Walking Robot Actuator Coupling for Inertial Force Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional walking robots face complexity in control mechanisms and high inertial forces due to independently driven pitch-direction femoral and knee joints, leading to increased load on actuators and inefficient impact attenuation during walking.
Innovation Solution
A walking robot design that incorporates a power transmission unit and a power control device to couple or decouple pitch-direction femoral joints, allowing a single actuator to drive both joints, reducing inertial forces and simplifying control by transferring rotational force between the joints.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If two actuators independently drive the pitch-direction femoral joint and knee joint, then the robot can perform 6-DOF movement, but the control mechanism becomes complicated and inertial force increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the driving functions of the pitch-direction femoral joint and knee joint into a single actuator system. The power transmission unit transfers rotational force from the first actuator through the femoral link to drive both joints, reducing the number of actuators from two to one while maintaining the ability to perform complex movements.
Solution Approach 2:
The single actuator system is designed to perform multiple functions by driving both the pitch-direction femoral joint and knee joint through the power transmission unit. This multi-functional approach allows one actuator to replace what previously required two separate actuators, simplifying the overall system while preserving movement capabilities.
2Adaptability or versatility
If two actuators independently drive the pitch-direction femoral joint and knee joint, then the robot can perform 6-DOF movement, but the output force requirement increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the driving functions into a single actuator system where the power transmission unit efficiently transfers rotational force from the first actuator through the femoral link to drive both the pitch-direction femoral joint and knee joint. This consolidation reduces the total power requirement compared to using two independent actuators.
3Ease of operation
If the actuator for driving the knee joint is positioned adjacent to the knee joint, then the knee joint can be directly driven, but great inertial force is generated in the leg during walking
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the knee joint actuator from its conventional position adjacent to the knee joint and removes it from the system entirely. Instead, the knee joint is driven passively through the power transmission unit that transfers rotational force from the femoral link, eliminating the need for a separate knee joint actuator and reducing inertial force in the leg.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a walking robot having an improved driving structure for a pitch-direction femoral joint and a knee joint. The walking robot includes a pitch-direction actuator driving the pitch-direction femoral joint to rotate a femoral link relative to a body in a pitch direction, and a power transmission unit transferring driving force of the pitch-direction actuator to the knee joint to rotate the lower leg link relative to the femoral link in the pitch direction.