KR20230066698A - Independent wheel control drive system - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an independent wheel control driving system. The independent wheel control driving system according to one embodiment of the present invention may comprise: a sensing module including a sensor which acquires status information and exterior environment information of a movement object, and a sensor driver which drives the sensor; a central processing module connected to the sensing module, analyzing the exterior environment information and the status information obtained from the sensing module, and generating a driving control signal to set a movement path of the movement object; and a driving module connected to the central processing module, controlling a speed of a wheel according to the driving control signal, and moving the movement object along the movement path. Provided is the independent wheel control driving system which can be easily installed on various movement objects.

Description

Independent wheel control drive system {Independent wheel control drive system}

The present invention relates to an independent wheel control drive system.

As fossil fuels are depleted, vehicles that use electric energy stored in batteries are being developed instead of vehicles using fossil fuels such as gasoline and diesel. Accordingly, electric vehicles using motors, electric bicycles, electric kickboards, and the like are widely used.

Such moving means includes a steering device for transmitting steering force of a steering wheel to a wheel using a steering gear box and a driving device for transmitting a driving force of a motor to a wheel through a drive shaft. In addition, detection sensors such as a plurality of cameras, lasers, lidar, etc. are included inside and outside the means of transportation for the implementation of autonomous driving.

However, since a steering device, a driving device, and a plurality of sensors are individually installed in the conventional means of transportation, the structure is complicated and expensive.

Based on the technical background as described above, one embodiment of the present invention is to provide an independent wheel control drive system that can reduce the number of sensors and has a simple structure so that it can be easily installed in various moving objects.

An independent wheel control drive system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a sensing module including a sensor for obtaining state information of a moving object and external environment information and a sensor driver for driving the sensor, connected to the sensing module, and the sensing module A central processing module that analyzes the external environment information and the state information obtained from the external environment and generates a driving control signal to set a moving path of the mobile body and is connected to the central processing module, and adjusts the speed of the wheel by the driving control signal and a driving module for moving the movable body along the movement path.

The drive module may include a plurality of wheels, a height adjustment member connected to the wheels to adjust the height of the wheels, a plurality of motors connected to the plurality of wheels, and a drive control unit to independently control each of the plurality of motors. can

The moving path obtains a point cloud for the target to be followed from the sensor, derives a cluster point based on the point cloud, calculates the distance and angle between the moving object and the cluster point, and obtains environment information around the cluster point. It can be set by repeating the process of reacquisition.

The central processing module calculates the distance between the moving object and the following target, sets a specific boundary value based on the following target, and when the distance between the moving object and the following target is less than the specific boundary value, the driving module When stopped, and the distance between the moving object and the following target is greater than or equal to the specific boundary value, the driving module may be driven.

The driving control unit may control the wheel based on distance and angle information between the location information of the moving object and the cluster points transmitted from the central processing module.

According to any one of the above-described problem solving means of the present invention, the independent wheel control drive system according to an embodiment of the present invention can reduce the number of sensors and can be easily installed in various movable bodies due to its simple structure.

1 is a perspective view showing an independent wheel control drive system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a view of the driving module of FIG. 1 viewed from a direction A;
3 is a diagram showing a driving module according to another embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a view showing a driving module according to another embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a flowchart illustrating driving of an independent wheel control drive system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is an exemplary diagram for explaining an object following mode of an independent wheel control drive system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 and 8 are exemplary diagrams for explaining independent wheel control of an independent wheel control drive system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail so that those skilled in the art can easily carry out the present invention. This invention may be embodied in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments set forth herein. In order to clearly describe the present invention in the drawings, parts irrelevant to the description are omitted, and the same reference numerals are attached to the same or similar components throughout the specification.

