JPH04315586A - Running device on staircase or vertical wall - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To smoothly transfer a carriage from a flat road surface onto a staircase or a vertical wall by driving a carriage into two or more segments in the range from the front end to the rear end, and joining between respective segments with up and down movable joints. CONSTITUTION:A carriage 1, 2 provided with endless tracks 28, 30, wheels, sucking type running devices, and the like is divided into two or more sections in the range from the front end to the rear end. The respective segments are joined between with up and down movable joints 14, and a driving mechanism for these joints 14 (for example, a servo motor, a hydraulic device, a coil spring) is provided. Further, a detecting device 31 for a staircase or a vertical wall in the front (for example, an ultrasonic sensor, an optical sensor, a mechanical contact sensor) is provided, the driving mechanism of the joints is controlled based on the detected result of this detecting device 31, and the carriage is transferred from a flat road surface onto the staircase or the vertical wall and elevatably moved.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a traveling device for a luggage carrier, a wheelchair, a guided vehicle for the blind (guide dog robot), a fire extinguishing device, a painting device, etc. that climbs up the outer wall of a high-rise building.

0002

[Prior Art] The conventional traveling device described above has the disadvantage that it is difficult to move up and down automatically and smoothly when it runs on a flat road surface (a flat, horizontal road surface) and reaches a staircase or a vertical wall of a building. There is.

0003

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The purpose of the present invention is to solve the drawbacks of the conventional devices, and to provide a device that can automatically and smoothly move up and down stairs and vertical walls following a flat surface. This is what we are trying to do.

0004

[Means for Solving the Problems] As described in the Examples, etc., the space from the front end to the rear end of a single trolley equipped with caterpillars, wheels, adsorption type traveling devices, etc. is divided into two or several sections. , each clause is connected by a vertically movable joint,
A joint drive mechanism consisting of a servo motor, a hydraulic device, a coil spring, etc. is provided, and a front staircase and vertical wall detection device consisting of an ultrasonic sensor, an optical sensor, a mechanical contact sensor, etc. is provided, and the general detection device is The detection results are used to control the joint drive mechanism, allowing the robot to move freely and smoothly on flat surfaces, stairs, and vertical walls.

[0005]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is a plan view of a traveling device that can freely move along corridors and stairs, in which the present invention is implemented. Figure 2 is an elevational view. Figure 3
is a cross-sectional view. In the figure, the left side is the front of the device, and the right side is the rear. The total length of the device is several 100 cm. 1,
2 is a box-shaped truck with front and rear segments. 3 and 4 are pillars protruding from the right and left sides of the upper surface of the truck 2. 5 is a loading platform whose rear end is sandwiched between its upper ends. P is the horizontal detection sensor attached to the bottom surface. 6 and 7 protrude from the loading platform, supporting column 3
, the shaft passing through the hole at the upper end of 4. 8 is an oil cylinder that connects the truck 1 and the loading platform 5. 9 is the piston rod. Reference numeral 10 denotes a U-shaped shaft that passes through the thick part at the lower end of the cylinder in the left-right direction, and has both ends fixed to the upper surface of the truck 1. 11 is a U-shaped shaft that passes through the piston rod from side to side, and the upper end is fixed under the loading platform. 12 is a control stick protruding from the top of the truck 1. 13,
Joints 14 are made of metal plates that protrude rearward from the right and left surfaces of the rear portion of the truck 1 and are in contact with the right and left surfaces of the truck 2. 15 and 16 are shafts that protrude from the right and left sides of the truck 2 and pass through the joints 13 and 14. Wire ropes 17 and 18 are pulled out from the winch in the truck 2 and fixed to the upper and lower parts of the rear surface of the truck 1. 19 to 26 are the right front and right rear of truck 1,
Pulleys installed at the front left, rear left, right front, right rear, front left, and rear left of trolley 2. 27-30 are rubber caterpillars with steel cords attached to each pulley. 31 is a sonar-type front road surface detection sensor with a built-in electronic circuit that protrudes from the front of the truck 1. 32 to 35 are the upper, lower, and lower front of the front,
Ultrasonic transducer installed later. 36 and 37 are piezo elements made of pressure-sensitive rubber attached to the top and bottom of the front of the truck 1. 38 has the rear part attached to it, and the front end is bifurcated,
It is a flexible synthetic resin arm with a shaft and a rubber wheel 39 between the two prongs.

