Robot joint assembly and quadruped robot

Abstract

The application relates to the technical field of robots, in particular to a robot joint assembly and a quadruped robot. A first joint module (1) and a second joint module (2) are coaxially arranged, and an output flange (11) of a reducer (18) of the second joint module (2) is directly connected to a rear cover (12) of the first joint module (1). When the second joint module (2) is in action, the first joint module (1) is driven to rotate around an axis as a whole. A third joint module (3) is connected to the second joint module (2) through a specially-made connecting component (4), and an axis of the third joint module (3) is perpendicular to an axis of the second joint module (2). In this way, the overall rigidity and integration of the robot joint assembly are remarkably improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of robotics, and in particular to a robot joint assembly and a quadruped robot. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of robotics technology, quadruped robots have been widely used in fields such as inspection, rescue, logistics and transportation, and entertainment and companionship due to their excellent mobility and environmental adaptability. The mobility performance of a quadruped robot largely depends on the design of its joint components.

[0003] For quadruped robots, each leg typically needs to have three degrees of freedom (DOF) to enable lateral swinging (abduction / adduction), forward and backward swinging (flexion / extension), and leg lifting movements. To achieve these three degrees of freedom, multiple joint modules are usually integrated into the robot's shoulder or hip area.

[0004] In the prior art, joint modules are usually connected by long connecting arms or complex adapter flanges, which not only weakens the overall rigidity of the joint assembly, but also results in an excessively long transmission chain.

[0005] In summary, designing a robot joint assembly that is more compact, more integrated, and can effectively reduce size while ensuring connection rigidity is a technical problem that urgently needs to be solved by engineers in this field. Utility Model Content

[0006] In view of this, the present invention proposes a robot joint assembly and a quadruped robot, aiming to improve the integration of the robot joint assembly.

[0007] In a first aspect, the robot joint assembly provided by this utility model includes three joint modules. The first joint module and the second joint module are coaxially arranged, and the output flange of the reducer of the second joint module is connected to the rear cover of the first joint module. The third joint module is connected to the second joint module through a connecting member, and the axial direction of the third joint module is perpendicular to the axial direction of the second joint module.

[0008] In a preferred embodiment of the robot joint assembly provided above, at least one joint module has a limiting groove on its rear cover. The limiting groove has a side opening perpendicular to its bottom wall, and the bottom wall of the limiting groove has at least one wire outlet hole. The wire outlet hole is close to the side wall of the limiting groove. The assembly also includes a wire pressing block. A bolt passes through the wire pressing block from one end near the side opening and is connected to the side wall of the limiting groove. The wire pressing block forms a wire pressing groove facing the side wall of the limiting groove, and the height of the wire pressing groove is less than the diameter of the corresponding wire outlet hole.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment of the robot joint assembly provided above, the outer shell of the joint module is provided with a plurality of heat dissipation grooves at intervals, and the heat dissipation grooves are arranged along the axial direction of the outer shell or around the outer shell.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment of the robot joint assembly provided above, the connecting member includes a ring portion and a disk portion. The ring portion and the disk portion are connected and arranged in a perpendicular manner along the axis. The ring portion is coaxially connected to the outer shell of the second joint module, and the disk portion is connected to the output flange of the reducer of the third joint module.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment of the robot joint assembly provided above, two limiting blocks are formed circumferentially on the rear cover of the first joint module, and a stop is formed on the annular portion. The two limiting blocks and the stop cooperate to limit the rotation range of the first joint module as a whole relative to the second joint module.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment of the robot joint assembly described above, the center of the annular portion is on the extension line of the axis of the disk portion.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment of the robot joint assembly provided in this embodiment, the connecting member further forms a reinforcing portion between the annular portion and the disk portion, and the width of the connecting surface between the reinforcing portion and the disk portion is greater than the axial width of the annular portion.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment of the robot joint assembly provided above, the rotating shaft of the joint module has a mounting hole, a mounting base, and a hollow section formed sequentially along the axial direction; the reducer is an RV reducer, the connecting end of the gear shaft of the RV reducer extends into the mounting hole, the bolt passes through the hollow section and connects to the connecting end, and a pin block is also provided between the outer side wall of the gear shaft and the inner side wall of the mounting hole.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment of the robot joint assembly described above, a bearing is provided on the rear cover of the first joint module, and the bearing is used to connect to the end of the gear shaft of the RV reducer of the second joint module.

