Wheel-foot type robot and wheel-foot switching method thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses a wheel-foot type robot and a wheel-foot switching method thereof, and belongs to the technical field of robots, the wheel-foot type robot comprises a machine body, wheels are arranged at the bottom of the machine body, a camera shooting assembly is arranged on the side face of the machine body, a radar assembly is arranged at the top of the machine body, a computer processing module is arranged in the machine body, and a supporting leg assembly is arranged at the edge position of the bottom of the machine body. An existing robot in the market is innovatively designed, the advantages of a wheel type robot and a foot type robot are integrated, the survivability of the robot in a complex environment is improved by combining a computer in the robot with road condition processing of image recognition, timely obstacle avoidance, distance measurement and risk avoidance, free switching of wheel and foot modes is achieved according to different road conditions, and the robot is suitable for large-scale popularization and application. Therefore, the application range of the robot is widened.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of robots, and particularly to a wheel-legged robot and a method for switching between wheels and legs thereof. Background Art

[0002] At present, the 21st century is the era of artificial intelligence. With the accelerating aging of the population in China and the severe shortage of labor force, it is necessary to liberate people from complex, arduous and dangerous work, and gradually hand over complex, arduous and dangerous work to robots through artificial intelligence tools.

[0003] In view of the above related technologies, the applicant found that in actual application, the working environment of robots is complex, and relying solely on single-legged or wheeled movement can no longer meet the actual needs. A multi-legged walking robot can adapt to various road conditions, but its moving speed is relatively slow. While a wheeled robot has a relatively fast moving speed, but has high requirements for the flatness and slope of the terrain and road conditions. Both types of robots have obvious advantages and disadvantages, resulting in great limitations in their use. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the deficiencies of the existing technology, the present invention provides a wheel-legged robot and a method for switching between wheels and legs thereof. It is an innovative design of existing robots on the market, drawing on the advantages of both wheeled robots and legged robots. Through the computer in the robot combined with road condition processing by image recognition, it can avoid obstacles and measure distances in a timely manner, avoid risks, and improve the survival ability of the robot in complex environments. It can freely switch between wheel and leg modes according to different road conditions, thereby broadening the application scope of the robot.

[0005] The technical solution for the present invention to solve the above technical problems is as follows:

[0006] A wheel-legged robot includes a body. Wheels are provided at the bottom of the body. A camera assembly is provided on the side of the body. A radar assembly is provided at the top of the body. A computer processing module is provided inside the body. Leg assemblies are provided at the edge positions of the bottom of the body.

[0007] Further, the leg assemblies have the movement modes of lifting arms up and down and swinging arms left and right.

[0008] Further, the leg assemblies include composite brackets. The composite brackets are rotatably connected to the body along the horizontal plane. Swing arm servo motors are provided inside the composite brackets. The swing arm servo motors are fixedly connected to the body. The swing arm servo motors drive the composite brackets to perform left and right swinging arm movements relative to the body, and realize swinging within the range of 60° to 150° through the swing arm servo motors.

[0009] Further, on one side of the composite bracket away from the body, there are respectively an upper swing arm member and a lower swing arm member. The upper swing arm member and the lower swing arm member are rotationally connected to the composite bracket along a vertical plane. At one end of the upper swing arm member and the lower swing arm member away from the composite bracket, there is a leg member rotationally connected. The leg member, the upper swing arm member, the lower swing arm member and the composite bracket together form a four-bar linkage structure. Inside the composite bracket, there is a lift arm servo motor, and the lift arm servo motor and the swing arm servo motor are in a perpendicular positional relationship. The lift arm servo motor drives the lower swing arm member to perform a lifting and lowering movement relative to the composite bracket.

[0010] Further, the camera assembly includes a fixed seat, the fixed seat is fixedly connected to the body, there is an adjustment seat on the fixed seat, and a camera is provided on the adjustment seat. The fixed seat and the adjustment seat are rotationally connected through an adjustment shaft. One end of the adjustment shaft is threadedly connected with an adjustment nut, and the adjustment nut is in contact with the fixed seat. The camera can be adjusted within a range of 0° to 20° through the adjustment seat.

