Household old-age-assisting robot

Abstract

The utility model discloses a family old-age assisting robot which comprises a movable chassis, a stand column, a visual assembly, a microphone array, a mechanical arm, a computer, a laser radar and a router, and a chassis controller and Mecanum wheels are arranged in the movable chassis; the visual assembly and the microphone array are located at the top of the stand column, and the microphone array is located below the visual assembly; the mechanical arm is installed in the middle of the supporting frame above the movable base. The computer is located on the rear side of the lower portion of the stand column and connected with the chassis controller. The laser radar is located at the front end of the support; the router is installed on one side of the supporting frame and connected with the computer. According to the robot, the visual assembly is arranged, various daily actions can be recognized in time, communication with a user is conducted in time through the computer, the mechanical arm is used for grabbing objects and delivering daily supplies such as medicine and tea cups to the user, and the laser radar provides a basis for real-time obstacle avoidance and autonomous navigation of the robot; the microphone array realizes voice interaction and source positioning of the robot.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of home service robot technology, specifically relating to a home elderly assistance robot. Background Technology

[0002] With the advent of a global aging society, young children face immense pressure in caring for their elderly parents. Meanwhile, some seniors experience low quality of life, suffering from loneliness, depression, and other health issues that constantly impact their well-being. Alleviating societal pressure on elder care and providing high-quality, reliable care and support has become a pressing issue. Home-based assistive robots are a type of service robot designed to provide essential assistance to seniors in their daily lives. However, current assistive robots typically have limited functionality, such as reminding seniors to take medication, delivering medication, or providing water at set times. They often fail to recognize basic daily movements like standing, sitting, or falling, making it difficult to meet the diverse needs of seniors left behind in rural areas. Utility Model Content

[0003] To address the aforementioned problems, this utility model proposes a home-based elderly care robot.

[0004] This utility model of a home-based elderly-assisting robot includes: a mobile chassis, which contains a chassis controller and Mecanum wheels; a column, which is mounted on both ends of a support frame above the mobile chassis; a vision component, which is located on top of the column; a microphone array, which is also mounted on top of the column and located below the vision component; a robotic arm, which is mounted in the middle of the support frame above the mobile chassis; a computer, which is located on the lower rear side of the column and connected to the chassis controller; a lidar, which is located at the front end of the support frame; and a router, which is mounted on one side of the support frame and connected to the computer.

[0005] The robotic arm is a Kinova robotic arm with six degrees of freedom, a maximum load of 2.6 kg, a movement space of 90 cm, a maximum end effector linear velocity of 20 cm / s, a drive voltage of 24 VDC, and an average power of 25 W.

[0006] The columns are arranged in two parallel rows, and the tops of the two columns are connected by a connecting plate. A microphone bracket and a camera bracket are installed on the connecting plate. The camera bracket is located above the microphone bracket, the microphone array is installed on the microphone bracket, and the vision component is installed on the camera bracket.

[0007] The microphone array used is an omnidirectional microphone array.

[0008] The vision component includes a panoramic camera and an Azure Kinect camera, with the panoramic camera positioned above the Azure Kinect camera. The vision component is connected to the computer via USB.

[0009] The mobile chassis includes a chassis shell, a chassis panel and a chassis partition are provided on the top of the chassis shell, the chassis panel is located above the chassis partition, and a chassis controller and an ultrasonic module controller connected to a computer are provided on the chassis partition.

[0010] A lithium battery is installed in the middle of the bottom of the inner side of the chassis partition of the chassis shell. Four motor drivers are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the lithium battery. The motor drivers are connected to the chassis controller. Four motors are arranged on the outer side near the motor drivers. Each motor is connected to a Mecanum wheel.

[0011] The motor is mounted on the suspension, and two suspensions are symmetrically arranged. Both ends of each suspension are fixedly connected to the chassis partition through U-shaped suspension fixing brackets. Spring shock absorption components are provided between the U-shaped suspension fixing brackets and the suspensions.

[0012] The ultrasonic module controller is connected to eight ultrasonic probes. The eight ultrasonic probes are symmetrically mounted in pairs on the four side plates of the chassis housing, and the ultrasonic probes are located above the chassis partition.

