A foldable robot

Abstract

The application belongs to the technical field of humanoid robots, and relates to a foldable robot, which comprises a chassis, a supporting rod, a trunk, arms and a head. The bottom end of the supporting rod is hinged to the chassis around a first hinge shaft, and the top end of the supporting rod is hinged to the bottom end of the trunk around a second hinge shaft. The foldable robot has an upright form and a folded form. When the foldable robot is in the upright form, the supporting rod and the trunk are both vertically arranged relative to the chassis. During the process of converting the foldable robot from the upright form to the folded form, the supporting rod is rotated around the first hinge shaft to a first position in which the supporting rod is inclined forward or backward relative to the chassis, and the trunk is rotated around the second hinge shaft to a second position in which the trunk is inclined backward or forward relative to the supporting rod, and the trunk in the second position is substantially parallel to the chassis. The foldable robot can be stored in a common square box without the need of designing and using a special box, thereby reducing the packaging volume and transportation cost of the humanoid robot.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of humanoid robot technology, and more particularly to a foldable robot. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of humanoid robot technology, more and more humanoid robots are being widely used in various scenarios. To accurately and flexibly perform various tasks, the biomimetic design of humanoid robots is becoming increasingly sophisticated. Existing humanoid robots generally have a head, torso, arms, legs, and dexterous hands, with an overall shape similar to a human, albeit irregular, and a height close to that of a real human. Therefore, existing humanoid robots cannot be stored in ordinary square boxes, but only in specialized boxes matched to their specific models. This results in large packaging volumes and increased transportation costs, making storage and transportation of humanoid robots quite difficult and hindering their development. This is especially true when humanoid robots are involved in disaster relief or international transport, where they need to be frequently transferred, exacerbating the problems caused by storage and transportation difficulties.

[0003] It is evident that making humanoid robots easy to store and transport has become a pressing technical problem that needs to be solved. Utility Model Content

[0004] The purpose of this application is to provide a foldable robot to solve the technical problem that existing humanoid robots are inconvenient to store and transport.

[0005] This application provides a foldable robot, including:

[0006] Chassis;

[0007] Support rod;

[0008] The torso has the bottom end of the support rod hinged to the chassis around a first hinge axis, and the top end of the support rod hinged to the bottom end of the torso around a second hinge axis.

[0009] An arm, which is connected to the torso;

[0010] The head is mounted on the top of the torso;

[0011] The foldable robot has an upright form and a folded form. When the foldable robot is in the upright form, the support rod and the torso are both vertically arranged relative to the chassis. During the process of the foldable robot changing from the upright form to the folded form, the support rod rotates around the first hinge axis to a first position that is tilted forward relative to the chassis, and the torso rotates around the second hinge axis to a second position that is tilted backward relative to the support rod. The torso in the second position is approximately parallel to the chassis.

[0012] Alternatively, during the process of the foldable robot transforming from an upright form to a folded form, the support rod rotates about the first hinge axis to a first position that is tilted backward relative to the chassis, and the torso rotates about the second hinge axis to a second position that is forward relative to the support rod, with the torso in the second position being approximately parallel to the chassis.

[0013] Optionally, the bottom end of the support rod is hinged to the rear half of the chassis, and when the foldable robot is in the folded state, the support rod is tilted forward relative to the chassis.

[0014] Alternatively, the bottom end of the support rod is hinged to the front half of the chassis, and when the foldable robot is in the folded state, the support rod tilts backward relative to the chassis.

[0015] Optionally, the support rod includes a first rod and a second rod, the bottom end of the first rod is hinged to the chassis, the top end of the first rod is hinged to the bottom end of the second rod, and the top end of the second rod is hinged to the bottom end of the torso.

[0016] When the foldable robot is in an upright position, both the first and second rods are vertically arranged relative to the chassis; when the foldable robot is in a folded position, the second rod is vertically arranged relative to the chassis, and the first and second rods are approximately perpendicular to each other.

[0017] Optionally, the first rod includes two parallel and spaced-apart unit rods, with the gap between the two unit rods forming a receiving groove, and the second rod can rotate relative to the first rod into the receiving groove.

[0018] Optionally, the surface of the chassis used for hinged to the support rod is further provided with a recess, and the support rod is at least partially located within the recess when the foldable robot is in a folded state.

[0019] Optionally, the chassis includes a main body and protrusions disposed on the left and right sides of the main body, with the recessed portion formed between the two protrusions.

[0020] Optionally, the arm includes an upper arm and a forearm, a first end of the upper arm is hinged to the torso to be rotatable about a first axis, the direction of the first axis being the same as the width direction of the torso, and a second end of the upper arm is hinged to the forearm to be rotatable about a second axis, the second axis being parallel to the first axis;

[0021] When the foldable robot is in its folded state, along the direction of rotation of the upper arm around the first axis, the upper arm and the torso form a first angle, the first angle being less than 90°, and the upper arm is inclined relative to the torso towards the chassis; along the direction of rotation of the forearm around the second axis, the forearm and the upper arm form a second angle, the second angle being less than 90°.

[0022] Optionally, the arm is hinged to the torso so that it can rotate about a third axis, the direction of which is the same as the thickness direction of the torso. When the foldable robot is in the folded state, the value of the third angle formed by the arm and the torso is at its minimum along the direction of rotation of the arm about the third axis.

[0023] Optionally, the foldable robot further includes a dexterous hand, which is hinged to the forearm at an end away from the upper arm and is rotatable about a fourth axis, which is parallel to the second axis. When the foldable robot is in a folded state, the dexterous hand and the forearm form a fourth angle along the direction of rotation of the dexterous hand about the fourth axis, and the fourth angle is not equal to 180°.

[0024] Optionally, when the foldable robot is in a folded state, the length of the head extending beyond the chassis in the front-rear direction is no more than 30% of the length of the chassis in its own front-rear direction.

[0025] Optionally, the foldable robot further includes a joint protective cover, which is disposed between two relatively rotatable components to surround the joint; the joint protective cover includes a first connecting strip, a first annular strip, a second annular strip, and a plurality of intermediate annular strips, wherein the first connecting strip is sequentially fixedly connected to the first annular strip, the plurality of intermediate annular strips, and the second annular strip along its own length direction, and the plurality of intermediate annular strips are spaced apart from each other along the length direction of the first connecting strip, and the first connecting strip is made of a material capable of elastic deformation;

[0026] The joint protective cover is configured as follows:

[0027] When installed on the neck joint, the joint protector is located between the head and the torso, with the first annular strip fixedly connected to the head and the second annular strip fixedly connected to the top of the torso;

[0028] When installed on an abdominal joint, the torso includes an upper torso and a lower torso, the joint guard is located between the upper torso and the lower torso, the first annular strip is fixedly connected to the upper torso, and the second annular strip is fixedly connected to the lower torso.

