A mobile robot component and an automated palletizing system

Abstract

This utility model relates to the field of robotics, specifically to a mobile robot component and an automatic palletizing system. The component includes a transverse ground rail assembly, a robot body mounted on the transverse ground rail assembly, and a gripper located at the end of the robot body. The transverse ground rail assembly is configured to drive the robot body to move laterally, covering the gripping areas of multiple longitudinally arranged grouping conveyors and multiple palletizing positions of empty pallet conveyors. The transverse ground rail assembly includes a portal-shaped support spanning above multiple workstations; two longitudinal guide rails symmetrically mounted on the top surface of the portal-shaped support and cooperating sliders; a sliding seat fixed to the slider, with the robot body mounted above the sliding seat; and a first power mechanism for driving the slider to move laterally along the guide rails. This utility model significantly expands the robot's operating range, enabling one robot to serve multiple palletizing positions, reducing the number of robot devices required and lowering equipment procurement and maintenance costs.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of robotics, specifically to a mobile robot component and an automatic palletizing system. Background Technology

[0002] In modern industrial production and logistics, palletizing is a crucial step in product packaging and storage. Traditional palletizing methods often rely on manual operation or fixed robotic arms. Manual palletizing suffers from low efficiency, high labor intensity, and susceptibility to operational errors; while fixed robotic arm palletizing systems lack flexibility and struggle to adapt to varying production layouts and product types. With the development of industrial automation and intelligence, the market urgently needs a highly efficient, flexible, and automated palletizing system to meet diverse production demands.

[0003] In related technologies, a separate robot is typically required for each palletizing position, resulting in high equipment procurement costs, large footprint, and potential positioning errors and inefficiencies when multiple robots work together. Furthermore, traditional grippers have poor adaptability to products of different sizes and insufficient gripping stability, affecting the reliability of palletizing operations. Utility Model Content

[0004] To overcome the shortcomings of existing technologies, the purpose of this utility model is to provide a mobile robot component and an automatic palletizing system. The design of its transverse ground rail component significantly expands the robot's operating range, enabling one robot to serve multiple palletizing positions, reducing the number of robot devices required and lowering equipment procurement and maintenance costs. Simultaneously, the stable guide rail slider pair and reliable primary power mechanism ensure high-precision positioning of the robot during movement, ensuring accurate product gripping and stacking, and improving the efficiency and consistency of palletizing operations.

[0005] The first aspect of this utility model is to provide a mobile robot component, including: a transverse ground rail component, a robot body mounted on the transverse ground rail component, and a gripper disposed at the end of the robot body; the transverse ground rail component is configured to drive the robot body to move laterally to cover the gripping areas of multiple longitudinally arranged grouping conveyor lines and multiple palletizing positions of empty pallet conveyor lines.

[0006] The transverse ground rail assembly includes:

[0007] A portal-shaped support spanning multiple workstations;

[0008] Two longitudinal guide rails and matching sliders are symmetrically installed on the top surface of the portal support.

[0009] A sliding seat fixed to the slider, with the robot body mounted above the sliding seat;

[0010] The first power mechanism is used to drive the slider to move laterally along the guide rail.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment of the first aspect of this utility model, the first power mechanism includes a first servo motor and a gear and rack transmission assembly; the rack is fixed along the side of the guide rail, the gear is mounted on the output shaft of the first servo motor, and the first servo motor is fixed to the sliding seat.

[0012] In a first aspect of this utility model, as a preferred embodiment, the clamp includes:

[0013] Connecting flange;

[0014] Mounting plate, fixed below the connecting flange;

[0015] The fixing clamp is fixed to one side of the bottom surface of the mounting plate;

[0016] The movable clamp is slidably installed on the other side of the bottom surface of the mounting plate;

[0017] The second power mechanism drives the movable clamping plate to move closer to or away from the fixed clamping plate.

[0018] In a preferred embodiment of the first aspect of this utility model, the second power mechanism is a motor screw drive mechanism.

