CN212623745U

CN212623745U - Intelligent nursing system

Info

Publication number: CN212623745U
Application number: CN202020827995.XU
Authority: CN
Inventors: 丁秋时; 林冠; 韩征和; 李园园
Original assignee: Tianjin Research Institute For Advanced Equipment Tsinghua University Luoyang Advanced Manufacturing Industry Research And Development Base; Beijing Yikang Life Intelligent Technology Co ltd
Current assignee: Beijing Yikang Life Intelligent Technology Co ltd; Qingyan Luoyang Advanced Manufacturing Industry Research Institute
Priority date: 2020-05-18
Filing date: 2020-05-18
Publication date: 2021-02-26
Anticipated expiration: 2030-05-18

Abstract

The utility model relates to a mechanical device, especially an intelligent nursing system can provide reliable and simple transfer between the living facilities. The intelligent nursing system comprises: the intelligent nursing device comprises a chassis, a driving wheel and a driven wheel, wherein the driving wheel and the driven wheel are mounted on the chassis; a plurality of optical markers; the execution module comprises a wheel motor which is connected with and drives the driving wheel to rotate, a steering motor which is connected with and drives the driving wheel to steer, and a locking motor which locks the steering angle of the driving wheel; a sensing module, comprising: an optical sensor that recognizes the optical marker; an odometer for detecting the rotating mileage of the driving wheel; an ultrasonic sensor that detects surrounding obstacles; a control hub coupled to the sensing module and to the execution module; and the human-computer interaction module is connected to the control center and comprises at least one of a rocker, a key and a remote controller.

Description

Intelligent nursing system

Technical Field

The utility model relates to a mechanical device, especially an intelligent nursing system.

Background

With the aggravation of the aging problem of the population, china is rapidly stepping into the aging society. The first problem facing the aging society is how to take care of the growing proportion of elderly people. On one hand, the fast pace of modern society makes the traditional mode of supporting the old depending on children difficult to maintain, and meanwhile, the aging predicament of young families in the new period is also aggravated by the juvenile trend caused by the change of the policy of the solitary children and the fertility concept; on the other hand, although it is a common social phenomenon to send old people to a nursing home for nursing the old or hire home care staffs to home for nursing the old, the pipelining service of most nursing homes cannot guarantee that each old person can live with dignity, and meanwhile, due to the reduction of labor population, enough nursing staff cannot guarantee that the home nursing requirement of each old person is met. Moreover, as the cost of nursing care for the aged increases, how to allow each elderly person to conditionally obtain the required nursing service requires social attention and investment. Therefore, the realization of intelligent nursing for the aged by means of modern science and technology is a main direction for solving the difficult problem of nursing for the aged.

For the elderly who need to be cared for, one of the major problems facing daily care is: the leg and foot mobility is reduced, and it is difficult to move freely between the daily living facilities such as a bed, a sofa, a toilet, and a bathtub. Although wheelchairs can provide transfer functions between different activity areas (e.g. from a bedroom to a toilet), when a cared person needs to transfer from the wheelchair to other living facilities (e.g. from a bed to the wheelchair or from the wheelchair to a toilet), the cared person is difficult to independently perform actions by himself/herself, because the relative movement of the wheelchair with respect to the bed or the toilet and the like occurs during the transfer of the cared person as a user, and the user is not only difficult to independently perform the transfer actions, but also is likely to face the risk of injury, in which case the transfer is often performed with assistance of a caregiver.

In addition, in the process of home care for the aged, the problem often faced is that the house where the old people live is small, especially the toilet space is narrow, because the turning radius of the existing electric wheelchair and other equipment is large, the old people cannot move transversely, so that the old people are difficult to turn in the narrow space of the toilet when operating the equipment, and are difficult to stop at an ideal position for convenient transfer, and the electric wheelchair not only has poor adaptability, but also increases the difficulty and the injury risk of the operation of the old people.

In addition, the same nursing needs are also met for disabled people who have difficulty in moving or lose their ability to move their legs and feet due to various reasons.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

According to the utility model discloses an embodiment provides an intelligent nursing system, can provide reliable and simple and safe transfer between each living facility.

According to the utility model discloses an embodiment provides an intelligent nursing system, include:

an intelligent care device, comprising: a chassis; a drive wheel and a driven wheel mounted to the chassis;

a plurality of optical markers;

an execution module, comprising: a wheel motor connected to and driving the driving wheel to rotate; a steering motor connected to and driving the driving wheel to steer; a lock motor that locks a steering angle of the drive wheel;

a sensing module disposed on the smart care device and comprising: an optical sensor for identifying the optical marker; an odometer for detecting a rotational mileage of the driving wheel; a plurality of ultrasonic sensors for detecting surrounding obstacles of the smart care device;

a control hub coupled to the sensing module and to the execution module;

and the human-computer interaction module is connected to the control center and comprises at least one of a rocker, a key and a remote controller.

Preferably, in any embodiment of the present invention,

the two optical sensors are respectively arranged at the left and right positions of the front side of the chassis of the intelligent nursing device.

Preferably, in any embodiment of the present invention,

the ultrasonic sensors are respectively arranged at the front, the back, the left side and the right side of the chassis of the intelligent nursing device.

Preferably, in any embodiment of the present invention,

the optical marker includes a pattern of features.

Preferably, in any embodiment of the present invention,

the optical marker includes a coding pattern composed of one unit pattern or a combination of a plurality of unit patterns.

Through the embodiment of the utility model provides an intelligent nursing system can provide reliable and simple and safe transfer between each living facility.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an intelligent care system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2a and 2b are schematic diagrams of a sensing module disposed on a smart care device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3a and 3b are schematic views of an optical marker according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a smart care device moving along a predetermined movement route (trajectory) according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a local accurate docking of a smart care device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of the intelligent nursing device performing obstacle crossing movement according to the utility model discloses an embodiment.

Detailed Description

The technical solution in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. It is to be understood that the embodiments described are only some embodiments of the invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by a person skilled in the art without creative efforts belong to the protection scope of the present invention.

According to an embodiment of an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an intelligent care system, comprising:

a plurality of optical markers;

a control hub coupled to the sensing module and to the execution module;

The control hub may be connected to the sensing module to determine a position and a state of the smart care device according to at least one of the rotational range and a position of the optical marker recognized by the optical sensor and according to a condition of a surrounding obstacle detected by the plurality of ultrasonic sensors, and may be connected to the execution module to control the smart care device to approach or abut against a target position corresponding to the optical marker according to the position and the state of the smart care device.

Thus, under the control of the control center, the accurate position (e.g., the position relative to the environmental structure or the living facility (e.g., a toilet, etc.)) and the state (e.g., the intelligent nursing device body orientation or the driving wheel orientation) of the intelligent nursing device can be comprehensively determined according to the rotation range of the driving wheel of the intelligent nursing device (detected by the odometer), the position of the optical marker (identified by the optical sensor) relative to the intelligent nursing device, and further according to the obstacle situation around the intelligent nursing device (detected by the ultrasonic sensor), so that the intelligent nursing device can be moved to approach or abut against the target position corresponding to the optical marker by the execution module operated by the wheel motor, the steering motor and the locking motor according to the position and the state of the intelligent nursing device.

It is to be understood that the target location corresponding to the optical marker can be coincident with the optical marker or can be separate from the optical marker (e.g., in proximity to the optical marker), as desired.

Through the scheme of combining the optical recognition technology (recognizing the optical marker) with the driving wheel rotating mileage detection and recording (used for distance calculation and device positioning), the position of the intelligent nursing device can be accurately determined, and the intelligent nursing device is guided to move towards the target position and finally reach the required living facility, so that the personnel transfer purpose is realized. The whole process is high in automation degree (can be realized fully automatically even under ideal conditions), is convenient and simple to use, and avoids safety risks caused by instability of manual operation of users.

Therefore, through the embodiment of the utility model provides an intelligent nursing system can provide reliable and simple and easy and safe transfer between each living facility.

