Lightweight cooking robot

Abstract

The utility model provides a lightweight cooking robot. The lightweight cooking robot comprises a cooking assembly; the stroke assembly is arranged on one side of the back face of the cooking assembly; and the mechanical arm is coupled with the stroke assembly, the mechanical arm can move in the extending direction of the stroke assembly, and the number of joints of the mechanical arm does not exceed four. The cooking robot has the advantages of being light in weight, low in cost, high in integration degree, high in intelligence and automation degree, high in meal delivery efficiency and the like.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of robotics, and in particular, to a lightweight cooking robot. Background Art

[0002] With the development of society and advancements in technology, the use of robots in homes, businesses, and other settings is gradually becoming a reality. Demand for automated, internet-connected, and intelligent robotic assistants is growing. This demand is driving the development of collaborative robots, particularly in the restaurant industry, where intelligent technology is expected to improve food delivery efficiency, reduce costs, and increase market competitiveness. The emergence of collaborative robots allows humans and robots to share a workspace, improving safety and collaborative work capabilities.

[0003] Traditional collaborative robots have limitations in kitchen deployment. They often require a large space and have excessive redundant movements, significantly reducing their efficiency compared to human operators. However, lightweighting robots can make their deployment more flexible, utilize space more efficiently, and provide more precise movements. This can also significantly reduce production costs.

[0004] However, kitchen scenarios often require robots to perform complex movements to complete a series of cooking tasks in three-dimensional space. The completion of these complex movements depends on the number of joints and arms, as well as the degree of freedom, creating a paradox for lightweight robots. Therefore, kitchen scenarios present a severe challenge to lightweight robot design.

[0005] How to achieve a lightweight design for robots so that they can be flexibly deployed in kitchen scenarios, ensure safety and ease of maintenance, while reducing space occupancy and production costs, and also have the ability to perform precise movements to complete a series of complex cooking actions, is an urgent problem to be solved. Utility Model Content

[0006] The present application provides a cooking robot, comprising: a cooking component; a travel component, arranged on the back side of the cooking component; and a robotic arm, coupled to the travel component, the robotic arm being capable of moving along the extension direction of the travel component, wherein the number of joints of the robotic arm does not exceed 4.

[0007] In one embodiment, the number of joints of the robotic arm does not exceed 3.

[0008] In one embodiment, the cooking robot further includes: a kitchenware assembly; and a manipulator connected to the manipulator arm, configured to grasp a gripping portion of the kitchenware assembly, wherein in the cooking state, the gripping portion is close to a front side of the cooking assembly.

[0009] In one embodiment, the robotic arm includes: a first joint, a second joint, and a third joint; a first arm connecting the first joint and the second joint; a second arm connecting the second joint and the third joint; and a connector, one end of which is connected to the third joint to rotate with the rotation of the third joint, and the other end is connected to the side wall of the robotic arm to drive the robotic arm to rotate around the third joint.

[0010] In one embodiment, the extension direction of the third joint and the extension direction of the other end of the connector are the same as the extension direction of the stroke assembly, the side wall includes a wall of the manipulator perpendicular to its thickness direction, and the first arm and / or the second arm drives the third joint closer to or away from the stroke assembly.

[0011] In one embodiment, the extension direction of the first joint and the second joint is the same as the extension direction of the third joint, and in the process from the cooking state to the serving state, the maximum rotation angle w1 of the first joint satisfies: 50°≤w1≤80°, the maximum rotation angle w2 of the second joint satisfies: 45°≤w2≤78°, and the maximum rotation angle w3 of the third joint satisfies: 95°≤w3≤160°.

[0012] In one embodiment, the cooking robot further includes: a food serving assembly, which is arranged on the front side of the travel assembly and includes a food serving port, wherein, during the process, the manipulator grabs the kitchenware assembly, the manipulator moves to the end of the travel assembly close to the food serving assembly, and the third joint drives the manipulator to rotate clockwise to flip the kitchenware assembly.

[0013] In one embodiment, the kitchenware assembly includes a kitchenware body and the gripping portion, and when the kitchenware assembly is flipped over to serve food, the projection of the opening of the kitchenware body on the projection plane is located within the projection of the food outlet on the projection plane, wherein the projection plane includes the plane where the food outlet is located.

[0014] In one embodiment, the food serving component includes a food serving portion having the food serving port, the shape of the food serving portion includes an inverted trapezoidal body, and the area of ​​the surface of the trapezoidal body away from the stroke component is not less than 1.2 times and not more than 5 times the area of ​​the surface of the trapezoidal body close to the stroke component.

[0015] In one embodiment, the projection shape of the surface of the trapezoidal body close to the cooking assembly on the projection plane includes a trapezoid, and the projection shape of the surface of the trapezoidal body away from the cooking assembly on the projection plane includes a line segment.

[0016] In one embodiment, the cooking robot further includes: a control module, which is communicatively connected to the robotic arm and the stroke component, respectively, to control the movement of the robotic arm, wherein the control module regulates the movement of the robotic arm along the extension direction of the stroke component, and regulates the rotation of the joints of the robotic arm; a vision module, which is used to identify target objects and transmit the captured signals to the control module; and an ordering module, which is used to record the order information of the user's order and transmit the order information to the control module.

