A four-way shuttle vehicle, its running track and warehouse system

Abstract

The present application provides a four-way shuttle vehicle, its running track and a warehouse system. In the present application, outer driving wheels are arranged on the four-way shuttle vehicle, and the friction between the outer driving wheels protruding out of the shuttle vehicle body and the tracks arranged on both sides of the running route of the four-way shuttle vehicle is utilized to provide driving, so that the four-way shuttle vehicle can run or turn along the tracks to load, unload or carry goods accordingly. In the present application, the outer driving wheels for providing driving and turning and the load-bearing driven wheels for providing load bearing are respectively arranged on the inner and outer sides of the bottom of the shuttle vehicle body, which can avoid mutual interference between the two, avoid the influence of the driving system failure on the goods bearing, and avoid derailment of the vehicle. In addition, since the outer driving wheels in the present application are directly matched with the inner surface of the track, when turning, only the rotation state of the outer driving wheels needs to be adjusted to realize the switching of the running direction under the guidance of the track. Therefore, the present application does not need to be provided with a separate commutation mechanism, which can greatly simplify the internal mechanical structure of the four-way shuttle vehicle and reduce its failure probability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the technical field of warehousing equipment, and particularly to a four-way shuttle vehicle, its running track, and a warehouse system. Background Art

[0002] Existing shuttle vehicles use the wheel sets in two directions, namely the X-direction and the Y-direction, provided on the vehicle body to achieve commutation and running. During the commutation process, the wheel sets in one direction descend from the original off-the-ground state to the track matching their running direction, and then lift the wheel sets in the other direction to disengage from the track plane matching the wheel sets in that direction. Thus, by switching different wheel sets to contact or disengage from their matching running tracks, commutation is achieved.

[0003] Under the existing design, since the commutation process requires the cooperation of the wheel sets in two directions with their corresponding tracks, commutation can only be carried out at the intersection point between the two-direction tracks. Moreover, during the commutation process, in order to ensure that the wheel sets that have originally disengaged from the track can accurately switch above their tracks, positioning devices such as lasers, two-dimensional codes, barcodes, etc. need to be correspondingly set at the track intersection commutation position to provide precise positioning, so as to ensure that the four-way vehicle can accurately run to the commutation point, and at this point, adjust the wheel sets in different directions to correspondingly disengage from or abut against the tracks to achieve commutation operation.

[0004] However, it is found in actual tests that, without colliding with goods or other four-way vehicles, the most common derailment factor of the four-way shuttle vehicle is that during the commutation process, the commutation wheels ride on the tracks due to the positioning exceeding the millimeter-level error requirement under normal conditions. At this time, once the commutation wheels start to run, derailment is very likely to occur. Since the four-way vehicle belongs to the high-density three-dimensional warehouse equipment, its load may reach 1 - 2t, and at a height of more than 10m, once such an accident occurs, the complexity of handling and the risk factor are relatively high.

[0005] The above positioning problem during the commutation process is the key factor to avoid the shuttle vehicle deviating from the track. Once the shuttle vehicle is affected by external environmental factors of the sensor or by the loosening or cumulative error of the sensor and generates a large deviation, it is difficult to further avoid derailment through existing means.

[0006] In addition, under the existing commutation technology, a complex mechanical structure needs to be set inside the shuttle vehicle body to achieve lifting commutation. Currently, for the four-way vehicle to commute, a relatively complex lifting commutation mechanism needs to be set inside, such as a hydraulic lifting system or a power driving mechanism such as a cam. Power driving mechanisms need to be set in the front, rear, left, and right directions of the vehicle body to achieve the commutation function. Such a design will make the internal structure layout of the four-way vehicle very complex, and the vehicle body structure often needs to be made larger and thicker. This will further bring two problems:

[0007] 1) The complex vehicle body structure increases the mechanical complexity, which in turn increases the probability of equipment failure. Moreover, equipment such as hydraulic cylinders needs to be regularly refueled and maintained. If the maintenance is not timely, it will seriously affect the commutation accuracy of the shuttle vehicle.

[0008] 2) The increase in the vehicle body size brought about by the complex vehicle body structure also affects the available storage capacity ratio in the high-density automated storage and retrieval system (AS / RS). When the vehicle shuttles between different floors of the warehouse, a relatively high floor-to-floor distance needs to be designed to accommodate the shuttle vehicle body. The occupation of the three-dimensional space in the warehouse by the shuttle vehicle structure is often a concern for customers constructing a four-way shuttle AS / RS. Summary of the Invention

[0009] In view of the deficiencies of the prior art, the present application provides a four-way shuttle vehicle, its running track, and a warehouse system. In the present application, the load-bearing system and the power system of the shuttle vehicle are separated, and two sets of wheel groups cooperate with the track to realize steering and traveling, as well as cargo loading, unloading, and handling, so as to avoid derailment caused by lifting and commutation errors. The specific technical solutions adopted in the present application are as follows.

