JP2011162161A - Moving body and controlling method therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

A moving body and a control method thereof are provided that can improve stability when a passenger gets on and off the moving body.
A moving body according to the present invention includes a drive wheel, an auxiliary wheel, a state sensor, a control unit, a vehicle body, and a braking device. The vehicle body 15 is supported by the drive wheels 11 and can be ridden by a passenger. The auxiliary wheel 12 has a circular cross section, and is arranged so that it can be grounded at least when traveling is stopped. In addition, the auxiliary wheel 12 is arranged in a direction corresponding to the load position due to the passenger's load on the vehicle body 15 when the passenger gets on and off the drive wheel 11. The state sensor 13 detects the traveling state of the vehicle body 15. The control unit 14 controls the drive wheels 11 based on the traveling state, and executes the inversion control of the vehicle body 15. The braking device 163 brakes the rotation of the auxiliary wheel 12.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a moving body and a control method thereof, and more particularly to a moving body that performs an inversion control and a control method thereof.

  In recent years, a moving body that performs inverted control and travels with a human being on board has been proposed. The moving body performs the inversion control by controlling the driving of the drive wheels provided on the moving body during traveling.

  On the other hand, since the inversion control is canceled when the vehicle is stopped, the vehicle body may fluctuate back and forth. Therefore, by braking (braking) the driving wheels, the ease and stability when getting on and off the moving body are secured. Therefore, the moving body is equipped with a device that brakes driving of the driving wheels. At this time, examples of the braking device for the driving wheel include a device that mechanically holds the driving wheel rotating unit and a device that uses the electromagnetic brake function of the driving motor.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a moving body including support legs that are grounded before and after the drive wheels in order to increase the stability of the moving body when the vehicle is stopped. This prevents the vehicle body from wobbling when the vehicle is stopped.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a technique for providing an auxiliary wheel behind the rear large wheel in addition to the front wheel and the rear large wheel of the wheelchair. By providing the auxiliary wheel, the instability caused by the sitting posture of the passenger in the wheelchair is eliminated, and the stability is improved.

JP 2009-214670 A JP 2005-160627 A

  However, when the driving wheel is braked, depending on the shape of the road surface and the posture of the occupant, sufficient braking force cannot be exhibited, and the moving body may become unstable when getting on and off. For this reason, there is a problem that the moving body unintentionally moves back and forth and right and left, making it difficult for the passenger to get on and off. For example, when an occupant tried to board a moving body that was stopped on a slope, the vehicle was braked due to the fact that the occupant put his weight on a position away from the contact point between the driving wheel and the running surface. There is a possibility that a sufficient grounding load is not applied to the drive wheels and a braking force capable of braking the moving body cannot be exhibited. As a result, although the driving wheel itself is braked, there is a possibility that the entire moving body goes down the slope together with the passenger.

  In addition, the techniques described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 described above are techniques for improving stability in a state where a passenger is on a moving body or a wheelchair. However, no measures are taken for the stability when the passenger gets on and off as described above.

  The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a moving body that can improve the stability when a passenger gets on and off the moving body, and a control method therefor. .

  A movable body according to the present invention includes a drive rotator having a circular cross section, a vehicle body supported by the drive rotator and on which a rider can ride, a state detection unit that detects a traveling state of the vehicle body, A driving control means for controlling the driving of the driving rotator based on a running state and executing an inversion control of the vehicle body, an auxiliary rotator having a circular cross section and arranged so as to be able to be grounded at least when stopping running, Braking means for braking the rotation of the auxiliary rotating body, the auxiliary rotating body corresponding to the load position due to the weight of the passenger on the vehicle body when the passenger gets on and off the driving rotating body It is arranged in the direction to do. With such a configuration, when the passenger gets on and off, a load is applied to the braked auxiliary wheel, so that the moving body can be braked. Therefore, the stability at the time of getting on and off can be improved.

