JPH0233554B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Field of Application] The present invention relates to a mobile robot used in nuclear power related work, and more particularly to an automatic staircase ascending and descending device for a robot.

[Conventional technology]

In recent years, research and development of mobile robots for extreme work such as nuclear power-related work robots has become active.
As one of the robot running technologies, it is desired that the robot be able to go up and down stairs without falling down. In general, the stairway running mechanism for robots includes wheel-type, crawler-type, leg-type, etc. Among these, the crawler type is currently the most popular in terms of controllability and energy efficiency. An example of this crawler-type robot is Utility Application No. 58-66877 titled ``Traveling Device.''

When a robot driver moves the robot up a flight of stairs by remote manual control, the driver must constantly check the robot's posture and recognize the outside world under optimal control. This optimal control is possible by observing the robot from the outside and outputting commands to the robot.
It is difficult to control the robot using sensors or ITV cameras installed on the robot without being able to observe it from the outside. In particular, when going up and down stairs, there is a problem that there is a high risk that the robot will fall due to erroneous operation.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic elevator device for a robot that automatically ascends and descends stairs and prevents the robot from falling.

[Means and actions for solving problems]

This invention uses various sensors installed inside the robot to control its own posture and automatically go up and down stairs, and detects the angle with the front and rear arms when it starts and ends going up and down the stairs. The purpose is to provide means for controlling the robot to prevent it from falling based on the value.

〔Example〕

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 indicates a stair-climbing basic posture creation means, and in this means 1, a robot main body 1 is placed on a stairway 11.
2 is stopped in the rising position. At this time, the front arm 12a of the robot main body 12 is set at 45 degrees from the floor surface (hereinafter this angle is referred to as θ ₁ ) so that it can easily contact the first step of the stairs, and the rear arm 12b is The angle is set at 30 degrees from the floor (hereinafter this angle will be referred to as θ ₂ ) so that the floor can be easily detected.

2 is a means for creating a stair-climbing movement posture, and this means 2
After the basic posture creating means 1 is created, when a stair detection sensor (not shown) provided on the forearm is activated, the stair climbing operation is started.

The robot main body 12 starts climbing the stairs, the rear arm detects the stairs, and if this detected value is less than a predetermined value, the robot moves forward. The means at this time is the stair climbing posture control means 3. This control means 3 controls the robot body 1.
2 goes up the stairs and detects the angle of inclination of the stairs while ascending the stairs. After detecting this inclination angle, when the forearm angle becomes -30 degrees (hereinafter referred to as _θ3 ) or less, the robot body stops running. Such means is the final posture creating means 4. This final stage posture creating means 4 and the stair climbing posture controlling means 3 prevent the robot main body 12 from falling down the stairs.

In the final posture creating means 4, the forearm 1
After 2a detects the presence or absence of stairs, the robot body 1
2 moves forward and when the inclination angle of its main body 12 becomes in the decreasing direction, the operation of the stair-climbing end basic posture creating means 5 starts. This basic posture creating means 5 stops running when the robot body 12 becomes horizontal, and assumes the same basic posture as in the stair climbing basic posture creating means 1.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of each means used when the robot main body 12 descends the stairs 11. Since the operation is the reverse of that of FIG. 1, only the structure thereof is shown. Reference numeral 16 designates a stair descent basic posture creation means, 7 a stair descent movement posture creation means, 8 a stair descent posture control means, 9 a stair descent final stage posture creation means, and 10 a stair descent end basic posture creation means.

