KR20130033920A - Apparatus of service robot having arm assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A mobile service robot with an arm assembly, capable of vertically moving and rotating an arm assembly is provided to lift the entire assembly and to pick an object which is located in a high place or a low place with less power. CONSTITUTION: A mobile service robot with an arm assembly, capable of vertically moving and rotating an arm assembly comprises a moving unit(10), a body unit(20), and an arm assembly(30). The moving unit operates the mobile service robot. The body unit is connected to the moving unit. The arm assembly comprises a hand(360) and an arm base(310).

Description

A service robot having an arm assembly capable of vertical motion and rotational motion {APPARATUS OF SERVICE ROBOT HAVING ARM ASSEMBLY}

The present invention relates to a service robot having an arm assembly capable of picking up a specific object.

A mobile service robot refers to an intelligent service robot that can move and perform commands. Service robots generally perform various tasks such as recognition of objects or situations in the indoor environment, moving to a target point, holding a designated object, and storing a DB. Examples of tasks performed by the mobile service robot include bringing green tea drinks in the refrigerator to the user, and bringing a remote controller on the floor to the user sitting on the sofa.

In the case of the conventional service robot, an arm is mounted on the upper part of the robot body, and objects placed at a low place such as the floor could not be picked up. The robot, which is more advanced to pick up the object on the floor, is configured to lean on the arm-mounted upper body. Since the robot of this type needs to bow the entire upper body of the robot, there is a disadvantage that the power consumption of the motor that drives the upper body increases.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and an object thereof is to provide a service robot capable of picking up an object placed at a low place or an object placed at a high place even with a small driving force.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention, a service robot for picking up an object, a moving unit for driving the service robot; A body portion at least partially coupled to the moving portion to be rotatable; And an arm assembly capable of vertical and rotational movements including an arm assembly including a hand for picking up an object and an arm base that is liftably coupled to the body portion.

At this time, the arm assembly, the arm base is coupled to the body portion to be elevated; And at least one link operatively coupled to the arm base, wherein the hand may be coupled to an end of the last link of the at least one link.

The service robot may further include a sensor unit configured to recognize the space in which the service robot is located or the object.

In addition, the service robot may further include a display unit for transmitting a state, a warning, a notification, or a message of the service robot to a user.

On the other hand, the body portion, the upper frame and the lower frame disposed on the top and bottom of the body portion is fixed without rotation; A post fixed between the upper frame and the lower frame and having a fixed spur gear coupled to an outer circumferential surface thereof; A lower plate rotatably supported on an upper side of the lower frame; An upper plate rotatably supported at a lower side of the upper frame and integrally coupled with the lower plate; A rotation driving motor generating a driving force and integrally coupled with the lower plate; And coupled to the drive shaft of the rotary drive motor, it may include a rotary spur gear meshing with the fixed spur gear.

In addition, the body portion, a lower plate rotatably supported on the upper side of the lower frame; An upper plate rotatably supported at a lower side of the upper frame and integrally coupled with the lower plate; A linear shaft integrally coupled with the lower plate and the upper plate; A lead screw rotatably supported between the lower plate and the upper plate; A lead screw nut which is integrally coupled to the arm base and is coupled to the linear screw, and which rotates when the linear screw rotates or rises or falls; And it may include a lead screw drive motor for driving the lead screw.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the service robot can pick up objects located at a low place such as the floor without picking up the upper body, and can also pick up objects located at a high place such as a table, so that the system load capacity can be reduced and the overall service robot can be collected. This configuration has the effect of simplifying.

In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, since the arm assembly can be rotated even if the service robot itself is not rotated, it is possible to pick up objects placed in various directions of the service robot, thereby increasing the work area compared to the conventional service robot. .

In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, when the service robot is moved, the arm assembly can be folded and loaded behind the service robot, which has the advantage of smooth movement in a narrow space.

