Autonomous excavating robot

Abstract

The autonomous excavation robot comprises an excavation arm assembly, a vehicle body and a chassis, the excavation arm assembly is installed on the vehicle body, the vehicle body is installed on the chassis, the vehicle body comprises an upper vehicle frame, a rotation motor and a rotation driving shaft, and the chassis comprises a bottom platform and supporting legs; the rotary driving shaft is rotatably fixed on the upper frame, the rotary motor is in driving connection with the rotary driving shaft, and the output end of the rotary driving shaft is connected with the bottom platform and is used for driving the upper frame and the chassis to generate relative rotation; one end of each supporting leg is rotatably installed on the bottom platform, wheels are arranged at the other ends of the supporting legs and used for adjusting the height from the bottom platform to the ground, the wheels are driven by a motor, and the excavating arm assembly is driven by a motor. Compared with the prior art, the system has the advantages of flexibility in use, fast response, high stability and the like.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of excavating equipment, in particular to an autonomous excavating robot. BACKGROUND

[0002] Excavators are important engineering equipment in earthwork, mainly undertaking soil crushing, excavating, transporting and other work. As a common engineering machinery, excavators play an important role in construction and maintenance. Traditional excavators need experienced technicians to drive, not only bringing the cost of personnel training and salary consumption, but also affecting the physical and mental health of construction workers in harsh working environment. In unstructured scenarios, the terrain adaptability and passing performance of excavators are also very important.

[0003] For example, the invention disclosed in CN107326952A discloses a pipeline excavating robot, which comprises a rack, a digging arm mechanism is arranged at the front end of the rack, and a bucket is connected to the end of the digging arm mechanism; a recycling material shovel conveyor belt is also arranged on the rack, one end of the conveyor belt is located on the throwing track of the bucket, and the other end is provided with a discharging mechanism. Through the structural design of the conveyor belt and the track, the working efficiency and walking stability are improved. However, at present, excavating equipment is developing towards electrification, and traditional internal combustion engines and hydraulic systems are gradually being replaced by power batteries and drive motors.

[0004] For example, the invention disclosed in CN113684877A discloses an intelligent excavating construction robot and a working method, belonging to the technical field of earthwork machinery, which comprises an electro-hydraulic excavator, an excavator posture measurement unit, a remote communication and positioning unit, and a control unit; the excavator posture measurement unit is installed on the electro-hydraulic excavator and connected with the control unit; the remote communication and positioning unit is installed on the electro-hydraulic excavator and connected with the control unit; the control unit is installed on the electro-hydraulic excavator, used for receiving the control instructions of the remote control console and the monitoring and measurement results of the excavator posture measurement unit to control the autonomous walking and autonomous operation of the electro-hydraulic excavator.

[0005] Compared with traditional power systems, electric drive systems respond quickly, are easy to maintain, and meet the development goal of green and low carbon. At the same time, excavators also need to have better passing performance and terrain adaptability while maintaining driving ability. In addition, the ability of autonomous earthwork can make excavators free from the dependence on experienced drivers, so that excavators can carry out long-time continuous autonomous operation in more dangerous environments.

[0006] Based on the above needs, it is particularly necessary to provide an excavating robot that is electrically driven, responds quickly, has strong terrain adaptability, and has autonomous operation capability for earthwork. SUMMARY

[0007] The excavating robot of the present application is electrically driven, fast in response, strong in terrain adaptability and has self-operation ability.

[0008] The object of the present application can be achieved by the following technical solutions.

[0009] The excavating robot comprises an excavating arm assembly, a vehicle body and a chassis, the excavating arm assembly is installed on the vehicle body, the vehicle body is installed on the chassis, the vehicle body comprises an upper frame, a rotating motor and a rotating drive shaft, and the chassis comprises a bottom platform and a supporting leg.

