JP2001055156A - Omni-directional moving vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To attain sure braking by providing a brake means for bringing a brake shoe into contact with the outer surface of a ball wheel. SOLUTION: A driving means includes a ball wheel 11 supported to freely roll, a ring 30 disposed in the outer periphery of the ball wheel 11 and rotatively driven round an axis by a driving source, and plural rollers 31 supported on the ring 30 to come into contact with a great circle of the ball wheel 11, and the rotation of the ring 30 is transmitted through the rollers 31 to the ball wheel 11. In this case, a brake means for bringing a brake shoe 71 into contact with the outer surface of the ball wheel 11 is provided to apply braking directly to the ball wheel 11.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an omnidirectional vehicle using a ball wheel which can travel in all directions.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art There has been proposed an electric universal chair capable of moving in all directions using a driving means 3 shown in FIG. The driving means 3 includes a ball wheel 11, a ring 30 disposed on the outer periphery of the ball wheel 11,
A plurality of rollers 31 attached to the inner peripheral side of the ball wheel 11, a support roller 32 that contacts the upper surface of the ball wheel 11,
A motor 33 rotates the ring 30 around its axis. A plurality of rollers 31 whose axial direction is orthogonal to the axial direction of the ring 30 are in contact with a great circle on the surface of the ball wheel 11. In the figure, reference numeral 34 denotes a gear for transmitting rotation from the motor 33 to the ring 30.

[0003] The rotation (rolling) of the ring 30 around an axis parallel to the rotation plane of the ring 30 by the support roller 32 and the roller 31.
The ball wheel 11, which is freely movable, has a ring 30.
Of the ring 30 is transmitted by a frictional force via the roller 31 to perform rotation about the axis of the ring 30. Here, since the ring 30 is slightly inclined from the horizontal plane,
Propulsion is generated by the rotation of the ball wheel 11.

In a device having at least three such driving means 3, the driving force of each driving means 3 is advanced in the direction in which the vector of the driving force is synthesized. 3 for controlling the driving direction of the ball wheel 11 by controlling the rotating direction and the rotating speed of the ball wheel 11 by controlling the driving force of the ball wheel 11 individually. Becomes free.

FIGS. 11 and 12 show an omnidirectional movement as a wheelchair provided with a seat 2 and an armrest 4 in which a seat 20 and a backrest 21 are integrally formed on a trolley 1 provided with four drive means 3 described above. The bogie 1 includes the driving means 3 at four corners of a base 10, and stores a storage battery and a control circuit in a housing 12 arranged on the base 10, and has a footrest 6 on the front side. are doing. The left and right armrests 4, 4 are arranged at the upper ends of the struts 15, 15 arranged on both sides of the cart 1, and the struts 15 are slidable up and down by guide bodies 17 arranged on the left and right sides of the cart 1. It is held and can be fixed at an arbitrary position, so that the height of the armrest 4 can be adjusted. A joystick-type operation unit 5 for traveling control is provided at the front end of the armrest 4 on one side.

In this electric wheelchair, the control circuit controls the rotation of the ball wheel 11 of each driving means 3 in accordance with the operation direction instruction and the rotation direction instruction by the operation section 5, so that the wheelchair can move in any direction. It can run and rotate.

[0007]

Conventionally, a brake in the driving means as described above has a brake plate which is restricted in rotation by an output shaft of a motor and is slidable in the axial direction, and a brake plate facing the brake plate. And a spring and a coil for controlling the contact between the brake plate and the brake pad by a spring force and an electromagnetic force.

However, the above-described brake has the following problem. That is, since the driving means transmits the driving force to the ball wheel by the frictional force between the roller and the ball wheel, in the brake for stopping the rotation of the motor, the influence of the slip of the power transmission part due to the friction is exerted. It is not possible to obtain a reliable movement in terms of braking for a vehicle moving in all directions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an omnidirectional vehicle capable of obtaining reliable braking.