[0013] The mobile chassis also includes two power distribution boards connected to the lithium battery, namely a large distribution board and a small distribution board. The large distribution board is connected to the motor, motor driver, chassis controller and ultrasonic module controller inside the chassis shell, respectively. The small distribution board is connected to the computer and vision components, respectively. The router, lidar, microphone array and robotic arm are connected to the computer via USB interface.

[0014] The beneficial effects of this utility model are as follows: By setting up a vision component, this utility model can promptly recognize a user's actions such as standing, sitting, lying down, sitting upright, leaning against a wall, walking, raising hands, waving hands, waving both hands, and falling, and can communicate with the user in a timely manner through a computer, or contact the hospital, etc.; the robotic arm is used to grasp items and deliver medicines, teacups, and other daily necessities to the user, and can also be integrated with the computer to complete tasks such as picking up trash and finding items; the lidar provides the foundation for the robot's real-time obstacle avoidance and autonomous navigation, and the microphone array enables the robot's voice interaction and location positioning, and can also quickly reach the user's side to wait for commands when the user calls the robot, improving the user experience; the mobile chassis is equipped with an ultrasonic probe responsible for the emergency braking of the elderly assistance robot, and will brake when an obstacle appears within 20cm to prevent the robot from colliding and causing danger. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1This is a structural schematic diagram of the home-based elderly care robot of this utility model.

[0016] Figure 2 This is an overall schematic diagram of the mobile chassis of this utility model.

[0017] Figure 3 This is a structural schematic diagram of the chassis partition of this utility model.

[0018] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram showing the positions of the lithium battery and motor of this utility model.

[0019] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the chassis shell of this utility model.

[0020] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the lithium battery power supply of this utility model.

[0021] Figure 7 This is a connection diagram between the various modules of this utility model.

[0022] Figure label:

[0023] Mobile chassis 1; Support frame 2; Column 3; Panoramic camera 4; Azure Kinect camera 5; Microphone array 6; Robotic arm 7; Computer 8; Router 9; LiDAR 10; Chassis shell 11; Chassis panel 12; Ultrasonic probe 13; Emergency stop button 14; Ultrasonic module controller 15; Chassis controller 16; Chassis partition 17; Small splitter 18; Spring shock absorber assembly 19; Lithium battery 20; Motor driver 21; Motor 22; Suspension 23; U-shaped suspension mounting bracket 24; Mecanum wheel 25; Large splitter 26. Detailed Implementation

[0024] The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and intended to explain the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0025] like Figures 1-7As shown, the home-based elderly-assisting robot of this utility model includes: a mobile chassis 1, uprights 3, a vision component, a microphone array 6, a robotic arm 7, a computer 8, a lidar 10, and a router 9. The mobile chassis 1 contains a chassis controller 16 and Mecanum wheels 25; a support frame 2 is mounted on the top of the mobile chassis 1, and uprights 3 are mounted at both ends of the top of the support frame 2; the uprights 3 are arranged side-by-side, and their tops are connected by a connecting plate. A microphone bracket and a camera bracket are mounted on the connecting plate, with the camera bracket located above the microphone bracket. The microphone array 6 is mounted on the microphone bracket, and the vision component is mounted on the camera bracket. That is, the microphone array 6 is located below the video component.

[0026] Microphone array 6 uses an omnidirectional microphone array to collect and play audio, enabling daily voice interaction with the elderly and improving the care and concern of elderly care services. The omnidirectional microphone array facilitates the robot's voice interaction and sound source localization, integrating iFlytek's automatic speech recognition system. This allows the robot to extract text information from speech and provide corresponding feedback and responses, thus achieving human-machine voice interaction. Furthermore, this omnidirectional microphone array can perform sound source localization, speech enhancement, reverberation, and sound source signal extraction within a 360° range. With sound source localization technology, the robot can identify the direction of the sound source and arrive at the elderly person's side to execute subsequent commands, regardless of where they call for it.

[0027] The vision component includes a panoramic camera 4 and an Azure Kinect camera 5, with the panoramic camera 4 positioned above the Azure Kinect camera 5. The vision component is the most important means of acquiring information, used to capture data such as RGB video and depth images, and then transmits the video to the edge computing end for processing via a computer and a 5G router, providing the most basic data source for behavior recognition and other essential functions.

