JP2003136901A - Traveling device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a traveling device which has a step-climbing mechanism and sufficiently ensures the dynamic stability during the step-climbing operation with a very simple configuration. SOLUTION: This traveling device comprises a wheel 2 to movably support a body part 1, a fixed wheel 3 provided in a fixed manner, a rotatable support member 4 which is provided on the position not to interfere with the rotation of the wheel 2 with the center A of rotation thereof substantially agreed with the axis of the fixed wheel 3, an arm drive mechanism which is provided on a part displaced from the center A of rotation of the support member 4, and houses a differential wheel 5 rotated in an interlocking manner with the fixed wheel 3 with the differential wheel 5 rotated at the angular velocity of the magnitude substantially equal to the angular velocity of the revolution in the direction opposite to the direction of the revolution while revolving around the fixed wheel 3 as the support member 4 is rotated, and an arm 7 fixed to the differential wheel 5.

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention particularly relates to a weight transport device, a care support device, a walking support device, a transfer device, an electric swing chair, a rehabilitation device, an electric wheelchair, and wheel movement. The present invention relates to a traveling device that can be used as a mobile robot. 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there are various types of traveling devices of this type. For example, forklifts, lifters, wheelbarrows and the like are well known as travel devices for transporting luggage, and wheelchairs and the like are well known as travel devices for transporting people. [0003] On the travel path on which these travel devices travel,
Sometimes there are steps or obstacles.
In particular, it is difficult to get over a large level difference about the radius of the wheel. Accordingly, various ascending mechanisms have been developed for causing the traveling device to go through a path where steps and obstacles exist. [0004] When the above-mentioned traveling device tries to step through a step, the main body and wheels are levitated by an ascending mechanism provided in the traveling device. At this time,
The step elimination mechanism is required to continue to support the center of gravity of the traveling device from directly below as much as possible. If the mechanical stability during the ascending operation is impaired, not only the use by the user is hindered, but also a situation such as breakage of the loaded luggage and injury of the passenger may be caused. However, when configuring an ascending mechanism that can continuously support the center of gravity of the traveling device during the ascending operation, it is undeniable that the configuration becomes complicated. And the traveling apparatus provided with the existing ascending mechanism including what employ | adopted the articulated link mechanism etc. had the demerits, such as many parts count and being large sized. In view of the problems as described above, the present invention intends to realize a traveling device that includes a step-up mechanism and sufficiently secures the mechanical stability during the step-up operation with a simple structure as much as possible. . Means for Solving the Problems As means for solving the problem of ensuring sufficient mechanical stability with a minimum configuration in order to make a traveling device having an ascending function more user-friendly. The traveling device according to the present invention includes a wheel that movably supports the main body, a fixed vehicle that is fixably provided, a support member that is provided at a position that does not hinder the rotation of the wheel, and that can be driven to rotate. It includes a differential wheel that is provided at a position displaced from the rotation center of the support member and rotates in conjunction with the fixed wheel, and with the rotation of the support member, the differential wheel revolves around the fixed wheel while revolving. An arm drive mechanism configured to rotate in the reverse direction at an angular velocity approximately equal to the angular velocity of revolution, and an arm fixed to the differential wheel are provided. That is, a traveling device comprising an arm attached to a portion displaced from the rotation center of the support member and capable of moving the tip portion in a direction away from the rotation center by being driven by a scaffold. Then, the arm can be driven by grounding the tip portion on the floor and the main body and wheels of the traveling apparatus can be raised. And, by configuring so that the rotation angle of the support member rotating in the opposite direction and the rotation angle of the arm are equal,
The tip of the arm moves up and down in a generally vertical direction. Therefore, in the ascending operation of the traveling device, the arm rolls and can be raised or lowered while continuing to support the center of gravity of the traveling device from directly below. In addition, when the support member is driven to rotate, the arm is also driven to rotate. Therefore, the ascending operation can be executed by a single drive system, which leads to a reduction in the number of actuators to be equipped in the traveling device. In the traveling apparatus according to the present invention, various concrete means for linking the fixed wheel and the differential wheel are conceivable. For example, a winding mechanism such as a chain or belt, a mechanism by indirect contact with an idler gear or idler wheel interposed between a fixed wheel and a differential wheel, or a direct wheel with a fixed wheel as an internal gear and a differential wheel as an external gear Examples include a mechanism by contact. In these cases, by appropriately setting the gear ratio or the wheel diameter ratio, the revolution angular velocity and the rotation angular velocity of the differential vehicle are approximately equal. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the main body 1 of the traveling device is supported by a pair of wheels 2 so as to be able to travel, and a loading platform or a passenger carrying a load on the upper portion of the main body 1. It is possible to provide a seat on which the person sits. The ascending mechanism of the traveling device comprises an arm 7 for raising or lowering the main body 1 and the wheel 2 and an arm driving mechanism for driving the arm 7.
