JP2009040165A - Three-wheeled traveling device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a three-wheeled traveling device movable not only in the longitudinal direction but also in the lateral direction. <P>SOLUTION: This three-wheeled traveling device has a first wheel 110 and a second wheel 120 having a wheel shaft arranged on the same straight line, a third wheel 130 arranged between the first wheel and the second wheel and having a wheel shaft arranged on a horizontal straight line orthogonal to an extension line of the wheel shaft of the first wheel and the second wheel, driving means arranged in the respective wheels so as to separately drive the first wheel, the second wheel and the third wheel, and a control means for controlling the respective driving means. The respective wheels 110-130 have a plurality of rotary bodies 31 juxtaposed along outer peripheries of the wheels. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a three-wheeled traveling device, and in particular, a traveling device that can move not only in the front-rear direction but also in the lateral direction without changing the orientation of the device itself, and an electric wheelchair, robot, It relates to industrial, academic, and household appliances, devices, machines, toys, etc.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various traveling devices having wheels as means for moving a person are known. In this type of traveling device, at least a three-wheel or four-wheel vehicle is disposed at a corner of the vehicle body or a portion close thereto.

In recent years, traveling devices with two wheels have been developed and marketed, and are used for leisure purposes.
Patent Document 1 discloses a self-supporting two-wheel traveling device, and this traveling device includes a mechanism that maintains a self-supporting posture by a gyro effect of a wheel that rotates at high speed. Patent Document 2 also discloses a self-supporting two-wheel travel device.
Such a self-supporting two-wheeled traveling device is more convenient because it is smaller than an ordinary passenger car and can turn easily during traveling.

JP 2003-237665 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 06-92273

  However, if the self-supporting two-wheel travel device shown in Patent Documents 1 and 2 is to be moved slightly to the side, for example, to a storage location such as a garage, the self-supporting two-wheel travel device 300 is used as shown in FIG. After moving forward, the handle 310 is turned to the right (or left), and the self-supporting two-wheeled traveling device 300 is moved backward with the handle 310 turned off, so that it is necessary to move the original position A to the lateral position B. is there. It is troublesome to require such a work for a small amount of movement, and such a movement operation cannot be performed in a small place.

  The present invention was created in view of the above points, and an object thereof is to provide a three-wheel travel device that can move not only in the front-rear direction but also in the lateral direction.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is arranged between a first wheel and a second wheel having axles arranged on the same straight line, and between the first wheel and the second wheel. A third wheel disposed on a horizontal straight line perpendicular to the extension line of the two-wheel axle; a drive means provided on each wheel; and a control means for controlling each drive means. It is characterized by comprising a plurality of rotating bodies arranged along the outer periphery.

In the three-wheel travel device of the present invention, preferably, the main frame portion, the sub frame portion disposed on the left side and the right side of the main frame, the main frame portion, and the left sub frame, and the main frame portion and the right side. A pair of arms, one end part rotatably attached to the main frame part and the other end part rotatably attached to the subframe part, the left and right arms and the main A first wheel is supported by the left subframe portion, a second wheel is supported by the right subframe portion, and the third wheel is the main wheel. Supported by the frame part.
In the three-wheel travel device of the present invention, preferably, the control device does not drive the third wheel when driving the first wheel and the second wheel, and the first wheel and the second wheel when driving the third wheel. Do not drive. The drive means is preferably constituted by a wheel-in motor.

  According to the present invention, in addition to the first wheel and the second wheel that exhibit the driving force for movement in the front-rear direction, the third wheel that rolls in a direction orthogonal to the traveling direction of the first wheel and the second wheel. Since it is provided, it can move in the lateral direction without changing the orientation of the apparatus.

  Since the first wheel, the second wheel, and the third wheel are composed of omnidirectional wheels provided with a plurality of rotating bodies each having a rotating shaft along the outer periphery of the wheel, the first wheel, the second wheel, and the third wheel rotate when traveling in the front-rear direction. The rotating body at the lower end of the third wheel rotates as the traveling device travels, and the rotating body at the lower end of the first wheel and the second wheel that does not rotate during lateral movement to the left or right side of the traveling device. Rotates with lateral movement. Therefore, even when there are wheels that do not rotate during traveling, the traveling device 1 according to the present embodiment can smoothly move in the front-rear direction and the lateral direction.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawing, Fr indicates the front of the three-wheeled traveling device, Up indicates the upper side of the three-wheeled traveling device, and LH indicates the left side that is the lateral width direction of the three-wheeled traveling device.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a three-wheel traveling device (hereinafter referred to as a traveling device) 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view, FIG. 3 is a rear view, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a plan view.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the traveling device 1 includes a body 10, a first wheel 110 disposed on the left side of the body 10, a second wheel 120 disposed on the right side of the body, and a first wheel 110. And a third wheel 130 disposed between the first wheel 120 and the second wheel 120, and a driving means for driving the respective wheels 110, 120, 130 (not shown) and a control means for controlling the driving means. Yes.

  The body 10 includes a main frame portion 11, subframe portions 12 </ b> L and 12 </ b> R that are swingably attached to the main frame portion 11 and support the first wheel 110 and the second wheel 120, and the road surface condition during travel. And a damper mechanism 15 for attenuating vibration received by the body 10.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the main frame portion 11 has a front plate 11 </ b> A that stands vertically and faces the front of the traveling apparatus, and is formed in the same shape as the front plate 11 </ b> A and is spaced a certain distance away from the front plate 11 </ b> A. A rear plate 11B disposed so as to oppose, a horizontal plate-like connecting plate 11C that connects the upper end of the front plate 11A and the upper end of the rear plate 11B, and a central axis that is fixed to the upper surface of the connecting plate 11C. It is comprised from the cylindrical material 11D along the vertical direction, the vertical shaft 11E which can slide inside this cylindrical material 11D, and the plate-shaped base 11F fixed to the upper end of this vertical shaft 11E. Each component 11A-11F of the main frame part 11 is made of steel. In addition, the main frame part 11 may be comprised combining pipe-shaped steel materials or combining pipe-shaped and plate-shaped steel materials.

  The sub-frame portions 12L and 12R are made of steel, for example, are configured as rectangular plate members as shown in FIG. 1, and are disposed in the traveling device 1 so that a wide surface faces the outer side in the width direction of the traveling device 1. , Provided on the left side and the right side of the traveling device 1, respectively. A first wheel 110 as a drive system is attached to the left subframe portion 12L, and a second wheel 120 is attached to the right subframe portion 12R.

  The damper mechanism 15 includes a pair of suspension arms 151U and 151D that support the sub-frame portions 12L and 12R in a swingable manner, and springs that buffer sudden swings of the suspension arms 151U and 151D and vibrations exerted on the main frame portion 11. , And bullet means such as rubber. Hereinafter, the case where the spring 152 is used as a bulleting means will be described.

A specific configuration of the damper mechanism 15 will be illustrated.
As shown in FIG. 2, on the left side of the front portion of the traveling device 1, the front ends of a pair of suspension arms 151 </ b> U and 151 </ b> D are rotatably attached to the front end surface 221 </ b> L of the left subframe portion 12 </ b> L by pins 153. On the front right side of the traveling device 1, the tip ends of the other pair of suspension arms 151U and 151D are rotatably attached to the front end surface 221R of the right subframe portion 12R by pins 153. The bases of these suspension arms 151U and 151D are rotatably attached to the front plate 11A by pins 154, respectively.

  As shown in FIG. 3, at the rear portion of the traveling device 1, the front end portions of the pair of suspension arms 155U and 155D are rotatably attached to the rear end surface 222L of the left subframe portion 12L by pins 156. The tip ends of the other pair of suspension arms 155U and 155D are rotatably attached to the rear end surface 222R of the subframe portion 12R by pins 156. The bases of these suspension arms 155U and 155D are rotatably attached to the back plate 11B by pins 157, respectively.

In the present embodiment, a pair of suspension arms 151U and 151D (155U and 155D) that support the left and right subframe portions 12L and 12R at the front portion (rear portion) of the traveling device 1 are arranged in parallel vertically with a space therebetween. Has been. One end portion of a bar 158 that supports the spring 152 is rotatably attached to a middle portion of the upper suspension arm 151U among the suspension arms 151U and 151D disposed at the front portion of the traveling device 1 by a pin 159A. Yes. An annular flange 158A projects from the bar surface near the tip of the bar 158, and one end of a spring 152 is fixed to the flange 158A. The natural length of the spring 152 is longer than the distance from the flange 158A to the tip of the bar 158, and the spring 152 is attached to the bar 158 so that the spring tip extends over the bar 158 on the bar extension line. Yes. The other end of the spring 152 is attached to a receiving portion 159C that is rotatably attached to the front end surface of the base 11F by a pin 159B. The spring 152 is compressed and attached between the pedestal 11F and the bar 158 by the weight of the pedestal 11F and the like, but the pedestal 11F is supported in a state where the vertical shaft 11E is pulled upward from the cylindrical member 11D by its elastic force. .
The damper mechanism 15 absorbs unnecessary vertical movement of the suspension arms 151U and 151D.

A wheel-in motor 20 as drive means is attached to the outside of the left sub-frame portion 12L so as to protrude outward in the width direction, and the first wheel 110 is attached to the wheel-in motor 20. The wheel-in motor 20 has conventionally been known to have various structures, and in this embodiment, various types can be applied. In particular, a stator and a rotor that rotates around the stator are used. It is desirable to use the equipment provided. Specifically, the stator is fixed to the left subframe portion 12L, and the first wheel 110 is coaxially attached to a rotor that rotates around the stator. With such a configuration, the first wheel 110 rotates together with the rotor.
A wheel-in motor 20 is also attached to the outer surface of the right sub-frame portion 12R, and the second wheel 120 is attached to this rotor.

  In the present embodiment, the first wheel 110 and the second wheel 120 are disposed on the body 10 such that their disk-shaped side faces each other, and the first wheel is in a state where the traveling device 1 is placed on a flat ground. 110 and the center of rotation of the second wheel 120 are arranged on an imaginary straight line α1 (FIG. 1).

  The third wheel 130 rotates around a horizontal straight line orthogonal to an imaginary line α2 (FIG. 4) extending in the front-rear horizontal direction of the traveling device 1, that is, an extension line of the axles of the first wheel 110 and the second wheel 120. It is arranged. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the third wheel 130 is attached to the wheel-in motor 20 disposed so as to be sandwiched between the front plate 11 </ b> A and the back plate 11 </ b> B constituting the main frame portion 11. It has been. The wheel-in motor 20 has a stator fixed to the front plate 11A and the back plate 11B, and a third wheel 130 is attached to a rotor that rotates around the stator.

Further, each wheel according to the present embodiment is configured by an omnidirectional wheel 30. That is, the 1st wheel 110, the 2nd wheel 120, and the 3rd wheel 130 are constituted as a wheel with a rotating body currently indicated by JP, 2002-137602, A, and JP, 2004-344289, for example, As shown in FIG. 6, a plurality of rotating bodies 31 having a rotation axis Y along the outer periphery thereof are provided. These rotating bodies 31 are supported so as to be rotatable around a rotation axis Y (see FIG. 6) orthogonal to the axle direction X (see FIG. 6) of the wheels 110, 120, and 130, respectively. The surface of each rotating body 31 is formed so as to define an arc of the outer circumference of the wheel. Specifically, each rotating body 31 is formed in a tapered cup shape in which the diameter of the front end portion is smaller than the diameter of the rear end portion. As a result, when the wheel itself is about to move in the axle direction side (that is, the X side in the figure), the rotating body that is in contact with the ground or the like FL (rotating body with double hatching in the figure; other rotating body) The reference numeral 31B is used to distinguish the wheel from the rotation axis Y, so that the wheel rolls on the ground or the like FL, and the wheel moves smoothly in the lateral direction without changing the direction of the wheel itself. Can be done.
The 1st wheel 110, the 2nd wheel 120, and the 3rd wheel 130 are constituted by the same size and the same shape, and are attached to body 10 so that the center of each rotation may become the same height. Each wheel 110, 120, 130 contacts the ground with the traveling device 1 placed on a flat ground.

The traveling device 1 includes, for example, an operation means (not shown) such as a joystick having a rod-like lever that is rotatable with a lower end supported and a rotation angle of the lever, and the user moves the lever. By tilting in the direction, a signal of the rotation angle is sent from the operating means to a control device (not shown), and the control device controls the first to third wheels 110 to 130 based on the signal. For example, the rotational speed of each of the wheels 110 to 130 corresponding to the rotation angle of the lever is defined in advance and stored as reference data in a storage means such as a ROM built in the control device. The wheels 110 to 130 are controlled based on the reference data.
In the present embodiment, for example, an electronic control unit (ECU) is used as the control device. Power to the control device and each driving means is supplied from a battery not shown. The battery and the control device are attached to the main frame unit 11, for example.
Specifically, as shown in the system operation flow of FIG. 7, the ECU calculates the wheel speed based on a signal from an operation means such as a joystick and travels to the motor drive amplifiers of the first wheel 110 to the third wheel 130. Send speed command and / or side wheel speed command. The ECU generates a steering wheel command including information on the traveling direction in relation to the first wheel 110 and the second wheel 120 as the left and right wheels. In the traveling device 1 according to the present embodiment, balance control is performed as control to the first wheel 110 and the second wheel 120 as the left and right wheels. That is, the first wheel 110 and the second wheel 120 are controlled so that the traveling device 1 is independent. For this reason, based on the angle signal from the angle sensor attached to the body 10, ECU calculates the traveling speed command for the traveling apparatus 1 to balance. A traveling speed command is generated based on the balance calculation result and the wheel speed calculation result. The ECU generates a speed command for the left wheel and a speed command for the right wheel based on the travel speed command and the handle command in consideration of balance. These speed commands are subjected to feedback control based on the speed detected by the rotary encoder, and are sent to each motor drive amplifier. In this way, the first wheel 110 to the third wheel 130 are driven and controlled. Note that the number of angle sensors is not limited to one.

In the present embodiment, the traveling device 1 has a first traveling mode in which the third wheel 130 is not driven when the first wheel 110 and the second wheel 120 are driven, and the first wheel 110 and the second wheel 130 are driven when the third wheel 130 is driven. The vehicle travels in the second travel mode in which the two wheels 120 are not driven, and in the third travel mode in which the first wheels 110, the second wheels 120, and the third wheels 130 are simultaneously driven. Specifically, in the second traveling mode, the traveling device 1 drives the third wheel 130 when the lever of the operating means is tilted to the side, that is, when an instruction to move to the side is issued, Controls the drive system so as not to drive the first wheel 110 and the second wheel 120.
In the third travel mode, for example, the three wheels of the travel device 1, that is, the first wheels 110, so as to travel obliquely without changing the direction of the travel device 1, or rotate while traveling obliquely. The second wheel 120 and the third wheel 130 are driven simultaneously.
The travel mode can be selected, for example, by pressing one of the buttons provided for each mode.

The traveling device 1 according to the present embodiment is configured as described above and operates as follows.
First, in the front-rear direction, the user drives and controls the wheel-in motors 20 of the first wheel 110 and the second wheel 120 by the control device by tilting the lever of the operation means forward or backward, respectively. When the one wheel 110 and the second wheel 120 are driven forward, the traveling device 1 moves forward. Further, when both the first wheel 110 and the second wheel 120 are driven backward, the traveling device 1 moves backward.

  In addition, by tilting the lever to the left or right from the line in the front-rear direction, the rotation speed of the wheel on the tilted side can be slowed down and the vehicle can run while turning to the tilted side. For example, when the user tilts the lever forward to the right, the control device drives the left first wheel 110 forward at a relatively high speed and drives the right second wheel 120 forward at a relatively low speed. Thus, based on the difference between the rotational speeds of the left and right wheels, the traveling device 1 moves forward while turning right. At this time, since the third wheel 130 that is not driven and controlled is also in contact with the traveling surface, only the rotating body 31 that is in contact with the traveling surface in the third wheel 130 rotates due to friction received from the traveling surface.

On the other hand, when the user tilts the lever of the operation means to the side, for example, the right side or the left side so as to be orthogonal to the line in the front-rear direction, only the third wheel 130 is driven and controlled by the control device. As a result, the traveling device 1 moves laterally to the right or left without changing its orientation. At this time, since the first wheel 110 and the second wheel 120 that are not driven and controlled are also in contact with the traveling surface, only the rotating body 31 that is in contact with the traveling surface in the first wheel 110 and the second wheel 120 is the traveling surface. Rotates due to friction received from
In addition, the three wheels of the traveling device 1, that is, the first wheel 110, the second wheel 120, and the third wheel 130 can be driven at the same time so that the vehicle travels obliquely with rotation.

