Mobile robot with changeable configuration

Abstract

The mobile robot comprises a double-layer chassis, a controller, a battery and a wheel set unit, the controller and the battery are arranged on the double-layer chassis, the wheel set unit is detachably connected with the double-layer chassis, and the controller and the battery are both electrically connected with the wheel set unit; the wheel set unit comprises at least two different driving wheel sets and at least two different driven wheel sets; four groups of embedding grooves matched with the wheel set units in an embedding manner are formed in the double-layer chassis; the driving wheel set and the driven wheel set are each provided with an inlaying protruding part matched with the inlaying groove. According to the configuration-replaceable mobile robot, configuration conversion can be achieved by only replacing the structures of the wheel sets, so that different configurations can be replaced according to different environments, the application range of the mobile robot is expanded, no bogie needs to be additionally arranged, the structure is simple, stability is high, and the control difficulty is small.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of mobile robots, and more particularly to a mobile robot with a changeable configuration. Background Art

[0002] Common configurations of existing wheeled mobile robots include two-wheel differential carts, four-wheel differential carts, McDonnell wheel omnidirectional mobile carts, and Ackerman steering carts. Cars of different configurations have their own advantages and disadvantages, as well as applicable occasions. In terms of university teaching, mobile robot laboratories are generally equipped with carts of different configurations as practical teaching equipment. However, the cost of applying different wheeled robots according to different environments is too high and too inconvenient. At the same time, there are also disadvantages such as structural complexity, stability problems, control difficulty, and limited scope of application. Summary of the invention

[0003] The present invention aims to overcome at least one defect of the above-mentioned prior art and provide a mobile robot with interchangeable configuration, which is used to solve the problems in the prior art that the application of different wheeled robots according to different environments is too costly and too inconvenient, and also has problems of structural complexity, stability problems, control difficulty and limited scope of application.

[0004] The technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:

[0005] A mobile robot with a replaceable configuration comprises: a double-layer chassis, a controller and a battery arranged on the double-layer chassis, and a wheel unit detachably connected to the double-layer chassis, wherein the controller and the battery are electrically connected to the wheel unit; the wheel unit comprises at least two different driving wheel assemblies for replacement and at least two different driven wheel assemblies for replacement; the double-layer chassis is provided with four groups of inlay grooves for embedding and matching with the wheel unit; the driving wheel assembly comprises a motor assembly and a driving wheel connected to the motor assembly; the driven wheel assembly comprises a steering gear assembly and a driven wheel connected to the steering gear assembly, and both the motor assembly and the steering gear assembly are provided with inlay protrusions matching with the inlay grooves.

[0006] In one embodiment, the double-layer chassis includes an upper chassis and a lower chassis that are spaced apart from each other, and each group of the inlay grooves includes an upper groove provided on the upper chassis and a lower groove provided on the lower chassis, and the upper grooves are arranged opposite to the lower grooves.

[0007] In one of the embodiments, a wave-shaped elastic pad is provided in the inlay groove.

[0008] In one embodiment, the types of the driving wheels include Mecanum wheels and rubber wheels; the types of the driven wheels include OMNI wheels and rubber wheels.

[0009] In one embodiment, the servo assembly includes a servo, a gear assembly connected to an output end of the servo, and a servo housing for integrating the servo and the gear assembly, the inlaid protrusion is provided on the servo housing, and the driven wheel is connected to the gear assembly.

[0010] In one embodiment, the gear assembly includes a gear connected to the output end of the servo, and a gear connecting rod meshing with the gear; the gear connecting rod includes an engaging portion meshing with the gear, and a connecting rod portion connected to the engaging portion, and the connecting rod portion is connected to the driven wheel.

[0011] In one embodiment, the double-layer bottom plate is an aluminum plate or an acrylic plate.

[0012] In one embodiment, the inlaid protrusion is a T-shaped structure.

[0013] In one embodiment, the configuration includes: four groups of inlay grooves are all embedded in the same driving wheel set; and two groups of inlay grooves arranged side by side are embedded in the driving wheel set, and the remaining two groups of inlay grooves arranged side by side are embedded in the driven wheel set.

