HRP20080101A2 - Building robot - Google Patents

Abstract

The construction robot is a simple and effective innovative solution in modern construction. With its simplicity of construction, it allows for rapid assembly on site, and with its flexibility allows for the construction of different shapes without the direct impact of the human factor on the outcome. With its precision and better utilization of time, it further appreciates the advantage over classical human labor.

Description

The construction robot is an invention that consists of a load-bearing steel structure that is raised and lowered down columns along the z-axis by means of a spindle, and along its longer axis it has rails along which the cat moves. The construction is similar to a gantry crane, but instead of a winch, the cat has a manipulator that selectively selects building elements and places them on the concrete that it previously applied to the desired location. The robot is programmable and CNC controlled in three (3) axes, x-y-z and three auxiliary axes on the manipulator (x-z axis, and rotation around the manipulator's own axis).

The field to which the invention relates

The invention relates to the field of construction machines, more specifically static machines such as cranes of various types. Basically, it differs from them in that it does not require constant human supervision and management interventions, and in that CNC is controlled, not by rigid mechanical memory.

Technical problem

The invention solves the problem of time and precision in the construction of buildings of various levels of complexity.

When using a construction robot, human intervention is required when setting up the structure on the construction site and when preparing the materials. It is possible to preprogram the robot and just insert the algorithm into the memory on location using a computer. The robot builds itself, regardless of the time of day, day of the week or holiday. It is independent from all weaknesses brought by the human factor in the first sense (workers) and is capable of working in all weather conditions (within the limits for which it was designed, such as wind speed as a limiting factor). As a protection against rainfall, it is possible to upgrade the roof structure.

Considering that it minimizes the human factor, the robot is fast, precise, and it is possible to calculate its cycle time, which allows us to precisely determine the total construction time of the building.

State of the art

By researching the state of the art, I came to know that nothing similar to my idea exists so far. The real state of the art moves in several directions.

Traditional construction - construction according to the meaning or project in which there is a large share of manual labor. A very low degree of automation and standardization, which results in serial processes. The results of such construction are high costs and unpredictable outcomes in terms of the total time required for construction.

Typical construction with prefabs - construction that is used mainly in high-rise construction and road construction. Typical, standard elements are prefabricated and brought to the construction site by various means of transport. There, they are placed in predetermined positions with the help of truck cranes. With this type of construction, preliminary preparation of the construction site is necessary in terms of the construction of the foundation and the matrix of load-bearing columns between which the prefabs are placed, and which later also support the roof structure. Columns can also be prefabricated. Automation is at a low level, and standardization is at a medium level, which significantly affects the shortening of the total construction time because the processes take place in parallel.

Prefab construction - typical projects according to which all elements are prefabricated and brought to the construction site. It is used most often in the construction of family houses. It is necessary to prepare the foundations in advance. Low level of automation, high level of standardization during production but with a high impact on flexibility towards the end customer. The buyer is able to choose only from the existing types of buildings offered.

Presentation of the essence of the invention

The basis of the construction robot is a vertical steel structure that is anchored and balanced on special anchorages, i.e. concrete foundations prepared on site. It is fixed on the foundations with anchor bolts, while on the upper side the columns are connected with consoles. Along each column in the z-axis direction is a spindle driven by synchronized electric motors. The nut on the spindle is the connecting element between the columns and the portal. The portal has a square shape made of lattice supports. Along the longitudinal y-axis there are rails along which the cat moves. The cat again has rails along the x-axis along which the manipulator moves. The manipulator has its own arm, which has a degree of freedom along the x and z axes, and can also rotate around its own axis.

As can be seen from the presentation above, the robot is able to move along all geometric axes. It is possible to reach every point of the volume of an imaginary cube whose sides are limited by the size of the robot. At each point, the robot is able to perform the operation of applying the binding mass and laying the basic building element.

Moreover, depending on the technological level of the robot, it is possible to perform some other finishing operations on the object.

Short description of the pictures

Figure 1 is an isometric view of the construction robot.

Figure 2 is an isometric view of a pillar with an anchor point and a balancing mechanism.

Figure 3 is an isometric view of the entire column with the associated reinforcement.

Figure 4 is an isometric representation of the column spindle with the head on the lifting mechanism of the portal.

Figure 5 is a detail of the top of the column in isometry.

Figure 6 is a detail of the gantry with wheels in engagement with the rails.

Figure 7 is an isometric view of the cat on the portal.

Figure 8 is an isometric view of a cat with a view of the manipulator and the conveyor belt, which is used to bring the construction elements to the hands.

Figure 9 is an isometric view of the cat with a view from the rear of the container of binding mass and the pipe fittings for transporting the mass to the place of application.

Figure 10 is an isometric representation of the zero (service) position of the robot, in which repairs are performed or the necessary material is replenished.

