JP2001301406A - Spherical steered wheel - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a spherical steered wheel switchable between a state in which a spherical wheel can freely rotate and move and a state in which a rotation direction of the spherical wheel is regulated to control a moving direction. SOLUTION: The spherical wheel 20 is grabbed by balls 14, 17, and 19 of a ball receiving part rotatably in every direction, and its part is projected downwardly to be ground. A pair of spindles 22 are mounted to a frame body 23 mounted horizontally rotatably along the outer periphery of the ball receiving part so that pads 32 disposed at the tips of the spindles are separably brought into contact with two facing parts on the outer periphery of the spherical wheel 20 by a second driving means. A first driving means for rotating the frame body 23 is provided. Additionally, a third driving means for rotating the spindles 22 to rotate the spherical wheel 20 as a driving wheel is provided.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a spherical steering wheel suitable for a wheelchair wheel, a traveling robot wheel, a luggage carrier wheel used in a factory, and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Wheelchair wheels, traveling robot wheels, luggage carrier wheels used in factories, etc., are free from obstacles such as steps and grooves provided on roads and floors, and cables on floors. It is hoped that it can be overcome. However, the conventional general wheel can move when the wheel comes into contact with a step or obstacle in parallel, or when the wheel fits into a groove slightly wider than the width of the wheel. There is a problem that free running is hindered.

On the other hand, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-318
No. 04 has a spherical wheel supported by a rotatable rolling element and rotatable around a center point, and two spherical wheels whose outer peripheral surfaces are in contact with the surface of the spherical wheel and are each independently driven by a drive source. A spherical steering wheel is disclosed, which is constituted by the above-described transmission wheels, wherein the transmission wheels are arranged so that respective rotation center axes intersect.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 8-91004 has a driving wheel composed of a sphere, a ball receiving mechanism for rotatably supporting the driving wheel, and a rotation driving mechanism for pressing the driving wheel to apply a rotational force to the driving wheel. A universal wheel characterized by the above is disclosed.

[0005] According to the traveling apparatus using these spherical wheels, the spherical wheels have no directional inclination and can freely switch the rotation direction even when they hit a step, a groove, a small obstacle, or the like at any angle. It can be overcome by the characteristics that can be done.

[0006]

However, in the spherical steering wheel disclosed in JP-A-63-31804 and JP-A-8-91004, the spherical steering wheel is connected to a spherical wheel through a transmission wheel which abuts one position of the spherical wheel. Due to the structure for transmitting the rotational force, there is a problem that the rotational force is not reliably transmitted, and it is difficult to control the direction.

For example, when used in a wheelchair or the like,
When the assistant moves by hand, the transmission wheel is in contact with the transmission wheel and does not rotate freely, so that there is a problem that it is difficult to move in a free direction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a spherical steering system capable of switching between a state in which a spherical wheel can freely move without rotation and a state in which the rotational direction of the spherical wheel is regulated and the moving direction can be controlled. To provide a wheel.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention relates to a spherical wheel, a spherical wheel, which is held in such a manner as to be rotatable in all directions, and a part of the spherical wheel is projected so as to be grounded. A ball receiving portion, a frame mounted horizontally rotatable along the outer periphery of the ball receiving portion, and a pad mounted on the frame and abutting on two opposing locations on the outer periphery of the spherical wheel so as to be able to come and go. A pair of support shafts at the ends thereof, first drive means for horizontally rotating the frame, and second drive means for moving the support shaft in the axial direction to move the pad toward and away from the spherical wheel. A spherical steering wheel is provided.

According to the present invention, when the pads of the pair of support shafts are not brought into contact with the spherical wheel, the spherical wheel freely rotates in all directions. It can be moved in any direction, making it easier to operate.

[0011] Further, by pushing the support shaft in the axial direction by the second drive means and bringing the pad into contact with the spherical wheel, the spherical wheel is supported by the pair of support shafts. Thus, the rotational direction of the spherical wheel is regulated, and the moving direction can be accurately controlled.

Further, by rotating the frame,
Since the direction of the support shaft with respect to the ball receiving portion can be changed, and thereby the direction of the rotation axis of the spherical wheel can be changed, the rotation direction of the spherical wheel regulated by the pair of support shafts, in other words, the movement direction is changed. Can be.

It is preferable that the spherical steering wheel of the present invention further includes third driving means for rotating the support shaft. According to this, the pad of the support shaft is brought into contact with the spherical wheel to regulate the rotation direction of the spherical wheel, and the support shaft is rotated by the third driving means, so that the spherical wheel is moved to a predetermined position. Can be rotated in any direction. Therefore, it is possible to move in a desired direction by the third driving means provided on the spherical steering wheel.

