• 专利附录
  • 专利说明
  • 权利要求
  • 类似技术
  • 同族专利
  • 引用文献
  • 法律状态
  • 优先权
    • 专利摘要:
    Abstract The present invention relates to a system for docking a platform (1) adapted to carry amanipulator (42), in relation to a Workstation. Further comprising protruding members (3)attached to the platform, a docking station (20) to be arranged at the Workstation andcomprising recesses (24) to receive the protruding members to position the platform relativethe Workstation. The recesses comprise a positioning section (26) defining a space and asupporting section (29) having a support surface (30) ta pering toWa rds the positioning section.An outer end (4a;4b) of the protruding members comprises a positioning portion (6) designedto fit in said space, and a bearing portion (7) having a bearing surface (8) tapering toWards thepositioning portion. The bearing surface is adapted to bear on the support surface. Thesupport surface defines an angle (al) betWeen 30 and 60° in relation to a center axis (34) ofthe recess. (Fig. 8)
    公开号:SE1450527A1
    申请号:SE1450527
    申请日:2014-05-05
    公开日:2015-11-06
    发明作者:Johan Frisk
    申请人:Opiflex Automation AB；
    IPC主号:
    专利说明:

    A system for docking a movable platform.
    Field of the invention The present invention relates to a system for docking a movable platform adapted to carry amanipulator, in relation to a workstation. The invention also relaters to the use ofthe dockingsystem.
    Background of the invention and prior art ln many small factories the manufacture takes place at different workstations containing oneor several fixed machines. I/lanipulators, such as a robot, tending the machines or performingwork tasks can be used in order to increase productivity, cost efficiency, quality or removemonotone and hazards work tasks. lt is usually not economically feasible to install a roboticdevice at each working machine ifthe working machine have low utilization or the batch sizesare small. For small batch sizes, manual operation of the machines is wanted. Therefore, thereis a need to easily move a robot unit between different workstations to obtain an optimal useof the robot and get easy manual access to the machines.
    To improve the degree of use ofthe robot, the robot is placed on a movable platform, whichis able to move between the workstations and connect to at least one docking stationpositioned at each workstation. The movable platform can be move manually by hand or witha so called Automatic Guided Vehicle (AGV). The AGV may also be part of the platform.Through the connection to the docking station, the movable platform is fixed in a definedposition in relation to the workstation. lt is important for the robot to have a defined positionin relation to the workstation to be able to perform complex and/or precise operations, suchas welding, gluing, painting, grinding, picking, assembly, etc., at the workstation.
    U.S. 2009/00906182 discloses a robot, which moves along a plurality of predefined pathsbetween a plurality of workstations. Along the path the robot stops at each workstation andperforms work at each work-station.
    WO2010/043640 discloses an industrial robot system for working on a plurality ofworkstations. Each workstation is provided with a docking station comprising protrudingmembers extending into the work space. The robot is moved between the workstations by amovable platform. A connection device and a locking device are provided to connect and lockthe platform to the docking station. A problem with the docking station disclosed inWO2010/043640 is that it is protruding and accordingly becomes an obstacle in the robotwork area.
    Summary ofthe invention lt is an object of the present invention to provide an improved docking system.This object is achieved by a system as defined in claim 1.
    The system for docking a movable platform is adapted to carry a manipulator, such as a robot,in relation to a workstation. The system comprises a plurality of protruding members attachedto the platform and a docking station to be arranged at the workstation. The docking station comprises a plurality of recesses that are adapted to receive the protruding members. ln thatway, the platform can be positioned relative to the workstation. The system is characterizedin that each of the recesses comprises a positioning section, which defines a space and asupporting section tapering towards the positioning section and having at least one supportsurface. The support surface s|opes towards the positioning section. The protruding membersare protruding away from a bottom surface of the platform. An outer end of each of theprotruding members comprises a positioning portion designed to at least partly fit in saidspace, and a bearing portion having a bearing surface. The bearing surface is tapered towardsthe positioning portion, and the bearing surface is adapted to bear on the support surface,when the positioning portion is fitted in said space.
