Robotic systems for automated construction

• US 7,641,461 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2005
• Issued: 01/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.), University of Southern California
• Original Assignee: University of Southern California
• Inventors: Khoshnevis, Behrokh
• Primary Examiner(s): Gupta; Yogendra
• Assistant Examiner(s): Luk; Emmanuel S
• Application Number:
  US11/040,401
• Publication Number:
  US 20050196484A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,810 Days
• Field of Search: 425/59, 425/60, 425/63, 425/64, 425/114, 425/131.1, 425/375, 425/463, 425/131.5, 524/24, 524/25, 524/26, 527/450.9, 527/421.3, 527/421.4, 527/414.1, 249/20, 700/123, 901/41, 901/43
• US Class Current: 425/60
• CPC Class Codes: B28B 1/001 Rapid manufacturing of 3D objects by additive depositing, agglomerating or laminating of material selective deposition modelling of metallic powder B22F10/00; rapid manufacturing of 3D objects in general and in particular of plastics B29C64/00
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/106 using only liquids or viscous materials, e.g. depositing a continuous bead of viscous material
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/118 using filamentary material being melted, e.g. fused deposition modelling [FDM]
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 30/00 Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor
• CPC Class Codes: E04G 11/34 Horizontally-travelling moulds for making walls blockwise or section-wise E04G11/26 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E04G 2021/049 concrete mixing nozzles specially adapted for conveying devices
• CPC Class Codes: E04G 21/0463 with boom control mechanisms, e.g. to automate concrete distribution

Abstract

A robotic system may include a movable gantry robot, and a nozzle assembly movably coupled to the overhead beam of the gantry robot. The gantry robot may include an overhead beam extending between, and supported by, at least two side members slidably mounted on a pair of rails. The nozzle assembly may be coupled to the overhead beam of the gantry robot, and may be configured to extrude material through an outlet. The robotic system may further include a position controller configured to control position and movement of the gantry robot and the nozzle assembly.

Claims

1. A robotic system, comprising:

a movable gantry robot including an overhead beam extending between, and supported by, at least two side members slidably mounted on a pair of rails;

a nozzle assembly movably coupled to the overhead beam of the gantry robot and configured to extrude material through an outlet; and

a position controller configured to control position and movement of the gantry robot and the nozzle assembly;

wherein the robotic system is configured to rest on a surface and wherein the position controller comprises a position sensor configured to sense the position of the nozzle assembly with respect to multiple locations on the surface, and an actuator configured to controllably move the nozzle assembly to a desired position, in response to an output of the position sensor.

2. The robotic system of claim 1, further comprising a second platform coupled to the gantry platform having a responsive servo system, wherein the position sensor is mounted on the second platform, and wherein the second platform is configured to adaptively correct its position with respect to the gantry platform in response to the output of the position sensor.

3. The robotic system of claim 2, wherein the position sensor comprises a laser rangefinder, the laser rangefinder including:

a transmitter configured to generate laser light and transmit the laser light to one or more reflectors positioned at a respective one of the one or more reference locations;

a receiver configured to receive laser light generated by the transmitter and back-scattered from the reflectors, and

a photodetector configured to detect the intensity of the received light; and

a processor configured to determine the position of the nozzle assembly by measuring the time required for the laser light to travel to and from each of the retroreflectors.

4. A robotic system, comprising:

a movable gantry robot including an overhead beam extending between, and supported by, at least two side members slidably mounted on a pair of rails;

a nozzle assembly movably coupled to the overhead beam of the gantry robot and configured to extrude material through an outlet, wherein the nozzle assembly includes a nozzle configured to extrude material through the outlet;

a position controller configured to control position and movement of the gantry robot and the nozzle assembly; and

a cementitious material feed system configured to feed cementitious material to the nozzle.

5. The robotic system of claim 4, wherein the cementitious material feed system includes a container configured to store cementitious material, and a robotic feeding tube configured to deliver cementitious material stored in the container to the nozzle.

6. The robotic system of claim 5, further comprising a drive mechanism configured to move the cementitious material feed system independent of the nozzle assembly.

7. The robotic system of claim 6, wherein the drive mechanism comprises a joystick configured to move the cementitious material feed system in response to one or more commands from the position controller, and wherein the feeding tube of the cementitious material feed system is flexibly coupled to the movable platform.

8. A robotic system, comprising:

a movable gantry robot including an overhead beam extending between, and supported by, at least two side members slidably mounted on a pair of rails;

a nozzle assembly movably coupled to the overhead beam of the gantry robot and configured to extrude material through an outlet; and

a position controller configured to control position and movement of the gantry robot and the nozzle assembly;

wherein the nozzle assembly comprises a mufti-nozzle assembly including;

a first nozzle configured to extrude material through a first outlet;

a second nozzle configured to extrude material through a second outlet;

a third nozzle configured to extrude material through a third outlet, the third outlet being between the first and second outlets; and

a first and second trowel configured to shape material extruded from the first and second nozzles, respectively.

