JP2005084356A - Omnidirectional walking sensation presentation system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a pedestrian P to freely walk omnidirectionally in an arbitrary orbit and to obtain a natural walking sensation as if the pedestrian walks in the actual space. <P>SOLUTION: The omnidirectional walking sensation presentation system is equipped with position sensors for measuring the positions of the feet of the pedestrian P and movable floors A to D, the four movable floors A to D, and a controller 2. The movable floors A to D movable in all directions; forward, backward, leftward and rightward, are gathered to create a place where the pedestrian P exists and walking surfaces on their surroundings. The movable floors A to D circulate, as a result of which the movable floors constituting the walking surfaces move backward by as much as the walking component of the pedestrian P and the movable floors not mounted with the pedestrian P move in a forward direction, thus providing the movable floors to be newly monuted on with the pedestrian P. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an omnidirectional walking sensation presentation device capable of obtaining a natural walking sensation as if a pedestrian actually walked.

  Several systems have been developed in the past for devices that can provide a walking sensation without changing the position. The device that is most easily realized is a device that moves the treadmill in the reverse direction in accordance with the movement of the pedestrian's feet (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

  As a device that has a function of canceling movement in all directions, a device has been proposed in which small rolling elements are tightened on the floor and rotated reversely in accordance with the movement of the pedestrian's feet. As an example, there is an apparatus (for example, see Patent Document 3) that uses a roller as a rolling element, and an apparatus that uses a roller (for example, see Patent Document 4).

As a completely different configuration, there is also an apparatus proposed by the present inventor that provides a small movable floor under the left and right feet, and simulates an arbitrary ground by the floor following the feet (see Patent Document 5). .)
JP 2000-206862 A JP 2002-162894 A Special Table 2000-516829 JP 2002-159593 A Japanese Patent No. 3373460

  However, since the treadmills described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 can move only in the front-rear direction, it is impossible to completely cope with the direction change of the pedestrian. In this regard, the devices described in Patent Documents 3 and 4 can cope with all directions, but because the sole of the foot is supported by several points or line segments, this phenomenon is different from walking in the real world where the floor is stepped on. Happens. For this reason, there is a limit to providing sufficient frictional force, and a sense of incongruity is produced. Furthermore, there is a problem with the durability of the rolling elements.

  The device described in Patent Document 5 has the feature that uneven surfaces such as stairs can be presented, but the movable floor has a limit in following the movement of the foot quickly and accurately, and the pedestrian is aware of the movement of the floor. There is a drawback that must be done.

  This invention makes it a subject to implement | achieve the omnidirectional walking sense presentation apparatus which can solve all the said conventional problems by the structure which combines several movable floors which can move to all directions.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention includes at least three movable floors that can move in any direction within a horizontal plane so that a pedestrian can perform a walking motion in one place without moving forward. There is provided an omnidirectional walking sensation presentation device characterized by the above.

  An assembly of the plurality of movable floors constitutes a walking surface, the movable floor moves in the reverse direction according to the walking motion of the pedestrian, the movable floor on which no pedestrian is placed moves in the forward direction, and a new pedestrian is placed. It is good also as a structure which provides a movable floor.

  It is good also as a structure which can provide the uneven | corrugated surface presentation device which has a raising / lowering tilting mechanism which performs raising / lowering operation | movement and inclination operation | movement on the said movable floor, and can simulate the unevenness | corrugation and inclination of a walking surface.

  The movable floor may be a belt rotator, and the belt rotator may be configured to move in a direction orthogonal to the belt traveling direction.

  According to the omnidirectional walking sensation presentation device according to the present invention, even if a pedestrian walks freely in any direction in any trajectory, the movable floor follows and moves so as to cancel the pedestrian's walking motion. You can get a natural walking sensation as if you were walking in a real space.

  The best mode for carrying out the omnidirectional walking sensation presentation apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings based on the embodiments.

(Basic configuration)
In order to obtain a natural walking sensation in a virtual space, it is indispensable to cancel the movement that keeps the body position constant while performing the walking motion. In order to cancel the movement, a device for driving the floor in the reverse direction in accordance with the movement of the foot of the pedestrian P is necessary.

  The present invention collects a plurality of floors (referred to as “movable floors” in this specification) that can move in all directions diagonally forward, backward, left, right, and create a walking surface around and around the place where the pedestrian P is located. The movable floor circulates and moves on the surface to form a circulation-type walking surface, and the movement of the pedestrian P is canceled.

  That is, the movable floor constituting the walking surface moves in the reverse direction only for the pedestrian P walking, the movable floor on which the pedestrian P is not moved moves in the forward direction, and the movable floor on which the pedestrian P is newly placed is moved. It provides and constitutes a circulation type walking surface. With such a configuration, the pedestrian P is characterized by being able to perform a walking motion in one place without actually moving forward.

