Universe walking-replacing blind-guiding quadruped robot

Abstract

The invention discloses a global transportation blind guiding quadruped robot, and belongs to the technical field of disabled assisting robots. The robot mainly comprises a global walking-replacing blind-guiding quadruped robot structure (100) and an intelligent control system (200). The structure (100) comprises a machine body compartment body (101), four groups of wheel-foot combined type leg modules (110-115), sensing devices (103 and 109), control devices (104, 105 and 108), a seat (107), a power storage and supply device (106) and the like. The system (200) integrates subsystems such as a general control subsystem (201), an environment perception subsystem (202, 203), a voice interaction subsystem (204), a navigation driving subsystem (207) and a balance control subsystem (208). Through the fusion of the robot technology and the unmanned driving technology and by means of artificial intelligence learning training, the dual functions of manned riding instead of walking and intelligent blind guiding under various environments such as road driving, step climbing and field walking can be achieved, and the autonomy, safety, comfort and efficiency of visually impaired people going out can be remarkably improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of assistive robots and unmanned driving technology, and in particular to a quadrupedal robot that combines human transportation and intelligent guidance functions and can adapt to various complex terrains. Background Technology

[0002] Traditional mobility aids for visually impaired individuals, such as white canes, guide dogs, or simple electronic obstacle avoidance devices, generally suffer from slow movement speed, poor environmental adaptability (difficulty navigating stairs and rough terrain), limited functionality, and limited user autonomy, thus restricting their activity range and travel experience. In recent years, while robotic platforms capable of walking have emerged, they are primarily geared towards industrial or entertainment scenarios, and mature integrated solutions have yet to be developed for passenger safety, long-distance travel efficiency, and interactive navigation for visually impaired users. Therefore, the industry urgently needs an innovative product that deeply integrates high-efficiency mobility, all-terrain capability, and intelligent guidance services for the visually impaired. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Purpose of the invention The purpose of this invention is to overcome the shortcomings of existing technologies and provide a quadrupedal robot for all-terrain mobility and guidance. This robot aims to enable visually impaired users to travel quickly, safely, and independently in urban environments and mild outdoor conditions through an architecture of a "wheel-leg hybrid mobile platform + multi-sensor intelligent driving system". Technical solution To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: A quadruped robot for all-terrain mobility and guidance for the blind is composed of two main parts: a mechanical structure unit and an intelligent control unit. The mechanical structural unit, serving as the physical execution carrier, mainly includes: The structure of the all-domain mobility guide quadruped robot (100): This is a physical platform, which specifically includes the body, four sets of leg modules with wheel-foot composite features (to realize wheel-walking and foot-climbing), environmental perception sensors, human-machine interaction interface (driving / traction handle, voice device), passenger seat, energy system and guide signs, etc. Intelligent Control System (200): This is an integrated information processing and control hub, including a central control system, an environmental perception system (front / rear vision radar), a voice interaction system, a driving control system, a navigation unmanned driving system, an electronic balance system, and an energy management system. The collaborative working mode of the above-mentioned institutions and systems is as follows: the power storage and power supply system (209) provides power for the whole system; the sensing system (202, 203) collects information about the surrounding environment in real time; the central control system (201) acts as the core processor, comprehensively processing sensing information, navigation instructions and user input; the automatic navigation unmanned driving system (207) and the electronic balance system (208) jointly plan the path, control the body posture and four-legged movement, thereby driving the wheel-leg composite module to drive at high speed on flat roads and to climb or walk on unstructured terrain such as steps and potholes. The core working modes of this invention are divided into: 1. Fully automatic driverless mode: After the user sets the destination by voice, the system completes the entire process from environmental perception and path planning to motion execution without human intervention. 2. Manual Assistance Mode: The system broadcasts real-time road condition information (such as the type of obstacle ahead, distance, recommended turn, etc.) through the voice prompt system (204), and the user operates the driving handle device (104) according to the prompts to drive. Beneficial effects Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following significant advantages: It has transformed the mode of travel: upgrading the travel of visually impaired people from "low-speed guidance" to "rapid transportation", and combining wheel-foot composite mechanism to overcome terrain limitations, greatly expanding the range of activities and improving travel efficiency. A multi-dimensional safety system has been constructed: through a three-layer safety link of "sensor fusion perception → intelligent algorithm risk prediction and path planning → active balance and braking control", travel safety has been greatly improved. It enhances user experience and product usability: it provides comfortable seats and intuitive human-computer interaction, balances the flexibility of autonomous driving and manual operation, and the modular design is conducive to maintenance and function upgrades. After productization, it is expected to reduce long-term usage costs. Attached Figure Description Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure (100) of the all-domain mobility guide quadruped robot described in this invention. Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the composition of the intelligent control system (200) described in this invention. Explanation of the labels in the diagram: 101-Fuselage compartment; 102-Master control unit; 103-Forward vision and radar unit; 104-Control handle unit; 105-Voice control and prompt unit; 106-Power storage and supply unit; 107-Seat; 108-Tether handle unit; 109-Rear vision and radar unit; 110-Foot hip joint module; 111-Foot thigh module; 112-Foot knee joint module; 113-Foot calf module; 114-Foot drive wheel unit; 115-Foot drive wheel braking unit; 116-Fuselage tactile paving. 