KR102449394B1 - Automatic guided vehicle for shipping to multiple destinations - Google Patents

Abstract

An unmanned transfer robot capable of delivery to multiple destinations according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: a main body unit; a loading unit which is formed at one side of the main body unit and on which at least one product is stacked and loaded; a door unit which is formed at one side of the loading unit and configured to be opened and closed by a first driving unit; a screen unit arranged between the loading unit and the door unit; and a control unit which is constructed to control the operation of the loading unit, the door unit and the screen unit. Here, the loading unit comprises: a support unit supporting at least one product; a transporting unit including at least one conveyor arranged on at least one side surface of the support unit, and at least one sweeper formed on the at least one conveyor; and a second driving unit which is configured to operate the at least one conveyor. The screen unit comprises: a screen which is configured to selectively come in contact with at least one portion of at least one product; a guide unit which guides the movement of the screen; and a third driving unit which is configured to drive the screen. The control unit is configured to control a first driving unit, a second driving unit, and a third driving unit. Therefore, delivery goods of various sizes can be loaded and discharged.

Description

Unmanned transport robot capable of delivery to multiple destinations {AUTOMATIC GUIDED VEHICLE FOR SHIPPING TO MULTIPLE DESTINATIONS}

The present disclosure relates to an unmanned transfer robot capable of delivery to multiple destinations, and more particularly, to an unmanned transfer robot configured to deliver deliveries of various sizes to several destinations.

With the advent of the 4th industrial revolution, the manufacturing and logistics industries are trying to spread automation while lowering labor costs and increasing efficiency. As if reflecting this trend, unmanned transport robots have been rapidly growing in the manufacturing industry and logistics industry.

An unmanned transport robot or automatic guided vehicle (hereinafter 'AGV') refers to an industrial robot or vehicle that moves automatically without a driver. The unmanned transport robot has a built-in system designed to perform motions independently without a driver or operator and to move along a defined path with its own power.

With the recent trend of non-face-to-face conversion of the service industry accelerated due to the COVID-19 crisis, the logistics industry is accelerating the development of technologies for smart logistics and advanced logistics. In relation to the service industry's COVID-19 response and development strategy, the logistics industry is regarded as a field with high growth potential, and high added value of the industry is being mainly supported. For example, the number of smart logistics centers equipped with automated facilities to expedite cargo handling will increase to 250.

Embodiments disclosed herein provide an unmanned transfer robot configured to be capable of loading and discharging delivery articles of various sizes in carrying out delivery to one or more destinations.

In the unmanned transfer robot capable of delivery to multiple destinations according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the main body part, a loading part formed on one side of the main body part to stack one or more articles to be stacked, and a first driving part formed on one side of the loading part A door unit configured to be opened and closed by the door unit, a screen unit disposed between the loading unit and the door unit, and a control unit configured to control operations of the loading unit, the door unit, and the screen unit, wherein the loading unit includes a support unit for supporting one or more articles, a support unit a conveying unit comprising at least one conveyor disposed on at least one side of the at least one conveyor and at least one sweeper formed on the at least one conveyor; a screen configured to selectively come into contact with at least a portion of the above articles, a guide part for guiding the movement of the screen, and a third driving part configured to drive the screen, wherein the control unit includes the first driving part, the second driving part, and the third driving part further configured to control.

According to an embodiment, the control unit controls the first driving unit so that the other end of the door unit approaches or comes into contact with the ground by opening the door unit coupled to the body unit at one end, and driving at least one conveyor to connect the support unit and the one or more articles. The second driving unit is controlled such that the abutting article is pushed by the at least one sweeper and discharged to the ground along the door unit.

According to an embodiment, the control unit controls the operation of the third driving unit so that, among one or more items, other items other than those in contact with the support are not discharged to the ground in contact with the screen by driving the screen.

According to an embodiment, a close contact sensor configured to detect whether at least some of the one or more items are in contact with the door unit is disposed on one surface of the door unit, and the control unit is further configured to control an operation of the close contact sensor.

According to an embodiment, when the article is discharged along one surface of the door in a state in which the door is opened, the control unit is further configured to determine whether or not the article is discharged through the contact detection sensor.

According to an embodiment, the door unit is configured to be opened and closed by rotation about the rotation axis of the hinge unit by having one end of the door unit coupled with the body unit through the hinge unit, and the other end of the door unit is close to the ground or in contact with the ground when the door unit is opened.

According to an embodiment, the apparatus further comprises a load detection sensor configured to detect whether one or more articles are loaded on the support, and the control unit is further configured to control an operation of the load detection sensor.

According to an embodiment, when it is determined that one or more items are loaded in the loading unit through the loading detection sensor, and the unmanned transfer robot arrives at the transfer destination of at least some of the one or more items, the control unit may control the first driving unit to open the door unit. control

According to one embodiment, further comprising a transfer confirmation sensor configured to image an article disposed outside the unmanned transfer robot, when the article is discharged to the outside of the loading unit at the transfer destination, the control unit confirms the transfer to image the discharged article Controls the operation of the sensor.