The arm driving mechanism is fixed to the fixed gear 3 that is a fixed vehicle fixed to the main body 1, the crank 4 that is a rotationally driveable support member provided at a position that does not hinder the rotation of the wheel 2, and the tip of the crank 4 is rotatable. It includes a differential gear 5 which is a differential wheel provided in the housing. More specifically, the fixed gear 3 is attached at a position where its central axis substantially coincides with the axle of the wheel 2. The crank 4 is provided by rotatably supporting the crankshaft 41 provided at the base end portion on the main body 1 so that the rotation center A coincides with the central axis of the fixed gear 3. In addition, the crank drive gear 42 is fixed via the crankshaft 41 while being configured to rotate within the diameter of the wheel 2. This crank drive gear 4
The center axis of 2 coincides with the rotation center A of the crank, and therefore coincides with the center axis of the fixed gear 3. In the present embodiment, a chain winding transmission mechanism is configured in which a gear 81 for transmitting a driving force by an actuator (not shown) and a crank driving gear 42 are linked by winding a chain 82, and the crank 4 is rotated using the actuator. So that it can be driven. The differential gear 5 is provided by rotatably supporting a differential gear shaft 51 at the tip of the crank 4.
Further, the differential gear 5 and the fixed gear 3 are linked by winding the chain 6. The ratio of the number of teeth of the fixed gear 3 and the differential gear 5 is set to approximately 2: 1. As a result, when the crank 4 is rotationally driven, the differential gear 5 is also rotationally driven, so that the rotation of the crank 4, that is, the direction of revolution of the differential gear 5 and the direction of rotation are opposite to each other, and The angular velocity and the angular velocity of rotation are approximately equal. The arm 7 has a base end portion fixed to the differential gear 5 via the differential gear shaft 51, and a distal end portion having a predetermined dimension in the front-rear direction and downward in a side view. Swelled curved shape (partial arc shape with the same diameter as wheel 2)
This is a grounding portion 71 having an end face. When the traveling device is traveling on a flat road, it is accommodated in the diameter of the wheel 2 together with the crank 4, and during the ascending operation of the traveling device, the crank 4 is rotationally driven by an actuator so that the difference is obtained. An arm 7 that is coaxial with the moving gear 5 is driven by a footing (fulcrum) at the tip of the crank 4 so that the tip of the arm 7, that is, the grounding portion 71 can be moved away from the center of rotation A of the crank. It has become. That is, the crank 4 and the arm 7 according to this embodiment are both driven by a single actuator and serve as an ascending mechanism. The ascending mechanism configured as described above is disposed between the pair of wheels 2 and in the vicinity of the inside of the left and right wheels 2. Next, the operation when the traveling apparatus according to the present embodiment climbs the step by the climbing mechanism will be described. FIG.
As shown in (a), when the wheel 2 comes into contact with the upper step,
The crank 4 is rotationally driven by the actuator. At this time, the arm 7 is driven at the same time, and as shown in FIGS. 3B and 3C, the grounding portion 71 of the arm 7 moves substantially downward in the vertical direction. The grounding portion 71 of the arm 7 is grounded to the floor surface at one point E within the range of the curved end surface, and the grounding point E smoothly transitions as the arm 7 is driven. That is,
In the ascending operation, the grounding point E of the grounding part 71 of the arm 7 continues to be positioned directly below the center of gravity of the traveling device. Then, the traveling device is lifted to a position at which the traveling device can clear the step by the reaction of driving the crank 4 and the arm 7. Further, during the ascending operation, the wheel 2 freely rotates along the step. After the wheel 2 is placed on the upper floor, the crank 4 is further rotated, so that the arm 7 is again accommodated within the diameter of the wheel 2 as shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b). The At this time, the crank 4 rotates with a part of the arm 7 still protruding out of the diameter of the wheel 2. Further, the crank 4 and the arm 7 are moved to the initial position (FIG. 3A).