[0010] First, to achieve the above object, a four-way shuttle vehicle is proposed, which includes: a shuttle vehicle body that runs between tracks and is used for loading, unloading, or handling goods; outer drive wheels that partially protrude from the outer edge of the shuttle vehicle body and are in contact with the inner surface of the track, and rotate along the inner surface of the track to drive the shuttle vehicle body to run; load-bearing driven wheels that are arranged at the bottom of the shuttle vehicle body and are located inside the outer drive wheels, and the load-bearing driven wheels follow the shuttle vehicle body to run along the bearing surface between the tracks.

[0011] Optionally, for the four-way shuttle vehicle described above, the outer drive wheels are gears that mesh with the inner surface of the track.

[0012] Optionally, for the four-way shuttle vehicle described above, the load-bearing driven wheels are universal wheels that run along the bearing surface.

[0013] Optionally, for the four-way shuttle vehicle described above, the outer peripheral surfaces of the outer drive wheels protrude from the four corners of the shuttle vehicle body, and the rotation directions of the outer drive wheels on both sides of the traveling direction of the shuttle vehicle body are opposite, while the rotation directions of the outer drive wheels on the same side of the traveling direction of the shuttle vehicle body are the same.

[0014] Optionally, for any of the four-way shuttle vehicles described above, during the process of the straight-line crossing of the intersection position between the two tracks, the rotation states of the outer active wheels on both sides remain unchanged. The outer active wheel at the front of the driving direction disengages from the original track first, and is driven by the outer active wheel at the rear of the driving direction to continue moving forward along the driving direction and lap onto the auxiliary track in the middle of the intersection position. Then, it is guided by the auxiliary track to continue moving forward along the driving direction and lap onto the target track at the other end of the intersection position. The outer active wheel at the front of the driving direction drives the shuttle vehicle body to cross the intersection position between the two tracks along the target track; during the process of turning at the intersection position between the two tracks, the outer active wheel at the rear of the driving direction and away from the turning target track direction rotates reversely, the outer active wheel at the front of the driving direction and close to the turning target track direction rotates reversely, and the rotation states of the remaining outer active wheels remain unchanged.

[0015] Meanwhile, to achieve the above object, the present application also provides an operating track for a four-way shuttle vehicle, which includes: a bearing surface, which is laid flat along the operating route of the four-way shuttle vehicle and is used for the load-carrying driven wheels on the inner side of the bottom of the four-way shuttle vehicle to run along its surface; main tracks, which are vertically arranged on both sides of the bearing surface and are used for the outer active wheels of the four-way shuttle vehicle to abut against and run along their inner surfaces to drive the four-way shuttle vehicle to operate; auxiliary tracks, which are arranged in the middle of the bearing surface along the direction of the main tracks and are located at the intersection position of the two operating routes of the four-way shuttle vehicle, and the length of each auxiliary track does not exceed the distance between two adjacent load-carrying driven wheels at the bottom of the four-way shuttle vehicle.

[0016] Optionally, for the operating track of any of the four-way shuttle vehicles described above, a rack meshing with the outer active wheels of the four-way shuttle vehicle is provided on the inner surface of the main track and / or the auxiliary track.

[0017] Optionally, for the operating track of any of the four-way shuttle vehicles described above, the main tracks are arranged along the lines of the goods storage shelves on each floor in the three-dimensional warehouse and extend linearly from each floor of the goods storage shelves to the inside of the lifting platform of the elevator outside the goods storage shelves.

[0018] Optionally, for the operating track of any of the four-way shuttle vehicles described above, the main tracks are arranged horizontally and vertically in a criss-cross manner between the goods storage shelves, and a turning track is also provided at the vertex of the intersection position of the main tracks. The turning track is arc-connected to the two adjacent main tracks arranged on both sides of the intersection position and protrudes outward from the included angle between the two main tracks.

[0019] Optionally, for the operating track of any of the four-way shuttle vehicles described above, the turning track includes: an arc track, and an arc meshing surface connected to the main track rack is provided on the convex surface of the arc track to continue the main track rack.

[0020] Optionally, for the running track of the four-way shuttle vehicle described in any one of the above, wherein the steering track further includes: an elastic support member disposed on the concave side of the arc track, one end of which is rotatably mounted between the included angles of the two main tracks through a mounting portion, and the other end of which is fixedly connected to the concave surface of the arc track, outwardly abutting and fixing the arc track, and supporting the arc track to keep it engaged with the outer active wheel when the outer active wheel of the four-way shuttle vehicle runs to the convex surface of the arc track.

