A control method, device and system for high-speed confluence and diversion of material boxes

Abstract

This application belongs to the field of industrial control technology. Specifically, it relates to a control method, device and system for high-speed confluence and diversion of bins. By obtaining the fixed-frequency time pulses generated by the interrupt subroutine OB35; calculating the pulse equivalent of the time pulses according to the actual moving position of the belt and the accumulated number of pulses; setting the number of position windows on the main line and the corresponding pulse starting points for confluence and diversion according to the pulse equivalent of the time pulses, the length of the main line, the length of the bins and the positions of each confluence and diversion; controlling the confluence and diversion of the bins according to the corresponding pulse starting points of the positions. The time points and position points of confluence or diversion are planned and controlled, which will not cause waste of the space for main line transportation. When operating at full load, the transportation efficiency of the main line after confluence or diversion can be continuously stable and basically close to the maximum transportation efficiency of the main line. At the same time, the distance between bins after confluence or diversion can be controlled according to the plan, which plays an important role in preventing box squeezing caused by continuous boxes and preventing the attitude deflection of the bins.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the technical field of box conveyor control in the logistics system, and particularly relates to a control method, device, and system for high-speed confluence and divergence of bins. Background Technique

[0002] With the continuous maturity of logistics automation equipment and technologies, the box conveyor control technology with relatively simple past process logics has seen rapid development. It plays an important role in today's increasingly complex application scenarios such as warehousing logistics and workshop logistics, and is one of the basic links of the control system. In various scenarios of bin conveying, the confluence and divergence of bins are relatively common. Confluence means that the bins on several conveying branch lines are merged into the main conveying line, and divergence is the reverse process of confluence, that is, the bins on the main conveying line are sorted into each conveying branch line according to their respective different characteristics. Confluence control and divergence control are a difficult point in the box conveyor PLC control system.

[0003] During the confluence process, not squeezing the bins and ensuring the success of confluence are the basic premises. How to control the bin distance, improve the line utilization rate, and meet the conveying flow of each branch line are deeper control requirements. The existing confluence control methods usually adopt sensor inspection and random confluence methods, that is, judging whether the confluence condition is met based on the bin detection switch signal, without planning and controlling the confluence time point and position point. The randomness of confluence initiation is relatively large, which will cause waste of some space in the main line conveying. When operating at full load, the conveying efficiency of the main line after confluence can only be close to the maximum efficiency of the main line and cannot stably reach the maximum conveying efficiency of the main line.

[0004] The accuracy rate of the divergence process is the key to divergence control. The existing divergence control methods usually adopt sensor inspection and the sorting method of stack-type information transfer, that is, a stack is formed between every two diverging channels, and the sorting of the bin destinations is stored in the stack. When the bin triggers the detection sensors at each diverging channel to make its destination enter and exit each stack, the destination of the diverging channel is transmitted in this way to control the sorting of the bins. This requires a very high stability of the detection sensors at the diverging channels. The mis-triggering of the switches (such as the packing straps falling off the packaging boxes) is likely to cause chaotic information transfer, thereby affecting the divergence accuracy rate, and the system fault tolerance rate is relatively low.

[0005] The existing confluence control methods have relatively simple process logics, without planning and controlling the confluence time point and position point. The randomness of confluence initiation is relatively large, and some space in the main line conveying is prone to waste. The subsequent confluence of branch lines becomes more difficult or even fails to confluence successfully, and the confluence ability of the system is unstable. In addition, the number of bin detection switches to be installed is relatively large, and the cost increases accordingly.

[0006] In the existing shunt control method, due to the large number of stacks and the relatively complex program structure, each bin detection switch is very crucial, resulting in poor system redundancy. The false signal of the switch will cause batch cross-tracking, and troubleshooting is time-consuming and laborious. Summary of the Invention

[0007] To overcome the problems in the related art at least to a certain extent, the present application provides a control method for high-speed confluence and shunt of bins, which is convenient for automatically identifying ground objects on remote sensing images and improving the accuracy of ground object recognition.

