A two-wheel drive robot

Abstract

The utility model discloses a two drive wheel type robot, including chassis and at least four rolling wheels of connecting with chassis, four rolling wheels are rectangular distribution, according to the chassis advancing direction will four rolling wheels divide into two steering wheels and two drive wheels, each steering wheel is connected with the chassis through the steering suspension, and each drive wheel is connected with the chassis through the drive suspension, and the steering suspension includes the mounting seat and the steering motor, and the steering wheel is rotatably connected with the mounting seat, and the steering motor is fixed with the chassis outside the chassis, and the output shaft of steering motor is connected with the mounting seat, and the steering motor works and drives the steering wheel to steer.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of robot technology, and in particular to a two-wheeled robot. Background Technology

[0002] Depending on their various monitoring functions and drive mechanisms, robots can be widely used in specialized fields such as mine / tunnel exploration, fire fighting, and earthquake / flood rescue to replace manual inspection or operation. Currently, robot drive mechanisms include four-wheel drive and tracked drive. Compared to tracked robots, four-wheel drive robots (wheeled robots) have advantages such as high efficiency, flexibility, ease of maintenance, and road surface friendliness, making them more suitable for scenarios with flat ground, slight undulations, requiring rapid movement, precise control, and low maintenance costs.

[0003] In the prior art, wheeled robots, as shown in the applicant's earlier patent application with patent number CN202211345306.1 entitled "Explosion-proof Wheeled Inspection Robot", are equipped with four drive wheels. Each drive wheel is driven by a corresponding drive motor to achieve rotation. At the same time, the robot's overall steering is achieved by controlling the speed difference of each drive wheel (differential principle), thus realizing the robot's movement and steering.

[0004] In the aforementioned patent, four-wheel independent drive requires each wheel to be equipped with an independent drive motor, and each motor needs to be equipped with a reducer, electronic control unit (inverter / controller), heat dissipation components and wiring, which directly leads to a large amount of space being occupied in the cabin, causing multiple constraints on the overall layout, and making the wiring and heat dissipation system more complex; in addition, the steering control of four-wheel independent drive is also more complex, the control algorithm is more complex, and there are more potential failure points. Utility Model Content

[0005] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this utility model provides a two-wheeled robot. This application introduces Ackerman steering, which uses two steering wheels at the front for steering and two drive wheels at the rear for driving, simplifying the steering control method and making operation more convenient.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: a two-wheeled robot, comprising a chassis and at least four rolling wheels connected to the chassis. The four rolling wheels are arranged in a rectangular pattern and are divided into two steering wheels and two drive wheels according to the chassis's direction of travel. Each steering wheel is connected to the chassis via a steering suspension, and each drive wheel is connected to the chassis via a drive suspension. The steering suspension includes a mounting base and a steering motor. The steering wheel is rotatably connected to the mounting base, and the steering motor is located outside the chassis and fixed to the chassis. The output shaft of the steering motor is connected to the mounting base, and the steering motor drives the steering wheel to turn.

[0007] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: Understandably, the connection method of the drive suspension, chassis, and drive wheels can refer to the structure of the prior patent applications (CN202222878284.7, CN202323659470.2, CN202323658097.9, etc.) to achieve the rolling of the drive wheels. The number of rolling wheels can be four, six, eight, etc., as long as the chassis can run according to the preset route. This number of rolling wheels is common for wheeled robots. However, this application changes the existing method of all being drive wheels to a method of steering wheels + drive wheels. When four rolling wheels are set, two of them are drive wheels, and the remaining two are set as steering wheels. Each steering wheel is connected to the chassis through a steering suspension. The steering suspension is simply a mounting base and a steering motor. The steering motor and chassis are fixed, and the output shaft of the mounting base and the steering motor are fixed. The steering wheel and the mounting base are rotatably connected. When the steering motor works, it can drive the steering wheel to turn. Therefore, the axis of the output shaft of the steering motor must not be perpendicular to the axis of the steering wheel in a plane, so that the steering motor can control the steering wheel to turn.

[0008] When controlling the drive and steering, the "two-wheel drive + two-wheel steering" system only needs to control: ① the speed difference between the two drive motors (to achieve forward / reverse / turning); ② the angle of the two steering motors (to adjust the driving direction). The control degree of freedom is 4 (2 drive parameters + 2 steering parameters). Compared with the existing four-wheel independent drive system, which requires precise control of the speed and torque of the four drive motors to ensure that the speed of the four wheels is synchronized when driving straight and that the torque of the four wheels is distributed as needed when turning, and if a steering motor is added, the four drive parameters and four steering parameters also need to be coordinated synchronously (the control degree of freedom reaches 8), requiring the development of complex collaborative control algorithms. This not only has a long development cycle, but is also prone to problems such as "wheel slippage" and "steering deviation" due to parameter matching deviations, making the four-wheel independent drive control method more difficult.

