A traction robot and its transport system and control method

Abstract

The present application relates to the field of intelligent robot technology, and discloses a traction robot and its transport system and control method. It includes a main body, a control component and a rotating arm, the rotating arm being rotatably assembled on the main body, and the rotating arm including a first rotating arm and a second rotating arm. The first rotating arm and the second rotating arm are both provided with a clamping portion for clamping the traction member on the side facing the traction member, and an expansion member is provided between the clamping portion and the rotating arm. The control component drives the fluid to input or discharge the expansion member to control the expansion or retraction of the expansion member, thereby controlling the clamping portion to clamp or release the traction member. Compared with the prior art, the traction robot disclosed in the present application is easy to connect with the traction member, thereby improving the efficiency of traction movement and saving manpower. It can be used to clamp and pull different traction members in different usage environments, improve the versatility of the traction robot and the stability of traction, and reduce the user's usage cost.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application generally relates to the field of intelligent robot technology, and in particular to a traction robot and its transportation system and control method. Background Art

[0002] With the development of science and technology and the continuous improvement of people's material living standards, intelligent delivery robots are widely used in transportation, cleaning, administration, medical care, elderly care and other aspects, gradually changing some of people's lifestyles and playing an important role, bringing convenience to people's lives and work.

[0003] At present, in office buildings or hospitals and other usage environments, carts or other manual mobile equipment are used to transport and deliver documents, medicines, equipment and other materials, and the mobile equipment needs to be connected with a hand support, or a connector needs to be preset on the towed part, and manual connecting ropes or wires and other components are required for manual binding and connection. When carrying, a large amount of manpower is often occupied due to the inconvenience of connection, and the movement efficiency is low and the stability is poor. In addition, the positions of the preset connectors are often different for towing different towed parts. This requires that the positions of the preset connectors of different towed parts need to be identified when binding, which requires more manpower costs, causes more inconvenience to users, and thus reduces the scope of use of the robot. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In order to solve the technical problem of inconvenient connection between the existing traction robot and the towed object, the main purpose of this application is to provide a traction robot and its transportation system and control method that are easy to connect and traction and have a wide range of applications.

[0005] To achieve the above-mentioned invention objectives, this application adopts the following technical solutions:

[0006] According to one aspect of the present application, there is provided a pulling robot, comprising a main body, a control assembly, and a rotating arm, wherein the rotating arm is rotatably mounted on the main body;

[0007] The rotating arm includes a first rotating arm and a second rotating arm;

[0008] The first rotating arm and the second rotating arm are both provided with a clamping portion for clamping the towed member on the side facing the towed member, and an expansion member is provided between the clamping portion and the rotating arm;

[0009] The control component drives the fluid to be input into or discharged from the expansion member to control the expansion or retraction of the expansion member, thereby controlling the clamping portion to clamp or release the pulled member.

[0010] According to an embodiment of the present application, the clamping portion is provided on a surface of the expansion member facing the pulled member.

[0011] According to one embodiment of the present application, the first rotating arm and / or the second rotating arm is provided with a plurality of the expansion members, the plurality of the expansion members are distributed in an array, the plurality of the expansion members on a single rotating arm are interconnected, or the plurality of the expansion members are interconnected as a group.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the present application, the control component includes a control box, and a transmission control air circuit is provided between the control box and the expansion member. The control air circuit controls and connects multiple expansion members respectively, or the control air circuit controls and connects a group of expansion members that are interconnected.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the present application, the control assembly further includes a sensor, which is disposed on the clamping portion and / or the side of the rotating arm facing the towed member, and the sensor is electrically connected to the control box.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the present application, the rotating arm and / or the clamping portion is provided with a plurality of the sensors, and the plurality of the sensors are distributed on the rotating arm and / or the clamping portion at angles to each other.

[0015] According to one embodiment of the present application, the plurality of sensors are arranged as a first group of sensors and a second group of sensors, the first group of sensors includes a plurality of sensors arranged extending along a first direction, the second group of sensors includes a plurality of sensors arranged extending along a second direction, and the first direction and the second direction are perpendicular to each other.

[0016] According to one embodiment of the present application, the first group of sensors is disposed at the outer end of the rotating arm, and the second group of sensors extends linearly from the outer end to the inner end of the rotating arm.

[0017] According to one embodiment of the present application, a plurality of expansion members are distributed on both sides of the linearly extending second group of sensors. According to one embodiment of the present application, the plurality of expansion members on the rotating arm are all arranged on the inner side of the first group of sensors.

[0018] According to one embodiment of the present application, the control component further includes a signal acquisition device, and the signal acquisition device is electrically connected to the control box.

[0019] According to one embodiment of the present application, the expansion member is a flexible bladder.

[0020] According to one embodiment of the present application, it further includes a rotating mechanism, which is fixedly assembled on the main body and rotatably connected to one end of the first rotating arm and the second rotating arm through an output shaft.

[0021] According to one embodiment of the present application, the first rotating arm and the second rotating arm are slidably fixed to the output shaft via a fixed shaft seat.

[0022] According to one embodiment of the present application, it further includes a driving wheel assembly, which is fixedly supported on the bottom of the main body, and the control assembly can control the driving wheel assembly to move the main body.

[0023] According to another aspect of the present application, a transport system is provided, comprising the above-mentioned traction robot.

