Movable object including wheel and method of operating same

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a method of operating a movable object including two or more wheels spaced apart from each other at least in a front-rear direction, two or more eccentric drive members respectively configured to connect the wheels and a main body portion, the two or more eccentric drive members may be controlled such that an angle between the main body portion and the ground is minimized within a range in which the second end is located within a rotatable angle in which the second end rotates about the first end.

Description

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority and benefit to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0130222, filed with the Korean Intellectual Property Office on September 25, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This disclosure relates to movable objects including wheels and methods of operating them. Background Technology

[0004] If a mobile vehicle is equipped with an eccentric drive (which is configured to change the relative position between the wheels and the main body of the mobile vehicle), the advantage of the mobile vehicle is that it can operate on uneven terrain with minimal movement of the main body of the mobile vehicle by operating the eccentric drive.

[0005] As the demand for mobile vehicles continues to increase, the need for configurations that can effectively control these vehicles to achieve their intended purpose is also growing. For example, when mobile vehicles are used to transport goods, the main body of the vehicle carrying the goods needs to maintain a parallel position to the ground as much as possible while driving, regardless of the ground conditions. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The embodiments of this disclosure enable a mobile vehicle to maintain its body (which constitutes the main body of the mobile vehicle) as parallel to the ground as possible while it is in motion, regardless of the ground conditions.

[0007] To achieve the above advantages, embodiments of this disclosure may provide a movable object comprising: a main body; a wheel disposed on one side of the main body; and eccentric drive components, each eccentric drive component being configured to connect the wheel and the main body and to change the relative position between the wheel and the main body, wherein the eccentric drive component may include a connecting member having a first end rotatably coupled to the wheel and a second end rotatably coupled to the main body, and the eccentric drive component being operable such that the rotational angle of the second end about the first end can be limited within a predetermined or selected range.

[0008] The eccentric drive component can be operated such that the rotatable angle of the second end about the first end is less than 180 degrees.

[0009] The eccentric drive component can be operated such that the second end is always located inside the first end in the forward and backward direction based on the movable object.

[0010] To achieve the above advantages, embodiments of this disclosure provide a method for operating a movable object, wherein the movable object includes: two or more wheels spaced apart from each other at least in the front-rear direction; and two or more eccentric drive components, each eccentric drive component being configured to connect the wheels and the main body, and wherein the two or more eccentric drive components can be controlled such that the angle between the main body and the ground can be minimized within a range where the second end is located within a rotatable angle of rotation of the second end about the first end.

[0011] The rotatable angle of the second end of the connecting member of each eccentric drive component about the first end can be set to less than 180 degrees.

[0012] The second end of the connecting member of each eccentric drive component can always be located outside the first end based on the front-back direction of the movable object.

[0013] Implementations of the method disclosed herein may include: a first target setting operation, wherein a target height of the main body relative to the ground and a target angle of the main body relative to the ground are set; and a first determination operation, wherein based on the first target setting operation, it is determined whether the second end of the connecting member of each eccentric drive component is located within a rotatable angle for the second end to rotate about the first end.

[0014] In the first judgment operation, based on the target setting operation, it can be determined whether the second end of the connecting member of each eccentric drive component is located within the rotatable angle of the second end rotating around the first end while keeping the main body parallel to the ground.

[0015] The implementation of the method disclosed herein may further include: a main body posture adjustment operation, wherein when it is determined in the first determination operation that the second end of the connecting member of at least a portion of the eccentric drive components deviates from the rotatable angle of the second end about the first end, the height of the main body in the vertical direction is adjusted.

[0016] The main body posture adjustment operation may include: when it is determined in the first determination operation that the second end of the connecting member deviates from the rotatable angle of the second end about the first end and the connecting member is deviating from the upper boundary of the upper and lower boundaries of the rotatable angle, in the state i) the main body is parallel to the ground and in the state ii) the second end of the connecting member that is determined to be deviated from the upper boundary is located at the upper boundary of the rotatable angle, the main body is lowered to reduce the height of the main body in the vertical direction.

