Lower ammunition supply holder device and robot

Abstract

The invention discloses a lower ammunition feeding holder device and a robot, and relates to the technical field of ammunition feeding, the lower ammunition feeding holder device comprises a launching mechanism, a spring tube, a rotary support frame and a ball shifting assembly, a ball guide channel is arranged in the rotary support frame, the spring tube connects the launching mechanism with the ball guide channel, and the spring tube can be matched with the angle change of the launching mechanism to generate deformation; the two ends of the spring tube are fixed in the first fixing piece and the second fixing piece through the embedded hole positions, the upper protrusion and the lower protrusion of the first fixing piece and the tensioning piece are used for fixing and clamping the spring, the inner notch of the second fixing piece provides a transition space for deformation of the spring tube, and the inverted arc face prevents the spring from being squeezed to cause clamping and bouncing. A spiral guide rail of the ball shifting assembly and shifting teeth with columnar concave faces achieve single-grain and orderly supply of the projectiles, and the problems that in an existing projectile supply device, the center of gravity of a holder is high, the reaction speed is low, the structure is redundant, energy consumption is high, the launching precision is low, the launching angle range is small, and the projectiles are prone to being clamped are solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of ammunition feeding technology, and more specifically, to a lower ammunition feeding gimbal device and robot. Background Technology

[0002] In recent years, with the rapid development of robot combat competitions, in RoboMaster, infantry need to have extremely high mobility and flexibility, as well as stable output capabilities. If a jamming problem occurs, one less firepower will be lost, which is quite disadvantageous to the situation on the field.

[0003] Currently, infantry firing systems employ three feeding methods: top-feed, semi-bottom-feed, and bottom-feed. Top-feed systems have a short and simple feed path, with the magazine located on the firing mechanism. However, the firing mechanism is heavy, and its center of gravity changes with the number of projectiles, making it difficult to control the gimbal. Semi-bottom-feed systems also have similar problems. The high weight of the gimbal results in a high center of gravity for the entire vehicle, and the gimbal has a large moment of inertia, leading to a slow response speed.

[0004] The transition schemes used in the bottom-feed gooseneck launcher include double slides, no transition, and nylon cable ties. The double slide scheme is limited by the elevation angle determined during the design. During launch, the cross-section of the slide at the exit can easily generate great resistance to the projectile, leading to jamming. Adding bearings or other structures to the slide or launch channel makes the structure cumbersome, increases the weight of the gimbal, and slows down the response speed. The no-transition scheme can only achieve small elevation angle changes, and the jamming rate is extremely high when the elevation angle is greater than 20 degrees. The nylon cable tie scheme has low strength and high requirements for the fixation of the cable ties. Care must be taken to control the length and limit of the cable ties at the connection. If the projectile blocks the projectile in other places, the cable tie connection will be pushed open by the projectile, which is not suitable for the high-intensity competition environment that requires flying over slopes, going down slopes, and collisions.

[0005] The projectile feeding system used in the lower feeding device has two main feed links: a single pipe connecting to the inlet and a simple dial structure. The single pipe structure uses a rigid pipe connection, which can only achieve small elevation angle changes. When the angle changes, the projectile position is adjusted by rotating the rigid pipe. This structure is cumbersome, has a large moment of inertia, and a slow response speed. In the existing dial structure, the wave design is simple, making it difficult to achieve stable, precise, and orderly single-particle feeding. This makes the projectiles prone to disordered rolling and mutual compression during movement, leading to problems such as jamming, stuck projectiles, and uneven accumulation. Moreover, the dial is a planar structure, and the projectile's motion power comes entirely from the drive mechanism. Neither the existing single pipe structure nor the simple dial structure can avoid the problem of high energy consumption when transporting the projectile from the bottom of the gimbal to the launching mechanism.

[0006] In summary, existing ammunition feeding gimbal devices cannot adapt to the high-intensity and high-firepower competition environment. There is a lack of technical solutions that can both address the shortcomings of high center of gravity and large moment of inertia of the gimbal, and achieve a simple structure, a wide range of firing angles, and no ammunition jamming. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The present invention aims to overcome at least one of the defects of the prior art and provides a lower-feed gimbal device and robot to solve the problems of easy jamming, low firing accuracy, small firing angle range, poor stability, complex structure and difficult design in the existing feeding devices.

[0008] The technical solution adopted by this invention is a lower-feed gimbal device, including a launching mechanism, a rotating support frame, and a ball-guiding assembly. The launching mechanism has a projectile ejection channel inside, and the rotating support frame has a ball-guiding channel inside. The ball-guiding channel is connected to the ball-guiding assembly. The launching mechanism can rotate relative to the rotating support frame in a pitch angle, and the rotating support frame can rotate relative to the ball-guiding assembly in a horizontal plane. The projectile ejection channel and the ball-guiding channel are connected by a spring tube, which is in a stretched state and can deform in response to changes in the angle of the launching mechanism.