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, the present application adopts the following technical solutions:

[0009] In a first aspect, the present application provides a control method for high-speed confluence and shunt of bins, and the method includes:

[0010] Obtaining a fixed-frequency time pulse generated by the interrupt subroutine OB35;

[0011] Calculating the pulse equivalent of the time pulse according to the actual moving position of the belt and the accumulated number of pulses;

[0012] Setting the number of position windows on the main line and the corresponding pulse starting points of the confluence and shunt positions according to the pulse equivalent of the time pulse, the length of the main line, the length of the bin, and the confluence and shunt positions;

[0013] Controlling the confluence and shunt of the bins according to the corresponding position pulse starting points.

[0014] Further, the number of position windows on the main line is the length of the main line conveyance / the length of the position window.

[0015] Further, the setting of the number of position windows on the main line and the corresponding position pulse starting points according to the pulse equivalent of the time pulse includes:

[0016] Generating corresponding position window column count values according to the pulse settings of each position window, and generating corresponding position pulse starting points.

[0017] In a second aspect, the present application provides a control device for high-speed confluence and shunt of bins, and the control device includes:

[0018] An obtaining module, configured to obtain a fixed-frequency time pulse generated by the interrupt subroutine OB35;

[0019] A calculating module, configured to calculate the pulse equivalent of the time pulse according to the actual moving position of the belt and the accumulated number of pulses;

[0020] A setting module, configured to set the number of position windows on the main line and the corresponding pulse starting points of the confluence and shunt positions according to the pulse equivalent of the time pulse, the length of the main line, the length of the bin, and the confluence and shunt positions;

[0021] A control module for controlling the confluence and diversion of the bins according to the corresponding starting points of the position pulses.

[0022] In a third aspect, the present application provides a control system for high-speed confluence and diversion of bins, characterized by including a memory and a processor. Computer-readable instructions are stored in the memory. When the computer-readable instructions are executed by the processor, the processor executes the steps of the control method for high-speed confluence and diversion of bins as described in any one of the first aspects.

[0023] The present application adopts the above technical solutions and has at least the following beneficial effects:

[0024] The present application provides a control method for high-speed confluence and diversion of bins. By obtaining the fixed-frequency time pulses generated by the interrupt subroutine OB35; calculating the pulse equivalent of the time pulses according to the actual moving position of the belt and the accumulated number of pulses; setting the number of position windows on the main line and the corresponding starting points of the confluence and diversion position pulses according to the pulse equivalent of the time pulses, the length of the main line, the length of the bins, and the positions of each confluence and diversion; and controlling the confluence and diversion of the bins according to the corresponding starting points of the position pulses. The time points and position points of confluence or diversion are planned and controlled, which will not cause waste of the space for main line transportation. When operating at full load, the transportation efficiency of the main line after confluence or diversion can be continuously stable and basically close to the maximum transportation efficiency of the main line. At the same time, the distance between bins after confluence or diversion can be controlled according to the plan, which plays an important role in preventing the squeezing of bins and preventing the attitude deflection of the bins.

[0025] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are only exemplary and explanatory, and cannot limit the present application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the following drawings are only some embodiments of the present application. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0027] Figure 1 is a flowchart of the steps of a control method for high-speed confluence and diversion of bins shown according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0028] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of high-speed confluence of the confluence position window of bins shown according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0029] Figure 3Schematic diagram of pulse setting at main line startup shown according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0030] Figure 4 Position window column value shown according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0031] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of position window count change at the confluence position window count point shown according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0032] Figure 6 Confluence position window segmentation information shown according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0033] Figure 7 Position window confluence permission condition shown according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0034] Figure 8 Data structure shown according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0035] Figure 9 Lane splitting schematic diagram shown according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0036] Figure 10 Schematic diagram of sorting principle shown according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0037] Figure 11 Schematic diagram of the structure of a control device for high-speed confluence and diversion of bins shown according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0038] Figure 12 Schematic diagram of the structure of a control system for high-speed confluence and diversion of bins shown according to an exemplary embodiment. Detailed implementation manners

[0039] To make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present application clearer, the technical solutions of the present application will be described in detail below. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all of the embodiments. All other implementation manners obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments in the present application without creative efforts shall fall within the scope protected by the present application.

