Automatic Handling Robot for Train Axles

Abstract

The present invention relates to an automatic handling robot for train axles, which includes a sensing sensor, a limit sensor, a moving mechanism, a controller and a pushing lever mechanism. Among them, the pushing lever mechanism has a set of symmetrically installed pushing lever units. Each set of pushing lever units includes a pair of levers that can move up and down in opposite directions and maintain synchronous movement. When the levers rise, they are used to clamp the central axis of the detected axle. The controller receives the acquisition signals of the sensing sensor and the limit sensor, and issues a lifting signal for controlling the levers in the pushing lever mechanism and a moving signal for controlling the forward and backward movement of the moving mechanism. The present invention realizes an efficient, reliable and intelligent automatic transmission process for train axles, reduces the frequency of frequent conversions during the detection process of train axles by detection equipment, improves the detection efficiency, reduces the detection cost, reduces the labor intensity, and improves the conveying safety.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the field of automatic control, and particularly relates to an automatic handling robot for train axles, and more particularly to an automatic handling robot for train axles that uses a lifting lever to clamp the axle to be inspected and then automatically pushes the inspection axle to walk to the inspection station to be inspected. Background Art

[0002] Railways, as the main artery of the national economy, important national infrastructure, and popular means of transportation, play a crucial role in China's economic and social development. With the continuous development of the Chinese railway industry, high-speed and heavy-haul of railway freight cars are important current development strategies. The running speed of trains has been greatly increased from the past 40 km / h - 60 km / h to the current 80 km / h - 120 km / h, and the load capacity of each carriage has also been increased to 70 tons - 80 tons. The axles and bogies of trains are important components for train running. In actual operation, the phenomenon of "hot axles" of axle bearings occurs frequently, and components such as bolster, side frame, inclined wedge, and spring of the bogie frequently fail, directly affecting the running safety of railways. To ensure the safe and reliable operation of freight cars, the requirements for the reliability and safety of freight car axles and bogies are also getting higher and higher. For this reason, the Ministry of Railways has specifically issued relevant documents, requiring that freight car axles and bogies must be inspected after assembly.

[0003] At present, when inspecting train axles and bogies, overhead cranes or manipulators are usually used to move them to the inspection station for inspection. Since train axles and bogies have multiple inspection items, different inspection items correspond to different inspection stations, and different inspection stations are generally scattered. This requires inspectors to use overhead cranes or manipulators to frequently switch train axles and bogies among various inspection stations, resulting in low inspection efficiency and increased inspection costs. Even in some inspection production lines with low automation, the process of axles and bogies entering and exiting the inspection station needs to be operated by manual pushing, which not only has a large labor intensity but also poses a risk of being bruised.

[0004] In view of the above problems, it is very necessary to develop an automatic handling robot for train axles. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of this, the purpose of the present invention is to provide an automatic handling robot for train axles, aiming to solve the problem of low inspection efficiency caused by the need to frequently switch using overhead cranes or manipulators among multiple existing scattered inspection stations.

[0006] To achieve the above invention purpose, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:

[0007] An automatic handling robot for train axles, including a robot body, and:

[0008] The shifting lever mechanism is disposed inside the robot body and has a set of symmetrically installed shifting lever units. Each set of shifting lever units includes a pair of levers that are arranged facing each other and can move up and down while maintaining synchronous movement. When the levers rise, they are used to clamp the central axis of the wheel axle to be detected.

[0009] The sensing sensor is placed on the upper surface of the robot body and at the central position of the shifting lever mechanism, and is used to sense whether the wheel axle to be detected is above the sensing sensor.

[0010] The limit sensor is placed on the lower surface of the robot body and senses the navigation strip or electronic tag laid on the ground, and guides the robot body to walk on the ground through the navigation strip or electronic tag.

[0011] The moving mechanism is installed at the four corners of the robot body and drives the robot body to move along the planned route; and

[0012] The controller is disposed inside the robot body, receives the acquisition signals of the sensing sensor and the limit sensor, and issues a lifting signal for controlling the levers in the shifting lever mechanism and a moving signal for controlling the forward and backward movement of the moving mechanism, so as to realize the automatic shifting of the wheel axle to be detected.

[0013] Preferably, the shifting lever unit further includes a reducer, a connecting shaft and a circular retaining wheel. The reducer is installed inside the robot body and is controlled by the controller. The output ends on the left and right sides of the reducer are respectively connected to the connecting shaft. A lever is also provided on each connecting shaft, and several evenly distributed and freely slidable circular retaining wheels are provided on the lever from top to bottom.