According to an embodiment, when it is determined through the load detection sensor that one or more articles are not loaded in the loading unit and the door unit is in an open state, the controller controls the first driving unit to close the door unit.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, unlike the conventional unmanned transfer robot capable of loading/delivering only the delivered goods within the size of each of the divided loading parts by spatially dividing the loading part, the loading part is spatially divided using the screen part to the loading part without spatial division. Multiple delivery may be possible by selectively discharging items of various sizes loaded.

In addition, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, it may be possible to deliver goods to several transfer destinations on the final transfer destination path of the unmanned transfer robot.

In addition, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, since a plurality of goods can be selectively delivered to a plurality of destinations with one unmanned transfer robot, the delivery service time can be shortened and costs associated with driving the unmanned transfer robot can be reduced. can

Also, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, even when the recipient is absent or is reluctant to contact the robot, the recipient may receive the product through non-face-to-face delivery of the product.

Effects of the present disclosure are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the claims.

1 shows an example of a conventional unmanned transfer robot.
2 is a diagram illustrating an example in which an unmanned transfer robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure discharges loaded articles to the outside.
3 is a perspective view illustrating an example in which a body part, a loading part, a screen part, and a door part are combined according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
4 is a perspective view of the unmanned transfer robot shown in FIG. 3 viewed from another angle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
5 is a perspective view illustrating a coupling relationship of a support unit, a transport unit, and a second driving unit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
6 illustrates a state in which one or more articles are loaded in the loading unit in the unmanned transfer robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
7 is a diagram illustrating a process in which one or more articles are loaded in an unmanned transfer robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
8 is a diagram illustrating a process in which one or more articles loaded in an unmanned transfer robot are selectively discharged according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
9 illustrates a method for selectively discharging an article transferred by an unmanned transfer robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Hereinafter, specific contents for carrying out the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, in the following description, if there is a risk of unnecessarily obscuring the gist of the present disclosure, detailed descriptions of well-known functions or configurations will be omitted.

In the accompanying drawings, identical or corresponding components are assigned the same reference numerals. In addition, in the description of the embodiments below, overlapping description of the same or corresponding components may be omitted. However, even if description regarding components is omitted, it is not intended that such components are not included in any embodiment.

Terms used in the present disclosure will be briefly described, and the disclosed embodiments will be described in detail. The terms used in the present specification have been selected as currently widely used general terms as possible while considering the functions in the present disclosure, but these may vary depending on the intention or precedent of a person skilled in the art, the emergence of new technology, and the like. In addition, in a specific case, there is a term arbitrarily selected by the applicant, and in this case, the meaning will be described in detail in the description of the corresponding invention. Therefore, the terms used in the present disclosure should be defined based on the meaning of the term and the contents of the present disclosure, rather than the simple name of the term.

In this disclosure, expressions in the singular include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates the singular. Also, the plural expression includes the singular expression unless the context clearly dictates the plural.

In the present disclosure, when a part includes a certain component, it means that other components may be further included, rather than excluding other components, unless otherwise stated.

In the present disclosure, the upper side of a drawing may be referred to as "upper" or "upper side", and the lower side thereof may be referred to as "lower" or "lower side" of the configuration shown in the drawing. In addition, in the drawings, the remaining portion between the upper and lower portions of the illustrated configuration or except for the upper and lower portions may be referred to as “side” or “side”. Relative terms such as “upper” and “upper” may be used to describe the relationship between the components shown in the drawings, and the present disclosure is not limited by such terms.

In the present disclosure, a direction toward the inner space of a structure may be referred to as “inside”, and a direction protruding into the open outer space may be referred to as “outside”. Relative terms such as “inside” and “outside” may be used to describe the relationship between the components shown in the drawings, and the present disclosure is not limited by such terms.

In the present disclosure, an 'unmanned transfer robot' may refer to any robot, vehicle, device, or the like that can move an article to a destination without a person riding on it. For example, an unmanned transport robot may be equipped with an autonomous driving function and arrive at a destination through autonomous driving. As another example, the unmanned transport robot may arrive at a destination through remote control by a human. In addition, the unmanned transfer robot may refer to an unmanned transfer vehicle, and conversely, the unmanned transfer vehicle may refer to an unmanned transfer robot.

Reference to "A and/or B" in this specification means A, or B, or A and B.

In the present specification, when a part is said to be connected to another part, it includes not only a case in which it is directly connected, but also a case in which it is connected through another configuration in the middle.

Advantages and features of the disclosed embodiments, and methods of achieving them, will become apparent with reference to the embodiments described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but may be implemented in various different forms, and only the present embodiments allow the present disclosure to be complete, and the present disclosure provides those skilled in the art with the scope of the invention. It is provided for complete information only.

