RU2609851C1 - Transformable driving wheel of unmanned vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: transportation.

SUBSTANCE: transformable driving wheel of an unmanned vehicle is formed by segments sliding due to a reversible power drive. One of segments is made with an asymmetric rear groove that is curved in the longitudinal section of the wheel with smooth reduction of its height to the value close to zero - a point, is installed by its thick part on the peripheral transverse hinged joint, and by its thin part at the distance from the hinged joint is connected to a movable link of the specified power drive with the possibility of jaw-like opening of segments, introduction of a movable segment with its point into soil and intake of the latter into the soil-intake cavity.

EFFECT: extended technical and operation capabilities of multi-support vehicles by giving additional functions of a soil sampling device to a wheel.

6 cl, 6 dwg

Description

The invention relates to the field of land and space vehicles of high and high cross-country ability and, at the same time, to special-purpose devices for excavating soils (taking soil samples), specifically to multi-functional devices - wheels with extended functional purpose and to soil-collecting devices.

In the field of construction and land reclamation, the use of excavators and other earthmoving machines is known. The most common are self-propelled crawler or wheeled excavators with a manipulator ("hydraulic arm") of bucket or maxillary types.

From the point of view of the claimed invention, among them, as one of the analogues, it is of interest to use a soil pick-up device comprising a cylindrical hopper with a window in the upper part, a rotor planted with bottomless buckets and a pipeline connecting the cylindrical hopper to the pump, while it is equipped with an impeller with blades, the length of which is comparable with the length of the cylindrical hopper installed inside the latter, and the pipeline is made in the form of two L-shaped pipes adjacent to the opposite ends of the cylindrical hopper arranged on a common axis and one of the pipes is connected to a pump for feeding pure water into the cylindrical tank, and the other - with a slurry pipeline for feeding the slurry into it from a cylindrical hopper [RU 2232233, E02F 3/92, 10.07.2004].

However, the device, although not limited to one function (fence plus loading plus soil transportation), is a specialized mounted soil digger and does not apply to the undercarriage (especially to the propulsion unit) of the vehicle carrier of this digging machine. At the same time, the cylindrical hopper (rotor plus soil receiver) is non-transformable, and its bottomless buckets are fixed in the same working position. This analogue is assigned to hydromechanization means, in particular, to devices for developing soil under water with their subsequent transportation to the day surface. The task of its creation was to obtain the design of an intake device, which will allow working at depths of more than 10 meters, significantly reduce repair costs and eliminate the need for time to replace pump pumps.

Closer to their destination to the claimed device are robotic (with remote and automatic control components) space systems, in particular - an automatic interplanetary station with a specialized mounted soil-picking (for scientific purposes) device and mobile laboratories "Lunokhod-1", "Lunokhod-2" with mounted specialized blade dies for studying the physical and mechanical properties of the soil in place, while the Lunokhods had four-wheel drive chassis, the wheels of which are not transformed and structurally as well as functionally, they have not been combined with the soil feeding apparatus / penetrometer [For lunar rock. Lunokhods // Internet resource: // www.telenir.net/nauchnaja_literatura_prochee/kosmicheskie_apparaty_issleduyut_lunu/p 4.php. - Fig. 7, 8; Automatic Interplanetary Stations // Internet resource: http: //www.kosmos4you. com / texnika / avtomaticheskie-mezhplanetnye-stancii / issledovaniya-luny.html].

The designs of wheeled, wheel-walking and jumping propulsors of extreme robots, mainly planet rovers, are very diverse, but are presented in an expanded functional version only as a combination of “drive wheel - driven wheel plus metrological base for measuring traction and dynamic properties plus a radiator plus placement of drives, scientific equipment and radioisotope energy source in the wheel cavity ”[Conquerors of other planets // Internet resource: http://bashny.net/altair/2015/01/29/ pokoriteli-drugih-planet-25-foto.html].

An even closer analogue of the claimed device can be called the all-wheel drive wheel-walking chassis of the planet rover with a soil-collecting device (again for scientific purposes) of a “shovel” type built into the bottom of the chassis / chassis frame, with the possibility of excavating the soil with a “shovel” when moving the chassis behind counting driving wheels with reduced clearance to a minimum (by turning the wheel balance) [RU 2022859, D62D 57/00, 11/15/1994, FIG. four].

