Quadruped robot and shell structure thereof

Abstract

The shell structure of the quadruped robot comprises a cavity shell, four mechanical leg assemblies are arranged at the end corners of the interior of the cavity shell correspondingly, and a plurality of movable plates are arranged at the end corners of the cavity shell correspondingly; the cover plate is arranged on the cavity shell; the plurality of movable plates are respectively connected to the bottom side of the cover plate in a sliding manner; the linkage assembly comprises a rotary knob arranged on the top side of the cover plate, a gear, a plurality of racks and a plurality of first limiting blocks, the gear, the racks and the first limiting blocks are arranged on the bottom side of the cover plate, the gear is connected with the rotary knob, one ends of the racks are connected to the gear in a meshed mode, and the other ends of the racks are connected to the first limiting blocks in a meshed mode. The other opposite ends of the multiple racks, the multiple first limiting blocks and the multiple movable plates are connected in a one-to-one correspondence mode. The invention further discloses the quadruped robot. According to the quadruped robot and the shell structure thereof, the shell of the quadruped robot can be quickly disassembled and assembled, and the maintenance requirements under different fault scenes are met; the structure is simple, the occupied space is small, and intensive development is facilitated.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of quadruped robot technology, and more particularly to a quadruped robot and its shell structure. Background Technology

[0002] Quadruped robots are widely used in industrial inspection scenarios. For example, quadruped robots can conduct regular inspections of factory equipment and power lines to promptly identify potential faults. In emergency rescue, they can penetrate dangerous, complex, or inaccessible areas, such as earthquake ruins and fire scenes, to perform tasks such as searching for and detecting survivors and conducting environmental assessments.

[0003] Existing technologies for maintaining the legs of quadruped robots suffer from several drawbacks. Due to the unreasonable structural design of the quadruped robot's shell, there is a lack of flexible disassembly methods. Either each leg must be disassembled individually, which is cumbersome, time-consuming, and increases maintenance costs; or the disassembly process is complex, requiring specialized tools or specific training, which places high demands on maintenance personnel and hinders rapid response in emergency maintenance scenarios, affecting maintenance efficiency and timeliness. Both of these issues cause inconvenience to the normal use of quadruped robots. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a quadruped robot and its shell structure, which can quickly disassemble and assemble the shell of the quadruped robot to meet the maintenance needs under different fault scenarios; the structure is simple, occupies little space, and is conducive to intensive development.

[0005] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this invention provides a shell structure for a quadruped robot, comprising: a cavity shell, with four mechanical leg assemblies respectively located at the end corners of the cavity shell, and multiple movable plates respectively located at the end corners of the cavity shell; a cover plate mounted on the cavity shell, with the multiple movable plates slidably connected to the bottom side of the cover plate; and a linkage assembly, comprising: a knob mounted on the top side of the cover plate and gears, multiple racks, and multiple first limiting blocks respectively mounted on the bottom side of the cover plate, wherein: the gears are connected to the knob, one end of each of the multiple racks is meshed with the gear, and the other ends of the multiple racks, the multiple first limiting blocks, and the multiple movable plates are correspondingly connected, wherein: rotating the knob drives the gears to rotate, the gears respectively link the multiple racks and pull the first limiting blocks and movable plates to slide along the cover plate, and the multiple movable plates synchronously open or close relative to the cover plate to maintain the mechanical leg assemblies inside the cavity shell.

[0006] It also includes a locking assembly, which includes an abutment plate installed inside the cavity, a button installed on one side of the abutment plate, multiple second limiting blocks installed at the corners of the abutment plate, and multiple first elastic members for lifting the abutment plate. The first elastic members press against the abutment plate to tightly fit the multiple second limiting blocks and the multiple first limiting blocks in a corresponding manner, thereby limiting the movement of the multiple moving plates.

[0007] The abutment plate has multiple sliding rods fitted onto it, and multiple first elastic elements are provided. Each of the multiple first elastic elements is fitted onto one of the multiple sliding rods on the bottom side of the abutment plate. When the button is pressed, the button drives the abutment plate to press against the multiple first elastic elements. The abutment plate slides downward along the multiple sliding rods, and the second limiting block moves with the abutment plate and disengages from the first limiting block.

