Robot neck structure and robot

Abstract

The invention provides a robot neck structure and a robot, and relates to the technical field of intelligent control, in particular to the technical field of robots. The robot neck structure comprises a first joint actuator and a second joint actuator, the first joint actuator is used for controlling a robot head to swing left and right, the second joint actuator is used for controlling the robot head to swing up and down, and the first actuator and the second actuator are connected through a connecting rod assembly. According to the robot neck structure, the first joint actuator and the second joint actuator are connected through the connecting rod assembly, the head of the robot can stretch out forwards, the motion range of the neck is enlarged, and therefore a sensing unit of the head can obtain a wider visual field.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of intelligent control technology, specifically to the field of robotics technology, and in particular to a robot neck structure and a robot. Background Art

[0002] Take the humanoid robot as an example. A humanoid robot is a robot that looks like a human and has certain human-machine interaction and motion capabilities. The neck structure is an important component of the humanoid robot, which is used to connect the body structure and head structure of the humanoid robot.

[0003] The prior art generally adopts the method of directly connecting the joint actuator to the head structure, and driving the head structure to rotate in one direction through the joint actuator, so that the robot can nod or shake its head. Such a structural design makes the head structure only able to move in a certain direction, such as left-right rotation or up-down rotation, that is, the movement direction of the head structure is single, making the bionic effect of the humanoid robot unsatisfactory.

[0004] In the prior art, if more head movements are to be achieved in the design of the robot neck structure, more joint actuators need to be stacked longitudinally, and more joint actuators need to be stacked longitudinally to control the rotation of the head structure in different directions. In this way, due to the large number of joint actuators used, too much space is occupied, resulting in a larger volume of the neck structure, and the design cost of the neck structure is increased. In addition, as the number of joint actuators increases, the design complexity of the neck structure increases. Even if the design of the robot neck structure in the prior art achieves more head movements, the neck structure is directly stacked longitudinally by multiple joint actuators, so the amplitude of the robot head structure in the nodding and shaking directions is limited, and it cannot meet the requirements of irregular rotation angles of the head structure.

[0005] In the prior art, the design of the robot's neck structure is limited to a certain amplitude in a certain direction because the swing of the head structure is limited to a certain amplitude. In order to increase the amplitude of the head structure in a certain direction, multiple joint actuators can be designed in parallel (which can be considered as stacking multiple joint actuators horizontally) to expand the swing amplitude of the head structure. However, stacking multiple joint actuators horizontally will cause the neck structure to occupy a larger lateral volume, making the neck structure larger than the head structure, thereby making the overall structure of the robot uncoordinated and causing the robot's center of gravity to be unstable.

[0006] The prior art design of the robot neck structure does not consider fine control of the flexibility of the head structure. The prior art stacks multiple joint actuators so that the head can only move within a certain range of amplitude in the left-right direction or the up-down direction, and cannot flexibly control the movement angle of the head structure according to actual needs. Therefore, the prior art robot neck structure cannot accurately control the rotation angle of the robot head structure. That is, the prior art design of the robot neck structure makes the flexibility of the head structure movement poor, making it difficult to complete relatively fine tasks, and cannot meet the requirements for high humanization and robot flexibility. Summary of the invention

[0007] The present disclosure provides a robot neck structure and a robot.

[0008] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a robot neck structure, comprising:

[0009] A first joint actuator and a second joint actuator, wherein the first joint actuator is used to control the robot head to swing left and right, and the second joint actuator is used to control the robot head to swing up and down, and the first actuator and the second actuator are connected via a connecting rod assembly.

[0010] Optionally, the connecting rod assembly includes a first connecting rod and a second connecting rod, one end of the first connecting rod is connected to the housing of the first joint actuator, the other end of the first connecting rod is connected to the output shaft of the second joint actuator, one end of the second connecting rod is connected to the housing of the first joint actuator, and the other end of the second connecting rod is connected to the housing of the second joint actuator.

[0011] Optionally, the second connecting rod includes a first sub-connecting rod and a second sub-connecting rod, and the first sub-connecting rod and the second sub-connecting rod are arranged on both sides of the first connecting rod and are respectively connected to the two side shells of the second joint actuator.

[0012] Optionally, the robot neck structure further includes a third joint actuator, and the third joint actuator is used to drive other components of the robot to perform rotational motion.