[0010] The rotating drive shaft is rotatably fixed on the upper frame, the rotating motor is drivingly connected with the rotating drive shaft, and the output end of the rotating drive shaft is connected with the bottom platform for driving the upper frame to rotate relative to the chassis.

[0011] One end of the supporting leg is rotatably installed on the bottom platform, and the other end is provided with a wheel for adjusting the height of the bottom platform from the ground, the wheel is driven by a motor, and the excavating arm assembly is driven by a motor.

[0012] Preferably, the supporting leg comprises an upper supporting leg, a lower supporting leg, a lifting push rod and a steering push rod.

[0013] One end of the upper supporting leg is rotatably fixed on the bottom platform, and one end of the lifting push rod is rotatably fixed on the bottom platform, and the other end is rotatably connected with the upper supporting leg for adjusting the included angle between the upper supporting leg and the horizontal plane.

[0014] The lower supporting leg is rotatably fixed on the end of the upper supporting leg away from the bottom platform, one end of the steering push rod is rotatably fixed on the upper supporting leg, and the other end is rotatably connected with the lower supporting leg for adjusting the steering angle of the wheel, and the rotation center axis of the lower supporting leg is perpendicular to the rotation center axis of the upper supporting leg.

[0015] Preferably, the supporting leg further comprises a wheel motor, the wheel motor is installed on the end of the lower supporting leg away from the upper supporting leg and is drivingly connected with the wheel.

[0016] Preferably, the lower supporting leg has an L-shaped structure comprising a rotating shaft and a mounting shaft connected vertically, one end of the rotating shaft is rotatably installed on the upper supporting leg, and the other end is rotatably connected with the steering push rod, the wheel motor is installed on the mounting shaft, and the rotation axis direction of the wheel motor is perpendicular to the rotation axis direction of the lower supporting leg.

[0017] Preferably, the bottom platform comprises a lower support and a rotating gear, the rotating gear is installed on the upper end of the lower support, and the rotating drive shaft is installed in the inner ring of the rotating gear.

[0018] Preferably, the vehicle body further comprises an electrical box, which is mounted on the upper support at an end away from the excavating arm assembly.

[0019] Preferably, the vehicle body further comprises a vehicle body shell, which is mounted on the upper frame.

[0020] Preferably, the excavating arm assembly comprises a first excavating arm, a first electric drive unit, a second electric drive unit and a bucket.

[0021] One end of the first excavating arm and the electric drive unit is rotatably fixed at the front end of the vehicle body, the other end of the electric drive unit is drivingly connected to the first excavating arm, the second electric drive unit and the bucket are rotatably mounted on the first excavating arm respectively, and the other end of the second electric drive unit is drivingly connected to the bucket.

[0022] Preferably, the first electric drive unit and the second electric drive unit are identical in structure and each comprises an electric push rod and an excavating motor, the excavating motor being drivingly connected to the electric push rod.

[0023] Preferably, a second excavating arm and a third electric drive unit are further provided between the first excavating arm and the bucket,

[0024] One end of the second excavating arm is rotatably connected to the first excavating arm, the other end is rotatably connected to the bucket, one end of the third electric drive unit is rotatably mounted on the first excavating arm, the other end is rotatably connected to the second excavating arm, and the second electric drive unit is rotatably mounted on the second excavating arm.

[0025] Compared with the prior art, the present application has the following advantages:

[0026] (1) The present application adopts an electrically driven excavating arm assembly, a vehicle body rotation structure and a wheel driving structure of the chassis to realize a pure electric driving structure, has faster response speed and stronger working robustness, and significantly reduces the maintenance difficulty and the complexity of the control system. Moreover, the structure of the supporting leg and the bottom platform makes the height of the bottom platform adjustable, and the robot has better terrain adaptability and wider application range.

[0027] (2) The present application adopts a rotatably connected upper supporting leg and a lower supporting leg, adjusts the overall height of the bottom platform based on the lifting push rod to adjust the upper supporting leg to swing up and down, and drives the lower supporting leg and the wheels thereon to rotate based on the steering push rod to adjust the steering of the wheels, so that the chassis has more postures to adapt to more complex terrains, and has better passing performance and terrain adaptability while ensuring the driving performance.

