Mechanical leg and robot

Abstract

According to the mechanical leg and the robot, the supporting mechanism is connected to the leg mechanism rotationally connected to the robot body, and the provided mechanical leg can abut against the supporting face when the robot is in the squatting state so as to be matched with the leg mechanism to support the robot. When the robot statically stops, the supporting seat can abut against the supporting face, the function of stabilizing the robot is achieved, and the robot can keep balanced and stand on the supporting face. Meanwhile, the provided mechanical legs can allow the robot to move and rotate when needed in the squatting state, and support is provided for multifunctionality and adaptability of the robot. And support is provided for multifunctionality and adaptability of the robot, and the flexibility of the robot is greatly improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of intelligent devices, in particular to a mechanical leg and a robot. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the progress of science and technology, robots are increasingly popular. Among them, robots with biped structure are widely used in the field of automation.

[0003] The existing biped robot is mainly in the form of a wheel-legged robot. The wheel-legged robot not only has the advantage of fast movement of the wheeled robot, but also has the characteristic of strong adaptability of the legged robot.

[0004] However, if the foot of the wheel-legged robot is not leaned against a support such as a wall when it is in a static power-off state, it is difficult to maintain self-balance, which affects the safety of the wheel-legged robot. SUMMARY

[0005] The present application provides a mechanical leg and a robot, which aims to solve the problem that the foot of the existing wheel-legged robot is difficult to maintain self-balance when it is in a static power-off state if it is not leaned against a support such as a wall, which affects the safety of the wheel-legged robot.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present application provides a mechanical leg applied to a robot, comprising:

[0007] a leg mechanism for rotationally connecting to a body of the robot;

[0008] a support mechanism connected to the leg mechanism, the support mechanism being used to abut against the support surface when the robot is in a squatting state, so as to support the robot in cooperation with the leg mechanism.

[0009] In some embodiments, when the robot is in a squatting state, the support point at which the support mechanism abuts against the support surface is a first support point, the support point at which the leg mechanism of the robot abuts against the support surface is a second support point, and the center of gravity of the robot is located between the first support point and the second support point.

[0010] In some embodiments, the support mechanism comprises a support seat, one end of the support seat being fixedly connected to the leg mechanism, and the other end of the support seat being used to abut against the support surface when the robot is in a squatting state.

[0011] In some embodiments, the leg mechanism comprises a foot, and the foot comprises a wheel and a driving structure for driving the wheel to rotate.

[0012] In some embodiments, the end of the support seat abutting against the support surface is provided with an auxiliary wheel.

[0013] In some embodiments, the leg mechanism comprises: a first leg assembly rotatably connected to the body of the robot; a second leg assembly fixedly connected to the support mechanism and slidably connected to the first leg assembly, so that the second leg assembly can move linearly relative to the first leg assembly in a preset direction, which is the extension direction of the first leg assembly; and the foot is arranged on the second leg assembly.

[0014] In some embodiments, the support seat is provided with a shell at one end away from the leg mechanism, which is used to abut against the support surface when the robot is in a squatting state.

[0015] In some embodiments, the shell comprises a rain-blocking portion and a protruding portion, the rain-blocking portion extends to both ends in the rotation direction of the wheels, and is used to block rain for the wheels, the protruding portion extends outward from the middle of the two ends of the rain-blocking portion, and the protruding portion is connected to the end of the support seat abutting against the support surface.

[0016] In some embodiments, the protruding portion is provided with a weight-reducing groove.

[0017] In a second aspect, the application provides a robot comprising a body and a mechanical leg as provided in any of the embodiments of the application, wherein the mechanical leg is connected to the body.

[0018] The application provides a mechanical leg and a robot, the mechanical leg provided by the application can abut against a support surface when the robot is in a squatting state by connecting a support mechanism to a leg mechanism rotatably connected to the body of the robot, so as to support the robot in cooperation with the leg mechanism. When the robot is in a static state, the support seat can abut against the support surface to stabilize the robot, so that the robot can maintain balance and stand on the support surface. At the same time, the mechanical leg provided by the application can allow the robot to move and rotate when needed in a squatting state, which provides support for the versatility and adaptability of the robot. The versatility and adaptability of the robot are also greatly improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0019] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the application, the drawings needed in the embodiment description will be briefly introduced. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are some embodiments of the application, and other drawings can be obtained without creative labor.

