Ball-driven moving device

Abstract

A spherical body driven mobile device (10) travels on a travel surface (G), the spherical body driven mobile device (10) having four or more rotating bodies (15, 15', 16, 16', 17, 17', 18, 18'), the four or more rotating bodies being driven by a driving source (20, 22, 24, 26) in a state of contacting four driving spheres (11, 12, 13, 14) from two different directions so as to rotate the driving spheres, wherein the travel surface is set as a horizontal plane, and the centers (P1, P2, P3, P4) of the driving spheres are located at On each side edge (S1, S2, S3, S4) of an imaginary inverted hip roof-shaped pentahedron (H), the imaginary inverted hip roof-shaped pentahedron (H) has four side edges (a, b, c, d) and a bottom edge (e) arranged at a position higher than the center of each driving sphere, and the top edge O is arranged at a position lower than the center of each driving sphere, the rotation axis of each rotating body is perpendicular to one side edge, and the one side edge is set as the corresponding side edge, and each rotating body contacts the driving sphere at a position higher than the center of the contacted driving sphere and on the inner side or the corresponding side edge of the imaginary inverted hip roof-shaped pentahedron.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a spherical body driven moving device which can drive a spherical body to rotate and move it in all directions. Background Art

[0002] A mobile device (see Patent Document 1) having three or more spheres and three or more drive units (drive motors) for imparting rotational force to the spheres can move in all directions, and is therefore effective for use in electric wheelchairs, self-propelled carts, and the like. In the mobile device of Patent Document 1, two rotating parts that are respectively driven to rotate by the drive units contact one sphere from different directions. In the mobile device, the rotating part and the sphere contact at the same height as the center of the sphere, and an idler wheel (wheel-type caster) is provided to press the sphere against the rotating part. When the rotating part is idling, the mobile device cannot move in the desired direction, and therefore, in order to ensure stable driving of the mobile device, it is important to maintain a state in which the rotating part is pressed against the sphere.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-30360 Summary of the invention

[0006] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0007] However, in the mobile device of Patent Document 1, the rotating part and the ball are occasionally in a non-contact state. When the mobile device is used for an electric wheelchair or the like and the user operates the mobile device, it is easy for the user to correct the moving direction. However, when the mobile device is used for a self-propelled vehicle or the like, there is a problem that in a system where there is no operator of the mobile device, the moving direction of the mobile device cannot be corrected, and the mobile device cannot travel as planned.

[0008] As a method of suppressing the idling of the rotor, it is conceivable to make the rotor a multilayer structure composed of materials having different elastic forces. However, in this case, there is another problem that the durability of the rotor is reduced and the wear of the rotor becomes significant.

[0009] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a spherical body driven type moving device capable of suppressing idling of a rotating body that is rotationally driven by a driving source in a state of contact with a spherical body.

[0010] Means for solving problems

[0011] The first invention of the ball-driven moving device that meets the above-mentioned purpose moves on a running surface, and has four driving balls and four or more rotating bodies, the four driving balls respectively rolling on the running surface, and the four or more rotating bodies are rotationally driven by a driving source in a state of contacting each of the driving balls from two different directions to rotate the driving balls, wherein the running surface is set as a horizontal plane, the center of each of the driving balls is located on each side of an imaginary inverted hip roof-shaped pentahedron, the imaginary inverted hip roof-shaped pentahedron has four side surfaces and a bottom surface arranged at a position higher than the center of each of the driving balls, and the top side away from the bottom surface is arranged at a position lower than the center of each of the driving balls, the rotation axis of each of the rotating bodies is perpendicular to one of the side surfaces, and the one side surface is set as a corresponding side surface, and each of the rotating bodies contacts the driving ball at a position higher than the center of the contacted driving ball and on the inner side of the imaginary inverted hip roof-shaped pentahedron or the corresponding side surface.

[0012] The spherical driving type moving device of the second invention which meets the above-mentioned purpose moves on a running surface, and has m driving balls and 4-m driven rotating objects and more than three rotating bodies, wherein the m driving balls and the 4-m driven rotating objects roll on the running surface respectively, and the more than three rotating bodies are rotationally driven by a driving source in a state of contacting each of the driving balls from two different directions to rotate the driving balls, wherein m=2 or 3, wherein the running surface is set as a horizontal plane, each of the driving balls is located on different side edges of an imaginary inverted hip roof-shaped pentahedron, the imaginary inverted hip roof-shaped pentahedron has four side edges and a bottom surface arranged at a position higher than the center of each of the driving balls, and a top edge away from the bottom surface is arranged at a position lower than the center of each of the driving balls, the rotation axis of each of the rotating bodies is perpendicular to one of the side edges, and the one side edge is set as a corresponding side edge, and each of the rotating bodies contacts the driving balls at a position higher than the center of the contacted driving balls and on the inner side of the imaginary inverted hip roof-shaped pentahedron or the corresponding side edge.

[0013] The ball-driven moving device of the third invention that meets the above-mentioned purpose moves on a traveling surface, and has more than two driving balls and more than three rotating bodies. The more than two driving balls roll on the traveling surface respectively, and the more than three rotating bodies are driven by a driving source to rotate in a state of contacting each of the driving balls from two different directions, wherein each of the rotating bodies is in the shape of a truncated cone, and the side surface of each of the rotating bodies contacts the driving ball at a position higher than the center of the contacted driving ball.