The spherical steering wheel of the present invention is suitable for one selected from a wheelchair wheel, a traveling robot wheel, and a luggage carrier wheel. These are required to be able to freely overcome obstacles such as steps and grooves provided on roads and floors, and cables on floors, so that the advantages of the spherical steering wheel of the present invention can be further utilized.

[0015]

1 to 7 show an embodiment of a spherical steering wheel according to the present invention. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the spherical steering wheel, FIG. 2 is a front sectional view, FIG. 3 is a schematic explanatory view of a driving mechanism viewed from a bottom side, FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a moving structure of a spindle, FIG. 7 are explanatory diagrams showing a state in which the moving direction is controlled by the support shaft.

The spherical steering wheel 10 can be used as, for example, a wheel of a wheelchair, a wheel of a traveling robot, a wheel of a luggage carrier, and the like, and a circular substrate 11 is fixedly mounted on those frames. As shown in FIGS.
A cylindrical frame 12 is fixed to the lower surface of the substrate 1, and a bowl-shaped member 13 is disposed in the cylindrical frame 12 with its bottom surface also fixed to the substrate 11. In addition, in FIG. 1, in order to make other members easy to see, the bowl-shaped member 13
The bottom side is cut away and shown.

On the inner bottom of the bowl-shaped member 13, a plurality of balls 1
4 is attached. An annular body 18 in which a plurality of balls 17 are arranged on the inner circumference is attached to the inner circumference at the back of the bowl-shaped member 13 via an annular spacer 16. Further, a plurality of balls 19 are attached to the inner periphery of the bowl-shaped member 13 on the opening side. Receiving plate 15 having ball 14 and ring 1 having ball 17
8, the bowl-shaped member 13 having the ball 19 and the like constitute the ball receiving portion in the present invention.

The spherical wheel 20 is made of, for example, rubber, resin, metal, wood, or the like. The spherical wheel 20 may be a hollow ball or a solid ball. Preferably, a hollow or solid resin or a metal ball whose surface is coated with a rubber film is preferably used.

The spherical wheel 20 is mounted on the ball 1 of the receiving plate 15.
4. It is held in contact with the ball 17 of the ring body 18 and the ball 19 on the opening side of the bowl-shaped member 13 so as to be rotatable in all directions. In this case, the ball 19 on the opening side of the bowl-shaped member 13 abuts on a peripheral surface located below the center of the spherical wheel 20 to prevent the spherical wheel 20 from falling down.

In the bowl-shaped member 13, slits 21 extending in the circumferential direction are formed at two opposing locations on the circumference. Through these slits 21, a pair of support shafts 22, described later, are inserted.

An annular frame 23 is mounted in contact with the lower end surface of the cylindrical frame 12. The frame 23 has concentric annular ribs 24 and 25 on its upper surface, and the inner rib 24 covers the outside of the cylindrical frame 12. Further, a rectangular hole 26 is formed at two locations facing the circumferential direction of the frame body 23, and the third motor 2
The drive shaft 28 of the third motor 27 and the worm 29 attached thereto project from the lower surface of the frame 23 through the hole 26.

On the lower surface of the frame 23, the pair of support shafts 22 are inserted and supported via a pair of support plates 30, 31, respectively. The pair of support shafts 22 are arranged to face each other with one end thereof facing the center of the spherical wheel 20, and their ends approach the spherical wheel 20 through the slits 21 of the bowl-shaped member 13, and Pad 3 at the tip
2 is installed. The pair of support shafts 22 are normally urged to protrude outward by a compression coil spring 34 interposed between the support plate 30 and a flange 33 formed on the outer periphery of an intermediate portion thereof.

A second motor 36 is provided outside the support plate 31 via a bracket 35. The second motors 36 are arranged at the rear ends of the pair of spindles 22, respectively.
A cam plate 37 is in contact with the rear end of the support shaft 22.
When the cam plate 37 rotates by the operation of the second motor 36,
Since the rear end of the support shaft 22 is always in contact with the cam plate 37 by the urging force of the compression coil spring 34, the support shaft 22 moves in the axial direction according to the shape of the cam plate 37, and when the cam plate 37 is at a predetermined rotation position, The pad 32 of the support shaft 22 is pressed against two opposing locations on the peripheral surface of the spherical wheel 20 to support that portion. As a result, the spherical wheel 20 has a pair of support shafts 22.
, And the direction of movement of the spherical wheel 20 is regulated. Then, the second motor 36,
The cam plate 37 and the like constitute second driving means in the present invention.

