A storage article processing system and processing method thereof

Abstract

The present invention discloses a warehouse article handling system, comprising several shelves and an article transfer system, wherein the article transfer system comprises a vertical robot and an aerial robot; the shelves are provided with docking locations for external article transfer and several layers of article storage locations; the shelves are equipped with multiple vertical tracks, and the shelves or above the shelves are provided with aerial tracks; the vertical robot moves up and down along the vertical tracks, and the aerial robot moves horizontally along the aerial tracks; the aerial robot is provided with a carrying portion for carrying the vertical robot, and the aerial robot drives the vertical robot to change vertical tracks along the aerial tracks via the carrying portion; the vertical robot is used to transfer articles between docking locations and storage locations, or between different storage locations. The warehouse article handling system of the present invention has high overall operating efficiency and greatly simplified the structure of the robots.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of storage equipment, and in particular to a storage article processing system and a storage article processing method. Background Art

[0002] In existing warehousing systems, in order to realize the storage and transfer of item boxes on high-altitude shelves on both sides of the aisle, amphibious robots that can simultaneously complete ground operation and shelf climbing are usually used. For example, in the warehouse item transportation system disclosed in patents CN110869294B and US2001 / 0047116A1, the cargo transportation robot can both walk on the floor of the warehouse and climb shelves. As a result, the cargo transportation robot integrates a complex ground walking drive mechanism and a climbing power mechanism, and includes a clutch structure for engaging and disengaging with the vertical track. Its internal structure is very complex and the weight of a single machine is large. When transporting items, a single robot in this system must complete ground transfer and shelf climbing in sequence before it can enter the next item transfer. When one of the ground walking drive mechanism or the climbing power mechanism inside the robot is in operation, the other mechanism is in an idle state, and the utilization efficiency of the entire system is low.

[0003] Patent CN114180250A discloses an item handling system with a direct docking positioning device, which includes a horizontal motion robot and a vertical motion robot for storing and retrieving items. The vertical robot can climb shelves. When the vertical robot moves to the bottom layer, the horizontal robot will carry the vertical robot on the ground to transfer items. Although this patent solves certain problems of the complex internal structure of the robot, the vertical robot will participate in the entire process of the entire item transfer process, and the overall transfer efficiency is also low. If the transfer speed is to be increased, the number of robots needs to be increased. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The invention aims to solve the problems of complex robot structure and low operation efficiency of warehouse item handling system in the prior art, and proposes a warehouse item handling system to solve the above shortcomings.

[0005] The present invention is achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0006] A warehouse item handling system includes several shelves and an item transfer system, wherein the item transfer system includes a vertical robot and an aerial robot; the shelves are provided with docking locations for external item transfer and several layers of item storage locations; multiple vertical tracks are installed on the shelves, and aerial tracks are provided on the shelves or above the shelves; the vertical robot moves up and down along the vertical tracks, and the aerial robot moves horizontally along the aerial tracks; the aerial robot is provided with a carrying part for carrying the vertical robot, and the aerial robot drives the vertical robot to change the vertical track along the aerial track through the carrying part; the vertical robot is used to transfer items between docking locations and storage locations or between different storage locations.

[0007] When external items are stored on shelves, they are first transported to a docking station. A vertical robot in the corresponding row descends to the docking station to retrieve the item, then ascends to transport the item to the target storage location in that row. Alternatively, the vertical robot, supported by an aerial robot, changes its vertical track before transporting the item to a storage location in another row. Vertical robots only move vertically, greatly simplifying their internal motion mechanisms. Aerial robots can assist vertical robots in changing tracks, effectively reducing the number of vertical robots. Items are then transferred to and from the shelves by different robots, relaying through docking stations. Ground transfer and shelf transfer can occur simultaneously, improving the efficiency of the entire system.

[0008] Furthermore, an alley is provided in the middle of the shelves or between adjacent shelves, the vertical track is located on both sides of the alley, and the aerial track includes a longitudinal aerial track extending along the direction of the alley. The vertical robot moves along the vertical tracks on the shelves on both sides in the alley, while the aerial robot moves along the longitudinal aerial track, which is convenient for carrying the vertical robot to change the vertical track.

[0009] Furthermore, the aerial track also includes a transverse aerial track that intersects and connects with the longitudinal aerial track, so that the aerial robot can move between shelves in different aisles, thereby increasing the transfer range of the vertical robot.

[0010] Furthermore, a vertical rack is provided on the vertical track, and the vertical robot is provided with a climbing gear that cooperates with the vertical rack, and the climbing of the vertical robot is achieved through the engagement of the gear and rack.