    The docking system according to the invention carries out docking downwards in a directionfrom the platform and towards the floor. The docking station can be made very thin, forexample in the form of a thin plate and positioned on the floor, or recessed in the floor.Preferably, the docking station is plate shaped, i.e. in the form of a docking plate. The dockingstation is designed so that it can be mounted in level with the floor and without any protrudingparts. Thus, the docking station will not be an obstacle in the robot work area, and not in theway for manual operation or when maintaining the machine or work station.
    The docking station is attached to the floor and the movable platform is positioned above thedocking station when the platform is docked to the docking station. Thereby, a protrudingdocketing station is avoided.
    The protruding members are protruding away from a bottom surface of the platform in thedirection of the floor, and thus do not protrude from a side ofthe platform into a work spaceat the workstation. The protruding members do not occupy space and are no hinder forworkers or serving the machines. With the new system more space is available at theworkstation. Further, the safety of the workers at the workstations is improves.
    The positioning portion and the positioning section provide for a precise and definedpositioning of the platform in a horizontal plane defined by a ground surface or floor andcrossing the central axis. The bearing portion and the supporting section provide for a precisepositioning in a vertical direction.
    However, a problem when docking downwards is that after a while, dirt and dust will end upin the recesses in the docking station, and this will reduce the accuracy of the positioning ofthe platform. Dust particle may affect the position of the platform in an axial or verticaldirection. According to the invention, the supporting section tapers towards the positioningsection. Thus, the surface of the support section s|opes towards the positioning section. Theslope ofthe support section ofthe recess enables dust particles to glide on the surface ofthesupporting section and into the positioning section. Thus, dust and dirt will not remain on thesupport surface and will end up on a bottom surface of the space. Accordingly, dust and dirtwill not affect the precision of the platform.
    The tapered shape of the support surface also provides for efficient steering and stabilizationofthe protruding member into the space.
    The invention provides a simple and robust docking system, whereby the platform can besteered into an exact position. The docking system comprises few parts that can easily beinstalled in existing platforms and workstations.
    According to an embodiment of the invention the support surface has an angle al in relationto a center axis of the recess, and the angle al of the support surface is between 30 and 70°,preferably between 35 and 65°, and most preferably between 40 and 55°. The angle al isadapted to assist the positioning of the protruding member in the recess to provide forefficient steering and stabilization of the protruding member into the space. The angle al isselected so that the support section provides a sufficient support for the bearing portion andto enable dust to glide from the supporting surface into the recess. The slope of the supportsection is such that dust and dirt will not remain on the support surface and will end up on abottom surface of the space. Thereby, dust cannot affect the positioning or stability of theplatform in the vertical direction.
    According to another embodiment of the invention, the positioning section and thepositioning portion are designed so that an accommodation is formed between a bottom ofthe positioning section and the positioning portion when the positioning portion is fitted insaid space. The accommodation between the bottom of the recess and the outer end of theprotruding member provides the space needed for holding dust and dirt (herein after calleddust) that may accumulate in the recces. Due to the accommodation the dust does not affectthe positioning or stability of the platform when it is docketed in the docking station.
    According to a further embodiment of the invention, said accommodation has a height of atleast 0.1 mm, preferably at least 0.5 mm, and preferably at least 1 mm. ln one embodimentthe height is at least 3 mm. The height is adapted to prevent dust accumulated in the space toaffect the position ofthe positioning portion in a vertical direction, and by that provide for aprecise positioning in a vertical direction.
    According to an embodiment ofthe invention, each ofthe recesses comprises a funnel shapedguiding section tapering towards the supporting section, and the guiding section has a guidingsurface defining an angle in relation to the center axis of the recess, and the angle defined bythe guiding surface is equal to or larger than the angle defined by the support surface. lt maybe difficult to position the platform in the right position in relation to the docking station. Theguiding surface assists in positioning the platform in the horizontal plane. When theprotruding members are positioned slightly at the side of the recess, the guiding surface willguide the protruding member towards the support surface and into the recess. This improvesthe positioning procedure of the platform in relation to the workstation. The efficiency ofdocketing the system and the manipulator is thereby improved.
