Smart follow suitcase

By adopting a combination design and real-time control system of power wheel and driven wheel in the smart suitcase, the stability problems caused by high center of gravity of the box and insufficient obstacle avoidance ability are solved, and higher mobility stability and safety are achieved sex.

CN110250695BActive Publication Date: 2025-01-07CHANGZHOU AIRWHEEL INTELLIGENT TECH
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN201810198784.1
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Patents(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2018-03-12
Publication Date
2025-01-07
Estimated Expiration
2038-03-12

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

During the movement of the smart suitcase, due to the high center of gravity position of the box, it is prone to side falls and insufficient obstacle avoidance ability, which affects stability and safety.

Method used

Design an intelligent follow suitcase, using two power wheels to be arranged side by side in the long side direction of the bottom of the box, and equipped with four driven wheels. The power wheel and driven wheel jointly push the box to move, increase the force arm, and improve stability ; At the same time, it is equipped with control module, camera module, identification module and object detection sensors. Through real-time image recognition and obstacle detection, the rotation of the power wheel is controlled to achieve automatic follow-up and obstacle avoidance.

Benefits of technology

Improves the stability of the suitcase when starting, stopping, and instantly accelerating, reduces the risk of side falls, and enhances mobile safety through real-time obstacle avoidance measures.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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    Figure CN110250695B_ABST
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Abstract

The present invention discloses an intelligent following suitcase, comprising a suitcase, four driven wheels installed at the bottom of the suitcase, and two power wheels; the two power wheels are arranged side by side, and both wheel axles are parallel to the short side of the bottom of the suitcase; the two power wheels are located between the two driven wheels at the front side and the two driven wheels at the rear side; the four driven wheels rotate driven by the two power wheels. The two power wheels of the intelligent following suitcase of the present invention can move forward along the long side direction of the bottom of the suitcase. Compared with the case moving forward along the short side direction of the bottom of the suitcase, the driven wheels located at the front and rear sides of the two power wheels respectively increase the position distance between the front and rear driven wheels, that is, increase the force arm between the front and rear driven wheels and the center of gravity of the case, increase the difficulty of the case tipping forward with the front driven wheels or backward with the rear driven wheels, and improve the movement stability of the intelligent following suitcase when starting, stopping, instantaneous deceleration, and instantaneous acceleration.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a suitcase, and in particular to an intelligent follow-up suitcase. Background Art

[0002] The suitcase includes a case body, a pull rod and rollers. The user drags or pushes the suitcase to move by the pull rod. However, if a large number of items are placed in the suitcase or the user drags the suitcase for a long time during the journey, the user needs to consume a lot of physical strength, which may easily lead to exhaustion when moving the suitcase, seriously affecting the mood during the journey.

[0003] The electric luggage case includes a case body, a pull rod, rollers, a battery, a motor for driving the rollers, a motor control device connected to the motor signal, and a controller connected to the motor control device signal. The user straddles the case body and can move the electric luggage case forward, backward or turn by operating the controller. Although the electric luggage case can be moved easily, the user sitting on the case body invisibly increases the overall weight, increases the battery loss, and affects the battery life.

[0004] A smart suitcase that can automatically follow the user has appeared on the market. This smart suitcase automatically follows the user through visual tracking or wireless signal tracking. This type of smart suitcase continues the box structure of the traditional suitcase. The height of the box is relatively high when in use, which makes the center of gravity of the box higher. The user cannot control the suitcase while the smart suitcase is following the user. When the smart suitcase starts, stops, decelerates, accelerates, and moves on uneven roads, the box is prone to sideways due to the high center of gravity of the box, and the stability is not high. In addition, the problem of how to avoid obstacles when the smart suitcase is moving also needs to be solved as soon as possible. Summary of the invention

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an intelligent following suitcase which is beneficial to improving the moving stability of the suitcase.

[0006] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides the following technical solutions: a smart following suitcase, comprising a suitcase body, four driven wheels installed at the bottom of the suitcase body and two powered wheels; the two powered wheels are arranged side by side, and the two wheel axles are parallel to the short side of the bottom of the suitcase body; the two powered wheels are located between the two driven wheels on the front side and the two driven wheels on the rear side; the four driven wheels rotate driven by the two powered wheels.

