A connection structure and a multi-joint snake-like robot comprising the same

Abstract

The present invention relates to the technical field of bionic snake-like robots, and discloses a connection structure and a multi-joint snake-like robot comprising the structure, wherein the side wall of a shell is open, and the top and bottom of the open side of the shell are both provided with through grooves running through the shell up and down; a connecting piece has a hook column arranged longitudinally, and the hook column is embedded in the two through grooves; a transverse servo is connected to the connecting piece; a U-shaped lock tongue is horizontally arranged in the shell, and one end of the U-shaped lock tongue away from the U-shaped opening is rotatably connected in the shell, and the hook column is located in the U-shaped lock tongue; the U-shaped lock tongue is used to lock the hook column in the two through grooves; a locking piece is arranged in the shell and connected to the U-shaped lock tongue, and the locking piece is used to limit the rotation of the U-shaped lock tongue; a limiting piece is arranged on the shell and connected to the connecting piece, and the longitudinal servo is connected to the limiting piece; the connection structure not only solves the problems of complicated connection of the servo and great difficulty in disassembly, but also does not affect the bending movement or uprightness of the snake-like robot, and is suitable for robots composed of multiple modules.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of bionic snake-like robots, in particular to a connection structure and a multi-joint snake-like robot comprising the structure. Background Art

[0002] Snake robots are a new type of robot that mimics the movement of snakes. Compared to traditional robots, they possess a high degree of flexibility and are capable of efficient movement in complex environments, such as traversing narrow spaces, climbing slopes, and circumventing obstacles, demonstrating excellent adaptability. These characteristics hold great promise for their application in a variety of fields. For example, in post-earthquake rescue scenarios, snake robots can penetrate dangerous areas, locate trapped individuals, and provide precise location information to rescuers. In pipeline inspections, snake robots can crawl inside pipelines, detecting corrosion, leaks, blockages, and other issues, providing timely warnings of potential safety hazards.

[0003] Currently, snake-like robots primarily rely on a motherboard to control multiple servos, motors, and mechatronics wheels to achieve the desired snake-like flexibility and adaptability to various terrains. Snake-like robots utilize a modular design, consisting of multiple modules, with each joint module requiring a high degree of freedom. Because different application scenarios require varying robot functionality, it is often necessary to add or remove different sensor modules to adjust the robot's functionality. However, the existing connection methods for the various joint modules in snake-like robots present significant shortcomings, making disassembly and assembly difficult and inflexible. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present invention proposes a connection structure and a multi-joint snake-like robot comprising the structure to address the deficiencies in the above-mentioned prior art. The connection structure solves the problems of complicated connection and difficult disassembly between the joint modules of the snake-like robot without affecting the bending movement or uprightness of the snake-like robot, and is suitable for robots composed of multiple modules.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a connection structure comprising a transverse steering gear and a longitudinal steering gear, and further comprising:

[0006] The side wall of the shell is open, and the top and bottom of the open side of the shell are both provided with through slots running through from top to bottom, and both through slots are arc-shaped slots;

[0007] The connecting member has a hook column arranged longitudinally, and the hook column is embedded in the two through grooves; the transverse steering gear is connected to the connecting member, and the transverse steering gear is used to drive the housing and the connecting member to stand upright, thereby realizing the front end of the snake-like robot to stand upright;

[0008] The U-shaped lock tongue is horizontally arranged in the housing, and one end of the U-shaped lock tongue away from the U-shaped opening is rotatably connected in the housing, and the hook column is located in the U-shaped lock tongue; the U-shaped lock tongue is used to lock the hook column in the two through grooves;

[0009] The locking member is arranged in the housing and is connected to the U-shaped lock tongue. The locking member is used to limit the rotation of the U-shaped lock tongue.

[0010] The limiting member is arranged on the shell, the limiting member is connected to the connecting member, and the longitudinal servo is connected to the limiting member; the limiting member is used to engage with the connecting member under the drive of the longitudinal servo to limit the rotation of the shell during the uprighting process, thereby limiting the left and right rotation of the robot during the uprighting process.

