This paper proposes a vertical locomotion mechanism with wheels for elevator installation work that grasps a vertically hung piano wire and runs on it. To meet the functional requirements, a friction-driven method using a self-servo effect was applied to generate the sufficient amount of grasping force. The shape and material of the wheel that can generate sufficient grasping force without causing breakage of both of the piano wire and the wheels are found, and its grasping performance is investigated through experiments. Based on these results, a prototype that can grasp the piano wire and run on it is designed and built, and succeeded in stable grasping and lifting and lowering operation through experiments. Furthermore, an improved prototype having the measuring wheel to compensate wheel slippage and the reaction wheel to suppress machine rotation is built and succeeded in reciprocating lifting and lowering experiment. Through, the effectiveness of the proposed vertical locomotion mechanism is confirmed.
