Book picking and placing robot

By using a robotic arm in a book management robot to combine the clamping component and the book dialing component in the book management robot, the problem of large size and insufficient flexibility of robot settings in the prior art is solved, and efficient book access and applicability are achieved.

CN222177750UActive Publication Date: 2024-12-17谢中耕 +1
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN202420933220.9
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Utility models(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2024-04-29
Publication Date
2024-12-17
Estimated Expiration
2034-04-29

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

The existing book management robots have large settings and insufficient flexibility, making it difficult to efficiently complete book storage and access in special scenarios, especially in dead corners of bookshelf, and the repetition of books and book pickup actions lead to low efficiency.

Method used

A book pick-and-place robot is designed, using a robot arm to combine clamping assembly and book dialing assembly. The clamping assembly is moved through the movable part of the robot arm and the book dialing assembly work in concert to reduce repeated lifting and lowering actions, and compensate the machinery by height adjustment components. Arm height limitations for increased flexibility and applicability.

Benefits of technology

It improves the flexibility and efficiency of book access, reduces unnecessary repetitive actions, enhances the applicability and stability of the robot in different scenarios, and reduces space occupation and operation risks.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of robots, and provides a book taking and placing robot which comprises a walking mechanism, a mechanical arm, a clamping assembly and a book shifting assembly, and the walking mechanism is used for making contact with the ground and moving; the mechanical arm comprises a mounting part and a movable part, the mounting part is arranged on the walking mechanism, and the movable part can move relative to the mounting part; the clamping assembly is fixed to the movable part, and a clamping gap is formed in the clamping assembly. According to the book taking and placing robot, the mechanical arm is arranged, and the clamping assembly and the book shifting assembly are arranged on the mechanical arm together, so that in the moving process of the mechanical arm, the clamping assembly and the book shifting assembly move together and are synchronously in place, and target books are shifted out and clamped through cooperative action of the clamping assembly and the book shifting assembly; and meanwhile, unnecessary repeated lifting and other actions are reduced, so that the book storing and taking efficiency is improved.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of robots, in particular to a book taking and placing robot. Background Art

[0002] There are many categories of books in libraries, especially in libraries of colleges and universities, where a large number of books are borrowed and returned every day. In order to manage books in time so that others can borrow books again, library staff must spend a lot of time and energy every day on monotonous and repetitive work such as classification, sorting, shelving and transportation. This is undoubtedly a great burden for library staff. Full manual operation not only has a large workload, but also has low efficiency. In view of this situation, the use of automated robots for intelligent management of books has been proposed in the prior art.

[0003] For example, the book management robot with publication number CN110451149A uses two screws to lift and lower to match the book position, and then completes the book picking and book fetching actions respectively. However, this solution needs to be set to the same height as the top row of the bookcase to fetch books from the top row, which results in the robot being larger in size and lacking flexibility. In some special scenarios, such as the blind spots of the bookshelf, it is difficult to access books, and the book picking and book fetching actions are performed separately, which will lead to a certain degree of duplication in the lifting and lowering actions, which will directly affect the efficiency of book access. Utility Model Content

[0004] In view of this, the utility model proposes a book retrieval robot, which improves the flexibility of book retrieval by setting a mechanical arm and setting a clamping component and a book picking component on the mechanical arm, while reducing unnecessary repeated lifting and other actions to improve the efficiency of book retrieval.

[0005] The technical solution of the utility model is implemented as follows: The utility model provides a book picking and placing robot, including a walking mechanism, a mechanical arm, a clamping component and a book picking component, wherein:

[0006] The walking mechanism is used to contact the ground and move;

[0007] The mechanical arm comprises a mounting portion and a movable portion, wherein the mounting portion is arranged on the walking mechanism, and the movable portion can move relative to the mounting portion;

[0008] The clamping assembly is fixed on the movable part, and a clamping gap is arranged on the clamping assembly. The clamping assembly can make the book enter the clamping gap through the movable part, and the clamping assembly can grab the target book;

[0009] The book-pushing assembly is arranged on the movable part, and the book-pushing assembly comprises a book-pushing part, which is movable relative to the movable part and used for pulling out a target book from a row of books to leave space for the clamping assembly to grab the target book.

[0010] On the basis of the above technical solution, preferably, the clamping assembly includes a base, two claws and a driving mechanism, wherein:

[0011] The base is fixed on the movable part;

[0012] The two claws are slidably arranged on the base and can slide towards each other;

[0013] The driving mechanism is arranged on the base and is transmission-connected with the two claw fingers, and the driving mechanism is used for driving the two claw fingers to move.

