Article storing and taking device and article storing and taking control method thereof

Abstract

The invention provides an article storing and taking device and an article storing and taking control method thereof. The article storing and taking device comprises an article storing mechanism, a grabbing mechanism, a moving mechanism, an image collecting mechanism and a controller. The article storage mechanism comprises a support and a plurality of storage units distributed up and down. Each storage unit comprises a supporting unit, a storage rotating unit and a motor; the storage rotating unit is provided with a plurality of placing parts for placing articles; the storage rotating units of the storage units are distributed up and down; the multiple storage rotating units are provided with notches, the notches extend to the inner sides from the peripheries of the storage rotating units, the notches are large enough to allow the grabbing mechanism to pass when the grabbing mechanism moves, and objects on the adjacent storage rotating units corresponding to the notches can be grabbed conveniently. Through cooperation of the article storage mechanism and the image acquisition mechanism, disordered storage and taking of articles can be achieved, the articles on the inner side of the storage rotating unit can be grabbed, and the storage position is fully utilized; and the storage capacity can be expanded without increasing the occupied area.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of automatic vending machines, and more specifically, to an article storage and retrieval device and an article storage and retrieval control method thereof. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of the commodity vending market, consumers' demand for product diversification is increasing. However, the existing vending machines sell few types of products, usually only more than 10 products at most, which is difficult to meet the diversified needs. The main reasons for the small variety of products are: 1. The storage space of the vending machine is limited and not easy to expand; 2. In order to manage and replenish products, as well as to accurately take out the products needed by customers and reduce the error rate of picking up goods, it is necessary to classify the products sold in advance within the limited storage space of the vending machine, and reserve a certain storage space for each product category. The storage space of various types of products is independent of each other, so that some storage space cannot be effectively used. In addition, in order to provide more types of products, some existing vending machines can only simply increase the volume of the vending machine to divide more types of storage space, and some also need to add corresponding shipping channels to the storage space, which will increase the floor space of the vending machine, put forward higher requirements on the site where the vending machine is placed, and also increase the operating cost, which is not conducive to the promotion and use of the vending machine. Summary of the invention

[0003] In order to overcome the problems existing in the prior art, the present invention improves the internal storage and retrieval mechanism of the automatic vending machine and provides an article storage and retrieval device, which can realize disordered storage and retrieval of articles, can store more articles of different specifications and types, and has a high storage space utilization rate. The article storage and retrieval device of the present invention can be easily expanded upward to increase the storage capacity of products without increasing the floor space.

[0004] Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for managing the storage of articles.

[0005] Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for controlling object grabbing.

[0006] Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for controlling the storage and access of items.

[0007] In order to solve the above technical problems, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is:

[0008] An article storage and retrieval device comprises an article storage mechanism, a gripping mechanism, a motion mechanism for driving the gripping mechanism to move to the article storage mechanism, an image acquisition mechanism for acquiring image information of the article, and a controller; the controller is electrically or wirelessly connected to the gripping mechanism, the motion mechanism, the image acquisition mechanism, and the article storage mechanism respectively;

[0009] The article storage mechanism comprises a bracket and a plurality of storage units distributed vertically; each of the storage units comprises a support unit, a storage rotating unit, and a motor for driving the storage rotating unit to rotate; at least a portion of the support unit is connected to the bracket to fix the support unit; the support unit is used to support the motor and / or the storage rotating unit; the storage rotating unit is provided with a plurality of placement portions for placing articles;

[0010] The storage rotating units of each storage unit are distributed up and down, and the axial center lines of each storage rotating unit are in the same direction; multiple storage rotating units are provided with notches, and the notches extend from the outer edge of the storage rotating unit to the inner side. The size of the notches allows the grasping mechanism to pass through when moving, so as to facilitate grasping of items on an adjacent storage rotating unit corresponding to the notch.

[0011] The article storage and retrieval device of the present invention realizes disordered storage of articles and accurate grasping of target articles by cleverly designing the composition and structure of the article storage mechanism and adopting the image acquisition mechanism, without the need to manually input the location information of the articles in advance. It is further explained that by setting the notch of the storage rotating unit and the independent rotation of each storage rotating unit, the controller controls the notch of each storage rotating unit to rotate to the position corresponding to the grasping mechanism according to the movement of the grasping mechanism, forming a moving channel for the grasping mechanism to grasp any article on the storage rotating unit, including the outer periphery and the inner side.

[0012] Specifically, when storing or replenishing items in the item storage and retrieval device, there is no need to classify and place items of the same type together. After storing the items, the image acquisition mechanism collects information about the items and feeds it back to the controller, and the database of the controller records the information of the storage rotating units where different items are located. When it is necessary to grab an item, the controller controls the grabbing mechanism to move to the storage rotating unit where the target item is located, and controls the storage rotating unit to rotate so that the target item rotates close to the grabbing mechanism, and then the grabbing mechanism grabs the target item.

