Robot neck structure and robot

Abstract

A robot neck structure, comprising: a first joint actuator (1) and a second joint actuator (2), wherein the first joint actuator (1) is configured to control the head of a robot to swing to the left and right, the second joint actuator (2) is configured to control the head of the robot to swing up and down, and the first joint actuator (1) and the second joint actuator (2) are connected by means of a linkage assembly. The head of the robot can lean forwards, so that the range of motion of the neck can be increased, and thus a sensing unit of the head can obtain a broader field of view. Further provided is a robot.

Description

Robot neck structure and robot

[0001] This disclosure claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on February 14, 2024, with application number 202410178747.X and invention name “Robot neck structure and robot”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present disclosure relates to the field of intelligent control technology, specifically to the field of robotics technology, and in particular to a robot neck structure and a robot. Background Art

[0003] Taking a humanoid robot as an example, a humanoid robot is a robot with a human-like appearance and certain human-machine interaction and movement capabilities. The neck structure is a key component of a humanoid robot, connecting the torso and head structures of the humanoid robot.

[0004] The existing approach to robot neck design generally involves directly connecting joint actuators to the head structure, which then rotate the head in a single direction, enabling the robot to nod or shake its head. This structural design restricts the head structure to a single direction of movement, such as left-right or up-and-down. This results in a limited range of motion for the head structure, making the humanoid robot less than ideal in terms of biomimetic effects.

[0005] In the prior art, for the design of the robot neck structure, if more head movements are to be achieved, more joint actuators need to be stacked longitudinally, and more joint actuators need to be stacked longitudinally to control the rotation of the head structure in different directions. In this way, due to the large number of joint actuators used, too much space is occupied, resulting in a larger volume of the neck structure, and the design cost of the neck structure is also increased. In addition, as the number of joint actuators increases, the design complexity of the neck structure increases. Even if the design of the robot neck structure in the prior art achieves more head movements, the neck structure is directly stacked longitudinally, so the amplitude of the robot head structure in the nodding and shaking directions is limited, and it cannot meet the requirements of the irregular angles of rotation of the head structure.

[0006] In the existing technology, the design of the robot's neck structure is limited to a certain range in a certain direction because the swing of the head structure in a certain direction is limited to a certain range. In order to increase the range of the head structure in a certain direction, multiple joint actuators can be designed in parallel (which can be considered as stacking multiple joint actuators horizontally) to expand the swing range of the head structure. However, by stacking multiple joint actuators horizontally, the lateral volume of the neck structure will be larger, and the neck structure will be larger than the head structure, which will make the overall structure of the robot uncoordinated and cause the center of gravity of the robot to be unstable.

[0007] The existing technology for designing robot neck structures fails to consider precise control over the flexibility of the head structure. By stacking multiple joint actuators, the existing technology limits the head's movement to a certain range in the left-right or up-down directions, without being able to flexibly control the head's angle of motion as needed. Consequently, the existing robot neck structure cannot accurately control the head's rotation angle. In other words, the existing technology's design of the robot neck structure results in poor head flexibility, making it difficult to complete relatively delicate tasks and failing to meet the requirements for high humanoid simulation and robot flexibility. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The present disclosure provides a robot neck structure and a robot.

[0009] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a robot neck structure, comprising:

[0010] A first joint actuator and a second joint actuator, the first joint actuator is used to control the robot head to swing left and right, and the second joint actuator is used to control the robot head to swing up and down, and the first actuator and the second actuator are connected by a connecting rod assembly.

[0011] Optionally, the connecting rod assembly includes a first connecting rod and a second connecting rod, one end of the first connecting rod is connected to the housing of the first joint actuator, the other end of the first connecting rod is connected to the output shaft of the second joint actuator, one end of the second connecting rod is connected to the housing of the first joint actuator, and the other end of the second connecting rod is connected to the housing of the second joint actuator.

[0012] Optionally, the second connecting rod includes a first sub-connecting rod and a second sub-connecting rod, and the first sub-connecting rod and the second sub-connecting rod are arranged on both sides of the first connecting rod and are respectively connected to the two side shells of the second joint actuator.

