Transport robot which tows vehicle

Abstract

The present invention relates to a transport robot which tows a vehicle, the robot comprising: an electric unit for controlling the transport robot to drive same; a steering unit installed below the electric unit to steer the transport robot according to the control of the electric unit; and a driving unit positioned below the steering unit and having, installed therein, a wheel which rotates to move the transport robot and is steered under the control of the steering unit.

Description

Transport robot for towing transport vehicles

[0001] The present invention relates to a transport robot for towing a transporter, and is characterized in that it comprises an electric unit for performing control for the movement of the transport robot, a steering unit installed below the electric unit for performing steering of the transport robot according to the control of the electric unit, and a driving unit located below the steering unit and having a wheel for rolling movement of the transport robot, the driving unit being configured to steer the wheel according to the control of the steering unit.

[0002] In general, carts and other transport vehicles are used as tools to transport objects with a certain load in factories, hospitals, restaurants, etc.

[0003] However, these carriers were always inconvenient to use because the user had to manually push or pull the carrier to tow it.

[0004] In addition, transport robots for towing the above-described manual transporter have been known, but these transport robots were designed to tow only dedicated transporters, and thus had the problem of being difficult to use universally.

[0005] Therefore, there is a need to develop a transport robot that can be universally applied to existing transport vehicles.

[0006] Meanwhile, as a prior art related to a transport robot, the technology of a transport assistance robot is known in Korean Patent Publication No. 10-1924493.

[0007] The present invention was created to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and provides a configuration of a transport robot that can be easily applied to existing transport vehicles that are widely used.

[0008] The configuration of the transport robot for towing a transport body of the present invention for achieving the above technical task is characterized by including an electric part that performs control for the movement of the transport robot, a steering part that is installed below the electric part and steers the transport robot according to the control of the electric part, and a driving part that is located below the steering part and has a wheel that moves the transport robot in a rolling manner, and steers the wheel according to the control of the steering part.

[0009] The carrier towing transport robot of the present invention having the above configuration has the advantage of wide versatility as it can be easily applied to existing carriers.

[0010] Additionally, there is no need to develop or equip new carriers, which reduces the cost required to automate the towing of carriers and prevents waste of resources.

[0011] Figure 1 is a front perspective view of a transport robot for towing a carrier of the present invention.

[0012] Figure 2 is a rear perspective view of the carrier towing transport robot of the present invention.

[0013] Figure 3 is a perspective view of the steering unit of the carrier towing transport robot of the present invention.

[0014] Figure 4 is a side view of the steering unit of the carrier towing transport robot of the present invention.

[0015] Figure 5 is a perspective view of the front part of a transport robot for pulling a carrier of the present invention.

[0016] Hereinafter, the configuration of the carrier towing transport robot of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0017] However, the disclosed drawings are provided as examples to ensure that those skilled in the art can sufficiently convey the spirit of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the drawings presented below and may be embodied in other aspects.

[0018] In addition, unless otherwise defined, terms used in the specification of the present invention have meanings commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains, and detailed descriptions of known functions and configurations that may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention in the following description and accompanying drawings are omitted.

[0019]

[0020] Fig. 1 is a front perspective view of a transport robot for towing a carrier of the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a rear perspective view of a transport robot for towing a carrier of the present invention.

[0021] The transport robot (1) of the present invention for towing a transport body (hereinafter, abbreviated as “transport robot”) is a robot that is combined with a transport body such as a cart that transports an object having a certain load in a factory, hospital, restaurant, etc., and performs towing of the transport body.

[0022] Referring to each drawing, the transport robot (1) of the present invention is configured to include a front part (100), a steering part (200), and a driving part (300).

[0023] The above-mentioned electric unit (100) performs control for the robot's operation, such as driving, stopping, changing direction, and avoiding obstacles, and for this purpose, controls the operation of the steering unit (200) and the driving unit (300).

[0024] The above steering unit (200) is installed on the lower side of the electric unit (100) and controls the steering of the transport robot.

[0025] The above driving unit (300) is located below the steering unit (200) and has a wheel (310) installed thereon that moves the transport robot in a cloud, and steering of the wheel (310) is performed according to the control of the steering unit (200).

[0026] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the electric field unit (100) is a hexahedral shape including a flat base (110), a pair of side surfaces (120) extending vertically upward from the base (110) to form side surfaces, and an upper surface (130) coupled to the upper end of the side surfaces (120), and an electric field control module (140) that performs control of the transport robot (1) is installed on the base (110).

