JPH0353979Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] <Industrial Application Field> This invention relates to a traveling device that exhibits high running ability on road surfaces with obstacles and uneven terrain.

<Prior Art> Generally, passenger traveling devices are configured to run on relatively smooth paved roads, and on unpaved roads such as rough terrain, large wheels are installed to suit the road surface conditions. Special vehicles with elevated height and four-wheel drive vehicles are used.

However, even with such vehicles, if there is an obstacle higher than the radius of the wheels, the vehicle cannot travel over the obstacle, and the range in which it can travel is limited.

Therefore, the front and rear parts of the vehicle body are equipped with rotating arms that can rotate freely, and wheels are provided at the tips of the arms.When overcoming an obstacle, the rotating arms are rotated to move the wheels at the tips of the arms above the obstacle. A traveling device has been proposed in which the vehicle is placed on a vehicle and further rotates a rotary arm to lift the vehicle body and overcome obstacles (see, for example, Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 157783/1983).

Furthermore, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 59-73372 discloses a rotary arm body that is rotatably attached to a vehicle body and has three or more arm portions protruding radially from the center of rotation, and A wheel rotatably attached to the tip and rotation center, a rotary arm drive mechanism that drives the rotary arm, a wheel drive mechanism that drives the wheel, and a travel mechanism that controls the rotation of the rotary arm and the wheel. A traveling body equipped with a control mechanism has been proposed.

<Problems to be solved by the invention> However, in such a conventionally structured traveling device, when lifting any rotating arm to overcome an obstacle, the balance of the car body will be lost, so the lower surface of the car body must be grounded once. There was an inconvenience that it was necessary to move on to the overcoming motion after letting the vehicle pass.

In addition, in the latter type of traveling body, one rotary arm body requires four or more wheels, which complicates the wheel drive mechanism and requires a means for detecting loads acting on the wheels and collisions with steps. In need of
There was a problem that the travel control mechanism became complicated.

Furthermore, in the case of this traveling body, when overcoming an obstacle with the width of one wheel, the rotating arm body and its wheels on one side will overcome the obstacle, and the rotating arm body and wheels on the opposite side will cross over the obstacle. passes through a flat surface, so on the obstacle side, the tip of the rotating arm body alternately has two wheels in contact with the ground and one wheel in the grounded state, and the rotation axis of the rotating arm body corresponds to the length of the arm part. Repeat the rise and fall for minutes. On the other hand, on the flat surface side, the tip of the rotary arm body is always in a state where the two wheels are in contact with the ground, and the rotation axis of the rotary arm body is at a low position. Therefore, there was a problem in that the height positions of the left and right rotary arm body rotation axes were different, causing the vehicle body to swing.

Note that Japanese Patent Publication No. 34-8854 proposes an automatic stabilizing device for left and right balance as described above.
This automatic stabilizer has a bent shaft on which a heavy load is fitted on the center line of the aircraft, and a shaft on which a weight is hung is related to the bent arm axis, and the heavy object is placed in the opposite direction to the tilting direction of the aircraft. is configured to rotate to maintain the balance of the aircraft.

Therefore, according to this device, when the aircraft is tilted, the heavy object rotates in the opposite direction of the inclination to maintain balance, and although it can prevent the aircraft from overturning, it is difficult to apply it to a passenger traveling system. However, there is a problem in that the vehicle body swings from side to side, resulting in an extremely unstable running condition.

<Purpose of the invention> This invention was developed in consideration of the above points, and it has a great ability to overcome obstacles, and also maintains the balance of the vehicle body when overcoming or straddling obstacles, while maintaining the balance of four-wheel driving. The object of the present invention is to provide a traveling device that can quickly overcome obstacles by continuously running on three wheels with the rotating arm raised, and has a high ability to travel on rough terrain.

