Logistics system

Abstract

The application provides a logistics system, and relates to the technical field of logistics. The posture correction mechanism of the introduction equipment can adjust the posture of the received package to the expected posture, so that the carrying surface of the trolley is fully utilized. Therefore, the trolley of the sorting equipment can be designed to have a smaller carrying surface, so as to increase the number of trolleys in the unit length of the sorting ring of the sorting equipment, thereby improving the sorting efficiency of the sorting equipment. Further, by formulating the first strategy of conveying the package for the second buffer mechanism, the posture correction mechanism can continuously operate in the process of introducing the package from the introduction equipment to the sorting equipment, thereby ensuring the efficiency and improving the accuracy of the posture correction of the package.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of logistics, in particular to a logistics system. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the rapid development of the logistics industry, the logistics system of logistics companies is constantly transformed and upgraded, and automatic sorting gradually replaces traditional manual sorting. After manual sorting is replaced by automatic sorting, traditional manual packing cannot meet the needs of automatic sorting due to non-standard operation of workers, low efficiency and other defects.

[0003] The related art discloses a logistics system capable of automatically providing packages, which includes a package providing device and a sorting device. The sorting device includes a plurality of trolleys arranged along a loop line and a package drop port arranged on both sides of the loop line. The package providing device is arranged upstream of the sorting device and is used to receive a stack of packages and sequentially deliver the packages to the trolleys of the sorting device one by one after separating the packages. The trolleys sort each package to the corresponding package drop port according to a sorting strategy.

[0004] However, the logistics system of the related art has the problem of low sorting efficiency. SUMMARY

[0005] The purpose of the present application includes providing a logistics system capable of improving the sorting efficiency of packages.

[0006] Embodiments of the present application can be implemented as follows:

[0007] The present application provides a logistics system, which includes a package providing device, an import device and a sorting device. The sorting device includes a plurality of trolleys connected in sequence along a track and used for conveying and sorting packages. The import device is located between the package providing device and the sorting device. The import device is configured to receive the packages provided by the package providing device and deliver the packages to the trolleys of the sorting device. The import device includes a control device, an upper packing table, a first buffer mechanism, a posture correction mechanism and a second buffer mechanism electrically connected to the control device. Along the conveying direction of the packages, the second buffer mechanism, the posture correction mechanism, the first buffer mechanism and the upper packing table are arranged in sequence. The posture correction mechanism is configured to receive the packages conveyed by the second buffer mechanism, adjust the posture of the received packages to a desired posture and then deliver the packages to the first buffer mechanism. The upper packing table is configured to receive the packages conveyed by the first buffer mechanism and deliver the packages to the trolleys of the sorting device. The control device is configured to:

[0008] In the case of receiving a package request, the first buffer mechanism is controlled to convey a first target package to the upper packing table;

[0009] The second buffer mechanism is controlled to convey a second target package to the posture correction mechanism according to a first strategy, so that the second target package reaches the first buffer mechanism after the first target package leaves the first buffer mechanism.

[0010] In an optional embodiment, the upper tray and the posture correction mechanism are configured to continuously operate after the introduction device is powered on.

[0011] In an optional embodiment, the first buffering mechanism has a first position, the first position is located on the conveying path of the first buffering mechanism and has a length of a first length from the start end of the first buffering mechanism in the conveying direction of the parcels; the control device is further configured to control the first buffering mechanism to work in the following manner:

[0012] control the first buffering mechanism to operate at a set speed to wait for conveying the parcel from the posture correction mechanism when there is no parcel on the first buffering mechanism; buffer the parcel on the first buffering mechanism at the first position and control the first buffering mechanism to stop operating when there is a parcel on the first buffering mechanism and there is no unprocessed upper parcel request at present.

[0013] In an optional embodiment, the second buffering mechanism has a second position, the second position is located on the conveying path of the second buffering mechanism and has a length of a second length from the start end of the second buffering mechanism in the conveying direction of the parcels; the control device is configured to control the second buffering mechanism to convey the second target parcel to the posture correction mechanism according to the first strategy in the following manner:

[0014] determine whether there is a parcel to be sorted on the posture correction mechanism or the first buffering mechanism when the second target parcel is located at the second position;

[0015] control the second buffering mechanism to convey the second target parcel to the posture correction mechanism when it is determined that there is no parcel to be sorted on the posture correction mechanism and the first buffering mechanism; control the second buffering mechanism to convey the second target parcel to the posture correction mechanism after a first parcel conveying waiting time from the current time when it is determined that there is a parcel to be sorted on the posture correction mechanism or the first buffering mechanism.

[0016] In an optional embodiment, the control device is further configured to control the second buffering mechanism to work in the following manner:

[0017] control the second buffering mechanism to operate at a set speed to wait for conveying the parcel from the upstream when there is no parcel on the second buffering mechanism; buffer the parcel on the second buffering mechanism at the second position and control the second buffering mechanism to stop operating when there is a parcel on the second buffering mechanism and there is a parcel to be sorted on the posture correction mechanism or the first buffering mechanism and there is no unprocessed upper parcel request at present; control the second buffering mechanism to convey the parcel to the posture correction mechanism when there is a parcel on the second buffering mechanism and there is no parcel to be sorted on the posture correction mechanism and the first buffering mechanism and there is no unprocessed upper parcel request at present.

[0018] In an optional embodiment, the control device is configured to calculate the first package delivery waiting time in a case that it is determined that the posture correcting mechanism or the first buffering mechanism has a package to be sorted by:

[0019] calculating a first time length required for the package to be sorted to travel from the current position to leave the first buffering mechanism and a second time length required for the second target package to travel from the current position to enter the first buffering mechanism, and comparing the first time length and the second time length;

[0020] in a case that the first time length is less than or equal to the second time length, setting the first package delivery waiting time as zero, and in a case that the first time length is greater than the second time length, setting the first package delivery waiting time as a difference between the first time length and the second time length.

[0021] In an optional embodiment, before the second target package reaches the second position, the control device is further configured to:

[0022] detect whether the second target package reaches the second buffering mechanism;

[0023] acquire a position of the first target package when it is detected that the second target package reaches the second buffering mechanism, and determine a target speed at which the second buffering mechanism transports the second target package according to the position of the first target package, wherein the target speed satisfies a condition that the first target package has left the posture correcting mechanism when the second buffering mechanism transports the second target package to the posture correcting mechanism at the target speed;

[0024] control the second buffering mechanism to transport the second target package to the second position at the target speed.

[0025] In an optional embodiment, the import device further comprises a third buffering mechanism and a centering mechanism arranged in sequence along the package transport direction, the centering mechanism is located upstream of the second buffering mechanism and is configured to receive a package transported by the third buffering mechanism and transport the received package to the second buffering mechanism after centering alignment; the control device is further configured to:

[0026] control the third buffering mechanism to transport the third target package to the centering mechanism according to the second strategy, so that the third target package reaches the second buffering mechanism after the second target package leaves the second buffering mechanism.

[0027] In an optional embodiment, the centering mechanism is configured to continuously operate after the import device is powered on.

[0028] In an optional embodiment, the third buffering mechanism has a third position, the third position is located on the conveying path of the third buffering mechanism and is a third length away from the starting end of the third buffering mechanism in the conveying direction of the parcels; the control device is configured to control the third buffering mechanism to convey the third target parcel to the centering mechanism according to the second strategy in the following manner:

[0029] When the third target parcel is located at the third position, it is determined whether there is a parcel to be corrected on the centering mechanism or the second buffering mechanism;

[0030] In a case where it is determined that there is no parcel to be corrected on the centering mechanism and the second buffering mechanism, the third buffering mechanism is controlled to convey the third target parcel to the centering mechanism; in a case where it is determined that there is a parcel to be corrected on the centering mechanism or the second buffering mechanism, the third buffering mechanism is controlled to convey the third target parcel to the centering mechanism after a second parcel conveying waiting time elapses from the current time.

[0031] In an optional embodiment, the control device is further configured to control the third buffering mechanism to work in the following manner:

[0032] In a case where there is no parcel on the third buffering mechanism, the third buffering mechanism is controlled to run at a set speed to wait for a parcel conveyed from upstream; in a case where there is a parcel on the third buffering mechanism, there is a parcel to be corrected on the centering mechanism or the second buffering mechanism, and the second buffering mechanism has no unfinished parcel conveying task, the parcel on the third buffering mechanism is buffered at the third position and the third buffering mechanism is controlled to stop running; in a case where there is a parcel on the third buffering mechanism, there is no parcel to be corrected on the centering mechanism and the second buffering mechanism, and the second buffering mechanism has no unfinished parcel conveying task, the third buffering mechanism is controlled to convey the parcel to the centering mechanism; wherein the second buffering mechanism having a parcel conveying task means that the second buffering mechanism needs to convey a parcel to the posture correcting mechanism.

