Multi-link self-adaptive reconfigurable amphibious propelling device based on bidirectional torsion spring limiting

Abstract

The multi-chain-link self-adaptive reconfigurable amphibious propelling device comprises chain links, rotating shafts, torsional springs and side plates, the side plates are embedded in the side faces of the chain links, the multiple chain links are rotationally connected through the rotating shafts, the torsional springs are arranged on the rotating shafts, and the torsional springs are arranged on the rotating shafts. And two spring corners of the torsion spring are respectively fixed on two adjacent chain links of the rotating shaft through U-shaped buckles. The amphibious composite propelling device can be used for an amphibious robot, under the land working condition, under the action of a torsional spring and mechanical limiting, the device can be adaptively switched into an arc-shaped leg or a flexible web according to the contact state with the ground, under the underwater working condition, under the action of the torsional spring, all chain links of the device rotate relatively in a self-adaptive mode according to the swing frequency, and the self-adaptive mode is achieved. Fin-like propulsion is realized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of robotics technology, and in particular to a multi-link adaptive reconfigurable amphibious propulsion device based on bidirectional torsion spring limiting. Background Art

[0002] Compared with land mobile robots or underwater unmanned vehicles, amphibious robots can more easily and efficiently complete mission goals that are difficult for robots with ordinary single motion spaces to achieve due to their ability to pass through complex terrains and their ability to effectively connect different working spaces on land and water. Faced with the thorny problems of unstable structure, limited space, and severe water seepage at disaster sites, amphibious robots provide a new solution to improve search and rescue efficiency and reduce rescue costs. Given that there are currently no amphibious robots with good adaptability to complex land environments, the present invention proposes a composite propulsion mechanism combining land arc legs and underwater flexible webs, which fully utilizes the high adaptability and obstacle crossing performance of arc legs to unstructured land environments and the high propulsion performance and energy utilization rate of flexible webs to underwater fluid environments. The two are integrated and developed, so that they can walk on land over obstacles like land robots and swim in water using webs and paddles, solving the problems of insufficient movement ability of amphibious robots in the transitional environment between land and water and low efficiency caused by switching mechanisms. Summary of the invention

[0003] The purpose of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned existing problems and to provide a multi-link adaptive reconfigurable amphibious propulsion device based on bidirectional torsion spring limiting, so that the robot can achieve land and underwater propulsion and adapt to multi-mode cross-domain movement in muddy areas such as water-land transition environments.

[0004] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve the above technical problems is: a multi-link adaptive reconfigurable amphibious propulsion device based on bidirectional torsion spring limiting, including links, rotating shafts, torsion springs, and side plates.

[0005] According to the above technical solution, the side plate is embedded in the side of the chain link, the multiple chain links are rotationally connected through a rotating shaft, the torsion spring is arranged on the rotating shaft, and the two spring corners of the torsion spring are respectively fixed to the two chain links adjacent to the rotating shaft through U-shaped buckles.

[0006] According to the above technical scheme, the chain links include a head link, an outer hinge middle link, an inner hinge middle link, and a tail link. The side of the chain link is provided with a square groove for fixing the side plate, and the surface of the chain link is provided with multiple through holes and square grooves for fixing the torsion spring angle. One end of the head link is provided with a special-shaped shaft hole connected and fixed with the output shaft of the robot drive motor, and the other end is provided with a hinge connected with the middle link. One end of the tail link is provided with a hinge connected with the middle link, and the other end is a planar structure. A boss limit mechanism is provided at the chain link hinge structure to control the maximum rotation angle of the two chain link hinges relative to each other. Adjusting the length of each chain link can change the final bending shape of the arc leg and the stress state of each hinge. The contact surface between the chain link and the ground can be pasted with rubber to increase the ground adhesion, increase the ground adhesion of the robot leg, and effectively improve the robot's terrain passability and obstacle surmounting ability.

[0007] According to the above technical solution, the torque of the torsion spring is adjustable, and the torsion spring is installed at the hinge with different rotation directions so that the chain link can receive the restoring torque of the torsion spring when rotating in both directions. By adjusting the torque of the torsion spring, the torque value generated by the torsion spring due to the twisting when the chain link rotates can be adjusted, thereby adjusting the state of the flexible fins of the robot under underwater working conditions to obtain different propulsion effects.

[0008] According to the above technical solution, the side panels are thinner at the hinges and can bend adaptively as the chain links rotate. The side panels are symmetrically installed in the square grooves on the side of the chain links. The contour formed by the side panels is trapezoidal to obtain a larger water-displacing area.

