Mobile robot

• US 9,254,878 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2013
• Issued: 02/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: KUKA Roboter GmbH (Midea Group Co., Ltd)
• Original Assignee: KUKA Roboter GmbH (Midea Group Co., Ltd)
• Inventors: Buchstab, Alois
• Primary Examiner(s): Rocca, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): Scharich, Marc A
• Application Number:
  US13/773,912
• Publication Number:
  US 20130226340A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,082 Days
• Field of Search: 180/6.2, 180/7.1, 180/7.2, 301/5.23
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 5/007 mounted on wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 5/02 travelling along a guideway
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 5/04 wherein the guideway is also moved, e.g. travelling crane bridge type
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/026 Gantry-type
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 57/00 Vehicles characterised by having other propulsion or other ground- engaging means than wheels or endless track, alone or in addition to wheels or endless track sledges B62B; motor sledges B62M

Abstract

The invention relates to a mobile robot, exhibiting

• • an omnidirectional wheeled support vehicle (1) having numerous omnidirectional wheels (13) and drives for driving the omnidirectional wheels (13),
  • a robot arm (2), exhibiting numerous, successively disposed links (3-7) and drives for moving the links (3-7), and
  • a positioning device (17), designed to position the robot arm (2), which can be automatically moved on the support vehicle (1), in relation to the support vehicle (1), and a drive dedicated to the positioning device (17) for moving the robot arm (2) in relation to the support vehicle (1).

Claims

1. A mobile robot comprising:

an omnidirectional wheeled support vehicle having a plurality of driven omnidirectional wheels configured to move the support vehicle over a surface;

a robot arm assembly including a plurality of successively disposed links and controlled drives for moving the links, at least a portion of the robot arm assembly being rotatable about a vertical axis and at least one of the links being rotatable about a horizontal axis; and

a positioning device supported on the support vehicle and configured to be controlled to automatically move the entire robot arm assembly in at least one or both of a vertical direction and a horizontal direction relative to the support vehicle,

wherein the positioning device includes at least a vertically-movable device configured to be movable in the vertical direction and a horizontally-movable device configured to be movable in the horizontal direction, the horizontally-movable device including at least one horizontal rail supported on the vertically-movable device, and wherein the robot arm assembly is mounted on the at least one horizontal rail and is configured to move along the horizontal rail in at least the horizontal direction.

2. The mobile robot of claim 1, wherein the omnidirectional wheels are Mecanum wheels.

3. The mobile robot of claim 1 further comprising:

at least one lithium-ion battery configured to supply electric energy to the omnidirectional wheels of the support vehicle, the links of the robot arm assembly, the positioning device, or a combination thereof.