WO2023118633A1

WO2023118633A1 - Autonomously-moving mower deck

Info

Publication number: WO2023118633A1
Application number: PCT/ES2022/070811
Authority: WO
Inventors: Félix Biscarri Triviño; Alberto Jesús MOLINA CANTERO; Alejandro Gallardo Soto; Juan Manuel Jaramillo Pareja; Francisco Javier Molina Cantero
Original assignee: Universidad De Sevilla
Priority date: 2021-12-23
Filing date: 2022-12-19
Publication date: 2023-06-29
Also published as: ES1285590U; ES1285590Y

Abstract

The invention relates to an autonomously-moving mower deck intended to be incorporated on at least one shaft (26) of a wheelchair (27) and to autonomously move a user through a controlled environment, said user being seated on the wheelchair (27) without interacting with the moving mower deck, of the type comprising a frame (1) provided with a front area (2), a rear area (3) and side areas (4), at least two drive wheels (5) arranged on the side areas (4) of the frame (1) and at least one free wheel (6) arranged on the front area (2) of the frame (1), electric motors (7) associated with the drive wheels (5) which are intended to transmit rotational movement to said drive wheels (5) and an adaptor (8) placed on the frame (1) designed to be coupled to the shaft (26) of the wheelchair (27).

Description

DESCRIPTION

AUTONOMOUS DISPLACEMENT PLATFORM

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is related to the technical field corresponding to engineering, specifically to the electronic-mechanical engineering sector.

The present invention refers to an autonomous movement platform that can be adapted to manual means of transport for users with functional disabilities or injuries, establishing a movement path and automatically avoiding environmental obstacles.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Autonomous or semi-autonomous guidance systems are known in the state of the art that seek for a user to reach a destination without the need for any action on the part of said user, except for an order to start driving.

Some systems implemented in manual means of transport can be image capture systems that recognize marks on the route that the user is taking, systems with several cameras placed on the sides of a wheelchair or on an oscillating mast in order to detect edges. of the floor and wall that delimit the path to follow with the aforementioned chair, facilitating the movement of a user through rooms or other interior locations.

Other systems are included in semi-autonomous guidance, that is, by user action through the implementation of joysticks with which you can make turns and gear changes while using the manual means of transport or by gesture detection systems on a touch screen or voice commands that respond to user action.

The vast majority of automatic or semi-automatic guidance devices are implemented in electric wheelchairs to provide them with autonomous or semi-autonomous guidance capacity. The problem that arises is the adaptation to these electric chairs in a fixed way, without being able to uncouple the device in case of renewal of the user's means of transport.

However, the biggest existing problem is the focus of the proposed solutions; Said approach being for people with normal cognitive development, without functional or cognitive deficiency, controlling the means of transport in a semi-autonomous way by the user, seeking the transformation of manual wheelchairs into electric wheelchairs directed by the user himself or improving chairs of electric/electronic wheels, but always focused on users with normal cognitive development.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention aims to solve the problems posed by incorporating, generally from the bottom, an autonomous movement platform in a wheelchair, without the need for the user who uses said wheelchair to interact with the device, avoiding obstacles and allowing their movement through controlled environments, when the physical-cognitive development of said user is not enough for them to interact conventionally with the wheelchair.

The existing interaction with the device object of the invention is that of a second user who facilitates the start-up of the equipment by means of an on and off button. From that moment on, the displacement platform moves the user automatically, with speed control, based on the information received from the environment by the modules associated with the electronic unit of the displacement platform.

Structurally, the displacement platform is equipped with a frame, drive wheels that are located in the lateral areas of said frame, close to the rear area of the same and where motors are linked, preferably brushless motors, which transmit the movement of spin to the wheels On the other hand, at least one free wheel is coupled to the front area of the frame. Thus, the guidance of the platform is a function of the speed of rotation of the drive wheels, which is different for each one of them in turns or the same so that the direction of travel is straight.

