KR101618676B1 - Humanoid robot having compact series elastic actuator - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention includes a series elastic actuator formed between the lower limb and the upper limb to minimize shock and vibration and to control the upper and lower limbs manually and actively. The upper limb and the lower limb can be actively controlled using the rotational force of the driving motor and the upper limb and the lower limb can be manually controlled according to the force acting between the upper limb and the lower limb by an independent spring disposed in the housing.

Description

HUMANOID ROBOT HAVING COMPACT SERIES ELASTIC ACTUATOR [0002]

The present invention relates to a humanoid robot provided with a two-armed manipulator and a platform to enable smooth running in a field and a rough field, and to carry out tasks such as a rescue mission, an explosive treatment, and a transportation in various environments.

Humanoid-type rescue robots are being developed that can perform rescue operations on the battlefield, transfer patients in the hospital, handle explosives and transfer missions. In order to effectively perform these various tasks, a multi-freedom humanoid robot having a two-armed manipulator and a variable shape platform is suitable.

In order to travel at a high speed in the field, a track type that can be driven at a high speed is advantageous rather than a two-legged or four-legged type of leg to perform the mission, and a variable shape It is advantageous to apply the platform. Therefore, a variable shape platform that can be traveled under various ground conditions while being composed of two tracks of the upper and lower legs and varying its shape is applied to the rescue robot.

In the case of a conventional rescue robot composed of two tracks constituted of upper and lower limbs, a torque of the knee joint driving device capable of driving the above and the lower limb is increased. When such a double track is applied to a platform, the required driving torque is increased, which leads to an increase in weight and size of the driving device.

In addition, when only active control is performed, it is difficult to reduce the vibration and impact of the high frequency by the limited bandwidth of the controller, and there is also a problem that a large motor torque and energy are required for control.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a humanoid robot including a series elastic actuator capable of absorbing vibrations and impacts of the present invention while being applied to a position where a large moment can be supported and driven with a small torque.

In order to accomplish the object of the present invention, there is provided a humanoid robot for transferring an object according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the humanoid robot is connected at an angle and includes a leg and an upper leg, Wherein the series elastic actuator comprises a housing extending in one direction, a ball screw extending in the one direction and formed to penetrate the housing, and a ball screw extending in the one direction so that the ball screw moves along the one direction A driving motor for providing a driving force, an upper and a lower fixing part formed to connect one end of the ball screw to the upper side, and a lower fixing part, which is disposed in the housing and is formed to surround the ball screw, .

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the upper and lower fixing units may include a fixed rack extending parallel to the track on the upper limb, and a fixed rack fixed to one end of the ball screw so as to be rotatable, And a fixed pinion coupled to the fixed rack so as to be movable along the fixed rack.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the housing may include a hole formed to a predetermined length, and one region of the base and the fixing portion may be inserted into the hole and coupled to the housing to be movable by the predetermined length. have.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the series elastic actuator may include a spring portion disposed in the housing and sensing an external force applied to the housing, a controller for analyzing a load of the spring portion, And a driving motor for providing a rotational force for reciprocating along one direction.

As an example of the present invention, the series elastic actuator may further include a silent chain connected to the driving motor and a pulley mounted on the ball screw to transmit the rotational force transmitted through the silent chain to the ball screw .

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the ball screw may protrude from one side of the housing, and the series elastic actuator may further include a bearing formed between the housing and the pulley.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the ball screw may further include a piston formed in a shape corresponding to an end surface of the housing and mounted on the other end of the ball screw to guide reciprocating movement of the ball screw .

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the housing includes first and second sidewall portions formed to face each other with the base portion interposed therebetween, and the spring portion includes the first sidewall portion and the base- And a second spring formed to elastically support the second sidewall portion and the leg-rest portion.

In the present invention, when a compressive force acts on the upper and lower limbs, the first spring is compressed and the second spring is tensioned, and when tensile force acts on the upper limb and the lower limb, One spring is tensioned and the second spring is compressible.

According to the present invention, since the upper limbs and the lower limbs can be actively controlled by using the rotational force of the driving motor, a large moment can be supported with a relatively small energy.

Further, since the upper and lower limbs can be manually controlled according to the force acting between the upper and lower limbs by the independent spring disposed in the housing, the vibration of the high frequency can be reduced without any additional device.

