A shock-absorbing energy-saving amphibious robot

Abstract

The application relates to the technical field of mobile robots, in particular to a shock-absorbing energy-saving amphibious robot, which comprises a body frame, a flight system, a central function module and at least one wheel-leg mechanism; the flight system is arranged above the body frame to provide flight power; the central function module is arranged in the middle and is responsible for energy supply and cooperative control; the wheel-leg mechanism is arranged below and comprises a thigh connecting rod, a shank connecting rod, a joint driving unit, a wheel-leg shock-absorbing energy storage mechanism, an energy recovery mechanism and a flywheel inertia energy storage mechanism; the thigh connecting rod and the shank connecting rod are rotationally connected through a joint shaft, and the joint driving unit controls the rotation of the joint; the shock-absorbing energy storage mechanism absorbs and releases mechanical energy, the energy recovery mechanism converts the mechanical energy into electric energy for recovery, and the flywheel inertia energy storage mechanism is transmissionally connected with the driving unit, and the three components cooperatively form a multi-stage energy management system. The application can realize landing shock-absorbing protection and energy recovery and utilization, and improve the endurance and take-off and landing stability of the robot.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of mobile robot technology, and in particular to a shock-absorbing, energy-saving amphibious robot. Background Technology

[0002] In high-risk scenarios such as special operations and emergency rescue, mobile robots, with their autonomous perception capabilities and high mobility, have become crucial tools for completing complex tasks. However, traditional robots often rely on a single mode of movement, which has significant limitations: ground robots are easily hindered in rugged or unstructured terrain, resulting in limited mobility and obstacle-crossing capabilities; while aerial robots can quickly traverse obstacles, their endurance is limited and they are difficult to deploy in environments requiring covert operations. The limitations of a single mode make it difficult for robots to balance flexibility, adaptability, and continuous operation capabilities in multi-terrain tasks. To overcome this bottleneck, amphibious robots have emerged, aiming to combine the advantages of air and ground mobility. However, existing systems still face problems such as high energy consumption and insufficient takeoff and landing stability, requiring further optimization and improvement. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this application is to overcome the above-mentioned defects of the prior art and thus provide a shock-absorbing and energy-saving amphibious robot.

[0004] To solve the aforementioned technical problems, the technical solution provided in this application offers a shock-absorbing, energy-saving amphibious robot, comprising: a body frame, a flight system, a central functional module, and at least one wheel-leg mechanism; wherein, The flight system is mounted above the fuselage frame and is used to provide the robot with the power for aerial flight; The central functional module is located in the middle of the body frame and includes: a battery, a power management module, and a wheel-leg coordination control module; The wheel-leg mechanism is located below the body frame and includes a thigh link 1, a lower leg link 2, a joint shaft 9, a joint drive unit 6, a wheel-leg buffer energy storage mechanism 8, an energy recovery mechanism, and a flywheel inertial energy storage mechanism; wherein... One end of the thigh link 1 is connected to the body frame, and the other end is rotatably connected to the lower leg link 2 through the joint axis 9 to form a wheel-leg joint. The joint drive unit 6 is disposed at the wheel-leg joint and is used to drive the relative rotation between the thigh link 1 and the lower leg link 2, and to actively control the joint movement. The wheel-leg buffer energy storage mechanism 8 includes: a torsion spring elastic element disposed at the wheel-leg joint. The torsion spring elastic element undergoes elastic deformation as the angle of the wheel-leg joint decreases when the robot lands, so as to absorb the landing impact energy and store it as elastic potential energy. The elastic potential energy is released during the rotation of the wheel-leg joint to assist the wheel-leg joint in restoring its posture. The energy recovery mechanism is coupled to the joint drive unit 6 and is used to convert the mechanical energy generated during the movement of the wheel-leg joint into electrical energy by utilizing the back electromotive force generated by the joint drive motor in the driven state, and feed it back to the power management module in the central functional module. The flywheel inertial energy storage mechanism is connected to the joint drive unit 6; it is used to absorb instantaneous energy exceeding the battery recovery capacity during the land contact phase and the landing wheel leg joint compression buffer phase; and it is used to release rotational kinetic energy to assist the wheel leg joint rotation during the wheel leg joint rotation recovery phase, based on the difference between the release torque of the torsion spring elastic element and the torque required for the wheel leg joint attitude recovery. The wheel-leg buffer energy storage mechanism 8, the energy recovery mechanism, and the flywheel inertial energy storage mechanism, together with the joint drive unit 6, constitute a multi-level energy management system. The wheel-leg collaborative control module is configured to switch the working states of the torsion spring elastic element, the joint drive motor, the energy recovery mechanism, and the flywheel inertial energy storage mechanism according to the landing contact stage, the wheel-leg joint compression buffer stage, the wheel-leg joint rotation recovery stage, and the landing support stage, so that the landing impact energy is processed in stages through the elastic energy storage of the torsion spring elastic element, the regenerative braking of the joint drive motor, and the transient energy storage of the flywheel inertial energy storage mechanism 8.

