JP2678813B2 - Disaster relief robot - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial applications]

The present invention relates to a disaster-relief robot, particularly a structure suitable for being used to carry rescue equipment, medical supplies, foods, etc. in the field when rescued from a wide area disaster such as an earthquake, a heavy rain, or a landslide, which is driven by remote control. About the disaster relief robot.

[Prior art]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a remote-controlled traveling robot, which has four crawlers for traveling and is used for treating hazardous materials on nuclear facilities and flat land. This is, for example, as shown in FIG. 9, in which independent crawlers 2 are provided at four corners of the robot main body 1. Each crawler 2 is attached to the main body 1 via a turning shaft and is independent of each other. You can turn around. Therefore, each crawler 2 can be placed in a horizontal position for normal running, and the crawler 2 can be turned upright to turn in a narrow place, or the crawler 2 can be tilted to run up stairs or climb over a step. You can run.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

However, the above-described conventional traveling robot has the following problems when it is operated in an irregular terrain outdoors, particularly in the vicinity of a disaster-stricken area of a wide area disaster. That is, as shown in FIG. 10, the main body 1 is
Using the stereo camera 3 mounted on the vehicle, the rear crawler 2B is tilted so that the camera 3 faces the lower front, and the vehicle is run by remote control in a cautionary posture (a in the figure). There is nothing that blocks the field of view of the camera 3 indoors, so there is no problem if you drive carefully, but in a natural environment such as the area outside the disaster area, weeds often block the field of view, As a result, even if the front crawler 2A deviates, it may continue to move forward (b in the figure). By continuing to move forward, the entire front crawler 2A deviates and the center of gravity tilts forward, so the driver who looks at the inclinometer mounted on the vehicle issues a command to retreat (c in the figure), but the center of gravity collapses. Since there is a shift to the side, there is a problem that it will fall as it is (d in the same figure). Alternatively, even when a warning system is taken as shown in FIG. 7E, it is found that the vehicle body leans forward due to the inclination of the main body 1, but it cannot be initially determined whether the vehicle surface is uneven or a depression. For this reason, the robot moves forward while continuing to monitor, but outputs the backward command as the inclination increases (e in the figure), but the center of gravity of the robot leaning forward moves to the front crawler 2A, and most of the body weight is The front crawler 2A supported by the grip force slips and falls (f and d in the same figure). In particular, when the road surface is mud, sandy land, or grassland, a large grip force cannot be obtained, and there is a strong tendency to slip. Further, FIG. 11 shows a traveling operation when climbing a step. In this case, the front crawler 2A moves forward according to the original posture of normal traveling and the front crawler 2A berths on the step (a in the figure). Immediately thereafter, the front crawler 2A is swung up and further advanced to hang the tip portion of the front crawler 2A on the top of the step (FIG. 8B). Next, the front and rear crawlers 2 are swung downward to lift the vehicle body (FIG. 7C), and the rear crawler 2B is moved forward so as to be as close as possible to the slope of the step (FIG. 3D). However, body 1
Since the center of gravity of the rear crawler 2B is not always stable on the steps, if the rear crawler 2B is forced to climb while the rear crawler 2B is in contact with the sloped surface of the step, the rear crawler 2B is raised and turned, and the unstable center of gravity moves backward. The robot tilts and falls backward (f in the figure). As described above, the conventional traveling robot has a risk of falling at a depression or a step in a natural environment with a depression or a step, such as a wide-area disaster site, and therefore, there is a great limitation in practical activities. There was a shortcoming. In addition, if there is a fall, an excessive impact force is transmitted to the turning power system of the crawler 2, the drive unit is damaged, and the inclination of the crawler 2 cannot be determined after that, and the crawler 2 becomes unusable immediately. there were. The present invention focuses on the above-mentioned conventional problems, and has a structure in which there is no hindrance to traveling in a depressed area or traveling in a stepped portion, and at the same time, there is no problem of power damage due to impact such as drop. The purpose is to provide.