(About the shape and number of movable floors)
In the omnidirectional walking sensation presentation device according to the present invention, a plurality of movable floors are circulated and used, but the present inventor has advanced earnest research on the optimization of the shape and number of the movable floors, Various aspects of the number have been conceived and comparisons have been made for each. This point will be described first with reference to FIG.

  In order to construct a circulation type walking surface by an assembly of a plurality of movable floors, it is necessary to determine the shape of each movable floor and the total number of necessary movable floors. Since the walking surface is composed of congruent figures with no gaps, the possible shapes are regular triangles, squares, and regular hexagons. 1A to 1C show a regular triangular movable floor T, a square movable floor S, and a regular hexagonal movable floor H, respectively.

  An important point in considering which one is desirable is that the pedestrian P does not know where to stop and change direction. The problem is simple if there is a pedestrian P at the center of each movable floor, but it is also possible to walk along the edge. Therefore, even when standing at the top of each movable floor, it is necessary to provide a floor around it. As shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C, the number of movable floors required in such a situation is six in the case of the equilateral triangle movable floor T, and the square movable floor S and regular six. In the case of the square movable floor H, there are three.

  When the pedestrian P approaches the vertex of the edge of the movable floor assembly, the movable floor must be collected around the vertex to provide a walking surface. Therefore, a shape that can be spread around the top with as few movable floors as possible is desirable. In that respect, equilateral triangles are disadvantageous.

  Next, when comparing a square with a regular hexagon, there is only one way to construct a plane by spreading regular hexagons, but in the case of a square, the position where the vertices of two squares are combined is not necessarily the side of the other square. Since it does not have to be in the center, the combination is highly flexible. This is advantageous in that the configuration of the movable floor aggregate can be selected according to the direction of travel of the pedestrian P. Based on the above considerations, it is understood that a square is the optimum shape of the movable floor.

(Minimum required number of floors for each type of movable floor)
Next, consider the minimum number of movable floors required to construct the walking surface. As described above, the number of movable floors required for the pedestrian P to stand is three. In order to provide a new movable floor when the pedestrian P moves, it is necessary that the movable floor that is no longer used when the pedestrian P goes away moves in the traveling direction of the pedestrian P to create a new walking surface. There is. The number of movable floors required for this is in a trade-off relationship with the speed at which the movable floor moves. If the maximum speed of the movable floor is infinitely faster than that of the pedestrian P, the above three are possible.

  If the pedestrian P moves from the position to the apex, a movable floor on which the foot is not placed is formed, so that it can move in the traveling direction of the pedestrian P. However, in order to realize this, the specifications required for the movable floor are very high. Based on such examination results, the omnidirectional walking sensation presentation device of Examples 1 and 2 described later is configured to have a walking surface in all directions by an assembly of four movable floors.

  FIG. 2A is a diagram illustrating the overall configuration of the first embodiment of the omnidirectional walking sensation presentation device according to the present invention. The omnidirectional walking sensation presentation device 1 includes left and right feet 3 and 4 of a pedestrian P, position sensors for measuring the position of the movable floor, four movable floors A to D, and a control device 2. Yes. The control device 2 inputs the position signal from the position sensor and controls the operation of the four movable floors 2. Specifically, a computer (personal computer) is used.

(Position sensor)
The position sensor measures the movement positions of a total of six detection targets, that is, the four movable floors A to D and the left and right feet 3 and 4 of the pedestrian P in a noncontact manner. And a sensor receiver 6. The position sensor needs to be hardly affected by metal or motor noise. Therefore, in the first embodiment, an ultrasonic measurement device is used (specifically, IS-600mark2 of INTERSENSE) is used.

The position sensor transmitter 5 is attached to each of a total of six objects including four movable floors A to D and left and right feet 3 and 4 of the pedestrian P. The position sensor receiver 6 has a configuration in which a plurality of position sensor receivers 6 are provided because there is a place where the signal from the position sensor transmitter 5 cannot be captured due to the positional relationship between the position sensor transmitter 5 and the pedestrian P. . In the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2A, the position sensor receivers 6 are respectively arranged at three positions at equal intervals (120 °) in the circumferential direction around the four movable floors A to D. A total of three are arranged.

  Detection of the walking motion of the pedestrian P is performed as follows. As shown in FIG. 2B, it is assumed that the center of gravity G of the body is located directly above the midpoint m of the positions of the left and right feet 3 and 4 of the pedestrian P. A dead area 7 is set in advance at the center of a walking area (an area in which a pedestrian P performs a walking motion on a movable floor) in the omnidirectional walking sensation presentation device 1.

  Even if the pedestrian P does not reach the walking motion, even if the pedestrian P moves a little, as shown in FIG. 2 (c), as shown in FIG. If the center of gravity G does not go out of the insensitive area 7, the pedestrian is not recognized as having performed a walking motion.