[0029] Optionally, the chassis includes a mounting frame, a motor, a wheel, a first support arm, and a second support arm. The motor is fixedly mounted on the mounting frame, the first support arm is fixedly connected to the output shaft of the motor, and the second support arm is fixedly connected to the mounting frame.

[0030] The rotating wheel includes a first driving wheel, a second driving wheel, and a driven wheel. The first driving wheel is mounted on the first support arm, the second driving wheel is mounted on the second support arm, and the driven wheel is disposed between the first driving wheel and the second driving wheel, and the driven wheel is mounted on the mounting frame.

[0031] The mounting frame is also provided with an upwardly extending mounting column, and the bottom end of the support rod is hinged to the mounting column.

[0032] Compared with the prior art, the embodiments of this application have the following main advantages:

[0033] The foldable robot of this application embodiment has a head, torso, arms, support rods and chassis. The support rods are equivalent to human legs, and the chassis is used to support the support rods and enable the foldable robot to move, which conforms to the general structural design of humanoid robots. Since the bottom end of the support rod is hinged to the chassis and the top end of the support rod is hinged to the bottom end of the torso, the foldable robot can be transformed from an upright form to a folded form.

[0034] During the transformation of the foldable robot from an upright to a folded form, the support rod rotates around a first hinge axis that is hinged to the chassis to a first position that is tilted forward or backward relative to the chassis. The torso rotates around a second hinge axis that is hinged to the support rod to a second position that is positioned backward or forward relative to the support rod and is roughly parallel to the chassis. In other words, when the robot is in the folded form, the chassis, support rod, and torso form an approximate Z-shape. This allows the foldable robot to be stored in a regular square box without the need to design and use a special box, reducing the packaging volume and transportation cost of the humanoid robot and making it easier to store and transport. Attached Figure Description

[0035] To more clearly illustrate the solutions in this application, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments of this application will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0036] Figure 1 A perspective view of the foldable robot in an upright position according to the first embodiment of this application;

[0037] Figure 2 The front view of the foldable robot in the upright position provided in the first embodiment of this application;

[0038] Figure 3 The right view of the foldable robot provided in the first embodiment of this application when it is in an upright position;

[0039] Figure 4 The right view of the foldable robot provided in the first embodiment of this application at an intermediate moment during the process of transforming from an upright form to a folded form;

[0040] Figure 5 The right view of the foldable robot provided in the first embodiment of this application when it is in a folded state;

[0041] Figure 6 A perspective view of the foldable robot provided in the first embodiment of this application in its folded state;

[0042] Figure 7 The right view of the upper arm of the foldable robot provided in the first embodiment of this application when it is rotated about a first axis to be perpendicular to the torso.

[0043] Figure 8 The front view of the arm of the foldable robot provided in the first embodiment of this application when it is rotated about the third axis to a third included angle of 90°;

[0044] Figure 9 A three-dimensional structural diagram of the protective shield unit of the neck shield of the foldable robot provided in the first embodiment of this application when it is in a normal state;

[0045] Figure 10 A three-dimensional structural diagram of the protective cover unit of the neck guard of the foldable robot provided in the first embodiment of this application when it undergoes elastic deformation;

[0046] Figure 11 The left view of the foldable robot provided in the first embodiment of this application after removing the outer coat at the abdominal position when it is in an upright state;

[0047] Figure 12A three-dimensional structural diagram of the abdominal protective cover of the foldable robot provided in the first embodiment of this application when it is in its normal shape;

[0048] Figure 13 A three-dimensional structural diagram of the abdominal protective cover of the foldable robot provided in the first embodiment of this application when it undergoes elastic deformation;

[0049] Figure 14 A perspective view of the foldable robot in an upright position according to the second embodiment of this application;

[0050] Figure 15 This is a front view of the foldable robot in an upright position according to the second embodiment of this application;

[0051] Figure 16 The right view of the foldable robot in the upright position according to the second embodiment of this application;

[0052] Figure 17 Right view of the foldable robot provided in the second embodiment of this application at intermediate moment 1 during the process of transforming from an upright state to a folded state;

[0053] Figure 18 Right view of the foldable robot provided in the second embodiment of this application at intermediate moment 2 during the process of transforming from an upright state to a folded state;

[0054] Figure 19 The right view of the foldable robot provided in the second embodiment of this application when it is in a folded state;

[0055] Figure 20 This is a perspective view of the foldable robot in its folded state according to the second embodiment of this application.

[0056] Figure label:

[0057] 1. Foldable robot;

[0058] 100. Chassis; 110. Main body; 111. Recess; 120. Protrusion; 130. Rotary wheel; 131. First drive wheel; 132. Second drive wheel; 133. Driven wheel; 140. Mounting bracket; 141. Mounting platform; 142. Mounting column; 150. First support arm; 160. Second support arm;

[0059] 200, Support rod; 210, First member; 220, Second member;

[0060] 300. Trunk; 310. Upper trunk; 320. Lower trunk;

[0061] 400. Arm; 410. Upper arm; 420. Forearm;

[0062] 500. Head; 510. LiDAR; 520. Vision sensor;

[0063] 600. Dexterous hands;

[0064] 700, Neck protector; 700a, Protector unit; 710, First arc-shaped strip; 720, Second arc-shaped strip; 730, Middle arc-shaped strip; 740, Connecting rib;

[0065] 800. Abdominal protective cover; 810. First annular strip; 820. Second annular strip; 830. Middle annular strip; 840. First connecting strip. Detailed Implementation

[0066] In this document, the term "embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of this application. The appearance of this phrase in various places throughout the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it a separate or alternative embodiment mutually exclusive with other embodiments. It will be explicitly and implicitly understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein can be combined with other embodiments.

[0067] It is important to understand that when a component is referred to as being "fixed to," "set on," or "mounted to" another component, it can be directly on or indirectly on that other component. When a component is referred to as being "connected to," it can be directly connected to or indirectly connected to that other component.

[0068] It should be noted that the terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "front," "rear," "inner," "outer," "top," "bottom," "vertical," "horizontal," "length," "width," and "height," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used solely for the convenience of describing this application and for simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this application. The terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. The term "multiple" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0069] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the present application, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0070] First Embodiment

[0071] Please see Figure 1-13 The first embodiment of this application provides a foldable robot 1 to solve the technical problem that existing humanoid robots are inconvenient to store and transport. The foldable robot 1 includes a chassis 100, a support rod 200, a torso 300, an arm 400, and a head 500. The chassis 100 is equipped with wheels 130, which drive the foldable robot 1 to move by rotating the wheels 130. The wheels 130 also support the chassis 100 on the ground. The chassis 100 supports the support rod 200. The support rod 200 serves as a human-like leg structure on the foldable robot 1. The bottom end of the support rod 200 is hinged to the chassis 100 around a first hinge axis (not shown in the figure), allowing the support rod 200 to rotate relative to the chassis 100 around the first hinge axis. The top end of the support rod 200 is hinged to the torso 300 around a second hinge axis (not shown in the figure), allowing the torso 300 to rotate relative to the support rod 200 around the second hinge axis, and also allowing the support rod 200 to support the torso 300. The head 500 is mounted on the top of the torso 300 to better mimic a human head 500.

