The robot's drive mechanism, the robot's legs, and the robot

Abstract

This application relates to the field of robotics, and discloses a robot drive mechanism, robot legs, and a robot. The drive mechanism is applied to a first component and a second component, which are rotatably connected. The drive mechanism includes a first gear and a connecting rod. The first gear is rotatably mounted to the first component and has a rotating connection portion integrally formed therein. The connecting rod has a first end and a second end disposed opposite to each other. The first end is rotatably mounted to the rotating connection portion, and the second end is rotatably mounted to the second component, so that rotation of the first gear can drive rotation of the second component relative to the first component. This application improves the overall strength of the first gear body and the rotating connection portion by directly integrally forming the rotating connection portion with the first gear, thereby giving the drive assembly the advantages of high structural strength and low failure rate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of robotics, and more particularly to a drive mechanism for a robot, the legs of a robot, and the robot itself. Background Technology

[0002] For humanoid robots, quadruped robots, or hexapod robots, the legs are an important part for the robot to walk and move.

[0003] In related technologies, the robot's legs mainly consist of a rotatably connected thigh rod and a calf rod. However, during subsequent use, the robot's legs are prone to malfunction, causing the calf rod to fail to rotate properly. Utility Model Content

[0004] This application provides a robot drive mechanism, robot legs, and a robot to improve the technical problem that robot legs are prone to failure during subsequent use.

[0005] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a robot drive mechanism, applied to a first component and a second component, wherein the first component and the second component are rotatably connected, and the robot drive mechanism includes:

[0006] A first gear, rotatably mounted to the first component, the first gear having a rotating connection portion integrally formed therewith; and,

[0007] A connecting rod having a first end and a second end disposed opposite to each other, the first end being rotatably mounted to the rotating connecting part, and the second end being rotatably mounted to the second component, such that the rotation of the first gear can drive the second component to rotate relative to the first component.

[0008] In some embodiments, the minimum distance between the rotation axis of the rotating connection and the rotation axis of the first gear is D1, and the radius of the addendum circle of the first gear is R1, wherein D1 and R1 satisfy the following relationship: D1 < R1.

[0009] Alternatively, the minimum distance between the rotation axis of the rotating connection and the rotation axis of the first gear is D1, and the radius of the root circle of the first gear is R2, wherein D1 and R2 satisfy the following relationship: D1 < R2.

[0010] In some embodiments, the rotating connection is configured with an installation space, and the first end of the connecting rod is at least partially installed within the installation space.

[0011] In some embodiments, the rotating connection portion includes a first lug and a second lug, both of which extend radially along the first gear and are disposed opposite to each other to form the mounting space between them.

[0012] In some embodiments, the drive mechanism further includes a first rotating shaft, which passes sequentially through the first lug, the second lug, and the first end, such that the first end is rotatably mounted on the rotating connection portion.

[0013] In some embodiments, the first gear is a sector gear.

[0014] In some embodiments, the first gear includes:

[0015] The main body is a fan-shaped plate structure, and has a mounting structure that is rotatably mounted to the first component. The rotatable connection protrudes from one circumferential end face of the main body.

[0016] The teeth surround the outer periphery of the body portion.

[0017] In some embodiments, the first gear further includes a reinforcing rib disposed on the body portion, and the reinforcing rib is also connected to the tooth portion and the mounting structure respectively.

[0018] In some embodiments, the drive mechanism further includes:

[0019] A power source, said power source being installed to the first component; and,

[0020] The second gear is connected to the power source and meshes with the first gear so that the power source can drive the first gear to rotate.

[0021] Secondly, embodiments of this application also provide a robot leg, comprising:

[0022] Thigh bar, wherein the thigh bar is the first component described above;

[0023] Lower leg bar, the lower leg bar being the second component mentioned above; and,

[0024] As described above, the drive mechanism.

[0025] Thirdly, embodiments of this application also provide a robot, including the legs described above.

[0026] The beneficial effects of the embodiments of this application are as follows:

[0027] One of the first and second components can serve as the robot's thigh rod and the other as its lower leg rod. In this embodiment, compared to the rotating connection being installed as an independent component on the first gear, the rotating connection is directly formed from the first gear, which can improve the connection strength between the body of the first gear and the rotating connection, thereby improving the strength of the robot's drive mechanism and thus improving the technical problem of the robot's legs being prone to failure during subsequent use. Attached Figure Description

[0028] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0029] To gain a more complete understanding of this application and its beneficial effects, the following description will be provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein the same reference numerals in the following description denote the same parts.

