A deck filling robot

Abstract

The utility model discloses a deck filling robot, including hardware structure, sensor system and control system, hardware structure includes casing, mobile chassis, telescopic mechanism, mobile chassis sets up at the bottom of casing, and telescopic mechanism sets up in the casing perimeter measure, and by casing inside to casing outside extension, be provided with material filling mouth on the casing, sensor system includes laser radar, vision sensor and tilt sensor, and laser radar, vision sensor, tilt sensor all set up in casing top, and control system includes main control unit, drive module and communication module, laser radar, real -time acquisition three -dimensional point cloud data, constructs the three -dimensional map of deck area, and main control unit is based on three -dimensional map, combines the division of preset deck repair area, ensures that robot covers all the pit to be repaired with the shortest distance, and avoids the obstacle, and main control unit controls synchronous electric push rod to stretch out, realizes the rigid fixation of robot above the pit, and filling material injects the pit through material filling mouth.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of shipbuilding and marine engineering equipment, and in particular to a deck filling robot. Background Technology

[0002] During ship navigation or offshore platform operation, decks are subjected to long-term load impacts, seawater corrosion, and environmental abrasion, making them prone to damage such as pits and cracks. If not repaired promptly, this will exacerbate structural damage and affect the deck's load-bearing safety. Currently, filling deck pits mainly relies on manual labor: construction workers must manually transport filling materials (such as concrete or epoxy resin), pour them into the pit using simple tools, and then use a vibrator to remove air bubbles. This method has the following problems: 1. Inefficient: Manual material handling, pit positioning, and vibration operations are time-consuming, and the repair cycle for a single pit is long, making it difficult to meet the needs of large-scale deck maintenance. 2. Unstable quality: Manual pouring can easily lead to uneven material distribution, and the vibration force and frequency are difficult to control, which can easily leave voids or air bubbles, affecting the filling density; 3. Poor operational safety: The deck working space is limited, and workers are prone to loss of balance when working in inclined or bumpy environments. In addition, there are health risks from contact with chemical filler materials (such as modified epoxy resin). 4. Low level of intelligence: Existing semi-automatic filling equipment lacks autonomous navigation and obstacle avoidance capabilities, requires manual traction for positioning, and lacks real-time attitude monitoring function. It is prone to tilting on uneven decks, resulting in overflow of filling material or deviation of filling position.

[0003] To address the aforementioned problems, a deck-filling robot is proposed. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art and provides a deck filling robot.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by this utility model is as follows: a deck filling robot, including a hardware structure, a sensor system and a control system; the hardware structure includes a shell, a mobile chassis and a telescopic mechanism, the mobile chassis is disposed at the bottom of the shell, the telescopic mechanism is disposed on the periphery of the shell and extends from the inside of the shell to the outside of the shell, and a material filling port is provided on the shell, the material filling port being connected to an external filling material pump; The sensor system includes a lidar, a vision sensor, and a tilt sensor, all of which are mounted on the top of the housing. The control system is housed within the housing and includes a main control unit, a drive module, and a communication module. The lidar collects three-dimensional point cloud data in real time to construct a three-dimensional map of the deck area. Based on the three-dimensional map and the preset deck repair area division, the main control unit ensures that the robot covers all the pits to be repaired in the shortest distance and avoids obstacles. As the filling robot moves along the planned path, the vision sensor continuously captures images and measures the depth of the deck surface. At the same time, the tilt sensor monitors the robot's tilt angle in real time. The main control unit adjusts the motor speed of each universal wheel on the mobile chassis through the drive module to achieve horizontal posture calibration of the robot. The main control unit controls the extension of the synchronous electric push rod to achieve rigid fixation of the robot above the pit; the filling material is injected into the pit through the material filling port.

[0006] In a preferred embodiment of this utility model, the bottom of the mobile chassis is provided with omnidirectional wheels, and there are at least four omnidirectional wheels, which are respectively arranged around the mobile chassis. The omnidirectional wheels support independent driving and steering of multiple wheels.

