All-terrain travel robot

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of control systems, and particularly relates to an all-terrain travel robot which comprises a main control module, a data acquisition module and a chassis driving module, the main control module is used for conducting calculation and analysis according to data uploaded by the data acquisition module to generate an upstairs control instruction and a downstairs control instruction, the chassis driving module executes the control instructions, and driving motors arranged on a front wheel set and a rear wheel set are used for controlling the upstairs control instruction and the downstairs control instruction respectively. The rotating direction and the rotating speed of each supporting wheel of the robot are controlled in a targeted mode, so that the stability of the robot walking on the flat ground is improved, and accurate control over the advancing direction of the robot can be achieved through differential control between the left crawler belt and the right crawler belt when the robot goes upstairs and downstairs through the crawler belts; according to the invention, various detection data are matched with linkage on a mechanical structure, so that the running stability of the robot is further improved, and the running safety of the robot is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of control systems, and particularly relates to an intelligent control system for a full-terrain travel robot to go up and down stairs. Background Art

[0002] For traditional up-and-down-stairs travel equipment, when traveling on flat ground, the robot uses front and rear support wheels (front and rear wheels) for support and movement; when going up and down stairs, the track device is deployed to provide additional support and traction. When switching modes, in order to accurately adjust the posture of the robot, the user needs to use a joystick for frequent manual control adjustments, which enables the user to be familiar with the stair environment and accurately control the operation of the robot according to the stair environment.

[0003] However, when climbing stairs in reverse, since the user is facing away from the stairs, the user cannot directly observe the shape of the stairs. Even if the user is extremely familiar with the stair environment, it will be difficult for the user to directly perform manual control based on observation when switching modes. And the operation of manually switching modes is easily affected by human factors. If the operation is delayed or the manually switched mode cannot be adjusted in time according to the environment, the mode of the robot cannot be switched in time, resulting in the inability to adjust to the best posture in time when the robot switches between states, that is, the cooperation and switching between the tracks and the front and rear wheels are not smooth enough, causing the posture of the rider on the robot to be unnatural, and even may occur forward tilt, backward tilt or side tilt, which not only affects the user's comfort, but may also cause the user to lose balance or even increase the risk of falling.

[0004] Therefore, an intelligent control system for a full-terrain travel robot to go up and down stairs is needed to automatically, smoothly and safely control the travel robot to go up and down stairs. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To solve the above problems existing in the prior art, the present invention provides a full-terrain travel robot, which solves the problem that the stair-climbing robot cannot timely and accurately identify the posture of the robot during going up and down stairs and walking on flat ground, thereby causing the wheelchair to run unstably, and even may occur forward tilt, backward tilt or side tilt.

[0006] The object of the present invention can be achieved by the following technical solutions: A full-terrain travel robot includes a main control module, a data acquisition module and a chassis drive module that are electrically connected to the main control module respectively;

[0007] The data acquisition module includes an environmental feature acquisition unit and an attitude feature acquisition unit. The data acquired by the environmental feature acquisition unit includes the environmental features of the target staircase, and the environmental features include the staircase angle. The data acquired by the attitude feature acquisition unit includes the attitude data of the robot, and the attitude data of the robot includes the track angle of the robot and the distance between the robot and the ground;

[0008] The main control module is used to judge the state of the robot according to the data acquired by the data acquisition module and generate corresponding up - stair control instructions or down - stair control instructions according to the state of the robot to control the chassis drive module;

[0009] The chassis drive module executes the up - stair control instruction and the down - stair control instruction respectively.

[0010] Preferably, the chassis drive module includes an attitude control unit and a chassis structure controlled by the attitude control unit. The attitude control unit is electrically connected to the main control module and accepts the control of the main control module;

[0011] The chassis structure includes: a track frame, and a front wheel set and a rear wheel set are hinged at the front and rear ends of the track frame, and a track is movably arranged between the front end and the rear end of the track frame;

[0012] A first electric push rod group is movably connected between the front wheel group and the track frame, and a second electric push rod group is movably connected between the rear wheel group and the track frame. The first electric push rod group, the second electric push rod group and the track are respectively electrically connected to the attitude control unit;

[0013] After receiving the up - stair control instruction or the down - stair control instruction from the main control module, the attitude control unit controls the first electric push rod group and the second electric push rod group respectively to realize the retraction and extension of the front wheel group and the rear wheel group, and controls the track to go up and down the stairs.

[0014] Preferably, the first electric push rod group includes a left front electric push rod and a right front electric push rod, the second electric push rod group includes a left rear electric push rod and a right rear electric push rod. The first electric push rod group can control the left front wheel 12 and the right front wheel respectively or together, and the second electric push rod group can control the left rear wheel 13 and the right rear wheel respectively or together.

[0015] Preferably, the distance between the robot and the ground includes the vertical distance between the handrail of the robot and the front end of the ground, the vertical distance between the rear end of the robot and the rear end of the ground, and the oblique distance between the rear end of the robot and the ground.

[0016] Preferably, the data acquired by the attitude feature acquisition unit further includes the driving angles of the two tracks. The main control module calculates the difference between the driving angles to obtain the driving angle difference. If the driving angle difference is greater than a preset angle deviation threshold, the main control module judges that the driving direction of the robot deviates;

[0017] The main control module adjusts the traveling speeds of the two crawlers respectively according to the traveling angle difference until the traveling angle difference is less than the angle deviation threshold value.

[0018] Preferably, it further includes an induction module. The induction module is electrically connected to the main control module. The induction module is used to sense the edge position of the stairs and transmit the touch signal to the main control module. After receiving the touch signal, the main control module controls the chassis drive module.