1 shows an example of a conventional unmanned transfer robot 100 . In the past, the goods transport robot took a method of putting a plurality of delivered goods into one loading unit and delivering them. When each of a plurality of articles is delivered to multiple destinations, there is a difficulty in selecting and discharging a specific article from among a plurality of delivered articles at each destination. In order to solve this problem, as shown in FIG. 1 , some conventional article transfer robots 100 are designed to enable selective article discharge at multiple destinations by physically separating the loading parts 110 and 120 . However, the article transfer robot 100 of FIG. 1 has a problem in that only articles within the size of each of the divided loading units 110 and 120 can be loaded and delivered.

2 is a diagram illustrating an example in which the unmanned transfer robot 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure discharges the loaded article 260 to the outside. As shown in FIG. 2 , the unmanned transfer robot 200 is illustrated in the form of an unmanned vehicle for transferring the article 260 , but is not limited thereto. Here, the unmanned transfer robot 200 may have any one form of any AGV for transferring the article 260 , and may include, for example, an unmanned transport vehicle or a drone. As shown in FIG. 2 , the unmanned transfer robot 200 may include a body unit 210 , a loading unit 230 , a door unit 240 , a screen unit 250 , and a control unit (not shown).

The main body 210 may correspond to a frame of the unmanned transfer robot 200 . In one embodiment, the main body 210 may be a device serving as a main body to be combined with other components of the unmanned transfer robot 200 . In one embodiment, the loading part 230 may be formed on one side of the body part 210 . The size and shape of the main body 210 may be determined according to the size/volume of the traveling unit 220 and the loading unit 230 .

In one embodiment, the main body 210 may include a driving unit 220 for driving the unmanned transfer robot 200 . In this case, the driving unit 220 may be an arbitrary driving device for moving the unmanned transport robot 200 to a transport destination along a driving route or the like. As shown in FIG. 2 , when the unmanned transport robot 200 corresponds to an unmanned transport vehicle, the driving unit 220 may correspond to a wheel, but is not limited thereto. For example, when the unmanned transfer robot 200 corresponds to a drone, the driving unit 220 may correspond to a wing or a propeller. In one embodiment, when the driving unit 220 is in the form of a wheel, a portion of the driving unit 220 in contact with the ground may be in the form of a wheel, but is not limited thereto. For example, a portion of the driving unit 220 in contact with the ground may have a leg shape.

The loading unit 230 may be a device formed on one side of the main body 210 to load the article 260 . Specifically, the loading unit 230 may be formed in a state where a space in which the article 260 can be loaded is secured on the upper side of the main body 210 . In this case, the loading unit 230 may be a space in which the articles 260 are stacked. In FIG. 2 , one article 260 is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the article 260 may correspond to a plurality of articles. The detailed configuration and driving method of the loading unit 230 will be described in detail with reference to the following drawings.

The door unit 240 may be disposed on one side of the loading unit 230 . For example, one end of the door unit 240 may be disposed on one side of the loading unit 230 by being coupled to a portion of the body unit 210 . In an embodiment, the door unit 240 may be configured to be openable and openable. The detailed configuration and driving method of the door unit 240 will be described in detail with reference to the following drawings.

The screen unit 250 may be disposed between the loading unit 230 and the door unit 240 . In one embodiment, the screen unit 250 selectively discharges one or more items 260 from the unmanned transfer robot 200 by selectively contacting at least some of the one or more items 260 loaded on the loading unit 230 . It can be configured to be A detailed configuration and driving method of the screen unit 250 will be described in detail with reference to the following drawings.

The control unit may be a system for controlling the operation of each component of the body unit 210 , the traveling unit 220 , the loading unit 230 , the door unit 240 , and/or the screen unit 250 . Specifically, the controller may control the operation of the driving unit 220 so that the main body 210 moves along the driving path. In addition, the controller may control the movement of the driving unit 220 so that the unmanned transfer robot 200 does not collide with an external object. Additionally, the controller may control the operation of each component of the loading unit 230 , the door unit 240 , and the screen unit 250 so that one or more articles loaded in the loading unit 230 are selectively discharged.

3 is a perspective view illustrating an example in which the body part 310, the loading part 320, the screen part 330, and the door part 340 are combined according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In FIG. 3 , a part of the main body part and the driving part shown in FIG. 2 are omitted for a clearer understanding of the unmanned transfer robot. 3 , the loading unit 320 may include a support unit 322 , transport units 324 and 326 , and a second driving unit (not shown). In this case, the conveying units 324 and 326 may include a conveyor 324 and a sweeper 326 .

As shown in FIG. 3 , the loading part 320 may be configured to be coupled with a part of the body part 310 from one side. Specifically, the loading part 320 may be fixed to the body part 310 by being coupled to at least one holder 312 formed on the upper surface of the body part 310 . For example, the loading unit 320 may be fixedly coupled to the main body 310 by a pair of conveyors 324 coupled with a pair of cradles 312 .

