A shape-adaptive and flexible handling robot and material management application system

Abstract

The present invention relates to a shape-adaptive and flexible handling robot, comprising a plurality of frames, retractable support beams which are sequentially connected to the frames and form a rectangular structure, a walking mechanism which drives the frames to move synchronously, and a bearing mechanism which is mounted on the frames and can be lifted and lowered; the present invention also relates to a material management application system, comprising a robot task scheduling and monitoring system, a material management system and a production task management system; the present invention provides a shape-adaptive and flexible handling robot, which realizes the automated handling operation of materials, overcomes the problems of the existing manual method of large labor workload, time-consuming and labor-intensive manual search and handling of materials and low efficiency; can adaptively adjust the telescopic length of the retractable support beam according to the size of the bracket used in conjunction, thereby enhancing the stability of transportation; has an automatic identification function, can realize automated guided control in searching for materials, and can automatically adjust according to different material positions through precise identification and control.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of handling equipment for the logistics and transportation industry, and in particular to a handling robot with an adaptive and flexible appearance and a material management application system. Background Art

[0002] Industries such as aerospace and logistics all require the handling of materials. With the development of science and technology, handling robots, a high-tech in the field of automatic control, have emerged. They involve disciplines such as mechanics, mechanics, electrical technology, automatic control technology, sensor technology, single-chip microcomputer technology, and computer technology. They have become an important part of the modern mechanical manufacturing production system.

[0003] The emergence of handling robots has directly reduced the demand for manpower in production, and the robots are more stable and can work continuously. For production lines with a high level of comprehensive automation, handling robots are currently used to assist in production; however, given that the materials required in production are of different sizes, and handling robots can generally only handle materials of similar sizes, there is a safety hazard of unstable center of gravity when small handling brackets handle larger materials. As a result, the handling robots in the prior art have relatively poor adaptability due to the limitations of their structural design. Therefore, the present invention has developed a flexible and adaptive handling robot and a material management application system to solve the problems existing in the prior art. After searching, no technical solutions identical or similar to the present invention were found. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a flexible and adaptive handling robot and a material management application system to solve the problem of poor adaptability caused by the single structural design of the handling robot in the existing technology and the fact that the same device can only handle materials of similar size, and to overcome the defects of the manual method such as high labor workload, low work efficiency and safety hazards to the handling personnel.

[0005] The technical solution of the present invention is: a transport robot with adaptive and flexible appearance, including several frames, retractable support beams that connect the frames in sequence to form a rectangular structure, a walking mechanism that drives the frames to move synchronously, and a carrying mechanism installed on the frames and capable of lifting and lowering; the carrying mechanism includes a carrying tray and a driving component that drives the carrying tray to rise and fall in the vertical direction, and the driving component can drive the upper end surface of the carrying tray to rise to a height higher than the height of the upper end surface of the frame.

[0006] Preferably, the walking mechanism uses Mecanum wheels, and the retractable support beam includes a first connecting beam and an electric cylinder for driving the first connecting beam to retract.

[0007] Preferably, the frame includes a first lower frame and a first upper frame, the Mecanum wheel is mounted on the side of the first lower frame and is driven by a servo motor; the electric cylinder is fixed in the first lower frame, fixedly connected to one end of the first connecting beam and drives its extension and retraction; the end of the first connecting beam away from the electric cylinder is fixed in the first lower frame of the adjacent frame; the drive assembly is mounted in the first upper frame, and the carrying tray is connected to the drive assembly and passes through the upper end surface of the first upper frame.

[0008] Preferably, the walking mechanism is a steering wheel, and the retractable support beam includes a coaxially arranged second connecting beam and an optical axis, and the optical axis is connected to the second connecting beam in a plug-in and movably fitting manner.

[0009] Preferably, the frame includes a second lower frame and a second upper frame, the steering wheel is installed in the second lower frame; the end of the second connecting beam away from the optical axis is fixed in the second lower frame, and the end of the optical axis away from the second connecting beam is fixed in the second lower frame of the adjacent frame; the drive assembly is installed in the second upper frame, and the carrying tray is connected to the drive assembly and passes through the upper end surface of the second upper frame.

[0010] Preferably, the driving assembly is a lifting screw mechanism, which is connected to the carrying tray and driven by a separate reduction motor.

[0011] Preferably, an on-board control system is also provided in the vehicle frame, and the on-board control system includes a master control system, a navigation system, a posture recognition system and a communication system which are connected to the master control system in sequence; the navigation system can select one of a laser navigation system, an electromagnetic guidance system, an inertial navigation system or a visual navigation system; the posture recognition system adopts a QR code recognition system; the communication system is used for remote information interaction and remote control.