[0019] Preferably, the induction module includes an anti-tipping wheel and an induction component. The anti-tipping wheel is connected to the front wheel set through a sliding component. The sliding component is electrically connected to the main control module and receives the control of the main control module. The main control module realizes the retraction and extension of the anti-tipping wheel by controlling the sliding component.

[0020] The induction component is used to sense the touch action of the sliding component and generate a touch signal. The induction component is electrically connected to the main control module and transmits the touch signal to the main control module. The main control module controls the chassis drive module according to the touch signal.

[0021] Preferably, the front wheel set and the rear wheel set further include drive motors. The drive motors are used to drive the front wheel set and the rear wheel set respectively. The drive motors are electrically connected to the attitude control unit and receive the control of the attitude control unit. The attitude control unit controls the rotation of the front wheel set and the rear wheel set respectively by controlling the drive motors.

[0022] Preferably, it further includes a seat and a leg rest. The seat is connected to the chassis structure through a seat electric push rod. The leg rest is hinged to the bottom surface of the seat. The seat electric push rod is electrically connected to the attitude control unit and receives the control of the attitude control unit.

[0023] When the attitude control unit controls the seat electric push rod to shorten, the leg rest tilts upward with the hinge point with the seat as the fulcrum.

[0024] Preferably, the leg rest includes a leg rest main body formed with a mounting plate and the mounting plate. One end of the mounting plate is embedded in the groove body formed on the bottom surface of the seat. A movable groove is formed on the plate surface of the support plate at the opposite end of the mounting plate. A rotatable movable buckle is arranged on the bottom surface of the seat. The movable buckle moves translationally in the movable groove. The abutment of the movable buckle against the side wall of the movable groove restricts and locks both ends of the mounting plate respectively.

[0025] A bolt hole is further formed on the plate surface of the support plate. The support plate and the seat are connected by bolts. The bolts realize the up-and-down locking of the support plate and the seat. The movable groove realizes the left-and-right locking of the support plate and the seat.

[0026] Preferably, the leg rest includes a mounting shaft and a connecting rod. An installation slot and a seat clamping position are provided below the seat. The installation slot is arranged in cooperation with the connecting rod, and the seat clamping position is arranged in cooperation with the mounting shaft. The leg rest is detachably connected to the installation slot through the connecting rod. After the leg rest is connected to the installation slot, it rotates around the axis of the connecting rod. When the leg rest rotates around the axis of the connecting rod to one end of the stroke, the mounting shaft is clamped into the seat clamping position.

[0027] Preferably, the front wheel set includes a left front wheel 12 and a right front wheel, the rear wheel set includes a left rear wheel 13 and a right rear wheel, the chassis drive module further includes a four-wheel drive control unit, and the four-wheel drive control unit includes four independent control sub-units. The four independent control sub-units respectively control the rotation of the left front wheel 12, the right front wheel, the left rear wheel 13, and the right rear wheel.

[0028] Preferably, shock-absorbing components are respectively provided for the front wheel set and the rear wheel set.

[0029] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0030] By providing an anti-tipping wheel on the rear wheel and a sliding component cooperating with the anti-tipping wheel, and by using a travel switch to sense the action of the micro electric push rod of the sliding component, it is possible to quickly capture a tiny signal when the anti-tipping wheel touches the edge of the stairs and retracts. Specifically, the induction of the micro telescopic rod can achieve fast and accurate induction of the edge of the stairs, so that the main control module can quickly control the chassis drive module according to the touch signal to adjust the power part of the robot, improving the speed of conversion between robot modes; then, by setting a laser sensor to detect the upper edge of the stairs where the robot arrives, the accurate position of the robot can be determined; and then, based on the mutual verification of the detection data, the main control module is assisted in mastering the posture of the robot, improving the stability and safety of the robot in the up and down stairs state;

[0031] The leg rest and the seat are cooperated through a simple mechanical structure to achieve quick installation and disassembly, and through the separate control of the drive motors provided for the front wheel set and the rear wheel set, the rotation direction and speed of each support wheel of the robot can be controlled specifically, so as to ensure the stability of the robot when walking on flat ground. Through the differential control between the left and right tracks, when the robot goes up and down the stairs through the tracks, precise control of the traveling direction of the robot can be achieved. The present invention further improves the stability of the robot operation through a variety of detection data and the linkage of the mechanical structure, thereby improving the safety of the robot operation. Description of the Drawings

[0032] For the convenience of those skilled in the art to understand, the present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0033] Figure 1 It is the system block diagram of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 2 It is the left view of the robot of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 3 It is the normal release state of the anti-tipping wheel of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 4 It is the state where the anti-tipping wheel of the present invention touches the edge of the stairs;

[0037] Figure 5 It is the schematic diagram of the connection relationship between the leg rest and the seat under an embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 6 It is the cross-sectional view of the connection position between the leg rest and the seat under an embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 7 It is the schematic diagram after installing a motor on any one of the support wheels under an embodiment of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 8 It is the left view of the chassis structure of the robot of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 9 It is the schematic diagram of the connection relationship between the leg rest and the seat under an embodiment of the present invention;

[0042] Description of main component symbols

[0043] In the figure: 11, crawler; 12, left front wheel; 13, left rear wheel; 14, handrail; 21, safety link; 22, micro electric push rod; 23, support rod; 24, travel switch; 25, anti-tipping wheel; 31, groove body; 32, movable buckle; 33, bolt; 41, leg rest main body; 42, mounting plate; 43, movable groove; 51, drive motor; 52, shock absorption spring; 61, left front electric push rod; 62, left rear electric push rod; 71, mounting shaft; 72, connecting rod; 81, mounting card slot. Specific embodiments

[0044] To further elaborate on the technical means and effects adopted by the present invention to achieve the predetermined invention purpose, the following, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and preferred embodiments, details the specific embodiments, structures, features and their effects according to the present invention as follows.