[0009] According to the above technical solution, the rotating shaft is a stepped cylinder with an internal thread processed inside. The rotating shaft passes through the through hole on the chain link and the torsion spring and is fixed by a gasket and a thread to achieve axial positioning.

[0010] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: by comparing the propulsion performance and advantages and disadvantages of the existing commonly used land propulsion methods and underwater propulsion methods, the present invention creatively proposes a new leg / fin composite propulsion mechanism, which has a simple structure, fast deformation, and adaptability to amphibious environments. The entire deformation process changes adaptively according to the working conditions, and can achieve two-way drive, avoiding the disadvantages of frequent replacement of propulsion devices of amphibious robots or the hidden dangers caused by carrying multiple propulsion mechanisms at the same time. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of a multi-link adaptive reconfigurable amphibious propulsion device based on bidirectional torsion spring limitation in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0012] Figure 2 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the curved legs in a curled state in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0013] Figure 3It is a schematic diagram of a partial cross-sectional structure of a multi-link adaptive reconfigurable amphibious propulsion device based on bidirectional torsion spring limitation in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0014] In the figure, the head end link -1, the outer hinge middle link -2, the inner hinge middle link -3, the tail end link -4, the rotating shaft -5, the gasket -6, the screw -7, the torsion spring -8, the U-shaped buckle -9, the side plate -10, and the rivet -11. Implementation

[0015] The present invention is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0016] Reference Figure 1 As shown, the present invention provides a multi-link adaptive reconfigurable amphibious propulsion device based on bidirectional torsion spring limiting, including links, a rotating shaft 5, a torsion spring 8, and a side plate 10, wherein the side plate 10 is embedded in the side of the link; the multiple links are rotationally connected through the rotating shaft 5, the torsion spring 8 is arranged on the rotating shaft 5, and the two spring corners of the torsion spring 8 are respectively fixed to two links adjacent to the rotating shaft 5 through U-shaped buckles 9.

[0017] Furthermore, the propulsion device can be installed on an amphibious robot. Under land conditions, when the chain links touch the ground or other obstacles, the adjacent chain links will passively rotate relative to each other and eventually curl into a C shape. Under underwater conditions, the force of water on the flexible fins is smaller than the ground reaction force under land conditions, and the passive relative rotation amplitude of the adjacent chain links is small, thereby achieving fish fin-like propulsion.

[0018] Furthermore, the chain link includes a head end link 1, an outer hinge middle chain link 2, an inner hinge middle chain link 3, and a tail end chain link 4. A square groove is provided on the side of the chain link for placing a side plate 10, and two through holes are provided on the outer side of the square groove for fixing the side plate 10. A square groove is provided on the surface of the chain link for placing a torsion spring 8 spring angle, and multiple through holes are provided around the square groove for fixing the torsion spring 8 spring angle. One end of the head end chain link 1 is provided with a special-shaped shaft hole for connecting and fixing with the output shaft of the robot drive motor, and the other end is provided with a hinge to connect with the middle chain link. One end of the tail end chain link 4 is provided with a hinge to connect with the middle chain link, and the other end is a plane structure. A boss limiting mechanism is provided at the chain link hinge structure to control the maximum rotation angle of the two chain link hinges relative to each other. Adjusting the length of each chain link can change the final bending shape of the C-shaped leg and the stress state of each hinge. The contact surface between the chain link and the ground can be pasted with rubber to increase the ground adhesion, increase the ground adhesion of the robot leg, and effectively improve the terrain passability and obstacle surmounting ability of the robot.

[0019] Furthermore, the rotating shaft 5 is a stepped cylinder with an internal thread processed inside. After the rotating shaft 5 passes through the through hole on the chain link and the torsion spring 8, it is fixed by the gasket 6 and the thread to achieve axial positioning.

[0020] Furthermore, the torque of the torsion spring 8 is adjustable. The torsion spring 8 is installed at the hinge with different rotation directions. The two torsion spring 8 spring corners of the torsion spring 8 are respectively placed in the square grooves of the chain links. The U-shaped buckle 9 is inserted into the through hole around the square groove. The U-shaped buckle 9 and the through hole are tightly matched to fix the spring corners of the torsion spring 8 on the chain link, so that the bidirectional rotation of the chain link can be subjected to the restoring torque of the torsion spring 8. By adjusting the torque of the torsion spring 8, the torque value generated by the torsion spring 8 due to the twisting when the chain link rotates can be adjusted, thereby adjusting the state of the flexible web of the robot under underwater working conditions to obtain different propulsion effects.

