KR102386668B1 - GUIDE DEVICE THAT COMPLEMENTS THE DOCKING ACCURACY OF Autonomous Mobile Robot - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a guide apparatus supplementing docking accuracy of an autonomous mobile robot (AMR). More specifically, the present invention relates to the guide apparatus supplementing the docking accuracy of the AMR to improve the docking accuracy when charging the AMR. The guide apparatus supplementing the docking accuracy of the AMR comprises: a reflection plate; a first guide unit disposed in front of one side of the reflection plate to be connected to a floor, and including a plurality of first rollers disposed along the direction inclined toward one side with respect to the front-back direction; and a second guide unit disposed in front of the other side of the reflection plate to be connected to the floor, and including a plurality of second rollers disposed along the direction inclined toward the other side with respect to the front-back direction.

Description

GUIDE DEVICE THAT COMPLEMENTS THE DOCKING ACCURACY OF Autonomous Mobile Robot

The present invention relates to a guide device that supplements the docking accuracy of an AMR, and more particularly, to a guide device that supplements the docking accuracy of an AMR that can improve the docking accuracy when charging an autonomous driving robot (AMR).

An autonomous mobile robot (AMR) refers to a robot that uses a GPS device, a camera, a laser, etc. to look around itself, detect obstacles, select an optimal route using wheels or legs, and find a destination.

Such autonomous driving robots are being used in various fields such as vacuum cleaners.

Usually, since such an autonomous driving robot moves through various paths, it has a battery inside, and after being used for a predetermined time, the autonomous driving robot docks at a charging station to charge the battery and repeats the charging process.

In the prior art Registered Patent No. 10-1600809 (hereinafter referred to as prior art), a charging system including an autonomous mobile robot and a charging station is described.

However, as in the prior art, in the process of docking the autonomous driving robot to the charging station, the scheduled position of the autonomous driving robot may be misaligned for various reasons, such as when the autonomous driving robot slides due to foreign substances on the floor or when the sensor of the autonomous driving robot malfunctions. In this case, there was a problem that the docking of the autonomous driving robot and the charging station could not be smoothly performed.

The present invention has been devised to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a guide device that supplements the docking accuracy of the AMR so that the docking of the autonomous driving robot can be performed more smoothly.

The present invention for the purpose of solving the above problems has the following configuration and features.

A guide device for supplementing the docking accuracy of AMR (Autonomous Mobile Robot), comprising: a reflector; a first guide part disposed in front of one side of the reflecting plate, connected to the floor, and including a plurality of first rollers disposed along a direction inclined to one side with respect to the front-rear direction; and a second guide part disposed in front of the other side of the reflecting plate, connected to the floor, and including a plurality of second rollers disposed along a direction inclined to the other side with respect to the front-rear direction.

In addition, on a plane, a first base disposed on one side with respect to a center line parallel to a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the reflecting plate and connected to one side of the reflecting plate, and the first base protruding forward from the first base, the other side is front and back a first plate inclined to one side with respect to the direction and including a first protrusion to which the first roller is connected; and a second base disposed on the other side with respect to the center line and connected to the other side of the reflective plate, and one side protruding forward from the second base is inclined to the other side with respect to the front-rear direction and the second roller is connected It may include a; a second plate including a second protrusion to be.

In addition, it further includes a first plate installed on the floor, the first guide portion, the lower portion is inserted into the groove or through hole of the first plate, the upper portion passing through the first roller to be connected to the first roller 1 pin may be included.

In addition, the groove or through-hole of the first plate may include a wide portion provided on the upper portion, and a narrow portion formed in communication with the lower end of the wide portion and having a smaller width than the wide portion.

In addition, the first pin may include: a first inner pin unit including a body having a width corresponding to that of the narrow abdomen and a head provided on the body and having a width greater than that of the body; and an upper tube having an outer width corresponding to the width of the wide portion and an inner width corresponding to the outer width of the head, and a lower tube communicating with the lower portion of the upper tube and having an outer width corresponding to the width of the wide portion and an inner width corresponding to the width of the body It may include; a first outer tube unit comprising a.