[0011] A wheel-foot switching method for a wheel-legged robot includes the following switching methods:

[0012] At the beginning, the robot is in wheeled drive and moves on the road surface. Through 360-degree scanning by the radar assembly, map information is generated after being processed by the computer processing module. While moving, the camera assembly takes real-time images of the road conditions in the forward direction and collects and feeds them back to the computer processing module. A model is generated through deep learning to judge the current movement mode.

[0013] Through the computer processing module, it is judged whether there are obstacles to wheeled movement ahead. If there are no obstacles, it continues to be in wheeled drive. If there are obstacles, it switches to legged drive.

[0014] When the robot adopts legged drive, the computer processing module sends a signal to the leg assembly to drive the servo motors of the leg assembly to complete the lifting and swinging actions of the leg assembly to achieve the function of crossing obstacles in real time.

[0015] When the robot passes through an obstacle in legged mode, after the computer processing module judges that the road condition is flat, it switches back to wheeled drive again.

[0016] Further, while moving, the camera assembly takes real-time monitoring shots of the forward direction and feeds them back to the computer processing module in real time to judge whether there are obstacles to the wheeled movement of the robot. A model is generated through deep learning to define the size of the obstacle ahead, determine the distance of the obstacle, and judge the timing of switching to legged drive.

[0017] The computer processing module accurately determines the movement state of the robot through the parameters of algorithm conversion to complete the function of crossing obstacles in real time.

[0018] Further, when the computer processing module determines an impassable obstacle ahead, it automatically generates an obstacle avoidance movement trajectory.

[0019] In summary, compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the above technical solutions are as follows:

[0020] (1) Innovatively design existing market robots, draw on the advantages of both wheeled robots and legged robots, combine the computer in the robot with the road condition processing of image recognition, timely avoid obstacles and measure distances, avoid risks, improve the survival ability of the robot in complex environments, and realize free switching of wheel-leg modes according to different road conditions, thereby expanding the applicable range of the robot;

[0021] (2) When the robot in this application encounters an obstacle on the road condition, the obstacle image and map formed by the road condition in the forward direction are fed back to the computer processing module by the camera assembly. Through deep learning, the size and distance of the obstacle ahead are defined, and it is accurately determined that the wheeled movement of the robot switches to legged movement to cross the obstacle;

[0022] (3) By specially designing and setting a U-shaped composite bracket to form a four-bar linkage mechanism, the four legs are lifted to cross the obstacle. When encountering an obstacle that cannot be crossed, the four legs are swung to avoid the obstacle, realizing the obstacle avoidance function;

[0023] (4) The bracket of the camera assembly adopts multiple angle adjustment technologies to realize the angle adjustment of the camera, with more accurate focusing and clearer feedback images. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the robot in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the swing arm of the leg assembly in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the lifting arm of the leg assembly in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the leg assembly in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the composite bracket in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the camera assembly in the embodiment of the present invention

[0030] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the fixed seat and the adjustment seat in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 8This is a logic schematic diagram of the wheel-foot switching of the robot in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] Description of reference numerals: 1, body; 2, wheel; 3, radar assembly; 4, computer processing module; 5, camera assembly; 51, fixed seat; 52, adjusting seat; 53, adjusting nut; 54, camera; 6, leg assembly; 61, composite bracket; 62, swing arm servo; 63, upper swing arm member; 64, lower swing arm member; 65, leg member; 66, lifting arm servo. Detailed implementation manners

[0033] The principles and features of the present invention will be described below in conjunction with all the attached drawings. The examples given are only used to explain the present invention and are not used to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0034] An embodiment of the present invention discloses a wheel-legged robot and its wheel-foot switching method.

[0035] Refer to Figure 1 , a wheel-legged robot, including a body 1, a wheel 2 is provided at the bottom of the body 1, a camera assembly 5 is provided on the side of the body 1, a radar assembly 3 is provided on the top of the body 1, a computer processing module 4 is provided inside the body 1, and a leg assembly 6 is provided at the edge position of the bottom of the body 1. This application innovatively designs the existing market robots, absorbs the advantages of both wheeled robots and legged robots, combines the image recognition of the road conditions by the camera assembly 5 in the robot through the computer processing module 4, timely avoids obstacles and measures distances, avoids risks, improves the survival ability of the robot in complex environments, and realizes the free switching of the wheel-foot mode according to different road conditions, thereby improving the application range of the robot.

