Stair climbing device

Abstract

Stair climbing device (1) with a support device (2) and lateral track drives consisting of deflection rollers (4; 5) and support rollers (6) on tracks (3) guided on longitudinal beams of a chassis (11), running wheels (7) positioned in front of the tracks (3), and with separate electric drive motors and an electrical power supply, wherein the stair climbing device (1) has two longitudinal beams on each side, which are designed as swing arms (8; 9) and are pivotably arranged below the support device (2) about horizontal axes and the first swing arm (8) extends forward in one direction of travel and the second swing arm (9) extends backward in the direction of travel and both swing arms (8; 9) are arranged at variable swing angles on the chassis (11), characterized in that the swing arms (8; 9) of one side are arranged side by side on the same axis of rotation (10), which is also the axis of rotation (10) for the swing arms (8;9) on the other side, the running wheels (7) are non-rotatably connected to the outer guide rollers (4), and the guide rollers (4) have a smaller diameter than the running wheels (7), and that the running wheels (7) are designed as Mecanum wheels, and each running wheel (7) is driven separately, and that the guide rollers (4) are encircled by the tracks (3), and that the stair-climbing device (1) is equipped with a self-balancing function in which all arms (8; 9) are raised about the horizontal axis (10), and the stair-climbing device (1) rests on a surface on the tracks (3) encircling the inner guide rollers (5).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a stair climbing device with a support device and lateral track drives consisting of deflection rollers and support rollers on tracks guided on longitudinal beams of a chassis, running wheels positioned in front of the tracks, and with separate electric drive motors and an electrical power supply, wherein the stair climbing device has two longitudinal beams on each side, which are designed as swing arms and are arranged below the support device so as to be pivotable about horizontal axes, and the first swing arm extends forward in one direction of travel and the second swing arm extends backward in the direction of travel and both swing arms are arranged on the chassis at variable swing angles, according to the preamble of the first claim.

[0002] A stair climber is known, DE 70 11 002 U, which rests flat on a level surface with its tracks, in which position the front wheels are lifted off the ground. The support device of the known stair climber is inclined relative to the horizontal support surface, so that in the raised state, it can be moved into a horizontal or even an inclined position by moving the stair climber upwards or downwards. The free wheel, on the other hand, only becomes functional when the stair climber is in an angled position, in order to move the stair climber in a plane without the tracks being in use.

[0003] A disadvantage of this well-known stair climber is that it requires some muscle power to operate until it is properly positioned against a staircase, and that the carrying device has a fixed angle to the horizontal, so that on level ground or on a staircase there is almost never a horizontal loading surface of the carrying device.

[0004] However, robotic vehicles are particularly well-known (US 2011 / 0 190 933 A1), which are designed as tracked vehicles with two front and two rear pivoting track arms and feature an angle-adjustable platform for a payload on a similarly angle-adjustable and essentially upward-facing support arm. This allows the raised platform to be kept horizontal, for example when climbing stairs, and also enables the vehicle's overall center of gravity to be shifted forward or backward as needed. However, this device cannot self-balance on an axis or move laterally simultaneously; it must first be deflected by 90° to achieve a lateral movement.

[0005] Also known is a generic, swiveling tracked bomb disposal robot and its method of locomotion, CN 1 04 816 300 A, whose chassis has four wheels and two front and two rear swiveling track arms. When the track arms are swiveled upwards, the wheels rest on the ground, and when they are swiveled downwards, they are lifted off the ground. However, since the front and rear track arms are connected by swing-arm connecting rods, the robot cannot compensate for lateral tilts, nor can it move laterally at the same time.

[0006] Furthermore, a stair-climbing wheelchair is known, DE 198 16 879 A1, which has a seat with four legs designed as motor-driven combined wheel and track drives in the form of separately rotatable and swiveling swing arms, wherein the seat remains essentially horizontal when climbing stairs and can be brought into a preferred center of gravity position above the legs, wherein this wheelchair is extremely elaborate and complicated in design due to its many degrees of freedom of all legs.

[0007] A known tracked vehicle and a method for operating a tracked vehicle, DE 10 2015 220 497 A1, have tracked running gear with caterpillar tracks and several wheels wrapped around them, wherein the tracked running gear can be pivoted about pivot axes perpendicular to the direction of travel so that the caterpillar tracks either lie over a large area on a contact surface or stand twisted on individual wheels projecting beyond the caterpillar tracks, whereby the surface of the vehicle superstructure cannot remain horizontal, for example during stair climbing.