[Means for Solving the Problems]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a first aspect of a disaster assistance robot according to the present invention is a robot main body, and sprockets provided near the four corners of the robot main body in the front, rear, left, and right, respectively. It has a rotatable track that is wrapped around an idler, and
A crawler having a predetermined length in the front-rear direction, a traveling motor provided on the robot main body for driving a sprocket of the crawler via a traveling rotation shaft, and a crawler provided on the robot main body for sprocket side movement via a turning shaft. In a disaster relief robot having a crawler composed of a turning motor that turns with respect to a robot body as a center, the track frame is rotatably supported with respect to the robot body, and a turning angle of the track frame is detected. An angle sensor is provided on the track frame side, and between the track frame and the turning motor, a torque limiter that shuts off the torque when the reaction force from the track frame is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, and the torque limiter operates, When the signal from the sensor deviates from the set value, the signal for returning to the set value of the turning angle to the turning motor. Characterized by comprising the output control device. A second aspect of the present invention has a robot body, a sprocket provided in each of the front, rear, left, and right corners of the robot body in the vicinity of each of the four corners, a sprocket provided on a track frame, and a rotatable track wound around an idler, and , A crawler having a predetermined length in the front-rear direction, a traveling motor provided on the robot main body for driving the sprocket of the crawler via a traveling rotary shaft, and a crawler provided on the robot main body through a swivel shaft on the sprocket side. In a disaster relief robot having a crawler consisting of a turning motor that rotates with respect to the robot body, an inclinometer that measures a longitudinal inclination angle of the robot body, and a control device that controls the traveling motor. The speed control provided on the traveling motor indicates that the crawler has slipped or has become an abnormally light load. Detected by the control device for the traveling motor control and encoder, and wherein the angle of inclination with the abnormality warning means for performing judgment by alarming abnormality when it exceeds a predetermined value.

[Action]

According to the above configuration, the turning axes of the front and rear crawlers are set at intervals such that both crawlers can independently rotate 360 degrees without interfering with each other. Therefore, the maximum extension state where the front and rear crawler pivot ends are outside the robot body, and the minimum state where the tips are close to each other can be taken. Therefore, when traveling on a depression or a step, only the front crawler is extended forward, and when the front crawler falls off the inclined surface of the depression, it can be reversed and reversed to prevent the fall. . Also,
When climbing a step, similarly, after the front crawler moves to the top of the step, the rear crawler is tilted downward and the main body is lifted to move forward, so that the body center of gravity climbs over the top of the step and then the rear crawler is moved. It is possible to make a further turn to return to the original position and climb the plate, like this,
Since the body length of the main body is increased, the front and rear crawlers can be independently turned, and therefore, the center of gravity can be smoothly moved in the depression or the step portion to prevent the fall. Further, according to the present invention, by providing the torque limiter in the transmission system of the turning power, even if an impact force is applied to the crawler to be turned, it can be prevented from directly acting on the power unit, and the impact force at the time of the fall can force the force. Even if an external force in the turning direction is received, the motor and the power transmission system with a high gear ratio can be protected. Further, by providing the angle sensor of the track frame by branching from the transmission system between the load side of the torque limiter and the track frame swing axis, the swing angle on the swing drive side and the swing angle on the track frame side are misaligned. However, the actual turning angle can be measured, and the operation control can be immediately continued even if an unexpected angle change occurs due to the truck frame falling or the like.

