JPS5925712B2 - running body - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a running body capable of moving up and down stairs, overcoming obstacles, and the like.

Recently, when performing various types of work such as inspection, monitoring, maintenance, and repair of equipment in environments such as nuclear reactor containment vessels where it is not desirable to enter, robots are capable of performing these tasks by remote control in place of workers. An attempt has been made to use .

Such robots are generally constructed by mounting work equipment for performing various tasks such as inspection and monitoring on a running body that can move freely within the reactor containment vessel.

By the way, a large amount of equipment is housed in a narrow space inside a nuclear reactor containment vessel, and the road surface on which such a robot must run is complex and includes many stairs and obstacles along the way.

Therefore, in order to put such a robot into practical use, a highly reliable running body that can freely ascend and descend stairs and freely overcome obstacles is required.

Such a traveling body may be one equipped with a crawler-type traveling mechanism, but crawler-type vehicles have limited ability to climb stairs, climb over obstacles, etc.

In addition, so-called traveling-type traveling bodies equipped with a plurality of legs have also been developed.

Although this type of running object has the ability of a dog to climb stairs and climb over obstacles, the structure of the legs and its drive mechanism are complex, and a lot of information is required to control the operation of the legs. There were other problems, such as the extremely complicated leg control mechanism.

The present invention has been made based on the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to obtain a running body that has the ability of a dog to climb stairs, climb over obstacles, etc., has a simple structure, and is easy to control. It is in.

The present invention will be explained below according to an embodiment shown in the drawings.

This embodiment is a traveling body that inspects and monitors equipment in a nuclear reactor containment vessel.

As shown in the side view of FIG. 1 and the plan view of FIG. 2, monitoring equipment such as a television camera 2 is mounted on the vehicle body 1. As shown in FIG.

A total of four rotary arm bodies 3 are attached to the front and rear ends of the vehicle body 1, one pair each on the left and right sides.

These rotary arm bodies 3 are attached to the vehicle body 1 so as to be freely rotatable in a vertical plane by rotary shafts 4.

Each of these rotating arm bodies 3 is provided with three arm portions 5 that project radially from the center of rotation.

A wheel 6 is attached to the tip of each of these arm portions 5.
... is rotatably attached by an axle 7....

Inside the vehicle body 1, there is a rotary arm drive mechanism 8 that rotatably drives the rotary arm bodies 3 and can be fixed in any position, and a rotary arm body 3 that drives the wheels 6. A wheel drive mechanism 9 is provided which rotates independently of the rotation of the wheels.

These rotary arm drive mechanisms 8 and wheel drive mechanisms 9 are provided with similar configurations for each of the rotary arm bodies 3.

The configuration of an embodiment of the rotary arm drive mechanism 8 and wheel drive mechanism 9 for one rotary arm body 3 will be described below with reference to FIG.

Rotating shaft 11 of drive motor 10 of rotating arm body drive mechanism 8
A gear 12 is attached to the rotary arm body 3, and this gear 12 meshes with a gear 13 attached to the rotating shaft 4 of the rotary arm body 3.

The drive motor 10 is capable of forward and reverse rotation, and has a built-in brake mechanism, and rotates the rotary arm body 3 in the forward and reverse directions.
It is configured so that the rotation can be fixed at any position.

Further, a gear 16 is attached to the rotation shaft 15 of the drive motor 14 of the wheel drive mechanism 9, and this gear 16 is connected to the drive shaft 1.
It meshes with a gear 18 attached to 7.

The drive shaft 17 is the rotation shaft 4 of the rotary arm body 3.
It passes through the inside so that it can rotate freely concentrically with this.

This drive shaft 17 is connected to the axle 7 of the wheel 6 via gears 19 provided in the arm portion 5 of the rotary arm body 3.

The drive motor 14 is capable of forward and reverse rotation, and is configured to rotate the wheels 6 forward and reverse.

Also, within the vehicle body 1 is a travel control mechanism 20 (shown in FIG. 1).

) is provided. The travel control mechanism 20 detects lifting of the wheels 6 from changes in the loads acting on the wheels 6, for example, and detects lifting of the wheels 6 from changes in the impact or torque acting on the wheels 6. It is configured to detect that the vehicle has collided with the side of a staircase or an obstacle, and to control the rotation of each rotating arm body 3 and wheels 6 based on this information.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be explained.

When traveling on a flat floor 21, as shown in FIG. 4, two wheels 6 of each rotary arm body 3 are grounded, and the rotation of each rotary arm body 3 is controlled Leave it unfixed and allow it to rotate freely.