[0040] Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 Flowchart of the steps of a control method for high-speed confluence and diversion of bins shown according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0041] The method includes:

[0042] Step S101, obtaining a fixed-frequency time pulse generated by the interrupt subroutine OB35;

[0043] Step S102: Calculate the pulse equivalent of the time pulse according to the actual moving position of the belt and the accumulated number of pulses.

[0044] Step S103: Set the number of position windows on the main line and the corresponding pulse starting points for merging and diverging according to the pulse equivalent of the time pulse, the length of the main line, the length of the bin, and the positions of each merging and diverging.

[0045] Among them, the number of position windows on the main line is the length of the main line conveyor / the length of the position window.

[0046] Step S104: Control the merging and diverging of the bins according to the corresponding position pulse starting points.

[0047] The merging system of the present application consists of: roller conveyor, inclined roller conveyor or inclined belt conveyor, and belt conveyor.

[0048] Its structural form includes horizontal conveying and 45-degree angle conveying. The conveying direction of the logistics system is changed through the inclined roller conveyor to complete the merging of the bins.

[0049] The electrical design of the merging system includes:

[0050] Sensor design: merging blockage detection switch and branch incoming package detection switch.

[0051] Drive design: The main line belt conveyor and the branch merging belt conveyor are driven by frequency converters.

[0052] Speed design: According to the different merging efficiencies and conveying capacities of the line bodies, the speed of the main line is 60 - 75 m / min; the speed of the branch merging conveying equipment is 15 - 20 m / min faster than the speed of the main line.

[0053] The speeds of all equipment on the main conveyor line must be strictly kept consistent, and the forms of the conveying equipment also need to be kept consistent. The equipment needs to ensure that there is no slipping or jamming of the bins during the conveying process. Figure 2 The figure shows a schematic diagram of the merging line body.

[0054] In one embodiment, for the control method of high-speed merging and diverging of bins provided by the present application, taking the high-speed merging of bins as an example, its control principle is as follows:

[0055] (11) When there are bins being conveyed on the main line and the branch line, the main line always keeps running.

[0056] (12) The PLC generates time pulses through the interrupt subroutine OB35. When the main line is running at high speed, the number of pulses accumulates continuously, serving as a measure of the moving position of the main line. The conversion equivalent between the actual moving position of the belt and the number of pulses, that is, the pulse equivalent (mm / pls), is obtained through the teaching program.

[0057] (13) Control system design position window, position window length = bin length + bin spacing. The bin length and bin spacing are system variables that can be modified and are converted into pulse values on the main line through the pulse equivalent (mm / pls).

[0058] The number of position windows on the main line is the main line conveying length / position window length. After the position window length is determined, the count values of each position window will also be automatically generated.

[0059] (14) Corresponding position pulse starting points are set on the main line and at each confluence point. The pulse number at the front end point of the main line is "0", as Figure 3 shown.

[0060] (15) When the main line starts running from the starting state in the above figure, the pulse numbers of the counting points of each confluence position window increase following the pulses generated by 0B35. At the same time, the program will generate corresponding position window column count values according to the different pulse settings of each position window, as Figure 4 shown.

[0061] (16) Each confluence position window follows the main line operation to maintain rolling conveying and real-time outputs the column count of the current position window, as Figure 5 shown.

[0062] (17) For each position window, the control program sets a data block storage area for information recording, including whether it is loaded, destination, pallet number, operation sequence number, etc. When the branch line initiates confluence for the current position window, the loaded state will be set and the information will be transmitted, as Figure 6 shown.