[0005] As an improvement to the above technical solution, the wheel-leg buffer energy storage mechanism 8 is used to extend the impact time and attenuate the impact load through elastic deformation during the robot's landing contact phase and wheel-leg joint compression buffer phase, so as to achieve buffer protection for the robot body; during the joint rotation process, the wheel-leg buffer energy storage mechanism 8 releases the elastic potential energy and converts it into mechanical energy to drive the joint rotation, so as to cooperate with the joint drive unit 6 to realize the posture recovery of the wheel-leg joint.

[0006] As an improvement to the above technical solution, the torsion spring elastic element remains in a partially extended state after the joint rotates to a preset extended posture, so as to continuously provide elastic torque to compensate for the output torque of the joint drive unit 6.

[0007] As an improvement to the above technical solution, the joint drive unit 6 switches to auxiliary drive mode during the wheel-leg joint rotation recovery phase, and achieves joint posture recovery by outputting auxiliary drive torque in conjunction with the rebound of the torsion spring elastic element.

[0008] As an improvement to the above technical solution, the joint drive unit 6 includes a joint drive motor and a joint control module; when the joint is subjected to external force and rotates at a decreasing angle, the joint control module controls the joint drive motor to apply a reverse damping torque to the joint to suppress excessively fast joint rotation.

[0009] As an improvement to the above technical solution, the energy recovery mechanism uses the back electromotive force generated by the joint drive motor in the driven state to convert the mechanical energy generated during the joint movement into electrical energy and feed it back to the power management module in the central functional module. The torsion spring elastic element maintains the preset pre-tension angle after the wheel leg joint returns to the preset unfolding angle, so as to continuously provide support torque to the wheel leg joint, thereby reducing the continuous output torque of the joint drive motor in the waiting landing posture or standing posture.

[0010] As an improvement to the above technical solution, the flywheel inertial energy storage mechanism includes an inertial rotor, which is connected to the joint drive unit 6 via gear transmission, belt transmission or coaxial connection. The flywheel inertial energy storage mechanism is used to store rotational kinetic energy when the joint rotation speed is higher than a preset threshold, and to release rotational kinetic energy to assist joint drive when the joint rotation speed is lower than the preset threshold.

[0011] As an improvement to the above technical solution, the wheel-leg mechanism is provided with a drive wheel 7 at the end of the lower leg link 2 away from the joint. The drive wheel 7 is used to provide ground motion driving force and to provide support and posture stability during robot take-off and landing.

[0012] As an improvement to the above technical solution, the torsion spring elastic element provides a portion of the torque required by the joint drive motor through its own elastic force, thereby reducing the torque required to be output by the joint drive motor, reducing energy consumption and heat generation.

[0013] The advantages of this application are that the shock-absorbing and energy-saving amphibious robot provided by this application has a wheel-leg buffer energy storage mechanism that can absorb landing impact, attenuate load, protect the body and store elastic potential energy, and assist joint reset; an energy recovery mechanism that converts the mechanical energy of joint movement into electrical energy recovery, improving energy efficiency; and a flywheel inertial energy storage mechanism that can store and release electrical energy based on the joint rotation speed. These three components work together with the joint drive unit to achieve a closed loop of buffering, energy storage and recovery, which not only enhances landing stability and protection, but also significantly reduces energy consumption and extends endurance, taking into account both land and air mobility and high energy efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0014] Figure 1 This is a structural schematic diagram of the shock-absorbing and energy-saving amphibious robot provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram showing the installation of the wheel-leg buffer energy storage mechanism 8 with the thigh link 1 and the lower leg link 2. Detailed Implementation

[0015] The purpose of this invention is to provide an amphibious robot that can achieve shock absorption control and energy saving, in order to solve the technical problems of high energy consumption and insufficient jumping and landing stability of existing amphibious robots.

[0016] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, this amphibious robot mainly consists of a body frame, a flight system, a wheel-leg mechanism, and a wheel-leg cushioning mechanism. These components work together through mechanical connections and a control system to achieve multiple functions, including aerial flight, cushioned landing, and ground movement. The specific composition and function of each structure are as follows: The overall robot is based on a central body structure. The body frame serves as the core load-bearing structure of the entire robot. On the one hand, it is used to install the central functional module 5, and on the other hand, it provides rigid connection and structural support for the upper flight system and the lower wheel and leg mechanism. It is the basic structure of the entire robot.

