A tennis ball picking robot and method

Abstract

The present invention relates to the technical field of sports equipment, and specifically to a tennis ball picking and collecting robot and method. It includes a ball picking device, a rotating lifting device, a ball collecting bin device and a walking device; the ball picking device, the rotating lifting device and the ball collecting bin device are installed on the walking device, and the walking device drives the robot to move; the ball picking device is installed at the front end of the walking device, the ball picking device is connected to the rotating lifting device, and the rotating lifting device is connected to the ball collecting bin device; the ball picking device is provided with a ball collecting roller brush, and the ball collecting bin device includes a ball storage bucket, a lifting mechanism and a rotating mechanism. The ball collecting roller brush brings the tennis ball into the rotating lifting device, the rotating lifting device rotates and lifts the tennis ball into the ball storage bucket, the rotating mechanism drives the ball storage bucket to rotate, and the lifting mechanism lifts the ball storage bucket. It can quickly pick up the tennis balls scattered on the ground, and store them neatly and orderly in the ball storage bucket behind the vehicle body after arranging, and the tennis ball picking efficiency is high and it is easy to use.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of sports equipment, and in particular to a robot and method for picking up tennis balls. Background Art

[0002] In the training process of modern small ball sports such as table tennis, tennis, golf and other activities, athletes usually need to manually pick up the balls scattered on the training ground after a lot of training. Since the balls need to be picked up many times during daily training, the process of manual ball picking not only wastes time and affects training efficiency, but also has high labor intensity for the people picking the balls. Therefore, many robots for picking balls have been developed in recent years.

[0003] However, the robots currently used for picking tennis balls generally have shortcomings such as complex structure, cumbersome operation, low picking efficiency and few functions. Summary of the invention

[0004] In order to solve the above-mentioned deficiencies of the prior art, the present invention provides a tennis ball picking robot and method, which can quickly pick up tennis balls scattered on a training ground, and store them neatly and orderly in a ball storage bucket behind the vehicle body after sorting. The tennis ball picking efficiency is high and the use is convenient.

[0005] To achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0006] A tennis ball picking and collecting robot comprises a ball picking device, a rotating lifting device, a ball collecting bin device and a walking device; the ball picking device, the rotating lifting device and the ball collecting bin device are mounted on the walking device, and the walking device drives the robot to move; the ball picking device is mounted at the front end of the walking device, the ball picking device is connected to the rotating lifting device, and the rotating lifting device is connected to the ball collecting bin device; the ball picking device is provided with a ball collecting roller brush, and the ball collecting bin device comprises a ball storage bucket, a lifting mechanism and a rotating mechanism, the ball collecting roller brush brings tennis balls into the rotating lifting device, the rotating lifting device rotates and lifts the tennis balls and sends them into the ball storage bucket, the rotating mechanism drives the ball storage bucket to rotate, and the lifting mechanism lifts the ball storage bucket.

[0007] The ball picking device comprises a box body, a ball collecting roller brush and a first stepping motor. The ball collecting roller brush is installed in the box body. The first stepping motor is connected to the ball collecting roller brush and drives the ball collecting roller brush to rotate.

[0008] The rotary lifting device includes a goal slope, a sliding ball guide slope, a second stepper motor, a front retaining ring bracket, a rotating disc, a rear retaining ring bracket and a ball sending slope; the goal slope is located below the ball collecting roller brush, the goal slope is connected to the sliding ball guide slope, the rotating disc is installed at the exit of the sliding ball guide slope, the front retaining ring bracket and the rear retaining ring bracket are respectively installed in front of and behind the rotating disc, and the ball sending slope is connected to the rear retaining ring bracket; the second stepper motor is connected to the rotating disc and drives the rotating disc to rotate.

[0009] The circumference of the rotary disc is evenly distributed with round hole-shaped ball grooves adapted to tennis balls.

[0010] The entire ball bin device includes a ball storage bucket, a lifting mechanism, a rotating mechanism, a third stepper motor and a fourth stepper motor; the rotating mechanism includes a rotating support frame and a rotating shaft, a plurality of ball storage buckets are mounted on the rotating support frame, the rotating shaft is mounted on the rotating support frame, the fourth stepper motor is connected to the rotating shaft and drives the rotating support frame to rotate; the lifting mechanism includes a rising top block and a rocker rod, the rising top block is located at the bottom of the ball storage bucket, one end of the rocker rod is connected to the third motor, and the other end is connected to the rising top block.

