JP2021045095A - Hull form small-sized robot - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a hull form small-sized robot that can sail or travel under water with variation in water depth such as a paddy field for a purpose of removing weeds.SOLUTION: A hull form small-sized robot includes: a hull (1) capable of floating under water; an outer wheel (2) with multiple paddles (3), which is installed to the hull so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis extending in a lateral direction of the hull; and a drive source (4) for driving the outer wheel.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a small boat-type robot having a front-rear length of about several tens of centimeters, which is mainly used for agricultural management. , Cultivation management, weed growth prevention, pest control, crime prevention, etc.

Conventionally known agricultural robots include large autonomous traveling combine harvesters and small paddy field weeding robots. In particular, as a paddy field weeding robot, a robot that agitates the soil of a paddy field with a chain or a rotating body by a remote device is known in order to prevent the growth of weeds that grow after rice planting.

However, since these agricultural robots require mechanical agitation of soil, there is a limit to miniaturization, a remote control operator is required, and the price is high.

In addition, paddy field weed control robots that perform autonomous driving have also been developed. These autonomously traveling paddy field weed control robots include a type that uses wheels and crawlers to travel on the surface of the soil that is the bottom of the paddy field, and a hovercraft type that uses air pressure. The type that runs on the soil surface using wheels and crawlers has a problem that it is difficult to run without contacting the rice plant because the soil surface has many irregularities and is affected by the disturbance during running. .. The hovercraft type has the disadvantage that it may damage the rice because it injects compressed air from directly above the rice.

As a remedy for this, the applicant has added a function to blow out a jet of water toward the soil at the bottom of the water to a small vessel type agricultural robot that floats on the surface of a paddy field and navigates autonomously with a length of about several tens of centimeters. Therefore, a patent application has been filed for an invention relating to an invention that diffuses soil, blocks sunlight on weeds growing on the soil surface, inhibits photosynthesis of weeds, and inhibits growth (Patent Document 9).

As a result of repeated experiments in paddy fields by the inventor of the present application, there are many places where the water depth is shallow, and in some cases the soil part protrudes above the water, so the ship-type agricultural robot rides on the soil. Therefore, it was found that the navigation function could be impaired. In the present invention, outer rings are provided on the left and right sides of a small boat-type robot so that it can navigate underwater and travel in shallow water or on land, and in the case of water surface navigation, a paddle incorporated in the outer ring separates water. In shallow water and on land, the outer ring of the outer ring acts as a wheel to generate driving force.

In paddy rice cultivation, the selling price of rice will be higher if it is certified for organic JAS cultivation. However, in order to be certified for organic JAS cultivation, pesticide-free cultivation is required, so weeds cannot be treated with pesticides, and the burden of daily weeding work is placed on the farmers. Normally, weeding work is often performed daily using a hand-push type or boarding type herbicide, but even if such a weeding machine is used, the weeding work requires a great deal of man-hours and costs. Labor saving in herbicidal work is desired.

Some organically cultivated rice farms have adopted the "duck farming method" in which ducks are released into paddy fields. This is to prevent the growth of weeds by allowing a number of ducks to freely swim in the paddy field from the time of settlement to the time of heading after rice planting. However, ducks are often attacked by dogs, cats, wild beasts, and wild birds, so it is necessary to install an electric fence or set up a cage dedicated to ducks and imprison them every night. In addition, since the ducks need food and the ducks do not move in the entire area of the paddy field, weeds inevitably remain in a part of the paddy field, and it is necessary to manually remove them. Against this background, the Aigamo farming method requires labor and expense, and the increase in profits due to the increase in the selling price of organically cultivated rice is often lost due to the increase in expenses.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-198604 JP-A-2007-129910 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-229436 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-120573 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-205967 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-10629 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-53894 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-88413 JP-A-2019-83708 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-20654

In such a situation, an agricultural work robot that removes weeds in paddy fields instead of ducks has been developed as shown in Patent Document 1-10. In the invention disclosed in Patent Document 1-3, the mechanism of paddy field weeding is a method of traveling in contact with the soil portion of the bottom of the water with wheels or crawlers and at the same time removing weeds, and is planted in the paddy field at this time. There is a risk of continuous pressure contact near the root of the rice plant, which is likely to hinder the growth of the rice plant.

