JP2009050938A - Suspending structure for leg wheel type robot - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a suspending structure for a leg wheel type robot suitable for preventing falling of the leg wheel type robot when it is not operated and during maintenance. <P>SOLUTION: The leg wheel type robot is provided with a base body 10, leg parts 12 flexibly connected to the base body 10, drive wheels 20 rotatably provided in the leg parts 12, hook connecting tools provided on the right side face of the base body 10, and hook connecting tools provided on the left side face of the base body 10 in positions symmetrical to the hook connecting tools on the right side face with respect to the center of the base body 10. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a suspension structure for a leg-wheel robot, and more particularly to a suspension structure for a leg-wheel robot suitable for preventing the leg-wheel robot from falling during non-operation or maintenance.

  The moving mechanism of the robot is classified into a wheel type, a crawler type, a leg type, or a combination thereof. In general, a wheel type robot has a problem of high mobility on a flat ground but low adaptability to a step. Crawler type robots are suitable for rough terrain, and can be overcome if there are a few steps. However, because they cannot actively move the center of gravity, they are less adaptable to steep stairs and are more mobile on flat ground than wheel type robots. There was a problem of being low. In addition, the legged robot has the best adaptability to the stairs, but has the problem of extremely low mobility on flat ground.

In order to solve the problems of the wheel type, the crawler type and the leg type, a leg wheel type robot combining the leg type and the wheel type has been proposed. As a leg wheel type robot, for example, a technique described in Patent Document 1 is known.
In Patent Document 1, walking movement is performed by freely driving four legs driven by a servo motor, and two legs provided on two rear legs of the four legs are provided. There is disclosed a legged mobile robot device that performs wheel movement by a driving wheel and two driven wheels provided on two front leg portions, and further hybrid movement that combines walking movement and wheel movement (same as above). Literature [0123] and FIG. 31 (a)).
JP 2004-34169 A

However, the leg-wheel type robot as disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a high center of gravity due to the structure in which the leg is bent, and the posture is unstable when not operating because the wheel is provided at the tip of the leg. There was a problem that there was a possibility of falling.
In addition, there is a problem that if the leg part is driven in various states in order to perform an operation test of the leg-wheel type robot during maintenance, there is a possibility of falling depending on the posture.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made paying attention to such an unsolved problem of the prior art, and is suitable for preventing the leg-wheel robot from falling over during non-operation or maintenance. The purpose is to provide a hanging structure for a robot.

  [Invention 1] In order to achieve the above object, a suspension structure for a leg-wheel type robot according to Invention 1 includes a base, a leg connected to the base with a degree of freedom, and the leg. A suspension structure of a leg-wheel type robot that moves by driving of the leg portion and rotation of the wheel, and provided on one side surface of the base body. A first connecting means for connecting to the connecting means; and a first connecting means provided at a position symmetrical to the first connecting means with respect to the center of the base on the other side surface of the base and connected to the connecting means of the suspension device. 2 connection means.

  With such a configuration, during non-operation or maintenance, the suspension means can be connected to the first connection means and the second connection means, respectively, and the leg-wheel robot can be suspended by the suspension apparatus. it can. At this time, since the first connecting means and the second connecting means are provided at symmetrical positions with respect to the center of the base, the posture is not likely to be unstable. Therefore, not only when not in operation, but also during maintenance, the possibility of the leg-wheel robot falling over even if the leg is driven in various states while being suspended to test the operation of the leg-wheel robot is reduced. can do.

In the leg-wheel type robot, where there is a step, the leg can move within a range of degrees of freedom, and the step can be overcome. Therefore, the adaptability to a level difference is high like a legged robot.
On the other hand, on a flat ground, it can move by wheel running. Therefore, the mobility on the flat ground is high like the wheel type robot.
Here, the connecting means includes, for example, a hook and a hook connector, a bolt and a nut and other means for mechanically connecting, or a magnet, an electromagnet and other means for magnetically connecting.

