Rolling robot

Abstract

The present invention discloses a rolling robot comprising: a casing formed in the shape of a rotating body; two support hubs fixed to both sides of the casing; a main support structure extending horizontally in the left-right direction within the casing and connected to the two support hubs at both ends by bearings; a pendulum connected to the main support structure and capable of swinging in the left-right direction; a rotating mass rotatably connected to the main support structure with respect to a rotation axis extending horizontally in the front-rear direction when the rolling robot is stationary; a main drive electric machine that drives the main support structure, pendulum, and rotating mass to rotate in the front-rear direction; a pendulum drive electric machine that drives the pendulum to swing in the left-right direction; and a rotating mass drive electric machine that drives the rotating mass to rotate in the left-right direction. The rolling robot according to the present invention is easy to control and can achieve high-speed motion with almost no fluctuation in the roll angle.

Description

Cross-reference to Related Applications

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Application CN202311301294.7, filed with the China National Intellectual Property Administration on October 10, 2023.

Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates to the field of robot technology, and particularly to rolling robots.

Background Art

[0003] A rolling robot is a type of mobile robot with a rotating body structure that is driven by a drive source to rotate and move forward. In some special harsh environments, conventional wheeled or legged robots may not be able to perform tasks. Due to the structural characteristics of the rolling robot itself, it has special advantages such as extremely high flexibility, interference resistance, and anti-tipping ability, so it can move quickly even on rough road surfaces with many bumps and depressions such as sandy or grassy areas. In addition, the rolling robot seals its internal mechanisms and most sensors inside the spherical shell, effectively blocking adverse environmental factors such as external moisture and dust. Due to the sealed structure, the robot has a certain amphibious ability. Compared with legged robots that consume energy to maintain their own posture balance, the rolling robot can move by simply driving a pendulum to change the center of gravity of the robot, can save a lot of energy, and has strong endurance. The mounting platforms on both sides of the rolling robot can be equipped with different sensors or human-machine interaction devices according to actual needs to expand its application range and application fields. As research deepens, it is playing an increasingly important role in fields such as life and entertainment, industry and agriculture, and national defense security. However, the dynamic model and kinematic model of the rolling robot are complex, with characteristics such as non-linearity, coupling, and non-chain, so the stable motion control of the rolling robot has become a difficult problem.

[0004] The design philosophy of conventional pendulum-based rolling robots involves using two electric motors to pull the pendulum in two orthogonal directions (forward / backward and left / right) to generate forward / backward motion and rotation in the rolling robot. However, because there is only one pendulum, it is not possible to isolate forward / backward motion from left / right motion, resulting in a strong coupling between the kinematic and dynamic models and making control extremely difficult. Furthermore, due to the motion characteristics of rolling robots, which are prone to swaying due to contact with the ground at a single point, the roll angle is easily disturbed by uneven ground during the forward movement of the entire machine. This change exhibits a periodic pattern, and the period and forward speed show a positive correlation. As a result, models constructed for low speeds are not applicable at high speeds, the models become increasingly complex, and the difficulty of control increases linearly with increasing speed. Due to these complex models, conventional rolling robots all struggle to maintain stability at high speeds.

[0005] Pendulum control is a common rolling robot motion mode and has the advantage of simple actuators. However, in the case of roll angle stabilization control, when the pendulum swings from side to side and is lifted stably by a certain angle in the left-right direction, a moment is generated in the robot. These two effects are coupled together, and when the pendulum is lifted by a certain angle in the left-right direction, it causes the robot to tilt. Therefore, during control, in order to obtain a simplified model that is controllable, the effects of instantaneous moments due to the pendulum swing and the periodic changes in the robot's roll angle due to speed must be ignored, and the forward speed and pendulum swing speed must be reduced. However, because this model is simplified, it is not suitable for high-speed situations and the steering ability is limited.

[0006] Furthermore, conventional rolling robots have the following problems:

[0007] 1) The casing of a rotating body, such as a spherical, ellipsoidal, or horizontally-oriented drum, forms point contact with the ground and is a non-steady-state structure. This allows it to rotate by spontaneously changing the roll angle, and is also susceptible to vibrations caused by ground disturbances or centrifugal force during rotation. This vibration becomes more difficult to control as the robot speed increases.

