Robot variable impedance driver

Abstract

The invention discloses a robot variable impedance driver which comprises a shell and an output shaft bracket capable of rotating around the axis and arranged in the shell, and further comprises an elastic adjusting part which comprises a spring supporting frame fixedly connected to the interior of the output shaft bracket, a sliding rail is fixedly connected into the spring supporting frame, and a sliding block is slidably connected to the surface of the sliding rail; the surface of the sliding rail is sleeved with two telescopic springs symmetrically arranged on the two sides of the sliding block, one end of each telescopic spring is fixedly connected with the sliding block, and the other end of each telescopic spring is fixedly connected with the spring supporting frame. The supporting point shifting rod and the lever are arranged, so that the sliding block connected with one end of the lever moves, the telescopic spring can be compressed to provide impedance to change the dynamic characteristic, the position of the supporting point in the lever is adjusted through the supporting point adjusting mechanism, and the movement amount of the end, connected with the sliding block, of the lever can be changed; compared with the prior art, the telescopic spring has the advantages of being simple in structure and high in response speed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the technical field of robot joints, and particularly to a robot variable impedance driver. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of robot technology, the applications of robots that coexist with humans, such as collaborative robots, humanoid robots, and legged robots, are gradually increasing. To ensure the safety of such robots during the physical interaction (contact) process with humans and the environment, traditional robots usually adopt position control or force control. To overcome the limitations of traditional control methods, variable impedance control has emerged. Variable impedance control can flexibly adjust its own dynamic characteristics according to the environment and task requirements by real-time adjusting the impedance parameters (stiffness, damping, etc.) of the robot.

[0003] Traditional variable impedance drivers usually adopt structures such as series elastic actuators (SEA) or variable stiffness actuators (VSA). For example, a variable stiffness elastic actuator disclosed in a Chinese patent with the publication number CN113414760B uses complex components such as planetary gear sets, differential structures, multi-roller guide grooves, and transmission lead screws, which require coordinating multiple moving parts, resulting in a complex mechanical structure. At the same time, it relies on the transmission lead screw to drive the roller to move (requiring thread fitting), resulting in mechanical delay, which limits its wide application in the field of robots. Therefore, a robot variable impedance driver is proposed to solve the above problems. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a robot variable impedance driver to solve the problems mentioned in the above background art.

[0005] The embodiments of this application adopt the following technical solutions:

[0006] A robot variable impedance driver includes a housing and an output shaft bracket rotatably arranged in the housing around an axis, and further includes: an elastic adjustment part, including a spring support frame fixedly connected to the inside of the output shaft bracket, a slide rail fixedly connected inside the spring support frame, a slider slidably connected to the surface of the slide rail, two telescopic springs symmetrically arranged on both sides of the slider and sleeved on the surface of the slide rail, one end of the telescopic spring is fixedly connected to the slider, and the other end of the telescopic spring is fixedly connected to the spring support frame; a lever, hinged between the output shaft bracket and the slider; a support point toggle lever, one end of which penetrates through the lever, and the position of the support point toggle lever is adjustable to change the compression amount of the telescopic spring; a support point adjustment mechanism, arranged inside the housing, and linked with the support point toggle lever to dynamically adjust the position of the support point toggle lever on the lever; a driving mechanism, arranged inside the housing, and the driving mechanism drives the support point toggle lever to rotate around the axis to drive the output shaft bracket to output torque.

[0007] Preferably, a limiting groove is formed on the upper surface of the lever, and a cylinder is fixedly connected to the upper surface of the lever. The cylinder at one end of the lever is hinged to the output shaft bracket. A limiting cylinder is fixedly connected to the lower surface of the slider. The limiting cylinder is arranged in the limiting groove, and the surface of the limiting cylinder is linearly attached to the inner wall of the limiting groove. The other end of the lever is connected to the slider through the limiting cylinder. The top end of the support lever extends into the limiting groove and is linearly attached to the inner wall of the limiting groove.