[0020] Figure 1 The first structure diagram of the mechanical leg provided by the embodiments of the application.

[0021] Figure 2The first support principle diagram of the squatting state of the mechanical leg proposed in the embodiment of the present application.

[0022] Figure 3 The second support principle diagram of the squatting state of the mechanical leg proposed in the embodiment of the present application.

[0023] Figure 4 The third support principle diagram of the squatting state of the mechanical leg proposed in the embodiment of the present application.

[0024] Figure 5 The second structure diagram of the mechanical leg proposed in the embodiment of the present application.

[0025] Figure 6 The third structure diagram of the mechanical leg proposed in the embodiment of the present application.

[0026] Figure 7 The fourth structure diagram of the mechanical leg proposed in the embodiment of the present application.

[0027] Figure 8 The structure diagram of the support mechanism proposed in the embodiment of the present application.

[0028] Figure 9 The schematic block diagram of the robot proposed in the embodiment of the present application.

[0029] Explanation of reference signs:

[0030] 100, robot; 10, mechanical leg; 11, leg mechanism; 111, foot; 1111, wheel; 1112, driving structure; 112, first leg assembly; 113, second leg assembly; 12, support structure; 121, support seat; 122, auxiliary wheel; 123, shell; 1231, rain blocking part; 1232, protruding part; 1232a, weight reduction groove; 123, blocking plate; 20, body. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are some but not all of the embodiments of the present application. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative work fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0032] It should be understood that all directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.) in the embodiments of the present application are only used to explain the relative positional relationship, movement condition, etc. between components in a certain specific posture, and if the specific posture changes, the directional indications will also change accordingly.

[0033] It should also be understood that when an element is referred to as being "on" or "connected to" another element, it can be directly on or connected to the other element or intervening elements can be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "connected directly" or "directly connected" to another element, there are no intervening elements present.

[0034] The terminology used in this application of the present application is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present application. As used in this application, the terms "first", "second", etc., are used only to describe different instances of an element and do not imply or suggest any relative importance of the elements. Thus, the features defined with "first", "second" can explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features.

[0035] It should also be further understood that the term "and / or" used in the application description and the appended claims means one or more of the associated listed items as well as all possible combinations of the items.

[0036] With the progress of science and technology, robots are increasingly popular. Humanoid robots refer to robots that look like humanoids and can complete some physical functions, perception functions, etc. of humans. They can be widely used in national defense and military industry, deep sea exploration, biological medicine, household services, transportation, etc. Among them, robots with biped structure are widely used in the field of automation. Biped robots imitate human body structure and have the characteristics of wide use scene and strong obstacle avoidance ability, but at the same time, they also have the shortcomings of slow forward speed, low efficiency, poor load capacity and instability.

[0037] Wheel-legged robots are iterations of biped robots. Such robots combine the advantages of wheeled and legged robots, having the advantages of fast wheeled movement and strong adaptability of legged robots. However, since the feet of the wheel-legged robot are wheels, how to keep stable standing when the power is off becomes a problem.

[0038] To solve the above problems, please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 The first structure diagram of the mechanical leg proposed in the embodiment of the present application. The provided mechanical leg 10 is applied to a robot 100. The provided mechanical leg 10 includes a leg mechanism 11 and a support mechanism 12. The leg mechanism 11 is used to rotate and connect to the body of the robot 100. The support mechanism 12 is connected to the leg mechanism 11. The support mechanism 12 is used to abut against the support surface when the robot 100 is in a squatting state, so as to support the robot 100 in cooperation with the leg mechanism 11.

