Robot and deformable self-adaptive foot structure thereof

Abstract

The deformable self-adaptive foot structure comprises a foot lower end structural part, needles are arranged at the bottom of the foot lower end structural part in an array mode, the upper portion of the foot lower end structural part is connected with a connecting part through a foot upper end structural part, a spring is arranged in the connecting part, and the two ends of the spring are connected with the two ends of a rope respectively. The cord passes through each needle along a winding path. Through the design of a rigid-flexible coupling structure, the deformable self-adaptive foot structure can assist the quadruped robot to walk stably on the uneven ground; meanwhile, the discretized needle structure enables the robot to walk in an extreme environment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of intelligent mechanical structure design, and particularly relates to a robot and a deformable and adaptive foot structure thereof. Background Art

[0002] The foot structure is crucial for assisting a quadruped robot to walk stably on various terrains. Most of the existing foot structures of quadruped robots adopt spherical and flat plate structures. The spherical foot structure is beneficial for the flexible movement of the legs, but due to the point contact method, the impact is large and it is easy to cause damage. Even if a soft material with good buffering performance is used at the end of the spherical foot, there is still a large impact, and the damage at the foot end will also cause the failure of its internal sensors, thereby affecting the stable operation of the robot; although the flat plate foot structure increases the contact area with the ground and slows down the impact, the flat plate sole does not have the ability to deform, and it will also cause the robot to walk unstably on complex ground. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a robot and a deformable and adaptive foot structure thereof in view of the above-mentioned deficiencies in the prior art. Through the design of a rigid-soft coupling structure, the deformable and adaptive foot structure can assist a quadruped robot to walk stably on uneven ground; at the same time, the discrete needle structure enables the robot to walk in extreme environments (such as thorns or barbed wire), so as to solve the technical problem of the robot's foot adapting to assist its stable walking on complex terrains.

[0004] The present invention adopts the following technical solutions: A deformable and adaptive foot structure includes a lower foot structure member. Needles are arranged in an array at the bottom of the lower foot structure member. The upper part of the lower foot structure member is connected to a connecting member through an upper foot structure member. A spring is arranged in the connecting member, and two ends of the spring are respectively connected to two ends of a rope. The rope passes through each needle along a winding path.

[0005] Preferably, the winding path is specifically: diagonally distributed in the needle array, and passes through each needle only once, and the ends of the rope are finally distributed in the needles on the four sides of the needle array.

[0006] Preferably, the mutual linkage between the needles is established through the rope. Under the action of the displacement influence force, the winding path enables the foot structure to generate a uniform force distribution on different terrains.

[0007] Preferably, a spring fixing member for fixing the spring is arranged in the connecting member.

[0008] Preferably, a hole array is arranged at the bottom of the lower foot structure member, and a plurality of needles are correspondingly arranged in the hole array.

[0009] Preferably, holes for passing the rope are arranged on the needles.

[0010] Preferably, the ropes are arranged in the order of the winding path and do not cross each other.

[0011] Preferably, it is characterized in that the connecting piece includes two, and a cylindrical structural member is arranged between the two connecting pieces.

[0012] Another technical solution of the present invention is a robot, including an adaptive foot, one end of the adaptive foot is connected to the robot body, and the other end is connected to a deformable adaptive foot structure.

[0013] Preferably, there are four adaptive feet.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has at least the following beneficial effects: A robot and its deformable adaptive foot structure assist a quadruped robot to walk stably on uneven ground. Through the rigid-flexible coupling structure design, the foot structure can generate deformation (needle displacement) according to different terrain conditions to achieve shape adaptability. At the same time, after the movement of the needle causes the spring to deform through the action of the rope, the tension of the rope increases, thereby enabling the foot structure to generate force adaptability.

[0015] Furthermore, according to the deformation-force model of the deformable adaptive foot structure, the optimal winding path of the rope is selected. This winding path enables the foot structure to adapt to various terrains without the action of any control sensing electronic components. Furthermore, the discrete needle structure enables the deformable adaptive foot structure to assist a quadruped robot to walk stably on some extreme road surfaces, such as roads with barbed wire and thorns.

[0016] Even further, compared with the traditional spherical foot structure, the multi-needle structure of the deformable adaptive foot structure has a better effect of reducing the impact effect at the moment when the foot end lands, effectively reducing the wear of the foot end and increasing its service life.

[0017] In summary, through the rigid-flexible hybrid structure design of the present invention, the foot end has good shape and force adaptability, assisting the quadruped robot to walk stably on various terrains, even extreme road surfaces.

[0018] The technical solution of the present invention will be further described in detail below through the drawings and embodiments. Description of the Drawings

[0019] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings to be used in the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the following drawings are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0020] Figure 1 It is an assembly drawing of a deformable adaptive foot structure and a quadruped robot; Figure 2 It is a top view of a deformable adaptive foot structure and a quadruped robot; Figure 3 It is a structural diagram of an adaptive foot. Among them, (a1) is a side view of the deformable adaptive foot structure; (a2) is a top view of the deformable adaptive foot structure.

[0021] Wherein: 1. Robot body, 2. Adaptive foot, 2-1. Rope, 2-2. Connector, 2-3. Spring, 2-4. Upper foot structural member, 2-5. Lower foot structural member, 2-6. Needle, 2-7. Cylindrical structural member, 2-8. Winding path, 2-9. Spring fixing member. Specific implementation manners

[0022] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0023] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "transverse", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "one side", "one end", "one side", etc. indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and thus cannot be understood as a limitation of the present invention. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are only used for descriptive purposes, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Thus, the features defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features. In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise specified, the meaning of "a plurality" is two or more.

[0024] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and defined, the terms "installed", "connected", and "coupled" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and it can be the communication inside two components. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0025] It should be understood that when used in this specification and the appended claims, the terms "comprising" and "including" indicate the presence of the described features, wholes, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, wholes, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or their combinations.

[0026] It should also be understood that the terms used in the specification of the present invention are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. As used in the specification of the present invention and the appended claims, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are intended to include the plural forms.

[0027] It should be further understood that the term " / and" used in the specification of the present invention and the appended claims refers to any combination and all possible combinations of one or more of the related listed items, and includes these combinations.

[0028] Schematic diagrams of various structures according to the disclosed embodiments of the present invention are shown in the drawings. These figures are not drawn to scale, where, for the purpose of clear expression, some details are enlarged and some details may be omitted. The shapes of various regions and layers shown in the figures and their relative sizes and positional relationships are only exemplary, and may actually deviate due to manufacturing tolerances or technical limitations. Those skilled in the art can additionally design regions / layers with different shapes, sizes, and relative positions according to actual needs.

[0029] The present invention provides a robot and its deformable and adaptive foot structure, adopting a rigid-soft coupling structural design method, enabling the foot structure to have good shape and force adaptability, and assisting the quadruped robot to walk smoothly on various terrains. The movement of multiple needles distributes the impact when the adaptive foot contacts the ground to each needle, reducing the wear of the foot and increasing its service life. The discrete needle structure enables the adaptive foot to also assist the robot to run smoothly on extreme road surfaces such as barbed wire. This adaptive foot has the ability to assist the robot to walk stably on different terrains and can be widely applied to various types of legged robots.

[0030] Please refer to Figure 3, a deformable and adaptive foot structure of the present invention includes a rope 2-1, a connecting member 2-2, a spring 2-3, an upper foot structure member 2-4, a lower foot structure member 2-5, a needle 2-6, a cylindrical structure member 2-7, a winding path 2-8 of the rope, and a spring fixing member 2-9. A hole for passing the rope 2-1 is provided on the needle 2-6, and both ends of the spring 2-3 are connected to the rope 2-1.