1 is a perspective view of a service robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a service robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a view showing an operating state of the service robot according to an embodiment of the present invention, which is a view showing a state when picking up an object located at an intermediate height.
4 is a view showing an operating state of the service robot according to an embodiment of the present invention, which shows a state when picking up an object located at a high place.
5 is a view showing an operating state of the service robot according to an embodiment of the present invention, which shows a state when picking up an object located at a low position.
6 is a view showing an operating state of the service robot according to an embodiment of the present invention, it is a view showing a state in which the arm assembly is rotated in the clockwise direction about the rotation axis.
7 is a view showing an operating state of the service robot according to an embodiment of the present invention, in the state of Figure 6 is a view showing a state in which the arm assembly is further rotated clockwise around the axis of rotation.
8 (a) and (b) are diagrams showing an operating state of the service robot according to an embodiment of the present invention, each of which is a perspective view and a side view showing a state in which the arm assembly is folded and loaded to the rear of the service robot. .
9 is a perspective view showing the main part of the body portion of the service robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.
10 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the main part of the body portion of the service robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.
11 is a perspective view showing a lifting structure of the arm assembly of the service robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.
12 is a perspective view of components disposed inside of FIG. 11.
Figure 13 is a perspective view of the lifting structure of the arm assembly of the service robot according to an embodiment of the present invention from the other side.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same or similar components throughout the drawings. In the following description of the present invention, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present invention rather unclear.

1 is a perspective view of a service robot (hereinafter, simply referred to as a service robot) having an arm assembly capable of vertical motion and rotation motion according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the overall structure of a service robot.

1 and 2, the service robot 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include a moving unit 10, a body unit 20, an arm assembly 30, a head unit 40, and a sensor unit ( 60, a control unit 80, and a display unit 50.

The moving unit 10 may include a driving wheel (110 of FIG. 8) and a driving motor (not shown) to freely travel the service robot 1. The driving wheel is provided on the bottom surface of the service robot 1 and is driven by the driving motor to drive the service robot 1. The drive motor generates a driving force for driving the drive motor.

Body portion 20 is coupled to the upper portion of the moving portion 10, and supports the arm assembly (30). The body portion 20 has a structure in which all or at least a portion thereof is rotatable about a rotation axis in a vertical direction with respect to the moving portion 10.

The arm assembly 30 is coupled to the body portion 20 so as to be lifted up and down. The arm assembly 30 of the service robot 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include an arm base 310, a first link 320, a second link 330, a third link 340, and a twist member ( 350, hand 360. The arm assembly 30 may be lifted along the body 20 to pick up a wide range of objects from a low place to a high place.

The head portion 40 is provided on the upper portion of the body portion 20 and may support the sensor portion 60 and the display portion 50. The head portion 40 is not an essential configuration of the service robot 1 according to the present invention, and may be omitted as necessary.

The controller 80 may include a central processing unit 810 and a memory 820. The central processing unit 810 generates an operation command for each component of the service robot 1 including the moving unit 10 and the arm assembly 30 in order for the service robot 1 to perform a specific operation.

A command of a user may be input to the CPU 810, and information detected by the sensor unit 60 may be input. The memory 820 may store a program for performing a specific operation with respect to a specific command, and environment information about the space where the service robot 1 is located and the location and size of various objects may be stored.

The sensor unit 60 recognizes a space where the object or the service robot 1 is located. The sensor unit 60 may be, for example, an ultrasonic sensor, an infrared sensor, a laser sensor, a general camera, a laser scanner, a stereo camera, a microphone, or the like. The mobile service robot 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be implemented as an intelligent service robot that is movable and performs a specific command. In addition, the mobile service robot 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention analyzes the measured value or the image measured by the sensor unit 60 or the like to recognize or infer an operation such as recognizing an object or a magnetic position. It can be equipped with a function that can be.

The display unit 50 notifies the state of the service robot 1 or transmits a warning, a notification, a message, etc. to the user.

Hereinafter, the structure of the arm assembly 30 is demonstrated in detail.

The arm base 310 supports the remaining parts of the arm assembly 30 with respect to the body portion 20. The arm base 310 is coupled to the body portion 20 to be elevated.