[0011] The whole ball bin device also includes a ball bin upper cover plate and a column, the column is fixedly connected to the bottom of the ball bin upper cover plate, and the ball bin upper cover plate is located above the ball storage barrel.

[0012] The walking device comprises a Mecanum wheel, a vehicle chassis and a reduction DC motor; the Mecanum wheel is mounted on the vehicle chassis, and the reduction DC motor is connected to the Mecanum wheel and drives the Mecanum wheel to rotate.

[0013] A method for picking up a set of tennis balls specifically comprises the following steps:

[0014] 1) When starting to pick up the ball, first start the deceleration DC motor, and the tennis ball picking robot moves along the set route driven by the walking device; then start the first stepper motor, which drives the ball collecting roller brush to rotate, and start the second stepper motor, which drives the rotating disc to rotate;

[0015] 2) When the robot picks up the tennis balls, it moves the tennis balls along the goal slope to the sliding ball guide slope through the rotation of the ball collection roller brush. The tennis balls move to the ball groove of the rotary disc in sequence along the sliding ball guide slope by gravity. The second stepper motor drives the rotary disc to rotate, and the tennis balls are transported to the designated position with the cooperation of the front retaining ring bracket and the rear retaining ring bracket.

[0016] 3) The tennis balls in the rotating disc are along the inclined bottom surface. Under the action of gravity and the inertia generated during the movement of the robot, the tennis balls rise in an orderly manner as the rotating disc rotates. After reaching the top, the tennis balls automatically roll down along the inclined ball delivery slope at the bottom into the ball storage bucket of the entire ball storage device;

[0017] 4) Start the fourth stepper motor, which drives the ball storage barrel to move in a circular direction, and the tennis balls rolling down the ball delivery ramp are neatly stored in different ball storage barrels;

[0018] 5) After the balls are collected, the third stepper motor is started, which drives the swing rod to swing, drives the lifting top block to move up and down, and lifts the ball storage bucket, so that the ball storage bucket pops up along the outlet of the ball bin upper cover.

[0019] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0020] 1) The present invention includes a ball picking device, a rotating lifting device, a ball storage device and a walking device; it can complete a series of actions such as automatic picking, lifting, warehousing and sorting of tennis balls, and has complete functions.

[0021] 2) The structure is compact and reasonable, the whole machine is light, the movement is flexible and the operation is convenient.

[0022] 3) The rotary lifting device of the present invention uses a rotating disc and a front retaining ring bracket and a rear retaining ring bracket to cooperate with each other to realize the sorting and storage of tennis balls one by one. Under the constraint of the ball groove on the rotating disc, the tennis balls are prevented from bouncing out or getting stuck due to disorderly rolling during the rotating and rising process.

[0023] 4) The ball collection bin device can reasonably distribute the picked-up tennis balls into accessible ball storage buckets, which can be automatically unloaded, making it convenient to collect the tennis balls after the equipment is finished working. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the present invention from another angle;

[0026] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the ball picking device of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the rotary lifting device of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the whole ball bin device of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the walking device of the present invention.

[0030] In the figure: 1-ball picking device, 2-rotating lifting device, 3-ball collection bin device, 4-traveling device, 101-left side plate, 102-first stepper motor, 103-columnar motor bracket, 104-ball collecting roller brush, 105-upper top plate, 106-front plate, 107-right side plate, 201-goal slope, 202-sliding ball guide slope, 203-right angle motor bracket, 204-second stepper motor, 205-rotating spindle, 206-front retaining ring bracket, 207-rotating disc, 208-ball delivery slope, 209-motor support frame, 210-spindle bracket, 211-rear retaining ring bracket 301-rotating output shaft, 302-ball storage bucket, 303-ball bin upper cover, 304-middle fixed plate, 305-bottom support plate, 306-rising top block, 307-upper slide frame, 308-horizontal motor bracket, 309-first swing arm, 310-third stepping motor, 311-second swing arm, 312-fourth stepping motor, 313-sitting motor bracket, 314-base plate, 315-motor coupling, 316-column, 317-middle pillar, 401-Mecanum wheel, 402-chassis, 403-reduction DC motor bracket, 404-reduction DC motor. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] Example:

[0032] The specific embodiments of the present invention are further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings:

[0033] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, a tennis ball picking and collecting robot comprises a ball picking device 1, a rotating lifting device 2, a ball collecting bin device 3 and a walking device 4. The ball picking device 1, the rotating lifting device 2 and the ball collecting bin device 3 are installed on the walking device 4, and the walking device 4 drives the robot to move. The ball picking device 1 is installed at the front end of the walking device, the ball picking device 1 is connected to the rotating lifting device 2, and the rotating lifting device 2 is connected to the ball collecting bin device 3.

