Warehousing system and method for picking up and delivering goods

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure belong to the technical field of intelligent warehousing, and particularly relate to a warehousing system and a method for picking up and delivering goods. Embodiments of the present disclosure aim to solve the technical problem of low efficiency in picking up and delivering storage boxes in the related art. A warehousing system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a temporary storage shelf and a handling robot; the temporary storage shelf has a plurality of accommodation spaces for placing storage boxes; the handling robot is configured to place a storage box into, or take out a storage box from, the accommodation space in a first working mode; the handling robot is configured to move the temporary storage shelf in a second working mode. In the warehousing system provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure, in the second working mode, the handling robot can carry the temporary storage shelf, and when carrying the temporary storage shelf, the storage boxes in the temporary storage shelf can be carried together. Compared with the handling robot in the related art that can only carry one storage box at a time, the embodiments of the present disclosure can improve the handling efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure belong to the technical field of intelligent warehousing, and particularly relate to a warehousing system and a method for picking up and delivering goods. Background Art

[0002] In the technical field of intelligent warehousing, robots are often used to replace manual labor to carry out the handling of cargo boxes, realizing automated handling operations and improving handling efficiency.

[0003] In related technologies, a warehousing system generally includes a shelf and a handling robot. The shelf is provided with at least one temporary storage board for placing cargo boxes. A fork groove extending from one end to the other end is provided on the temporary storage board. The handling robot is provided with a liftable fork arm. The fork arm of the handling robot extends into the fork groove of the temporary storage board, and by controlling the fork arm to rise or fall, the cargo box is taken away from the temporary storage board or placed on the temporary storage board.

[0004] However, in the warehousing system in related technologies, the handling robot can only pick up and deliver one cargo box each time, and the efficiency of picking up and delivering cargo boxes is relatively low. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of this, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a warehousing system and a method for picking up and delivering goods to solve the technical problem of low efficiency in picking up and delivering goods.

[0006] Embodiments of the present disclosure on the one hand provide a warehousing system, including: a temporary storage shelf and a handling robot; the temporary storage shelf has a plurality of accommodation spaces for placing cargo boxes; the handling robot is used to place into or take out the cargo box from the accommodation space in a first working mode; the handling robot is used to move the temporary storage shelf in a second working mode.

[0007] In the warehousing system of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the handling robot has a first working mode and a second working mode. In the first working mode, the handling robot can place a cargo box into the accommodation space or take out the cargo box from the accommodation space; in the second working mode, the handling robot can move the temporary storage shelf, and when moving the temporary storage shelf, the cargo boxes in the temporary storage shelf can be moved together; compared with the handling robot in related technologies that can only carry one cargo box at a time, the embodiments of the present disclosure can improve the handling efficiency.

[0008] Another aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure provides a method for picking up and delivering goods, including: obtaining order information corresponding to a plurality of orders to be completed within a certain period of time, where the order information includes at least one of an order number, goods attribute information, the number of cargo boxes, a target location, and an order deadline; determining whether the order information meets a preset condition; if the order information meets the preset condition, determining that the target working mode of at least one handling robot is a second working mode; where the second working mode is used to control the handling robot to transport a temporary storage rack.

[0009] The goods picking-up and delivering method of the embodiments of the present disclosure determines a preset condition according to order information, and if the preset condition is met, controls the handling robot to work in the second working mode. Compared with the handling robot in the related art that can only carry one cargo box at a time, the embodiments of the present disclosure can improve the handling efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the following described drawings are some embodiments of the present disclosure. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0011] Figure 1 It is a front view structural schematic diagram of the warehousing system of the embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0012] Figure 2 is Figure 1 a side view structural schematic diagram of the warehousing system in;

[0013] Figure 3 is Figure 1 a structural schematic diagram of the temporary storage rack in;

[0014] Figure 4 It is a structural schematic diagram of the handling robot located inside the temporary storage rack;

[0015] Figure 5 is Figure 1 a structural schematic diagram of the handling robot in;

[0016] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the handling robot carrying a cargo box in a storage space in the temporary storage rack;

[0017] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the handling robot carrying a cargo box in another storage space in the temporary storage rack;

[0018] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of the handling robot carrying the temporary storage rack;

[0019] Figure 9 Schematic diagram of the application scenario of the goods pickup and delivery method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0020] Figure 10 Schematic flow chart of the goods pickup and delivery method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] Explanation of reference numerals:

[0022] 10 - Temporary storage shelf;

[0023] 11 - Accommodation space; 12 - Opening; 13 - Entrance and exit;

[0024] 14 - Lifting channel; 15 - Parking space; 16 - Stopping part;

[0025] 161 - Lifting opening;

[0026] 20 - Handling robot;

[0027] 21 - Lifting device; 211 - Electric cylinder; 212 - Body;

