Bionic magnetic integrated flexible driver for flexible joint of humanoid robot

Abstract

The invention discloses a bionic magnetic integration flexible driver for a flexible joint of a humanoid robot. The driver comprises a driver shell, a rope driving structure and a magnetic integration structure. The rope driving structure comprises a stepping motor, a rope guide rod and a steel wire rope, the stepping motor is fixedly installed in the driver shell, a driving shaft of the stepping motor is coaxially connected with the rope guide rod through a coupler, and one end of the steel wire rope is wound on the rope guide rod; the magnetic integration structure comprises an upper magnet, a magnet sleeve, a traction structure and a lower magnet, the lower magnet is fixed to the end, away from the rope guide rod, of the stepping motor, the upper magnet is embedded in the magnet sleeve, the magnet sleeve is sleeved with the driver shell, and the traction structure fixed to the steel wire rope is arranged on the magnet sleeve. According to the flexible driver, the rope guide rod and the steel wire rope are arranged, so that the load capacity of the driver is improved, and the movement requirement in a complex environment is met; telescopic movement of joint muscles is achieved through repulsive force simulation between the magnets, and the application prospect is good.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of bionic robot drive technology, in particular to a bionic magnetic integrated flexible driver for flexible joints of a humanoid robot, and in particular to a joint driver based on the fusion of magnetic coupling nonlinear characteristics and rope drive. Background Art

[0002] In an era where technology is deeply intertwined with human life, humanoid robotics technology is experiencing significant development opportunities. With the growing demand for robots and humans to coexist in complex environments, improving the flexibility and payload capacity of robots while ensuring safety has become a core research challenge. Humanoid robots have made significant progress in recent years, evolving from simple mechanical motion in the early days to today's complex task execution, and their application areas are continuously expanding.

[0003] However, despite significant progress in humanoid robots' movement capabilities and intelligent interaction, efficient movement and high load capacity in complex environments remain a pressing issue. Traditional humanoid robot joint actuators often suffer from insufficient flexibility and limited load capacity, making it difficult to meet the needs of efficient movement in complex environments. In addition, the complex structure and high energy consumption of traditional actuators also limit the endurance and practicality of humanoid robots. For example, rigid actuators (such as harmonic reducers) have problems with large inertial impact and poor passive safety, making it difficult to meet the needs of human-machine interaction. Pneumatic / hydraulic actuators require additional energy supply systems, are large in size, and have limited response speeds (typical delays > 50ms).

[0004] To address this issue, biomimetic flexible actuator technology, inspired by the nonlinear motion characteristics of biological muscle, provides natural, controllable flexible joint motion, giving robots greater flexibility and adaptability. This technology not only mimics the dynamic behavior of biological muscle, such as the relaxed elbow joint during walking and the tense elbow joint during punching, but also significantly improves the robot's load capacity and motion efficiency.

[0005] Therefore, it is of great practical significance to develop a bionic flexible actuator with high joint flexibility, precise control and good bionic effect. Summary of the Invention

[0006] Due to the above-mentioned defects in the prior art, the present invention provides a bionic flexible driver with high joint flexibility, precise control and good bionic effect, specifically a bionic magnetic integrated flexible driver for the flexible joints of humanoid robots. The driver realizes flexible extension and precise control of the joints through the combination of a rope drive structure and a magnetic integrated structure, simulates the passive characteristics of biological muscles, and has the advantages of simple structure, low energy consumption, and strong load capacity. It can improve the movement flexibility and load capacity of humanoid robots in complex environments and ensure their safety, and can be applied to humanoid robots, exoskeletons and high-precision flexible robotic arm scenarios.

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following technical solutions:

[0008] A bionic magnetic integrated flexible actuator for a flexible joint of a humanoid robot, comprising an actuator housing, a rope drive structure, and a magnetic integrated structure;

[0009] The rope drive structure and the magnetic integrated structure are both arranged in the driver housing;

[0010] The rope drive structure includes a stepper motor, a rope guide rod and a steel wire rope. The stepper motor is fixedly installed in the driver housing. The drive shaft of the stepper motor is coaxially connected to the rope guide rod through a coupling. There are multiple steel wire ropes and the multiple steel wire ropes are evenly arranged around the circumference of the rope guide rod. One end of the steel wire rope is wound around the rope guide rod.