[0034] like Figure 3 As shown, the ball picking device 1 is composed of a left side plate 101, a first stepper motor 102, a columnar motor bracket 103, a ball collecting roller brush 104, an upper top plate 105, a front plate 106, and a right side plate 107. The left side plate 101, the upper top plate 105, the front plate 106 and the right side plate 107 form a box body.

[0035] The first stepper motor 102 is installed above the columnar motor bracket 103, and the bottom of the columnar motor bracket 103 is connected and fixed to the left side plate 101, the output shaft of the first stepper motor 102 is connected and installed with the ball collecting roller brush 104, the first stepper motor 102 drives the ball collecting roller brush 104 to rotate, and the other end of the ball collecting roller brush 104 is installed and connected to the right side plate 107, the left side of the upper top plate 105 is fixedly installed with the left side plate 101, the right side of the upper top plate 105 is fixedly installed with the right side plate 107, and the front plate 106 is installed and fixed between the left side plate 101, the right side plate 107 and the upper top plate 105.

[0036] like Figure 4 As shown, the rotary lifting device 2 includes a ball-carrying ramp 201, a sliding ball guide ramp 202, a right-angle motor bracket 203, a second stepper motor 204, a rotating spindle 205, a front retaining ring bracket 206, a rotating disc 207, a ball-feeding ramp 208, a motor support frame 209, a spindle bracket 210, and a rear retaining ring bracket 211.

[0037] The goal slope 201 is fixedly installed below the ball collection roller brush 104 of the ball picking device 1, and the other end of the goal slope 201 is fixedly connected to the sliding ball guide slope 202. The right angle motor bracket 203 is fixedly installed with the second stepper motor 204, and the other end of the right angle motor bracket 203 is fixedly connected to the motor support frame 209. The output shaft of the second stepper motor 204 is fixedly installed with the front end of the rotating main shaft 205, and the rotating disk 207 is fixedly installed on the rotating main shaft 205. The second stepper motor 204 drives the rotating disk 207 to rotate. The rotating disk 207 is evenly distributed with round hole-shaped ball grooves adapted to tennis balls around it.

[0038] The rear retaining ring bracket 211 is fixedly installed with the rotating main shaft 205 , the main shaft bracket 210 is installed on the same side of the front retaining ring bracket 206 , the motor support frame 209 is fixedly connected above the sliding ball guide slope 202 , and the ball feeding slope 208 is fixedly connected to the rear retaining ring bracket 211 .

[0039] like Figure 5 As shown, the whole ball storage device 3 includes a rotating output shaft 301, a ball storage bucket 302, a ball storage upper cover plate 303, an intermediate fixed plate 304, a bottom support plate 305, an ascending top block 306, an upper top chute frame 307, a horizontal motor bracket 308, a first swing rod 309, a third stepping motor 310, a second swing rod 311, a fourth stepping motor 312, a sitting motor bracket 313, a base plate 314, a motor coupling 315, a column 316, and an intermediate support 317. The rotating output shaft 301, the intermediate fixed plate 304, and the bottom support plate 305 constitute a rotating mechanism, and the ascending top block 306, the upper top chute frame 307, the first swing rod 309, and the second swing rod 311 constitute a lifting mechanism.

[0040] There are four ball storage buckets 302, and each ball storage bucket 302 is mounted on the bottom support plate 305 corresponding to the four holes; there are four intermediate pillars 317, and the upper end of each intermediate pillar 317 is fixedly connected to the intermediate fixing plate 304, and the lower end of each intermediate pillar 317 is fixedly connected to the bottom support plate 305; there are four columns 316, and the upper end of each column 316 is fixedly connected to the ball bin upper cover plate 303, and the lower end of each column 316 is fixedly connected to the vehicle chassis 402 in the walking device 4.