Next, the robot body 1 shown in Figures 1 and 2
The specific configuration of the main parts of 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B. In FIGS. 3A and 3B, reference numeral 21 denotes two parallel support members on which equipment and the like are mounted, and mounting stands 22 and 23 are attached to both front and rear ends of the support members. The mounting base 22 includes a tilt sensor 22a that detects the tilt of the robot body in the front-back direction;
A tilt sensor 22b is provided to detect the tilt of the robot body in the left-right direction. Further, the mounting bases 22 and 23 are provided with bearing portions 24 and 25,
Main shafts 26 and 27, which are perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, are rotatably supported by the bearings 24 and 25, respectively. The front main shaft 26 has a pair of front arms 12a that are parallel to each other in the front-rear direction.
The proximal ends of the two are connected. A front wheel axle 28 is attached to the tip of the front arm 12a at right angles to the front-rear direction. 29 is a front rubber wheel. A stair detection sensor 30 is provided on the main shaft 26 side of the forearm 12a, and this sensor 30 determines whether the front arm 12a has hit a stair.

A worm wheel 31 is attached to the longitudinal center of the main shaft 26, and the worm drive shaft 3 of the forearm drive device 32 attached to the mounting base 22 is attached to the worm wheel 31.
3 are engaged. Rear main shaft 27
The base ends of a pair of rear arms 12b, which are parallel to each other in the front-rear direction and are connected by a connecting member 34, are connected to the rear arms 12b.
A rear wheel shaft 35 is attached to the tip of the rear arm 12b, and a rear rubber wheel 36 is rotatably attached to the shaft 35. A worm wheel 37 is attached to the center of the rear main shaft 27, and a worm drive shaft 39 of a rear arm drive device 38 attached to the mounting base 23 is meshed with the worm wheel 37. A staircase detection sensor 40 is provided on the rear main shaft 27 side of the rear arm 12b, and this sensor 40 determines whether the vehicle has hit a staircase.

41 is a right crawler belt, 42 is a left crawler belt, and these are driven by separate drive devices 43 and 44, respectively. 41
a, 41b and 42a, 42b are crawler belts provided on the front and rear arms. 45 is a floor detection sensor,
46 and 47 are front and rear arm tilt angle detection potentiometers.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram for controlling the robot body, and the interface IF is supplied with sensor outputs from the tilt sensors 22a, 22b shown in FIG. 3A, a radiation metering survey meter (not shown), and the like. The interface IF sends these outputs to the central processing unit CPU via the CPU bus.
input. Digital input DI includes stair detection sensors 30, 40 and floor detection sensor 45.
These sensor outputs are input from the digital input DI to the central processing unit CPU via the CPU bus BUS. DO is a digital output, and this digital output DO receives commands from the central processing unit CPU and outputs control outputs for the front and rear arms 12a, 12b, cameras, lights, etc. not shown in Figures 3A and B. Send.
AO is an analog output, and upon receiving a command from the central processing unit CPU, the analog output AO outputs an analog signal, and this signal is supplied to a control unit CN such as a cable drum (not shown). In FIG. 4, M is a memory and TR is a transmission interface.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described using FIGS. 1 and 2. The basic posture of the robot main body 12 when traveling on a flat road is as shown in the upper part of ^the basic posture creating means ₁ in FIG. Keep it. When the robot body runs in this posture and the forearm 12a hits the ascending stairs 11, the stair detection sensor 30 of the forearm 12a detects this. As a result of this detection, the angle θ ₁ of the forearm 12a is 8
The forearm is lowered so that it is below the angle of rotation, that is, so that it is almost horizontal with the robot body 12. This operation is performed by the stair-climbing motion posture creating means 2 shown in FIG. 2, and the state of the robot body 2 at that time is shown above the means 2. Furthermore, the robot body 1
2 starts climbing the stairs 11, the angle of the forearm θ ₁
If θ 1 is 8 degrees or more and the inclination angle of the robot body is not 40 degrees or more, lower the forearm 12a until θ ₁ is 8 degrees or less. Next, the rear arm 12b detects the stairs using the sensor 40, the robot body 12 moves forward, and the rear arm 12b is lowered. After this arm 1
If the angle θ ₂ of 2b is 8 degrees or less, the lowering of the rear arm 12b is stopped. After that, the angle of the forearm is -30
If the forearm angle is below -30 degrees, the robot body 12 stops running and determines whether the sensor 30 is ON or not. advance.

