Smart parking lot and its cluster handling robot

Abstract

The present invention discloses a cluster handling robot, which includes a body, two clamping arms arranged at the bottom of the body, and a first driving mechanism, wherein the first driving mechanism includes a main moving wheel for driving the handling robot to walk; the clamping arm includes a second driving mechanism and a swivel foot assembly connected to the second driving mechanism, the swivel foot assembly includes a rotating arm rotatably connected to the body and a supporting wheel arranged on the rotating arm for supporting the handling robot, the rotating arm is provided with a clamping portion for clamping a wheel, the clamping portions of the two rotating arms are arranged relatively, and a space for clamping a wheel is formed by bringing the two clamping portions close together. The cluster handling robot of the present invention can effectively reduce the construction cost of an intelligent parking lot. In addition, the present invention also discloses an intelligent parking lot.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of parking lots, and in particular to an intelligent parking lot and a cluster handling robot thereof. Background Art

[0002] AGV is an important branch of mobile robots. AGV for industrial applications is also called autonomous unmanned guided vehicle. The autonomous unmanned guided vehicle is widely used in the fields of warehousing, manufacturing and transportation. It is equipped with electromagnetic or optical automatic guidance devices and has various transfer functions, so that the vehicle can carry objects and drive autonomously along the specified guide path, thereby reducing manual labor to a certain extent and improving the efficiency of object handling. AGV generally includes a vehicle controller, a motion control system and a positioning navigation system. When the AGV receives a handling instruction, the vehicle controller calculates and analyzes the operation map, the current position and driving direction of the AGV, and plans the best driving route; then, the vehicle controller controls the movement (driving, turning) of the AGV according to the driving route, so that the AGV reaches the designated position and stops accurately; finally, the transfer mechanism transfers the object to be moved to the AGV and moves it to the designated area.

[0003] In recent years, with the development of AGV cars, a fully automated parking lot based on the right-angle turning and precise positioning characteristics of AGV cars has attracted much attention. The application of AGV cars in parking lots means that vehicles to be parked do not need to drive into the parking lot, but only need to be parked on the parking platform in the vehicle parking area. In the vehicle parking area, there are vehicle loading plates and pits for placing vehicle loading plates. After the vehicle is parked on the vehicle loading plate, the AGV car moves to the bottom of the vehicle loading plate and lifts it to a certain height to separate the vehicle loading plate from the ground, and then moves it to the designated parking space for parking; when picking up the vehicle, the AGV car also cooperates with the vehicle loading plate to transfer the vehicle to be picked up from the parking space to the pick-up area. In this way, the automatic storage and retrieval of vehicles is realized, effectively saving the owner's time for storing and retrieving the vehicle.

[0004] Based on the above content, it can be known that the traditional AGV cart needs to cooperate with the structural design (pit design) of the vehicle loading plate and the parking and picking area of ​​the parking lot to realize the transportation of the vehicle. Therefore, when the traditional AGV cart is applied to the parking lot, the parking and picking position of the parking lot needs to be modified accordingly, and at the same time, a vehicle loading plate matching the AGV cart needs to be added. This will increase the construction cost of the smart parking lot and hinder the development of the smart parking lot. Summary of the invention

[0005] The main purpose of the present invention is to propose a cluster handling robot to solve the technical problem of high construction cost caused by the conventional AGV trolley handling mode adopted in existing intelligent parking lots.

[0006] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention proposes a cluster handling robot, which includes a main body, two clamping arms arranged at the bottom of the body and a first driving mechanism, the first driving mechanism including a main moving wheel for driving the handling robot to walk; the clamping arm includes a second driving mechanism and a swivel foot assembly connected to the second driving mechanism, the swivel foot assembly includes a rotating arm rotatably connected to the body and a support wheel arranged on the rotating arm for supporting the handling robot, the rotating arm is provided with a clamping portion for clamping the wheel, the clamping portions of the two rotating arms are arranged opposite to each other, and the two clamping portions are brought close to each other to form a space for clamping the wheel.

