JP2010179874A - Traveling device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a traveling device capable of easily performing getting on/off even in an occupant whose lower limb capability at one side is reduced. <P>SOLUTION: The traveling device relating to one embodiment includes a plurality of wheels 1L, 1R arranged in parallel; vehicle bodies 3U, 3D for rotatably supporting the plurality of wheels; drive means 2L, 2R for independently rotating/driving the plurality of wheels; and a step plate provided on the vehicle body in which the occupant gets on in a standing state at driving. When the occupant gets on, a step 4R where the occupant previously places one foot is higher than a step 4L where the occupant places the other foot. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a traveling device in which a plurality of wheels are arranged in parallel, and more particularly to a traveling device that controls forward, backward, left-right turn, stop, and the like by moving the center of gravity of a passenger.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a coaxial two-wheeled vehicle such as that described in Patent Document 1 is known as a vehicle that travels on two wheels with a person on board. Patent Document 1 describes a traveling device that motor-controls the position of a handle or a step in order to achieve straight traveling while maintaining a passenger's posture vertical on a road surface with a lateral gradient.

  Such a traveling device may be used by a passenger whose lower limb function is reduced, such as an elderly person or a patient with a lower limb disease. For example, when a one-leg paralyzed person whose left leg is paralyzed gets on this traveling apparatus, the healthy leg 20 can be put on as shown in FIG.

  However, when the paralyzed leg 21 is put on the step 4L, the knee joint and the ankle joint cannot be bent freely, so that the rider rotates around the waist around the healthy leg 20 and pulls up the paralyzed leg 21. Become. At this time, the toe of the paralyzed leg 21 is caught to the side or the back of the step 4L, and it is difficult to put the paralyzed leg 21 on it.

JP 2008-120347 A

  In the traveling device described in Patent Document 1, the inclination of the roll axis of the step or the handle is calculated, and the inclination of the roll axis is controlled so that these inclinations are always parallel to the gravity axis. For this reason, the position of the step cannot be changed on a flat surface where the road surface is not inclined.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a traveling device that can easily get on and off even for a passenger whose lower limb function is reduced on one side. It is to be.

  A traveling device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of wheels arranged in parallel, a vehicle body that rotatably supports the plurality of wheels, and a drive unit that rotationally drives the plurality of wheels independently. A step plate which is provided on the vehicle main body and on which a rider rides in a standing position when driving; a first placement unit on which one foot is placed when the rider gets on; and the first placement And a second placement portion on which the other foot is placed.

  The travel device according to a second aspect of the present invention further includes a height adjustment function for changing a height of the first placement unit or the second placement unit in the travel device.

  In the traveling device according to the third aspect of the present invention, in the traveling device described above, the height changing unit can change the height of the first placement unit or the second placement unit stepwise. It is characterized by this.

  In the traveling device according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in the traveling device described above, the second placement portion is disposed at a position in contact with the ground on which the plurality of wheels are in contact when the passenger gets on. It is characterized by.

  In the traveling device according to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the traveling device described above, the plurality of wheels include a first wheel and a second wheel smaller than the first wheel, and the first placement unit is , Provided on the first wheel, and the second mounting portion is provided on the second wheel.

  In the traveling device according to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the traveling device described above, the step plate is divided into left and right portions, and the first placement portion and / or the second placement portion is divided. Further, the step plate is characterized in that it is a step plate.

  In the traveling device according to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the traveling device described above, the vehicle body is disposed on the left and right sides of the vehicle body upper member and the vehicle body lower member that are disposed vertically and parallel to each other. A parallel link mechanism having a pair of side members rotatably connected to the vehicle body upper member and the vehicle body lower member, and the divided step plates are respectively connected to the pair of side members. It is characterized by.

  The travel device according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is characterized in that in the travel device described above, the first placement portion is an attachment that is detachably disposed on the step plate. .

  The travel device according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is the travel device described above, further comprising a handle provided perpendicular to the step plate, wherein the first placement portion is rotatably fixed to the handle. It is characterized by being.

  A travel device according to a ninth aspect of the present invention is the travel device described above, further comprising a handle provided perpendicularly to the step plate, wherein the first placement portion is fixed to the handle. It is a feature.

