Electro-hydraulic hybrid driving and driven humanoid robot

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of robots, and discloses an electro-hydraulic hybrid drive active and passive humanoid robot which is characterized in that a head assembly adopts pure electric drive configuration, and three-degree-of-freedom rotation of a neck is realized through driving of a parallel-series hybrid mechanism; the upper limb assembly is purely electrically driven and comprises a two-degree-of-freedom waist joint driven by a differential parallel transmission mechanism and a seven-degree-of-freedom mechanical arm driven by a near-end motor through a spherical parallel mechanism, a four-bar mechanism and the differential parallel transmission mechanism; the lower limb assembly adopts mixed configuration of active and passive hydraulic main drive and motor auxiliary drive, the single leg has six degrees of freedom, sagittal plane degrees of freedom of hip joints, knee joints and ankle joints are driven by active and passive hydraulic actuators, and other degrees of freedom are driven by a motor joint module; high-dynamic, high-outbreak, high-energy-efficiency, large-load and impact-resistant operation of the upper limbs is achieved while high-dynamic, large-load, high-rigidity and high-precision operation of the upper limbs is guaranteed, and the movement, operation and cruising ability of the whole machine is remarkably improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of robotics, specifically to an electro-hydraulic hybrid active-passive humanoid robot. Background Technology

[0002] Humanoid robots, as an important physical carrier for realizing general artificial intelligence, are increasingly expanding their applications from laboratories to real-world environments such as industrial manufacturing, home services, disaster relief, and battlefields. To adapt to complex and varied tasks, humanoid robots need to possess both strong lower limb motor skills and high-precision, high-load upper limb manipulation capabilities. However, existing humanoid robots still have many shortcomings in their drive mechanisms and structural configurations.

[0003] Regarding the lower limbs, they are not only the load-bearing base of the entire machine, but also the core power source for enabling human-like running, jumping, and obstacle crossing. When performing highly dynamic movements, the sagittal plane joints of the lower limbs need to output extremely high torque and power in a very short time, which places stringent requirements on the explosive force and power density of the drive unit. Electric drive solutions are limited by the saturation of the motor's magnetic materials and heat dissipation limitations, often requiring a high reduction ratio reducer to increase torque. This results in large joint volume, low power density, and the large moment of inertia and rigid transmission severely limit the instantaneous response speed and impact resistance of the joints. Traditional centralized oil-source hydraulic systems, while providing strong power output and rapid dynamic response, suffer from complex piping, easy leakage, and difficult debugging. In addition, the lower limbs exhibit alternating positive and negative work biomechanical characteristics during movement. However, regardless of whether it is electric or hydraulic drive, existing solutions continuously apply power during the negative work phase to provide the corresponding impedance torque, resulting in high energy consumption and high heat generation, which severely restricts the range of operation.

[0004] As for the upper limbs, their main task is to perform precise and flexible operations under certain loads on a mobile base. Their explosive power and impact resistance requirements are significantly lower than those of the lower limbs, making an electric drive solution a suitable choice. However, traditional robotic arms generally use direct-drive motors or motors with reducers at the joints, which can easily lead to problems such as weak end-effector load capacity, large cumulative errors, low structural rigidity, and large inertia.

[0005] In summary, there are significant differences in task requirements and biomechanical characteristics between the upper and lower limbs, and even among the joints of the lower limbs. Existing humanoid robot designs often employ purely electric or purely hydraulic actuation, which cannot simultaneously meet the requirements of the lower limbs for "high dynamics, high burst power, high energy efficiency, high load capacity, and impact resistance" and the upper limbs for "high dynamics, high load capacity, high rigidity, and high precision." Furthermore, high power consumption during heavy-duty phases is a common problem in the energy management of existing humanoid robots. Therefore, it is urgent to comprehensively redesign and reconstruct the existing drive system from a holistic perspective, taking into full account the differences in task requirements and biomechanical characteristics between the upper and lower limbs, and even among the joints of the lower limbs.

[0006] Based on this, the present invention proposes an electro-hydraulic hybrid active and passive humanoid robot. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The purpose of this invention is to provide an electro-hydraulic hybrid active and passive humanoid robot, which is equipped with differentiated drive schemes for each joint, so as to achieve a comprehensive improvement in the robot's overall movement, operation and endurance.

[0008] The objective of this invention can be achieved through the following technical solutions: An electro-hydraulic hybrid active and passive humanoid robot includes a head assembly, an upper limb assembly, and a lower limb assembly.

[0009] For the head assembly, the present invention adopts a parallel-series hybrid three-degree-of-freedom pure electric drive configuration scheme. The head assembly includes a parallel-series hybrid mechanism for driving the neck rotation joint, a visual interaction module consisting of a camera and a display, a voice interaction module consisting of a microphone and a speaker, and an internal integrated control and power system. Among them, the parallel-series hybrid mechanism drives the head to rotate on three axes through the connecting bracket and linkage mechanism, which effectively reduces the head's motion inertia and the overall weight of the mechanism. The visual interaction module and the voice interaction module have multimodal information acquisition and processing capabilities and strong interactivity.