[0017] The cooking robot provided by the present application may have at least one of the following beneficial effects:

[0018] According to some embodiments of the cooking robot, the robotic arm is coupled to the travel assembly, and the travel assembly is located on the back side of the cooking assembly. This design ensures that the robotic arm does not affect the front side of the cooking assembly when performing tasks, which helps to ensure the safety of users in the front position. It also facilitates the cleaning and maintenance of the cooking robot when the user is not in operation.

[0019] According to some embodiments of the cooking robot of the present application, the robotic arm is coupled to the travel assembly, and the robotic arm can move along the extension direction of the travel assembly. This design greatly increases the working range of the robotic arm, enabling it to have the ability to process tasks in parallel;

[0020] According to some embodiments of the present application, the cooking robot has no more than three joints, and completes a complete set of complex cooking action processes by using a very small number of joints, which has the advantages of being lightweight and low-cost.

[0021] The features and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention will be described in the following description, and in part will become apparent from the description or be understood by practicing the present invention. The objectives and other advantages of the embodiments of the present invention can be achieved and obtained through the structures and / or functions specifically pointed out in the description, claims and drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Other features, purposes and advantages of the present application will become more apparent through the following detailed description of non-limiting embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings:

[0023] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of the cooking robot during the material-picking process according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application.

[0024] Figure 2 It is a schematic structural diagram of the cooking robot according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application from another perspective.

[0025] Figure 3 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a cooking robot according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application from a top view.

[0026] Figure 4 It is a structural diagram of a cooking robot in a food serving state according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application.

[0027] Figure 5 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a cooking robot according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application from a main viewing angle.

[0028] Figure 6 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a cooking robot according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application from a rear view perspective.

[0029] Figure 7 3 is a schematic structural diagram of the cooking robot according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application from another perspective.

[0030] Figure 8 is a control block diagram of a cooking robot according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application.

[0031] Figure 9 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a cooking robot according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application.

[0032] The following are the descriptions of the accompanying figures:

[0033] 100, cooking robot; 110, cooking assembly; 111, cooking part; 112, hook part; 120, travel assembly; 130, robotic arm; 131, first joint; 132, second joint; 133, third joint; 134, first arm; 135, second arm; 136, connector; 137, base; 140, frame; 141, tray; 150, kitchenware assembly; 151, gripping part; 152, kitchenware body; 160, robotic arm; 17 0. Food dispensing assembly; 171. Food dispensing section; 171A. Food dispensing port; 171a. Surface of the trapezoidal body away from the stroke assembly; 171b. Surface of the trapezoidal body close to the stroke assembly; 171c. Surface of the trapezoidal body close to the cooking assembly; 171d. Surface of the trapezoidal body away from the cooking assembly; 180. Casters; 190. Food insulation module; 210. Control module; 220. Visual module; 230. Food ordering module; 240. Refrigerated unloading module; 250. Smoke exhaust module. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] For a better understanding of the present application, various aspects of the present application will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that these detailed descriptions are merely descriptions of exemplary embodiments of the present application and are not intended to limit the scope of the present application in any way. Throughout the specification, the same reference numerals refer to the same elements. The expression "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0035] It should be noted that, in this specification, expressions such as "first," "second," and the like are used solely to distinguish one feature from another and do not limit the features, and in particular do not indicate any order of precedence. In this specification, references to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," "example embodiments," "some embodiments," and the like indicate that the described embodiments may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment may necessarily include that particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, these phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment.

[0036] It should be understood that expressions such as “include,” “including,” “have,” “contain” and / or “comprise” in this specification are open rather than closed expressions, which indicate the presence of the stated features, elements and / or parts, but do not exclude the presence of one or more other features, elements, parts and / or their combinations.

[0037] It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the embodiments and features of the embodiments of the present application can be combined with each other. The features, principles and other aspects of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0038] This application provides a cooking robot that can at least improve or resolve the aforementioned issues. By innovatively employing a lightweight robotic arm in the field of kitchen robots and implementing targeted motion planning, the lightweight robotic arm is able to perform a complete set of complex cooking actions, including reaching down to receive ingredients, linear movement, cooking, grasping kitchenware components, flipping and pouring ingredients, and hanging kitchenware components.

[0039] The cooking robot in this application significantly reduces the number of arm joints. By setting up a reasonable motion plan, the robot eliminates redundant movements, significantly improving food delivery efficiency and reducing costs. The high integration of the entire device and the rational flow design reduce the cooking robot's footprint and enhance its flexibility in complex environments.

[0040] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the cooking robot in the process of picking up ingredients according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application. Figure 1As shown, the cooking robot 100 includes a cooking component 110 , a travel component 120 and a robotic arm 130 .