In it, the wheels and the soil intake device are already in a functional relationship (the “scoop” cuts and picks up soil only “from the feed” and due to the two-plane movement of the wheel-walking propulsion, including rolling the wheel along the supporting surface of the soil). However, structurally, these devices are separated and are independent mounted devices in the composition of the planet rover. In any case, the mobility of the planet rover does not depend on the soil sampling device (in transport position), except for the quite natural slight deterioration in the overall dimensions of the planet rover when equipped with its soil sampling device. The continuing specialization of devices leads to the underutilization of the advantages of structural and functional combination.

At the same time, a transformable driving wheel of a non-crewed vehicle (“a wheel with a variable diameter”) is known, which is formed by sliding segments due to a reversible power drive, segments - wheel support elements [SU 929467, B60B 19/00, 1982]. In it, the extension of the supporting elements associated with the movable links of the specified drive changes the geometry of the wheel, is not accompanied by a rupture of the circumference of the rolling wheel. Due to the presence of a segmented elastic shell and the selection of kinematics with the device geometry, the internal volume of the wheel is isolated from the environment. At the same time, the wheel is single-function, if the role of a pair of coaxial wheels as a means of regulating (stabilizing) the position of the vehicle body in space is not considered an additional function. At the same time, it is interesting, from the point of view of the claimed invention, with an integrated purely mechanical drive to change the geometry of the wheel.

Also known is a convertible drive wheel of a crewless vehicle (“wheel of variable diameter”), formed by sliding segments due to reversible power drive, segments - wheel support elements [US 3802743, B60B 19/04, B60B 25/02, 1974]. In it, the extension of the supporting elements associated with the movable links of the specified drive changes the geometry of the wheel, accompanied by a rupture of the circumference of the rolling wheel. The wheel, due to this, is also single-functional, if it is not attributed to its additional role as a means of increasing patency in difficult road conditions (in off-road conditions). Moreover, due to the presence of a continuous elastic shell, the isolation of the internal volume of the wheel from the environment is also preserved (as with the previous analogue), and to a greater extent. The device is interesting, from the point of view of the claimed invention, both by the possibility of increasing cross-country ability, and by a compact drive for changing geometry.

Closest to the claimed invention in terms of purpose and a combination of structural features (prototype) is a convertible drive wheel of a crewless vehicle, formed by sliding segments, due to reversible power drive [SU 525566, B60V 19/00, 1975].

In it, the extension of the supporting elements associated with the movable links of the specified drive changes the geometry of the wheel, accompanied by a rupture of the circumference of the rolling wheel. Thanks to this, the wheel can operate in two modes to choose from: rolling on hard even surfaces or walking on a hard uneven surface or on soils with low bearing capacity.

However, the technical and operational capabilities of the prototype are limited only by the functions of the wheeled vehicle propulsion. It, like all identified analogues, does not have the property of being used as a soil intake device. Due to the lack of such a functional combination, the need for soil sampling through scientific self-propelled robotic or remotely controlled laboratories (including planet rovers) has to be realized in the form of specialized soil sampling devices, for example, manipulators.

The technical problem to which the claimed invention is directed is to expand the technical and operational capabilities of multi-support vehicles, mainly remotely or automatically unmanned vehicles (ground robots and planet rovers), by giving the wheel additional functions of the soil-picking device (usually for scientific purposes).

The solution of the technical problem is achieved by the fact that in the transformable drive wheel of a crewless vehicle formed by sliding segments, due to the reversible power drive, at least one of the segments is made with an asymmetric rear curvilinear, at least in the longitudinal section of the wheel, recess with a smooth by decreasing its height to a value close to zero — by sharpening, it is mounted with a thick part on the peripheral transverse hinge, and connected to the movable part with a thin part remote from the hinge Venom of said actuator, with opening chelyusteobraznogo segments movable segment sharpening introduction into the ground and soil feeding fence latter in the cavity formed by the back surface segments.

