JP3770073B2 - Remote mobile robot - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a remote mobile robot, and more particularly to a remote mobile robot suitable for work such as inspection of a narrow part of a room where a normal person cannot enter such as a nuclear facility.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, a surveillance inspection robot which is mounted with a sensor such as a TV camera and moved as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 58-76799 “Reactor containment monitoring device” or Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-230094 “Reactor monitoring device”. The concept of was shown. In addition, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 05-065704, “Bypass Inspection Device”, the concept of a working device is shown in which a movable vehicle is provided with a telescopic boom, a turning mechanism, an arm mechanism, and the like to change the position and orientation of the sensor at the tip. It was.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, there has not been much consideration for a simple mechanism that can safely and reliably check a narrow part in a narrow place and is composed of the minimum necessary equipment.
[0004]
An object of the present invention is to provide a simple robot that can perform operations such as inspection of a narrow part safely and reliably in a narrow place, and is configured with a minimum number of devices.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The basic constitutional requirement of the means for solving the problems of the present invention is to fix a drum pulling a cable coming out of a robot body in a traveling robot having a carriage in which the robot body travels along a traveling rail. Provided on the station side, Bent horizontally or vertically At the corner of the traveling rail, a cable is attached to the inside of the corner outside the traveling rail and when the carriage bends the corner. Caught The guide pole is arranged to be guided.
[0026]
According to the basic configuration requirements of the present invention The robot body comes out of a traveling robot body having a carriage that travels along the traveling rail Pull the cable Since the drum is installed on the fixed station side, the cable does not sag and get caught in the surrounding obstacles. Further, by arranging the guide pole at the corner portion of the traveling rail so that the cable is guided when the carriage is bent, the cable is not rubbed or tangled with devices other than the guide pole. Therefore, even in a narrow place, the robot body can enter the back safely and reliably, and operations such as inspection of the narrow portion can be performed. Further, since the guide poles are only provided in some places as equipment, it is possible to configure the equipment from the minimum necessary equipment with simple equipment.
[0048]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B show a basic embodiment of a traveling robot to which the present invention is applied.
[0049]
The robot body 20 has a carriage that can move along the rail 10, and a cable 30 extends from the robot body 20 and is wound around a drum 40. The cable 30 may be a communication cable between the robot body and the operation unit, a cable for transmitting video, or a signal cable in which video and control information are superimposed. Further, not only communication but also power supply for the robot body may be used.
[0050]
In FIG. 1B, the robot body 20 opens the shutter 109, the movable rail 11 is connected to the fixed rail 10 from the insertion device 100 on the fixed station side, and the robot body 20 is transferred from the movable rail 11 to the fixed rail 10.
[0051]
The cable 30 is always wound around the drum 40 with low tension. When the robot body 20 moves forward, the drum 40 sends out a cable, and when the robot body 20 moves backward, the slack cable 30 is wound around the drum 40. Since the drum 40 always winds the cable 30 with a low tension, if the robot body 20 performs such an operation, the cable 30 is automatically wound around the drum 40 or sent out.
[0052]
Since FIG. 1 (b) shows the situation near the entrance opening 1 of the room, the cable 30 is stretched in a straight line, but the rail 10 is not only a straight line but also a rail route that is bent horizontally or vertically. There is also. In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 1A, when the guide pole 50 of the present invention is provided at the corner portion of the rail 10, the cable 30 is caught by the guide pole 50 and guided when the robot body 20 bends the corner portion. Will be.
[0053]
By providing such a guide pole 50 at the corner portion of the rail 10, a complicatedly bent rail route room can be safely and reliably processed without causing the cable to be entangled or disconnected.
[0054]
FIG. 2 is an example of a cross-sectional structure of the cable 30 to which the present invention is applied. For example, the wire 33 is disposed at the center as a strength member that can withstand tension, and the insulated conductor 32 is disposed around the wire 33. This is an example in which a Teflon material is used as the low friction member for the outermost peripheral coating 31 in the cable cross section.
