JPH02276407A - Center of gravity shifting type robot movable on cable - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] <Industrial application field> This connection is the connection surface that exists around the overhead wire.

While avoiding obstacles such as utility poles and drop lines autonomously or in accordance with the operator's operations, it is possible to monitor the deterioration of equipment 2 communication cables around the overhead lines, the hanging wires that suspend the communication cables, the connection surfaces, etc. This invention relates to a mobile overhead line mobile robot with a moving center of gravity that performs inspections and wiring work.

Note that "avoiding autonomously" means that the robot itself detects and recognizes obstacles using its own sensors, and avoids obstacles based on that information, without requiring the help of an operator.

<Prior art> As a conventional catenary mobile robot used for maintenance and inspection of communication cables, etc., the one shown in Fig.
It is proposed in No. 8292. As shown in FIG. 7, this overhead line mobile robot has three mechanisms as one unit 05: a wheel running means 02 for traveling on an overhead line 01, a horizontal turning means 03, and a vertical movable means 04. 05 are connected, and the above three means 02, 03, 04
By individually controlling actuators (not shown) by the controller 06, it is possible to avoid not only connection surfaces and cable rings, but also avoidance of utility poles and branch lines.

It is possible to move between parallel lines and avoid irregularly existing obstacles and obstacles in the left and right direction of the overhead wire.

Here, two concrete ways of avoiding obstacles by the conventional overhead line mobile robot will be shown.

Figure 8 shows how to avoid utility poles.

Fig. 8fa), (In bl, when the first unit of multiple sets of units 05 approaches the telephone pole, this unit 05
The arm 07 of the wheel traveling means 0 is raised and rotated.
2 from the rack 1j101 to avoid the telephone pole, and move the following units 05 one after another in the same way. And FIG. 8(e)
, (d), the unit 05 that has crossed the utility pole now turns in the opposite direction, lowers the arm 07, and returns to moving above the overhead wire 01. In this way, utility poles are avoided.

FIG. 9 shows a case where the overhead line moving robot moves between parallel lines. In this case, as shown in Figure (b), first raise and turn the arms 07 of the first and second units 05, remove the wheel traveling means 02 from the overhead wire, lower the arms 07, and then lower the arms 07 of the first and second units 05. 05 is rotated in the same manner, and when the arm 07 of the leading unit 05 is raised and reaches the adjacent overhead wire (FIG. 9 (C1)), the arm 07 is lowered and the leading unit 05 is suspended on the adjacent overhead wire. In this way, the mobile robot is moved onto a parallel line by making the second and third movements one after another (FIG. 9(d)).

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> However, in the conventional catenary mobile robot shown in FIG. 7, as shown in the plan view in FIG. changes greatly, and each unit 05 tilts significantly, as shown in the front view in FIG. Of course, inclination also occurs during avoidance operations in other modes.

In order to minimize such inclinations and avoid all obstacles, it is necessary to connect a large number of the above-mentioned units 05 in conventional overhead wire mobile robots, and as a result, the number of actuators has increased. The problem remained that so many were needed.

Furthermore, conventional overhead line mobile robots were unable to change direction on the overhead line.

Therefore, if the utility pole 08 is built to the side of the overhead line as shown in Figure 12, the arm 07 of the overhead line moving robot
Utility pole 08 erected on one side because the protruding part 09 of the
I just can't avoid it. That is, in FIG. 12, when the protruding part 09 of the arm 07 is suspended with the overhead wire 01 as the center and located on the opposite side of the utility pole 08, as in state A, the utility pole 08 is suspended from the upside down l1 of the arm 07.
libt! However, as in condition B, arm 0
When the protruding part 09 of 7 is suspended on the same side as the utility pole 08 with the overhead wire 01 as the center, there is a drawback that the protruding part 09 becomes a hindrance and the utility pole 08 cannot be avoided.

The purpose of the present invention is to improve the position, shape, and size of obstacles that exist irregularly on overhead wires and obstacles that exist in the horizontal direction of overhead wires.
It has a sensor that can measure the position of the branch line, the branch angle of the 2nd branch line, etc., and can autonomously move the 1st branch line to avoid obstacles. Furthermore, by enabling the robot to change direction forward and backward, To provide a center-of-gravity moving type catenary mobile robot having a simpler and more compact configuration and capable of moving while avoiding all utility poles even when utility poles are erected on both sides of the vehicle.