[0014] In one embodiment, the configuration includes: four groups of inlay grooves are embedded in the Mecanum driving wheel set; four groups of inlay grooves are embedded in the rubber wheel set; two groups of inlay grooves arranged side by side are embedded in the rubber wheel driving wheel set, and the remaining two groups of inlay grooves arranged side by side are embedded in the rubber wheel driven wheel set; and two groups of inlay grooves arranged side by side are embedded in the rubber wheel driving wheel set, and the remaining two groups of inlay grooves arranged side by side are embedded in the OMNI omnidirectional driven wheel set.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention include at least:

[0016] The mobile robot with interchangeable configuration of the technical solution can realize the conversion of configuration by only replacing the structure of the wheel set, so that different configurations can be replaced according to different environments, expanding the scope of application of the mobile robot, and the technical solution is detachably connected to the wheel set unit through a double-layer chassis, and each wheel set unit only includes a driving structure and a corresponding wheel set, and there is no need to set up an additional bogie, which has a simple structure, strong stability, and low control difficulty. Specifically, the technical solution forms a four-wheel mobile robot by cooperating the wheel set unit with four sets of inlay grooves on the double-layer chassis. The four sets of wheel sets constituting the mobile robot can all be active wheel sets, or two sets of active wheel sets and two sets of driven wheel sets. The active wheel sets control different speeds through their respective motor assemblies, thereby realizing differential steering. Since the driven wheel sets include a steering gear assembly, the steering gear assembly configures the steering angle for the corresponding driven wheels respectively, thereby replacing the Ackerman steering mechanism to realize Ackerman steering. Since there are at least two types of driving wheel sets and driven wheel sets, when the configuration needs to be switched, the original wheel set structure is taken out from the embedding slot and the required wheel set structure is embedded to adapt to different environments or present different teaching effects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 It is a partial structural diagram of a mobile robot with interchangeable configurations according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 2 The configuration diagram of the mobile robot with interchangeable configuration according to the embodiment of the present invention is as follows Figure 1 .

[0019] Figure 3 The configuration diagram of the mobile robot with interchangeable configuration according to the embodiment of the present invention is as follows Figure 2 .

[0020] Figure 4 The configuration diagram of the mobile robot with interchangeable configuration according to the embodiment of the present invention is as follows Figure 3 .

[0021] Figure 5 The configuration diagram of the mobile robot with interchangeable configuration according to the embodiment of the present invention is as follows Figure 4 .

[0022] Figure 6 The figure is a schematic structural diagram of a steering gear assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 7 It is a schematic structural diagram of a motor assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 8 It is a schematic structural diagram of the inlay groove according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure numerals: 10, double-layer chassis; 11, upper chassis; 12, lower chassis; 20, controller; 30, battery; 40, wheel unit; 41, driving wheel set; 42, driven wheel set; 43, motor assembly; 44, servo assembly; 441, servo; 442, gear assembly; 4421, gear; 4422, gear connecting rod; 443, servo housing; 45, inlaid protrusion; 46, Mecanum wheel; 47, rubber wheel; 48, OMNI omnidirectional wheel; 50, inlaid groove; 51, wavy elastic pad; 52, upper groove; 53, lower groove. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The drawings of the present invention are only for illustrative purposes and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. In order to better illustrate the following embodiments, some parts of the drawings may be omitted, enlarged or reduced, and do not represent the size of the actual product; it is understandable to those skilled in the art that some well-known structures and their descriptions in the drawings may be omitted.

