Series-parallel connection combined type climbing quadruped robot
Through the serial-parallel composite climbing quadruped robot, the use of a rotating opening and closing mechanism and a parallel mechanism combined with bionic adhesive materials has solved the problems of limited range of movement and insufficient precision of existing robots outside the space capsule, achieved flexible climbing and precise posture control, and improved the efficiency and safety of on-orbit services.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202510838325.5
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-06-23
- Publication Date
- 2025-09-12
AI Technical Summary
Existing on-orbit service robots have limited range of movement, low operating efficiency and excessive resource consumption when working outside the space capsule, making it difficult to meet the needs of flexible and rapid movement, especially in confined spaces or at terminal equipment far away from the base, where it is difficult to perform high-precision tasks.
A serial-parallel composite climbing quadruped robot was designed, which adopted a combination structure of a rotary opening and closing mechanism, a parallel mechanism and a serial arm. It included four branches, each of which was driven by a rotary opening and closing mechanism. Combined with bionic adhesive materials, the robot could climb flexibly and adjust its posture precisely outside the space capsule.
The robot can move flexibly and control its posture precisely outside the space capsule, and can reach areas that large robotic arms cannot reach, thus reducing the risk of equipment wear and tear and improving work safety and reliability.
Smart Images
Figure CN120621731A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to an on-orbit service robot, in particular to a series-parallel composite climbing quadruped robot. Background Art
[0002] With the deepening of space exploration and the advancement of space technology, the demand for the application of robotic technology in on-orbit space services has greatly increased. Extravehicular work is a key technical link in on-orbit services, requiring the installation of space debris protection devices outside the capsule, regular inspections of the outer walls of the space station, and repairs of damage caused by tiny particle impacts. During operation, robots must adapt to the microgravity environment and complete space station maintenance tasks, which places extremely high demands on the robots' movement flexibility, load capacity, and dynamic stability. In view of these characteristics, existing on-orbit services are mostly completed using large robotic arms. However, robotic arms cannot reach all areas, especially narrow spaces (such as gaps between solar panels) or end equipment far from the base. They are also difficult to perform high-precision tasks and require astronauts to exit the capsule for manual operation.
[0003] Compared to traditional large manipulators, space robots offer higher operational precision and multimodal collaboration capabilities to meet the dynamic demands of space environments. Based on these advantages, researchers have designed a variety of space robots, but most suffer from limited range of motion, low operational efficiency, and excessive resource consumption, making them difficult to meet the demands for flexible and rapid movement during on-orbit operations.
[0004] Therefore, in order to meet the requirements of precision and flexibility during on-orbit service work outside the space capsule, a serial-parallel composite climbing quadruped robot is proposed. Summary of the Invention
[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the deficiencies in the above-mentioned background technology and to provide a series-parallel composite climbing quadruped robot, which should have the characteristics of high flexibility, large range of movement and simple structure.
[0006] The technical solution of the present invention is:
[0007] A serial-parallel composite climbing quadruped robot for climbing an external climbing surface, characterized in that: the robot comprises a rotary opening and closing mechanism and four branch chains arranged in parallel between the rotary opening and closing mechanism and the external climbing surface and driven by the rotary opening and closing mechanism; each branch chain comprises a serial arm, a fixed platform, a parallel mechanism, and a moving platform connected in sequence by the rotary opening and closing mechanism;
[0008] The rotary opening and closing mechanism includes a fixed disc, a rotating disc rotatably positioned on the fixed disc and driven by a driving mechanism, four movable rods radially movable on the fixed disc via second movable pairs, and four arcuate sliding grooves provided on the rotating disc and respectively engaged with sliding pins at the ends of the four movable rods;
[0009] The parallel mechanism includes three first branches and one second branch arranged in parallel between the moving platform and the fixed platform;
[0010] The series arm includes a first joint, a second joint, a third joint and a connecting rod which are connected in sequence.
[0011] The first branch includes a first ball joint, a first connecting rod, a first rotation pair, a second connecting rod and a second ball joint which are sequentially connected between the fixed platform and the movable platform; the first rotation pair is driven by a reduction motor.
