Article storage and retrieval device

Abstract

The present invention relates to an article storage and retrieval device, comprising a main body (1); at least one swing arm (4), the first end of which is pivotally connected to the main body (1) around a vertical axis; and a receiving portion (2), the partially open end of which is connected to the swing arm (4), the receiving portion (2) being configured to expand after the swing arm (4) is opened outward to form a space for receiving articles, and to close the open end after the swing arm (4) is retracted inward. This article storage and retrieval device can make the storage and retrieval of articles more convenient, saving waiting time; in addition, the volume of the receiving portion can be changed or the open end can be closed by rotating the swing arm in a horizontal plane. After placing an article in the receiving portion, the swing arm can be smoothly retracted to close the open end because the gravity of the article is perpendicular to the opening and closing plane of the swing arm, thereby improving the convenience of use.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to an article storage and retrieval device. Background Art

[0002] With the rise of online shopping and the logistics industry, the number of express delivery orders has increased rapidly year by year. When people receive or send express delivery, they need to wait for the courier to come to their door at home. However, the time when the courier comes to the door cannot be accurately controlled, and it will inevitably overlap with the time when the customer is not at home. When the customer is not at home, the courier can only choose to change the time to come again, or have neighbors collect it on their behalf, or directly leave it at the door or nearby small shops, etc., which may involve safety risks.

[0003] For couriers, when no one is at the customer's home, changing the delivery time will consume a lot of time and reduce efficiency; and choosing the collection method will involve security risks such as package loss.

[0004] For customers, it is difficult to guarantee that someone will be home when the courier comes. And when you need to go out, you have to worry about when the courier will come, reconfirm the time of delivery with the courier, and whether the courier will be lost in the storage, which is a very bad shopping experience. Summary of the invention

[0005] An embodiment of the present invention provides an article storage and retrieval device, which can improve the convenience of article storage and retrieval.

[0006] To achieve the above object, an embodiment of the present invention provides an article storage and retrieval device, comprising:

[0007] main body;

[0008] at least one swing arm, a first end of the swing arm being pivotally connected to the body about a vertical axis; and

[0009] The accommodating portion has a partially open end connected to the rotary arm, and the accommodating portion is configured to expand after the rotary arm is opened outward to form a space for accommodating items, and to close the open end after the rotary arm is retracted inward.

[0010] Furthermore, two rotary arms are provided, and the first ends of the two rotary arms are respectively connected to the left and right ends of the main body, so that they can be relatively opened or retracted.

[0011] Furthermore, the article storage and retrieval device also includes an opening protection structure for limiting the opening end from falling outward after the rotary arm is retracted.

[0012] Furthermore, the second ends of the two spiral arms overlap each other after being retracted inwardly relative to each other.

[0013] Furthermore, the opening protection structure includes two baffles, which are respectively fixed below the rotary arms and restrict the opening end from falling out after the two rotary arms are relatively retracted inwards.

[0014] Furthermore, the opening protection structure includes a hard rod group, and the hard rod group is connected to the portion of the opening end located between the respective second ends of the two spiral arms.

[0015] Furthermore, the hard rod set includes:

[0016] Two swing rods, each having a first end rotatably connected to the second end of the swing arm; and

[0017] The connecting rod has two ends which are rotatably connected to the second ends of the two swing rods.

[0018] Furthermore, the hard rod group is arranged below the spiral arm.

[0019] Furthermore, the article storage and retrieval device also includes a limiter, which is located on the outside of the connection between the swing arm and the hard rod group to limit the extreme position of the hard rod group swinging outward relative to the swing arm.

[0020] Furthermore, a receiving groove is provided on the inner side of the second end of the swing arm, and a limiting portion is formed on the outer side of the swing arm corresponding to the position of the receiving groove. The part where the hard rod group is connected to the swing arm is located in the receiving groove, and the limiting portion can limit the extreme position of the hard rod group to swing outward.

[0021] Furthermore, at least some of the adjacent rods in the hard rod group are detachably connected, and the accommodating portion has an elastic section at the detachable portion, so as to increase the space for accommodating items by detaching at least some of the adjacent rods.

[0022] Furthermore, the accommodating portion is provided with vertical folds at least at the following positions, including:

[0023] The position where the swing arm is connected to the main body, the position where the rigid rod group is connected to the swing arm, and the position where adjacent rods in the rigid rod group are connected.

[0024] Furthermore, the article storage and retrieval device also includes:

[0025] A locking component, provided between the two swing arms or between the swing arm and the main body, for achieving locking of the two swing arms relative to the main body; and

[0026] The identity recognition component is used to unlock the locking component after successfully verifying the identity verification information provided by the user.

[0027] Furthermore, the entire accommodating portion is made of flexible material, and a support rod for maintaining the shape of the bottom is provided at the bottom of the accommodating portion along the length direction.

[0028] Furthermore, the accommodating portion includes a plurality of assembling pieces, each assembling piece is connected to each other to form the accommodating portion, and the assembling pieces are deformable at the connection points.

[0029] Furthermore, the article storage and retrieval device also includes a retracting mechanism, a storage cavity is provided in the main body, and the retracting mechanism is used to receive the accommodating portion into the storage cavity after the rotary arm is retracted inwardly.