The support part 322 may be configured to directly or indirectly support one or more articles (not shown) loaded on the loading part 320 . In one embodiment, the support 322 may be formed in a flat shape to facilitate loading of one or more articles. For example, the support 322 may be formed in a plate or table shape. In another embodiment, an uneven portion is formed on the surface of the support 322 on which the article is loaded, so that the movement of the article may be restricted during transport.

The transport units 324 and 326 may be devices for discharging the loaded articles to one side of the loading unit 320 . In one embodiment, the conveyers 324 and 326 may include at least one conveyor 324 disposed on at least one side of the support 322 and at least one sweeper 326 formed on the conveyor 324 . have. In this case, the conveyor 324 may be driven by the second driving unit. The coupling relationship of the support part 322 , the transport parts 324 and 326 , and the second driving part will be described in detail with reference to the following drawings.

Conveyor 324 may be a conveying device configured to continuously move sweeper 326 . The conveyor 324 may be driven by the second driving unit. Specifically, the conveyor 324 may perform rotation and/or linear reciprocation by the second driving unit. The conveyor 324 may move the sweeper 326 coupled to the conveyor 324 by being driven by the second driving unit. In one embodiment, conveyor 324 may correspond to a chain conveyor or a belt conveyor. In other embodiments, the conveyor 324 may correspond to a link structure.

The sweeper 326 may be a device configured to move the loaded article to one side of the loading unit 320 . Specifically, the sweeper 326 is coupled to the conveyor 324, and as the conveyor 324 rotates and/or performs a linear reciprocating motion, the sweeper 326 is configured to push the article on the support 322 toward the door 340 side. can In this case, the sweeper 326 may have any shape configured to facilitate the operation of pushing the article in one direction. For example, as shown in FIG. 3 , the sweeper 326 may be in the form of a rod formed to be longer than the length in one side direction of the support part 322 .

The door part 340 may be disposed on one side of the support part 322 . For example, one end of the door part 340 may be disposed on one side of the support part 322 by being coupled to a part of the body part 310 . In an embodiment, the door unit 340 may be configured to be openable and closed by the first driving unit 350 . Specifically, the door unit 340 may be opened and closed by rotation by the first driving unit 350 . In this case, in the state in which the door part 340 is opened, the other end of the door part 340 may be close to the ground (not shown) or may be in contact with the ground.

In an embodiment, one end of the door unit 340 may be coupled to the body unit 310 through a hinge unit (not shown), thereby being configured to be opened and closed by rotation around a rotation axis of the hinge unit. In this case, one side of the hinge unit may be connected to the first driving unit 350 , and the other side may be connected to the door unit 340 . In one embodiment, the hinge portion may correspond to a gravity compensation mechanism driving hinge.

The first driving unit 350 may be a device configured to open and close the door unit 340 . For example, the first driving unit 350 may be an actuator that operates to rotate and open the door unit 340 by being coupled to the door unit 340 through a hinge unit. In this case, the controller may control the operation of the first driving unit 350 .

The screen unit 330 may include a screen 336 , a guide unit 334 , and a third driving unit 332 .

Screen 336 may be a device configured to selectively contact at least a portion of one or more of the loaded articles. Specifically, the screen 336 may serve as a shield so that the corresponding article is not discharged along the door part 340 and is continuously positioned on the support part 322 by coming into contact with the rest of the articles other than the article to be discharged. To this end, the screen 336 may be configured to move along the guide portion 334 . For example, the screen 336 may perform a linear reciprocating motion along the guide part 334 . In one embodiment, the screen 336 may be of any shape configured to facilitate effectively obscuring non-discharged items. For example, as shown in FIG. 3 , the screen 336 may have a rectangular shape formed to be longer than the length in one side of the support 322 .

The guide unit 334 may be a device for guiding the movement of the screen 336 . In one embodiment, the guide part 334 may be disposed between the loading part 320 and the closed door part 340 . As shown in FIG. 3 , the guide part 334 is disposed to be perpendicular to the upper surface of the body part 310 , but is not limited thereto. For example, the guide part 334 may be disposed to be inclined with respect to the upper surface of the body part 310 , or may be disposed in any shape that allows the screen 336 to effectively contact the article.

The third driving unit 332 may be a device configured to move the screen 336 along the guide unit 334 . For example, the third driving unit 332 may be an actuator that operates to move the screen 336 along the guide unit 334 by being coupled to one side of the guide unit 334 . In this case, the control unit may control the operation of the third driving unit.

4 is a perspective view of the unmanned transfer robot shown in FIG. 3 viewed from another angle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Among the configurations shown in FIG. 4 , descriptions of those corresponding to those shown in FIG. 3 will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 4 , an adhesion detection sensor 410 configured to detect whether an article (not shown) is in contact with the door unit 340 may be disposed on one surface of the door unit 340 . In this case, the control unit may be configured to control the operation of the contact detection sensor 410 . In one embodiment, the close contact sensor 410 may correspond to a piezoelectric sensor, an infrared sensor, a visible light sensor, a photo interrupter, or any sensor capable of measuring the presence and/or contact strength of an article. .