[0033] In an optional embodiment, the control device is configured to calculate the second parcel conveying waiting time in a case where it is determined that there is a parcel to be corrected on the centering mechanism or the second buffering mechanism, in the following manner:

[0034] A third time length required for the parcel to be corrected to move from a current position to leave the second buffering mechanism and a fourth time length required for the third target parcel to move from the current position to enter the second buffering mechanism are calculated, and the third time length and the fourth time length are compared;

[0035] In a case where the third time length is less than or equal to the fourth time length, the second parcel conveying waiting time is set to zero; in a case where the third time length is greater than the fourth time length, the second parcel conveying waiting time is set to the difference between the third time length and the fourth time length.

[0036] The beneficial effects of the embodiments of the present application include, for example:

[0037] In the embodiment of the present application, the posture correction mechanism of the introduction device can adjust the posture of the received package to the expected posture, so that the posture of the package can be adapted to the carrying surface of the trolley of the sorting device by using the posture correction mechanism of the introduction device, and the carrying surface of the trolley can be fully utilized. The size of the trolley does not need to meet the requirement that no matter what posture the package enters the trolley, the entire package can fall within the carrying surface of the trolley. Therefore, the trolley of the sorting device can be designed to have a smaller carrying surface, so as to increase the number of trolleys per unit length of the sorting ring of the sorting device, thereby increasing the number of packages that can be sorted per unit length of the sorting ring, and further improving the sorting efficiency of the sorting device. Further, in the embodiment of the present application, the first buffering mechanism is arranged upstream of the package loading table, and the second buffering mechanism is arranged upstream of the posture correction mechanism. During the process of controlling the first buffering mechanism to deliver a package to the package loading table, the second buffering mechanism is controlled to deliver the next package to the posture correction mechanism according to the first strategy, so that the next package reaches the first buffering mechanism after the previous package leaves the first buffering mechanism. Therefore, by formulating the first strategy for the second buffering mechanism to deliver a package, the embodiment of the present application can ensure that there is at most one package on the first buffering mechanism under the condition that the posture correction mechanism is continuously running, thereby avoiding the accumulation of packages on the first buffering mechanism. That is, the first buffering mechanism can deliver packages one by one to the package loading table under the condition that the package loading table is continuously running. Moreover, because the second buffering mechanism in the introduction device delivers packages according to the first strategy, the posture correction mechanism can continuously run during the process of delivering packages from the introduction device to the sorting device, and it is not necessary to start and stop the posture correction mechanism multiple times to prevent the accumulation of packages on the first buffering mechanism. This not only avoids the reduction of package processing efficiency caused by the multiple start and stop of the posture correction mechanism, but also avoids the problem of variable speed delivery of packages on the posture correction mechanism caused by the start and stop process of the posture correction mechanism, thereby ensuring that the packages are delivered at a constant speed after reaching the posture correction mechanism, so that the posture correction mechanism can adjust the posture of the packages based on the stable state of the packages, and the accuracy of package posture correction is improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0038] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the following will briefly introduce the drawings needed in the embodiments. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of the present application, and therefore should not be regarded as a limitation on the scope. For those skilled in the art, other related drawings can also be obtained without creative labor.

[0039] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a logistics system in an embodiment of the present application;

[0040] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the introduction device in one embodiment of the present application;

[0041] Figure 3 A block diagram of the composition of the introduction device in one embodiment of the present application.

[0042] Icon: 010 - logistics system; 100 - package supply device; 110 - stack separator; 120 - parallel separator; 130 - package pulling machine; 200 - introduction device; 210 - upper package table; 220 - first buffering mechanism; 221 - first detection mechanism; 230 - posture correction mechanism; 240 - second buffering mechanism; 241 - second detection mechanism; 250 - centering mechanism; 260 - third buffering mechanism; 261 - third detection mechanism; 270 - control device; 300 - sorting device; 310 - trolley; 320 - storage container. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described clearly and completely below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. The components of the embodiments of the present application described and shown in the drawings can be arranged and designed in various different configurations.

[0044] Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present application provided in the drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed present application, but only represents selected embodiments of the present application. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments in the present application without creative labor are within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0045] It should be noted that: similar reference numerals and letters represent similar items in the following drawings, therefore, once an item is defined in one drawing, it does not need to be further defined and explained in subsequent drawings.

[0046] In the description of the present application, it should be noted that if the terms "upper", "lower", "inner", "outer" and the like indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, or the orientation or positional relationship when the product of the present application is usually placed, which is only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and does not indicate or imply that the indicated device or element must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, therefore, it cannot be understood as a limitation on the present application.

[0047] In addition, if the terms "first", "second", "third" and the like appear, they are only used to distinguish the description, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0048] It should be noted that the features in the embodiments of the present application can be combined with each other without conflict.

[0049] The inventor found that in the logistics system of the related art, the posture of the package conveyed by the supply and packaging device to the trolley of the sorting device is various, in order to ensure that the trolley can carry and transport the package, the size of the trolley needs to meet that no matter what posture the package enters the trolley, the entire package can fall within the carrying surface of the trolley. This results in that the size of the trolley needs to be designed to be relatively large to ensure that the support surface of the trolley can support the package in any posture. The large size of the trolley will result in that the number of trolleys in the unit length of the sorting ring of the sorting device is less, and thus the number of packages that can be sorted by the unit length of the sorting ring is less. Therefore, the sorting efficiency of the sorting device of the related art is low.

[0050] If the posture of the package is corrected by the posture correction mechanism, so that the package always maintains the optimal posture when it reaches the trolley, under the optimal posture, the package has the shortest size in the running direction of the ring line, which can reduce the size requirement of the trolley. But this way also faces corresponding problems: in the process of continuously conveying multiple packages to the sorting device through the posture correction mechanism and the conveying mechanism such as the package loading table, the posture correction mechanism often needs to be paused to avoid the accumulation of packages on the downstream conveying mechanism. This is because the conveying mechanism upstream of the posture correction mechanism does not consider the downstream package conveying situation of the posture correction mechanism when conveying the package to the posture correction mechanism, resulting in too fast conveying of the package to the posture correction mechanism. The posture correction mechanism constantly pauses and starts, and its conveying process is not stable enough, and it is also easy to cause low accuracy of posture correction of the package, and it is difficult to correct the package to the optimal posture, and thus it also affects the improvement of the package sorting efficiency.

[0051] In order to improve the problem of low sorting efficiency of the logistics system of the related art, the embodiments of the present application provide a logistics system. By setting a posture correction mechanism in the guide-in device, the package can enter the sorting device in a better posture, and the sorting efficiency is improved. At the same time, a more reasonable strategy is adopted to convey the package to the posture correction mechanism, so that the guide-in device can continuously run without frequent start-stop during the process of conveying the package to the sorting device, which affects the processing efficiency, and at the same time ensures the accuracy of the posture correction of the package by the posture correction mechanism.

[0052] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the logistics system 010 in an embodiment of the present application is shown. Please refer to Figure 1The logistics system 010 provided by the embodiment includes a package supply device 100, an import device 200 and a sorting device 300. The sorting device 300 includes a plurality of trolleys 310 connected in sequence along a track and used for conveying and sorting packages. The import device 200 is located between the package supply device 100 and the sorting device 300, and is configured to receive the packages provided by the package supply device 100 and convey the packages to the trolleys 310 of the sorting device 300.

[0053] Optionally, the package supply device 100 is located upstream of the import device 200 and includes a plurality of types of conveying mechanisms, such as a stack separator 110, a parallel separator 120 and a puller 130 arranged in sequence along the package conveying direction, which are respectively used for implementing stack separation, parallel separation and pulling. The package supply device 100 finally conveys the packages to the import device 200 in sequence, and a reasonable interval is required between the packages.

[0054] The sorting device 300 is located downstream of the import device 200 and is used to receive the packages from the import device 200. Generally, each trolley 310 of the sorting device 300 continuously runs on the track, and when a trolley 310 moves to a position corresponding to the outlet of the import device 200, the trolley 310 can receive the packages conveyed by the import device 200. The sorting device 300 is provided with a plurality of storage containers 320 downstream of the outlet of the import device 200, and the trolley 310 carrying the packages can drop the packages into the target storage container 320 after moving to the target storage container 320. Different storage containers 320 are used to receive different types of packages, for example, each storage container 320 corresponds to a destination and is used to receive the packages of the destination.

[0055] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the import device 200 in an embodiment of the present application; Figure 3 A block diagram of the composition of the import device 200 in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 2 And Figure 3 The import device 200 includes a control device 270, a package loading table 210, a first buffer mechanism 220, a posture correction mechanism 230, a second buffer mechanism 240, a centering mechanism 250 and a third buffer mechanism 260. The package loading table 210, the first buffer mechanism 220, the posture correction mechanism 230, the second buffer mechanism 240, the centering mechanism 250 and the third buffer mechanism 260 are electrically connected to the control device 270. In the package conveying direction, the third buffer mechanism 260, the centering mechanism 250, the second buffer mechanism 240, the posture correction mechanism 230, the first buffer mechanism 220 and the package loading table 210 are arranged in sequence.