[0013] When the grabbed item is located on the inner side of the storage rotating unit, the controller controls the adjacent storage rotating unit of the storage rotating unit where the target item is located to rotate, so that the notch of the adjacent storage rotating unit rotates to the position corresponding to the grabbing mechanism, and the grabbing mechanism moves to the notch. At the same time, the storage rotating unit where the target item is located is controlled to rotate, so that the target item rotates to be located below or above the grabbing mechanism, and then the grabbing mechanism grabs the target item. In this way, the grabbing of items located on the inner side of the storage rotating unit is realized. The realization of such a function can effectively utilize the space of the turntable and improve the storage space utilization rate. Especially for storage rotating units with a larger area, when multiple groups of placement parts can be arranged from the outside to the inside, the improvement of storage space utilization rate is more obvious.

[0014] Since the disorderly storage of items can be realized, the items can be placed arbitrarily in the placement part of the storage rotating unit, which overcomes the problem of needing to reserve a certain storage position for each type of item. The storage position is fully utilized and the utilization rate is improved. According to the actual situation, the types of items can be dynamically and significantly increased, or the storage volume of a certain item can be significantly increased by reducing the types of items or keeping the types unchanged.

[0015] In addition, each storage unit is independent of each other, and a storage unit can be temporarily suspended according to actual conditions, which is convenient for maintenance. And the storage units are arranged in an up-and-down manner, so when the storage capacity of the article storage mechanism needs to be expanded, it is only necessary to add a storage rotating unit upwards, which increases the storage capacity without increasing the floor space.

[0016] When the height intervals between the storage rotating units are relatively close and the object grasped by the grasping mechanism is larger than the grasping mechanism, the size of the gap can be further increased. Furthermore, the size of the gap of the present invention is large enough for the grasping mechanism, the part of the motion mechanism connected to the grasping mechanism, and the object grasped by the grasping mechanism to pass through when moving.

[0017] The number of storage rotating units provided with the notch of the present invention is multiple, and all storage rotating units may be provided with the notch, or when an object is placed on the upper surface of the storage rotating unit, the other storage rotating units located above the storage rotating unit at the bottom layer are provided with the notch; when an object is placed on the lower surface of the storage rotating unit, the other storage rotating units located below the storage rotating unit at the top layer are provided with the notch. When the notches of the storage rotating units rotate to the same direction as the storage rotating units, the notches of all storage rotating units form a channel for the grasping mechanism to move up and down.

[0018] The motion mechanism of the present invention may be one of a six-axis robotic arm, a three-axis robotic arm, a two-axis robotic arm, and a linear drive robotic arm.

[0019] Preferably, the motion mechanism of the present invention is a two-axis robotic arm. The present invention provides the notch in the storage rotating unit to form a channel for the grasping mechanism to pass through, which makes it possible to use a two-axis robotic arm, and can achieve efficient and stable grasping of items without using a three-axis robotic arm. At the same time, the use of a two-axis robotic arm can save more space.

[0020] The two-axis robot arm provides two degrees of freedom of movement, up and down and left and right. Further, the two-axis robot arm includes a Z-axis moving component, an X-axis or Y-axis moving component arranged on the Z-axis moving component, and the grasping mechanism is arranged on the X-axis or Y-axis moving component, so that the grasping mechanism can move to the storage rotating unit along the Z-axis direction and the X-axis or Y-axis direction.

[0021] The present invention defines the moving directions of the Z-axis moving component and the X-axis or Y-axis moving component with three-dimensional space coordinate axes. The Z-axis direction refers to moving in the up-down direction, corresponding to the storage rotating units distributed up-down, so that the grasping mechanism can move to the storage rotating units at the top and bottom. The X-axis or Y-axis direction refers to moving in the lateral direction, so that the grasping mechanism can move to the inner side of the storage rotating unit.

[0022] For the installation position of the two-axis robot arm of the present invention, a bracket or base can be provided separately, and the Z-axis moving assembly is installed on the bracket or base, or directly installed on the bracket of the article storage mechanism. The Z-axis moving assembly is arranged beside each storage unit.

[0023] The Z-axis moving assembly includes a base, a Z-axis screw rod disposed on the base, a Z-axis slide seat disposed on the Z-axis screw rod, and a Z-axis screw rod motor driving the Z-axis screw rod to move the Z-axis slide seat. The base can be disposed independently or on the bracket.

[0024] The X-axis or Y-axis moving assembly includes an X-axis or Y-axis screw disposed on the Z-axis slide, an X-axis or Y-axis slide disposed on the X-axis or Y-axis screw, and an X-axis or Y-axis screw motor driving the X-axis or Y-axis screw to move the X-axis or Y-axis slide. In this case, the gripping mechanism is disposed on the X-axis or Y-axis slide.

[0025] The image acquisition mechanism of the present invention can be installed on the bracket and the motion mechanism. Further, the image acquisition mechanism is arranged on the X-axis or Y-axis moving component. Further, it is arranged on the X-axis or Y-axis slide.

