Cargo unit buffer device, storage system and inventory method

Abstract

The present invention relates to a cargo unit caching device, a storage system and an inventory method. The cargo unit caching device comprises: a shelf (1) having a plurality of caching lanes (11), wherein the plurality of caching lanes (11) are configured to automatically adjust the position of the input cargo units to be cached; and an input carrier, which runs between a temporary storage position (53) before being put on the shelf and an input end of each of the plurality of caching lanes (11), and is used to transport the cargo units to be cached. In the present invention, the input carrier transports the cargo units to be cached, and a plurality of caching lanes are provided in the shelf for automatically adjusting the position of the input cargo units. By automatically adjusting the position of the cargo units in the caching lanes, more cargo units can be cached in the caching lanes, thereby effectively improving the space utilization rate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of warehousing and logistics, and in particular to a cargo unit buffer device, a warehousing system and an inventory method. Background Art

[0002] With the development of the e-commerce industry, the order volume and the corresponding commodity volume are huge, and the warehouse area is getting larger and larger. How to pick, pack and deliver the goods to customers in a timely manner according to the order in an area of ​​tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of square meters has become the top priority to ensure timeliness and improve customer experience.

[0003] At present, the operating mode in a single warehouse is: divide a building of 12,000 square meters or 24,000 square meters into multiple fire zones according to fire protection requirements; pick goods in each zone, and then merge the picked goods, so as to overcome the problem of excessive labor intensity of picking personnel running around the site due to the large site area.

[0004] In the warehousing and outbound links, multi-layer shuttles and elevators are used to transport the boxes that are successively delivered from the front conveyor line and send them to the shelves for buffering. After the boxes corresponding to a collection order are collected on the shelves, they are transported to the outbound location by the multi-layer shuttles and elevators. Summary of the invention

[0005] The inventors have found that due to the limitation of the handling capacity of the multi-layer shuttle, the shelf can only be made into a double-deep buffer lane at most, the space utilization is relatively limited, and the shuttle's outbound capacity is poor.

[0006] In view of this, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a cargo unit cache device, a warehousing system and an inventory method, which can improve the space utilization of the shelves.

[0007] In one aspect of the present invention, a cargo unit caching device is provided, comprising:

[0008] A shelf having a plurality of buffer lanes, wherein the plurality of buffer lanes are configured to automatically adjust the positions of input cargo units to be buffered; and

[0009] An input carrier runs between a temporary storage position before being put on the shelf and an input end of each of the plurality of cache lanes, and is used to transport the cargo units to be cached.

[0010] In some embodiments, the plurality of cache lanes are distributed on at least one layer of the shelf, and the input vehicle comprises a shuttle vehicle operating on each layer of the shelf respectively.

[0011] In some embodiments, it also includes:

[0012] Running tracks are respectively arranged on each layer of the shelf and are used to provide bearing and guiding functions for the shuttle vehicle.

[0013] In some embodiments, a power drive mechanism is provided in the plurality of cache lanes for driving the cargo units to be cached to move in the cache lanes.

[0014] In some embodiments, a non-powered driving mechanism is provided in the plurality of cache lanes for utilizing the gravitational potential energy or kinetic energy of the cargo units to be cached to move in the cache lanes.

[0015] In some embodiments, the unpowered drive mechanism includes: an unpowered roller laid in the cache lane, and the input end of the cache lane is higher than the output end, so that the cargo unit to be cached can move along the unpowered roller to the side of the output end under the action of gravitational potential energy.

[0016] In some embodiments, the racks are disposed on one or both sides of the transport path of the input carrier.

[0017] In some embodiments, each of the plurality of cache lanes is configured to cache a plurality of units of goods to be cached in a cache collection list.

[0018] In another aspect of the present invention, a warehousing system is provided, comprising the aforementioned cargo unit caching device.

[0019] In some embodiments, it also includes:

[0020] A cargo unit storage device, used to transport the cargo unit to the temporary storage location before being put on the shelf; and / or

[0021] The cargo unit outbound device is used to transport the cargo units buffered in the shelf to the outbound position.

