Conveying control method, conveying device and storage system

Abstract

The invention provides a carrying control method, a carrying device and a storage system.The carrying control method comprises the steps that first information and / or second information are / is obtained, the first information comprises at least one of position information of an insertion arm, an in-place state of a target object, a placement state of the target object, a chain state of a driving mechanism and a torque value of the driving mechanism; the second information comprises at least one of a position coordinate of the bearing layer, a starting point and an ending point of an automatic carrying task, and a starting point and an ending point of a manual carrying task; according to the first information and / or the second information, whether the movement of the insertion arm has risks or not is judged, and when the movement of the insertion arm has risks, the driving mechanism is controlled to stop driving the insertion arm and / or output alarm information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of display technology, and more specifically, to a transport control method, a transport device, and a storage system. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of OLED (organic light-emitting diode) display technology, the requirements for precision and automation in its production process are increasing. In the backplane process stage of OLED, the exposure process is the key step in forming fine patterns, and this process relies heavily on customized masks. Since different products have different requirements for patterns, these masks need to be frequently replaced and used in rotation. When the masks are idle, they need to be manually transported to shelves or simple automated equipment for storage.

[0003] Due to the extremely high value of the Mask, once a collision occurs during transportation or storage, even a slight damage may cause the entire Mask to be scrapped, thus causing huge economic losses to the company. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the present disclosure is to provide a highly secure transport control method, a transport device and a storage system to protect the security and integrity of Mask.

[0005] In order to achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0006] In a first aspect, the present disclosure provides a transport control method, which is applicable to a transport device, wherein the transport device comprises an insert arm and a driving mechanism, wherein the insert arm comprises a support surface for placing a target object, and the driving mechanism is connected to the insert arm and is used to drive the insert arm to move so as to put the target object into any bearing layer of a storage rack or take it out from any bearing layer, wherein the storage rack comprises a plurality of bearing units arranged at intervals along a first direction, and any of the bearing units comprises a plurality of bearing layers arranged at intervals along a second direction, wherein the second direction is a vertical direction; the transport control method comprises the following steps:

[0007] Acquire first information and / or second information, wherein the first information includes at least one of the position information of the insertion arm, the in-position state of the target object, the placement state of the target object, the chain state of the driving mechanism, and the torque value of the driving mechanism, and the second information includes at least one of the position coordinates of the bearing layer, the starting point and the end point of the automatic transport task, and the starting point and the end point of the manual transport task;

[0008] Whether there is a risk in the movement of the insertion arm is determined according to the first information and / or the second information, and when there is a risk in the movement of the insertion arm, the driving mechanism is controlled to stop driving the insertion arm and / or output an alarm message.

[0009] Optionally, the position information of the insert arm includes first position information of the insert arm relative to the bearing layer in a first direction and / or a second direction;

[0010] The step of judging whether there is a risk in the movement of the insert arm according to the position information of the insert arm comprises:

[0011] The first position information is compared with the second position information fed back by the encoder inside the driving mechanism to determine whether there is a deviation in the second position information, and if there is a deviation, it is determined that there is a risk in the movement of the insertion arm.

[0012] Optionally, the in-place state of the target object includes whether the target object exists in the carrier layer to be placed in the target object;

[0013] The steps of judging whether there is a risk in the movement of the insertion arm according to the in-position state of the target object, and controlling the driving mechanism to stop driving the insertion arm and / or outputting an alarm message when there is a risk in the movement of the insertion arm include:

[0014] When there is a target object in the carrier layer to be placed, it is determined that there is a risk in the movement of the insertion arm along the third direction, and the driving mechanism is controlled to stop the movement of the insertion arm along the third direction, and the third direction is perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction.

[0015] Optionally, the position information of the inserted arm includes a first distance of the inserted arm relative to an obstacle in a second direction;

[0016] The steps of judging whether there is a risk in the movement of the insert arm according to the position information of the insert arm, and controlling the driving mechanism to stop driving the insert arm and / or outputting an alarm message when there is a risk in the movement of the insert arm include:

[0017] When the first distance is less than a first distance threshold, it is determined that there is a risk in the movement of the insertion arm approaching the obstacle along the second direction, and the driving mechanism is controlled to stop the movement of the insertion arm approaching the obstacle along the second direction.

[0018] Optionally, the driving mechanism includes a first driving mechanism for driving the insertion arm to move along a first direction, a second driving mechanism for driving the insertion arm to move along a second direction, and a third driving mechanism for driving the insertion arm to move along a third direction, the first direction, the second direction and the third direction are perpendicular to each other, and the chain state of the driving mechanism includes the chain state of the second driving mechanism;

[0019] The steps of judging whether there is a risk in the movement of the insert arm according to the chain state of the driving mechanism, and controlling the driving mechanism to stop driving the insert arm and / or outputting an alarm message when there is a risk in the movement of the insert arm include:

[0020] When the chain of the second driving mechanism breaks, it is determined that there is a risk in the movement of the insertion arm along the second direction, and the second driving mechanism is controlled to stop the movement of the insertion arm along the second direction and output a first alarm message.

[0021] Optionally, the in-place state of the target object includes whether the target object exists in the bearing layer, and the placement state of the target object includes whether the target object is accurately placed in the bearing layer;

[0022] The steps of judging whether there is a risk in the movement of the insert arm according to the in-position state of the target object and the placement state of the target object, and controlling the driving mechanism to stop driving the insert arm and / or outputting an alarm message when there is a risk in the movement of the insert arm include:

[0023] When there is a target object on the bearing layer but the target object is not accurately placed, it is determined that there is a risk in the movement of the insertion arm, and a second alarm message is output.

[0024] Optionally, the placement status of the target object includes whether the target object on the insert arm is accurately placed;

[0025] The steps of judging whether there is a risk in the movement of the insertion arm according to the placement state of the target object, and controlling the driving mechanism to stop driving the insertion arm and / or outputting an alarm message when there is a risk in the movement of the insertion arm include:

[0026] When the target object is not accurately placed, it is determined that there is a risk in the movement of the insertion arm along the third direction, and the third driving mechanism is controlled to stop driving the movement of the insertion arm along the third direction and output a third alarm message.

[0027] Optionally, the driving mechanism includes a first driving mechanism for driving the insertion arm to move in a first direction, a second driving mechanism for driving the insertion arm to move in a second direction, and a third driving mechanism for driving the insertion arm to move in a third direction, wherein the first direction, the second direction, and the third direction are perpendicular to each other; the torque value of the driving mechanism includes the real-time torque value of the first mechanism driving, the second driving mechanism, and the third driving mechanism;

[0028] The steps of judging whether there is a risk in the movement of the insert arm according to the torque value of the driving mechanism, and controlling the driving mechanism to stop driving the insert arm and / or outputting an alarm message when there is a risk in the movement of the insert arm include:

[0029] Determine whether the real-time torque value of the first driving mechanism is greater than a first torque threshold value, and if the determination result is yes, determine that there is a risk in the movement of the insert arm along the first direction, and control the first driving mechanism to lock the servo axis;

[0030] Determine whether the real-time torque value of the second driving mechanism is greater than a second torque threshold, and if the determination result is yes, determine that there is a risk of the movement of the insert arm along the second direction, and control the second driving mechanism to lock the servo axis; and

[0031] It is determined whether the real-time torque value of the third driving mechanism is greater than a third torque threshold value, and when the determination result is yes, it is determined that there is a risk in the movement of the insert arm along the third direction, and the third driving mechanism is controlled to lock the servo shaft.

[0032] Optionally, the second information includes a starting point and an end point of the automatic transport task, and the starting point and the end point are a transport vehicle or a carrying layer;

[0033] The steps of judging whether there is a risk in the movement of the insertion arm according to the starting point and the end point of the automatic transport task, and controlling the driving mechanism to stop driving the insertion arm and / or outputting an alarm message when there is a risk in the movement of the insertion arm include:

[0034] Whether the automatic transport task is valid is determined based on the starting point and the end point, and when the automatic transport task is valid, the arm is driven to move by the driving mechanism to transport the target object from the starting point to the end point, and when the automatic transport task is invalid, it is determined that there is a risk in the movement of the arm, and a fourth alarm message is output.

[0035] Optionally, the second information includes a starting point and an end point of the manual transport task, the starting point indicates a first position identifier of the bearing layer where the arm is currently located, and the end point indicates a second position identifier of the bearing layer corresponding to the manual transport task;

[0036] The steps of judging whether there is a risk in the movement of the insertion arm according to the starting point and the end point of the manual transport task, and controlling the driving mechanism to stop driving the insertion arm and / or outputting an alarm message when there is a risk in the movement of the insertion arm include:

[0037] Determine whether the first position identifier is the same as the second position identifier, and execute the manual transport task when the first position identifier is the same as the second position identifier; and determine that there is a risk in the movement of the arm when the first position identifier is different from the second position identifier, and output a fifth alarm message.

[0038] Optionally, the driving mechanism includes a first driving mechanism for driving the insertion arm to move in a first direction, a second driving mechanism for driving the insertion arm to move in a second direction, and a third driving mechanism for driving the insertion arm to move in a third direction, the first direction, the second direction and the third direction are perpendicular to each other, and the transport control method further includes:

[0039] Before controlling the first driving mechanism to drive the insertion arm to move in the first direction, determining whether the position of the insertion arm in the third direction is a safe position, and if the determination result is no, determining that there is a risk in the movement of the insertion arm, and controlling the first driving mechanism to stop driving the movement of the insertion arm in the first direction; and

[0040] Before controlling the third driving mechanism to drive the insertion arm to move along the third direction, determine whether the position of the insertion arm in the first direction is a safe position, and when the judgment result is no, determine that there is a risk in the movement of the insertion arm, and control the first driving mechanism to stop driving the insertion arm to move along the third direction.

[0041] Optionally, the transport control method further includes:

[0042] Acquire pre-stored position coordinates of the bearing layer, where the position coordinates include position coordinates of any bearing layer in a first direction;

[0043] The driving mechanism is controlled according to the position coordinates to drive the insert arm to put the target object into any bearing layer of the storage rack or take it out from any bearing layer.

[0044] A second aspect of the present disclosure provides a transport device, comprising:

[0045] An insert arm, the insert arm comprising a support surface for placing a target object;

[0046] A driving mechanism connected to the insertion arm, used to drive the insertion arm to move so as to put the target object into any bearing layer of the storage rack or take it out from any bearing layer, wherein the storage rack includes a plurality of bearing layers for bearing the target object;

[0047] A sensor assembly, configured to detect first information and transmit the first information to a control unit, wherein the first information includes at least one of position information of the insertion arm, an in-position state of the target object, a placement state of the target object, a chain state of the driving mechanism, and a torque value of the driving mechanism;

[0048] a human-machine interaction interface, configured to generate second information in response to a user operation of a user in the human-machine interaction interface and transmit the second information to a control unit;

[0049] A control unit includes a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the processor implements the steps of the transport control method as described above when executing the program.

[0050] Optionally, the storage rack includes a plurality of bearing units arranged at intervals along a first direction, and any of the bearing units includes a plurality of bearing layers arranged at intervals along a second direction, and the second direction is a vertical direction;

[0051] The transport device further includes a first track extending along a first direction, a second track extending along a second direction, and a third track extending along a third direction, and the driving mechanism includes:

[0052] A first driving mechanism, used for driving the insert arm to move along a first direction on the first track under the control of the control unit;

[0053] A second driving mechanism, used for driving the insert arm to move along a second direction on the second track under the control of the control unit; and

[0054] A third driving mechanism, used for driving the insert arm to move along a third direction on the third track under the control of the control unit;

[0055] The first direction, the second direction and the third direction are perpendicular to each other.