[0011] In at least one embodiment of the present invention, the connecting member is U-shaped, the hook column is arranged in the connecting member, the shell is located in the U-shaped opening of the connecting member, and the end of the shell away from the open side is provided with a mounting groove, and the limiting member includes: two racks and two gears, the two rack teeth are connected in the mounting groove in a relative longitudinal sliding manner, the two gears are arranged between the two racks in the mounting groove, the two gears are respectively engaged with the two racks, the two gears are engaged with each other, and the rotating shaft of the longitudinal servo is connected to one of the gears; the longitudinal servo drives the gear to rotate so that the two meshing gears drive the two racks to move down or up, so as to achieve limiting or releasing the limit of the connecting member.

[0012] In at least one embodiment of the present invention, a first card slot is provided at the bottom of the inner cavity of the shell, and a second card slot is provided at the end of the U-shaped lock tongue away from the U-shaped opening, and the locking member includes: a column, a first card block and a second card block, the column is longitudinally arranged in the shell, a part of the column passes through the top of the shell and is slidably connected to the shell, the first card block and the second card block are both arranged on the column in the shell, the first card block is engaged with the first card slot, and the second card block is engaged with the second card slot.

[0013] In at least one embodiment of the present invention, a first U-shaped connecting portion is provided on a side of the connecting member away from the open end, the rotating shaft of the transverse steering gear is connected to the first U-shaped connecting portion, and a second U-shaped connecting portion is connected to the transverse steering gear.

[0014] In at least one embodiment of the present invention, the hook post is cylindrical, and the width of the U-shaped lock tongue opening is greater than the diameter of the hook post.

[0015] In at least one embodiment of the present invention, a mounting hole is provided on the top of the shell, a pin is passed through the mounting hole, and a connecting hole for the pin to pass through is provided at one end of the U-shaped lock tongue away from the U-shaped opening.

[0016] In at least one embodiment of the present invention, limiting blocks are provided on opposite sides of the two racks.

[0017] In at least one embodiment of the present invention, a through slot for a pin to pass through is provided on a surface of the connecting member opposite to the top of the housing.

[0018] In a second aspect, the present invention provides a multi-joint snake-like robot comprising the connection structure described in any one of the first aspects.

[0019] Compared with the existing technology, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0020] The invention provides a shell with an open side wall, a connecting piece with a hook column, a U-shaped lock tongue for locking the hook column and rotatably connected to the shell, a locking piece for limiting the rotation of the U-shaped lock tongue, and a limiting piece for limiting the left and right rotation of the robot. When the connecting structure is assembled, the opening of the U-shaped lock tongue faces the outside of the shell, and the hook column of the connecting piece hits the inside of the U-shaped lock tongue to rotate into the shell, thereby limiting the hook column in the two through grooves on the shell. Subsequently, the rotation of the U-shaped lock tongue is limited by the locking piece to quickly assemble the connecting structure. When the connecting structure needs to be disassembled, the locking piece is used to release the restriction on the rotation of the U-shaped lock tongue, and then the connecting piece is pulled to complete the connection between the hook column and the shell. The two modules are separated by a lateral servo arranged on the connecting piece, thereby realizing the separation of the two modules, and the front end of the snake-like robot can be driven to stand upright by the transverse servo arranged on the connecting piece, and the left and right rotation of the snake-like robot can be limited by the limiter arranged on the shell and driven by the longitudinal servo. This connection structure solves the problem of complicated connection and difficult disassembly between joint modules without affecting the bending movement or uprightness of the snake-like robot. This connection method greatly improves the assembly efficiency of the robot, makes the operation more convenient, saves assembly time and labor costs, and makes the activities of the snake-like robot joints more flexible, further enhancing the robot's motion performance in complex environments, and is suitable for robots composed of multiple modules.

[0021] 2. The present invention sets the width of the U-shaped lock tongue opening to be larger than the diameter of the hook column. When the snake-like robot generates an impact during startup, braking or driving, the hook column can move slightly in the gap with the U-shaped lock tongue opening, buffering part of the impact force and avoiding rigid collision. It can effectively reduce the mechanical wear caused by vibration, extend the service life of the robot, and reduce maintenance costs.

[0022] 3. The mechanical structure has a relatively simple design, achieves diversified functions, and has proper cost control, showing extremely high practical value. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall assembly structure of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the shell structure of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the connection structure of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the internal structure of the shell of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the U-shaped lock tongue structure of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the connector structure of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the assembly structure of the limiter of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of the housing and U-shaped lock tongue structure of the present invention.

