A lifting and transporting mechanism and a cargo transporting method

Abstract

The present invention discloses a lifting and transporting mechanism and a cargo transporting method. The lifting and transporting mechanism comprises a chassis, a walking mechanism is installed at the bottom of the chassis, a gantry and a slide rail are installed on the upper end surface, and the gantry can do reciprocating motion along the slide rail; a double-row lifting fork mechanism that can be lifted and lowered for forklifting cargo is installed on the gantry, and the double-row lifting fork mechanism can rotate with the top of the gantry as an axis. Through the gantry, the double-row lifting fork mechanism and the walking mechanism, the overall spatial position of cargo during transportation and the angle adjustment during cargo transportation are realized, so that all-round cargo handling is realized, and the grabbing is accurate and flexible.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of cargo transportation equipment, and in particular relates to a lifting and transportation mechanism and a cargo transportation method. Background Art

[0002] Intelligent robot technology is a subject technology that has received much attention in recent years. With the maturity of computer technology and network technology, robot technology has also developed rapidly. In recent years, various intelligent robots have also emerged one after another and have had a huge impact on our lives. Object handling and intelligent classification are also branches of it. People have more and more demands for it, and the requirements for its automatic control principles are getting higher and higher. It not only involves automatic control technology, single-chip computer technology, computer technology, hydraulic voltage technology, but also mechanics, machinery and other disciplines. Its advantage is that it can complete various expected tasks through programming and remote control, which can free people's hands, solve the special environment problems that are not suitable for human production and work, and effectively improve work efficiency and extend working hours; at the same time, we can adjust the size, specifications and shape of the object handling robot according to different work sites, greatly improving its scope of use. However, in the process of handling, transportation and placement, there are still many problems with object handling robots, such as inaccurate and inflexible grasping of goods. Summary of the invention

[0003] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a lifting and transporting mechanism and a cargo transporting method to solve the problem in the prior art that the object handling robot is not accurate and flexible enough in grabbing cargo.

[0004] In order to achieve the above purpose, the following technical solutions are adopted:

[0005] A lifting and transporting mechanism comprises a chassis, a walking mechanism is installed at the bottom of the chassis, and the walking mechanism is used to drive the chassis to travel; a slide rail is installed on the chassis, a gantry is installed on the slide rail, and the gantry is configured to be able to reciprocate along the slide rail; a double-row lifting fork mechanism for forklifting goods and having a lifting function is installed on the gantry, and the double-row lifting fork mechanism is installed on the gantry in a manner that it can rotate around the top of the gantry as an axis;

[0006] A visual module and an infrared detection device are installed on the top of the gantry, and the visual module and the infrared detection device are electrically connected to a single-chip control module, and the single-chip control module is electrically connected to a GPS module;

[0007] The visual module and infrared detection equipment are used to transmit the collected image information to the single-chip control module, and the single-chip control module is used to calculate the movement route according to the GPS module, control the walking mechanism to move along the movement route, and also control the movement of the gantry and double-row lifting fork mechanism according to the image information collected by the visual module and the infrared detection equipment to load and unload goods.

[0008] Preferably, the walking mechanism includes a first motor and a Mecanum wheel, the first motor is mounted at the bottom of the chassis, and the output shaft of the first motor is connected to the rotating shaft of the Mecanum wheel.

[0009] Preferably, the slide rail comprises a first slide rail and a second slide rail installed in parallel on the chassis; slide rail racks are laid on the first slide rail and the second slide rail respectively;

[0010] The gantry is composed of a first opening arm and a second opening arm, and the lower part of the first opening arm and the lower part of the second opening arm are respectively fixed with a gantry motor, and the output shaft of the gantry motor is fixedly connected with a gear, the gear of the first opening arm is meshed with the slide rail rack of the first slide rail, and the gear of the second opening arm is meshed with the slide rail rack on the second slide rail.

[0011] Preferably, a first guide rod for guiding the first opening arm is arranged next to the first slide rail, and a second guide rod for guiding the second opening arm is arranged next to the second slide rail; a first slider is fixed to the bottom of the first opening arm, and the first slider cooperates with the first guide rod; a second slider is fixed to the bottom of the second opening arm, and the second slider cooperates with the second guide rod.

[0012] Preferably, the double-row lifting fork mechanism includes a first opening slot and a second opening slot; the first opening slot and the second opening slot are connected between the first opening arm and the second opening arm; the first opening slot is connected to the first opening arm in a manner that allows it to rotate around the transverse portion of the first opening arm; the second opening slot is connected to the second opening arm in a manner that allows it to rotate around the transverse portion of the second opening arm.

