Cage trolley carrying robot and cage trolley carrying method

Abstract

The invention discloses a cage trolley carrying robot and a carrying method. The cage trolley carrying robot comprises a first chassis and a second chassis which are connected through a hinge shaft, and a chassis body capable of self-adapting to the terrain is formed; the scissor-fork assembly stretches across the double chassis, one end of the scissor-fork assembly is hinged to the first chassis, and the other end of the scissor-fork assembly is hinged to the second chassis; the moving assembly comprises a driving wheel with a damping seat and a universal wheel; a two-dimensional code camera is integrated on the scissors fork arm, and the two-dimensional code camera and the SLAM laser part on the chassis form a hybrid navigation system; through the design of the hinged chassis and the cross-chassis shear fork mechanism, the ultralow initial height of the robot is achieved, and the robot can enter low spaces such as the bottom layer of a goods shelf; the road holding force of the driving wheel is enhanced and the trafficability and the stability of the complex ground are improved by utilizing the coupling of the mechanical characteristics of the hinge structure and the shear fork mechanism; the hybrid navigation mode can be flexibly switched according to scenes, global autonomy and node accuracy are integrated, and the automation level, environmental adaptability and operation efficiency of cage trolley carrying are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) transport equipment technology, and more specifically, to a cage car transport robot and a cage car transport method. Background Technology

[0002] In the field of warehousing and logistics, cage trucks (also known as logistics cages or storage cages) are common tools for carrying and transferring goods. At present, the handling of cage trucks mostly relies on manual operation or ordinary handling equipment, which has problems such as low efficiency, high labor intensity and poor space adaptability. Especially in low spaces such as the bottom of the rack and inside the truck, traditional forklifts or lifting robots are difficult to enter flexibly and complete the picking and placing operations due to the height of the vehicle or the lifting mechanism. In addition, existing handling robots are prone to slippage or bumping when driving on uneven surfaces, affecting operational stability; their navigation methods are also relatively simple, unable to flexibly switch between QR code positioning and laser SLAM free navigation according to the scenario, which limits their application in complex warehouse environments. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of the shortcomings of the existing technology, the purpose of this invention is to provide a cage-carrying robot and a cage-carrying method to solve the problems existing in the background technology.

[0004] The above-mentioned technical objective of the present invention is achieved through the following technical solution: a cage-carrying robot, comprising a first chassis and a second chassis; the first chassis and the second chassis are hinged together to form a chassis body; the chassis body is provided with: a moving component for moving the chassis body, a scissor lift component for lifting the cage, and a driving component for driving the scissor lift component to lift; the moving component is detachably connected to the first chassis and the second chassis respectively; one end of the scissor lift component is hinged to the first chassis, and the other end is hinged to the second chassis; the driving component is detachably connected to the first chassis, and the output end of the driving component is hinged to the scissor lift component.

[0005] Optionally, the scissor lift assembly includes: a first scissor arm, a second scissor arm, and a support plate for supporting the car carrier; one end of the first scissor arm is hinged to the first chassis, and the other end is hinged to one end of the support plate; one end of the second scissor arm is hinged to the second chassis, and the other end is hinged to the other end of the support plate; the middle portions of the first scissor arm and the middle portions of the second scissor arm are hinged to each other to form a scissor lift structure.

[0006] Optionally, the driving assembly includes: a driving slider and a first driving member for driving the driving slider to move; the first driving member is detachably connected to the first chassis; one end of the driving slider is fixedly connected to the output end of the first driving member, and the other end is hinged to the first scissor arm.

[0007] Optionally, the first scissor arm is also equipped with a QR code camera for scanning the QR code on the cage.

[0008] Optionally, the moving component includes: two hinge seats, two drive wheels, two casters, and two drive members for driving the corresponding drive wheels; the two hinge seats are detachably connected to the chassis body and are symmetrically arranged on the middle of the chassis body; the two drive wheels are detachably connected to the corresponding hinge seats; the two drive members are detachably connected to the chassis body; the output ends of the two drive members are drively connected to the corresponding drive wheels; the two casters are detachably connected to the chassis body and are symmetrically arranged at both ends of the chassis body.

[0009] Optionally, a shock-absorbing seat for damping the drive wheel is also provided on one side of the hinge seat.

[0010] Optionally, the chassis body is also equipped with a SLAM laser component.

