JP5228560B2 - Inverted traveling robot and control method thereof - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an inverted traveling robot and a control method thereof.

  An inverted traveling robot having a pair of wheels can move while maintaining an inverted state by driving the wheels so that the center of gravity of the vehicle body is maintained in the vertical direction with respect to the ground contact position of the wheels. By moving the center of gravity of the inverted traveling robot forward, the wheels are driven so that the ground contact position of the wheel is directly below the moved center of gravity, and the robot can move forward. The inverted traveling robot is used as a carriage for placing and moving an object, or a moving means for a person to board and move. Such inverted traveling robots are described in Patent Documents 1 to 4.

  Patent Documents 1 and 2 describe an inverted traveling robot using a sensor for measuring a load on a vehicle body. Patent Document 1 describes an inverted pendulum type cart robot that includes a mechanism that slides a heavy load gripping device back and forth in the traveling direction of the cart depending on the type of the heavy item to be gripped. In Patent Document 2, a two-wheel travel type luggage transport robot that performs a correction operation so that the combined center of gravity position is always near the design position by disposing a belt conveyor on the loading platform and moving the load in the direction of stabilizing the posture. Is described.

In Patent Document 3, an external force moment generated by an external force is estimated, a target inclination angle of the vehicle body is set so that the gravity moment of the center of gravity of the vehicle body is balanced with the external force moment, and a torque command value is calculated based on the target inclination angle 2 A ring-shaped mobile trolley is described. Patent Document 4 describes an inverted two-wheeled traveling robot that determines a human intention from a change in posture sensor and determines an operation mode.
JP 2004-345030 A JP 2006-123854 A JP 2007-11634 A JP 2006-123014 A

  In an inverted traveling robot, when a person boarded, both the pair of wheels and the grounding member are in contact with the floor, and after the person has boarded, the grounding member is separated from the floor and only the pair of wheels are Inverted state in contact with the floor. When starting upside down control with an obstacle such as a wall nearby, depending on the occupant's posture, the center of gravity is biased toward the obstacle, and the inverted traveling robot moves in the direction of the obstacle. There is a risk of contact or collision.

  The present invention was made against the background of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to avoid contact and collision with an obstacle when shifting from a landing state to an inverted state in the vicinity of the obstacle. It is an object of the present invention to provide an inverted traveling robot capable of performing the above and a control method thereof.

  An inverted traveling robot according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a wheel that rotates about a drive shaft, a grounding member that is provided apart from the wheel and that can be grounded, a wheel drive unit that rotationally drives the wheel, A chassis that holds the wheels, a vehicle body that is rotatably supported with respect to the chassis via a support member, and a vehicle body that is included in the vehicle body and is supported to be movable in the front-rear direction with respect to the vehicle body frame. From the landing state where the movable table, a movable table driving unit that moves the movable table relative to the body frame, the support member, and the wheel and the grounding member are in contact with the floor surface, A rising drive unit in which the wheel is in contact with the floor surface and the grounding member is separated from the floor surface, and the wheel drive unit is controlled to control the rotational drive of the wheel in contact with the floor surface. With a control unit to maintain the inverted state When the inverted traveling robot is changed from the landing state to the inverted state, the control unit is configured to move the movable platform away from obstacles around the inverted traveling robot. The movable table driving unit is controlled so that the position of the center of gravity of the vehicle body unit in the front-rear direction is further away from the obstacle than the driving shaft, or substantially the same position as the driving shaft. As a result, the center of gravity of the vehicle body can be shifted away from the obstacle, and collision with the obstacle can be avoided.

  An inverted traveling robot according to a second aspect of the present invention further includes a detection unit that detects the obstacle in the inverted traveling robot, and the control unit is configured to detect the obstacle based on a detection result of the detection unit. It is characterized by moving. Thereby, the position where the obstacle is located can be detected and the center of gravity of the inverted traveling robot can be tilted, and the collision with the obstacle can be avoided.

  In the inverted traveling robot according to a third aspect of the present invention, in the above inverted traveling robot, the control unit calculates an estimated amount of center-of-gravity variation of the inverted traveling robot, and moves the inverted traveling robot from the landing state to the inverted position. Before the state is set, the movable table is moved by a shift amount corresponding to the predicted center-of-gravity variation amount. Thereby, collision with an obstacle can be avoided more reliably.

