Delivery robot

Abstract

This invention discloses a delivery robot, comprising: a vehicle body; a control box disposed inside the vehicle body; a belt-driven rack disposed on the upper part of the vehicle body; two robotic gripping mechanisms symmetrically fixed to both sides of the vehicle body; a vision component including a first camera and a second camera, the first camera and the second camera respectively disposed on the two robotic gripping mechanisms; and two tracked walking mechanisms disposed on both sides of the vehicle body. This invention can transport goods in various indoor and outdoor scenarios without the need for additional equipment for loading or unloading. This invention has wide applications in the field of mechanical equipment technology.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of mechanical equipment technology, and in particular to a delivery robot. Background Technology

[0002] With the disappearance of the demographic dividend and rising labor costs, replacing human labor with robots in manufacturing and logistics has become a trend. Furthermore, the outbreak of infectious diseases has significantly impacted various industries, while the demand for unmanned and contactless delivery has created new opportunities for the development and application of logistics robots, accelerating the development of the intelligent economy. To reduce labor costs and meet the needs of infectious disease control, intelligent delivery robots have been widely adopted. In related technologies, intelligent delivery robots are mainly used in indoor settings such as hospitals, hotels, office buildings, and production workshops. Indoor environments have simpler and smoother road conditions, while outdoor roads are complex, often uneven, and sometimes involve inclines and declines, making it difficult for existing delivery robots to be used outdoors. Moreover, most existing delivery robots cannot automatically load and unload goods. When delivering large quantities or heavy goods, the workload of manual loading and unloading remains significant, or additional robots may be needed for unloading, increasing costs. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This invention aims to at least solve one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, this invention proposes a delivery robot that is applicable to both indoor and outdoor scenarios and does not require additional equipment for loading or unloading goods.

[0004] This invention provides a delivery robot, comprising:

[0005] Vehicle body;

[0006] A control box, which is located inside the vehicle body;

[0007] A belt rack is provided on the upper part of the vehicle body;

[0008] The robotic gripper mechanism comprises two robotic grippers, which are symmetrically fixed on both sides of the vehicle body.

[0009] A vision component, comprising a first camera and a second camera, wherein the first camera and the second camera are respectively mounted on the two robotic gripping mechanisms;

[0010] The tracked walking mechanism includes two tracked walking mechanisms, which are disposed on both sides of the vehicle body;

[0011] The control box is used to control the tracked walking mechanism to walk to the destination, and to control the vision component and the two robotic gripping mechanisms to load goods onto the belt rack, or to control the two robotic gripping mechanisms to unload goods from the belt rack.

[0012] In some embodiments, the robotic gripping mechanism includes a first robotic arm, a second robotic arm, a third robotic arm, and a clamping device. The first end of the first robotic arm is fixed to the side of the vehicle body via a bearing. The second end of the first robotic arm is movably connected to the first end of the second robotic arm via a two-dimensional rotating shaft. The second end of the second robotic arm is connected to the first end of the third robotic arm via a three-dimensional rotating shaft. The second end of the third robotic arm is fixedly connected to the clamping device via a two-dimensional rotating shaft.

[0013] In some embodiments, the clamping device includes a clamping arm and a clamping plate, wherein a first end of the clamping arm is fixedly connected to a second end of the third robotic arm via a two-dimensional rotating shaft, and a second end of the clamping arm is fixedly connected to the clamping plate via a rotating shaft.

[0014] In some embodiments, the control box includes an electronic control board, a battery pack, an engine, and a wheel drive mechanism. The battery pack provides power to the delivery robot, the electronic control board controls the engine's operating state, and the wheel drive mechanism transmits power from the engine to the tracked walking mechanism. The tracked walking mechanism includes tracks, drive wheels, idler wheels, track rollers, and multiple load-bearing wheels. The drive wheels, idler wheels, track rollers, and multiple load-bearing wheels are all connected to the vehicle body via bearings. The drive wheels and tracks convert the power from the engine transmitted by the wheel drive mechanism into traction for the delivery robot. The idler wheels assist the drive wheels in driving the track's rotation. The track rollers support the track. The multiple load-bearing wheels and the track form a continuous rolling track for the delivery robot.