[0072] The foldable robot 1 provided in the first embodiment of this application has a chassis 100 and wheels 130. The rotation of the wheels 130 drives the foldable robot 1 to move. That is to say, the foldable robot 1 provided in the first embodiment of this application is a wheeled humanoid robot. Compared with bipedal humanoid robots, wheeled humanoid robots have lower manufacturing costs, simpler control for movement, and more reliable movement. Therefore, they have been increasingly widely used in the recent booming development of humanoid robots. However, the chassis 100 of the wheeled humanoid robot, as the base of the entire robot, integrates a large number of parts and is usually large in size. Since wheeled humanoid robots also have support rods, torsos, arms, and heads, the overall shape of the wheeled humanoid robot is complex and occupies a lot of space. Therefore, it is difficult to install them in ordinary square boxes for storage and transportation. It is necessary to design and use larger special boxes to package and store wheeled humanoid robots for transportation. This results in a large packaging volume for wheeled humanoid robots, increases transportation costs, and makes the storage and transportation process difficult, thus restricting the development of humanoid robots. Especially when wheeled humanoid robots participate in disaster relief or cross-border transportation, they need to be frequently transferred, and the problems caused by storage and transportation difficulties become more serious. Based on this, the foldable robot 1 provided in the first embodiment of this application is designed to have both an upright form and a folded form.

[0073] The upright form is the working state of the foldable robot 1. When the foldable robot 1 is in the upright form, the support rod 200 and the torso 300 are both vertically arranged relative to the chassis 100. The support rod 200 acts similarly to human legs, supporting the torso 300 and allowing it to also be vertically arranged relative to the chassis 100. The vertically arranged torso 300 is similar to the straight torso of a normal human body, thus facilitating the movement of the foldable robot 1 and enabling the arms 400 of the foldable robot 1 to perform various movements, thereby allowing the foldable robot 1 to complete various tasks. The folded form is the state of the foldable robot 1 when it is stored and transported or in standby mode, designed to minimize the space occupied by the foldable robot 1.

[0074] During the transformation of the foldable robot 1 from an upright to a folded form, the support rod 200 rotates about a first hinge axis hinged to the chassis 100 to a first position tilted forward relative to the chassis 100, and the torso 300 rotates about a second hinge axis hinged to the support rod 200 to a second position positioned rearward relative to the support rod 200. The torso 300 in the second position is approximately parallel to the chassis 100. Alternatively, during the transformation of the foldable robot 1 from an upright to a folded form, the support rod 200 rotates about a first hinge axis hinged to the chassis 100 to a first position tilted rearward relative to the chassis 100, and the torso 300 rotates about a second hinge axis hinged to the support rod 200 to a second position positioned forward relative to the support rod 200. The torso 300 in the second position is approximately parallel to the chassis 100.

[0075] The first and second positions are preset positions determined during the design of the foldable robot 1. In other words, the foldable robot 1 can be considered to be in a folded state only when the support rod 200 is in the first position and the torso 300 is in the second position. For the two scenarios above, when the support rod 200 is tilted forward relative to the chassis 100, the torso 300 is positioned rearward relative to the support rod 200, that is, the front side of the torso (corresponding to the chest and abdomen of a human body) is upward; when the support rod 200 is tilted backward relative to the chassis 100, the torso 300 is positioned forward relative to the support rod 200, that is, the rear side of the torso (corresponding to the back of a human body) is upward.

[0076] It should be noted that "the torso 300 is roughly parallel to the chassis 100" means that the first tilt angle of the top of the support rod 200 relative to the torso 300 and the second tilt angle of the bottom of the support rod 200 relative to the chassis 100 are basically equal, so that the chassis 100, the support rod 200 and the torso 300 can form an approximately Z-shaped structure.

[0077] It can be seen that when the foldable robot 1 is in the folded state, the chassis 100, support rod 200 and body 300 form an approximately Z-shaped shape, which can reduce the space occupied by the foldable robot 1 as a whole, so that the foldable robot 1 can be stored in a regular square box without the need for a special box.

[0078] The foldable robot 1 provided in the first embodiment of this application has a head 500, a torso 300, an arm 400, a support rod 200, and a chassis 100. The support rod 200 is equivalent to a human leg. The chassis 100 is used to support the support rod 200 and enable the foldable robot 1 to move, which conforms to the general structural design of humanoid robots. Since the bottom end of the support rod 200 is hinged to the chassis 100 and the top end of the support rod 200 is hinged to the bottom end of the torso 300, the foldable robot 1 can be transformed from an upright form to a folded form.

[0079] During the transformation of the foldable robot 1 from an upright form to a folded form, the support rod 200 rotates around a first hinge axis hinged to the chassis 100 to a first position tilted forward or backward relative to the chassis 100. The torso 300 rotates around a second hinge axis hinged to the support rod 200 to a second position positioned backward or forward relative to the support rod 200 and approximately parallel to the chassis 100. In other words, when the robot is in the folded form, the chassis 100, support rod 200, and torso 300 form an approximately Z-shaped structure. The arm 400 connected to the torso 300 can be stored within the enclosed space formed by the chassis 100, support rod 200, and torso 300. The head 500 installed at the top of the torso 300 can also be at least partially accommodated within this enclosed space. This allows the foldable robot 1 to be stored in a common square box without the need for a special box design, reducing the packaging volume and transportation cost of the humanoid robot and making it easier to store and transport.

[0080] Please see Figure 1-6 In the first embodiment, the bottom end of the support rod 200 is hinged to the rear half of the chassis 100. When the foldable robot 1 is in the folded state, the support rod 200 is tilted forward relative to the chassis 100.

[0081] Understandably, since the support rod 200 is tilted forward relative to the chassis 100 when the foldable robot 1 is in the folded state, the top end of the support rod 200 is also tilted forward relative to the bottom end of the support rod 200. Therefore, the support rod 200 may extend beyond the chassis 100 in the front-back direction. In this embodiment, by hinged the bottom end of the support rod 200 to the rear half of the chassis 100, the support rod 200, which is tilted forward relative to the chassis 100, is kept as close as possible to the chassis 100 in the front-back direction. This further ensures that the foldable robot 1 occupies less space, allowing it to be stored in a standard square box without increasing the size of the box.

