KR20240066582A - Greenhouse running gear with self-aligning auxillary wheel - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a greenhouse driving device that can be used for purposes such as an unmanned pest control device for spraying chemicals or chemical solutions while passing between crops on a pipe rail installed in a greenhouse, or an unmanned transport vehicle for transporting harvested agricultural products, and is described in more detail. The rotating caster 150, which is used as an auxiliary wheel to distribute the load when the greenhouse driving device is driven in the open field, is aligned to follow the direction of travel of the bogie 100 when in contact with the road surface, and moves straight when floating in the air. It is made of a self-aligning type to prevent unnecessary spinning during the driving process of the greenhouse driving device and to avoid interfering with accurate driving.

Description

Greenhouse running gear with self-aligning auxillary wheel}

The present invention relates to a greenhouse driving device that can be used for purposes such as an unmanned pest control device for spraying chemicals or chemical solutions while passing between crops on a pipe rail installed in a greenhouse, or an unmanned transport vehicle for transporting harvested agricultural products, and is described in more detail. The rotating caster, which is used as an auxiliary wheel to distribute the load when the greenhouse driving device is driven in the open field, is manufactured in a self-aligning type to enable easy direction changes and to prevent unnecessary free spinning during the autonomous driving process. This was done so as not to interfere with accurate driving.

Greenhouses, which are generally made of greenhouses, are facilities for harvesting special crops or fruits and vegetables earlier than the season. Crops grown in greenhouses are sprayed with pesticides to control pests and diseases, and liquid fertilizers or nutrients to promote growth. It is necessary to carry out spraying of various types of fluids, such as spraying water for the purpose of spraying moisture and controlling temperature. Pesticides are toxic substances that can be fatal to the human body if they come into contact with the skin or enter the body through the respiratory tract. Caution must be exercised as this will affect the temperature, and in the summer, the temperature inside the greenhouse is high, making working conditions more dangerous.

As described above, a liquid spraying device that can spray liquids such as pesticides without workers entering the greenhouse through unmanned operation has been developed and used, eliminating the task of spraying pesticides inside the greenhouse. The technology is disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 8, etc.

The 'smart unmanned pest control device' of Patent Document 1 is wheel-driven, the 'method of operating a pesticide spraying truck' of Patent Document 2 is movable on rails and general ground, and the 'unmanned agricultural production system' of Patent Document 3 The 'traveling robot for automation' is wheel-driven for multi-purpose use, and the 'lateral movement device of an unmanned pest control vehicle' in Patent Document 4 moves from the road surface, not the rail, to the adjacent rail as the auxiliary caster is raised and lowered. A device for this is disclosed, and the 'unmanned pest control device' of Patent Document 5 is wheel-driven, and the 'rail-movable automatic pest control device' of Patent Document 6 is capable of moving outside the rail with auxiliary wheels, but the hose is connected to the main body. work such as winding was necessary, and the 'multipurpose unmanned pest control vehicle' of Patent Document 7 can run on rails and open fields, and the 'Wheel-rail combined type multifunctional platform unmanned transport device for facility horticulture' of Patent Document 8 It is composed of both wheels and rails, and the 'greenhouse pest control device' of Patent Document 9 is also capable of running on rails and roads.

Meanwhile, in the above-described prior art, in the case of a control robot in which the mother ship and the mother ship are separated, the mother ship carries the mother ship and moves between furrows, and the mother ship performs the role of releasing and winding the chemical hose when doing pest control. However, this method has the problem that the hardware is separated from the mothership and the own ship, which not only complicates the structure but also increases the production cost. The environment inside the greenhouse is always exposed to high temperature and humidity, so the robot and electronic system are damaged. There was a problem of poor durability against temperature, humidity, and chemical resistance. In particular, the pest control robot runs on a dedicated rail inside the greenhouse. In this case, the pest control robot must be able to run at a constant speed without leaving the rail, but the existing pest control robot has to be able to run at a constant speed without leaving the rail. The rail driving part is not equipped with a separate suspension device, so the driving is unstable. In particular, a large shock is transmitted to the driving wheel due to the step that occurs when moving from the paved road surface to the rail and from the rail to the road surface, which reduces the durability of the driving part. There was a problem with this rapid decline.

