JPH09132119A - Four legged traveling device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform traveling (walking) by the same steerage as a motorbike or a bicycle by performing steerage on the front leg side through a process of reversely making use of instability of a linear walking mechanism. SOLUTION: A four legged traveling device 5 mounted on a traveling body 1 and to travel with four legs 26, 27, 58, 59, the four legged traveling device is composed of a front part dummy straight line creating unit 11 provided with a pair of right and left leg parts 26, 27 to be attached to the front part of the traveling body, and a rear part dummy straight line creating unit 45 provided with a pair of right and left leg parts 58, 59 to be attached to the rear part of the traveling body. The right and left front legs and the right and left rear legs are linked to operating parts 62a, 62b of an approximately five sections link mechanism, respective operating parts are consecutively operated by a first driving source 6, and a stride G2 similar to a four-footed animal is applied to the front and rear legs.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a four-legged traveling device that drives a pair of front and rear legs into a simulated gait of a four-legged animal for traveling.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a four-legged traveling device of this type, four
Leg walking robots are known. The four legs of this four-legged walking robot are arranged in the front, rear, left and right of the greatly expanded position, and the gait is that one leg takes off from the ground while three of the four legs are in contact with the ground. Was configured to move.

[0003]

However, in the conventional four-legged walking robot, the center of gravity of the mechanism body is inside or near the side of the substantially triangular shape connecting the grounding points of the three legs in the gait state, or The stability is poor because it moves to the outside position, so it is necessary to equip it with a mechanism that corrects and moves the center of gravity of the mechanism body, but there is a problem that the mechanism body becomes complicated. Since there is a problem that a wide walking width is required because the leg intervals also need to have a constant width, the left and right stability is poor in a walking mechanism in which four legs are arranged in a substantially straight line. There was a problem that did not hold. The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and reversely utilizes the instability of the linear walking mechanism to steer on the front leg side, thereby performing the same steering as a motorbike or a bicycle. It is an object of the present invention to provide a four-legged traveling device capable of traveling (walking).

[0004]

In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides a four-legged traveling device equipped on a traveling body for traveling by four legs, the four-legged traveling device comprising: The front pseudo linear generation unit having a pair of left and right legs attached to the front of the traveling body and the rear pseudo linear generation unit having a pair of left and right legs attached to the rear of the traveling body, The front left and right leg portions and the rear left and right leg portions are connected to the operating portion of the approximately five-bar linkage, and each operating portion is
A series of actuations by the drive source give the front and rear legs a gait similar to that of a four-legged animal, so that the front left and right legs and the rear left and right legs are as if there were four legs. It is possible to run (walk) with a gait similar to the movement of the legs of a gait, and the distance between the front left and right legs and the distance between the rear left and right legs are set to be close to zero. Therefore, since the movement of the traveling body takes almost the same form as the traveling by the rotation of the wheels of the two-wheeled vehicle such as the motorbike and the bicycle, the driver can balance the left and right by steering the front unit with the handle portion. In addition, it is possible to maintain the stability of traveling, to perform a unique linear traveling, and to travel with a traveling width equivalent to the traveling width of a two-wheeled vehicle such as a motorbike or a bicycle.

[0005]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view of a traveling body 1, and FIG.
A line sectional view, FIG. 3 is a plan view of a drive system of the four-legged traveling device 5,
FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the front pseudo linear creation unit, and FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the legs. A handle portion 2 and a seat portion 3 are formed on the traveling body 1, and inside the traveling body 1. The four-legged traveling device 5 is equipped.

The four-legged traveling device 5 is provided with a drive source such as an engine 6 and a front pseudo linear generating unit 11 (hereinafter, simply referred to as a front unit) arranged in the front part of the traveling body 1 and a rear side. The rear pseudo linear generating unit 45 (hereinafter, simply referred to as the rear unit) and the front drive system 7 for driving the front and rear units 11, 45 by the engine 6 with a transmission.
And a rear drive system 8.

