Structure for preventing slippage of pick-up belt of pick-up robot

The pickup belt prevention structure for a pickup robot addresses the issue of belt flow by using a flow prevention unit with rollers and torsional springs to press the belt against the belt roller, ensuring stable logistics transportation and preventing collisions.

WO2025070851A1PCT designated stage expired Publication Date: 2025-04-03ATEC AP CO LTD
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Patent Information

Application Number
PCT/KR2023/015164
Authority / Receiving Office
WO · WO
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
Priority Date
2023-09-26
Filing Date
2023-10-04
Publication Date
2025-04-03

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Current logistics systems face challenges in maintaining stable logistics transportation due to the difficulty in preventing the pickup belt of a pickup robot from flowing, which can cause collisions between the bucket and other structures.

Method used

A pickup belt prevention structure for a pickup robot is designed to protrude along the width direction of the body and feature a flow prevention unit that includes a roller support member with a roller and torsional springs, which press the pickup belt against the belt roller to prevent flow.

Benefits of technology

The solution effectively prevents the bucket from flowing and colliding with other structures, ensuring stable logistics transportation and improving the durability of the pickup robot's components.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

As a structure for preventing the slippage of a pick-up belt of a pick-up robot, comprising: a body unit in which a plurality of wheels are rotatably installed and which moves to a set position along a track; a support arm which protrudes from the upper portion of the outer surface of one side of the body unit along the lateral direction of the body unit and in which a belt roller having a pick-up belt wound thereon is rotatably installed; and a picking unit which is connected to the pick-up belt and installed to be capable of moving up and down along the height direction of the body unit, and allows a bucket containing goods on the lower side to be picked up, the present invention provides a structure for preventing the slippage of a pick-up belt of a pick-up robot, the structure comprising: a slippage prevention unit which is arranged on one side of the belt roller and applies pressure to the pick-up belt toward the belt roller while coming in contact with the flat surface of the pick-up belt wound on the outer surface of the belt roller, thereby preventing the bucket from slipping due to detachment of the pick-up belt from the outer surface of the belt roller when the pick-up belt is wound or unwound by rotating the belt roller to transfer the bucket containing the goods to be transferred by using the pick-up robot, so that collision between the bucket and other structures is prevented, and the goods can be stably transferred.
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Description

Structure to prevent pickup belt movement of pickup robot

[0001] The present invention relates to a structure for preventing movement of a pickup belt of a pickup robot, and more particularly, to a structure for preventing movement of a pickup belt of a pickup robot, which prevents movement of the bucket due to lifting of the pickup belt from the outer surface of the belt roller when the pickup belt is wound or unwound by rotating the belt roller to transport a bucket containing a material to be transported using the pickup robot, thereby preventing collision between the bucket and another structure and enabling stable transport of the material.

[0002] Recently, many domestic companies are adopting various logistics systems to maximize profits and increase efficiency in logistics management. Consequently, interest in and need for logistics technology are growing, leading to active research in related fields such as material transport, urban logistics, automation, efficiency, eco-friendly technologies, and unmanned systems. In particular, automated guided vehicles (AGVs), or logistics robots, are becoming a crucial factor in determining productivity.

[0003] In addition, the logistics market is rapidly changing due to the popularization of smartphones, the rapid growth of the e-commerce market based on fintech technology, and the heated competition in the logistics industry.

[0004] However, the current logistics industry is facing a very difficult reality of securing human resources due to the characteristics of the logistics industry as a labor-intensive industry that operates 24 hours a day, a decrease in the workforce due to the aging population, and increasing labor costs.

[0005] Specifically, it's the labor shortage caused by an aging population. In other words, the decline in the working-age population and the increase in the elderly population lead to increased labor costs and a shrinking workforce.

[0006] Furthermore, the high workload makes it difficult to secure human resources, and the low efficiency of unskilled workers. The workload in logistics sites is significantly higher than in other industries, making securing workers on-site extremely difficult.

[0007] The logistics field is becoming a field where physically disadvantaged workers, such as women and the elderly, find it difficult to easily participate. With the working-age population rapidly declining, this problem is one of the factors making the supply of manpower even more difficult.

[0008] Due to the difficulty in securing human resources, the use of unskilled workers is inevitable, and improving the work processing capabilities of unskilled workers is a key variable in market stability and business success. In fact, many field managers estimate that the productivity of skilled workers is approximately three times that of unskilled workers.

