Active clutch mechanism and hopping robot having same

• US 10,724,507 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2017
• Issued: 07/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seoul National University R&DB Foundation (Seoul National University)
• Original Assignee: Seoul National University R&DB Foundation (Seoul National University)
• Inventors: Cho, Kyu Jin, Jung, Gwang Pil, Jung, Sun Pill, Kim, Woong Bae
• Primary Examiner(s): Hlavka, David J
• Application Number:
  US16/088,018
• Publication Number:
  US 20190101106A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,225 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/10 characterised by positioning means for manipulator elements
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 57/02 with ground-engaging propulsion means, e.g. walking members
• CPC Class Codes: F03G 7/08 recovering energy derived from swinging, rolling, pitching or like movements, e.g. from the vibrations of a machine
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 11/16 with clutching members movable otherwise than only axially F16D11/02, F16D11/08 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 19/00 Clutches with mechanically-actuated clutching members not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 41/00 Freewheels or freewheel clutches cycle brakes controlled by back-pedalling B62L5/00 ; one-way linear clutches F16B7/16
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 1/06 with parallel axes

Abstract

The present invention provides an active clutch mechanism and a hopping robot equipped with the same, the active clutch mechanism comprising: a sun gear; a planetary gear; and a winding gear. When the sun gear rotates in one direction, the planetary gear revolves around the sun gear in the one direction to come into contact with the winding gear, and then rotates the winding gear to wind a wire so as to store energy in an energy storage unit connected to the winding gear. When the sun gear rotates in a direction opposite to the one direction, the planetary gear revolves around the sun gear in the direction different from the one direction to become spaced from the winding gear, so as to discharge the energy stored in the energy storage unit.

Claims

1. An active clutch mechanism comprising:

a sun gear connected to a motor and configured to be rotatable around a rotation shaft by receiving a driving power of the motor;

a planetary gear arranged to come into contact with the sun gear and configured to revolve around the sun gear, and which rotates around a rotation shaft spaced apart from the rotation shaft of the sun gear;

a winding gear selectively brought into contact with the planetary gear and configured to be rotatable around a rotation shaft by rotation of the planetary gear; and

a casing including an inner side plate for supporting the planetary gear,

wherein, when the sun gear is rotated in one direction, the planetary gear revolves around the sun gear in the one direction and comes into contact with the winding gear to rotate the winding gear and to wind a wire so that energy is stored in an energy storage portion connected to the winding gear,

when the sun gear is rotated in a direction opposite to the one direction, the planetary gear revolves around the sun gear in a direction different from the one direction to be spaced apart from the winding gear so that the energy stored in the energy storage portion is allowed to be discharged, and

wherein the inner side plate includes a guide portion configured to guide the rotation shaft of the planetary gear such that the planetary gear revolves in a circumferential direction of a center of the rotation shaft of the sun gear.

2. The active clutch mechanism of claim 1, further comprising:

a support plate including a coupling portion extending downward and installed at one end of the casing,

wherein the casing is configured to accommodate the sun gear, the planetary gear, and the winding gear.

3. The active clutch mechanism of claim 1, wherein the guide portion is a cut-out portion formed by being cut from the inner side plate to allow the planetary gear to revolve in the circumferential direction of the center of the rotation shaft of the sun gear, and the rotation shaft of the planetary gear is arranged in the cut-out portion.

4. The active clutch mechanism of claim 3, wherein the rotation shaft of the planetary gear is configured to move to one side of the cut-out portion for the planetary gear to come into contact with the winding gear when the sun gear rotates in one direction, and the rotation shaft of the planetary gear is configured to move to the other side of the cut-out portion for the planetary gear to be spaced apart from the winding gear when the sun gear rotates in a direction opposite to the one direction.

5. The active clutch mechanism of claim 1, wherein the energy storage portion is made of an elastic material, and the energy stored in the energy storage portion is elastic energy.