[0030] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of some parts of the robot leg provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0031] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 The diagram shows the structure of the first gear and the connecting rod.

[0032] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A magnified view of the area at point X in the image.

[0033] Figure 4 yes Figure 1 The exploded view of the drive mechanism shown.

[0034] Figure 5 for Figure 1 A magnified view of the area at point Y.

[0035] Figure 6 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of one structure of the first component shown.

[0036] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0037] 100. Legs;

[0038] 11. First component;

[0039] 12. Second component; 121. Rotating end; 122. Pivot groove;

[0040] 13. Drive mechanism; 131. First gear; 1311. Rotating connection part; 13111. Mounting space; 13112. First lug; 13113. Second lug; 1312. Body part; 13121. Mounting structure; 1313. Gear; 1314. Reinforcing rib; 132. Connecting rod; 1321. First end; 1322. Second end; 133. Second rotating shaft; 134. Power source; 135. Second gear; 136. First rotating shaft; 137. First fastener; 138. Second fastener. Detailed Implementation

[0041] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of them. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application without creative effort are within the protection scope of this application.

[0042] For humanoid robots, quadruped robots, or hexapod robots, the legs are an important part for the robot to walk and move.

[0043] In related technologies, the robot's legs mainly consist of a rotatably connected thigh rod and a calf rod. However, during subsequent use, the robot's legs are prone to malfunction, causing the calf rod to fail to rotate properly.

[0044] Specifically, the inventors discovered through creative research that the drive mechanism of the legs has a large number of parts. Therefore, the robot's drive mechanism is prone to failure during subsequent use due to abnormal connections between some parts.

[0045] Based on this, please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 This application provides a drive mechanism 13 for a robot, which is applied to a first component 11 and a second component 12, and the first component 11 and the second component 12 are rotatably connected. The drive mechanism 13 includes a first gear 131 and a connecting rod 132.

[0046] A first gear 131 is rotatably mounted to a first component 11. The first gear 131 has a rotating connecting portion 1311 integrally formed with the first gear 131. A connecting rod 132 has a first end 1321 and a second end 1322 disposed opposite to each other. The first end 1321 is rotatably mounted to the rotating connecting portion 1311, and the second end 1322 is rotatably mounted to the second component 12, so that rotation of the first gear 131 can drive the second component 12 to rotate relative to the first component 11.

[0047] It is understandable that one of the first component 11 and the second component 12 can serve as the thigh rod of the robot leg 100, and the other as the lower leg rod of the robot leg 100. Therefore, compared to the rotating connection part 1311 being installed as a separate component on the first gear 131, in this embodiment, the rotating connection part 1311 is directly formed from the first gear 131. This improves the connection strength between the body of the first gear 131 and the rotating connection part 1311, thereby increasing the strength of the robot's drive mechanism 13. This, in turn, can improve the technical problem of the robot's leg 100 being prone to failure during subsequent use.

[0048] Furthermore, by reducing the overall number of parts in the drive mechanism 13, the drive mechanism 13 also has the advantage of being easy to assemble.

[0049] It should be noted that the first component 11 and the second component 12 serving as the thigh rod of the robot leg 100 and the other serving as the calf rod of the robot leg 100 is merely one embodiment of the first component 11 and the second component 12 in this application; in actual use, the first component 11 and the second component 12 can be any two rotatably connected parts in the robot, and this application embodiment does not limit this.

[0050] The first gear 131 can be a metal part, and the metal material can improve the strength of the first gear 131. For example, the first gear 131 can be integrally formed into the rotating connection part 1311 by die casting, stamping, milling or other methods.

[0051] Optionally, the first gear 131 can also be a plastic part. For example, the first gear 131 can be integrally molded into the rotating connection part 1311 by injection molding or other methods.

[0052] Of course, in some other embodiments, the first gear 131 can also be integrally formed by 3D printing technology (additive manufacturing technology), and this application embodiment does not limit this.