[0016] In a preferred embodiment of the robot joint assembly described above, the disc portion of the connecting member is connected to the output flange of the reducer of the third joint module. The disc portion is provided with a bearing, which is used to connect to the end of the gear shaft of the RV reducer of the third joint module.

[0017] Secondly, in a quadruped robot provided by this utility model, the quadruped robot includes a body and four robot joint assemblies. The robot joint assemblies are arranged as described in any embodiment of the first aspect, with two robot joint assemblies arranged on the left and right sides of the front part of the body and the other two robot joint assemblies arranged on the left and right sides of the rear part of the body; wherein, in the robot joint assemblies, the third joint module is located on the inner side of the body, and the first joint module and the second joint module are located on the outer side of the body.

[0018] Technical effects: In the robot joint assembly and quadruped robot provided by this utility model, the output flange of the reducer of the second joint module is connected to the rear cover of the first joint module, that is, the second joint module directly "carries" the first joint module, which greatly shortens the axial dimension; at the same time, the third joint module is connected perpendicularly to the second joint module, forming a highly integrated orthogonal joint structure, which significantly improves the overall rigidity and integration of the robot joint assembly. Attached Figure Description

[0019] The preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, so that those skilled in the art can more clearly understand the above and other features and advantages of the present invention. In the drawings:

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the external structure of the quadruped robot in this embodiment.

[0021] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram showing the installation position of the robot joint components in the quadruped robot of this embodiment.

[0022] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the external structure of the robot joint assembly in this embodiment.

[0023] Figure 4 This is a structural schematic diagram of the connecting component of the robot joint assembly in this embodiment.

[0024] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram showing the connection relationship of the connecting components of the robot joint assembly in this embodiment.

[0025] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the pressure line structure of the joint module in this embodiment.

[0026] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the connection structure between the rotating shaft and the gear shaft of the joint module in this embodiment.

[0027] Figure 8 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the third joint module in this embodiment.

[0028] The reference numerals in the attached figures are as follows:

[0029] 1-First joint module; 2-Second joint module; 3-Third joint module;

[0030] 11-Output flange;

[0031] 12-Back cover; 121-Limiting groove; 122-Side opening; 123-Cable outlet;

[0032] 13-Wire pressing block; 131-Wire pressing groove;

[0033] 14-Heat dissipation slot;

[0034] 15-Limit Block;

[0035] 16-Motor; 161-Outer stator; 162-Inner rotor;

[0036] 17-Shaft; 171-Mounting hole; 172-Mounting base; 173-Hollow section; 174-Flat key;

[0037] 18-Reducer; 181-Gear shaft; 182-Bearing;

[0038] 4-Connecting component; 41-Circular part; 411-Stop; 42-Disc part; 43-Reinforcing part;

[0039] 5-Fuselage; 51-Thigh; 52-Lower leg. Detailed Implementation

[0040] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this utility model clearer, the technical solutions of this utility model will be described in detail below. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this utility model, and not all of them. Based on the embodiments of this utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this utility model.

[0041] It should be noted that, in the description of this utility model, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "connection" and "setup" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this utility model according to the specific circumstances.

[0042] Furthermore, it should be understood in the description of this application that the terms “center,” “upper,” “lower,” “front,” “rear,” “left,” “right,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” “top,” “bottom,” “inner,” and “outer,” etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this application and 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, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

[0043] This embodiment provides a quadruped robot, which mainly consists of a body 5 and four legs mounted below the body 5. Each leg is equipped with a robot joint assembly as described in this application, used to drive the leg to perform multi-degree-of-freedom movements.

[0044] Specifically, refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 Four robot joint components are arranged on the left and right sides of the front part of the body 5 and the left and right sides of the rear part of the body 5, forming the robot's "shoulder" and "hip". In order to optimize the overall spatial layout of the robot, the joint components are arranged in an "inner one and outer two" manner during installation: that is, the third joint module 3 in the joint component is located on the inner side of the body 5 (close to the center line of the body 5), mainly responsible for the lateral swing of the thigh 51 (i.e., abduction / adduction degree of freedom); while the first joint module 1 and the second joint module 2 are located on the outer side of the body 5, extending outward, mainly responsible for the forward and backward swing of the thigh 51 (flexion / extension) and the driving of the knee joint (or the raising and lowering of the lower leg 52).