<Means for Solving the Problems> The traveling device of this invention has rotary arms that are rotatable in a vertical plane by an arm rotation mechanism and are attached to the left and right sides of the front part of the vehicle body and the left and right sides of the rear part of the vehicle body, Driven by a wheel rotation mechanism, each rotary arm has one at the tip thereof.
A four-wheeled traveling device comprising individually provided wheels and a balance adjustment mechanism for adjusting the balance of the vehicle body, wherein the balance adjustment mechanism includes a guide provided extending in the width direction of the vehicle body. a rail, a balance weight that is movably provided while being guided by the guide rail, a drive mechanism that drives movement of the balance weight, and a balance that controls the drive mechanism in response to the rotating arm that rotationally drives the balance weight. and a weight control device, wherein the balance weight is located at the center in the width direction of the vehicle body when four of the wheels touch the ground, and moves to the side of the opposite side wall of the wheel that is separated from the ground contact surface when three wheels touch the ground. It is characterized in that the drive is controlled as follows, and with this configuration, the above object is achieved.

<Function> This invention is constructed as described above, and when the traveling device runs on four wheels, the balance weights of the balance adjustment mechanism are positioned in the center of both side walls of the vehicle body, and the balance of the vehicle body is adjusted. is retained.

If the traveling device attempts to overcome an obstacle,
One of the front rotating arms is rotated to place the wheel at its tip over an obstacle, and the wheel is raised. At this time, the vehicle body is 3
The wheels are in contact with the ground.

When the three wheels are in contact with the ground, the balance weight of the balance adjustment mechanism moves to the side wall opposite to the raised wheel, thereby balancing the vehicle body and maintaining stability of the vehicle body posture.

<Example> Hereinafter, an example of this invention will be shown in Figures 1 to 6.
This will be explained based on the diagram.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 1 denotes a vehicle body, and a driver's cab 2 is provided in the center of the vehicle body, and a balance adjustment mechanism 30 is provided in the lower part of the driver's cab 2. Furthermore, a pair of left and right rotating arms 5 are provided protruding from the front and rear parts of the vehicle body 1.
A wheel 10 is attached to the tip of each of the wheels.

The rotary arm 5 has a hollow shaft portion 5a at its base end rotatably protruding from the side walls 3 and 4 at the front and rear ends of the vehicle body 1, and rotates in a vertical plane around the hollow shaft portion 5a. It is configured to rotate.

Also, provided within the vehicle body 1 is an arm rotation mechanism 6 that rotates each rotary arm 5 individually. This arm rotation mechanism 6 consists of a motor 7 and gears 8 and 9. The motor 7 has a built-in deceleration device and a brake mechanism, and a gear 8 is attached to its output shaft, and the gear 8 is attached to a hollow shaft portion 5a. It meshes with a fixed gear 9. The rotary arm 5 is rotationally driven by a motor 7, and is configured so that the rotary arm 5 can be fixed at any rotational position by operating a brake mechanism.

Furthermore, a wheel rotation mechanism 11 is provided within the vehicle body 1 to drive each wheel 10 individually. This wheel rotation mechanism 11 includes a motor 12 and a drive shaft 1.
6, sprockets 13, 15, 19, 21, chains 14, 20, etc. The motor 12 has a built-in brake mechanism, a sprocket 13 is attached to its output shaft, and a drive shaft 16
sprocket 15 and sprocket 1 fixed to
A chain 14 is wound between the chain 3 and the chain 14. The drive shaft 16 is rotatably supported by a bearing 17 and a bearing 18, and coaxially passes through the hollow shaft portion 5a of the rotary arm 5, with one end thereof protruding outward from the rotary arm 5. . A sprocket 21 is fixed to the protruding end of the drive shaft 16, and a sprocket 21 is also fixed to an axle 22 rotatably attached to the tip of the rotary arm 5. A chain is connected between the sprockets 19 and 21. 2
0 is wrapped around it. Further, a wheel 10 is attached to this axle 22, and the wheel 10 has a sprocket 21, a chain 20, a sprocket 19, a drive shaft 16, a sprocket 15, a chain 14,
It is configured to be rotationally driven by a motor 12 via a sprocket 13.