    Preferably, the angle defined by the guiding surface is larger than the angle defined by thesupport surface. The slope of support surface is preferably steeper than the slope of theguiding surface to make sure that no dust particles will remain on the support surface and bythat negatively affect the precision ofthe positioning of the platform. lf dust particles remainon the guiding surface it does affect the precision ofthe positioning ofthe platform. The slopeof the guiding area should be such that the positioning portion member is allowed to glideover the guiding surface by help from gravity. However, the size of the guiding area in ahorizontal plane affects the tolerances of the positioning of the platform relative the dockingsection during the docking. A larger size of the guiding area in a horizontal plane increases thetolerances of the positioning of the platform relative the docking section.
    The positioning portion should slide on the guiding surface in a direction towards thesupporting section. When the positioning portion reaches the support surface, the positioningportion will slide on the support surface towards the positioning section until the positioningportion is fitted in the space defined by the positioning section. Thus, the guiding section andthe supporting section will facilitate the placing or positioning of the protruding member inthe recess.
    According to another embodiment of the invention, the angle a; of the guiding surface isdefined by an equation tan (90° - az) > p, whereby p is the static friction coefficient betweenthe guiding surface and the positioning portion. The angle a; is selected so that the outer endof the protruding member is allowed to glide over the guiding surface by help from gravity.The angle a; depends on the friction between the guiding surface and the positioning portion.lf there is a low friction between the guiding surface and the positioning portion, the angle a;ofthe guiding surface can be larger than ifthere is a high friction between the guiding surfaceand the positioning portion.
    According to a further embodiment ofthe invention, the recess is rotational symmetric and aradial distance between an upper periphery of the guiding surface and a lower periphery ofthe support surface is more than 5 mm. To improve the docketing procedure the protrudingmember need to be fitted into the recesses in a fast and efficient manner. lf the distance istoo small, more time is needed to position the protruding member above the recess beforeguiding the protruding member towards the space.
    According to an embodiment of the invention, the recess, the bearing portion, and thepositioning portion are rotational symmetric. lf the recess is symmetric in relation to thecenter axis, this will further facilitate the placing or positioning of the protruding member inthe recess.
    According to another embodiment of the invention, at least a part of the positioning portionis cylindrically shaped. Preferably, circular cylindrically. This provides for a simple and robust structure that can be manufactured at relatively low cost compared to other shapes for theseportions.
    According to a further embodiment of the invention, the protruding members are designedas legs arranged to support the platform. ln one embodiment the platform comprises three,or four protruding members, or legs. At least two protruding members are needed for steeringor positioning the platform in a precise or correct position in the horizontal plane. At leastthree protruding members are needed to steer or position the platform in a correct oraccurate axial direction. For the overall stability and balance of the platform it may beconvenient to have four protruding members on the platform.
    According to an embodiment of the invention, each of the protruding members comprises adistance portion arranged between the platform and said outer end. A length of theprotruding members may be varied by changing the length of the distance portion. Thedistance portion create a space between the platform and the bottom surface ofthe dockingstation. This space provides room for a fork of a manual pallet truck or AGV-truck to lift theplatform and transport the platform to a new position, such as another workstation. The saiddistance can also be used to mount wheels under the platform that can be lifted or loweredin order to get the protruding members into the recesses. lf the platform have wheels, astandalone AGV can be attached to the platform, and drag the platform to a wanted position.
    According to an embodiment ofthe invention, the system further comprises a locking deviceconfigured to lock the platform to the docking station when the protruding member is insertedin the space, whereby the locking device is selected from the group of an electromagneticlock, a vacuum lock, a mating lock comprising a locking member and a receiving member.
    To further improve the stability ofthe docking system a locking device can be used to lock thedocketed platform to the docking station. By such a stable connection the position of theplatform at the docking station will be less affected by the movements of the manipulatorpositioned on the platform.
    According to another embodiment of the invention, the system further comprises a lockingdevice configured to lock the platform to the docking station when the protruding member isinserted in the space, whereby the locking device comprises a locking member and a receivingmember, wherein the locking member is arranged on one of the platform and docking stationand the receiving member is arranged on the other of the platform and docking station.