6. The active clutch mechanism of claim 1, wherein a wire, which is configured to be wound or unwound according to the rotation of the winding gear, is installed between the rotation shaft of the winding gear and the energy storage portion, and the wire transmits a driving power from the winding gear to the energy storage portion.

7. The active clutch mechanism of claim 6, further comprising:

a casing configured to accommodate the sun gear, the planetary gear, and the winding gear;

a support plate including a coupling portion extending downward and installed at one end of the casing; and

a link which is installed in the coupling portion, supported by the wire, and vertically arranged to be folded by the winding of the wire.

8. A hopping robot comprising:

a sun gear connected to a motor and configured to be rotatable around a rotation shaft by receiving a driving power of the motor;

a planetary gear arranged to come into contact with the sun gear and configured to revolve around the sun gear, and which rotates around a rotation shaft spaced apart from the rotation shaft of the sun gear;

a winding gear selectively brought into contact with the planetary gear and configured to be rotatable by rotation of the planetary gear;

a casing configured to accommodate the sun gear, the planetary gear, and the winding gear;

a support plate including a coupling portion extending downward and installed at one end of the casing;

first and second links, each of which having one end rotatably installed in the coupling portion;

third and fourth links rotatably installed at the other ends of the first and second links, respectively, and including a contact portion at which one ends thereof are brought into contact with each other;

a pulley connected to the winding gear to rotate with the winding gear; and

a wire installed to be wound around the pulley and the contact portion to compress or stretch the first to fourth links,

wherein when the sun gear is rotated in one direction, the planetary gear revolves around the sun gear in the one direction and comes into contact with the winding gear to rotate the winding gear so that the first to fourth links are compressed to store energy,

when the sun gear is rotated in a direction opposite to the one direction, the planetary gear revolves around the sun gear in the direction opposite to the one direction and is spaced apart from the winding gear to discharge the energy, and

wherein the casing includes an inner side plate which supports the planetary gear, and the inner side plate includes a guide portion configured to guide the rotation shaft of the planetary gear so that the planetary gear revolves in a circumferential direction of a center of the rotation shaft of the sun gear.

9. The hopping robot of claim 8, further comprising an elastic member installed in the first to fourth links in an intersecting direction, and elastically deformed by an operation of the first to fourth links,

wherein the energy is elastic energy which is stored and discharged through the elastic member.

10. The hopping robot of claim 9, wherein the elastic member is extended in a direction intersecting with a direction in which the first to fourth links are stretched or compressed, and configured to be compressed to store the elastic energy when the first to fourth links are stretched and to be stretched to discharge the elastic energy when the first to fourth links are compressed.

11. The hopping robot of claim 10, wherein first and second holding portions are respectively formed at ends of the first and second links, and third and fourth holding portions are respectively formed at ends of the third and fourth links, and the elastic member includes:

a first elastic member installed in the first and second holding portions to be held in a direction intersecting with the wire; and

a second elastic member installed in the third and fourth holding portions to be held in the direction intersecting with the wire.

12. The hopping robot of claim 11, wherein materials of the first and second elastic members include latex.

13. The hopping robot of claim 8, wherein the guide portion is a cut-out portion formed by being cut from the inner side plate to allow the planetary gear to revolve in the circumferential direction of the center of the rotation shaft of the sun gear, and the rotation shaft of the planetary gear is arranged in the cut-out portion.

14. The hopping robot of claim 13, wherein the rotation shaft of the planetary gear is configured to move to one side of the cut-out portion to come for the planetary gear into contact with the winding gear when the sun gear rotates in one direction, and the rotation shaft of the planetary gear is configured to move to the other side of the cut-out portion for the planetary gear to be spaced apart from the winding gear when the sun gear rotates in the other direction opposite to the one direction.

15. The hopping robot of claim 8, wherein the wire and the first to fourth links are arranged in a direction parallel to each other in a state in which the first to fourth links receives to a tensile force.