[0024] According to another aspect of the present application, a traction robot control method is provided, characterized in that it includes the following steps:

[0025] Get docking instructions;

[0026] Drive the traction robot into the travel position;

[0027] When the towed part enters the docking range, the clamping signal is triggered;

[0028] driving the fluid input to the expansion member on the clamping portion for clamping the pulled member according to the clamping signal to control the expansion of the expansion member, thereby driving the clamping portion to clamp the pulled member;

[0029] A release instruction is obtained, and the fluid is driven to output the expansion member to control the expansion member to contract, thereby driving the clamping portion to release the pulled member.

[0030] According to an embodiment of the present application, before or after the driving the traction robot to enter the travel position, there is also a step of driving the clamping part to move relative to the traction robot to a docking position of the clamping part.

[0031] According to an embodiment of the present application, the step of detecting that the towed member enters the docking range and triggering a clamping signal includes:

[0032] Obtaining the status signal of the towed part within the docking range;

[0033] determining the type of the towed component according to the acquired status signal;

[0034] Determining a corresponding docking position threshold according to the type of the towed component;

[0035] Whether the clamping portion has entered the docking position is determined according to a docking position threshold.

[0036] According to an embodiment of the present application, the step of detecting that the towed member enters the docking range and triggering a clamping signal further includes:

[0037] Acquiring a proximity signal of the towed component;

[0038] Initiate detection of a position signal of the towed member according to the approach signal;

[0039] A positioning signal of the pulled member is determined according to whether the acquired relative distance between the clamping portion and the pulled member reaches a preset threshold.

[0040] According to an embodiment of the present application, the step of detecting that the towed member enters the docking range and triggering a clamping signal further includes:

[0041] According to whether the relative distance between the clamping portion and the pulled member reaches a preset threshold,

[0042] If the preset threshold is not reached, a continue moving and docking instruction is issued to control the driving traction robot to continue moving toward the preset threshold range;

[0043] If the preset threshold is reached, the clamping signal is triggered.

[0044] According to one embodiment of the present application, the step of driving the fluid input into the expansion member according to the clamping signal to control the expansion of the expansion member, thereby driving the clamping portion to clamp the pulled member, comprises:

[0045] Determining whether the clamping force between the expansion member and the clamping surface of the towed member meets the towing requirement;

[0046] If the traction requirement is not met, the force-bearing surface between the expansion member and the clamping surface of the towed member is increased, and a command is issued to drive the fluid into the expansion member at the corresponding force-bearing surface;

[0047] If the pulling requirements are met, keep clamped.

[0048] As can be seen from the above technical solutions, the advantages and positive effects of the traction robot and its transportation system and control method of the present application are:

[0049] By arranging a clamping portion on the rotating arm for clamping the towed part, and an expansion member is arranged between the rotating arm and the clamping portion, the control component can be used to drive the fluid to input or discharge the expansion member to control the clamping portion to tighten or release the clamped part, and the expansion amount or retraction amount of the expansion member can be changed by the control component according to the structure of the to-be-clamped surface of the towed part, so as to facilitate the clamping and traction of the to-be-clamped surface of the traction part with different structures. Therefore, it is suitable for clamping and moving different towed parts, thereby increasing the practicality and simple structure of the traction robot. Compared with the existing technology, the traction robot disclosed in the present application can clamp the towed part more conveniently without the need for pre-setting connecting parts on the towed part, thereby improving the efficiency of traction and movement, avoiding waste of manpower, and is suitable for traction of different towed parts in different application environments, significantly improving the versatility and convenience of the traction robot, and suitable for promotion and use on a large scale. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0050] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

[0051] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, for ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative labor.

[0052] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a traction robot according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0053] Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a rotating mechanism in a traction robot according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0054] Figure 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a rotating arm in a pulling robot according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0055] Figure 4 is another overall structural schematic diagram of a traction robot according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0056] Figure 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a traction robot and a cart in a traction state according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0057] Figure 6 is an enlarged view of a traction state at A of a traction robot and a cart according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0058] Figure 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a traction robot and a wheeled device in a traction state according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0059] Figure 8 is a schematic structural diagram showing another traction state of a traction robot and a wheeled device according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0060] Figure 9 FIG1 is an enlarged view of a traction state at point B of a traction robot and a wheeled device according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0061] The description of the accompanying drawings is as follows:

[0062] 1. Main body; 2. Control assembly; 201. Control box; 202. Sensor; 203. Signal acquisition device; 3. Rotating arm; 301. First rotating arm; 302. Second rotating arm; 4. Expansion piece; 5. Clamping part; 601. Output shaft; 602. Fixed shaft seat; 603. Fixed seat; 604. Dual-axis reducer; 7. Driving wheel assembly; 8. Upper cover. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0063] To make the purpose, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this application more clear, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of this application. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of this application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0064] Because in the prior art, when using distribution traction robots to deliver or transport items in specific environments, it is often necessary to use different traction parts, such as carts, mobile box boards or wheel columns. When the traction robots are used to transport different items, it is necessary to preset connecting parts at different positions of the traction parts and manually tie the traction parts with ropes, etc., which causes inconvenience during use and causes a lot of manpower waste. Therefore, the scope of use of the traction robots is limited. Since the existing traction robots are inconvenient to connect with the traction parts during use and have poor versatility in use, users need to use different types of traction robots, which increases the user's usage cost.

