JP2013023165A5 - - Google Patents

Description

Mobile device

The present invention relates to a moving device such as an electric wheelchair that can travel even in a barrier environment such as a step or a groove.

Conventional electric wheelchairs are composed of drive wheels that rotate in the front-rear direction and caster wheels that rotate freely, and the step that can be overcome is determined by the diameter of the wheels. In the conventional electric wheelchair consists front wheels are caster wheels will rotate the caster wheel in stage difference, the also overcome by increasing the diameter of the wheels the step of about 5 centimeters is the limit. Since the wheel when the grooves Eru Yue becomes impossible traveling will fit into the groove, it is possible to travel only by passing the slope plate in an area where the grooves and the step such as passenger to train.

In order to solve this problem, an electric wheelchair using a crawler (an endless track) as a traveling wheel has been proposed (Patent 3800400, Utility Model Registration 3132677). However, grounding the crawler surface has a structure to be used only when overcome stage difference, a groove. For this When traveling a normal plane which requires a large force when the contact surface of the crawler size the Most pivots, crawler circles by changing the angle of the four crawlers in longitudinal and lateral Patent 3,800,400 an electric The part that moves in the shape is grounded on the road surface, and in the utility model registration 3132677, the whole crawler is moved upward by electric power so that the wheel contacts the road surface so that the circular wheel part is grounded. To solve the problem. However, since a complicated mechanism is required, there are disadvantages such as high cost, low durability, and heavy weight, and low feasibility.

Patent 3800400 Utility model registration 3132677

The object of the present invention is to reduce the force required for turning by reducing the contact area when traveling on a normal plane without using a complicated mechanism such as an electric mechanism as a method of changing the contact area of the crawler. It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel moving device in which a crawler is grounded to a step or a groove when traveling on a step or a groove.

According to the present invention, in the electric wheelchair using the crawlers provided on the left and right as the driving source, the grounding surface between each of the left and right crawler belts and the road surface is one point or even if the grounding surface is grounded at a plurality of points. In order to increase the load ratio, a central idler wheel with a crawler belt that touches the road surface is placed near the center of gravity of the entire electric wheelchair, and the idler wheels before and after that are positioned higher than the center idler wheel. By setting, the crawler belt track to be grounded to the road surface has a convex shape, and the cross-sectional shape of each block of the crawler belt to be grounded is convex to the left and right and front and rear.
Further, the crawler belt drive unit and the chair body are connected by a torsion bar, and are provided with an impact absorbing device (damper) that suppresses a rapid change in rotation.

The traveling drive mechanism of the electric wheelchair of the present invention reduces the force required for turning by making one-point contact on a flat road, and suppresses instability when the speed changes in the front-rear direction due to one-point contact. Therefore, stable running is possible, and there is an advantage that the original running performance of the crawler can be exhibited on a road surface having a step, a groove or the like. The crawler's track and cross-sectional shape do not adopt a new mechanism, so there are no problems such as cost increase and durability deterioration, and the torsion bar and impact absorbing device also function as a vibration absorbing function against the road surface fluctuation of the entire electric wheelchair. Therefore, there is an advantage that an electric wheelchair having a performance capable of overcoming the step and the groove without increasing the cost and reducing the durability due to the complicated structure can be realized.

Is a sketch that shows electric wheelchair entire configuration according to the present invention. It is the schematic which showed the track shape of the crawler of the electric wheelchair which concerns on this invention . It is the schematic which showed the shape of the grounding part block which comprises the crawler of the electric wheelchair which concerns on this invention . 1 is a system diagram showing a configuration of a drive system that travels using a crawler belt of an electric wheelchair according to the present invention . The Example comprised by attaching the rubber- made grounding part block to each link of a chain as a crawler belt of the electric wheelchair which concerns on this invention is shown.

In an electric wheelchair that uses a rubber crawler (endless track) as a driving wheel, a central idler wheel is provided directly below the center of gravity of the entire wheelchair including the user, and the height of the idler wheel that touches the road surface to reduce friction in the rotational direction. of was lowest the central idler wheel just below the center of gravity position when the user in the wheelchair has boarding, increasing the height of more idler wheels away from the center of the idler wheel, the ground constituting the crawler By making the part block the shape with the most protruding center part, it is possible to reduce the frictional force in the lateral direction when turning by making a structure that contacts the road surface at a single point on a hard flat road such as asphalt, concrete, stone, etc.