[0008] 2) Rolling robots move back and forth and rotate by pulling a pendulum, but because they have only one pendulum, a coupling is formed, and the difficulty of controlling the rolling robot increases after it starts to swing. [Overview of the Initiative]

[0009] The objective of the present invention is to provide a rolling robot with a composite control drive mode based on angular momentum conservation, thereby solving the problems of stable high-speed motion and flexible steering control for rolling robots.

[0010] To address the above problems, the present invention provides a casing formed in the shape of a rotating body, such that the distance between the outer surface of the rolling surface and the axis of rotation gradually decreases from the center toward both sides; two support hubs fixed to both sides of the casing and together with the outer surface of the casing, constitute a part of the rolling outer shape of the rolling robot; a main support structure extending horizontally in the left-right direction within the casing and connected to the two support hubs at both ends by bearings, the main support structure making the casing and the two support hubs rotatable relative to the main support structure; and a pendulum hub extending vertically when the rolling robot is stationary. The present invention provides a rolling robot comprising: a pendulum connected to the main support structure by a racket and capable of swinging from side to side relative to the main support structure; a rotating mass rotatably connected to the main support structure with respect to a rotation axis extending horizontally in a front-to-back direction perpendicular to the left-to-right and vertical directions when the rolling robot is stationary; a main drive electric motor that drives the main support structure, the pendulum, and the rotating mass to rotate in the front-to-back direction; a pendulum drive electric motor that drives the pendulum to swing from side to side relative to the main support structure; and a rotating mass drive electric motor that drives the rotating mass to rotate from side to side relative to the main support structure.

[0011] The rolling robot according to the present invention may have one or more of the following features.

[0012] According to one embodiment, the main drive electric motor changes the front-to-back position of the center of mass of the rolling robot by changing the angles of the main support structure, the pendulum, and the rotating mass with respect to the casing, thereby causing the casing to acquire a front-to-back rolling moment and realizing the front-to-back motion of the rolling robot. The pendulum drive electric motor is arranged to change the left-to-right position of the center of mass of the rolling robot by changing the angle of the pendulum with respect to the main support structure and the casing. The rotating mass drive electric motor applies a moment in the roll angle direction to the rolling robot by rotating the rotating mass in forward and reverse acceleration and deceleration directions. The change in the left-to-right position of the robot's center of mass and the forward and reverse acceleration and deceleration rotation of the rotating mass work together to change the robot's roll angle, thereby realizing roll angle attitude control of the robot and attitude stabilization control of the arc turning and linear motion of the rolling robot.

[0013] According to one embodiment, the shape of the rotating mass is rotationally symmetric with respect to the rotation axis, and more mass is distributed in the portion further from the rotation axis than in the portion closer to the rotation axis than the rotating mass.

[0014] According to one embodiment, the rotating mass is formed in the form of a rigid wheel and has a ring arranged on its outer circumference and a plurality of spokes connecting the ring to the axis of rotation.

[0015] According to one embodiment, the circumscribing radius of the rotating mass is 30% to 80% of the circumscribing radius of the casing.

[0016] According to one embodiment, the mounting shaft of the rotating mass is located on the central axis plane of the casing, the mounting height is 30% to 70% of the total height of the rolling robot, and the mounting shaft restricts the rotation axis.

[0017] According to one embodiment, the rotating mass is made of mold steel.

[0018] According to one embodiment, the lower end of the pendulum is provided adjacent to the bottom surface of the inner wall of the casing.

[0019] According to one embodiment, the mass of the pendulum is 30% or more of the total mass of the rolling robot, and the mass of the rotating mass is 5% or more of the total mass of the rolling robot.

[0020] According to one embodiment, the rolling robot further includes a power supply module that supplies power to the main drive motor, the pendulum drive motor, and the rotating mass drive motor, the power supply module being fitted into the pendulum as part of the pendulum.

[0021] According to one embodiment, the rolling robot further includes an external chamber fixed to the main support structure outside the support hub, the external chamber includes an external plate and a cover fixed to the external plate, the cover, the support hub and the outer surface of the casing constitute the rolling shape of the rolling robot, an external sensor is provided in the external chamber, the external sensor is one or more selected from the group consisting of a GPS positioning module, a 6-axis gyro attitude sensor module, a tachometer, a camera, a laser radar and a millimeter-wave radar, and an internal sensor is provided inside the casing, the internal sensor is one or more selected from the group consisting of a GPS positioning module, a 6-axis gyro attitude sensor module and a tachometer.