[0021] Optionally, for the running track of the four-way shuttle vehicle described in any one of the above, wherein arc angle portions are respectively provided at both ends of the auxiliary track, and the arc angle portions have meshing teeth with an arc transitioning to the end of the auxiliary track, and the meshing teeth are for the outer active wheel to engage when the outer active wheel of the four-way shuttle vehicle runs to the intersection position.

[0022] In addition, based on the above technology, the present application further provides a warehouse system, which arranges the running tracks described in any one of the above in the shelves of the warehouse to connect each shelf storage bin, and the four-way shuttle vehicle described in any one of the above also runs on the running track.

[0023] Beneficial effects

[0024] In the present application, an outer active wheel is provided on the four-way shuttle vehicle, and the friction between the outer active wheel protruding from the shuttle vehicle body and the tracks arranged on both sides of the running route of the four-way shuttle vehicle is used to provide drive, so that the four-way shuttle vehicle can run or turn along the track to load, unload or transport goods accordingly. In the present application, the outer active wheel for providing drive and steering and the load-carrying driven wheel for providing load bearing are respectively arranged on the inner and outer sides of the bottom of the shuttle vehicle body, which can avoid mutual interference between the two, avoid the drive system failure affecting the goods carrying, and avoid the vehicle derailment. In addition, since the outer active wheel in the present application directly cooperates with the inner surface of the track, only the rotation state of the outer active wheel needs to be adjusted during its steering to realize the switching of the running direction under the guidance of the track. Therefore, the present application does not need to be provided with a separate commutation mechanism, which can greatly simplify the internal mechanical structure of the four-way shuttle vehicle and reduce its failure probability.

[0025] To increase the friction for driving the four-way vehicle to run, the present application can further set the outer active wheel and the track as a gear-rack system that meshes with each other to ensure that the outer active wheel can provide sufficient torque for the shuttle vehicle body to drive it to run stably. The load-carrying driven wheel can be directly realized by a universal wheel to avoid excessive resistance generated during the steering process of the wheel body affecting the running of the vehicle body.

[0026] To avoid the situation where the gears do not mesh tightly with the inner rack of the track when the four-way vehicle runs to the intersection position between the horizontal and vertical tracks, which may affect the drive transmission, the present application can further set an auxiliary track in the middle of the intersection position of the two running routes of the four-way shuttle car along the extension line of the main track. The auxiliary track is used to provide guidance and meshing drive for the outer driving wheels running to the intersection position, guiding them to further overlap forward to the target track to achieve turning or straight passing through the intersection. An arc angle part can be further set at the end of the auxiliary track, and the meshing teeth with arc transition at the end are used to provide further guidance in front of the body gears, ensuring that the outer driving wheels can accurately run from between the auxiliary tracks to the target track. The main track can further set a convex arc track at its turning position. The arc track cooperates with the running position of the outer driving wheels and is supported by an internal elastic support member to expand and contract, so as to ensure the meshing of the gears.

[0027] Other features and advantages of the present application will be described in the subsequent specification, and some of them will become obvious from the specification or be understood by implementing the present application. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0028] The drawings are used to provide a further understanding of the present application, and constitute a part of the specification. Together with the embodiments of the present application, they are used to explain the present application and do not constitute a limitation to the present application. In the drawings:

[0029] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the running mode of the four-way shuttle car of the present application;

[0030] Figure 2 is a bottom view of the four-way shuttle car of the present application;

[0031] Figure 3 is a side view of the four-way shuttle car in the present application;

[0032] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the laying mode of the running track of the four-way shuttle car in the present application;

[0033] In the figure, 1 represents the shuttle car body; 11 represents the outer driving wheels; 12 represents the load driven wheels; 2 represents the main track; 21 represents the auxiliary track; 211 represents the arc angle part; 22 represents the turning track; 221 represents the arc track; 222 represents the elastic support member; 223 represents the installation part. Detailed Embodiments

[0034] To make the objectives and technical solutions of the embodiments of this application clearer, the following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of this application. Obviously, the described embodiments are some, but not all, of the embodiments of this application. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the described embodiments of this application without creative efforts fall within the scope of protection of this application.

[0035] Those skilled in the art of this technology can understand that, unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein (including technical and scientific terms) have the same meaning as commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs. It should also be understood that terms such as those defined in a general dictionary should be understood to have a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the prior art, and will not be interpreted with an idealized or overly formal meaning unless defined as such herein.

[0036] As used in this application, the meaning of "and / or" includes both the case of each existing alone and the case of both existing simultaneously.

[0037] As used in this application, the meaning of "inside and outside" refers to, with respect to the track itself, the direction pointing to the inner bearing surface of the track is inside, and vice versa; rather than a specific limitation on the device mechanism of this application.