One end of the first link 320 is coupled to the arm base 310 to enable a pitch operation. One end of the second link 330 is coupled to the other end of the first link 320 to enable pitch operation. One end of the third link 340 is coupled to the other end of the second link 330 to enable pitch operation. The twist member 350 is rotatably coupled to the other end of the third link 340. The rotation axis of the twist member 350 is a direction parallel to the direction in which the third link 340 extends. The hand 360 is coupled to the twist member 350 to enable a tilting operation. The hand 360 is tilted in the left and right directions. Hand 360 is a three jaw (jaw) type, each jaw (jaw) can be opened and closed at the same time, or can be opened and closed individually.

3 is a view showing an operating state of a service robot according to an embodiment of the present invention, which shows a state when picking up an object located at an intermediate height, and FIG. 4 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an operating state of a service robot, which illustrates a state when picking up an object located at a high place, and FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an operating state of a service robot according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the state at the time of picking up the object located in the place. And, Figure 6 is a view showing the operating state of the service robot according to an embodiment of the present invention, a view showing a state in which the arm assembly is rotated clockwise around the axis of rotation, Figure 7 is a view of the present invention FIG. 6 is a view showing an operating state of the service robot according to the embodiment, in which the arm assembly is further rotated clockwise about the rotation axis in the state of FIG. 6. And, Figure 8 is a view showing the operating state of the service robot according to an embodiment of the present invention, each is a perspective view and a side view showing a state in which the arm assembly is folded and loaded to the back of the service robot.

The arm assembly 30 of the service robot 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is capable of lifting and lowering with respect to the body portion 20. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the lifting operation of the arm assembly 30 of the service robot 1 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention is configured such that the entire arm assembly 30 moves up and down linearly. . Therefore, the object can be picked up smoothly regardless of whether the object to be picked up is placed at a low position such as a floor or a high position such as a table. 6 and 7, the rotation operation of the arm assembly 30 is configured such that the entire arm assembly 30 is rotated on a horizontal plane with the body 20 as the central axis. Therefore, the object can be picked up without changing the direction of the service robot 1 regardless of which direction the object to be picked up is located in the service robot 1. In addition, as shown in FIG. 8, since the arm assembly 30 can be folded to the rear of the service robot 1 while driving the service robot 1, the arm assembly 30 can be driven in a state in which the volume is minimized, so that the service robot 1 can run smoothly even in a narrow space. I can drive.

9 is a perspective view showing the main part of the body of the service robot according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the main part of the body of the service robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10 will be described an embodiment of a structure for rotating the body portion 20 about the axis of rotation in the vertical direction.

Body portion 20 of the service robot 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is a rotation drive motor and reducer 210, upper frame 201, lower frame 202, post 220, fixed spur gear 230, rotary spur gear 212, top plate 250, and bottom plate 240.

The upper frame 201 and the lower frame 202 are respectively disposed on the top and bottom of the body portion 20 and are fixed without rotation. The post 220 is fixed between the upper frame 201 and the lower frame 202, the fixed spur gear 230 is fixed to the outer circumferential surface of the post 220. The upper frame 201, the lower frame 202, the post 220 and the fixed spur gear 230 are components that do not rotate relative to the moving part 10.

The lower plate 240 is rotatably supported on the upper side of the lower frame 202, and the upper plate 250 is rotatably supported on the lower side of the upper frame 201. The lower plate 240 and the upper plate 250 are coupled by the linear shaft 290 to rotate integrally. The arm base 310 is liftably coupled to the linear shaft 290. The rotary drive motor and the reducer 210 are fixed to the upper plate 250 and the lower plate 240, and the rotary spur gear 212 is coupled to the drive shaft of the rotary drive motor and the reducer 210. Rotary spur gear 212 meshes with fixed spur gear 230.

When the rotary spur gear 212 is driven to rotate by the driving of the rotation driving motor and the reducer 210, the rotary spur gear 212 rotates along the outer circumferential surface of the fixed spur gear 230, whereby the upper plate 250 And the lower plate 240 rotates about the upper frame 201 and the lower frame 202 about the post 220. At this time, the vertical axis of rotation of the body portion 20 is the central axis of the post (220).

