Running gear

Abstract

To provide a simple and inexpensive travel device which keeps staying a constant distance apart from a wall surface and travels along the wall surface.SOLUTION: A travel device traveling by wheels 11 along an outer wall surface W comprises a projecting member 12 which has projection ends projecting outward from the travel device, touching the wall surface W and able to proceed outward or recede inward against the traveling device, an energizing mechanism 13 to energize the projecting member 12 outward and a link mechanism 14 to change the rotation sense of the wheel 11 in response to proceeding or receding of the projecting member 12. When a projection length from the travel device of the projecting member 12 is equal to a prescribed length, the rotation sense of the wheel 11 is a rotation sense to make the travel device advance directly. When the projection length is a prescribed length less than the prescribed length, the rotation sense of the wheel 11 becomes a rotation sense which makes the travel device far away from the surface wall W compared to the time of direct advance. When the projection length surpasses a prescribed length from the prescribed length, the rotation sense of the wheel 11 becomes a rotation sense to make the travel device approach the wall surface W compared to the time of the direct advance.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a traveling device used for painting or the like. [Background technology]

[0002] When painting a wall surface, a painting device that travels along the wall surface may be used for application (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this case, however, if the distance between the painting device and the wall surface cannot be kept constant, the desired painting quality cannot be ensured. For example, if the distance is too close, the paint will drip, and if the distance is too far, insufficient film thickness, unevenness, and roughness will occur.

[0003] In Patent Document 1, in order to run the painting equipment while maintaining a constant distance from the wall surface, a guide of a predetermined length is provided that protrudes from the traveling carriage of the painting equipment toward the outer wall surface, and the traveling carriage is run so that the guide is always in contact with the wall surface, thereby enabling the painting equipment to maintain a constant distance from the wall surface. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-118875 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the above-mentioned traveling cart does not autonomously (automatically) maintain a constant distance from the wall, and even if the above-mentioned guide is provided, the worker needs to be aware of the distance from the wall while working. This requires the worker to concentrate, and the worker's attention is distracted, which raises concerns about the painting quality and safety.

[0006] As a method for keeping a constant distance from a wall while the traveling cart is traveling, for example, it is possible to run the traveling cart on rails or grooves along the wall, or to control the traveling cart while measuring the distance from the wall with a sensor or the like. However, the former is not realistic because it takes time and cost to provide the rails or grooves, and the latter is expensive due to the installation of sensors, etc. Therefore, a simple and inexpensive mechanism that can run while keeping a constant distance from the wall has been demanded.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and has an object to provide a simple and inexpensive traveling device or the like that travels while maintaining a constant distance from a wall surface or the like. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a traveling device that travels along an outer target surface using wheels, the traveling device including a protruding member that protrudes outward from the traveling device and has a tip that contacts the target surface and can move inward and outward relative to the traveling device, and a biasing mechanism that biases the protruding member outward. The protruding member is connected to the base end side of the protruding member, a link mechanism for changing the direction of the wheel in response to the advancement and retreat of the protruding member; the traveling device has a platform on which the coating device is placed, the protruding member, the link mechanism, and the biasing mechanism are provided on a lower surface of the platform, This running device is characterized in that when the protruding length of the protruding material from the running device is a predetermined length, the orientation of the wheels is a direction that moves the running device in a straight line, when the protruding length becomes less than the predetermined length, the orientation of the wheels is a direction that moves the running device away from the target surface compared to when it was moving straight, and when the protruding length exceeds the predetermined length, the orientation of the wheels is a direction that moves the running device closer to the target surface compared to when it was moving straight.

[0009] In the present invention, the traveling device can travel along the target surface while autonomously maintaining a constant distance from the target surface by using the separation maintaining mechanism consisting of the protruding member, the biasing mechanism, the link mechanism, etc., and there is no need to worry about the separation between the traveling device and the target surface. In addition, the rails, grooves, and sensors described above are not required to maintain the separation between the traveling device and the target surface, resulting in a simple and inexpensive configuration.