40 in FIG. 3 is a control stick 12 located inside the truck 1.
An electronic circuit box that contains switches, computers, and other items connected to the bottom edge of the . 41 and 42 are pulleys 20,
A motor connected to 22. 43 is the oil pump. 44, 4
Reference numeral 5 is a winch equipped with a servo motor, which is located inside the trolley 2 and is used to wind up and let out wire ropes 17 and 18. 46 is a storage battery. 47 and 48 are pulleys 24,
It is a motor connected to 26.

Although not shown, there are electric wires, oil hoses, etc. that interconnect each component. FIG. 4 is a diagram of this electrical circuit, and 49 to 52 are limit switches provided around the lower end of the control stick 12. Reference numeral 53 denotes a motor control circuit with a built-in computer that causes current to flow through the motors 41, 42, 47, and 48 in accordance with the energization state of these switches. 54 sequentially sends a pulse voltage to the ultrasonic transducers 32 to 35 and receives the received output, operates a sonar with a judgment function, obtains the output of the piezo elements 36 and 37, and detects the state in front. , a front road surface detection circuit with a built-in computer that sends a motor control signal to the motor control circuit 53. 55 and 56 are limit switches in the horizontal sensor P. (The center of gravity of the entire device is in the trolley 2.) Next, this operation will be explained.

When a load is placed on the cargo platform 5 or a person gets on the platform 5 and the control stick 12 is tilted forward, the limit switches 49 and 50 are contacted and closed, and the motor control circuit 53 switches the motor 41
, 42, 47, and 48 to rotate them in the forward direction,
The continuous pulleys 20, 22, 24, and 26 are rotated, the caterpillars 27 to 30 are rotated, and the carts 1 and 2 are moved forward. If you tilt the control stick 12 backwards, the limit switches 51 and 52 will be activated.
closes, each motor is reversely energized, rotates in the opposite direction, and the truck moves backwards.

When the control stick 12 is tilted to the right, the limit switches 50 and 52 are closed, and the motors 42 and 48 are disconnected from the circuit 53.
is energized positively, only the caterpillars 28 and 30 rotate, the carts 1 and 2 turn to the right, and when the control stick 12 is tilted to the left, the limit switches 49 and 51 close, the motors 41 and 47 rotate, and the caterpillars 27 and 29 The chisel rotates and the cart turns to the left.

[0010] When the driver runs on a flat road surface in this manner and approaches an ascending staircase, the following actions occur. Normally, an ultrasonic pulse voltage of 5 to 8 KHz is applied to the ultrasonic transducers 32 to 35 from the circuit 54 with a pulse width of about 1 ms and a pulse width of 50 ms.
It continues to be sent at regular intervals. Each vibrator emits ultrasonic pulses with different frequencies in the direction of the surface, receives the reflected waves, passes through a bandpass filter, and extracts only the output of the reflected waves with the same frequency as the one itself emitted. to circuit 54.

The determination function of the circuit 54 measures the time it takes for the reflected wave to return after being emitted, and the transducers 32 and 33 detect how many centimeters in front of each of them there is a vertical obstacle. 34 and 35 detect how many centimeters below the road surface there is and exhibit sonar action. Therefore, when the device approaches the stairs by about 1 m, reflected waves that signal the approach of an object begin to enter 32 and 33, 32 detects the vertical surface of the second step from the bottom of the stairs, and 33 detects the vertical surface of the first step. Detects the surface,
The circuit 54 determines that the ascending stairs are approaching.

Furthermore, when the stairs approach about 50 cm in front, a signal is sent from the circuit 54 to the circuit 53, and the winch 44
, 45 are energized, the wire 17 is pulled in, the wire 18 is pulled out, the front end of the cart 1 is lifted, and the front end of the cart 1 is tilted to about 30 degrees of the slope of the stairs. At that time, joint 1
3 and 14 rotate around axes 15 and 16, and the cylinder 8
When the front end of the loading platform 5 rises a little, the horizontal sensor P is activated, the limit switch 56 is closed, the oil pump 43 is activated, oil flows in and out of the cylinder 8, and the piston rod 9 moves up and down. I was drawn in,
The loading platform 5 is kept horizontal. During this movement, axes 6, 7, 1
0 and 11 act as joints.

When the outputs of the vibrators 32 and 33 indicate the same distance, it is determined that the obstacle ahead is a vertical wall, and the winches 44 and 45 do not move due to the signal sent from the circuit 54 to the circuit 53, and the motors 41 and 42 , 47 and 48 are stopped. When descending from a flat road and approaching the stairs, the vibrators 32 and 3
3 is unable to detect this, but the wheel 39 first falls under its own weight, the arm 38 bends, and the piezo element 36 receives a force that stretches it forward, increasing its internal resistance.
7 is compressed, its internal resistance decreases, and the respective current changes are applied to the circuit 54, which detects the presence of descending stairs, grooves, cliffs, etc. in front.

A deceleration command is issued from the circuit 54, and the driving speed of the caterpillar is reduced. Eventually, the vibrator 34,
35 protrudes above the lowered surface and measures its height,
If the location is extremely low, a caterpillar stop signal is immediately sent to circuits 54 to 53. If it is determined from the distance information entered in 34 and 35 that it is a descending staircase, the wire rope 17 is produced from the winch 44 very little at a time in response to a signal from the circuit 54.

When the trolley 1 protrudes considerably over the stairs, its weight causes the front end to drop, the wire rope 17 is stretched, and the wire rope 18
Sagging. When the trolley 1 comes out on the front stairs, its surface becomes parallel to the slope of the stairs, and as it advances further, the rear end of the trolley 2 lifts up, and eventually the surface of the trolley 2 also becomes parallel to the stairs, and the surface of the trolley 2 becomes parallel to the stairs. Go down from above.

When the front end of the truck 1 descends the stairs and reaches a flat surface, the wheels 39 are raised relative to the truck 1, the piezoresistor 36 is compressed, the piezoresistor 37 is pulled, and the circuit 54 is connected to the winch 44. 45, tensioning the rope 17 and loosening the rope 18 corresponds to the lifting of the truck 1 relative to the truck 2. When going down the stairs, the limit switch 56 is closed, the oil pump 43 is activated, the piston rod 9 is raised, and the loading platform 5 is kept horizontal.

[0017] When descending from a flat surface onto the stairs, if the trolleys 1 and 2 are fixed and integrated, the entire body will suddenly tilt onto the stairs immediately after the center of gravity lifts off the flat surface, which is extremely dangerous. If you operate as described above, there is no such danger. In this way, the vehicle can freely travel on flat roads and up and down stairs.

Note that the wire ropes 17, 18 and winches 44, 45 are omitted, the upper ends of the columns 3, 4 and the loading platform 5 are fixed, oil is put in and out of the cylinder 8, the piston rod 9 is moved, and the carts 1 and 2 are fixed. You can control the bending angle of the pillar 3.
, 4, and the cylinder 8 and rod 9 may be omitted. (In this case, the truck 1 and the loading platform 5 may be connected only by springs.) One pulley may be attached to each of the right and left surfaces of the pulleys 23 and 25, and the rear ends of the caterpillars 27 and 28 may be hung.

A third truck is connected to the rear of the truck 2, and the loading platform 5
Extend the rear end to the top, connect the bottom surface of the rear end to the top of the third truck with an oil cylinder and piston rod similar to 8 and 9, and expand and contract according to the information from the tilt sensor attached to the third truck. May be controlled. Each bogie is connected with a universal joint to enable lateral bending, so that when a turn in a horizontal plane is instructed using the control stick 12, etc., the bending angle between the bogies in the horizontal plane is controlled by a servo motor, etc. You can also do this.

A large number of sensors such as an ultrasonic sensor 31 as a front road surface detection sensor, a piezo element attached to an arm 38, a wheel, etc., may be attached to the front of the truck 1 at intervals of 10 cm or the like. A high-frequency pulse voltage of the same frequency may be sequentially applied to a large number of ultrasonic transducers, all the transducers receive reflected waves, and the forward state may be detected from the strength and time difference of each output. Ultrasonic sensors may also be attached to the bottom surfaces of the carts 1 and 2, etc.