[0056] The third buffering mechanism 260 is configured to deliver the parcels to the centering mechanism 250; the centering mechanism 250 is configured to receive the parcels delivered by the third buffering mechanism 260, and deliver the received parcels to the second buffering mechanism 240 after centering alignment; the posture correcting mechanism 230 is configured to receive the parcels delivered by the second buffering mechanism 240, and deliver the received parcels to the first buffering mechanism 220 after adjusting the posture of the received parcels to the expected posture; and the parcel loading table 210 is configured to receive the parcels delivered by the first buffering mechanism 220, and deliver the received parcels to the trolley 310 of the sorting device 300. The first buffering mechanism 220, the second buffering mechanism 240 and the third buffering mechanism 260 all have the function of delivering parcels to the downstream mechanism, and can temporarily store the parcels, thereby playing the role of buffering to better cooperate with other mechanisms to process the parcels. Optionally, the parcel loading table 210 and the posture correcting mechanism 230 are configured to continuously operate after the power-on of the import device 200.

[0057] In an optional embodiment, the first buffering mechanism 220 includes a first rack, a first driving member and a first transmission member, the first driving member is fixedly connected with the first rack and is in transmission connection with the first transmission member, the first transmission member is configured to carry the parcels and deliver the parcels under the driving of the first driving member, and the first transmission member can include a conveying belt or a plurality of rollers arranged along the conveying direction of the parcels. Similarly to the first buffering mechanism 220, the second buffering mechanism 240 can include a second rack, a second driving member and a second transmission member, the second driving member is fixedly connected with the second rack and is in transmission connection with the second transmission member, the second transmission member is configured to carry the parcels and deliver the parcels under the driving of the second driving member, and the second transmission member can include a conveying belt or a plurality of rollers arranged along the conveying direction of the parcels. Similarly, the third buffering mechanism 260 can include a third rack, a third driving member and a third transmission member, the third driving member is fixedly connected with the third rack and is in transmission connection with the third transmission member, the third transmission member is configured to carry the parcels and deliver the parcels under the driving of the third driving member, and the third transmission member can include a conveying belt or a plurality of rollers arranged along the conveying direction of the parcels.

[0058] In the embodiment, the import device 200 further includes a first detection mechanism 221, a second detection mechanism 241 and a third detection mechanism 261, and the first detection mechanism 221, the second detection mechanism 241 and the third detection mechanism 261 are electrically connected with the control device 270 to output the signal of detecting the parcels to the control device 270. As shown in FIG. 1, the first detection mechanism 221, the second detection mechanism 241 and the third detection mechanism 261 are respectively arranged at the input end of the first buffering mechanism 220, the second buffering mechanism 240 and the third buffering mechanism 260. Figure 2As shown, optionally, the first detection mechanism 221 is arranged on the conveying path of the first buffering mechanism 220 and located at the starting end of the first buffering mechanism 220 along the conveying direction of the parcels; the second detection mechanism 241 is arranged on the conveying path of the second buffering mechanism 240 and located at the starting end of the second buffering mechanism 240 along the conveying direction of the parcels; and the third detection mechanism 261 is arranged on the conveying path of the third buffering mechanism 260 and located at the starting end of the third buffering mechanism 260 along the conveying direction of the parcels.

[0059] In this embodiment, the first detection mechanism 221 comprises a first light emitting assembly and a first light receiving assembly arranged oppositely, one of the first light emitting assembly and the first light receiving assembly is located above the conveying surface of the first buffering mechanism 220, and the other is located below the conveying surface of the first buffering mechanism 220, and the posture correcting mechanism 230 and the first buffering mechanism 220 have a gap therebetween, the first light emitting assembly and the first light receiving assembly are arranged oppositely on the upper and lower sides of the gap, the first light emitting assembly comprises a plurality of light emitters arranged at intervals along the width direction of the first buffering mechanism 220, the first light receiving assembly comprises a plurality of light receivers arranged at intervals along the width direction of the first buffering mechanism 220, the plurality of light emitters and the plurality of light receivers are arranged one-to-one, in the case that there is no parcel at the detection position of the first detection mechanism 221, the light emitted by each light emitter can be received by the corresponding light receiver through the gap between the posture correcting mechanism 230 and the first buffering mechanism 220, and in the case that there is a parcel at the detection position of the first detection mechanism 221, the light emitted by the light emitter at the corresponding position of the parcel cannot be received by the corresponding light receiver. The light receiver outputs different signals to the control device 270 based on whether the light emitted by the light emitter is received, and the control device 270 can determine whether the parcel blocks the light, that is, whether the parcel reaches the detection position of the detection mechanism according to the different signals received.

[0060] Optionally, the second detection mechanism 241 can also comprise a second light emitting assembly and a second light receiving assembly arranged oppositely, the central mechanism 250 and the second buffering mechanism 240 have a gap therebetween, the second light emitting assembly and the second light receiving assembly are arranged oppositely on the upper and lower sides of the gap, and the third detection mechanism 261 can also comprise a third light emitting assembly and a third light receiving assembly arranged oppositely, the third buffering mechanism 260 and the conveying mechanism upstream thereof have a gap therebetween, and the third light emitting assembly and the third light receiving assembly are arranged oppositely on the upper and lower sides of the gap; the structures of the second detection mechanism 241 and the third detection mechanism 261 are similar to that of the first detection mechanism 221, and will not be described herein again. In other embodiments, the lead-in device 200 can also comprise a visual monitoring device, the visual monitoring device comprises a camera capable of monitoring the position of each parcel conveyed by the lead-in device 200 in real time, and the control device 270 can also obtain the position of the parcel through the image captured by the camera of the visual monitoring device.

[0061] In the embodiment, the control device 270 is configured to:

[0062] In the case of receiving the upper package request, the first buffering mechanism 220 is controlled to deliver the first target package to the upper package table 210; the second buffering mechanism 240 is controlled to deliver the second target package to the posture correcting mechanism 230 according to the first strategy, so that the second target package reaches the first buffering mechanism 220 after the first target package leaves the first buffering mechanism 220.

[0063] In the embodiment, when the first buffering mechanism 220 delivers the first target package to the upper package table 210 based on the upper package request, the second buffering mechanism 240 delivers the second target package to the posture correcting mechanism 230 according to the first strategy, and the posture correcting mechanism 230 adjusts the posture of the second target package to the expected posture after receiving the second target package, and delivers the second target package to the first buffering mechanism 220 after the first target package leaves the first buffering mechanism 220. The expected posture of the package is a posture that meets the set requirements according to the user's settings. For example, the expected posture of the package meets the requirement that the long side of the package is parallel to the long side of the trolley 310 when the package enters the trolley 310 in this posture. In this posture, when the package is delivered to the trolley 310, the utilization rate of the bearing surface of the trolley 310 can be maximized, and the package can be prevented from exceeding the bearing surface of the trolley 310. Of course, the expected posture can also be set according to actual needs, such as the expected posture meeting the requirement that the package has the shortest size in the movement direction of the trolley 310 when the package enters the trolley 310 in this posture.

[0064] In the embodiment, the import device 200 is arranged between the package supply device 100 and the sorting device 300 of the logistics system 010, and the posture correcting mechanism 230 of the import device 200 can adjust the posture of the received package to the expected posture. Therefore, the posture correcting mechanism 230 of the import device 200 can be used to adapt the posture of the package to the bearing surface of the trolley 310 of the sorting device 300, so that the bearing surface of the trolley 310 can be fully utilized, and the size of the trolley 310 does not need to meet the requirement that the entire package can fall within the bearing surface of the trolley 310 regardless of the posture of the package entering the trolley 310. In the case that the bearing surface of the trolley 310 can be fully utilized, the trolley 310 of the sorting device 300 can be designed to have a smaller bearing surface, so as to increase the number of trolleys 310 in the unit length of the sorting ring of the sorting device 300, thereby increasing the number of packages that can be sorted in the unit length of the sorting ring, and further improving the sorting efficiency of the sorting device 300.

[0065] In the embodiment of the present application, the first buffering mechanism 220 is arranged upstream of the wrapping table 210, and the second buffering mechanism 240 is arranged upstream of the posture correction mechanism 230. The wrapping table 210 and the posture correction mechanism 230 continuously run after the introduction device 200 is connected to the power supply. After starting to control the first buffering mechanism 220 to deliver a package to the wrapping table 210, the next package is delivered to the posture correction mechanism 230 according to the first strategy by controlling the second buffering mechanism 240, so that the last package leaves the first buffering mechanism 220 before the next package reaches the first buffering mechanism 220. In this way, at most one package can be present on the first buffering mechanism 220 while the posture correction mechanism 230 is continuously running, avoiding the accumulation of packages on the first buffering mechanism 220. The first buffering mechanism 220 can deliver packages to the wrapping table 210 one by one according to the wrapping request while the wrapping table 210 is continuously running. Moreover, the posture correction mechanism 230 in the introduction device 200 of the embodiment of the present application does not need to be started and stopped multiple times during the process of introducing the package to the sorting device 300. This not only avoids the reduction of package processing efficiency caused by the multiple start and stop of the posture correction mechanism 230, but also avoids the problem of variable speed delivery of the package on the posture correction mechanism 230 caused by the start and stop process of the posture correction mechanism 230, ensuring that the package is delivered at a constant speed after reaching the posture correction mechanism 230. Therefore, the posture correction mechanism 230 can adjust the posture of the package based on the stable state of the package, improving the accuracy of the posture correction of the package. By improving the accuracy of the posture correction to a high level, the full utilization of the carrying surface of the trolley 310 is guaranteed, which is conducive to using smaller and more intensive trolleys 310 for sorting in the logistics system 010, thereby indirectly improving the sorting efficiency.