[0030] Furthermore, the reeling mechanism comprises:

[0031] A driving component is disposed in the main body;

[0032] A connecting ring provided at a bottom region of an outer surface of the receiving portion; and

[0033] A traction member, one end of which is fixed to the connecting ring and the other end of which is connected to the output end of the driving member;

[0034] The accommodating portion is located as a whole at the front side of the outside of the storage cavity in the vertically unfolded state, and can be driven by the driving component to fold the accommodating portion along the height direction to be located in the storage cavity.

[0035] Further, the connecting ring is arranged at the bottom of the accommodating portion, the bottom of the storage cavity extends to half the height of the accommodating portion, and the height of the accommodating portion after folding is half the overall height; or

[0036] The connecting ring is arranged at a position where the accommodating part is one third of the height from the bottom, the bottom of the storage cavity extends to a position where the accommodating part is two thirds of the height from the bottom, and the height of the accommodating part after folding is one third of the overall height.

[0037] Furthermore, the article storage and retrieval device also includes an outer panel, the top end of which is rotatably arranged at the bottom of the swing arm along the length direction of the swing arm and is located in front of the accommodating portion, and the height of the outer panel is configured to cover the accommodating portion after it is retracted.

[0038] Furthermore, the accommodating portion adopts an integral structure, and the rear portion of the open end of the accommodating portion is connected to the bottom of the main body.

[0039] Furthermore, the article storage and retrieval device also includes a back plate, which is arranged on the installation surface at a position below the main body to separate the accommodating portion from the installation surface.

[0040] Furthermore, the item storage and retrieval device is a courier box.

[0041] Based on the above technical solution, an article storage and retrieval device of one embodiment of the present invention is arranged at a position convenient for users to take and place articles, and a rotary arm that can rotate in a horizontal plane is installed on the main body, so that the accommodating part is expanded to form a space for accommodating articles by opening the rotary arm outward, and the open end of the accommodating part is closed after the rotary arm is retracted inward. This article storage and retrieval device can make the storage and retrieval of articles more convenient and save waiting time; in addition, by rotating the rotary arm in a horizontal plane to change the volume of the accommodating part or close the open end, after placing articles in the accommodating part, the rotary arm can be smoothly retracted to close the open end because the gravity of the articles is perpendicular to the opening and closing plane of the rotary arm, and the rotating opening and closing method can also reduce the occupied space and operation range during the operation process, and the process of opening and closing the rotary arm is highly controllable, thereby improving the convenience of use. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0042] 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:

[0043] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of an embodiment of the article storage and retrieval device of the present invention in a closed state;

[0044] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of an embodiment of the article storage and retrieval device of the present invention in an open state;

[0045] Figure 3 A schematic structural diagram of another embodiment of the article storage and retrieval device of the present invention in an open state;

[0046] Figure 4 It is a structural schematic diagram of an embodiment of a reeling mechanism provided in an article storage and retrieval device of the present invention;

[0047] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the structure in which the accommodating portion of the article storage and retrieval device of the present invention is in a folded state in the height direction.

[0048] Description of Reference Numerals

[0049] 1. Main body; 11. Operation panel; 12. Notch; 13. Storage cavity; 2. Accommodation part; 21. Support rod; 22. Fold; 23. Connecting ring; 24. Pulling piece; 3. Outer panel; 4. Swing arm; 5. Swing rod; 6. Connecting rod; 7. Baffle; 8. Pin. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0050] The present invention is described in detail below. In the following paragraphs, different aspects of the embodiments are defined in more detail. Each aspect so defined can be combined with any other aspect or aspects, unless explicitly stated not to be combined. In particular, any feature that is considered to be preferred or advantageous can be combined with one or more other features that are considered to be preferred or advantageous.

[0051] The terms "first", "second" and the like appearing in the present invention are only for the convenience of description to distinguish different components with the same name, and do not indicate a sequence or a primary and secondary relationship.

[0052] In the description of the present invention, the directions or positional relationships indicated by "upper", "lower", "top", "bottom", "front", "rear", "inside" and "outside" are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the drawings, which are only for the convenience of describing the present invention, and do not indicate or imply that the device referred to must have a specific direction, be constructed and operated in a specific direction, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention. In the subsequent description, the side of the article storage and retrieval device facing the installation surface is defined as the rear, and other directions are defined based on this.

[0053] like Figures 1 to 5 As shown, the present invention provides an article storage and retrieval device, which in one embodiment includes a main body 1, a accommodating portion 2 and at least one swing arm 4. The main body 1 is configured to be fixed on a vertical mounting surface, and the vertical mounting surface mentioned here includes a vertical surface at 90° to the horizontal plane and a mounting surface with a preset range of angle deviation from the vertical plane; or the main body 1 can also be fixed on an inclined mounting surface. For example, the article storage and retrieval device can be fixed at a position that is convenient for a specific user to take and put articles. For home users, the mounting surface can be set near the user's home door, corridor or building entrance. For company users, the mounting surface can be set near the entrance of the unit, etc.

[0054] The swing arm 4 may be a rod-shaped structure, and its first end may be pivotally connected to the main body 1 around a vertical axis, for example, by a hinged connection. Figure 2 As shown, the swing arm 4 is located in a horizontal plane and is rotatably connected to the main body 1 in the horizontal plane. Optionally, the open end of the accommodating portion 2 may also form a forwardly inclined surface, and accordingly the swing arm 4 is arranged to be inclined relative to the horizontal plane and can rotate around a vertical axis in the inclined plane. Part of the open end of the accommodating portion 2 is connected to the swing arm 4 along the length direction of the swing arm 4, so that the accommodating portion 2 is suspended relative to the main body 1.