[0007] In a preferred embodiment of this utility model, the telescopic mechanism includes multiple sets of synchronous electric push rods and stepper motors. The synchronous electric push rods and stepper motors are connected by belts to achieve slip-free transmission.

[0008] In a preferred embodiment of this utility model, the synchronous electric push rod includes a push rod body and a reducer, one end of the push rod body is inserted into the reducer, and the reducer has a self-locking function.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the push rod body includes a housing, an inner rod, and a trapezoidal lead screw. Both the inner rod and the trapezoidal lead screw are disposed within the housing, and the trapezoidal lead screw is inserted into the inner rod.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment of this utility model, the top of the inner rod is provided with longitudinal and transverse grooves, which can be embedded into the tiny recesses of the pit wall to enhance the mechanical interlocking friction.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the hardware structure includes a linear vibration motor, which is integrated on the mobile chassis and located on one side of the material filling port.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment of this invention, the vibration frequency of the linear vibration motor is adjustable.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment of this invention, the tilt sensor is installed at the center of the top of the housing to monitor the robot's tilt angle.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment of this utility model, the drive module uses PWM technology to control the motor speed and positioning, and the communication module is a wireless communication module to realize data interaction between the filling robot body and the remote monitoring center and handheld terminal.

[0015] This utility model solves the defects existing in the background technology, and has the following beneficial effects: This invention uses LiDAR to construct a three-dimensional map of the deck and combines it with the main control unit to plan the path. With the help of the casters of the mobile chassis, it can move autonomously and avoid obstacles. Visual sensors automatically locate the pits and calculate their size, saving manual positioning time. Linear vibration motors replace manual tamping. During the filling process, the telescopic mechanism, material conveying, and vibration operation are carried out in a coordinated and automated manner, which greatly shortens the repair cycle of a single pit.

[0016] After the telescopic mechanism extends, it forms a rigid fixation with the pit, avoiding uneven material distribution caused by robot displacement. The wireless communication module supports two-way data interaction between the robot and the remote terminal, enabling remote monitoring and control, reducing on-site work time for personnel, and lowering the health risks of contact with chemical filler materials (such as modified epoxy resin). The tilt sensor monitors the robot's tilt angle in real time, and the main control unit calibrates the horizontal posture by adjusting the rotation speed of the universal wheels, avoiding equipment imbalance and personnel safety hazards caused by deck tilting or bumps. Attached Figure Description

[0017] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments; Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of a preferred embodiment of the deck filling robot of this utility model; Figure 2 This is a bottom view of a preferred embodiment of the deck filling robot of this utility model; Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of the shell of the deck filling machine according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 This is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the shell of the deck filling machine according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a side view of a deck filling machine according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 This is an enlarged side view of the moving chassis of the deck filling machine according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Figure 7 This is an exploded view of the telescopic mechanism of a preferred embodiment of this utility model; Figure 8 This is an enlarged view of the connection structure between the synchronous electric push rod and the stepper motor in a preferred embodiment of this utility model.

[0018] In the diagram: 1. Housing; 2. Mobile chassis; 20. Casters; 3. Telescopic mechanism; 30. Synchronous electric push rod; 300. Push rod body; 3000. Outer shell; 3001. Inner rod; 3002. Trapezoidal lead screw; 3003. Longitudinal and transverse grooves; 301. Reducer; 31. Stepper motor; 32. Belt; 4. Material filling port; 5. LiDAR; 6. Vision sensor; 7. Tilt sensor; 8. Control system. Detailed Implementation

[0019] The technical solutions of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present utility model, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of the present utility model.

[0020] It should be noted that when a component is said to be "fixed to" another component, it can be directly on the other component or it can be fixed through another intermediate component. When a component is said to be "connected to" another component, it can be directly connected to the other component or it may be fixed through another intermediate component. When a component is said to be "set on" another component, it can be set directly on the other component or it may be set through another intermediate component. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "left," "right," and similar expressions used in this document are for illustrative purposes only.

