Intelligent magazine, automatic dosing system comprising the same and method of operation thereof

Abstract

The present application relates to an intelligent rack, comprising: a frame body, a dispatching box slide for conveying a material box is arranged on the frame body; a first sensor for sensing whether a material box exists at the exit of the dispatching box slide; a first release mechanism for opening and closing the exit; a second sensor for sensing whether a material box exists at a second position of the material box next to the exit; a second release mechanism for preventing the material box at the second position from sliding to the exit; a scanner for scanning a target production line label on the material box; and a controller configured to: in response to signals from the first and second sensors, control the second release mechanism to allow and prevent the material box at the second position from sliding to the exit, control the scanner to scan the label, dispatch an AGV based on the scanning information, and the AGV cooperates with the first release mechanism to open the exit and take away the material box and transport it to the target production line. The present application also relates to an automatic batching system and an operating method thereof.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of automated equipment technology, specifically relating to an intelligent material rack, an automatic material dispensing system including the intelligent material rack, and an operation method of the automatic material dispensing system. Background Technology

[0002] In existing technologies, in assembly workshops, material picking is usually done by logistics personnel, and then AGVs (Automated Guided Vehicles / Unmanned Transport Vehicles) are used to transport the material carts carrying the materials to the production line. Finally, the final assembly personnel manually take the materials from the carts to fixed positions for assembly.

[0003] However, existing technologies have at least one of the following shortcomings:

[0004] 1. When the AGV has not returned to the material dispatching area, the dispatching personnel cannot dispatch materials;

[0005] 2. Operators need to travel back and forth between the material issuing area and the material preparation area, which is labor-intensive and results in low work efficiency;

[0006] 3. Requires a high degree of coordination between the operator and the AGV;

[0007] 4. AGVs have low operating efficiency and low material transport capacity. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The present invention aims to solve at least one aspect of the aforementioned problems existing in the prior art.

[0009] According to one aspect of the present invention, an intelligent material rack is provided for use in an automated feeding system, the automated feeding system including an AGV, the intelligent material rack comprising:

[0010] The frame body is provided with a dispensing box slide, which is used to transport a material box containing materials to be distributed.

[0011] A first sensor is used to sense whether a material box is present at a first position on the launching box slide, the first position corresponding to a material box at the outlet of the launching box slide. If a material box is present at the first position, the first sensor sends a first presence signal; if a material box is not present at the first position, the first sensor sends a first absence signal.

[0012] A first release mechanism is provided at the exit of the shipping chute for opening and closing the exit of the shipping chute to allow and prevent the material box at the first position from leaving the shipping chute.

[0013] A second sensor is used to sense whether a material box is present at a second position on the ejection chute, the second position corresponding to a material box that immediately follows the material box at the first position in the ejection direction. If a material box is present at the second position, the second sensor sends a second presence signal; if a material box is not present at the second position, the second sensor sends a second absence signal.

[0014] A second release mechanism is used to allow and prevent the material box at the second position from sliding toward the first position;

[0015] A scanner for scanning a label on a material box at the first location, the label being used to identify a target production line; and

[0016] The controller is configured as follows:

[0017] In response to a first absence signal from a first sensor and a second presence signal from a second sensor, the second release mechanism is controlled to allow the material box at the second position to slide toward the first position, or

[0018] In response to a first absence signal from a first sensor and a second absence signal from a second sensor, or in response to a first presence signal from a first sensor and a second presence signal from a second sensor, or in response to a first presence signal from a first sensor and a second absence signal from a second sensor, the second release mechanism is controlled to prevent the material box at the second position from sliding toward the first position;

[0019] In response to a first presence signal from a first sensor, the scanner is controlled to scan the label on the material box at the first location;

[0020] Based on the scanned information, the AGV is dispatched and works with the first release mechanism to open the exit of the box chute and pick up the material box at the first location and transport it to the target production line.

[0021] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the frame body of the intelligent material rack is further provided with a return box slide, which is used to transport empty material boxes. The controller is also configured to control the AGV to retrieve the empty material box and place the empty material box into the return box slide.