  The traveling device according to a tenth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the traveling device described above, the second mounting portion is the step plate.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a traveling device that can easily get on and off even if a passenger has lower leg function on one side.

1 is a front view showing a configuration of a traveling device according to Embodiment 1. FIG. It is the figure which expanded a part of FIG. It is a figure which shows a mode that a passenger gets on the traveling apparatus shown in FIG. It is a front view which shows the other structure of the traveling apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a front view which shows the other structure of the traveling apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 6 is a top view showing another configuration of the traveling device according to the first embodiment. It is a front view of the traveling apparatus shown in FIG. It is a front view which shows the other structure of the traveling apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 6 is a side view showing a configuration of a traveling device according to a second embodiment. It is a front view of the traveling apparatus shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows a mode that a passenger gets on the traveling apparatus shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows a mode when boarding the conventional traveling apparatus.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
The configuration of the traveling device according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a traveling device 100 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 1A is a front view of the traveling device 100, and FIG. 1B is a left side view thereof. As shown in FIG. 1, the traveling device 100 includes wheels 1L and 1R, motors 2L and 2R, vehicle main bodies 3U and 3D, steps 4L and 4R, and a handle 5. In the following figures, the left side of the drawing corresponds to the right side as viewed from the passenger side. In the following description, the front view shows the direction as seen from the passenger side.

  The traveling device according to the present invention is a coaxial two-wheeled vehicle including two wheels 1L and 1R arranged on the same axis. The two wheels 1L and 1R are arranged in parallel. The wheels 1L, 1R are provided with driving means 2L, 2R such as motors independently. The driving means 2L and 2R are connected by vehicle bodies 3U and 3D which are divided vertically. The vehicle main bodies 3U and 3D rotatably support the wheels 1L and 1R.

  The vehicle main bodies 3U and 3D are arranged in parallel to each other. The vehicle body 3U is a vehicle body upper member, and the vehicle body 3D is a vehicle body lower member. The vehicle main bodies 3U and 3D are rotatably connected to a pair of side surface members 3S arranged in parallel to each other on the left and right. The vehicle main bodies 3U and 3D and the pair of side surface members 3S constitute a parallel link mechanism.

  Although not shown here, the vehicle main bodies 3U and 3D control the driving of the driving means 2L and 2R according to information such as the inclination of the vehicle detected by a sensor such as a gyro and the load on the vehicle. A circuit device such as a control means is provided. The traveling device 100 maintains the inverted state by controlling the driving means 2L, 2R according to the output from the gyro etc. and controlling the rotational driving of the wheels 1L, 1R. Further, by moving the center of gravity of the occupant, it is possible to perform control such as forward, reverse, left and right turn, and stop while maintaining an inverted state.

  On the upper side of the vehicle main bodies 3U, 3D, a step plate is provided on which a passenger gets in a standing position when driving. The step plate is divided into left and right. The left step plate as viewed from the passenger is designated as step 4L, and the right step slate is designated as step 4R. Steps 4L and 4R are respectively connected to a pair of side surface members 3S constituting the parallel link mechanism. The configuration of steps 4L and 4R will be described later in detail.

  A handle 5 is provided between steps 4L and 4R. The handle 5 is tiltable in the roll axis direction with respect to the vehicle main bodies 3U and 3D, and the handle 5 and the steps 4L and 4R are connected by a link mechanism (not shown) so as to be perpendicular to each other. Has been.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 2, the step plate of traveling device 100 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a part of traveling device 100 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, each of the steps 4L and 4R is connected to a side member 3S of the link mechanism via a stay 6.

  The left and right steps 4L and 4R are provided so as to be able to move up and down. For example, the height of the left and right steps 4L, 4R can be made different by the passenger using either hands or feet to pull up and fix any of the steps 4L, 4R.

  Here, an example in which a single leg paralyzed person whose left leg is paralyzed gets on the traveling apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIG. 3. In FIG. 3, the right leg of the occupant is referred to as a healthy leg 20, and the left leg is referred to as a paralyzed leg 21. As shown in FIG. 3, in this case, first, step 4R on which healthy leg 20 is placed is set to a position higher than left step 4L. That is, in the present embodiment, step 4R is the first placement unit, and step 4L is the second placement unit.

