JP7376207B2 - Rough terrain moving device and its control method - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an uneven terrain moving device used when performing various types of work in places with severe ups and downs such as mountains and forests, and a method for controlling the same.

Construction machinery and agricultural machinery intended for use on rough terrain are often equipped with endless tracks as a means of transportation. Since endless tracks inevitably have a larger ground contact area, they can obtain greater friction than tires, and can also reduce ground pressure, which prevents the vehicle from sinking even on soft ground, making it possible to achieve stable movement. However, even with endless tracks, it is difficult to move on steep slopes, and when overcoming large undulations, the center of gravity shifts, causing a significant change in attitude, which can threaten the safety of workers. Furthermore, when obstacles such as standing trees and rocks are continuous without interruption, it is difficult to move forward while avoiding them in small steps on a continuous track, and in actual work, land clearing work such as cutting down standing trees and removing rocks is repeated. We will proceed to the hinterland.

In this way, leg structures that imitate humans and animals can be used as a means of transportation in places where even endless tracks are difficult to handle. In this case, increasing the number of legs improves stability, and by freely deforming each leg, it can easily absorb the unevenness of the ground, and it is also easier to avoid obstacles. Therefore, various multi-legged moving devices (multi-legged robots) have been developed for some time, and specific examples thereof include the patent documents mentioned below.

Patent Document 1 discloses a leg-tip grounding mechanism for an uneven terrain walking type transport machine, which has features such as being able to increase the cushioning effect at the time of grounding and also being able to reliably determine the stability of grounding. This machine has a structure in which multiple fluid pressure cylinders are installed on an imaginary board frame.The piston rods of these cylinders function as legs, and the lower end of the piston rod is in contact with the ground. A grounding pad is attached. In addition, in the cylinder, a space above the piston (upper space) communicates with all the cylinders via a pipe. Therefore, within the range of the piston's stroke, the downward force acting on all the ground pads is uniform, and if only some of the ground pads come into contact with the ground, the piston will temporarily move due to the reaction force. The fluid thus pushed out can flow into the other pistons through the pipes, forcing down the ground pads that are not yet in contact with the ground. By filling the pipe with compressible gas or the like, it is possible to increase the buffering effect, and by attaching a sensor to the ground pad, it is possible to reliably determine the stability of the grounding.

The following Patent Document 2 discloses a multi-legged walking robot that has excellent obstacle avoidance performance and can realize animal-like and agile movement characteristics. This multi-legged walking robot has legs that can swing like a pendulum placed at the four corners of the body, and a leg drive unit is built into the body, and the leg drive unit receives the rotational force of the electric motor. This is converted into a reciprocating motion, and this reciprocating motion is transmitted to the legs via the link. Each of the legs is attached to the leg drive unit in a manner that it can pivot about a vertical line, and the pivot angle of the leg can be adjusted by a pivot motor. As a result, by combining the turning angle of the legs and the kicking direction, it is possible to move diagonally or sideways, and by kicking the left and right legs in opposite directions, it is possible to turn on the spot without moving. In addition to being able to perform ``super pivot turns,'' it has excellent obstacle avoidance performance and animal-like, agile movement characteristics.

Patent Document 3 discloses a step-step walking control device for a multi-legged walking robot. This robot is equipped with multiple legs, and each leg has multiple bendable joints, including a knee joint, and each joint is equipped with an electric motor. The motor is operated by a control device. In addition, this robot is equipped with a step detection means consisting of an imaging device, a distance image sensor, a posture sensor, etc. When a step is actually detected, that information is transmitted to the control device and the knee joint is adjusted. The electric motor is controlled to change the bending direction, and interference between the legs and the step can be avoided.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-135358 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-266336 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2014-100767

At sites such as forestry and forest conservation projects, there are various obstacles such as standing trees, rocks, cliffs, etc., and in order to move various equipment while avoiding these in small steps, it is necessary to move forward and then sideways. You may be asked for directions. Such discontinuous flow lines are not possible with tires or endless tracks, and may also be difficult to achieve with multi-legged transportation devices depending on the arrangement of their joints. Therefore, there is a need for technology that allows robots to move in all directions without restriction, such as forward, sideways, and diagonally, in order to reliably avoid all obstacles.

Multi-legged transportation devices are easier to handle complex movement lines than tires or tracks, but when used in forestry or forestry projects, due to the harsh environment, it is difficult to use two-legged transportation devices like humans. It is difficult to introduce a walking system. In addition, with regard to quadrupedal walking systems similar to those of animals, when one leg is lifted on uneven ground, there is a risk that the balance of the entire device may not be maintained, leaving concerns about ensuring stability. One idea would be to increase the number of legs, but in that case there would be various issues, such as an increase in the manufacturing cost of the device and the complexity of the control software. Therefore, it is desirable to avoid having an extremely large number of legs and to optimize the method of controlling the legs to achieve stable movement even in harsh environments with severe ups and downs. In addition, in a multi-legged moving device, since the legs alone bear the load of the entire device, the load conditions inevitably become severe, and the load should be reduced as much as possible.

The present invention was developed based on these actual circumstances, and is an all-terrain moving device and its control method that can achieve stable movement even in harsh environments with severe ups and downs, and also takes into consideration the reduction of the load on the legs. intended to provide.

The invention as set forth in claim 1 for solving the above-mentioned problem includes: a vehicle platform disposed to face the ground; six sets of movable legs for supporting the vehicle platform in the air; and a vehicle body mounted on the vehicle platform. , three sets of the movable legs are arranged at intervals in the front and rear direction on each of the left and right side surfaces of the chassis, and each movable leg has three sets of a base portion, a middle portion, and a tip portion. The elements are arranged in series, the root part is arranged on a side surface of the chassis and is swingable about an axis perpendicular to the chassis, and the intermediate part has one end side aligned with the chassis. The distal end portion is attached to an end of the root portion and is swingable about a horizontal axis with respect to the root portion, and the tip portion is attached to the opposite end of the intermediate portion to the side opposite to the root portion. The movable legs are movable about a horizontal axis with respect to the middle part, the opposite side of the middle part is in contact with the ground at the tip part, and each of the movable legs is deformable without interlocking with the others, and has a specific shape. It is possible to separate only the tip portions of the movable legs from the ground, and furthermore, the vehicle platform can be moved by simultaneously rotating the base portions of all of the movable legs that are in contact with the ground. In an initial state in which the chassis is in contact with the ground and is stationary, the base extends in a direction away from the side surface of the chassis, and the tip extends downward and away from the end of the base. The rough terrain moving device is characterized in that the intermediate portion extends vertically at a position further away from the vehicle chassis, and the remaining intermediate portion extends diagonally downward and away from the vehicle chassis toward the tip end. .

The rough terrain moving device according to the present invention consists of a chassis serving as its base and a vehicle body mounted on the chassis. Viewed from above, it is the same size as an uneven terrain moving device, and has a built-in function for moving on the ground. In addition to the power source and operator's seat, the vehicle body is also equipped with equipment for performing various tasks. As for the means of movement of the rough terrain moving device, six sets of movable legs are used instead of tires or endless tracks. In addition, on the outer peripheral surface of the chassis, the surfaces that are aligned parallel to the normal forward direction of the rough terrain moving device are called "side surfaces", and naturally these "side surfaces" are arranged on both the left and right sides with the center of the chassis in between. . Furthermore, three sets of movable legs are arranged on each "side" of the chassis, spaced in front and back, similar to the legs of insects.

