A food delivery device and a food delivery method thereof

Abstract

The present application relates to a kind of meal delivery device and its meal delivery method, meal delivery device includes meal delivery track and meal delivery trolley, the meal delivery track is arranged with several groups of positioning chip at interval inside, the bottom of the meal delivery trolley is equipped with the electromagnetic sensor matched with several groups of the positioning chip.Meal delivery method includes: waiter places meal on meal delivery trolley, then control computer sends out the dispatching instruction;Meal delivery trolley departs, and the electromagnetic sensor in the bottom of meal delivery trolley transmits the position data of meal delivery trolley to control computer after scanning the positioning chip on meal delivery track;The position where meal delivery trolley is currently located is judged by control computer, and path planning instruction is sent to meal delivery trolley;Meal delivery trolley is parked according to path planning instruction and travels to specified table.The position information where meal delivery trolley is located is obtained by electromagnetic sensor and positioning chip in the present application, and preset planning meal delivery path is avoided to collide with multiple vehicles, to improve meal delivery efficiency and reduce failure rate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a food delivery device and a food delivery method thereof, belonging to the technical field of food delivery equipment. Background Technology

[0002] With the advancement of science and technology and the increase in market demand, food delivery devices are gradually replacing traditional manpower in the catering industry. Food delivery devices are service machines responsible for delivering food and returning dishes; the workflow of a food delivery device is to transport the food from the pick-up point to the input-set location, and then return to the pick-up point to wait for the next instruction.

[0003] The food delivery device mainly includes a food delivery track and a food delivery trolley that travels along the food delivery track. In order to improve food delivery efficiency, the existing track-changing food delivery trolley will turn around at an appropriate position after delivering the food and return to the pick-up point as soon as possible to wait for the next delivery, without having to complete the rest of the journey.

[0004] However, most existing track-changing food delivery carts use four drive motors to drive the four wheels to rotate, which in turn the cart to run on the track. When turning around, the speed difference of the four wheels (the inner wheel is slower and the outer wheel is faster) is required to achieve a 180-degree turn. Therefore, when turning around, it is necessary to ensure that the speed difference between the inner and outer wheels is consistent and that the rotation speed of the front and rear wheels is consistent in order to smoothly navigate the curve.

[0005] In real-world use, due to tire wear, slippage from oil stains on the tracks, or wear on the gear set of the reduction motor, it is difficult to precisely control the rotation speed of each of the four wheels. This causes the rotation speeds of the front and rear wheels to be inconsistent, resulting in the front and rear wheels traveling different paths when the food delivery cart turns around. This can cause the food delivery cart to get stuck on the curve and be unable to turn around properly, requiring manual repositioning of the wheels to reset it.

[0006] In practical applications, this product is typically used in conveyor belt sushi restaurants and conveyor belt hot pot restaurants. These two types of restaurants handle vastly different weights of food, ranging from lighter sushi to heavier hot pot broths. Placing the food too far forward or too far back on the support surface causes uneven pressure on the front and rear wheels, resulting in inconsistent wheel rotation speeds. This prevents the delivery cart from turning around properly and causes it to get stuck on curves, requiring manual repositioning of the wheels to reset it.

[0007] In practical applications, since the track of the 180-degree turn-off is formed by manually welded sheet metal parts, there will be unavoidable height errors. One of the four wheels of the food delivery cart will always fail to contact the track surface, which may also cause the front and rear wheels to rotate at different speeds. As a result, the food delivery cart cannot turn around normally and gets stuck on the curve, requiring manual straightening of the wheels to reset it. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The purpose of this invention is to provide a food delivery device and a food delivery method to solve the existing technical problems in the background art.

[0009] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the technical solution provided by the present invention is as follows: On one hand, the present invention provides a food delivery device, including a food delivery track and a food delivery cart, wherein a plurality of positioning chips are arranged at intervals in the food delivery track, and an electromagnetic sensor matching the plurality of positioning chips is provided at the bottom of the food delivery cart. The food delivery cart also includes a frame, a front wheel assembly, and a rear wheel assembly; The front wheel assembly includes a front wheel frame, a chassis, front wheels, and front guide wheels. The front wheel frame is rotatably mounted on the front end of the vehicle frame. The chassis is fixedly located below the front wheel frame. The front wheels are symmetrically located on the outer side of the front wheel frame, and each front wheel is independently driven to rotate by a drive motor. The front guide wheels are symmetrically located on the outer side of the chassis. The rear wheel assembly includes a steering plate, a rear wheel frame, a rear wheel, and a rear guide wheel. The steering plate is rotatably mounted at the rear end of the vehicle frame, and both sides of the steering plate are elastically connected to the vehicle frame via an elastic reset element. The rear wheel is mounted on both sides below the steering plate, and the rear wheel is symmetrically arranged on the outer side of the rear wheel frame. The rear guide wheel is symmetrically arranged on the outer side of the rear wheel frame.