[0045] Please refer to Figures 1 - 9 , this embodiment provides an all-terrain travel robot, including a main control module, a data acquisition module and a chassis drive module that are respectively electrically connected to the main control module,

[0046] The data acquisition module includes an environmental feature acquisition unit and an attitude feature acquisition unit. The data acquired by the environmental feature acquisition unit includes the environmental features of the target staircase. The environmental features include the location, shape, and layout of the target staircase, etc. The staircase shape includes the staircase angle.

[0047] The data acquired by the attitude feature acquisition unit includes the attitude data of the robot. The attitude data of the robot includes the track angle of the robot and the distance between the robot and the ground. The data acquisition module can use a laser sensor to achieve data acquisition. Among them, the distance between the robot and the ground includes using the first laser sensor to measure the vertical distance between the handrail 14 of the robot and the front end of the ground, the second laser sensor to measure the straight-line distance between the handrail 14 and the front end of the ground, the third laser sensor to detect the vertical distance between the rear end of the robot and the rear end of the ground, and the fourth laser sensor to detect the oblique distance between the rear end of the robot and the ground. The detection of the track angle can be carried out using an angle sensor. Here, the front end and the rear end of the robot are calibrated with the direction in which the user sits on the robot as the front and the user's back as the rear.

[0048] The third laser sensor and the fourth laser sensor are set at the same detection position at the rear end of the robot; the fourth laser sensor is inclined. The fourth laser sensor is used to measure the straight-line distance between the detection position and the ground, and this straight-line distance is marked as the oblique distance. And there is an angle between the detection optical path of the fourth laser sensor and the horizontal line where the rear end of the robot is located, and this angle is marked as the oblique angle. The detection data of the fourth laser sensor is used to verify the detection data of the third laser sensor.

[0049] Further detection positions can be set in two groups symmetrically at the rear end of the robot. The two groups of data are mutually verified to prevent incorrect confirmation of data measurement, and the data of the laser sensors at the two detection positions can corroborate each other.

[0050] After receiving the up and down staircase control instructions of the joystick, the main control module judges the state of the robot according to the data acquired by the data acquisition module and analyzes according to the state of the robot to generate an up staircase control instruction and a down staircase control instruction to control the chassis drive module respectively.

[0051] The chassis drive module is a drive execution component controlled by the main control module. The chassis drive module includes an attitude control unit and a chassis structure controlled by the attitude control unit. Among them, the chassis structure includes a crawler 11 frame, and a front wheel group and a rear wheel group are hinged at the front and rear ends of the crawler 11 frame. A crawler 11 is movably arranged between the front end and the rear end of the crawler 11 frame. The crawler 11 includes two symmetrically arranged ones, and each crawler 11 is driven by a reduction motor through chain drive. The two reduction motors are respectively electrically connected to the attitude control unit. The attitude control unit can control the running speeds of the two crawlers 11 separately. When the robot goes upstairs, the main control module can, according to the distance signals fed back by the first laser sensor and the second laser sensor arranged on the handrail 14, judge whether the traveling directions of the left and right crawlers 11 are unified. If a deviation is found, the main control module will adjust the speeds of the left and right crawlers 11 in real time, and adjust the walking path in time by differential speed adjustment when the wheelchair goes awry;

[0052] A first electric push rod group is movably connected between the front wheel group and the crawler 11 frame, and a second electric push rod group is movably connected between the rear wheel group and the crawler 11 frame. The first electric push rod group, the second electric push rod group and the crawler 11 are respectively electrically connected to the attitude control unit. The attitude control unit controls the movement of the crawler 11 and the retraction and extension of the front wheel group and the rear wheel group. The attitude control unit is electrically connected to the main control module and accepts the control of the main control module.

[0053] Please refer to Figure 8 , the first electric push rod group includes a left front electric push rod 61 and a right front electric push rod. The left front electric push rod 61 and the right front electric push rod are respectively symmetrically arranged on the left and right sides of the chassis structure. The second electric push rod group includes a left rear electric push rod 62 and a right rear electric push rod. The left rear electric push rod 62 and the right rear electric push rod are respectively symmetrically arranged on the left and right sides of the chassis structure. The first electric push rod group can control the left front wheel 12 and the right front wheel separately or together. The second electric push rod group can control the left rear wheel 13 and the right rear wheel separately or together. The attitude control unit can control the left front electric push rod 61, the right front electric push rod, the left rear electric push rod 62 and the right rear electric push rod respectively by controlling the first electric push rod group or the second electric push rod group, so as to realize the separate control of the four support wheels of the robot.

[0054] During the process of the robot climbing stairs, the track 11 can switch to the upstairs mode depending on the user's own touch sensing of the target stairs. Therefore, in order to improve the safety of the robot during the climbing process, in one implementation, the robot further includes a sensing module. The sensing module is electrically connected to the main control module. The sensing module is used to sense the edge position of the stairs and transmit the touch signal to the main control module. When the main control module receives the touch signal, it determines that the robot has reached the edge of the stairs, generates a control signal and sends it to the chassis drive module. The chassis drive module performs corresponding control on the power components, such as gradually converting the upstairs and downstairs power components into flat-ground power components to drive the robot. The sensing module can be measured using a touch sensor, and it can achieve the contact between the robot and the edge of the stairs.