[0011] Furthermore, the carrying part is a docking mechanism, and the docking mechanism is provided with a tooth part that cooperates with the climbing gear. When the vertical robot needs to change the track, the aerial robot moves to above the vertical robot, so that the docking mechanism is engaged with the vertical track to form a track. The vertical robot moves along the track from the vertical track on the shelf to the docking mechanism of the aerial robot. The vertical robot is carried by the aerial robot and changes the track as the aerial robot moves.

[0012] Furthermore, a horizontal rack is provided on the aerial track, and the aerial robot is provided with a rolling gear that cooperates with the horizontal rack. The aerial robot moves along the aerial track through the engagement of the rolling gear and the horizontal rack.

[0013] Furthermore, the bottom layer of the shelf is a docking box position, and above the docking box position is a storage box position. When external items are stored in the shelf, they are first transported to the docking box position on the bottom layer, and then carried by a vertical robot and transported to the target storage box position.

[0014] Furthermore, the item transfer system also includes a ground robot, which enters and exits the aisle to transfer items between the docking box and the area outside the aisle, including items in other shelf areas outside the two sides of the aisle or other areas of the warehouse, such as item docking stations, etc., which can all be stored or transferred out of the docking box by the ground robot. The ground robot, aerial robot and vertical robot each perform their duties, and each robot only moves in one plane, which greatly simplifies the internal structure of the robot. At the same time, the vertical robot and aerial robot do not participate in the transfer process of items on the ground at all. The three robots can operate simultaneously to maximize the efficiency of the entire system.

[0015] Furthermore, the ground robot and the vertical robot are both provided with a power drive device, an article carrying platform and a hook box assembly. When transporting articles, the hook box assembly sends the material box of the articles to the carrying platform, and then the drive device drives the ground robot or the vertical robot to move.

[0016] The above-mentioned warehouse item handling system is used to perform an item handling method. When external items are stored on a shelf, they are first transported via an aisle to a docking location on the shelf. The vertical robot moves vertically, while the aerial robot moves horizontally. The vertical robot and the aerial robot cooperate to enable the vertical robot to carry the items from the docking location and then transport them to another designated storage location. When items are transported off the shelf, the vertical robot and the aerial robot cooperate to enable the vertical robot to carry the designated items and then transport them to a docking location. An operator or a ground robot then transports the items off the shelf. When items change storage locations within the shelf, the vertical robot and the aerial robot cooperate to enable the vertical robot to carry the designated items and then transport them to another storage location. The delivery of external items to or from docking locations can be accomplished by ground robots, conveyor lines, or direct manual operation. The above-mentioned item handling method allows specialized robots to handle the movement in different planes involved in the item transfer process. Various robots can operate simultaneously, allowing for simultaneous ground transfer and shelf transfer, thereby improving the efficiency of item storage and transfer.

[0017] Furthermore, the cooperation between the vertical robot and the aerial robot includes the aerial robot directly carrying the vertical robot and then changing its vertical track, or the aerial robot carrying the vertical robot with items and then changing its vertical track, so as to realize the transfer of items between the docking box and the storage box or between different storage boxes.

[0018] Compared with the existing technology, the beneficial effect of the present invention is that different types of robots can move simultaneously, effectively improving the operating efficiency of the entire system. A single robot only moves in one plane and does not need to have multiple motion mechanisms at the same time, which greatly simplifies the structure of the robot. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] The following drawings of the present invention are incorporated herein as part of the present invention for understanding the present invention. The drawings show embodiments of the present invention and the description thereof is used to explain the principle of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 1 This is an overall structural diagram of a storage article processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 This is a partial enlarged view of the storage article processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3 2 is a schematic structural diagram of an aerial robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] The figure numbers are as follows: shelf 1, vertical robot 2, aerial robot 3, aisle 4, docking box position 5, storage box position 6, vertical track 7, aerial track 8, transport part 9, ground robot 10, horizontal rack 11, rolling gear 12, vertical rack 13, climbing gear 14, tooth part 15. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions of various embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the embodiments described are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making any creative efforts are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0025] The present invention will be further described in detail below through specific embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0026] Figure 1 It is a structural diagram of a warehouse item handling system according to an exemplary embodiment, wherein the warehouse item handling system includes a shelf 1 and an item transfer system, wherein the item transfer system includes a vertical robot 2 and an aerial robot 3; the shelf 1 is provided with a docking box position 5 for external item transfer and several layers of item storage boxes 6, and an aisle 4 is provided in the middle of the shelf 1 or between adjacent shelves 1. The shelf includes X*Y (X is the number of layers, Y is the number of columns) storage positions, wherein the bottom layer of the shelf 1 is the docking box position 5, and the multiple layers above it are all storage boxes 6. The docking box position 5 serves as a temporary storage position for items outside the shelf 1 when entering the shelf 1 or being transferred out of the shelf 1.