[0022] In some embodiments, the plurality of cache lanes are distributed on at least one layer of the shelf, and the cargo unit warehousing device comprises:

[0023] The warehouse elevator is connected to the incoming goods conveyor line, and is used to transport the cargo units transported by the incoming goods conveyor line and warehoused in the vertical direction to the temporary storage position before shelving. The temporary storage position before shelving is located at the layer where the cache channel corresponding to the cargo unit is located.

[0024] In some embodiments, the cargo unit outbound device comprises:

[0025] A load-bearing platform, used to carry multiple cargo units on the shelf to be shipped out of the warehouse; and

[0026] The driving device is used to drive the carrying platform to move between the shipping position and the warehouse exit position of the shelf.

[0027] In some embodiments, the carrying platform includes one or more conveyor line units, which are used to input the multiple cargo units on the shelf into the conveyor line unit and arrange them along the conveying direction of the conveyor line unit so that the multiple cargo units can be carried by the conveyor line unit and / or the multiple cargo units carried on the conveyor line unit can be output to the outbound location.

[0028] In some embodiments, the multiple conveyor line units are connected sequentially along the conveying direction, the input direction of the conveyor line unit located on the input side is parallel to the shipping direction of the shelf, and the output direction of the conveyor line unit located on the output side is parallel to the outbound direction of the outbound position.

[0029] In some embodiments, the conveyor line unit located on the input side is a curved roller conveyor line or a curved belt conveyor line, and the conveyor line unit located on the output side is a straight belt conveyor line or a straight roller conveyor line.

[0030] In some embodiments, the conveyor line unit is a whole section of a straight belt conveyor line or a straight roller conveyor line, and the shipping direction of the shelf is parallel to the shipping direction of the shipping position.

[0031] In some embodiments, each layer of the shelf corresponds to a first track, and the driving device includes:

[0032] A rail vehicle, drivingly connected to the carrying platform, and used to drive the carrying platform to move on the first track; and

[0033] The switching mechanism is used to drive the carrying platform to switch between each cargo location layer and the outbound position.

[0034] In some embodiments, the switching mechanism comprises:

[0035] A lifting platform having a second track that can be docked with the first track and is used to carry a rail car that travels to the second track; and

[0036] The outbound elevator is connected to the lifting platform and is used to drive the lifting platform to change its height position.

[0037] In some embodiments, the horizontal cross-section of the cargo unit is in the shape of a rectangle, the cargo units are adjacent at long sides in the cache lane, and are output outwardly from the output end of the cache lane along the short side direction.

[0038] In another aspect of the present invention, an inventory method based on the above-mentioned warehousing system is provided, comprising:

[0039] Cache process: according to the collection list, the goods units located at the temporary storage position before being put on the shelf are input into the cache lane corresponding to the collection list in the shelf for caching; and

[0040] Outbound process: After the cargo units corresponding to the collection order are gathered in the cache lane, the cargo units cached in the cache lane are collectively transported to the outbound location to complete the outbound operation.

[0041] In some embodiments, it also includes:

[0042] Warehouse entry process: The cargo units transported by the incoming goods conveyor line and warehoused are transported to the temporary storage location before being put on the shelves.

[0043] Therefore, according to an embodiment of the present invention, cargo units to be cached are transported by an input carrier, and a plurality of cache lanes for automatically adjusting the positions of the input cargo units are provided in the shelf. By automatically adjusting the positions of the cargo units in the cache lanes, more cargo units can be cached in the cache lanes, thereby effectively improving space utilization. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0044] The drawings described herein are used to provide a further understanding of the present invention and constitute a part of this application. The exemplary embodiments of the present invention and their descriptions are used to explain the present invention and do not constitute an improper limitation of the present invention. In the drawings:

[0045] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of some embodiments of the cargo unit caching device of the present invention.

[0046] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the structure of some embodiments of the storage system of the present invention.

[0047] Figure 3 It is a structural schematic diagram of the outbound link in some embodiments of the warehousing system of the present invention.

[0048] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the installation structure of the carrying platform and the rail car in some embodiments of the storage system of the present invention.

