the front body 11 and the rear body 12, the rotation of the animal's waist can be simulated, and its flexibility can be further increased.

[0077] Specifically, according to actual usage, when the front body 11 and the rear body 12 are rotatably connected, no power mechanism may be provided, that is, according to actual conditions, the front body 11 and the rear body 12 can be passively rotated to adapt to different dynamic walking postures;

[0078] In the state of no power mechanism, in order to limit its free rotation and movement, an elastic member 14 is arranged between the front body 11 and the rear body 12, so that a spring waist is formed between the front body 11 and the rear body 12. This can not only limit the rotation angle of the front body 11 and the rear body 12 to a certain extent, and can reset it without force after rotation, but also absorb impact and improve the stability of the robot.

[0079] Specifically, according to actual usage, when the front body 11 and the rear body 12 are rotationally connected, a waist driving device 13 can also be arranged between the front body 11 and the rear body 12. The waist driving device 13 provides the main force to drive the front body 11 and the rear body 12 to rotate relative to each other, thereby realizing the rotation of the quadruped robot.

[0080] Reference Figure 1As shown, in the present embodiment, four hip joints 3 are further provided, one end of the hip joint 3 is hinged on the trunk 1, and the other end of the hip joint 3 is connected to the walking part 2. The four hip joints 3 correspond to four walking parts 2 respectively, and the hip joints 3 can be expanded and contracted relative to the trunk 1 to both sides perpendicular to the moving direction, so as to simulate the rotation of the animal's hip and further increase its flexibility.

[0081] Specifically, according to actual usage, when the hip joint 3 is connected to the torso 1, a power mechanism may not be provided, and the hip joint 3 can passively rotate relative to the torso 1 to adapt to different dynamic walking postures; or, according to actual usage, a hip joint drive device 4 for driving the hip joint 3 to swing may be provided on the torso 1 to realize active movement of the hip joint 3, which can cooperate with the waist drive device 13 to realize the steering of the quadruped robot.

[0082] Reference Figure 1 As shown, in this embodiment, four ankle joints 5 are further provided, and the ankle joints 5 are hinged on the walking part 2. A foot 6 is provided at the bottom of the ankle joint 5. The ankle joint 5 further simulates the walking action of the animal, and the foot 6 can improve the walking stability.

[0083] Specifically, according to actual usage, when the ankle joint 5 is connected to the walking part 2, a power mechanism may not be provided, so as to adapt to different dynamic walking postures.

[0084] Reference Figure 4 As shown, in this embodiment, an ankle joint driving device 7 for driving the ankle joint 5 to swing is provided in the calf part 23, and the ankle joint driving device 7 includes: a second linear drive, a rack and a gear set, the rack is connected to the output end of the second linear drive, and is driven by the second linear drive to perform linear motion, the gear set includes: a large gear and a small gear meshing, the large gear meshes with the rack, and the small gear is connected to the ankle joint 5, and the linear driving force output by the second linear drive is converted into a driving force for driving the ankle joint 5 to rotate through the cooperation of the rack and the gear set, and the linear drive drives the rack to reciprocate to realize the forward and backward swing of the ankle joint 5.

[0085] In this embodiment, the first acceleration mechanism 24, the second acceleration mechanism 25, the waist drive device 13 arranged in the torso 1, the hip joint drive device 4 and the ankle joint drive device 7 arranged in the calf 23 can all operate independently, and the first acceleration mechanism 24, the second acceleration mechanism 25, the waist drive device 13, the hip joint drive device 4 and the ankle joint drive device 7 can cooperate with each other to realize the walking, running, turning and other movements of the quadruped robot.

[0086] Specifically, the quadruped robot of the present invention is provided with a first acceleration mechanism 24 and a second acceleration mechanism 25 to achieve high-speed movement. Compared with a quadruped robot walking at a conventional speed, it can be applied to multiple scenes and fields through adaptive transformation, for example:

[0087] It is used in search and rescue to achieve flexible and rapid movement; it is used in the field of logistics and distribution to achieve last-mile express delivery and improve delivery speed and efficiency; it is used in the field of smart city services. In emergencies, high-speed quadruped robots can quickly arrive at the scene and provide real-time information and support.

[0088] Obviously, the above embodiments are merely examples for the purpose of clear explanation and are not intended to limit the implementation methods. For those skilled in the art, other different forms of changes or modifications can be made based on the above description. It is not necessary and impossible to list all the implementation methods here. The obvious changes or modifications derived therefrom are still within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A quadruped robot, comprising a trunk and four walking parts, characterized in that: The walking part comprises: a thigh connecting member, a thigh part, a calf part, a first acceleration mechanism and a second acceleration mechanism; The first acceleration mechanism is arranged in the thigh connecting member, the output end of the first acceleration mechanism is connected to the thigh, and the first acceleration mechanism drives the thigh to swing; The second acceleration mechanism is arranged in the thigh, the output end of the second acceleration mechanism is connected to the calf, and the second acceleration mechanism drives the calf to swing; Wherein: the first acceleration mechanism and the second acceleration mechanism each include: a fixed rod, a first linear drive, a first connecting rod, a second connecting rod and a third connecting rod; The fixing rod is connected to the thigh connecting member in the first acceleration mechanism, and the fixing rod is connected to the thigh in the second acceleration mechanism; The fixed ends of the first linear drive and the third connecting rod are respectively hinged at the two ends of the fixed rod, the fixed end of the first connecting rod is hinged at the middle position of the fixed rod, the output end of the first linear drive is hinged to the output end of the first connecting rod, one end of the second connecting rod is hinged to the output end of the first connecting rod, the other end of the second connecting rod is hinged to the output end of the third connecting rod, and the length of the first connecting rod is greater than the length of the third connecting rod; The output end of the third connecting rod is connected to the thigh in the first acceleration mechanism, and the output end of the third connecting rod is connected to the calf in the second acceleration mechanism.

2. The quadruped robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The trunk includes a front body and a rear body, and the front body and the rear body are rotatably connected.

3. The quadruped robot according to claim 2, characterized in that: A waist driving device is arranged between the front body and the rear body, and the waist driving device drives the front body and the rear body to rotate relative to each other.

4. The quadruped robot according to claim 2, characterized in that: An elastic member is arranged between the front body and the rear body.

5. The quadruped robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes four hip joints, which are hinged on the trunk, and the walking part is connected to the hip joints.

6. The quadruped robot according to claim 5, characterized in that: A hip joint driving device for driving the hip joint to swing is arranged on the trunk.

7. The quadruped robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes four ankle joints, which are hinged on the walking part, and the bottom of the ankle joints is provided with a foot.

8. The quadruped robot according to claim 6, characterized in that: An ankle joint driving device for driving the ankle joint to swing is arranged in the lower leg.

9. The quadruped robot according to claim 7, characterized in that: The ankle joint driving device comprises: A second linear drive; a rack connected to an output end of the second linear drive and driven by the second linear drive to perform linear motion; The gear set includes: a large gear and a small gear that are meshed with each other, the large gear is meshed with the rack, and the small gear is connected to the ankle joint.

10. The quadruped robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first acceleration mechanism, the second acceleration mechanism, the waist driving device arranged in the torso, the hip joint driving device and the ankle joint driving device arranged in the calf can all operate independently.

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