4 (c), the arm 7 jumps out of the wheel 2 above the wheel 2 as shown in FIG. However, if the crank 4 and the arm 7 are arranged as far as possible (near the inside of the wheel 2) and a load or a passenger is mounted in the center portion, the arm 7 will not interfere with the load or the passenger. Incidentally, the arm 7 and the crank 4 may be arranged outside the wheel 2. When going up the stairs, the operations shown in FIGS. 3A to 4C are repeated. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the wheel 2 that supports the main body 1 movably, the fixed gear 3 that can be fixed, and the rotation center A that is provided at a position that does not hinder the rotation of the wheel 2 are provided. A rotationally driveable crank 4 that substantially coincides with the axis of the fixed gear 3, and a difference that rotates in conjunction with the fixed gear 3 by winding the chain 6 provided at a position displaced from the rotation center A of the crank 4. Including the moving gear 5, the differential gear 5 revolves around the fixed gear 3 along with the rotation of the crank 4 and rotates at an angular velocity approximately equal to the revolution angular velocity in the opposite direction to the revolution. The traveling device including the arm driving mechanism configured as described above and the arm 7 fixed to the differential gear 5 can raise or lower the center of gravity while continuing to support the center of gravity in the ascending operation. It is those that can be. In other words, it can be said that a traveling device that sufficiently secures the mechanical stability during the ascending operation with a minimum configuration is realized. The arm 7 that serves as a support when the traveling device is raised or lowered has a curved shape (a partial arc having substantially the same diameter as that of the wheel 2) having a predetermined size in the front-rear direction and bulging downward in a side view. The grounding portion 71 is provided with an end face of (shape). Therefore, during the ascending operation of the traveling device, the grounding unit 71 contacts the floor near the grounding point E of the wheel 2, and the grounding point E smoothly shifts as the arm 7 is driven to travel. Continue to be located directly below the center of gravity of the device. As a result, the step can be cleared more smoothly without mitigating the impact at the time of ascending without causing a mechanically unstable state. The crank 4 and the arm 7 which are components of the ascending mechanism can be simultaneously driven by a single drive system to execute the ascending operation, and the number of actuators to be mounted on the traveling device is determined. It also leads to reduction. If the baggage or the passenger is placed between the two parallel wheels, the center of gravity of the baggage is lowered, the arm 7 does not interfere with these and the safety is high. The configuration in which the crank 4 is rotated within the range of the diameter of the wheel 2 also contributes to the safety of the luggage or the passenger. The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described in detail above. In the above-described example, two ascending mechanisms including the arm 7 and the arm driving mechanism are disposed on the left and right. However, the ascending mechanism may be one and the arm 7 may be disposed near the center of the traveling device. . The means for linking the fixed gear 3 and the differential gear 5 is not limited to the chain 6. As shown in FIG. 5, the idler gear 4 interposed between the fixed gear 3 and the differential gear 5.
A mode is also conceivable in which the fixed gear 3 and the differential gear 5 are linked to each other by rotatably attaching 3 to the crank 4. Also, as shown in FIG.