[0041] The upper end of the rotating output shaft 301 is fixedly installed in the middle position of the ball warehouse upper cover 303, and the lower end of the rotating output shaft 301 is installed on the upper end of the motor coupling 315, and the lower end of the motor coupling 315 is fixedly connected to the output shaft of the fourth stepper motor 312; the fourth stepper motor 312 is fixedly installed on the sitting motor bracket 313, and the sitting motor bracket 313 is fixedly connected to the base plate 314; the base plate 314 is fixedly installed on the vehicle chassis 402 in the walking device 4.

[0042] The third stepper motor 310 is fixedly connected to the horizontal motor bracket 308; the front end of the first swing arm 309 is fixedly installed on the output shaft of the third stepper motor 310, and the rear end of the first swing arm 309 is installed and connected to the rear end of the second swing arm 311, and the two swing arms are connected by a hinge; the second swing arm 311 is connected to the rising top block 306 by a hinge, and the rising top block 306 is installed in the upper slide slot frame 307, and the upper slide slot frame 307 is installed below the stepped hole of the bottom support plate 305.

[0043] like Figure 6 As shown, the walking device 4 includes a Mecanum wheel 401, a chassis 402, a deceleration DC motor bracket 403, and a deceleration DC motor 404. The chassis 402 serves as the overall base support bracket of the entire robot; four sets of Mecanum wheels 401, deceleration DC motor bracket 403, and deceleration DC motor 404 constitute the walking system of the robot; the Mecanum wheel 401 is installed at the output shaft end of the deceleration DC motor 404, and the deceleration DC motor bracket 403 is installed and fixed to the deceleration DC motor 404.

[0044] A method for picking and assembling tennis balls comprises the following steps:

[0045] 1) When starting to pick up balls, first start the deceleration DC motor 404, and the tennis ball picking robot moves along the set route driven by the walking device 4. Because it is a four-wheel drive, the forward, backward and steering operations can be achieved by controlling the speed of the Mecanum wheels 401 in each group of walking devices 4; then start the first stepper motor 102 to drive the ball collection roller brush 104 to rotate, and the second stepper motor 204 drives the rotating spindle 205 to move;

[0046] 2) When the robot picks up the tennis balls, the ball collecting roller brush 104 rotates to send the tennis balls along the goal slope 201 to the sliding ball guide slope 202. The tennis balls move to the ball grooves of the rotating disc 207 in sequence along the sliding ball guide slope due to gravity. Then, the rotating main shaft 205 driven by the second stepper motor 204 rotates to drive the rotating disc 207 to rotate. The front retaining ring bracket 206 and the rear retaining ring bracket 211 cooperate to transport the tennis balls to the designated position.

[0047] 3) The tennis balls in the rotating disc 207 are along the inclined bottom surface. Under the action of gravity and the inertia generated during the movement of the robot, the tennis balls rise in an orderly manner as the rotating main shaft 205 rotates. After reaching the top, the tennis balls automatically roll down along the inclined ball delivery slope 208 at the bottom into the ball storage bucket 302 in the ball collection bin mechanism 3;

[0048] 4) Start the fourth stepper motor 312, and neatly store the tennis balls rolling down the ball delivery ramp 208 in the ball storage bucket 302 through the rotation of the rotating output shaft 301 and the ball storage bucket 302 constrained by the middle fixed plate 304;

[0049] 5) After the balls are collected, the third stepper motor 310 is started to drive the first swing rod 309 to swing and then drive the second swing rod 311 to swing, so that the rising top block 306 in the upper slide slot frame 307 completes the up and down movement, and the rising top block 306 bounces the ball storage bucket 302 along the outlet of the ball bin upper cover plate 303 through the stepped hole of the bottom support plate 305.

[0050] The invention can quickly pick up tennis balls scattered on the training ground, and store them neatly and orderly in the ball storage bucket behind the vehicle body after being sorted, so the tennis balls are picked up efficiently and are easy to use.