[0021] Further, refer to Figure 2 , 3 As shown, when the amphibious propulsion mechanism is adaptively deformed due to the ground force on land, adjacent links are provided with boss limit mechanisms at the hinges. When the adjacent links rotate relative to each other and reach a preset angle, the boss limit mechanisms at the hinges of the adjacent links will come into contact to prevent further rotation. The entire leg finally presents a C shape. The side panels 10 on both sides are symmetrically installed in the square grooves on the sides of the links. The side panels 10 installed in the square grooves are provided with two through holes, which are fixed by rivets 11 that penetrate the side panels 10 and the through holes on the links. The side panels 10 are thinner at the hinges and can be adaptively bent as the links rotate. When the ground force is released, the torsion spring 8 will release its elastic potential energy stored in the torsion process, and the amphibious propulsion mechanism will recover from a C shape to a webbed shape.

[0022] Furthermore, under underwater working conditions, torsion springs 8 of different specifications can be selected to effectively resist the relative rotation between adjacent chain links caused by the reaction force of water when it swings underwater. The outline formed by the side plates 10 on both sides is trapezoidal, and the side plates 10 arranged on the side wings of the chain links can increase the water-displacing area to improve the underwater propulsion efficiency.

[0023] In summary, a multi-link adaptive reconfigurable amphibious propulsion device based on bidirectional torsion spring limiting realizes adaptive leg / fin conversion through torsion springs. The final configuration of the arc-shaped legs can be adjusted to meet the requirements of different working conditions by adjusting the length of each link and the limiting boss structure. The stiffness at the hinge can be changed by adjusting the torsion spring specifications and the initial preload force to obtain swinging fins with different postures, thereby improving the underwater propulsion efficiency.

[0024] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention, and certainly cannot be used to limit the scope of rights of the present invention. Therefore, equivalent changes made according to the scope of the patent application of the present invention still fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A multi-link adaptive reconfigurable amphibious propulsion device based on bidirectional torsion spring limit, which is characterized in that it includes links, rotating shafts, torsion springs, and side plates, wherein: The side plates are embedded in the side faces of the chain links. The chain links are rotationally connected via a rotating shaft. The torsion spring is arranged on the rotating shaft. Two spring corners of the torsion spring are respectively fixed on two chain links adjacent to the rotating shaft via U-shaped buckles.

2. According to claim 1, a multi-link adaptive reconfigurable amphibious propulsion device based on bidirectional torsion spring limitation is characterized in that: The chain links include a head link, an outer hinge middle link, an inner hinge middle link, and a tail link. Square grooves are provided on the side faces of the chain links to fix the side plates. Multiple through holes and square grooves are provided on the surface of the chain links to fix the angles of the torsion springs. One end of the head link is provided with a special-shaped shaft hole to be connected and fixed to the output shaft of the robot drive motor, and the other end is provided with a hinge to be connected to the middle link. One end of the tail link is provided with a hinge to be connected to the middle link, and the other end is a planar structure. A boss limiting mechanism is provided at the link hinge structure to control the maximum rotation angle of the two link hinges relative to each other. Adjusting the length of each link can change the final bending shape of the arc leg and the stress state of each hinge. The contact surface between the link and the ground can be pasted with rubber to increase the ground adhesion, increase the ground adhesion of the robot legs, and effectively improve the terrain passability and obstacle surmounting ability of the robot.

3. According to claim 1, a multi-link adaptive reconfigurable amphibious propulsion device based on bidirectional torsion spring limitation is characterized in that: The torque of the torsion spring is adjustable. The torsion spring is installed at the hinge with different rotation directions so that the chain link can receive the restoring torque of the torsion spring when rotating in both directions. By adjusting the torque of the torsion spring, the torque value generated by the torsion spring due to twisting when the chain link rotates can be adjusted, thereby adjusting the state of the flexible fin of the robot under underwater working conditions to obtain different propulsion effects.

4. According to claim 1, a multi-link adaptive reconfigurable amphibious propulsion device based on bidirectional torsion spring limitation is characterized in that: The side plates are thinner at the hinges and can bend adaptively as the chain links rotate. The side plates on both sides are symmetrically installed in the square grooves on the side of the chain links. The profile formed by the side plates on both sides is trapezoidal to obtain a larger water-displacing area.

5. According to claim 1, a multi-link adaptive reconfigurable amphibious propulsion device based on bidirectional torsion spring limitation is characterized in that: The rotating shaft is a stepped cylinder with an internal thread processed inside. The rotating shaft is passed through the through hole on the chain link and the torsion spring and then fixed by a gasket and a thread to achieve axial positioning.

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