[0013] Preferably, the first opening slot and the second opening slot are connected via a rotating shaft; one end of the rotating shaft is rotationally connected to the first opening slot, and the other end of the rotating shaft is rotationally connected to the second opening slot.

[0014] Preferably, a first lifting fork and a first lifting motor are installed in the first opening slot, and a second lifting fork and a second lifting motor are installed in the second opening slot; the first lifting fork includes a first fork head and a first track rod, and the second lifting fork includes a second fork head and a second track rod;

[0015] The first track rod and the second track rod are respectively provided with vertical racks, and the output shafts of the first lifting motor and the second lifting motor are respectively connected with gears, the gear of the first lifting motor is meshed with the vertical rack of the first track rod, and the gear of the second lifting motor is meshed with the vertical rack of the second track rod.

[0016] Preferably, the slide rail rack is the same as the vertical rack.

[0017] Preferably, the gear of the gantry motor is the same as the gear of the lifting motor.

[0018] Another technical solution of the present invention is:

[0019] A cargo transportation method, based on the lifting and transporting mechanism, comprises the following specific steps:

[0020] The lifting and transporting mechanism is placed at a specific position in the site as the starting point, and the position coordinates of the lifting and transporting mechanism in the site are obtained through the GPS module. The single-chip control module controls the walking mechanism to move to the cargo according to the position coordinates;

[0021] The visual module and infrared detection device detect the cargo and surrounding environment information respectively and send it to the single chip control module, and identify the cargo according to the received cargo and surrounding environment information;

[0022] The single-chip control module controls the double-row lifting fork mechanism to adjust to the height suitable for the goods, so that the goods are facing the double-row lifting fork mechanism, and the gantry moves along the slide rail and the double-row lifting fork mechanism lifts the goods;

[0023] The single-chip control module calculates the distance through the GPS module and controls the walking mechanism to reach the designated location for storing the goods. After the vision module determines the material placement point, it transmits the information to the single-chip control module. The single-chip control module controls the gantry to move along the slide rail to the edge of the base, controls the double-row lifting fork mechanism to descend and suspend the goods on the placement point, and the single-chip control module controls the double-row lifting fork mechanism to rotate and tilt at a certain angle to unload the goods at the designated location.

[0024] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0025] 1. The lifting and transporting mechanism provided in the embodiment of the present invention can realize the overall adjustment of the spatial position of the goods during transportation, as well as the angle adjustment of the goods during transportation through the gantry, the double-row lifting fork mechanism and the walking mechanism, so as to realize all-round cargo handling, and the grabbing is accurate and flexible; moreover, it saves labor and avoids the situation where heavy objects hit people during manual handling, and has high safety.

[0026] 2. The lifting and transporting mechanism provided in the embodiment of the present invention can collect information about the cargo and the surrounding environment through video through a visual module, a GPS module and an infrared detection device, so as to realize accurate movement and loading and unloading of cargo. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] The drawings constituting a part of the present application are used to provide a further understanding of the present invention. The exemplary embodiments of the present invention and their descriptions are used to explain the present invention and do not constitute an improper limitation of the present invention. In the drawings:

[0028] Figure 1 It is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the lifting and transporting mechanism in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 2 It is a top view of the lifting and transporting mechanism in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 3 It is a side view of the lifting and transporting mechanism in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the installation of the opening arm of the lifting and transporting mechanism in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the control principle of the cargo transportation method in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] In the figure: 1-chassis; 2-first motor; 3-Mecanum wheel; 4-first slide rail; 5-second slide rail; 6-first opening arm; 7-second opening arm; 8-first guide rod; 9-second guide rod; 10-first slider; 11-second slider; 12-first opening slot; 13-second opening slot; 14-rotation axis; 15-first lifting fork; 151-first fork head; 152-first track rod; 16-second lifting fork; 161-second fork head; 162-second track rod; 100-visual module; 200-infrared detection equipment; 300-single chip control module; 400-GPS module. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and in combination with embodiments. It should be noted that the embodiments and features in the embodiments of the present application can be combined with each other without conflict.

[0035] The following detailed description is an exemplary description, which is intended to provide further detailed description of the present invention. Unless otherwise specified, all technical terms used in the present invention have the same meaning as those generally understood by those skilled in the art to which the present application belongs. The terms used in the present invention are only for describing specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit exemplary embodiments according to the present invention.