[0014] On the basis of the above technical solution, preferably, the book-pushing assembly further includes a first rod and a second rod, wherein:

[0015] One end of the first rod is hinged to the movable part;

[0016] The second rod is hinged to the other end of the first rod, and the book-pushing part is fixed on the second rod.

[0017] Further preferably, the book-picking assembly also includes two driving members, one of which is arranged on the movable part and is transmission-connected to the first rod member for driving the first rod member to rotate on the movable part, and the other driving member is arranged on the first rod member and is transmission-connected to the second rod member for driving the second rod member to rotate on the first rod member.

[0018] On the basis of the above technical solution, preferably, it also includes a height adjustment component, the height adjustment component is arranged on the walking mechanism, the mechanical arm is arranged on the height adjustment component, and the height adjustment component is used to adjust the relative distance between the mechanical arm and the walking mechanism.

[0019] Further preferably, the height adjustment assembly includes a scissor frame and a carrier plate, wherein:

[0020] One end of the scissor frame is arranged on the walking mechanism;

[0021] The carrier plate is arranged on the other end of the scissor frame, and the mechanical arm is arranged on the carrier plate.

[0022] More preferably, the height adjustment assembly further comprises a telescopic member, one end of the telescopic member is hinged to the walking mechanism, and the other end is transmission-connected to the scissors frame, and the telescopic member is used to push the scissors frame to unfold or fold.

[0023] More preferably, the scissors frame includes a first hinged portion and a first sliding portion, a first sliding groove is provided on the carrier plate, the first hinged portion is hinged to the carrier plate, and the first sliding portion is slidably connected to the carrier plate via the first sliding groove.

[0024] More preferably, the scissors frame further includes a second hinged portion and a second sliding portion, a second sliding groove is provided on the walking mechanism, the second hinged portion is hinged to the walking mechanism, and the second sliding portion is slidably connected to the walking mechanism via the second sliding groove.

[0025] On the basis of the above technical solution, preferably, a yielding groove is provided on the book turning part.

[0026] Compared with the prior art, the book picking and placing robot of the utility model has the following beneficial effects:

[0027] (1) By setting up a robotic arm and setting the clamping assembly and the book-picking assembly on the robotic arm together, the robotic arm can make the clamping assembly and the book-picking assembly move together and move into place synchronously during its activity. Then, through the coordinated action of the clamping assembly and the book-picking assembly, the target book can be picked out and clamped, thereby improving the flexibility of book access and reducing unnecessary repeated lifting and lowering actions to improve the efficiency of book access; (2) The height adjustment assembly can adjust the height of the robotic arm by changing the relative distance between the walking mechanism and the robotic arm, thereby compensating for the position that the robotic arm cannot reach, realizing book picking operations with a large range of height changes, improving the applicability of the robot, and further improving its flexibility. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the utility model or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the utility model. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0029] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the book picking and placing robot of the utility model;

[0030] Figure 2 A three-dimensional diagram of the book picking and placing robot of the utility model;

[0031] Figure 3 It is a side view of the book picking and placing robot of the utility model;

[0032] Figure 4 The utility model is a schematic diagram of the connection between the clamping component and the book picking component of the book picking and placing robot. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The following will be combined with the implementation of the utility model to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the implementation of the utility model. Obviously, the described implementation is only a part of the implementation of the utility model, not all of the implementations. Based on the implementation of the utility model, all other implementations obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the utility model.

[0034] like Figure 1-4 As shown, the book picking and placing robot of the present invention comprises a walking mechanism 1, a mechanical arm 2, a clamping component 3 and a book moving component 4.

[0035] The walking mechanism 1 is used to contact the ground and move. The walking mechanism 1 is a vehicle body as a whole, which has four Mecanum omnidirectional wheels and supports multi-angle steering on the spot to adapt to narrow terrain such as library aisles. At the same time, the vehicle body includes a main frame to form a square body with built-in batteries, circuit boards and other devices to support the walking mechanism 1 to have a certain endurance. Correspondingly, in the walking mechanism 1, each omnidirectional wheel is equipped with a corresponding motor as a drive, and the walking mechanism 1 can move on the ground, thereby moving to the vicinity of the corresponding bookshelf or other target positions.

[0036] The robot arm 2 includes a mounting portion 21 and a movable portion 22 . The mounting portion 21 is disposed on the walking mechanism 1 , and the movable portion 22 can move relative to the mounting portion 21 . The robot arm 2 can move to a corresponding position where books need to be stored or accessed by moving the movable portion 22 .