[0007] Preferably, the first driving mechanism further comprises: a mounting frame, which comprises a mounting plate and two supporting parts arranged on the mounting plate and arranged oppositely, the main motion wheel is mounted on each of the supporting parts, and the two main motion wheels are arranged coaxially; a driving assembly, which comprises a first driving motor arranged on the supporting part and a first reducer connected to the output shaft of the first driving motor, the output shaft of the first reducer being connected to the main motion wheel; a steering assembly, which comprises a second driving motor arranged on the mounting plate, a second reducer connected to the output shaft of the second driving motor, a driving gear connected to the output shaft of the second reducer, and a slewing bearing meshed with the driving gear; the inner ring of the slewing bearing is connected to the mounting plate, and the outer ring of the slewing bearing is connected to the body. Preferably, the first driving mechanism further comprises a plurality of vibration reduction assemblies arranged between the supporting part and the mounting plate, the vibration reduction assemblies comprising a positioning rod and an elastic member sleeved on the positioning rod for supporting the mounting plate; one end of the positioning rod is fixedly connected to the supporting part, and the other end is slidably connected to the mounting plate.

[0008] Preferably, the first driving mechanism also includes a plurality of guide assemblies arranged between the support portion and the mounting plate, the guide assemblies including a guide rod and a sleeve sleeved on the guide rod; the sleeve is fixedly connected to the support portion, and one end of the guide rod is fixedly connected to the mounting plate.

[0009] Preferably, the main motion wheel is a steering wheel including a drive motor and a steering motor.

[0010] Preferably, the second driving mechanism includes a third driving motor and a worm gear transmission, the third driving motor is arranged on the main body, and the worm is connected to the output shaft of the third driving motor; the worm wheel includes a fixed inner ring connected to the main body, and a rotating outer ring rotatably connected to the fixed inner ring, the rotating outer ring is fixed to the rotating arm and meshes with the worm.

[0011] Preferably, the swivel foot assembly further comprises a roller group arranged on the clamping portion, and the roller group comprises a plurality of rolling elements rotatably arranged on the same rotating shaft.

[0012] Preferably, the clamping portion comprises an inclined stop surface and side walls arranged at two opposite sides of the stop surface, and the rotating shaft of the roller assembly is mounted on the two side walls.

[0013] Preferably, the cluster handling robot further comprises an emergency stop device arranged on the main body, the emergency stop device comprises an emergency stop knob, and the emergency stop knob is electrically connected to a power supply device of the handling robot.

[0014] The present invention further proposes an intelligent parking lot, which includes the above-mentioned cluster transport robot, which includes a main body, two clamping arms arranged at the bottom of the body and a first driving mechanism, the first driving mechanism including a main moving wheel for driving the transport robot to walk; the clamping arm includes a second driving mechanism and a swivel foot assembly connected to the second driving mechanism, the swivel foot assembly includes a rotating arm rotatably connected to the body and a support wheel arranged on the rotating arm for supporting the transport robot, the rotating arm is provided with a clamping portion for clamping the wheel, the clamping portions of the two rotating arms are arranged opposite to each other, and a space for clamping the wheel is formed by bringing the two clamping portions close to each other.

[0015] The cluster handling robot proposed in the present invention, when handling a car, consists of four independently operated handling robots that accurately park at the outside of each car tire based on a navigation device and a tire positioning device; then, the two clamping arms of each handling robot rotate toward the inside close to the car tire to clamp the car from the ground; after clamping the car, the first driving mechanism controls the movement of the handling robot to carry the car to a designated location. The handling robot proposed in the present invention controls the coordinated handling of each handling robot through the handling robot's motion control system to realize the automatic handling of vehicles to be parked and picked up in a parking lot. This type of handling robot can adapt to various types of parking lots, without the need for corresponding modifications to the parking lot, and without the need for the use of a vehicle loading plate, which can reduce the construction cost of an intelligent parking lot to a certain extent. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 A reference schematic diagram of a combined use state of an embodiment of a cluster handling robot of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 2 This is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of a cluster handling robot of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A bottom view of the cluster handling robot shown in ;

