COLLABORATIVE SYSTEM FOR HANDLING ANY LOAD AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING SUCH A SYSTEM

Description

1. Technical field of the invention

[0001] The technical field of the invention is that of load handling, in particular that of collaborative load handling. 2. Technological background

[0002] There are many situations, in an industrial, professional or private context, where humans are faced with the need to move loads, especially heavy loads which may have various shapes, dimensions and weights.

[0003] To meet this need, it is now known to use handling equipment specifically designed for the loads to be handled.

[0004] Examples include forklifts, pallet trucks, stackers, mobile cranes, overhead cranes, gantries, air cushions, roller skates, tractors, etc.

[0005] Each of these machines is dedicated to one or more predetermined types of load and is subject to a number of limitations related to its use.

[0006] For example, pallet trucks are dedicated to handling pallets of standardized shapes and can only be used in spaces with few clutter and relatively flat floors to allow for the maneuverability of the pallet trucks.

[0007] Air cushion systems are designed for handling heavy loads, such as machine tools, and can only be used on perfectly flat surfaces. Furthermore, these systems require an external pneumatic unit with a high air flow rate. In addition, moving a heavy load generally requires several operators to secure the load during transport.

[0008] Roller skates are designed for handling heavy loads on the ground and can only be used on perfectly flat, smooth surfaces without any irregularities. Furthermore, roller skates require the use of external lifting equipment, such as hydraulic jacks, to slide the skates under the load, and industrial tractors are necessary to move the load.

[0009] Operator-driven vehicles, such as forklifts or cranes, are bulky and require the presence of qualified operators with specific authorization.

[0010] Overhead cranes, also known as gantry cranes, are designed for lifting and moving heavy loads of all types along predetermined routes. Therefore, overhead cranes are not suitable for moving loads along unplanned routes. Furthermore, these cranes require ground anchoring and qualified personnel.

[0011] It therefore appears that the various handling systems currently known all have limitations of use which make them poorly suited to other types of loads or other types of environments than those for which they were designed.

[0012] The inventors therefore sought to develop a new handling system that would address at least some of the drawbacks of existing systems, and in particular a system adaptable to different types of loads, environments, and / or uses. US 2015 / 125252 A1 discloses a system according to the preamble of claim 1. 3. Objectives of the invention

[0013] The invention therefore aims to provide a handling system that overcomes at least some of the drawbacks of known systems.

[0014] The invention aims in particular to provide, in at least one embodiment of the invention, a collaborative handling system, which can adapt to different types of loads, regardless of their weight, geometry and dimensions.

[0015] The invention also aims to provide, in at least one embodiment, a collaborative handling system that can be operated by a single operator, without special qualifications.

[0016] The invention also aims to provide, in at least one embodiment, a collaborative handling system, which can adapt to different environments and in particular to different types of soil.

[0017] The invention also aims to provide, in at least one embodiment of the invention, a collaborative handling system that is compact and / or hand-portable.

[0018] The invention also aims to provide, in at least one embodiment of the invention, a collaborative handling system that exhibits improved maneuverability compared to known systems, including in confined spaces.

[0019] The invention ultimately aims to provide a method for controlling a system according to the invention. 4. Description of the invention

[0020] To this end, the invention relates to a collaborative system for handling any load on a surface, referred to as the handling surface, comprising: a fleet of mobile handling robots, each comprising a chassis, chassis movement elements on said handling surface in a principal direction of advancement, called the longitudinal direction, and lifting means for said load carried by said chassis and equipped with a gripping element for said load; a control unit configured to be able to provide a robot of said fleet, called the master robot, with commands, called reference commands, for said lifting means and for said movement elements of that robot to enable the handling of said load; synchronization means for said robots configured to be able to provide each non-master robot of said fleet, called the slave robot, with commands, called derived commands, for said lifting means and for said movement elements of that slave robot, determined from said reference commands of said master robot;to enable the collaborative handling of said load by said master robot and said slave robots synchronized with said master robot.

[0021] The system is characterized in that said lifting means of at least one handling robot - in particular of each handling robot - comprise a motorized mobile arm, said pivoting arm, carrying said gripping member, said motorized mobile arm being pivoting relative to said chassis around a transverse axis, said pivoting axis, which extends perpendicularly to said longitudinal direction, between a gripping position in which it can position said gripping member under said load and at least one handling position in which it allows the gripping member to carry said load above said handling surface.

[0022] In other words, a handling system according to the invention comprises a master robot controlled by a control unit and slave robots controlled by means of synchronizing the slave robots with said master robot.

[0023] The robots in a system according to the invention collaborate with each other to enable the handling of any load. In other words, each robot in the system supports a portion of the load to be handled, so that the cooperation of all the robots allows the load to be handled, whatever it may be.

