Alternately load-bearing step-by-step stair climbing device and control method thereof

Abstract

This invention discloses an alternating load-bearing step-climbing stair-climbing device and its control method, belonging to the field of stair-climbing transportation machinery. The device includes a load-bearing platform and at least two sets of load-bearing tracks. Multiple track grooves are provided on the lower surface of the platform, with tracks on the same side staggered. Each track is equipped with a retractable support component and an angle adjustment component to adjust the parallelism between the track and the stair surface. The tracks and platform form a mutual guide mechanism through V-shaped raised guide rails and front and rear double-section three-point V-shaped recessed rollers, achieving bidirectional load-bearing capacity for both upward support and suspended dragging. The drive mechanism can drive the platform to slide along the support track or drive the suspended track to step around the platform as a fulcrum. The control method enables the two sets of tracks to alternately support and step, maintaining an overlap area throughout the process, ensuring the platform is always supported by at least one set of tracks, and achieving seamless switching through force control. This invention completely eliminates the suspension phenomenon during stair climbing, operates smoothly, has a compact structure, can adapt to different stair slopes, and is suitable for various stair-climbing scenarios such as carrying people and goods.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of stair-climbing transportation machinery technology, specifically to an alternating load-bearing step-climbing stair-climbing device and its control method, which is suitable for scenarios requiring stable stair climbing, such as carrying people or goods. Background Technology

[0002] With the acceleration of urbanization and the arrival of an aging society, moving heavy objects (such as furniture, appliances, medical equipment, bottled water, etc.) in multi-story buildings without elevators has become a common problem. Traditional moving methods mainly rely on carrying on one's back or multiple people working together to lift them, which is labor-intensive, inefficient, and poses significant safety hazards.

[0003] Existing stair-climbing devices mostly employ tracked, star-wheel, or step-support structures. Tracked and star-wheel stair climbers are prone to impact and bumps at the edges of steps, and pose a risk of scratching and damaging the stair surface. Step-support stair climbers typically rely on multiple outriggers to alternately support the platform for climbing, but during the outrigger alternation process, the platform often experiences brief periods of suspension or abrupt support transitions, resulting in insufficient operational stability and limited safety performance. Furthermore, existing step-support stair climbers typically only allow unidirectional load-bearing between the track and platform, meaning the track supports the platform, and additional clamping or lifting mechanisms are often required when stepping on the track, making the structure relatively complex.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a new type of stair climbing device that can maintain continuous support throughout the entire stair climbing process, smoothly switch loads, and has a high degree of structural integration. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention aims to provide an alternating load-bearing step-climbing stair climbing device and its control method to solve the problems of poor stability, risk of suspension, and complex connection mechanism between track and platform in existing stair climbing machines during the stair climbing process.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: An alternating load-bearing stair-climbing device includes a load-bearing platform and load-bearing tracks. At least four track grooves extending along the direction of travel are provided on the lower surface of the load-bearing platform, distributed on both sides of the platform's width. The load-bearing tracks are arranged in pairs, with at least two pairs. The two tracks in each pair are located on opposite sides of the platform's lower surface, parallel to and laterally offset from the tracks in the other pairs.

[0007] Each load-bearing track consists of a track assembly, at least two support assemblies, and at least two angle adjustment assemblies. The support assemblies are extendable to switch between support and stepping states, and during alternating stepping, the two sets of load-bearing tracks always maintain at least a certain overlap. The upper flange of the track assembly connects to the track groove of the load-bearing platform, forming a bidirectional load-bearing guide mechanism, allowing the track to both support the platform and be suspended by it. Each track groove on the platform is also equipped with a drive mechanism, which can drive the platform to slide along the track assembly in the supported state, and also drive the track assembly in the suspended state to slide along the platform, realizing that the "platform traveling on the track" and the "track traveling on the platform" share the same drive system.