[0055] In order to assist the main control module in judging whether the traveling directions of the left and right tracks 11 are unified, in one implementation, the data acquired by the attitude feature acquisition unit also includes the traveling angles of the two tracks 11. The main control module calculates the difference between the traveling angles to obtain the traveling angle difference. When the traveling angle difference is greater than the preset angle deviation threshold, the main control module determines that the traveling direction of the robot is deviated. The main control module adjusts the traveling speeds of the left and right tracks 11, and adjusts the traveling paths of the tracks 11 in a timely manner when the traveling directions of the two tracks 11 are deviated through differential adjustment until the traveling angle difference is less than the angle deviation threshold.

[0056] When the robot walks on flat ground, due to the diversity of the ground environment, on the walking route, there are inconvenient road conditions such as potholes in the traveling directions of the front wheel group or the rear wheel group. It is necessary to adjust the steering or power of the front wheel group and the rear wheel group to achieve corresponding adjustments according to specific road conditions. In one implementation, the front wheel group includes front legs and front wheels. Specifically, the front wheel group includes symmetrically arranged left front legs and right front legs, and the ends of the left front leg and the right front leg are respectively connected to the left front wheel 12 and the right front wheel through electric push rods. The rear wheel group includes rear legs and rear wheels. Specifically, the rear wheel group includes symmetrically arranged left rear legs and right rear legs, and the left rear leg and the right rear leg are respectively connected to the left rear wheel 13 and the right rear wheel through electric push rods. The chassis drive module further includes a four-wheel drive unit. The four-wheel drive control unit includes four independent control subunits, and the four independent control subunits independently control the rotation of the left front wheel 12, the right front wheel, the left rear wheel 13, and the right rear wheel. When the road conditions change and it is inconvenient to walk, the left front wheel 12, the right front wheel, the left rear wheel 13, and the right rear wheel are respectively controlled to perform specific adjustments for specific places to improve the walking stability of the robot.

[0057] Moreover, drive motors 51 are installed on both the front wheels and the rear wheels. The drive motors 51 are used to drive the front wheels or the rear wheels respectively. The drive motors 51 are electrically connected to the attitude control unit and are controlled by the attitude control unit. The attitude control unit controls the steering and speed of the front wheels and the rear wheels by controlling the drive motors 51, so as to better cope with uneven road conditions and further improve the walking stability of the robot.

[0058] When the robot walks upstairs or downstairs or on a road surface that is not flat, the robot needs to tilt or make a certain angle adjustment. The front wheel set and the rear wheel set can make height adjustments in a short time, but the height adjustments in a short time will cause vibrations, which will further affect the user sitting in the wheelchair to feel the vibrations. Therefore, in one implementation, shock-absorbing components are respectively provided for the front wheel set and the rear wheel set. The shock-absorbing components here can be understood as the shock-absorbing structures of conventional wheel sets. Please refer to Figure 7 The shock-absorbing components can be set as shock-absorbing springs 52 to achieve the shock-absorbing effect of the front wheel set and the rear wheel set here.

[0059] Please refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4 In order to measure whether the rear wheels reach the edge of the stairs during the walking process of the robot, in one implementation, an anti-tipping wheel 25 and an induction component arranged on the anti-tipping wheel 25 are further included. The induction component can be implemented by using a travel switch 24. The anti-tipping wheel 25 is connected to the rear wheel set through a sliding component. The travel switch 24 is used to sense the action of the sliding component and generate a touch signal. The anti-tipping wheel 25 can be specifically arranged on the left rear wheel 13 and the right rear wheel to ensure that the anti-tipping wheel 25 does not affect the normal driving of the left rear wheel 13 or the right rear wheel.

[0060] The sliding component includes a safety link 21, a micro electric push rod 22 and a support rod 23. The micro electric push rod 22 is electrically connected to the main control module and is controlled by the main control module to expand and contract. The rotation points of the safety link 21 and the safety spring coincide. The micro electric push rod 22 includes an inner rod and an outer cylinder. Hinge points are arranged at the ends of the inner rod and the outer cylinder. The hinge point of the outer cylinder is hinged to the end of the safety link 21. A long slot is arranged on the support rod 23. The end hinge point of the micro electric push rod 22 can slide and rotate within the space of the slot. The torque of the safety torsion spring is about twice that of the push-out torsion spring. With the length change brought about by the expansion and contraction of the micro electric push rod 22, the position of the support rod 23 will change, that is, the angle between the support rod 23 and the micro electric push rod 22 will change. When the micro electric push rod 22 extends, the angle between the support rod 23 and the micro electric push rod 22 becomes larger, and the anti-tipping wheel 25 is pushed out; when the micro electric push rod 22 retracts, the angle between the support rod 23 and the micro electric push rod 22 becomes smaller, and the anti-tipping wheel 25 retracts.