Detailed description of the invention

The construction robot, Figure 1, is a system consisting of an external nasal skeleton 1, which is static, and an internal portal part 2, which is movable in relation to the skeleton. The parts of the robot can be disassembled into simpler parts that can be easily transported and relatively easily manipulated with the help of an elevator.

The nose skeleton consists of a minimum of four columns 3, which are anchored to the foundations at the bottom 4 and interconnected by consoles at the tops 5.

The foundation of each column 3 is a concrete block with cast anchor bolts. The upper, contact surfaces of the foundation must be leveled within tolerance limits. Minor corrections are possible using the balancing mechanism 6 equipped with each column, picture 2. There are three holes on each side of the anchoring foot. Anchor bolts, already cast in the concrete base, are inserted through the holes. From the upper side, the foot is tightened with nuts. In the case of the need for balancing, there are hand winches 7 on the other two sides of the anchor feet, which can be used to make smaller height corrections and slope corrections. Once the correction is made, the upper side of the anchor foot is tightened six times with two nuts to prevent loosening. Of course, the whole process is carried out with the help of a car crane, which grabs the head of the post 3, picture 5, with a hook at the predetermined place 8, raises it to a vertical position above the concrete block and holds it in position until the stud nuts are tightened.

The process continues in the same way for each column 3, with the progression being serial. After the first pillar, the second pillar 3 is placed and they are connected to each other by top brackets 9, which affects the greater stability of the erected structure. Next, the third pillar 3 is placed and connected with the console to the two already existing pillars 3. After placing the fourth pillar 3, it is connected to the third pillar 3 with the console and the last console to the first pillar 3. At that moment, the basic supporting frame 1 is complete and ready for further construction. upgrade.

The further upgrade consists of mounting the portal 2 on the structure of the skeleton 1. Each column 3, Figure 3, of the skeleton has a spindle 10 with an associated electric drive 11 for moving the portal along the z-axis 12. The spindle 10 extends almost the entire height of the column 3, in order to maximize the usable working space of the machine. The spindle 10 is limited at the top and bottom by stops 13, part of which are also its bearings. At the bottom is a radial-axial bearing 14, while at the top is a combination of a radial bearing with a reducer 15. The reducer is needed to reduce the number of revolutions of the electric motor 11 to an acceptable ratio for starting the spindle 10 and at the same time increase the torque.

Between the upper and lower bearing of the spindle there is an empty space in which the nut 16 travels. It is fixed on the head 17 which travels together with the nut 16 and forms an inseparable unit of the column 3, picture 4.

We can say that the head has two interfaces: to the spindle 10 and column 3 and to the portal 2. The head 17 consists of a plate 18 on which the nut 16 is fixed and the stop 19 on the upper and lower sides. Wheels 20 are also fixed on the plate 18, which rest on the guide rails 21 on the column 3, thus ensuring guidance along the z-axis 22, and at the same time preventing the rotation of the head 17 around the spindle 10. In the event of a failure of the rail system 21, the head 17 from the outside it has rigid mechanical locks 23 that prevent it from turning and falling off the track.

As for the interface to the gantry, each head has two slots 24 for gantry grid supports.

Portal 2 of the construction robot consists of four lattice supports. On the longer side, at the bottom of the lattice supports 25, there is a welded rail 26, Figure 6. On the shorter side, the lattice support 27 does not have a rail nor does it have a nose load. It serves only to stabilize the entire structure. The ends of the supports are inserted and secured in the insertions 24 on the lifting head 17 of each of the four columns 3.

In order to facilitate the installation of portal 2, all four heads 17 are brought to the zero or service position, Figure 10, which is the lowest possible reachable point. Once the skeleton 1 of the robot is assembled, and the communication and electrical cables are connected, the electric motors 11 are synchronized in such a way that they bring themselves to the lowest position and index that position in order to recognize it as zero in the future.

Next in order of assembly is the cat 28, picture 7. It is a part of the portal 2 that moves along the y-axis 29, along the rails 26 of the portal. It is very simple in terms of construction – a square frame 30 consisting of four square profiles welded together. On the narrow sides, there are wheels 31 driven by electric motors that enable active movement of the cat along the rails of the portal, in the direction of the y-axis. Rails 32 are welded to the longer sides of the cat along which the manipulator 33 moves in the x-axis direction.

The manipulator 33, Figure 8, is a simple vehicle consisting of a chassis 34 – a square frame made of steel square profile with three wheels 35 on each longer side 36. The wheels are driven by electric motors. The superstructure on the chassis, figure 9, consists of a static rear part 37 on which there is a container of binding mass 38 together with a pipe fitting 39 for distribution of binding mass. Above the middle part of the chassis there is a belt conveyor 40 on which building elements 41 are placed (intermediate storage). On the front part there are rails 42 along which the manipulator arm 44 moves along the auxiliary x-axis 43 in order to position itself above the belt conveyor 40 with the aim taking the building element 41. Then the hand has a further degree of freedom 45, in the direction of the z-axis, in order to descend to the level below the portal and be able to place the building element at the target place 46. A further degree of freedom 47, turning the hand around its own axis, allows the manipulator 33 to change the orientation of the building element 48 regardless of the position of the entire robot.