[0063] (18) When each position window passes through the front end point, the loaded state and information of each position window are cleared; the position window after the state update will appear at the end of the main line and start conveying. The entire position window follows the main line operation and cycles between the front end and the rear end.

[0064] (19) The branch line only initiates confluence for the position window with the loaded state of "0", and the confluence conditions are as Figure 7 shown.

[0065] The diverting system of this application consists of: a slant wheel sorter, a roller conveyor, and a belt conveyor. The slant wheel sorter is used to change the conveying direction of the logistics system to complete the bin diversion.

[0066] The electrical design of the diverting system includes:

[0067] Sensor design: lane initiation detection switch and lane arrival detection switch.

[0068] Drive design: The main line belt conveyor is driven by a frequency converter, and the slant wheel sorter and the branch line roller conveyor are driven by direct-start motors.

[0069] Speed ​​design: According to the different diversion efficiency and conveying capacity of the line, the main line speed is 35-50 m / min; the speed of the inclined wheel sorter and branch line diversion conveying equipment is equivalent to that of the main line.

[0070] The speed of all equipment on the main conveyor line must be strictly consistent, and the type of conveying equipment must also be consistent. The equipment must ensure that the material box does not slip or jam during the conveying process.

[0071] In one embodiment, the present application provides a method for controlling high-speed confluence and diversion of a material box, taking high-speed diversion of a material box as an example, and the control principle thereof is as follows:

[0072] (21) The data blocks are presented in array format for easy access. Generally, the sorting system rarely uses more than 30 data at the same time. For example, a[0..30] means that the main line recycles among 30 elements.

[0073] (22) Data structure has four major elements, such as Figure 8 shown.

[0074] SIGNAL: "Signal bit", the flag bit is 1, representing a set of valid elements;

[0075] DES: "Destination", indicating the intersection information corresponding to the material box bound to the element;

[0076] CODE: "Box code", which indicates the box code information of the material box bound to the element;

[0077] MC: “Pulse” indicates the pulse value that the individual material box has traveled, that is, the travel distance.

[0078] (23) Pulse sorting principle

[0079] ① Such as Figure 9 As shown in the lane division diagram, the "Data in" sensor scans the data table at the moment of triggering, finds an idle element with a flag bit of 0, writes the carton information into the element, and sets the flag bit to 1. Each element with a flag bit of 1 continuously accumulates pulse values ​​as the main line rotates forward.

[0080] ② Each crossing has a fixed crossing "pulse interval" that has been taught. The pulse values ​​in all valid data are accumulated with the operation of the main line and the global pulse. Until the pulse value enters the pulse interval of the crossing number corresponding to the destination, and a sorting request is initiated, after the verification of the crossing sensor is completed, the pendulum performs the sorting action and clears the element information. For cartons that have not been successfully sorted, the pulse value will continue to accumulate until the rejection pulse is reached, and the element information is cleared. Figure 10 As shown, a sorting request has been initiated for box No. 2.

[0081] It can be understood that the present application provides a control method for high-speed confluence and diversion of material boxes, which obtains the fixed-frequency time pulse generated by the interrupt subroutine OB35; calculates the pulse equivalent of the time pulse according to the actual moving position of the belt and the accumulated number of pulses; sets the number of position windows on the main line and the corresponding pulse starting points of the diversion and confluence positions according to the pulse equivalent of the time pulse, the main line length, the material box length and each diversion and confluence position; and controls the confluence and diversion of the material box according to the corresponding position pulse starting point. The time point and position point of confluence or diversion are planned and controlled, which will not cause space waste of main line transportation. When running at full load, the main line transportation efficiency after confluence or diversion can be sustained and stable and basically close to the maximum transportation efficiency of the main line. At the same time, the box distance after confluence or diversion can be controlled as planned, which can play an important role in preventing the material box posture deflection that is easy to cause squeezing of the connected box. The present application uses very few detection switches, which effectively reduces the investment cost. This method also supports the transmission of information such as the destination of the material box and the box code.

