Abstract:
Provided is a fire-fighting robot that can quickly start to fight a fire occurring at a hazardous location, which firefighters cannot access, and extinguish fires occurring at any location without receiving a supply of fire extinguishing water.  
     The fire-fighting robot ( 1 ) of the present invention is self-propelled and remote-controlled via wireless or mobile communications to fight a fire. The robot includes one or more fire extinguisher storage portions ( 24   a   , 24   b ) for storing fire extinguishers ( 24   c   , 24   d ) which provide a jet of a fire-fighting agent from a jet outlet ( 26 ) by depressing a lever, a jet control portion disposed in the fire extinguisher storage portion ( 24   a   , 24   b ) for depressing the lever, and a jet outlet securing portion ( 26   a ) for detachably securing the jet outlet ( 26 ) of the fire extinguisher ( 24   c   , 24   d ).

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates to a self-propelled fire-fighting robot which can be remote-controlled via wireless or mobile communications to fight a fire.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     Recently, fire-fighting robots that are remote-controlled by radio or the like are used in order to fight a fire at such a location that is too hazardous to access by a firefighter for fighting the fire source.  
         [0003]     As such a fire-fighting robot, fire-fighting equipment is disclosed in Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application Hei-6-79011 (hereinafter referred to as Patent Document 1). “The fire-fighting equipment equipped with a self-propelled water spray system is characterized by including one or more water supply systems which are permanently installed in wall surfaces or the like within a fire-fighting area to receive a supply of fire extinguishing water under pressure from fire pump equipment, and a water spray system capable of being self-propelled which moves to the location of the aforementioned water supply system installed near the location of occurrence of a fire to connect its own water supply inlet thereto, thereby receiving a supply of fire extinguishing water under pressure for spray.” 
         [0004]     However, the aforementioned conventional technology has the following problems:  
         [0005]     (1) According to the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, the fire extinguishing water needs to be supplied uninterruptedly from the water supply system to the self-propelled water spray system via the water supply inlet. During spraying of water, the water spray system thus cannot move away from the location of the water supply system, so that when the location of a fire source is distant from the water supply system, the water must be sprayed thereon at a distance. Accordingly, there was a problem that such a fire could not be extinguished with reliability.  
         [0006]     (2) Additionally, the fire extinguishing water needs to be supplied uninterruptedly from the water supply system to the self-propelled water spray system via the water supply inlet, and the water is sprayed along a straight line. Thus, there was another problem that a fire that occurs at a location where no water supply system is available or in a winding corridor cannot be fought.  
         [0007]     The present invention was developed in view of the aforementioned problems. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a fire-fighting robot which can quickly start to fight a fire occurring at a hazardous location which firefighters cannot access, and fight a fire occurring at any location without receiving a supply of fire extinguishing water.  
       DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008]     To achieve the aforementioned objects, the fire-fighting robot according to the present invention is configured as follows.  
         [0009]     The fire-fighting robot of the present invention according to claim  1  is self-propelled and remote-controlled via wireless or mobile communications to fight a fire. The fire-fighting robot includes a barrel portion, and one or more fire extinguisher storage portions disposed in the barrel portion for storing a fire extinguisher which provides a jet of a fire-fighting agent from a jet outlet by depressing a lever, a jet control portion disposed in the fire extinguisher storage portion for depressing the lever, and a head portion disposed to be capable of swiveling laterally and tilting vertically on top of the barrel portion, a jet outlet securing portion disposed at the head portion for detachably securing the jet outlet of the fire extinguisher, and a remote control camera disposed in the head portion to orient in the same direction as the direction of the jet of the fire-fighting agent from the jet outlet.  
         [0010]     This arrangement provides the following features.  
         [0011]     (1) The provision of the fire extinguisher storage portion allows for storing a commercially available fire extinguisher therein and locating the lever of the fire extinguisher at a contact portion of the jet control portion. This allows for depressing the lever of the fire extinguisher by the jet control portion, thereby supplying a jet of the fire-fighting agent from the jet outlet to fight a fire.  
         [0012]     (2) The mounting of a fire extinguisher for supplying a jet of the fire-fighting agent makes it possible to fight a fire at any location such as a location where no water supply system is available.  
         [0013]     (3) Use of the inner pressure of a fire extinguisher for expelling the fire-fighting agent eliminates the need for providing additional power for supplying a jet of the agent. This allows the robot to be simplified in structure and easily manufactured at reduced costs.  