It should be understood that the intelligent care system is applicable not only indoors, but also outdoors. For example, according to the intelligent nursing system, the passenger can be transferred between the intelligent nursing device and the outdoor living facilities, and further, the passenger can be transferred between the outdoor living facilities and the passenger can be transferred between the indoor living facilities and the outdoor living facilities.

In one embodiment, optionally, the outdoor living facility may include: seats, vehicles, etc.

Preferably, in any embodiment of the present invention, the intelligent care system comprises: a human-machine interaction module connected to the control hub. The human-computer interaction module may be used to collect user input, for example, user control instructions may be received.

In one embodiment, optionally, the human-computer interaction module comprises a rocker, a key and a remote controller.

In one embodiment, the rocker may optionally be used to manually control the movement of the smart care device, such as forward, backward, steering, pivoting, etc.

In one embodiment, the rocker may alternatively be a dual or multi-axis hall rocker.

In one embodiment, optionally, the button is mounted on the body of the smart care device and may be used to control a power switch, lateral translational movement of the smart care device, automatic docking of living equipment, or other motorized movement mechanism.

In one embodiment, the keys may alternatively be implemented as a combination of one or more of a membrane key panel, a physical key switch, a boat-type key switch, a touch key, and an emergency stop switch.

In one embodiment, the remote control may optionally be used to remotely control the smart care device (e.g., when the user is not sitting on the smart care device).

In one embodiment, the remote controller may be a physical remote controller, a mobile phone APP remote controller, a tablet computer APP remote controller.

In one embodiment, optionally, the joystick is mounted on the main body of the smart care device and electrically connected to the core controller (i.e., control hub); the key is arranged on the main body of the intelligent nursing device and is electrically connected with the core controller; the remote controller is in wireless communication connection with the core controller.

For the positioning of the intelligent nursing device, a mode of combining odometer detection and optical identification can be adopted, and the odometer detection and the optical identification are mutually complemented to obtain the accurate position of the intelligent nursing device.

In one embodiment, optionally, an optical sensor is used to identify optical markers disposed within the chamber to locate the smart care device.

In one embodiment, optionally, the optical sensor comprises an infrared camera.

In one embodiment, optionally, to achieve optical localization, optical markers pre-disposed in the room may be identified using an infrared camera mounted on the smart care device.

Preferably, in any embodiment of the present invention, two of the optical sensors are respectively disposed at left and right positions of a front side of a chassis of the intelligent nursing device.

In one embodiment, the optical marker may optionally have a pattern of features thereon of known shape and size. After the characteristic pattern of the optical marker is extracted through optical identification, the relative position of the optical marker and the intelligent nursing device can be calculated based on the relation between the real size of the characteristic pattern and the actual measurement size of the optical identification, and therefore the intelligent nursing device is located.

In one embodiment, the pattern of features of the optical marker may alternatively be in the shape of a polygon, such as a rectangle (e.g., square), triangle, hexagon, and the like.

In one embodiment, the characteristic pattern of the optical marker may optionally be in the shape of a circle or an ellipse. In this way, optical recognition errors caused by blurring of the corners of the polygonal feature pattern (e.g., due to wear or light shadows) can be avoided, particularly where the circular optical markers are uniform in diameter length in any radial direction.

In one embodiment, the characteristic pattern of the optical marker may optionally be a hollow frame-shaped pattern (e.g., a box or a circle).

In one embodiment, the characteristic pattern of the optical marker may optionally be a solid pattern (e.g., squares or dots).

Preferably, in any embodiment of the present invention, the optical marker comprises a coding pattern (or coding information). In this way, different encoding patterns may correspond to different optical markers, thereby enabling differentiation between different optical markers.

In one embodiment, the coding pattern may optionally comprise a barcode.

In one embodiment, the encoding pattern may optionally comprise a two-dimensional code.

In one embodiment, the encoding pattern may optionally include a Quick Response (QR) code.

In one embodiment, the encoding pattern may alternatively be constituted by a single unit pattern.

In one embodiment, the encoding pattern may alternatively be constituted by a combined array of a plurality of pattern units.

In one embodiment, the coding pattern is optionally composed of a combined array of a plurality of pattern elements of the same or different size.

In one embodiment, the coding pattern is optionally composed of a combined array of a plurality of pattern elements of the same or different shape.

In one embodiment, the pattern elements that make up the coding pattern may alternatively be polygonal in shape, such as rectangular (e.g., square), triangular, hexagonal, and the like.

In one embodiment, the pattern elements constituting the coding pattern may alternatively be circular or elliptical in shape.

In one embodiment, the pattern units constituting the coding pattern may alternatively be hollow box-shaped patterns (e.g., boxes or circles).

In one embodiment, the pattern elements making up the coding pattern may alternatively be solid patterns (e.g., squares or dots).

In one embodiment, optionally, at least a portion of the optical marker (e.g., the feature pattern or the coding pattern) is made of a light reflective material. In this way, the optical marker can be accurately recognized even in an environment where light is insufficient (for example, dark environment at night) in conjunction with the camera as the optical sensor.

In one embodiment, optionally, at least a portion of the optical marker (e.g., the feature pattern or the encoding pattern) comprises a fluorescent layer.

In one embodiment, optionally, at least a portion (e.g., the feature pattern or the coding pattern) of the optical marker comprises a storage luminescent coating.

In one embodiment, optionally, at least a portion of the optical marker (e.g., the feature pattern or the coding pattern) comprises a planar (two-dimensional) marker or a three-dimensional marker.

In one embodiment, the optical marker may optionally be a three-dimensional marker, which has a larger recognition angle range.

In one embodiment, optionally, at least a portion of the optical marker (e.g., the feature pattern or the coding pattern) may be black and white. Thus, the contrast is high, and the image can be accurately recognized even in an environment where light is insufficient (for example, dark environment at night).

In one embodiment, optionally, at least a portion of the optical marker (e.g., the feature pattern or the coding pattern) may be colored. In this way, an optical marker having a particular color can be easily identified.

In one embodiment, optionally, the odometer can detect and record the rotation angle of the wheel motor and the rotation distance of the driving wheel, and further can calculate the displacement (or position) and the posture for positioning the intelligent nursing device.

In one embodiment, optionally, the odometer comprises two odometers operating independently of each other. Therefore, the two independent odometers can respectively record the rotating mileage of the two driving wheels, so that the position of the intelligent nursing device can be calculated, and the intelligent nursing device can be positioned.

Here, it should be noted that the two odometers respectively used for the two driving wheels may not be identical in the mileage during the same period of time because the motion conditions are different (for example, because there may be a turn). Therefore, the displacement stroke and the position change information of the intelligent nursing device can be accurately obtained by comprehensively considering the motion states and the rotating mileage of the two driving wheels.

In one embodiment, the odometer may optionally include a wheel motor encoder, or may utilize a hall sensor of the wheel motor itself (e.g., a brushless wheel motor) for detecting and recording the rotational odometry of the driven wheel.

Preferably, in any embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of ultrasonic sensors are respectively disposed at the front, the rear, the left side and the right side of the chassis of the intelligent nursing device.

In one embodiment, optionally, at least 4 ultrasound sensors (which may be mounted to the chassis, for example) are mounted on the smart care device for detecting obstacles in four directions, front, rear, left, and right, respectively.

In one embodiment, optionally, at least 7 ultrasound sensors are mounted on the smart care device.

In one embodiment, optionally, two ultrasound sensors are mounted side-by-side to the left and right, e.g., to the left front and right front, respectively, on the front side of the smart care device.

In one embodiment, optionally, two ultrasound sensors are mounted side-by-side to the left and right, e.g., to the left and right rear portions, respectively, on the rear side of the smart care device.

In one embodiment, optionally, on the left side of the smart care device, two ultrasound sensors may be mounted separately front to back, e.g., may be mounted to the left front side and the left back side, respectively.

In one embodiment, optionally, on the right side of the smart care device, two ultrasound sensors may be mounted separately front to back, e.g., respectively to the right front side and the right back side.

