Cargo Box Transport Robot With Multi-Arm Shelf Access Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing transporting robots in warehousing and logistics are inefficient in handling multiple cargo boxes at once, leading to reduced shelf utilization and increased safety hazards due to gantry wobbling when accessing high shelves.
Innovation Solution
A robot with a drive unit, cargo box storing unit, and cargo box delivery unit, equipped with multiple telescopic arms and an aerial stabilization mechanism, allowing for simultaneous transport of multiple cargo boxes and enhanced stability when handling high-shelf goods.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a single telescopic arm is used to handle cargo boxes, then the robot structure is simple, but the robot can only access goods at exterior sides of the shelf and cannot reach goods disposed deep in the shelf
Solution Approach 1:
The single telescopic arm is divided into multiple telescopic arms (first telescopic arm and second telescopic arm) that can independently extend and retract. This segmentation allows the robot to access multiple positions on the shelf simultaneously, including exterior sides and deep interior positions, thereby improving adaptability without requiring a completely new system architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a single linear telescopic arm to multiple telescopic arms arranged in different spatial dimensions and angles. This dimensional expansion enables the robot to reach goods at various depths and positions on the shelf, effectively adding spatial coverage as a new dimension to the handling capability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the robot is designed to reach greater heights to access goods at the top of high shelves, then the robot can access more storage space, but the robot becomes more prone to gantry wobbling when handling goods
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an aerial stabilization mechanism that acts as a counterbalancing system to offset the gantry wobbling caused by high-altitude operations. This stabilization mechanism provides opposing forces to maintain equilibrium, allowing the robot to safely access goods at greater heights without compromising operational reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies the structural parameters of the robot by adding the aerial stabilization mechanism, which changes the dynamic characteristics of the gantry system. This parameter change enables the robot to maintain stability across a wider range of operating heights, effectively increasing shelf height accessibility while preserving reliability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the KIVA robot transports the whole shelf to fetch one piece of goods, then the robot can retrieve goods from any position, but the robot causes great wasting of resources
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the cargo box handling function from the entire shelf transport system. Instead of moving the whole shelf to retrieve one piece of goods, the robot uses multiple telescopic arms to extract and handle individual cargo boxes directly at their storage positions. This extraction approach maintains full goods retrieval capability while eliminating the resource waste associated with transporting entire shelves.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by using only the necessary portion of the shelf access capability - specifically, the telescopic arms extend only as far as needed to reach individual cargo boxes rather than transporting the entire shelf structure. This partial action approach achieves complete goods retrieval while significantly improving transport efficiency by avoiding excessive movement of unnecessary components.
Data Source
AI summary
A robot for transporting cargo boxes includes a drive unit, a cargo box storing unit and a cargo box delivery unit. The drive unit carries the cargo box storing unit and the cargo box delivery unit and moves them jointly therewith. The cargo box storing unit includes a plurality of cargo box storing spaces. The cargo box delivery unit is coupled to the cargo box storing unit and configured to move along the cargo box storing unit in a vertical direction and transfer the cargo boxes between the cargo box storing spaces and a shelf. The cargo box delivery unit includes a hook-and-pull fork tooth module, which is configured to extend from the cargo box delivery unit into the shelf or the cargo box storing spaces, retract to the cargo box delivery unit and, during an extension or retraction, drive the cargo boxes to move therewith to transfer the cargo boxes from the cargo box delivery unit to the shelf or the cargo box storing spaces or from the shelf or the cargo box storing spaces to the cargo box delivery unit.