  An inverted traveling robot according to a fourth aspect of the present invention includes, in the above-described inverted traveling robot, a center of gravity detection unit that obtains a center of gravity position of the vehicle body, and the control unit is based on a detection result of the center of gravity detection unit. The movable platform is moved so that the relative position of the inverted traveling robot with respect to the floor surface does not substantially change when the inverted traveling robot is changed from the landing state to the inverted state. Thereby, it can transfer to an inverted state, without moving from the contact position of a wheel, and it becomes possible to avoid the collision with an obstacle.

  A control method for an inverted traveling robot according to a fifth aspect of the present invention includes: a chassis; a wheel attached to the chassis and rotating around a drive shaft; a grounding member provided apart from the wheel and capable of grounding; A wheel drive unit that rotates the wheel, a vehicle body unit that is rotatably supported with respect to the chassis via a support member, and a vehicle body unit that is included in the vehicle body unit and that is movable in the front-rear direction with respect to the vehicle body frame. A movable table, a movable table driving unit that moves the movable table relative to the body frame, and the support member that drives the wheel and the grounding member in contact with the floor surface. And a control method for an inverted traveling robot comprising a rising drive unit in which the wheels are in contact with the floor surface and the grounding member is separated from the floor surface, wherein the inverted traveling robot is changed from the landing state to the inverted state. When Controlling the movable platform drive unit so as to move the movable platform away from the obstacles around the inverted traveling robot so that the position of the center of gravity of the vehicle body in the front-rear direction is greater than that of the drive shaft. The vehicle body part is turned upside down by controlling the wheel drive unit to be in contact with the floor surface by controlling the wheel drive unit, Maintaining. As a result, the center of gravity of the vehicle body can be tilted away from the obstacle, and collision with the obstacle can be avoided.

  A control method for an inverted traveling robot according to a sixth aspect of the present invention includes the step of detecting the obstacle in the control method described above, and moves the movable base based on the detection result of the obstacle. Thereby, the position where the obstacle is located can be detected and the center of gravity of the inverted traveling robot can be tilted, and the collision with the obstacle can be avoided.

  A control method for an inverted traveling robot according to a seventh aspect of the present invention includes the step of calculating an estimated amount of center-of-gravity variation of the inverted traveling robot in the above control method, wherein the inverted traveling robot is inverted from the landing state. Before entering the state, the movable base is moved by a shift amount corresponding to the predicted center-of-gravity variation. Thereby, collision with an obstacle can be avoided more reliably.

  An inverted traveling robot control method according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is the above-described control method, wherein the center of gravity position of the vehicle body is obtained and the inverted traveling robot is inverted from the landing state based on the change in the center of gravity position. The movable platform is moved so that the relative position of the inverted traveling robot with respect to the floor surface does not substantially change. Thereby, it can transfer to an inverted state, without moving from the contact position of a wheel, and it becomes possible to avoid the collision with an obstacle.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, when changing from a landing state to an inverted state in the vicinity of an obstacle, the inverted traveling robot which can avoid the contact and collision to an obstacle, and its control method can be provided.

  An inverted traveling robot according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an inverted traveling robot 1 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing a state in which the inverted traveling robot 1 shown in FIG. 1 is viewed from the side using a conceptual model. The inverted traveling robot 1 can move on the floor surface P, which is a moving area, by an operation of the passenger with the passenger placed.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the inverted traveling robot 1 includes a movable base 11, a vehicle body frame 16, a chassis 20, a first wheel 31, a second wheel 32, and a grounding member 33. As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle body unit 10 includes a movable base 11 on which a passenger is placed, a connection member 17, and a vehicle body frame 16. Everything supported by the swing arm 34 is referred to as a vehicle body portion 10. The movable table 11 is composed of a frame having a predetermined shape. The movable table 11 includes a flat plate-like seat 12 on which a passenger is seated, a backrest portion 13 for supporting the back surface of the passenger, a leg support portion 14, and a foot placement portion 15.