[0009] In this design, the ball-guiding assembly separates the projectiles and guides them neatly and orderly into the ball-guiding channel, preventing blockage and ensuring a stable projectile supply, thus improving firing efficiency and firepower output. The ball-guiding assembly is positioned below the gimbal, lowering its center of gravity, reducing its rotational inertia, improving response speed, reducing energy consumption, and increasing endurance. It also prevents the heavy launch mechanism from shifting its center of gravity with the number of projectiles, reducing launch mechanism sway and improving projectile firing accuracy. The ball-guiding channel connects the spring tube and the ball-guiding assembly. The channel is made of rigid material; optionally, the inner wall can be made of carbon tubing, carbon plates, Teflon tubing, Teflon plates, POM plates, or other materials with low friction coefficients. Bearings can be used for connection, which helps reduce resistance, prevents projectile jamming, and improves projectile throughput. The ball-guiding channel and spring tube together form the projectile delivery path, shortening the feed path and achieving faster and more stable firepower output. The launch mechanism can rotate relative to the rotating support frame in a pitch angle, and the rotating support frame can rotate relative to the ball-guiding assembly in a [missing information - likely a specific angle or position]. The relative rotation on the horizontal plane expands the launch angle, enabling flexible output. The spring tube connects the projectile delivery channel and the ball guide channel, and can deform accordingly when the pitch angle of the launching mechanism changes, adapting to the projectile launch curve. It also has high stability, adapting to high-intensity competition environments requiring ramps, descents, and collisions, achieving low resistance, high passability, a wide launch angle range, high fault tolerance, and good stability. The spring tube is in a stretched state, and its horizontal pre-stretch after fixed installation is 25%-32% of its original length. When the pitch angle of the launching mechanism changes, the pre-stretch tension drives the spring tube to actively adapt and generate natural deformation, always maintaining the smooth flow of the projectile supply chain, adapting to a wide range of pitch angle adjustments, reducing collisions and friction between the projectile and the inner wall of the spring tube, preventing the spring tube from slackening and causing local collapse, and preventing the inner ring of the spring tube from being squeezed and deformed or excessively bent due to lack of extra space, which could cause the projectile to jam. The spring tube in a stretched state generates tensile stress, improving its resistance to external impacts and adapting to high-intensity competition environments.

[0010] Preferably, a pitch axis motor and a linear driver are provided on the rotating support frame. The pitch axis motor and the linear driver jointly control the up and down swing of the launching mechanism to meet the launching requirements of different pitch angles, provide greater power and dynamics, improve energy conversion efficiency, reduce energy consumption, and at the same time reduce the load on the pitch axis motor, achieving higher precision and high reliability control and improving launching accuracy. A yaw axis motor is also provided at the bottom of the rotating support frame. The yaw axis motor is used to control the rotating support frame to rotate on the horizontal plane, expanding the launching range.

[0011] Optionally, the launching mechanism further includes a friction wheel assembly and an aiming assembly. The friction wheel assembly consists of two sets, symmetrically arranged on both sides of the rear of the projectile ejection channel, used to rub and compress the projectile, providing the projectile with initial velocity and acceleration. The aiming assembly is mounted on the friction wheel assembly, with a simple and compact structure, effectively reducing the weight of the gimbal, reducing the moment of inertia of the gimbal, and improving the response speed. The aiming assembly is used to aim at the target position, which is conducive to accurately striking fixed positions, improving launching accuracy and stable firepower output.

[0012] Furthermore, the spring tube is fixedly connected by a first fixing member and a second fixing member. The first fixing member connects the spring tube to the ejection channel, and the second fixing member connects the spring tube to the ball guide channel. The first and second fixing members have an embedded hole in the middle and a pouring port on the side. The embedded hole and the spring tube are interference-fitted. The side of the embedded hole facing the spring tube has a step with the same height as the thickness of the spring tube. The pouring port passes through the side of the first and second fixing members and the embedded hole.

[0013] The embedded hole is used to fix the end of the spring tube, avoiding the need for structural components extending to the inner wall of the spring tube for fixation as required by the external embedding method. This reduces the resistance when the projectile passes through, preventing jamming or alteration of the projectile's launch path. The embedded hole and the spring tube are interference-fitted to tighten the end of the spring tube, ensuring a tight connection with the first and second fixing components. This prevents the spring tube from breaking free of the fixing components when deformed, ensuring the stability and strength of the structure. The side of the embedded hole facing the spring tube has a step with the same height as the thickness of the spring tube to accommodate it. This step, matching the thickness of the spring tube, prevents friction from excessively high steps that could obstruct the projectile's passage, and also prevents the step from being too low, causing the spring tube to move along the projectile's launch path and reducing structural stability. The pouring port facilitates the injection of adhesive during installation, preventing uneven application of adhesive to the embedded hole or the end of the spring tube, which could compress the spring tube and affect the smooth passage of the projectile. This ensures sufficient contact between the adhesive and the spring tube, increasing the contact area and firmly bonding the end of the spring tube to the embedded hole, improving connection strength and reliability.

[0014] Furthermore, the first fixing member has an upper protrusion and a lower protrusion on the side facing the spring tube. The upper protrusion and the lower protrusion are symmetrically arranged about the embedded hole. The width is smaller than the diameter of the embedded hole. The cross-section is a rectangle, and one of the edges facing the embedded hole is an inwardly concave arc. The edge of the arc is provided with a chamfered surface, and the diameter of the chamfered surface is larger than the diameter of the embedded hole.