[0061] When the anti-tipping wheel 25 is in the normal retracted state, the main control module controls the inner rod to retract to the shortest, the hinge point of the inner rod slides to the upper end of the long slot of the support rod 23, and the safety spring does not act;

[0062] When the anti-tipping wheel 25 is in the released state, the travel switch 24 starts to be triggered. When the rear wheels of the robot retreat and hit the wall or the stairs, the micro electric push rod 22 remains in the longest state. The hinge point of the inner rod of the micro electric push rod 22 slides in the bar-shaped slot of the support rod 23, and the anti-tipping wheel 25 retracts into the tire section plane. The travel switch 24 is electrically connected to the main control module and transmits the signal back to the main control module. When the main control module receives the signal, the signal indicates that the rear has reached the stair step or the wall. When the robot goes upstairs, it needs to drive backward to the front of the stairs first. The cooperation between the sliding component and the travel switch 24 can provide the main control module with the important information that the robot has reached the front of the stairs, which is convenient for the subsequent judgment of the main control module. That is, for the subsequent signal of the robot reaching the edge of the stairs, the main control module controls the rear wheels to gradually retract until they are flush with the crawler 11, and the crawler 11 is placed on the steps to start climbing the stairs.

[0063] When the robot is in the climbing mode and the anti-tipping wheel 25 is in the retracted state, the micro electric push rod 22 remains in the shortest state. The support rod 23 is pulled out by an external force, and the safety link 21 moves. The micro electric push rod remains in its original state. This can ensure that the pulling force received by the micro electric push rod never exceeds the pulling force exerted on it by the safety torsion spring through the safety link 21, thereby playing a role in protecting the micro electric push rod 22.

[0064] The travel switch 24 is used to sense the telescoping of the micro electric push rod 22. The travel switch 24 is electrically connected to the main control module and transmits the touch signal to the main control module. The travel switch 24 is used when the touch signal indicates that the anti-tipping wheel 25 touches the edge of the wall or the stairs. The main control module grasps the telescoping state of the micro electric push rod 22 according to the signal of the travel switch 24. On the premise of not being the command signal of the main control module, the travel switch 24 uploads the touch signal of the micro electric push rod 22. The touch signal here is relative to the aforementioned touch signal, that is, it means that the anti-tipping wheel 25 touches an object, and the object may be the edge of the stairs or the wall. Therefore, when the main control module receives the touch signal of the travel switch 24, it judges that the robot has reached the edge of the stairs. Immediately, the main control module controls the chassis drive module to retract the rear wheel set so that the crawler 11 can be placed on the edge of the first step. The main control module controls the front support legs to retract and makes them flush with the crawler 11, and the robot starts to climb the stairs.

[0065] As described above, the robot includes a seat and also includes a leg rest for the user to place their legs conveniently. The leg rest is hinged to the bottom surface of the seat, and the hinge relationship between the bottom surface of the seat and the leg rest restricts the leg rest to only tilt upward. For the specific positional relationship between the leg rest and the seat, see Figure 5 and Figure 6, the seat is connected to the chassis structure through a seat electric push rod. The seat electric push rod is electrically connected to the attitude control unit and is controlled by the attitude control unit. When the robot goes upstairs or downstairs, in order to keep the seat in a horizontal state, the attitude control unit controls the seat electric push rod to shorten the distance between the seat and the chassis structure. At this time, when one end of the leg rest moves downward with the seat, it will touch the chassis structure and then be forced to tilt up. Specifically, the leg rest tilts up a certain height with the hinge point on the bottom surface of the seat as the fulcrum.

[0066] In order to achieve the quick installation and disassembly between the leg rest and the seat, in one implementation, the leg rest includes a leg rest main body 41 formed with a mounting plate 42 and the mounting plate 42. And a groove body 31 is provided on the bottom surface of the seat relative to the edge of the mounting plate 42. One end of the mounting plate 42 is embedded in the groove body 31 formed on the bottom surface of the seat. An activity groove 43 is opened on the plate surface of the support plate at the relatively other end. A rotatable activity buckle 32 is provided on the bottom surface of the seat. The activity buckle 32 moves translationally in the activity groove 43. The two ends of the mounting plate 42 are respectively restricted and locked by the activity buckle 32 against the side wall of the activity groove 43. A bolt 33 hole is also opened at the middle position of the plate surface of the support plate. The bottom surface of the seat is also provided with a bolt 33 hole corresponding to the installation position of the bolt 33 hole. The support plate and the seat are connected by a bolt 33. The bolt 33 realizes the up-and-down locking of the support plate and the seat. One end of the mounting plate 42 is snapped into the groove body 31, and the left-and-right locking of the support plate and the seat is respectively realized through the activity groove 43 and the activity buckle 32 at the relatively other end.

[0067] When installing and fixing between the leg rest and the seat, first snap one end of the mounting plate 42 into the groove body 31, then through the locking cooperation between the activity buckle 32 and the activity groove 43, the mounting plate 42 and the seat are transversely locked and fixed, and finally the longitudinal locking and fixing of the mounting plate 42 and the seat are realized through the bolt 33;

[0068] When it is necessary to disassemble between the leg rest and the seat, unscrew the bolt 33, push the leg rest main body in the direction of the inside of the seat, push the mounting plate 42, so that the activity buckle 32 longitudinally disengages from the activity groove 43, and the mounting plate 42 is transversely drawn out in the direction of the inside of the seat. Here, through the clamping between the edge of the mounting plate 42 and the groove body 31 formed on the bottom surface of the seat, and the clamping between the activity buckle 32 and the activity groove 43, the transverse locking of the mounting plate 42 and the bottom surface of the seat is realized, and then the longitudinal locking and fixing of the mounting plate 42 and the bottom surface of the seat are realized through a simple bolt 33 structure. Through the cooperation of a simple structure between the mounting plate 42 and the seat, the multi-directional connection relationship between the support plate and the bottom surface of the seat is realized, and then the locking and fixing between the mounting plate 42 and the seat are realized in multiple degrees of freedom, and at the same time, the disassembly is convenient.