[0038] As used in this application, the meaning of "left and right" refers to, along the forward direction of the four-way shuttle vehicle, the left side of the shuttle vehicle body is the left, and the right side of the shuttle vehicle body is the right, rather than a specific limitation on the device mechanism of this application.

[0039] As used in this application, the meaning of "connection" can be a direct connection between components or an indirect connection between components through other components.

[0040] As used in this application, the meaning of "up and down" refers to, when the user is facing the forward direction of the four-way shuttle vehicle, the direction from the cargo bearing surface of the shuttle vehicle body to the load-driven wheel is down, and vice versa, rather than a specific limitation on the device mechanism of this application.

[0041] Figure 2 、 Figure 3 A four-way shuttle vehicle according to this application runs in a warehouse with the track laid as Figure 1 shown. The four-way shuttle vehicle includes:

[0042] A shuttle vehicle body 1 that runs between the tracks and is used for loading, unloading or transporting goods;

[0043] An outer active wheel 11 that partially protrudes from the outer edge of the shuttle vehicle body 1 and abuts against the inner surface of the track, and runs along the inner surface of the track to drive the shuttle vehicle body 1 to run;

[0044] The load-carrying driven wheel 12 is arranged at the bottom of the shuttle car body 1 and inside the outer driving wheel 11. The load-carrying driven wheel 12 is driven by the shuttle car body 1 to run along the bearing surface between the tracks.

[0045] The tracks for the four-way shuttle car to run can be configured with the above-mentioned outer driving wheels to have:

[0046] A bearing surface, which is laid flat along the running route of the four-way shuttle car, for the load-carrying driven wheel 12 inside the bottom of the four-way shuttle car to run along its surface;

[0047] The main track 2 is vertically arranged on both sides of the bearing surface, for the outer driving wheels 11 of the four-way shuttle car to abut against and run along its inner surface to drive the four-way shuttle car to run.

[0048] Thus, the above four-way shuttle car can run in the following ways:

[0049] When the four-way shuttle car needs to run in a single direction, the vehicle-mounted control system drives the two outer driving wheels 11 on the left side of the driving direction to rotate counterclockwise, and at the same time drives the two outer driving wheels 11 on the right side of the driving direction to rotate clockwise. The friction between the outer driving wheels 11 and the inner surface of the main track drives the four-way vehicle to move forward. The load-carrying driven wheel 12 inside the bottom of the vehicle body bears the vehicle body load and runs along the bearing surface between the tracks driven by the shuttle car body 1 during the driving process of the outer driving wheels 11.

[0050] When the four-way vehicle needs to go straight through the commutation position (the intersection of the main tracks in the horizontal and vertical directions), each outer driving wheel 11 only needs to maintain the straight driving mode. The outer driving wheel 11 at the front of the driving direction first disengages from the original track, and is driven by the outer driving wheel 11 at the rear of the driving direction to continue to move forward along the driving direction and lap to the target track at the other end of the intersection position. The outer driving wheel 11 at the front of the driving direction drives the shuttle car body 1 to cross the intersection position between the two tracks along the target track. During this process, the outer driving wheels 11 at the front and rear ends of the vehicle body pass through the two straight rack tracks before and after the intersection in turn. In cooperation with the driving of the outer driving wheels 11, the load-carrying driven wheel 12 inside the bottom of the vehicle body can also run along the bearing surface between the tracks in the way of being driven by the shuttle car body 1, bear the vehicle body load, and reduce the friction between the vehicle body and the bearing surface through its roller structure to ensure that the outer driving wheels 11 can directly drive the vehicle body and its loaded goods to run.

[0051] When reversing is required, the four-way vehicle first travels along the original traveling direction to the reversing point at the intersection between the main tracks in the horizontal and vertical directions, and then switches the driving direction of the gears at the reversing point of the intersection: switches the outer driving wheel 11 on the left side relative to the target traveling direction to counterclockwise, and switches the outer driving wheel 11 on the right side relative to the target traveling direction to clockwise. By means of the load-bearing driven wheel 12 following the shuttle vehicle body 1, the vehicle body load is borne along the bearing surface between the tracks, and the reversing can be naturally completed.

[0052] For a warehouse system with multiple layers of running tracks and shelf positions, the present application can also Figure 4 be further provided with elevators at the ends of the complete tracks independently arranged on each layer in the manner shown, which can be used to expand the number of shelf layers and vertically connect the shelves on each layer. The main track 2 is arranged along the line of the goods storage shelves on each layer in the three-dimensional warehouse, and is linearly extended from the goods storage shelves on each layer to the inside of the elevator lifting platform outside the goods storage shelves. Thus, as long as the positioning accuracy of the elevator is okay, the four-way shuttle vehicle can travel arbitrarily inside the shelves or inside the elevator platform. The four-way shuttle vehicle in the shelf tracks on each layer can directly run along its main track to the inside of the elevator lifting platform, and the elevator carries the shuttle vehicle to vertically lift up and down to other layers. Through the connection between the lifting platform and the shelf tracks on each layer, the four-way shuttle vehicle is guided to enter any layer of the goods storage shelves and continue to run along the corresponding main track 2 to realize cross-layer handling and storage of goods.