[0007] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: the two powered wheels of the intelligent following suitcase of the present invention can move forward along the long side direction of the bottom of the suitcase, and the two driven wheels on the front side and the two driven wheels on the rear side rotate together with the two powered wheels and jointly push the suitcase to move forward along the long side direction of the bottom of the suitcase. Compared with the case moving forward along the short side direction of the bottom of the suitcase, the driven wheels located in the front and rear sides of the two powered wheels respectively increase the position distance between the front and rear driven wheels, that is, increase the force arm between the front and rear driven wheels and the center of gravity of the case, increase the difficulty of the case tipping forward with the front driven wheels or backward with the rear driven wheels, and improve the movement stability of the intelligent following suitcase during starting, stopping, instantaneous deceleration, and instantaneous acceleration; at the same time, it also overcomes the phenomenon that the side fall is easy to occur due to the high center of gravity of the case.

[0008] Preferably, a control module, a camera module, a recognition module and an object detection sensor are provided on the box. The camera module is connected to the recognition module and sends the image information of the target object collected in real time to the recognition module. The recognition module and the object detection sensor are both signal-connected to the control module. The control module controls the rotation of the two power wheels according to the image recognition information of the recognition module and the obstacle detection information of the object detection sensor.

[0009] Preferably, the recognition module includes a first recognition function module for recognizing shape information of the follow-up target and a second recognition function module for recognizing color information within the shape of the follow-up target.

[0010] Preferably, the camera module is a camera or an intelligent terminal device, and the control module is connected to the camera or the intelligent terminal device by wire.

[0011] Preferably, the object detection sensor is an ultrasonic sensor or an infrared sensor.

[0012] Preferably, the box body is provided with a battery mounting portion for mounting a battery, and the battery is detachably mounted on the battery mounting portion.

[0013] Preferably, the wheelbase between the two power wheels is greater than the wheelbase of the two driven wheels at the front and / or rear sides.

[0014] Preferably, the two power wheels are both hub motor wheels.

[0015] Preferably, the box body includes a first cover body and a second cover body that cooperate with each other, the first cover body is installed with a first axle fixing piece, the second cover body is installed with a second axle fixing piece, and the two power wheels are respectively installed on the first axle fixing piece and the second axle fixing piece.

[0016] Preferably, an elastic member in a stretched state is provided between the axle of the power wheel and the axle fixing member. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the intelligent following suitcase of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 2 This is an exploded schematic diagram of the first cover body and the second cover body of the box body in Example 1;

[0019] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the exploded view of the first cover body and the second cover body of the box body in the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] The specific implementation modes of the present invention will be described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0021] Embodiment 1

[0022] See also Figure 1 In this embodiment, a smart follow-up suitcase includes a case 1, a pull rod 2 installed on the case 1, four driven wheels 3 and two powered wheels 4 installed at the bottom of the case 1. The four driven wheels 3 and the two powered wheels 4 jointly support the smart follow-up suitcase. A control module 11, a camera module 5, a recognition module and an object detection sensor 6 are installed on the case 1. A battery is detachably installed on the case 1, which provides working power to various electronic components on the smart follow-up suitcase. The camera module 5 is connected to the recognition module and sends the image information of the target object collected in real time to the recognition module. Both the recognition module and the object detection sensor 6 are signal-connected to the control module 11. The control module 11 controls the rotation of the two powered wheels 4 according to the image recognition information of the recognition module and the obstacle detection information of the object detection sensor 6. At the same time, the four driven wheels 3 rotate following the two powered wheels 4.

[0023] The target object may be a user using the suitcase, or other mobile devices. The other mobile devices may be another smart follow suitcase, so that multiple smart follow suitcases may follow the user in a front-to-back queue.