[0053] Please continue to refer to this. Figure 3In some embodiments, the rotating connecting part 1311 is provided with an installation space 13111, and the first end 1321 of the connecting rod 132 is at least partially installed in the installation space 13111. Furthermore, on the one hand, during assembly, the first end 1321 can be quickly and accurately positioned through the installation space 13111 to facilitate the installation of the connecting rod 132; on the other hand, during subsequent use, the installation space 13111 can increase the mating area between the first gear 131 and the first end 1321, and limit the first end 1321, thereby preventing the first end 1321 from disengaging from the first gear 131, thus improving the reliability of the drive mechanism 13.

[0054] For example, the rotating connection portion 1311 includes a first lug portion 13112 and a second lug portion 13113, both of which extend radially along the first gear 131 and are disposed opposite to each other to form an installation space 13111 between the first lug portion 13112 and the second lug portion 13113.

[0055] Furthermore, during subsequent use, the first end 1321 can be limited by the first lug 13112 and the second lug 13113 to prevent the connecting rod 132 from disengaging from the first gear 131. In addition, the first gear 131 also forms at least two connections with the first end 1321 through the first lug 13112 and the second lug 13113. As a result, when the connecting rod 132 rotates relative to the first gear 131, the force on all parts of the first gear 131 can be more even, thereby avoiding abnormal connection between the first gear 131 and the connecting rod 132. For example, it can prevent bending or breakage between the body of the first gear 131 and the rotating connecting part 1311.

[0056] In some embodiments, the first lug 13112 and the second lug 13113 are spaced apart along the thickness direction of the first gear 131. Furthermore, compared to the first lug 13112 and the second lug 13113 protruding along the thickness direction of the first gear 131, the embodiments of this application can make the first gear 131 thinner, thereby facilitating the miniaturization design of the drive mechanism 13, and ultimately facilitating the miniaturization design of the robot.

[0057] Please combine them together Figure 3 and Figure 4 In some embodiments, the drive mechanism 13 further includes a first rotating shaft 136, which passes through the first lug 13112, the second lug 13113 and the first end 1321 in sequence, so that the first end 1321 is rotatably mounted on the rotating connection 1311, thereby making the connecting rod 132 easy to install.

[0058] The drive mechanism 13 may also include a first fastener 137 and a second fastener 138. The first fastener 137 passes through the first lug 13112 and is fixedly connected to one end of the first rotating shaft 136. The second fastener 138 passes through the second lug 13113 and is fixedly connected to the other end of the first rotating shaft 136.

[0059] In some embodiments, the first gear 131 is a sector gear.

[0060] Understandably, sector gears are gears shaped like a fan. Compared to large circular gears, sector gears are usually smaller and lighter, which helps reduce the overall weight and inertia of the robot's legs, thus facilitating the design of thinner and lighter robots.

[0061] For example, the first gear 131 includes a body portion 1312 and a tooth portion 1313. The body portion 1312 has a fan-shaped plate structure and is equipped with a mounting structure 13121. The mounting structure 13121 is rotatably mounted to the first member 11, and the rotatable connection portion 1311 protrudes from one end face of the body portion 1312 in the circumferential direction. The tooth portion 1313 surrounds the outer periphery of the body portion 1312. This design allows the first gear 131 to have the advantage of being thin and lightweight.

[0062] In some embodiments, the mounting structure 13121 includes a mounting hole so that the mounting structure 13121 can be rotatably mounted to the first member 11 through the mounting hole.

[0063] For example, the robot's leg 100 also includes a second pivot 133, which passes through a mounting hole to rotatably mount the mounting structure 13121 to the first component 11.

[0064] In some embodiments, the central angle of the tooth 1313 is greater than or equal to 150° and less than or equal to 220°.

[0065] Understandably, on the one hand, if the central angle of the tooth 1313 is too large, the body 1312 also needs to be made larger, which would waste too much internal space of the robot and is not conducive to the miniaturization design of the robot; on the other hand, if the central angle of the tooth 1313 is too small, the angle at which the first gear 131 is driven to rotate will also be too small, which in turn will result in the second component 12 rotating at too small an angle relative to the first component 11, resulting in poor robot flexibility. Therefore, it can be seen that the embodiments of this application have the advantages of being lightweight and thin while ensuring the flexibility of the robot.

[0066] For example, the central angle of the tooth 1313 is 150°, 155°, 167°, 170.4°, 176°, 180°, 183°, 190°, 196.04°, 200°, 201°, 205°, 210.5°, 212°, 215°, 201.86° or 220°, and the embodiments of this application do not limit this.