[0028] (3) The excavating robot of the present application can have autonomous working capability, can autonomously identify a working target and plan robot movement and bucket movement through deploying intelligent algorithms on the robot to realize autonomous earthwork. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] Fig. 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the autonomous excavation robot of the present invention.

[0030] Fig. 2 Schematic diagram of the internal structure of the autonomous excavation robot of the present invention.

[0031] Fig. 3 It is a structural schematic diagram of the chassis in the present invention.

[0032] In the figure: 1. Autonomous excavation robot, 11. Excavation arm assembly, 12. Vehicle body, 13. Chassis, 111. First excavation arm, 112. Electric push rod, 113. Excavation motor, 114. Bucket, 115. Second excavation arm, 121. Vehicle body shell, 122. Upper frame, 123. Rotary motor, 124. Rotary drive shaft, 131. Bottom platform, 132. Support leg, 1311. Lower bracket, 1312. Rotary gear, 1321. Upper support leg, 1322. Lower support leg, 1323. Wheel, 1324. Lifting push rod, 1325. Steering push rod, 1326. Wheel motor. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention more clear, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Generally, the components of the embodiments of the present invention described and shown in the drawings herein can be arranged and designed in various different configurations.

[0034] Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the invention as claimed, but rather merely represents selected embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments derived by persons of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative effort shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0035] It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters denote similar items in the following drawings, and therefore, once an item is defined in one drawing, it does not need to be further defined or explained in subsequent drawings.

[0036] In the description of the present application, it should be noted that the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner", "outer" and the like indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, or the orientation or positional relationship in which the product of the application is usually placed, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present application.

[0037] It should be noted that the terms "first", "second" are only for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, the features defined with "first", "second" can explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present application, the meaning of "multiple" is two or more, unless otherwise specifically limited.

[0038] In addition, the terms "horizontal", "vertical" and the like do not mean that the components must be absolutely horizontal or vertical, but can be slightly inclined. For example, "horizontal" only means that its direction is more horizontal relative to "vertical", and does not mean that the structure must be completely horizontal, but can be slightly inclined.

[0039] Embodiment 1

[0040] As Figs. 1-3 described, the embodiment provides an autonomous excavating robot, which comprises an excavating arm assembly 11, a vehicle body 12 and a chassis 13, the excavating arm assembly 11 is installed on the vehicle body 12, the vehicle body 12 is installed on the chassis 13, the vehicle body 12 comprises an upper frame 122, a slewing motor 123 and a slewing drive shaft 124, and the chassis 13 comprises a bottom platform 131 and a support leg 132;

[0041] The slewing drive shaft 124 is rotatably fixed on the upper frame 122, the slewing motor 123 is drivingly connected to the slewing drive shaft 124, and the output end of the slewing drive shaft 124 is connected to the bottom platform 131 for driving the upper frame 122 to rotate relative to the chassis 13;

[0042] One end of the support leg 132 is rotatably installed on the bottom platform 131, and the other end is provided with a wheel 1323 for adjusting the height of the bottom platform 131 from the ground, the wheel 1323 is driven by a motor, and the excavating arm assembly 11 is driven by a motor.

[0043] Working principle: through the rotation of the wheels 1323 on the chassis 13, the position of the autonomous excavating robot 1 is shifted, the slewing motor 123 drives the slewing drive shaft 124 to rotate, the vehicle frame 12 performs slewing action, the orientation of the excavating arm assembly 11 is adjusted, and thus autonomous excavation is realized. Further, the height of the bottom platform 131 can be adjusted by adjusting the rotation of the supporting legs 132, so as to adapt to the working terrain.