[0022] Preferably, the launching chute and the returning chute are inclined along their length to utilize gravity for automatic material transport. The launching chute and the returning chute are arranged side by side and in opposite directions.

[0023] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the second release mechanism includes a rotary driver and a push rod driven by the rotary driver. One end of the push rod is pivotally connected to the frame body, and the other end of the push rod is connected to the rotary driver to rotate in a vertical plane about the pivot point under the drive of the rotary driver. This causes the push rod to lift the end of the material box at the second position near the first position to prevent the material box at the second position from sliding towards the first position, and to lower the end of the material box at the second position near the first position to allow the material box at the second position to slide towards the first position.

[0024] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the intelligent rack further includes a third sensor for sensing whether the return box slide is full and issuing a full load signal when the return box slide is full. The controller is also configured to control the prompting device to issue a "return box slide is full" prompt in response to the full load signal from the third sensor.

[0025] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the height of the outlet of the feeding chute from the ground corresponds to the height of the lower material box receiving part of the AGV from the ground, and the height of the inlet of the return chute from the ground corresponds to the height of the upper material box receiving part of the AGV from the ground.

[0026] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the launching box slide and the returning box slide are arranged in pairs, and the intelligent material rack includes at least two slide groups, each slide group consisting of one launching box slide and one returning box slide, wherein the cross-sectional dimensions of the launching box slide and the returning box slide in at least one slide group are different from the cross-sectional dimensions of the launching box slide and the returning box slide in the other slide groups.

[0027] According to another aspect of the present invention, an automatic feeding system is also provided, which includes an AGV and the aforementioned intelligent feeder.

[0028] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the controller is configured to communicate with the AGV in order to control the AGV to go to the charging station for charging.

[0029] According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for operating the above-described automatic batching system is also provided, the method comprising:

[0030] The second sensor detects whether a material box is present at the second position of the ejector box slide. If a material box is present at the second position, the second sensor sends a second presence signal. If a material box is not present at the second position, the second sensor sends a second absence signal.

[0031] The first sensor detects whether a material box is present at a first position on the ejector box slide. If a material box is present at the first position, the first sensor sends a first presence signal. If a material box is not present at the first position, the first sensor sends a first absence signal.

[0032] In response to a first absence signal from a first sensor and a second presence signal from a second sensor, the controller controls the second release mechanism to allow the material box at the second position to slide towards the first position, or

[0033] The controller controls the second release mechanism to prevent the material box at the second position from sliding toward the first position in response to a first absence signal from the first sensor and a second absence signal from the second sensor, or in response to a first presence signal from the first sensor and a second presence signal from the second sensor, or in response to a first presence signal from the first sensor and a second absence signal from the second sensor.

[0034] In response to a first presence signal from a first sensor, the controller controls the scanner to scan a label on a material box at the first location that identifies the target production line.

[0035] The controller schedules AGVs based on the scanned information;

[0036] The AGV works with the first release mechanism to open the exit of the box release chute, and picks up the material box at the first location and transports it to the target production line.

[0037] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the operation method further includes: the controller controlling the AGV to retrieve an empty material box and place the empty material box into the return chute.

[0038] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the operation method further includes: the controller communicating with the AGV to send a charging command to the AGV when there is no new delivery task, controlling the AGV to go to the charging station to charge until there is a new delivery task.

[0039] According to the present invention, at least one of the following beneficial effects can be achieved:

[0040] 1. Operators can place the material bins containing materials to be dispatched onto the dispatch chute of the intelligent material rack at any time without waiting for the AGV to return to the dispatching area before dispatching the materials, which greatly reduces the time that people spend waiting for the AGV.

[0041] 2. The manual operation of the AGV has been reduced;

[0042] 3. Improved the operating efficiency and material transport capacity of AGVs;

[0043] 4. It reduced the workload of operators. Attached Figure Description

[0044] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and exemplary embodiments, wherein:

[0045] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of an intelligent material rack for an automatic batching system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, wherein material boxes are placed on both the dispensing slide and the return slide of the intelligent material rack.

[0046] Figure 2 Showing from another perspective Figure 1 The intelligent material rack shown.

[0047] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 The diagram shows the end face of the intelligent material rack.