[0036] Refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 , Figure 4 , the leg assembly 6 has a movement mode of lifting the arm up and down and swinging the arm left and right. In this embodiment, there are four leg assemblies 6, including a composite bracket 61. The composite bracket 61 is rotatably connected to the body 1 along the horizontal plane. A swing arm servo 62 is provided inside the composite bracket 61. The swing arm servo 62 is fixedly connected to the body 1. The swing arm servo 62 drives the composite bracket 61 to make a left and right swing arm movement relative to the body 1, and realizes a swing within the range of 60° to 150° through the swing arm servo 62. Upper swing arm members 63 and lower swing arm members 64 are respectively provided on the side of the composite bracket 61 away from the body 1. The upper swing arm members 63 and the lower swing arm members 64 are rotatably connected to the composite bracket 61 along the vertical plane. A leg member 65 is rotatably connected to the ends of the upper swing arm members 63 and the lower swing arm members 64 away from the composite bracket 61. The leg member 65, the upper swing arm members 63, the lower swing arm members 64 and the composite bracket 61 together form a four-bar linkage structure. A lifting arm servo 66 is provided inside the composite bracket 61. The lifting arm servo 66 is in a vertical position relationship with the swing arm servo 62. The lifting arm servo 66 drives the lower swing arm member 64 to make an up and down lifting arm movement relative to the composite bracket 61.

[0037] Referring to Figure 4 and Figure 5 When the support leg member 65 is under the action of the lifting arm servo 66, it can be lifted and lowered to achieve vertical movement. Under the action of the swing arm servo 62, through the U-shaped composite bracket 61, the support leg member 65 can rotate by 60° to 150° on the horizontal plane. By utilizing the instability of the quadrilateral and through the calculation method of the computer processing module 4, combined with the four-bar linkage mechanism, the four legs can lift and lower conveniently, find a temporary balance point, and support the body 1 to cross obstacles.

[0038] Referring to Figure 1 and Figure 4 The support leg assembly 6 is provided with a double-axis servo. By skillfully using the connection point of the upper swing arm at the hinge node of the U-shaped composite bracket 61 and using the mounting plate of the servo, the coaxiality of the servo movement is ensured. It is easy to find a balance point in the structure of the four legs to support the body 1 and complete crossing obstacles. When the robot encounters an obstacle on the road condition, the obstacle image and the map formed by the forward road condition by the camera assembly 5 are fed back to the computer processing module 4. Through deep learning, the size and distance of the obstacle ahead are defined, and it is accurately determined that the robot switches from wheeled movement to legged movement to cross the obstacle. Even if it encounters an obstacle that cannot be crossed, through the 60° to 150° swing of the swing arm servo 62, the four legs can avoid the obstacle and move forward.

[0039] Referring to Figure 6 and Figure 7 The camera assembly 5 includes a fixed seat 51. The fixed seat 51 is fixedly connected to the body 1. An adjustment seat 52 is provided on the fixed seat 51. A camera 54 is provided on the adjustment seat 52. The fixed seat 51 and the adjustment seat 52 are rotationally connected through an adjustment shaft. One end of the adjustment shaft is threadedly connected with an adjustment nut 53. The adjustment nut 53 is in contact with the fixed seat 51. Through the adjustment seat 52, the camera 54 can be adjusted within the range of 0° to 20°, realizing the angle adjustment of the camera 54, making the focus more accurate and the feedback image clearer.

[0040] Referring to Figure 6 and Figure 7 The camera 54 is installed on the adjustment seat 52. The adjustment seat 52 is installed on the fixed seat 51 through an adjustment shaft and can rotate on the fixed seat 51 through the adjustment shaft. According to the photography requirements of the camera 54, the position of the camera 54 is adjusted within the range of 0° to 20°. After the position is adjusted, the adjustment nut 53 is tightened to lock the position.

[0041] Referring to Figure 1, there is also an interface reservation technology on the body 1. In order to enable young people to better learn about robots, this technology provides interfaces for enthusiasts to program and add new hardware. By using underlying coding and expanding the code, new functions and new hardware can be upgraded and added, improving the learning interest and entertainment of robot enthusiasts, and achieving both fun and learning without sacrificing either.