On the other hand, in the inventions disclosed in Patent Documents 4 and 5, a buoyancy generating mechanism such as a float or an air boat is required in order to float the wheels and avoid continuous pressure contact with the rice plant. , Inevitable increase in size.

In the invention disclosed in Patent Document 6, a structure is shown in which the tip of the wheel is bent so as to avoid the rice plant by bending, but the structure of how to move the wheel is completely different. Not disclosed. In particular, it has not been clarified under what conditions and under what conditions the deflection of the tip of the wheel changes due to the change in the weight of the device depending on how the drive mechanism is used. Therefore, it is unclear how it can be realized concretely.

In the invention disclosed in Patent Document 7, in order to prevent the colonization and germination of weed seeds, the left and right wheels having rods fixed to a thin disk are rotated to raise the soil surface of the paddy field and stir, and between rice plants. It is a small device that rotates and travels, and is similar to the above-mentioned conventional technique in that the present invention is small and travels between rice plants.

Patent Document 8 discloses a herbicide device for a herbicide that swims with a float. This herbicide device utilizes a function of rotating a rotor between rows to scrape soil, and is difficult to weed. Discloses the use of an auxiliary function of pressurizing water or air with a pump to perform jet herbicide. Even in this conventional technique, a large herbicide is required to scrape the gaps with a rotor.

Patent Document 9 by the applicant of the present invention states that weeds in paddy fields are small and lightweight, run on the surface of the water while passing between rice stocks or rows, and do not cause any damage even if they come into contact with rice stocks. A configuration and a control method having a function of preventing breeding are disclosed. However, when a running experiment was conducted in an actual paddy field, it was found that in such a configuration, there was a problem that the hull ran on the soil and could not proceed in the shallow part of the paddy field.

Patent Document 10 discloses a relatively large device for weeding a paddy field using a weeding wheel provided separately from the driving wheel.

In view of such problems of the prior art, a main object of the present invention is to provide a small boat-shaped robot capable of navigating or traveling in water with varying water depths such as paddy fields for the purpose of controlling weeds and the like. is there.

Such an object is an outer ring (1) including a hull that can float in water and a plurality of paddles (3) that are rotatably provided on the hull around a rotation axis extending in the left-right direction of the hull. This is achieved by providing a hull-shaped small robot characterized by having 2) and a drive source (4) for driving the outer ring.

With such a configuration, the small boat-shaped robot can navigate by the propulsive force generated by the paddle in deep water, and can travel by the propulsive force generated by the outer ring in shallow water or on the ground.

Preferably, the outer ring includes a pair of outer rings provided on the left and right sides of the hull, and the drive source can drive both outer rings individually.

In this way, the traveling direction can be freely changed by individually controlling the left and right driving forces of the paddle or the outer ring.

Preferably, the axis of rotation is located in front of the center of gravity of the hull.

As a result, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the tip of the hull pierces the ground and loses its running performance.

Preferably, training wheels or sleds are provided at the rear of the hull.

As a result, it is possible to reduce the running resistance of the small boat-shaped robot in shallow water or on the ground and improve the running performance.

As described above, according to the present invention, there is provided a small boat-type robot capable of navigating or traveling in water with varying water depths such as paddy fields for the purpose of controlling weeds and the like.