  Thus, according to the traveling device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the first wheel 110 and the second wheel in addition to the first wheel 110 and the second wheel 120 that exhibit the driving force for movement in the front-rear direction. Since the third wheel 130 that rolls in a direction orthogonal to the traveling direction of 120 is provided, the lateral movement can be performed without changing the orientation of the apparatus.

  Moreover, since the 1st wheel 110, the 2nd wheel 120, and the 3rd wheel 130 are comprised by the omnidirectional wheel 30 which each arrange | positioned the rotary body 31 along the wheel outer periphery, in the case of driving | running | working in the front-back direction The rotating body 31 at the lower end of the third wheel 130 that does not rotate at the same time rotates as the traveling device 1 travels, and the lower end at the first wheel 110 and the second wheel 120 that does not rotate during the lateral movement to the left or right side. The rotating body 31 rotates as the traveling device 1 moves laterally. Therefore, even if there is a wheel that does not rotate during traveling, the traveling device 1 according to the present embodiment can smoothly move in the front-rear direction and the lateral direction.

  By using the traveling device 1 of the present invention, an electric wheelchair 50 in which a seat 51 is fixed to a pedestal 11F can be configured as shown in FIG. In this case, it is convenient to dispose the operating means 60 having the lever 61 on the armrest 51B extending forward from the edge of the seat back 51A of the seat 51.

  The electric wheelchair 50 in the present embodiment is characterized in that the seat changes its form when the occupant gets on board. That is, as shown in FIG. 9A, the electric wheelchair 50 can be ridden while standing on the footrest 51G before the occupant sits on the seat 51, and the form of the seat 51 is shown in FIG. Finally, as shown in FIG. 9C, the seat 51 takes a seating form.

  As shown in FIG. 10A, the seat 51 includes a base 51C attached to the pedestal 11F, a frame stay 51D erected from the left and right edges of the base 51C, and upper ends of the frame stays 51D and 51D. A seat 51E rotatably attached to the middle part of each side edge, the seat back 51A rotatably attached to the rear part of the seat 51E, and a front stool attached rotatably to the front of the seat 51E The frame 51F includes a footrest 51G attached to the lower end of the front hanging frame 51F, and a link bar 51H rotatably attached to the frame stay 51D, the seat back 51A, and the front hanging frame 51F. The link bar 51H is provided on each of the left and right sides of the seat 51, and each link bar 51H, 51H is rotatably attached to the frame stay 51D at the intermediate length portion and rotatably attached to the front hanging frame 51F. The rear end portion is rotatably attached to the lower end portion of the seat back 51A.

A power cylinder 170 is attached to a base 51C constituting the seat 51 via a bracket 51K. The power cylinder 170 includes a main body 171 and a rod 172 slidably attached to the main body 171, and the rod 172 is controlled by an ECU 65 (described later) controlling a motor built in the main body 171. The length drawn from the main body 171 is adjusted. The main body 171 is fixed to the bracket 51K, and the tip of the rod 172 is rotatably attached to the link bar 51H.
As shown in FIG. 10A, in the state where the power cylinder 170 is contracted and the link bar 51H is horizontally extended, the front hanging frame 51F supported by the tip end of the link bar 51H and the tip end of the seat 51E. Is disposed vertically, and the seat back 51A supported by the rear end portion of the link bar 51H and the rear end portion of the seat portion 51E is disposed vertically, so that the seat surface and the footrest 51G are horizontal. The seat back 51A is held so as to be substantially perpendicular to the seating surface. On the other hand, when the power cylinder 170 is driven and the rod 172 is extended in the state shown in FIG. 10A, the rear side of the link bar 51H is lifted as shown in FIG. 10B and interlocked with the swinging motion of the link bar 51H. Then, the seat back 51A moves upward and the front hanging frame 51F is lowered. In the state where the rod 172 is pulled out most, the footrest 51G provided at the lower end of the front hanging frame 51F contacts the ground. Thus, a person can get into the electric wheelchair 50 in a state where the footrest 51G is grounded. Hereinafter, as shown in FIGS. 9 (A) and 10 (B), the posture of the electric wheelchair 50 in which the footrest 51G is in contact with the ground is referred to as a standing boarding posture, and is shown in FIGS. 9 (C) and 10 (A). In this way, the posture in which the footrest 51G is held horizontally at a predetermined height position and can travel is referred to as a balanced travel posture. In FIG. 10, the display of the armrest 51B is omitted.