[0066] Further, the first buffering mechanism 220 has a first position, which is located on the delivery path of the first buffering mechanism 220 and has a length of the first length from the starting end of the first buffering mechanism 220 in the delivery direction of the package. The control device 270 is further configured to control the first buffering mechanism 220 to work in the following manner:

[0067] In the case that there is no package on the first buffering mechanism 220, the first buffering mechanism 220 is controlled to run at a set speed to wait for the delivery of the package from the posture correction mechanism 230. In the case that there is a package on the first buffering mechanism 220 and there is no unprocessed wrapping request at present, the package on the first buffering mechanism 220 is buffered at the first position, and the first buffering mechanism 220 is controlled to stop running.

[0068] In the embodiments of the present application, the upper package request is initiated by the sorting device 300 of the logistics system 010, and the unprocessed upper package request is that the incoming device 200 has received an upper package request but has not successfully transported a package to the upper package table 210. The first cache mechanism 220 has a package means that the first drive member has a package on the conveying surface, and the first cache mechanism 220 runs at a set speed means that the first drive member is controlled to run at a set speed.

[0069] Since the control device 270 controls the first cache mechanism 220 to work according to the above method, when the step of "controlling the first cache mechanism 220 to run to transport the first target package to the upper package table 210 in the case of receiving the upper package request" is executed, the following scenarios can exist:

[0070] (1) Before receiving the upper package request, the first cache mechanism 220 has no package and the first cache mechanism 220 is running at a set speed, when receiving the upper package request, the first cache mechanism 220 continues to run and transports the first target package to the upper package table 210 when a package arrives;

[0071] (2) Before receiving the upper package request, there is a package at the first position of the first cache mechanism 220 and the first cache mechanism 220 is not running, when receiving the upper package request, the first cache mechanism 220 starts running and transports the existing package on the first cache mechanism 220 to the upper package table 210 as the first target package;

[0072] (3) Before receiving the upper package request, there is a package on the first cache mechanism 220 and the package is located upstream of the first position, the first cache mechanism 220 is transporting the package to the first position, when receiving the upper package request, the first cache mechanism 220 continues to run to transport the package on the first cache mechanism 220 to the upper package table 210 as the first target package.

[0073] In the embodiment, the control device 270 controls the first buffering mechanism 220 to convey the parcel to the first position based on the signal outputted by the first detecting mechanism 221. Optionally, the first detecting mechanism 221 of the embodiment is arranged on the conveying path of the first buffering mechanism 220 and located at the starting end of the first buffering mechanism 220 along the conveying direction of the parcel, i.e., the length between the first position and the detecting position of the first detecting mechanism 221 is the first length. Optionally, in the embodiment, the position of the parcel refers to the position of the trailing edge of the parcel. When it is determined that the parcel reaches the detecting position of the first detecting mechanism 221 according to the signal outputted by the first detecting mechanism 221, the parcel is conveyed forward by the first length, and the parcel reaches the first position. The first length is greater than or equal to zero. In other optional embodiments, the first detecting mechanism 221 can be arranged at a position adjacent to the end of the first buffering mechanism 220, and the first length is set to zero, i.e., the detecting position of the first detecting mechanism 221 is regarded as the first position. In this case, the position of the parcel can be described by the position of the leading edge of the parcel.

[0074] As described above, when there is no parcel on the first buffering mechanism 220, the control device 270 controls the first buffering mechanism 220 to run at a set speed and determines whether a parcel reaches the first buffering mechanism 220 according to the signal outputted by the first detecting mechanism 221. When it is determined that a parcel reaches the first buffering mechanism 220, the parcel is regarded as the first target parcel, and it is determined whether there is an unprocessed parcel request. If it is determined that there is an unprocessed parcel request, the control device 270 controls the first buffering mechanism 220 to directly convey the first target parcel to the parcel loading table 210. If it is determined that there is no unprocessed parcel request, the distance that the first target parcel is conveyed since the time when the first target parcel reaches the detecting position of the first detecting mechanism 221 is recorded. When the distance that the first target parcel is conveyed reaches the first distance, it is determined that the first target parcel reaches the first position, and the control device 270 controls the first buffering mechanism 220 to stop running and makes the first target parcel stay at the first position to wait for a parcel request.

[0075] After receiving the parcel request and controlling the first buffering mechanism 220 to run to start conveying the first target parcel to the parcel loading table 210, the control device 270 controls the second buffering mechanism 240 to convey the second target parcel to the posture correcting mechanism 230 according to the first strategy, so that the second target parcel reaches the first buffering mechanism 220 after the first target parcel leaves the first buffering mechanism 220, thereby enabling the first buffering mechanism 220 to take the just-received parcel as the first target parcel and process it in the above-mentioned manner.

[0076] Further, the second buffering mechanism 240 has a second position, the second position is located on the conveying path of the second buffering mechanism 240 and has a length of a second length from the starting end of the second buffering mechanism 240 along the conveying direction of the parcels; the control device 270 is configured to control the second buffering mechanism 240 to convey the second target parcel to the posture correcting mechanism 230 according to the first strategy in the following manner:

[0077] When the second target parcel is located at the second position, it is determined whether there is a parcel to be sorted on the posture correcting mechanism 230 or the first buffering mechanism 220; in the case that there is no parcel to be sorted on the posture correcting mechanism 230 and the first buffering mechanism 220, the second buffering mechanism 240 is controlled to convey the second target parcel to the posture correcting mechanism 230; in the case that there is a parcel to be sorted on the posture correcting mechanism 230 or the first buffering mechanism 220, the second buffering mechanism 240 is controlled to convey the second target parcel to the posture correcting mechanism 230 after a first parcel conveying waiting time from the current time.

[0078] When the second target parcel is located at the second position, if there is a parcel on the posture correcting mechanism 230 or the first buffering mechanism 220, the parcel will be subsequently conveyed to the parcel loading table 210 and then sent to the trolley 310 of the sorting device 300 for sorting. Therefore, for the convenience of description, the parcel located on the posture correcting mechanism 230 or the first buffering mechanism 220 when the second target parcel is located at the second position is referred to as a parcel to be sorted, wherein if the parcel to be sorted is located on the first buffering mechanism 220 and is being conveyed to the parcel loading table 210 by the first buffering mechanism 220, the parcel to be sorted is also referred to as the first target parcel in the above.

[0079] The control device 270 is further configured to control the second buffering mechanism 240 to work in the following manner:

[0080] In the case that there is no parcel on the second buffering mechanism 240, the second buffering mechanism 240 is controlled to run at a set speed to wait for a parcel conveyed from upstream; in the case that there is a parcel on the second buffering mechanism 240, there is a parcel to be sorted on the posture correcting mechanism 230 or the first buffering mechanism 220, and there is no unprocessed parcel loading request at present, the parcel on the second buffering mechanism 240 is buffered at the second position and the second buffering mechanism 240 is controlled to stop running; in the case that there is a parcel on the second buffering mechanism 240, there is no parcel to be sorted on the posture correcting mechanism 230 and the first buffering mechanism 220, and there is no unprocessed parcel loading request at present, the second buffering mechanism 240 is controlled to convey the parcel to the posture correcting mechanism 230.

[0081] Since the control device 270 controls the second buffering mechanism 240 to work in the above-mentioned method, when the first target parcel is located on the first buffering mechanism 220 and the step of "controlling the first buffering mechanism 220 to run to deliver the first target parcel to the upper parcel table 210 in the case that the upper parcel request is received" is performed, the following scenarios can exist:

[0082] (1) There is no parcel on the second buffering mechanism 240 and the second buffering mechanism 240 is running at the set speed, in which case, the second buffering mechanism 240 is controlled to continue running and deliver the parcel as the second target parcel to the second position of the second buffering mechanism 240 when a parcel arrives, and then the step of "judging whether there is a parcel to be sorted on the posture correcting mechanism 230 or the first buffering mechanism 220" is performed;

[0083] (2) There is a parcel at the second position of the second buffering mechanism 240 and the second buffering mechanism 240 is not running, in which case, the parcel is taken as the second target parcel, and the step of "judging whether there is a parcel to be sorted on the posture correcting mechanism 230 or the first buffering mechanism 220" is performed;

[0084] (3) There is a parcel on the second buffering mechanism 240 and the parcel is located upstream of the second position, and the second buffering mechanism 240 is running to deliver the parcel to the second position, in which case, the second buffering mechanism 240 is controlled to continue running to deliver the parcel as the second target parcel to the second position, and then the step of "judging whether there is a parcel to be sorted on the posture correcting mechanism 230 or the first buffering mechanism 220" is performed.