  However, the pedestrian performs a walking motion, and the center of gravity G of the body above the position of the midpoint m of the left and right feet 3 and 4 of the pedestrian P is in the insensitive area 7 as shown in FIG. When going out, it is determined that he is walking. As described above, the insensitive area 7 is set in order to prevent a malfunction that is recognized as a walking action caused by a small action or vibration that does not lead to a walking action and to reliably detect the walking action.

(Movable floor)
The movable floors A to D used in the first embodiment are each a platform that can move in all directions within a horizontal plane. Conventionally, omnidirectional vehicles that can move in all directions are already known (for example, JP, 7-17442, A). However, the movable floors A to D in the present invention are not only movable in all directions, but also generated by the control device 2 (personal computer) based on the movable floor detected by the position sensor and the position data of the pedestrian P. It is characterized by a configuration that can move in an arbitrary trajectory by the control signal. Next, the configuration of the movable floors A to D according to the present invention will be described.

  The four movable floors A to D have the same structure. The movable floor has a square substrate, and is a structure that can move in all directions by placing a person on the substrate. The substrate is preferably as thin as possible. FIGS. 3A and 3B show examples of the movable floors A to D, and the square substrate 9 of the movable floor (this is referred to as “movable floor 8” in the description of the structure). Four drive wheels 10 to 13 are attached to the lower surface (back surface) in parallel with the four sides of the substrate 9.

  In short, the movable floor 8 is provided with a pair of left and right drive wheels 10 and 11 for moving in the front-rear direction (vertical direction in FIG. 3A), and in the lateral direction (left and right in FIG. 3A). A pair of front and rear drive wheels 12 and 13 are provided for movement in the direction). The direction in which the pair of left and right drive wheels 10 and 11 and the pair of front and rear drive wheels 12 and 13 are attached is a direction perpendicular to each other.

  Further, each drive wheel has a plurality of auxiliary rolling wheels 14 at the periphery thereof at right angles to the drive wheels so that the drive wheels can roll in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the entire drive wheels rotate and move. It is provided so as to be rotatable in the same direction. For example, when the movable floor 8 is moved in the front-rear direction by the pair of left and right drive wheels 10 and 11, the pair of front and rear drive wheels 12 and 13 have their auxiliary wheels 14 rolling on the installation surface 15. Can move smoothly.

  By independently controlling the rotational speeds of the four drive wheels 10 to 13 having such a structure, they can be moved back and forth and left and right, can be rotated around the vertical axis, and can be moved in all directions within a horizontal plane. Yes, it can be moved in any trajectory. Next, the drive means 10 to 13 of the drive wheels will be described.

  The four driving wheels 10 to 13 of the movable floor 8 are respectively fixed to a rotating shaft 16, and the rotating shaft 16 is rotatably attached to a pair of support plates 17 that are suspended from the substrate 9. Mounted on the outer surface of the support plate 17 are motors M1 to M4 for rotating the rotary shaft 16, a battery 18 for powering the motor, and receivers / controllers C1 to C4.

  In the control system of the omnidirectional walking sensation presentation device 1 described later in FIG. 4, the control device 2 calculates target speeds of the motors M <b> 1 to M <b> 4 and generates a control signal. This control signal is transmitted from the transmitter 19 and received by the receivers / controllers C1 to C4 provided in the motors M1 to M4, and the rotational speeds of the motors M1 to M4 are independently controlled by the control signals. By controlling the rotational speeds of the motors M1 to M4, the rotational speeds of the four drive wheels 10 to 13 are controlled. As a result, the movable floor 8 moves back and forth and right and left as described above. Can be rotated, and can be moved in an arbitrary direction along an arbitrary trajectory.

(Control device 2)
The control device 2 of the omnidirectional walking sensation presentation device 1 according to the first embodiment and the entire control system 20 including the control device 2 will be described with reference to FIG. Position sensor oscillators 5 are attached to the four movable floors A to D and the left and right legs 3 and 4 of the pedestrian P. The position detection signal transmitted from each position sensor transmitter 5 (in FIG. 4, the transmission status from the position sensor transmitter 5 of the movable floor A is shown, but the transmission from the other position sensor transmitter 5 is also the same). It is configured to be detected by one of the three position sensor receivers 6 and input to a personal computer.

  The personal computer constituting the control device 2 is preinstalled with control software for controlling circulation movement of the four movable floors A to D, and the four movable floors A to D sent from the position sensor receiver 6 and Based on the position detection signals of the left and right feet 3 and 4 of the pedestrian P, signals such as the movement trajectories and movement speeds of the movable floors A to D are generated according to the control software. This signal is configured to be transmitted to the movable floors A to D from the transmitter 19 connected to the personal computer.