[0024] A system according to the invention thus makes it possible to move any loads by synchronizing slave robots with a master robot, which is itself controlled by a control unit. This control unit is, for example, a radio remote control configured to communicate with a receiver carried by the master robot. The radio remote control is operated by a system operator to provide the master robot with movement and lifting instructions. The synchronization means of the system according to the invention make it possible to derive movement and lifting instructions from the movement and lifting instructions sent to the master robot, as well as movement and lifting instructions for each of the system's slave robots.

[0025] According to the invention, the master and slave robots can be positioned by an operator near the load to be handled. This operator then controls the master robot via the control unit to transmit handling instructions, i.e., lifting and movement instructions. The synchronization means then determine the handling instructions for each of the slave robots based on the instructions from the master robot.

[0026] A system according to the invention can therefore be adapted to any type of load to be handled by providing as many slave robots as necessary, taking into account the load to be handled. A system according to the invention is therefore not dedicated to a specific type of load. Furthermore, regardless of the number of slave robots required to handle the load in question, the control of the robot fleet remains the same, namely, the control of the master robot, which, through synchronization means, directly controls all the slave robots. In other words, no modification of the system is necessary to switch from handling a load requiring a predetermined number N of slave robots to handling a load requiring a predetermined number M of slave robots.

[0027] A system according to the invention is therefore adaptable to all types of loads, while having a reduced footprint compared to prior art handling systems.

[0028] A system according to the invention is also manually transportable by an operator, insofar as each robot in the fleet can be carried by an operator. It is the combination and cooperation of the robots in the fleet that enables the movement of a load of any kind, including a heavy and / or bulky load.

[0029] With the loads carried from below, the load is fully visible, including during the picking and loading operations.

[0030] At least one robot in the handling system, and preferably each robot in the handling system, comprises a movable arm pivoting about a pivot axis that extends in a direction, called the transverse direction, perpendicular to the longitudinal direction between a pick-up position and a handling position. This movable arm is motorized, and its movement from the pick-up position to the handling position results from derived commands provided by the synchronization means (in the case of a slave robot) or from reference commands provided by the control unit (in the case of the master robot).

[0031] The pivoting arm of a robot in a system according to the invention allows it to slide under the load to ensure gripping. This also eliminates the need for cantilevered operation and ensures load stability. This aspect of the invention also reduces the mass of the robots.

[0032] The pivoting of the motorized arm around the pivot axis is generated by the movement of one or more moving elements, for example, rotation, translation, or following a cam path (e.g., connecting rod, cam, etc.). The pivot axis may correspond to a real element of the system (e.g., a pivot joint) or be virtual due to the combined movement of moving elements.

[0033] Advantageously and according to the invention, said pivoting arm is configured so that in gripping position, said gripping member extends to less than 80mm from said handling surface, advantageously to less than 50mm from said handling surface, so as to allow the load to be picked up at ground level.

[0034] According to this advantageous variant, the arm is configured so that, in the gripping position, it can be close to the ground, under the load, possibly lower than the robot.

[0035] According to the invention, said pivoting arm of at least one handling robot - in particular of each handling robot - is configured such that in handling position, said gripping member extends vertically from the center of inertia of said movement members of this robot, so as to be able to rotate this robot on itself, when said pivoting arm is in said handling position, and ensure omnidirectional movement of this robot, while maintaining the load.

[0036] According to this characteristic, the gripping element can extend vertically from the center of mass of the moving parts in the handling position. The robot can also pivot around the axis extending from the gripping element to the center of mass of the robot's moving parts—known as the vertical axis—to change the robot's orientation and ensure omnidirectional movement while maintaining load control. Preferably, the gripping element is mounted on the pivoting arm via a vertical pivot, allowing the robot to pivot around the vertical axis while keeping the gripping element engaged with the load. This pivoting capability of the gripping element is achieved, for example, by means of a hub that supports the gripping element. The hub is also mounted to pivot around a transverse axis.

[0037] A system according to the invention therefore allows the handling of loads in heavily cluttered spaces or in small spaces, by allowing robots to pivot on themselves while holding the load, which was not possible with dedicated devices of the prior art, such as pallet trucks (or any other towed system) which require large spaces to be able to be maneuvered, both when grasping the load to be handled and when orienting the pallet truck in the direction of the intended movement.

[0038] Furthermore, since the robots in a system according to the invention can pivot on their own axis, once in the handling position, it is not necessary to align the robots during their initial positioning under the load. Once positioned by an operator, the robots can automatically align themselves by pivoting on their own axis to follow the trajectory imposed by the master robot.

[0039] Advantageously and according to the invention, said gripping member of at least one handling robot - in particular of each handling robot - is mounted pivotally on said motorized arm movable around a transverse axis so as to be able to maintain a horizontal orientation of said gripping member during the pivoting of the movable arm between said position of gripping said load and a position of handling said load.

