JP3160118B2 - Mobile manipulator with outrigger - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is suitable for holding heavy objects such as materials in a factory, a construction site, a civil engineering site, and the like, and quickly positioning the heavy objects at a predetermined mounting position while moving. The present invention relates to a mobile manipulator with outriggers.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Outriggers and remote control of mobile manipulators have been found as prior art similar to the present invention. These will be described below.

[0003] First, the outrigger will be described. Vehicles that handle heavy objects with long arms, whether crawler-type vehicles or wheel-type vehicles, employ a fixed-type outrigger that extends the outriggers and secures the vehicle to the ground as a measure to prevent falls. General (for example, see JP-A-57-58540, JP-A-2-14)
No. 4161, JP-A-3-247822, JP-A-4-3
No. 1507, JP-A-4-55178, JP-A-63-6
No. 1458, No. 2-8208, and No. 3-15
No. 781). Specifically, rough terrain cranes, crawler cranes, truck cranes, and the like include the fixed outriggers.

[0004] The fixed type outrigger can reduce the entire machine in weight and size, and can increase the amount of lifting load. However, since the vehicle is fixed to the ground, there is a disadvantage that mobility is impaired. .

As a technique for solving such inconvenience, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-66356 and Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 4-58590 have been proposed. These are proposals of an outrigger that allows the vehicle to travel while the outrigger is in a load state and the outrigger is in contact with the ground, and has a configuration in which the outrigger projects from the upper revolving unit, and the direction of the upper revolving unit and the upper revolving unit are integrated. When a load is applied to the moving arm, the fulcrum of the outrigger is located close to the load, so that there is an advantage that the arm is excellent in non-overturning property.

Next, remote control of the mobile manipulator will be described. This includes Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Sho 62-253877.
JP-A-64-21173, JP-A-2-17607
No. 5 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-117577 have been proposed. As a means for positioning while moving to a place to be mounted with a material, an operator is positioned near the place to be mounted without sitting in the driver's seat of the vehicle. Then, the mobile manipulator is remotely controlled while observing the relative distance between the material and the installation target place.

[0007]

Next, problems of the above prior art will be described. The feature that the vehicle can move with the outrigger in contact with the ground is described in
No. 58590.

However, when the revolving superstructure is located on the side of the vehicle body, the straightness and steering characteristics during traveling of the vehicle are extremely high due to the relationship between the position of the center of gravity of the entire vehicle, the load fulcrum, and the load. The disadvantage is that it gets worse. In some cases, the vehicle cannot travel straight or steer, that is, cannot travel. This is a phenomenon that cannot be avoided unless the position of the center of gravity and the load fulcrum are changed. In addition, since the direction of the outrigger, which extends from the upper revolving structure, is the same as the direction of the upper revolving structure, the outrigger is non-overturning in any turning direction only when the vehicle body is stationary. Outriggers, in other words, the outriggers are merely staples.

Next, proposals regarding remote control of a mobile manipulator (JP-A-62-253877 and JP-A-64-253877)
-21173, JP-A-2-17675 and JP-A-3-117577) merely describe "remote control", "remote control device", or "there is an advantage that the operator can work safely". The fact is that they stay and cannot understand well. For example, there is no description about fine operability or the like.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances of the prior art, and provides a mobile manipulator with an outrigger capable of ensuring straightness and steering even when the outrigger is running on a ground load or even when remotely operated. Aim.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object, a mobile manipulator with outriggers according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
Outrigger 20 which is freely extended forward and left and right from the longitudinal end of 0, and has wheels 21a and 21b with casters at a plurality of grounding portions, respectively, and the height of outrigger 20
Outrigger height adjusting means 30 for adjusting the plurality
Of the load on wheels 21a and 21b with casters
And an automatic equalizer means 22 for equalizing the image.