[0055] Furthermore, a notch 12 extending along the length direction may be provided at the edge of the front side of the lower part of the main body 1, and the portion where the swing arm 4 is connected to the main body 1 is located in the notch 12, so that when the swing arm 4 is retracted inwardly, the outer side surface of the swing arm 4 does not exceed the outer side surface of the main body 1. Alternatively, the first end of the swing arm 4 may also be hinged to the outer side wall of the front of the main body 1 by a structure such as a hinge.

[0056] The volume of the storage part 2 is variable, and it is configured to expand to form a space for storing items after the rotary arm 4 is opened outward, and the rotary arm 4 is retracted inward to close the open end. When it is necessary to put items in, the rotary arm 4 is opened outward to expand the storage part 2 to put the items in, and after the items are put in, the rotary arm 4 can be retracted inward to close the open end to ensure the safety of the storage of the items; when it is necessary to take out the items, the rotary arm 4 can be opened outward to expose the open end to take out the items, and after the items are taken out, the rotary arm 4 can be retracted inward to close the open end to limit the use authority of the item storage and access device. Figure 1 , Figure 4 and Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the state after the rotary arm 4 is retracted inwards, Figure 2 and Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the state after the rotary arm 4 is opened outwards.

[0057] The article storage and retrieval device of this embodiment of the present invention has at least one of the following advantages:

[0058] (1) It can make the storage and retrieval of items more convenient, make the connection between the sender and the receiver smoother, and make it easy to use. It can also save waiting time and improve the efficiency of storing and retrieving items.

[0059] (2) The volume of the storage part 2 is variable, and it can be unfolded to form a space for storing items, and can be folded after taking out items or when no items are placed. This structure can not only meet the functional requirements of placing items, but also reduce the space occupied by the item storage and retrieval device when not in use.

[0060] (3) The accommodating portion 2 can be unfolded by rotating the swing arm 4 in a horizontal plane. After the item storage and retrieval device is unlocked, the user can actively apply force to the swing arm 4 to controllably open the swing arm 4. The swing arm 4 will not freely unfold under the action of its own gravity to generate a large impact force. This can improve the stability when opening the item storage and retrieval device, reduce the impact on the accommodating portion 2 when unfolding, and increase the service life of the item storage and retrieval device.

[0061] (4) The folding of the container 2 or the closure of the open end is achieved by rotating and retracting the swing arm 4 in a horizontal plane. After placing an item in the container 2, since the gravity of the item is perpendicular to the plane of opening and closing of the swing arm 4, the gravity has little effect on the rotation of the swing arm 4, so the swing arm 4 can be smoothly retracted to close the open end. If a retractable cantilever is provided on the main body, and the closure of the open end is achieved by retracting the cantilever, the gravity of the item will be directly applied to the entire cantilever. When the cantilever is retracted inward, if the item is heavy, the user needs to apply a lifting force to the container to ensure that the bag mouth is smoothly closed. In addition, compared with a telescopic cantilever, the swing arm 4 has better stability during opening and retracting, which can increase the service life.

[0062] (5) Compared with the structure in which the accommodating portion 2 is expanded or retracted by rotating the swing arm 4, the structure in which the accommodating portion 2 is expanded or retracted by telescoping the cantilever can reduce the occupied space during operation, the user's operation range is smaller, and the process of opening and closing the swing arm is highly controllable, thereby improving the convenience of use.

[0063] (6) After placing an item in the receiving portion 2, the open end can be closed by simply rotating the rotary arm 4 inwardly to store the item safely, eliminating the need for an additional structure to close the open end after placing the item.

[0064] In some embodiments, another portion of the open end of the receiving portion 2 is connected to the bottom area of ​​the main body 1. Figure 2 As shown, the rear of the open end of the receiving portion 2 is connected to the bottom of the main body 1, and the left and right parts are respectively connected to the swing arms 4 on both sides. The receiving portion 2 in this embodiment is conveniently designed as an integral structure, which is easy to replace after damage, and is also convenient for replacing receiving portions 2 of different sizes as needed.

[0065] Optionally, an extension plate may be provided at a position of the main body 1 close to the mounting surface, and the receiving portion 2 may be sleeved outside the extension plate or entirely located in front of the extension plate, and the rear side surface may contact the extension plate. Alternatively, the receiving portion 2 is not closed in the circumferential direction, and the rear side surface of the receiving portion 2 needs to be formed by the extension plate.

[0066] In some embodiments, the swing arm 4 is provided with a first end thereof which can be connected to the left or right end of the main body 1, the rear section of the open end of the receiving portion 2 is connected to the bottom of the main body 1, the front section is connected to the bottom of the swing arm 4, and the side section of the open end of the receiving portion 2 between the second end of the swing arm 4 and the main body 1 is exposed or designed as an elastic section. When the second end of the swing arm 4 is opened outward, the side section of the open end is straightened or stretched so that the receiving portion 2 forms a space for accommodating items, and when the second end of the swing arm 4 is retracted inward, the open end of the receiving portion 2 can be closed or the entire receiving portion 2 can be folded. This embodiment has a simple structure.

[0067] In other embodiments, reference Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, two swing arms 4 are provided, and the first ends of the two swing arms 4 are respectively connected to the left and right ends of the main body 1, so that they can be relatively opened or retracted to form a double-door structure. After the two swing arms 4 are retracted inward, the second ends of each can just touch, overlap or be spaced a certain distance apart. Specifically, the rear section of the open end of the accommodating portion 2 can be connected to the lower area of ​​the main body 1 along the left-right direction, and the left and right sections are respectively connected to the left and right swing arms 4 along the length direction of the swing arms 4, for example, connected to the bottom of the swing arms 4.

[0068] When it is necessary to put an item in, the two arms 4 are relatively opened outward, the front section of the open end is straightened, and the accommodating portion 2 is unfolded to put the item in. After the item is put in, the two arms 4 can be relatively retracted inward to press the front section of the open end behind the arms 4, so that the open end is closed to ensure the safety of the item storage. When it is necessary to take out an item, the two arms 4 can be relatively opened outward to expose the open end to take out the item. After taking out the item, the two arms 4 can be relatively retracted inward to close the open end to limit the use authority of the item storage and retrieval device.

[0069] By providing two swing arms 4 in this embodiment, when the size of the receiving portion 2 is the same, the double-door structure can shorten the length of a single swing arm 4, and can occupy a smaller space during the opening and closing operation, which is more convenient for opening and closing and convenient for operation. Moreover, the swing arms 4 are provided on both sides to increase the receiving space of the receiving portion 2.

[0070] Furthermore, the article storage and retrieval device also includes an opening protection structure, which is arranged at the front of the accommodating portion 2 near the opening end and is used to limit the opening end from falling out after the rotary arm 4 is retracted.

[0071] After the article storage and retrieval device of this embodiment is retracted by the swing arm 4, it can prevent the open section of the opening end from being exposed to a position accessible outside or below the swing arm 4. After the article is placed in the accommodating portion 2, it can prevent other people from directly forcibly pulling out the open section of the opening end to take out the article without unlocking the door, thereby improving the safety of article storage; or when the accommodating portion 2 is in a state of being folded as a whole, it can prevent the open section of the opening end from being directly forcibly pulled out to use the article storage and retrieval device.

[0072] Taking the example of arranging the rotary arms 4 in the left and right sections respectively, different forms of the opening protection structure are given below.

[0073] In the first embodiment, the second ends of the two rotary arms 4 have overlapping arm sections after being relatively retracted inward, and the overlapping arm sections serve as opening protection structures. Furthermore, a chimeric structure can be provided in the overlapping arm sections to ensure that the two rotary arms 4 are in the same plane after being retracted, which can improve the firmness of the rotary arms 4 after being retracted.

[0074] like Figure 3As shown, this embodiment is particularly suitable for the accommodating portion 2 with an open front section at the opening end. By increasing the length of the swing arm 4, the left and right swing arms 4 can cooperate with each other in the end structure. When the two swing arms 4 are relatively retracted to the bottom of the main body 1, the swing arm 4 on one side can press the swing arm 4 on the other side, and the length of the overlapping arm section can be consistent with the length of the open section at the opening end, which can ensure that the opening end of the entire accommodating portion 2 is reliably closed after the swing arm 4 is retracted and locked.

[0075] In the second embodiment, still referring to Figure 3 The opening protection structure includes two baffles 7, which may be rectangular and are respectively fixed below the swing arms 4 along the length direction of the swing arms 4. After the two swing arms 4 are relatively retracted inward, the opening ends are restricted from slipping outward, thereby preventing theft. After the two swing arms 4 are retracted, the inner ends of the two baffles 7 may contact, overlap or have a gap.

[0076] This embodiment is particularly suitable for the receiving portion 2 with an open front end. By providing the baffle 7, the open section of the open end can be shielded behind the baffle 7, more reliably preventing the external force from being applied to the open section of the open end, and further improving the reliability of the closed open end of the entire receiving portion 2. The baffle 7 and the overlapping arm section can be used at the same time.

[0077] In the third embodiment, if Figure 2 As shown, the opening protection structure includes a hard rod group, which is connected to the length section whose opening end is located between the second ends of the two spiral arms 4. The hard rod group can partially or completely cover the open section of the opening end of the receiving part. The hard rod group includes a plurality of rods, and adjacent rods can be independently or rotatably connected to each other.

[0078] This embodiment connects a hard rod group to the open section of the open end. After the swing arm 4 is retracted, the hard rod group is also retracted to the rear side of the swing arm 4. External force cannot deform the hard rod group and pull out the open section of the open end, thereby improving the reliability of the entire opening end of the container 2 when it is closed. In addition, by connecting the hard rod group, the stability of the open end can be improved, and the container can maintain a predetermined shape after being unfolded, making it easy to put items into the container 2.

[0079] like Figure 2 As shown, the hard rod group can be connected to the front section of the open end, including a connecting rod 6 and two swing rods 5. The first ends of the two swing rods 5 are rotatably connected to the second ends of the swing arm 4 in a horizontal plane, and the two ends of the connecting rod 6 are rotatably connected to the second ends of the two swing rods 5 in a horizontal plane. After the swing arm 4 is retracted, the connecting rod 6, the swing rod 5 and the swing arm 4 overlap each other, the connecting rod 6 is located at the innermost side, and the swing rod 5 is located between the connecting rod 6 and the swing arm 4.

[0080] Preferably, the left and right arms 4 and the swing rods 5 have the same length, so that the accommodating portion 2 forms a bilaterally symmetrical structure after being unfolded, and a larger storage space can be obtained. In addition, the number of the connecting rods 6 and the swing rods 5 can also be set according to actual needs.