[0015] In some embodiments, the tracked walking mechanism further includes a plurality of shock absorbers, the number of which is equal to the number of the plurality of road wheels.

[0016] In some embodiments, the delivery robot further includes a cargo storage cavity, which is fixed to the upper part of the vehicle body, and the belt rack is movably disposed inside the cargo storage cavity.

[0017] In some embodiments, the cargo storage cavity is provided with first guide rails on two inner sides; the belt rack includes a belt conveyor frame, a conveyor belt, a drive roller and a plurality of driven rollers; the belt conveyor frame is movably disposed on the first guide rails on both sides, and the drive roller and the plurality of driven rollers are disposed inside the belt conveyor frame to drive the rotation of the conveyor belt.

[0018] In some embodiments, the cargo storage cavity is provided with a second guide rail, a third guide rail, a first lifting door, and a second lifting door. The first lifting door is movably disposed in front of the cargo storage cavity via the second guide rail, and the second lifting door is disposed in rear of the cargo storage cavity via the third guide rail.

[0019] In some embodiments, the delivery robot further includes an auxiliary support structure, which includes a first support frame, a second support frame, and a bottom support wheel. A first end of the first support frame is fixedly connected to the vehicle body, a second end of the first support frame is connected to the first end of the second support frame via a pivot, and a second end of the second support frame is connected to the bottom support wheel via a bearing.

[0020] In some embodiments, the delivery robot further includes a front-facing camera, a rear-facing camera, a front-facing radar, and a rear-facing radar, all of which are used to assist the delivery robot in its movement.

[0021] The delivery robot provided in this embodiment has the following beneficial effects:

[0022] This embodiment symmetrically fixes two robotic gripping mechanisms to both sides of the vehicle body, and also installs vision components on the two robotic gripping mechanisms, as well as two tracked walking mechanisms on both sides of the vehicle body. When the delivery robot is working, the control box controls the tracked walking mechanisms to walk to the destination, and the vision components locate the cargo position. Then, based on the cargo position, the control box controls the two robotic gripping mechanisms to load the goods onto the belt rack, or controls the control box to unload the goods from the belt rack. This enables the transportation of goods in various indoor and outdoor scenarios without the need for other equipment for loading or unloading.

[0023] Additional aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Attached Figure Description

[0024] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments, wherein:

[0025] Figure 1This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a delivery robot according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a delivery robot in the rising state according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a delivery robot according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a robotic gripper mechanism of a delivery robot according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 5 This is a rear view of a delivery robot according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0030] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below. Examples of these embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0031] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the orientation descriptions, such as up, down, front, back, left, right, etc., are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limiting this invention.

[0032] In the description of this invention, "several" means one or more, "multiple" means two or more, "greater than," "less than," and "exceeding" are understood to exclude the stated number, while "above," "below," and "within" are understood to include the stated number. The use of "first" and "second" in the description is merely for distinguishing technical features and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance, or implicitly indicating the number of indicated technical features, or implicitly indicating the order of the indicated technical features.

[0033] In the description of this invention, unless otherwise explicitly defined, terms such as "set up," "install," and "connect" should be interpreted broadly, and those skilled in the art can reasonably determine the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention in conjunction with the specific content of the technical solution.

[0034] In the description of this invention, the terms "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "illustrative embodiment," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., refer to specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in connection with that embodiment or example, which are included in at least one embodiment or example of the invention. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0035] Reference Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 This invention provides a delivery robot, including a vehicle body 100, a control box 200, a belt-driven rack 300, a robotic gripper 400, a vision component 500, and a tracked walking mechanism 600. The control box 200 is located inside the vehicle body 100; the belt-driven rack 300 is located on the upper part of the vehicle body 100; two robotic grippers 400 are symmetrically fixed to both sides of the vehicle body 100. Figure 1 As shown, the vision component includes a first camera 510 and a second camera 520, which are respectively mounted on two robotic gripping mechanisms 400; the tracked walking mechanism 600 includes two tracked walking mechanisms 600, which are mounted on both sides of the vehicle body 100. In this embodiment, the belt rack 300 can be an electric belt rack.