[0010] For the upper limb assembly, the present invention adopts a pure electric drive configuration scheme with full proximal arrangement and spherical parallel connection. The upper limb assembly includes a three-degree-of-freedom spherical parallel mechanism for driving the shoulder joint, a single-degree-of-freedom four-bar linkage for driving the elbow joint, and a three-degree-of-freedom differential parallel mechanism for driving the wrist joint. The three motors driving the shoulder joint are all mounted on a base near the torso, and together drive the robotic arm to move on a spherical surface via a closed-loop linkage, achieving high rigidity, high-precision positioning, and heavy-load operation of the shoulder. The drive motors for the elbow and wrist joints are also mounted proximally, and remotely transmitted to the elbow and wrist via a linkage mechanism. This configuration places all drive motors near the frame end, greatly reducing the rotational inertia of the robotic arm.

[0011] For the lower limb components, this invention adopts a configuration scheme of active and passive hydraulic main drive and electric motor module auxiliary drive. All sagittal plane joints of the lower limb are driven by active and passive hydraulic actuators, with the hip and knee joints using a five-bar linkage and the ankle joint using a three-bar linkage; the remaining joints (horizontal plane and coronal plane) are driven by electric motor joint modules. The active and passive hydraulic actuator is a distributed hydraulic system that integrates an active pump control drive mode and a passive damping mode. In active mode, a high-power-density micro motor pump drives the hydraulic cylinder to provide the power required for high-dynamic movements such as running and jumping. In passive mode, a servo rotary valve adjusts the hydraulic oil flow area to provide steplessly adjustable damping force during the negative power phases (such as landing cushioning and swing deceleration) in each gait cycle to achieve gait adjustment. The quasi-zero power characteristic of throttling damping control solves the problem of consuming a lot of electrical energy to generate impedance torque in traditional control, and significantly reduces the overall energy consumption of the machine.

[0012] The beneficial effects of this invention are: This invention provides differentiated drive configurations based on the different task requirements and biomechanical characteristics of the upper and lower limbs and various joints at the overall machine level. The upper limbs are driven purely by electricity, while the lower limbs are driven by a hybrid electro-hydraulic system. This satisfies the requirements of the lower limbs for high dynamics, high burst power, high energy efficiency, high load capacity, and impact resistance, while also taking into account the requirements of the upper limbs for high dynamics, high load capacity, high rigidity, and high precision operation. The present invention adopts a pure electric drive scheme that combines the proximal arrangement of motors with a three-degree-of-freedom spherical parallel mechanism for the upper limb. The shoulder, elbow and wrist motors are all arranged at the proximal end, which significantly reduces the rotational inertia of the upper limb and improves the dynamic response. On the other hand, the parallel closed-loop structure improves the stiffness and positioning accuracy, and realizes high-load and high-precision operation at the end. The lower limbs of this invention adopt a configuration scheme of active and passive hydraulic main drive and motor joint module auxiliary drive. The sagittal plane joint is driven by active and passive hydraulic actuators to meet the power requirements of high dynamic conditions such as running and jumping. The other joints are directly driven by motor joint modules, which is simple in structure, easy to control and low in cost. The active and passive hydraulic actuator of this invention belongs to the distributed hydraulic system, which solves the problems of complex pipelines, easy leakage and difficult debugging of traditional centralized oil source hydraulic systems; The present invention provides an active and passive hydraulic actuator that achieves near-zero power damping adjustment through a servo rotary valve during the negative power phase, solving the problem of continuously injecting power to obtain impedance torque during the negative power phase, and significantly improving the overall energy efficiency and endurance of the machine. Attached Figure Description

[0013] The invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0014] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional perspective view of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a simplified diagram of the mechanism of the present invention (red marks represent motors or active / passive hydraulic actuators); Figure 3 This is a simplified diagram of other derivative mechanisms proposed in this invention. Detailed Implementation

[0015] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0016] Please see Figures 1-2 As shown, the present invention is an electro-hydraulic hybrid active-passive humanoid robot, including a head assembly, an upper limb assembly and a lower limb assembly, and adopts differentiated drive configurations according to the task requirements and biomechanical characteristics of each part; The head adopts a pure electric drive scheme: the head-shaking joint Hj1 is directly driven by a motor, while the head-nodding joint Hj2 and the side-swinging joint Hj3 are driven by two motors and a parallel linkage mechanism for differential drive.