[0015] When the pitch angle of the launching mechanism changes, the Bourdon tube deforms synchronously. Since the first fixing member and the launching mechanism are on the same straight line, the pitch angle of the end of the Bourdon tube fixed to the first fixing member changes significantly. The upper and lower protrusions can transition the deformation process of the Bourdon tube, preventing bending and deformation that could occur when the Bourdon tube deforms rapidly and significantly, thus affecting the smooth passage of the projectile. The width of the upper and lower protrusions is smaller than the diameter of the embedded hole, creating free space on both sides of the embedded hole, reducing unnecessary obstruction to the projectile's path, minimizing unpredictable factors, and preventing jamming or alteration of the projectile's trajectory. Projectile launching path; the chamfered surface of the first fixing member prevents the spring tube from deforming due to sharp edges, which would prevent the formation of an arc-shaped channel that fits the projectile's path, thus avoiding friction between the projectile and the inner wall of the spring tube and causing resistance or jamming. The chamfered surface is designed to fit the shape and deformation state of the spring tube, making the projectile enter and exit the spring tube more smoothly, while reducing wear on the spring tube and increasing its service life. The diameter of the chamfered surface of the first fixing member is larger than the diameter of the embedded hole, providing the spring tube with a transition space for natural bending as it deforms along the pitch angle, avoiding compression of the spring tube that could cause deformation, hindering the smooth passage of the projectile, and reducing the jamming rate.

[0016] Furthermore, the edge of the recessed hole of the second fastener is provided with a chamfered surface, and the two sides of the second fastener are provided with recesses, which are symmetrically arranged about the recessed hole.

[0017] Since the second fixing member connects the spring tube and the ball guide channel, the ball guide channel will not deform or displace. The spring tube fixed to one side of the second fixing member experiences minimal changes in pitch angle, eliminating the need for upper and lower protrusions that would complicate the structure and increase the gimbal's weight. The rounded surface of the second fixing member reduces friction on the spring tube, preventing it from being compressed and deformed, ensuring natural deformation and smooth projectile passage. The concave opening provides more space for the spring tube's deformation, preventing unnecessary tangential forces on the projectile and affecting its deformation. This ensures the spring tube's deformation path aligns with the projectile's path, resulting in smoother projectile passage.

[0018] Furthermore, tensioning members are provided on the left and right sides of the upper and lower protrusions. The thickness of the tensioning members is less than that of the upper and lower protrusions. The sides of the tensioning members facing the upper and lower protrusions are symmetrically provided with arc-shaped concave surfaces. The edges of the arc-shaped concave surfaces are provided with chamfered surfaces, and the diameter of the chamfered surfaces is smaller than the diameter of the chamfered surfaces of the upper and lower protrusions, but larger than the diameter of the embedded hole.

[0019] Because the pitch angle of the end of the spring tube fixed to the first fixing member changes significantly, the tensioning member is used to further clamp and fix the spring tube, preventing it from loosening and falling off in the left and right directions, thus ensuring the stability of the structure. The thickness of the tensioning member is less than that of the upper and lower protrusions, providing space on the left and right sides when the spring tube deforms, reducing the unnecessary deformation of the spring tube caused by the fixing method, and making the deformation path of the spring tube conform to the path of the projectile, making the projectile pass more smoothly. The arc-shaped concave surface, together with the upper and lower protrusions, surrounds the embedded hole, fitting the embedded hole. The circular opening of the hole ensures the spring tube is securely embedded; the edge of the arc-shaped concave surface is provided with a chamfered surface to avoid squeezing and deforming the spring tube, and to avoid generating resistance that would affect the bullet passage rate, providing transition space for the spring tube's deformation; since the spring tube mainly deforms at the pitch angle, and the deformation on the left and right sides is relatively small, the diameter of the chamfered surface of the tensioning member is smaller than the diameter of the chamfered surfaces of the upper and lower protrusions, but larger than the diameter of the embedded hole, to avoid the chamfered surface of the tensioning member being too large, which would be unfavorable for clamping and fixing the spring tube, and too small, which would hinder the natural deformation of the spring tube and cause the bullet to jam.

[0020] Furthermore, the ball-dispensing assembly includes a mounting base, a ball-dispensing mechanism, and a guiding mechanism. The guiding mechanism includes a base plate, a guide post, a guide rail, and a guide bearing assembly. The base plate is fixed on the mounting base, the guide post is vertically mounted on the base plate, the guide rail has a head end and a tail end, the tail end extends to the base plate and communicates with the ball outlet, a guide bearing assembly is provided between the ball outlet and the tail end, and the ball-guiding channel passes through the guide post and communicates with the ball outlet.

[0021] The guide rail is spirally arranged around the guide column, featuring a compact structure and high space utilization. This reduces the weight and rotational inertia of the gimbal, improves its flexibility, reduces energy consumption, and enhances endurance. Simultaneously, it guides the projectile to roll downwards along a predetermined path using its own gravity, ensuring orderly, stable, and continuous output. This avoids disorderly collisions and jamming. Utilizing the projectile's own gravity for rolling reduces resistance and the load on the drive motor, further reducing energy consumption and enhancing endurance. The first end is the starting point for the projectile to enter the ball-feeding assembly. The projectile starts from the first end, passes through the guide rail to the second end, which extends to the base plate and connects to the ball-feeding port. A guide bearing assembly, arranged in an arc shape, is installed between the ball-feeding port and the second end to facilitate smooth entry of the projectile into the ball-feeding port, preventing congestion and jamming. After entering the ball-feeding port, the projectile is transported to the spring tube ball-feeding mechanism via the ball-guided channel.