[0009] Furthermore, the steering motors corresponding to the two steering wheels are directly fixed to the outside of the chassis, without occupying the internal space of the chassis. This facilitates wiring and heat dissipation, and allows for a small chassis design, which is beneficial for the compact layout of the robot.

[0010] Furthermore, the mounting base includes a steering damper and a fixed seat and a movable seat that are hinged to each other. The fixed seat is rotatably connected to the steering wheel, and the movable seat is coaxially fixed to the steering motor. The two ends of the steering damper are respectively connected to the movable seat and the fixed seat. The steering damper deforms to make the movable seat and / or the fixed seat rotate around their hinge point.

[0011] Furthermore, the drive suspension includes a swing seat and a drive motor. The drive motor is fixed on the swing seat and coaxially connected to the drive wheel. The swing seat is connected to the chassis. The drive motor drives the drive wheel to rotate.

[0012] Furthermore, the swing seat is hinged to the chassis, and a drive shock absorber is provided between the swing seat and the chassis.

[0013] Furthermore, it also includes an explosion-proof housing, which is connected to the swing seat to form an explosion-proof cavity for mounting the drive motor.

[0014] Furthermore, the chassis is provided with two clearance slots for mounting each steering suspension and two recesses for mounting each drive suspension. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of this utility model; Figure 2 for Figure 1 A structural diagram from another perspective; Figure 3 This is an exploded structural diagram of the drive suspension and drive wheel assembly in this utility model; Figure 4 This is a structural diagram of the cooperation between the drive suspension and the drive wheel in this utility model.

[0016] In the diagram: chassis 100, clearance groove 110, groove 120, steering wheel 200, steering suspension 300, mounting base 310, movable base 311, steering shock absorber 312, fixed base 313, steering motor 320, drive wheel 400, connecting shaft 410, drive suspension 500, swing base 510, explosion-proof housing 520, protective cover 530, drive shock absorber 540, drive motor 550. Detailed Implementation

[0017] The technical solutions of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present utility model. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present utility model, and not all embodiments.

[0018] like Figure 1 , 2As shown in Figures 3 and 4, a two-wheeled wheeled robot includes a chassis 100 and at least four rolling wheels connected to the chassis 100. The chassis 100 can be designed to accommodate various components (such as lidar, a lifting platform, a sound system, and a GPS positioning mechanism). The specific components mounted on the chassis 100 are not limited in this invention and can be adjusted according to the robot's application scenario. Specific components can be configured according to the content described in the applicant's previous patent application, CN202311863039.1. The rolling wheels define the robot as a wheeled robot. The number of rolling wheels can be four, six, eight, etc., ensuring that the chassis 100 can run along a preset route. This number of rolling wheels is a common number for wheeled robots. In this application, four rolling wheels are provided, which are arranged in a rectangular shape. According to the travel direction of the chassis 100, the four rolling wheels are divided into two steering wheels 200 and two drive wheels 400. Each steering wheel 200 is connected to the chassis 100 through a steering suspension 300, and each drive wheel 400 is connected to the chassis 100 through a drive suspension 500. The steering suspension 300 includes a mounting base 310 and a steering motor 320. The steering wheel 200 is rotatably connected to the mounting base 310. The steering motor 320 is located outside the chassis 100 and fixed to the chassis 100. The output shaft of the steering motor 320 is connected to the mounting base 310. The steering motor 320 drives the steering wheel 200 to turn.

[0019] The steering motor 320 is an electrically controlled motor, such as a servo motor or a stepper motor, enabling the robot to perform inspection operations according to a preset route. The mounting base 310 has a certain vertical width to ensure that the steering wheel 200 can be rotatably connected to the mounting base 310 via a combination of shaft and bearing. The steering motor 320 is located above the mounting base 310 and connected to it. When the steering motor 320 is working, it can drive the mounting base 310 to rotate, thereby driving the steering wheel 200 to turn.

[0020] It is understandable that the connection method of the drive suspension 500, chassis 100 and drive wheel 400 can refer to the structure of the patents filed earlier in this application (CN202222878284.7, CN202323659470.2, CN202323658097.9, etc.) to realize the rolling of drive wheel 400. Of the four rolling wheels in this application, two are drive wheels 400, and the remaining two are steering wheels 200. Each steering wheel 200 is connected to the chassis 100 via a steering suspension 300. The steering suspension 300 is simply a mounting base 310 and a steering motor 320, which fixes the steering motor 320 to the chassis 100. The mounting base 310 and the output shaft of the steering motor 320 are fixed. The steering wheel 200 is rotatably connected to the mounting base 310. When the steering motor 320 works, it can drive the steering wheel 200 to turn. Therefore, the axis of the output shaft of the steering motor 320 must be non-plane perpendicular to the axis of the steering wheel 200 so that the steering motor 320 can control the steering wheel 200 to turn.