  The movable floors A to D are respectively provided with receiving / controlling devices C1 to C4 that receive signals from the transmitter 19 and control the motors M1 to M4. As a result, the receivers / controllers C1 to C4 receive signals from the transmitter 19 and control the motors M1 to M4, and move in a predetermined path so that the movable floors A to D can circulate as will be described later. To do.

  3 and 4, each movable floor has a configuration in which the receivers / controllers C1 to C4 are provided for each of the four motors M1 to M4. However, the movable floor motor and the receiver / controller are movable. There are various modes depending on the configuration of the floor traveling mechanism. For example, one receiving / controlling device may be provided on the movable floor, and the four motors M1 to M4 of the moving floor may be independently and simultaneously controlled by the one receiving / controlling device.

(Operation of Example 1)
The operation of the first embodiment of the omnidirectional walking sensation presentation apparatus according to the present invention having the above-described configuration will be described focusing on the circulation movement of the four movable floors A to D, which is the feature thereof. As described above, the four movable floors A to D can be moved back and forth and left and right, respectively, and can be rotated about the vertical axis. In the present invention, the movement of these four movable floors A to D is combined so as to be cyclically moved as a whole.

  Regarding the circulation of the four movable floors A to D, various configurations and operation patterns can be considered. Here, based on the basic idea that the three movable floors 8 always cancel the walking motion of the pedestrian P, and the remaining one moves to make a new floor by prefetching the movement of the pedestrian P. The configuration and operation pattern will be described. Since there is anisotropy in the arrangement of the four movable floors A to D, when the pedestrian P walks (walks along the side) in parallel with the side of the movable floor 8, This will be described separately when walking in the angular direction.

(1) Walking parallel to the side of the movable floor FIGS. 5 and 6 are diagrams illustrating a case where the pedestrian P walks parallel to the side of the movable floor in the omnidirectional walking sensation presentation device 1 according to the first embodiment. In the figure, the white arrow indicates the walking direction of the pedestrian P, and the solid line arrow indicates the circulating movement direction of the movable floor. For convenience of explanation, as shown in FIGS. 5 (a) and 6 (a), the front and rear and the left and right in FIGS. Hereinafter, when the pedestrian P is parallel to the side of the movable floor and walks forward (see FIG. 5), and when the pedestrian P is parallel to the side of the movable floor and walks in the lateral direction (see FIG. 6). .)

Movement of the movable floor when walking forward:
When the pedestrian P begins to walk forward (in the direction of the white arrow), the circulation operation of the movable floors A to D in the omnidirectional walking sensation presentation device 1 is performed as follows.
(A) The movable floors A and B move in the direction opposite to the traveling direction (backward) so as to cancel the walking motion of the pedestrian P. At the same time, the movable floor C starts moving before the movable floor A. When both feet of the pedestrian P are removed from the movable floor B and completely moved onto the movable floor A, the movable floor B moves to the right side. (See FIG. 5 (a)).

  (B) The movable floors A and C move in the direction opposite to the traveling direction of the pedestrian P (backward). At the same time, the movable floor D starts moving before the movable floor C. When both feet of the pedestrian P move on the movable floor C, the movable floor A moves to the left (see FIG. 5B).

  (C) The above operation is repeated in accordance with the movement of the pedestrian P (see FIG. 5C). Thereby, the pedestrian P can actually perform a walking motion as if walking in one place without moving forward.

Movement of the movable floor when walking sideways:
Next, when the pedestrian starts walking in the lateral direction (left lateral direction in the example shown in FIG. 6), the circulation operation of the movable floors A to D is performed as follows.
(D) When the walking motion of the pedestrian P is detected, the movable floors A, B, and D move in the direction opposite to the traveling direction so as to cancel the walking motion of the pedestrian P. At the same time, the movable floor C starts to move between the movable floor A and the movable floor D (toward the state shown in FIG. 6B). (Refer to FIG. 6A).

  (E) When both feet of the pedestrian P completely move on the movable floor D, the movable floor C moves toward the movable floor D. The movable floors A and B move forward and backward of the pedestrian P so as to avoid the movable floor D. (See FIG. 6 (b)).

  (F) As a result, the arrangement shown in FIG. This is equivalent to the arrangement of FIG. 5A rotated 90 degrees to the left, and thereafter the same operation as in FIG. 5 (walking forward in FIG. 5 and walking in the left lateral direction in FIG. 6). The traveling direction is different, but the circulation of the movable floor is in the same state.) As a result, the pedestrian P can actually perform a walking action as if walking in one direction without moving in the horizontal direction.

(2) Diagonal walking of movable floor FIG. 7 shows a case where the pedestrian P walks diagonally with the sides of the movable floor 8, and when the pedestrian P starts walking in the direction of the white arrow (forward). On the other hand, the circulating operation of the movable floors A to D is performed as follows. For convenience of explanation, as shown in FIG. 7A, the front, rear, left, and right in FIG. 7 are front and rear, and the left and right are left and right.