[0028] 213 - Lifting rod; 214 - Handling mechanism; 215 - Long side;

[0029] 216 - Short side; 22 - Moving mechanism;

[0030] 30 - Storage shelf;

[0031] 31 - First area; 32 - Second area; 321 - Storage space;

[0032] 40 - Cargo box;

[0033] 50 - Tally robot;

[0034] 60 - Workstation. Detailed implementation manners

[0035] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Apparently, the described embodiments are some, but not all, of the embodiments of the present disclosure. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present disclosure without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[0036] In a storage system of the related art, it generally includes a shelf and a handling robot. At least one temporary shelf for placing a storage box is provided on the shelf, and a fork slot is provided on the temporary shelf, and the fork slot is located at the edge of the temporary shelf. The handling robot is provided with a liftable fork arm. The fork arm can enter the fork slot and lift and lower within the fork slot. By controlling the rise and fall of the fork arm, the storage box can be taken away from the temporary shelf or placed on the temporary shelf. However, in the storage system of the related art, the handling robot can only pick up and deliver one storage box each time, and the efficiency of picking up and delivering storage boxes is low.

[0037] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a storage system. The handling robot has a first working mode and a second working mode, that is, the handling robot can both handle the storage boxes in the temporary shelf and handle the temporary shelf. Compared with the handling robot in the related art that can only handle one storage box at a time, the embodiment of the present disclosure can improve the handling efficiency.

[0038] Reference Figure 1 , an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a storage system, including a temporary shelf 10 and a handling robot 20. The temporary shelf 10 has a plurality of accommodating spaces 11, and the accommodating spaces 11 are used for placing storage boxes 40. The handling robot 20 has a first working mode and a second working mode. In the first working mode, the handling robot 20 places a storage box 40 into the accommodating space 11 or takes out a storage box 40 from the accommodating space 11. In the second working mode, the handling robot 20 moves the temporary shelf 10.

[0039] In the storage system of the embodiment of the present disclosure, in the second working mode, the handling robot 20 can handle the temporary shelf 10. When handling the temporary shelf 10, the storage boxes 40 in the accommodating spaces 11 of the temporary shelf 10 can be handled together. Compared with the handling robot in the related art that can only handle one storage box at a time, the embodiment of the present disclosure can improve the handling efficiency.

[0040] The storage system of the embodiment of the present disclosure further includes a storage shelf 30 and a replenishing robot. Reference Figure 1 And Figure 2 , the storage shelf 30 has a first area 31 and a second area 32. The temporary shelf 10 is arranged in the first area 31. A plurality of storage spaces 321 are provided in the second area 32, and the storage spaces 321 are used for storing storage boxes 40. Exemplarily, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the second area 32 is located above the first area 31, so as to facilitate arranging the temporary shelf 10 below the storage shelf 30, and facilitate the picking up and delivering of the temporary shelf 10 or the storage boxes 40 in the temporary shelf 10. It should be noted that the upper part of the first area 31 refers to the upper part of the first area 31 as shown in Figure 1 .

[0041] The storage rack 30 can be of a frame structure. For example, the storage rack 30 may include four vertical columns and four horizontal columns. The four vertical columns are arranged vertically and enclose a cuboid structure. The four horizontal columns are connected end to end to form a rectangular structure, and the rectangular structure is connected to the tops of the four vertical columns to enclose an open cuboid space with the cuboid structure. The storage rack 30 can also be of a box structure. For example, the storage rack 30 may include four connecting plates that enclose a cuboid structure with one side open. A first partition is provided inside the frame structure. The first partition is arranged horizontally and divides the cuboid space into a first area 31 and a second area 32. The second area 32 is located below the first area 31. The first area 31 is used to place the temporary storage rack 10. The storage rack 30 further includes a second partition that divides the second area 32 into a plurality of storage spaces 321.

[0042] The inventory robot is used to place the cargo box 40 in the accommodation space 11 of the temporary storage rack 10 into the storage space 321; or place the cargo box 40 in the storage space 321 into the accommodation space 11 of the temporary storage rack 10.

[0043] Exemplarily, the inventory robot includes a lifting device, a mobile chassis, and a handling device. The lifting device is installed on the mobile chassis, and the handling device is connected to the lifting device and is attached to the lifting device. The mobile chassis is used to realize the moving function of the inventory robot and to carry other structures of the inventory robot provided on the mobile chassis, such as the lifting device, etc. The mobile chassis drives the lifting device and the handling device to carry the cargo box 40. The lifting device has a lifting function and can lift to a specified height in response to a signal for the handling device to perform a lifting action, driving the handling device to lift the cargo box 40. The handling device is used to carry goods.