【Example】

Hereinafter, specific examples of the disaster assistance robot according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a skeleton of a drive mechanism of a crawler of a disaster relief robot according to an embodiment, and FIGS. 2 to 4 are external views of the robot. This robot is equipped with crawlers 12 which are rotationally driven by independent drive sources at the four corners of the robot body 10. Each crawler 12 is provided with a turning shaft 14 and is attached to the robot body 10 so as to be able to turn 360 degrees around the turning shaft 14. In this case, the robot body
Front crawler 12F and rear crawler 12R located on one side of 10.
Are attached to the robot main body 10 at intervals of the turning shafts 14 so that the maximum turning loci C do not overlap, and are set so as not to interfere with each other during turning. That is,
Distance L between the turning axes of the front crawler 12F and the rear crawler 12R
However, it is set to be larger than the sum of the radii of the maximum turning locus C of the front crawler 12F and the rear crawler 12R. The center of gravity G of the robot body 10 is the front crawler 12
It is set so as to pass through the middle of the turning trajectory C of the rear crawler 12R and the ground contact position of the crawler 12 is always outside the center of gravity G. For this reason, the previous crawler 12F
The rear crawler 12R and the rear crawler 12R are arranged near the front and rear ends of the robot body 10.
It is possible to adopt a maximum extension state in which the turning tips of 12F and the rear crawler 12R are extended to the front and the rear of the robot body 10 and the minimum vehicle body length with the turning tips toward the main body weight side. A crawler 12 attached to such a robot body 10
The drive mechanism will be described with reference to FIG. The crawler 12 is composed of a track frame 16 and a rubber track 18 wound around a rotating wheel mounted around the track frame 16. The rotary wheel around which the track 18 is wound is composed of a drive sprocket 20 arranged on one end side of the track frame 16 and other idlers 22. The sprocket 20 has a rotary shaft 24 penetrating the robot main body 10, and rotation is transmitted by a chain 30 or the like via a traveling motor 26 and a speed reducer 28 in the main body, and a rubber track 18 orbits the outer peripheral portion of the track frame 16. It is driven like this to obtain running power. Further, the swivel shaft 14 is a cylindrical shaft that encloses the traveling rotary shaft 24, and this is penetrated from the side end portion of the robot body 10 through a bearing. A gear 32 is rotatably mounted on the outer peripheral surface of the swivel shaft 14 penetrating into the robot body 10, and the gear 32 is integrated with the swivel shaft 14 via a torque limiter 34. On the other hand, in the robot body 10, a turning motor 36 and a speed reducer 38 that give a rotational driving force to the gear 32 are installed, and a drive gear 40 and the gear 32 attached to the output shaft of the turning gear 36 and an intermediate gear 42 are provided. It is connected. Therefore, the rotational power of the turning motor 36 is reduced by the speed reducer.
38, drive gear 40, intermediate gear 42, gear 32, torque limiter
It is transmitted to the turning shaft 14 via 34 and drives the crawler 12 to turn. The torque limiter 34 is for shutting off the power transmission path when the crawler 12 is forcibly turned from the outside due to a fall or the like, and when an excessive torque due to a turning impact force is generated. The connection with the gear 32 mounted on the swivel shaft 14 is released. Further, a rotary encoder 44 is attached to the swivel shaft 14, and the rotational position of the swivel shaft 14 and thus the track frame
It detects 16 turning angles. This is especially provided in the turning transmission path from the torque limiter 34 to the track frame 16. Such a crawler 12 drive mechanism is provided independently for each of the four crawlers 12, and is configured to independently perform traveling drive and turning operation. Next, FIG. 5 shows a control block diagram for the above driving. This disaster relief robot has a remote control transmitter 46
The robot main body 10 is equipped with a remote control receiver 48 and a controller 50 for inputting a remote control signal. The controller 50 receives the drive signal and outputs a fuel control signal to the engine control device 52 to control the engine 54 and
Thus, the generator 56A, which is the power source of the traveling motor 26 and the turning motor 36, is driven. Further, the controller 50 outputs a control signal to each of a traveling motor drive power supply device 56 for adjusting the rotational power of the traveling motor 26 and a swing motor drive power supply device 58 for adjusting the rotational power of the swing motor 36, and The measurement signals of the traveling speed control encoder 60 attached to the traveling motor 26 and the turning speed control encoder 62 attached to the turning motor 36 are input for feedback control, and the traveling speed based on the steering signal is used. Or set the turning angle. In addition, the controller 50 is an encoder 44 that detects the rotation angle of the rotary shaft 14.