    According to a further embodiment ofthe invention, the locking member is selected from thegroup comprising a locking bar, a locking pin, a locking ball, a locking expander, a locking nailand a locking screw, and the receiving member is arranged to receive the locking member andis selected from the group comprising a groove, a hole, a threaded hole, an indent.
    Different types of locking devices for providing a stable locking can be used and easily installedon the platform and the docking station.
    Brief description of the drawingsThe invention will now be explained more closely by the description ofdifferent embodimentsofthe invention and with reference to the appended figures.
    Fig. 1 shows an example of platform with four protruding members in a view from below.Fig. 2 shows a side view of the platform shown in figure 1.
    Fig. 3 shows a cross section of a first example of an outer end of a protruding member.Fig. 4 shows a cross section of a second example of an outer end of a protruding member.
    Fig. 5 shows a top view of an example of a docking station.
    Fig. 6 shows a perspective view of an example of a recess.
    Fig. 7 shows a cross section of the recess shown in figure 6.
    Fig. 8 shows a cross section of a protruding member positioned in a recess.
    Fig. 9 shows a manipulator positioned on a platform docked in a docking station.
    Detailed description of various embodiments of the invention Figure 1 and 2 shows an example of a movable platform 1. Figure 1 shows a view from belowof the platform and figure 2 shows a side view ofthe platform. The movable platform 1 has atop surface 2a and a bottom surface 2b. The surfaces extend along a horizontal plane parallelto a floor F. A plurality of protruding members 3 protrude from the bottom surface of theplatform and may be designed as legs supporting the platform. The platform may have two,three or more legs. ln this embodiment, the platform is provided with four legs to support theplatform. The protruding members 3 may be fixedly attached to the platform. The protrudingmembers 3 may also be linearly movable relative the platform. The platform may also beprovided with wheels. The wheels can be fixed in order to support the platform, or movablerelative the platform.
    Figures 3 and 4 show two examples of protruding members 3a and 3b. The protrudingmembers 3a-b extend along a central axis 12a, 12b. An outer end 4a, 4b of the protrudingmember comprises a positioning portion 6 and a bearing portion 7 having a bearing surface 8.The outer end 4a, 4b of the protruding member 3a-b is preferably rotationally symmetric inrelation to the central axis. ln this example, the positioning portion 6 is cylindrical, and thebearing portion 7 is conically shaped. The outer edge of the positioning portion may roundedor taken off to facilitate for the positioning portion to glide on a guiding surface. Preferably,the positioning portion 6 is circular cylindrical. However, the shape of a positioning portion 6and a bearing portion 7 may be, triangular, rectangular, square or other shapes. Thepositioning portion has a height h1, as shown in figure 8. A distance portion 10, 10a, 10b isarranged between the platform 1 and the outer end 4a-b. The outer end 4a, 4b and thedistance portion 10, 10a-b, can be arranges as two separate portions attached to each other.
    As shown in figure 3, the outer end 4a may comprise a third portion 9 and an abutting portion11.
    The positioning portion 6 is located at the end of the outer end 4a, 4b. A bottom surface 13may be flat, conical or concave. From the bottom surface, the surface of the positioningportion 6 extends upwards along the central axis in a direction towards the platform. Thesurface may extend parallel or about parallel to the axis or at an angle (not shown) in relationto the axis 12a, 12b.
    The bearing portion 7 extends from the positioning portion 6. The bearing surface 8 is taperedtowards the positioning portion 6 as shown in figures 3 and 4. Hereby, the bearing surfaceextends at an angle [31 in relation to the central axis 12a, 12b. The third portion 9 extendsfrom the bearing portion 7. The surface of the third portion 9 may be tapered towards thebearing portion as shown in figure 3. Hereby, the surface of the third portion extends at anangle [32 in relation to the central axis 12a, 12b. The optional abutting portion 11 may extendfrom the third portion. The surface of the abutting portion may extend parallel or aboutparallel to the central axis.