In addition, when driving with the chemical tank mounted integrally, there were problems such as failure to properly distribute the load, resulting in derailment or damage to the driving wheel or deformation of the rail.

The multi-purpose greenhouse traveling device of Patent Document 10 is intended to solve this problem. As shown in FIG. 1, it is provided with a loading part 110 on the upper part for loading a chemical tank or harvesting container, etc., and a lower part. A bogie 100 provided with a driving wheel 120 for generating driving force when traveling on rails or on a paved road surface and a rail wheel 130 for riding on rails; It is provided at the front or rear of the bogie 100 and includes a steering and operation unit 200 for steering and manipulation when moving on the road, and the driving wheel 120 is disposed on the left and right sides of the middle portion of the bogie 100. , the rail wheels 130 are disposed on the left and right sides of the front and rear portions of the bogie 100, the left and right driving wheels 120 are each driven by a drive motor 122, and a battery pack is installed inside the bogie 100. (300) is disposed, and the left and right driving wheels 120 are maintained in close contact with the road surface and the rail by an independent suspension mechanism, so that they can be used when driving or when moving between the rail and the road surface. It is designed to absorb shock, and between the driving wheel 120 and the rail wheel 130, a rotating caster 150 is provided to assist when changing direction on the road surface, and a fixed caster 160 is provided to distribute the load when driving on the rail. ) consists of a structure further provided.

Meanwhile, in Patent Document 10, a swivel castor (150) is installed at the front and rear of the bogie as an auxiliary wheel for load distribution when driving on the road, and this swivel castor (150) is located in the middle part of the bogie (100). It rotates while supporting the load of the bogie while in contact with the road surface along with the drive wheel (120) installed on the wheel. If the road surface is uneven, the freewheel rotates unnecessarily due to vibration while driving while floating in the air. -Spinning (free-spinning) phenomenon occurs, and if the vehicle touches the road surface again while the direction is not aligned, it causes interference or resistance in the progress of autonomous driving, which is a problem that disrupts the accuracy of steering. It was discovered.

Korean Patent No. 10-2025386 (registered on September 19, 2019) Korean Patent No. 10-1368090 (registered on February 20, 2014) Korean Patent No. 10-2001517 (registered on July 21, 2019) Korean Patent No. 10-1097355 (registered on December 15, 2011) Korean Patent No. 10-1312462 (registered on September 23, 2013) Korean Patent No. 10-1804735 (registered on November 28, 2017) Korean Patent No. 10-1460991 (registered on November 6, 2014) Korean Patent No. 10-1864712 (registered on May 30, 2018) Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2014-0103231 (published on August 26, 2014) Korean Patent No. 10-2447687 (registered on September 22, 2022)

Therefore, the present invention is to solve the above problems, and the purpose of the present invention is to provide a structure of a rotary caster used as an auxiliary wheel for a greenhouse driving device driven by autonomous driving or remote control that can be used for multiple purposes inside a greenhouse. The goal is to improve and provide a greenhouse driving device equipped with self-aligning auxiliary wheels that enables accurate driving by preventing unnecessary free spinning during autonomous driving or remote control driving.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is provided with a loading part for loading a chemical tank or harvesting container at the upper part, and a driving wheel at the lower part for generating driving force when driving on rails or on a paved road surface. and a bogie equipped with rail wheels for riding on rails; It includes a steering and operating unit provided at the front or rear of the bogie for steering and operation when moving on the road, wherein the driving wheel is disposed on the left and right sides of the middle portion of the bogie, and the rail wheel is disposed on the left and right sides of the front and rear portions of the bogie. The left and right driving wheels are each driven by a driving motor, a battery pack is disposed inside the bogie, and the left and right driving wheels are maintained in close contact with the road surface and rail by an independent suspension mechanism. This allows it to absorb shock when driving and when moving between the rail and the road surface, and between the drive wheel and the rail wheel is a rotating caster to assist when changing direction on the road surface and a fixed type to distribute the load when driving on the rail. In the greenhouse driving device equipped with casters,

The rotary caster is aligned to follow the direction of travel of the bogie when in contact with the road surface, and is of a self-aligning type that moves straight when floating in the air, preventing unnecessary free spinning during the driving process of the greenhouse driving device and ensuring accurate driving. Provides a greenhouse driving device equipped with self-aligning auxiliary wheels that do not interfere with the greenhouse.