[0081] Still refer to Figure 2 , the hard rod group is arranged below the swing arm 4, that is, the two swing rods 5 and the connecting rod 6 are all located below the plane where the swing arm 4 is located. This connection method can simplify the structure of the swing arm 4 and facilitate the connection of the second end of the swing arm 4 with the swing rod 5 through a pin.

[0082] Furthermore, the article storage and retrieval device further includes a limiter, which is located outside the connection between the swing arm 4 and the hard rod group to limit the extreme position of the hard rod group swinging outward relative to the swing arm 4. Specifically, the limiter is arranged outside the connection between the swing arm 4 and the swing rod 5, and in the process of retracting the swing arm 4, the swing rod 5 can only rotate toward the main body 1 with the swing arm 4 as the boundary, so as to prevent the rods in the hard rod group from swinging randomly and increasing the difficulty of folding the accommodating part 2.

[0083] In another structure, a receiving groove is provided on the inner side of the second end of the swing arm 4, and a limiting portion is formed on the outer side of the corresponding position of the receiving groove of the swing arm 4, and the portion where the hard rod group is connected to the swing arm 4 is located in the receiving groove, and the limiting portion can limit the extreme position of the hard rod group to swing outward. Specifically, the portion where the swing rod 5 is connected to the swing arm 4 is located in the receiving groove, and the limiting portion can limit the extreme position of the swing rod 5 to swing outward. This structure does not need to set an additional limiting block, and only needs to use the structure of the swing arm 4 itself to achieve the limit.

[0084] In some embodiments, at least some of the adjacent rods in the rigid rod group are detachably connected, and the receiving portion 2 has an elastic section at the detachable portion, so as to increase the space for receiving items by detaching at least some of the adjacent rods. Figure 2 As shown, the swing rod 5 and the connecting rod 6 are hinged by a vertically arranged pin 8, and the pin 8 is detachable. After the pin 8 is removed, the volume of the accommodating portion 2 can be further increased, so that larger items can be placed when the size of the main body 1 remains unchanged.

[0085] In some embodiments, Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the receiving portion 2 is provided with vertical folds 22 at least at the following positions, including: the position where the swing arm 4 is connected to the main body 1, the position where the hard rod group is connected to the swing arm 4, and the position where adjacent rods in the hard rod group are connected. This embodiment enables the receiving portion 2 to be folded in a more regular shape, thereby improving the aesthetics.

[0086] In some embodiments, the item storage and retrieval device further includes a locking component and an identity recognition component. The locking component is disposed between the two rotary arms 4 or between the rotary arms 4 and the main body 1, and is used to realize the locking of the two rotary arms 4 relative to the main body 1, and has a locked and unlocked state. In the locked state, the closure of the open end when placing items in the accommodating portion 2 and when the accommodating portion 2 is folded can be realized to ensure that the item storage and retrieval device is not used by irrelevant personnel and to ensure the safety of item storage. The identity recognition component is used to unlock the locking component after the identity verification information provided by the user (for example: the person who puts in the item or the person who takes the item) is successfully verified, so as to facilitate the retrieval of the item.

[0087] After the accommodating portion 2 is unfolded, the person who deposits items can deposit them; after the person who retrieves items takes out the items, the accommodating portion 2 can be folded so that the item storage and retrieval device occupies a smaller space, which can improve the versatility of the item storage and retrieval device, make it easy to promote and use in different occasions, and realize intelligent storage and retrieval of items.

[0088] Preferably, the locking component can be an electromagnetic lock, which acts quickly. The electromagnetic lock is in a closed state under normal conditions. When the swing arm 4 needs to be opened, the electromagnetic lock is triggered to disconnect. Since the disconnection time is short, in order to prevent the swing arm 4 from re-entering the locked state in a short time, a spring mechanism is provided between the two swing arms 4 or between the swing arm 4 and the main body 1, which is used to bounce the swing arm 4 after the locking component is unlocked. The bounce distance only needs to make the swing arm 4 leave the original locked position.

[0089] Specifically, an electric lock can be set in the middle position of the lower part of the main body 1, and the second end of the swing arm 4 is provided with a lock buckle matching the electric lock. When the electric lock is unlocked, the left and right swing arms 4 pop outward to expand the opening end of the accommodating part 2; after putting in or taking out items, the swing arm 4 can be pushed back to the lower part of the main body 1 and re-locked to close the opening end of the accommodating part 2.

[0090] The identity recognition component can adopt various structural forms. For example, identity authentication can be performed by scanning a code, facial recognition, voice recognition, fingerprint recognition, checking a verification code, etc., and the electronic locking component can be unlocked after successful authentication. Alternatively, remote unlocking can be performed on a mobile terminal APP through a wifi module and / or a Bluetooth module. In this way, identity authentication information can be received through a camera, microphone or fingerprint sensor.

[0091] The main body 1 is provided with an operation panel 11, a camera or a switch. The operation panel 11 may be a touch screen, which can display information or receive user identification, etc. The camera can provide facial recognition, and the switch can be used to start the electrical system of the item storage and retrieval device, such as retracting the accommodating portion 2 in the height direction. For ease of operation, the top of the main body 1 can be set as a forward-inclined surface. A communication module, a power supply module or a control module can be set inside the main body 1. After being unlocked, the swing arm 4 can be opened outwards by manual or automatic control.