[0021] An ultrasonic transducer in which the pulse emission direction is directed diagonally downward and forward, or in other directions may also be used. Infrared pulses may be sequentially emitted from several infrared light emitting elements, received by a large number of photoelectric elements, and the forward state may be detected from the strength of each output. Instead of using caterpillars, a large number of small wheels may be protruded from the sides of the carts 1 and 2 and rotated. Only the trolley 1 or 2 may have wheels. The length of the trolley 1 may be shortened and the number of wheels may be set to two on the left and right sides.

[0022] On the side of the truck 1 or 2, the front, middle, and rear 3
The axles are made to protrude, the distance between the centers of each axle is 22 cm, a rubber wheel with a diameter of 40 cm is attached to each axle, the front wheels and rear wheels are arranged so that they move on the same tread, the middle axle is made slightly shorter, and the middle wheels are It may be located inside the front wheels and the rear wheels so that the trolley does not vibrate excessively up and down when moving on stairs.

In this case, a large number of small wheels may be arranged between the front and rear wheels. Approximately eight 20 cm long metal arms may be attached radially around the front axle to serve as rubber wheels, and the arms may be used to hook the start of the stairs. On a grassy cliff, ultrasonic waves and infrared rays can be reflected by the grass, making it appear like there is a road surface. It is also possible to make the arm 38 about 1 m long, provide a joint at the root, apply a force to pull the arm downward with a spring, and detect the movement of the arm with a sensor to detect a cliff.
A radar using several small parabolic antennas is mounted diagonally downward on the front upper part of the trolley 1, and emits radio wave pulses with wavelengths that are strongly reflected from the ground but weakly reflected from grass.
Cliffs may be detected based on the strength of waves incident on each antenna.

A rear road surface detection sensor may be attached to the rear surface of the truck 2 and used to control the motors of the winches 44 and 45 during reversing. Winch 44, 45 with manual switch
may be controlled. FIG. 5 is a plan view of the second embodiment. FIG. 6 is a top view thereof. 57 and 58 are trolleys. 59 is the loading platform. 6
0 and 61 are pillars that hang down from the bottom surface. 62 and 63 are joints that pass through the lower ends of both columns to the left and right, the left and right ends extend downward, and are fixed at positions about 2/3 from the front on both bogies. 64 and 65 are coil springs whose upper and lower ends are fixed onto the loading platform and the truck, and which apply force to push the truck downward. 66 to 77 are pulleys that protrude at three points on the side of each truck: upper front, lower middle, and lower rear. 78-81 are triangular caterpillars attached to them.

When this device goes up stairs from a flat surface, the pulleys 66 and 69 are at a height of several tens of centimeters from the road surface, and the caterpillar 7 inserted between the pulleys 67 and 70
Faces 8 and 79 touch the first step of the stairs and begin to ascend. The front end of the truck 57 lifts up against the force of the spring 64,
Eventually, the caterpillar between the pulleys 70 and 71 becomes parallel to the slope of the stairs, and then the caterpillar 80,
81 touches the stairs and goes up in the same manner as 78 and 79.

The caterpillars 78 and 79 reach the flat part,
When the support column 60 rises to the flat surface, the weight of the truck in front of it and the force of the spring 64 cause the truck 57 to become parallel to the flat surface, and soon the caterpillars 80 and 81 also rise onto the flat surface. When descending from a flat surface and coming to the stairs, when the support 60 protrudes above the stairs, the weight of the cart 57 and the spring 64
Pushed by, the lower end of the cart 57 lowers and becomes parallel to the stairs, and eventually the cart 58 also becomes sloped at the same slope as the stairs and descends the stairs.

When the flat surface is reached, the front end of the truck 57 is raised relative to the support column 59 and becomes parallel to the flat surface, and the same applies to the truck 58. In this case, a sensor that specifically detects the condition of the road surface in front is not used, but the bogie 57
, 58 serve as mechanical sensors, which detect the slope of the road surface by themselves, and also detect the own weight of the device and the coil spring 64.
, 65 change the angle of inclination of the carts 57 and 58, making it possible to go up and down the stairs.