[0017] The main body posture adjustment operation may include: when it is determined in the first determination operation that the second end of the connecting member deviates from the rotatable angle of the second end about the first end and the connecting member is deviating from the lower boundary of the upper and lower boundaries of the rotatable angle, in the state i) the main body is parallel to the ground and ii) the state in which the second end of the connecting member determined to be deviated from the lower boundary is located at the lower boundary of the rotatable angle, the main body is raised to increase the height of the main body in the vertical direction.

[0018] The main body posture adjustment operation may include: when it is determined in the first judgment operation that the connecting members of a portion of the eccentric drive components deviate from the upper boundary of the upper and lower boundaries of the rotatable angle, and the connecting members of a portion of other eccentric drive components deviate from the lower boundary of the upper and lower boundaries of the rotatable angle, the main body is tilted to adjust the height of the main body while tilting the main body to make the main body have a selected main body angle relative to the ground.

[0019] When it is determined in the first determination operation that a portion of the connecting members of the eccentric drive components deviate from the upper boundary of the upper and lower boundaries of the rotatable angle, and a portion of the connecting members of other eccentric drive components deviate from the lower boundary of the upper and lower boundaries of the rotatable angle, in the operation of tilting the main body, the height of the main body can be adjusted in the states of i) the second end of the connecting member that was determined to have deviated from the upper boundary in the first determination operation being located at the upper boundary of the rotatable angle and ii) the second end of the connecting member that was determined to have deviated from the lower boundary in the first determination operation being located at the lower boundary of the rotatable angle.

[0020] In the operation of tilting the main body, the angle between the main body and the ground can be derived based on the relationship between i) the height of the second end of each connecting member set in the movable object, ii) the height of the main body and iii) the angle between the main body and the ground, and the main body can be tilted accordingly.

[0021] In the operation of tilting the main body, the angle of the main body relative to the ground can be derived using a pseudo-inverse relation.

[0022] According to embodiments of this disclosure, a mobile vehicle can travel while maintaining the mobile vehicle body (which constitutes the mobile vehicle body) positioned as parallel to the ground as possible, regardless of the ground conditions. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1 This is a side view showing a movable object according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein the movable object is shown in its state before passing a low obstacle.

[0024] Figure 2 It is shown Figure 1A side view of the state of a movable object passing through a low obstacle.

[0025] Figure 3 This is a side view showing a movable object according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein the initial state of the movable object is shown when passing a high obstacle.

[0026] Figure 4 It is shown Figure 3 A side view of a movable object in the image as it passes a high obstacle, showing its later state.

[0027] Figure 5 This is an enlarged side view showing the state in which the connecting member of the movable object according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is engaged with the main body and wheels.

[0028] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for operating a movable object according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0029] Hereinafter, a movable object and its operation method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0030] Figure 1 This is a side view showing a movable object according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein the movable object is shown in its state before passing a low obstacle. Figure 2 It is shown Figure 1 A side view of the state of a movable object as it passes through a low obstacle. Figure 3 This is a side view showing a movable object according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein the initial state of the movable object is shown when passing a high obstacle. Figure 4 It is shown Figure 3 A side view of a movable object in the image as it passes a high obstacle, showing its later state. Figure 5 This is an enlarged side view showing the state in which the connecting member of the movable object according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is engaged with the main body and wheels.

[0031] According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the movable object 10 may include: a main body 100 defining the main body of the movable object; a wheel 200 disposed on one side of the main body 100; and an eccentric drive member 300, each eccentric drive member being configured to connect the wheel 200 and the main body 100, and being configured to change the relative position between the wheel 200 and the main body 100. Figures 1 to 5An example embodiment is shown in which wheels 200 are respectively disposed in the front and rear regions of the main body 100, such that the two wheels 200 are spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction. However, for example, the movable object 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include four wheels 200 (e.g., two wheels on each side of the main body 100). In this case, for example, two wheels 200 may be disposed on the left and right sides of the front region of the main body 100, and the remaining two wheels 200 may be disposed on the left and right sides of the rear region of the main body 100, respectively.