[0011] The magnetic integrated structure includes an upper magnet, a magnet sleeve, a traction structure, and a lower magnet. The lower magnet is fixed to the end of the stepper motor away from the rope guide rod. The upper magnet is nested within the magnet sleeve, which is then enclosed within the driver housing. The magnet sleeve is provided with a traction structure, and the wire rope is fixed to the traction structure. When the stepper motor drives the rope guide rod to rotate, the three wire ropes wrap around the rope guide rod, shortening / lengthening the length of the unwound wire ropes. Because the wire ropes are also tied and fixed to the traction structure, the distance between the magnet sleeve and the lower magnet decreases / increases, converting axial rotation into linear motion. The traction of the wire rope changes the distance between the two magnets, and the nonlinear relationship between the repulsive forces between the magnets is utilized to successfully simulate the passive properties of biological muscle.

[0012] The bionic magnetic integrated flexible driver for the flexible joints of humanoid robots of the present invention has a reasonable structural design. It uses a stepper motor as a power source, drives the rope guide rod to rotate through a coupling, and then tightens or loosens the wire rope, thereby realizing the conversion of the motor's axial rotation to the linear motion of the rope traction, and converts the rotational torque of the stepper motor into the traction force of the wire rope to realize joint driving. At the same time, the change in the length of the unwound wire rope will change the distance between the upper magnet and the lower magnet, and utilizes the nonlinear relationship of the repulsive force between the magnets to successfully simulate the passive characteristics of biological muscles, with good bionic effect and good application prospects.

[0013] As the preferred technical solution:

[0014] In the bionic magnetic integrated flexible actuator for a humanoid robot's flexible joints, the rope guide has multiple threaded grooves that match the steel wire ropes. There are three threaded grooves, allowing three steel wire ropes to be wound around the rope guide simultaneously. One end of the rope guide is connected to the actuator housing and circumferentially positioned by a bearing. The other end is connected to a stepper motor, and the two ends cooperate to provide axial positioning.

[0015] In the biomimetic magnetic integrated flexible actuator for a humanoid robot's flexible joints, the thread grooves are coated with a diamond-like carbon (DLC) film with a friction coefficient of 0.05 or less. The lead angle of the thread grooves satisfies the requirement that the curvature radius of the wire rope winding be ≥ 5 times the rope diameter. The rope guide rods are made of 304 stainless steel, have a lead angle of 15°, and the thread grooves are coated with a DLC (friction coefficient < 0.05), ensuring the synchronous, slip-free winding of three wire ropes (0.5 mm diameter, 2000 MPa tensile strength).

[0016] In the bionic magnetic integrated flexible actuator for the flexible joints of a humanoid robot as described above, the traction structure is fixed to the magnet sleeve by bolts.

[0017] In the bionic magnetic integrated flexible actuator for the flexible joints of a humanoid robot as described above, the opposite poles of the upper magnet and the lower magnet are the same poles.

[0018] In the bionic magnetic integrated flexible driver for the flexible joints of a humanoid robot as described above, a bearing is provided at the center of the rope guide rod and the bearing is coaxially connected to the coupling.

[0019] In the bionic magnetic integrated flexible driver for flexible joints of a humanoid robot as described above, each steel wire rope is equipped with a guide wheel and a positioning guide wheel, which provide guidance for the steel wire rope.

[0020] In the biomimetic magnetic integrated flexible actuator for a humanoid robot's flexible joints, the magnet housing is equipped with three traction structures, each corresponding to a wire rope. The traction structures include three sets of ceramic bearing guide pulleys (8mm diameter) to achieve balanced wire rope tension (tension variation <5%).

[0021] In the bionic magnetic integrated flexible actuator for the flexible joints of a humanoid robot as described above, the magnetic coupling distance between the upper magnet and the lower magnet is dynamically adjusted in the range of 5 to 20 mm.

[0022] As described above, in a bionic magnetic integrated flexible driver for a flexible joint of a humanoid robot, both ends of the driver housing are provided with through-holes for the steel wire rope to pass through, and the steel wire rope passes through the through-holes and out of the driver housing.

[0023] The above technical solution is only a feasible technical solution of the present invention. The protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Those skilled in the art can reasonably adjust the specific design according to actual needs.

[0024] The above invention has the following advantages or beneficial effects:

[0025] (1) The bionic magnetic integrated flexible actuator for the flexible joints of a humanoid robot of the present invention converts the rotational torque of a stepper motor into the traction force of a steel wire rope through a rope guide rod, thereby achieving linear motion. The structural design of the rope guide rod and the steel wire rope enables the actuator to withstand a large load, thus meeting the motion requirements of the humanoid robot in a complex environment.