In addition, a distance between any one disposed at the rear end of the plurality of first rollers and any one disposed at the rear end of the plurality of second rollers may correspond to the width of the AMR.

In addition, a third guide part connected to the front end of the first base and disposed in front of the reflection plate and including a third roller disposed on the other side of the first guide part; and a fourth guide part connected to the front end of the second base, disposed in front of the reflection plate, and including a fourth roller disposed on one side of the second guide member.

In addition, the angle between the connecting line connecting the centers of the plurality of first rollers and the length of the reflecting plate may be 105° to 140°.

The present invention having the above configuration and characteristics has the effect of allowing the autonomous driving robot to be docked more smoothly by including the reflector, the first guide part, and the second guide part.

1 is a plan view illustrating an autonomous driving robot guided by a guide device supplementing the docking accuracy of AMR and a guide device supplementing the docking accuracy of AMR according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a partial perspective view for explaining an autonomous driving robot guided by a guide device supplementing the docking accuracy of AMR and a guide device supplementing the docking accuracy of AMR.
3 is a view for explaining a first guide unit installed on a first base.

Since the present invention can have various changes and can have various forms, implementation examples (態樣, aspects) (or embodiments) will be described in detail in the text. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to the specific disclosed form, it should be understood to include all modifications, equivalents and substitutes included in the spirit and scope of the present invention.

The terminology used herein is only used to describe a specific embodiment (aspect, aspect, aspect) (or embodiment), and is not intended to limit the present invention. The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In the present application, terms such as comprises or consists of are intended to designate that the features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification exist, but one or more other features It is to be understood that it does not preclude the possibility of the presence or addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein, including technical and scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the related art, and should not be interpreted in an ideal or excessively formal meaning unless explicitly defined in the present application. does not

~1~, ~2~, etc. described in the present specification are only to be referred to to distinguish that they are different components, and are not limited to the order of manufacture, and their names in the detailed description and claims of the invention are may not match.

Throughout this specification, when a part is "connected" to another part, it includes not only the case of being "directly connected", but also the case of being "indirectly connected" with another element interposed therebetween. do.

1 is a plan view illustrating an autonomous driving robot guided by a guide device supplementing the docking accuracy of AMR and a guide device supplementing the docking accuracy of AMR according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is the docking of the AMR. It is a partial perspective view to explain an autonomous driving robot guided by a guide device that supplements the accuracy and a guide device that supplements the docking accuracy of AMR.

The guide device (A) (AMR docking guide device) supplementing the docking accuracy of the AMR according to an embodiment of the present invention allows the autonomous driving robot (AMR(R)) to be more accurate and precise to the charging system (charger, charging station). In order to be docked, hereinafter, for convenience of description, it will be referred to as 'the present device'.

1 and 2, the present device (guide device (A) that supplements the docking accuracy of AMR according to an embodiment of the present invention) a reflector plate 1, a first guide part 2 and a second guide part (3) is included.

The reflector 1 is connected to the first plate 4 and the second plate 5 installed on the floor to be described later, and is disposed on the rear side of the autonomous driving robot AMR(R). The coupling structure of the plates (the first plate 4 and the second plate 5) and the reflecting plate 1 will be described in more detail in the following description.

Here, the rear (rear end, etc.) refers to the lower side (lower end) with reference to FIG. 1, and the front (front end, etc.) refers to the upper side (upper end) with reference to FIG. 1, in the following description shall be applied in the same way.

The reflecting plate 1 is a member that reflects the laser or the like emitted by the AMR(R), and is configured so that the AMR(R) receives the reflected wave of the laser or the like. Since the reflector 1 is commonly used in the field, a more detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Illustratively, a terminal of the charger may be disposed on the rear end of the reflector 1 , and a terminal connected to the terminal of the charger may be provided on the front side of the AMR(R). Illustratively, the AMR(R) is a state in which the front end side (or the width direction of the AMR(R)) provided with the charging terminal is arranged parallel to the longitudinal direction of the reflector 1 in front of the reflector 1, the reflector ( 1) (or supported by the third guide part 6 and the fourth guide part 7 disposed in front of the reflecting plate 1 to be described later) and electrically connected to the charger, charging may be performed.