[0048] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating an operation method of an automated batching system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0049] The accompanying drawings are illustrative only and are not necessarily drawn to scale. They show only those parts necessary to illustrate the invention, while other parts may be omitted or simply mentioned. In addition to the parts shown in the drawings, the invention may also include other components. Detailed Implementation

[0050] The applicant's research found that an increasing number of assembly workshops are using AGVs (Automated Guided Vehicles / Unmanned Transport Vehicles) to transport materials to the production line. However, this typically requires a human to go to the charging station, press the work button to send the AGV to the waiting position for packing; the human places the material box containing the materials to be dispatched onto the waiting AGV, and determines the material's destination and triggers the corresponding button on the AGV; then the AGV transports the material box to the designated location and returns to its waiting position in the dispatch area; finally, the human removes the empty material box that returns with the AGV and begins the next round of operations or selects the charging button to send the AGV to the charging station for charging. While this method avoids manually pushing carts to deliver materials to the line, it still has at least one of the following shortcomings:

[0051] 1. When the AGV has not returned to the material dispatching area, the dispatching personnel cannot dispatch materials;

[0052] 2. Operators need to travel back and forth between the material issuing area and the material preparation area, which is labor-intensive and results in low work efficiency;

[0053] 3. Requires a high degree of coordination between the operator and the AGV;

[0054] 4. AGVs have low operating efficiency and low material transport capacity.

[0055] The following description, with reference to the accompanying drawings, describes an intelligent feeder for an automated dispensing system according to embodiments of the present invention, an automated dispensing system including the intelligent feeder, and a method of operating the automated dispensing system. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth to enable those skilled in the art to more fully understand the invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that implementations of the invention may not include some of these specific details. Furthermore, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described. Rather, the invention can be practiced with any combination of the following features and elements, regardless of whether they relate to different embodiments. Therefore, the following features, embodiments, and advantages are illustrative only and should not be construed as elements or limitations of the claims unless expressly set forth in the claims.

[0056] Figures 1 to 3 A smart material rack 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown. The smart material rack 100 can be used in conjunction with an AGV in an automated material dispensing system to improve material delivery efficiency and reduce operator workload.

[0057] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the intelligent material rack 100 includes a frame body 10, on which a dispensing slide 1 and a return slide 2 are provided. The dispensing slide 1 is used to transport material boxes 3 containing materials to be distributed, and the return slide 2 is used to transport empty material boxes 3'. Both the dispensing slide 1 and the return slide 2 are inclined along their length to utilize gravity for automatic transport of the material boxes 3 and 3'. Figure 1 and Figure 2 In the preferred embodiment shown, the launching slide 1 and the returning slide 2 are arranged side by side and have opposite inclination directions. That is, the outlet 1B of the launching slide 1 and the inlet 2A of the returning slide 2 are both located at the first end of the intelligent material rack 100, and the inlet 1A of the launching slide 1 and the outlet 2B of the returning slide 2 are located at the second end of the intelligent material rack 100 opposite to the first end.

[0058] Figure 1 The intelligent material rack 100 is shown to be equipped with a set of slides consisting of a dispensing slide 1 and a return slide 2. Typically, as... Figure 1As shown, the dispensing chute 1 and the return chute 2 are arranged in pairs so that the material boxes 3 used to hold the materials to be dispensed can be transported back to the same smart rack 100 for recycling after being transported to the production line and then emptied. However, it should be understood that only the dispensing chute 1 can be provided without the return chute 2, or multiple chute groups can be provided. In the case of more than one chute group, the cross-sectional dimensions of the dispensing chute 1 and the return chute 2 in at least one chute group are different from the cross-sectional dimensions of the dispensing chute 1 and the return chute 2 in the remaining chute groups to facilitate the transport of material boxes of different sizes. Figure 1 In the preferred embodiment shown, the launching slide 1 and the returning slide 2 are arranged side by side. However, it is obvious that the launching slide 1 and the returning slide 2 can also be arranged vertically or their positions can be reasonably arranged according to the desired launching and returning positions.