[0026] The image acquisition mechanism described in the present invention is a sensor or camera for collecting the appearance, QR code or barcode information of the item. Preferably, the image acquisition mechanism described in the present invention is a camera for observing the situation at the item storage mechanism. The camera can not only collect item image information, but also observe the situation at the item storage mechanism, and can be particularly used to monitor the rotation of the storage rotating unit, such as the rotation position. The camera is electrically or wirelessly connected to the controller. By storing and running an existing image recognition algorithm and database through the camera and the controller, the type of item can be automatically identified and recorded in the database of the controller, realizing intelligent inventory management and product type identification. It reduces manual intervention and improves operational efficiency and management accuracy. Preferably, the camera is a high-definition wide-angle camera.

[0027] The image acquisition mechanism of the present invention is installed on the grabbing mechanism or the motion mechanism. The image acquisition mechanism can move with the grabbing mechanism or the image acquisition mechanism, and a single image acquisition mechanism can identify and cover the entire object storage mechanism, which can reduce the number of image acquisition mechanisms required and improve the success rate of grabbing. When the image acquisition mechanism is a camera, the camera can also overcome the problem of needing to scan and identify the QR code / barcode of the object at a close distance through a barcode scanner, and there is no need to set a QR code / barcode for each object to be stored in advance, which is particularly suitable for disorderly storage of objects.

[0028] The object attribute information collected by the camera includes the object's appearance and pattern color, and further includes but is not limited to the object's name, manufacturer's name, size (capacity or weight).

[0029] The placement parts of the present invention are distributed on the entire storage rotating unit. Specifically, the multiple placement parts of the present invention are distributed on the periphery and / or the inner side of the storage rotating unit. The inner side of the storage rotating unit of the present invention refers to the part of the storage rotating unit close to the axis; on the contrary, the outer side refers to the part of the storage rotating unit away from the axis.

[0030] The placement portion of the present invention is one or more of a shelf, an opening and a groove arranged on the storage rotating unit.

[0031] The placement part of the present invention includes but is not limited to a shelf, or an opening or a groove arranged on the storage rotating unit. The items are placed on the shelf, or a part of the items is embedded in the opening or the groove.

[0032] The motor of the present invention is arranged on the supporting unit, the storage rotating unit is mounted on the motor, and the motor is connected to the axis center position of the storage rotating unit to drive the storage rotating unit to rotate.

[0033] The gripping mechanism of the present invention is a mechanical gripper, an electric suction cup or a combination of the two. As one embodiment, the gripping mechanism is an electric suction cup, which realizes the adsorption and release actions through electric control. The suction cup of the electric suction cup is circular in shape.

[0034] The controller of the present invention is electrically connected to the grasping mechanism, the motion mechanism, the image acquisition mechanism and the object storage mechanism to control the coordinated operation of the grasping mechanism, the motion mechanism, the image acquisition mechanism and the object storage mechanism. Further, the controller is connected to the grasping mechanism, the motion mechanism, the image acquisition mechanism and the object storage mechanism by wireless communication.

[0035] The controller of the present invention can be a PLC controller. The controller of the present invention includes a central processing unit and a storage module; the central processing unit is connected to the storage module; the storage module stores a program code including but not limited to a database program code for recording item information, an image recognition algorithm program code, and a control program code for controlling the actions of the grabbing mechanism, the motion mechanism, the image acquisition mechanism, and the item storage mechanism. The central processing unit can control the operation of the item storage and retrieval device by running the program code.

[0036] The controller of the present invention can control the storage rotating unit to rotate so that the notch is aligned with the direction of the grabbing mechanism. The image acquisition mechanism can be combined with image recognition to assist in positioning. The image acquisition mechanism feeds back the collected information to the controller, and the controller determines whether the notch is rotated to the preset position through the recognition algorithm.

[0037] In order to better locate the notch. Further, the storage unit of the present invention also includes a rotational position sensing unit for detecting the rotational position of the storage rotating unit, and the rotational position sensing unit is electrically or wirelessly connected to the controller. The rotational position sensing unit can detect the rotational position of the storage rotating unit, for example, detect the rotational position of the notch, so as to more conveniently and accurately align the notch with the direction of the grabbing mechanism. As one embodiment, the rotational position sensing unit includes a rotational position sensor and at least one accessory adapted to the rotational position sensor; the rotational position sensor is electrically or wirelessly connected to the controller. The rotational position sensor is arranged on the bracket or the support unit, and the accessory is arranged on the storage rotating unit. One of the accessories is used to feedback that the notch is aligned with the direction of the grabbing mechanism. When the notch of the storage rotating unit rotates to align with the direction of the grabbing mechanism, the rotational position sensor senses the accessory. The induction includes but is not limited to electrical induction, optical induction, magnetic induction and mechanical induction.

[0038] The axis lines of the storage rotating units of the present invention are in the same direction and on the same line.

[0039] As one implementation manner, the storage rotation unit of the present invention is a turntable.

[0040] As one implementation manner, the shape of the notch of the storage rotation unit of the present invention is preferably fan-shaped or fan-like.

[0041] The shape and size of the support unit of the present invention may not be restricted as long as it does not affect the gripping of the object by the gripping mechanism. As one embodiment, the support unit is a support plate.