[0032] The eccentric drive component 300 may include a connecting member 310 having a first end 310a rotatably coupled to the wheel 200 and a second end 310b rotatably coupled to the main body 100. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the second end 310b rotates relative to the first end 310a, the angle of the connecting member 310 relative to the ground can be changed, thereby changing the relative position between the wheel 200 and the main body 100.

[0033] In this case, according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the eccentric drive member 300 is operable such that the rotatable angle of the second end 310b about the first end 310a can be limited to a predetermined or selected range. The predetermined or selected range can be a preset range. That is, according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the connecting member 310 can be configured not to rotate indefinitely. For example, the eccentric drive member 300 is operable such that the rotatable angle of the second end 310b about the first end 310a is less than 180 degrees, and based on the front-rear direction of the movable object 10, the second end 310b can always be located inside the first end 310a. This ensures that regardless of the relative position of the connecting members 310, the supporting force of the ground on the wheel 200 always applies during the operation of the eccentric drive member 300. More specifically, when the connecting member 310 is connected to one of the wheels 200 located in the front region of the main body 100, the second end 310b can always be located behind the first end 310a. When the connecting member 310 is connected to the wheel 200 located in the rear region of the main body 100 among the plurality of wheels 200, the second end 310b can always be located in front of the first end 310a.

[0034] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for operating a movable object according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0035] In the method of operating the movable object 10 according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the movable object 10 may include at least two or more wheels 200 spaced apart from each other in at least the front-rear direction, and at least two or more eccentric drive components 300 configured to connect the wheels 200 and the main body 100 (see, for example...). Figures 1 to 5 For example, the movable object 10 may include two wheels disposed in the front region of the main body 100 and two wheels disposed in the rear region of the main body 100.

[0036] In the method of operating the movable object 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, two or more eccentric drive members 300 can be controlled such that the angle between the main body 100 and the ground can be minimized when the second end 310b is within a rotatable angle of rotation of the second end 310b about the first end 310a. In particular, in the method of operating the movable object according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the rotatable angle of rotation of the second end 310b of the connecting member 310 of the eccentric drive member 300 about the first end 310a can be set to less than 180 degrees, and the movable object can be operated such that the second end 310b of the connecting member 310 of the eccentric drive member 300 can always be located inside the first end 310a based on the front-back direction of the movable object 10.

[0037] refer to Figure 6 The method for operating a movable object according to embodiments of the present disclosure may include a first target setting operation, in which a target height of the main body 100 relative to the ground and a target angle of the main body 100 relative to the ground are set (operation 610). During the operation of the movable object, the first target setting operation may be performed when the movable object encounters an obstacle located in front of it and the movable object needs to pass through the obstacle.

[0038] The method for operating a movable object according to embodiments of the present disclosure may further include a first determination operation, in which a first target setting operation is used to determine whether the second end 310b of the connecting member 310 of each eccentric drive component 300 of the movable object is located within a rotatable angle for the second end 310b to rotate about the first end 310a. More specifically, in the first determination operation, while the main body 100 is kept parallel to the ground, the first target setting operation can be used to determine whether the second end 310b of each connecting member 310 of the eccentric drive component 300 is located within a rotatable angle for the second end 310b to rotate about the first end 310a (operation 620).

[0039] When it is determined in the first determination operation that the second end 310b of at least a portion of the connecting member 310 of the eccentric drive member 300 deviates from the rotatable angle of the second end 310b about the first end 310a, the method of operating the movable object according to the embodiments of the present disclosure may further include a main body posture adjustment operation, in which the height of the main body 100 (i.e., the relative height with respect to the ground) is adjusted in the vertical direction.

[0040] The situation where the second end 310b of the connecting member 310 of the eccentric drive component 300 of the movable object 10 deviates from the rotatable angle can be roughly divided into: i) the second end 310b deviates from the upper boundary A of the upper and lower boundaries of the rotatable angle (see Figure 5 In the case of ) and ii) the second end 310b deviates from the lower boundary B of the two boundaries of the rotatable angle (see ii) Figure 5 (The situation is as follows.)