[0008] The first limiting block is connected to the rack via a connecting plate. The connecting plate is installed on the adjacent side of the slide rod, and a receiving groove is provided on the connecting plate for the rack on the opposite side to pass through.

[0009] The cover plate has a disassembly assembly on its bottom side, which includes a box body fastened to the bottom side of the cover plate, a locking plate slidably connected to the inside of the box body, and multiple second elastic members installed inside the box body. The side wall of the cavity shell has a retaining groove, wherein the multiple second elastic members press the locking plate into the retaining groove to fix the cover plate to the side wall of the cavity shell.

[0010] The locking plate is connected to the first limiting block. The gears drive multiple racks and pull multiple first limiting blocks. The first limiting blocks compress multiple second elastic elements corresponding to them. The locking plate disengages from the holding groove, and the cover plate can be disassembled relative to the cavity shell.

[0011] The locking plate has multiple grooves on its surface, each groove has a fixed rod slidably connected to it, and each fixed rod has a trigger rod fixedly connected to its top. One end of each trigger rod passes through and extends to the outside of the box. Each trigger rod is slidably connected to the box. The first limiting block gradually moves closer to and presses against the trigger rod, causing the locking plate to slide in the box.

[0012] The cover plate has multiple third elastic elements on its bottom side. One end of each third elastic element is connected to a corresponding first limiting block, and the other end of each third elastic element is fixedly connected to the box body. The third elastic elements abut against the first limiting blocks to keep the moving plate in a closed state relative to the cover plate.

[0013] The mechanical leg assembly includes a motor installed in the cavity and a mechanical leg connected to the motor. The moving plate has a groove. The cavity has multiple modular interfaces. The cavity, cover plate and moving plate are all made of carbon fiber material.

[0014] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this invention also discloses a quadruped robot including the aforementioned quadruped robot shell structure.

[0015] The quadruped robot and its shell structure according to the present invention have the following beneficial effects: The shell structure of the quadruped robot includes: a cavity shell, with four mechanical leg assemblies respectively provided at the end corners of the cavity shell, and multiple movable plates respectively provided at the end corners of the cavity shell; a cover plate mounted on the cavity shell, with the multiple movable plates slidably connected to the bottom side of the cover plate; and a linkage assembly, which includes: a knob mounted on the top side of the cover plate and gears, multiple racks, and multiple first limiting blocks respectively mounted on the bottom side of the cover plate, wherein: the gears are connected to the knob, one end of each of the multiple racks is meshed with the gear, and the other end of each of the multiple racks is connected to the gear. The end, multiple first limit blocks, and multiple moving plates are connected one-to-one. Rotating the knob drives the gear to rotate, and the gear drives multiple racks to pull the first limit blocks and moving plates to slide along the cover plate. The multiple moving plates open or close synchronously relative to the cover plate to maintain the mechanical leg assembly inside the cavity. This provides users with flexible and diverse maintenance methods. It can perform maintenance operations on a single component or, when necessary, perform maintenance work on multiple components simultaneously, meeting the maintenance needs under different fault scenarios and improving maintenance efficiency. The structure is simple, occupies little space, and is conducive to intensive development. Attached Figure Description

[0016] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0017] Figure 1 This is an overall structural diagram of the shell of the quadruped robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the cavity shell of the quadruped robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the linkage component of the quadruped robot shell according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 4 For example, in the implementation of this invention Figure 3 A magnified structural diagram of part A shown.

[0021] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the explosion structure of the linkage component of the quadruped robot shell according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 6This is a schematic diagram showing the assembly position of multiple sliding rods on the shell of a quadruped robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the assembly position of the locking plate of the quadruped robot shell according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0024] 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.

[0025] like Figures 1-7 The image shows an embodiment of the quadruped robot shell structure of the present invention.

