JP2010068680A - Moving body - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a moving body having high operability. <P>SOLUTION: According to one embodiment, this moving body 1 moving in accordance with the shift of weight of an occupant includes: an occupant seat 8 where the occupant gets aboard; occupant position defining sections 20, 21 for defining the occupant at a predetermined position of the occupant seat 8; a body section 13 for supporting the occupant seat 8; a moving mechanism 6 for moving the body section 13; a sensor 9 for outputting a measured value corresponding to a force applied to the seat surface of the occupant seat 8; and a control calculating section 51 for calculating a command value for driving the moving mechanism 6 in accordance with the output from the sensor 9. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a moving body that moves in accordance with weight shift of a passenger.

  In recent years, a moving body that moves in a state where a passenger is on board has been developed (Patent Documents 1 and 2). For example, in Patent Documents 1 to 3, a force sensor (pressure sensor) is provided on a boarding surface (seat surface) on which a passenger rides. The wheels are driven by the output from the force sensor. That is, input is performed by using the force sensor as an operation means.

  The moving body of Patent Document 1 moves by applying weight in the direction in which it wants to proceed. For example, when going forward, the passenger tilts his upper body forward. That is, the passenger is in a forward leaning posture. And if it becomes a leaning posture, the force added to a boarding seat will change. Then, this force and moment are detected by a force sensor. The spherical tire is driven by the detection result of the force sensor. In FIG. 14 of Patent Document 1, the inverted pendulum control is performed in a state where the passenger sits on the boarding seat. Patent Document 2 discloses a wheelchair-type moving body. This moving body is provided with a chair and a footrest.

  Further, Patent Document 3 discloses a moving body that actively detects a user's operation and operates autonomously in response thereto. For example, the center of gravity of the user is calculated by a plurality of pressure sensors. A wheelchair-shaped moving body operates according to the position of the center of gravity (FIG. 2).

  Further, Patent Document 4 discloses an interface device for operating a biped walking type moving body. This interface device has a chair shape. A plurality of force sensors are provided on the back surface and the seat surface of the chair. Four force sensors detect the pelvic turning of the passenger and estimate the intention to walk. And both legs are driven according to the will to walk estimated by the force sensor. The interface device is provided with a footrest.

JP 2006-282160 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-23613 JP-A-11-198075 JP-A-7-136957

  In patent documents 1-3, it is moving according to the posture of the passenger actually boarding the moving body. Thereby, operation according to the environment which is actually moving is attained. For example, the passenger can perform an operation as follows. When he wants to move forward, the passenger moves his upper body forward. That is, the passenger is in a forward leaning posture. Then, the position of the center of gravity becomes forward, and the force applied to the force sensor changes. Thereby, the sensor detects the forward input. On the other hand, when the user wants to move backward, the occupant is tilted backward. Then, the position of the center of gravity becomes backward, and a backward tilt input is detected. When moving left and right, the passenger moves the center of gravity in the left-right direction. Thereby, left and right turning inputs are detected. Thus, it can move according to the turning input, the forward input, and the backward input.

  However, the above moving body may not be able to move as intended by the passenger. For example, in the above moving body, the position where the passenger sits is restricted in advance due to the convenience of components constituting the moving body such as a mechanism and a sensor. Therefore, when the passenger sits at a position different from the boarding position restricted in advance, the force and moment applied to the force sensor are different and the operational feeling is different. Therefore, the conventional mobile body has a problem that when the occupant sits at a position outside the constraint, the occupant cannot move as intended and the operability cannot be improved.

  As countermeasures against such restrictions on the boarding position, there are a premise that the passenger sits at a position designated by the passenger, and a countermeasure that can be avoided by multiplexing the sensors. For example, by installing other sensors, it is possible to detect the position where the passenger sits and change the command value. However, there is a problem that the addition of a new sensor causes an increase in cost.

  As described above, in the conventional mobile body, when the passenger sits at a position different from the boarding position restricted in advance, it is not possible to move as the passenger intends and the operability can be improved. There is a problem that it is not possible. The inventors of the present application provide a mechanism that reduces the deviation of the position where the passenger sits with respect to the above-described restrictions on the boarding position after actually creating and evaluating the moving body. That is, according to the present invention, the vehicle can be moved as intended by the passenger, and the operability can be improved.

  An object of this invention is to provide the moving body which has high operativity.