Then, the wheels 6... are rotated to move forward and backward.

In this case, each rotary arm body 3 can rotate freely, so even if there are some unevenness on the road surface, these rotary arm bodies 3
By rotating the two wheels 6, the two wheels 6 can be kept firmly in contact with the ground at all times, allowing stable running.

Note that the drive motor 10 of the rotary arm drive mechanism 8 may be a motor with a clutch mechanism.

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 5, even if the floor surface 21A is inclined, the rotary arm body 3... rotates, and the two wheels 6...
can be grounded.

The operation when going up and down stairs or when getting over an obstacle will be explained with reference to FIGS. 6 to 10.

In addition, in the above-mentioned FIGS. 6 to 10, only one rotary arm body 3 is schematically shown for ease of explanation.

All four rotary arm bodies 3... operate in the same way.

The case of climbing stairs will be explained with reference to FIG. 6 a"e.

When the traveling body traveling on the floor reaches the position of the stairs 22, the wheels 6a located in front move to the first stage 2 as shown in FIG. 6a.
It collides with the side of 2a.

This state is detected by the travel control mechanism 20 based on an impact acting on the wheel 6a, a stoppage of the wheel 6a, a change in torque, etc.

Upon this detection, the traveling control mechanism 20 rotates the rotary arm body 3 in the forward direction.

Therefore, the rotating arm body 3 rotates upward about the wheel 6a, and the next wheel 6b comes into contact with the upper surface of the first stage 22a, as shown in FIG.

When the rotary arm body 3 is further rotated, the rotary arm body 3 rotates upward around the wheel 6b that is in contact with the upper surface of the first stage 22a, and reaches above the first stage 22a as shown in FIG. 6C. Rise.

In addition, when rotating the rotary arm body 3 as described above, if a large forward rotational torque is applied to the wheels 6a, 6b, and 6c, a large reaction torque in the reverse direction will be generated in the rotary arm body 3, and the wheels 6a.

If wheels 6 b and 6 c are left in an idling state, the wheels S a
t6b rolls backward, each wheel 6a,
6b.

Apply a slight forward rotation torque to 6c.

Next, when the rotary arm body 3 rotates 120 degrees, it stops rotating and is fixed so that it cannot rotate, and the wheels 6 a
t 6 b and 6 c are rotated forward and run on the upper surface of the first stage 22a.

As shown in FIG. 6d, when the wheel 6b collides with the side surface of the second stage 22b, the travel control mechanism 20 detects this and rotates the rotary arm body 3 in the same manner as described above to reach the top of the second stage 22b. rise

Thereafter, the user ascends the stairs 22 one step at a time in the same manner. As shown in FIG. 6e, when the wheel rises to the top of the top stage 22n, the wheels 6 a t 6
Even if you rotate b t 6 c and drive, the front wheel 6a
will no longer collide with the side of the next stage.

The travel control mechanism 20 fixes the rotation of the rotary arm body 3,
Even if the wheels 6a, 6b are rotated and run for a predetermined distance, the wheels 6a, 6b
.

If the vehicle 6c does not collide, it is determined that the vehicle has climbed the stairs, and the rotary arm body 3 is released from the fixation, and the vehicle enters a traveling state on a flat road surface (the traveling state shown in FIG. 4).

In addition, when the pitch of the stairs 22A is small, when the rotary arm body 3 is rotated as shown in FIG. 7a, the next wheel 6
b does not come into contact with the upper surface of the first stage 22Aa, and the second stage 22bb
may come into contact with the side of the

In this case, since the rotational torque applied to the wheels 6a, 6b, 6c is relatively small, the rotational torque of the rotary arm body 3 and the weight of the vehicle body 1 overcome the forward rotational torque of the wheels 6a, 6b, and the rotary arm body 3 continues to rotate, the wheel 6a moves backward while rotating in the opposite direction or idling, and the wheel 6a continues to rotate.
b descends along the side surface of the second stage 22Ab while rotating in reverse or idling, and comes into contact with the upper surface of the first stage 22Aa as shown in FIG.

Therefore, even if the pitch of the stairs 22A is small, it is possible to climb the stairs 22A.

Next, the operation when descending stairs will be explained with reference to FIGS. 8a" and 8e.

First, as shown in FIG. 8a, when the traveling body reaches the top of the stairs 23, the front wheels 6a float up.