[0011] A cage-carrying method based on the above-mentioned cage-carrying robot includes: Step S1: The cage transport robot moves to the cage for the pick-up and put-down task using the moving components on the chassis body; Step S2: The cage-carrying robot moves to the middle position at the bottom of the cage-carrying vehicle; Step S3: The QR code camera on the cage transport robot scans the QR code on the cage to confirm the task; Step S4: The drive component on the cage transport robot drives the scissor lift assembly to extend, thereby achieving the effect of lifting the cage. Step S5: The cage transport robot moves the lifted cage. Step S6: The cage transport robot moves the lifted cage to the designated unloading position, and the drive component drives the scissor lift assembly to retract, so that the cage falls to the designated position. Step S7: Drive the moving component of the cage car transport robot to move the cage car transport robot out from the bottom of the cage car, thereby completing the transport of the cage car.

[0012] In summary, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: 1. The articulated dual-chassis and scissor-lifting mechanism on the handling robot changes the traditional relationship between the chassis and lifting mechanism of lifting robots. By hinged the two ends of the scissor assembly to two independent chassis, the overall height of the scissor mechanism when fully retracted can be reduced to a level far lower than that of traditional fixed-chassis single-point lifting structures. The robot's extremely low profile, mainly composed of the chassis and the retracted scissor assembly, allows it to easily access low-ceilinged spaces that are difficult for traditional equipment to reach, such as the bottom of shelves and the interiors of vans. When operation is required, the drive unit pushes the scissor assembly to unfold. Its unique articulation across the two chassis ensures a reasonable distribution of lifting force, enabling stable and reliable lifting of the cage-like vehicle. This effectively solves the industry challenge of automated handling in height-constrained spaces and expands the robot's application scenarios.

[0013] 2. The shock-absorbing seat design of the drive wheels on the chassis body, and the adaptive mechanical linkage brought about by the scissor lift mechanism spanning the articulated chassis; the shock-absorbing seat on the side of the hinge seat directly provides the first buffer for the drive wheels, effectively absorbing high-frequency small-amplitude vibrations from the ground, protecting the drive components and improving ride smoothness; since the scissor assembly spans two relatively rotatable articulated chassis, it is not only a lifter, but also a large adaptive stabilizer connecting the front and rear chassis; when the robot travels on uneven roads or the load changes causing a slight adjustment in the center of gravity, the two chassis will produce a slight angle change around the hinge point. This change will be transmitted through the hinge point of the scissor arm, causing an adaptive fine adjustment of the scissor mechanism height. This fine-tuning process essentially dynamically redistributes the positive pressure of the chassis body on the drive wheels and swivel wheels. For example, when the drive wheels encounter a depression that may slip, the clamping force of the drive wheels can be automatically increased to enhance adhesion. When encountering a bump, the impact can be moderately mitigated. At the same time, the scissor mechanism itself has good mechanical self-locking characteristics, which can effectively suppress the ineffective shaking of the chassis in the non-lifting state and enhance the rigidity of the overall structure. This passive adaptive capability improves the robot's traction performance, passability, and operational stability under complex ground conditions, and solves the problems of large bumps and easy slippage of traditional rigid chassis robots. Attached Figure Description

[0014] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of the main structure of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the method steps of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the main body of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the main structure of the present invention in a contracted state; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the main structure of the present invention in an extended state.

[0015] In the diagram: 1. Chassis body; 2. First chassis; 3. Second chassis; 4. Moving component; 41. Hinge seat; 42. Drive wheel; 43. Caster wheel; 44. Shock absorber seat; 5. Scissor lift assembly; 51. First scissor lift arm; 52. Second scissor lift arm; 53. Support plate; 6. Drive assembly; 61. Drive slider; 62. First drive component; 7. SLAM laser component; 8. QR code camera. Detailed Implementation

[0016] To make the objectives, features, and advantages of the present invention more apparent and understandable, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Several embodiments of the present invention are shown in the drawings. However, the present invention can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein.

[0017] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "linking," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances. The terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature.

[0018] In this invention, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, "above" or "below" a second feature can include direct contact between the first and second features, or contact between the first and second features through another feature between them. Furthermore, "above," "over," and "on top" of a second feature includes the first feature being directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" of a second feature includes the first feature being directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "left," "right," "above," "below," and similar expressions are for illustrative purposes only and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed or operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as limiting the invention.

[0019] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0020] This invention provides a cage-carrying robot and a cage-carrying method, such as... Figure 1 As shown, the system includes a first chassis and a second chassis; the first chassis and the second chassis are hinged together to form a chassis body; the chassis body is provided with: a moving component for moving the chassis body, a scissor lift assembly for lifting the car carrier, and a drive component for driving the scissor lift assembly to lift; the moving component is detachably connected to the first chassis and the second chassis respectively; one end of the scissor lift assembly is hinged to the first chassis, and the other end is hinged to the second chassis; the drive component is detachably connected to the first chassis, and the output end of the drive component is hinged to the scissor lift assembly.