The six sets of movable legs have the same configuration, differing only in their arrangement.Each movable leg is made up of three rod-shaped elements called the root, middle, and tip that are integrated through joints. is connected to the chassis, the lower side of the tip is in contact with the ground, and the remaining middle section connects the root and tip. The root portion is swingably attached to the vehicle chassis, but this swing axis extends in the vertical direction, and as a result, the root portion swings on a horizontal plane. Furthermore, one end side of the root portion protrudes from the side surface of the chassis, and the intermediate portion is connected thereto. Therefore, by swinging the base portion, the chassis can be moved relative to the ground.

The tip is the part that comes into contact with the ground, and extends approximately vertically, and the lower part is equipped with means to increase friction with the ground and prevent it from sinking into the ground, taking into consideration contact with the ground. etc. will be established. The intermediate part is a part for connecting the root part and the tip part, and the upper end side of the intermediate part is swingably connected to the root part, and the lower end side of the intermediate part is swingably connected to the tip part. However, in this intermediate portion, the two axes at the top and bottom, which are the centers of rocking, both extend in the horizontal direction. In this way, the movable leg has the root, middle, and tip portions integrated in a swingable manner, so that when the middle portion is raised, the tip portion is pulled away from the ground.

When the movable leg is in contact with the ground, the intermediate portion extends diagonally downward from the base to the tip. As a result, it is possible to increase the distance between the vehicle undercarriage and the ground, making it easier to avoid contact between the ground and the undercarriage even when the ground is highly undulating. In addition, it is possible to prevent the tip end from moving too far away from the side surface of the chassis, and the moment acting on the joint portion of the movable leg can be suppressed. However, the movable legs need to follow the undulations of the ground, and as a result, the inclination of the middle part changes variously, sometimes approaching the horizontal direction and sometimes approaching the vertical direction.

Power sources such as actuators and motors are essential in order to freely move the base, middle, and tip parts that make up the movable legs, but the specific arrangement of these can be determined freely depending on the actual situation. I do not care. However, in the present invention, it is assumed that each movable leg can be freely deformed, and a plurality of movable legs are not linked together using links or the like. In addition, the details of the vehicle body mounted on the chassis may be freely determined depending on the intended use, but the vehicle body is usually equipped with a power source that drives the movable legs. Additionally, the chassis and body may be integrated via a turntable, similar to conventional excavator cars.

In this way, the rough terrain moving device is configured with six sets of movable legs, and by bringing at least three sets of movable legs into contact with the ground, the vehicle platform can be kept stationary in a stable state. Furthermore, by bringing four or more sets of movable legs into contact with the ground, the vehicle platform can remain stable even on uneven terrain. In addition, each movable leg is composed of three elements: a base, a middle part, and a tip, and by arranging the middle part diagonally, the distance between the chassis and the ground increases, making it possible to achieve stable movement. This prevents the tip from moving too far away from the vehicle chassis, suppresses the moment that acts on the joints of the movable legs, creates a margin for the strength of the movable legs, and improves reliability.

The invention according to claim 2 relates to the structure of the contact portion between the movable leg and the ground, and each tip portion is provided with a grounding body that contacts the ground, and the grounding body can be freely moved with respect to the tip portion. It is characterized in that it is rotatable and that the grounding body incorporates a vibrating part for compacting the ground. When moving the rough terrain moving device, the base of the movable leg is swung, but at the point of contact between the tip and the ground, the tip rotates around the vertical axis. As a result, friction between the two is unavoidable, leading to increased energy consumption. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a grounding body as in the present invention.

The grounding body is built into the lowest part of the tip and is the part that actually comes into contact with the ground, but it is not completely integrated with the tip and is rotatable around an axis that extends in the longitudinal direction of the tip. As a result, the influence of the rocking of the base is absorbed, and friction with the ground is eliminated. Note that the grounding body has a shape with an increased area in the horizontal direction, such as a spherical shape or a flat shape, in order to reduce the ground contact pressure with the ground. Furthermore, a vibrating section is incorporated inside the grounding body.

The vibrating section has the function of violently vibrating the grounding body in order to ensure the stability of the movable legs after touching the ground.Using this, it is possible to grasp the state of the ground after touching down, and also to generate vibrations on the ground. It is possible to create a crater-like structure by applying an impact to the structure, thereby securing the necessary supporting force. When the grounding body makes contact with the ground, if fallen leaves, debris, etc. have accumulated there, the supporting force will be extremely insufficient and the movable legs will not be able to perform their original function. Therefore, it is necessary to make some kind of decision, such as lowering the grounding object deeper, or pulling the grounding object off the ground and moving it to another location. In order to make this determination, immediately after the grounding object contacts the ground, the vibrating section is activated to apply vibrations and shocks to the grounding object, and the transition of the resulting reaction force is measured. If the reaction force increases over time, it is determined that supporting force can be secured at this location, and the grounding body is lowered further. On the other hand, if the reaction force does not increase, it is determined that the ground is in a ``hollow'' or ``bottomless swamp'' state, and the grounding location is changed.

The invention as set forth in claim 3 is a control method for moving an off-road moving device in the front-rear direction, wherein on the ground facing the undercarriage, outside the center of gravity of the off-road moving device, there is a left front of the undercarriage and a Assuming a stable support area consisting of four locations: right front, left rear, and right rear, each stable support area has a stable movement method that maintains one or more pairs of movable legs in contact with each other, and a stable support area. Regardless of the area, it is possible to switch between two movement methods: a high-speed movement method that allows only the movable legs located in the center to be in contact with the ground on either the left or right side of the chassis. It is characterized by the following.

There are various ways to move forward with this rough terrain moving device, but in places with severe ups and downs, it is desirable to make effective use of the six sets of movable legs to achieve stable forward movement. However, on normal road surfaces, stability is inevitably ensured, so it is desirable to be able to move at high speeds for convenience. Therefore, in the invention described in claim 3, it is possible to freely switch between the "stable movement method" and the "high speed movement method" to achieve both stability and convenience. In addition, the "stable movement method" assumes a "stable support area" consisting of four locations on the ground directly under the chassis, at the front left, front right, rear left, and rear right of the chassis, based on the center of gravity of the rough terrain moving device. do. At least one set of movable legs is always in contact with each "stable support area." On the other hand, in the ``high-speed movement method,'' either the left or right side of the chassis may be supported by only the central movable legs without considering the ``stable support area.''

In the initial stage of this "stable movement method", it is assumed that all movable legs protrude directly to the side of the vehicle chassis, and then the tips of the two sets of movable legs located in the center are pulled away from the ground, and then After moving these two sets of movable legs forward, their tips are brought into contact with the "stable support area." As a result, the entire device can be supported by a total of four sets, two sets of movable legs located in the center and two sets of movable legs located at the rear, and the two sets of movable legs located at the front can be pulled off the ground. be able to.

Next, the two sets of movable legs located in front are pulled away from the ground, and in order to move these two sets of movable legs forward, their bases are rotated and their tips are brought into contact with the ground. . Thereafter, the six sets of movable legs are in contact with the ground, and when the bases of all the movable legs are rotated at the same time, the vehicle platform is pushed out by the movable legs, and the rough terrain moving device moves forward. At this time, the speed of rotation will be synchronized on all movable legs, but the direction of rotation will be reversed on the left and right sides of the chassis. In addition to rotating the base, each joint of the movable legs is deformed individually to prevent friction with the ground that occurs when moving forward. When the bases have finished rotating, the bases of the four sets of movable legs located at the front and center of the chassis will protrude directly to the sides of the chassis, but for the two sets of movable legs located at the rear, protrudes to the rear of the chassis.