[0056] Optionally, the sensor assembly includes at least one of a code reader, a first sensor, a second sensor, a third sensor, a fourth sensor, and a fifth sensor;

[0057] A barcode tape is laid on the first track and / or the second track, the barcode tape carries position information, and the barcode reader is fixedly connected to the insertion arm, and is used to read the barcode tape at a corresponding position on the first track and / or the second track when the insertion arm moves along the first direction and / or the second direction to obtain the first position information of the insertion arm;

[0058] The first sensor is arranged at the first end of the insert arm, and is used to detect whether there is a target object in the bearing layer to be placed when the insert arm moves along the third direction, and feed back the first detection result to the control unit, and the first end is the end face of the insert arm facing the bearing layer in the third direction;

[0059] The second sensor is arranged at the second end of the insert arm, and is used to detect a first distance of the insert arm relative to an obstacle in the second direction when the insert arm moves in the second direction above any bearing layer, and feeds back a second detection result to the control unit, wherein the second end is an end surface opposite to the supporting surface of the insert arm;

[0060] The second driving mechanism is a chain drive, and the second driving mechanism includes a driving motor, a driving gear, a driven gear and a chain, the output shaft of the driving motor is connected to the driving gear, the driving gear and the driven gear are driven by a chain, the insert arm is connected to the chain, and the third sensor is arranged at the position of the driving gear and / or the driven gear, and is used to detect whether the chain is broken, and output the third detection result to the control unit;

[0061] The fourth sensor includes a plurality of sensors, any of which is disposed on one of the bearing layers of the storage rack, and the fourth sensor is used to detect whether there is a target object on the bearing layer and whether the target object is accurately placed, and transmit a fourth detection result to the control unit;

[0062] The fifth sensor is disposed on the support surface where the insert arm contacts the target object, and is used to detect whether the target object on the insert arm is accurately placed, and transmit the fifth detection result to the control unit;

[0063] The sixth sensor is arranged at the first drive mechanism, the second drive mechanism and the third drive mechanism, and is used to detect the real-time torque value of the servo axis in the first drive mechanism, the second drive mechanism and the third drive mechanism, and transmit the real-time torque value to the control unit.

[0064] A third aspect of the present disclosure provides a storage system, including a storage rack and the handling device as described above, wherein the storage rack includes multiple bearing layers for bearing target objects, and the handling device is used to place the target object into any bearing layer of the storage rack or take it out from any bearing layer.

[0065] The beneficial effects of the present disclosure are as follows:

[0066] The handling control method of the disclosed embodiment obtains the first information and / or the second information, and determines whether the movement of the arm involves various risks such as collision risk, overload risk, operational error risk, etc. based on the first information and / or the second information, and takes safety measures when risks exist, such as terminating the driving movement of the arm, outputting alarm information, etc., thereby effectively preventing accidents such as accidental collision and overload of the arm during operation, and fully ensuring the safety of the Mask. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0067] The specific implementation methods of the present disclosure are further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0068] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a storage system provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0069] Figure 2 A front view of a transport device provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0070] Figure 3 A three-dimensional structural diagram of a transport device provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0071] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of a first driving mechanism provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0072] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of a second driving mechanism provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0073] Figure 6 for Figure 5 Partial decomposition diagram of the middle area C;

[0074] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the structure of a third driving mechanism provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0075] Figure 8 A structural diagram of an insert arm provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0076] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of a barcode tape laid on a first track and a second track;

[0077] Fig.10 It is a schematic diagram of the principle of collision warning during the forward movement of the arm;

[0078] Fig.11 It is a schematic diagram of the principle of collision warning during the lowering process of the arm;

[0079] Fig.12 It is a schematic diagram when the target object in the bearing layer is not accurately placed;

[0080] Fig.13 A schematic diagram showing that the target object on the interposition arm is not correctly placed;

[0081] Fig.14 A schematic diagram of the status display bar in the human-computer interaction interface;

[0082] Fig.15 is a schematic diagram of a first interactive interface;

[0083] Fig.16 is a schematic diagram of a second interactive interface;

[0084] Fig.17 is the x-coordinate of each load-bearing layer in the storage rack;

[0085] Fig.18 A flow chart of an embodiment of a transport control method provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0086] Fig.19A flowchart for identifying collision risks and taking safety measures based on first position information of the insert arm relative to the load-bearing layer in a first direction;

[0087] Fig. 20 A flowchart for identifying collision risks and taking safety measures based on the status of the target object;

[0088] Fig.21 A flowchart for identifying collision risks and taking safety measures based on the position information of the fork arm;

[0089] Fig. 22 A flowchart for risk identification and safety measures based on the chain status of the drive mechanism;

[0090] Fig.23 A flowchart for identifying risks and taking safety measures based on the status of the target object in place and its placement;

[0091] Fig.24 A flow chart for identifying risks and taking safety measures based on the placement status of the target on the arm. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0092] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure clearer, the technical solution of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings of the embodiments of the present disclosure. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, not all of the embodiments. Based on the described embodiments of the present disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0093] Unless otherwise defined, the technical terms or scientific terms used in the present disclosure should be understood by people with ordinary skills in the field to which the present disclosure belongs. The "first", "second" and similar words used in the present disclosure do not indicate any order, quantity or importance, but are only used to distinguish different components. Similarly, similar words such as "one", "one" or "the" do not indicate quantity restrictions, but indicate that there is at least one. Similar words such as "include" or "comprise" mean that the elements or objects appearing before the word cover the elements or objects listed after the word and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects. Similar words such as "connect" or "connected" are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but can include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. "Up", "down", "left", "right" and the like are only used to indicate relative positional relationships. When the absolute position of the described object changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0094] The traditional way to store masks is to place them in a dedicated Mask Case, which is then manually transported to a shelf or simple automated equipment for storage. A Mask Case refers to a box used to store a single mask. However, this method has many disadvantages: First, manual handling is not only inefficient, but also completely dependent on the operator's physical strength, skills, and mood, which poses a high safety risk, especially when handling high-value masks. Once a collision or fall occurs, it will cause immeasurable losses. Secondly, the capacity of manual shelves is limited, and as the scale of production expands, the number of shelves needs to be continuously increased, which not only takes up a lot of production space, but also increases management difficulty and cost. Finally, this method limits the further improvement of production efficiency and flexibility.

[0095] In order to overcome the above defects, the industry has proposed an automated Mask Stocker device as a solution. This type of device uses automated mechanisms such as mechanical arms to automatically remove and store the Mask Case between storage locations, greatly improving storage efficiency and safety. However, traditional automated Mask Stocker devices still have deficiencies in safety performance. Therefore, how to design an automated Mask Stocker device with high safety has become a technical problem that needs to be solved urgently by those skilled in the art.

[0096] In order to solve the above technical problems, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a transport control method, a transport device and a storage system, which are used to realize operations such as moving, accessing and storing a target object. The target object can be any object such as a mask plate and a glass substrate. In order to facilitate the description of the various embodiments of the transport device of the present disclosure, the structure of the storage rack for storing the target object in the embodiments of the present disclosure is first introduced.

[0097] In the disclosed embodiment, the storage rack (shelf) 100 can also be understood as a storage rack or a single storage location. It is a basic unit for storing items in a warehouse, usually a steel structure or a wooden structure composed of multiple layers and multiple columns. Each storage rack 100 is designed with a specific load-bearing capacity and size to meet the storage requirements of different types of items. In an automated or intelligent storage system, the storage rack 100 may also be equipped with intelligent devices such as RFID tags and sensors to achieve automated identification, tracking and management of items.

[0098] Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 1 is a schematic diagram of a storage system provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein the storage system includes a storage rack 100 and a transport device 200. Figure 1As shown, the storage rack 100 includes a plurality of bearing units 110 arranged at intervals along a first direction, and any of the bearing units 110 includes a plurality of bearing layers 1101 arranged at intervals along a second direction. Optionally, the first direction represents a horizontal direction, such as X, and the second direction represents a vertical direction, such as Z. Then, each bearing unit 110 can be understood as a column of the storage rack 100, represented by PORT, and each bearing layer 1101 can be understood as a layer of the storage rack 100, represented by SLOT, and the bearing layer 1101 is used to place the target object.

[0099] For example, Figure 1 As shown, the storage rack 100 includes 6 bearing units 110, each bearing unit 110 includes multiple bearing layers 1101, and the j-th bearing layer in the i-th bearing unit 110 in the storage rack 100 can be recorded as Shelf (ij). Optionally, the number of bearing layers 1101 in each bearing unit 110 can be the same. Of course, in some embodiments, different bearing units 110 can also be designed with different heights and depths according to storage requirements, and different numbers of bearing layers can be designed to optimize space utilization and access efficiency. For example: the first bearing unit 110 can be designed to include only 13 bearing layers 1101, and the other bearing units 110 can include 15 bearing layers 1101. In addition, the storage rack 100 generally also includes an EFU (blower), which is used to maintain air circulation and positive pressure inside the storage rack 100. The positive pressure environment can effectively prevent external dust, particles and other pollutants from entering the storage rack 100, protecting the stored items from contamination and damage.

[0100] Based on the structure of the storage rack 100 described above, the technical solutions of the transport control method, transport device and storage system disclosed in the present invention are described in detail below in combination with various specific embodiments.

[0101] Please refer to Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 8 , Figure 2 A front view of a transport device provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure, Figure 3 A perspective view of a transport device provided for implementation of the present disclosure, Figure 8 for Figure 3 The structural diagram of the middle arm is as follows: Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 8 As shown, the transport device 200 includes an arm 210, a driving mechanism and a control unit. The control unit includes a memory, a processor and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor. When the processor executes the program, the steps of the transport control method are implemented.

[0102] The insert arm 210 includes a support surface 2101 for placing the target object 300 .

[0103] The driving mechanism is connected to the insertion arm 210 and is used to drive the insertion arm 210 to move so as to put the target object 300 into any bearing layer of the storage rack 100 or take it out from any bearing layer.

[0104] The control unit is connected to the driving mechanism, and is used to obtain the first information and / or the second information, determine whether there is a risk in the movement of the arm 210 based on the first information and / or the second information, and control the driving mechanism to stop driving the arm 210 and / or output an alarm message when there is a risk; the first information includes the position information of the arm 210, the in-place status of the target object, the placement status of the target object, the chain status of the driving mechanism, and at least one of the torque value of the driving mechanism; the second information includes the position coordinates of the bearing layer, the starting point and end point of the automatic transport task, and at least one of the starting point and end point of the manual transport task.

[0105] In a possible implementation, the transport device 200 further includes a first track extending along a first direction, a second track extending along a second direction, and a third track extending along a third direction, and the driving mechanism includes:

[0106] A first driving mechanism 2210, used for driving the insert arm 210 to move along a first direction on a first track under the control of the control unit;

[0107] A second driving mechanism 2220, used for driving the insert arm 210 to move along a second direction on a second track under the control of the control unit; and

[0108] The third driving mechanism 2230 is used to drive the insertion arm 210 to move along a third direction on the third track under the control of the control unit; the first direction, the second direction and the third direction are perpendicular to each other.

[0109] For example, Figure 2 As shown, the second direction is the vertical direction Z, the first direction is the horizontal direction X, and the third direction is the horizontal direction Y, wherein the third direction Y can also be understood as the depth direction of the bearing layer. In the disclosed embodiment, by controlling the movement of the insertion arm 210 along the first direction, the second direction, and the third direction, the target object can be placed in any bearing layer of the storage rack 100 or taken out from any bearing layer.

[0110] Optional, such as Figure 2 As shown, the transport device 200 further includes a base 250 , a first lifting frame 260 and a first mounting seat 270 .