[0012] The second branch includes a servo electric cylinder, a third connecting rod and a first Hooke's joint which are sequentially connected between the fixed platform and the movable platform. The cylinder sleeve of the servo electric cylinder cooperates with the third connecting rod to form a first moving pair.
[0013] One end of the first connecting rod is connected to the fixed platform through the first ball joint, and the other end of the first connecting rod is connected to one end of the second connecting rod through the first rotation pair; the other end of the second connecting rod is connected to the moving platform through the second ball joint.
[0014] The servo electric cylinder includes a base fixed on a fixed platform, a cylinder sleeve fixed on the base and with an axis perpendicular to the fixed platform, a cylinder rod slidably positioned in the cylinder sleeve and serving as a third connecting rod, and a servo motor fixed on the base.
[0015] The first Hooke's joint includes a cross block, a first Hooke's joint upper base installed on the third connecting rod and a first Hooke's joint lower base fixed on the moving platform, the first rotating shaft of the cross block is rotationally matched with the first Hooke's joint upper base and the second rotating shaft of the cross block is rotationally matched with the first Hooke's joint lower base.
[0016] One end of the joint shaft of the first joint is connected to the lower end of the other end of the moving rod and the axis of the joint shaft is parallel to the axis direction of the fixed disc, one end of the joint shaft of the second joint is connected to the cylinder of the first joint and the axes of the second joint and the first joint are perpendicular to each other, one end of the joint shaft of the third joint is connected to the cylinder of the second joint and the axes of the third joint and the second joint are perpendicular to each other; one end of the connecting rod is connected to the cylinder of the third joint and the axes of the connecting rod and the third joint are perpendicular to each other.
[0017] The fixed disc is provided with four guide grooves distributed in a cross shape, and the four moving rods are respectively slidably matched with the four guide grooves on the fixed disc to form a second moving pair; the inner end of the moving rod is provided with a sliding pin that cooperates with the circular arc groove, and the outer end of the moving rod is connected to the series arm.
[0018] The first rotating pair is a driving pair, the first moving pair is a driving pair, and each joint in the series arm is a driving pair.
[0019] The fixed platform and the movable platform are both equilateral triangles. The spherical shells of the three first ball joints are respectively fixed to the three vertices of the fixed platform, and the spherical shells of the three second ball joints are respectively fixed to the three vertices of the movable platform.
[0020] The bottom of the moving platform is provided with a bionic adhesive material that adheres to the surface to be climbed.
[0021] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:
[0022] The present invention can flexibly adjust its position during movement outside a space capsule, and has significant advantages such as high precision, high flexibility, a large range of motion, and good adaptability. It can reach end-devices far from the base that large robotic arms cannot reach, allowing for comprehensive overhaul of on-orbit equipment. At the same time, it prevents unnecessary loads or forces from being applied to equipment during movement due to improper position, which can cause wear or damage to the equipment, thereby reducing safety risks during operation. Furthermore, the present invention's simple structure contributes to improved reliability during operation. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0023] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of an embodiment of the present invention.
[0024] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the parallel mechanism shown.
[0025] Figure 3 for Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the first branch in the parallel mechanism shown.
[0026] Figure 4 for Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the second branch in the parallel mechanism shown.
[0027] Figure 5 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the series arm shown.
[0028] Figure 6 for Figure 1 The three-dimensional structural diagram of the rotating opening and closing mechanism is shown.
[0029] Reference numerals:
[0030] DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0031] The present invention is further described below with reference to the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.
[0032] Figure 1 The shown embodiment shows a serial-parallel composite climbing quadruped robot, comprising a rotating opening and closing mechanism and four branches arranged in parallel between the rotating opening and closing mechanism and the climbed surface and driven by the rotating opening and closing mechanism; each branch comprises a serial arm 2, a fixed platform 11, a parallel mechanism 1 and a moving platform 12 connected in sequence by the rotating opening and closing mechanism.