[0092] In some embodiments, the article storage and retrieval device of the present invention also includes a back panel, which is arranged on the installation surface below the main body 1 to separate the accommodating portion 2 from the installation surface, thereby preventing the accommodating portion 2 from scratching the installation surface such as the wall during the process of taking and placing articles.

[0093] In order to close the open end when placing items in the receiving part 2 and to fold it when not in use, in some embodiments, the receiving part 2 is made of a flexible material as a storage bag, which can simplify the structure of the receiving part 2 and facilitate folding when no items are needed. The volume of the receiving part 2 for placing items should leave a margin for closing the opening. Optionally, the receiving part 2 can be made of a cut-resistant material.

[0094] The flexible receiving portion facilitates the change of volume, making the process of volume change faster; and it is easy to design the receiving portion 2 as an integrated item storage space, which can simplify the operation method of volume change to improve the efficiency of storing and retrieving express delivery, is not easy to be damaged after long-term use, and can reduce the accuracy requirements of the relevant mechanisms used to change the volume.

[0095] like Figure 1 As shown, a support rod 21 for maintaining the shape of the bottom is provided in the middle of the bottom of the receiving portion 2 along the length direction (left-right direction). The advantages of providing the support rod 21 are as follows: the flexible receiving portion can maintain a relatively regular shape, and can hang freely in a normal state, thereby increasing the aesthetics. In addition, in the embodiment in which a retracting mechanism is provided later, the bottom of the receiving portion can be kept in a straight line shape for easy retraction or folding, and the weight of the support rod 21 itself can enable the receiving portion 2 to be smoothly unfolded in the height direction.

[0096] Optionally, the receiving portion 2 includes a plurality of splicing pieces, which may be sheet-shaped polygonal structures, and each splicing piece is connected to form the receiving portion 2, and the connection parts are deformable. This structure is conducive to keeping the receiving portion 2 in a relatively regular shape.

[0097] In some embodiments, reference Figure 4 and Figure 5The article storage and retrieval device further includes a retracting mechanism, a storage cavity 13 is provided in the main body 1, and the retracting mechanism is used to receive the receiving portion 2 into the storage cavity 13 after the swing arm 4 is retracted inwardly. The main body 1 can be designed as an L-shaped structure, and the storage cavity 13 can be provided in the vertical portion of the L-shaped structure. This embodiment can reduce the space occupied by the receiving portion 2 in the height direction after the receiving portion 2 is folded, and can prevent the receiving portion 2 from being damaged after it is retracted.

[0098] The bottom of the storage cavity 13 is open to allow the accommodating part 2 to enter. The front of the storage cavity 13 can be closed by a panel, or only a connecting rod is provided at the bottom along the left and right directions, so that the accommodating part 2 is located at the front side of the storage cavity 13 as a whole in the vertically expanded state.

[0099] like Figure 4 and Figure 5 The retracting mechanism includes a driving component, a connecting ring 23 and a traction member 24. The driving component is arranged in the main body 1, for example, it can be arranged at the top of the vertical part of the L-shaped structure or in the horizontal part of the L-shaped structure. The connecting ring 23 is arranged in the bottom area of ​​the outer surface of the accommodating portion 2, one end of the traction member 24 is fixed to the connecting ring 23, and the other end is connected to the output end of the driving component. A button can be set on the main body 1. When the button is triggered, the accommodating portion 2 can be driven by the driving component to fold the accommodating portion 2 in the height direction to be in the storage cavity 13.

[0100] This embodiment allows the accommodating portion 2 to be folded in the height direction, which can simplify the folding method and improve the folding efficiency.

[0101] In some embodiments, the connecting ring 23 is arranged at the bottom position of the accommodating portion 2, and the bottom of the storage cavity 13 extends to half the height of the accommodating portion 2, that is, the bottom end of the vertical portion of the L-shaped structure is located at half the height of the accommodating portion 2. The bottom of the accommodating portion 2 moves upward into the storage cavity 13 driven by the traction member 24 until it is blocked by the bottom of the storage cavity 13. The height of the accommodating portion 2 after folding is half of the overall height.

[0102] In some embodiments, Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the connecting ring 23 is arranged at a position of one third of the height from the bottom of the accommodating portion 2, and the bottom of the storage cavity 13 extends to a position of two thirds of the height from the bottom, that is, the bottom end of the vertical portion of the L-shaped structure is located at a position of one third of the height from the top of the accommodating portion 2. Driven by the traction member 24, the connecting ring 23 moves upward into the accommodating cavity 13 until it is blocked by the bottom of the accommodating cavity 13, at which time the lower two thirds of the accommodating portion 2 is folded in half, and the height of the folded accommodating portion 2 is one third of the overall height.

[0103] In some embodiments, the article storage and retrieval device further comprises an outer panel 3, the top end of which is rotatably disposed at the bottom of the rotary arm 4 along the length direction of the rotary arm 4 and located in front of the receiving portion 2, and the height of the outer panel 3 is configured to shield the retracted receiving portion 2. For an embodiment in which two rotary arms 4 are provided, an outer panel 3 may be fixed under each rotary arm 4.

[0104] This embodiment can make the appearance more beautiful by providing the outer panel 3, and protect the receiving portion 2. The connection between the outer panel 3 and the swing arm 4 is hinged, so that the lower part can be turned up without affecting the effective volume of the receiving portion 2.