[0039] The mechanical leg 10 proposed in this application embodiment has a leg mechanism 11 rotatably connected to the body of the robot 100, effectively improving the robot 100's mobility within a limited space. Simultaneously, by providing a support mechanism 12 connected to the leg mechanism 11, the support mechanism 12 and the leg mechanism 11 can abut against a support surface when the robot 100 is in a squatting or sitting position, stabilizing the robot and enabling it to maintain balance and stand upright on the support surface. Furthermore, the support mechanism 12 also assists the robot 100 in maintaining self-balance when moving or standing, thus facilitating the robot 100's self-balance control. Therefore, the mechanical leg 10 provided in this application allows the robot 100 to stand stably, move, and rotate as needed, supporting the robot 100's multifunctionality and adaptability. At the same time, the connection between the support mechanism 12 and the leg mechanism 11 enables the robot 100 to move flexibly in different scenarios and maintain a stable standing posture when needed.

[0040] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 2 , Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the first support principle of the mechanical leg in a squatting state according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 2 As shown, when the robot 100 is in a squatting position, the fulcrum where the support mechanism 12 abuts against the support surface is the first fulcrum, and the fulcrum where the leg mechanism 11 of the robot 100 abuts against the support surface is the second fulcrum. The center of gravity of the robot 100 is located between the first fulcrum and the second fulcrum.

[0041] like Figure 2 As shown, when the support surface is horizontal, if the robot 100 is in a squatting position on the horizontal ground, relying solely on the leg mechanism 11 for support could easily cause the robot 100 to fall due to its high center of gravity. Therefore, this application adds a fulcrum when the robot 100 is in a squatting position by setting up the support mechanism 12. This means the robot 100 has a first fulcrum and a second fulcrum connected to the support surface. This ensures that the robot 100's center of gravity is located between the first and second fulcrums, allowing the robot 100 to remain stable in the squatting position, thereby improving the robot's stability and flexibility.

[0042] Exemplarily, by the arrangement of the support mechanism 12, the robot 100 provided by the present application can not only be parked on a horizontal ground, i.e., the support surface abutted by the leg mechanism 11 and the support surface abutted by the support mechanism 12 can be different support surfaces when the robot 100 is in the squatting state. For example, the support surface abutted by the leg mechanism 11 and the support surface abutted by the support mechanism 12 are perpendicular to each other, or the support surface abutted by the leg mechanism 11 and the support surface abutted by the support mechanism 12 are parallel to each other but at different heights. Further, the robot 100 to which the mechanical leg 10 is applied can keep balance in the squatting state on different terrains, improving the flexibility and the ability to adapt to complex environments of the robot provided.

[0043] It should be noted that, in some embodiments, please refer to Figure 3 , Figure 3 the second support principle diagram of the squatting state of the mechanical leg proposed by the embodiments of the present application. As shown in Figure 3 , when the robot 100 is in the squatting state, the support mechanism 12 abuts on a first support surface (such as a wall surface), the leg mechanism 11 abuts on a second support surface (such as a ground surface), and if the first support surface and the second support surface are not completely perpendicular and exist an inclination, the support mechanism 12 and the leg mechanism 11 can also cooperate to complete the support of the robot 100. The flexibility of the robot is improved.

[0044] It should be noted that, in some embodiments, please refer to Figure 4 , Figure 4 the third support principle diagram of the squatting state of the mechanical leg proposed by the embodiments of the present application. As shown in Figure 4 , when the robot 100 is in the squatting state, the support mechanism 12 abuts on a first support surface (such as a wall surface), and the leg mechanism 11 abuts on a second support surface (such as a step), so that the robot can be stably parked in more complex environments, improving the flexibility of the robot.

[0045] Exemplarily, the connection angle between the support mechanism 12 and the leg mechanism 11 can be within a preset angle range, for example, the preset angle range is 30° to 60°. As long as the connection angle between the support mechanism 12 and the leg mechanism 11 can ensure that the center of gravity of the robot 100 can be located between the first support point and the second support point as shown in Figure 2 , the stability of the robot 100 in the squatting state can be ensured, and therefore the embodiments of the present application do not limit the connection angle between the support mechanism 12 and the leg mechanism 11.