[0041] In some embodiments, the stroke assembly 120 is disposed on the back side of the cooking assembly 110. The robotic arm 130 is coupled to the stroke assembly 120, and the robotic arm 130 is capable of moving along the extension direction of the stroke assembly 120. Exemplarily, the extension direction of the stroke assembly 120 is a linear extension, including extension along the x direction or the opposite direction of x. The coupling method of the robotic arm 130 and the stroke assembly 120 includes a slide rail connection, and the robotic arm 130 is mounted on the sliding rail of the stroke assembly 120 and can be driven by, for example, a motor to move along the x direction or the opposite direction of x. In addition, the coupling method of the robotic arm 130 and the stroke assembly 120 may also include a combination of one or more of a gear transmission connection, a telescopic connection, a belt connection, a chain connection, and a screw connection.

[0042] It should be noted that the travel component 120 described in the context of this application is arranged on the back of the cooking component 110. The technical term "back" means that the travel component 120 is located on the rear side of the cooking component 110 when viewed in the opposite direction of z.

[0043] The inventors of the present application have discovered that disposing the robotic arm 130 on the back side of the cooking assembly 110 can keep the robotic arm 130 away from the user, making it easier to clean and maintain, and safer.

[0044] It is understandable that the maximum movement distance l of the robot arm 130 in the x-direction or the opposite direction of x-direction is determined by the length of the stroke assembly 120. If the length of the stroke assembly 120 is too small, it will be detrimental to the parallel processing of multiple tasks by the robot arm 130. If the length of the stroke assembly 120 is too long, it will affect the system's positioning accuracy of the movement of the robot arm 130 (if a positioning solution using a motor with a single-turn encoder is adopted, the encoding positioning range will be limited to 360° measurement; if a control positioning solution using a motor with a multi-turn encoder is adopted, it will result in disadvantages such as complex structure, high cost, and easy damage during use). As an example, the maximum movement distance l of the robot arm 130 on the stroke assembly 120 satisfies 0.4m≤l≤20m. Preferably, l satisfies 0.5m≤l≤5m.

[0045] In some embodiments, the travel assembly 120 can be supported by a frame 140. Because the travel assembly 120 is coupled to the robotic arm 130, the combined weight can reach tens or even hundreds of kilograms. To prevent tipping caused by changes in the center of gravity of the robotic arm 130 and the bending moment generated by the robotic arm 130 on the frame 140 during movement, the frame 140 is provided with support brackets along the z-direction. As one possible example, the z-direction support brackets of the frame 140 can be fixed to the ground. As another possible example, the z-direction support brackets of the frame 140 can be independent of the ground and instead form a connection with the cooking assembly 110. To conserve space, the cooking assembly 110 can be positioned within the space formed by the frame 140.

[0046] In some embodiments, the cooking robot 100 further includes a kitchenware assembly 150. The cooking assembly 110 may include a heat source (not shown) and a cooking portion 111. During cooking, the cooking portion 111 is used to hold the kitchenware assembly 150. For example, the cooking portion 111 may have a recess, in which, for example, liquid may be placed. The heat source heats the liquid to heat the food in the kitchenware assembly 150.

[0047] For example, the cooking portion 111 may include a plurality of grooves, each groove being used in conjunction with one or more kitchenware assemblies 150 to enable performing multiple identical or different cooking tasks simultaneously.

[0048] For example, the cooking assembly 110 further includes a hook portion 112, which can be disposed adjacent to the cooking portion 111 and is used to hang the kitchenware assembly 150. During cooking, the kitchenware assembly 150 can be directly hung on the hook portion 112, allowing the kitchenware assembly 150 to be suspended above the cooking assembly 110 for filtering or controlling liquid. An empty kitchenware assembly 150 can also be hung on the hook portion 112 for easy access later.

[0049] In other embodiments, the cooking portion 111 may not have a groove, and the cooking portion heats and cooks food by directly / indirectly contacting the kitchenware assembly 150 or food with its surface.

[0050] In still other embodiments, the cooking assembly 110 may include a heat source instead of the cooking portion 111 , and directly heat and cook the kitchenware assembly 150 or food through the heat source.

[0051] In some embodiments, the cooking robot 100 further includes a manipulator 160. The kitchenware assembly 150 includes a gripping portion 151 and a kitchenware body 152. The gripping portion 151 can be located on the exterior of the kitchenware body 152, such as a handle; the gripping portion 151 can also be a portion of the kitchenware body 152, which is used for gripping by the manipulator 160 of the present application.

[0052] The manipulator 160 is connected to the manipulator arm 130 and is used to grasp the gripping portion 151 of the kitchenware assembly 150. In the cooking state, the gripping portion 151 is close to the front side of the cooking assembly 110.

[0053] It should be noted that the grip portion 151 described herein is located near the front side of the cooking assembly 110. The technical term "front side" refers to the front side of the cooking assembly 110 as viewed in the opposite z-direction. The "cooking state" described herein refers to a state in which a heat source is directly heating the kitchenware assembly 150 and / or the food therein, or a heat source is used to heat and cook the kitchenware assembly 150 and / or the food therein on the cooking portion 111.

[0054] In the cooking state, the gripping portion 151 is close to the front side of the cooking assembly 110 , and the kitchen appliance body 152 is close to the rear side of the cooking assembly 110 , that is, the gripping portion 151 is farther away from the robot arm 130 than the kitchen appliance body 152 .