[0067] In some embodiments, the first gear 131 further includes a reinforcing rib 1314, which is disposed on the body portion 1312. In this way, the strength of the body portion 1312 can be improved by the reinforcing rib 1314, so as to avoid the body portion 1312 bending, deforming or even breaking, which would cause abnormality of the drive mechanism 13.

[0068] In some embodiments, the reinforcing ribs 1314 are also connected to the teeth 1313 and the mounting structure 13121 respectively, thereby effectively improving the strength of each position of the teeth 1313 as a whole.

[0069] The number of reinforcing ribs 1314 can be one or more, and this application embodiment does not limit this.

[0070] When there are multiple reinforcing ribs 1314, the strength of each position of the tooth 1313 can be effectively improved by using multiple reinforcing ribs 1314.

[0071] For example, the body portion 1312 is provided with reinforcing ribs 1314 on each side along the thickness direction.

[0072] For example, multiple reinforcing ribs 1314 are arranged circumferentially along the body portion 1312. For example, multiple reinforcing ribs 1314 are arranged radially extending from the mounting structure 13121 as the center, but this embodiment of the application does not limit this.

[0073] Please continue to refer to this. Figure 5 In some embodiments, the minimum distance between the rotation axis of the rotating connection 1311 and the rotation axis of the first gear 131 is D1, and the radius of the tip circle of the first gear 131 is R1, wherein D1 and R1 satisfy the following relationship: D1 < R1.

[0074] Therefore, the rotating connection 1311 is unlikely to extend beyond the outer periphery of the tooth 1313. Thus, during the rotation of the first gear 131, if the parts on the outer periphery of the tooth 1313 do not interfere with the tooth 1313, they are also unlikely to interfere with the rotating connection 1311. In other words, when the distance between the parts on the outer periphery of the tooth 1313 and the tooth 1313 is small, they are also less likely to interfere with the rotating connection 1311 during rotation, thereby allowing for a more compact structure within the leg 100.

[0075] Optionally, the minimum distance between the rotation axis of the rotating connection 1311 and the rotation axis of the first gear 131 is D1, and the radius of the root circle of the first gear 131 is R2, wherein D1 and R2 satisfy the following relationship: D1 < R2.

[0076] Therefore, the rotating connection 1311 is unlikely to extend beyond the outer periphery of the tooth 1313. Thus, during the rotation of the first gear 131, if the parts on the outer periphery of the tooth 1313 do not interfere with the tooth 1313, they are also unlikely to interfere with the rotating connection 1311. In other words, when the distance between the parts on the outer periphery of the tooth 1313 and the tooth 1313 is small, they are also less likely to interfere with the rotating connection 1311 during rotation, thereby allowing for a more compact structure within the leg 100.

[0077] The above is a description of the first gear 131 in the embodiments of this application. The following is a description of some other structures of the drive mechanism 13.

[0078] The drive mechanism 13 may further include a power source 134 and a second gear 135. The power source 134 is mounted to the first component 11. The second gear 135 is connected to the power source 134 in a transmission manner, and the second gear 135 meshes with the first gear 131 so that the power source 134 can drive the first gear 131 to rotate.

[0079] Then, the power source 134 can drive the first gear 131 to rotate, so that the first gear 131 drives the connecting rod 132 to move, and finally the connecting rod 132 pulls the second component 12 to rotate relative to the first component 11.

[0080] The power source 134 may include a motor, such as a servo motor or a stepper motor, but this application embodiment does not limit it.

[0081] The above is a description of the drive mechanism 13 in the embodiments of this application.

[0082] This application embodiment also provides a robot leg 100. The leg 100 includes a thigh rod, a lower leg rod, and a drive mechanism 13. The specific structures of the thigh rod, lower leg rod, and drive mechanism 13 can be referred to in the above-described specific structures of the thigh rod, lower leg rod, and drive mechanism 13, and will not be repeated here.

[0083] Since the leg 100 has the aforementioned drive mechanism 13, the leg 100 also has all the technical effects of the aforementioned drive mechanism 13, which will not be elaborated upon here in the embodiments of this application.

[0084] In some embodiments, the connecting rod 132 may be at least partially disposed within the thigh rod, thereby providing better protection for the connecting rod 132 through the thigh rod.

[0085] For example, the connecting rod 132 is inserted into the thigh rod, and the second end 1322 of the connecting rod 132 is located outside the thigh rod for rotatable connection with the calf rod.