[0021] When controlling the drive and steering, the "two-wheel drive + two-wheel steering" system only needs to control: ① the speed difference between the two drive motors 550 (to achieve forward / reverse / turning); ② the angle of the two steering motors 320 (to adjust the driving direction), with a control degree of freedom of 4 (2 drive parameters + 2 steering parameters). Compared with the existing four-wheel independent drive system, which requires precise control of the speed and torque of the four drive motors 550 to ensure that the speed of the four wheels is synchronized when driving straight and that the torque of the four wheels is distributed as needed when turning, and if combined with the steering motors 320, it is also necessary to coordinate the four drive parameters and the four steering parameters synchronously (control degree of freedom reaches 8), and to write a complex collaborative control algorithm. This not only has a long development cycle, but is also prone to problems such as "wheel slippage" and "steering deviation" due to parameter matching deviations, making the four-wheel independent drive control method more difficult.

[0022] Furthermore, the steering motors 320 corresponding to the two steering wheels 200 are directly fixed to the outside of the chassis 100, without occupying the internal space of the chassis 100. This facilitates wiring and heat dissipation, and enables the chassis 100 to be designed in a small volume, which is beneficial to the compact layout of the robot.

[0023] To enhance the shock absorption effect of the steering wheel 200, the mounting base 310 of this application has a shock absorption function. Specifically, the mounting base 310 includes a steering shock absorber 312 and a fixed base 313 and a movable base 311 that are hinged together. The fixed base 313 is rotatably connected to the steering wheel 200, and the movable base 311 is coaxially fixed to the steering motor 320. Both ends of the steering shock absorber 312 are connected to the movable base 311 and the fixed base 313 respectively. The steering shock absorber 312 deforms to cause the movable base 311 and / or the fixed base 313 to rotate around their hinge points. Figure 1As shown, the fixed seat 313 is located inside the steering wheel 200 and rotatably connected to it. The fixed seat 313 has an upwardly angled support arm, which is hinged to the movable seat 311. The movable seat 311 has a rod-like structure, with its bottom hinged to the support arm. The upper and lower ends of the steering damper 312 are hinged to the movable seat 311 and the fixed seat 313, respectively. The connection end between the steering damper 312 and the movable seat 311 is near the upper part of the movable seat 311. The connection position between the steering damper 312 and the fixed seat 313 is located above the rotation axis of the steering wheel 200. The upper part of the movable seat 311 is located below the steering motor 320 and fixed to the output shaft of the steering motor 320 to ensure that the steering motor 320 drives the steering wheel 200 to rotate. With this structure, the mounting seat 310 can deform to a certain extent when the steering wheel 200 encounters an obstacle, thus providing a certain degree of shock absorption.

[0024] In addition to existing technologies, the drive suspension 500 structure of this application can also employ the suspension structure provided in this application. Specifically, the drive suspension 500 includes a swing seat 510 and a drive motor 550. The drive motor 550 is fixed on the swing seat 510 and coaxially connected to the drive wheel 400. The swing seat 510 is connected to the chassis 100, and the drive motor 550 drives the drive wheel 400 to rotate. The drive suspension 500 structure of this application is simpler than existing suspension structures. Similarly, to ensure that the drive wheel 400 also has a certain shock absorption effect, this application hinges the swing seat 510 to the chassis 100, and a drive shock absorber 540 is provided between the swing seat 510 and the chassis 100. Figure 2 , 3 As shown in Figure 4, the swing seat 510 is arranged along the length direction of the chassis 100 (the direction of travel of the chassis 100). The swing seat 510 is located inside the corresponding drive wheel 400. The drive motor 550 is an electronically controlled motor, such as a servo motor or a stepper motor, which can realize electronically controlled drive. The drive wheel 400 is located near the front of the swing seat 510, and the rear of the swing seat 510 is hinged to the bottom of the chassis 100. The drive shock absorber 540 is located between the chassis 100 and the swing seat 510, and is hinged to both the chassis 100 and the swing seat 510, so that the drive suspension 500 also has a certain shock absorption function.

