TWI418480B - Walking type moving device - Google Patents

Description

Walking mobile device

The present invention relates to a walking type mobile device, and more particularly to a walking type mobile device capable of achieving high stability when walking.

With the advancement of technology, the design of many products has gradually turned toward automatic or semi-automatic mechanization, and the research of robots has been the direction that many scientists are committed to. General robot research is divided into two forms: round and full. In the development of rotary robots in recent years, more and more scholars have invested in unmanned self-propelled vehicles, automatic navigation vehicles and automated wheelchair robots. The rotary robot has high maneuverability, low motion noise, simple structure and low cost. However, it is less able to cross the height of the wheel radius and the soft road surface in adapting to the terrain. The full line robot is a step-by-step approach to achieving mobility. Compared with the wheeled robot, the foot robot can be applied to complex terrains such as stairs, deserts, trenches, etc., which are more adaptable to rugged terrain. However, due to the many degrees of freedom of the robotic mechanism, the relative structure is also complicated. Especially the plantar structure, its design involves the stability of the robot, and many of the ideas of the design come from the human foot structure.

At present, the design of the robotic sole is unstable in order to overcome the obstacles encountered when walking on the rough road surface, and the design of the sole is considered to be hollowed out. If the plantar mechanism only stops at the hollowing out, there are still some shortcomings. For example, the insufficient grip makes the walking unstable and the risk of the robot falling, and it is difficult to meet the demand of the robot with higher athletic ability in the future.

The invention provides a walking mobile device. This walk-on mobile device achieves high stability in both planar and non-planar walking.

The present invention provides a walking type mobile device adapted to move on a work surface. The walking mobile device includes a body and a plurality of feet. The foot is disposed under the body. The foot has a bottom surface and a flap. The bottom surface and the movable plate are used to contact the working surface. The bottom surface has an opening. The movable plate is placed at the opening. And the flap can be retracted towards the inside of the foot.

In an embodiment of the invention, the foot portion has a guide rod and a first elastic member. The movable plate has a lug at each end. The first elastic member is sleeved on the guiding rod, and the guiding rod is disposed on the lug so that the movable plate can be retracted toward the inside of the foot.

In an embodiment of the invention, the foot portion has a flat plate. Each of the two ends of the plate has a lug. The guide rod is threaded through the lug. The flat plate is located above the movable plate and is in contact with one end of the first elastic member, and can simultaneously retract toward the inside of the foot with the movable plate.

In an embodiment of the invention, the flat plate has a through hole and a jack. One end of the jack is fixed to the movable plate, and the other end is inserted through the through hole.

In an embodiment of the invention, the foot portion has a second elastic member sleeved on the ejector pin and located between the movable plate and the flat plate.

In an embodiment of the invention, the walking mobile device further includes a rod and a pivot. The rod has a first end, an intermediate portion and a second end. The first end contacts the flat plate, the middle portion is pivotally connected to the foot through the pivot, and the second end contacts the ejector pin.

In an embodiment of the invention, the walking mobile device further includes a third elastic member disposed on the pivot.

In an embodiment of the invention, the first end of the rod member has a contact element. The first end and the plate are adapted to be in contact with the contact element.

In an embodiment of the invention, the second end of the rod has a contact element. The second end and the jack are adapted to be in contact with the contact element.

In an embodiment of the invention, the walking mobile device further includes a sensor disposed on the foot. The sensor is adapted to sense the surface topography of the work surface around the foot while the walking mobile device is walking.

Based on the above, the walking type mobile device of the present invention can achieve high stability during walking by a simple structure such as a movable plate disposed on the foot. For example, when walking on the ground and stepping on a raised obstacle, the movable panel will retract toward the inside of the foot so that the entire device is not tripped by the obstacle to maintain the high stability of the walking mobile device.

The above described features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following description.

1 is a schematic diagram of a walk-type mobile device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2A and 2B are schematic views showing a state in which the walking type mobile device of FIG. 1 is about to step on an obstacle and step on an obstacle, respectively. Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the walking type mobile device 100 of the present embodiment is adapted to move on a working surface 50. The walking mobile device 100 includes a body 110 and a plurality of feet 120. FIG. 1 depicts two feet 120 for example. The foot 120 is disposed at the bottom of the body 110. The foot 120 has a bottom surface 130 and a movable panel 140. The bottom surface 130 and the movable plate 140 are for contacting the working surface 50. The bottom surface 130 has an opening 150. The movable panel 140 is disposed at the opening 150, and the movable panel 140 can be retracted toward the inside of the foot 120.