[0008] Preferably, the fulcrum adjusting mechanism includes a planetary mechanism rotatably arranged inside the housing. An adjusting turbine is fixedly connected to the surface of the planetary mechanism. A regulating motor is fixedly connected to the surface of the housing. The output end of the regulating motor penetrates the inner wall of the housing and is fixedly connected to an adjusting worm. The adjusting worm meshes with the adjusting turbine.

[0009] Preferably, the planetary mechanism includes a sleeve arranged in the vertical direction. The bottom end of the sleeve is rotatably connected to the inner bottom wall of the housing. A planetary carrier and an adjusting turbine are respectively fixedly connected to the surface of the sleeve. The top end of the planetary carrier is rotatably connected to a planetary gear. The inner part of the sleeve is rotatably connected to a regulating gear shaft through a bearing. The top end of the regulating gear shaft is rotatably connected to the bottom of the driving mechanism. A sun gear is fixedly connected to the surface of the regulating gear shaft. The sun gear meshes with the planetary gear. The bottom end of the support lever is rotatably connected to a moving gear, and a connecting rod is rotatably connected to the surface of the support lever. The planetary gear is rotatably connected to the lower surface of the connecting rod and meshes with the moving gear.

[0010] Preferably, the driving mechanism includes a driving disk rotatably arranged inside the housing. A sliding groove is formed on the upper surface of the driving disk. The support lever penetrates the sliding groove. A limiting block is fixedly connected to the surface of the support lever. The limiting block is attached to the upper surface of the driving disk. The top end of the regulating gear shaft is rotatably connected to the lower surface of the driving disk. A transmission group is arranged inside the housing. The transmission group is fixedly connected to the driving disk. A driving motor is fixedly connected to the surface of the housing. The output end of the driving motor drives the driving disk to rotate along the axis through the transmission group.

[0011] Preferably, the transmission group includes a gear connecting shaft rotatably connected to the inner bottom wall of the housing. A driving turbine is fixedly connected to the surface of the gear connecting shaft. The output end of the driving motor penetrates the inner wall of the housing and is fixedly connected to a driving worm. The driving worm meshes with the driving turbine. The top end of the gear connecting shaft is fixedly connected to a driving gear. An internally meshing gear is rotatably connected to the inner wall of the housing. The internally meshing gear meshes with the driving gear. The driving disk is coaxially and fixedly connected to the upper surface of the internally meshing gear.

[0012] Preferably, a flange for connecting a load is fixedly connected to the top of the output shaft bracket.

[0013] The above at least one technical solution adopted in the embodiments of the present application can achieve the following beneficial effects:

[0014] In the present invention, by providing a fulcrum lever and a lever, the position of the slider connected to one end of the lever is moved, and then the telescopic spring can be compressed to provide impedance to change the dynamic characteristics. By adjusting the position of the fulcrum lever inside the lever through the fulcrum adjustment mechanism, the movement amount of the end of the lever connected to the slider can be changed, and then the movement amount of the slider can be changed, and further the compression amount of the telescopic spring can be changed, so as to provide a variable impedance according to needs. Compared with the prior art, it has the effects of simple structure and fast response speed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] The drawings described herein are used to provide a further understanding of the present application and form a part of the present application. The schematic embodiments of the present application and their descriptions are used to explain the present application and do not constitute an improper limitation to the present application. In the drawings:

[0016] Figure 1 is: a three-dimensional structure schematic diagram of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 2 is: a three-dimensional structure schematic diagram of the elastic adjustment part of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 3 is: a first cross-sectional structure schematic diagram of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 4 is: a second cross-sectional structure schematic diagram of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 5 is: a front cross-sectional structure schematic diagram of the planetary structure of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 6 is: a cross-sectional structure schematic diagram of the driving disk of the present invention.

