Wheeled moving robot

• US 7,570,005 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2008
• Issued: 08/04/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Hashimoto, Hideaki, Sonoura, Takafumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Duda; Rina I
• Application Number:
  US12/128,663
• Publication Number:
  US 20080231222A1
• Time in Patent Office: 432 Days
• Field of Search: 318/583, 318/587, 318/568.12, 318/568.16, 180/934, 180/936, 700/245
• US Class Current: 318/568.12
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 5/007 mounted on wheels

Abstract

A wheeled moving robot including a main body; wheels provided at least at opposite sides of the main body and configured to move the main body; an actuator configured to generate torque which rotates the wheels; a detector configured to detect whether the main body moves when the wheels rotates by the actuator; and a compensation unit configured to perform an auxiliary movement which pushes an auxiliary wheel in front or rear of the main body toward a floor based as a detection result of the detector.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a robot including a main body;

wheels provided on at least opposite sides of the main body and configured to move the main body;

an actuator configured to generate torque to rotate the wheels; and

an auxiliary wheel provided in front or rear of the main body, the auxiliary wheel being movable between a position in which it contacts a floor and a position in which it does not contact the floor, the method comprising;

detecting with a detector whether the main body moves when the wheels rotate;

increasing the torque of the actuator until the detector detects a movement of the main body; and

performing an auxiliary movement which pushes the auxiliary wheel toward the floor when the torque of the actuator is increased to a maximum and a movement of the main body is not detected.

2. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the movement of the main body is detected based on a detection of a rotation or a rotational speed of the wheels.

3. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the robot further comprises:

an electromagnetic solenoid configured to push the auxiliary wheel towards the floor when excited and to return the auxiliary wheel when unexcited.

4. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the auxiliary movement is performed two or more times when the movement of the main body is not detected.

5. A wheeled moving robot comprising:

a main body;

wheels provided on at least opposite sides of the main body and configured to move the main body;

an actuator configured to generate torque to rotate the wheels;

a detector configured to detect whether the main body moves when the wheels are rotated by the actuator;

a compensation unit configured to perform an auxiliary movement which pushes an auxiliary wheel in front or rear of the main body towards a floor based on a detection result of the detector; and

a controller configured to control the torque of the actuator and the auxiliary movement of the compensation unit according to the detection result of the detector,

wherein

the controller is configured to increase the torque of the actuator until the detector detects a movement of the main body and

the controller is configured to perform the auxiliary movement of the compensation unit when the controller increases the torque of the actuator to a maximum and the detector fails to detect a movement of the main body.

6. The robot according to claim 5,

wherein the compensation unit comprises:

an electromagnetic solenoid configured to push the auxiliary wheel toward the floor when excited and return the auxiliary wheel when unexcited.

7. The robot according to claim 5,

wherein the controller is configured to perform the auxiliary movement two or more times when the detector fails to detect a movement of the main body.