When the sensor 40 of the rear arm 12b is OFF (not detecting stairs), the robot lowers the rear arm 12b and ascends the stairs 11 if the inclination angle of the robot body 12 is 30 degrees or more. The state in which the robot body 12 is climbing the stairs is shown above the stair-climbing posture control means 3.

Here, the desirable relationship between the robot body 12 and the stairs 11 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5A, B, and C.
FIG. 5A is a schematic diagram of the robot body, where R is the length of the front and rear arms, and L is the length of the robot body. FIGS. 5B and 5C are for explaining the distance l between the steps of the stairs and the state of the robot body as it ascends the stairs. From Fig. 5 A, B, C, R>l,
It is desirable that L≧1.5l. If R<l, the stair detection sensor will turn off while the robot is climbing, causing the rear arm to lower further.
This is because the rear arm will no longer be able to reach the first step, making it impossible to ascend. Furthermore, if L<l, the inclination angle of the robot body will become large when it approaches the stairs.

When the arm angle is not -30 degrees, the forearm 12a is lowered, and if the sensor 30 is turned on, it is determined that the forearm angle θ ₁ is within the range of 8 degrees ±5 degrees. If this judgment result is good, the rear arm 12b
Determine whether the sensor 40 is ON or OFF, and if it is ON, determine whether the rear arm angle θ ₂ is within the range of 8 degrees ± 5 degrees.
2 to the final stage posture creating means 4. If the above judgment result is negative, it is judged whether the forearm angle θ ₁ is -50 degrees or less, and if it is good, the process is moved to the final stage posture creating means 4. The detailed operation described above is shown in the flowchart of FIG. By controlling the robot body as described above, the center of gravity can be smoothly moved during the operation of the stairs, so that the robot can climb onto the final step without falling. When the robot body 12 reaches the final step, the sensor 30 on the forearm 12a
When detecting stairs, it is determined whether the inclination angle of the robot body 12 is decreasing. If the sensor 30 does not detect it, it is determined whether the forearm angle θ ₁ is -30 degrees or less, and the above-mentioned operation is performed again. The operating states of the robot main body as described above are shown above the final stage posture creating means 4, respectively.

If the inclination angle of the robot body is in the decreasing direction, move it forward until the floor detection sensor turns ON. After that, the robot body assumes the basic posture. This state is shown in the upper part of the stair-climbing end basic posture creating means 5.

In this manner, the stair climbing control operation of the robot body is completed. Next, the case of going down the stairs will be described with reference to FIG.

First, the stair end basic posture creating means 6 lowers the front arm 12a, lowers the arm until the angle θ ₂ of the rear arm 12b becomes 8 degrees, and moves the robot body 12 forward. This state is shown at the top of the means 6. The robot body 12 moves forward, and the floor detection sensor 45
It is determined whether it is OFF, and if it is OFF, it is determined whether the sensor 30 of the forearm 12a has detected a staircase. If it is not detected, it is determined that the front arm angle θ ₁ is less than -80 degrees, and if it is within -80 degrees, the rear arm 12b is lowered. When the rear arm angle θ ₂ becomes -80 degrees or less, the front and rear arms 12a, 12b
is stopped and the robot main body 12 is lowered. When θ ₂ is not less than -80 degrees, the robot body 1
The inclination angle of 2 is -30 degrees or less, or the forearm angle θ ₁ is 8
After determining whether the temperature is below the normal temperature, the robot body is operated as described above.

After the robot main body 12 starts descending,
Sensors 30, 40 for front and rear arms 12a, 12b
Determine whether the has detected a staircase. If the result of this determination is good, it is determined whether the angle θ ₁ of the front arm is within the range of 8 degrees ± 5 degrees and the angle θ ₂ of the rear arm is within the range of 30 degrees ± 5 degrees. If the judgment result is good, the robot body 12 is further lowered. The front and rear arms 12
If the sensors 30 and 40 of a and 12b do not detect the stairs, it is determined whether the inclination angle of the robot body 12 is increasing or the rear arm angle θ ₂ is within 30 degrees ± 5 degrees, and the robot body 12 is adjusted. to be demoted. The above-mentioned operation of the robot main body 12 is performed by the stair-descending motion posture creation means 7 and the posture control means 8. Further, the operating states thereof are shown above each means 7 and 8, respectively.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing details of the above operation.

