Crawler robot equipped with a work unit, and governing equipment for such crawler robots

Crawler robot equipped with a work unit of the type that comprises:

• a chassis, which on an imaginary basis is referenced with three coordinate axes X, Y, Z where the X axis is aligned with a direction of advance of said chassis and the Z axis is directed towards a work surface on which the robot is displaced;
• a first set of legs mounted in a linearly displaceable manner in the direction along the X axis with respect to the chassis and provided with a first suction coupling device adapted for intermittently coupling said first set of legs to the work surface, each leg of the first set of legs being mounted in a manner that is extensible in the direction along the Z axis towards the work surface, and retractable from it, with regard to the chassis;
• a second set of legs mounted in a rotary manner around an axis parallel to the Z axis with respect to the chassis and provided with a second suction coupling device adapted for intermittently coupling said second set of legs to the work surface;
• first and second means of activation connected to a source of suction for selectively activating said first and second suction coupling devices;
• first means of actuation for linearly displacing the first set of legs with respect to the chassis;
• second means of actuation for individually actuating a movement selected from between an extension and retraction of each leg of the first set of legs with respect to the chassis;
• third means of actuation for causing the second set of legs to rotate with respect to the chassis and
• control means adapted for controlling the functioning of said first and second means of activation and of said first, second and third means of actuation in a coordinated manner in order to displace the chassis in any direction on the work surface,
• wherein
• each of the said first suction coupling devices comprises at least two suction pads mounted on a tilting support joined in an articulated fashion to one end of the corresponding leg of the first set of legs in such a way that it can freely tilt with regard to a shaft parallel to the Y axis;
• joined to each tilting support is a foot located between said two suction pads and designed and arranged for resting on the work surface when the two suction pads are coupled to that work surface;
• at least one first and second sensor elements are respectively provided at a first and second separated points of the chassis in order to detect the distance in the direction of the Z axis from each of the said first and second points of the chassis to the work surface and to send representative signals of those distances to control means;
• fitted to the chassis is a mobile support device which supports a work unit provided with a head arranged for working on the work surface via an opening existing in the chassis, said mobile support device including means of guiding and means of actuation in order to displace at least said head in the directions along the three coordinate axes X, Y, Z and to pivot the head around two axes X, Y within the opening.