[0022] In the figure: 1. Outer shell; 2. Output shaft bracket; 21. Second pressure ring; 22. Second bearing; 23. First pressure ring; 3. Elastic adjustment part; 31. Spring support frame; 32. Slide rail; 33. Slide block; 331. Limit cylinder; 34. Telescopic spring; 4. Lever; 41. Limit groove; 42. Cylinder; 5. Support point lever; 51. Limit block; 6. Support point adjustment mechanism; 61. Planetary mechanism; 611. Sleeve; 612. Planet carrier; 613. Planet gear; 614. Rigidity adjustment gear shaft; 615. Sun gear; 616. Moving gear; 617. Connecting rod; 62. Adjusting turbine; 63. Rigidity adjustment motor; 64. Adjusting worm; 7. Driving mechanism; 71. Driving disc; 711. Chute; 72. Transmission group; 721. Gear connecting shaft; 722. Driving turbine; 723. Driving worm; 724. Driving gear; 725. Internally meshing gear; 73. Driving motor; 74. First bearing; 8. Flange plate. Detailed implementation manners

[0023] To make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present application clearer, the technical solutions of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with specific embodiments of the present application and the corresponding drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present application.

[0024] The technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below in conjunction with the drawings.

[0025] Please refer to Figure 1-6 , the present invention provides a technical solution for a robot variable impedance driver:

[0026] A robot variable impedance driver includes a housing 1, an output shaft bracket 2 rotatably arranged in the housing 1 around an axis, a second bearing 22, a first retaining ring 23, and a second retaining ring 21 arranged at one end of the housing 1. It further includes: an elastic adjustment part 3, which includes a spring support frame 31 fixedly connected to the inside of the output shaft bracket 2. A slide rail 32 is fixedly connected inside the spring support frame 31. A slider 33 is slidably connected to the surface of the slide rail 32. Two telescopic springs 34 symmetrically arranged on both sides of the slider 33 are sleeved on the surface of the slide rail 32. One end of the telescopic spring 34 is fixedly connected to the slider 33, and the other end of the telescopic spring 34 is fixedly connected to the spring support frame 31; a lever 4, hinged between the output shaft bracket 2 and the slider 33; a support point toggle lever 5, one end of which penetrates through the lever 4, and the position of the support point toggle lever 5 is adjustable to change the compression amount of the telescopic spring 34; a support point adjustment mechanism 6, arranged inside the housing 1, and linked with the support point toggle lever 5 to dynamically adjust the position of the support point toggle lever 5 on the lever 4; a driving mechanism 7, arranged inside the housing 1, and the driving mechanism 7 drives the support point toggle lever 5 to rotate around the axis to drive the output shaft bracket 2 to output torque.

[0027] Specifically, by setting the support point toggle lever 5 and the lever 4, the position of the slider 33 connected to one end of the lever 4 is moved, and then the telescopic spring 34 can be compressed to provide the dynamic characteristics of impedance change. By adjusting the position of the support point toggle lever 5 inside the lever 4 through the support point adjustment mechanism 6, the moving amount of the end of the lever 4 connected to the slider 33 can be changed, and then the moving amount of the slider 33 can be changed, and further the compression amount of the telescopic spring 34 can be changed, so as to provide variable impedance as needed. Compared with the prior art, it has the effects of simple structure and fast response speed.

[0028] A limiting groove 41 is formed on the upper surface of the lever 4, and a column 42 is fixedly connected to the upper surface of the lever 4. The column 42 at one end of the lever 4 is hinged to the output shaft bracket 2. A limiting cylinder 331 is fixedly connected to the lower surface of the slider 33. The limiting cylinder 331 is arranged in the limiting groove 41, and the surface of the limiting cylinder 331 is linearly attached to the inner wall of the limiting groove 41. The other end of the lever 4 is connected to the slider 33 through the limiting cylinder 331. The top end of the support point toggle lever 5 extends into the limiting groove 41 and is linearly attached to the inner wall of the limiting groove 41. By setting the cooperation of the limiting groove 41 and the limiting cylinder 331, the lever 4 and the slider 33 are movably connected. By setting the column 42, the lever 4 and the output shaft bracket 2 are hinged.