[0028] The Azure Kinect camera 5 features four main sensor SDKs: depth, vision, sound, and orientation. These include a 1-megapixel TOF depth camera, a 12-megapixel RGB high-definition camera, and an inertial measurement unit (IMU). It offers multiple control access modes and custom installation methods, providing cross-platform low-level access for Azure Kinect device configuration and hardware sensor streaming. It can provide high-quality RGB and depth video or image information for home-based elderly care robots. The Azure Kinect camera 5 connects to the computer 8 via USB for fast data transfer. In addition to human behavior recognition, other technologies for home-based elderly care robots, such as object detection and facial recognition, are also included to provide better care services for the elderly. These functions are all based on a visual acquisition system.

[0029] Object Detection and Recognition: The elderly-assisting robot performs real-time object detection using RGB images captured by an Azure Kinect camera 5. In its work assisting the elderly, it needs to identify specific items such as medications, cups, and keys. The robot collects object data, annotates it using LabelImg software, and then trains and updates the YOLO-V3 model at the edge, thereby achieving the detection of specific items.

[0030] The computer 8 is located at the lower rear of the column 3. The computer 8 is the main control device of the elderly assistance robot. It is equipped with Ubuntu and ROS systems and is responsible for completing some essential tasks with low computational difficulty, such as: reading and transmitting video data collected by the panoramic camera 4 and the Azure Kinect camera 5; planning the robot's movement route based on the distance information provided by the LiDAR 10 and issuing control commands to the mobile chassis 1 for movement and real-time obstacle avoidance; and performing voice recognition and interaction based on the audio data collected by the microphone array 6.

[0031] The robotic arm 7 is mounted in the middle of the support frame 2 above the mobile base 77. The Kinova robotic arm 7 is used to grasp items and deliver daily necessities such as medicine and teacups to the elderly. The robotic arm 7 uses a Kinova robotic arm with six degrees of freedom, a maximum load of 2.6 kg, a movement space of 90 cm, a maximum end effector linear velocity of 20 cm / s, a drive voltage of 24 VDC, and an average power of 25 W.

[0032] The lidar 10 is located at the front end of the support frame 2. The lidar 10 is used to acquire distance information, thereby enabling the robot to build a map, determine its location, and perform autonomous navigation and obstacle avoidance. Its principle is to record the interval between laser emission and reception, and use triangulation to determine the distance between the obstacle and the lidar. This application uses a 2D lidar developed by Hokuyo Corporation of Japan, with a measurement range of 20–4000 mm. It features high accuracy, fast response speed, high resolution, and small data volume, providing a foundation for real-time obstacle avoidance and autonomous navigation of the elderly assistance robot.

[0033] Router 9 is installed on one side of support frame 2. Router 9 is a 5G router and is connected to computer 8. In the behavior recognition system of the home-based elderly care robot, video data collected by the vision system needs to be transmitted to the edge for processing. The key hardware components of the communication system include the 5G router 9, the edge computing device, and the host computer in the robot. The 5G router 9 is a crucial component of this system, enabling the robot and edge computing to access the 5G network, providing a solid foundation for high-speed data transmission within the system. In specific implementation, the 5G router uses a Unisoc 5G communication chip to achieve 5G network access. The device has four 5G network antennas, one 2.4G WiFi antenna, and one 5.8G WiFi antenna. Below the antennas is a SIM card slot, which can accept SIM cards from mobile, China Unicom, and China Telecom operators. After inserting the card, the device will dial to enable 5G network access.

[0034] The hardware configurations for the robot and edge computing ends are determined as follows:

[0035] (1) Hardware configuration of robot host: Operating system: Ubuntu 18.04 system; Processor: Intel Core(TM) i5-7300H CPU@2.50Hz; Memory: 16G; Graphics card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 1060.

[0036] (2) Edge computing hardware configuration: Operating system: Ubuntu 18.04; Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-9750H CPU@2.60Hz (12CUPs); Memory: 64G; Graphics card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080TI.