[0014] More preferably, the distance between the two levers arranged facing each other is slightly larger than the diameter of the central axis of the wheel axle to be detected.

[0015] Preferably, the moving mechanism includes a set of steering wheels arranged diagonally and a set of universal casters arranged diagonally, and both the steering wheels and the universal casters are installed inside the robot body and at the four corners of the robot body.

[0016] More preferably, the steering wheel further includes a first servo driver for controlling the walking direction of the steering wheel and a second servo driver for controlling the forward and backward movement of the steering wheel. Both the first servo driver and the second servo driver are respectively in communication with the controller and receive the moving signals issued by the controller.

[0017] More preferably, the steering wheel is installed inside the robot body through a steering wheel connecting seat, and the universal caster is installed inside the robot body through a caster support.

[0018] Preferably, the sensing sensor is located at the center of the shift lever mechanism, which specifically means that the sensing sensor is arranged in the middle of two symmetrically installed reducers.

[0019] Preferably, the perception sensor is an infrared sensor, and a distance sensor is provided on the left and right sides of the robot body respectively. A torque sensor is also configured on the gear lever, and the infrared sensor, distance sensor and torque sensor communicate with the controller respectively.

[0020] More preferably, a power supply battery is also provided in the robot body for supplying power to electrical equipment in the robot body.

[0021] More preferably, the shell of the robot body is also provided with a charging terminal connected to the power supply battery, and the charging terminal supplies power to the battery after contacting with an electric telescopic charging brush arranged on an external charging device.

[0022] Beneficial effects of the present invention:

[0023] The effect of the railway axle automatic handling robot of the present invention can be described from four aspects:

[0024] First, in terms of mobility, the present invention uses the robot body, steering wheels and universal casters to form the robot body into a freely movable walking vehicle, which can realize frequent switching between different inspection stations in conjunction with navigation strips or electronic tags laid on the ground;

[0025] Second, in terms of pushing, the present invention uses a sensing sensor to sense the position of the wheelset, and combines it with a distance sensor to determine whether there is an obstacle in front of the trolley to avoid the obstacle. At the same time, when the sensing sensor senses the wheelset to be inspected, the controller controls the gear lever to rise to clamp the wheelset to be inspected, and the wheelset to be inspected is frequently transported to various inspection stations through the movement of the walking trolley;

[0026] Third, in terms of control, the controller of the present invention integrates the GPC algorithm and the PID control algorithm to form a high-precision controller that combines the two. The intelligent navigation algorithm of the train axle automatic handling robot combines the GPC algorithm and the PID control algorithm based on the ARIMAX model. The system output value obtained by combining the PID and GPC algorithms can enable the car to run stably during the line-finding process.

[0027] Fourth, in terms of charging, the present invention utilizes the charging terminal of the robot body and the externally configured retractable charging brush to charge the robot body. When the robot body needs to be charged, the walking trolley automatically moves to the position of the external charging device for automatic charging, which greatly solves the problem of cumbersome wiring.

[0028] Based on the above four aspects, the present invention realizes an efficient, reliable and intelligent automatic transmission process for train axles, reducing the number of frequent conversions during the detection process of the detection equipment, improving the detection efficiency, reducing the detection cost, reducing the labor intensity, and enhancing the conveying safety. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings.

[0030] Figure 1 It is a state diagram of clamping the wheel set when the lever in the train axle automatic handling robot of the present invention is raised;

[0031] Figure 2 is Figure 1 the left view of the state shown;

[0032] Figure 3 It is a top view state diagram when the lever in the train axle automatic handling robot of the present invention descends and returns to its original position

[0033] Figure 4 is Figure 2 the view from direction A in

[0034] Figure 5 is Figure 1 the structural schematic diagram when the push lever unit in

[0035] Figure 6 is Figure 1 the structural schematic diagram when the push lever unit descends and returns to its original position in

[0036] Figure 7 is Figure 3 the top view of the steering wheel connecting seat in

[0037] Figure 8 is Figure 7 the sectional view taken along B-B in

[0038] Figure 9 is Figure 6 the top view of the caster support in

[0039] Figure 10 is Figure 9 the left view of the structure shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0040] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0041] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner", "outer", etc. is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. It is only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation to the present invention; the terms "first", "second", "third" are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance. In addition, unless otherwise clearly defined and limited, the terms "installation", "connection", "connection" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and it can be the communication between two elements inside. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific situations.