[0022] According to one embodiment, the casing has a symmetrical structure, and the casing is formed in the shape of a sphere, an ellipsoid, a horizontally placed drum, or a part thereof.

[0023] Compared to the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention include, but are not limited to, the following.

[0024] 1. The present invention uses a rotating mass driven by a rotating mass drive motor as the input of moment, utilizes the conservation of angular momentum to apply a moment in the roll angle direction to a rolling robot, and enables the rolling robot to obtain a centripetal acceleration with respect to an inertial system. In addition to a control method in which the original robot changes the left - right position of the center of mass of the rolling robot by changing the angle of the pendulum's main support structure and the casing to change the roll angle, one control means is added, and both together affect the roll angle. Also, the influence exerted by the rotating mass on the rolling robot is very single and rapid, and decoupling and linearization control in the dynamic model and kinematic model can be realized, greatly reducing the control difficulty of such a robot. Moreover, due to the superiority regarding the suppression of high - frequency noise by the rotating mass, the rolling robot can break through its original speed limit, the speed upper limit is improved by more than 4 times, reaching a speed of about 30 km / h, and there is almost no roll angle jitter.

[0025] 2. The present invention updates the posture of a rolling robot by using the raw data obtained by a 6 - axis gyro attitude sensor, combines the driving of the rotating mass and the driving method of changing the position of the overall center of mass by the forward - backward and left - right swinging of the pendulum, and controls the posture of the rolling robot by a control algorithm, thereby realizing a high - speed straight - line motion in which the rolling robot does not generate jitter.

[0026] 3. The present invention further drives the casing to move in different ways by the cooperation of each drive motor operating with each other, and by adjusting the rotational speed of the rotating mass and the lifting height by the pendulum, the rolling robot can rotate on the spot in a short time or realize a stable arc - shaped turning of the rolling robot.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0027] To more clearly explain the technical means of the embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly describes the drawings of the embodiments of the present invention. However, the drawings are not intended to limit all embodiments of the present invention, but merely show some embodiments of the present invention.

[0028] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a perspective structural schematic diagram showing the interior of the rolling robot according to the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a front view showing the appearance of the rolling robot according to the present invention. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing an exemplary structure of the rotating mass of the rolling robot according to the present invention. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing the connection assembly of the rolling robot according to the present invention. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a side schematic diagram showing the rotating mass drive assembly of the rolling robot according to the present invention.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0030] To further clarify the purpose, means, and advantages of the technical means of the present invention, the technical means of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings of specific embodiments of the present invention. In the drawings, identical elements are denoted by the same reference numerals. Note that the embodiments described are not all embodiments of the present invention, but only some embodiments. All other embodiments that a person skilled in the art could obtain without creative work based on the embodiments of the present invention described are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0031] Unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used herein have the general meaning understood by a person with general skill in the art to which this invention pertains. The terms “first,” “second,” and similar terms used in the specification and claims of this invention do not indicate any order, quantity, or importance, but are for distinguishing different components. Similar terms such as “includes” or “contains” mean that the element or article appearing before the term covers the elements or articles and their equivalents listed after the term, and do not exclude other elements or articles. Similar terms such as “connects” or “is connected” are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but may include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. “Up,” “down,” “left,” “right,” etc., are merely for indicating relative positions, and if the absolute position of the described object changes, the relative position may change accordingly.

[0032] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to embodiments.

[0033] Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the present invention provides a rolling robot including a casing 1 formed in the shape of a rotating body, such that the distance between the outer surface of the rolling surface and the axis of rotation gradually decreases from the center to both sides. Furthermore, the casing 1 may have a symmetrical structure. For example, the casing may be formed in the shape of a sphere, an ellipsoid, a horizontal drum, or a part of such a shape.

[0034] The rolling robot further includes support hubs 32 fixed to both sides of the casing 1 and a main support structure 2 extending horizontally in the left-right direction within the casing 1. For example, the casing 1 has positioning holes for use in conjunction with the support hubs 32, and the casing 1 and the casing support hubs 32 are connected and fixed by screws through the positioning holes. Both ends of the main support structure 2 are connected to the two support hubs 32 by bearings, so that the casing 1 and the two support hubs 32 are rotatable relative to the main support structure 2. The support hubs 32 and the outer surface of the casing 1 constitute the rolling outline of the rolling robot.