The core controller is a control center of the system, can receive control information sent by the human-computer interaction module, collects data collected by the sensor, runs an automatic navigation algorithm, an autonomous obstacle avoidance algorithm and a master control program, sends control instructions to the execution module, and controls the movement of the wheel motor, the steering engine, the locking steering engine and the movement mechanism.

In one embodiment, optionally, the control hub includes an embedded PC or an embedded industrial personal computer.

In one embodiment, optionally, the execution module includes a wheel motor driver, a wheel motor, a steering engine driver, a steering engine, a locking steering engine, a direct current motor driver, and a motion mechanism. Wherein the wheel motor driver is electrically connected with the wheel motor and the core controller; the steering engine driver is electrically connected with the steering engine, the locking steering engine and the core controller; the direct current motor driver is electrically connected with the motion mechanism and the core controller.

Therefore, by the scheme of combining the optical identification technology (identifying the optical marker and accordingly obtaining the position and the distance of the intelligent nursing device relative to the optical marker) with the driving wheel rotating mileage detection (used for obtaining the displacement and the position change information of the intelligent nursing device), the position of the intelligent nursing device can be accurately determined, the intelligent nursing device can be guided to move towards the target position according to the position, the automation degree of the whole process is high (ideally, the intelligent nursing device can be realized fully automatically), the use is convenient and simple, and the safety risk caused by unstable manual operation of a user is avoided.

The states of the smart care devices described herein may include, for example: the orientation of the body of the smart care device, the orientation of the drive wheels (or steering angle, i.e., the angle the drive wheels make with respect to the front-to-back direction of the smart care device), the state of motion (e.g., stopped, moving forward, moving sideways, turning, etc.), the state of seating (e.g., a state of lifting or tilting of the seat, etc.). The intelligent care device can be positioned more accurately in conjunction with the specific state of the intelligent care device, as desired.

In one embodiment, the mileage of the two drive wheels may be optionally determined by two odometers operating independently of each other.

Preferably, in any embodiment of the present invention, the optical marker comprises a coding pattern (or coding information). In this way, different encoding patterns may correspond to different optical markers, thereby enabling differentiation between different optical markers. .

Preferably, in any embodiment, the optical marker comprises: a secondary optical marker disposed on an environmental structure (e.g., a floor, ceiling, or any structure on the floor). In this way, when the optical marker is identified as the secondary optical marker, the smart care device may be directed to approach a target location corresponding to the secondary optical marker and move along a predetermined path of movement through a plurality of the target locations.

In this way, when the smart care device recognizes the secondary optical marker, a global navigation approach may be taken. The position of the smart care device may be determined based on at least one of the driving wheel rotational range and the identified position of the auxiliary optical marker(s), particularly the rotational range, and the smart care device may be thereby guided in sequence proximate a series of target positions corresponding to the plurality of auxiliary optical markers, respectively, such that the smart care device is capable of moving along a predetermined path of movement through the plurality of target positions.

It is understood herein that the smart care device may be moved to a destination, such as a living facility (e.g., a toilet, a seat, a bed, etc.) or a place of life (e.g., a window, a doorway, an open position in front of a television), guided by a predetermined movement route. The starting point or the ending point of the predetermined movement route may be provided at or near the destination.

It will be appreciated that a plurality of predetermined movement paths may be provided, as desired, such as from the bed to the toilet, from the seat to the doorway, etc.

In one embodiment, the secondary optical markers may optionally be disposed on an environmental structure above ground, such as a door frame, window frame, wall, closet, door handle, or the like. In this case, the secondary optical marker need not coincide with its corresponding target location, but may be in close proximity around the target location disposed along the predetermined path of motion. For example, secondary optical markers may be provided on the door frame for guiding the smart care device through the doorway rather than moving to the door frame.

In another embodiment, the secondary optical marker may optionally be provided to the ground. In this case, the auxiliary optical markers may coincide with their corresponding target locations, and the smart care device may be moved along a series of target locations on a predetermined movement path.

In yet another embodiment, the secondary optical marker may optionally be provided to the ceiling. In this case, the downward vertical projection point of the secondary optical marker may coincide with its corresponding ground target location, and the intelligent care device may move along a series of target locations on the predetermined movement path.

It will be appreciated that in practice, the smart care device may only need to be moved in the general direction of the optical marker, as required, particularly when the distance is relatively large.

As previously described, the target location corresponding to the optical marker may be coincident with the optical marker or may be separate from the optical marker (e.g., in close proximity to the optical marker), as desired.

In one instance, the target location corresponding to the optical marker (e.g., an auxiliary optical marker) can be separate from the optical marker (e.g., an auxiliary optical marker). In this way, the smart care device may be guided towards the corresponding target location (e.g., a doorway location) based on an association or relationship (e.g., may be predetermined or determined) between the secondary optical marker and the corresponding target location, without necessarily moving towards the secondary optical marker (e.g., a secondary optical marker disposed on a door frame).

In one embodiment, optionally, a pair of auxiliary optical markers may be provided for each target position on the predetermined movement route to avoid the failure of positioning navigation due to poor recognition effect.

Preferably, in any embodiment, the optical marker comprises: a facility optical marker disposed on a living facility. As such, when the optical marker is identified as the facility optical marker, directing the smart care device proximate to the facility optical marker if a distance between the smart care device and the identified facility optical marker is less than a first distance threshold but greater than a second distance threshold; and if the distance between the smart care device and the facility optical marker is less than the second distance threshold, directing the smart care device to laterally align and dock with the living facility corresponding to the facility optical marker.

In this way, when the intelligent nursing device identifies a facility optical marker in a relatively close position, if the distance between the intelligent nursing device and the identified facility optical marker is smaller than the first distance threshold but larger than the second distance threshold, the short-distance navigation mode can be firstly adopted, the accurate position of the intelligent nursing device can be comprehensively determined according to the rotating distance of the driving wheel and the position of the identified auxiliary optical marker, and the intelligent nursing device is guided to approach and align to the facility optical marker (and the living facility corresponding to the intelligent nursing device); and as the distance between the intelligent nursing device and the facility optical marker (and the corresponding living facility) is further reduced, if the distance between the intelligent nursing device and the facility optical marker is smaller than the second distance threshold value, a micro-distance guiding mode can be adopted, and the intelligent nursing device is laterally aligned and butted with the living facility (such as a toilet bowl and the like), so that accurate and reliable butting is realized, and the subsequent personnel transferring action is facilitated.

In one embodiment, the facility optical markers may optionally be disposed on the side of the living facility to facilitate lateral access alignment of the smart care device.

In one embodiment, the first distance threshold is optionally 1.5-2.5 meters, preferably 1.8-2.1 meters, for example 2 meters.

In one embodiment, the second distance threshold is optionally 0.3-0.6 m, preferably 0.4-0.6 m, such as 0.5 m.

In one embodiment, optionally, when the distance between the smart care device and the facility optical marker approaches below a first distance threshold (e.g., 2 meters), the control method may include: the short-distance navigation in the first stage and the micro-distance guidance in the second stage, so that local accurate alignment is realized.

In the first stage, the distance between the intelligent nursing device and a specific optical marker (such as an optical marker of a facility) is between a first distance threshold and a second distance threshold (such as 2 meters to 0.5 meter), and the precise position of the intelligent nursing device is comprehensively determined by utilizing a positioning mode combining optical recognition and odometer detection, so that the intelligent nursing device is guided and controlled to move close (such as within 2 meters) to approach the optical marker of the facility and a corresponding living facility.

In the second stage, the distance between the intelligent nursing device and the facility optical marker is further reduced to a second distance threshold (e.g. 0.5 m), and at this time, the intelligent nursing device can be controlled to move within a micro distance (e.g. within 0.5 m) to realize local accurate alignment and accurate docking with the living facility (e.g. bed, seat, toilet, etc.) corresponding to the facility optical marker.