[0055]
Even if a cable like this embodiment is caught by a guide pole 50 as shown in FIG. 1A and slips, the outer surface is Teflon and the coefficient of friction is low, so the sliding resistance is reduced. It becomes possible to reduce the winding force of the drum 40 and make it compact.
[0056]
FIG. 3 shows a basic embodiment of a guide pole having a low frictional resistance. A rotating member 51 is provided outside the guide pole shaft center 50. Since the cable 30 is in contact with the rotating member 51, the rotating member 51 rotates around the axis 50 when the cable moves. The rotating member 51 is smoothly rotated so that the cable is smoothly guided.
[0057]
Similarly, since the traction force of the cable can be reduced, the robot body and the drum can be reduced. Here, the rotating member 51 may have a rosary shape and the cable 50 may be bent so that there is no gap where the cable directly contacts the shaft 50. It is good to devise.
[0058]
In addition, a rotation member that smoothly guides the cable while rotating the cable may be provided only at a place where the position where the cable is applied is always determined in advance as vertical bending or horizontal bending.
[0059]
FIG. 4 shows a basic embodiment in which a drum is controlled by providing a detection sensor for detecting cable tension. The cable tension sensor may be provided on the robot body 20 side or on the drum 40 side. Of course, you may provide in both.
[0060]
In an example of the robot body side, the cable 30 is held by the lever 22, and the lever 22 and the cable are pulled by the spring 23 in balance with the tension of the cable 30. Here, if the movement of the lever 22 is detected as the rotation angle of the rotation 21, the rotation angle indicates the magnitude of the tension balanced with the spring 23.
[0061]
On the other hand, in one embodiment of the drum side, the reaction force of the pulley 41 on which the cable 30 is applied is detected by the load cell 42. The cable tension can be detected by detecting the reaction force of the pulley 41 with the load cell 42. If the tension of the cable 30 can be detected, the drum 40 can be rotationally driven and controlled so that the tension is constant, and since the tension is directly detected and controlled, a low tension is maintained while keeping the tension stable and constant. Control can be realized.
[0062]
FIG. 5 shows a basic embodiment of a control system for controlling drum driving in accordance with the movement distance of the robot body. The robot body 20 that moves along the rail 10 is a bent rail portion on the way, and the cable 30 is guided by guide poles 50a, 50b, and 50c. The cable 30 is guided and wound around the drum 40.
[0063]
The robot body 20 has a sensor of where it is currently on the rail 10, and the sensing information is transmitted from the cable 30 to the robot controller 29 from a slip ring 39 provided on the drum 40.
[0064]
On the other hand, the drive control of the drum 40 is such that the motor 43 is driven by the amplifier driver 46 or the rotation speed of the drum is detected by the encoder 44 and the drum controller 45 is fed back.
[0065]
This makes it possible to stably control the rotation speed (rotation angle) of the drum. In addition, since the control device 29 of the robot main body has current position information on the rail 10 of the robot main body 20, the information can be input to the drum control device 45, so that the drum can be changed according to the current position of the robot. Winding and feeding control is possible.
[0066]
Here, the current position of the robot body 20 on the rail 10 corresponds to the length of the rail 10, and the length of the cable 30 is the total length of the guided cables of the guide poles 50a, 50b, 50c. Since it does not necessarily match the length, by preparing the correspondence data between the current position of the robot body and the cable length at that position in advance for each rail route, it can be immediately converted from the current position of the robot to the required cable length. Therefore, it is preferable to control the rotation angle of the drum necessary for the cable length. This correspondence data may be provided in the robot control device 29 or in the drum control device 45.
[0067]
FIG. 6 shows a basic embodiment in which drum control is performed using both the position information of the robot body and the cable tension information. The cable tension on the robot body 20 side is detected by the lever 22 and the rotation angle sensor 21, and the result is transmitted to the robot controller 29 by communication via the cable 30. In the same manner as described above, it is sent to the drum controller 45.