[0026] The outer shell structure of the quadruped robot in this embodiment includes: a cavity shell 1, with four mechanical leg assemblies respectively provided at the end corners of the cavity shell 1, and multiple movable plates 7 respectively provided at the end corners of the cavity shell 1; a cover plate 2 installed on the cavity shell 1, with the multiple movable plates 7 slidably connected to the bottom side of the cover plate 2; and a linkage assembly, which includes: a knob 3 installed on the top side of the cover plate 2 and gears 18, multiple racks 19 and multiple first limiting blocks 14 respectively installed on the bottom side of the cover plate 2.

[0027] In this configuration: Gear 18 is connected to knob 3, and one end of multiple racks 19 is meshed with gear 18. The other ends of multiple racks 19, multiple first limiting blocks 14, and multiple moving plates 7 are connected in a corresponding manner. Rotating knob 3 drives gear 18 to rotate, and gear 18 drives multiple racks 19 to pull the first limiting blocks 14 and moving plates 7 to slide along cover plate 2. Multiple moving plates 7 open or close synchronously relative to cover plate 2 to maintain the mechanical leg assembly inside cavity shell 1.

[0028] In specific implementation, the mechanical leg assembly includes: a motor 5 installed in the cavity shell 1 and a mechanical leg 6 connected to the motor 5. The quadruped robot can perform movements such as walking and turning through the motor 5 and the mechanical leg 6.

[0029] The cavity shell 1 has multiple modular interfaces, which facilitate the flexible installation of various functional modules inside the cavity shell 1, improving the functional expandability of the quadruped robot, meeting the diverse needs of different application scenarios, and enabling the quadruped robot to perform various tasks more efficiently.

[0030] Preferably, the top of each of the multiple movable plates 7 is provided with a groove 8, the locking component is installed inside the knob 3, and the disassembly component is installed at the bottom of the cover plate 2.

[0031] Furthermore, the knob 3 is rotatably connected to the top of the cover plate 2, and a gear 18 is fixedly connected to the bottom of the knob 3. Multiple racks 19 are meshed on the surface of the gear 18, and all racks 19 are slidably connected to the cover plate 2. A connecting plate 20 is fixedly connected to the side of each rack 19 away from the gear 18, and the connecting plate 20 is installed adjacent to the slide rod 10. Multiple first limiting blocks 14 are slidably connected to the bottom of the cover plate 2, and a moving plate 7 is fixedly connected to the opposite side of each first limiting block 14.

[0032] In practice, if a user needs to maintain a single motor 5 and mechanical leg 6, they can directly move the movable plate 7 through the groove 8 to disassemble and maintain the corresponding motor 5 and mechanical leg 6. If multiple motors 5 and mechanical legs 6 need to be maintained simultaneously, the user can turn the knob 3 to rotate the gear 18. Multiple racks 19 meshing with the gear 18 slide on the cover plate 2. The racks 19 drive the connecting plate 20 to move. The connecting plate 20 pulls multiple first limit blocks 14 and the movable plate 7, causing multiple movable plates 7 to open simultaneously, thereby enabling maintenance of the internal motors 5 and mechanical legs 6. This provides users with flexible and diverse maintenance methods, allowing for maintenance operations on a single component or, when necessary, simultaneous maintenance of multiple components, meeting maintenance needs under different fault scenarios and improving maintenance efficiency.

[0033] Preferably, the cavity shell 1, cover plate 2, and movable plate 7 are all made of carbon fiber. Using carbon fiber to construct the cavity shell 1, cover plate 2, and movable plate 7 effectively resists external impacts. During the daily operation of the quadruped robot, whether it's an accidental collision or a stumble in a complex environment, it protects the internal critical components from damage, ensuring the stable operation of the quadruped robot. Its lightweight nature also gives the quadruped robot better portability, reducing the burden on operators and improving operational efficiency when it needs to be moved, transported, or carried to specific areas for tasks. This allows for more flexible deployment in different scenarios, ensuring both performance and ease of use.