[0055] This application uses a relatively small number of joints and implements targeted motion posture planning, dynamic positioning, and precision control design to achieve a complete set of complex cooking actions. As one possible example, the number of joints of the robotic arm 130 is 4. As another possible example, the number of joints of the robotic arm 130 does not exceed 3.

[0056] Figure 2 : is a schematic diagram of the structure of the cooking robot according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application from another perspective. Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, robotic arm 130 has three joints. For example, robotic arm 130 includes a first joint 131, a second joint 132, a third joint 133, a first arm 134, a second arm 135, and a connector 136. First arm 134 connects first joint 131 and second joint 132; second arm 135 connects second joint 132 and third joint 133; connector 136 has one end connected to third joint 133 to rotate with it, and the other end connected to the side wall of manipulator 160 to drive manipulator 160 to rotate around third joint 133.

[0057] Figure 3 : is a schematic diagram of the structure of the cooking robot according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application from a top view. Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown, the extension direction of the third joint 133 is the same as the extension direction of the other end of the connector 136 (i.e., the end connected to the manipulator 160), and both are the same as the extension direction of the stroke assembly 120. In other words, the extension direction of the third joint 133 and the other end of the connector 136 both includes the x-direction. The extension direction of the end of the connector 136 connected to the third joint 133 includes extension along the z-direction. The "one end" and the "other end" of the connector 136 can form an L-shaped structure.

[0058] The first joint 131, the second joint 132, and the third joint 133 all extend in the x-direction and the opposite x-direction, and can all rotate about the x-axis. The sidewalls of the manipulator 160 include arms perpendicular to the thickness of the manipulator 160, which includes the z-direction. The manipulator 160 can rotate about the axis of rotation of the third joint 133.

[0059] For example, the first arm 134 extends perpendicularly to the directions of extension of the first joint 131 and the second joint 132, and is oblate in the direction opposite to x. The second arm 135 extends perpendicularly to the directions of extension of the second joint 132 and the third joint 133, and is oblate in the direction x. This oblate design effectively reduces the weight of the first and second arms 134, 135 while increasing their ability to withstand loads and bending moments.

[0060] In some embodiments, the first arm 134 and / or the second arm 135 can drive the third joint 133 toward or away from the travel assembly 110, thereby driving the manipulator 160 to grasp the kitchenware assembly 150. For example, the manipulator 160 includes multiple fingers, which grasp the gripping portion 151 by moving closer to or further away from each other. The number of fingers of the manipulator 160 shown in the drawings of this application is only illustrative and does not limit this application. Persons skilled in the art may configure the number of fingers to be different without departing from this application. For example, the number of fingers may be set to 3, 4, 5, 6, or even more.

[0061] In some embodiments, the fingers include an anti-slip structure arranged along the z-direction. In the process of multiple fingers approaching each other, the anti-slip structure will form a clamping space. The inventors of the present application found that when the manipulator 160 is grasping the kitchenware assembly 150, because its gripping portion 151 may be in the form of a longer handle (such as a handle), the manipulator 160 needs to bear a larger eccentric load, which not only puts forward requirements for the overall structural strength of the manipulator 160, but also poses a challenge to its clamping method. If the gripping force of the fingers of the manipulator 160 is too small and the friction between the fingers and the gripping portion is insufficient, there is a risk of the grasped object falling off. The design of the anti-slip structure can provide support for the gripping portion 151, for example, in the y-direction, and convert the key force from friction force to support force, thereby effectively avoiding the object falling off during the clamping process.

[0062] In some embodiments, the robotic arm 130 further includes a base 137 , which is mechanically connected to the first joint 131 , can be coupled to the stroke assembly 120 through the base 137 , and can enable the base 137 to drive the entire robotic arm 130 to move along the x direction or the opposite direction of x.

[0063] Since the number of joints of the robotic arm 130 of the present application is designed to be no more than 3, the cooking robot 100 has obvious cost advantages and lightweight advantages. However, on the other hand, this design greatly increases the difficulty of the robotic arm 130 in completing complex movements. For kitchen scenarios, the realization of cooking tasks depends on the superposition of a series of complex movements (including reaching down to receive materials, linear movement, cooking movements, grasping kitchen utensils, flipping and pouring materials, hanging kitchen utensils, etc.), and it is also necessary to consider the interference between the various joints and arms of the robotic arm 130 itself, and the interference between the robotic arm 130 and other equipment and the environment during the movement. The above problems pose huge challenges to the motion design, positioning accuracy of the lightweight robotic arm 130 and the grasping accuracy of the manipulator 160 in the kitchen scenario. This requires that the lightweight robotic arm 130 itself and other supporting equipment have a reasonable structural deployment and scientific movement line planning, both of which are indispensable.

[0064] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the cooking robot in the state of serving food according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application. Figure 1 and Figure 4As shown, the cooking robot 100 further includes a food serving assembly 170, which can be arranged on the front side of the travel assembly 120. The "front side" means that the food serving assembly 170 is located in front of the travel assembly 120 when viewed from the opposite direction of z. Exemplarily, the food serving assembly 170 can be arranged adjacent to the cooking assembly 110. The food serving assembly 170 includes a food serving portion 171, which has a food serving port 171A. Exemplarily, the food serving port 171A is located at the top of the food serving assembly 170 to reduce the distance between the food serving port 171A and the kitchenware assembly 150 when serving food. The food serving port 171A can be set to be parallel to the plane where zx is located.