         [0014]     (4) The provision of the fire extinguisher storage portion for storing a fire extinguisher allows for using a general-purpose fire extinguisher. A used fire extinguisher can also be readily replaced with a new one, thus providing improved usability.  
         [0015]     (5) When the location of a fire source such as a small fire is detected during movement of the robot, the robot can access the location of the fire and then supply a jet of a fire-fighting agent to extinguish the fire. The fire-fighting is thus quickly performed at an early stage, thereby making it possible to prevent the spread of the fire.  
         [0016]     (6) The head portion can be swiveled laterally and tilted vertically, thereby orienting the jet outlet in any direction and allowing a jet of the fire-fighting agent to be directed in any direction. It is thus possible to fight a fire source at any location such as on the floor of a fire source or on the ceiling of a fire source.  
         [0017]     (7) The remote control camera is oriented in the same direction as the direction of the jet of the fire-fighting agent from the jet outlet. This enables the operator performing the remote control to fight a fire source while viewing by means of the remote control camera whether the jet of the fire-fighting agent is directed to the location of the fire source. Thus, the fire fighting can be performed with reliability.  
         [0018]     The fire-fighting robot of the present invention according to claim  2  has the following structure in the robot according to claim  1 . That is, the fire-fighting robot includes a right-side fire extinguisher storage portion disposed on the right side of the barrel portion and a left-side fire extinguisher storage portion disposed on the left side of the barrel portion, wherein the jet control portion is disposed in each of the right-side fire extinguisher storage portion and the left-side fire extinguisher storage portion.  
         [0019]     This arrangement provides the following features in addition to those obtained by the invention according to Claim  1 .  
         [0020]     (1) The provision of the right-side fire extinguisher storage portion and the left-side fire extinguisher storage portion allows for storing a commercially available fire extinguisher therein and locating the lever of the fire extinguisher at a contact portion of the jet control portion in the right- and left-side fire extinguisher storage portions. This makes it possible to depress the lever of the fire extinguisher by the jet control portion, thereby supplying a jet of the fire-fighting agent from the jet outlet to fight a fire.  
         [0021]     The fire-fighting robot of the present invention according to claim  3  has the following structure in the robot according to claim  1  or  2 . That is, the jet control portion includes a lever depressing portion for depressing the lever in the direction of the lever being gripped, a depressing portion support member for slidably supporting the lever depressing portion, a movable portion coupled to the lever depressing portion via a coupling shaft and having a female screw hole with a female screw formed therein, a threaded shaft to be screwed into the female screw hole of the movable portion, and a drive motor for rotating the threaded shaft.  
         [0022]     This arrangement provides the following feature in addition to those obtained by the invention according to claim  1  or  2 .  
         [0023]     (1) To expel the fire-fighting agent, the drive motor is activated to rotate the threaded shaft, so that the movable portion screwed onto the threaded shaft is displaced in the direction of the lever being gripped. The lever depressing portion operatively slides along the depressing portion support member to depress the lever in the direction of the lever being gripped, thereby making it possible to supply a jet of the fire-fighting agent by means of the fire extinguisher.  
         [0024]     (2) The threaded shaft rotated by the drive motor and the movable portion having the female screw hole screwed onto the threaded shaft can be used to exert a strong depressing force on the lever and thereby depress the lever. It is thus ensured that the lever of the fire extinguisher is depressed to expel the fire-fighting agent.  
         [0025]     The fire-fighting robot of the present invention according to claim  4  has the following structure in the robot according to any one of claims  1  to  3 . That is, the robot includes a camera motor for vertically swiveling the remote control camera independently with respect to the head portion.  
         [0026]     This arrangement provides the following feature in addition to those obtained by the invention according to any one of claims  1  to  3 .  
         [0027]     (1) Since the remote control camera can be vertically swiveled independently with respect to the head portion, the operator performing the remote control can have an increased range of view for checking.  
         [0028]     The fire-fighting robot of the present invention according to claim  5  has the following structure in the robot according to any one of claims  1  to  4 . That is, the fire extinguisher storage portion includes a fire extinguisher securing board for fixedly supporting an upper portion of the fire extinguisher.  
         [0029]     This arrangement provides the following features in addition to those obtained by the invention according to any one of claims  1  to  4 .  
