Modular flexible tripedal robot

Abstract

The application discloses a modular flexible three-limb robot, and belongs to the technical field of robots, which comprises a base for supporting three legs of the robot; each leg comprises a thigh and a shank, supporting points of the three legs are connected in a triangle, and a gravity center of the robot is located in the triangle; the thigh is installed at the bottom of the base and is configured to be deformed under the action of gas to change a gait of the robot; and the shank is connected with the thigh and is configured to be deformed under the action of gas to change the gait of the robot. The robot can change its topological structure according to a working environment, can adapt to complex and changeable task requirements, improves adaptability of the robot in a complex environment and a compliant operation capability of the robot, and guarantees safety during human-machine interaction.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to trilimb robots, specifically to a modular flexible trilimb robot, belonging to the field of robotics technology. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, most common three-limbed robots use rigid connecting components, which are directly driven by a drive system. However, the drive system structure of three-limbed robots is usually quite complex. This design significantly increases the size and overall weight of the robot system, greatly impacting its portability. Because they need to carry more components and energy, these robots face more limitations during movement, making them difficult to apply in scenarios where high weight and portability are critical. Furthermore, common three-limbed robots are typically designed with fixed topologies, resulting in limited performance adjustment ranges. This makes them ill-suited for complex and varied tasks in special environments, exhibiting poor adaptability to different working conditions. When the robot system malfunctions, prolonged downtime for repairs is required, impacting operational efficiency.

[0003] In summary, traditional three-limbed robots still have shortcomings in terms of lightweight design, portability, environmental adaptability, and economy, which urgently need to be addressed. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To overcome the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention proposes a modular flexible tri-limb robot. The robot's limbs employ a modular design, allowing it to change its topology according to the working environment to adapt to complex and ever-changing task requirements, significantly improving its adaptability in complex environments. The limb modules are interchangeable, offering strong scalability and versatility. In case of system failure, rapid repair can be achieved by replacing modules, reducing downtime. The main body is made of flexible materials, resulting in a lightweight and compact structure while ensuring the flexible limbs possess a certain degree of rigidity. This makes the robot more agile in its movements, enhancing its compliant operation capabilities and ensuring safety during human-robot interaction.

[0005] A modular flexible trilimb robot includes:

[0006] The base supports the robot's three legs; each leg consists of a thigh and a calf, and the support points of the three legs are connected to form a triangle, with the robot's center of gravity located inside the triangle;

[0007] The thighs, mounted at the bottom of the base, are configured to deform pneumatically, thus altering the robot's gait.

[0008] The lower leg, connected to the thigh, is configured to deform under pneumatic pressure, thus changing the robot's gait.

[0009] Furthermore, the thigh includes an end cap A, a flange A, a constraint sleeve A, a rope A, and an inner wall A; the end cap A and the flange A are both symmetrically distributed in pairs, the constraint sleeve A is inserted into the inner wall A, the outer surface of the inner wall A is wrapped with the rope A, the two ends of the constraint sleeve A and the inner wall A respectively abut against the two end caps A, and are clamped and sealed by the flange A installed on the end cap A; the inner wall A has a cavity A, and by inflating the cavity A, the thigh deforms, thereby changing the robot's gait.

[0010] Furthermore, the lower leg includes an end cap B, a flange B, a constraint sleeve B, a rope B, and an inner wall B; the end cap B and the flange B are both symmetrically distributed in pairs, the constraint sleeve B is inserted into the inner wall B, the outer surface of the inner wall B is wound with the rope B, and the two ends of the constraint sleeve B and the inner wall B respectively abut against the two end caps B and are clamped and sealed by the flanges B installed on the end caps B; the inner wall B has a chamber B, and by inflating the chamber B, the thigh is deformed, thereby changing the robot's gait.

[0011] Furthermore, the thighs and calves are equipped with matching air chambers, which are inflated to deform the thighs and calves.