Then, the two sets of movable legs located in the center are pulled off the ground and moved to the rear of the chassis, bringing their tips into contact with the "stable support area." At this stage, the entire device can be supported by a total of four sets: two sets of movable legs located at the front and two sets of movable legs located at the center. Therefore, the two sets of movable legs located at the rear can be pulled away from the ground, and their base portions can be returned to a state protruding directly to the side of the vehicle chassis. From then on, the chassis can be supported by the four sets of front and rear movable legs, so the two sets of movable legs located in the center can be moved freely, and one cycle for moving the chassis forward is completed at this stage. By repeating this series of cycles continuously without stopping, the vehicle platform can be smoothly moved forward, and of course, the vehicle platform can also be moved backward in the same manner. In this way, when moving the two sets of movable legs located in the center forward or backward, by having their tips contact the "stable support area," the four corners of the chassis are always supported by the ground. , it is possible to ensure stability without interruption.

On the other hand, in the "high-speed movement method", the "stable support area" is not considered when moving each movable leg. Therefore, on either the left side or the right side of the vehicle platform, only the movable leg located in the center is brought into contact with the ground, allowing the entire device to be supported by only three sets of movable legs. As a result, one cycle for movement is simplified, and high-speed movement that is impossible with the "stable movement method" is realized. In the third aspect of the invention, it is possible to switch between the "stable movement method" and the "high speed movement method" as necessary.

The invention according to claim 4 is a control method for moving an off-road moving device in an arbitrary direction, wherein on the ground facing the vehicle platform, there is a left front portion of the off-road moving device outside the center of gravity of the off-road moving device. Assuming a stable support area consisting of four locations, front right, rear left, and rear right, each stable support area has one or more pairs of movable legs that maintain contact with each other. The vehicle is deformed, and at least four sets of movable legs located at the four corners of the chassis are brought into contact with the ground, and thereafter, while maintaining a state in which one or more sets of movable legs are in contact with each stable support area, The vehicle platform is characterized by deforming both the root part and the intermediate part or only the intermediate part of the movable legs that are in contact with the ground to move the vehicle platform.

In addition to moving in the front-back direction, this rough terrain moving device can also move purely horizontally without any movement in the front-back direction, and can also move diagonally by synchronizing the movement in the front-back direction and the horizontal movement. Therefore, the chassis can be moved in any direction. In addition, in the case of purely traversing, first let the individual movable legs protrude directly to the side of the chassis, then pull the tips of the three sets of movable legs lined up on one side of the chassis away from the ground one by one, and move the legs far away from the chassis. contact with. Then, if the middle parts of these three sets of movable legs are made to stand upright, and at the same time, the middle parts of the three sets of movable legs lined up on the opposite side of the chassis are laid down, the chassis will move laterally (traverse). become. When the vehicle chassis is moved laterally in this manner, there is no need to rotate the base portions of the movable legs, and all base portions maintain a state of protruding directly to the side of the vehicle chassis. Therefore, when the vehicle is traversing, the chassis does not move forward or backward.

Prior to such traversal, when the tips of the individual movable legs are brought into contact with the ground far from the vehicle chassis, the tips are temporarily separated from the ground, reducing the stability of the vehicle chassis. In particular, if the movable legs located at the four corners of the chassis leave the ground, the chassis may become unstable and its posture may change significantly. Therefore, in the invention according to claim 4, four "stable support areas" are assumed on the ground facing the vehicle platform, and one or more sets of movable legs are in constant contact with each "stable support area". shall be taken as a thing. In other words, when one of the movable legs located at the four corners is to be pulled away from the ground, the movable legs adjacent to it in front and behind it are brought closer in advance to function as a substitute for the movable leg that is separated from the ground.

Furthermore, when the vehicle platform is moved sideways, the base portions of the movable legs are also rotated, thereby making it possible to cause the vehicle platform to move diagonally. Of course, by adjusting the direction of rotation of the base, it can also be moved diagonally backward. As described above, the rough terrain moving device according to the present invention can combine forward movement or backward movement with traverse movement due to the structure of the movable legs, so that the vehicle platform can be moved in all directions, forward, backward, leftward, and rightward. When traveling sideways or diagonally, all six sets of movable legs may be in contact with the ground, but one or both of the two sets of movable legs placed in the center of the chassis may be off the ground. There may be cases where there are. In addition, because it moves horizontally or diagonally, when deforming the base or middle part, it is necessary to adjust the attitude of the tip part to prevent it from rubbing against the ground.

According to the invention described in claim 1, the rough terrain moving device is configured with six sets of movable legs, and by bringing at least three sets of movable legs into contact with the ground, the vehicle platform can be kept stationary in a stable state. Furthermore, by bringing four or more sets of movable legs into contact with the ground, the vehicle platform can remain stable even on uneven ground. In addition, each movable leg is composed of three elements: a base, a middle part, and a tip, and by arranging the middle part diagonally, the distance between the chassis and the ground increases, making it possible to achieve stable movement. This prevents the tip from moving too far away from the vehicle chassis, suppresses the moment that acts on the joints of the movable legs, creates a margin for the strength of the movable legs, and improves reliability.

By providing the grounding body at the tip of the movable leg as in the second aspect of the invention, the grounding pressure with the ground can be reduced, and sinking due to its own weight can be prevented. In addition, by making the grounding body rotatable relative to the tip, when the base is rotated to move the chassis, there is no friction with the ground, and smooth movement of the chassis is achieved. In addition, the grounding body incorporates an excitation unit that applies vibrations and shocks to the ground, allowing it to grasp the state of the ground after touching down, as well as creating a crater-like depression in the ground to ensure support.

The invention according to claim 3 provides a stable movement method in which one or more sets of movable legs are always in contact with each stable support area, and either the left side or the right side of the chassis is located in the center thereof. By making it possible to switch between two modes of movement: a high-speed movement method that allows only the movable legs to be in contact with the ground, it is possible to move at high speeds on roads and move stably on uneven terrain. It is possible to achieve both, improving convenience.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, by deforming only the middle part of the movable leg that is in contact with the ground, the vehicle platform can be moved purely horizontally without moving forward or backward, and furthermore, the movable leg can be moved horizontally without moving forward or backward. By simultaneously deforming the base and middle portions of the movable legs, the chassis can be moved diagonally. As a result, the vehicle platform can be moved in all directions, forward, backward, left, and right, and can continue to move while avoiding obstacles even on rough terrain that poses various restrictions. Moreover, when changing the ground contact position of the movable legs, stable support areas are assumed at the four corners of the vehicle chassis, and one or more pairs of movable legs are always in contact with each stable support area. The support will not become unstable, and stable omnidirectional movement will be achieved even in areas with severe ups and downs.