  The moving body according to the first aspect of the present invention is a moving body that moves in accordance with a weight shift of a passenger, a boarding seat on which the passenger boards, and a predetermined position of the boarding seat on the passenger An occupant position defining part defined in the above, a main body part that supports the boarding seat, a moving mechanism that moves the main body part, a sensor that outputs a measurement value according to a force applied to the riding surface of the boarding seat, And a control calculation unit that calculates a command value for driving the moving mechanism in accordance with an output from the sensor. Thereby, the shift | offset | difference of a passenger | crew's sitting position can be effectively suppressed with respect to the boarding position restrained beforehand. Therefore, it can move as the passenger intends and operability can be improved.

  Further, the occupant position defining portion may have a backrest portion that supports the back of the occupant. Furthermore, the occupant position defining portion may have an armrest portion that supports the occupant's elbow. The occupant position defining portion may have a seat belt that holds the occupant's torso. Thereby, the shift | offset | difference of the position where a passenger sits can be suppressed more effectively.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the mobile body which has high operativity can be provided.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
An overall configuration of a moving body 1 according to the present invention and a basic control method thereof will be described with reference to the drawings. First, the whole structure of the moving body 1 is demonstrated using FIG. 1, FIG. FIG. 1 is a front view schematically showing the configuration of the moving body 1, and FIG. 2 is a side view schematically showing the configuration of the moving body 1. 1 and 2 show an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system. The Y axis indicates the left-right direction of the moving body 1, the X axis indicates the front-rear direction of the moving body 1, and the Z axis indicates the vertical direction. Therefore, the X axis corresponds to the roll axis, the Y axis becomes the pitch axis, and the Z axis becomes the yaw axis. In FIG. 1 and FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the moving body 1 has a riding section 3 and a chassis 13. The chassis 13 is a main body of the moving body 1 and supports the riding section 3. The chassis 13 includes wheels 6, a footrest 10, a housing 11, a control calculation unit 51, a battery 52, and the like. The wheel 6 includes a front wheel 601 and a rear wheel 602. Here, a three-wheeled moving body 1 composed of one front wheel 601 and two rear wheels 602 will be described.

  The boarding unit 3 includes a boarding seat 8 and a force sensor 9. And the upper surface of the boarding seat 8 becomes the seat surface 8a. That is, the moving body 1 moves on the seat surface 8a in a state where the passenger is on the seat surface 8a. The seating surface 8a may be a flat surface or may have a shape that matches the shape of the collar. Further, a backrest may be provided on the boarding seat 8. In order to improve riding comfort, the passenger seat 8 may be cushioned. When the moving body 1 is on a horizontal plane, the seating surface 8a is horizontal. The force sensor 9 detects the weight shift of the passenger. That is, the force sensor 9 detects the force applied to the seat surface 8 a of the passenger seat 8. The force sensor 9 outputs a measurement signal corresponding to the force applied to the seating surface 8a. The force sensor 9 is disposed below the passenger seat 8. That is, the force sensor 9 is disposed between the chassis 13 and the passenger seat 8. As will be described later, the boarding unit 3 is provided with a passenger position defining unit that regulates the passenger to a predetermined position of the boarding seat 8.

As the force sensor 9, for example, a 6-axis force sensor can be used. In this case, as shown in FIG. 3, the translational forces (SFx, SFy, SFz) in the three-axis directions and the moments (SMx, SMy, SMz) around each axis are measured. These translational forces and moments are values with the center of the force sensor 9 as the origin. If the measurement signals output to the sensor processing unit of the moving body 1 are moments (Mx, My, Mz) and the control coordinate origins of those moments are (a, b, c) shown in FIG. Can be expressed as follows.
Mx = SMx + c · SFy−b · SFz
My = SMy + a · SFz−c · SFx
Mz = SMz + b.SFx-a.SFy
FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining each axis. Any force sensor 9 that can measure moments (Mx, My, Mz) may be used. A triaxial force sensor that can measure moments (SMx, SMy, SMz) around each axis may be arranged at the control coordinate origin, and Mx, My, Mz may be directly measured. Three uniaxial force sensors may be provided. Furthermore, an analog joystick using a strain gauge or a potentiometer may be used. That is, it is only necessary to be able to measure moments around three axes directly or indirectly. The force sensor 9 outputs three moments (Mx, My, Mz) as measurement signals.

  The chassis 13 serving as the main body portion of the moving body 1 is provided with wheels 6, a footrest 10, a housing 11, a control calculation unit 51, a battery 52, and the like. The housing 11 has a box shape, and the front lower side protrudes. And the footrest 10 is arrange | positioned on this protruding part. The footrest 10 is provided on the front side of the passenger seat 8. Therefore, in the state where the passenger has boarded the boarding seat 8, both feet of the passenger are placed on the footrest 10.