[0027] A plurality of vertical rails 7 are installed on the shelf 1, and the vertical rails 7 are located on both sides of the lane. The vertical robot 2 performs lifting movement in the lane 4 along the vertical rails 7. An aerial rail 8 is provided on the shelf 1 or above the shelf 1. The aerial rail 8 includes a longitudinal aerial rail extending along the lane 4, and also includes a transverse aerial rail intersecting and connected with the longitudinal aerial rail at a certain angle. The aerial robot 3 performs horizontal movement along the above-mentioned aerial rail 8. Optionally, the two are perpendicular to each other, so that the aerial robot 3 can move between different lanes 4 and different shelves 1, thereby improving the transfer range of the vertical robot 2. The aerial rail 8 can be set on the beam at the top of the shelf 1, or at other height positions of the shelf 1, or above the shelf 1.

[0028] The aerial robot 3 is provided with a carrying portion 9 for carrying the vertical robot 2 . The aerial robot 3 carries the vertical robot 2 via the carrying portion 9 and drives the vertical robot 2 to change the vertical track 7 .

[0029] A horizontal rack 11 is provided on the aerial track 8 , and the aerial robot 3 is provided with a rolling gear 12 that cooperates with the horizontal rack 11 . The aerial robot 3 moves along the aerial track 8 through the engagement of the rolling gear 12 with the horizontal rack 11 .

[0030] A vertical rack 13 is provided on the vertical track 7, and the vertical robot 2 is provided with a climbing gear 14 that cooperates with the vertical rack 13. The climbing of the vertical robot 2 is achieved through the engagement of the rack and gear.

[0031] The aerial robot 3 and the vertical robot 2 are transported and detached through the transport part 9, wherein the transport part 9 is a docking mechanism, and the docking mechanism is provided with a tooth part 15 that cooperates with the climbing gear 14. When the vertical robot 2 needs to change the track, the aerial robot 3 moves to the top of the vertical robot 2, so that the docking mechanism engages with the vertical track 7 to form a track. The vertical robot 2 moves along the track from the vertical track 7 on the shelf to the docking mechanism of the aerial robot. The vertical robot 2 is then carried by the aerial robot 3 and changes the track as the aerial robot 3 moves.

[0032] In this embodiment, the transfer of items outside the shelves utilizes a ground robot 10, which enters and exits the aisle 4 to transfer items between the docking box 5 and the area outside the aisle 4, including items in other shelf 1 areas outside the two sides of the aisle 4 or other areas of the warehouse, such as item docking stations, etc., which can all be stored or transferred out of the docking box 5 by the ground robot 10. By making the ground robot 10, the aerial robot 3 and the vertical robot 2 each move in the same plane, the internal structure of the robot is greatly simplified, the vertical robot 2 and the aerial robot 3 do not participate in the transfer process of items on the ground at all, and the three robots can operate simultaneously to maximize the efficiency of the entire system.

[0033] Both the ground robot 10 and the vertical robot 2 are equipped with a power drive device, an item carrying platform and a hook box assembly. When transporting items, the hook box assembly sends the material box of the items to the carrying platform, and then the driving device drives the ground robot 10 or the vertical robot 2 to move. The hook box assembly can adopt the commonly used technology in the existing technology, which will not be elaborated here.

[0034] The operation process of the storage article processing system of this embodiment is as follows:

[0035] When items need to be stored in the target storage position 6 of shelf 1, the ground robot 10 first transports the goods through the alley 4 to the docking position 5 corresponding to the target storage position 6 in the shelf 1; if there is a vertical robot 2 on the vertical track 7 corresponding to the docking position 5, the vertical robot 2 directly descends vertically to the docking position 5 to take out the items, and carries the items vertically up to the target storage position 6; if there is no vertical robot 2 on the vertical track 7 corresponding to the docking position 5, the aerial robot 3 transports the idle vertical robot 2 on other rows of vertical tracks 7 to the vertical track 7 corresponding to the target storage position 6, and then the vertical robot 2 descends vertically to the docking position 5 to take out the items, and carries the items vertically up to the target storage position 6.

[0036] When transporting items out of a target storage position 6 on the shelf 1, if there is a vertical robot on the vertical track 7 of the corresponding column of the target storage position 6, the vertical robot 2 will directly move in the vertical direction to the target storage position 6 to take out the items, and then descend to the bottom to deliver the items into the docking position 5; if there is no vertical robot on the vertical track 7 of the corresponding column of the target storage position 6, the aerial robot 3 will carry the idle vertical robot 2 on the vertical track 7 of other columns to the vertical track 7 corresponding to the target storage position 6, and then the vertical robot 2 will move in the vertical direction to the target storage position 6 to take out the items, and descend to the bottom to deliver the items into the docking position 5; then the ground robot 10 will transport the items out of the docking position 5.