[0068]
As for the tension on the drum side, the reaction force of the pulley 41 is detected by the load cell 42 and the data is directly input to the drum controller 45. Here, the drum control device sends out the necessary cable length based on the current position information of the robot 20 and always detects the cable tension on the robot side and the cable tension on the drum side, so that an abnormally high tension is not applied to the cable. Change the rotation control as needed.
[0069]
As a result, the cable can be wound and fed out safely and reliably. Furthermore, the drum control device may perform drum control with good responsiveness so as to compensate for the operation delay of the drum 40 by the control predicted in advance by receiving an operation command from the robot control device to the robot 20 in advance or simultaneously. .
[0070]
FIG. 7 shows an embodiment of a telescopic arm type manipulator provided with the visual device of the present invention. The robot insertion unit 100 shows a state in which the arm composed of the extendable arms 200a and 200b is inserted into the room from the opening 1.
[0071]
Since each arm 200a and 200b is a telescopic pole, it is a robot that can be expanded and contracted, and can be rotated, and the joint of the two arms can be rotated vertically and horizontally, and the position of the tip can be remotely controlled arbitrarily.
[0072]
In this embodiment, a visual device is provided at the tip of the arm. However, when a camera with a zoom lens is provided, the arm is greatly bent due to its heavy weight. Moreover, since the load at the time of arm drive becomes large, the visual apparatus of this invention becomes effective.
[0073]
That is, in this embodiment, the imaging device 60a is provided with the wide-angle lens 61, and the imaging device 60b is provided with two visual devices with the telephoto lens 62. This is because a single camera such as a CCD is light and small, so even if two cameras are mounted, there is no significant load. If the lens is also a zoom lens, it is not easy to manufacture a light lens with a motor or lens constraints.
[0074]
On the other hand, if it is a fixed focus lens, since a small and lightweight thing can be manufactured easily, two imaging devices each provided with two necessary lenses in advance are mounted. As a result, it is possible to easily obtain a small and lightweight visual device having both the wide-angle and telephoto functions of the zoom lens. The images from the two imaging devices may be viewed simultaneously on two monitors, or only the images from one imaging device may be viewed by switching.
[0075]
FIG. 8 shows a basic embodiment in which two or more lenses are provided and the image pickup apparatus is shared by one unit. The wide-angle lens 61 and the telephoto lens 62 are arranged side by side, and one image pickup device 60 is provided at the tip of the actuator 63 so that either lens can be switched to pick up an image. This is effective when the image pickup apparatus is special, such as an infrared camera, because one unit may be large and heavy.
[0076]
FIG. 9 shows a basic embodiment of an expansion / contraction mechanism that can increase the expansion / contraction driving force of the remote robot. The telescopic poles 201, 202, and 203 have a cylindrical member that can be expanded and contracted. The driving is performed by fixing the ends of the belts 204a and 204b to the tip of the pole 201, and the belts 204a and 204b are connected to the drum 205a. And 205b.
[0077]
Here, the belts 204a and 204b are easy to bend in the direction of being wound around the drum and difficult to bend in the opposite direction, so that the belt 204a and 204b can be easily taken up by the drum, and the rigidity in the extended state can be increased. It becomes possible. If the belts 204a and 204b are made of a steel plate having a curved cross section such as a convex, such characteristics can be obtained. Or you may use the chain which provided the packing so that it might not bend on the opposite side.
[0078]
Further, when the belts 204a and 204b are extended in the telescopic poles, the back-to-back portions are slackened and sufficient rigidity cannot be obtained, so what is necessary if guide portions 201s and 202s are provided at the base of each pole? Even if it becomes a stepped telescopic pole, it can be driven without loosening.
[0079]
The guide portion may be provided with a slit through which the belt passes in the bottom plate of each pole, or may be provided with a small roller and can be guided smoothly. The slit structure is a simple and easy method. If the drums 205a and 205b are driven and controlled by a motor, a light and long telescopic pole drive mechanism can be obtained. A driving unit for moving the belt may be provided.