[0027] The above-mentioned electric control module (140) controls not only the operation of the electric unit (100) itself, but also the operation of the steering unit (200) and the driving unit (300), and for this purpose, is provided with a control board (142) (see FIG. 5) composed of a central processing unit (CPU) that executes a control program, memory elements such as RAM or ROM, and a power supply.

[0028] The above steering unit (200) is a unit that receives a control signal from the electric unit (100) and steers the direction of movement of the robot, and includes a floor plate (210), a pair of side plates (230) extending vertically upward from the floor plate (210) to form a side surface, and an upper plate (220) coupled to the upper end of the side plates (230).

[0029] In addition, it is configured to include a coupling plate (260) coupled with a carrier towed by the carrier robot (1) of the present invention, and an upper link (240) and a lower link (250) which are coupled on one side with the coupling plate (250) and on the other side with a side plate (230) of a steering unit (200) of the carrier robot (1) to adjust the height difference between the wheel (310) of the carrier robot (1) and the wheel (not shown) of the carrier.

[0030] The upper link (240) and lower link (250) have a bar-shaped body, and the lower link (250) is located on the lower side of the upper link (240) and is installed parallel to the first link (240) to connect the transport robot (1) and the transporter with a link structure.

[0031] At this time, one side of the upper link (240) is rotatably connected to the side plate (230) of the steering unit (200) in the up-and-down direction, and the other side of the upper link (240) is rotatably connected to the connecting plate (250) in the up-and-down direction.

[0032] In addition, one side of the lower link (250) is rotatably connected to the side plate (230) of the steering unit (200) in the vertical direction, and the other side of the lower link (250) is rotatably connected to the connecting plate (250) in the vertical direction.

[0033] The upper link (240) and the lower link (250) of the above configuration are configured so that when the carrier towed by the transport robot (1) rises upward with respect to the transport robot (1) (for example, when the carrier connected to the transport robot (1) goes up an upwardly inclined slope), the upper link (240) and the lower link (250) both rise upward along with the carrier, and when the carrier towed by the transport robot (1) descends downward with respect to the transport robot (1) (for example, when the carrier connected to the transport robot (1) goes down an upwardly inclined slope), the upper link (240) and the lower link (250) both descend downward along with the carrier, thereby eliminating the height difference between the wheel (310) of the transport robot (1) and the wheel of the carrier, so that the transport robot (1) of the present invention can stably tow the carrier in an uneven ground environment.

[0034] Meanwhile, the above-mentioned connecting plate (260) coupled with the carrier is coupled with the robot connecting panel (410) attached to the carrier, thereby connecting the transport robot (1) and the carrier.

[0035] At this time, it is preferable that at least one clamp (not shown) for connecting the carrier is installed on the robot connection panel (410), and any known means capable of performing connection with the carrier to be connected can be employed as the clamp.

[0036] Next, the driving unit (300) includes a bracket (320) to which a wheel axle (311) of a wheel (310) that moves the transport robot (1) in a cloud is connected.

[0037] The above bracket (320) includes an upper panel (321) that is connected to the steering unit (200) and turns left or right depending on the steering operation of the steering unit, and an arm (322) that extends downward from the side of the upper panel (321) and is rotatably connected to a wheel axle (311) of a wheel (310).

[0038] The wheel (310) of the embodiment of the present invention is a known in-wheel type wheel with a built-in motor that causes the wheel (310) to move in a rolling manner.

[0039] Accordingly, the driving unit (300) causes the upper panel (321) of the bracket (320) to turn left or right according to the steering operation of the steering unit (200), thereby causing the wheel (310) coupled to the arm (322) of the bracket (320) to be steered left or right.

[0040] To this end, the steering unit (200) includes components for steering the wheel (310) of the driving unit (300), which will be described in more detail below.

[0041]

[0042] Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a steering unit of a transport robot for towing a carrier of the present invention, and Fig. 4 is a side view of a steering unit of a transport robot for towing a carrier of the present invention.

[0043] Referring to each drawing, the steering unit (200) of the present invention includes components for turning the wheel (310) of the driving unit (300) to the left or right.