1 is a perspective view showing an example of the shape of the rough terrain moving device according to the present invention, and is depicted with the chassis and the vehicle body separated. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a detailed structural example of the upper part of the movable leg located at the left center of the vehicle chassis. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of a detailed structure of the lower part of the movable leg, and here the structure closer to the ground than in FIG. 2 is depicted. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a different structure example from FIG. 3 regarding the lower part of the movable leg. It is a perspective view showing an example of measures for stably supporting the vehicle chassis at all times, with the vehicle chassis etc. drawn in the upper part of the figure, and the ground directly below it in the lower part of the figure. This is a plan view of the chassis, etc. The upper left of the figure is the initial state where the chassis is stationary, the upper right of the figure is the state where the individual movable legs are freely deformed, and the lower part of the figure is the state where the chassis is tilted. That's how it is. FIG. 2 is a perspective view chronologically showing a "stable movement method" that emphasizes stability in the rough terrain moving device according to the present invention, and depicts the first stage out of all five stages thereof. The upper part of the figure shows the initial state before movement, and the lower part of the figure shows the central movable leg being pulled away from the ground. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the second stage after FIG. 7; in the upper part of the figure, the central movable leg is in contact with the ground, and in the lower part of the figure, the front movable leg is pulled away from the ground; 9 is a perspective view showing the third stage after FIG. 8; in the upper part of the figure, the front movable leg is in contact with the ground, and in the lower part of the figure, the vehicle platform is moving forward; FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the fourth stage after FIG. 9, in which the central movable leg is pulled away from the ground in the upper part of the diagram, and the central movable leg is brought into contact with the ground in the lower part of the diagram. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the final stage after FIG. 10, in which the rear movable leg is pulled away from the ground in the upper part of the diagram, and the rear movable leg is brought into contact with the ground in the lower part of the diagram. FIG. 2 is a perspective view chronologically showing a "high-speed moving method" that emphasizes high speed in the rough terrain moving device according to the present invention, and depicts the first stage out of two stages thereof. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a later stage of FIG. 12; in the upper part of the figure, three sets of movable legs are brought into contact with the ground, and the remaining three sets of movable legs are pulled away from the ground; in the lower part of the figure, the chassis is moved forward; I'm letting you do it. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing how the movable legs follow a step on the ground. It is a perspective view showing the state where the movable leg was made to protrude outside to the maximum. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the process of stably traversing the rough terrain moving device according to the present invention, depicting the first stage out of three stages; In the upper part of the figure, the left front movable leg is pulled away from the ground, and in the lower part of the figure, this movable leg is brought into contact with the ground at a distance from the chassis. FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing the second stage after FIG. 16, in which the left rear movable leg is pulled away from the ground in the upper part of the figure, and the movable leg is brought into contact with the ground at a far side of the chassis in the lower part of the figure; There is. 18 is a perspective view showing the third stage after FIG. 17, depicting the process of simultaneously deforming each movable leg to cause the vehicle platform to traverse; the upper part of the figure is before traversing, and the lower part of the figure is after traversing. It is a perspective view showing a state in which the uneven terrain moving device is moved obliquely by simultaneously deforming each movable leg, with the upper part of the figure being before oblique movement, and the lower part of the figure being after oblique movement. FIG. 3 is a plan view illustrating an example of the process of obliquely moving the rough terrain moving device, in which the individual movable legs are deformed in the order of the arrows.

FIG. 1 shows an example of the shape of the rough terrain moving device according to the present invention, and is depicted with the chassis 11 and the vehicle body 61 separated. The chassis 11 here has a planar shape facing the ground, and a vehicle body 61 is mounted on the top of the chassis 11. A turntable 15 is provided between the two so that the vehicle body 61 can freely rotate relative to the chassis 11. is interposed. Note that the turntable 15 is arranged at the center of the chassis 11. Further, the chassis 11 is approximately the same size as the vehicle body 61 when viewed from directly above so as to stably support the vehicle body 61. An operator's seat 62 is provided in front of the vehicle body 61, and an engine that serves as a power source is mounted behind the operator's seat 62. An arm 64 extends from next to the operator's seat 62, and an arm 64 is attached to its tip. A harvester 65 is attached. The arm 64 can be swung within a predetermined range like a conventional construction machine, and the harvester 65 at the end has the function of knocking down branches of a felled tree and cutting them into a predetermined length. Naturally, the arm 64 and the harvester 65 are only examples of the rough terrain moving device according to the present invention, and the specific configuration of the vehicle body 61 is flexible.

The chassis 11 has a rectangular shape, and among its four outer circumferential surfaces, the narrow surface located at the lower left in the figure is the front side of the rough terrain moving device, and the opposite surface located at the upper right is the rear side. Three sets of movable legs (21 to 26) are lined up at a predetermined interval on both the left and right sides of the chassis 11 (the wide side of the outer peripheral surface of the chassis 11), with the chassis 11 in between. Adjacent left and right movable legs (21 and 22, 23 and 24, 25 and 26) are lined up in the width direction of the chassis 11 without any difference in level, and are arranged similarly to the legs of insects. Moreover, the six sets of movable legs (21 to 26) have the same configuration, and all have three elements, the root part 31, the intermediate part 41, and the tip part 51, integrated in a swingable manner. and the tip 51 can be moved individually.

The base portion 31 is attached to a pedestal 13 that protrudes from the side surface of the vehicle chassis 11, and is freely swingable about a vertical axis V passing through the pedestal 13. Therefore, the root portion 31 swings along a horizontal plane about the vertical axis V, but the range thereof is about 150 degrees. Naturally, the pedestals 13 are arranged at six locations corresponding to the movable legs (21 to 26). The upper end portion of the intermediate portion 41 is attached to the side of both end portions of the root portion 31 that protrudes from the chassis 11, and both are integrated so as to be swingable about the horizontal axis H1. Therefore, the intermediate portion 41 can protrude downward from the root portion 31, but vice versa, it is also possible to protrude upward.

The tip portion 51 is connected to the lower end portion of the intermediate portion 41 and has the role of actually coming into contact with the ground, and is used in a generally upright state in order to ensure a distance between the chassis 11 and the ground. The intermediate portion 41 and the tip portion 51 are integrated so as to be swingable about the horizontal axis H2. In this way, the movable legs (21 to 26) have a plurality of joints, including the vertical axis V, the horizontal axis H1 on the base 31 side, and the horizontal axis H2 on the tip 51 side. The shapes of the individual movable legs (21 to 26) are changed in various ways to realize movement of the vehicle platform 11.

A spherical grounding body 58 is provided below the tip end portion 51 of the movable legs (21 to 26) in consideration of contact with the ground. The grounding body 58 can increase the reaction force by digging into the ground due to its own weight, and can ensure the stability of the chassis 11. Furthermore, in order to improve the adhesion with the ground, fine irregularities are formed on the surface of the grounding body 58. There is. Note that the grounding body 58 is not integrated with the tip portion 51, but is rotatable about the longitudinal direction of the tip portion 51 as an axis. As a result, when the root portion 31 swings relative to the chassis 11, an increase in reaction force is prevented. In addition, a vibrating section 57 is incorporated adjacent to the grounding body 58. The vibration unit 57 literally applies vibrations and shocks to the grounding body 58, and is activated when the grounding body 58 contacts the ground.It is possible to grasp the state of the ground from the subsequent behavior, and also to detect if the supporting capacity of the ground is low. Even if the structure is small, it is possible to ensure its supporting capacity by applying vibrations or shocks to cause it to collapse into a crater shape.

In addition, if a worker is sitting on the operator seat 62 in a harsh environment, there is a risk that the worker may fall over or come into contact with the operator, and be involved in various dangers. Therefore, by using the controller 68 that realizes remote control, the operator can leave the rough terrain moving device and send commands from a safe location. Note that information transmission between the rough terrain moving device and the controller 68 often uses wireless communication such as radio waves, but wired communication may be used in places where there are many obstacles.