[0026] (2) The bionic magnetic integrated flexible actuator for the flexible joints of humanoid robots of the present invention has a magnetic integrated structure that innovatively utilizes the nonlinear repulsive force between magnets to simulate the passive characteristics of biological muscles. It can simulate the dynamic behavior of biological joints in relaxed and tense states, such as the relaxed elbow joint when walking and the tense elbow joint when punching.

[0027] (3) The bionic magnetic integrated flexible actuator for the flexible joints of humanoid robots of the present invention has a compact overall structure, a small number of components, is easy to manufacture and maintain, and reduces production costs and difficulty of use;

[0028] (4) The bionic magnetic integrated flexible driver for the flexible joints of a humanoid robot of the present invention adopts the efficient drive of a stepping motor and the ingenious design of a magnetic integrated structure, so that the driver has low energy consumption during operation, extends the endurance of the humanoid robot, and has good application prospects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] The present invention and its features, configurations, and advantages will become more apparent upon reading the detailed description of non-limiting embodiments with reference to the following drawings. Like reference numerals indicate like parts throughout the drawings. The drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, emphasis being placed on illustrating the subject matter of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the overall structure of the bionic magnetic integrated flexible actuator for flexible joints of a humanoid robot according to the present invention;

[0031] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the rope drive structure;

[0032] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the magnetic integrated structure;

[0033] Among them, 1 is the wire rope, 2 is the drive housing, 3 is the upper magnet, 4 is the magnet sleeve, 5 is the traction structure, 6 is the lower magnet, 7 is the stepper motor, 8 is the coupling, 9 is the guide wheel, 10 is the rope guide rod, 11 is the bearing, and 12 is the positioning guide wheel. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] In order to make the purpose, technical solution, beneficial effects and significant improvements of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solution in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in combination with the embodiments of the present invention.

[0035] Obviously, all the embodiments described are only partial embodiments of the present invention, rather than all embodiments; based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making any creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0036] A bionic magnetic integrated flexible actuator for flexible joints of humanoid robots, such as Figures 1-3 As shown, it includes a driver housing 2, a rope drive structure and a magnetic integrated structure;

[0037] The rope drive structure and the magnetic integration structure are both arranged in the drive housing 2;

[0038] The rope drive structure includes a stepper motor 7, a rope guide rod 10 and a wire rope 1. The stepper motor 7 is fixedly installed in the driver housing 2. The drive shaft of the stepper motor 7 is coaxially connected to the rope guide rod 10 through a coupling 8. A bearing 11 is provided at the center of the rope guide rod 10 and the bearing 11 is coaxially connected to the coupling 8. Three thread grooves matching the wire rope 1 are opened on the rope guide rod 10. The surface of the thread groove is coated with a diamond-like film layer. The friction coefficient of the diamond-like film layer is ≤0.05. The lead angle of the thread groove satisfies the winding curvature radius of the wire rope 1 ≥5 times the rope diameter (the lead angle is specifically 15°). There are three wire ropes 1 and the three wire ropes 1 are evenly arranged around the circumference of the rope guide rod 10. One end of the wire rope 1 is wound on the rope guide rod 10. Each wire rope 1 is equipped with a guide wheel 9 and a positioning guide wheel 12. The guide wheel 9 and the positioning guide wheel 12 provide guidance for the wire rope 1;

[0039] The magnetic integrated structure includes an upper magnet 3, a magnet sleeve 4, a traction structure 5 and a lower magnet 6. The lower magnet 6 is fixed to the end of the stepper motor 7 away from the rope guide rod 10. The upper magnet 3 is nested in the magnet sleeve 4, and the magnet sleeve 4 is sleeved in the driver housing 2. Three sets of traction structures 5 are provided on the magnet sleeve 4, and the traction structures 5 correspond to the wire rope 1 one by one. The traction structure 5 is fixed to the magnet sleeve 4 by bolts, and the wire rope 1 is fixed to the traction structure 5. The magnetic poles of the upper magnet 3 and the lower magnet 6 are the same poles. The dynamic adjustment range of the magnetic coupling distance between the upper magnet 3 and the lower magnet 6 is 5~20mm.