[0044] When placing the cargo box 40 in the storage space 321 into the accommodation space 11 of the temporary storage rack 10, the lifting device receives a signal for the handling device to perform a lifting action, drives the handling device to lift to the height of the storage space 321, so that the handling device 40 is opposite to the cargo box 40 in the storage space 321; the handling device picks up the cargo box 40. The lifting device receives again a signal for the handling device to perform a lifting action, drives the handling device and the cargo box 40 to lift to the height of the accommodation space 11 of the temporary storage rack 10. The handling device places the cargo box 40 in the accommodation space 11.

[0045] When placing the cargo box 40 in the accommodation space 11 of the temporary storage shelf 10 into the storage space 321, the lifting device receives a signal that the handling device needs to perform a lifting action, drives the handling device to lift to the height of the accommodation space 11 of the temporary storage shelf 10, so that the handling device 40 faces the cargo box 40 in the accommodation space 11; the handling device picks up the cargo box 40. The lifting device receives again a signal that the handling device needs to perform a lifting action, drives the handling device and the cargo box 40 to lift to the height of the storage space 321 of the storage shelf 30. The handling device places the cargo box 40 in the storage space 321. In the warehousing system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, a tally robot is used to replace manual labor for tallying, saving labor and improving the tallying efficiency.

[0046] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the number of the storage shelves 30 is not specifically limited. There may be multiple storage shelves 30, and the multiple storage shelves 30 are arranged at intervals. The tally robot can walk in the interval between every two storage shelves 30 and complete the tallying of multiple storage shelves 30 at the same time, improving the working efficiency of the tally robot.

[0047] Reference Figure 3 , the temporary storage shelf 10 has a plurality of accommodation spaces 11 for placing the cargo box 40. The bottom end of the temporary storage shelf 10 has an opening 12, and the temporary storage shelf 10 further has an entrance / exit 13 adjacent to the opening 12, and the entrance / exit 13 communicates with each accommodation space 11. The handling robot 20 can place the cargo box 40 into the accommodation space 11 from the entrance / exit 13, or take the cargo box 40 in the accommodation space 11 out of the accommodation space 11 via the entrance / exit 13. Exemplarily, the handling robot 20 has a clamping mechanism for clamping the cargo box 40. The handling robot 20 can clamp the cargo box 40 through the clamping mechanism and place the cargo box 40 into the accommodation space 11 from the entrance / exit 13; the clamping mechanism of the handling robot 20 enters the accommodation space 11 via the entrance / exit 13, clamps the cargo box 40 and takes the cargo box 40 away.

[0048] The handling robot 20 can also take the cargo box 40 in the accommodation space 11 away or place the cargo box 40 in the accommodation space 11 by other means. Exemplarily, reference Figure 3 and Figure 4, the number of accommodation spaces 11 can be multiple, which are used to place multiple cargo boxes 40 to improve the utilization rate of the temporary storage rack 10. The multiple accommodation spaces 11 are arranged at intervals in a direction perpendicular to the horizontal plane. The temporary storage rack 10 also has a lifting channel 14 that penetrates through each accommodation space 11 in a direction perpendicular to the horizontal plane, and the lifting channel 14 is also communicated with the entrance / exit 13. There is a parking space 15 for parking the handling robot 20 between the accommodation space 11 close to the opening 12 and the opening 12. A lifting device 21 is arranged on the handling robot 20, and the lifting device 21 is used to lift the cargo box 40 located in the accommodation space 11 through the lifting channel 14. It should be noted that the multiple accommodation spaces 11 being arranged at intervals in a direction perpendicular to the horizontal plane means that as Figure 3 shown, the multiple accommodation spaces 11 are arranged vertically at intervals.

[0049] The handling robot 20 moves into the parking space 15 to handle the temporary storage rack 10 or the cargo box 40 inside the temporary storage rack 10. The handling robot 20 is equipped with a lifting device 21, and the lifting device 21 can be lifted and lowered. When the handling robot 20 takes out the cargo box 40 inside the temporary storage rack 10, the lifting device 21 rises and enters the accommodation space 11 through the lifting channel 14 to lift the cargo box 40; then the handling robot 20 is moved, and the lifting device 21 drives the cargo box 40 to leave the temporary storage rack 10 through the entrance / exit 13 from the lifting channel 14. When the handling robot 20 places the cargo box 40 into the temporary storage rack 10, the lifting device 21 drives the cargo box 40 to enter the accommodation space 11 from the lifting channel 14 through the entrance / exit 13, and the handling robot 20 is located in the parking space 15; then the lifting device 21 descends to place the cargo box 40 into the accommodation space 11 until the lifting device 21 retracts, and the handling robot 20 leaves the temporary storage rack 10 from the parking space 15.