[0069] In one implementation, please refer to Figure 9, the leg rest includes a mounting shaft 71 and a connecting rod 72. There are a mounting slot 81 and a seat clamping position provided under the seat. The mounting slot 81 under the seat is arranged in cooperation with the connecting rod 72 of the leg rest, and the leg rest is detachably connected through the connecting rod 72 and the mounting slot 81. The seat clamping position is arranged in cooperation with the connecting rod 72. When the leg rest and the seat are cooperatively installed, first, the connecting rod 72 of the leg rest is snapped into the mounting slot 81. After the leg rest and the mounting slot 81 are clamped, the leg rest is rotated downward around the axis of the connecting rod 72 until the lower end of the leg rest rotates around the axis of the connecting rod 72 so that the mounting shaft 71 is snapped into the seat clamping position. At this time, the mounting shaft 71 under the seat enters the seat clamping position. The seat clamping position is set as a U-shaped elastic lock. Under the action of an external force, the mounting shaft 71 is snapped into the seat clamping position, and the seat clamping position clamps it. When disassembling the leg rest and the seat, first release the fixation between the mounting shaft 71 and the seat clamping position. The seat clamping position and the lower part of the seat are detachably connected by bolts. When disassembling the leg rest, first release the fixation between the seat clamping position and the lower part of the seat to realize the release of the fixation between the mounting shaft 71 and the seat clamping position, and then rotate the leg rest upward around the axis of the connecting rod 72 to release the clamping relationship between the connecting rod 72 and the mounting slot 81.

[0070] Through the cooperative clamping between the provided connecting rod 72 and the mounting slot 81, and coupled with the cooperative connection between the seat clamping position and the mounting shaft 71, the rapid installation and disassembly between the leg rest and the lower part of the seat are realized.

[0071] Since it is necessary to coordinate the manual control mode and the automatic control when controlling the robot to go up and down stairs, the main control module requires data of key nodes and controls the key nodes of going up and down stairs. Therefore, the main control module generates an upstairs control instruction and a downstairs control instruction, which specifically include an elaboration of the key nodes of the robot going up and down stairs. The main control module divides the up and down stair modes of the robot into multiple sub-states, and respectively conducts targeted control according to multiple sub-states, and connects the relationships between adjacent sub-states to make the switching between adjacent sub-states smoother. And there is also control by the user using a joystick among multiple sub-states. Therefore, the control instructions for key nodes include:

[0072] During the climbing process of the robot, as mentioned above, the robot uses the crawler 11 to provide power to go up and down stairs. When on flat ground, it uses support wheels (front wheel group and rear wheel group) to move. Here, the front wheel group and the rear wheel group, with the direction in which the user sits on the robot as the front and the back as the rear, are consistent with the front end and the rear end of the robot.

[0073] When the robot climbs stairs, there are at least two key nodes, namely the first step and the last step of the target stairs. Because at the first step, the support wheels for flat-ground walking need to be converted to the crawler 11, and at the last step, the crawler 11 needs to be switched to the support wheels. For the switching between these two modes, refined detection and control of the robot's posture are required to improve the smoothness of the conversion between the two modes.

[0074] During the process of the robot going upstairs:

[0075] Operate the joystick to make the robot move backward. The travel switch 24 on the anti-tipping wheel 25 touches the edge of the first step, generating a touch signal and transmitting the touch signal to the main control module. The main control module determines that the robot has reached the first step of the target stairs and retracts the anti-tipping wheel 25;

[0076] The attitude control unit controls the first electric push rod group to retract the front wheel group until the front wheel group is flush with the crawler 11, and controls the second electric push rod group to retract the rear wheel group until the rear wheel group is retracted to the highest position and the rear wheel group is flush with the crawler 11. The attitude control unit reduces the vibration during flat-ground travel during the process of the crawler 11 going upstairs by controlling the retraction of the front wheel group and the rear wheel group, and at the same time ensures that the robot can brake and will not fall or slide when reaching the edge of the stairs;

[0077] One end of the crawler 11 is placed on the first step, and the attitude control unit controls the crawler 11 to start climbing the stairs;

[0078] When it is detected that the diagonal distance is less than the theoretical vertical distance, it is determined that the rear end of the crawler 11 has reached the end of the stairs, and the second electric push rod group is controlled to lower the rear wheel group until the rear wheel group touches the ground, and the crawler angle is controlled to remain unchanged;

[0079] When it is detected that the rear-end vertical distance no longer jumps, the main control module determines that the robot has reached the flat ground, and controls the first electric push rod group to lower the front wheel group to complete climbing the stairs.

[0080] The main control module calculates the balance distance based on the theoretical vertical distance and the stair angle. When the balance distance is greater than the theoretical vertical distance preset by the main control module, it is determined that the rear end of the robot extends beyond the last step. The attitude control unit controls the second electric push rod group to retract the rear wheel group, and controls the first electric push rod group to shorten, thereby controlling the front wheel group to retract until it is flush with the crawler 11, and controls the crawler 11 to climb the stairs.