  The backrest portion 13 is fixed so as to stand in a substantially vertical direction upward with respect to the seat 12, and when the seated passenger puts the center of gravity rearward, it contacts the entire back and supports its weight. To do. Similarly, one end of the leg support portion 14 is fixed to extend substantially vertically downward with respect to the seat 12 so as to contact the leg portion of the seated occupant and partially support the weight thereof. The foot rest 15 is fixed to the other end. The footrest 15 is designed to have a predetermined shape and size so that the bottom surface of the foot comes into surface contact with the knee portion of the seated passenger's leg bent substantially vertically.

  The movable base 11 and the vehicle body frame 16 are connected by a connection member 17. The connection member 17 has one end fixed to the movable base 11 and the other end so that the movable base 11 can be pivoted in the front-rear direction (advancing direction of the inverted traveling robot 1) with respect to the vehicle body frame 16. It is connected. FIG. 3 shows how the movable base 11 moves with respect to the vehicle body frame 16. The timing and amount of rotation of the movable table 11 are controlled by a signal from the control unit 18 by a movable table driving unit such as a motor (not shown), and the movable table 11 can be moved relative to the vehicle body frame 16. it can. That is, the movable table 11 is movable relative to the vehicle body frame 16. The movable base 11 may be connected to the vehicle body frame 16 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction of the traveling direction of the inverted traveling robot 1 using a rack and pinion gear or the like. It is also possible to slide using a ball screw or the like instead of the rack and pinion gear.

  A swing arm 34 as a support member is attached to the body frame 16. The swing arm 34 is coupled to the vehicle body frame 16 by a swing arm axis C3, and is configured to be able to swing the vehicle body frame 16 substantially parallel to the floor surface. The body frame 16 is lifted by the swing arm 34 rotating around the swing arm axis C3 by the motor 35 which is a rising drive unit. That is, when the swing arm 34 is driven, an inverted state in which the wheels 31 and 32 are in contact with the floor surface and the grounding member 33 is separated from the floor surface from a landing state in which the wheels 31 and 32 and the grounding member 33 are in contact with the floor surface. It becomes.

  Drive shafts C1 and C2 are provided on the opposite side of the swing arm 34 from the swing arm axis C3. The swing arm 34 is coupled to the chassis 20 by drive shafts C1 and C2. That is, the vehicle body 10 is supported so as to be rotatable with respect to the chassis 20 via a swing arm 34 as a support member.

  The first wheel 31 and the second wheel 32 are a pair of opposed wheels. The wheels 31 and 32 are rotatably held on the chassis 20. The body frame 16 is provided with a control unit 18 for controlling the rotational drive of the first wheel 31 and the second wheel 32. The wheels 31 and 32 are driven to rotate about the drive axes C1 and C2, respectively, and the inverted traveling robot 1 moves. The movable table 11 is provided with an operation unit including an operation lever such as a joystick for transmitting an operation signal to the control unit 18, and an occupant who rides on the movable table 11 operates the operation unit to invert it. The moving direction and moving speed of the traveling robot 1 are controlled.

  A gyro 17a for measuring an inclination angle and an inclination angular velocity with respect to the vertical direction of the vehicle body 10 (the direction in which the line segment M extends in FIG. 2) is attached to the connection member 17. The gyro 17a is configured to detect an amount of its own position tilted from the vertical direction for a predetermined time, for example, a tilt angular velocity, convert the detected angular velocity into an electrical signal, and output the electrical signal. Based on the detected tilt angular velocity The tilt angular velocity signal is transmitted to the control unit 18.

  The control unit 18 maintains the inverted state by controlling the motors 21 and 22 that are the wheel drive units according to the output from the gyro 17a and the like to control the rotational drive of the wheels 31 and 32 that are in contact with the floor surface. The control unit 18 controls the movement of the inverted traveling robot 1 while maintaining the inverted state. The control unit 18 is a small computer including a storage area 18a such as a predetermined CPU or memory. The storage area 18a stores a predetermined program for determining the driving amount for driving the wheels 31 and 32 based on the input signal, and map information related to the moving area.