[0040] According to this variant, the horizontal orientation of the gripping member can be maintained when pivoting the mobile arm from the gripping position to the handling position.

[0041] Advantageously and according to the invention, said motorized mobile arm of at least one handling robot - in particular of each handling robot - is equipped with removable mounting means for said gripping member so as to be able to change the gripping member according to the load to be handled by this robot.

[0042] Robots in a system according to this variant allow the robots' gripping mechanisms to be adapted to the type of load to be handled.

[0043] Thus, such a gripping device can be a friction support pad for loads with a flat and horizontal gripping surface, a flange for loads equipped with clamping rings, magnets for metallic loads, forks for loads equipped with fork receiving housings, such as pallets, etc.

[0044] The means of removable mounting of these various gripping devices can be of all types. They can be magnetic means, screw-on means, recessed means, etc.

[0045] Advantageously and according to the invention, said motorized mobile arm comprises a rotary actuator (of the electric motor type) mechanically connected to a ball screw carried by a bearing mounted pivotally relative to said chassis and comprising a trunnion nut integral with said pivoting arm so that the rotation of said screw by said rotary actuator causes a translational displacement of said trunnion nut which ensures the pivoting of said pivoting arm.

[0046] According to this embodiment, the motorized arm of at least one handling robot – in particular, of each handling robot – includes a ball screw supported by a bearing mounted pivotally relative to the chassis. This allows the screw to pivot when the mobile arm is lifted.

[0047] In other embodiments, particularly for very heavy loads, i.e., loads exceeding 2000 kg, the ball screw can be replaced by a planetary roller screw. In other embodiments, the ball screw can be replaced by a hydraulic cylinder.

[0048] According to the invention, said lifting means of at least one handling robot - in particular of each handling robot - are synchronized with said movement members of this robot so that said load can be lifted along a perfectly vertical axis.

[0049] Robots according to this variant enable vertical lifting of the load, as the robot's movement components can shift according to the pivoting of the motorized arm of the lifting device. Furthermore, this aspect of the invention allows the robots to pass under a load that is lower than themselves.

[0050] Advantageously and according to the invention, said chassis movement devices of at least one handling robot - in particular of each handling robot - comprise two drive wheels each controlled independently and arranged on either side of a longitudinal axis.

[0051] According to this advantageous variant, the robot's movement components include independently controlled drive wheels. Thus, each drive wheel can be independently controlled by a variable frequency drive to achieve speed and position control of each wheel, allowing the robot to be oriented by the speed differential between the two wheels.

[0052] According to other variants, the movement devices may include tracks or any equivalent means of moving the robot chassis on the handling surface.

[0053] Advantageously and according to the invention, each drive wheel comprises a brushless and frameless motor housed directly in the wheel.

[0054] A robot according to this advantageous variant is compact and lightweight, which notably facilitates its portability by an operator.

[0055] Advantageously and according to the invention, said movement members of at least one handling robot - in particular of each handling robot - further comprise a roller, called front roller, carried by said chassis and arranged opposite the gripping member in the gripping position, and casters, called rear casters, carried by the chassis and arranged opposite the front roller.

[0056] A robot of this type can easily be moved when empty for positioning under a load thanks to the combination of drive wheels at the front and casters at the rear. Furthermore, the front roller provides a load-preventing function in case the robot becomes unbalanced.

[0057] Advantageously and according to the invention, said synchronization means comprise: means for determining by the master robot the position and orientation of each slave robot relative to the master robot and the other slave robots of the system comprising at least one position sensor and at least one orientation sensor carried by each robot, means for calculating said commands derived from each slave robot from said positions and orientations determined by said means of determination, said means of calculation being embedded in a microcontroller of the master robot.

[0058] According to this advantageous variant, the system includes at least one position sensor mounted on each robot configured to determine the position of that robot relative to the master robot and the other slave robots of the system. Advantageously, this position is determined by triangulation or trilateration. This sensor is, for example, an ultrasonic sensor, a laser, or an ultra-wideband radio sensor (better known by the English acronym UWB for " Ultra Wide Band "), a camera or equivalent device configured to detect other robots in the handling system and provide position and distance measurements relative to those robots. Each robot also includes an orientation sensor, such as a digital compass, encoder, etc., configured to determine the robot's orientation so that a local reference point for each robot can be established and a heading defined.

[0059] The position of each robot is therefore automatically determined by the master robot based on the position information received by each slave robot, which allows the calculation of commands derived from each slave robot by the computing means embedded in a microcontroller of the master robot.

[0060] Advantageously and according to the invention, said synchronization means are configured to be able to measure in real time, during the movement of said load by said fleet of robots, the balance of the load by measuring the distance that separates each robot during the movement of said load and the distribution of the weight between each robot according to the vertical movements of each robot, compensated by an action on said lifting means.

[0061] A system according to this variant makes it possible to compensate, during the movement of the load, for any surface defects, by adapting the position of the lifting means to the surface condition.