[0008] Furthermore, the mutual guide mechanism includes a V-shaped protruding guide rail disposed on the upper flange of the track assembly, and V-shaped recessed rollers disposed in the platform track groove. There are three V-shaped protruding guide rails, respectively disposed in the middle of the top surface of the upper flange and on the left and right sides of the bottom surface; the track groove is correspondingly provided with V-shaped recessed rollers in the middle of the top and on the two sides of the bottom, with three in the front and three in the back, forming a three-point constraint, which can bear load in both the upper and lower directions, and can reliably guide and bear load regardless of whether the track is in a supported or suspended state.

[0009] Furthermore, the angle adjustment component is a miniature telescopic rod. Each support component (telescopic rod leg) corresponds to an angle adjustment component, with its two ends hinged to the track component and the corresponding telescopic rod leg, respectively. By extending and retracting itself, the angle between the two is adjusted so that the support component remains vertical when extended, while the track component remains basically parallel to the stair slope, thereby stably fitting the steps.

[0010] Furthermore, the drive mechanism includes a rack located on the side of the track assembly, and a gear-drive motor and braking device located on the platform. Bidirectional drive is achieved through rack-and-gear meshing. During alternating steps, the two sets of load-bearing tracks maintain a longitudinal overlap of at least one step on the steps, ensuring that the platform always has at least one set of tracks bearing weight. The braking device ensures that the platform and the load-bearing tracks remain relatively locked when the motor is not powered, guaranteeing safe parking.

[0011] Furthermore, it also includes a control unit, which is configured to coordinate the extension and retraction of the support component, the action of the angle adjustment component, and the operation of the drive mechanism to achieve automatic alternating switching between the load-bearing track and the stepping track and seamless load handover, thereby enabling the load-bearing platform to glide forward smoothly.

[0012] Meanwhile, the present invention also provides a step-climbing control method based on the above-mentioned device, comprising the following steps: Control the first set of load-bearing rails so that their support components extend and contact the steps, entering the support state, and automatically adjust their posture through the angle adjustment components to make the rails parallel to the stair slope. Control the load-bearing platform to advance one step along the first set of tracks, so that the platform enters the overlapping area of ​​the two sets of tracks; The support components of the second set of tracks are retracted, detached from the steps, and driven forward by the drive mechanism to the new step position, using the platform as a fulcrum. The angle adjustment component of the second set of tracks is extended to adjust its posture, so that its support legs are vertical and the track is parallel to the step. Then the support component is extended to establish stable support on the new step. The first set of tracks is gradually unsupported, and the support force of each track is adjusted through load detection or drive feedback to make the load smoothly transition between the first and second sets of tracks, thus completing the load switching. Repeat the above steps to achieve continuous stepping motion. Throughout the process, the load-bearing platform remains in a load-bearing connection with at least one set of tracks.

[0013] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: Continuous support throughout: By maintaining the overlapping area of ​​the steps through two sets of tracks, the platform has at least one set of tracks bearing the weight throughout the entire stair climbing process, eliminating the risk of momentary suspension in traditional step stair climbers and ensuring excellent safety.

[0014] The load-bearing switching is extremely smooth: the force-controlled smooth transition strategy avoids the shock of switching conventional mechanisms, and the user experience is stable and comfortable.

[0015] High integration and dual-purpose: The same set of gear and rack drive mechanism can both drive the platform to slide along the track and drive the track to step relative to the platform, greatly simplifying the structure.

[0016] Bidirectional reliable constraint: The "mutual guide rail" mechanism uses a three-point V-shaped guide rail-roller structure to support the weight of the platform upwards and suspend the track downwards for stepping, without the need for an additional conversion mechanism, and the structure is simple and compact; and whether pushing or pulling, the platform and the track are always precisely engaged, with no risk of derailment.

[0017] Versatility: The parallelism between each track and the stair surface can be independently adjusted using the angle adjustment component, which can adapt to steps with different inclination angles and has strong versatility. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the alternating load-bearing step-climbing stair-climbing device of the present invention; Figure 2 for Figure 1 Side view of a single load-bearing track and its support and adjustment components; Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the track assembly and track groove mating, showing the mutual guide mechanism; Figure 4A schematic diagram of the drive mechanism's rack, gears, drive motor, and braking device; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the state changes of the two sets of tracks alternating during the stair-climbing process of the present invention; Figure 6 This is a flowchart of the step-by-step stair-climbing control method of the present invention.