[0049] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the structure of the switching mechanism in some embodiments of the warehousing system of the present invention.

[0050] It should be understood that the size of each part shown in the accompanying drawings is not drawn according to the actual proportional relationship. In addition, the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar components. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0051] Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The description of the exemplary embodiments is merely illustrative and is in no way intended to limit the present disclosure and its application or use. The present disclosure can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. These embodiments are provided to make the present disclosure thorough and complete and to fully express the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. It should be noted that unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement of the components and steps, the composition of the materials, the numerical expressions and the numerical values ​​set forth in these embodiments should be interpreted as being merely exemplary and not as limiting.

[0052] The words "first", "second" and similar words used in this disclosure do not indicate any order, quantity or importance, but are only used to distinguish different parts. The words "include" or "comprise" and similar words mean that the elements before the word include the elements listed after the word, and do not exclude the possibility of including other elements. "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.

[0053] In the present disclosure, when a specific device is described as being located between a first device and a second device, there may or may not be an intermediate device between the specific device and the first device or the second device. When a specific device is described as being connected to other devices, the specific device may be directly connected to the other device without an intermediate device, or may not be directly connected to the other device but have an intermediate device.

[0054] All terms (including technical terms or scientific terms) used in the present disclosure have the same meanings as those understood by ordinary technicians in the field to which the present disclosure belongs, unless otherwise specifically defined. It should also be understood that terms defined in general dictionaries, such as general dictionaries, should be interpreted as having meanings consistent with their meanings in the context of the relevant technology, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or extremely formal sense, unless explicitly defined herein.

[0055] Technologies, methods, and equipment known to ordinary technicians in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, the technologies, methods, and equipment should be considered as part of the specification.

[0056] In some related technologies, multi-layer shuttles and elevators are used in both the warehousing and outbound links. The multi-layer shuttles and elevators are used to transport the boxes that are successively delivered by the front conveyor line, and the boxes are sent to the shelves for buffering. When the boxes corresponding to a collection order are collected on the shelves, they are transported to the outbound location by the multi-layer shuttles and elevators.

[0057] With regard to these related technologies, the inventors have found that the handling capacity of multi-layer shuttles is relatively limited, and they can usually only carry one or two material boxes. Accordingly, the shelves for caching material boxes can only be made into double-deep caching lanes at most, which results in limited space utilization of the shelves. In addition, the shuttles in the related technologies often have to perform both warehousing operations and outbound operations, and the limited handling capacity of the shuttles leads to poor overall outbound capabilities.

[0058] In view of this, embodiments of the present invention provide a cargo unit buffer device, a warehousing system, and an inventory method to improve the space utilization of shelves.

[0059] like Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of some embodiments of the cargo unit buffer device of the present invention. Figure 1 In the embodiment, the cargo unit caching device comprises: a shelf 1 having a plurality of caching lanes 11 and an input carrier. The plurality of caching lanes 11 are configured to automatically adjust the position of the input cargo unit 23 to be cached. The input carrier runs at a temporary storage position 53 before being put on the shelf (see Figure 2 ) and the input end of each cache lane 11 in the multiple cache lanes 11, for transporting the cargo unit 23 to be cached.

[0060] In this embodiment, each cache lane 11 of the plurality of cache lanes 11 can meet the caching needs of one or more cargo units. The number of cargo units 24 cached by the cache lane 11 may be associated with the cargo quantity corresponding to the collection list. In some embodiments, each cache lane 11 is configured to cache multiple cargo units to be cached in the collection list. For example, if six cargo units are involved in a collection list, the six cargo units are cached in a certain cache lane 11 in the shelf 1 accordingly. After the six cargo units have completed caching in the cache lane 11, the cargo units in the cache lane 11 are subjected to the outbound operation.

[0061] A cargo unit refers to an object that is cached on a shelf and transported as a whole during the warehousing and outbound processes, and is associated with a collection order. In some embodiments, a cargo unit includes cargo or materials packaged in a package, etc.; in other embodiments, a cargo unit also includes cargo or materials packed in a box or a pallet. A collection order can be a cargo order or a collection of multiple cargo orders.