[0024] When the smart following suitcase moves with the user and is located in front of or behind the user, the camera module 5 sends the real-time image information of the user's movement to the recognition module, and the recognition module recognizes and processes the received image information to form recognition information and transmits it to the control module 11. The control module 11 controls the rotation of the two power wheels 4 according to the recognition information. In addition, when the smart following suitcase moves, the object detection sensor 6 continuously transmits obstacle detection information to the control module 11, so that the control module 11 determines whether to take avoidance measures and adjusts the moving direction of the smart following suitcase by controlling the rotation speed of the two power wheels 4 respectively. The smart following suitcase is located in front of or behind the user and automatically accompanies the user to move and turn accordingly.

[0025] See also Figure 2 The box body 1 includes a first cover body 12 and a second cover body 13 that cooperate with each other. The first cover body 12 and the second cover body 13 are both accommodating shells with one side open, and they cover each other to form the box body 1 for placing items. A first axle fixing member 14 is installed on the bottom inner wall of the first cover body 12, and a second axle fixing member 15 is installed on the bottom inner wall of the second cover body 13. The first axle fixing member 14 and the second axle fixing member 15 are arranged opposite to each other. The first axle fixing member 14 and the second axle fixing member 15 can be respectively provided with a card slot and a card block that engage with each other, and the combination of the card slot and the card block makes the first cover body 12 and the second cover body 13 more consistent when they are covered with each other, and no misalignment occurs.

[0026] The first axle fixing member 14 and the second axle fixing member 15 each include a fixing plate 16 fixed to the bottom wall of the box body 1 and an axle fixing rod 17 protruding from the bottom wall of the box body 1. Each power wheel 4 is connected to the axle fixing rod 17 through the axle. The two power wheels 4 are respectively mounted on the first axle fixing member 14 and the second axle fixing member 15. Both power wheels 4 are wheel hub motor wheels. The axle fixing rod 17 is provided with a wire groove or through hole for the power cord connected to the wheel hub motor to pass through. The two wheel hub motor wheels are connected to the control module 11 through the power cord, and the power cord is wired along the inner wall of the box body 1 and passes through the hinge of the first cover body 12 and the second cover body 13. Of course, the power cord can also be set on the first axle fixing member 14 and the second axle fixing member 15. Specifically, the first axle fixing member 14 and the second axle fixing member 15 are provided with a wiring groove and are equipped with a male and female power plug. The first axle fixing member 14 is installed with a male plug, and the second axle fixing member 15 is installed with a female plug. When the user opens or closes the box 1, the male and female plugs of the power supply are connected or separated accordingly. The structure is simple and the line distribution in the box 1 is reduced.

[0027] The four driven wheels 3 are respectively located at the four corners of the bottom of the box body 1. The two power wheels 4 are located between the two driven wheels 3 at the front side and the two driven wheels 3 at the rear side. The four driven wheels 3 are all universal wheels. The two power wheels 4 are arranged side by side, and the two wheel axles are parallel to the short side of the bottom of the box body 1. The two power wheels 4 can move forward along the long side direction of the bottom of the box body 1, and the two driven wheels 3 on the front side and the two driven wheels 3 on the rear side rotate with the two power wheels 4 and jointly push the box body 1 to move forward along the long side direction of the bottom of the box body 1. Compared with the case 1 moving forward along the short side direction of the bottom of the box body 1, the driven wheels 3 located in front and rear of the two power wheels 4 respectively increase the position distance between the front and rear driven wheels 3, that is, the force arm between the front and rear driven wheels and the center of gravity of the box body is increased, which increases the difficulty of the box body tipping forward with the front driven wheels or backward with the rear driven wheels, thereby improving the movement stability of the smart follow-up suitcase during starting, stopping, instantaneous deceleration, and instantaneous acceleration; at the same time, it also overcomes the phenomenon that the side fall is easy to occur due to the high center of gravity of the box body.

[0028] The four driven wheels 3 and the two power wheels 4 are in contact with the same plane, and the box body 1 is moved by the friction force generated by the friction between the two power wheels 4 and the ground. Of course, the height at which the four driven wheels 3 contact the ground can also be slightly higher than the height at which the two power wheels 4 contact the ground, so as to reduce the phenomenon that the two power wheels 4 are suspended in the air. In this embodiment, an elastic member in a stretched state (not shown in the figure) is provided between the axle of the power wheel 4 and the axle fixing member. The elastic member in a stretched state can keep the power wheel 4 in contact with the ground at all times, avoiding the phenomenon that the power wheel 4 is suspended in the air. In addition, the wheelbase between the two power wheels 4 is greater than the wheelbase of the two driven wheels 3 on the front and / or rear sides. By staggering the two power wheels 4 and the four driven wheels 3, the stability of the smart follow-up suitcase during movement can be further improved.