[0009] Meanwhile, order picking work in logistics sites is considered the most labor-intensive work within a warehouse and is known to account for more than 55% of operating costs within a logistics center.

[0010] In addition, order picking requires a lot of physical labor, which can slow down the process and can lead to inefficient movement due to human error. It is known that the time consumed due to movement in order picking work accounts for about 55%, and it is essential to educate and guide inexperienced workers to improve productivity in logistics sites.

[0011] In fact, as customer needs diversify, the number of product stock keeping units (SKUs) that logistics centers must manage has skyrocketed. Consequently, in today's increasingly integrated and large-scale logistics environment, assisting field workers with order picking has become increasingly important.

[0012] Due to these various problems, there is an urgent need to replace the workforce and improve productivity, and accordingly, the adoption of various robotic devices, including pickup robots, is being actively considered.

[0013] However, in the case of such a pickup robot, the pickup belt wound on the belt roller is wound or unwound when the pickup part is moved up and down, and the pickup belt, which is a thin plate wound on the belt roller, shakes in the direction of its thickness, causing many problems such as collisions with other structures when the bucket is moved up and down. Therefore, a method for reducing the shaking of the pickup belt is needed.

[0014] The purpose of the present invention, which has been devised in consideration of the above points, is to provide a pickup belt movement prevention structure of a pickup robot, which prevents the bucket from moving due to the pickup belt lifting off the outer surface of the belt roller when the belt roller is rotated to wind or unwind the pickup belt in order to transport a bucket containing the logistics to be transported using a pickup robot, thereby preventing collision between the bucket and other structures and enabling stable transportation of logistics.

[0015] In order to achieve the above object of the present invention, a pickup belt movement prevention structure of a pickup robot is provided, comprising: a body part in which a plurality of wheels are rotatably installed and move to a set position along a track; a support arm in which a belt roller having a pickup belt wound inside is rotatably installed so as to protrude along the width direction of the body part on an upper portion of one outer surface of the body part; and a picking part connected to the pickup belt and installed so as to be able to move up and down along the height direction of the body part, and allowing a bucket containing a material on the lower surface to be picked; characterized in that it includes a movement prevention part that is arranged on one side of the belt roller and presses the pickup belt toward the belt roller while contacting a plate surface of the pickup belt wound on the outer surface of the belt roller.

[0016] Here, the flow prevention unit may include a roller support member having a roller rotatably installed in contact with the pickup belt at one end, and a fixing member having one end connected to the roller support member and the other end fixed to the bottom surface of the support arm, and a torsional spring installed so that the roller is pressed toward the belt roller.

[0017] In addition, the flow prevention unit may include a roller support member on which a pair of rollers are rotatably installed, a pressure belt wound between the pair of rollers and in surface contact with the pickup belt, and a pressure member having one end connected to the roller support member and the other end fixed to the bottom surface of the support arm so that the roller support member is pressed toward the belt roller.

[0018] In addition, the pressurizing member may include a support member that is fixed to the lower surface of the support arm and installed upright, a connecting member that has one end rotatably hinged to an end of the support member and the other end to which the roller support member is rotatably hinged, and a torsional spring that is installed at the end of the support member and the end of the connecting member so that the connecting member is pressed toward the belt roller.

[0019] In addition, a pair of guide members may be provided on both sides of the lower surface of the support rock, which extend downward along the height direction of the support rock to a certain length and are inserted into the interior when the bucket moves up and down to suppress the movement of the bucket.

[0020] In addition, a tapered surface may be provided on the lower inner surface of the guide member to gradually widen outward as it goes downward, thereby expanding the width between the guide members.

[0021] As described above, the pickup belt movement prevention structure of the pickup robot according to the present invention has the effect of preventing the bucket from moving due to the pickup belt lifting off the outer surface of the belt roller when the belt roller is rotated to wind or unwind the pickup belt in order to transport the bucket containing the logistics to be transported using the pickup robot, thereby preventing collision between the bucket and other structures and enabling stable transportation of logistics.

[0022] In addition, by preventing the bucket from moving, collisions between the bucket and other structures are prevented, thereby preventing damage to the bucket of the pickup robot, thereby improving the durability of the product.