[0050] A plurality of stop portions 16 are arranged on the temporary storage rack 10, and the plurality of stop portions 16 are arranged at intervals in a direction perpendicular to the horizontal plane to divide the internal space of the temporary storage rack 10 into a plurality of accommodation spaces 11; a lifting port 161 communicated with the entrance / exit 13 is arranged on each stop portion 16, and each lifting port 161 and the corresponding partial accommodation space 11 of each lifting port 161 constitute the lifting channel 14. In the second working mode, the lifting device 21 abuts against the stop portion 16 close to the opening 12.

[0051] When the handling robot 20 enters the parking space 15 to handle the temporary storage rack 10, the lifting device 21 abuts against the stop portion 16 close to the opening 12, and the lifting device 21 rises to lift the temporary storage rack 10 off the ground, and the handling robot 20 drives the temporary storage rack 10 to move to realize the handling of the temporary storage rack 10.

[0052] Exemplarily, referring to Figure 4, the projection of the jacking opening 161 on the horizontal plane is located in the middle of the projection of the stop portion 16 on the horizontal plane. With such a setting, when the jacking device 21 of the handling robot 20 places the cargo box 40 through the jacking opening 161, the cargo box 40 can be placed at the middle position of the stop portion 16, so as to improve the stability of the cargo box 40 and prevent the cargo box 40 from falling off the stop portion 16.

[0053] Exemplarily, the temporary storage rack 10 may be a frame structure. For example, the temporary storage rack 10 may include four support columns and four cross beams. The four support columns are arranged vertically, and the four support columns enclose a cuboid structure. The four cross beams are connected end to end to form a rectangular structure, and the rectangular structure is connected to the tops of the four support columns to enclose an open cuboid space with the cuboid structure. The bottom end of the rectangular space is an opening 12, and one of the open vertical surfaces is an entrance / exit 13. The temporary storage rack 10 may also be a box structure. For example, the temporary storage rack 10 may include four support plates, and the four support plates enclose a cuboid structure with an open bottom end and an open side. The open bottom end is the opening 12, and the open side is the entrance / exit 13.

[0054] The stop portion 16 may be a partition beam. A plurality of partition beams are horizontally arranged in the rectangular space and connected to the temporary storage rack 10 to divide the cuboid space into a plurality of accommodation spaces 11 for placing the cargo box 40. The partition beam is provided with a jacking opening 161, and the jacking openings 161 on the plurality of partition beams and the corresponding partial accommodation spaces form a jacking channel 14.

[0055] The stop portion 16 may also be a stop plate. The stop plate is horizontally arranged in the cuboid space and connected to the temporary storage rack 10 to divide the cuboid space into a plurality of accommodation spaces 11 for placing the cargo box 40. The stop plate is provided with a jacking opening 161, and the jacking openings 161 on the plurality of stop plates and the corresponding partial accommodation spaces form a jacking channel 14.

[0056] Reference Figure 5 , the movement of the handling robot 20 can be realized by a moving mechanism 22 arranged below the handling robot 20. For example, the moving mechanism 22 may be four universal wheels whose movement direction and rotation speed can be electrically controlled. The moving mechanism 22 may also be an electric slider that can cooperate with a guide rail and slide along the guide rail. No specific limitation is made in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0057] The jacking device 21 of the handling robot 20 is used to jack up the cargo box 40 or the temporary storage rack 10. Exemplarily, reference Figure 5, the lifting device 21 includes an electric cylinder 211 and a handling mechanism 214. The electric cylinder 211 includes a body 212 and a lifting rod 213. The body 212 is vertically arranged, and the bottom end of the body 212 is installed above the handling robot 20. The lifting rod 213 is vertically arranged, and the bottom end of the lifting rod 213 extends into the body 212. The lifting rod 213 drives the cargo box 40 to move up and down relative to the body 212. The handling mechanism 214 is connected to the top end of the lifting rod 213.

[0058] The handling mechanism 214 is a rectangular plate, which is horizontally arranged. The lifting rod 213 is connected to the center of the rectangular plate to drive the rectangular plate to move up and down. The short side 216 of the rectangular plate is smaller than the width of the lifting channel 14 in the horizontal direction, so that the short side 216 enters the accommodation space 11 from the lifting channel 14 in the first working mode. The long side 215 of the rectangular plate is greater than the width of the lifting channel 14 in the horizontal direction, so that the long side 215 is blocked by the lifting channel 14 to carry the temporary storage rack 10 in the second working mode.

[0059] The handling robot 20 further includes a rotating mechanism (not shown in the drawings). The rotating mechanism is installed between the lifting rod 213 and the rectangular plate. The rectangular plate rotates in the horizontal plane through the rotating mechanism. Exemplarily, the rotating mechanism includes a motor. The motor is installed at the top end of the lifting rod 213. The motor has a motor shaft. The motor shaft is vertically arranged. One end of the motor shaft extending out of the motor is connected to the center position of the rectangular plate. The motor shaft drives the rectangular plate to rotate around the center of the rectangular plate in the horizontal plane.

