Walking control method and device for hexapod robot and medium

Abstract

The invention discloses a walking control method and device for a hexapod robot and a medium, and relates to the field of hexapod robot control, and the technical scheme is characterized in that position information and state information of the hexapod robot at the current moment and environment information of the environment where the hexapod robot is located are collected; judging whether an obstacle exists in the walking path or not according to the environment information, if yes, re-planning the walking path according to the current position information, and otherwise, keeping the walking path unchanged; and generating a path point location list according to the walking path, calculating gait parameters of six-foot walking at each path point according to the position information and the state information according to the path point location list, and controlling the six-foot robot to complete walking of the gait cycle at the current moment according to the walking path or the adjusted walking path based on the gait parameters. After it is detected that the hexapod robot is stably supported, position information, state information and environment information at the next moment are collected, and gait parameters of the next gait cycle are calculated.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of control of a hexapod robot, and more specifically, to a walking control method, device and medium for a hexapod robot. Background Art

[0002] The construction of power transmission and transformation, mining, bridges and tunnels often involves a lot of construction in complex terrains such as mountainous areas and river valleys. During the construction, a large amount of equipment and materials rely on the transportation of traditional wheeled or tracked vehicles, which cannot meet the transportation requirements in complex environments, resulting in great limitations on construction efficiency.

[0003] Robots represented by legged robots have learned from the body structure of natural organisms and have flexible joint movements and diverse movement capabilities. Compared with traditional wheeled and tracked robots, they have extremely strong adaptability and maneuverability, and can be used as mobile platforms in complex environments.

[0004] The hydraulically driven hexapod robot has strong driving and carrying capacity, and can always maintain three-legged support to provide sufficient stability, making it suitable for transportation platforms in complex terrain. However, the walking control of the hexapod robot is relatively complex, and manual control is a heavy burden for the operator; in addition, when the hexapod robot is under a large load, its leg support control is unreliable, causing the hexapod robot to overturn when passing obstacles and pits. Summary of the invention

[0005] The purpose of the present application is to provide a walking control method, device and medium for a hexapod robot, so as to solve the problem that the hexapod robot is prone to overturning when passing obstacles and pits.

[0006] In a first aspect of the present application, a walking control method for a hexapod robot is provided, the method comprising:

[0007] Receive the target location information sent by the user, and plan a walking path to the target location information by combining the pre-configured global map and path planning algorithm;

[0008] Collect the current position information, state information and environmental information of the hexapod robot; the state information refers to the angle information and joint position information of the six legs of the hexapod robot;

[0009] Determine whether there are obstacles on the walking path based on environmental information. If there are obstacles, replan the walking path based on the current location information; otherwise, keep the walking path unchanged.

[0010] A list of path points is generated according to the walking path. According to the list of path points, the gait parameters of the six-legged robot at each path point are calculated from the position information and the state information. Based on the gait parameters, the six-legged robot is controlled to complete the walking of the current gait cycle according to the walking path or the adjusted walking path. After detecting that the six-legged robot is stably supported, the position information, state information and environmental information of the environment at the next moment are collected, and the gait parameters of the next gait cycle are calculated until the six-legged robot reaches the target position information.

[0011] In one implementation, the method also includes: during the movement of the hexapod robot, collecting the spatial position information and pressure information fed back by the hexapod in real time, judging whether the hexapod touches the ground reliably through the pressure information, judging whether the hexapod runs according to the preset position and speed through the spatial position information, and adjusting the deviation of the hexapod to form a hexapod control closed loop.

[0012] In one implementation, whether the hexapod touches the ground reliably is determined, specifically: during the walking process of the hexapod robot, when it is detected that the travel information and pressure information of the hexapod are in a first condition, it is determined that the hexapod touches the ground unreliably, and a step sequence abnormality result is generated; wherein the first condition is that the travel information is equal to the maximum travel, and the pressure information is less than the touch pressure threshold;

[0013] The landing position of the hexapod is recalculated according to the abnormal step sequence results until the pressure information fed back by the hexapod reaches the ground contact pressure threshold and the ground contact is reliable.

[0014] In one implementation, the method further includes: when it is detected that the position of the six-legged animal reaches the landing position and the pressure information is equal to the ground contact pressure threshold, the current step sequence is completed and the six-legged animal is controlled to perform the next step sequence operation.

[0015] In one implementation, if there is an obstacle, the walking path is replanned according to the current position information, otherwise the walking path remains unchanged, specifically:

[0016] Connect the target location information and the current location information into a straight line in the global map, and draw a rectangular area based on the straight line;

[0017] Determine whether there is an obstacle in the rectangular area. If there is an obstacle, connect the point where the current location information is located with the endpoints of the obstacle, and use the endpoints at both ends of the obstacle as the starting point and connect them with the point where the target location information is located to draw a new rectangular area;

[0018] Determine whether there are new obstacles in the new rectangular area. If there are new obstacles, repeat the drawing of the new rectangular area until there is a valid solution without obstacles, and calculate the shortest path based on the valid solution as the walking path to the target location information.