It is determined whether the robot main body 12 has descended and the inclination angle of the main body has become -10 degrees or less, and if it is -10 degrees or less, it is determined whether the forearm angle θ ₁ is 45 degrees or more. If θ ₁ is 45 degrees or more, sensor 30 is OFF
It is determined whether the rear arm 12b is raised. This operation is performed by the final stage posture creating means 9. The operating states are also shown at the top of the means 9, respectively.

If the sensor 40 of the rear arm 12b detects stairs, it is determined whether the rear arm angle θ ₂ is 45 degrees or more, and if the robot body 12 is horizontal and the sensors 30, 40 of the front and rear arms 12a, 12b are
It is determined whether it is OFF and the robot body 12 is returned to the basic posture. The basic posture creating means 10 performs this operation.

[Effects of Examples]

(1) It has the advantage of being able to run with relatively few control objects such as the front and rear arms and left and right tracks.

(2) Even if the vehicle's posture deteriorates due to slipping of the left and right tracks, the sensor can detect the posture and correct it.

(3) Stable stair travel is possible because the robot body and arm are always placed on the stairs.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to move up and down the stairs fully automatically and stably, and also to be able to go up and down the stairs without falling down the stairs. In addition, regardless of the angle of inclination of the stairs, it is possible to run in a posture that adapts to the angle of inclination of the stairs, and it is possible to go up and down without being affected by the length of the stairs.Moreover, it is possible to correct the posture in the middle of the stairs, so it is possible to run stably. There are advantages such as:

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 and 2 show one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a stair climbing control means, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a stair descending control means, and FIG. B shows the specific configuration of the main parts of the robot body used in this invention;
Figure A is a plan view, Figure 3B is a partially sectional front view taken along line A-A in Figure 3A, Figure 4 is a block diagram of the control section of the robot body, and Figures 5A, B, and C. , FIG. 6, and FIG. 7 are explanatory diagrams and flowcharts for describing the operation. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...Stair climbing basic posture creation means, 2...Stair climbing movement posture creation means, 3...Stair climbing posture control means, 4...Final stage posture creation means, 5...Stair climbing end basic posture creation means, 6 ... Stair descending basic posture creation means, 7... Stair descending movement posture creation means, 8
... Stair descending posture control means, 9... Final step posture creation means, 10... Stair descending end basic posture creation means,
11...Stairs, 12...Robot body, 12a,
12b...front and rear arms.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A robot body provided with an arm that can freely rotate forward and backward; a tilt angle sensor provided on the robot body to detect the front and rear inclination angles and left and right inclination angles of the main body; It is equipped with a stair detection sensor that operates when it hits a staircase, and a sensor that is installed on the robot body and detects the horizontal state of the robot body.The signals from each sensor are input and calculated, and the calculation output is used to control the robot body. In a mobile robot that controls movement, the front arm is formed to have an angle θ ₁ with respect to the floor surface, and the rear arm is formed to have an angle θ ₂ with respect to the floor surface, and the robot is formed so that θ ₁ ≧ θ ₂ . A stair climbing/descending basic posture creation means for creating a posture of the robot body, and a basic posture of the robot body is created by this means, and when the stair detection sensor of the forearm detects a staircase from this posture, the stair climbing/descending posture of the robot body is determined. means for creating a stair climbing/descending movement posture to be created;
By this means, the robot body starts to move up and down the stairs, and the robot body is controlled to move up and down by controlling the front and rear arms according to the ascent and descent so that the robot body does not fall down the stairs, and the robot body is controlled to move up and down by this means. An automatic stair-climbing device for a robot, comprising: stair-climbing end basic posture creating means for creating a stair-climbing end basic posture when the robot body reaches a horizontal state after finishing stair-climbing operations.