The output shaft 9 of the engine 6 is provided with a drive train 10 for two rows, one drive drive train 10a constitutes a front drive system 7, and the other drive drive train 10b is rear drive. The front unit 11 that constitutes the system 8 and is connected and driven by the drive chain 10a is a frame 1 having two substantially triangular shapes.
2a and 12b are provided at a predetermined interval, and the frame 1
Transmission main shafts 13a and 13b are coaxially rotatably supported at corresponding predetermined positions on the rear inclined portions 2a and 12b, and both main shafts 13a and 13b are connected by, for example, a universal joint 14. Further, a driven chain wheel 15 for two rows is attached to an outer end portion of the right frame 12a of the one transmission main shaft 13a, and one chain wheel 15b of the driven chain wheel 15 is a chain wheel 10a of the drive chain wheel 10. Corresponding to, the endless chain 16 is hung. A chain wheel 17 having the same number of teeth as the other chain wheel 15a of the driven chain wheel 15 is attached to the outer end of the left frame 12b of the other transmission main shaft 13b.

Intermediate shafts 18a and 18b are also provided corresponding to the lower side of the inclined portions on the rear side of the frames 12a and 12b.
Is rotatably supported, and chain wheels 15a, 17 are attached to outer ends of the frames 12a, 12b of the intermediate shafts 18a, 18b.
Corresponding to the intermediate chain wheels 19a and 19b are attached. The operating shafts 20a and 20b are rotatably attached to predetermined positions on the lower side of the center lines C of the frames 12a and 12b. The operating shafts 20a and 20b are attached to the outer ends of the frames 12a and 12b. The operating sheaves 21a and 21b are attached so as to correspond to the sheaves 15a and 17,
a, 19a, 21a and chain wheels 17, 19b, 21b are respectively hooked with endless chains 22a, 22b. Although not shown, the intermediate shafts 18a, 18b are provided with a tension adjusting mechanism to provide endless chains 22a, 22b.
It is provided to adjust the tension of b. In this way, in the front unit 11 in which the front drive system 7 is arranged, the front traveling mechanism 23 is installed.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the front traveling mechanism 23 comprises a right leg mechanism 24 and a left leg mechanism 25. The both leg mechanisms 24, 25 have substantially the same structure. It is composed of a right leg portion 26, a left leg portion 27, and operating portions 35a and 35b of the leg portions 26 and 27. The left and right leg portions 26, 27 are composed of base leg portions 28a, 28b and slide leg portions 31a, 31b.
b is rotatably attached to bearing shafts 30a and 30b which are externally fitted to a support shaft 29 which is horizontally attached between the tops of the frames 12a and 12b.
Slide legs 31a and 31b via a slider 32.
Each of them is attached so that it can extend and contract.
The distances 6, 27 are provided at d1 and the distance d1 is provided at a distance close to zero. The left and right slide leg portions 31a and 31b, which are attached so as to be capable of expanding and contracting, are connected to the left and right actuating portions 35a and 35b via the pair of link rods 41a and 41b, respectively.

The operating portions 35a and 35b are constructed in substantially the same manner, and the right operating portion 35a has a drive gear 36 having a predetermined number of teeth on the operating shaft 20a of the front drive system 7.
Is fixed to the drive gear 36, and the driven gears 37a, 37b having a predetermined number of teeth larger than the number of teeth of the drive gear 36.
Is rotatably meshed and connected to a shaft pin 38 attached at a predetermined position symmetrical with respect to the center line C of the right frame 12a,
Pins 39a and 39b are mounted on a predetermined radius line of the driven gears 37a and 37b, and the slide leg portion 31
A support pin 40 is attached to the central portion of the upper and lower sliders 32 attached to a.
Link rods 41a and 41b of the same length are rotatably and pivotally attached to 9b, and driven chain wheels 37a and 37b as shown in FIG.
The pins 39a and 39b attached to the drive gear 36 are meshed with and linked to the drive gear 36 in a 180-degree phased state.

The left leg mechanism 25 is provided in a state in which the configuration of the right leg mechanism 24 of FIG. 5 is reversed, and as shown in FIGS. A drive gear 42 having the same number of teeth as 36 is attached, and the driven gears 37a, 37b and the driven gears 43a, 43b having the same number of teeth are meshedly connected to the drive gear 42, and both driven gears 43a, 43b are connected. Pins 39a, 39b as above
Is mounted, and link rods 41a and 41b are rotatably mounted between the support pin 40 mounted on the slide leg 31b and the pins 39a and 39b, respectively, and the driven chain wheels 43a and 43b are pinned. 39a, 39b
Are engaged with the drive gear 42 in a phase of 180 degrees, and the right leg portion 26 and the left leg portion 27 are provided so as to have a half cycle in a gait.