[0044] That is, a steering motor (270) attached to the upper plate (220) of the steering unit (200), a driving pulley (271) coupled to the motor shaft (270a) of the steering motor (270), a driven pulley (272) coupled to the floor plate (210) of the steering unit (200) so as to be rotatably centered on a driven shaft (272a), a support shaft (280) coupled to be rotatably vertically rotatably from the floor plate (210), an upper transmission pulley (273) coupled to the support shaft (280) so as to be spaced apart at the same height as the driving pulley (271) and a lower transmission pulley (274) coupled to the support shaft (280) so as to be spaced apart at the same height as the driven pulley (272) on the lower side of the upper transmission pulley (273) so as to be spaced apart at the same height as the driven pulley (272) and so as to be center-passively centered on the support shaft (280), and It is configured to include an upper belt (275) that is connected to the drive pulley (271) and the upper transmission pulley (273) to transmit the rotational force of the drive pulley (271) to the upper transmission pulley (273), and a lower belt (276) that is connected to the driven pulley (272) and the lower transmission pulley (274) to transmit the rotational force of the lower transmission pulley (274) to the driven pulley (273).

[0045] In addition, a steering motor drive module (290) that drives the steering motor (270) by control of the above-mentioned electric unit (100) is attached to the upper plate (220), and the steering motor drive module (290) and the steering motor (270) are electrically connected.

[0046] In addition, the driven shaft (272a) of the driven pulley (272) passes through the floor plate (210) and is connected to the upper panel (321) of the driving unit (300).

[0047] Therefore, in the steering unit (200) of the present invention, when the driving pulley (271) is rotated by the rotational force of the steering motor (270), the rotational force of the driving pulley (271) is transmitted to the upper transmission pulley (273) by the upper belt (275) fastened to the driving pulley (271), thereby rotating the upper transmission pulley (273). As the support shaft (280) is rotated by the rotational force of the upper transmission pulley (273), the lower transmission pulley (274) coupled to the lower end of the support shaft (280) is rotated, and the rotational force of the lower transmission pulley (274) is transmitted to the driven pulley (272) by the lower belt (276) fastened to the lower transmission pulley (274), thereby rotating the driven pulley (272).

[0048] Then, the rotational force of the driven pulley (272) is transmitted to the driven shaft (272a), thereby rotating the upper panel (321) of the bracket (320) of the driving unit (300) connected to the driven shaft (272a), so that the wheel (310) coupled with the arm (322) can turn in a direction.

[0049] The transmission of rotational force by the pulley-belt structure of the present invention as described above can be replaced by a known reducer (not shown).

[0050] Meanwhile, the unexplained symbol 330 is a coupler (330) that forms a cover to protect the portion where the driven shaft (272a) of the driven pulley (272) is connected to the upper panel (321) of the driving unit (300) from the external environment.

[0051]

[0052] Figure 5 is a perspective view of the front part of a transport robot for pulling a carrier of the present invention.

[0053] The electric part (100) of the present invention includes an electric part control module (140) that performs control for the operation of the robot, such as driving, stopping, changing direction, and avoiding obstacles of the transport robot, and as illustrated, the electric part control module (140) includes a control board (142) (see FIG. 5) that is composed of a central processing unit (CPU) that performs a control program for controlling the operation of the electric part (100) itself and the operation of the steering part (200) and the driving part (300), a memory device such as RAM or ROM, a power supply, etc., an EMO (Emergency Off) unit (emergency shutdown circuit built-in module) (141) for emergency operation stop of the transport robot, a battery (143) that supplies power to the control board (142), the steering motor (270), and the wheels (310), and a BMS (Battery Management System) unit (144) that performs charging and discharging of the battery and charge amount control.

[0054] In addition, the above-mentioned electric part (100) may include a known sensor means such as a depth camera, an RGB camera, and a proximity detection sensor (e.g., an infrared sensor) that recognizes the surrounding environment of the transport robot (1) and recognizes obstacles located in the direction of travel.

[0055] Meanwhile, the control of driving and steering of the transport robot (1) by the electric control module (140) of the above-mentioned electric unit (100) is performed by a conventionally known technology, so a detailed description thereof is omitted in the description of the present invention.

[0056] Accordingly, the transport robot (1) of the present invention configured as described above performs a turning operation by the steering motor (270) of the steering unit (200) and a driving movement by the rotation of the wheel (310) of the driving unit (300) according to the control of the electric unit (100), thereby towing the transport robot (1) along a predetermined path, and furthermore, by detecting the sensor output signal input to the electric unit (100), the transport robot (1) detects the surrounding environment and performs an avoidance maneuver for an obstacle.

[0057] In addition, as described above, when a carrier towed by a carrier robot (1) is raised upwards with respect to the carrier robot (1) by the upper link (240) and the lower link (250) coupled to the steering unit (200) of the present invention, or when the carrier is lowered downwards with respect to the carrier robot (1), the upper link (240) and the lower link (250) are lowered upwards or downwards along the carrier, thereby eliminating the height difference between the wheel (310) of the carrier robot (1) and the wheel of the carrier, so that the carrier robot (1) of the present invention can stably tow the carrier in an uneven ground environment.