[0105] In another embodiment, the winding mechanism may also include a driving component, a reel and a pulling member. The reel is arranged at the bottom of the accommodating portion 2 along the length direction of the accommodating portion 2. One end of the pulling member is connected to the reel, and the other end is connected to the output end of the driving component. The driving component is used to drive the pulling member to drive the reel to roll during the upward movement, so that the accommodating portion 2 is gradually wound on the reel.

[0106] In one application scenario, the item storage and retrieval device is a courier box, and accordingly, the above-mentioned items are couriers. The courier box can be used by specific users and related couriers. After the rotary arm 4 is opened relative to the main body 1, the accommodating portion 2 is unfolded to form a space for accommodating items, which is convenient for the postman to put the couriers in the accommodating portion 2; after the recipient takes out the couriers, the rotary arm 4 is retracted inward to fold the accommodating portion 2, thereby reducing the space occupied by the courier box when not in use.

[0107] Different from shared express lockers, this type of express box has a simple structure and small size, and can flexibly adapt to the needs of users for sending and receiving express and online shopping. It is more convenient for users to send and receive express, and improves the convenience of the sender or the receiver when storing and retrieving express. In different usage scenarios, the sender and the receiver correspond to one of the roles of the courier and the user respectively.

[0108] This item storage and retrieval device can be used by couriers to deliver and users to retrieve express parcels. When the delivery time of the courier and the user's collection time do not match, it can save delivery time and improve delivery efficiency, and improve the safety of temporary storage of express parcels; moreover, this item storage and retrieval device can also be used by users to send or return goods, without having to wait at home for the courier to pick up the goods, improving the user's experience when sending and returning express parcels. This structure can not only meet the needs of storing express parcels when they are needed, but also reduce the space occupied when they are not in use under normal conditions, and the structure is simple.

[0109] The following example takes the courier's need to deliver a package and the user picks it up as an example. Figures 1 to 5 The invention describes the method of using the article storage and retrieval device of this structure.

[0110] (1) The courier unlocks the item access device:

[0111] When the courier as the delivery person needs to put the express into the item storage and access device, the e-commerce or express delivery third-party platform will match the item storage and access device that needs to be placed according to the current express order information, and enable the courier to open the item storage and access device, such as sending the courier a verification code, graphic code, etc. to open the item storage and access device, or the courier's personal identity information (such as fingerprint, face, voice, etc.) can be bound to the verification information of the item storage and access device, so that the courier can unlock the locking component through identity authentication.

[0112] (2) The courier opens the item storage and retrieval device and puts the package in:

[0113] for Figure 2 , the courier opens the two arms 4 relatively outward until the open end of the receiving part 2 is opened. At this time, the swing rod 5 and the connecting rod 6 are also unfolded, so that the open end of the receiving part 2 forms a polygon, and the entire receiving part 2 is also unfolded. At this time, the express is placed in the receiving part 2. Afterwards, the courier retracts the two arms 4 relatively inward to the bottom of the main body 1, and locks the open end of the receiving part 2 through the locking component to close the entire open end.

[0114] (3) User unlocks the item access device:

[0115] The user's identity verification information can be obtained through the following methods:

[0116] 1. Users who have associated their identity information with the item storage and access device can directly possess the identity authentication information of the item storage and access device, such as a pre-set password for opening the item storage and access device, recorded fingerprints, facial or voice information.

[0117] 2. If you need to find someone else to pick up the express, the courier can send a pickup code to the user's mobile terminal after placing the express. Users who know the pickup code can unlock the package by verifying the pickup code.

[0118] 3. If you need to find someone else to pick up the express, the courier can send the stored information of the express to the third-party platform through the mobile terminal after putting the express, and then the third-party platform will send the pickup code to the user's mobile terminal. Users who know the pickup code can unlock it by verifying the pickup code.

[0119] (4) The user opens the item storage and retrieval device and takes out the express delivery:

[0120] The user opens the two arms 4 relatively outward until the open end of the receiving portion 2 is opened, at which time the swing rod 5 and the connecting rod 6 are also unfolded, so that the entire receiving portion 2 is unfolded, and the express is taken out of the receiving portion 2. Then, the user retracts the two arms 4 relatively inward to the bottom of the main body 1, and locks the open end of the receiving portion 2 by the locking component, so that the entire open end is closed.

[0121] Similarly, the article storage and retrieval device of the present invention can also be used when a user needs to send or return goods and a courier needs to pick up the goods at the user's door. Different from the above usage scenario, when a user needs to put in a courier, the user who has associated the identity information with the article storage and retrieval device can directly have the identity verification information of the article storage and retrieval device. If someone else is asked to send the courier, the identity verification information can be informed to the other person.

[0122] Next, after depositing the express delivery, the user also needs to inform the third-party platform that he needs to send or return the goods and hopes that the courier will pick up the goods at home. The third-party platform will then arrange for a suitable courier to pick up the goods and send the identity verification information to the courier to be picked up, which can improve the flexibility of the pickup service arrangement; or if the user has a familiar courier, he can also directly send the pickup code to the courier.