         [0030]     (1) Since the fire extinguisher can be fixed and stored in the fire extinguisher storage portion by means of the fire extinguisher securing board, it is possible to prevent the fire extinguisher from being dislodged or the lever from being accidentally actuated, which may be caused by vibrations or the like during traveling of the fire-fighting robot. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0031]      FIG. 1A  is a front view showing a fire-fighting robot according to a first embodiment;  
         [0032]      FIG. 1B  is a side view showing the fire-fighting robot according to the first embodiment;  
         [0033]      FIG. 2A  is a perspective front view showing the main portion of the fire-fighting robot according to the first embodiment;  
         [0034]      FIG. 2B  is a perspective side view showing the main portion of the fire-fighting robot according to the first embodiment;  
         [0035]      FIG. 3A  is a perspective side view showing the main portion of a head portion;  
         [0036]      FIG. 3B  is a perspective plan view showing the main portion of the head portion;  
         [0037]      FIG. 3C  is a perspective rear view showing the main portion of the head portion;  
         [0038]      FIG. 4A  is a front view showing the main portion of a fire extinguisher storage portion;  
         [0039]      FIG. 4B  is a side view showing the main portion of the fire extinguisher storage portion;  
         [0040]      FIG. 5A  is a front view showing the main portion of the fire extinguisher storage portion when the lever is actuated;  
         [0041]      FIG. 5B  is a side view showing the main portion of the fire extinguisher storage portion when the lever is actuated;  
         [0042]      FIG. 6A  is a side view showing a traveling portion; and  
         [0043]      FIG. 6B  is a bottom view showing the traveling portion. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
     First Embodiment  
       [0044]     A fire-fighting robot according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.  
         [0045]      FIG. 1A  is a front view showing a fire-fighting robot according to the first embodiment.  FIG. 1B  is a side view showing the fire-fighting robot according to the first embodiment.  FIG. 2A  is a perspective front view showing the main portion of the fire-fighting robot according to the first embodiment.  Fig. 2B  is a perspective side view showing the main portion of the fire-fighting robot according to the first embodiment.  
         [0046]     Illustrated in the drawings are: a fire-fighting robot  1  according to the first embodiment; a barrel portion  2  of the fire-fighting robot  1 ; a support frame  2   a  for supporting an arm portion, a neck portion or the like, to be described later, disposed on the barrel portion  2 ; a door portion  2   b  disposed on a side of the barrel portion  2  for storing a fire extinguisher, to be described later, in a fire extinguisher storage portion, to also be described later; a head portion  3  of the fire-fighting robot  1 ; a neck portion  4  for supporting the head portion  3  on top of the barrel portion  2 ; a right arm portion  5   a  disposed at the front of the right-hand side of the barrel portion  2 ; a left arm portion  5   b  disposed at the front of the left-hand side of the barrel portion  2 ; a speaker portion  6  disposed on the front of the barrel portion  2 ; a microphone portion  6   a ; an image capturing portion  7  disposed on the front of the barrel portion  2  below the speaker portion  6 ; a waist portion  8  disposed at a lower portion of the barrel portion  2 ; a tape-shaped contact sensor  8   a  wound around the waist portion  8 ; a traveling portion  9  for allowing the fire-fighting robot  1  to travel; an ultrasonic sensor  10  for sensing obstacles; an omnidirectional camera  11  secured to the barrel portion  2  and disposed at an upper portion of the head portion  3 ; a flame/smoke detecting sensor  12 ; a battery storage portion  13  for storing a battery; a bus box  22  serving as an extension board of a controller portion; a controller portion  23  for providing control to the whole robot and images; a right-side fire extinguisher storage portion  24   a  disposed on the right-hand side of the barrel portion  2  at the back of the right arm portion  5   a ; a left-side fire extinguisher storage portion  24   b  disposed on the left-hand side of the barrel portion  2  at the back of the left arm portion  5   b ; fire extinguishers  24   c  and  24   d  disposed respectively on the right-side fire extinguisher storage portion  24   a  and the left-side fire extinguisher storage portion  24   b ; a hose  25  connected to the fire extinguishers  24   c  and  24   d ; a fire-fighting agent jet outlet  26  disposed on the distal end of the hose  25 ; a jet outlet securing portion  26   a  disposed on the front of the head portion  3  for detachably securing the jet outlet  26 ; a waist motor  27  for swiveling the barrel portion  2  with respect to the waist portion  8 ; a worm gear  28  disposed on the motor shaft of the waist motor  27 ; a waist shaft  29  secured to the waist portion  8 ; and a worm wheel  30  secured to the waist shaft  29  and meshed with the worm gear  28 .  