[0012] The advantages of this invention compared to the prior art are:

[0013] 1. Compared with traditional trilimb robots, the modular flexible trilimb robot in this solution has a simple structure, low cost, and good economic efficiency.

[0014] 2. The modular flexible three-limb robot of this solution eliminates the complex mechanical transmission structure, further reducing the system size and weight, making it easy to carry and install, and improving the overall design flexibility of the robot system.

[0015] 3. The modular flexible three-limb robot in this solution adopts a modular design for its limbs, which enhances the robot's scalability, facilitates deployment and maintenance, and allows for flexible and varied configurations, thereby improving the robot's adaptability to complex environments.

[0016] 4. The main body of the modular flexible tri-limb robot in this solution is made of flexible materials, which allows the robot to undergo large-scale deformation and continuous transformation. The motion design is more flexible than that of traditional tri-limb robots, which improves the robot's ability to operate compliantly and ensures safety during human-robot interaction.

[0017] 5. The modular flexible three-limb robot in this solution is equipped with suction cups at the ends of its legs. When the suction force is strong enough, the robot can move on a vertical wall.

[0018] The present application will be further described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments: Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1This is a perspective view of the modular flexible three-limb robot of this application;

[0020] Figure 2 This is the front view of this application;

[0021] Figure 3 Assembly diagram for the thigh and calf;

[0022] Figure 4 A partial exploded view of the thigh and calf;

[0023] Figure 5 An exploded view of the thigh;

[0024] Figure 6 An exploded view of the lower leg;

[0025] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram showing the airway distribution and connection of chambers A and B in the embodiment;

[0026] Figure 8 Diagram showing how to inflate the thigh.

[0027] Figure 9 for Figure 8 The corresponding robot gait principle diagram. Detailed Implementation

[0028] The embodiments of the technical solution of this application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Unless otherwise stated, the technical or scientific terms used in this application have the ordinary meanings understood by those skilled in the art.

[0029] Reference Figures 1-2 A modular flexible trilimb robot includes:

[0030] The base 1 is used to support the robot's three legs; each leg includes a thigh 2 and a calf 3, the thigh 2 and the calf 3 constitute the limb part, and the support points of the three legs are connected to form a triangle, and the robot's center of gravity is located inside the triangle;

[0031] Thigh 2, mounted on the bottom of base 1, is configured to deform under pneumatic conditions to change the robot's gait;

[0032] The lower leg 3 is connected to the thigh 2 and is configured to deform under pneumatic conditions to change the robot's gait.

[0033] The thigh 2 and calf 3 adopt a modular flexible design, and the conversion between the thigh 2 and calf 3 can be achieved by replacing the connecting parts.

[0034] Optionally, the base 1 is 3D printed from resin material, and its shape is triangular, quadrilateral, or pentagonal, with a through hole in the center for easy handling and assembly. The robot's thigh 2 is connected to the base 1 by bolts.

[0035] For example, refer to Figure 4 The thigh 2 and calf 3 are equipped with matching air chambers, and the thigh 2 and calf 3 are deformed by inflating the air chambers.

[0036] Figure 3 An assembly structure for the thigh 2 and the lower leg 3 is shown.

[0037] Figure 4 An exploded view of the thigh (2) and calf (3) is shown.

[0038] Reference Figure 5 The thigh 2 provided in this embodiment includes an end cap A22, a flange A23, a restraint sleeve A24, a rope A25, and an inner wall A26;

[0039] Both end caps A22 and flanges A23 are symmetrically distributed in pairs. Constraint sleeves A24 are inserted into inner wall A26. Ropes A25 are wound around the outer surface of inner wall A26. The two ends of constraint sleeves A24 and inner wall A26 respectively abut against the two end caps A22 and are clamped and sealed by flanges A23 installed on end caps A22. The inner wall A26 has a chamber A. By inflating the chamber A, the thigh is deformed, thereby changing the robot's gait.