[0111] A first track extending along the X direction is formed on the base 250 , which is referred to as the X track, and the length of the first track is at least greater than or equal to the length of the storage rack 100 in the X direction.

[0112] The first lifting frame 260 is slidably disposed on the first track and can move left and right along the first track. A second track extending along the Z direction is formed on the first lifting frame 260, which is denoted as the Z track, wherein the Z track is composed of a Z1 track and a Z2 track disposed in parallel. The length of the second track is at least greater than or equal to the height of the storage rack 100 in the Z direction.

[0113] The first mounting seat 270 is slidably disposed on the second track and can move up and down along the second track. A third track extending along the Y direction is formed on the first mounting seat 270, which is denoted as the Y track. The insertion arm 210 is slidably disposed on the first mounting seat 270 and can move forward and backward along the Y direction. The length of the third track is at least greater than or equal to the depth of the storage rack 100 in the Y direction. For example, Figure 3 As shown, the first mounting seat 270 includes a slider 2701 slidably disposed on the second track, and a seat body 2702 fixedly connected to the slider 2701 and forming a third track, and the insertion arm 210 is slidably disposed on the third track of the seat body 2702.

[0114] For example, please refer to Figure 4 , Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first driving mechanism, such as Figure 4 As shown, the first driving mechanism 2210 is a conveyor belt drive, which includes a driving motor (not shown), rollers, a conveyor belt 2211 and other basic structures, wherein the first lifting frame 260 is connected to the conveyor belt 2211 through a slider 2212, and the slider 2212 can reciprocate along the first direction on the first track, thereby driving the first lifting frame 260 to reciprocate along the first direction. It should be noted that Figure 4 The first driving mechanism 2210 is not shown in full, but it is a conventional driving structure in the art.

[0115] For example, please refer to Figure 5 and Figure 6 , Figure 5 for Figure 2 The schematic diagram of the structure of the track on one side of the first lifting frame, Figure 6 for Figure 5 The decomposition diagram of the local area C in is as follows: Figures 5 and 6As shown, the second driving mechanism 2220 is a chain drive, and the second driving mechanism 2220 includes a driving motor 2221, a driving gear 2222, a driven gear (located at the top of the first lifting frame 260, not shown in the figure) and a chain 2223. The output shaft of the driving motor 2221 is connected to the driving gear 2222, and the driving gear 2222 and the driven gear are transmitted through the chain 2223, and the insert arm 210 is connected to the chain 2223. In addition, a chain box 2224 is also provided at the position of the driving gear 2222 and the driven gear, and the gear is provided in the chain box 2224.

[0116] For example, please refer to Figures 7 and 8 , Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the third driving mechanism, such as Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, the third driving mechanism 2230 is a conveyor belt drive method, which includes a driving motor 2231, a roller 2232, a conveyor belt 2233, and the rollers 2232 are located at both ends of the conveyor belt 2233. The output shaft of the driving motor is connected to the rollers 2232 to drive the rollers 2232 to rotate, thereby driving the conveyor belt 2233 to reciprocate along the third direction. In addition, the third driving mechanism 2230 also includes a connecting block 2234, which is fixed to the conveyor belt 2233 and fixedly connected to the insert arm 210. When the conveyor belt 2233 moves, it drives the insert arm 210 to reciprocate along the third direction.

[0117] It can be understood that the first drive mechanism 2210, the second drive mechanism 2220 and the third drive mechanism 2230 can all be any drive structure in the relevant technology, such as a chain drive structure, a conveyor belt drive structure, a connecting rod drive structure, a gear drive structure, a screw drive structure, etc. The embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto, as long as the drive arm 210 can be driven to reciprocate along the first direction, the second direction and the third direction.

[0118] In the automated storage system, the handling device 200 is disposed correspondingly to the storage rack 100. Figure 1As shown, the handling device 200 is fixedly installed in front of the storage rack 100, and the first track of the handling device 200 is parallel to the arrangement direction of each load-bearing unit 110 of the storage rack 100. By controlling the arm 210 to move along the first direction, the second direction and the third direction, the target object can be placed in any load-bearing layer of the storage rack 100 or taken out from any load-bearing layer. In addition, in the automated storage system, the transport vehicle MGV is also used. The transport vehicle MGV is a manual cart for carrying the Mask Case, which can transport the Mask Case to the location of the storage rack 100 and the handling device 200, and then the handling device 100 realizes the movement of the Mask case between the transport vehicle MGV and the storage rack 100. Among them, the control unit can obtain the position of the transport vehicle MGV through a sensor, or the transport vehicle MGV actively reports its own position to the control unit.

[0119] In the disclosed embodiment, in order to improve the safety of the handling device 200, a risk assessment and decision-making mechanism is set in the control unit. Specifically, the control unit can obtain two types of key information: first information and second information. The first information is directly related to the state of the plug arm 210 and its operating environment, including the current position information of the plug arm, the in-place state of the target object (such as whether it is in the expected position), the placement state (such as whether it is accurately placed), the chain state of the drive mechanism (such as whether it is broken, etc.) and the torque value generated by the drive mechanism (reflecting the load and operating state); the second information is related to the layout of the carrying layer in the handling task and the storage rack 100, such as the position coordinates of the carrying layer, the starting point and end point coordinates of the automatic or manual handling task, etc. Based on the first information and / or the second information obtained, the control unit can evaluate whether there are potential risks in the movement of the plug arm 210, which may include collision risks (such as collision between the plug arm and the target object, the plug arm and the storage rack), overload risks (such as torque values ​​exceeding the safety threshold), operational error risks (such as the target object is not in the expected position, resulting in operation failure), etc. When the assessment result shows that there is a risk in the movement of the insert arm, the control unit will immediately take safety measures. The safety measures mainly include two categories: the first category is to terminate the drive, such as controlling the drive mechanism to stop driving the insert arm 210 to prevent further risks from occurring; the second category is to output alarm information, such as through visual display, sound and light alarm or other means to warn the operator of the current risks or problems.

[0120] The handling device of the disclosed embodiment obtains the first information and / or the second information, and determines whether the movement of the arm involves various risks such as collision risk, overload risk, operational error risk, etc. based on the first information and / or the second information, and takes safety measures when risks exist, such as terminating the driving movement of the arm, outputting alarm information, etc., thereby effectively preventing accidents such as accidental collision and overload of the arm during operation and improving safety.

[0121] In one possible implementation, in order to determine whether there is a risk in the movement of the arm 210 based on the first information and / or the second information, it is necessary to improve the software and hardware of the transport device 200 in advance. For example, in terms of hardware, multiple sensors are set to obtain the first information. In terms of software, the business logic of the human-computer interaction interface is designed to obtain the second information, and a risk assessment and decision-making mechanism is set in the control unit.

[0122] Optionally, the transport device 200 further includes a sensor component and a human-machine exchange interface. The sensor component is used to detect the first information and transmit the first information to the control unit; the human-machine exchange interface is used to realize communication between the user and the control unit, and to generate second information in response to the user operation in the human-machine exchange interface, and transmit the second information to the control unit.

[0123] Among them, the sensor assembly refers to a collection of multiple sensors, and each sensor in the sensor assembly can be used to obtain different information, such as the position information of the arm 210, the in-place status of the target object, the placement status of the target object, the chain status of the driving mechanism, or the torque value of the driving mechanism.

[0124] In a possible implementation, the position information of the insertion arm 210 includes the first position information of the insertion arm 210 relative to the bearing layer in the first direction and / or the second direction. In order to obtain the first position information, a barcode tape is laid on the first track and / or the second track, and the barcode tape carries the position information, and the sensor assembly includes a code reader 2400, and the code reader 2400 is fixedly connected to the insertion arm 210, and is used to read the barcode tape at the corresponding position on the first track and / or the second track when the insertion arm 210 moves along the first direction and / or the second direction to obtain the first position information of the insertion arm 210, and feed back the first position information to the control unit; the control unit is used to compare the first position information with the second position information fed back by the encoder inside the driving mechanism to determine whether there is a deviation in the second position information, and when there is a deviation, determine that there is a risk in the movement of the insertion arm 210.

[0125] The code reader 2400 needs to be able to move synchronously with the insertion arm 210, and the code reader 2400 can read the position information on the barcode tape during the synchronous movement with the insertion arm 210. For example, Figure 3As shown, the code reader 2400 can be fixedly set on the slider 2701, and the code reader 2400 needs to have two reading heads for reading the barcode tape value, one reading head is set to face the barcode tape in the first direction, and the other reading head is set to face the barcode tape in the second direction. It can be understood that the code reader 2400 can also be set at other positions as long as it can achieve the acquisition of the first position information. For example, please refer to Fig. 9 , Fig. 9 Schematic diagram of the barcode tape laid on the first track and the second track, Fig. 9 As shown, the barcode tape is in the form of a paper tape, and the value in the barcode tape has a one-to-one correspondence with the position of the barcode tape. The corresponding position information can be obtained by reading the value of the barcode tape.

[0126] In this embodiment, when the driving mechanism controls the insert arm 210 to put the target object into any bearing layer of the storage rack 100 or take it out from any bearing layer, it is necessary to first achieve the alignment of the insert arm 210 and the bearing layer, mainly including the alignment in the first direction and the alignment in the second direction. If there is a large deviation in the alignment, it may cause the insert arm 210 to collide with the storage rack 100 when moving along the third direction, thereby damaging the target object. In order to improve the alignment accuracy of the insert arm 210 and the bearing layer, the embodiment of the present disclosure provides a barcode tape auxiliary detection solution, that is, combining the barcode tape detection technology with the traditional servo control system to achieve double verification of the movement position of the insert arm 210, improve the positioning accuracy of the insert arm 210, and reduce the risk of collision between the insert arm 210 and the storage rack 100.

[0127] Specifically, the barcode belt auxiliary detection solution includes the following:

[0128] (1) Barcode tape laying: The barcode tape is laid on the tracks where the fork arm 210 moves in the X direction and the Z direction, such as laying the barcode tape on the X track, the Z1 track, and the Z2 track. Fig. 9 As shown, the barcode tape contains a series of specific barcodes or patterns, which can be identified by a dedicated barcode reader (such as a barcode reader). The spacing, type, etc. of the barcodes are designed according to actual application requirements to provide sufficient resolution to reflect the position change of the arm 210.

[0129] (2) Code reader setting: A code reader is installed at a suitable location. The code reader can scan the information on the barcode tape in real time and send the read position information (ie, the first position information) to the control unit.

[0130] (3) Data processing and feedback: In the disclosed embodiment, the first drive mechanism, the second drive mechanism and the third drive mechanism are all servo drive mechanisms, each of which includes a drive motor, and the drive motor is equipped with an encoder, which can accurately detect the current position of the drive motor and feed back this position information (recorded as the second position information) to the control unit in real time. In the related art, the control unit directly performs accurate position control and adjustment based on the second position information fed back by the encoder. However, when the encoder coupling breaks, it may cause errors in the position control based on the encoder. Among them, the encoder coupling refers to a component connecting the drive motor and the encoder, and its main function is to transmit torque and synchronous speed to ensure that the encoder can accurately obtain the position information of the drive motor. Once the encoder coupling breaks, it will directly affect the normal operation of the encoder. The encoder may not be able to accurately obtain the position information of the drive motor, or completely lose the position information, which will cause errors in the position control based on the encoder. In order to solve this problem, a barcode tape auxiliary detection is added in the embodiment of the present disclosure, that is, in addition to obtaining the second position information fed back by the encoder, the control unit also obtains the first position information fed back by the code reader 2400, and then compares the first position information with the second position information, and verifies the second position information through the first position information. The specific verification process includes: determining whether the difference between the first position information and the second position information is greater than the first deviation threshold. If it is greater than the first deviation threshold, it means that the servo system of the driving mechanism may have an error or fault. At this time, the control unit will determine that there is a risk in the movement of the arm 210, thereby triggering safety measures, such as alarming and stopping the movement of the arm 210, to prevent a collision.