In this specification, terms such as "include" or "have" are intended to designate that there is a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification, but one or more other features It should be understood that it does not preclude the possibility of the presence or addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof. In addition, when a part such as a layer, film, region, plate, etc. is said to be “on” another part, this includes not only the case where it is “directly on” the other part, but also the case where there is another part in the middle. Conversely, when a part such as a layer, film, region, plate, etc. is said to be "under" another part, this includes not only the case where it is "directly below" the other part, but also the case where another part exists in the middle.

1 is a perspective view showing an independent wheel control drive system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a view of the drive module of FIG. 1 viewed from the direction A.

1 and 2, an independent wheel control drive system 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a sensing module 100, a central processing module 200, a driving module 400, and a battery module 700. can include The sensing module 100 , the central processing module 200 , the driving module 400 and the battery module 700 may be installed between the lower frame 20 and the upper frame 30 . The movable body 10 may be seated on the upper frame 20 and moved. Support members 40 may be provided at four corners of the lower frame 20 and the upper frame 30 . The support member 40 may be disposed between the lower frame 20 and the upper frame 30 to maintain a distance between the lower frame 20 and the upper frame 30 .

The sensing module 100 may be installed on the lower frame 20 . The sensing module 100 may acquire state information of the moving object 10 and external environment information, and recognize a following target based on the obtained information. The sensing module 100 may transmit information on the recognized follow-up target to the central processing module 200 . To this end, the sensing module 100 may include a sensor 110 and a sensor driver (not shown).

The sensor 110 may be provided in front of the sensing module 100 . The sensor 110 may obtain external environment information and state information of the moving object 10 . The sensor 110 may be connected to a sensor driver (not shown). The sensor 110 may detect the position of the following target based on the acquired external environment information and status information. For example, the sensor 110 may be a radar, lidar, camera, ultrasonic sensor, GPS, or the like.

A sensor driver (not shown) may be provided inside the sensing module 100 . The sensor driver may be connected to the sensor 110 to drive the sensor 110 . The sensor driver may drive the sensor 110 in x, y, z axis, left and right rotation, and up and down rotation directions. For example, the sensor 110 can rotate left and right and up and down like a human eye by a sensor driver to actively acquire external environment information and state information of a moving object in a specific area. In this case, external environment information obtained by the sensor 110 and state information of the moving object 10 may be transmitted to the central processing module 200 .

Accordingly, in one embodiment of the present invention, since the sensor 110 is actively moved by a sensor driver and has a variable field of view (FOV), it is possible to obtain surrounding environment information based on a specific region of interest according to a function.

The central processing module 200 may be connected to the sensing module 100 and the driving module 400 . The central processing module 200 may generate a driving control signal by analyzing external environment information and status information obtained from the sensing module 100 . The central processing module 200 may drive the driving module 400 by the generated driving control signal. To this end, the central processing module 200 may include a data storage unit, an output unit, and a control unit provided therein. The data storage unit may store external environment data and tracking target data transmitted from the sensor. The output unit may calculate, generate, and output a driving control signal for a tracking target based on data stored in the data storage unit to set the moving path of the moving object 10 . The controller may control the movement of the driving module 400 by transmitting a driving control signal to the driving module 400 . For example, the central processing module 200 may be connected to the driving module 400 . In this case, the central processing module 200 may individually transmit a driving control signal to each of the plurality of driving motors 430 . Accordingly, the wheels 410 connected to the drive motor 430 can be independently driven.

The driving module 400 may be connected to the central processing module 200 . The driving module 400 may move the movable body 10 according to a driving control signal. The driving module 400 can be controlled by the distance and angle information of the moving object 10 and the cluster point transmitted from the central processing module 200 . Here, the clustering point may be one or a plurality of points at which followers are clustered. For example, the cluster point is a representative point of each piece of information using information of a target acquired using a used sensor (e.g., point information such as angular distance in the case of lidar, RGB information per pixel in the case of a camera) For derivation, it may be set by calculating an average value or going through a process of deriving a representative point using a filtering technique.