[0062] Advantageously and according to the invention, each robot in said fleet further comprises an inertial measurement unit configured to provide a microcontroller with measurements of the robot's displacement, speed and acceleration.

[0063] A system based on this variant allows for monitoring and managing the robot's balance by determining its displacement, speed, and acceleration at any given moment. It also allows for measuring the robot's vertical displacements and thus compensating for surface imperfections using lifting equipment, as previously described. These measurements are advantageously enhanced by measuring the load weight using strain gauge force sensors or by directly measuring the current from the lifting equipment's electric motor, ensuring that a satisfactory weight distribution is maintained at all times.

[0064] The inertial unit ensures that the load remains directly under the wheels, even when the pivoting arm of the lifting equipment is activated to compensate for surface defects.

[0065] Advantageously and according to the invention, each robot in said fleet includes means of wireless communication with the other robots in said fleet.

[0066] This advantageous variant allows robots to communicate with each other via a wireless communication system. This wireless communication enables the master robot to provide movement and lifting instructions to the slave robots. It also allows the transmission of measurements from position sensors, the inertial measurement unit (IMU), the orientation sensor, force sensors (if applicable), and motor currents.

[0067] The invention also relates to a method of controlling a collaborative system for handling any load according to the invention.

[0068] A method according to the invention comprises at least the following steps: The robots of said system are positioned by an operator under said load to be handled, said master robot identifies each slave robot and determines the position and orientation of each of said slave robots, commands, said reference commands, of said lifting means and said movement elements of the master robot are sent to the master robot, commands, said derived commands, of said lifting means and said movement elements of each slave robot are determined by said synchronization means, from said reference commands of said master robot, to allow the collaborative handling of said load by said master robot and said slave robots synchronized with said master robot.

[0069] The advantages of a handling system according to the invention apply mutatis mutandis to a method for controlling a system according to the invention.

[0070] The invention also relates to a handling system and a method for controlling such a handling system characterized in combination by all or part of the characteristics mentioned above or below. 5. List of figures

[0071] Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description, given by way of non-limiting example only, and which refers to the accompanying figures in which: there figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a collaborative load handling system according to one embodiment of the invention, the figure 2 is a schematic profile view of a robot in a collaborative load handling system according to an embodiment of the invention, the robot being in the grasping position, the figure 3is a schematic profile view of a robot in a collaborative load handling system according to an embodiment of the invention, the robot being in the handling position, the figure 4 is a schematic perspective view from below of a robot in a collaborative load handling system according to an embodiment of the invention, the robot being in the grasping position, the figure 5 is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of a robot in a collaborative load handling system according to an embodiment of the invention, the robot being in the grasping position, the figure 6a is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of a robot in a collaborative load handling system according to an embodiment of the invention, the robot being in a load-picking position, the figure 6bis a schematic profile view of a robot in a collaborative load handling system according to an embodiment of the invention, the robot being in a load-picking position, the figure 7a is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of a robot in a collaborative load handling system according to an embodiment of the invention, the robot being in an intermediate position between the load-picking position and the load-handling position, the figure 7b is a schematic profile view of a robot in a collaborative load handling system according to an embodiment of the invention, the robot being in an intermediate position between the load-picking position and the load-handling position, the figure 8ais a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of a robot in a collaborative load-handling system according to an embodiment of the invention, the robot being in a load-handling position, the figure 8b is a schematic profile view of a robot in a collaborative load handling system according to an embodiment of the invention, the robot being in a load handling position, the figure 9 is a schematic view of the different positions taken by a robot of a system according to an embodiment during movement on a surface with surface defects, the Figure 10 is a functional schematic view of a robot in a collaborative load handling system according to an embodiment of the invention, the figure 11a is a schematic view of a first control step of a collaborative load handling system according to an embodiment of the invention, the figure 11bis a schematic view of a second control stage of a collaborative load handling system according to an embodiment of the invention, the figure 11c is a schematic view of a third control stage of a collaborative load handling system according to an embodiment of the invention. 6. Detailed description of an embodiment of the invention

[0072] In the figures, scale and proportion are not strictly to scale for illustrative and clarity purposes. In the detailed description that follows with reference to the figures, unless otherwise indicated, each element of the system according to the invention is described as it is arranged when the system is handling any load. This arrangement is shown in particular in the figure 1 .

[0073] Furthermore, identical, similar, or analogous elements are designated by the same reference numerals in all figures. Finally, the terms longitudinal, transverse, and vertical are used without limitation with reference to the L, T, V trihedron as represented in the figure 1 The longitudinal direction corresponds to the principal direction of forward movement of a robot in the system according to the invention, that is, the direction perpendicular to the axis of the drive wheels. The vertical direction is the direction defined by gravity. The transverse direction is the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal and vertical directions. It is the direction in which the pivot axis of the lifting arm of a handling robot in a collaborative system according to the invention extends.