[0010] The biasing mechanism is, for example, an elastic body. By using an elastic body as the biasing mechanism, the traveling device can be simplified and easily manufactured.

[0011] Books The traveling device of the invention can be suitably used for carrying out painting work by placing a painting device on the mounting table. In this case, by providing a protruding member or the like on the underside of the mounting table and separating it from the painting device on the mounting table, the painting work can be carried out smoothly. For example, if the protruding member or the like is provided at a high position on the mounting table, there is no problem as long as the protruding member is located in front of the gun (paint spraying part) of the painting device in the direction of travel, but if the protruding member moves in the opposite direction, it will come after the gun and will come into contact with the painted surface. Therefore, in the present invention, by providing the protruding member or the like on the underside of the mounting table, the protruding member can be kept at a height that will not be painted, and will be prevented from coming into contact with the painted surface. Effect of the Invention

[0012] The present invention can provide a simple and inexpensive traveling device that travels while maintaining a constant distance from a wall surface or the like. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the protruding member 12, the biasing mechanism 13, and the link mechanism 14. [Diagram 3] 4A and 4B are diagrams for explaining a function of maintaining a distance between the traveling device 1 and a wall surface W. [Figure 4] 13 shows an example of the arrangement of the biasing mechanism 13. [Diagram 5] 1 shows examples of biasing mechanisms 13a to 13c that utilize gravity. [Figure 6] Examples of link mechanisms 14a, 14b. [Figure 7] Examples of protruding members 12a and 12b. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0015] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a traveling device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The traveling device 1 is used when painting a wall surface W, and a painting device 2 is placed on its mounting stand 10. The configuration of the painting device 2 is not particularly limited, and a known device can be used. The wall surface W is a target surface to be painted that stands in the vertical direction, and there is no particular restriction on its material, shape, or where the wall surface W is provided.

[0016] The traveling device 1 travels along a wall surface W in the direction indicated by an arrow A using wheels 11 provided on the underside of a mounting base 10. The traveling device 1 is a hand-pushed type, and a gate-shaped handle 101 is provided on the mounting base 10.

[0017] 2(a), the traveling device 1 of this embodiment is provided with a protruding member 12, a biasing mechanism 13, a link mechanism 14, etc. on the underside of the mounting base 10 as a separation maintaining mechanism for traveling along the wall surface W while autonomously (automatically) maintaining a constant distance from the wall surface W. In this embodiment, these separation maintaining mechanisms autonomously adjust the orientation of the wheels 11 when the traveling device 1 is traveling.

[0018] The wheels 11 are provided at both ends in the width direction of the traveling device 1, on the front wheel side and the rear wheel side of the mounting table 10. The width direction of the traveling device 1 is perpendicular to the traveling direction A in a plane, and will hereinafter be referred to as the device width direction. Each wheel 11 can rotate in a horizontal plane around a rotation shaft 111 supported on the mounting table 10, thereby allowing the direction of each wheel 11 to be changed.

[0019] The protruding member 12 has a bar 121 that protrudes outward from the mounting base 10 of the traveling device 1, and a roller 122 that is attached to the tip of the bar 121 and rotates within a horizontal plane while contacting the wall surface W. Note that the "outside" refers to the side facing the wall surface W, and the opposite side is called the "inside".

[0020] The rod 121 is disposed so as to extend toward the outer wall surface W through an insertion portion 15 fixed to the underside of the mounting table 10 , and can move inward and outward relative to the mounting table 10 of the traveling device 1 .

[0021] Mounting parts 123 protruding on both sides from the bar 121 are provided on the bar 121 at a portion inside the insertion part 15. The mounting parts 123 are used for mounting the biasing mechanism 13.

[0022] The biasing mechanism 13 biases the protruding member 12 toward the outer wall surface W. In this embodiment, a coil spring, which is an elastic body, is used as the biasing mechanism 13, and both ends of the coil spring are attached to the attachment portion 123 and the insertion portion 15 on both sides of the rod member 121, respectively.