[0034] Furthermore, the locking component functions to limit and unlock the movable plate 7. The locking component includes: an abutment plate 12 installed inside the cavity shell 1, a button 4 installed on one side of the abutment plate 12, multiple second limiting blocks 13 respectively installed at the end corners of the abutment plate 12, and multiple first elastic members 11 for lifting the abutment plate 12. The button 4 is slidably connected to the knob 3. The first elastic members 11 press against the abutment plate 12 to tightly fit the multiple second limiting blocks 13 and the multiple first limiting blocks 14 one by one, thereby limiting the multiple movable plates 7.

[0035] Furthermore, multiple sliding rods 10 are sleeved on the abutting plate 12, and multiple first elastic elements 11 are provided. The multiple first elastic elements 11 are sleeved one-to-one on the multiple sliding rods 10 on the bottom side of the abutting plate 12. When the button 4 is pressed, the button 4 drives the abutting plate 12 to press against the multiple first elastic elements 11. The abutting plate 12 slides downward along the multiple sliding rods 10, and the second limiting block 13 moves with the abutting plate 12 and disengages from the first limiting block 14.

[0036] In this embodiment, the first elastic element 11, the second elastic element 23, and the third elastic element 15 can all be springs. When the user presses the button 4, the button 4 slides downward within the knob 3, and the abutment plate 12 and the second limiting block 13 connected to its bottom end also slide on the surface of the slide bar 10, causing the second limiting block 13 to disengage from the first limiting block 14, at which point the movable plate 7 can be opened normally.

[0037] If button 4 is not pressed, the first spring 11 lifts the abutment plate 12, and the second limiting block 13 fits tightly against the first limiting block 14. At this time, if the moving plate 7 is pushed or the knob 3 is turned, the first limiting block 14 will be blocked by the second limiting block 13, and the moving plate 7 cannot be opened normally. This effectively prevents the moving plate 7 from being accidentally opened due to accidental touch or collision, providing safety protection for the internal structure of the quadruped robot, avoiding exposure and damage to internal components in non-maintenance scenarios, and ensuring the stability and safety of equipment operation.

[0038] Preferably, the first limiting block 14 is connected to the rack 19 via a connecting plate 20, and the connecting plate 20 has a receiving groove 21 for the rack on the opposite side to pass through.

[0039] The purpose of this arrangement is that the receiving groove 21 allows the rack 19 to pass through when the two connecting plates 20 are brought together, preventing the connecting plates 20 from blocking the rack 19 and causing the connecting plates 20 to be unable to move further. When the connecting plates 20 move, they can synchronously push the first limiting block 14 to move.

[0040] Furthermore, the disassembly assembly serves to enable quick installation and removal of the cover plate 2. The disassembly assembly includes: a housing 16 fastened to the bottom side of the cover plate 2; a locking plate 17 slidably connected inside the housing 16; and multiple second elastic elements 23 installed inside the housing 16. The side wall of the cavity 1 is provided with a retaining groove 9. Specifically, the multiple second elastic elements 23 press against the locking plate 17, inserting it into the retaining groove 9 to fix the cover plate 2 to the side wall of the cavity 1. The locking plate 17 is connected to the first limiting block 14. The gear 18 respectively drives multiple racks 19 and pulls multiple first limiting blocks 14. The first limiting blocks 14 compress their corresponding multiple second elastic elements 23, causing the locking plate 17 to disengage from the retaining groove 9, allowing the cover plate 2 to be disassembled relative to the cavity 1.

[0041] During implementation, when the locking plate 17 is inserted into the retaining slot 9, the cover plate 2 can be fixed to the cavity shell 1 to prevent loosening. Preferably, the surface of the locking plate 17 is provided with multiple sliding grooves 25, and each of the multiple sliding grooves 25 is slidably connected to a fixed rod 22. Each of the multiple fixed rods 22 is fixedly connected to a trigger rod 24 at its top end. One end of each trigger rod 24 passes through and extends to the outside of the box body 16. Each trigger rod 24 is slidably connected to the box body 16. In this case, the first limiting block 14 gradually approaches and presses against the trigger rod 24, and the locking plate 17 slides in the box body 16 in conjunction with the action.