[0074] A collaborative system for handling a load 12 according to the invention comprises, as shown in the figure 1a fleet of 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600 mobile robots for handling a load.

[0075] In the following text, robot 100 is considered a master robot, and the other robots are considered slave robots. The description of the robots is based on robot 100, with the understanding that the architecture of the other robots is identical unless otherwise stated.

[0076] Thus, the robot 100 includes a chassis 101, chassis movement devices on a handling surface 11 and lifting means.

[0077] The movement components and lifting means will be described in detail below in relation to the figures 2 to 8b In these figures, load 12 is schematically represented by a hatched block, and only one robot is shown. In practice, the load is held by at least two robots (preferably at least three) that cooperate to handle it. Thus, if we look at the figure 2 The load 12 is held at at least one other end (not shown in the figure) by a robot identical to the one shown in the figure. It is the cooperation of these different robots that allows the load 12 to be maintained in balance and handled. Chassis movement components

[0078] The driving elements of the chassis 101 are formed according to the embodiment of the driving wheel figures 102, 103.

[0079] These drive wheels 102, 103 are, for example, wheels equipped with a brushless motor or a permanent magnet DC motor powered by batteries mounted on the chassis 101 and not shown in the figures. A right-angle gearbox can also be provided between the motor and the drive wheels.

[0080] According to another embodiment, each drive wheel 102, 103 comprises a frameless brushless motor, more commonly known by the English name of " frameless » directly integrated into the wheel, with or without a gearbox. This brushless motor can be of the type inrunner "(rotor inside)," outrunner » (rotor outside) or “pancake” (axial rotor).

[0081] The motor is then equipped with an encoder-type position sensor to retrieve wheel position information and ensure speed and position control. Each drive wheel is independently controlled by a variable frequency drive to allow the robot to move in all directions.

[0082] Each drive wheel 102, 103 preferably includes a coating (also referred to as a tire) adapted to the type of handling floor 11. These tires are, for example, polyurethane tires for indoor floors and pneumatic tires for outdoor floors.

[0083] The movement components also include rear wheels 104, 105, freely rotating around a transverse axis, so as to facilitate the movement of the robot when it is placed under the load to be handled.

[0084] The movement components also include a front roller 106 which facilitates the robot's movement when it is in the load-picking position. This roller 106 also acts as an anti-fall device for the robot in case of loss of balance. Lifting equipment

[0085] The lifting means of each robot in the collaborative system include a motorized mobile arm, called a pivoting arm 110, which carries a gripping device 111 for the load to be handled.

[0086] The pivoting arm 110 is configured to be able to pivot relative to the chassis 101 around a transverse axis 112, between a gripping position in which it can position the gripping member 111 under the load 12 and at least one handling position in which it allows the gripping member 111 to carry the load 12 above the handling surface 11.

[0087] THE figures 6a and 6b illustrate the pivoting arm 110 in the load-picking position 12 and the figures 8a and 8b illustrate the pivoting arm 110 in the load handling position 12. figures 7a and 7b illustrate the pivoting arm in an intermediate position between the gripping position and the handling position. On the figures 6a, 7a and 8aIn section, the load 12 is not shown. The purpose of these figures is to illustrate the movement of the trunnion 119 along the screw 120 and the pivoting of the bearing 118 and the pivoting arm 110 during the movement of the gripping member 111 from the gripping position to the handling position.

[0088] The gripping member 111 is preferably mounted pivoting relative to the pivoting arm 110 around an axis 113 so that it can maintain a horizontal orientation when pivoting the movable arm from the load-picking position 12 to the load-handling position.

[0089] Furthermore, the gripping member 111 is removably mounted on the pivoting arm 112, allowing the gripping member to be changed depending on the type of load to be handled. This removable mounting can be achieved by means of screws, magnets, fixed attachments, etc., carried respectively by the pivoting arm 112 and the gripping member 111.

[0090] As depicted on the figure 8aSpecifically, the robot's pivoting arm 112 is configured so that, in the handling position, the gripping member 111 extends vertically above the center of inertia of the robot's wheels 102 and 103. Furthermore, the gripping member 111 is pivotally mounted in a hub 121 around a vertical axis. This vertical hub is itself pivotally mounted around the transverse axis 113. This particular configuration allows the robot to pivot on itself around the vertical axis 114, which extends from the gripping member 111 to the center of inertia of the wheels 102, 103. This ability to pivot around this axis 114 allows the robot to be oriented in all directions, including when the robot is holding the load 12 above the handling surface 11. This ability of the robot to pivot, in the handling position, is reinforced by mounting the gripping member 111 on the pivoting arm 110 by means of the hub 121, which is pivotally mounted around the transverse axis 113.In other words, the gripping member 111 can pivot around the axis 114 in the handling position relative to the arm 110.