[0019] In a preferred embodiment of the first aspect of this utility model, the clamp further includes a support assembly, which comprises:

[0020] A fixing seat fixed to the outer side of the movable clamp;

[0021] A lifting drive mechanism mounted on a fixed base;

[0022] A support member connected to the output end of the lifting drive mechanism, the support member having multiple L-shaped forks that can pass through the gaps between the rollers of the marshalling conveyor line.

[0023] In a first aspect of this utility model, as a preferred embodiment, the support member has two states:

[0024] Descending state: The horizontal section of the L-shaped fork enters the gap between the rollers and is below the top surface of the roller;

[0025] Supporting condition: The horizontal section is higher than the top surface of the roller and supports the bottom surface of the product.

[0026] In a first aspect of this utility model, as a preferred embodiment, the adjacent spacing of the L-shaped forks is greater than the spacing of the rollers on the grouping conveyor line.

[0027] In a preferred embodiment of the first aspect of this utility model, the lifting drive mechanism is a rodless cylinder or a rod cylinder.

[0028] The second aspect of this utility model is to provide an automatic palletizing system, comprising:

[0029] Multiple longitudinally arranged parallel grouped conveyor lines, each grouped conveyor line is equipped with a buffer area and a gripping area;

[0030] The horizontally arranged empty pallet conveyor line is equipped with stacking positions corresponding to the number of grouped conveyor lines;

[0031] The mobile robot component described in the first aspect has its robot body covering all gripping areas and palletizing positions.

[0032] In a second aspect of this utility model, as a preferred embodiment, it further includes multiple longitudinally arranged full-pallet conveyor lines, the feeding ends of which are connected to the palletizing positions one by one.

[0033] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this utility model are as follows:

[0034] 1. The first power mechanism of this utility model drives a gear and rack transmission assembly or other transmission method to move a slider on a guide rail. The slider is fixedly connected to a sliding seat, thereby allowing the robot body mounted on the sliding seat to move along the length of the guide rail. The portal-shaped support provides stable support for the entire movement process, enabling the robot body to move above the palletizing positions of multiple empty pallet conveyor lines, covering all areas requiring operation. The design of the transverse ground rail assembly significantly expands the robot body's operating range, allowing one robot to serve multiple palletizing positions, reducing the number of robot devices required and lowering equipment procurement and maintenance costs. Simultaneously, the stable guide rail slider pair and reliable first power mechanism ensure high-precision positioning of the robot during movement, ensuring accurate product gripping and stacking, improving the efficiency and consistency of palletizing operations.

[0035] 2. Before gripping the product, the lifting drive mechanism lowers the support component, allowing the horizontal section of the L-shaped fork to enter the gap between adjacent rollers, with the top of the horizontal section below the top surface of the rollers, ensuring uninterrupted product transport on the grouping conveyor line. Once the movable clamping plate grips the product, the lifting drive mechanism raises the support component, with the horizontal section above the top surface of the rollers, supporting the bottom surface of the product. Working together with the clamping plate, this securely holds the product, facilitating robotic handling. The support component's design effectively enhances the gripper's stability, especially for irregularly shaped products whose bottom surfaces are difficult to secure with clamping force. The L-shaped fork supports the product's bottom surface, preventing it from falling during transport due to swaying or instability. Simultaneously, the liftable design cleverly solves the spatial interference problem between the gripper and the rollers of the grouping conveyor line, ensuring smooth gripping and further improving the reliability and efficiency of palletizing operations. Attached Figure Description

[0036] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the mobile robot component of this utility model;

[0037] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the transverse ground rail assembly of this utility model;

[0038] Figure 3 This is a structural schematic diagram of the transverse ground rail assembly of this utility model from another angle;

[0039] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the fixture of this utility model;

[0040] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the automatic palletizing system of this utility model.