[0082] In one embodiment, setting the number of position windows on the main line and the corresponding position pulse starting points according to the pulse equivalent of the time pulse includes:

[0083] According to the setting of each position window pulse, a corresponding position window column count value is generated to generate a corresponding position pulse starting point.

[0084] The technical solution provided by the present application is based on the shunting method of the pulse window, which can filter the erroneous signals of the detection switch. The abnormal signals that have not passed the verification will not affect any group of sorting, and the fault tolerance of the sensor is greatly enhanced. Secondly, the traceability of the cross-channel failure is greatly enhanced. The data that has entered the data table will not have a large number of cross-channels. For individual cross-channels, the verification switch or sorting mechanical mechanism of the wrong intersection can be directly checked. Furthermore, the branch main line supports energy-saving and noise reduction functions. After a material box enters the shunt main line, the main line does not need to run the entire line. It only needs to keep running within the range from the branch starting point to the destination. Finally, since there is only one data table, the branch main line is regarded as a whole, the program can be packaged, and debugging only needs to fill in the pins, which is convenient and fast.

[0085] See also Figure 11 , Figure 11 1 is a schematic diagram of a control device for high-speed confluence and diversion of a material box provided in one embodiment of the present invention. The control device 11 for high-speed confluence and diversion of a material box comprises:

[0086] An acquisition module 111 is used to acquire a fixed frequency time pulse generated by the interrupt subroutine OB35;

[0087] A calculation module 112, used for calculating the pulse equivalent of the time pulse according to the actual movement position of the belt and the accumulated number of pulses;

[0088] A setting module 113 is configured to set the number of position windows on the main line and the corresponding starting points of the merging and splitting position pulses according to the pulse equivalent of the time pulse, the length of the main line, the length of the bin, and the positions of each merging and splitting point.

[0089] A control module 114 is configured to control the merging and splitting of the bins according to the corresponding starting points of the position pulses.

[0090] Regarding the control device for high-speed merging and splitting of bins in the above embodiments, the specific manners in which each module performs operations have been described in detail in the embodiments of the related methods above, and will not be elaborated here.

[0091] Please refer to Figure 12 , Figure 12 which is a schematic block diagram of a control system for high-speed merging and splitting of bins shown according to an exemplary embodiment, including a memory 121 and a processor 122. Computer-readable instructions are stored in the memory 121. When the computer-readable instructions are executed by the processor 122, the steps of the control method for high-speed merging and splitting of bins are performed by the processor.

[0092] It should be noted that in the present application, the branch conveying device can be other forms of devices, such as an inclined belt conveyor, etc. The sorting mechanism can be other forms of devices, such as a baffle type sorter, etc. The driving device can be driven by frequency conversion or servo drive. The pulse value can be calculated and processed by a program or by an encoder.

[0093] It can be understood that the same or similar parts in the above embodiments can be referred to each other. For the content not detailed in some embodiments, reference can be made to the same or similar content in other embodiments.

[0094] It should be noted that in the description of the present application, the terms "first", "second", etc. are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance. In addition, in the description of the present application, unless otherwise specified, the meaning of "plurality", "many" refers to at least two.

[0095] It should be understood that when an element is referred to as "fixed to" or "set on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or there may be an intermediate element at the same time; when an element is referred to as "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or there may be an intermediate element at the same time. In addition, the "connection" used here can include wireless connection; the phrase "and / or" includes any unit and all combinations of one or more related listed items.

[0096] Any process or method description depicted in the flowchart or described otherwise herein may be understood to represent a module, segment, or portion of code including one or more executable instructions for implementing a specific logical function or process. The scope of the preferred embodiments of the present application includes additional implementations, where functions may be executed in a manner other than shown or discussed, including in a substantially simultaneous manner according to the involved functions or in a reverse order, which should be understood by those skilled in the art to which the embodiments of the present application pertain.