[0042] During implementation, as the first limiting block 14 gradually approaches and presses against the trigger rod 24, it drives the fixing rod 22 to slide in the slide groove 25, which in turn drives the locking plate 17 to slide inside the box 16 and squeeze the second elastic element 23, ultimately causing the locking plate 17 to disengage from the holding groove 9, thereby enabling the cover plate 2 to be quickly disassembled.

[0043] Furthermore, a plurality of third elastic elements 15 are provided on the bottom side of the cover plate 2. One end of each of the plurality of third elastic elements 15 is connected to a plurality of first limiting blocks 14 in a one-to-one correspondence. The other end of each of the plurality of third elastic elements 15 is fixedly connected to the box body 16. In this way, the moving plate 7 is kept in a closed state relative to the cover plate 2 by the third elastic elements 15 abutting against the first limiting blocks 14.

[0044] The purpose of this setting is to ensure that the moving plate 7 is automatically kept in the closed state when no force is applied by the third elastic element 15 pressing against the first limiting block 14.

[0045] Preferably, the function of mounting the connecting plate 20 on the adjacent side of the slide bar 10 is that the multiple slide bars 10 are arranged on the opposite side of the connecting plate 20, which can block the connecting plate 20 and prevent the third elastic element 15 from excessively pushing the connecting plate 20, causing the rack 19 to disengage from the gear 18.

[0046] The present invention also discloses a quadruped robot having the above-mentioned quadruped robot shell structure. The specific implementation of the quadruped robot is the same as that of the shell structure, and will not be repeated here.

[0047] In this embodiment, when the quadruped robot and its shell structure are implemented, the user rotates the knob 3 to drive the gear 18 to rotate, which in turn drives the rack 19 and the connecting plate 20 to move. After multiple moving plates 7 are opened, the knob 3 is rotated again, causing multiple first limiting blocks 14 to gradually move closer together. The first limiting blocks 14 will press against the trigger rod 24, and the trigger rod 24 will drive the fixed rod 22 to slide in the slide groove 25, thereby causing the locking plate 17 to press the second elastic element 23. At this time, the locking plate 17 is disengaged from the holding groove 9, and the user can disassemble the cover plate 2 and its connected structure as a whole, which facilitates the replacement or maintenance of the internal components of the shell, and makes it easier to operate the internal components of the quadruped robot, improving the convenience and efficiency of maintenance.

[0048] The quadruped robot and its shell structure in this embodiment have the following beneficial effects: The shell structure of the quadruped robot includes: a cavity shell, with four mechanical leg assemblies respectively provided at the end corners of the cavity shell, and multiple movable plates respectively provided at the end corners of the cavity shell; a cover plate installed on the cavity shell, with the multiple movable plates slidably connected to the bottom side of the cover plate; and a linkage assembly, which includes: a knob installed on the top side of the cover plate and gears, multiple racks, and multiple first limiting blocks respectively installed on the bottom side of the cover plate, wherein: the gears are connected to the knob, one end of each of the multiple racks is meshed with the gear, and the other end of each of the multiple racks is connected to the gear. The end, multiple first limit blocks, and multiple moving plates are connected one-to-one. Rotating the knob drives the gear to rotate, and the gear drives multiple racks to pull the first limit blocks and moving plates to slide along the cover plate. The multiple moving plates open or close synchronously relative to the cover plate to maintain the mechanical leg assembly inside the cavity. This provides users with flexible and diverse maintenance methods. It can perform maintenance operations on a single component or, when necessary, perform maintenance work on multiple components simultaneously, meeting the maintenance needs under different fault scenarios and improving maintenance efficiency. The structure is simple, occupies little space, and is conducive to intensive development.