[0029] The support point adjustment mechanism 6 includes a planetary mechanism 61 rotatably arranged inside the housing 1. An adjustment turbine 62 is fixedly connected to the surface of the planetary mechanism 61. An adjustment motor 63 is fixedly connected to the surface of the housing 1. The output end of the adjustment motor 63 penetrates through the inner wall of the housing 1 and is fixedly connected to an adjustment worm 64. The adjustment worm 64 meshes with the adjustment turbine 62.

[0030] The planetary mechanism 61 includes a sleeve 611 arranged vertically. The bottom end of the sleeve 611 is rotatably connected to the inner bottom wall of the housing 1. The surface of the sleeve 611 is fixedly connected with a planet carrier 612 and an adjusting turbine 62 respectively. The top end of the planet carrier 612 is rotatably connected with a planet gear 613. The inside of the sleeve 611 is rotatably connected with a stiffness adjusting gear shaft 614 through a bearing. The top end of the stiffness adjusting gear shaft 614 is rotatably connected to the bottom of the driving mechanism 7. The surface of the stiffness adjusting gear shaft 614 is fixedly connected with a sun gear 615. The sun gear 615 meshes with the planet gear 613. The bottom end of the support and dial lever 5 is rotatably connected with a moving gear 616, and the surface of the support and dial lever 5 is rotatably connected with a connecting rod 617. The planet gear 613 is rotatably connected to the lower surface of the connecting rod 617, and the planet gear 613 meshes with the moving gear 616.

[0031] Specifically, the rotation of the output shaft of the stiffness adjusting motor 63 drives the worm to rotate. The worm drives the worm gear to rotate. The worm gear drives the shaft sleeve to rotate. The shaft sleeve drives the planet carrier 612 to rotate. The rotation of the planet carrier 612 drives the planet gear 613 to revolve around the sun gear 615. The planet gear 613 drives the sun gear 615 to rotate. The sun gear 615 reacts to drive the planet gear 613 to rotate. The rotation of the planet gear 613 drives the moving gear 616 to rotate, and under the action of the connecting rod 617, it moves, thereby driving the support and dial lever 5 to change its position. The movement of one end of the support and dial lever 5 in the lever 4 will change the degree of compression of the spring in the lever 4 and change the stiffness of the joint.

[0032] The driving mechanism 7 includes a driving disk 71 rotatably arranged on the inner ring of the first bearing 74 inside the housing 1. The upper surface of the driving disk 71 is provided with a sliding groove 711. The support and dial lever 5 passes through the sliding groove 711. The surface of the support and dial lever 5 is fixedly connected with a limiting block 51. The limiting block 51 is attached to the upper surface of the driving disk 71. The top end of the stiffness adjusting gear shaft 614 is rotatably connected to the lower surface of the driving disk 71. A transmission group 72 is arranged inside the housing 1. The transmission group 72 is fixedly connected with the driving disk 71. A driving motor 73 is fixedly connected to the surface of the housing 1. The output end of the driving motor 73 drives the driving disk 71 to rotate along the axis through the transmission group 72.

[0033] The transmission group 72 includes a gear connecting shaft 721 rotatably connected to the inner bottom wall of the housing 1. The surface of the gear connecting shaft 721 is fixedly connected with a driving turbine 722. The output end of the driving motor 73 penetrates the inner wall of the housing 1 and is fixedly connected with a driving worm 723. The driving worm 723 meshes with the driving turbine 722. The top end of the gear connecting shaft 721 is fixedly connected with a driving gear 724. An internally meshing gear 725 is rotatably connected to the inner wall of the housing 1. The internally meshing gear 725 meshes with the driving gear 724. The driving disk 71 is coaxially fixedly connected to the upper surface of the internally meshing gear 725.

[0034] Specifically, the output end of the driving motor 73 drives the worm 723 to rotate. The worm and worm gear rotate, and the worm gear drives the gear connecting shaft 721 to rotate. The gear connecting shaft 721 drives the driving gear 724 to rotate. The driving gear 724 drives the internally meshing gear 725 to rotate. The internally meshing gear 725 drives the driving disk 71 to rotate. The support and dial lever 5 is installed in the chute 711 of the driving disk 71. The driving disk 71 drives the support and dial lever 5 to rotate. The support and dial lever 5 drives the lever 4 to rotate. One end of the lever 4 compresses the spring, and the other end is hinged to the output shaft bracket 2, driving the output shaft bracket 2 to rotate, thereby outputting a rotational motion.