[0013] Optionally, the third joint actuator is arranged below the second joint actuator, and the output shaft of the third joint actuator is connected to the housing of the second joint actuator.

[0014] Optionally, the output shaft of the first joint actuator and the output shaft of the second joint actuator are both arranged in directions parallel to a horizontal direction, and the output shaft of the third joint actuator is arranged in a direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction.

[0015] Optionally, the robot neck structure further includes a platform device, wherein the platform device is disposed on the first joint actuator and is connected to an output shaft of the first joint actuator.

[0016] Optionally, the platform device includes a platform portion and a connecting portion, wherein the connecting portion is arranged on both sides of the platform portion and extends toward the second joint actuator, and is connected to the output shaft of the first joint actuator through the connecting portion.

[0017] Optionally, the first joint actuator, the second joint actuator and the third joint actuator are all driven electrically.

[0018] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a robot is provided, such as the robot neck structure described above.

[0019] The present disclosure provides a robot neck structure and a robot, wherein the robot neck structure includes a first joint actuator and a second joint actuator, wherein the first joint actuator can control the robot head to swing in the left and right directions, and the second joint actuator can control the robot head to swing in the up and down directions. Only two joint actuators are required to realize the up and down, left and right movements of the robot head. In a further scheme, the third joint actuator can control the robot head to rotate; only three joint actuators are required to realize the up and down, left and right rotation of the robot head. Secondly, in the neck structure of the present disclosure, the first joint actuator and the second joint actuator are not directly connected, but a connecting rod assembly is set between the first joint actuator and the second joint actuator, and the first joint actuator and the second joint actuator are connected through the connecting rod assembly. Since the connecting rod assembly can be extended in multiple directions, the operational flexibility is relatively high. Therefore, by setting the connecting rod assembly between the first joint actuator and the second joint actuator, the swing amplitude of the robot head in different directions can be flexibly controlled, so that the robot head can move in more directions, with more degrees of freedom, so that the perception unit of the robot head can obtain a wider field of view. Since the neck structure of the present invention is relatively flexible, it can help the robot complete some relatively delicate tasks, thereby meeting the requirements for high humanization and robot flexibility.

[0020] It should be understood that the content described in this section is not intended to identify the key or important features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become easily understood through the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] The accompanying drawings are used to better understand the present solution and do not constitute a limitation of the present disclosure.

[0022] Figure 1 is a three-dimensional diagram of the neck structure of the robot in the embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0023] Figure 2 is a side view of the robot neck structure in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] Among them, 1-the first joint actuator; 2-the second joint actuator; 3-the third joint actuator; 4-the first connecting rod; 5-the first sub-connecting rod; 6-the second sub-connecting rod; 7-the platform device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The following is a description of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, including various details of the embodiments of the present disclosure to facilitate understanding, which should be considered as merely exemplary. Therefore, it should be recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes and modifications may be made to the embodiments described herein without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. Similarly, for the sake of clarity and conciseness, descriptions of well-known functions and structures are omitted in the following description.

[0026] In the description of the present disclosure, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise" and the like indicate positions or positional relationships based on the positions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present application. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are only used for descriptive purposes, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present application, the meaning of "multiple" is two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0027] It should be noted that the block diagrams shown in the accompanying drawings are merely functional entities and do not necessarily correspond to physically independent entities.

[0028] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 , Figure 1 is a three-dimensional diagram of the neck structure of the robot in the embodiment of the present disclosure, Figure 2: is a side view of the robot neck structure in the embodiment of the present disclosure. The robot neck structure includes: a first joint actuator 1 and a second joint actuator 2, the first joint actuator 1 is used to control the robot head to swing left and right, the second joint actuator 2 is used to control the robot head to swing up and down, and the first actuator and the second actuator are connected through a connecting rod assembly.

[0029] The present disclosure provides a robot neck structure and a robot, wherein the robot neck structure includes a first joint actuator and a second joint actuator, wherein the first joint actuator can control the robot head to swing left and right, and the second joint actuator can control the robot head to swing up and down. Compared with the technical solution of stacking multiple joint actuators in the prior art, the present invention only sets two joint actuators, thereby realizing the up, down, left and right movements of the robot head.