In addition to directly taking in the output signal of, the measurement signal of the inclinometer 64 for detecting the inclination of the robot body 10 is input. The operation of the disaster relief robot configured in this way is as follows. This disaster relief robot uses the output signal of the on-board inclinometer 64 to prevent a fall accident without visual inspection when a fall accident due to a shore or a depression is expected in the mountains. The abnormal inclination of the main body 10 in the inside is detected, and an abnormal alarm is issued to the driver so as to call attention, and even if the front crawler 12F falls into the recessed part, the posture is reset and the whole It is possible to prevent a fall accident. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, in an area where a fall accident is expected, the front crawler 12F is turned so that its tip is located in front of the main body 10, and the rear crawler 12R has its tip in the center of gravity of the robot body 10. The vehicle is run in a vigorous posture so that it is located on the side (a in the figure). When the front crawler 12F deviates to the depressed portion during traveling, the robot body 10 tilts forward (FIG. 8B). At this point, it is not clear whether the cause of the inclination is the deviation from the depression or the unevenness of the road surface. Therefore, if you continue to move forward, if it is a collapse deviation, the front crawler 12F
Completely falls into the depression, and the front part of the robot body 10 lands on the ground in front of the depression (FIG. 7C). In this state, since the front crawler 12F is idling or has an abnormally light load, and the output of the inclinometer also shows an abnormal inclination state, automatic determination can be performed. At this point, an abnormal alarm is issued to alert the driver. The driver reverses the traveling motor 26 to apply sudden braking, and stops the robot body 10. Then, the front crawler 12F is turned upward to return to the reference posture in which the turning tips of the front crawler 12F and the rear crawler 12R are close to each other (FIG. 8D). Since the turning trajectories of the front crawler 12F and the rear crawler 12R do not overlap each other, this turning operation can be easily performed. In this case, if the front of the collapse point is inclined forward, most of the weight of the main body is added to the front crawler 12F, and if the front half of the front crawler 12F protrudes into the recess, the grip force to support the main body load is sufficient. I can't get it. Therefore, the front crawler 12F is further swung to lift the front part of the robot body 10 and move to the rear of the center of gravity to put a load on the rear crawler 12R,
Make sure that a stable grip is obtained (Fig. E).
Then, after moving backward in the same posture, it is possible to return to the caution posture again (f in the same figure) and then take another course. Next, referring to FIG. 7, a description will be given of the operation of an embankment running on a stepped portion by the disaster relief robot according to the embodiment. First, while moving forward in the fall caution posture and berthing on the step portion (a in the figure), the front crawler 12F is swung upward to hang the tip on the top of the step portion (b). Then both front and rear crawlers
Robot body by turning 12F and 12R downward
Lifting 10 (c in the same figure), when the bottom of the robot body 10 is higher than the top of the step, the turning is stopped and the robot moves forward as it is (d in the same figure). When the rear crawler 12R reaches the sloped surface (step (e) in the figure), the rear end of the rear crawler 12R is swung upward, and the tip side is grounded to drive forward (f in the figure). At this stage, the center of gravity of the robot main body 10 is sufficiently intruded on the step and is stable, so even if the rear crawler 12R is swung further upward, the weight of the main body 10 is supported while the rear body of the main body 10 is in contact with the ground. Therefore, the robot body 10 is prevented from sliding backward. Therefore, it is sufficient to continue the ascending turn, return to the fall caution posture (g in the figure), and move forward again (h in the figure). As described above, the disaster relief robot according to the present embodiment has no risk of a fall accident at the depressed portion and does not slide down when moving over, so that the structure is highly safe and has excellent workability. can do. If a fall accident occurs, a large impact force is applied to the crawler 12, and the crawler 12 is given a large impact force to forcibly turn. This turning external force produces an excessive torque in order to forcibly rotate the turning shaft 14, but since the torque limiter 34 is interposed in the middle of the power transmission system, the impact force is not transmitted to the power source side. Therefore, damage to the turning motor 36 and the transmission mechanism having a high gear ratio can be reliably prevented. Further, since an encoder 44 for detecting the turning angle is attached to the turning shaft 14, the crawler 12
The turning angle can be detected even if the transmission system between the drive source and the drive source is cut off. Therefore, the turning motor 36
Even if the correspondence between the rotation angle of the track frame 16 and the track frame 16 becomes incorrect, the robot control system can measure the latest turning angle of the track frame 16 as it is. Therefore, even if the truck frame 16 is forcedly turned to an unexpected angle due to an unexpected fall accident, the driving control can be continued immediately after that. The disaster-relief robot configured in this way can perform a fall prevention operation and a crossover operation in the above-mentioned depressed area, but since the interval between the pivot shafts 14 of the front and rear crawlers 12 is increased, As shown in Fig. 8, the stored posture (a in the figure), the reference posture (b in the figure), the crossing posture (c in the figure), the steep slope climbing posture (d in the figure), etc., in which the vehicle length and the vehicle height are minimum. Can take various postures. In addition, a winding winch is provided at the front or rear of the robot body 10, and one end of the wire rope is wound around trees or rocks and the other end is wound up by the winding winch in order to climb and descend on steep slopes more safely. Needless to say, it is possible to assist the climbing force or prevent falling by (climbing) or rewinding (falling).