[0010] Furthermore, the front guide wheel is located on the outside of the front wheel, and the bottom of the front guide wheel is higher than the bottom of the front wheel; the rear guide wheel is located on the outside of the rear wheel, and the bottom of the rear guide wheel is higher than the bottom of the rear wheel.

[0011] Furthermore, the steering plate and the rear wheel frame are configured as an integrated structure.

[0012] Furthermore, the elastic reset element includes a first bolt, a second bolt, and a tension spring. The first bolt is threadedly connected to the steering plate, the second bolt is threadedly connected to the vehicle frame, and the two ends of the tension spring are respectively hinged to the first bolt and the second bolt.

[0013] Furthermore, the steering plate has several sets of threaded adjustment holes arranged in the middle of both sides, which match the first bolt, to adjust the spacing between the first bolt and the second bolt.

[0014] Furthermore, the steering plate and the rear wheel bracket are configured as a separate structure. The rear wheel bracket is mounted vertically on both sides below the steering plate via an elastic damping element. The elastic damping element includes an adjusting rod, two sets of locking nuts, and a spring. The adjusting rod is mounted vertically on the steering plate. The two sets of locking nuts are threaded to the bottom of the adjusting rod, and the rear wheel bracket is positioned between the two sets of locking nuts and clamped and fixed by them. The spring is sleeved around the outer periphery of the adjusting rod, with the top of the spring abutting against the steering plate and the bottom of the spring abutting against one of the upper sets of locking nuts.

[0015] On the other hand, the present invention also provides a food delivery method applied to the aforementioned food delivery device, comprising: a waiter placing the food on the food delivery cart and then operating a control computer in the kitchen to issue a departure command; after the food delivery cart departs, an electromagnetic sensor located at the bottom of the food delivery cart scans a positioning chip on the food delivery track and transmits the location data of the food delivery cart to the control computer; the control computer determines the current location of the food delivery cart and sends a path planning command to the food delivery cart; the food delivery cart travels to the designated table according to the path planning command, stops, and plays a prompt tone, waiting for the customer to pick up the food; when the sensor detects that the food has been taken, the control computer sends a return command to the food delivery cart, and the food delivery cart returns to the kitchen to wait for the second delivery.

[0016] Furthermore, the control computer has a preset path planning algorithm based on the food delivery track, and the path planning algorithm includes a pre-planned path and a multi-vehicle collision avoidance path.

[0017] Furthermore, the pre-planned path includes: when the food delivery vehicle senses its own location through the electromagnetic sensor and the positioning chip, the control computer will retrieve the delivery path and store the data of multiple positioning chips that the food delivery vehicle is about to travel in the pre-planned path. The control computer will then send the data in the pre-planned path to the food delivery vehicle, at which point the food delivery vehicle will set off to deliver food. At this time, other food delivery vehicles will not be able to store the same positioning tag in the pre-planned path.

[0018] Furthermore, the multi-vehicle collision avoidance path includes: after the food delivery vehicle obtains its own position by scanning the positioning chip through the electromagnetic sensor, the control computer will retrieve the planned food delivery path that matches the current food delivery vehicle, and store the data of multiple positioning chips that the food delivery vehicle is about to travel in the planned food delivery path; the control computer will then send the data in the planned food delivery path to the food delivery vehicle, and then the food delivery vehicle will set off to deliver food; at this time, other food delivery vehicles cannot store the same positioning tag in the planned food delivery path, so as to avoid the food delivery vehicles in the planned path.

[0019] The beneficial effects of the technical solution provided by this invention are as follows: 1. This application provides a food delivery device and a food delivery method, which obtains the location information of the food delivery vehicle through electromagnetic sensors and positioning chips, and avoids multi-vehicle collisions by pre-planning the food delivery path, so as to improve food delivery efficiency and reduce failure rate.

[0020] 2. This application provides a food delivery cart that enables the front wheels to turn based on the speed difference between two drive motors. At the same time, it adopts a front-wheel drive and rear-wheel driven method to keep the speed of the front and rear wheels consistent, thereby avoiding getting stuck in corners.