  [Invention 2] Further, the suspension structure of the leg-wheel type robot according to Invention 2 is the suspension structure of the leg-wheel type robot according to Invention 1, wherein the first connecting means includes a first flange protruding from the one side surface. And an annular first hook connector fixed to the first flange and rising from the first flange, wherein the second connecting means includes a second flange protruding from the symmetrical position of the other side surface. And an annular second hook connector fixed to the second flange and rising from the second flange.

  With such a configuration, during non-operation or maintenance, the hooks of the suspension device are connected to the first hook connector and the second hook connector, respectively, and the leg wheel type robot is suspended by the suspension device. Can do. At this time, the hook connector is fixed to the flange protruding from the side surface of the base and is configured as an annular member that rises from the flange, so that the hook can be attached and detached relatively easily.

[Invention 3] Further, the suspension structure of the leg-wheel type robot according to Invention 3 is the suspension structure of the leg-wheel type robot according to any one of Inventions 1 and 2, wherein the plurality of first connection means and the base body A plurality of second connection means provided at positions symmetrical to each of the plurality of first connection means with respect to the center.
With such a configuration, during non-operation or maintenance, the suspension means is connected to the plurality of first connection means and the plurality of second connection means, respectively, and the leg-wheel type robot is connected by the suspension apparatus. Can be hung. At this time, for each set of connecting means, the first connecting means and the second connecting means corresponding to the first connecting means are provided at symmetrical positions with respect to the center of the base, so that the posture can be further stabilized. Can do.

[Invention 4] Further, the suspension structure of the leg-wheel type robot according to Invention 4 is the suspension structure of the leg-wheel type robot according to any one of Inventions 1 to 3, wherein the first connection means and the second connection means are The leg portion is provided outside the movable range.
With such a configuration, since the first connecting means and the second connecting means are provided outside the movable range of the leg portion, the driving of the leg portion is not hindered by the first connecting means and the second connecting means. Therefore, at the time of maintenance, the leg portion can be driven to an arbitrary state in a suspended state in order to perform an operation test of the leg wheel type robot.

  As described above, according to the suspension structure of the leg-wheel type robot of the first aspect, the first connection means and the second connection means are provided at symmetrical positions with respect to the center of the base body. Even if the leg-wheel type robot is suspended through the means and the second connecting means, the posture is not likely to be unstable, and the possibility that the leg-wheel type robot may fall can be reduced.

Furthermore, according to the suspension structure of the leg-wheel type robot of the invention 2, since the annular hook connector fixed to the flange protruding from the side surface of the base and rising from the flange is provided, it is relatively easy to attach and detach the hook. The effect that it can be performed is obtained.
Furthermore, according to the suspension structure of the leg-wheel type robot of the invention 3, the first connecting means and the second connecting means corresponding to the first connecting means are provided symmetrically with respect to the center of the base for each set of connecting means. Therefore, it is possible to further stabilize the posture and to further reduce the possibility that the leg-wheel type robot will fall.

  Furthermore, according to the suspension structure of the leg-wheel type robot of the invention 4, since the first connecting means and the second connecting means are provided outside the movable range of the leg portion, the first connecting means and the second connecting means The effect that the drive of a leg part is not inhibited is acquired.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 8 are diagrams showing an embodiment of a suspension structure for a leg-wheel type robot according to the present invention.
First, the configuration of a leg wheel type robot 100 to which the present invention is applied will be described.
FIG. 1 is a front view of a leg wheel type robot 100.
FIG. 2 is a side view of the leg wheel type robot 100.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the leg-wheel type robot 100 includes a base body 10 and four leg portions 12 coupled to the base body 10.
Two legs 12 are connected to the front portion of the base body 10 via a rotary joint 14 at symmetrical positions. In addition, two legs 12 are connected to the rear part of the base body 10 via a rotary joint 14 at symmetrical positions. The rotary joint 14 rotates with the direction orthogonal to the bottom surface of the leg wheel type robot 100 as an axial direction. That is, it rotates around the yaw axis.