Furthermore, by providing the pulleys 66, 69, 72, and 75 at high positions, it becomes possible to climb stairs with high steps without using pulleys with large diameters. If only one trolley is used, it may be possible to ascend the stairs, but it is dangerous to descend the stairs. In addition, as in the devices shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, a front road surface detection device is provided, and the lower front surface of the loading platform 59 and the front upper end of the truck 57 are connected by a wire rope connected to a winch or a hydraulic cylinder, and these are expanded and contracted. The front end of the trolley 57 can be raised and lowered, a large number of small wheels can be used instead of the caterpillars of the trolleys 57 and 58, and a large number of wheels that protrude downward from the caterpillar can be used, such as the well-known stair aid that can be used to go up and down stairs. Small wheels may also be used.

When descending stairs, accelerating due to its own weight is very dangerous, so it is desirable to attach an inclination sensor to the trolley 57 and apply an engine brake or the like when the front end begins to lower to prevent it from accelerating too much. pulley 66
, 67 may be slightly extended outward, and about eight arms several tens of centimeters long may be protruded from the periphery of the axle, and the arms may be hooked onto a high staircase such as a bus entrance to allow the user to start climbing.

In this case as well, the caterpillar may be omitted and each pulley may be a rubber wheel. FIG. 7 is a plan view of a third embodiment that can ascend from a flat surface to a vertical surface. Figure 8 is an elevational view. 9 and 10 are a cross-sectional view and a vertical cross-sectional view thereof. 82 is a box-shaped truck with a chipped front left part. 83 is a box-shaped cart with no bottom. 84 is a servo motor attached to the trolley 83. Reference numeral 85 denotes an arm attached at right angles to the rotating shaft, and the front end of the arm is fixed to the trolley 82. 86 and 87 are rubber wheels attached to the trolley 82. 88 to 91 are wheels attached to the trolley 83. 92 to 97 are motors attached to the trolley connected to the axles of these wheels. Reference numeral 98 is a front road surface detection sensor attached to the front end of the truck 82, with many ultrasonic transducers embedded around it. 99 is a motor inside the cart 82. 10
0 is the axis of rotation, and inside the axis are the upper,
There are four cavities: bottom, front, and back. Reference numeral 101 denotes an exhaust pump using a centrifugal pump or an axial flow pump having a small hole in contact with the right end of a cavity located at the lower part of the shaft. 102-105 is 1
An arm made of a flexible material tube such as synthetic resin that connects to each cavity in the 00. 106-109 are suction boxes consisting of shallow rubber boxes attached to their ends. 110 and 111 are oil cylinders attached to the lower surface of the upper wall of the truck 83. 112 and 113 are the piston rods. 114, 115
is the oil cylinder attached to its bottom end. 116, 1
17 is the piston rod. 118 and 119 are box-shaped ventilation pipes attached to the left end. 120, 121, 122, 12
3 is a rubber suction box attached under them. 124, 1
25 is a ventilation hole connecting the ventilation pipe 119 and the suction boxes 122 and 123; 126 and 127 are rubber valve bodies attached near the lower opening. 128 is a hole made in the right wall of the ventilation pipe 119. 129 is an exhaust pump using a centrifugal pump or the like attached to the lower surface of the upper wall of the truck 83, and its left and right walls are vent pipes 118,
Although not shown, a horizontally long ventilation hole is opened in the contact surface. 130 is the oil pump. 131 is an electronic circuit box in the trolley 82.

When moving forward on a flat road, the motors 92 to 97
rotates, wheels 86 to 91 rotate, motor 99 also rotates,
Axis 100, arms 102-105, suction boxes 106-10
The 9th magnitude rotates counterclockwise and becomes a propulsive force. However, the front end of the truck 82 vibrates up and down while the arm rotates 90 degrees. (The arm may be controlled to expand and contract by hydraulic pressure or the like to prevent vibration.) Eventually, when the sensor 98 detects that there is a vertical wall such as the outer wall of a building in front of it, the motor 84 starts to rotate and move the trolley 82. Lift the front end 90 degrees.