[0021] 3. The rear wheel assembly of the food delivery cart in this application is equipped with an elastic reset element, which not only provides a reset function for the steering of the rear wheels, so that when the food delivery cart needs to turn around, it can automatically straighten the rear wheels and cooperate with the front wheels to achieve a smoother turning operation; at the same time, the tension of the spring can also prevent the rear wheels from swinging too much when turning, so that the rear guide wheel is more in contact with the inner wall of the track, thereby avoiding noise and bending problems caused by the rear guide wheel colliding with the outer wall of the track due to large swing amplitude.

[0022] 4. The rear wheel assembly of the food delivery cart in this application is also equipped with elastic shock-absorbing elements, which can make multiple wheels touch the ground at the same time, further ensuring that the rotation speed of the front and rear wheels is consistent, and also providing shock absorption for the food delivery cart, so as to deliver food more smoothly. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the food delivery device of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 2 This is one of the structural schematic diagrams of the food delivery cart of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 3 This is the second structural schematic diagram of the food delivery cart of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the front wheel assembly of the food delivery cart of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the rear wheel assembly of the food delivery cart of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the elastic reset element of the food delivery cart of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the elastic shock-absorbing element of the food delivery cart of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the steering plate of the food delivery cart of the present invention.

[0031] The components include: a food delivery cart 1, a food delivery track 2, a frame 11, a front wheel assembly 12, a rear wheel assembly 13, a front wheel frame 121, a chassis 122, a front wheel 123, a front guide wheel 124, a drive motor 125, a steering plate 131, a rear wheel frame 132, a rear wheel 133, a rear guide wheel 134, an elastic reset element 14, an elastic damping element 15, a first bolt 141, a second bolt 142, a tension spring 143, a threaded adjustment hole 1311, an adjustment rod 151, a locking nut 152, a spring 153, and a positioning chip 21. Detailed Implementation

[0032] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of the present invention, the following description is provided in conjunction with the appendix. Figure 1-8 Further analysis of the present invention is required. Example 1:

[0033] like Figure 1 As shown, a food delivery device includes a food delivery track 2 and a food delivery cart 1. Several sets of positioning chips 21 are arranged at intervals on the food delivery track 2, and electromagnetic sensors (not shown in the figure) that match the several sets of positioning chips 21 are provided at the bottom of the food delivery cart 1. like Figure 2-8 As shown, the food delivery cart 1 also includes a frame 11, a front wheel assembly 12, and a rear wheel assembly 13; The front wheel assembly 12 includes a front wheel frame 121, a chassis 122, front wheels 123, and front guide wheels 124. The front wheel frame 121 is rotatably mounted on the front end of the vehicle frame 11 via bearings. The chassis 122 is fixed below the front wheel frame 121 via connecting rods. The front wheels 123 are symmetrically arranged on the outer side of the front wheel frame 121, and each front wheel 123 is independently driven to rotate by a drive motor 125. The front guide wheels 124 are symmetrically arranged on the outer side of the chassis 122. The rear wheel assembly 13 includes a steering plate 131, a rear wheel frame 132, rear wheels 133, and rear guide wheels 134. The steering plate 131 is rotatably mounted on the rear end of the frame 11 via bearings, and both sides of the steering plate 131 are elastically connected to the frame 11 via an elastic reset element 14. The elastic reset element 14 can not only provide a reset function for the steering of the rear wheels 133, but also automatically straighten the rear wheels 133 when the food delivery cart 1 needs to turn around, so as to cooperate with the front wheels 123 to achieve a smoother turning operation. The rear wheel frame 132 is located on both sides below the steering plate 131, the rear wheels 133 are symmetrically located on the outer side of the rear wheel frame 132, and the rear guide wheels 134 are symmetrically located on the outer side of the rear wheel frame 132.

[0034] In this embodiment, preferably, the front guide wheel 124 is located on the outside of the front wheel 123 to avoid the front wheel 123 from contacting the inner wall of the food delivery track 2, thereby improving the smoothness of cornering, and the bottom of the front guide wheel 124 is higher than the bottom of the front wheel 123; the rear guide wheel 134 is located on the outside of the rear wheel 133 to avoid the rear wheel 133 from contacting the inner wall of the food delivery track 2, thereby improving the smoothness of cornering, and the bottom of the rear guide wheel 134 is higher than the bottom of the rear wheel 133.

[0035] In this embodiment, preferably, the elastic reset element 14 includes a first bolt 141, a second bolt 142, and a tension spring 143. The first bolt 141 is threadedly connected to the steering plate 131, and the second bolt 142 is threadedly connected to the frame 11. The two ends of the tension spring 143 are respectively hinged to the first bolt 141 and the second bolt 142. The tension of the tension spring 143 can not only provide a reset function for the steering of the rear wheel 133, but also prevent the rear wheel 133 from swinging too much when steering, so that the rear guide wheel 134 fits more closely to the inner wall of the track, thereby avoiding noise and bending problems caused by the rear guide wheel 134 colliding with the outer wall of the track due to large swing amplitude.