  The method for controlling a moving body according to the present invention detects a traveling state of a vehicle body that is supported by a driving rotator having a circular cross section and is capable of riding by a passenger, and drives the driving rotator based on the traveling state. To control the inversion of the vehicle body, and the cross-section is circular, and at least when the rider gets on and off the vehicle, the driving rotation is braked on the auxiliary rotating body arranged so as to be able to contact the ground when traveling is stopped. The auxiliary rotating body is grounded with respect to a body in a direction corresponding to a load position due to the weight of the passenger on the vehicle body when the passenger gets on and off. Thereby, the braking force of the moving body when the passenger gets on and off increases, and the stability at the time of getting on and off can be improved.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION By this invention, the moving body which can improve stability at the time of a passenger getting on / off to a moving body, and its control method can be provided.

It is a side view at the time of a stop of a movable body concerning an embodiment. It is a side view at the time of driving | running | working of the mobile body concerning embodiment. It is a block diagram of the control system of the moving body concerning an embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating operation | movement of the braking device concerning embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating operation | movement of the braking device concerning embodiment. It is a figure when the passenger concerning an embodiment gets on and off a mobile. It is a figure which shows the load distribution of a related mobile body. It is a figure which shows the load distribution at the time of boarding / alighting of a related mobile body. It is a figure which shows the load distribution at the time of boarding / alighting of a related mobile body. It is a figure at the time of boarding / alighting of the mobile body concerning embodiment. It is a figure at the time of boarding / alighting of the mobile body concerning embodiment. It is a figure at the time of driving | running | working of a related mobile body.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The moving body 1 according to the present invention travels while performing an inversion control by a passenger's operation. A configuration example of the moving body 1 is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a side view of the moving body 1 when stopped, and FIG. 2 is a side view of the moving body 1 when traveling.

  The moving body 1 includes drive wheels 11, auxiliary wheels 12, a state sensor 13, a control unit 14, and a vehicle body 15. The moving body 1 travels when the drive wheels 11 are driven. Another drive wheel 11 is provided on the opposite side of the vehicle body 15, and the two drive wheels 11 are arranged coaxially. The auxiliary wheels 12 are provided in front of and behind the drive wheels 11 and are in contact with the traveling surface when the vehicle is stopped. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, when the mobile body 1 is traveling, the auxiliary wheel 12 is separated from the traveling surface. Note that it is not always necessary to leave the auxiliary wheel 12 during traveling.

  The state sensor 13 includes, for example, a gyro sensor, a rotation angle sensor, an acceleration sensor, and the like, and detects various traveling states (actual states) of the moving body 1. The traveling state is, for example, the posture angle and angular velocity of the vehicle body 15, the rotation angle and angular velocity of the drive wheel 11, the speed and acceleration of the moving body 1, the height of the auxiliary wheel 12, and the like, and the moving body 1 necessary for the inversion control. This parameter indicates the state of

  The control unit 14 includes a travel control unit 141, an auxiliary wheel height control unit 142, and a braking force control unit 143 (not shown). The traveling control unit 141 calculates a control signal so as to perform the inverted control of the moving body 1 based on the traveling state detected by the state sensor 13, and sends the control signal to the motor driving unit that drives the driving wheels 11. The auxiliary wheel height control unit 142 calculates a control signal that determines the height of the auxiliary wheel 12 (the distance between the traveling surface and the auxiliary wheel 12), and sends the control signal to a motor drive unit that adjusts the height of the auxiliary wheel 12. The braking force control unit 143 calculates a control signal for braking the auxiliary wheel 12 and sends it to a braking device for braking the rotation of the auxiliary wheel 12.

  The vehicle body 15 is a portion on which a passenger rides, and is supported by the drive wheels 11 and the auxiliary wheels 12. The vehicle body 15 includes a seat 151 for a passenger to sit on and a step 152 (a passenger support member) that supports the passenger's getting on and off. Step 152 is provided at a position (hereinafter referred to as a load position) where a load due to the weight of the passenger is applied to the vehicle body 15 when the passenger gets on and off the vehicle body 15. The passenger gets on the vehicle body 15 with his feet on the step 152. Note that the shape and arrangement of the sheet 151 and the step 152 are not limited to those shown in FIGS.

