JPS6237287A - Wheel running device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable to perform steering without additionally providing a steering mechanism or the oscillating mechanisms for driven wheels, by a method wherein a center of gravity is positioned between a pair of driving wheels, and the driven wheels are situated both in front and in the rear of the center of gravity. CONSTITUTION:A robot body 21 is provided with a pair of driving wheels 22, and a pair of front legs 23 and a pair of rear legs 24, each having two joints. An auxiliary wheel 25 is attached to the tip of each of the front legs 23, and an auxiliary wheel 26 is attached to the tip of each of the rear legs 24. The legs 23 and 24, the driving wheels 22, and the auxiliary wheels 25 and 26 are used in combination, and this enables the robot to run over an obstacle even if it is relatively large.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <Industrial Application Field> The present invention relates to a wheel running device, and is intended to be capable of turning and turning using a convenient mechanism.

<Prior Art> Examples of conventionally used wheel running devices will be explained based on FIGS. 5 to 8, which are shown in bottom views.

The one shown in Fig. 5 is used in automobiles, and consists of a traveling device main body 3 equipped with wheels 1 with a fixed steering direction and wheels 2 with a steering mechanism, and one or both wheels. has a drive device.

By the way, this method requires a complicated steering mechanism.

The one shown in FIG. 6 has one wheel 2 having a steering mechanism, making the total number of wheels three. In example B, the steering mechanism is somewhat simplified compared to that shown in FIG.

The one shown in FIG. 7 is an example in which all wheels 4 have a steering mechanism and a drive@J mechanism. This system combines rotation and parallel movement in any direction, but it is complicated because both steering and driving are independent mechanisms for the four wheels.

The one shown in FIG. 8 is an example having one pair of driving wheels 5 and two pairs of omnidirectional driven wheels 6 such as casters. This method requires complicated steering 8! Although a structure is not required, the omnidirectional driven wheel 6 must be a driven wheel such as a cask or a ball that rotates in all directions.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> In order to change the direction, conventionally used wheel running devices require a steering device or a cask to change the direction of rotation of the wheels in addition to the wheel drive device. A mechanism was needed to change it. For this reason, it has been impossible to turn or travel around curves with devices that cannot be equipped with a mechanism to change the direction of rotation of the wheels.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above-mentioned prior art, an object of the present invention is to provide a wheel running device that can change direction without using a complicated mechanism such as a steering device.

Means for Solving the Problems> The present invention that achieves the above object includes a pair of drive wheels whose rotation can be controlled independently on the left and right sides and whose steering direction is fixed at a position that supports the center of gravity of the traveling device main body. In addition, it is special that driven wheels whose steering direction is fixed are arranged in front and rear positions of the driving wheels.

Action〉 A pair of runners! When the II wheels rotate in the same direction at a constant speed, the vehicle travels straight, and when the directions of rotation are opposite to each other, the vehicle turns.

Example of implementation Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view thereof. As shown in both figures, in this embodiment, the traveling device main body 11 has drive wheels 1 whose rotations can be controlled independently on the left and right sides.
2, and driven wheels 13 that are rotated by external force are provided in front and behind the driven wheels 13. The center of gravity 14 of the entire device is on a straight line connecting the pair of drive wheels. Each of the wheels 12 and 13 does not have a steering device or a swing mechanism using external force.

In this embodiment, if the pair of drive wheels 12 rotate at the same speed and in the same direction, the traveling device main body 11 moves straight. The case of rotation in the opposite direction at a constant speed will be explained with reference to FIG. In this case, unless there is slippage between the four driven wheels 13 and the floor surface, the traveling device main body 11 cannot rotate.
If the center of gravity 14 is on the straight line connecting the two drive wheels 12 and most of the weight is on the drive wheels 12 as in this embodiment, then if it is on a plane, the driven wheels 13 will change their direction of rotation. (However, the hem allows the traveling device main body 11 to rotate in the direction of the arrow and change the direction. If the speed difference between the pair of drive wheels 12 is not very large, the traveling device main body 11 can be rotated by the same hem. 11 can run in a curve.

Next, a mobile robot to which this wheel running device is applied will be explained based on FIG. As shown in the figure, the robot body 21
The vehicle is equipped with a pair of drive wheels 22, as well as a pair of front legs 23 and a pair of rear legs 24 having two wheels. A training wheel 25 is attached to the tip of the front leg 23, and a training wheel 26 is attached to the tip of the rear leg 24. In the figure, only one of the drive wheels 22, one of the rear legs 24, and one of the auxiliary wheels 26 are hidden and cannot be seen. Each training wheel at the tip of the leg 2
5.26 is equipped with a brake and a drive mechanism, and can rotate by itself as a driving wheel, but when the brake is released (and there is no driving force), it rotates by external force and becomes a driven wheel.

As schematically shown in FIG. 4 (al to ffl), the mobile robot with such a configuration uses legs 23, 24, drive wheels 22, and auxiliary wheels 25, 26 in combination to overcome relatively large obstacles. Even if it happens, you can overcome it.

Next, we will explain the entire state in which this mobile robot travels on a plane. If the mobile robot uses the auxiliary wheels 25 and 26 at the tips of the legs as driven wheels with the legs 23 and 24 in the posture shown in FIG. 3, it will have the same wheel configuration as in FIGS. The center of gravity of the robot is placed on a straight line connecting the centers of the pair of drive wheels 22. Therefore, without adding a steering mechanism to the auxiliary wheels 25 and 26, the vehicle can turn and travel straight on a plane by controlling the rotation of the drive wheels 22.

After all, in devices such as the device shown in FIG. 3, where it is difficult to attach a steering mechanism to the driven wheels due to space and control considerations, the structure of the traveling device according to the present invention is simple and extremely useful.

<Effects of the Invention> As specifically explained above in conjunction with the embodiments, according to the present invention, the center of gravity is placed between a pair of driving wheels, and the traveling device is provided with driven wheels in front and behind the driving wheels, so that the steering mechanism or Steering can be performed without adding a oscillation mechanism for the driven wheels, which is extremely effective in simplifying the mechanism.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view thereof, FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a mobile robot to which the present invention is applied, and FIGS. 4(a) to (fl are mobile robots). 5 to 8 are bottom views showing the prior art. In the drawings, 11 is the traveling device main body, 12 is the driving wheel, 13 is the driven wheel, 14 is the center of gravity, and 21 22 is the robot body, 22 is the driving wheel, 23 is the front leg, 24 is the rear leg, and 25 and 26 are the auxiliary wheels.Patent applicant: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A pair of drive wheels whose rotation can be controlled independently on the left and right and whose steering direction is fixed are provided at positions that support the center of gravity of the traveling device body, and driven wheels whose steering direction is fixed are provided at front and rear positions of the drive wheels. A wheel running device characterized by the following arrangement.