  (A) The movable floors A, B, and D move in the direction opposite to the traveling direction so as to cancel the walking motion of the pedestrian P. At the same time, the movable floor C starts moving between the movable floors A and D (toward the state shown in FIG. 7B). (See FIG. 7 (a)).

(B) The movable floors A, C, and D move in a direction opposite to the traveling direction of the pedestrian P. At the same time, the movable floor B starts to move between the movable floor C and the movable floor D (toward the state shown in FIG. 7C) (FIG. 7B).
(C) The above operation is repeated (see FIG. 7C). As a result, the pedestrian P can actually perform a walking action as if walking in a diagonally forward direction without moving diagonally forward.

  The above is an operation when walking in the same direction in a steady manner, but when the walking direction changes in the middle, the pedestrian P does not put his feet so that the floor surface always exists in the traveling direction. Operates so that the movable floor moves.

  As mentioned above, although the case where the pedestrian P is walking in the same direction (forward, a horizontal direction, and diagonal directions) was mentioned as an example about circulation operation | movement of a movable floor, it walked in such a direction. In addition, the movable floor circulates so that the pedestrian P can cope with walking in all the surrounding directions. Even when the walking direction changes in the middle, the movable floor on which the pedestrian P does not put his feet is circulated so that the floor surface always exists in the traveling direction.

  The circulation movement of the movable floor in such an irregular case is basically the same as the movement in the forward, lateral and oblique directions, and the movement of the left and right feet 3 and 4 of the pedestrian P is positioned. It is detected by a sensor, and the movable floor is moved in a direction opposite to the traveling direction of the pedestrian P, and the operation of moving the movable floor so as to wait in the traveling direction of the pedestrian P is combined.

  By the way, in the state where the pedestrian P is walking continuously at a constant speed, the moving direction can be predicted. In that case, a circulation algorithm is also possible in which the movable floors for waiting are concentrated in the expected traveling direction and the movable floor for walking that the pedestrian P is unlikely to go is not provided. If such prediction is successful, a limited movable floor can be used effectively.

  In the first embodiment described above, the movable floors A to D have a square shape and the number of movable floors is four. However, the shape and number of the movable floors are square movable in this way. The configuration is not limited to using four floors.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating Example 2 of the omnidirectional walking sensation presentation device according to the present invention. In this second embodiment, in the first embodiment, means for presenting the sensation of an uneven surface on each of the four movable floors A to D in the omnidirectional walking sensation presentation device (this is referred to as an “uneven surface presenter”). By providing, the pedestrian P is configured to give a more realistic walking sensation. Since the configuration in which the movable floor in the second embodiment circulates is the same as that in the first embodiment, the description of the configuration common to the first embodiment is omitted.

  Fig.8 (a) is a top view of the whole structure which provided the uneven | corrugated surface presentation device in each of the four movable floors AD, and the circulation operation | movement of movable floor AD is as Example 1 and the above. It is the same. FIG. 8B is a plan view of a configuration in which an uneven surface presenting device 21 is provided as one movable floor (the movable floors A to D are denoted by common reference numerals and referred to as “movable floor 8”). Is shown. FIGS. 8C and 8D are schematic views of the uneven surface presenting device 21 as viewed from the side.

  A unit 24 is formed by combining an up-and-down tilt mechanism 22 and a footrest plate 23 that can be tilted (also referred to as “tilt”) by the up-and-down tilt mechanism 22. As shown in FIG. 8B, the uneven surface presenting device 21 is configured such that a total of nine units 24 are arranged in a vertical and horizontal matrix form on the upper surface of the substrate of the movable floor 8.

  In each unit 24, as shown schematically in FIGS. 8C and 8D, the vertical tilting mechanism 22 is moved up and down 26 (in the case of a hydraulic actuator) by various linear actuators 25 (for example, hydraulic actuators). Is equivalent to a piston rod), and the footrest plate 23 can be moved and tilted in the vertical direction via the vertical moving rod 26 of the linear actuator 25.

  An example of a specific structure of the unit 24 is shown in FIGS. The unit 24 includes three hydraulic actuators 27 and a footrest plate 23, and the upper ends of the vertical moving rods 28 (piston rods) of the three hydraulic actuators 27 are triangular on the bottom surface of the footrest plate 23, respectively. It is configured to be attached via a spherical bearing 29 at the apex position.

  By adopting the uneven surface presenter 21 having such a configuration, the walking surface of the movable floor 8 is gathered in a matrix form of nine footrest plates 23 that can be moved up and down by the up-and-down tilt mechanism 22 and can be tilted. It is possible to present an uneven surface or an inclined surface that is formed as a divided surface and simulates an actual walking surface.