FIG. 1 is an embodiment of an electric wheelchair using the rubber crawler of the present invention, and shows a basic configuration of the entire wheelchair.
The rubber crawler belt 6 is put on the starter wheel 13 and the idler wheels 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12, and the rubber crawler belt 6 rotates and moves forward and backward as the starter wheel rotates.
This mechanism is symmetrically identical to the left and right, and moves forward, backward, and turns by operating the joystick operation unit 1.
When going straight ahead, the left and right rubber crawler belts rotate at the same speed in the forward direction, and when turning, the left and right rubber crawler belts rotate at different rotational speeds.
Furthermore, when turning in a stopped state without moving forward or backward, the left and right rubber crawler belts are rotated in the reverse direction at the same speed.
Reference numeral 5 denotes a torsion bar for fixing the entire drive unit including the rubber crawler 6 to the wheelchair body, and when the entire drive unit picks up the unevenness of the road surface by the spring force in the rotation direction of the torsion bar 5, the shock is absorbed. It has a structure.
Further, a damper 14 is provided between the wheelchair body and the crawler drive unit in order to suppress vibration caused by the spring of the torsion bar 5 when traveling on an uneven road surface or the like.
As a result, when the crawler rubber is applied to the unevenness of the road surface, the entire crawler driving unit rotates and absorbs the impact.
The torsion bar 5 is set immediately below the center of gravity of the entire wheelchair when the user gets on.

FIG. 2 shows the positional relationship of the idler wheels.
In this embodiment, the case where there are five idle wheels is shown.
User in the wheelchair is arranged a central idler wheel 10 directly beneath the center of gravity 15 Design in the case of riding.
Its front and rear idler wheel 9 with respect to the central idler 10, and idler wheel 11 is located at a position higher than the idler 10, the idler wheel 9, and the tangent of the rubber crawler belt 6 in the idler wheel 11 is floating Θ1 with respect to the tangent to the wheel 10.
Although it is necessary to adjust (theta) 1 with the rubber hardness and thickness of a rubber crawler, it is about 1-3 degrees.
Further, the idler wheel 8 is arranged so that the tangent of the rubber crawler 6 in the idler wheel 8 has an angle θ2 with respect to the tangent of the rubber crawler 6 in the idler wheel 9. Similarly, the idler wheel 12 is arranged so as to have an angle θ2 with respect to the tangent to the rubber crawler 6 in the idler wheel 11.
The angle of θ2 is set equal to or less than θ1.
When the electric wheelchair is in a stopped state, the front and rear idler wheels 9 centering on the center of gravity position 7 and the rubber crawler 6 contact point on the center idler wheel 10 or the contact part of the rubber crawler 6 on the idler wheel 11 are front and rear of the entire wheelchair. It is in a state of unstablely swinging in the direction of ± θ1.
When the user shifts the seating position or swings back and forth, the grounding portion of the rubber crawler 6 is between the contact points of the rubber crawler 6 on the idler wheel 9 and the central idler wheel 10, or the idler wheel 10 and idler wheel in the center. 11 or between the contact points of the rubber crawler 6 according to FIG.
Even when the vehicle is running, the ground contact surface changes in an unstable manner due to small irregularities on the road surface and changes in speed.
When turning while changing the rotation speed of the left and right rubber crawlers in this state, since the ground contact surface of the left and right rubber crawlers changes in an unstable manner, the friction generated in the lateral direction due to the difference in the rotation speed of the left and right rubber crawlers decreases, Easy to turn.

FIG. 3 shows the grounding block constituting the rubber crawler belt.
A rubber grounding block is attached to a strong mounting base 3-1, such as iron, and the grounding surface is circular in both the front and rear cross sections and the left and right cross sections to reduce the frictional force against torsion of the grounding section.
Furthermore, the center block (protrusion part) 3-2 in which the portion serving as the center of contact is made independent in a block shape reduces friction by twisting the block when the rubber crawler is twisted by turning.