[0023] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a structure in which a pickup belt flow prevention structure of a pickup robot according to one embodiment of the present invention is installed on a support arm.

[0024] FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a pickup belt flow prevention structure of a pickup robot according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a structure in which a pickup belt flow prevention structure of a pickup robot according to another embodiment of the present invention is installed on a support arm.

[0026] FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a pickup belt flow prevention structure of a pickup robot according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Hereinafter, the pickup belt movement prevention structure of a pickup robot according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0028] FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating a structure in which a pickup belt movement prevention structure of a pickup robot according to one embodiment of the present invention is installed on a support arm, FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a pickup belt movement prevention structure of a pickup robot according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a plan view illustrating a structure in which a pickup belt movement prevention structure of a pickup robot according to another embodiment of the present invention is installed on a support arm, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a pickup belt movement prevention structure of a pickup robot according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] As shown in these drawings, the pickup belt movement prevention structure of the pickup robot according to the present invention is a pickup belt movement prevention structure of the pickup robot, which comprises a body part (10) in which a plurality of wheels (11) are rotatably installed and move to a set position along a track, a support arm (20) formed to protrude along the width direction of the body part (10) on the upper part of one outer surface of the body part (10) and in which a belt roller (22) having a pickup belt (21) wound thereon is rotatably installed, and a picking part (30) connected to the pickup belt (21) and installed to be able to move up and down along the height direction of the body part (10) and to enable a bucket (1) containing logistics on the lower surface to be picked, wherein the pickup belt (21) is pressed toward the belt roller (22) while contacting the plate surface of the pickup belt (21) wound on the outer surface of the belt roller (22) and being arranged on one side of the belt roller (22). It is composed of a flow prevention unit (100);

[0030] The present invention is to prevent the pickup belt (21) wound on the outer surface of the belt roller (22) installed inside the support arm (20) for initial operation of the picking part (30) of the pickup robot from being lifted when the belt roller (22) rotates, thereby preventing movement of the bucket (1) connected to the pickup belt (21).

[0031] To this end, a flow prevention part (100) is installed in an area close to the belt roller (22) inside the support rock (20) so that the pickup belt (21) can be pressed toward the belt roller (22) while coming into contact with the plate surface of the pickup belt (21) wound on the outer surface of the belt roller (22).

[0032] As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the movement prevention part (100) of the pickup belt movement prevention structure of the pickup robot according to one embodiment of the present invention is configured to include a roller support member (110) having a roller (111) rotatably installed at one end thereof, which is in direct contact with the pickup belt (21), and a fixing member (120) having one end connected to the roller support member (110) and the other end fixed to the bottom surface of the support arm (20), and having a torsion spring (121) installed thereon so that the roller (111) is pressed toward the belt roller (22).

[0033] The roller support member (110) is a member on which a roller (111) is rotatably installed at an end, and the roller (111) presses the pickup belt (21) wound on the outer surface of the belt roller (22) to come into linear contact, thereby preventing the pickup belt (21) from being lifted from the outer surface of the belt roller (22).

[0034] The fixed member (120) stably supports the roller support member (110) and provides a pressing force so that the roller (111) installed on the roller support member (110) can press the pickup belt (21).

[0035] To this end, the fixed member (120) is installed so that one end of the roller support member (110) can rotate, and the other end is installed so that it is fixed to the lower surface of the support arm (20) and is formed to extend upward by a certain length, and a torsion spring (121) is installed inside so that the roller (111) is pressed toward the belt roller (22).

[0036] It is effective to install the roller (111) installed on the roller support member (110) so that the width is slightly smaller than the width of the pickup belt (21) so that interference with the belt roller (22) does not occur when the belt roller (22) rotates.

[0037] And, it is preferable that the position where the roller (111) presses the pickup belt (21) toward the belt roller (22) is such that the pickup belt (21) is rolled downward along the tangential direction from the outer surface of the belt roller (22) and is connected to the picking section (30) and presses the position of the contact point.

[0038] Meanwhile, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the flow prevention unit (100) of the pickup belt flow prevention structure of the pickup robot according to another embodiment of the present invention comprises a roller support member (130) on which a pair of rollers (131) are rotatably installed, a pressure belt (140) wound between the pair of rollers (131) and in surface contact with the pickup belt (21), and a pressure unit (150) having one end connected to the roller support member (130) and the other end fixed to the bottom surface of the support arm (20) so that the roller support member (130) is pressed toward the belt roller (22).