  A grounding member 33 for assisting the wheels 31 and 32 is provided at a distance from the wheels 31 and 32 on the front and rear sides of the lower surface of the body frame 16. As the ground member 33, an auxiliary wheel, a stopper, or the like can be used. When the passenger gets on and off, as shown in FIG. 2A, the wheels 31 and 32 are grounded to the floor surface, and the grounding member 33 is grounded to realize a stable state. The state in which the wheels 31 and 32 and the front and rear grounding members 33 are installed is referred to as a landing state.

  When the inverted traveling robot 1 moves, as shown in FIG. 2B, the grounding member 33 is separated from the floor surface, and only the wheels 31 and 32 are in contact with the floor surface. A state in which the grounding member 33 is separated from the floor surface and only the wheels 31 and 32 are in contact with the floor surface is an inverted state. In the inverted state, the rotational drive of the wheels 31 and 32 is controlled by the control unit 18 described later, and the inverted state can be maintained only by the wheels 31 and 32.

  When the travel command is given, the vehicle travels according to the command travel pattern while maintaining the inverted stable state. When the traveling is finished, the state returns to the state shown in FIG. Here, an example in which the grounding members 33 are respectively provided before and after the vehicle body frame 16 in the traveling direction has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. A stopper capable of maintaining a stationary state may be used. Further, the vertical drive mechanism of the vehicle body frame 16 is not limited to the swing arm, and a slide mechanism or the like for rising in the vertical direction may be used.

  When the swing arm 34 is used for the vertical movement of the vehicle body frame 16 as in the present embodiment, the center of gravity moves as the swing arm 34 moves. In a state where there are no obstacles before and after, it is assumed that the passenger is in a predetermined posture determined at the time of design, and the movable base 11 is predetermined with respect to the vehicle body frame 16 so that the center of gravity is on the drive shafts C1 and C2. Move back and forth by the amount of slide. Specifically, the shift amount of the center of gravity by the swing arm 34 is calculated, and the movable base 11 is slid in accordance with the shift amount so that the position of the center of gravity of the vehicle body 10 does not deviate from the drive shafts C1 and C2. As a result, when the passenger is in a predetermined posture determined at the time of design, the inverted traveling robot 1 does not move back and forth when shifting to the inverted state, and the stand-up operation on the spot (from the landing state to the inverted state) Can be made).

  As shown in FIG. 4, the chassis 20 is provided with motors 21 and 22 and a battery 23. The first wheel 31 and the second wheel 32 are supported by drive shafts C1 and C2, respectively. The motors 21 and 22 are wheel drive units that rotationally drive the wheels 31 and 32 around the drive shafts C1 and C2. The motors 21 and 22 drive the wheels 31 and 32 independently of each other. By applying rotational torque to the wheels 31 and 32 by a control signal from the control unit 18, the rotational speed of each of the wheels 31 and 32 is changed, the traveling direction of the inverted traveling robot 1 is changed, and the turning operation is performed. Is possible. The motors 21 and 22 are provided with a temperature sensor (not shown) for detecting that the motor 21 and 22 are overheated due to power supply. The temperature sensor detects the overheat state and outputs a detection signal to a control unit described later. Thus, it is possible to avoid a state in which the maximum torque cannot be output by the motor.

  The battery 23 supplies power to the motors 21 and 22. The battery 23 is electrically connected to a terminal to be charged (not shown) provided so as to protrude from the surface of the chassis 20, and the charging terminal provided at the charging station and the terminal to be charged described above are connected. By making contact, electric power is supplied and charged.

  Detection units 19 are installed on the front and rear surfaces below the body frame 16. The detection unit 19 optically recognizes the shape of the moving floor, an obstacle, and the like. As the detection unit 19, one or two or more of a camera, a 3D camera, a laser range sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, and the like can be used. For example, when a laser range sensor is used as the detection unit 19, an infrared laser is emitted from a light source provided in each sensor, and the irradiation direction of the laser is changed so as to swing in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction. By receiving the reflected light, it is possible to detect the floor surface shape below the front surface of the vehicle body frame 16 or the distance to the obstacle.

  The control unit 18 detects the presence of a stepped portion or an obstacle existing on the floor surface based on the information on the obstacle detected by the detection unit 19 and searches for a route to avoid these obstacles. To make. Further, the inverted traveling robot 1 in the vicinity of the obstacle is in an inverted state in which the wheels 31 and 32 and the grounding member 33 are in contact with the floor surface, and the wheels 31 and 32 are in contact with the floor surface and the grounding member 33 is separated from the floor surface. Then, the control unit 18 moves the movable base 11 in a direction away from the obstacles around the inverted traveling robot 1.