[0131] The control method that combines the above-mentioned servo semi-closed loop with barcode tape auxiliary detection not only retains the advantage of the servo system's fast response, but also can correct the position error of the servo system in real time through barcode tape detection to improve positioning accuracy; and when the servo system fails or errors accumulate, the barcode tape detection can detect and trigger an alarm in time to prevent a collision; in addition, the installation and debugging of the barcode tape and the reader are relatively simple, inexpensive, and not limited by the length of the stroke. The spacing and type of the barcode can be adjusted according to actual needs, and can be flexibly adapted to different application scenarios.

[0132] In a possible implementation, the in-position state of the target object includes whether the target object exists in the bearing layer to be placed in the target object, and the sensor assembly further includes a first sensor 2401, which is arranged at the first end of the plug arm 210, and is used to detect whether the target object exists in the bearing layer to be placed in the target object when the plug arm 210 moves along the third direction, and feeds back a first detection result to a control unit, wherein the first end is the end face of the plug arm 210 facing the bearing layer in the third direction; the control unit is also used to determine that there is a risk in the movement of the plug arm 210 when the first detection result is that the target object exists in the bearing layer, and control the third driving mechanism to stop the movement of the plug arm 210 along the third direction. The first detection result is the detection result of the first sensor 2401.

[0133] In the disclosed embodiment, when the driving mechanism controls the insert arm 210 to place the target object into any bearing layer of the storage rack 100, it is necessary to identify the in-situ status of the target object in the bearing layer. If the target object already exists in the bearing layer, it is determined that the movement of the insert arm 210 is risky. When the driving mechanism drives the insert arm 210 to move and place the target object into any bearing layer, the movement process has a sequence: first, the insert arm 210 is controlled to move along the first direction or the second direction so that the position of the insert arm 210 reaches the bearing layer to be placed in the target object, such as the bearing layer shelf (2-2). After that, the insert arm 210 is controlled to move along the third direction to move the target object to the top of the bearing layer shelf (2-2). The movement of the insert arm 210 along the third direction can be understood as a "throw-in forward" process.

[0134] Please refer to Fig.10 , Fig.10 The schematic diagram of the collision warning principle during the forward movement of the arm is shown in FIG. Fig.10 As shown, in a specific implementation, a first sensor 2401 can be set at the first end of the insertion arm 210. The first end is the end face 2102 of the insertion arm 210 facing the bearing layer in the Y direction, that is, the end face of the insertion arm 210 opposite to the bearing layer. Therefore, when the insertion arm 210 moves along the third direction, the first sensor 2401 can detect whether there is a target object, such as a MaskCase, in the bearing layer to be placed in the target object. If a Mask Case already exists in the bearing layer, if the insertion arm 210 continues to move along the third direction, a collision will occur, damaging the target object. At this time, the control unit controls the third driving mechanism to stop the movement of the insertion arm 210 along the third direction, and gives a prompt, such as stopping the action of the third driving mechanism, and popping up a "Robot Hold" window in the interactive interface. In this way, the collision risk in the forward process can be discovered in time and collision avoidance can be performed, thereby improving safety.

[0135] Exemplarily, the first sensor 2401 is a photoelectric sensor. Optionally, the photoelectric sensor is a reflective photoelectric sensor. When working, the light source inside the photoelectric sensor emits infrared light or light of other specific wavelengths, and the light is irradiated onto the bearing layer to be tested. The bearing layer to be tested reflects the light back to the photoelectric sensor, and the photosensitive element in the photoelectric sensor receives the reflected light. The photosensitive element converts the received light signal into an electrical signal, and performs amplification, filtering and other processing through the circuit, and finally outputs an electrical signal related to the light intensity or the distance of the object. According to the processed electrical signal, the photoelectric sensor can determine whether there is a target object in the bearing layer to be tested.

[0136] In a possible implementation, the position information of the insertion arm 210 also includes a first distance of the insertion arm 210 relative to the obstacle in the second direction; the sensor assembly also includes a second sensor 2402; the second sensor 2402 is arranged at the second end of the insertion arm 210, and is used to detect the first distance of the insertion arm 210 relative to the obstacle in the second direction when the insertion arm 210 moves along the second direction above any bearing layer, and feed back the second detection result to the control unit, the second end is the end surface 2103 opposite to the supporting surface 2101 of the insertion arm 210; the control unit is also used to determine that there is a risk of the movement of the insertion arm 210 approaching (i.e. descending) the obstacle when the second detection result is that the first distance is less than the first distance threshold, and control the second driving mechanism to stop the movement of the insertion arm 210 approaching the obstacle in the second direction.

[0137] Among them, the obstacle may be a support plate constituting the bearing layer, or it may be a target placed on the bearing layer. When no target is placed on the bearing layer, the obstacle is the support plate constituting the bearing layer. When a target is placed on the bearing layer, the obstacle is the target placed on the bearing layer.

[0138] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, when the insert arm 210 moves along the Z direction between adjacent bearing layers, it is necessary to determine whether there is a collision risk. Fig.11 , Fig.11 The schematic diagram of the collision warning principle during the lowering process of the arm is as follows: Fig.11As shown, when the insert arm 210 descends along the Z direction between adjacent load-bearing layers, such as when descending between the load-bearing layer shelf (2-2) and the load-bearing layer shelf (2-3), if there is a Mask Case on the load-bearing layer shelf (2-2), the insert arm 210 needs to stop moving along the Z direction when approaching the Mask Case on the load-bearing layer shelf (2-2) during the descending process, otherwise it may collide with the Mask Case and damage the Mask Case. In order to realize the collision avoidance function in this scenario, the embodiment of the present disclosure is provided with a second sensor 2402 at the second end of the plug arm 210, and the second end is the end face opposite to the supporting face of the plug arm 210. The second sensor 2402 can detect the distance between the plug arm 210 and the Mask Case on the bearing layer shelf (2-2), and judge that there is a risk in the movement of the plug arm 210 when the distance is less than the first distance threshold. At this time, the control unit controls the second driving mechanism to stop the movement of the plug arm 210 along the Z direction, and gives a prompt, such as stopping the action of the second driving mechanism, and popping up a "Robot Hold" window in the interactive interface, so that the collision risk in the process of the plug arm descending can be discovered in time and collision avoidance processing can be performed, thereby improving safety. Exemplarily, the second sensor 2402 is a photoelectric sensor. Optionally, the photoelectric sensor is a reflective photoelectric sensor.

[0139] In a possible implementation, the chain state of the driving mechanism includes the chain state of the second driving mechanism, and the sensor assembly also includes a third sensor (not shown in the figure), which is arranged at the driving gear 2222 and / or the driven gear position of the second driving mechanism, and is used to detect whether the chain 2223 is broken, and output the third detection result to the control unit; the control unit is also used to determine that there is a risk of movement of the insert arm 210 along the second direction when the third detection result is that the chain is broken, and control the second driving mechanism to stop the movement of the insert arm 210 along the second direction and output a first alarm message.

[0140] The insertion arm 210 is connected to the chain, which can be understood as the insertion arm 210 is connected to the chain through the first mounting seat 270. In specific implementation, the first mounting seat 270 is driven by the chain to move up and down along the second direction on the second track, and the insertion arm 210 moves up and down with the movement of the first mounting seat 270. It can be understood that chain transmission is a mature technology, and the embodiments of the present disclosure do not limit the specific principle and specific structure of chain transmission.

[0141] In the disclosed embodiment, when the insert arm 210 moves in the Z direction, the sliding track includes Z1 and Z2 tracks, and the second driving mechanism 2220 drives the insert arm 210 to move in the Z direction on the Z1 and Z2 tracks by a transmission method combining a driving motor and a chain, wherein the driving motor 2221 serves as a power source, and transmits energy to the chain 2223 via gears through its rotational motion, thereby driving the insert arm 210 to move in the Z direction. In order to prevent the chain from breaking due to wear, overload or other reasons during operation, causing the movement of the insert arm 210 in the Z direction to fail or even cause a safety accident, it is necessary to install a break detector at a key position of the chain 2223, such as installing a break detector in the chain box 2224 at the driving gear position. This position is selected because when the chain breaks, it is most likely to detach from the edge of the gear, thereby being detected by the break detector. The break detector is the third sensor in the embodiment of the present disclosure. Exemplarily, the third sensor can be a reflective photoelectric sensor. When the third sensor detects that the chain is broken, the control unit will determine that there is a risk in the movement of the insert arm 210 at this time, and will immediately trigger safety measures, such as controlling the second driving mechanism to stop the movement of the insert arm 210 along the second direction, and output a first alarm message, such as emitting an audible and visual alarm, to prompt the operator to pay attention.

[0142] It is understandable that in the embodiment of the present disclosure, only the second drive mechanism is limited to a chain drive mode and a third sensor is provided to detect whether the chain is broken. However, in other embodiments, the first drive mechanism and the third drive mechanism may also adopt a chain drive mode, and the first drive mechanism and the third drive mechanism may also be provided with a chain break detector.

[0143] In one possible implementation, the in-place status of the target object includes whether the target object exists in the bearing layer, and the placement status of the target object includes whether the target object is accurately placed in the bearing layer; the sensor assembly also includes multiple fourth sensors (not shown in the figure), and any fourth sensor is arranged on one of the bearing layers of the storage rack 100, and the fourth sensor is used to detect whether the target object exists in the bearing layer and whether the target object is accurately placed, and transmit the fourth detection result to the control unit; the control unit is also used to determine that there is a risk in the movement of the arm 210 when the fourth detection result is that the target object exists in the bearing layer but the target object is not accurately placed, and output a second alarm message.

[0144] In the disclosed embodiment, a fourth sensor is provided in each load-bearing layer of the storage rack 100. For any load-bearing layer, the fourth sensor provided therein is used to detect whether there is a target object in the load-bearing layer and whether the target object is accurately placed. Optionally, the fourth sensor includes two different types of sensors, one of which is a photoelectric sensor and the other is a pressure sensor. The photoelectric sensor and the pressure sensor can ensure that the items (such as the mask case) in each load-bearing layer are correctly put in and placed. For example, Fig.12 As shown, each bearing layer includes two bearing edges, and each bearing edge is provided with a photoelectric sensor and a pressure sensor.

[0145] The specific working principle is as follows: the target (such as Mask Case) is placed into the chute of the load-bearing layer through the insert arm 210. The photoelectric sensor first detects whether the target has reached the preset position. If the target successfully enters the chute and is detected by the photoelectric sensor, but the pressure sensor fails to take effect (i.e., the weight or pressure is not sensed, or the weight or pressure is less than the set pressure value), it means that the target is not placed accurately. Please refer to Fig.12 , Fig.12 is a schematic diagram when the target object in the carrier layer is not accurately placed, such as Fig.12 As shown, Fig.12 The triangular protrusion in the dotted circle box indicates the setting position of the pressure sensor. When the Mask Case is placed horizontally in the bearing layer, the pressure sensor is pressed down to be flush with the upper surface of the bearing layer 1101 (i.e., the surface in contact with the Mask Case). At this time, the reading of the pressure sensor is normal, that is, the detected pressure value is greater than the set pressure value; when the Mask Case is in an inclined state, the surface of the pressure sensor will not be pressed down to be flush with the upper surface of the bearing layer 1101 (i.e., the surface in contact with the Mask Case). At this time, the reading of the pressure sensor is 0 or less than the set value, so the detection result of the pressure sensor cannot be invalid. At this time, the detection results of the photoelectric sensor and the pressure sensor are inconsistent. The control unit determines that the delivery has failed and immediately triggers an alarm, such as outputting a second alarm message to prompt the operator to pay attention and point out which specific bearing layer has an abnormality. The operator can quickly locate the bearing layer with the problem based on the second alarm message, take out the Mask Case that has not been successfully put in, check the cause (such as chute blockage, sensor failure, etc.), and take corresponding corrective measures.

