Design and Simulation of Amphibious Wheel-Foot Composite Mechanism

Abstract

With the continuous development of society and the deepening of the level of science and technology, the fields explored by human beings are becoming more and more extensive, and the requirements for exploration are becoming more and more detailed. However, due to the limitation of mobility, most of the existing amphibious robots still can't be used to complete the specified tasks in complex environments. In order to meet the reliability of motion in complex environments, referring to ePaddle mechanism can enhance the mobility of amphibious robots. Based on the new movement mechanism of eccentric paddle mechanism (ePaddle), according to its principle and prototype, this paper proposes a compound wheeled amphibious robot, which realizes the movement of the robot through an improved eccentric lever mechanism. This mechanism includes multiple gaits, and can adapt to various complex terrains by actively changing the position of the paddle shaft to follow the alternate movement of the wheel foot and the paddle shaft. The key feature of the improved mechanism is to design the rotation of the planet carrier to drive the blades to expand and contract to realize underwater movement. This paper mainly introduces the kinematics analysis and prototype design, and simulates various gait movements through simulation software to verify the feasibility of the new design.