[0065] In order to improve the convenience of connection between the traction robot and the towed object, reduce manpower, improve the versatility of the traction robot, and reduce the cost of using the traction robot, the traction robot in this application includes a main body 1, a control component 2 and a rotating arm 3. The rotating arm 3 can be rotatably assembled on the main body 1 to facilitate storage and reduce the overall volume. The rotating arm 3 includes a first rotating arm 301 and a second rotating arm 302. The first rotating arm 301 and the second rotating arm 302 are both provided with a clamping portion 5 for clamping the towed object on the side facing the towed object. The clamping portion 5 is detachably fixed to the first rotating arm 301 and / or the second rotating arm 302 by an elastic member, and an expansion member 4 is provided between the clamping portion 5 and the rotating arm 3. The control component 2 drives fluid into the expansion member 4 or withdraws it to control the expansion or retraction of the expansion member 4, thereby controlling the clamping portion 5 to clamp or release the towed object. The expansion member 4 can be controlled to directly or indirectly clamp or release the towed object through the clamping portion 5.

[0066] In the present application, the filling amount between the expansion member 4 and the towed member is adjusted by the control component 2. In other words, the control component 2 can adjust the contact pressure between the expansion member 4 and the towed member at different positions, and tighten or loosen the towed member, so as to adjust the force contact area between the expansion member 4 and the towed member, which can facilitate the towing of towed members with different clamping surfaces without pre-setting connecting members on the towed member, thereby improving the convenience and versatility of the towing robot, and eliminating the need for users to replace different traction robots to achieve the purpose of towing different towed members, thereby reducing the user's usage cost.

[0067] See also Figure 1 , Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a traction robot shown according to an exemplary embodiment. As an example, the clamping part 5 and the rotating arm 3 cooperate with the expansion part 4 to provide a storage cavity (not shown in the figure) for storing the expansion part 4. When traction is required, the control component 2 can drive the fluid into the expansion part 4 between the rotating arm 3 and the clamping part 5 and / or the expansion part 4 on the surface of the clamping part 5.

[0068] It should be understood that those skilled in the art can adjust the distance between the first rotating arm 301 and the second rotating arm 302 so that after the expansion member 4 expands, there is sufficient pressure between the clamping portion 5 and the towed member to meet the purpose of traction, and the control component 2 can also adjust the expansion or contraction amount of the expansion member 4 at different positions of the control driving fluid within a certain range to adjust the distance and force contact area between the clamping portion 5 and the towed member, thereby meeting the traction force and clamping force required by the towed member and improving the traction stability.

[0069] It should be noted that in the present application, the clamping portion 5 and the rotating arm 3 can be movably fixedly connected via an elastic member. As an example, an elastic buckle or spring structure can be used for connection. When the expansion member 4 between the clamping portion 5 and the rotating arm 3 is not needed, the expansion member 4 can be stored in the storage cavity, and the towed member is only clamped and pulled by the clamping portion 5. It should be understood that the elastic buckle or spring is only a specific embodiment that can elastically connect the clamping portion 5 and the rotating arm 3. Those skilled in the art can use other connection methods with a certain restoring force to connect the clamping portion 5 and the rotating arm 3 based on the design principles of the present application, such as a telescopic rod, which will not be described in detail here.

[0070] In addition, those skilled in the art should be able to understand that, according to actual usage, as an embodiment of the present application, the control component 2 shell drives the fluid only into the expansion member 4 between the rotating arm 3 and the clamping portion 5, and the clamping portion 5 can directly contact and clamp the pulled part, thereby avoiding the expansion member 4 from being in direct force contact with the pulled part, which affects the service life of the expansion member 4, and the expansion member 4 can change the distance between the clamping portion 5 and the surface to be clamped according to the filling amount of the fluid, and adjust the inclination angle of the clamping portion 5 relative to the surface to be clamped so that it is close to the surface to be clamped, which can increase the force contact area between the clamping portion 5 and the pulled part, thereby improving the stability of the clamping and traction process.

[0071] Furthermore, in order to improve the stability of the clamping process, as an example, the clamping portion 5 can be set to an arc structure or a plurality of flat plate structures densely arranged in an array, which can better cooperate with the expansion member 4 and increase the force contact area between the clamping portion 5 and the pulled member.

[0072] According to one embodiment of the present application, the clamping portion 5 is disposed on the surface of the expansion member 4 facing the towed member. It should be understood that the expansion member 4 is disposed between the rotating arm 3 and the clamping portion 5, i.e., the three form a "sandwich" structure, with the clamping portion 5 serving as a direct force-bearing contact surface with the towed member. This avoids the problem of insufficient rigidity of the expansion member 4 at the fluid-driven force-bearing contact surface, which could result in insufficient towing of a heavier towed member. This ensures that the towing robot can provide a sufficiently large traction force, thereby increasing the service life of the expansion member 4 during repeated use.

[0073] Furthermore, in order to increase the clamping force between the clamping portion 5 and the towed member, the clamping portion 5 can be set to a continuous wave plate structure according to the situation. When towing a cart, the column of the cart can be clamped in the wave structure of the clamping portion 5, and the problem of the column falling off during the towing process can be avoided.

[0074] Those skilled in the art should be able to understand that the structure of the clamping portion 5 can be adjusted according to actual usage or the structure of the towed part. The present application can elastically and movably connect the clamping portion 5 to the rotating arm 3, so that the user can easily replace the clamping portion 5 with different shapes and structures during use to adapt to the traction of different towed parts, further expand the accessibility of use, and reduce the user's usage cost.