[0019] In one implementation, the gait parameters of the six-legged walking at each path point are calculated based on the position information and state information, including:

[0020] The hexapods were divided into two groups, A and B. The front and rear feet on the left side of the hexapod robot and the middle foot on the right side were grouped as one group, defined as Group A; the front and rear feet on the right side of the hexapod robot and the middle foot on the left side were grouped as one group, defined as Group B.

[0021] The lifting height of each six-legged thigh is calculated according to the height of each leg, the projection length of each leg, the length of the opposite side of the hip joint fulcrum, the initial length of the thigh cylinder and the expansion and contraction change of the thigh cylinder;

[0022] According to the rotation angle of the hip joint rotary cylinder of each foot, the forward step length of each hexapod thigh along the y-axis is calculated according to the rotation angle and the projection length;

[0023] According to the projection length, the distance between the front and middle legs, the rotation angle, the forward step length and the lifting height, the position vector calculation model of each leg of the hexapod robot group A and group B was constructed;

[0024] Based on the gait sequence of group A and group B, the position vector calculation model is called to calculate the position vector of each foot of group A and group B, so as to complete the generation of gait parameters for straight-line walking, fixed-point turning and correct posture.

[0025] In one implementation, the calculation formula for the expansion change is:

[0026] Among them, H is the height of the outrigger, b is the length of the opposite side of the hip joint fulcrum, a0 is the initial length of the thigh cylinder, Δa is the telescopic change of the thigh cylinder, and L0 is the projection length.

[0027] In a second aspect of the present application, a walking control device for a hexapod robot is provided, the device comprising:

[0028] The path planning module is used to receive the target location information sent by the user, and plan a walking path to the target location information in combination with the pre-configured global map and path planning algorithm;

[0029] The information collection module is used to collect the current position information, state information and environmental information of the hexapod robot; the state information refers to the angle information and joint position information of the six legs of the hexapod robot;

[0030] The path update module is used to determine whether there are obstacles on the walking path according to the environmental information. If there are obstacles, the walking path is replanned according to the current position information, otherwise the walking path remains unchanged;

[0031] The walking control module is used to generate a path point list according to the walking path, calculate the gait parameters of the six-legged walking at each path point according to the path point list based on the position information and status information, and control the six-legged robot to complete the walking of the current gait cycle according to the walking path or the adjusted walking path based on the gait parameters. After detecting that the six-legged robot is stably supported, the position information, status information and environmental information of the environment at the next moment are collected to calculate the gait parameters of the next gait cycle until the six-legged robot reaches the target position information.

[0032] In one implementation, the device further includes:

[0033] The ground contact detection module is used to collect the spatial position information and pressure information fed back by the hexapod in real time during the movement of the hexapod robot, judge whether the hexapod touches the ground reliably through the pressure information, judge whether the hexapod moves according to the preset position and speed through the spatial position information, and adjust the deviation of the hexapod to form a hexapod control closed loop.

[0034] The third aspect of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which includes a computer program. When the computer program is executed by one or more processors, it implements a walking control method for a hexapod robot as provided in the first aspect of the present application.

[0035] Compared with the prior art, this application has the following beneficial effects:

[0036] In a walking control method for a hexapod robot provided in an embodiment of the present application, first, it is determined whether there are obstacles on the walking path based on environmental information. If there are obstacles, the walking path is replanned based on the current position information; then, a path point list is generated based on the walking path, and the gait parameters of the hexapod walking at each path point are calculated based on the path point list using the position information and the state information. Based on the gait parameters, the hexapod robot is controlled to complete the walking of the gait cycle at the current moment according to the walking path or the adjusted walking path. In each gait walking process, the present application needs to detect whether the hexapod robot is stably supported. Only after stable support is achieved will the position information, state information and environmental information of the environment at the next moment be collected, so as to calculate the gait parameters of the next gait cycle until the hexapod robot reaches the target position information. Therefore, the present application solves the problem that the hexapod robot is prone to overturning when passing obstacles and pits, and improves the stability of the hexapod robot during transportation. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] The drawings described herein are used to provide a further understanding of the embodiments of the present application, constitute a part of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the embodiments of the present application. In the drawings:

[0038] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a flow chart of a walking control method for a hexapod robot provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the motion mechanism of a hexapod robot provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0040] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the leg movement of a hexapod robot provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] Figure 4 A coordinate system and main parameter definition diagram of the hexapod robot provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0042] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the mechanical principle of the legs of the hexapod robot provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0043] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a straight-line walking gait cycle of a hexapod robot provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the turning walking gait cycle of the hexapod robot provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0045] Marks and corresponding parts names in the attached drawings:

[0046] 1. Rotating cylinder; 2. Thigh cylinder; 3. Calf cylinder. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present application more clearly understood, the present application is further described in detail below in conjunction with examples and drawings. The illustrative implementation scheme of the present application and its description are only used to explain the present application and are not intended to limit the present application.