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a structure for lifting the arm assembly 30 with respect to the body portion 20 will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 13.

The service robot 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention has a structure for elevating the arm assembly 30 with respect to the body portion 20, and includes a lead screw 280, a lead screw driving motor 270, and a lead screw nut. 282, a linear shaft 290.

The lead screw 280 is rotatably supported between the upper plate 250 and the lower plate 240. The arm base 310 is coupled to the linear shaft 290 to guide the linear movement up and down, and the lead screw nut 282 is coupled to the arm base 310 to be fixed.

When the lead screw drive motor 270 is driven, the lead screw 280 is rotated while the belt 281 connected to the output shaft of the lead screw drive motor 270 is rotated, and when the lead screw 280 is rotated, the lead screw nut 282 is rotated. ) Rises or falls along the lead screw 280. When the lead screw nut 282 moves in the vertical direction, the arm base 310 fixed to the lead screw nut 282 also moves along the linear shaft 290 in the vertical direction. As the arm base 310 moves in the vertical direction, the entire arm assembly 30 may move in the vertical direction.

On the other hand, since the arm assembly 30 may be damaged when excessively raised or lowered, it is necessary to limit the movement of the arm assembly 30 in the vertical direction. In this case, the body 20 is provided with a sensor 260 to detect the position of the arm assembly 30. Since the height of the arm assembly 30 is sensed by the sensor 260 when the arm assembly 30 is raised or lowered, excessive raising or lowering of the arm assembly 30 is limited.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims. . Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention but to limit the scope of the technical idea of the present invention. The protection scope of the present invention should be interpreted by the following claims, and all technical ideas within the equivalent scope should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present invention.

10: moving part 20: body part
30: arm assembly 40: head portion

Claims (6)

In the service robot for picking up an object,
A moving unit which drives the service robot;
A body portion at least partially coupled to the moving portion rotatably; And
An arm assembly comprising a hand for picking up an object and an arm base removably coupled to the body portion
Service robot having an arm assembly capable of vertical movement and rotational movement comprising a. The method of claim 1,
The arm assembly,
At least one link operatively coupled to the arm base,
And wherein the hand has an arm assembly capable of up and down movement and rotational movement coupled to an end of the last link of the at least one link. The method of claim 1,
The service robot,
The service robot having an arm assembly capable of vertical movement and rotational movement further comprising a sensor unit for recognizing the space or the object in which the service robot is located. The method of claim 1,
The service robot,
The service robot having an arm assembly capable of vertical movement and rotational movement further comprising a display unit for transmitting the status, warning, notification or message of the service robot to the user. The method of claim 1,
The body portion
An upper frame and a lower frame disposed at the top and bottom of the body and fixed without rotation;
A post fixed between the upper frame and the lower frame and having a fixed spur gear coupled to an outer circumferential surface thereof;
A lower plate rotatably supported on an upper side of the lower frame;
An upper plate rotatably supported at a lower side of the upper frame and integrally coupled with the lower plate;
A rotation driving motor generating a driving force and integrally coupled with the lower plate; And
A rotary spur gear that is coupled to a drive shaft of the rotary drive motor and meshes with the fixed spur gear;
Service robot having an arm assembly capable of vertical movement and rotational movement comprising a. The method of claim 1,
The body portion
A lower plate rotatably supported on an upper side of the lower frame;
An upper plate rotatably supported at a lower side of the upper frame and integrally coupled with the lower plate;
A linear shaft integrally coupled with the lower plate and the upper plate;
A lead screw rotatably supported between the lower plate and the upper plate;
A lead screw nut which is integrally coupled to the arm base and is coupled to the linear screw, and which rotates when the linear screw rotates or rises or falls; And
A lead screw drive motor for driving the lead screw
Service robot having an arm assembly capable of vertical movement and rotational movement comprising a.

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