[0091] Depending on how the figures are constructed, particularly apparent on the figure 5 The lifting means further include a rotary actuator, such as an electric motor 115 which drives the pivoting arm 110 via a reducer 116 and a pulley / belt assembly 117 in contact with a ball screw 120 equipped with a trunnion nut 119. This rotary actuator is advantageously equipped with an encoder allowing its speed and position control and a lack of energy brake to ensure the safety of the system and prevent the load from falling in the event of an emergency stop.

[0092] The ball screw 120 is held by a bearing 118 mounted pivotally on the chassis 101 so that the arm can be pivoted relative to the chassis when moving the arm from the gripping position to the handling position.

[0093] According to this embodiment of the invention, the ball screw makes it possible to obtain a good efficiency (greater than 85%) while limiting the wear of the parts, which reduces maintenance needs.

[0094] According to another embodiment, the ball screw can be replaced by a satellite roller screw or any equivalent means.

[0095] According to another embodiment not shown in the figures, the actuation of the pivoting arm can be obtained by a hydraulic cylinder with a hand pump or any equivalent means.

[0096] When more than three robots are used to handle a load, the lifting kinematics are statically indeterminate. It is then necessary to ensure a homogeneous distribution of the load's mass across each robot in the system. This distribution can be achieved by measuring the motor current of the electric motor 115. The measured current reflects the screw torque and therefore the force applied to the gripping element 111 by the load at the end of the pivoting arm 110. A force sensor, such as a strain gauge, can also be used to ensure a satisfactory distribution of the load's weight at all times.

[0097] There figure 9 schematically illustrates the ability of a robot of a system according to a preferred embodiment of the invention to compensate for defects in the handling surface 11.

[0098] In particular, the robot allows the position of the lifting equipment and its own position to be adapted to imperfections in the ground. As can be seen on the figure 9 The pivoting arm 110 pivots according to the vertical variations of the ground so that the position of the gripping member 111 can be maintained at a constant height H0 regardless of the vertical displacements of the robot induced by the variations of the handling surface 111. Also, a robot according to the invention makes it possible to compensate, during the movement of the load, for any surface defect, by adapting the position of the lifting means to the surface condition. Other means of robots

[0099] There Figure 10 illustrates schematically and functionally the other components that can be fitted to a robot with a collaborative handling system according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0100] In particular, the robot 100 preferably includes a microcontroller 130 configured to coordinate the different functionalities of the robot.

[0101] This microcontroller 130 is connected to a power distribution board 131 for the robot's power and control systems. This board is powered by the batteries 132. As mentioned previously, these batteries are, for example, removable batteries mounted on the robot's chassis 101.

[0102] The distribution board 131 is connected to the various electric motors of the robot, in particular the lifting motor 115 and the electric motors 102 and 103 of the wheels of the movement components. Servo drives 133, 134, and 135 can also be provided between the distribution board 131 and the various electric motors of the robot to provide speed and position control by measuring motor currents and encoder position.

[0103] Each robot also includes 136 position sensors, known as geolocation sensors, configured to determine the robot's position relative to other robots in the system. These position sensors are, for example, ultrasonic transmitters and receivers and / or infrared lasers and / or ultra-wideband (UWB) radio sensors.

[0104] Each robot also includes an orientation sensor 138 and an inertial measurement unit 137.

[0105] Finally, each robot includes a 139 wireless communication module for communication with the other robots in the system. This wireless communication module can be of any type. For example, it could be a 433MHz radio wave wireless communication module or a network such as WiFi, ZigBee, Bluetooth, or any equivalent network.

[0106] In addition, each robot includes a 140 control receiver to receive lifting and moving commands.

[0107] A system according to the invention comprises a master robot configured to receive reference commands from a control unit and a plurality of slave robots configured to receive commands from the master robot, these commands being derived from the commands received by the master robot.

[0108] To do this, an operator defines the lifting and moving commands on a control unit via a control interface, for example a radio remote control 142.

[0109] These instructions are sent to receiver 140 of the master robot.

[0110] The master robot's microcontroller 130 converts the received command instructions into unit movement instructions for each robot (also referred to throughout the text as derived commands), based on the position of each robot, determined from the position and orientation information provided by each slave robot.

[0111] These derived commands are transmitted via the communication module 139 of the master robot to the communication modules of the slave robots which transmit these instructions to their associated microcontroller.

[0112] Each microcontroller in each robot distributes the received information to the various servo drives to control the electric motors of the lifting and movement devices.

[0113] During the movement of the different robots, each robot sends position and orientation information to the master robot at predetermined time intervals so that the master robot's microcontroller 130 can modify, if necessary, the movement and lifting commands of the slave robots and itself.

[0114] The master robot is also preferably equipped with a stop module to stop the entire handling operation in case of a problem detected on one or the other of the handling robots.