[0042] Due to the need for the train axle and bogie to be switched back and forth between multiple inspection stations by an overhead crane or a manipulator, the problems of low inspection efficiency and high inspection cost are caused. The applicant found that by combining an automatic control system with an automatic induction device and then using a lifting and blocking wheel to clamp the train axle to be inspected, the train axle to be inspected can be frequently switched between multiple inspection stations, thus well solving the problems of frequent switching of the train axle at the inspection station, low inspection efficiency, and high inspection cost.

[0043] The automatic handling robot for train axles of the present invention is designed based on the three-layer basic architecture of the Internet of Things, and is composed of a perception layer (including perception sensors, limit sensors, ranging sensors, and torque sensors), a transmission layer (controller and communication system), a working system (including an electric push rod unit, a moving mechanism, and a robot body), etc., as Figure 1As shown in the figure. The sensing layer uses sensing sensors, limit sensors, and ranging sensors. The position of the train axle to be carried is judged by the sensing sensors. The ranging sensors are used to judge obstacles in front of the robot body for obstacle avoidance, and the limit sensors are used to navigate the robot body. The push lever unit in the working layer is convenient to control and has a fast response speed, which can quickly realize the frequent conversion of the robot body carrying the wheel set to be inspected between various inspection stations, greatly improving its transportation efficiency. The transmission layer constructs the network transmission protocol of the corresponding communication layer according to the functions and instruction characteristics of the controller to meet the requirements of real-time communication and fast control.

[0044] Based on the above design principle, the specific structure of the automatic train axle handling robot of the present invention is as follows: As Figures 1-4 shown. The automatic train axle handling robot of the present invention includes a robot body 1, a push lever mechanism 2, a sensing sensor 5, a limit sensor, a moving mechanism 3, and a controller 4.

[0045] In this example, the sensing sensor 5 is placed on the upper surface of the robot body 1 and at the central position of the push lever mechanism 2 to sense whether the axle to be detected is above the sensing sensor 5. Among them, the central position is also the central position of the robot body 1. The sensing sensor 5 in this example is an infrared sensor.

[0046] In this example, the push lever mechanism 2 is arranged inside the robot body 1 and has a set of symmetrically installed push lever units 201. Each set of push lever units 201 includes a pair of levers 202 that can move up and down and keep the movement synchronized after being arranged facing each other. When the levers 202 rise, they are used to clamp the central axis of the axle to be detected. In combination with the movement of the robot body 1, the wheel set to be inspected can be quickly pushed. Among them, the distance between the two levers 202 arranged facing each other is slightly larger than the diameter of the central axis of the axle to be detected.

[0047] As a further improvement of this example, as Figures 5-6 shown, in order to realize the synchronous movement and lifting process of the lever 202, the push lever unit 201 further includes: a reducer 203, a connecting shaft 204, and a circular retaining wheel 205. The reducer 203 is installed inside the robot body 1 and is controlled by the controller 4. The output ends on the left and right sides of the reducer 203 are respectively connected to the connecting shaft 204. A lever 202 is connected to each connecting shaft 204, and several uniformly distributed and freely slidable circular retaining wheels 205 are arranged on the lever 202 from top to bottom.

[0048] The circular retaining wheel 205 can change the original hard contact to the sliding contact of the present invention, reduce the damage and destruction to the surface of the wheel set to be inspected, and ensure the machining accuracy of the surface of the train axle to the greatest extent. At the same time, the present invention also sets a torque sensor 206 on the retaining rod 202, which can transmit the real-time clamping force data taken back to the controller 4 in real time to form a data set, and later use it as a reference setting standard.

[0049] Through the output ends on both sides of the same speed reducer 203, the synchronous operation of the retaining rod is ensured, and the speed reducer 203 is controlled by the controller 4. When detecting the wheel axle to be inspected, the retaining rod 202 is synchronously lifted in time through the action of the speed reducer 203.

[0050] The central position of the shifting retaining rod mechanism 2 here refers to: the exact middle of the two speed reducers, that is to say, the sensing sensor is located at the exact center of the robot body, and also at the exact middle of the two speed reducers of the shifting retaining rod mechanism.

[0051] In this example, the limit sensor is placed on the lower surface of the robot body 1 and senses the navigation strip or electronic tag laid on the ground, and guides the robot body 1 to walk on the ground through the navigation strip or electronic tag. In this way, the robot body 1 is formed into a traveling trolley that can move freely. With distance sensors respectively arranged on the left and right sides of its robot body 1, it can also avoid obstacles in front of and behind the wheel set to be inspected.