[0035] The rolling robot may further include an external chamber fixed to the main support structure 2 outside the support hub 32. Specifically, the external chamber may include an external plate and a cover fixed to the external plate, the cover together with the outer surfaces of the support hub 32 and casing 1 to form the rolling shape of the rolling robot, but it should be understood that when the rolling robot rolls forward, the casing 1 and support hub 32 roll forward, and the main support structure 2 and the external chamber fixed to the main support structure 2 do not roll together with the casing 1 and support hub 32. Alternatively, the external chamber may not include a cover and may only include an external plate or external frame for suspending a device (e.g., an external sensor as described below).

[0036] External sensors may be provided in an external chamber, and these external sensors may be one or more selected from the group consisting of a GPS positioning module, a 6-axis gyro attitude sensor module 14, a tachometer, a camera, a laser radar, and a millimeter-wave radar. Internal sensors may be provided within the casing 1, and these internal sensors may be one or more selected from the group consisting of a GPS positioning module, a 6-axis gyro attitude sensor module 14, and a tachometer. As an example, the GPS positioning module, the 6-axis gyro attitude sensor module 14, and the tachometer are mounted on the main support structure 2 within the casing to acquire the position and attitude of the rolling robot, particularly the main support structure 2. Specifically, the tachometer calculates the speed and movement distance of the casing 1 based on the number of rotations and rotation speed of the electric motor, the 6-axis gyro attitude sensor is used to acquire the rotation angle of the main support structure 2 in each direction, and the GPS positioning module is used to acquire absolute positioning information. By combining these two, more accurate position information can be obtained. As an example, the camera 13, laser radar 12, and millimeter-wave radar are each mounted in external chambers on either side of the casing 1 to mark their own positions and acquire environmental information such as image information, and are used to determine their own operating state and actions such as intelligent human-machine interaction. The casing 1 may also contain a model prediction controller, a control circuit board, a communication module, etc. The model prediction controller and control circuit board are used to control the movement of the rolling robot, and the communication module communicates with a remote control set up with it and is used to control the movement of the rolling robot. As shown in Figure 2, a lamp 11 for illumination may be provided in the external chamber.

[0037] As shown in Figure 1, the rolling robot according to the present invention further includes a pendulum 4 that is connected to a main support structure 2 by a pendulum bracket 41 that extends vertically when the rolling robot is stationary, and is capable of swinging from side to side relative to the main support structure 2. Preferably, the lower end of the pendulum 4 is provided close to the bottom surface of the inner wall of the casing 1, that is, the pendulum is positioned as far away from the geometric center of the rolling robot as possible in order to maximize the moment applied when the pendulum 4 swings. Preferably, the mass of the pendulum 4 is 30% or more of the total mass of the rolling robot in order to maximize the moment applied when the pendulum 4 swings.

[0038] As shown in Figure 1, the rolling robot according to the present invention further includes a rotating mass 5, which is rotatably connected to the main support structure 2, and the rotation axis of the rotating mass 5 extends horizontally in the front-rear direction when the rolling robot is stationary. Preferably, the shape of the rotating mass 5 is rotationally symmetric with respect to the rotation axis, and a rotationally symmetric design is more advantageous for calculating and controlling the rotational inertia of the rotating mass 5. For example, as shown in Figure 3, the shape of the rotating mass 5 may be triangular, octagonal, barbell-shaped, circular, ring-shaped, etc. Preferably, a larger amount of rotational inertia can be obtained for the same mass because more mass is distributed in the part of the rotating mass 5 that is further away from the rotation axis than in the part that is closer to the rotation axis. Preferably, the rotating mass 5 is formed in the form of a rigid ring and has an annule arranged on the outer circumference and a plurality of spokes connecting the annule to the rotation axis, and as shown in Figure 1, more mass is distributed on the outer circumference and is rotationally symmetric and has a stable structure. Preferably, the circumscribing radius of the rotating mass 5 is 30% to 80% of the circumscribing radius of the casing 1, for example, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, or 75%, and a larger radius yields a larger amount of rotational inertia. Preferably, the mounting axis of the rotating mass 5 is located on the central axis plane of the casing 1, and the mounting height is 30% to 70% of the total height of the rolling robot, and the mounting axis restricts the rotation axis of the rotating mass 5. The central axis plane here is a plane that is perpendicular to the left-right direction and passes through the center of the casing 1. Preferably, the rotating mass 5 is made of die steel, but it may also be made of other materials or combinations of materials with sufficient density, for example, a combination of an aluminum member and a lead block. Preferably, the mass of the rotating mass 5 is 5% or more of the total mass of the rolling robot so as to obtain rotational inertia.