[0013] Optionally, the robot neck structure further includes a third joint actuator, and the third joint actuator is used to drive other components of the robot to perform rotational motion.

[0014] Optionally, the third joint actuator is disposed below the second joint actuator, and an output shaft of the third joint actuator is connected to a housing of the second joint actuator.

[0015] Optionally, the output shaft of the first joint actuator and the output shaft of the second joint actuator are both arranged in directions parallel to the horizontal direction, and the output shaft of the third joint actuator is arranged in a direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction.

[0016] Optionally, the robot neck structure further includes a platform device, which is disposed on the first joint actuator and connected to an output shaft of the first joint actuator.

[0017] Optionally, the platform device includes a platform portion and a connecting portion, wherein the connecting portion is provided on both sides of the platform portion and extends toward the second joint actuator, and is connected to the output shaft of the first joint actuator through the connecting portion.

[0018] Optionally, the first joint actuator, the second joint actuator and the third joint actuator are all driven electrically.

[0019] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a robot is provided, such as the robot neck structure described above.

[0020] The present disclosure provides a robot neck structure and a robot. The robot neck structure includes a first joint actuator and a second joint actuator. The first joint actuator controls the left-right swing of the robot head, while the second joint actuator controls the up-down swing of the robot head. Only two joint actuators are required to achieve up-down, left-right, and right-left movements of the robot head. In a further embodiment, a third joint actuator controls the rotation of the robot head. Only three joint actuators are required to achieve up-down, left-right, and right-left rotation of the robot head. Furthermore, in the neck structure of the present disclosure, the first and second joint actuators are not directly connected. Instead, a connecting rod assembly is provided between the first and second joint actuators, connecting the first and second joint actuators. Because the connecting rod assembly can extend in multiple directions, it offers high operational flexibility. Therefore, by providing a connecting rod assembly between the first and second joint actuators, the swing amplitude of the robot head in different directions can be flexibly controlled, enabling the robot head to move in more directions with more degrees of freedom, thereby providing the robot head's sensory unit with a wider field of view. Since the neck structure of the present invention is relatively flexible, it can help the robot complete some relatively delicate tasks, thereby meeting the requirements for high humanization and robot flexibility.

[0021] It should be understood that the contents described in this section are not intended to identify the key or important features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor are they intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become readily understood through the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] The accompanying drawings are provided to facilitate a better understanding of the present invention and do not constitute a limitation of the present disclosure.

[0023] FIG1 is a perspective view of a neck structure of a robot in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0024] FIG2 is a side view of the robot neck structure in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] Among them, 1-first joint actuator; 2-second joint actuator; 3-third joint actuator; 4-first connecting rod; 5-first sub-connecting rod; 6-second sub-connecting rod; 7-platform device. Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0026] The following description of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure is made in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, including various details of the embodiments of the present disclosure to facilitate understanding. These details should be considered as merely exemplary. Therefore, those skilled in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications may be made to the embodiments described herein without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. Similarly, for the sake of clarity and conciseness, descriptions of well-known functions and structures are omitted in the following description.

[0027] In the description of the present disclosure, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise" and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present application. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the said features. In the description of the present application, "multiple" means two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0028] It should be noted that the block diagrams shown in the accompanying drawings are merely functional entities and do not necessarily correspond to physically independent entities.

[0029] Referring to Figures 1 and 2, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the robot neck structure in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, and Figure 2 is a side view of the robot neck structure in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The robot neck structure comprises a first joint actuator 1 and a second joint actuator 2. The first joint actuator 1 is used to control the left and right swing of the robot head, and the second joint actuator 2 is used to control the vertical swing of the robot head. The first and second actuators are connected by a connecting rod assembly.

[0030] This disclosure provides a robot neck structure and a robot. The robot neck structure includes a first joint actuator and a second joint actuator. The first joint actuator controls the left-right swing of the robot head, while the second joint actuator controls the up-down swing of the robot head. Compared to existing solutions that stack multiple joint actuators, the present invention achieves both up-down and left-right movements of the robot head by using only two joint actuators.