[0040] Both ends of the driver housing 2 are provided with through holes for the steel wire rope 1 to pass through, and the steel wire rope 1 passes through the through holes and out of the driver housing 2.

[0041] The operation process of the bionic magnetic integrated flexible actuator for the flexible joints of humanoid robots is as follows:

[0042] Using a stepper motor as the power source, the rope guide rod is driven to rotate through the coupling, thereby tightening or loosening the wire rope, realizing the conversion of the motor's axial rotation to the linear motion of the rope traction, and converting the stepper motor's torque into the traction force of the wire rope to realize joint drive. At the same time, the change in the length of the unwound wire rope will change the distance between the upper magnet and the lower magnet. The nonlinear relationship of the repulsive force between the magnets is used to successfully simulate the passive characteristics of biological muscles.

[0043] Those skilled in the art should understand that they can implement variations by combining the prior art with the above embodiments, which will not be described in detail here. Such variations do not affect the essence of the present invention and will not be described in detail here.

[0044] The above describes the preferred embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned specific embodiments, and the devices and structures that are not described in detail should be understood to be implemented in a common manner in the art; any technician familiar with the art can use the above-mentioned disclosed methods and technical contents to make many possible changes and modifications to the technical solutions of the present invention without departing from the scope of the technical solutions of the present invention, or modify them into equivalent embodiments of equivalent changes, which does not affect the essential content of the present invention. Therefore, any simple modifications, equivalent changes and modifications made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention that do not depart from the content of the technical solutions of the present invention are still within the scope of protection of the technical solutions of the present invention.

Claims

1. A bionic magnetic integrated flexible actuator for flexible joints of a humanoid robot, characterized by: It includes a drive housing, a rope drive structure and a magnetic integration structure; The rope drive structure and the magnetic integrated structure are both arranged in the driver housing; The rope drive structure includes a stepper motor, a rope guide rod and a steel wire rope. The stepper motor is fixedly installed in the driver housing. The drive shaft of the stepper motor is coaxially connected to the rope guide rod through a coupling. There are multiple steel wire ropes and the multiple steel wire ropes are evenly arranged around the circumference of the rope guide rod. One end of the steel wire rope is wound around the rope guide rod. The magnetic integrated structure includes an upper magnet, a magnet sleeve, a traction structure and a lower magnet. The lower magnet is fixed to the end of the stepper motor away from the rope guide rod. The upper magnet is nested in the magnet sleeve and the magnet sleeve is sleeved in the driver housing. The magnet sleeve is provided with a traction structure, and the wire rope is fixed to the traction structure.

2. The bionic magnetic integrated flexible actuator for flexible joints of a humanoid robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rope guide rod is provided with a plurality of thread grooves matching the steel wire ropes.

3. The bionic magnetic integrated flexible actuator for flexible joints of a humanoid robot according to claim 2, characterized in that: The surface of the thread groove is plated with a diamond-like film layer, the friction coefficient of the diamond-like film layer is ≤0.05, and the lead angle of the thread groove satisfies the requirement that the curvature radius of the wire rope winding is ≥5 times the rope diameter.

4. The bionic magnetic integrated flexible actuator for flexible joints of a humanoid robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The traction structure is fixed on the magnet sleeve by bolts.

5. The bionic magnetic integrated flexible actuator for flexible joints of a humanoid robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The magnetic poles of the upper magnet and the lower magnet facing each other are the same magnetic poles.

6. The bionic magnetic integrated flexible actuator for flexible joints of a humanoid robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: A bearing is provided at the center of the rope guide rod, and the bearing is coaxially connected with the coupling.

7. The bionic magnetic integrated flexible actuator for flexible joints of a humanoid robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each wire rope is equipped with a guide wheel and a positioning guide wheel, which provide guidance for the wire rope.

8. The bionic magnetic integrated flexible actuator for flexible joints of a humanoid robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The magnet sleeve is provided with three sets of traction structures, and the traction structures correspond to the steel wire ropes one by one.

9. The bionic magnetic integrated flexible actuator for flexible joints of a humanoid robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The dynamic adjustment range of the magnetic coupling distance between the upper magnet and the lower magnet is 5~20mm.

10. The bionic magnetic integrated flexible actuator for flexible joints of a humanoid robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: Both ends of the driver housing are provided with through holes for the steel wire rope to pass through, and the steel wire rope passes through the through holes and out of the driver housing.

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