1 is a side view of a humanoid robot equipped with a series elastic actuator;
2 is a sectional view of a series elastic actuator; .
3 is a conceptual view of a series elastic actuator.
4A and 4B are conceptual diagrams for explaining active control for translational motion of the upper limb;
5A and 5B are conceptual diagrams for explaining manual control by external force;

Hereinafter, a series elastic actuator and a humanoid robot including the series elastic actuator according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the present specification, the same or similar reference numerals are given to different embodiments in the same or similar configurations. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

1 is a side view of a humanoid robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The humanoid robot 1000 according to the present invention includes a body 100, a manipulator 200, an end device 300, a sensing device 400, a variable shape platform 500, a series elastic actuator 600, 700). The manipulator according to the present invention can be driven by an operator located at a remote location through the original control device 700.

In FIG. 1, the sensing device 400 is shown mounted to the body 100, but the sensing device 400 may include a plurality of sensing sensors mounted on the respective components. Each sensing sensor senses the external environment of the humanoid robot and transmits it to an operator located at a remote place through the remote control device. For example, the sensing sensor may be implemented as an optical sensor.

The manipulator 200 is formed as a pair of structures. That is, the pair of manipulators 200 are mounted on the body 100 in the same shape as human's arms. The end device 300 is mounted at one end of the manipulator 200.

Although not shown specifically in the drawings, the manipulator 200 further includes a first sensing sensor mounted on the end device 300. The first sensing sensor may collect information about areas in which other components, such as the detail of the manipulator or the bottom of the vehicle, can not reach.

The variable shape platform 500 is mounted on the lower end of the sensing device 400. The variable shape platform 500 is composed of tracks and includes upper and lower legs 510 and 520 connected in series. The upper and lower legs 510 and 520 are formed in a track-like shape on the outer circumferential surface which is formed so as to touch the ground. That is, it is movable along the ground by the rotation of the track. In addition, the upper and lower legs 510 and 520 are connected such that one end thereof forms a specific angle.

The series elastic driver 600 is mounted to the upper and lower legs 510 and 520 so as to be rotatable with respect to the upper and lower legs 510 and 520, respectively. That is, when the angle between the upper body 510 and the lower body 520 is changed by the operation of the humanoid robot 1000, the series elastic driver 600 is also relatively deformed.

 . For example, one end of the series elastic driver 600 is fixed to the upper portion 510, and the other end of the series elastic driver 600 is fixed to the lower portion 520

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a series elastic actuator according to an embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating components of a series elastic actuator. The components of the series elastic actuator of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 2 and 3. Fig.

1 and 2, the configuration of a humanoid robot equipped with the series elastic actuator of the present invention will be described. The series elastic actuator 600 includes a controller, a motor, a transmission, and a spring. The series elastic driver 600 includes a housing 601, an upper fixing portion 603, a lower fixing portion 602, first and second springs 650 and 660, a ball screw 604, a driving motor 610).

The housing 601 extends in one direction and includes an inner space. The ball screw 604 extends in one direction and is housed in the housing 601 so as to pass through the inner space of the housing 601. One end of the ball screw 604 is formed to be exposed from the housing 601.

At the one end of the ball screw 604, an upper supporting part 603 is formed. The upper level shifting portion 603 includes a fixed pinion 613 and an upper portion rotating joint 623. The upper joint rotating joint 623 and the fixed pinion 613 are formed at one end of the ball screw 604.

The upper grip portion rotating joint 623 fixes the ball screw 604 and the fixed pinion 613 such that the fixed pinion 613 is rotatable with respect to the ball screw 604. Further, the fixed pinion 613 is mounted so as to be rotatable about the upper rotation joint 623.

Meanwhile, the fixed pinion 613 is movably coupled to the fixed rack 511 formed on the upper plate 510. The fixed rack 511 may be formed to be substantially parallel to the outer circumferential surface of the upper member 510. The fixed pinion 613 is controlled to move along the fixed rack 511 based on the positional change of the upper and lower legs 510 and 520. [ Accordingly, one end of the ball screw 604 moves along the fixed rack 511.

The retainer 602 is mounted in the inner space of the housing 501. The housing 501 may further include a hole 601 'into which a region of the base fixing portion 602 is inserted so that the base fixing portion 602 can move within the housing 601. The hole 601 'is formed to have a predetermined length so that the retainer 602 moves by a predetermined length.

The retainer 602 includes a first retainer 602a formed along an inner circumferential surface of the housing 601 and having a space for the ball screw 604 to pass therethrough and a second retainer 602a connected to the first retainer 602a And a second fixing part 602b formed to be partially inserted into the hole 601 '. The outer periphery of the second fixing portion 602b is formed to be larger than the outer periphery of the first fixing portion 602a.