[0035] A flange 8 for connecting a load is fixedly connected to the top of the output shaft bracket 2. The output shaft bracket 2 is integrally installed on the inner ring of the second bearing 22, and the inner ring is restricted on one side by a first retaining ring 23. The outer ring of the second bearing 22 is installed inside one end of the housing 1, and a second retaining ring 21 is installed at one end of the housing 1 to restrict the outer ring of the second bearing 22.

[0036] Working principle: During the use of this robot variable impedance driver, when the joint position and stiffness information are given, the driving motor 73 and the stiffness adjustment motor 63 are controlled to rotate through an algorithm. The output end of the driving motor 73 drives the worm 723 to rotate. The worm and worm gear rotate, and the worm gear drives the gear connecting shaft 721 to rotate. The gear connecting shaft 721 drives the driving gear 724 to rotate. The driving gear 724 drives the internally meshing gear 725 to rotate. The internally meshing gear 725 drives the driving disk 71 to rotate. The support and dial lever 5 is installed in the chute 711 of the driving disk 71. The driving disk 71 drives the support and dial lever 5 to rotate. The support and dial lever 5 drives the lever 4 to rotate. One end of the lever 4 compresses the spring, and the other end is hinged to the output shaft bracket 2, driving the output shaft bracket 2 to rotate, thereby outputting a rotational motion. When adjusting the stiffness, the output shaft of the stiffness adjustment motor 63 rotates to drive the worm to rotate. The worm drives the worm gear to rotate. The worm gear drives the sleeve to rotate. The sleeve drives the planet carrier 612 to rotate. The rotation of the planet carrier 612 drives the planet gear 613 to revolve around the sun gear 615. The planet gear 613 drives the sun gear 615 to rotate. The sun gear 615 reacts to drive the planet gear 613 to rotate. The rotation of the planet gear 613 drives the moving gear 616 to rotate, and under the action of the connecting rod 617, it moves, thereby driving the support and dial lever 5 to change its position. The position of one end of the support and dial lever 5 in the lever 4 changes, which will change the degree of compression of the spring by the lever 4 and change the stiffness. Compared with the prior art, it has the effects of simple structure and fast response speed.

[0037] It should also be noted that the term "including", "comprising" or any other variant thereof is intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article or apparatus comprising a series of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article or apparatus. Without further limitation, an element defined by the statement "comprising an..." does not exclude the presence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article or apparatus comprising the element.

[0038] The above are only examples of the present application and are not intended to limit the present application. For those skilled in the art, various modifications and changes can be made to the present application. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application shall be included within the scope of the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. A robot variable impedance driver, comprising a housing (1) and an output shaft bracket (2) rotatably arranged around an axis within the housing (1), characterized in that, It further includes: An elastic adjustment part (3), including a spring support frame (31) fixedly connected to the inside of the output shaft frame (2). A slide rail (32) is fixedly connected inside the spring support frame (31). A slider (33) is slidably connected to the surface of the slide rail (32). Two telescopic springs (34) symmetrically arranged on both sides of the slider (33) are sleeved on the surface of the slide rail (32). One end of the telescopic spring (34) is fixedly connected to the slider (33), and the other end of the telescopic spring (34) is fixedly connected to the spring support frame (31); A lever (4), hinged between the output shaft frame (2) and the slider (33); A support point toggle lever (5), one end of which penetrates through the lever (4), and the position of the support point toggle lever (5) is adjustable to change the compression amount of the telescopic spring (34); A support point adjustment mechanism (6), arranged inside the housing (1), and linked with the support point toggle lever (5) to dynamically adjust the position of the support point toggle lever (5) on the lever (4); A driving mechanism (7), arranged inside the housing (1), and the driving mechanism (7) drives the support point toggle lever (5) to rotate around the axis to drive the output shaft frame (2) to output torque.