The pump 101 starts to rotate and evacuates the cavity closest to the wall inside the shaft 100, and in the state shown in the figure, the inside of the arm 102 and the suction box 106 are evacuated. Soon,
The box 106 comes into contact with the vertical wall surface, the air inside the box is removed, and the box 106 is attracted to the wall surface with a fairly strong force. The motor 99 continues to rotate, and the carts 82 and 83 rise directly and diagonally upward.

When the arm 102 turns about 40°, the box 1
07 is almost in close contact with the wall surface, and the hole of pump 101 is in contact with arm 1.
03. The inside of the box 107 is now vented, and the box 107 also sticks to the wall surface. When the arm 102 etc. rotates about 10 degrees further, the hole of the pump 101 connects to the shaft 100 connected to the arm 102.
The right end of the inner cavity is shifted from the hole on the left side of the pump 101,
The exhaust inside the box 106 stops, the adsorption force is lost, and the box 106
is removed from the wall surface as the arm 102 rotates.

[0034] Eventually, the box 108 comes into contact with the wall surface, is evacuated, and is adsorbed, and soon the evacuation inside the box 107 stops and is separated from the wall surface, and then the box 109 is adsorbed to the wall surface. In this way, one or two suction boxes constantly stick to the wall surface and pull up the carts 82, 83. When the cart 83 becomes parallel to the wall surface, it moves up while adhering to the wall surface in the following manner.

The multiple oil pumps 130 work, the cylinder 115 works, the piston rod 117 extends, the cylinder 111 works, the piston rod 113 extends, the suction boxes 122 and 123 contact the wall, and the ventilation pipe 11
Since 9 has also moved, hole 128 matches the hole of pump 129,
The inside of the boxes 122 and 123 is evacuated and adsorbed to the wall surface. Then, the rod 117 contracts and returns, but at that time, the trolley 8
3 will be raised.

Next, the rod 116 is extended, the rod 112 is extended, the suction boxes 120 and 121 are brought into contact with the wall surface, and the ventilation pipe 118 is extended.
The holes of the pump 129 match, the inside of the boxes 120 and 121 are evacuated, and the boxes 120 and 121 are adsorbed to the wall surface. Here, the rod 113 contracts,
Peel off the boxes 122 and 123 from the wall, remove the hole 128 from the hole of the pump 129, and stop the exhaust inside the box.

Next, the rod 116 is retracted and the truck 83 is pulled up. Then, the rod 117 is extended again, the rod 113 is extended, and the boxes 122 and 123 are attracted to the wall surface. The rod 112 then retracts, peeling the boxes 120, 121 from the wall and cutting off the connection to the pump 129.

Similar operations are repeated thereafter. If the wall surface is extremely uneven and there is air leakage from the gap between the box 122 and the wall surface, the airflow causes the valve 126 to close the ventilation hole 124 and prevent the internal pressure of the ventilation pipe 119 from decreasing.
to support the trolley. A remote control nozzle of a fire hose is attached to the trolley 83, and the hose connected to a fire engine on the ground is pulled up and used for extinguishing a high-rise building.

[0039] Note that the suction boxes 106 to 109, 120 to 1
23 etc. and the exhaust pump may be controlled by a solenoid valve. The inside of each suction box may be divided into a grid pattern, and each square may be provided with a valve. The ventilation pipes 118 and 119 may each have a comb tooth shape, and a large number of small suction boxes may be attached thereto.

When descending from a wall, you can do the opposite, but a sensor is installed on the trolley 83 to detect when it has reached a flat surface.
It is desirable to also attach it to the rear of the motor to control the motor 84. FIG. 11 is a plan view of the fourth embodiment. FIG. 12 is an elevational view thereof. 132 is a box-shaped cart (loading platform). 133 is an oil cylinder whose lower part protrudes downward and does not move up and down, but can rotate in a horizontal plane. 134 and 135 are oil cylinders lined up behind it and fixed to the trolley. 136～
138 is a prismatic piston rod of each cylinder. 13
9-141 are carts with caterpillars. 142 to 144 are joints that connect each rod to the lower truck. 145 is a front road surface detection sensor attached to the trolley 132.