[0062] For ease of understanding, in the description of the embodiments of the present invention, the cargo units in different processes are numbered differently (see Figure 2), including: cargo units 21 transported and put into storage via the incoming cargo conveyor line 51, cargo units 22 in the temporary storage position 53 before being put on the shelf, cargo units 23 to be cached that are carried by the input carrier or input into the cache lane 11 and whose position adjustment is not completed, cargo units 24 cached in the cache lane 11, cargo units 25 output to the carrying platform 4 and cargo units 26 that are taken out of the warehouse via the outgoing cargo conveyor lines 35 and 36.

[0063] Arranging multiple buffer lanes 11 in the shelf 1 can increase the storage capacity of the shelf. In order to allow the buffer lane 11 to accommodate more cargo units 23, the buffer lane 11 is configured to automatically adjust the position of the input cargo units 23 to be cached. In other words, after the cargo unit 23 enters the buffer lane 11, it can complete the position adjustment in the buffer lane 11 with the assistance of the mechanism arranged in the buffer lane 11 without the need for the driving action of the input vehicle.

[0064] For example, a power drive mechanism may be provided in the plurality of buffer lanes 11 to drive the cargo units 23 to be buffered to move in the buffer lanes 11, so as to increase the controllability of the position adjustment of the cargo units 23. The power drive mechanism may be in the form of a power roller, a pneumatic push rod, a transmission belt, etc. The cargo units 23 to be buffered may be adjusted to a buffer position close to the output end.

[0065] In another embodiment, a non-powered driving mechanism may be provided in the plurality of buffer lanes 11, for utilizing the gravitational potential energy or kinetic energy of the cargo unit to be buffered to move in the buffer lanes 11, so as to save energy. For example, the non-powered driving mechanism specifically includes a non-powered roller 14 laid in the buffer lane 11. The input end of the buffer lane 11 is arranged to be higher than the output end, so that the cargo unit to be buffered can move along the non-powered roller 14 to the side of the output end under the action of the gravitational potential energy.

[0066] For another example, the unpowered drive mechanism specifically includes an unpowered roller 14 laid in the cache channel 11. When the cargo unit 23 is input into the cache channel 11, the input vehicle provides a relatively large initial velocity. The unpowered roller 14 provides a low-friction support surface for the cargo unit 23, and the cargo unit 23 moves to the output end side along the unpowered roller under the action of kinetic energy. The unpowered roller in the cache channel 11 can be set horizontally, or the input end can be set higher than the output end.

[0067] refer to Figure 1 In some embodiments, multiple cache lanes 11 may be distributed on multiple layers of the shelf 1. Figure 1In the embodiment, a plurality of buffer lanes 11 are distributed on five layers of shelves 1. In other embodiments, more layers or fewer layers of buffer lanes 11 may be provided, or even only one layer of buffer lanes 11 may be provided. Accordingly, the input vehicle may include a shuttle vehicle 12 running on each layer of the shelf 1.

[0068] In order to enable the shuttle vehicles 12 of each layer to run stably and quickly, running tracks 13 can be respectively arranged on each layer of the shelf 1. The running tracks 13 can be used to provide the shuttle vehicles 12 with bearing and guiding effects.

[0069] In order to fully utilize the conveying capacity of the input carrier, in some embodiments, shelves 1 can be set on both sides of the transport route of the input carrier. Figure 1 In the embodiment, a shelf 1 is provided on the left and right sides of the shuttle 12 and the running track 13, so that the shuttle on each layer can select a buffer lane 11 on the left or right side according to the instruction to input the cargo unit 23. Of course, in other embodiments, a shelf 1 can also be provided on one side (e.g., the left or right side) of the transport route of the input vehicle. In addition, one or more shelves 1 can be provided along the direction of the transport route of the input vehicle, and these shelves 1 can share the same input vehicle.

[0070] The cargo unit caching device of the present invention can be applied to various occasions where cargo unit caching is required, such as a storage system. Therefore, some embodiments of the present invention also provide a storage system including any of the above cargo unit caching device embodiments.