[0037] The mobile chassis 1 is responsible for the basic movement and power supply of the elderly assistance robot, enabling the robot to have strong mobility. The mobile chassis 1 includes a chassis shell 11, a chassis panel 12, and a chassis partition 17. The chassis partition 17 is located inside the chassis shell 11, and the chassis panel 12 is located above the chassis partition 17. The chassis panel 12 is equipped with an emergency stop switch 14 and a control panel, which has buttons and a power display screen.

[0038] The chassis partition 17 is equipped with a chassis controller 16 and an ultrasonic module controller 15, both connected to the computer 8. The chassis controller 16 communicates with the computer 8, receives navigation commands, and controls the motor driver 21 to move accordingly. The ultrasonic module controller 15 is responsible for the emergency braking of the elderly assistance robot, braking it when an obstacle appears within 20cm to prevent collisions and potential danger.

[0039] The ultrasonic module controller 15 is connected to eight ultrasonic probes 13 to form an ultrasonic module. The eight ultrasonic probes 13 are symmetrically installed in pairs on the four side plates of the chassis housing 11, and the ultrasonic probes 13 are located above the chassis partition 17.

[0040] The chassis housing 11 has a frame for fixing a 24V lithium battery 20 in the middle of its inner side. Four motor drivers 21 are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the battery 20, and four motors 22 are arranged on the outer side near the motor drivers 21. Each motor 22 is connected to a Mecanum wheel 25. The bottom of the chassis housing 11 has through holes for the Mecanum wheels 25 to pass through. The motors 22 are mounted on suspensions 23, with two suspensions 23 symmetrically arranged, meaning two motors 22 are symmetrically mounted on each suspension 23. Both ends of each suspension 23 are fixedly connected to the chassis partition 17 via U-shaped suspension fixing brackets 24. Spring damping components 19 are provided between the U-shaped suspension fixing brackets 24 and the suspensions 23. The four motor drivers 21 and the four motors 22 constitute a motor module. The motors are DC coreless motors.

[0041] The motor driver 21 is connected to the chassis controller 16 via a CAN bus and is controlled by the chassis controller 16. The motor driver 21 can control the motor 22 to perform corresponding actions according to the data transmitted by the chassis controller 16 through the CAN bus, thereby driving the Mecanum wheel 15 to rotate and realizing the motion control of the mobile robot platform.

[0042] The lithium battery 20 is responsible for supplying power to all modules at different voltages. In order to achieve independent power control between the host computer and the chassis, the lithium battery 20 is connected to two power distribution boards, namely a large distribution board 26 and a small distribution board 18. The large distribution board 26 is installed at the bottom of the chassis shell 11. The large distribution board 26 is mainly responsible for supplying power to each module of the mobile chassis 1. The large distribution board 26 is connected to the motor 22, motor driver 24, power display screen, chassis controller 16 and ultrasonic module controller 15 inside the chassis shell 11. An emergency stop switch 14 is also provided on the chassis panel 12 of the mobile chassis 1 to control the power supply of the chassis. When the robot moves incorrectly or loses control, pressing the emergency stop switch 14 can cut off the power to the chassis and stop the robot from moving in time to avoid losses.

[0043] The small power distribution board 18 is mounted on the chassis partition 17. The small power distribution board 18 is primarily responsible for powering the host computer and its various functional modules. To ensure the stability of the Kinect camera 5, it requires a separate power supply. Other devices can be powered via the USB interface of the computer 8. Specifically, the small power distribution board 18 is connected to both the computer 8 and the Kinect camera 5 for power supply. The router 9, LiDAR 10, microphone array 5, and robotic arm 7 are connected to the computer 8 via USB interfaces for power supply.

[0044] The mobile chassis 1 is also equipped with a remote control receiver, which is connected to the remote control handle via Bluetooth or WIFI.

[0045] When this utility model is in operation, the omnidirectional microphone array 6 interacts with the user via voice and locates the source of the problem. After receiving a command, the computer 8 plans the route. The chassis controller 16 controls the motor 22 to rotate through the motor driver 21, thereby driving the Mecanum wheel 25 to rotate. The ultrasonic probe 13 works at the same time to prevent the robot from colliding. After reaching the destination, the robotic arm 7 grabs the items and delivers medicine, teacups and other daily necessities to the elderly.