[0082] In another embodiment, the bottom end of the support rod 200 is hinged to the front half of the chassis 100. When the foldable robot 1 is in the folded state, the support rod 200 tilts backward relative to the chassis 100. Similarly, it can be understood that by this arrangement, the support rod 200, which tilts backward relative to the chassis 100, does not extend beyond the chassis 100 in the front-rear direction as much as possible, thereby further ensuring that the foldable robot 1 occupies less space, so that the foldable robot 1 in the folded state can be stored in a regular square box without increasing the size of the square box.

[0083] Please see Figure 1-6In the first embodiment, the support rod 200 includes a first rod 210 and a second rod 220. The bottom end of the first rod 210 is hinged to the chassis 100, the top end of the first rod 210 is hinged to the bottom end of the second rod 220, and the top end of the second rod 220 is hinged to the bottom end of the torso 300. When the foldable robot 1 is in an upright position, both the first rod 210 and the second rod 220 are vertically arranged relative to the chassis 100, that is, the first rod 210 and the second rod 220 form a straight line vertically arranged relative to the chassis 100. During the transformation of the foldable robot 1 from an upright to a folded state, the first link 210 rotates forward (or backward) relative to the chassis 100 until it reaches a first preset position where it extends straight forward (or backward) relative to the chassis 100. Simultaneously, the second link 220 rotates backward (or forward) relative to the top of the first link 210 until it reaches a second preset position approximately perpendicular to the first link 210. At the same time, the bottom of the torso 300 rotates backward (or forward) relative to the top of the second link 220 until it reaches a third preset position approximately perpendicular to the second link 220, at which point the torso 300 is approximately parallel to the chassis 100. Therefore, when the foldable robot 1 is in its folded state, the second link 220 is vertically positioned relative to the chassis 100, and the first link 210 is approximately perpendicular to the second link 220. In other words, the first link 210 is also approximately parallel to the chassis 100 at this time.

[0084] The term "approximately perpendicular" means that the two components are perpendicular to each other within a predetermined error range determined during the design and manufacturing of the foldable robot 1. Similarly, "approximately parallel" means that the two components are parallel to each other within a predetermined error range determined during the design and manufacturing of the foldable robot 1. In other words, both "approximately perpendicular" and "approximately parallel" are used to ensure that the "body 300 is approximately parallel to the chassis 100," thereby ensuring that the chassis 100, support rod 200, and body 300 can form an approximately Z-shaped structure, reducing the overall space occupied by the foldable robot 1.

[0085] Understandably, in this embodiment, when the foldable robot 1 is in its folded state, the first rod 210 and the second rod 220 form an approximately right-angled shape. The line connecting the bottom of the first rod 210 to the top of the second rod 220 is essentially a straight line segment that is inclined forward or backward relative to the chassis 100. Because the bottom of this straight line segment corresponds to the position where the bottom of the first rod 210 is hinged to the chassis 100, and the top of this straight line segment corresponds to the position where the top of the second rod 220 is hinged to the torso 300, and the overall structure formed by the first rod 210 and the second rod 220 is used to support the torso 300, replacing this straight line segment with a single rod is equivalent to the first rod 210 and the second rod 220 in this embodiment. Therefore, it can be considered that the first rod 210 and the second rod 220 in this embodiment constitute the aforementioned support rod 200.

[0086] In this embodiment, by configuring the support rod 200 as consisting of a first rod 210 and a second rod 220 hinged together, it ensures that the foldable robot 1 can transform from an upright to a folded form. Furthermore, the support rod 200 itself possesses a degree of freedom that allows the first rod 210 to rotate relative to the second rod 220. This makes the lower body movements of the foldable robot 1 more flexible, facilitating more complex postures for the robot as a whole. For example, in some embodiments, the length of the first rod 210 is set to be much shorter than the length of the second rod 220, so that the first rod 210 corresponds to the waist of the human body, and the second rod 220 corresponds solely to the legs. This allows the foldable robot 1 to mimic the forward and backward movements of the human body achieved through the waist joint by rotating the first rod 210 relative to the second rod 220.

[0087] In some other embodiments, the support rod 200 may also be composed of two or more rods. When the foldable robot 1 is in the folded state, adjacent rods of the multiple rods that make up the support rod 200 are inclined to each other, so that the line connecting the bottom end of the support rod 200 to the top end of the support rod 200 is also inclined forward or backward relative to the chassis 100, thereby ensuring that the chassis 100, the support rod 200 and the torso 300 can form an approximately Z-shaped shape.

[0088] In some other embodiments, the support rod 200 may be a single rod, rather than composed of two or more rods. In this case, the length of the single rod is equal to the length of the line connecting the bottom of the first rod 210 to the top of the second rod 220. The hinge axis between the bottom of the single rod and the chassis 100 is the first hinge axis described in this embodiment, and the hinge axis between the top of the single rod and the torso 300 is the second hinge axis described in this embodiment.

[0089] Please see Figure 1-2 In the first embodiment, the first rod 210 includes two unit rods, the bottom ends of which are hinged to the chassis 100, and the top ends of which are hinged to the second rod 220. The two unit rods are arranged side by side and spaced apart from each other, and the gap between the two unit rods forms a receiving groove, allowing the second rod 220 to rotate relative to the first rod 210 into the receiving groove.

[0090] It should be noted that the foldable robot 1 provided in this application embodiment has other forms besides the upright and folded forms. For example, it may have the following form: the first link 210 rotates relative to the chassis 100 to be tilted forward or backward, the second link 220 rotates around the top of the first link 210 to coincide with the first link 210, and the torso 300 rotates around the top of the second link 220 to not be collinear with the second link 220. In this form, the second link 220 coincides with the first link 210, and the second link 220 is accommodated in the receiving groove.

[0091] Understandably, this embodiment, by setting a receiving groove formed by the gap between two unit rods, enables the foldable robot 1 to reduce the space it occupies in some forms other than the folded form, while also enabling the foldable robot 1 to have more diverse postures.

[0092] Please see Figure 1 and Figure 6 In the first embodiment, the surface of the chassis 100 used for hinged support rod 200 is also provided with a recess 111. The shape of the recess 111 is similar to that of the support rod 200, and the space of the recess 111 is greater than or equal to the volume of the support rod 200, so that the support rod 200 is at least partially located in the recess 111 when the foldable robot 1 is in the folded state. This allows for a further reduction in the space occupied by the foldable robot 1 by reducing the space occupied by the support rod 200, which is more conducive to storing and transporting the foldable robot 1 in a smaller box and reducing the difficulties of storage and transportation.