A worm wheel 38 is provided at an intermediate portion of the support shaft 22 by means of key engagement or the like.
Is mounted so as to engage with the rotation of the shaft 22 and slide with respect to the axial movement of the support shaft 22. The worm wheel 38 is mounted on the worm 2 of the third motor 27.
9 are meshed. Therefore, when the worm 29 rotates by the operation of the third motor 27, the worm wheel 3
8 rotates, and the support shaft 22 further rotates. The third motor 27, the worm 29, the worm wheel 38, and the like constitute a third drive unit in the present invention.

On the outer periphery of the annular rib 24 inside the frame 23,
A rack 39 is mounted. In addition, cylindrical frame 1
A first motor 40 is mounted on the outer wall of the second motor 2, and a pinion gear 4 mounted on a drive shaft of the first motor 40 is provided.
1 meshes with the rack 39. Therefore, when the first motor 40 operates and the pinion gear 41 rotates, the frame 23 rotates via the rack 39. The first motor 40, the pinion gear 41, and the rack 39 constitute first driving means in the present invention.

A pressing ring 42 is provided on the inner lower surface of the frame 23.
Is installed. The press ring 42 has a cylindrical portion 42 a inserted into the inner periphery of the frame 23, and a flange 42 b abutting on the lower surface of the inner periphery of the frame 23. The cylindrical portion 42 a of the holding ring 42 is fixed to the outer periphery of the bowl-shaped member 13, and the frame 23 is
b.

FIGS. 3 to 7 are explanatory views showing a portion constituting a driving portion of the spherical steering wheel 10. That is, the cam plate 3 rotated by the second motor 36 is attached to the support shaft 22
7 come into contact with each other to form a mechanism for moving the support shaft 22 in the axial direction. The worm 29 rotated by the third motor 27 meshes with a worm wheel 38 mounted on the support shaft 22 to form a rotation mechanism of the support shaft 22. Furthermore,
The pinion gear 41 rotated by the first motor 40 is
Rack 39 mounted on annular rib 24 inside frame 23
And constitute a rotating mechanism of the frame body 23. The spherical wheel 20 is a ball 1 arranged on the inner periphery of the arm 13.
9 so as to be rotatable in all directions.

Next, the operation of the spherical steering wheel 10 will be described. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the short diameter portion of the cam plate 37 rotated by the second motor 36 abuts on the support shaft 22, the support shaft 22 moves outward, and the pad 32 is separated from the spherical wheel 20. . In this state, the spherical wheel 20 is held in contact with the ball 19 or the like of the arm-shaped member 13 and is rotatable in a 360-degree free direction. Therefore, for example, when it is desired to move a wheelchair or the like manually, it is possible to freely advance in the pushing direction, and handling becomes easy.

FIG. 4 shows the operation of operating the second motor 36, rotating the cam plate 37, moving the support shaft 22 in the axial direction, and pressing the pad 32 against the spherical wheel 20. That is, FIG. 4A shows a state in which the short diameter portion of the cam plate 37 is in contact with the rear end of the support shaft 22, and the support shaft 22 moves outward and the pad 32 separates from the spherical wheel 20. I have. In this state, when the cam plate 37 is rotated to bring its long diameter portion into contact with the rear end of the support shaft 22, as shown in FIG.
Is pushed by the cam plate 37 and moves toward the center of the spherical wheel 20, and the pad 32 is pressed against the spherical wheel 20.

FIG. 5 shows a state in which the pads 32 of the pair of support shafts 22 are pressed against the opposing portions of the peripheral surface of the spherical wheel 20 so that the spherical wheel 20 is supported by the pair of support shafts 22. I have. In this state, the spherical wheel 20 can rotate only in a direction around a straight line passing through the pair of support shafts 22 as the center of rotation. In this state, the third motor 27 is operated to rotate the worm 29, and through the worm wheel 38,
When the respective support shafts 22 are rotated in synchronization with each other, the device such as a wheelchair having the spherical steering wheel 10 travels in a direction perpendicular to the support shaft 22, for example, rightward in the drawing as indicated by an arrow.