[0053] During the above reversing or straight-line running process, when the four-way shuttle vehicle runs to the reversing point position at the intersection, it is sufficient to drive as long as the two outer driving wheels 11 located behind the target direction abut against the inner side of the main track. When the outer driving wheel 11 in front of the target direction is lapped on the inner side of the target track, the steering drive can be directly realized by the abutment of the two outer driving wheels 11 on the left and right in this direction with the track. To increase the torque output between the outer driving wheel 11 and the inner side wall of the main track during this process, the driving speed of the vehicle body can be appropriately reduced through the controller inside the four-way shuttle vehicle.

[0054] The above four-way shuttle replaces the flanging wheels commonly used in heavy-duty vehicle equipment on the existing track with an outer active wheel 11 and a load-driven wheel 12. The original flanging wheel structure that simultaneously bears power output and load and prevents the vehicle from derailing is replaced with a separately arranged load-driven wheel 12 for load-bearing and an outer active wheel 11 for power output. By separating the load-bearing and power wheel sets in this application, the power wheel set is used to bear the driving and guiding / reversing functions, and the load-bearing wheel set is only used to bear the load, which can effectively reduce the requirements for the positioning accuracy between the wheel set and the track during vehicle operation. While using the load-driven wheel 12 to improve the load-bearing capacity, the driving method of abutting and limiting by the track itself provides sufficient guiding accuracy, reducing the positioning requirements for the four-way shuttle. Thus, this application can avoid the influence of drive system failures on cargo loading and prevent derailment caused by positioning accuracy errors during vehicle driving. In addition, since the outer active wheel in this application directly cooperates with the inner surface of the track, when it turns, only the rotation state of the outer active wheel needs to be adjusted, and the running direction can be switched under the guidance of the track. Therefore, this application does not need to set up a separate reversing mechanism, which can greatly simplify the internal mechanical structure of the four-way shuttle and reduce its failure probability.

[0055] In a more preferred implementation, to further provide auxiliary guidance for the four-way shuttle and ensure that it can accurately run to the corresponding target track to achieve a straight crossing or a 90-degree turn when running to the intersection reversing point between the main tracks in the horizontal and vertical directions, this application can further Figure 1 set auxiliary tracks 21 that match the four running directions of the shuttle on the bearing surface at the intersection reversing point of the main track 2 as shown. The auxiliary tracks 21 in each direction can be arranged in the middle of the bearing surface along the straight direction of the main track 2 where they are located, and installed at the intersection of the two running routes of the four-way shuttle by any means such as bolts, welding, and integral connection. The length of each auxiliary track 21 does not exceed the distance between two adjacent load-driven wheels 12 at the bottom of the four-way shuttle.

[0056] With the help of the above auxiliary tracks 21, the shuttle can accurately dock with the target running tracks in each direction in the following way to achieve a straight crossing or a turn:

[0057] During the process of straight crossing the intersection position between the two tracks, the rotation states of the outer active wheels 11 in each case remain unchanged. The outer active wheel 11 at the front of the driving direction first disengages from the original track, and is driven by the outer active wheel 11 at the rear of the driving direction to continue moving forward along the driving direction and lap onto the auxiliary track in the middle of the intersection position, and then is guided by the auxiliary track to continue moving forward along the driving direction and lap onto the target track at the other end of the intersection position. The outer active wheel 11 at the front of the driving direction drives the shuttle body 1 along the target track to cross the intersection position between the two tracks;

[0058] During the turning process at the intersection between the two tracks, the outer driving wheel 11 located at the rear of the driving direction and away from the turning target track reverses, and the outer driving wheel 11 located at the front of the driving direction and close to the turning target track reverses, while the rotation states of the other outer driving wheels 11 remain unchanged. The outer driving wheel 11 located at the front of the driving direction first leaves the original track, and is driven by the outer driving wheel 11 located at the rear of the driving direction to continue forward along the driving direction to overlap the auxiliary track in the middle of the intersection, and then is guided by the auxiliary track to continue forward along the driving direction to overlap the target track on one side of the intersection, and the outer driving wheel 11 located at the end of the turning target track drives the shuttle body 1 along the target track direction to cross the intersection between the two tracks and enter the target track direction to achieve turning.