[0033] like Figure 2 As shown, the parallel mechanism 1 includes three first branches 13 and one second branch 14 arranged in parallel between the moving platform and the fixed platform; the fixed platform 11 is connected to the connecting rod 24 at the end of the series arm 2. Both the fixed platform 11 and the moving platform 12 are equilateral triangles. The spherical shells of the three first ball joints 131 are respectively fixed to the three vertices of the fixed platform 11, and the spherical shells of the three second ball joints 135 are respectively fixed to the three vertices of the moving platform 12. The bottom of the moving platform 12 is provided with a biomimetic adhesive material, which can adhere to the material surface (i.e., the external surface to be climbed, such as the outside of a space capsule) to perform climbing movements.
[0034] like Figure 3 As shown, the first branch 13 includes a first ball joint 131, a first connecting rod 132, a first rotating pair 133, a second connecting rod 134 and a second ball joint 135 connected in sequence between the fixed platform 11 and the movable platform 12; the ball head of the first ball joint 131 is arranged on the first connecting rod 132, and the first ball joint ball shell matched with the first ball joint ball head is arranged on the fixed platform 11; the ball head of the second ball joint 135 is arranged on the second connecting rod 134, and the second ball joint ball shell matched with the second ball joint ball head is arranged on the movable platform 12; one end of the first connecting rod 132 is connected to the fixed platform 11; It is connected to the fixed platform 11 through the first ball joint 131, and the other end of the first connecting rod 132 is connected to one end of the second connecting rod 134 through the first rotating pair 133 (the first rotating pair shaft fixed at the other end of the first connecting rod 132 cooperates with the first rotating pair hinge ear fixed at one end of the second connecting rod 134 to form a first rotating pair); the other end of the second connecting rod 134 is connected to the moving platform 12 through the second ball joint 135; the reduction motor 136 is fixedly arranged on the second connecting rod 134, and the output shaft of the reduction motor is coaxially fixedly connected to the first connecting rod shaft.
[0035] like Figure 4As shown, the second branch 14 includes a servo electric cylinder 141, a third connecting rod 143, and a first Hooke's hinge 144, which are sequentially connected between the fixed platform 11 and the movable platform 12. The servo electric cylinder (existing technology) includes a base fixed to the fixed platform, a cylinder sleeve fixed to the base with its axis perpendicular to the fixed platform, a cylinder rod (i.e., the third connecting rod) slidably positioned in the cylinder sleeve, and a servo motor fixed to the base, with the axis of the cylinder rod perpendicular to the plane of the fixed platform. The base of the servo electric cylinder is fixed on the fixed platform 11, one end of the third connecting rod 143 is slidably matched with the cylinder sleeve of the servo electric cylinder to form a first moving pair 142, and the other end of the third connecting rod 143 is connected to the moving platform 12 through the first Hooke's hinge 144; the first Hooke's hinge 144 includes a cross block 145, a first Hooke's hinge upper base 146 (i.e., a hinge ear) and a first Hooke's hinge lower base 147; the other end of the third connecting rod 143 is installed with the first Hooke's hinge upper base, and the first Hooke's hinge lower base 147 is fixed on the moving platform 12, the first rotating shaft of the cross block 145 is rotatably matched with the first Hooke's hinge upper base and the axis of the first rotating shaft is perpendicular to the axis of the third connecting rod, the second rotating shaft of the cross block 145 is rotatably matched with the first Hooke's hinge lower base and the axis of the second rotating shaft is parallel to the plane of the moving platform.
[0036] like Figure 5 As shown, the series arm 2 (existing technology) includes a first joint 21, a second joint 22, a third joint 23 and a connecting rod 24 connected in sequence; the structure of the three joints is that the joint shafts are coaxially and rotatably arranged in a cylindrical shell, and the joint motor arranged in the cylindrical shell drives the joint shaft (the joint motor shaft drives the joint shaft through a transmission gear set); one end of the joint shaft of the first joint 21 is connected to the lower end of the outer end of the moving rod 33 and the axis of the joint shaft is parallel to the axis direction of the fixed disc, one end of the joint shaft of the second joint 22 is connected to the cylinder of the first joint 21 and the axes of the second joint and the first joint are perpendicular to each other, one end of the joint shaft of the third joint 23 is connected to the cylinder of the second joint 22 and the axes of the third joint and the second joint are perpendicular to each other (that is: the axes of the joint shafts of the two adjacent joints are perpendicular to each other); of the two adjacent joints, the latter joint can rotate around the axis of the rotating shaft of the former joint along with the cylinder of the former joint. One end of the connecting rod 24 is connected to the cylinder of the third joint 23 and the axes of the connecting rod and the third joint are perpendicular to each other. The other end of the connecting rod 24 is connected to the top of the fixed platform 11 and the axis of the connecting rod is perpendicular to the plane of the fixed platform.