The driving module 400 may include a plurality of wheels 410, a plurality of driving motors 430, a plurality of motor support members 440, a plurality of height adjusting members 450, and a driving controller 490.

A plurality of wheels 410 may be used to drive the movable body 10 . Each of the plurality of wheels 410 may include a shaft fixing part (not shown) provided in the center. The shaft fixing part may be connected to the rotating shaft 435 of the drive motor 430 . Accordingly, the wheel 410 may be fixed to the rotating shaft 435 and rotated.

The plurality of driving motors 430 may be connected to the plurality of wheels 410 respectively. That is, one wheel 410 may be connected to one drive motor 430 in a one-to-one correspondence. The driving motor 430 may provide power for driving the wheel 410 . A rotation shaft 435 for driving the wheel 410 may be provided on one side of the driving motor 430 . The rotating shaft 435 may be inserted into the shaft fixing part. The driving motor 430 may be installed at a predetermined distance from the ground so that the wheel 410 rotates in contact with the ground. The rotation number and rotation speed of the driving motor 430 may be controlled by a driving control signal transmitted from the central processing module 200 .

The motor support member 440 may support the drive motor 430 . An upper portion of the motor support member 440 is fixed to the upper frame 30, and a lower portion may be formed to surround the lower surface of the driving motor 430. For example, two motor support members 440 may be provided on both sides of the drive motor 430 . One motor support member 440 may include a fixing member 441 and a lower support member 443 . The fixing member 441 may be a bracket. An upper portion of the fixing member 441 may be coupled to a lower surface of the lower frame 20 . A guide rail 441a for guiding the vertical movement of the lower support member 443 may be formed on an inner surface of the fixing member 441 . The lower support member 443 may be disposed inside the fixing member 441 . The lower support member 443 may include a protrusion 443a formed on an outer surface and inserted into the guide rail 441a. The lower surface of the lower support member 443 is coupled to the lower surface of the drive motor 430, and the protrusion 443a is inserted into the guide rail 441a to drive the drive motor 430 moving according to the vertical movement of the wheel 410. can support Accordingly, the wheel 410 can move up and down together with the motor support member 440 without being affected by the motor support member 440 . Accordingly, since the motor support member 440 does not come into contact with the ground as the wheel 410 moves up and down, the movable body 10 can be moved more easily without interference of the motor support member 440 .

The height adjusting member 450 may adjust the height of the wheel 410 according to the condition and height of the ground. The height adjusting member 450 may include a first adjusting unit 451 and a second adjusting unit 453 . The first adjusting unit 451 may be installed on the upper surface of the drive motor 430 and the second adjusting unit 453 may be installed on the lower surface of the upper frame 30 . The first adjusting unit 451 and the second adjusting unit 453 may be disposed to face each other. The first control unit 451 and the second control unit 153 may be electromagnets that are magnetic by electricity. For example, when the first wheel 410a and the second wheel 410b are disposed on the ground having different heights (for example, when the first wheel falls into a pit), the driving control unit 490 Different driving control signals may be transmitted to the first wheel 410a and the second wheel 410b. For example, the drive control unit 490 may reduce the rotational speed of the first wheel 410a disposed at a low position and increase the rotational speed of the second wheel 410b. Accordingly, torque may increase as much as the rotational speed of the first wheel decreases, and rotation may be centered on the second wheel. At this time, the driving control unit 490 may supply current to the first adjusting unit 451 and the second adjusting unit 153 . In this case, the first adjusting unit 451 and the second adjusting unit 153 may have the same polarity. Accordingly, a repulsive force is generated between the first adjusting unit 451 and the second adjusting unit 453, and the first wheel 410a may move downward. That is, the lower support member 443 moves downward along the guide rail 441a of the fixing member 441 by the repulsive force, and the driving motor 430 and the first wheel 410a can move downward. . In this case, the first wheel 410a may move downward to support the moving body from the ground. That is, after contacting the ground, the first wheel 410a may be slowly rotated and separated from a low ground such as a puddle.

