Tray Stabilizer Assembly for Food Robot Shock Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Food delivery robots face challenges with bumps, impacts, and vibrations that can cause food and beverages to spill, resulting in monetary loss due to inadequate stabilization during delivery.
Innovation Solution
A tray stabilizer system featuring a shock-absorbing outer and inner shell assembly, suction cup assembly, tension spring system, and ball wheel assembly, which absorbs and mitigates horizontal and vertical impact forces, ensuring the tray remains stable and secure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a food delivery robot operates on delivery paths, then it can provide food delivery service, but bumps and impacts cause tray instability and food spillage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a shock-absorbing mechanism with springs and dampers installed in advance on the tray platform. When impacts occur during delivery, these pre-installed cushioning elements actively absorb and mitigate the shock forces, preventing food spillage before it can occur. This prior cushioning approach directly addresses the contradiction by preparing the tray system to withstand harmful impact forces encountered on delivery paths.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a shock-absorbing mechanism is added to the tray, then impact forces are reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The shock-absorbing mechanism is nested within the existing tray structure. The springs and dampers are integrated into the tray platform's internal framework, with the shock-absorbing elements housed within the tray's structural cavity. This nesting approach minimizes additional space requirements and reduces overall system complexity while maintaining effective impact force reduction capabilities.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the tray stabilizer system moves horizontally to absorb impact, then shock mitigation improves, but the structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs flexible elastic elements and dampers that allow controlled horizontal movement of the tray platform. These flexible components enable the tray to absorb horizontal impact forces through elastic deformation and damping mechanisms, rather than requiring complex rigid mechanical movement systems. This approach mitigates shock forces while maintaining relatively simple structural implementation.
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 tray stabilizer system effectively reduces the impact of vibrational, impact, and inertial forces, preventing spills and maintaining the stability of items during delivery, capable of absorbing up to 300N of vertical force and moving 30 millimeters horizontally to absorb forces from bumps and shocks.
Implementation Method 1
The shock absorbent pad rests on the upper end of the shock-absorbing inner shell and can have a generally convex shape which can reduce the impact force by absorbing the direct action between the load and tray
Implementation Method 2
A plurality of tension springs connects the tension spring fixing seat to the lower end of the base. This tension spring assembly allows the tray stabilizer system to move laterally or horizontally, thereby absorbing horizontal impact forces as well as other forces encountered by a delivery robot
Implementation Method 3
The ball wheel assembly is mounted along the inner diameter of the lower end of the base having an upper end and a lower end. The ball wheel assembly allows the tray stabilizer system to move horizontally so as to absorb and mitigate any horizontal impact force
Implementation Method 4
The slider assembly allows the shock absorbing inner shell assembly to move vertically and absorb vertical impact forces
Data Source
AI summary
A tray stabilizer system for delivery robots includes a base having an upper end and a lower end; a shock absorbing outer shell assembly, the shock absorbing outer shell assembly having an upper end and a lower end and configured to slidingly house in the space inside the base; a shock-absorbing inner shell assembly, the shock absorbing inner shell assembly having an upper end and a lower end and configured to slidingly house in the space inside the shock absorbing outer shell assembly; a suction cup assembly; and a shock absorbent pad. A method of using the tray stabilizer system for delivery robots includes the steps of preparing a surface onto which the tray stabilizer system is mounted; mounting the system to the prepared surface; placing a tray on the shock absorbing upper pad; and placing an item to be delivered onto the tray.