The bottom fixing portion 602 includes a bottom fixing portion 612 connecting the bottom fixing portion 602 and the bottom portion 520. Preferably, the lower rotary joint 612 is formed on a component constituting the outer appearance of the foundation 520. The position of the bottom rotary joint 612 is not changed on the base 520. Referring to FIG. 1, the serial elastic driver 600 is formed on the left side of the upper body 510 and is formed on the right side of the lower body 520.

The housing 601 includes an upper sidewall 601a and a lower sidewall 601b. The upper and lower side walls 601a and 601b are formed in a direction intersecting with one direction in which the housing 601 extends and include through holes formed through the ball screw 604. The upper and lower sidewalls 601a and 601b are formed to face each other and form the inner space of the housing 601. [ The retainer 602 is disposed between the upper and lower sidewalls 601a and 601b and the hole 601 'may be formed in a region adjacent to the lower sidewall 601b.

The first spring 650 is formed between the upper sidewall 601a and the base fixing portion 602 to elastically support the upper sidewall 601a and the base fixing portion 602. [ The second spring 660 is formed to extend from the inside of the retainer 602 and elastically support the lower sidewall 601b.

That is, the retainer 602 is disposed at a specific position of the housing 601 by first and second springs 650 and 660 that support the upper and lower sidewalls 601a and 602b, respectively .

The series elastic actuator 1000 further includes a silent chain 620, a pulley 640 and a bearing 630 connected to the driving motor 610 to move the ball screw 604.

Referring to FIG. 3, the load f _load can be estimated by measuring the displacement of the spring. The controller compares the load f _load with the reference input torque f _desired . The controller controls the drive motor 610 based on the comparison result.

Energy generated by energy generated by the driving motor 610 is transmitted to the pulley 640 through the silent chain 620. The pulley 640 is rotated by the energy, and the pulley 640 is connected to the ball screw 604. The ball screw 604 rotates about the housing 601 and can move along the one direction from the housing 601 as the pulley 640 rotates. That is, the ball screw 604 is formed to move forward or backward along the one direction with respect to the housing 601.

The bearing 630 is formed between the pulley 604 and the housing 601. The pulley 604 can rotate independently of the housing 601. That is, 601 do not transmit the energy provided from the driving motor 610.

The series elastic driver 1000 can move the upper portion 510 with respect to the base 520 by the energy of the driving motor 610.

4A and 4B are conceptual diagrams for explaining active control for translational motion of the upper limb;

Referring to FIG. 4A, the ball screw 604 is moved along the one direction from the housing 601 based on the energy of the driving motor 610. Accordingly, the ball screw 604 is formed to protrude from the housing 601, and the total length of the series elastic driver 1000 is increased. That is, the length from the lower limb rotary joint 612 fixed to the lower limb 520 to the upper limb rotary joint 623 is extended. Accordingly, the lower portion 520 and the upper portion 510 are moved away from each other.

The angle formed by the upper and lower legs 510 and 520 is smaller than the angle formed between the lower leg rotation joint 612 and the upper leg rotation joint 623 can be changed. In addition, the fixed pinion 613 can move along the fixed rack 511 by changing the angle.

The ball screw 604 further includes a piston 614 formed at the other end of the ball screw 604. The piston 614 is formed in a shape corresponding to the end surface of the housing 601. The size of the piston 614 is substantially equal to or smaller than the cross-section of the housing 601. That is, the piston 614 is formed to guide the movement path of the ball screw 604 so that the ball screw 604 moves along the one direction.

It is possible to prevent the ball screw 604 from swinging by the piston 614 and drive the upper and lower legs 510 and 520 more accurately.

Accordingly, even though the upper and lower legs 510 and 520 take various postures, the upper leg 510 and the lower leg 520 are supported by the series elastic driver 600.

In addition, the desired reduction ratio can be obtained by the silent chain, and the problems caused by slip and noise can be solved.

Referring to FIG. 4B, when the silent chain 620 is rotated in the opposite direction by the driving motor 610, a rotating force in the opposite direction is transmitted to the pulley 640. The ball screw 604 rotates by the rotation of the pulley 640. The ball screw 604 moves backward along the one direction and moves to be accommodated in the housing 601. [

However, the first and second springs 650 and 660 are not substantially deformed while the ball screw 604 moves. That is, the position of the leg rest 602 in the housing 601 is not changed by the first and second springs 650, 660.