[0027] like Figure 1-Figure 8 A mobile robot with a replaceable configuration is shown, comprising: a double-layer chassis 10, a controller 20 and a battery 30 arranged on the double-layer chassis 10, and a wheel unit 40 detachably connected to the double-layer chassis 10, wherein the controller 20 and the battery 30 are both electrically connected to the wheel unit 40; the wheel unit 40 comprises at least two different driving wheel assemblies 41 for replacement and at least two different driven wheel assemblies 42 for replacement; the double-layer chassis 10 is provided with four groups of inlay grooves 50 which are embedded and matched with the wheel unit 40; the driving wheel assembly 41 comprises a motor assembly 43 and a driving wheel connected to the motor assembly 43; the driven wheel assembly 42 comprises a servo assembly 44 and a driven wheel connected to the servo assembly 44, and both the motor assembly 43 and the servo assembly 44 are provided with an inlay protrusion 45 which matches with the inlay groove 50.

[0028] The mobile robot with interchangeable configuration of the present embodiment can realize the configuration conversion by only replacing the structure of the wheel set, so that different configurations can be replaced according to different environments, expanding the application scope of the mobile robot, and the present embodiment is detachably connected with the wheel set unit 40 through the double-layer chassis 10, each wheel set unit 40 only includes a driving structure and a corresponding wheel set, and no additional bogie is required, so the structure is simple, the stability is strong, and the control difficulty is small. Specifically, the present embodiment forms a four-wheel mobile robot by cooperating with the wheel set unit 40 and the four sets of inlay grooves 50 on the double-layer chassis 10, and the four sets of wheel sets constituting the mobile robot can all be active wheel sets 41, or two sets of active wheel sets 41 and two sets of driven wheel sets 42, and the active wheel sets 41 are controlled by their respective motor assemblies 43 to realize differential steering, and the driven wheel sets 42 include steering gear assemblies 44, and the steering angles are respectively configured for the corresponding driven wheels through the steering gear assemblies 44, so that the Ackerman steering mechanism can be replaced to realize Ackerman steering. Since there are at least two types of the driving wheel set 41 and the driven wheel set 42, when the configuration needs to be switched, the original wheel set structure is taken out from the embedding groove 50 and the required wheel set structure is embedded to adapt to different environments or present different teaching effects.

[0029] The double-layer chassis 10 of this embodiment includes an upper chassis 11 and a lower chassis 12 arranged at intervals, and each set of the inlay grooves 50 includes an upper groove 52 arranged on the upper chassis 11 and a lower groove 53 arranged on the lower chassis 12, and the upper groove 52 is arranged opposite to the lower groove 53. That is, each set of wheel sets includes an inlay convex portion 45 matched with the upper groove 52 and an inlay convex portion 45 matched with the lower groove 53, and each set of wheel sets is inlaid on the double-layer chassis 10 through the upper groove 52 and the lower groove 53. The wheel set has stronger stability, reducing the risk of shaking or falling off of the wheel set unit 40 during movement, and the double-layer chassis 10 has stronger expansibility, and a controller including a main control board, a radar, a Raspberry Pi, etc. can be installed thereon, and a battery and other electronic devices and interfaces can also be installed.

[0030] The inlay protrusion 45 of the present embodiment is a T-shaped structure, which is simple in process and convenient for assembly and disassembly.

[0031] like Figure 8 As shown, in the present embodiment, a wave-shaped elastic pad 51 is provided in the inlay groove 50, and the wave extends in the direction of the wheel assembly unit 40 moving in or out, thereby not only having a pressing effect after the wheel assembly is installed, but also having a guiding effect during the process of moving the wheel assembly in and out.

[0032] like Figure 6As shown, the steering gear assembly 44 in this embodiment includes a steering gear 441, a gear assembly 442 connected to the output end of the steering gear 441, and a steering gear housing 443 for integrating the steering gear 441 and the gear assembly 442. The inlay convex portion 45 is provided on the steering gear housing 443, and the driven wheel is connected to the gear assembly 442. The steering gear drives the gear assembly 442 to transmit, thereby driving the driven wheel to turn, thereby realizing Ackerman steering.

[0033] In this embodiment, the gear assembly 442 includes a gear 4421 connected to the output end of the servo, and a gear connecting rod 4422 meshing with the gear 4421; the gear connecting rod 4422 includes a meshing portion meshing with the gear 4421, and a connecting rod portion connected to the meshing portion, and the connecting rod portion is connected to the driven wheel. Specifically, the free end of the connecting rod portion is provided with a hexagonal coupling to connect with the driven wheel.