[0042] Refer to Figure 1 , the body 1 also adopts lightweight technology. In order to reasonably utilize the energy of the battery or power supply, exert its efficiency, and at the same time not affect the structural strength of the robot, according to different parts, the body 1 and the leg assembly 6 are made of high-strength aluminum alloy and nylon materials, and can be 3D printed to reduce the overall machine mass and achieve the minimum energy consumption of the robot's movement per unit time.

[0043] Refer to Figure 1 , the body 1 also adopts modular technology. The components are divided into modules according to functions, and the simplest parts are designed at low cost, with simple processing. By combining different modules, the functional performance requirements can be met, the design efficiency can be improved, the cost is the lowest, and the generalization degree is high. Using the simplest parts and combining different modules to meet the functional performance requirements, improve the design efficiency, minimize the cost, and increase the generalization rate.

[0044] Refer to Figure 1 , this application not only caters to people aged 14, but also helps scientific research and teaching to cultivate students' understanding of robots, improve students' interest in learning robots, enhance their programming ability, enable them to learn programming while playing, relax their minds while programming, and enjoy themselves in the process, achieving both play and learning without sacrificing either. Militarily, due to the low cost of the robots in this application, they can replace humans or military dogs for battlefield mine clearance. In disaster relief and rescue, they can also adapt to complex terrains for rescue and other operations.

[0045] Refer to Figure 1 and Figure 8 , a wheel-foot switching method for a wheel-legged robot, including the following switching methods:

[0046] At the beginning, the robot is driven in wheel mode and moves on the road surface. It scans 360 degrees through the radar assembly 3, and the computer processing module 4 processes the generated map information. While moving, the camera assembly 5 takes real-time images of the road conditions in the forward direction and collects and feeds them back to the computer processing module 4. A model is generated through deep learning to judge the current movement mode; through the computer processing module 4, it is judged whether there are obstacles for wheeled movement ahead. If there are no obstacles, it continues to be driven in wheel mode. If there are obstacles, it switches to foot mode; when the robot adopts foot mode, the computer processing module 4 sends signals to the leg assembly 6 to drive the servos of the leg assembly 6 to complete the arm-lifting action and left-right swinging action of the leg assembly 6, and complete the function of crossing obstacles in real time; after the robot passes through the obstacle in foot mode, after the computer processing module 4 judges that the road condition is flat, it switches back to wheel mode again.

[0047] While moving, the camera assembly 5 conducts real-time filming and monitoring of the forward direction, and provides real-time feedback to the computer processing module 4 to determine whether there are obstacles that hinder the robot's wheeled movement. The model is generated through deep learning to define the size of the obstacle in front, determine the distance of the obstacle, and determine the timing of switching to foot-type drive; the computer processing module 4 accurately determines the robot's movement state through the parameters converted by the algorithm, and completes the real-time obstacle crossing function.

[0048] When the computer processing module 4 determines that there is an insurmountable obstacle ahead, it automatically generates an obstacle avoidance motion trajectory.

[0049] The implementation principle of a wheel-legged robot and a wheel-legged switching method thereof according to an embodiment of the present invention is as follows:

[0050] The leg member 65 can be lifted and lowered to achieve up and down movement under the action of the arm-lifting steering gear 66. Under the action of the swing arm steering gear 62, the leg member 65 can achieve 60° to 150° rotation on the horizontal plane through the U-shaped composite bracket 61. By utilizing the instability of the quadrilateral, through the calculation method of the computer processing module 4, combined with the four-bar linkage, the four legs can be lifted up and down conveniently, and a temporary balance point can be found to support the body 1 and achieve crossing over obstacles.

[0051] The leg assembly 6 adopts the setting of a dual-axis steering gear, cleverly utilizes the connection point of the swing arm on the hinge point of the U-shaped composite bracket 61, and utilizes the mounting plate of the steering gear to ensure the coaxiality of the steering gear movement. It is easy to find a balance point in the four-legged structure to support the body 1 and complete the crossing of obstacles. When the robot encounters an obstacle on the road, the obstacle image and map formed by the camera assembly 5 in the forward direction are fed back to the computer processing module 4. Through deep learning, the size and distance of the obstacle in front are defined, and the robot wheeled motion is accurately determined to switch to foot motion to cross the obstacle.