[0037] In this embodiment, the robot arm 2 includes a mounting seat, a first cross arm, a second cross arm and a gripper connector. The mounting seat is connected to the walking mechanism 1 and can rotate on the walking mechanism 1 under the drive of a motor. The mounting seat is the mounting part 21 of the robot arm 2. One end of the first cross arm is arranged on the mounting seat and is provided with a corresponding motor. Under the drive of the motor, the first cross arm can rotate vertically relative to the mounting seat. The second cross arm is arranged in the same manner as the first cross arm, and the second cross arm is arranged on the other end of the first cross arm. The gripper connector is arranged on the end of the second cross arm away from the first cross arm, and can rotate relative to the second cross arm under the drive of the motor. By driving at the joints with four motors, the robot arm 2 can have high flexibility and adapt to different heights and usage scenarios.

[0038] The set robotic arm 2 can also be folded onto the walking mechanism 1 when not in use, thereby reducing space occupancy. At the same time, during the movement of the walking mechanism 1, the robotic arm 2 can be folded to lower the center of gravity of the robot, thereby improving walking stability, reducing the risk of touching obstacles, and improving the robot's passability.

[0039] The clamping assembly 3 is fixed on the movable part 22, and a clamping gap is set on the clamping assembly 3. The clamping assembly 3 can make the book enter the clamping gap through the movable part 22, and the clamping assembly 3 grabs the target book. In the real book storage and retrieval scene, the clamping assembly 3 is adjusted in height and angle by the mechanical arm 2, so that the clamping gap is aligned with the book to be clamped, and the book is entered into the clamping gap by moving the clamping assembly 3. At this time, the clamping assembly 3 clamps the book and can take it out. On the contrary, if the book is stored, the above steps are reversed.

[0040] The book-pushing assembly 4 is disposed on the movable portion 22 , and includes a book-pushing portion 41 , which is movable relative to the movable portion 22 and is used to pull a target book out of a row of books to leave space for the clamping assembly 3 to grab the target book.

[0041] In this embodiment, since the books are placed in rows on the bookshelf, the clamping assembly 3 does not have the ability to directly make the target book enter the clamping gap. During the picking process, the book-pushing assembly 4 will move with the robot arm 2, so that the book-pushing part 41 moves to the top of the book to be picked up and contacts the book. The book-pushing assembly 4 pushes the book out of the bookshelf, so that there is space outside the target book for the clamping assembly 3 to clamp, thereby cooperating with the clamping assembly 3 to complete the picking action of the target book.

[0042] In addition, in this embodiment, a sensor component such as a camera can be provided on the clamping component 3 or the book-moving component 4 to identify the book through a QR code or NFC, so as to determine the location of the target book, or the location of the target book can be preset, and after the walking mechanism 1 finds the bookshelf where the target book is located, the target book can be accessed.

[0043] In this embodiment, the clamping assembly 3 includes a base 31, two claw fingers 32 and a driving mechanism 33. The base 31 is fixed on the movable part 22. The two claw fingers 32 are slidably set on the base 31 and can slide toward each other. The driving mechanism 33 is set on the base 31 and is transmission-connected to the two claw fingers 32. The driving mechanism 33 is used to drive the two claw fingers 32 to move.

[0044] The base 31 is fixed on the gripper connector of the robot arm 2. A slide rail is provided on the side of the base 31 away from the robot arm 2. Both claw fingers 32 are provided on the slide rail so that the two claw fingers 32 can slide on the base 31. At the same time, the driving mechanism 33 provided can drive the two claw fingers 32 to move closer to or away from each other, so as to realize the rapid clamping and storage of books. The gap between the two claw fingers 32 is the clamping gap. Compared with clamping books through a thin plate, this clamping method can provide higher clamping force and stability, thereby ensuring the stable storage and retrieval of books.

[0045] In addition, the above-mentioned camera and other sensor components can be arranged on the base 31 to move synchronously with the mechanical part, so as to move to the outside of the target book to perform the two-dimensional code recognition operation.

[0046] The driving mechanism 33 includes a clamping motor and a connecting rod. The clamping motor is fixed to the base 31, connected to the output end of the clamping motor, and is transmission-connected to the two claw fingers 32. The clamping motor drives the connection action by forward and reverse rotation to make the two claw fingers 32 move toward or away from each other. In addition to using a motor, a rotating cylinder or other device can also be used to drive the connecting rod.

[0047] In this embodiment, the book-pushing assembly 4 further includes a first rod 42 and a second rod 43 . One end of the first rod 42 is hinged to the movable portion 22 . The second rod 43 is hinged to the other end of the first rod 42 . The book-pushing portion 41 is fixed to the second rod 43 .