FIG. 4 shows the configuration of a system that drives the crawler belt to move forward and turn.
The joystick operation unit 1 moves the lever back and forth, left and right, and moves straight, turns, and moves backward.
When the lever of the joystick operation unit 1 is operated forward, the controller 4-7 receives this signal, the right crawler belt driving motor 4-4 rotates clockwise, and the left crawler belt driving motor 4-1 moves left. Rotate at a constant speed.
When the joystick operation unit is operated to the front right and turns right, the controller 4-7 moves the right crawler belt driving motor 4-4 to the right at a low speed, and the left crawler belt driving motor 4-1 Turn left to rotate faster than right.
The difference in rotational speed between the two motors varies depending on the turning angle.
In this case, both the left and right crawler belts generate a torsional frictional force against the ground contact surface, and require a larger driving force than when traveling straight.
Although it depends on the width and material of the crawler belt, the driving force during turning increases from several times to about 10 times compared to the same speed during straight running.
In order to increase the driving force, the cruising range of the electric wheelchair using the crawler belt is greatly reduced as compared with the normal wheel type in order to accelerate the power consumption of the battery.
In the crawler driving mechanism shown in the present embodiment, since the friction with the ground contact surface can be greatly reduced, the cruising distance is, for example, twice or more, and a significant effect can be obtained.

FIG. 5 shows an embodiment in which the crawler belt is composed of a rubber block and a chain for linking each block.
The idler wheel is provided with a groove on the outer periphery, and prevents the crawler belt from coming off by guiding the chain.
Due to the effect of the present invention, the lateral frictional force on the road surface is reduced, and the chain is prevented from coming off.

In the present invention, the rubber crawler which is excellent in damage to the road surface and traveling sound surface, but requires enormous driving force due to the friction in the rotational direction at the time of turning, the position setting of the idler wheel which contacts the road surface, the rubber block which contacts the ground by optimizing the cross-sectional shape, it is greatly possible to reduce the driving force, roughened conventional cars can not sidewalk or the like of the step, the groove and the step at the time a train passenger, unpaved by utilizing electric wheelchair It becomes possible to travel on the road surface and the like, and it becomes possible to remove the alienation factor of going out of the walking difficult person using the electric wheelchair.
In addition, the present invention can be applied not only to an electric wheelchair but also to a transporting and moving device that uses a crawler belt, and can contribute to resource saving by reducing its running performance and driving force.
In particular, it is expected that the robot of the remote operation that conducts investigation and work in a place where a person cannot approach in recent years has a turning ability superior to that of a conventional crawler belt and can be used.

1 Joystick part for operation to control forward, turn, and reverse 2 Electric wheelchair frame 3 Crawler belt drive part frame 4 Stopper stopper 5 Torsion bar spring 6 Crawler belt 7 Idle wheel (for hooking the front end step)
8 idler wheels (the foremost end to ground)
9 idler wheel (second to ground)
10 idler wheel (center to ground)
11 idler wheel (4th to ground)
12 idler wheel (end of contact)
13 Starter wheel (sprocket)
14 Damper 15 Center of gravity 3-1 Crawler block pedestal 3-2 Crawler center block 3-3 Block split and drain slit 4-1 Left drive motor 4-2 Left start sprocket 4-3 Left crawler belt 4-4 Right drive Motor 4-5 Right start sprocket 4-6 Right crawler belt 4-7 Controller 4-8 Battery 6-1 Crawler rubber block

Claims (5)

In the mobile equipment running crawler belt which is driven by power that is provided in the left and right in the traveling direction, the center of the idler wheel disposed in the vicinity immediately below the center of gravity of the moving device, before and after its idler of the central moving device being characterized in that disposed at a position lower than the idler. Moving apparatus of claim 1 in which the angle between the crawler belt circumscribing central idler and the idler wheel of the front and rear, characterized in that 1 to 3 degrees. Crawler belt comprises a grounding unit block, the ground unit block has a projecting portion projecting the road surface, the slit is provided around the protruding portion, according to claim 1, characterized in that it is independent projecting portions Or the apparatus for movement as described in 2 . In the mobile equipment that travels by a crawler belt which is driven by power that is provided in the left and right in the traveling direction, the crawler belt drive and the movement device body by a torsion bar arranged in the vicinity of directly below the center of gravity of the moving device is coupled 4. The moving device according to claim 1 , wherein the moving device is rotatable with respect to each other . 5. The apparatus for movement according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the apparatus for movement is an electric wheelchair driven using an electric motor as power.