    Figure 5 shows an example of a docking station 20 seen from above. The docking station 20 isplate shaped in order to be as thin as possible. With plate shaped is meant that the height ofthe docking station is considerably smaller than the length of the docking station. ln thisembodiment the docking station is U-shaped. However, docking station may have othershapes, such as square or triangular.
    The docking station 20 has a plurality recesses 24 to position the platform in a correct ordefined position. The docking station is adapted to be attached to the floor and may be placedon a ground level or floor, or the docking station may be placed or brought down in the floor.lf the docking station is placed in the floor, there are no elements of the docking stationprotruding from the floor. This improves the safety of the workers at the workstation.
    The docking station 20 may have two, three or four recesses 24. The number of recessescorrespond with the number of protruding members ofthe platform. The docking station hasattachment means 22 to attach the station to the floor.
    Figure 6 shows a perspective view of an example of a recess. Figure 7 shows a cross section ofthe recess shown in figure 6. As shown in figures 6 and 7, the recess comprises a positioningsection 26 defining a space for receiving the positioning portion 6 of the protruding member,and a supporting section 29 tapering towards the positioning section and having a supportsurface 30. ln this example, the positioning section 26 is cylindrical, and the support section29 is funnel shaped. Each of the recesses 24 may further comprise a funnel shaped guidingsection 32 tapering towards the supporting section 29, whereby the guiding section has aguiding surface 33.
    The recess extends along a central axis 34, which axis crosses the horizontal plane. The recessis preferably rotational symmetric in relation to the central axis. However, the shape of therecess may be circular, triangular, rectangular or square. The shapes ofthe positioning section26 and the supporting section 29 are adapted to fit the shape ofthe positioning portion 6 andthe bearing portion 7. The shape ofthe positioning portion 6 should at least partly correspondto the shape of the positioning section 26. Thus, if the shape of the positioning portion 6 iscylindrical, the shape ofthe positioning section 26 is preferably also cylindrical. The diameterof the positioning portion 6 and the positioning section 26 should then be about the same.However, the height of the positioning section 26 is preferably larger than the height of thepositioning portion 6 to allow accumulation of dirt and dust.
    Figure 8 shows a cross section of a protruding member positioned in a recess. The positioningsection 26 is located at the end of the recess. A bottom surface 41 of the positioning section26 may be flat, conical, or convex.
    From the bottom surface 41, the surface ofthe positioning section 26 extends upwards alongthe central axis 34 in a direction towards the floor. The positioning section has a height h2.The surface may extend parallel or about parallel to the central axis 34 ofthe recess, or at anangle (not shown) in relation to the central axis. ln an alternative embodiment, the recessdoes not have any bottom and accordingly the positioning section 26 does not have anybottom surface, so that dust falling down in the recess will land on the floor.
    The supporting section 29 extends upwards from the positioning section 26. The supportsurface 30 of the supporting section 29 slops towards the positioning section 26, as shown infigures 6 and 7. Hereby, the support surface 30 slopes at an angle al in relation to the centralaxis 34. Suitably, the angle al defined by the support surface 30 is between 30 and 70°,preferably between 35 and 65, and most preferably between 40 and 55° in order to provide asufficient support for the bearing portion and to let dust glide from the supporting surfaceinto the recess. The slope of the support section is such that dust and dirt will not remain onthe support surface and will end up on a bottom surface of the space. Thereby, dust cannotaffect the positioning or stability of the platform in the vertical direction. ln this embodimentthe angle al is about 45°. The angle al is the same or substantially the same as the angle ßlof the bearing surface 8, so that the bearing surface 8 is adapted to bear on the supportsurface 30 when the positioning portion 6 is fitted in the space ofthe positioning section 26,ad shown in figure 8. ßl=al The guiding section 32 extends from the supporting section 29 to an opening of the recess.The guiding surface 33 of the guiding section 32 slops towards the supporting section 29, asshown in figure 7. Hereby, the guiding surface 33 extends at an angle a2 