In detail, the walking type mobile device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is, for example, a two-legged walking robot. Referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B, when the walk-on mobile device 100 is walking on a generally flat work surface 50, the movable panel 140 is substantially coplanar with the bottom surface 130 of the foot 120. The movable panel 140 is also capable of generating a positive force to impart sufficient friction to the walking mobile device 100 and the work surface 50. When the walking type mobile device 100 is walking on the rugged working surface 50 of the obstacle 60, the movable plate 140 is retracted toward the inside of the foot 120 with respect to the bottom surface 130 due to the positive force given by the obstacle 60. Then, the same positive force is maintained at the contact point of the movable plate 140 with the obstacle 60. In this way, the robot can maintain high stability even on uneven roads.

3 is a perspective perspective view of the foot of the walk type mobile device of FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 3 , in the embodiment, the foot 120 has a guiding rod 121 and a first elastic member 122 . Each of the movable plates 140 has a lug 141 at each end. The first elastic member 122 is sleeved on the guide rod 121 , and the guide rod 121 is disposed on the lug 141 to allow the movable plate 140 to retract toward the inside of the foot 120 . The guide rod 121 of this embodiment is a cylinder, and the first elastic member 122 is a coil spring. Any suitable components may be used in other embodiments, and the invention is not limited thereto. When the movable panel 140 is retracted toward the inside of the foot 120 by stepping on the obstacle 60, the first elastic member 122 is compressed. When the walking mobile device 100 is about to step forward and lift the foot 120, the first elastic member 122 releases the elastic potential energy and pushes the movable panel 140 back to a position where the movable panel 140 and the bottom surface 130 are substantially coplanar. .

As shown in FIG. 3, the foot 120 of the walking mobile device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention further has a flat plate 123. The two ends of the flat plate 123 have a lug 123a. The guide rod 121 is disposed through the lug 123a. The flat plate 123 is located above the movable plate 140 and is in contact with one end of the first elastic member 122, and can simultaneously retract toward the inside of the foot 120 with the movable plate 140. In other words, the guide rods 121 are disposed through the lugs 141 and 123a at both ends of the flat plate 123 and the movable plate 140. The first elastic member 122 is sleeved on the guide rod 121. Both ends of the guide rod 121 are fixed to the foot 120. Therefore, the first elastic member 122 is in an upright state on the lugs 123a at both ends of the flat plate 123, so that the flat plate 123 and the movable plate 140 can simultaneously retract toward the inside of the foot portion 120. In addition, the flat plate 123 has a through hole 123b and a ejector pin 123c. The ejector pin 123c is fixed to the movable plate 140 at one end and through the through hole 123b at the other end. Therefore, the flat plate 123 has a apex 123c protruding at one end.

The foot 120 of the walking mobile device 100 of the embodiment of the present invention further has a second elastic member 124 disposed on the ejector pin 123c and located between the movable plate 140 and the flat plate 123. In this embodiment, the second elastic member 124 is a high rigidity spring. The length of the second elastic member 124 is shorter than that of the first elastic member 122. The second elastic member 124 is supported between the flat plate 123 and the movable plate 140. In this way, when the flat plate 123 and the movable plate 140 are simultaneously retracted toward the inside of the foot 120, the buffering effect is provided between the flat plate 123 and the movable plate 140 by the second elastic member 124.

In order to improve the stability of the robot when walking, the walking mobile device 100 of one embodiment of the present invention further includes a rod 160 and a pivot 170. The rod member 160 has a first end 162, an intermediate portion 164 and a second end 166. The first end 162 contacts the flat plate 123. The intermediate portion 164 is pivotally coupled to the foot 120 via a pivot 170. The second end 166 contacts the protruding end of the jack 123c. The rod 160 used in this embodiment is an L-shaped rod. The intermediate portion 164 of the lever member 160 is pivotally coupled to the foot portion 120 so that the lever member 160 can freely rotate along the pivoted portion.