[0052] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A wheel-legged robot, comprising a body (1), and wheels (2) are provided at the bottom of the body (1), characterized in that: A camera assembly (5) is provided on the side of the body (1), a radar assembly (3) is provided on the top of the body (1), a computer processing module (4) is provided inside the body (1), and a leg assembly (6) is provided at the edge position of the bottom of the body (1).

2. The wheel-legged robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The leg assembly (6) has a movement mode of lifting the arm up and down and swinging the arm left and right.

3. The wheel-legged robot according to claim 2, wherein: The leg assembly (6) includes a composite bracket (61). The composite bracket (61) is a U-shaped structural member. The composite bracket (61) is rotatably connected to the body (1) along the horizontal plane. A swing arm servo (62) is provided inside the composite bracket (61). The swing arm servo (62) is fixedly connected to the body (1). The swing arm servo (62) drives the composite bracket (61) to swing left and right relative to the body (1), and realizes swinging within the range of 60° to 150° through the swing arm servo (62).

4. The wheel-legged robot according to claim 3, wherein: An upper swing arm member (63) and a lower swing arm member (64) are respectively provided on the side of the composite bracket (61) away from the body (1). The upper swing arm member (63) and the lower swing arm member (64) are rotatably connected to the composite bracket (61) along the vertical plane. A leg member (65) is rotatably connected to the ends of the upper swing arm member (63) and the lower swing arm member (64) away from the composite bracket (61). The leg member (65), the upper swing arm member (63), the lower swing arm member (64) and the composite bracket (61) together form a four-bar linkage structure. A lifting arm servo (66) is provided inside the composite bracket (61). The lifting arm servo (66) is in a vertical positional relationship with the swing arm servo (62). The lifting arm servo (66) drives the lower swing arm member (64) to move the arm up and down relative to the composite bracket (61).

5. A wheel-legged robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The camera assembly (5) includes a fixed seat (51). The fixed seat (51) is fixedly connected to the body (1). An adjustment seat (52) is provided on the fixed seat (51). A camera (54) is provided on the adjustment seat (52). The fixed seat (51) is rotatably connected to the adjustment seat (52) through an adjustment shaft. One end of the adjustment shaft is threadedly connected with an adjustment nut (53). The adjustment nut (53) abuts against the fixed seat (51). The camera (54) is adjusted within the range of 0° to 20° through the adjustment seat (52).

6. A wheel-foot switching method for a wheel-legged robot according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that It includes the following switching methods: At the beginning, the robot is in wheeled drive and moves on the road surface. It scans 360 degrees through the radar assembly (3), and the computer processing module (4) processes it to generate map information. While moving, the camera assembly (5) takes real-time images of the road conditions in the forward direction, collects and feeds them back to the computer processing module (4), and judges the current movement mode through a deep learning generation model; Through the computer processing module (4), it judges whether there are obstacles in the wheeled movement ahead. If there are no obstacles, it continues to be in wheeled drive. If there are obstacles, it is switched to legged drive; When the robot adopts legged drive, the computer processing module (4) sends a signal to the leg assembly (6) to drive the servo of the leg assembly (6) to complete the arm lifting action and the left and right swinging actions of the leg assembly (6), and complete the function of crossing obstacles in real time; When the robot passes through the obstacle in legged mode, after the computer processing module (4) judges that the road condition is flat, it is switched back to wheeled drive again.

7. A wheel-legged robot and a wheel-leg switching method thereof according to claim 6, characterized in that: While in motion, the camera assembly (5) takes real-time pictures and monitors the forward direction, and feeds them back to the computer processing module (4) in real time to determine whether there are obstacles that impede the wheeled movement of the robot. A deep learning generation model is used to define the size of the obstacle ahead, determine the distance of the obstacle, and judge the timing of switching to the legged drive; The computer processing module (4) accurately determines the motion state of the robot through the parameters converted by the algorithm, and completes the function of crossing obstacles in real time.

8. A wheel-legged robot and a wheel-leg switching method thereof according to claim 6, characterized in that: When the computer processing module (4) determines that there are obstacles ahead that cannot be crossed, it automatically generates an obstacle avoidance motion trajectory.

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