[0021] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. The term "and / or" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0022] like Figures 1 to 8 As shown, a deck filling robot includes a hardware structure, a sensor system, and a control system. The hardware structure includes a shell, a mobile chassis, and a telescopic mechanism. The mobile chassis is located at the bottom of the shell, and the telescopic mechanism is located around the shell and extends from the inside of the shell to the outside. The shell is provided with a material filling port, which is connected to an external filling material pump. Specifically, the mobile chassis is equipped with at least four casters at the bottom, which are located around the perimeter of the mobile chassis. The casters support independent drive and steering of multiple wheels. The mobile chassis is equipped with at least four casters, which support independent drive and steering of multiple wheels, enabling flexible movements such as turning on the spot and lateral movement. It can operate smoothly in narrow deck spaces and densely populated equipment areas, solving the problem of limited movement of traditional equipment and improving the scope of operation.

[0023] The telescopic mechanism includes multiple sets of synchronous electric push rods and stepper motors. The synchronous electric push rods and stepper motors are connected by belts to achieve zero-slip transmission. The synchronous electric push rod includes a push rod body and a reducer. One end of the push rod body is inserted into the reducer, which has a self-locking function. The push rod body includes a shell, an inner rod, and a trapezoidal lead screw. The inner rod and the trapezoidal lead screw are both housed in the shell, and the trapezoidal lead screw is inserted into the inner rod. The top of the inner rod has longitudinal and transverse grooves that can embed into the tiny recesses in the pit wall to enhance the mechanical engagement friction. The telescopic mechanism uses synchronous electric push rods and stepper motors to achieve zero-slip synchronous telescopic extension and retraction. The push rod is equipped with a reducer with a self-locking function. Combined with the longitudinal and transverse grooves on the top of the inner rod (embedded in the pit wall recesses), a rigid fixed structure is formed, which can effectively prevent the robot from shifting during filling, ensuring that the filling material is accurately injected into the pit and avoiding positional deviation or material overflow.

[0024] The hardware structure includes a linear vibration motor, which is integrated into the mobile chassis and located on one side of the material filling port. The vibration frequency of the linear vibration motor is adjustable (to adapt to different filling materials). High-frequency vibration eliminates air bubbles inside the material, promoting the material to fully fill the pits and gaps. Combined with precise filling volume control (based on pit size measurement by a visual sensor), the filling density is improved to over 95%, and the surface flatness error is ≤±1mm, which is significantly better than the quality of manual filling.

[0025] The sensor system includes a lidar, a vision sensor, and a tilt sensor. The lidar, vision sensor, and tilt sensor are all located on the top of the housing. The tilt sensor is installed in the center of the top of the housing to monitor the robot's tilt angle. The lidar constructs a 3D map of the deck, and the vision sensor locates the craters. Combined with the path planning and drive control of the main control unit, the robot achieves full automation from navigation and positioning to filling, eliminating the need for manual traction or positioning. This significantly reduces human intervention, and the repair time for a single crater is reduced by more than 50% compared to traditional manual methods, making it suitable for large-scale deck maintenance needs.

[0026] The control system is housed within the casing and includes a main control unit, a drive module, and a communication module. The drive module uses PWM technology to control motor speed and positioning. The communication module is a wireless communication module that enables data interaction between the filling robot and the remote monitoring center and handheld terminal. The drive module uses PWM technology to achieve precise motor speed and positioning, ensuring that the error in push rod extension length and chassis movement distance is ≤±2mm. The wireless communication module supports data interaction between the robot and the remote monitoring center and handheld terminal, enabling remote monitoring of the operation status, sending control commands, and receiving fault alarms, reducing on-site operation time and safety risks, with a fault response time of ≤10s.