[0146] In the disclosed embodiment, the accuracy of target object delivery is greatly improved through dual detection of photoelectric and pressure sensing, and abnormalities can be discovered and alarmed in a timely manner, reducing error accumulation and the difficulty of subsequent processing. The second alarm information is clear and easy for operators to quickly locate and solve problems, enhancing the stability and safety of the handling device, and providing strong support for the storage and management of target objects.

[0147] In one possible implementation, the placement status of the target object includes whether the target object on the insertion arm 210 is accurately placed; the sensor assembly also includes a fifth sensor, which is arranged on the supporting surface of the insertion arm 210, and is used to detect whether the target object on the insertion arm 210 is accurately placed, and transmit the fifth detection result to the control unit; the control unit is also used to determine that there is a risk in the movement of the insertion arm 210 when the fifth detection result is that the target object is not accurately placed, control the third driving mechanism to stop driving the insertion arm 210 to move along the third direction and output a third alarm message.

[0148] Optionally, the fifth sensor may be a pressure sensor, see Fig.13 , Fig.13 This is a schematic diagram of an incorrectly placed target on the arm. Fig.13 The triangular protrusion in the figure indicates the location of the pressure sensor, where Fig.13 The working principle of the medium pressure sensor can be referred to Fig.12 The working principle of the pressure sensor will not be described in detail here. Fig.13 As shown, when the target is not accurately placed on the plug arm 210 (such as skewed placement), if the plug arm 210 moves along the Y direction, it may cause interference or collision between the target and the narrow bearing layer, causing damage to the target. For this reason, a fifth sensor is set in the embodiment of the present disclosure to detect the placement state of the target on the plug arm 210 and perform safety measures when there is a risk. When the fifth sensor detects that the target is not accurately placed, the control unit immediately locks the Y direction movement of the plug arm 210 to prevent the plug arm 210 from colliding or interfering with the bearing layer due to the skewed placement of the Mask Case during the forward movement in the Y direction, thereby improving safety. At the same time, the plug arm 210 can still keep moving in the X direction and the Z direction. With this arrangement, the operator can move the plug arm 210 to a position that is convenient for manual correction, and then manually adjust the position of the Mask Case to ensure its accurate placement. After completing the manual correction, the operator can manually control the plug arm 210 to continue to complete the remaining delivery actions.

[0149] In one possible implementation, the torque value of the driving mechanism includes the real-time torque value of the first mechanism drive, the second driving mechanism and the third driving mechanism; the sensor assembly also includes a sixth sensor, and the sixth sensor is used to detect the real-time torque value of the servo axis in the first mechanism drive, the second driving mechanism and the third driving mechanism, and transmit the real-time torque value to the control unit; the control unit is also used to determine whether the real-time torque value is greater than the first torque threshold, and when the judgment result is yes, it is determined that there is a risk in the movement of the arm 210, and control the first driving mechanism, the second driving mechanism or the third driving mechanism corresponding to the real-time torque value to lock the servo axis. Specifically, the control unit determines whether the real-time torque value of the first drive mechanism is greater than the first torque threshold, and when the judgment result is yes, determines that there is a risk in the movement of the insertion arm along the first direction, and controls the first drive mechanism to lock the servo axis; determines whether the real-time torque value of the second drive mechanism is greater than the second torque threshold, and when the judgment result is yes, determines that there is a risk in the movement of the insertion arm along the second direction, and controls the second drive mechanism to lock the servo axis; and determines whether the real-time torque value of the third drive mechanism is greater than the third torque threshold, and when the judgment result is yes, determines that there is a risk in the movement of the insertion arm along the third direction, and controls the third drive mechanism to lock the servo axis.

[0150] In the disclosed embodiment, the sixth sensor may be a torque sensor, or a sensor capable of indirectly measuring the torque value, such as a current sensor. Since the output torque of the drive motor is proportional to the current, the torque value may also be indirectly obtained by measuring the current value.

[0151] The first mechanism drive, the second drive mechanism and the third drive mechanism are all servo drive mechanisms, which include servo shafts, and the servo shafts in each drive mechanism are provided with a sixth sensor. The disclosed embodiment monitors the actual torque (corresponding to the real-time torque value) generated by the servo shaft during operation in real time and compares it with a preset safety torque threshold. Once the limit is exceeded, safety measures are immediately taken to prevent possible mechanical damage or personal injury.

[0152] The specific working principles include:

[0153] (1) Setting the first torque threshold: The torque limit value of the servo axis, i.e., the first torque threshold, is set on the human-machine interaction interface HMI. The first torque threshold is related to the specific requirements of the drive mechanism, the rated torque of the motor, and the maximum load that may be encountered.

[0154] (2) Real-time torque value monitoring and judgment: The sixth sensor monitors the real-time torque value of each driving mechanism and feeds it back to the control unit. The control unit compares the real-time torque value with the first torque threshold value set on the HMI. If the real-time torque value exceeds the set first torque threshold value, the control unit will determine that the torque is in an over-limit state. At this time, the movement of the arm 210 is risky and safety measures are taken. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the handling device 200 has a corresponding human-machine interaction interface, which has a status display bar. For example, please refer to Fig.14 , Fig.14 is a schematic diagram of a status display bar, which is used to display the working status of the transport device 200 in real time, such as Fig.14 As shown in the figure, the status display bar will display the torque limit values ​​of the first drive mechanism, the second drive mechanism (including the drive mechanisms of the Z1 and Z2 tracks) and the third drive mechanism, that is, the first torque thresholds corresponding to each of them, which are 600, 600, and 100 respectively. At the same time, the acquired real-time torque value and the working status of the servo axis will also be displayed, such as Fig.14 As shown, in this embodiment, the real-time torque value of the first drive mechanism is 982, which exceeds the torque limit free running value of 600, so the servo axis in the X direction is in a locked state, the real-time torque value of the second drive mechanism (including the Z1 and Z2 servo axes in the figure) is 580, which is less than the torque limit value of 600, so the servo axis in the Z direction is in a running state, and the real-time torque value of the third drive mechanism is 60, which is less than the torque limit value of 100, so the servo axis in the Y direction is also in a free running state. In addition, the status display bar will also display the movement state of the robot arm 210, the arrival status of the transport vehicle MGV, and the current position of the robot arm 210 relative to the storage rack 100, as shown in FIG. Fig.14 The middle robot arm 210 is in the process of moving left and right, and the current position of the robot arm 210 is the load-bearing layer shelf (5-12).

[0155] (3) Safety measures

[0156] When it is determined that the torque exceeds the limit, the control unit will immediately send a stop signal to the drive mechanism to stop the servo axis and keep it in the current position or safe position, thereby preventing further damage or danger.

[0157] In the related art, the torque limit value of the drive mechanism is 300% of the default torque of the drive motor, such as the Mitsubishi servo drive mechanism. Although this provides a large safety margin, it may not be timely enough in some application scenarios with extremely high response speed requirements. The disclosed embodiment implements a torque detection protection mechanism, which can set a stricter torque limit value according to actual needs and respond immediately when it exceeds the limit, thereby significantly improving the safety and responsiveness of the system.

[0158] In a possible implementation, the human-computer interaction interface includes a first interaction interface, and the control unit is further used to: in response to a first operation of a user in the first interaction interface to generate an automatic transport task, obtain a starting point and an end point of the automatic transport task, wherein the starting point and the end point are a transport vehicle or a carrying layer; determine whether the automatic transport task is valid according to the starting point and the end point, and when the automatic transport task is valid, drive the arm to move through the driving mechanism to transport the target object from the starting point to the end point; and when the automatic transport task is invalid, determine that there is a risk in the movement of the arm, and output a fourth alarm message.

[0159] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the human-computer interaction interface has multiple sub-interfaces, and each sub-interface implements a different human-computer interaction function. For example, Fig.15 As shown, the human-computer interaction interface includes a main interface, a manual interface, an on-site interface, an IO monitoring interface, an extended function interface, an alarm history interface, an abnormality resolution interface, etc., wherein the main interface includes multiple input boxes and operation buttons, and the operator can set the take-out position and placement position of the target object in the input box, and generate an automatic transport task through operation buttons such as the "Start" button, wherein the take-out position is the starting point of the automatic transport task, and the placement position is the end point of the automatic transport task, and the starting point and the end point can both be the transport vehicle MGV or a certain load-bearing layer. Fig.15 The main interface in is also the first interactive interface in the embodiment of the present disclosure. In addition, the main interface also includes Fig.15 The status display bar and multiple shortcut operation buttons are shown, such as Fig.15 The operation keys shown on the right include automatic operation, manual mode, immediate stop, and cycle stop.

[0160] When the operator sets the take-out position and placement position of the target object on the main interface and presses the "Start" button, the control unit will obtain the starting point and end point of the automatic transport task, and determine whether the automatic transport task is valid based on the starting point and end point. If invalid, the automatic transport task will not be started, and the fourth alarm information will be output, such as a prompt box popping up on the main interface, displaying "Operation error, please confirm the take-out and placement options!", and the task will be terminated at the same time; the automatic transport task will only be started when it is valid.

[0161] Optionally, the step of judging whether the automatic transport task is valid according to the starting point and the end point includes:

[0162] (1) determining whether the starting point and the end point satisfy a first condition, wherein the first condition is that the starting point and the end point are not empty and at least one of the starting point and the end point is a bearing layer;

[0163] In the following three situations, the automatic transport task is invalid and the startup will fail:

[0164] a. Both the starting point and the end point are transport vehicles MGV;

[0165] b. The starting point is empty, such as the operator has not set the take-out position;

[0166] c. The end point is empty, such as the operator has not set the placement position;

[0167] Only when both the starting point and the end point are not empty and at least one is a bearing layer, the first condition is met and the automatic transport task may be valid. At this time, it is necessary to combine the judgment of the second condition to finally determine whether the automatic transport task is valid.

[0168] (2) determining whether the starting point and the end point satisfy a second condition, wherein the second condition is that the starting point is in a first state and the end point is in a second state, the first state indicates that the target object is in place, and the second state indicates that the target object is not in place;

[0169] The second condition is that there must be a target at the starting point and there must not be a target at the end point. In the following three situations, the automatic transport task is invalid and the start will fail:

[0170] a. There is already a MASK Case at the endpoint, which means the endpoint does not meet the second status;

[0171] b. The starting point is the transport vehicle MGV, but there is no MASK Case on the small transport vehicle MGV, that is, the starting point does not meet the first state;

[0172] c. The starting point or the end point is a transport vehicle MGV, but there is no transport vehicle MGV in place at the starting point or the end point, and the start will fail at this time;

[0173] (3) When the starting point and the end point satisfy the first condition and the second condition, the automatic transport task is determined to be valid; when the starting point and the end point do not satisfy the first condition or the second condition, the automatic transport task is determined to be invalid.