[0014] Effects of the Invention

[0015] In the spherical-driven mobile devices of the first, second and third inventions, each rotating body contacts the driving sphere at a position higher than the center of the driving sphere. Therefore, the load of the spherical-driven mobile device itself or the load of the object carried on the spherical-driven mobile device is applied to the driving sphere via the rotating body, so that the rotating body can be reliably pressed against the driving sphere, and the idling of the rotating body driven by the driving source while in contact with the driving sphere can be suppressed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 It is a front view with a portion omitted of a ball-driven moving device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 2 It is a side view of the sphere-driven moving device with a portion omitted.

[0018] Figure 3 It is a top view showing the arrangement of the driving sphere and the rotating body of the sphere-driven moving device.

[0019] Figure 4 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a coordinate system of the sphere-driven mobile device.

[0020] Figure 5 This is an explanatory diagram for explaining the derivation of the angular velocity of the driving sphere of the sphere-driven moving device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] Next, embodiments embodying the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings for understanding of the present invention.

[0022] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 As shown, a ball-driven moving device 10 of one embodiment of the present invention is a device that moves on a running surface G, and has four driving balls 11, 12, 13, 14 and four or more (eight in this embodiment) rotating bodies 15, 15', 16, 16', 17, 17', 18, 18'. The four driving balls 11, 12, 13, 14 roll on the running surface G respectively, and the four or more (eight in this embodiment) rotating bodies 15, 15', 16, 16', 17, 17', 18, 18' are driven to rotate by motors 20, 22, 24, 26 as an example of a driving source in a state of contacting the driving balls 11, 12, 13, 14 from two different directions, so as to rotate the driving balls 11, 12, 13, 14. The following is a detailed description.

[0023] In this embodiment, if Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3As shown, the driving balls 11, 12, 13, 14 are spheres of the same size (equal diameter), and the driving balls 11, 12, 13, 14 are arranged counterclockwise when viewed from above. When the driving balls 11, 12, 13, 14 are placed on the running surface G as a horizontal plane, the center P1 of the driving ball 11, the center P2 of the driving ball 12, the center P3 of the driving ball 13, and the center P4 of the driving ball 14 are located at the same height. In the following, it is assumed that the running surface G is a horizontal plane and the driving balls 11, 12, 13, 14 are placed on the running surface G. In addition, Figure 3 , a top view of the driving spheres 11, 12, 13, 14 and the rotating bodies 15, 15', 16, 16', 17, 17', 18, 18', etc. is depicted.

[0024] The rotating bodies 15 , 15 ′, 16 , 16 ′, 17 , 17 ′, 18 , and 18 ′ are truncated cone-shaped members having the same size and shape, and are arranged at the same height position.

[0025] The side surface 19 of the rotating body 15 contacts the driving ball 11, and the side surface 19' of the rotating body 15' contacts the driving ball 12. The rotating bodies 15 and 15' are connected by a power transmission unit (not shown, the same below) having a chain, a pulley, etc., and are rotationally driven by a motor 20 mounted on the rotating body 15, and rotate in the same direction at the same speed.

[0026] The side surface 21 of the rotating body 16 contacts the driving ball 12, and the side surface 21' of the rotating body 16' contacts the driving ball 13. The rotating bodies 16 and 16' are connected by a power transmission unit, and are driven to rotate by a motor 22 installed on the rotating body 16, and rotate in the same direction at the same speed. The side surface 23 of the rotating body 17 contacts the driving ball 13, and the side surface 23' of the rotating body 17' contacts the driving ball 14. The rotating bodies 17 and 17' are connected by a power transmission unit, and are driven to rotate by a motor 24 installed on the rotating body 17, and rotate in the same direction at the same speed. The side surface 25 of the rotating body 18 contacts the driving ball 14, and the side surface 25' of the rotating body 18' contacts the driving ball 11. The rotating bodies 18 and 18' are connected by a power transmission unit, and are driven to rotate by a motor 26 installed on the rotating body 18, and rotate in the same direction at the same speed.

[0027] Rotating bodies 15 and 18' contact the driving ball 11 from different directions, rotating bodies 16 and 15' contact the driving ball 12 from different directions, rotating bodies 17 and 16' contact the driving ball 13 from different directions, and rotating bodies 18 and 17' contact the driving ball 14 from different directions.

[0028] In addition, ball casters (not shown) (which may also be idler wheels) for positioning the driving balls 11, 12, 13, 14 are in contact with the driving balls 11, 12, 13, 14, respectively. The motors 20, 22, 24, 26 are mounted on a base member 27 (see Figure 1 , Figure 2 ).

[0029] The contact points where the driving ball 11 contacts the side 19 of the rotating body 15 and the side 25' of the rotating body 18' are respectively designated as contacts T15 and T18', the contact points where the driving ball 12 contacts the side 21 of the rotating body 16 and the side 19' of the rotating body 15' are respectively designated as contacts T26 and T25', and the contact points where the driving ball 13 contacts the side 23 of the rotating body 17 and the side 21' of the rotating body 16' are respectively designated as contacts T37 and T36 ', the contact points where the driving sphere 14 contacts the side 25 of the rotating body 18 and the side 23' of the rotating body 17' are set as contacts T48 and T47' respectively, and the contacts T15, T18', T26, T25', T37, T36', T48, and T47' are arranged at the same height at a position higher than the center P1 of the driving sphere 11, the center P2 of the driving sphere 12, the center P3 of the driving sphere 13, and the center P4 of the driving sphere 14.