The technical result is also achieved due to additional design features (when formulated above the main set of features):

- the recess of the pointed segment can be made concave in the cross section of the wheel (this increases the volume of the soil intake cavity, and most importantly, it contributes to the stability of movement of the soil taken into it and its safety on the movable segment as its support);

- on the back of another segment, opposite and / or adjacent to the movable pointed segment facing the indicated recess, an additional recess may be provided, increasing the volume of the soil cavity (this not only increases the volume of the soil cavity by about 40-50%, but and facilitates the design);

- for any of the last three sets of essential features, the pointed segment can be set with the narrowing-sharpening orientation in the opposite direction to the wheel rotation when the vehicle is moving forward, and the wheel can also be actively rotated in the opposite direction (this greatly facilitates the conditions the operation of the extension of the segments and contributes to a more reliable isolation of the soil cavity from the environment surrounding the wheel, as well as the implementation Modes "active wheel");

- the wheel can be equipped with supporting lateral non-segmented disk cheeks with a diameter of at least the diameter of the described segmented part, limiting the soil intake cavity from the sides, with the possibility of the wheels rolling around the soil (this can significantly increase the amount of soil taken into the cavity and ensure its safety when delivered to the place destination);

- the lateral disks-cheeks of the wheel can be equipped with elastic tires whose diameter exceeds the diameter of the segmented middle part of the wheel, but less than the offset of the pointed segment (this increases the smoothness of the vehicle on hard soils);

- the wheel can be made retractable, for example, lifting, to an inoperative position due to the controlled suspension of the wheel (this additionally expands the possibilities of selective use of the device both in various sub-modes and modes - wheeled or soil-picking at the stages of soil collection and its delivery to the destination) .

Among the known devices were not found those whose combination of essential features would coincide with the claimed combination of features. At the same time, it is due to the latter that a new technical result is achieved.

In more detail, the invention is disclosed in the following implementation example (option with a two-segment design) and is illustrated by the drawings, which show:

in FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a device (a variant with the possibility of lifting to an inoperative position) in the vehicle wheel mode in the initial state on a flat solid support surface (moving from left to right), longitudinal section of a segmented part, where R is the variable radius of curvature of the profile of the notch in the moving sector; h is the variable height of the movable segment; α is the angle of installation of the balancer of the suspension of the device (dirt wheel); M _K1 - torque supplied to the device in wheel mode; V is the speed of the axis of the wheel and the vehicle as a whole;

in FIG. 2 is a section AA in FIG. 1, where r is the radius of curvature of the recess of the movable segment in the transverse plane of the wheel;

in FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of a device, an embodiment with rubberized side discs-cheeks, front view;

in FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of the device (with the movable segment extended) in the driving wheel mode of the vehicle on soft soils with low surface adhesion (movement from right to left or left to right), longitudinal section of the segmented part, where M _K2 is the torque supplied to the device in the mode soil intake;

in FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of a device (with a movable segment retracted from an initial state along with collected soil) in the driving soil sampling mode on a vehicle on soft or loose soils (the vehicle is stationary or moves to the right due to the remaining wheels - front and / or rear - when the transformable wheel is inhibited), a longitudinal section of the segmented part, where M _G is the torque supplied to the device in the mode of the soil intake;

in FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle in a variant with coaxial lifting dredger wheels, side view.

The convertible drive wheel 1 of the crewless vehicle 2 (see Fig. 6) is formed (see Fig. 1, 4, 5) sliding, due to the reversing power drive 3 (for example, hydraulic, electrical or electromechanical type, in particular a linear actuator) , 180-degree (in this simplest example) segments 4 and 5 (see Figs. 1, 2, 4, 5).

Segment 4 is stationary (rigidly mounted on axis 6 of wheel 1).

Segment 5 is limitedly movable — it is made with an asymmetric rear curvilinear, at least in the longitudinal section of the wheel, recess 7 with a smooth decrease in its height h to a value close to zero — sharpening, the “thick” (with a maximum height h _max ) part is set to a peripheral transverse hinge 8, and a “thin” (with a lower height h) part remote from the hinge 8 is connected to the movable link 9 of the power drive 3 with the possibility of maxillary opening of the segments 4-5, the introduction of the movable segment 5 by tapering into the ground 10 and collecting portions 11 after day into the soil intake cavity (space) 12 formed by the back surfaces of segments 4, 5.