Claims

1. A shell structure for a quadruped robot, characterized in that, include: The cavity shell has four mechanical leg assemblies at its inner corners, and multiple movable plates at its inner corners. A cover plate is installed on the cavity shell, and multiple movable plates are slidably connected to the bottom side of the cover plate; as well as The linkage assembly includes: a knob mounted on the top side of the cover plate, and gears, multiple racks, and multiple first limiting blocks respectively mounted on the bottom side of the cover plate, wherein: The gear is connected to the knob, and one end of each of the plurality of racks is respectively meshed with the gear. The other ends of the plurality of racks, the plurality of first limiting blocks, and the plurality of movable plates are correspondingly connected, wherein: Rotating the knob drives the gear to rotate, and the gear is linked to multiple racks to pull the first limiting block and the moving plate to slide along the cover plate. The multiple moving plates open or close synchronously relative to the cover plate to maintain the mechanical leg assembly inside the cavity.

2. The shell structure of the quadruped robot as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: A locking assembly, comprising: an abutment plate disposed inside the cavity shell; a button disposed on one side of the abutment plate; multiple second limiting blocks respectively disposed at the end corners of the abutment plate; and multiple first elastic members for abutting the abutment plate, wherein: The first elastic member presses against the abutment plate to tightly fit the plurality of second limiting blocks and the plurality of first limiting blocks in a one-to-one correspondence, thereby limiting the movement of the plurality of moving plates.

3. The shell structure of the quadruped robot as described in claim 2, characterized in that, Multiple sliding rods are sleeved on the abutment plate, and multiple first elastic elements are provided. Each of the multiple first elastic elements is sleeved one-to-one on the multiple sliding rods on one side of the bottom of the abutment plate, wherein: Pressing the button causes the abutment plate to press against the plurality of first elastic members. The abutment plate slides downward along the plurality of sliding rods, and the second limiting block moves with the abutment plate and disengages from the first limiting block.

4. The shell structure of the quadruped robot as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The first limiting block is connected to the rack via a connecting plate. The connecting plate is installed on the adjacent side of the slide rod, and a receiving groove is provided on the connecting plate for the rack on the opposite side to pass through.

5. The shell structure of the quadruped robot as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The bottom side of the cover plate is provided with a disassembly assembly, which includes: a box body fastened to the bottom side of the cover plate, a locking plate slidably connected to the inside of the box body, and a plurality of second elastic elements installed inside the box body; the side wall of the cavity shell is provided with a retaining groove, wherein: The plurality of second elastic elements press against the locking plate and insert it into the retaining groove, thereby fixing the cover plate to the side wall of the cavity shell.

6. The shell structure of the quadruped robot as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The locking plate is connected to the first limiting block, wherein: The gears are linked to the multiple racks and pull the multiple first limiting blocks. The first limiting blocks compress the multiple second elastic elements corresponding to them. The locking plate disengages from the retaining groove, and the cover plate can be disassembled relative to the cavity shell.

7. The shell structure of the quadruped robot as described in claim 5 or 6, characterized in that, The locking plate has multiple sliding grooves on its surface, each groove containing a fixed rod that is slidably connected to it. Each fixed rod has a trigger rod fixedly connected to its top end. One end of each trigger rod extends through the outer side of the housing, and all trigger rods are slidably connected to the housing. The first limiting block gradually moves closer to and presses against the trigger rod, causing the locking plate to slide within the housing.

8. The shell structure of the quadruped robot as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The bottom side of the cover plate is provided with a plurality of third elastic elements, one end of each of the plurality of third elastic elements being connected to a plurality of first limiting blocks one by one, and the other end of each of the plurality of third elastic elements being fixedly connected to the box body, wherein: The third elastic element abuts against the first limiting block, keeping the moving plate in a closed state relative to the cover plate.

9. The shell structure of the quadruped robot as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The mechanical leg assembly includes: a motor installed in the cavity and a mechanical leg connected to the motor; the moving plate is provided with a groove. The cavity shell is equipped with multiple modular interfaces, and the cavity shell, the cover plate and the movable plate are all made of carbon fiber material.

10. A quadruped robot, characterized in that, The quadruped robot includes the shell structure of the quadruped robot as described in any one of claims 1-9.

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