[0080]
FIG. 10 shows a basic embodiment in the case where a functional surface that is bonded to the belt mating surface is provided. When peeling off, it is peeled off by being wound around drums 205a and 205b. In the case of extruding, the functional surfaces are adhered by pressing with the pressure rollers 206a and 206b immediately after being combined.
[0081]
If the pressure rollers 206a and 206b are driven drums in this configuration, the drive can be driven with a high rigidity at the base. Also, the belt may be uneven, or holes may be provided so that the drive rollers 206a and 206b are also uneven, and the belt unevenness and the drum are caught in the holes to transmit a larger driving force to the belt. Good.
[0082]
FIG. 11 shows a basic embodiment of a floor running robot to which the present invention is applied that enables light cable processing. The extension arm 200 can be inserted from the opening 1 of the room by the insertion mechanism 100. The telescopic arm can be expanded and contracted before and after the stroke S.
[0083]
A visual sensor 65 is attached to a pan / tilt mechanism having rotation axes θ 1 and θ 2 at the tip of the telescopic arm 200. This may be a TV camera or a special imaging device. It is possible to image the inside of the room with the rotation axes θ1 and θ2. The telescopic arm 200 is guided by a cable 30 via a pulley 48 and is connected to the traveling robot body 20 and the cable drum 40. The arm 200 may not be expanded and contracted, and a long pole may be manually inserted.
[0084]
Up until now, when the traveling robot ran on the floor, the cable could get entangled, so it could not be moved freely. However, if the present invention is applied, the traveling robot body 20 freely travels on the floor surface. It becomes possible. In the present invention, the cable is attached to the cable outlet portion of the robot body 20 via, for example, a slip ring so that the cable can rotate, and the cable 30 is always wound around the drum 40 with a low tension.
[0085]
As a result, it is possible to always have an appropriate length so that the cable does not become entangled no matter where it runs in the room. Further, a part 26 that is a target of the imaging apparatus such as a lamp is provided in the robot body, and the current position of the robot body is obtained by photographing the part 26 with the imaging apparatus 65.
[0086]
FIG. 13 shows an example of a captured image, where 26 g is an image of the target lamp 26. Since the position in the image of the target in the screen can be obtained from the image data by image processing, the angle θ1, θ2 of the pan / tilt mechanism, the stroke S of the telescopic arm, the position of the opening 1 and the positional relationship between the floor surface are further determined. If it is known, the position of the target 26 (point A) on the floor is obtained from the geometric calculation, so the position of the pulley 48 (point B) is also known, so the length of the line segment AB is obtained, and from that length If the coil winding and feeding amount of the drum 40 is controlled, the right cable length can always be easily maintained.
[0087]
The position detection accuracy depends on the resolution of the imaging device and the angle of view of the lens system, but there are also setting errors of the device, so after the imaging device is inserted, the part that becomes the reference of the room such as the corner of the corner of the room is photographed. It is preferable to first calibrate the accurate position and orientation of the imaging apparatus in the room in correspondence with the CAD data of the room prepared in advance.
[0088]
If only the position detection in which the target 26 provided on the robot body 20 is captured by the imaging device 65, the robot body 20 may not be photographed by the imaging device depending on the location of the object or the location of the robot body 20, for example, a gyro sensor or a wall It also has accumulated position detection data such as a distance sensor that measures the distance from the vehicle, and counts the number of rotations of the left and right traveling wheels or crawlers. By properly using both in the way of configuring, it is possible to continue to correctly detect the position even if it enters the shadow of the thing, and to control the appropriate cable length according to the result.
[0089]
FIG. 12 shows a basic embodiment in the case of combining the robot position detection and the cable tension detection. The cable 30 is wound around the drum 40 from the target 26 (point A) of the robot body 20 via the pulley 48 (point B), and the reaction force of the pulley 41 can be detected by the load cell 42 on the way. Thus, the cable tension on the drum side can be detected.