FIG. 2 shows a detailed structural example of the upper part of the movable leg 23 located at the left center of the chassis 11. The root portion 31 of the movable leg 23 is attached to the chassis 11 via the pedestal 13, and is swingable about the vertical axis V. Further, a forward/backward cylinder 32 is attached to connect the chassis 11 and the base portion 31, and by operating the forward/backward cylinder 32, the root portion 31 can be swung within a predetermined range. Further, an intermediate portion 41 is attached to the end of the root portion 31, and the intermediate portion 41 is swingable relative to the root portion 31 about the horizontal axis H1. 41 can be made to protrude below the root part 31, and can also be made to protrude upward as shown in the lower part of the figure.

Swinging of the intermediate portion 41 is realized by the upper cylinder 34. The upper cylinder 34 is arranged above the root portion 31, and two links 35, 45 are connected to the tip of the rod, one link 35 extending toward the root portion 31, and the other link 35 extending toward the root portion 31. The link 45 extends toward the intermediate portion 41, and these links 35, 45 ensure the swing range of the intermediate portion 41. Note that the structure shown in this figure is common to all movable legs (21 to 26).

FIG. 3 shows an example of the detailed structure of the lower part of the movable leg 23, and here the side closer to the ground is drawn than in FIG. 2. One end of the intermediate portion 41 is attached to the root portion 31, and the tip portion 51 is attached to the other end. The intermediate portion 41 and the distal end portion 51 are integrated so as to be swingable about the horizontal axis H2, and a lower cylinder 44 is used to realize the swinging of both. The lower cylinder 44 is arranged to connect the intermediate portion 41 and the tip portion 51, but a cut-out window 46 is provided in the intermediate portion 41 so as not to limit the swing range of both. Windows 56 are likewise provided in which the lower cylinder 44 is accommodated. In addition, when the intermediate part 41 stands upright from the root part 31 as shown in the lower part of the figure, the intermediate part 41 and the tip part 51 are arranged so as to nestle and overlap, and the grounding body 58 is drawn near the root part 31. become a state.

FIG. 4 shows a structural example of the lower part of the movable leg 23 that is different from that in FIG. 3. If the ground is extremely soft, sinking is unavoidable with the spherical grounding body 58 as shown in the previous figures. Therefore, as shown in this figure, a flat ground plate 75 may be attached below the tip 51 to prevent the tip from sinking. Note that a connecting shaft 71, a leg neck body 73, and a fixing ring 74 are assembled between the tip portion 51 and the ground plate 75. It connects the space. The upper part of the connecting shaft 71 is attached to the tip 51 via a pin 72, and the lower part of the connecting shaft 71 is attached to the leg body 73 via a pin 72. It can be freely swung as it is. Therefore, the attitude of the ground plate 75 can be made to follow the inclination of the ground.

The upper surface of the ground plate 75 makes surface contact with the lower surface of the leg neck body 73, but the leg neck body 73 and the ground plate 75 are not completely integrated, and the ground plate 75 is rotatable with respect to the leg neck body 73. It has a unique structure. This is to prevent the ground plate 75 from rubbing against the ground when the base portion 31 swings relative to the chassis 11. In order to make the ground plate 75 rotatable in this manner, the ground plate 75 is attached to the leg neck body 73 via the fixing ring 74. The lower part of the side circumferential surface of the leg neck body 73 has a flange shape that protrudes in the radial direction, and the fixing ring 74 has an internal space that accommodates this flange-shaped portion. After fitting the fixing ring 74 to the outer circumferential side of the fixing ring 73, the bolt 76 is inserted from the fixing ring 74 toward the ground plate 75, so that the leg neck body 73 is sandwiched between the fixing ring 74 and the ground plate 75. However, some play is ensured in the internal space of the fixing ring 74, and the ground plate 75 can freely rotate relative to the leg neck body 73.

FIG. 5 shows an example of measures for stably supporting the undercarriage 11 at all times, with the undercarriage 11 and the like depicted in the upper part of the diagram, and the ground directly below it in the lower part of the diagram. In the present invention, as a step before moving the vehicle platform 11, it is necessary to separate some of the movable legs (21 to 26) from the ground, and then rotate the base portions 31 to bring them into contact with distant positions. At that time, it is desirable to be able to determine in advance whether or not the new contact position is appropriate in terms of the stability of the chassis 11. Therefore, as shown in the lower part of this figure, a stable support area S is assumed to surround the center of gravity C of the rough terrain moving device, and the movable legs (21 to 26) are brought into contact therewith. The stable support area S is distributed at four locations, and at least one set of movable legs (21 to 26) is always in contact with each of these four locations.

Since the stable support area S is secured at a predetermined distance from the center of gravity C, the vehicle platform 11 will not become unstable even if the position of the center of gravity C changes due to the inclination of the ground or movement of the loaded object. Further, by intentionally setting the stable support regions S to four locations instead of three locations, there is a margin for supporting the vehicle chassis 11, so that it is possible to sufficiently cope with sudden disturbance factors. Note that the stable support area S is determined based on the structure of the rough terrain moving device, the arrangement of the movable legs (21 to 26), and the like.

Specific examples of the delineation of the stable support region S include those derived from the structure of the movable legs (21 to 26). Regarding this line drawing, in the width direction of the chassis 11, the stable support area S is defined as the area outside the swing axis between the root portion 31 and the intermediate portion 41 of the movable legs (21 to 26). In addition, in the longitudinal direction of the chassis 11, in addition to defining the stable support area S in front of the intermediate position between the front movable legs 21, 22 and the center movable legs 23, 24, the area between the rear movable legs 25, 26 and the center movable legs The area behind the intermediate position between the movable legs 23 and 24 is also defined as a stable support area S. By defining the line drawing in two directions in this way, specific stable support areas S can be set at the four corners of the vehicle chassis 11.

FIG. 6 shows the chassis 11 and the like viewed from directly above, and six sets of movable legs (21 to 26) are arranged on both left and right sides of the chassis 11. In each of the movable legs (21 to 26), a root portion 31 is attached to the chassis 11 so as to be swingable, an intermediate portion 41 is attached to the tip of the root portion 31, and a tip portion is attached to the tip of the root portion 31. 51 is attached. In addition, the stable support areas S shown in FIG. 5 are drawn at the four corners of the chassis 11. Regarding this stable support region S, in the width direction of the chassis 11, it is located outside of the swing axis (H1) between the root portion 31 and the intermediate portion 41. Regarding the longitudinal direction of the chassis 11, the front movable legs 21, 22 and the middle movable legs 23, 24 are located in front of the intermediate position, and the rear movable legs 25, 26 and the middle movable legs 23, 24 are It will be behind the intermediate position. In the initial state where the chassis 11 is stationary, each of the movable legs (21 to 26) protrudes to the side of the chassis 11, as shown in the upper left of the figure, and the tip end portion 51 of each leg is in contact with the ground.

The individual movable legs (21 to 26) can be freely deformed, and in the upper right of FIG. ing. Further, the right center movable leg 24 has moved rearward and is in contact with the stable support area S on the right rear side of the vehicle chassis 11. Therefore, even when the left front movable leg 21 and the right rear movable leg 26 are pulled off the ground, the four sets of movable legs 22, 23, 24, 25 are in contact with the stable support area S, and the vehicle chassis 11 can be supported in a stable manner. In this way, at least one set of movable legs (21 to 26) is kept in constant contact with each stable support region S, and by deforming each movable leg (21 to 26), the vehicle chassis 11 is This prevents the support from becoming unstable.