A plan view of a small boat-shaped robot based on the first embodiment of the present invention. Side view of a small boat robot. A side view of a small boat-shaped robot based on the second embodiment of the present invention. A side view of a small boat-shaped robot based on the third embodiment of the present invention. The side view which shows the state which the ship-type small robot based on 2nd Embodiment of this invention navigates underwater. A side view showing a state in which a small boat-shaped robot based on the second embodiment of the present invention travels on the ground or in shallow water.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the hull-shaped small robot based on the first embodiment of the present invention has the hull 1 that can float in water and the hull 1 that can rotate around a rotation axis extending in the left-right direction. It has a pair of outer rings 2 provided on both sides of the hull. The tip of the hull 1 is tapered in plan view to reduce water resistance and improve running performance, and its bottom has a shape that is inclined upward toward the front. The outer ring 2 has a plurality of paddles 3 extending in the radial direction. In this embodiment, the tip of the paddle 3 is coupled to the inner peripheral surface of the annular member coaxially arranged with respect to the rotation axis. However, as shown by an imaginary line in FIG. 1, the tip portion of the paddle 3 may extend beyond the outer circumference of the outer ring 2.

Inside the hull 1, a pair of electric motors 4 arranged so as to individually drive both outer rings 2 via a drive shaft 5, a battery 6, a control device 7 including a computer, and a control device 7 A motor driver 8 that supplies an electric current to the electric motor 4, a motion sensor 9 that includes a gyro for detecting the movement of the hull 1 and supplying a detection signal to the control device 7, and the environment of the robot. An environment recognition sensor 10 for recognizing the above and supplying the acquired environment information to the control device 7 and a communication antenna 11 for communicating with an external terminal or base station and a GPS satellite are provided. The environment recognition sensor 10 may include a camera, a radar, an ultrasonic sensor, and the like.

When the robot travels in water to a certain depth, the hull 1 floats in the water, and the paddle 3 rotates together with both outer rings 2 to obtain propulsive force. When traveling on the ground or in shallow water, both outer rings 2 can engage with the ground or the bottom of the water to obtain propulsive force as well. In this case, the rear part of the hull 1 slides on the ground or the bottom of the water. In that case, since the outer ring 2 (particularly, its rotation axis) is arranged in front of the position of the center of gravity of the robot, high running performance can be obtained.

In the second embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 3, a driving wheel 12 is provided at the bottom of the rear portion of the hull 1. When the robot travels in water to a certain depth, it is the same as in the first embodiment, but when traveling on the ground or in shallow water, the traveling resistance can be reduced by the driven wheels 12.

The driven wheel 12 may be supported by a suspension device provided with a spring, a viscous damper, or the like, whereby the impact caused by the unevenness of the ground can be mitigated to ensure contact with the ground, or the hull 1 can be used. The impact force applied to the vehicle may be reduced. Further, the driven wheel 12 may have a caster function. If desired, the running performance can be further improved by using the driving wheels instead of the driven wheels 12. Also in this case, it is preferable that the outer ring 2 (particularly, its rotation axis) is arranged in front of the position of the center of gravity of the robot.

In the third embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 4, a sled 13 is provided at the bottom of the rear portion of the hull 1. When the robot travels in water to a certain depth, it is the same as in the first embodiment, but when it travels on the ground or in shallow water, the sled 13 can reduce the traveling resistance. The sled 13 may be a separate body, or the bottom of the rear portion of the hull 1 may be configured to have an appropriate shape so as to function as the sled 13. In this case as well, the sled 13 may be supported by the suspension device, and the outer ring 2 (particularly, its rotation axis) may be arranged in front of the position of the center of gravity of the robot.

FIG. 5 shows the waterline when the hull 1 navigates underwater by reference numeral 16, and FIG. 6 shows both outer wheels 2 and the driven wheel 12 (bottom of the hull, sled 13) when traveling on the ground or in shallow water. ) Is indicated by reference numeral 15.

The robot based on the embodiment of the present invention is programmed to travel in a preset area, but autonomously travels so as to avoid obstacles based on the environmental information acquired by the environment recognition sensor 10. It is configured to do. The width of the paddy field is often about 30 cm, and the width between the stocks is as narrow as about 18 cm. Therefore, in order for the robot to navigate without touching the rice stock, the width of the hull 1 is about 8 to 12 cm. Is desirable. Further, by making both outer rings 2 driveable individually, the traveling direction can be changed quickly and without requiring a large space.