[0019] The markings in the diagram are: 1-load-bearing platform, 2-load-bearing track, 3-track assembly, 31-upper flange, 32-lower flange, 4-support assembly, 5-angle adjustment assembly, 6-mutual guide rail mechanism, 61-V-shaped raised guide rail, 62-V-shaped recessed roller, 7-drive mechanism, 71-rack, 72-gear, 73-drive motor, 74-brake device. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0021] like Figures 1 to 3 As shown in the figure, this embodiment provides an alternating load-bearing step-climbing stair device, mainly comprising a load-bearing platform 1 and four load-bearing tracks 2. The load-bearing platform 1 is a square flat plate, and its lower surface is machined with four track grooves extending along the direction of travel. The four track grooves are located on the left and right sides of the platform, with two track grooves arranged side by side and laterally staggered on each side. The four load-bearing tracks 2 are divided into two groups: the first group consists of left A track and right A track, and the second group consists of left B track and right B track. The two tracks in the same group are located on both sides of the width direction below the platform, and the two tracks on the same side (such as left A track and left B track) are parallel and laterally staggered, so that they can slide independently without interfering with each other.

[0022] like Figure 2 As shown, each load-bearing track 2 consists of a track assembly 3, two support assemblies 4, and two angle adjustment assemblies 5. The track assembly 3 is a long track with a double-webbed I-beam cross-section, approximately spanning three steps. Its upper flange 31 is used to embed into the track groove of the platform, and its lower flange 32 has a support assembly 4 hinged at each end. The support assembly 4 is a telescopic rod, preferably an electric push rod, with its fixed end hinged to the lower flange 32 and its movable end used to support the stair steps. Each support assembly 4 is accompanied by an angle adjustment assembly 5, which is a miniature electric telescopic rod. One end of the rod is hinged to the bottom of the track assembly 3, and the other end is hinged to the outer cylinder of the support assembly 4. The angle between the support assembly 4 and the track assembly 3 can be adjusted by telescoping. In use, the support assembly 4 first extends to a vertical or near-vertical position to support the steps, and then the angle adjustment assembly 5 is used for fine adjustment to keep the inclined surface of the track assembly 3 parallel to the inclined surface of the stairs.

[0023] like Figure 3As shown, the upper flange 31 of the track assembly 3 and the track groove of the platform form a mutual guide mechanism 6. Specifically, a V-shaped protruding guide rail 61a is provided along the length direction at the middle of the top surface of the upper flange 31, and a V-shaped protruding guide rail 61b and 61c are provided on the left and right sides of the bottom surface. At the front and rear exits of the platform track groove, three V-shaped recessed rollers 62 are installed: one roller 62a is provided at the middle of the top of the track groove, cooperating with the guide rail 61a; and one roller 62b and 62c are provided on the left and right sides of the bottom of the track groove, cooperating with the guide rails 61b and 61c respectively. In this way, a three-point V-shaped roller clamping structure is formed at both the front and rear ends of the track groove. Whether the track assembly 3 is supporting the platform upward or suspended by the platform upward, the V-shaped protruding guide rail and the V-shaped recessed roller can reliably bear and guide in the vertical direction, realizing true bidirectional constraint and mutual fulcrum sliding.

[0024] like Figure 4 As shown, the drive mechanism 7 is used to realize the relative movement between the platform and the track. A rack 71 is fixed to the side of each track assembly 3, and a gear 72, driven by a drive motor 73 and a reducer, is installed inside the platform corresponding to the position of each track slot. The gear 72 meshes with the rack 71. A braking device 74 (such as an electromagnetic brake) is also provided, which automatically engages when the motor is powered off, keeping the platform and track relatively locked and preventing accidental slippage. By controlling the forward and reverse rotation of the motor, the platform can be driven to move forward or backward along the track in the supported state; when the track is in a suspended state, the motor drives the gears to rotate, which can push the track to move back and forth around the platform as a fulcrum, realizing the "stepping" of the track.