[0085] From the foregoing, it can be seen that when the importing device 200 is in an idle state, i.e., the feeding device 100 does not deliver parcels to the importing device 200, the parcel loading table 210, the first buffer mechanism 220, the posture correction mechanism 230, and the second buffer mechanism 240 of the importing device 200 are all in an operating state. If the importing device 200 just receives a batch of parcels from the feeding device 100 after being idle for a period of time, when the first parcel of the batch of parcels reaches the second buffer mechanism 240, there is no parcel on the posture correction mechanism 230 and the first buffer mechanism 220. At this time, whether or not an upper parcel request is received, the control device 270 controls the second buffer mechanism 240 to deliver the parcel to the posture correction mechanism 230. After the parcel reaches the posture correction mechanism 230, the posture correction mechanism 230 adjusts the posture of the parcel to the expected posture and delivers the parcel to the first buffer mechanism 220. After the parcel reaches the first buffer mechanism 220, if there is no unprocessed upper parcel request (i.e., the first buffer mechanism 220 has no uncompleted parcel delivery task), the parcel is buffered at the first position, and in the case of receiving an upper parcel request, the first buffer mechanism 220 delivers the parcel as a first target parcel to the parcel loading table 210; if there is an unprocessed upper parcel request, the parcel is directly delivered as a first target parcel to the parcel loading table 210. When the second parcel of the batch of parcels reaches the second buffer mechanism 240, if the second buffer mechanism 240 does not need to deliver a parcel downstream (for example, at this time there is no unprocessed upper parcel request and there is a parcel to be sorted on the posture correction mechanism 230 or the first buffer mechanism 220), the parcel is buffered at the second position, and if the second buffer mechanism 240 needs to deliver a parcel downstream (for example, because an upper parcel request is received and the first buffer mechanism 220 needs to deliver the aforementioned first parcel to the parcel loading table 210), the parcel is delivered as a second target parcel by the second buffer mechanism 240 to the posture correction mechanism 230 according to the first strategy, and after the second parcel reaches the first buffer mechanism 220, the second parcel is taken as a first target parcel when the next upper parcel request is received, and so on. Each parcel entering the importing device 200 is sequentially taken as a second target parcel by the second buffer mechanism 240 to the posture correction mechanism 230 and as a first target parcel by the first buffer mechanism 220 to the parcel loading table 210.

[0086] Therefore, after receiving the upper package request and controlling the first buffering mechanism 220 to start conveying the first target package to the upper package table 210, in the process of controlling the second buffering mechanism 240 to convey the second target package to the posture correcting mechanism 230 according to the first strategy, when the second target package is located at the second position of the second buffering mechanism 240, if it is determined that there is no package to be sorted on the posture correcting mechanism 230 and the first buffering mechanism 220, it indicates that the first buffering mechanism 220 has conveyed the first target package to the upper package table 210, at this time, the control device 270 controls the second buffering mechanism 240 to send the second target package to the posture correcting mechanism 230. If it is determined that there is a package to be sorted on the posture correcting mechanism 230 or the first buffering mechanism 220, the second buffering mechanism 240 conveys the second target package to the posture correcting mechanism 230 after a first package sending waiting time from the current time, so that the second target package reaches the first buffering mechanism 220 after the above-mentioned package to be sorted leaves the first buffering mechanism 220, thereby ensuring that there is at most one package on the first buffering mechanism 220.

[0087] Through the embodiment, there is at most one package on the first buffering mechanism 220 when the posture correcting mechanism 230 continuously operates, so that on the one hand, it avoids the accumulation of packages on the first buffering mechanism 220, enables the first buffering mechanism 220 to convey the packages one by one to the upper package table 210, and ensures the reliability of package guiding; on the other hand, the first buffering mechanism 220 can be designed to have a smaller size (for example, the length of the first buffering mechanism 220 is slightly larger than the length of the maximum package that can be processed by the logistics system 010 along the package conveying direction after being adjusted to be suitable for the posture of the trolley 310), thereby increasing the number of packages that can be processed within a unit length of the guiding device 200 and improving the efficiency of package guiding.

[0088] In the embodiment, the second detection mechanism 241 is arranged on the conveying path of the second buffering mechanism 240 and located at the starting end of the second buffering mechanism 240 along the package conveying direction, that is, the length between the second position and the detection position of the second detection mechanism 241 is the second length. Optionally, in the embodiment, when it is determined that the package reaches the detection position of the second detection mechanism 241 according to the signal output by the second detection mechanism 241, the package is further conveyed by the second length, and the package reaches the second position. The second length is greater than or equal to zero. In other optional embodiments, the second detection mechanism 241 can also be arranged at a position adjacent to the end of the second buffering mechanism 240, and the second length is set to zero, that is, the detection position of the second detection mechanism 241 is regarded as the second position. In this case, the position of the package can be described by using the position of the front end of the package.

[0089] In the embodiment, the specific value of the first package sending waiting time can be calculated when it is determined that there is a package to be sorted on the posture correcting mechanism 230 or the first buffer mechanism 220. Alternatively, the first package sending waiting time can be calculated in the following manner:

[0090] The first time length required for the package to be sorted to leave the first buffer mechanism 220 from the current position and the second time length required for the second target package to enter the first buffer mechanism 220 from the current position are calculated, and the first time length and the second time length are compared. In the case where the first time length is less than or equal to the second time length, the first package sending waiting time is set to zero, and in the case where the first time length is greater than the second time length, the first package sending waiting time is set to the difference between the first time length and the second time length.

[0091] In the embodiment, the first time length and the second time length are compared. If the first time length is less than or equal to the second time length, it indicates that even if the second target package is immediately transported downstream from the current time, the second target package will not arrive at the first buffer mechanism 220 until the first target package leaves the first buffer mechanism 220, and at most one package can be ensured on the first buffer mechanism 220. Therefore, the first package sending waiting time can be set to zero, that is, the second target package is immediately transported to the posture correcting mechanism 230. If the first time length is greater than the second time length, the first package sending waiting time is set to the difference between the first time length and the second time length. In this way, the second target package is controlled to be transported to the posture correcting mechanism 230 by the second buffer mechanism 240 after the first package sending waiting time from the current time, so that the second target package arrives at the first buffer mechanism 220 after the package to be sorted leaves the first buffer mechanism 220, thereby ensuring that at most one package is on the first buffer mechanism 220.

[0092] Alternatively, "after the first package sending waiting time from the current time" includes a first time after the first package sending waiting time from the current time and a time after the first time. Alternatively, when the second target package is located at the second position of the second buffer mechanism 240, in the case where it is determined that there is a package to be sorted on the posture correcting mechanism 230 or the first buffer mechanism 220, the second target package is controlled to be transported to the posture correcting mechanism 230 by the second buffer mechanism 240 when the first package sending waiting time from the current time, that is, when the first time arrives, so that the second target package arrives at the first buffer mechanism 220 exactly when the package to be sorted leaves the first buffer mechanism 220, thereby improving the package sending efficiency when the first buffer mechanism 220 needs to continuously send packages to the upper package table 210.

[0093] In this embodiment, the first buffering mechanism 220, the posture correcting mechanism 230 and the second buffering mechanism 240 each include a motor and a belt, and the control device 270 monitors the position of each parcel in real time by recording the conveying distance of each belt. For example, after a parcel reaches the detection position of the second detection mechanism 241 and before it reaches the detection position of the first detection mechanism 221, the control device 270 detects whether the parcel is still on the second buffering mechanism 240 by recording the conveying distance of the belt of the second buffering mechanism 240 since the moment when the parcel reaches the detection position of the second detection mechanism 241, and calculates the specific position of the parcel on the second buffering mechanism 240 in the case that the parcel is still on the second buffering mechanism 240. For example, assuming that the length from the detection position of the second detection mechanism 241 to the end of the second buffering mechanism 240 is L, the position of a parcel is taken as the position of the trailing edge of the parcel, the conveying distance of the belt of the second buffering mechanism 240 since the moment when the trailing edge of the parcel reaches the detection position of the second detection mechanism 241 is D, if D is less than L, it indicates that the parcel is still on the second buffering mechanism 240 and the parcel is located at a position that is D away from the detection position of the second detection mechanism 241; if D is greater than or equal to L, it indicates that the parcel has left the second buffering mechanism 240, in this case, the control device 270 determines the moment when the parcel leaves the second buffering mechanism 240 according to the moment when the conveying distance of the belt of the second buffering mechanism 240 is L since the moment when the parcel reaches the detection position of the second detection mechanism 241, and calculates the position of the parcel on the posture correcting mechanism 230 according to the conveying distance of the belt of the posture correcting mechanism 230 since the moment when the parcel leaves the second buffering mechanism 240, and so on, until the first detection mechanism 221 detects that the parcel reaches the detection position of the first detection mechanism 221, then the control device 270 can determine the position of the parcel on the first buffering mechanism 220 according to a method similar to the above. Optionally, the conveying distance of the belt can be calculated by the rotation angle of the output shaft of the motor for driving the belt to move, for example, the rotation angle of the output shaft of the motor can be determined by the number of output pulses of the encoder cooperating with the output shaft of the motor. Monitoring the position of the parcel by recording the conveying distance of each belt can improve the detection accuracy and make the detected position of the parcel more accurate.

