JP3421290B2 - Wheels for omnidirectional vehicles - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a wheel for an omnidirectional mobile vehicle, and more particularly, to a robot, an AGV (automatic guided vehicle), an automobile, or other flatland traveling mechanism that moves in all directions on a plane. TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an omnidirectional vehicle wheel suitable for use in an omnidirectional vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a mobile robot traveling on a plane is required to have stability in traveling, and when it is necessary to perform an action in a narrow environment or to work in cooperation with other robots,
It is desirable to be able to freely control its own posture and position in all directions, and there have been many studies on robots that can move in all directions.

That is, an omnidirectional mobile robot traveling on a plane has a total of 3 degrees of freedom, ie, 2 degrees of freedom of translation for moving in the X-axis direction and Y-axis direction, and 1 degree of freedom for rotating about the Z-axis. It must be possible to exercise with a degree of freedom.

As a wheel of an omnidirectional vehicle such as an omnidirectional mobile robot, that is, a wheel for an omnidirectional vehicle, friction with a ground contact surface such as a floor surface in a specific direction is similar to a normal wheel. While generating driving force by
Wheels that do not generate a force (release a load) in a direction orthogonal to the specific direction are often used.

Up to now, a wheel for an omnidirectional vehicle is constructed by using a free roller (the "free roller" is a roller that idles like a caster around its axis). Various mechanisms have been proposed.

That is, as an omnidirectional vehicle wheel using a free roller, for example, one type of free roller is formed in a double row, or a barrel-shaped wheel having a bulging central portion along the axial direction. It is known that a barrel type free roller provided with and a cylindrical type free roller are combined.

However, in an omnidirectional vehicle wheel having one type of free roller arranged in a double row, the grounding point of the omnidirectional vehicle wheel on the ground surface such as the floor surface is the omnidirectional vehicle. Since the tread (distance between wheels) of the omnidirectional vehicle changes as the wheel changes in the axial direction as the wheel rotates, odometry (estimation of distance moved and direction) becomes inaccurate. There was a problem.

Further, in an omnidirectional vehicle wheel constructed by combining a barrel-shaped free roller and a cylindrical free roller, there is a portion where the outer shape of the omnidirectional vehicle wheel does not coincide with a circle. , When the omnidirectional mobile vehicle wheel is rotated about the axis of the omnidirectional mobile vehicle wheel, the omnidirectional mobile vehicle wheel comes into contact with a grounding surface such as a floor surface and the omnidirectional mobile vehicle wheel. There is a problem in that the distance between and is not always constant and stable driving cannot be performed.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned various problems of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to solve all problems in a ground contact surface such as a floor surface. It is possible to maintain the tread of the omnidirectional vehicle constant by ensuring that the ground contact point of the omnidirectional vehicle wheel does not change in the axial direction with the rotation of the omnidirectional vehicle wheel. The present invention is intended to provide a wheel for an omnidirectional vehicle capable of realizing excellent odometry.

Further, an object of the present invention is to make the outer shape of the omnidirectional vehicle wheel extremely close to a circle so that the omnidirectional vehicle wheel can be rotated around the axis of the omnidirectional vehicle wheel. When the wheel is rotated, it is possible to always maintain a constant distance between the omnidirectional mobile vehicle wheel and the ground surface, such as the floor surface on which the omnidirectional mobile vehicle wheel touches the ground. The present invention is intended to provide a wheel for an omnidirectional mobile vehicle that is made possible.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object, the wheel for an omnidirectional vehicle according to the present invention has different diameters, that is, two types of barrel-shaped free rollers having a large diameter and a small diameter. By alternately arranging the shafts and bearings of the large-diameter barrel free roller and a part of the small-diameter barrel free roller inside the large-diameter barrel free roller, a void is formed. In addition, by setting the curvature of each barrel type free roller to match the curvature of the circle, it is possible to configure a wheel for omnidirectional vehicles consisting of a single row of barrel type free rollers whose outer shape is very close to a circle. It is the one.

Therefore, according to the wheel for an omnidirectional vehicle according to the present invention, as described above, the wheel for an omnidirectional vehicle can be constituted by a single row of barrel-shaped free rollers, so that the wheel surface of the omnidirectional wheel can be contacted. The grounding point of the wheel for omnidirectional vehicles on the ground is always on the outer shape of a single row barrel type free roller,
Since the ground contact point does not change in the axial direction with the rotation of the omnidirectional vehicle wheel, the tread of the omnidirectional vehicle can be maintained constant, and accurate odometry can be obtained. become.

Further, according to the omnidirectional mobile vehicle wheel of the present invention, as described above, the outer shape thereof is extremely close to a circle, and therefore, the omnidirectional mobile vehicle wheel is provided with the omnidirectional vehicle around the axis thereof. It is possible to maintain a constant distance between the omnidirectional mobile vehicle wheel and the ground contact surface such as the floor surface on which the omnidirectional mobile vehicle wheel contacts when the mobile vehicle wheel is rotated. You will be able to run the same.