[0174] In the disclosed embodiment, the automatic transport task is determined to be valid only when the starting point and the end point simultaneously meet the first condition and the second condition. For example, if a Mask Case is to be dropped from the transport vehicle MGV into the load-bearing layer shelf (4-2), it is necessary to satisfy the conditions that there is a Mask Case on the transport vehicle MGV but no Mask Case in the load-bearing layer shelf (4-2). If there is already a Mask Case in the load-bearing layer shelf (4-2), a pop-up window of "Operation Error" will be displayed in the first interactive interface to terminate the start of the automatic transport task. This setting can avoid operator errors.

[0175] In a possible implementation, the human-computer interaction interface includes a second interaction interface, and the control unit is further used to: in response to a second operation of the user in the second interaction interface generating a manual handling task, obtain the starting point and end point of the manual handling task, the starting point represents the first position identifier of the bearing layer where the arm is currently located, and the end point represents the second position identifier of the bearing layer corresponding to the manual handling task, determine whether the first position identifier is the same as the second position identifier, and execute the manual handling task when the first position identifier is the same as the second position identifier, and determine that there is a risk in the movement of the arm when the first position identifier is different from the second position identifier, and output a fifth alarm message.

[0176] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the second interactive interface is Fig.16 The manual interface shown in the figure, in the manual interface, the operator can set a manual transport task. In the manual transport task, the operation of taking out the target from any bearing layer can be divided into multiple single-action operations, for example, divided into: before taking out -> taking out forward -> taking out lifting -> taking out backward, and the operation of putting the target into any bearing layer can also be divided into several single-action operations, for example, divided into: before putting in -> putting in forward -> putting in lowering -> putting in backward. When setting a manual transport task, the operator first needs to set the end point in the manual interface, that is, which bearing layer the target needs to be placed in. The setting of the end point includes the setting of the two parameters PORT and SLOT. The only bearing layer can be determined by PORT and SLOT. At the same time, the manual interface will also display the current position of the arm 210, that is, the starting point of the manual transport task, and this position is also defined by the two parameters PORT and SLOT; afterwards, the operator can control the arm 210 to perform each single-action operation according to actual needs. In addition, the manual interface is also equipped with a process emergency stop button to terminate the pick-and-place action, and after confirming that there is no interference in the X and Z directions, execute the Y-axis backward movement operation.

[0177] In the above process, since the automatic transport task and the manual transport task can be switched automatically, if the manual transport task is switched during the execution of the automatic transport task, due to the errors of the human eye and the operating inertia, when the arm 210 and the target load-bearing layer have not been aligned, the operator may sometimes mistakenly judge the situation as that the arm 210 has been aligned with the target load-bearing layer, and then press the buttons such as take out forward, take out and lift, put in forward or put in and lower in the manual operation interface. At this time, if these single-action actions are directly executed, there will be a risk of collision between the arm 210 and the load-bearing layer. The embodiment of the present disclosure is designed to avoid the collision risk. The specific solution is as follows: when the control unit detects a manual transport task such as taking out, lifting, putting in or dropping in, the control unit first obtains the starting point and the end point of the manual transport task. The starting point is the current load-bearing layer of the insert arm 210 automatically detected by the control unit, which can be represented by the first position identifier, and the end point represents the load-bearing layer corresponding to the manual transport task set by the operator, which can be represented by the second position identifier, wherein the first position identifier and the second position identifier are both in the shelf (ij) format. After that, the control unit determines whether the first position identifier is the same as the second position identifier. If they are the same, it means that the insert arm 210 is aligned with the load-bearing layer, and the above-mentioned operations such as taking out, lifting, putting in or dropping in can be performed. If they are not the same, it means that the insert arm 210 is not aligned with the load-bearing layer. At this time, it is determined that there is a risk in the movement of the insert arm 210, and the fifth alarm information is output, and the above-mentioned actions such as taking out, lifting, putting in or dropping in are not performed until the determination result is that the first position identifier is the same as the second position identifier.

[0178] In a possible implementation, the control unit is also used to: control the first driving mechanism to drive the insertion arm 210 to move along the first direction before judging whether the position of the insertion arm 210 in the third direction is a safe position, and when the judgment result is no, judge that there is a risk in the movement of the insertion arm, and control the first driving mechanism to stop driving the insertion arm 210 to move along the first direction; and control the third driving mechanism to drive the insertion arm 210 to move along the third direction before judging whether the position of the insertion arm 210 in the first direction is a safe position, and when the judgment result is no, judge that there is a risk in the movement of the insertion arm, and control the first driving mechanism to stop driving the insertion arm 210 to move along the third direction.

[0179] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the movement of the insert arm 210 in the first direction and the third direction is interlocked. Specifically, before the insert arm 210 moves in the X direction, the control unit needs to detect whether the insert arm 210 has exited the y coordinate range of the bearing layer in the Y direction. If the insert arm 210 has exited the y coordinate range of the bearing layer, it means that the position of the insert arm 210 in the Y direction is a safe position, and the insert arm 210 can move in the X direction. Otherwise, it means that the position of the insert arm 210 in the Y direction is not a safe position, and the movement of the insert arm is risky. At this time, the movement of the insert arm 210 in the X direction is locked. Similarly, before the insert arm 210 moves in the Y direction, the control unit needs to detect whether the insert arm 210 has been accurately aligned to the x coordinate of the bearing layer in the X direction. If the insert arm 210 has been accurately aligned to the x coordinate of the bearing layer, it means that the position of the insert arm 210 in the X direction is a safe position, and the insert arm 210 can move in the Y direction. Otherwise, it means that the position of the insert arm 210 in the X direction is not a safe position, and the movement of the insert arm is risky. At this time, the movement of the insert arm 210 in the Y direction is locked. By providing an interlocking mechanism in the X direction and the Y direction, the movement sequence and position accuracy of the insert arm 210 in the X direction and the Y direction can be ensured.

[0180] In addition, in order to avoid the collision between the insertion arm 210 and the storage rack 100, the embodiment of the present disclosure also defines the origin return sequence, and the specific sequence is: when the insertion arm 210 needs to return to the coordinate origin, the insertion arm 210 is first controlled to return to the origin in the Y direction. After returning to the origin in the Y direction, the risk of the insertion arm 210 colliding with the storage rack 100 is eliminated, and then the insertion arm can continue to be controlled to return to the origin in the X or Z direction.

[0181] In a possible implementation, the position coordinates of the carrying layer include the position coordinates of any carrying layer in the first direction, and the control unit is further used to control the driving mechanism to drive the arm to place the target object into any carrying layer of the storage rack or take it out from any carrying layer according to the position coordinates.

[0182] In the disclosed embodiment, the position coordinates of each bearing layer can be expressed as (x, y, z), that is, any bearing layer can be defined by the position coordinate x in the X direction, the position coordinate y in the Y direction, and the position coordinate z in the Z direction. Generally, the x coordinates of each bearing layer in the same bearing unit are the same, but in the actual processing and installation process of the storage rack 100, as the number of bearing layers in a bearing unit increases, each bearing layer will have a slight offset in the X direction, that is, there is a slight misalignment of the bearing layers in the same column. Although this difference is not obvious to the human eye, it will affect the correct placement of the MaskCase, so each bearing layer needs to be designed with a separate x coordinate to compensate for the deviation in the physical structure of the storage rack 100.

[0183] Please refer to Fig.17 , Fig.17 for Figure 1 The x-coordinates of each load-bearing layer in the storage rack shown are the real x-coordinates of each load-bearing layer obtained through actual measurement. It can be understood that the position coordinates of each load-bearing layer can also include the position coordinates of each load-bearing layer in the Z direction and the X direction. The position coordinates of the load-bearing layer are stored in the memory of the control unit and can be used as a reference for subsequent operations of picking up and placing the target object. Such a setting can effectively solve the problem of picking up and placing goods caused by the position deviation of the load-bearing layer, and improve the overall performance and reliability of the handling device and the storage system.

[0184] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, by providing a sensor assembly and improving the control logic in the control unit, various risks can be avoided, including:

[0185] (1) Barcode tape auxiliary detection can solve the problem of collision caused by malfunction of the insert arm in the Y direction after the X-direction and Y-direction encoder couplings are broken.

[0186] (2) Chain break detection can solve the problem of malfunction of the arm in the Y direction and the risk of collision after the chain breaks in the Z direction.

[0187] (3) The forward warning detection of the arm can reduce the risk of the arm being mistakenly inserted into the bearing layer of an existing Mask Case and causing a collision.

[0188] (4) The arm descent warning detection can solve the problem of collision caused by the arm descenting incorrectly after being extended.

[0189] (5) In automatic mode, determine whether the task is valid and solve the problem of incorrectly generating automatic transport tasks.

[0190] (6) In manual mode, the arm is detected to see if it is aligned with the carrier layer, thus solving the problem of incorrectly generating manual transport tasks.

[0191] (7) The interlocking mechanism for X- and Y-direction motion solves the problem of interference and collision between the arm and the storage rack during single-axis control.

[0192] (8) The x-coordinate deviation compensation mechanism of the bearing layer solves the problem of safe placement of the Mask Case of each bearing layer.

[0193] (9) A detection and early warning mechanism for the in-situ status and placement status of the Mask Case in the bearing layer solves the problem of skew placement of the Mask Case in each bearing layer.

[0194] (10) A detection and early warning mechanism for the placement status of the Mask Case on the insert arm is provided to solve the problem of the Mask Case being placed crookedly on the insert arm.

[0195] (11) Real-time torque value detection and protection mechanism to solve the problem of minimizing the impact of collision after a collision.

[0196] It can be understood that the various technical solutions described in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be arbitrarily combined to obtain a transport control method, a transport device and a storage system with high safety redundancy and a safety failure probability within an acceptable range. Exemplarily, the transport device may include one, two or any multiple of the technical solutions corresponding to (1) to (11) above.

[0197] The handling control method, handling device and storage system of the disclosed embodiment can provide timely warning information to operators, whether in automatic mode or manual mode, to help them take timely measures to avoid accidents, so that the risk of mask safety failure can reach a level that satisfies customers, and the torque detection protection mechanism can ensure that even if the handling device collides, the damage caused can reach a level that is acceptable to customers. In addition, through the above risk avoidance scheme, the service life and reliability of the handling control method, handling device and storage system can also be improved. In addition, the improvement scheme of the disclosed embodiment mainly involves adding sensor components to the hardware and improving the software, which is low-cost, simple to implement and has strong practicality.

[0198] Based on the same inventive concept, the second aspect of the present disclosure also provides a transport control method, which is applicable to the transport device as described above. Fig.18 , Fig.18 A flow chart of an embodiment of a transport control method provided by the present disclosure, such as Fig.18 As shown, the following steps are included:

[0199] Step S101, acquiring first information and / or second information, wherein the first information includes at least one of the position information of the insertion arm, the in-position state of the target object, the placement state of the target object, the chain state of the driving mechanism, and the torque value of the driving mechanism, and the second information includes at least one of the position coordinates of the bearing layer, the starting point and the end point of the automatic transport task, and the starting point and the end point of the manual transport task;

[0200] Step S102, judging whether there is a risk in the movement of the insertion arm according to the first information and / or the second information, and controlling the driving mechanism to stop driving the insertion arm and / or outputting an alarm message when there is a risk in the movement of the insertion arm.

[0201] In the disclosed embodiment, in the process of executing a manual transport task or an automatic transport task, the first information and the second information are obtained in real time, and based on the first information and the second information, it is evaluated in real time whether there are potential risks in the movement of the insert arm, and these risks may include collision risks (such as collision between the insert arm and the target object, or between the insert arm and the storage rack), overload risks (such as torque values ​​exceeding the safety threshold), operational error risks (such as the target object is not in the expected position, resulting in operation failure), etc. When the evaluation result is that there is a risk in the movement of the insert arm, safety measures are taken immediately to ensure the safety of the Mask Case. Safety measures mainly include two categories: the first category is to terminate the drive, such as controlling the drive mechanism to stop driving the insert arm to prevent further risks from occurring; the second category is to output alarm information, such as issuing warnings to operators through visual displays, sound and light alarms or other means to prompt current risks or problems.