[0075] See also Figure 3 It is a structural schematic diagram of a rotating arm 3 in a traction robot shown according to an exemplary embodiment. According to one embodiment of the present application, the first rotating arm 301 and / or the second rotating arm 302 is provided with a plurality of expansion members 4, and the plurality of expansion members 4 are distributed in an array, and the plurality of expansion members 4 on a single rotating arm 3 are interconnected, or the plurality of expansion members 4 are interconnected as a group.

[0076] In this embodiment, the expansion member 4 includes multiple members and is distributed on the first rotating arm 301 and / or the second rotating arm 302. The expansion members 4 can be individually arranged on the first rotating arm 301 or the second rotating arm 302, or respectively arranged on the first rotating arm 301 and the second rotating arm 302. Under the control of the control component 2, those skilled in the art can control some or all of the expansion members 4 located on the first rotating arm 301 or the second rotating arm 302 to clamp the towed member for towing according to the traction requirements. Since the expansion members 4 are dispersed, the control component 2 can be used to drive the fluid into the expansion members 4 at different positions in a targeted manner to increase the traction force at the corresponding position of the towed member, thereby further improving the convenience and versatility of use. Similarly, those skilled in the art can also distribute the expansion members 4 array on the surface of the clamping portion 5 to achieve the same technical effect. Those skilled in the art can make detailed adjustments according to actual usage. This embodiment does not limit the specific form.

[0077] According to one embodiment of the present application, the control component 2 includes a control box 201, and a transmission control air circuit (not shown in the figure) is arranged between the control box 201 and the expansion member 4. The control air circuit controls the connection of multiple expansion members 4 respectively, or the control air circuit controls a group of expansion members 4 that are connected to each other.

[0078] As an example, the control air circuit can be set as an air pipe connecting the expansion member 4 and the control box 201. In order to better fix the air pipe, a groove for accommodating the fixed air pipe can be set at the corresponding position of the rotating arm 3 and / or the clamping part 5 corresponding to the position of the expansion member 4. The control box 201 can be set as a pneumatic control box 201, and in order to improve the control accuracy, preferably, a corresponding control valve can be set in the control air circuit, and the control valve can be used to regulate the corresponding force contact pressure between the expansion member 4 and the towed part, thereby accurately adjusting the traction force of the traction robot when towing different towed parts, so as to facilitate application in more application places.

[0079] According to one embodiment of the present application, the control assembly 2 further includes a sensor 202 , which is disposed on the clamping portion 5 and / or the rotating arm 3 facing the towed member, and the sensor 202 is electrically connected to the control box 201 .

[0080] As an example, the sensor 202 can be set as an infrared distance sensor 202, and the sensor 202 can be set on the side of the clamping part 5 and / or the rotating arm 3 close to the expansion part 4. When the traction robot is used to tow the towed part, the positional relationship between the expansion part 4 or the clamping part 5 and the towed part can be obtained. The sensor 202 collects the obtained signal to the control box 201, and the control box 201 drives the fluid to expand or contract the expansion part 4 at the corresponding position according to the signal prompt, and can effectively control the expansion amount of the expansion part 4 to clamp or release the towed part, and can more accurately control the expansion part 4, effectively improve the reasonable utilization rate of resources and avoid waste of resources.

[0081] Those skilled in the art should be able to understand that the infrared distance sensor 202 is only an example of the type of sensor 202 that can be implemented in the present application. A pressure sensor 202 or a speed sensor 202 can also be selected and arranged in the expansion member 4 or the clamping portion 5. The contact pressure or traction speed with the towed member can be monitored, and the stability and accuracy of the traction process can also be increased. Those skilled in the art can also select other types of sensors 202 for simple replacement according to actual usage.

[0082] According to one embodiment of the present application, the rotating arm 3 and / or the clamping portion 5 is provided with a plurality of the sensors 202 , and the plurality of the sensors 202 are distributed on the rotating arm 3 and / or the clamping portion 5 at angles to each other.

[0083] Furthermore, as an example, at least two sensors 202 may be provided, and the two sensors 202 may be perpendicular to each other and respectively provided at the ends of the rotating arm 3 and / or the clamping portion 5, or correspondingly provided in the interval area between the expansion members 4. The sensors 202 may both be infrared distance sensors 202. When towing the towed member, the distance between the expansion member 4 and the towed member may be analyzed and determined from multiple angles, thereby improving the control accuracy of the control component 2. Preferably, those skilled in the art may also provide a corresponding control chip in the control box 201, provide a corresponding control program, and pre-set the distance value range of each corresponding sensor 202. Different control programs may be activated when towing different towed members. When the distance meets the predetermined value, the control component 2 may drive the fluid to expand or contract the expansion member 4 at the corresponding position, thereby further improving the control accuracy and intelligence of the towing robot.

[0084] It should be understood that the types of the multiple sensors 202 in this application can be the same or different types of sensors 202 are respectively arranged at different positions of the rotating arm 3 and / or the clamping part 5, and the angles between the multiple sensors 202 can also be adjusted according to actual conditions. They can be set parallel to each other, or distributed in a grid according to the position of the expansion piece, or more data information can be collected from multiple angles and directions to improve the control progress. This embodiment does not limit the specific form of the type and position of the sensor 202.

[0085] According to one embodiment of the present application, the plurality of sensors 202 are arranged as a first group of sensors and a second group of sensors, the first group of sensors includes a plurality of sensors arranged extending along a first direction, the second group of sensors includes a plurality of sensors arranged extending along a second direction, and the first direction and the second direction are perpendicular to each other.