[0023] The link mechanism 14 is for changing the direction of the wheel 11 in response to the advancement and retreat of the protruding member 12, and has a plurality of link members 141, 142, and 143.

[0024] The link material 141 is a plate-like member extending in the traveling direction A of the traveling device 1, and one end is connected to the inner end of the bar material 121 described above so as to be rotatable within a horizontal plane. A pair of link materials 141 are provided so as to extend from the end toward each of the front and rear wheels of the traveling device 1, and the other end of each link material 141 is connected to link material 142. The link material 141 is rotatable within a horizontal plane around a rotation shaft 1412 journaled on the mounting table 10.

[0025] The link material 142 is a plate-like member extending in the device width direction, and is disposed in the rear vicinity of the wheels 11 on the front wheel side of the mounting table 10 and in the front vicinity of the wheels 11 on the rear wheel side. The other end of the link material 141 is connected to the middle part of the link material 142 in the device width direction.

[0026] FIG. 2(b) shows a longitudinal cross section of the link 141 at this connection. As shown in FIG. 2(b), a long hole 1411 in the axial direction of the link 141 is provided at the other end of the link 141. A headed pin 1421 protruding downward is provided at the middle of the link 142 in the device width direction. The shaft of the pin 1421 is passed through the long hole 1411, and the head of the pin 1421 prevents the link 141 from slipping out of the long hole 1411, so that the other end of the link 141 is connected to the link 142 rotatably in the horizontal plane, and the pin 1421 can slide in the long hole 1411 in response to this rotation. The connection between the link 141 and the rod 121 also employs a similar configuration to the above, using a headed pin provided on the rod 121 and a long hole provided on the link 141.

[0027] Both ends of each link member 142 on the front and rear wheel sides of the platform 10 are rotatably connected to plate-shaped link members 143 provided on the wheels 11 at both ends in the width direction of the device in a horizontal plane. Each link member 143 is attached to the rotation shaft 111 of each wheel 11, and the rotation of the link members 143 causes the wheels 11 to rotate and change their direction.

[0028] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the function of maintaining the separation between the traveling device 1 and the wall surface W by the protruding member 12, the biasing mechanism 13, and the link mechanism 14.

[0029] Here, Figure 2(a) shows a state in which an appropriate distance is maintained between the running device 1 and the wall surface W, Figure 3(a) shows a state in which the distance between the running device 1 and the wall surface W is narrower than in Figure 2(a), and Figure 3(b) shows a state in which the distance between the running device 1 and the wall surface W is wider than in Figure 2(a).

[0030] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 2(a), in an ideal state where an appropriate gap is maintained between the traveling device 1 and the wall surface W, that is, when the protruding members 12 protrude from the traveling device 1 by a predetermined length, the orientation of all of the wheels 11 becomes parallel to the wall surface W, and the traveling device 1 can move straight along the wall surface W. It is also possible to make the protruding length of the protruding members 12 in the state of Fig. 2(a), that is, the above-mentioned predetermined length, adjustable in advance by making the rod members 121 of the protruding members 12 extendable, for example.

[0031] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 3(a), when the gap between the running device 1 and the wall surface W becomes narrower, that is, when the protruding member 12 recedes relative to the running device 1 and the protruding length of the protruding member 12 from the running device 1 becomes less than the above-mentioned specified length, the link members 141, 142, 143 of the link mechanism 14 rotate or move as shown in Figure 3(a), causing the direction of the wheels 11 to move the running device 1 away from the wall surface W compared to when it was moving straight ahead.

[0032] That is, the ends of the pair of link members 141 on the protruding member 12 side move backward together with the protruding member 12, and in response to this, the link members 141 rotate about the rotation axis 1412, causing the ends of the link members 142 side to move forward toward the wall surface W. This causes the link members 142 to move forward toward the wall surface W, and in response to this forward movement, the link members 143 rotate, so that on the front wheel side, the wheels 11 are oriented in a direction that moves the traveling device 1 away from the wall surface W, and on the rear wheel side, the wheels 11 are oriented in a direction that moves the traveling device 1 closer to the wall surface W. As a result, the traveling device 1 travels away from the wall surface W while tracing an arc-shaped trajectory as indicated by arrow B.

