JP2011105029A - Traveling robot - Google Patents

Abstract

A traveling robot capable of overcoming an obstacle and changing the posture of a vehicle body and capable of traveling at a higher speed than when traveling on a crawler when traveling on a flat ground.
SOLUTION: A vehicle body 2, a main crawler 10, and an auxiliary crawler 20 are provided. Both the crawlers 10 and 20 are drive sprockets 15 and 25, idler sprockets 16 and 26, and a crawler belt 17 spanned between the two sprockets. 27 and crawler motors 12 and 22 for circulating the crawler belt, and the idler sprockets 16 and 26 of both the crawlers 10 and 20 are supported by the common rotating shaft 5 so that the angle between the crawlers 10 and 20 is variable. The wheels 18 and 28 are attached to the drive shafts 14 and 24 that support the drive sprockets 15 and 25, and the rotational force from the crawler motors 12 and 22 is transmitted to the wheels 18 and 28 with low torque and high speed rotation. 15 and 25 are provided with a planetary gear mechanism 19 for transmitting with high torque and low speed rotation.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a traveling robot that travels with an observation device, for example, and relates to a traveling robot that is suitable for traveling on rough terrain where steps and obstacles exist.

Conventionally, as the above-described traveling robot, for example, there is a robot provided with a vehicle body, main crawlers arranged on both sides of the vehicle body, and auxiliary crawlers arranged on both front sides of the vehicle body.
The main crawler is mainly composed of a crawler belt and a sprocket, and the crawler belt is stretched between the drive sprocket and the idler sprocket, and circulates between both sprockets in response to the driving force from the drive sprocket.
The auxiliary crawler has almost the same configuration as the main crawler, and the rotation axis of the idler sprocket is the same axis as the rotation axis of the idler sprocket of the main crawler, and the auxiliary crawler itself is around this common axis. It can be turned.

  In this traveling robot, by turning the auxiliary crawler around the common axis and adjusting the angle of attack, it is possible to improve the step-over performance and change the posture of the vehicle body (for example, Non-Patent Document 1).

New edition of Robotics Handbook The Robotics Society of Japan Corona, Inc. Pages 401-403

  However, in the above-described traveling robot, by adjusting the angle of attack by rotating the auxiliary crawler, it is possible to get over the step or change the posture of the vehicle body, but it is flat without any step or obstacle. When traveling on the ground, there is no opportunity to adjust the angle of attack by rotating the auxiliary crawler, and as a result, the problem that the auxiliary crawler and the mechanism for rotating it are merely a load on the traveling robot. It has been a conventional problem to solve this problem.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to the above-described conventional problems, and can of course overcome a step or an obstacle or change the posture of a vehicle body, and can be a flat ground without a step or an obstacle. It is an object of the present invention to provide a traveling robot that can travel at a higher speed than when traveling by a crawler.

  The invention according to claim 1 of the present invention includes a vehicle body, a pair of main crawlers positioned on both sides of the vehicle body to support the vehicle body, and a pair of auxiliary crawlers disposed on both sides of the front portion of the vehicle body. Each of the main crawler and the auxiliary crawler includes a drive sprocket, an idler sprocket, a crawler belt that hangs between the drive sprocket and the idler sprocket, and circulates in the forward and reverse directions. The idler sprockets of the main crawler and auxiliary crawler disposed on the same side of the vehicle body are supported by a common rotating shaft, and the auxiliary crawler is rotated by rotating the auxiliary crawler around the rotating shaft. The angle of the auxiliary crawler with respect to the main crawler is variable, and each drive sprocket of the main crawler and the auxiliary crawler A wheel having a diameter larger than that of the drive sprocket is attached to each of the drive shafts to be supported, and the drive sprocket is provided with a speed reduction mechanism. As a means for solving the conventional problems.

  In the traveling robot according to claim 2 of the present invention, the speed reduction mechanism is a planetary gear mechanism. That is, the speed reduction mechanism transmits the rotational force from the drive source to the wheel at a low torque and at a high speed while the rotational force from the drive source is transmitted to the drive sprocket at a high torque. And a planetary gear mechanism that transmits at a low speed.