[0059] Preferably, the height of the outlet 1B of the launching chute 1 above the ground corresponds to the height of the lower material box receiving part of the AGV above the ground, and the height of the inlet 2A of the return chute 2 above the ground corresponds to the height of the upper material box receiving part of the AGV above the ground, so that the AGV can easily dock with the launching chute 1 and the return chute 2.

[0060] The frame body 10 can be assembled from profiles to facilitate standardized and rapid assembly. (In such cases...) Figure 1 In the illustrated embodiment, the frame body 10, the launching tray slide 1, and the returning tray slide 2 are composed of two segments joined together in the length direction. It should be understood that they can be composed of more or fewer segments. By segmenting and joining, slides of appropriate length can be easily assembled and assembled racks can be moved, and the racks occupy less space during storage and transportation.

[0061] like Figure 1 As shown, the feeding chute 1 and the return chute 2 each include multiple rollers 11, which are rotatably connected to the frame body 10 to facilitate the automatic conveying of the material boxes. In an alternative embodiment of the invention, other suitable conveying mechanisms can be used, such as conveyor belts, to convey the material boxes.

[0062] exist Figures 1 to 3In the illustrated embodiment, the intelligent material rack 100 further includes a first sensor 6, a first release mechanism 4, a second sensor (not shown), a second release mechanism 7, a scanner 5, and a controller (not shown). The first sensor 6 is used to sense whether a material box is present at a first position of the feeding chute 1, which corresponds to a material box at the outlet 1B of the feeding chute 1. If a material box 3 is present at the first position, the first sensor 6 issues a first presence signal; if a material box 3 is not present at the first position, the first sensor 6 issues a first absence signal. The first sensor 6 may be located near the outlet 1B of the feeding chute 1, for example, on the frame body 10 near the outlet 1B of the feeding chute 1. The first release mechanism 4 is located at the outlet of the feeding chute 1 and is used to open and close the outlet 1B of the feeding chute 1. In the open state, it allows the material box 3 on the feeding chute 1 to slide onto the AGV, while in the closed state, it prevents the material box 3 on the feeding chute 1 from sliding out of the outlet 1B of the feeding chute 1. A second sensor is used to sense the presence of a material box 3 at a second position on the shipping chute 1, the second position corresponding to a material box 3 immediately following the material box 3 at the first position in the shipping direction. If a material box 3 is present at the second position, the second sensor issues a second presence signal; if a material box 3 is not present at the second position, the second sensor issues a second absence signal. The second sensor can be located near the second position on the shipping chute 1, for example, on the frame body 10 near the second position on the shipping chute 1. A second release mechanism 7 is used to allow and prevent the material box 3 at the second position on the shipping chute 1 from sliding towards the first position on the shipping chute 1. A scanner 5 is used to scan a label on the material box 3 at the first position on the shipping chute 1, the label being used to identify the target production line.

[0063] The controller is connected to the first sensor 6, the second sensor, and the second release mechanism 7 to receive signals from the first sensor 6 and the second sensor, and controls the second release mechanism 7 in response to these signals. When the controller receives a first absence signal from the first sensor 6 and a second presence signal from the second sensor, it controls the second release mechanism 7 to allow the material box 3 at the second position to slide towards the first position. In other cases, i.e., when the controller receives a first presence signal from the first sensor 6 and a second presence signal from the second sensor, or when the controller receives a first presence signal from the first sensor 6 and a second absence signal from the second sensor, or when the controller receives a first absence signal from the first sensor 6 and a second absence signal from the second sensor, it controls the second release mechanism 7 to prevent the material box 3 at the second position from sliding towards the first position. When the controller receives a first presence signal from the first sensor 6, it controls the scanner 5 to scan the label on the material box 3 at the first position of the shipping chute 1 in response to the first presence signal. The controller schedules the AGV based on the scanned information. The AGV cooperates with the first release mechanism 4 to open the outlet 1B of the box release chute 1 and take away the material box 3 at the first position and transport it to the target production line. In the case of the box return chute 2, the empty material box 3' is retrieved and placed on the box return chute 2 for return.