[0012]

According to the first aspect of the invention, the outrigger 20 is connected to the left and right sides.
Equipped with wheels 21a and 21b with casters on the ground
As a result, the ground load traveling by the outrigger 20
It becomes possible, and its caster function makes it straight and steerable.
Is more improved. Activate outrigger height adjustment means 30
By doing so, when the outrigger 20 is traveling with a ground load, a predetermined load can be shared between the predetermined left and right ground contact surfaces of the lower traveling body on the vehicle body side, so that a predetermined traction force can be obtained as well as improvement in straightness and steering performance. become. In addition, the outrigger 20
Load on the wheels 21a and 21b
An automatic equalizer means 22 for dynamically equalizing is added.
The right and left contact surfaces of the lower vehicle on the vehicle side
The load on the left and right sides can be made substantially uniform automatically. That is, running
Road surface undulation or detailed components of outrigger 20
Wheels 21a, 21b with casters
Even if it is difficult for the
It can be made almost uniform automatically. As a result, the left
Outrigger 20
Further improves straightness and steerability when driving with ground load
I do.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A crawler type mobile manipulator with outriggers according to an embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.

The outline will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3.

The outrigger 20 is connected via three fulcrums a, b1, and b2 in front of the running base 13 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body 10.
Is installed. The hydraulic cylinder 30 for adjusting the outrigger height is rotatably mounted at one end at a fulcrum a of the traveling unit base 13 and at the other end at a fulcrum c of the outrigger base 23. The rear of the outrigger gantry 23 is rotatably mounted at two fulcrums b1 and b2 of the traveling unit gantry 13.

The front part of the outrigger base 23 is fitted to the inner race of a bearing 24, and a left and right rocking plate 25 is fitted to the outer race of the bearing 24. Wheels 21 with casters are provided at the lower end of the front of the left and right rocking plate 25 at the lower left and right sides.
a, Outrigger lower strut 27a having a 21b, 27
b is mounted so as to be rotatable around the fulcrums d1 and d2 and protrudes.

Inside the upper swing body 14 of the vehicle body 10, a manipulator 40, a hydraulically operated valve for controlling a drive system of the vehicle body 10 and the outrigger 20, and the like are mounted. A multi-axis manipulator 40 is mounted on the upper surface of the upper swing body 14. The multi-axis manipulator 40 includes a first arm 41,
The second arm 42, the hydraulic cylinders 43 and 44 for the arm,
The parallel link 45 and 46, consists of the end effector frame 47 and end d Fekuta 48 etc., the remote control apparatus 50 is fixed to the end effector frame 47.

The remote control device 50 is connected to the hydraulic control valve 15 and the like by a cable 51. A command from an operation lever 52 on the remote control device 50 is transmitted to the hydraulic control valve 15 and the like via the cable 51. Can be

The main parts will be individually described below. First, the outrigger height adjusting means 30 will be described with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 1, both ends of the hydraulic cylinder 30 for adjusting the height of the outrigger are rotatable by a pin a at the center of the front of the traveling unit base 13 and a pin c at the upper center of the outrigger base 23. Axle mounted, outrigger base 2
3 are pins b1 on the left and right ends of the traveling unit base 13,
It is pivotally mounted at b2.

Therefore, when the hydraulic cylinder 30 for adjusting the height of the outriggers is extended and contracted, the outrigger base 23 moves up and down, so that the height of the wheels 21a and 21b with casters provided at the tip of the outrigger 20 can be adjusted.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a description will be given of the change in the position of the left and right ground contact surfaces (ie, the driving points of the vehicle) of the lower traveling body on the vehicle body side and the traction force thereof due to the outrigger height adjustment of the outrigger height adjustment means 30. .

The lower surface of the illustrated guide wheel 11a is located at a height h slightly higher than the lower surfaces of the two lower rolling wheels 12a1 and 12a2 and the starting wheel 16a.

