CN107081763B

CN107081763B - Spherical robot

Info

Publication number: CN107081763B
Application number: CN201710172675.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 贺智威; 杨猛; 张玉明; 邓力
Original assignee: Candela Shenzhen Technology Innovations Co Ltd
Current assignee: Hunan candela Innovation Technology Co.,Ltd.
Priority date: 2017-03-21
Filing date: 2017-03-21
Publication date: 2020-05-08
Anticipated expiration: 2037-03-21
Also published as: CN107081763A

Abstract

The head driving assembly comprises a guide rail assembly, a driving unit and a shield, the driving unit is connected with the guide rail assembly and the shield and is used for driving the shield to move on the guide rail assembly, the head assembly can move along with the movement of the shield, and the head driving assembly can control the movement of the head assembly no matter the spherical robot is in a static or rolling state, so that the independent control of the head assembly is realized, and the flexibility and the control experience of the spherical robot are improved.

Description

Spherical robot

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of robots, in particular to a spherical robot.

Background

The spherical robot is a robot which is provided with a driving mechanism, a controller and the like which are arranged in a spherical shell and drives the spherical shell to roll through an internal driving mechanism. The spherical robot is in point contact with the ground, and can walk in all directions; has zero turning radius and flexible and convenient movement and steering. In addition, the spherical robot has novel appearance, special motion mode, no fear of overturning, no hook to other objects, flexible turning and suitability for working in the special and complex environment of the family.

Most of the existing spherical robots meet the walking function, and few spherical robots comprise heads; or the structure on the head is single, can't carry out independent control to the head, especially when spherical robot is static, the rotation of the unable independent control head of head, just so greatly reduced spherical robot's flexibility with control experience.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to provide a spherical robot, which comprises a head driving component used for driving the head of the spherical robot to move independently, thereby enhancing the flexibility of the spherical robot.

In order to achieve the above object, the embodiments of the present invention provide the following technical solutions:

the invention provides a spherical robot, which comprises a spherical shell, a head component arranged on the outer surface of the spherical shell and a head driving component accommodated in the spherical shell, wherein the head driving component comprises a guide rail component, a driving unit and a shield, the driving unit is connected with the guide rail component and the shield, a first magnet is arranged on the shield, a second magnet is correspondingly arranged on the head component, the first magnet and the second magnet are attracted, so that the head component is attached to the outer surface of the spherical shell, the head component and the shield are relatively static, and the driving unit drives the shield to move on the guide rail component, so that the head component moves on the outer surface of the spherical shell.

Wherein, drive unit include direction slider, a driving motor and with the fixed first gear of a driving motor pivot, the shield connect in the direction slider, a driving motor fixed connection in the direction slider, the guide rail subassembly includes first arc guide rail, be provided with first tooth on the first arc guide rail, the direction slider install in first arc guide rail, first gear with first tooth meshing sets up, a driving motor drive the direction slider is in move on the first arc guide rail.

The guide slider is provided with a guide pulley, the first arc-shaped guide rail is provided with a guide strip, the guide pulley is connected to the guide strip in a clamped mode, and the guide pulley moves on the guide strip to limit the moving direction of the guide slider.

The drive unit further comprises a second drive motor, the guide rail assembly further comprises a chassis, the first arc-shaped guide rail is rotatably connected to the chassis through a rotating shaft, the second drive motor is connected between the first arc-shaped guide rail and the chassis, and the second drive motor drives the first arc-shaped guide rail to rotate around the rotating shaft.

The drive unit further comprises a second gear connected with the second drive motor rotating shaft, the guide rail assembly further comprises a second arc-shaped guide rail, the second arc-shaped guide rail is fixed on the chassis, second teeth are arranged on the second arc-shaped guide rail, the second drive motor is fixedly connected with the first arc-shaped guide rail, the second gear is meshed with the second teeth, and the second drive motor drives the second gear to move on the second arc-shaped guide rail, so that the first arc-shaped guide rail winds the rotating shaft to rotate.

The plane where the first arc-shaped guide rail is located is perpendicular to the plane where the second arc-shaped guide rail is located.

The central angles of the first arc-shaped guide rail and the second arc-shaped guide rail are both smaller than or equal to 80 degrees.