[0030] Thus, the rotating bodies 15 and 18' contact the driving sphere 11 at a position higher than the center P1 of the driving sphere 11, the rotating bodies 16 and 15' contact the driving sphere 12 at a position higher than the center P2 of the driving sphere 12, the rotating bodies 17 and 16' contact the driving sphere 13 at a position higher than the center P3 of the driving sphere 13, and the rotating bodies 18 and 17' contact the driving sphere 14 at a position higher than the center P4 of the driving sphere 14. In addition, the side surface 19 of the rotating body 15, the side surface 19' of the rotating body 15', the side surface 21 of the rotating body 16, the side surface 21' of the rotating body 16', the side surface 23 of the rotating body 17, the side surface 23' of the rotating body 17', the side surface 25 of the rotating body 18, and the side surface 25' of the rotating body 18' contact the driving spheres 11, 12, 13, and 14 at the same height.

[0031] By making the rotating body 15 into a truncated cone shape instead of a cylindrical shape as in the present embodiment, it is possible to increase the degree of freedom in the arrangement of the rotating body 15 relative to the driving sphere 11. Assuming that the rotating body 15 is made into a cylindrical shape, in order to make the side surface 19 of the rotating body 15 contact the driving sphere 11, it is necessary to arrange the rotation axis of the rotating body 15 to be perpendicular to the imaginary straight line J15 (an example of the imaginary straight line J) passing through the center P1 of the driving sphere 11 and the contact point T15.

[0032] In contrast, the rotation axis of the truncated cone-shaped rotating body 15 does not need to be perpendicular to the imaginary straight line J15 passing through the center P1 of the driving sphere 11 and the contact point T15, and the direction of the rotation axis of the rotating body 15 relative to the imaginary straight line J15 can be adjusted by adjusting the angle of the side surface 19 of the rotating body 15 relative to the upper surface and the bottom surface. Therefore, the rotation axis of the rotating body 15 can be configured in a desired direction.

[0033] This point is also the same for the rotating bodies 15 ′, 16 , 16 ′, 17 , 17 ′, 18 , 18 ′.

[0034] Here, if Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 As shown, a pentahedron in the shape of a hip roof having four side faces a, b, c, d and a rectangular (rectangular or square) bottom face e arranged at a position higher than the center P1 of the driving sphere 11, the center P2 of the driving sphere 12, the center P3 of the driving sphere 13, and the center P4 of the driving sphere 14, and a top edge O away from the bottom face e arranged at a position lower than the center P1 of the driving sphere 11, the center P2 of the driving sphere 12, the center P3 of the driving sphere 13, and the center P4 of the driving sphere 14 is set as an imaginary inverted hip roof pentahedron H. In this embodiment, the ball-driven mobile device 10 is designed to satisfy conditions 1 to 6 described later.

[0035] In the imaginary inverted hip roof pentahedron H, the four vertices of the bottom surface e are set as vertices A, B, C, and D respectively, the side surface a is a quadrilateral (a trapezoid in this embodiment) with vertices A and B and the two ends of the top side O as the four vertices, the side surface b is a triangle (an equilateral triangle in this embodiment) with vertices B and C and one end of the top side O as the three vertices, the side surface c is a quadrilateral (a trapezoid in this embodiment) with vertices C and D and the two ends of the top side O as the four vertices, and the side surface d is a triangle (an equilateral triangle in this embodiment) with vertices A and D and the other end of the top side O as the three vertices. In addition, the straight line connecting the other end of the top side O and the vertex A is set as the side S1, the straight line connecting one end of the top side O and the vertex B is set as the side S2, the straight line connecting one end of the vertex O and the vertex C is set as the side S3, and the straight line connecting the other end of the top side O and the vertex D is set as the side S4. In this embodiment, the bottom surface e is a rectangle, and the side edges S1 , S2 , S3 , and S4 are of the same length.

[0036] Condition 1: The center P1 of the driving sphere 11 , the center P2 of the driving sphere 12 , the center P3 of the driving sphere 13 , and the center P4 of the driving sphere 14 are located on the sides S1 , S2 , S3 , and S4 , respectively.

[0037] Condition 2: The rotating bodies 15 and 18' are in contact with the driving sphere 11 on the inner side of the imaginary inverted four-slope roof shaped pentahedron H (the contact points T15 and T18' are located inside the imaginary inverted four-slope roof shaped pentahedron H), the rotating bodies 16 and 15' are in contact with the driving sphere 12 on the inner side of the imaginary inverted four-slope roof shaped pentahedron H (the contact points T26 and T25' are located inside the imaginary inverted four-slope roof shaped pentahedron H), the rotating bodies 17 and 16' are in contact with the driving sphere 13 on the inner side of the imaginary inverted four-slope roof shaped pentahedron H (the contact points T37 and T36' are located inside the imaginary inverted four-slope roof shaped pentahedron H), and the rotating bodies 18 and 17' are in contact with the driving sphere 14 on the inner side of the imaginary inverted four-slope roof shaped pentahedron H (the contact points T48 and T47' are located inside the imaginary inverted four-slope roof shaped pentahedron H).