That is, the invention according to claim 1 of the present invention is a wheel for an omnidirectional vehicle used for an omnidirectional vehicle which moves in all directions on a plane, and has a curvature whose outer shape matches the curvature of a circle. A first barrel-shaped free roller having a bulge in the central portion in the axial direction, and a cavity formed in the region of both end portions on the inner diameter side, and the outer shape having a curvature matched with the curvature of the circle. A second barrel-shaped free roller having a diameter larger than that of the first barrel-shaped free roller, the central portion of which is bulged, and the first barrel-shaped free roller and the second barrel-shaped free roller. And so that a part of the first barrel-shaped free roller is located in the void formed in the second barrel-shaped free roller, the axial direction is orthogonal to the drive shaft, and the outer shape is Alternated with each other to form a circle Than it is.

In the invention according to claim 2 of the present invention, in the omnidirectional vehicle wheel used for the omnidirectional vehicle that moves in all directions on a plane, the drive shaft is orthogonal to the central portion. A plate-shaped member that is arranged, a U-shaped arm that opens toward the outer diameter side of the plate-shaped member, and the opening direction is orthogonal to the drive axis, and protrudes into the center of the arm. Support members provided with a plurality of mounting portions, which are arranged at the outer peripheral edge portion of the plate-shaped member via the mounting portions, and are orthogonal to the drive shaft between the arm portions of the supporting member. The first support shaft is rotatably supported by the first support shaft and the first support shaft is bulged at the central portion in the axial direction with a curvature matching the curvature of the circle. Barrel-shaped free roller, above the arm and the other of the one support member adjacent to each other A second shaft arranged to be perpendicular to the drive shaft between the arms of the support member,
It is rotatably supported by the second support shaft, has cavities formed in the regions at both ends on the inner diameter side, and has an outer shape having a curvature that matches the curvature of the circle, and the central portion in the axial direction swells. And a second barrel-shaped free roller having a larger diameter than the first barrel-shaped free roller, the first barrel-shaped free roller and the second barrel-shaped free roller being the second barrel-shaped free roller.
No. 1 in the void formed in the barrel-shaped free roller
The barrel-shaped free rollers are arranged alternately so that the axial direction is orthogonal to the drive shaft and the outer shape forms a circumference.

[0016]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An example of an embodiment of an omnidirectional vehicle wheel according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a front view of an embodiment of an omnidirectional vehicle wheel according to the present invention, FIG. 2 shows a side view of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 shows. A in FIG.
An enlarged cross-sectional view of the portion is shown, and FIG. 4 is a configuration explanatory view showing a part of the configuration of FIG. 2 by a skeleton.

This omnidirectional vehicle wheel 10 has a circular plate-shaped member 12 fixedly arranged so that a drive shaft 11 penetrates in a central portion so as to intersect at right angles, and an outer diameter direction of the plate-shaped member 12. The drive shaft 1 opens toward the side and the opening direction is
U-shaped arm portion 14a orthogonal to 1 and the arm portion 1
4a, which is provided with a mounting portion 14b formed in the central portion of the support member 4a, is disposed at an outer peripheral edge portion of the plate-shaped member 12 through the mounting portions 14b at equal intervals, and six supporting members 14 are provided.
The first barrel 16 arranged between the U-shaped arms 14a of the U-shaped arm portion 14a so as to be orthogonal to the drive shaft 11 and the first barrel rotatably supported by the first spindle 16 via a bearing 18. The mold free roller 20 and the second support shaft 2 arranged so as to be orthogonal to the drive shaft 11 between the shoulder portion 14c of the one arm portion 14a and the shoulder portion 14c of the other arm portion 14a that are adjacent to each other.
2 and a second barrel-shaped free roller 26 rotatably supported on the second support shaft 22 via a bearing 24.

Therefore, the first barrel-shaped free roller 20 and the second barrel-shaped free roller 26 are arranged so that their axial directions are orthogonal to the drive shaft 11.

The first barrel type free roller 20 and the second barrel type free roller 20
The barrel-shaped free roller 26 is formed in a barrel shape in which the outer shape has a curvature that matches the curvature of a circle and the central portion in the axial direction bulges, and the barrel-shaped free rollers 26 are alternately arranged so as to form a circumference. It is what is done.

Here, the first barrel type free roller 20 is composed of an inner diameter side member 20a made of metal located on the inner diameter side and an outer diameter side member 20b made of rubber located on the outer diameter side. The mold free roller 26 is composed of an inner diameter side member 26a made of metal located on the inner diameter side and an outer diameter side member 26b made of rubber located on the outer diameter side.