[0052] In this example, the moving mechanism 3 is installed at the four corners of the robot body 1 to drive the robot body 1 to move along the planned route, that is, to move along the route of the navigation strip or electronic tag. Among them, the moving mechanism 3 includes a set of steering wheels 301 arranged diagonally and a set of universal casters 302 arranged diagonally, and both the steering wheels 301 and the universal casters 302 are installed inside the robot body 1 and located at the four corners of the robot body 1.

[0053] In this example, the steering wheel 301 further includes a first servo driver for controlling the traveling direction of the steering wheel 301 and a second servo driver for controlling the forward and backward movement of the steering wheel 301. Both the first servo driver and the second servo driver are respectively in communication with the controller 4 and receive the movement signals sent by the controller 4. In the present invention, the steering wheel 301 is the driving wheel and the universal caster 302 is the driven wheel.

[0054] As Figures 7-10 shown, during the installation of the steering wheel 301 and the universal caster 302, the steering wheel 301 is installed inside the robot body 1 through a steering wheel connecting seat, and the universal caster 302 is installed inside the robot body 1 through a caster support.

[0055] In this example, the controller 4 is disposed inside the robot body 1, receives the acquisition signals from the sensing sensor 5 and the limit sensor, and issues a lifting signal for controlling the shift lever 202 inside the shift lever mechanism 2 and a moving signal for controlling the forward and backward movement of the moving mechanism 3, so as to realize the automatic shifting of the detected wheel axle.

[0056] That is to say, the infrared sensor, the distance measuring sensor 101, and the torque sensor 206 are respectively in communication with the controller 4, and respectively collect their own signals into the controller 4. After receiving the signals, the controller 4 issues a lifting signal for controlling the shift lever 202, and at the same time issues a moving signal for controlling the moving mechanism 3.

[0057] In the design of the controller of the present invention, the controller control system is designed using the visual-basic programming language. It not only meets the basic requirements for transporting wheel axles (wheel sets) by the walking trolley, but also fully considers the convenience of users. Multiple modules such as a monitoring interface, data recording, parameter setting, fault query, user permissions, and remote control are set up, and users can operate according to the system interface. The monitoring interface includes parts such as a date, the operating state of the device, and function buttons. In the data recording module, the trolley records the number of wheel axles transported on the same day, and users can view the transportation workload in real time. The parameter setting module completes the wireless connection between the controller and the computer and sets parameters such as the device name and IP address. The fault query module allows maintenance personnel to make quick judgments and handle through this module, such as the trolley fails to connect to the human-machine interface; a fault occurs in the trolley drive system; the transportation trolley fails to decelerate and locate when reaching the destination; the shift lever mechanism cannot be lifted or lowered; the trolley cannot avoid obstacles in front, etc. The user permissions module can add, delete, and provide operation restrictions for external visitors, etc. In the remote control module, users can directly issue start and stop commands to the trolley through a mobile device, etc.

[0058] In the research on the handling technology of the controller. Since the GPC algorithm and the PID control algorithm have similarities in the control rate, integrating the GPC algorithm and the PID control algorithm can form a high-precision controller combining the two. The intelligent navigation algorithm of the device is based on the ARIMAX model and combines the GPC algorithm and the PID control algorithm. The system output value obtained by combining the two algorithms of PID and GPC can make the trolley run stably during the line-following process. Based on the expert system for the software and hardware faults of the handling robot, the faults occurring in the intelligent wheel axle handling device are displayed on the human-machine interface.

[0059] In this example, a power supply battery is also provided inside the robot body 1 to supply power to the electrical devices inside the robot body 1, and a charging terminal connected to the power supply battery is further provided on the shell of the robot body 1. After the charging terminal comes into contact with the electric telescopic charging brush arranged on the external charging device, it supplies power to the battery. When the robot body 1 needs to be charged, the traveling trolley automatically moves to the position of the external charging device for automatic charging, greatly solving the problem of cumbersome wiring.

[0060] The automatic intelligent detection process of the train wheel axle automatic handling robot of the present invention is as follows: The wheel axle is automatically carried through the moving mechanism and the pushing lever mechanism on the robot body, and is transmitted to the detection station for detection. The automatic pushing device uses the sensing sensor to detect the position of the train wheel axle, and the controller makes a judgment and issues a signal to control the lifting of the lever of the pushing lever unit. At the same time, the lifted lever carries the train wheel axle, and in cooperation with the signal issued by the controller to start the moving mechanism, the moving mechanism is started to automatically transmit the train wheel axle to the detection station. After the wheel axle detection is completed, the controller issues a signal again to carry the wheel axle to the next detection station or transport it to the detected station, thus solving the problem of automatic loading and unloading during the wheel axle detection process, improving the detection efficiency and reducing the detection cost.