FIG. 4 (A) shows that the center of gravity of all the vehicles is a down-wheel.
It shows a ground contact state when it is between 12a1 and the starting wheel 16a. However, when the manipulator 40 is loaded, the entire center of gravity position (the position and the weight are W, the same applies hereinafter) is located in front of the guide wheel 11a. At this time, the ground points P1, P3, P5 of the wheels 21a with casters
And the ground contact surfaces P2, P4, P6 of the crawler 17 on the vehicle body side
4 (B), FIG. 4 (C) and FIG. 4 (D) show changes in the load and each of the burden loads (also referred to as P1 to P6).

In the state shown in FIGS. 4 (B) to 4 (D), the position of the center of gravity W as a whole is determined by the caster wheels 21a and the guide wheels 11a.
When the outrigger 20 is raised and the wheels 21a with casters are slightly raised above the ground surface, the vehicle body 1
0 leans forward, and the fulcrum is P1 of the wheels 21a with casters,
This is P2 of the guide wheel 11a. A qualitative state between these two fulcrums P1 and P2 and the magnitudes P1 and P2 of the load is shown in FIG. In this state, the load P2 that the vehicle body 10 bears is the largest, and the driving force during traveling is also large.
1. Since P2 is approaching, the vehicle lacks stability.

Then, the outriggers 20 are stretched toward the ground, and the height of the outriggers 20 is gradually reduced.
The qualitative state of the fulcrum P2 of the vehicle body 10 and the shared load P2 is
The state changes from FIG. 4 (C) to FIG. 4 (D), that is, from the fulcrum P2 to the fulcrum P6 via the fulcrum P4.

In the case of FIG. 4D, the stability of the vehicle is good because the two fulcrums P5 and P6 are separated, but the running performance and the steering performance are slightly deteriorated because the additional load P6 on the vehicle body 10 is small. .

In the case of FIG. 4 (C), stability, running performance and steering performance are appropriate. As described above, according to the present embodiment, by selecting which case, stability, straight running, steering, and excessive tractive force can be appropriately selected.

Next, the equalizer 22 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2, 3 and 5. FIG. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a bearing 24 is provided at a front portion of the outrigger base 23.
The left and right rocking plate 25 is installed via the. The left and right swing plate 25 is supported rotatably around the x-axis on the basis of the outrigger base 23.

One end of each of the upper outrigger supports 26a and 26b and one end of each of the outrigger lower supports 27a and 27b are provided on the left and right sides of the front surface of the left and right rocking plate 25 with pins d.
1, e1, d2 and e2 are rotatably mounted on the shaft, and the other ends of the outrigger upper supports 26a and 26b and the substantially central upper surfaces of the outrigger lower supports 27a and 27b are pins f.
It is fixed at 1, f2. Outrigger lower support 27
a, wheels 21a with casters on the lower surface of the other end of 27b,
21b is mounted.

With the above configuration, the left and right rocking plate 25 is freely rotatable around the x-axis. Therefore, even if the outrigger 20 is pressed against the ground by the outrigger height adjusting hydraulic cylinder 30 and is pushed, the left and right caster wheels 21a, 21
The same load can be distributed to b, and the load can be evenly applied to the left and right contact surfaces of the lower traveling body on the vehicle body side. That is, this equalizer function makes it possible to ensure the straightness and the steering performance when the outrigger is traveling with the load on the ground.

Even if the wheels with casters 21a and 21b get over obstacles of different heights, the equalizing function can ensure the running performance.

FIG. 5 illustrates another embodiment of the equalizer 22. This is an example of the manual equalizer 22. The above-mentioned equalizer means 22 is shown in FIG.
It can be rotated left and right rocking plate 25 about the axis, and even if there is unevenness in the ground it is possible to automatically equalizer's. However, when there is no large unevenness like the indoor floor and it is not necessary to automatically equalize, as shown in FIG. 5, one of the left and right outrigger upper supports 26a and 26b is a turnbatter type. By turning this by hand, the left and right caster wheels 21a, 21b
May be evenly distributed.