  The housing 11 includes a drive motor 603, a control calculation unit 51, and a battery 52. The battery 52 supplies power to each electric device such as the drive motor 603, the control calculation unit 51, and the force sensor 9.

  Wheels 6 are rotatably attached to the housing 11. Here, three wheels 6 on the disk are provided. A part of the wheel 6 protrudes below the lower surface of the housing 11. Therefore, the wheel 6 is in contact with the floor surface. The two rear wheels 602 are provided at the rear part of the housing 11. The rear wheel 602 is a drive wheel and is rotated by a drive motor 603. That is, when the drive motor 603 is driven, the rear wheel 602 rotates around the axle. The rear wheels 602 are provided on both the left and right sides. The rear wheel 602 has a built-in encoder for reading its rotational speed. The axle of the left rear wheel 602 and the axle of the right rear wheel 602 are arranged on the same straight line.

  Further, the wheel 6 includes a front wheel 601. One front wheel 601 is provided at the center of the front portion of the housing 11. Accordingly, the front wheel 601 is disposed between the two rear wheels 602 in the Y direction. A passenger seat 8 is provided between the axle of the front wheel 601 and the axle of the rear wheel 602 in the X direction. The front wheel 601 is a driven wheel (auxiliary wheel), and rotates according to the movement of the moving body 1. That is, the front wheel 601 rotates according to the moving direction and speed by the rotation of the rear wheel 602. Thus, by providing the front wheel 601 that is an auxiliary wheel in front of the rear wheel 602, it is possible to prevent the vehicle from falling. The front wheel 601 is provided below the footrest 10.

  The control calculation unit 51 is an arithmetic processing unit having a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a communication interface, and the like. The control calculation unit 51 includes a removable HDD, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, etc., stores various programs and control parameters, and supplies the programs and data to a memory (not shown) as necessary. To do. Of course, the control calculation unit 51 is not physically limited to one configuration. The control calculation unit 51 performs processing for controlling the operation of the drive motor 603 in accordance with the output from the force sensor 9.

  Next, a control system for moving the moving body 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control system for moving the moving body 1. First, the force applied to the seating surface 8a is detected by the force sensor 9. Here, as described above, the force sensor 9 outputs moments Mx, My, and Mz that are measurement signals to the sensor processing unit 53. The sensor processing unit 53 processes the measurement signal from the force sensor 9. That is, arithmetic processing is performed on measurement data corresponding to the measurement signal output from the force sensor 9. Thereby, the input moment values (Mx ′, My ′, Mz ′) input to the control calculation unit 51 are calculated. The sensor processing unit 53 may be built in the force sensor 9 or may be built in the control calculation unit 51.

  In this manner, the moments (Mx, My, Mz) measured by the force sensor 9 are converted into input moment values (Mx ′, My ′, Mz ′) around each axis. The input moment value becomes an input value that is input to operate each rear wheel 602. Thus, the sensor processing unit 53 calculates an input value for each axis. The magnitude of the input moment value is determined according to the magnitude of the moment. The sign of the input moment value is determined by the sign of the measured moment. That is, when the moment is positive, the input moment value is also positive, and when the moment is negative, the input moment value is also negative. For example, when the moment Mx is positive, the input moment value Mx ′ is also positive. Therefore, this input moment value becomes an input value corresponding to the operation intended by the passenger.

  The control calculation unit 51 performs control calculation based on the input moment value. Thereby, a command value for driving the drive motor 603 is calculated. Of course, the command value increases as the input moment value increases. This command value is output to the drive motor 603. In the present embodiment, since the left and right rear wheels 602 are drive wheels, two drive motors 603 are illustrated. Then, one drive motor 603 rotates the right rear wheel 602, and the other drive motor 603 rotates the left rear wheel 602. The drive motor 603 rotates the rear wheel 602 based on the command value. That is, the drive motor 603 gives a torque for rotating the rear wheel 602 that is a drive wheel. Of course, the drive motor 603 may give a rotational torque to the rear wheel 602 via a reduction gear or the like. For example, when a command torque is input as a command value from the control calculation unit 51, the drive motor 603 rotates with the command torque. Thereby, the rear wheel 602 rotates and the moving body 1 moves in a desired direction at a desired speed. Of course, the command value is not limited to torque, and may be a rotation speed or a rotation speed.