  The elevating and tilting mechanism 22 itself as shown in FIGS. 8 (e) and 8 (f) is disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3373460 according to the application of the present inventor. The up-and-down tilt mechanism 22 is not a feature.

  In the present invention, nine units 24 having up-and-down tilting mechanisms 22 are provided on the movable floor 8 in a matrix, and nine tiltable footrest plates 23 gather to form a walking surface of one movable floor, An omnidirectional walking sensation that gives the pedestrian P a more realistic walking sensation by assembling a plurality of movable floors (movable floors A to D in the second embodiment) having the same structure and cyclically moving each movable floor. A presenting device is realized.

  A third embodiment of the omnidirectional walking sensation presentation apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The basic idea of the third embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, but the structure of the movable floor and the circulating movement means thereof are different. As shown in FIG. 9A, the third embodiment is characterized by a configuration using a belt rotator 30 in which a belt travels and rotates in the front-rear direction as a movable floor.

  As described for the number of movable floors, it is necessary to provide at least three movable floors, that is, belt rotators 30. In the third embodiment, three belt rotators 30 (hereinafter referred to as belt rotators) are required. When describing the three units 30, they are referred to as “belt rotators A to C. In the drawing, 30 (A) to 30 (B)” are provided. The three belt rotators A to C are configured so that each belt 31 can rotate in the front-rear direction, and the direction orthogonal to the travel rotation direction (front-rear direction) of the belt 31 (lateral direction, left and right in the figure). In the direction), the structure is characterized in that it is guided by the circulation rail 32 and can circulate and move.

  A specific structure of the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 9B, two parallel front and rear circulation rails 32 extending in the left-right direction in the figure are fixed to the front and rear frames 34 of the machine frame 33 with a plurality of support rods 35. 9 (a), 10 (a), and 10 (b), an endless chain 36 (functioning as a “rack”) is fixedly attached to the inner peripheral surface of the circulation rail 32. .

  Support plates 38 are vertically fixed to the front and rear portions of the frame 37 of each belt rotator 30. A pair of left and right wheels 40 that roll on guide grooves 39 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the circulation rail 32 are attached to the outside of the support plate 38, and a sprocket 41 that meshes with the endless chain 36 from the inner peripheral side. (Functioning as a “pinion”) is rotatably provided via the drive shaft 42.

  In short, a pair of left and right wheels 40 are disposed so as to be able to travel from the outside of the circulation rail 32, and the sprocket 41 is engaged with the inner peripheral side of the endless chain 36 fixed to the inside of the circulation rail 32. A sprocket drive motor 43 is attached to the inside of the support plate 37, and the drive shaft 42 is driven by the sprocket drive motor 43. When the sprocket 41 is driven and rotated by the sprocket driving motor 43, the belt rotator 30 circulates and moves along the circulation rail 32.

  Note that the sprocket 41 may be provided in a pair at the front and rear, but may be provided at either the front or the back. That is, an endless chain 36 is provided on the inner peripheral surface of each of the front and rear circulation rails 32, and the sprocket drive motor 43 is attached to the front and rear ends of a pair of front and rear sprockets 41 so as to engage with the front and rear endless chains 36, respectively. It may be configured to be driven, or may be configured to mesh the sprocket 41 with the endless chain 36 only in one of the front and rear circulation rails 32.

  In the belt rotator 30, the belt 31 is rotatably mounted between the front and rear rotating rollers 44. The front and rear rotary rollers 44 are fixedly attached to front and rear rotary shafts 45 that are rotatably attached to the frame 37, and any one of the front and rear rotary shafts 45 is rotationally driven by a belt drive motor 46. .

  Although a detailed description of the driving mechanism of the belt rotator 30 is omitted, an example will be briefly described with reference to FIGS. The front and rear rotating shafts 45 are supported by a frame 37 of the belt rotator 30, and a belt driving motor 46 is attached to the side of the frame 37 toward the inner side of the belt 31 (left side in the figure). ing.

  The output of the belt driving motor 46 is transmitted to a gear 49 fixed to the rotary shaft 45 through a reduction gear train 48. Thereby, the rotating shaft 45 rotates and the belt of the belt rotator 30 rotates. Note that the gear 49 does not contact the belt 31 because the gear 49 is attached to the rotating shaft 45 in the gap portion where a part of the rotating roller 44 is missing.

  The position sensor transmitter 5 in the position sensor detection device of the third embodiment is attached to each of the left and right feet of the pedestrian P and the three belt rotators A to C. Each of the three belt rotators A to C is provided with a receiver / controller 47 for the belt rotator 30. For example, as shown in FIG. 10B, the position sensor transmitter 5 and the receiver / controller 47 attached to the belt rotator 30 are attached to a support plate 38, a frame 37 (not shown), or the like.