[0039] The roller support member (130) is a member in which a pair of rollers (131) are rotatably installed in a mutually opposing position, and the rollers (131) press the pickup belt (21) wound on the outer surface of the belt roller (22) to make surface contact, thereby preventing the pickup belt (21) from being lifted from the outer surface of the belt roller (22).

[0040] The pressurized belt (140) is wound around the outer surface of a pair of rollers (131) installed on a roller support member (130) and pressurizes the pickup belt (21) while in surface contact with the pickup belt (21), thereby preventing the pickup belt (21) from being lifted off the belt roller (22) when the belt roller (22) initially rotates, and rotates around the outer surface of the roller (131) according to the release or winding operation of the pickup belt (21).

[0041] It is effective to install the width of the pressure belt (140) to be slightly smaller than the width of the pickup belt (21) so that interference with the belt roller (22) does not occur when the belt roller (22) rotates.

[0042] And, the position where the roller (111) presses the pickup belt (21) toward the belt roller (22) is preferably a position between 0°, which is the highest position of the pickup belt (21), and a 90° position perpendicular to the pickup belt (21), while the pickup belt (21) is rolled downward along the tangential direction from the outer surface of the belt roller (22) and connected to the picking section (30).

[0043] The pressurizing member (150) rotatably supports the roller support member (130), and provides a pressing force so that the roller (131) installed on the roller support member (130) can press the pickup belt (21).

[0044] This pressurizing member (150) is configured to include a support member (151) that is fixed to the lower surface of the support arm (20) and installed upright, a connecting member (152) that has one end rotatably hinged to an end of the support member (151) and a roller support member (130) rotatably hinged to the other end, and a torsion spring (153) that is installed at the end of the support member (151) and the end of the connecting member (152) so that the connecting member (152) is pressed toward the belt roller (22).

[0045] The support member (151) is a member that is fixed to the lower surface of the support rock (20) and installed upright to have a certain height, and a connecting member (152) is rotatably connected to the upper part of the support member (151) to support the connecting member (152).

[0046] The connecting member (152) has one end rotatably hinged to an end of the supporting member (151) and the other end has a roller supporting member (130) rotatably connected to it, thereby connecting the roller supporting member (130) and the supporting member (151).

[0047] The torsion spring (153) is installed inside the end of the support member (151) to which the connecting member (152) is hinged so as to be rotatable, so that the connecting member (152) is pressed toward the belt roller (22), thereby allowing the pressurizing belt (140) to press the pickup belt (21) so that the belt roller (22) can prevent the pickup belt (21) from lifting when it initially rotates.

[0048] Meanwhile, on both sides of the lower surface of the support rock (20), a pair of guide members (200) are provided that extend downward along the height direction of the support rock (20) to a certain length and are inserted inside when the bucket (1) moves up and down to suppress the movement of the bucket (1).

[0049] Since these guide members (200) are provided on both sides of the lower surface of the support arm (20), when the belt roller (22) is rotated to wind the pickup belt (21) around the outer surface of the belt roller (22), the pickup section (30) and the bucket (1) picked up by the pickup section (30) are moved up and down and then drawn into the inside of the guide member (200) to prevent movement.

[0050] In addition, a tapered surface (210) is provided on the lower inner surface of the guide member (200) so as to gradually widen outward as it goes downward, thereby expanding the width between the guide members (200), thereby effectively guiding the movement of the bucket (1) and allowing the bucket (1) to be stably introduced into the interior of the guide member (200).

[0051] The operation process of the pickup belt flow prevention structure of the pickup robot according to the present invention having such a configuration is described as follows.

[0052] First, when the belt roller (22) is rotated to move the bucket (1) up and down using the pickup part (30) of the pickup robot, the bucket (1) is moved up and down while being wound or unwound by the pickup belt (21) on the outer surface of the belt roller (22).

[0053] Even when the belt roller (22) initially rotates or stops rotating after rotating, the roller (111) of the flow prevention part (100) or the pressure belt (140) presses the outer surface of the pickup belt (21) toward the belt roller (22), so that the pickup belt (21) can be prevented from lifting off the outer surface of the belt roller (22), thereby preventing the bucket (1) from flowing.