For example, when the adhesion detection sensor 410 corresponds to a piezoelectric sensor, when an external force is generated on the adhesion detection sensor 410 as an article comes into contact with the adhesion detection sensor 410 formed on one surface of the door unit 340 , , the close contact sensor 410 may generate a voltage to transmit a signal to the control unit. In another example, when the adhesion detection sensor 410 corresponds to an infrared sensor or a visible light sensor, as the article comes into contact with the adhesion detection sensor 410 formed on one surface of the door unit 340 , the infrared rays are applied to the adhesion detection sensor 410 . Alternatively, when no visible light is detected, the close contact sensor 410 may transmit a signal to the controller.

The control unit may receive a signal from the close contact sensor 410 to control the operation of each configuration of the unmanned transfer robot. The motion control of each configuration of the unmanned transfer robot through the close contact sensor 410 and the control unit will be described in detail with reference to the following drawings.

5 is a perspective view illustrating a coupling relationship between the support unit 510 , the transport units 520 and 530 , and the second driving unit 540 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The support parts 510 and transport parts 520 and 530 shown in FIG. 5 may correspond to the support parts ( 322 in FIG. 3 ) and transport parts ( 324 and 326 in FIG. 3 ) shown in FIG. 3 .

As shown in FIG. 5 , the conveying units 520 and 530 include a pair of conveyors 520 disposed to face each other with the support 510 interposed therebetween, and a pair of sweepers 530 coupled to the conveyor 520 . ) may be included. In this case, although two each of the conveyor 520 and the sweeper 530 are illustrated, the present invention is not limited thereto. In an embodiment, the conveyor 520 and the sweeper 530 may be formed one by one, or three or more. For example, the conveyor 520 may be formed solely on one side of the support 510 .

The sweeper 530 may be coupled to a pair of conveyors 520 at both ends, respectively. As shown in FIG. 5 , the two sweepers 530 may be disposed to be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance on the conveyor 520 . For example, when the conveyor 520 rotates 180 degrees, the sweeper 530 may be disposed such that the second sweeper is positioned in the place where the first sweeper was. The shape, number, and arrangement of the sweepers 530 may be variously modified according to the size, shape and/or number of articles.

The second driving unit 540 may be a device configured to drive the at least one conveyor 520 . In this case, the control unit may be configured to control the operation of the second driving unit 540 . As shown in FIG. 5 , two second driving units 540 may be disposed for each of the conveyors 520 , but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the number of second driving units 540 may be three or more for one conveyor 520 .

6 illustrates a state in which one or more articles 642 and 644 are loaded in the loading unit in the unmanned transfer robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In this case, the unmanned transfer robot is shown in a side view. In FIG. 6 , the support part ( 322 of FIG. 3 ) shown in FIG. 3 is omitted for a clearer understanding of the unmanned transfer robot, and the shapes of the driving part 610 and the main body part 620 are simplified. 6, the traveling unit 610, the body unit 620, the conveyor 632, the sweeper 634, the door unit 650, the contact detection sensor 652, the guide unit 662, and the screen 664 shown in FIG. may correspond to the driving unit, the body unit, the conveyor, the sweeper, the door unit, the close contact sensor, the guide unit, and the screen shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 .

According to an embodiment, the unmanned transfer robot may further include a loading detection sensor 670 configured to detect whether one or more items 642 and 644 on a support (not shown) are loaded. In this case, the loaded articles 642 and 644 may include a first article 642 in contact with the support and a second article 644 superimposed on the first article 642 . The controller may control the operation of the load detection sensor 670 . In FIG. 6 , one load detection sensor 670 is illustrated, but is not limited thereto. For example, the unmanned transfer robot may include any number of load detection sensors 670 suitable for detecting whether an article is loaded.

In one embodiment, the loading detection sensor 670 may be fixed to the inside of the main body 620 and disposed to face the loading part. In another embodiment, the load detection sensor 670 may be disposed at any position in the body portion 620 or the loading portion to easily check whether the articles 642 and 644 are loaded. In one embodiment, the load detection sensor 670 may correspond to a visible light camera, an infrared camera, an ultrasonic camera, LiDAR, or the like. The control unit may receive a signal from the loading detection sensor 670 to determine whether to load the goods, and accordingly control the operation of the driving unit 610 , the first driving unit, the second driving unit, and the third driving unit.