The lower part of FIG. 6 shows how the chassis 11 is moved diagonally, and in the lower left figure, the movable legs 22, 24, and 26 on the right side (upper part of the figure) of the chassis 11 are projected largely outside the chassis 11. The ground contact position is far from the chassis 11. In this state, in addition to laying down the intermediate parts 41 of the movable legs 21, 23, 25 on the left side (lower part of the figure) of the chassis 11, the intermediate parts 41 of the right movable legs 22, 24, 26 are made to stand upright. The chassis 11 will be moving to the right (upper part of the figure). Furthermore, during this traversal, the base portions 31 of all the movable legs (21 to 26) are rotated, resulting in movement in the front-rear direction, thereby realizing skew movement of the vehicle platform 11. Even in the process of moving the chassis 11 diagonally, at least one set of movable legs (21 to 26) is always kept in contact with the ground in each stable support region S, thereby increasing the stability of the chassis 11. I can do it. However, in a situation where there is no problem with the stability of the chassis 11, movement without consideration of the stable support area S is also possible.

FIGS. 7 to 11 show in chronological order a "stable movement method" that emphasizes stability in the rough terrain moving device according to the present invention, and time passes from FIG. 7 to FIG. 11. . This movement method is characterized in that four or more pairs of movable legs (21 to 26) are always in contact with the ground from the viewpoint of placing emphasis on stability. The upper part of FIG. 7 shows the initial state before movement, in which all the movable legs (21 to 26) protrude directly to the side of the chassis 11 and are in contact with the ground. Thereafter, as shown in the lower part of the figure, the two pairs of left and right movable legs 23 and 24 located in the center are pulled away from the ground and further rotated forward. At this stage, the chassis 11 is supported by four sets of front and rear movable legs 21, 22, 25, and 26. Note that when the movable legs (21 to 26) are pulled away from the ground, the intermediate portion 41 protrudes above the base portion 31, and the intermediate portion 41 and the tip portion 51 are in close contact with each other, creating a folded state. .

FIG. 8 shows the second stage after FIG. 7. In the upper part of the figure, the central movable legs 23, 24 are in contact with the ground, and in the lower part of the figure, the front movable legs 21, 22 are brought into contact with the ground. pulling it off the ground. As shown in the upper part of this figure, the two sets of movable legs 23 and 24 in the center are in contact with the ground in front of the center of gravity of the rough terrain moving device, and this contact position is based on the stable support shown in FIG. It is in area S. Therefore, the vehicle platform 11 can be supported by only four sets, the two sets of movable legs 23 and 24 in the center and the two sets of movable legs 25 and 26 at the rear. Therefore, as shown in the lower part of the figure, the front two sets of movable legs 21 and 22 can be pulled away from the ground and rotated further forward.

FIG. 9 shows the third stage after FIG. 8, in which the front movable legs 21 and 22 are in contact with the ground in the upper part of the figure, and the vehicle platform 11 is moved forward in the lower part of the figure. As shown in the upper part of this figure, when the front two sets of movable legs 21 and 22 are brought into contact with the ground, all the movable legs (21 to 26) come into contact with the ground, but at this time, the four sets of movable legs (21 to 26) come into contact with the ground. The movable legs 21, 22, 23, and 24 protrude forward. Thereafter, by simultaneously rotating the base portions 31 of all the movable legs (21 to 26) and individually finely adjusting the posture of the movable legs (21 to 26), the chassis 11 is smoothly pushed out, as shown in the figure. The chassis 11 moves forward as shown below. When the forward movement is finished, the four sets of movable legs 21, 22, 23, and 24 at the front and center protrude directly to the sides of the chassis 11, and the two sets of movable legs 25 and 26 at the rear protrude rearward. .

As shown in FIG. 9, when the base portions 31 of the movable legs (21 to 26) are rotated to move the chassis 11 forward, each grounding body 58 moves in a circle with the rotation center of the root portions 31 as the origin. , With this circular movement, the distance from the side surface of the chassis 11 to the grounding body 58 changes. Specifically, when the base portion 31 protrudes forward or backward of the vehicle chassis 11, the distance from the side surface of the vehicle chassis 11 to the grounding body 58 becomes smaller, whereas when the base portion 31 protrudes directly to the side, the distance from the vehicle chassis 11 decreases. The distance from the side surface of 11 to the grounding body 58 becomes longer. Due to this difference in distance, the grounding body 58 moves while rubbing against the ground, which causes an increase in energy consumption. In order to avoid this situation, the postures of the intermediate part 41 and the tip part 51 are finely adjusted so as to be synchronized with the rotation of the root part 31, thereby suppressing the friction between the grounding body 58 and the ground.

FIG. 10 shows the fourth stage after FIG. 9, in which the middle movable legs 23, 24 are pulled away from the ground in the upper part of the figure, and the middle movable legs 23, 24 are pulled off the ground in the lower part of the figure. is in contact with. As shown in the upper part of this figure, even when the two central sets of movable legs 23 and 24 are pulled away from the ground, the remaining four sets of movable legs 21, 22, 25, and 26 are in contact with the ground, and the chassis 11 is It has no effect on support. After the two sets of movable legs 23 and 24 in the center are rotated rearward, they are brought into contact with the ground, and this contact position is within the stable support area S shown in FIG. 5 above. From then on, as shown in the lower part of the figure, all the movable legs (21 to 26) are in contact with the ground, but the two sets of movable legs 23 and 24 in the center and the two sets of movable legs 25 and 26 at the rear are in contact with the ground. protrudes to the rear of the chassis 11. At this time, the two central sets of movable legs 23, 24 are in contact with the stable support area S as described above. Therefore, the vehicle platform 11 can be supported by only four sets, the two sets of movable legs 23 and 24 at the center and the two sets of movable legs 21 and 22 at the front.

FIG. 11 shows the final stage after FIG. 10, in which the rear movable legs 25, 26 are pulled off the ground in the upper part of the diagram, and the rear movable legs 25, 26 are pulled off the ground in the lower part of the diagram. I am in contact with it. As shown in this figure, the two sets of movable legs 23 and 24 in the center are in contact with the ground in a rearwardly protruding state. Therefore, even if the two sets of rear movable legs 25 and 26 are pulled away from the ground as shown in the upper part of this figure, the support of the chassis 11 is not affected in any way. Therefore, when the rear two sets of movable legs 25 and 26 are separated from the ground, rotated forward, and brought into contact with the ground, the state shown in the lower part of the figure is obtained. At this time, the two sets of rear movable legs 25 and 26 are made to protrude right sideways. Thereafter, when the two central sets of movable legs 23 and 24 are pulled away from the ground, the state returns to the state shown in FIG. 7. Therefore, by continuously repeating the series of operations shown in FIGS. 7 to 11 without stopping, movement in a stable state can be realized.

