JP2005047312A - Omnidirectional moving vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an omnidirectional moving vehicle of four-wheel drive type in which the torque and the rotating direction are independent of each other based upon the use of a universal direction wheel of non-revolution type equipped with a rotor rotating perpendicularly to the rotating direction of the wheel in straight running rotation and forming a circular arc of the wheel peripheral circumference, capable of assuring safe running by suppressing the idling. <P>SOLUTION: A pair of front wheels 1 and a pair of rear wheels 5 are each arranged in plane symmetry about a vertical plane, wherein the front wheels 1 are inclined with respect to the plane of symmetry in such a way that the mutual spacing narrows toward the front while the rear wheels 5 are inclined with respect to the plane of symmetry in such a way that the mutual spacing narrows toward the rear, and the lower floor frame 2a where the front wheels 1 are installed and the upper floor frame 2b where the rear wheels 5 are installed, are coupled together in such a way as rotatable independently of each other round the horizontal rotational axis included in the plane of symmetry. The rotors 10 are supported in such a way as rotatable round the rotational axis intersecting the radial direction centering on the vehicle axle, and the diameter of the forefront part is made smaller than that of the base end so that its peripheral surface forms a circular arc of the wheel peripheral circumference. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention includes four wheels with a rotating body in which a plurality of rotating bodies rotating in a direction orthogonal to the straight traveling direction are arranged around the wheel, and the traveling direction is variable in all directions. It is about cars.
[0002]
[Prior art]
According to Patent Document 1, Patent Document 2, etc., a rotating body having a rotation axis inclined obliquely with respect to the straight traveling direction, that is, a wheel in which rollers are arranged around the hub, is included in the lateral direction by the four-wheel drive. It is well known that an omnidirectional vehicle that can move 360 ° is realized. When this type of wheel is used, the wheel can turn freely without turning the wheel itself in the traveling direction, but a gap is naturally formed between adjacent rotating bodies, and smooth running is difficult.
[0003]
Therefore, Patent Document 3 discloses a non-turnable universal wheel in which rollers and buffer members that rotate in the direction perpendicular to the straight direction are arranged on the outer periphery of the wheel, and describes that a four-wheel drive wheelchair is also realized. . Thereby, it can drive | work diagonally by making the rotation area according to the vector component force of a roller unnecessary a turning area | region.
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 47-12461 [Patent Document 2]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-158460 [Patent Document 3]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-227404 [Patent Document 4]
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-137602
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, even in the case of the non-turnable universal wheel according to Patent Document 3, the roller is formed in a cylindrical shape, and therefore the outer periphery is linear in the rotational direction. Such a deformation of the buffer member causes a loss especially in the case of lateral rotation, and the roller cannot be supported on the linear shaft via a bearing. In short, it is not particularly suitable for high-speed running, and automatic running in the lateral direction is impossible with a simple parallel arrangement of the front and rear wheels. Therefore, the applicant of the present application, according to Document 4, each rotating body is supported so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis intersecting with the radial direction centered on the axle, and each rotating body has a diameter at its tip. A wheel with a rotating body that is smaller than the diameter of the base end portion and formed into a circular arc of the wheel outer periphery circle by the peripheral surface, for example, a semi-spindle shape, so that each rotating body forms a circumference and can be accessed. Proposed. When such a wheel with a rotating body is used, four-wheel drive is possible in all directions without rattling, but if any wheel floats off the running surface when running on a stepped surface, there is a problem that smooth movement cannot be performed. Left behind. In particular, when the four wheels are driven automatically by motor driving, idling occurs and smooth running or accurate direction control is not performed.
[0006]
In view of such a point, the present invention uses a non-turning universal directional wheel provided with a rotating body that rotates at right angles to the rotation direction of the straight rotation of the vehicle described above and that forms an arc of a wheel outer circumference circle. It is an object of the present invention to provide a four-wheel drive omnidirectional vehicle that can run stably while suppressing idling.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve this object, the present invention comprises four wheels with rotating bodies in which a plurality of rotating bodies rotating in a direction orthogonal to the straight traveling direction are arranged around the four wheels. In an omnidirectional vehicle in which the torque and rotational direction of the wheels are driven independently of each other, a pair of front wheels and a pair of rear wheels in the four wheels are arranged in plane symmetry with respect to a vertical symmetry plane, respectively. The front wheels of the pair are inclined with respect to the symmetry plane so that the distance between each other is narrowed toward the front, and the pair of rear wheels are inclined with respect to the symmetry plane so that the distance between each pair is narrowed toward the rear. A front wheel floor frame provided with a front wheel and a rear wheel floor frame provided with a pair of rear wheels are connected to each other independently of each other about a horizontal rotation axis included in a symmetry plane. Intersects in the radial direction around Each rotating body is formed in a shape that forms a circular arc of a wheel outer circumference circle with a peripheral surface by making the diameter of the distal end portion smaller than the diameter of the base end portion. It is characterized by.