[0059] In order to avoid the auxiliary track from interfering with the vehicle body or the load-carrying driven wheel 12 running along the track bearing surface, the height of the auxiliary track can generally be set to be equivalent to the height of the outer driving wheel 11 outside the vehicle body, and both can be uniformly set to be lower than the height of the vehicle body chassis. As a result, when the vehicle passes through the intersection where the auxiliary track is located, the auxiliary track is located below the vehicle body, and will not interfere with the vehicle body when driving. In the horizontal running direction of the shuttle, the length of the auxiliary track can be limited to be less than the spacing between the load-carrying driven wheels 12. Therefore, when the four-way shuttle passes through the intersection, the auxiliary tracks in each direction can pass between the outer driving wheel 11 and the load-carrying driven wheel 12, and there will be no interference. The present application can directly install the auxiliary track on the main track bearing surface in a fixed manner by designing the setting position and length and width dimensions of the auxiliary track without having to design a lifting mechanism for the auxiliary track separately to avoid it affecting the passage of the vehicle. Therefore, the present application can greatly simplify the complexity of the entire system by optimizing the installation position and length dimensions of the auxiliary track, and at the same time ensure the guidance accuracy of the shuttle.

[0060] In order to further improve the guiding and driving effect of the track system on the four-way shuttle, the present application may further preferably set meshing teeth on the track surface, and correspondingly set the outer driving wheels 11 of the four-way shuttle to gears meshing with the inner surface of the track. Since the load-carrying driven wheel 12 only provides driven and load-carrying functions, it can be directly set as a universal wheel that follows the vehicle body along the load-bearing surface and runs accordingly, without the need to set a separate meshing structure.

[0061] In this track drive scheme with meshing tooth structure, the inner surface of the auxiliary track 21 can be matched with the outer peripheral gear structure of the outer driving wheel 11 to provide a rack that meshes with the outer driving wheel 11 of the four-way shuttle, or it can directly provide guidance without providing additional meshing drive function through a smooth plane mechanism.

[0062] In the above-mentioned track drive scheme where the gear and rack cooperate, the running mode and steering control mode of the four-way shuttle are the same as those of the drive mode of the smooth track contact surface mentioned above. The difference from the previous scheme is only that the drive mode using rolling friction between the wheel set and the track contact surface is adjusted to the drive mode of meshing between the gear and the rack.

[0063] Regardless of which of the above drive modes the four-way shuttle adopts, to ensure good contact between each outer active wheel 11 and the track and effectively realize the drive and guidance of the four-way shuttle body, in the above-mentioned schemes, it is preferably to set the outer peripheral surfaces of each outer active wheel 11 to protrude outward from the four corners of the shuttle body 1 respectively to ensure as much as possible to keep in contact or meshing transmission with the inner side wall of the main track. The outer active wheels 11 in any way can be set so that the rotation directions between the outer active wheels 11 on both sides of the traveling direction of the shuttle body 1 are opposite, and the rotation directions between the outer active wheels 11 on the same side of the traveling direction of the shuttle body 1 are the same to realize the drive of the vehicle body.

[0064] Regardless of which of the above drive modes the four-way shuttle adopts, to ensure good contact between each outer active wheel 11 and the track and effectively cooperate with the track at the intersection position of the track to realize the drive and guidance of the four-way shuttle body, the main track 2 can also be preferably provided with steering tracks 22 at the vertices of the main track 2 in all directions at the horizontal and vertical intersection positions between the goods storage shelves. The steering tracks 22 are arc-connected to the two adjacent main tracks in the two directions on both sides of the intersection position. By using the arc of the steering track 22 protruding outward from the included angle between the two main tracks 2 to keep in contact or meshing with the outer active wheels 11, the arc-shaped protruding steering track 22 can be used as early as possible to provide guidance and drive for the four-way shuttle.

[0065] To further ensure that stable contact or meshing can be realized between the steering track 22 and the outer active wheel 11, the present application can preferably set the steering track 22 to include Figure 1 As shown in the enlarged view in the middle:

[0066] An arc-shaped track 221, whose convex surface continues the rack of the main track 2 and is provided with an arc-shaped meshing surface connected to the rack of the main track 2;

[0067] And an elastic support member 222, which is arranged on the concave side of the arc-shaped track 221. One end of it is rotatably installed between the included angles of the two main tracks 2 through a mounting portion 223, and the other end is fixedly connected to the concave surface of the arc-shaped track 221, outwardly abutting and fixing the arc-shaped track 221, and supporting the arc-shaped track 221 when the outer active wheel 11 of the four-way shuttle runs to the convex surface of the arc-shaped track 221, so as to keep the arc-shaped track 221 adaptable to the running position of the outer active wheel 11 and mesh with the outer active wheel 11.

