Reconfigurable Inverted Pendulum AGV for Stable Heavy Load Transport
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inverted pendulum automated guided vehicles (AGVs) face stability issues with heavy or oversized loads due to their two-wheeled configuration, limiting their load-carrying capacity and versatility in various applications.
Innovation Solution
The AGV system incorporates a load-platform with a first and second leg-system, each connected to a wheel, featuring a rotation motor and linear actuator for adjusting the leg position relative to the load-platform, allowing for flexible reconfiguration to accommodate different load configurations and weights, enhancing stability and load-hauling capacity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a two-wheeled inverted pendulum AGV configuration is used, then the AGV achieves self-balancing capability and mobility, but the stability polygon becomes a line which severely limits load-carrying capacity
Solution Approach 1:
The AGV is divided into multiple independent leg-systems (first leg-system with first wheel, second leg-system with second wheel) that can be independently positioned and controlled. This segmentation allows the stability polygon to be dynamically formed by multiple contact points rather than being constrained to a line, thereby increasing load-carrying capacity while maintaining self-balancing capability through distributed support.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a two-wheeled configuration (line-based stability polygon) to a multi-wheeled configuration with adjustable leg positions that create an area-based stability polygon. By adding spatial dimensions to the contact point arrangement (extending beyond a linear arrangement), the system achieves both self-balancing and enhanced load-carrying capacity.
2Device complexity
If the AGV has a fixed mechanical configuration, then the structure is simple, but the adaptability to different load configurations and weights is severely constrained
Solution Approach 1:
The leg-systems are equipped with rotation-motors and linear actuators that enable dynamic adjustment of wheel positions relative to the load-platform. This dynamic reconfiguration capability allows the AGV to adapt its stability polygon and mechanical configuration in real-time to match different load weights, dimensions, and center-of-gravity positions, greatly enhancing versatility while maintaining relatively simple base architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes key geometric parameters (leg lengths, wheel positions, stability polygon shape) in response to detected load configurations. By dynamically adjusting these parameters through rotation-motors and linear actuators, the AGV can optimize its mechanical configuration for each specific loading scenario, achieving high adaptability without requiring completely different mechanical designs for each application.
3Device complexity
If manual mechanical adjustments are required for different loads, then the system remains simple, but productivity and ease of operation decrease due to frequent manual interventions
Solution Approach 1:
The AGV is equipped with sensors and control systems that automatically detect load configuration and weight, then self-adjust the leg-system positions and stability polygon geometry without human intervention. This self-service capability eliminates the need for manual mechanical adjustments between different loading tasks, significantly improving productivity and ease of operation while the underlying automated control system handles the complexity of adaptation.
Data Source
AI summary
An automated guided vehicle, AGV, especially an inverted pendulum AGV, wherein the AGV includes a load-platform for carrying a load, a first leg-system connected to a first wheel, and a second leg-system connected a second wheel. The AGV includes a first rotation-motor for rotating the first leg-system around a rotation axis, and/or the AGV includes a first linear actuator for linearly extending and/or shortening at least a part of the first leg-system.