[0038] Condition 3: The rotation axes of the rotating bodies 15 and 15' are perpendicular to the side a (a side of the imaginary inverted hip roof pentahedron H), the rotation axes of the rotating bodies 16 and 16' are perpendicular to the side b (a side of the imaginary inverted hip roof pentahedron H), the rotation axes of the rotating bodies 17 and 17' are perpendicular to the side c (a side of the imaginary inverted hip roof pentahedron H), and the rotation axes of the rotating bodies 18 and 18' are perpendicular to the side d (a side of the imaginary inverted hip roof pentahedron H). In addition, in the present embodiment, the side a perpendicular to the rotation axes of the rotating bodies 15 and 15' is the corresponding side of the rotating bodies 15 and 15', the side b perpendicular to the rotation axes of the rotating bodies 16 and 16' is the corresponding side of the rotating bodies 16 and 16', the side c perpendicular to the rotation axes of the rotating bodies 17 and 17' is the corresponding side of the rotating bodies 17 and 17', and the side d perpendicular to the rotation axes of the rotating bodies 18 and 18' is the corresponding side of the rotating bodies 18 and 18'.

[0039] According to condition 3, it can be said that in this embodiment, the rotation axes of the rotating bodies 15 and 18' in contact with the driving sphere 11 are not parallel, the rotation axes of the rotating bodies 16 and 15' in contact with the driving sphere 12 are not parallel, the rotation axes of the rotating bodies 17 and 16' in contact with the driving sphere 13 are not parallel, and the rotation axes of the rotating bodies 18 and 17' in contact with the driving sphere 14 are not parallel.

[0040] In this embodiment, the driving balls 11, 12, 13, 14 and the rotating bodies 15, 15', 16, 16', 17, 17', 18, 18' are configured to satisfy conditions 1, 2, and 3. By adjusting the rotation speeds of the motors 20, 22, 24, and 26, the ball-driven moving device 10 can be moved in any direction on the driving surface G while suppressing the lateral sliding of the driving ball 11 relative to the rotating bodies 15 and 18', the lateral sliding of the driving ball 12 relative to the rotating bodies 16 and 15', the lateral sliding of the driving ball 13 relative to the rotating bodies 17 and 16', and the lateral sliding of the driving ball 14 relative to the rotating bodies 18 and 17'. In addition, for example, the lateral sliding of the driving ball 11 relative to the rotating body 15 when the rotating body 18' rotates and applies a rotational force to the driving ball 11 means that the relative movement of the driving ball 11 with respect to the rotating body 15 at the contact T15 is a movement other than the rotational movement centered on the contact T15. If a lateral movement of the driving ball 11 relative to the rotating body 15 occurs, it will promote wear of the rotating body 15 and the driving ball 11.

[0041] Furthermore, since the rotating bodies 15 and 18' are in contact with the driving sphere 11 at a position higher than the center P1 of the driving sphere 11, the force of the vertical component acts on the driving sphere 11 through the rotating bodies 15 and 18', and the same applies to the rotating bodies 16 and 15' on the driving sphere 12, the rotating bodies 17 and 16' on the driving sphere 13, and the rotating bodies 18 and 17' on the driving sphere 14. Therefore, the rotating bodies 15 and 18' can be pressed against the driving sphere 11, the rotating bodies 16 and 15' can be pressed against the driving sphere 12, the rotating bodies 17 and 16' can be pressed against the driving sphere 13, and the rotating bodies 18 and 17' can be pressed against the driving sphere 14 by utilizing the dead weight of the base member 27 or a heavy object placed on the base member 27, so that the rotating bodies 15, 15', 16, 16', 17, 17', 18, 18' can be suppressed from idling.

[0042] When the contacts T15 and T25' exist at positions slightly higher than the center P1 of the driving sphere 11 and the center P2 of the driving sphere 12, even if the rotating bodies 15 and 15' respectively contact the driving spheres 11 and 12 on the side a (corresponding side) of the imaginary inverted hip roof-shaped pentahedron H, the driving sphere 11 will not actually slide laterally relative to the rotating body 15, and the driving sphere 12 will not slide laterally relative to the rotating body 15'. This is also the same in the relationship between the rotating bodies 16 and 16' and the driving spheres 12 and 13, the rotating bodies 17 and 17' and the driving spheres 13 and 14, and the rotating bodies 18 and 18' and the driving spheres 14 and 11.

[0043] Therefore, the following condition 2' may be designed to be satisfied instead of condition 2.

[0044] Condition 2': The rotating bodies 15 and 15' are in contact with the driving spheres 11 and 12 respectively on the side a of the imaginary inverted four-slope roof shaped pentahedron H (the corresponding side of the rotating bodies 15 and 15'), the rotating bodies 16 and 16' are in contact with the driving spheres 12 and 13 respectively on the side b of the imaginary inverted four-slope roof shaped pentahedron H (the corresponding side of the rotating bodies 16 and 16'), the rotating bodies 17 and 17' are in contact with the driving spheres 13 and 14 respectively on the side c of the imaginary inverted four-slope roof shaped pentahedron H (the corresponding side of the rotating bodies 17 and 17'), and the rotating bodies 18 and 18' are in contact with the driving spheres 14 and 11 respectively on the side d of the imaginary inverted four-slope roof shaped pentahedron H (the corresponding side of the rotating bodies 18 and 18').