[0045] This arrangement conceals the third joint module 3, responsible for lateral swinging, inside or close to the body 5, effectively reducing the robot's lateral width (i.e., reducing its "span width"), giving the robot a greater advantage when navigating narrow passages. Simultaneously, coaxially connecting the first joint module 1 and the second joint module 2 on the outside of the body 5 results in a compact main motion plane structure for the legs and a more concentrated center of gravity.

[0046] This embodiment details the specific structure of the robot's joint assembly. (Combined with...) Figure 3 The robot's joint assembly includes three independent drive units: a first joint module 1, a second joint module 2, and a third joint module 3. Each joint module includes components such as a motor 16, a reducer 18 (e.g., an RV reducer 18 or a harmonic reducer), an encoder, and a driver.

[0047] The first joint module 1 and the second joint module 2 are coaxially arranged, meaning their rotation axes coincide. In terms of structural connection, the second joint module 2 acts as a "base" or "relay," with its reducer 18's output flange 11 directly connected to the rear cover 12 of the first joint module 1. This means that when the second joint module 2 moves, it will cause the first joint module 1 to rotate around its axis.

[0048] The third joint module 3 is connected to the second joint module 2 via a specially designed connecting member 4. Crucially, the axis of the third joint module 3 is perpendicular to the axis of the second joint module 2.

[0049] When this robot joint assembly is applied to a quadruped robot, the third joint module 3 is fixed to the robot's torso, and its output end drives the second joint module 2 and the first joint module 1 to swing laterally (abduction / adduction) through the connecting member 4; the movement of the second joint module 2 drives the first joint module 1 to rotate relative to the connecting member 4, thereby realizing the swing of the thigh 51; the movement of the first joint module 1 connects the thigh 51 or the lower leg 52 linkage to realize the movement of the knee joint or the lower leg 52.

[0050] Technical benefits: Existing technologies typically use long cantilever arms to connect the three motors 16, resulting in poor rigidity and large size. In this embodiment, the second joint module 2 directly "carries" the first joint module 1 (output flange 11 connects to rear cover 12), greatly shortening the axial dimension; at the same time, the third joint module 3 is connected perpendicularly to the second joint module 2, forming a highly integrated orthogonal joint structure, which significantly improves the overall rigidity and integration of the robot joint components.

[0051] Combination Figure 4 This embodiment provides a detailed description of the connecting member 4 that connects the third joint module 3 and the second joint module 2.

[0052] (1) Structure of connecting member 4

[0053] The connecting component 4 mainly consists of a ring portion 41 and a disc portion 42. The ring portion 41 is sleeved and coaxially connected to the outer shell of the second joint module 2, while the disc portion 42 is connected to the output flange 11 of the reducer 18 of the third joint module 3. The ring portion 41 and the disc portion 42 are integrally formed or welded together in an axially perpendicular manner. Preferably, the center of the ring portion 41 is located on the extension line of the axis of the disc portion 42, ensuring the orthogonality of the joint kinematics and facilitating the calculation of the motion control algorithm.

[0054] To cope with the huge impact loads during robot movement, the connecting member 4 also has a reinforcing part 43 (such as a triangular reinforcing rib or a thickened transition block) formed in the transition area between the annular part 41 and the disk part 42. Furthermore, the width of the connection surface between the reinforcing part 43 and the disk part 42 is designed to be greater than the axial width of the annular part 41, thereby increasing the stress-bearing area and improving the bending moment resistance.

[0055] (2) Mechanical limit design

[0056] Combination Figure 4 and Figure 5 To prevent excessive joint rotation from breaking the internal cables, this embodiment incorporates mechanical stops at the connection points. Specifically, two limiting blocks 15 protrude upwards around the rear cover 12 of the first joint module 1, while a corresponding stop block 411 is formed on the annular portion 41 of the connecting member 4. When the first joint module 1 rotates relative to the second joint module 2 (actually relative to the connecting member 4 fixed to the outer shell of the second module), the stop block 411 moves within the fan-shaped area formed by the two limiting blocks 15. When the rotation reaches its limit angle, the stop block 411 abuts against one of the two limiting blocks 15, thereby physically limiting the range of rotation.