Means for Solving the Problems> In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a wheel drive mechanism that runs wheels in the longitudinal direction on an overhead wire, and a wheel drive mechanism that is connected to an arm that is supported by the wheel and suspended. a vertical movable mechanism that relatively moves the lever arm in a vertical direction; a connecting rotation mechanism that arranges two sets of the wheels, wheel drive mechanisms, arms, and vertical movable mechanisms and connects the two sets; A weight rotatably attached horizontally to the lower part of the coupling rotation mechanism, a weight rotation mechanism that rotates the weight, and a controller that individually controls the wheel drive mechanism, the vertical movable mechanism, the coupling rotation mechanism, and the weight rotation mechanism. Further, the wheels are provided on the arm so that when the coupling rotation mechanism is activated and the vertical movable mechanisms are overlapped, the wheels are positioned without contacting each other. That is.

Effects> In the present invention, by rotating the weight for moving the center of gravity with the weight turning means provided at the bottom of the device, tilting during avoidance operation can be prevented, and the mechanism is compact and has a small number of units. It can autonomously avoid obstacles and move along branch lines.

Embodiment Hereinafter, an embodiment of the center-of-gravity moving overhead wire mobile robot according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1(a) is a front view showing a schematic configuration of an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1(b) is a side view thereof, and FIG. 1(C) is a plan view showing a part of FIG. 11. be.

In these figures, the overhead wire 1 is a suspension wire that serves to hang a communication cable. The traveling wheels 2 are driven by a wheel drive mechanism 3. The arm 4 has a shape as shown in FIG. 1(b), and the wheel 2 is rotatably connected to the tip of its upper end 4A, and the arm 4 moves as the wheel 2 rotates. . At the upper end of arm 4, there is a
As shown in b), a U-shaped bent portion is formed, and the arm 4 is held in a vertically movable state by a vertical movable mechanism 5 disposed at the bottom of the arm 4. Further, two of the vertical movable mechanisms 5 each having an arm 4 are rotatably connected via a connecting rotation mechanism 6. That is, this connecting rotation mechanism 6 is provided in the main body frame 7, and can rotate horizontally about the AA' axis in the figure as a rotation center.

An ultrasonic sensor 8°9 is attached to the upper part of one arm 4, and the ultrasonic sensor 8 emits ultrasonic waves in the forward direction α, and the ultrasonic sensor 9 emits ultrasonic waves backward β in the moving direction.

Further, a reflector support rod 11 is horizontally fixed to one of the vertically movable mechanisms 5, and an ultrasonic sensor 10 is installed on the vertically movable mechanism 5 at the base end side of the reflector support rod 11. A disc-shaped reflector 12 is installed at the tip of the reflector 11 at an angle of 45° upward. The ultrasonic wave γ emitted from the ultrasonic sensor 10 toward the reflection plate 12 is reflected by the reflection plate 12 and directed upward.

The ultrasonic sensors 8, 9, and 10 are controlled by the controller 16, and by sensing with the ultrasonic sensors 8, 9, and 10, the width and height of obstacles can be measured, and the branching angle of branched cotton can be determined. Take measurements. Furthermore, such a measurement.

Details regarding the control are disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 62-314269, etc., and therefore, description thereof will be omitted here.

Further, a weight 14 is provided at the bottom of the main body frame 7.
4 is attached via a weight rotation mechanism 13 that rotates the weight. In other words, this weight rotation mechanism 13 is
The weight 14 is horizontally rotated about the -A' axis as the center of rotation.

and the wheel drive mechanism 3. The vertical movable mechanism 5, the connected rotation mechanism 61, and the weight rotation mechanism 13 are each individually controlled by a controller 15.

An obstacle avoidance operation and a moving operation to a branch line by the center-of-gravity moving overhead line mobile robot of the present invention having the above-described configuration will be explained with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. In addition, in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the ultrasonic sensor is omitted for simplicity. Also, the actual arm is U-shaped, but it is drawn straight for short.

First, an operation for avoiding the obstacle 20 will be explained with reference to FIG. First, the robot moves on the overhead wire 1 as shown in FIG. 2(a). When the vehicle approaches the obstacle 20, the front arm 4 is raised as shown in FIG. 2(b), and the rear wheels 2 are rotated to create a state as shown in FIG. 2(c). Then, lower the front arm 4 as shown in Fig. 2 (dl), bring the wheel 2 into contact with the obstacle 20, and place the weight 14 on top of the obstacle 20 as shown in Fig. 2 (dl).
Rotate 180 degrees from the state of cl to the state shown in Fig. 2 fdl. At this time, the center of gravity moves toward the front wheels 2, and sufficient frictional force acts between the wheels 2 and the obstacle 20, so by rotating the front wheels 2, the main body moves forward. You can do it.