In a preferred embodiment, the rotary caster includes a top plate attached to a bogie, a bracket rotatably attached to a lower part of the top plate about a vertical axis, and rotatable about a horizontal axis installed on a lower part of the bracket to contact the road surface. It includes a wheel that rolls, and a roller guide is attached to the front and rear directions of the vertical axis. A guide pin is fixed to the bracket in the horizontal direction, and the left and right sides of the guide pin are in close contact with the roller guide by springs. A pair of sliders are installed to hold the wheel, and when the wheel is in contact with the road surface, the direction of the wheel is changed by following the direction of travel of the bogie. When the wheel is floating in the air, the sliders on the left and right are connected to the roller guide by a spring. By keeping the wheel in close contact and maintaining straight alignment, unnecessary free spinning does not occur, so that it does not interfere with the steering by the drive wheel when it comes into contact with the road surface again.

According to the present invention, autonomous driving on the road or remote control is possible in a greenhouse driving device that can be used for multiple purposes, such as an unmanned pest control driving device inside a greenhouse consisting of a smart farm, an unmanned transport vehicle for transporting harvested agricultural products, or a growth measuring robot for agricultural products. When changing direction by control, when the rotating caster, which is an auxiliary wheel, is in contact with the road surface, alignment is achieved by following the moving direction of the bogie. When floating in the air, the slider is in close contact with the roller guide due to the spring and remains aligned in the straight direction, so it does not cause interference due to free spinning, which has the advantage of enabling accurate steering control.

Figure 1 is a bottom perspective view of a conventional greenhouse driving device equipped with auxiliary wheels;
Figure 2 is a perspective view of a rotary caster, which is an auxiliary wheel according to the present invention;
Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of the rotary caster shown in Figure 2;
Figure 4 is a front view of the rotary caster shown in Figure 2;
Figure 5 is a bottom view showing the self-aligned state of the rotary caster.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments that do not limit the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

In the following description, the same components as those of the conventional greenhouse driving device 1 shown in FIG. 1 will be described using the same symbols, and the rotary caster 150, which is an auxiliary wheel according to the present invention, will also be described in FIG. 1. It is used by being attached to the same position as the conventional rotary caster 150 installed in the greenhouse traveling device 1.

As shown in Figures 1 to 5, the multi-purpose greenhouse driving device (1) used as an unmanned pest control device according to an embodiment of the present invention is equipped with a loading part (110) on the top that can load a chemical tank (T). A bogie 100 provided at the lower part with a drive wheel 120 for generating driving force when driving on a rail (R) or a paved road surface and a rail wheel 130 for riding on a rail (not shown), and ; It is provided at the front or rear of the bogie 100 and includes a steering and operation unit 200 for steering and manipulation when moving on the road, and the driving wheel 120 is disposed on the left and right sides of the middle portion of the bogie 100. , the rail wheels 130 are disposed on the left and right sides of the front and rear portions of the bogie 100, the left and right driving wheels 120 are each driven by a drive motor 122, and a battery pack is installed inside the bogie 100. (300) is disposed, and the left and right driving wheels 120 are maintained in close contact with the road surface and the rail by an independent suspension mechanism, so that they can be used when driving or when moving between the rail and the road surface. It is designed to absorb shock.