Then, due to changes in the load acting on this wheel 6a, etc.
The travel control mechanism 20 detects that the wheel 6a has lifted up and is idling, and rotates the rotary arm body 3 in the forward direction while braking it.
Also, the wheels 6a on the rear side are fixed so that the wheels 6c on the rear side do not fall off the first stage 23a.

Give a slight reverse rotation torque to 6 b t 6 c.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, the wheel 6a descends and the second
It is grounded on the upper surface of step 23b.

When this wheel 6a touches the upper surface of the second stage 23b, this wheel 6a is applied with reverse rotation torque, so
As shown in Figure C, it is pressed against the side surface of the first stage 23a and is prevented from falling from the second stage 23b.

Then, as shown in FIG. 8d, the rotating arm body 3 is rotated by 120°.
In the rotated state, the travel control mechanism 20 confirms whether or not the wheel 6b located in front has touched the ground.

If this wheel 6b is not in contact with the ground, the stairs 2
3 continues, and continues the same operation as above, descending the stairs 23 one step at a time.

, and as shown in FIG. 8e, when the rotary arm body 3 rotates 120 degrees when getting off the lowest stage 23n, the front wheels 6
a is grounded.

Therefore, the traveling control mechanism 20 detects this state, determines that the person has descended the stairs 23, sets the rotary arm body 3 to a free rotation state, and turns the wheels 6 a , 6 b , 6 c
Rotate in the forward direction to drive on a flat road.

In addition, if the pitch of the stairs 23A is small,
As shown in the figure, the rotating arm body 3 rotates forward and the front wheel 6a
Even if the wheel 6a descends, the wheels 6a may not touch the upper surface of the second stage 23Ab, but may come into contact with the side surface of the second stage 23Ab.

In such a case, if the reverse rotational torque of the wheels 6a+6bt60 is made smaller than the forward rotational torque applied to the wheels 6a due to the weight of the traveling object, the wheels 6a can be moved to the second stage 23.
It descends while rotating forward along the side surface of Ab, and as shown in FIG. 9, touches the upper surface of the third step 23Ac, so that it can descend this staircase 23A in the same manner as described above.

Next, the case of overcoming an obstacle will be explained with reference to FIG. 10a"g.

First, the front wheel 6a is blocked by an obstacle 24 as shown in FIG. 10a.
When the vehicle collides with the side surface of the obstacle 24, the rotary arm body 3 rotates in the normal direction in the same way as when climbing stairs, and the next wheel 6b comes into contact with the upper surface of the obstacle 24, as shown in FIG.

Then, the rotary arm body 3 continues to rotate in the normal direction, and when the rotary arm body 3 rotates 120 degrees and rides on the obstacle 24 as shown in FIG. 10C, the rotation of the rotary arm body 3 is stopped and this rotation is fixed, and the wheels 6at6bt6C are rotated in the forward direction to move the rotary arm body 3 forward, and the rotary arm body 3 is completely placed on the obstacle 24 as shown in FIG. 10d.

Then, the vehicle continues to move forward, and when it reaches the opposite side of the obstacle 24, the wheels 6b located in front of it float up as shown in FIG. 10e.

Then, similar to the case of descending the stairs described above, this state is detected by the travel control mechanism 20, and the wheels 6a are turned off.

6 b and 6 c are rotated in the reverse direction, and the rotary arm body 3 is rotated in the forward direction while being braked.

Therefore, the front wheel 6b descends and touches the ground as shown in FIG. 10f.

Then, the rotary arm body 3 further rotates, and the wheel 6c is positioned in front with the rotating arm body 3 rotated by 120 degrees as shown in FIG. 10g.
When the wheel 6a touches the ground, the travel control mechanism 20 detects this state, determines that the obstacle 24 has been overcome, and stops the rotation of the rotary arm body 3 so that it can rotate freely.
, 6b, and 6c are rotated in the forward direction to achieve a running condition on a flat road surface.

Therefore, the vehicle according to this embodiment can not only travel on flat floors, but also go up and down slopes and stairs, climb over obstacles, etc., and can travel on floor surfaces in all conditions.

In this embodiment, the maximum height H of the step that can be climbed over is shown in FIG. Like H= r 1R+ x ・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・
...(1).

And x=R31n30°−r −−(2) Because it is becomes.