[0086] As an example, a plurality of the sensors 202 may be arranged linearly extending along the first direction and the second direction on the surface of the rotating arm or the clamping portion, and the first direction and the second direction are perpendicular to each other. It should be understood that the first group of sensors and the second group of sensors may determine the distance information from the towed part from the first direction and the second direction, and perform data acquisition and scanning on the shape information of the towed part, and facilitate the control of different expansion parts for expansion and clamping of different towed parts, thereby improving the control accuracy of the expansion parts and expanding the scope of application of the traction robot.

[0087] Those skilled in the art should be able to understand that, according to actual usage requirements, in order to improve the control accuracy of the expansion member, as an example, multiple groups of the first group of sensors distributed along the second direction can be set, and similarly, multiple groups of the second group of sensors distributed along the first direction can be set to form a grid distribution around the expansion member to determine the distance information between each expansion member and the towed member, thereby further improving the control accuracy of the expansion member.

[0088] According to one embodiment of the present application, reference Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown, the first group of sensors is arranged at the outer end of the rotating arm, and the second group of sensors extends linearly from the outer end to the inner end of the rotating arm.

[0089] It should be understood that when the rotating arm is activated to rotate and pull the towed member, the first set of sensors at the outer end of the rotating arm can immediately detect the position or shape information of the towed member and make a preliminary judgment on the type of the towed member. The second set of sensors can provide real-time feedback on the positional relationship between the rotating arm and the towed member during the movement of the towing robot, and further judge the type and structure of the towed member. This improves the control of the expansion or contraction of the expansion member, thereby enhancing the grip stability of the towing robot and effectively improving detection efficiency and control accuracy.

[0090] According to one embodiment of the present application, multiple expansion members are distributed on both sides of the linearly extending second sensor group. It should be understood that this second sensor group can accurately sense the state information between the expansion members and the towed member on both sides, thereby controlling the contraction of the expansion members at corresponding positions. Furthermore, as an example, the second sensor group can be configured as a plurality of cross-distributed pressure sensors and distance sensors, which can simultaneously detect the clamping pressure between the towed member and the clamping portion or each expansion member, thereby improving the clamping stability of the towing robot.

[0091] According to one embodiment of the present application, the plurality of expansion members on the rotating arm are all arranged on the inner side of the first group of sensors. It should be understood that by arranging the expansion member on the inner side of the first group of sensors, the state information such as the shape, structure or distance of the towed member detected by the first group of sensors can be fed back to the control box, and the control box can be facilitated to control the expansion member, further improving the control accuracy and facilitating clamping and traction according to different shapes and structures of the towed member. Of course, in order to improve the control accuracy, those skilled in the art can also arrange the first group of sensors around the expansion member to collect more structural information of the towed member, thereby providing control progress.

[0092] According to one embodiment of the present application, the control assembly 2 further includes a signal acquisition device 203, which is electrically connected to the control box 201. The signal acquisition device 203 can be mounted on the main body 1 and used to coordinate the entire traction robot's motion map, facilitating the definition of traction paths during the traction process, further enhancing ease of use and versatility. For example, the signal acquisition device 203 can be configured as a lidar signal collector.

[0093] According to one embodiment of the present application, the expansion member 4 is a flexible bladder. It should be clear that the flexible bladder expansion member 4 can meet the demand for traction. After the flexible bladder is filled with fluid by the control component 2, the expansion has a certain fluidity, which can make the expansion member 4 close to the surface of the towed part, increase the force contact area between the towed part and the towed part, and can be used to tow towed parts with different structures, such as cylindrical, toothed or flat structures, further improving the versatility of use and reducing the user's cost of use. Preferably, in order to increase the traction and stability between the expansion member 4 and the towed part, a plurality of rubber bumps can be provided on the side of the expansion member 4 facing the towed part. The specific material of the flexible bladder is not limited in this application. Those skilled in the art can choose the existing disclosed flexible material that meets the traction demand according to the situation. The present application does not limit its specific form.

[0094] According to one embodiment of the present application, see Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a rotating mechanism in a traction robot according to an exemplary embodiment, which also includes a rotating mechanism. The rotating mechanism can be fixedly assembled on the main body 1 and rotatably connected to one end of the first rotating arm 301 and the second rotating arm 302 via an output shaft 601. As an example, the rotating mechanism can be configured as a motor, which can be fixed to the main body 1 via a fixing seat 603, and the motor is connected to a dual-axis reducer 604. One end of the first rotating arm 301 and one end of the second rotating arm 302 are respectively connected to the two ends of the output shaft 601 of the dual-axis reducer 604. The motor is electrically connected to the control component 2 and is connected to the corresponding sensor 202. The clamping angle and clamping position between the motor and the traction member can be adjusted, and the rotating arm 3 can be conveniently stored in the main body 1, thereby reducing the volume of the overall traction robot.

[0095] See also Figure 4 This is another schematic diagram of the overall structure of a traction robot according to an exemplary embodiment. As an example, an upper cover 8 can also be provided on the main body 1 so that the upper cover 8 can be snapped onto the main body 1, and a limiting groove for accommodating the rotating arm 3 is reserved on the upper cover 8. When the traction robot is not in use, the rotating arm 3 can be stored in the limiting groove through the rotating mechanism.

[0096] According to one embodiment of the present application, the first rotating arm 301 and the second rotating arm 302 are slidably fixed to the output shaft 601 via a fixed shaft seat 602. As an example, corresponding slide rails are provided on the main body 1 at positions corresponding to the fixed shaft seat 602. By sliding the fixed shaft seat 602 on the slide rails, the distance between the first rotating arm 301 and the second rotating arm 302 and the towed member can be changed, making it easier for users to adjust the distance based on the width of the towed member, thereby improving ease of use and versatility.

