Robot, carrying system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11104516-B2
Application number	US-201816463822-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 25, 2018
Priority date	Apr 26, 2018
Publication date	Aug 31, 2021
Grant date	Aug 31, 2021

Abstract

Disclosed is a robot including a travelling apparatus, a body, a containing apparatus and an item grabbing apparatus. The travelling apparatus is disposed at a bottom of the robot and configured to automatically travel to a preset position based on a travelling path received by the robot. The body is disposed above the travelling apparatus. The containing apparatus is connected to the body and includes multiple containing positions that are interlayers stacked in a vertical direction. One of the interlayers may contain at least one target item. The item grabbing apparatus is disposed on the body and configured to, based on a task received by the robot, grab, at the preset position, a first target item from an item storage apparatus and automatically place the first target item at a containing position of the containing apparatus, or grab, at the preset position, a second target item from the containing position of the containing apparatus and automatically place the second target item in the item storage apparatus. A carrying system and a carrying method are further disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A robot, comprising:
a travelling apparatus, disposed at a bottom of the robot and configured to automatically travel to a preset position based on a travelling path received by the robot;
a body, disposed above the travelling apparatus;
a containing apparatus, connected to the body and comprising a plurality of containing positions which are interlayers stacked in a vertical direction, wherein one of the interlayers may contain at least one target item;
an item grabbing apparatus, disposed on the body and configured to, based on a task received by the robot, grab at the preset position a first target item from an item storage apparatus and automatically place the first target item at a containing position of the containing apparatus, or grab at the preset position a second target item from the containing position of the containing apparatus and automatically place the second target item in the item storage apparatus; and
a rotating component, connected to the item grabbing apparatus;
wherein the item grabbing apparatus comprises a telescopic component and a lifting component, the telescopic component is configured to grab the first target item from the item storage apparatus or grab the second target item from the containing position of the containing apparatus, and the lifting component is connected to the telescopic component and configured to lift or lower the telescopic component to a preset height, and
wherein the lifting component and the rotating component are configured to automatically adjust to a posture that matches with grabbing the first target item or the second target item in a process of the robot moving from a task starting point to the present position.

2. The robot of claim 1 , wherein the telescopic component comprises a clamping portion and a sliding portion, and the clamping portion is slidably connected to the sliding portion;
the clamping portion is configured to grab the first target item from the item storage apparatus in a clamping manner or grab the second target item from the containing position of the containing apparatus in the clamping manner; and
the clamping portion slides through the sliding portion in a depth direction of the interlayers.

3. The robot of claim 2 , wherein the clamping portion comprises a first gripper and a second gripper which are relatively disposed on a left side and a right side of the interlayers.

4. The robot of claim 3 , wherein the first gripper and the second gripper are both plate like structures.

5. The robot of claim 2 , wherein the sliding portion is a guide rail.

6. The robot of claim 1 , wherein the telescopic component is configured to be in a contraction state when the robot does not execute the task.

7. The robot of claim 1 , wherein the containing apparatus connecting to the body comprises: disposing the containing apparatus on the body; and the body is configured to support the containing apparatus and the item grabbing apparatus and the item grabbing apparatus is disposed at a periphery of the containing apparatus;
or
wherein the containing apparatus connecting to the body comprises: slidably disposing the containing apparatus on a side of the body and to be connected to the body.

8. The robot of claim 1 , wherein the first target item comprises a storage container for loading goods or goods; and the second target item comprises a storage container for loading goods or goods.

9. A carrying system, comprising a first robot and a second robot, wherein the first robot comprises:
a travelling apparatus, disposed at a bottom of the robot and configured to automatically travel to a preset position based on a travelling path received by the robot;
a body, disposed above the travelling apparatus;
a containing apparatus, connected to the body and comprising a plurality of containing positions which are interlayers stacked in a vertical direction, wherein one of the interlayers may contain at least one target item;
an item grabbing apparatus, disposed on the body and configured to, based on a task received by the robot, grab at the preset position a first target item from an item storage apparatus and automatically place the first target item at a containing position of the containing apparatus, or grab at the preset position a second target item from the containing position of the containing apparatus and automatically place the second target item in the item storage apparatus; and
a rotating component, connected to the item grabbing apparatus;
wherein the item grabbing apparatus comprises a telescopic component and a lifting component, the telescopic component is configured to grab the first target item from the item storage apparatus or grab the second target item from the containing position of the containing apparatus, and the lifting component is connected to the telescopic component and configured to lift or lower the telescopic component to a preset height, and
wherein the lifting component and the rotating component are configured to automatically adjust to a posture that matches with grabbing the first target item or the second target item in a process of the robot moving from a task starting point to the present position,
wherein
the first robot is configured to move to the item storage apparatus, and grab the first target item in the item storage apparatus and place the first target item on a movable temporary cache apparatus or grab the second target item on the movable temporary cache apparatus and place the second target item in the item storage apparatus; and
the second robot is connected to the temporary cache apparatus and moves along with the first robot.

10. The carrying system of claim 9 , wherein the temporary cache apparatus is disposed on the second robot or the second robot drags the temporary cache apparatus provided with wheels.

11. The carrying system of claim 9 , wherein the first robot moves according to a navigated travelling path, and the second robot automatically follows the first robot based on a lidar target tracking technology;
or the first robot and the second robot move respectively according to the same navigated travelling path.

12. The carrying system of claim 9 , wherein the first robot comprises a grabbing apparatus, which is configured to adjust a grabbing height, grab the first target item in any interlayer of the item storage apparatus or the second target item in any interlayer of the temporary cache apparatus, and place the first target item in any interlayer of the temporary cache apparatus or the second target item in any interlayer of the item storage apparatus.

13. The carrying system of claim 12 , wherein the grabbing apparatus comprises a telescopic component which is configured to grab the first target item or the second target item.

14. The carrying system of claim 13 , wherein
the grabbing apparatus further comprises a lifting component which is connected to the telescopic component and configured to lift or lower the telescopic component to a preset height.

15. The carrying system of claim 13 , wherein the telescopic component comprises a clamping portion and a sliding portion, and the clamping portion is slidably connected to the sliding portion; and
the clamping portion is configured to grab, in a clamping manner, the second target item from the temporary cache apparatus or the first target item from the item storage apparatus, wherein the clamping portion slides through the sliding portion in a depth direction of the interlayers of the temporary cache apparatus or the item storage apparatus.

16. The carrying system of claim 1

Assignees

• Beijing Geekplus Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Li Hongbo
• Hu Bin
• Sun Langlang

Classifications

• B66F9/141

  with shuttle-type movement · CPC title

• B66F9/063

  Automatically guided · CPC title

• B65G1/1375

  the orders being assembled on a commissioning stacker-crane or truck · CPC title

• B25J15/0253

  comprising parallel grippers · CPC title

• B25J9/1679

  characterised by the tasks executed · CPC title