201-Master control system; 202-Front vision radar system; 203-Rear vision radar system; 204-Voice control and prompt system; 205-Driver handle control system; 206-Tether handle control system; 207-Automatic navigation unmanned driving system; 208-Electronic balance system; 209-Power storage and energy supply system. Detailed Implementation The preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the following description is intended to illustrate the principles and implementation of the present invention, and not to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. I. Implementation Method of Mechanical Structure As attached Figure 1 As shown, the assembly relationship of the all-domain mobility guide quadruped robot structure (100) is as follows: Fuselage and load-bearing unit: The fuselage body (101) serves as the core load-bearing structure. The central control unit (102) is installed in the front section of the fuselage body, and the power storage unit (106) is installed at the bottom. The rear of the fuselage body (101) has a concave groove for fixing the seat (107) by welding. Arrangement of sensing equipment: A front vision and radar device (103) with a protective cover is installed at the front of the fuselage (101); a towing handle device (108) and a rear vision and radar device (109) with a protective cover are installed sequentially above the tail. Human-computer interaction device arrangement: A driving handle device (104) is installed at the front of the fuselage (101) and behind the front sensing device, and a voice control and prompt device (105) is installed below it. Motion actuator assembly: A set of wheel-foot composite leg modules is symmetrically installed at each of the four corners of the bottom of the fuselage (101). Each module is connected in the following order: the foot hip joint module (110) is fixed to the fuselage → the foot thigh module (111) is connected → the foot knee joint module (112) is connected → the foot calf module (113) is connected → the foot drive wheel device (114) and its associated foot drive wheel brake device (115) are installed at the end. All connections are reliably fixed with mechanical fasteners. Signage: On the outer sides of the front and rear ends of the fuselage (101), tactile signs (116) are printed. II. Control System Implementation Methods like Figure 2 As shown, the intelligent control system (200) uses the central control system (201) as its core processing unit. The connections and functions of each subsystem are as follows: Energy supply chain path: The energy storage and power supply system (209) connects to all power-consuming modules to provide continuous power support. Environmental perception and signal input link: The front vision radar system (202) and the rear vision radar system (203) are connected to the front and rear perception devices (103, 109) respectively, and transmit the collected environmental data to the central control system (201). The driving handle control system (205) and the traction handle control system (206) are connected to the corresponding handle devices (104, 108) respectively, for receiving user operation commands. Intelligent decision-making and motion control link: The central control system (201) integrates environmental data, path information from the autonomous navigation unmanned driving system (207) and user commands, and combines the real-time attitude control algorithm of the electronic balance system (208) to generate coordinated four-legged motion commands, driving each wheel-leg composite module to complete the movement, turning or obstacle crossing actions. Human-computer interaction link: The voice control and prompt system (204) is connected to the voice device (105), which supports users to issue commands by voice and provides voice feedback on system status and navigation prompts to users. III. Workflow Description The robot's workflow after startup is as follows: 1. Task initialization: Users set destination information through voice input or preset programs. 2. Environmental perception and positioning: The front and rear perception systems operate continuously, and together with the navigation system, they complete real-time positioning and local environment modeling. 3. Behavioral decision-making and path planning: In fully autonomous driving mode, the automatic navigation autonomous driving system (207) generates a global path and performs dynamic obstacle avoidance planning based on the destination and real-time environmental information. In manual assistance mode, the system provides users with information such as road conditions and obstacles ahead through the voice prompt system (204) to assist users in making decisions. 4. Motion Execution and Balance Maintenance: The central control system (201) translates the planned path into coordinated motion commands for the four leg modules. The electronic balance system (208) monitors and adjusts the body posture in real time to ensure overall stability during high-speed wheeled travel or obstacle crossing. On flat surfaces, the drive wheels (114) serve as the primary propulsion mechanism, and the legs can retract to reduce wind resistance and energy consumption. When encountering obstacles such as steps or potholes, the leg modules switch to a foot-based gait to climb or cross them. 5. Full-process interaction and task completion: The voice system continuously provides information such as navigation progress and safety prompts until the robot arrives at the set destination. The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any equivalent substitutions or modifications made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in the present invention, based on the technical solution and inventive concept of the present invention, should be covered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A quadruped robot for all-terrain mobility and guidance for the blind, characterized in that, include: The structure (100) and intelligent control system (200) of the all-domain mobility guide quadruped robot. The structure (100) of the all-domain mobility guide quadruped robot includes: • Fuselage compartment (101); • A central control device (102) and a power storage device (106) are located inside the fuselage compartment (101). • A forward-facing environmental sensing device (103), a driving control handle (104), and a voice interaction device (105) are located at the front of the fuselage (101). • The passenger seat (107), auxiliary traction handle (108), and rearward environmental sensing device (109) are located at the rear of the fuselage compartment (101). • Four sets of wheel-foot composite leg modules are symmetrically installed at the four corners of the bottom of the fuselage (101). Each set of modules includes a foot hip joint module (110), a foot thigh module (111), a foot knee joint module (112), a foot calf module (113), a foot drive wheel device (114), and a foot drive wheel brake device (115). • A tactile directional sign (116) is provided on the outer surface of the fuselage compartment (101). The intelligent control system (200) includes a central control system (201) as a central processor, and a forward perception system (202), a rear perception system (203), a voice interaction system (204), a driving control system (205), a traction assist system (206), an autonomous navigation and driving system (207), a dynamic balance control system (208), and an energy management system (209) that are communicatively connected to the central control system (201). The energy management system (209) is used to supply power to each electrical component; the intelligent control system (200) is configured to achieve fully autonomous environmental perception, path planning and motion control based on artificial intelligence algorithms, or to assist users in semi-autonomous operation through multimodal human-computer interaction.

2. The all-terrain mobility guide quadruped robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, Both the forward environment sensing device (103) and the backward environment sensing device (109) are integrated with protective structures.

3. The all-terrain mobility guide quadruped robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The seat (107) is fixed to the rear side of the concave fuselage groove of the fuselage body (101) by welding.

4. The all-terrain mobility guide quadruped robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The tactile cues (116) are printed on the outer sides of both ends of the fuselage body (101).

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