For example, the size of the first adjusting unit 451 may be smaller than that of the second adjusting unit 453 . The second adjusting unit 453 is formed concave inward and may include a storage unit accommodating the first adjusting unit 451 . When the four wheels shown in the drawing are disposed on a flat ground, the first adjusting unit 451 and the second adjusting unit 453 may have different polarities. Accordingly, the first control unit 451 may be inserted into the insertion unit. Accordingly, the driving module can be driven more stably.

With the configuration as described above, in one embodiment of the present invention, the upper frame 30 and the movable body 10 disposed on the upper frame 30 are not affected by the height of the ground and can be maintained horizontally The moving body 10 can be moved more stably.

As another example, when any one of the four wheels is located on a higher ground than the other three wheels (for example, when passing a bump, etc.), one wheel moves upward and rotates, thereby breaking the bump or the like. can pass stably.

As another example, even when one of the four wheels passes on a ground of a different nature from the other three wheels (for example, when passing through a puddle with mud or water), the height of the wheel is adjusted individually Alternatively, it can be driven stably by adjusting the rotation speed.

In one embodiment of the present invention, since each of a plurality of wheels can be driven independently, when a variable in which the height of the wheel is changed occurs, the torque is adjusted by changing the rotational speed of each wheel and the height is adjusted using the height adjusting member. By doing so, the moving body can be moved more easily.

In one embodiment of the present invention, when the height level difference of any one of a plurality of wheels differs by a specific 20% or more, the torque of the wheel with the lower level is controlled in the range of 10 to 30% than the torque of the wheel with the other high level. And, each wheel can be controlled using a height adjusting member. Accordingly, it is possible to secure continuity of the linear movement of the mobile body according to the state of the ground.

The driving control unit 490 may be disposed on the lower frame 20 . The drive controller 490 may be connected to a plurality of drive motors 430 . The drive control unit 490 may independently drive each of the plurality of drive modules 400 by a drive control signal transmitted from the central processing module 200 . That is, the driving control unit 490 independently determines the number of rotations and the rotational speed of each of the plurality of wheels 410 based on the location information of the moving object 10 transmitted from the central processing module 200 and the distance and angle information between clusters. can be controlled with Accordingly, in one example of the present invention, the moving direction of the movable body 10 can be set only by the driving module 400 without having a separate steering device.

The battery module 700 may be disposed on the lower frame 20 . The battery module 700 may be connected to the sensing module 100 , the central processing module 200 and the driving module 400 . The battery module 700 may apply power to the sensing module 100 , the central processing module 200 and the driving module 400 .

As described above, in one embodiment of the present invention, the weight of the driving system can be reduced by integrally including the sensing module 100, the central processing module 200, the driving module 400, and the battery module 700, Energy efficiency can be increased and costs can be reduced.

In addition, in one embodiment of the present invention, since the sensing module is made of a motor-based variable FOV and moves with 6 degrees of freedom, the number of sensors can be reduced and active detection of a tracking target can be possible.

In addition, one embodiment of the present invention has a simple structure, so it can be easily installed in various movable bodies.

3 is a view showing a driving module according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a view showing a driving module according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3 , another embodiment of the present invention may further include a spring member 460 . The spring member 460 may be disposed between the first adjusting unit 451 and the second adjusting unit 453 . The second adjusting unit 453 according to another example may include locking protrusions 453a protruding from both sides. The locking protrusion 453a may be engaged with the locking portion 443b provided on the upper portion of the lower support member 443 .