FIGS. 12 and 13 show in chronological order a "high-speed movement method" that emphasizes high speed in the rough terrain moving device according to the present invention, and the state shown in FIG. 13 occurs after FIG. 12. This movement method allows only three sets of all the movable legs (21 to 26) to be in contact with the ground, and in the upper part of FIG. The legs 23 and the right rear movable leg 26 are brought into contact with the ground, and the remaining three sets of movable legs 21, 24, and 25 are separated from the ground. Moreover, all the movable legs (21 to 26) are in a state of protruding forward. After that, by rotating the base portions 31 of the three sets of movable legs 22, 23, and 26 that are in contact with the ground, and also finely adjusting the postures of these movable legs 22, 23, and 26 individually, the lower part of the figure is obtained. The chassis 11 moves forward.

13 shows a stage after FIG. 12, in the upper part of the figure, three sets of movable legs 21, 24, 25 are brought into contact with the ground, and the remaining three sets of movable legs 22, 23, 26 are removed from the ground. In the lower part of the figure, the chassis 11 is being moved forward. After the state shown in the lower part of FIG. 12, the three sets of movable legs 21, 24, 25 that had been separated from the ground are brought into contact with the ground, and the remaining three sets of movable legs 22, 23, 26 are brought into contact with the ground. If you rotate it forward after pulling it away from it, it will be in the state shown in the upper part of Figure 13. After that, by rotating the base portions 31 of the three sets of movable legs 21, 24, and 25 that are in contact with the ground, and also finely adjusting the postures of these movable legs 21, 24, and 25 individually, the lower part of FIG. The chassis 11 moves forward as shown in FIG. After that, the three sets of movable legs 22, 23, 26 that had been pulled off the ground are brought into contact with the ground, and the remaining three sets of movable legs 21, 24, 25 are then pulled off the ground and rotated forward. The state returns to the state shown in FIG. Therefore, by continuously repeating the series of cycles shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 without stopping, high-speed movement is realized. In addition, in such a moving method, the rough terrain moving device is supported by only half of the six sets of movable legs (21 to 26). Therefore, the center of gravity remains near the center of the chassis 11, and it can be realized on a flat ground.

FIG. 14 shows how the movable legs (21 to 26) follow a step on the ground. Since the individual movable legs (21 to 26) can be freely deformed, they can easily follow local differences in level on the ground as shown in this figure. Furthermore, even if the entire surrounding ground is sloped, the vehicle platform 11 can be maintained horizontally by freely deforming the individual movable legs (21 to 26).

FIG. 15 shows a state in which the movable legs (21 to 26) are projected outward to the maximum extent. When performing various types of work using the rough terrain moving device according to the present invention, the center of gravity may change significantly due to holding of standing trees, earth, and sand. In order to ensure stability even in such a situation, it is desirable that the individual movable legs (21 to 26) be able to reach a position as far away from the chassis 11 as possible. Therefore, by arranging the intermediate portion 41 and the tip portion 51 in a straight line as shown in this figure, the position of contact with the ground can be moved away from the chassis 11.

16, 17, and 18 show the process of traversing the rough terrain moving device according to the present invention in a stable state. In the present invention, since tires and endless tracks are not used, it is easy to move the vehicle purely horizontally without any movement in the front-rear direction. Prior to this traverse, the movable legs 21, 23, and 25 arranged on one side of the chassis 11 must be brought into contact with the ground at a far distance from the chassis 11, and in FIG. It depicts the process of making it stand out. In the upper part of this figure, the movable leg 21 has been pulled away from the ground, and its root portion 31 is protruding directly to the side of the chassis 11. 23 is moved forward to support the chassis 11 in place of the movable legs 21. Thereafter, as shown in the lower part of this figure, the intermediate portion 41 of the movable leg 21 is projected in a generally horizontal direction, and the distal end portion 51 of the movable leg 21 is brought into contact with the ground at a far side of the vehicle chassis 11. After this, the left center movable leg 23 may be pulled away from the ground.

FIG. 17 shows the second stage after FIG. 16, and depicts the process of causing the left rear movable leg 25 of the vehicle chassis 11 to project far away. In the upper part of this figure, the movable leg 25 has been pulled away from the ground, and its root portion 31 is protruding directly to the side of the chassis 11. 23 is moved rearward to support the chassis 11 in place of the movable legs 25. Thereafter, as shown in the lower part of this figure, the intermediate portion 41 of the movable leg 25 is projected in a generally horizontal direction, and the distal end portion 51 of the movable leg 25 is brought into contact with the ground at a far side of the vehicle chassis 11. From now on, the left center movable leg 23 can be pulled away from the ground, so in addition to protruding its base 31 directly to the side of the chassis 11, like the movable legs 21 and 25 adjacent to the front and back, the movable leg 23 in the left center 51 is brought into contact with the ground far from the chassis 11.

FIG. 18 shows the third stage after FIG. 17, and depicts a process in which the movable legs (21 to 26) are simultaneously deformed to cause the chassis 11 to move laterally. In the upper part of this figure, all the movable legs (21 to 26) are in contact with the ground, but the middle part 41 of the movable legs 21, 23, and 25 lined up on the left side of the chassis 11 (lower right side of the figure) is , protrudes generally horizontally, and these tip portions 51 are in contact with the ground at a far end of the chassis 11. However, the intermediate portions 41 of the movable legs 22, 24, and 26 lined up on the right side of the chassis 11 (upper left side in the figure) are generally upright, and their tip portions 51 are in contact with the ground near the chassis 11. . After that, when the three intermediate parts 41 on the left side of the chassis 11 are deformed so as to stand upright, and at the same time, the three intermediate parts 41 on the right side of the chassis 11 are deformed so as to fall sideways, as shown in the lower part of the figure, The chassis 11 will be traveling sideways.

Note that in FIGS. 16, 17, and 18, in order to ensure the stability of the chassis 11, the stable support area S shown in FIG. The movable legs (21 to 26) always remain in contact with the ground. However, in a situation where there is no problem with the stability of the chassis 11, traversing without considering the stable support area S is also possible. In addition, in FIG. 18, when the intermediate part 41 is deformed to make the chassis 11 move laterally, all the movable legs (21 to 26) are brought into contact with the ground, but if there is no problem with balance, some of them can be moved away from the ground. I don't mind if you separate me.

FIG. 19 shows a state in which each of the movable legs (21 to 26) is simultaneously deformed and the rough terrain moving device is moved diagonally. The upper part of this figure is in the same state as the upper part of Figure 18, in which all the movable legs (21 to 26) are in contact with the ground, but are lined up on the left side of the chassis 11 (lower right side in the figure). The intermediate portions 41 of the movable legs 21, 23, and 25 protrude generally horizontally, and their tip portions 51 are in contact with the ground at a far side of the vehicle platform 11. However, the intermediate portions 41 of the movable legs 22, 24, and 26 lined up on the right side of the chassis 11 (upper left side in the figure) are generally upright, and their tip portions 51 are in contact with the ground near the chassis 11. .

Thereafter, as in FIG. 18, the three intermediate portions 41 on the left side of the chassis 11 are deformed so as to stand upright, and at the same time, the three intermediate portions 41 on the right side of the chassis 11 are deformed so as to fall sideways. By rotating all the movable legs (21 to 26) in synchronization with the deformation of the intermediate portion 41, the vehicle platform 11 can be moved diagonally as shown in the lower part of the figure. Note that even when traveling diagonally, if there is no problem with balance, some of the movable legs (21 to 26) may be separated from the ground.