[0025] The steering motor 320 can be protected by the robot's outer shell (the shell on the chassis 100), or an explosion-proof steering motor 320 can be directly used. However, the drive motor 550 commonly used in robots generally does not directly use an explosion-proof motor. Therefore, to give the drive motor 550 a certain degree of explosion-proof effect, the swing base 510 of this application is also provided with an explosion-proof shell 520. The explosion-proof shell 520 is connected to the swing base 510 to form an explosion-proof cavity for mounting the drive motor 550. Figure 2 , 3As shown in Figure 4, the explosion-proof housing 520 covers the drive motor 550 and is connected to the swing seat 510. The output end of the drive motor 550 and the drive wheel 400 are connected via a connecting shaft 410. A cylindrical protective sleeve 530 is also provided on the outside of the connecting shaft 410. The rotating shaft and the protective sleeve 530 are rotatably connected via ball bearings, etc. The protective sleeve 530 and the explosion-proof housing 520 are connected and fixed together, further protecting the drive motor 550 and increasing the explosion-proof effect of the drive motor 550. The lower end of the drive shock absorber 540 is hinged to the outside of the explosion-proof housing 520.

[0026] To facilitate the installation of the steering wheels 200 and drive wheels 400, the chassis 100 of this application is not a conventional rectangular cavity structure. Instead, the chassis 100, based on the rectangular cavity, has two clearance slots 110 for the installation of each steering suspension 300, and two recesses 120 for the installation of each drive suspension 500. Figure 2 As shown, the two clearance grooves 110 are recessed inward from the left and right side walls of the chassis 100, and the two grooves 120 are recessed inward from the rear side of the chassis 100, forming a large recessed structure.

[0027] In this utility model, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "joining," and "fixing," etc., 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; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this utility model according to the specific circumstances.

[0028] In the description of this utility model, it should be noted that the terms "center," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, or the orientation or positional relationship commonly used when the product of this utility model is in use. They are only for the convenience of describing this utility model 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. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this utility model. In addition, the terms "first," "second," etc., are only used to distinguish descriptions and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0029] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that this invention is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above, and that it can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics of this invention. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered illustrative and non-limiting in all respects, and the scope of this invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description. Thus, it is intended that all variations falling within the meaning and scope of equivalents of the claims be included within this invention. No reference numerals in the claims should be construed as limiting the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A two-wheeled wheeled robot, comprising a chassis (100) and at least four rolling wheels connected to the chassis (100), the four rolling wheels being arranged in a rectangular pattern, characterized in that: According to the direction of travel of the chassis (100), the four rolling wheels are divided into two steering wheels (200) and two drive wheels (400). Each steering wheel (200) is connected to the chassis (100) through a steering suspension (300), and each drive wheel (400) is connected to the chassis (100) through a drive suspension (500). The steering suspension (300) includes a mounting base (310) and a steering motor (320). The steering wheel (200) is rotatably connected to the mounting base (310). The steering motor (320) is located outside the chassis (100) and fixed to the chassis (100). The output shaft of the steering motor (320) is connected to the mounting base (310). The steering motor (320) drives the steering wheel (200) to turn.

2. The two-wheeled wheeled robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mounting base (310) includes a steering damper (312) and a fixed base (313) and a movable base (311) that are hinged to each other. The fixed base (313) is rotatably connected to the steering wheel (200), and the movable base (311) is coaxially fixed to the steering motor (320). The two ends of the steering damper (312) are connected to the movable base (311) and the fixed base (313) respectively. The steering damper (312) deforms to make the movable base (311) and / or the fixed base (313) rotate along their hinge points.

3. The two-wheeled wheeled robot according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The drive suspension (500) includes a swing seat (510) and a drive motor (550). The drive motor (550) is fixed on the swing seat (510) and coaxially connected to the drive wheel (400). The swing seat (510) is connected to the chassis (100). The drive motor (550) drives the drive wheel (400) to rotate.

4. The two-wheeled wheeled robot according to claim 3, characterized in that: The swing seat (510) is hinged to the chassis (100), and a drive shock absorber (540) is provided between the swing seat (510) and the chassis (100).

5. The two-wheeled wheeled robot according to claim 3, characterized in that: It also includes an explosion-proof housing (520), which is connected to the swing seat (510) to form an explosion-proof cavity for mounting the drive motor (550).

6. The two-wheeled wheeled robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: It also includes an explosion-proof housing (520), which is connected to the swing seat (510) to form an explosion-proof cavity for mounting the drive motor (550).

7. The two-wheeled wheeled robot according to claim 1, 2, 4, 5 or 6, characterized in that: The chassis (100) is provided with two clearance slots (110) for mounting each steering suspension (300), and the chassis (100) is provided with two recesses (120) for mounting each drive suspension (500).

8. The two-wheeled wheeled robot according to claim 3, characterized in that: The chassis (100) is provided with two clearance slots (110) for mounting each steering suspension (300), and the chassis (100) is provided with two recesses (120) for mounting each drive suspension (500).

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