  Thereafter, the handle 5 is grasped and the healthy leg 20 is put on the step 4R. Then, while being held by the handle 5, the paralyzed leg 21 is pulled up to Step 4L with the healthy leg 20 as a fulcrum, and lowered to Step 4L. In the present embodiment, step 4L on the paralyzed leg 21 side is lower than step 4R on the healthy leg 20 side. For this reason, the toe of the paralyzed leg 21 is not caught on the side or the back of the step 4L, and the paralyzed leg 21 can be easily put on.

  After placing the paralyzed leg 21 on step 4L, step 4L is lowered to the same height as step 4R. Thereafter, as in the past, the wheel 1L, 1R can be controlled by moving the center of gravity of the occupant to move forward, backward, turn, stop, and the like.

  When a passenger whose function of one foot is lowered from the traveling device 100, it is not necessary to change the height of steps 4L and 4R. In this case, first, the handle 5 is held, and the paralyzed leg 21 is removed from the step 4L and lowered to the ground while the weight is applied to the handle. Then, the healthy leg 20 is lowered from the step 4R to the ground while holding the handle and holding the weight on the handle 5. And it is possible to get off the traveling device 100 easily by leaving the handle 5.

  In the above example, the heights of steps 4L and 4R can be changed using an actuator or the like. After getting on, the height of the left and right steps 4L, 4R can be made the same by the actuator. Further, a mechanism for reducing the shock of lowering the steps 4L and 4R may be provided so that it can be slowly lowered.

  It is also possible to provide an urging means such as a spring so that the steps 4L and 4R are flipped up by a button operation. The stay 6 may be stepped so that the steps 4L and 4R can be fixed on the way. Further, a mechanism for adjusting the height of steps 4L and 4R may be provided.

  4 to 8 show other configurations of the traveling device according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, it is also possible to install the attachment 7 in either one of the left and right steps 4L and 4R. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the attachment 7 is installed on the step 4R. That is, in this example, the attachment 7 is the first placement unit, and step 4L is the second placement unit.

  With the attachment 7 installed on the step 4R, the healthy leg can be put on the attachment 7 and the non-healthy leg can be dragged up to the step 4L. After the non-healthy leg is placed on step 4L, the attachment 7 can be kicked with the healthy leg and removed from step 4R.

  In the example shown in FIG. 5, the sizes of the left and right wheels 1L, 1R are different. In this example, the right wheel 1R as viewed from the passenger side has a diameter approximately twice that of the left wheel 1L. Step 4L is provided immediately above the wheel 1L, and step 4R is provided immediately above the wheel 1R. For this reason, step 4R is higher in position than step 4L.

  As a result, a passenger whose left foot is a non-healthy leg can pull up his left foot with the right foot, which is a healthy leg, placed on Step 4R first. As described above, the steps 4L and 4R are different, so that even a passenger whose lower limb function is lowered can easily get on and off the traveling device 100. In this example, since the height of steps 4L and 4R cannot be changed, it is necessary to change the size of the left and right wheels so that the height of the step on the non-healthy leg side of the passenger is reduced. .

  Moreover, the other structural example of the traveling apparatus 100 is shown to FIG. 6 is a top view and FIG. 7 is a front view. In the example shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a rotary step 8 is provided on the handle 5 so as to be rotatable about the handle 5. The rotary step 8 can be moved on the step 4L or the step 4R by rotating the handle 5 around the handle 5. In this example, the rotary step 8 is the first placement unit, and step 4L or step 4R is the second placement unit.

  Here, an example in which a single leg paralyzed person who has a paralyzed left foot rides on the traveling apparatus shown in FIG. 6 will be described. Here, it is assumed that the right leg of the passenger is a healthy leg and the left leg is a paralyzed leg. In this case, the rotary step 8 is first moved onto the step 4R where the healthy leg is placed. As a result, the rotary step 8 on which the healthy leg is placed is positioned higher than the left step 4L. Then, the handle 5 is gripped and the healthy leg 20 is placed on the rotary step 8.

  Thereafter, while being held by the handle 5, the paralyzed leg is pulled up to Step 4L with the healthy leg as a fulcrum and lowered to Step 4L. Thereby, the toe of a paralyzed leg does not get caught in the side or back of Step 4L, and it can mount a paralyzed leg easily. After placing the paralyzed leg on step 4L, the rotary step 8 is moved to the opposite side of the handle 5 from the passenger. That is, the rotary step 8 is moved to the position indicated by the solid line in FIGS.