[0012] Based on the above-mentioned shape-adaptive flexible handling robot, the present invention also provides a material management application system, which includes:

[0013] The robot task scheduling and monitoring system uses wireless communication to connect to the communication system in the handling robot and perform task control on the handling robot;

[0014] A material management system is used to manage and control the material storage location. The material management system is connected to the robot task scheduling and monitoring system by electronic communication, and the material storage location is transmitted to the robot task scheduling and monitoring system;

[0015] The production task management system is used to manage and control production task demand information. The production task management system and the robot task scheduling and monitoring system are connected by electrical communication and transmit the production task demand information to the robot task scheduling and monitoring system.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of the present invention are:

[0017] (1) The present invention provides a transport robot with an adaptive and flexible appearance, which realizes the automated transport operation of materials, overcomes the problems of large labor workload, time-consuming and labor-intensive manual search and transport of materials and low efficiency in the existing manual method; during the working process, the telescopic length of the telescopic support beam can be adaptively adjusted according to the size of the bracket used, thereby enhancing the stability of transportation; the overall structure has an automatic recognition function, which can realize automatic guidance and control to search for materials, and can automatically adjust according to different material positions through precise recognition and control.

[0018] (2) The present invention also relates to a material management application system applied to a shape-adaptive flexible handling robot, which has a high degree of automation. Through the information docking of the material management system and the production task management system, it realizes fully automatic material handling work under the operation of the robot task scheduling and monitoring system. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments:

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic structural diagram of a shape-adaptive and flexible handling robot according to Example 1 of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of an adaptive and flexible transport robot according to Example 1 of the present invention (part of the structure is removed);

[0022] Figure 3 A front view of the internal structure of a shape-adaptive and flexible handling robot according to embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 4 This is a front view of the shape-adaptive and flexible handling robot as described in Example 1 of the present invention, when it is working and just enters under the bracket;

[0024] Figure 5 This is a main view of the shape-adaptive and flexible transport robot described in Example 1 of the present invention, when it enters under a bracket and lifts the bracket upwards during operation.

[0025] Figure 6 This is a schematic structural diagram of a shape-adaptive and flexible handling robot according to Example 2 of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of an adaptive and flexible transport robot according to Example 2 of the present invention (part of the frame structure is removed);

[0027] Figure 8 This is a schematic structural diagram of the telescopic support beam during telescopic adjustment according to Example 2 of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 9 This is a structural diagram of a material management application system according to the present invention;

[0029] Figure 10 The figure is a schematic diagram of the transport process and homing process of the shape-adaptive and flexible transport robot described in the present invention.

[0030] Among them: 1. Frame;

[0031] 11. First lower frame, 12. First upper frame, 13. Second lower frame, 14. Second upper frame;

[0032] 2. Retractable support beam;

[0033] 21. First connecting beam, 22. Electric cylinder, 23. Second connecting beam, 24. Optical axis;

[0034] 3. Traveling mechanism;

[0035] 31. Mecanum wheel, 301. Servo motor;

[0036] 32. Steering wheel;

[0037] 4. Carrying mechanism;

[0038] 41. Carrying tray, 42. Driving assembly. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] The present invention will be described in further detail below with reference to specific embodiments:

[0040] Example 1

[0041] like Figure 1 、 Figure 2 As shown, a transport robot with adaptive and flexible appearance includes several frames 1, retractable support beams 2 that connect the frames 1 in sequence to form a rectangular structure, a walking mechanism 3 that drives the frames 1 to move synchronously, and a carrying mechanism 4 installed on the frames 1 and capable of being raised and lowered.

[0042] In this embodiment, a total of four frames 1 are selected and arranged at the four corners that can form a rectangular structure. The frame 1 includes a first lower frame 11 and a first upper frame 12; the walking mechanism 3 uses Mecanum wheels 31, which are installed on the side of the first lower frame 11 and are driven by a servo motor 301.

[0043] Combine Figure 2 、 Figure 3 As shown, the retractable support beam 2 includes a first connecting beam 21 and an electric cylinder 22 for driving the first connecting beam 21 to retract and retract; the electric cylinder 22 is fixed in the first lower frame 11, fixedly connected to one end of the first connecting beam 21 and drives it to retract and retract; the end of the first connecting beam 21 away from the electric cylinder 22 is fixed in the first lower frame 11 of the adjacent frame 1.

[0044] The carrying mechanism 4 includes a carrying tray 41 and a driving assembly 42 for driving the carrying tray 41 to rise and fall in the vertical direction. The driving assembly 42 is installed in the first upper frame 12. A lifting screw mechanism can be selected and driven by a separate reduction motor respectively; the carrying tray 41 is connected to the lifting screw mechanism and passes through the upper end surface of the first upper frame 12. The driving assembly 42 can drive the upper end surface of the carrying tray 41 to rise to a height higher than the height of the upper end surface of the first upper frame 12.