[0042] At least a portion of the support unit of the present invention is detachably connected to the bracket.

[0043] It is more convenient to expand the article storage mechanism and add storage units. The bracket of the present invention can be modularized, and the bracket has a plurality of bracket modules that can be spliced ​​up and down, and each bracket module has a reserved position for installing the storage unit, so as to facilitate the upward addition of the storage unit and expand the storage space.

[0044] When the article storage and retrieval device of the present invention is in standby mode, as one of the configuration modes, each storage rotating unit can be set to rotate until all the notches face the direction of the grabbing mechanism, and the grabbing mechanism moves to the channel formed by the notches. When an article needs to be grabbed, it can be quickly moved to the target position.

[0045] The invention also provides a method for managing the storage of articles.

[0046] The management method of the storage of items, using the item storage and retrieval device of the present invention, includes the following steps: presetting the information of the items in the controller, or connecting the controller to a cloud server that records the information of the items; after the items are stored in the storage rotating unit, the controller controls the motion mechanism to drive the image acquisition mechanism to move to each layer of the storage rotating unit in turn, the controller controls the storage rotating unit to rotate, the image acquisition mechanism identifies each observed item and feeds the information back to the controller, and the controller records the information of the items stored in each layer of the storage rotating unit. When the image acquisition mechanism is a camera, the camera identifies each observed item according to the preset item information through an image recognition algorithm and feeds the information back to the controller. In this way, when storing items, they can be placed arbitrarily in the placement part of the turntable to achieve disordered storage.

[0047] The invention also provides a control method for grabbing an object.

[0048] The control method for grabbing items, using the item storage and retrieval device of the present invention, includes the following steps: when it is necessary to find and take out a certain type of item, the controller controls the motion mechanism to drive the image acquisition mechanism to move to each layer of the storage rotating unit in turn, the controller controls the storage rotating unit to rotate, the image acquisition mechanism identifies each observed item, and when the target item is found, the controller stops the rotation of the storage rotating unit and controls the movement of the grabbing mechanism to grab the target item. After grabbing the target item, the controller controls the grabbing mechanism to move to a designated position and put down the target item. When the image acquisition mechanism is a camera, the camera identifies each observed item according to the preset item information through an image recognition algorithm and feeds the information back to the controller.

[0049] The invention also provides a method for controlling the storage and access of articles.

[0050] The control method for storing and accessing items, using the item storage and access device of the present invention, comprises the following steps:

[0051] Item storage: preset the item information in the controller or connect the controller to a cloud server that records the item information; after the item is stored in the storage rotating unit, the controller controls the motion mechanism to drive the camera to move to each layer of the storage rotating unit, controls the storage rotating unit to rotate and the image acquisition mechanism to acquire image information, and uses the image recognition algorithm to identify each observed item based on the item information preset in the database based on the image information fed back by the image acquisition mechanism, and feeds the information back to the controller, and the controller records or updates the information of the items stored in each layer of the storage rotating unit;

[0052] Object grabbing: When a certain type of object needs to be taken out, the controller reads the previously recorded information. If there are objects of the corresponding type, the storage rotating unit where the target object is located is found, and the controller controls the motion mechanism to drive the grabbing mechanism to move to the storage rotating unit; when more than one storage rotating unit stores the target object, a storage rotating unit closer to the grabbing mechanism can be selected or a designated storage rotating unit can be selected according to a preset priority order; the controller simultaneously controls the rotation of the storage rotating unit and the motion mechanism to drive the grabbing mechanism to move to grab the target object. After grabbing the target object, the controller controls the grabbing mechanism to move to the designated position and put down the target object.

[0053] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0054] 1. The article storage and retrieval device of the present invention, by cleverly designing the composition and structure of the article storage mechanism and adopting the image acquisition mechanism, does not need to manually input the location information of the article in advance, and realizes disordered storage of articles and accurate grasping of target articles.

[0055] 2. By setting the notch of the storage rotating unit and each storage rotating unit to rotate independently, the controller controls the notch of each storage rotating unit to rotate to the position corresponding to the grasping mechanism according to the movement of the grasping mechanism, forming a moving channel for the grasping mechanism to grab objects, and being able to grab any object on the storage rotating unit including the periphery and the inside.

[0056] 3. Items can be placed arbitrarily in the placement part of the storage rotating unit, which overcomes the problem of needing to reserve a certain storage position for each type of item, fully utilizes the storage position, improves utilization rate, and can dynamically and significantly increase the types of items according to actual conditions, or significantly increase the storage capacity of a certain item by reducing the types of items or keeping the types unchanged.

[0057] 4. Each storage unit is independent of each other, and a storage unit can be temporarily suspended according to actual conditions to facilitate maintenance; the storage capacity of the item storage mechanism can be expanded without increasing the floor space while increasing the storage capacity. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0058] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the article storage and retrieval device described in Example 1.

[0059] Figure 2 This is a schematic structural diagram of one side of the article storage and retrieval device described in Example 1.

[0060] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the storage unit described in Example 1.