[0061] Finally, it should be noted that the above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not used to limit the present invention. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, for those skilled in the art, they can still modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or perform equivalent replacements for some of the technical features. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automatic handling robot for train axles, comprising a robot body, characterized in that, It also includes: A shifting lever mechanism, which is arranged inside the robot body and has a set of symmetrically installed shifting lever units. Each set of shifting lever units includes a pair of levers that can move up and down and maintain synchronous movement after being arranged facing each other. When the levers rise, they are used to clamp the central axis of the wheel axle to be detected; A sensing sensor, which is placed on the upper surface of the robot body and at the central position of the shifting lever mechanism, and is used to sense whether the wheel axle to be detected is above the sensing sensor; A limit sensor, which is placed on the lower surface of the robot body and senses the navigation strip or electronic tag laid on the ground, and guides the robot body to walk on the ground through the navigation strip or electronic tag; A moving mechanism, which is installed at the four corners of the robot body and drives the robot body to move along the planned route; and A controller, which is arranged inside the robot body, receives the acquisition signals of the sensing sensor and the limit sensor, and issues a lifting signal for controlling the levers in the shifting lever mechanism and a moving signal for controlling the forward and backward movement of the moving mechanism, so as to realize the automatic shifting of the wheel axle to be detected; Wherein, the shifting lever unit further includes a reducer, a connecting shaft and a circular retaining wheel. The reducer is installed inside the robot body and is controlled by the controller. The output ends on the left and right sides of the reducer are respectively connected to the connecting shaft. A lever is also arranged on each connecting shaft, and several evenly distributed and freely slidable circular retaining wheels are arranged on the lever from top to bottom; the distance between the two levers arranged facing each other is slightly larger than the diameter of the central axis of the wheel axle to be detected; In addition, the moving mechanism includes a set of steering wheels arranged diagonally and a set of universal casters arranged diagonally, and the steering wheels and the universal casters are both installed inside the robot body and at the four corners of the robot body; the steering wheel further includes a first servo driver for controlling the walking direction of the steering wheel and a second servo driver for controlling the forward and backward movement of the steering wheel. The first servo driver and the second servo driver are both in communication with the controller and receive the moving signals issued by the controller; the steering wheel is installed inside the robot body through a steering wheel connecting seat, and the universal caster is installed inside the robot body through a caster support; The fact that the sensing sensor is located at the central position of the shifting lever mechanism specifically means: the sensing sensor is arranged exactly in the middle of the two symmetrically installed reducers; the sensing sensor is an infrared sensor, and ranging sensors are respectively arranged on the left and right sides of the robot body, and a torque sensor is also configured on the lever. The infrared sensor, the ranging sensor and the torque sensor are all in communication with the controller respectively; A power supply battery is also arranged inside the robot body to supply power to the electrical equipment inside the robot body; a charging terminal connected to the power supply battery is also arranged on the shell of the robot body, and the charging terminal is in contact with the electric telescopic charging brush configured on the external charging device to supply power to the battery; The control system of the controller is designed with the visual-basic programming language. A monitoring interface module, a data recording module, a parameter setting module, a fault query module, a user permission module, and a remote control module are set in the controller. Among them, the monitoring interface module includes a date, the operating status of the device, and a function button part; the data recording module is used to record the number of transported wheel axles on the same day and view the transportation workload in real time; the parameter setting module is used to complete the wireless connection between the controller and the computer and set the device name parameter and the IP address parameter; the fault query module is used to quickly judge and handle the faults during the operation of the device; the user permission module is used to add or delete operation restrictions for external visitors; the remote control module is used to directly send start and stop commands to the automatic train wheel axle handling robot through a mobile device. In addition, the controller is a high-precision controller formed by integrating the GPC algorithm and the PID control algorithm. Specifically, the intelligent navigation algorithm of the automatic train wheel axle handling robot is based on the ARIMAX model and combines the GPC algorithm and the PID control algorithm. The system output value obtained by combining the two algorithms of PID and GPC enables the robot body to operate stably during the line tracking process; for the software and hardware faults of the automatic train wheel axle handling robot, based on the expert system, the faults occurring in the automatic train wheel axle handling robot are displayed on the man-machine interaction interface.

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