In one embodiment, optionally, a docking structure may be provided at a side portion of the smart care device to ensure that the smart care device is docked and locked to the living facility, so as to avoid safety risk caused by relative movement between the smart care device and the living facility.

In one embodiment, optionally, the docking structure comprises a macro guiding mechanism, which is cooperable with a matching macro guiding mechanism provided to the living facility, to approach the smart care device comprising the docking structure (and the macro guiding mechanism thereof) towards the living facility (and the matching macro guiding mechanism provided thereon) by guiding force within a macro range to facilitate accurate docking of the two.

In one embodiment, optionally, the macro guide mechanism may comprise a magnetic guide element.

In one embodiment, optionally, the macro guide mechanism may include a positioning sensor.

By adopting the scheme of combining the optical identification technology (identifying the optical marker for positioning the device) with the detection and recording of the rotating mileage of the driving wheel (used for distance calculation and device positioning), the position of the intelligent nursing device can be accurately determined, and the movement of the intelligent nursing device can be guided according to the position.

It should be understood that the global navigation mode can be used for the case that the intelligent nursing device is far away from the optical marker, and can also be used for the case that the intelligent nursing device is close to the optical marker, as long as the optical sensor can identify the optical marker. Thus, the smart care device may be directed to move along a predetermined movement path to approach the target location and destination.

In one embodiment, optionally, a particular optical marker (e.g., a facility optical marker) may be disposed on (e.g., affixed to or painted on) the living facility.

In one embodiment, secondary optical markers (i.e., optical markers not disposed on living facilities requiring docking) may optionally be disposed on (e.g., affixed to or painted on) environmental structures (e.g., door frames, window frames, floors, walls, etc.).

In determining the position of the smart care device, there is a cumulative error in the position values obtained by periodically detecting the recorded driving wheel rotation distance by the odometer (e.g., a total error accumulated by detecting the recorded driving wheel rotation distance a plurality of times), on the one hand, and a systematic error in the position values obtained by optically recognizing the optical markers (e.g., a detection error due to a hardware limitation of the optical sensor), on the other hand. Therefore, in order to position the device more accurately, the odometer periodic detection technology and the optical recognition technology can be combined, and the position values from the two aspects are comprehensively considered, so that the more accurate and smooth positioning of the intelligent nursing device is realized.

EXAMPLE 1 Manual control

In any state, the rocker is pushed, and the intelligent nursing device enters a manual control mode. After entering the manual control mode, the intelligent nursing device is initialized, the steering engine rotates the two driving wheels to 0 degree (relative to the front and back directions of the intelligent nursing device) and the steering angle is locked by locking the steering engine. At this time, the user can perform a basic operation or a high-level operation according to the required operation level.

Basic operation: the user can control the intelligent nursing device to move forward, move backward, turn left and turn right by pushing the rocker. After the rocker is loosened, the intelligent nursing device stops and brakes, and the turning is realized through differential motion of the two wheel motors. The maximum speed at which the intelligent care device is moved is limited to, for example, 3km/h (somewhat slower than the walking speed of an average healthy person). The user can adjust the seat height, for example, by a lift button mounted on the smart care device body. The user can switch to the automatic control mode (described in detail in embodiment 2), for example, by a docking button mounted on the smart care device body or a shuttle button on the remote controller.

High-level operation: besides all basic operations, the user can further open the expansion operation panel to perform advanced operations: the maximum moving speed can be adjusted by the speed adjusting button (for example, the maximum moving speed is not more than 8km/h), the left-right transverse translation is controlled by the translation button (for example, during translation, the intelligent nursing device stops moving firstly, the wheel motor brakes, the steering engine is locked and unlocked, and the steering engine rotates the two driving wheels to a steering angle of 90 degrees (relative to the front-back direction of the intelligent nursing device), at the moment, the two wheel motors can rotate in the same direction, the intelligent nursing device can translate leftwards or rightwards, a user can reinitialize the intelligent nursing device by pushing a rocker and restore the previous moving mode), the in-situ rotation can be controlled by the in-situ rotation button (for example, when in-situ rotation is performed, the intelligent nursing device stops moving firstly, the wheel motor brakes, the steering engine is locked and the steering engine rotates the two driving wheels to a steering angle of 45 degrees (relative to the, the intelligent nursing device rotates left or right in place; the user may cause the smart care device to reinitialize, e.g., by pushing a rocker, restoring the previous movement pattern), may control the motorized raising and lowering of the left and right armrests, e.g., via an armrest button, may control the opening and folding of a foot pedal, e.g., via a foot pedal button, and may adjust the seat back angle, e.g., via a back button. The user can switch to the automatic control mode (described in detail in embodiment 2), for example, by a docking button mounted on the body of the smart care apparatus or a shuttle button on the remote controller or a destination button on the remote controller.

Example 2 automatic control

In the automatic control mode, the user only needs to select a destination or select automatic docking, and the intelligent nursing device automatically moves to a target place (a target living facility or other destinations) through automatic navigation and carries out accurate docking.

In one embodiment, each sensor mounting location may optionally be as shown, for example, in FIG. 2. The optical sensor 2 is installed in the front side of the intelligent nursing device 1, and in order to prevent the leg of the user from being shielded, the optical sensors can be installed at the left and right positions of the front side respectively to increase the detection angle range.

In one embodiment, the optical marker may alternatively be comprised of a black portion 41, a reflective material portion 42, a coding pattern 43, as shown in FIG. 3. The coding pattern can be used to distinguish between different optical markers, for example, between multiple markers and a marker at a particular location. The coding pattern may for example be made of a light-reflecting material.

In one embodiment, optionally, the interface of the black portion 41 and the reflective material portion 42 forms a square, i.e., the feature pattern, whose size is known, and the relative position of the smart care apparatus and the optical marker can be calculated from the actual size of the optical marker and the size of the feature pattern detected by the optical sensor.

In one embodiment, optionally, the ultrasonic sensors 3 are installed around the body of the intelligent nursing device 1, for example, one ultrasonic sensor is installed on each of the left and right sides, one ultrasonic sensor is installed on the middle of the back side, and 7 ultrasonic sensors are installed in total for detecting the situation of surrounding obstacles. At the moment, the user can perform basic operation or advanced operation according to the required operation level.

Basic operation:

when the user presses the back-and-forth button, the intelligent nursing device can perform integrated navigation (for example, as shown in fig. 4), and the specific steps are described as follows:

s1, the smart care device 1 may rotate in place (e.g., 360 °) looking for optical markers within a first distance threshold (e.g., 2 meters) (e.g., may return to manual mode if not found).

S2, if the optical marker 4 is found (for example, as shown in fig. 3), the identification Information (ID) of the optical marker can be determined according to the coding pattern (coding information) of the optical marker, and if the optical marker is a facility optical marker installed on a living facility, local precise alignment (short-distance navigation and micro-distance guidance) can be performed to guide the intelligent nursing device to approach and interface with the living facility (for example, a toilet).

S3, if the identified optical marker is an auxiliary optical marker not set on the living facility (e.g. can be attached to the door frame or its vicinity), performing global navigation to control the smart care device to approach the target position corresponding to the auxiliary optical marker, i.e. to approach the corresponding target position in the predetermined movement route (or trajectory, which may, for example, pass through a plurality of target positions). Wherein, the predetermined movement route (such as the track 7 shown in fig. 4) can be recorded and set by manual control in advance by the user, and the global navigation can be performed along the track.

S4, upon reaching trajectory 7, the smart care device is guided to move along trajectory 7 (where multiple target locations on trajectory 7 may be passed in turn) until a final target location on trajectory 7 (e.g., a target location of a start point or an end point on trajectory) that may be close to a destination, such as a toilet or a door, guided by trajectory 7.

S5, after moving to the final target position on the trajectory, the distance between the intelligent nursing device and the facility optical marker (e.g. disposed on the toilet bowl) is less than or equal to a first distance threshold (e.g. 2 meters), at which time the intelligent nursing device can perform local precise alignment (short-distance navigation and micro-distance guidance), so as to guide the intelligent nursing device to approach and interface with the living facility (e.g. toilet bowl).