in relation to thecentral axis 34. The angle a2 defined by the guiding surface 33 may be between 50 and 88°, and preferably between 55 and 75°. The angle oL2 defined by the guiding surface is equal to orlarger than the angle oLl defined by the support surface. oL2 >= oLl The angle [32 of the third portion 9 should be the same or less than the angle oL2. Preferably,the angle [32 is less than the angle oL2 to form a gap between the guiding surface and thesurface of the third portion when the positioning portion 6 is fitted in the space ofthe recess,to avoid that dust on the guiding surface affects the positioning of the protruding member ina vertical direction and by that reduce the precision of the positioning. Such a gap would allowdust that may be present on the guiding surface to remain on said surface without affectingthe positioning or stability of the platform in the docking station. ß2= The angle oL2 is preferably slightly larger than the angle of friction relating to the static frictioncoefficient p ofthe material from the positioning portion 6 of the protruding member, therebyproviding a steering or guiding of the positioning portion into the space of the recess smoothlyby help from gravity on the guiding surface 33. The angle oL2 is preferably defined by theequation tan (90° - oL2) > p, whereby p is the friction coefficient between the guiding surfaceand the positioning portion. Examples of suitable materials to be used for said surfaces maybe metal, metal alloys, low wear, or low friction materials, such as plastic composite materialor Teflon. oL2 < 90°- arctan p Preferably, a radial distance d between an upper periphery 36 of the guiding surface 33 and alower periphery 38 of the support surface 30, shown in in figure 8, is more than 3 mm, andpreferably more than 5 mm, and most preferably more than 10 mm in order to provide asufficient tolerance in the positioning of the platform in relation to the docking station duringdocking of the platform.
    The height hl of the positioning portion 6 is less than the height h2 ofthe positioning section26, as shown in figure 8. Thereby, the positioning section 26 and the positioning portion 6 aredesigned so that an accommodation 40 is formed between a bottom surface 4l of thepositioning section and the bottom surface l3 of the positioning portion, when the positioningportion is fitted in the space. ln this embodiment the accommodation is cylindrical. However,the accommodation may have other shapes in dependence on the shape of the positioningportion and the positioning section. For example, the bottom surface bottom surface 4l ofthe positioning section and/or the bottom surface l3 of the positioning portion may beconcave or conical and by that an accommodation is formed between the bottom surfaces.The height of the accommodation 40 may be at least 0.l mm, preferably at least 0.5 mm, orat least l mm, or at least 2 mm. The larger height of the accommodation, the more dust and larger dust particles can be stored in the accommodation without affecting the accuracy ofthe positioning.
    The positioning portion 6 is designed to fit in the space in the positioning section 26 in a radialdirection, and the bearing portion is bearing on the support section, as shown in figure 8.
    At least two of the protruding members 3 is provided with outer parts 4a-b to be inserted intorecesses 24. Once the platform 1 is positioned above the docking station20 the protrudingmembers are inserted into the recesses in the docking station. lf the positioning portion 6 ofthe protruding member are positioned on the guiding surface 33, the positioning portion 6slides on the guiding surface towards the support surface, and then slides on the supportsurface 30 towards the positioning section 26 until the positioning portion 6 reaches thepositioning section 26 and is fitted in the space in the positioning section 26. ln an alternative embodiment, the platform may further comprise wheels to allow theplatform to be pulled.
    The system may further comprise a locking device arranged to provide a locking of theplatform on the docking station, when the at least one protruding member is inserted into theat least one space. The locking mechanism may include a controllable magnet, for example, acontrollable permanent magnet, which can be switched on and off, or an electromagnet. lnthis case, the magnet may be arranged on the movable platform and the protruding memberincludes a magnetic material. Or an electromagnet may be provided in the docking station anda wire is present around the protruding member as a coil. The locking device may also be avacuum lock, whereby a vacuum device is installed on or under the platform and on thedocking station, which together provide a vacuum lock between the platform and the dockingstation.