[0021] Furthermore, the scissor lift assembly includes: a first scissor arm, a second scissor arm, and a support plate for supporting the car carrier; one end of the first scissor arm is hinged to the first chassis, and the other end is hinged to one end of the support plate; one end of the second scissor arm is hinged to the second chassis, and the other end is hinged to the other end of the support plate; the middle portions of the first scissor arm and the middle portions of the second scissor arm are hinged to each other to form a scissor lift structure.

[0022] Furthermore, the driving assembly includes: a driving slider and a first driving member for driving the driving slider to move; the first driving member is detachably connected to the first chassis; one end of the driving slider is fixedly connected to the output end of the first driving member, and the other end is hinged to the first scissor arm.

[0023] Furthermore, the first scissor arm is also equipped with a QR code camera for scanning the QR code on the cage.

[0024] Furthermore, the moving assembly includes: two hinge seats, two drive wheels, two casters, and two drive members for driving the corresponding drive wheels; the two hinge seats are detachably connected to the chassis body and are symmetrically arranged on the middle of the chassis body; the two drive wheels are detachably connected to the corresponding hinge seats; the two drive members are detachably connected to the chassis body; the output ends of the two drive members are drively connected to the corresponding drive wheels; the two casters are detachably connected to the chassis body and are symmetrically arranged at both ends of the chassis body.

[0025] Furthermore, a shock-absorbing seat for damping the drive wheel is also provided on one side of the hinge seat.

[0026] Furthermore, the chassis body is also equipped with a SLAM laser component.

[0027] A cage-carrying method based on the above-mentioned cage-carrying robot includes: Step S1: The cage transport robot moves to the cage for the pick-up and put-down task using the moving components on the chassis body; Step S2: The cage-carrying robot moves to the middle position at the bottom of the cage-carrying vehicle; Step S3: The QR code camera on the cage transport robot scans the QR code on the cage to confirm the task; Step S4: The drive component on the cage transport robot drives the scissor lift assembly to extend, thereby achieving the effect of lifting the cage. Step S5: The cage transport robot moves the lifted cage. Step S6: The cage transport robot moves the lifted cage to the designated unloading position, and the drive component drives the scissor lift assembly to retract, so that the cage falls to the designated position. Step S7: Drive the moving component of the cage car transport robot to move the cage car transport robot out from the bottom of the cage car, thereby completing the transport of the cage car.