FIG. 20 shows an example of the process of moving the rough terrain moving device diagonally. Here, the vehicle platform 11 etc. are shown viewed from directly above, and the individual movable legs (21 to 26) are shown in the order of the arrows. will transform. The upper left of this figure shows the initial state before movement, and in order to increase the stability of the chassis 11, the two sets of movable legs 21 and 22 at the front are tilted slightly forward (to the left in the figure), and the rear The two sets of movable legs 25 and 26 are tilted slightly backward (to the right in the figure). When the chassis 11 is stationary in this way, there are cases where all the movable legs (21 to 26) are protruded to the side of the chassis 11, as shown in the previous figures, and cases where the chassis 11 is stationary, as shown in this figure. , may be made to protrude toward the four corners of the chassis 11 to further improve stability. Furthermore, they may be individually deformed to avoid obstacles.

After the state in the upper left of the figure, the two sets of movable legs 23 and 24 in the center are moved forward as shown in the upper right of the figure in preparation for diagonal movement. As a result, it is possible to freely move the two sets of front movable legs 21 and 22 while maintaining the stability of the chassis 11, and in addition to protruding the right front movable leg 22 to the right front of the chassis 11, The movable legs 21 of the vehicle are moved slightly backward and brought closer to the vehicle platform 11. Next, as shown in the middle right of the figure, if the two sets of movable legs 23 and 24 in the center are moved rearward, the chassis 11 can be supported by the four sets of movable legs 21, 22, 23, and 24 in the front and center. The rear two sets of movable legs 25 and 26 can be moved freely. Therefore, as shown in the middle left of the figure, the right rear movable leg 26 is made to protrude to the right front, and the left rear movable leg 25 is also moved slightly rearward to approach the vehicle platform 11.

After that, when the two sets of movable legs 23 and 24 in the center are deformed, the three sets of movable legs 22, 24, and 26 lined up on the right side of the chassis 11 protrude to the front of the chassis 11, as shown in the lower left of the figure. It is in contact with the ground at a position away from the chassis 11. On the other hand, the three sets of movable legs 21, 23, and 25 arranged on the left side of the chassis 11 face toward the rear of the chassis 11, and are in contact with the ground near the chassis 11. Finally, in addition to laying down the middle part 41 of the movable legs 22, 24, 26 arranged on the right side of the chassis 11, the middle part 41 of the movable legs 21, 23, 25 arranged on the left side is erected at the same time. Then, as shown in the lower right of the figure, the vehicle platform 11 is tilted. Incidentally, here, the oblique movement is realized without rotating the base portions 31 of the movable legs (21 to 26).

As shown in the previous figures, the rough terrain moving device according to the present invention is based on the premise that the root portion 31 and intermediate portion 41 of each movable leg (21 to 26) are individually controlled, and the vehicle platform 11 is moved forward, backward, left and right. can be moved in any direction. In addition, it can easily follow the slopes and undulations of the ground, and can easily avoid obstacles such as standing trees, making it possible to achieve stable movement even in harsh sites such as forestry and mountain conservation projects.

11 Chassis 13 Pedestal 15 Turntable 21 Movable leg (front left)
22 Movable legs (front right)
23 Movable legs (center left)
24 Movable legs (center right)
25 Movable leg (left rear)
26 Movable legs (rear right)
31 Root portion 32 Advance/retreat cylinder 34 Upper cylinder 35 Link (connecting the upper cylinder and the root portion)
41 Middle part 44 Lower cylinder 45 Link (connecting the upper cylinder and the middle part)
46 Window 51 Tip 56 Window 57 Vibrator 58 Ground body 61 Vehicle body 62 Operator seat 64 Arm 65 Harvester 68 Controller 71 Connection shaft 72 Pin 73 Leg body 74 Fixing ring 75 Ground plate 76 Bolt C Center of gravity H1 Horizontal axis (root) (oscillation axis between and intermediate part)
H2 horizontal axis (swing axis between the middle part and the tip part)
S Stable support area V Vertical axis (center of rotation at the base)

Claims (4)

A vehicle platform (11) arranged to face the ground, six sets of movable legs (21 to 26) for supporting the vehicle platform (11) in the air, and a vehicle body (61) mounted on the vehicle platform (11). It consists of,
Three sets of movable legs (21 to 26) are arranged at intervals in the front and rear direction on each of the left and right side surfaces of the chassis (11),
Each of the movable legs (21 to 26) has three elements arranged in series: a root part (31), an intermediate part (41), and a tip part (51),
The base portion (31) is arranged on a side surface of the chassis (11) and is swingable about a vertical axis (V) with respect to the chassis (11),
The intermediate portion (41) has one end attached to the end of the root portion (31) and is swingable about the horizontal axis (H1) with respect to the root portion (31),
The tip portion (51) is attached to the opposite side of the root portion (31) of both ends of the intermediate portion (41), and is oscillating about a horizontal axis (H2) with respect to the intermediate portion (41). the tip portion (51) is in contact with the ground on the opposite side of the intermediate portion (41);
Each of the movable legs (21 to 26) can be deformed without interlocking with the others, and only a specific tip (51) can be pulled away from the ground, and all movable legs (21 to 26) that are in contact with the ground can be moved away from the ground. By simultaneously rotating the base portions (31) of the movable legs (21 to 26), the vehicle platform (11) can be moved;
In an initial state in which the movable legs (21 to 26) are in contact with the ground and the chassis (11) is stationary, the root portion (31) extends in a direction away from the side surface of the chassis (11). Further, the tip portion (51) extends vertically at a position downward and further away from the chassis (11) when viewed from the end of the base portion (31), and the remaining intermediate portion (41) , an uneven terrain moving device extending obliquely downward toward the tip end (51) and away from the vehicle platform (11) . Each of the tip portions (51) is provided with a grounding body (58) that contacts the ground, and the grounding body (58) is freely rotatable relative to the tip portion (51). 2. The rough terrain moving device according to claim 1, wherein the grounding body (58) includes a vibrating section (57) for compacting the ground. A control method for moving the rough terrain moving device according to claim 1 or 2 in the front and back direction,
On the ground facing the vehicle platform (11), outside the center of gravity (C) of the rough terrain moving device, there is a stable structure consisting of four locations: left front, right front, left rear, and right rear of the vehicle platform (11). Assuming the support area (S),
a stable movement method that maintains one or more sets of the movable legs (21 to 26) in contact with each of the stable support areas (S);
Regardless of the stable support area (S), either the left or right side of the chassis (11) is in a state where only the movable leg (23 or 24) located in the center is in contact with the ground. A method for controlling an uneven terrain moving device, characterized in that it is possible to switch between two moving methods: a high-speed moving method that allows A control method for moving the rough terrain moving device according to claim 1 or 2 in any direction,
On the ground facing the vehicle platform (11), outside the center of gravity (C) of the rough terrain moving device, there is a stable structure consisting of four locations: left front, right front, left rear, and right rear of the vehicle platform (11). Assuming the support area (S),
Deforming each of the movable legs (21 to 26) while maintaining a state in which one or more of the movable legs (21 to 26) are in contact with each of the stable support regions (S), At least the four sets of movable legs (21, 22, 25, 26) located at the four corners of the chassis (11) are brought into contact with the ground;
Thereafter, one or more sets of the movable legs (21 to 26) remain in contact with each of the stable support areas (S), and the movable legs (21 to 26) that are in contact with the ground are ) A control method for an uneven terrain moving device, characterized in that the vehicle platform (11) is moved by deforming both the base portion (31) and the intermediate portion (41) or only the intermediate portion (41) of the vehicle.

Images