[0027] The LiDAR system collects 3D point cloud data in real time to build a 3D map of the deck area. Based on the 3D map and the preset deck repair area division, the main control unit ensures that the robot covers all the pits to be repaired in the shortest distance and avoids obstacles. As the filling robot moves along the planned path, the vision sensor continuously captures images and measures the depth of the deck surface. At the same time, the tilt sensor monitors the robot's tilt angle in real time. The main control unit adjusts the motor speed of each universal wheel on the mobile chassis through the drive module to achieve horizontal posture calibration of the robot. The main control unit controls the extension of the synchronous electric push rod to achieve rigid fixation of the robot above the pit; the filling material is injected into the pit through the material filling port.

[0028] When using this utility model, like Figures 1 to 8 As shown, a deck filling robot includes a hardware structure, a sensor system, and a control system 8. The hardware structure includes a shell 1, a mobile chassis 2, and a telescopic mechanism 3. The mobile chassis 2 is located at the bottom of the shell 1, and the telescopic mechanism 3 is located around the shell 1 and extends from the inside of the shell 1 to the outside of the shell 1. The shell 1 is provided with a material filling port 4, which is connected to an external filling material pump. Specifically, the bottom of the mobile chassis 2 is equipped with casters 20, at least four of which are set around the perimeter of the mobile chassis 2. The casters 20 support independent drive and steering of multiple wheels. The mobile chassis 2 is equipped with at least four casters 20, which support independent drive and steering of multiple wheels, enabling flexible movements such as turning on the spot and lateral movement. This allows for smooth operation in narrow deck spaces and densely populated equipment areas, solving the problem of limited movement of traditional equipment and improving the operational coverage.

[0029] The telescopic mechanism 3 includes multiple sets of synchronous electric push rods 30 and stepper motors 31. The synchronous electric push rods 30 and stepper motors 31 are connected by belts 32 to achieve zero-slip transmission. The synchronous electric push rod 30 includes a push rod body 300 and a reducer 301. One end of the push rod body 300 is inserted into the reducer 301, which has a self-locking function. The push rod body 300 includes a housing 3000, an inner rod 3001, and a trapezoidal lead screw 3002. The inner rod 3001 and the trapezoidal lead screw 3002 are both housed within the housing 3000, and the trapezoidal lead screw 3002 is inserted into the inner rod. Inside 3001, the top of the inner rod 3001 is provided with longitudinal and transverse grooves 3003. The longitudinal and transverse grooves 3003 can be embedded into the tiny recesses of the pit wall to enhance the mechanical interlocking friction. The telescopic mechanism 3 adopts a synchronous electric push rod 30 and a stepper motor 31 driven by a belt 32 to achieve synchronous telescopic extension and retraction without slippage. The push rod is equipped with a reducer 301 with a self-locking function. Combined with the longitudinal and transverse grooves 3003 on the top of the inner rod 3001 (embedded in the recesses of the pit wall), a rigid fixed structure is formed, which can effectively prevent the robot from shifting during filling, ensure that the filling material is accurately injected into the pit, and avoid positional deviation or material overflow.

[0030] The hardware structure includes a linear vibration motor, which is integrated on the mobile chassis 2 and located on one side of the material filling port 4. The vibration frequency of the linear vibration motor is adjustable. The linear vibration motor integrated on the mobile chassis 2 can adjust the vibration frequency (to adapt to different filling materials). High-frequency vibration eliminates air bubbles inside the material, prompting the material to fully fill the pits and gaps. With precise filling volume control (based on the pit size measurement of the vision sensor 6), the filling density is improved to over 95%, and the surface flatness error is ≤ ±1mm, which is significantly better than the quality of manual filling.

[0031] The sensor system includes a lidar 5, a vision sensor 6, and a tilt sensor 7. The lidar 5, vision sensor 6, and tilt sensor 7 are all located on the top of the housing 1. The tilt sensor 7 is installed in the center of the top of the housing 1 to monitor the robot's tilt angle. The lidar 5 constructs a 3D map of the deck, and the vision sensor 6 locates the craters. Combined with the path planning and drive control of the main control unit, the robot achieves full automation from navigation and positioning to filling, eliminating the need for manual traction or positioning. This significantly reduces human intervention, and the repair time for a single crater is reduced by more than 50% compared to traditional manual methods, making it suitable for large-scale deck maintenance needs.