[0041] In the picture:

[0042] 10. Movable robot component; 11. Lateral ground rail component; 111. Portal support base; 112. Guide rail slider pair; 113. Sliding seat; 114. First power mechanism; 12. Robot body; 13. Fixture; 131. Connecting flange; 132. Mounting plate; 133. Fixed clamping plate; 134. Movable clamping plate; 135. Second power mechanism; 136. Support component; 1361. Supporting element; 1362. Lifting drive mechanism; 1363. Fixed seat;

[0043] 20. Grouping conveyor line; 201. Buffer area; 202. Grabbing area;

[0044] 30. Empty pallet conveyor line; 301. Palletizing station;

[0045] 40. Full pallet conveyor line. Detailed Implementation

[0046] The utility model will now be further described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be noted that, without conflict, the various embodiments or technical features described below can be arbitrarily combined to form new embodiments. Unless otherwise specified, the materials and equipment used in this embodiment are all commercially available. Examples of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain this application, and should not be construed as limiting this application.

[0047] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this application 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, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation on this application. In the description of this application, "a plurality of" means two or more, unless otherwise precisely specified.

[0048] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "connected," "linked," and "connected" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a connection, a link between two elements through an intermediary, the internal connection of two elements, or the interaction between two elements. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application according to the specific circumstances.

[0049] The terms "first," "second," etc., in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion; for example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that comprises a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to such process, method, product, or apparatus.

[0050] Example 1

[0051] Please refer to Figure 1-5 As shown, this embodiment provides a movable robot assembly 10, including a transverse ground rail assembly 11, a robot body 12 that can move along the transverse ground rail assembly 11, and a gripper 13 installed at the end of the robot body 12. The robot body 12 is configured to move to the gripping area 202 of all grouped conveyor lines 20 to grip products, and move to all palletizing positions 301 to place products onto empty pallets. Preferably, the robot body 12 can be a six-axis manipulator that can mimic certain movement functions of a human hand and arm to operate automatically according to a fixed program.

[0052] The transverse ground rail assembly 11 includes a portal-shaped support base 111, a guide rail slider pair 112, a sliding seat 113, and a first power mechanism 114;

[0053] A portal-shaped support 111 spans above multiple full pallet conveyor lines 40;

[0054] The guide rail slider pair 112 includes two guide rails symmetrically mounted longitudinally on the top surface of the portal support 111 and sliders that are slidably fitted on the two guide rails respectively.

[0055] The sliding seat 113 is fixedly installed on the slider;

[0056] The robot body 12 is mounted on the sliding base 113;

[0057] The first power mechanism 114 is used to drive the slider, sliding seat 113 and robot body 12 to move along the length of the guide rail, and the movement range covers all the stacking positions 301 of the empty pallet conveyor line 30.

[0058] In practical application scenarios, these include:

[0059] Multiple longitudinally arranged side-by-side grouped conveyor lines 20, each of which is provided with a buffer area 201 and a gripping area 202;

[0060] The horizontally arranged empty pallet conveyor line 30 is located on the side of the grouping conveyor line 20 facing away from the incoming material conveyor line 10, and has the same number of stacking positions 301 as the grouping conveyor line 20.

[0061] Multiple longitudinally arranged pallet conveyor lines 40 are connected one-to-one with the palletizing positions 301.

[0062] Based on the above structure, the first power mechanism 114 drives the gear and rack transmission assembly or other transmission methods to move the slider on the guide rail. The slider is fixedly connected to the sliding seat 113, thereby allowing the robot body 12 mounted on the sliding seat 113 to move along the length of the guide rail. The portal support 111 provides stable support for the entire movement process, enabling the robot body 12 to move above the palletizing positions 301 of multiple empty pallet conveyor lines 30, covering all areas requiring operation. The design of the transverse ground rail assembly 11 significantly expands the working range of the robot body 12, allowing one robot to serve multiple palletizing positions 301, reducing the number of robot devices required and lowering equipment procurement and maintenance costs. At the same time, the stable guide rail slider pair 112 and the reliable first power mechanism 114 ensure high-precision positioning of the robot during movement, ensuring that the robot can accurately grasp and place products, improving the efficiency and consistency of palletizing operations.

[0063] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first power mechanism 114 includes a first servo motor and a gear and rack transmission assembly; the first servo motor is fixed on the sliding seat 113; the rack of the gear and rack transmission pair is fixed parallel to the side of the guide rail, and the gear is mounted on the output shaft of the servo motor.