The surface of the shield, which is far away from the driving unit, is provided with a first universal wheel, and a gap is reserved between the shield and the first universal wheel and the inner surface of the spherical shell.

The head assembly comprises a main body, a base and a third driving motor, the base is attached to the outer surface of the spherical shell, the third driving motor is connected between the base and the main body, and the main body is driven by the third driving motor to rotate relative to the base.

And a plurality of second universal wheels are arranged on the end surface of the base, which is close to the spherical shell, and the second universal wheels are abutted against the outer surface of the spherical shell.

The embodiment of the invention has the following advantages or beneficial effects:

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly described below, it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention, and for those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained according to the drawings without creative efforts.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a spherical robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a head driving assembly according to the present invention.

Fig. 3 is another view of the head drive unit of fig. 2 with the shield and chassis omitted.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Furthermore, the following description of the various embodiments refers to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. Directional phrases used in this disclosure, such as, for example, "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "inner," "outer," "side," and the like, refer only to the orientation of the appended drawings and are, therefore, used herein for better and clearer illustration and understanding of the invention, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element so referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and are therefore not to be considered limiting of the invention.

In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" are to be construed broadly, e.g., as being fixedly connected, detachably connected, or integrally connected; may be a mechanical connection; they may be connected directly or indirectly through intervening media, or they may be interconnected between two elements. The specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood in specific cases to those skilled in the art.

In addition, in the description of the present invention, "a plurality" means two or more unless otherwise specified. In the present specification, the term "step" is used to mean not only an independent step but also an independent step unless clearly distinguished from other steps, as long as the intended function of the step is achieved. In the present specification, the numerical range represented by "to" means a range including numerical values before and after "to" as a minimum value and a maximum value, respectively. In the drawings, structures that are similar or identical are denoted by the same reference numerals.

Please refer to fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a spherical robot according to an embodiment of the present invention. The spherical robot in this embodiment mainly includes: a spherical shell 30, a running gear 20, a head assembly 10 and a head drive assembly 50. The traveling mechanism 20 and the head driving unit 50 are housed in the spherical housing 30. The running mechanism 20 abuts against the inner surface of the spherical shell 30 and is used for driving the spherical shell 30 to roll so as to realize the omnibearing running of the robot, and the running mechanism 20 is not the focus of the protection of the invention and will not be described in detail here. The head drive assembly 50 is used to drive the head assembly 10 in motion relative to the outer surface of the spherical shell 30. The traveling mechanism 20 and the head driving assembly 50 operate independently of each other. It will be appreciated that the travel mechanism 20 and the head drive assembly 50 operate independently of one another. That is, the head driving assembly 50 can drive the head assembly 10 to rotate around the center of the spherical housing 30 regardless of whether the traveling mechanism 20 is operated. Namely, the following cases are included:

1. the spherical robot remains stationary, i.e. the spherical shell is stationary, and the head driving assembly 50 drives the head assembly 10 to rotate around the spherical center of the spherical shell 30.

2. The head driving assembly 50 drives the head assembly 10 to rotate around the center of the spherical shell 30 when the spherical robot is in a traveling state, i.e., the spherical shell is in a rolling state.

Referring to fig. 2 and 3, fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a head driving assembly according to the present invention. Fig. 3 is another view of the head drive unit of fig. 2 with the shield and chassis omitted. Specifically, the head driving assembly 50 includes a rail assembly 51, a driving unit, and a shield 53. The guide rail assembly 51 is fixedly connected with the traveling mechanism 20. The driving unit is connected with the guide rail assembly 51 and the shield 53, and the driving unit is used for driving the shield 53 to move on the guide rail assembly 51. The shield 53 may be a substantially circular frame structure, a first magnet 531 is disposed on the shield 53, a second magnet (not shown) is disposed on the head assembly 10, the first magnet 531 and the second magnet are magnetically attracted, so that the head assembly 10 is attached to the outer surface of the spherical shell 30, and the head assembly 10 and the shield 53 are kept relatively stationary under the action of magnetic force. That is, the head assembly 10 moves along with the movement of the shield 53. The driving unit drives the shield 53 to move on the rail assembly 51, so that the head assembly 10 moves correspondingly on the outer surface of the spherical shell 30. Preferably, a gap is left between the shield 53 and the inner surface of the spherical shell 30 to reduce the friction force of the shield 53 contacting the inner surface of the spherical shell 30 during movement.

