Rack-Climbing Transport Robot for Under-Rack Warehouse Travel
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing transport robots are limited in their movement efficiency as they cannot travel under racks, restricting their ability to efficiently retrieve or place goods.
Innovation Solution
A transport robot equipped with a lifting assembly and a first climbing assembly that allows it to dock with a second climbing assembly on a rack, enabling it to climb vertically and pass through channels under the rack, thereby shortening travel distance and improving efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the transport robot climbs on the rack to retrieve or place goods, then the robot can access goods at different heights, but the robot cannot travel under the rack, reducing movement efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The climbing function is segmented from the main robot body and implemented through a separate first climbing assembly that can be deployed independently. This allows the robot to climb racks when needed while maintaining the ability to travel underneath racks when the climbing assembly is retracted, thus resolving the contradiction between movement efficiency and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The climbing assembly is designed to be dynamically deployable and retractable. When deployed, it enables vertical climbing on racks; when retracted, it allows the robot to pass underneath racks. This dynamic transformation resolves the contradiction by allowing the robot to adapt its configuration based on the required movement path.
2Device complexity
If the climbing assembly is positioned on one side of the robot body, then the structure is simplified, but the robot width must accommodate the climbing assembly
Solution Approach 1:
The first climbing assembly is nested within or alongside the robot body structure when retracted, minimizing the increase in robot width. The climbing assembly integrates with the existing robot framework rather than adding significant external dimensions, thus resolving the contradiction between structural simplicity and compact size.
Data Source
AI summary
A transport robot may include a body, a lifting assembly arranged on the body, and a first climbing assembly arranged on the lifting assembly and located on only one side of the body in a horizontal direction. The lifting assembly is configured to drive the first climbing assembly to ascend or descend. The first climbing assembly is configured to be docked with a second climbing assembly of a rack after being driven to ascend, and to climb along the second climbing assembly in a vertical direction.