[0046] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 5 , Figure 5A second structure diagram of the mechanical leg proposed in the embodiments of the present application. The support mechanism 12 comprises a support base 121, one end of the support base 121 is fixedly connected to the leg mechanism 11, and the other end of the support base 122 is used to abut against the support surface when the robot 100 is in a squatting state.

[0047] Through the arrangement of the support base 121, for example, the metal rod body in the Figure 5 as the support base 121, one more support point can be provided for the robot 100 when the robot 100 is in a squatting state, thereby ensuring the stability of the robot 100 during the squatting process.

[0048] For example, as shown in Figure 5 , the leg mechanism 11 comprises a foot 111, and the foot 111 comprises a wheel 1111 and a driving structure 1112 for driving the wheel 1111 to rotate. Through the arrangement of the driving structure 1111 and the arrangement of the foot 111 as the wheel 1111, the characteristics of the wheeled and articulated legs can be combined, the ability of the robot 100 to adapt to different terrains can be improved, such as the working efficiency in narrow or complex terrains, so that the environmental adaptability of the robot 100 is enhanced.

[0049] When the robot 100 is walking, external disturbances such as obstacles may be encountered, at which time the extension and / or rotation of the mechanical leg 10 can be driven, and the rotation of the wheel 1111 can be coordinated, thereby maintaining the self-balance and stability of the robot, and the dynamic stability of the robot 1111 can be better improved.

[0050] It should be noted that in some embodiments, the foot further comprises a wheel seat, and the wheel 1111 is connected to the wheel seat to allow the wheel to rotate on the wheel seat to realize the movement of the robot 100. The wheel seat is connected with the support base 121 to ensure that the support base 121 can abut against the support surface and maintain the stable standing state of the robot 100.

[0051] It should be noted that in some embodiments, the driving structure 1112 can comprise a motor, a synchronous belt, a first gear and a second gear, wherein the first gear is installed on the wheel 1111, so that the motor can drive the rotation of the wheel 1111 by controlling the rotation of the synchronous belt on the first gear and the second gear.

[0052] It should be noted that in some embodiments, as shown in Figure 5 , the support base 121 is provided with an auxiliary wheel 122 at the end abutting against the support surface.

[0053] When the robot 100 is in the squatting state, if the robot 100 needs to stand up to perform a corresponding task at this time, the robot 100 may consume too much power or lose balance when standing up due to the friction problem of the wheels 1111 and the supporting surface. The auxiliary wheels 122 can slide along the back of the robot when the robot 100 stands up from the squatting state, thereby reducing the friction force on the robot. At the same time, the auxiliary wheels 122 can also enable the robot 100 to slide forward in the squatting state, improving the flexibility of the robot 100.

[0054] For example, in some embodiments, please refer to Figure 6 , Figure 6 A third structure diagram of a mechanical leg provided for an embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. 13. As shown in the figure, the provided leg mechanism 11 includes a first leg assembly 112 and a second leg assembly 113. The first leg assembly 112 is used to rotate and connect to the body of the robot 100. The second leg assembly 113 is fixedly connected to the supporting mechanism 12 and is slidingly connected to the first leg assembly 112, so that the second leg assembly 113 can move linearly relative to the first leg assembly 112 in a preset direction, which is the extension direction of the first leg assembly 112. The foot 111 is arranged on the second leg assembly 113. Figure 6 Due to the linear extension and contraction between the first leg assembly 112 and the second leg assembly 113, the energy efficiency of the robot in any extension and contraction position is improved, thereby reducing energy consumption.

[0055] And through the linear extension and contraction, the force arm of the load on the power source of the driving mechanism remains constant during the extension and contraction of the mechanical leg, simplifying the control model, improving the accuracy and response speed of the robot movement, and generally, the force arm of the load on the power source is shorter, and the power consumption of the power source is low.

[0056] It should be noted that in the prior art, the leg of the robot with a connecting rod structure changes in angle during extension and contraction, and the force arm of the load on the power source is always changing, and the control model is complex. The robot with a connecting rod structure has a certain extension and contraction most of the time, and the force arm is relatively short only when the extension of the leg is the longest or close to the longest. The robot is more energy-consuming during standing, walking, and extension and contraction.