It is understood that at least one of the first magnet and the second magnet is a magnet, and the other magnet may be a magnet or an iron block, which is not limited herein.

The spherical robot comprises a spherical shell 30, a head assembly 10 arranged on the outer surface of the spherical shell 30 and a head driving assembly 50 accommodated in the spherical shell 30, wherein the head driving assembly 50 comprises a guide rail assembly 51, a driving unit and a shield 53, the driving unit is connected with the guide rail assembly 51 and the shield 53, the driving unit is used for driving the shield 53 to move on the guide rail assembly 51, the head assembly 10 can move along with the movement of the shield 53, and the head driving assembly 50 can control the movement of the head assembly 10 no matter the spherical robot is in a static state or a rolling state, so that the head assembly 10 can be controlled independently, and the flexibility and the control experience of the spherical robot are improved.

In a possible implementation manner of the present invention, the driving unit includes a guide slider 522, a first driving motor 521, and a first gear 523. The guide block 522 is substantially "Jiong" shaped, and guide pulleys 526 are provided on both inner side walls of the guide block 522. Specifically, the guide pulley 526 is rotatably connected to a pulley fixing bracket (not numbered), and the pulley fixing bracket is fixed to the inner side of the guide slider 522. The axis of rotation of the guide pulley 526 is perpendicular to the top of the guide slide 522. The shield 53 is connected to the top of the guide slider 522, and when the guide slider 522 moves, the shield 53 moves together with the guide slider 522. The guide rail assembly 51 comprises a first arc-shaped guide rail 511 and a chassis 512, wherein the first arc-shaped guide rail 511 is connected to the chassis 512, and the chassis 512 is connected with the running mechanism 20. The first arc-shaped guide rail 511 comprises two first connecting sections 5111 and a first arc-shaped section 5112 connected between the two first connecting sections, the two first connecting sections 5111 are symmetrically arranged, and the symmetrical surfaces of the two first connecting sections 5111 pass through the spherical center of the spherical shell 30. The purpose of this arrangement is to drive the shield 53 and the head assembly 10 to move around the spherical center of the spherical shell 30 when the guiding slider 522 moves on the first arc-shaped guiding rail 511, so as to ensure that the distance between the shield 53 and the head assembly 10 is constant, the magnetic force between the head assembly 10 and the shield 53 is stable, the head assembly 10 is prevented from shaking, and the head assembly 10 is prevented from separating from the outer surface of the spherical shell 30. The first arc-shaped guide rail 511 is connected to the base plate 512 through the first connection section 5111. It is understood that the number of the first connection segments 5111 may be one if the rigidity of the first arc-shaped guide rail 511 is sufficient. A plurality of first teeth 5113 are arranged on the outer peripheral surface of the first arc-shaped section 5112, and two side surfaces of the first arc-shaped section are respectively provided with a guide bar 5114. The guide blocks 522 are mounted on the first arc-shaped guide rails 511, and each guide pulley 526 is clamped on one guide bar 5114, and the guide pulleys 526 move on the guide bars 5114 to limit the moving direction of the guide blocks 522.

The first driving motor 521 is fixedly connected with the guide slider 522, the first gear 523 is fixed on a rotating shaft of the first driving motor 521, and the first gear 523 is engaged with the first teeth 5113. The first driving motor 521 drives the first gear 523 to rotate, and the first gear 523 and the first teeth 5113 are engaged, so that the guide slider 522 moves on the first arc-shaped guide rail 511. It will be appreciated that the movement of the guiding slider 522 on the first arc-shaped guiding track 511 brings the shield 53 connected with the guiding slider 522 to move together, since the head assembly 10 and the shield 53 remain relatively stationary and attached to the outer surface of the spherical shell 30. I.e., the head assembly 10 may move on the outer surface of the spherical shell 30.