  Each leg portion 12 is provided with two rotary joints 16 and 18. The rotary joint 14 rotates with the lower side as the axial direction, and the rotary joints 16 and 18 rotate with the direction orthogonal to the side surface of the leg wheel type robot 100 as the axial direction when the rotary joint 14 is in the state of FIG. . That is, when the rotary joint 14 is in the state of FIG. 1, it rotates about the pitch axis, and when the rotary joint 14 is rotated 90 degrees from the state of FIG. 1, it rotates about the roll axis. Therefore, each leg 12 has three degrees of freedom.

A driving wheel 20 is rotatably provided at the tip of each leg 12 with the same axial direction as the rotary joints 16 and 18.
At the tip of each leg 12, a front leg tip sensor 22 for measuring the distance to an object existing on the movement path of the leg wheel type robot 100 and a lower leg tip sensor 24 for measuring the distance to the ground plane are provided. Is provided.

On the other hand, a three-dimensional distance measuring device 200 is attached to the front surface of the base body 10. The three-dimensional distance measuring device 200 rotates the distance measuring sensor around two axes orthogonal to the measuring direction of the distance measuring sensor, and on the object existing within the measuring range based on the measurement result obtained thereby. Recognize the continuous surface.
The coordinate system (hereinafter referred to as a sensor coordinate system) of the three-dimensional distance measuring apparatus 200 has a depth (front-rear length) direction of the base body 10 as an xrs axis, and a width (left-right length) direction of the base body 10 as a yrs axis. The height direction of the substrate 10 is taken as the zrs axis. At the origin position of the distance measuring sensor, the measurement direction of the distance measuring sensor matches the xrs axis, and the first rotation axis of the distance measuring sensor matches the yrs axis. Although the direction of the first rotation axis of the distance measuring sensor changes depending on the scanning angle around the z axis, it coincides with the yrs axis at the origin position. Therefore, for convenience of explanation, the first rotation axis of the distance measuring sensor is referred to as the yrs' axis. write.

Next, the suspension structure of the leg wheel type robot 100 will be described.
FIG. 3 is a top view of the base 10.
FIG. 4 is a side view of the base 10.
As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, two horizontally projecting flanges 80 r are provided on the right side surface of the base body 10, and two horizontally projecting flanges 80 l are provided on the left side surface of the base body 10.

The front flange 80 r is provided at the same horizontal position as the front flange 80 l and at a position symmetrical to the rear flange 80 l with respect to the center of the base body 10. Similarly, the rear flange 80 r is provided at the same horizontal position as the rear flange 80 l and at a position symmetrical to the front flange 80 l with respect to the center of the base body 10.
The flanges 80r and 80l are provided in the vicinity of the center of the base 10 so as not to enter the movable range of the leg portion 12, and the length in the protruding direction is relatively short.

A hook connector 82r is fixed to the protruding end of the flange 80r, and a hook connector 82l is fixed to the protruding end of the flange 80l.
The hook connector 82r is configured as a U-bolt that is a U-shaped annular member, and has threaded grooves at both ends. Then, both end portions of the hook connector 82r are inserted into two through holes formed in the thickness direction at the protruding end of the flange 80r, and both ends of the hook connector 82r are fastened with nuts from the back surface of the flange 80r. It is fixed at 80r. As a result, the hook connector 82r rises vertically from the flange 80r, and can be connected to the hook vertically.
The hook connector 82l is configured similarly to the hook connector 82r.

Next, the configuration of the suspension device for the leg wheel type robot 100 will be described.
FIG. 5 is a front view of the suspension device 300.
As shown in FIG. 5, the suspension device 300 includes a frame 302, a winch 304 that hangs down from the ceiling of the frame 302, and a support frame 308 that is connected to a hook of the winch 304 via a joint 306. Has been.