[0041] At this time, according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the main body posture adjustment operation may include lowering the main body to reduce the height of the main body 100 in the vertical direction (operation 630), and raising the main body to increase the height of the main body 100 in the vertical direction (operation 640).

[0042] More specifically, the main body posture adjustment operation may include: in the case that, in the first determination operation described above, it is determined that the second end 310b of the connecting member 310 deviates from the rotatable angle of the second end 310b about the first end 310a, and the connecting member 310 is deviated from the upper boundary A of the upper and lower boundaries of the rotatable angle, in the state i) the main body 100 is parallel to the ground and ii) the second end 310b of the connecting member 310 determined to be deviated from the upper boundary A is located at the upper boundary A of the rotatable angle, the main body is lowered to reduce the height of the main body 100 in the vertical direction (operation 630).

[0043] The main body posture adjustment operation may further include: in the case that, in the first determination operation described above, it is determined that the second end 310b of the connecting member 310 deviates from the rotatable angle of the second end 310b about the first end 310a, and the connecting member 310 is deviated from the lower boundary B of the upper and lower boundaries of the rotatable angle, in the state where i) the main body 100 is parallel to the ground and ii) the second end 310b of the connecting member 310 determined to be deviated from the lower boundary B is located at the lower boundary B of the rotatable angle, raising the main body to increase the height of the main body 100 in the vertical direction (operation 640).

[0044] More specifically, such as Figure 1 As shown, the second end 310b of the connecting member 310, which is connected to the wheel 200 located on the front side of the movable object 10, is located at the lower boundary B (see Figure 1). Figure 5In the vicinity of the movable object 10, if there is an obstacle in front of it, the front wheel 200 can be lifted above the obstacle. Figure 2 As shown. In this case, according to the embodiments of this disclosure, in the first determination operation described above, the second end 310b can be determined to be deviated from the lower boundary B (see...). Figure 5 Therefore, during the main body posture adjustment operation, the main body can be lifted as described above. In this case, the lifting of the main body can be performed by adjusting the position of the second end 310b of the connecting member 310 connected to the wheel 200 on the rear side.

[0045] In the first determination operation described above, if the second ends 310b of multiple connecting members 310 are determined to be deviated from the rotatable angle, the second ends 310b of a portion of the connecting members 310 may be determined to be deviated from the upper boundary A, while the second ends 310b of a portion of other connecting members 310 may be determined to be deviated from the lower boundary B. In this case, the method may further include tilting the main body 100 so that the main body 100 has a predetermined or selected angle relative to the ground, such that the main body 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is not parallel to the ground.

[0046] More specifically, according to embodiments of this disclosure, when it is determined in the first determination operation that a portion of the connecting members 310 of the eccentric drive components 300 deviates from the upper boundary A of the upper and lower boundaries of the rotatable angle, and a portion of the connecting members 310 of other eccentric drive components 300 deviates from the lower boundary B of the upper and lower boundaries of the rotatable angle, the main body posture adjustment operation may further include: tilting the main body 100 so that the main body 100 has a predetermined or selected angle relative to the ground, while simultaneously tilting the main body 100 to adjust its height. The tilting operation can be performed when the main body 100 cannot pass through an obstacle located in front of the movable object 10 while the main body 100 remains parallel to the ground.

[0047] More specifically, when it is determined in the first determination operation above that a portion of the connecting members of the eccentric drive components deviate from the upper boundary of the upper and lower boundaries of the rotatable angle, and a portion of the connecting members of other eccentric drive components deviate from the lower boundary of the upper and lower boundaries of the rotatable angle, the above-mentioned operation of tilting the main body can be performed in the following states: i) when the second end 310b of the connecting member 310 that was determined to have deviated from the upper boundary A in the first determination operation is located at the upper boundary A of the rotatable angle, and ii) when the second end 310b of the connecting member 310 that was determined to have deviated from the lower boundary B in the first determination operation is located at the lower boundary B of the rotatable angle, the height of the main body 100 can be adjusted.