[0036] like Figures 1 to 5 As shown, an embodiment of the present invention provides a lifting and transporting mechanism, including a chassis 1, a traveling mechanism is installed at the bottom of the chassis 1, and the traveling mechanism is used to drive the chassis 1 to travel; a slide rail is installed on the chassis 1, and a gantry is installed on the slide rail, and the gantry is configured to be able to reciprocate along the slide rail; a double-row lifting fork mechanism for forklifting goods and having a lifting function is installed on the gantry, and the double-row lifting fork mechanism is installed on the gantry in a manner that it can rotate around the top of the gantry as an axis; a visual module 100 and an infrared detection device 200 are installed on the top of the gantry, and the visual module 1 00 and the infrared detection device 200 are both electrically connected to the single-chip control module 300, and the single-chip control module 300 is electrically connected to the GPS module 400; the vision module 100 and the infrared detection device 200 are used to transmit the collected image information to the single-chip control module 300, and the single-chip control module 300 is used to calculate the movement route according to the GPS module 400, control the walking mechanism to move along the movement route, and also control the movement of the gantry and the double-row lifting fork mechanism according to the image information collected by the vision module 100 and the infrared detection device 200, so as to load and unload goods.

[0037] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the walking mechanism includes a mounting block, a first motor 2, a motor rack and a Mecanum wheel 3, the four mounting blocks are respectively fixed to the bottom of the chassis 1, the motor rack is fixed to the mounting blocks, the first motor 2 is fixedly mounted on the motor rack, the output shaft of the first motor 2 is connected to the rotating shaft of the Mecanum wheel 3, the single-chip control module 300 is electrically connected to the first motor and can control the first motor 2, and the first motor 2 is used to drive the Mecanum wheel 3 to move and then drive the chassis 1 to move.

[0038] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the slide rail includes a first slide rail 4 and a second slide rail 5 which are fastened to the chassis 1 by screws; the first slide rail 4 and the second slide rail 5 are arranged in parallel and are respectively located on both sides of the chassis 1; the first slide rail 4 and the second slide rail 5 are respectively provided with slide rail racks; the gantry is composed of a first opening arm 6 and a second opening arm 7, which are both in an inverted L shape and are arranged opposite to each other. The lower part of the first opening arm 6 and the lower part of the second opening arm 7 are respectively fixed with a gantry motor, and the output shaft of the gantry motor is fixedly connected with a gear, the gear of the first opening arm 6 is meshed with the slide rail rack of the first slide rail 4, and the gear of the second opening arm 7 is meshed with the slide rail rack on the second slide rail 5. The single-chip control module 300 is electrically connected to the gantry motor and can control the gantry motor, thereby controlling the gantry to move on the slide rail.

[0039] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a first guide rod 8 for guiding the first opening arm 6 is arranged next to the first slide rail 4, and a second guide rod 9 for guiding the second opening arm 7 is arranged next to the second slide rail 5; a first slider 10 is fixed to the bottom of the first opening arm 6, and the first slider 10 cooperates with the first guide rod 8. The first slider 10 can slide on the first guide rod 8 to assist the movement of the first opening arm 6; a second slider 11 is fixed to the bottom of the second opening arm 7, and the second slider 11 cooperates with the second guide rod 9. The second slider 11 can slide on the second guide rod 9 to assist the movement of the second opening arm 7.

[0040] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the double-row lifting fork mechanism includes a first opening slot 12 and a second opening slot 13; the first opening slot 12 and the second opening slot 13 are connected between the first opening arm 6 and the second opening arm 7; a first rotating motor is provided at the end surface of the transverse portion of the first opening arm 6, and the output shaft of the first rotating motor is connected to the first opening slot 12. When the first rotating motor rotates, the first opening slot 12 can rotate with the transverse portion of the first opening arm 6 as the axis; a second rotating motor is provided at the end surface of the transverse portion of the second opening arm 7, and the output shaft of the second rotating motor is connected to the second opening slot 13. When the second rotating motor rotates, the second opening slot 13 can rotate with the transverse portion of the second opening arm 7 as the axis. The single-chip control module 300 is electrically connected to the rotating motor and can control the rotating motor.

[0041] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first opening slot 12 and the second opening slot 13 are connected via a rotating shaft 14 ; one end of the rotating shaft 14 is rotatably connected to the first opening slot 12 , and the other end is rotatably connected to the second opening slot 13 .