[0022] Furthermore, the guide rail is divided into two sections. One section, connected to the first end, is parallel to the base plate, while the other section is spirally arranged around the guide column. The guide bearing assembly is provided between the two sections.

[0023] The first end is the starting point for the projectile's entry. Before being fed into the guide rail, the projectile is in a disordered state. One section connecting the first end is parallel to the base plate, which allows the projectile to enter the guide rail stably in the initial state and transition to an ordered state, preparing the projectile for rolling down the guide rail. The other section is spirally arranged around the guide post, providing a rolling track for the projectile. While the projectile rolls along the guide rail, the pawls propel the projectile forward in an orderly manner, allowing the projectile to provide kinetic energy through its own gravity and the pawls' power before entering the ball outlet. This reduces the load on the pawl assembly motor, lowers energy consumption, and enhances endurance. The guide bearing assembly is set between the two sections, which helps to reduce the friction of the projectile's path and guides the projectile to roll smoothly, avoiding jamming when transitioning from the parallel section to the inclined section.

[0024] Furthermore, the ball-splitting mechanism is a ring-shaped columnar structure, coaxially arranged outside the guide column, and can rotate relative to the guide mechanism and the mounting base. The inner circumferential surface of the ball-splitting mechanism is provided with multiple evenly distributed teeth, and a columnar concave surface is formed between two adjacent teeth. The columnar concave surface is divided into three segments by two types of arc surfaces. The arc surfaces on the two side segments of the columnar concave surface have the same radius of curvature and are larger than the radius of curvature of the middle arc surface.

[0025] The serrations on the inner circumferential surface of the ball-separating mechanism can orderly separate the projectiles. Through the cooperation of the rotatable ball-separating mechanism and the fixed guide mechanism, the projectiles are combed one by one, allowing them to enter the columnar concave surface formed between adjacent serrations. The projectiles within the columnar concave surface can be continuously delivered from the outlet in a uniform and equidistant manner, ensuring output efficiency and stability, and improving firing accuracy. The structure of the columnar concave surface limits the number of projectiles it can hold. The pushing force of the serrations and the rolling force of the projectiles naturally combine, resulting in a smooth and stable movement, avoiding jamming, violent impacts, or scratches, ensuring smooth projectile output, and effectively reducing wear on the ball-separating assembly, thus extending its service life. The cylindrical concave surface is divided into three segments by two types of arc surfaces. The radii of curvature of the arc surfaces on the two side segments of the cylindrical concave surface are the same, which is 1.1 to 1.5 times the diameter of the projectile, ensuring that the projectile can enter smoothly. The radius of curvature of the arc surface in the middle is adapted to the diameter of the projectile, so that each cylindrical concave surface can only accommodate one projectile in the radial direction. This avoids the additional resistance caused by the projectiles squeezing in at the same time and colliding with each other, which could lead to the projectile getting stuck. This makes the rotation of the ball-feeding assembly smoother, ensures stable output, and extends service life.

[0026] Preferably, the minimum distance between the prying teeth and the guide post is 0.5-0.7 times the diameter of the projectile. In the radial direction, the maximum distance between the side of the guide rail away from the guide post and the arc surface is less than 0.6 times the diameter of the projectile, which ensures the single-particle, orderly output of the projectile, avoids jamming, and ensures stable firepower output.

[0027] Furthermore, a drive motor is provided on the mounting base, and a drive gear is provided on the output shaft of the drive motor; a driven gear is provided on the ball-splitting mechanism, and the drive gear meshes with the driven gear.

[0028] The drive motor drives the driving gear to rotate, which in turn drives the driven gear meshing with it to rotate, thereby enabling the ball-distributing mechanism to rotate relative to the mounting base and the guide mechanism. The projectile's own weight and the power provided by the drive motor together propel the projectile to roll, giving it kinetic energy after entering the ball outlet and allowing it to be output along the ball-guiding channel. This reduces the load on the drive motor, thereby reducing energy consumption and achieving continuous, stable, and efficient firepower output.

[0029] Another objective of this invention is to provide a robot equipped with the aforementioned lower-feed gimbal device, which achieves fast gimbal response, simple structure, low energy consumption, high firing accuracy, wide firing angle range, and smooth, jam-free projectile firing.

[0030] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: 1. Wide range of launch pitch angles and high accuracy: The pre-stretched spring tube can flexibly deform with the pitch angle of the launch mechanism, breaking through the angle limitations of existing technical solutions, adapting to more complex launch requirements and high-intensity competition environments, and matching the launch path of the projectile, so that the projectile can be launched smoothly and improve accuracy.

[0031] 2. Low center of gravity, fast response, and low energy consumption: The lower feed structure lowers the center of gravity of the gimbal device and reduces the moment of inertia, making the gimbal respond faster, control more precisely, consume less energy, and have a longer endurance when pitching and yawing.