[0034] Similarly, in this embodiment, the output end of the motor assembly 43 is also provided with a hexagonal coupling to connect with the driving wheel.

[0035] The double-layer bottom plate described in this embodiment is an aluminum plate or an acrylic plate, which is low in cost, light and durable.

[0036] The configuration of this embodiment includes: four groups of inlay grooves 50 are all embedded in the same type of driving wheel set 41; and two groups of inlay grooves 50 arranged side by side are embedded in the driving wheel set 41, and the remaining two groups of inlay grooves 50 arranged side by side are embedded in the driven wheel set 42.

[0037] In this embodiment, the types of the driving wheels include Mecanum wheels 46 and rubber wheels 47 ; the types of the driven wheels include OMNI wheels 48 and rubber wheels 47 .

[0038] Therefore, the configurations of this embodiment include at least the following four types: four groups of inlay grooves 50 are all embedded in the Mecanum driving wheel set; four groups of inlay grooves 50 are all embedded in the rubber wheel wheel set; two groups of inlay grooves 50 arranged side by side are embedded in the rubber wheel driving wheel set, and the remaining two groups of inlay grooves 50 arranged side by side are embedded in the rubber wheel driven wheel set; and two groups of inlay grooves 50 arranged side by side are embedded in the rubber wheel driving wheel set, and the remaining two groups of inlay grooves 50 arranged side by side are embedded in the OMNI omnidirectional driven wheel set.

[0039] like Figure 3 As shown, when all four sets of inlay grooves 50 are embedded in the Mecanum active wheel set, omnidirectional movement can be achieved: forward, backward, lateral movement, rotation in place, etc., and all-round movement can be achieved in a plane. By accurately controlling the speed and steering of each wheel set, complex motion trajectories and positioning can be achieved, and flexible control can be performed. The Mecanum wheel 46 is suitable for a variety of ground surfaces, including smooth floors, tiles, grass, and relatively flat land, and the Mecanum wheel 46 still has good adaptability in narrow spaces and complex ground surfaces.

[0040] like Figure 4 As shown, when the four sets of inlay grooves 50 are all embedded in the rubber wheel set, the robot can move forward, backward, turn, and can drive in a straight line and make simple turns. Compared with the mobile robot with Mecanum wheel configuration, the mobile robot with rubber wheel configuration may need a larger turning radius when turning. The mobile robot with rubber wheel configuration is suitable for various flat or slightly undulating roads, such as roads, warehouses, workshops, etc. The rubber wheel 47 has strong adaptability to the ground and can cope with different ground materials and conditions.

[0041] like Figure 2 As shown, when two sets of inlay grooves 50 arranged side by side are embedded in the rubber wheel driving wheel set, and the remaining two sets of inlay grooves 50 arranged side by side are embedded in the rubber wheel driven wheel set, precise steering can be achieved. Specifically, the steering gear assembly 44 controls the steering of the rubber wheel driven wheel set (front wheel), which can achieve precise steering angle and steering speed, and realize Ackerman steering; the rubber wheel driving wheel set (rear wheel) is driven by the motor assembly 43 to provide stable power output to ensure the stability and speed of the mobile robot during the movement; combined with the control of the front wheel steering and the rear wheel movement, the mobile robot can achieve flexible path tracking and obstacle avoidance functions. The mobile robot of this configuration is suitable for scenes that require precise steering and stable movement, such as roads, warehouses, factories, etc.; it has strong adaptability to the ground.