[0064] like Figure 3 As shown, the first release mechanism 4 includes a release switch and a stop controlled by the release switch. The stop is located at the outlet 1B of the shipping chute 1 and can move up and down under the control of the release switch to open and close the outlet 1B of the shipping chute 1. The stop switch can be located on the side of the outlet 1B of the shipping chute 1 facing the AGV. In use, when the AGV touches the release switch of the first release mechanism 4, the release switch controls the stop to fall, thereby opening the outlet of the shipping chute 1, allowing the material box 3 at the first position of the shipping chute 1 to be picked up by the AGV and transported to the target production line. When the AGV leaves the outlet 1B of the shipping chute 1, the AGV releases the release switch, which controls the stop to rise, thereby closing the outlet 1B of the shipping chute 1 and preventing the material box 3 from sliding out of the outlet 1B. It should be noted that any release mechanism suitable for use with the AGV can also be used. For example, the release switch of the release mechanism 4 can be an electronic switch that is also controlled by the controller mentioned above, and the stop can be a similar stop structure that opens and closes at the front and rear, opens and closes at the left and rear, or flips up and down.

[0065] like Figure 2As shown, the second release mechanism 7 includes a rotary driver 71 and a push rod 72 driven by the rotary driver 71. One end of the push rod 72 is pivotally connected to the frame body 10, and the other end of the push rod 72 is connected to the rotary driver 71 to rotate in a vertical plane about the pivot point under the drive of the rotary driver 71. This causes the push rod 72 to lift the end of the material box 3 at the second position of the launching box slide 1 near the first position, thereby preventing the material box 3 at the second position from sliding towards the first position, and to lower the end of the material box 3 at the second position of the launching box slide 1 near the first position, thereby allowing the material box 3 at the second position to slide towards the first position. It should be understood that any other suitable release mechanism can be used to lift and lower the material box 3, such as a cam mechanism, a lead screw and nut mechanism, etc.

[0066] The second release mechanism 7 may also include a base 73 connected to the frame body 10, on which a rotation drive 71 is mounted. Preferably, the height of the base 73 is adjustable to adjust the rotation angle of the push rod 72, thereby adjusting the lifting height of the material box 3.

[0067] The intelligent material rack 100 may also include a third sensor 8, which is used to sense whether the return box chute 2 is full. If the return box chute 2 is full, the third sensor 8 sends a full load signal. The controller is connected to the third sensor 8 to receive the full load signal from the third sensor 8 and, in response to the full load signal, controls the prompting device to issue a "return box chute full load" prompt to remind the operator to remove the empty material box 3'. The third sensor 8 may be located near the inlet 2A of the return box chute 2, for example, on the frame body 10 near the inlet 2A of the return box chute 2.

[0068] The first sensor 6, the second sensor, and the third sensor 8 can be any suitable sensing device, such as a photoelectric sensor or a camera.

[0069] By using the intelligent material rack 100 according to the present invention, the operator can place the material box 3 containing the material to be dispatched on the dispatching slide 1 of the intelligent material rack 100 at any time without waiting for the AGV to return to the dispatching area before dispatching the material. This greatly reduces the time for manual waiting for the AGV and eliminates the manual operation of the AGV, thereby improving the operating efficiency of the AGV and the material transportation capacity, and reducing the labor intensity of the operator.

[0070] The present invention also provides an automatic feeding system, which includes an AGV and the intelligent feeder 100 as described above.

[0071] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the AGV has an upper material box receiving section and a lower material box receiving section located below the upper material box receiving section. The height of the lower material box receiving section from the ground corresponds to the height of the outlet 1B of the dispatching chute 1 from the ground, and the height of the upper material box receiving section from the ground corresponds to the height of the inlet 2A of the return chute 2 from the ground. This allows the lower material box receiving section to easily receive the material box 3 from the outlet 1B of the dispatching chute 1, and allows the empty material box 3' in the upper material box receiving section to easily be placed on the return chute 2.

[0072] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the controller is configured to communicate with the AGV in order to control the AGV to go to the charging station for charging.