The following describes the private options of the claimed device, characterized by additional, dependent on the main sets of design features.

The recess of the pointed segment 5 is made concave in the cross section of the wheel 1 (see Fig. 2).

On the back of the other (fixed) segment 4, opposite and / or adjacent (with a two-segment wheel, as in this example, segments 4 and 5 are both opposite and adjacent at the same time) with respect to the segment 5 facing the recess 7, an additional a recess 13, increasing the volume of the soil cavity (space) 12.

The pointed segment 5 is mounted with a narrowing-sharpening orientation in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the wheel when the vehicle is moving forward (see FIG. 1). At the same time, it is possible to actively rotate the wheel also in the opposite direction (to ensure both the driving wheel mode for reversing the vehicle and the soil mode).

As a recommendation, the wheel 1 is equipped with supporting (on the ground 10) lateral non-segmented discs-cheeks 14, 15 with a diameter not less than the diameter of the described segmented part 4-5, bounding the soil intake cavity (space) 12 from the sides (left and right in Fig. 3) with the possibility of rolling wheels 1 by them on the ground 10.

Moreover, it is preferable to have elastic (in particular rubber) tires 16, 17 on the cylindrical surfaces of the disks 14, 15, respectively (see Fig. 3). The diameter of the tires 16, 17 exceeds the diameter of the segmented middle part 4-5 of the wheel 1, but less than the offset of the pointed segment 5 (see Fig. 4).

Wheel 1 in some cases it is advisable to perform retractable, for example lifting, in the inoperative position due to the controlled balancing 18 or its other suspension (see Fig. 6).

The described example of a specific design with specified variations does not exclude other possible variants of the device within the claimed combination of essential structural features (see the claims).

The inventive device operates as follows.

In the initial position (see Fig. 1, 3) the “jaw is compressed”: the movable link 9 of the actuator 3 is not extended, the movable segment 5 is wide and pointed with its parts firmly pressed against the fixed segment 4, the wheel has a round (in the longitudinal vertical plane) shape with the possibility of smoothly rolling on a hard, flat surface ground 10. The wheel thus performs the function of driving (during the approach thereto of torque M _K1 of the power plant) or slave (preserving subfunction bearing with rolling) of the vehicle wheel, wherein the wheel Oba hydrochloric patency. The presence of elastic elements (tires) 16, 17 on the cheeks 14, 15 ensures smooth running of the wheel on small-sized irregularities in the surface of the soil 10. When shown in FIG. 1, the narrowing of segment 5 and the direction of rotation of the wheel 1 (speed vector V of the axis 6 and the vehicle 2 as a whole), the rolling of the wheel 1 is not accompanied by the reaction of the soil 10 on the movable link 9 of the drive 3. On the contrary, it presses the sharpening of segment 5 to the edge of the fixed segment 4 , contributing to the continuity of the circumference of the wheel and the isolation of the cavity 12 from the environment.

The extension of the movable link 9 of the actuator 3 leads to a forced rotation of the movable segment 5 on the hinge 8 clockwise with "opening of the jaw": rupture of the circumference of the wheel, extension of the movable segment 5 to large radii from the axis of the wheel 1, increasing the diameter swept by it (see Fig. 4) in the longitudinal vertical plane (and hence the increase in the average diameter of the wheel 1) and the communication of the cavity 11 with the surrounding space, including soil 10 (see Fig. 4).

Wheel 1 in this state can perform a subfunction of a high cross-country wheel (limited to a wheel-walking propulsion when a torque M _{K2 is} directed counterclockwise to it).

It is also possible to operate in the “active wheel” mode due to the periodic (pulsating) operation of the power drive 3: pushing and pulling on each half-period of rotation of the wheel 1 the movable link 9 of the drive 3, push the wheel 1 and the vehicle 2 as a whole from the ground 10 to the right ( see Fig. 4).