Further, in the rear unit 45 driven by the rear drive system 8, like the front unit 11, substantially triangular frames 46a and 46b are formed in the front frames 12a and 12a.
and the frames 46a, 4 are provided at intervals corresponding to b.
Transmission shafts 47a, 47b are rotatably supported at a predetermined position on the lower side of the inclined portion on the front side of 6b via a universal joint 14, and a frame 46 of this transmission shaft 47a.
A driven chain wheel 48 for two rows is attached to the outside of a. One of the chain wheels 48a corresponds to the chain wheel 10b of the drive chain wheel 10 and an endless chain 49 is hung between the chain wheels 10b and 48b. Further, a chain wheel 50 having the same number of teeth as the driven chain wheel 48 is attached to the outer end of the frame 46b of the transmission shaft 47b. The operating shafts 51a and 51b are rotatably supported at positions corresponding to the operating shafts 20a and 20b of the front unit 11 on the center line C of the frames 46a and 46b.
An operating chain wheel 52a is attached to the outer end of the frame 46a of the one operating shaft 51a in association with the chain wheel 48a.
An endless chain 53a is hung between the chain wheel 48a and the operating chain wheel 52a, and an operating chain wheel 52b corresponding to the chain wheel 50 is attached to the end of the operating shaft 51b so that the chain wheel 5b.
An endless chain 53b is hooked between 0 and 52b. The rear unit 4 having the rear drive system 8 thus arranged
A rear traveling mechanism 55 is installed inside the vehicle 5.

The rear traveling mechanism 55 is the front traveling mechanism 23.
The right leg mechanism 56 and the left leg mechanism 57 are the same as the above. The both leg mechanisms 56, 57 include a right leg portion 58, a left leg portion 59, and an operating portion 62a of the left and right leg portions 58, 59. , 62
b. Then, the legs 58, 59
Are the base legs 60a, 60b as well as the front legs 26, 27.
And the slide legs 61a and 61b, and the base leg 60
The upper ends of a and 60b are rotatably and pivotally mounted to each other via a bearing tube 30, and the slide leg portions 61a and 61b are extendably and retractably provided to the base leg portions 60a and 60b via a slider 32. The leg portions 58, 59 are formed to have a distance d2, which is substantially zero. The slide leg portions 61a and 61b of the leg portions 58 and 59 thus provided are connected to the operating portions 62a and 62b.

The operating portions 62a, 6 of the rear unit 45
2b is constructed similarly to the actuating parts 35a, 35b of the front unit 11, except that the right leg 5 of the rear unit 45 is
8 is linked to the actuating portion 62b so as to be in tune with the left leg 27 of the front unit 11, and the left leg 59 of the rear unit 45 is in tune with the right leg 26 of the front unit 11. Thus, it is connected to the operating portion 62a. The operating parts 62a and 62b include drive gears 36 and 42 of the front operating parts 35a and 35b, driven gears 37a, 37b and 43a, respectively.
42b is given the same reference numeral and the description thereof is omitted. Further, in order to perform this synchronized gait, the left and right reference numerals of the front actuating portions 35b, 35b are given in reverse. The front unit 11 of the four-legged traveling device thus provided is connected via the turning shaft 4 provided in the handle portion 3 so as to be steerable in the left-right direction.

Next, the operation of the front leg portions 26, 27 and the rear leg portions 58, 59 will be described. If the leg portion shown in FIG. 5 is, for example, the right leg portion 26 at the front portion and the lower end of the leg portion 26 is in a free state, then the rotation is transmitted to the operating chain wheel 21 and the drive gear attached to the operating shaft 20a. When 36 is rotated in the clockwise direction indicated by the arrow in the figure, the driven gears 37a and 37b meshed with and linked to the drive gear 36 are rotated in the counterclockwise direction. Thereby, the support pin 4 of the slide leg portion 31a is
The pin 39a of the driven gear 37a pivotally attached to the lower ends of the link rods 41a and 41b pivotally attached to the position 0 is located at the position a1 → a2 → a
3 while the pin 39b of the driven gear 37b moves to the position b1.
While following → b2 → b3, the support pin 40 follows the locus line P1 of the illustrated trajectory line Ka in the substantially horizontal direction, while the lower end of the slide leg 31a follows the trajectory line G1 of the trajectory line Kb in the horizontal direction. Then, by further rotating, the pin 3
9a traces the position a3 → a4 → a1 and the pin 39b of the driven gear 37b traces the position b3 → b4 → b1 so that the support pin 40 traces the substantially arcuate locus line P2 of the locus line Ka,
The lower end of the slide leg portion 31a follows the horizontal trajectory line G2 of the trajectory line Kb, and the operating portion 35a has approximately 5
It constitutes a joint link mechanism.