[0033] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3(b), when the gap between the running device 1 and the wall surface W becomes wider, that is, when the protruding member 12 moves forward relative to the running device 1 due to the restoring force (contraction force) of the biasing mechanism 13 and the protruding length of the protruding member 12 from the running device 1 exceeds the above-mentioned specified length, the link members 141, 142, 143 of the link mechanism 14 rotate or move as shown in FIG. 3(b), causing the direction of the wheels 11 to move closer to the wall surface W compared to when the running device 1 moves straight ahead.

[0034] That is, in this case, the ends of the pair of link members 141 on the protruding member 12 side move forward together with the protruding member 12, and in conjunction with this, the link members 141 rotate about the rotation axis 1412, causing the ends on the link member 142 side to move back from the wall surface W. As a result, the link members 142 move back from the wall surface W, and in conjunction with this movement back, the link members 143 rotate, so that on the front wheel side, the wheels 11 are oriented in a direction that moves the traveling device 1 closer to the wall surface W, and on the rear wheel side, the wheels 11 are oriented in a direction that moves the traveling device 1 away from the wall surface W. As a result, the traveling device 1 travels in an arc-shaped trajectory as indicated by arrow C, approaching the wall surface W.

[0035] During actual work, the traveling device 1 is set at the start position as shown in Fig. 2(a), and then the traveling device 1 is pushed by the handle 101 and travels along the wall surface W at a constant speed while the coating device 2 coats the wall surface W. As described above, the traveling device 1 autonomously maintains a constant distance from the wall surface W, so the worker only needs to pay attention to pushing the traveling device 1 at a constant speed, ensuring high coating quality. Note that during actual work, as a result of the trajectory corrections as shown in Figs. 3(a) and (b) above, the traveling direction of the traveling device 1 may not be completely parallel to the wall surface W as shown in Fig. 2(a) when it travels straight (when the protruding length of the protruding member 12 is a predetermined length). However, even in this case, when the protruding length of the protruding material 12 becomes less than the above-mentioned specified length, the direction of the wheels 11 moves the running device 1 away from the wall surface W compared to when it was moving straight ahead, and when the protruding length exceeds the above-mentioned specified length, the direction of the wheels 11 moves the running device 1 closer to the wall surface W compared to when it was moving straight ahead, and as a result, the distance of the running device 1 from the wall surface W is autonomously maintained constant.

[0036] As described above, in this embodiment, the distance maintaining mechanism consisting of the protruding member 12, the biasing mechanism 13, the link mechanism 14, etc., allows the traveling device 1 to travel along the wall surface W while autonomously maintaining a constant distance from the wall surface W, and the worker can work without worrying about the distance between the traveling device 1 and the wall surface W. Furthermore, the above-mentioned rails, grooves, and sensors are not required to maintain the distance between the traveling device 1 and the wall surface W, resulting in a simple and inexpensive configuration.

[0037] Furthermore, in this embodiment, by using an elastic body as the biasing mechanism 13, the traveling device 1 becomes simple and easy to manufacture.

[0038] The traveling device 1 of this embodiment can be suitably used for carrying out painting work by placing the painting device 2 on the mounting table 10. At this time, the protruding member 12, etc., is provided on the underside of the mounting table 10 and separated from the painting device 2 on the mounting table 10, so that the painting work can be carried out smoothly. For example, if the protruding member 12, etc., is provided at a high position on the mounting table 10, there is no problem as long as the protruding member 12 is located in front of the gun (paint spraying part) of the painting device in the traveling direction, but in the case of moving in the opposite direction, the protruding member 12 comes behind the gun and touches the painted surface. Therefore, in this embodiment, by providing the protruding member 12, etc. on the underside of the mounting table 10, the protruding member 12 can be kept at a height where painting is not completed, etc., and can be prevented from touching the painted surface.

