JP2017094962A - Operation grip and movable body - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an operation grip capable of detecting/acquiring an operation force with a relatively simple structure and to provide a movable body using the operation grip.SOLUTION: An operation grip A is provided with: a shaft part 1 fixed to the operation part of a power assist device; a cylindrical gripping part 2 to which the shaft part is loosely attached; a pressure sensor 3 configured by arranging a sensing part on the surface of the shaft part; an operation part 7 provided to project at a position facing the sensing part of the pressure sensor on the internal surface of the gripping part; and urging means 5 and 6 for urging the pressure sensor and the operation part in mutually separating directions. The movable body is provided with: a pair of wheels attached to be symmetrical left and right; two actuators for independently driving the wheels; and a pair of operation parts installed to be symmetrical left and right.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an operation grip for operating a power assist device and a moving body using the operation grip.

  Conventional operation grips, for example, are used for self-propelled electric vacuum cleaners, and include ones equipped with pressure sensors distributed in four directions on a gripping part gripped when an operator operates (patent) Reference 1). This technology detects the grip force of the operator at four points, front and rear, left and right, and controls the driving force for power assist with respect to movement in the left and right direction (steering) in addition to movement in the front and rear direction. .

  In addition, as a device of the same type used for the moving body, the handle shaft inserted into the handle holder is provided in a state in which displacement (angle change) is allowed, and four devices installed on the surface of the handle shaft are provided. There is a pressure sensor that detects relative displacement with respect to the handle holder and can operate forward, backward, left steering, and right steering (see Patent Document 2).

JP-A-5-228088 JP 2015-47938 A

  The technology disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 is to operate a moving body by using a pressure sensor concentrated in one place, and the pressure sensor in the operation unit has a sensing unit arranged inside a gripping part. Therefore, the operator has to apply a grip force directly to the sensing unit, and thus the gripping state is fixed. Further, when changing the moving direction, since the control system calculates the traveling direction according to the distribution of the grip force acting on the four pressure sensors, the change in the grip force due to the operation of the operator is reflected in the distribution. In other words, there is a concern that the operation for steering differs depending on the individual operator.

  Further, the technique disclosed in Patent Document 2 described above includes four pressure sensors for a single handle shaft, and when the two pressure sensors detect pressure simultaneously, the two pressure sensors are provided. The displacement of the single handle shaft is detected based on the position of the handle, and the front / rear and left / right operations for moving the moving body are performed according to the displacement state of the handle shaft. For this reason, the state of displacement of the handle shaft detected by the four pressure sensors is limited within a predetermined range, and a slight steering operation is performed simultaneously with the forward or backward operation. Was concerned about its limitations.

  By the way, the structure of the operation grip used above is not shown in detail, and the state of presentation of the operation force to the pressure sensor is unclear. In other words, in Patent Document 1, when an operator grips, the grip force is presented as a grip force, and the operation force eventually depends on how the operator grips. Further, in Patent Document 2, a state in which the handle shaft can be displaced is fixed, and two pressure sensors detect pressure to enable front-rear and left-right operations. Since the range is limited, it is not clear whether the assist force can be adjusted according to the degree of pressure detected by the pressure sensor. In this regard, the document is used as a pressure sensor for detecting the presence or absence of pressure, and a switch can be used instead of the pressure sensor. It is not.

  In general, for the purpose of providing a power assist function for a moving body, in addition to the purpose of assisting with a driving force when the weight of the moving body is very large, the weight of the entire moving body changes depending on the weight of the load to be loaded. Even in the case, there is an object of stabilizing the operation force by changing the assist force according to the change in the weight. Even in the case of such a purpose, the operation force is detected and measured, and an assist force corresponding to the operation force is applied. However, since the detected / measured value frequently changes depending on the direction of the operating force acting on the operation unit, it is necessary to comprehensively determine various conditions to apply the assist force. The mechanism for that is complicated, and the structure of the operation part is also complicated.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and its object is to provide an operation grip that can detect and measure an operation force with a relatively simple structure, and to move using the operation grip. Is to provide a body.

  Therefore, the present invention related to an operation grip is an operation grip for operating an actuator used in a power assist device, and a shaft portion fixed to the operation portion of the power assist device and the shaft portion are loosely fitted. A cylindrical gripping part to be mounted in a state, a pressure sensor in which a sensing part is arranged on the surface of the shaft part, and a protruding part at a position facing the sensing part of the pressure sensor on the inner surface of the gripping part And an urging means that urges the pressure sensor and the action portion in directions away from each other.