[0031] Description of reference numerals:

[0032] 1. Transverse servo; 11. First U-shaped connecting part; 12. Second U-shaped connecting part; 2. Longitudinal servo; 3. Housing; 31. Through slot; 32. Mounting slot; 33. First slot; 4. Connecting piece; 41. Hook column; 5. U-shaped lock tongue; 51. Second slot; 52. Connecting hole; 6. Locking piece; 61. Column; 62. First block; 63. Second block; 7. Limiting piece; 71. Rack; 72. Gear; 8. Pin. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The drawings in the present invention are not drawn strictly to scale, and the specific size and quantity of each structure can be determined according to actual needs. The drawings described in the present invention are only schematic structural diagrams.

[0034] To make the purpose, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention more clear, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the described embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0035] Unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used herein shall have the usual meanings understood by persons of ordinary skill in the field to which the invention belongs. The words "first", "second" and similar terms used in the present invention do not indicate any order, quantity or importance, but are only used to distinguish different components. Words such as "include" or "comprise" mean that the elements or objects appearing before the word include the elements or objects listed after the word and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects. "Inside", "outside", "up", "down", "far", "near", "front", "back" and the like are only used to indicate relative positional relationships. When the absolute position of the object being described changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0036] Currently, snake-like robots primarily rely on a motherboard to control multiple servos, motors, and mechatronics to achieve the desired flexibility and adaptability to various terrains. Snake-like robots utilize a modular design, consisting of multiple modules, each of which requires a high degree of freedom. Because different application scenarios require varying robot functionality, it is often necessary to add or remove different sensor modules to adjust the robot's functionality. However, existing servo connection methods have significant shortcomings, including inconvenience in installation and removal, insufficient flexibility, and the need for improved connection strength.

[0037] In view of this, the present invention proposes a connection structure, which solves the problems of complicated servo connection and difficult disassembly, and does not affect the bending movement or uprightness of the snake-like robot. The connection structure is suitable for robots composed of multiple modules. The present invention provides theoretical guidance and experimental basis for the convenient assembly of snake-like robots.

[0038] Combine Figures 1 to 8 As shown, a connection structure includes a transverse steering gear 1 and a longitudinal steering gear 2, and further includes:

[0039] The sidewall of the shell 3 is open, and the top and bottom of the open side of the shell 3 are both provided with through slots 31 that pass through from top to bottom, and both through slots 31 are arc-shaped slots.

[0040] The connecting member 4 has a longitudinally arranged hook column 41, which is embedded in the two through grooves 31; the transverse servo 1 is connected to the connecting member 4, and the transverse servo 1 is used to drive the shell 3 and the connecting member 4 to stand upright, thereby realizing the upright front end of the snake-like robot.

[0041] The U-shaped lock tongue 5 is horizontally arranged in the shell 3, and the end of the U-shaped lock tongue 5 away from the U-shaped opening is rotatably connected in the shell 3. The hook column 41 is located in the U-shaped lock tongue 5; the U-shaped lock tongue 5 is used to lock the hook column 41 in the two through grooves 31.

[0042] The locking member 6 is disposed in the housing 3 and connected to the U-shaped locking tongue 5 . The locking member 6 is used to limit the rotation of the U-shaped locking tongue 5 to ensure that the U-shaped locking tongue 5 stably clamps the hook column 41 in the through slot 31 on the housing 3 .

[0043] The limit member 7 is arranged on the shell 3, the limit member 7 is connected to the connecting member 4, and the longitudinal servo 2 is connected to the limit member 7; the limit member 7 is used to engage with the connecting member 4 under the drive of the longitudinal servo 2 to limit the rotation of the shell 3 during the uprighting process, and thereby limit the left and right rotation of the robot during the uprighting process.

[0044] As an alternative embodiment, the connecting member 4 is U-shaped, the hook column 41 is arranged in the connecting member 4, the shell 3 is located in the U-shaped opening of the connecting member 4, and the end of the shell 3 away from the open side is provided with a mounting groove 32, and the limiting member 7 includes: two racks 71 and two gears 72, the teeth of the two racks 71 are connected to the mounting groove 32 in a relative longitudinal sliding manner, and the two gears 72 are both arranged between the two racks 71 in the mounting groove 32, and the two gears 72 are respectively engaged with the two racks 71, and the two gears 72 are engaged with each other. The rotating shaft of the longitudinal servo 2 is connected to one of the gears 72; the longitudinal servo 2 drives the gear 72 to rotate so that the two engaged gears 72 drive the two racks 71 to move down or up, so as to limit or release the limit of the connecting member 4.