[0019] Figure 4 It is a structural schematic diagram of an embodiment of a clamping arm of a cluster handling robot of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 5 It is a structural schematic diagram of an embodiment of a first driving mechanism of a cluster handling robot of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 6 for Figure 5 A bottom view of the first drive mechanism shown in ;

[0022] Figure 7 A schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of a cluster handling robot according to the present invention from another perspective;

[0023] Figure 8 A bottom view of another embodiment of the cluster handling robot of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, and examples of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are intended to be used to explain the present invention, but are not to be construed as limiting the present invention. All other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in the field without creative work based on the embodiments of the present invention are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0025] To solve the above technical problems, see Figure 1 The present invention proposes a cluster handling robot, wherein the four handling robots simultaneously rotate a certain angle toward the inner side of each automobile tire through two rotatable clamping arms 2 to clamp and make each tire leave the ground under the action of external force, that is, the automobile is carried on the four handling robots. Each handling robot receives the dispatch of the management and monitoring system, and the management and monitoring system uniformly controls the coordinated work of each handling robot, thus realizing the split setting of the handling robot; compared with the traditional AGV automatic guided transport vehicle, it has the advantages of relatively simple structure and relatively low manufacturing cost.

[0026] The specific structure of the cluster handling robot proposed in the present invention is shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3The cluster handling robot includes a body 1, two clamping arms 2 arranged at the bottom of the body 1, and a first driving mechanism 3 arranged between the two clamping arms 2. Among them, a positioning navigation device (not shown) and a power supply device (not shown) are arranged inside the body 1. The positioning navigation device is used for path planning of the handling robot, and the power supply device is used for power supply of the handling robot to ensure the normal operation of the handling robot. As is known to all, the positioning and navigation methods widely used in AGV automatic guided transport vehicles include: electromagnetic guidance method, which requires the laying of a dedicated cable under the route of the AGV, and passing a low-frequency sinusoidal current, thereby generating a magnetic field around the cable. The electromagnetic induction sensor on the AGV can detect the magnetic field around the cable. When the AGV moves along the line, it outputs a differential signal of the magnetic field strength, and the on-board controller performs correction control based on the signal. The optical control belt guidance method uses the contrast between the ground color and the paint belt color. The infrared light source set on the AGV illuminates the paint belt, and the optical detector detects different combination signals of the paint belt to control the forward direction of the vehicle. The laser guidance method installs a number of laser / infrared beam reflectors at specific positions on the AGV's walking path. The laser scanning head set on the AGV continuously scans the surrounding environment. When the laser scanning head scans three or more reflectors, accurate positioning and orientation can be achieved based on their coordinate values ​​and the azimuth angle of each reflector relative to the longitudinal axis of the AGV. The ultrasonic guidance method is similar to the optical control belt guidance method. Both use signal reflection for positioning and orientation. The difference is that the optical control belt guidance method requires a special reflector for reflection, while the ultrasonic transmission method reflects the signal through the wall. The four positioning and navigation methods mentioned above are all applicable to the cluster handling robot proposed in the present invention, and those skilled in the art can select the positioning and navigation method according to actual needs.

[0027] In an embodiment of the present invention, the first driving mechanism 3 controls the transport robot to perform linear and turning movements according to the path pre-planned by the positioning and navigation device, so as to stop at a preset position. Before the transport robot moves, it is also necessary to position each tire of the vehicle to be transported through a tire positioning device, so that each transport robot can accurately stop on both sides of each vehicle tire. The tire positioning device adopts a positioning technology based on image recognition, and the camera obtains the image of each tire of the vehicle to be transported, and the obtained image is processed accordingly to obtain the coordinate value of the image in three-dimensional space. Furthermore, the camera for obtaining the tire image of the vehicle to be transported can be set on the transport robot, and can also be obtained by a camera set at the parking and picking position.