[0202] In a possible implementation, the position information of the insertion arm includes first position information of the insertion arm relative to the bearing layer in a first direction and / or a second direction. At this time, step S102 includes: comparing the first position information with the second position information fed back by the encoder inside the driving mechanism to determine whether there is a deviation in the second position information, and determining that there is a risk in the movement of the insertion arm when there is a deviation.

[0203] For example, Fig.19 As shown, Fig.19 A flow chart for identifying collision risks and taking safety measures according to first position information of the insert arm relative to the load-bearing layer in a first direction, comprising:

[0204] Step S201: obtaining first position information of the insertion arm relative to the supporting layer in a first direction through a barcode reader.

[0205] Step S202, compare the first position information with the second position information fed back by the encoder inside the first driving mechanism to determine whether there is a deviation in the second position information. If the judgment result is yes, it is determined that there is a risk in the movement of the insertion arm along the first direction, and step S203 is executed. Otherwise, the insertion arm can be driven normally to move along the first direction.

[0206] Step S203, controlling the first driving mechanism to stop the movement of the insert arm in the first direction and outputting an alarm message.

[0207] Step S204, controlling the first driving mechanism to normally drive the insertion arm to move along the first direction.

[0208] It can be understood that the process of identifying the collision risk and taking safety measures according to the first position information of the insert arm relative to the load-bearing layer in the second direction is similar to the process of Fig.19 The principle is the same and will not be described in detail here.

[0209] In one possible implementation, the in-place state of the target object includes whether the target object exists in the supporting layer to be placed in the target object. In this case, step S102 includes: when the target object exists in the supporting layer to be placed in the target object, determining that there is a risk of movement of the insertion arm along the third direction, and controlling the driving mechanism to stop the movement of the insertion arm along the third direction.

[0210] For example, please refer to Fig. 20 , Fig. 20 A flowchart for identifying collision risks and taking safety measures based on the in-place status of the target object, including:

[0211] Step S301, using a first sensor to detect whether there is a target in the carrier layer to be placed. When the detection result is yes, it is determined that there is a risk of the movement of the insertion arm along the third direction, and step S302 is executed, otherwise step S303 is executed.

[0212] Step S302, controlling the third driving mechanism to stop the movement of the insert arm along the third direction.

[0213] Step S303, controlling the third driving mechanism to normally drive the insert arm to move along the third direction.

[0214] In a possible implementation, the position information of the insertion arm includes a first distance of the insertion arm relative to the obstacle in the second direction; in this case, step S102 includes: when the first distance is less than a first distance threshold, determining that there is a risk of the movement of the insertion arm approaching the obstacle along the second direction, and controlling the driving mechanism to stop the movement of the insertion arm approaching the obstacle along the second direction.

[0215] For example, please refer to Fig.21 , Fig.21 A flowchart for identifying collision risks and taking safety measures based on the position information of the fork arm, including:

[0216] Step S401: Detecting a first distance of the insertion arm relative to an obstacle in a second direction by a second sensor.

[0217] Step S402, determining whether the first distance is less than a first distance threshold, if the determination result is yes, determining that there is a risk in the movement of the arm approaching the obstacle along the second direction, and executing step S403, otherwise executing step S404.

[0218] Step S403, controlling the second driving mechanism to stop the movement of the insert arm along the second direction approaching the obstacle.

[0219] Step S404, controlling the second driving mechanism to normally drive the insertion arm to move along the second direction.

[0220] In a possible implementation, the chain state of the driving mechanism includes the chain state of the second driving mechanism. In this case, step S102 also includes: when the chain of the second driving mechanism breaks, it is determined that there is a risk of movement of the insert arm along the second direction, and the second driving mechanism is controlled to stop the movement of the insert arm along the second direction and output a first alarm message.

[0221] For example, please refer to Fig. 22 , Fig. 22 A flowchart for risk identification and safety measures based on the chain status of the drive mechanism, including:

[0222] Step S501, using a third sensor to detect whether the chain of the second driving mechanism is broken. If the detection result is yes, it is determined that there is a risk in the movement of the insert arm along the second direction, and step S502 is executed. Otherwise, step S503 is executed.

[0223] Step S502, controlling the second driving mechanism to stop the movement of the insert arm along the second direction.

[0224] Step S503, controlling the second driving mechanism to normally drive the insertion arm to move along the second direction.

[0225] It is understandable that the first drive mechanism and the third drive mechanism may also be provided with Fig. 22 Chain status safety detection scheme shown.

[0226] In a possible implementation, the in-place status of the target object includes whether the target object exists in the bearing layer, and the placement status of the target object includes whether the target object is accurately placed in the bearing layer; at this time, step S102 also includes: when the target object exists in the bearing layer but the target object is not accurately placed, it is determined that there is a risk in the movement of the arm, and a second alarm message is output.

[0227] For example, please refer to Fig.23 , Fig.23 A flowchart for identifying risks and taking safety measures based on the status of the target object in place and placed, including:

[0228] Step S601, for any bearing layer, obtain the detection results of the photoelectric sensor and the pressure sensor in the fourth sensor, wherein the detection result of the photoelectric sensor includes whether there is a target object in the bearing layer, and the detection result of the pressure sensor includes whether the target object in the bearing is accurately placed.

[0229] Step S602, determine whether there is a target object in the bearing layer and the target object is not accurately placed based on the detection results of the photoelectric sensor and the pressure sensor. If the judgment result is yes, execute step S603, otherwise no safety processing is required, and the in-situ status of the bearing layer is recorded. When the detection result of the photoelectric sensor is that there is no target object in the bearing layer and the detection result of the pressure sensor is 0, execute step S605; when the detection result of the photoelectric sensor is that there is a target object in the bearing layer and the detection result of the pressure sensor is normal, that is, it is greater than the set pressure value, execute step S604.

[0230] Step S603: output the second alarm information.

[0231] Step S604 , marking the target in-place state of the corresponding bearing layer as target in-place, that is, there is a target in the bearing layer.

[0232] Step S605 , marking the target object presence status of the corresponding bearing layer as target object absence, that is, there is no target object in the bearing layer.

[0233] In one possible implementation, the placement status of the target object includes whether the target object on the insertion arm is accurately placed; in this case, step S102 includes: when the target object is not accurately placed, determining that there is a risk of movement of the insertion arm along the third direction, controlling the third driving mechanism to stop driving the movement of the insertion arm along the third direction and outputting a third alarm message.

[0234] For example, please refer to Fig.24 , Fig.24 A flowchart for risk identification and safety measures based on the placement of the target on the arm, including:

[0235] Step S701, using the fifth sensor to detect whether the target object on the insert arm is accurately placed, if the detection result is no, execute step S702, if the detection result is yes, execute step S703.

[0236] Step S702, controlling the third driving mechanism to stop the movement of the insert arm along the third direction and outputting a third alarm message.

[0237] Step S703, controlling the third driving mechanism to normally drive the insertion arm to move along the third direction.

[0238] In a possible implementation, the torque value of the driving mechanism includes real-time torque values ​​of the first mechanism driving, the second driving mechanism, and the third driving mechanism; step S102 includes:

[0239] (1) determining whether the real-time torque value of the first driving mechanism is greater than a first torque threshold, and if the determination result is yes, determining that there is a risk of movement of the insert arm along the first direction, and controlling the first driving mechanism to lock the servo axis;

[0240] (2) determining whether the real-time torque value of the second driving mechanism is greater than a second torque threshold, and if the determination result is yes, determining that there is a risk of movement of the insert arm along the second direction, and controlling the second driving mechanism to lock the servo axis; and

[0241] (3) determining whether the real-time torque value of the third driving mechanism is greater than a third torque threshold value, and if the determination result is yes, determining that there is a risk in the movement of the insert arm along the third direction, and controlling the third driving mechanism to lock the servo axis.

[0242] In a possible implementation, the second information includes the starting point and the end point of the automatic transport task, and the starting point and the end point are transport vehicles or load-bearing layers; in this case, step S102 includes judging whether the automatic transport task is valid according to the starting point and the end point, and when the automatic transport task is valid, driving the arm to move through the driving mechanism to move the target from the starting point to the end point, and when the automatic transport task is invalid, judging that there is a risk in the movement of the arm, and outputting a fourth alarm message. Optionally, the step of judging whether the automatic transport task is valid according to the starting point and the end point includes: judging whether the starting point and the end point meet a first condition, the first condition being that the starting point and the end point are not empty and at least one of the starting point and the end point is a load-bearing layer; and judging whether the starting point and the end point meet a second condition, the second condition being that the starting point is in a first state and the end point is in a second state, the first state indicating that the target is in place, and the second state indicating that the target is not in place; when the starting point and the end point meet the first condition and the second condition, the automatic transport task is judged to be valid, and when the starting point and the end point do not meet the first condition or the second condition, the automatic transport task is judged to be invalid.

[0243] In a possible implementation, the second information includes the starting point and end point of the manual handling task, the starting point indicates the first position identifier of the load-bearing layer where the arm is currently located, and the end point indicates the second position identifier of the load-bearing layer corresponding to the manual handling task; at this time, step S102 includes: determining whether the first position identifier is the same as the second position identifier, and executing the manual handling task when the first position identifier is the same as the second position identifier, and determining that there is a risk in the movement of the arm when the first position identifier is different from the second position identifier, and outputting the fifth alarm information.

[0244] In a possible implementation, the transport control method further includes:

[0245] Before controlling the first driving mechanism to drive the insertion arm to move in the first direction, determining whether the position of the insertion arm in the third direction is a safe position, and if the determination result is no, determining that there is a risk in the movement of the insertion arm, and controlling the first driving mechanism to stop driving the movement of the insertion arm in the first direction; and

[0246] Before controlling the third driving mechanism to drive the insertion arm to move along the third direction, determine whether the position of the insertion arm in the first direction is a safe position, and when the judgment result is no, determine that there is a risk in the movement of the insertion arm, and control the first driving mechanism to stop driving the insertion arm to move along the third direction.

[0247] In a possible implementation, the transport control method also includes: obtaining the position coordinates of pre-stored carrying layers, the position coordinates including the position coordinates of any carrying layer in the first direction; and controlling the driving mechanism to drive the arm to place the target object into any carrying layer of the storage rack or take it out from any carrying layer according to the position coordinates.

[0248] Based on the same inventive concept, the third aspect of the present disclosure provides a storage system, including a storage rack and a handling device as described above, wherein the storage rack includes a plurality of bearing layers for carrying target objects, and the handling device is used to place the target object into any bearing layer of the storage rack or take it out from any bearing layer. The specific structure of the storage rack and the handling device can be referred to the above description, and will not be described in detail here.

[0249] Obviously, the above embodiments of the present disclosure are merely examples for clearly illustrating the present disclosure, and are not limitations on the implementation methods of the present disclosure. For ordinary technicians in this field, other different forms of changes or modifications can be made on the basis of the above description. It is impossible to list all the implementation methods here. All obvious changes or modifications derived from the technical solution of the present disclosure are still within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A transport control method, applicable to a transport device, characterized in that: The handling device comprises an insert arm and a driving mechanism, wherein the insert arm comprises a supporting surface for placing a target object, and the driving mechanism is connected to the insert arm and is used to drive the insert arm to move so as to put the target object into any bearing layer of a storage rack or take it out from any bearing layer, wherein the storage rack comprises a plurality of bearing units arranged at intervals along a first direction, and any of the bearing units comprises a plurality of bearing layers arranged at intervals along a second direction, wherein the second direction is a vertical direction; the handling control method comprises the following steps: Acquire first information and / or second information, wherein the first information includes at least one of the position information of the insertion arm, the in-position state of the target object, the placement state of the target object, the chain state of the driving mechanism, and the torque value of the driving mechanism, and the second information includes at least one of the position coordinates of the bearing layer, the starting point and the end point of the automatic transport task, and the starting point and the end point of the manual transport task; Whether there is a risk in the movement of the insertion arm is determined according to the first information and / or the second information, and when there is a risk in the movement of the insertion arm, the driving mechanism is controlled to stop driving the insertion arm and / or output an alarm message.