【The invention's effect】

As described above, in the disaster relief robot according to the present invention, the track frame of the crawler is attached to the robot body so as to be rotatable, and the distance between the swing axes of the front and rear crawlers is set to a distance that does not interfere with the maximum swing circle locus. Moreover, since the center of gravity of the robot body is set at an intermediate position, the ability to climb over a step is greatly improved, and the ability is improved several times compared to the conventional one, and even if you encounter a depressed terrain. The excellent effect of avoiding a fall accident was obtained, and it became possible to transport relief materials safely at an outdoor disaster site. In addition, a torque limiter is installed in the middle of the turning power transmission system of the truck frame, and the torque transmission can be shut off when the turning reaction force from the truck frame side exceeds the set value, which prevents a fall accident. Even if there is, there is an advantage that the drive mechanism can be prevented from being damaged and can be restored by a simple repair. Furthermore, by installing a sensor that detects a turning angle in the turning transmission system from the torque limiter to the track frame, readjustment work of the automatic control device becomes unnecessary after the operation of the torque limiter, improving work efficiency, and more The effect of being able to safely and reliably transport the rescue materials of was obtained in a short time.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a drive mechanism of a disaster relief robot according to an embodiment, FIG. 2 is a side view of the robot, FIG. 3 is a plan view thereof, FIG. 4 is a front view thereof, and FIG. FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of a control device, FIG. 6 is an operation explanatory diagram of a robot according to an embodiment in a sinking place, FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the same vehicular movement, and FIG. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a conventional traveling robot, FIG. 10 is an operation explanatory view of a conventional robot in a depression, and FIG. 10 …… Robot body, 12 …… Crawler, 14 …… Swivel axis,
16 …… Truck frame, 18 …… Truck, 20 …… Sprocket, 24 …… Running rotary shaft, 28 …… Reducer, 26 ……
Travel motor, 34 …… Torque limiter, 36 …… Turning motor, 44 …… Rotary encoder, 50 …… Controller, 56 …… Travel motor driving power supply, 58 …… Swing motor driving power supply, 60… ... Encoder for traveling speed control,
62 ... Encoder for turning speed control.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Takuya Sakamoto 2597 Shinomiya, Hiratsuka-shi, Kanagawa Komatsu Ltd., Technical Research Institute, Special Machinery Headquarters (56) References JP-A-61-271176 (JP, A) JP-A 60-174367 (JP, A) JP-A-57-158173 (JP, A) JP-A-51-136073 (JP, A) Actually open Sho-58-157783 (JP, U) Actual-open Sho-63-187785 (JP, A) U)

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A robot main body, and a sprocket provided near each of four front, rear, left, and right corners of the robot main body, each having a sprocket provided on a track frame and a rotatable track wound around an idler, and the front-back direction. A crawler having a predetermined length, a traveling motor provided on the robot body for driving a crawler sprocket via a traveling rotation shaft, and a crawler centered on the sprocket side via a turning shaft provided on the robot body. In a disaster relief robot having a crawler composed of a turning motor that rotates with respect to a robot body, the truck frame is rotatably supported with respect to the robot body, and an angle sensor that detects a turning angle of the truck frame. Is provided on the track frame side, and between the track frame and the swing motor , A torque limiter that shuts off the torque when the reaction force from the track frame is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, and when the signal from the angle sensor deviates from the set value, the turning motor is set to the set value of the turning angle. A disaster relief robot comprising a control device that outputs a return signal. 2. A robot main body, and a sprocket provided on each of the front, rear, left, and right four corners of the robot main body, each of which has a sprocket provided on a track frame and a rotatable track wound around an idler. A crawler having a predetermined length, a traveling motor provided on the robot body for driving a crawler sprocket via a traveling rotation shaft, and a crawler centered on the sprocket side via a turning shaft provided on the robot body. In a disaster relief robot having a crawler composed of a turning motor that rotates with respect to a robot body, an inclinometer that measures a front-back inclination angle of the robot body, and a controller that controls the traveling motor The speed control encoder provided on the drive motor indicates that the crawler has been idling or that an abnormally light load has occurred. The detected by the control device for the travel motor control, and disaster relief robot, characterized in that the angle of inclination with the abnormality warning means for performing judgment by alarming abnormality when it exceeds a predetermined value and.