[0123] The above is a detailed introduction to an article storage and retrieval device provided by the present invention. Specific embodiments are used in this article to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present invention. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the method of the present invention and its core idea. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this technical field, without departing from the principle of the present invention, several improvements and modifications can be made to the present invention, and these improvements and modifications also fall within the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An article storage and retrieval device, characterized in that: include: Subject (1); Two rotary arms (4), each first end of the two rotary arms (4) being pivotally connected to the left and right ends of the main body (1) around a vertical axis so as to be able to be relatively opened or retracted; and A accommodating portion (2), wherein the accommodating portion (2) is entirely made of flexible material, a portion of an open end of the accommodating portion (2) is connected to a rotary arm (4), and the accommodating portion (2) is configured to expand after the rotary arm (4) is opened outwards to form a space for accommodating items, and to close the open end after the rotary arm (4) is retracted inwards.

2. The article storage and retrieval device according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also comprises an opening protection structure, which is used to limit the opening end from falling outward after the rotary arm (4) is retracted.

3. The article storage and retrieval device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The second ends of the two rotary arms (4) overlap each other after being retracted inwardly relative to each other.

4. The article storage and retrieval device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The opening protection structure comprises two baffles (7), the two baffles (7) being respectively fixed below the rotary arms (4) and restricting the opening end from falling outward after the two rotary arms (4) are relatively retracted inward.

5. The article storage and retrieval device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The opening protection structure comprises a hard rod group, wherein the hard rod group is connected to a portion of the opening end located between the respective second ends of the two spiral arms (4).

6. The article storage and retrieval device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The hard rod set comprises: Two swing rods (5), each first end of which is rotatably connected to the second end of the swing arm (4); and The connecting rod (6) has two ends rotatably connected to the second ends of the two swing rods (5).

7. The article storage and retrieval device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The hard rod group is arranged below the spiral arm (4).

8. The article storage and retrieval device according to claim 7, characterized in that: It also comprises a limiting member, which is located outside the connection between the swing arm (4) and the hard rod group to limit the extreme position of the hard rod group swinging outwards relative to the swing arm (4).

9. The article storage and retrieval device according to claim 5, characterized in that: A receiving groove is provided on the inner side of the second end of the swing arm (4), and a limiting portion is formed on the outer side of the swing arm (4) at a position corresponding to the receiving groove. The portion of the hard rod group connected to the swing arm (4) is located in the receiving groove, and the limiting portion can limit the extreme position of the outward swing of the hard rod group.

10. The article storage and retrieval device according to claim 5, characterized in that: At least some of the adjacent rods in the hard rod group are detachably connected, and the accommodating portion (2) has an elastic section at the detachable portion, so as to increase the space for accommodating items by detaching at least some of the adjacent rods.

11. The article storage and retrieval device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The receiving portion (2) is provided with vertical folds (22) at least at the following positions, including: The position where the swing arm (4) is connected to the main body (1), the position where the hard rod group is connected to the swing arm (4), and the position where adjacent rods in the hard rod group are connected.

12. The article storage and retrieval device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: a locking component, provided between the two rotary arms (4) or between the rotary arms (4) and the main body (1), and used to achieve locking of the two rotary arms (4) relative to the main body (1); and The identity recognition component is used to unlock the locking component after successfully verifying the identity verification information provided by the user.

13. The article storage and retrieval device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom of the accommodating portion (2) is provided with a support rod (21) along the length direction for maintaining the shape of the bottom.

14. The article storage and retrieval device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The accommodating portion (2) comprises a plurality of splicing pieces, each of the splicing pieces being connected to each other to form the accommodating portion (2), and being deformable at the connection points.

15. The article storage and retrieval device according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also comprises a retracting mechanism, wherein a receiving chamber (13) is provided in the main body (1), and the retracting mechanism is used to receive the receiving portion (2) into the receiving chamber (13) after the rotary arm (4) is retracted inwardly.

16. The article storage and retrieval device according to claim 15, characterized in that: The reeling mechanism comprises: A driving component, arranged in the main body (1); A connecting ring (23) is provided at a bottom region of an outer surface of the receiving portion (2); and A traction member (24), one end of which is fixed to the connection ring (23), and the other end of which is connected to the output end of the driving member; The accommodating portion (2) is located as a whole at the front side outside the storage cavity (13) in the vertically unfolded state, and can be driven by the driving component to fold the accommodating portion (2) in the height direction to be located inside the storage cavity (13).

17. The article storage and retrieval device according to claim 16, characterized in that: The connecting ring (23) is arranged at the bottom of the accommodating portion (2), the bottom of the storage cavity (13) extends to half the height of the accommodating portion (2), and the height of the accommodating portion (2) after folding is half the overall height; or The connecting ring (23) is arranged at a position one-third of the height of the accommodating portion (2) from the bottom, the bottom of the storage cavity (13) extends to a position two-thirds of the height from the bottom, and the height of the accommodating portion (2) after folding is one-third of the overall height.

18. The article storage and retrieval device according to claim 15, characterized in that: It also comprises an outer panel (3), the top end of the outer panel (3) being rotatably arranged at the bottom of the swing arm (4) along the length direction of the swing arm (4) and located in front of the accommodating portion (2), and the height of the outer panel (3) being configured to shield the accommodating portion (2) after it is retracted.

19. The article storage and retrieval device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The accommodating portion (2) adopts an integral structure, and the rear portion of the open end of the accommodating portion (2) is connected to the bottom of the main body (1).

20. The article storage and retrieval device according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also comprises a back plate, which is arranged at a position below the main body (1) to separate the accommodating portion (2) from the mounting surface of the article storage and retrieval device.

21. The article storage and retrieval device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The article storage and retrieval device is a courier box.

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