[0028] The present invention provides a cage-carrying robot, the main structure of which includes a chassis body, a moving component, a scissor lift component, a drive component, and a corresponding navigation system; The chassis body consists of a first chassis and a second chassis hinged together by a laterally arranged hinge axis. The first and second chassis are preferably frame structures constructed from high-strength steel plates or aluminum alloy profiles, welded or bolted together. They can rotate relative to each other within a certain angle range (e.g., ±5 degrees) around the hinge axis. This hinge design is the foundation for the subsequent low-height storage and adaptive stability of the scissor lift assembly. Base plates are welded to both sides of the frame, serving as the front and rear base plates of the handling robot. The mobile component is responsible for the robot's omnidirectional movement and support, including two drive wheels, two drive components (such as servo motors with reducers), and two hinge seats. The two hinge seats are symmetrically fixed to both sides of the middle of the chassis body by bolts (roughly located near the hinge axis). Each drive wheel is mounted on the corresponding hinge seat via an axle. Each drive component is fixed to the corresponding first or second chassis by a mounting bracket, and its output shaft is directly connected to the axle of the drive wheel via a coupling or via a synchronous belt / gear transmission to achieve independent drive and control. A shock absorber is installed on the inner side of each hinge seat facing the drive wheel. In this embodiment, the shock absorber can be a polyurethane buffer block or a set of disc springs, which work in conjunction with the ground reaction force to absorb and attenuate the impact and vibration during driving. It also includes a driven support section, namely two casters; one caster is mounted to the front end of the first chassis by a bracket and bolts, and the other is mounted to the rear end of the second chassis; the four wheels (two drive wheels and two casters) form a stable support layout. The scissor lift assembly is the core of achieving low-profile entry and efficient lifting. It mainly includes a first scissor arm, a second scissor arm, and a support plate. Both the first and second scissor arms are composed of two parallel connecting rods connected by a connecting plate, and are cross-hinged in the middle by a central pin to form an X-shaped scissor lift unit. The lower end of the first scissor arm is connected to the hinge seat on the first chassis via a pin; the lower end of the second scissor arm is connected to the hinge seat on the second chassis via a pin, so that the foundation of the lifting mechanism is respectively built on two relatively movable chassis; the upper end of the first scissor arm is connected to the hinge seat at the bottom left end of the support plate via a pin; the upper end of the second scissor arm is connected to the hinge seat at the bottom right end of the support plate via a pin; the support plate is a rectangular steel plate, and the upper surface can be covered with anti-slip rubber pads or set with limiting guards for direct contact with and support of the bottom crossbeam of the cage car; The drive assembly provides lifting power to the scissor lift assembly and includes a first drive member and a drive slider. In this embodiment, the first drive member is an electric push rod. The tail of the first drive member is fixed to the first chassis by a U-shaped bracket and bolts. The drive slider is a sliding block, one end of which is fixed to the end of the telescopic rod of the first drive member, and the other end is hinged to the lower part of the first scissor arm (i.e., near the hinge point between the first drive member and the chassis) by a pin. When the telescopic rod of the first drive member extends, it pushes the drive slider forward, moving it away from the first drive member, thereby pushing the first scissor arm to rotate around its lower hinge point, forcing the entire scissor assembly to unfold and the support plate to rise; when retracting, the process is reversed, and the scissor assembly retracts. The QR code camera is fixed to the side or connecting plate of the first scissor arm via an adjustable mounting plate; this position allows its field of vision to naturally face the preset QR code label on the side of the cage or the shelf column during the robot's movement and lifting. The SLAM laser component is mounted on the front center of the chassis body via a column, preferably on the first chassis. Its mounting height is sufficient to perform 360° or fan-shaped scanning of the surrounding environment for mapping, positioning, and obstacle avoidance.

[0029] In the specific implementation process, before carrying out the transportation task, such as Figure 4 As shown, the drive assembly is in a retracted state, the scissor lift assembly is fully retracted, the support plate is lowered to its lowest position, and the robot as a whole is in a low-profile form; under the command of the built-in control system, the moving assembly drives the robot to enter low spaces such as the bottom of the shelf. like Figure 5 As shown, after the robot is positioned under the cage, the first drive unit is activated, pushing the scissor lift assembly to unfold, and the support plate smoothly lifts the cage off the ground. During the entire movement, if the ground is uneven, the articulated double chassis can rotate relative to each other, and the center of gravity distribution is automatically fine-tuned through the linkage of the scissor lift mechanism. With the help of the shock absorber, the drive wheels always have good adhesion and driving stability. When precise positioning is required (such as aligning with a cargo location), the QR code navigation mode is activated: the QR code camera 7 recognizes the preset QR code, provides absolute position feedback, and guides the robot to complete the precise docking. When traveling through passageways or planning free paths, SLAM navigation mode is activated: SLAM lasers scan the environment in real time and combine it with odometry information to achieve autonomous positioning, map building, and dynamic obstacle avoidance. The built-in control system of the handling robot can seamlessly switch between the two modes mentioned above based on preset programs or real-time environmental perception, or perform data fusion, such as using QR code information to correct the cumulative error of SLAM, thereby achieving efficient, accurate and flexible automated handling in all scenarios.

[0030] Furthermore, the control system mentioned above is a control module built into the handling robot, including but not limited to control elements with control and drive functions such as MCU and PLC. In this embodiment, an MCU is selected.