In an embodiment, the unmanned transfer robot may further include a transfer confirmation sensor 680 configured to image an article (not shown) disposed outside of the unmanned transfer robot. For example, the transport confirmation sensor 680 may correspond to at least one of a visible light camera, an infrared camera, an ultrasonic camera, and a LiDAR. In this case, when the articles 642 and 644 are discharged to the outside of the loading unit at the transfer destination, the controller may control the operation of the transfer confirmation sensor 680 to image the discharged article. In FIG. 6 , one transport confirmation sensor 680 is illustrated, but is not limited thereto. For example, the unmanned transfer robot may include any number of transfer confirmation sensors 680 suitable for detecting whether an article is loaded.

In an embodiment, the controller may control the operation of the second driving unit (not shown) so that the sweeper 634 comes into contact with the first article 642 by driving the conveyor 632 . Next, by driving the conveyor 632 , the control unit may control the operation of the second driving unit so that the first article 642 is pushed by the sweeper 634 and fixed in close contact with the door unit 650 . Accordingly, the first article 642 may be fitted between the sweeper 634 and the door unit 650 . In this case, the second article 644 may be in contact with the screen 664 .

In one embodiment, when it is determined through the close contact sensor 652 that the first article 642 is not in close contact with the door unit 650 in a state in which the door unit 650 is closed, the controller controls the first article 642 The operation of the second driving unit may be additionally controlled so that it is pushed by the sweeper 634 and fixed in close contact with the door unit 650 . In this case, if the first article 642 is completely in close contact with the door unit 650 , the adhesion detection sensor 652 may transmit a signal to the control unit, and the control unit may control the second driving unit not to be driven. In addition, if the first article 642 is not completely in close contact with the door unit 650 , the adhesion detection sensor 652 transmits a signal to the controller, and the controller pushes the first article 642 by the sweeper 634 to the door. The second driving unit may be driven to be closely fixed to the unit 650 .

Meanwhile, a sensor (not shown) that performs the same function as the close contact sensor 652 formed on the door unit 650 may be formed on the screen 664 . In this case, the corresponding sensor may be a sensor that detects whether the second article 644 is in close contact with the screen 664 .

7 is a diagram illustrating a process 710 and 720 in which one or more articles 642 and 644 are loaded in the unmanned transfer robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Specifically, reference numeral 710 denotes a state in which articles 642 and 644 are loaded in the loading unit, and reference numeral 720 denotes a state in which the door unit 650 is closed and the screen 664 is moved. Among the configurations shown in FIG. 7 , descriptions of those corresponding to those shown in FIG. 6 will be omitted.

In one embodiment, one or more articles 642 , 644 may be loaded onto the support of the load. For example, one or more articles 642 and 644 may be stacked on the support of the loading part through the opened door part 650 side. When it is determined that the articles 642 and 644 are loaded in the loading unit through the loading detection sensor 670 , the controller may control the first driving unit (not shown) to close the door unit 650 .

In one embodiment, if it is determined that the door unit 650 is closed, the control unit controls the operation of a third driving unit (not shown) such that the screen 664 comes into proximity or contact with at least some of the one or more items 642 , 644 . can do. Specifically, the control unit drives the screen 664 so that the remaining second article 644 other than the first article 642 in contact with the support part among the one or more articles 642 and 644 is in contact with the screen 664 and is not discharged to the ground. It is possible to control the operation of the third driving unit to prevent it from happening. In FIG. 7 , each of the first article 642 and the second article 644 is illustrated as one, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the first article 642 in contact with the support and the second article 644 overlapped thereon may correspond to a plurality of pieces.

On the other hand, after the goods 642 and 644 are loaded in the loading unit and the door unit 650 is closed, the control unit controls the operation of the driving unit 610 so that the unmanned transfer robot is directed to the transfer destination of the first article 642 . can do.

8 is a diagram illustrating a process (810, 820) of selectively discharging one or more articles (642, 644) loaded in an unmanned transfer robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Specifically, reference numeral 810 denotes a state in which articles 642 and 644 are loaded in the loading unit, and reference numeral 820 denotes a state in which the door unit 650 is closed and the screen 664 is moved. Among the configurations shown in FIG. 8 , descriptions of those corresponding to those shown in FIG. 6 will be omitted.

In an embodiment, when it is determined that the unmanned transfer robot arrives at the transfer destination of the first article 642 , the controller (not shown) may control the first driving unit (not shown) to open the door part 650 . . For example, the controller may control the first driving unit to open the door unit 650 coupled to the body unit at one end so that the other end of the door unit 650 approaches or comes into contact with the ground (not shown). In this case, the door part 650 may serve as a slope, so that the first article 642 pushed from the support part may be discharged to the outside along the slope by gravity.