[0081] The main control module calculates the theoretical vertical distance based on the diagonal angle, the stair angle, and the diagonal distance, including;

[0082] Compare and judge the theoretical vertical distance and the rear-end vertical distance. As mentioned above, the second laser sensor is used to measure the vertical distance between the detection point and the ground, and the third laser sensor is used to measure the straight-line distance between the detection point and the ground, which is calibrated as the oblique distance. That is, there is an oblique angle between the detection optical path of the third laser sensor and the plane where the installation position (detection point) of the third laser sensor is located. Calculate the theoretical vertical distance between the detection point and the ground through the oblique distance. The theoretical vertical distance reflects the height of the plane where the intersection point of the detection optical path of the third laser sensor and the ground is located, while the rear-end vertical distance between the detection point and the ground measured by the second laser sensor is the height of the detection point perpendicular to the ground. Therefore, when the difference between the theoretical vertical distance and the rear-end vertical distance is less than the preset vertical distance threshold, it means that the detection optical path of the second laser sensor and the detection optical paths of the third laser sensor and the ground respectively intersect with the ground at the same plane. Because when the robot is in the middle of the target staircase, due to the inclined characteristics of the staircase, the theoretical vertical distance will differ from the rear-end vertical distance by at least the height of one step. When the difference between the theoretical vertical distance and the rear-end vertical distance is less than the vertical distance threshold, it means that the rear end of the robot has reached the highest point. Here, the vertical distance threshold is the height difference between two adjacent steps of the target staircase, which can be obtained by detecting the environmental characteristics of the target staircase previously.

[0083] The balance distance here represents the distance that the rear end of the robot extends out of the last step of the target staircase. When the horizontal distance exceeds a certain threshold, it means that the part of the robot that has not extended out of the step and cannot complete the overall support of the robot. Therefore, it is necessary to switch the mode of the robot to the support wheel mode to support the robot to prevent the rear end of the robot from suddenly landing due to weightlessness.

[0084] When the distance that the robot walks out of the end of the step exceeds the set balance distance threshold, and the difference between the vertical distance between the measurement point set at the rear end of the robot and the ground and the calculated theoretical vertical distance is less than the vertical distance threshold, and since the robot is no longer tilted, when both the theoretical vertical distance and the rear-end vertical distance are greater than the set distance threshold, the set distance indicates that there is no staircase behind the robot and the robot has climbed to the last step. At this time, it automatically switches to the upper edge state of the staircase.

[0085] During the process of the robot going downstairs:

[0086] When the robot is in the flat state, the user can use the joystick on the handle to control the robot to walk. When the user needs to go downstairs, control the joystick to make the robot walk forward to the edge of the staircase. Then long-press the downstairs button to enter the downstairs preparation state. The attitude control unit controls the first electric push rod group to shorten and control the front wheel group to retract until the maximum value of the front wheel group is lifted.

[0087] When the tracked angle acquired by the attitude feature acquisition unit of the main control module changes, the main control module determines that the crawler 11 has entered the stairs. The attitude control unit controls the second electric push rod group to retract the rear wheel group until the rear wheel group is completely retracted and flush with the tracked angle, and controls the tracked angle to remain consistent with the stair angle to go downstairs;

[0088] When the detection data of the first laser sensor no longer jumps and neither the front-end straight-line distance nor the front-end vertical distance changes, the attitude control unit controls the second electric push rod group to lower the rear wheel group, and then controls the first electric push rod group to lower the front wheel group, and the robot returns to the flat ground state.

[0089] Since the robot keeps the detection optical path of the first laser sensor perpendicular to the steps during the downstairs process, the first laser sensor continuously measures the front-end vertical distance between the handrail 14 of the robot and the ground. When the detection data of the front-end vertical distance at this moment jumps compared with the detection data of the previous moment, it means that the robot has passed a step. When the detection data of the first laser sensor no longer jumps, it means that the crawler 11 has contacted the flat ground and automatically enters the lower edge state of the stairs. The main control module fits the variation law function of the front-end vertical distance between the handrail 14 and the stairs. When the front-end vertical distance at a certain moment deviates from the variation law function and the detection data of the first laser sensor no longer jumps, the main control module determines that the front end of the crawler 11 reaches the plane, indicating that the crawler 11 has contacted the flat ground, and the main control module switches to the lower edge state of the stairs.

[0090] As described above, with the front end facing the front when the user is sitting on the robot and the back of the user as the rear end, the second laser sensor and the third laser sensor are both arranged at the rear end of the robot, and the arrangement of the second laser sensor and the third laser sensor does not affect the normal operation of the crawler 11. Moreover, since the standard example can be calculated through the conversion of the triangular relationship, the positions of the second laser sensor and the third laser sensor on the robot can be flexibly set as long as they do not affect the measurement data required for their configuration and the normal operation of the crawler 11.

[0091] The above is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and does not impose any form of limitation on the present invention. Although the present invention has been disclosed above with the preferred embodiment, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the art can make some changes or modifications to it as equivalent embodiments within the scope of the technical solution of the present invention. However, as long as it does not depart from the content of the technical solution of the present invention, any brief modifications, equivalent changes and modifications made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention still fall within the scope of the technical solution of the present invention.

Claims

1. An all-terrain travel robot, characterized in that: It includes a main control module, a data acquisition module and a chassis drive module that are electrically connected to the main control module respectively; The data acquisition module includes an environmental feature acquisition unit and an attitude feature acquisition unit. The data acquired by the environmental feature acquisition unit includes the environmental features of the target stairs, and the environmental features include the stair angle. The data acquired by the attitude feature acquisition unit includes the attitude data of the robot, and the attitude data of the robot includes the track angle of the robot and the distance between the robot and the ground; The main control module is used to judge the state of the robot according to the data acquired by the data acquisition module and perform analysis according to the state of the robot to generate corresponding up - stair control instructions or down - stair control instructions to control the chassis drive module; The chassis drive module executes the up - stair control instruction and the down - stair control instruction respectively.