[0037] In other embodiments, the ground robot 10 may also be replaced by manual labor or a conveyor line.

[0038] In other embodiments, the aerial robot 3 can carry the vertical robot 2 with the items.

[0039] When items need to be transferred between different storage locations 6, if there is a vertical robot 2 on the vertical track 7 of the corresponding column of the original storage location 6 and the target storage location and the original storage location 6 are in the same column, the vertical robot 2 can directly move to the original storage location 6 in the vertical direction, take out the items and directly transport them to the target storage location. If the target storage location and the original storage location 6 are in different columns, the aerial robot 3 moves to the vertical track 7 corresponding to the vertical robot 2, and the docking mechanism of the aerial robot 3 completes docking with the vertical track 7. The vertical robot 2 moves from the vertical track 7 to the docking mechanism and becomes carried by the aerial robot 3. Under the transportation of the aerial robot 3, it is transformed to the vertical track 7 of the target storage location 6. After the vertical robot 2 separates from the aerial robot 3, it transports the items to the target storage location in the vertical direction; if there is no vertical robot 2 on the vertical track 7 corresponding to the column of the original storage location 6, the aerial robot 3 needs to first carry the idle vertical robot 2 on the vertical track 7 of other columns to the vertical track 7 corresponding to the original storage location, and then perform the above process.

[0040] When external items need to be stored in the target storage location 6 of shelf 1, the ground robot 10 can also first transport the external goods through the aisle 4 to other docking locations 5 outside the corresponding column of the target storage location 6 in the shelf 1. After the vertical robot 2 carries the item, the aerial robot 3 will carry it together with the item to the corresponding vertical track 7 of the target storage location 6.

[0041] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or replace some or all of the technical features therein with equivalents. However, these modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A warehouse goods handling system, comprising a plurality of shelves and an goods transfer system, characterized in that: The article transfer system includes a vertical robot and an aerial robot; The shelf is provided with docking locations for external article transfer and several layers of article storage locations. A plurality of vertical tracks are installed on the shelf, and an aerial track is provided on the shelf or above the shelf; The vertical robot performs lifting motion along the vertical track, and the aerial robot performs horizontal motion along the aerial track; The aerial robot is provided with a carrying portion for carrying the vertical robot, and the aerial robot drives the vertical robot to change the vertical track along the aerial track through the carrying portion; The vertical robot is used to transfer items between a docking location and a storage location or between different storage locations; Lanes are provided between the shelves or between adjacent shelves. The article transfer system further includes a ground robot, which enters and exits the lanes to transfer articles between docking boxes and areas outside the lanes.

2. The storage article handling system according to claim 1, wherein: The vertical tracks are located on both sides of the lane, and the aerial tracks include longitudinal aerial tracks extending along the lane direction.

3. The storage article handling system according to claim 2, wherein: The aerial track further includes a transverse aerial track intersecting with and communicating with the longitudinal aerial track.

4. The storage article processing system according to claim 1, wherein: A vertical rack is provided on the vertical track, and the vertical robot is provided with a climbing gear matched with the vertical rack.

5. The storage article processing system according to claim 4, wherein: The carrying part is a docking mechanism, and a tooth part that cooperates with the climbing gear is provided on the track of the docking mechanism.

6. The storage article processing system according to claim 1, wherein: A horizontal rack is provided on the aerial track, and the aerial robot is provided with a rolling gear matched with the horizontal rack.

7. The storage article processing system according to claim 1, wherein: The bottom layer of the shelf is a docking box position, and the top of the docking box position is a storage box position.

8. The storage article processing system according to claim 1, wherein: The ground robot and the vertical robot are both provided with a power drive device, an article carrying platform and a hook box assembly.

9. A method for handling stored items, utilizing the stored item handling system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: When external items are stored in the shelves, the operator or the ground robot or the conveyor line transports the external goods to the docking box on the shelf through the aisle. The vertical robot moves in the vertical direction and the aerial robot moves horizontally. The vertical robot and the aerial robot cooperate to enable the vertical robot to carry the items in the docking box and then transport them to the target storage box. When transporting items off the shelves, the vertical robot and the aerial robot work together to enable the vertical robot to carry the target item and then transport it to the docking box. The operator, ground robot, or conveyor line then transports the item off. When items change storage locations within the shelf, the vertical robot and the aerial robot cooperate to enable the vertical robot to carry the specified item and then transport it to another storage location.

10. The method for handling stored items according to claim 9, wherein: The cooperation between the vertical robot and the aerial robot includes the aerial robot directly carrying the vertical robot and then changing its vertical track, or the aerial robot carrying the vertical robot with objects and then changing its vertical track.

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