Meanwhile, the unmanned transfer robot may include an obstacle detecting sensor (not shown). The obstacle detection sensor may be configured to detect the position, size, or distance to the obstacle of the obstacle on the ground. In this case, the controller may control the operation of the obstacle detection sensor. The obstacle detection sensor may be fixedly disposed to face the ground at any position of the body part or the loading part. In an embodiment, the obstacle detection sensor may correspond to a Time of Flight (ToF) sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a lidar sensor, or a 3D camera sensor. After determining whether there is an obstacle on the ground through the obstacle detection sensor, the controller may control the operation of the driving unit and/or the first driving unit so that the first article 642 may be discharged from the ground without the obstacle. In an embodiment, when the other end of the door unit 650 is caught by an obstacle on the ground when the door unit 650 is opened, the unmanned transfer robot may perform the ejection operation of the first article 642 again. For example, when the other end of the door unit 650 is caught by an obstacle on the ground, the control unit may sense a load current of the first driving unit. In this case, the controller controls the first driving unit to close the door unit 650 , controls the traveling unit to move the location of the unmanned transport robot, and then controls the first driving unit to open the door unit 650 to open the first article. (642) can be ejected again.

Next, by driving the conveyor 632, the control unit controls the second driving unit (not shown) so that the first article 642 is pushed by the at least one sweeper 634 and discharged to the ground along the door unit 650. can In this case, the first article 642 is pushed by the sweeper 660 and moved to the inclined door part 650 side along the support part, and then discharged to the ground along one surface of the inclined door part 650 by gravity. can be On the other hand, when the first article 642 is discharged to the ground, the second article 644 is not discharged to the ground by contacting the screen 664, but may be changed in position to contact the support part by gravity. In this case, in order to adjust the position of the second article 644 on the support, the controller may control the second driving unit to push and move the second article 644 by the sweeper 634 .

According to an embodiment, when the first article 642 is discharged along one surface of the door part 650 in a state in which the door part 650 is opened, the controller controls the first article through an adhesion detection sensor (not shown). It can be determined whether or not (642) is discharged. That is, the close contact sensor may perform the role of the alight detection sensor. Specifically, the adhesion detection sensor formed on one surface of the door part 650 in contact with the first article 642 determines whether the first article 642 discharged along one surface of the door part 650 is discharged out of the door part 650 . can detect For example, when the first article 642 pushed down in contact with the adhesion detection sensor is out of the door unit 650 outside the adhesion detection sensor, the adhesion detection sensor may detect this and transmit a signal to the control unit. In this case, the controller may prepare for closing the door unit 650 .

When the first article 642 is discharged through the load detection sensor 670, the second article 644 is loaded, and it is determined that the door unit 650 is open, the control unit controls the door unit 650 to close. 1 The drive unit can be controlled. Further, the control unit may control the second drive such that the sweeper 634 abuts the second article 644 on the support. Subsequently, the controller may control the operation of the driving unit so that the unmanned transfer robot moves to the transfer destination of the second article 644 .

9 illustrates a method 900 for selectively discharging articles transferred by an unmanned transfer robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

The selective discharging method 900 of the article by the unmanned transfer robot may be initiated by the control unit detecting the closing of the door unit (S910). Subsequently, the controller may determine whether the article is loaded in the loading unit through the loading detection sensor (S920). When the article is loaded in the loading unit, the controller may adjust the position of the screen by driving the screen unit (S930). Specifically, by driving the screen, the control unit may control the operation of the third driving unit so that an item that is not a discharge target among one or more items is not discharged to the ground in contact with the screen.

Meanwhile, the controller may control the operation of the driving unit so that the unmanned transport robot moves along a driving path to a transport destination of the article. When the unmanned transfer robot arrives at the transfer destination, the controller may control the first driving unit to open the door unit coupled to the body unit at one end so that the other end of the door unit approaches or comes into contact with the ground. In this case, the controller may detect whether the door is opened through the sensor (S940). Next, the controller may control the second driving unit to drive the conveyor so that the article to be discharged is pushed by the sweeper and discharged to the ground along the door unit ( S950 ).

Next, the control unit may determine whether the article remains in the loading section through the loading detection sensor and/or the close contact sensor (S960). When the controller determines that the article remains in the loading section, the controller can adjust the position of the screen by driving the screen section so that the loaded article can be selectively discharged at another transfer destination. Subsequently, the controller may control the operation of the first driving unit to close the door unit, and may control the operation of the driving unit to move the unmanned transfer robot along the traveling path to the transport destination of the article. When the control unit determines that the goods do not remain in the loading unit, the control unit may control the operation of the transport confirmation sensor to detect whether the discharged goods are properly unloaded at the destination (S970).

Finally, the controller may control the second driving unit so that the positions of the conveyor and the sweeper are initialized to the state before loading the article ( S980 ).

The above-described operation of the controller may be provided as a computer program stored in a computer-readable recording medium to be executed by a computer. The medium may continuously store a computer executable program, or may be a temporary storage for execution or download. In addition, the medium may be various recording means or storage means in the form of a single or several hardware combined, it is not limited to a medium directly connected to any computer system, and may exist distributed on a network. Examples of the medium include a hard disk, a magnetic medium such as a floppy disk and a magnetic tape, an optical recording medium such as CD-ROM and DVD, a magneto-optical medium such as a floppy disk, and those configured to store program instructions, including ROM, RAM, flash memory, and the like. In addition, examples of other media may include recording media or storage media managed by an app store that distributes applications, sites that supply or distribute various other software, or servers.