Due to the possibility of “opening the jaws” (jaw-shaped opening of segments), sharpening the movable sector 5, the presence of the cavity 12 and the drive of rotation of the wheel 1 counterclockwise, it is possible to use the wheel (s) 1 as a soil intake device (see Fig. 5). Like an excavator bucket or a claw of a manipulator, when the wheel 1 is rotated counterclockwise, the extended movable sector 5 penetrates into the soil 10 to a depth H with its sharpening, scoops up the corresponding substantial amount of soil (portion 11) and directs it to the cavity 12 (see Fig. 5) . Subsequent closing (until the next approach of sharpening to the surface of the soil 10) of the "jaw" by returning the link 9 of the drive 3 with segment 5 to its original position ensures the preservation of the collected portion 11 of the soil in the cavity 12 of the sector 5 or expanded by the recess 13 of the cavity 12.

In this case, it is advisable to brake the remaining wheels of the multi-support vehicle 2 (see Fig. 6).

The cheeks 14, 15, as well as the radius r (see Fig. 2) contribute to the isolation of the cavity 12 from the surrounding space, and therefore increase the useful capacity of the soil sampling device and the safety of the collected soil 11 in the further delivery of the vehicle 2 to the destination.

The unloading of the taken portion of the soil 11 at the destination is provided in the reverse order: the wheel 1 is rotated by turning it with a hinge 8 up / sharpening the segment 5 down and “opening the jaw” by extending the link 9 of the drive 3. The portion 11 of the soil falls out (pours out) from the cavity 12 under the action own gravity, and in zero gravity it is removed by other means, usually external to the vehicle 2 (not shown).

In the embodiment of the device with a retractable (lifting) wheel-soil intake 1, it is selectively removed from the interaction or introduced into the interaction with the soil 10 by means of a balancer (installing the balancer 18 at one or another angle α) or another controlled suspension - see FIG. 1, depending on the specific situation. So, in the mode of delivery of soil 11 to the destination, the wheel 1 is mainly removed (raised) in the transport position (inoperative position as soil pick-up devices and as wheels - see Fig. 6).

The use of the claimed invention, therefore, allows to expand the technical and operational capabilities of multi-support (four or more) vehicles, mainly remotely or automatically controlled crewless vehicles (ground-based robots and planet rovers), by giving the wheel additional functions of the soil pick-up (as a rule, for scientific purposes ) devices.

Claims (7)

1. Transformable driving wheel of a crewless vehicle, formed by sliding segments due to reversible power drive, characterized in that at least one of the segments is made with an asymmetric rear curvilinear, at least in the longitudinal section of the wheel, recess with a smooth decrease in its height up to a value close to zero, the point is mounted with a thick part on the peripheral transverse hinge, and a thin part remote from the hinge is connected to the movable link of the said power drive with the possibility of maxillary opening of the segments, the introduction of the movable segment by tapering into the ground, and taking the latter into the soil cavity formed by the back surfaces of the segments. 2. The wheel according to claim 1, characterized in that the recess of the pointed segment is made concave in the cross section of the wheel. 3. The wheel according to claim 1, characterized in that on the back of the other segment, the opposite and / or adjacent to the movable pointed segment facing the specified recess, an additional recess is provided, increasing the volume of the soil cavity. 4. Wheel according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the pointed segment is mounted with a narrowing-sharpening orientation in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the wheel when the vehicle is moving forward, and the wheel can also be actively rotated in the opposite direction. 5. The wheel according to claim 1, characterized in that it is equipped with supporting lateral non-segmented discs-cheeks with a diameter of at least the diameter of the described segmented part, limiting the soil intake cavity from the sides, with the possibility of rolling the wheel by them on the ground. 6. The wheel according to claim 5, characterized in that the lateral disks-cheeks are equipped with elastic tires whose diameter exceeds the diameter of the segmented middle part of the wheel, but less than the offset of the pointed segment. 7. The wheel according to claim 1, characterized in that it is made retractable, for example lifting, in an inoperative position due to the controlled suspension of the wheel.

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