[0042] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a first lifting fork 15 and a first lifting motor are installed in the first opening slot 12, and a second lifting fork 16 and a second lifting motor are installed in the second opening slot 13; the first lifting fork 15 includes a first fork head 151 and a first track rod 152, and the second lifting fork 16 includes a second fork head 161 and a second track rod 162; vertical racks are laid on the first track rod 152 and the second track rod 162, respectively, and the output shafts of the first lifting motor and the second lifting motor are respectively connected with gears, and the gear of the first lifting motor is meshed with the vertical rack of the first track rod 152, and the gear of the second lifting motor is meshed with the vertical rack of the second track rod 162. The single-chip control module 300 is electrically connected to the lifting motor and can control the lifting motor.

[0043] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the rack of the slide rail is the same as the vertical rack, and the gear of the gantry motor is the same as the gear of the lifting motor.

[0044] Another technical solution of the present invention is:

[0045] A cargo transportation method, based on a lifting and transporting mechanism, comprises the following specific steps:

[0046] The lifting and transporting mechanism is placed at a specific position in the site as the starting point, and the position coordinates of the lifting and transporting mechanism in the site are obtained through the GPS module. The single-chip control module 300 controls the first motor of the walking mechanism according to the position coordinates, so that the walking mechanism drives the chassis 1 to move to the cargo;

[0047] The visual module 100 and the infrared detection device 200 detect the cargo and the surrounding environment information respectively and send them to the single chip control module 300, and determine the cargo location according to the cargo and the surrounding environment information;

[0048] The single-chip control module 300 controls the lifting motor of the double-row lifting fork mechanism to adjust the double-row lifting fork mechanism to a height suitable for the cargo, so that the cargo faces the double-row lifting fork mechanism;

[0049] The single-chip control module 300 controls the gantry motor to make the gantry move along the slide rail and then the double-row lifting fork mechanism lifts the goods and places them stably on the chassis 1;

[0050] The single-chip control module 300 calculates the distance through the GPS module and controls the walking mechanism to reach the designated location for storing the goods. After the visual module 100 determines the material placement point, it transmits the information to the single-chip control module 300. The single-chip control module 300 controls the gantry to move along the slide rail to the edge of the base 1, controls the double-row lifting fork mechanism to descend and suspend the goods on the placement point, and controls the rotating motor to rotate, so that the double-row lifting fork mechanism rotates and tilts a certain angle to unload the goods at the designated location.

[0051] In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the vision module 100 adopts the OpenMV CAM M7 OV7725 vision module. OpsnMV is a low-cost, powerful machine vision module with STM32F427CPU as the core and integrated with the ov7725 camera chip. On the compact hardware module, the core machine vision algorithm is efficiently implemented in C language, and a python programming interface is provided. The camera is programmed in python language to achieve rapid recognition of specific targets, and is connected to the single-chip control module 300 through the serial port of the OpenMV camera to achieve serial communication;

[0052] Since the IO interface power of the single-chip control module 300 is too small to directly drive the motor, a driving circuit board is added in this embodiment to indirectly drive the motor and control the motor's operating state. The driving circuit board is a four-way motor, and the driving circuit board can drive and control four universal wheels. The driving circuit board is powered by a power module, and the single-chip microcomputer outputs four-way PWM with adjustable duty cycle to the driving module, further realizing the single-chip microcomputer's control of the wheel's speed and forward and reverse rotation.

[0053] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the single-chip microcomputer control module adopts an Arduino Mega 2560 single-chip microcomputer to provide sufficient IO interfaces for the device.

[0054] It is known from common technical knowledge that the present invention can be implemented by other embodiments that do not deviate from its spirit or essential features. Therefore, the above disclosed embodiments are only illustrative in all respects and are not exclusive. All changes within the scope of the present invention or within the scope equivalent to the present invention are included in the present invention.