[0094] Furthermore, calculating the first time required for the package to be sorted to travel from its current position to leave the first buffer mechanism 220 includes: obtaining the current position of the package to be sorted; calculating the first time required for the package to travel from its current position to leave the first buffer mechanism 220 based on the distance from the current position of the package to be sorted to the end of the first buffer mechanism 220 along the package conveying direction and the conveying speed of the conveying mechanism carrying the package to be sorted; wherein, when the package to be sorted is located on the first buffer mechanism 220, the package to be sorted is the first target package. The conveying mechanism carrying the packages to be sorted refers to the first buffer mechanism 220. The aforementioned first duration is the duration during which the packages to be sorted will continue to be conveyed on the first buffer mechanism 220. When the packages to be sorted are located on the attitude correction mechanism 230, the conveying mechanism carrying the packages to be sorted includes the attitude correction mechanism 230 and the first buffer mechanism 220. The aforementioned first duration is the sum of the duration T1 during which the packages to be sorted will continue to be conveyed on the attitude correction mechanism 230 and the duration T2 during which the packages to be sorted will be conveyed on the first buffer mechanism 220. Optionally, the attitude correction mechanism 230 includes multiple belts spaced apart along its width, each belt being driven by a motor. The attitude of the packages located on the attitude correction mechanism 230 is adjusted by making different belts have different conveying speeds. Optionally, the package conveying direction of the import device 200 is at a certain angle to the loop of the sorting device 300. Multiple trolleys 310 of the sorting device 300 are spaced apart along the track of the loop. The carrying surface of the trolley 310 is rectangular, such as... Figure 1 As shown, when the outline of the package is rectangular, the posture correction mechanism 230 adjusts the posture of the package so that the long side of the package is parallel to the long side of the trolley 310. Optionally, when there are no packages on the posture correction mechanism 230, each belt of the posture correction mechanism 230 runs at a set conveying speed V1. When the posture correction mechanism 230 corrects packages, the conveying speed of the belt carrying the package that needs to be pulled forward is set to V1+ΔV, and the conveying speed of the belt carrying the package that needs to be pulled backward is set to V1-ΔV. Therefore, during the process of the posture correction mechanism 230 adjusting the package posture, the average speed of the posture correction mechanism 230 conveying the package is still V1. In this embodiment, the distance from the current position of the package along the package conveying direction to the end of the posture correction mechanism 230 and the average conveying speed V1 of the posture correction mechanism 230 are used to calculate the duration T1 for the package to be sorted to continue to be conveyed on the posture correction mechanism 230, where T1 = Len1 / V1, and Len1 is the distance from the current position of the package along the package conveying direction to the end of the posture correction mechanism 230. The time T2 during which the package to be sorted is transported on the first buffer mechanism 220 can be calculated by the total length Len2 of the first buffer mechanism 220 along the package transport direction and the transport speed V2 of the first buffer mechanism 220, where T2 = Len2 / V2.

[0095] Further, the second time length required for the second target parcel to enter the first buffering mechanism 220 from the current position is calculated, including: obtaining the length from the current position (i.e., the second position) of the second target parcel to the end of the second buffering mechanism 240 along the conveying direction of the parcel, and the target speed of the second buffering mechanism 240 conveying the second target parcel, and calculating the second time length required for the second target parcel to enter the first buffering mechanism 220 from the current position according to the length and the target speed. Optionally, when there is no parcel on the second buffering mechanism 240, the belt of the second buffering mechanism 240 runs at a set conveying speed V3, and when there is a parcel on the second buffering mechanism 240, the conveying speed of the belt of the second buffering mechanism 240 can be adjusted as needed.

[0096] Further, before the second target parcel reaches the second position, the control device 270 is further configured to:

[0097] detect whether the second target parcel reaches the second buffering mechanism 240, obtain the position of the first target parcel when it is detected that the second target parcel reaches the second buffering mechanism 240, determine the target speed of the second buffering mechanism 240 conveying the second target parcel according to the position of the first target parcel, wherein the target speed satisfies the following condition: the first target parcel has left the posture correcting mechanism 230 when the second target parcel is conveyed to the posture correcting mechanism 230 at the target speed, and control the second buffering mechanism 240 to convey the second target parcel to the second position at the target speed.

[0098] In the embodiment, the control device 270 determines whether the second target parcel reaches the second buffering mechanism 240 according to the signal output by the second detecting mechanism 241. When it is determined that the second target parcel reaches the second buffering mechanism 240, the position of the first target parcel is obtained, and it is determined whether the first target parcel has left the posture correcting mechanism 230 when the second target parcel reaches the posture correcting mechanism 230 when the second buffering mechanism 240 conveys the second target parcel at the set conveying speed V3. If yes, the set conveying speed V3 is taken as the target speed, otherwise, the time required for the first target parcel to leave the posture correcting mechanism 230 from the current position is calculated, and the target speed is calculated according to the time and the distance between the second target parcel and the posture correcting mechanism 230, wherein the target speed V 目标D1 / t, D1 is the sum of the length of the second target package and the length of the second buffering mechanism 240, and t is the time required for the first target package to move from the current position to the disengagement posture correction mechanism 230, by so setting, when the second buffering mechanism 240 continuously runs to the posture correction mechanism 230, the first target package has already left the posture correction mechanism 230 when the second buffering mechanism 240 transports the second target package to the posture correction mechanism 230 at the target speed, which ensures that there is at most one package on the posture correction mechanism 230. Optionally, one package reaching the posture correction mechanism 230 means that the leading edge of the package reaches the posture correction mechanism 230, and one package leaving the posture correction mechanism 230 means that the trailing edge of the package leaves the posture correction mechanism 230.

[0099] In the embodiment, by determining the target speed of the second buffering mechanism 240 transporting the second target package, the first target package has already left the posture correction mechanism 230 when the second buffering mechanism 240 transports the second target package to the posture correction mechanism 230 at the target speed. By so setting, on the one hand, it can avoid changing the posture of another package when the posture of one package is corrected when there are two packages on the posture correction mechanism 230, thereby causing the efficiency of correcting the posture of another package to decrease, on the other hand, it can also reduce the size of the posture correction mechanism 230, so that the posture correction mechanism 230 can adapt to the size of the largest package that the introduction device 200 can process, thereby improving the number of packages that the introduction device 200 can process per unit length, and further improving the efficiency of package introduction.

[0100] Further, the control device 270 is further configured to:

[0101] The third buffering mechanism 260 transports the third target package to the centering mechanism 250 according to the second strategy, so that the third target package reaches the second buffering mechanism 240 after the second target package leaves the second buffering mechanism 240.

[0102] In the embodiment, the optional centering mechanism 250 is configured to continuously operate after the introduction device 200 is connected to the power supply. The embodiment can achieve that no package accumulation occurs on the second buffer mechanism 240 in the case that the centering mechanism 250 operates continuously, that is, at most one package is on the second buffer mechanism 240, and the packages are transported one by one to the posture correcting mechanism 230, and therefore, the centering mechanism 250 in the introduction device 200 of the embodiment does not need to be started and stopped multiple times in the process that the introduction device 200 introduces the packages to the sorting device 300. The centering mechanism of the prior art usually has a large load when operating. For example, in the embodiment, the centering mechanism 250 adopts a structure form known in the prior art, and the centering mechanism 250 includes a first alignment assembly and a second alignment assembly, each of which includes a plurality of rollers arranged in a set direction, and the arrangement direction of the plurality of rollers satisfies that the package carried by the rollers can be transported to the middle of the centering mechanism 250 in the width direction when the rollers rotate in the set direction. In the embodiment, by controlling the third buffer mechanism 260 to transport the third target package to the centering mechanism 250 according to the second strategy, the centering mechanism 250 in the package introduction process does not need to be started and stopped multiple times, so that the system load caused by the start and stop of the centering mechanism 250 can be avoided, the operating load of the introduction device 200 is reduced, and the overall performance of the introduction device 200 is improved.

[0103] In the embodiment, the third buffer mechanism 260 has a third position, the third position is located on the conveying path of the third buffer mechanism 260 and has a third length from the starting end of the third buffer mechanism 260 in the conveying direction of the package; and the control device 270 is configured to control the third buffer mechanism 260 to transport the third target package to the centering mechanism 250 according to the second strategy in the following manner:

[0104] When the third target package is located at the third position, it is determined whether there is a package to be corrected on the centering mechanism 250 or the second buffer mechanism 240; in the case that there is no package to be corrected on the centering mechanism 250 and the second buffer mechanism 240, the third buffer mechanism 260 is controlled to transport the third target package to the centering mechanism 250; and in the case that there is a package to be corrected on the centering mechanism 250 or the second buffer mechanism 240, the third buffer mechanism 260 is controlled to transport the third target package to the centering mechanism 250 after a second package conveying waiting time from the current time.

[0105] In the present embodiment, when the third target parcel is located at the third position, if there is a parcel on the centering mechanism 250 or the second buffering mechanism 240, since the parcel will be subsequently transported to the posture correcting mechanism 230 and posture adjustment will be performed on the parcel by the posture correcting mechanism 230, for the convenience of description, the parcel located on the centering mechanism 250 or the second buffering mechanism 240 when the third target parcel is located at the third position will be referred to as a parcel to be corrected, wherein if the parcel to be corrected is located on the second buffering mechanism 240 and is being transported to the posture correcting mechanism 230 by the second buffering mechanism 240, the parcel to be corrected is also the second target parcel as referred to above.