[0046] The elderly-assisting robot described in this application can better perform various household services, such as: monitoring the user's health (reminding the user not to smoke excessively, supervising the user's exercise, etc.); identifying and handling dangerous situations (calling for help when the user falls, inquiring about the user's condition and contacting the hospital promptly when the user leans against a wall, etc.); and quickly arriving at the user's side to await commands when the user calls for the robot (waving to the robot), improving the user experience. Furthermore, it can be combined with robotic arm control technology and target detection technology to complete tasks such as picking up trash and finding items.

[0047] In the description of this utility model, it should be understood that the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this utility model and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this utility model.

[0048] In this utility model, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "joining," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection, an electrical connection, or a connection that allows communication between them; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components, unless otherwise explicitly limited. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this utility model according to the specific circumstances.

[0049] In this utility model, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can mean that the first feature is in direct contact with the second feature, or that the first feature is in indirect contact with the second feature through an intermediate medium. Furthermore, "above," "on top of," and "over" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0050] Although the above embodiments have been shown and described, it is understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. Any changes, modifications, substitutions and variations made to the above embodiments by those skilled in the art are within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A home-based elderly-assisting robot, characterized in that, include: A mobile chassis, wherein the mobile chassis includes a chassis controller and Mecanum wheels; The columns are installed at both ends of the top of the support frame above the mobile chassis; A visual component, located at the top of the column; A microphone array, which is also mounted on top of the column and located below the vision component; A robotic arm, which is mounted in the middle of a support frame above a movable base; A computer is located at the lower rear side of the column, and a chassis controller is connected to the computer. The lidar is located at the front end of the support frame; A router is mounted on one side of a support frame and is connected to a computer.

2. The home-based elderly-assisting robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The robotic arm is a Kinova robotic arm with six degrees of freedom, a maximum load of 2.6 kg, a movement space of 90 cm, a maximum end effector linear velocity of 20 cm / s, a drive voltage of 24 VDC, and an average power of 25 W.

3. The home-based elderly-assisting robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The columns are arranged in two parallel rows, and the tops of the two columns are connected by a connecting plate. A microphone bracket and a camera bracket are installed on the connecting plate. The camera bracket is located above the microphone bracket, the microphone array is installed on the microphone bracket, and the vision component is installed on the camera bracket.

4. The home-based elderly-assisting robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The microphone array used is an omnidirectional microphone array.

5. The home-based elderly-assisting robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The vision component includes a panoramic camera and an Azure Kinect camera, with the panoramic camera positioned above the Azure Kinect camera. The vision component is connected to the computer via USB.

6. The home-based elderly-assisting robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The mobile chassis includes a chassis shell, a chassis panel and a chassis partition are provided on the top of the chassis shell, the chassis panel is located above the chassis partition, and a chassis controller and an ultrasonic module controller connected to a computer are provided on the chassis partition.

7. The home-based elderly-assisting robot according to claim 6, characterized in that, A lithium battery is installed in the middle of the bottom of the inner side of the chassis partition of the chassis shell. Four motor drivers are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the lithium battery. The motor drivers are connected to the chassis controller. Four motors are arranged on the outer side near the motor drivers. Each motor is connected to a Mecanum wheel.

8. The home-based elderly-assisting robot according to claim 7, characterized in that, The motor is mounted on the suspension, and two suspensions are symmetrically arranged. Both ends of each suspension are fixedly connected to the chassis partition through U-shaped suspension fixing brackets. Spring shock absorption components are provided between the U-shaped suspension fixing brackets and the suspensions.

9. The home-based elderly-assisting robot according to claim 6, characterized in that, The ultrasonic module controller is connected to eight ultrasonic probes. The eight ultrasonic probes are symmetrically mounted in pairs on the four side plates of the chassis housing, and the ultrasonic probes are located above the chassis partition.

10. The home-based elderly-assisting robot according to claim 6, characterized in that, The mobile chassis also includes two power distribution boards connected to the lithium battery, namely a large distribution board and a small distribution board. The large distribution board is installed at the bottom of the chassis shell and is connected to the motor, motor driver, chassis controller and ultrasonic module controller inside the chassis shell. The small distribution board is installed on the chassis partition and is connected to the computer and vision components. The router, lidar, microphone array and robotic arm are connected to the computer via USB interface.

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