  Furthermore, the traveling robot according to claim 3 of the present invention is configured to include posture holding means for holding an angle of the auxiliary crawler with respect to the main crawler.

  Furthermore, the traveling robot according to claim 4 of the present invention is provided with an idler that separates the wheels from the ground in a state where the crawler belts of the main crawler and the auxiliary crawler are in contact with the ground.

  In the traveling robot according to the present invention, when traveling on rough terrain such as sand or muddy land, there is no opportunity to use the wheel. In such a case, in order to easily remove the wheel, It is desirable to adopt a detachable structure for attaching the wheel to the drive shaft.

  In the traveling robot according to the present invention, when traveling on rough terrain such as sand or muddy ground, the crawler belts of the main crawler and auxiliary crawler are grounded, and the rotation speeds of the drive sprockets of both crawlers are equalized. By the rotational force transmitted from the drive source transmitted through the speed reduction mechanism, the vehicle can travel with high torque at a low speed.

  At this time, if the rotational speed of the driving crocket of the auxiliary crawler is made larger than the rotational speed of the driving sprocket of the main crawler, there will be a rotational speed difference between the idler sprockets rotating around the common rotational axis of both crawlers. Since the auxiliary crawler rotates with respect to the main crawler and the angle of attack increases, it becomes easier to get over the obstacle accordingly.

  On the other hand, in the traveling robot according to the present invention, when traveling on flat ground, if the rotational speed of the driving sprocket of the auxiliary crawler is smaller than the rotational speed of the driving sprocket of the main crawler, the rotational speed generated between the idler sprockets. As a result, the auxiliary crawler rotates relative to the main crawler, and the crawler belts of both the crawlers are separated from the ground, so that only the wheel having a diameter larger than that of the drive sprocket is grounded.

  If the rotational speeds of the drive shafts are equalized when both of the crawlers are substantially horizontal, the two crawlers are maintained from each other in a state in which they are transmitted from the drive source transmitted through the planetary gear mechanism. The high-speed traveling by the wheels can be performed by the rotational force.

  Thus, in the traveling robot according to the present invention, the speed reduction mechanism is arranged on the drive sprocket, for example, a planetary gear mechanism is adopted, and the crawler drive sprocket is rotated at a low speed with high torque by the output of the drive source, The wheel is rotated at a high speed with a low torque, and the auxiliary crawler is operated with a speed difference generated between the main crawler and the auxiliary crawler to switch between the crawler traveling and the wheel traveling. Therefore, without complicating the structure, it has not only a function of overcoming steps and obstacles but also a function of traveling at high speed on flat ground.

  Since the traveling robot according to claims 1 and 2 of the present invention has the above-described configuration, it goes without saying that it is possible to overcome a step or an obstacle or change the posture of the vehicle body, and there is no step or an obstacle. When traveling on a flat ground, a very excellent effect is achieved that it is possible to travel at a higher speed than when traveling by a crawler.

  Moreover, in the traveling robot according to claim 3 of the present invention, since it has the above-described configuration, particularly when traveling using wheels, if the angle with respect to the main crawler of the auxiliary crawler is held by the posture holding means, A very excellent effect of being able to stably run at high speed is brought about.

  Furthermore, since the traveling robot according to claim 4 of the present invention has the above-described configuration, the ground contact area of each of the crawler belts of the main crawler and the auxiliary crawler can be increased, and improvement of traveling performance on rough terrain can be realized. This is a very good effect that is possible.