[0090]
The position data of the robot body also includes data obtained as a result of image processing of the image pickup device 65, which is input to the robot control device 29 or the drum control device 45, and the necessary cable length is calculated to control the rotation angle of the cable drum 40. Driven. Information of the integrating sensor of the robot body 20 is transmitted from the slip ring 39 of the drum 40 to the robot control device 29 via the cable 30 and similarly utilized as position information for drum control.
[0091]
The signal of the load cell 42 that detects the cable reaction force is input to the drum controller 45. For example, if the cable is tangled with an object and the calculated cable length is shortened, and the cable is temporarily stretched, the tension increases. So, if the tension exceeds the specified tension, the drum cable should be sent out, or if the actual cable length differs greatly from the cable length calculated by controlling the drum so that the tension is always constant. Since there is a possibility of an abnormality such as a tangled state, abnormality detection control such as notifying the operator with an alarm may be performed in that case.
[0092]
Further, the operator may be forced to switch between low tension control and control to match the cable length. In a space where there is nothing, the cable length is calculated and sent out, and when the cable is caught on a pillar or object and the cable path is other than a straight line, operation can be switched to low tension control instead of cable length control. It is good to do so.
[0093]
The pulley 48 is driven by a motor in synchronism with the drum 40, so that the cable can be smoothly fed and wound. The pulley 48 preferably has a mechanism for pinching the cable only when driving. When the pulley 48 is always driven with a cable sandwiched, it is preferable to detect the cable tension at this portion.
[0094]
FIG. 13 shows an example of a captured image, where 26 g is an image of the target lamp 26. Since the position in the image of the target in the screen can be obtained from the image data by image processing, the angle θ1, θ2 of the pan / tilt mechanism, the stroke S of the telescopic arm, the position of the opening 1 and the positional relationship between the floor surface are further determined. If known, the position of the target 26 (point A) on the floor is obtained from the geometric calculation.
[0095]
14 and 15 show a basic embodiment of a robot suitable for running on a floor surface, which is an elongated robot inserted through a narrow opening. The traveling drive is performed by the left and right crawlers 70a and 70b with little sliding. However, the crawlers 70a and 70b are of an appropriate length because a crawler with a long and narrow body has a large turning resistance and cannot smoothly turn.
[0096]
Still, since the traveling vehicle body is long and large, the weight before and after that is received by the wheels 73 and 74. If the driving control of the crawlers 70a and 70b can be controlled independently by the motors 71a and 71b, a turning operation is also possible.
[0097]
The slip ring 25 of the cable is arranged at the center of the carriage that becomes the turning center. In this case, a TV camera 60 is disposed in front of the vehicle body so that it can be tilted like the TV camera 60a. As a result, it is possible to provide a traveling robot that can easily travel on the floor and easily check the room.
[0098]
When the camera 60 is in a horizontal position, the floor surface can be inspected with the same camera if a mechanism is provided so that the mirror 611 tilts 45 degrees at the tip. Since it is uncertain which side the cable 30 is rotated by the slip ring and comes to the ramp target, the lamp target is always arranged in any two of the three lamp targets 26a, 26b, 26c so as not to hide the target. The lamp may be imaged and the position and orientation of the robot body may be detected from the geometrical arrangement or the color of the lamp.
[0099]
As for the number of rotations of the crawler, endless potentiometers 72a and 72b are arranged and the rotation angle signals are integrated to detect the traveling position. The potentiometer is used because it is resistant to radiation. For this, a magnetic encoder resistant to radiation may be used. Of course, an optical encoder may be used in an environment where there is no radiation.
[0100]
Further, in this embodiment, the cable 30a is held by the lever 75 so as to be rotatable, and when the lever 75 is tilted backward, the cable goes backward as shown by 30b. This makes it possible to switch between the two cable processing modes by switching between the mode in which the cable is always stretched and the mode in which the cable is pulled backward and pulled.