[0042] like Figure 5 As shown, when two sets of inlay grooves 50 arranged side by side are embedded in the rubber wheel driving wheel set, and the remaining two sets of inlay grooves 50 arranged side by side are embedded in the OMNI omnidirectional driven wheel set, the functional omnidirectional steering can be realized. Specifically, the OMNI omnidirectional wheel 48, as the front wheel, has multiple degrees of freedom, can realize complex actions such as lateral movement and rotation in place, and the steering is more precise controlled by the servo assembly 44; the rear wheel adopts the traditional rubber wheel 47 and motor assembly 43 driving method to provide stable power output and travel speed. Combined with the steering ability of the OMNI omnidirectional wheel 48 and the travel stability of the rubber wheel 47, the mobile robot is more comprehensive in control performance. The mobile robot of this configuration is suitable for scenes that require complex steering and flexible control, such as narrow spaces, complex terrain, etc.; it has strong adaptability to the ground, but it is necessary to pay attention to the vibration and wear problems that may be caused by the OMNI omnidirectional wheel 48 on uneven ground.

[0043] Obviously, the above embodiments of the present invention are merely examples for clearly illustrating the technical solution of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the specific implementation methods of the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the claims of the present invention shall be included in the protection scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A mobile robot with interchangeable configurations, characterized in that: include: A double-layer chassis, a controller and a battery arranged on the double-layer chassis, and a wheel set unit detachably connected to the double-layer chassis, wherein the controller and the battery are electrically connected to the wheel set unit; the wheel set unit includes at least two different driving wheel sets for replacement and at least two different driven wheel sets for replacement; the double-layer chassis is provided with four groups of inlay grooves for embedding and matching with the wheel set unit; the driving wheel set includes a motor assembly and a driving wheel connected to the motor assembly; the driven wheel set includes a steering gear assembly and a driven wheel connected to the steering gear assembly, and the motor assembly and the steering gear assembly are both provided with inlay protrusions matching with the inlay grooves.

2. The mobile robot with interchangeable configurations according to claim 1, characterized in that: The double-layer chassis includes an upper chassis and a lower chassis that are spaced apart from each other. Each group of the inlay grooves includes an upper groove arranged on the upper chassis and a lower groove arranged on the lower chassis. The upper grooves are arranged opposite to the lower grooves.

3. The mobile robot with interchangeable configurations according to claim 1, characterized in that: A wave-shaped elastic pad is arranged in the inlay groove.

4. The mobile robot with interchangeable configurations according to claim 1, characterized in that: The types of the driving wheels include Mecanum wheels and rubber wheels; the types of the driven wheels include OMNI wheels and rubber wheels.

5. The mobile robot with interchangeable configurations according to claim 1, characterized in that: The servo assembly comprises a servo, a gear assembly connected to an output end of the servo, and a servo casing for integrating the servo and the gear assembly. The inlaid protrusion is arranged on the servo casing, and the driven wheel is connected to the gear assembly.

6. The mobile robot with interchangeable configurations according to claim 5, characterized in that: The gear assembly includes a gear connected to the output end of the servo, and a gear connecting rod meshing with the gear; the gear connecting rod includes a meshing portion meshing with the gear, and a connecting rod portion connected to the meshing portion, and the connecting rod portion is connected to the driven wheel.

7. The mobile robot with interchangeable configurations according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The double-layer bottom plate is an aluminum plate or an acrylic plate.

8. The mobile robot with interchangeable configurations according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The inlaid protrusion is a T-shaped structure.

9. The mobile robot with interchangeable configurations according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: Configuration includes: four groups The inlay grooves are all embedded in the same driving wheel set; and two sets of inlay grooves arranged side by side are embedded in the driving wheel set, and the remaining two sets of inlay grooves arranged side by side are embedded in the driven wheel set.

10. The mobile robot with interchangeable configurations according to claim 9, characterized in that: Configuration includes: four groups The inlay grooves are all embedded in the Mecanum driving wheel set; the four sets of inlay grooves are all embedded in the rubber wheel set; two sets of inlay grooves arranged side by side are embedded in the rubber wheel driving wheel set, and the remaining two sets of inlay grooves arranged side by side are embedded in the rubber wheel driven wheel set; and two sets of inlay grooves arranged side by side are embedded in the rubber wheel driving wheel set, and the remaining two sets of inlay grooves arranged side by side are embedded in the OMNI omnidirectional driven wheel set.

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