Additionally, the autonomous movement platform includes an adapter attached to the frame, which includes adaptation pieces, in the form of an L, with slots that allow the adapter to be attached to an axis, which may be the axis located between the wheels of the chair. of wheels, or another axis of the structure of the chair that allows said adaptation; and to the platform frame.

An electronic unit is located on the frame, responsible for the autonomous operation of the displacement platform. Said electronic unit comprises a series of modules, said modules being: at least one detection module, which can be a set of ultrasonic sensors, and which can be located in the front and/or rear area of the frame. Said module obtains information about the environment through which the platform object of the invention moves or is going to move in order to detect obstacles and avoid them.

In addition to the detection module, the electronic unit includes a control module, in charge of receiving information about the environment from the detection module and transferring it. The control module can have digital-analog converters, timers, magnetometers, etc. Said information is sent to some motor controllers, in charge, based on the information received, of giving the order to the motors to transmit movement to the drive wheels, knowing the environment through which the user moves, in order to carry out this process. movement in a guided and autonomous way without interaction thereof with the device object of the invention.

Likewise, the control unit can comprise a communication module, which receives signals from an external device such as a mobile phone, and transmits them to the control module, the communication module being connected wirelessly, for example, via bluetooth , with said external device.

The operation of the modules of the electronic unit is due to a power supply module, connected to the aforementioned modules and comprising batteries. Said power supply module provides electricity and allows the operation of the detection and communication modules and the motor controllers.

The control and start-up, as well as the knowledge of the operation of the modules, is carried out through an input-output panel, equipped with a connector for charging the control unit batteries, an on and off button, a emergency stop button in the event that any of the modules malfunctions and a display system, this being a set of led lights, which depending on which light is illuminated indicates the status of the march, stop or failure in the electronics .

Finally, through the electronic unit and the external device, a trajectory can be programmed based on the mapping of the environment, helping the wheelchair occupant to move safely through a controlled environment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To complement the description that is being made and in order to help a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention, according to a preferred example of its practical implementation, a set of instructions is attached as an integral part of said description. drawings where, with an illustrative and non-limiting nature, the following has been represented:

Figure 1 Shows a perspective view of the autonomous movement platform.

Figure 2.- Shows a phase diagram of the interaction between the elements that make up the electronic unit.

Figure 3.- Shows a perspective view of the autonomous movement platform attached to a wheelchair.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

With the help of figures 1 to 3, a preferred embodiment of the device object of the invention is described. Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the autonomous movement platform, intended to be incorporated into at least one axis (26) of a wheelchair (27) and to autonomously transfer a user through a controlled environment while said user is sitting on the wheelchair (27) without interacting with the movement platform.

Said invention structurally comprises a frame (1) equipped with a front area (2), a rear area (3) and lateral areas (4), at least two drive wheels (5) arranged in the lateral areas (4) of the frame (1) and at least one free wheel (6) arranged in the front area (2) of the frame (1), electric motors (7) associated with the drive wheels (5) and which are intended to transmit rotational movement to said driving wheels (5). The electric motors (7) provide the same speed to each of the drive wheels (5) when the user located on the wheelchair (27) is moved forwards and backwards. When the user is moved to the left or to the right, the electric motors (7) give each of the drive wheels (5) a different speed of rotation to achieve this change of direction.

Likewise, the autonomous movement platform comprises an adapter (8) located on the frame (1) designed to be coupled to the axle (26) of the wheelchair (27). For the elf, said adapter (8) is equipped with coupling parts (22) that have slots (25) that support the axle (26) of the wheelchair (27) and engage with the frame (1) and reinforcements (23) located transversely between said coupling parts (22).

In order for the platform to move autonomously, said invention also comprises an electronic unit (9) and a power supply module (14) that is made up of batteries (21), associated with the electronic unit (9) and electric motors. (7) and that provides electricity to the electronic unit (9) and to the electric motors (7) mentioned.