[0032] The control system 8 is housed within the casing 1. The control system 8 includes a main control unit, a drive module, and a communication module. The drive module uses PWM technology to control the motor speed and positioning. The communication module is a wireless communication module that enables data interaction between the filling robot and the remote monitoring center and handheld terminal. The drive module uses PWM technology to achieve precise motor speed and positioning, ensuring that the error of the push rod extension length and chassis movement distance is ≤±2mm. The wireless communication module supports data interaction between the robot and the remote monitoring center and handheld terminal, and can remotely monitor the operation status, send control commands, and receive fault alarms, reducing on-site operation time and safety risks. The fault response time is ≤10s.

[0033] The LiDAR 5 system collects 3D point cloud data in real time to build a 3D map of the deck area. Based on the 3D map and the preset deck repair area division, the main control unit ensures that the robot covers all the pits to be repaired in the shortest distance and avoids obstacles. As the filling robot moves along the planned path, the vision sensor 6 continuously captures images and measures the depth of the deck surface. At the same time, the tilt sensor 7 monitors the tilt angle of the robot in real time. The main control unit adjusts the motor speed of each universal wheel 20 on the mobile chassis 2 through the drive module to achieve horizontal posture calibration of the robot. The main control unit controls the synchronous electric push rod 30 to extend, so as to achieve rigid fixation of the robot above the pit; the filling material is injected into the pit through the material filling port 4.

[0034] When using this utility model, The delivery pipeline of the external filling material pump is sealed and connected to the material filling port 4 on the housing 1 to ensure that there is no leakage in the pipeline. According to the type of filling material, the vibration frequency of the linear vibration motor is preset through the remote monitoring terminal, the main control unit of the control system 8 is started, the lidar 5 starts to scan the deck environment, collects three-dimensional point cloud data in real time and builds a three-dimensional map of the deck area, and the vision sensor 6 and tilt sensor 7 enter the working state and feed back the initial attitude data (such as levelness and initial position coordinates).

[0035] The main control unit uses a 3D map built by LiDAR 5 and a preset deck repair area to automatically plan the optimal operation path to cover all the pits to be repaired in the shortest distance, while avoiding obstacles identified in the map.

[0036] The drive module controls the omnidirectional wheels 20 of the mobile chassis 2 to drive independently according to the path instructions of the main control unit: through the cooperation of multiple wheels, it can achieve straight movement, turning on the spot or lateral movement, and flexibly move through narrow spaces or densely equipped areas; during the movement, the lidar 5 continuously monitors obstacles in front, and if a sudden obstacle is encountered, the main control unit adjusts the path in real time to ensure safe movement.

[0037] When the robot enters the area to be repaired, the vision sensor 6 continuously captures images of the deck surface: the high-definition camera locks the outline of the pit through image recognition algorithms, and the depth camera measures the depth, diameter, and edge coordinates of the pit; the main control unit controls the mobile chassis 2 to precisely stop above the pit based on the center coordinates of the pit.

[0038] After docking, the tilt sensor 7 monitors the robot's tilt angle in real time: if the deck is uneven and the tilt angle is greater than 3°, the sensor will feed the data back to the main control unit; the main control unit will adjust the rotation speed of each universal wheel 20 on the mobile chassis 2 through the drive module until the robot returns to a horizontal posture, thus preventing material from overflowing during filling.

[0039] After posture calibration, the main control unit commands the telescopic mechanism 3 to start: the stepper motor 31 drives the synchronous electric push rod 30 to extend through the belt 32. The longitudinal and transverse grooves 3003 on the top of the inner rod 3001 are embedded in the tiny recesses of the pit wall. When the push rod is subjected to force to a preset threshold, the reducer 301 triggers the self-locking function to keep the push rod in the extended state and form a rigid fixed structure with the pit wall to prevent the robot from shifting during the filling process.