[0025] The device also includes a control unit (such as an embedded controller) for coordinating the actions of the support component 4, the angle adjustment component 5 and the drive mechanism 7, and can be equipped with position sensors, pressure sensors, etc. to achieve closed-loop control.

[0026] The following is combined Figure 5 and Figure 6 Describe the step-climbing method of this device. Take climbing upwards as an example: In the initial state, the support components 4 of the first set of load-bearing rails (left A, right A) extend and rest on the first and third steps of the staircase, and are adjusted by the angle adjustment components 5 to make the rail slope parallel to the staircase. At this time, the first set of rails is in the supported state. The control unit drives all gears 7, causing the load-bearing platform 1 to slide upwards along the first set of rails by one step, and the platform moves to the area above the second and third steps.

[0027] Subsequently, the support components 4 of the second set of load-bearing tracks (left B, right B), which are in the stepping state, retract and move away from the step surface. The drive mechanism 7, using the platform as a fulcrum, pushes the second set of tracks upwards until its front and rear support components reach directly above the 2nd and 4th steps, respectively. Then, the support components 4 of the second set of tracks extend and rest on the 2nd and 4th steps, and simultaneously adjust their posture through the angle adjustment components 5, making their track slope parallel to the staircase, completing the stepping and entering the load-bearing state.

[0028] At this point, the first set of tracks supports steps 1 and 3, while the second set supports steps 2 and 4. The two sets of tracks form a longitudinal overlap area in the area between steps 2 and 3, and the platform is already above this overlap area, constrained by both sets of tracks. Next, the control unit controls the support component 4 of the first set of tracks to slowly retract and unload, smoothly transferring the load to the second set of tracks. During the switching process, the support force is monitored by a pressure sensor, achieving synchronous decreases and increases in force to ensure minimal impact. After the switching is complete, the first set of tracks is completely suspended below the platform and is propelled forward by the drive mechanism 7 to steps 3 and 5. This cycle repeats, with each complete alternation of tracks moving two steps and the platform moving one step, always maintaining at least one section of overlapping support, achieving continuous, stable stair climbing without any suspension.

[0029] The process of going downstairs is the same, only in the opposite direction.

[0030] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Any equivalent structural modifications made based on the description and drawings of the present invention, or direct / indirect applications in other related technical fields, are included within the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An alternating load-bearing step-climbing stair device, comprising a load-bearing platform (1) and a load-bearing track (2), characterized in that: The load-bearing platform (1) has at least four track grooves extending along the travel direction on its lower surface, distributed on both sides of the width direction of the load-bearing platform (1) and extending along the travel direction; The load-bearing rails (2) are in pairs, and there are at least two groups; each group includes two load-bearing rails (2), and the two load-bearing rails (2) in the same group are located on both sides of the width direction below the load-bearing platform (1); on each side of the width direction, the load-bearing rails (2) belonging to different groups are parallel to each other and staggered in the lateral direction. One of the load-bearing rails (2) consists of a rail assembly (3), at least two support assemblies (4), and at least two angle adjustment assemblies (5); in: The support component (4) is retractable to switch between support / stepping states. During stepping, the two sets of load-bearing tracks (2) always maintain at least a section of overlap. The track assembly (3) is connected to the track groove of the load-bearing platform (1) to form a bidirectional load-bearing guide mechanism (6), so that the track assembly (3) can both support the load-bearing platform (1) and be suspended by the load-bearing platform (1); Each track groove of the load-bearing platform (1) is also provided with a drive mechanism (7). The drive mechanism can drive the load-bearing platform (1) to slide along the track assembly (3) in the supported state, and can also drive the track assembly (3) in the suspended state to slide along the load-bearing platform (1).