[0065] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems caused by the lightweight robot arm in the kitchen scene, the various joints of the robot arm 130 need to coordinately meet the rotation and displacement requirements when performing the food delivery action to ensure accurate food delivery positioning and avoid collisions between the joints and arms, and interference between the robot arm and other equipment and the environment. If the rotation angle of the first joint 131 and / or the second joint 132 is too large, the robot arm 130 will overextend or move in a way that may damage itself; if the rotation angle is too small, it will affect the overturning posture of the robot arm 160, making it difficult to align with the food delivery port. If the first joint 131 rotates too little and the second joint 132 rotates too far, it will cause the first joint 131 to collide with the third joint 133 and the second arm 135. If the third joint 133 does not rotate properly, it will cause food residue in the kitchenware assembly 150; overrotation may cause the handle 151 to interfere with the first arm 134 or the second joint 132.

[0066] In the process from the cooking state to the serving state, the rotation angle w1 of the first joint 131 of the exemplary embodiment of the present application satisfies: 50°≤w1≤80°, the rotation angle w2 of the second joint 132 satisfies: 45°≤w2≤78°, and the rotation angle w3 of the third joint 133 satisfies: 95°≤w3≤160°.

[0067] For example, the value of w1 can be set to 52°, the value of w2 can be set to 60°, and the value of w3 can be set to 155°. For example, the value of w1 can be set to 67°, the value of w2 can be set to 58°, and the value of w3 can be set to 120°. For example, the value of w1 can be set to 80°, the value of w2 can be set to 75°, and the value of w3 can be set to 97°.

[0068] It should be noted that the above-mentioned "from the cooking state to the serving state" refers to the state where the kitchenware component 150 is cooking in the cooking component 110 and the state where the kitchenware component 150 is cooking is changed to the state where the kitchenware component 150 is serving. Figure 4 The kitchenware assembly 150 is shown flipped over to serve food. In the cooking state, the gripping portion 151 can be parallel to the xz plane or at an angle of no more than ±10° to the xz plane (where the gripping portion 151 tilts upward along the z-axis as + and tilts downward as -).

[0069] Coordinating the rotation angles of the three joints of robotic arm 130 as described above helps ensure that the robotic arm 130 maintains an appropriate posture when performing tasks, and prevents interference between the joints and arms, and between them and surrounding equipment (including the kitchenware assembly 150, the food serving assembly 170, etc.), walls, and the environment. This also prevents overshoot or incomplete movement of a single joint, which could render the entire robotic arm 130 motion ineffective, thereby enhancing its ability to adapt to diverse scenarios.

[0070] By precisely controlling the angle of each joint, the cooking robot 100 can accurately position itself at the food outlet 171A, ensuring that food lands precisely there. Furthermore, if a joint fails to reach its intended rotation angle due to a malfunction, the other joints can adjust within their respective angle ranges to dynamically compensate and complete the food delivery process. Furthermore, the coordinated setting of the joint rotation angles minimizes the time required to complete the food delivery process, improving the overall efficiency of the food delivery process.

[0071] For example, when switching from the cooking state to the serving state, the manipulator 160 grabs the kitchenware assembly 150, and the manipulator 130 moves to the end of the travel assembly 120 close to the serving assembly 170. The third joint 133 drives the manipulator 160 to rotate clockwise to flip the kitchenware assembly 150 for serving.

[0072] It should be noted that the technical term "clockwise" described in the context of this application refers to a clockwise rotation when viewed in the opposite direction of x.

[0073] In some embodiments, when the kitchenware assembly 150 is flipped over to serve food, the projection of the opening of the kitchenware body 152 on the projection plane is located within the projection of the food outlet 171A on the projection plane. The projection plane includes the plane where the food outlet 171A is located, for example, a plane parallel to the xz plane.

[0074] Figure 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a cooking robot according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application from a main viewing angle; Figure 6 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a cooking robot according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application from a rear view perspective.

[0075] The inventors of this application have discovered that in order to reduce the size of the cooking robot 100 in the x-direction to save space, the travel component 120 in the opposite x-direction should not exceed the edge of the food dispensing component 170 in the opposite x-direction. This is because the base 137 of the robot arm 130 has a certain volume, the first joint 131, the second joint 132, and the third joint 133 all extend in the x-direction / the opposite x-direction, and the first arm 134 is designed to be flat and convex in the opposite x-direction (combined with the shape of the first arm 134). Figures 5 and 6 Therefore, when the base 137 moves to the extreme position of the stroke assembly 120, the size of the base 137 and the flat convex design of the first arm 134 ensure that the extreme position of the manipulator 160 in the opposite x-direction does not lie at the edge of the stroke assembly 120. A certain distance is left from the extreme edge (the x-direction end) of the stroke assembly 120. This places requirements on the design of the food dispensing portion 171.