For example, when the first wheel 410a and the second wheel 410b are disposed on the ground having different heights, the driving control unit 490 operates the first adjusting unit 451 and the second adjusting unit 153 current can be supplied. At this time, the first adjusting unit 451 and the second adjusting unit 153 may have the same polarity, and the lower support member 443 follows the guide rail 441a of the fixing member 441 by a repulsive force. It can move downward. In this case, the driving motor 430 and the first wheel 410a may move downward as the coupling between the locking protrusion 453a and the locking portion 443b is released. The first wheel 410a supports the movable body from the ground by the height adjusting member 450 and rotates at a lower speed than the second wheel 410b, so that it can be easily separated from the low ground such as a puddle. When the first wheel is separated from the ground, the driving controller 490 causes the first adjusting unit 451 and the second adjusting unit 153 to have different polarities, so that the first adjusting unit 451 and the second adjusting unit 451 have different polarities. The gap between (153) can be narrowed again. Accordingly, the locking protrusion 453a and the locking portion 443b can be coupled again, and the driving device can be safely driven.

Another embodiment of the present invention can move the movable body more easily and stably by adjusting the height of each wheel using a spring member, a locking member, and a height adjusting member.

Referring to FIG. 4 , a height adjusting member 450 according to another embodiment of the present invention may include a fixing part 456 , a cylinder part 457 and an air control part 458 . The fixing part 456 is connected to the lower surface of the upper frame 30 to fix the height adjusting member 450 . An upper end of the cylinder part 457 may be inserted into the fixing part 456 and a lower end thereof may be connected to the drive motor 430 . The air control unit 458 is connected to the cylinder unit 457 and controls the air injected into the cylinder unit 457 to guide the vertical movement of the cylinder unit 457 .

For example, when the first wheel 410a and the second wheel 410b are disposed on the ground having different heights, the driving control unit 490 injects air into the cylinder unit 457 to can be moved to the bottom. Accordingly, the first wheel 410a may be released from a low ground such as a puddle by supporting and rotating the movable body from the ground.

Another embodiment of the present invention can move the movable body more easily by adjusting the height of each wheel and independently driving the wheels using a cylinder member.

5 is a flowchart illustrating driving of an independent wheel control drive system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is an example for explaining an object following mode of the independent wheel control drive system according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is also

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6 , the sensing module according to an embodiment of the present invention may acquire environment information and state information of the moving object 10 . The central processing module may generate a driving control signal by analyzing the acquired external environment information and status information.

For example, the central processing module coupled to the moving object 10 may acquire a point cloud for the tracking target 30 from a sensor and derive cluster points based on the point cloud. Next, the distance and angle between the moving object 10 and the cluster point may be calculated, and environment information around the cluster point may be reacquired. Next, a movement path of the moving object 10 for following driving may be created. For example, when the moving path of the moving object 10 for following driving is not created, by repeating the process of acquiring a point cloud for the following object or reacquiring environmental information around cluster points. , it is possible to set the movement path of the moving body 10.

For example, when a moving path of the moving object 10 for following driving is generated, the central processing module may generate a driving control signal based on the calculated distance and angle between the moving object 10 and the cluster point. The generated driving control signal may be transmitted to the driving module. In this case, the central processing module may transmit a driving control signal to each of the plurality of driving modules. First, the central processing module may transmit a driving control signal to the driving control unit. Next, the driving control unit may transmit a driving control signal to a plurality of driving motors respectively connected to the plurality of wheels. Accordingly, each of the plurality of wheels may be individually driven according to the moving path of the moving body 10 .

By driving the driving module, the mobile body 10 moves to a specific boundary value with the cluster point and then stops, and external environment information and state information of the mobile body 10 at the current position can be sensed again. Next, the movement path of the moving object 10 may be regenerated by obtaining point cloud information on a new follow-up target and sequentially performing the above-described process.

The central processing module may calculate a specific boundary value by calculating and analyzing the distance between the moving object 10 and the tracking target 30 . For example, the specific boundary value may be set to a radius of 0.5 m or more based on the following target according to the distance between the moving object 10 and the following target 30 . When the distance between the moving object 10 and the following target 30 is less than a specific boundary value, the driving module may stop. That is, when the moving body 10 enters within a radius of 0.5 m based on the follow target 30, the driving module may stop. In addition, the driving module 400 can be driven when the distance between the moving object 10 and the following target 30 is equal to or greater than a specific boundary value. That is, the mobile body 10 can freely travel along the movement path in a region having a radius of 0.5 m or more based on the following target 30 .