[0060] In the first working mode, referring to Figure 6 and Figure 7 , the cargo box 40 is placed on the stop portion 16 in the accommodation space 11. Control the moving mechanism 22 to move the handling robot 20 into the parking space 15, and the lifting device 21 is located below the lifting channel 14. Control the rotating mechanism to drive the handling mechanism 214 to rotate so that the short side 216 of the handling mechanism 214 corresponds to the lifting channel 14. Control the electric cylinder 211 to raise the lifting rod 213 to make the handling mechanism 214 enter the lifting channel 14 and lift the cargo box 40 on the stop portion 16. Control the moving mechanism 22 to make the handling robot 20 leave the temporary storage rack 10, and the lifting device 21 drives the cargo box 40 to leave the temporary storage rack 10 from the lifting channel 14 through the entrance and exit 13.

[0061] When placing the cargo box 40 in the accommodation space 11, control the moving mechanism 22 to move the handling robot 20 into the parking space 15. The lifting rod 213 drives the cargo box 40 to enter the accommodation space 11 from the lifting channel 14 via the entrance / exit 13. Control the electric cylinder 211 to lower the lifting rod 23 to place the cargo box 40 on the stopper 16 in the accommodation space 11. The lifting rod 213 is further lowered until the lifting rod 213 enters the parking space 15 from the lifting channel 14, and the handling robot 20 leaves the temporary storage rack 10 from the parking space 15.

[0062] In the second working mode, refer to Figure 8 , the cargo box 40 is placed on the stopper 16 in the accommodation space 11. Control the moving mechanism 22 to move the handling robot 20 into the parking space 15, and the lifting device 21 is located below the lifting channel 14. Control the rotating mechanism to drive the handling mechanism 214 to rotate so that the long side 215 of the handling mechanism 214 corresponds to the lifting channel 14. Control the electric cylinder 211 to raise the lifting rod 213 so that the handling mechanism 214 abuts against the stopper 16 near the opening 12, and the lifting rod 213 lifts the temporary storage rack 10. Control the moving mechanism 22 to drive the handling robot 20 to leave with the temporary storage rack 10.

[0063] When placing the temporary storage rack 10, control the moving mechanism 22 to move the handling robot 20 into the parking space 15, and the lifting rod 213 drives the temporary storage rack 10 to enter the first area 31 of the storage rack 30. Control the electric cylinder 211 to lower the lifting rod 213 to place the temporary storage rack 10 in the first area 31.

[0064] The warehousing system of the present disclosure embodiment can be applied to any suitable industrial field or technical field, such as the intelligent warehousing field, the intelligent logistics field, the intelligent sorting field, etc. On the other hand, the present disclosure embodiment provides a method for fetching and delivering goods. For the convenience of describing the technical solution, hereinafter, the warehousing system of the present disclosure embodiment is taken as an example of being applied to the intelligent warehousing field for fetching and placing goods according to orders for illustration.

[0065] In the related art, it generally includes a shelf and a handling robot. At least one temporary storage layer board for placing cargo boxes is arranged on the shelf. When fetching and delivering cargo boxes, the handling robot can only carry one cargo box from the temporary storage layer board at a time, and the efficiency of fetching and delivering cargo boxes is relatively low.

[0066] The present disclosure embodiment is applied to the scenario of a warehousing system. Refer to Figure 9, the warehousing system includes a temporary storage shelf 10, a handling robot 20, a storage shelf 30, a sorting robot 50, and a workstation 60. The storage shelf 30 is used to place the bins 40 for storing goods. The temporary storage shelf 10 is located below the storage shelf 30, and the temporary storage shelf 10 is used to temporarily store the bins 40 that meet the orders. The sorting robot 50 is used to take the bins 40 corresponding to the goods that can meet the orders from the storage shelf 30 and place them on the temporary storage shelf 10. The warehousing system further includes a workstation 60, and each workstation 60 corresponds to an order wall, and the order wall is provided with a plurality of slots. The warehousing system further includes a control module. The control module obtains order information and distributes multiple orders to the slots of each workstation 60. The handling robot 20 transports the bins 40 that meet the orders to the workstation 60, and the staff takes out the goods in the bins 40 and places them in the corresponding slots on the order wall.

[0067] When sorting the orders, the control module obtains the order information corresponding to the orders to be sorted and distributes multiple orders to the slots of each workstation 60, and each slot corresponds to an order; the control module controls the sorting robot to transport the bins 40 that can meet the orders from the storage shelf 30 to the temporary storage shelf 10; the control module obtains the order information that the bins on the temporary storage shelf can meet, and controls the handling robot to send the bins to the corresponding workstation according to the order information that the bins can meet.