         [0047]     The fire-fighting robot  1  can travel by the traveling portion  9  to patrol a building or the like. When the fire-fighting robot  1  has detected a fire during the patrol or sensed a flame or smoke by the flame/smoke detecting sensor  12 , the robot informs the operator or the like who is on standby elsewhere of the information. When the fire-fighting robot  1  has detected a person collapsed on a floor, an injured person, an intruder or the like during a patrol, the operator being on standby elsewhere can talk to the person collapsed on the floor, the injured person, the intruder or the like using the speaker portion  6  and the microphone portion  6   a.    
         [0048]     The barrel portion  2  is disposed to be capable of swiveling relative to the waist portion  8 . The contact sensor  8   a  is wound around the waist portion  8  to sense an obstacle being brought into contact with the robot  1 . The ultrasonic sensor  10  senses an obstacle around the robot and an intruder or the like approaching the robot. The omnidirectional camera  11  takes pictures of the surrounding of the patrol robot  1  from the upper portion of the head portion  3 . The images taken are sequentially stored in a memory portion (not shown) disposed in the head portion  3 .  
         [0049]     Next, the head portion of the fire-fighting robot will be described with reference to the drawings.  
         [0050]      FIG. 3A  is a perspective side view showing the main portion of the head portion.  FIG. 3B  is a perspective plan view showing the main portion of the head portion.  FIG. 3C  is a perspective rear view showing the main portion of the head portion.  
         [0051]     Illustrated in the drawings are: the head portion  3 ; a head portion plate  3   a  disposed in the head portion  3 ; the hose  25 ; the jet outlet  26 ; the jet outlet securing portion  26   a ; a remote control camera  31  disposed on the head portion plate  3   a  to be capable of tilting vertically; a camera motor  32  for tilting the remote control camera  31  vertically; a worm gear  33  disposed on the motor shaft of the camera motor  32 ; a worm wheel  34  meshed with the worm gear  33 ; a band-wheel  35  operatively rotated with the worm wheel  34 ; a timing belt  36  looped over the band wheel  35  and a band wheel  37 , to be described later; the band wheel  37  operatively rotated with the remote control camera  31 ; the neck portion  4 ; a barrel-side neck portion frame  4   a ; a fixed shaft  4   b  secured to the barrel-side neck portion frame  4   a ; a head-side neck portion frame  4   c  journaled on the fixed shaft  4   b ; a neck shaft  41  secured on top of the barrel portion  2 ; a lateral motor  42  for laterally swiveling the head portion  3 ; a band wheel  43  secured to the motor shaft of the lateral motor  42 ; a worm gear  44 ; a band wheel  44   a  operatively rotated in conjunction with the worm gear  44 ; a worm wheel  45  secured around the neck shaft  41  for meshing with the worm gear  44 ; a timing belt  46  looped over the band wheel  43  and the band wheel  44   a ; a vertical motor  47  for vertically swiveling the head portion  3 ; a band wheel  48  disposed on the motor shaft of the vertical motor  47 ; a worm gear  49 ; a band wheel  49   a  operatively rotated in conjunction with the worm gear  49 ; a worm wheel  50  secured to the fixed shaft  4   b  for meshing with the worm gear  49 ; and a timing belt  51  looped over the band wheel  48  and the band wheel  49   a.    
         [0052]     The remote control camera  31  is rocked vertically by the camera motor  32  being activated. The head portion  3  is laterally swiveled about the neck shaft  41  by the lateral motor  42  being activated. The head portion  3  is tilted vertically about the fixed shaft  4   b  by the vertical motor  47  being activated. In this manner, the head portion  3  can be oriented in a given direction, so that the remote control camera  31  disposed on the front portion of the head portion  3  is oriented in a desired direction. Since the remote control camera  31  can be swiveled independently in the vertical direction, the operator performing the remote control can have a further increased range of view for checking.  