[0115] According to an advantageous variant, the system is also equipped with an emergency stop button available on the control body housing the system's control unit.

[0116] The system according to the invention also includes means for synchronizing the different robots. These synchronization means include means for determining the position and orientation of each slave robot relative to the other robots in the system, consisting of the position sensor 136 and the orientation sensor 138 carried by each robot. The orientation sensor 138 is, for example, a digital compass, an encoder, etc.

[0117] These synchronization methods also include the master robot's microcontroller. This master robot's microcontroller also incorporates the means to calculate the commands derived from each slave robot based on their positions and orientations. These calculation means take the form, for example, of a software module embedded on the microcontroller.

[0118] In other words, the synchronization means of a system according to the invention are preferably formed by a combination of hardware elements (position sensors, orientation sensor, inertial unit, force sensor) and software means (derivative command calculation module, etc.).

[0119] THE figures 11a, 11b, 11c schematically illustrate the control principle of a system according to the invention.

[0120] On the figure 11a, robots 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 and 600 were positioned by an operator under the load 12 to be handled.

[0121] The master robot 100 identifies all the slave robots to allow their synchronization.

[0122] The operator can then transmit movement and lifting instructions to the master robot.

[0123] The pivoting arms of the various robots are then activated to move their respective gripping mechanisms from the grasping position to the handling position. The lifting action is preferably synchronized with the movement of the wheels to allow for vertical lifting of the load.

[0124] The master robot 100 monitors the correct load distribution.

[0125] There figure 11bThis illustrates the triangulation (or trilateration) step that allows the master robot to identify the system's movement geometry. This geometry is determined by measuring the different distances between the robots, which result from reading the measurements from each robot's position and orientation sensors.

[0126] There figure 11c schematically illustrates a load movement step resulting from the operator's actuation of a joystick on the control unit. For example, the figure 11c illustrates a load rotation operation around the referenced point 15. Each robot is then commanded by the master robot in a specific direction to allow the assembly to pivot around this point 15. Each robot receives a movement command that is unique to it and depends on its initial position and initial orientation.

[0127] A system according to the invention thus makes it possible to move all types of loads, without difficulty, by controlling the movements of a master robot, which in turn controls the movements of the slave robots.

[0128] The robots in a system according to the invention are manually transportable. In particular, the robots are configured to have a total weight between 3 kg and 30 kg, depending on the version. Each robot is configured to be capable of moving loads from 50 kg to 2,500 kg. Thus, the collaboration of several robots allows for the movement of loads from 100 kg to 25,000 kg with a collaboration of two to ten robots.

[0129] The robots are configured to be able to lift a load which has a grip less than 80mm from the ground, preferably less than 50mm from the ground, and to lift this load to a height between 100mm and 500mm depending on the robot range.

[0130] Of course, these values ​​are given only as an example and a person skilled in the art can easily see that it is possible to design robots with different specifications depending on the components equipping said robots.

[0131] A collaborative load handling system according to the invention can be used for all types of applications and can replace on its own the various machines currently used for handling operations (pallet trucks, stackers, mobile cranes, overhead cranes, gantries, air cushions, roller skates, tractors, etc.).

[0132] The invention is not limited solely to the embodiments described in connection with the figures.

[0133] Thus, according to other undescribed embodiments, a glove or a pair of gloves can also be used to control robots by pushing or pulling directly on the load to be moved. These gloves are equipped with a radio transmission to the master robot to ensure communication of control commands.

[0134] The gloves, for example, incorporate one or more distance sensors similar to those used on slave robots, allowing them to be geolocated by the master robot. This system enables the robot's wheels to be oriented according to the position of the operator wearing the glove(s), thus moving the payload in the desired direction.

[0135] These gloves can also be equipped with sensory sensors that allow the speed and direction of movement of the robots to be controlled according to the pressure applied by the pilot on the load.

[0136] An inertial measurement unit (IMU) incorporating accelerometers can also be integrated into the gloves to allow selection between several piloting modes (translation, rotation, cornering, high speed, low speed, etc.) by performing a predefined gesture, for example. Selectable soft capacitive buttons can also be fitted to these gloves.

[0137] According to some variants, this system can be coupled with other pairs of gloves in order to allow several people to handle bulky loads.