As described above, in one embodiment of the present invention, since the sensing module, the central processing module, and the driving module are integrally provided, it can be easily installed in various movable bodies.

In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, remote control of a moving object, autonomous driving and work, safety control, etc. can be efficiently performed by the sensing module actively detecting a following target.

7 and 8 are exemplary diagrams for explaining independent wheel control of an independent wheel control drive system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8 , the independent wheel-controlled driving system according to an embodiment of the present invention may apply a speed difference to each of a plurality of wheels using a tracking angle error θ. The tracking angle error can be defined as the relative angle difference between the x-axis and the generated straight line when a straight line is created with a cluster at a specific location, such as the position of the sensor/mass center, and the direction when the moving object is moving straight is called the x-axis. there is. For example, when the tracking angle error is a positive number, the speed of the first wheel 410a may be set higher than that of the second wheel 410b. Also, when the tracking angle error is a negative number, the speed of the first wheel 410a may be smaller than the speed of the second wheel 410b.

For example, as shown in FIG. 6 , when the speed and direction of the first wheel 410a and the second wheel 410b are the same, the movable body 10 may travel straight or backward. As another example, when the speed of the first wheel 410a is the same as that of the second wheel 410b and the speed is different, the movable body 10 may curve in a leftward or rightward direction. As another example, when the speed of the first wheel 410a and the direction of the second wheel 420b are different and the speed is the same, the movable body 10 may rotate in place.

As described above, in one embodiment of the present invention, various driving controls may be possible by independently driving the driving module.

In addition, an embodiment of the present invention can be easily installed in various movable bodies in a modular form, and remote control, autonomous driving and work, safety control, etc. of movable bodies can be efficiently performed.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the spirit of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments presented herein, and those skilled in the art who understand the spirit of the present invention may add elements within the scope of the same spirit. However, other embodiments can be easily proposed by means of changes, deletions, additions, etc., but these will also fall within the scope of the present invention.

1000: independent wheel controlled drive system
10: moving body 20: lower frame\
30: upper frame 40: support member
100: detection module 110: sensor
200: central processing module 400: driving module
410: wheel 430: drive motor
450: height adjustment member 451: first control unit
453: second control unit 460: spring member
490: drive control unit 700: battery module

Claims (5)

A sensing module including a sensor that acquires state information of a moving object and external environment information and a sensor driver that drives the sensor;
a central processing module that is connected to the sensing module, analyzes the external environment information obtained from the sensing module and the state information, and generates a driving control signal to set a moving path of the moving object; and
and a drive module that is connected to the central processing module and controls the speed of the wheel according to the drive control signal to move the moving body along the moving path.
According to claim 1,
The drive module,
a plurality of wheels;
a height adjusting member connected to the wheel to adjust the height of the wheel;
a plurality of motors respectively connected to the plurality of wheels; and
An independent wheel control drive system comprising a drive control unit that independently controls each of the plurality of motors.
According to claim 2,
The movement path is
Obtaining a point cloud for a target to be followed from the sensor, deriving a cluster point based on the point cloud, calculating the distance and angle between the moving object and the cluster point, and reacquiring environment information around the cluster point An independent wheel control drive system that sets up by repeating the process.
According to claim 3,
The central processing module,
Calculate the distance between the moving object and the following target, and set a specific boundary value based on the following target;
When the distance between the moving object and the following target is less than the specific boundary value, the driving module stops;
The drive module drives the independent wheel control drive system when the distance between the moving object and the following target is greater than or equal to the specific boundary value.
According to claim 4,
The driving control unit,
The independent wheel control and drive system for controlling the wheel by the distance and angle information between the location information of the moving body and the cluster points transmitted from the central processing module.

Images