[0106] Further, the control device 270 is further configured to control the third buffering mechanism 260 to work in the following manner:

[0107] control the third buffering mechanism 260 to run at a set speed to wait for a parcel to be transported from upstream in the case that there is no parcel on the third buffering mechanism 260; buffer the parcel on the third buffering mechanism 260 at the third position and control the third buffering mechanism 260 to stop running in the case that there is a parcel on the third buffering mechanism 260, there is a parcel to be corrected on the centering mechanism 250 or the second buffering mechanism 240, and the second buffering mechanism 240 has no unfinished parcel transporting task; control the third buffering mechanism 260 to transport the parcel to the centering mechanism 250 in the case that there is a parcel on the third buffering mechanism 260 and there is no parcel to be corrected on the centering mechanism 250 and the second buffering mechanism 240, and the second buffering mechanism 240 has no unfinished parcel transporting task; wherein the second buffering mechanism 240 having a parcel transporting task means that the second buffering mechanism 240 needs to transport a parcel to the posture correcting mechanism 230.

[0108] Since the control device 270 controls the third buffering mechanism 260 to work in the above-mentioned manner, when the step of “controlling the second buffering mechanism 240 to transport the second target parcel to the posture correcting mechanism 230 according to the first strategy, so that the second target parcel reaches the first buffering mechanism 220 after the first target parcel leaves the first buffering mechanism 220” is performed, the following scenarios can exist:

[0109] (1) there is no parcel on the third buffering mechanism 260 and the third buffering mechanism 260 is running at a set speed, in which case, the third buffering mechanism 260 is controlled to continue running and, when a parcel arrives, the parcel is transported to the third position of the third buffering mechanism 260 as a third target parcel, and then the step of “judging whether there is a parcel to be corrected on the centering mechanism 250 or the second buffering mechanism 240” is performed;

[0110] (2) there is a package at the third position of the third buffer mechanism 260 and the third buffer mechanism 260 is not running, in which case, the package is taken as the third target package, and the step of "judging whether there is a package to be corrected on the centering mechanism 250 or the second buffer mechanism 240" is performed;

[0111] (3) there is a package on the third buffer mechanism 260 and the package is located upstream of the third position, the third buffer mechanism 260 is running to transport the package to the third position, in which case, the third buffer mechanism 260 continues to run to transport the package to the third position as the third target package, and then the step of "judging whether there is a package to be corrected on the centering mechanism 250 or the second buffer mechanism 240" is performed.

[0112] From the foregoing, it can be seen that, in the idle state of the import device 200, that is, when the feeding device 100 does not deliver parcels to the import device 200, the third buffer mechanism 260 and the centering mechanism 250 are also in the running state, the same as the parcel feeding table 210, the first buffer mechanism 220, the posture correcting mechanism 230, and the second buffer mechanism 240. If the import device 200 just receives a batch of parcels from the feeding device 100 after being idle for a period of time, when the first parcel of the batch of parcels reaches the third buffer mechanism 260, there is no parcel on the centering mechanism 250 and the second buffer mechanism 240. At this time, whether or not an upper parcel request is received, the control device 270 controls the third buffer mechanism 260 to deliver the parcel to the centering mechanism 250. After the parcel reaches the centering mechanism 250, the centering mechanism 250 aligns and centers the parcel, and delivers the parcel to the second buffer mechanism 240, and the second buffer mechanism 240, the posture correcting mechanism 230 continues to deliver downstream until reaching the first buffer mechanism 220. After the parcel reaches the first buffer mechanism 220, if there is no unprocessed upper parcel request, the parcel is buffered at the first position. In the case of receiving an upper parcel request, the first buffer mechanism 220 delivers the parcel as a first target parcel to the parcel feeding table 210. When the second parcel of the batch of parcels reaches the third buffer mechanism 260, if the second buffer mechanism 240 has an uncompleted parcel delivery task (that is, the second buffer mechanism 240 has not delivered the first parcel), the third buffer mechanism 260 delivers the parcel to the centering mechanism 250 according to the second strategy. After the parcel reaches the second buffer mechanism 240 via the centering mechanism 250, if the second buffer mechanism 240 does not need to deliver the parcel downstream (for example, there is no unprocessed upper parcel request at this time and there are parcels to be sorted on the posture correcting mechanism 230 or the first buffer mechanism 220), the parcel is buffered at the second position. If the second buffer mechanism 240 needs to deliver the parcel downstream, the parcel is taken as a second target parcel and delivered to the posture correcting mechanism 230 by the second buffer mechanism 240 according to the first strategy. When the third parcel of the batch of parcels reaches the third buffer mechanism 260, if the third buffer mechanism 260 does not need to deliver the parcel downstream (for example, at this time, the first buffer mechanism 220 and the second buffer mechanism 240 are both stopped and each buffer has one parcel), the parcel is buffered at the third position. If the third buffer mechanism 260 needs to deliver the parcel downstream (for example, at this time, there is no parcel on the centering mechanism 250 and the second buffer mechanism 240), the parcel is taken as a third target parcel and delivered to the posture correcting mechanism 230 by the third buffer mechanism 260 according to the second strategy.

[0113] Therefore, in the process of controlling the third buffering mechanism 260 to deliver the third target package to the centering mechanism 250 according to the second strategy, when the third target package is located at the third position of the third buffering mechanism 260, if it is determined that there is no package to be corrected on the centering mechanism 250 and the second buffering mechanism 240, the control device 270 controls the third buffering mechanism 260 to deliver the third target package to the centering mechanism 250; if it is determined that there is a package to be corrected on the centering mechanism 250 or the second buffering mechanism 240, the third buffering mechanism 260 is controlled to deliver the third target package to the centering mechanism 250 after a second package delivery waiting time elapses from the current time, so that the third target package reaches the second buffering mechanism 240 after the package to be corrected leaves the second buffering mechanism 240, thereby ensuring that there is at most one package on the second buffering mechanism 240.

[0114] Similar to the determination of the first package delivery waiting time, the second package delivery waiting time can be calculated when it is determined that there is a package to be corrected on the centering mechanism 250 or the second buffering mechanism 240. Alternatively, the second package delivery waiting time can be calculated in the following manner:

[0115] The third time length required for the package to be corrected to move from the current position to leave the second buffering mechanism 240 and the fourth time length required for the third target package to move from the current position to enter the second buffering mechanism 240 are calculated, and the third time length and the fourth time length are compared; if the third time length is less than or equal to the fourth time length, the second package delivery waiting time is set to zero; if the third time length is greater than the fourth time length, the second package delivery waiting time is set to the difference between the third time length and the fourth time length. In this way, the third buffering mechanism 260 is controlled to deliver the third target package to the centering mechanism 250 after the second package delivery waiting time elapses from the current time, so that the third target package reaches the second buffering mechanism 240 after the package to be corrected leaves the second buffering mechanism 240, thereby ensuring that there is at most one package on the second buffering mechanism 240.

[0116] Alternatively, "after the second package delivery waiting time elapses from the current time" includes a second time at which the second package delivery waiting time elapses from the current time and times after the second time. Alternatively, when the third target package is located at the third position of the third buffering mechanism 260, if it is determined that there is a package to be corrected on the centering mechanism 250 or the second buffering mechanism 240, the third buffering mechanism 260 is controlled to start delivering the third target package to the centering mechanism 250 when the second package delivery waiting time elapses from the current time, i.e., when the second time arrives, so that the third target package reaches the second buffering mechanism 240 exactly when the package to be corrected leaves the second buffering mechanism 240, thereby improving the package delivery efficiency when the second buffering mechanism 240 needs to continuously deliver packages to the posture correcting mechanism 230.

[0117] In the present embodiment, the control device 270 conveys the parcel to the third position of the third buffering mechanism 260 based on the signal output by the third detecting mechanism 261. Optionally, the length between the third position and the detecting position of the third detecting mechanism 261 is the third length. When it is determined according to the signal output by the third detecting mechanism 261 that the parcel reaches the detecting position of the third detecting mechanism 261, the parcel is further conveyed by the third length, and the parcel reaches the third position. The third length is greater than or equal to zero. In other optional embodiments, the third detecting mechanism 261 can be arranged at a position adjacent to the end of the third buffering mechanism 260, and the third length is set to zero, that is, the detecting position of the third detecting mechanism 261 is taken as the third position. In this case, the position of the parcel can be described by the position of the leading edge of the parcel.

[0118] In summary, the present embodiment of the logistics system 010 is provided with the induction device 200 between the parcel supply device 100 and the sorting device 300, and the posture correcting mechanism 230 of the induction device 200 can adjust the posture of the received parcel to the expected posture. Therefore, by the present solution, the posture of the parcel can be adapted to the carrying surface of the trolley 310 of the sorting device 300 by the posture correcting mechanism 230 of the induction device 200, and the carrying surface of the trolley 310 can be fully utilized. The size of the trolley 310 does not need to satisfy that no matter what posture the parcel enters the trolley 310, the entire parcel can fall within the carrying surface of the trolley 310. Therefore, the trolley 310 of the sorting device 300 can be designed to have a smaller carrying surface, so as to increase the number of trolleys 310 in the unit length of the sorting ring of the sorting device 300, thereby increasing the number of parcels that can be sorted in the unit length of the sorting ring, and further improving the sorting efficiency of the sorting device 300.