[0045] Here, from the viewpoint of stably suppressing the idling of the rotating bodies 15 and 18' relative to the driving sphere 11, etc., relative to the contacting driving sphere, it has been verified that, in addition to conditions 1, 2, and 3, one of the following conditions 4, 5, and 6 is preferably satisfied (more preferably, two are satisfied). In addition, in order to suppress the idling of the rotating body relative to the driving sphere, satisfying conditions 1, 2, and 3 is more important than satisfying conditions 4, 5, and 6.

[0046] Condition 4: If Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, the imaginary straight line J15 passing through the contact point T15 between the driving sphere 11 and the rotating body 15 and the center P1 of the driving sphere 11, and the imaginary straight line J18' passing through the contact point T18' between the driving sphere 11 and the rotating body 18' and the center P1 of the driving sphere 11 (an example of an imaginary straight line J) are perpendicular to the side S1 where the center P1 of the driving sphere 11 is located. The imaginary straight line J26 (an example of an imaginary straight line J) passing through the contact point T26 between the driving sphere 12 and the rotating body 16 and the center P2 of the driving sphere 12, and the imaginary straight line J25' (an example of an imaginary straight line J) passing through the contact point T25' between the driving sphere 12 and the rotating body 15' and the center P2 of the driving sphere 12 are perpendicular to the side S2 where the center P2 of the driving sphere 12 is located. The imaginary straight line J37 (an example of imaginary straight line J) passing through the contact point T37 between the driving sphere 13 and the rotating body 17 and the center P3 of the driving sphere 13, and the imaginary straight line J36' (an example of imaginary straight line J) passing through the contact point T36' between the driving sphere 13 and the rotating body 16' and the center P3 of the driving sphere 13 are perpendicular to the side S3 where the center P3 of the driving sphere 13 is located. The imaginary straight line J48 (an example of imaginary straight line J) passing through the contact point T48 between the driving sphere 14 and the rotating body 18 and the center P4 of the driving sphere 14, and the imaginary straight line J47' (an example of imaginary straight line J) passing through the contact point T47' between the driving sphere 14 and the rotating body 17' and the center P4 of the driving sphere 14 are perpendicular to the side S4 where the center P4 of the driving sphere 14 is located.

[0047] Condition 5: The imaginary straight line J15 passing through the contact point T15 between the driving sphere 11 and the rotating body 15 and the center P1 of the driving sphere 11 intersects perpendicularly with the side surface 19 of the rotating body 15, and the imaginary straight line J18' passing through the contact point T18' between the driving sphere 11 and the rotating body 18' and the center P1 of the driving sphere 11 intersects perpendicularly with the side surface 25' of the rotating body 18'. The imaginary straight line J26 passing through the contact point T26 between the driving sphere 12 and the rotating body 16 and the center P2 of the driving sphere 12 intersects perpendicularly with the side surface 21 of the rotating body 16, and the imaginary straight line J25' passing through the contact point T25' between the driving sphere 12 and the rotating body 15' and the center P2 of the driving sphere 12 intersects perpendicularly with the side surface 19' of the rotating body 15'. The imaginary straight line J37 passing through the contact point T37 of the driving sphere 13 and the rotating body 17 and the center P3 of the driving sphere 13 perpendicularly intersects the side surface 23 of the rotating body 17, and the imaginary straight line J36' passing through the contact point T36' of the driving sphere 13 and the rotating body 16' and the center P3 of the driving sphere 13 perpendicularly intersects the side surface 21' of the rotating body 16'. The imaginary straight line J48 passing through the contact point T48 of the driving sphere 14 and the rotating body 18 and the center P4 of the driving sphere 14 perpendicularly intersects the side surface 25 of the rotating body 18, and the imaginary straight line J47' passing through the contact point T47' of the driving sphere 14 and the rotating body 17' and the center P4 of the driving sphere 14 perpendicularly intersects the side surface 23' of the rotating body 17'.