[0008]
The omnidirectional vehicle moves in the direction of travel, which is a vector synthesis of the speeds generated in the straight traveling directions of the front wheels and the rear wheels themselves. At that time, the rotating bodies of the front wheels and rear wheels move in all directions in the traveling direction. It rotates according to the vector component force with respect to the traveling force of the car. Therefore, by adjusting the number of rotations of the motors attached to the four wheels and switching the rotation direction, the traveling direction can be varied in the range of 360 °, and at least one pair of the front wheels or the rear wheels can be moved in the left-right direction by the inclined arrangement. Is possible. When either left or right of one pair of front wheels or rear wheels travels on the undulating surface, it rotates relative to the other pair of rear wheels or front wheels around the rotation axis and follows the undulating surface as it is. And run. According to claim 2, when the pair of front wheels and the pair of rear wheels are inclined at 45 ° with respect to the plane of symmetry, and the center positions of these four wheels are located on the same circle, the movement of the front, rear, left and right is It is possible to move by combining the rotation directions with the same speed, and it is possible to move by spin rotation around the center point of the same circle. When deviating from 45 °, the torque characteristics in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction change correspondingly, and when approaching a parallel or orthogonal state, the torque required for movement in the left-right direction or the front-rear direction becomes extremely large. According to claim 3, when one of the pair of front wheels and the pair of rear wheels is parallel to the plane of symmetry instead of being inclined, a rectangular space that is easy to use is formed between them. The movement in the left-right direction depends on the torque of only the opponent's pair.
[0009]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
An omnidirectional vehicle according to an example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 1, the omnidirectional vehicle 9 includes a lower floor frame 2a and an upper floor frame 2b in which a floor frame 2 is partially overlapped with a space, and a front wheel floor frame. A pair of motor-driven front wheels 1 is provided on a lower floor frame 2a, and a pair of motor-driven rear wheels 5 is provided on an upper floor frame 2b serving as a rear wheel floor frame.
[0010]
As shown in FIG. 2, the pair of front wheels 1 and rear wheels 5 are located on the same circle with their center positions centered on a center position P of the center of the four wheels on the floor 2, and the center of the four wheels. They are arranged so as to occupy plane symmetry positions inclined at 45 ° with respect to the vertical symmetry plane S in the front-rear direction passing through the position P. That is, the front wheel 1 has a letter C shape that is narrow forward and the rear wheel 5 is wide forward, and the extension lines of the axles 4 are orthogonal at the center position P of the four wheels.
[0011]
The axle 4 of the front wheel 1 is rotationally driven by a motor drive unit 3 which is housed in a housing with a motor with a speed reducer and mounted on a C-shaped projecting portion of the lower floor frame 2a by a bracket 3a. Similarly, the axle 4 of the rear wheel 5 is rotationally driven by a motor drive unit 7 provided below the C-shaped projecting portion of the upper floor frame 2b.
[0012]
Connecting legs 30 are respectively provided at the front and middle portions located on the symmetry plane S of the upper floor frame 2b, and lower ends thereof are hinges provided at the front and rear portions of the corresponding lower floor frame 2a. By being pivotally attached by a pin 32 supported by the bracket 31, there is a connecting portion that connects the lower floor frame 2 a and the upper floor frame 2 b so as to be rotatable left and right around a horizontal rotation axis included in the symmetry plane S. It is configured.
[0013]
Suspension arms 34 are provided on both sides of the rear connecting leg 30 which is both sides of the symmetry plane S in the left-right direction, and springs 33 elastically contact with the lower floor frame 2a as elastic cushioning materials at the front ends thereof. The suspension is attached to form a suspension, for example, so as to absorb an impact when the upper floor frame 2b on which the robot is mounted is rotated left and right. Note that rubber may be used as the buffer material.