With the help of Figure 2, where a flow diagram of the elements that make up the electronic unit (9) is shown, it can be seen that said electronic unit comprises at least one obstacle detection module (10) that is intended to capture information on the environment through which the user moves, at least one control module (12) connected to the detection module (10) and which is configured to receive the information captured by the detection module (10). In addition, the electronic unit (9) comprises motor controllers (13) that are connected to the electric motors (7) and associated with the control module (12); configured to send the information received from the control module (12) to the electric motors (7) and, consequently, that said electric motors (7) transmit the turning movement to the drive wheels (5) without user interaction. And at least one actuator (18) that turns the power supply module (14) on or off, said physical actuator (18) being, for example, a button; or wireless, such as from a mobile application.

The detection module (10) is made up of ultrasonic sensors (24) located in the front and/or rear area (2, 3) of the frame (1) and that help, through impulses, to capture the obstacles in the environment through which the user is moved in a controlled manner.

Optionally, the electronic unit (9) also comprises at least one communication module (11) connected to the control module (12) and which is intended to be connected to an external device (16) wirelessly and to collect information from said external device (16).

To facilitate the use of the invention, the electronic unit (9) is also provided with an input-output panel (15) that incorporates display elements (17) intended to allow the user to check the operation of the motor controllers ( 13), and, therefore, the status of the displacement platform, an emergency stop button (19) that stops the motor controllers (13) when a malfunction occurs in any of the control modules. the electronic unit (9), and at least one connector (20) intended to charge the power supply module (14).

For a better understanding of the invention, Figure 3 shows a perspective view of the autonomous movement platform attached to a wheelchair (27), for example, in this case, a wheelchair for children with brain-motor disabilities. The platform object of the invention is coupled to the axis (26) of the wheelchair (27) and allows the autonomous movement of the occupant.

Claims

1 Autonomous movement platform intended to be incorporated into at least one axis (26) of a wheelchair (27) and to autonomously move a user through a controlled environment while said user is sitting on the wheelchair (27) without that interacts with the movement platform, comprising: a frame (1) equipped with a front area (2), a rear area (3) and lateral areas (4), at least two drive wheels (5) arranged in the lateral areas (4) of the frame (1) and at least one free wheel (6) arranged in the front area (2) of the frame (1), electric motors (7) associated with the drive wheels (5) and which are intended to transmit turning movement to said drive wheels (5), an adapter (8) located on the frame (1) designed to engage the axle (26) of the wheelchair (27), an electronic unit (9), and at least one power supply module (14) linked to the electronic unit (9) and to the electric motors (7) and supplying electricity to said electronic unit (9) and to said electric motors (7); characterized in that the electronic unit (9) additionally comprises: at least one obstacle detection module (10) that is intended to capture information about the environment through which the user moves, at least one control module (12) connected to the detection module (10) and which is configured to receive the information captured by the detection module (10), motor controllers (13) that are connected to the electric motors (7) and associated with the control module (12); configured to send the information received from the control module (12) to the electric motors (7) and, consequently, that said electric motors (7) transmit the turning movement to the drive wheels (5) without user interaction; and at least one actuator (18) that turns the power module (14) on or off.

2." Autonomous movement platform according to claim 1, wherein the electronic unit (9) additionally comprises at least one communication module (11) connected to the control module (12) and which is intended to be connected with an external device (16) wirelessly and collect information from said external device (16).

3.- Autonomous movement platform according to claim 1, wherein the control unit (9) additionally comprises an input-output panel (15) that is provided with: display elements (17) intended to allow the user to check the operation of the motor controllers (13), and, therefore, of the running status of the displacement platform. an emergency stop button (19) that stops the motor controllers (13) when a malfunction occurs in any of the modules of the electronic unit (9), and at least one connector (20) intended to receive a charging cable for charging to the power module (14).

4. Autonomous movement platform according to claim 1, wherein the detection module (10) comprises ultrasonic sensors (24) located in the front and/or rear area (2, 3) of the frame (1).

5. Autonomous movement platform according to claim 1, wherein the power supply module (14) comprises batteries (21).

6.- Autonomous movement platform according to claim 1, wherein the adapter (8) comprises coupling parts (22) that have grooves (25) that support the axle (26) of the wheelchair (27) and they engage with the frame (1) and some reinforcements (23) located transversely between said coupling parts (22).