[0048] Condition 6: The side surface a of the imaginary inverted hip roof-shaped pentahedron H is parallel to an imaginary straight line K12 (an example of an imaginary straight line K), which passes through the contact point T15 between the rotating body 15, 15' (here the rotating body 15) and the driving sphere 11 on one side and the contact point T25' between the rotating body 15, 15' (here the rotating body 15') and the driving sphere 12 on the other side, wherein the centers P1, P2 of the two driving spheres 11, 12 are respectively arranged on the two side edges S1, S2 which constitute a part of the outer edge of the side surface a. Side b is parallel to an imaginary straight line K23 (an example of an imaginary straight line K), which passes through the contact point T26 between the rotating body 16, 16' (here the rotating body 16) and the driving ball 12 on one side, and the contact point T36' between the rotating body 16, 16' (here the rotating body 16') and the driving ball 13 on the other side, wherein the centers P2, P3 of the two driving balls 12, 13 are respectively arranged on the two side edges S2, S3 which constitute a part of the outer edge of side b. The side surface c is parallel to an imaginary straight line K34 (an example of an imaginary straight line K), which passes through the contact point T37 between the rotating body 17, 17' (here the rotating body 17) and the driving ball 13 on one side, and the contact point T47' between the rotating body 17, 17' (here the rotating body 17') and the driving ball 14 on the other side, wherein the centers P3, P4 of the two driving balls 13, 14 are respectively arranged on the two side edges S3, S4 which constitute a part of the outer edge of the side surface c. The side surface d is parallel to an imaginary straight line K41 (an example of an imaginary straight line K), which passes through the contact point T48 between the rotating body 18, 18' (here the rotating body 18) and the driving ball 14 on one side, and the contact point T18' between the rotating body 18, 18' (here the rotating body 18') and the driving ball 11 on the other side, wherein the centers P4, P1 of the two driving balls 14, 11 are respectively arranged on the two side edges S4, S1 which constitute a part of the outer edge of the side surface d.

[0049] Next, a description will be given of a case where the movement speed of the sphere-driven movement device 10 during translational movement and the rotational angular velocity during rotational movement can be freely controlled by adjusting the rotational speeds of the motors 20 , 22 , 24 , and 26 .

[0050] Here, the values ​​of the ball-driven mobile device 10 are defined as follows. Figure 4As shown, the distances from the center of a rectangle with the centers P1, P2, P3, P4 of the driving spheres 11, 12, 13, 14 as the four vertices (hereinafter referred to as the "mechanism center") to the centers P1, P2, P3, P4 of the driving spheres 11, 12, 13, 14 are set to l, respectively, and the angles formed by the line segments connecting the mechanism center and the centers P1, P2, P3, P4 of the driving spheres 11, 12, 13, 14 and the x-axis are set to ψ1, ψ2, ψ3, ψ4, respectively.

[0051] The angular velocity of the rotating bodies 15 and 15' is set to λ1, the angular velocity of the rotating bodies 16 and 16' is set to λ2, the angular velocity of the rotating bodies 17 and 17' is set to λ3, the angular velocity of the rotating bodies 18 and 18' is set to λ4, and the x-axis component and y-axis component of the translational movement velocity of the center of the mechanism are set to v x 、v y The counterclockwise rotation direction of the spherical driving moving device 10 when viewed from above is set as the positive direction, and the rotation speed of the center of the mechanism is set as ω. In addition, the inclination angles of the side surfaces a, b, c, d of the imaginary inverted hip roof pentahedron H relative to the running surface G are set as α.

[0052] Here, the angular velocity of the driving sphere 14 when the rotating body 17' is stopped and the rotating body 18 is rotating is obtained, and based on the result, the angular velocity of the driving sphere 14 when the rotating body 18 is stopped and the rotating body 17' is rotating and the angular velocities of the other driving spheres 11, 12, 13 are derived.

[0053] The radius of the driving sphere 14 is set to R, such as Figure 5 As shown in FIG. 1 , the radius of the portion of the truncated cone-shaped rotating body 18 that contacts the driving sphere 14 (the portion corresponding to the contact point T48) is set to r. The contact point T48 is arranged at a distance Rcos from the side surface d of the imaginary inverted hip roof pentahedron H to the inside. 2 The driving sphere 14 moves upward from the center P4 to the position of Rcosα.

[0054] When the rotating body 17' is stopped and the rotating body 18 is rotating, the driving sphere 14 rotates with the straight line (i.e., the imaginary straight line J47') passing through the contact point T47' between the driving sphere 14 and the rotating body 17' and the center P4 of the driving sphere 14 as the rotation axis (in addition, the rotation axis is parallel to the rotation axis of the rotating body 18). The rotation angular velocity of the driving sphere 14 at this time is η, and the circumferential velocity of the driving sphere 14 at the contact point T48 between the driving sphere 14 and the rotating body 18 is rλ4. Therefore, according to The following formula (1) holds true.

[0055] [Mathematical formula 1]

[0056]

[0057] like Figure 5 As shown, the rotation radius of the driving ball 14 at the contact point between the driving surface G and the driving ball 14 is Rsinα, so the circumferential speed of the driving ball 14 at the contact point between the driving surface G and the driving ball 14, that is, the moving speed v of the driving ball 14 in the x direction x4 It is represented by the following formula (2).

[0058] [Mathematical formula 2]

[0059]

[0060] Similarly, the moving speed v of the driving ball 14 in the y direction y4 It is represented by the following formula (3).

[0061] [Mathematical formula 3]

[0062]

[0063] Therefore, in In the case of , the moving speed of each driving ball 11, 12, 13, 14 in the x direction and the y direction is expressed by the following formula (4).

[0064] [Formula 4]

[0065]

[0066] In addition, since sinψ2=sinψ3=-sinψ1=-sinψ4, cosψ2=cosψ1=-cosψ3=-cosψ4, assuming ψ=ψ2, the following equation (5) is obtained, and the following equation (6) is obtained.