[0061] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the storage rotation unit described in Example 1; wherein, for ease of understanding, the dotted line portion is used to indicate the gap of the storage rotation unit.

[0062] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structures of the motion mechanism, gripping mechanism and image acquisition mechanism described in Example 1.

[0063] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the storage unit described in Example 3.

[0064] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the storage unit described in Example 4. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0065] The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with specific implementation modes.

[0066] If there are terms such as "first" and "second", they are only used for descriptive purposes, mainly to distinguish different devices, elements or components (the specific types and structures may be the same or different), and are not used to indicate or imply the relative importance and quantity of the indicated devices, elements or components, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0067] Example 1

[0068] like Figures 1-2 As shown, an article storage and retrieval device includes an article storage mechanism 100, a gripping mechanism 200, a motion mechanism 300 for driving the gripping mechanism 200 to move to the article storage mechanism 100, an image acquisition mechanism 400 for acquiring image information of the article, and a controller 500; the controller 500 is electrically or wirelessly connected to the gripping mechanism 200, the motion mechanism 300, the image acquisition mechanism 400 and the article storage mechanism 100, respectively.

[0069] like Figure 3 As shown, the item storage mechanism 100 includes a bracket 110 and a plurality of storage units 120 distributed up and down; each storage unit 120 includes a support unit 121, a storage rotating unit 122, and a motor 123 for driving the storage rotating unit 122 to rotate; in this embodiment, the support unit 121 is a support plate, and the support unit 121 is detachably connected to the bracket 110.

[0070] The motor 123 is mounted on the support unit 121. The storage rotating unit 122 is mounted on the motor, and the motor is connected to the axis position of the storage rotating unit 122 to drive the storage rotating unit 122 to rotate around the axis. The storage rotating units 122 of each storage unit 120 are distributed up and down, and the axis lines of each storage rotating unit 122 are in the same direction and on the same straight line.

[0071] like Figure 3 and 4 As shown, a plurality of storage rotating units 122 are provided with notches 1221. In this embodiment, all storage rotating units 122 are provided with notches 1221. The notches 1221 extend from the periphery of the storage rotating unit 122 to the inner side. The size of the notches 1221 is such that the grasping mechanism 200 can pass through when moving, and it is convenient to grasp the items on the adjacent storage rotating unit 122 corresponding to the notches 1221. The area of ​​the notches 1221 can be further increased. The size of the notches 1221 is such that the grasping mechanism 200, the part of the motion mechanism 300 connected to the grasping mechanism 200, and the items grasped by the grasping mechanism 200 can pass through when moving.

[0072] The storage rotating unit 122 is provided with a plurality of placement portions 1222 for placing articles; the placement portions 1222 are distributed on the periphery and / or the inner side of the storage rotating unit 122. The inner side of the storage rotating unit 122 refers to the portion of the storage rotating unit 122 close to the axis; on the contrary, the outer side refers to the portion of the storage rotating unit 122 far from the axis.

[0073] The placement portion 1222 is one or more of a shelf, an opening, and a groove provided on the storage rotating unit 122. In this embodiment, the storage rotating unit 122 is a turntable, and the shape of the notch 1221 of the storage rotating unit 122 is a fan-shaped; the placement portion 1222 is an opening directly opened on the storage rotating unit 122.

[0074] like Figure 5 As shown, in this embodiment, the motion mechanism 300 is a two-axis mechanical arm. The two-axis mechanical arm is arranged beside the storage rotation unit 122. The two-axis mechanical arm provides two degrees of freedom of movement, up and down and left and right. Figure 1 As shown, the moving directions of the Z-axis moving component and the X-axis or Y-axis moving component are defined by the three-dimensional space coordinate axis. The Z-axis direction refers to movement in the up-down direction, corresponding to the storage rotating units 122 distributed up and down, so that the grasping mechanism 200 can move to the uppermost and lowermost storage rotating units 122. The X-axis or Y-axis direction refers to movement in the lateral direction, so that the grasping mechanism 200 can move to the inner side of the storage rotating unit 122.

[0075] like Figure 5 As shown, in this embodiment, the two-axis robot arm includes a Z-axis moving component 310 and a Y-axis moving component 320 arranged on the Z-axis moving component 310, and the grasping mechanism 200 is arranged on the Y-axis moving component 320, so that the grasping mechanism 200 can move along the Z-axis direction and the Y-axis direction to the storage rotation unit 122.

[0076] The Z-axis moving assembly 310 includes a base 311, a Z-axis screw 312 disposed on the base, a Z-axis slide 313 disposed on the Z-axis screw, and a Z-axis screw motor 314 that drives the Z-axis screw to move the Z-axis slide. The base can be independently disposed or disposed on the bracket 110 of the object storage mechanism 100.

[0077] The Y-axis moving assembly 320 includes a Y-axis screw rod 321 disposed on the Z-axis slide, a Y-axis slide 322 disposed on the Y-axis screw rod, and a Y-axis screw rod motor 323 that drives the Y-axis screw rod to move the Y-axis slide.