[0029] In this embodiment, the camera module 5 is installed on the side of the front side of the box body 1, and the camera module 5 is a camera. The camera module 5 is used to capture image information of the target object when it moves, and send the image information to the recognition module. Of course, the camera module 5 can also be an intelligent terminal device, such as a smart phone, a tablet computer or a camera. A fixing for installing the intelligent terminal device is provided on the side of the front side of the box body 1 or the pull rod 2, and the user can install the intelligent terminal device on the fixing. The production cost of the intelligent follow-up suitcase is reduced, and it is convenient for the public to use. The camera module 5 is wired to the control module 11, and the control module 11 controls the opening and closing of the camera module 5. Compared with wireless connection, wired connection is not affected by the strength of the wireless communication signal, which ensures the reliability of signal transmission and improves the speed of information transmission.

[0030] The recognition module includes a first recognition function module for recognizing the shape information of the target to be followed, and a second recognition function module for recognizing the color information within the shape of the target to be followed. The first recognition module recognizes the shape information of the target object according to the image information captured by the camera module 5; the second recognition module is used to recognize the color information within the shape. The first recognition function module and the second recognition function module are distinguished by function, not by physical entity. In other words, the first recognition function module and the second recognition function module can be the same physical entity or two different physical entities.

[0031] Before the smart following suitcase starts to follow the target object, the camera module 5 collects the image information of the target object and sends it to the recognition module; the first recognition module recognizes the shape information of the target object according to the image information captured by the camera module 5 and uses it as the shape reference information; the second recognition module is used to recognize the color information in the shape and uses it as the color reference information; when the smart following suitcase moves, the camera module 5 collects the shape information and color information of the target object in real time, and sends the shape information collected in real time to the recognition module as the shape comparison information, and at the same time sends the color information collected in real time to the recognition module as the color comparison information; the first recognition module compares the shape comparison information with the shape reference information, and the second recognition module compares the color comparison information with the color reference information. When the shape information and the color information are consistent, the control module 11 controls the two power wheels 4 to rotate and follow the target object. In this embodiment, the recognition module only recognizes the shape information and the color information in the shape, and does not recognize the background information collected in real time by the comparison camera module 5, and the information that the color in the shape changes with the light, so the time of the recognition operation can be reduced, which is conducive to improving the following sensitivity of the smart following suitcase.

[0032] In this embodiment, the object detection sensor 6 is installed on the side of the front side of the box body 1 and on the side of the left and right sides of the box body 1. The object detection sensor 6 is used to detect the distance between the target object and the smart follow-up suitcase, and transmit the detected distance signal to the control module 11. When the control module 11 determines that the distance between the target object detected by the object detection sensor 6 and the smart follow-up suitcase is greater than the set distance value, the control module 11 will increase the moving speed of the smart follow-up suitcase and move towards the target object; when the control module 11 determines that the distance between the target object detected by the object detection sensor 6 and the smart follow-up suitcase is less than or equal to the set distance value, the control module 11 will reduce the moving speed of the smart follow-up suitcase to maintain the set distance. In this way, a certain safe distance can be maintained between the smart follow-up suitcase and the target object being followed, preventing the smart follow-up suitcase from colliding with the target object being followed and causing danger. In addition, when the smart following suitcase is following the target object, if the object detection sensor 6 detects an obstacle between the suitcase and the target object, and the control module 11 determines that the distance between the obstacle and the smart following suitcase is less than or equal to the set distance value based on the distance detected by the object detection sensor 6, the control module 11 takes avoidance measures, controls the rotation speed of the two power wheels 4 respectively, and realizes the steering of the smart following suitcase to avoid the obstacle through the speed difference of the two power wheels 4. After the smart following suitcase bypasses the obstacle, it continues to follow the target object. In this embodiment, the set distance value is less than or equal to 2 meters. The object detection sensor 6 can be an ultrasonic sensor or an infrared sensor.