[0036] In this embodiment, when the delivery robot is in operation, the control box controls the tracked walking mechanism according to control commands sent by external devices. This moves the delivery robot to its destination, and then controls the vision component and two robotic gripping mechanisms to operate. For example, when goods need to be loaded onto the delivery robot at a target location, the vision component first determines the goods' position. Then, the two robotic gripping mechanisms work together to effectively grasp the goods and load them onto the delivery robot's belt rack. Simultaneously, the vision component collects the goods' position on the belt rack. If the goods are not positioned correctly, the two robotic gripping mechanisms adjust the goods' position to facilitate delivery. As another example, after the delivery robot has delivered the goods to the target location, it needs to unload them. The two robotic gripping mechanisms work together, and the vision component determines the goods' position before unloading them from the delivery robot's belt rack to the target location. During this process, the vision component collects real-time data on the unloaded position to ensure the goods are unloaded to the correct location.

[0037] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1and Figure 4 As shown, the robotic gripping mechanism 400 includes a first robotic arm 410, a second robotic arm 420, a third robotic arm 430, and a gripping device. The first end of the first robotic arm 410 is fixed to the side of the vehicle body 100 via a bearing. The second end of the first robotic arm 410 is movably connected to the first end of the second robotic arm 420 via a two-dimensional rotating shaft. The second end of the second robotic arm 420 is connected to the first end of the third robotic arm 430 via a three-dimensional rotating shaft. The second end of the third robotic arm 430 is fixedly connected to the gripping device via a two-dimensional rotating shaft. In this embodiment, when it is necessary to grip goods, the first robotic arm 410 controls the entire robotic gripping mechanism 400 to remain on the vehicle body 100. The second robotic arm 420 and the third robotic arm 430 can achieve gripping processes from different directions via two-dimensional or three-dimensional bearings.

[0038] Meanwhile, since the shapes and sizes of goods vary, in order to more effectively realize the unloading and loading process, in this embodiment, as follows: Figure 4 As shown, the clamping device includes a clamping arm 441 and a clamping plate 442. Specifically, the first end of the clamping arm 441 is fixedly connected to the second end of the third robotic arm 430 via a two-dimensional rotating shaft, and the second end of the clamping arm 441 is fixedly connected to the clamping plate 442 via a rotating shaft, so that when the shape of the goods is irregular, the angle of the clamping plate can be effectively adjusted, thereby gripping the goods more stably.

[0039] In some embodiments, such as Figure 3 As shown, the control box 200 includes an electronic control board 210, a battery pack 220, an engine 230, and a wheel drive system 240. The battery pack 220 provides power to the delivery robot, the electronic control board 210 controls the engine's operating status, and the wheel drive system 240 transmits power from the engine 230 to the tracked walking mechanism. Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, the tracked walking mechanism 600 includes a track 610, a drive wheel 620, an idler wheel 630, a support roller 640, and multiple load-bearing wheels 650. The drive wheel 620, idler wheel 630, support roller 640, and multiple load-bearing wheels 650 are all connected to the vehicle body 100 via bearings. During operation, the drive wheel and track convert the engine power transmitted by the wheel drive into the traction force of the delivery robot. The idler wheel assists the drive wheel in driving the rotation of the track to control the direction and speed of the delivery robot. The support rollers support the track to reduce the size of the load-bearing wheels, thereby reducing the weight of the delivery robot and saving energy. Multiple load-bearing wheels and the track form a continuous rolling track for the delivery robot, improving its versatility. In this embodiment, due to uneven road surfaces in some scenarios, the delivery robot experiences significant vibration during movement, which is detrimental to the balance of goods on the robot. Therefore, as... Figure 3 As shown, in this embodiment, multiple shock absorbers 660 are provided on the tracked walking mechanism. The number of shock absorbers 660 is equal to the number of load wheels 650, that is, one shock absorber 660 is provided on each load wheel 650 to reduce the vibration amplitude of the delivery robot during movement.