[0017] The flight system consists of a propeller mounting frame, a propeller 3, and a brushless motor 4. The propeller mounting frame is connected to the upper part of the body frame and includes several arms. The propeller 3 and the brushless motor 4 are respectively installed at the end of each arm. The brushless motor 4 drives the propeller 3 to rotate and generate lift, thereby realizing the robot's vertical take-off and landing, hovering in the air, and attitude control in the air.

[0018] The wheel-leg mechanism includes at least one wheel-leg assembly. Each wheel-leg assembly consists of a thigh link 1, a lower leg link 2, a joint shaft 9, a joint drive unit 6, a wheel-leg buffer energy storage mechanism 8, an energy recovery mechanism, and a flywheel inertial energy storage mechanism.

[0019] The first end of the thigh link 1 is connected to the lower part of the frame, and the second end is rotatably connected to the first end of the lower leg link 2 through the joint axis 9. The two form a multi-link structure to realize the extension and retraction of the leg and the adjustment of posture. The core of the wheel-leg buffer energy storage mechanism 8 is a torsion spring elastic element, which includes a first leg, a middle torsion section, and a second leg. For example... Figure 2 As shown, the joint shaft 9 passes through the middle torsion section of the torsion spring elastic element, thereby installing the torsion spring elastic element to the joint connecting the thigh link 1 and the lower leg link 2. Both the thigh link 1 and the lower leg link 2 are provided with mounting slots for mounting the legs of the torsion spring elastic element. Through the corresponding mounting slots, the first leg of the torsion spring elastic element is fixedly connected to the thigh link 1, and the second leg of the torsion spring elastic element is fixedly connected to the lower leg link 2. When the robot lands, the joint rotates due to the impact, causing the torsion spring elastic element to undergo elastic deformation, thereby absorbing the landing impact energy and achieving a buffer landing effect; at the same time, during the joint rebound process, the torsion spring elastic element releases the stored elastic potential energy, assisting the wheel and leg to return to the initial posture. After the wheel and leg return to the initial posture, the torsion spring elastic element is in a partially extended state, continuously providing elastic force, which effectively provides a portion of the torque required by the joint drive motor, assisting the wheel and leg to maintain the initial posture.

[0020] The joint drive unit 6 is located at the joint connecting thigh link 1 and lower leg link 2. It integrates a joint drive motor and a joint control module. Under the control of the joint control module, the joint drive motor can drive the thigh link 1 and lower leg link 2 to rotate relative to each other. This active drive can adapt to the ground movement requirements of different terrains by precisely controlling the joint rotation angle and speed. During the robot's take-off and jumping phase, it can provide active driving force for the extension of the wheeled legs, improving the initial jumping speed and height. When the robot's wheeled leg mechanism is in the extended state (such as during the robot's standing phase or the waiting-to-landing phase), the joint drive unit 6 provides torque output to keep the thigh link 1 and lower leg link 2 at a preset initial angle. The energy recovery mechanism is used to recover energy during the joint rotation process, that is, during the process of the joint recovering its posture under the action of the elastic potential energy of the torsion spring elastic element. Through the joint drive unit 6, the mechanical energy of the joint movement generated by the robot landing impact and released after being stored in the torsion spring elastic energy is converted into electrical energy, and the electrical energy is fed back to the power system through the back electromotive force to complete the energy recovery, thereby improving the overall energy utilization efficiency of the robot and achieving energy saving effect. The flywheel inertial energy storage mechanism is located inside the joint drive unit 6 or at the joint axis 9. Its core is an inertial rotor, which is connected to the joint drive unit 6 via a transmission mechanism. This rotor can store or release rotational kinetic energy during joint movement, thereby regulating the system's instantaneous power demand and assisting in the driving action of the wheel-leg joints. Specifically, the inertial rotor is a small flywheel rotor, which is connected to the joint drive motor via a gear set, belt drive, or coaxial coupling. During normal robot operation, if the joint drive motor is under light load or the system has excess energy, the motor can drive the small flywheel rotor to accelerate its rotation. Based on the principle of rigid body rotational kinetic energy, the flywheel's rotational kinetic energy E... k =1 / 2Jω², where J is the moment of inertia of the flywheel and ω is the angular velocity of the flywheel. Under the premise that the moment of inertia J of the flywheel is fixed, the motor drives the flywheel to accelerate its rotation, which will increase its angular velocity ω. The rotational kinetic energy of the flywheel increases quadratically, thereby efficiently converting the excess electrical or mechanical energy of the system into the rotational kinetic energy of the flywheel to achieve energy storage. When the system needs instantaneous high power output, the small flywheel rotor needs to release energy through deceleration. The reason is that the rotational kinetic energy of the flywheel is proportional to the square of its own rotational angular velocity. During the deceleration process, the rotational angular velocity ω of the flywheel decreases, and its stored rotational kinetic energy can be released quickly. It can be directly converted into mechanical energy that can drive the joint movement by relying on the mechanical transmission structure, or the mechanical energy can be inverted into electrical energy through the electromagnetic induction principle of the motor to provide additional torque for the joint drive, or the motor can be used to generate electricity to support the system's power supply.