[0039] The rolling robot according to the present invention further includes, for example, a main drive assembly 6 provided at the intersection of the main support structure 2 and the support hub 32. As an example, as shown in Figures 1 and 4, the main drive assembly 6 may include a main drive motor 61, a main motor gear 62, a drive ring gear 63, and a connection assembly 3. The connection assembly 3 may include a hub connecting member 31, such as a bearing, to connect the support hub 32 to the main support structure 2. As an example, as shown in Figure 1, the main drive motor 61 is mounted on the bottom of the main support structure 2, the main motor gear 62 is connected to the main drive motor 61, the hub connecting member 31 is mounted inside the support hub 32, the drive ring gear 63 is mounted inside the hub connecting member 31, and the drive ring gear 63 meshes with the main motor gear 62. When the main drive motor 61 rotates, the gear transmission between the main motor gear 62 and the drive ring gear 63 changes the angle of the main support structure 2, the pendulum 4, and the rotating mass 5 relative to the casing 1 in the front-rear direction. This changes the front-rear position of the center of mass of the rolling robot, causing the casing 1 to acquire a front-rear rolling moment and realizing the front-rear motion of the rolling robot. The main drive motor 61 used should be equipped with an encoder for detecting the marching state of the pendulum drive motor 71. According to the present invention, the main drive motor 61 is necessary for driving the front-rear motion of the rolling robot, but the transmission method may differ from the transmission members and / or positions in the main drive assembly 6 described as an example above.

[0040] The rolling robot according to the present invention further includes a pendulum drive assembly 7 provided at the intersection of, for example, the main support structure 2 and the weight swing bracket 41. As an example, as shown in Figure 1, the pendulum drive assembly 7 may include a pendulum drive electric motor 71, a pendulum electric motor gear 72, and a pendulum gear ring 73. The main support structure 2 is, for example, a frame structure as shown in Figure 1, the pendulum drive electric motor 71 is mounted inside the main support structure 2, the variable gear group is mounted outside the main support structure 2, the pendulum electric motor gear 72 is attached to the drive electric motor 71, and the pendulum ring gear 73 is attached to the base of the pendulum 4 by a screw, that is, the pendulum ring gear 73 is fixedly connected to the pendulum 4 at the connection point between the pendulum 4 and the main support structure 2, the center of the ring gear coincides with the pivot axis of the pendulum, and the pendulum ring gear 73 meshes with the pendulum electric gear 72. When the pendulum drive motor 71 rotates, the gear transmission between the pendulum motor gear 72 and the pendulum ring gear 73 changes the angle of the pendulum 4 with respect to the main support structure 2 and the casing 1 in the left-right direction, thereby changing the left-right position of the center of mass of the rolling robot, and working in cooperation with the main drive motor 61 to drive the rolling robot forward and realize the rolling robot's arc-shaped turning. The pendulum drive motor 71 used should be equipped with an encoder for detecting the movement state of the pendulum drive motor 71. According to the present invention, the pendulum drive motor 71 is necessary for driving the rolling robot to turn left and right, but the transmission method may be different from the transmission members and / or positions in the pendulum drive assembly 7 described as an example above.