[0068] In the goods picking and delivering method of the embodiment of the present disclosure, when the order information meets the preset conditions, the handling robot 20 is set to the second working mode, that is, the handling robot 20 is controlled to transport the temporary storage shelf 10, that is to say, the handling robot 20 transports the handling storage shelf 10 and a plurality of bins located in the temporary storage shelf 10 at the same time. Compared with the related art, the goods picking and delivering method of the embodiment of the present disclosure can improve the handling efficiency.

[0069] Reference Figure 10 , which is a schematic flow chart of the goods picking and delivering method of the embodiment of the present disclosure. The goods picking and delivering method of the embodiment of the present disclosure includes:

[0070] S101. Obtain the order information corresponding to multiple orders that need to be completed within a certain period of time.

[0071] The orders that need to be completed within a certain period of time refer to multiple orders that need to be sorted within a certain period of time. Each order has corresponding order information. Among them, the order information includes at least one of an order number, goods attribute information, the number of bins, a target location, and an order deadline.

[0072] The order number is the identifier of the order and is used to identify the order. The goods attribute information refers to the parameters of the goods required for the order, that is, the parameters of the goods that meet the order. The goods attribute information includes but is not limited to the goods name, goods size, goods color, goods quantity, and goods style. The number of cargo boxes refers to the number of cargo boxes required to meet the goods of the order. The target location refers to the location of the workstation assigned by the control module for the order.

[0073] S201. Determine whether the order information meets the preset conditions.

[0074] In a possible implementation, it can be determined whether the order information meets the preset conditions by obtaining the number of currently available handling robots and judging whether the number of cargo boxes to be transported exceeds a preset multiple of the number of currently available handling robots. If the number of cargo boxes to be transported exceeds the preset multiple of the number of currently available handling robots, it is determined that the order information meets the preset conditions. Determining the preset conditions according to the number of cargo boxes to be transported and the number of currently available handling robots can uniformly control the working modes of the currently available robots, improve the handling efficiency of the handling robots, and improve the convenience of controlling the handling robots at the same time.

[0075] Among them, the number of currently available handling robots refers to the number of handling robots that are not currently occupied and not in the charging state, that is, the number of handling robots that can currently perform handling work. The number of cargo boxes to be transported refers to the sum of the number of cargo boxes of each order within a certain period of time. The preset multiple can be set according to the actual situation. For example, it can be determined by the single handling time of the handling robot and the order time. The embodiments of the present disclosure do not make specific limitations on this.

[0076] In another possible implementation, it can be determined whether the order information meets the preset conditions by obtaining the target location of the order and judging whether the target locations of the orders corresponding to multiple cargo boxes on the same temporary storage shelf are the same. If the target locations are the same, it is determined that the order information meets the preset conditions. For example, if among multiple orders that need to be completed within a certain period of time, the target locations of N orders are the same, and one or more temporary storage shelves only place the multiple cargo boxes required for the N orders, it is determined that the order information of the N orders meets the preset conditions.

[0077] Determining the preset conditions according to the target location of the order, determining the handling robots corresponding to the orders that meet the preset conditions as the second working mode, and the remaining handling robots can determine the working mode according to the actual situation. The remaining handling robots can work according to the first working mode or the second working mode. With such a setting, while improving the handling efficiency of the handling robots, it is possible to achieve refined control of the working modes of the handling robots to meet different handling working conditions.

[0078] If the order information meets the preset conditions, then perform the next step.

[0079] S301. If the order information meets the preset conditions, then determine that the target working mode of at least one handling robot is the second working mode.

[0080] Among them, the second working mode means controlling the handling robot to transport the temporary storage shelf and the containers on the temporary storage shelf. Compared with the related art in which the handling robot can only carry one container from the temporary storage shelf at a time, in the goods fetching and delivering method of the present disclosure embodiment, the handling robot can carry the temporary storage shelf and multiple containers on the temporary storage shelf at the same time, increasing the number of containers carried at one time and improving the handling efficiency.

[0081] When determining whether the order information meets the preset conditions by determining whether it meets the preset multiple according to the number of containers to be transported and the number of currently available handling robots, if the order information meets the preset conditions, then determine that the target working mode of the currently available handling robot is the second working mode.

[0082] After determining that the target working mode of the currently available handling robot is the second working mode, obtain the target positions corresponding to the containers in the accommodation spaces on the temporary storage shelf.

[0083] Exemplarily, the goods are placed in the containers, and each container is provided with goods identification information to identify the goods attribute information of the goods in the container. The goods attribute information corresponding to the container can be obtained by obtaining the goods identification information on the container. Determine the order that the container can meet according to the goods attribute information, and determine the order number of the order. Then determine the target position of the container according to the order number, that is, determine the position of the workstation assigned to the order to which the container needs to be sent. Then control the handling robot to transport the temporary storage shelf to the target position.