  Next, the control system for the moving body 1 will be described with reference to the block diagram shown in FIG. First, traveling control of the moving body 1 will be described. A target state (a target speed and a target posture of the moving body 1) is calculated from an operation (handle operation or the like) on the vehicle body 15 of the occupant or the posture of the vehicle body 15 due to the weight shift of the occupant. Then, the traveling control unit 141 calculates a control signal (target speed, target torque) for the motor driving unit 161 so as to reduce the deviation between the actual state of the moving body 1 detected by the state sensor 13 and the target state, and the motor It is sent to the drive unit 161. The motor drive unit 161 drives the drive wheels 11 in accordance with the input control signal. The state sensor 13 detects the actual state changed by driving the drive wheels 11. The traveling control unit 141 performs control so as to reduce the deviation between the actual state and the target state again. By the above traveling control, the moving body 1 is brought close to the target state.

  Next, height control of the auxiliary wheel 12 will be described. The auxiliary wheel height control unit 142 calculates a control signal (target height of the auxiliary wheel 12) based on the actual state detected by the state sensor 13 and sends it to the motor drive unit 162. The motor driving unit 162 (ground contact adjusting means) adjusts the height of the auxiliary wheel 12 by the motor so that the height of the auxiliary wheel 12 becomes the target height.

  Specifically, when the moving body 1 stops (see FIG. 1), that is, when the actual speed of the moving body 1 is substantially zero, the auxiliary wheel height control unit 142 causes the auxiliary wheel 12 to move to the traveling surface. A control signal for grounding is sent to the motor drive unit 162. On the other hand, when the moving body 1 is traveling (see FIG. 2), that is, when the speed of the moving body 1 in the actual state is not substantially zero, the auxiliary wheel height control unit 142 controls the auxiliary wheel 12 to leave the traveling surface. A signal is sent to the motor drive unit 162. At this time, the height at which the auxiliary wheel 12 does not come into contact with the traveling surface may be calculated in consideration of the posture angle of the vehicle body 15 and the like.

  Finally, the braking control of the auxiliary wheel 12 will be described. Based on the actual state detected by the state sensor 13, the braking force control unit 143 calculates a control signal (braking force that brakes the rotation of the auxiliary wheel 12) and sends it to the braking device 163. The braking device 163 (auxiliary wheel braking means) performs braking so that the auxiliary wheel 12 does not rotate in accordance with the input braking force. Thereby, the moving body 1 is braked.

  That is, when the auxiliary wheel 12 is brought into contact with the traveling surface under the control of the auxiliary wheel height control unit 142 described above, a load due to the weight of the moving body 1 and the passenger is applied to the auxiliary wheel 12. Therefore, the auxiliary wheel 12 receives a floor reaction force corresponding to the load from the traveling surface. On the other hand, since the auxiliary wheel 12 is braked, friction is generated between the auxiliary wheel 12 and the traveling surface. As a result, a frictional force calculated from the floor reaction force (the vertical load applied to the auxiliary wheel 12) received by the auxiliary wheel 12 and the friction coefficient of the auxiliary wheel 12 is generated, and the moving body 1 brakes on the traveling surface.

  Here, a configuration example of the braking device 163 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. The braking of the braking device 163 shown in FIG. 4 is performed by a method in which the friction piece 1631 is pressed against the rotating portion 121 (the cylindrical outer surface of the shaft) of the auxiliary wheel 12. The braking device 163 separates the friction piece 1631 from the rotating unit 121 when the auxiliary wheel 12 is not braked (free state). On the other hand, when braking the auxiliary wheel 12 (locked state), the braking device 163 presses the friction piece 1631 against the rotating portion 121 to prevent the auxiliary wheel 12 from rotating.

  On the other hand, the braking of the braking device 163 shown in FIG. 5 is performed by a method in which the claw 1632 is engaged with the concavo-convex portion provided in the rotating portion 121. In the free state, the braking device 163 separates the claw 1632 from the rotating unit 121. On the other hand, in the locked state, the braking device 163 meshes the claw 1632 with the recess of the rotating part 121 to prevent the auxiliary wheel 12 from rotating.