[0030] Secondly, in the neck structure disclosed in the present invention, the first joint actuator and the second joint actuator are not directly connected, but a connecting rod assembly is provided between the first joint actuator and the second joint actuator, and the first joint actuator and the second joint actuator are connected through the connecting rod assembly. Since the connecting rod assembly can be extended in multiple directions, the operational flexibility is relatively high. Therefore, by providing the connecting rod assembly between the first joint actuator and the second joint actuator, the swing amplitude of the robot head in different directions can be flexibly controlled, so that the robot head can move in more directions with more degrees of freedom, so that the perception unit of the robot head can obtain a wider field of view. Since the neck structure disclosed in the present invention is relatively flexible, it can help the robot complete some relatively delicate tasks, and thus can meet the requirements for high humanization and robot flexibility.

[0031] In some optional embodiments, the connecting rod assembly includes a first connecting rod 4 and a second connecting rod, one end of the first connecting rod 4 is connected to the housing of the first joint actuator 1, the other end of the first connecting rod 4 is connected to the output shaft of the second joint actuator 2, one end of the second connecting rod is connected to the housing of the first joint actuator 1, and the other end of the second connecting rod is connected to the housing of the second joint actuator 2.

[0032] Specifically, for the connecting rod assembly, one end of the first connecting rod 4 in the connecting rod assembly is connected to the housing of the first joint actuator 1, and the other end of the first connecting rod 4 is connected to the output shaft of the second joint actuator 2. In addition, one end of the second connecting rod of the connecting rod assembly is connected to the housing of the first joint actuator 1, and the other end of the second connecting rod is connected to the housing of the second joint actuator 2.

[0033] The first joint actuator 1 and the second joint actuator 2 adopt a connecting rod type forward swing structure. The connecting rod type structure can make the head of the humanoid robot lean forward, increase the movement range of the neck, and thus enable the perception unit of the head to obtain a wider field of view.

[0034] In some optional embodiments, the second connecting rod includes a first sub-connecting rod 5 and a second sub-connecting rod 6 , and the first sub-connecting rod 5 and the second sub-connecting rod 6 are arranged on both sides of the first connecting rod 4 and are respectively connected to the two side shells of the second joint actuator 2 .

[0035] In this way, by arranging the first sub-connecting rod 5 and the second sub-connecting rod 6 on both sides of the first connecting rod 4, the first sub-connecting rod 5 and the second sub-connecting rod 6 can be symmetrically arranged, thereby achieving force balance of the two sub-connecting rods.

[0036] In some optional embodiments, the robot neck structure further includes a third joint actuator 3, and the third joint actuator 3 is used to drive other components of the robot to perform rotational motion.

[0037] By setting the third joint actuator 3, the three degrees of freedom of nodding, swinging and turning can be realized respectively, thereby improving the flexibility of the neck structure. The third joint actuator can control the rotation of the robot head; only three joint actuators are needed to realize the movement of the robot head rotating up and down and left and right.

[0038] In some optional embodiments, the third joint actuator 3 is disposed below the second joint actuator 2 , and an output shaft of the third joint actuator 3 is connected to a housing of the second joint actuator 2 .

[0039] Specifically, the third joint actuator 3 can be set below the second joint actuator 2, so that the first joint actuator 1 and the second joint actuator 2 can be driven to rotate, thereby enabling the robot to turn its head, thereby improving the flexibility of the robot's neck structure.

[0040] In some optional embodiments, the output shaft of the first joint actuator 1 and the output shaft of the second joint actuator 2 are both arranged in directions parallel to the horizontal direction, and the output shaft of the third joint actuator 3 is arranged in a direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction.

[0041] Since the first joint actuator 1, the second joint actuator 2 and the third joint actuator 3 are respectively used to realize the three degrees of freedom of nodding, swinging and turning, the output shaft of the first joint actuator 1 and the output shaft of the second joint actuator 2 are arranged parallel to the horizontal direction, so as to facilitate the installation of the first joint actuator 1 and the second joint actuator 2. In addition, by arranging the output shaft of the third joint actuator 3 in a direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction, it is convenient for the third joint actuator 3 to generate rotational motion.

[0042] In some optional embodiments, the robot neck structure further includes a platform device 7 , which is disposed on the first joint actuator 1 , and the platform device 7 is connected to an output shaft of the first joint actuator 1 .