[0048] More specifically, during the process of the movable object 10 passing an obstacle located in front of it (e.g. Figure 3 As shown), the second end 310b of the connecting member 310, which is connected to the wheel 200 located on the front side of the movable object 10, is located at the lower boundary B (see Figure 1). Figure 5 And the second end 310b of the connecting member 310, which is connected to the wheel 200 located at the rear of the movable object 10, is located at the upper boundary A (see...). Figure 5 In the state of ), when the main body 100 needs to pass through an obstacle, such as Figure 4 As shown, the main body 100 will tilt. That is, according to the embodiment of this disclosure, in the above-described situation, the main body 100 will no longer be able to remain parallel to the ground. Even so, according to the embodiment of this disclosure, the movable object can be operated such that even when the main body 100 is tilted, the angle of the main body 100 relative to the ground can be minimized. That is, based on... Figure 4 According to the embodiments of this disclosure, in the step of tilting the main body described above, the main body 100 can be tilted when the second end 310b of the connecting member 310 connected to the wheel 200 on the front side is located at the lower boundary B and the second end 310b of the connecting member 310 connected to the wheel 200 on the rear side is located at the upper boundary A. Therefore, the main body can be tilted in a state where the angle between the main body 100 and the ground is minimized.

[0049] In the above-described operation of tilting the main body, the angle between the main body 100 and the ground can be derived (operations 650 and 660) based on the relationship between i) the height of the second end 310b of each connecting member 310 provided in the movable object 10, ii) the height of the main body 100, and iii) the angle between the main body 100 and the ground, and the main body 100 is tilted accordingly with the derived angle. For example, in the above-described operation of tilting the main body, the angle of the main body 100 relative to the ground can be derived from the relationship using pseudo inverse.

[0050] Although exemplary embodiments of this disclosure have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, this disclosure is not limited thereto. Those skilled in the art to which this disclosure pertains can implement embodiments of this disclosure in various forms within the spirit of this disclosure and within the scope equivalent to the appended claims.

Claims

1. A movable object, comprising: Main body; Wheels are provided on one side of the main body; and An eccentric drive component, wherein each eccentric drive component is configured to connect a given wheel of the wheels to the main body, and wherein each eccentric drive component is configured to change the relative position between the given wheel and the main body. Each eccentric drive component includes a connecting member, the first end of which is rotatably coupled to the given wheel and the second end of which is rotatably coupled to the main body; and Each eccentric drive component is configured to operate such that the rotatable angle of the second end about the first end is limited to a selected range.

2. The movable object according to claim 1, wherein, Each eccentric drive component is configured to operate such that the second end can rotate about the first end by a rotatable angle of less than 180 degrees.

3. The movable object according to claim 1, wherein, Each eccentric drive component is configured to operate such that, based on the front-rear direction of the movable object, the second end is always located inside the first end.

4. A method of operating a movable object, said movable object comprising a main body, a plurality of wheels spaced apart from each other in a front-rear direction, and a plurality of eccentric drive components, each eccentric drive component being configured to connect an associated wheel to said main body, wherein, Each eccentric drive component includes a connecting member, a first end of which is rotatably coupled to a given wheel and a second end of which is rotatably coupled to the main body. The method includes the following steps: The eccentric drive component is controlled to change the relative position between the associated wheel and the main body, such that the angle between the main body and the ground is minimized within a range of rotatable angles that the second end can rotate about the first end, and the rotatable angles are limited to a selected range.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising setting the rotatable angle of the second end of the connecting member of each eccentric drive component about the first end to be less than 180 degrees.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising restricting the position of the second end of the connecting member of each eccentric drive component to always be located outside the first end based on the front-rear direction of the movable object.

7. The method according to claim 4, comprising: Perform a first target setting operation, wherein the first target setting operation includes setting a target height of the main body relative to the ground and setting a target angle of the main body relative to the ground; and Perform a first judgment operation, wherein, based on the first target setting operation, determine whether the second end of the connecting member of each eccentric drive component is located within the rotatable angle of the second end about the first end.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein, In the first judgment operation, based on the setting of the target angle, it is determined whether the second end of the connecting member of each eccentric drive component is located within the rotatable angle of the second end rotating around the first end when the main body is parallel to the ground.