[0064] In a preferred embodiment of this utility model, the clamp 13 includes:

[0065] Connect flange 131 to the end of robot body 12;

[0066] Mounting plate 132 is installed below connecting flange 131;

[0067] The fixing plate 133 is fixedly installed on one side of the bottom surface of the mounting plate 132;

[0068] The movable clamp 134 is slidably mounted on the other side of the bottom surface of the mounting plate 132;

[0069] The second power mechanism 135 drives the movable clamping plate 134 to move toward or away from the fixed clamping plate 133 to clamp or release the product.

[0070] Specifically, the second power mechanism 135 adopts a motor-driven screw mechanism.

[0071] Based on the above structure, when the second power mechanism 135 operates, it drives the movable clamping plate 134 to move towards or away from the fixed clamping plate 133. When the robot body 12 moves to the corresponding position in the gripping area 202 of the grouping conveyor line 20, the second power mechanism 135 moves the movable clamping plate 134 closer to the fixed clamping plate 133 to clamp the product. After completing the palletizing task, the second power mechanism 135 controls the movable clamping plate 134 to move away from the fixed clamping plate 133, releasing the product. The clamping plate type fixture 13 has a simple and practical structure. Through the cooperation of the movable clamping plate 134 and the fixed clamping plate 133, it can adapt to the clamping requirements of products of different sizes and shapes, exhibiting strong versatility. Furthermore, the second power mechanism 135 can precisely control the clamping force, ensuring that the product will not slip during handling and avoiding damage to the product due to excessive clamping force, thus improving the adaptability and reliability of the fixture 13 to various products.

[0072] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the clamp 13 further includes a support assembly 136, which includes a support member 1361 and a lifting drive mechanism 1362 for driving the support member 1361 to move up and down in the vertical direction.

[0073] Support component 1361 includes:

[0074] The horizontal connecting part is connected to the output end of the lifting drive mechanism 1362;

[0075] Multiple L-shaped forks, evenly spaced, are formed at the lower part of the horizontal connection.

[0076] Each L-shaped fork includes:

[0077] The vertical section connects to the lower part of the horizontal connection; the horizontal section is formed at the bottom of the vertical section and is used to support the product.

[0078] The spacing between adjacent L-shaped forks is greater than the spacing between the rollers of the grouped conveyor line 20;

[0079] Support 1361 is configured to have two states:

[0080] Descent state: The horizontal section penetrates the gap between adjacent rollers, and the top of the horizontal section is lower than the top surface of the roller;

[0081] Supporting state: The lifting drive mechanism 1362 drives the support component 1361 to rise, so that the horizontal section is higher than the top surface of the roller and supports the bottom surface of the product.

[0082] Specifically, the lifting drive mechanism 1362 can be a rodless cylinder or a rod cylinder.

[0083] Based on the above structure, before gripping the product, the lifting drive mechanism 1362 drives the support component 1361 to descend, allowing the horizontal section of the L-shaped fork to enter the gap between adjacent rollers, with the top of the horizontal section lower than the top surface of the roller, so as not to affect the normal conveying of the product on the grouping conveyor line 20. After the movable clamping plate 134 clamps the product, the lifting drive mechanism 1362 drives the support component 1361 to rise, with the horizontal section higher than the top surface of the roller, supporting the bottom surface of the product. Together with the clamping plate, it firmly clamps the product, facilitating robot handling. The design of the support component 136 effectively enhances the gripping stability of the clamp 13, especially for some irregularly shaped products whose bottom surfaces are difficult to fix by clamping force. By supporting the bottom surface of the product with the L-shaped fork, the product is prevented from falling due to shaking or instability during handling. At the same time, the liftable design cleverly solves the spatial interference problem between the clamp 13 and the rollers of the grouping conveyor line 20, ensuring the smooth operation of the gripping process and further improving the reliability and efficiency of the palletizing operation.

[0084] In a preferred embodiment of this invention, the supporting assembly 136 further includes a fixed seat 1363, which is mounted on the outer side of the movable clamping plate 134, and a lifting drive mechanism 1362 is mounted on the fixed seat 1363. Preferably, the lifting drive mechanism 1362 is a rodless cylinder.