The phase may be shifted by 180 degrees. Instead of the gears 3 and 5 as in the above embodiment, wheels may be used as the fixed wheel and the differential wheel. In this case, the winding mechanism is not a chain 6 but a belt or the like. In addition, fixing of the fixed gear 3 can be released as necessary so that the crank 4 can be rotated and its angle adjusted appropriately without causing the arm 7 to jump out of the diameter of the wheel 2. You may comprise as follows. For example,
The fixed gear 3 is provided in the main body 1 so as to be able to rotate in synchronization with the rotation of the crank 4 so that the rotation of the fixed gear 3 can be suppressed during the ascending operation by a clutch device or a latch mechanism (not shown). Those configured as follows are preferable. Furthermore, if it is such, when the traveling device descends the step, the descending operation can be performed using the ascending mechanism according to the present embodiment. That is, the crank 4 and the fixed gear 3 are both rotated and arranged at an appropriate starting position in a state where the fixed gear 3 is released, and then the fixed gear 3 is fixed and then the crank 4 and the arm 7 are fixed. , The grounding portion 71 of the arm 7 is grounded to the lower floor, and the grounding portion 71 gently moves to the axle of the wheel 2 (or the crank rotation center A) so that the operation is reverse to that shown in FIG. The crank 4 and the arm 7 are driven so as to approach each other, and the traveling device is lowered to allow the wheels 2 to land on the lower floor. If the fixing gear 3 can be fixed and released appropriately, the degree of freedom in operating the arm 7 is increased. In other words, it can be used for a wide range of applications, such as loading and unloading luggage placed near or on the floor, tilting the posture of the traveling device body before the level difference, adjusting the angle of the loading platform, seat, etc. The arm 7 can be used. In addition, on a flat road, the fixed gear 3 is released and the crank 4 is driven by engaging the crank 4, the crank driving gear 42, the arm 7, etc. with the wheel 2 by an appropriate means. The wheel 2 may be driven by the driving force of the actuator. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4, it is possible to remove a part of the teeth of the fixed gear 3 so that the arm 7 does not jump forward or upward. By moving the luggage using the movement of the arm jumping upward, the vehicle body and the luggage may alternately go up the stairs. Further, as an application example of the traveling apparatus according to the present invention, as shown in FIG. 7, a traveling apparatus in which an endless track 91 that is separate from the wheels 2 and the arm drive mechanism is attached to the back seat 11 is used. It can also be configured. The endless track 91 may be driven by an actuator or may rotate freely. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 8, three or four small rings 921
A guide member 92 arranged in a triangular or quadrangular shape may be rotatably attached to the back sheet 11 so as to be guided. The presence or absence of a step, the height of an existing step, and the like may be detected using a limit switch or a proximity sensor.
With regard to application to a mobile robot, voice and image communication may be performed using a mobile phone function, and remote control of the robot may be performed via a modem. The load can be easily transferred by moving the loading platform, the seat, and the like up and down using an operation in which the arm 7 jumps out of the diameter of the wheel 2 above the wheel 2. For example, a support for guiding the seat is provided between the knees of the crew member, and the seat is moved up and down by the arm 7 and rotated by 180 degrees around the support to move the seat between the traveling device and the bed. You may do it. In addition, the specific configuration of each part is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. According to the present invention described in detail above, it is possible to realize a traveling apparatus that includes an ascending mechanism and sufficiently secures the mechanical stability in the ascending operation with a simple configuration. it can. Further, it is not necessary to separately provide an actuator for running the traveling device, and the weight of the device can be reduced. Therefore, handling of the device is facilitated, and the burden on the driver can be reduced.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side view showing a traveling apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a horizontal sectional view of the same. FIG. 3 is a view showing an ascending operation according to the embodiment; FIG. 4 is a view showing an ascending operation according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a horizontal sectional view showing a modification according to the present invention. FIG. 6 is a main part side view showing a modification according to the present invention. FIG. 7 is a side view showing a modification according to the present invention. FIG. 8 is a side view showing a modification according to the present invention. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Main body part 2 ... Wheel 3 ... Fixed wheel (fixed gear) 4 ... Crank 41 ... Crank shaft 42 ... Crank drive gear 5 ... Differential wheel (differential gear) 51 ... Differential gear shaft 6 ... Chain 7 ... Arm 71 ... Grounding part A ... Center of crank rotation E ... Grounding point

Claims (1)

What is claimed is: 1. A wheel for movably supporting a main body, a fixed wheel provided so as to be fixed, a support member provided at a position not hindering rotation of the wheel, and capable of being driven to rotate. Including a differential wheel provided at a position displaced from the rotation center of the support member and rotating in conjunction with the fixed wheel, and revolving while the differential wheel revolves around the fixed wheel as the support member rotates. An arm drive mechanism configured to rotate in an opposite direction to an angular velocity substantially equal to the angular velocity of revolution,
A traveling device comprising an arm fixed to the differential wheel.