  And the position sensor receiver 6 which detects the signal from the position sensor transmitter 5 may be provided in three places around the pedestrian P as in the first embodiment, but as shown in FIG. The pedestrian P may have a total of two locations on the rear (or front) and side.

  FIG. 12 shows a control system 50 that controls the respective belt rotation operations of the three belt rotators A to C and the circulation movement of the three belt rotators A to C of the third embodiment. Since the control system 50 is basically the same as the configuration shown in FIG. 4 of the first embodiment, the detailed description thereof is omitted, but the configuration is roughly as follows.

  The position signals from the position sensor transmitters 5 attached to the left and right legs and the three belt rotators A to C are received by the position sensor receivers 6 installed at two locations. ing. The received position signal is input to the control device 2, and a signal for controlling the belt rotation operation and the circular movement of each belt rotator 30 is generated.

  The control signal generated by the control device 2 is sent to the transmitter 19, and is transmitted from the transmitter 19 to the reception / control devices 47 of the three belt rotators A to C as radio signals. The receiver / controller 47 is configured to receive a control signal transmitted from the transmitter 19 and control the sprocket drive motor 43 and the belt drive motor 46.

(Operation of Example 3)
The operation of the omnidirectional walking sensation presentation apparatus of the third embodiment configured as described above will be described. 9-10, the position sensor receiver 6 is from the position sensor transmitter 5 attached to the foot of the pedestrian P and the three belt rotators A to C (in FIG. 12, from the left foot position sensor transmitter 5). The transmission from the other position sensor transmitter 5 is the same.), And the position signals of the left and right feet and the three belt rotators A to C are received.

  Based on the position signal input from the position sensor receiver 6, the control device generates a control signal for controlling the operation of the belt driving motor 46 and the sprocket driving motor 43 of each of the three belt rotators A to C. Then, the data is transmitted from the transmitter 19 to the reception / controller 47. The receiving / controlling units 47 of the three belt rotators A to C independently control the rotation of the belt driving motor 46 and the sprocket driving motor 43.

  By the way, as shown to Fig.9 (a), when the pedestrian P just walks ahead, the position sensor receiver 6 is a position signal which fluctuates in the front-back direction of the left and right feet of the pedestrian P. Is received and detected. Based on this position signal, the control device 2 generates a control signal that causes the belt 31 of the belt rotator A or B to run backward as indicated by an arrow so as to cancel the movement of the pedestrian P in the front-rear direction. . Based on this control signal, the belt driving motor 46 of the belt rotator A or B is controlled to rotate the belt 31, and the pedestrian P can perform a pseudo walking in the front-rear direction.

  When the pedestrian P walks in the lateral direction (rightward in the figure) as indicated by the white arrow in FIG. 11A, the position sensor receiver 6 is attached to the foot of the pedestrian P. A position signal that fluctuates in the left-right direction of the left and right feet is received and detected from the position sensor transmitter 5. Further, position signals from the sensor transmitters 5 of the three belt rotators A to C are also received and detected by the position sensor receiver 6.

  The control device 2 generates a control signal based on the position signals of the left and right feet and the three belt rotators A to C, and the three belt rotators A to C are controlled by the control signal, Each circulates independently along the circulation rail at a controlled speed toward the left in the figure as indicated by an arrow.

  As a result, the two belt rotators A and C move from right to left in the figure as indicated by solid arrows in FIG. The pedestrian P can perform a pseudo walk in the right direction in the figure. And the belt rotator C which the pedestrian P passed can turn to the advancing direction of the pedestrian P, can provide a standby surface, and can also walk for a long distance.

  Furthermore, as shown by the white arrow in FIG. 11B, when the pedestrian P walks diagonally forward, the position sensor receiver 6 includes the left and right feet of the pedestrian P and the three belt rotators A. Each position signal is received from each of the position sensor transmitters 5 attached to -C. The control device 2 generates a control signal based on these position signals.

  With this control signal, the belt driving motor 46 is controlled in each of the two belt rotators A and B, and the belts selectively run and rotate. At the same time, the three belt rotators A to C are each controlled by the sprocket driving motor 43 and independently circulated at a controlled speed in the lateral direction along the circulation rail, and the pedestrian P has passed. The belt 31 rotates in the direction of travel of the pedestrian P and provides a standby surface. Thereby, the motion of the pedestrian P in the diagonally forward direction can be canceled, and the pedestrian P can perform a pseudo walk diagonally forward.

  According to the third embodiment described above, the pedestrian P can move in any direction within the horizontal plane on the belt 31. In this sense, the third embodiment can exhibit the same function as the first embodiment. The omnidirectional walking sensation presentation device according to the third embodiment requires a large-sized device to cope with human walking. However, the combination of the belt rotator 30 and the circulation rail 32 allows the omnidirectional walking sensation presentation device to be omnidirectional. Since it is possible to cope with walking, the mechanism for circulating the movable floor is simpler and easier than the one that circulates and moves the plurality of square movable floors in the first embodiment.