[0057] Moreover, the linear extension and contraction make the appearance of the robot 100 more compact, providing more freedom for the design of the appearance of the robot 100, so that the robot 100 can better meet the requirements of humanization and aesthetics.

[0058] ​

[0059] For example, refer to Figure 7 , Figure 7 The fourth structure diagram of the mechanical leg provided in the embodiment of the present application is shown in the figure. As Figure 7 shown, the support seat 121 is provided with a shell 123 at one end away from the leg mechanism 11, and the shell 123 is used to abut against the support surface when the robot 100 is in a squatting state.

[0060] If the support seat 121 directly abuts against the support surface when the robot 100 is in a squatting state, rigid contact between the support seat 121 and the support surface will occur, which not only easily causes damage to the support seat 121, but also can cause scratches on the support surface such as a wall. Therefore, by providing the shell 123 at one end of the support seat 121 away from the leg mechanism 11, not only the service life of the support seat 121 can be prolonged, but also the appearance of the support surface can be protected.

[0061] It should be noted that in some embodiments, refer to Figure 8 , Figure 8 The structure diagram of the support mechanism provided in the embodiment of the present application is shown in the figure. As Figure 8 shown, the shell 123 includes a rain blocking part 1231 and a protruding part 1232, the rain blocking part 1231 extends to both ends in the wheel rotation direction, the rain blocking part 1231 is used to block rain for the wheel 1111, the protruding part 1232 extends outward from both ends of the rain blocking part 1231 to the middle and is connected with one end of the support seat 121 abutting against the support surface.

[0062] Since when the foot 111 of the robot 100 includes the wheel 1111, if the wheel 1111 advances in the environment of raining or water accumulation on the ground, water stains will be splashed to cause the wheel 1111 to be very easy to slip. The application provides the rain blocking part 1231 and the protruding part 1232 extending from both ends in the wheel rotation direction on the shell 123 of the support mechanism 12. The protruding part 1232 can abut against the support surface when the robot 100 is in a squatting state to ensure the stability of the robot 100. Since the rain blocking part 1231 extends from both ends in the wheel rotation direction of the wheel 1111, when the robot 100 is in a running state, rainwater can be prevented from dripping along the wheel rotation direction of the wheel 1111 to cause the wheel 1111 to slip, thereby improving the safety of the robot 100.

[0063] It should be noted that in some embodiments, as Figure 8 shown, the provided protruding part 1232 is provided with a weight reduction groove 1232a. The connection position of the protruding part 1232 with the support seat 121 is located in the weight reduction groove, thereby the overall weight of the robot 100 can be reduced, the mass and inertia of the mechanical leg 10 are reduced, and the flexibility of the robot is improved.

[0064] It should be noted that, as Figure 8 As shown, the support base 121 of the provided mechanical leg 10 also has multiple weight-reducing grooves. Figure 8 Multiple through holes on the central support 121 can reduce the overall weight of the robot 100, reduce the mass and inertia of the mechanical leg 10, and improve the robot's flexibility.

[0065] This application provides a mechanical leg and a robot. The provided mechanical leg, through a support mechanism connected to a leg mechanism rotatably linked to the robot's body, allows it to rest against a support surface when the robot is in a squatting or sitting position, thus supporting the robot in conjunction with the leg mechanism. Furthermore, when the robot is stationary, the support base rests against the support surface, stabilizing the robot and enabling it to maintain balance and stand upright on the support surface. Simultaneously, the provided mechanical leg allows the robot to move and rotate as needed while in a squatting or sitting position, supporting the robot's versatility and adaptability. This significantly improves the robot's flexibility.

[0066] Please refer to Figure 9 , Figure 9 This is a schematic block diagram of the robot proposed in an embodiment of this application. Figure 9 As shown, this application embodiment also provides a robot 100, including a body 20 and the aforementioned mechanical legs 10, the mechanical legs 10 being connected to the body. The structure and function of the mechanical legs 10 in the robot 100 proposed in this application embodiment are the same as those in the above embodiments, and specific details can be found in the descriptions of the above embodiments, which will not be repeated in this embodiment.