9. The robotic system of claim 8, wherein the multi-nozzle assembly further includes a nozzle position controller configured to controllably vary the height of at least one of the outlets with respect to the height of at least one of the other outlets.

10. A construction apparatus, comprising:

a movable gantry platform including a cross-member extending between, and slidably mounted across, a pair of opposite side-members;

a nozzle assembly movably coupled to the cross-member and configured to extrude material through an outlet; and

a lifting mechanism configured to controllably lift the platform to a height sufficient for the nozzle assembly to repeatedly extrude a layer of material on top of a previously extruded layer of material so as to extrude a structure having a height in excess of one story.

11. The construction apparatus of claim 10, wherein the nozzle assembly includes a nozzle configured to extrude material through an outlet, and a trowel configured to shape material extruded from the nozzle.

12. The construction apparatus of claim 11, wherein the gantry platform is supported by cables extending from a plurality of cranes, and wherein the lifting mechanism is configured to exert force on the cables so as to cause the plurality of cables to collectively hoist the gantry platform to a desired height.

13. The construction apparatus of claim 10, wherein the movable gantry platform comprises a plurality of cross-members, each of the cross-members extending between, and slidably mounted across, the pair of opposite side-members;

and wherein the movable gantry platform further comprises a plurality of nozzle assemblies, each of the nozzle assemblies movably coupled to a respective one of the cross-members.

14. The construction apparatus of claim 10, further comprising one or more attachment members extending from points along the gantry platform and configured to anchor the gantry platform to a rigid structure, each of the attachment members having a wheel affixed thereto, the wheel configured to be in contact with the rigid structure.

15. A construction apparatus, comprising:

a movable gantry platform including a cross-member extending between, and slidably mounted across, a pair of opposite side-members;

a nozzle assembly movably coupled to the cross-member and configured to extrude material through an outlet; and

a lifting mechanism configured to controllably lift the platform to a height sufficient for the nozzle assembly to extrude a layers of material on top of a previously extruded layers of material, wherein the nozzle assembly comprises a multi-nozzle assembly including;

a first nozzle configured to extrude material through a first outlet;

a second nozzle configured to extrude material through a second outlet;

a third nozzle configured to extrude material through a third outlet, the third outlet being between the first and second outlets; and

a first and second trowel configured to shape material extruded from the first and second nozzles, respectively.

16. A mobile robotic system, comprising:

a movable robotic base;

an articulated robotic arm extending from the robotic base; and

a nozzle assembly coupled to a distal end of the robotic arm, the nozzle assembly configured to extrude material through an outlet;

a material feeding system mounted on the robotic base and configured to feed material to the nozzle assembly, wherein the nozzle assembly includes a nozzle configured to extrude material through an outlet, and a trowel configured to shape material extruded from the nozzle;

wherein the nozzle assembly comprises a multi-nozzle assembly including;

a first nozzle configured to extrude material through a first outlet;

a second nozzle configured to extrude material through a second outlet;

a third nozzle configured to extrude material through a third outlet, the third outlet being between the first and second outlets; and

a first and second trowel configured to shape material extruded from the first and second nozzles, respectively.

17. Apparatus for automatically extruding a three-dimensional cementitious structure which includes a wall having a substantial height, the apparatus comprising:

an automated, self-contained, mobile robot configured to automatically extrude the three-dimensional cementitious structure, including the wall, the robot having;

a movable robotic base including a motorized wheel assembly configured to cause the robot to move horizontally in a substantially straight line during one mode of operation;

a nozzle assembly configured to extrude cementitious material through an outlet; and

a material feed system mounted on the motorized wheel assembly and configured to house the cementitious material and to feed it to the nozzle assembly.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the nozzle assembly includes a nozzle configured to extrude material through the outlet, and a trowel configured to shape material extruded from the nozzle.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the motorized wheel assembly has a front and a rear wheel and is configured to controllably raise the height of the front wheel with respect to the rear wheel without causing any corresponding change in the height of the outlet in the nozzle.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the the motorized wheel assembly is configured to rotate about a substantially vertical axis without causing any corresponding rotation of the outlet or nozzle assembly.

21. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the robot includes an articulated robotic arm attached to the movable robotic base and to the nozzle assembly and configured to controllably position the outlet through which the cementitious material is extruded at any height substantially between the bottom and the top of the wall.

22. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein the articulated robotic arm is configured to direct the outlet downwardly at each height to which the outlet is positioned by the articulated robotic arm, thereby causing the cementious material to be extruded downwardly from the outlet at each height.