[0040] Optionally, the constraint sleeve A24 and the inner wall A26 are made of flexible materials, forming the main body; the flexible materials include, but are not limited to, carbon chain rubber, such as natural rubber, neoprene rubber, nitrile rubber, fluororubber; heterochain rubber, such as polyurethane rubber; and elemental organic rubber, such as silicone rubber.

[0041] Preferably, the restraint sleeve A24 and the inner wall A26 are made of silicone material through molding, possessing good flexibility and elasticity. To prevent excessive expansion of the inner wall B36 during inflation and to increase its rigidity, a rope winding groove is provided on the inner wall A26, which works with the rope A25 to limit deformation and provide a certain rigidity to the legs. Casting the restraint sleeve A24 ensures a tight fit between the rope A25 and the inner wall A26. The end cap A22 and the inner wall A26 are inserted and connected, and the flange A23 is bolted to the end cap A22, serving to clamp and increase the connection seal. All these elements contribute to the elasticity of the design.

[0042] Reference Figure 6The lower leg 3 provided in this embodiment includes an end cap B32, a flange B33, a constraint sleeve B34, a rope B35, and an inner wall B36. The end caps B32 and flanges B33 are symmetrically distributed in pairs. The constraint sleeve B34 is inserted into the inner wall B36. The rope B35 is wound around the outer surface of the inner wall B36. The two ends of the constraint sleeve B34 and the inner wall B36 respectively abut against the two end caps B32 and are clamped and sealed by the flanges B33 installed on the end caps B32. The inner wall B36 has a chamber B. By inflating the chamber B, the thigh is deformed, thereby changing the robot's gait.

[0043] Optionally, the constraint sleeve A34 and the inner wall A36 are made of flexible materials, forming the main body; flexible materials include, but are not limited to, carbon chain rubber, such as natural rubber, neoprene rubber, nitrile rubber, and fluororubber; heterochain rubber, such as polyurethane rubber; and organometallic rubber, such as silicone rubber. All of these provide elasticity.

[0044] Preferably, the restraint sleeve B34 and the inner wall B36 are made of silicone material through molding, possessing good flexibility and elasticity. To prevent excessive expansion of the inner wall B36 during inflation and to increase its rigidity, a rope winding groove is provided on the inner wall B36, which works with the rope B35 to limit deformation and provide a certain rigidity to the legs. Casting the restraint sleeve B34 ensures a tight fit between the rope B35 and the inner wall B36. The end cap B32 is inserted into the inner wall B36, and the flange B33 is bolted to the end cap B32, serving to clamp and increase the connection seal.

[0045] The above embodiment is based on a legless robot structure. The lower leg 3 is designed similarly to the thigh 2 and can be used for planar motion. The connecting end cap B32 in the lower leg 3 is bolted to the end cap A22 in the thigh 2.

[0046] For example, chamber A and chamber B each have N cells evenly distributed along the circumference, where N = 3;

[0047] The phase difference between chamber A and chamber B is 60°.

[0048] The connection method is as follows: The projections are onto the same circumcircle, and chambers A and B, passing through the diameter of the circumcircle, are connected. The specific mapping process is as follows: two congruent triangles coincide, one of them is rotated 60 degrees around the center, and then the opposite vertices of the two congruent triangles are connected. The end faces of the two end caps A22 are provided with air passages A communicating with chamber A, and the end face of the end cap B32 connected to end cap A22 is provided with air passage B communicating with chamber B. The gas first passes through thigh 2 and then to lower leg 3.

[0049] Preferably, refer to Figure 7The vertices of the two congruent triangles represent the airway locations of the three chambers of the thigh 2 and the lower leg 3, respectively. The airways of the thigh 2 and the lower leg 3 are connected in pairs by flexible tubes, with airway 1 connected to airway 5, airway 2 connected to airway 6, and airway 3 connected to airway 4.

[0050] Alternatively, chamber A and chamber B each have N circumferentially distributed chambers, where N>3; such as N=4, 5, 6, 7, or 8, etc.