[0084] Since the temporary storage shelf has multiple accommodation spaces, and there are containers in the multiple accommodation spaces. If the target positions of the containers in the multiple accommodation spaces are different, that is, the containers in the multiple accommodation spaces need to be transported to different workstations, in a possible implementation manner, the path planning of the handling robot can be referred to the time factor.

[0085] For example, the order deadline corresponding to the container can be obtained; the target positions of the containers in the multiple accommodation spaces are sorted in ascending order according to the order deadline to obtain a target position sequence; control the handling robot to send the temporary storage shelf to the target positions in turn according to the target position sequence. Among them, the order deadline refers to the required deadline for completing the sorting of each order corresponding to the container. With such a setting, it is possible to control the handling robot to preferentially transport the containers that meet the urgent orders, ensure that the orders can be sorted within the required time, and thus improve the sorting efficiency of the orders.

[0086] In another possible implementation, the path planning of the handling robot can be referred to the distance factor.

[0087] For example, the distance between the target location and the temporary storage shelf can be obtained; the target locations of the containers in the multiple accommodating spaces are sorted in ascending order of distance to obtain a target location sequence; the handling robot is controlled to send the temporary storage shelves to the target locations in sequence according to the target location sequence. By setting like this, the orders of the workstations with shorter distances can be preferentially satisfied, the handling distance of the handling robot can be reduced, and thus the handling efficiency of the handling robot can be improved.

[0088] When determining whether the order information meets the preset conditions according to whether the target locations of the orders are the same, if the target locations are the same, it is determined that the target working mode of the handling robot is the second working mode. For example, if among the multiple orders that need to be completed within a certain period of time, the target locations of N orders are the same, and only the multiple containers required by these N orders are placed on one or more temporary storage shelves, it is determined that the order information of these N orders meets the preset conditions, and then the target working mode of the handling robot corresponding to these N orders is determined as the second working mode. That is to say, the working mode of the handling robot going to the same workstation is determined as handling the temporary storage shelf. By setting like this, the number of times the handling robot transports along the same path can be reduced, so as to improve the handling efficiency of the handling robot.

[0089] The goods fetching and delivering method of the embodiments of the present disclosure further includes:

[0090] S401. If the order information does not meet the preset conditions, it is determined that the target working mode of at least one robot is the first working mode.

[0091] Wherein, the first working mode is used to control the handling robot to transport the containers in the accommodating spaces of the temporary storage shelf.

[0092] Finally, it should be noted that: the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present disclosure, rather than to limit it; although the present disclosure has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that: they can still modify the technical solutions recorded in the foregoing embodiments, or perform equivalent replacements on some or all of the technical features; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A warehousing system, characterized in that, It includes a temporary storage rack and a handling robot; the temporary storage rack is of a frame structure or a box structure, and the temporary storage rack has a plurality of accommodation spaces for placing the cargo boxes; the handling robot is used to place the cargo boxes into or take out the cargo boxes from the accommodation spaces in the first working mode; the handling robot is used to move the temporary storage rack in the second working mode; the temporary storage rack has a lifting channel penetrating through each of the accommodation spaces in a direction perpendicular to the horizontal plane; a lifting device is provided on the handling robot, and the lifting device is used to lift the cargo boxes located in the accommodation spaces; the lifting device includes an electric cylinder and a handling mechanism, the electric cylinder includes a body and a lifting rod, the body is arranged vertically, the bottom end of the body is installed above the handling robot, the lifting rod is arranged vertically, the bottom end of the lifting rod extends into the body, and the lifting rod moves up and down relative to the body in the vertical direction, and the handling mechanism is connected to the top end of the lifting rod; The handling mechanism is a rectangular plate, the rectangular plate is arranged horizontally, and the lifting rod is connected to the center of the rectangular plate to drive the rectangular plate to move up and down; the short side of the rectangular plate is smaller than the width of the lifting channel in the horizontal direction, so that the short side enters the accommodation space through the lifting channel in the first working mode; the long side of the rectangular plate is greater than the width of the lifting channel in the horizontal direction, so that the long side is blocked by the lifting channel to carry the temporary storage rack in the second working mode.

2. The warehousing system according to claim 1, wherein The bottom end of the temporary storage rack has an opening, and the temporary storage rack also has an entrance and exit adjacent to the opening, and the entrance and exit communicate with each of the accommodation spaces.

3. The warehousing system according to claim 2, wherein A plurality of the accommodation spaces are arranged at intervals in a direction perpendicular to the horizontal plane, and the lifting channel also communicates with the entrance and exit; There is a parking space for parking the handling robot between the accommodation space close to the opening and the opening, and the lifting device is used to lift the cargo boxes located in the accommodation space through the lifting channel.