[0093] Please see Figure 1 and Figure 6 In the first embodiment, the chassis 100 includes a main body 110 and protrusions 120 disposed on the left and right sides of the main body 110, with a recess 111 formed between the two protrusions 120. When the foldable robot 1 is in the folded state, the support rod 200 has rotated relative to the chassis 100 such that at least a portion of the support rod 200 is located between the two protrusions 120, that is, at least a portion of the support rod 200 is located within the recess 111. The portion of the support rod 200 located between the two protrusions 120 of the chassis 100 is shielded by the two protrusions 120, thereby reducing the space occupied by the support rod 200.

[0094] Please see Figure 1 and Figure 6 In the first embodiment, the recess 111 is approximately rectangular in shape, which facilitates the support rod 200 to be at least partially accommodated in the recess 111. In particular, when the first member 210 of the support rod 200 is composed of two unit members that are spaced apart and arranged side by side, the overall shape of the two unit members is approximately rectangular. In this case, it would be more appropriate to use the approximately rectangular recess 111 to accommodate the first member 210.

[0095] Please see Figure 1-3 In the first embodiment, the outer contour of the chassis 100 is roughly rectangular, so that in the folded form, the foldable robot 1 is more similar to a square box, making it easier to pack and store the foldable robot 1 in the square box, thus making it easier to store and transport.

[0096] Please see Figure 5 In the first embodiment, when the foldable robot 1 is in a folded state, the length of the head 500 extending beyond the chassis 100 in the front-back direction is no more than 30% of the length of the chassis 100 in its own front-back direction.

[0097] Understandably, when the foldable robot 1 is in its folded state, the torso 300 is roughly parallel to the chassis 100. Since the head 500 is mounted on top of the torso 300, it is possible that the head 500 may extend beyond the chassis 100 in the front-back direction, which could adversely affect the packaging and storage of the foldable robot 1. In this embodiment, by limiting the head 500 to not exceed 30% of the length of the chassis 100 in the front-back direction, it is ensured that the size by which the head 500 may extend beyond the chassis 100 in the front-back direction is not too large. This ensures that the size of the box used to store the foldable robot 1 in the front-back direction of the chassis 100 is not too large, which is more conducive to storing the foldable robot 1 in a smaller square box.

[0098] Please see Figure 1-7 In the first embodiment, the arm 400 includes an upper arm 410 and a forearm 420. The first end of the upper arm 410 is hinged to the torso 300 to be rotatable about a first axis. The direction of the first axis is the same as the width direction of the torso 300 (corresponding to the left and right direction of the robot), so that the upper arm 410 can rotate forward and backward relative to the torso 300. The second end of the upper arm 410 is hinged to the forearm 420 to be rotatable about a second axis. The second axis is parallel to the first axis, so that the forearm 420 can rotate to move closer to or away from the upper arm 410.

[0099] When the foldable robot 1 is in its folded state, along the direction of rotation of the upper arm 410 around the first axis, the upper arm 410 and the torso 300 form a first angle, which is less than 90°, and the upper arm 410 is tilted relative to the torso 300 towards the chassis 100. Compared to the case where the upper arm 410 is tilted away from the chassis 100 and the first angle formed by the upper arm 410 and the torso 300 is 90°, this can minimize the extra space that the upper arm 410 may occupy in the height direction, so as to make the space occupied by the arm 400 in the height direction coincide with the space occupied by the chassis 100, the support rod 200, and the torso 300 in the height direction as much as possible. When the foldable robot 1 is in the folded state, along the direction of rotation of the forearm 420 around the second axis, the forearm 420 and the upper arm 410 form a second angle, which is less than 90°. That is, the forearm 420 is not perpendicular to the upper arm 410, and the forearm 420 is close to the upper arm 410, thereby reducing the space that the forearm 420 may occupy along its own length.

[0100] Understandably, in this embodiment, when the foldable robot 1 is in a folded state, the upper arm 410 can rotate around the first axis to form a first angle with the torso 300 with an angle value of less than 90° in a direction inclined towards the chassis 100. The forearm 420 can rotate around the second axis to form a second angle with the upper arm 410 with an angle value of less than 90°. This ensures that the arm 400 is stored within the enclosed space formed by the chassis 100, the support rod 200, and the torso 300, so that the size of the square box used for packaging or storing the foldable robot 1 can be smaller.

[0101] Preferably, in some embodiments, the value of the first included angle is within the range of [30°, 50°], so as to ensure that the upper arm 410 does not exceed the envelope space formed by the chassis 100, the support rod 200 and the torso 300 when the foldable robot 1 is in the folded state, along the height direction and the length direction of the torso 300 at this time (corresponding to the front and rear direction of the robot).

[0102] Please see Figure 8In the first embodiment, the arm 400 is hinged to the torso 300 to rotate about a third axis. The direction of the third axis is the same as the thickness direction of the torso 300 (corresponding to the robot's front-to-back direction), allowing the arm 400 to rotate towards or away from the side of the torso 300. When the foldable robot 1 is in the folded state, the third angle formed by the arm 400 and the torso 300 along the direction of rotation of the arm 400 about the third axis is at its minimum value. That is, the arm 400 is in the position closest to the side of the torso 300 in the direction of rotation about the third axis, thereby minimizing the space occupied by the arm 400 in the direction away from or towards the side of the torso 300 (i.e., the robot's left-to-right direction), making the size of the square box used for packaging or storing the foldable robot 1 smaller.

[0103] Please see Figure 3-6 In the first embodiment, the foldable robot 1 further includes a dexterous hand 600, which is hinged to the forearm 420 at one end away from the upper arm 410 and is rotatable about a fourth axis. The fourth axis is parallel to the second axis, allowing the dexterous hand 600 to rotate towards or away from the forearm 420. When the foldable robot 1 is in a folded state, the dexterous hand 600 and the forearm 420 form a fourth angle along the direction of rotation of the dexterous hand 600 about the fourth axis. The fourth angle is not equal to 180°, meaning that the dexterous hand 600 and the forearm 420 are not on the same straight line along the length of the forearm 420. The dexterous hand 600 is folded relative to the forearm 420, thereby reducing the space occupied by the dexterous hand 600 along the length of the forearm 420, and making the size of the square box used for packaging or storing the foldable robot 1 smaller.

[0104] In the first embodiment, the foldable robot 1 further includes a joint protective cover, which is disposed between two relatively rotatable components of the foldable robot 1, so that the joint protective cover can surround the joint provided between the two relatively rotatable components. The joint protective cover includes a first connecting strip, a first annular strip, a second annular strip, and a plurality of intermediate annular strips. The first connecting strip sequentially and fixedly connects the first annular strip, the plurality of intermediate annular strips, and the second annular strip along its own length direction, and the plurality of intermediate annular strips are spaced apart from each other along the length direction of the first connecting strip. The first annular strip, the plurality of intermediate annular strips, and the second annular strip are all supported by the first connecting strip, which is made of a material capable of elastic deformation.