  According to the above configuration, when not operated, the sensing part of the pressure sensor and the action part of the gripping part are separated by the biasing means, and no pressure is detected by the pressure sensor. On the other hand, during operation, by applying an operating force to the gripping part, the action part abuts against the sensing part against the biasing means, and the pressure sensor detects and measures the pressure pressed by the action part. be able to. The magnitude of the pressure at this time can be reflected in the assist force. That is, during operation, the operating force applied to the gripping part is concentrated on the action part, so that other parts of the gripping part do not contact the shaft part, and all of the operating force can be applied to the pressure sensor. it can. Further, when the application of the operating force is released, the action portion is separated from the pressure sensor by the biasing means, and the operation of the assist force can be stopped.

  In the operation grip having the above-described configuration, the pressure sensor may be arranged so as to be embedded in the shaft portion and to expose the sensing portion on the surface of the shaft portion.

  In such a configuration, since the pressure sensor protrudes from the surface of the shaft portion, a gap with the grip portion is not formed large, and the protrusion length of the action portion protruding from the grip portion is provided. Therefore, the gap between the two is reduced. When this gap is large, the gripping part becomes unstable, so the gap is preferably as small as possible.

  Further, in each of the above configurations, the pressure sensor is at least two pressure sensor groups in which sensing parts are arranged in opposite directions around the axis of the shaft part, and the action part is provided from both sides of the shaft part. It is an action part group projectingly provided on the inner surface of the grip part so as to individually face each sensing part of the pressure sensor group, and the urging means is provided for each pressure sensor and action part. And two sets of urging means for urging them to be separated in both directions.

  In the case of the above-described configuration, two-way operation is enabled for adjusting the assist force by the operation unit. This can be, for example, two directions: forward and backward. Even in this case, the detection of the operating force in two directions is based on the pressing force of the acting portion against the pressure sensor having the same configuration, so that it is possible to operate in two directions by applying the operating force with the same magnitude. To do.

  In each of the above configurations, it is preferable that a signal line connected to the pressure sensor is disposed inside the shaft portion. The signal line of the detection signal detected by the pressure sensor can be arranged in a gap formed between the shaft part and the grip part, but is arranged inside the shaft part in order to protect the signal line. It is preferable. In this case, an installation area of the signal line can be secured by making the inside of the shaft portion hollow.

  Furthermore, in each said structure, the said axial part is comprised by the cylindrical body or the hollow body, and can set it as the structure formed by inserting or incorporating a highly rigid material in the inside of this cylindrical body or the hollow body. In order to reduce the weight of the entire operation grip, the shaft part and the grip part are made of synthetic resin such as plastic, and a high-rigidity material is used as the core material to prevent the shaft part from being bent by the operation force. be able to. The high-rigidity core material includes a metal material, but a hard plastic material may be used to reduce the overall weight. In addition, it is preferable to use a metal material when using a core material with a small diameter due to dimensional limitations.

  Further, in each of the above configurations, the shaft portion has a rectangular cross-sectional shape in an external shape, and the pressure sensor is disposed on one or both of two opposing sides of the rectangular cross-section, and the grip portion Has a rectangular cross-sectional shape in the internal shape, the action portion is provided on a side opposite to the side on which the pressure sensor is disposed, and a predetermined gap is provided between the side on which the pressure sensor is disposed. A plane portion that forms two opposite sides where the pressure sensor is not provided and a plane portion that forms two opposite sides where the action portion is not provided are in sliding contact with each other. Can be.

  According to the above configuration, the grip portion is allowed to move along the flat surface portion in sliding contact among the shaft portions of the rectangular cross section. A predetermined gap is formed between sides of the rectangular cross section where the pressure sensor and the action part are provided, and the gap can be moved within the gap. Therefore, the gripping part can cause the pressure sensor to detect the operation force by moving the action part so as to press the action part toward the pressure sensor. When the operation force is not applied, a predetermined gap is provided by the biasing means. The state to be formed is restored.

  Furthermore, the shaft portion in each of the configurations may be configured to include stopper means that bulges to a large diameter so that both ends of the gripping portion are in sliding contact. In this case, the grip portion can limit the movement of the shaft portion in the axial direction.

  On the other hand, the present invention relating to a moving body is a moving body having a power assist function having the operation grip according to any one of the above-described configurations, and a pair of wheels mounted symmetrically and the wheels independently. Two actuators for driving and a pair of operation units installed symmetrically, each of the pair of operation units is provided with the operation grip, and the pressure detected by the pressure sensor of the operation grip According to the degree, the actuators are individually controlled.

  According to the above configuration, the wheel, the actuator, and the operation unit are provided symmetrically, and the individual operation grips are provided in the pair of operation units. Since the individual actuators are individually controlled based on the above, the moving body can be moved while obtaining the assist force by giving the operation force to each operation unit. At this time, when assisting the forward or backward movement, the same level of operation force is simultaneously applied to the operation grips installed on the left and right operation units, and a steering operation is required (the direction to the left and right). If the operating force applied to the operating grips on the left and right operating parts is different, one actuator operates more powerfully than the other, enabling steering by the difference in the rotational speed of the wheels. To do. This is the same as the operation of moving forward or backward while simultaneously pushing or pulling a pair of left and right operation parts, and changing the direction while pushing or pulling one of the left and right more strongly than the other. is there. Accordingly, the movement with the power assist function can be performed while being the same as the normal operation method.