[0028] See also Figure 4The clamping arm 2 includes a second driving mechanism 21 and a rotating foot assembly 22 connected to the second driving mechanism 21. The rotating foot assembly 22 includes a rotating arm 221 rotatably connected to the body 1 and a supporting wheel 222 arranged on the rotating arm 221 for supporting the handling robot. The rotating arm 221 is provided with a clamping portion 2211 for clamping the wheel. The clamping portions 2211 of the two rotating arms 221 are arranged relative to each other, and the two clamping portions 2211 are brought close to each other to form a space for clamping the wheel. When the handling robot is not carrying a car, the two clamping arms 2 and the body 1 are located in the same straight line direction; when the handling robot clamps the car from the ground, the two clamping arms 2 rotate 90° around the body 1 at the same time to lift the tire from the ground through the inward force. Further, the second driving mechanism 21 can be driven by a worm gear transmission or a rack and pinion transmission. The worm gear transmission has the advantages of a large transmission ratio and a large load-bearing capacity. Considering the weight of the car, the present invention preferably uses a worm gear transmission structure. Specifically, the second driving mechanism 21 includes a third driving motor 211 and a worm gear transmission member 212. The worm is connected to the output shaft of the third driving motor 211; the worm wheel includes a fixed inner ring and a rotating outer ring, the fixed inner ring of the worm wheel is fixedly connected to the body 1 by screws, and the rotating outer ring of the worm wheel is rotationally connected to the fixed inner ring, and the rotating outer ring is fixed on the rotating arm and meshes with the worm. Driven by the third driving motor 211, the rotating outer ring of the worm wheel rotates, driving the rotating arm 221 to rotate, thereby realizing the relative rotation of the two clamping arms 2.

[0029] In the above embodiment, the swivel foot assembly 22 further includes a roller group 23 disposed on the clamping portion 2211, and the roller group 23 includes a plurality of rolling elements 232 rotatably disposed on the same rotating shaft 231. The rolling element 232 can rotate around the rotating shaft 231 under the action of an external force, so that when the two clamping arms 2 clamp the automobile tire, the friction generated between the clamping portion 2211 and the automobile tire is sliding friction through the rolling element 232, which can effectively reduce friction resistance. Preferably, in the embodiment of the present invention, the rolling element 232 is a bearing.

[0030] See also Figure 4 In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the clamping portion 2211 includes a stopper surface 2211a disposed obliquely and side walls 2211b disposed at opposite sides of the stopper surface 2211a, and the rotating shaft 231 of the above-mentioned roller assembly 23 is mounted on the side walls 2211b. Further, as a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the stopper surface 2211a, the side walls 2211b and a ground are enclosed to form a mounting groove for arranging the roller assembly 23. The mounting groove is constructed as a "garbage bucket" structure with the front end and the top end opening being open.

[0031] In addition, the first driving mechanism 3 specifically includes a mounting frame 31, a driving assembly 32 and a steering assembly 33. The mounting frame 31 specifically includes a mounting plate 312 and two supporting parts 313 disposed on the mounting plate 312 and arranged opposite to each other, each supporting part 313 is mounted with a main motion wheel 311, and the two main motion wheels 311 are coaxially arranged. Figure 5 The support portion 313 includes two integrally formed "L"-shaped support plates and a moving wheel mounting plate located between the two "L"-shaped support plates, and the two "L"-shaped support plates are arranged in back-to-back orientation. Figure 6 The driving assembly 32 specifically includes a first driving motor 321 and a first reducer 322 arranged on the supporting portion 313. The execution end of the driving assembly 32 is connected to the main motion wheel 311. The main motion wheel 311 is driven to rotate by the driving assembly 32, thereby controlling the linear motion of the handling robot. In addition, the steering assembly 33 is arranged on the mounting plate 312. The steering assembly 33 specifically includes a second driving motor 331, a second reducer 332 connected to the output shaft of the second driving motor 331, a driving gear 333 connected to the output shaft of the second reducer 332, and a slewing bearing 334 meshed with the driving gear 333, wherein the inner ring of the slewing bearing 334 is connected to the mounting plate 312 by screws, and the outer ring of the slewing bearing 334 is connected to the bottom of the body 1. When the handling robot needs to change its forward direction according to the planned path during its forward movement, the second driving motor 331 and the second reducer 332 drive the driving gear 333 to rotate; since the driving gear 333 is meshed with the slewing bearing 334, the slewing bearing 334 rotates under the action of the driving gear 333, thereby driving the body 1 to rotate, that is, realizing the change of the forward direction of the handling robot. When the two main motion wheels 311 have the same speed, opposite directions, and the driving gear 333 does not rotate, the handling robot can rotate as a whole due to the differential effect; when the two main motion wheels 311 have the same speed, opposite directions, and rotate in coordination with the driving gear 333 at the same time, the first driving mechanism 3 can be rotated while the body 1 is kept from rotating, and the steering movement can be realized without adjusting the body of the handling robot.

