Modular Legged Robot Frame with Interchangeable Subassemblies
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Solution Overview
Problem
Legged robots are difficult to maintain and repair due to their electromechanical complexity, which limits their functionality and usability, especially in harsh environments or when technicians are not available.
Innovation Solution
A modular legged robot design with a frame composed of links and brackets, allowing for interchangeable leg subassemblies, computer modules, and power modules, enabling users to replace components without extensive technical knowledge or physical proximity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a complex electromechanical design is used to achieve advanced functionality, then the robot can perform sophisticated tasks, but maintenance and repair become difficult without highly trained technicians
Solution Approach 1:
The robot is divided into modular subassemblies (legs, torso, arms) that can be independently removed and replaced. Each subassembly contains its own motors, sensors, and control electronics, allowing damaged components to be swapped without disassembling the entire robot. This segmentation enables field repairs by less experienced technicians while maintaining sophisticated overall functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
Standardized mechanical interfaces and electrical connectors are designed to be universal across different robot configurations. The same bracket designs, motor mounts, and connection protocols are used throughout the system, allowing any leg or arm subassembly to be interchangeably mounted on different robot platforms. This universality simplifies maintenance by reducing the variety of specialized knowledge required.
2Ease of repair
If a modular design with interchangeable components is implemented, then ease of repair and component interchangeability improve, but device complexity increases due to multiple interfaces and connections
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs standardized mechanical brackets, electrical connectors, and mounting interfaces that are reused across multiple subassemblies. For example, the same L-shaped bracket design with standardized bolt patterns is used for mounting legs, arms, and sensors throughout the robot. This universality reduces the number of unique interface types technicians must learn, offsetting the inherent complexity of modularity.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple functions are combined into integrated subassemblies. Each leg module, for instance, combines the thigh and calf segments with their respective motors, gears, and sensors into a single replaceable unit. This merging reduces the number of individual connections and interfaces that must be managed, simplifying the overall modular architecture while maintaining ease of repair.
3Reliability
If sealed subassemblies are used to block external contaminants, then protection against flammable gases and dust improves, but weight increases due to sealed enclosures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses thin-walled sealed enclosures made from lightweight materials such as aluminum alloys or composite polymers. These thin shells provide adequate sealing against dust and flammable gases while minimizing added weight. The enclosures are designed with integrated mounting features and cable glands that maintain sealing integrity without requiring thick protective walls.
Data Source
AI summary
A legged robot having a frame with a plurality of links in mechanical communication with plurality of brackets, the frame forming a front, back, top, bottom, and sides, legs in mechanical communication with one or more of the plurality of brackets, each leg having a knee motor, an abduction motor, and a hip motor, a computer module in mechanical communication with one or more of the plurality of brackets and in electrical communication with the legs, and a power module in mechanical communication with one or more of the plurality of brackets and in electrical communication with the legs and the computer module.