FIG. 6 shows that the first motor 40 is operated from the state shown in FIG.
, The state where the frame 23 is rotated. As a result, the support shaft 22, the second motor 36, the third motor 27, and the like also rotate together with the frame 23, and the rotation direction of the spherical wheel 20 supported by the support shaft 22, that is, the traveling direction is indicated by an arrow. It is changed to the upper right diagonal in the figure.

FIG. 7 shows a state in which the first motor 40 is operated in the direction opposite to that of FIG. 6 from the state shown in FIG. 6, and the pinion gear 41 is rotated in the opposite direction. The state which rotated is shown. As a result, the support shaft 22, the second motor 36, the third motor 27, and the like also rotate together with the frame 23, and the rotation direction of the spherical wheel 20 supported by the support shaft 22,
That is, the traveling direction is changed to a diagonally lower right direction in the figure as indicated by the arrow.

In the state where the spherical wheel 20 is supported by the support shaft 22 in this manner, the frame 23 is actuated by the operation of the first motor 40.
Is rotated, the traveling direction of the device having the spherical steering wheel 10 can be changed. Further, by rotating the third motor 27 in the reverse direction, the spherical wheel 20 can be rotated in the opposite direction to move backward.

In the above embodiment, the support shaft 22
When the spherical wheel 20 is pivotally supported by the third motor 27, the third motor 27 rotates the spherical wheel 20 to form a driving wheel. However, the spherical steering wheel of the present invention is a vehicle in which the driving wheel is provided separately. It can also be used as a steering wheel. In this case, the third driving means such as the third motor 27, the worm 29, and the worm wheel 38 are not required, and when it is desired to control the course, the spherical wheel 20 is supported by the support shaft 22 to rotate the frame 23. By moving, the direction of rotation of the spherical wheel 20 can be changed to change the course.

[0035]

As described above, according to the present invention,
A pair of spindles having tips at their ends that come into contact with two opposing locations on the outer periphery of the spherical wheel so as to be able to contact and separate from each other. By supporting two opposing locations on the spherical wheel, the spherical wheel can move freely without rotation. It is possible to switch from the state to a state in which the rotational direction of the spherical wheel is regulated and the moving direction can be controlled. Also, by rotating the frame on which the support shaft is mounted, the direction in which the spherical wheel can rotate is changed,
You can change course. And, by using spherical wheels, even if it hits a step, groove, small obstacle, etc. at any angle, it can get over them, so it can be used in wheelchair wheels, traveling robot wheels, factory, etc. It is suitable for a wheel of a luggage carrier to be used.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing one embodiment of a spherical steering wheel of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front sectional view of the spherical steering wheel.

FIG. 3 is a schematic explanatory view of the drive mechanism as viewed from the bottom side, showing a state in which a pad at a tip of a spindle of the spherical steering wheel is separated from the spherical wheel.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a moving structure of a support shaft of the spherical steering wheel.

FIG. 5 is a schematic explanatory view of the drive mechanism as viewed from the bottom surface side, showing a state in which a pad at the tip of a spindle of the spherical steering wheel is pressed against the spherical wheel.

FIG. 6 is a schematic explanatory view of the drive mechanism as viewed from the bottom side, showing a state in which the traveling direction of the spherical wheel is changed from the state of FIG.

7 is a schematic explanatory view of the drive mechanism as viewed from the bottom side, showing a state where the traveling direction of the spherical wheel is further changed from the state of FIG. 6;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Spherical steering wheel 11 Substrate 12 Cylindrical frame 13 Bowl-shaped member 14, 17, 19 Ball 20 Spherical wheel 21 Slit 22 Support shaft 23 Frame 27 Third motor 29 Worm 32 Pad 34 Compression coil spring 36 Second motor 37 Cam plate 38 Warm Wheel 39 Rack 40 First motor 41 Pinion

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A spherical wheel, a ball receiving portion for holding the spherical wheel so as to be rotatable in all directions, and projecting a part of the spherical wheel to be in contact with the ground, and along an outer periphery of the ball receiving portion. A pair of support shafts having, at their distal ends, a frame attached to the frame so as to be rotatable in a rotatable manner, a pad attached to the frame and capable of coming into contact with two opposing locations on the outer periphery of the spherical wheel so as to be able to come and go; A spherical steering wheel comprising: first driving means for rotating; and second driving means for moving the support shaft in the axial direction to move the pad toward and away from the spherical wheel. 2. The spherical steering wheel according to claim 1, further comprising third driving means for rotating said support shaft. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the wheel is used for one of a wheelchair wheel, a traveling robot wheel, and a luggage carrier wheel.
Or the spherical steering wheel described in 2.