The support frame 308 includes a right frame and a left frame arranged in parallel at the same interval as the horizontal interval of the hook connectors 82r and 82l, an orthogonal frame coupled to the right frame and the left frame, And a joint 306 provided on the upper surface.
On the lower surface of the right frame, connecting tools 310r such as shackles are provided at positions above the hook connecting tools 82r in a state where the leg-wheel type robot 100 is suspended. One end of a chain 312r is connected to the connector 310r via a joint. A carabiner 314r is connected to the other end of the chain 312r.

  Similarly, on the lower surface of the left frame, a connecting tool 310l such as a shackle, a chain 312l, and a carabiner 314l are respectively provided at positions above the hook connecting tools 82l in a state where the leg wheel type robot 100 is suspended. Yes.

Next, the movement control system of the leg wheel type robot 100 will be described.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a movement control system of the leg wheel type robot 100.
As shown in FIG. 6, joint motors 40 that rotationally drive the rotary joints 14 to 18 are provided at the rotary joints 14 to 18 of the leg portions 12, respectively. Each joint motor 40 is provided with an encoder 42 that detects the rotational angle position of the joint motor 40, and a driver 44 that controls the driving of the joint motor 40 based on the motor command signal and the output signal of the encoder 42.
A wheel motor 50 that rotationally drives the drive wheel 20 is provided on the drive wheel 20 of each leg 12. Each wheel motor 50 is provided with an encoder 52 that detects the rotational angle position of the wheel motor 50, and a driver 54 that controls the driving of the wheel motor 50 based on the motor command signal and the output signal of the encoder 52.

The leg-wheel type robot 100 further includes a CPU 60, a three-axis attitude sensor 70 that detects the attitude of the leg-wheel type robot 100, a wireless communication unit 74 that performs wireless communication with an external PC, the wireless communication unit 74, and the CPU 60. Are provided with a hub 76 that relays the input / output of the sound and a speaker 78 that outputs a warning sound or the like.
The triaxial attitude sensor 70 includes a gyroscope or an acceleration sensor, or both, and detects the inclination of the attitude of the leg wheel type robot 100 with respect to the ground axis.

  The CPU 60 outputs motor command signals to the drivers 44 and 54 via the motor command output I / F 61 and inputs output signals of the encoders 42 and 52 via the angle fetch I / F 62. In addition, sensor signals are input from the three-dimensional distance measuring device 200, the front leg tip sensor 22, the lower leg tip sensor 24, and the three-axis posture sensor 70 via the sensor input I / F 63, respectively. Further, signals are input / output to / from the hub 76 via the communication I / F 64, and an audio signal is output to the speaker 78 via the sound output I / F 65.

Next, the configuration of the three-dimensional distance measuring apparatus 200 will be described.
The three-dimensional distance measuring apparatus 200 includes a distance measuring sensor, a yrs 'axis rotating mechanism that rotates the distance measuring sensor about the yrs' axis, a zrs axis rotating mechanism that rotates the distance measuring sensor about the zrs axis, and a distance measuring sensor. And a sensing processor that recognizes a continuous surface based on the measurement result.

  The sensing processor first sets a scanning angle range and a scanning unit angle of the yrs 'axis rotation mechanism and the zrs axis rotation mechanism based on a command signal from the CPU 60, and outputs a command signal to the yrs' axis rotation mechanism. Within the scanning angle range, the distance measuring sensor is rotated around the yrs' axis by the scanning unit angle, and the first scanning process for measuring the distance information corresponding to each scanning angle is executed.

Next, filtering processing is performed on the measured distance information to remove noise components, and the distance information of the rotating coordinate system after the noise removal is converted into the coordinate information of the orthogonal coordinate system, based on the converted coordinate information A line segment in the orthogonal coordinate system is detected by Hough transform or the like.
Then, the end point of the detected line segment is determined as the boundary of the continuous surface, the coordinate information of the end point determined as the boundary of the continuous surface is converted into a sensor coordinate system, and the converted coordinate information is stored in a memory such as a RAM.