[0036] In this embodiment, preferably, the steering plate 131 has a plurality of threaded adjustment holes 1311 arranged in the middle of both sides to match the first bolt 141, which are used to adjust the distance between the first bolt 141 and the second bolt 142, thereby adjusting the tension of the tension spring 143.

[0037] In this embodiment, preferably, the steering plate 131 and the rear wheel frame 132 are configured as separate structures. The rear wheel frame 132 is mounted vertically on both sides below the steering plate 131 via an elastic shock-absorbing element 15. The elastic shock-absorbing element 15 allows multiple wheels to touch the ground simultaneously, further ensuring that the rotational speed of the front and rear wheels remains consistent. It also provides shock absorption for the food delivery cart 1, enabling smoother food delivery. The elastic shock-absorbing element 15 includes an adjusting rod 151, two sets of locking nuts 152, and a spring 153. The adjusting rod 151 can move vertically. The rear wheel bracket 132 is mounted on the steering plate 131. Two sets of locking nuts 152 are threaded to the bottom of the adjusting rod 151, and the rear wheel bracket 132 is located between the two sets of locking nuts 152 and is clamped and fixed by the two sets of locking nuts 152. The spring 153 is sleeved around the outer periphery of the adjusting rod 151. The top of the spring 153 abuts against the steering plate 131, and the bottom of the spring 153 abuts against one of the upper sets of locking nuts 152. The elastic force of the spring 153 can provide shock absorption for the rear wheel 133.

[0038] The present invention also provides a food delivery method, which is applied to the above-mentioned food delivery device, comprising: a waiter placing the food on the food delivery cart 1, and then operating the control computer in the kitchen to issue a departure command; after the food delivery cart departs, the electromagnetic sensor located at the bottom of the food delivery cart 1 scans the positioning chip 21 on the food delivery track 2 and transmits the position data of the food delivery cart 1 to the control computer; the control computer determines the current position of the food delivery cart 1 and sends a path planning command to the food delivery cart 1; the food delivery cart 1 travels to the designated table according to the path planning command, stops, and plays a prompt sound, waiting for the customer to pick up the food; when the sensor detects that the food has been taken, the control computer sends a return command to the food delivery cart 1, and the food delivery cart 1 returns to the kitchen to wait for the second delivery.

[0039] In this embodiment, preferably, the control computer has a path planning algorithm preset according to the food delivery track 2, and the path planning algorithm includes a pre-planned path and a multi-vehicle collision avoidance path.

[0040] In this embodiment, preferably, the pre-planned path includes: when the food delivery vehicle 1 senses the location of the positioning chip 21 through the electromagnetic sensor, the control computer will retrieve the food delivery path and store the data of multiple positioning chips 21 that the food delivery vehicle 1 is about to travel in the pre-planned path. The control computer will then send the data in the pre-planned path to the food delivery vehicle 1, at which point the food delivery vehicle 1 will set off to deliver food. At this time, other food delivery vehicles will not be able to store the same positioning tag in the pre-planned path.

[0041] In this embodiment, preferably, the multi-vehicle collision avoidance path includes: after the food delivery vehicle 1 obtains its own position by scanning the positioning chip 21 through the electromagnetic sensor, the control computer will retrieve the planned food delivery path that matches the current food delivery vehicle 1, and store the data of multiple positioning chips 2 that the food delivery vehicle 1 is about to travel in the planned food delivery path; the control computer will then send the data in the planned food delivery path to the food delivery vehicle 1, and then the food delivery vehicle 1 will set off to deliver food; at this time, other food delivery vehicles cannot store the same positioning tag in the planned food delivery path, so as to avoid the food delivery vehicle 1 in the planned path. Example 2:

[0042] Compared with Example 1, Example 2 differs only in that it does not have an elastic damping element 15, and the steering plate 131 and the rear wheel frame 132 are an integral structure.