It is plane explanatory drawing (a) and side explanatory drawing (b) in the wheel driving mode which shows the traveling robot by one Example of this invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged explanatory view showing a driving system main part of the traveling robot in FIG. 1. It is operation | movement pattern explanatory drawing (a)-(c) of the auxiliary crawler of the traveling robot in FIG. It is the schematic side explanatory drawing (a) which shows the crawler driving mode of the traveling robot by other Example of this invention, and the schematic side explanatory drawing (b) which shows a wheel driving mode.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
1 to 3 show a traveling robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1, the traveling robot 1 is a traveling robot that travels with equipment such as observation equipment and explosives treatment equipment, and is disposed on the vehicle body 2 on which the equipment is mounted and on both sides of the vehicle body 2. The main crawler 10 that supports the vehicle body 2 and the auxiliary crawlers 20 disposed on both sides of the front end portion of the vehicle body 2 are provided.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the main crawler 10 includes a main frame 11 fixed to both side surfaces of the vehicle body 2, a main crawler motor 12 fixed to the main frame 11, and a bearing 3 on the main frame 11. A drive shaft 14 which is supported and rotated by the output from the main crawler motor 12 transmitted through the transmission gear mechanism 13, a drive sprocket 15 supported by the drive shaft 14, and a main frame 11 supported by the bearing 4. An idler sprocket 16 that rotates about the rotation shaft 5, a crawler belt 17 that is passed between the drive sprocket 15 and the idler sprocket 16, receives the driving force from the drive sprocket 15, and circulates between the two sprockets 15, 16; A wheel 18 is detachably attached to the tip of the shaft 14, and the diameter of the wheel 18 has a drive sprocket. It is set to be larger than 15.

  On the other hand, the auxiliary crawler 20 includes an auxiliary frame 21, an auxiliary crawler motor 22 fixed to the auxiliary frame 21, and an auxiliary crawler motor 22 supported by the auxiliary frame 21 via the bearing 3 and transmitted through the transmission gear mechanism 23. , A drive sprocket 25 supported by the drive shaft 24, an idler sprocket 26 rotating around the rotation shaft 5 supported by the auxiliary frame 21 via the bearing 4, and a drive sprocket 25. And a crawler belt 27 that is passed between the idler sprockets 26 and receives the driving force from the drive sprocket 25 and circulates between the sprockets 25 and 26, and a wheel 28 that is detachably attached to the tip of the drive shaft 24. The diameter of the wheel 28 is also set larger than that of the drive sprocket 25. There.

  In this case, the rotation shaft that supports the idler sprockets 16 and 26 of the main crawler 10 and the auxiliary crawler 20 disposed on the same side of the vehicle body 2 is the common rotation shaft 5, and each of the main crawler 10 and the auxiliary crawler 20 is provided. By providing a difference in the circulation speed of the crawler belts 17 and 27, the angle of the auxiliary crawler 20 relative to the main crawler 10 can be changed by rotating the auxiliary crawler 20 around the rotation shaft 5.

  Further, a brake (posture holding means) that holds the angle of the auxiliary crawler 20 with respect to the main crawler 10 is provided in the vicinity of the rotation shaft 5 of each of the frames 11 and 21 of the main crawler 10 and the auxiliary crawler 20 disposed on the same side of the vehicle body 2. ) 6.

  In this embodiment, the transmission gear mechanisms 13 and 23 of the main crawler 10 and the auxiliary crawler 20 include a pinion 13a (23a) fixed to the output shaft 12a (22a) of the main crawler motor 12 (auxiliary crawler motor 22), and The spur gear 13b (23b) is fixed to the base end portion of the drive shaft 14 (24), and the wheel 18 (28) is driven at low torque and high speed by the output of the main crawler motor 12 (auxiliary crawler motor 22). It can be rotated.

  Further, planetary gear mechanisms 19 and 29, which are reduction mechanisms, are interposed between the drive shafts 14 and 24 of the main crawler 10 and the auxiliary crawler 20 and the drive sprockets 15 and 25, respectively. The planetary gear mechanism 19 (29) is supported by a sun gear 19a (29a) fixed to an intermediate portion of the drive shaft 14 (24) and a gear shaft 15a (25a) formed on the drive sprocket 15 (25). A plurality of planetary gears 19b (29b) meshing with the sun gear 19a (29a), and the drive sprocket 15 (25) is rotated at a high torque and a low speed by the output of the main crawler motor 12 (auxiliary crawler motor 22). To get.

  That is, the drive sprocket 15 (25) and the wheels 18 (28) are supported by a single drive shaft 14 (24), and the planetary gear mechanism 19 is provided between the drive shaft 14 (24) and the drive sprocket 15 (25). By arranging (29), the drive sprocket 15 (25) and the wheels 18 (28) are simultaneously rotated by the output of the main crawler motor 12 (auxiliary crawler motor 22), that is, the drive sprocket 15 (25) is raised. The wheel 18 (28) can be rotated at high speed with low torque while rotating at low speed with torque.