    Another locking device may be a so called mating lock comprises a locking member and areceiving member. One or more members may be installed for each system. The lockingmember is arranged on one of the platform and docking station and the receiving member isarranged on the other of the platform and docking station. The locking member is preferablyarranged on the bottom surface 2b of the platform. This member is movable attached to theplatform such that it can be inserted into the opening in the platform during movement of theplatform and ejected to be inserted into the receiving member. Examples of locking membersmay be a locking bar, a locking pin, a locking expander, a locking nail and a locking screw.Examples of receiving members may a groove, a hole, a threaded hole, an indent.
    The locking member may have two indentations. These indentations are adapted to beengaged in the receiving members. The receiving members may be expanders. Alternatively,an expander may be positioned in the indentation and the receiving members may beindentations adapted to receive the expander such as a ball or pellet.
    The system may further comprise a power unit 54 configured to move the platform betweenworkstations. At the workstation, the platform is positioned above the docking station and 11 the protruding members can be engaged by guiding the at least one protruding member 3into the at least one space of the recess 24. The locking device can also be engaged by guidingthe locking member into the receiving member.
    The precise position of the machine on the platform in relation to a workstation can bedetermined using calibration. Calibration may be used in combination with the docking systemand/or a locking device. Calibration can also be used in combination with a locking device,without using the system.
    A control unit may be used to control the connections between the platform and the dockingstation. The control unit may be connected to one or more transmitters present at each of theprotruding member and/or locking member. The transmitters are configured to transmitsignals between the control unit and the system and/or locking device. For example, thecontrol unit transmits a signal to a transmitter positioned in a protruding member. Upon thissignal, the protruding member is inserted into the space of the recess. Once the protrudingmember is fitted stably in the space (i.e. the positioning portion 6 of the protruding memberand the positioning section 26 of the recess are at least partly in contact with each other, atransmitter present in the space transmits a signal to the control unit. Subsequently, thecontrol unit may transmit a signal to the locking device to lock the platform to the dockingstation. lf the locking device is a mating lock, a transmitter may receive a signal from thecontrol unit to engage the locking member with the receiving member. Once the locking hasbeen accomplished, a transmitter may transmit a signal to the control unit to confirm thelocking. When the manipulator 42 is ready to be moved to another workstation, the systemand locking device need to be disengaged. A controller or a programmed code transmits asignal to the control unit, which then transmits a signal to the transmitters to disengage thesystem and/or locking devices. The protruding members and/or locking device will beextracted from the space and/or receiving member. Detailed examples of locking devices aredescribed in WO2010/043640, especially on page 10 and 11.
    The terms ”engage” as used in the description refer to arranging things so that they are inproper position or matches something else, or they are joining to support something. Forexample the supporting portions are engaged to match each other by a non-fixed attachment.
    Figure 9 illustrates the use of a system according to the invention for positioning a mobilerobot in relation to a workstation 44. The robot includes a manipulator 42 comprising aplurality of parts, such as arms, movable relative each other about a plurality of axes, and arobot control unit 54 including a robot controller for controlling the motions of themanipulator 42. The manipulator 42 is about to perform work at the workstation, for exampleassembling of parts, drilling, grinding or welding. The workstations may contain one or severalfixed machines, a fixture for holding work pieces, or a table. The manipulator 44 is positionedon and attached to a movable platform 1. The manipulator 44 is positioned on an upper sideof movable platform 1. A docking station 20 is attached to a floor. The docking station 20 canbe positioned on the floor, or recessed in the floor. The docking station 20 is plate shaped, 12 and accordingly is rather thin. As seen from the figure, the docking system has no protrudingparts.
    The manipu|ator42 performs work at the workstation 44. The platform 1 with the manipulator42 is moved between different workstations. At each workstation a docking station 20 isinstalled. The platform 1 is positioned above the docking station 20. The platform is lowereduntil the protruding parts are inserted in the recesses, and the positioning portions arepositioned in the positioning sections. By that the platform is docked to the docking station.
    The present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed but may be varied andmodified within the scope of the following claims. For example, the docking station can bedesigned in many different ways. For example, the docking station may include two or moreseparate plates each plate having a recess.
    Further, the skilled person will understand how different locking devices can be installed andconfigured to lock the platform on the docking station. The skilled person will also understandhow a control unit can be programmed to perform the connecting and locking ofthe platformon the docking station.