  When the inverted traveling robot 1 is in an inverted state in which the ground contact member 33 is separated from the floor surface P and is in contact with only two wheels 31, 32, the center of gravity position of the entire vehicle body 10 is set to the drive shafts C1, C2. If it is not directly above, it moves in the direction where the center of gravity is shifted. As described above, even if the movable base 11 is moved with respect to the vehicle body frame 16 in accordance with the movement of the swing arm 34, the center of gravity shifts forward and backward in the traveling direction of the inverted traveling robot 1 depending on the posture of the occupant. May end up.

  As shown in FIG. 5, consider a case where the obstacle B is behind the inverted traveling robot 1. When an inverted operation is performed in the vicinity of the obstacle B, there is no room behind the inverted traveling robot 1 with the obstacle B, and there is a risk of contact and collision when the inverted traveling robot 1 moves. On the other hand, there is a margin in front of the inverted traveling robot 1 and there is no possibility of contact even if it moves.

  For this reason, in this Embodiment, based on the information regarding the obstacle B detected by the detection unit 19, the movable platform 11 is moved away from the obstacle B around the inverted traveling robot 1. As a result, the center of gravity position of the vehicle body 10 in the front-rear direction from the obstacle B around the inverted traveling robot is further away from the obstacle B than the drive axes C1 and C2, or is substantially the same position as the drive axes C1 and C2. Like that. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the movable base 11 is moved with respect to the vehicle body frame 16 in the left direction indicated by the arrow in the drawing. Thus, by moving the movable base 11 in the direction away from the obstacle B around the inverted traveling robot 1, the center of gravity of the vehicle body 10 is moved away from the obstacle B rather than the drive axes C1 and C2, or the drive The position can be shifted so that the position is substantially the same as the axis. For this reason, when shifting from the landing state to the inverted state, the inverted traveling robot 1 moves or does not move in the direction opposite to the obstacle B, and the collision with the obstacle B can be avoided.

  In addition, it is preferable to calculate in advance an estimated amount of center-of-gravity variation in the front-rear direction of the traveling robot 1 when the passenger gets on the movable platform 11. The predicted center-of-gravity change amount is a range from the front limit to the rear limit of the center of gravity position that can change depending on the posture of the passenger. Then, before moving the inverted traveling robot 1 from the landing state to the inverted state, the movable platform 11 is moved in advance with respect to the vehicle body frame 16 by the shift amount corresponding to the predicted center of gravity variation. In the example shown in FIG. 5, since the obstacle B is behind the inverted traveling robot 1, the movable base 11 is moved to the rear limit of the center of gravity. Thereby, even if a passenger puts the center of gravity to the rear of the inverted traveling robot 1 as much as possible, the inverted traveling robot 1 can be intentionally moved forward without the obstacle B.

  In the case where the swing arm 34 is used as in the present embodiment, in addition to the slide amount of the movable base 11 corresponding to the change in the center of gravity position by the swing arm 34, the center of gravity change is further based on the detection result of the detection unit 19. The movable table 11 is moved by adding a shift amount corresponding to the expected amount. Thereby, even if a gravity center position changes with a passenger | crew's attitude | position etc., it can prevent that the inverted traveling robot 1 moves to the direction with the obstruction B. FIG. Note that the shift amount of the movable base 11 with respect to the vehicle body frame 16 can be appropriately set according to the distance to the obstacle B detected by the detection unit 19 and the predicted center of gravity variation.

  Next, a method for controlling the inverted traveling robot 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining a control method of the inverted traveling robot 1 according to the present embodiment. Here, the operation of transition from the state where the auxiliary wheel is grounded to the two-wheel inverted state by the rising operation will be described.