[0051] The above description is only a preferred specific implementation manner of the present invention, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any technician familiar with the technical field can make equivalent replacements or changes according to the technical scheme and inventive concept of the present invention within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention, which should be covered by the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A tennis ball picking robot, characterized in that: It includes a ball picking device, a rotating lifting device, a ball collection bin device and a walking device; the ball picking device, the rotating lifting device and the ball collection bin device are installed on the walking device, and the walking device drives the robot to move; the ball picking device is installed at the front end of the walking device, the ball picking device is connected to the rotating lifting device, and the rotating lifting device is connected to the ball collection bin device; the ball picking device is provided with a ball collecting roller brush, and the ball collection bin device includes a ball storage bucket, a lifting mechanism and a rotating mechanism, the ball collecting roller brush brings the tennis ball into the rotating lifting device, the rotating lifting device rotates and lifts the tennis ball into the ball storage bucket, the rotating mechanism drives the ball storage bucket to rotate, and the lifting mechanism lifts the ball storage bucket; The ball picking device comprises a box, a ball collecting roller brush and a first stepping motor, wherein the ball collecting roller brush is installed in the box, and the first stepping motor is connected to the ball collecting roller brush and drives the ball collecting roller brush to rotate; The rotary lifting device comprises a goal-scoring slope, a sliding ball guide slope, a second stepping motor, a front retaining ring bracket, a rotating disc, a rear retaining ring bracket and a ball-feeding slope; the goal-scoring slope is located below the ball-collecting roller brush, the goal-scoring slope is connected to the sliding ball guide slope, the rotating disc is installed at the exit of the sliding ball guide slope, the front retaining ring bracket and the rear retaining ring bracket are respectively installed in front of and behind the rotating disc, and the ball-feeding slope is connected to the rear retaining ring bracket; the second stepping motor is connected to the rotating disc and drives the rotating disc to rotate; The circumference of the rotating disc is evenly distributed with round hole-shaped ball grooves adapted to tennis balls; The whole ball storage device comprises a ball storage bucket, a lifting mechanism, a rotating mechanism, a third stepping motor and a fourth stepping motor; The rotating output shaft, the middle fixed plate, and the bottom support plate constitute a rotating mechanism, and the rising top block, the upper top slide frame, the first swing rod, and the second swing rod constitute a lifting mechanism; A plurality of ball storage barrels are mounted on the bottom support plate, a rotating output shaft is mounted on the bottom support plate, and a fourth stepping motor is connected to the rotating output shaft and drives the bottom support plate to rotate; The front end of the first swing rod is fixedly mounted on the output shaft of the third stepper motor, the rear end of the first swing rod is connected to the rear end of the second swing rod, and the two swing rods are connected by a hinge; the second swing rod is connected to the rising top block by a hinge, the rising top block is mounted in the upper top slide frame, and the upper top slide frame is mounted below the stepped hole of the bottom support plate; The whole ball bin device also includes a ball bin upper cover plate and a column, the column is fixedly connected to the bottom of the ball bin upper cover plate, and the ball bin upper cover plate is located above the ball storage barrel.

2. A tennis ball picking robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The walking device comprises a Mecanum wheel, a vehicle chassis and a reduction DC motor; the Mecanum wheel is mounted on the vehicle chassis, and the reduction DC motor is connected to the Mecanum wheel and drives the Mecanum wheel to rotate.

3. A tennis ball picking and collecting method based on the tennis ball picking and collecting robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The specific steps include: 1) When starting to pick up the ball, first start the deceleration DC motor, and the tennis ball picking robot moves along the set route driven by the walking device; then start the first stepper motor, which drives the ball collecting roller brush to rotate, and start the second stepper motor, which drives the rotating disc to rotate; 2) When the robot picks up the tennis balls, it moves the tennis balls along the goal slope to the sliding ball guide slope through the rotation of the ball collection roller brush. The tennis balls move to the ball groove of the rotary disc in sequence along the sliding ball guide slope by gravity. The second stepper motor drives the rotary disc to rotate, and the tennis balls are transported to the designated position with the cooperation of the front retaining ring bracket and the rear retaining ring bracket. 3) The tennis balls in the rotating disc are along the inclined bottom surface. Under the action of gravity and the inertia generated during the movement of the robot, the tennis balls rise in an orderly manner as the rotating disc rotates. After reaching the top, the tennis balls automatically roll down along the inclined ball delivery slope at the bottom into the ball storage bucket of the entire ball storage device; 4) Start the fourth stepper motor, which drives the ball storage barrel to move in a circular direction, and the tennis balls rolling down the ball delivery ramp are neatly stored in different ball storage barrels; 5) After the balls are collected, the third stepper motor is started to drive the first swing arm to swing and then drive the second swing arm to swing, so that the rising top block in the upper slide frame completes the up and down movement, and the rising top block bounces the ball storage bucket along the outlet of the ball bin upper cover through the stepped hole of the bottom support plate.

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