Link-Type Double Track Mechanism for Mobile Robot

• US 20080011525A1
• Filed: 04/30/2004
• Published: 01/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
• Original Assignee: Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
• Inventors: Shin, Gyeong-cheol, Kang, Sung-chul, Park, Chang-woo, Lee, Woo-sub
• Granted Patent: US 7,575,076 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 180/9.28
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 5/005 mounted on endless tracks or belts
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 55/02 with tracks and additional ground wheels for multi-purpose tractors B62D49/0635
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 55/065 Multi-track vehicles, i.e. more than two tracks soil-shifting machines E02F; mining machines E21C
• 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

Abstract

The present invention relates to a design of a driving mechanism for a vehicle to move through uneven terrain including stairways. The link-type double track mechanism in accordance with the present invention comprises: front and rear track driving sections; a built-in type control box; a set of angle-adjusting flippers, installed at front and rear ends of the control box, for adjusting the track angle; and high-speed driving wheels installed at the angle-adjusting tracks and imbedded inside. The link-type double track mechanism in accordance with the present invention does not require a complex terrain-adaptation mechanism, and thus it has advantages that the overall structure is simple and the control is very easy.

Claims

1. A link-type double track apparatus for high-speed driving on uneven terrain comprising:

a front track section(1) and a rear track section(2) capable of relative rotational movement;

a built-in type control box;

a set of angle-adjusting flippers, installed at front and rear ends of said control box with high-speed driving wheels being installed, for adjusting the track angle;

a structure for reducing the ground contact areas of said track sections; and

a structure for limiting the relative rotational movement range of said track sections,

characterized in that,

said apparatus has vertically symmetric structure so that it can be moved normally even when it is being turned over during a drive;

said apparatus can be passively adapted to the ground surface by gravity without having any extra actuator by using free relative rotational movement of said front and rear tracks; and

said apparatus can be driven with high-speed in some specific terrain by using said high-speed driving wheels installed therein.

2. A link-type double track apparatus for high-speed driving as claimed in claim 1,

characterized in that all the mechanical movement ranges required for a drive are designed to be the same in the upward direction and the downward direction.

3. A link-type double track apparatus for high-speed driving as claimed in claim 2,

characterized in that said apparatus has vertically symmetric external shape.

4. A link-type double track apparatus for high-speed driving as claimed in claim 1,

characterized in that said front track section and said rear track section are connected to each other by a conventional rotation joint.

5. A link-type double track apparatus for high-speed driving as claimed in claim 4,

characterized in that said front track section and said rear track section are driven by two driving pulleys, attached to a power transmission shaft, respectively, and said rotation joint is installed for said front track and said rear track to perform relative rotational movement centering around said power transmission shaft.

6. A link-type double track apparatus for high-speed driving as claimed in claim 5,

characterized by further comprising a driving section, including an actuator and a reducer, installed in each of said track sections.

7. A link-type double track apparatus for high-speed driving as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said structure for reducing the ground contact areas of said track sections is constituted by installing an actuator at said rotation joint section for actuating a relative rotation in-between said track sections to lift up the center of relative rotation between said track sections from the ground surface to reduce the ground contact areas of said track sections.

8. A link-type double track apparatus for high-speed driving as claimed in claim 7,

wherein said actuator installed at said rotation joint section contains a driving section including a motor, a reducer, and a worm gear.

9. A link-type double track apparatus for high-speed driving as claimed in claim 1,

said structure for limiting the relative rotational movement range of said track sections is constituted by installing a supporter(11) at the front-track-side of a rotation movement shaft, which is connected in-between said front and rear track sections and able to perform a relative rotational movement, and a stopper(10) at the rear-track-side of said rotation movement shaft for limiting the relative rotation range of said front track section by the contact of said supporter and said stopper.

10. A link-type double track apparatus for high-speed driving as claimed in claim 9,

characterized in that said stopper is connected to a driving section so that the rotation angle can be controlled.

11. A link-type double track apparatus for high-speed driving as claimed in claim 10,

characterized in that the rotation range of a rotation joint for relative rotation of said front and rear track sections can be controlled by changing the relative angle of said stopper to said supporter.

12. A link-type double track apparatus for high-speed driving as claimed in claim 1,

characterized in that said angle-adjusting flippers, with high-speed driving wheels being installed, have three selective modes of:

a ground contact mode of maintaining the tracks of said flippers to contact the ground surface to obtain a driving contact force and assist the straight movement in case of driving on a usual plain surface;

an angle-maintain mode of maintaining the tracks of said flippers with a certain angle, suitable for corresponding terrain, to perform a driving guide function for overcoming the height difference in case of driving on any uneven terrain such as stairways; and

a high-speed driving mode of popping out said high-speed driving wheels to contact the ground surface for high-speed driving by rotating said flipper more than a specific preset angle.

13. A link-type double track apparatus for high-speed driving as claimed in claim 12,

characterized in that said flippers performing a driving guide function can be controlled its relative angle to said front track section so that an appropriate guiding angle can be selected for the terrain to be moved on.

14. A link-type double track apparatus for high-speed driving as claimed in claim 12,

characterized in that said high-speed driving wheels remain inside with said flippers moving within a general angle range for ordinary drive guiding, and when said flippers are rotating beyond a specific rotation angle limit, said high-speed driving wheels pop outside to contact the ground surface by an internal link structure.

15. A link-type double track apparatus for high-speed driving as claimed in claim 1,

characterized by constituting a power transmission shaft for said high-speed driving wheels inside the rotation shaft of rotation tracks and matching the rotation center of said two shafts so that the power transmission from an actuator to said high-speed driving wheels is always possible regardless of the angle of rotation tracks.

16. A link-type double track apparatus for high-speed driving as claimed in claim 15,

characterized in that an actuator installed at said front track section transmits the power to front and rear high-speed driving wheels in the left side and another actuator installed at said rear track section transmits the power to front and rear high-speed driving wheels in the right side.