[0073] The present invention also provides a method for operating the above-mentioned automatic batching system. For example... Figure 4 As shown, the operation method includes the following steps:

[0074] S1: The second sensor detects whether the material box 3 exists at the second position of the ejector slide 1;

[0075] S2: The first sensor detects whether the material box 3 exists at the first position of the ejector slide 1;

[0076] S3: In response to a first absence signal from the first sensor 6 and a second presence signal from the second sensor, the controller controls the second release mechanism 7 to allow the material box 3 at the second position to slide toward the first position, or in other cases (i.e., in response to a first presence signal from the first sensor 6 and a second presence signal from the second sensor, or in response to a first presence signal from the first sensor 6 and a second absence signal from the second sensor, or in response to a first absence signal from the first sensor 6 and a second absence signal from the second sensor), the controller controls the second release mechanism 7 to prevent the material box 3 at the second position from sliding toward the first position;

[0077] S4: In response to a first presence signal from the first sensor 6, the controller controls the scanner 5 to scan the label on the material box 3 at the first location for identifying the target production line.

[0078] S5: The controller schedules AGVs based on the scanned information;

[0079] S6: The AGV cooperates with the first release mechanism 4 to open the outlet 1B of the box release slide 1, and takes away the material box 3 at the first position and transports it to the target production line. It retrieves the empty material box 3' and puts the empty material box 3' into the return slide 2 for transport back, and then proceeds to step S2.

[0080] S7: The controller communicates with the AGV to determine if there is a new delivery task to be sent to the AGV. If there is a new delivery task, proceed to step S6; if there is no new delivery task, proceed to step S8.

[0081] S8: The controller sends a charging command to the AGV, controlling the AGV to go to the charging station to charge until there is a new delivery task.

[0082] According to the present invention, the second release mechanism 7 is always in a state of preventing the material box 3 at the second position from sliding to the first position, unless there is a material box 3 at the second position and there is no material box 3 at the first position. This can prevent the material box 3 from causing too much impact on the first release mechanism 4 due to the large downward sliding impact force, which could lead to the first release mechanism 4 opening accidentally, especially when the material box 3 is heavy.

[0083] Prior to step S1, the operation method may further include: the operator inserting labels for identifying the target production line onto several material boxes 3 containing materials to be distributed, and placing these material boxes 3 into the inlet 1A of the dispensing chute 1.

[0084] In step S6, the following may also be included: when the third sensor 8 senses that the return box slide 2 is full, the controller receives the full load signal from the third sensor 8 and responds to the full load signal by controlling the prompting device to issue a "return box slide is full" prompt to remind the operator that the return box slide is full and that the empty material box 3' needs to be removed.

[0085] While the present invention has been disclosed above with reference to preferred embodiments, it is not limited thereto. Any variations and modifications made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention should be included within the scope of protection of the invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the invention should be determined by the scope defined in the claims.

Claims

1. An intelligent material rack for use in an automated feeding system, the automated feeding system including an AGV, the intelligent material rack comprising: The frame body is provided with a dispensing box slide, which is used to transport a material box containing materials to be distributed. A first sensor is used to sense whether a material box is present at a first position on the launching box slide, the first position corresponding to a material box at the outlet of the launching box slide. If a material box is present at the first position, the first sensor sends a first presence signal; if a material box is not present at the first position, the first sensor sends a first absence signal. A first release mechanism includes a stop controlled by a release switch, the stop being disposed at the outlet of the dispensing chute and used to open and close the outlet of the dispensing chute under the control of the release switch, so as to allow and prevent the material box at the first position from leaving the dispensing chute. A second sensor is used to sense whether a material box is present at a second position on the ejection chute, the second position corresponding to a material box that immediately follows the material box at the first position in the ejection direction. If a material box is present at the second position, the second sensor sends a second presence signal; if a material box is not present at the second position, the second sensor sends a second absence signal. A second release mechanism is configured to lift and lower one end of a material box near the first position at a second position on the delivery box slide, thereby preventing and allowing the material box at the second position to slide toward the first position. A scanner for scanning a label on a material box at the first location, the label being used to identify a target production line; as well as The controller is configured as follows: In response to a first absence signal from a first sensor and a second presence signal from a second sensor, the second release mechanism is controlled to allow the material box at the second position to slide toward the first position, or In response to a first absence signal from a first sensor and a second absence signal from a second sensor, or in response to a first presence signal from a first sensor and a second presence signal from a second sensor, or in response to a first presence signal from a first sensor and a second absence signal from a second sensor, the second release mechanism is controlled to prevent the material box at the second position from sliding toward the first position; In response to a first presence signal from a first sensor, the scanner is controlled to scan the label on the material box at the first location; Based on the scanned information, the AGV is dispatched and works with the first release mechanism to open the exit of the box chute and pick up the material box at the first location and transport it to the target production line.