  Then, the healthy leg is placed on Step 4R having the same height as Step 4L. Thereafter, as in the past, the wheel 1L, 1R can be controlled by moving the center of gravity of the occupant to move forward, backward, turn, stop, and the like. Thereby, when performing normal driving | running | working operation | movement, the rotary step 8 does not become obstructive. Note that the rotary step 8 can be arranged on the step 4L. For this reason, it can respond also to the passenger whose right foot is a non-healthy leg.

  In the example shown in FIG. 8, a fixed step 9 is attached to the handle 5. The fixed step 9 is provided so as to protrude to the step 4L side and the step 4R side, respectively. The fixed step 9 is provided at a position higher than the steps 4L and 4R. For example, the fixed step 9 can have a width approximately half that of steps 4L and 4R. In this example, the fixed step 9 is the first placement unit, and step 4L or step 4R is the second placement unit.

  Here, an example in which a one-leg paralyzed person who has a paralyzed left foot rides on the traveling device shown in FIG. 8 will be described. Here, it is assumed that the right leg of the passenger is a healthy leg and the left leg is a paralyzed leg. In this case, the handle 5 is grasped, and the healthy leg is first put on the fixed step 9 on the step 4R side.

  Thereafter, while being held by the handle 5, the paralyzed leg is pulled up to Step 4L with the healthy leg as a fulcrum and lowered to Step 4L. Thereby, the toe of a paralyzed leg does not get caught in the side or back of Step 4L, and it can mount a paralyzed leg easily. After placing the paralyzed leg on step 4L, the healthy leg is moved from fixed step 9 to step 4R. The fixed step 9 is also provided on the step 4L. For this reason, it can respond also to the passenger whose right foot is a non-healthy leg.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the toe of the paralyzed leg 21 does not get caught on the side or the back of the step 4R, and even a passenger who has lower limb function can easily get on and off. it can.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
The configuration of the traveling device according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 9 is a left side view showing a part of the configuration of traveling device 200 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 10 is a front view thereof. In addition, since the basic structure of the traveling apparatus 200 is substantially the same as Embodiment 1, description is abbreviate | omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the traveling device 200 according to the present embodiment includes an elevating step 10, a motor 11, an upper and lower link 12, and an upper frame 13. In the present embodiment, the ascending / descending step 10 is provided with a mechanism that descends toward the ground from the position on which the passenger rides during driving.

  The vehicle body 3U is a parallel link connecting the two wheels 1L and 1R. On the vehicle body 3U, an upper frame 13 is connected to the outside. The upper frame 13 is L-shaped, and includes a horizontal portion 13U extending in parallel with the ground and a vertical portion 13D extending vertically downward from the horizontal portion 13U toward the ground.

  One end of the vertical link 12 is connected to the outside of the vertical portion 13D of the upper frame 13. In addition, a lifting step 10 is connected to the other end of the vertical link 12. The vertical link 12 has a length that allows the lifting step 10 to be lowered onto the ground from the wheels 1L and 1R.

  A motor 11 is provided inside the vertical portion 13D, that is, in a portion close to the wheels 1L and 1R via a reduction gear (not shown). As the motor 11 rotates, this rotational force is transmitted to the upper and lower links 12 via the speed reducer. As a result, the vertical link 12 rotates around the connection point with the motor 11.

  Accordingly, the elevating step 10 moves from the wheels 1L and 1R to the ground. That is, the height of the raising / lowering step 10 can be changed. As shown in FIG. 9, the raising / lowering step 10 is arrange | positioned on the wheel 1L, 1R in the position at the time of a raise (it shows with a continuous line), and is arrange | positioned in the position at the time of a descent (shown with a broken line) in contact with the ground.

  In addition, by rotating the motor 11 and the speed reducer in the opposite direction to when they are lowered, it is possible to lift the lifting step 10 lowered to the ground to the rising position on the wheel. The raising / lowering operation of the raising / lowering step 10 can be controlled by the raising / lowering switch (not shown) provided in the handle 5, for example. In addition, when raising / lowering the raising / lowering step 10, the inversion control of a coaxial two-wheel can be continued by the drive means 2L and 2R.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the lifting mechanism including the lifting step 10, the motor 11, the vertical link 12, and the upper frame 13 is provided symmetrically on the left and right of the traveling device 200. Therefore, by lowering one of the left and right lifting steps 10 to the ground and placing the other on the wheel, the position on which the passenger's foot is placed can be made different on the left and right.