Here, the longitudinal direction of the reflective plate 1 is the left-right direction based on FIG. 1 , and the width direction of the AMR(R) is the direction forming the length of 'B' in FIG. 1 .

3 is a view for explaining a first guide unit installed on a first base.

1 to 3 , the first guide part 2 is disposed in front of one side of the reflective plate 1 and connected to the floor, and a plurality of first guide parts 2 are disposed along a direction inclined to one side with respect to the front-rear direction. It includes a roller 21 .

In addition, the second guide part 3 includes a plurality of second rollers 31 disposed in front of the other side of the reflecting plate, connected to the floor, and disposed along a direction inclined to the other side with respect to the front-rear direction.

Here, one side (one end, etc.) means the left side (the left end, etc.) with reference to FIG. 1, and the other side (the other end, etc.) means the other side (the other end, etc.) with reference to FIG. 1 , the following description shall be applied in the same way.

Hereinafter, a structure in which the first guide part 2 and the second guide part 3 are installed (connected) to the floor will be described in more detail.

The device includes a first base 41 disposed on one side based on a center line parallel to a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the reflecting plate 1 when viewed in a plan view and to which one side of the reflecting plate 1 is connected, and the A first plate 4 that protrudes forward from the first base 41, the other side is inclined to one side with respect to the front-rear direction, and includes a first protrusion 42 to which the first roller 21 is connected. can

In addition, the device is disposed on the other side with respect to the center line when viewed in a plan view, and a second base 51 to which the other side of the reflecting plate 1 is connected, and one projecting forward from the second base 51 . A second plate 5 having a side surface inclined to the other side with respect to the front-rear direction and including a second protrusion 52 to which the second roller 31 is connected may be included.

The first plate 4 and the second plate 5 may be installed by being connected to the floor via a bolt or the like. In addition, the first base 41 and the second base 51 may be connected to each of the posts 8 protruding upward, respectively, and the above-described reflecting plate 1 may be connected to the first base 41 and the second base 51 . A pair of posts 8 provided on each can be connected in a variety of known ways.

As described above, each of the first protrusion 42 and the second protrusion 52 is provided at the front in each of the first base 41 and the second base 51, so the first base 41 and the second base 51 ) The first roller 21 and the second roller 31 connected to each are disposed in front of the reflecting plate (1).

At this time, the lower part of the first guide part 2 is inserted into the groove or through-hole h of the first plate 4 , and the upper part passes through the first roller 21 and is formed with the first roller 21 and It may include a first pin 22 to be connected (only the through hole h is shown in the drawing, but the first plate 4 may include a groove).

That is, the first roller 21 may be connected (installed) to the floor by being connected to the first plate 4 via the first pin 22 .

Similarly, the second guide part 3 may also include a second pin (not shown) inserted into the groove or through hole h of the second plate 5 and connected to the second roller 31 , Since the method in which the second pin (not shown) and the second roller 31 are connected to the second plate 5 corresponds to that of the first guide part 2, the first pin ( 22) and the description of the connection structure between the first roller 21 and the first plate 4 will be replaced.

The first roller 21 is connected to the other side of the first protrusion 42 and may be formed along the longitudinal direction of the other side, and the second roller 31 is connected to one side of the second protrusion 52 . to be formed along the longitudinal direction of the one side.

Each of the plurality of first rollers 21 is connected to the first protrusion 42 and may protrude to the other side based on the other side, and each of the plurality of second rollers 31 is on the second protrusion 52 . It may be connected but protrude to one side with respect to one side.

Each of the first roller 21 and the second roller 31 rotates about the first pin 22 and the second pin (not shown) as a central axis as the AMR(R) collides.