[0078] The gripping mechanism 200 can be a mechanical gripper, an electric suction cup, or a combination of the two. In this embodiment, the gripping mechanism 200 is an electric suction cup, which realizes the adsorption and release actions through electric control. The gripping mechanism 200 is arranged on the Y-axis slide 322.

[0079] The image acquisition mechanism 400 is a sensor or camera for collecting the appearance, QR code or barcode information of the object. In this embodiment, the image acquisition mechanism 400 is a camera facing the object storage mechanism 100 for observing the situation of the object storage mechanism 100.

[0080] The camera can not only collect image information of the item, but also observe the situation at the item storage mechanism 100, and can be particularly used to monitor the rotation of the storage rotating unit 122, such as the rotation position. The camera is electrically connected to the controller 500 or wirelessly connected. The camera is set on the Y-axis slide and can move with the grasping mechanism 200. A single camera can identify and cover the entire item storage mechanism 100, which can reduce the number of cameras required to set up and improve the success rate of grasping. The image recognition algorithm and database stored and run by the camera and the controller 500 can automatically identify the type of item and record it in the database of the controller 500, realizing intelligent inventory management and product type recognition. It reduces manual intervention and improves operational efficiency and management accuracy. The item attribute information collected by the camera includes the shape and pattern color of the item. Furthermore, the item attribute information collected by the camera may also include the name of the item, the name of the manufacturer, and the size (capacity or weight).

[0081] The controller 500 is electrically or wirelessly connected to the grabbing mechanism 200, the motion mechanism 300, the image acquisition mechanism 400 and the object storage mechanism 100 to control the grabbing mechanism 200, the motion mechanism 300, the image acquisition mechanism 400 and the object storage mechanism 100 to work in coordination. The controller 500 includes a central processing unit and a storage module; the central processing unit is connected to the storage module; the storage module stores a database program code for recording object information, an image recognition algorithm program code, and a control program code for controlling the actions of the grabbing mechanism 200, the motion mechanism 300, the image acquisition mechanism 400 and the object storage mechanism 100. The central processing unit can control the operation of the object storage and retrieval device by running the above program code.

[0082] The controller 500 can control the notch 1221 of the storage rotating unit 122 to align with the direction of the grabbing mechanism 200, and the camera can be combined with image recognition to assist in positioning. Specifically, the camera feeds back the collected image information to the controller 500, and the controller 500 determines whether the notch 1221 is rotated to the preset position through the image recognition algorithm.

[0083] The working operation of the article storage and retrieval device of this embodiment is described as follows:

[0084] Item storage: The information of the item is preset in the controller 500 or the controller 500 is connected to a cloud server that records the item information. When working for the first time, the identification information of the item to be stored, such as text, image feature information, and quantity information, is stored in the memory of the controller 500 or the cloud server. If a new type of item is to be stored later, the new item identification information is added to the controller 500 or the cloud server. After the item is stored in the placement part of the storage rotating unit 122, the controller 500 controls the motion mechanism 300 to drive the camera to move to each layer of the storage rotating unit 122. The controller 500 controls the storage rotating unit 122 to rotate, and uses the image recognition algorithm to identify each observed item based on the image information fed back by the camera according to the preset item information in the database, and feeds the information back to the controller 500. The controller 500 records or updates the information of the items stored in each layer of the storage rotating unit 122, such as the storage quantity of the item and the location information of the item. The location information of the item can be the storage rotating unit 122 (the storage rotating unit is numbered in advance) or the displacement value of the motion mechanism 300 (for example, the displacement value of the Z axis).

[0085] Object grabbing: When a certain type of object needs to be taken out, the controller 500 finds the storage rotating unit 122 where the target object is located according to the object information recorded in the database, and the controller 500 controls the motion mechanism 300 to drive the grabbing mechanism 200 to move to the storage rotating unit 122 where the target object is located; when more than one storage rotating unit 122 stores the target object, the storage rotating unit 122 closer to the grabbing mechanism 200 can be selected or a designated storage rotating unit 122 can be selected according to a preset priority order; the controller 500 simultaneously controls the rotation of the storage rotating unit 122 and the movement of the grabbing mechanism 200 Specifically, the target storage rotating unit 122 is controlled to rotate the target object to face the direction where the grasping mechanism 200 is located, and at the same time, the storage rotating unit 122 adjacent to the target storage rotating unit 122 is also controlled to rotate, so that the notch 1221 of the adjacent storage rotating unit 122 faces the direction where the grasping mechanism 200 is located, leaving space for the grasping mechanism 200 to move. The controller 500 controls the motion mechanism 300 to drive the grasping mechanism 200 to move above the target object to grasp the target object; after grasping the target object, the controller 500 controls the grasping mechanism 200 to move to a designated position and put down the target object.

[0086] Example 2

[0087] Different from the first embodiment, the article storage and retrieval device of this embodiment is provided with storage and rotation units 122 with gaps 1221, the number of which is n-1, wherein n is the total number of storage and rotation units 122 possessed by the article storage and retrieval device.