[0021] The robot constructs a multi-level energy management system through the wheel-leg buffer energy storage mechanism 8, the energy recovery mechanism, and the flywheel inertial energy storage mechanism. It realizes the coordinated operation of mechanical energy storage, inertial energy storage, and electrical energy recovery throughout the entire process of landing, rebounding, and takeoff, effectively improving the overall energy utilization efficiency of the system. Because the system can recover and reuse the originally dissipated impact energy and excess drive energy, it reduces the power output demand of the power system. At the same time, the inertial energy storage of the flywheel can smooth the instantaneous power fluctuations of the system and avoid energy loss caused by high current discharge of the power supply, thereby reducing energy consumption during flight.

[0022] When the robot descends from the air and touches the ground, the leg links rotate first, causing the torsion spring elastic elements to deform elastically, thus absorbing some of the landing impact energy, achieving a buffering effect, and reducing the impact load on the robot body. Simultaneously, the joint drive unit 6, under the action of the joint control module, provides damping control, making joint movement smoother. The energy recovery mechanism can convert some mechanical energy into electrical energy and recover it to the power system through the back electromotive force of the motor, thereby improving overall energy utilization efficiency and achieving a certain degree of energy saving. When the robot stands upright, the torsion spring elastic elements can provide a portion of the torque required by the joint drive motors through their own elastic force, thereby reducing the torque output required by the joint drive motors, reducing energy consumption, reducing heat generation, and further enhancing the energy-saving effect.

[0023] The wheel-leg mechanism also features a drive wheel 7 at the second end of the lower leg link 2. This drive wheel 7 provides driving force for the robot's ground movement and also provides auxiliary support and attitude stabilization during takeoff and landing. When in contact with the ground, the drive wheel 7 serves as the core driving component for the robot's ground movement. During the robot's takeoff preparation phase, the attitude adjustment of the wheel-leg assembly, combined with the ground support provided by the drive wheel 7, achieves body attitude adjustment, improving takeoff stability. During takeoff, the joint drive motor adjusts the attitude of the wheel-leg assembly to maintain a suitable takeoff angle. The drive wheel 7 provides support and assists in attitude adjustment upon contact with the ground. At this time, the lift generated by the flight system and the attitude adjustment of the wheel-leg assembly work together to enable the robot to complete takeoff more stably, improving takeoff efficiency and operational safety.

[0024] The central functional module 5 is an integrated electronics and power unit located in the middle of the chassis frame. It integrates the flight controller, battery, and related control circuits, serving as the power and control center of the entire robot. On one hand, it provides power to the brushless motor 4 of the flight system and the joint drive motors of the wheel-leg mechanism. On the other hand, it processes data collected by various sensors and issues control commands, achieving unified and coordinated control of the robot's flight and ground movements. Specifically, the central functional module 5 integrates a flight controller, battery, power management module, wheel-leg coordination control module, and sensor interface circuitry. It can collect data such as the robot's attitude, speed, and joint movement status, and coordinate the control of the flight system and wheel-leg mechanism according to operational requirements, enabling flexible switching between flight and ground modes. The wheel-leg coordinated control module is configured to switch the working states of the torsion spring elastic element, joint drive motor, energy recovery mechanism and flywheel inertial energy storage mechanism according to the landing contact phase, wheel-leg joint compression buffer phase, wheel-leg joint rotation recovery phase and landing support phase, so that the landing impact energy is processed in stages through elastic energy storage of the torsion spring elastic element, regenerative braking of the joint drive motor and transient energy storage of the flywheel inertial energy storage mechanism 8.

[0025] In this embodiment, the flight system adopts a quadcopter structure, consisting of four brushless motors 4 and corresponding propellers 3 forming a typical quadcopter propulsion system. The central functional module 5 controls the pitch, roll and yaw attitude control of the robot by controlling the speed difference of each brushless motor 4, providing the robot with comprehensive aerial maneuverability. The wheel-leg mechanism is equipped with two linkage groups, and the robot as a whole forms a quadcopter wheel-leg composite structure, which can flexibly switch between flight mode, buffer landing mode and ground movement mode, realizing multi-mode movement capability of amphibious operation.