  In the above configuration, the actuator is an electric motor having a motor driver, and includes an arithmetic unit that calculates an assist force based on a detection value by a pressure sensor and calculates a voltage value of the electric motor necessary for the assist force, A motor driver can control the output of the electric motor based on the voltage command calculated by the calculation means.

  According to the above configuration, the forward or backward movement and the steering are enabled only by controlling the driving force of the electric motor installed symmetrically on the left and right sides. In this case, the information of the pressure sensor detected by the operation grips installed in the individual operation units does not affect the operation of the actuator on the different side, and therefore can be realized by simple control means.

  In addition, it is preferable that the operation grip provided in the operation part in each said structure is installed in the state by which a pressure sensor is arrange | positioned ahead or back or both front and rear toward the advancing direction. That is, by matching the detection of the operation force by the pressure sensor in the front-rear direction, the operation force when moving forward or backward can be detected, and the assist force can be applied according to the operation force.

  According to the present invention relating to the operation grip, since the operation force is concentrated on the action portion provided in the grip portion, and this action portion applies a pressing force to the pressure sensor, the operation force applied to the grip portion is Therefore, it is easily detected and measured by the pressure sensor. Further, the sensing part and the action part of the pressure sensor are separated from each other by the urging means. When no operating force is applied, the pressure sensor does not detect the pressing force, and the urging means does not detect the pressing force. In the case where an operating force that moves the gripping portion against the force is applied, the operating portion comes into contact with the pressure sensor, and when the operating force is removed, the operating portion is restored to the separated state again. Therefore, a function as a switch when the assist force is applied by the contact of the operation portion can be achieved. Such an operation grip has a simple structure in which the shaft portion is inserted into the cylindrical gripping portion, and the outer cross-sectional shape of the shaft portion and the inner cross-sectional shape of the gripping portion are each rectangular. Thus, the moving direction of the gripping portion can be limited, and is suitable, for example, when an assist force for moving in the front-rear direction is applied.

  On the other hand, according to the present invention relating to the moving body, the control signals corresponding to the operation forces detected by the individual operation grips arranged on the left and right sides are applied to the symmetrically provided actuators. The wheels can be individually driven by the operation force applied to the operation grip. With such a mechanism, if the same operating force is applied to the left and right operation grips, the left and right wheels are driven to the same level, and assist force in movement in the front-rear direction can be obtained. If operating forces of different magnitudes are applied to the left and right, steering in the left-right direction becomes possible. In the operation of a general moving body with left and right operation parts, the same operation is performed even when the power assist function is not provided. Can be received as appropriate. In this case, by changing the magnitude of the driving force according to the degree (magnitude) of the pressing force by the pressure sensor provided in the operation grip, even when the traveling body is in the weight state, To the same extent, the moving body can be operated while obtaining an appropriate load.

It is a disassembled perspective view which shows embodiment of this invention which concerns on an operation grip. It is a perspective view which shows the whole embodiment of an operation grip. (A) is sectional drawing in a IIIA-IIIA line, (b) is sectional drawing in a IIIB-IIIB line. (A) is an expanded sectional view in the IVA-IVA line, (b) is an expanded sectional view in the IVB-IVB line. (A) is an enlarged view in planar view of embodiment concerning an operation grip, (b) is an expanded sectional view in the VB-VB line. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation state of embodiment which concerns on an operation grip. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation state of embodiment which concerns on an operation grip. It is explanatory drawing which shows embodiment of this invention which concerns on a mobile body. It is explanatory drawing which shows the modification of embodiment which concerns on a mobile body. It is explanatory drawing which shows the modification of embodiment which concerns on a mobile body. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state of control in embodiment which concerns on a mobile body. It is explanatory drawing which shows the modification of embodiment which concerns on an operation grip.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 are views showing a first embodiment relating to an operation grip. As shown in these drawings, the outline of the operation grip A of the present embodiment is composed of a shaft portion 1 and a grip portion 2 mounted so as to loosely fit the shaft portion 1. Note that the operation grip A of the present embodiment is divided into two by the dividing line along the axial direction to form the grip part constituting members 2a and 2b, and the grip part constituting members 2a and 2b are integrated to form a single grip. FIG. 1 shows a state in which the two gripping part constituting members 2a and 2b are disassembled, and FIG. 2 shows an integrated state.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the shaft portion 1 is composed of a long rod-shaped member having a rectangular cross section, and is substantially at the center of two opposite sides (two planes at opposite positions) 11 and 12 of the rectangular cross section. Is provided with a pressure sensor 3. The pressure sensor 3 uses a film-like pressure sensor, and is arranged in a state where the sensing portion is exposed on the plane. In addition, two holes 4 having appropriate depths are formed on both sides (near both ends in the longitudinal direction) (a total of four holes per one side plane) so that the compression coil springs 5 and 6 can be accommodated. The depth of the hole 4 is not intended to accommodate the entirety of the compression coil springs 5, 6, but can partially accommodate one end portion of the compression coil springs 5, 6, and the other end portion is the grip portion 2. It will be able to be accommodated in.