In this embodiment, between the drive wheel 120 and the rail wheel 130, a rotating caster 150 for assistance when changing direction on the road surface and a fixed caster 160 for load distribution when running on the rail are further provided. It is provided, and the rotary caster 150 is aligned to follow the direction of travel of the bogie 100 when in contact with the road surface, and is of a self-aligning type that moves straight when floating in the air. It is designed to prevent unnecessary spinning from occurring and thus not to interfere with accurate driving.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the rotary caster 150 has a top plate 151 attached to the cart 100 and can rotate around a vertical axis 152 at the lower part of the top plate 151. It includes a bracket 153 that is attached to the bracket, and a wheel 155 that is rotatably installed on a horizontal axis 154 at the bottom of the bracket 153 and rolls in contact with the road surface, and there are rollers in the front and rear directions of the vertical axis 152. A guide 156 is attached, and a guide pin 157 is fixed to the bracket 153 in the horizontal direction, and the left and right sides of the guide pin 157 are in close contact with the roller guide 156 by springs 158, respectively. A pair of sliders 159 that maintain the state are inserted and installed, and when the wheel 155 is in contact with the road surface, the direction of the wheel 155 is changed by following the moving direction of the bogie 100, and the wheel ( When 155) is floating in the air, the sliders 159 on the left and right sides are in close contact with the roller guide 156 on which the vertical axis 152 is attached in the front and rear directions by the spring 158, and the wheel 155 is aligned in a straight line. It is designed to be maintained.

The roller guide 156 may be made of a wrench bolt with a smooth outer surface, and more preferably is made of a roller that rotates by contact with the slider 159 to minimize friction with the slider 159, thereby forming a bracket ( 153) is desirable so that it can naturally return to a straight state after turning left and right.

In the drawing, symbol 151a is a bolt hole formed in the top plate 151, and symbol 152a is a saddle located on the bottom of the top plate 151, with a vertical axis 152 coupled to the center, and front and rear sides of the vertical axis 152. One roller guide 156 in each direction is screwed to the saddle 152a.

In addition, 153a and 153b are shaft holes formed in the lower and upper parts of the bracket 153, respectively, and the horizontal shaft 154 and guide pin 157 are installed, symbols 154a and 157a are nuts, and symbol 500 is for spraying chemical liquid. This is the nozzle stand for this.

Meanwhile, a proximity sensor (S1) is provided at the lower front of the bogie 100 to detect obstacles while driving, and rail sensors (S2) are installed at the corresponding parts on the rails on both the front and rear sides, respectively, to continuously monitor the rails. By detecting and sending an alarm if the rail is not detected normally, the rail wheel 130 is prevented from derailing on the rail.

The driving wheel 120 is configured to oscillate back and forth by receiving the rotational force of the driving motor 122 through a worm gear type reduction box, and the left and right driving wheels 120 are each operated by an independent suspension mechanism. 120) is designed to maintain close contact with the road surface and the rail and absorb shock when driving and when moving between the rail and the road surface.

The multi-purpose greenhouse traveling device of the present invention configured as described above can be used as an unmanned pest control device inside a greenhouse constructed as a smart farm as described above, and can also be used for purposes such as an unmanned transport vehicle for transporting harvested agricultural products or a growth measurement robot. It can be used on rails made of pipes, and by moving forward and backward by remote or automatic program control, unmanned spraying of chemicals or nutrient solutions is possible, preventing safety accidents and maximizing work efficiency. When moving, the operator can move the position by manual operation and move it to another rail. This is because the direction can be changed stably even on the road by operating the switch on the steering and control part and the rotary caster on the bottom of the bogie. This is because it is composed of a platform that is easy to load chemicals containers for unmanned pest control or containers for transporting other harvested crops, as well as an electronic control unit and a driving wheel at the bottom of the bogie to ensure durability in the high temperature and humidity environment inside the greenhouse. It is composed of a structure that can protect the cart, and the load during movement can be distributed by the auxiliary wheels.