[0105] Specifically, the first connecting strip, the first annular strip, the plurality of intermediate annular strips, and the second annular strip are made of the same material, and the first connecting strip is integrally connected to the first annular strip, the plurality of intermediate annular strips, and the second annular strip. For example, the material of the first connecting strip can be common plastic materials such as TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane), PP (Polypropylene), PLA (Polylactic Acid), and PC (Polycarbonate). The joint protector can be manufactured using processes suitable for plastic processing, such as FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling), silicone molding, and powder sintering.

[0106] Specifically, please refer to Figure 1 The foldable robot 1 also includes a neck joint (not shown), which is disposed between the torso 300 and the head 500 to allow the head 500 to rotate relative to the torso 300 via the neck joint, such as pitching, rolling, or yawing. A joint protective shield is disposed between the head 500 and the neck to form a neck protective shield 700, which surrounds the neck joint to shield and protect it. A first annular strip of the neck protective shield 700 is fixedly connected to the head 500, and a second annular strip of the neck protective shield 700 is fixedly connected to the top of the torso 300.

[0107] Understandably, when the head 500 rotates relative to the torso 300, the head 500 can drive the first annular strip to move accordingly. Since one end of the first annular strip is fixedly connected to the first connecting strip, and the other end of the first connecting strip is fixedly connected to the torso 300, the first connecting strip will undergo elastic bending deformation under the action of the first annular strip. Furthermore, since multiple spaced-apart intermediate annular strips are fixedly connected to the first connecting strip, the distance between any two of the intermediate annular strips will change with the elastic bending deformation of the first connecting strip. This causes the neck protector 700 to undergo elastic deformation as a whole, allowing the neck protector 700 to completely surround the neck joint during the rotation of the head 500 relative to the torso 300, thus ensuring the neck protector 700 always protects the neck joint. Moreover, because the neck protector 700 undergoes elastic deformation, it can also return to its original shape after the head 500 rotates back to its original position relative to the torso 300. On the other hand, since the multiple intermediate ring bars are spaced apart from each other, even though the neck shield 700 is arranged around the neck joint, it does not affect the neck joint from dissipating heat through the neck shield 700, thus enabling the neck shield 700 to meet the heat dissipation requirements of the foldable robot 1.

[0108] For more details, please refer to Figure 9-11 The neck protector 700 can be composed of two mutually symmetrical protector units 700a. Each protector unit 700a includes a first arc-shaped strip 710, a second arc-shaped strip 720, a plurality of intermediate arc-shaped strips 730, and two connecting ribs 740. The connecting ribs 740 are fixedly connected to the first arc-shaped strip 710, the plurality of intermediate arc-shaped strips 730, and the second arc-shaped strip 720 in sequence along their own length direction. The plurality of intermediate arc-shaped strips 730 are spaced apart from each other along the length direction of the connecting ribs 740. The first arc-shaped strip 710, the plurality of intermediate arc-shaped strips 730, and the second arc-shaped strip 720 are all supported by the connecting ribs 740. The connecting ribs 740 are made of a material that can undergo elastic deformation. The two connecting ribs 740 are respectively located at both ends of the length direction of the first arc-shaped strip 710, the plurality of intermediate arc-shaped strips 730, and the second arc-shaped strip 720. Two protective cover units 700a consist of two first arc-shaped strips 710 forming a first annular strip, multiple corresponding intermediate arc-shaped strips 730 forming multiple intermediate annular strips, two second arc-shaped strips 720 forming a second annular strip, and two connecting ribs 740 forming a first connecting strip. The two protective cover units 700a can be configured to form a neck protector 700 by providing a plug-in post on one of the connecting ribs 740 and a plug-in hole on the other connecting rib 740, allowing the plug-in post to be inserted into the plug-in hole. Furthermore, the plug-in post and plug-in hole are positioned on the connecting rib 740 corresponding to the first or second annular strip to prevent damage to the plug-in post and plug-in hole when the connecting rib 740 undergoes elastic deformation. By configuring the neck protector 700 as composed of two separable protective cover units 700a, it is more convenient to install the neck protector 700 around the neck joint.

[0109] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the foldable robot 1 according to the first embodiment after removing the outer garment corresponding to the abdomen of a human body. Please refer to... Figure 11-13In the first embodiment, the foldable robot 1 further includes an abdominal joint (not shown in the figure). The torso 300 includes an upper torso 310 and a lower torso 320. The abdominal joint is disposed between the upper torso 310 and the lower torso 320, so that the upper torso 310 can rotate relative to the lower torso 320 through the abdominal joint, such as pitching, rolling, or yaw, thereby enabling the upper torso 310 to mimic various rotational movements of the human upper body at the waist relative to the human lower limbs. Two joint protective covers are provided. In addition to the aforementioned neck protective cover 700, another joint protective cover is disposed between the upper torso 310 and the lower torso 320 to form an abdominal protective cover 800. The abdominal protective cover 800 is disposed around the abdominal joint to cover and protect the abdominal joint. The first annular strip 810 of the abdominal protective cover 800 is fixedly connected to the upper torso 310, and the second annular strip 820 of the abdominal protective cover 800 is fixedly connected to the lower torso 320.

[0110] Understandably, when the upper part 310 of the torso 300 rotates relative to the lower part 320, the upper part 310 can drive the first annular strip 810 to move accordingly. Since one end of the first annular strip 810 is fixedly connected to the first connecting strip 840, and the other end of the first connecting strip 840 is fixedly connected to the lower part 320, the first connecting strip 840 will undergo elastic bending deformation under the action of the first annular strip 810. Since multiple interspaced intermediate annular strips 830 are fixedly connected to the first connecting strip 840, the distance between any two of the multiple intermediate annular strips 830 will change with the elastic bending deformation of the first connecting strip 840, thereby causing the abdominal protective cover 800 to undergo elastic deformation as a whole. This allows the abdominal protective cover 800 to completely surround the abdominal joint during the rotation of the upper part 310 relative to the lower part 320, thus ensuring that the abdominal protective cover 800 always protects the abdominal joint. Furthermore, since the abdominal protective cover 800 undergoes elastic deformation, it can return to its original shape after the upper part 310 of the torso rotates back to its original position relative to the lower part 320 of the torso. On the other hand, since the multiple intermediate annular bars 830 are spaced apart from each other, even though the abdominal protective cover 800 is arranged around the abdominal joint, it does not affect the abdominal joint from dissipating heat through the abdominal protective cover 800, thus enabling the abdominal protective cover 800 to meet the heat dissipation requirements of the foldable robot 1.

