Predictive Hydraulic Pressure Rails for Terrain-Adaptive Robots
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Solution Overview
Problem
Robotic devices with hydraulic drive systems face inefficiencies due to constant high nominal pressures that may exceed necessary actuation pressures, leading to energy waste and limited flexibility in pressure adjustment, especially when navigating varied environments or performing tasks with changing loads.
Innovation Solution
A robotic device with a hydraulic drive system that includes a pump complex providing pressurized hydraulic fluid at fixed and adjustable pressures, a control system to adjust pressures based on environmental data and load tracking, and a switch valve complex to selectively connect pressure rails to hydraulic actuators, allowing for dynamic pressure adjustment to match predicted pressures for efficient actuation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If constant high nominal pressure is supplied to hydraulic actuators, then sufficient actuation force is available for all possible tasks, but energy consumption increases and system efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic pressure adjustment by switching between a first pressure rail (higher pressure) and a second pressure rail (lower pressure) based on real-time sensor feedback about actual load conditions. This allows the hydraulic system to adapt pressure levels dynamically rather than maintaining constant high pressure, thereby reducing energy consumption while ensuring sufficient actuation force is available when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the pressure parameter of hydraulic fluid by selecting from multiple pressure rails with different pressure levels. The control system monitors sensor data and adjusts the pressure parameter dynamically by switching between pressure rails, optimizing the balance between actuation force and energy consumption based on actual operational requirements.
2Reliability
If fixed high pressure is maintained in the hydraulic system, then reliable actuation is ensured for varying loads, but flexibility in pressure adjustment is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The hydraulic system is segmented into multiple pressure rails (first pressure rail and second pressure rail), each providing different pressure levels. This segmentation allows the system to select the appropriate pressure level for specific tasks, improving both reliability by ensuring sufficient pressure is available and flexibility by enabling pressure adjustment based on actual needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The hydraulic system achieves multi-functionality by incorporating multiple pressure rails that can serve different operational requirements. The same hydraulic system can reliably handle both high-load tasks (using the first pressure rail) and low-load tasks (using the second pressure rail), thereby providing both reliability and adaptability through a single integrated system.
3Use of energy by moving object
If multiple pressure rails with different pressure levels are implemented, then energy efficiency improves through selective pressure adjustment, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
A switch valve complex acts as an intermediary between the multiple pressure rails and the hydraulic actuators. This intermediary component enables selective connection to different pressure rails based on sensor feedback, allowing the system to achieve energy efficiency through intelligent pressure selection while managing complexity through a dedicated control mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates sensor feedback that monitors actual load conditions and communicates this information to the control system. Based on this feedback, the control system selectively activates the appropriate pressure rail, enabling energy-efficient operation by matching pressure levels to actual requirements while using the feedback loop to manage system complexity through intelligent control.
4Speed
If pressure adjustment is delayed until after environmental features are detected, then system response time is reduced, but task performance may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The control system performs preliminary pressure adjustment by detecting environmental features (such as stairs or slopes) ahead of time using sensor data, predicting the required actuation pressure, and adjusting the hydraulic pressure in advance before the robot actually encounters the feature. This preliminary action ensures both rapid response and reliable task performance by having the correct pressure ready before it is needed.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution improves the efficiency of the hydraulic drive system by reducing energy consumption, extending the robotic device's running time, and lowering noise output by adjusting pressures to match specific task requirements and environmental conditions, thereby optimizing actuation forces and velocities.
Implementation Method 1
a hydraulic pump complex configured to provide pressurized hydraulic fluid at a fixed pressure to a first pressure rail and pressurized hydraulic fluid at an adjustable pressure to a second pressure rail
Implementation Method 2
a switch valve complex that includes hydraulic fluid inputs, where the hydraulic fluid inputs comprise a first hydraulic fluid input coupled to the first pressure rail and a second hydraulic fluid input coupled to the second pressure rail
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3
AI summary
A robotic device may traverse a path in a direction of locomotion. Sensor data indicative of one or more physical features of the environment in the direction of locomotion may be received. The implementation may further involve determining that traversing the path involves traversing the one or more physical features of the environment. Based on the sensor data indicative of the one or more physical features of the environment in the direction of locomotion, a hydraulic pressure to supply to the one or more hydraulic actuators to traverse the one or more physical features of the environment may be predicted. Before traversing the one or more physical features of the environment, the hydraulic drive system may adjust pressure of supplied hydraulic fluid from the first pressure to the predicted hydraulic pressure.