  The grip part 2 is formed in a cylindrical body having a hollow shape in which the shaft part 1 can be loosely fitted by integrating the two grip part constituting members 2a and 2b while facing each other.

  Here, the gripping member constituting members 2a and 2b are configured by semi-circular outer shape portions 21a and 21b and hollow inner portions 22a and 22b having a rectangular cross section, and opposed contact surfaces 23a, 23b, 24a and 24b. As a result, the cylindrical body having a hollow section having a rectangular cross section as a whole is obtained. In the present embodiment, in order to integrate the two gripping portion constituting members 2a and 2b, semi-disc-like joint portions 25a, 25b, 26a and 26b are provided at both ends, respectively, and the joint portions 25a, 25b, A plurality of through holes 27a, 27b extending from the outside to the contact surfaces 23a, 23b, 24a, 24b are provided at appropriate intervals in the 26a, 26b, and are fastened by a fastener 28 such as a screw or a bolt and a nut. It can be fixed (see FIG. 2).

  Further, the hollow interiors 22a and 22b are constituted by three surfaces, of which the surface (internal surface) facing the flat surfaces 11 and 12 of the shaft portion 1 is the pressure provided on the two flat surfaces 11 and 12 of the shaft portion 1. A protrusion 7 is provided so as to face the sensor 3. The protrusions 7 are in contact with the pressure sensor 3 on a one-to-one basis, and form a quadrangular surface in the present embodiment in accordance with the size and shape of the sensing part. The protrusion 7 comes into contact with the sensing portion of the pressure sensor 3 and the pressure (operation force) is applied to detect the pressure. In that sense, the protrusion 7 functions as an action part, and will be referred to as an action part 7 below.

  In addition, holes 8 having appropriate depths are provided on both sides of the action portion 7 (in the vicinity of both ends in the longitudinal direction) to accommodate the other ends of the compression coil springs 6 and 7. In addition, columnar bulging portions 9 are provided at both ends of the shaft portion 1 to function as stopper means for restricting movement of the grip portion 2 (gripping portion constituent members 2a and 2b) in the axial direction. The circular member 9 is attached to the power assist device by being connected (fixed) to the operation unit of the power assist device (moving body or the like). That is, the columnar bulging portion (stopper means) 9 is a columnar body having an outer diameter larger than the length of one side of the rectangular cross section formed by the shaft portion 1, and the gripping portion constituting members 2 a and 2 b are integrated. When this occurs (see FIG. 2), the end faces of the joint portions 25a, 25b, 26a, and 26b at both ends come into contact with the end edges of the bulged portions (stopper means) 9 so that the grip portion 2 moves in the axial direction. This is a state where it cannot move. Further, when mounting on a moving body or the like, the operation parts to be mounted are generally cylindrical pipe-shaped members P1 and P2, and therefore the inner diameters of the hollow interiors H1 and H2 of the pipe-shaped members P1 and P2 Thus, the bulging part (stopper part) 9 is inserted into the hollow interiors H1 and H2 so that it can be attached to the operating part. In the illustrated embodiment, the joint portions 25a, 25b, 26a, and 26b of the grip portion 2 are formed in a semicircular shape, and are formed in a bowl shape with respect to the surface of the grip portion 2, whereby the operation portion (pipe-shaped member) is formed. ) When the bulging portions (stopper means) 9 are inserted into the hollow interiors H1, H2 of P1, P2, the end edges of the operation portions P1, P2 can come into contact with the end surfaces of the joint portions 25a, 25b, 26a, 26b. I have to. The operation grip A is positioned with respect to the operation parts P1 and P2 by the contact of both.

  The relationship between the grip portion 2 formed by integrating the grip portion constituent members 2a and 2b and the shaft portion 1 will be described in more detail. 3A is a cross-sectional view taken along line IIIA-IIIA in FIG. 2, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view taken along line IIIB-IIIB. 4A is a cross-sectional view taken along line IVA-IVA in FIG. 3A, and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along line IVB-IVB.

  As shown in these drawings, the integrated gripping part 2 has an inner surface 29 that forms a gap between the two flat surfaces 11 and 12 of the shaft part 1 (FIG. 3A). 4 (a) and (see FIG. 4 (b)) This is a state in which no external force is applied to the grip portion 2, and the flat surface 11 of the shaft portion 1 is urged by the urging force of the compression coil springs 5, 6. This is because the gripping member constituting members 2a and 2b are biased in the direction away from both sides from 12. On the other hand, the remaining flat surface of the shaft portion 1 and the remaining inner surface of the gripping portion 2 are in contact with each other. (See FIG. 3B), it is in a state where it cannot move (slide) in a direction perpendicular to the facing surface.