The auxiliary optical marker can be used for timely correcting errors in the process of traveling, and ensuring that the intelligent nursing device can travel along a preset movement route, for example, the intelligent nursing device can smoothly pass through a narrow area (such as a doorway).

After the user presses, for example, a docking button, the smart care device may perform local precise alignment (short-distance navigation and macro guidance, for example, as shown in fig. 5), which includes the following specific steps:

d1, the smart care device 1 may rotate in place (e.g., 360 °) looking for facility optical markers within a first distance threshold (e.g., 2 meters) (e.g., may return to manual mode if not found).

D2, if the facility optical marker 4 is found, the first stage of precise alignment (i.e. close-up guidance) is performed: the relative positions of the intelligent nursing device 1 and the facility optical marker 4 are determined by using a mode of combining the odometer for detecting the rotating mileage of the driving wheel and the optical identification optical marker, and the intelligent nursing device 1 is controlled to approach the facility optical marker 4.

D3, when the distance between the smart care device 1 and the facility optical marker 4 is within a second distance threshold (e.g. 0.5 m), then a second stage of precise alignment (i.e. macro guidance) may be entered: the smart care device 1 is laterally translated with the side aligned with the facility optical marker 4, proximate or even docked toward the facility optical marker 4 to enable safe transfer of passengers between the smart care device 1 and the living facility 6 (e.g., toilet).

D4. in one embodiment, optionally, after the smart care device is proximate to the facility optical marker, the smart care device can adjust the seat height to coincide with the living facility height to facilitate the user's transition from the smart care device to the living facility. In one embodiment, optionally, the armrest of the corresponding side may be lowered or folded to avoid obstructing the user's transfer.

High-level operation: advanced operation in the automatic control mode allows the user to select more destinations, the navigation/guidance procedure is similar to the basic operation, but the smart care device may no longer move to the nearest destination (e.g., toilet or doorway) but move to a target location corresponding to an optical marker of a particular ID (e.g., an auxiliary optical marker). In one embodiment, optionally, at any time in the automatic control mode, the user may switch to the manual control mode by pushing the rocker.

Embodiment 3 autonomous obstacle avoidance

In the automatic control mode, for example, during any one moving process, the intelligent nursing device can perform autonomous obstacle avoidance according to the situation of surrounding obstacles, and the autonomous obstacle avoidance process is described as follows (for example, as shown in fig. 6):

b1, when the two ultrasonic sensors at the front side detect that there is an obstacle in the front predetermined distance (the threshold value of the predetermined distance can be set, for example, to 30cm), the intelligent nursing device can stop traveling and enter the autonomous obstacle avoidance procedure, and at this time, the intelligent nursing device can be located at the position 61, for example.

B2, the smart care device attempts to translate laterally left and right (e.g., to the left), while the front ultrasonic sensor detects the front, and stops translating laterally when it is found to be possible to proceed (e.g., there is no obstacle directly in front to prevent proceeding), at which point the smart care device may be located, for example, at location 62.

B3, the intelligent nursing device advances, the ultrasonic sensor on the right side detects whether the obstacle is exceeded, and the intelligent nursing device can stop advancing after the obstacle is exceeded (for example, the whole intelligent nursing device is located in front of the obstacle), and the intelligent nursing device is located at the position 63.

B4, the intelligent nursing device transversely translates (for example, moves to the right) in the opposite direction, and returns to the original route, and the intelligent nursing device is located at the position 64 to successfully avoid the obstacle (bypass the obstacle).

In one embodiment, optionally, when none of the above steps B1-B4 attempts for a predetermined number of times (e.g., 2 times) to bypass the obstacle, the mode may be switched to a manual control mode, and a user performs a manual obstacle avoidance operation.

The manual control mode allows a user to autonomously operate the movement and the action of the executing mechanism of the intelligent nursing device, has strong flexibility and strong scene adaptability, but has higher requirement on the operation control capability; and the automatic control mode controls the intelligent nursing device to automatically move, automatically avoid the obstacle and approach the butt joint living facility through an automatic navigation algorithm and an automatic obstacle avoidance algorithm, and a user only needs to select a target place, so that the operation is simple and convenient.

EXAMPLE 4 track recording

Before the automatic control mode is used for the first time, the driving track (or called movement route) of the automatic navigation needs to be set first. The smart-care device is manually controlled by the user to move between the target locations (e.g., from a bed to a sitting room sofa, or from a sitting room sofa to a toilet). During the movement, the system records the driving distance of the wheel motor (or the rotating distance of the driving wheel) through the odometer and fits the driving distance into a driving track, and in addition, the relative positions of the driving track and the auxiliary optical marker can be positioned or related to each other according to the optical positioning information. Eventually forming a smooth travel path (e.g., path 7 shown in fig. 4).

In one embodiment, optionally, a plurality of different movement routes may be set as desired. For example, different movement routes from the bed to the toilet bowl, from the bed to the couch may be set.

In one embodiment, optionally, the different movement paths may at least partially coincide. In this way, secondary optical markers distributed along the movement path can be suitably shared to save space and resources.

In one embodiment, optionally, the smart care device (or smart mobile device) comprises:

a chassis;

two drive wheel assemblies respectively mounted to the chassis, each drive wheel assembly comprising: the steering mechanism comprises a driving wheel, a driving wheel steering mechanism and a driving steering limiting mechanism, wherein the driving wheel steering mechanism is connected with and drives the driving wheel to steer;

two driven wheel assemblies mounted to the chassis, respectively, each driven wheel assembly including a driven wheel;

a lifting mechanism mounted to the chassis;

a recumbent assembly mounted to the lift mechanism;

a steering controller connected to the drive wheel assembly and the lift mechanism;

wherein the drive wheel steering mechanism selectively causes the steering angle of the drive wheel to be 0 degrees, 45 degrees, or 90 degrees with respect to the front-rear direction of the chassis to achieve straight, turning, or traversing.

Thus, the four-wheel omnidirectional moving chassis structure can be formed by the two driving wheels and the two driven wheels which are arranged on the chassis. The user may be in position (e.g., seated or lying down) on the recumbent assembly and may manipulate the actions of the smart mobile device (e.g., may be manipulated by the user or assisted by a caregiver) through the manipulation controller to achieve various motions, such as advancing, backing, traversing, turning, and even pivoting 360 degrees (which may also be considered pivoting). The steering of the two driving wheels is respectively controlled by the two driving wheel steering mechanisms, and the steering angle of the corresponding driving wheel can be accurately limited by the driving steering limiting mechanism, so that the driving wheels can flexibly steer and can be accurately oriented. The steering of the two driving wheels only needs to be operated by two steering motors (the traversing, turning and other actions of the intelligent mobile device or the chassis can be realized without adopting a complex mode that four motors are used for operating four driving wheels at the same time as in the prior art, for example, the traversing, turning and other actions can be realized by simultaneously adjusting the postures (for example, the angles relative to the advancing direction of the mobile device) of the four driving wheels in the prior art). In particular, the smart mobile device can conveniently implement a traverse or pivot (or pivot turn) through such a simple structure and operation, which is particularly advantageous for flexible movement in a narrow space, such as a toilet. The driving steering limiting mechanism plays an auxiliary role in driving the steering mechanism, the driving wheel left-right swinging caused by the size gap of a reduction gearbox of a motor (such as a steering engine) can be avoided in the traveling process, and the intelligent mobile device which needs to be accurately positioned and navigated can be more easily accurately controlled.

For example, when the angle between the driving wheel and the front-back direction of the smart mobile device is 0 degree, the smart mobile device can move forward and backward and also can turn a corner. For example, when the angle between the driving wheels and the front-rear direction is 0 degree, turning can be achieved by adjusting the rotation speed and the rotation direction of the left and right driving wheels. For example, both drive wheels may rotate forward, the left drive wheel rotational speed is faster than the right drive wheel rotational speed, and the smart mobile device may effect a right turn. This simplifies the control process when the turning motion is implemented. The turning radius of the intelligent mobile device during turning can be determined by the relative speed of the two driving wheels.