[0032] 3. Stable and reliable ammunition feeding with low jamming rate: The fixed method employing embedded holes and a casting port, along with the upper and lower protrusions of the first fixing component and the tensioning component, ensures the stability of the spring tube structure. The concave opening and curved surface ensure smooth projectile transmission between the projectile ejection channel, the spring tube ball supply structure, and the ball guide channel, preventing jamming and ensuring continuous, stable, and efficient output. The spiral guide track of the ball-distributing assembly, combined with a ball-distributing mechanism featuring teeth and a columnar concave surface, achieves single-particle, orderly projectile feeding, effectively solving the problems of jamming, sticking, and uneven accumulation caused by disordered projectile movement. After a 20 Hz projectile frequency test, this spring tube enables the launching mechanism to fire smoothly from a 70-degree depression angle to a 70-degree elevation angle, without any firing delays or jamming issues.

[0033] 4. Simple and reliable structure, adaptable to high-intensity environments: The ball supply scheme of the spring tube, first fixing part and second fixing part is simpler and lighter than the double slide groove design. It is more stable and reliable than the no-transition and nylon belt design. The spring tube connection is firm and reliable. The ball feeding component is stable and compact. It can withstand the impact of flying slopes, going down slopes and collisions in the game environment and ensure continuous ball supply. Attached Figure Description

[0034] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0035] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0036] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first and second fixing members in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0037] Figure 4 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the first fixing member in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0038] Figure 5 This is a front view of the first fastener of Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0039] Figure 6 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the second fixing member in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0040] Figure 7 This is a front view of the second fastener in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0041] Figure 8 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the ball-pulling assembly in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0042] Figure 9 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the ball-feeding assembly from another angle in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0043] Figure 10 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the guide mechanism in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0044] Figure 11 This is a top view of the ball-dispensing assembly in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0045] Figure 12 This is an enlarged schematic diagram of A in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0046] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached diagram: launching mechanism 100, projectile ejection channel 110, friction wheel assembly 120, aiming assembly 130, aiming lens 131, control circuit board 132, first fixing member 210, upper protrusion 211, lower protrusion 212, tensioning member 213, embedded hole 220, step 221, curved surface 230, casting port 240, second fixing member 250, arc-shaped concave surface 251, concave opening 252, rotating support frame 300, ball guide channel 310, pitch axis motor 320, linear... Driver 330, yaw axis motor 340, ball-picking assembly 400, mounting base 410, drive motor 411, driving gear 412, driven gear 413, ball-separating mechanism 420, picking gear 421, first bearing 422, second bearing 423, cylindrical concave surface 422, arc surface one 423, arc surface two 424, guide mechanism 430, base plate 431, guide post 432, ball outlet 4321, guide rail 433, head end 4331, end end 4332, guide bearing assembly 434. Detailed Implementation

[0047] The accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting the invention. To better illustrate the following embodiments, some parts in the drawings may be omitted, enlarged, or reduced, and do not represent the actual product dimensions; it is understandable to those skilled in the art that some well-known structures and their descriptions may be omitted in the drawings.

[0048] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that the terms "upper," "lower," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, or the orientation or positional relationship commonly used when the product of this invention is in use, or the orientation or positional relationship commonly understood by those skilled in the art. These terms are only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this invention. In addition, the terms "first," "second," etc., are only used to distinguish descriptions and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0049] Example 1 like Figures 1 to 2 As shown, this embodiment is a lower-feed gimbal device, including a launching mechanism 100, a spring tube (not shown), a rotating support frame 300, and a ball-feeding assembly 400.

[0050] In this embodiment, the launching mechanism 100 includes a projectile ejection channel 110, a friction wheel assembly 120, and an aiming assembly 130. The projectile ejection channel 110 is internally located within the launching mechanism 100. The friction wheel assembly 120 is symmetrically arranged on both sides of the rear of the projectile ejection channel 110, used to rub and compress the projectile, providing it with initial velocity and acceleration. The aiming assembly 130 is mounted on the friction wheel assembly 120 and is used to aim at the target position for precise impact on a fixed location. Preferably, the aiming assembly 130 includes an aiming lens 131 and a control circuit board 132. The aiming lens 131 can identify the target and determine the launch angle and direction. The control circuit board 132 converts the image information into electrical signals, determines the pitch and yaw axis angles that need adjustment, and sends them to the motor and driver. The motor and driver make corresponding attitude adjustments, which helps improve the accuracy of projectile launch and establish a competitive advantage.

[0051] The rotating support frame 300 is made of aluminum alloy, carbon fiber or high-strength plastic. The rotating support frame 300 is equipped with a pitch axis motor 320 and a linear driver 330, and has a ball guide channel 310 inside. A yaw axis motor 340 is fixed at the bottom.

[0052] The pitch axis motor 320 and the linear actuator 330 jointly control the launch mechanism 100 to swing up and down, thereby achieving changes in the pitch angle and higher precision and reliability control. Preferably, in this embodiment, the linear actuator 330 is a cylinder. The yaw axis motor 340 controls the rotating support frame 300 to rotate on the horizontal plane, thereby expanding the launch range.