When the robot based on the embodiment of the present invention is used in a paddy field, it is necessary to have a layout configuration in which parts are housed in a housing so as to be compact and compact. Since the outer rings 2 are arranged on the left and right and each is driven by an independent electric motor 4, the outputs of the left and right electric motors 4 are adjusted to adjust the running speed of the robot and the straight running or curved running. It is possible to control the trajectory of. The electric motor 4 may directly drive the outer ring 2 or may be driven via a transmission.

When a robot navigates deep water like a ship, it is expected to be subject to disturbances such as wind and water currents. According to the embodiment of the present invention, the outputs of the left and right electric motors 4 are individually controlled, and the difference between the left and right thrusts generated by the paddle 3 of the outer ring 2 is adjusted to perform the required straight running or turning running. It has a built-in motion control system that minimizes deviations from the target trajectory. For example, when it is predicted that the future trajectory will deviate from the target, the deviation amount is fed back to control the thrust difference and the rotation speed difference of the left and right outer rings.

The target locus of the robot can correspond to both a form in which the robot itself has an autonomous traveling function and generates it by itself and a case in which the robot is operated by remote control of a worker. In the case of autonomous traveling, the robot requires devices such as a camera for recognizing the external environment, radar, a satellite positioning system, and an ultrasonic sensor, and software for recognition processing, in addition to the devices shown in the figure.

As shown in FIG. 1, the robot includes a battery, a computer, left and right independent motor drivers, left and right independent outer ring drive motors, motion sensors (for detecting 3-axis acceleration and 3-axis rotation speed), and external environment recognition sensors (camera, Radars, ultrasonic sensors, etc.), communication antennas, etc. are arranged, and although not shown in FIG. 1, they are wired so that signals and power are appropriately transmitted. The layout shown in FIG. 1 is an example of the arrangement of equipment, and is designed to be an appropriate layout in consideration of the position of the center of gravity of the hull. A battery charging device is also required, but it is not shown in the figure.

Further, by operating a plurality of robots based on the present invention and performing control to emphasize each other, it is possible to process a wide range of paddy fields in a short time.

With the robot of the present invention, the paddle function of the outer ring in the deep water of the paddy field and the wheel running function of the outer ring in the shallow water disturb the soil at the bottom of the paddy field, muddy the water of the paddy field, and send sunlight to the weeds. It has the effect of blocking and preventing the growth of weeds. In addition, if the robot is equipped with sensors that detect various environmental conditions, it is possible to grasp the growing environment of rice and the conditions of pests, and further improve the environment such as pinpoint fertilization and pesticide injection according to the conditions. .. The robot of the present invention enables farmers to carry out pesticide-free and low-pesticide paddy rice at low cost and with low labor, and can solve the problem of aging of agricultural workers.

1 Hull 2 Paddle wheel 3 Paddle (paddle)
4 Electric motor 5 Drive shaft 6 Battery 7 Control device 8 Motor driver 9 Motion sensor 10 Environmental recognition sensor (camera, radar, ultrasonic sensor, etc.)
11 Communication antenna 12 Driving wheel 13 Sled 14 Waterline 15 Ground

Claims (4)

A hull that can float in the water and
An outer ring including a plurality of paddles provided on the hull so as to be rotatable around a rotation axis extending in the left-right direction of the hull.
A small boat-shaped robot having a drive source for driving the outer ring. The small boat-type robot according to claim 1, wherein the outer rings include a pair of outer rings provided on the left and right sides of the hull, and the drive source can drive both outer rings individually. The small hull-type robot according to claim 1, wherein the rotation axis is located in front of the center of gravity of the hull. The small hull-type robot according to claim 1, wherein training wheels or sleds are provided at the rear of the hull.

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