Research And Design Of New Flexible Joints And Its Actuating Device Of Bipedal Humanoid Robot

Funded by the special fund for fundamental scientific research of central universities (Research on the influence mechanism of human feet to bipedal walking gait stability and bionic feet of humanoid robot), a type of transverse magnetic field based, permanent-magnet, direct current, liner and cylindrical motor (TPDLCM) is designed, based on the research on bipedal humanoid robot’s joints and their drives. The design focused on the commonly existed lacks of joint drive flexibility and utilizes electromagnetic force, which requires no real contact and has no force fluctuations, to flexibly drive the joints. The main research methods and conclusions are as follows:Firstly, a motor prototype model is designed in the environment of ANSOFT Maxwell, theoretically based on the electromagnetic mechanism of transverse magnetic field motor. The electromagnetic properties of the motor drive unit are then analyzed, indicating steady electromagnetic force with high power density and no cogging force fluctuations could be provided, just as the initial design intended.Secondly, the designed motors are applied to lower limb of a humanoid robot as joint actuators, realizing flexible drive pattern. With segment parameters and kinematics features of lower limbs taken into consideration, the limb structure designed to fit the motor features is modeled. Finally, with parameters of one free gait cycle, which acquired from a MVN electromagnetic motion capture suit, as the drive function, a inverse dynamics simulation is conducted on the lower limb model of humanoid robot. The reverse mechanical features of motors applied to relevant sections of the body are obtained from simulation results, and then compared with mechanical features of the motors. The comparisons should verify the feasibility and reliability of the TPDLCM’s application in joints driven of lower limbs in bipedal humanoid robot.