[0048] It should be noted that the terms "including" or "may include" used in various embodiments of the present application indicate the existence of the function, operation or element applied for, and do not limit the increase of one or more functions, operations or elements. In addition, as used in various embodiments of the present application, the terms "including", "having" and their cognates are only intended to represent specific features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, components or a combination of the foregoing items, and should not be understood as first excluding the existence of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, components or a combination of the foregoing items or increasing the possibility of one or more features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, components or a combination of the foregoing items. Secondly, in the description of the present application, the meaning of "multiple" is two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically limited.

[0049] In the embodiment of the present application, first of all, the hexapod robot is an existing robot. This embodiment does not explain its mechanical structure. First, the electrical system of the hexapod robot is introduced. The electrical system includes a power supply unit, a controller unit, an electrical control unit, an action execution unit, a working image storage unit, an audio and visual alarm unit, a state sensing unit, an environment sensing unit, a local human-computer interaction unit, and a remote human-computer interaction unit.

[0050] The power supply unit uses the engine (internal combustion engine) to generate electricity as the power source to drive subsequent electrical components. The electrical control unit adopts a PLC system. The electrical control unit collects signals from the status sensing unit, the environmental sensing unit, the local human-computer interaction unit, and the remote human-computer interaction unit. After the electrical control unit interacts with the controller unit, the controller unit calculates based on the actual data and internal algorithms, and controls the action execution unit and the sound and light alarm unit through the electrical control unit, thereby realizing the functions of walking, climbing, autonomous obstacle avoidance, and operating fault alarm.

[0051] Furthermore, the power supply unit uses engine (internal combustion engine) power generation as a power source to drive subsequent electrical components, and has the following main functions: the output power can be adjusted by adjusting the engine speed, the inverter voltage stabilizer can invert the voltage output by the generator into the voltage required by the cable (including but not limited to 220VAC, 110VAC, 48VDC, 24VDC), and the inverter voltage stabilizer can stabilize the output voltage fluctuation within an acceptable range when the subsequent load changes drastically.

[0052] Furthermore, the controller unit is composed of an industrial control computer and a software algorithm arranged thereon, and has the following main functions: monitoring various data signals of the status sensing unit, the environmental sensing unit and the working image storage unit through the electrical control unit, and visualizing, processing, analyzing and storing the data; calculating the motion parameters of each leg according to the environmental information and status information using the automatic walking algorithm; and sending the control signal to the action execution unit through data interaction with the electrical control unit to realize the walking and sound and light alarm functions of the machine.

[0053] Furthermore, after the electrical control unit obtains sensor signal feedback, various data from the local human-machine interaction unit, and the remote human-machine interaction unit, and exchanges data signals with the controller unit, the controller unit can output corresponding hydraulic proportional valve adjustment, sound and light alarm and other actions to the subsequent action execution unit and sound and light alarm unit through the electrical control unit.

[0054] Furthermore, the action execution unit includes a telescopic hydraulic cylinder, a rotating hydraulic cylinder and a hydraulic proportional valve. The forward and backward movement, left and right steering, and obstacle avoidance movement of the six-legged motion carrying platform all need to be controlled by the electrical control unit, and the hydraulic cylinder mechanical actuator is driven by the hydraulic valve to perform flexible movements in all directions. The hydraulic cylinder can maintain stability through oil pressure in a static state to ensure the stability of the six-legged motion carrying platform. It can act in time when in working state or when external force interferes, and adjust the position of the hydraulic steel to ensure that the six-legged motion carrying platform remains in a controllable and stable state.

[0055] Furthermore, the working image storage unit includes a camera and a hard disk storage, which captures the surrounding environment image in real time and saves and backs up the image of the special node.

[0056] Furthermore, the sound and light alarm unit includes a lighting lamp, a horn, and a three-color warning light, and each function is controlled by an electrical control unit and is used for external environment lighting, whistle warning, system operation status prompt, and systemic fault alarm.

[0057] Furthermore, the status sensing unit includes voltage and current detection sensors, liquid level sensors, temperature sensors, and absolute value encoders to perform real-time detection and monitoring of the system to ensure that the electrical control unit and controller unit of the hexapod motion support platform can obtain accurate machine status information in real time, providing an accurate data basis for the execution of subsequent actions and alarm prompts.

[0058] Furthermore, the environmental sensing unit includes GPS positioning, front and rear lidar obstacle avoidance sensors, millimeter wave radar sensors, and camera modules to perform real-time detection of the platform's surrounding environment. The data is transmitted to the controller unit through the electrical control unit. The algorithm in the controller unit analyzes the platform position and environmental obstacle information, thereby providing data support for automatic walking and obstacle avoidance.