  With the above configuration, the grip portion 2 can move (slide) only in one direction, that is, only in a direction against the bias of the compression coil springs 5 and 6, and the movement (sliding) causes the gap Thus, the action portion 7 can come into contact with the pressure sensor 3. Further, the compression coil springs 5 and 6 are vertically symmetric (see FIG. 3A) and symmetric (see FIG. 4B). In a state that resists urging (that is, in a state of being translated), the action portion 7 comes into contact with the pressure sensor 3 accurately, and when an external force is eliminated, a uniform predetermined gap is formed on both sides. Can be restored.

  Further, if the relationship between the joint portions 25a, 26b (, 26a, 26b) and the stopper means 9 is described in detail, as shown in FIG. 5A, a part of the stopper member 9 is connected to the joint portions 25a, 26b. It is in a state of being in contact with the end face. In particular, the grip portion 2 can move (slide) only in a direction having a gap with the shaft portion 1, and therefore, the inner surface 29 side that forms the gap has a special contact with the stopper member 9. Without consideration, both sides are in contact with the moving (sliding) direction.

  As shown in FIG. 5 (b), the joint portions 25a and 25b are fastened and fixed by fastening members 28 on both the left and right sides. The whole including the grip portion 2 is integrated with the joint portions 25a and 25b being in contact with each other while facing each other.

  As described above, in this embodiment, an appropriate gap is formed between the shaft portion 1 and the grip portion 2. This gap is urged by the compression coil springs 5 and 6 in the direction of separating the gripping member constituting members 2a and 2b from the shaft portion 1, and the gap is maintained as long as no external force acts on the gripping portion 2. It is in a state to be. That is, the compression coil springs 5 and 6 in this embodiment function as urging means. Note that the biasing means is not limited to the compression coil springs 5 and 6, and a leaf spring may be used, and furthermore, an elastic body such as rubber may be used. In short, it is only necessary that an appropriate gap can be formed between the shaft portion 1 and the grip portion 2 in a state where no external force is applied.

  On the two planes 11 and 12 of the shaft portion 1, the pressure sensor 3 is disposed substantially at the center in the longitudinal direction. The pressure sensor 3 is a film-like pressure sensor and is thin with a thickness of about 0.1 mm, but the main body portion is embedded in the shaft portion 1 and only the sensing portion (sensor surface) is exposed. It is said. A signal detected by the pressure sensor 3 is sent to the outside of the operation grip A by signal lines 31 and 32, and the signal lines 31 and 32 are embedded in the shaft portion 1. The film-like pressure sensor may be a film-like piezoresistive pressure sensor, or may be a capacitance-type pressure sensor, a strain gauge, a load cell, a pressure-sensitive conductive rubber, or the like. . The signal lines 31 and 32 may be formed by laminating metal thin films on the planes 11 and 12 of the shaft portion 1.

  Next, the operation mode of the above embodiment will be described. As described above, the pressure sensor 3 is provided on the two opposing planes 11 and 12 of the shaft section 1 having a rectangular cross section, and the action section 7 faces the pressure sensor 3 with an appropriate interval. In the position. In other words, after providing a gap between the flat surfaces 11 and 12 of the shaft portion 1 and the inner surface 29 of the grip portion 2, the protruding length of the protruding action portion 7 is adjusted to be smaller than the gap. -ing

  In detail, the cross-sectional shape of the shaft portion 1 is rectangular, and the cross-sectional shape of the hollow portion of the grip portion 2 constituted by the grip portion constituent members 2a and 2b is also rectangular. Is configured to be slightly longer. Due to the difference in length between the two sides, the inner surface 29 of the grip portion 2 can be formed with a gap from the flat surfaces 11 and 12 on which the pressure sensor 3 is provided. Furthermore, the protrusion length is limited and provided so that the tip surface of the action portion 7 protruding from the inner surface 29 of the grip portion 2 does not reach the pressure sensor 3. Then, no gap is formed on the other two surfaces at the opposing positions, and they are in sliding contact. When the two surfaces are in sliding contact with each other, the grip portion 2 is allowed to move only in the forward and backward directions (vertical direction in the figure) in a predetermined direction. It should be noted that the gap between the pressure sensor 3 and the action portion 7 is set to a slight extent (for example, about 0.5 mm), so that play (backlash) cannot be felt by the operator. In addition, the compression repulsion force of the compression coil springs 5 and 6 is moderate, and is set to a minimum size that can restore the gap in a state where the external force is lost.