[0101]
This is because there is an object in the room space, and if the cable is stretched, the object and the cable interfere with each other, so if you want to get under the object while pulling the cable back and pulling it, you can switch effectively and run safely The robot can be remotely controlled.
[0102]
FIG. 16 shows a basic example of a remote robot that mounts a visual device on a manipulator to facilitate access to a remote object. The telescopic arms 200a and 200b of the manipulator are inserted from the opening 1 with the insertion device 100. In this embodiment, a hand 301 is attached to the tip of the manipulator so that an accessed object can be handled.
[0103]
An object 400 is placed on the floor surface 500. A visual device 650 is provided at the root of the manipulator arm 200b, and an operator needs to perform a handling operation by operating the manipulator with information from the visual device.
[0104]
Here, when a normal TV camera is attached to the visual device, it is difficult to accurately access the object 400 because a monocular TV camera cannot obtain a distance interval. Although there is a method of mounting a stereoscopic vision device, the operator's eyes are generally tired. Therefore, in the present invention, a distance measuring sensor having a two-dimensional scanning mechanism is mounted on a visual device. Of course, a TV camera may also be installed.
[0105]
FIG. 17 shows a basic example of a distance measuring sensor that can be used in a high radiation atmosphere incorporating a two-dimensional scanning mechanism. In the visual device 650, a radiation resistant camera 651 is disposed with a radiation resistant zoom lens 652.
[0106]
Since the angle of view of the zoom lens is a necessary parameter for distance measurement, the setting value is managed by the computer 659. Next to the camera 651, the laser beam is reflected from the laser light source 656 via the radiation-resistant optical fiber 655, reflected by the mirror 654c, reflected by the mirror 654b of the scan motor 653b, reflected by the mirror 654a of the scan motor 653a, and forward. Go out.
[0107]
Here, when the drive motors 653a and 653b are driven and controlled, the laser can scan a two-dimensional scan area 657 of width W × height H at a distance L away. Here, the laser beam is reflected in the image of the camera 651, and if the position of the laser beam in the image, the camera angle of view, and the distance between the mirror and the camera are known, the distance L can be obtained from the principle of triangulation. Since it is possible, distance information of the scanned range 657 can be obtained.
[0108]
Here, the components of the visual device 650 are composed of a radiation-resistant camera, a mirror (which is made of stainless steel, which becomes a radiation-resistant mirror), and a motor. A strong distance measuring sensor can be obtained.
[0109]
The motor may be a step motor or servo control of potentiometer angle data feedback, but the motor drive unit 658 is installed in an environment where radiation is not high.
[0110]
The video from the camera 651 may be input via the image processing board of the computer 959, and the motor may be controlled by the computer 659.
[0111]
The CRT 659a of the computer 659 can display a live image of the TV camera, or the computer 659 can generate 3D CAD data of the measurement object from the distance K immediate data, and the posture information of the manipulator can be captured in the computer 659 in real time. By doing so, the CAD data of the manipulator can be displayed on the CRT 659a from the manipulator shape data and the room environment data input in advance.
[0112]
Further, if the distance is measured and the CAD data of the object is generated from the three-dimensional point group data, and the position and orientation data of the visual device 650 can be taken in as information from the manipulator control device, the CAD data generated from the measurement object Since it can be converted into the same CAD data coordinate system as the manipulator and the environment data, the CAD data can be displayed on the same CRT 659a with the correct relative position and orientation. Here, since the object, the manipulator, and the environment data are displayed as CAD data, it can be easily displayed from an arbitrary viewpoint.
[0113]
FIG. 18 shows an example of a CRT displaying CAD data. Here, the relative positional relationship between the hand 301 of the manipulator and the object 400 is necessary for the operation of the manipulator. Therefore, the manipulator and the object are displayed from the viewpoint as seen from the side.
