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The present invention relates to a robot for collecting balls.
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In particular, the present invention concerns a robot for collecting golf balls on a driving range.
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In the golf sector, especially on driving ranges where many players practice hitting balls simultaneously, it is essential to collect the balls quickly and efficiently to ensure the continuity of training activities and minimize inconvenience to users. Traditionally, this operation was performed manually or through the use of complex mechanized devices. In both cases, regardless of the laborious nature of the methods used, it was still necessary to interrupt play during the ball collection phase.
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In recent years, the development of autonomous robots for ball collection has represented a significant technological innovation, thanks to their ability to improve operational efficiency and reduce the need for manual labor.
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Furthermore, due to the compact size of some of these robots, it is also possible to carry out ball collection while the field is simultaneously being used by players.
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Known robots for collecting balls can be classified into two main categories: semi-automatic manually guided robots and fully autonomous robots.
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The first of these types, namely semi-automatic robots, require an operator for manual guidance or remote control. They are provided with a mechanical or roller-based system to collect the balls and store them in an internal container.
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Although simple in both construction and maintenance, these robots have the drawback of still requiring constant human supervision, thus limiting the system's autonomy.
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This results in substantial inefficiency in terms of operating time over the large areas typical of golf courses.
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Robots of the second type, namely fully autonomous ones, are designed to operate without human intervention, using technologies such as optical sensors, GPS (Global Positioning System), and autonomous navigation algorithms to move across the driving range.
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The main advantage of these robots lies in their ability to operate continuously without the need for direct supervision, along with their high capacity to cover large areas in a short amount of time.
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Despite the aforementioned advantageous features, known types of autonomous robots are not entirely free from drawbacks.
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Robots currently available on the market exhibit significant limitations that may compromise their ability to collect balls, especially when dealing with uneven golf course surfaces.
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Furthermore, known robots have shown excessive sensitivity to environmental conditions such as rain or mud, which can negatively affect their performance.
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Additionally, the ball storage systems have not always proven adequate for high-traffic ranges, requiring frequent emptying.
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Moreover, known types of robots are often excessively complex, both in terms of the onboard integrated devices and the number of electric motors used.
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Some examples of known types of robots are disclosed in prior patent documents
KR101127386B1 ,
US2022008793A1 ,
CN106512346A , and
CN110559623A , as well as in the non-patent literature document
XP055603952 .
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In this context, the technical task underlying the present invention is to provide a robot for collecting balls that overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art mentioned above.
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In particular, an object of the present invention is to provide a robot for collecting balls capable of operating smoothly even on uneven golf course surfaces or in low-traction conditions.
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A further object of the present invention is to provide a robot for collecting balls that allows for practical and easy retrieval of the collected balls.
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A further object of the present invention is to provide a system for collecting balls that is easy and functional to install and simple to use.
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According to the invention, these and other objects are achieved by a robot and system for collecting balls comprising the technical features described in the appended claims.
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The technical features of the invention, according to the above-mentioned objects, are clearly described in the appended claims, and its advantages will become apparent from the detailed description that follows, with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate an exemplary, non-limiting embodiment thereof, wherein:
- Figure 1 shows a schematic top perspective view of the robot for collecting balls according to the present invention;
- Figure 2 shows a schematic bottom perspective view of the robot for collecting balls of Figure 1;
- Figure 3 shows a schematic top perspective view of the robot for collecting balls of the previous figures, in a non-operating condition;
- Figures 4 and 5 show two respective schematic top perspective views of the robot for collecting balls of Figures 1 and 2, in two respective phases of discharging the collected balls;
- Figure 6 shows a schematic rear perspective view of the robot of Figures 1 and 2, with some parts removed and/or sectioned to better highlight others.
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According to what is shown in figure 1, reference number 1 indicates, as a whole, a robot for collecting balls made in accordance with the present invention.
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By way of example, in the embodiment described and illustrated, the robot 1 is configured to collect golf balls.