[0076] The inventors of the present application also discovered that since the kitchenware assembly 150 and the food contained therein will flip clockwise around the x-axis when the robotic arm 130 flips the food out, this will cause some of the food to first fall from the end close to the robotic arm 130 after the kitchenware assembly 150 flips from a horizontal state to a vertical state. As the flipping angle of the kitchenware assembly 150 further increases, the food will further fall along the z-direction, which causes most of the food in the kitchenware assembly 150 to initially gather on the side of the food dispensing portion 171 close to the robotic arm 130, and a small part to be on the side away from the robotic arm 130, which further puts forward requirements for the design of the food dispensing portion 171.

[0077] The present application sets the shape of the food dispensing portion 171 as an inverted trapezoid, and specifically designs the food dispensing opening 171A, the side size of the trapezoid, and the tilt angle, which can effectively prevent food from blocking the food dispensing opening 171A, sticking to the wall, or splashing when dispensing food, and achieve smooth food dispensing. For example, the surface 171a of the trapezoid away from the stroke component 120 (continued to refer to Figure 3 The area of ​​the trapezoidal body (shown in FIG. 1 ) is not less than 1.2 times and not more than 5 times the area of ​​the surface 171 b of the trapezoidal body that is close to the stroke assembly 120. The projected shape of the surface 171 c of the trapezoidal body that is close to the cooking assembly 120 on a projection plane (e.g., the xz plane) comprises a trapezoid, and the projected shape of the surface 171 d of the trapezoidal body that is distant from the cooking assembly 120 on the same projection plane comprises a line segment.

[0078] Furthermore, as the tilt angle of kitchenware assembly 150 increases, the food within kitchenware assembly 150 will fall parabolically along the z-direction. To ensure that food does not stick to the sidewalls of the trapezoidal body during serving, the slope of surface 171a within the trapezoidal body should not be too gentle. This requires that the top outlet 171A of serving portion 171 be positioned within a certain distance from kitchenware assembly 150 during serving. The design of serving portion 171 of the present application ensures that food falls smoothly without residue during serving, and prevents splashing when food lands within serving portion 170.

[0079] Figure 7 FIG is a structural diagram of a cooking robot according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application from another perspective. Figure 7 As shown, a tray 141 may be mounted on a support frame extending along the z-direction of the frame 140. The tray 141 is used to support the kitchenware assembly 150. The tray 141 may be positioned horizontally (i.e., parallel to the z-direction), or it may be positioned so that the side facing the front of the cooking assembly 110 is higher and the side facing the back of the cooking assembly 110 is lower. The kitchenware assembly 150 placed on the tray 141 may be empty or loaded with food ingredients.

[0080] In some embodiments, the cooking robot 100 further includes casters 180 mounted on the bottom of the frame 140 . The number of casters 180 can be multiple to jointly bear the weight of the cooking robot 100 .

[0081] For example, the casters 180 include wheels and legs. The length of the legs (in the y-direction) can be adjusted to restrict or release the movement of the cooking robot 100. The travel assembly 120 and the robotic arm 130 can also be leveled by adjusting one or more of the legs.

[0082] In other embodiments, the legs may be located on both sides or on the upper side of the wheel and serve only to limit the movement of the wheel. Compared to the ground-fixed or hole-punched hanging method, the arrangement of casters 180 has higher mobility flexibility and wider application scenarios.

[0083] Combined with the design of each component in the context of this application, the flexible deployment of the cooking robot 100, low vibration of the travel component 120, high positioning accuracy of the robotic arm 130, and high grasping accuracy of the robotic arm 160 are collaboratively achieved.

[0084] Figure 8 : is a control block diagram of a cooking robot according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application. Figure 8 As shown, the cooking robot 100 further includes a control module 210 , a vision module 220 , an ordering module 230 , and a refrigerated feeding module 240 . Figure 9 Schematic diagram of the cooking robot according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application. Figure 8 and Figure 9 As shown, the control module 210 is in communication with the robotic arm 130 and the stroke assembly 120 to control the movement of the robotic arm 130. Furthermore, the control module 210 can control the movement of the robotic arm 130 along the extension direction of the stroke assembly 120, and can control the various joints in the robotic arm 130 to rotate in coordination or independently.

[0085] In some embodiments, the vision module 220 is used to identify a target object, which may be a specific component / part or mark, such as the kitchenware component 150 or the gripping portion 151 of the kitchenware component 150, or a positioning label (such as a tag). The vision module 220 can transmit the captured visual signal to the control module 210.

[0086] For example, the vision module 220 can be installed at the end of the robotic arm 130, or on the frame 140, or separately installed on the outside of the cooking robot 100 or at other locations, and this application does not limit this. The vision module 220 can be, for example, a camera, a lens, a camera array, a TOF (Time Of Flight) sensor, or a depth sensor based on structured light.