The present invention does not limit the number of components using the above configuration method, and the figures of the present embodiment show two groups as an example. The configuration method described above utilizes the principle of dead point in institutional science. The structure always produces zero torque when subjected to any external force. The freely rotatable lever 160 can withstand a large axial support force at a particular location. This force can form a high positive force under the high rigidity spring that is applied with the pre-force. This positive force is the frictional force required to generate the walking mobile device 100 to make the walking mobile device 100 relatively stable when walking on the flat work surface 50. This is more stable than the design of the conventional robot in which only the bottom surface 130 of the foot 120 is hollowed out for stable walking. When the foot 120 steps on the obstacle 60, the above-mentioned dead point is automatically destroyed immediately. The main point of ruining the dead point is the design of two flat plates 123 and movable panels 140 that will retract toward the interior of the foot 120. The second elastic member 124 located between the flat plate 123 and the movable plate 140 is, for example, a high-rigidity spring, so that the flat plate 123 and the movable plate 140 can withstand a positive force. When the movable panel 140 steps on the obstacle 60, the jack 123c applies a torque to the lever 160 that generates the dead point, so that the dead point disappears. After this torque is continuously applied, the dead point disappears and the flat plate 123 and the movable panel 140 are simultaneously retracted toward the inside of the foot 120. As such, the obstacle 60 cannot produce enough interference force to the foot 120 to cause the walking mobile device 100 to fall.

In this embodiment, the walking mobile device 100 of the embodiment of the present invention further includes a third elastic member 180 disposed on the pivot 170. The third elastic member 180 of this embodiment is a torsion spring. When the flap 140 retracts toward the interior of the foot 120 and causes the jack 123c to push the second end 166 of the rod 160, the rod 160 will rotate along the outer diameter of the pivoting pivot 170. The first end 162 of the rod 160 maintains a state of resisting the flat plate 123. At this time, the third elastic member 180 is compressed. When the movable panel 140 returns to a position substantially coplanar with the bottom surface 130, the third elastic member 180 releases the elastic potential energy, so that the lever member 160 returns to the original state, that is, the state of the dead point described above.

4 is a schematic view showing a state in which the foot of the walking type mobile device of FIG. 1 is in a state where it has not been stepped on an obstacle. Fig. 5 is a schematic view showing the state in which the foot of the walking type mobile device of Fig. 1 is stepped on an obstacle. Referring to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 simultaneously, when the walking mobile device 100 of the embodiment of the present invention has not stepped on the obstacle 60, the bottom surface 130 of the foot portion 120 and the movable plate 140 are substantially coplanar. Therefore, unlike the conventional robot, there is not only the hollow design of the foot 120 but also the design of the movable panel 140 which is retracted toward the inside of the foot 120. Such a design can increase the contact area of the foot 120 with the work surface 50 and improve stability. When the walking mobile device 100 steps on the obstacle 60, the movable panel 140 or the like is retracted toward the inside of the foot 120 (upward in the drawing). The foot 120 is not affected by the obstacle 60. Therefore, the stability of the walking mobile device 100 when walking is improved.

In the present embodiment, the first end 162 and the second end 166 of the rod member 160 are respectively provided with a contact member 162a, 166a. The first end 162 and the flat plate 123 are adapted to be in contact with the contact element 162a. The second end 166 and the jack 123c are adapted to contact through the contact element 166a. This embodiment uses bearings as contact elements 162a, 166a. Other suitable components can also be used in other embodiments.

In the present embodiment, in order to allow the walking type mobile device 100 to know the condition of the work surface 50 to be stepped on early, it is possible to react to this situation early, for example, to avoid a portion of the working surface 50 that is severely recessed or severely raised. In response to the height difference of the working surface 50, the walking mobile device 100 further includes a sensor 190 disposed on the foot 120. The sensor 190 is adapted to sense the surface topography of the work surface 50 around the foot 120 as the walkable mobile device 100 walks. The sensor 190 of this embodiment is an infrared range finder. Other suitable sensors may also be used in other embodiments. The invention does not limit the type and number of sensors. This embodiment illustrates a sensor 190 mounted to the foot 120 for example. When the sensor 190 detects that the slope of the working surface 50 is relatively high or low, the angle of the walking mobile device 100 can be changed, so as to improve the fit of the foot 120 and the working surface 50. The effect of gait stability.