[0071] like Figure 2 As shown, it is a schematic diagram of the structure of some embodiments of the warehousing system of the present invention. In this embodiment, the warehousing system includes the aforementioned cargo unit caching device, as well as a cargo unit warehousing device and / or a cargo unit out-of-warehouse device. The specific description of the cargo unit caching device can be referred to the previous text, which will not be repeated here. The cargo unit warehousing device is used to transport the incoming cargo unit 21 to the temporary storage position 53 before being put on the shelf. The cargo unit out-of-warehouse device is used to transport the cached cargo unit 24 in the shelf 1 to the out-of-warehouse position. Afterwards, it can be output to the review or production link, etc. via the out-of-warehouse conveyor line 35 or 36.

[0072] exist Figure 2 In the embodiment, multiple areas can be set in the warehouse area according to the locations of the cargo unit buffering device, the cargo unit storage-in device and the cargo unit storage-out device. For example, a cargo unit storage-in device is set in the storage-in area, a cargo unit buffering device is set in the buffering area, and two groups of cargo unit storage-out devices are set in the left storage-out area and the right storage-out area.

[0073] refer to Figure 2In some embodiments, the plurality of cache lanes 11 are distributed on at least one layer of the shelf 1. The cargo unit warehousing device includes a warehousing elevator 52, which is connected to the incoming goods conveying line 51, and is used to transport the cargo unit 21 transported and stored via the incoming goods conveying line 51 to the temporary storage position 53 before shelving in the vertical direction. The temporary storage position 53 before shelving is located at the layer where the cache lane 11 corresponding to the cargo unit 22 is located. For example, multiple cargo units 21 in multiple collection orders are successively transported to the warehousing elevator 52 via the incoming goods conveying line 51. The warehousing elevator 52 lifts the cargo unit 21 to the layer according to the layer where the cache lane 11 corresponding to the cargo unit 21 is located. Then, the cargo unit 21 is moved from the warehousing elevator 52 to the temporary storage position 53 before shelving by a transplanter.

[0074] Considering that in the related art, when the shuttle vehicle is performing outbound operations, the overall outbound capacity is poor due to the limited handling capacity. Therefore, in some embodiments of the warehousing system of the present invention, the cargo unit outbound device includes a load-bearing platform 4 and a driving device. The load-bearing platform 4 is used to carry multiple cargo units 24 to be outbound on the shelf 1. The driving device is used to drive the load-bearing platform 4 to move between the outbound position of the shelf 1 (i.e., the output end of the cache channel 11) and the outbound position (i.e., the outbound conveyor lines 35, 36). Figure 2 In the embodiment, a bearing platform 4 can be respectively provided in the left outbound area and the right outbound area to respectively realize the outbound operation on the left and right sides.

[0075] The shape of the horizontal cross section of the cargo unit is preferably a rectangle. In order to increase the number of material boxes that can be cached in the cache lane 11 and improve the storage capacity of the shelf 1, the material boxes can be placed adjacent to each other on the long sides in the cache lane 11 and output outward from the output end of the cache lane 11 along the short side direction. In this way, before the cargo unit is cached in the warehouse, the cargo unit is transported on the warehouse conveyor line 51 along the extension direction of the long side of the cargo unit. In the process of outputting the cargo unit from the cache lane 11 to the load-bearing platform 4 and from the load-bearing platform 4 to the outbound conveyor lines 35 and 36, the cargo unit is transported along the extension direction of the short side. The conveying capacity of this short-side conveying method exceeds that of the length conveying method, so the efficiency of batch outbound delivery can be improved.

[0076] The basic function of the load-bearing platform 4 is to carry multiple cargo units 25 to be shipped out of the warehouse. Compared with the method of transporting cargo by shuttle vehicles used in the related art, it can carry more cargo units 25 as a whole to perform the shipping operation, greatly improving the shipping efficiency. In order to facilitate the multiple cargo units 24 cached on the shelf 1 to be input to the load-bearing surface of the load-bearing platform 4, a powered or unpowered conveyor line unit can be set on the load-bearing platform 4 to realize the input and / or output of multiple cargo units relative to the load-bearing platform 4 itself.