[0053] like Figure 2 As shown, the ball guide channel 310 is made of rigid material with a hollow internal structure. It serves as the transport link for projectiles from the ball-feeding assembly 400 to the launching mechanism 100, passing through the yaw axis motor 340 and the ball-feeding assembly 400, and is connected to the ball-feeding assembly 400. Preferably, in this embodiment, the ball guide channel 310 is divided into an upper and lower part along the horizontal plane where the top of the yaw axis motor 340 is located. The upper part has an S-shaped gooseneck structure, which helps reduce resistance and improve the projectile throughput. The lower part is a cylindrical structure perpendicular to the horizontal plane, used to neatly arrange the projectiles output from the ball-feeding assembly 400, preparing them for launch. Optionally, the inner wall of the channel can be made of carbon tubing, carbon plates, Teflon tubing, Teflon plates, POM plates, or other materials with a low coefficient of friction. Bearings can be used for connection, which helps reduce resistance and avoids projectile jamming.

[0054] The ball guide channel 310 is connected to the launching mechanism 100 via a spring tube, the first fixing member 210, and the second fixing member 250.

[0055] The spring tube, as a transition link, is made of composite steel or other materials suitable for making springs. Its two ends are fixed to the first fixing member 210 and the second fixing member 250, respectively. After fixing, the spring tube is in a stretched state. Structurally, its horizontal pre-stretch after fixing is 25%-32% of its original length. When the pitch angle of the launching mechanism 100 changes, the pre-stretch tension drives the spring tube to actively adapt and produce natural deformation, always maintaining the smooth flow of the feed link, adapting to a wide range of pitch angle adjustments, reducing collisions and friction between the projectile and the inner wall of the spring tube, and preventing spring tube slack and projectile jamming. Preferably, in this embodiment, the inner diameter of the spring tube is 18mm, the wire diameter is 1.5mm, the spring tube length is approximately 31mm, and the horizontal elongation after fixing is approximately 9mm. When the pitch axis angle changes, the spring tube automatically deforms into an arc. For every 1 degree increase or decrease in the pitch axis angle, the arc of the spring tube increases or decreases by 0.026rad, and its changing arc trajectory matches the pre-motion trajectory of the 17mm projectile.

[0056] like Figure 3 As shown, both the first fixing member 210 and the second fixing member 250 have an embedded hole 220 in their middle. The side of the embedded hole 220 facing the spring tube has a step 221 with the same height as the thickness of the spring tube. This is used to fix the spring tube in an embedded manner, accommodating it and matching its thickness. This prevents the step 221 from being too high and causing friction with the projectile, thus hindering its passage, or from being too low, causing the spring tube to move along the projectile's firing path and reducing structural stability. Both the first fixing member 210 and the second fixing member 250 have a pouring port 240 on their sides. The pouring port 240 passes between the side of the first fixing member 210 and the second fixing member 250 and the embedded hole 220. This facilitates the injection of adhesive during installation. During installation, simply align the glue gun with the pouring port 240 to apply the adhesive. This prevents uneven application of adhesive to the embedded hole 220 or the end of the spring tube, which could cause the spring tube to be squeezed and jammed. It also increases the adhesive contact area, improving connection strength and reliability.

[0057] like Figure 4 and Figure 5As shown, the first fixing member 210 connects the projectile delivery channel 110 and the spring tube. The first fixing member 210 has an upper protrusion 211 and a lower protrusion 212 symmetrically arranged on the side facing the spring tube. This is used to prevent the spring tube from bending and deforming when it deforms rapidly and to a large extent, which would affect the smooth passage of the projectile. The width of the upper protrusion 211 and the lower protrusion 212 is smaller than the diameter of the embedded hole 220, so that there is empty space on both sides of the embedded hole 220, reducing unnecessary obstruction when the projectile passes through. The cross-section is a rectangle, and one of the sides facing the embedded hole 220 is a concave arc shape. The edge of the arc shape is provided with a chamfered surface 230. This is used to prevent the spring tube from being unable to form an arc-shaped channel that fits the projectile path when it deforms, which would cause the projectile to jam. The diameter of the chamfered surface 230 is larger than the diameter of the embedded hole 220, providing the spring tube with a transition space for natural bending as it deforms along the pitch angle, ensuring the smooth passage of the projectile. Optionally, in this embodiment, a pouring port 240 is opened in the middle of the upper protrusion 211 and the lower protrusion 212 to further fix the spring tube and improve the stability and impact resistance of the structure.

[0058] Tensioning members 213 are provided on the left and right sides of the upper protrusion 211 and the lower protrusion 212. Optionally, in this embodiment, the tensioning members 213 are bolted together to clamp the upper protrusion 211 and the lower protrusion 212. A casting port 240 can be provided on the side of the tensioning member 213 for secure fixing. The tensioning member 213 is used to further clamp and fix the spring tube, preventing the spring tube from loosening and falling off in the left and right directions. The thickness of the tensioning member 213 is less than that of the upper protrusion 211 and the lower protrusion 212, providing space on the left and right sides when the spring tube deforms, reducing the unnecessary deformation of the spring tube caused by the fixing method. The side of the tensioning member 213 facing the upper protrusion 211 and the lower protrusion 212 is symmetrically provided with an arc-shaped concave surface 251. The arc-shaped concave surface 251 and the upper protrusion 211 and the lower protrusion 212 together surround the embedded part. The hole 220 is designed to fit the circular opening of the embedded hole 220, ensuring that the spring tube is securely embedded. The edge of the arc-shaped concave surface 251 is provided with a chamfered surface 230 to prevent the spring tube from being squeezed and deformed, which could cause the spring tube to jam. The diameter of the chamfered surface 230 is smaller than the diameter of the chamfered surface 230 of the upper protrusion 211 and the lower protrusion 212, but larger than the diameter of the embedded hole 220. This prevents the chamfered surface 230 of the tensioner 213 from being too large, which would be unfavorable for clamping and fixing the spring tube, or too small, which would hinder the natural deformation of the spring tube and cause the spring tube to jam.