[0008] Also known is a mobile platform consisting of articulated chains and wheels and a fire-fighting robot equipped with it, CN 1 06 275 113 A, whereby a change between chain and wheel drive is made possible by mutual pivoting of an articulated track chassis, but the platform itself cannot remain in a horizontal position when climbing stairs.

[0009] Furthermore, a tracked vehicle with variable geometry is known, US 4 709 773 A, which has two pairs of track arms parallel to each other on an axis, directed forwards and backwards, as well as a load-bearing structure that can be pivoted about the same axis and used to adjust the position of the center of gravity of the tracked vehicle, whereby this tracked vehicle also has to be pivoted in the direction of travel of the tracks for lateral movements.

[0010] The object of the invention is to provide a stair-climbing device that can independently ascend or descend stairs and overcome landings without human intervention, wherein the loading surface of a carrying device should remain permanently in a horizontal position, so that objects placed on it or sick or elderly animals placed on it can be safely transported up and down stairs.

[0011] The solution to this problem is achieved, in conjunction with the features of the preamble, together with the technical features of the characterizing part of the first main claim, in that the swing arms of one side are arranged side by side on the same axis of rotation, which also forms the axis of rotation for the swing arms of the other side, the running wheels are connected to the outer deflection rollers in a rotationally fixed manner, and the deflection rollers have a smaller diameter than the running wheels, and the running wheels are designed as Mecanum wheels, and each running wheel is driven separately, and the deflection rollers are encircled by the tracks, and the stair-climbing device is equipped with a self-balancing function in which all swing arms are raised about the horizontal axis and the stair-climbing device rests on a surface on the tracks encircling the inner deflection rollers.If the direction of travel is reversed, the first swing arm becomes the second and vice versa.

[0012] These wing-like vehicles therefore allow either to lie flat on a level surface with their tracks at a very shallow angle of swing, or to cover several stair edges, or, when approaching a staircase, to adjust the angle of swing according to the angle of the ascending or descending steps so that no manual assistance is required to approach or descend a staircase.

[0013] According to the invention, the running wheels are designed as Mecanum wheels and each individual running wheel is driven separately, so that in a strongly angled position of the swing arms the stair climbing device can be rotated in any direction and, if the running wheels are on an imaginary circular path, also around the vertical axis of the stair climbing device.

[0014] Furthermore, the swing arms on one side are arranged side by side on the same axis of rotation, as are the swing arms on the opposite side, which significantly simplifies the construction of the chassis and also optimizes its weight.

[0015] According to the invention, the running wheels are connected to the lateral outer deflection rollers of the tracks in a rotationally fixed manner, wherein the deflection rollers have a smaller diameter than the running wheels and the distance of the axes of rotation of the running wheels to the ground is greater than the radius of the Mecanum wheels, so that they are lifted from the ground at a large pivot angle in a support position of the support rollers on the ground.

[0016] According to the invention, the stair-climbing device, in conjunction with the electronic drive control and the tilt sensors, such as semiconductor gyroscopes, is equipped with a self-balancing function in which all oscillating elements are raised around the horizontal axis, so that the stair-climbing device rests on the ground only on the inner guide rollers or the tracks surrounding them, on a line parallel to the horizontal axis. The control impulses can be transmitted to the drive control either wired or wirelessly via a transmitter-receiver combination, either by radio waves, light waves, or other transmission methods. This inventive development also enables the stair-climbing device to travel on surfaces with irregular terrain, as the larger wheels better compensate for roughness.Similarly, this operating principle makes turning on the spot or driving around curves particularly easy.

[0017] Further advantageous embodiments of the subject matter of the invention result from and in combination with the following dependent claims.

[0018] According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the running wheels come into contact with the ground at a very narrow swing angle between the two front and rear swing arms, which is smaller than that which is present when the tracks of both swing arms are in contact with a horizontal surface, whereby the tracks are then lifted from the ground, so that the entire stair climbing device in such a position rests only on the running wheels and can be moved on them.

[0019] Advantageously, in an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the drives can be arranged in or on the running wheels or in or on the deflection rollers, so that the drives of the Mecanum wheels are the same as for the tracks, thereby significantly minimizing the technical effort and also the overall weight of the stair climbing device.