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The robot 1 is a self-propelled robot, meaning it can move substantially autonomously within a given golf course surface, advantageously a lawn intended for golf practice.
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The robot 1 is electrically powered by an energy storage unit A, partially visible in figure 6, and a recharging base B for said storage unit, visible in figure 3.
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With reference to figure 1, the robot 1 extends longitudinally along a direction D1 and features, with respect to its usual direction of travel, a front portion 1a and a rear portion 1b.
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As shown in the accompanying figures, the robot 1 comprises a frame 2 and a collection unit 3 for collecting balls designed to collect balls (not illustrated) located on the mentioned golf course surface.
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The aforementioned collection unit 3 for collecting balls is supported by the frame 2 at the rear portion 1b of the robot 1.
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At its front portion 1a, the robot 1 includes two pivoting wheels 4a and 4b.
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The front wheels 4a and 4b may be either freely rotating or powered, using known methods, for example, via electric motors integrated into the wheel hubs.
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As illustrated in figure 2, the collection unit 3 comprises a plurality of discs 5 coaxial to each other and spaced apart so as to receive and hold a ball between two adjacent discs 5 during rotation of the discs 5 relative to the golf course.
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In other words, the spacing between adjacent discs 5, their shape, and their elastic deformability all contribute to ensuring that the balls, which engage with them as the robot 1 moves over the golf course, remain held in place and are carried along in rotation with the discs 5 themselves.
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The discs 5 are advantageously made of plastic material.
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The arrangement of the discs 5 will be described in more detail later in this document.
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The robot 1 comprises, near its rear portion 1b, at opposite lateral ends, two toothed wheels 6a and 6b. These two toothed wheels 6a and 6b serve as drive wheels for the robot 1 and are powered by respective electric motors not visible in the accompanying figures.
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The toothed wheels 6a and 6b are designed to partially penetrate the golf course surface with their teeth to ensure optimal traction, even on wet or slippery golf course surfaces.
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According to the embodiment shown and described here of the robot 1, the aforementioned two electric motors, not shown, are housed inside a containment box 7 located in the rear portion 1b, above the collection unit 3.
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Specifically, each of the two toothed wheels 6a, 6b is driven by a respective electric motor, so that both wheels can move independently of each other.
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This independent rotation advantageously allows easy steering of the robot 1 movement by simply varying the speed of one wheel relative to the other, while maintaining equal speeds for both wheels when moving in a straight line.
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As shown in the attached figures 2 and 6, the aforementioned plurality of discs 5 is divided into two packs of discs, 5a and 5b, respectively right and left, positioned adjacent to each other.
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Each of the disc packs 5a, 5b rotates integrally with its respective toothed wheel 6a, 6b.
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In the illustrated embodiment, the above mentioned toothed wheels 6a, 6b are coaxially aligned with each other and with the discs 5 of both packs 5a, 5b.
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Specifically, with reference to figure 6, the disc pack 5a rotates integrally with the toothed wheel 6a, while the disc pack 5b rotates integrally with the toothed wheel 6b.
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Also with reference to figure 6, the robot 1 includes, for each disc pack 5a, 5b and its corresponding toothed wheel 6a, 6b, a respective shaft 8a, 8b.
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The shafts 8a, 8b, also respectively right and left, rotate on a respective pair of bearings 9 located at their longitudinal ends and supported by the frame 2.
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Each toothed wheel 6a, 6b is integral with its respective shaft 8a, 8b and drives it in rotation together with the discs 5 of the respective pack 5a, 5b.
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As particularly visible in figures 2 and 6, the toothed wheels 6a, 6b have teeth designed to partially penetrate the golf course surfaces, with a larger diameter than the discs 5 of the collection unit 3.In other words, the teeth of the toothed wheels 6a, 6b radially protrude beyond the perimeter edge of the discs 5, so that when the discs 5 rest on the golf course surface, the toothed wheels 6a, 6b are still able to penetrate the golf course surface or the space between the grass and the golf course surface, thereby ensuring effective traction for the moving robot 1.