[0010]

According to the present invention, there is provided a ball wheel rotatably supported, a ring disposed on the outer periphery of the ball wheel and rotated around an axis by a drive source, and a ring supported by the ring. A driving means for transmitting the rotation of the ring to the ball wheel via the rollers, and a control means for individually controlling and driving at least three driving means. An omnidirectional vehicle having the following features is provided with a brake means for bringing a brake shoe into contact with the outer surface of the ball wheel. Instead of applying braking to the motor, braking is applied directly to the ball wheel.

At this time, it is preferable to dispose the brake shoe at a position facing the support portion of the ball wheel from the viewpoint of improving the braking force.

Preferably, the brake shoe is formed of a rubber elastic body.

[0013] The brake shoe has a ring shape whose inner peripheral edge is in contact with the outer surface of the ball wheel, a band shape which is in line contact with the outer surface of the ball wheel, or a plate-like shape having a mountain shape which contacts the outer surface of the ball wheel at at least two points. It is also preferable to provide a brake shoe on a lever having a fulcrum.

As the braking means, a means for supporting a roller or a ball wheel and for controlling the rotation of a supporting member which is free to roll can be used, or a brake shoe can be brought into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the ring to form the ring. The one that regulates the rotation, or the one that contacts the belt that transmits power to the ring and applies braking to the belt may be used.In the case where the brake shoe contacts the inner peripheral surface of the ring, the brake shoe and the ring It is preferable that a line from the contact point toward the center of the ring and a normal line at the contact point on the brake shoe form an acute angle.

As the braking means, a means for applying a braking force by a spring and releasing the braking by a solenoid can be suitably used. As the controlling means, the operation of the braking means in each driving means in accordance with the traveling direction can be used. It is preferable to use one that individually controls

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to an example of an embodiment. The driving means 3 shown in FIG. 1 has the same basic structure as that of the above-mentioned conventional example, and has a rubber ball lined metal ball. Ring 3 on the outer periphery of the ball wheel 11
0 and a plurality of rollers 31 provided on the ring 30
Is in contact with the great circle of the ball wheel 11. A support roller 32 that contacts the upper surface of the ball wheel 11 is attached to a frame 35 that supports the ring 30, and a motor 33 that rotates the ring 30 around its axis is fixed to the frame 35. The ring 30 is provided at an angle from the horizontal so that the propulsive force is generated by the rotation of the ball wheel 11, but this is achieved by providing the frame 35 at an angle from the horizontal.

The rotation of the ring 30 by the motor 33 is transmitted to the ball wheel 11 by frictional force from the roller 31 which is in contact with the great circle of the ball wheel 11 and whose axial direction is orthogonal to the axial direction of the ring 30. The ball wheel 11, which is freely rotatably supported with two degrees of freedom by the support roller 32 and the roller 31, rotates around the axis of the ring 30 inclined with respect to the vertical axis to the ground surface. Generates propulsion.

The brake means 7 provided in the drive means 3
Consists of a solenoid 70 attached to the frame 35 and a brake shoe 71 pressed against the ball wheel 11 by the solenoid 70, and directly applies braking to the ball wheel 11. Here, the contact point of the brake shoe 71 is
As the zenith which is the opposite side of the ground contact. By preventing the self-weight of the omnidirectional vehicle from being pushed by the brake shoes 71 and the ball wheel 11 moving, braking can be performed more reliably. It is preferable to use a rubber elastic body as the brake shoe 71 in terms of braking force.

As shown in FIG. 2, the brake means 7 is disposed at a position facing the rollers 31 and 32, which are the support portions of the ball wheel 11, and the force by which the brake shoe 71 pushes the ball wheel 11 is applied to the rollers 31 and 32. Even if it receives, it is still possible to obtain reliable braking.

As shown in FIG. 3, it is also preferable to use a ring-shaped brake shoe 71 whose inner peripheral edge is in contact with the outer surface of the ball wheel 11. The brake shoe 71 and the ball wheel 71 come into line contact, and a reliable braking force can be obtained.