[0031] A plurality of needles 2-6 are arranged in an array at the lower end of the lower foot structure member 2-5. The upper foot structure member 2-4 is arranged above the lower foot structure member 2-5 and is respectively connected to the left and right ends of the lower foot structure member 2-5. A connecting member 2-2 is provided on the upper foot structure member 2-4. The spring fixing member 2-9 is provided on the connecting member 2-2. The spring 2-3 is installed in the spring fixing member 2-9. The rope 2-1 passes through each needle 2-6, and the rope 2-1 cannot cross. The winding path 2-8 of the rope is optimal, which is beneficial to assisting the stable walking of the quadruped robot 1 on various terrains. After the needle 2-6 contacts the terrain, a parallel movement is generated in the lower foot structure member 2-5. The spring 2-3 deforms to generate a pulling force to increase the contact force with the ground and provide sufficient support force.

[0032] The winding path 2-8 is specifically as follows: The winding path 2-8 of the rope is selected according to its interaction with different uneven terrains, combined with the displacement and force output effects generated under different winding paths of the needle 2-6 and the rope 2-1. Figure 3 The winding path 2-8 in

[0033] According to the principle of the smallest force difference between adjacent needles 2-6, the optimal winding path 2-8 of the rope 2-1 is calculated. This winding path 2-8 is a diagonal direction wire routing. Through this winding path 2-8, a uniform force distribution effect can be generated in the robot foot end structure in complex terrains to assist the stable walking of the robot.

[0034] The needle 2-6 is installed in the hole array on the lower foot structure member 2-5 to achieve the smooth linear movement of the needle 2-6.

[0035] The spring 2-3 is installed in the spring fixing member 2-9, and the spring fixing member 2-9 and the connecting member 2-2 are fixed on the upper foot structure member 2-4. Among them, the upper foot structure member 2-4 is connected to the lower foot structure member 2-5.

[0036] After the needle 2-6 contacts the terrain, a parallel movement is generated in the foot lower end structure member 2-5. Different displacements of the needle 2-6 deform the rope 2-1, and then pull the springs 2-3 at both ends to deform. The deformation of the spring 2-3 generates a tensile force, increasing the tension of the rope 2-1. As a result, the contact force between the needle 2-6 and the ground increases, providing sufficient support force. At the same time, the action of multiple needles 2-6 can disperse the impact between the foot and the ground to each needle 2-6, reducing the wear of the foot segment.

[0037] When the robot walks, the adaptive foot 2 contacts the ground, especially the uneven ground. The needles 2-6 adapt to the terrain and generate different displacements, causing the rope 2-1 to move and pulling the springs 2-3 at both ends to deform, thereby generating an elastic force. This elastic force increases the tension of the rope 2-1. After the adaptive foot 2 contacts the ground, the overall stiffness of the structure increases, providing sufficient force support when the robot lands. In addition, the force difference between adjacent needles 2-6 is small, enabling the adaptive foot 2 to generate a uniform force distribution on any terrain. When the robot lifts its leg instantaneously, the spring 2-3 releases its deformation, causing the tension of the rope 2-1 to return to its initial state and the needles 2-6 to displace back to their initial positions.

[0038] Please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 which shows the assembly method of the adaptive foot 2 and the robot body 1. There are four adaptive feet 2, and each adaptive foot 2 is connected to the robot body 1 through a connecting member 2-2, a spring 2-3, and a foot upper end structure member 2-4. Among them, the connecting members 2-2 are connected through a cylindrical structure member 2-7, so that the adaptive foot 2 can be installed on the robot body 1.

[0039] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are some, but not all, of the embodiments of the present invention. Usually, the components described and shown in the accompanying drawings here can be arranged and designed in various different configurations. Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention provided in the drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed invention, but merely represents selected embodiments of the present invention. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0040] In the experiments of the adaptive foot walking on wooden boards, grass slopes, and barbed wire, the robot can walk stably (without pitching and lateral tipping).