[0033] In this embodiment, the box body 1 is provided with a battery installation part for installing the battery, and the battery is detachably installed in the battery installation part. The battery installation part can be arranged inside the box body 1, and can also be arranged on the outer wall of the box body 1. The battery is a rechargeable battery, a dry cell battery, or a power bank. When the smart follow-up suitcase passes through the security check at the airport or the railway station, the user can separate the battery from the box body 1 at any time and pass the security check. Of course, the box body 1 can also be provided with a charging interface for charging electronic devices. When the mobile phone is out of power, it can be directly charged, which greatly facilitates the user and improves the experience.

[0034] Embodiment 2

[0035] See also Figure 3 The difference between this embodiment and the first embodiment lies in the structural shape of the box.

[0036] In this embodiment, the box body 1 includes a first cover body 12 and a second cover body 13 that cooperate with each other. The bottom of the first cover body 12 protrudes and extends toward the second cover body 13. The four driven wheels 3 are all installed on the first cover body 12. The first cover body 12 is installed with a wheel axle fixing member, and the two power wheels 4 are respectively installed at both ends of the wheel axle fixing member. It is convenient to cover the first cover body 12 and the second cover body 13; it is convenient to arrange the power lines of the two power wheels 4.

[0037] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the present invention and are not intended to limit the technical solutions described in the present invention. Therefore, although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the above embodiments, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention can still be modified or replaced by equivalents. All technical solutions and improvements that do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention should be included in the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A smart follow-up suitcase, characterized by: It comprises a box body, four driven wheels installed at the bottom of the box body and two power wheels; the two power wheels are arranged side by side, and the two wheel axles are parallel to the short side of the bottom of the box body; the two power wheels are located between the two driven wheels at the front side and the two driven wheels at the rear side; the four driven wheels rotate following the two power wheels; The box body comprises a first cover body and a second cover body which cooperate with each other, the first cover body is installed with a first wheel axle fixing piece, the second cover body is installed with a second wheel axle fixing piece, and the two power wheels are respectively installed on the first wheel axle fixing piece and the second wheel axle fixing piece; The first axle fixing member and the second axle fixing member are provided with wiring grooves and are equipped with power male and female plugs. The first axle fixing member is equipped with a male plug, and the second axle fixing member is equipped with a female plug. When the user opens and closes the box, the power male and female plugs are combined or separated accordingly.

2. The smart follow-up suitcase according to claim 1, characterized in that: The box is provided with a control module, a camera module, a recognition module and an object detection sensor. The camera module is connected to the recognition module and sends the image information of the target object collected in real time to the recognition module. The recognition module and the object detection sensor are both signal-connected to the control module. The control module controls the rotation of the two power wheels according to the image recognition information of the recognition module and the obstacle detection information of the object detection sensor.

3. The smart follow-up suitcase according to claim 2, characterized in that: The recognition module includes a first recognition function module for recognizing shape information of a follow-up target and a second recognition function module for recognizing color information within the shape of the follow-up target.

4. The smart follow-up suitcase according to claim 2, characterized in that: The camera module is a camera or an intelligent terminal device, and the control module is connected to the camera or the intelligent terminal device by wire.

5. The smart follow-up suitcase according to claim 2, characterized in that: The object detection sensor is an ultrasonic sensor or an infrared sensor.

6. The smart follow-up suitcase according to claim 1, characterized in that: The box body is provided with a battery mounting portion for mounting the battery, and the battery is detachably mounted on the battery mounting portion.

7. The smart follow-up suitcase according to claim 1, characterized in that: The wheelbase between the two power wheels is greater than the wheelbase of the two driven wheels at the front and / or rear sides.

8. The smart follow-up suitcase according to claim 1, characterized in that: The two power wheels are both hub motor wheels.

9. The smart follow-up suitcase according to claim 1, characterized in that: An elastic member in a stretched state is arranged between the axle of the power wheel and the axle fixing member.

Citation Information

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