[0097] According to one embodiment of the present application, a drive wheel assembly 7 is further included. The drive wheel assembly 7 is fixedly supported at the bottom of the main body 1, and the control assembly 2 can control the drive wheel assembly 7 to move the main body 1. As an example, the drive wheel assembly 7 may include multiple drive wheels and follower wheels, and include a motor for driving the drive wheels to rotate. Preferably, the motor can be electrically connected to the signal acquisition device 203 or the sensor 202 to further improve the accuracy and positioning precision of the traction robot. Those skilled in the art can make detailed adjustments based on actual conditions, and this application does not limit the specific form of the drive wheel assembly 7.

[0098] According to another aspect of the present application, a transport system is provided, comprising the aforementioned traction robot. Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a traction state structure of a traction robot and a cart according to an exemplary embodiment is shown. Figure 6 It is an enlarged view of the traction state at A of a traction robot and a cart towing according to an exemplary embodiment. According to one embodiment of the present application, as an example, when the towed object is a cart, the traction robot rotates the first rotating arm 301 and the second rotating arm 302 to a horizontal position in the rotating mechanism, and adjusts the relative positions of the first rotating arm 301 and the second rotating arm 302 and the column on one side of the cart. The relative position of the column is collected by the sensor 202, and then the control box 201 can drive the fluid into the corresponding expansion member 4 to expand it, and clamp the column between the expansion members 4. It should be understood that it is necessary to ensure that the expansion width of the expansion member 4 facing the column can at least clamp the position of the column radius, so as to further improve the stability of the traction process.

[0099] See also Figure 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a traction state of a traction robot and a wheeled device according to an exemplary embodiment. Figure 8 A schematic diagram of a traction robot and a wheeled device in another traction state according to an exemplary embodiment is shown. Figure 9FIG2 is an enlarged view of the traction state at point B of a traction robot and a wheeled device, according to an exemplary embodiment. According to one embodiment of the present application, as an example, when the towed device is a wheeled device, a distance signal can be collected by the sensor 202, and the rotating arm 3 and the expansion member 4 at the corresponding position can be made to pass through the center line of the wheeled device. The traction robot adjusts the distance between the first rotating arm 301 and the second rotating arm 302 so that the expansion member 4 is in direct force contact with the wheeled device. Since the surface of the wheeled device is an arc-shaped structure, the amount of fluid charged in the expansion member 4 can be adjusted by the control component 2 so that it is in close contact with the outer wall of the wheeled device to be clamped, thereby increasing the force contact area and thereby improving the stability of the traction process.

[0100] According to another aspect of the present application, a traction robot control method is provided, comprising the following steps:

[0101] Get docking instructions;

[0102] Drive the traction robot into the travel position;

[0103] When the towed part enters the docking range, the clamping signal is triggered;

[0104] According to the clamping signal, a fluid is driven to input an expansion member 4 on a clamping portion 5 for clamping the pulled member, so as to control the expansion of the expansion member 4, thereby driving the clamping portion 5 to clamp the pulled member;

[0105] A release instruction is obtained, and the fluid is driven to be output from the expansion member 4 to control the expansion member 4 to contract, thereby driving the clamping portion 5 to release the pulled member.

[0106] It should be understood that the docking instruction may be obtained by manually operating the traction robot to dock, or by controlling the traction robot to drive the traction robot to the travel position after receiving the docking instruction through a sensor or a processor.

[0107] The travel position can be pre-set in advance according to different usage conditions and the types of most towed parts, with different travel position path control programs, and finally the towing robot can be driven to the predetermined travel position.

[0108] Preferably, the pulling robot is provided with a corresponding detection device and a corresponding detection software program system, and when it is detected that the pulled object enters the docking range, a clamping signal is sent to the processor or control box.

[0109] Then, according to the clamping signal, the fluid is driven to input the expansion piece 4 on the clamping part 5 for clamping the pulled part to control the expansion of the expansion piece 4, thereby driving the clamping part 5 to clamp the pulled part. Of course, according to the usage situation, the detection process can also be judged manually to control the fluid to flow into the expansion piece 4 corresponding to the clamping part 5.

[0110] After the traction robot completes traction and places the traction object at a predetermined position, the detection device and the corresponding detection software issue a release instruction indicating that the traction robot has reached the predetermined position, thereby driving the traction robot to release the traction object.

[0111] As an example, according to a release instruction, the fluid may be driven to output the expansion member 4 , thereby controlling the expansion member 4 to contract, thereby driving the clamping portion 5 to release the pulled member.

[0112] According to an embodiment of the present application, before or after the driving traction robot enters the travel position, there is also a step of driving the clamping part 5 to move relative to the traction robot to a docking position of the clamping part 5 .

[0113] As an example, before or after driving the traction robot into the travel position, the clamping part 5 can be driven to move to a docking position for convenient clamping for different types of traction parts. Preferably, the clamping part 5 can be driven to rotate or driven to move radially to align the clamping part 5 with the docking position of the traction part, thereby improving the clamping and control accuracy and facilitating the clamping of the traction part.