[0077] like Figure 3FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the outbound link in some embodiments of the warehousing system of the present invention. Figure 4 and Figure 5 The structural schematic diagrams of the load-bearing platform, the rail car and the switching mechanism are shown respectively. In some embodiments, the load-bearing platform 4 includes one or more conveyor line units 41, 42, which are used to input the multiple cargo units on the shelf 1 to the conveyor line units 41, 42, and are arranged along the conveying direction of the conveyor line units 41, 42 so that the multiple cargo units are carried by the conveyor line units 41, 42. The conveyor line units 41, 42 here can be powered, that is, the multiple cargo units 24 are input to the load-bearing position of the load-bearing platform 4, such as the upper surface of the conveyor line units 41, 42, by driving the conveyor line units to run.

[0078] The one or more conveyor line units 41, 42 included in the load-bearing platform 4 are also used to output the multiple cargo units carried on the conveyor line units 41, 42 to the outbound location. The conveyor line units 41, 42 here can be powered conveyor line units, that is, the multiple cargo units 25 are output from the load-bearing platform 4 to the outbound location by pneumatically driving the conveyor line units.

[0079] In other embodiments, an auxiliary input device, such as a manipulator or a push rod, may be provided to input the multiple cargo units 24 cached on the shelf 1 to the carrying position of the carrying platform 4. Alternatively, an auxiliary output device, such as a manipulator or a push rod, may be provided to output the multiple cargo units 25 on the carrying platform 4 to the outbound position. In these cases, the conveyor line units 41 and 42 may be in a non-powered form.

[0080] When multiple conveyor line units 41, 42 are arranged on the carrying platform 4, the multiple conveyor line units 41, 42 can be connected in sequence along the conveying direction, and the input direction of the conveyor line units 41, 42 located on the input side is parallel to the delivery direction of the shelf 1, so that when the carrying platform 4 is docked with the delivery port of the shelf 11, it is more convenient to input multiple cargo units 24. The output direction of the conveyor line units 41, 42 located on the output side is parallel to the delivery direction of the delivery position, so that when the carrying platform 4 is docked with the delivery position, it is more convenient to output multiple cargo units 25.

[0081] exist Figure 4In the embodiment, when there is an angle between the input direction and the output direction of the load-bearing platform 4 (for example, a 90-degree angle, etc.), the conveyor line unit 41 located on the input side may adopt a curved roller conveyor line to meet the needs of adjusting the turning angle of multiple cargo units 24 during input. In other embodiments, the conveyor line unit 41 located on the input side may also adopt a curved belt conveyor line. In addition, the conveyor line unit 42 located on the output side may be a straight belt conveyor line or a straight roller conveyor line. In other embodiments, the conveyor line unit 42 located on the output side may also adopt a curved roller conveyor line or a curved belt conveyor line. In yet other embodiments, the shipping direction of the shelf 1 is parallel to the shipping direction of the shipping position, and accordingly, the conveyor line unit may also adopt a whole section of a straight belt conveyor line or a straight roller conveyor line.

[0082] refer to Figure 2-Figure 4 In some embodiments, each layer of the shelf 1 corresponds to a first track 31. The first track 31 can be supported by a bracket 32. The driving device can specifically include a rail car 44 and a switching mechanism. The rail car 44 is drivingly connected to the carrying platform 4, and is used to drive the carrying platform 4 to move on the first track 31. The rail car 41 has wheels that can move along the first track 31. The one or more conveyor line units 41, 42 included in the carrying platform 4 can be fixed to the upper surface of the rail car 41 through a mounting frame 43 to ensure the stability of multiple cargo units during input / output and transportation.

[0083] The switching mechanism is used to drive the carrying platform 4 to switch between each cargo layer and the outbound position. Figure 5 In some embodiments, the switching mechanism includes: a lifting platform 37 and a warehouse lift 34. The lifting platform 37 has a second track 33 that can be docked with the first track 31, and is used to carry a rail car 44 that walks on the second track 33. The warehouse lift 34 is connected to the lifting platform 37 and is used to drive the lifting platform 37 to change its height position.