[0111] Please see Figure 1In the first embodiment, in order to make better use of the installation space of the head 500, a lidar 510 and a vision sensor 520 are also integrated on the head 500 so that image information can be acquired through the lidar 510 and the vision sensor 520, thereby being used for path planning and pose estimation of the foldable robot 1.

[0112] The foldable robot 1 provided in the first embodiment of this application can change its posture according to the following steps during the entire process of transforming from an upright form to a folded form:

[0113] S100: Determine whether the value of the third angle formed by the arm 400 and the torso 300 is the minimum value. If not, control the arm 400 to rotate around the third axis until the value of the third angle is the minimum value. If yes, control the arm 400 not to rotate around the third axis.

[0114] S200: Determine whether the value of the first angle formed by the upper arm 410 and the torso 300 is 0°. If not, control the upper arm 410 of the arm 400 to rotate around the first axis until the value of the first angle is 0°. If yes, control the upper arm 410 of the arm 400 not to rotate around the first axis.

[0115] S300: Control the first member 210 of the support rod 200 to rotate forward relative to the chassis 100 until the first member 210 rotates to a first preset position where it extends straight forward relative to the chassis 100; at the same time, control the second member 220 to rotate backward relative to the top of the first member 210 until the second member 220 rotates to a second preset position that is approximately perpendicular to the first member 210; at the same time, control the bottom end of the torso 300 to rotate backward relative to the top of the second member 220 until the torso 300 rotates to a third preset position that is approximately perpendicular to the second member 220.

[0116] S400, the upper arm 410 of the control arm 400 rotates in a direction that is closer to the chassis 100 until the first angle formed by the upper arm 410 and the torso 300 reaches a first preset angle value, which is less than 90°.

[0117] S500, the forearm 420 of the control arm 400 rotates around the second axis until the second angle formed by the forearm 420 and the upper arm 410 reaches the second preset angle value, which is less than 90°.

[0118] S600: Control the dexterous hand 600 to rotate around the fourth axis until the fourth angle formed by the dexterous hand 600 and the forearm 420 reaches the third preset angle value, which is not equal to 180°.

[0119] It should be noted that steps S100-S600 described above are merely an example of the specific process by which the foldable robot 1 provided in the first embodiment of this application transforms from an upright form to a foldable form. The foldable robot 1 provided in the first embodiment of this application can also transform from an upright form to a foldable form by performing other different steps. For each transformation of the foldable robot 1 from an upright form to a foldable form, it is not necessary to perform all steps S100-S600, but step S300 must be performed. Furthermore, the execution order of steps S100-S600 can be interchanged.

[0120] In order to ensure that the rotation process can end immediately when the rotation power source stops outputting rotational torque during each rotation process involved in the above steps S100-S600, and will not continue to rotate under the action of rotational inertia or external load, so that the foldable robot 1 can maintain its posture unchanged at the end of the rotation process, the rotation power source can be selected as an electromagnetic self-locking motor, so that the output shaft of the motor can be locked at the moment of power failure by the power-off brake integrated inside the electromagnetic self-locking motor, thereby achieving self-locking. In other words, in the hinge structure between the first rod 210 and the chassis 100, the hinge structure between the first rod 210 and the second rod 220, the hinge structure between the second rod 220 and the torso 300, the hinge structure between the upper arm 410 and the torso 300, the hinge structure between the upper arm 410 and the forearm 420, the hinge structure between the arm 400 and the torso 300, and the hinge structure between the dexterous hand 600 and the forearm 420, an electromagnetic self-locking motor is provided as the rotational power source.

[0121] Second Embodiment

[0122] Please see Figure 14-20 The second embodiment of this application provides a foldable robot 1, which differs from the embodiments described above in that:

[0123] The chassis 100 provided in the second embodiment of this application includes a mounting frame 140, a motor (not shown in the figure), a first support arm 150, and a second support arm 160. The motor is fixedly mounted on the mounting frame 140 by fixing its stator and motor housing to the mounting frame 140. The rotor of the motor is fixedly connected to the output shaft of the motor. The first support arm 150 is fixedly connected to the output shaft of the motor so that when the stator of the motor is fixed and the rotor rotates, it can rotate with the output shaft of the motor under the drive of the rotor, allowing the chassis 100 to achieve a posture change where the second support arm 160 is fixed while the first support arm 150 rotates. The second support arm 160 is fixedly connected to the mounting frame 140 so that when the rotor of the motor is fixed and the stator rotates relative to the rotor, it can rotate with the stator under the drive of the stator and the mounting frame 140, allowing the chassis 100 to achieve a posture change where the first support arm 150 is fixed while the second support arm 160 rotates.

[0124] The mounting bracket 140 is also equipped with a mounting platform 141, which has an upwardly extending mounting post 142. The bottom end of the support rod 200 is hinged to the mounting post 142 to achieve a hinge connection relative to the chassis 100. It should be noted that the mounting post 142 can be fixed to the mounting platform 141 by a detachable fixed connection method such as a threaded connection, so that the mounting post 142, together with the support rod 200 and above, can be removed from the mounting platform 141 when necessary.

[0125] The chassis 100's rotating wheel 130 includes a first drive wheel 131, a second drive wheel 132, and a driven wheel 133. The first drive wheel 131 is mounted on the first support arm 150, the second drive wheel 132 is mounted on the second support arm 160, and the driven wheel 133 is disposed between the first drive wheel 131 and the second drive wheel 132. The driven wheel 133 is mounted on the mounting bracket 140. When the first drive wheel 131 or the second drive wheel 132 rotates, the driven wheel 133 rotates with the first drive wheel 131 or the second drive wheel 132 under the drive of the mounting bracket 140.

[0126] In this embodiment, when the foldable robot 1 is in an upright position, the fifth angle formed by the first support arm 150 and the second support arm 160 is less than 180°, meaning the first support arm 150 and the second support arm 160 are not in the same straight line direction. The first drive wheel 131 mounted on the first support arm 150 and the second drive wheel 132 mounted on the second support arm 160 are both pressed against the ground and supported by the ground, while the driven wheel 133, because it is mounted on the mounting frame 140, is raised to a position suspended relative to the ground by the second support arm 160. During the process of the foldable robot 1 changing from an upright position to a folded position, the first support arm 150 rotates relative to the second support arm 160, or the second support arm 160 rotates relative to the first support arm 150, so that the fifth angle formed by the first support arm 150 and the second support arm 160 increases to its maximum value. When the fifth angle increases to its maximum value, it corresponds to the foldable robot 1 being in a folded position. At this time, the driven wheel 133 and the mounting bracket 140 are at their lowest height from the ground, and the height of the entire chassis 100 is reduced, thereby reducing the space occupied by the foldable robot 1 in the vertical direction. This facilitates the use of smaller square boxes to package and store the foldable robot 1, and alleviates the difficulties in storing and transporting the foldable robot 1.