[0043] The technical solutions provided in this application have been described in detail above. The embodiments used in this document illustrate the principles and implementation methods of this application. The descriptions of the embodiments above are only for the purpose of helping to understand the methods and core ideas of this application. At the same time, for those skilled in the art, there will be changes in the specific implementation methods and application scope based on the ideas of this application. Therefore, the content of this specification should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

Claims

1. A food delivery device, characterized in that: It includes a food delivery track and a food delivery cart. Several sets of positioning chips are arranged at intervals in the food delivery track, and electromagnetic sensors that match the several sets of positioning chips are provided at the bottom of the food delivery cart. The food delivery cart also includes a frame, a front wheel assembly, and a rear wheel assembly; The front wheel assembly includes a front wheel frame, a chassis, front wheels, and front guide wheels. The front wheel frame is rotatably mounted on the front end of the vehicle frame. The chassis is fixedly located below the front wheel frame. The front wheels are symmetrically located on the outer side of the front wheel frame, and each front wheel is independently driven to rotate by a drive motor. The front guide wheels are symmetrically located on the outer side of the chassis. The rear wheel assembly includes a steering plate, a rear wheel frame, a rear wheel, and a rear guide wheel. The steering plate is rotatably mounted at the rear end of the vehicle frame, and both sides of the steering plate are elastically connected to the vehicle frame via an elastic reset element. The rear wheel is mounted on both sides below the steering plate, and the rear wheel is symmetrically arranged on the outer side of the rear wheel frame. The rear guide wheel is symmetrically arranged on the outer side of the rear wheel frame.

2. The food delivery device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The front guide wheel is located on the outside of the front wheel, and the bottom of the front guide wheel is higher than the bottom of the front wheel; the rear guide wheel is located on the outside of the rear wheel, and the bottom of the rear guide wheel is higher than the bottom of the rear wheel.

3. A food delivery device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The steering plate and rear wheel frame are configured as a single unit.

4. A food delivery device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The elastic reset element includes a first bolt, a second bolt, and a tension spring. The first bolt is threaded to the steering plate, the second bolt is threaded to the vehicle frame, and the two ends of the tension spring are hinged to the first bolt and the second bolt, respectively.

5. A food delivery device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The steering plate has several sets of threaded adjustment holes arranged in the middle of both sides, which match the first bolt, to adjust the distance between the first bolt and the second bolt.

6. A food delivery device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The steering plate and rear wheel bracket are configured as a separate structure. The rear wheel bracket is mounted vertically on both sides below the steering plate via an elastic damping element. The elastic damping element includes an adjusting rod, two sets of locking nuts, and a spring. The adjusting rod is mounted vertically on the steering plate. The two sets of locking nuts are threaded to the bottom of the adjusting rod, and the rear wheel bracket is positioned between the two sets of locking nuts and clamped and fixed by them. The spring is sleeved around the outer periphery of the adjusting rod, with the top of the spring abutting against the steering plate and the bottom of the spring abutting against one of the upper sets of locking nuts.

7. A method for delivering food, wherein the method is applied to the food delivery device as described in any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that: include: The waiter places the food on the delivery cart and then operates the control computer in the kitchen to issue a departure command. After the delivery cart departs, the electromagnetic sensor at the bottom of the cart scans the positioning chip on the delivery track and transmits the cart's location data to the control computer. The control computer determines the current location of the delivery cart and sends a path planning command to it. The delivery cart travels to the designated table according to the path planning command, stops, and announces a prompt, waiting for the customer to collect the food. When the sensor detects that the food has been taken, the control computer sends a return command to the delivery cart, and the cart returns to the kitchen to wait for the next delivery.

8. A food delivery method according to claim 7, characterized in that: The control computer has a preset path planning algorithm based on the food delivery track. The path planning algorithm includes a pre-planned path and a multi-vehicle collision avoidance path.

9. A food delivery method according to claim 8, characterized in that: The pre-planned path includes: when the food delivery vehicle senses its own location through the electromagnetic sensor and the positioning chip, the control computer will retrieve the delivery path and store the data of multiple positioning chips that the food delivery vehicle is about to travel in into the pre-planned path. The control computer will then send the data in the pre-planned path to the food delivery vehicle, at which point the food delivery vehicle will set off to deliver food. At this time, other food delivery vehicles will not be able to store the same positioning tag in the pre-planned path.

10. A food delivery method according to claim 9, characterized in that: The multi-vehicle collision avoidance path includes: after the food delivery vehicle obtains its own position by scanning the positioning chip through the electromagnetic sensor, the control computer will retrieve the planned food delivery path that matches the current food delivery vehicle, and store the data of multiple positioning chips that the food delivery vehicle is about to travel in the planned food delivery path; the control computer will then send the data in the planned food delivery path to the food delivery vehicle, and then the food delivery vehicle will set off to deliver food; at this time, other food delivery vehicles cannot store the same positioning tag in the planned food delivery path, so as to avoid the food delivery vehicles in the planned path.

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