[0068] Similarly, to further ensure that stable contact or stable meshing can be achieved between the auxiliary track 21 and the outer active wheel 11 as early as possible, and to provide guidance and auxiliary drive for the four-way shuttle vehicle, the present application may preferably further provide corresponding arc angle portions 211 at both ends of the auxiliary track 21 respectively. By using the meshing teeth or arc-shaped guiding surfaces distributed along the arc on the arc angle portion 211 and gradually turning and transitioning to the end of the auxiliary track 21, meshing or contact guidance with the outer active wheel 11 can be achieved as early as possible when the outer active wheel 11 of the four-way shuttle vehicle runs to the intersection position.

[0069] Thus, by separating the load-bearing and power wheel sets in the present application, the outer active wheel 11 is used to undertake the functions of driving and guiding / reversing, and the load-bearing driven wheel 12 is only used to undertake the load-bearing function. After the load-bearing driven wheel 12 no longer needs to undertake the driving function, it is disengaged from the rigid connection with the vehicle body power mechanism (such as, motor and transmission mechanism), and directly realizes weighing and driven operation through simple heavy-duty universal wheels.

[0070] The present application preferably sets the outer active wheel 11 to adopt a gear structure, with the gear edge exceeding the vehicle body, and correspondingly deploys a rack meshing with it on the shelf guide rail. The four-way vehicle is driven to turn, go straight or cross the track intersection position through the meshing mode between the gear and the rack.

[0071] The present application sets the universal wheels inside the gear structure, which can avoid interference between the load-bearing and power wheel sets. The installation height of the outer active wheel 11 can be set to be between the bottom surface of the universal wheel and the bottom surface of the vehicle body. Through the guidance of the main track and the auxiliary track, the lifting of the wheels during the vehicle body reversing process can be avoided, and the derailment problem can be fundamentally avoided. At the same time, because the outer active wheel 11 of the present application can realize reversing only by changing the rotation direction without the need for an additional lifting mechanism to drive, therefore, the original reversing time of about 2s can be saved, and there is no longer a need for an internal hydraulic or mechanical reversing power structure, which can effectively simplify the product structure, reduce the probability of mechanical failures of the equipment and the maintenance difficulty.

[0072] The present application preferably realizes driving and turning through the driving mode of gear-rack meshing. Compared with the prior art in which the contact state between the tire and the track is adjusted and the vehicle travels relying on the friction between the two, the accuracy and stability of driving positioning can be greatly improved.

[0073] Inside the main and auxiliary tracks of the present application, the universal wheels at the bottom of the four-way shuttle vehicle can travel through the bearing surfaces deployed at the bottom of each layer of the shelf. Rack structures are embedded in the parts of both sides of the plane track at the same height as the outer active wheel 11, and driving and turning control are realized through the meshing relationship with the outer active wheel 11 on the four-way vehicle.

[0074] Preferably, an elastic rack structure in the form of an arc-shaped convex is provided at the turning position of the track to ensure that the gear can remain engaged with it when the four-way vehicle is at the commutation point position, so as to achieve driving and guiding. Elastic devices, such as various shock absorbers, springs, and hydraulic support buffer structures, can be added inside the arc-shaped rack. The form of the elastic device is not strictly limited. The back base of the rack can be set to be non-rigid, and an elastic structure is added behind the arc-shaped rack to ensure that the contact surface with the gear of the four-way vehicle is stretchable, so as to improve the meshing degree between the arc-shaped rack and the outer driving wheel 11, and accurately achieve driving and steering.

[0075] Auxiliary tracks can be arranged at the four intersections in front, behind, left, and right of the commutation position respectively to provide auxiliary guidance for the outer driving wheel 11 entering the intersection position and guide the four-way vehicle to pass through the commutation position. The width of the auxiliary track is smaller than the distance between two universal wheels of the four-way shuttle vehicle in the corresponding direction, so as to ensure that the universal wheels can cross it without obstacles. When the four-way vehicle needs to go straight through the commutation position, the auxiliary track can ensure that the four-way shuttle vehicle has 4 gears engaged with the rack on the track for most of the time, avoiding the deviation of the four-way vehicle at the commutation point. The edge of the passing rack of the auxiliary track can be designed with an arc angle to facilitate the contact and meshing of the gear of the four-way vehicle with it.