[0051] Preferably, N is an even number, such as N=4, 6, or 8. Increasing the number of chambers increases the difficulty of control and the complexity of the structure, but the robot's degrees of freedom and gait do not change significantly.

[0052] The connection method between chamber A and chamber B is determined based on the robot's gait and airway design.

[0053] N is an even number. The vertices of two congruent N-gons represent the airway positions of the N chambers in the thigh (2) and calf (3), respectively. The airway positions do not need to be rotated; they are connected diagonally.

[0054] For example, when N=4, the fixed positions of two congruent quadrilaterals represent the airway positions of the four chambers of the thigh 2 and the calf 3, respectively. After they overlap, no rotation is needed; they can be directly connected by opposite diagonal vertices to construct four airway pairing methods. This enables the robot to perform planar motion after inflation.

[0055] N is an odd number. The vertices of two congruent N-sided polygons represent the airway positions of the N chambers of the thigh 2 and calf 3, respectively. The airway positions are rotated by an angle of 360° / 2N, and then connected diagonally.

[0056] For example, when N=5, the fixed positions of two congruent pentagons represent the airway positions of the five chambers in the thigh 2 and calf 3, respectively. After overlapping, one is rotated 36° relative to the other, and then the diagonal vertices are connected to construct five airway pairing methods. This enables the robot to perform planar motion after inflation.

[0057] The end faces of the two end caps A22 are provided with air passages A that communicate with chamber A, and the end face of the end cap B32 connected to the end cap A22 is provided with air passages B that communicate with chamber B. The gas first passes through the thigh 2 and then through the calf 3.

[0058] In the above, N≠2 because when N=2, only linear motion is possible, and planar motion is not possible.

[0059] N≠1, because planar motion is impossible when N=1.

[0060] Furthermore, to expand the scope of application and environmental conditions, a suction cup 39 is designed at the bottom of the lower leg 3. The suction cup 39 is connected to the end cap B32 of the lower leg 3 away from the thigh 2. The end face of the end cap B32 away from the inner wall B36 has a groove with internal threads on the side. The suction cup 3 has a protrusion with external threads on one side, which is threaded to the groove. A central air passage runs through the middle of the end cap A22, the inner wall A26, the end cap B32, and the inner wall B36. The central air passage is connected to the chamber of the suction cup 39.

[0061] The change to the end cap B32, which is located away from the thigh 2, is that it becomes a threaded end cap. The threaded end cap B32 and the outer wall B36 are inserted and connected. The flange B33 is bolted to the threaded end cap B32, serving to clamp and increase the connection seal. The suction cup 9 is threaded to the threaded end cap B32 for easy disassembly and use. The design of the suction cup 39 gives the robot stronger grip. When the suction is strong enough, it can move on inclined or even vertical walls, making it possible for the robot to move in three-dimensional space.

[0062] Based on the above embodiments, a robot gait is provided, with reference to... Figure 8 and Figure 9 ;

[0063] During operation, the gait of the foot is controlled by the inflation and deflation of air passages (e.g., three evenly distributed air passages) in the end cap A22 of the thigh 2 connected to the base 1. The deformation position of the thigh 2 is necessarily opposite to that of the lower leg 3, which is determined by the connection method of the air passages between the thigh 2 and the lower leg 3. Figure 8 This is a partial gait principle diagram of a modular flexible trilimb robot. The diagram shows a cross-sectional view of the chambers (e.g., 3 chambers) at the thigh. The red fill represents the inflation of the corresponding chambers. An airway for controlling the suction cup 39 is designed at the center. When the suction force is strong enough, the robot can move on a vertical wall.