[0059] Furthermore, the local human-machine interaction unit and the remote human-machine interaction unit are composed of a touch screen and a remote control handle, and they interact with the electrical control unit in real time during operation. The operator can view various parameters of the electrical system operation of the six-legged motion load-bearing platform, adjust the parameters of each component of the load-bearing platform, and adjust the operating status of the load-bearing platform through the touch screen, thereby controlling the movement of the six-legged motion load-bearing platform and the adjustment of various functional actions. The operator can transmit wireless control instructions to the electrical control unit through the wireless remote controller of the remote human-machine interaction unit, and the remote human-machine interaction unit and the electrical control unit, thereby controlling the movement of the six-legged motion load-bearing platform and various functional actions.

[0060] It should be noted that the electrical system described above in this embodiment is also the unit currently required to control the hexapod robot to complete walking, and is also a mature technical means. Therefore, this embodiment only gives a brief introduction and does not describe its specific model.

[0061] Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a walking control method for a hexapod robot provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. Figure 1 As shown, the method includes:

[0062] S101, receiving target location information sent by a user, and planning a walking path to the target location information in combination with a pre-configured global map and a path planning algorithm.

[0063] In this embodiment, the method of receiving the target location information sent by the user can be implemented by a local human-computer interaction unit and a remote human-computer interaction unit. This is a conventional technical means at present, and this embodiment does not make redundant descriptions. When performing path planning, first build a construction site map, mark the non-walkable areas or obstacles and high steps that cannot be crossed in the map, and after completing the global map construction of the construction site, use a path planning algorithm to perform global path planning to plan a walking path to the target location information. It should be understood that the path planning algorithm uses existing technologies, such as A* algorithm, Dijkstra algorithm, etc.

[0064] S102, collecting the current position information, state information and environmental information of the hexapod robot; the state information refers to the angle information and joint position information of the six legs of the hexapod robot.

[0065] In this embodiment, information collection is achieved through a state sensing unit and an environment sensing unit. The means of collecting information are conventional technical means in this technical field. Therefore, no redundant description is given in this embodiment.

[0066] S103, judging whether there are obstacles on the walking path according to the environmental information, if there are obstacles, replanning the walking path according to the current position information, otherwise keeping the walking path unchanged.

[0067] In this embodiment, since the path planning algorithm first sets the current point and target point of the map and the hexapod robot, and since the hexapod robot can walk in any direction and has fewer terrain restrictions, the target point and the current point are first directly connected in a straight line to draw a rectangular area that ensures a safe width, and it is determined whether there is a prohibited area on the rectangle.

[0068] In some embodiments, the process of determining whether there are obstacles on the walking path is as follows: connecting the target location information and the current location information into a straight line in the global map, and drawing a rectangular area based on the straight line; determining whether there are obstacles in the rectangular area, and if so, connecting the current location information and the endpoints of the obstacle, and using the endpoints at both ends of the obstacle as starting points, and connecting them to the target location information to draw a new rectangular area; determining whether there are new obstacles in the new rectangular area, and if so, repeating the drawing of the new rectangular area until a valid solution is found in which there are no obstacles, and calculating the shortest path based on the valid solution as the walking path to the target location information.

[0069] Specifically, when there is a prohibited area, the current point is connected to the endpoints of the prohibited area, and the endpoints of the obstacle at both ends are used as the starting points and connected to the target point to draw a new rectangular area; again, it is determined whether there is a new prohibited area in the area. If there is still a prohibited area, the process is repeated until a valid solution without a prohibited area is found, and the shortest path is calculated as the global optimal path for this planning.

[0070] Secondly, when the environmental perception unit detects that there are obstacles on the path that the transport device cannot cross, such as a high step in front that exceeds the leg movement range, a new walking path will be recalculated. The new walking path will bypass the obstacle. After the calculation is completed, the new walking path will be sent to the control unit to execute the walking operation.

[0071] S104, generate a path point list according to the walking path, calculate the gait parameters of the hexapod walking at each path point according to the path point list based on the position information and state information, control the hexapod robot to complete the walking of the current gait cycle according to the walking path or the adjusted walking path based on the gait parameters, and after detecting that the hexapod robot is stably supported, collect the position information, state information and environmental information of the environment at the next moment, and calculate the gait parameters of the next gait cycle until the hexapod robot reaches the target position information.

[0072] In this embodiment, after the path planning is completed, the path coordinate points of the walking path are used to generate a path point list, and gait calculation is performed. The calculation of gait parameters adopts the triangular gait method, also known as the alternating triangular gait method, and its specific steps are as follows: the hexapod is divided into two groups, A and B, wherein the front and rear feet on the left side of the hexapod robot and the middle foot on the right side are one group, defined as group A; the front and rear feet on the right side of the hexapod robot and the middle foot on the left side are one group, defined as group B; the lifting height of each hexapod thigh is calculated according to the height of each leg, the projection length of the leg of each foot, the opposite side length of the hip joint fulcrum, the initial length of the thigh cylinder and the expansion and contraction change of the thigh cylinder; according to the rotation angle of the hip joint rotation cylinder of each foot, the forward step length of each hexapod thigh along the y-axis is calculated according to the rotation angle and the projection length; according to the projection length, the distance between the front and middle feet, the rotation angle, the forward step length and the lifting height, the position vector calculation model of each foot of the hexapod robot group A and group B is constructed; based on the gait sequence of group A and group B, the position vector calculation model is called to calculate the position vector of each foot of group A and group B, so as to complete the generation of gait parameters for straight walking, fixed-point turning and correct posture.