  Then, the operation example of the moving body 1 concerning this Embodiment is demonstrated. As described above, generally, when getting on and off the moving body (see FIG. 6), in order to prevent the vehicle body 15 from wobbling, the driving wheels 11 are braked to ensure the stability of the moving body. However, in the moving body 9 including a braking device that brakes only the drive wheels 11, the following problems can be considered.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a load distribution according to the weight of the moving object. A load 92 is applied to the traveling surface around the center of gravity 90 of the moving body. The moving body receives a floor reaction force 93 corresponding to the load 92 and is braked by a braking force 94 based on the floor reaction force 93 and the friction coefficient of the drive wheels 11.

  Next, consider a case where the passenger 100 gets on the step 152 when getting on and off as shown in FIG. At this time, a load 91 is applied to the step 152 depending on the weight of the passenger 100. In addition, at the contact point between the traveling surface and the drive wheels 11 and the auxiliary wheels 12, the traveling surface has a distance from the passenger 100 to the center of gravity 90 of the moving body 9 due to a load corresponding to the weight of the moving body 9 and the passenger 100. A load 92 corresponding to the distance is applied. On the other hand, the driving wheel 11 and the auxiliary wheel 12 receive the floor reaction force 93 corresponding to the load 92 from the traveling surface at the contact point.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 8, the load 91 by the passenger 100 is located at a position outside the driving wheel 11 with respect to the auxiliary wheel 12 disposed away from the grounding point between the braked driving wheel 11 and the traveling surface. Is applied, a moment 95 is generated around the ground contact point 97. Therefore, an upward force 96 is generated at the center of gravity 90 of the moving body 9, and the floor reaction force 93 received by the drive wheels 11 is reduced. Therefore, the frictional force between the driving wheel 11 and the traveling surface is reduced, and the braking force 94 of the moving body 9 is reduced. As a result, the moving body 9 becomes unstable and may move in the front-rear direction during boarding.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 9, when getting on and off on an inclined surface, the moving body 9 becomes further unstable. That is, the floor reaction force 93 that the braked driving wheel 11 receives from the traveling surface further decreases, and in some cases, the driving wheel 11 moves away from the traveling surface, and the floor reaction force 93 may become zero. Therefore, the braking force 94 (friction force) is further reduced, and the braking force 94 becomes zero when the drive wheel 11 leaves the traveling surface. Then, there is a possibility that the moving body 9 may go down the inclined surface when the passenger 100 gets on and off.

  On the other hand, according to the moving body 1 according to the present invention, the auxiliary wheels 12 provided before and after the drive wheels 11 are braked. Then, a frictional force is generated between the auxiliary wheel 12 and the traveling surface. At this time, as shown in FIG. 10, the step 152 is provided in the same direction as the braked auxiliary wheel 12, and the distance between the step 152 where the load of the passenger 100 is applied and the grounding point of the auxiliary wheel 12 is It is shorter than the distance between 152 and the ground point of the drive wheel 11. Further, since the load 92 applied to the traveling surface is larger as it is closer to the occupant 100, a larger load 92 is applied to the auxiliary wheels 12 than to the drive wheels 11 when getting on and off. Therefore, the floor reaction force 93 that the auxiliary wheel 12 receives from the traveling surface also increases. As a result, the frictional force between the auxiliary wheel 12 and the traveling surface becomes larger than the frictional force between the driving wheel 11 and the traveling surface, so that a sufficient braking force 94 can be maintained. The stability of the moving body 1 at the time can be improved. In addition to the auxiliary wheel 12, the driving wheel 11 may be provided with a braking device.

  Similarly, FIG. 11 shows a case where the passenger 100 gets on and off the inclined surface. As described above, in the moving body 1, the distance between the passenger 100 and the ground point of the braked auxiliary wheel 12 is short. Therefore, even in the case of an inclined surface, the floor reaction force 93 received by the auxiliary wheel 12 is not reduced as much as the floor reaction force 93 received by the drive wheel 11 and the frictional force is less reduced. As a result, even when boarding / alighting on an inclined surface, the braking force 94 of the moving body 1 is hardly reduced, and the stability of the moving body 1 can be improved. At this time, in order to maximize the load 92 (floor reaction force 93) applied to the auxiliary wheel 12, the step 152 in which the load 91 is applied when the passenger 100 gets in and out of the vehicle is on the side of the driving wheel 11 from directly above the grounding point of the auxiliary wheel 12. Is preferably provided.