Here, FIG. 11 is a control block diagram of the electric wheelchair 50 of the present embodiment. The electric wheelchair 50 includes a motor driver 63 </ b> A for controlling the wheel-in motor 20 of the first wheel 110 and the wheel of the second wheel 120. A motor driver 63B for controlling the in-motor 20, a motor driver 63C for controlling the wheel-in motor 20 of the third wheel 130, a motor driver 63D for controlling the power cylinder 170, a gyro sensor 64, An operating means 60 having a lever 61, an ECU 65 for controlling the motor drivers 63A to 63D, and a battery 66 are provided.
The ECU 65 controls the motor drivers 63A, 63B, and 63C based on a signal from the operation means 60 and a signal from the gyro sensor 64 during traveling. For example, the gyro sensor 64 is mounted on the pedestal 11 </ b> F and detects the pitching angle of the traveling device 1, that is, the angle around the axis parallel to the axles of the first wheel 110 and the second wheel 120. The ECU 65 drives the first wheel 110 and the second wheel 120 in accordance with the pitching angle, so that the traveling device (that is, the electric wheelchair 50) maintains a desired inclination posture.
Although a switch for operating the power cylinder 170, that is, a switch for operating the rod 172, is not shown, for example, it is disposed on the armrest 51B (FIG. 8), and a signal from this switch is sent to the ECU 65. Sent to.

Next, control of the electric wheelchair 50 configured as described above will be described.
First, in the standing boarding posture shown in FIG. 9A, the user turns on the power and operates the posture changing power cylinder 170 to shorten the pull-out length of the rod 172. As a result, the footrest 51G is separated from the ground by lifting the front end portion of the link bar 51H and the front hanging frame 51F connected thereto. At this time, the ECU 65 controls the wheel-in motors 20 of the first wheel 110 and the second wheel 120 based on the pitching angle detected by the gyro sensor 64 so that the electric wheelchair 50 does not fall, that is, the electric wheelchair 50 is inverted. , 20 is rotated in the same direction (hereinafter referred to as inversion control) to maintain the balance. Even after the footrest 51G is lifted to a predetermined position, control for balancing is performed.

In this way, the electric wheelchair 50 travels when the occupant operates the lever 61 in a state where the footrest 51G is lifted and is in the balanced travel posture as shown in FIG. 9C.
For example, when the occupant rotates the lever 61, the ECU 65 turns the electric wheelchair 50 by giving a differential to the wheel-in motors 20, 20 of the first wheel 110 and the second wheel 120 while performing the inversion control.
When the lever 61 is moved back and forth, the ECU 65 adds a predetermined angle of attack to the inversion control, that is, the wheel-in of the first wheel 110 and the second wheel 120 so that the electric wheelchair itself slightly tilts forward in the traveling direction. The motorized wheelchair runs forward and backward while maintaining balance.
When the lever 61 is moved to the left or right, the ECU 65 drives the wheel-in motor 20 of the third wheel 130 while performing the inversion control, and the electric wheelchair 50 moves to the side.
When the lever 61 is moved obliquely laterally, the electric wheelchair 50 is obliquely laterally rotated by rotating the first wheel 110 and the second wheel 120 in the forward or reverse direction and rotating the third wheel 130 while performing the inversion control. Move to.
In addition, the electric wheelchair 50 can perform complicated traveling such that the electric wheelchair 50 moves obliquely with turning while performing inversion control when the above operations are combined.

  According to such an electric wheelchair 50, in addition to being able to travel back and forth or obliquely while performing balance control, it is also possible to move to the side by driving only the third wheel 130.

  Although detailed above, the present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, instead of the wheel-in motor 20, each wheel may be fixed to a shaft (axle), and the drive shaft may be driven by a motor, that is, a motor provided for each wheel. Also in this case, the axles of the first wheel and the second wheel are arranged on the same straight line, the third wheel is arranged between the first wheel and the second wheel, and the first wheel and the second wheel. It is comprised so that it may rotate around the rotating shaft (axle) arrange | positioned horizontally orthogonal to the extension line | wire of an axle shaft. At this time, the motor for the first wheel is attached to the left subframe portion, the motor for the second wheel is attached to the right subframe portion, and the motor for the third wheel is attached to the main frame portion.