[0057] To address the problem of messy and easily loose wiring inside robot joints, this embodiment features a special wire pressing structure designed on the back cover 12 of the joint module (preferably the first joint module 1 or the second joint module 2).

[0058] Combination Figure 6 The wire pressing structure is configured as follows: A limiting groove 121 is provided on the back cover 12, and the limiting groove 121 has a side opening 122 perpendicular to the bottom wall of the limiting groove 121 itself. At least one wire outlet hole 123 is provided on the bottom wall of the limiting groove 121, and the wire harness passes through the wire outlet hole 123 from inside the joint module. The position of the wire outlet hole 123 is very close to the side wall of the limiting groove 121. Correspondingly, a wire pressing block 13 is also provided, and the side of the wire pressing block 13 facing the side wall of the limiting groove 121 has a wire pressing groove 131 (e.g., a semi-circular or arc-shaped groove).

[0059] The installation and operation of the wire pressing structure are as follows: 1. Pass the wire harness through the outlet hole 123 from inside the joint module; 2. Place the wire pressing block 13 into the limiting groove 121; 3. Use a bolt to pass through the end of the wire pressing block 13 near the side opening 122 and tighten it on the side wall of the limiting groove 121.

[0060] The height of the wire clamping groove 131 is designed to be smaller than the diameter of the wire outlet hole 123 (or smaller than the diameter of the wire harness after compression). When the bolt is tightened, the wire clamping block 13 will forcefully compress the wire harness, using friction to firmly fix the wire harness between the side wall and the wire clamping block 13.

[0061] This wire clamping structure not only achieves a regular wire harness routing, but more importantly, it provides extremely strong tensile strength, preventing the wire harness from loosening and causing poor contact when the robot moves violently.

[0062] In another preferred embodiment, refer to Figure 3 To ensure continuous operation under high loads, the joint module's housing is provided with multiple heat dissipation slots 14 at intervals. The heat dissipation slots 14 can be designed to extend along the axial direction of the housing or be distributed circumferentially around the housing. These heat dissipation slots 14 increase the contact area between the housing and the air, using air convection to remove the heat generated by the motor 16 and the reducer 18.

[0063] Combination Figure 7 and Figure 8 This embodiment also relates to the precision transmission and support structure inside the joint module, especially for scenarios using RV reducer 18.

[0064] For example, the motor 16 of the joint module is provided with an outer stator 161 and an inner rotor 162. The inner rotor 162 is hollow and internally connected to a rotating shaft 17. The rotating shaft 17 is designed in a stepped shape along the axial direction, forming a mounting hole 171, a mounting base 172, and a hollow section 173 in sequence. The connecting end of the gear shaft 181 of the RV reducer 18 extends directly into the mounting hole 171. In order to transmit torque, a flat key 174 is provided between the outer side wall of the gear shaft 181 and the inner side wall of the mounting hole 171. During connection, a bolt is inserted from the hollow section 173 of the rotating shaft 17, passes through the connecting end, and is locked, thereby rigidly connecting the rotating shaft 17 to the gear shaft 181 of the reducer 18.

[0065] Since the gear shaft 181 of the RV reducer 18 is typically long, relying solely on the internal support of the reducer 18 may result in a cantilever beam effect, leading to deformation under stress. The auxiliary support scheme provided in this embodiment is as follows:

[0066] (1) At the connection between the first joint module 1 and the second joint module 2: A bearing 182 is provided on the rear cover 12 of the first joint module 1, and the inner ring of the bearing 182 is fitted onto the end of the gear shaft 181 of the RV reducer 18 of the second joint module 2. In this way, even if the gear shaft 181 extends outward, its end is supported.

[0067] (2) For the connection of the third joint module 3: a bearing 182 is provided at the center of the disc portion 42 of the connecting member 4. The bearing 182 is used to support the end of the gear shaft 181 of the RV reducer 18 of the third joint module 3.

[0068] This end bearing 182 support design significantly improves the rotational accuracy and load-bearing capacity of the gear shaft 181, and extends the service life of the reducer 18.

