Robot configured to move through peristaltic movement

Abstract

To provide a robot which can move in an intended direction to get over a high obstacle while moving in a narrow space through peristaltic movement.SOLUTION: Multiple receiving units 2 and multiple power units 3 arrayed back and forth as units 1 forming a multi-joint body, are connected through wires 4 and springs 5. A robot has: a moving function which repeats an action in which the wire 4 is wound to reduce an interval between the units 1 which are connected to the front and back, the rear unit 1 is advanced to compress the spring 5 and advance the front unit 1 by a repulsive force, to advance the entire part; a turning function in which winding amounts of a left wire 43 and a right wire 44 of the wires 4 are separately controlled to change an advancing direction; and a lifting posture conversion function which separately controls winding amounts of an upper wire 41 and a lower wire 42 of the wires 4 to change a posture in a vertical direction of a portion located close to a front end of the multi-joint body where the units 1 are connected.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to a robot that moves by peristaltic movement like an earthworm, moves in a desired direction, and has the ability to overcome obstacles. [Background technology]

[0002] An example of the structure of the ceiling space in an underground space such as an underground station or shopping mall is shown in Figure 18. In this example, joist supports 52, 53 are combined vertically and horizontally to support the lower part of hanging bolts 51 hanging from the ceiling wall of the underground space, and joist 54 is fastened below them, with joints 55a of ceiling boards 55 fixed to the underside of joist 54.

[0003] In the ceiling of such an underground space, there is a high risk that the ceiling panels 55 and the supporting materials such as the hanging bolts 51, soffit supports 52, 53, and soffits 54 will corrode due to water leakage, so it is necessary to regularly inspect the condition of the ceiling space.

[0004] However, because the space above the ceiling is generally narrow and filled with various wiring and ducts, inspectors cannot enter the space above the ceiling to directly inspect the structure, and the area that can be inspected from an inspection hatch provided in the ceiling panel 55 is also limited. In addition, visual inspection from an inspection hatch involves working at a high altitude, which can be dangerous.

[0005] One possible solution is to use an industrial endoscope, but it is difficult to send the endoscope to the area that needs to be inspected. Another possible solution is to use a small drone, but it cannot fly in a narrow space like an attic. Another possible solution is to use a crawler-based robot, but such a robot cannot overcome tall obstacles like the joist supports 52, 53 and joist 54.

[0006] On the other hand, Patent Document 1 listed below describes a robot for inspecting the inside of pipes such as sewer pipes, which moves by peristaltic motion, repeating changes in form as shown in FIGS. 19(a) to 19(g).

[0007] This robot is a multi-section robot formed by alternatingly connecting a plurality of elastic, tubular gripping units 61 and propulsion units 62 arranged in the front-rear direction. The gripping units 61 and propulsion units 62 expand in diameter and contract in the front-rear direction when compressed air is supplied, and contract in the front-rear direction when compressed air is discharged. When expanded, the gripping units 61 inscribe themselves in the pipe 70, and when expanded, the propulsion units 62 are constricted at multiple points in the middle in the front-rear direction, and are constricted to a diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the gripping units 61 when expanded, so that they do not inscribe themselves in the pipe 70.

[0008] Such a robot can move inside the pipe 70 by propagating the contraction and extension motions of the gripping unit 61 and the propulsion unit 62 from the front end side to the rear end side. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0009] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-108945 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0010] The robot that moves by peristaltic motion, as described in Patent Document 1, was inspired by the movement of earthworms, and takes advantage of the fact that earthworms can move in the smallest space possible, compared to robots that walk on their legs like humans or animals, or robots that move by twisting their bodies up and down or left and right like inchworms or snakes.

[0011] However, currently known robots are limited to those designed for inspecting the inside of pipes and digging soil, and none are intended for use in inspecting narrow spaces such as attics where structural materials and various pieces of equipment are intertwined, and no robots are known to have the ability to climb over tall obstacles such as joists and joist supports.

[0012] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a robot that can move in a narrow space by peristaltic movement, move in a desired direction, and overcome tall obstacles. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] In order to solve the above problems, the robot according to the present invention, which moves by peristaltic movement, comprises a plurality of passive units and a power unit arranged in the front and rear as a unit constituting a multi-segment body, and the passive units and the power unit are connected via wires and springs; Each of the units has a wheel attached to a main body to which an end of the spring is fixed, and a one-way clutch that rotates only in the forward direction is provided on the axle of the wheel, The wires include an upper wire, a lower wire, a left wire, and a right wire that are wound up by a motor mounted on the power unit, a movement function that winds up the wire, reduces the distance between the units connected in front and behind, moves the rear unit forward to compress the spring, and moves the front unit forward by the repulsive force, repeating this action to move the whole unit forward; a turning function for changing the direction of travel by separately controlling the winding amounts of the left wire and the right wire; By separately controlling the winding amounts of the upper wire and the lower wire, the unit is provided with an elevation posture conversion function that changes the vertical posture of the portion of the multi-section body near the front end to which the unit is connected.