For example, when the driving wheel is at an angle of 90 degrees to the front-rear direction, it can move laterally.

For example, when the angle of the drive wheel to the front-rear direction is 45 degrees, pivot rotation (or pivot turning) is possible.

It should be noted here that the steering angle of the driving wheel is selectively made 0 degrees, 45 degrees, or 90 degrees with respect to the front-rear direction of the chassis (or the front-rear direction of the smart mobile device), which is a limitation of openness here. That is, the driving wheel steering angle is not limited to only 0 degrees, 45 degrees, or 90 degrees, but may be other suitable angles such as 30 degrees, 60 degrees, or the like, as needed.

Therefore, through the utility model discloses an intelligent movement device that embodiment provided can realize the nimble motion in narrow and small space easily, especially sideslip and turn (including the pivot turn), can realize arbitrary radial turn motion, can realize 360 degrees rotations in the pivot even.

In order to better complete the flexible movement (such as straight movement, transverse movement, turning and other actions) of the intelligent mobile device in a narrow space through only two driving wheels (respectively using a steering motor to realize steering), the ground friction force of the two driving wheels is sufficiently greater than that of the two driven wheels, so that the driving wheels are mainly used for guiding the movement in the movement process of the intelligent mobile device, and the influence and the interference of the ground friction force of the driven wheels are reduced to the greatest extent (for example, if the ground friction force of the driven wheels is too large, the intelligent mobile device may deviate from a preset movement route in the transverse movement process and even cause transverse movement failure, or may deviate from a rotation center and even jump in the in-situ rotation process to cause overturning risks), so as to smoothly complete the required actions.

In one embodiment, the smart care device may alternatively be, for example, a powered wheelchair, a powered care bed, a powered surgical table, and the like.

Preferably, in any embodiment, the drive wheel steering mechanism includes: the steering mechanism comprises a steering motor, a front driving wheel fork which is connected to the output end of the steering motor and is provided with the driving wheel, and a limit stop block, wherein the limit stop block is matched with the driving steering limiting mechanism to limit the steering angle of the driving wheel.

Preferably, in any embodiment, the steering motor comprises a steering engine. In this way, the steering angle of the driving wheel can be adjusted more accurately by using information detected by a sensor (preferably a magnetic sensor, such as a hall magnetic encoder) on the steering engine.

In one embodiment, optionally, the output of the steering motor is coupled to the drive wheel front fork by a coupling structure.

In one embodiment, optionally, the coupling structure to which the steering motor is coupled comprises a shaft coupling. In this case, the output end of the steering motor is coupled to the drive wheel front fork through a coupling.

In one embodiment, optionally, the coupling structure to which the steering motor is coupled comprises a bearing sleeve, the bearing sleeve housing a bearing. The rotating shaft penetrates through a bearing in the bearing sleeve, and two ends of the rotating shaft are respectively connected with the coupler and the front fork of the driving wheel. Therefore, through the related structure of the bearing, the transmission can be smoother, and unnecessary movement friction and blocking risks are reduced.

In one embodiment, the limit stop is optionally provided to (e.g., fixed to, or removably mounted to, or integrally formed with) the drive wheel front fork.

In one embodiment, the drive wheel is optionally fitted with an electromagnetic brake.

In one embodiment, the drive wheel is optionally fixedly mounted to the drive wheel front fork. In this way, the drive wheels can be steered in synchronism with the front fork of the drive wheels.

Preferably, in any embodiment, the drive steering limiting mechanism includes: the limiting motor (or the locking motor), the chuck rotating shaft connected to the output end of the limiting motor and the limiting chuck arranged on the chuck rotating shaft are matched with the driving wheel steering mechanism to limit the steering angle of the driving wheel. Thus, the steering motor controls the steering of the drive wheels by rotating the drive wheel front fork. The limit stop may cooperate with the drive steering limit mechanism to limit the steering angle of the drive wheel to help maintain the drive wheel in a desired angular orientation.

Preferably, in any embodiment, the limit motor comprises a limit steering engine. In this way, the steering angle of the driving wheel can be adjusted more accurately by using information detected by a sensor (preferably a magnetic sensor, such as a hall magnetic encoder) on the steering engine.

In one embodiment, optionally, the output of the limit motor is coupled to the chuck spindle, in turn, by a flange and coupling. When limiting is carried out, a limiting motor (such as a steering engine) drives a chuck rotating shaft to rotate through a flange and a coupler, the chuck rotating shaft drives a limiting chuck to do circular motion and contact and clamp on a corresponding limiting structure (such as a limiting stop block) of a driving wheel steering mechanism when the chuck rotating shaft rotates to a certain position, and therefore the effect of limiting excessive steering of a driving wheel is achieved.

In one embodiment, optionally, a clamping groove (for example, a U-shaped clamping groove) is provided on the limiting chuck, the clamping groove is adapted to a corresponding limiting structure (for example, a limiting stopper) of the driving wheel steering mechanism in shape, and when the limiting chuck rotates to a certain position, the clamping groove can be clamped on the corresponding limiting structure (for example, the limiting stopper) of the driving wheel steering mechanism, so as to achieve an effect of limiting the over-steering of the driving wheel.

In one embodiment, the limit stop is optionally provided with a rib, the rib is matched with a groove on a corresponding limit structure (such as a limit stop) of the driving wheel steering mechanism in shape, and when the limit stop rotates to a certain position, the rib can be inserted and clamped in the groove of the corresponding limit structure (such as the limit stop) of the driving wheel steering mechanism, so that the effect of limiting the over-steering of the driving wheel is achieved.

In one embodiment, the chuck spindle is optionally rotatably coupled to the bearing support via a bearing. For example, the chuck spindle passes through an inner bore of a bearing mounted on the bearing support so as to be rotatable relative to the bearing support. Therefore, through the related structure of the bearing, the transmission can be smoother, and unnecessary movement friction and blocking risks are reduced.

In one embodiment, optionally, the driving wheel steering limiting mechanism comprises: when the steering motor rotates to a certain angle, the electromagnetic holding device holds the output shaft of the steering motor tightly by using friction force, so that the steering motor is locked and cannot rotate continuously, the steering angle of the driving wheel is fixed, and the orientation of the driving wheel at any steering angle can be realized actually. When the electromagnetic enclasping device is powered off, the output shaft of the steering motor can restore to rotate freely. It will be appreciated that in this case the drive wheel steering mechanism may not necessarily be provided with the limit stops described above.

In one embodiment, optionally, the drive steering limiting mechanism comprises: the micro-motor, connect or install the first opening to the chassis, and connect or install the second buckle to the front fork of drive wheel. When the front fork of the driving wheel is driven by the steering mechanism of the driving wheel to rotate to a certain angle, the micro motor rotates forwards to drive the first buckle to move to be jointed with the second buckle to form rigid connection, so that the front fork of the driving wheel (and the driving wheel) is forbidden from further rotating, and the steering angle of the driving wheel is fixed; when the micro motor rotates reversely, the first buckle can be driven to move reversely to be separated from the second buckle, so that the front fork (and the driving wheel) of the driving wheel is allowed to rotate. It will be appreciated that in this case the drive wheel steering mechanism may not necessarily be provided with the limit stops described above.

Preferably, in any embodiment, the driving steering limiting mechanism may include: a positioning body connected or mounted to a front fork of a driving wheel on which the driving wheel is mounted to rotate with the driving wheel, and provided with a plurality of positioning holes corresponding to steering angles of the driving wheel, respectively; a positioning rod attached to a chassis and insertable into the positioning hole to prohibit further steering of the drive wheel front fork and the drive wheel. In this way, when positioning is required, the positioning rod can be aligned and inserted into a suitable positioning hole to prohibit the front fork (and the driving wheel) of the driving wheel from further rotating, thereby realizing locking of the steering angle of the driving wheel; when it is desired to steer the drive wheel, the detent lever can be disengaged from the detent hole, thereby allowing rotation of the drive wheel front fork (and thus the drive wheel).