[0026] The operating status of each component during the landing process is as follows: When the robot enters the landing phase, the flight system is first controlled by the central functional module 5. The brushless motor 4 reduces its speed, and the rotational lift of the propeller 3 gradually decreases, driving the robot to descend smoothly at a preset speed. At the same time, the flight controller collects the body attitude data in real time and fine-tunes the speed difference of each brushless motor 4 to keep the body level and avoid landing yaw. The central functional module 5 enters the landing cooperative control mode, continuously collecting the joint motion status of the wheel-leg mechanism and ground contact sensor data, and issuing action commands to each component of the wheel-leg mechanism. The wheel-leg mechanism is in the ready-to-buffer deployed state, with the thigh link 1 and the lower leg link 2 maintaining the preset initial buffer angle, and the drive wheel 7 pointing downwards to prepare for ground contact. The joint control module of the joint drive unit 6 is in the active state, and the joint drive motor outputs torque to keep the thigh link 1 and the lower leg link 2 at the preset initial buffer angle. The torsion spring elastic element is in the initial state of not being fully extended, and the elasticity assists the thigh link 1 and the lower leg link 2 in maintaining the preset initial buffer angle. The energy recovery mechanism and the flywheel inertial energy storage mechanism are both in the active ready state.

[0027] When the drive wheel 7 first contacts the ground, the landing impact officially occurs: the ground reaction force instantly acts on the drive wheel 7 and is transmitted upward along the lower leg link 2 to the joint connecting the thigh link 1 and the lower leg link 2. The lower leg link 2 passively rotates around the joint axis 9 towards the body. The thigh link 1, under the influence of the body weight and the linkage transmission force, rapidly reduces the relative angle with the lower leg link 2. This joint rotation directly drives the torsion spring elastic element to undergo torsional elastic deformation, entering an energy storage state, rapidly absorbing the kinetic energy generated by the landing impact and converting it into elastic potential energy. The joint control module of the joint drive unit 6 immediately captures the joint rotation signal, triggering active damping control. The joint drive motor adjusts according to the joint... The rotation speed and amplitude are controlled by applying a reverse damping torque to suppress rapid joint rotation and prevent excessive deformation of the torsion spring. The energy recovery mechanism starts synchronously, and with the passive rotation of the joint, the joint drive motor performs driven motion, generating a back electromotive force through electromagnetic induction, which initially converts some of the mechanical energy of the joint rotation into electrical energy and temporarily stores it in the power management module. The flywheel rotor of the flywheel inertial energy storage mechanism is subjected to the instantaneous force of the joint transmission, and its speed increases slightly, absorbing some of the impact kinetic energy to complete instantaneous energy storage and smoothing the power pulsation at the joint. Under the buffering effect of the wheel-leg mechanism, the fuselage frame only bears the attenuated small impact load, and the precision components of the central functional module 5 and the flight system are effectively protected.

[0028] After the peak impact, the robot's body gradually touches the ground. The brushless motor 4 of the flight system further reduces its speed, and the lift of the propeller 3 decreases to a state that matches the robot's weight. Until the robot lands completely, the brushless motor 4 stops rotating, and the propeller 3 stops rotating. The joint rotation speed of the wheel-leg mechanism gradually slows down, and the deformation of the torsion spring elastic element reaches its peak, completing energy storage. The damping torque of the joint drive motor decreases synchronously with the decrease in joint rotation speed, maintaining the stability of joint movement. The mechanical energy conversion efficiency of the energy recovery mechanism gradually decreases with the slowing down of joint rotation speed until the joint rotation tends to stop. The flywheel inertial energy storage mechanism maintains an instantaneous energy storage state, preparing for subsequent joint rotation.

[0029] The working status of each component during the joint rotation process is as follows: After the robot completes the landing buffer, it enters the joint rotation phase. The core objective is to restore the initial attitude of the wheel-leg mechanism in preparation for subsequent ground movement or takeoff. During this process, all components work together: the central functional module 5 switches to attitude recovery control mode and issues rotation control commands to the joint drive unit 6. At the same time, the power management module prepares for energy recovery and distribution. The flight system remains in a stopped state, with the brushless motor 4 and propeller 3 inactive to avoid interfering with the attitude recovery of the robot. The body frame remains stably grounded, providing rigid support for the attitude recovery of the wheel-leg mechanism.

[0030] Part of the power for joint rotation is provided by the release of stored energy from the torsion spring elastic element. The torsion spring elastic element rebounds from its peak deformation state, and the elastic potential energy is quickly converted into the mechanical energy of joint rotation, pushing the lower leg link 2 to rotate around the joint axis 9 in a direction away from the body. The thigh link 1 remains relatively fixed to the body frame, and the relative angle between the two gradually returns to the initial preset angle. The joint control module of the joint drive unit 6 adjusts the joint drive motor in real time. On the one hand, it no longer applies reverse damping torque, but instead provides a small active driving force to assist the torsion spring rebound and improve the response speed of posture recovery. On the other hand, by precisely controlling the output torque of the motor, it limits the speed of joint rotation and avoids the torsion spring rebound overshoot, which would cause a secondary collision between the joint and the body. The drive wheel 7 rolls passively with the rotation of the lower leg link 2, always maintaining contact with the ground, providing ground support for the posture recovery of the wheel-leg mechanism and preventing the body from tipping over.