[0087] It should be noted that the vision module 220 can rely on calibration information (such as tag labels) or depth information for visual positioning, and transmit the captured image and / or point cloud information to the control module 210. The control module 210 performs motion planning of the robotic arm 130 based on the feedback information and executes the grasping action of the robotic arm 160. When the vision module 220 captures images and / or point cloud information, and when the robotic arm 130 performs a grasping action, if there is vibration in the cooking robot 100, it will affect the positioning accuracy of the vision module 220, and affect the motion planning of the robotic arm 130, thereby affecting the grasping accuracy. The present application effectively reduces the vibration of the movement process and improves the grasping accuracy through the coordinated cooperation of the support frame of the frame 140 with the cooking component 110 and the travel component 120, and at the same time combines the support feet at the bottom of the frame 140.

[0088] In some embodiments, users can place food orders through the ordering module 240. The ordering module 240 records the user's order information and transmits the order data to the control module 210. The control module 210 can control the robotic arm 130 to grab the kitchenware assembly 150 based on the order information and control the refrigerated unloading module 240 to unload the food at the appropriate time.

[0089] In some embodiments, the refrigerated unloading module 240 can have both food refrigeration and unloading functions, and can be controlled by the instructions of the control module 210. The refrigerated unloading module 240 is arranged on the side of the robot arm 130 when performing the following exploration action, on the x-direction side of the stroke component 120, and can be arranged adjacent to the tray 141 on the frame 140. The refrigerated unloading module 240 includes a refrigerated cavity and a discharger. The refrigerated cavity is used to refrigerate food ingredients, and the discharger can transfer the food ingredients in the refrigerated cavity to the discharge port 241. The discharge port 241 is arranged at the bottom of the refrigerated unloading module 240 or near the bottom to facilitate unloading.

[0090] For example, a discharge slide is installed at the discharge port 241, through which food ingredients can slide directly into the kitchenware assembly 150 located on the tray 141. After receiving the user's order information, the control module 210 activates the unloading function of the refrigeration module 231, releasing the food ingredients corresponding to the weight of the user's order, and transferring them to the kitchenware assembly 150 on the tray 141 via the discharge slide. The robotic arm 130 then drives the manipulator 160 to reach down to retrieve the ingredients. The manipulator 160 grasps the gripping portion 151 of the kitchenware assembly 150 and, through the coordinated movement of the joints of the robotic arm 130, places the kitchenware assembly 150 and its contents on the cooking assembly 110 for cooking. To facilitate the refrigeration unloading module 240 in transferring food ingredients to the kitchenware assembly 150, the height of the discharge port 241 is lower than the height of the first joint 131.

[0091] In some embodiments, the control module 210 can also communicate with the manipulator 160 and send commands to control the movement of the manipulator 130 and the opening and closing of the fingers of the manipulator 160. The end of the manipulator 130 is connected to the manipulator 160, so that the manipulator 160 can move when the manipulator 130 moves.

[0092] For example, the control module 210 can regulate the robotic arm 130 and / or the robotic arm 160 to realize the downward reaching action, cooking action, reverse grabbing of kitchen utensils action, flipping out food action, hanging kitchen utensils action, etc.; the control module 210 can also realize the linear movement and other actions of the robotic arm 130 by regulating the stroke component 120.

[0093] In some embodiments, the cooking robot 100 further includes a food heat preservation module 190 and a smoke exhaust module 250. The food heat preservation module 190 can be positioned adjacent to the food presentation assembly 170 and located on the side of the presentation assembly 170 opposite to the x-axis. After the food is cooked and presented, it can be fed into the food heat preservation module 190 via the outer slide of the presentation assembly 170, ensuring the food temperature is maintained for the user.

[0094] The smoke exhaust module 250 can be mounted on top of the cooking assembly 110. Due to the size of the smoke exhaust module 250, if the second arm 132, the third arm 133, and the manipulator 160 are positioned too high during extension, they may interfere with the smoke exhaust module 250. This application limits the rotation angles of the first joint 131, the second joint 132, and the third joint 133, thereby restricting the motion trajectory of the manipulator 130 and preventing interference between the manipulator 130, the manipulator 160, and the smoke exhaust module 250.

[0095] In some embodiments, the cooking robot 100 also includes at least one of an oil filter module and a cleaning module (not shown). The oil filter module and the cleaning module can improve the cleanliness of the cooking process and ensure the taste of meals cooked for a long time or in multiple order scenarios.

[0096] In some embodiments, the cooking robot 100 is capable of gripping a kitchen utensil assembly 150 by controlling the movements and actions of the robotic arm 130 and the manipulator 160. The cooking robot 100 can grasp both centrally located loads within the kitchen utensil itself, such as condiment bottles, bowls, plates, and cups, and eccentrically located loads, such as frying baskets and woks with handles. For example, the kitchen utensil assembly 150 includes a frying basket, wok, frying spoon, condiment bottle, cup, and bowl. The gripping portion 151 may include, for example, a handle for a frying basket or wok, or a handle for a cup. The manipulator 160 can grasp and release kitchen utensil with or without handles. As another example, the manipulator 160 of the cooking robot 100 can directly grasp food or other items, such as fruit, bread, vegetables, milk in a box or with tape, and condiments.

