JPS63191582A - Walking device for robot - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION A. Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a robot walking device used in special work environments.

B. Summary of the Invention The robot walking device according to the present invention allows the robot to get up even if it falls down by rotating the legs (located at each of the four corners); By setting the direction of the drive wheels, it is possible to perform free movements such as rotation on the spot.

C1 Conventional technology and problems Walking devices have been developed as locomotion devices for robots used in special environments, but existing walking devices do not have the ability to get up on their own in the event of a fall. There was nothing.

The original purpose of a walking device is to enable movement on stairs or the like where it is difficult to run on wheels, and to achieve this purpose, the walking device is equipped with two to several legs. However, even though walking devices are used under conditions where falls are likely to occur, such as when walking with one's legs on stairs, there is a problem that if one falls down, the walking device cannot get up on its own, making it unreliable. there were. In other words, robots are often used in areas where workers cannot enter, such as in radiation environments, but if a robot falls over in such an environment, extremely difficult measures will be required for recovery or recovery. .

D. Means for solving the problems The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional circumstances,
The purpose of the present invention is to provide a walking device for a robot that can take care of itself even in the event of a fall.

A walking device for a robot according to the present invention that achieves the above object has legs having driving wheels at their tips attached to at least four corners of a four-bot body, around a longitudinal axis and around an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal direction t. It is characterized by being provided with a two-axis opening that can be driven and rotated.

E Function When the walking device of the present invention falls down, it gets up by rotating the legs around an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the robot and pushing up the body of the robot. Furthermore, by rotating the legs around their longitudinal axes and setting the direction of the drive wheels, free movements such as rotation on the spot can be performed.

F. Example The robot walking device according to the present invention will be specifically explained based on an example.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a walking device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view thereof, and FIG. 3 is a plan view thereof as seen from above.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the walking device of this embodiment is provided on a robot that has a body section 1 and a head section 2 and has a substantially rectangular shape in plan view. This viewing bot is used, for example, as a mobile monitoring robot by mounting a television camera or the like in its head 2, but is not limited to this and can be used for various other purposes.

Legs 5 are provided at each of the four corners of the robot body 1 via joints 3.degree. 4, and the robot is supported by these four 115.

Each joint 3 has a built-in driving device such as a geared motor, and the operation of this driving device causes the joint 4 and the leg 5 to move 901 to 120 degrees around the longitudinal axis (Y-Y) of the leg 5 extending in the vertical direction. You should be able to rotate it to some degree. Also,
Each of the joints 4 also incorporates a driving device such as a geared motor, and the operation of this driving device allows the leg 5 to rotate 360 degrees around an axis (X-X) perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. Each of the legs 5 has a built-in extension/retraction device constituted by a geared motor, a feed screw, etc., and the operation of this extension/retraction device allows the distal end to be moved in and out from the base end, thereby allowing the entire leg 5 to extend and retract.

A drive wheel 6 is provided at the tip of each leg 5, and each drive wheel 6 is driven and rotated by the operation of a drive device including a geared motor or the like built in each leg 5. Incidentally, reference numerals 8 in the figure are sink absorbers provided on all sides of the robot, and these sink absorbers 8 are attached as appropriate depending on the application to protect the robot in the event of a fall.

According to the walking device having the above configuration, it is possible to perform free movements as shown in FIGS. 3 to 6.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the drive wheels 6 are arranged parallel to each other and are rotated synchronously, the robot can move straight as shown by arrows 3A or 3B in the figure.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, when each drive wheel 6 along with the leg 5 is rotated 90' in the Y-Y axis rotation 9 by the operation of the joint 3, the robot is moved in a direction perpendicular to the arrow 3A or 3B (arrow 4A
Or you can go straight to 4B). That is, the direction of movement of the robot can be changed by 90 degrees without changing the direction of the robot, and the robot can easily move through narrow orthogonal oil passages.

Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, when the joints 3 are actuated to rotate the legs 5 and each drive wheel 6 arbitrarily around the Y-Y axis, the robot moves as shown by arrows 5A or 5B. It can be moved in a curve or rotated in place as shown by arrows 6A or 6B. Incidentally, in the state shown in FIG. 3, the robot can also be moved around a curve by differentially rotating each drive wheel 6, but such usage is not recommended because it increases wear on the wheels 6 and wastes power. .

Further, according to the walking device having the above configuration, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, even if the user falls down, he or she can get up on his or her own.

When the robot falls forward or backward as shown in FIG. 7(a), the lower two legs 5 are moved around the axis x by the action of the joint 4 as shown in FIG. -36 around x
You can wake up the robot by rotating it 0 degrees. During this operation, the upper two legs 5 are rotated 90 degrees around the axis Y-Y by the operation of the joint 3, and the drive wheels of these upper legs 5 do not rotate when the robot is raised up. In this way, tension force can be applied effectively.

Note that FIG. 7 shows a state in which the shock absorber 8 is not attached, and the presence or absence of the shock absorber 8 does not affect the gist of the present invention. You are also free to install.

In addition, if the robot falls to the side as shown in Figure 8(a), the lower two
After the legs 5 of the book are rotated 90'' around the axis Y-Y by the actuation of the joint 3, these legs 5 are rotated about the axis x-x by the actuation of the joint 4.
You can wake up the robot by rotating it 3606 times.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, but may be modified accordingly.

For example, the present invention can be applied to a robot having four legs, or the joints 3 and 4 and the driving device of the drive wheel 6 can be changed using known techniques.

G. Effects of the Invention The robot walking device according to the present invention has a function of standing up by itself even if it falls down, so the reliability of using the robot in special environments can be greatly improved. Furthermore, since the direction of the drive wheels can be changed gradually to allow free movement, the robot can be easily moved even in narrow passages.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a walking device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view thereof, FIG. 3 is a plan view thereof, and FIGS.
The figures are plan views in different operating states, and FIGS. 7 and 8 are explanatory diagrams of the action when the device falls over. In the drawings, 1 is a robot body, 5 is a leg, and 6 is a drive wheel. 6 Drive wheels Figure 1 Front view of the walking device Figure 2 Side view of the walking device Figure 4 Plan view of the walking device Figure 6 Plan view of the walking device

Claims (1)

[Claims] Legs are provided in at least four corners of the robot body so as to be rotatable around two axes, one in the longitudinal direction and one perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and drive wheels are provided at the tips of the legs, respectively. A robot walking device featuring: