Platform spreading robot and method
By designing a self-sensing and flying grain leveling robot, the problem of uneven distribution of grain piles has been solved, achieving efficient and automated grain leveling, reducing the intensity of manual labor and safety risks, and improving the modernization level of grain storage.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- JIANGSU GUOLIANG STORAGE ENG CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2026-03-24
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-12
AI Technical Summary
In existing technologies, uneven distribution of grain piles during grain storage leads to low storage capacity utilization, poor ventilation, accumulation of moisture and heat, and safety hazards. Manual leveling is labor-intensive, inefficient, and carries high safety risks. Traditional leveling robots have low automation levels and cannot adapt to complex storage structures and dynamic pile changes.
A grain leveling robot, comprising an auger roller, scraper mechanism, flight components, and sensing modules, was designed. It can fly within a grain silo and autonomously sense the distribution of grain piles. It performs automatic leveling through 3D modeling and intelligent decision-making. Combined with a charging interface, it can work for extended periods and has autonomous obstacle avoidance and high-precision modeling capabilities.
It achieves efficient and uniform spreading of grain piles, reduces reliance on manual labor and safety risks, improves the modernization level of grain warehouses, is highly adaptable, has high work efficiency, low energy consumption, and has autonomous obstacle avoidance and high-precision modeling capabilities.
Smart Images
Figure CN122009864A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to the field of grain depot leveling technology, specifically to a leveling robot and leveling method. Background Technology
[0002] Grain storage is a crucial link in ensuring national food security. During the grain storage process, factors such as fixed discharge points, variations in grain flowability, and limitations in warehouse structure often lead to uneven grain pile distribution, resulting in areas of excessively high accumulation, hollow edges, or "grain peaks." This uneven stacking reduces warehouse capacity utilization and easily leads to poor ventilation, heat and moisture buildup, mold and pest infestations, and other storage safety hazards, seriously affecting grain quality and storage stability.
[0003] Currently, most grain silos in China still rely on manual leveling operations. This method suffers from high labor intensity, harsh working environments (dust, oxygen deficiency, high temperatures), and high safety risks (falls from heights, burial). Furthermore, it is inefficient and inconsistent, failing to meet the development requirements of modern grain depots that are "green, efficient, intelligent, and safe." Although some grain silos have experimented with fixed spreading machines or simple leveling equipment, their adaptability is poor, their level of intelligence is low, and they cannot handle complex silo shapes and dynamic pile changes. While leveling robots are now used, traditional leveling robots rely solely on manual control to move across the grain pile surface. After leveling one bulge, the robot must be manually moved to the next bulge, resulting in a low level of automation. Summary of the Invention
[0004] To address the aforementioned problems, this invention provides a grain leveling robot capable of performing grain leveling operations, moving flexibly within grain warehouses, and achieving high leveling efficiency. It also provides a leveling method that can automatically perform the leveling operation, significantly reducing the reliance on manual labor during grain warehouse leveling.
[0005] The technical solution is as follows: a grain leveling robot, which includes a robot body and a grain leveling component. The grain leveling component includes an auger roller, which is installed on both sides of the robot body to drive the grain leveling robot to move on the grain pile.
[0006] A scraper mechanism, installed at the rear end of the robot body, is used to level the grain pile;
[0007] Its features include: the leveling robot further includes a flight component and a sensing module. The flight component can drive the leveling robot to fly inside the grain warehouse, and the sensing module can obtain the surface distribution of the grain pile inside the grain warehouse.
[0008] Furthermore, the flight component includes a propeller mounted on top of the robot body and a drive device for driving the propeller to rotate.
[0009] Furthermore, a high-pressure nozzle is also installed at the front end of the robot body.
[0010] Furthermore, a roller assembly is also installed at the bottom of the robot body. The roller assembly includes rollers. When the leveling robot moves forward on the ground, the rollers are located at the bottom of the leveling robot and in contact with the ground. When the leveling robot moves forward on the surface of the grain pile, the rollers can be retracted and made higher than the auger drum.
[0011] Furthermore, a charging connector is installed on the top of the robot body, and a charging interface is installed on the top of the inner wall of the grain silo. The charging connector can be inserted into the charging interface to charge the leveling robot.
[0012] Furthermore, the charging interface has a connection channel inside, and a locking mechanism is installed in the connection channel. The locking mechanism includes a locking block, which can move radially along the connection channel, extend into or retract from the connection channel. The charging connector has a flange around its periphery, and the maximum width of the flange is greater than the spacing between the locking blocks when it extends into the connection channel, so that when the charging connector is inserted into the charging interface, the locking block can abut against the bottom of the flange to lock the charging connector.
[0013] Furthermore, the locking mechanism also includes a locking spring, which provides elastic force to allow the locking block to extend into the connection channel and lock the charging connector. The bottom of the locking block has a first clearance slope, and the top of the flange has a second clearance slope. When the charging connector extends into the charging interface, the second clearance slope contacts the first clearance slope, causing the locking block to move in the direction of exiting the connection channel, and finally causing the flange to pass over the locking block and lock the charging connector through the locking block. The locking mechanism also includes an electromagnetic unlocking mechanism, which can attract the locking block to increase the distance between them and release the lock on the charging connector when the flattening robot needs to detach from the charging interface.
[0014] A method for leveling grain piles, characterized in that it uses the aforementioned leveling robot to level grain piles and specifically includes the following steps: Step 1: Control the leveling robot to fly above the grain pile and use the sensing module to establish a three-dimensional model of the grain pile;
[0015] Step 2: Use this model to derive the model after closing out the warehouse, and use its grain level line as the zero baseline;
[0016] Step 3: Locate all convex hulls in the existing 3D model to obtain a set of convex points;
[0017] Step 4: Compare and statistically analyze all the vertices of the convex hull in the model to find the highest point. Using the highest convex point as the target, divide the distance between the zero baseline and the highest point into several parts. One part is the standard height for closing a position. The highest point is one standard height below the closing position to be the closing line for this position.
[0018] Step 5: Using the convex hull where the highest point is located as the starting point for closing the position, extract all convex points within the current closing line, and the convex hull where these points are located is the convex hull to be closed.
[0019] Step 6: Close the position at the current highest point to lower it to within the current closing line. Calculate the cost of reaching the surrounding convex points from the current position, select the minimum cost as the target point, move to that point and close the position to lower the convex point of the convex hull to within the current closing line. Repeat this step until all convex hulls within the current closing line are closed.
[0020] Step 7: If the distance between the current leveling line and the zero baseline is less than or equal to a set value, it is considered that the rough leveling is completed. The leveling robot will use the zero baseline as the leveling line and complete the leveling of the entire grain warehouse according to Steps 5 and 6. If the distance between the current leveling line and the zero baseline is higher than a set value, the leveling robot will be controlled to fly back above the grain pile and use the sensing module to build a three-dimensional grain pile model. Then, Steps 3 to 6 will be repeated until the distance between the current leveling line and the zero baseline is less than or equal to a set value.
[0021] Furthermore, in step six, the cost of calculating the distance from the current position to the surrounding reachable bumps refers to the shortest flight path from the current position to the surrounding reachable bumps. The flattening robot then moves to the next target point by flight.
[0022] Beneficial effects: 1. The grain leveling robot can spread the automatically graded grain evenly and control the height difference within a small range, greatly reducing the reliance on manual labor when leveling grain warehouses.
[0023] 2. The grain leveling robot autonomously perceives, intelligently executes, and improves the modernization level of grain storage, ensures grain storage safety, and reduces labor costs and safety risks through the "perception-decision-execution" system.
[0024] 3. The grain leveling robot performs high-precision modeling of grain piles and moves between them by flying, resulting in high work efficiency, good adaptability, and low energy consumption.
[0025] 4. It is compatible with the charging interface installed inside the grain silo, which facilitates charging and allows it to work for extended periods inside the grain silo.
[0026] 5. The grain leveling robot has a small body and can fly. A small high-pressure nozzle is installed at the front of the body. When the equipment inside the grain warehouse fails, it can replace human to carry out high-risk inspection work. It can also blow away the grain inside to protect the equipment and reduce safety risks. Attached Figure Description
[0027] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the liquidation robot;
[0028] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the connection structure of the charging interface and charging connector;
[0029] Figure 3 This is a contour map of the convex hull and convex points obtained before closing the position.
[0030] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the grain pile before it was cleared out.
[0031] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the grain pile after the first clearing of the warehouse;
[0032] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the grain pile after the second leveling of grain reserves;
[0033] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the grain pile after the third leveling of grain reserves;
[0034] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the grain pile after the fourth leveling of grain reserves;
[0035] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the grain pile after the fifth leveling of grain reserves. Detailed Implementation
[0036] like Figure 1 The illustrated flattening robot includes a robot body 1 and a flattening assembly. The flattening assembly includes: auger rollers 2, which are installed on both sides of the robot body 1 to drive the flattening robot to move on the grain pile. The robot can be turned by adjusting the auger rollers 2 on both sides; and a scraper mechanism 3, which is installed at the rear end of the robot body 1 to scrape the grain pile. The flattening robot also includes a flight assembly and a sensing module. The flight assembly includes a propeller 4, a tail fin 5, and a drive device such as a motor. The sensing module includes a camera and a lidar assembly 6. The flight assembly can drive the flattening robot to fly inside the grain silo and obtain the surface distribution of the grain pile inside the grain silo through the sensing module. The flattening robot can scrape the grain pile according to the obtained surface distribution. It can adapt to various storage environments such as rice and corn, and has autonomous obstacle avoidance and precise positioning functions. It has strong adaptability and a high level of intelligence.