[0097] Illustratively, the cooking component 110 includes a fryer, which has a groove in which cooking oil and the like can be placed. The cooking robot 100 can release the French fry ingredients in the frying basket through, for example, the feeder of the refrigerated feeding module 240, and extend the robotic arm 130 to perform a downward movement, while driving the robotic arm 160 to grab the handle of the frying basket to move the frying basket to the frying oven, and place the frying basket body in the groove filled with oil for frying. The frying temperature can also be achieved by regulating the frying oven through the control module 210. After cooking is completed, the robotic arm 130 continues to drive the robotic arm 160 to grab the handle of the frying basket, retract the arm and flip the frying basket to serve the food, completing the entire process of automatic food retrieval, automatic cooking and automatic serving. This application realizes a lightweight, automated, high-serving efficiency and low-space kitchen cooking robot through reasonable motion line design and coordinated planning of the joints of the robotic arm.

[0098] It is easy to understand that the cooking robot 100 can be applied in many scenarios, for example, it can be used for cooking and preparing food in a home kitchen to free the hands of family members; the cooking robot 100 can be used in a commercial open kitchen to provide an integrated food supply solution; the cooking robot 100 can be used in industrial standardized production to automatically prepare food, etc.

[0099] The above description is merely an embodiment of the present application and an illustration of the technical principles employed. Those skilled in the art should understand that the scope of protection involved in this application is not limited to the technical solutions formed by a specific combination of the above-mentioned technical features, but should also cover other technical solutions formed by any combination of the above-mentioned technical features or their equivalents without departing from the technical concept. For example, a technical solution formed by replacing the above-mentioned features with (but not limited to) technical features with similar functions disclosed in this application.

Claims

1. A lightweight cooking robot, characterized in that: The cooking robot comprises: Cooking components; A travel component, disposed on the back side of the cooking component; and A robotic arm is coupled to the stroke component, and the robotic arm is capable of moving along the extension direction of the stroke component, wherein the number of joints of the robotic arm does not exceed 4.

2. The cooking robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The number of joints of the robotic arm does not exceed 3.

3. The cooking robot according to claim 2, characterized in that: Also includes: kitchenware components; as well as A manipulator is connected to the manipulator arm and is used to grasp a gripping portion of the kitchenware assembly, wherein in a cooking state, the gripping portion is close to a front side of the cooking assembly.

4. The cooking robot according to claim 3, characterized in that: The robotic arm comprises: First joint, second joint, third joint; a first arm connecting the first joint and the second joint; a second arm connecting the second joint and the third joint; and A connector, one end of which is connected to the third joint so as to rotate along with the rotation of the third joint, and the other end of which is connected to the side wall of the manipulator so as to drive the manipulator to rotate around the third joint.

5. The cooking robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: The extension direction of the third joint and the extension direction of the other end of the connector are both the same as the extension direction of the stroke assembly. The side wall includes a wall of the manipulator that is perpendicular to its thickness direction, and the first arm and / or the second arm drives the third joint to move closer to or away from the stroke assembly.

6. The cooking robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: The extending directions of the first joint and the second joint are both the same as the extending direction of the third joint, and In the process from the cooking state to the serving state, the maximum rotation angle w1 of the first joint satisfies: 50°≤w1≤80°, the maximum rotation angle w2 of the second joint satisfies: 45°≤w2≤78°, and the maximum rotation angle w3 of the third joint satisfies: 95°≤w3≤160°.

7. The cooking robot according to claim 6, characterized in that: Also includes: The meal dispensing assembly is arranged on the front side of the travel assembly and includes a meal dispensing port. In the process, the manipulator grasps the kitchenware assembly, the manipulator moves to one end of the travel assembly close to the food serving assembly, and the third joint drives the manipulator to rotate clockwise to flip the kitchenware assembly.

8. The cooking robot according to claim 7, characterized in that: The kitchenware assembly includes a kitchenware body and the gripping portion, and when the kitchenware assembly is turned over to serve food, the projection of the opening of the kitchenware body on the projection plane is located within the projection of the food outlet on the projection plane. Wherein, the projection plane includes the plane where the food outlet is located.

9. The cooking robot according to claim 8, characterized in that: The food dispensing assembly includes a food dispensing portion having the food dispensing port, and the shape of the food dispensing portion includes an inverted trapezoidal body, and The area of ​​the surface of the trapezoidal body away from the stroke assembly is not less than 1.2 times and not more than 5 times the area of ​​the surface of the trapezoidal body close to the stroke assembly.

10. The cooking robot according to claim 9, characterized in that: A projection shape of a surface of the trapezoidal body close to the cooking assembly on the projection plane includes a trapezoid, and a projection shape of a surface of the trapezoidal body away from the cooking assembly on the projection plane includes a line segment.

11. The cooking robot according to claim 5, characterized in that: Also includes: a control module, respectively connected to the robotic arm and the stroke assembly for controlling the movement of the robotic arm, wherein the control module regulates the movement of the robotic arm along the extension direction of the stroke assembly and regulates the rotation of the joints of the robotic arm; a vision module, configured to identify a target object and transmit a captured signal to the control module; and The ordering module is used to record the order information of the user's order and transmit the order information to the control module.

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