[0044] The excavating arm assembly, the vehicle body slewing structure, and the wheel driving structure of the chassis are driven by electricity, a pure electric driving structure is realized, faster response speed and stronger working robustness are achieved, and the maintenance difficulty and the complexity of the control system are significantly reduced. Moreover, the structure of the supporting legs and the bottom platform enables the height of the bottom platform to be flexibly adjusted, and the robot has better terrain adaptability and wider application range.

[0045] In the preferred embodiment, the supporting legs 132 include upper supporting legs 1321, lower supporting legs 1322, lifting push rods 1324, and steering push rods 1325.

[0046] One end of the upper supporting leg 1321 is rotatably fixed to the bottom platform 131, one end of the lifting push rod 1324 is rotatably fixed to the bottom platform 131, and the other end is rotatably connected to the upper supporting leg 1321, for adjusting the included angle between the upper supporting leg 1321 and the horizontal plane.

[0047] The lower supporting leg 1322 is rotatably fixed to one end of the upper supporting leg 1321 away from the bottom platform 131, one end of the steering push rod 1325 is rotatably fixed to the upper supporting leg 1321, and the other end is rotatably connected to the lower supporting leg 1322, for adjusting the steering angle of the wheel 1323; the rotation center axis of the lower supporting leg 1322 and the rotation center axis of the upper supporting leg 1321 are perpendicular to each other.

[0048] The upper supporting leg and the lower supporting leg are rotatably connected, the upper supporting leg is adjusted to swing up and down based on the lifting push rod, the overall height of the bottom platform is adjusted, the lower supporting leg and the wheel thereon are driven to rotate by the steering push rod, the steering of the wheel is adjusted, the chassis has more postures, more complex terrains can be adapted, the driving performance is ensured, and better passing performance and terrain adaptability are achieved.

[0049] In this embodiment, the supporting legs 132 further include wheel motors 1326, which are installed at one end of the lower supporting leg 1322 away from the upper supporting leg 1321 and are drivingly connected to the wheels 1323.

[0050] In this embodiment, the lower supporting leg 1322 has an L-shaped structure, including a rotation shaft and an installation shaft connected perpendicularly, one end of the rotation shaft is rotatably installed on the upper supporting leg 1321, the other end is rotatably connected to the steering push rod 1325, the wheel motor 1326 is installed on the installation shaft, and the rotation axis direction of the wheel motor 1326 and the rotation axis direction of the lower supporting leg 1322 are perpendicular to each other.

[0051] In the embodiment, the bottom platform 131 comprises a lower support 1311 and a rotary gear 1312; the rotary gear 1312 is installed at the upper end of the lower support 1311, and the rotary driving shaft 124 is installed in the inner ring of the rotary gear 1312. The vehicle body 12 further comprises an electrical box 125, which is installed at the end of the upper support 122 away from the excavating arm assembly 11. The vehicle body 12 further comprises a vehicle body shell 121, which is installed on the upper frame 114.

[0052] In the embodiment, the excavating arm assembly 11 comprises a first excavating arm 111, a first electric driving unit, a second electric driving unit and a bucket 114.

[0053] The first excavating arm 111 and one end of the electric driving unit are rotatably fixed at the front end of the vehicle body 12, and the other end of the electric driving unit is drivingly connected to the first excavating arm 111. The second electric driving unit and the bucket 114 are rotatably installed on the first excavating arm 111, and the other end of the second electric driving unit is drivingly connected to the bucket 114.

[0054] Specifically, the first electric driving unit and the second electric driving unit have the same structure, and each comprises an electric push rod 112 and an excavating motor 113, and the excavating motor 113 is drivingly connected to the electric push rod 112.

[0055] Alternatively, a second excavating arm 115 and a third electric driving unit are further provided between the first excavating arm 111 and the bucket 114. One end of the second excavating arm 115 is rotatably connected to the first excavating arm 111, and the other end is rotatably connected to the bucket 114. One end of the third electric driving unit is rotatably installed on the first excavating arm 111, and the other end is rotatably connected to the second excavating arm 115. The second electric driving unit is rotatably installed on the second excavating arm 115. By providing multiple excavating arms, the degree of freedom and operational flexibility of the excavating arm assembly can be improved.