[0114]
The CAD data 500g of the floor environment data, the CAD data 400g of the object, and the CAD data 200bg and 301g of the manipulator, hand, etc. are displayed in a state viewed from the side in the CAD 659a of FIG. Since the image is viewed from the side, the distance information between the hand 301g and the object 400g can be easily grasped visually as the interval C of the CAD data, and the object can be easily obtained by operating the manipulator in FIG. 16 while viewing this image. The object 400 can be accessed.
[0115]
Since the visual device 650 is the basis of a manipulator, even if a TV camera is arranged, an image viewed from the side cannot be obtained. If it is a distance sensor even from the position of the visual device 650, the distance information to the object can be obtained, and it is generated into easy-to-see CAD data, and if operated while looking at the CAD data viewed from the side, the camera is placed directly beside it. Handling operation can be performed while obtaining a sense of distance with the same operability as the above.
[0116]
Here, the CAD data of the object is a part of the environmental CAD data. However, since the manipulator's CAD data is input in real time, the manipulator's attitude data is input in the same way as the actual manipulator operation. Since the manipulator can be operated, the same operation can be performed while viewing the actual image.
[0117]
In such a room, if one tries to shoot with a TV camera from the side, another manipulator is required. According to the present invention, it can be realized by a visual device mounted on the base of one manipulator. The CAD data of the object can be generated easily by defining the surface by connecting the measured two-dimensional point group data in the order of the scanning direction, so that the surface data of the surface can be easily defined. Since it is a process, the real-time property is also improved.
[0118]
FIG. 19 shows an example of a concept of generating CAD data of an object based on data of a visual sensor that combines a color camera and a distance measurement sensor. The visual device 650 includes a color camera 651 and a laser scanning mirror 654a, and the visual field range 657c of the color camera is set to cover the scanning range 657d of the laser beam.
[0119]
A plurality of white circles in the laser beam scanning range 657d is three-dimensional distance measurement data. The coordinates of the white circles are expressed in the coordinate system 650a of the visual device. If this is later converted into the same coordinate system as the robot CAD data and the environment CAD data and displayed, it is possible to correctly display the relative positional relationship in FIG. 18 as in the monitor display.
[0120]
Here, the color information of each white circle can be obtained geometrically from information of the mirror 654a and the known color camera 651 at the relative position. Then, since the color information of the same place can be associated with each white circle, the color is assigned to each small triangle element of the CAD data of the surface CAD data defined by mechanically connecting the white circles as shown in FIG. If the color information is determined and defined, for example, the CAD data portion 500g corresponding to a white floor can be displayed in blue while the CAD data portion 400g corresponding to a white and blue cylinder is displayed in blue.
[0121]
In this way, the boundary between the floor and the cylinder is not clear, but it is easy for the operator to identify when displayed on the monitor by color information. Further, even when the robot arm is automatically controlled, it can be automatically identified by the color information. In addition, the coloring method may be applied to a triangular surface, or it can be distinguished to some extent if it is displayed only by adding a color to each white dot. In this case, since only point data is processed, a responsive display system can be obtained.
[0122]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a simple robot that can safely and reliably perform operations such as inspection and handling of a narrow portion, and includes a minimum number of devices.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 shows a traveling robot according to a basic embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 (a) is a diagram showing a situation of a robot body at a corner of a traveling rail corner of the traveling robot; FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a basic embodiment of a traveling robot.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a cable applied in an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an elevational view of a guide pole having a low frictional resistance applied in an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a traveling robot when a drum is controlled by providing a detection sensor for detecting the tension of a cable applied in an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a basic configuration diagram of a control system applied in an embodiment of the present invention that performs drum drive control in accordance with the movement distance of a robot body.
FIG. 6 is a basic configuration diagram of a control system applied in an embodiment of the present invention in which drum control is performed using both position information of a robot body and cable tension information.
FIG. 7 is an overall perspective view of a telescopic arm manipulator provided with a visual device employed in an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a basic configuration in the case where two or more lenses are provided and an image pickup apparatus is shared by one unit in the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a basic configuration of an expansion / contraction mechanism unit capable of increasing the expansion / contraction driving force of the remote robot according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a basic configuration in the case of providing a functional surface that adheres when pressed against a surface where belts are combined in the embodiment of FIG. 9;
FIG. 11 is an overall perspective view of a floor running robot to which the present invention is applied that enables light cable processing.
FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a basic configuration in the case of combining robot position detection and cable tension detection according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 13 is a screen display diagram of a captured image according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 14 is a plan view of a long and narrow robot inserted through a narrow opening according to an embodiment of the present invention and suitable for running on a floor surface.
FIG. 15 is a side view of a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention suitable for running on a floor with an elongated robot inserted from a narrow opening.
FIG. 16 is an overall perspective view of a remote robot according to an embodiment of the present invention in which a visual device is mounted on a manipulator to facilitate access to a remote object.
FIG. 17 is an overall view of equipment related to a distance measuring sensor employed in an embodiment of the present invention that can be used in a high radiation atmosphere incorporating a two-dimensional scanning mechanism.
FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a CRT screen displaying CAD data according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a concept of generating CAD data according to an embodiment of the present invention based on data of a visual sensor in which a color camera and a distance measuring sensor are combined.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Inspection hole, 10 ... Rail, 20 ... Mobile robot main body, 21 ... Rotation angle sensor, 23 ... Spring, 25 ... Slip ring, 26, 26a, 26b, 26c ... Target lamp, 26g ... Target lamp in image 29 ... Robot controller, 30, 30a, 30b ... Cable, 31 ... Low friction cable sheath, 39 ... Slip ring, 40 ... Drum, 42 ... Load cell, 45 ... Drum controller, 48 ... Cable drive pulley, 50, 50a , 50b, 50c ... guide pole, 60, 60a, 60b ... imaging device, 61 ... wide-angle lens, 62 ... telephoto lens, 63 ... actuator, 65 ... visual device, 70a, 70b ... crawler, 71a, 71b ... motor, 72a, 72b ... potentiometer, 73,74 ... wheel, 75 ... cable holding movable lever, 100 Insertion device, 200a, 200b ... telescopic arm, 200, 201, 202, 203 ... telescopic pole, 201s, 202s ... guide part in each pole, 200bg ... display image of arm CAD data, 204a, 204b ... belt, 205a, 205b ... Drive drum, 206a, 206b ... Pressure roller, 301 ... Robot hand, 301g ... Display image of CAD data of robot hand, 400 ... Work object, 400g ... Display image of CAD data of object, 500 ... Floor surface 500g ... Display image of CAD data on the floor surface, 650 ... Visual device with distance measuring function, 650a ... Coordinate system of visual device, 651 ... Radiation resistant camera, 652 ... Radiation resistant zoom lens, 653a, 653b ... Scan motor, 654a, 654b, 654c ... mirror, 655 ... radiation resistant phi Cable, 656 ... laser light source, 657 ... scanning range, 658 ... motor, the lens driving device, 659 ... computer, 659a ... CRT monitor.

Claims (3)

In a traveling robot having a carriage where the robot body travels along the traveling rail, a drum that pulls the cable coming out of the robot body is provided on the fixed station side, and at the corner of the traveling rail that is bent horizontally or vertically Is a remote mobile robot characterized in that a guide pole is arranged on the inside of the corner so as to be pulled out of the traveling rail so that a cable is caught and guided when the carriage turns around the corner.   2. The remote mobile robot according to claim 1, wherein the guide pole includes at least a main part of the guide pole and a rotating member attached so as to be rotatable with respect to the axis.   2. The drum according to claim 1, wherein the drum detects the position of the robot body based on a signal of a distance detection sensor that detects the movement distance of the robot body, and a cable is stretched linearly between the robot body, the drum, and each guide pole. If the cable length in this case is matched with the position of the robot body, the cable length relation correspondence data is obtained in advance, and the required cable length corresponding to the current robot body position is obtained based on the relation correspondence data. A remote mobile robot characterized by being a drum that is rotationally driven to be long.

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