         [0053]     Furthermore, the head portion  3  can be swiveled laterally or tilted vertically, there by allowing the jet outlet  26  secured to the jet outlet securing portion  26   a  disposed on the front portion of the head portion  3  to be oriented in a given direction. This allows the fire-fighting agent to be sprayed from the jet outlet  26  in a given direction, thereby making it possible to fight a fire source occurring at any location such as on the floor of a fire source or on the ceiling of a fire source. It is also possible for the operator performing the remote control to fight a fire while visually checking by means of the remote control camera  31  whether the jet of the fire-fighting agent is directed to the location of the fire source. Thus, the fire fighting can be performed with reliability.  
         [0054]     Next, the fire extinguisher storage portion will be described with reference to the drawings.  
         [0055]      FIG. 4A  is a front view showing the main portion of the fire extinguisher storage portion.  FIG. 4B  is a side view showing the main portion of the fire extinguisher storage portion.  FIG. 5A  is a front view showing the main portion of the fire extinguisher storage portion when the lever is actuated.  FIG. 5B  is a side view showing the main portion of the fire extinguisher storage portion when the lever is actuated. In the first embodiment, a description will be made of the left-side fire extinguisher storage portion  24   b , and explanation will not be given to the right-side fire extinguisher storage portion  24   a  because it is configured in the same manner.  
         [0056]     In the drawings, illustrated are: the support frame  2   a ; the left-side fire extinguisher storage portion  24   b ; a fire extinguisher  24   d ; the hose  25 ; a jet control portion  61  disposed in the left-side fire extinguisher storage portion  24   b ; a lever storage portion  62  for storing the lever portion of the fire extinguisher  24   d ; a drive motor  63 ; a threaded shaft  64  consecutively provided to the motor shaft of the drive motor  63 ; a movable portion  65  having a female screw hole  65   a  screwed on to the threaded shaft  64 ; a lever depressing portion  66  secured to the movable portion  65  via the lever storage portion  62  coupled to a coupling member  66   a ; a depressing portion support member  67  secured to the support frame  2   a  for slidably supporting the lever depressing portion  66  in the vertical direction; a fire extinguisher securing board  68  secured to a support frame  60  for sandwiching the upper portion of the fire extinguisher  24   d  so as to fixedly support it; a lever  71  of the fire extinguisher  24   d  for spraying the fire-fighting agent by being depressed downwardly; and a lever support portion  72  disposed opposite the lower portion of the lever  71  for supporting the fire extinguisher  24   d.    
         [0057]     A description will be made as to how the fire-fighting robot operates which is configured as described above according to the first embodiment.  
         [0058]     To mount the fire extinguisher  24   d  to the fire-fighting robot  1  or replace the fire extinguisher  24   d , the door portion  2   b  described referring to  FIG. 1  is opened to store the fire extinguisher  24   d  in the fire extinguisher storage portion  24   b .  
         [0059]     The fire-fighting agent is sprayed from the jet outlet  26  as described with reference to  FIG. 3 . This is performed when, for example, the operator performing the remote control detects the location of a fire source using the remote control camera, and transmits a command signal to the fire-fighting robot to spray the fire-fighting agent. Upon reception of the command signal for spraying the fire-fighting agent, the fire-fighting robot  1  drives the drive motor  63  to rotate the threaded shaft  64 , there by causing the movable portion  65  screwed onto the threaded shaft  64  to be displaced downwardly. The displacement of the movable portion  65  causes the lever depressing portion  66  secured to the lever storage portion  62  coupled to the coupling member  66   a  to slide downwardly along the depressing portion support member  67 . This ensures that the lever depressing portion  66  can depress the lever  71  downwardly. The fire extinguisher  24   d  is secured to the left-side fire extinguisher storage portion  24   b  by means of the fire extinguisher securing board  68 . This makes it possible to prevent the fire extinguisher  24   d  from being dislodged or the lever  71  from being accidentally actuated, which may be caused by vibrations or the like during traveling of the robot.  
         [0060]     The movable portion  65  is screwed onto the threaded shaft  64  by means of the female screw hole  65   a , and displaced downwardly by the threaded shaft  64  being rotated. Accordingly, a strong depressing force can be exerted on the lever  71  by means of the lever depressing portion  66  via the coupling member  66   a , thereby ensuring that the lever  71  of the fire extinguisher  24   d  is depressed to expel the fire-fighting agent.  