  First, the obstacle is detected by the detector 19 and the distance to the obstacle is measured (step S1). Here, the distance to the obstacle ahead of the inverted traveling robot 1 is the front distance Lf, and the distance to the obstacle behind is the rear distance Lr. Next, the predetermined allowable value L is compared with the front distance Lf and the rear distance Lr to the obstacle, and it is confirmed whether or not the allowable value L is longer than the allowable value L (step S2). Note that the allowable value L is a distance at which the inverted traveling robot 1 moves and does not come into contact with an obstacle when the two wheels are inverted even if the variation in the center of gravity position when the passenger gets on is taken into consideration.

  When the distances Lf and Lr to the obstacle are both longer than the allowable value L (Lf> L and Lb> L) (step S2 YES), even if the inverted traveling robot 1 moves back and forth, it will contact the obstacle. There is no. In this case, the shift amount of the movable base 11 with respect to the vehicle body frame 16 is set to 0 (step S3). Then, before shifting from the landing state to the inverted state, the shift amount of the movable table 11 is controlled (step S4). In this case, since the shift amount is 0, the movable base 11 is moved by a predetermined slide amount according to the movement of the swing arm 34, and the rising operation is started from the landing state to the inverted state (step S5). Even when the obstacle is not in the vicinity of the inverted traveling robot 1, a predetermined shift amount can be set in order to reduce the movement of the inverted traveling robot 1 during the standing-up operation.

  On the other hand, when either of the distances Lf and Lr to the obstacle is less than or equal to the allowable value L (Lf ≦ L or Lb ≦ L) (NO in step S2), the distances Lf and Lr to the obstacle are both less than or equal to the allowable value L. It is determined whether or not (Lf ≦ L and Lb ≦ L) (step S6). When the distances Lf and Lr to the obstacle are both less than or equal to the permissible value L (Lf ≦ L and Lb ≦ L) (YES in step S6), if the inverted traveling robot 1 moves back and forth during the rising motion, the obstacle Contact objects. In this case, a warning is issued (step S7), and an inversion impossible signal is transmitted to the control unit 18 so as not to perform the inversion operation.

  Further, when one of the distances Lf and Lr to the obstacle is equal to or less than the allowable value L, but the other is longer than the allowable value L (Lf> L, Lb ≦ L or Lf ≦ L, Lb> L) ( In step S6 NO), when the inverted traveling robot 1 moves in the direction of the allowable value L or less during the standing-up operation, it touches the obstacle, but does not touch the obstacle if it moves in the direction longer than the allowable value L. In this case, a shift amount X for moving the movable base 11 in a direction longer than the allowable value L is calculated (step S8). That is, the movable base 11 is shifted in a direction away from the obstacle.

  For example, in the case of Lf> L and Lb ≦ L, there is a margin in front of the inverted traveling robot 1, so the movable base 11 is shifted forward. Further, when Lf ≦ L and Lb> L, there is a margin behind the inverted traveling robot 1, and therefore the movable base 11 is shifted backward. As described above, the shift amount can be determined based on the distance to the obstacle or the predicted center of gravity variation.

  Then, before starting the inversion operation, the movable base 11 is shifted by the calculated shift amount (step S3), and then the inversion operation is started (step S4). FIG. 7 shows an example of the shift operation of the movable table 11 when there is an obstacle behind. In FIG. 7, the shift amount + (greater than 0) represents that the movable platform 11 is moved in front of the inverted traveling robot 1, and − (smaller than 0) represents that it is moved backward. ing. When the rear obstacle is Lf> L and Lb ≦ L, the movable base 11 is shifted forward (+ side in FIG. 7). As shown in FIG. 7, the movable base 11 is moved by a shift amount that does not contact the obstacle. Then, after the movement of the movable table 11 is completed, the inverted operation is started. As a result, it is possible to prevent the object from moving backward when it is inverted and to avoid contact with an obstacle. Then, after the inversion operation is completed, the shift amount of the movable table 11 is returned to 0, and a stable inverted state is established. Note that after the inversion operation is started, the shift amount may be gradually decreased, and the shift amount may be set to 0 before the inversion is completed to shift to a stable inversion state.