[0041] The displacement of the needle and the rope tension were measured by a camera and a force sensor respectively when the adaptive foot walked on the wooden board, and the contact force between each needle and the ground was calculated. When the robot weighed 20 kg, the maximum contact force of each needle did not exceed 5 N, which proved the force uniformity of the adaptive foot when walking on uneven ground.

[0042] In addition, when the adaptive foot touches the wooden board at different positions, its shape adapts to the ground, and more than 70% of the needles are in contact with the ground, providing sufficient force to support and assisting the robot to walk stably. On the ground with caltrops, the spiky parts will be located in the gaps between the needles at the end of the adaptive foot, thus not affecting the robot's walking.

[0043] The deformable adaptive foot structure of the present invention can assist the robot to walk stably on different terrains. Through the design of a rigid-flexible coupled mechanical structure, the foot structure has good shape and force adaptability; the deformable adaptive foot structure has good buffering performance, reduces foot wear and improves service life; in addition, the discretized needle structure enables the adaptive foot to adapt to extreme road conditions such as caltrops; the adaptive foot is not limited to quadruped robots and can also be applied to various legged robots. Therefore, the adaptive foot has broad market development prospects.

[0044] In summary, a robot and its deformable adaptive foot structure according to the present invention adopt a rigid-flexible coupled structure design method, enabling the foot to deform and adapt to the terrain. At the same time, due to the shape adaptability of the foot, force adaptability is generated, thus assisting the quadruped robot to walk stably in complex terrains.

[0045] The above content is only to illustrate the technical idea of the present invention and cannot be used to limit the protection scope of the present invention. Any modification made on the basis of the technical solution according to the technical idea proposed by the present invention falls within the protection scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A deformable and adaptive foot structure, characterized in that, It includes a foot lower-end structural member (2-5). Needles (2-6) are arranged in an array at the bottom of the foot lower-end structural member (2-5). The upper part of the foot lower-end structural member (2-5) is connected to a connecting member (2-2) through a foot upper-end structural member (2-4). A spring (2-3) is arranged inside the connecting member (2-2). Two ends of the spring (2-3) are respectively connected to two ends of a rope (2-1). The rope (2-1) passes through each needle (2-6) along a winding path (2-8).

2. The deformable and adaptive foot structure according to claim 1, wherein The winding path (2-8) is specifically: diagonally distributed in the needle array and passes through each needle (2-6) only once. The ends of the rope (2-1) are finally distributed on the needles (2-6) on the four sides of the needle array.

3. The deformable and adaptive foot structure according to claim 2, wherein The mutual linkage between the needles (2-6) is established through the rope (2-1). Under the action of the displacement influence force, the winding path (2-8) enables the foot structure to generate a uniform force distribution on different terrains.

4. The deformable and adaptive foot structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, A spring fixing member (2-9) for fixing the spring (2-3) is arranged inside the connecting member (2-2).

5. The deformable and adaptive foot structure according to claim 1, wherein, A hole array is arranged at the bottom of the foot lower-end structural member (2-5). A plurality of needles (2-6) are correspondingly arranged in the hole array.

6. The deformable and adaptive foot structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, Holes for enabling the rope (2-1) to pass through are arranged on the needles (2-6).

7. The deformable and adaptive foot structure according to claim 6, wherein The rope (2-1) is arranged in sequence according to the winding path (2-8) without crossing each other.

8. The robot and its deformable and adaptive foot structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, There are two connecting members (2-2). A cylindrical structural member (2-7) is arranged between the two connecting members (2-2).

9. A robot, characterized in that, It includes an adaptive foot (2). One end of the adaptive foot (2) is connected to a robot body (1), and the other end is connected to the deformable adaptive foot structure described in any one of claims 1 to 7.

10. The robot according to claim 9, wherein There are four adaptive feet (2).

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