[0073] Specifically, first divide the 6 legs into 2 groups, such as Figure 2 As shown, the front and back feet on the left and the midfoot on the right are group A, and the front and back feet on the right and the midfoot on the left are group B, which form two triangular supports respectively.

[0074] Furthermore, when the outrigger lands, the lower leg of the outrigger is kept perpendicular to the body. A coordinate system is established according to this model, and the ground coordinate system ∑0 is defined, where the xoy axis is parallel to the body and the z axis is perpendicular to the body; the body coordinate system ∑c, where the origin of the coordinate coincides with the center of mass of the hexapod robot, is defined as follows: Figure 4 shown.

[0075] Optionally, the distance between the legs is defined in order as n, and the body width is 2m. The hexapod robot is as follows Figure 4 shown.

[0076] Furthermore, Figure 4 Ai and Bi are the standing points of the legs, and Ai1 and Bi1 are the connection points between the legs and the hip joints ( Figure 2 Specifically, {(Ai) or (Bi) is the connection point between the outrigger and the fuselage, such as Figure 5 As shown in the left figure Ai1).

[0077] Further, such as Figure 3 As shown, the projection length of the leg along the x-axis is defined as L0 (as Figure 2Looking at any leg, the length of the horizontal bar that forms a triangle with the leg is L0), the height of the leg is H (the height of the leg below the horizontal bar is H), the initial length of the side where the thigh cylinder 2 is located is a0, and the length of the opposite side of the hip joint fulcrum is b.

[0078] When the thigh oil cylinder 2 contracts, the angle between the calf and the initial position is θ0, and the upward lifting height h of the thigh is: h=HH×cos(θ0).

[0079] The calculation formula of the relationship between the expansion and contraction change of the thigh cylinder 2 is:

[0080] The relationship between the upward lifting height h of the thigh and the telescopic change Δa of the thigh cylinder 2 is expressed as follows: Among them, H is the height of the outrigger, b is the length of the opposite side of the hip joint fulcrum, a0 is the initial length of the thigh cylinder, Δa is the telescopic change of the thigh cylinder, and L0 is the projection length.

[0081] When the rotary cylinder 1 of the hip joint of the hexapod robot rotates by an angle of γi, the foothold Ai moves forward by half a step length S / 2 in the Y direction. The forward step length of the hexapod robot leg in the Y direction is calculated as follows: When γi is small, the projection length of the retreating portion after rotating by an angle of γ on the X-axis can be approximately L0.

[0082] When the road surface is uneven during walking, the calf oil cylinder 3 can be extended and retracted to adjust the vehicle body so as to keep the relative balance, thereby ensuring that the above calculation model is always valid.

[0083] Furthermore, when walking in a straight line, the gait planning is as follows: First, there are two kinds of gait swing sequences for walking in a straight line: group A->group B or group B->group A. Taking the swing sequence of group A->group B as an example, it can be understood that the control method of group B->group A is the same as that of group A->group B. The walking in a gait cycle is planned as shown in the attached figure. Figure 5 shown.

[0084] Assume the initial state is Figure 6 As shown in (a), the legs of the six-legged creature are all on the ground. At this time, the position vector calculation model of the swinging legs Ai and Bi is:

[0085] PA1=[-(L0+1),n,0]; PB1=[(L0+1),n,0];

[0086] PA2=[(L0+1),0,0]; PB2=[-(L0+1),0,0];

[0087] PA3=[-(L0+1),-n,0]; PB3=[(L0+1),-n,0];

[0088] The next gait is Figure 6 As shown in (b), the legs of group A move forward (assuming that after rotating by an angle of γi, the projection length of the legs on the X-axis is approximately L0). At this time, the position vector calculation model of the swinging legs Ai and Bi is:

[0089] PA1=[-(L0+1),n+s / 2,h]; PB1=[(L0+1),n,0];

[0090] PA2=[(L0+1),s / 2,h]; PB2=[-(L0+1),0,0];

[0091] PA3=[-(L0+1),-n+s / 2,h]; PB3=[(L0+1),-n,0];

[0092] Furthermore, the next gait is Figure 6 As shown in (c), the legs of group A are on the ground, and the legs of group B are lifted up, pulling the body forward. At this time, the position vector calculation model of the swing leg Ai and Bi points is:

[0093] PA1=[-(L0+1),n+s / 2,0]; PB1=[(L0+1),n+s / 2,h];

[0094] PA2=[(L0+1),s / 2,0]; PB2=[-(L0+1),s / 2,h];

[0095] PA3=[-(L0+1),-n+s / 2,0]; PB3=[(L0+1),-n+s / 2,h];

[0096] Furthermore, the next gait is Figure 6 As shown in (d), the legs of group B move forward (assuming that after rotating by an angle of γi, the projection length of the legs on the X-axis is approximately L0). At this time, the position vector calculation model of the swinging legs Ai and Bi is:

[0097] PA1=[-(L0+1),n+s / 2,0]; PB1=[(L0+1),n+s,h]

[0098] PA2=[(L0+1),s / 2,0]; PB2=[-(L0+1),s,h];

[0099] PA3=[-(L0+1),-n+s / 2,0]; PB3=[(L0+1),-n+s,h];

[0100] Furthermore, the next gait is Figure 6As shown in (e), the legs of group B are on the ground, and the legs of group A are lifted up, pulling the body forward. At this time, the position vector calculation model of the swing leg Ai and Bi points is:

[0101] PA1=[-(L0+1),n+s,h]; PB1=[(L0+1),n+s,0]

[0102] PA2=[(L0+1),s,h]; PB2=[-(L0+1),s,0]

[0103] PA3=[-(L0+1),-n+s,h]; PB3=[(L0+1),-n+s,0]

[0104] Thus, a forward cycle is completed and the next gait is entered. Figure 6 As shown in (b), this cycle is repeated to complete the linear motion.

[0105] Furthermore, in the fixed-point turning gait, there are also two kinds of leg swinging orders: group A->group B or group B->group A. If the legs of group A swing first, it turns right, and if the legs of group B swing first, it turns left. The turning gait planning diagram is as follows: Figure 7 shown.

[0106] Assume the initial state is Figure 7 As shown in (a), all six legs are on the ground. At this time, the position vectors of the swing legs Ai and Bi are: PA1 = [-(L0+1), n, 0]; PB1 = [(L0+1), n, 0];

[0107] PA2=[(L0+1),0,0]; PB2=[-(L0+1),0,0];

[0108] PA3=[-(L0+1),-n,0]; PB3=[(L0+1),-n,0];

[0109] Furthermore, the next gait is Figure 7 As shown in (b), group B is lifted, group A is immobile, legs B1 and B3 rotate forward by γ, and legs B2 rotates backward by γ (assuming that after rotating by an angle of γi, the projection length of the legs on the X-axis is approximately L0). At this time, the position vector calculation model of the swinging legs Ai and Bi is:

[0110] PA1=[-(L0+1),n,0]; PB1=[(L0+1),n+L0×sin(γ),h];

[0111] PA2=[(L0+1),0,0]; PB2=[-(L0+1),-L0×sin(γ),h];

[0112] PA3=[-(L0+1),-n,0]; PB3=[(L0+1),-(n-L0×sin(γ)),h].

[0113] Furthermore, the next gait is Figure 7 As shown in (b), group B lands on the ground and group A lifts its legs. At this time, the position vector calculation model of the swing leg Ai and Bi points is:

[0114] PA1=[-(L0+1),n,h]; PB1=[(L0+1),n+L0×sin(γ),0];

[0115] PA2=[(L0+1),0,h]; PB2=[-(L0+1),-L0×sin(γ),0];

[0116] PA3=[-(L0+1),-n,h]; PB3=[(L0+1),-(n-L0×sin(γ)),0]

[0117] Furthermore, the next gait is Figure 7 As shown in (c), group B lands on the ground, group A lifts its legs, legs B1 and B3 rotate backward by γ, and legs B2 rotates forward by γ, pulling the body of the hexapod robot to the right position (assuming that after rotating by an angle of γi, the projection length of the legs on the X-axis is approximately L0). At this time, the position vector calculation model of the swinging legs Ai and Bi is:

[0118] PA1=[-(L0+1),(n-L0×sin(γ)),h];

[0119] PB1=[(L0+1),n+L0×sin(γ),0];

[0120] PA2=[(L0+1),(L0×sin(γ)),h];

[0121] PB2=[-(L0+1),-L0×sin(γ),0];

[0122] PA3=[-(L0+1),-(n+L0×sin(γ)),h];

[0123] PB3=[(L0+1),-(n-L0×sin(γ)),0];

[0124] Further, the next gait is as follows Figure 7 As shown in (c), group B lands on the ground, and group A's legs land on the ground. At this time, the position vector calculation model of the swing leg Ai and Bi points is:

[0125] PA1=[-(L0+1),(n-L0×sin(γ)),0];

[0126] PB1=[(L0+1),n+L0×sin(γ),0];

[0127] PA2=[(L0+1),(L0×sin(γ)),0];

[0128] PB2=[-(L0+1),-L0×sin(γ),0];

[0129] PA3=[-(L0+1),-(n+L0×sin(γ)),0];

[0130] PB3=[(L0+1),-(n-L0×sin(γ)),0];

[0131] This cycle repeats, selecting a reasonable rotation angle γ until the target angle is reached, and a left turn can be completed; a right turn is similar to a left turn.

[0132] In some embodiments, the method also includes: during the movement of the hexapod robot, collecting the spatial position information and pressure information fed back by the hexapod in real time, judging whether the hexapod touches the ground reliably through the pressure information, judging whether the hexapod runs according to the preset position and speed through the spatial position information, and adjusting the deviation of the hexapod to form a hexapod control closed loop.