[0059] like Figure 6 and Figure 7As shown, the second fixing member 250 connects the spring tube and the ball guide channel 310. The edge of the embedded hole 220 of the second fixing member 250 is provided with a chamfered surface 230, which reduces the friction of the spring tube, avoids the spring tube from being squeezed and deformed, ensures the spring tube's natural deformation, and allows the projectile to pass smoothly. The two sides of the second fixing member 250 are provided with recesses 252, which are symmetrically arranged about the embedded hole 220, providing more space for the deformation of the spring tube, avoiding unnecessary tangential force on the projectile, affecting the deformation of the spring tube itself, ensuring that the deformation path of the spring tube conforms to the projectile path, making the projectile pass more smoothly and avoiding jamming.

[0060] like Figures 8 to 11 As shown, the ball-dispensing assembly 400 is mounted below the yaw axis motor 340 and includes a mounting base 410, a ball-dispensing mechanism 420, and a guide mechanism 430.

[0061] like Figure 10 As shown, the guiding mechanism 430 includes a base plate 431, a guide post 432, a guide rail 433, and a guide bearing assembly 434. The base plate 431 is fixed on the mounting base 410. The guide post 432 is vertically arranged on the base plate 431. The guide rail 433 has a beginning end 4331 and an end end 4332. The projectiles in a disordered state enter the ball-feeding assembly 400 from the beginning end 4331. The guide rail 433 is divided into two sections. One section, connecting the beginning end 4331, is parallel to the base plate 431, allowing the projectiles to enter the guide rail 433 stably in the initial state and transition to an ordered state, preparing for the projectiles to roll down along the guide rail 433. The other section is spirally arranged around the guide post 432, providing a rolling track for the projectiles and preventing them from becoming disordered. To address the issues of collision and jamming, the projectile utilizes its own gravity to roll, reducing the resistance of the projectile's movement and the load on the drive motor 411, further reducing energy consumption and enhancing endurance. A guide bearing assembly 434 is installed between the two sections to reduce the frictional force along the projectile's path, guiding the projectile to roll smoothly and avoiding jamming. The end 4332 extends to the base plate 431 and connects to the ball outlet 4321. A guide bearing assembly 434 is installed between the ball outlet 4321 and the end 4332. The guide bearing assembly 434 is arc-shaped and is used to transition and guide the projectile to smoothly enter the ball outlet 4321, preventing the projectile from congesting and jamming at the ball outlet 4321. After entering the ball outlet 4321, the projectile is transported to the spring tube through the ball guide channel 310.

[0062] The ball-separating mechanism 420 is a ring-shaped columnar structure, coaxially arranged outside the guide post 432, and can rotate relative to the guide mechanism 430 and the mounting base 410. Multiple evenly distributed teeth 421 are arranged on the inner circumferential surface of the ball-separating mechanism 420. A columnar concave surface 422 is formed between adjacent teeth 421, which can guide the projectiles one by one into the columnar concave surface 422, and continuously deliver them from the ball outlet 4321 in a uniform and equidistant manner. Figure 12 As shown, the cylindrical concave surface 422 is divided into three segments by two types of arc surfaces. The arc surfaces 423 on the two sides of the cylindrical concave surface 422 have the same radius of curvature, which is 1.1 to 1.5 times the diameter of the projectile, ensuring that the projectile can enter smoothly. The arc surface 424 in the middle has the same radius of curvature as the diameter of the projectile, so that only one projectile can be accommodated in each layer of cylindrical concave surface 422 in the radial direction, avoiding the projectiles from squeezing and colliding with each other and causing jamming. Preferably, a first bearing 422 can be provided at the bottom of the prying tooth 421. The rolling of the first bearing 422 reduces the friction force on the projectile. The height of the first bearing 422 from the base plate 431 is set according to the diameter of the projectile to ensure that the projectile can contact the first bearing 422. Multiple second bearings 423 can be evenly arranged on the outer circumferential surface of the ball-splitting mechanism 420 on the mounting base 410 and in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the ball-splitting mechanism 420. This provides radial constraint to the ball-splitting mechanism 420, suppresses its radial runout and wobbling during rotation, and ensures that the relative position between the prying tooth 421, the projectile, and the guide rail 433 remains accurate, thereby improving the stability and reliability of the projectile conveying.

[0063] A drive motor 411 is mounted on the mounting base 410. The drive motor 411 drives the driving gear 412 to rotate, which in turn drives the driven gear 413 meshing with it to rotate, thereby enabling the ball-distributing mechanism 420 to rotate relative to the mounting base 410 and the guide mechanism 430. The projectile's own weight and the power provided by the drive motor 411 jointly propel the projectile to roll, so that the projectile has kinetic energy after entering the ball outlet 4321 and is output along the ball guide channel 310. This reduces the load on the drive motor 411, thereby reducing energy consumption and achieving continuous, stable, and efficient firepower output.