[0032] See also Figure 5, the first driving mechanism 3 also includes a plurality of vibration-damping assemblies 34 longitudinally arranged between the support portion 313 and the mounting plate 312. The vibration-damping assemblies 34 can accelerate the attenuation of vibration to improve the driving smoothness of the handling robot. The vibration-damping assembly 34 specifically includes a positioning rod 341 and an elastic member 342 sleeved on the positioning rod 341 for supporting the mounting plate 312. Among them, one end of the positioning rod 341 is fixedly connected to the support portion 313, and the other end is slidably connected to the mounting plate 312. In a specific embodiment of the present invention, the positioning rod 341 is a screw, and the elastic member 342 is a telescopic spring; the lower end of the screw is threadedly connected to the threaded hole provided on the support portion 313 through a thread, and the upper end of the screw is passed through the mounting plate 312, and the mounting plate 312 can move up and down along the height direction of the screw. In addition, considering the accuracy of the up and down movement of the mounting plate 312, a plurality of four-guide assemblies 35 are provided between the support portion 313 and the mounting plate 312. See Figure 5 The guide assembly 35 specifically includes a guide rod 351 and a sleeve 352 sleeved on the guide rod 351. The sleeve 352 is fixedly connected to the support portion 313, and one end of the guide rod 351 is fixedly connected to the mounting plate 312. A guide hole matching the sleeve 352 is provided on the support portion 313, the sleeve 352 is arranged in the guide hole, and the guide rod 351 is sleeved in the sleeve 352. The sleeve 352 can enhance the wear resistance of the guide rod 351, thereby extending the service life of the guide rod 351.

[0033] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the handling robot can adopt not only differential control but also steering wheel control. The steering wheel refers to a mechanical structure that integrates a drive motor, a steering motor and a reducer. Compared with the traditional differential control method, it has the characteristics of high integration and strong adaptability. For details, see Figure 8 , the main motion wheel 311 is a steering wheel 36 including a driving motor and a steering motor. In the embodiment of the present invention, only one steering wheel 36 is used to control the forward motion of the handling robot. The triangular support formed by one steering wheel 36 and two supporting wheels 222 can effectively ensure the balance stability of the handling robot. Of course, two or more steering wheels 36 can be designed according to actual conditions, and cooperate with two supporting wheels 222 to realize the overall motion of the handling robot.

[0034] Considering that the cluster handling robot may be out of control or out of control during its actual operation, the cluster handling robot proposed in the present invention also includes an emergency stop device arranged on the body 1, and the emergency stop device includes an emergency stop knob 41 electrically connected to the power supply device of the handling robot. By rotating the emergency stop knob 41, the power on and off of the handling robot can be controlled, that is, the start and stop of the handling robot can be controlled. The emergency stop device designed by the present invention can be used in some emergency situations to cut off the power supply of the handling robot and stop the operation of the handling robot.