Further, the first barrel type free roller 20 and the second barrel type free roller 20
The barrel-shaped free roller 26 is formed such that the first barrel-shaped free roller 20 is axially longer than the second barrel-shaped free roller 26, while the barrel-shaped free roller 26 is the second barrel-shaped free roller 26. Is formed so as to have a larger diameter in the radial direction than the first barrel type free roller 20.

That is, the axial length of the first barrel free roller 20 is "L1", the radial length of the first barrel free roller 20 is "R1", and the second barrel free roller 26 is When the axial length of the above is “L2” and the radial length of the second barrel type free roller 26 is “R2”, L1> L2 and R1 <R2 are set.

Further, the second barrel type free roller 26 locks the bearing 24 at a central portion along the axial direction of the inner diameter side member 26a, and is axially supported by the second support shaft 22 via the bearing 24. The regions at both ends except for the central portion where the bearing 24 is locked are hollow spaces 26c. That is, the space 26c is formed in the region of both ends on the inner diameter side of the second barrel-shaped free roller 26.

As described above, the first barrel-shaped free roller 20 and the second barrel-shaped free roller 26 are "R1.
Since the radial length is set so that <R2] is satisfied, the support member 14, the first support shaft 16, the bearing 18, and the first barrel are provided in the space 26c of the second barrel free roller 26. Of the various members of the mold free roller 20, the portion located near the shoulder portion 14c of the support member 14 can be accommodated.

Further, the curvature of the first barrel type free roller 20 and the curvature of the second barrel type free roller 26 are the same as the first barrel as the omnidirectional vehicle wheel 10 as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4. A locus on the outermost diameter side when the mold free roller 20 and the second barrel free roller 26 are assembled, that is,
The outer shape has a curvature that matches the circle.

The dimensions of L1, L2, R1 and R2 are such that the diameter D of the omnidirectional vehicle wheel 10 is 200
mm, for example, “L1 = 59 mm”, “R1 =
30mm "," L2 = 40mm "," R2 = 45mm "
However, it goes without saying that the dimensions of these members are appropriately changed and set according to the diameter D of the omnidirectional vehicle wheel 10.

In order to assemble the omnidirectional vehicle wheel 10 having the above-described structure, the support member 14 and the first member are divided into the parts which are divided in advance by the dividing line OO indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. The support shaft 16, the bearing 18, the first barrel free roller 20, the second support shaft 22, the bearing 24, and the second barrel free roller 26 are assembled to form two sets of units.

Two sets of units each having three supporting members 14 assembled with the respective members in this manner are integrally assembled while fixing the mounting portions 14b of the respective supporting members 14 to the outer peripheral edge portion of the plate member 12. It is a thing.

Since the omnidirectional vehicle wheel 10 assembled as described above has an outer shape that is extremely close to a circle, it is omnidirectional around the drive shaft 11 of the omnidirectional vehicle wheel 10. When the moving vehicle wheel 10 is rotated, it is possible to always maintain a constant distance between the omnidirectional moving vehicle wheel 10 and a contact surface such as a floor surface on which the omnidirectional moving vehicle wheel 10 contacts the ground. You will be able to run stably.

The omnidirectional vehicle wheel 10 is constructed by combining the first barrel type free roller 20 and the second barrel type free roller 26 in the single row with respect to the axial direction of the drive shaft 11. Therefore, the ground contact point of the omnidirectional mobile vehicle wheel 10 on the ground surface such as the floor surface is always on the circumference of the outer shape of the omnidirectional mobile vehicle wheel 10, and the omnidirectional mobile vehicle wheel 1
Since the ground contact point does not change in the axial direction with the rotation of 0, it is possible to maintain the tread of the omnidirectional vehicle equipped with the omnidirectional vehicle wheel 10 constant.
You will be able to get accurate odometry.

The above-described embodiment may be appropriately modified as shown in the following (1) to (5).

(1) In the above embodiment, the first barrel type free roller 20 and the second barrel type free roller 2
Regarding the material of 6, the inner diameter side members 20a and 26a are made of metal and the outer diameter side members 20b and 26b are made of rubber, but the material is not limited to this, and rubber may be used depending on the application. Of course, various materials such as plastic and metal can be appropriately selected and used.

(2) In the above embodiment, when the first barrel type free roller 20 or the second barrel type free roller 26 is constructed, the inner diameter side member 20a (26a) is formed.
It is needless to say that the outer diameter side member 20b (26b) and the outer diameter side member 20b may not be divided and configured integrally.

(3) In the above embodiment, the first barrel type free roller 20 is formed so as to be longer in the axial direction than the second barrel type free roller 26, but the present invention is not limited to this. No, first barrel type free roller 20
And the second barrel free roller 26 may be formed so as to have the same axial length, and the second barrel free roller 26 is more axial than the first barrel free roller 20. You may form so that it may become long.