The series elastic driver 600 includes a structure capable of performing relative movement in the translational direction of the upper and lower legs 510 and 520. That is, the series elastic driver 600 includes first and second springs 650 and 660 arranged in the one direction. According to the embodiment of the present invention, the vibration and impact applied to the housing 601 can be reduced by the deformation of the first and second springs 650 and 660.

5A and 5B are conceptual diagrams for explaining manual control by external force;

Referring to FIG. 5A, when a compression force acts on the series elastic actuator 600 from the outside, a compression force acts from the ball screw 604 to the housing 601. Due to the compressive force, the second spring 650 is compressed and the second spring 660 is tensioned. The first and second springs 650 and 660 rotate the first and second spring holders 602 in the first direction in a first direction .

That is, when a compression force is applied from the outside, the upper and lower legs 510 and 520 are brought close to each other and the upper and lower legs 510 and 520 are separated by the first and second springs 650 and 660, Is minimized.

Referring to FIG. 5B, when a tensile force acts on the series elastic driver 600 from the outside, the first spring 650 is pulled and the second spring 660 is hollow. Accordingly, the retaining portion 602 moves in a direction away from the upper conveying portion 603. The upper and lower legs 510 and 520 are separated from each other by the tensile force and transmitted to the upper and lower legs 510 and 520 by first and second springs 650 and 660 that are independent of each other Vibration is minimized.

According to the first and second springs of the present invention, vibration and shock in a high frequency band can be passively reduced without external power, and energy consumption according to external power can be reduced.

According to the present invention, it is possible to actively reduce the vibration and impact of low frequency by using the drive motor by the controller, and passively reduce vibration and shock transmitted from the underarm by the spring. Therefore, And the impact can be effectively reduced with a lower energy source.

The above-described series elastic actuator and the humanoid robot including the same are not limited to the configuration and the method of the embodiments described above, but all or a part of the embodiments may be selectively combined so that various modifications can be made. Lt; / RTI >

Claims (9)

A humanoid robot for transferring an object, the humanoid robot comprising:
An upper and lower limbs on which tracks are formed on the outer surface; And
And a series elastic driver for controlling relative movement of the leg and upper limb,
The series elastic actuator comprises:
A housing extending in one direction;
A ball screw extending in the one direction and formed to penetrate through the housing;
A driving motor connected to one region of the ball screw to provide a driving force to move the ball screw along the one direction;
An uprising portion formed to connect one end of the ball screw to the upper side; And
And a leg fixing part which is disposed in the housing and is formed to surround the ball screw and is fixed to the base,
And the upper and lower legs are formed to have a predetermined angle with each other,
The top-
A fixed rack extending parallel to the track on the upper limb; And
And a stationary pinion fixed to one end of the ball screw and coupled to the stationary rack so as to be movable along the stationary rack when the upper and lower limbs move relative to each other. delete The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the housing includes a hole formed in a predetermined length,
And one region of the fixing unit is inserted into the hole and is coupled to the housing so as to be movable by the predetermined length. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the series elastic actuator comprises:
A spring disposed in the housing and sensing an external force applied to the housing;
A controller for analyzing a load of the spring portion; And
And a driving motor for providing a rotational force for reciprocating the ball screw in the one direction based on the load. 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the series elastic actuator comprises:
A silent chain connected to the drive motor; And
And a pulley mounted on the ball screw to transmit the rotational force transmitted through the silent chain to the ball screw. 6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the ball screw protrudes from one surface of the housing,
Wherein the series elastic actuator further comprises a bearing formed between the housing and the pulley. 5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the ball screw further comprises a piston formed in a shape corresponding to an end surface of the housing and mounted on the other end of the ball screw to guide reciprocating movement of the ball screw. 5. The method of claim 4,
The housing includes first and second sidewall portions formed to face each other with the base portion interposed therebetween,
Wherein the spring portion includes a first spring formed to elastically support the first sidewall portion and the base stationary portion, and a second spring configured to elastically support the second sidewall portion and the base stationary portion. robot. 9. The method of claim 8,
When a compression force is applied to the series elastic driver by the movement of the upper and lower limbs, the first spring is compressed and the second spring is tensioned,
Wherein the first spring is tensioned and the second spring is compressed when a tensile force acts on the series elastic actuators due to the movement of the upper and lower legs.

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