JPH09171406A - Searching robot - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To search a dangerous zone for the position of object existent in it when the inside of dangerous zone is filled with smoke or sand dust. SOLUTION: When a radio wave (such as microwave or millimeter wave) generated by an oscillation circuit 1 is radiated from an antenna 3 and hits an object 11 existent in the dangerous zone, the radio wave is reflected from the object 11 and received by the antenna 3. Corresponding to the received radio wave, a distance detection circuit 5 detects the distance to the object 11. Corresponding to a control signal from remote equipment 9 outside the dangerous zone, the antenna 3 is horizontally and vertically turned and the horizontal and vertical angles of antenna 3 are detected by an angle detection circuit 6. The detected distance to the object 11 and the detected angles of antenna 3 are displayed on a monitoring device 7, and the position of object 11 is detected. Based on the control signal from the remote equipment 9, a unit 10 is freely moved inside the dangerous zone by a traveling device 8.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a search robot for searching the position of an object existing in a predetermined area by using radio waves.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a dangerous area where humans cannot enter, such as a place where a fire has occurred, there is a case where a human being or an obstacle existing therein is searched for. In such a case,
Conventionally, a search has been performed using a search robot equipped with a visible camera or the like.

[0003]

However, the conventional search robot cannot search the position of an object existing in the dangerous area when the dangerous area is filled with smoke, dust, etc. and the visibility is poor. Met.

[0004]

In order to solve the above problems, in the present invention, a position detecting means for detecting the position of an object by emitting a radio wave from an antenna in a predetermined area and receiving a reflected wave from the object. A robot main body including the above, a traveling device for moving the robot main body, and a remote device for controlling the position detecting means and the traveling device outside a predetermined area are provided.

[0005]

Next, the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an apparatus of the embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 2, the search robot has a structure in which a unit 10 is mounted on a traveling device 8. The traveling device 8 may be a crawler belt 22 as shown in the figure, but is not limited thereto and may be any device that moves the unit 10.

The unit 10 includes an antenna 3 capable of transmitting and receiving.
It has. As shown in FIG. 2, the antenna 3 is, for example, a parabolic antenna or the like, is attached to the column 21, and is rotatable in the horizontal direction around the column 21 (FIG. 2).
Arrow A). Further, the antenna 3 is tiltable in the vertical direction (arrow B in FIG. 2).

The unit 10 further includes an oscillating circuit 1 for generating radio waves (microwaves, millimeter waves, etc.), a circulator 2 for sending a transmitted wave to an antenna 3 and a received wave to a distance detecting circuit 5, and a transmitted wave and a received wave. A distance detection circuit 5 for obtaining the distance to the object 11 from the time difference between the waves, an antenna rotation device 4 for rotating the antenna 3 in the horizontal and vertical directions,
An angle detection circuit 6 for detecting the rotation angle of the antenna rotation device 4 is provided.

Outside the dangerous area, a monitor device 7 and a remote device 9 are arranged, and the monitor device 7 is connected to the distance detection circuit 5 and the angle detection circuit 6 in the unit 10, respectively. The remote unit 9 is connected to the traveling unit 8 and the antenna rotating unit 4 in the unit 10, respectively. Each connection is wired or wireless.

Next, the operation will be described. Radio waves (microwaves, millimeter waves, etc.) generated in the oscillator circuit 1 are transmitted to the antenna 3 via the circulator 2 and are radiated from the antenna 3 into space.

Radio waves radiated from the antenna 3 are transmitted to the object 11
When hitting, the electric wave is reflected from the object 11, and the reflected electric wave is received by the antenna 3. The received radio wave is transmitted to the distance detection circuit 5 via the circulator 2, whereby the distance to the object 11 is detected, and the distance information of the object 11 is transmitted to the monitor device 7.

The distance measurement by radio waves is performed by a method that has been conventionally used. For example, a pulse radar is used to send a transmission pulse to the object 11, and when the echo pulse is reflected from the object 11, the distance to the object 11 is obtained from the time difference between the two.

When the control signal from the remote device 9 is transmitted to the antenna rotating device 4, the antenna 3 rotates in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction to search the dangerous area. The angle detection circuit 6 detects the horizontal and vertical angles of the antenna 3 based on the signal from the antenna rotation device 4 according to the angle of the antenna 3, and the angle information of the antenna 3 is monitored by the monitor device 7.
Conveyed to.

Based on the distance information of the object 11 and the angle information of the antenna 3 transmitted to the monitor device 7, the distance of the object 11 and the angle of the antenna are displayed on the monitor device 7, and the object 1
The position of 1 is detected. The display of the monitor device 7 is, for example, a PPI (Plan Position Indicator) display.

By transmitting a control signal from the remote unit 9 to the traveling unit 8, the oscillation circuit 1, the circulator 2,
The unit 10 including the antenna 3, the antenna rotation device 4, the target detection circuit 5, and the angle detection circuit 6 freely moves in the dangerous area.

[0016]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Even if the predetermined area is filled with smoke, dust, etc., it is possible to search the position of the object existing in the predetermined area.
The effect is obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a search robot.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Oscillation Circuit 2 Circulator 3 Antenna 4 Antenna Rotating Device 5 Distance Detection Circuit 6 Angle Detection Circuit 7 Monitor Device 8 Traveling Device 9 Remote Device 10 Unit 11 Object

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A robot main body having position detecting means for emitting radio waves from an antenna within a predetermined area and receiving a reflected wave from an object to detect the position of the object, and a traveling device for moving the robot main body. And a remote device for controlling the position detecting means and the traveling device outside the predetermined area. 2. The position detecting means includes a distance detecting means for detecting a distance to the object from the reflected wave, an antenna rotating means for rotating the antenna in a horizontal direction or a vertical direction, and an antenna rotating means for rotating the antenna. The search robot according to claim 1, further comprising angle detection means for detecting a horizontal or vertical angle of the antenna based on a signal. 3. An oscillating means for oscillating a radio wave, an antenna for radiating the radio wave into space and receiving a reflected wave from an object existing in a predetermined area, and a distance for detecting a distance from the object by the reflected wave. Detecting means, a circulator that outputs the radio wave to the antenna and outputs the reflected wave from the antenna to the distance detecting means, and an antenna rotating means that rotates the antenna in a horizontal direction or a vertical direction,
Angle detection means for detecting a horizontal or vertical angle of the antenna based on a signal from the antenna rotation means, monitor means arranged outside a predetermined area for displaying the distance of the object or the angle of the antenna, and the oscillation. means,
It has a traveling means for moving a unit consisting of an antenna, a distance detecting means, a circulator, an antenna rotating means and an angle detecting means, and a remote device for controlling the antenna rotating means and the traveling means outside a predetermined area. Search robot.