[0037] The front end of the robot body 1 is also equipped with a high-pressure nozzle 7, which, in conjunction with remote control, can replace manual labor to perform high-risk inspection work when equipment malfunctions inside the warehouse and can blow away residual grain to protect the equipment. The bottom of the robot body 1 is also equipped with a roller assembly 8, which includes rollers. When the leveling robot moves forward on the ground, the rollers can be lowered by a push rod to the bottom of the leveling robot and make contact with the ground. When the leveling robot moves forward on the surface of the grain pile, the rollers can be retracted and made higher than the auger drum 2, thus enabling the leveling robot to move on ordinary roads and grain piles.
[0038] To ensure the grain leveling robot can continue operating inside the grain warehouse, such as Figure 2 As shown, a charging connector 9 is installed on the top of the robot body 1, and a charging interface 10 is installed on the top of the inner wall of the grain silo. The charging connector 9 can extend into the charging interface 10 to charge the leveling robot. Specifically, the charging interface 10 has a connecting channel 101 inside, and a locking mechanism is installed in the connecting channel. The locking mechanism includes a locking block 102, which can move radially along the connecting channel 101, extend into or retract from the connecting channel 101. The charging connector 9 has a flange 91 around its periphery. The maximum width of the flange 91 is greater than the distance between the locking blocks 102 when it extends into the connecting channel 101, so that when the charging connector 9 is inserted into the charging interface 10, the locking block 102 can abut against the bottom of the flange 91 to lock the charging connector 9, thereby fixing the leveling robot during charging.
[0039] The locking mechanism also includes a locking spring 103, which provides elastic force to allow the locking block 102 to extend into the connection channel 101 and lock the charging connector 9. The bottom of the locking block 102 is provided with a first clearance slope, and the top of the flange 91 is provided with a second clearance slope. When the charging connector 9 extends into the charging interface 10, the second clearance slope contacts the first clearance slope and causes the locking block 102 to move in the direction of exiting the connection channel 101 (radially outward), and finally causes the flange 91 to pass over the locking block 102 and lock the charging connector 9 through the locking block 102. In this way, the charging connector 9 can be automatically locked during the upward flight of the leveling robot when charging is required. The locking mechanism also includes an electromagnetic unlocking mechanism, which can attract the locking block 102 to increase the distance between them when the leveling robot needs to detach from the charging interface, thereby releasing the lock on the charging connector 9.
[0040] Based on the above, this solution also provides a leveling method, which includes the following steps: Step 1: Control the leveling robot to fly above the grain pile and use the perception module to establish a three-dimensional grain pile model.
[0041] Step 2: Use this model to derive the model after closing the warehouse, and use its grain level line as the zero baseline f.
[0042] Step 3: Extract the following from the 3D grain pile model: Figure 3 The convex hull and convex point contour map shown can be used to find all convex hulls in the existing 3D model and obtain the set of convex points (convex hull vertices).
[0043] Step 4: Compare and statistically analyze all the vertices of the convex hull in the model to find the highest point. Using the highest convex point as the target, divide the distance between the zero baseline f and the highest point into several parts. One part is the standard closing height for one position (the standard closing height can be different each time). The closing line for this position is one standard closing height lower than the highest point.
[0044] Step 5: Using the convex hull where the highest point is located as the starting point for closing the position, extract all convex points within the current closing line, and the convex hull where these points are located is the convex hull to be closed.
[0045] Step Six: Close the current highest point to lower it to within the current closing line. Calculate the cost from the current position to the surrounding reachable convex points, select the minimum cost as the target point, move to that point and close the position, lowering the convex point of the convex hull to within the current closing line. Repeat this step until all convex hulls within the current closing line are closed. It is worth mentioning that calculating the cost from the current position to the surrounding reachable convex points refers to the shortest flight path from the current position to the surrounding reachable convex points. The closing robot moves to the next target point by flight. Using flight is more in line with the characteristic of this method that requires multiple transfers between convex hulls, thereby improving the closing efficiency.
[0046] Step 7: If the distance between the current leveling line and the zero baseline f is less than or equal to a set value, the rough leveling is considered complete. The leveling robot will use the zero baseline f as the leveling line and level the entire grain silo according to steps 5 and 6. If the distance between the current leveling line and the zero baseline f is higher than a set value, the leveling robot will be controlled to fly back above the grain pile, and a three-dimensional grain pile model will be built using the sensing module. Then, steps 3 to 6 will be repeated until the distance between the current leveling line and the zero baseline f is less than or equal to a set value. This embodiment includes 6 leveling operations, as follows: Figures 4-9 The grain pile is leveled according to the leveling line af (the yellow part in the figure is the grain pile, and h is the highest point line).