[0039] However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in this embodiment, the traveling device 1 is a hand-pushed type, but it may be a self-propelled type using a driving device such as a motor. However, when performing painting work using a hand-pushed traveling device 1, it is very difficult to pay attention to the distance from the wall surface W while traveling the traveling device 1 at a constant speed, so the effect of applying the traveling device 1 of this embodiment is very large.

[0040] In addition, in this embodiment, a pair of coil springs are provided on both sides of the protruding material 12 between the mounting portion 123 and the insertion portion 15 as a biasing mechanism 13 for the protruding material 12, thereby allowing the protruding material 12 to be biased in a balanced manner, but the number of coil springs and their installation positions, etc. are not particularly limited as long as a necessary and sufficient force is obtained to bias the protruding material 12 outward.

[0041] For example, one end of the coil spring can be attached to the link material 141 instead of the mounting part 123 of the protruding member 12 (see FIG. 2(a)). Also, as shown in FIG. 4, the coil spring can be provided on the side opposite the wall surface W of the protruding member 12, and in this case too, the protruding member 12 can be urged outward by the restoring force (expansion force) of the coil spring. In the example of FIG. 4, one end of the coil spring is attached to the mounting part 123 of the protruding member 12, and the other end is attached to the fixing part 16 fixed to the underside of the mounting table 10, but it is also possible to attach one end of the coil spring to the link material 141.

[0042] Also, a known elastic body other than a coil spring can be used as the biasing mechanism 13. Furthermore, the biasing mechanism 13 is not limited to an elastic body, and for example, gravity can be used. Figure 5(a) shows an example of this, in which the connection portion between the rod 121 and the link 141 is viewed from a surface along the axial direction of the rod 121.

[0043] In this example, one end of wire 131 hooked onto pulley 132 is attached to link material 141, and the other end is attached to weight 133, thereby forming biasing mechanism 13a that biases protruding member 12 outward by the gravity of weight 133. One end of wire 131 may be attached to rod material 121 of protruding member 12 instead of link material 141. In this way, using gravity as biasing mechanism 13a has the advantage of acting with a constant force regardless of the displacement of protruding member 12.

[0044] Similarly, examples of a force-generating mechanism that utilizes gravity include a force-generating mechanism 13b in FIG. 5(b) in which a weight 135 that rolls (or slides) along an inclined surface 134 is provided and the weight 135 is used to force the protruding member 12, and a force-generating mechanism 133 in FIG. 5(c) in which a weight 137 is provided at one end of a L-shaped rotating member 136 that rotates around a bent portion as a central axis 138 and the gravity of the weight 137 is used to force the protruding member 12 at the other end of the rotating member 136. In these cases, the same effect as described above can also be obtained.

[0045] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 2(a), the traveling device 1 travels along the wall surface W when the link members 141 are arranged in a straight line, but the state of the link mechanism 14 in which the traveling device 1 travels along the wall surface W can be determined as appropriate. When the traveling device 1 travels along the wall surface W, the orientation of the pair of wheels 11 on the front and rear wheels may be slightly inclined with respect to the traveling direction A, forming a V-shape in a plan view. Furthermore, when viewed from the traveling direction A, these wheels 11 may be inclined in a V-shape, which may stabilize the traveling.

[0046] The shape and configuration of the link mechanism 14 are not particularly limited as long as it can change the orientation of the wheels 11 to an appropriate orientation according to the advancement and retreat of the protruding member 12. For example, as shown in FIG. 6(a), it is possible to provide a link mechanism 14a consisting of the above-mentioned link members 141, 142, and 143 only on the front wheel side. This also allows the traveling device 1 to travel along the wall surface W while autonomously maintaining a constant distance from the wall surface W. Furthermore, the mechanism is simple, lightweight, and inexpensive, and the axial force applied to the protruding member 12 is small, making it less likely to break.

[0047] 6(b), it is also possible to provide a separation maintaining mechanism consisting of protruding member 12, biasing mechanism 13, link mechanism 14a, etc., independently on the front and rear wheel sides, in which case too, the traveling device 1 can travel along the wall surface W while autonomously maintaining a constant distance from the wall surface W, and since the front and rear wheels can be adjusted, traveling is stable. Furthermore, the separation maintaining function works whether the traveling device 1 is moved forward or backward in the traveling direction A, and the axial force applied to the protruding member 12 is small, making it less likely to break.