[0085] Example 2

[0086] Please refer to Figure 1-5 As shown, this embodiment provides an automated palletizing system, including:

[0087] Multiple longitudinally arranged parallel grouped conveyor lines 20, each grouped conveyor line 20 having a buffer area 201 and a gripping area 202;

[0088] The empty pallet conveyor line 30 is provided with stacking positions 301 corresponding to the number of grouping conveyor lines 20;

[0089] The mobile robot assembly as described in Embodiment 1 has a robot body 12 that covers all gripping areas 202 and palletizing positions 301.

[0090] As a preferred embodiment, it also includes multiple longitudinally arranged full-pallet conveyor lines 40, whose feeding ends are connected one-to-one with the palletizing positions 301.

[0091] Although only certain components and embodiments of this application have been illustrated and described, many modifications and alterations will be apparent to those skilled in the art without actually departing from the scope and spirit of the claims, such as variations in the size, dimensions, structure, shape and proportion of the various elements, installation arrangement, material use, color, orientation, etc.

[0092] The above embodiments are merely preferred embodiments of this utility model and should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of this utility model. Any non-substantial changes and substitutions made by those skilled in the art based on this utility model shall fall within the scope of protection claimed by this utility model.

Claims

1. A mobile robot component, characterized in that, include: The robot body is mounted on the transverse rail assembly and has a gripper located at the end of the robot body. The transverse rail assembly is configured to drive the robot body to move laterally to cover the gripping areas of multiple longitudinally arranged grouping conveyors and multiple palletizing positions of empty pallet conveyors. The transverse ground rail assembly includes: A portal-shaped support spanning multiple workstations; Two longitudinal guide rails and matching sliders are symmetrically installed on the top surface of the portal support. A sliding seat fixed to the slider, with the robot body mounted above the sliding seat; The first power mechanism is used to drive the slider to move laterally along the guide rail.

2. The movable robotic assembly of claim 1, wherein, The first power mechanism includes a first servo motor and a gear and rack transmission assembly; the rack is fixed along the side of the guide rail, the gear is mounted on the output shaft of the first servo motor, and the first servo motor is fixed to the sliding seat.

3. The mobile robot component according to claim 1, characterized in that, The clamp includes: Connecting flange; Mounting plate, fixed below the connecting flange; The fixing plate is fixed to one side of the bottom surface of the mounting plate; The movable clamp is slidably installed on the other side of the bottom surface of the mounting plate; The second power mechanism drives the movable clamping plate to move closer to or away from the fixed clamping plate.

4. The mobile robot component according to claim 3, characterized in that, The second power mechanism is a motor lead screw drive mechanism.

5. The mobile robot component according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, The clamp also includes a support assembly, which comprises: A fixing seat fixed to the outer side of the movable clamp; A lifting drive mechanism mounted on a fixed base; A support member connected to the output end of the lifting drive mechanism, the support member having multiple L-shaped forks that can pass through the gaps between the rollers of the marshalling conveyor line.

6. The mobile robot component according to claim 5, characterized in that, The support component has two states: Descending state: The horizontal section of the L-shaped fork enters the gap between the rollers and is below the top surface of the roller; Supporting condition: The horizontal section is higher than the top surface of the roller and supports the bottom surface of the product.

7. The mobile robot component according to claim 5, characterized in that, The spacing between adjacent L-shaped forks is greater than the spacing between the rollers of the grouped conveyor line.

8. The mobile robot component according to claim 5, characterized in that, The lifting drive mechanism is a rodless cylinder or a rod cylinder.

9. An automated palletizing system, characterized in that, include: Multiple longitudinally arranged parallel grouped conveyor lines, each grouped conveyor line is equipped with a buffer area and a gripping area; The horizontally arranged empty pallet conveyor line is equipped with stacking positions corresponding to the number of grouped conveyor lines; The mobile robot component as described in any one of claims 1-8, wherein the robot body covers all gripping areas and palletizing positions.

10. The automated palletizing system according to claim 9, characterized in that, It also includes multiple longitudinally arranged full-pallet conveyor lines, with their feeding ends connected to the palletizing positions one by one.

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