2. The variable impedance driver of a robot according to claim 1, wherein: A limiting groove (41) is formed on the upper surface of the lever (4), and a cylinder (42) is fixedly connected to the upper surface of the lever (4). The cylinder (42) at one end of the lever (4) is hinged to the output shaft frame (2). A limiting cylinder (331) is fixedly connected to the lower surface of the slider (33). The limiting cylinder (331) is arranged in the limiting groove (41), and the surface of the limiting cylinder (331) is linearly attached to the inner wall of the limiting groove (41). The other end of the lever (4) is connected to the slider (33) through the limiting cylinder (331). The top end of the support point toggle lever (5) extends into the limiting groove (41) and is linearly attached to the inner wall of the limiting groove (41).

3. The variable impedance driver of a robot according to claim 1, wherein: The support point adjustment mechanism (6) includes a planetary mechanism (61) rotatably arranged inside the housing (1). An adjustment turbine (62) is fixedly connected to the surface of the planetary mechanism (61). An adjustment motor (63) is fixedly connected to the surface of the housing (1). The output end of the adjustment motor (63) penetrates through the inner wall of the housing (1) and is fixedly connected to an adjustment worm (64). The adjustment worm (64) meshes with the adjustment turbine (62).

4. The robotic variable impedance driver according to claim 3, characterized in that: The planetary mechanism (61) includes a sleeve (611) arranged in the vertical direction. The bottom end of the sleeve (611) is rotatably connected to the inner bottom wall of the housing (1). The surface of the sleeve (611) is fixedly connected with a planet carrier (612) and an adjusting turbine (62) respectively. The top end of the planet carrier (612) is rotatably connected with a planet gear (613). The inside of the sleeve (611) is rotatably connected with a stiffness adjusting gear shaft (614) through a bearing. The top end of the stiffness adjusting gear shaft (614) is rotatably connected to the bottom of the driving mechanism (7). The surface of the stiffness adjusting gear shaft (614) is fixedly connected with a sun gear (615). The sun gear (615) meshes with the planet gear (613). The bottom end of the support dial lever (5) is rotatably connected with a moving gear (616), and a connecting rod (617) is rotatably connected to the surface of the support dial lever (5). The planet gear (613) is rotatably connected to the lower surface of the connecting rod (617), and the planet gear (613) meshes with the moving gear (616).

5. The robot variable impedance driver according to claim 4, wherein: The driving mechanism (7) includes a driving disk (71) rotatably arranged inside the housing (1). A chute (711) is formed on the upper surface of the driving disk (71). The support dial lever (5) penetrates through the chute (711). A limiting block (51) is fixedly connected to the surface of the support dial lever (5). The limiting block (51) is attached to the upper surface of the driving disk (71). The top end of the stiffness adjusting gear shaft (614) is rotatably connected to the lower surface of the driving disk (71). A transmission group (72) is arranged inside the housing (1). The transmission group (72) is fixedly connected to the driving disk (71). A driving motor (73) is fixedly connected to the surface of the housing (1). The output end of the driving motor (73) drives the driving disk (71) to rotate along the axis through the transmission group (72).

6. The robotic variable impedance driver according to claim 5, characterized in that: The transmission group (72) includes a gear connecting shaft (721) rotatably connected to the inner bottom wall of the housing (1). A driving turbine (722) is fixedly connected to the surface of the gear connecting shaft (721). The output end of the driving motor (73) penetrates through the inner wall of the housing (1) and is fixedly connected with a driving worm (723). The driving worm (723) meshes with the driving turbine (722). The top end of the gear connecting shaft (721) is fixedly connected with a driving gear (724). An internally meshing gear (725) is rotatably connected to the inner wall of the housing (1). The internally meshing gear (725) meshes with the driving gear (724). The driving disk (71) is coaxially and fixedly connected to the upper surface of the internally meshing gear (725).

7. A robot variable impedance driver according to claim 1, characterized in that: A flange (8) for connecting a load is fixedly connected to the top of the output shaft bracket (2).

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