[0041] The rolling robot according to the present invention further includes, for example, a rotating mass drive assembly 8 provided at the intersection of the main support structure 2 and the rotating mass 5. As an example, as shown in Figure 5, the rotating mass drive assembly 8 may include a rotating mass drive electric motor 81, an electric synchronous pulley 82, a synchronous belt 83, a transmission shaft synchronous pulley 84, and a transmission shaft 85. Specifically, the rotating mass drive electric motor 81 is mounted above the main support structure 2. The transmission shaft 85 passes through the connection point between the pendulum 4 and the main support structure 2, through the centroid of the casing 1, and is mounted inside the main support structure 2 by a bearing base. The rotating mass 5 is mounted on one end of the transmission shaft 85, the transmission shaft synchronous pulley 84 is mounted on the other end of the transmission shaft 85, and the electric synchronous pulley 82 and synchronous belt 83 are mounted on the same side. The rotating mass drive electric motor 81 is mounted on the upper end of the main support structure 2 and is connected to the electric synchronous pulley 82. The rotating mass drive motor 81 drives the rotating mass 5 to accelerate and decelerate in the left-right direction, and by utilizing the principle of conservation of system angular momentum, a precise moment in the roll angle direction is applied to the rolling robot, thereby adjusting the roll angle attitude of the rolling robot and avoiding lateral swaying of the rolling robot. Since the mounting position of the rotating mass 5 is on the central axis plane of the casing, decoupling of the kinematic and dynamic models is achieved. The rotating mass drive motor 81 used should be equipped with an encoder for detecting the movement state of the rotating mass drive motor 81. According to the present invention, the rotating mass drive motor 81 is necessary to adjust the roll angle attitude of the rolling robot, but the transmission method may be different from the transmission members and / or positions in the rotating mass drive assembly 8 described as an example above.

[0042] The rolling robot according to the present invention may further include a power supply module 10, the main drive electric machine 61, the pendulum drive electric machine 71, and the rotating mass drive electric machine 81 are electrically connected to the power supply module 10, and the power supply module 10 is fitted into the pendulum 4 as part of the pendulum 4. In this way, the mass of the power supply module 10, which is originally a burden, can be reduced to part of the mass required to realize the motion of the rolling robot, thereby reducing the overall mass of the rolling robot. The bush 9 is attached to the outer end face of the main support structure 2, the cavity in the axis communicates with the internal chamber of the main support structure 2, the main switch, buttons, external sensor signal transmission lines, etc. all pass through the bush 9 to the outside of the casing 1, and the wire harnesses are all electrically connected to the power supply module 10.

[0043] The operating principle of the rolling robot according to the present invention will be described in detail below. The rolling robot according to the present invention controls its motion by communicating with a remote control corresponding to a communication module during use. When the main drive electric motor 61 rotates in forward and reverse directions, the main electric motor gear 62 and the drive ring gear 63 change the angle of the main support structure 2, the pendulum 4, and the rotating mass 5 with respect to the casing 1, thereby changing the front-to-back position of the center of mass of the rolling robot, causing the casing 1 to acquire a front-to-back rolling moment, and realizing the front-to-back motion of the robot. When the pendulum drive electric motor 71 rotates in forward and reverse directions, the pendulum electric motor gear 72 and the pendulum ring gear 73 change the angle of the pendulum 4 with respect to the main support structure 2 and the casing 1, thereby changing the left-to-right position of the center of mass, and working in cooperation with the main drive electric motor 61 to realize the robot's arc-shaped rotation. When the rotating mass drive electric motor 81 rotates in forward and reverse directions, it drives the transmission shaft synchronous pulley 84 to rotate the transmission shaft 85 in forward and reverse directions, and further drives the rotating mass 5 to rotate in forward and reverse acceleration and deceleration directions. By utilizing the conservation of angular momentum, a moment in the roll angle direction is applied to the rolling robot, allowing the robot to acquire centripetal acceleration relative to the inertial frame. The pendulum drive electric motor 71, the pendulum electric motor gear 72 during forward and reverse rotation, and the pendulum ring gear 73 are combined to change the left-right swing of the pendulum 4, and the roll angle attitude of the platform is quickly adjusted by the combined action of these two types.

[0044] According to the rolling robot of the present invention, decoupling and linearization control in the dynamics and kinematics models of the rotating mass 5 reduces the difficulty of control and improves control accuracy. The rotating mass drive assembly 8 works in cooperation with the main drive assembly 6 to update the attitude of the rolling robot by combining raw data acquired by the 6-axis gyro attitude sensor module 14, and further controls the attitude balance of the rolling robot by the sliding mode control method, thereby enabling the rolling robot to achieve high-speed linear motion without wobbling. The rotating mass drive assembly 8 works in cooperation with the pendulum drive assembly 7 and the main drive assembly 6 to operate in coordination with each other, and drives the casing 1 to move in different ways by the composite sliding mode control method, and by simultaneously adjusting the rotational speed of the rotating mass 5 and the lifting height of the pendulum 4, the rolling robot can temporarily rotate in its original position, or the rolling robot can achieve arc-shaped rotation without wobbling.