[0084] When the multiple cargo units 24 in the shelf 1 are unloaded, the driving mechanism can drive the load-bearing platform 4 to the unloading position of the layer according to the layer and unloading position of the multiple cargo units 24. If the load-bearing platform 4 and the multiple cargo units 24 to be unloaded are on the same layer, the rail vehicle 44 moves the load-bearing platform 4 along the first track 31 to the unloading position of the multiple cargo units 24 to be unloaded in the layer.

[0085] If the load-bearing platform 4 and the multiple cargo units 24 to be shipped out are on different layers, the shipping elevator 34 adjusts the lifting platform 37 to the current layer where the rail car 44 is located, and docks the first track 31 of the current layer with the second track 33. Then, the rail car 44 delivers the load-bearing platform 4 to the lifting platform 37 along the first track 31 and the second track 33. The shipping elevator 34 adjusts the lifting platform 37 to the layer where the multiple cargo units 24 to be shipped out are located, and then the rail car 44 moves the load-bearing platform 4 along the first track 31 to the shipping position of the multiple cargo units 24 to be shipped out in the layer.

[0086] When the multiple cargo units 24 in the shelf 1 have been input onto the carrying platform 4, the rail vehicle 44 moves the carrying platform 4 onto the lifting platform 37 along the first track 31. Then, the outbound lift 34 adjusts the lifting platform 37 to the height of the outbound position. Next, the multiple cargo units 25 on the carrying platform 4 are output to the outbound position to complete the outbound operation.

[0087] Based on the various embodiments of the warehousing system of the present invention described above, the present invention also provides corresponding inventory method embodiments. In some embodiments, the inventory method may include the following multiple processes, such as a caching process, that is, according to the collection list, the cargo units located at the temporary storage position 53 before being put on the shelf are input into the cache lane 11 corresponding to the collection list in the shelf 1 for caching. Another example is the outbound process, that is, after the cargo units corresponding to the collection list are gathered in the cache lane 11, the cargo units cached in the cache lane 11 are collectively transported to the outbound position, so that the outbound conveyor lines 35 and 36 can transport the cargo units to the review or production links, etc., thereby completing the outbound operation. In other embodiments, the inventory method also includes a warehousing process, that is, the cargo units transported and put into the warehouse via the incoming goods conveyor line 51 are transported to the temporary storage position 53 before being put on the shelf.

[0088] So far, various embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail. In order to avoid obscuring the concept of the present disclosure, some details known in the art are not described. Based on the above description, those skilled in the art can fully understand how to implement the technical solution disclosed here.

[0089] Although some specific embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail by way of examples, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the above examples are for illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the above embodiments may be modified or some technical features may be replaced by equivalents without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A warehousing system, comprising a cargo unit caching device, wherein the cargo unit caching device comprises: A shelf (1) having a plurality of cache lanes (11), wherein the plurality of cache lanes (11) are configured to automatically adjust the positions of input cargo units to be cached; and An input carrier, running between the temporary storage position (53) before being put on the shelf and the input end of each of the plurality of cache lanes (11), and used for transporting the cargo unit to be cached; The storage system further comprises a cargo unit outbound device for transporting the cargo units cached in the shelf (1) to an outbound location (35); Wherein, the cargo unit outbound device comprises: A load-bearing platform (4) for carrying a plurality of cargo units on the shelf (1) to be shipped out of the warehouse; and A driving device is used to drive the carrying platform (4) to move between a shipping position and a warehouse exit position of the shelf (1).

2. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein: The plurality of cache lanes (11) are distributed on at least one layer of the shelf (1), and the input vehicle comprises a shuttle vehicle (12) that respectively operates on each layer of the shelf (1).

3. The storage system according to claim 2, wherein: The cargo unit buffer device further comprises: Running tracks (13) are respectively arranged on each layer of the shelf (1) and are used to provide bearing and guiding functions for the shuttle vehicle (12).

4. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein: A power drive mechanism is provided in the plurality of cache lanes (11) for driving the cargo units to be cached to move in the cache lanes (11).

5. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein: An unpowered driving mechanism is provided in the plurality of cache lanes (11) for utilizing the gravitational potential energy or kinetic energy of the cargo units to be cached to move in the cache lanes (11).

6. The storage system according to claim 5, wherein: The unpowered driving mechanism comprises: an unpowered roller (14) laid in the cache lane (11), and the input end of the cache lane (11) is higher than the output end, so that the cargo unit to be cached can move along the unpowered roller (14) to the side of the output end under the action of gravitational potential energy.

7. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein: The shelf (1) is arranged on one side or both sides of the transport route of the input carrier.

8. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein: Each of the plurality of cache lanes (11) is configured to cache a plurality of cargo units to be cached in a cache collection list.

9. The storage system according to claim 1, further comprising: The cargo unit storage device is used to transport the cargo unit to be stored to the temporary storage position (53) before being put on the shelf.

10. The storage system according to claim 9, wherein: The plurality of cache lanes (11) are distributed on at least one layer of the shelf (1), and the cargo unit warehousing device comprises: The storage elevator (52) is connected to the incoming goods conveyor line (51) and is used to transport the goods unit conveyed by the incoming goods conveyor line (51) and stored in the warehouse in a vertical direction to the temporary storage position (53) before being put on the shelf. The temporary storage position (53) before being put on the shelf is located at the layer where the cache lane (11) corresponding to the goods unit is located.

11. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein: The carrying platform (4) comprises one or more conveyor line units (41, 42) for inputting the multiple cargo units on the shelf (1) onto the conveyor line units (41, 42) and arranging them along the conveying direction of the conveyor line units (41, 42) so as to carry the multiple cargo units through the conveyor line units (41, 42) and / or output the multiple cargo units carried on the conveyor line units (41, 42) to the outbound location.

12. The storage system according to claim 11, wherein: The plurality of conveyor line units (41, 42) are connected in sequence along the conveying direction; the input direction of the conveyor line units (41, 42) located on the input side is parallel to the delivery direction of the shelf (1); and the output direction of the conveyor line units (41, 42) located on the output side is parallel to the delivery direction of the delivery position.

13. The storage system according to claim 11, wherein: The conveyor line units (41, 42) located on the input side are curved roller conveyor lines or curved belt conveyor lines, and the conveyor line units (41, 42) located on the output side are straight belt conveyor lines or straight roller conveyor lines.

14. The storage system according to claim 11, wherein: The conveyor line unit (41, 42) is a whole section of a straight belt conveyor line or a straight roller conveyor line, and the delivery direction of the shelf (1) is parallel to the delivery direction of the delivery position.

15. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein: Each layer of the shelf (1) corresponds to a first track (31), and the driving device comprises: A track vehicle (44) is drivingly connected to the carrying platform (4) and is used to drive the carrying platform (4) to move on the first track (31); and A switching mechanism is used to drive the carrying platform (4) to switch between each cargo location layer and the outbound location.

16. The storage system according to claim 15, wherein: The switching mechanism comprises: a lifting platform (37) having a second track (33) that can dock with the first track (31) and is used to carry a rail vehicle (44) that travels on the second track (33); and The outbound elevator (34) is drivingly connected to the lifting platform (37) and is used to drive the lifting platform (37) to change its height position.

17. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein: The horizontal cross-section of the cargo unit is in the shape of a rectangle. The cargo units are adjacent to each other on long sides in the cache channel (11) and are output outwardly from the output end of the cache channel (11) along the short side direction.

18. An inventory method based on the warehousing system according to any one of claims 1 to 17, comprising: Cache process: according to the collection list, the goods units located at the temporary storage position (53) before being put on the shelf are input into the cache lane (11) corresponding to the collection list in the shelf (1) for caching; and Outbound process: After the cargo units corresponding to the collection order are collected in the cache lane (11), the cargo units cached in the cache lane (11) are collectively transported to the outbound location (35) to complete the outbound operation.

19. The inventory method according to claim 18, wherein: Also includes: Warehouse entry process: The cargo units conveyed and warehoused via the incoming cargo conveyor line (51) are transported to the temporary storage location (53) before being put on the shelves.

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