  The moving body 1 shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 has a configuration in which the auxiliary wheels 12 are provided on both the front and rear sides of the drive wheels 11, but is not limited to this configuration. If the auxiliary wheel 12 is provided in the direction of the load position with respect to the drive wheel 11 (direction in which the passenger gets on and off), the above-described effects of the present invention can be exhibited. In other words, the auxiliary wheels 12 may be arranged either on the front side or the rear side of the drive wheels 11 as long as the auxiliary wheels 12 are arranged corresponding to the load positions, or may be arranged on the side of the vehicle body 15. Good.

Other Embodiments In the above-described embodiment, whether or not the auxiliary wheel 12 and the traveling surface are grounded in the traveling state of the moving body 1 is not particularly limited. And it is good also as a structure which does not provide a braking device in the drive wheel 11. FIG.

  Here, when considering the moving body 9 provided with the braking device that brakes the drive wheel 11 described above, the moving body 9 has a problem even during traveling. As shown in FIG. 12, the moving body 9 separates the auxiliary wheel 12 from the traveling surface during traveling. At this time, if the braking device malfunctions for some reason and brakes the driving wheel 11, the rotating driving wheel 11 is suddenly locked. Then, it becomes difficult for the moving body 9 to maintain a stable inverted state.

  On the other hand, the moving body 2 according to the present embodiment travels with the auxiliary wheels 12 separated from the traveling surface in the same manner as the moving body 9 described above, but the braking device is connected to the auxiliary wheels 12 instead of the driving wheels 11. Is provided. In the moving body 2, the driving wheel 11 does not include a braking device. Therefore, even if the braking device for the auxiliary wheel 12 works during traveling and the auxiliary wheel 12 is braked, it does not affect the inversion control of the moving body 2 at all.

  That is, the moving body 2 is not unstable due to malfunction of the braking device by providing the assisting wheel 12 with the braking device without providing the driving wheel 11 with the braking device and further including the auxiliary wheel height control unit 142. Can be avoided.

  At this time, the auxiliary wheel 12 may be grounded during traveling. Even when traveling with the auxiliary wheel 12 in contact with the ground, the auxiliary wheel 12 can move up and down according to the posture of the vehicle body 15, the shape of the traveling surface, and the like. If the positional relationship is not fixed, the inversion control of the moving body 2 is not affected. That is, even if the braking device of the auxiliary wheel 12 is locked due to a malfunction, the auxiliary wheel 12 is not loaded because the relative positional relationship is not fixed. Therefore, even if the auxiliary wheel 12 is braked while traveling, the traveling of the moving body 2 is not affected.

  As described above, in order to avoid an unstable inverted state due to the lock of the driving wheel 11 of the moving body 2, a braking device may be provided on the auxiliary wheel 12 instead of the driving wheel 11. That is, in order to avoid an unstable inverted state due to the lock of the drive wheels 11, in the above-described embodiment, the relationship between the ride direction of the passenger and the arrangement direction of the auxiliary wheels 12 described with respect to the moving body 1 is necessary. is not.

  However, the arrangement of the auxiliary wheels 12 in the moving body 2 may be defined similarly to the moving body 1. Thereby, in addition to the stability at the time of traveling, the stability at the time of getting on and off can be improved. That is, when the moving body 2 is stopped, the auxiliary wheel 12 is grounded on the traveling surface on the load position side with respect to the driving wheel 11, whereby a load is applied to the auxiliary wheel 12. Therefore, even if the driving wheel 11 is not provided with a braking device, a braking force is generated in the braked auxiliary wheel 12 as described in the above embodiment. As a result, since the moving body 2 is braked, the stability during getting on and off can also be improved.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be changed as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the moving body 1 according to the present embodiment includes the seat 151 and is configured such that the occupant sits and travels. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the occupant travels while standing. There may be. The number of drive wheels 11 and auxiliary wheels 12 is not limited to the number in the embodiment, and may be one or more. The configuration of the drive wheel 11 and the auxiliary wheel 12 is not limited to a cylinder such as a wheel, and may be a sphere.

