Mobile device

Abstract

The invention specifies a mobile device (1) comprising a mobile base body (2) which is movable on a floor surface (4), a device component (6) arranged on the base body (2) and movable relative to the base body (2), a counterweight device (9) arranged in or on the base body (2) for dynamically compensating a load (8) acting on the base body (2) resulting from a movement or pose of the device component (6), and a control unit connected to the counterweight device (9), wherein the control unit is designed to control the counterweight device (9) depending on the resulting load (8), wherein the control unit is designed to control the counterweight device (9) depending on the resulting load (8) such that a predetermined tipping stability condition with respect to the base body (2) and / or the device (1) is maintained or achieved,wherein the counterweight device (9) has a counterweight (11) that can be moved from a starting position to a target position (10) by controlling the counterweight device (9) by the control unit, wherein the target position (10) represents a position in which the predetermined tipping stability condition is maintained or achieved, wherein the counterweight (11) is mounted so as to be axially displaceable (13), wherein the counterweight (11) is also mounted so as to be rotatable (14) about an axis of rotation (12), wherein the axis of rotation (12) is oriented substantially perpendicular to the floor surface (4) during operation, wherein the counterweight (11) is also mounted so as to be rotatable (14) about an axis of rotation (12), wherein the axis of rotation (12) is oriented substantially perpendicular to the floor surface (4) during operation.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a mobile device comprising a mobile base body which is movable on a floor surface, and a device component arranged on the base body and movable relative to the base body.

[0002] Mobile devices, such as vehicles or, particularly in industry, mobile robots used, for example, as part of a production or assembly process, typically comprise a mobile base body and a movable device component, which can be designed, for example, as a movable component of a vehicle body or as a manipulator, i.e., a device that enables physical interaction with the environment. The manipulator can be an industrial robot, in particular an articulated-arm robot, which is usually an automatically guided, multi-purpose manipulator equipped with three or more freely programmable axes of motion, typically used in industrial applications. Such a manipulator typically guides grippers, tools, or workpieces.The mobile base body can usually be moved freely on a floor surface and is regularly equipped with driven wheels, tracked drives or similar as well as a drive motor.

[0003] Such a mobile device, particularly unlike a stationary device, which is usually firmly fixed to the ground with its base body, is prone to tipping, for example, if the center of gravity moves away from the center of the base body due to a change in the pose of the movable device component. This can occur due to a relatively high (dead) weight of the device component and / or if, for example, a relatively heavy object is moved or lifted with the device component, an unfavorable shift in the center of gravity of the device component, which can lead to tipping of the mobile device.

[0004] From DE 10 2018 120 844 A1 a platform with a robot manipulator arranged on the platform and with a suspension device is known.

[0005] A mobile manipulator system is known from DE 20 2016 003 232 U1.

[0006] DE 10 2019 008 680 A1 shows a mobile platform which is subject to compliance control with respect to its driving wheels.

[0007] It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a mobile device which is flexibly and reliably secured against tipping and thus always has sufficient tipping stability.

[0008] The above object is achieved by the teaching of claim 1. Advantageous embodiments and further developments of the invention are set out in the subclaims and the following description.

[0009] The mobile device according to the invention comprises a mobile base body which is movable on a floor surface, a device component arranged on the base body and movable relative to the base body, a counterweight device arranged in or on the base body for dynamically compensating a load acting on the base body resulting from a movement or pose of the device component, and a control unit connected to the counterweight device, wherein the control unit is designed to control the counterweight device depending on the resulting load.

[0010] The design according to the invention has the advantage that it provides a mobile device that is flexibly and reliably secured against tipping and thus always has sufficient tipping stability.

[0011] The base body is therefore not fixed or attached to a floor surface, but is movable on the floor surface, in particular by means of a wheel or several wheels and a drive motor for driving the wheel or wheels, wherein the wheel or wheels is or are preferably arranged on the underside of the base body, which during operation represents the side of the base body facing the floor surface.

[0012] The device component is advantageously movably mounted or attached to the base body.

[0013] The resulting load acting on the base body is advantageously embodied as the resulting weight of the device component. Data or information relating to the resulting load, preferably the resulting weight, is transmitted, for example, from the device component to the control unit. The counterweight device is particularly designed for dynamic, at least partial, preferably complete, load or weight compensation. The resulting load acting on the base body, preferably the resulting weight acting on the base body, can result from a current or planned movement or from a current or planned pose of the device component.

[0014] According to the invention, the control unit is designed to control the counterweight device depending on the resulting load in such a way that the tipping stability of the base body and / or the device is improved or increased compared to the tipping stability of the base body or the device without such control. The control unit is preferably designed as an electronic control unit.

[0015] In an advantageous embodiment, the counterweight device is also designed to dynamically compensate for a load acting on the base body resulting from a collision of the device component with a collision object in the vicinity of the mobile device. This can be a current or imminent collision, for example, with an object or a person in the vicinity of the mobile device. The collision leads to a pulse-like displacement of the load acting on the base body, in particular the weight force acting on the base body.