The brake means 7 shown in FIG.
5, a lever 72 supported by a shaft 73 is provided with a plate-shaped brake shoe 71 having a mountain shape in contact with the outer surface of the ball wheel 11 at at least two points, and the free end of the lever 72 is moved by a wire 74 driven manually or electrically. Thus, the brake shoe 71 can be pressed against the ball wheel 11. In the figure, reference numeral 75 denotes a bumper which also serves as a fixing member for the terminal of the wire 74. The lever 72 acts as a lever, the brake shoe 71 contacts the ball wheel 11 at at least two points, and the roller 31 receives a force that pushes the ball wheel 11 by the brake shoe 71, so that reliable and strong braking is performed. be able to.

FIG. 5 shows still another example. The brake means 7 shown here comprises a rotary solenoid 76, an eccentric cam 77 attached to its output shaft, and a band-like brake shoe 71. When the rotary solenoid 76 rotates the eccentric cam 77, the brake shoe 71 It is drawn toward the wheel 11 and makes line contact with the ball wheel 11. Here, in order to increase the line contact length, the brake shoe 71 contacts the great circle of the ball wheel 11. Since the roller 31 receives the force of the brake shoe 71 pressing the ball wheel 11, reliable and strong braking can be performed.

A brake shoe 71 is mounted on the ball wheel 11.
Instead of contacting the brake shoe 71 with the support roller 32 as shown in FIG.
Alternatively, the brake shoe 71 may be brought into contact with 1. Although the braking force is lower than when braking is directly applied to the ball wheel 11, more reliable braking can be obtained than when braking is applied to the rotation of the motor 33. Also,
When braking is directly applied to the ball wheel 11, the friction state between the brake shoe 71 and the ball wheel 11 changes greatly due to the effect of the adhesion of water or oil to the surface of the ball wheel 11 rolling on the floor, and stable braking is performed. Although force may not be obtained, when the brake shoe 71 is brought into contact with the support roller 32 or the roller 31, such a situation is less likely to occur, and the brake shoe 71 may wear the ball wheel 11. Absent.

FIG. 7 shows the frame 35 having a shaft 73 attached thereto.
One end of a lever 72 whose middle is supported by the lever 72 is connected to the solenoid 70, and the other end of the lever 72 is provided with a brake shoe 71 in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the ring 30, and the solenoid 70 is actuated (plunger Project)
Then, the lever 72 is rotated and the brake shoe 71 is pressed against the inner peripheral surface of the ring 30, so that braking is performed. Here, a brake shoe 71 is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the ring 30.
Is easier to make the contact area larger than when the brake shoe 71 is brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the ring 30, and also, as shown in FIG.
Pulley 34 and ring 3 attached to its output shaft
In the case where the endless belt 36 is applied to the outer peripheral surface of the ring 30, the contact surface of the brake shoe 71 must be provided avoiding the belt 36 in order to provide the contact surface on the outer peripheral surface of the ring 30. The size of the ring 30 must be increased, and the brake shoe 71 and its operating space need only be secured on the inner peripheral side of the ring 30, and these spaces are not required on the outer peripheral side of the ring 30. This is because the size can be reduced as a whole.

In addition, here, the lever 72 has a forked shape so that the two brake shoes 71 can be brought into contact with different positions on the inner peripheral surface of the ring 30. Time, brake shoe 71
A line L directed from the contact point between the ring shoe 30 and the center of the ring 30 and a normal line H at the contact point of the brake shoe 71 form an acute angle.

Now, the ring 30 moves clockwise CW in the figure.
When both brake shoes 71 are
When the brake shoe 71 is brought into contact with the inner peripheral surface,
The elastically deformed portion shown by a bites into the ring 30, and a strong braking force can be obtained. The ring 30
With respect to the rotation in the counterclockwise direction CCW, the elastic deformation portion 71b of the other brake shoe 71 cuts into the ring 30, so that a strong braking force can be obtained in both directions of the ring 30. I can do it.