  Moreover, although the height adjustment of the auxiliary wheel 12 adjusts the height of the auxiliary wheel 12 with the motor drive part 162 as mentioned above, it is not restricted to this structure. For example, the relative positional relationship between the vehicle body 15 and the auxiliary wheels 12 is fixed, and the distance between the auxiliary wheels 12 and the running surface is adjusted by moving the entire vehicle body 15 up and down using an active suspension or the like. Also good. Furthermore, the height of the auxiliary wheel 12 may be adjusted manually by the passenger. Similarly, the braking of the auxiliary wheel 12 may be performed not by controlling based on the actual state of the moving body but by manually switching the passenger.

1, 2, 9 Moving body 11 Driving wheel 12 Auxiliary wheel 13 State sensor 14 Control unit 15 Vehicle body 90 Center of gravity 91, 92 Load 93 Floor reaction force 94 Braking force 95 Moment 96 Force 97 Grounding point 100 Passenger 121 Rotating part 141 Travel Control Unit 142 Auxiliary Wheel Height Control Unit 143 Braking Force Control Unit 151 Seat 152 Steps 161 and 162 Motor Drive Unit 163 Braking Device 1631 Friction Piece 1632 Claw

Claims (12)

A drive rotor with a circular cross section;
A vehicle body supported by the drive rotator and on which a passenger can ride;
State detecting means for detecting a traveling state of the vehicle body;
Travel control means for controlling the drive of the drive rotator based on the travel state, and executing the inversion control of the vehicle body;
An auxiliary rotating body having a circular cross section and arranged so as to be able to contact at least when traveling is stopped;
Braking means for braking the rotation of the auxiliary rotator,
The auxiliary rotating body is a moving body that is arranged in a direction corresponding to a load position due to the weight of the passenger on the vehicle body when the passenger gets on and off the driving rotating body.   The auxiliary rotating body is arranged such that a distance between the load position and a grounding point of the auxiliary rotating body is shorter than a distance between the load position and a grounding point of the driving rotating body. The moving body described.   The said vehicle body is a moving body of Claim 1 or 2 which has the boarding / alighting support member which supports the boarding / alighting of the said passenger at the said load position.   The moving body according to claim 3, wherein the boarding / alighting support member is a step of placing a foot when the passenger gets on and off the vehicle body.   The moving body according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the getting-on / off support member is provided closer to the drive rotator than directly above the auxiliary rotator.   The said auxiliary | assistant rotary body is a moving body as described in any one of Claims 1-5 provided in at least one of the front or back of the said drive rotary body.   The mobile body according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the vehicle body further includes a seat on which the passenger sits.   The moving body according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the braking means brakes the rotation of the auxiliary rotating body based on at least the speed of the moving body in the traveling state.   The moving body according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising a grounding adjusting unit that adjusts a distance between the auxiliary rotating body and a traveling surface.   The moving body according to claim 9, wherein the grounding adjusting means adjusts a distance between the auxiliary rotating body and a traveling surface based on at least a speed of the moving body. Supported by a driving rotating body having a circular cross section and detecting the traveling state of the vehicle body on which the passenger can ride,
Based on the running state, control the driving of the driving rotary body to execute the inversion control of the vehicle body,
The cross section has a circular shape, and brakes the auxiliary rotating body arranged so that it can be grounded at least when traveling is stopped.
When the passenger gets on and off, the movable body contacts the auxiliary rotating body with respect to the driving rotating body in a direction corresponding to a load position due to the weight of the passenger on the vehicle body when the passenger gets on and off. Control method.   12. The auxiliary rotating body is grounded so that a distance between the load position and a grounding point of the auxiliary rotating body is shorter than a distance between the load position and a grounding point of the driving rotating body. Control method for moving objects.

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