Abstract
Current research concerning legged platforms and wheeled platforms primarily focuses on terrain adaptive capability and speed capability, respectively. Compared with wheeled platforms, legged platforms with a closed-chain mechanism still present deficiencies regarding speed ability. To integrate the advantages of these two types of platforms, a wheel-leg mobile platform with two modes based on a closed-chain mechanism is proposed. First, a closed-chain mechanism that generates a high-knee trajectory in legged mode is designed and analyzed based on kinematic analysis. To improve the platform’s obstacle-surmounting performance, the dimensional parameters of the closed-chain mechanism are optimized and the design requirements for the platform’s frame are analyzed. In addition, the particular structure of the leg group is designed to realize transformation between legged mode and wheeled mode. The mobility of the constructed platform is calculated through an obstacle-surmounting probability analysis. The performances of the two motion modes are analyzed and compared by conducting dynamic simulations. Finally, experiments are carried out to verify both the theoretical analyses and the prototype performance. This study proposes a new approach to designing wheel-leg platforms with prominent speed ability and mobility based on a closed-chain mechanism.
Highlights
Wheeled robots, with high moving efficiency, simple structure, and low energy consumption, are often used for high-speed transportation on structured roads
We propose a wheel-leg mobile platform based on a closed-chain mechanism
This platform utilizes a structural transformation between legged mode and wheeled mode, where the former is useful for surmounting obstacles on unstructured roads and the latter is employed for fast movement on structured roads
Summary
With high moving efficiency, simple structure, and low energy consumption, are often used for high-speed transportation on structured roads. They can overcome rough terrain using discrete footholds According to their structure, these legged robots can be divided into two modes: open-chain linkages [18, 19] and closed-chain linkages [20,21,22,23,24]. To improve the functionality of legged robots, a novel multi-legged horse-riding simulation vehicle has been designed [29] The functions of this robot include transportation, rehabilitation, and equine-assisted therapy. The linkages of the closed-chain leg mechanism can be used as spokes for wheels This platform utilizes a structural transformation between legged mode and wheeled mode, where the former is useful for surmounting obstacles on unstructured roads and the latter is employed for fast movement on structured roads.
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