[0114] According to an embodiment of the present application, the step of detecting that the towed member enters the docking range and triggering a clamping signal includes:

[0115] Acquire status signals of the towed parts within the docking range; these status signals can be set to information about the towed parts' shape or distance from the tow robot. Status signals of different towed parts can be pre-stored and recorded, allowing comparison and judgment when acquiring the towed parts' status signals. This allows the tow robot to intelligently adopt different gripping methods when towing and clamping different towed parts, thereby improving the robot's range of use and the reliability of its towing performance.

[0116] The type of the towed part is determined based on the acquired status signal; based on the comparison of the status signal with the status signals of different towed parts stored in advance, those skilled in the art can preset a certain threshold value for the acquisition data of the status signal according to actual conditions. When the detected status signal of the towed part is within a preset data threshold value of the status signal of a certain type of towed part, it can be determined that the type of the detected towed part is the preset towed part, and the towing and clamping processing is performed according to the preset type of towed part. This can reduce the storage of information of the status signals of the towed part types that are artificially preset too much, and increase the convenience and versatility of use.

[0117] According to the type of the towed part, the corresponding docking position threshold is determined; after the type of the towed part is determined, the pre-stored docking position threshold of the towed part type can be extracted. As an example, the docking position threshold can be set to position state information that can be stably clamped according to different towed parts. For example, when the docking position of the towed part is a circular column, the clamping part 5 can be driven to move the column to the middle area of the clamping part 5, or the clamping part 5 can be moved outside the center line of the column to determine the docking position threshold. Those skilled in the art can set different docking position thresholds according to the actual type of the towed part, so that when the clamping part 5 moves to within the docking position threshold range, the towed part can have a stable clamping state.

[0118] Whether the clamping portion 5 has entered the docking position is determined based on the docking position threshold. It should be understood that when determining the corresponding docking position threshold, the docking position can be further refined to achieve a more stable clamping state. Those skilled in the art can continue to detect the state signal of the towed part within the docking position threshold and compare it with the preset docking position threshold. They can also set the optimal docking position within the docking position threshold and drive the clamping portion 5 to move toward the docking position so as to clamp the towed part at the docking position. This improves the stability of the clamping and avoids the problem of the towed part falling off from the clamping portion 5 during the clamping process, thereby improving the reliability of the towing robot.

[0119] According to an embodiment of the present application, the step of detecting that the towed member enters the docking range and triggering a clamping signal further includes:

[0120] Acquiring a proximity signal of the towed component;

[0121] Initiate detection of a position signal of the towed member according to the approach signal;

[0122] The in-position signal of the pulled member is determined according to whether the acquired relative distance between the clamping portion 5 and the pulled member reaches a preset threshold.

[0123] According to an embodiment of the present application, the step of detecting that the towed member enters the docking range and triggering a clamping signal further includes:

[0124] According to whether the relative distance between the clamping portion 5 and the towed member is within a preset threshold, it should be understood that those skilled in the art can determine the relative distance between the clamping portion 5 and the towed member through a detection device and a processor, and compare it with the preset threshold. It should be understood that the preset threshold can be set according to different types of towed members.

[0125] If the preset threshold is not reached, a continue moving docking instruction is issued to control the driven traction robot to continue moving to the preset threshold range; when it is judged that the traction robot has not reached the preset threshold position, that is, stable clamping cannot be achieved between the traction robot and the towed part, in order to avoid the problem of the towed part falling off during the traction process, the detection device needs to issue a docking instruction and control the driven traction robot to continue moving within the preset threshold range, so that the traction robot enters the preset threshold, thereby improving the accuracy of the clamping position of the traction robot.

[0126] If the preset threshold is reached, the clamping signal is triggered.

[0127] According to one embodiment of the present application, the step of driving the fluid input into the expansion member 4 according to the clamping signal to control the expansion of the expansion member 4 and thereby driving the clamping portion 5 to clamp the pulled member comprises:

[0128] Determine whether the clamping force between the expansion member 4 and the clamping surface of the towed member meets the towing requirements;

[0129] If the traction requirement is not met, the force-bearing surface between the expansion member 4 and the clamping surface of the towed member is increased, and a command is issued to drive the fluid into the expansion member 4 at the corresponding force-bearing surface;

[0130] If the pulling requirements are met, keep clamped.

[0131] In addition, regarding the hardware and application parts, it is easy for those skilled in the art to think of and implement them according to the design principles and technical solutions of the present application, so they will not be described in detail here. It should be noted that, in this article, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply that there is any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "include", "comprise" or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that the process, method, article or equipment including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements that are not explicitly listed, or also include elements inherent to such process, method, article or equipment. In the absence of further restrictions, the elements defined by the sentence "including one..." do not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or equipment including the elements.

[0132] The foregoing description is intended only to provide specific embodiments of the present invention, which will enable those skilled in the art to understand and implement the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is intended to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features claimed herein.