[0097] It should be understood that the various parts of the present application can be implemented by hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. In the above embodiments, multiple steps or methods can be implemented by software or firmware stored in a memory and executed by a suitable instruction execution device. For example, if implemented by hardware, as in another embodiment, any one or a combination of the following techniques well known in the art can be used: discrete logic circuits with logic gate circuits for implementing logical functions on data signals, application specific integrated circuits with appropriate combinational logic gate circuits, programmable gate arrays (PGAs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), etc.

[0098] Those of ordinary skill in the art of the present technology can understand that all or part of the steps carried by the method of implementing the above embodiments can be completed by instructing relevant hardware through a program. The said program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. When the program is executed, it includes one or a combination of the steps of the method embodiments.

[0099] In addition, in each embodiment of the present application, the functional units can be integrated into a processing module, or each unit can exist physically alone, or two or more units can be integrated into one module. The above integrated module can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of a software functional module. When the above integrated module is implemented in the form of a software functional module and sold or used as an independent product, it can also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium.

[0100] The above-mentioned storage medium can be a read-only memory, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, etc.

[0101] In the description of this specification, the description with reference to terms such as "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "example", "specific example", or "some examples" means that the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in connection with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present application. In this specification, the schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described can be combined in a suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.

[0102] Although the embodiments of the present application have been shown and described above, it can be understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the present application. Those of ordinary skill in the art can make changes, modifications, substitutions, and variations to the above embodiments within the scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A control method for high-speed confluence and diversion of bins, characterized in that, the method includes: obtaining a fixed-frequency time pulse generated by the interrupt subroutine OB35; calculating the pulse equivalent of the time pulse according to the actual moving position of the belt and the accumulated number of pulses; setting the number of position windows on the main line and the corresponding pulse starting points of the confluence and diversion positions according to the pulse equivalent of the time pulse, the length of the main line, the length of the bin, and each confluence and diversion position; controlling the confluence and diversion of bins according to the corresponding pulse starting points of the position; the setting of the number of position windows on the main line and the corresponding pulse starting points of the position according to the pulse equivalent of the time pulse includes: generating corresponding position window column count values according to the pulse settings of each position window, and generating corresponding pulse starting points of the position; the number of position windows on the main line is the conveying length of the main line / the length of the position window; the length of the position window is: the length of the bin + the bin spacing; the controlling the confluence and diversion of bins according to the corresponding pulse starting points of the position includes: the branch line only initiates confluence for the position window whose on-load state is a preset value; when each position window passes through the front end point, the on-load state and information of each position window are cleared; the position window after the state is updated will appear at the end of the main line and start conveying. The entire position window follows the main line and appears cyclically between the front end and the back end; for each position window, the control program is provided with a data block storage area for information recording, including whether it is on-load, destination, pallet number or operation serial number. When the branch line initiates confluence for the current position window, the on-load state will be set.

2. A control device for high-speed confluence and diversion of bins, which is applied to the control method for high-speed confluence and diversion of bins described in claim 1, characterized in that, the control device includes: an obtaining module, configured to obtain a fixed-frequency time pulse generated by the interrupt subroutine OB35; a calculating module, configured to calculate the pulse equivalent of the time pulse according to the actual moving position of the belt and the accumulated number of pulses; a setting module, configured to set the number of position windows on the main line and the corresponding pulse starting points of the confluence and diversion positions according to the pulse equivalent of the time pulse, the length of the main line, the length of the bin, and each confluence and diversion position; a control module, configured to control the confluence and diversion of bins according to the corresponding pulse starting points of the position.

3. A control system for high-speed confluence and diversion of bins, characterized in that, it includes a memory and a processor. Computer-readable instructions are stored in the memory. When the computer-readable instructions are executed by the processor, the processor executes the steps of the control method for high-speed confluence and diversion of bins described in claim 1.

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