In summary, the walking type mobile device of the present invention can achieve high stability when walking in a plane or not. The walking type mobile device can achieve high stability when walking by a simple structure such as a movable plate disposed on the foot. For example, when walking on the ground and stepping on a raised obstacle, the movable panel will retract toward the inside of the foot so that the entire device is not tripped by the obstacle to maintain the high stability of the walking mobile device. In addition, the walk-behind mobile device of the present invention does not require the use of additional actuators to control the high stability system of the foot, nor does it require any additional energy input. The road surface adaptation effect can be achieved by a simple mechanism design. The walking mobile device of the present invention not only reduces the loss of energy, but also eliminates the space configuration problem of redundant wire routing, speed reduction mechanism, actuator itself, etc., compared to the prior art design using an actuator to change the mechanism. Volume and weight can also be reduced accordingly.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the above embodiments, it is not intended to limit the invention, and any one of ordinary skill in the art can make some modifications and refinements without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The scope of the invention is defined by the scope of the appended claims.

50. . . Working face

60. . . obstacle

100. . . Walking mobile device

110. . . Ontology

120. . . Foot

121. . . Guide rod

122. . . First elastic member

123. . . flat

123a, 141. . . Lug

123b. . . Through hole

123c. . . Pole

124. . . Second elastic member

130. . . Bottom

140. . . Activity board

150. . . Opening

160. . . Lever

162. . . First end

162a, 166a. . . Contact element

164. . . Middle part

166. . . Second end

170. . . Pivot

180. . . Third elastic member

190. . . Sensor

1 is a schematic diagram of a walk-type mobile device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2A and 2B are schematic views showing a state in which the walking type mobile device of FIG. 1 is about to step on an obstacle and step on an obstacle, respectively.

3 is a perspective perspective view of the foot of the walk type mobile device of FIG. 1.

4 is a schematic view showing a state in which the foot of the walking type mobile device of FIG. 1 is in a state where it has not been stepped on an obstacle.

Fig. 5 is a schematic view showing the state in which the foot of the walking type mobile device of Fig. 1 is stepped on an obstacle.

50. . . Working face

60. . . obstacle

100. . . Walking mobile device

110. . . Ontology

120. . . Foot

130. . . Bottom

140. . . Activity board

150. . . Opening

Claims (9)

A walking mobile device adapted to move on a working surface, the walking mobile device comprising: a body; a plurality of feet disposed on the bottom of the body, the foot having a bottom surface, a movable plate and having a flat plate The flat plate is located above the movable plate, the bottom surface and the movable plate are configured to be in contact with the working surface, the bottom surface has an opening, the movable plate is disposed at the opening, and the movable plate can be retracted toward the inside of the foot. Wherein the plate has a ram, one end of the ram is fixed to the movable plate; a rod; and a pivot having a first end, an intermediate portion and a second end, wherein the first end Contacting the plate, the intermediate portion is pivotally connected to the foot through the pivot, and the second end contacts the plunger. The walking mobile device of claim 1, wherein the foot has a guiding rod and a first elastic member, and each of the two ends of the movable plate has a lug, and the first elastic member is sleeved on the a guide rod, and the guide rod is disposed on the lug such that the movable panel can be retracted toward the inside of the foot. The walking type mobile device of claim 2, wherein the two ends of the flat plate respectively have a lug, the guiding rod is disposed on the lug, and the flat plate is in contact with one end of the first elastic member, and At the same time, the movable panel is retracted toward the inside of the foot. The walking type mobile device of claim 3, wherein the flat plate has a through hole, and the other end of the jack is disposed through the through hole. The walking type mobile device of claim 4, wherein the foot has a second elastic member sleeved on the ejector pin and located between the movable plate and the flat plate. The walking type mobile device of claim 1, further comprising a third elastic member disposed on the pivot. The walking type mobile device of claim 1, wherein the first end of the rod has a contact member adapted to be in contact with the flat plate through the contact member. The walking type mobile device of claim 1, wherein the second end of the rod has a contact member, and the second end is adapted to be in contact with the contact member. The walking mobile device of claim 1, further comprising a sensor disposed on the foot, wherein the sensor is adapted to sense the foot when the walking mobile device walks The surface topography of the work surface around it.