[0045] As an alternative embodiment, a first card slot 33 is provided at the bottom of the inner cavity of the shell 3, and a second card slot 51 is provided at the end of the U-shaped lock tongue 5 away from the U-shaped opening. The locking member 6 includes: a column 61, a first card block 62 and a second card block 63. The column 61 is longitudinally arranged in the shell 3, and a part of the column 61 passes through the top of the shell 3 and is slidably connected to the shell 3. The first card block 62 and the second card block 63 are both arranged on the column 61 in the shell 3, the first card block 62 is engaged with the first card slot 33, and the second card block 63 is engaged with the second card slot 51; when it is necessary to separate the two modules, just pull out the column 61 upward to release the lock of the U-shaped lock tongue 5 by the second card block 63, and then pull the connecting member 4 to remove the hook column 41, thereby completing the separation of the two modules.

[0046] As an alternative embodiment, a first U-shaped connecting portion 11 is provided on the side of the connecting member 4 away from the open end, the rotating shaft of the transverse servo 1 is connected to the first U-shaped connecting portion 11, and the transverse servo 1 is connected to the second U-shaped connecting portion 12; when the front end of the snake-like robot needs to be upright, the transverse servo 1 is started, and the rotation of the transverse servo 1 drives the first U-shaped connecting portion 11 to rotate, and then drives the connecting member 4 and the shell 3 to deflect upward through the first U-shaped connecting portion 11 to achieve the purpose of uprighting.

[0047] As an alternative embodiment, limit blocks are provided on the opposite sides of the two racks 71 to ensure that the limit blocks can limit the rotation of the connecting member 4 relative to the hook column 41, thereby limiting the left and right rotation of the robot during the uprighting process. When the two racks 71 drive the limit blocks to move upward, the rotation of the connecting member 4 is not subject to the interference of the limit blocks and the racks 71, thereby ensuring that the connecting member 4 can rotate around the hook column 41.

[0048] As an alternative embodiment, the hook column 41 is cylindrical, and the width of the opening of the U-shaped lock tongue 5 is larger than the diameter of the hook column 41; there is a certain gap between the opening of the U-shaped lock tongue 5 and the hook column 41. When an impact occurs during starting, braking or driving, the connection can move slightly through this gap, buffering part of the impact force and avoiding rigid collision.

[0049] As an alternative embodiment, a mounting hole is provided on the top of the shell 3, a pin 8 is passed through the mounting hole, and a connecting hole 52 for the pin 8 to pass through is provided at the end of the U-shaped lock tongue 5 away from the U-shaped opening; the U-shaped lock tongue 5 can be quickly connected and separated from the shell 3 through the pin 8.

[0050] As an alternative embodiment, a through groove for the pin 8 to pass through is provided on the opposite side of the connecting member 4 and the top of the shell 3. The setting of the through groove can prevent the pin 8 from interfering with the rotation of the connecting member 4. During the rotation of the connecting member 4, the pin 8 passes through the through groove.

[0051] The working principle and usage of this embodiment:

[0052] The present invention provides a connection structure. When assembling the connection structure, the pin 8 is first used to rotate the U-shaped lock tongue 5 into the shell 3, and the opening of the U-shaped lock tongue 5 is directed to the outside of the shell 3. Then, the hook column 41 of the connecting member 4 is used to hit the U-shaped lock tongue 5 so that the U-shaped lock tongue 5 rotates around the pin 8. When the U-shaped lock tongue 5 is rotated into the shell 3 and the hook column 41 is embedded in the two through grooves 31, the column 61 slides downward, and the column 61 drives the first clamping block 62 to be clamped into the first clamping groove 33, and at the same time drives the second clamping block 63 to be clamped into the second clamping groove 51, so as to complete the fixation of the U-shaped lock tongue 5, thereby realizing the fastening connection between the two modules.

[0053] When it is necessary to restrict the robot from rotating left and right during the uprighting process, the longitudinal servo 2 is started, so that the longitudinal servo 2 drives the two gears 72 to rotate, and the two gears 72 drive the rack 71 to move downward, so that the connecting member 4 is stuck between the two limit blocks, thereby restricting the robot from rotating left and right during the uprighting process; when the restriction needs to be released, the longitudinal servo 2 is started to reverse, as in the above principle, to drive the two racks 71 to move upward, so that the connecting member 4 is not restricted by the limit blocks, thereby releasing the restriction on the rotation of the connecting member 4.