[0088] When an item is placed on the upper surface of the storage rotating unit 122 and the grasping mechanism 200 wants to grasp the item from above the storage rotating unit 122, the storage rotating unit 122 located at the bottom layer (the first layer, calculated from the bottom to the top) may not be provided with the notch 1221, and the storage rotating units 122 at the second layer and above are all provided with the notch 1221.

[0089] When an item is placed (hung) on ​​the lower surface of the storage rotating unit 122 and the grabbing mechanism 200 wants to grab the item from below the storage rotating unit 122, the storage rotating unit 122 located on the top layer (the nth layer, calculated from the bottom to the top) may not be provided with the notch 1221, and the storage rotating units 122 on the n-1th layer and below are all provided with the notch 1221.

[0090] The other structures and connection relationships of the article storage and retrieval device described in this embodiment are the same as or similar to those in Embodiment 1.

[0091] Example 3

[0092] like Figure 6 As shown, different from the first embodiment, in the article storage and retrieval device of this embodiment, two adjacent storage units 120 are grouped together, one of the storage rotating units 122 in the same group is provided with a notch 1221, and the other storage rotating unit 122 is not provided with a notch 1221. From the situation of all the storage rotating units 122, the storage rotating units 122 provided with notches 1221 and the storage rotating units 122 without notches 1221 are alternately distributed in sequence; the storage rotating units 122 without notches 1221 and the storage rotating units 122 in the adjacent group have a gap for the grabbing mechanism 200 and part of the motion mechanism 300 to move.

[0093] The other structures and connection relationships of the article storage and retrieval device described in this embodiment are the same as or similar to those in Embodiment 1.

[0094] Example 4

[0095] like Figure 7As shown, different from the first embodiment, in order to better position the notch 1221, in the article storage and retrieval device of the present embodiment, the storage unit 120 further includes a rotation position sensing unit 124 for detecting the rotation position of the storage rotating unit 122, and the rotation position sensing unit is electrically or wirelessly connected to the controller 500. The rotation position sensing unit can detect the rotation position of the storage rotating unit 122, for example, the rotation position of the notch 1221, so as to more conveniently and accurately align the notch 1221 with the direction of the grabbing mechanism 200.

[0096] In this embodiment, the rotation position sensing unit 124 includes a rotation position sensor 1241 and at least one accessory 1242 adapted to the rotation position sensor; the rotation position sensor 1241 and the accessory 1242 may work in one of electrical induction, magnetic induction, optical induction, and mechanical induction. The rotation position sensor 1241 is electrically connected or wirelessly connected to the controller 500. The rotation position sensor 1241 is disposed on the bracket, and the accessory 1242 is disposed on the storage rotation unit 122. One of the accessories 1242 is used to feedback whether the notch 1221 is aligned with the direction of the gripping mechanism 200. When the notch 1221 of the storage rotation unit 122 needs to be rotated to the direction aligned with the gripping mechanism 200, the rotation position sensor 1241 senses the accessory 1242, and the rotation position sensor 1241 feedbacks to the controller 500 to stop rotating the storage rotation unit 122.

[0097] The other structures and connection relationships of the article storage and retrieval device described in this embodiment are the same as or similar to those in Embodiment 1.

[0098] Example 5

[0099] Different from Example 1, in the article storage and retrieval device of this embodiment, the article storage and retrieval device of this embodiment includes multiple image acquisition mechanisms 400, and at least each storage rotating unit 122 is arranged with an image acquisition mechanism 400 to identify objects and observe the situation of the storage rotating unit 122. The image acquisition mechanism 400 can be installed on the bracket 110 or the support unit 121.

[0100] The other structures and connection relationships of the article storage and retrieval device described in this embodiment are the same as or similar to those in Embodiment 1.

[0101] Obviously, the above embodiments of the present invention are merely examples for clearly illustrating the present invention, and are not intended to limit the embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other different forms of changes or modifications can be made based on the above description. It is not necessary and impossible to list all the embodiments here. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An article storage and retrieval device, characterized in that: It includes an article storage mechanism, a grabbing mechanism, a motion mechanism for driving the grabbing mechanism to move to the article storage mechanism, an image acquisition mechanism for acquiring article image information, and a controller; the controller is electrically or wirelessly connected to the grabbing mechanism, the motion mechanism, the image acquisition mechanism, and the article storage mechanism, respectively; The article storage mechanism includes a bracket and a plurality of storage units distributed vertically; each of the storage units includes a support unit, a storage rotating unit, and a motor for driving the storage rotating unit to rotate; at least a portion of the support unit is connected to the bracket to fix the support unit; The supporting unit is used to support the motor and / or the storage rotating unit; the storage rotating unit is provided with a plurality of placement portions for placing articles; The storage rotating units of each storage unit are distributed up and down, and the axial center lines of each storage rotating unit are in the same direction; multiple storage rotating units are provided with notches, and the notches extend from the outer edge of the storage rotating unit to the inner side. The size of the notches allows the grasping mechanism to pass through when moving, so as to facilitate grasping of items on an adjacent storage rotating unit corresponding to the notch.