When these series of processes are completed for one of the regions that can be measured in the scanning range around the yrs' axis (hereinafter referred to as a scanning plane), a command signal is output to the zrs axis rotation mechanism, so that it is within the scanning angle range. Then, a second scanning process is performed in which the distance measuring sensor is rotated around the zrs axis by a scanning unit angle.
When these series of processes are completed for all scanning planes, plane data is generated based on the coordinate information in the memory. The line segment connecting the end points determined as the boundary of the continuous surface is an intersection line where the continuous surface on the object and the scanning plane intersect. Therefore, for example, the generation of the surface data is determined as the boundary of the continuous surface in a certain scanning plane. The line segment connecting the end points and the line connecting the end points determined as the boundary of the continuous surface in the scanning plane adjacent to the zrs axis is determined as a continuous surface if the slope and coordinates are within a predetermined range. This is performed by associating coordinate information corresponding to, or connecting them using a known interpolation method. For example, since a continuous surface having an inclination close to 0 can be regarded as a horizontal surface, it can be determined that the surface is a walkable surface.
Then, the surface data is output to the CPU 60 via the sensor input I / F 63.

Next, processing executed by the CPU 60 will be described.
The CPU 60 activates a control program stored in a predetermined area such as a ROM, and executes the elevation control process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 7 according to the control program.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the elevation control process.

The raising / lowering control process is a process for performing the raising / lowering control of the leg portion 12. When the raising / lowering control process is executed by the CPU 60, first, as shown in FIG.
In step S100, surface data is input from the three-dimensional distance measuring apparatus 200, and the process proceeds to step S102. Based on the input surface data, the coordinates of the sensor coordinate system are converted into the coordinates of the global coordinate system, and A point on the boundary line is detected as a feature point of the staircase.

Next, the process proceeds to step S104, the width of the staircase is calculated based on the detected feature point of the staircase, and the process proceeds to step S106, where the actual coordinates of the stair nosing part of the staircase are calculated based on the detected feature point of the staircase. Then, the process proceeds to step S108.
In step S108, inverse kinematics calculation and centroid calculation are performed based on the calculated stair width and actual coordinates of the nose and the sensor signal of the three-axis posture sensor 70. The process proceeds to step S110, and the calculation result in step S108. The landing position of the leg tip (drive wheel 20) is determined based on the above, and the process proceeds to step S112.

  In step S112, sensor signals are input from the front leg tip sensor 22 and the lower leg tip sensor 24, respectively, and the process proceeds to step S114 to calculate the distance to the kick plate based on the input sensor signal of the front leg tip sensor 22. Then, the process proceeds to step S116, where the positional relationship between the leg tip and the tread is calculated based on the input sensor signal of the lower leg tip sensor 24, and the process proceeds to step S118.

In step S118, a motor command signal to the drivers 44 and 54 is generated based on the determined landing position and the calculated both distances, the process proceeds to step S120, and the generated motor command signal is output to the drivers 44 and 54. The process proceeds to step S122.
In step S122, it is determined whether or not the leg tip has landed on the tread. If it is determined that the leg tip has landed (Yes), the series of processes is terminated and the process returns to the original process.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step S122 that the leg tip does not land (No), the process proceeds to step S112.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described.
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the leg wheel type robot 100 is suspended by the suspension device.
At the time of non-operation or maintenance, as shown in FIG. 8, the carabiners 314 r and 314 l can be connected to the hook connectors 82 r and 82 l, respectively, and the leg-wheel robot 100 can be suspended by the suspension device 300. At this time, since the hook couplers 82r and 82l are provided at symmetrical positions with respect to the center of the base body 10, the posture is not likely to be unstable. Therefore, the leg-wheel type robot 100 can fall even when the leg part 12 is driven in various states while being suspended in order to perform an operation test of the leg-wheel type robot 100 during maintenance as well as during non-operation. Can be reduced.