[0014]
The front wheel 1 and the rear wheel 5 have the same wheel structure, as shown in FIG. 3, have a diameter large enough to easily get over the step on the running surface, and around the rim 29 having the axle 4 at the center. In addition, a plurality of rotating bodies 10 having the same shape rotating in a direction orthogonal to the straight traveling direction of the wheel are arranged. This rotating body is on the rotational axis X1 that is flush with the radius R1, centered on the rotational axis O of the axle 4, that is, the same plane as the plane orthogonal to the rotational axis O and intersects the radius R1. The rotary shaft 26 is rotatably supported. The diameter of each rotating body 10 continuously decreases from the base end portion 11 toward the tip end portion 12 along the radius R1, and the peripheral surface 19 forms an arc at the rotational position to the wheel outer peripheral circle C1. ing. Therefore, each rotating body 10 is formed in a semi-spindle shape, for example, as illustrated.
[0015]
Further, the peripheral surface 19 that slightly enters the outer peripheral side half of the conical surface-shaped concave portion 25 formed at the base end portion 11 of the adjacent rotating body 10 with the distal end portion 12 rotated to the wheel outer peripheral circle C1 is slightly present. It can come close to the base end part 11 of the adjacent rotary body 10 with a small gap 19a. Further, the base end portion of the bearing arm 20 is attached to the peripheral surface of the rim 29, and enters the gap 27 between the peripheral wall 25 a on the rim 29 side of the recess 25 and the peripheral surface 19 on the rim 29 side, and further between the distal end portions 12. Are bent sequentially in the orthogonal direction with respect to the adjacent rotating shaft 26. As a result, the base side end of the rotating shaft 26 is supported at the midway position 21 of the bearing arm 20, and the tip side end of the rotating shaft 26 of the adjacent rotating body 10 is supported at the tip position 22.
[0016]
The omnidirectional vehicle 9 is operated by a remote controller. As shown in FIG. 4, the omnidirectional vehicle 9 has motor drive units 41 to 41 that drive motors housed in motor drive units 3 attached to the four axles 4. 44, a control unit 40 for supplying the drive control signal, a battery 49 serving as a drive source thereof, and the like are provided (the mounting state is not shown). That is, in response to the digital transmission signal of the remote controller received by the antenna 48, the control unit 40 outputs control signals for start / stop, forward / reverse, steering and speed command of the omnidirectional mobile vehicle 9, In response to the input control signal, the motor drive units 41 to 44 supply drive input at a level corresponding to the commanded speed and movement direction to the motor to which the motor belongs.
[0017]
The operation of the omnidirectional vehicle configured as described above is as follows. For example, a robot is mounted on the upper floor frame 2b, and the operation is started by operating a remote controller. In response to the operation, the control unit 40 causes the front wheels 1 and the rear wheels 5 on both sides to rotate forward at a constant speed with a torque corresponding to the commanded speed when moving forward in a straight line (see FIG. 5A). When reversing straight, the motor rotation is reversed. At the time of turning, the front wheels 1 and the rear wheels 5 are reversely rotated with each other and spin-rotated on the circumference according to the rotation direction (see FIG. 5B). When making a right turn or a left turn, the right front wheel 1 and the rear wheel 5 or the left front wheel 1 and the rear wheel 5 are relatively decelerated. When moving left or right laterally, the rotational directions of the left front wheel 1 and right rear wheel 5 or the right front wheel 1 and left rear wheel 5 are reversed with respect to straight travel (see FIG. 5C).
[0018]
In this way, the omnidirectional vehicle 9 proceeds in a direction in which the speeds of the four wheels of the front wheel 1 and the rear wheel 5 are vector-combined. At this time, the rotating body 10 belonging to the front wheel 1 and the rear wheel 5 is the omnidirectional vehicle. 9 rotates around the rotation shaft 26 in accordance with the vector component of the advancing force.
[0019]
When one of the front wheels 1 or one of the rear wheels 5 rides on the convex portion or descends at the concave portion, the lower floor frame 2a and the upper floor frame 2b rotate laterally around the pin 32 of the connecting portion and undulate as it is By following the surface, it is possible to avoid the wheel itself having irregularities or the slipping of the opponent's wheel or the variation in the rotational speed of the wheel, and smooth running or faithful steering is possible. At that time, the shock applied to the lower floor frame 2a and the upper floor frame 2b of the other party or the other party is suppressed within the range of the expansion / contraction stroke by the buffering action of the spring 33 interposed between the lower floor frame 2a and the upper floor frame 2b. Is done. Furthermore, since the outer periphery of the rotating body 10 that forms the outer periphery of the wheel has an arc shape, rattling at the time of high-speed rotation due to automatic traveling is suppressed, and foreign objects are less likely to be caught in the gaps between the rotating bodies 10.