[0016] In a further advantageous embodiment, the control unit is configured to control the counterweight device depending on the resulting load in such a way that a predetermined tipping stability condition with respect to the base body and / or the device is maintained or achieved. The predetermined tipping stability condition is advantageously configured such that, when the predetermined tipping stability condition is met, the base body or the device does not tip over, i.e., in particular, the base body or the device has the required stability against tipping.

[0017] In a further advantageous embodiment, the control unit is further configured to determine a compensating load based on the resulting load to compensate for the resulting load, wherein the control unit is configured to control the compensating weight device depending on the determined compensating load. Advantageously, the compensating load is configured as a compensating weight force that at least partially, preferably completely, compensates for the resulting load, preferably the resulting weight force of the device component.

[0018] According to the invention, the counterweight device comprises a counterweight that can be moved from an initial position to a target position by controlling the counterweight device by the control unit. The target position represents a position in which the predetermined tipping stability condition is maintained or achieved. The counterweight device advantageously also comprises an adjustment unit by means of which the counterweight can be moved accordingly. The adjustment unit is designed in particular as an actuator and / or electric motor, and the adjustment unit is preferably controlled by the control unit.

[0019] In a further advantageous embodiment, the control unit is further configured to determine the target position for the counterweight depending on the resulting load. In a preferred embodiment, in which the control unit is configured to determine a compensating load for compensating the resulting load based on the resulting load and to control the counterweight device depending on the determined compensating load, the control unit is further configured to determine the target position for the counterweight depending on the determined compensating load.

[0020] Furthermore, according to the invention, the counterweight is mounted for axial displacement. In particular, the counterweight can perform a linear movement between a position on or near a vertically extending center axis of the base body and a position remote from this center axis, which is preferably located in an edge region of the base body.

[0021] According to the invention, the counterweight is also rotatably mounted about a rotational axis, wherein the rotational axis is aligned substantially perpendicular to the base surface during operation. This allows the counterweight to be moved with two degrees of freedom relative to the base body, i.e., it can perform a linear movement or a rotational movement, as well as a combination of rotational and linear movement, which in particular enables flexible and always needs-based positioning of the counterweight. With regard to the rotational movement, a (complete) rotational movement of up to 360° of the counterweight is preferably possible, so that the counterweight can be rotated to any desired position in a circumferential direction around the rotational axis, and positioned there.

[0022] In a further advantageous embodiment, the mobile device further comprises a sensor device connected to the control unit for detecting the movement or pose of the device component and / or the load resulting from the movement or pose of the device component. Advantageously, the sensor device is further configured to output or transmit a sensor signal to the control unit, wherein the sensor signal comprises data or information relating to the detected movement or pose of the device component and / or the detected load resulting from the movement or pose.In a preferred embodiment, in which the counterweight device is also designed to dynamically compensate for a load acting on the base body resulting from a collision of the device component with a collision object in an environment of the mobile device, the sensor device is also designed to detect the collision and / or the load resulting from the collision.

[0023] The sensor device preferably comprises a force sensor and / or a displacement sensor and / or a motion sensor and / or an inclination sensor and / or a camera. The sensor device may also comprise multiple sensors of a specified sensor type, for example, multiple force sensors and / or multiple displacement sensors.

[0024] In an advantageous embodiment, the mobile device is designed as a mobile robot, wherein preferably the base body is designed as a mobile platform and the movable device component is designed as a manipulator of a structure carried by the mobile platform, in particular as a movable robot arm.

[0025] In an alternative advantageous embodiment, the mobile device is designed as a vehicle, in particular as a preferably autonomously or semi-autonomously driving motor vehicle, wherein the base body is preferably designed as a chassis or a self-supporting body of the vehicle. In particular, the vehicle is designed as a commercial vehicle, for example, as a crane vehicle with a crane forming the movable device component.

[0026] An embodiment of the invention is explained in more detail below with reference to a drawing. The single figure shows a schematic representation of a mobile device designed as a mobile robot.

[0027] The single figure shows a schematic representation of a mobile device 1 designed as a mobile robot in operation. The mobile device 1 comprises a mobile base body 2 designed as a mobile platform and a structure 3 supported by the base body 2.

[0028] The base body 2 is therefore not fixed or attached to a floor surface 4, but is freely movable on the floor surface 4. For this purpose, the base body 2 has a drive motor (not shown) and, on its underside 5 facing the floor surface 4, several wheels 6, which are at least partially driven by the drive motor.

[0029] The structure 3 has a movable device component 6 designed as a manipulator and is configured, for example, as an articulated robot arm that is movable relative to the base body 2 over several axes of movement and that has a gripper at its end facing away from the base body 2. Physical interaction with the environment is enabled via the movable device component 6. In the situation shown, the device component 6 has a specific pose and the gripper guides a component 7 that has a relatively high weight compared to the weight of the base body 2, which overall leads to a resultant load 8 acting on the base body 2, which corresponds to the resultant weight of the device component 6 carrying the component 7. This results in an unfavorable shift in the center of gravity of the device component 6, so that there is a risk of the base body 2 orthe mobile device 1.