[0031] The energy recovery mechanism operates throughout the joint rotation process. The torsion spring rebounds, driving the joint to rotate, causing the joint drive motor to continuously perform driven motion. Through electromagnetic induction, excess mechanical energy during joint rotation is continuously converted into electrical energy. This electrical energy is then fed back to the power management module of the central functional module 5 via back electromotive force, completing the energy recovery and storage in the battery, thus achieving energy reuse. The flywheel inertial energy storage mechanism operates dynamically according to the power demand of joint rotation. When the mechanical energy of the torsion spring rebound is sufficient and the joint rotation power is excessive, the flywheel rotor is accelerated to rotate by the joint transmission force, converting the excess mechanical energy into rotational kinetic energy to complete energy storage. When the mechanical energy of the torsion spring rebound is insufficient and the joint rotation requires additional power, the flywheel rotor decelerates and releases energy, converting the stored rotational kinetic energy into the mechanical energy of joint rotation, providing additional torque for joint rotation, and ensuring the smoothness and efficiency of the posture recovery process.

[0032] When the relative angle between the lower leg link 2 and the thigh link 1 returns to the initial preset angle, the joint rotation is completed. The torsion spring elastic element rebounds to a partially extended state. The torsion spring elastic element can provide a portion of the torque required by the joint drive motor through its own elastic force, thereby reducing the torque required by the joint drive motor, reducing energy consumption, and reducing heat generation. The joint drive motor of the joint drive unit 6 continues to output, keeping the relative angle between the lower leg link 2 and the thigh link 1 at the initial preset angle, fixing the initial posture of the wheel-leg mechanism. The energy recovery mechanism and the flywheel inertial energy storage mechanism are disconnected, stopping energy input. The drive wheel 7 maintains stable contact with the ground, and the robot completes the entire landing process. It can be switched to ground motion mode by the central functional module 5.

[0033] In summary, this amphibious robot uses a frame as its basic support structure. The flight system provides propulsion via propellers 3 and brushless motors 4. The central functional module 5 manages the robot's energy supply and control. The wheel-leg mechanism, through thigh links 1, lower leg links 2, and joint drive units 6 combined with torsion springs for energy storage, enables landing cushioning and energy recovery. The drive wheels 7 provide ground motion propulsion and takeoff / landing assistance. The coordinated operation of these components allows the robot to simultaneously possess quadcopter flight capabilities, ground mobility, and cushioned landing capabilities, ultimately achieving a multi-mode amphibious mobility effect.

[0034] Through the aforementioned structural design, this amphibious robot possesses the following technical advantages: 1. Efficient Landing Impact Buffering: The lower half of the robot's body is equipped with a wheel-leg buffer mechanism. The thigh link 1 and the lower leg link 2 are connected by joints, and the joint drive unit 6 integrates a torsion spring elastic element. When the robot descends from the air and contacts the ground, the ground impact force first acts on the end drive wheel 7, and then is transmitted upwards along the lower leg link 2 to the thigh link 1 and the body frame. Unlike traditional rigid landing methods, this wheel-leg buffer mechanism does not directly transmit the impact load to the body, but rather prolongs the force exposure time and disperses the impact energy through the rotational deformation of the wheel-leg joints. During the landing process, the drive wheel 7 makes contact with the ground first. The ground reaction force causes the lower leg link 2 to rotate relative to the joint axis 9. Because there is a torsion spring at the joint, the rotation of the link causes the torsion spring to generate angular displacement and elastic deformation, which transforms the instantaneous impact load that was originally concentrated on the fuselage into the elastic potential energy of the torsion spring and the rotational kinetic energy of the joint, thus achieving the initial absorption of the landing impact energy. Subsequently, the multi-link mechanism formed by the thigh link 1 and the lower leg link 2 continues to deform in coordination, which further distributes and attenuates the impact energy inside the wheel-leg mechanism, forming a step-by-step buffering effect, effectively reducing the risk of structural damage to the frame, electronic modules and flight system caused by rigid collision.

[0035] 2. Achieving Mechanical Energy Storage and Efficient Reuse: The torsion springs in the wheel-leg joints not only serve as shock absorbers but also function as mechanical energy storage and reuse mechanisms. During robot landing, the joints are compressed and rotated upon impact, causing the torsion springs to twist and store elastic potential energy, converting some of the impact kinetic energy into elastic potential energy. During joint rebound, body attitude recovery, takeoff assistance, or wheel-leg reset after landing, the torsion springs release the stored elastic potential energy, converting it into mechanical output from the joints, thus reusing the impact energy. In traditional rigid landing systems, impact energy is often dissipated in the form of vibration, impact noise, or structural plastic deformation. This design, however, stores this energy in the joint energy storage unit using torsion springs. When the robot completes landing and prepares to recover its attitude, the torsion springs release the stored energy, pushing the joints to rotate in the reverse direction, assisting the lower leg link 2 and the thigh link 1 in returning to the set attitude. This not only reduces the instantaneous driving force required by the joint drive motor during the reset phase but also improves the response speed of the wheel-leg adjustment movements.