[0133] In this embodiment, by detecting the ground contact pressure of the outriggers through pressure sensors, it is possible to determine whether the outrigger support is reliable, thereby improving the traveling stability of the hexapod robot.

[0134] In a further embodiment, it is determined whether the hexapod touches the ground reliably, specifically: during the walking process of the hexapod robot, when it is detected that the travel information and pressure information of the hexapod are in a first condition, it is determined that the hexapod touches the ground unreliably, and a step sequence abnormality result is generated; wherein the first condition is that the travel information is equal to the maximum travel, and the pressure information is less than the touchdown pressure threshold; the landing position of the hexapod is recalculated according to the step sequence abnormality result until the pressure information fed back by the hexapod reaches the touchdown pressure threshold and the touchdown is reliable.

[0135] In a further embodiment, the method further includes: when it is detected that the position of the six-legged animal reaches the landing position and the pressure information is equal to the ground contact pressure threshold, the current step sequence is completed and the six-legged animal is controlled to execute the next step sequence operation.

[0136] The present application also provides a walking control device for a hexapod robot, the device comprising:

[0137] The path planning module is used to receive the target location information sent by the user, and plan a walking path to the target location information in combination with the pre-configured global map and path planning algorithm;

[0138] The information collection module is used to collect the current position information, state information and environmental information of the hexapod robot; the state information refers to the angle information and joint position information of the six legs of the hexapod robot;

[0139] The path update module is used to determine whether there are obstacles on the walking path according to the environmental information. If there are obstacles, the walking path is replanned according to the current position information, otherwise the walking path remains unchanged;

[0140] The walking control module is used to generate a path point list according to the walking path, calculate the gait parameters of the six-legged walking at each path point according to the path point list based on the position information and status information, and control the six-legged robot to complete the walking of the current gait cycle according to the walking path or the adjusted walking path based on the gait parameters. After detecting that the six-legged robot is stably supported, the position information, status information and environmental information of the environment at the next moment are collected to calculate the gait parameters of the next gait cycle until the six-legged robot reaches the target position information.

[0141] It can be seen that the walking control device for a hexapod robot provided in this embodiment first determines whether there are obstacles on the walking path based on environmental information. If there are obstacles, the walking path is re-planned based on the current position information; then, a path point list is generated based on the walking path, and the gait parameters of the hexapod walking at each path point are calculated based on the path point list by the position information and the state information, and the hexapod robot is controlled based on the gait parameters to complete the walking of the gait cycle at the current moment according to the walking path or the adjusted walking path. In each gait walking process, the present application needs to detect whether the hexapod robot is stably supported, and only after stable support is obtained will the position information, state information and environmental information of the environment at the next moment be collected, so as to calculate the gait parameters of the next gait cycle until the hexapod robot reaches the target position information. Therefore, the present application solves the problem that the hexapod robot is prone to overturning when passing obstacles and pits, and improves the stability of the hexapod robot during transportation.

[0142] In some embodiments, the device also includes: a ground contact detection module, which is used to collect the spatial position information and pressure information fed back by the hexapod in real time during the movement of the hexapod robot, determine whether the hexapod touches the ground reliably through the pressure information, determine whether the hexapod runs according to the preset position and speed through the spatial position information, and adjust the deviation of the hexapod to form a hexapod control closed loop.

[0143] In the embodiment of the present application, a computer-readable storage medium is also provided, and the computer-readable storage medium is a memory device in a computer device for storing programs and data. It is understandable that the computer-readable storage medium here can include both the built-in storage medium in the computer device and the extended storage medium supported by the computer device. The computer-readable storage medium provides a storage space, which stores the operating system of the terminal. In addition, one or more instructions suitable for being loaded and executed by the processor are also stored in the storage space, and these instructions can be one or more computer programs (including program codes). It should be noted that the computer-readable storage medium here can be a high-speed RAM memory or a non-volatile memory (non-volatile memory), such as at least one disk memory. The processor can load and execute one or more instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium to implement the corresponding steps of the above-mentioned embodiment related to a walking control method for a six-legged robot. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments of the present invention can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, the present invention can take the form of a complete hardware embodiment, a complete software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware. Furthermore, the present invention may take the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program codes.