2. The all-terrain travel robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The chassis drive module includes an attitude control unit and a chassis structure controlled by the attitude control unit. The attitude control unit is electrically connected to the main control module and accepts the control of the main control module; The chassis structure includes: a track frame, and a front wheel set and a rear wheel set are hinged at the front and rear ends of the track frame respectively, and a track is movably arranged between the front end and the rear end of the track frame; A first electric push rod group is movably connected between the front wheel set and the track frame, a second electric push rod group is movably connected between the rear wheel set and the track frame, and the first electric push rod group, the second electric push rod group and the track are electrically connected to the attitude control unit respectively; After receiving the up - stair control instruction or the down - stair control instruction from the main control module, the attitude control unit controls the first electric push rod group and the second electric push rod group respectively to realize the retraction and extension of the front wheel set and the rear wheel set, and controls the track to go up and down the stairs.

3. The all-terrain travel robot according to claim 2, wherein: The first electric push rod group includes a left front electric push rod and a right front electric push rod, the second electric push rod group includes a left rear electric push rod and a right rear electric push rod. The first electric push rod group can control the left front wheel 12 and the right front wheel respectively or together, and the second electric push rod group can control the left rear wheel 13 and the right rear wheel respectively or together.

4. The all-terrain travel robot according to claim 1, wherein: The distance between the robot and the ground includes the vertical distance between the handrail of the robot and the front end of the ground, the vertical distance between the rear end of the robot and the rear end of the ground, and the oblique distance between the rear end of the robot and the ground.

5. The all-terrain travel robot according to claim 3, characterized in that: The data acquired by the attitude feature acquisition unit also includes the driving angles of the two tracks. The main control module calculates the difference between the driving angles to obtain the driving angle difference. If the driving angle difference is greater than the preset angle deviation threshold, the main control module judges that the driving direction of the robot is deviated; The main control module adjusts the driving speeds of the two tracks respectively according to the driving angle difference until the driving angle difference is less than the angle deviation threshold.

6. A full-terrain travel robot according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that: It also includes an induction module. The induction module is electrically connected to the main control module. The induction module is used to sense the edge position of the stairs and transmit the touch signal to the main control module. After receiving the touch signal, the main control module controls the chassis drive module.

7. The all-terrain travel robot according to claim 6, characterized in that: The induction module includes an anti - tilt wheel and an induction component. The anti - tilt wheel is connected to the front wheel set through a sliding component. The sliding component is electrically connected to the main control module and accepts the control of the main control module. The main control module realizes the retraction and extension of the anti - tilt wheel by controlling the sliding component; The induction component is used to sense the touch action of the sliding component and generate a touch signal. The induction component is electrically connected to the main control module and transmits the touch signal to the main control module, and the main control module controls the chassis drive module according to the touch signal.

8. The all-terrain travel robot according to claim 2, characterized in that: The front wheel set and the rear wheel set further include drive motors, which are used to drive the front wheel set and the rear wheel set respectively. The drive motors are electrically connected to the attitude control unit and receive the control of the attitude control unit. The attitude control unit controls the rotation of the front wheel set and the rear wheel set by controlling the drive motors respectively.

9. The all-terrain travel robot according to claim 5, characterized in that: It further includes a seat and a leg rest. The seat is connected to the chassis structure through a seat electric push rod. The leg rest is hinged to the bottom surface of the seat. The seat electric push rod is electrically connected to the attitude control unit and receives the control of the attitude control unit; When the attitude control unit controls the seat electric push rod to shorten, the leg rest tilts upward with the hinge point with the seat as the fulcrum.

10. The all-terrain travel robot according to claim 9, characterized in that: The leg rest includes a leg rest main body and a mounting plate formed with a mounting plate. One end of the mounting plate is embedded in a groove body formed on the bottom surface of the seat. A movable groove is formed on the plate surface of the support plate at the opposite end of the mounting plate. A rotatable movable buckle is arranged on the bottom surface of the seat. The movable buckle moves translationally in the movable groove. The abutment of the movable buckle against the side wall of the movable groove restricts and locks both ends of the mounting plate respectively; Bolting holes are further formed on the plate surface of the support plate. The support plate and the seat are connected by bolts. The bolts realize the up-and-down locking of the support plate and the seat, and the movable groove realizes the left-and-right locking of the support plate and the seat.

11. A full-terrain travel robot according to claim 9, characterized in that: The leg rest includes a mounting shaft and a connecting rod. A mounting slot and a seat clamping position are arranged below the seat. The mounting slot is arranged in cooperation with the connecting rod, and the seat clamping position is arranged in cooperation with the mounting shaft. The leg rest is detachably connected to the mounting slot through the connecting rod. After the leg rest is connected to the mounting slot, it rotates around the axis of the connecting rod. When the leg rest rotates around the axis of the connecting rod to one end of the stroke, the mounting shaft is clamped into the seat clamping position.

12. An all-terrain travel robot according to claim 7, characterized in that: The front wheel set includes a left front wheel 12 and a right front wheel, and the rear wheel set includes a left rear wheel 13 and a right rear wheel. The chassis drive module further includes a four-wheel drive control unit, and the four-wheel drive control unit includes four independent control sub-units. The four independent control sub-units control the rotation of the left front wheel 12, the right front wheel, the left rear wheel 13 and the right rear wheel respectively.

13. A full-terrain travel robot according to claim 10, characterized in that: Shock-absorbing components are respectively arranged on the front wheel set and the rear wheel set.

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