In one embodiment, optionally, the drive steering limiting mechanism comprises: a positioning body coupled or mounted to the driving wheel front fork to be rotatable therewith and provided with a plurality of positioning holes, each of which corresponds to a specific driving wheel steering angle (e.g., 0 degrees, 45 degrees, and 90 degrees with respect to a front-rear direction of the smart mobile device); a positioning rod connected to the chassis. When the front fork of the driving wheel is driven by the steering mechanism of the driving wheel to rotate to a certain angle, the specific positioning hole of the positioning body corresponding to the angle is aligned with the positioning rod; the positioning rod is inserted into the specific positioning hole in a moving way to prohibit the front fork (and the driving wheel) of the driving wheel from further rotating, so that the steering angle of the driving wheel is fixed; when rotation of the drive wheel is required, the positioning rod moves out of the positioning hole, thereby allowing rotation of the front fork (and thus the drive wheel) of the drive wheel. It will be appreciated that in this case the drive wheel steering mechanism may not necessarily be provided with the limit stops described above.

In one embodiment, the positioning rod is optionally movable up and down to insert into or disengage from the positioning hole.

In one embodiment, optionally, the drive steering limit mechanism includes a guide rail, and the positioning rod is a sliding rod that can slide along the guide rail to be inserted into or disengaged from the positioning hole.

In one embodiment, optionally, the drive steering limiting mechanism comprises: an electromagnet, and a return spring connected to the positioning rod or the slide rod. When the electromagnet is powered on, the electromagnet generates magnetic force to attract the return spring to compress so as to drive the sliding rod to move along the guide rail in a first direction (for example, upward), and when the electromagnet is powered off, the return spring stretches and returns so as to drive the sliding rod to move along the guide rail in a second opposite direction (for example, downward). In this way, under the action of the electromagnet and the return spring, the positioning rod or the slide rod can move along the guide rail in the first direction and the second direction opposite to each other to be inserted into or disengaged from the positioning hole to prohibit or allow the drive wheel front fork (and the drive wheel) to further rotate, so that the fixing of the steering angle of the drive wheel can be selectively achieved through the telescopic movement of the positioning rod or the slide rod.

For example, when the electromagnet is powered off, the reset spring can push the sliding rod to move downwards along the guide rail and insert the sliding rod into the positioning hole in the positioning body, and the front fork of the driving wheel is forbidden to rotate further, so that the steering angle of the driving wheel is fixed; when the driving wheel needs to turn again, the electromagnet can be electrified to generate magnetic force to attract the return spring to compress so as to drive the sliding rod to move upwards along the guide rail, and the front fork of the driving wheel is allowed to further rotate, so that the steering angle of the driving wheel is released.

In one embodiment, optionally, the positioning body comprises a positioning plate.

In one embodiment, the positioning body may optionally be a cylinder (e.g., a hollow sleeve).

In one embodiment, the cylindrical body is optionally provided with a plurality of positioning holes.

In one embodiment, optionally, the extending axes of the plurality of positioning holes on the cylinder are all parallel to the central axis of the cylinder.

In one embodiment, optionally, a plurality of positioning holes on the cylindrical body extend radially from the central axis of the cylindrical body to the outer surface of the cylindrical body.

In one embodiment, optionally, the plurality of positioning holes on the cylindrical body extend radially from a central axis of the cylindrical body to an outer surface of the cylindrical body and are axially spaced apart from each other along the cylindrical body.

In one embodiment, optionally, the plurality of positioning holes on the cylindrical body extend radially from the central axis of the cylindrical body to the outer surface of the cylindrical body and are separated from each other by the same angle.

In one embodiment, optionally, the plurality of positioning holes on the cylindrical body extend radially from the central axis of the cylindrical body to the outer surface of the cylindrical body and are separated from each other by the same angle in the same circular cross-section (i.e., coplanar with each other and extending radially and evenly separated by the same angle).

In one embodiment, optionally, the two drive wheel assemblies are disposed on a front side of the chassis. Therefore, the steering motor (such as a steering engine) and the driving wheel connected with the steering motor are arranged on the front side of the chassis, so that the obstacle crossing capability of the intelligent mobile device can be enhanced, and the outdoor activity capability of the intelligent mobile device can be enhanced.

In one embodiment, optionally, the two drive wheel assemblies are disposed on a rear side of the chassis. Therefore, the steering motor (such as a steering engine) and the driving wheel connected with the steering motor are arranged on the rear side of the chassis, so that the flexibility of self control of a user during the turning action can be improved or the motion stability of the intelligent mobile device can be enhanced.

Preferably, in any embodiment, the two drive wheel assemblies are disposed on the front or rear side of the chassis and are arranged side by side left to right such that the axes of rotation of the two drive wheels are collinear. This may make the operation of the smart mobile device (or its chassis) simpler. When a user wants to control the intelligent mobile device to move, the corresponding steering motor is not started, and the turning motion can be realized only by the differential rotation of the left driving wheel and the right driving wheel, namely, the turning can be realized only by adjusting the rotating speed and the rotating direction of the left driving wheel and the right driving wheel. For example, both drive wheels may rotate forward, with the left drive wheel rotating faster than the right drive wheel, a right turn may be achieved, which simplifies the control process when achieving a turning motion.

Preferably, in any embodiment, the steering angle of the driving wheel ranges from 0 to 360 degrees.

In one embodiment, optionally, the two drive wheel assemblies are mounted at diagonal positions of the rectangular chassis. Thus, the front and rear driving force of the chassis can be uniformly distributed during the movement.

In one embodiment, the center of gravity of the smart mobile device is optionally closer to the side where the driving wheels are installed in the front-rear direction because, in the case where both driving wheels are installed on the front side or the rear side, the two driving wheels are on the same side of the traveling direction when moving laterally, and the center of gravity is set to avoid the deviation of the traveling direction due to the uneven distribution of power on both sides as much as possible.

To ensure that the smart mobile device is locked in place when needed (e.g., when an occupant is transitioning between the smart mobile device and a living facility) to avoid safety risks, a braking device (e.g., an electromagnetic brake) may be mounted on the drive wheels. However, although the brake device may lock the driving wheel to prevent it from rotating, if the smart mobile device is on a smooth ground or on an inclined ground, even if the driving wheel has been locked by the brake device to prevent it from rotating, the smart mobile device may slip to cause a safety risk, especially when the weight of the smart mobile device (e.g., a wheelchair) carrying the user is light. Thus, to further ensure that the smart mobile device is locked in place when desired, certain docking structures may also be provided to avoid relative movement between the smart mobile device and the living facility.

Preferably, in any embodiment, the side of the chassis is provided with: and the docking structure is used for docking and locking the intelligent mobile device and the living facility side by side. In this way, the smart mobile device can be firmly docked and locked with a living facility (such as a toilet) provided with a matching docking structure by using the docking structure, so that the injury risk of a passenger caused by relative movement of the smart mobile device and the living facility when the passenger transfers between the smart mobile device and the living facility is avoided.

In one embodiment, optionally, docking structures (e.g., mounted to or extending from the chassis) are provided on the sides of the chassis and are operable to releasably engage and lock to living equipment (e.g., mating docking structures provided on the living equipment) when the smart mobile device is docked side-by-side with the living equipment (e.g., a toilet), thereby securely docking and locking (e.g., rigidly connecting) the smart mobile device to the living equipment to avoid injury risk to the rider due to relative movement of the smart mobile device and the living equipment when the rider is transferred between the smart mobile device and the living equipment.

In one embodiment, optionally, the docking structure comprises a mechanical guide mechanism, which is cooperable with a matching mechanical guide mechanism provided to the living facility, to approach said smart mobile device comprising the docking structure (and its mechanical guide mechanism) towards the living facility (and its matching mechanical guide mechanism provided thereon) by a guiding force within a close predetermined range to facilitate accurate docking of the two.