[0037] like Figure 6 As shown, the rotating opening and closing mechanism 3 includes a fixed disc 31, a rotating disc 32, four moving rods 33 and a second moving pair 34; the rotating disc and the fixed disc are coaxially arranged and rotatably positioned on the fixed disc, and a driving mechanism (usually a reduction motor driven by a gear set; prior art, omitted in the figure;) is fixedly arranged at the center of the fixed disc 31 to control the rotation of the rotating disc 32.
[0038] The top surface of the fixed disk 31 is provided with four guide grooves distributed in a cross shape. The bottoms of the four moving rods 33 slide in conjunction with the guide grooves on the fixed disk 31 to form a second moving pair 34 (the moving axis is the diameter direction of the fixed disk). One end (the outer end) of the moving rod 33 extends outward from the fixed disk in the outer diameter direction and connects to the series arm 2. The other end (the inner end) of the moving rod 33 engages with the circular arc groove on the rotating disk 32. The rotating disk is symmetrically provided with four circular arc grooves 35 that pass through the upper and lower disk surfaces. A sliding pin 36 is fixed to the inner end of each of the four moving rods. The four sliding pins extend upward and are inserted into the four circular arc grooves one by one to slide in conjunction. Obviously, after the driving mechanism is energized to drive the rotating disk to rotate, the four moving rods 33 can be driven to simultaneously open and close along the guide grooves on the fixed disk 31 (i.e., slide along the diameter direction of the fixed disk).
[0039] In this embodiment, the first rotation pair 133 is a driving pair, and the first movement pair 142 is a driving pair; each joint in the series arm is a driving pair.
[0040] Obviously, when the three joint motors in each serial arm are started, the fixed platform and the parallel structure can carry the moving platform to swing at various angles; the four serial arms cooperate with each other, plus the coordinated movement of the parallel structures in the four serial arms, and the coordinated movement of the rotating opening and closing mechanism, the robot can be moved outside the space capsule.
[0041] Given that posture adjustment during a space robot's movement is crucial for ensuring safe arrival at its target location, the serial-parallel composite climbing quadruped robot provided by the present invention enables large-scale movement through the serial mechanism, followed by fine-tuning of its posture through adjustments to the parallel mechanism. The biomimetic adhesive material of the parallel mechanism's dynamic platform enables reliable adhesion to the surface of the space capsule, effectively resolving the challenge of precise posture control faced by existing space robots in complex extravehicular environments and providing a reliable technical solution for space capsule inspection and maintenance tasks.
[0042] The above describes specific embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and those skilled in the art may make various changes or modifications within the scope of the claims, which do not affect the essence of the present invention. The embodiments of this application and the features in the embodiments may be combined with each other in any manner unless there is a conflict.
Claims
1. A serial-parallel composite climbing quadruped robot for climbing an external climbing surface, characterized by: The robot comprises a rotary opening and closing mechanism (3) and four branch chains arranged in parallel between the rotary opening and closing mechanism and an external climbing surface and driven by the rotary opening and closing mechanism; each branch chain comprises a serial arm (2), a fixed platform (11), a parallel mechanism (1) and a moving platform (12) connected in sequence by the rotary opening and closing mechanism; The rotary opening and closing mechanism (3) comprises a fixed disc (31), a rotating disc (32) rotatably positioned on the fixed disc and driven by a driving mechanism, four moving rods (33) respectively moving radially on the fixed disc via second moving pairs (34), and four arcuate sliding grooves (35) provided on the rotating disc and respectively cooperating with sliding pins (36) at the ends of the four moving rods; The parallel mechanism (1) comprises three first branches (13) and one second branch (14) arranged in parallel between the moving platform and the fixed platform; The series arm (2) comprises a first joint (21), a second joint (22), a third joint (23) and a connecting rod (24) which are connected in sequence.