(4) In the above embodiment, the first barrel type free roller 20 and the second barrel type free roller 2
Although 6 and 6 are arranged respectively, the number is not limited to this, and the first barrel-shaped free roller 20 and the second barrel-shaped free roller 26 are arranged in arbitrary numbers (plurality). You may do it. The larger the diameter D of the omnidirectional vehicle wheel 10 is, the first barrel-shaped free roller 20 that constitutes the omnidirectional vehicle wheel 10 is formed.
It is preferable to increase the number of the second barrel type free rollers 26.

(5) The above-described embodiments and the modifications of (1) to (4) described above may be appropriately combined.

[0038]

Since the present invention is constructed as described above, the ground contact point of the wheel for an omnidirectional vehicle on the ground contact surface such as a floor surface is axially aligned with the rotation of the wheel for an omnidirectional vehicle. It is possible to maintain the tread of the omnidirectional vehicle constant, without changing to, and it is possible to achieve accurate odometry, which is an excellent effect.

Further, since the present invention is configured as described above, the outer shape of the omnidirectional vehicle wheel is extremely close to a circle, and the omnidirectional vehicle wheel has an outer circumference around the axis thereof. When the omnidirectional mobile vehicle wheel is rotated, the distance between the omnidirectional mobile vehicle wheel and a grounding surface such as a floor surface on which the omnidirectional mobile vehicle wheel comes into contact can be always maintained constant. Therefore, the excellent effect of being able to realize stable running can be achieved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of an example of an embodiment of an omnidirectional vehicle wheel according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of FIG.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion A in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a configuration explanatory view showing a part of the configuration of FIG. 2 as a skeleton.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Wheels for omnidirectional vehicles 11 drive shaft 12 Plate-shaped members 14 Support members 14a Arm 14b Mounting part 14c shoulder 16 First support shaft 18 bearings 20 1st barrel type free roller 20a, 26a Inner diameter side member 20b, 26b outer diameter side member 22 Second support shaft 24 bearings 26 2nd barrel type free roller 26c vacant place

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── --- Continued from the front page (72) Inventor Masatoshi Sato 12-201, Sakae, Katsuhata, Saori-cho, Kaifu-gun, Aichi (56) References JP-A-63-149270 (JP, A) JP-A-3-178801 (JP, A) JP-A-5-270202 (JP, A) JP-A-6-227205 (JP, A) Actual development Sho 62-74002 (JP, U) International publication 93/002872 (WO, A1) (58) ) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B60B 19/00

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A wheel for an omnidirectional vehicle that is used for an omnidirectional vehicle that moves in all directions on a plane, wherein an outer shape has a curvature that matches a curvature of a circle, and a central portion in an axial direction swells. Barrel-shaped free roller, and the first barrel in which a hollow is formed in the region of both ends on the inner diameter side, and the outer shape has a curvature that matches the curvature of the circle and the central portion in the axial direction bulges out. A second barrel free roller having a diameter larger than that of the mold free roller, and the first barrel free roller and the second barrel free roller are formed in the second barrel free roller. A part of the first barrel-shaped free roller is located in the vacant space, the axial direction is orthogonal to the drive shaft, and the outer shapes form a circumference and are alternately arranged. This is a wheel for omnidirectional mobile vehicles. 2. In an omnidirectional vehicle wheel used for an omnidirectional vehicle that travels in all directions on a plane, a plate-shaped member arranged so that its drive shafts are orthogonal to each other in a central portion, and a plate-shaped member of the plate-shaped member. The plate-shaped member is provided with a U-shaped arm portion opening toward the outer diameter side and having an opening direction orthogonal to the drive shaft, and a mounting portion projectingly formed in a central portion of the arm portion. A plurality of support members arranged at the outer peripheral edge of the support member via the mounting portion; a first support shaft arranged between the arm portions of the support member so as to be orthogonal to the drive shaft; A first barrel-shaped free roller that is rotatably supported by a single support shaft and has an outer shape that has a curvature that matches the curvature of a circle and that has an axially central portion that bulges; The drive shaft between the arm of the member and the arm of the other supporting member. A second support shaft arranged so as to be orthogonal to each other, and a second support shaft rotatably supported by the second support shaft, and a space is formed in both end regions on the inner diameter side, and the outer shape is the circle. A second barrel-shaped free roller having a curvature that matches that of the curvature and having an axially central portion bulging and having a diameter larger than that of the first barrel-shaped free roller; A roller and the second barrel-shaped free roller are arranged such that a part of the first barrel-shaped free roller is located in the void formed in the second barrel-shaped free roller, and the axial direction is A wheel for an omnidirectional vehicle that is orthogonal to the drive shaft and is alternately arranged so that its outer shape forms a circumference.