2. The transport control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The position information of the insert arm includes first position information of the insert arm relative to the supporting layer in a first direction and / or a second direction; The step of judging whether there is a risk in the movement of the insert arm according to the position information of the insert arm comprises: The first position information is compared with the second position information fed back by the encoder inside the driving mechanism to determine whether there is a deviation in the second position information, and if there is a deviation, it is determined that there is a risk in the movement of the insertion arm.

3. The transport control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The in-place state of the target object includes whether the target object exists in the carrier layer to be placed in the target object; The steps of judging whether there is a risk in the movement of the insertion arm according to the in-position state of the target object, and controlling the driving mechanism to stop driving the insertion arm and / or outputting an alarm message when there is a risk in the movement of the insertion arm include: When there is a target object in the carrier layer to be placed, it is determined that there is a risk in the movement of the insertion arm along the third direction, and the driving mechanism is controlled to stop the movement of the insertion arm along the third direction, and the third direction is perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction.

4. The transport control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The position information of the inserted arm includes a first distance of the inserted arm relative to the obstacle in the second direction; The steps of judging whether there is a risk in the movement of the insert arm according to the position information of the insert arm, and controlling the driving mechanism to stop driving the insert arm and / or outputting an alarm message when there is a risk in the movement of the insert arm include: When the first distance is less than a first distance threshold, it is determined that there is a risk in the movement of the insertion arm approaching the obstacle along the second direction, and the driving mechanism is controlled to stop the movement of the insertion arm approaching the obstacle along the second direction.

5. The transport control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The driving mechanism includes a first driving mechanism for driving the insert arm to move along a first direction, a second driving mechanism for driving the insert arm to move along a second direction, and a third driving mechanism for driving the insert arm to move along a third direction, the first direction, the second direction and the third direction are perpendicular to each other, and the chain state of the driving mechanism includes the chain state of the second driving mechanism; The steps of judging whether there is a risk in the movement of the insert arm according to the chain state of the driving mechanism, and controlling the driving mechanism to stop driving the insert arm and / or outputting an alarm message when there is a risk in the movement of the insert arm include: When the chain of the second driving mechanism breaks, it is determined that there is a risk in the movement of the insertion arm along the second direction, and the second driving mechanism is controlled to stop the movement of the insertion arm along the second direction and output a first alarm message.

6. The transport control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The in-place state of the target object includes whether the target object exists in the bearing layer, and the placement state of the target object includes whether the target object is accurately placed in the bearing layer; The steps of judging whether there is a risk in the movement of the insert arm according to the in-position state of the target object and the placement state of the target object, and controlling the driving mechanism to stop driving the insert arm and / or outputting an alarm message when there is a risk in the movement of the insert arm include: When there is a target object on the bearing layer but the target object is not accurately placed, it is determined that there is a risk in the movement of the insertion arm, and a second alarm message is output.

7. The transport control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The placement status of the target object includes whether the target object on the insert arm is accurately placed; The steps of judging whether there is a risk in the movement of the insertion arm according to the placement state of the target object, and controlling the driving mechanism to stop driving the insertion arm and / or outputting an alarm message when there is a risk in the movement of the insertion arm include: When the target object is not accurately placed, it is determined that there is a risk in the movement of the insertion arm along the third direction, and the third driving mechanism is controlled to stop driving the movement of the insertion arm along the third direction and output a third alarm message.

8. The transport control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The driving mechanism comprises a first driving mechanism for driving the insertion arm to move in a first direction, a second driving mechanism for driving the insertion arm to move in a second direction, and a third driving mechanism for driving the insertion arm to move in a third direction, wherein the first direction, the second direction and the third direction are perpendicular to each other; the torque value of the driving mechanism comprises the real-time torque value of the first mechanism driving, the second driving mechanism and the third driving mechanism; The steps of judging whether there is a risk in the movement of the insert arm according to the torque value of the driving mechanism, and controlling the driving mechanism to stop driving the insert arm and / or outputting an alarm message when there is a risk in the movement of the insert arm include: Determine whether the real-time torque value of the first driving mechanism is greater than a first torque threshold value, and if the determination result is yes, determine that there is a risk in the movement of the insert arm along the first direction, and control the first driving mechanism to lock the servo axis; Determine whether the real-time torque value of the second driving mechanism is greater than a second torque threshold, and if the determination result is yes, determine that there is a risk of the movement of the insert arm along the second direction, and control the second driving mechanism to lock the servo axis; and It is determined whether the real-time torque value of the third driving mechanism is greater than a third torque threshold value, and when the determination result is yes, it is determined that there is a risk in the movement of the insert arm along the third direction, and the third driving mechanism is controlled to lock the servo shaft.

9. The transport control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second information includes the starting point and the end point of the automatic transport task, and the starting point and the end point are the transport vehicle or the load-bearing layer; The steps of judging whether there is a risk in the movement of the insertion arm according to the starting point and the end point of the automatic transport task, and controlling the driving mechanism to stop driving the insertion arm and / or outputting an alarm message when there is a risk in the movement of the insertion arm include: Whether the automatic transport task is valid is determined based on the starting point and the end point, and when the automatic transport task is valid, the arm is driven to move by the driving mechanism to transport the target object from the starting point to the end point, and when the automatic transport task is invalid, it is determined that there is a risk in the movement of the arm, and a fourth alarm message is output.

10. The transport control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second information includes a starting point and an end point of the manual transport task, the starting point indicates a first position mark of the bearing layer where the arm is currently located, and the end point indicates a second position mark of the bearing layer corresponding to the manual transport task; The steps of judging whether there is a risk in the movement of the insertion arm according to the starting point and the end point of the manual transport task, and controlling the driving mechanism to stop driving the insertion arm and / or outputting an alarm message when there is a risk in the movement of the insertion arm include: Determine whether the first position identifier is the same as the second position identifier, and execute the manual transport task when the first position identifier is the same as the second position identifier; and determine that there is a risk in the movement of the arm when the first position identifier is different from the second position identifier, and output a fifth alarm message.

11. The transport control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The driving mechanism includes a first driving mechanism for driving the insertion arm to move along a first direction, a second driving mechanism for driving the insertion arm to move along a second direction, and a third driving mechanism for driving the insertion arm to move along a third direction, the first direction, the second direction and the third direction are perpendicular to each other, and the transport control method further includes: Before controlling the first driving mechanism to drive the insertion arm to move in the first direction, determining whether the position of the insertion arm in the third direction is a safe position, and if the determination result is no, determining that there is a risk in the movement of the insertion arm, and controlling the first driving mechanism to stop driving the movement of the insertion arm in the first direction; and Before controlling the third driving mechanism to drive the insertion arm to move along the third direction, determine whether the position of the insertion arm in the first direction is a safe position, and when the judgment result is no, determine that there is a risk in the movement of the insertion arm, and control the first driving mechanism to stop driving the insertion arm to move along the third direction.

12. The transport control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The transport control method further comprises: Acquire pre-stored position coordinates of the bearing layer, where the position coordinates include position coordinates of any bearing layer in a first direction; The driving mechanism is controlled according to the position coordinates to drive the insert arm to put the target object into any bearing layer of the storage rack or take it out from any bearing layer.

13. A transport device, characterized in that: include: An insert arm, the insert arm comprising a support surface for placing a target object; A driving mechanism connected to the insertion arm, used to drive the insertion arm to move so as to put the target object into any bearing layer of the storage rack or take it out from any bearing layer, wherein the storage rack includes a plurality of bearing layers for bearing the target object; A sensor assembly, configured to detect first information and transmit the first information to a control unit, wherein the first information includes at least one of position information of the insertion arm, an in-position state of the target object, a placement state of the target object, a chain state of the driving mechanism, and a torque value of the driving mechanism; a human-machine interaction interface, configured to generate second information in response to a user operation of a user in the human-machine interaction interface and transmit the second information to a control unit; A control unit, the control unit comprising a memory, a processor and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the processor implements the steps of the transport control method according to any one of claims 1 to 12 when executing the program.

14. The transport device according to claim 13, characterized in that: The storage rack includes a plurality of bearing units arranged at intervals along a first direction, and any of the bearing units includes a plurality of bearing layers arranged at intervals along a second direction, wherein the second direction is a vertical direction; The transport device further includes a first track extending along a first direction, a second track extending along a second direction, and a third track extending along a third direction, and the driving mechanism includes: A first driving mechanism, used for driving the insert arm to move along a first direction on the first track under the control of the control unit; A second driving mechanism, used for driving the insert arm to move along a second direction on the second track under the control of the control unit; and A third driving mechanism, used for driving the insert arm to move along a third direction on the third track under the control of the control unit; The first direction, the second direction and the third direction are perpendicular to each other.

15. The transport device according to claim 14, characterized in that: The sensor assembly includes at least one of a code reader, a first sensor, a second sensor, a third sensor, a fourth sensor, and a fifth sensor; A barcode tape is laid on the first track and / or the second track, the barcode tape carries position information, and the barcode reader is fixedly connected to the insertion arm, and is used to read the barcode tape at a corresponding position on the first track and / or the second track when the insertion arm moves along the first direction and / or the second direction to obtain the first position information of the insertion arm; The first sensor is arranged at the first end of the insert arm, and is used to detect whether there is a target object in the bearing layer to be placed when the insert arm moves along the third direction, and feed back the first detection result to the control unit, and the first end is the end face of the insert arm facing the bearing layer in the third direction; The second sensor is arranged at the second end of the insert arm, and is used to detect a first distance of the insert arm relative to an obstacle in the second direction when the insert arm moves in the second direction above any bearing layer, and feeds back a second detection result to the control unit, wherein the second end is an end surface opposite to the supporting surface of the insert arm; The second driving mechanism is a chain drive, and the second driving mechanism includes a driving motor, a driving gear, a driven gear and a chain, the output shaft of the driving motor is connected to the driving gear, the driving gear and the driven gear are driven by a chain, the insert arm is connected to the chain, and the third sensor is arranged at the position of the driving gear and / or the driven gear, and is used to detect whether the chain is broken, and output the third detection result to the control unit; The fourth sensor includes a plurality of sensors, any of which is disposed on one of the bearing layers of the storage rack, and the fourth sensor is used to detect whether there is a target object on the bearing layer and whether the target object is accurately placed, and transmit a fourth detection result to the control unit; The fifth sensor is disposed on the support surface where the insert arm contacts the target object, and is used to detect whether the target object on the insert arm is accurately placed, and transmit the fifth detection result to the control unit; The sixth sensor is arranged at the first drive mechanism, the second drive mechanism and the third drive mechanism, and is used to detect the real-time torque value of the servo axis in the first drive mechanism, the second drive mechanism and the third drive mechanism, and transmit the real-time torque value to the control unit.

16. A storage system, characterized in that: It comprises a storage rack and a handling device as described in any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein the storage rack comprises a plurality of bearing layers for bearing target objects, and the handling device is used to place the target object into any bearing layer of the storage rack or take it out from any bearing layer.

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