2. The article storage and retrieval device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The size of the gap is such that the grasping mechanism, a portion of the motion mechanism connected to the grasping mechanism, and an object grasped by the grasping mechanism can pass through when moving.

3. The article storage and retrieval device according to claim 1, characterized in that: All the storage rotating units are provided with the notch.

4. The article storage and retrieval device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The image acquisition mechanism is installed on the grasping mechanism or the moving mechanism.

5. The article storage and retrieval device according to claim 1 or 4, characterized in that: The motion mechanism is a two-axis robotic arm; the two-axis robotic arm includes a Z-axis moving component and an X or Y-axis moving component arranged on the Z-axis moving component, and the grasping mechanism is arranged on the X or Y-axis moving component so that the grasping mechanism can move to the storage rotating unit along the Z-axis direction and the X or Y-axis direction.

6. The article storage and retrieval device according to claim 1 or 4, characterized in that: The image acquisition mechanism is a camera or a sensor.

7. The article storage and retrieval device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The plurality of placement portions are distributed on the periphery and / or the inner side of the storage rotating unit.

8. The article storage and retrieval device according to claim 1 or 7, characterized in that: The placement portion is one or more of a shelf, an opening and a groove arranged on the storage rotation unit.

9. The article storage and retrieval device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The motor is disposed on the supporting unit, the storage rotating unit is mounted on the motor, and the motor is connected to the axis center position of the storage rotating unit to drive the storage rotating unit to rotate.

10. The article storage and retrieval device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The grasping mechanism is a mechanical gripper, an electric suction cup or a combination of the two.

11. The article storage and retrieval device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The controller is connected with the grasping mechanism, the motion mechanism, the image acquisition mechanism and the article storage mechanism through wireless communication.

12. The article storage and retrieval device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The storage unit further includes a rotation position sensing unit for detecting a rotation position of the storage rotation unit, and the rotation position sensing unit is electrically or wirelessly connected to the controller.

13. The article storage and retrieval device according to claim 12, characterized in that: The rotational position sensing unit includes a rotational position sensor and at least one accessory adapted to the rotational position sensor; the rotational position sensor is electrically or wirelessly connected to the controller; the rotational position sensor is arranged on the bracket or the supporting unit, and the accessory is arranged on the storage rotation unit.

14. The article storage and retrieval device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The axis lines of the storage rotating units are in the same direction and on the same line.

15. The article storage and retrieval device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The storage rotating unit is a turntable.

16. The article storage and retrieval device according to claim 15, characterized in that: The shape of the notch is fan-shaped.

17. The article storage and retrieval device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The supporting unit is a supporting plate.

18. A method for managing the storage of articles, characterized in that: The article storage and retrieval device according to any one of claims 1 to 17 comprises the following steps: presetting the information of the article in the controller, or connecting the controller to a cloud server which records the information of the article; when the article is stored in the storage rotating unit, the controller controls the motion mechanism to drive the image acquisition mechanism to move to each layer of the storage rotating unit in turn, the controller controls the storage rotating unit to rotate, the image acquisition mechanism identifies each observed article and feeds back the information to the controller, and the controller records the information of the articles stored in each layer of the storage rotating unit.

19. A method for controlling object grabbing, characterized in that: The article storage and retrieval device according to any one of claims 1 to 17 comprises the following steps: when it is necessary to find and retrieve an article of a certain type, the controller controls the motion mechanism to drive the image acquisition mechanism to move to each layer of the storage rotating unit in turn, the controller controls the storage rotating unit to rotate, the image acquisition mechanism identifies each observed article, and when the target article is found, the controller stops the rotation of the storage rotating unit and controls the movement of the grasping mechanism to grasp the target article. After grasping the target article, the controller controls the grasping mechanism to move to the designated position and put down the target article.

20. A method for controlling access to items, characterized in that: Using the article storage and retrieval device according to any one of claims 1 to 17 comprises the following steps: Item storage: The information of the items is preset in the controller; after the items are stored in the storage rotating unit, the controller controls the motion mechanism to drive the image acquisition mechanism to move to each layer of the storage rotating unit, the controller controls the rotation of the storage rotating unit and the image acquisition mechanism to collect image information, and uses the image recognition algorithm to identify each observed item based on the item information preset in the database for the image information fed back by the image acquisition mechanism and feeds the information back to the controller, and the controller records or updates the information of the items stored in each layer of the storage rotating unit; Object grabbing: When a certain type of object needs to be taken out, the controller reads the previously recorded information. If there are objects of the corresponding type, the storage rotating unit where the target object is located is found, and the controller controls the motion mechanism to drive the grabbing mechanism to move to the storage rotating unit; when more than one storage rotating unit stores the target object, a storage rotating unit closer to the grabbing mechanism can be selected or a designated storage rotating unit can be selected according to a preset priority order; the controller controls the rotation of the storage rotating unit and the movement of the grabbing mechanism at the same time to grab the target object. After grabbing the target object, the controller controls the grabbing mechanism to move to the designated position and put down the target object.

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