[0014] In addition, the passive unit is connected to the front end of the multi-section body, and behind it are connected in sequence a power unit having the lifting / lowering posture conversion function and movement function, and a power unit having the swivel function and movement function.

[0015] Further, the power unit having only the movement function is connected to the rear of the power unit having the turning function and the movement function, with the passive unit sandwiched between them.

[0016] Furthermore, among the units connected facing each other in the front and rear of the multi-section body, a bottom member is provided on the bottom of the main body of the unit located at the front, extending toward the main body of the unit located at the rear.

[0017] In addition, as the material for the bottom spacer, the weights of the units connected facing each other in the multi-section body are compared, and if the unit located at the rear is equal to or lighter than the unit located at the front, a soft material is used, and if the unit located at the rear is heavier than the unit located at the front, a hard material is used. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] The robot of this invention has a plurality of passive units and power units arranged in front and behind, connected via upper and lower wires, and left and right wires, which each separately control the winding amount, and has springs that apply a repulsive force between the units.In addition to the movement and rotation functions, the robot is also equipped with the ability to lift and change posture, so it can overcome tall obstacles and safely inspect areas such as the ceiling in underground spaces that cannot be seen directly. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a general perspective view showing a robot moving by peristaltic movement according to the present invention, from the left side; [Figure 2] An overall side view of the robot from the right side. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the vicinity of the connection between the passive unit and the first and second power units of the robot from the left rear. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the vicinity of the connection between the passive unit and the third power unit of the robot from the front left side. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the first power unit from the front left side; [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the second power unit from the front left side. [Figure 7]FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the third power unit from the front left side. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a schematic side view for explaining the movement function of the robot; [Figure 9] Schematic plan view for explaining the turning function of the same. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a schematic side view showing the rising posture when the bottom member is hard. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a schematic side view showing the rising posture when the bottom member is soft. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a schematic side view showing the obstacle climbing posture when the bottom member of the same is hard. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a schematic side view showing the obstacle climbing posture when the bottom member is soft; [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a schematic side view showing a position where the first power unit and the passive unit having a hard bottom member in front of the first power unit are connected to each other and are in a position to overcome an obstacle. [Figure 15] A side view of the robot from the right side showing the initial stage of an obstacle climbing experiment. [Figure 16] An overall side view showing the intermediate process from the right side of the same [Figure 17] Overall side view showing the final stage of the same from the right side [Figure 18] A perspective view showing the condition of the ceiling in the underground space [Figure 19] Schematic diagram for explaining the peristaltic movement function of the robot described in Patent Document 1 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] <Overall structure> The robot that moves by peristaltic motion shown in Figures 1 and 2 has a multi-sectioned unit 1 that consists of a plurality of passive units 2 arranged in a front-to-back direction and a power unit 3, which are connected via a wire 4 and a spring 5. The spring 5 is a compression coil spring that urges the unit 1 (passive units 2 and power unit 3) in the direction of separation, and can be easily attached and detached from the unit 1, allowing it to be replaced depending on the application.

[0021] Seven passive units 2 are connected to the front end of the multi-section body, which is the front when the robot moves forward, and of the three power units 3 behind it, the first power unit 31 and the second power unit 32 are connected in sequence, and the third power unit 33 is connected between the two passive units 2 connected behind it.

[0022] These units 1 (passive unit 2 and power unit 3) each have a wheel 7 attached to a main body 6 to which the end of a spring 5 is fixed, and a one-way clutch (not shown) that rotates only in the forward direction is provided on the axle of the wheel 7.

[0023] The first power unit 31, the second power unit 32, and the third power unit 33 each have a motor 8 mounted thereon. The motor 8 is not used to rotate the wheels 7, but to wind up the wire 4. The portion of the wire 4 between the units 1 contracts when the motor 8 is driven, and expands due to the repulsion of the spring 5 when the motor 8 is rotated in the reverse direction. The wire 4 includes an upper wire 41, a lower wire 42, left wires 43 and 45, and right wires 44 and 46.