[0031] Secondly, in the neck structure disclosed herein, the first joint actuator and the second joint actuator are not directly connected. Instead, a connecting rod assembly is provided between the first joint actuator and the second joint actuator, and the first joint actuator and the second joint actuator are connected via the connecting rod assembly. Because the connecting rod assembly can extend in multiple directions, the operational flexibility is relatively high. Therefore, by providing a connecting rod assembly between the first joint actuator and the second joint actuator, the swing amplitude of the robot head in different directions can be flexibly controlled, allowing the robot head to move in more directions with more degrees of freedom, thereby allowing the perception unit of the robot head to obtain a wider field of view. Due to the high flexibility of the neck structure disclosed herein, it can help the robot complete some relatively delicate tasks, thereby meeting the requirements for high humanoid simulation and robot flexibility.

[0032] In some optional embodiments, the connecting rod assembly includes a first connecting rod 4 and a second connecting rod, one end of the first connecting rod 4 is connected to the housing of the first joint actuator 1, and the other end of the first connecting rod 4 is connected to the output shaft of the second joint actuator 2, one end of the second connecting rod is connected to the housing of the first joint actuator 1, and the other end of the second connecting rod is connected to the housing of the second joint actuator 2.

[0033] Specifically, with respect to the connecting rod assembly, one end of the first connecting rod 4 in the connecting rod assembly is connected to the housing of the first joint actuator 1, and the other end of the first connecting rod 4 is connected to the output shaft of the second joint actuator 2. In addition, one end of the second connecting rod of the connecting rod assembly is connected to the housing of the first joint actuator 1, and the other end of the second connecting rod is connected to the housing of the second joint actuator 2.

[0034] The first joint actuator 1 and the second joint actuator 2 adopt a link-type forward swing structure. The link-type structure can make the head of the humanoid robot lean forward, increase the range of motion of the neck, and thus enable the perception unit of the head to obtain a wider field of view.

[0035] In some optional embodiments, the second connecting rod includes a first sub-connecting rod 5 and a second sub-connecting rod 6 , which are arranged on both sides of the first connecting rod 4 and are respectively connected to the two side shells of the second joint actuator 2 .

[0036] In this way, by arranging the first sub-connecting rod 5 and the second sub-connecting rod 6 on both sides of the first connecting rod 4, the first sub-connecting rod 5 and the second sub-connecting rod 6 can be symmetrically arranged, thereby achieving force balance between the two sub-connecting rods.

[0037] In some optional embodiments, the robot neck structure further includes a third joint actuator 3, which is used to drive other components of the robot to perform rotational motion.

[0038] By installing a third joint actuator 3, the robot can achieve three degrees of freedom: nodding, swinging, and turning, thereby improving the flexibility of the neck structure. The third joint actuator can control the rotation of the robot head; with only three joint actuators, the robot head can rotate up and down, left and right.

[0039] In some optional embodiments, the third joint actuator 3 is disposed below the second joint actuator 2 , and an output shaft of the third joint actuator 3 is connected to a housing of the second joint actuator 2 .

[0040] Specifically, the setting position of the third joint actuator 3 can be set below the second joint actuator 2, so that the first joint actuator 1 and the second joint actuator 2 can be driven to rotate, thereby enabling the robot to turn its head and improving the flexibility of the robot's neck structure.

[0041] In some optional embodiments, the output shafts of the first joint actuator 1 and the second joint actuator 2 are both arranged in directions parallel to the horizontal direction, and the output shaft of the third joint actuator 3 is arranged in a direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction.

[0042] Since the first joint actuator 1, the second joint actuator 2, and the third joint actuator 3 are used to achieve three degrees of freedom of motion (nodding, swinging, and turning), respectively, the output shafts of the first joint actuator 1 and the second joint actuator 2 are arranged parallel to the horizontal direction to facilitate their installation. In addition, the output shaft of the third joint actuator 3 is arranged in a direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction to facilitate the third joint actuator 3 to generate rotational motion.

[0043] In some optional embodiments, the robot neck structure further includes a platform device 7 , which is disposed on the first joint actuator 1 and connected to an output shaft of the first joint actuator 1 .