  Furthermore, each of the drive motors 603 includes an encoder 603a. The encoder 603a detects the rotational speed of the drive motor 603 and the like. Then, the detected rotation speed is input to the control calculation unit 51. The control calculation unit 51 performs feedback control based on the current rotation speed and the target rotation speed. For example, the command value is calculated by multiplying the difference between the target rotational speed and the current rotational speed by an appropriate feedback gain. Of course, the command values output to the left and right drive motors 603 may be different values. That is, when going straight forward or backward, the left and right rear wheels 602 are controlled to have the same rotational speed, and when turning left and right, the left and right rear wheels 602 have different rotational speeds in the same direction. Control to be. Further, when turning on the spot, the left and right rear wheels 602 are controlled to rotate in opposite directions.

  For example, when the occupant assumes a forward leaning posture, a force around the pitch axis is applied to the passenger seat 8. Then, the force sensor 9 detects a moment of + My (see FIG. 3). Based on this + My moment, the sensor processing unit 53 calculates an input moment value My ′ for translating the moving body 1. Similarly, the sensor processing unit 53 calculates an input moment value Mx ′ based on Mx, and calculates an input moment value Mz ′ based on Mz. That is, the sensor processing unit 53 converts the measurement value into an input moment value. These are calculated independently of each other. That is, Mx ′ is determined only by Mx, My ′ is determined only by My, and Mz ′ is determined only by Mz. Thus, Mx ′, My ′, and Mz ′ are independent of each other.

  The control calculation unit 51 calculates a command value based on the input moment value and the encoder reading. As a result, the left and right rear wheels 602 rotate at a desired rotational speed. Similarly, when turning rightward, the passenger moves weight to the right. Thereby, a force around the roll axis is applied to the passenger seat, and the force sensor 9 detects a moment of + Mx. Based on this + Mx moment, the sensor processing unit 53 calculates an input moment value Mx ′ for turning the moving body 1 in the right direction. That is, the steering angle corresponding to the direction in which the moving body 1 moves is obtained. Then, the control calculation unit 51 calculates a command value according to the input moment value. Depending on this command value, the left and right rear wheels 602 rotate at different rotational speeds. That is, the left rear wheel 602 rotates at a higher rotational speed than the right rear wheel 602.

  Thus, the component for the translational movement in the front-rear direction is obtained based on My ′. That is, the driving torque for driving the left and right rear wheels 602 in the same direction at the same rotational speed is determined. Therefore, the larger My ′, that is, My, the faster the moving speed of the moving body 1. Based on Mx ′, a component with respect to the moving direction, that is, the steering angle is obtained. That is, the rotational torque difference between the left and right rear wheels 602 is determined. Therefore, the difference in rotational speed between the left and right rear wheels 602 increases as Mx ′, that is, Mx increases.

  Based on Mz ′, a component for in-situ turning is determined. That is, a component for turning on the spot by rotating the left and right rear wheels 602 in the opposite direction is obtained. Accordingly, the larger Mz ′, that is, Mz, the greater the rotational speed in the opposite direction of the left and right rear wheels 602. For example, when Mz ′ is positive, a driving torque for turning in the counterclockwise direction as viewed from above is calculated. That is, the right rear wheel 602 rotates forward and the left rear wheel 602 rotates rearward at the same rotational speed.

  Then, the three components calculated based on the respective input moment values Mx ′, My ′, and Mz ′ are combined to calculate a command value for driving the two rear wheels 602. Thereby, the command values for the left and right rear wheels 602 are respectively calculated. Driving torque, rotation speed, etc. are calculated as command values. That is, the command value for the left and right rear wheels 602 is calculated by combining the values calculated for each component corresponding to the input moment values Mx ′, My ′, and Mz ′. Thus, the moving body 1 moves by the input moment values Mx ′, My ′, Mz ′ calculated based on the measured moments Mx, My, Mz. That is, the moving direction and moving speed of the moving body 1 are determined by the moments Mx, My, Mz due to the weight movement of the passenger.