[0076] The above are only the implementation manners of the present application, and the description thereof is relatively specific and detailed, but it should not be understood as a limitation to the patent scope of the present application. It should be noted that for those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the concept of the present application, several deformations and improvements can still be made, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A four-way shuttle vehicle, characterized in that Comprising: A shuttle car body (1), which runs between the tracks and is used for loading, unloading or transporting goods; An outer side driving wheel (11), which partially protrudes from the outer edge of the shuttle car body (1) and abuts against the inner surface of the track, and runs along the inner surface of the track to drive the shuttle car body (1) to run; A load-carrying driven wheel (12), which is arranged at the bottom of the shuttle car body (1) and is located inside the outer side driving wheel (11), and the load-carrying driven wheel (12) follows the shuttle car body (1) to run along the bearing surface between the tracks; Wherein, the outer side driving wheel (11) is a gear meshing with the inner surface of the track; The outer peripheral surfaces of the outer side driving wheels (11) all protrude from the four corners of the shuttle car body (1), and moreover, the rotation directions between the outer side driving wheels (11) on both sides of the driving direction of the shuttle car body (1) are opposite, and the rotation directions between the outer side driving wheels (11) on the same side of the driving direction of the shuttle car body (1) are the same; During the process of linearly crossing the crossing position between the two tracks, the rotation states of the outer side driving wheels (11) all remain unchanged. The outer side driving wheel (11) at the front of the driving direction first disengages from the original track, and is driven by the outer side driving wheel (11) at the rear of the driving direction to continue moving forward along the driving direction and lap to the auxiliary track in the middle of the crossing position, and then is guided by the auxiliary track to continue moving forward along the driving direction and lap to the target track at the other end of the crossing position, and the shuttle car body (1) is driven by the outer side driving wheel (11) at the front of the driving direction to cross the crossing position between the two tracks along the target track; During the process of turning at the crossing position between the two tracks, the outer side driving wheel (11) at the rear of the driving direction and deviating from the turning target track direction reverses, the outer side driving wheel (11) at the front of the driving direction and approaching the turning target track direction reverses, and the rotation states of the remaining outer side driving wheels (11) all remain unchanged.

2. The four-way shuttle vehicle according to claim 1, wherein The load-carrying driven wheel (12) is a universal wheel running along the bearing surface.

3. A running track for a four-way shuttle vehicle, which is used for the four-way shuttle vehicle as described in claim 1, and is characterized in that, Comprising: A bearing surface, which is laid flat along the running route of the four-way shuttle car and is used for the load-carrying driven wheel (12) inside the bottom of the four-way shuttle car to run along its surface; Main tracks (2), which are vertically arranged on both sides of the bearing surface and are used for the outer side driving wheels (11) of the four-way shuttle car to abut against and run along their inner surfaces to drive the four-way shuttle car to run; Auxiliary tracks (21), which are arranged in the middle of the bearing surface along the direction of the main tracks (2) and are located at the crossing position of the two running routes of the four-way shuttle car. The length of each auxiliary track (21) does not exceed the distance between two adjacent load-carrying driven wheels (12) at the bottom of the four-way shuttle car.

4. The running track of the four-way shuttle vehicle according to claim 3, characterized in that, The inner surface of the main track (2) and / or the auxiliary track (21) is provided with a rack meshing with the outer side driving wheel (11) of the four-way shuttle car.

5. The running track of the four-way shuttle car according to claim 3, characterized in that, The main track (2) is arranged along the line of the goods storage shelves on each floor in the stereoscopic warehouse and extends linearly from each floor of the goods storage shelves to the inside of the lifting platform of the elevator outside the goods storage shelves.

6. The running track of the four-way shuttle car according to claim 3, characterized in that, The main track (2) is arranged horizontally and vertically between the goods storage shelves. A turning track (22) is also provided at the vertex of the intersection position of the main track (2). The turning track (22) is arc-connected to two adjacent main tracks arranged on both sides of the intersection position, and protrudes outward from the included angle between the two main tracks (2).

7. The running track of the four-way shuttle car according to claim 6, characterized in that, The turning track (22) includes: an arc track (221), and its convex surface continues the rack of the main track (2) and is provided with an arc meshing surface connected to the rack of the main track (2).

8. The running track of the four-way shuttle car according to claim 7, characterized in that, The turning track (22) further includes: an elastic support member (222), which is arranged on the concave side of the arc track (221). One end of it is rotatably installed between the included angles of the two main tracks (2) through a mounting portion (223), and the other end is fixedly connected to the concave surface of the arc track (221), outwardly abutting and fixing the arc track (221), and supporting the arc track (221) to keep it meshed with the outer driving wheel (11) when the outer driving wheel (11) of the four-way shuttle runs to the convex surface of the arc track (221).

9. The running track of the four-way shuttle vehicle according to claim 3, characterized in that, Arc angle portions (211) are respectively provided at both ends of the auxiliary track (21). The arc angle portions (211) have meshing teeth with an arc transition to the end of the auxiliary track (21), and the meshing teeth are for the outer driving wheel (11) to mesh with when the outer driving wheel (11) of the four-way shuttle runs to the intersection position.

10. A warehouse system, characterized in that, In the shelves of the warehouse, the running tracks as described in any one of claims 3-9 are provided to connect each storage bin of the shelves, and the four-way shuttle as described in any one of claims 1-2 also runs on the running tracks.

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