[0064] The ammunition feeding principle in this embodiment of the invention is as follows: The projectile enters from the first end 4331 of the ball-feeding assembly 400, and is pushed forward along the straight section of the guide rail 433 by the prying teeth 421. After passing through the straight section, it is guided by the guide bearing assembly 434 into another spiral guide rail 433. Using its own weight and the push of the prying teeth 421, it reaches the end 4332, and then enters the ball outlet 4321 through the guide bearing assembly 434. The projectile passes through the ball guide channel 310 and the spring tube in sequence. The friction component in the launching mechanism 100 generates initial velocity and acceleration through friction and compression. After acceleration, the projectile is launched through the projectile exit channel 110. When the launching angle needs to be adjusted, the yaw axis motor 340 controls the rotating support frame 300 to rotate on the horizontal plane, and the pitch axis motor 320 and the linear driver 330 control the launching mechanism 100 to swing up and down. When the launching mechanism 100 swings, the spring tube will generate natural deformation, forming a launching path that fits the projectile, allowing the projectile to pass smoothly.

[0065] Example 2 This embodiment provides a robot equipped with a lower-feed gimbal device as provided in Embodiment 1, which can achieve fast gimbal response speed, simple structure, low energy consumption, high firing accuracy, wide firing angle range, and smooth projectile firing without jamming.

[0066] Obviously, the above embodiments of the present invention are merely examples for clearly illustrating the technical solution of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the specific implementation of the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the claims of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A lower-feed gimbal device, comprising a launching mechanism, a rotating support frame, and a ball-guiding assembly, wherein the launching mechanism has a projectile ejection channel inside, the rotating support frame has a ball-guiding channel inside, the ball-guiding channel being connected to the ball-guiding assembly, the launching mechanism being able to rotate relative to the rotating support frame in a pitch angle, and the rotating support frame being able to rotate relative to the ball-guiding assembly in a horizontal plane, characterized in that... The projectile delivery channel and the ball guide channel are connected by a spring tube, which is in a stretched state and can deform in response to changes in the angle of the launching mechanism.

2. The lower-feed gimbal device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The spring tube is fixedly connected by a first fixing member and a second fixing member. The first fixing member connects the spring tube to the ejection channel, and the second fixing member connects the spring tube to the ball guide channel. The first and second fixing members have an embedded hole in the middle and a pouring port on the side. The embedded hole and the spring tube are interference-fitted. The side of the embedded hole facing the spring tube has a step with the same height as the thickness of the spring tube. The pouring port passes through the side of the first and second fixing members and the embedded hole.

3. The lower-feed gimbal device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first fixing member has an upper protrusion and a lower protrusion on the side facing the spring tube. The upper protrusion and the lower protrusion are symmetrically arranged about the embedded hole. The width is smaller than the diameter of the embedded hole. The cross-section is a rectangle and one of the edges facing the embedded hole is an inwardly concave arc. The edge of the arc is provided with a chamfered surface, and the diameter of the chamfered surface is larger than the diameter of the embedded hole.

4. The lower-feed gimbal device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The edge of the recessed hole of the second fastener is provided with a chamfered surface, and the two sides of the second fastener are provided with recesses, which are symmetrically arranged with respect to the recessed hole.

5. The lower-feed gimbal device according to claim 3, characterized in that, Tensioning members are provided on the left and right sides of the upper and lower protrusions. The thickness of the tensioning members is less than that of the upper and lower protrusions. The sides of the tensioning members facing the upper and lower protrusions are symmetrically provided with arc-shaped concave surfaces. The edges of the arc-shaped concave surfaces are provided with chamfered surfaces, and the diameter of the chamfered surfaces is smaller than the diameter of the chamfered surfaces of the upper and lower protrusions, but larger than the diameter of the embedded hole.

6. The lower-feed gimbal device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ball-dispensing assembly includes a mounting base, a ball-dispensing mechanism, and a guiding mechanism. The guiding mechanism includes a base plate, a guide post, a guide rail, and a guide bearing assembly. The base plate is fixed on the mounting base. The guide post is vertically mounted on the base plate. The guide rail has a head end and a tail end. The tail end extends to the base plate and communicates with the ball outlet. A guide bearing assembly is provided between the ball outlet and the tail end. The ball-guiding channel passes through the guide post and communicates with the ball outlet.

7. The lower-feed gimbal device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The guide rail is divided into two sections. One section is parallel to the base plate, and the other section is spirally arranged around the guide column. The guide bearing assembly is arranged between the two sections.

8. The lower-feed gimbal device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The ball-splitting mechanism is a ring-shaped columnar structure, coaxially arranged outside the guide column, and can rotate relative to the guide mechanism and the mounting base. The inner circumferential surface of the ball-splitting mechanism is provided with multiple evenly distributed teeth, and a columnar concave surface is formed between two adjacent teeth. The columnar concave surface is divided into three segments by two types of arc surfaces. The arc surfaces on the two side segments of the columnar concave surface have the same radius of curvature and are larger than the radius of curvature of the middle arc surface.

9. The lower-feed gimbal device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The mounting base is equipped with a drive motor, and the output shaft of the drive motor is equipped with a drive gear; the ball-splitting mechanism is equipped with a driven gear, and the drive gear meshes with the driven gear.

10. A robot, characterized in that, The device is equipped with a lower feeding gimbal as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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