  Further, when performing the inversion operation, the movable base 11 is moved by a predetermined slide amount in accordance with the movement of the swing arm 34 in addition to the shift amount, and the transition from the landing state to the inverted state is performed. Thereby, when shifting from the landing state to the inverted state, it is possible to avoid the inverted traveling robot 1 from colliding with an obstacle.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
An inverted traveling robot 1 according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a configuration of the inverted traveling robot 1 according to the present embodiment. The present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that a center of gravity detection unit is provided below the movable table 11. In FIG. 8, the same components as those in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the inverted traveling robot 1 according to the present embodiment includes a center-of-gravity detection unit 36 provided below the movable table 11. The center-of-gravity detection unit 36 is a sensor that can measure a force in at least one axial direction. The center-of-gravity detection unit 36 can determine the position of the center of gravity of the inverted traveling robot 1. For example, a load sensor, a six-axis sensor, or the like can be used as the center of gravity detection unit 36. Thereby, the change of the gravity center position by the passenger can be detected before the start of the inversion operation or during the inversion operation. In FIG. 8, an example in which a load sensor is provided as the gravity center detection unit 36 is illustrated. As shown in FIG. 8, the center-of-gravity detection unit 36 can be disposed at the four corners of the movable table 11 in front of and behind the drive shafts C <b> 1 and C <b> 2 of the wheels 31 and 32. When a 6-axis sensor is used as the center of gravity detection unit 36, one sensor can be arranged at the substantially central portion of the lower surface of the movable table 11.

  In the present embodiment, similar to the first embodiment, the movable base 11 is moved away from the obstacles around the inverted traveling robot 1 based on the information about the obstacles detected by the detection unit 19. Then, the center of gravity position of the vehicle body 10 is controlled to be farther from the obstacle than the drive shafts C1 and C2, or to be substantially the same position as the drive shafts C1 and C2. In addition, the center-of-gravity detection unit 36 monitors a change in the center of gravity position of the occupant during the inversion operation and outputs a detection signal to the control unit 18. The control unit 18 obtains a change in the center of gravity position of the inverted traveling robot 1 from the input detection signal of the center of gravity position, and changes the floor of the inverted traveling robot 1 when changing from the landing state to the inverted state based on the detected center of gravity position. The movable table 11 is moved so that the relative position with respect to the surface does not substantially change. As a result, when shifting to the inverted state, the inverted traveling robot 1 can move up and down without moving back and forth, and collision with an obstacle can be avoided.

  Here, the operation of the inverted traveling robot 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. In the inverted traveling robot 1 according to the present embodiment, first, an obstacle is detected by the detection unit 19 and the distance to the obstacle is measured. Then, the center of gravity detection unit 36 detects a change in the center of gravity position of the passenger. The center of gravity detecting unit 36 provided corresponding to the lower side of the four corners of the inverted traveling robot 1 measures the load applied to each center of gravity detecting unit 36 due to the change in the center of gravity position of the passenger. By measuring this load, the center of gravity position (center of gravity balance) can be calculated.

  As described above, in consideration of the position and distance of the obstacle, the movable base 11 is moved away from the obstacle around the inverted traveling robot 1 to avoid contact with the obstacle. Further, during the stand-up operation, the rotational drive of the wheels 31 and 32 is controlled in consideration of the center of gravity balance of the robot. As a result, the inverted traveling robot 1 can move up and down without moving back and forth, and can avoid collision with an obstacle.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the movable base 11 is moved away from the body frame 16 from the obstacles around the inverted traveling robot 1 based on the information about the obstacles detected by the detection unit 19. Can be moved. Thereby, it becomes possible to prevent the inverted traveling robot 1 from coming into contact with an obstacle.

  It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the inverted traveling robot which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a conceptual diagram which shows a mode that the inverted traveling robot shown in FIG. 1 was seen from the side. In the inverted traveling robot shown in FIG. 1, it is a figure which shows a mode that a movable stand moves with respect to a vehicle body. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a control unit used in the inverted traveling robot according to the first embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the shift operation | movement of a movable stand when there exists an obstruction. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the control method of the inverted traveling robot which concerns on this Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the shift operation | movement of a movable stand when there exists an obstruction. It is a figure which shows the structure of the inverted traveling robot which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inverted traveling robot 10 Car body part 11 Movable base 12 Seat 13 Backrest part 14 Leg support part 15 Foot mounting part 16 Body frame 17 Connection member 18 Control part 18a Storage area 19 Detection part 20 Chassis 21, 22 Motor 23 Battery 31, 32 Wheel 33 Grounding member 34 Swing arm 35 Motor 36 Center of gravity detector C1, C2 Drive shaft C3 Swing arm shaft P Floor B Obstacle

Claims (6)

Wheels rotating around the drive shaft;
A grounding member provided separately from the wheel and capable of grounding;
A wheel drive unit for rotating the wheel;
A chassis holding the wheels;
A vehicle body part rotatably supported with respect to the chassis via a support member;
A movable base that is included in the vehicle body portion and supported to be movable in the front-rear direction with respect to the vehicle body frame;
A movable table driving section for moving the movable table relative to the body frame;
Driving the support member, from a landing state in which the wheel and the grounding member are in contact with the floor surface, a rising drive unit that is in an inverted state in which the wheel is in contact with the floor surface and the grounding member is separated from the floor surface;
By controlling the wheel drive unit to control the rotational drive of the wheel in contact with the floor, a control unit for maintaining the inverted state of the vehicle unit;
An inverted traveling robot comprising:
The control unit controls the movable platform drive unit to move the movable platform away from obstacles around the inverted traveling robot when the inverted traveling robot is changed from the landing state to the inverted state. And, the center of gravity position of the vehicle body part in the front-rear direction is moved away from the obstacle than the drive shaft, or is substantially the same position as the drive shaft ,
The control unit calculates an estimated amount of center of gravity fluctuation of the inverted traveling robot that can change depending on the posture of the passenger,
Before moving the inverted traveling robot from the landing state to the inverted state, the movable platform is moved to the center of gravity change prediction so that the inverted traveling robot moves away from the obstacle when the inverted traveling robot is in the inverted state. An inverted traveling robot that moves by a shift amount according to the amount . A detector for detecting the obstacle;
The inverted traveling robot according to claim 1, wherein the control unit moves the movable base based on a detection result of the detection unit. A center of gravity detection unit for obtaining a center of gravity position of the vehicle body,
Based on the detection result of the center-of-gravity detection unit, the control unit is configured so that the relative position of the inverted traveling robot with respect to the floor surface does not substantially change when the inverted traveling robot is changed from the landing state to the inverted state. The inverted traveling robot according to claim 1, wherein the inverted traveling robot is moved. A chassis, a wheel attached to the chassis and rotating around a drive shaft, a grounding member that is provided apart from the wheel and can be grounded, a wheel drive unit that rotates the wheel, and a support member A vehicle body portion rotatably supported with respect to the vehicle body, a movable base included in the vehicle body portion and supported to be movable in the front-rear direction with respect to the vehicle body frame, and the movable base relative to the vehicle body frame. From the landing state where the wheel and the grounding member are in contact with the floor surface, and the wheel is in contact with the floor surface and the grounding member is separated from the floor surface. A control method of an inverted traveling robot including a rising drive unit to be in a state,
When the inverted traveling robot is changed from the landing state to the inverted state, the movable platform driving unit is controlled so as to move the movable platform in a direction away from the obstacles around the inverted traveling robot. The center of gravity position of the vehicle body part is further away from the obstacle than the drive shaft, or is substantially the same position as the drive shaft;
Maintaining the inverted state of the vehicle body part by controlling the wheel drive part to control the rotational drive of the wheel in contact with the floor surface ;
Calculating an estimated amount of center of gravity variation of the inverted traveling robot that can change depending on the posture of the passenger,
Before moving the inverted traveling robot from the landing state to the inverted state, the movable platform is moved to the center of gravity change prediction so that the inverted traveling robot moves away from the obstacle when the inverted traveling robot is in the inverted state. A method for controlling an inverted traveling robot that moves by a shift amount corresponding to the amount . Detecting the obstacle,
The method for controlling an inverted traveling robot according to claim 4 , wherein the movable platform is moved based on a detection result of the obstacle. The center of gravity position of the vehicle body is obtained. Based on the change in the center of gravity position, the movable position is set so that the relative position of the inverted traveling robot with respect to the floor surface does not substantially change when the inverted traveling robot is changed from the landing state to the inverted state. The method for controlling an inverted traveling robot according to claim 4 or 5 , wherein the platform is moved.

Images