[0067] [Formula 5]

[0068]

[0069] [Mathematical formula 6]

[0070]

[0071] According to equation (6), by adjusting the rotation speeds of the motors 20, 22, 24, and 26, the movement speed of the sphere-driven movement device 10 during translational movement and the rotational angular velocity during rotational movement can be freely controlled.

[0072] Furthermore, by determining the configuration of each driving sphere and each rotating body based on an imaginary inverted hip roof-shaped pentahedron as in the present embodiment, if the inclination angles of each side surface of the imaginary inverted hip roof-shaped pentahedron are fixed, it has the following advantage: even if the ratio of the length of the short side to the long side of the rectangle with the centers of each driving sphere as the four vertices is changed, there is no need to change the size and shape of each rotating body.

[0073] Regarding this point, when the configuration of each driving sphere and each rotating body is determined based on an imaginary inverted tetrahedron obtained by turning a tetrahedron upside down instead of an imaginary inverted hip roof-shaped pentahedron, it is necessary to change the shape of each rotating body according to the ratio of the length of the short side to the long side of a rectangle with the center of each driving sphere as the four vertices.

[0074] The ball-driven mobile device 10 described so far has two rotating bodies disposed between adjacent driving balls (for example, rotating bodies 15 and 15' are disposed between driving balls 11 and 12), and has a total of eight rotating bodies, but the number of rotating bodies disposed between adjacent driving balls may be set to one, and the rotating body may be in contact with both adjacent driving balls. In this case, the total number of rotating bodies is four. Thus, in the ball-driven mobile device in which the rotating body is in contact with four driving balls from two different directions, the minimum total number of rotating bodies is four.

[0075] Furthermore, the ball-driven mobile device 10 has four driving balls, but the ball-driven mobile device can perform omnidirectional translation and clockwise and counterclockwise rotation as long as it has two or three driving balls. The device that can suppress the idling of the rotating body in the ball-driven mobile device with two or three driving balls is as follows. That is, a ball-driven moving device, which moves on a running surface, has: m (wherein m=2 or 3) driving balls and 4-m driven rotating objects and more than three rotating bodies, the m driving balls and the 4-m driven rotating objects respectively roll on the running surface; the more than three rotating bodies are rotationally driven by a driving source in a state of contacting each driving ball from two different directions to rotate the driving balls, wherein the running surface is set as a horizontal plane, each driving ball is located on a different side of an imaginary inverted hip roof-shaped pentahedron, the imaginary inverted hip roof-shaped pentahedron has four side surfaces and a bottom surface arranged at a position higher than the center of each driving ball, and a top side away from the bottom surface is arranged at a position lower than the center of each driving ball, the rotation axis of each rotating body is perpendicular to one side surface, and the one side surface is set as a corresponding side surface, and each rotating body contacts the driving ball at a position higher than the center of the contacted driving ball and on the inner side or the corresponding side surface of the imaginary inverted hip roof-shaped pentahedron.

[0076] Furthermore, from the viewpoint of suppressing the idling of the rotating body by pressing the rotating body against the driving sphere using the load of the base member or the like, the rotating body and its rotation axis do not need to be arranged as described above relative to the imaginary inverted hip roof-shaped pentahedron, as long as the rotating body contacts the driving sphere at a position higher than the center of the contacted driving sphere. In this case, in order to increase the degree of freedom of arrangement of each rotating body, it is preferred that the rotating body whose side contacts the driving sphere be in the shape of a truncated cone.

[0077] Thus, a spherical driven mobile device that increases the freedom of configuration of the rotating body while suppressing idling of the rotating body moves on a travel surface, and the spherical driven mobile device comprises: two or more driving spheres; and three or more rotating bodies, which are driven by a driving source to rotate in a state of contact with each driving sphere from two different directions, wherein each rotating body is in the shape of a truncated cone, and the side surface of each rotating body contacts the driving sphere at a position higher than the center of the contacted driving sphere.

[0078] Furthermore, in order to allow the ball-driven moving device to carry a heavy object, it is more preferable to use four driving balls rather than three.

[0079] Furthermore, in the ball-driven mobile device, in order to achieve the compactness of the entire device, it is preferred that each rotating body is in contact with only one driving ball. This is because a rotating body with a large diameter is required to make one rotating body contact with two driving balls. Thus, in the case of four driving balls, there are eight rotating bodies.

[0080] In the case where each rotating body is in contact with only one driving ball, from the perspective of the overall compactness of the device, a design in which one motor (driving source) drives one rotating body (the number of motors and rotating bodies is the same) is preferred. This is because, in the case where one motor drives two rotating bodies, a large motor is required. Therefore, in the case of setting eight rotating bodies, it is preferred that the eight motors drive different rotating bodies respectively.

[0081] As mentioned above, although the embodiment of the present invention is described, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and all changes in conditions that do not depart from the gist belong to the applicable scope of the present invention.

[0082] For example, the rotating body does not need to be in the shape of a truncated cone, and may be in the shape of a cylinder or a sphere.

[0083] Furthermore, the rotation axis of the rotating body may be a shaft member (ie, an actual member) or a virtual axis.

[0084] Furthermore, the driving balls may have different sizes, and the rotating bodies may have different sizes and shapes. Furthermore, the rotating bodies may be arranged so that when the driving balls are placed on a horizontal plane, the rotating bodies are in contact with the driving balls at different heights.