Claims

1. A traction robot, comprising a main body (1), characterized in that: It also includes a control assembly (2) and a rotating arm (3), wherein the rotating arm (3) is rotatably mounted on the main body (1); The rotating arm (3) comprises a first rotating arm (301) and a second rotating arm (302); The first rotating arm (301) and the second rotating arm (302) are both provided with a clamping portion (5) for clamping the towed member on the side facing the towed member, and an expansion member (4) is provided between the clamping portion (5) and the rotating arm (3); The control component (2) drives the fluid to be input into or discharged from the expansion member (4) to control the expansion or retraction of the expansion member (4), thereby controlling the clamping portion (5) to clamp or release the pulled member; When the towed member is a cart, the control component (2) drives the fluid into the expansion member (4) to expand it, thereby clamping the upright column of the cart between the expansion members (4); When the towed part is a wheeled device, the control component (2) adjusts the amount of fluid charged into the expansion member (4) so that the expansion member (4) is in close contact with the outer wall of the wheeled device to be clamped; The rotating arm (3) and / or the clamping portion (5) are provided with a plurality of sensors (202), and the plurality of sensors (202) are distributed at angles to each other on the rotating arm (3) and / or the clamping portion (5), and the plurality of sensors (202) are provided as a first group of sensors and a second group of sensors, the first group of sensors including a plurality of sensors extending along a first direction, and the second group of sensors including a plurality of sensors extending along a second direction, the first direction and the second direction being perpendicular to each other, the first group of sensors being provided at the outer end of the rotating arm (3), and the second group of sensors extending from the outer end to the inner end of the rotating arm (3), a plurality of the expansion members (4) being distributed on both sides of the linearly extended second group of sensors, and the plurality of the expansion members (4) on the rotating arm (3) being provided on the inner side of the first group of sensors.

2. A traction robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The clamping portion (5) is provided on a surface of the expansion member (4) facing the pulled member.

3. The traction robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first rotating arm (301) and / or the second rotating arm (302) is provided with a plurality of the expansion members (4), the plurality of the expansion members (4) are distributed in an array, the plurality of the expansion members (4) on a single rotating arm (3) are interconnected, or the plurality of the expansion members (4) are interconnected as a group.

4. A traction robot according to claim 3, characterized in that: The control assembly (2) includes a control box (201), and a control air path for transmission is provided between the control box (201) and the expansion member (4). The control air path controls the connection of a plurality of the expansion members (4) respectively, or the control air path controls the connection of a group of the expansion members (4) that are connected to each other.

5. A traction robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: The control assembly (2) further comprises a sensor (202), the sensor (202) being arranged on the side of the clamping portion (5) and / or the rotating arm (3) facing the towed member, and the sensor (202) being electrically connected to the control box (201).

6. The traction robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: The control component (2) further comprises a signal acquisition device (203), and the signal acquisition device (203) is electrically connected to the control box (201).

7. A traction robot according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The expansion piece (4) is a flexible bag.

8. The traction robot according to claim 7, characterized in that: It also includes a rotating mechanism (6), which is fixedly assembled on the main body (1), and the rotating mechanism (6) is rotatably connected to one end of the first rotating arm (301) and the second rotating arm (302) via an output shaft (601).

9. The traction robot according to claim 8, characterized in that: The first rotating arm (301) and the second rotating arm (302) are slidably fixed to the output shaft (601) via a fixed shaft seat (602).

10. A traction robot according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that: It also includes a driving wheel assembly (7), wherein the driving wheel assembly (7) is fixedly supported on the bottom of the main body (1), and the control assembly (2) can control the driving wheel assembly (7) to move the main body (1).

11. A transport system, characterized in that: Including the traction robot according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. A traction robot control method, used for the traction robot according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that: The steps include: Get docking instructions; Drive the traction robot into the travel position; When the towed part enters the docking range, the clamping signal is triggered; According to the clamping signal, a fluid is driven to input an expansion member (4) on a clamping portion (5) for clamping the pulled member, so as to control the expansion of the expansion member (4), thereby driving the clamping portion (5) to clamp the pulled member; A release instruction is obtained, and the fluid is driven to output the expansion member (4) to control the expansion member (4) to contract, thereby driving the clamping portion (5) to release the pulled member.

13. A traction robot control method according to claim 12, characterized in that: Before or after the driving traction robot enters the travel position, there is also a step of driving the clamping portion (5) to move relative to the traction robot to a docking position of the clamping portion (5).

14. A traction robot control method according to claim 12, characterized in that: The detecting that the towed member enters the docking range and triggers a clamping signal includes: Obtaining the status signal of the towed part within the docking range; determining the type of the towed component according to the acquired status signal; Determining a corresponding docking position threshold according to the type of the towed component; Whether the clamping portion (5) has entered the docking position is determined according to a docking position threshold.

15. The traction robot control method according to claim 12, characterized in that: The method further comprises: detecting that the towed member enters the docking range, triggering a clamping signal; Acquiring a proximity signal of the towed component; Initiate detection of a position signal of the towed member according to the approach signal; A positioning signal of the pulled member is determined based on whether the acquired relative distance between the clamping portion (5) and the pulled member enters a preset threshold.

16. A traction robot control method according to claim 12, characterized in that: The method further comprises: detecting that the towed member enters the docking range, triggering a clamping signal; According to whether the relative distance between the clamping portion (5) and the pulled member obtained enters a preset threshold, If the preset threshold is not reached, a continue moving and docking instruction is issued to control the driving traction robot to continue moving toward the preset threshold range; If the preset threshold is reached, the clamping signal is triggered.

17. A traction robot control method according to any one of claims 12 to 16, characterized in that: The method of driving the fluid input into the expansion member according to the clamping signal to control the expansion of the expansion member (4) and thereby driving the clamping portion (5) to clamp the pulled member comprises: Determining whether the clamping force between the expansion member (4) and the clamping surface of the towed member meets the towing requirements; If the traction requirement is not met, the force-bearing surface between the expansion member (4) and the clamping surface of the towed member is increased, and a command is issued to drive the fluid to be input into the expansion member (4) at the corresponding force-bearing surface; If the pulling requirements are met, keep clamped.

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