[0044] In this way, since the first joint actuator 1 can swing left and right, by setting the platform device 7 on the first joint actuator 1, the structure on the platform device 7 can be driven to swing left and right, thereby realizing the movement control of other components in the left and right directions.

[0045] In some optional embodiments, the platform device 7 includes a platform portion and a connecting portion, wherein the connecting portion is arranged on both sides of the platform portion and extends toward the second joint actuator 2 and is connected to the output shaft of the first joint actuator 1 through the connecting portion.

[0046] Specifically, the platform device 7 includes a platform portion and a connecting portion. The connecting portion is connected to the output shaft of the first joint actuator 1, thereby achieving a fixed connection between the platform device 7 and the first joint actuator 1. Furthermore, the platform device 7 can be fixed to the first joint actuator 1. The first joint actuator 1 swings left and right, thereby driving the left and right movement control of the platform device 7.

[0047] In some optional embodiments, the first joint actuator 1 , the second joint actuator 2 , and the third joint actuator 3 are all driven electrically.

[0048] In this way, the first joint actuator 1, the second joint actuator 2 and the third joint actuator 3 are all driven by electricity, which has the characteristics of fast response speed, making information transmission, detection and processing very convenient, and the driving capacity is also large.

[0049] In the technical solutions disclosed herein, the acquisition, storage, and application of user personal information involved comply with the provisions of relevant laws and regulations and do not violate public order and good morals.

[0050] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the present disclosure further provides a robot including: the robot neck structure as described above.

[0051] It should be noted that, although several modules or units of the device for action execution are mentioned in the above detailed description, this division is not mandatory. In fact, according to the embodiment of the application, the features and functions of two or more modules or units described above can be concretized in one module or unit. On the contrary, the features and functions of one module or unit described above can be further divided into multiple modules or units to be concretized.

[0052] Those skilled in the art will readily conceive of other embodiments of the present application after considering the specification and practicing the contents disclosed herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the present application that follow the general principles of this application and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art that are not disclosed in this application.

[0053] It should be understood that the present application is not limited to the exact structures described above and shown in the drawings, and that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope thereof. The scope of the present application is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A robot neck structure, comprising: A first joint actuator and a second joint actuator, the first joint actuator is used to control the robot head to swing left and right, and the second joint actuator is used to control the robot head to swing up and down, and the first actuator and the second actuator are connected by a connecting rod assembly.

2. The robot neck structure according to claim 1, wherein: The connecting rod assembly includes a first connecting rod and a second connecting rod, one end of the first connecting rod is connected to the housing of the first joint actuator, the other end of the first connecting rod is connected to the output shaft of the second joint actuator, one end of the second connecting rod is connected to the housing of the first joint actuator, and the other end of the second connecting rod is connected to the housing of the second joint actuator.

3. The robot neck structure according to claim 2, wherein: The second connecting rod includes a first sub-connecting rod and a second sub-connecting rod. The first sub-connecting rod and the second sub-connecting rod are arranged on both sides of the first connecting rod and are respectively connected to the two side shells of the second joint actuator.

4. The robot neck structure according to claim 1, wherein: The robot neck structure further includes a third joint actuator, and the third joint actuator is used to drive other components of the robot to perform rotational motion.

5. The robot neck structure according to claim 4, wherein: The third joint actuator is arranged below the second joint actuator, and the output shaft of the third joint actuator is connected to the housing of the second joint actuator.

6. The robot neck structure according to claim 4, wherein: The output shaft of the first joint actuator and the output shaft of the second joint actuator are both arranged in directions parallel to the horizontal direction, and the output shaft of the third joint actuator is arranged in a direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction.

7. The robot neck structure according to claim 1, wherein: The robot neck structure further includes a platform device, which is disposed on the first joint actuator and connected to an output shaft of the first joint actuator.

8. The robot neck structure according to claim 7, wherein: The platform device includes a platform portion and a connecting portion. The connecting portion is arranged on both sides of the platform portion and extends toward the second joint actuator and is connected to the output shaft of the first joint actuator through the connecting portion.

9. The robot neck structure according to claim 4, wherein: The first joint actuator, the second joint actuator and the third joint actuator are all driven electrically.

10. A robot, wherein: include: The robot neck structure according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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