The balance adjustment mechanism 30 includes a pair of guide rails 32 extending in the width direction of the vehicle body 1, a balance weight 31 that moves while being guided by the guide rails 32, and a drive mechanism that drives the movement of the balance weight 31. A motor 35 and wire 3
3, pulleys 34 and 36, and switches 40 and 41 as a balance weight control device that controls a drive mechanism corresponding to the rotary arm 5 that is rotationally driven. balance weight 31
In the example, it is made of a thick plate-like metal material and weighs approximately 80 kg.
A pair of guide rails 32 are provided to extend between the side walls 3 and 4, and the guide rails 32 are provided so as to be movable between the side walls 3 and 4. Also,
A wire 33 is connected to the balance weight 31, and the wire 33 is wound around a pulley 36 fixed to the output shaft of a motor 35 via a pulley 34 pivoted near the side walls 3 and 4. . The balance weight 31 is moved via the wire 33 by the rotation of the motor 35, and is located at the center point between the side walls 3 and 4 as shown in FIG. 5A during four-wheel running. . Further, when traveling on three wheels, it is formed so as to move to a point on the side wall 3 side or a point on the side wall 4 side, as shown in FIG. 5B.

The weight balance of the vehicle body 1 by this balance weight 31 will be explained by assuming, for example, that the left and right wheels on the front side of the vehicle body 1 are 10FL and 10FR, and the left and right wheels on the rear side are 10RL and 10RR. When the balance weight 31 is at a point, the balance weight 31 and the wheel 10FL are suspended around the rotation axis G formed by the wheels 10FR, 10RL, and the vehicle body 1 is suspended from the wheels 10FR, 10RL, 10.
Balance is maintained by the RR's three-wheel support.
In addition, the balance weight 31 and the wheel 10RL
are suspended, and the vehicle body 1 has wheels 10FL, 10RR, 1
Balance is maintained by the 0FR's three-wheel support. Furthermore, when the balance weight 31 is at a point, the balance weight 31 is rotated around the rotation axis G.
and the wheel 10RR are suspended, and the vehicle body 1 is the wheel 10
Balance is maintained by supporting the three wheels FR, 10RL, and 10FL, and the balance weight 31 and wheels 10FR are suspended around the rotation axis P, and the vehicle body 1
The balance is maintained by the support of three wheels: 10FL, 10RR, and 10RL.

The movement of the balance weight 31 is performed in conjunction with the separation of the tip of the wheel 10 from the ground surface due to the rotation of the rotary arm 5.The basic circuit shown in FIG. 6 is as follows. controlled by That is, taking as an example the case where the wheel 10FL is raised to provide three-wheel support by the wheels 10FR, 10RL, and 10RR, an operation signal for the rotary arm 5 to which the wheel 10FL is attached is outputted by operation of a control device (not shown). The switch 40 is turned on, the motor 35 rotates in a predetermined direction, and the wire 3
3 to move the balance weight 31 to the point. The switch 41 provided on the point side is turned on by the movement of the balance weight 31, and then the switch 42 of the motor 7 of the arm rotation mechanism 6 is turned on, and the motor 7 is connected to the power source 43 and rotates. 5 is rotationally driven, and the wheel 1
0FL rises.

A switch (not shown) equivalent to the switch 41 is provided on the point side of the side wall 4, and a switch (not shown) equivalent to the switch 42 is provided on each motor 7 of the other rotating arms 5. The rotary arms 5 are configured to operate in response to operation signals for each rotary arm 5 by operation of the respective control devices.

Next, the operation of the traveling device configured as described above will be explained.