FIG. 9 shows a brake applied to an endless belt 36 extending over the pulley 34 attached to the output shaft of the motor 33 and the outer peripheral surface of the ring 30, and a fixed brake shoe disposed behind the belt 36. 78 and a brake shoe 71 that contacts the belt 36 by the bias of a spring 79 and clamps the belt 36 with the brake shoe 78.
The brake means 7 is constituted by a solenoid 70 that separates the brake shoe 71 from the belt 36 against the spring 79 during operation (at the time of energization). In the figure, reference numeral 37 denotes a tension roller, and reference numeral 38 denotes a guide roller for the ring 30.

The brake can be reliably applied and stopped irrespective of the loss on the motor 33 side, and the braking is applied when the solenoid 70 is off. Or it is a fail-safe one that brakes when the battery runs out. Note that this fail-safe configuration can be adopted in each of the above examples.

By the way, if the driving means 3 is at least 3
Since the driving force applied to the ball wheel 11 of each driving means 3 varies depending on the traveling direction (running direction) of the omnidirectional vehicle provided, the control means controls the driving force of each driving means 3 according to the traveling direction. Although the control is individually performed, the braking means 7 also determines in advance which of the driving means 3 is the most efficient in terms of braking for traveling of the omnidirectional vehicle according to the traveling direction. The control circuit controls and drives the brake means 7 of each drive means 3 based on the determination. At this time, it is desirable from the viewpoint of safety to limit the number of the brake means 7 to be used as much as possible and to increase the number of the brake means 7 to be used according to the deceleration state of the omnidirectional vehicle. .

[0030]

As described above, according to the present invention, a ball wheel rotatably supported, a ring disposed on the outer periphery of the ball wheel and rotated around an axis by a driving source, and a ring supported by the ring. A plurality of rollers in contact with the great circle of the ball wheel, and driving means for transmitting the rotation of the ring to the ball wheel via the rollers, wherein a brake shoe is brought into contact with the outer surface of the ball wheel. Because of the means, that is, rather than braking the motor, braking the ball wheel directly,
Despite the fact that rotation is transmitted to the ball wheel by frictional force, reliable braking can be obtained.

At this time, the braking force can be improved by disposing the brake shoe at a position facing the supporting portion of the ball wheel.

Further, it is preferable that the brake shoe is formed of a rubber elastic body from the viewpoint that a reliable braking force can be obtained.

Further, the brake shoe may be formed in a ring shape having an inner peripheral edge in contact with the outer surface of the ball wheel, in a belt shape in linear contact with the outer surface of the ball wheel, or in a plate shape having a mountain shape in contact with the outer surface of the ball wheel at at least two points. It is also preferable to improve the braking force, and it is also preferable to provide a brake shoe on a lever having a fulcrum in that a strong braking force can be obtained.

As the braking means, a means for supporting a roller or a ball wheel and for controlling the rotation of a supporting member which can roll freely may be used. Stable braking can be obtained without being affected by the surface condition of the ball wheel in contact with the road surface.

Even when a brake shoe is brought into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the ring to regulate the rotation of the ring or a belt that transmits power to the ring to apply braking to the belt is used, the same stable braking control can be used. Power can be obtained.

In particular, in the case where the brake shoe is brought into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the ring, the line from the contact point between the brake shoe and the ring toward the center of the ring and the normal line at the contact point on the brake shoe form an acute angle. By doing so, a strong braking force can be obtained.

The brake means can apply a fail-safe structure by applying a brake by applying a spring and releasing the brake by a solenoid.

As the control means, it is preferable to use a means for individually controlling the operation of the brake means in each drive means in accordance with the traveling direction, since it is possible to obtain desired braking.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of an example of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of another example of the above.

FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of still another example of the above.

FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of another example of the above.

FIG. 5 is a schematic side view of still another example of the above.