[0056] In combination with the above preferred embodiment, a more specific embodiment is provided, as shown in Figs. 1-3 As shown, the autonomous excavating robot 1 comprises an excavating arm assembly 11, a vehicle body 12 configured to mount the excavating arm assembly 11, and a chassis 13 provided below the vehicle body 12.

[0057] In this embodiment, the excavating arm assembly 11 includes an excavating arm 111, an electric push rod 112, and an excavating motor 113. The excavating arm 111 is driven by the electric push rod 112 to control each movable joint. The excavating motor 113 is used to drive the electric push rod 112. The excavating arm assembly 11 is connected to the front side of the vehicle body 12 to realize the excavating movement. The vehicle body shell 121 is installed on the upper frame 122. Inside, the slewing drive shaft 124 is installed in the upper frame 122, the slewing motor 123 is connected to the slewing drive shaft 124, and the electrical box 125 is installed on the rear side of the upper frame 122. The chassis 13 includes a bottom platform 131 and legs 132. The bottom platform 131 is the core of the chassis 13 and is used to support the slewing movement of the vehicle body 12. The legs 132 are connected to the bottom platform 131 to realize the movement and walking of the robot.

[0058] In this embodiment, the bottom platform 131 includes a lower frame 1311 and a slewing gear 1312. The slewing gear 1312 is installed above the lower frame 1311 and is connected to the slewing drive shaft 124 to realize the slewing function. The legs 132 are connected to the lower frame 1311 and can rotate around the lower frame 1311.

[0059] In this embodiment, the legs 132 include upper legs 1321, lower legs 1322, wheels 1323, lifting push rods 1324, steering push rods 1325, and wheel motors 1326. The upper legs 1321 are connected to the lower frame 1311 and are connected to the lower legs 1322 at the end. The lower legs 1322 can rotate around the connecting shaft. In addition, the lower legs 1322 are installed at the bottom with wheels 1323 and wheel motors 1326. The wheel motors 1326 are connected to the wheels 1323 through a shaft coupling mechanism.

[0060] In this embodiment, the lifting push rods 1324 are connected to the lower frame 1311 and the upper legs 1321, respectively. By controlling the push rod stroke, the rotation angle of the upper legs 1321 and the lower frame 1311 is controlled, thereby realizing the height control of the legs. The steering push rods 1325 are connected to the upper legs 1321 and the lower legs 1322, respectively. By controlling the push rod stroke, the rotation angle of the upper legs 1321 and the lower legs 1322 is controlled, thereby realizing the steering angle control of the wheels.

[0061] In this embodiment, the excavating robot can have autonomous operation capability. By deploying intelligent algorithms on the robot, the robot can autonomously identify the work target and plan the movement of the robot and the bucket, thereby realizing autonomous earthwork. The intelligent algorithm can use the existing control method of the wheeled mobile robot, which is not the core of this embodiment, so it is not described in detail in this embodiment.

[0062] The preferred embodiments of the present application have been described above in detail. It should be understood that modifications and variations to the preferred embodiments could be made by those skilled in the art in light of the teachings above. It is therefore contemplated that the application can encompass other variations and modifications that fall within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An autonomous excavation robot comprising an excavation arm assembly (11), a vehicle body (12) and a chassis (13), wherein the excavation arm assembly (11) is mounted on the vehicle body (12), and the vehicle body (12) is mounted on the chassis (13), characterized in that: The vehicle body (12) includes an upper frame (122), a rotary motor (123) and a rotary drive shaft (124); the chassis (13) includes a bottom platform (131) and supporting legs (132); The rotary drive shaft (124) is rotatably fixed on the upper frame (122); the rotary motor (123) drives and connects to the rotary drive shaft (124); the output end of the rotary drive shaft (124) is connected to the bottom platform (131) for driving the upper frame (122) and the chassis (13) to generate relative rotation; One end of the support leg (132) is rotatably mounted on the bottom platform (131), and the other end is provided with a wheel (1323) for adjusting the height of the bottom platform (131) from the ground. The wheel (1323) is driven by a motor, and the digging arm assembly (11) is also driven by a motor.