2. The serial-parallel composite climbing quadruped robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first branch (13) includes a first ball joint (131), a first connecting rod (132), a first rotating pair (133), a second connecting rod (134) and a second ball joint (135) which are sequentially connected between the fixed platform (11) and the movable platform (12); the first rotating pair is driven by a reduction motor (136).
3. The serial-parallel composite climbing quadruped robot according to claim 2, characterized in that: The second branch (14) includes a servo electric cylinder (141), a third connecting rod (143) and a first Hooke's joint (144) which are sequentially connected between the fixed platform (11) and the movable platform (12); the cylinder sleeve of the servo electric cylinder (141) cooperates with the third connecting rod (143) to form a first moving pair (142).
4. The serial-parallel composite climbing quadruped robot according to claim 3, characterized in that: One end of the first connecting rod (132) is connected to the fixed platform (11) through the first ball joint (131), and the other end of the first connecting rod (132) is connected to one end of the second connecting rod (134) through the first rotating pair (133); the other end of the second connecting rod is connected to the movable platform (12) through the second ball joint (135).
5. The serial-parallel composite climbing quadruped robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: The servo electric cylinder (141) comprises a base body fixed on the fixed platform (11), a cylinder sleeve fixed on the base body and having an axis perpendicular to the fixed platform, a cylinder rod slidably positioned in the cylinder sleeve and serving as a third connecting rod, and a servo motor fixed on the base body.
6. The serial-parallel composite climbing quadruped robot according to claim 5, characterized in that: The first Hooke's joint (144) comprises a cross block (145), a first Hooke's joint upper base (146) mounted on the third connecting rod (143), and a first Hooke's joint lower base (147) fixed on the moving platform, wherein a first rotating shaft of the cross block (145) is rotationally matched with the first Hooke's joint upper base (146), and a second rotating shaft of the cross block (145) is rotationally matched with the first Hooke's joint lower base (147).
7. The serial-parallel composite climbing quadruped robot according to claim 6, characterized in that: One end of the joint shaft of the first joint (21) is connected to the lower end of the other end of the moving rod (33), and the axis of the joint shaft is parallel to the axis direction of the fixed disc; one end of the joint shaft of the second joint (22) is connected to the cylinder of the first joint, and the axes of the second joint (22) and the first joint (21) are perpendicular to each other; one end of the joint shaft of the third joint (23) is connected to the cylinder of the second joint (22), and the axes of the third joint (23) and the second joint (22) are perpendicular to each other; one end of the connecting rod (24) is connected to the cylinder of the third joint, and the axes of the connecting rod (24) and the third joint (23) are perpendicular to each other.
8. The serial-parallel composite climbing quadruped robot according to claim 7, characterized in that: The fixed disc (31) is provided with four guide grooves distributed in a cross shape, and four moving rods (33) are respectively slidably matched with the four guide grooves on the fixed disc (31) to form a second moving pair (34); the inner end of the moving rod (33) is provided with a sliding pin (36) that cooperates with the circular arc groove (35), and the outer end of the moving rod (33) is connected to the series arm (2).
9. The serial-parallel composite climbing quadruped robot according to claim 8, characterized in that: The first rotating pair (133) is a driving pair, and the first moving pair (142) is a driving pair; each joint in the series arm (2) is a driving pair.
10. The serial-parallel composite climbing quadruped robot according to claim 9, characterized in that: The fixed platform and the movable platform are both equilateral triangles, the spherical shells of the three first spherical joints (131) are respectively fixed at the three vertices of the fixed platform (11), and the spherical shells of the three second spherical joints (135) are respectively fixed at the three vertices of the movable platform (12); and the bottom of the movable platform is provided with a bionic adhesive material that adheres to the surface to be climbed.