  The best mode for carrying out the omnidirectional walking sensation presentation device according to the present invention has been described based on the embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to such embodiments, and It goes without saying that there are various embodiments within the scope of the technical matters described in.

  For humans, walking with feet is the most natural means of transportation. The act of walking and moving when a human recognizes the space around him is extremely important. It is an experience everyone has that the impression of what you see on the bus and what you find on your feet when you go to a tourist destination is very different.

  By the way, according to the omnidirectional walking sensation presentation device according to the present invention, the pedestrian P can freely walk in an arbitrary trajectory in all directions and obtain a natural walking sensation as if walking in a real space. Therefore, a more realistic simulated travel experience becomes possible. This is more meaningful for the elderly and disabled people who have difficulty traveling in the real world.

  The omnidirectional walking sensation presentation device according to the present invention is also effective for various training simulators. For example, training and research on evacuation behavior at the time of a disaster is indispensable because it is difficult to actually cause a disaster. It is also suitable for various sports exercises.

It is a figure explaining the principle of this invention and the shape and number of a movable floor. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure explaining Example 1 of the omnidirectional walking sense presentation apparatus based on this invention, (a) is a figure explaining the whole structure, (b) is a figure explaining the principle of walking motion detection. It is a figure explaining the structure of the movable floor of Example 1, (a) is a bottom view, (b) is a front view. It is a figure explaining the control apparatus and control system of Example 1. FIG. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of the movable floor of Example 1. FIG. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of the movable floor of Example 1. FIG. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of the movable floor of Example 1. FIG. It is a figure explaining Example 2 of the omnidirectional walking sense presentation apparatus which concerns on this invention, (a) shows the whole of several movable floors, (b) shows one movable floor, (c), (D) is a schematic diagram explaining the uneven surface display device of Example 2, (e), (f) is a figure explaining the specific structure of an uneven surface display device. It is a figure explaining Example 3 of the omnidirectional walking sense presentation apparatus which concerns on this invention, (a) shows the whole structure and an operation example, (b) shows the structure of a machine frame and a circulation rail. It is a figure explaining the principal part of Example 3, (a) shows a principal part front, (b) shows the XX cross section of (a). (C), (d) is a figure explaining a belt rotator, (c) shows the YY cross section of (d). (A), (b) is a figure explaining the operation example of Example 3, respectively. It is a figure explaining the control apparatus and control system of Example 3. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1 Omnidirectional walking sensation presentation device 2 Control device
3 Left and right feet
5 Position sensor transmitter
6 Position sensor receiver
7 Insensitive area
8 movable floor
9 Movable floor substrate
10, 11 A pair of left and right drive wheels
12, 13 A pair of front and rear drive wheels
14 Auxiliary wheel
15 Installation surface
16 Rotating shaft of drive wheel
17 Rotating shaft support plate
18 batteries
19 Transmitter
20 Control system
22 Elevating and tilting mechanism
23 Footrest
24 units
25 Linear Actuator
26 Vertical motion
27 Hydraulic actuator
28 Vertical motion
29 Spherical bearing
30 Belt rotator
31 belt
32 Circulation rail
33 Machine frame
34 Front and rear frames of machine frame
35 support rod
36 Endless chain
37 Belt Rotator Frame
38 Support plate
39 Guide groove on the outer periphery of the circulation rail
40 A pair of left and right wheels
41 sprocket
42 Drive shaft
43 Motor for sprocket drive
44 Front and rear rotating rollers
45 Rotating shaft
46 Belt drive motor
47 Belt rotator receiver / controller
48 Reduction gear
49 Gear
50 Control System of Example 3
A to D Movable floor C1 to C4 Receiver / controller G Body center of gravity
M1 to M4 Motor m Midpoint of the left and right foot positions of the pedestrian P Pedestrian

Claims (4)

  An omnidirectional walking sensation characterized by having at least three movable floors that can move in any direction within a horizontal plane, and allowing pedestrians to walk at one place without moving forward. Presentation device.   The walking surface is constituted by an assembly of the plurality of movable floors, the movable floor moves in the reverse direction according to the walking motion of the pedestrian, the movable floor on which the pedestrian is not placed moves in the forward direction, and a new pedestrian is placed. The omnidirectional walking sensation presentation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a movable floor is provided.   2. An uneven surface presenting device having an ascending / descending and tilting mechanism for performing an ascending / descending operation and an inclination operation is provided on the movable floor so as to simulate the unevenness and inclination of a walking surface. The omnidirectional walking sensation presentation apparatus according to 2.   The omnidirectional walking sensation according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the movable floor is a belt rotator, and the belt rotator can move in a direction orthogonal to a traveling direction of the belt. Presentation device.

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