[0045] Regarding the control part, the frame 1 is also equipped with an on-board control system, which includes a master control system, a navigation system, a posture recognition system and a communication system connected to the master control system in sequence; the navigation system can choose one of the laser navigation system, electromagnetic guidance system, inertial navigation system or visual navigation system; the posture recognition system adopts a QR code recognition system; the communication system is used for remote information interaction and remote control; the master control system is also connected to the servo motor 301, the electric cylinder 22 and the reduction motor.

[0046] In this embodiment, the walking mechanism 3 is driven by a Mecanum wheel 31. The Mecanum wheel 31 as a driving wheel can achieve omnidirectional movement and is more flexible. The retractable support beam 2 and the carrying tray 41 need to be driven separately. The retractable support beam 2 is driven to retract and retract by the electric cylinder 22, and the carrying tray 41 is driven to rise and fall by the jacking screw mechanism.

[0047] The present invention needs to be used in conjunction with a bracket for placing the material to be transported, such as Figure 4 As shown in FIG, the upper portion of the bracket is used to place materials, and support feet are provided below, forming a space between the bracket and the ground for the transport robot to enter. At the same time, a QR code containing the size information of the bracket is also pasted below the bracket. When working, the transport robot first enters under the bracket in a retracted state, scans the QR code through the QR code recognition system, and sends the scan information to the main control system. Then, as shown in FIG. Figure 5As shown, the handling robot controls the electric cylinder 22 through the master control system to adjust the extension length of the first connecting beam 21, and then continues to control the driving component 42 to make the carrying tray 41 rise and lift the bracket upward, thereby driving the bracket and material to move and realize the handling action.

[0048] Example 2

[0049] The difference between this embodiment and embodiment 1 is that: Figure 6 、 Figure 7 As shown, the walking mechanism 3 uses a steering wheel. At this time, the telescopic support beam 2 uses a coaxially arranged second connecting beam 23 and an optical axis 24. The optical axis 24 is connected to the second connecting beam 23 by plugging and movably fitting.

[0050] More specifically, the frame 1 includes a second lower frame 13 and a second upper frame 14, and the steering wheel is installed in the second lower frame 13; the end of the second connecting beam 23 away from the optical axis 24 is fixed in the second lower frame 13, and the end of the optical axis 24 away from the second connecting beam 23 is fixed in the second lower frame 13 of the adjacent frame 1; the drive assembly 42 is installed in the second upper frame 14, and the carrying tray 41 is connected to the drive assembly 42 and passes through the upper end surface of the second upper frame 14.

[0051] In this embodiment, the walking mechanism 3 is driven by a steering wheel 32. The steering wheel 32 serves as a driving wheel and can achieve the extension and retraction of the retractable support beam 2 (the second connecting beam 23 and the optical axis 24) through friction with the ground, eliminating other driving structures. At the same time, the carrying tray 41 still needs to be driven up and down by the driving assembly 42; however, the handling robot driven by the steering wheel 32 must first park before turning, deflect the steering wheel 32 direction axis, and then turn; wherein, the principle of the relative extension and retraction of the second connecting beam 23 and the optical axis 24 by friction between the steering wheel 32 and the ground is as follows:

[0052] Combine Figure 8 As shown in the figure, taking a pair of parallel second connecting beams A as an example, the forward direction of the entire structure is shown by the dotted arrow in the figure. If the second connecting beam A is to be Figure 5 The stretching state changes to Figure 6 When the steering wheel 32 is in the retracted state, it rotates in the direction of the arrow from the illustrated position. At this time, the steering wheels 32 on both sides of the single second connecting beam A are in an "eight" shape along the forward direction. During the forward movement, the optical axis will continuously retract into the second connecting beam A, and vice versa, it will stretch, thereby realizing the extension and retraction of the retractable support beam 2.

[0053] Based on the above-mentioned shape-adaptive and flexible handling robot, the present invention also provides a material management application system, such as Figure 9 As shown, the material management application system includes:

[0054] The robot task scheduling and monitoring system uses wireless communication to connect to the communication system in the handling robot and perform task control on the handling robot.

[0055] The material management system is used to manage and control the material storage location. The material management system and the robot task scheduling and monitoring system are connected by electrical communication, and the material storage location is transmitted to the robot task scheduling and monitoring system.

[0056] The production task management system is used to manage and control production task demand information. The production task management system and the robot task scheduling and monitoring system are connected by electrical communication, and the production task demand information is transmitted to the robot task scheduling and monitoring system.

[0057] The handling robot works between the material storage area and the production line area. When the production line has production task demand information, the handling robot moves to the corresponding material storage area to complete the material handling (the material needs to be placed on the bracket at this time) and transports it to the target station in the production line area; when the material is emptied, the handling robot moves to the target station in the production line area to complete the handling of the empty bracket and moves to the designated position in the material storage area.