In a possible implementation manner of the present invention, the guide rail assembly 51 further includes a second arc-shaped guide rail 513. The drive unit further includes a second drive motor 524 and a second gear 525. Specifically, the first arc-shaped guide rail 511 is rotatably connected to the chassis 512 through the two first connecting segments 5111. Preferably, the bottom plate 512 may be made of a carbon fiber material. More specifically, two first connecting segments 5111 are respectively provided with a rotating shaft 5110, the first arc-shaped guide rail 511 is rotatably connected to the chassis 512 through the rotating shaft 5110, and the centers of the rotating shaft 5110 and the second arc-shaped guide rail 513 are collinear. The purpose of this arrangement is that when the first arc-shaped guide rail 511 rotates around the rotating shaft, the shield 53 and the head assembly 10 are driven to move around the spherical center of the spherical shell 30, so as to ensure that the distance between the shield 53 and the head assembly 10 is constant, the magnetic force between the head assembly 10 and the shield 53 is stable, and the head assembly 10 is prevented from shaking. The second driving motor 524 is used for driving the first arc-shaped guide rail 511 to rotate around the rotating shaft 5110. Specifically, the second gear 525 is connected to the second driving motor 524 through a rotating shaft. The second arc-shaped guide rail 513 comprises two second connecting sections 5116 and a second arc-shaped section 5117 connected between the two second connecting sections 5116, the two second connecting sections 5116 of the second arc-shaped guide rail 513 are symmetrically arranged, and the symmetry plane of the two second connecting sections 5116 passes through the spherical center of the spherical shell 30. The purpose of this is that when the second driving motor 524 drives the second gear 525 to move on the second arc-shaped guide 513, the first arc-shaped guide 511 just rotates around the rotating shaft 5110. Specifically, the second arc-shaped guide rail 513 is fixed on the chassis 512 through the second connecting section 5116. A second tooth 5118 is arranged on the outer peripheral surface of the second arc-shaped section. The second driving motor 524 is fixedly connected to the first connecting section of the first arc-shaped guide rail 511, and the second gear 525 is engaged with the second tooth 5118. The second driving motor 524 drives the second gear 525 to rotate, and due to the meshing action of the second gear 525 and the second tooth 5118, the second gear 525 relatively moves on the second arc-shaped guide rail 513, and drives the first arc-shaped guide rail 511 to rotate around the rotating shaft.

In a possible implementation manner of the present invention, a plane of the first arc-shaped guide rail 511 is perpendicular to a plane of the second arc-shaped guide rail 513. This has the advantage that the guide blocks 522 and the shield 53 (during movement on the guide assembly 51 formed by the first and second arcuate guides 511 and 513) have two degrees of freedom in the vertical direction, ensuring that the head assembly 10 can move on the spherical shell with two degrees of freedom.

It will be appreciated that the head assembly 10 has a certain weight for the head assembly 10, and therefore the swing angle of the head assembly 10 with respect to the center of the sphere of the spherical shell 30 cannot be excessive. Excessive oscillation angle may cause the head assembly 10 to fall off the spherical shell 30. It is found through repeated experiments that when the swing angle of the head assembly 10 with respect to the top of the spherical housing 30 exceeds 45 °, the probability of the head assembly 10 falling off the spherical housing 30 increases sharply. Accordingly, it should be ensured that the yaw angle of the head assembly 10 relative to the highest point is less than or equal to 45 °. In consideration of the length of the guide slider, the central angle of the first arc-shaped guide 511 is less than or equal to 100 °, and the central angle of the second arc-shaped guide 513 is less than or equal to 100 °. Preferably, the central angle of the first arc-shaped guide 511 and the central angle of the second arc-shaped guide 513 are 80 °.

In a possible implementation manner of the present invention, a first universal wheel is disposed on a surface of the shield 53 away from the driving unit, and a gap is left between the shield 53 and the first universal wheel and the inner surface of the spherical shell 30. Specifically, the first universal wheel may be a universal ball wheel or a mecanum wheel. The first universal wheel is used for reducing the frictional resistance when the shield 53 is in contact with the inner surface of the spherical shell 30 when the shield 53 is likely to be in contact with the inner surface of the spherical shell 30 due to vibration during the movement of the spherical robot. It can be understood that when the spherical robot is in a static state, a gap is left between the shield 53 and the first universal wheel arranged on the shield 53 and the inner surface of the spherical shell 30, so that the shield 53 and the first universal wheel are just not in contact with the inner surface of the spherical shell 30, thereby reducing the resistance of the shield 53 in movement.