  Therefore, the operation mode of this embodiment will be described. 6 and 7 show a state in which an external force is applied to the grip portion 2 and the grip portion 2 moves in a predetermined forward / backward direction (vertical direction in the figure). As shown in these drawings, the action part 7 protruding from the inner surface 29 of the grip part 2 (the grip part constituting members 2a and 2b) faces the pressure sensor 3, and the grip part 7 is moved forward and backward by a predetermined amount. By moving in the direction (vertical direction in the figure), only one abuts (presses) and the other separates.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, when the grip portion 2 is moved downward (this is assumed to be the front) in the drawing (an external force is applied), the action portion 7 disposed on the upper grip portion constituting member 2a is It abuts on the sensing part of the pressure sensor 3 arranged on one plane 11 of the part 1. At this time, the other action part 7 moves in the direction of separating. The external force applied to the grip portion 2 is detected as a pressure after the contact with the pressure sensor 3. In this way, by applying an external force to one side, the grip portion 2 moves slightly in the direction of the external force, and the magnitude of the external force can be measured. By operating the power assist mechanism in accordance with the degree of pressure detected at this time, it is possible to apply the assist force necessary to alleviate the external force.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7, when the grip portion 2 is operated backward (upward in the drawing), the action portion 7 disposed on the grip portion constituting member 2 b positioned below is opposite to the above. 1 is in contact with the sensing portion of the pressure sensor 3 disposed on the other flat surface 11 and the other action portion 7 is separated. And the pressure given from the action part 7 is detected by the pressure sensor 3 which contacts.

  As described above, in the present embodiment related to the operation grip, when the external force is applied (the operation is started), the compression sensor 5 and 6 always keeps the pressure sensor 3 and the action portion 7 apart from each other. Since the external force concentrated on the action portion 7 can be detected by the pressure sensor 3 while the two are brought into contact with each other, the movement of the grip portion 2 is restricted in a predetermined direction. ) Can be detected in the direction and size. Then, by applying the power assist function to apply the assist force according to the direction and magnitude of the external force (operation force), it is possible to apply the assist force with an appropriate magnitude in a timely manner.

  Next, an embodiment of the present invention relating to a moving body will be described. FIGS. 8 and 9 show a power platform equipped with a power assist function, and FIG. 10 shows a wheelchair equipped with a power assist function. The state which used the operation grip for these transport platforms 100 and 200 and the wheelchair 300 is illustrated. Note that the platform 100 in FIG. 8 is relatively large and the operation units 101 and 102 are installed in the vertical direction. The platform 200 in FIG. 9 is relatively small and the operation units 101 and 102 are inclined. Is provided. In addition, the wheelchair 300 is provided with operation units 101 and 102 on the handle HD. The operation parts 101 and 102 shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 are slanted because the operating force is increased by the elbow flexion and extension when the operator moves forward or backward at such a height that the operator's forearm can be gripped in a substantially horizontal state. This is for easily imparting.

  As shown in these drawings, the basic structure of both moving bodies (platforms) 100 and 200 is a frame FL constituting the main body of the moving body, and a fork-shaped loading platform FO for loading luggage or pallets. And have. At the front end of the fork-shaped carrier FO, rotatable caster-like wheels 103, 104 are provided. No driving force is applied to the wheels 103, 104 so that they can roll, and the offset shaft Is attached to the fork-shaped carrier FO, and can be rotated in a horizontal plane around the offset axis. Drive wheels 105 and 106 are provided at the lower base end of the frame FL. A drive control box 107 is provided at the base end of the frame FL, and a battery (not shown), an electric motor as an actuator, a microcomputer as a calculation means, and the like are mounted. The operation unit 101, 102 is provided on the frame FL, and the operation grip A is installed on the operation unit 101, 102.

  On the other hand, in the basic structure of the wheelchair 300, a chair shape is constituted by the frame FL, caster-like wheels 103 (104) are provided in front thereof, and drive wheels 105, 106 are installed in the rear. Accordingly, the platform 100 and 200 basically have the same structure.

  Here, the operation units 101 and 102, the caster wheels 103 and 104, and the drive wheels 105 and 106 are provided symmetrically, and are provided in pairs. A pair of left and right electric motors for driving the drive wheels 105 and 106 is also prepared, and each individual electric motor has a motor driver. The operation grip A attached to the operation units 101 and 102 is configured as described above (see FIG. 3), and the orientation of the main shaft 1 is such that the two planes 11 and 12 on which the pressure sensor 3 is installed are in the front-rear direction. It is arranged to become. Further, the operating force in both the support portions 101 and 102 is detected by the pressure sensor 3, and the detected value is sent to the microcomputer. Although the microcomputer is a single arithmetic unit, the left and right operating forces are individually processed.

  The detection value of the pressure sensor of the operation grip A attached to the left operation unit 101 is used to control only the left driving wheel 105, and the detection value of the right grip A is control of only the right driving wheel 106. Used for. Accordingly, when the operator applies an operating force to the pair of left and right operation grips A, when both of them apply an operation force in the same forward direction at the same time, the pair of left and right drive wheels 105 and 106 rotate simultaneously and move forward. By going straight and applying the same operating force in the opposite direction, it goes straight backward.

