Floating Tray Mechanism for Spill-Resistant Delivery Robots
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Solution Overview
Problem
Robots experience issues with goods detaching from trays or fluids spilling during sudden braking or acceleration, particularly with fluid goods like soup or drinks, due to poor road conditions or obstacle avoidance.
Innovation Solution
A floating tray mechanism with a tray and mounting bracket, featuring a floating contacting portion and a pulling rebounding portion to allow the tray to move relative to the bracket, using sliding friction layers, universal balls, or elastic materials to return to an initial position, reducing inertial motion and preventing spilling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the tray is fixed rigidly to the robot frame, then the tray is stable and secure, but the goods easily detach from the tray or fluid spills during sudden braking or acceleration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by transforming the rigid fixed tray into a floating tray that can move relatively with respect to the robot frame. The floating tray is supported by elastic elements (springs or rubber cushions) that allow the tray to dynamically adjust its position during robot acceleration, deceleration, or turning, preventing goods from detaching while maintaining structural simplicity.
2Reliability
If the tray is made movable to reduce spilling, then the tray can absorb shocks, but the tray may detach from the mounting bracket
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies beforehand cushioning by pre-installing elastic elements (springs or rubber cushions) between the tray and the mounting bracket. These elastic elements are designed to compress or extend within a controlled range, providing cushioning force that prevents the tray from detaching during sudden movements while allowing sufficient movement to contain fluids.
3Stability of the object's composition
If elastic materials are used for the pulling rebounding portion, then the tray returns to initial position, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by utilizing the elastic properties of spring elements or rubber cushions to create a pulling rebounding portion. The elastic elements change their physical state (compression/extension) to generate restoring force, enabling the tray to return to its initial position after displacement during robot movement, while maintaining relatively simple device structure.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The mechanism effectively reduces the likelihood of goods disengaging from the tray, ensuring stable delivery by absorbing shocks and maintaining fluid containment during robot movements.
Implementation Method 1
the floating contacting portion comprises a sliding friction layer which is in surface-surface contact with the tray
Implementation Method 2
the pulling rebounding portion comprises an elastic material in a strip shape, one end of the elastic material is fixedly connected to a lower surface of the mounting bracket and the other end is fixedly connected to a lower surface of the tray
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are a floating tray mechanism and a robot. The floating tray mechanism includes a tray and a mounting bracket, the mounting bracket support the tray; the floating tray mechanism further comprises a floating contacting portion and a pulling rebounding portion, the floating contacting portion is provided on one of the tray and the mounting bracket, and the tray is movably supported on the mounting bracket, the pulling rebounding portion is configured to be able to pull the tray back to an initial position of translation when the tray moves relative to the mounting bracket. In the present application, the tray will have a damping relative stroke and a recovery relative stroke relative to the robot when a robot suddenly stops or suddenly speeds up, which greatly reduces the inertial motion of the goods, and thus the fluid goods will not spill out of the tray.