[0045] The effects of the rolling robot according to the present invention will be described in detail below.

[0046] The rolling robot according to the present invention is further enhanced by the addition of a rotating mass 5 and a rotating mass drive assembly 8. This is an innovative idea adopted by the inventor of the present invention after repeated research and testing to solve the problem of the difficulty in controlling rolling robots, particularly the large wobble during high-speed motion. Due to various contradictions in the dual control of the rotating mass 5 and the pendulum 4, they should not be used simultaneously in the first place. However, the ingenuity of the present invention lies in understanding and utilizing these contradictions.

[0047] The first contradiction between the rotating mass 5 and the pendulum 4 is that both the forward and reverse acceleration / deceleration motion of the rotating mass 5 and the left-right motion of the pendulum 4 affect the roll angle of the rolling robot. The moments formed by the two means are both applied around the forward direction of the rolling robot, causing it to tilt from side to side. Therefore, the rotating mass 5 and the pendulum 4 inevitably interfere with each other during the control process, resulting in a contradiction and antagonistic effect. Consequently, the use of both the rotating mass 5 and the pendulum 4 together is not usually considered.

[0048] The second contradiction between the rotating mass 5 and the pendulum 4 is that when the rotating mass 5 moves, it acquires a moment with the point of contact with the robot's ground as the pivot point. According to the formula for rotational inertia, I = m × r^2, this rotational inertia is directly proportional to the mass and directly proportional to the square of the rotation radius. Therefore, if the rotating mass 5 is to acquire a larger rotational inertia, it needs to have a larger weight and a higher center of gravity. Having a larger rotational inertia means that it can load more energy at the same rotational speed, the rotating mass 5 can output a moment in one direction for a longer period of time, it has a greater ability to influence the robot, and the control effect is better. Both the rotating mass 5 and the pendulum 4 are attached to the main support structure 2 within the casing 1, which means that the weight and height required for the rotating mass 5 to improve performance will shift the center of gravity of the entire mechanism toward the centroid, thereby weakening the motion performance provided by the main drive electric motor 61. Both the rotating mass 5 and the pendulum 4 require a specific mass ratio. The higher the mounting position of the rotating mass 5, the better the control effect. The lower the mounting position of the pendulum 4, the better the control effect. Since the two mechanisms are mutually contradictory, the joint use of the rotating mass and pendulum structures is not usually considered.

[0049] The rolling robot according to the present invention improves the output capability of the pendulum 4 by adding a rotating mass 5 and releasing the control limitations of the pendulum 4, allowing it to lift at a higher angle and output a larger moment. In addition, the rotating mass 5 suppresses the precession effect during the rolling robot's forward movement, solving the problem of swaying. Decoupling of the model significantly reduces the difficulty and cost of control. Furthermore, due to the superiority of the rotating mass 5 in suppressing high-frequency noise, the rolling robot can overcome its original speed limit, increasing the speed upper limit by more than four times, reaching a speed of approximately 30 km / h, and exhibiting almost no fluctuation in the roll angle.

[0050] Furthermore, when the rolling robot moves, the main drive electric motor 61 rotates, causing the entire main support structure 2 and all mechanisms fixed to it to rotate around the pivot axis of the casing 1. In this process, the center of gravity of the entire rolling robot changes, causing the casing 1 to rotate, thereby enabling the robot to move forward and backward. Due to the physical requirements of this motion principle, the further the center of gravity of the entire main support structure 2 and all mechanisms fixed to it is from the centroid of the casing, and the larger the proportion of the robot's total weight that this center of gravity represents, the greater the change in the rolling robot's center of gravity when the main drive electric motor 61 rotates by the same angle, resulting in better rolling robot performance. Since the pendulum 4 is attached to the bottom of the main support structure 2, the greater the weight of the pendulum 4, which is the furthest from the centroid of the casing in the entire mechanism, the better the rolling robot's performance. Therefore, the lower end of the pendulum 4 is positioned close to the bottom surface of the inner wall of the casing 1, the mass of the pendulum 4 is 30% or more of the total mass of the rolling robot, and the power module 10 is fitted into the pendulum 4 and contributes to the motion performance of the rolling robot as part of the pendulum 4.