  Thus, the input for moving the mobile body 1 is performed by the operation of the passenger. That is, a moment around each axis is detected by a change in the posture of the passenger. Based on the measured values of these moments, the moving body 1 moves. Thereby, the passenger can operate the moving body 1 simply. That is, operations such as a joystick and a handle are not necessary, and an operation can be performed only by weight shift. For example, if you want to move forward diagonally to the right, put your weight on the right front. Also, if you want to move diagonally to the left, put your weight on the left rear. As a result, the position of the center of gravity of the occupant changes, and input corresponding to the amount of change is performed. That is, an intuitive operation can be performed by detecting a moment corresponding to the movement of the center of gravity of the passenger. The control calculation unit 51 outputs a command value so as to move forward or backward in accordance with the sign of the input moment value at a moving speed corresponding to the absolute value of the input moment value.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 5, it is assumed that a passenger 71 is on boarding seat 8 provided with force sensor 9. FIG. 5 is a view showing a state in which a passenger 71 is in the boarding seat 8, and a side view is shown on the left side and a plan view of the seat surface 8 a is shown on the right side. In this case, the buttock 72 and the thigh 73 of the passenger 71 are in contact with the seat surface 8a. The speed of the moving body 1 is determined according to the tilt angle from the upper body neutral posture of the passenger 71. Therefore, the moving body 1 moves at a higher speed as the passenger tilts the upper body. For example, when the passenger 71 greatly tilts the upper body, the forward speed increases.

  As shown in FIG. 5, when a passenger sits at a boarding position restricted in advance, the passenger can move as intended. However, when the passenger sits at a position different from the boarding position restricted in advance, the force and moment applied to the force sensor are different, and the operation feeling is different. Therefore, it cannot move as the passenger intends and the operability cannot be improved. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the configuration of the passenger position defining unit shown in FIG. 6 is adopted.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration of the passenger position defining unit according to the present embodiment. The passenger position defining part is composed of an armrest part 20 and a backrest part 21, and the passenger seat 8 is provided with an armrest part 20 and a backrest part 21. The armrest portions 20 are provided on both sides of the boarding seat 8 and support the passenger's elbow. The backrest portion 21 is provided on the rear side of the passenger seat 8 and supports the back of the passenger. That is, the passenger is supported by the armrest portion 20 and the backrest portion 21. Thereby, a passenger can be prescribed | regulated to the predetermined position of a boarding seat. Therefore, it is possible to effectively suppress the front-rear and left-right shifts of the seated position of the passenger with respect to the boarding position restricted in advance. Therefore, it can move as the passenger intends and operability can be improved. In addition, the shape of the armrest part 20 and the backrest part 21 is not limited to the shape shown in FIG. For example, the armrest portion 20 may be disposed at a position above the seat surface 8a and extend forward from both sides of the backrest portion 21.

  In FIG. 6, the occupant position defining portion has been described as being composed of the armrest portion 20 and the backrest portion 21, but it is only necessary to have at least one of the armrest portion 20 and the backrest portion 21. That is, even if it has only the armrest part 20 or only the backrest part 21, the shift | offset | difference of the position where a passenger sits can be suppressed effectively. Further, the armrest portion 20 may be provided on at least one side of the boarding seat 8.

  Further, the occupant position defining part may have a seat belt for holding the occupant's torso. Thereby, the position where a passenger sits can be limited more by fixing a passenger. Therefore, it is possible to more effectively suppress the displacement of the position where the passenger sits.

  The present invention is not limited to the wheel-type moving body 1 but can be applied to a walking-type moving body. Or the moving body 1 using an omnidirectional wheel etc. may be sufficient. That is, it is only necessary that a moving mechanism for moving the main body such as the chassis 13 with respect to the floor surface is provided.

It is a front view which shows typically the whole structure of the moving body concerning this invention. It is a side view which shows typically the whole moving body concerning this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the operation | movement around each axis | shaft. It is a block diagram which shows the control system for moving a moving body. It is a figure which shows the structure of the boarding seat of a moving body. It is a side view which shows the structure of the passenger position prescription | regulation part used for the mobile body concerning Embodiment 1. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1 mobile body, 3 riding section, 6 wheels, 601 front wheel, 602 rear wheel,
603 drive motor, 603a encoder, 8 passenger seat,
8a seat surface, 9 force sensor, 10 footrest, 11 housing, 13 chassis,
20 armrest part, 21 backrest part, 51 control calculation part, 52 battery,

Claims (4)

A moving body that moves according to the weight shift of the passenger,
A boarding seat on which the passenger is boarded;
A passenger position defining section that defines the passenger at a predetermined position of the boarding seat;
A main body for supporting the boarding seat;
A moving mechanism for moving the main body,
A sensor that outputs a measurement value according to the force applied to the boarding surface of the boarding seat;
And a control calculation unit that calculates a command value for driving the moving mechanism in accordance with an output from the sensor. The passenger position defining part is
The moving body according to claim 1, further comprising a backrest portion that supports the back of the passenger. The passenger position defining part is
The mobile body according to claim 1, further comprising an armrest portion that supports an elbow of the passenger. The passenger position defining part is
The movable body according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a seat belt that holds the torso of the passenger.

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