[0048] 6(c), by providing a protruding member 12 near the front of the front wheel 11 and directly attaching a link member 143 to the rod member 121 so that the link mechanism 14b can be made even simpler by using the link member 143. However, in this case, the position of the front wheel 11 moves backwards by the installation space of the protruding member 12, narrowing the space between the front and rear wheels 11, which raises concerns about stable running. It is also possible to enlarge the platform 10 to maintain the space between the wheels 11, but in that case the maneuverability of the running device 1 will be impaired.

[0049] Furthermore, the protruding member 12 is not limited to the above-mentioned one, and may be any member as long as it is movable forward and backward relative to the traveling device 1. For example, as shown in Fig. 7(a), the protruding member 12a may be one end of a pair of arc-shaped leaf springs 124 attached to the outer end of a rod 121. The other end of the leaf spring 124 is fixed to a fixing part 17 provided on the lower surface of the mounting table 10, and the leaf spring 124, which is an elastic body, also functions as a biasing mechanism that biases the protruding member 12a outward by its restoring force.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 7(b), the protruding member 12b may be composed of a pair of link members 125, 126. The inner end of each link member 125 is connected to one end (the end opposite to the link member 142) of a link mechanism 14a (see FIG. 6(b)) provided for each of the front and rear wheels so as to be rotatable in a horizontal plane, and the outer end of each link member 125 is connected to the inner end of each link member 126 so as to be rotatable in a horizontal plane. The outer end of each link member 126 is connected to a roller 122 so as to be rotatable in a horizontal plane, thereby forming the protruding member 12b. The biasing mechanism 13 is provided between each link member 125, and narrows the opening angle (see symbol α) of the link member 126 by its restoring force (contraction force), biasing the protruding member 12b outward.

[0051] Additionally, the configurations of the mounting table 10 and the handle 101 are not particularly limited. For example, the mounting table 10 may be a lattice, cross, or frame-shaped assembly of steel materials, and the handle 101 is not limited to a gate-shaped one, but may be stick-shaped (rod-shaped). Furthermore, the traveling device 1 is not limited to a case where the painting device 2 is placed on the mounting table 10 and used for painting a wall surface W, but can be applied to various cases where the traveling device 1 needs to travel along a target surface, and the height of the target surface, etc. are also not particularly limited.

[0052] Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to the above examples. It is clear that a person skilled in the art can come up with various modified or altered examples within the scope of the technical ideas disclosed in this application, and it is understood that these also naturally belong to the technical scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 1: Running gear 2: Painting equipment 10: Placement table 11: Wheels 12, 12a, 12b: Protruding material 13, 13a, 13b, 13c: Biasing mechanism 14, 14a, 14b: Link mechanism

Claims

1. A traveling device that travels along an outer target surface by wheels, A protruding member protruding outward from the traveling device and having a tip that contacts the target surface, the protruding member being capable of moving inward and outward relative to the traveling device; A biasing mechanism that biases the protruding member outward; a link mechanism connected to a base end side of the protruding member for changing a direction of the wheel in response to the advancement and retreat of the protruding member; having The traveling device has a platform on which the coating device is placed, the protruding member, the link mechanism, and the biasing mechanism are provided on a lower surface of the mounting table, When the protruding length from the traveling device of the protruding member is a predetermined length, the direction of the wheels is a direction that causes the traveling device to move straight, When the protruding length becomes less than the predetermined length from the predetermined length, the direction of the wheel is such that the traveling device is moved away from the target surface compared to when the traveling device is moving straight ahead, A traveling device characterized in that, when the protruding length exceeds the predetermined length, the direction of the wheels changes to a direction that brings the traveling device closer to the target surface compared to when the traveling device is traveling straight.

2. 2. The traveling device according to claim 1, wherein the biasing mechanism is an elastic body.

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