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The teeth of the tooth wheels 6a, 6b are advantageously triangular in shape.
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Advantageously, a pinion 10 (partially visible and sectioned in figure 6) is fixed to the outer end of each shaft 8a, 8b, and each pinion 10 engages a respective chain 11 (schematically depicted in figure 6 as a belt), which is driven in rotation by a respective, aforementioned but not illustrated, electric motor.
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Alternative embodiments provide for the rotation of shafts 8a, 8b to be driven by belts, gears, or other equivalent systems.
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The discs 5 of each pack 5a, 5b rotate integrally with the respective toothed wheel 6a, 6b by means of a plurality of rods 12 attached to the same toothed wheel 6a, 6b, extending inwardly from it towards the inside of the robot 1 and passing through corresponding through holes made in the discs 5.
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The rods 12 have an axial development, that is, parallel to the shafts 8a, 8b and their common axis of rotation A1, and are angularly distributed. Advantageously, according to the illustrated embodiment, four rods are present, angularly spaced 90° apart for each pack 5a, 5b of discs 5.
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The rods 12, rotated by each toothed wheel 6a, 6b, synchronously drive the discs 5 of the respective pack 5a, 5b in rotation.
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The aforementioned, not illustrated electric motors, together with the toothed wheels 6a, 6b, the front wheels 4a, 4b, the chains 11 or other motion transmission elements, define, for robot 1, respective movement means associated with the frame 2 and intended to move the robot 1 itself on a respective golf course surface.
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As visible in figure 1, the robot 1 includes a storage container 13 for the aforementioned collected balls, which are not illustrated, gathered by the collection unit 3.
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The container 13 is shaped like a receptacle and is hinged to the frame 2 at the front portion 1a, allowing it to tilt about a horizontal pivot axis parallel to the ground surface of the golf course between a lowered position for receiving balls transferred from the collection unit 3, visible in figures 1 to 3, and an extreme raised position for gravity unloading of the balls, shown in figure 5.
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Figure 4 illustrates an intermediate raised position of the storage container 13.
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An electric actuator 14, partially visible in figure 5 and supported by the frame 2, is responsible for raising and lowering the storage container 13.
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As shown in figure 2, the aforementioned container 13 has a bottom wall 13a designed to remain, when the container 13 is in the lowered position, at a height from the ground greater than the diameter of the balls to be collected. This allows the robot 1 not to interfere with the balls scattered on the golf course surface and enables the collection unit 3 to operate without obstruction.
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As shown in figures 1 and 5, the robot 1 includes a rack 15 shaped like a comb, in which each tine partially inserts into the space between two adjacent discs 5, so as to intercept the balls held between the discs 5 and cause them to detach and fall into the storage container 13.
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The rack 15 defines, for the robot 1, deflection means for transferring the balls collected by the collecting unit 3 and retained between its discs 5 into the storage container 13.
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At its front portion 1a, the robot 1 includes, longitudinally opposite to the collection unit 3, a slide ramp 16 for the balls discharged from the storage container 13. This ramp 16 is configured to transfer the balls by gravity toward receiving means (not shown), which are advantageously positioned near the recharging base B or in another designated location.
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The slide ramp 16 is advantageously provided with two lateral containment walls 17 designed to guide the flow of balls coming from the storage container 13 during the discharge phase.
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The slide ramp 16 features a front end edge 16a, from which the balls are effectively discharged by the robot 1.
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This front end edge 16a of the slide 16 is positioned at a height determined by the ground surface, or in any case, by the walking surface of the base B.
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This specific height, which is advantageously greater than the diameter of the balls, allows them to be discharged by the robot 1 into the aforementioned (but not illustrated) receiving means, without requiring these to be positioned below ground level for example, in a pit.