In this way, each of the first roller 21 and the second roller 31 is applied to the first plate 4 and the second plate 5 via the first pin 22 and the second pin (not shown), respectively. Since they are connected, each of the first roller 21 and the second roller 31 can distribute the load transmitted by the AMR(R) compared to when directly connected to the plates, thereby improving durability. .

As described above, the plurality of first rollers 21 are disposed along a direction inclined toward one side toward the front as shown in FIG. 1, and the plurality of second rollers 31 are disposed along a direction inclined toward the other side toward the front, The first guide part 2, the second guide part 3 and the reflecting plate 1 have the same shape as a groove (hereinafter referred to as a 'docking groove') with an open front so that the AMR(R) enters in a plan view. have

As described above, it was said that the AMR can be charged by being supported by the third guide part 6 and the fourth guide part 7 to be described later, which are disposed in front of the reflecting plate 1 or in front of the reflecting plate 1, and the AMR (R ) in the process of docking with the charger, when it slips on the floor or a sensor malfunctions, so that the width direction of the AMR(R) is inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the reflector 1 as shown in FIG. The connection of the terminal of (R) may not be made correctly.

At this time, the first roller 21 and the second roller 31 connected to each of the first plate 4 and the second plate 5 rotate as they collide with the AMR(R) and are transmitted to the AMR(R). It is possible to guide so that the front end provided with the AMR(R) charging terminal is disposed in front of the reflector 1 so as to minimize the impact and at the same time the width direction of the AMR(R) and the reflector 1 are arranged in parallel.

As described above, the plurality of first rollers 21 are disposed along a direction inclined toward one side toward the front as shown in FIG. 1, and the plurality of second rollers 31 are disposed along a direction inclined toward the other side toward the front, The width (length in the left and right direction with reference to FIG. 1) is decreased as the docking groove goes from the front end to the rear end so that the AMR(R) easily enters the docking groove at the beginning, and the terminal of the AMR(R) and the charger It can guide so that the terminals are connected correctly.

In addition, in the prior art, the AMR(R) is provided with a front groove formed by being depressed from the front end to the rear end, and the charger side is provided with an insertion protrusion to be inserted into the front end groove. Since it had to be inserted into the shear groove, in order for the AMR(R) to dock, a space was required for the AMR to move in the front-rear direction. However, as described above, since the docking groove has a structure in which the width increases from the rear to the front, even if the AMR(R) enters the docking groove in a state inclined with respect to the reflector 1, it is aligned toward the rear so that it is necessary for docking. This has the advantage of being able to minimize the space.

As described above, the first protrusion 42 of the first plate 4 has the other side forming the thickness (height, the length in the plane-bottom direction based on FIG. 1 ) inclined to one side with respect to the front-rear direction and the second Since one side forming the thickness of the second protrusion 52 of the plate 5 is inclined to the other side with respect to the front-rear direction, the collision between the autonomous driving robot R moving toward the reflector 1 and the plates can be minimized.

Referring to FIG. 3 , the groove or through hole h of the first plate 4 is formed in communication with the wide portion h1 provided on the upper portion and the lower end of the wide portion h1, and the wide portion h1 ) may include a narrow width portion (h2) smaller than the width.

In this case, the first pin 22 includes a body 221a having a width corresponding to that of the lower abdomen h2 and a head 221b provided on the body 221a and having a width greater than that of the body 221a. It may include a first inner pin unit 221 that does.

The first fin 22 has an outer width (outer diameter) corresponding to the width of the wide portion h1 and an inner width (inner diameter) corresponding to the outer width of the head 221b, an upper tube 222a, and the upper tube 222a ) a first outer tube unit ( 222) may be included.

Also, the first outer tube unit 222 may include a limiting jaw 222c that is provided on the upper end of the upper tube 222a and has an outer width (outer diameter) greater than that of the upper tube 222a. The limiting jaw 222c is configured to restrict the first roller 21 from moving upward and from being separated from the first pin 22 .

At least a portion of the first inner pin unit 221 is inserted into the hollow inner side of the first outer tube unit 222, the body 221a passes through the lower tube 222b, and the upper tube 222a The lower end of the head (221b) is supported on the step formed by the lower pipe (222b) having a small inner width.