Next, raise the rear arm 4 and move the main body further forward to reach the state shown in Figure 2 (el).
4 is rotated 180° from the state shown in FIG. Lower the front wheel 2 to contact the overhead wire 1, and as shown in Figure 2 (
Make it into a state like fl. Then, the front wheel 2 is rotated to move the main body forward, and after the rear wheel 2 has completely avoided the obstacle 20 as shown in FIG. 2(g), the rear arm 4 is lowered and the rear wheel 2 Avoidance of the obstacle 20 is completed by bringing the object into contact with the overhead wire 1.

Next, the movement operation from the overhead wire 1 to the branch s30 will be explained with reference to FIG. First, the position of the branch point P and the branch angle θ between the overhead wire 1 and the branch line 30 are measured by the ultrasonic sensors 8, 9, and 10. Next, raise the front arm 4 and rotate the connecting rotation mechanism 6 based on the measured values as shown in Fig. 3(a).
The main body is moved so that the branch point P coincides with the extension line of the rotation center A-A'. Next, as shown in Fig. 3 (bl), lower the front arm 4 to bring the front wheel 2 into contact with the branch line 30. Next, as shown in Fig. 3 (cl), rotate the weight 14 and move the Shift the center of gravity toward the front wheels 2.Next, rotate the front wheels 2 as shown in Figure 3(d) to move the main body forward.Then, as shown in Figure 3(e), the center of gravity moves towards the front wheels 2. By rotating the mechanism 6 and lowering the rear arm 4 to bring the rear wheel 2 into contact with the branched cotton 30, the overhead line 1
The movement from to the branch line 30 is completed.

This robot is equipped with a controller 15 that individually controls each mechanism 3, 5, 6, and 13 shown in Fig. 1, and sensors 8, 9, and 1.
By using a radio controller as the controller 16 that controls each of the 0 and 0 individually, as shown in FIG. 4, inspection and wiring work can be carried out wirelessly by the operator's operation.

In addition, if the main body is equipped with a one-board microcomputer and an obstacle avoidance program is installed, inspections and wiring work can be performed autonomously without the need for operator intervention.

Furthermore, a front view showing the schematic configuration of another embodiment is shown in FIG.
al, and the side view is shown in the same figure (b). As is clear from these figures, the difference between this embodiment and the first embodiment shown in FIG.
The difference is that the shapes of A and 4B are different.

That is, when attempting to change the mobile robot shown in FIG. 1 in the front-back direction, the connecting rotation mechanism 6 is operated to move the vertical movable mechanism 5 to which the arm 4 is attached horizontally by 180 degrees. This is done by rotating, moving one arm 4 to the side where the other arm 4 is located, and moving the other arm 4 to the side where one arm 4 is located. However, in the first embodiment, since the respective rotation radii of the arms 4 measured from the rotation center of the coupling rotation mechanism 6 are the same size, when the coupling rotation mechanism 6 is rotated 180 degrees, the wheels 2A and 2B are The two overlap and it is not possible to change direction. Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG.
A.

The upper end 4 of the arm 4 so that the 2B do not overlap each other.
The lengths of A and 4B are set to be different. Further, the other configurations are the same as those of the previously described embodiment shown in FIG. 1, so detailed explanation will be omitted.

Next, the operation of the mobile robot according to this embodiment will be explained using FIG. 6. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, front and rear wheels 2A are used to further stabilize posture control of the mobile robot.

Although the number of 2Bs is two each, it is of course possible to use a plurality of other numbers or one as shown in FIG.

Therefore, first, as shown in FIG. 6(a), the weight 14 is rotated to the left in the figure to move the center of gravity toward the left wheel 2A. Next, raise the arm 4 on the right side in the figure and move the right wheel 2B.
from the overhead wire 1, and slightly rotate the right vertical movable mechanism 5 counterclockwise 9. Next, as shown in FIG. 6(b), lower the right arm 4, and as shown in FIG. 6(C), while rotating the right vertical movable mechanism 5 clockwise, move the right wheel 2B to the overhead wire 1. Pass under it.

Then, as shown in FIG. 6 [d], the right arm 4 is raised, and the right vertical movable mechanism 5 is further rotated to overlap the left and right vertical movable mechanisms 5, as shown in FIG. 6 [6]. Then, the right arm 4 is lowered to bring the right wheel 2B into contact with the overhead wire 1, resulting in the state shown in FIG. 6(f). At this time, since the lengths of the left and right arm upper end portions 4A, 4B are different, the wheels 2A, 2B
do not overlap.