[0064] Figure 9 (a) Figure 9 (b) and Figure 9 (c) is the corresponding Figure 8 (a) Figure 8 (b) and Figure 8 (c) Gait diagrams of movement with and without air in different chambers. Figure 9 (a) shows the upright position when the three chambers are not inflated. Figure 9 (b) The gait after each of the three chambers in the same direction is inflated, showing a swinging posture. Figure 9 (c) A gait in which two of the legs are inflated in one chamber while the other leg is inflated in both chambers simultaneously, resembling a stepping gait.

[0065] This application has disclosed the preferred embodiments as above, but it is not intended to limit this application. Any person skilled in the art can make some changes or modifications to the structure and technical content disclosed above to create equivalent embodiments without departing from the scope of the technical solution of this application, and all such modifications and modifications shall still fall within the scope of the technical solution of this application.

Claims

1. A modular flexible three-limbed robot, characterized in that: Includes: a base (1) for supporting the robot's three legs; each leg includes a thigh (2) and a calf (3), the three legs being... The support points are connected to form a triangle, and the robot's center of gravity is located inside the triangle; Thigh (2), installed at the bottom of base (1), configured to deform under pneumatic conditions to change robot gait; The lower leg (3) is connected to the thigh (2) and is configured to deform under pneumatic conditions to change the robot's gait. The thigh (2) includes an end cap A (22), a flange A (23), a constraint sleeve A (24), a rope A (25), and an inner wall A (26). The end cap A (22) and the flange A (23) are two symmetrically distributed. The constraint sleeve A (24) is inserted into the inner wall A (26). The outer surface of the inner wall A (26) is wrapped with the rope A (25). The two ends of the constraint sleeve A (24) and the inner wall A (26) abut against the two end caps A (22) respectively, and are clamped and sealed by the flange A (23) installed on the end cap A (22). The inner wall A (26) has a chamber A. By inflating the chamber A, the thigh is deformed, thereby changing the robot's gait. The lower leg (3) includes an end cap B (32), a flange B (33), a constraint sleeve B (34), a rope B (35), and an inner wall B (36). The end cap B (32) and the flange B (33) are two symmetrically distributed. The constraint sleeve B (34) is inserted into the inner wall B (36). The outer surface of the inner wall B (36) is wrapped with the rope B (35). The two ends of the constraint sleeve B (34) and the inner wall B (36) abut against the two end caps B (32) respectively, and are clamped and sealed by the flange B (33) installed on the end cap B (32). The inner wall B (36) has a chamber B. By inflating the chamber B, the lower leg is deformed, thereby changing the robot's gait.

2. The modular flexible three-limb robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: Chamber A and chamber B each have N chambers evenly distributed along the circumference, where N=3; The phase difference between chamber A and chamber B is 60º. The connection method is as follows: they are projected onto the same circumscribed circle and are connected through the diameter of the circumscribed circle. The end faces of the two end caps A (22) are provided with airways A that communicate with chamber A, and the end face of the end cap B (32) connected to end cap A (22) is provided with airways B that communicate with chamber B.

3. The modular flexible three-limbed robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: Chamber A and chamber B each have N chambers evenly distributed along the circumference, where N>3; The connection between chamber A and chamber B is as follows: the end faces of the two end caps A (22) are provided with airways A that communicate with chamber A, and the end face of the end cap B (32) connected to end cap A (22) is provided with airways B that communicate with chamber B.

4. The modular flexible three-limb robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a suction cup (39), one of which has an end cap B (32) with a groove on the side with internal threads on the end face away from the inner wall B (36), and a protrusion with external threads on one side of the suction cup (39), the protrusion being threadedly connected to the groove; a central air passage is provided in the middle of the end cap A (22), the inner wall A (26), the end cap B (32) and the inner wall B (36), and the central air passage is connected to the chamber of the suction cup (39).

5. The modular flexible three-limb robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The base (1) is made by 3D printing.

6. The modular flexible three-limb robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The constraint sleeve A (24) and the inner wall A (26) are made of flexible materials.

7. The modular flexible three-limbed robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The constraint sleeve B (34) and the inner wall B (36) are made of flexible materials.

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