Next, a case where a stairway exists on the moving path of the leg-wheel type robot 100 and is overcome will be described.
First, the boundary of the continuous surface is determined by the three-dimensional distance measuring apparatus 200, and surface data is generated. Next, through steps S100 and S102, the CPU 60 inputs the surface data, and the staircase feature point is detected based on the input surface data. Through steps S104 to S110, the width of the staircase and the actual coordinates of the stair nose are calculated based on the detected feature points of the staircase. The landing position is determined.

Further, through steps S112 to S116, sensor signals are input from the leg tip sensors 22 and 24, respectively, and the distance to the kick plate and the positional relationship between the leg tip and the tread plate are calculated. Then, through steps S118 and S120, a motor command signal is generated based on the determined landing position and the calculated both distances, and the generated motor command signal is output to the drivers 44 and 54. As a result, the driving wheel 20 rotates and the rotary joints 14 to 18 are driven, and the leg-wheel type robot 100 gets over the stairs while keeping its posture properly. Depending on the situation, the stairs are avoided and stopped. Therefore, the adaptability to the stairs is high like the legged robot.
On the other hand, on a flat ground, the leg-wheel type robot 100 can move by wheel running. Therefore, the mobility on the flat ground is high like the wheel type robot.

  Thus, in the present embodiment, the hook connector 82r provided on the right side surface of the base body 10 and the hook connector 82r on the left side surface of the base body 10 are provided symmetrically with respect to the center of the base body 10. Hook connecting tool 82l.

Thereby, even if the leg-wheel type robot 100 is suspended through the hook couplers 82r and 82l, the posture is not likely to be unstable, and the possibility that the leg-wheel type robot 100 will fall can be reduced.
Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the hook couplers 82r and 82l are fixed to flanges 80r and 80l that protrude horizontally from the side surface of the base 10, and are configured as annular members that rise vertically from the flanges 80r and 80l.

Accordingly, the carabiners 314r and 314l can be attached and detached relatively easily.
Furthermore, in the present embodiment, a plurality of hook couplers 82r and a plurality of hook couplers 82l provided at positions symmetrical to the respective hook couplers 82r with respect to the center of the base 10 are provided.
As a result, the posture can be further stabilized, and the possibility that the leg-wheel type robot 100 will fall can be further reduced.

Further, in the present embodiment, the flanges 80 r and 80 l and the hook couplers 82 r and 82 l are provided outside the movable range of the leg portion 12.
Thereby, the drive of the leg part 12 is not inhibited by the flanges 80r and 80l and the hook couplers 82r and 82l.
Further, in the present embodiment, the support frame 308 includes the right and left frames arranged in parallel with the same interval as the horizontal interval between the hook connectors 82r and 82l, and the legs of the lower surface of the right frame. In a state where the wheel type robot 100 is suspended, the connecting wheel 310r, the chain 312r, and the carabiner 314r provided at locations above the hook connecting members 82r, and the leg wheel type robot 100 among the lower surfaces of the left frame are hung. A connector 310l, a chain 312l, and a carabiner 314l, which are provided at positions above the hook connectors 82l in a lowered state, are provided.

As a result, the leg wheel type robot 100 can be lifted vertically while the chains 312r and 312l are suspended from the support frame 308, so that the chains 312r and 312l can be prevented from colliding with the leg wheel type robot 100. it can.
Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the suspension device 300 includes carabiners 314r and 314l that are connected to the hook couplers 82r and 82l.

Thereby, the attachment / detachment with respect to the hook couplers 82r and 82l becomes easy, and the possibility of dropping off when connecting with the hook couplers 82r and 82l can be reduced. Moreover, since it is thin, it is suitable when the length of the protrusion direction of the flanges 80r and 80l is short.
Further, the present embodiment includes a yrs 'axis rotation mechanism that rotates the distance measurement sensor about the yrs' axis, and a zrs axis rotation mechanism that rotates the distance measurement sensor about the zrs axis. The first scanning for obtaining the measurement result of the distance measuring sensor at every scanning unit angle of the yrs' axis rotating mechanism while rotating the distance measuring sensor, and the scanning of the zrs axis rotating mechanism while rotating the distance measuring sensor by the zrs axis rotating mechanism By performing the second scanning performed for each unit angle, measurement results for each scanning unit angle of the yrs' axis rotation mechanism and each scanning unit angle of the zrs axis rotation mechanism are acquired.