[0054] In addition, when the bucket (1) is moved up and down and placed in a position close to the support arm (20), the bucket (1) is prevented from moving because it is drawn into the inside of the guide member (200), thereby preventing the bucket (1) from colliding with other parts, thereby not only increasing the durability of the product but also enabling stable transportation of materials.

[0055] According to an embodiment of the present invention having the configuration described above, the pickup belt movement prevention structure of the pickup robot prevents the bucket from moving due to the pickup belt lifting off the outer surface of the belt roller when the pickup robot rotates the belt roller to wind or unwind the pickup belt in order to transport a bucket containing the logistics to be transported, thereby preventing collision between the bucket and other structures and enabling stable transportation of the logistics.

[0056] The above is only a description of some of the preferred embodiments that can be implemented by the present invention, and as is well known, the scope of the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the above embodiments, and the technical idea of ​​the present invention described above and the technical idea that shares its basis are all included in the scope of the present invention.

[0057] [Explanation of symbols]

[0058] 1: Bucket

[0059] 10: Body 11: Wheel

[0060] 20: Support arm 21: Pickup belt

[0061] 22: Belt roller 30: Pickup section

[0062] 100: Flow prevention member 110: Roller support member

[0063] 111: Roller 120: Fixed member

[0064] 130: Roller support member 131: Roller

[0065] 140: Pressurized belt 150: Pressurized part

[0066] 151: Support member 152: Connecting member

[0067] 153: Torsion spring 200: Guide member

[0068] 210: Tapered surface

Claims

1. A pickup belt movement prevention structure of a pickup robot, comprising a body part (10) in which a plurality of wheels (11) are rotatably installed and move to a set position along a track, a support arm (20) formed to protrude along the width direction of the body part (10) on the upper part of one outer surface of the body part (10) and in which a belt roller (22) having a pickup belt (21) wound inside is rotatably installed, and a picking part (30) connected to the pickup belt (21) and installed to be able to move up and down along the height direction of the body part (10) and to enable a bucket (1) containing logistics on the lower surface to be picked, A movement prevention part (100) arranged on one side of the belt roller (22) so as to press the pickup belt (21) toward the belt roller (22) while coming into contact with the plate surface of the pickup belt (21) wound on the outer surface of the belt roller (22); A pickup belt flow prevention structure of a pickup robot characterized by including:

2. In paragraph 1, The above-mentioned movement prevention part (100) is a pickup belt movement prevention structure of a pickup robot, characterized in that it includes a roller support member (110) on which a roller (111) is rotatably installed in line contact with the pickup belt (21) at an end, and a fixing member (120) having one end connected to the roller support member (110) and the other end fixed to the bottom surface of the support arm (20) so that the roller (111) is pressed toward the belt roller (22), and a torsional spring (121) is installed.

3. In paragraph 1, The above-mentioned movement prevention part (100) is a pickup belt movement prevention structure of a pickup robot, characterized in that it includes a roller support member (130) on which a pair of rollers (131) are rotatably installed, a pressure belt (140) wound between the pair of rollers (131) and in surface contact with the pickup belt (21), and a pressure member (150) having one end connected to the roller support member (130) and the other end fixedly installed on the bottom surface of the support arm (20) so that the roller support member (130) is pressed toward the belt roller (22).

4. In paragraph 3, The above-mentioned pressure member (150) is a pickup belt movement prevention structure of a pickup robot, characterized in that it includes a support member (151) that is fixed to the lower surface of the support arm (20) and installed upright, a connection member (152) that has one end rotatably hinged to an end of the support member (151) and the other end rotatably hinged to the roller support member (130), and a torsion spring (153) that is installed at the end of the support member (151) and the end of the connection member (152) so that the connection member (152) is pressed toward the belt roller (22).

5. In any one of paragraphs 1 to 4, A pickup belt movement prevention structure of a pickup robot characterized in that a pair of guide members (200) are provided on both sides of the lower surface of the support arm (20) to extend downward along the height direction of the support arm (20) to a certain length and are inserted inside when the bucket (1) moves up and down to suppress movement of the bucket (1).

6. In paragraph 5, A pickup belt movement prevention structure of a pickup robot, characterized in that the lower inner surface of the guide member (200) is provided with a tapered surface (210) that gradually widens outward as it goes downward, thereby expanding the width between the guide members (200).

Citation Information

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