Serving Robot Plate Extension for Narrow-Aisle Table Delivery
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing serving robots face inefficiencies when navigating between closely spaced tables due to limited rotational motion and the need to move out of narrow passages, leading to suboptimal routing and extended delivery times.
Innovation Solution
A serving robot apparatus with a main body, sidewalls, guide rails, link members, and driving devices that allow plates to be withdrawn left or right, enabling optimized movement and efficient delivery by controlling the movement of multiple plates based on user input.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the robot rotates to serve tables in different directions, then the robot can serve multiple tables, but the robot needs to move out of narrow passages to a wide place to rotate, resulting in extended delivery time
Solution Approach 1:
The robot's serving platform is segmented into multiple independently controllable plates that can be positioned at different locations. This allows the robot to serve multiple tables simultaneously or sequentially without needing to rotate the entire body, thereby reducing delivery time while maintaining the ability to serve tables in different directions
Solution Approach 2:
The robot employs dynamic plate positioning where plates can be moved to different locations based on real-time serving requirements. The plates are connected via link members that allow dynamic adjustment of their positions and orientations, enabling the robot to adapt to different serving scenarios without time-consuming rotations
2Length of moving object
If the robot maintains a compact structure for narrow passages, then the robot can navigate between closely spaced tables, but the serving plate cannot extend beyond the robot's body for easy access
Solution Approach 1:
The serving function is segmented from the main robot body through detachable plates connected by link members. These plates can be extended beyond the robot's compact body when needed for easy access, and retracted when navigating narrow passages, thus resolving the contradiction between compact structure and plate accessibility
Solution Approach 2:
The plates are dynamically positioned relative to the robot body using link members with rotational joints. This allows the plates to extend beyond the robot's body for easy customer access during serving, and be retracted into the compact body structure when navigating narrow passages between tables
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
Enables efficient and optimized delivery of serving items to designated locations without requiring U-turns, minimizing interference and reducing delivery time by allowing plates to extend beyond the robot's body for easy access.
Implementation Method 1
a second driving device which respectively rotates the plurality of link members so that the plurality of plates respectively move along the plurality of guide rails
Data Source
AI summary
A serving robot apparatus is disclosed. The serving robot apparatus includes: a main body; a first driving device which moves the main body; a first sidewall and a second sidewall which are supported by the main body and are arranged so that one surfaces thereof face each other; a plurality of guide rails which are respectively arranged on one surface of the first sidewall in the horizontal direction and are spaced apart from one another in the vertical direction; a plurality of link members of which end portions are connected to one surface of the second sidewall so as to be rotatable on the horizontal plane; a plurality of plates each having one side connected to the intermediate region of each guide rail and the other side connected to the other side of each link member; and a second driving device which respectively rotates the plurality of link members so that the plurality of plates respectively move along the plurality of guide rails.