  As a result, since the three-dimensional shape of the object can be grasped as a continuous surface, the recognition result is more suitable for posture control of robots that require complex posture control, such as legged robots and leg-wheel type robots 100. Can be obtained. In addition, since a rotation mechanism that rotates the distance measuring sensor is adopted, the space required for scanning is smaller than that of the moving mechanism, the scanning mechanism is simplified, and high-speed scanning can be realized. it can.

Further, in the present embodiment, leg tip sensors 22 and 24 are provided, the stairs are recognized based on the distance measured by the leg tip sensors 22 and 24, and the motors 40 and 50 are controlled based on the recognition result.
Thereby, since the raising / lowering control of the leg part 12 is performed while recognizing the unknown staircase using the leg tip sensors 22 and 24, it is possible to realize higher adaptability to the unknown staircase than in the past. . In addition, since it can operate in an environment where people are active, it is suitable for home robots, personal robots, and the like that are used for acting with people.

Further, in the present embodiment, the three-dimensional distance measuring device 200 is provided on the front surface of the base body 10, and the leg tip sensors 22 and 24 are provided on the distal ends of the leg portions 12.
As a result, it is possible to detect an object existing on the movement path of the leg wheel type robot 100 with a wide field of view, and to accurately measure the distance between the drive wheel 20 and the staircase when moving up and down the stairs.

Further, in the present embodiment, the distance to the stair riser plate is calculated based on the measurement result of the front leg tip sensor 22, and the positions of the drive wheels 20 and the step board of the staircase are calculated based on the measurement result of the lower leg tip sensor 24. Calculate the relationship.
Thereby, since the characteristic more effective for the raising / lowering control of the leg part 12 can be detected among the characteristics of the staircase, higher adaptability can be realized for the unknown staircase.

  In the above embodiment, the carabiners 314r and 314l correspond to the connecting means of the suspension device of the invention 1, the flange 80r corresponds to the first flange of the invention 2, and the flange 80l corresponds to the second flange of the invention 2. Correspondingly, the hook connector 82r corresponds to the first hook connector of the second aspect. The hook connector 82l corresponds to the second hook connector of the second aspect.

  In the above embodiment, the hook couplers 82r and 82l are fixedly provided at symmetrical positions with respect to the center of the base 10. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the flanges 80r and 80l are provided in the front-rear direction of the base 10. A configuration in which a slide mechanism is provided for sliding, and the hook couplers 82 r and 82 l are adjusted by the slide mechanism so as to be symmetrical with respect to the center of gravity of the leg wheel type robot 100 according to the posture of the leg wheel type robot 100. You can also In this case, for example, the following two configurations can be employed as the slide mechanism.

In the first configuration, a guide rail extending in the front-rear direction of the base body 10 is provided on the side surface of the base body 10, the flanges 80r and 80l can be moved along the guide rail, and the flanges 80r and 80l are moved to desired positions on the guide rail. It is the structure which provides a fixing tool so that it can fix.
In the second configuration, the hook couplers 82r and 82l are legged robots based on the above-described guide rail, the drive unit that moves the flanges 80r and 80l along the guide rail, and the sensor signal of the triaxial attitude sensor 70. And a control unit that controls the driving unit so as to be symmetric with respect to the center of gravity of 100.

  In the above embodiment, the two hook couplers 82r and the two hook couplers 82l are provided. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the one hook coupler 82r and the center of the base body 10 are arranged. It is also possible to provide one hook connector 82l provided at a position symmetrical to the hook connector 82r, or to connect the hook connector 82r with three or more hook connectors 82r and the center of the base body 10. It is also possible to provide three or more hook couplers 82l provided at positions symmetrical to each of 82r.