4. The warehousing system according to claim 3, characterized in that, A plurality of stop portions are provided on the temporary storage rack, and the plurality of stop portions are arranged at intervals in a direction perpendicular to the horizontal plane to divide the internal space of the temporary storage rack into a plurality of the accommodation spaces; Each of the stop portions is provided with a lifting port communicating with the entrance and exit, and each of the lifting ports and a corresponding part of the accommodation spaces constitute the lifting channel; In the second working mode, the lifting device abuts against the stop portion close to the opening.

5. The warehousing system according to claim 4, characterized in that The projection of the lifting port on the horizontal plane is located in the middle of the projection of the stop portion on the horizontal plane.

6. The warehousing system according to claim 5, wherein The stop portion includes a stop plate arranged parallel to the horizontal plane.

7. The warehousing system according to claim 1, characterized in that The handling robot further includes a rotating mechanism, the rotating mechanism is installed between the lifting rod and the rectangular plate, and the rectangular plate rotates in the horizontal plane through the rotating mechanism.

8. The warehousing system according to claim 7, wherein The rotating mechanism includes a motor, which is installed at the top end of the lifting rod. The motor has a motor shaft, which is arranged vertically. One end of the motor shaft extending out of the motor is connected to the center position of the rectangular plate, and the motor shaft drives the rectangular plate to rotate around the center of the rectangular plate on a horizontal plane.

9. The warehousing system according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, The storage system further includes a storage rack, which has a first area and a second area. The temporary storage rack is arranged in the first area, and multiple storage spaces are arranged in the second area for storing the cargo boxes.

10. The warehousing system according to claim 9, characterized in that, The second area is located above the first area.

11. The warehousing system according to claim 9, wherein, The storage system further includes a tally robot, which is used to put the cargo box in the accommodation space of the temporary storage rack into the storage space; or put the cargo box in the storage space into the accommodation space of the temporary storage rack.

12. The warehousing system according to claim 9, wherein There are multiple storage racks, and the multiple storage racks are arranged at intervals.

13. A method for picking up and delivering goods, applied to the warehousing system according to any one of claims 1-12, characterized in that, Including: Obtaining order information corresponding to multiple orders that need to be completed within a certain period of time, where the order information includes at least one of an order number, goods attribute information, the number of cargo boxes, a target location, and an order deadline; Judging whether the order information meets a preset condition; If the order information meets the preset condition, determining that the target working mode of at least one handling robot is the second working mode; Wherein, the handling robot has a first working mode and a second working mode. The first working mode is used to control the handling robot to transport the cargo box in the accommodation space of the temporary storage rack, and the second working mode is used to control the handling robot to transport the temporary storage rack.

14. The goods picking and delivering method according to claim 13, characterized in that Judging whether the order information meets a preset condition; If the order information meets the preset condition, determining that the target working mode of at least one handling robot is the second working mode, including: Obtaining the number of currently available handling robots; Judging whether the number of cargo boxes to be transported exceeds a preset multiple of the number of currently available handling robots; If the number of cargo boxes to be transported exceeds a preset multiple of the number of currently available handling robots, determining that the target working mode of the currently available handling robots is the second working mode.

15. The goods fetching and delivering method according to claim 14, characterized in that, It further includes: Obtaining the target location corresponding to the cargo box in the accommodation space of the temporary storage rack; Controlling the handling robot to transport the temporary storage rack to the target location.

16. The goods fetching and delivering method according to claim 15, wherein Obtaining the target location corresponding to the cargo box in the accommodation space of the temporary storage rack further includes: Obtaining the goods attribute information corresponding to the cargo box; Determining the order number corresponding to the cargo box according to the goods attribute information; Determining the target location of the cargo box according to the order number.

17. The goods fetching and delivering method according to claim 15, wherein It further includes: If the target locations of the cargo boxes in multiple accommodation spaces are different; then obtaining the order deadline corresponding to the cargo box; Arranging the target locations of the cargo boxes in multiple accommodation spaces in ascending order according to the order deadline to obtain the target location sequence; Control the handling robot to sequentially send the temporary storage racks to the target positions according to the target position sequence.

18. The goods fetching and delivering method according to claim 15, wherein It further includes: If the target positions of the cargo boxes in multiple accommodation spaces are different; then obtain the distance between the target position and the temporary storage rack; Arrange the target positions of the cargo boxes in multiple accommodation spaces in ascending order of the distance to obtain a target position sequence; Control the handling robot to sequentially send the temporary storage racks to the target positions according to the target position sequence.

19. The goods picking and delivering method according to claim 13, wherein Judge whether the order information meets a preset condition; If the order information meets the preset condition, determine that the target working mode of at least one handling robot is the second working mode, including: Judge whether the target positions of the cargo boxes in the same temporary storage rack are the same; If the target positions are the same, determine that the target working mode of the handling robot is the second working mode.

20. The goods fetching and delivering method according to claim 13, characterized in that It further includes: If the order information does not meet the preset condition, determine that the target working mode of at least one robot is the first working mode.

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