2. The autonomous excavation robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The supporting legs (132) include an upper supporting leg (1321), a lower supporting leg (1322), a lifting push rod (1324) and a steering push rod (1325); One end of the upper leg (1321) is rotatably fixed on the bottom platform (131), and one end of the lifting push rod (1324) is rotatably fixed on the bottom platform (131), and the other end is rotatably connected to the upper leg (1321) for adjusting the angle between the upper leg (1321) and the horizontal plane. The lower leg (1322) can be rotatably fixed to one end of the upper leg (1321) away from the bottom platform (131); one end of the steering push rod (1325) can be rotatably fixed to the upper leg (1321), and the other end can be rotatably connected to the lower leg (1322) for adjusting the steering angle of the wheel (1323); the rotation center axis of the lower leg (1322) and the rotation center axis of the upper leg (1321) are perpendicular to each other.

3. The autonomous excavation robot according to claim 2, characterized in that: The supporting leg (132) further comprises a wheel motor (1326), which is mounted on an end of the lower supporting leg (1322) away from the upper supporting leg (1321) and drives the connected wheel (1323).

4. The autonomous excavation robot according to claim 3, characterized in that: The lower leg (1322) is an L-shaped structure, comprising a rotating shaft and a mounting shaft connected vertically. One end of the rotating shaft can be rotatably mounted on the upper leg (1321), and the other end can be rotatably connected to the steering push rod (1325). The wheel motor (1326) is mounted on the mounting shaft, and the rotating shaft direction of the wheel motor (1326) is perpendicular to the rotating shaft direction of the lower leg (1322).

5. The autonomous excavation robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom platform (131) includes a lower bracket (1311) and a rotary gear (1312); the rotary gear (1312) is mounted on the upper end of the lower bracket (1311), and the rotary drive shaft (124) is mounted on the inner ring of the rotary gear (1312).

6. The autonomous excavation robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The vehicle body (12) further comprises an electrical box (125), which is mounted on an end of the upper bracket (122) away from the excavating arm assembly (11).

7. The autonomous excavation robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The vehicle body (12) further comprises a vehicle body shell (121), and the vehicle body shell (121) is mounted on the upper frame (114).

8. The autonomous excavation robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The digging arm assembly (11) includes a first digging arm (111), a first electric drive unit, a second electric drive unit and a bucket (114); The first digging arm (111) and one end of the electric drive unit are respectively rotatably fixed to the front end of the vehicle body (12); the other end of the electric drive unit is driven and connected to the first digging arm (111); the second electric drive unit and the bucket (114) are respectively rotatably mounted on the first digging arm (111); the other end of the second electric drive unit is driven and connected to the bucket (114).

9. The autonomous excavation robot according to claim 8, characterized in that: The first electric drive unit and the second electric drive unit have the same structure, both comprising an electric push rod (112) and an excavation motor (113), wherein the excavation motor (113) drives and connects the electric push rod (112).

10. The autonomous excavation robot according to claim 8, characterized in that: A second digging arm (115) and a third electric drive unit are further provided between the first digging arm (111) and the bucket (114). One end of the second digging arm (115) is rotatably connected to the first digging arm (111), and the other end is rotatably connected to the bucket (114); one end of the third electric drive unit is rotatably mounted on the first digging arm (111), and the other end is rotatably connected to the second digging arm (115); and the second electric drive unit is rotatably mounted on the second digging arm (115).

Images