In a possible implementation of the invention, the head assembly 10 comprises a main body 11, a base 12 and a third drive motor (not shown). The base 12 is attached to the outer surface of the spherical shell 30, the third driving motor is connected between the base 12 and the main body 11, and the third driving motor drives the main body 11 to rotate relative to the base 12. Alternatively, the second magnet may be accommodated in the body 11. A second universal wheel 13 is arranged on the end surface of the base close to the spherical shell 30. The number of the second universal wheels 13 is plural, and the plural second universal wheels 13 are uniformly distributed on the end surface of the base close to the spherical shell 30. The second universal wheel 13 abuts against the spherical housing 30. The second universal wheels 13 can reduce the friction force when the head assembly 10 and the spherical shell 30 move relatively. Specifically, the second universal wheel 13 may be a mecanum wheel or a universal ball wheel.

It is understood that the spherical robot of the present invention further includes a power supply component, a control component, an information transmission component, a sensing component, and the like. They are not exhaustive because they are not essential to the invention.

In the description herein, references to the description of the term "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "an example," "a specific example" or "some examples" or the like are intended to mean that a particular feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the invention. In this specification, the schematic representations of the terms used above do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.

The above-described embodiments do not limit the scope of the present invention. Any modification, equivalent replacement, and improvement made within the spirit and principle of the above-described embodiments should be included in the protection scope of the technical solution.

Claims

1. The spherical robot is characterized by comprising a spherical shell, a head assembly arranged on the outer surface of the spherical shell and a head driving assembly contained in the spherical shell, wherein the head driving assembly comprises a guide rail assembly, a driving unit and a shield, the driving unit is connected with the guide rail assembly and the shield, the guide rail assembly comprises a first arc-shaped guide rail, a second arc-shaped guide rail and a chassis, the first arc-shaped guide rail is rotationally connected with the chassis through a rotating shaft, the second arc-shaped guide rail is fixed on the chassis, second teeth are arranged on the second arc-shaped guide rail, the driving unit comprises a first driving motor, a second driving motor, a first gear fixed with the rotating shaft of the first driving motor and a second gear connected with the rotating shaft of the second driving motor, the second driving motor is connected between the first arc-shaped guide rail and the chassis, the second driving motor is fixedly connected with the first arc-shaped guide rail, the second gear is meshed with the second teeth, the second driving motor drives the second gear to move on the second arc-shaped guide rail so that the first arc-shaped guide rail rotates around the rotating shaft, a first magnet is arranged on the shield, a second magnet is correspondingly arranged on the head component, the first magnet and the second magnet are attracted to enable the head component to be attached to the outer surface of the spherical shell, the head component and the shield are relatively static, the first driving motor drives the first gear to enable the shield to move on the first arc-shaped guide rail, the second driving motor drives the second gear to enable the shield to move on the second arc-shaped guide rail so that the head component moves on the outer surface of the spherical shell, wherein the direction of the first arcuate rail is different from the direction of the second arcuate rail.

2. The spherical robot as claimed in claim 1, wherein the driving unit comprises a guide slider, the shield is connected to the guide slider, the first driving motor is fixedly connected to the guide slider, the first arcuate rail is provided with first teeth, the guide slider is mounted to the first arcuate rail, the first gear is engaged with the first teeth, and the first driving motor drives the guide slider to move on the first arcuate rail.

3. The spherical robot as claimed in claim 2, wherein the guide slider is further provided with a guide pulley, the first arc-shaped guide rail is provided with a guide strip, the guide pulley is engaged with the guide strip, and the guide pulley moves on the guide strip to limit the moving direction of the guide slider.

4. The spherical robot of claim 1, wherein the plane of the first arcuate rail is perpendicular to the plane of the second arcuate rail.

5. The spherical robot of claim 1, wherein the central angles of the first and second arcuate rails are each less than or equal to 100 degrees.

6. The spherical robot according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of first universal wheels are provided on a surface of the shield remote from the driving unit, and gaps are left between the shield and the first universal wheels and an inner surface of the spherical housing.

7. The spherical robot of claim 1, wherein the head assembly comprises a main body, a base and a third driving motor, the base is attached to the outer surface of the spherical housing, the third driving motor is connected between the base and the main body, and the third driving motor drives the main body to rotate relative to the base.

8. The spherical robot according to claim 7, wherein a plurality of second universal wheels are provided on an end surface of the base adjacent to the spherical housing, and the second universal wheels abut against an outer surface of the spherical housing.