[0086] In some embodiments, the first gear 131 is at least partially disposed within the thigh bar, thereby providing better protection for the first gear 131 through the thigh bar.

[0087] For example, the first gear 131 and the first end 1321 of the connecting rod 132 are both located inside the thigh rod, so that the first gear 131 and the first end 1321 form a rotatable connection inside the thigh rod. This can prevent external objects from damaging the connection between the first gear 131 and the connecting rod 132, thereby improving the reliability of the drive mechanism 13 and the robot leg 100.

[0088] Please refer to this as well. Figure 1 and Figure 6 In some embodiments, the lower leg bar includes a rotating end 121 rotatably mounted to the thigh bar, allowing the lower leg bar to rotate relative to the thigh bar. Alternatively, the second component 12 includes a rotating end 121 rotatably mounted to the first component 11, allowing the second component 12 to rotate relative to the first component 11.

[0089] The rotating end 121 may have a pivot groove 122, and the second end 1322 of the connecting rod 132 may be pivotally connected to the pivot groove 122.

[0090] This application also provides a robot having the legs 100 described above.

[0091] Since the robot has the aforementioned legs 100, it also possesses all the technical effects of the aforementioned legs 100, which will not be elaborated upon here in the embodiments of this application.

[0092] The robot can be a humanoid robot. It can also be a multi-legged robot, such as a quadruped, hexapod, or octagonal robot, but this application does not limit the specific type of robot.

[0093] In the description of 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 technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more features. In the description of this application, "multiple" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0094] In the above embodiments, the descriptions of each embodiment have different focuses. For parts not described in detail in a certain embodiment, please refer to the relevant descriptions in other embodiments.

[0095] The embodiments, implementation methods, and related technical features of this application can be combined and substituted for each other without conflict.

[0096] The above are merely preferred embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit this application in any way. Any simple modifications, equivalent changes, and alterations made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of this application without departing from the scope of the technical solution of this application shall still fall within the scope of the technical solution of this application.

Claims

1. A drive mechanism for a robot, characterized in that, The robot's drive mechanism, applied to a first component and a second component, is rotatably connected and includes: A first gear, rotatably mounted to the first component, the first gear having a rotating connection portion integrally formed therewith; and, A connecting rod having a first end and a second end disposed opposite to each other, the first end being rotatably mounted to the rotating connecting part, and the second end being rotatably mounted to the second component, such that the rotation of the first gear can drive the second component to rotate relative to the first component.

2. The driving mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The minimum distance between the rotation axis of the rotating connection and the rotation axis of the first gear is D1, and the radius of the tooth tip circle of the first gear is R1, wherein D1 and R1 satisfy the following relationship: D1 < R1. Alternatively, the minimum distance between the rotation axis of the rotating connection and the rotation axis of the first gear is D1, and the radius of the root circle of the first gear is R2, wherein D1 and R2 satisfy the following relationship: D1 < R2.

3. The driving mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rotating connection has an installation space, and the first end of the connecting rod is at least partially installed in the installation space.

4. The driving mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that, The rotating connection portion includes a first lug and a second lug, both of which extend radially along the first gear and are disposed opposite to each other to form the mounting space between them.

5. The driving mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that, The drive mechanism further includes a first rotating shaft, which passes sequentially through the first lug, the second lug, and the first end, so that the first end is rotatably mounted on the rotating connection portion.

6. The driving mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The first gear is a sector gear.

7. The driving mechanism according to claim 6, characterized in that, The first gear includes: The main body is a fan-shaped plate structure, and has a mounting structure that is rotatably mounted to the first component. The rotatable connection protrudes from one circumferential end face of the main body. The teeth surround the outer periphery of the body portion.

8. The driving mechanism according to claim 7, characterized in that, The first gear also includes a reinforcing rib, which is disposed on the body portion and is also connected to the tooth portion and the mounting structure.

9. The driving mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The drive mechanism also includes: A power source, said power source being installed to the first component; and, The second gear is connected to the power source and meshes with the first gear so that the power source can drive the first gear to rotate.

10. A robot's leg, characterized in that, include: Thigh bar, wherein the thigh bar is the first component as described in any one of claims 1 to 9; Lower leg bar, said lower leg bar being the second component as described in any one of claims 1 to 9; and, The drive mechanism as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. A robot, characterized in that, Including the legs as described in claim 10.

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