[0144] The specific implementation methods described above further illustrate the purpose, technical solutions and beneficial effects of the present application in detail. It should be understood that the above description is only the specific implementation method of the present application and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present application should be included in the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A walking control method for a hexapod robot, characterized in that: Methods include: Receive the target location information sent by the user, and plan a walking path to the target location information by combining the pre-configured global map and path planning algorithm; Collect the current position information, status information and environmental information of the hexapod robot; The state information refers to the angle information and joint position information of the six legs of the hexapod robot; Determine whether there are obstacles on the walking path based on environmental information. If there are obstacles, replan the walking path based on the current location information; otherwise, keep the walking path unchanged. A list of path points is generated according to the walking path. According to the list of path points, the gait parameters of the six-legged walking at each path point are calculated from the position information and the state information. Based on the gait parameters, the six-legged robot is controlled to complete the walking of the current gait cycle according to the walking path or the adjusted walking path. After detecting that the six-legged robot is stably supported, the position information, state information and environmental information of the environment at the next moment are collected, and the gait parameters of the next gait cycle are calculated until the six-legged robot reaches the target position information.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method also includes: during the movement of the hexapod robot, collecting the spatial position information and pressure information fed back by the hexapod in real time, judging whether the hexapod touches the ground reliably through the pressure information, judging whether the hexapod moves according to the preset position and speed through the spatial position information, and adjusting the deviation of the hexapod to form a hexapod control closed loop.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that Determining whether the hexapod touches the ground reliably, specifically: during the walking process of the hexapod robot, when it is detected that the travel information and pressure information of the hexapod are in the first condition, determining that the hexapod touches the ground unreliably and generating a step sequence abnormality result; wherein the first condition is that the travel information is equal to the maximum travel, and the pressure information is less than the touch pressure threshold; The landing position of the hexapod is recalculated according to the abnormal step sequence results until the pressure information fed back by the hexapod reaches the ground contact pressure threshold and the ground contact is reliable.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that: The method further includes: when it is detected that the position of the six-legged creature reaches the landing position and the pressure information is equal to the ground contact pressure threshold, the current step sequence is completed and the six-legged creature is controlled to perform the next step sequence operation.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that If there is an obstacle, the walking path is replanned according to the current location information, otherwise the walking path remains unchanged, specifically: Connect the target location information and the current location information into a straight line in the global map, and draw a rectangular area based on the straight line; Determine whether there is an obstacle in the rectangular area. If there is an obstacle, connect the point where the current location information is located with the endpoints of the obstacle, and use the endpoints at both ends of the obstacle as the starting point and connect them with the point where the target location information is located to draw a new rectangular area; Determine whether there are new obstacles in the new rectangular area. If there are new obstacles, repeat the drawing of the new rectangular area until there is a valid solution without obstacles, and calculate the shortest path based on the valid solution as the walking path to the target location information.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The gait parameters of the six-legged walking at each path point are calculated based on the position information and state information, including: The hexapods were divided into two groups, A and B. The front and rear feet on the left side of the hexapod robot and the middle foot on the right side were grouped as one group, defined as Group A; the front and rear feet on the right side of the hexapod robot and the middle foot on the left side were grouped as one group, defined as Group B. The lifting height of each six-legged thigh is calculated according to the height of each leg, the projection length of each leg, the length of the opposite side of the hip joint fulcrum, the initial length of the thigh cylinder and the expansion and contraction change of the thigh cylinder; According to the rotation angle of the hip joint rotary cylinder of each foot, the forward step length of each hexapod thigh along the y-axis is calculated according to the rotation angle and the projection length; According to the projection length, the distance between the front and middle legs, the rotation angle, the forward step length and the lifting height, the position vector calculation model of each leg of the hexapod robot group A and group B was constructed; Based on the gait sequence of group A and group B, the position vector calculation model is called to calculate the position vector of each foot of group A and group B, so as to complete the generation of gait parameters for straight-line walking, fixed-point turning and correct posture.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The calculation formula of the expansion and contraction variation is: Among them, H is the height of the outrigger, b is the length of the opposite side of the hip joint fulcrum, a0 is the initial length of the thigh cylinder, Δa is the telescopic change of the thigh cylinder, and L0 is the projection length.

8. A walking control device for a hexapod robot, characterized in that: The device includes: The path planning module is used to receive the target location information sent by the user, and plan a walking path to the target location information in combination with the pre-configured global map and path planning algorithm; An information collection module is used to collect the current position information, state information and environmental information of the hexapod robot; The state information refers to the angle information and joint position information of the six legs of the hexapod robot; The path update module is used to determine whether there are obstacles on the walking path according to the environmental information. If there are obstacles, the walking path is replanned according to the current position information, otherwise the walking path remains unchanged; The walking control module is used to generate a path point list according to the walking path, calculate the gait parameters of the six-legged walking at each path point according to the path point list based on the position information and status information, and control the six-legged robot to complete the walking of the current gait cycle according to the walking path or the adjusted walking path based on the gait parameters. After detecting that the six-legged robot is stably supported, the position information, status information and environmental information of the environment at the next moment are collected to calculate the gait parameters of the next gait cycle until the six-legged robot reaches the target position information.

9. The device according to claim 8, characterized in that The device also includes: The ground contact detection module is used to collect the spatial position information and pressure information fed back by the hexapod in real time during the movement of the hexapod robot, judge whether the hexapod touches the ground reliably through the pressure information, judge whether the hexapod moves according to the preset position and speed through the spatial position information, and adjust the deviation of the hexapod to form a hexapod control closed loop.

10. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium includes a computer program, which, when executed by one or more processors, implements a walking control method for a hexapod robot as described in any one of claims 1 to 7.

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