Crawler robot

• US 20070209844A1
• Filed: 03/09/2007
• Published: 09/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (Government of Japan)
• Original Assignee: National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (Government of Japan)
• Inventors: Kamimura, Akiya
• Granted Patent: US 7,793,743 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 180/9.320
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 55/0655 Articulated endless track vehicles steering specially adapted for trailers B62D13/00; articulated buses B62D47/025; tractor-trailer combinations or road trains comprising a uni-axle unit and a uni-axle trailer B62D53/02
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 55/075 Tracked vehicles for ascending or descending stairs, steep slopes or vertical surfacesmagnetic or pneumatic ground-engaging parts B62D55/265; chairs or multi-track cycles specially adapted for invalids A61G5/00
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 55/18 Tracks self-cleaning track links B62D55/088
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 55/30 Track-tensioning means
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 59/04 driven from propulsion unit on trailer

Abstract

Disclosed is a crawler robot which, even of a small size, can climb over a high step and which can perform various aspects of operations. Rollers, are arranged at apexes of triangular frames, and elastic crawlers are wrapped around the rollers, with the two frames being connected by a central support shaft. Rotatably provided to the central support shaft is a one-joint link composed of a first link and a second link connected together by a rotation shaft. An end portion of the second link is rotatably connected with a front shaft of a subordinate crawler device equipped with crawlers wrapped around rollers. As a result, the crawler robot is composed of a triangular crawler device and the subordinate crawler device connected together by the one-joint link. The crawler robot can be operated by rotating and bending the link and by rotating the crawler devices in arbitrary directions.

Claims

1. A crawler robot, comprising:

a triangular crawler device having on both sides thereof crawlers wrapped around rollers arranged at apexes of triangular frames whose centers are connected together by a support shaft;

a subordinate crawler device having on both sides thereof crawlers wrapped around at least two rollers of frames that are connected together; and

a link having at its ends the support shaft and the subordinate crawler device rotatably connected.

2. The crawler robot according to claim 1, wherein the link is a one-joint link composed of a first link and a second link rotatably connected together.

3. The crawler robot according to claim 1, wherein the triangular crawler device and the subordinate crawler device substantially differ in weight, and wherein the link rotates thereby displacing a center of gravity of the crawler robot.

4. The crawler robot according to claim 1, wherein the crawler robot can travel with both the triangular crawler device and the subordinate crawler device in contact with ground.

5. The crawler robot according to claim 1, wherein the link and the subordinate crawler device are accommodated within an outer peripheral edge of the triangular crawler device.

6. The crawler robot according to claim 1, wherein the crawler robot can travel with the subordinate crawler device raised by the triangular crawler device.

7. The crawler robot according to claim 1, wherein the crawler robot can travel with the triangular crawler device raised by the subordinate crawler device.

8. The crawler robot according to claim 1, wherein the triangular crawler device is raised and placed on a step portion by the subordinate crawler device, and wherein the subordinate crawler device is raised to the step portion by the triangular crawler device.

9. The crawler robot according to claim 1, wherein the triangular frames are rotated around the support shaft to raise front portions of the surfaces of the triangular crawlers from ground, to thereby effect an operation of climbing over a step.

10. The crawler robot according to claim 9, wherein the subordinate crawler device applies a pressure from a rear side, to substantially grip the surfaces of the triangular crawlers in contact with the ground, thereby configured to climb over a high step.

11. The crawler robot according to claim 1, wherein the triangular crawler device is provided with crawler guides for causing the crawlers to protrude from within, which are retractable at midpoints of the sides of the triangular crawler device.

12. The crawler robot according to claim 9, wherein, with the crawler guides protruding, the crawler robot can travel through rotation of the frames of the triangular crawler device about the support shaft.

13. The crawler robot according to claim 1, wherein the subordinate crawler device is equipped with a connecting means for connecting with another crawler robot, and configurable to bead together a plurality of crawler robots.