[0054] To separate the two modules, one only needs to pull the column 61 upwards to release the locking of the second block 63 on the U-shaped locking tongue 5, and then pull the connecting member 4 to remove the hook column 41 to complete the disassembly operation.

[0055] The above embodiments are only specific implementation methods of the patent of the present invention, which are used to illustrate the technical solutions of the patent of the present invention rather than to limit it. The protection scope of the patent of the present invention is not limited thereto. Although the patent of the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the above embodiments, ordinary technicians in this field should understand that any technician familiar with this technical field can still modify the technical solutions recorded in the above embodiments within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention, or make equivalent replacements for some of the technical features therein; and these modifications, changes or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions implemented by the patent of the present invention, and should all be covered by the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A connection structure comprising a transverse steering gear (1) and a longitudinal steering gear (2), characterized in that: Also includes: A shell (3) having an open side wall, wherein the top and bottom of the open side of the shell (3) are both provided with a through slot (31) extending vertically therethrough; The connecting member (4) has a hook column (41) arranged longitudinally, and the hook column (41) is embedded in the two through grooves (31); the transverse steering gear (1) is connected to the connecting member (4), and the transverse steering gear (1) is used to drive the housing (3) and the connecting member (4) to stand upright; A U-shaped lock tongue (5) is horizontally arranged in the housing (3), one end of the U-shaped lock tongue (5) away from the U-shaped opening is rotatably connected in the housing (3), and the hook column (41) is located in the U-shaped lock tongue (5); the U-shaped lock tongue (5) is used to lock the hook column (41) in the two through grooves (31); A locking member (6) is disposed in the housing (3) and connected to the U-shaped lock tongue (5) to limit the rotation of the U-shaped lock tongue (5); A limiting member (7) is provided on the housing (3) and connected to the connecting member (4); the longitudinal steering gear (2) is connected to the limiting member (7); the limiting member (7) is used to engage with the connecting member (4) under the drive of the longitudinal steering gear (2) to limit the rotation of the housing (3) during the uprighting process.

2. A connection structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The connecting member (4) is U-shaped, the hook column (41) is arranged in the connecting member (4), the housing (3) is located in the U-shaped opening of the connecting member (4), and a mounting groove (32) is provided at one end of the housing (3) away from the open side. The limiting member (7) comprises: two racks (71) and two gears (72), the teeth of the two racks (71) are connected to the mounting groove (32) in a longitudinal sliding manner relative to each other, the two gears (72) are arranged between the two racks (71) in the mounting groove (32), the two gears (72) are respectively engaged with the two racks (71), the two gears (72) are engaged with each other, and the rotating shaft of the longitudinal steering gear (2) is connected to one of the gears (72).

3. A connection structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: A first card slot (33) is provided at the bottom of the inner cavity of the shell (3), a second card slot (51) is provided at one end of the U-shaped lock tongue (5) away from the U-shaped opening, and the locking member (6) comprises a column (61), a first card block (62) and a second card block (63), wherein the column (61) is longitudinally arranged in the shell (3), a part of the column (61) passes through the top end of the shell (3) and is slidably connected to the shell (3), the first card block (62) and the second card block (63) are both arranged on the column (61) in the shell (3), the first card block (62) is engaged with the first card slot (33), and the second card block (63) is engaged with the second card slot (51).

4. A connection structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: A first U-shaped connecting portion (11) is provided on a side of the connecting member (4) away from the open end, a rotating shaft of the transverse steering gear (1) is connected to the first U-shaped connecting portion (11), and a second U-shaped connecting portion (12) is connected to the transverse steering gear (1).

5. A connection structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The hook column (41) is cylindrical, and the width of the opening of the U-shaped locking tongue (5) is greater than the diameter of the hook column (41).

6. A connection structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: A mounting hole is provided on the top of the housing (3), a pin (8) is passed through the mounting hole, and a connecting hole (52) for the pin (8) to pass through is provided at one end of the U-shaped lock tongue (5) away from the U-shaped opening.

7. A connection structure according to claim 6, characterized in that: A through slot for the pin (8) to pass through is provided on a side opposite to the top of the housing (3) and the connecting piece (4).

8. A multi-jointed snake-like robot, characterized in that: The invention comprises the connection structure according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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