First, when driving on a flat road surface, please refer to Figure 4 A.
As shown in FIG.
0 faces inward, the rotary arm 5 is fixed in a substantially horizontal state, the balance weight 31 is positioned at a central point, the vehicle body 1 is kept in a relatively low position, and each wheel 5 is driven to rotate to drive the vehicle. The height of the vehicle body 1 can be arbitrarily adjusted by changing the rotation angle of the rotary arm 5, and the steering operation is performed by changing the rotation speed of the left and right wheels 10.

When climbing over a step, the rotating arm 5 is rotated. First, the four rotary arms 5 are rotated downward (see FIG. 4B) and extended in a substantially hanging shape to increase the vehicle height and raise the lower surface of the vehicle body 1 to a position higher than the step OB. At this time, the balance weight 31 is at a point.

Next, the balance weight 31 is attached to the side wall 4, for example.
Move it to the side point, rotate the front right rotating arm 5 (see Fig. 4C), and turn the wheel 10 at the tip.
Place it on top of the stepped OB. Next, as the vehicle moves forward, the balance weight 31 is moved to a point on the side wall 3 side, and the rotating arm 5 on the left side of the front is rotated to raise the wheel 10 at its tip to the height of the step OB.
As the vehicle body 1 moves forward, the front left wheel 10 becomes uneven.
Reach above OB. Then, for a while until the rear rotary arm 5 is raised as shown in FIG.
The upper four wheels are supported, and the balance weight 31 is at a point.

Next, the balance weight 31 is moved to a point, and the rear right rotary arm 5 is rotated (see FIG. 4D) so that the wheel 10 at the tip thereof is placed on the step OB. Continue moving forward, move the balance weight 31 to the point, and rotate the rear left rotating arm 5.
is rotated to raise the wheel 10 at the tip thereof to the height of the step OB, and the wheel 10 reaches above the step OB. Then, the vehicle body 1 is supported by four wheels on the step OB, and the balance weight 31 returns to the point.

Subsequently, as the vehicle moves forward, the front right wheel 10 hits a bump.
When the end of the OB is reached, the balance weight 31 is moved to the point, and the wheel 10 moves further forward until it reaches the step.
When the vehicle passes the OB end, the rotating arm 5 on the front right side is rotated, and the wheel 10 at the tip thereof is brought into contact with the road surface GL. Next, move the balance weight 31 to a point, rotate the front left rotary arm 5 (see Fig. 4E), and move the wheel 10 at the tip to the road surface.
Ground to GL. And the rear right wheel 10
For a while until the vehicle reaches the end of the step OB, the front wheels 10 of the vehicle body 1 are supported on the road surface GL, the rear wheels 10 are supported on the step OB, and the balance weight 31 is at a point.

Furthermore, as the front right wheel 10 moves forward, the front right wheel 10 becomes uneven.
When reaching the OB end, the balance weight 31 is moved to a point, and when this wheel 10 crosses the step OB end, the rear right rotary arm 5 is rotated to bring the wheel 10 at its tip into contact with the road surface GL. continue,
When the balance weight 31 is moved to a point and the rear left wheel 10 crosses the step OB end, the rear left rotary arm 5 is rotated and the wheel 1 at the tip thereof is rotated.
0 is installed on the road surface GL.

This completes the step over the step OB, and the vehicle body 1
is supported by four wheels on the road surface GL, and the balance weight 31 returns to the point. And each rotating arm 5
The vehicle is rotated inward (see Figure 4F), the vehicle height is lowered, and each rotary arm 5 is fixed in a substantially horizontal position, returning to the normal driving position (see Figure 4G). ). From FIG. 4A to FIG. 4G, the vehicle body 1 travels continuously by rotating four or three of the wheels 10 that are in contact with the ground, and the vehicle body 1 maintains a stable posture. Well, step OB
will be overcome.