Of the body 221a, the lower end protruding from the lower pipe 222b corresponds to the narrow abdomen corresponding portion 22a having a width corresponding to the width of the narrow abdomen h2 in the first pin 22, and the upper tube ( 222a) corresponds to the wide width corresponding portion 22b having a width corresponding to that of the wide portion h1.

As such, the groove or the through hole (h) has an advantage in that the first pin 22 can be easily inserted into the groove or the through hole (h) at the initial stage including the wide portion h1.

In addition, the first fin 22 can reduce the material used for manufacturing the first fin 22 by forming a hollow inside of the first outer tube unit 222, and in the first fin 22 1 When the inner pin unit 221 can move up and down in the hollow of the first outer tube unit 222 , the first pin 22 is inserted into the groove or through hole h of the first plate 4 . There is an advantage in that the shock transmitted to the first inner pin unit 221 can be absorbed.

The groove or through hole h of the second plate 5 also includes a wide part h1 and a narrow width part h2, and the second pin (not shown) of the second guide part 3 is also a second inner pin unit. Of course, it may include (not shown) and a second outer tube unit (not shown).

Each of the second inner fin unit and the second outer tube unit includes a corresponding configuration of the first inner fin unit 221 and the first outer tube unit 222, respectively, so that the second inner fin unit and the second outer tube unit Each description will be replaced with a description of each of the first inner pin unit 221 and the first outer tube unit 222 .

Referring to FIG. 1 , any one of the plurality of first rollers 21 disposed at the rear end and any one of the plurality of second rollers 31 disposed at the rear end (corresponding to 'A' in FIG. 1 , horizontal directional separation distance) may correspond to the width (corresponding to 'B' in FIG. 1 ) of the AMR(R).

Through this, there is an advantage that the shaking of the AMR can be minimized during docking, and the AMR(R) can be arranged at the same position during docking (the rear end of the third roller 61 to be described later is higher than the rear end of the first roller 21 ) Arranged on the rear end side, the rear end of the fourth roller 71 is arranged on the rear end side than the rear end of the second roller 31).

1 and 2 , the device is connected to the front end of the first base 41 , is disposed in front of the reflector 1 , and is disposed on the other side of the first guide part 2 . A third guide part 6 including a third roller 61 may be included. The rear end of the third guide part 6 may be disposed on the rear end side than the rear end of the first guide part 2 .

In addition, the device includes a plurality of fourth rollers 71 connected to the front end of the second base 51 and disposed in front of the reflection plate 1 and disposed on one side of the second guide part 3 . It may include a fourth guide part (7). The rear end of the fourth guide part 7 may be disposed on the rear end side than the rear end of the second guide part 3 .

Each of the third and fourth rollers 61 and 71 has a first base 41 via each of the third and fourth pins, which are components corresponding to the first pin 22, like the first roller 21, respectively. ) and the second base 51 may be connected to and installed in a groove or through hole h formed in each.

When viewed in a plan view (see FIG. 1 ), the first plate 4 and the second plate 5 are spaced apart from each other, and thus the third guide part 6 and the fourth guide part 7 may also be spaced apart from each other.

The third guide part 6 and the fourth guide part 7 are configured to allow the AMR(R) to move to one side and the other side in the docking groove, and are disposed in front of the reflector plate 1 and Damage to the reflector 1 due to the collision of the AMR(R) can be suppressed.

Referring to FIG. 1 , the angle θ between the connecting line connecting the centers of the plurality of first rollers 21 (the centers of the first pins 22 ) and the horizontal line parallel to the length of the reflecting plate 1 is 105 It may be ˚ to 140˚.

Similarly, the angle between the connecting line connecting the center of the second roller 31 and the horizontal line may also be 105° to 140°.

As described above, since the angle between the connecting lines and the horizontal line is 105° to 140°, the docking of the AMR(R) can be stably induced and the space utilization of the present device can be improved.

The present invention described above with reference to the accompanying drawings is capable of various modifications and changes by those skilled in the art, and such modifications and changes should be construed as being included in the scope of the present invention.