  On the other hand, when a forward or backward operating force is applied to only one of the left and right, only one of the driving wheels 105 (106) rotates, and the direction changes due to the biased rotational driving force. Will be allowed to. Further, even when one operating force is forward, the other is backward, and one of the drive wheels (105) rolls forward, the other (106) rolls backward. Therefore, the direction is changed in a state of turning. The caster-like wheels 103 and 104 are driven freely on the drive wheels 105 and 106, and freely and freely roll according to forward / backward movement or change of direction.

  As described above, when the driving wheels 105 and 106 are rotated by receiving the driving force according to the operation force, the power assist function is provided when the mobile bodies (platform, wheelchair) 100, 200, and 300 are moved. Even when a heavy load (or passenger) is mounted, it can be easily moved by the power assist function.

  By the way, the construction of the pair of left and right operation systems and the drive system is because, firstly, the operation force approximates the moving state when the operation parts 101 and 102 are operated with both hands. This is to simplify the control mechanism.

  That is, when the operator operates the moving bodies 100, 200, and 300 in a state where the assist force is not applied, when moving forward or backward, both the arms push or pull in the moving direction. . In addition, when changing the direction, the left and right are pushed or pulled with different forces. In these operations, the left and right wheels are individually controlled via the left and right operation units 101 and 102. For this reason, the operator's left and right operating forces are reflected on the drive wheels 105 and 106 by separating and controlling the operator's operating forces on the left and right in the same manner.

  In addition, when the operation force detected by the operation grip A in the left and right operation units 101 and 102 is comprehensively calculated and controlled to control the movement direction, the movement amount (movement speed), and the like, an assist that is not intended by the operator. It may cause power to be imparted. For example, when a single controller is used, the controller is operated in four directions, front, rear, left, and right, but the tilt direction (controller direction) deviates from the intended direction even by a slight change in angle. There may be cases. By making these two independent left and right operation units 101 and 102, it is possible to perform an operation that sensuously matches the traveling direction.

  Therefore, an outline of a control system for that purpose will be described. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of the system. As shown in this figure, the operating force (detected value by the pressure sensor circuit) detected by the operating grip A (precisely the pressure sensor) is sent to a microcomputer (hereinafter abbreviated as a microcomputer), The voltage value of the electric motor is calculated according to the magnitude of the detected value along with the presence or absence of detection. The command of the calculated voltage value is sent to the motor driver, and the electric motor (drive motor) is rotated while being controlled to a predetermined voltage value. The rotational driving force by this motor is transmitted to the wheels 105 (, 106), and the wheels (105, 106) are rotated by a predetermined torque (rotational force), and the output shaft of the driving motor (electric motor). (Drive shaft) is installed with an encoder, and the rotation state of the drive shaft measured by the encoder is input to the microcomputer, comparing the drive state based on the calculated value by the microcomputer with the actual drive state, and the command value Is for recalculation.

  The pressure sensor circuit, the microcomputer, the motor driver, and the drive motor all use a battery power source. Information on the voltage of the battery is sent to the microcomputer, and it is determined whether the battery can be operated or charged in accordance with the remaining amount of the battery, and the lighting state of the battery lamp as the display unit is controlled. The lighting state of the battery lamp is made to make the operator aware of the change in color or the distinction of lighting, blinking, extinguishing, etc. based on an arbitrarily defined distinction.

  Although the illustration shows the control system on either the left or right side and has been described based on the illustration, the same applies to the other control system paired therewith. However, a single microcomputer, battery, and battery lamp can be shared by the left and right.

  Since the embodiment of the present invention relating to a mobile object has the above-described configuration, a mobile object having a power assist function can be configured with a relatively simple configuration. The moving body can be used while receiving the assist force by the same operation as the operation in a state where the operator does not use the power assist function, and a suitable use environment is realized.

  Each embodiment of the present invention is as described above. However, these are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. Therefore, the above-described embodiment can be further modified.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 12A, the shaft portion 1 may be a rod-shaped member having a circular cross section, and the cross-sectional shape of the hollow portion by the grip portion 2 may be a substantially oval (long hole). In this case, the pressure sensor 3 is provided in a state along the curved surface, and the action portion 7 is an arcuate end surface capable of contacting the curved surface. A similar function can be obtained by such a change in shape.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG.12 (b), it is good also as a structure which arrange | positions the core material 10 in the center of the axial part 1. FIG. This is because the shaft portion 1 may use a plastic material or the like in order to facilitate processing. Therefore, in order to ensure strength, the core material 10 is placed inside by a rigid material (for example, a metal material). It is inserted. With such a configuration, it is possible to improve the overall strength of the operation grip A, and to prevent the operation grip A from being damaged when a strong push-pull operation is performed when no assist force is applied (normal time). . Further, the signal lines 31 and 32 of the pressure sensor 3 may be arranged in a gap formed by the shaft portion 1 and the grip portion 2. Since the portion that comes into contact with the movement of the grip portion 2 is the sensing portion of the pressure sensor 3 and the end face of the action portion 7, a slight gap is always formed in the other regions (FIGS. 6 and 7). reference). Since the compression coil springs 5 and 6 are provided locally, the signal lines 31 and 32 do not interfere with the operation of the operation grip A if they are wired avoiding the compression coil springs 5 and 6. is there.