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Embodiments of the robot 1 according to the invention provide that the aforementioned determined height of the front edge 16a is greater than the radius of the discs 5.
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At the front portion 1a, extending from the slide ramp 16, the robot 1 includes a localization unit 18, configured to provide, in real time and in connection with a computerized control and command unit, the exact position of the robot 1 itself.
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According to the illustrated embodiment, the localization unit 18 is integrated into a GPS (Global Positioning System) navigation system, advantageously an RTK-GPS (Real Time Kinematic Global Positioning System).
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RTK-GPS technology is a satellite positioning system that uses real-time corrections, thereby advantageously allowing for a significant improvement in GPS coordinate accuracy from several meters (as is typical with standard GPS) to 1 or 2 centimeters (as is typical with the RTK system).
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The use of RTK technology also allows for a significant reduction in errors caused by atmospheric variability.
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With reference to what is shown in figure 3, the present invention also relates to a system for collecting balls scattered over a golf course surface. This system comprises a robot 1 for collecting balls, which includes a non-illustrated electric power storage unit to supply its movement means, and a base B for recharging said electric power storage unit.
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The recharging base B comprises, for this purpose, a turret 19 emerging from the golf course and configured to engage with the robot 1 to transmit, through known methods, the electrical energy required to recharge the aforementioned (and non-illustrated) power storage unit.
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The collection system also includes, though not illustrated, the aforementioned ball receiving means for the balls discharged from the container 13 onboard the robot 1, which can be positioned either at the recharging base B or, as previously mentioned, in other predetermined locations.
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By way of example, the aforementioned (and not illustrated) receiving means may consist of simple receptacles or containers placed directly on the golf course, thus simplifying the implementation of the collection system without requiring stable underground infrastructures or placement below the ground surface.
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In operation, through the aforementioned (and not illustrated) computerized control and command unit, the robot 1 moves across a surface, such as a golf driving range, to collect balls scattered over the golf coursethat need to be retrieved at the end of a session or in any case to allow them to be reused.
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During movement across the golf course, using substantially known methods, the balls encountered by the robot 1 are retained between the discs 5 of the collection unit 3 and subsequently discharged into the storage container 13 through the pushing action of the rake system 15.
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In order to ensure proper ball pickup by the collection unit 3, it is necessary for the discs 5 to be actively rotating rather than idle; therefore, they are advantageously divided into two packs 5a and 5b, which are respectively integral with the toothed wheels 6a and 6b.
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The choice to implement two packs of discs 5, each integral with its own toothed wheel, advantageously allows the number of electric motors required to be limited to just two.
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Furthermore, thanks to the presence of the toothed wheels which, with their teeth, penetrate at least partially into the ground, the discs 5 end up in direct contact with the groundthemselves, and since they are powered, they positively contribute to the movement of robot 1, with each disc 5 effectively acting as a drive wheel.
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In many similar known devices, two electric motors are typically required for the wheels (as they must be able to rotate independently for maneuverability), in addition to a separate electric motor for rotating the discs.
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Once the balls have been collected and transferred into the storage container 13, the robot 1 is directed toward the aforementioned (non-illustrated) ball-receiving means, where the storage container 13 is lifted, via its dedicated electric actuator 14, into its fully raised position as shown in figure 5, allowing the balls to be discharged by gravity.
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Regardless of the number of balls collected, when the charge level of the storage unit A drops below a certain threshold, the robot 1 is automatically returned to the recharging base B, where, by approaching the turret 19, it can initiate the recharging phase of the storage unit A.
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The robot 1 for collecting balls according to the invention overcomes the aforementioned drawbacks and achieves significant advantages.
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A first advantage of the invention lies in the robot's effective mobility, ensured by the presence of toothed wheels.
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A further advantage is its structural simplicity, partly due to the limited number of electric motors employed.
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Another advantage of the robot according to the invention is the ability to discharge the collected balls from a height above ground level.