         [0061]     In this manner, as shown in  FIG. 5 , the lever  71  is depressed by means of the lever depressing portion  66  downwardly, i.e., in the direction of the lever  71  being gripped. It is thus made possible to spray the fire-fighting agent from the jet outlet  26  as described with reference to  FIG. 3 .  
         [0062]     Next, the traveling portion will be described with reference to the drawings.  
         [0063]      FIG. 6A  is a side view showing the traveling portion, and  FIG. 6B  is a bottom view showing the traveling portion. In the first embodiment, a description will be made of the left-side driving wheel, and description will not be given to the right-side driving wheel because it is configured in the same manner.  
         [0064]     In the drawings, illustrated are: a driving wheel  81 ; a driving wheel frame  81   a ; a front-side journal portion  81   b  for journaling the front side of the driving wheel frame  81   a ; a shock absorber  81   c ; a rear-side journal portion  81   d  for journaling the rear side of the driving wheel frame  81   a  via the shock absorber  81   c ; a driving wheel drive motor  82  disposed on the driving wheel frame  81   a  for driving the driving wheel  81 ; a band wheel  83  disposed on the motor shaft of the driving wheel drive motor  82 ; a band wheel  84  operatively rotated in conjunction with the band wheel  83  via a timing belt  85 ; an axle shaft  86  of the driving wheel  81 ; a rotary encoder  87  for sensing the rotation of the axle shaft  86 ; a rear-wheel-side follower wheel  88 , and a front-wheel-side follower wheel  89 .  
         [0065]     Activating the driving wheel drive motor  82  causes the driving wheel  81  to rotate and travel. The driving wheel  81  is journalled on the driving wheel frame  81   a  with the rotary encoder  87 , while the front portion of the driving wheel frame  81   a  is journalled with the front-side journal portion  81   b  and the rear portion journalled with the rear-side journal portion  81   d  via the shock absorber  81   c . This makes it possible to prevent vibrations during traveling or a load exerted on the traveling portion  9  from being transferred to the barrel portion  2  or the head portion  3 . Additionally, during traveling, the rotary encoder  87  can detect the rotation of the driving wheel  81 , and the resulting information can be analyzed at the controller portion or the like to calculate the distance of travel for use as auxiliary data or the like.  
         [0066]     The fire-fighting robot according to the first embodiment is configured as described above, and has the following effects.  
         [0067]     (1) The fire extinguisher  24   d  can be stored in the left-side fire extinguisher storage portion  24   b  to allow the jet control portion  61  to grasp the lever  71  of the fire extinguisher  24   d , thereby spraying the fire-fighting agent from the jet outlet  26  to fight a fire. Additionally, the use of the fire extinguisher  24   d  makes it possible to fight a fire at any location such as a location where no water supply system is available. Use of the inner pressure of the fire extinguisher  24   d  for expelling the fire-fighting agent eliminates the need for providing additional power for supplying a jet of the agent. This allows the robot to be simplified in structure and easily manufactured. It is also possible to readily replace a used fire extinguisher with a new one.  
         [0068]     (2) The head portion  3  can be swiveled laterally and tilted vertically, thereby orienting the jet outlet  26  in any direction and allowing a jet of the fire-fighting agent to be directed in any direction. It is thus possible to fight a fire at any location such as on the floor of a fire source or on the ceiling of a fire source. The remote control camera  31  is oriented in the same direction as the direction of the jet of the fire-fighting agent from the jet outlet  26 . This enables the operator performing the remote control to fight a fire while visually checking by means of the remote control camera  31  whether the jet of the fire-fighting agent is directed to the location of the fire. Thus, the fire fighting can be performed with reliability.  
         [0069]     (3) In the jet control portion  61 , the threaded shaft  64  rotated by the drive motor  63  and the movable portion  65  having the female screw hole  65   a  screwed onto the threaded shaft  64  can be used to exert a strong depressing force on the lever  71  to depress the lever  71 . It is thus ensured that the lever depressing portion  66  can depress the lever  71  of the fire extinguisher  24   d  to expel the fire-fighting agent.  
         [0070]     (4) The fire-fighting robot  1  can travel by the traveling portion  9  to patrol a security service area such as a building. When the location of a fire source such as a small fire is detected during a patrol, the robot can access the location of the fire source and then supply a jet of a fire-fighting agent to extinguish the fire. The fire fighting is thus quickly performed at an early stage, thereby making it possible to prevent the spread of the fire.  
       INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY  
       [0071]     The aforementioned fire-fighting robot of the present invention can provide the following advantageous effects.  
         [0072]     According to the invention set forth in claim  1 , a robot can be provided which realizes the following effects.  
         [0073]     (1) The provision of the fire extinguisher storage portion allows for storing a commercially available fire extinguisher therein and locating the lever of the fire extinguisher at a contact portion of the jet control portion. This makes it possible to depress the lever of the fire extinguisher by the jet control portion, thereby supplying a jet of the fire-fighting agent from the jet outlet to fight a fire.  
         [0074]     (2) The mounting of a fire extinguisher for supplying a jet of the fire-fighting agent makes it possible to fight a fire at any location such as a location where no water supply system is available.  
         [0075]     (3) Use of the inner pressure of a fire extinguisher for expelling the fire-fighting agent eliminates the need for providing additional power for supplying a jet of the agent. This allows the robot to be simplified in structure and easily manufactured at reduced costs.  
         [0076]     (4) The provision of the fire extinguisher storage portion for storing a fire extinguisher allows for using a general-purpose fire extinguisher. A used fire extinguisher can also be replaced readily with a new one, thus providing improved usability.  
         [0077]     (5) When the location of a fire source such as a small fire is detected during movement of the robot, the robot can access the location of the fire source and then supply a jet of a fire-fighting agent to extinguish the fire. The fire fighting is thus quickly performed at an early stage, thereby making it possible to prevent the spread and development of the fire.  
         [0078]     (6) The head portion can be swiveled laterally and tilted vertically, thereby orienting the jet outlet in any direction and allowing a jet of the fire-fighting agent to be directed in any direction. It is thus possible to fight a fire source at any location such as on the floor of a fire source or on the ceiling of a fire source.  
         [0079]     (7) The remote control camera is oriented in the same direction as the direction of the jet of the fire-fighting agent from the jet outlet. This enables the operator performing the remote control to fight a fire source while visually checking by means of the remote control camera whether the jet of the fire-fighting agent is directed to the location of the fire source. Thus, the fire fighting can be performed with reliability.  
         [0080]     According to the invention set forth in claim  2 , a robot can be provided which realizes the following effects in addition to those obtained by the invention according to claim  1 .  
         [0081]     (1) The provision of the right-side fire extinguisher storage portion and the left-side fire extinguisher storage portion allows for storing a commercially available fire extinguisher therein and locating the lever of the fire extinguisher at a contact portion of the jet control portion in the right- and left-side fire extinguisher storage portions. This makes it possible to depress the lever of the fire extinguisher by the jet control portion, thereby supplying a jet of the fire-fighting agent from the jet outlet to fight a fire.  
         [0082]     According to the invention set forth in claim  3 , the robot can be provided which realizes the following effect in addition to those obtained by the invention according to claim  1  or  2 .  
         [0083]     (1) To expel the fire-fighting agent, the drive motor is activated to rotate the threaded shaft, so that the movable portion screwed onto the threaded shaft is displaced in the direction of the lever being gripped. The lever depressing portion operatively slides along the depressing portion support member to depress the lever in the direction of the lever being gripped, thereby making it possible to supply a jet of the fire-fighting agent from the fire extinguisher.  
         [0084]     (2) The threaded shaft rotated by the drive motor and the movable portion having the female screw hole screwed onto the threaded shaft can be used to exert a strong depressing force on the lever to depress the lever. It is thus ensured that the lever of the fire extinguisher is depressed to expel the fire-fighting agent.  
         [0085]     According to the invention set forth in claim  4 , the robot can be provided which realizes the following effect in addition to those obtained by the invention according to any one of claims  1  to  3 .  
         [0086]     (1) Since the remote control camera can be vertically swiveled independently with respect to the head portion, the operator performing the remote control can have an increased range of view for checking.  
         [0087]     According to the invention set forth in claim  5 , the robot can be provided which realizes the following effect in addition to those obtained by the invention according to any one of claims  1  to  4 .  
         [0088]     (1) Since the fire extinguisher can be fixed and stored in the fire extinguisher storage portion by means of the fire extinguisher securing board, it is possible to prevent the fire extinguisher from being dislodged or the lever from being accidentally actuated, which may be caused by vibrations or the like during traveling of the fire-fighting robot.