[0069] It should be understood that although this specification is described according to various embodiments, not every embodiment or implementation method contains only one independent technical solution. This way of describing the specification is only for clarity. Those skilled in the art should regard the specification as a whole. The technical solutions in each embodiment can also be appropriately combined to form other implementation methods that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

[0070] The above descriptions are merely illustrative embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. Any equivalent changes, modifications, and combinations made by those skilled in the art without departing from the concept and principles of the embodiments of this application should fall within the protection scope of the embodiments of this application.

Claims

1. A robot joint assembly, characterized in that, It includes three joint modules. The first joint module (1) and the second joint module (2) are coaxially arranged, and the output flange (11) of the reducer (18) of the second joint module (2) is connected to the rear cover (12) of the first joint module (1). The third joint module (3) is connected to the second joint module (2) through the connecting member (4), and the axial direction of the third joint module (3) is perpendicular to the axial direction of the second joint module (2).

2. The robot joint assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, At least one joint module has a back cover (12) with a limiting groove (121), the limiting groove (121) having a side opening (122) perpendicular to its bottom wall, the bottom wall of the limiting groove (121) having at least one wire outlet hole (123) close to the side wall of the limiting groove (121); It also includes a wire pressing block (13), and a bolt passes through the wire pressing block (13) from one end near the side opening (122) and is connected to the side wall of the limiting groove (121). The wire pressing block (13) has a wire pressing groove (131) facing the side wall of the limiting groove (121). The height of the wire pressing groove (131) is smaller than the diameter of the corresponding wire outlet hole (123).

3. The robot joint assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The outer shell of the joint module is provided with a plurality of heat dissipation slots (14) spaced apart, and the heat dissipation slots (14) are arranged along the axial direction of the outer shell or around the outer shell.

4. The robot joint assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The connecting member (4) includes an annular portion (41) and a disc portion (42). The annular portion (41) and the disc portion (42) are connected in an axially perpendicular manner. The annular portion (41) is coaxially connected to the outer shell of the second joint module (2), and the disc portion (42) is connected to the output flange (11) of the reducer (18) of the third joint module (3).

5. The robot joint assembly according to claim 4, characterized in that, Two limiting blocks (15) are formed circumferentially on the back cover (12) of the first joint module (1), and a stop block (411) is formed on the annular portion (41). The two limiting blocks (15) and the stop block (411) cooperate to limit the rotation range of the first joint module (1) relative to the second joint module (2).

6. The robot joint assembly according to claim 4, characterized in that, The center of the annular portion (41) is on the extension line of the axis of the disk portion (42).

7. The robot joint assembly according to claim 6, characterized in that, The connecting member (4) also forms a reinforcing part (43) between the annular part (41) and the disk part (42), and the width of the connecting surface between the reinforcing part (43) and the disk part (42) is greater than the axial width of the annular part (41).

8. The robot joint assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rotating shaft (17) of the joint module has a mounting hole (171), a mounting base (172) and a hollow section (173) formed sequentially along the axial direction inside; The reducer (18) is an RV reducer. The connecting end of the gear shaft (181) of the RV reducer extends into the mounting hole (171). The bolt passes through the hollow section (173) and connects to the connecting end. A flat key (174) is also provided between the outer wall of the gear shaft (181) and the inner wall of the mounting hole (171).

9. The robot joint assembly according to claim 8, characterized in that: A bearing (182) is provided on the rear cover (12) of the first joint module (1), the bearing (182) being used to connect to the end of the gear shaft (181) of the RV reducer of the second joint module (2); or, The disc portion (42) of the connecting member (4) is connected to the output flange (11) of the reducer (18) of the third joint module (3). The disc portion (42) is provided with a bearing (182), which is used to connect to the end of the gear shaft (181) of the RV reducer of the third joint module (3).

10. A quadruped robot, characterized in that, include: fuselage (5); Four robot joint assemblies as described in any one of claims 1 to 9, two of the robot joint assemblies being arranged on the left and right sides of the front part of the body (5), and the other two robot joint assemblies being arranged on the left and right sides of the rear part of the body (5); In the robot joint assembly, the third joint module (3) is located inside the body (5), and the first joint module (1) and the second joint module (2) are located outside the body (5).

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