FIG. 6 shows an outrigger 20 according to this embodiment.
It is a figure showing the storage state of. This is an example in which the wheels 21a, 21b with casters are stored manually, and the pins e1, e2, f at both ends of the outrigger upper supports 26a, 26b.
1, f2, and outrigger upper supports 26a, 26b
Is removed, the outrigger lower supports 27a, 27b are folded upward, pin-coupled using the pins and their pin holes, and stored.

Finally, the remote control device 50 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. The manipulator 40 of the present embodiment is a remote control device 50 having a lever on an end effector base 47 of a multi-axis manipulator.
Is provided.

The end effector base 47 maintains a constant posture even when the postures of the arms 41 and 42 change due to the action of the parallel links 45 and 46. The remote control device 50 fixed to the end effector base 47 includes:
As shown in FIG. 1, various operation levers 52 are arranged.

Hereinafter, remote control will be described with reference to the example of FIG. A lever 52 for moving forward and backward of the vehicle body 10 is mounted on the remote control device 50 of FIG. One end of a push-pull cable 51 is fixed to the lever 52, and the other end is connected to a spool 15 of a hydraulic directional control valve for forward / backward movement of the vehicle body 10. Therefore, when the lever 52 is moved, the forward / reverse signal is transmitted to the push-pull cable 51 as a force to move the spool 15. As a result, a traveling hydraulic motor (not shown) operates to rotate the starting wheel to move the vehicle back and forth.

The bush pull cable 51 transmits a command of force by the operator to the spool 15. In other words, the operator can sense the fine movement from the spool 15. So-called force feedback control is possible. The remote feedback medium need not be limited to the bush pull cable 51,
Other feedback media such as an electric type may be used. For example,
Obviously, an electric control valve, an electric cable and an electric command lever may be used when it is desired to steer from a very remote location where the bush pull cable cannot be lengthened.

The effects of the above embodiment will be described. In the above embodiment, good straightness and steering performance were obtained even when the outrigger was traveling on the ground load. Since the mobile manipulator has such an outrigger, remote control is possible, and as a result, high-precision positioning work can be quickly performed while visually recognizing the material in the vicinity.

[0040]

As described above, according to the mobile manipulator with outriggers of the present invention, good straightness and steering can be obtained even when the outriggers are traveling on a ground load. Of course, remote control is also possible, and as a result, high-precision positioning work can be performed speedily while visually recognizing the material in the vicinity.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall view of a crawler type mobile manipulator with outriggers according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged side view of an outrigger in the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged front view of an outrigger in the embodiment.

4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating a change in a fulcrum position and load sharing by adjusting the height of the outrigger, wherein FIG. 4A shows a state in which the outrigger is unloaded, FIG. (C) is a view showing a state in which the outrigger is further lowered under load, and (D) is a view showing a state in which the outrigger is further lowered under load.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of an equalizer means substituted by a turnbuckle.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of storing an outrigger.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a remote control device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Body 11a, 11b Guide wheel 12a, 12b Roller down wheel 20 Outrigger 21a, 21b Wheel with a caster 22 Equalizer means 30 Outrigger height adjustment means 40 Manipulator 50 Remote control device

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-50-154940 (JP, A) JP-A-2-227355 (JP, A) JP-A-4-66356 (JP, A) 44498 (JP, U) Fully open Showa 53-12137 (JP, U) Fully open Showa 61-187781 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B60S 9/00-9 / 215 B66C 23/78

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A longitudinal direction of a vehicle body 10.Forward from the endLeft and right
Overhanging,MultipleCasters on the grounding part of each
An outrigger 20 having wheels 21a and 21b,  Outrigger 20Adjust the height of theOutrigger height
Adjusting means 30, Sharing to the plurality of wheels 21a and 21b with casters
Automatic equalizer means 22 for automatically equalizing the weight
 Movement with outriggers, characterized by comprising
Expression manipulator.