[0024] The upper wire 41 and the lower wire 42 are passed from the front end passive unit 2 to the first power unit 31, and the left wire 43 and the right wire 44 are passed from the front end passive unit 2 to the second power unit 32. In addition, the left wire 45 and the right wire 46 are passed from the second power unit 32 to the third power unit 33.

[0025] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, of the units 1, which are connected facing each other from front to back, a passive unit 2 and a power unit 3, a scale-shaped bottom member 9 is provided at the bottom of the main body 6 of the unit 1 located at the front, which extends toward the main body 6 of the unit 1 located at the rear.

[0026] As shown in Figure 1, the front passive unit 2, which is the leader when the robot moves, is equipped with a front camera for checking the situation above the ceiling, and the rear passive unit 2 is equipped with a rear camera for use in operating the robot. In addition, several units 1 are equipped with gyro sensors for determining the robot's posture.

[0027] In addition, the power units 3 (first power unit 31, second power unit 32 and third power unit 33) are each provided with a rotary encoder for detecting the rotation speed of the motor 8 and grasping the extension and contraction of the wires 4 (upper wire 41 and lower wire 42, left wires 43, 45 and right wires 44, 46).

[0028] This robot is controlled by a handheld controller via wire or wirelessly, and the above-mentioned sensors are intended to be appropriately provided so that the robot can also move autonomously.

[0029] <Power unit configuration> (1st power unit) As shown in Figure 5, the first power unit 31 has two wheels 7 on a main body 6, and two motors 8 are provided inside the main body 6. These motors 8 rotate small gears 34, and the rotation is transmitted to large gears 35 to reduce the speed, and upper wire 41 and lower wire 42 are wound up separately by pulleys 36 integrated with large gear 35. When motor 8 is rotated in the reverse direction, upper wire 41 and lower wire 42 are unwound.

[0030] (Second power unit) As shown in Figure 6, the second power unit 32 also has two wheels 7 on two axes mounted on the main body 6, and two motors 8 are provided inside the main body 6. These motors 8 rotate small gears 34, and the rotation is transmitted to large gears 35 to reduce the speed, and pulleys 36 integrated with large gear 35 wind up left wire 43 and right wire 44 separately. When motor 8 is rotated in the reverse direction, left wire 43 and right wire 44 are unwound.

[0031] (Third power unit) As shown in Figure 7, the third power unit 33 has a single-shaft wheel 7 attached to the main body 6, and a motor 8 is provided inside the main body 6. This motor 8 rotates a small gear 34, and the rotation is transmitted to a large gear 35 to reduce the speed, and a pair of left and right pulleys 36 integrated with the large gear 35 simultaneously winds up the left wire 45 and the right wire 46 in the same order. When the motor 8 is rotated in the reverse direction, the left wire 45 and the right wire 46 are unwound.

[0032] <Movement function> As shown in Figure 8, this robot is driven by a motor 8 mounted on a power unit 3 (first power unit 31, second power unit 32, third power unit 33), which winds wires 4 (upper wire 41 and lower wire 42, left wires 43, 45 and right wires 44, 46) around a pulley 36, reducing the distance between the units 1 (passive unit 2, power unit 3) connected in front and behind, moving the rear unit 1 forward and compressing the spring 5, and the resulting repulsive force moving the front unit 1 forward; this action is repeated to move the entire robot forward.

[0033] <Rotation function> As shown in Figure 9, this robot uses two motors 8 mounted on the second power unit 32 of the power unit 3 to separately control the winding amounts of the left wire 43 and the right wire 44, allowing the passive unit 2 located at the front end of the multi-section body to face either left or right, thereby changing the direction of travel.

[0034] <Up / Down posture conversion function> This robot has an elevation posture conversion function that changes the vertical posture of the front end portion of the multi-section body to which unit 1 (passive unit 2) is connected, as shown in Figures 10 and 11 (schematic diagrams), by separately controlling the winding amounts of the upper wire 41 and the lower wire 42 using two motors 8 mounted on the first power unit 31 shown in Figure 5.

[0035] Here, as shown in Figure 10, if a hard material such as ABS resin is used as the bottom member 9, the bottom member 9 will not bend much, and the rise of the unit 1 (passive unit 2) located in front will be hindered.

[0036] Therefore, as shown in Figure 11, if a soft resin such as TPU resin (thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer) is used as the bottom member 9, the bottom member 9 will bend greatly, so the rise of the unit 1 (passive unit 2) located in front will not be hindered and it will be able to assume an ascending posture with a large angle of elevation.