2. The alternating load-bearing step-climbing stair-climbing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The support component (4) is a telescopic rod leg, with the fixed end hinged to the front and rear ends of the bottom of the track component (3), and the movable end of the telescopic rod leg is used to contact and support the stair steps; The angle adjustment component (5) is a miniature telescopic rod. Each telescopic rod leg is provided with one angle adjustment component (5). The two ends of the angle adjustment component (5) are directly or indirectly hinged to the track component (3) and the corresponding telescopic rod leg, so as to adjust the included angle between them by its own extension and retraction. By extending and retracting the angle adjustment component (5), the angle between the support component (4) and the track component (3) is adjusted so that the support component (4) remains close to the vertical direction and the track component (3) is basically parallel to the surface of the stairs.

3. The alternating load-bearing step-climbing stair-climbing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The mutual guide mechanism (6) includes a V-shaped protruding guide rail and a V-shaped recessed roller; The V-shaped protruding guide rail includes a first guide rail located at the middle position of the top surface of the upper flange of the track assembly (3), and a second and a third guide rail located on the left and right sides of the bottom surface of the upper flange of the track assembly (3); The V-shaped recessed rollers are correspondingly arranged at the top middle and bottom sides (front 3 + rear 3) of the track groove of the load-bearing platform (1) to form a three-point constraint; The upper part of the track assembly (3) is embedded in the track groove of the load-bearing platform (1). The V-shaped protruding guide rail and the V-shaped recessed roller form a load-bearing cooperation in both the upper and lower directions to achieve mutual guidance and bidirectional limiting load-bearing of the track assembly (3) and the load-bearing platform (1).

4. The alternating load-bearing step-climbing stair-climbing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The drive mechanism (7) includes a rack disposed on the side of the track assembly (3), and a gear disposed on the load-bearing platform (1) and meshing with the rack, as well as a drive motor and a braking device; The gear meshes with the rack to drive the motor, which is used to drive the load-bearing platform (1) to slide relative to the track assembly (3), or to drive the track assembly (3) to slide relative to the load-bearing platform (1); During the alternating support and stepping process, the two sets of load-bearing rails (2) always maintain a longitudinal overlap of at least one step on the stair steps, so that the load-bearing platform (1) always has at least one set of load-bearing rails (2) bearing the load, so that the load-bearing platform (1) is continuously supported. The braking device enables the load-bearing platform (1) and the load-bearing rail (2) to remain relatively locked when the drive motor is not powered.

5. The alternating load-bearing step-climbing stair-climbing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a control unit, which is configured to: Coordinate the extension and retraction of the support component (4), the movement of the angle adjustment component (5), and the operation of the drive mechanism (7); The automatic alternation between the load-bearing track and the stepping track and the seamless transfer of load are realized, so as to achieve the smooth sliding forward of the load-bearing platform (1).

6. A step-climbing control method based on the alternating load-bearing step-climbing stair-climbing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: Control the first set of load-bearing rails to contact the stair steps and enter the support state; Control the load-bearing platform to move along the forward direction of the first set of load-bearing rails, advancing one step; Control the retraction of the support components of the second set of load-bearing rails, causing them to detach from the stair steps and move relative to the load-bearing platform to a new step position; Control the extension and retraction of two angle adjustment components in the second set of load-bearing rails to adjust the angle between the support component and the rail component, so that the support component remains close to vertical and the rail component is basically parallel to the stair surface; Control the extension of the support components of the second set of load-bearing rails to establish a support state; The first set of load-bearing rails is gradually unsupported, so that the load is smoothly transferred from the first set of load-bearing rails to the second set of load-bearing rails, thus realizing the load switching; Repeat the above steps to achieve continuous stepping motion; Throughout the entire process, the load-bearing platform remains in a load-bearing connection with at least one set of load-bearing rails.

7. The control method according to claim 6, characterized in that: During load switching, the support force of each load-bearing track is adjusted through load detection or drive feedback to ensure a smooth transition of load between the two sets of tracks.

Images