[0036] 3. The joint drive motor combines active damping adjustment and energy recovery: In addition to integrating torsion spring elastic elements, the wheel-leg joint drive unit 6 also houses the joint drive motor, enabling the joint to simultaneously possess passive elastic buffering capability and active adjustment function, forming a composite buffer joint. This allows the wheel-leg joint to achieve multiple functions at the structural level, including impact absorption, motion adjustment, and energy management. During operation, when the wheel-leg mechanism undergoes joint movement, the torsion spring stores or releases the mechanical energy generated by the robot's landing impact through its own elastic deformation, achieving passive compliance and energy buffering of the joint. The joint drive motor acts directly on the joint axis 9 through structural connection. Simultaneously, the joint drive motor can recover energy during joint movement. When the joint recovers its posture under the elastic potential energy of the torsion spring, the joint drive unit 6 converts part of the mechanical energy of the joint movement into electrical energy, which is fed back to the energy storage module through back electromotive force to complete energy recovery and reuse. The wheel-leg joint thus forms an energy cycle chain of "mechanical elastic energy storage - motor damping adjustment - energy recovery," achieving multi-functional collaborative operation.

[0037] 4. Flywheel Inertial Energy Storage Mechanism for Inertial Energy Storage and System Energy Regulation: Building upon the torsion spring elastic energy storage and joint motor energy recovery, a flywheel inertial energy storage mechanism added to the wheel-leg joints enables the robot to have stronger power regulation and energy balance capabilities under transient conditions. The core of the flywheel is a high-speed rotating inertial rotor, which stores rotational kinetic energy to achieve rapid energy absorption and release. It is particularly suitable for operational conditions with high power pulsations, such as takeoff, landing, jumping, and rapid attitude adjustments. This is because the system power demand changes drastically in a short period of time under such transient conditions. If only the power supply system is used, problems such as high current discharge and voltage fluctuations are likely to occur, resulting in energy loss and affecting power supply stability. The flywheel can quickly absorb and release energy, smoothing out power pulsations. The flywheel inertial energy storage mechanism is located inside the wheel-leg joint drive unit 6, connecting the joint drive motor to the small flywheel rotor via gear sets, belt drives, or coaxial coupling. During normal robot operation, if the joint drive motor is lightly loaded or the system has excess energy, the motor can drive the flywheel to rotate at increased speed. Based on the principle of rigid body rotational kinetic energy, the flywheel's rotational kinetic energy E... k=1 / 2Jω², where J is the moment of inertia of the flywheel and ω is the angular velocity of the flywheel. Under the premise that the moment of inertia J of the flywheel is fixed, the motor drives the flywheel to accelerate its rotation, which will increase its angular velocity ω. The rotational kinetic energy of the flywheel increases quadratically, thereby efficiently converting the excess electrical or mechanical energy of the system into the rotational kinetic energy of the flywheel to achieve energy storage. When the system needs instantaneous high power output, the small flywheel rotor needs to release energy through deceleration. The reason is that the rotational kinetic energy of the flywheel is proportional to the square of its own rotational angular velocity. During the deceleration process, the rotational angular velocity ω of the flywheel decreases, and its stored rotational kinetic energy can be released quickly. It can be directly converted into mechanical energy that can drive the joint movement by relying on the mechanical transmission structure, or the mechanical energy can be inverted into electrical energy through the electromagnetic induction principle of the motor to provide additional torque for the joint drive, or the motor can be used to generate electricity to support the system's energy supply, thereby realizing the dynamic adjustment and efficient utilization of the system's energy.