Furthermore, even if the road surface is step-like, it is possible to move up and down by applying the rotation of each rotary arm 5 and the movement of the balance weight 31 in the same way as described above. When traveling on a sloped road surface, the vehicle body 1 can be driven horizontally by changing the rotation angles of the front and rear rotating arms 5. Furthermore, in the case of a convex or concave obstacle with the width of one wheel on the road surface, by operating the rotating arm 5 on that side and the balance adjustment mechanism 30, the wheel 10 on that side moves to remove the obstacle. You can straddle and pass obstacles without turning the steering wheel. In addition, on rough terrain where irregularly shaped obstacles exist, the balance adjustment mechanism 3
0 and rotate the rotary arm 5 to run over or over obstacles, allowing the vehicle to travel over rough terrain.

It should be noted that this invention is not limited to the above-mentioned explanation and illustrations, and its embodiments can be modified within a range that does not depart from the technical idea of this invention. For example, one engine is equipped as a drive source for the wheels 10, and the engine rotates the drive shafts 16 of four wheel rotation mechanisms via a main drive shaft, two differentials, and so on. Good too. In this case, each drive shaft 16 is provided with a brake mechanism, and steering is performed by operating the brake mechanisms individually to change the rotational speed of the left and right wheels 10.

Further, instead of the balance weight 31, the driver's seat itself may be used as a balance weight and moved from side to side to adjust the balance. Furthermore, the rotational drive of the wheels may be a two-wheel drive of front wheels or rear wheels. In addition, the motor 7 of the arm rotation mechanism 6,
A rotation position detector for the rotation arm 5 may be provided to control the rotation position of the rotation arm 5 and to adjust the amount of movement of the balance weight 31 in accordance with the rotation position of the rotation arm 5.

<Effects of the invention> With this invention, the traveling device has the above-mentioned configuration, and the rotating arms are rotated individually, and the wheels provided at the tips of the arms are placed on the obstacle to move it over the obstacle. This gives you great ability to overcome obstacles. In addition, when overcoming obstacles, the balance adjustment mechanism allows the vehicle to be balanced while moving from four-wheel driving to three-wheel driving with the rotating arm raised, allowing continuous driving to overcome obstacles. It can demonstrate high maneuverability. Furthermore, on rough terrain where unstable obstacles exist irregularly, the rotary arm can run over or straddle the obstacles, thereby demonstrating high running ability on rough terrain.

In addition, by extending the rotating arms downward to increase the vehicle height, it is possible to improve the ability to cross rivers, etc., and by making each rotating arm face inward and in a substantially horizontal position, a small turning radius can be obtained. Furthermore, by extending each rotary arm substantially horizontally to the front and rear of the vehicle body, high running stability can be obtained, and it is possible to cope with various running conditions.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a side view of the traveling device according to the embodiment of this invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional plan view showing the arm rotation mechanism and wheel rotation mechanism, and FIGS. 4A to 4G are steps. 5A and 5B are plan views illustrating the operation of the balance adjustment mechanism, and FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram showing the balance adjustment mechanism. 1...Vehicle body, 3...Right side wall, 4...Left side wall, 5
...Rotating arm, 6...Arm rotation mechanism, 10...
...Wheel, 30...Balance adjustment mechanism, 31...Balance weight.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] Rotating arms rotatable in a vertical plane by an arm rotation mechanism and attached to the left and right sides of the front and rear sides of the vehicle body, respectively; A four-wheeled traveling device comprising: one wheel provided at each end of a rotating arm; and a balance adjustment mechanism for adjusting the balance of the vehicle body, wherein the balance adjustment mechanism is configured to adjust the width of the vehicle body. a guide rail provided extending in the direction; a balance weight provided so as to be movable while being guided by the guide rail; a drive mechanism that drives movement of the balance weight; and a balance weight control device for controlling the drive mechanism, wherein the balance weight is located at the center in the width direction of the vehicle body when four wheels of the vehicle are in contact with the ground, and is separated from the ground surface when three wheels are in contact with the ground. A traveling device characterized in that the driving device is controlled to move to the side of the opposite wall.