[0051] As described above with reference to preferred embodiments, exemplary embodiments of the rolling robot according to the present invention have been explained in detail. Those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and changes can be made to the above specific embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and that various combinations of the various technical features and configurations according to the present invention can be made without exceeding the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. It is a rolling robot, A casing formed in the shape of a rotating body, and formed such that the distance between the outer surface of the rolling surface and the axis of rotation gradually decreases from the center toward both sides, Two support hubs are fixed to both sides of the casing and, together with the outer surface of the casing, form part of the rolling outer shape of the rolling robot. A main support structure that extends horizontally in the left-right direction within the casing and is connected to the two support hubs at both ends by bearings, wherein the casing and the two support hubs are rotatable relative to the main support structure, When the rolling robot is stationary, a pendulum is connected to the main support structure by a pendulum bracket extending vertically, and is capable of swinging from side to side relative to the main support structure. When the rolling robot is stationary, a rotating mass is rotatably connected to the main support structure with respect to a rotation axis that extends horizontally in the front-rear direction perpendicular to the left-right direction and the vertical direction, The main support structure, the pendulum, and the main drive electric motor drive the pendulum and the rotating mass to rotate in the front-rear direction, A pendulum drive electric motor drives the pendulum to swing it in the left-right direction relative to the main support structure, A rotating mass drive electric machine drives the rotating mass to rotate it in the left-right direction relative to the main support structure, A rolling robot, including [a specific type of robot].

2. The main drive electric motor changes the front-to-back position of the center of mass of the rolling robot by changing the angles of the main support structure, the pendulum, and the rotating mass relative to the casing, thereby causing the casing to acquire a front-to-back rolling moment and realizing the front-to-back motion of the rolling robot. The rolling robot according to claim 1, wherein the pendulum drive electric motor is arranged to change the left-right position of the center of mass of the rolling robot by changing the angle between the main support structure of the pendulum and the casing, and the rotating mass drive electric motor is arranged to apply a moment in the roll angle direction to the rolling robot by rotating the rotating mass in forward and reverse acceleration and deceleration directions, and both the change in the left-right position of the center of mass of the robot and the forward and reverse acceleration and deceleration rotation of the rotating mass work together to change the roll angle of the robot, thereby achieving roll angle attitude control of the robot and achieving attitude stability control of the arc turning and linear motion of the rolling robot.

3. The rolling robot according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the shape of the rotating mass is rotationally symmetric with respect to the rotation axis, and a larger mass is distributed in the portion further from the rotation axis than in the portion closer to the rotation axis than the rotating mass.

4. The rolling robot according to claim 3, characterized in that the rotating mass is formed in the form of a rigid wheel and has a ring arranged on its outer circumference and a plurality of spokes connecting the ring to the axis of rotation.

5. The rolling robot according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the circumscribing radius of the rotating mass is 30% to 80% of the circumscribing radius of the casing.

6. The rolling robot according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the mounting shaft of the rotating mass is located on the central axis plane of the casing, the mounting height is 30% to 70% of the total height of the rolling robot, and the mounting shaft restricts the rotation axis.

7. The rolling robot according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the rotating mass is made of mold steel.

8. The rolling robot according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the lower end of the pendulum is provided adjacent to the bottom surface of the inner wall of the casing.

9. The rolling robot according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the mass of the pendulum is 30% or more of the total mass of the rolling robot, and the mass of the rotating mass is 5% or more of the total mass of the rolling robot.

10. A rolling robot according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising a power supply module that supplies power to the main drive motor, the pendulum drive motor, and the rotating mass drive motor, wherein the power supply module is fitted into the pendulum as part of the pendulum.

11. The support hub further includes an external chamber fixed to the main support structure on the outside of the support hub, the external chamber includes an external plate and a cover fixed to the external plate, and the cover, the support hub and the outer surface of the casing constitute the rolling shape of the rolling robot. An external sensor is provided in the external chamber, and the external sensor is one or more selected from the group consisting of a GPS positioning module, a 6-axis gyro attitude sensor module, a tachometer, a camera, a laser radar, and a millimeter-wave radar. The rolling robot according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein a built-in sensor is provided inside the casing, and the built-in sensor is one or more selected from the group consisting of a GPS positioning module, a 6-axis gyro attitude sensor module, and a tachometer.

12. The rolling robot according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the casing has a symmetrical structure, and the casing is formed in the shape of a sphere, an ellipsoid, a horizontally placed drum, or a part thereof.

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