Next, as shown in Fig. 6(g), raise the left arm 4 to remove the two left wheels from the overhead wire 1, and rotate the left vertical movable mechanism 5 slightly clockwise as shown in Fig. 6(h). After that, the left arm 4 is lowered, and the left vertical movable mechanism 5 is further rotated clockwise as shown in FIG. 6 [i], so that the left wheel 2A passes under the overhead wire 1.

Next, raise the left arm as shown in Figure 6 (H), then slightly rotate the left vertical movable mechanism 5 counterclockwise as shown in Figure 6 (□□□), lower the left arm 4, and lower the left arm. The robot wheel 2A is brought into contact with the frame Ill, and the direction change of the robot is completed by bringing the robot into a state as shown in FIG. 6(j).

By the way, in this embodiment, the shape of each arm 4,
By making the lengths different, the wheels 2 were prevented from coming into contact with each other when changing direction, but other than that, the shape and length of the arms 4 were the same (but instead, the mounting positions of each wheel 2 were changed). A similar effect may be achieved by shifting the wheel 9 or by changing the size of the wheel 2.

<Effects of the Invention> As specifically explained above in conjunction with the embodiments, according to the present invention, the weight provided at the lower part of the coupling rotation mechanism is rotated by the weight rotation means according to the obstacle avoidance mode. Instead of minimizing the tilt of the main body caused by the center of gravity moving away from the vertically downward direction of the overhead wire when avoiding obstacles by connecting multiple units as in the past, we adjusted the weight to match the change in the center of gravity. By adaptively rotating the device, the inclination of the main body is suppressed, so there is no need to mount a large number of actuators as in conventional devices, and an extremely compact device can be realized.

In addition, by providing the wheels on the arm of the vertical movable mechanism so that when the connected rotation mechanism is activated and the vertical movable mechanisms are superimposed, the wheels are positioned without contact, a robot that could not be realized with conventional technology. It is now possible to change direction, and even if utility poles are erected on both sides of the overhead line, it has the effect of allowing you to proceed while avoiding all of the utility poles.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 [a] is a front view showing a first embodiment of a center-of-gravity moving type catenary mobile robot according to the present invention, Fig. 1 fb) is a side view thereof, and Fig. 1 [0] is Fig. 1 (in al). FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the obstacle avoidance process according to this embodiment. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the branch line moving process according to this embodiment. A configuration diagram showing a modified example, Fig. 5 (
a) is a front view showing the second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5(b)
1 is a side view thereof, FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a part of FIG. A schematic configuration diagram showing the robot, Fig. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the obstacle avoidance process by a conventional mobile robot, Fig. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing the parallel line movement process by the conventional mobile robot, and Fig. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the conventional movement process. Fig. 11 is a plan view showing the robot, Fig. 11 is a front view showing the tilted state of a conventional mobile robot, and Fig. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing an avoidance method when there is an intervening utility pole. , 2B is the wheel, is the wheel drive mechanism 1, 4A, 4B is the arm, is the vertical movable mechanism, is the connecting rotation mechanism, is the main body frame 1, 9 and 10 are the ultrasonic sensors, 1 is the reflector support rod, 2 is the reflector 3 is a weight rotation mechanism, 4 is a weight, 5 is a controller that individually controls the drive mechanism, and 16 is a controller that individually controls the sensors. (d) 2nd (C tsuku 2nd to (in())) 6 Figure 6 Figure 6 (k) (e) Figure 6 Figure 9 (h) Figure 8 Figure 10-22

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A wheel drive mechanism that causes the wheels to run in the longitudinal direction on an overhead wire; a vertical movable mechanism that is connected to an arm that is supported by the wheel and hangs and moves the arm in a relative vertical direction; and the wheel , two sets consisting of a wheel drive mechanism, an arm, and a vertical movable mechanism are arranged side by side, a connecting rotation mechanism connects these two sets and rotates them horizontally, and a rotatably attached to the bottom of this connecting rotation mechanism. A center-of-gravity moving catenary mobile robot comprising a weight, a weight rotation mechanism that rotates the weight, and a controller that individually controls the wheel drive mechanism, vertical movable mechanism, connected rotation mechanism, and weight rotation mechanism. . (2) The wheels are provided on the arm so that when the connecting rotation mechanism is activated and the vertical movable mechanism is superimposed, the wheels are positioned in a non-contact manner. An overhead wire mobile robot with a moving center of gravity.