[0020]
FIG. 6 shows an arrangement state of front wheels and rear wheels of an omnidirectional vehicle according to another embodiment. In the case of FIG. A, the inclination angles of the front wheels 1 and the rear wheels 5 are smaller than 45 °. A torque or speed in the front-rear direction can be easily obtained for a predetermined motor output. On the other hand, the torque in the lateral or oblique direction decreases relatively. In the case of FIG. B, the pair of rear wheels 5 are parallel and the space between the wheels is squared so that the floor portion is easy to use, but the left or right lateral movement depends only on the front wheels 1. In order to stop the driving of the rear wheel 5, the torque in that direction decreases, and conversely, the torque for movement in the front-rear direction increases. Instead of the rear wheel 5, the pair of front wheels 1 can be parallel.
[0021]
Note that the front wheel floor frame and the rear wheel floor frame may be connected to each other so as to be rotatable to the left and right in the same plane depending on the case, instead of the upper and lower stages as described above. At that time, the same plane floor frame including the connecting portion is configured in a front-rear symmetrical structure, and the inclination angle of the front wheel 1 or the rear wheel 5 is also made the same, so that the front-rear symmetrical four-wheel drive that does not distinguish the front and rear wheels. It can also be configured as an omnidirectional vehicle.
[0022]
【The invention's effect】
According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to travel smoothly without rattling by the orthogonally rotating rotary body having a circular shape around the wheel. Alternatively, a four-wheel drive omnidirectional vehicle that can travel stably in all directions without causing wheel rotation fluctuations or idling due to relative rotation to the right is realized. In that case, according to the invention of claim 2, the same torque can be generated in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction, and according to the invention of claim 3, the floor area between the parallel wheels can be widened. According to invention of Claim 4, the mounting surface of a load can be made wide with simple structure, and the impact of the horizontal rotation direction at the time of driving | running | working an uneven surface can be suppressed. According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the gap between the rotating bodies can be further reduced by the distal end portion of each rotating body entering the concave portion of the proximal end portion of the counterpart.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an omnidirectional vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the omnidirectional vehicle.
FIG. 3 is a partial sectional view of a wheel of the omnidirectional vehicle.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a drive circuit for the omnidirectional vehicle.
FIG. 5 is a principle diagram illustrating a traveling mode of the omnidirectional vehicle.
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an arrangement state of wheels according to another embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Front wheel 2 Floor frame 2a Lower floor frame 2b Upper floor frame 4 Axle 5 Rear wheel 9 Omnidirectional moving vehicle 10 Rotating body 30 Connecting leg 31 Hinge bracket 33 Spring 34 Suspension arm

Claims (5)

An omnidirectional vehicle equipped with four wheels with a rotating body in which a plurality of rotating bodies rotating in a direction orthogonal to the straight traveling direction are arranged around, and the torque and rotation direction of the four wheels are driven independently of each other In
The pair of front wheels and the pair of rear wheels in the four wheels are arranged in plane symmetry with respect to the vertical symmetry plane, and the pair of front wheels are symmetrically arranged so that the distance between them becomes narrower toward the front. And the pair of rear wheels are inclined so that the distance between the rear wheels is narrower toward the rear with respect to the plane of symmetry.
A front wheel floor frame provided with a pair of front wheels and a rear wheel floor frame provided with a pair of rear wheels are connected to each other independently of each other around a horizontal rotation axis included in the symmetry plane;
Each rotating body is supported so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis intersecting with a radial direction centering on the axle, and each rotating body has a diameter at a tip end portion smaller than a diameter at a base end portion. An omnidirectional vehicle characterized in that it is formed in a shape that forms an arc of a wheel outer periphery circle by a peripheral surface. The pair of front wheels and the pair of rear wheels are inclined at 45 ° with respect to the symmetry plane, and the center positions of the pair of front wheels and the pair of rear wheels are located on the same circle. Item 2. An omnidirectional vehicle according to item 1. The omnidirectional vehicle according to claim 1, wherein one of the pair of front wheels and the pair of rear wheels is parallel to the plane of symmetry instead of being inclined. The front wheel floor frame and the rear wheel floor frame are at least partially overlapped with each other with a space portion, and a connecting portion that rotatably connects the front wheel floor frame and the rear wheel floor frame is the space. 4. A cushioning material that is elastic in the vertical direction is interposed on both sides of a symmetry plane in the front wheel floor frame and the rear wheel floor frame. An omnidirectional vehicle according to any one of the above. The distal end portions of the respective rotating bodies are partly formed in recesses formed in the proximal end portions of the adjacent rotating bodies so that the distal end portions of the respective rotating bodies can approach the proximal end portions of the adjacent rotating bodies. The omnidirectional vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the omnidirectional vehicle is invaded.

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