Cantilevered Mobile Picking Robot with Steerable Drive Wheel
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mobile picking robots face challenges in maneuverability, especially in narrow aisles, and struggle to efficiently handle small-volume objects from the lowest packing level of source pallets while maintaining high picking performance and flexibility.
Innovation Solution
A mobile picking robot design featuring a steerable drive wheel, rear load wheels, a cantilevered load-carrying device, and a lifting mast with a SCARA robot arm, allowing for a short wheelbase, low profile, and high maneuverability, enabling efficient picking and placement of objects from the lowest level onto a target pallet.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the load-carrying device is arranged in a cantilever manner outside the wheel base, then the wheelbase can be shortened to improve maneuverability and reduce turning circle, but the structural stability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The drive wheel is positioned in the front area while the load-carrying device is cantilevered in the rear area, creating a balanced weight distribution that counteracts the destabilizing effect of the cantilevered load, thereby maintaining structural stability while achieving short wheelbase and high maneuverability
2Ease of operation
If the vehicle frame is designed with low overall height, then small-volume objects can be easily accessed from the lowest packing level, but the lifting capacity and load-bearing capability are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The load-carrying device is positioned in the rear area with vertical lifting capability through the lifting mast, separating the horizontal footprint (kept low for accessibility) from the vertical lifting function, thereby achieving both low profile for accessing small objects and sufficient lifting capacity through vertical mast movement
3Ease of operation
If the drive wheel is steerable, then the turning circle is reduced to enable operation in narrow rack aisles, but the mechanical complexity and control requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The steerable drive wheel replaces traditional fixed wheel configurations, using integrated steering mechanisms that reduce mechanical complexity compared to separate steering systems, enabling tight turning circles for narrow aisle operation while maintaining manageable system complexity
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a mobile order-picking robot (1) for the fully automatic order-picking of objects (2) in a warehouse, comprising a chassis for supporting and moving the mobile order-picking robot (1) on a track (FB), a load-carrying device (5) for receiving at least one load-carrying device (6), in particular a pallet (ZP), and a load-handling manipulator (10). The mobile order-picking robot (1) has a vehicle frame (15), on which a drive wheel (16), in particular a steerable drive wheel, is arranged in a front region and on which, in a rear region, two load wheels (17a, 17b) arranged at a distance from one another in the vehicle transverse direction (Q) are arranged as a chassis. The load-carrying device (5) is arranged on the vehicle frame (15) in the rear region so that it can be raised and lowered, the load-carrying device (5) being arranged in a cantilever manner.