[0067] By configuring the aforementioned mechanical legs 10, the robot 100 of this application provides a significant improvement in safety, efficiency, ease of operation, and adaptability compared to existing technologies.

[0068] In some embodiments, the provided mechanical leg 10 includes, for example, Figures 1 to 8 The structure corresponding to any embodiment, for example, the provided mechanical leg 10 includes a leg mechanism 11 and a support mechanism 12. The leg mechanism 11 is rotatably connected to the body of the robot 100, and the support mechanism 12 is connected to the leg mechanism 11. The support mechanism 12 is used to abut against the support surface when the robot 100 is in a squatting state, so as to cooperate with the leg mechanism 11 to support the robot 100.

[0069] In practical applications, the robot can be equipped with two mechanical legs 10. By controlling the extension, retraction and / or rotation of the two mechanical legs 10, the robot can be assisted in maintaining self-balance when walking or standing.

[0070] When the robot is walking normally, the mechanical leg 10 supports the body on the support surface to assist the robot 100 to walk or stand, and the support surface can be a support surface, a workbench surface or other scene support surface. During the normal walking of the robot 100, since the supporting mechanism 12 of the mechanical leg 10 is in contact with the support surface, it can ensure that the robot 100 can be kept stable when it is in a squatting state.

[0071] In the case of not contradicting each other, those skilled in the art can combine and combine the different embodiments or examples described in the specification and the features of the different embodiments or examples.

[0072] The above is only a specific embodiment of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited to this. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of various equivalent modifications or replacements within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, and these modifications or replacements should be covered within the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A mechanical leg applied to a robot, characterized by, The mechanical leg comprises: a leg mechanism rotatably connected to a body of the robot; a support mechanism connected to the leg mechanism, the support mechanism being configured to abut against a support surface when the robot is in a squatting state to support the robot together with the leg mechanism.

2. The mechanical leg of claim 1, wherein, When the robot is in the squatting state, a fulcrum at which the support mechanism abuts against the support surface is a first fulcrum, a fulcrum at which the leg mechanism of the robot abuts against the support surface is a second fulcrum, and a center of gravity of the robot is located between the first fulcrum and the second fulcrum.

3. The mechanical leg of claim 1, wherein, The support mechanism comprises: a support base, one end of the support base being fixedly connected to the leg mechanism, and the other end of the support base being configured to abut against the support surface when the robot is in the squatting state.

4. The mechanical leg of claim 3, wherein, The leg mechanism comprises a foot, the foot comprising a wheel and a driving structure configured to drive the wheel to rotate.

5. The mechanical leg of claim 4, wherein, The end of the support base abutting against the support surface is provided with an auxiliary wheel.

6. The mechanical leg of claim 4, wherein, The leg mechanism comprises: a first leg assembly rotatably connected to the body of the robot; a second leg assembly fixedly connected to the support mechanism and slidably connected to the first leg assembly, so that the second leg assembly can move linearly relative to the first leg assembly in a preset direction, the preset direction being an extension direction of the first leg assembly; The foot is arranged on the second leg assembly.

7. The mechanical leg of claim 3, wherein, The end of the support base away from the leg mechanism is provided with a housing, the housing being configured to abut against the support surface when the robot is in the squatting state.

8. The mechanical leg of claim 7, wherein, The housing comprises a rain-blocking portion and a protruding portion, the rain-blocking portion extending to both ends in a rotation direction of the wheel, the rain-blocking portion being configured to block rain for the wheel, the protruding portion extending outward from both ends of the rain-blocking portion to the middle, and the protruding portion being connected to the end of the support base abutting against the support surface.

9. The mechanical leg of claim 8, wherein, The protruding portion is provided with a weight-reducing groove.

10. A robot, characterized in that A body and a mechanical leg as claimed in any one of claims 1-9, the mechanical leg being connected to the body.

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