Claims

1. In a transport robot that is coupled with a carrier that carries an object having a constant load and performs towing of the carrier, A front part (100) that performs control for the movement of the above transport robot, A steering unit (200) installed at the lower side of the above-mentioned electric unit (100) and steering the transport robot according to the control of the above-mentioned electric unit (100), A transport robot characterized in that it comprises a driving unit (300) that is located below the steering unit (200) and has a wheel (310) that moves the transport robot in a cloud, and in which steering of the wheel (310) is performed according to the control of the steering unit (200).

2. In the first paragraph, the electric part (100) A transport robot characterized by a configuration including a base (110), a pair of side surfaces (120) extending upward from the base (110), and an upper surface (130) coupled to the upper ends of the side surfaces (120), and a full-range control module (140) for controlling the transport robot (1) is installed on the base (110).

3. In the first paragraph, the steering unit (200) A transport robot characterized by comprising a floor plate (210), a pair of side plates (230) extending upward from the floor plate (210), an upper plate (220) coupled to upper ends of the side plates (230), a coupling plate (260) coupled to the carrier, and an upper link (240) and a lower link (250) having one end coupled to the coupling plate (250) and the other end coupled to the side plate (230) of the steering unit (200) of the transport robot (1) to adjust the height difference between the wheel (310) of the transport robot (1) and the wheel of the transport robot.

4. In paragraph 3, The upper link (240) and lower link (250) have a bar-shaped body, and the lower link (250) is located on the lower side of the upper link (240) and is installed parallel to the first link (240). One side of the upper link (240) is rotatably connected to the side plate (230) of the steering unit (200) in the up-down direction, and the other side of the upper link (240) is rotatably connected to the connecting plate (250) in the up-down direction. A transport robot characterized by a configuration in which one side of the lower link (250) is rotatably connected to a side plate (230) of a steering unit (200) in a vertical direction, and the other side of the lower link (250) is rotatably connected to a connecting plate (250) in a vertical direction.

5. In paragraph 3, The above driving unit (300) includes a bracket (320) to which the wheel axle (311) of the wheel (310) is coupled, The above bracket (320) is a transport robot characterized by a configuration including an upper panel (321) that is connected to the steering unit (200) and turns to the left or right depending on the steering operation of the steering unit, and an arm (322) that extends downward from the side of the upper panel (321) and to which a wheel axle (311) of a wheel (310) is rotatably coupled.

6. In paragraph 4, A transport robot characterized in that the wheel (310) of the above driving unit (300) is configured as an in-wheel type wheel.

7. In the fifth paragraph, the steering unit (200) A steering motor (270) attached to the upper plate (220), a driving pulley (271) coupled to the motor shaft (270a) of the steering motor (270), a driven pulley (272) coupled to the bottom plate (210) of the steering unit (200) so as to be rotatably connected around a driven shaft (272a), a support shaft (280) coupled vertically from the bottom plate (210) so as to be rotatably connected, an upper transmission pulley (273) coupled to the support shaft (280) so as to have its center penetrated therethrough and arranged to be spaced apart from the driving pulley (271) at the same height, a lower transmission pulley (274) coupled to the support shaft (280) so as to have its center penetrated therethrough and arranged to be spaced apart from the driven pulley (272) at the lower side of the upper transmission pulley (273) so as to have its center penetrated therethrough, and a drive pulley (271) and the It is composed of an upper belt (275) that is connected to an upper transmission pulley (273) and transmits the rotational power of the driving pulley (271) to the upper transmission pulley (273), and a lower belt (276) that is connected to the driven pulley (272) and the lower transmission pulley (274) and transmits the rotational power of the lower transmission pulley (274) to the driven pulley (273). A transport robot characterized by a configuration in which the driven shaft (272a) of the above driven pulley (272) penetrates the floor plate (210) and is connected to the upper panel (321) of the driving unit (300).

8. In the second paragraph, the electric control module (140) of the electric part (100) A transport robot characterized by a configuration including an EMO (Emergency Off) unit (emergency stop circuit built-in module) (141) for emergency stop of the transport robot.

9. In the second paragraph, the electric control module (140) of the electric part (100) A transport robot characterized by a configuration including a battery (143) supplying power and a BMS (Battery Management System) unit (144).

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