[0017] The upper limbs adopt a pure electric drive scheme: the lumbar joints Wj1 / Wj2 are driven by two motor joint modules via a differential parallel linkage mechanism; the shoulder joints ARj1 / ARj2 / ARj3 and ALj1 / ALj2 / ALj3 are driven by a three-degree-of-freedom spherical parallel mechanism, with all three motors arranged on a base close to the torso; the single-degree-of-freedom elbow joints ARj4 and ALj4 are remotely driven by proximal motors via a four-bar linkage mechanism; the wrist joints ARj5 / ARj6 / ARj7 and ALj5 / ALj6 / ALj7 are remotely driven by proximal motors via a differential parallel linkage mechanism. The closed-loop linkage structure and the near-end configuration of the motor enable the seven-degree-of-freedom robotic arm to have low inertia, high load capacity, and high-precision operation capabilities.

[0018] The lower limbs adopt a hybrid drive scheme of active and passive hydraulic main drive and motor joint module auxiliary drive: the sagittal plane hip joints LRj3 and LLj3, knee joints LRj4 and LLj4, and ankle joints LRj5 and LLj5 are driven by active and passive hydraulic actuators through five-bar or three-bar linkages respectively; the remaining joints LRj1 / LRj2 and LLj1 / LLj2 are driven by motor joint modules.

[0019] The active and passive hydraulic actuators form a distributed hydraulic system, integrating active pump control drive mode and passive damping mode: Active mode provides high power density output to meet the needs of high dynamic movements such as running and jumping; In passive mode, stepless damping adjustment is achieved at near-zero power through a servo rotary valve, which can effectively improve compliance and battery life. This design ensures high dynamics, high burst power, high energy efficiency, high load capacity, and impact resistance of the lower limbs, while achieving high dynamics, high load capacity, high rigidity, and high precision operation of the upper limbs, significantly improving the overall machine's movement, operation, and endurance capabilities.

[0020] In a specific implementation process, the upper limb or lower limb assembly can adjust the driving mode of each joint according to the working conditions. For example, the elbow joint can be adjusted to be driven by a passive hydraulic actuator. Figure 3 The elbow joint ARj4 and ALj4 are modified to be driven by active and passive hydraulic actuators.

[0021] The foregoing has provided a detailed description of one embodiment of the present invention, but this description is merely a preferred embodiment and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. All equivalent variations and modifications made within the scope of the claims of this invention should fall within the patent coverage of this invention.

Claims

1. An electro-hydraulic hybrid active-passive humanoid robot, characterized in that, include: The head assembly adopts a pure electric drive configuration, and the neck can rotate in three degrees of freedom through a parallel-series hybrid mechanism. The upper limb assembly is equipped with a pure electric drive configuration, including a two-degree-of-freedom lumbar joint driven by a differential parallel transmission mechanism, and a seven-degree-of-freedom robotic arm driven by a proximal motor via a spherical parallel mechanism, a four-bar linkage, and a differential parallel transmission mechanism. The lower limb assembly adopts a hybrid configuration of active and passive hydraulic main drive and electric motor auxiliary drive, with six degrees of freedom per leg. The sagittal plane degrees of freedom of the hip, knee and ankle joints are driven by active and passive hydraulic actuators, while the remaining degrees of freedom are driven by electric motor joint modules. The head assembly, upper limb assembly, and lower limb assembly together constitute a complete machine system with thirty-one degrees of freedom.

2. The electro-hydraulic hybrid active-passive humanoid robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The head assembly also includes a visual interaction module consisting of a camera and a display, and a voice interaction module consisting of a microphone and a speaker.

3. The electro-hydraulic hybrid active-passive humanoid robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, In the upper limb assembly, the three motors driving the shoulder joint are all mounted on a base near the torso and are driven by a spherical parallel mechanism and a closed-loop linkage chain.

4. The electro-hydraulic hybrid active-passive humanoid robot according to claim 3, characterized in that, In the upper limb assembly, the motors driving the elbow and wrist joints are both located at the proximal end and are driven by a four-bar linkage and a differential parallel mechanism.

5. The electro-hydraulic hybrid active-passive humanoid robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, In the lower limb assembly, the active and passive hydraulic actuators of the hip and knee joints are connected to the joints via a five-bar linkage, and the active and passive hydraulic actuators of the ankle joint are connected to the joints via a three-bar linkage.

6. The electro-hydraulic hybrid active-passive humanoid robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The active and passive hydraulic actuators include micro motor pumps, hydraulic cylinders, and servo rotary valves.

7. The electro-hydraulic hybrid active-passive humanoid robot according to claim 6, characterized in that, The active and passive hydraulic actuator can automatically switch between active pump control drive mode and passive damping mode.

8. The electro-hydraulic hybrid active-passive humanoid robot according to claim 7, characterized in that, The passive damping mode achieves stepless damping adjustment under near-zero power by adjusting the throttling area of ​​the servo rotary valve.

9. The electro-hydraulic hybrid active-passive humanoid robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The upper limb or lower limb assembly can adjust the driving mode of each joint according to the working conditions.

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