[0047] The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope of the claims.
Claims
1. A liquidation robot, comprising a robot body and a liquidation component, wherein the liquidation component includes: Screw rollers are installed on both sides of the robot body to drive the leveling robot to move on the grain pile; A scraper mechanism, installed at the rear end of the robot body, is used to level the grain pile; Its features include: the leveling robot further includes a flight component and a sensing module. The flight component can drive the leveling robot to fly inside the grain warehouse, and the sensing module can obtain the surface distribution of the grain pile inside the grain warehouse.
2. The warehouse clearing robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flight assembly includes a propeller mounted on top of the robot body and a drive unit, the drive unit being used to drive the propeller to rotate.
3. A warehouse clearing robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The front end of the robot body is also equipped with a high-pressure nozzle.
4. A warehouse clearing robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom of the robot body is also equipped with a roller assembly, which includes rollers. When the leveling robot moves forward on the ground, the rollers are located at the bottom of the leveling robot and in contact with the ground. When the leveling robot moves forward on the surface of the grain pile, the rollers can be retracted and made higher than the auger drum.
5. A warehouse clearing robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The top of the robot body is also equipped with a charging connector, and the top of the inner wall of the grain silo is equipped with a charging interface. The charging connector can be inserted into the charging interface to charge the leveling robot.
6. A warehouse clearing robot according to claim 5, characterized in that: The charging interface has a connection channel inside, and a locking mechanism is installed in the connection channel. The locking mechanism includes a locking block, which can move radially along the connection channel, extend into or retract from the connection channel. The charging connector has a flange around its periphery. The maximum width of the flange is greater than the spacing between the locking blocks when it extends into the connection channel, so that when the charging connector is inserted into the charging interface, the locking block can abut against the bottom of the flange to lock the charging connector.
7. A warehouse clearing robot according to claim 6, characterized in that: The locking mechanism further includes a locking spring, which provides elastic force to allow the locking block to extend into the connection channel and lock the charging connector. The bottom of the locking block has a first clearance slope, and the top of the flange has a second clearance slope. When the charging connector is inserted into the charging interface, the second clearance slope contacts the first clearance slope, causing the locking block to move in the direction of exiting the connection channel, and finally causing the flange to pass over the locking block and lock the charging connector through the locking block. The locking mechanism also includes an electromagnetic unlocking mechanism, which can attract the locking block to increase the distance between them and release the lock on the charging connector when the flattening robot needs to detach from the charging interface.
8. A method for closing out a position, characterized in that, It uses the leveling robot described in any one of claims 1-7 to level the grain pile and specifically includes the following steps: Step 1: Control the leveling robot to fly above the grain pile and use the perception module to establish a three-dimensional grain pile model; Step 2: Use this model to derive the model after closing out the warehouse, and use its grain level line as the zero baseline; Step 3: Locate all convex hulls in the existing 3D model to obtain a set of convex points; Step 4: Compare and statistically analyze all the vertices of the convex hull in the model to find the highest point. Using the highest convex point as the target, divide the distance between the zero baseline and the highest point into several parts. One part is the standard height for closing a position. The highest point is one standard height below the closing position to be the closing line for this position. Step 5: Using the convex hull where the highest point is located as the starting point for closing the position, extract all convex points within the current closing line, and the convex hull where these points are located is the convex hull to be closed. Step 6: Close the position at the current highest point to lower it to within the current closing line. Calculate the cost of reaching the surrounding convex points from the current position, select the minimum cost as the target point, move to that point and close the position to lower the convex point of the convex hull to within the current closing line. Repeat this step until all convex hulls within the current closing line are closed. Step 7: If the distance between the current leveling line and the zero baseline is less than or equal to a set value, it is considered that the rough leveling is completed. The leveling robot will use the zero baseline as the leveling line and complete the leveling of the entire grain warehouse according to Steps 5 and 6. If the distance between the current leveling line and the zero baseline is higher than a set value, the leveling robot will be controlled to fly back above the grain pile and use the sensing module to build a three-dimensional grain pile model. Then, Steps 3 to 6 will be repeated until the distance between the current leveling line and the zero baseline is less than or equal to a set value.
9. A warehouse clearing robot according to claim 8, characterized in that: In step six, calculating the cost from the current position to the surrounding reachable bumps refers to the shortest flight path from the current position to the surrounding reachable bumps. The flattening robot then moves to the next target point by flight.