    权利要求:
    Claims (11)
    [1] 1. m 1. 13 A system for docking a movable platform (1) adapted to carry a manipulator (42), inrelation to a Workstation, the system comprising a plurality of protruding members(3) attached to the platform, a docking station (20) to be arranged at the Workstationand com prising a plurality of recesses (24) adapted to receive the protruding membersand by that positioning the platform relative the Workstation, characterized in thateach of the recesses comprises a positioning section (26) defining a space and asupporting section (29) tapering toWards the positioning section and having at leastone support surface (30), and the protruding members are protruding aWay from abottom surface (2b) of the platform, and an outer end (4a;4b) of each of theprotruding members comprises a positioning portion (6) designed to at least partly fitin said space, and a bearing portion (7) tapering toWards the positioning portion andhaving a bearing surface (8), and the bearing surface is adapted to bear on the supportsurface When the positioning portion is fitted in said space.
    [2] 2. The system according to claim 1, the support surface has an angle (al) in relation to acenter axis (34) ofthe recess, and the angle (al) of the support surface is betWeen 30and 70°, preferably betWeen 35 and 65, and most preferably betWeen 40 and 55°.
    [3] 3. The system according to any of the previous claims, Wherein the positioning section(26) and the positioning portion (6) are designed so that an accommodation (40) isformed betWeen a bottom (41) ofthe positioning section and the positioning portionWhen the positioning portion is fitted in said space.
    [4] 4. The system according to claim 3, Wherein said accommodation (40) has a height of atleast 0.1 mm, preferably at least 0.5 mm, and preferably at least 1 mm.
    [5] 5. The system according to any of the previous claims, Wherein each ofthe recesses (24)comprises a funnel shaped guiding section (32) tapering toWards the supportingsection (29), and the guiding section has a guiding surface (33) having an angle al inrelation to a center axis (34) of the recess, and the angle (al) of the guiding surface isequal to or larger than the angle (al) of the support surface.
    [6] 6. The system according to claim 5, Wherein the angle (al) of the guiding surface (33) isdefined by the equation tan (90° - al) > p, Whereby p is the static friction coefficientbetWeen the guiding surface (33) and the positioning portion (6).
    [7] 7. The system according to any of the claims 5 - 6, Wherein the recess (24) is rotationalsymmetric and a radial distance (d) betWeen an upper periphery (36) of the guidingsurface (33) and a loWer periphery (38) of the support surface (30) is more than 5 mm. 14
    [8] 8. The system according to any of the previous claims, wherein the recess (24), thebearing portion (7) and positioning portion (6) are rotational symmetric.
    [9] 9. The system according to any of the previous claims, wherein the protruding members(3a;3b) are designed as legs arranged to support the platform (1).
    [10] 10. The system according to any of the previous claims, wherein each of the protrudingmembers comprises a distance portion (10a;10b) arranged between the platform (1)and said outer end (4a;4b).
    [11] 11. Use of a system according to any of the claims 1 - 10 for positioning a mobilemanipulator (42) in relation to a Workstation (44), wherein the manipulator ispositioned on the movable platform (1) and the docking station is attached to a floor.
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    同族专利:
    公开号 | 公开日
    ES2709347T3|2019-04-16|
    SE539113C2|2017-04-11|
    US9434068B2|2016-09-06|
    EP2942149A1|2015-11-11|
    US20150314437A1|2015-11-05|
    EP2942149B1|2018-11-21|
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    法律状态:
    优先权:
    申请号 | 申请日 | 专利标题
    SE1450527A|SE539113C2|2014-05-05|2014-05-05|A system for docking a removable platform and using the system|SE1450527A| SE539113C2|2014-05-05|2014-05-05|A system for docking a removable platform and using the system|
    ES15162062T| ES2709347T3|2014-05-05|2015-03-31|A system for the coupling of a mobile platform|
    EP15162062.2A| EP2942149B1|2014-05-05|2015-03-31|A system for docking a movable platform|
    US14/698,314| US9434068B2|2014-05-05|2015-04-28|System for docking a movable platform|
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