[0040] In this embodiment, as Figure 3 and Figure 5 As shown, the battery pack 220 can be wired charged via the charging port 260. When wired charging is inconvenient for the delivery robot, such as... Figure 1 As shown, the solar cell module 250 installed on the delivery robot can also provide working power for the delivery robot.

[0041] In some embodiments, to prevent goods from falling off during delivery by the delivery robot, such as Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, this embodiment involves setting a cargo storage cavity 700 on the delivery robot. The cargo storage cavity 700 is fixed to the upper part of the vehicle body 100, and a belt conveyor 300 is movably disposed inside the cargo storage cavity 700. During transportation, the belt conveyor 300 is fixed inside the cargo storage cavity 700 to prevent goods from falling out. After transportation to the target location, the belt conveyor 300 is moved outside the cargo storage cavity 700 to facilitate the gripping mechanism 400 of the robotic arm to grasp the goods. Specifically, to facilitate the movement of the belt conveyor, as... Figure 2 As shown, first guide rails 730 are provided on two inner sides of the cargo storage cavity 700. Meanwhile, as... Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown, the belt conveyor rack 300 includes a belt conveyor frame 310, a conveyor belt 320, a drive roller 330, and multiple driven rollers 340. The belt conveyor frame 310 is movably mounted on the first guide rail 730 on both sides. The drive rollers 330 and multiple driven rollers 340 are all disposed inside the belt conveyor frame 310 to drive the rotation of the conveyor belt 320. This allows the belt conveyor rack to move from inside the goods storage cavity to outside the goods storage cavity when unloading is required, and to move from outside the goods storage cavity to inside the goods storage cavity after loading is complete.

[0042] In some embodiments, since the goods storage cavity remains closed during the movement of the delivery robot, it can prevent goods from falling out. Therefore, as... Figure 2 and Figure 5 As shown, this embodiment includes a second guide rail (not shown), a third guide rail (not shown), a first lifting door 710, and a second lifting door 720 on the goods storage cavity 700. Specifically, the first lifting door 710 is movably positioned at the front of the goods storage cavity 700 via the second guide rail, and the second lifting door 720 is positioned at the rear of the goods storage cavity 700 via the third guide rail. When goods need to be loaded or unloaded from the front of the delivery robot, the first lifting door is raised, and the conveyor belt rack moves out of the goods storage cavity from the front of the delivery robot; when goods need to be loaded or unloaded from the rear of the delivery robot, the second lifting door is raised, and the conveyor belt rack moves out of the goods storage cavity from the rear of the delivery robot.

[0043] In some embodiments, since the delivery robot can deliver goods in different scenarios, such as downhill and uphill, and when the delivery robot is delivering uphill, the entire delivery robot is in a tilted state. To prevent the delivery robot from tipping over, such as... Figure 3 and Figure 5 As shown, the delivery robot in this embodiment also includes an auxiliary support structure 800. The auxiliary support structure 800 includes a first support frame 810, a second support frame 820, and a bottom support wheel 830. The first end of the first support frame 810 is fixedly connected to the vehicle body 100. The second end of the first support frame 810 is connected to the first end of the second support frame 820 via a pivot shaft. The second end of the second support frame 820 is connected to the bottom support wheel 830 via a bearing. Specifically, the first support frame can adopt an L-shaped structure, and the second support frame can adopt a straight rod structure to improve the stability of the delivery robot.

[0044] In some embodiments, obstacles may exist on the road surface during the delivery robot's movement. Therefore, to prevent the delivery robot from colliding with obstacles, such as... Figure 1 and Figure 5As shown, the delivery robot in this embodiment also includes a front camera 910, a rear camera (not shown in the figure), a front radar 920, and a rear radar 930. The front camera 910 and the front radar 920 are disposed in front of the delivery robot, and the rear camera and the rear radar 930 are disposed in rear of the delivery robot, so that when the delivery robot is working, the front camera, the rear camera, the front radar, and the rear radar assist the movement of the delivery robot.