The motors in the carts 139 to 141 move the caterpillars to move the flat surface, and the motor in the cart 132 turns the cylinder 133 to the right or left, and the motors in the cart 139
Turn to change direction. When the person approaches the ascending stairs, the sensor 145 detects this, and the oil pump in the truck 132 pumps oil into and out of the cylinder 133, pulls up the rod 136, and raises the truck 139 by about 20 cm. The center of gravity of the truck 139 is slightly behind the joint 142, and the truck 139 is tilted so that the front side is raised.

When the cart 139 touches the stairs and moves forward a little, the front end of the cart 132 lifts up slightly, tilts, and the cart 13
The tilt sensor inside 2 works, oil is put in and out of the cylinder 135, the rod 138 is pushed down, the cylinder 135 is relatively raised, the truck 132 becomes horizontal, and the center of the truck 132 also rises, so the truck 140 is 10cm
The front end of the trolley 140 is raised by about 20 cm,
As the cart 132 begins to ascend the stairs, the front of the cart 132 rises again, and by the action of the internal tilt sensor and computer, oil enters and exits the cylinder 134, and the rod 137 is pushed out, keeping the cart 132 horizontal and moving the cart 141. and lift its front end to make it suitable for climbing stairs.

[0043] In this way, the cart 132 ascends the stairs while maintaining a substantially horizontal position. When the trolley 139 reaches the flat area, the sensor 145 detects that the trolley 1
40 and 141 are pulled up, and the trolley 132 completely rides on the flat part while remaining horizontal, after which all the rods are gradually pushed out of the cylinder and return to their original length. On the descending stairs, the rod 136 first extends, aligning the cart 139 with the slope of the stairs, and then gradually descending the stairs.
Shorten the rod 137 a little, shorten the rod 138 a lot, and move the trolley 1.
Keep 32 level and go down.

[0044] Once the flat part is reached, the rods are 136, 13
He will return to Motonaga in the order of 7 and 138. Note that the timing and degree of expansion and contraction of each rod may be changed to other shapes than those described above. At this time, the cart 132 may be tilted as the stairs are ascended and descended. A servo motor for controlling the inclination of each truck is attached to the connection between the trucks 139 to 141 and rods 136 to 138, and a buffer consisting of an oil cylinder or the like is attached.
It is also possible to prevent the slope of each truck from changing rapidly, or to install wheels with a large diameter instead of caterpillars.

Various other design changes are possible.

[0046]

Effects of the Invention If the present invention is carried out as described above, the ground envelope surface of the device can be greatly bent, so it can smoothly transition from a flat road surface to a staircase or a vertical wall surface, and can move up and down them.
Once again, a traveling device that can smoothly transition to a flat area is obtained,
You can make excellent small transport vehicles, wheelchairs, guide vehicles for the blind, fire extinguishing equipment, etc.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a first embodiment of a traveling device of the present invention.

[Figure 2] Its elevation view.

[Figure 3] Its cross-sectional view.

[Figure 4] Its electrical circuit diagram.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the second embodiment.

[Figure 6] Its elevation view.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the third embodiment.

[Fig. 8] Its elevation view.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A to A.

FIG. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B.

FIG. 11 is a plan view of the fourth embodiment.

[Fig. 12] Its elevation view.

[Explanation of symbols]

1. Front trolley. 2. Rear truck. 3. Support on truck 2. 4. Strut on top of trolley 2. 5. Loading platform that spans trolleys 1 and 2. 13 Joint. 14 Joint. 17. Wire rope. 18. Wire rope. 27 Caterpillar. 28 Caterpillar. 29 Caterpillar. 30 Caterpillar. 31. Front road surface detection sensor. 32 Ultrasonic transducer. 36 Piezo element. 38 Arm. 39. Wheels. 44 Winch. 45 Winch.

Claims (1)

[Claims] [Claim 1] A single trolley equipped with caterpillars, wheels, adsorption type traveling devices, etc. is divided into two to several segments from the front end to the rear end, and a vertically movable joint between each segment. A joint drive mechanism consisting of a servo motor, hydraulic device, coil spring, etc. is provided, and an ultrasonic sensor, optical sensor, mechanical contact sensor,
This device is equipped with a detection device for detecting stairs and vertical walls in front of other objects, and uses the detection results of the detection device to control a joint drive mechanism, and is capable of traveling on flat surfaces, stairs, and vertical walls.