[0043] In this way, since the first joint actuator 1 can swing left and right, by setting the platform device 7 on the first joint actuator 1, the structure on the platform device 7 can be driven to swing left and right, thereby realizing the movement control of other components in the left and right directions.

[0044] In some optional embodiments, the platform device 7 includes a platform portion and a connecting portion, wherein the connecting portion is arranged on both sides of the platform portion and extends toward the second joint actuator 2 , and is connected to the output shaft of the first joint actuator 1 through the connecting portion.

[0045] Specifically, the platform device 7 includes a platform portion and a connection portion, and is connected to the output shaft of the first joint actuator 1 through the connection portion, so that the platform device 7 can be fixedly connected to the first joint actuator 1. Then, the platform device 7 can be fixed on the first joint actuator 1. The first joint actuator 1 is swung in the left and right directions, thereby driving the movement control of the platform device 7 in the left and right directions.

[0046] In some optional embodiments, the first joint actuator 1 , the second joint actuator 2 , and the third joint actuator 3 are all driven electrically.

[0047] In this way, the first joint actuator 1, the second joint actuator 2 and the third joint actuator 3 are all driven by electric drive, and have the characteristics of fast response speed, so that information transmission, detection and processing are very convenient, and the driving capacity is also large.

[0048] In the technical solution disclosed herein, the acquisition, storage and application of user personal information involved are in compliance with the provisions of relevant laws and regulations and do not violate public order and good morals.

[0049] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the present disclosure also provides a robot including: the robot neck structure as described above.

[0050] It should be noted that, although several modules or units of the equipment for action execution are mentioned in the above detailed description, this division is not mandatory. In fact, according to the embodiments of the present application, the features and functions of two or more modules or units described above can be embodied in one module or unit. On the contrary, the features and functions of one module or unit described above can be further divided into being embodied by multiple modules or units.

[0051] Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate other embodiments of the present application after considering the specification and practicing the contents disclosed herein. The present application is intended to cover any variations, uses or adaptations of the present application, which follow the general principles of the present application and include common knowledge or customary technical means in the art that are not disclosed in the present application.

[0052] It should be understood that the present application is not limited to the precise structures that have been described above and shown in the drawings, and that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope thereof. The scope of the present application is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A robot neck structure, comprising: A first joint actuator and a second joint actuator, wherein the first joint actuator is used to control the robot head to swing left and right, and the second joint actuator is used to control the robot head to swing up and down, and the first actuator and the second actuator are connected via a connecting rod assembly.

2. The robot neck structure according to claim 1, wherein: The connecting rod assembly includes a first connecting rod and a second connecting rod, one end of the first connecting rod is connected to the housing of the first joint actuator, the other end of the first connecting rod is connected to the output shaft of the second joint actuator, one end of the second connecting rod is connected to the housing of the first joint actuator, and the other end of the second connecting rod is connected to the housing of the second joint actuator.

3. The robot neck structure according to claim 2, wherein: The second connecting rod includes a first sub-connecting rod and a second sub-connecting rod. The first sub-connecting rod and the second sub-connecting rod are arranged on both sides of the first connecting rod and are respectively connected to the two side housings of the second joint actuator.

4. The robot neck structure according to claim 1, wherein: The robot neck structure also includes a third joint actuator, and the third joint actuator is used to drive other components of the robot to perform rotational motion.

5. The robot neck structure according to claim 4, wherein: The third joint actuator is arranged below the second joint actuator, and the output shaft of the third joint actuator is connected to the housing of the second joint actuator.

6. The robot neck structure according to claim 4, wherein: The output shaft of the first joint actuator and the output shaft of the second joint actuator are both arranged in directions parallel to the horizontal direction, and the output shaft of the third joint actuator is arranged in a direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction.

7. The robot neck structure according to claim 1, wherein: The robot neck structure further includes a platform device, which is disposed on the first joint actuator and is connected to an output shaft of the first joint actuator.

8. The robot neck structure according to claim 7, wherein: The platform device includes a platform portion and a connecting portion. The connecting portion is arranged on both sides of the platform portion and extends toward the second joint actuator, and is connected to the output shaft of the first joint actuator through the connecting portion.

9. The robot neck structure according to claim 4, wherein: The first joint actuator, the second joint actuator and the third joint actuator are all driven electrically.

10. A robot, wherein: include: A robot neck structure as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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