When the tip end of the right leg portion 26 is in contact with the ground, the horizontal locus line G of the locus line Kb.
The line segment 1 indicates a supporting state, and the line segment on the arc-shaped trajectory line G2 of the trajectory line Kb indicates a gait.
Therefore, each leg 26, 27, 58, 59 is repeatedly given a pseudo-linear reciprocating motion.

In this way, the driver sits astride the traveling body 1 equipped with the four-legged traveling device 5 having the front leg portions 26 and 27 and the rear leg portions 58 and 59 to which the pseudo linear reciprocating motion is applied. When the engine 6 is started by means of a drive chain wheel 10 for two rows mounted on its output shaft 9, the power is transmitted via the front drive system 7 and the rear drive system 8 to the front unit 11
And transmitted to the operating shafts 20a, 20b and the operating shafts 51a, 51b of the rear unit 45.
20b and actuating shafts 51a, 51b continuously actuate front actuating parts 35a, 35b and rear actuating parts 62a, 62b of the approximately five-bar link mechanism so that front leg 2
6, 27 and the rear legs 58, 59 are repeatedly provided with a quasi-linear reciprocating motion of the supporting state G1 and the gait G2. Here, the front right leg portion 26 and the rear left leg portion 59, and the front left leg portion 27 and the rear right leg portion 59 operate such that the synchronized gaits G2 are in a half cycle phase with each other. Since it is configured, this mutual gait can run (walk) with a gait similar to the movement of the legs of a 4-legged gait, and the distance between the front leg portions 26, 27 can be increased. Since the distance d2 between the d1 and the rear leg portions 58, 59 is close to 0, the movement of the traveling body 1 is just a motorbike,
Since it takes almost the same form as running by rotating the wheels of a two-wheeled vehicle such as a bicycle, the driver maintains steering stability by steering the front unit 11 with the handle portion 2 to achieve left-right balance. Therefore, it is possible to perform a unique linear traveling, and it is possible to travel with a traveling width equivalent to that of a two-wheeled vehicle such as a motorbike or a bicycle.

[0018]

As described above, according to the present invention, the gait of the front left and right legs and the rear left and right legs is similar to the movement of the legs of an animal with four gaits. It is capable of running (walking), and the distance between the front left and right legs and the distance between the rear left and right legs are close to 0. Since it takes almost the same form as running by rotating the wheels of a two-wheeled vehicle, the driver can maintain the running stability by steering the front unit with the steering wheel to balance the left and right. The vehicle can travel in a straight line, and can travel with a traveling width equivalent to that of a two-wheeled vehicle such as a motorbike or a bicycle.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a traveling body equipped with a four-legged traveling device.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a drive system of a four-legged traveling device.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of FIG.

FIG. 5 is an operation explanatory view of legs.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 traveling body 5 four-legged traveling device 6 engine with transmission 11 front quasi linear generation unit 26, 27 front left and right legs 35a, 35b front left and right operating unit 45 rear quasi linear generation unit 58, 59 rear Left and right legs 62a, 62b Rear left and right operation parts

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A four-legged traveling device mounted on a traveling body and traveling by four legs, the four-legged traveling device having a pair of left and right legs attached to a front portion of the traveling body. It consists of a front quasi linear generation unit and a rear quasi linear generation unit having a pair of left and right legs attached to the rear of the traveling body, and the front left and right legs and the rear left and right legs are approximately 5 A four-legged traveling device configured to be linked to the operating portion of the joint link mechanism, to operate each operating portion in series by one drive source, and to give the front and rear legs a gait similar to that of a four-legged animal.