In the above embodiment, the front flanges 80r and 80l are provided at the same horizontal position, and the rear flanges 80r and 80l are provided at the same horizontal position. If 80l is a symmetrical position with respect to the center of the base body 10, the horizontal positions of the other pairs of flanges 80r and 80l may not be the same.
In the above embodiment, the distance information is acquired in the first scanning process discretely (the distance information is acquired in the first scanning process after being rotated in the second scanning process). Not limited to this, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the scanning angle and the measurement distance are associated with each other continuously (distance information is acquired by the first scanning process while being rotated by the second scanning process).

In the above embodiment, the scanning angle range and the scanning unit angle are set based on the command signal from the CPU 60. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and is set in advance in the three-dimensional distance measuring apparatus 200. It can also be set as a structure to keep.
In the above embodiment, the three-dimensional distance measuring apparatus 200 is configured to rotate the distance measuring sensor around the yrs ′ axis and the zrs axis. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the measurement direction of the distance measuring sensor is not limited thereto. As long as two axes are orthogonal to each other, they may be around any axis. Further, not limited to such a rotation mechanism, the distance measuring sensor is moved in a first scanning direction different from the measuring direction of the distance measuring sensor, and the second scanning direction is different from the measuring direction of the distance measuring sensor and the first scanning direction. The distance measuring sensor can be moved as a moving mechanism. In this case, as the shape of the movement path, a circular arc or other curve can be adopted in addition to a straight line. A combination of a rotating mechanism and a moving mechanism can also be used.

  In the above embodiment, the distance measuring sensor itself is rotated. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and if it is an optical distance measuring sensor, a mirror inserted on the optical axis in the measuring direction may be rotated. Good.

1 is a front view of a leg wheel type robot 100. FIG. 1 is a side view of a leg wheel type robot 100. FIG. FIG. 3 is a top view of a substrate 10. 2 is a side view of a base body 10. FIG. FIG. 3 is a front view of a hanging device 300. 2 is a block diagram showing a movement control system of a leg wheel type robot 100. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows a raising / lowering control process. It is a figure which shows the state which suspended the leg wheel type robot 100 with the suspension apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Leg wheel type robot 10 Base 12 Leg part 14-18 Rotary joint 20 Driving wheel 22, 24 Leg tip sensor 40, 50 Motor 42, 52 Encoder 44, 54 Driver 70 Triaxial attitude sensor 80r, 80l Flange 82r, 82l Hook connection Tool 200 Three-dimensional distance measuring device 300 Hanging device 302 Frame 304 Winch 306 Joint 308 Support frame 310r, 310l Connector 312r, 312l Chain 314r, 314l Carabiner

Claims (4)

A leg that includes a base, a leg that is connected to the base with a degree of freedom, and a wheel that is rotatably provided on the leg, and that moves by driving the leg and rotating the wheel. A suspension structure for a wheel type robot,
First connection means provided on one side surface of the base body and connected to the connection means of the suspension device;
And a second connecting means that is provided at a position symmetrical to the first connecting means with respect to the center of the base of the other side surface of the base, and is connected to the connecting means of the suspension device. A suspension structure for leg-wheel robots. In claim 1,
The first connecting means includes a first flange protruding from the one side surface, and an annular first hook connector fixed to the first flange and rising from the first flange.
The second connecting means includes a second flange protruding from the symmetrical position among the other side surfaces, and an annular second hook connector fixed to the second flange and rising from the second flange. The suspension structure of a leg-wheel type robot characterized by In any one of Claim 1 and 2,
A leg wheel comprising: a plurality of first connection means; and a plurality of second connection means provided at positions symmetrical to each of the plurality of first connection means with respect to the center of the base. Type robot suspension structure. In any one of Claims 1 thru | or 3,
The suspension structure for a leg-wheel type robot, wherein the first connecting means and the second connecting means are provided outside a movable range of the leg portion.

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