  Here, an example in which a one-leg paralyzed person whose left leg is paralyzed gets on the traveling apparatus shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 will be described with reference to FIG. Here, it is assumed that the right leg of the passenger is a healthy leg and the left leg is a paralyzed leg. First, as shown in FIG. 11A, the left lifting step 10 on the paralyzed leg side is lowered to the lowered position, that is, above the ground. Thereby, the raising / lowering step 10 on the right side where a healthy leg is placed is positioned higher than the raising / lowering step 10 on the left side.

  And the handle | steering-wheel 5 is grasped and a healthy leg is put on the raising / lowering step 10 arrange | positioned on the wheel 1R. Thereafter, while being held by the handle 5, the paralyzed leg is placed on the lifting step 10 in the lowered position with the healthy leg as a fulcrum. Thereby, a paralyzed leg does not get caught in the raising / lowering step 10, and can place a paralyzed leg easily. After placing the paralyzed leg on the lift step 10 in the lowered position, the lift step 10 is raised to the lift position (on the wheel 1L) by the lift switch. Thereby, even a passenger whose function of one leg is lowered can easily get on and off.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the lifting mechanism including the lifting step 10, the motor 11, the vertical link 12, and the upper frame 13 is provided symmetrically on the left and right of the traveling device 200. Therefore, by lowering one of the left and right lifting steps 10 to the ground and placing the other on the wheel, the position on which the passenger's foot is placed can be made different on the left and right. For this reason, it can respond also to the passenger whose right foot is a non-healthy leg.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the rider who has lowered the function of one of the lower limbs can easily get on and off by changing the height of the step of putting the left and right feet on boarding.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be changed as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the present invention can be applied to a traveling device having three or more wheels. In the above example, an example in which a handle is provided has been described. However, the handle may not be provided.

1L, 1R Wheel 2L, 2R Driving means 3U, 3D Vehicle body 3S Side member 4L, 4R Step 5 Handle 6 Stay 7 Attachment 8 Rotary step 9 Fixed step 10 Lifting step 11 Motor 12 Vertical link 13 Upper frame 100, 200 Traveling apparatus

Claims (11)

A plurality of wheels arranged in parallel;
A vehicle body that rotatably supports the plurality of wheels;
Drive means for independently rotating the plurality of wheels;
A step plate that is provided on the vehicle body and on which a passenger gets in a standing position when driving;
A first placement part on which one of the feet is placed when the passenger boarded;
A second mounting portion that is lower in height than the first mounting portion and on which the other foot is placed;
A travel device comprising:   The traveling device according to claim 1, further comprising a height adjustment function for changing a height of the first placement unit or the second placement unit.   The travel device according to claim 2, wherein the height changing unit can change the height of the first mounting unit or the second mounting unit in a stepwise manner.   The travel device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein when the occupant is on board, the second placement unit is disposed at a position in contact with the ground on which the plurality of wheels are in contact. . The plurality of wheels include a first wheel and a second wheel smaller than the first wheel,
The first mounting portion is provided on the first wheel,
The traveling device according to claim 1, wherein the second placement portion is provided on the second wheel. The step plate is divided into left and right,
The traveling device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the first placement unit and / or the second placement unit is the divided step plate. The vehicle body includes a vehicle body upper member and a vehicle body lower member that are arranged vertically in parallel with each other, and a pair of side surfaces that are arranged in parallel with each other on the left and right and that are pivotally connected to the vehicle body upper member and vehicle body lower member. A parallel link mechanism having a member,
The travel device according to claim 6, wherein the divided step plates are respectively connected to the pair of side surface members.   The traveling device according to claim 1, wherein the first placement unit is an attachment that is detachably disposed on the step plate. A handle vertically provided on the step plate;
The traveling device according to claim 1, wherein the first placement unit is rotatably fixed to the handle. A handle vertically provided on the step plate;
The traveling device according to claim 1, wherein the first placement portion is fixed to the handle.   The travel device according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the second placement portion is the step plate.

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