[0048] After the book-pushing component 4 pushes the target book out of the row of bookshelves, the book-pushing portion 41 and the clamping component 3 need to move relative to each other so that the clamping component 3 can clamp the target book. However, the book-pushing portion 41 cannot leave the book before the clamping action is completed to prevent the book from returning to its original position or falling downward. The first rod 42 and the second rod 43 can enable the book-pushing portion 41 and the clamping component 3 to move relative to each other, so that the book-pushing portion 41 does not leave the target book while the clamping component 3 moves to clamp the target book.

[0049] Specifically, the book-picking assembly 4 also includes two driving members 44, one of which is arranged on the movable part 22 and is transmission-connected to the first rod member 42 for driving the first rod member 42 to rotate on the movable part 22, and the other driving member 44 is arranged on the first rod member 42 and is transmission-connected to the second rod member 43 for driving the second rod member 43 to rotate on the first rod member 42.

[0050] The driving member 44 includes a driving motor, a worm and a worm wheel. The first rod 42 is hinged on the base 31 through a first rotating shaft. The worm wheel is fixed on the first rotating shaft. The driving motor is fixed on the base 31, and a worm is arranged at the output end. The worm and the worm wheel are connected in driving manner. The first rod 42 can be driven to rotate on the base 31 by the driving motor. Correspondingly, the second rod 43 is hinged on the first rod 42 through a second rotating shaft. The driving member 44 is arranged in the same way to drive the second rod 43 to rotate relative to the first rod 42. The book picking portion 41 is fixed on the second rod 43, thereby realizing the relative movement of the book picking portion 41 and the clamping assembly 3.

[0051] As a preferred embodiment, in some scenarios where the bookshelves are relatively high, it is obviously difficult to satisfy the access requirements of target books on higher levels by only adjusting the height through the robotic arm 2. Therefore, a height adjustment component 5 is also provided. The height adjustment component 5 is provided on the walking mechanism 1, and the robotic arm 2 is provided on the height adjustment component 5. The height adjustment component 5 is used to adjust the relative distance between the robotic arm 2 and the walking mechanism 1.

[0052] The height adjustment component 5 can adjust the height of the robotic arm 2 by changing the relative distance between the walking mechanism 1 and the robotic arm 2, thereby compensating for the position that the robotic arm 2 cannot reach, realizing a book picking operation with a large range of height changes, improving the applicability of the robot, and further improving its flexibility.

[0053] Specifically, the height adjustment assembly 5 includes a scissor frame 51 and a carrier plate 52 . One end of the scissor frame 51 is arranged on the walking mechanism 1 , the carrier plate 52 is arranged on the other end of the scissor frame 51 , and the robot arm 2 is arranged on the carrier plate 52 .

[0054] In this embodiment, in order to ensure the stability of the structure, the number of scissor frames 51 is set to two, and they are symmetrically arranged between the carrier plate 52 and the walking mechanism 1. By extending and retracting the two scissor frames 51, the relative distance between the carrier plate 52 and the walking mechanism 1 can be changed, thereby adjusting the horizontal height of the robotic arm 2.

[0055] In order to drive the scissors frame 51 to perform telescopic movement, the height adjustment component 5 also includes a telescopic member 53, one end of the telescopic member 53 is hinged to the walking mechanism 1, and the other end is transmission-connected to the scissors frame 51. The telescopic member 53 is used to push the scissors frame 51 to expand or fold. The telescopic member 53 can select a cylinder or an electric push rod. Through the telescopic movement of the telescopic member 53, the scissors frame 51 can be driven to perform telescopic movement, thereby realizing the height adjustment action of the carrier plate 52.

[0056] In addition, the scissors frame 51 includes a first hinged portion and a first sliding portion, a first sliding groove is provided on the carrier plate 52, the first hinged portion is hinged to the carrier plate 52, and the first sliding portion is slidably connected to the carrier plate 52 through the first sliding groove, so that the scissors frame 51 has good stability during the telescopic action and will not separate from the carrier plate 52.

[0057] Correspondingly, the scissors frame 51 further includes a second hinged portion and a second sliding portion. A second sliding groove is provided on the walking mechanism 1. The second hinged portion is hinged to the walking mechanism 1. The second sliding portion is slidably connected to the walking mechanism 1 through the second sliding groove.

[0058] Between the two scissor frames 51, for the sake of structural stability, each hinge node is provided with a cross bar for connecting the two scissor frames 51, and a telescopic member 53 is provided, one end of which is connected to the scissor frames 51 is connected to one of the cross bars. The cross bar serves as a rotating shaft and is movably connected to the two scissor frames 51, so the telescopic member 53 can be directly fixed to the cross bar.

[0059] In addition, a clearance groove 401 is provided on the book-pushing portion 41. When the book-pushing component 4 moves relative to the clamping component 3, the second rod 43 and the first rod 42 will rotate relative to each other in order to maintain the book-pushing state. The clearance groove 401 can prevent the book-pushing portion 41 from pressing against the corner of the book during the rotation process, causing the book to detach from the book-pushing portion 41, thereby improving the stability of the book when being pulled out.

[0060] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A book picking and placing robot, characterized in that: The invention comprises a walking mechanism (1), a mechanical arm (2), a clamping assembly (3) and a book-moving assembly (4), wherein: The walking mechanism (1) is used to contact the ground and move; The mechanical arm (2) comprises a mounting portion (21) and a movable portion (22), wherein the mounting portion (21) is arranged on the walking mechanism (1), and the movable portion (22) can move relative to the mounting portion (21); The clamping assembly (3) is fixed on the movable part (22); a clamping gap is provided on the clamping assembly (3); the clamping assembly (3) can allow a book to enter the clamping gap through the movable part (22), and the clamping assembly (3) can grab the target book; The book-pushing assembly (4) is arranged on the movable part (22), and the book-pushing assembly (4) comprises a book-pushing part (41). The book-pushing part (41) is movable relative to the movable part (22), and the book-pushing part (41) is used to pull a target book out of a row of books to leave space for the clamping assembly (3) to grab the target book.

2. The book picking and placing robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The clamping assembly (3) comprises a base (31), two claw fingers (32) and a driving mechanism (33), wherein: The base (31) is fixed on the movable part (22); The two claw fingers (32) are both slidably arranged on the base (31) and can slide towards each other; The driving mechanism (33) is arranged on the base (31) and is in transmission connection with the two claw fingers (32). The driving mechanism (33) is used to drive the two claw fingers (32) to move.

3. The book picking and placing robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The book-turning assembly (4) further comprises a first rod (42) and a second rod (43), wherein: One end of the first rod (42) is hinged on the movable part (22); The second rod (43) is hinged to the other end of the first rod (42), and the book-turning portion (41) is fixed on the second rod (43).

4. The book picking and placing robot according to claim 3, characterized in that: The book-picking assembly (4) further comprises two driving members (44), wherein one of the driving members (44) is arranged on the movable part (22) and is transmission-connected to the first rod (42) for driving the first rod (42) to rotate on the movable part (22), and the other of the driving members (44) is arranged on the first rod (42) and is transmission-connected to the second rod (43) for driving the second rod (43) to rotate on the first rod (42).

5. The book picking and placing robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also comprises a height adjustment component (5), wherein the height adjustment component (5) is arranged on the walking mechanism (1), the mechanical arm (2) is arranged on the height adjustment component (5), and the height adjustment component (5) is used to adjust the relative distance between the mechanical arm (2) and the walking mechanism (1).

6. The book picking and placing robot according to claim 5, characterized in that: The height adjustment assembly (5) comprises a scissor frame (51) and a carrier plate (52), wherein: One end of the scissor frame (51) is arranged on the walking mechanism (1); The carrier plate (52) is arranged on the other end of the scissor frame (51), and the mechanical arm (2) is arranged on the carrier plate (52).

7. The book picking and placing robot according to claim 6, characterized in that: The height adjustment assembly (5) further comprises a telescopic member (53), one end of which is hinged to the walking mechanism (1) and the other end of which is transmission-connected to the scissor frame (51), and the telescopic member (53) is used to push the scissor frame (51) to expand or fold.

8. The book picking and placing robot according to claim 6, characterized in that: The scissor frame (51) comprises a first hinged portion and a first sliding portion, a first sliding groove is provided on the carrier plate (52), the first hinged portion is hinged to the carrier plate (52), and the first sliding portion is slidably connected to the carrier plate (52) via the first sliding groove.

9. The book picking and placing robot according to claim 8, characterized in that: The scissor frame (51) further comprises a second hinged portion and a second sliding portion, a second sliding groove is provided on the walking mechanism (1), the second hinged portion is hinged to the walking mechanism (1), and the second sliding portion is slidably connected to the walking mechanism (1) via the second sliding groove.

10. The book picking and placing robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The book turning part (41) is provided with a yielding groove (401).