[0040] The main control unit sends a "start command" to the external filling material pump, and the filling material is continuously injected into the pit through the material filling port 4; at the same time, the vision sensor 6 monitors the material liquid level inside the pit in real time, and calculates the remaining filling amount by combining the pit volume measured by the depth camera, so as to ensure that the material is injected as needed.

[0041] During the material injection process, the main control unit simultaneously starts the linear vibration motor: the motor vibrates at a preset frequency, and the vibration energy is transferred to the filling material to eliminate internal air bubbles and promote the material to fully fill the pits and gaps; when the vision sensor 6 detects that the material liquid level is flush with the deck surface and there are no obvious air bubbles, the main control unit instructs the material pump to stop conveying, and the vibration motor continues to work for 30 seconds to accelerate the initial curing of the material.

[0042] The above embodiments only illustrate several implementation methods of this utility model, and their descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, but they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the utility model patent. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, several modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of this utility model. These are all equivalent modifications and improvements made to the above embodiments based on the essential technology of this utility model, and all of these fall within the protection scope of this utility model.

Claims

1. A deck filling robot, characterized in that, It includes a hardware structure, a sensor system, and a control system; the hardware structure includes a housing, a mobile chassis, and a telescopic mechanism. The mobile chassis is located at the bottom of the housing, and the telescopic mechanism is located around the perimeter of the housing and extends from inside the housing to the outside of the housing. The housing is provided with a material filling port, which is connected to an external filling material pump. The sensor system includes a lidar, a vision sensor, and a tilt sensor, all of which are mounted on the top of the housing. The control system is housed within the housing and includes a main control unit, a drive module, and a communication module. The lidar collects three-dimensional point cloud data in real time to construct a three-dimensional map of the deck area. Based on the three-dimensional map and the preset deck repair area division, the main control unit ensures that the robot covers all the pits to be repaired in the shortest distance and avoids obstacles. As the filling robot moves along the planned path, the vision sensor continuously captures images and measures the depth of the deck surface. At the same time, the tilt sensor monitors the robot's tilt angle in real time. The main control unit adjusts the motor speed of each universal wheel on the mobile chassis through the drive module to achieve horizontal posture calibration of the robot. The main control unit controls the extension of the synchronous electric push rod to achieve rigid fixation of the robot above the pit; the filling material is injected into the pit through the material filling port.

2. The deck filling robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mobile chassis is equipped with at least four casters at its bottom, which are arranged around the perimeter of the mobile chassis. The casters support independent drive and steering for multiple wheels.

3. The deck filling robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The telescopic mechanism includes multiple sets of synchronous electric push rods and stepper motors. The synchronous electric push rods and stepper motors are connected by belts to achieve zero-slip transmission.

4. A deck filling robot according to claim 3, characterized in that: The synchronous electric push rod includes a push rod body and a reducer. One end of the push rod body is inserted into the reducer, and the reducer has a self-locking function.

5. A deck filling robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: The push rod body includes a housing, an inner rod, and a trapezoidal lead screw. Both the inner rod and the trapezoidal lead screw are disposed inside the housing, and the trapezoidal lead screw is inserted into the inner rod.

6. A deck filling robot according to claim 5, characterized in that: The top of the inner rod is provided with longitudinal and transverse grooves, which can be embedded into the tiny recesses of the pit wall to enhance the mechanical interlocking friction.

7. A deck filling robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The hardware structure includes a linear vibration motor, which is integrated on the mobile chassis and located on one side of the material filling port.

8. A deck filling robot according to claim 7, characterized in that: The vibration frequency of the linear vibration motor is adjustable.

9. A deck filling robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The tilt sensor is installed at the center of the top of the housing and is used to monitor the robot's tilt angle.

10. A deck filling robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The drive module uses PWM technology to control the motor speed and positioning, and the communication module is a wireless communication module to realize data interaction between the filling robot body and the remote monitoring center and handheld terminal.

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