In addition, when the rotary caster 150 according to the present invention is in contact with the road surface, the wheel 155 overcomes the force of the spring 158 due to a direction change load and follows the direction of travel of the bogie 100 to align, that is, The direction change is made naturally to the left and right as shown by the dotted line in FIG. 5, and on irregular road surfaces, it remains floating in the air. In this case, the slider (158) is activated by the spring 158 as shown by the solid line in FIG. 159) is in close contact with the roller guide 156 attached before and after the vertical axis 152, thereby stably maintaining the wheel 155 aligned in the straight direction. Therefore, when the wheel 155 touches the road surface again, irregularities are prevented. Free-spinning prevents interference or resistance that may occur when the direction of the wheel 155 is deviated, making it possible to accurately control the steering as intended.

As described above, the rotary caster according to the present invention has a self-alignment function, so it assists the load of the bogie while steering as intended when autonomous driving or remote control of the greenhouse driving device is performed, compared to a conventional rotary caster. It has the advantage of improving steering problems that occurred when using .

1: Multi-purpose greenhouse driving device
100: bogie
110: loading part
120: driving wheel
122: driving motor
130: Rail wheel
150: Rotating caster
151: Top plate
152: vertical axis
153: bracket
154: horizontal axis
155: wheel
156: roller guide
157: Guide pin
158: spring
159 : Slider
160: fixed caster
200: Steering and control unit
500: Nozzle base
T: Chemical tank
S1: Proximity sensor
S2: Rail sensor

Claims (3)

The upper part is provided with a loading part 110 for loading a chemical tank or harvesting container, and the lower part is a driving wheel 120 for generating driving force when driving on a rail (R) or on a paved road surface. and a bogie (100) equipped with rail wheels (130) for riding on rails; It includes a steering and operating unit 200 provided at the front or rear of the bogie 100 for steering and manipulation when moving on the road, and the driving wheel 120 is disposed on the left and right sides of the middle portion of the bogie 100, Rail wheels 130 are disposed on the left and right sides of the front and rear portions of the bogie 100, and the left and right driving wheels 120 are each driven by a drive motor 122, and a battery pack 300 is installed inside the bogie 100. ) are disposed, and the left and right driving wheels 120 maintain close contact with the road surface and the rail by means of an independent suspension mechanism, thereby reducing shock when driving and moving between the rail and the road surface. Between the drive wheel 120 and the rail wheel 130, there is a rotating caster 150 to assist when changing direction on the road and a fixed caster 160 to distribute the load when driving on the rail. In the further provided greenhouse driving device,
The rotary caster 150 is aligned to follow the direction of travel of the bogie 100 when in contact with the road surface, and is of a self-aligning type that moves straight when floating in the air, preventing unnecessary free spinning during the driving process of the greenhouse driving device. A greenhouse driving device equipped with self-aligning auxiliary wheels, characterized in that accurate driving is possible by preventing damage.
In claim 1,
The rotary caster 150 includes a top plate 151 attached to the cart 100, a bracket 153 rotatably attached to a lower part of the top plate 151 about a vertical axis 152, and It includes a wheel 155 that is rotatably installed on a horizontal axis 154 at the bottom of the bracket 153 and rolls in contact with the road surface. A roller guide 156 is attached to the front and rear directions of the vertical axis 152, and the bracket A guide pin 157 is fixedly installed in the horizontal direction at (153), and a pair of sliders are maintained in close contact with the roller guide 156 by springs 158 on the left and right sides of the guide pin 157, respectively ( When 159) is installed and the wheel 155 is in contact with the road surface, the direction of the wheel 155 is changed by following the moving direction of the bogie 100, and when the wheel 155 is floating in the air, the spring ( A greenhouse driving device with self-aligning auxiliary wheels, characterized in that the sliders 159 on the left and right sides are in close contact with the roller guide 156 by (158) and the wheels 155 are maintained in a straight alignment.
In claim 2,
A saddle 152a is located on the bottom of the top plate 151, a vertical axis 152 is coupled to the center of the saddle 152a, and one roller guide 156 is provided in the front and rear directions of the vertical axis 152. A greenhouse driving device with a self-aligning auxiliary wheel, characterized in that screwed to the saddles (152a).