FIG. 6 is a schematic side view of an example of another embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a schematic side view of an example of still another embodiment.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of an arrangement and a direction of the brake shoe according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a cutaway plan view of an example of another embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view schematically showing a driving unit.

FIG. 11 is a side view of an omnidirectional vehicle using the above driving means.

FIG. 12 is a plan view of an omnidirectional vehicle using the above driving means.

[Explanation of symbols]

 7 Brake means 11 Ball wheel 30 Ring 31 Roller 33 Motor 71 Brake shoe

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Minoru Yamada 1048 Kadoma Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd. 72) Inventor Makoto Fujiwara 1048 Kadoma Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd. (72) Inventor Tomohiko Watanabe 1048 Kadoma Kadoma, Kadoma City, Osaka Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.

Claims (13)

[Claims] 1. A ball wheel rotatably supported, a ring disposed on the outer periphery of the ball wheel and driven to rotate around an axis by a driving source, and a plurality of rings supported by the ring and in contact with a great circle of the ball wheel. An omnidirectional vehicle having a driving unit having a plurality of rollers and a rotation unit for transmitting the rotation of the ring to the ball wheel via the rollers, and a control unit for individually controlling and driving the at least three driving units. An omnidirectional vehicle having a brake means for bringing a brake shoe into contact with an outer surface of a ball wheel. 2. The omnidirectional vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the brake shoe is disposed at a position facing the support portion of the ball wheel. 3. The omnidirectional vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the brake shoe is formed of a rubber elastic body. 4. The omnidirectional vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the brake shoe has a ring shape whose inner peripheral edge is in contact with the outer surface of the ball wheel. 5. The omnidirectional vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the brake shoe has a belt-like shape in line contact with the outer surface of the ball wheel. 6. The omnidirectional vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the brake shoe is a mountain-shaped plate having at least two points in contact with the outer surface of the ball wheel. 7. The omnidirectional vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a brake shoe is provided on a lever having a fulcrum. 8. A ball wheel rotatably supported, a ring disposed on the outer periphery of the ball wheel and driven to rotate around an axis by a driving source, and a plurality of rings supported by the ring and in contact with a great circle of the ball wheel. An omnidirectional vehicle having a driving unit having a plurality of rollers and a rotation unit for transmitting the rotation of the ring to the ball wheel via the rollers, and a control unit for individually controlling and driving the at least three driving units. An omnidirectional moving vehicle comprising a brake means for supporting the roller or the ball wheel and restricting the rotation of a supporting member which is free to roll. 9. A ball wheel rotatably supported, a ring disposed on the outer periphery of the ball wheel and driven to rotate around an axis by a driving source, and a plurality of rings supported by the ring and in contact with a great circle of the ball wheel. An omnidirectional vehicle having a driving unit having a plurality of rollers and a rotation unit for transmitting the rotation of the ring to the ball wheel via the rollers, and a control unit for individually controlling and driving the at least three driving units. An omnidirectional vehicle comprising: a brake means for restricting rotation of the ring by bringing a brake shoe into contact with an inner peripheral surface of the ring. 10. The system according to claim 9, wherein a line from the contact point between the brake shoe and the ring toward the center of the ring and a normal line at the contact point on the brake shoe form an acute angle. Omnidirectional car. 11. A ball wheel rotatably supported, a ring disposed on the outer periphery of the ball wheel and driven to rotate around an axis by a drive source, and a plurality of rings supported by the ring and in contact with a great circle of the ball wheel. An omnidirectional vehicle having a driving unit having a plurality of rollers and a rotation unit for transmitting the rotation of the ring to the ball wheel via the rollers, and a control unit for individually controlling and driving the at least three driving units. An omnidirectional vehicle having a brake means for contacting a belt for transmitting power to a ring to apply braking to the belt. 12. The omnidirectional vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the brake means applies a brake by a spring and releases the brake by a solenoid. 13. The omnidirectional movement according to claim 1, wherein the control means individually controls the operation of the brake means in each drive means according to the traveling direction. car.