Claims

1. A lifting and transporting mechanism, characterized in that: The invention comprises a chassis (1), wherein a walking mechanism is installed at the bottom of the chassis (1), and the walking mechanism is used to drive the chassis (1) to walk; a slide rail is installed on the chassis (1), and a gantry is installed on the slide rail, and the gantry is arranged to be able to perform reciprocating motion along the slide rail; a double-row lifting fork mechanism for forklifting goods and having a lifting function is installed on the gantry, and the double-row lifting fork mechanism is installed on the gantry in a manner that it can rotate around the top of the gantry as an axis; A visual module (100) and an infrared detection device (200) are installed on the top of the gantry; the visual module (100) and the infrared detection device (200) are both electrically connected to a single-chip control module (300); and the single-chip control module (300) is electrically connected to a GPS module (400); The visual module (100) and the infrared detection device (200) are used to transmit the collected image information to the single-chip control module (300); the single-chip control module (300) is used to calculate a movement route according to the GPS module (400), control the walking mechanism to move along the movement route, and control the movement of the gantry and the double-row lifting fork mechanism according to the image information collected by the visual module (100) and the infrared detection device (200), thereby loading and unloading goods; The slide rail comprises a first slide rail (4) and a second slide rail (5) which are installed in parallel on the chassis (1); the first slide rail (4) and the second slide rail (5) are respectively provided with slide rail racks; The gantry is composed of a first opening arm (6) and a second opening arm (7); a gantry motor is fixed to the lower part of the first opening arm (6) and the lower part of the second opening arm (7), respectively; the output shaft of the gantry motor is fixedly connected to a gear; the gear of the first opening arm (6) is meshed with the rail rack of the first slide rail (4); and the gear of the second opening arm (7) is meshed with the rail rack on the second slide rail (5); The double-row lifting fork mechanism comprises a first opening slot (12) and a second opening slot (13); the first opening slot (12) and the second opening slot (13) are connected between a first opening arm (6) and a second opening arm (7); the first opening slot (12) is connected to the first opening arm (6) in a manner that allows rotation about a transverse portion of the first opening arm (6) as an axis; the second opening slot (13) is connected to the second opening arm (7) in a manner that allows rotation about a transverse portion of the second opening arm (7) as an axis; The first opening slot (12) and the second opening slot (13) are connected via a rotating shaft (14); one end of the rotating shaft (14) is rotatably connected to the first opening slot (12), and the other end is rotatably connected to the second opening slot (13); A first lifting fork (15) and a first lifting motor are installed in the first opening slot (12), and a second lifting fork (16) and a second lifting motor are installed in the second opening slot (13); the first lifting fork (15) comprises a first fork head (151) and a first track rod (152), and the second lifting fork (16) comprises a second fork head (161) and a second track rod (162); The first track rod (152) and the second track rod (162) are respectively provided with vertical racks, and the output shafts of the first lifting motor and the second lifting motor are respectively connected to gears, the gear of the first lifting motor meshes with the vertical rack of the first track rod (152), and the gear of the second lifting motor meshes with the vertical rack of the second track rod (162).

2. The lifting and transporting mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The walking mechanism comprises a first motor (2) and a Mecanum wheel (3); the first motor (2) is mounted on the bottom of the chassis (1); and an output shaft of the first motor (2) is connected to a rotating shaft of the Mecanum wheel (3).

3. The lifting and transporting mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: A first guide rod (8) for guiding the first opening arm (6) is arranged next to the first slide rail (4), and a second guide rod (9) for guiding the second opening arm (7) is arranged next to the second slide rail (5); a first slider (10) is fixed at the bottom of the first opening arm (6), and the first slider (10) cooperates with the first guide rod (8); a second slider (11) is fixed at the bottom of the second opening arm (7), and the second slider (11) cooperates with the second guide rod (9).

4. The lifting and transporting mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The slide rail rack is identical to the vertical rack.

5. The lifting and transporting mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The gear of the gantry motor is the same as the gear of the first lifting motor and the gear of the second lifting motor.

6. A cargo transportation method, based on the lifting and transporting mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The specific steps include: Placing the lifting and transporting mechanism at a specific position in the site as a starting point, obtaining the position coordinates of the lifting and transporting mechanism in the site through a GPS module, and controlling the walking mechanism (300) to walk to the cargo according to the position coordinates; The visual module (100) and the infrared detection device (200) respectively detect the cargo and the surrounding environment information and send the information to the single chip control module (300), and identify the cargo according to the received cargo and the surrounding environment information; The single-chip control module (300) controls the double-row lifting fork mechanism to adjust to a height suitable for the cargo, so that the cargo faces the double-row lifting fork mechanism, and the gantry moves along the slide rail so that the double-row lifting fork mechanism lifts the cargo; The single-chip control module (300) calculates the distance through the GPS module and controls the walking mechanism to reach the designated location for storing the goods. After the visual module (100) determines the material placement point, it transmits the information to the single-chip control module (300). The single-chip control module (300) controls the gantry to move along the slide rail to the edge of the chassis (1), controls the double-row lifting fork mechanism to descend and suspend the goods at the placement point, and controls the double-row lifting fork mechanism to rotate and tilt at a certain angle to unload the goods at the designated location.

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