[0035] The present invention further proposes an intelligent parking lot including a cluster transport robot. The specific structure of the cluster transport robot refers to the above-mentioned embodiment. Since the intelligent parking lot adopts all the technical solutions of all the above-mentioned embodiments, it has at least all the technical effects brought by the technical solutions of the above-mentioned embodiments, which will not be described one by one here.

[0036] The above description is only a partial or preferred embodiment of the present invention. Neither the text nor the drawings can limit the scope of protection of the present invention. All equivalent structural changes made by using the contents of the present invention specification and drawings under the overall concept of the present invention, or direct / indirect application in other related technical fields are included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A cluster handling robot used for handling cars in a parking lot, characterized in that: Each transport robot receives the dispatch of the management and monitoring system, and the management and monitoring system uniformly controls the coordinated work of each transport robot. The cluster transport robot includes a body, two clamping arms arranged at the bottom of the body, and a first driving mechanism, wherein the first driving mechanism includes a main motion wheel for driving the transport robot to walk; The clamping arm includes a second driving mechanism and a rotating foot assembly connected to the second driving mechanism, the rotating foot assembly includes a rotating arm rotatably connected to the body and a supporting wheel arranged on the rotating arm for supporting the handling robot, the rotating arm is provided with a clamping portion for clamping the wheel, the clamping portions of the two rotating arms are arranged opposite to each other, and a space for clamping the wheel is formed by bringing the two clamping portions close to each other; The first driving mechanism further comprises: The mounting frame comprises a mounting plate and two supporting parts arranged on the mounting plate and opposite to each other, the main motion wheel is mounted on each supporting part, and the two main motion wheels are coaxially arranged; A driving assembly, comprising a first driving motor disposed on the supporting portion and a first reducer connected to an output shaft of the first driving motor, wherein the output shaft of the first reducer is connected to the main motion wheel; A steering assembly, comprising a second drive motor disposed on the mounting plate, a second reducer connected to the output shaft of the second drive motor, a driving gear connected to the output shaft of the second reducer, and a slewing bearing meshed with the driving gear; the inner ring of the slewing bearing is connected to the mounting plate, the outer ring of the slewing bearing is connected to the body, the second drive motor and the second reducer drive the driving gear to rotate, and drive the slewing bearing to rotate, and then drive the body to rotate, so as to achieve the change of the forward direction of the handling robot; The first driving mechanism further includes a plurality of vibration reduction components arranged between the support portion and the mounting plate, the vibration reduction components including a positioning rod and an elastic member sleeved on the positioning rod for supporting the mounting plate; one end of the positioning rod is fixedly connected to the support portion, and the other end is slidably connected to the mounting plate; The first driving mechanism further comprises a plurality of guide assemblies arranged between the support portion and the mounting plate, wherein the guide assemblies comprise guide rods and sleeves sleeved on the guide rods; the sleeves are fixedly connected to the support portion, and one end of the guide rods is fixedly connected to the mounting plate; The second driving mechanism includes a third driving motor and a worm gear transmission component, the third driving motor is arranged on the main body, and the worm is connected to the output shaft of the third driving motor; the worm wheel includes a fixed inner ring connected to the main body, and a rotating outer ring rotatably connected to the fixed inner ring, the rotating outer ring is fixed to the rotating arm and meshes with the worm.

2. The cluster handling robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The swivel foot assembly further comprises a roller group arranged on the clamping portion, and the roller group comprises a plurality of rolling elements rotatably arranged on the same rotating shaft.

3. The cluster handling robot according to claim 2, characterized in that: The clamping portion comprises a stop surface which is arranged in an inclined manner and side walls which are arranged at two opposite sides of the stop surface, and the rotating shaft of the roller group is installed on the two side walls.

4. The cluster handling robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cluster handling robot further comprises an emergency stop device arranged on the main body, wherein the emergency stop device comprises an emergency stop knob, and the emergency stop knob is electrically connected to a power supply device of the handling robot.

5. An intelligent parking lot, characterized in that: It comprises a cluster handling robot as described in any one of claims 1 to 4.

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