  The structure and shape of the body of the traveling device are not limited to the above-described example. The main frame portion and the sub frame portion constituting the body may be integrally connected without using the suspension arm. The traveling device may be configured without a damper mechanism.

The seat 51 of the electric wheelchair 50 may be disposed in the traveling device 1 without using the base 51C. In this case, for example, the frame stay 51D and the bracket 51K are fixed to the base 11F.
The traveling device of the present invention is not limited to an electric wheelchair, and can be applied as a means for moving industrial, academic, and household appliances, devices, machines, and toys. For example, the traveling device can be applied as a leg of a mobile robot. It can also be used as a means for people to move, as a means for transporting goods or as a means of moving machines for agricultural work, and as a mechanism for moving play equipment in leisure facilities such as amusement parks and theme parks. Is possible. Furthermore, the present invention can also be used in assistive / welfare machines and appliances used by elderly people and persons with disabilities.
The traveling device of the present invention and the moving means using the traveling device are provided with a gyro sensor and the like, as in the configuration example of the electric wheelchair shown in FIG. It is desirable to be configured so that

It is a perspective view showing a three-wheeled travel device concerning an embodiment of the present invention. It is a front view of the three-wheeled travel apparatus of FIG. It is a rear view of the three-wheeled travel apparatus of FIG. It is the sectional view on the AA line of FIG. It is a top view of the three-wheeled travel apparatus of FIG. It is a perspective view of the omnidirectional wheel concerning the embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure of the system flow concerning the embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view of the Example of the electric wheelchair using the three-wheeled traveling apparatus of FIG. (A)-(C) is a figure explaining the use condition of the electric wheelchair of FIG. (A), (B) is a side view of the electric wheelchair of FIG. It is a control block diagram of the electric wheelchair of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the problem of the conventional two-wheeled traveling apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Three-wheel traveling apparatus 10 Body 11 Main frame part 11A Front plate 11B Back surface plate 11C Connection plate 11D Cylindrical material 11E Vertical shaft 11F Pedestal 12L, 12R Subframe part 15 Damper mechanism 20 Wheel in motor 30 Omnidirectional wheel 31,31A, 31B Rotation Body 50 Electric wheelchair 51 Seat 51A Seat back 51B Armrest 51C Base 51D Frame stay 51E Seat 51F Front hanging frame 51G Footrest 51H Link bar 51K Bracket 60 Operating means 61 Lever 63A-63D Motor driver 64 Gyro sensor 65 ECU
66 battery 110 first wheel 120 second wheel 130 third wheel 151U, 151D, 155U, 155D suspension arm 152 spring 153, 154, 156, 157, 159A, 159B pin 158 bar 158A flange 159C receiving part 170 power cylinder 171 main body part 172 Rod 221L, 221R Front end face 222L, 222R Rear end face α1, α2 Virtual line

Claims (5)

A first wheel and a second wheel having axles arranged on the same straight line;
A third wheel disposed between the first wheel and the second wheel, the axle disposed on a horizontal straight line perpendicular to an extension line of the axle of the first wheel and the second wheel;
Driving means provided on each wheel;
Control means for controlling each driving means,
A three-wheel travel device, wherein each wheel includes a plurality of rotating bodies arranged along an outer periphery of the wheel. The main frame part,
Sub-frame portions respectively disposed on the left and right sides of the main frame;
Between the main frame portion and the left subframe and between the main frame portion and the right subframe portion, one end portion is rotatably attached to the main frame portion, and the other end portion is A pair of arms rotatably attached to the subframe,
A bullet means arranged between each of the left and right arms and the main frame part,
The first wheel is supported by the left subframe portion,
The second wheel is supported by the right subframe portion,
The three-wheel travel device according to claim 1, wherein the third wheel is supported by the main frame portion.   The control device does not drive the third wheel when driving the first wheel and the second wheel, and does not drive the first wheel and the second wheel when driving the third wheel. The three-wheeled travel device according to claim 1, wherein the three-wheel travel device is characterized.   The three-wheel travel device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the driving means is a wheel-in motor.   An electric wheelchair comprising the three-wheel travel device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 and a chair.