A device that complements the docking accuracy of AMR: A
Reflector: 1 First guide part: 2
1st roller: 21 1st pin: 22
First inner pin unit: 221 Body: 221a
Head: 221b First outer tube unit: 222
Upper tube: 222a Lower tube: 222b
Limiting jaw: 222c Second guide part: 3
2nd roller: 31 1st plate: 4
First base: 41 First protrusion: 42
Through hole: h Wide part: h1
Narrow part: h2 Second plate: 5
Second base: 51 Second protrusion: 52
Third guide part: 6 Third roller: 61
4th guide part: 7 4th roller: 71
Post: 8 AMR: R

Claims (8)

In the guide device supplementing the docking accuracy of AMR (Autonomous Mobile Robot),
reflector;
a first guide part disposed in front of one side of the reflecting plate, connected to the floor, and including a plurality of first rollers disposed along a direction inclined to one side with respect to the front-rear direction; and
a second guide part disposed in front of the other side of the reflection plate, connected to the floor, and including a plurality of second rollers disposed along a direction inclined to the other side with respect to the front-rear direction;
including,
A first base disposed on one side based on a center line parallel to a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the reflecting plate on a plane and connected to one side of the reflecting plate, and the first base protruding forward from the first base, the other side is in the front-rear direction a first plate inclined to one side with respect to and including a first protrusion to which the first roller is connected; and
a second base disposed on the other side with respect to the center line and connected to the other side of the reflective plate, and one side protruding forward from the second base, one side inclined to the other side with respect to the front-rear direction and the second roller is connected a second plate including a second protrusion;
A guide device to supplement the docking accuracy of the AMR, characterized in that it further comprises. delete In the guide device supplementing the docking accuracy of AMR (Autonomous Mobile Robot),
reflector;
a first guide part disposed in front of one side of the reflecting plate, connected to the floor, and including a plurality of first rollers disposed along a direction inclined to one side with respect to the front-rear direction; and
a second guide part disposed in front of the other side of the reflection plate, connected to the floor, and including a plurality of second rollers disposed along a direction inclined to the other side with respect to the front-rear direction;
including,
Further comprising a first plate installed on the floor,
Docking of the AMR, characterized in that the first guide part further includes a first pin having a lower portion inserted into a groove or through hole of the first plate, and an upper portion penetrating the first roller and connected to the first roller. A guide device that complements the accuracy. 4. The method according to claim 3,
Complementing docking accuracy of AMR, characterized in that the groove or through hole of the first plate includes a wide portion provided on the upper portion, and a narrow portion formed in communication with the lower end of the wide portion and having a smaller width than the wide portion guide device. 5. The method according to claim 4,
The first pin is
a first inner pin unit including a body having a width corresponding to that of the narrow portion and a head provided on the body and having a width greater than that of the body; and
An upper tube having an outer width corresponding to the width of the wide portion and an inner width corresponding to the outer width of the head, and a lower tube communicating with the lower portion of the upper tube, an outer width corresponding to the width of the wide portion, and an inner width corresponding to the width of the body a first outer tube unit comprising;
A guide device to supplement the docking accuracy of the AMR, characterized in that it comprises a. The method according to claim 1,
A guide device supplementing the docking accuracy of the AMR, characterized in that the distance between any one disposed at the rear end of the plurality of first rollers and any one disposed at the rear end of the plurality of second rollers corresponds to the width of the AMR. The method according to claim 1,
a third guide part connected to the front end of the first base, disposed in front of the reflector, and including a third roller disposed on the other side of the first guide part; and
a fourth guide part connected to the front end of the second base, disposed in front of the reflector, and including a fourth roller disposed on one side of the second guide part;
A guide device to supplement the docking accuracy of the AMR, characterized in that it further comprises. The method according to claim 1,
A guide device supplementing the docking accuracy of the AMR, characterized in that the angle between the connecting line connecting the centers of the plurality of first rollers and the length of the reflecting plate is 105° to 140°.

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