Leg-Wheeled Mechanism Foot-Position Control for Step Navigation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional leg-wheeled traveling mechanisms face challenges in safely and quickly navigating step differences due to issues with rider positioning and recognition of step height, leading to potential falls and prolonged operation times.
Innovation Solution
A leg-wheeled traveling mechanism with retractable follow-up legs and support legs, equipped with a foot-position measuring unit that allows the foot-rest portions to follow the rider's foot movements, enabling the control device to operate the legs in sync with the rider's actions for quick and safe step-difference ascending and descending.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the rider sits on a high position to ensure sufficient leg-operational area, then the leg-type mechanism can operate legs for step-difference ascending and descending, but the rider's safety deteriorates due to increased fall risk
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of fixing the rider's position high on the seat and moving the legs, this invention inverts the approach by making the legs move relative to the rider. The foot-rest portions are made movable while the rider remains seated at a safe, low position, thereby maintaining both operational capability and rider safety.
2Productivity
If the traveling mechanism automatically carries out step ascending and descending operations, then operation speed improves, but the recognition of step difference state becomes difficult and operation time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The rider's own foot movements serve as the recognition mechanism for step differences. When the rider naturally moves their feet to step up or down, the foot-position measuring unit detects this movement, and the control device uses it to automatically control the legs. This eliminates the need for separate step-detection sensors while maintaining automatic operation.
3Loss of time
If the rider operates the leg-type traveling mechanism manually, then step difference recognition is quick, but the operation becomes difficult and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The foot-position measuring unit acts as an intermediary between the rider's natural foot movements and the leg control system. It converts the rider's simple foot placement actions into automated leg control commands, making the operation as easy as natural walking while maintaining quick response time.
4Speed
If conventional wheel-type small-size traveling mechanism is used, then mobility on plane places is good, but the ability to cross step differences exceeding 10 cm deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanism dynamically switches between wheel-type and leg-type operation modes. On plane surfaces, the wheels provide efficient mobility. When step differences are detected through foot-position changes, the system automatically transforms to leg-type operation with retractable legs, thereby adapting to different terrain conditions and maintaining both speed and versatility.
Data Source
AI summary
A leg-wheeled traveling mechanism is provided with a seat portion, two follow-up legs, each having an end portion that is freely rotatably connected to the seat portion, with a distance between the end portion and a tip portion having a foot-rest portion being retractable, two or more support legs, each having an end portion that is freely rotatably connected to the seat portion, with a distance between the end portion and a tip portion having a wheel portion being retractable, a foot-position measuring unit that measures relative positional changes of the foot-rest portions and foot portions of a rider, and a control device that controls operations of the follow-up legs and the support legs, based upon the relative positional changes measured by the foot-position measuring unit so as to allow the foot-rest portions to move virtually in the same directions as those of the foot portions.