[0058] More specifically, combined Figure 10 As shown, the working principle of the present invention is as follows:

[0059] The present invention relates to an adaptive and flexible handling robot that performs fully automatic work under the control of a robot task scheduling and monitoring system; when material demand is generated in the production line area, the production task management system sends a material demand signal, and the handling robot executes the handling process. First, the handling robot goes to the material target position in the material storage area under the action of the navigation system, and then scans the QR code under the corresponding bracket of the material through the posture recognition system (that is, the QR code recognition system) to clarify the posture of the retractable support beam 2 and the carrying tray 41. The control of the master control system realizes the adjustment of the length of the retractable support beam 2 (to adapt to the size of the bracket for placing the material) and the lifting of the carrying tray 41, thereby lifting the bracket with the material placed thereon, and as the handling robot continues to move to the production line under the action of the navigation system, The target station of the production line is used to transport the materials; when the materials are emptied, the production task management system sends out the empty bracket return signal and material requirements in sequence, and the handling robot executes the empty bracket return process. The handling robot goes to the target station of the production line, and scans the QR code under the empty bracket through the posture recognition system to clarify the posture of the retractable support beam 2 and the carrying tray 41. The control of the master control system realizes the adjustment of the length of the retractable support beam 2 (to adapt to the size of the empty bracket) and the upward lifting of the carrying tray 41, thereby lifting the empty bracket upward, and as the handling robot continues to return to the designated area of ​​the material under the action of the navigation system; when there are no other tasks to be performed, the handling robot goes to the automatic charging station under the control of the robot task scheduling and monitoring system to complete the automatic charging work for subsequent work.

[0060] The above embodiments are only for illustrating the technical concept and features of the present invention, and their purpose is to enable people familiar with this technology to understand the content of the present invention and implement it accordingly, and they are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, it is obvious that the present invention is not limited to the details of the above exemplary embodiments, and the present invention can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or basic characteristics of the present invention. Therefore, no matter from which point of view, the embodiments should be regarded as exemplary and non-restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the above description, and it is intended that all changes that fall within the meaning and scope of the equivalent elements of the claims are included in the present invention.

Claims

1. A shape-adaptive and flexible handling robot, characterized by: The vehicle comprises a plurality of frames, a retractable support beam connected in sequence to form a rectangular structure, a traveling mechanism for driving the frames to move synchronously, and a lifting and lowering carrying mechanism mounted on the frames; the carrying mechanism comprises a carrying tray and a driving assembly for driving the carrying tray to rise and fall in a vertical direction, wherein the driving assembly is capable of driving the carrying tray to rise to a height higher than the upper end surface of the frame; The walking mechanism uses a steering wheel, and the retractable support beam includes a coaxially arranged second connecting beam and an optical axis, and the optical axis is connected to the second connecting beam by plugging and movably fitting; A total of four frames are selected and arranged at four corners that can form a rectangular structure; the frame includes a second lower frame body and a second upper frame body, and the steering wheel is installed in the second lower frame body; the end of the second connecting crossbeam away from the optical axis is fixed in the second lower frame body, and the end of the optical axis away from the second connecting crossbeam is fixed in the second lower frame body of the adjacent frame; before turning, the vehicle is parked first, and the steering wheels on both sides of the single second connecting crossbeam form an "eight" shape along the forward direction. During the forward movement, the optical axis contracts in the second connecting crossbeam, and vice versa, it stretches, thereby realizing the extension and retraction of the retractable support beam; The driving assembly is installed in the second upper frame body, and the carrying tray is connected to the driving assembly and passes through the upper end surface of the second upper frame body.

2. The shape-adaptive and flexible handling robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The driving assembly is a lifting screw mechanism, which is connected to the carrying tray and driven by a separate reduction motor.

3. The shape-adaptive and flexible handling robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The frame is also provided with an on-board control system, which includes a master control system, a navigation system, a posture recognition system and a communication system connected to the master control system in sequence; the navigation system uses one of a laser navigation system, an electromagnetic guidance system, an inertial navigation system or a visual navigation system; the posture recognition system uses a QR code recognition system; and the communication system is used for remote information interaction and remote control.

4. A material management application system based on the shape-adaptive flexible handling robot according to claim 3, characterized in that: The material management application system includes: The robot task scheduling and monitoring system uses wireless communication to connect to the communication system in the handling robot and perform task control on the handling robot; A material management system is used to manage and control the material storage location. The material management system is connected to the robot task scheduling and monitoring system by electronic communication, and the material storage location is transmitted to the robot task scheduling and monitoring system; The production task management system is used to manage and control production task demand information. The production task management system and the robot task scheduling and monitoring system are connected by electrical communication and transmit the production task demand information to the robot task scheduling and monitoring system.

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