[0020] According to a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the carrying device is pivotally mounted on a support arm on the chassis which is directed upwards and can be pivoted in or against the direction of movement, and is additionally equipped with a position sensor and an adjustment drive for the permanent horizontal mounting of the carrying device, whereby this further makes it particularly advantageous to shift the weight of the carrying device to the rear when the stair climbing device approaches a staircase in order to facilitate the climbing of the swing arm, which is directed forwards in the transport direction, onto a first step, just as the weight of the carrying device can then be moved forwards in order to generate an optimal distribution of force on the tracks during ascending or descending a staircase.

[0021] On a staircase, the swing arms are in a state of maximum extension and advantageously have a total length that spans at least three step edges, so that a smooth linear inclined up and down movement of the stair climbing device can be achieved.

[0022] In order to enable the inventive stair climbing device to operate largely autonomously, it is further advantageously equipped with an electronic drive control and with appropriate sensors on the swing arms and / or the chassis and / or the support device, for example for position or inclination detection, distance detection and / or environment detection, so that trouble-free operation is ensured.

[0023] An embodiment of the invention is described in more detail below with reference to the drawings. The drawings show: Fig. 1. A stair climbing device in front of or after a staircase on a landing with a swing angle of approximately 95° in a perspective view from an oblique angle above. Fig. 2 the stair climbing device according to Fig. 1 in a side view, Fig. 3. The stair climbing device, when ascending to a first step, has a rearward-moving position of the support device in the opposite direction of travel, with a swing angle of approximately 190°. Fig. 4 a position according to the Fig. 3 with a second position of the carrying device moved forward in the direction of travel, Fig. 5 a position of the swing arms of the stair climbing device in a maximum extended state of approximately 180°, Fig. 6 the position of the swings on a staircase and overlap of three step edges with a swing angle of approximately 155°, Fig. 7. The stair climbing device upon reaching an upper landing or beginning a descent from a landing. Fig. 8 the stair climbing device according to Fig. 7 in a spatial view and Fig. 9 the stair climbing device in a self-balancing position with a swing angle of approximately 250°.

[0024] The stair-climbing device 1 consists of a chassis 11 with a horizontal axle 10, on which four swing arms 8; 9 are arranged laterally below a support device 2. On each side, one swing arm 8 points forward in the direction of travel and one swing arm 9 points backward in the opposite direction of travel. The directions of travel can be reversed, in which case the opposite applies. In addition to the swing arms 8; 9, the inner guide rollers 5 are rotatably mounted on the horizontal axle 10, and outer guide rollers 4 are located at each end of the swing arms 8; 9. A track 3 extends around each guide roller 4; this track is supported on the side of the swing arms 8; 9 facing the ground by several adjacent support rollers 6, which in turn are mounted on the swing arms 8; 9.

[0025] In addition to the outer guide rollers 5, running wheels 7 are arranged and non-rotatably connected to the guide rollers 5, with the tracks 3 being driven via the outer guide rollers 5 and the electric motors (not shown in the drawing) arranged inside the running wheels 7. Each running wheel 7 is equipped with a separate electric motor.

[0026] The wheels 7 are, as can be seen in particular from the Fig. 1 and Fig. 8 emerges, designed as Mecanum wheels and provided around their circumference with angularly arranged free-rotating rollers 13, wherein, when the swing arms 8; 9 are arranged at a narrow swing angle to each other, as is the case in the Fig. 1 and Fig. As shown in Figure 2, the stair climbing device 1 is freely movable in any direction or around its vertical axis and can thus, for example, be moved laterally on the landing after climbing a first part of the staircase until it reaches the next part of the staircase, whereby the previously rear swing arm 9 then becomes the front swing arm 8 and vice versa.