[0037] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 12, if a hard material such as ABS resin is used for the bottom member 9, the bottom member 9 will not bend much, so unless it changes to an upward position from a position considerably farther rearward from the obstacle H, it will not be able to overcome a high obstacle H, and it will then be difficult to change to a downward position.

[0038] However, as shown in Figure 13, if a soft resin such as TPU resin is used as the bottom member 9, the bottom member 9 will bend significantly, so that even when approaching the obstacle H, it can change to an ascending position at a large angle of elevation, turn the front end of the multi-section body to a horizontal position, and overcome the high obstacle H, and then easily change to a descending position.

[0039] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 14, if a hard material such as ABS resin is used only for the passive unit 2 located immediately in front of the first power unit 31, when climbing over an obstacle H, the heavy first power unit 31 equipped with two powerful motors 8 can be lifted so that its rear is high, allowing it to smoothly climb over the obstacle H as if sliding down.

[0040] <Obstacle climbing experiment> Figures 15 to 17 show this robot (total length 790 mm, weight approximately 1 kg) climbing over obstacle H, 151 mm high, which is assumed to be a joist support above the ceiling. In Figures 15 to 17, the robot moves from the left to the right of obstacle H.

[0041] The operator operates the controller to move the robot forward from the initial state shown in Fig. 15(a), and when the passive unit 2 at the front end approaches obstacle H, the upper wire 41 is retracted more than the lower wire 42, as shown in Fig. 15(b), causing the front end portion of the robot to assume an ascending posture with a large elevation angle. At this time, the front end portion of the robot assumes an ascending posture without leaning against obstacle H, so it is not affected even if the lower part of obstacle H is hollow.

[0042] Then, as shown in Figure 15(c), the third power unit 33 is driven to move the robot forward and closer to the obstacle H, while the lower wire 42 is slightly extended and the upper wire 41 is slightly retracted so that the front end of the robot approaches the obstacle H.

[0043] Next, as shown in Figure 15(d), when the upper wire 41 is extended and the lower wire 42 is retracted, the passive unit 2 at the front end of the robot assumes a horizontal position and rests on the obstacle H, and the parts following it rise sequentially to form a diagonal line.

[0044] Then, after confirming with a camera that the passive unit 2 at the front end of the robot has stepped onto the obstacle H, the second power unit 32 is driven to move the robot forward so that the part of the robot ahead of the first power unit 31 overcomes the obstacle H, as shown in Figure 16(e). At this time, the upper wire 41, which had been retracted, is slightly extended and the lower wire 42 is retracted, causing the robot to curve forward and backward to match the obstacle H.

[0045] Furthermore, as the robot progresses, when the first power unit 31 gets on top of an obstacle H, as shown in Figure 16(f), the upper wire 41 is retracted to lift the rear of the first power unit 31, and as shown in Figure 16(g), peristaltic movement using the second power unit 32 causes the first power unit 31 to climb over the obstacle H.

[0046] Then, as shown in Figures 16(h) and 17(i), the peristaltic movement of the first power unit 31 and the second power unit 32 causes the second power unit 32 to overcome the obstacle H, following the first power unit 31.

[0047] Thereafter, as shown in Figures 17(j) and (k), in addition to the peristaltic movement using the first power unit 31 and the second power unit 32, the third power unit 33 is caused to overcome the obstacle H by the peristaltic movement using the third power unit 33, causing the robot to move further forward and completing the entire robot's surmounting of the obstacle H.

[0048] In this experiment, it took just over three minutes to overcome obstacle H, which was 151 mm high, but if the height of obstacle H is lower than 151 mm, such as when climbing over only the ceiling joist or the low part of the joist support, it will be possible to climb over obstacle H in a shorter time than the above experimental result. Also, the overall length of the robot can be short.

[0049] Furthermore, if the obstacle H is low, for example, about 31 mm, the front end of the robot will climb onto the obstacle H at the stage corresponding to Figure 15(d) even if the lower wire 42 is not retracted, and the entire robot will be able to climb over the obstacle H without any problems.

[0050] <Effects> The robot described above is configured by connecting a plurality of passive units 2 and power units 3 arranged in a front-to-back arrangement as units 1 via upper wires 41 and lower wires 42, left wires 43, 45 and right wires 44, 46, which each control the winding amount separately, and by interposing springs 5 ​​that apply a repulsive force between the units 1. This allows the robot to move in a minimum space by utilizing peristaltic motion, and it can turn to change its direction of travel as well as change its posture in the vertical direction.