[0045] In summary, the delivery robot of this embodiment, by setting up a symmetrical robotic gripper mechanism, can realize the automatic loading and unloading process of goods of different sizes and shapes. At the same time, it is equipped with a tracked walking mechanism, which can be used for the delivery process of goods under different road conditions. In addition, it is also equipped with a solar cell module to provide working power during medium and long-distance delivery.

[0046] The embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various changes can be made within the scope of knowledge possessed by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Furthermore, the embodiments of the present invention and the features thereof can be combined with each other unless otherwise specified.

Claims

1. A delivery robot, characterized in that, include: Vehicle body; A control box, located inside the vehicle body, includes a wheel drive mechanism and a tracked walking mechanism comprising tracks, a drive wheel, an idler wheel, a track support wheel, and multiple road wheels. The drive wheel, the idler wheel, the track support wheel, and the multiple road wheels are all connected to the vehicle body via bearings. The drive wheel and the track convert the power transmitted from the engine by the wheel drive mechanism into traction force for the delivery robot. The idler wheel assists the drive wheel in driving the rotation of the track. The track support wheel supports the track. The multiple road wheels and the track form a continuous rolling track for the delivery robot. A belt rack is provided on the upper part of the vehicle body; The robotic gripper mechanism comprises two robotic grippers, which are symmetrically fixed on both sides of the vehicle body. A vision component, comprising a first camera and a second camera, wherein the first camera and the second camera are respectively mounted on the two robotic gripping mechanisms; The tracked walking mechanism includes two tracked walking mechanisms, which are disposed on both sides of the vehicle body; The control box is used to control the tracked walking mechanism to walk to the destination, and to control the vision component and the two robotic gripping mechanisms to load goods onto the belt rack, or to control the two robotic gripping mechanisms to unload goods from the belt rack. The delivery robot also includes a cargo storage cavity, which is fixed to the upper part of the vehicle body, and the belt rack is movably disposed inside the cargo storage cavity; The cargo storage cavity has first guide rails on its two inner sides; the belt conveyor includes a belt conveyor frame, a conveyor belt, a drive roller, and multiple driven rollers; the belt conveyor frame is movably mounted on the first guide rails on both sides, and the drive rollers and multiple driven rollers are all mounted inside the belt conveyor frame to drive the rotation of the conveyor belt; the cargo storage cavity has a second guide rail, a third guide rail, a first lifting door, and a second lifting door, the first lifting door being movably mounted at the front of the cargo storage cavity via the second guide rail, and the second lifting door being mounted at the rear of the cargo storage cavity via the third guide rail; The delivery robot also includes an auxiliary support structure, which includes a first support frame, a second support frame, and a bottom support wheel. The first support frame has an L-shaped structure, and its first end is fixedly connected to the vehicle body. The second end of the first support frame is connected to the first end of the second support frame via a pivot. The second support frame has a straight rod structure, and its second end is connected to the bottom support wheel via a bearing.

2. A delivery robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The robotic gripping mechanism includes a first robotic arm, a second robotic arm, a third robotic arm, and a clamping device. The first end of the first robotic arm is fixed to the side of the vehicle body by a bearing. The second end of the first robotic arm is movably connected to the first end of the second robotic arm by a two-dimensional rotating shaft. The second end of the second robotic arm is connected to the first end of the third robotic arm by a three-dimensional rotating shaft. The second end of the third robotic arm is fixedly connected to the clamping device by a two-dimensional rotating shaft.

3. A delivery robot according to claim 2, characterized in that, The clamping device includes a clamping arm and a clamping plate. The first end of the clamping arm is fixedly connected to the second end of the third robotic arm via a two-dimensional rotating shaft, and the second end of the clamping arm is fixedly connected to the clamping plate via a rotating shaft.

4. A delivery robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The tracked walking mechanism also includes multiple shock absorbers, the number of which is equal to the number of the multiple road wheels.

5. A delivery robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The delivery robot also includes a front-facing camera, a rear-facing camera, a front-facing radar, and a rear-facing radar, all of which are used to assist the delivery robot in its movement.

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