[0027] At least one support arm 12 is arranged on the chassis 11. This support arm is also pivotable about the horizontal axis 10 and has an articulated receptacle at its upper end for a support device 2. Sensors are arranged in the support device 2, which are connected to a control unit (not shown) for the stair climbing device 1. This control unit ensures that the support device 2 remains permanently in a horizontal position, regardless of the pivot angles of the support arm 12 and the swing arms 8 and 9. The position of the support device 2 and the support arm 12 is adjusted to the optimal center of gravity of the stair climbing device 1, approximately as shown in the figure. Fig. 3 shown, facing backwards against the direction of travel, to allow the front swing arm 8 to easily run onto a step or, as in Fig. Figure 4 shows the support arm 12 pointing forward in the direction of travel to exert as much weight as possible on the track 3, thus ensuring optimal traction. Furthermore, the purpose of the adjustable support arm 12 is to ensure that the overall center of gravity of the stair climbing device 1 does not extend beyond a front or rear edge support point of the stair climbing device 1, in order to reliably prevent the device from tipping over.

[0028] The running wheels 7, designed as mecanum wheels, have a larger diameter than the outer guide rollers 4 connected to them; however, they do not rest on the ground when the swing angle between the arms 8; 9 is widely spread, since the distance from the axis of rotation of the guide rollers 4 and the running wheels 5 to the ground is greater than the radius of the running wheels 7. Only when the arms 8; 9 have a narrower swing angle to each other, as in the Fig. 1 and Fig. As shown in Figure 2, the running wheels 7 rest on the ground and, in their embodiment as a Mecanum wheel or omnidirectional wheel, enable lateral movement of the stair climbing device 1.

[0029] Fig.Figure 9 shows a stair-climbing device 1 equipped with a self-balancing function in an operating position in which all arms 8 and 9 are angled upwards about the horizontal axis 10, so that the stair-climbing device 1 rests on a surface only on the inner deflection rollers 5 or the tracks 3 that encircle them, on a contact line parallel to the axis 10. The angle between the arms 8 and 9 is approximately 250° or symmetrically 2 × 55° to the vertical axis through the horizontal axis 10 and a pivot axis of the support device 2 about its pivotable support arm 12. This pivotability can be used to move an eccentric load in the support device 2 centrally over the contact line. A wired or wireless signal transmission device for controlling the stair-climbing device 1 is not shown in the drawing.

Claims

[1] Stair climbing device (1) with a support device (2) and lateral track drives consisting of deflection rollers (4; 5) and support rollers (6) on tracks (3) guided on longitudinal beams of a chassis (11), running wheels (7) positioned in front of the tracks (3), and with separate electric drive motors and an electrical power supply, wherein the stair climbing device (1) has two longitudinal beams on each side, which are designed as swing arms (8; 9) and are pivotably arranged below the support device (2) about horizontal axes and the first swing arm (8) extends forward in one direction of travel and the second swing arm (9) extends backward in the direction of travel and both swing arms (8; 9) are arranged at variable swing angles on the chassis (11), characterized by, that the swing arms (8; 9) of one side are arranged side by side on the same axis of rotation (10), which also forms the axis of rotation (10) for the swing arms (8; 9) of the other side, the running wheels (7) are non-rotatably connected to the outer deflection rollers (4) and the deflection rollers (4) have a smaller diameter than the running wheels (7), and that the running wheels (7) are designed as Mecanum wheels and each running wheel (7) is driven separately, and that the deflection rollers (4) are encircled by the tracks (3), and that the stair-climbing device (1) is equipped with a self-balancing function in which all swing arms (8; 9) are raised about the horizontal axis (10) and the stair-climbing device (1) rests on a surface on the tracks (3) encircling the inner deflection rollers (5). [2] Stair climbing device (1) according to claim 1, characterized by, that the running wheels (7) come into contact with the surface at an angle between the two wings (8; 9) that is smaller than the angle that exists when the tracks (3) of both wings (8; 9) are in contact with a horizontal surface, and that the tracks (3) are lifted from the surface in such an angular position. [3] Stair climbing device (1) according to one of the two preceding claims, characterized by , that the electric drive motors are arranged in or on the running wheels (7) or in or on the deflection rollers (4; 5). [4] Stair climbing device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the carrying device (2) is pivotally mounted on an upwardly directed support arm (12) on the chassis (11) which can be pivoted in or against the direction of movement and the carrying device (2) has a position sensor and an adjustment drive for keeping it permanently horizontal. [5] Stair climbing device (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the wings (8; 9) in their maximum extended state have such a total length that the caterpillars (3) span at least three stair edge edges. [6] Stair climbing device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that it is equipped with an electric drive control and that sensors for position and inclination detection, distance detection and / or environment detection are arranged on the swing arms (8; 9) and / or the chassis (11) and / or the support device (2).

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