9. The method according to claim 7, further comprising: The main body posture adjustment operation involves adjusting the height of the main body in the vertical direction based on the determination in the first judgment operation that the second end of the connecting member of at least a portion of the eccentric drive component deviates from the rotatable angle of the second end about the first end.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein, The main body posture adjustment operation includes: based on the determination in the first judgment operation that the second end of the connecting member deviates from the rotatable angle of the second end about the first end and the connecting member is deviating from the upper boundary of the upper and lower boundaries of the rotatable angle, in the state where the main body is parallel to the ground and the second end of the connecting member determined to be deviated from the upper boundary is located at the upper boundary of the rotatable angle, lowering the main body to reduce the height of the main body in the vertical direction.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein, The main body posture adjustment operation includes: based on the determination in the first judgment operation that the second end of the connecting member deviates from the rotatable angle of the second end about the first end and that the connecting member is deviating from the lower boundary of the upper and lower boundaries of the rotatable angle, in the state where the main body is parallel to the ground and in the state where the second end of the connecting member determined to be deviated from the lower boundary is located at the lower boundary of the rotatable angle, raising the main body to increase the height of the main body in the vertical direction.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein, The main body posture adjustment operation includes: Based on the determination in the first judgment operation that the connecting member of the first set of eccentric drive components deviates from the upper boundary of the upper and lower boundaries of the rotatable angle and the connecting member of the second set of eccentric drive components deviates from the lower boundary of the upper and lower boundaries of the rotatable angle, the main body is tilted to give the main body a selected main body angle relative to the ground, while the height of the main body is adjusted.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein, In the operation of tilting the main body, based on the determination in the first determination operation that the connecting member of the first set of eccentric drive components deviates from the upper boundary of the upper and lower boundaries of the rotatable angle and the connecting member of the second set of eccentric drive components deviates from the lower boundary of the upper and lower boundaries of the rotatable angle, and in the state that the second end of the connecting member that was determined to deviate from the upper boundary in the first determination operation is located at the upper boundary of the rotatable angle and the second end of the connecting member that was determined to deviate from the lower boundary in the first determination operation is located at the lower boundary of the rotatable angle, the height of the main body is adjusted.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein, In the operation of tilting the main body, based on the relationship between the first height of the second end of each connecting member provided in the movable object, the second height of the main body, and the angle between the main body and the ground, the derived angle between the main body and the ground is derived, and the main body is tilted accordingly.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein, In the operation of tilting the main body, the derived angle of the main body relative to the ground is derived from the relation using pseudo-inverse.

16. A method for manipulating a movable object, wherein, The movable object includes a first connecting member, a second connecting member, a first wheel, a second wheel, and a main body. The method includes controlling the first connecting member and the second connecting member to control the main body height relative to the ground and to control the main body angle relative to the ground. The first end of the first connecting member is rotatably connected to the first wheel. The second end of the first connecting member is rotatably coupled to the first end of the main body portion. The first end of the second connecting member is rotatably connected to the second wheel. Wherein, the second end of the second connecting member is rotatably coupled to the second end of the main body portion, and The operation of controlling the first connecting member and the second connecting member includes: holding the second end of the first connecting member of the first connecting member and the second end of the second connecting member of the second connecting member between the first end of the first connecting member of the first connecting member and the first end of the second connecting member of the second connecting member.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein, The first rotatable angle of the second end of the first connecting member of the first connecting member around the first end of the first connecting member of the first connecting member is limited to less than 180 degrees.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein, The second rotatable angle of the second end of the second connecting member rotating about the first end of the second connecting member is limited to less than 180 degrees.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein, The operation of the first connecting member and the second connecting member is controlled to minimize the angle of the main body.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein, The operation of the first connecting member and the second connecting member is controlled to keep the angle of the main body at zero degrees.

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