[0031] This invention discloses a cage-carrying robot and its method. The robot features an articulated double chassis and a scissor lift mechanism arranged across the chassis. This design alters the traditional relationship between the chassis and lift mechanism in lifting robots. By hinged at both ends of the scissor lift assembly to two independent chassis, the overall height of the scissor lift mechanism when fully retracted can be reduced to a level far lower than that of traditional fixed-chassis single-point lifting structures. The robot has an extremely low profile, primarily composed of the chassis and the retracted scissor lift assembly, allowing it to easily access low-ceilinged spaces such as the bottom of shelves and the interiors of vans, which are difficult for traditional equipment to reach. When operation is required, the drive assembly pushes the scissor lift assembly to unfold. Its unique articulation across the two chassis ensures a reasonable distribution of lifting force, enabling stable and reliable lifting of the cage-carrying robot. This effectively solves the industry challenge of automated handling in height-constrained spaces, expanding the robot's application scenarios. The shock-absorbing design of the drive wheels on the chassis and the adaptive design of the scissor lift mechanism across the articulated chassis further enhance its capabilities. Mechanical linkage is required; the shock-absorbing seat on the side of the hinge provides the first buffer for the drive wheel, effectively absorbing high-frequency small-amplitude vibrations from the ground, protecting the drive components and improving ride smoothness; since the scissor lift assembly spans two relatively rotatable articulated chassis, it is not only a lift but also a large adaptive stabilizer connecting the front and rear chassis; when the robot travels on uneven roads or when load changes cause slight adjustments to the center of gravity, the two chassis will produce slight angular changes around the hinge point. This change will be transmitted through the hinge point of the scissor lift, causing adaptive fine-tuning of the scissor lift mechanism height. This fine-tuning process essentially dynamically redistributes the positive pressure of the chassis body on the drive wheels and swivel wheels. For example, when the drive wheels encounter a depression that may slip, the clamping force of the drive wheels can be automatically increased to enhance adhesion. When encountering a bump, the impact can be moderately mitigated. At the same time, the scissor mechanism itself has good mechanical self-locking characteristics, which can effectively suppress the ineffective shaking of the chassis in the non-lifting state and enhance the rigidity of the overall structure. This passive adaptive capability improves the robot's traction performance, passability, and operational stability under complex ground conditions, and solves the problems of large bumps and easy slippage of traditional rigid chassis robots.

[0032] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. All technical solutions falling within the scope of the present invention's concept are within the scope of protection of the present invention. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, any improvements and modifications made without departing from the principles of the present invention should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A cage-carrying robot, characterized in that, It includes a first chassis and a second chassis; the first chassis and the second chassis are hinged together to form a chassis body; the chassis body is provided with: a moving component for moving the chassis body, a scissor lift assembly for lifting the cage car, and a driving component for driving the scissor lift assembly to lift. The moving component is detachably connected to the first chassis and the second chassis respectively; one end of the scissor lift assembly is hinged to the first chassis and the other end is hinged to the second chassis; the drive assembly is detachably connected to the first chassis and the output end of the drive assembly is hinged to the scissor lift assembly.

2. The cage-carrying robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The scissor lift assembly includes: a first scissor arm, a second scissor arm, and a support plate for supporting the caravan; One end of the first scissor arm is hinged to the first chassis, and the other end is hinged to one end of the support plate; one end of the second scissor arm is hinged to the second chassis, and the other end is hinged to the other end of the support plate; the middle parts of the first scissor arm and the middle parts of the second scissor arm are hinged to each other to form a scissor lifting structure.

3. The cage-carrying robot according to claim 2, characterized in that, The driving component includes: a driving slider and a first driving member for driving the driving slider to move; The first driving component is detachably connected to the first chassis; one end of the driving slider is fixedly connected to the output end of the first driving component, and the other end is hinged to the first scissor arm.

4. The cage-carrying robot according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first scissor lift arm is also equipped with a QR code camera for scanning the QR code on the cage.

5. The cage-carrying robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The moving component includes: two hinge seats, two drive wheels, two casters, and two drive components for driving the corresponding drive wheels; The two hinge seats are detachably connected to the chassis body and are symmetrically arranged on the middle part of the chassis body; The two drive wheels are detachably connected to the corresponding hinge seats; the two drive components are detachably connected to the chassis body; the output ends of the two drive components are drively connected to the corresponding drive wheels. Two casters are detachably connected to the chassis body and are symmetrically arranged at both ends of the chassis body.

6. The cage-carrying robot according to claim 5, characterized in that, A shock-absorbing seat for damping the drive wheel is also provided on one side of the hinge seat.

7. The cage-carrying robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The chassis body is also equipped with SLAM laser components.

8. A cage-carrying method based on the cage-carrying robot according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, include: Step S1: The cage transport robot moves to the cage for the pick-up and put-down task using the moving components on the chassis body; Step S2: The cage-carrying robot moves to the middle position at the bottom of the cage-carrying vehicle; Step S3: The QR code camera on the cage transport robot scans the QR code on the cage to confirm the task; Step S4: The drive component on the cage transport robot drives the scissor lift assembly to extend, thereby achieving the effect of lifting the cage. Step S5: The cage transport robot moves the lifted cage. Step S6: The cage transport robot moves the lifted cage to the designated unloading position, and the drive component drives the scissor lift assembly to retract, so that the cage falls to the designated position. Step S7: Drive the moving component of the cage car transport robot to move the cage car transport robot out from the bottom of the cage car, thereby completing the transport of the cage car.

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