Claims

1. Collaborative system for handling any load (12) on a surface, referred to as a handling surface (11), comprising: - a fleet of mobile handling robots (100; 200; 300: 400; 500; 600), each comprising a chassis (101), movement members for moving the chassis on said handling surface (11) in a main direction of travel, known as the longitudinal direction, and means for lifting said load carried by said chassis (101) and equipped with a gripping member (111) said load (12), - a control unit (142) configured to be able to supply a robot in said fleet, known as the master robot (100), with commands, known as reference commands, for said lifting means and said movement members of this robot to enable the handling of said load (12), - synchronisation means (130, 136, 138, 139) for said robots configured to be able to provide each non-master robot of said fleet, known as a slave robot (200; 300; 400; 500; 600) commands, said derived commands, for said lifting means and said means for moving of said slave robot, determined from said reference commands of said master robot (100), to enable collaborative handling of said load (12) by said master robot (100) and said slave robots (200; 300; 400; 500; 600) synchronised with said master robot, the system being characterised in that said lifting means of at least one handling robot (100) comprise a mobile motorised arm, known as a pivoting arm (110), carrying said gripping member (111), said movable motorised arm (110) being pivotable relative to said chassis (101) about a transverse axis, known as the pivot axis (112), which extends perpendicularly to said longitudinal direction, between a gripping position in which it can position said gripping member (111) under said load (12) and at least one handling position , in which it allows the gripping member (111) to carry said load above said handling surface (11), said pivoting arm (112) of at least one handling robot (100) being configured such that, in the handling position, said gripping member (111) extends vertically over the center of inertia of said movement members of this robot, so as to be able to rotate this robot on itself when said pivoting arm (110) is in said handling position and ensure omnidirectional movement of this robot while maintaining the load, the lifting means of at least one handling robot (100) being synchronised with the movement members of this robot so that the load can be lifted along a perfectly vertical axis .

2. System according to claim 1, characterised in that said pivoting arm is configured so that, in the gripping position, said gripping member extends less than 80 mm from said handling surface, advantageously less than 50 mm from said handling surface, so as to allow the load to be gripped closed to the ground.

3. System according to one of claims 1 to 2, characterised in that said gripping member (111) of at least one handling robot (100) is mounted pivotally on said motorised arm (110) movable about a transverse axis (113) so as to be able to maintain a horizontal orientation of said gripping member (111) when the movable arm (110) pivots between said load gripping position and a load handling position.

4. System according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that said motorised arm (110) of at least one handling robot (100) is equipped with means for removably mounting said gripping member (111) so as to be able to change the gripping member according to the load to be handled by this robot.

5. System according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that said movable motorised arm (110) comprises a rotary actuator (115) mechanically connected to a ball screw (120) carried by a bearing (118) mounted so as to pivot relative to said chassis (101) and comprising a nut (119) integral with said pivotable arm (110) so that rotation of said screw (120) by said rotary actuator (115) causes translational movement of said pivot nut (119), which ensures pivoting of said pivotable arm (110).

6. System according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the movement members for moving the chassis of at least one handling robot comprise two drive wheels (102; 103), each controlled independently and arranged on either side of a longitudinal axis.

7. System according to claim 6, characterised in that each drive wheel (102; 103) comprises a brushless, frameless motor housed directly in the wheel.

8. System according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterised in that the said movement members of at least one handling robot (100) further comprise a roller, known as a front roller (106), carried by the said chassis (101) and arranged opposite the gripping member (111) in the gripping position, and casters, known as rear casters (104; 105), carried by the chassis (101) and arranged opposite the front roller (106).

9. System according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterised in that said synchronisation means comprise: - means for the master robot to determine the position and orientation of each slave robot relative to the master robot and the other slave robots in the system, comprising at least one position sensor (136) and at least one orientation sensor (138) carried by each slave robot, - means for calculating said derived commands for each slave robot from said position and orientation determined by said determination means, said calculation means being embedded in a microcontroller of the master robot.

10. System according to claim 9, characterised in that the position of each robot relative to the master robot and the other slave robots in the system is determined by triangulation or trilateration.

11. System according to one of claims 19 or 10, characterised in that said synchronisation means are configured to be able to measure, at a predetermined time interval, during the movement of said load (12) by said fleet of robots, the balance of the load by measuring the distance between each robot (100; 200; 300; 400; 500; 600) during the movement of said load (12) and the distribution of weight between each robot as a function of the vertical movements of each robot, compensated by an action on said lifting means.

12. System according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterised in that each robot (100; 200; 300; 400; 500; 600) of said fleet further comprises an inertial unit (137) configured to provide a microcontroller (130) with measurements of the movement, speed and acceleration of that robot.

13. System according to one of claims 1 to 12, characterised in that each robot in said fleet comprises means (139) for wireless communication with the other robots in said fleet.

14. Method for controlling a collaborative system for handling any load according to one of claims 1 to 13, comprising the following steps: - the robots (100; 200; 300; 400; 500; 600) of said system are positioned by an operator under said load to be handled, - said master robot (100) identifies each slave robot (200; 300; 400; 500; 600) and determines the position and orientation of each of said slave robots, - commands, known as reference commands, from said lifting means and said movement members of the master robot (100) are sent to the master robot, - commands, known as derived commands, for said lifting means and said movement members of each slave robot are determined by said synchronisation means, based on said reference commands from said master robot, to enable collaborative handling of said load by said master robot and said slave robots synchronised with said master robot.