[0030] In order to counteract this risk, a counterweight device 9 is arranged in the base body 2 for dynamically compensating the resulting load 8 or weight force acting on the base body 2 and the mobile device 1 also has a control unit (not shown) connected to the counterweight device 9 and designed as an electronic control unit, which is designed to control the counterweight device 9 depending on the resulting load 8 in such a way that a tipping stability of the base body 2 or the mobile device 1 is improved or increased compared to a tipping stability of the base body 2 or the mobile device 1 without a corresponding control.

[0031] For this purpose, the counterweight device 9 has, on the one hand, a counterweight 11 which can be moved from a starting position to a target position 10 by the control unit controlling the counterweight device 9, which counterweight has a predetermined weight stored in the control unit, and an adjustment unit designed as an electric motor and controllable by the control unit for moving the counterweight 11, wherein the target position 10 represents a position in which a predetermined tipping stability condition with respect to the base body 2 and / or the device 1 is maintained or achieved, and wherein the predetermined tipping stability condition is designed in such a way that, when the predetermined tipping stability condition is present, tipping of the base body 2 or the device 1 does not occur, i.e. the base body 2 or the device 1 has the required stability against tipping.For this purpose, the counterweight 11 is on the one hand axially or linearly displaceable in the base body 2 and on the other hand is rotatably mounted about an axis of rotation 12 aligned perpendicular to the base surface 4, as indicated by the arrows 13 and 14, respectively.

[0032] Secondly, the control unit is configured to control the counterweight device 9 depending on the resulting load 8 such that the predefined tipping stability condition is maintained or achieved. For this purpose, the control unit is further configured to determine, based on the resulting load 8, which is continuously transmitted, for example, from the device component 6 to the control unit, a corresponding counterweight load 15 configured as a counterweight force for counterbalancing the resulting load 8, to determine the target position 10 for the counterweight 11 depending on the determined counterweight load 14, and to control the counterweight device 9 depending on the determined target position 10.In the case presented here, by appropriately controlling the counterweight device 9, the counterweight 11 was moved by means of the adjustment unit into the specific target position 10, whereby the resulting load 8 was completely balanced, for example, and the specified tipping stability condition was achieved.

[0033] By such a design of the mobile device 1, in particular with a corresponding counterweight device 9 and with a corresponding control unit, the mobile device 1 is thus flexibly and reliably secured against tipping and thus always has sufficient tipping stability.

Claims

[1] Mobile device (1) comprising a mobile base body (2) which is movable on a floor surface (4), a device component (6) arranged on the base body (2) and movable relative to the base body (2), a counterweight device (9) arranged in or on the base body (2) for dynamically compensating a load (8) acting on the base body (2) resulting from a movement or pose of the device component (6), and a control unit connected to the counterweight device (9), wherein the control unit is designed to control the counterweight device (9) depending on the resulting load (8), wherein the control unit is designed to control the counterweight device (9) depending on the resulting load (8) in such a way that a predetermined tipping stability condition with respect to the base body (2) and / or the device (1) is maintained or achieved,wherein the counterweight device (9) has a counterweight (11) which can be moved from a starting position to a target position (10) by controlling the counterweight device (9) by the control unit, wherein the target position (10) represents a position in which the predetermined tipping stability condition is maintained or achieved, wherein the counterweight (11) is mounted so as to be axially displaceable (13), wherein the counterweight (11) is also mounted so as to be rotatable (14) about an axis of rotation (12), wherein the axis of rotation (12) is aligned substantially perpendicular to the floor surface (4) during operation, [2] Mobile device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the counterweight device (9) is also designed to dynamically compensate for a load (8) acting on the base body (2) resulting from a collision of the device component (6) with a collision object in an environment of the mobile device (1). [3] Mobile device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the control unit is further designed to determine a compensating load (15) for compensating the resulting load (8) based on the resulting load (8), and wherein the control unit is designed to control the compensating weight device (9) depending on the determined compensating load (15). [4] Mobile device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is further designed to determine the target position (10) for the counterweight (11) depending on the resulting load (8). [5] Mobile device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising a sensor device connected to the control unit for detecting the movement or pose of the device component (6) and / or the load (8) resulting from the movement or pose of the device component (6). [6] Mobile device (1) according to one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the mobile device (1) is designed as a mobile robot, wherein preferably the base body (2) is designed as a mobile platform and the movable device component (6) is designed as a manipulator of a structure carried by the mobile platform, in particular as a movable robot arm. [7] Mobile device (1) according to one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the mobile device (1) is designed as a vehicle, in particular as a motor vehicle, preferably driving autonomously or semi-autonomously, wherein the base body (2) is preferably designed as a chassis or a self-supporting body of the vehicle.

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