[0038] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and are not intended to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications or equivalent substitutions to the technical solutions of the present invention do not depart from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the present invention, and all such modifications or substitutions should be covered within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A shock-absorbing, energy-saving amphibious robot, characterized in that, include: Airframe, flight system, central functional module, and at least one wheel-leg mechanism; wherein, The flight system is mounted above the fuselage frame and is used to provide the robot with the power for aerial flight; The central functional module is located in the middle of the body frame and includes: a battery, a power management module, and a wheel-leg coordination control module; The wheel-leg mechanism is located below the body frame and includes a thigh link (1), a lower leg link (2), a joint shaft (9), a joint drive unit (6), a wheel-leg buffer energy storage mechanism (8), an energy recovery mechanism, and a flywheel inertial energy storage mechanism; wherein... One end of the thigh link (1) is connected to the body frame, and the other end is rotatably connected to the calf link (2) through the joint axis (9) to form a wheel-leg joint; The joint drive unit (6) is located at the wheel-leg joint and is used to drive the relative rotation between the thigh link (1) and the lower leg link (2) and to actively control the joint movement. The wheel-leg buffer energy storage mechanism (8) includes: a torsion spring elastic element disposed at the wheel-leg joint. The torsion spring elastic element undergoes elastic deformation as the angle of the wheel-leg joint decreases when the robot lands, so as to absorb the landing impact energy and store it as elastic potential energy. The elastic potential energy is released during the rotation of the wheel-leg joint to assist the wheel-leg joint in restoring its posture. The energy recovery mechanism is coupled to the joint drive unit (6) and is used to convert the mechanical energy generated during the movement of the wheel-leg joint into electrical energy by utilizing the back electromotive force generated by the joint drive motor in the driven state, and feed it back to the power management module in the central functional module. The flywheel inertial energy storage mechanism is connected to the joint drive unit (6) for transmission; it is used to absorb instantaneous energy exceeding the battery recovery capacity during the land contact phase and the landing wheel leg joint compression buffer phase; it is used to release rotational kinetic energy to assist the wheel leg joint rotation during the wheel leg joint rotation recovery phase based on the difference between the release torque of the torsion spring elastic element and the torque required for the wheel leg joint attitude recovery. Among them, the wheel-leg buffer energy storage mechanism (8), the energy recovery mechanism and the flywheel inertial energy storage mechanism, together with the joint drive unit (6), constitute a multi-level energy management system; the wheel-leg collaborative control module is configured to switch the working state of the torsion spring elastic element, the joint drive motor, the energy recovery mechanism and the flywheel inertial energy storage mechanism according to the landing contact stage, the wheel-leg joint compression buffer stage, the wheel-leg joint rotation recovery stage and the landing support stage, so that the landing impact energy is processed in stages through the elastic energy storage of the torsion spring elastic element, the regenerative braking of the joint drive motor and the transient energy storage of the flywheel inertial energy storage mechanism (8).

2. The shock-absorbing, energy-saving amphibious robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The wheel-leg buffer energy storage mechanism (8) is used to extend the impact time and attenuate the impact load through elastic deformation during the robot landing contact phase and the wheel-leg joint compression buffer phase, so as to achieve buffer protection for the robot body; during the joint rotation process, the wheel-leg buffer energy storage mechanism (8) releases the elastic potential energy and converts it into mechanical energy to drive the joint rotation, so as to cooperate with the joint drive unit (6) to realize the posture recovery of the wheel-leg joint.

3. The shock-absorbing, energy-saving amphibious robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The torsion spring elastic element remains in a partially extended state after the joint rotates to the preset extended posture, so as to continuously provide elastic torque to compensate for the output torque of the joint drive unit (6).

4. The shock-absorbing, energy-saving amphibious robot according to claim 3, characterized in that, The joint drive unit (6) switches to auxiliary drive mode during the wheel-leg joint rotation recovery phase, and achieves joint posture recovery by outputting auxiliary drive torque in conjunction with the rebound of the torsion spring elastic element.

5. The shock-absorbing, energy-saving amphibious robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The joint drive unit (6) includes a joint drive motor and a joint control module; when the joint is subjected to external force and rotates at a decreasing angle, the joint control module controls the joint drive motor to apply a reverse damping torque to the joint to suppress the joint from rotating too fast.

6. The shock-absorbing, energy-saving amphibious robot according to claim 5, characterized in that, The energy recovery mechanism utilizes the back electromotive force generated by the joint drive motor in the driven state to convert the mechanical energy generated during the joint movement into electrical energy and feed it back to the power management module in the central functional module. The torsion spring elastic element maintains the preset pre-tension angle after the wheel leg joint returns to the preset deployment angle, so as to continuously provide support torque to the wheel leg joint, thereby reducing the continuous output torque of the joint drive motor in the waiting landing posture or standing posture.

7. The shock-absorbing, energy-saving amphibious robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The flywheel inertial energy storage mechanism includes an inertial rotor, which is connected to the joint drive unit (6) via gear transmission, belt transmission or coaxial connection. The flywheel inertial energy storage mechanism is used to store rotational kinetic energy when the joint rotation speed is higher than a preset threshold, and to release rotational kinetic energy to assist joint drive when the joint rotation speed is lower than the preset threshold.

8. The shock-absorbing, energy-saving amphibious robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The wheel-leg mechanism has a drive wheel (7) at the end of the lower leg link (2) away from the joint. The drive wheel (7) is used to provide ground motion driving force and to provide support and posture stability during robot take-off and landing.

9. The shock-absorbing, energy-saving amphibious robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The torsion spring elastic element provides a portion of the torque required by the joint drive motor through its own elastic force, thereby reducing the torque required to be output by the joint drive motor, thus reducing energy consumption and heat generation.

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