[0051] In addition, since the light passive unit 2 is located at the front end and the heavy power unit 3 is located behind it, it becomes easier to assume an ascending posture and climb over tall obstacles H. Furthermore, since the functions are distributed among multiple power units 3 (first power unit 31, second power unit 32, and third power unit 33) arranged in the front and rear, each power unit 3 is relatively light, and it is not difficult for the power units 3 to climb over obstacles.

[0052] Furthermore, the bottom member 9 that closes the gap between the bottoms of the main bodies 6 of the units 1 that are connected facing each other from front to back is made of a soft material in the areas where the front and rear units 1 should be able to move flexibly in the vertical direction, and a hard material in the area where the heavy rear first power unit 31 needs to be lifted and supported, so the bottom member 9 does not hinder the first power unit 31 from changing its posture in the vertical direction when it overcomes an obstacle H.

[0053] For this reason, it can overcome tall obstacles H in narrow spaces such as the attic of an underground space, and can be inserted through even the smallest opening in the ceiling panel to safely inspect areas that cannot be seen directly, even during the day when many people are passing by. Furthermore, it can be used not only to inspect the attic of underground spaces, but also other civil engineering structures and architectural structures, as well as to inspect the gaps in various machines.

[0054] <Other> In the above embodiment, seven passive units 2 are connected to the front end of the multi-section body, and the first power unit 31, second power unit 32, two passive units 2, and third power unit 33 are connected in sequence behind it. However, the number of passive units 2 and power units 3 as units 1 constituting the multi-section body is not particularly limited. In other words, if the obstacle H that needs to be overcome is low, the total number of units 1 can be reduced to shorten the overall length of the robot, and if the obstacle H is high, the total number of units 1 can be increased to extend the overall length of the robot. Furthermore, the functions of the power units 3 can be appropriately distributed among multiple units, taking into consideration the weight balance of the entire robot and the height of the obstacle H that needs to be overcome. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 1 unit 2 Passive Units 3 Power Unit 4 wire 5 Spring 6 Main unit 7 wheels 8 motors 9 Bottom members 31 First Power Unit 32 Second power unit 33 Third power unit 34,35 Gears 36 Pulley 41 Upper wire 42 Lower wire 43,45 Left wire 44,46 Right wire 51 Hanging bolt 52,53 Noenuke 54 No-en 55 Ceiling Panel 55a Joint 61 Grasping unit 62 Propulsion Unit 70 tubes H Obstacle

Claims

1. A number of passive units and a power unit are arranged in front and behind as a unit that constitutes a multi-section body, and are connected via wires and springs. Each of the units has a wheel attached to a main body to which an end of the spring is fixed, and a one-way clutch that rotates only in the forward direction is provided on the axle of the wheel, The wires include an upper wire, a lower wire, a left wire, and a right wire that are wound up by a motor mounted on the power unit, a movement function that winds up the wire, reduces the distance between the units connected in front and behind, moves the rear unit forward to compress the spring, and moves the front unit forward by the repulsive force, repeating this action to move the whole unit forward; a turning function for changing the direction of travel by separately controlling the winding amounts of the left wire and the right wire; A robot that moves by peristaltic motion and has an elevation / lowering posture conversion function that changes the vertical posture of the front end portion of the multi-section body to which the unit is connected by separately controlling the winding amount of the upper wire and the lower wire.

2. 2. The robot that moves by peristaltic motion according to claim 1, characterized in that the passive unit is connected to the front end side of the multi-section body, and behind it are successively connected a power unit having the lifting / lowering posture conversion function and the movement function, and a power unit having the turning function and the movement function.

3. 3. The robot that moves by peristaltic motion according to claim 2, wherein a power unit having only the movement function is connected behind the power unit having the rotation function and the movement function, with the passive unit sandwiched between them.

4. 2. A robot that moves by peristaltic motion as described in claim 1, characterized in that, of the units connected facing each other in the front and rear of the multi-section body, a bottom member is provided on the bottom of the main body of the unit located at the front, extending toward the main body of the unit located at the rear.

5. A robot that moves by peristaltic motion as described in claim 4, characterized in that the material of the bottom member is made by comparing the weights of the units connected facing each other in the front and back of the multi-section body, and if the unit located at the rear is equal to or lighter than the unit located at the front, a soft material is used, and if the unit located at the rear is heavier than the unit located at the front, a hard material is used.

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