Job description

During assembly, the lifting heads 17 on the columns 3 of the robot remain in the zero position after the synchronization of the motor 11 until the robot is fully trained for work. In the zero position, the building elements 41 are placed on the belt conveyor 40, and the container 38 is filled with binding mass. Equally, it is necessary to enter the algorithm in the memory of the CNC unit, by means of which the robot receives construction instructions.

When the algorithm is entered, the robot is ready to work.

At the moment of starting work, the robot moves from the zero position and moves to the start position determined by the algorithm. It works autonomously until it runs out of material.

It moves with one level (elevation) 49 and does not move to a new level until it has filled all the places on the working level with material. It may happen that he leaves places unfilled on purpose, because these are the places where an opening in the wall is needed.

At the moment when there is a shortage of one of the materials, the robot returns to the zero position in order to replenish its supplies. The robot can return to the zero position earlier, when ordered by the algorithm. This can be in the case when the robot builds all the walls with the given openings and the given height, but cannot continue building because it is followed by the execution of the overhang (beams over the openings for the walls, doors,...).

Depending on the degree of automation and the detail of the algorithm, these operations can also be performed by a robot. The simplest example is that the robot stands in the zero position until the workers manually perform the splits. When the work is done, the robot continues with the next steps of the algorithm.

The next possible stage is that in the zero position of the robot on the belt conveyor 40, the necessary prefabricated reinforced concrete beams are placed, which the robot, with the help of an algorithmic subprogram, knows how to recognize, select and install on the object.

Once the obstacles are removed, the robot continues building.

At the beginning, it was noted that the robot is capable of working continuously, regardless of the weather conditions (in case a roof structure is mounted on skeleton 1) and the time of day. At this level of automation, it is sensitive to autonomy in terms of material supply. In case of any deficiency, it comes to the zero position and waits for further service and start. If no one serves him, he has to wait.

Of course, the intention of this description is not to present all possible variants of performance and control of the robot, but to clarify the concept so that it is understandable to all experts in the given field of the topic.

A possible direction of robot development is a higher degree of automation, which gives the robot greater autonomy and requires less and less influence of the human factor.

A higher level of automation of the described robot is in the development of material supply. If the material were continuously brought to the target location, the robot would be able to go to a certain location and supply itself there in case of shortage.

The next higher level of automation and standardization is to calculate each necessary building element in advance and prepare it in a standard container. The algorithm indicates to the robot when it is necessary to select a container for work. Also, the composition of the container can be left to the building material manufacturer. He prepares it and brings it to the location, and parks it in the predetermined place.

Further capabilities of the robot depend only on the installed equipment and on the detail of the algorithm. It is also possible to perform more demanding tasks such as installing the roof structure, covering, plastering, external facade, and similar jobs.

Claims (12)

1. A construction robot, characterized by the fact that it consists of a skeleton, a portal, a cat and a manipulator. 2. Construction robot according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the skeleton consists of columns, anchored in concrete and connected at the top by consoles. 3. A construction robot according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the skeleton consists of at least four columns. 4. A construction robot according to claims 1 - 3, characterized in that each column of the skeleton has a lifting spindle for moving the lifting head. 5. Construction robot according to claims 1 - 4, indicated by the fact that each spindle on an individual column is driven by one lifting head. 6. A construction robot according to claims 1 - 5, characterized by the fact that the lifting heads on four columns carry a portal construction consisting of four lattice supports. 7. A construction robot according to claims 1 - 6, characterized by the fact that the two longer lattice supports of the portal have welded rails on which the cat moves. 8. A construction robot according to claims 1 - 7, indicated by the fact that it has a cat that moves along gantry rails, and consists of a quadrangular profile and wheels with an associated attachment and rails for guiding the manipulator. 9. Construction robot according to claims 1 - 8, indicated by the fact that it has a mobile manipulator on the portal. 10. A construction robot according to claims 1 - 9, characterized by the fact that the manipulator has its own grip and is equipped with a module for supplying a binding agent with an associated armature for applying the binding agent, a conveyor belt for supplying building elements and a manipulation arm equipped with pliers. 11. A construction robot according to claims 1 - 10, characterized in that the manipulator has a manipulation arm that has a degree of freedom along the x and z axes and can rotate around its own axis. 12. A construction robot according to requirements 1 - 11, characterized by the fact that it is CNC programmable and is capable of performing the given actions described by the algorithm with the aim of meeting the construction standard during the construction of the desired object.