  When the traveling robot 1 according to this embodiment travels on rough terrain such as sand or muddy ground, the crawler belts 17 and 27 of the main crawler 10 and the auxiliary crawler 20 are shown in FIG. Is grounded and the rotational speeds ω1 and ω2 of the drive sprockets 15 and 25 of both the crawlers 10 and 20 are equalized, the main crawler motor 12 and the auxiliary crawler motor 22 transmitted via the planetary gear mechanisms 19 and 29 Due to the rotational force, the vehicle can travel with high torque at a low speed.

In addition, if the main crawler 10 and the auxiliary crawler 20 located on one side of the vehicle body 2 and the main crawler 10 and the auxiliary crawler 20 located on the other side are operated in opposite directions, that is, the crawler belt in the opposite direction. By circulating the numbers 17 and 27, it is possible to easily perform super-spinning as in a normal crawler.
When the crawlers 10 and 20 are traveling or when turning super-superficially, the wheels 18 and 28 are also in contact with the ground. However, these wheels 18 and 28 are both rotating at a low torque and are not sandy. Since the vehicle is in an idling state on leveling, the crawlers 10 and 20 do not interfere with the traveling.

  During traveling by the crawlers 10 and 20, the rotational forces from the main crawler motor 12 and the auxiliary crawler motor 22 are changed to produce a difference in the rotational speeds ω1 and ω2 of the drive sprockets 15 and 25 of both the crawlers 10 and 20. If ω1 <ω2, a rotational speed difference of ω1−ω2 = ω3 (positive in the clockwise direction) is generated between the idler sprockets 16 and 26 rotating around the common rotating shaft 5 of both the crawlers 10 and 20. As described above, when the rotational speed difference of ω3 occurs, the auxiliary crawler 20 rotates counterclockwise with respect to the main crawler 10 as shown by the phantom line in FIG. It becomes easier to get over steps and obstacles as much as it gets larger.

  On the other hand, when the traveling robot 1 travels on a flat ground, if the rotational speeds ω1 and ω2 of the drive sprockets 15 and 25 of both the crawlers 10 and 20 are ω1> ω2, the idler sprockets 16 and 26 Since the auxiliary crawler 20 rotates in the clockwise direction with respect to the main crawler 10 at a rotational speed difference ω3 generated between the crawler belts 17, the crawler belts 17 and 27 of both the crawlers 10 and 20 are all separated from the ground and driven sprockets. Only the wheels 18 and 28 having a diameter larger than 15 and 25 are grounded.

  As shown in FIG. 3 (b), when both the crawlers 10 and 20 are almost horizontal, the rotational speeds ω1 and ω2 (rotational speeds of the drive shafts) of the drive sprockets 15 and 25 are equalized. In the state in which both the crawlers 10 and 20 are maintained in the mutual posture, the wheels 18 and 28 are driven at high speed by the rotational force from the main crawler motor 12 and the auxiliary crawler motor 22 transmitted through the planetary gear mechanisms 19 and 29. Can be performed.

  When the brakes 6 maintain the posture of the auxiliary crawler 20 with respect to the main crawler 10 during high-speed running with the wheels 18 and 28, stable high-speed running can be performed.

  Further, if the rotational speed difference ω3 between the rotational speed ω1 of the driving sprocket 15 of the main crawler 10 and the rotational speed ω2 of the driving sprocket 25 of the auxiliary crawler 20 is increased during traveling by the wheels 18 and 28, FIG. As shown in (c), the auxiliary crawler 20 rotates more clockwise with respect to the main crawler 10, and the distance between the wheels 18 and 28 is narrowed.