2. The intelligent material rack according to claim 1, characterized in that, The frame of the intelligent material rack is also equipped with a return box slide, which is used to transport empty material boxes. The controller is also configured to control the AGV to retrieve the empty material box and place it into the return box slide.

3. The intelligent material rack according to claim 2, characterized in that, The material box dispatching chute and the material return chute are inclined along their length to utilize gravity for automatic material box conveying. The dispatching chute and the material return chute are arranged side by side and in opposite directions.

4. The intelligent material rack according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The second release mechanism includes a rotary actuator and a push rod driven by the rotary actuator. One end of the push rod is pivotally connected to the frame body, and the other end of the push rod is connected to the rotary actuator to rotate in a vertical plane about the pivot point under the drive of the rotary actuator. This causes the push rod to lift the end of the material box at the second position near the first position to prevent the material box at the second position from sliding towards the first position, and to lower the end of the material box at the second position near the first position to allow the material box at the second position to slide towards the first position.

5. The intelligent material rack according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The smart rack also includes a third sensor for sensing whether the return box slide is full and issuing a full load signal when the return box slide is full. The controller is also configured to respond to the full load signal from the third sensor to control the prompting device to issue a "return box slide is full" prompt.

6. The intelligent material rack according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The height of the outlet of the feeding chute from the ground corresponds to the height of the lower material box receiving part of the AGV from the ground, and the height of the inlet of the return chute from the ground corresponds to the height of the upper material box receiving part of the AGV from the ground.

7. The intelligent material rack according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The launching and returning chutes are arranged in pairs, and the smart rack includes at least two chutes, each chutes consisting of one launching chute and one returning chutes, wherein the cross-sectional dimensions of the launching and returning chutes in at least one chutes group are different from the cross-sectional dimensions of the launching and returning chutes in the other chutes groups.

8. An automatic batching system, characterized in that, The automated batching system includes an AGV and a smart rack according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. The automatic batching system according to claim 8, characterized in that, The controller is configured to communicate with the AGV in order to control the AGV to go to the charging station for charging.

10. An operating method applicable to the automatic batching system according to claim 8 or 9, the operating method comprising: The second sensor detects whether a material box is present at the second position of the ejector box slide. If a material box is present at the second position, the second sensor sends a second presence signal. If a material box is not present at the second position, the second sensor sends a second absence signal. The first sensor detects whether a material box is present at a first position on the ejector box slide. If a material box is present at the first position, the first sensor sends a first presence signal. If a material box is not present at the first position, the first sensor sends a first absence signal. In response to a first absence signal from a first sensor and a second presence signal from a second sensor, the controller controls the second release mechanism to allow the material box at the second position to slide towards the first position, or The controller controls the second release mechanism to prevent the material box at the second position from sliding toward the first position in response to a first absence signal from the first sensor and a second absence signal from the second sensor, or in response to a first presence signal from the first sensor and a second presence signal from the second sensor, or in response to a first presence signal from the first sensor and a second absence signal from the second sensor. In response to a first presence signal from a first sensor, the controller controls the scanner to scan a label on a material box at the first location that identifies the target production line. The controller schedules AGVs based on the scanned information; The AGV works with the first release mechanism to open the exit of the box release chute, and picks up the material box at the first location and transports it to the target production line.

11. The operating method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The operation method also includes: the controller controls the AGV to retrieve the empty material box and place the empty material box into the return chute.

12. The operating method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that, The operation method also includes: the controller communicating with the AGV to send a charging command to the AGV when there is no new delivery task, controlling the AGV to go to the charging station to charge until there is a new delivery task.

Images