[0119] In the embodiment of the present application, the first buffering mechanism 220 is arranged upstream of the upper wrapping table 210, and the second buffering mechanism 240 is arranged upstream of the posture correction mechanism 230. The upper wrapping table 210 and the posture correction mechanism 230 continuously run after the introduction device 200 is connected to the power supply. After the first buffering mechanism 220 is controlled to deliver one package to the upper wrapping table 210, the second buffering mechanism 240 is controlled to deliver the next package to the posture correction mechanism 230 according to the first strategy. The next package reaches the first buffering mechanism 220 after the previous package leaves the first buffering mechanism 220. Therefore, the embodiment of the present application can ensure that there is at most one package on the first buffering mechanism 220 when the posture correction mechanism 230 continuously runs, thereby avoiding the accumulation of packages on the first buffering mechanism 220. When the upper wrapping table 210 continuously runs, the first buffering mechanism 220 can deliver the packages to the upper wrapping table 210 one by one according to the upper wrapping request. In addition, the posture correction mechanism 230 in the introduction device 200 of the embodiment of the present application does not need to be started and stopped multiple times during the process of introducing the packages from the introduction device 200 to the sorting device 300. This not only avoids the reduction of the package processing efficiency caused by the multiple starts and stops of the posture correction mechanism 230, but also avoids the problem of variable-speed delivery of the packages on the posture correction mechanism 230 caused by the start-stop process of the posture correction mechanism 230, thereby ensuring that the packages are delivered at a constant speed after reaching the posture correction mechanism 230. As a result, the posture correction mechanism 230 can adjust the posture of the packages based on the stable state of the packages, thereby improving the accuracy of the posture correction of the packages.

[0120] The above is only a specific embodiment of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or replacements that can be easily thought of by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present application should be covered within the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A logistics system, characterized by, The system comprises a package supply device, an import device and a sorting device, the sorting device comprises a plurality of trolleys connected in sequence along a track and used for conveying and sorting packages, the import device is located between the package supply device and the sorting device, and is configured to receive the packages provided by the package supply device and convey the packages to the trolleys of the sorting device, the import device comprises a control device, an upper package table, a first buffer mechanism, a posture correction mechanism and a second buffer mechanism electrically connected to the control device, and the second buffer mechanism, the posture correction mechanism, the first buffer mechanism and the upper package table are sequentially arranged along a package conveying direction, the posture correction mechanism is configured to receive the packages conveyed by the second buffer mechanism, adjust the posture of the received packages to an expected posture, and then convey the packages to the first buffer mechanism, and the upper package table is configured to receive the packages conveyed by the first buffer mechanism and convey the received packages to the trolleys of the sorting device. The control device is configured to: control the first buffer mechanism to convey a first target package to the upper package table when a package feeding request is received; control the second buffer mechanism to convey a second target package to the posture correction mechanism according to a first strategy, so that the second target package reaches the first buffer mechanism after the first target package leaves the first buffer mechanism; the second buffer mechanism has a second position, the second position is located on a conveying path of the second buffer mechanism and has a second length from a starting end of the second buffer mechanism along the package conveying direction; and the control device is configured to control the second buffer mechanism to convey the second target package to the posture correction mechanism according to the first strategy in the following manner: when the second target package is located at the second position, it is determined whether there is a package to be sorted on the posture correction mechanism or the first buffer mechanism; when it is determined that there is no package to be sorted on the posture correction mechanism and the first buffer mechanism, the control device controls the second buffer mechanism to convey the second target package to the posture correction mechanism, and when it is determined that there is a package to be sorted on the posture correction mechanism or the first buffer mechanism, the control device controls the second buffer mechanism to convey the second target package to the posture correction mechanism after a first package conveying waiting time elapses from a current time; the control device is further configured to control the second buffer mechanism to work in the following manner: control the second buffering mechanism to run at a set speed to wait for conveying a parcel from upstream when there is no parcel on the second buffering mechanism; control the second buffering mechanism to stop running when there is a parcel on the second buffering mechanism and the parcel to be sorted is on the posture correction mechanism or the first buffering mechanism and there is no unprocessed parcel request at present; control the second buffering mechanism to convey a parcel to the posture correction mechanism when there is a parcel on the second buffering mechanism and there is no parcel to be sorted on the posture correction mechanism and the first buffering mechanism and there is no unprocessed parcel request at present.

2. The logistics system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first buffering mechanism has a first position, which is located on a conveying path of the first buffering mechanism and is a first length away from a starting end of the first buffering mechanism in the parcel conveying direction; the control device is further configured to control the first buffering mechanism to work in the following manner: control the first buffering mechanism to run at a set speed to wait for conveying a parcel from the posture correction mechanism when there is no parcel on the first buffering mechanism; control the parcel on the first buffering mechanism to be buffered at the first position and control the first buffering mechanism to stop running when there is a parcel on the first buffering mechanism and there is no unprocessed parcel request at present.

3. The logistics system of claim 1, wherein, The control device is configured to calculate the first parcel conveying waiting time in the case that it is determined that the parcel to be sorted is on the posture correction mechanism or the first buffering mechanism in the following manner: calculate a first time length required for the parcel to be sorted to move from a current position to leave the first buffering mechanism and a second time length required for the second target parcel to move from a current position to enter the first buffering mechanism, and compare the first time length and the second time length; in the case that the first time length is less than or equal to the second time length, set the first parcel conveying waiting time to zero, and in the case that the first time length is greater than the second time length, set the first parcel conveying waiting time to a difference between the first time length and the second time length.

4. The logistics system of claim 1, wherein, Before the second target parcel reaches the second position, the control device is further configured to: detect whether the second target parcel reaches the second buffering mechanism; acquire a position of the first target parcel when it is detected that the second target parcel reaches the second buffering mechanism, and determine a target speed at which the second buffering mechanism conveys the second target parcel according to the position of the first target parcel, wherein the target speed satisfies the following condition: when the second buffering mechanism conveys the second target parcel to the posture correction mechanism at the target speed, the first target parcel has left the posture correction mechanism; control the second buffering mechanism to convey the second target parcel to the second position at the target speed.

5. The logistics system of claim 1, wherein, The import device further comprises a third buffer mechanism and a centering mechanism arranged in sequence along the package conveying direction, the centering mechanism is located upstream of the second buffer mechanism and is configured to receive the package conveyed by the third buffer mechanism, and to convey the received package to the second buffer mechanism after centering alignment; the control device is further configured to: control the third buffer mechanism to convey a third target package to the centering mechanism according to a second strategy, so that the third target package reaches the second buffer mechanism after the second target package leaves the second buffer mechanism.

6. The logistics system of claim 5, wherein, The third buffer mechanism has a third position, which is located on the conveying path of the third buffer mechanism and has a third length from the starting end of the third buffer mechanism along the package conveying direction; the control device is configured to control the third buffer mechanism to convey the third target package to the centering mechanism according to the second strategy in the following manner: when the third target package is located at the third position, determine whether there is a to-be-corrected package on the centering mechanism or the second buffer mechanism; in the case where it is determined that there is no to-be-corrected package on the centering mechanism and the second buffer mechanism, control the third buffer mechanism to convey the third target package to the centering mechanism, and in the case where it is determined that there is a to-be-corrected package on the centering mechanism or the second buffer mechanism, control the third buffer mechanism to convey the third target package to the centering mechanism after a second package conveying waiting time from the current time.

7. The logistics system of claim 6, wherein, The control device is further configured to control the third buffer mechanism to work in the following manner: control the third buffer mechanism to run at a set speed to wait for a package conveyed from upstream in the case where there is no package on the third buffer mechanism, control the package on the third buffer mechanism to be buffered at the third position and control the third buffer mechanism to stop running in the case where there is a package on the third buffer mechanism, there is a to-be-corrected package on the centering mechanism or the second buffer mechanism, and the second buffer mechanism has no unfinished package conveying task, and control the third buffer mechanism to convey the package to the centering mechanism in the case where there is a package on the third buffer mechanism, there is no to-be-corrected package on the centering mechanism and the second buffer mechanism, and the second buffer mechanism has no unfinished package conveying task; wherein the second buffer mechanism having a package conveying task means that the second buffer mechanism needs to convey a package to the posture correcting mechanism.

8. The logistics system of claim 6, wherein, The control device is configured to calculate the second package conveying waiting time in the case where it is determined that there is a to-be-corrected package on the centering mechanism or the second buffer mechanism in the following manner: calculate a third time length required for the to-be-corrected package to move from the current position to leave the second buffer mechanism and a fourth time length required for the third target package to move from the current position to enter the second buffer mechanism, and compare the third time length and the fourth time length. In a case where the third time length is less than or equal to the fourth time length, the second packet sending waiting time is set to zero, and in a case where the third time length is greater than the fourth time length, the second packet sending waiting time is set to a difference between the third time length and the fourth time length.

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