  As described above, in the traveling robot 1 according to the present embodiment, the drive sprockets 15 and 25 and the wheels 18 and 28 are supported by the single drive shafts 14 and 24 and the drive shafts 14 and 24 and the drive sprockets 15 and 25 are supported. Since the planetary gear mechanisms 19 and 29 are arranged between them, the driving sprockets 15 and 25 of the crawlers 10 and 20 are rotated at a low speed with a high torque by the rotational force from the crawler motors 12 and 22 in a compact configuration. At the same time, the wheels 18 and 28 can be rotated at high speed with low torque.

  In addition, a difference in rotational speed is generated between the main crawler 10 and the auxiliary crawler 20, and the auxiliary crawler 20 is rotated with respect to the main crawler 10 by this rotational speed difference. Therefore, in addition to the step and climbing over obstacles, a high speed running function on a flat ground can be obtained without complicating the configuration.

FIG. 4 shows a traveling robot according to another embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 4A, the traveling robot 41 is different from the traveling robot 1 in the state where the crawler belts 57 and 67 of the main crawler 50 and the auxiliary crawler 60 are grounded. The idlers 56 </ b> A and 66 </ b> A for separating the 58 and 68 from the ground are arranged in the vicinity of the drive sprockets 55 and 65 of the main crawler 50 and the auxiliary crawler 60.

  In this traveling robot 41, the ground contact area of each of the crawler belts 57 and 67 of the main crawler 50 and the auxiliary crawler 60 can be increased, and the traveling performance on rough terrain can be improved.

  Also in this traveling robot 41, when traveling on a flat ground, if the rotational speed of the drive sprocket 55 of the main crawler 50 is made larger than the rotational speed of the drive sprocket basket 65 of the auxiliary crawler 60, this rotational speed difference assists. Since the crawler 60 rotates in the clockwise direction with respect to the main crawler 50, as shown in FIG. 4B, both the crawlers 50 and 60 are separated from the ground and have a diameter larger than that of the drive sprockets 55 and 65. Only the large wheels 58 and 68 are grounded, so that the wheels 58 and 68 can travel at high speed.

  In the above-described embodiment, a difference in rotational speed is generated between the main crawlers 10 and 50 and the auxiliary crawlers 20 and 60 so that the angle of the auxiliary crawlers 20 and 60 with respect to the main crawlers 10 and 50 is changed. However, the angle of the auxiliary crawlers 20 and 60 may be changed by separately installing a motor for changing the posture.

1,41 traveling robot 2 car body 5 rotating shaft 6 brake (posture holding means)
10, 50 Main crawler 12 Main crawler motor (drive source)
14, 24 Drive shaft 15, 25, 55, 65 Drive sprocket 16, 26, 56, 66 Idler sprocket 17, 27, 57, 67 Crawler belt 18, 28, 58, 68 Wheel 19, 29 Planetary gear mechanism (reduction mechanism)
19a, 29a Sun gear (planetary gear mechanism)
19b, 29b Planetary gear (Planetary gear mechanism)
20,60 Auxiliary crawler
22 Auxiliary crawler motor (drive source)
56A, 66A idler

Claims (4)

The car body,
A pair of main crawlers located on both sides of the vehicle body and supporting the vehicle body;
A traveling robot provided with a pair of auxiliary crawlers disposed on both front sides of the vehicle body,
Each of the main crawler and the auxiliary crawler includes a drive sprocket, an idler sprocket, a crawler belt that hangs between and circulates between the drive sprocket and the idler sprocket, and a drive source that circulates the crawler belt in forward and reverse directions. And
The idler sprockets of the main crawler and the auxiliary crawler disposed on the same side of the vehicle body are supported by a common rotating shaft, and the auxiliary crawler is rotated with respect to the main crawler by rotating the auxiliary crawler around the rotating shaft. The angle is variable,
Wheels larger in diameter than the drive sprocket are attached to the drive shafts that support the drive sprockets of the main crawler and the auxiliary crawler,
The driving sprocket is provided with a speed reduction mechanism.   The traveling robot according to claim 1, wherein the speed reduction mechanism is a planetary gear mechanism.   The traveling robot according to claim 1, further comprising posture holding means for holding an angle of the auxiliary crawler with respect to the main crawler.   The traveling robot according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising an idler that separates the wheel from the ground in a state where the crawler belts of the main crawler and the auxiliary crawler are in contact with the ground.

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