[0127] It should be noted that, for the foldable robot 1 provided in the second embodiment of this application, the stator of the motor can be fixed by adjusting the center of gravity of the foldable robot 1 located above the chassis 100, thereby pressing the mounting bracket and the second support arm 160 with gravity, so as to make the rotor of the motor rotate, thereby driving the output shaft of the motor and the first support arm 150 to rotate; or the rotor of the motor can be fixed by adjusting the center of gravity of the foldable robot 1 located above the chassis 100, thereby pressing the first support arm 150 with gravity, so as to make the stator of the motor, the motor housing and the mounting bracket rotate, thereby driving the second support arm 160 to rotate.

[0128] Obviously, the embodiments described above are only some embodiments of this application, not all embodiments. The accompanying drawings show preferred embodiments of this application, but do not limit the patent scope of this application. This application can be implemented in many different forms; rather, the purpose of providing these embodiments is to provide a more thorough and comprehensive understanding of the disclosure of this application. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art can still modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing specific embodiments, or make equivalent substitutions for some of the technical features. Any equivalent structures made using the content of this application's specification and drawings, directly or indirectly applied to other related technical fields, are similarly within the scope of patent protection of this application.

Claims

1. A foldable robot, characterized in that, include: Chassis; Support rod; The torso has the bottom end of the support rod hinged to the chassis around a first hinge axis, and the top end of the support rod hinged to the bottom end of the torso around a second hinge axis. An arm, which is connected to the torso; The head is mounted on the top of the torso; The foldable robot has an upright form and a folded form. When the foldable robot is in the upright form, the support rod and the torso are both vertically arranged relative to the chassis. During the process of the foldable robot changing from the upright form to the folded form, the support rod rotates around the first hinge axis to a first position that is tilted forward relative to the chassis, and the torso rotates around the second hinge axis to a second position that is tilted backward relative to the support rod. The torso in the second position is approximately parallel to the chassis. Alternatively, during the process of the foldable robot transforming from an upright form to a folded form, the support rod rotates about the first hinge axis to a first position that is tilted backward relative to the chassis, and the torso rotates about the second hinge axis to a second position that is forward relative to the support rod, with the torso in the second position being approximately parallel to the chassis.

2. The foldable robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bottom end of the support rod is hinged to the rear half of the chassis. When the foldable robot is in the folded state, the support rod is tilted forward relative to the chassis. Alternatively, the bottom end of the support rod is hinged to the front half of the chassis, and when the foldable robot is in the folded state, the support rod tilts backward relative to the chassis.

3. The foldable robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The support rod includes a first rod and a second rod. The bottom end of the first rod is hinged to the chassis, the top end of the first rod is hinged to the bottom end of the second rod, and the top end of the second rod is hinged to the bottom end of the torso. When the foldable robot is in an upright position, both the first and second rods are vertically arranged relative to the chassis; when the foldable robot is in a folded position, the second rod is vertically arranged relative to the chassis, and the first and second rods are approximately perpendicular to each other.

4. The foldable robot according to claim 3, characterized in that, The first rod includes two parallel and spaced-apart unit rods, with the gap between the two unit rods forming a receiving groove, and the second rod can rotate relative to the first rod into the receiving groove.

5. The foldable robot according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The surface of the chassis used to hinge the support rod is also provided with a recess, and the support rod is at least partially located in the recess when the foldable robot is in the folded state.

6. The foldable robot according to claim 5, characterized in that, The chassis includes a main body and protrusions on the left and right sides of the main body, with the recessed portion formed between the two protrusions.

7. The foldable robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The arm includes an upper arm and a forearm. A first end of the upper arm is hinged to the torso and is rotatable about a first axis, the direction of which is the same as the width direction of the torso. A second end of the upper arm is hinged to the forearm and is rotatable about a second axis, the second axis being parallel to the first axis. When the foldable robot is in its folded state, along the direction of rotation of the upper arm around the first axis, the upper arm and the torso form a first angle, the first angle being less than 90°, and the upper arm is inclined relative to the torso towards the chassis; along the direction of rotation of the forearm around the second axis, the forearm and the upper arm form a second angle, the second angle being less than 90°.

8. The foldable robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The arm is hinged to the torso so that it can rotate about a third axis, the direction of which is the same as the thickness direction of the torso. When the foldable robot is in the folded state, the value of the third angle formed by the arm and the torso along the direction of rotation of the arm about the third axis is the minimum value.

9. The foldable robot according to claim 7, characterized in that, The foldable robot also includes a dexterous hand, which is hinged to the forearm at the end away from the upper arm so that it can rotate about a fourth axis. The fourth axis is parallel to the second axis. When the foldable robot is in a folded state, the dexterous hand and the forearm form a fourth angle along the direction of rotation of the dexterous hand about the fourth axis. The fourth angle is not equal to 180°.

10. The foldable robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the foldable robot is in a folded state, the length of the head extending beyond the chassis in the front-back direction is no more than 30% of the length of the chassis in its own front-back direction.

11. The foldable robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The foldable robot also includes a joint protective cover, which is disposed between two relatively rotatable components to surround the joint; the joint protective cover includes a first connecting strip, a first annular strip, a second annular strip and a plurality of intermediate annular strips, the first connecting strip is fixedly connected to the first annular strip, the plurality of intermediate annular strips and the second annular strip in sequence along its own length direction, and the plurality of intermediate annular strips are spaced apart from each other along the length direction of the first connecting strip, and the first connecting strip is made of a material that can undergo elastic deformation; The joint protective cover is configured as follows: When installed on the neck joint, the joint protector is located between the head and the torso, with the first annular strip fixedly connected to the head and the second annular strip fixedly connected to the top of the torso; When installed on an abdominal joint, the torso includes an upper torso and a lower torso, the joint guard is located between the upper torso and the lower torso, the first annular strip is fixedly connected to the upper torso, and the second annular strip is fixedly connected to the lower torso.

12. The foldable robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The chassis includes a mounting frame, a motor, a wheel, a first support arm, and a second support arm. The motor is fixedly mounted on the mounting frame, the first support arm is fixedly connected to the output shaft of the motor, and the second support arm is fixedly connected to the mounting frame. The rotating wheel includes a first driving wheel, a second driving wheel, and a driven wheel. The first driving wheel is mounted on the first support arm, the second driving wheel is mounted on the second support arm, and the driven wheel is disposed between the first driving wheel and the second driving wheel, and the driven wheel is mounted on the mounting frame. The mounting frame is also provided with an upwardly extending mounting column, and the bottom end of the support rod is hinged to the mounting column.

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