Transactions of FAMENA, Vol. 47 No. 2, 2023.
Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.21278/TOF.472043022
Analysis and Design of the Reconfiguration Motion Qualities of a Deformable Robot Based on a Metamorphic Mechanism
Jun Liu
orcid.org/0000-0002-4395-3237
; School of Automotive and Traffic Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, China
Jiandang Xing
; School of Automotive and Traffic Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, China
Xiaodong Ruan
; School of Automotive and Traffic Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, China
Jian Song
; School of Automotive and Traffic Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, China
Di Wu
; School of Automotive and Traffic Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, China
Abstract
Traditional wheel-legged ground mobile robots can only partially deform during wheel-leg switching, resulting in failure to achieve better environmental adaptability. Metamorphic mechanisms can be introduced into car structure designs. A new type of wheel-legged ground mobile robot, namely a deformable robot, is proposed in this study. Compared with traditional wheel-legged ground mobile robots, the deformable robot is capable of global reconfiguration, that is, when transitioning between the wheeled type (vehicle state) and the legged type (humanoid state), the shape, structure, degrees of freedom, and position of the centre of mass will change significantly. First, based on the characteristics of the wheel-legged compound motion, a structural model of the deformable robot was proposed and designed, and its reconfiguration motion was planned. Then, a kinematic model of the coupled reconfiguration process of the deformable robot was established. A horizontal lifting model was created to keep the front body level when lifting. The motion law of each active joint angle over time was designed based on the requirements of the reconfiguration motion smoothness. The criterion of reconfiguration stability was established and measures to improve it were proposed. Finally, based on the simulation verification of the smoothness, horizontality, and stability of the coupled reconfiguration of the system, a prototype of the deformable robot was developed, and a coupled reconfiguration experiment was conducted on an actual road surface. The experiment results show that the reconfiguration motion of the deformable robot between the vehicle state and the humanoid state had good motion qualities.
Keywords
deformable robot; kinematics analysis; reconfiguration motion; motion qualities; experimental prototype
Hrčak ID:
304699
URI
Publication date:
3.7.2023.
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