  Further, although not shown, the pressure sensor 3 and the action portion 7 are provided on the two planes of the shaft portion 1, respectively, but may be provided only on one side. Such a configuration can be used when the moving body only moves forward and does not move backward. In addition, as is clear from the above embodiment, the pressure sensor 3 and the action unit 7 are arranged as a pair, but the one arranged on each facing surface is exemplified. A plurality may be installed at appropriate intervals. In this case, the operation force acting on the operation grip A may be processed as a total value of values detected by a plurality of pressure sensors. As a representative example of the urging means, two compression coil springs 5 and 6 are arranged on each side of the compression sensor 3 (four in total). In order to obtain a suitable repulsive force, one each (two in total) Or more).

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Shaft part 2 Holding part 3 Pressure sensor 4, 8 Hole 5, 6 Compression coil spring (biasing means)
7 Protrusion (action part)
9 Disc member (stopper means)
11, 12 Two planes 21a, 21b of shaft portion Outer portions 22a, 22b Hollow inner portions 23a, 23b, 24a, 24b Abutting surfaces 25a, 25b, 26a, 26b Joint portions 27a, 27b Through holes 28 Fasteners 29 Holding portions Internal surface 31, 32 Signal line 100, 200, 300 Moving body 101, 102, 201, 202 Operation part 103, 104 Caster wheel 105, 106 Drive wheel 107 Drive control box A Operation grip P1, P2 Pipe-like member (operation Part)
H1, H2 Pipe-shaped hollow interior HD Handle FO Fork-shaped loading platform FL Frame

Claims (10)

An operation grip for operating an actuator used in a power assist device,
A shaft portion fixed to the operation portion of the power assist device;
A cylindrical gripping part mounted in a state of loosely fitting the shaft part;
A pressure sensor in which a sensing part is arranged on the surface of the shaft part;
An action part projecting at a position facing the sensing part of the pressure sensor on the inner surface of the grip part;
An operation grip, comprising: an urging means for urging the pressure sensor and the action portion in directions away from each other.   The operation grip according to claim 1, wherein the pressure sensor is embedded in the shaft portion and is disposed so as to expose a sensing portion on a surface of the shaft portion.   The pressure sensor is at least two pressure sensor groups in which sensing parts are arranged in opposite directions around the axis of the shaft part, and the action part is an individual part of the pressure sensor group from both sides of the shaft part. A group of acting parts projecting on the inner surface of the gripping part so as to individually face the sensing part, and the urging means is bi-directionally separated from each pressure sensor and the acting part The operation grip according to claim 1, wherein the operation grips are two sets of urging means for urging the urging force.   The operation grip according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a signal line connected to the pressure sensor is disposed inside the shaft portion.   The operation grip according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the shaft portion is constituted by a cylindrical body or a hollow body, and a high-rigidity material is inserted into or incorporated in the cylindrical body or the hollow body.   The shaft portion has a rectangular cross-sectional shape in the external shape, the pressure sensor is disposed on one or both of the opposing two sides of the rectangular cross-section, and the grip portion is a cross-sectional shape in the internal shape The action portion is provided on a side opposite to the side on which the pressure sensor is disposed, and a predetermined gap is formed between the side on which the pressure sensor is disposed, 6. The planar portion constituting two opposing sides where the pressure sensor is not provided and the planar portion constituting two opposing sides where the action portion is not provided are in sliding contact with each other. The operation grip according to any one of the above.   The operation grip according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the shaft portion includes stopper means bulged to have a large diameter so that both ends of the grip portion are in sliding contact with each other.   A movable body having a power assist function having the operation grip according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a pair of wheels mounted symmetrically and two actuators for independently driving the wheels And a pair of operation parts installed symmetrically, and each of the pair of operation parts is provided with the operation grip, and the actuator according to the degree of pressure detected by a pressure sensor of the operation grip A moving object characterized by being controlled individually.   The actuator is an electric motor having a motor driver, and includes an arithmetic unit that calculates an assist force based on a value detected by a pressure sensor and calculates a voltage value of the electric motor necessary for the assist force. The moving body according to claim 8, wherein the motor driver controls the output of the electric motor based on the calculated voltage command.   The moving body according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the operation grip provided in the operation unit is installed in a state where pressure sensors are arranged forward, backward, or both front and rear in the traveling direction.

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