[0085] Furthermore, the present invention can also be applied to a ball-driven moving device whose moving direction on a running surface is determined (for example, a ball-driven moving device that can only move forward and backward).

[0086] Industrial Applicability

[0087] The ball-driven moving device of the present invention can stably perform predetermined movement by suppressing idling of the rotating body in contact with the ball, and can therefore be used as a self-propelled device for transporting objects.

[0088] Description of symbols

[0089] 10: ball-driven moving device; 11, 12, 13, 14: driving ball; 15, 15', 16, 16', 17, 17', 18, 18': rotating body; 19, 19': side; 20: motor; 21, 21': side; 22: motor; 23, 23': side; 24: motor; 25, 25': side; 26: motor; 27: base component; A, B, C, D: apex; a, b, c, d: side; G: row Driving surface; H: imaginary inverted hip roof-shaped pentahedron; J15, J18', J25', J26, J36', J37, J47', J48: imaginary straight line J; K12, K23, K34, K41: imaginary straight line K; O: top edge; P1, P2, P3, P4: center; S1, S2, S3, S4: side edges; T15, T18', T25', T26, T36', T37, T47', T48: contact points; e: bottom surface.

Claims

1. A ball-driven moving device, which moves on a running surface, has four driving balls and four or more rotating bodies, the four driving balls respectively roll on the running surface, the four or more rotating bodies are driven by a driving source to rotate the driving balls in a state of contacting the driving balls from two different directions, and the driving balls are rotated, characterized in that: The travel surface is set to a horizontal surface, The center of each driving sphere is located on each side of an imaginary inverted hip roof-shaped pentahedron, the imaginary inverted hip roof-shaped pentahedron has four side surfaces and a bottom surface arranged at a position higher than the center of each driving sphere, and a top side away from the bottom surface is arranged at a position lower than the center of each driving sphere, The rotation axis of each rotating body is perpendicular to one of the side surfaces, and the one side surface is set as the corresponding side surface. Each rotating body contacts the driving sphere at a position higher than the center of the contacted driving sphere and on the inner side of the imaginary inverted hip roof-shaped pentahedron or the corresponding side surface.

2. The ball-driven moving device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each imaginary straight line J passing through the contact point between the driving sphere and the rotating body and the center of the driving sphere is perpendicular to the side where the center of the driving sphere is located.

3. The ball-driven moving device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each of the rotating bodies is in a truncated cone shape, and the side surface of each rotating body contacts the driving ball. An imaginary straight line J passing through the contact point between the driving ball and the side surface of the rotating body and the center of the driving ball intersects the side surface of the rotating body perpendicularly.

4. The ball-driven moving device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The side faces of the imaginary inverted hip roof-shaped pentahedron are parallel to an imaginary straight line K, which passes through the contact point between the rotating body and the driving sphere on one side and the contact point between the rotating body and the driving sphere on the other side, and between the two driving spheres whose centers are respectively arranged on the two side edges constituting a part of the outer edge of the side faces.

5. The ball-driven moving device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The driving balls have the same size, the rotating bodies are in the shape of truncated cones of the same size, and the side surfaces of the rotating bodies are in contact with the driving balls at the same height.

6. A ball-driven moving device, which moves on a running surface, comprises m driving balls, 4-m driven rotating objects and three or more rotating bodies, wherein the m driving balls and the 4-m driven rotating objects roll on the running surface respectively, and the three or more rotating bodies are driven by a driving source to rotate the driving balls in a state of contacting the driving balls from two different directions, wherein: m=2 or 3, characterized in that The travel surface is set to a horizontal surface, Each of the driving spheres is located on different sides of an imaginary inverted hip roof-shaped pentahedron, the imaginary inverted hip roof-shaped pentahedron having four side faces and a bottom face arranged at a position higher than the center of each of the driving spheres, and a top face away from the bottom face arranged at a position lower than the center of each of the driving spheres, The rotation axis of each rotating body is perpendicular to one of the side surfaces, and the one side surface is set as the corresponding side surface. Each rotating body contacts the driving sphere at a position higher than the center of the contacted driving sphere and on the inner side of the imaginary inverted hip roof-shaped pentahedron or the corresponding side surface.

7. A ball-driven moving device, which moves on a running surface, has two or more driving balls and three or more rotating bodies, wherein the two or more driving balls roll on the running surface respectively, and the three or more rotating bodies are driven by a driving source to rotate the driving balls in a state of contacting the driving balls from two different directions, characterized in that: The center of each driving sphere is located on each side of an imaginary inverted hip roof-shaped pentahedron, the imaginary inverted hip roof-shaped pentahedron has four side surfaces and a bottom surface arranged at a position higher than the center of each driving sphere, and a top side away from the bottom surface is arranged at a position lower than the center of each driving sphere, Each of the rotating bodies has a truncated cone shape, and a side surface of each of the rotating bodies contacts the driving sphere at a position higher than the center of the driving sphere with which it contacts.

8. The ball-driven moving device according to claim 7, characterized in that: There are four driving balls and eight rotating bodies, and each driving ball is in contact with two rotating bodies.

9. The ball-driven moving device according to claim 8, characterized in that: There are eight driving sources, each of which drives a different rotating body to rotate.

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