In order to prevent this traveling body from falling downward while going up and down stairs etc., the horizontal distance from the center of the lower rotary arm body 3 to the center of gravity G must be Lx, as shown in FIG. If the height from the center of the body to the center of gravity G is Ly, and the inclination of the heavy body is θ, then I, = I, xcO3θ−I, ys1nθ〉
R・・・・・・・・・・・・(4) may be used.

Therefore, for the expected maximum tilt angle θ, the above (4
) By increasing the radius R of the arm portion 5 within a range that satisfies the equation, the height of the step that can be climbed can be increased, and the ability to go up and down stairs and to get over obstacles becomes extremely good.

In addition, this embodiment has a simple structure as it only has a wheel 6 at the tip of the arm portion 5 of the rotary arm body 3. . . . and the wheels 6 . . . It is possible to cope with any driving condition by simply controlling the rotation of the wheels 6 . . . and the control is easy.

Further, in this embodiment, the condition of the running road surface is detected by the collision or lifting of the wheels 6, so that the mechanism for detecting the condition of the running road surface is also simplified.

Further, the travel control mechanism is not necessarily limited to one that detects the condition of the traveling road surface by the collision or lifting of the wheels, but may also detect the condition of the traveling road surface by using other ultrasonic waves or optical detection means.

Furthermore, the configurations of the rotating arm body drive mechanism, wheel drive mechanism, etc. are not necessarily limited to those described above.

Furthermore, the present invention is applicable not only to traveling bodies for inspecting and monitoring inside nuclear reactor containment vessels, but also to traveling bodies in general for maintenance and inspection of equipment in unmanned factories, and furthermore, to traveling bodies in general such as wheelchairs for physically disabled people. It is.

As described above, the present invention includes a rotary arm body having three radially arranged arm parts, which is rotatably attached to the vehicle body, and a wheel is provided at the tip of each of these arm parts, and the rotary arm body and the wheels are connected to each other. A rotary arm drive mechanism and a wheel drive mechanism are provided that drive each independently, and the traveling control mechanism detects the condition of the road surface and controls the rotation of the rotary arm body and wheels in response to this. It is used to overcome obstacles, etc.

Therefore, by increasing the radius of the arm part, this device can increase the steps it can overcome, and has an extremely high ability to climb stairs and get over obstacles.The structure is simple and easy to control, and its effectiveness is It's a dog.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention, the first being a side view and the second being a side view.
The figure is a plan view, FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line I-I in FIG. 1,
Figure 4 is a side view showing the state of driving on a flat road surface, Figure 5 is a side view showing the state of driving on a sloped road surface, and Figure 6a.
``''-e is a diagram schematically showing the state of climbing stairs, Figures 7 a and b are diagrams schematically showing the state of climbing stairs with a small pitch, and Figures 8 a to e are diagrams showing the state of descending the stairs. Figures 9a and 9b are diagrams schematically showing the case of descending stairs with a small pitch; Figure 10 a = g are diagrams schematically showing the state of overcoming obstacles; Figure 11 The figure is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the radius of the arm portion and the height of a step that can be climbed, and FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the center of gravity and the radius of the arm portion to prevent falling while going up and down stairs. 1... Vehicle body, 3... Rotating arm body, 4
... Rotating axis, 5 ... Arm part, 6 ...
... Wheel, 7 ... Axle, 8 ... Rotating arm body drive mechanism, 9 ... Wheel drive mechanism, 2
0... Travel control mechanism.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 A vehicle body, a travel control mechanism attached to the vehicle body, a first drive mechanism and a second drive mechanism controlled by this travel control mechanism, and power from the second drive mechanism to drive the vehicle up stairs, etc. a cylindrical first drive shaft which is in an idling state when traveling on a floor surface etc., and a first drive shaft provided passing through the axis of the first drive shaft. a second drive shaft having the same axis and to which power is transmitted from the first drive mechanism; a first gear attached to the second drive shaft; Attached to the first gear train, second gear train, and third gear train that mesh at each angle, and to the final stage gears of the first gear train, second gear train, and third gear train, respectively. The first axle, the second axle, and the third axle are each attached to the first axle, the second axle, and the third axle. The arm part has a given wheel and three arm parts attached to the first drive shaft and projecting radially at equal angles of approximately 120 degrees around the axis of the first drive shaft. The first gear train, the second gear train, the third gear train, the first axle, the second axle, and the third axle are rotatably attached to the arm, and the wheel is attached to the tip of the arm. 1. A running object characterized by comprising a rotary arm body which is positioned and has a radius R of the arm part having a relationship of R≧2XH/3 with the height H of the stairs being ascended and descended.