In one embodiment, optionally, the mechanical guide mechanism comprises a magnetic guide element. In this way, the approach of the smart mobile device including the docking structure (and its mechanical guide mechanism) towards the living facility (and its mating mechanical guide mechanism provided thereon) is guided by magnetic attraction to facilitate accurate docking of the two.

In one embodiment, optionally, the mechanical guiding mechanism comprises an electromagnetic guiding element.

In one embodiment, optionally, the docking structure comprises a positioning guide mechanism, such as a positioning sensor. In this way, the positioning sensor can cooperate with a matching positioning sensor arranged on the living facility in a wireless communication mode, and the docking orientation postures of the intelligent mobile device comprising the docking structure (and the positioning guide mechanism thereof) and the living facility (and the matching positioning guide mechanism arranged thereon) are adjusted in a longer distance range, so that the intelligent mobile device and the living facility can be conveniently and accurately docked.

In one embodiment, optionally, the remote adjustment of the positioning guide mechanism (e.g. positioning sensor) and the close guiding of the mechanical guide mechanism cooperate to further reduce the docking error between the smart mobile device including the docking structure (and its mechanical guide mechanism and positioning guide mechanism) and the corresponding living facility (and its matching mechanical guide mechanism and matching positioning guide mechanism disposed thereon), thereby allowing better proximity and accurate docking of the two.

In one embodiment, optionally, the docking structure comprises a data transmission device. Thus, after the intelligent mobile device comprising the docking structure (and the data transmission device thereof) is docked with the corresponding living facility (and the matching data transmission device arranged thereon), a data transmission channel can be formed between the intelligent mobile device and the corresponding living facility, so that data transmission interaction (such as parameter transceiving and instruction transceiving) can be carried out.

In one embodiment, optionally, the docking structure comprises a mechanical locking mechanism. Therefore, after the intelligent mobile device comprising the docking structure is docked with the corresponding living facility, the intelligent mobile device and the corresponding living facility can be locked and connected through the mechanical locking mechanism, so that the intelligent mobile device and the corresponding living facility are ensured not to move relatively.

In one embodiment, the mechanical locking mechanism is optionally electrically powered. In this way, locking and unlocking can be achieved electrically.

In one embodiment, optionally, the mechanical locking mechanism is manual. Thus, the locking and unlocking can be realized in a manual operation mode.

In the illustrated embodiment, a smart care system is seen, comprising:

intelligent care device 1, it includes: a chassis; a drive wheel and a driven wheel mounted to the chassis;

a plurality of optical markers 4;

an execution module 700, comprising: a wheel motor connected to and driving the driving wheel to rotate; a steering motor connected to and driving the driving wheel to steer; a lock motor that locks a steering angle of the drive wheel;

a sensing module 800 disposed on the smart care device and comprising: an optical sensor (or vision sensor) 2 for identifying the optical marker; an odometer for detecting a rotational mileage of the driving wheel; a plurality of ultrasonic sensors 3 for detecting surrounding obstacles of the smart care device;

a control hub (of which core controller 100 is shown in FIG. 1) coupled to the sensing module and to the execution module;

a human-machine interaction module 900 connected to the control hub and including at least one of a joystick, a key, and a remote controller.

In the embodiment of fig. 2a 7 ultrasound sensors 3 arranged on each side of the smart care apparatus 1 are shown, and in the embodiment of fig. 2b two optical sensors 2 arranged side by side separately on the front side are shown.

The embodiment of fig. 3a shows that the optical marker may comprise: a black part 41, a white frame-shaped light-reflecting material part 42 arranged on the black part 41, and a coding pattern 43 (shown as 3 white dots in fig. 3 a) arranged in the central area of the black part 41 and located within the white frame-shaped light-reflecting material part 42. A square is formed at the intersection of the black portion 41 and the white reflective material portion 42, which can be used as the characteristic pattern for determining the relative position of the smart care device and the optical marker.

An example of another optical marker is shown in the embodiment of fig. 3b, which differs from that shown in fig. 3a in that the coding pattern is shown in the embodiment of fig. 3b with only one white dot.

The embodiment of fig. 4 shows the smart care device 1 moving along a predetermined movement path (trajectory 7) to effect the transfer of passengers between the bed 5 and the toilet 6. Wherein a plurality of optical markers 4 are arranged along the trajectory 7 for guiding the movement of the smart care device 1.

The embodiment of fig. 5 shows that the smart care device 1 is positioned by means of optical markers 4 provided on the toilet bowl 6, and is thereby guided towards the toilet bowl 6 for approaching and docking.

The embodiment of fig. 6 shows the obstacle crossing movement of the smart care device past the

positions

61, 62, 63, 64 in sequence around the obstacle 666.

The man-machine interaction of the intelligent nursing device adopts user hierarchical control, and is divided into basic operation and advanced operation according to the disability level of a user, and the manual control mode and the automatic control mode both have corresponding basic operation and advanced operation. The basic operation learning is simple, the number of keys is small, the learning difficulty of a user is reduced, the use is convenient, the corresponding controllable authority is small, and the method is suitable for the old and the disabled with high disability level; the high-level operation has strong flexibility, can control more authorities, has complex corresponding operation, needs a user to have certain learning and memory capacity, and is suitable for the old and the disabled with low disability level. The basic operation and the advanced operation share one set of switchable man-machine interaction panel, and a user can select the basic operation and the advanced operation according to the requirement of the user.

Under the basic operation authority, a user can only operate a rocker, a butt joint key, a lifting key and a reciprocating key on a remote controller. In the manual control mode, a user controls the movement of the intelligent nursing device through a rocker, wherein the movement comprises basic movement actions such as forward movement, backward movement, left turning, right turning and the like; the butt joint button sets up on intelligent nursing device body, when intelligent nursing device removed near living facilities such as bed, closestool, presses the butt joint button, and intelligent nursing device will look for the marker of pasting on facilities such as bed, closestool automatically to the marker is pressed close to automatically, then with the high automatic adjustment of seat to suitable height, and drop and correspond the side handrail, convenience of customers shifts. In the automatic control mode, a user automatically moves to and fro two preset destinations through a back-and-forth key on the remote controller, and the user does not need to perform other operations in the whole moving and transferring process.

Under the high-level operation authority, the user has a more flexible control mode. In the manual control mode, besides basic operation, a user can control the lifting of the left handrail and the right handrail through left handrail and right handrail buttons arranged on the intelligent nursing device; the opening and the folding of the pedal are controlled by a pedal button; the angle of the backrest is adjusted through a backrest button; the intelligent nursing device is controlled to move left and right transversely through the translation button; the maximum moving speed of the intelligent nursing device is adjusted through the speed regulating button. In the automatic control mode, a user can select preset destinations through destination keys on a remote controller, and the user can set at least two destinations and at most 6 destinations.

Through the embodiment of the utility model provides an intelligent nursing system and control method thereof can provide simple and easy and safe and reliable's transfer between each living facility.

It should be understood that the orientations described herein, such as front, back, left, right, upper, lower, inner, outer, etc., are relative positional expressions used for describing relative positional relationships between the respective related components or portions, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

In the description of the various elements herein, the juxtaposition of the plural features connected by "and/or" means that one or more (or one or more) of these plural features are included. For example, by "a first element and/or a second element" is meant: one or more of the first and second elements, i.e., only the first element, or only the second element, or both the first and second elements (both present).

The various embodiments provided in the present disclosure can be combined with each other as needed, for example, the features of any two, three or more embodiments can be combined with each other to form a new embodiment of the present disclosure, which is also within the scope of the present disclosure, unless otherwise stated or technically contradicted by context, and thus cannot be implemented.

The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and should not be taken as limiting the invention, and any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An intelligent care system, comprising:

a plurality of optical markers;

a control hub coupled to the sensing module and to the execution module;

2. The smart care system of claim 1,

3. The smart care system of claim 1,

4. The smart care system of claim 1,

the optical marker includes a pattern of features.

5. The smart care system of claim 1,