The operations, methods, or techniques of the control unit of the present disclosure may be implemented by various means. For example, these techniques may be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or a combination thereof. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the disclosure herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design requirements imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementations should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present disclosure.

In a hardware implementation, the processing units used to perform the techniques include one or more ASICs, DSPs, digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs). ), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, electronic devices, other electronic units designed to perform the functions described in this disclosure. , a computer, or a combination thereof.

Accordingly, with respect to the control unit of the present disclosure, it may be implemented by various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits. For example, the controller may be implemented as a general purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination of those designed to perform the functions described herein; may be performed. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, eg, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other configuration.

In firmware and/or software implementations, the techniques include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM), PROM ( on computer-readable media such as programmable read-only memory), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), flash memory, compact disc (CD), magnetic or optical data storage devices, etc. It may be implemented as stored instructions. The instructions may be executable by one or more processors, and may cause the processor(s) to perform certain aspects of the functionality described in this disclosure.

Although the embodiments described above have been described as utilizing aspects of the presently disclosed subject matter in one or more standalone computing devices or systems, the present disclosure is not so limited and may be implemented in connection with any computing environment, such as a network or distributed computing environment. may be Still further, aspects of the subject matter in this disclosure may be implemented in a plurality of processing chips or devices, and storage may be similarly affected across the plurality of devices. Such devices may include PCs, network servers, and portable devices.

Although the present disclosure has been described in connection with some embodiments herein, various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure that can be understood by those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains. Further, such modifications and variations are intended to fall within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

200: unmanned transport robot
210: body part
220: driving unit
230: loading unit
240: door unit
250: screen unit

Claims (10)

In the unmanned transfer robot capable of delivery to multiple destinations,
body part;
a loading unit formed on one side of the main body to stack one or more articles;
a door part formed on one side of the loading part and configured to be opened and closed by a first driving part;
a screen part disposed between the loading part and the door part; and
a control unit configured to control operations of the loading unit, the door unit, and the screen unit
including,
The loading unit,
a support for supporting the one or more articles;
a conveying unit including at least one conveyor disposed on at least one side of the support and at least one sweeper formed on the at least one conveyor; and
a second drive configured to drive the at least one conveyor;
The screen unit,
a screen configured to selectively contact at least a portion of the one or more articles;
a guide part for guiding the movement of the screen; and
a third driving unit configured to drive the screen;
The control unit is further configured to control the first driving unit, the second driving unit, and the third driving unit, the unmanned transfer robot.
According to claim 1,
The control unit is
Controls the first driving unit so that the other end of the door unit approaches or comes into contact with the ground by opening the door unit coupled to the body unit at one end,
By driving the at least one conveyor, the second driving unit is controlled so that the one or more articles, which are in contact with the support unit, are pushed by the at least one sweeper and discharged to the ground along the door unit.
3. The method of claim 2,
The control unit, by driving the screen, control the operation of the third driving unit so that other items other than the one in contact with the support part among the one or more articles are in contact with the screen and are not discharged to the ground, the unmanned transport robot.
3. The method of claim 2,
An adhesion detection sensor configured to detect whether at least a portion of the one or more articles is in contact with the door unit is disposed on one surface of the door unit,
The control unit is further configured to control the operation of the contact detection sensor, the unmanned transfer robot.
5. The method of claim 4,
When the article is discharged along one surface of the door in a state in which the door is opened, the control unit,
The unmanned transfer robot, further configured to determine whether the article is discharged through the close contact sensor.
3. The method of claim 2,
The door part is configured such that one end of the door part is coupled to the main body part through a hinge part so as to be rotatably opened and closed around a rotation axis of the hinge part,
In a state in which the door part is opened, the other end of the door part is close to or in contact with the ground, the unmanned transport robot.
According to claim 1,
a load detection sensor configured to detect whether the one or more articles are loaded on the support;
The control unit is further configured to control the operation of the load detection sensor, the unmanned transfer robot.
8. The method of claim 7,
When it is determined through the loading detection sensor that the one or more items are loaded in the loading unit, and the unmanned transfer robot arrives at the transfer destination of at least some of the one or more items, the control unit is configured to allow the door unit to be opened. 1 An unmanned transfer robot that controls the drive unit.
9. The method of claim 8,
Further comprising a transfer confirmation sensor configured to image an article disposed outside the unmanned transfer robot,
When the article is discharged to the outside of the loading unit at the transfer destination, the control unit controls the operation of the transfer confirmation sensor to image the discharged article, the unmanned transfer robot.
8. The method of claim 7,
When it is determined through the loading detection sensor that the one or more articles are not loaded in the loading unit and the door unit is in an open state, the control unit controls the first driving unit to close the door unit, the unmanned transfer robot .

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